Note 2 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Notes to Financial Statements

Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies [Text Block]

Note 2: Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

A. Principles of Consolidation, Basis of Presentation and Other Information — Our Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP"), and include our accounts and our wholly-owned subsidiaries’ accounts. All significant inter-company balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

The 2019 novel strain of coronavirus ("COVID-19") was characterized as a global pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020, and COVID-19 resulted in travel restrictions and business slowdowns or shutdowns in affected areas. In late March 2020, the Government of Quebec ordered the mining industry to reduce to minimum operations as part of the fight against COVID-19, causing us to suspend our Casa Berardi operations from March 24 until April 15, when mining operations resumed. In early April, the Government of Mexico issued a similar order causing us to suspend our San Sebastian operations until May 30. In addition, restrictions imposed by the State of Alaska in late March caused us to revise the normal operating procedures for staffing operations at Greens Creek. These suspension orders impacted us in the first half of 2020 by curtailing our expected production of gold at Casa Berardi by approximately 11,700 ounces in 2020, which resulted in a reduction in related revenue. We continued to incur costs at Casa Berardi and San Sebastian while operations were suspended. At Casa Berardi and San Sebastian, suspension costs in 2020 totaled $1.6 million and $1.8 million, respectively. In addition, we incurred costs of approximately $2.3 million in 2020 related to quarantining employees at Greens Creek, which started in late March 2020. At Lucky Friday and Nevada Operations, COVID-19 procedures have been implemented without a significant impact on production or operating costs. It is possible that future restrictions at any of our operations could have an adverse impact on operations or financial results beyond 2020.

We took precautionary measures to mitigate the impact of COVID-19, including implementing operational plans and practices and increasing our cash reserves through a temporary draw-down of our revolving credit facility, which was fully repaid (see Note 7 for more information). As long as they are required, the operational practices implemented could have an adverse impact on our operating results due to deferred production and revenues or additional costs. We continue to monitor the rapidly evolving situation and guidance from federal, state, local and foreign governments and public health authorities and may take additional actions based on their recommendations. The extent of the impact of COVID-19 and any subsequent variants on our business and financial results will also depend on future developments, including the duration and spread of the outbreak and the success of the current vaccination programs being rolled out within the markets in which we operate and the related impact on prices, demand, creditworthiness and other market conditions and governmental reactions, all of which are highly uncertain.

B.  Assumptions and Use of Estimates — Preparing financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts and related disclosure of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses at the date of the consolidated financial statements and reporting periods. We consider our most critical accounting estimates to be future metals prices; obligations for environmental, reclamation and closure matters; mineral reserves; and valuation of business combinations. Other significant areas requiring the use of management assumptions and estimates relate to reserves for contingencies and litigation; asset impairments, including long-lived assets and investments; valuation of deferred tax assets; and post-employment, post-retirement and other employee benefit assets and liabilities. We have based our estimates on historical experience and various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable. Accordingly, actual results may differ materially from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

C.  Cash and Cash Equivalents — Cash and cash equivalents consist of all cash balances and highly liquid investments with a remaining maturity of three months or less when purchased and are carried at fair value. Cash and cash equivalents are invested in money market funds, certificates of deposit, U.S. government and federal agency securities, municipal securities and corporate bonds.

D. Investments — We determine the appropriate classification of our investments at the time of purchase and re-evaluate such determinations at each reporting date. Current investments include certificates of deposit and held to maturity or available for sale debt securities, based on our intent and ability to hold the securities to maturity. Marketable equity securities are carried at fair value.  Held to maturity securities are carried at amortized cost. Marketable securities determined to be an asset held-for-sale are included in other current assets.  Marketable debt securities held by us are categorized as available for sale and carried at fair value. 

Gains and losses on the sale of securities are recognized on a specific identification basis. Unrealized gains and losses are included in a separate line item on our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income.

E.  Inventories — Major types of inventories include materials and supplies and metals product inventory, which is determined by the stage at which the ore is in the production process (stockpiled ore, in-process and finished goods). Product inventories are stated at the lower of full cost of production or estimated net realizable value based on current metals prices. Materials and supplies inventories are stated at cost.

Stockpiled ore inventory represents ore that has been mined, hauled to the surface, and is available for further processing. Stockpiles are measured by estimating the number of tons added and removed from the stockpile, the amount of contained metal ounces or pounds (based on assay data) and the estimated metallurgical recovery rates (based on the expected processing method). Costs are allocated to a stockpile based on relative values of material stockpiled and processed using current mining costs incurred up to the point of stockpiling the ore, including applicable overhead, depreciation, depletion and amortization relating to mining operations, and removed at each stockpile’s average cost per recoverable unit.

