Accounting Pronouncements

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2019

New Accounting Pronouncements and Changes in Accounting Principles [Abstract]

New Accounting Pronouncements, Policy [Text Block]

Accounting Pronouncements

In June 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 328): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments. This ASU amends the impairment model to utilize an expected loss methodology in place of the incurred loss methodology for financial instruments, including trade receivables, and off-balance sheet credit exposures. The amendment requires entities to consider a broader range of information to estimate expected credit losses, which may result in earlier recognition of losses. The provisions of this ASU are effective for years beginning after December 15, 2019, with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact of this ASU and its related amendments.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework—Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement. The new standard removes the disclosure requirements for the amount of and reasons for transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy. This standard did not have a material impact on our financial statement disclosures. We early adopted this standard effective January 1, 2019.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-14, Compensation—Retirement Benefits—Defined Benefit Plans—General (Subtopic 715-20): Disclosure Framework—Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Defined Benefit Plans. The new standard includes updates to the disclosure requirements for defined benefit plans including several additions, deletions and modifications to the disclosure requirements. The provisions of this ASU are effective for years beginning after December 15, 2020, with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact of this ASU.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-15, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other—Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That Is a Service Contract. The new standard provides updated guidance surrounding implementation costs associated with cloud computing arrangements that are service contracts. The provisions of this ASU are effective for years beginning after December 15, 2020, with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact of this ASU.

In October 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-17, Consolidation (Topic 810): Targeted Improvements to Related Party Guidance for Variable Interest Entities. The amendments in this update for determining whether a decision-making fee is a variable interest require reporting entities to consider indirect interests held through related parties under common control on a proportional basis rather than as the equivalent of a direct interest in its entirety (as currently required in generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP)). These amendments also will create alignment between determining whether a decision making fee is a variable interest and determining whether a reporting entity within a related party group is the primary beneficiary of a VIE. This will significantly reduce the risk that decision makers with insignificant direct and indirect interests could be deemed the primary beneficiary of a VIE. The provisions of this ASU are effective for years beginning after December 15, 2019, with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact of this ASU.

In November 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-18, Collaborative Arrangements (Topic 808): Clarifying the Interaction between Topic 808 and Topic 606. The amendments in this update make targeted improvements to GAAP for collaborative arrangements as follows: clarify that certain transactions between collaborative arrangement participants should be accounted for as revenue under Topic 606 when the collaborative arrangement participant is a customer in the context of a unit of account. In those situations, all the guidance in Topic 606 should be applied, including recognition, measurement, presentation, and disclosure requirements; add unit-of-account guidance in Topic 808 to align with the guidance in Topic 606 (that is, a distinct good or service) when an entity is assessing whether the collaborative arrangement or a part of the arrangement is within the scope of Topic 606; and require that in a transaction with a collaborative arrangement participant that is not directly related to sales to third parties, presenting the transaction together with revenue recognized under Topic 606 is precluded if the collaborative arrangement participant is not a customer. The provisions of this ASU are effective for years beginning after December 15, 2019, with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact of this ASU.