2. Significant Accounting Policies

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2013

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Significant Accounting Policies [Text Block]

2.  Significant Accounting Policies

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. These judgments are difficult as matters that are inherently uncertain directly impact their valuation and accounting. Actual results may vary from management’s estimates and assumptions. The Company’s significant accounting policies are disclosed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012.

Recent Accounting Standards

In December 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-11, “Balance Sheet (Topic 210) – Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities.”  This ASU requires entities to disclose both gross information and net information about both instruments and transactions eligible for offset in the balance sheet and instruments and transactions subject to an agreement similar to a master netting arrangement. An entity is required to apply the amendments for annual reporting periods beginning on or after January 1, 2013, and interim periods within those annual periods. An entity should provide the disclosures required by those amendments retrospectively for all comparative periods presented. The adoption of the new guidance did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In July 2012, the FASB issued ASU 2012-02, "Intangibles—Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Testing Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets for Impairment," which provides entities with the option to assess qualitative factors to determine whether the existence of events and circumstances indicates that it is more likely than not that the indefinite-lived intangible asset is impaired. If the entity concludes that it is more likely than not that the asset is impaired, it is required to determine the fair value of the intangible asset and perform the quantitative impairment test by comparing the fair value with the carrying value in accordance with Topic 350. If the entity concludes otherwise, no further quantitative assessment is required. ASU 2012-02 is effective on January 1, 2013. The adoption of the new guidance did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In January 2013, the FASB issued ASU 2013-01, “Balance Sheet (Topic 210): Clarifying the Scope of Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities.”  The amendments in this ASU clarify the scope for derivatives accounted for in accordance with Topic 815, Derivatives and Hedging, including bifurcated embedded derivatives, repurchase agreements and reverse repurchase agreements and securities borrowing and securities lending transactions that are either offset or subject to netting arrangements.  An entity is required to apply the amendments for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning on or after January 1, 2013.  The adoption of the new guidance did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.

In February 2013, the FASB issued ASU 2013-02, “Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Reporting of Amounts Reclassified Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income.”  The amendments in this ASU require an entity to present (either on the face of the statement where net income is presented or in the notes) the effects on the line items of net income of significant amounts reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income.  In addition, the amendments require a cross-reference to other disclosures currently required for other reclassification items to be reclassified directly to net income in their entirety in the same reporting period.  Companies should apply these amendments for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning on or after December 15, 2012.  The adoption of the new guidance did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.