In-process inventory represents material that is currently in the process of being converted to a saleable product. Conversion processes vary depending on the nature of the ore and the specific processing facility, but include mill in-circuit, flotation, and carbon-in-leach. In-process material is measured based on assays of the material fed into the process and the projected recoveries of the respective processing plants. In-process inventory is valued at the lower of the average cost of the material fed into the process attributable to the source material coming from the mine and stockpile plus the in-process conversion costs, including applicable amortization relating to the process facilities incurred to that point in the process, or net realizable value.

Finished goods inventory includes doré and concentrates at our operations, doré in transit to refiners or at refiners waiting to be processed, and bullion in our accounts at refineries.

F. Restricted Cash — Restricted cash and investments primarily represent investments in money market funds, certificates of deposit, and bonds of U.S. government agencies and are restricted primarily for reclamation funding or surety bonds. Restricted cash balances are carried at fair value. Non-current restricted cash and investments is reported in a separate line on the consolidated balance sheets and totaled $1.1 million at December 31, 2020 and $1.0 million at December 31, 2019.

G. Properties, Plants and Equipment – Costs are capitalized when it has been determined an ore body can be economically developed.  The development stage begins at new projects when our management and/or board of directors makes the decision to bring a mine into commercial production, and ends when the production stage, or exploitation of reserves, begins.  Expenditures incurred during the development and production stages for new assets, new facilities, alterations to existing facilities that extend the useful lives of those facilities, and major mine development expenditures are capitalized, including primary development costs such as costs of building access ways, shaft sinking, lateral development, drift development, ramps and infrastructure developments. Costs to improve, alter, or rehabilitate primary development assets which appreciably extend the life, increase capacity, or improve the efficiency or safety of such assets are also capitalized.

The costs of removing overburden and waste materials to access the ore body at an open-pit mine prior to the production stage are referred to as "pre-stripping costs." Pre-stripping costs are capitalized during the development stage. Where multiple open pits exist at an operation utilizing common facilities, pre-stripping costs are capitalized at each pit. The production stage of a mine commences when salable materials, beyond a de minimis amount, are produced. Stripping costs incurred during the production stage are treated as variable production costs included as a component of inventory, to be recognized in cost of sales and other direct production costs in the same period as the revenue from the sale of inventory.

Costs for exploration, pre-development, secondary development at operating mines, including drilling costs related to those activities (discussed further below), and maintenance and repairs on capitalized properties, plants and equipment are charged to operations as incurred.  Exploration costs include those relating to activities carried out (a) in search of previously unidentified mineral deposits, (b) at undeveloped concessions, or (c) at operating mines already containing proven and probable reserves, where a determination remains pending as to whether new target deposits outside of the existing reserve areas can be economically developed.  Pre-development activities involve costs incurred in the exploration stage that may ultimately benefit production, such as underground ramp development, which are expensed due to the lack of evidence of economic development, which is necessary to demonstrate future recoverability of these expenses. At an underground mine, secondary development costs are incurred for preparation of an ore body for production in a specific ore block, stope or work area, providing a relatively short-lived benefit only to the mine area they relate to, and not to the ore body as a whole. Primary development costs benefit long-term production, multiple mine areas, or the ore body as a whole, and are therefore capitalized.

Drilling, development and related costs are either classified as exploration, pre-development or secondary development, as defined above, and charged to operations as incurred, or capitalized, based on the following criteria:

• whether the costs are incurred to further define mineralization at and adjacent to existing reserve areas or intended to assist with mine planning within a reserve area;

• whether the drilling or development costs relate to an ore body that has been determined to be commercially mineable, and a decision has been made to put the ore body into commercial production; and

• whether, at the time the cost is incurred: (a) the expenditure embodies a probable future benefit that involves a capacity, singly or in combination with other assets, to contribute directly or indirectly to future net cash inflows, (b) we can obtain the benefit and control others’ access to it, and (c) the transaction or event giving rise to our right to or control of the benefit has already occurred.

