Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2022

Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies


1.			Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Description of Company

Chesapeake Energy Corporation (“Chesapeake”, “we”, “our”, “us” or the “Company”) is an oil and natural gas exploration and production company engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of properties for the production of oil, natural gas and NGL from underground reservoirs. Our operations are located onshore in the United States. As discussed in Note 2 below, we filed the Chapter 11 Cases on the Petition Date and subsequently operated as a debtor-in-possession, in accordance with applicable provisions of the Bankruptcy Code, until emergence on February 9, 2021. To facilitate our financial statement presentations, we refer to the post-emergence reorganized Company in these condensed consolidated financial statements and footnotes as the “Successor” for periods subsequent to February 9, 2021, and to the pre-emergence Company as “Predecessor” for periods on or prior to February 9, 2021.

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of Chesapeake were prepared in accordance with GAAP and the rules and regulations of the SEC. Pursuant to such rules and regulations, certain disclosures have been condensed or omitted.

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (this “Form 10-Q”) relates to our financial position as of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, the three months ended March 31, 2022 (“2022 Successor Period”) and the periods of February 10, 2021 through March 31, 2021 (“2021 Successor Period”), and January 1, 2021 through February 9, 2021 (“2021 Predecessor Period”). Our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 (“2021 Form 10-K”) should be read in conjunction with this Form 10-Q. There has been no material change in the information disclosed in the notes to the consolidated financial statements included in the 2021 Form 10-K. The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all normal recurring adjustments that, in the opinion of management, are necessary for a fair statement of our condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes and include the accounts of our direct and indirect wholly owned subsidiaries and entities in which we have a controlling financial interest. Intercompany accounts and balances have been eliminated. The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming the Company will continue as a going concern.

Segments

Operating segments are defined as components of an enterprise that engage in activities from which it may earn revenues and incur expenses for which separate operational financial information is available and is regularly evaluated by the chief operating decision maker for the purpose of allocating an enterprise’s resources and assessing its operating performance. We have concluded that we have only one reportable operating segment due to the similar nature of the exploration and production business across Chesapeake and its consolidated subsidiaries and the fact that our marketing activities are ancillary to our operations.

Restricted Cash

As of March 31, 2022, we had restricted cash of $9 million. The restricted funds are maintained primarily to pay certain convenience class unsecured claims following our emergence from bankruptcy.

Voluntary Filing under Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

On the Petition Date, the Debtors filed the Chapter 11 Cases under the Bankruptcy Code in the Bankruptcy Court. On June 29, 2020, the Bankruptcy Court entered an order authorizing the joint administration of the Chapter 11 Cases under the caption In re Chesapeake Energy Corporation, Case No. 20-33233. Subsidiaries with noncontrolling interests, consolidated variable interest entities and certain de minimis subsidiaries (collectively, the “Non-Filing Entities”) were not part of the bankruptcy filing. The Non-Filing Entities continued to operate in the ordinary course of business.

The Bankruptcy Court confirmed the Plan and entered the Confirmation Order on January 16, 2021. The Debtors emerged from the Chapter 11 Cases on the Effective Date. The Company’s bankruptcy proceedings and related matters have been summarized below.

During the pendency of the Chapter 11 Cases, we operated our business as debtors-in-possession in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Bankruptcy Code. The Bankruptcy Court granted the first day relief we requested that was designed primarily to mitigate the impact of the Chapter 11 Cases on our operations, vendors, suppliers, customers and employees. As a result, we were able to conduct normal business activities and pay all associated obligations for the period following the Petition Date and were also authorized to pay mineral interest owner royalties, employee wages and benefits, and certain vendors and suppliers in the ordinary course for goods and services provided prior to the Petition Date. During the pendency of the Chapter 11 Cases, all transactions outside the ordinary course of business required the prior approval of the Bankruptcy Court.

Subject to certain specific exceptions under the Bankruptcy Code, the filing of the Chapter 11 Cases automatically stayed all judicial or administrative actions against us and efforts by creditors to collect on or otherwise exercise rights or remedies with respect to pre-petition claims. Absent an order from the Bankruptcy Court, substantially all of the Debtors’ pre-petition liabilities were subject to compromise and discharge under the Bankruptcy Code. The automatic stay was lifted on the Effective Date.

We have applied ASC 852, Reorganizations, in preparing the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for the period ended February 9, 2021. ASC 852 requires that the financial statements, for periods subsequent to the Chapter 11 Cases, distinguish transactions and events that are directly associated with the reorganization from the ongoing operations of the business. Accordingly, certain revenues, expenses, realized gains and losses and provisions for losses that were realized or incurred during the bankruptcy proceedings, including gain on settlement of liabilities subject to compromise, losses related to executory contracts that have been approved for rejection by the Bankruptcy Court, and unamortized debt issuance costs, premiums and discounts associated with debt classified as liabilities subject to compromise, were recorded as reorganization items, net. See Note 3 for more information regarding reorganization items.