Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

The Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of Vista and more-than-50%-owned subsidiaries that it controls. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated. The Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements requires the Company to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, income and expenses during the reporting period. The more significant areas requiring the use of management estimates and assumptions are: the fair value and accounting treatment of financial instruments; useful lives of assets for asset depreciation purposes; valuation allowances for deferred tax assets; the fair value and accounting treatment of stock-based compensation; the provision for environmental liabilities; and asset impairments. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. Accordingly, actual results will likely differ from the amounts estimated in these financial statements.

Cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents include cash on hand and government securities with original maturities of three months or less when purchased. Because of the short maturity of these investments, the carrying amounts approximate their fair values.

Foreign Currency Translations

Foreign Currency Transactions

Our functional currency is the U.S. dollar. Foreign currency transactions denominated in currency other than the functional currency are recorded at the approximate rate of exchange at the transaction date and any gains/(losses) resulting therefrom are recorded in other expense. For each of the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, we recorded insignificant net foreign currency gains/(losses).

Short-term Investments

Short-term investments consist of securities with original maturity dates greater than ninety days and less than one year. These securities are typically United States government treasury bills and/or notes. Short-term investments are recorded at amortized cost and are classified as debt securities held-to-maturity as the Company has the intention and ability to hold these instruments until their original maturity date at the time of purchase.

Mineral Properties

Mineral property acquisition costs, including directly related costs, are capitalized when incurred, and mineral property exploration costs are expensed as incurred. When we determine that a mineral property can be economically developed in accordance with U.S. GAAP and SEC Industry Guide 7 reserves are established, the costs then incurred to develop such property will be capitalized. Capitalized costs will be depleted using the units-of-production method over the estimated life of the proven and probable reserves. If mineral properties are subsequently abandoned or impaired, any undepleted costs will be charged to loss in that period.

The recoverability of the carrying values of our mineral properties is dependent upon economic reserves being discovered or developed on the properties, permitting, financing, start-up, and commercial production from, or the sale/lease of, or other strategic transactions related to these properties. Development and/or start-up of any of these projects will depend on, among other things, management’s ability to raise sufficient capital for these purposes.

We assess the carrying cost of our mineral properties for impairment whenever information or circumstances indicate the potential for impairment. This would include events and circumstances such as our inability to obtain all the necessary permits, changes in the legal status of our mineral properties, government actions, the results of exploration activities and technical evaluations and changes in economic conditions, including the price of gold and other commodities or input prices. Such evaluations compare estimated future net cash flows with our carrying costs and future obligations on an undiscounted basis. If it is determined that the estimated future undiscounted cash flows are less than the carrying value of the property, a write-down to the estimated fair value will then be reported in our Consolidated Statement of Income/(Loss) and Comprehensive Income/(Loss) for the period. Where estimates of future net cash flows are not determinable and where other conditions indicate the potential for impairment, management uses available market information and/or third-party valuation experts to assess if the carrying value can be recovered and to estimate fair value.

Impairment

Carrying values of long-lived assets, other than mineral properties, are evaluated for impairment at such time that information becomes available indicating that the carrying value may not be recoverable. If it is determined that the fair value is less than the carrying value an impairment charge equal to the difference between the fair value and the carrying value will be recorded in our Consolidated Statements of Income/(Loss) and Comprehensive Income/(Loss).

Stock-Based Compensation

Under our stock option and long-term equity incentive plans, stock incentive options, and until April 2018, restricted stock units could be granted to executives, employees, consultants and non-employee directors. Compensation expense for such grants is recorded in the Consolidated Statements of Income/(Loss) and Comprehensive Income/(Loss) as a component of exploration, property evaluation and holding costs and corporate administration, with a corresponding increase to Common shares in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The fair values of the options are calculated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The fair value of restricted stock units is based on the closing price of our common shares on the grant date. The expense is based on the fair values of the grant on the grant date and is recognized over the vesting period specified for each grant. Forfeitures for all stock-based compensation are recorded when incurred.