If all of these criteria are met, drilling, development and related costs are capitalized.  Drilling and development costs not meeting all of these criteria are expensed as incurred.  The following factors are considered in determining whether or not the criteria listed above have been met, and capitalization of drilling and development costs is appropriate:

• completion of a favorable economic study and mine plan for the ore body targeted;

• authorization of development of the ore body by management and/or the board of directors; and

• there is a justifiable expectation, based on applicable laws and regulations, that issuance of permits or resolution of legal issues and/or contractual requirements necessary for us to have the right to or control of the future benefit from the targeted ore body have been met.

Drilling and related costs of approximately $4.4 million, $14.4 million, and $11.6 million for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively, met our criteria for capitalization listed above at our properties that are in the production stage.

When assets are retired or sold, the costs and related allowances for depreciation and amortization are eliminated from the accounts and any resulting gain or loss is reflected in current period net income (loss).  Idle facilities placed on standby are carried at the lower of net carrying value or estimated fair value.  The net carrying values of idle facilities on standby are written down to salvage value upon reaching the end of their economic life.  Therefore, with the exception of depreciation recorded on mobile equipment used in ongoing exploration and reclamation efforts at such properties, we do not record depreciation on idle facilities when they are not in operation.

Included in properties, plants, equipment and mineral interests on our consolidated financial statements are mineral interests, which are tangible assets that include acquired undeveloped mineral interests and royalty interests.  Undeveloped mineral interests include: (i) mineralized material and other resources which are measured, indicated or inferred with insufficient drill spacing or quality to qualify as proven and probable reserves; and (ii) inferred material not immediately adjacent to existing proven and probable reserves but accessible within the immediate mine infrastructure.  Residual values for undeveloped mineral interests represent the expected fair value of the interests at the time we plan to convert, develop, further explore or dispose of the interests and are evaluated at least annually.

We capitalize portions of interest costs incurred on our debt as a part of the cost of constructing or acquiring certain qualifying assets. The amount of interest capitalized represents the portion of interest cost incurred during the construction or acquisition periods that theoretically could have been avoided if expenditures for the qualifying assets had not been made, limited to the total interest cost actually incurred during the period. Qualifying assets include discrete projects constructed by us or by a third party for our use which required a period of time to prepare the assets for their intended use. Interest capitalization takes place when capital expenditures for qualifying assets have been incurred, activities to prepare the qualifying asset for its intended use are underway, and interest cost is being incurred.

H. Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization — Capitalized costs are depreciated or depleted using the straight-line method or unit-of-production method at rates sufficient to depreciate such costs over the shorter of estimated productive lives of such facilities or the useful life of the individual assets. Productive lives range from 3 to 17 years, but do not exceed the useful life of the individual asset. Determination of expected useful lives for amortization calculations are made on a property-by-property or asset-by-asset basis at least annually. Our estimates for reserves, mineralized material, and other resources are a key component in determining our units of production depreciation rates, with net book value of many assets depreciated over remaining estimated reserves. Reserves are estimates made by our professional technical personnel of the amount of metals that they believe could be economically and legally extracted or produced at the time of the reserve determination (discussed in J. Proven and Probable Ore Reserves below). Our estimates of proven and probable ore reserves, mineralized material, and other resources may change, possibly in the near term, resulting in changes to depreciation, depletion and amortization rates in future reporting periods.

Undeveloped mineral interests and value beyond proven and probable reserves are not amortized until such time as there are proven and probable reserves or the related mineralized material is converted to proven and probable reserves.  At that time, the basis of the mineral interest is amortized on a units-of-production basis.  Pursuant to our policy on impairment of long-lived assets (discussed further below), if it is determined that an undeveloped mineral interest cannot be economically converted to proven and probable reserves and its carrying value exceeds its estimated undiscounted future cash flows, the basis of the mineral interest is reduced to its fair value and an impairment loss is recorded to expense in the period in which it is determined to be impaired.

I.  Impairment of Long-lived Assets — Management reviews and evaluates the net carrying value of all facilities, including idle facilities, for impairment upon the occurrence of events or changes in circumstances that indicate that the related carrying amounts may not be recoverable. We perform the test for recoverability of each property based on the estimated undiscounted future cash flows that will be generated from operations at each property, the estimated salvage value of the surface plant and equipment, and the value associated with property interests.

