Accounting and Disclosure Changes

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2015

Accounting and Disclosure Changes

Accounting and Disclosure Changes

3. Accounting and Disclosure Changes

In July 2015, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) voted to defer the effective date of the new revenue recognition standard to interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017.  Under the new rules, an entity will recognize revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects what it expects to receive in exchange for the goods and services. The rules also require more detailed disclosures related to the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. The rules are not expected to have a significant impact on Occidental’s financial statements upon adoption.

In May 2015, the FASB issued rules modifying how entities measure certain investments at net asset value as well as how they are categorized within the fair value hierarchy. The new rules remove the requirement to categorize within the fair value hierarchy all investments for which fair value is measured using the net asset value per share. The update also removes the requirement for certain disclosures for all investments that are eligible to be measured at fair value using the net asset value per share practice, and instead requires it for only those investments the entity elects to measure as such. The rules become effective for fiscal years, and for interim periods, beginning after December 15, 2015. The rules will not have a significant impact on Occidental’s financial statements.

In April 2015, the FASB issued rules simplifying the presentation of debt issuance costs. The new rules require that debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of that debt liability, consistent with debt discounts.  The rules become effective for fiscal years, and for interim periods, beginning after December 15, 2015. The rules will not have a significant impact on Occidental’s financial statements.

In February 2015, the FASB issued rules modifying how an entity should evaluate certain legal entities for consolidation. The modifications change how limited partnerships and similar legal entities are evaluated, eliminate the presumption that a general partner should consolidate limited partnerships, change the consolidation analysis for reporting entities that are involved with variable interest entities, and change the scope exception for certain legal entities, among other things. The rules become effective for fiscal years, and for interim periods, beginning after December 15, 2015. The rules are not expected to have an impact on Occidental’s financial statements upon adoption.

In January 2015, the FASB issued rules that eliminate from GAAP the concept of an extraordinary item. The presentation and disclosure guidance for items that are unusual in nature or occur infrequently will be retained and expanded to include items that are both unusual in nature and infrequently occurring. The rules do not impact Occidental’s financial statements upon adoption.