Financial Instruments

Accounting Standards Codification Topic 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (“ASC 820”) of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value. ASC 820 establishes a fair value hierarchy based on the level of independent, objective evidence surrounding the inputs used to measure fair value. A financial instrument’s categorization within the fair value hierarchy is based upon the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. ASC 820 prioritizes the inputs into three levels that may be used to measure fair value:

Level 1 – Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets that are accessible at the measurement date for identical, unrestricted assets or liabilities.

Level 2 – Observable inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly, including quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar assets and liabilities in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data by correlation or other means.

Level 3 – Prices or valuation techniques requiring inputs that are both significant to the fair value measurement and unobservable.

Our financial instruments include cash and cash equivalents, marketable securities, short-term investments, accounts payable and certain other current assets and liabilities. Due to the short-term nature of our cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments, accounts payable and certain other current assets and liabilities, we believe that their carrying amounts approximate fair value. Our marketable securities are classified as available-for-sale. Accordingly, these securities are carried at fair value, which is based upon quoted market prices in an active market and included in Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy. Our other investments, comprised of Midas Gold Shares, are accounted for using the fair value option based on quoted market prices in an active market and are included in Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy. The mill equipment is accounted for using a third-party valuation and is included in Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy.

Recent accounting pronouncements

Leases

In February 2016 the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases. The new standard establishes a right-of-use (“ROU”) model that requires a lessee to record an ROU asset and a lease liability on the balance sheet for all leases with terms longer than 12 months. Leases will be classified as either finance or operating, with classification affecting the pattern of expense recognition in the income statement. The new standard is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018. A modified retrospective transition approach is required for lessees for capital and operating leases existing at, or entered into, after the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented in the financial statements, with certain practical expedients available. Based upon our initial review, we expect to recognize additional operating liabilities of approximately $185 on adoption, with corresponding ROU assets of the same amount, based on the present value of the remaining lease payments.

Nonemployee Share-Based Payments

The FASB issued ASU No. 2018-07, Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718) - Improvements to Nonemployee Share-Based Payment Accounting. ASU No. 2018-07, supersedes the guidance for equity-based payments to nonemployees (Topic ASC 505-50). Under the new standard, an entity should treat equity-based payments to nonemployees the same as stock-based compensation to employees in most cases. The new guidance is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018, with early adoption permitted. Effective July 1, 2018, the Company adopted the new guidance. The Company performed an assessment of the standard and the impacts on the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements and disclosures. Based on our analysis, adoption of the standard has not materially changed the Company’s expense recognition and disclosures.

Revenue Recognition

New FASB guidance issued under ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), as amended, is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Under ASU No. 2014-09, an entity should recognize revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. ASU No. 2014-09 also requires additional disclosure about the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from

customer contracts. This includes significant judgments and changes in judgments and assets recognized from costs incurred to obtain or fulfill a contract.

Effective January 1, 2018, the Company adopted the new guidance modified retrospectively. The Company performed an assessment of the revised guidance and the impacts on the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements and disclosures. We also evaluated the potential for future variable consideration from option payments, net smelter return royalties (“NSR”), and other production related payments, and determined that there is no impact to the Company’s current accounting. The Company determined that the adoption of this guidance will primarily impact the timing of revenue recognition on certain option agreements based on the Company’s determination of when control is transferred for accounting purposes. Based on the contracts outstanding as of December 31, 2017, there was no cumulative effect adjustment required to be recognized at January 1, 2018. Under the Company’s adoption approach, results for reporting periods beginning after January 1, 2018, will be presented in the Consolidated Financial Statements under the new guidance, while prior period amounts will not be adjusted and continue to be reported under the guidance in effect for those periods.

Currently, proceeds received from option agreements are ascribed to recovery of the carrying value of the related project until the carrying value reaches zero. After that, any additional proceeds received will be recognized as a contract liability until control has transferred to the buyer or the related contract has terminated. None of the projects which could provide the Company with future variable consideration are currently in production, and in all cases, we believe there is low probability of future production from these projects. Accordingly, the Company believes its NSRs and other production related payments are fully constrained, and the Company did not record a receivable for them. When it becomes probable that a project which could provide the Company with an NSR or other production related payments could begin production, the Company will evaluate the accounting treatment at that time.