Although management has made what it believes to be a reasonable estimate of factors based on current conditions and information, assumptions underlying future cash flows, which includes the estimated value of mineral interests, are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Estimates of undiscounted future cash flows are dependent upon, among other factors, estimates of: (i) metals to be recovered from proven and probable ore reserves and identified mineralization and other resources beyond proven and probable reserves, (ii) future production and capital costs, (iii) estimated metals prices (considering current and historical prices, forward pricing curves and related factors) over the estimated remaining mine life and (iv) market values of mineral interests. It is possible that changes could occur in the near term that could adversely affect our estimate of future cash flows to be generated from our operating properties. If estimated undiscounted cash flows are less than the carrying value of a property, an impairment loss is recognized for the difference between the carrying value and fair value of the property.

J. Proven and Probable Ore Reserves — At least annually, management reviews the reserves used to estimate the quantities and grades of ore at our mines which we believe can be recovered and sold economically. Management’s calculations of proven and probable ore reserves are based on financial, engineering and geological estimates, including future metals prices and operating costs, and an assessment of our ability to obtain the permits required to mine and process the material. From time to time, management obtains external audits or reviews of reserves.

Reserve estimates will change as existing reserves are depleted through production, as additional reserves are proven and added to the estimates and as market prices of metals, production or capital costs, smelter terms, the grade or tonnage of the deposit, throughput, dilution of the ore or recovery rates change.

K. Leases — Contractual arrangements are assessed at inception to determine if they represent or contain a lease. Right-of-use ("ROU") assets related to operating leases are separately reported in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. ROU assets related to finance leases are included in Properties, plants, equipment and mineral interests, net. Separate current and non-current liabilities for operating and finance leases are reported on the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Operating and finance lease ROU assets and lease liabilities are recognized at the lease commencement date based on the present value of the future lease payments over the lease term. Leases acquired in a business combination are also measured based on the present value of the remaining leases payments, as if the acquired lease were a new lease at the acquisition date. When the rate implicit to the lease cannot be readily determined, we utilize our incremental borrowing rate in determining the present value of the future lease payments. The incremental borrowing rate is derived from information available at the lease commencement date and represents the rate of interest that we would have to pay to borrow on a collateralized basis over a similar term an amount equal to the lease payments in a similar economic environment. The ROU asset includes any lease payments made and lease incentives received prior to the commencement date. Operating lease ROU assets also include any cumulative prepaid or accrued rent when the lease payments are uneven throughout the lease term. The ROU assets and lease liabilities may include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that we will exercise that option.

We adopted the guidance under ASU No. 2016-02 Leases (Topic 842) effective January 1, 2019, and recognized a liability and right-of-use asset of $22.4 million as of that date for our identified operating leases. We elected the transition option to apply the new guidance as of that effective date without adjusting comparative periods presented. In the adoption of ASU No. 2016-02, we elected to not assess leases with terms less than twelve months in length. We also elected practical expedients which permitted us to forgo reassessing the following upon adoption: (i) whether any expired or existing contracts are or contain leases, (ii) the classification of leases as operating or capital under the previous accounting guidance, and (iii) treatment of initial indirect costs for any existing leases. In addition, we elected to not reassess whether land easements represent leases, as we did not treat them as leases under the previous guidance.

L. Pension Plans and Other Post-retirement Benefits — Accounting principles regarding employers’ accounting for defined benefit pension and other post-retirement plans, among other things, require us to:

• recognize the funded or underfunded status of our defined benefit plans in our consolidated financial statements; and

• recognize as a component of other comprehensive income (loss) the actuarial gains and losses and prior service costs and credits that arise during the period but are not immediately recognized as components of net periodic benefit cost.

See Note 9 for more information on the valuation of the underfunded status of our defined benefit pension plans.

M. Income and Production Taxes — We provide for federal, state and foreign income taxes currently payable, as well as those deferred, due to timing differences between reporting income and expenses for financial statement purposes versus tax purposes. Federal, state and foreign tax benefits are recorded as a reduction of income taxes, when applicable. We record deferred tax liabilities and assets for expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the financial statement carrying amounts and the tax bases of those assets and liabilities, as well as operating loss and tax credit carryforwards, using enacted tax rates in effect in the years in which the differences are expected to reverse.

We evaluate uncertain tax positions in a two-step process, whereby (i) it is determined whether it is more likely than not that the tax positions will be sustained based on the technical merits of the position and (ii) for those tax positions that meet the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold, the largest amount of tax benefit that is greater than 50% likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement with the related tax authority would be recognized.

We classify mine license taxes incurred in the states of Alaska and Idaho as other direct production costs reported in our gross profits. Net proceeds taxes incurred in Nevada, mining duties in Mexico, and resource taxes incurred in Quebec, Canada are classified as income taxes.

For additional information, see Note 6 — Income Taxes.

N. Reclamation and Remediation Costs (Asset Retirement Obligations)  — At our operating properties, we record a liability for the present value of our estimated environmental remediation costs, and the related asset created with it, in the period in which the liability is incurred. The liability is accreted and the asset is depreciated over the life of the related assets. Adjustments for changes resulting from the passage of time and changes to either the timing or amount of the original present value estimate underlying the obligation are made in the period incurred.

At our non-operating properties, we accrue costs associated with environmental remediation obligations when it is probable that such costs will be incurred and they are reasonably estimable. Accruals for estimated losses from environmental remediation obligations have historically been recognized no later than completion of the remediation feasibility study for such facility and are charged to current earnings under provision for closed operations and environmental matters. Costs of future expenditures for environmental remediation are not discounted to their present value unless subject to a contractually obligated fixed payment schedule. Such costs are based on management’s current estimate of amounts to be incurred when the remediation work is performed, within current laws and regulations.

Future closure, reclamation and environmental-related expenditures are difficult to estimate in many circumstances, due to the early stage nature of investigations, uncertainties associated with defining the nature and extent of environmental contamination, the application of laws and regulations by regulatory authorities, and changes in reclamation or remediation technology. We periodically review accrued liabilities for such reclamation and remediation costs as evidence becomes available indicating that our liabilities have potentially changed. Changes in estimates at our non-operating properties are reflected in current period net income (loss). 

O. Revenue Recognition and Trade Accounts Receivable — Sales of all metals products sold directly to customers, including by-product metals, are recorded as revenues and accounts receivable upon completion of the performance obligations and transfer of control of the product to the customer. For sales of metals from refined doré, the performance obligation is met, the transaction price is known, and revenue is recognized at the time of transfer of control of the agreed-upon metal quantities to the customer by the refiner. For sales of unrefined doré and carbon material, the performance obligation is met, the transaction price is known, and revenue is recognized at the time of transfer of title and control of the doré or carbon containing the agreed-upon metal quantities to the customer. For concentrate sales, the performance obligation is met, the transaction price can be reasonably estimated, and revenue is recognized generally at the time of shipment at estimated forward prices for the anticipated month of settlement. Due to the time elapsed from shipment to the customer and the final settlement with the customer, we must estimate the prices at which sales of our concentrates will be settled. Previously recorded sales and accounts receivable are adjusted to estimated settlement metals prices until final settlement by the customer. As discussed in P. Risk Management Contracts below, we seek to mitigate this exposure by using financially-settled forward contracts for some of the metals contained in our concentrate shipments.

Refining, selling and shipping costs related to sales of doré, metals from doré, and carbon are recorded to cost of sales as incurred. Sales and accounts receivable for concentrate shipments are recorded net of charges by the customers for treatment, refining, smelting losses, and other charges negotiated by us with the customers. Charges are estimated by us upon shipment of concentrates based on contractual terms, and actual charges typically do not vary materially from our estimates. Costs charged by customers include fixed costs per ton of concentrate, and price escalators which allow the customers to participate in the increase of lead and zinc prices above a negotiated baseline.

See Note 12 for more information on our sales of products.

P. Foreign Currency — The functional currency for our operations located in the U.S., Mexico and Canada was the U.S. dollar ("USD") for all periods presented. Accordingly, for the Casa Berardi unit in Canada and the San Sebastian unit in Mexico, we have translated our monetary assets and liabilities at the period-end exchange rate, and non-monetary assets and liabilities at historical rates, with income and expenses translated at the average exchange rate for the current period. All translation gains and losses have been included in the current period net income (loss). Expenses incurred at our foreign operations and denominated in CAD and MXN expose us to exchange rate fluctuations between those currencies and the USD. As discussed in P. Risk Management Contracts below, we seek to mitigate this exposure by using financially-settled forward contracts to sell CAD and MXN.

We recognized total net foreign exchange losses of $4.6 million and $8.2 million, and a net gain of $10.3 million, for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively.  

Q. Risk Management Contracts — We use derivative financial instruments as part of an overall risk-management strategy as a means of managing exposure to changes in metals prices and exchange rate fluctuations between the USD and CAD and MXN. We do not hold or issue derivative financial instruments for speculative trading purposes. We measure derivative contracts as assets or liabilities based on their fair value. Amounts recognized for the fair value of derivative asset and liability positions with the same counterparty and which would be settled on a net basis are offset against each other on our consolidated balance sheets. Gains or losses resulting from changes in the fair value of derivatives in each period are recorded either in current earnings or other comprehensive income (“OCI”), depending on the use of the derivative, whether it qualifies for hedge accounting and whether that hedge is effective. Amounts deferred in OCI are reclassified to sales of products (for metals price-related contracts) or cost of sales (for foreign currency-related contracts). Ineffective portions of any change in fair value of a derivative are recorded in current period other operating income (expense). For derivatives qualifying as hedges, when the hedged items are sold, extinguished or terminated, or it is determined the hedged transactions are no longer likely to occur, gains or losses on the derivatives are reclassified from OCI to current earnings. As of December 31, 2020 and 2019, our foreign currency-related forward contracts qualified for hedge accounting, with unrealized gains and loss related to the effective portion of the contracts included in OCI. Our metals price-related forward and put option contracts did not qualify for hedge accounting as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, and all unrealized gains and losses are therefore reported in earnings.

See Note 11 for additional information on our foreign exchange and metal derivative contracts as of December 31, 2020.

R. Stock Based Compensation — The fair values of equity instruments granted to employees that have vesting periods are expensed over the vesting periods on a straight-line basis. The fair values of instruments having no vesting period are expensed when granted. Stock-based compensation expense is recorded among general and administrative expenses, exploration and cost of sales and other direct production costs.   

For additional information on our restricted stock unit compensation, see Note 10.

S. Basic and Diluted Income (Loss) Per Common Share — We calculate basic (loss) earnings per share on the basis of the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings per share is calculated using the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period plus the effect of potential dilutive common shares during the period using the treasury stock and if-converted methods.

Potential dilutive shares of common stock include outstanding unvested restricted stock awards, performance-based share awards, stock units, warrants and convertible preferred stock for periods in which we have reported net income. For periods in which we report net losses, potential dilutive shares of common stock are excluded, as their conversion and exercise would be anti-dilutive. See Note 14 for additional information.

T. Comprehensive Income (Loss) — In addition to net income (loss), comprehensive income (loss) includes certain changes in equity during a period, such as adjustments to minimum pension liabilities, adjustments to recognize the over-funded or under-funded status of our defined benefit pension plans, the change in fair value of derivative contracts designated as hedge transactions, and cumulative unrecognized changes in the fair value of available for sale debt investments, net of tax, if applicable.

U. Research and development — Costs related to activities meeting the definition of research and development are generally recorded to expense. However, costs for materials, equipment, and facilities that are acquired or constructed for research and development activities that have alternative future uses are capitalized. Research and development expense for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 included contractor fees. We did not report research and development expense for the year ended December 31, 2020.

V. New Accounting Pronouncements —

Accounting Standards Updates Adopted

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13 Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments. The update changes how entities will record credit losses from an "incurred loss" approach to an "expected loss" approach. The update was adopted as of January 1, 2020, and its adoption did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-13 Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework - Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement. The update removes, modifies and makes additions to certain disclosure requirements with respect to fair value measurements. The update was adopted as of January 1, 2020, and its adoption did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-14 Compensation - Retirement Benefits - Defined Benefit Plans - General (Subtopic 715-20): Disclosure Framework - Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Defined Benefit Plans. The update removes several disclosure requirements, adds two new disclosure requirements, and clarifies other disclosure requirements for employers that sponsor defined benefit pension or other post-retirement plans. The update is effective for fiscal years ending after December 15, 2020, with early adoption permitted. The update was adopted as of December 31, 2020, and its adoption did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-04 Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting. The update provides optional expedients and exceptions for applying generally accepted accounting principles to contracts, hedging relationships and other transactions affected by reference rate reform if certain criteria are met. The update is effective as of March 12, 2020 through December 31, 2022. Adoption of the update has not had a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

Accounting Standards Updates to Become Effective in Future Periods

In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12 Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes. The update contains a number of provisions intended to simplify the accounting for income taxes. The update is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, with early adoption permitted. We are evaluating the impact of this update on our consolidated financial statements.

In August 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-06 Debt - Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging—Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40): Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity’s Own Equity. The update is to address issues identified as a result of the complexity associated with applying generally accepted accounting principles for certain financial instruments with characteristics of liabilities and equity. The update is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021, including interim periods within those fiscal years and with early adoption permitted. We are evaluating the impact of this update on our consolidated financial statements.