Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation.  The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation.  Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified for consistency with the current period presentation.  These reclassifications had no effect on the reported results of operations.

Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Financial Statements.  The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) requires the Company 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 financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Significant estimates include, but are not limited to, allowances for bad debts and customer credits, useful lives of depreciable assets and capitalized software costs, long-lived asset impairments, goodwill and purchased intangible asset valuations, accrued liabilities, contingent payment provisions, debt valuation and valuation allowance for deferred tax assets, warrant valuation and stock-based compensation expense. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Cash and Cash Equivalents.  For purposes of the Consolidated Balance Sheets and the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows, the Company considers all highly liquid investments with an original maturity of 90 days or less at the date of purchase to be cash equivalents. Cash and cash equivalents represent amounts held by the Company for use by the Company and are recorded at cost, which approximates fair value.

Investments.  In September 2013 the Company entered into a Contribution Agreement with AutoWeb pursuant to which Autobytel contributed to AutoWeb $2.5 million and assigned to AutoWeb all the ownership interests in the autoweb.com domain name and two registered trademarks related to the AutoWeb name and related goodwill in exchange for 8,000 shares of AutoWeb Series A Preferred Stock, $0.01 par value per share.  The 8,000 shares of AutoWeb Series A Preferred Stock represented 16% of all issued and outstanding common stock of AutoWeb as of September 18, 2013, assuming conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock into AutoWeb common stock as of September 18, 2013. The Company also obtained an option to acquire an additional 5,000 shares of AutoWeb Series A Preferred Stock at a per share exercise price of $500.00. In connection with this investment, the Company also entered into arrangements with AutoWeb to use the AutoWeb pay-per-click, auction-driven automotive marketplace technology platform as both a publisher and as an advertiser. In November 2014 the Company entered into a Series B Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement with AutoWeb pursuant to which the Company paid $880,394 in exchange for 1,076 shares of AutoWeb Series B Preferred Stock, $0.01 par value per share.  The investments in AutoWeb were recorded at cost because prior to the AutoWeb Merger Date, the Company did not have significant influence over AutoWeb. On the AutoWeb Merger Date, the shares of AutoWeb Series A Preferred Stock, AutoWeb Series B Preferred Stock, and the option to acquire an additional 5,000 shares of AutoWeb Series A Preferred Stock were cancelled. See Note 3.

In September 2013 the Company entered into a Convertible Note Purchase Agreement in which Autobytel invested $150,000 in SaleMove in the form of a convertible promissory note (“SaleMove Note 1”).  The convertible promissory note accrues interest at an annual rate of 6.0% and is due and payable in full on September 1, 2015 unless converted prior to such maturity date. The convertible note will be converted into preferred stock of SaleMove in the event of a preferred stock financing by SaleMove of at least $1.0 million prior to the maturity date of the convertible note.

In October 2013 the Company entered into an agreement with SaleMove to become the exclusive reseller to the automotive industry of SaleMove’s technology for enhancing communications with consumers. SaleMove’s patent-pending technology allows Dealers and Manufacturers to enhance the online shopping experience by interacting with consumers in real-time, including live video, audio and text-based chat or by phone. The Company agreed to advance costs and expenses up to a total of $1.0 million (“SaleMove Advances”), all of which was advanced as of December 31, 2014. SaleMove Advances are repaid to the Company from SaleMove’s share of net revenues from this reseller agreement. As of December 31, 2015, the net advances due from SaleMove totaled $0.7 million.

In November 2014 the Company invested an additional $400,000 in SaleMove in the form of a convertible promissory note (“SaleMove Note 2”).  The convertible promissory note accrues interest at an annual rate of 6.0% and is due and payable in full on November 18, 2016 unless converted prior to the maturity date. The convertible note will be converted into preferred stock of SaleMove in the event of a preferred stock financing by SaleMove of at least $1.0 million prior to the maturity date of the convertible note.  SaleMove Note 1 and SaleMove Note 2 were converted into 190,997 Series A Preferred Stock in July 2015 upon a preferred stock financing by SaleMove and is classified as a long-term investment on the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2015.

In December 2014 the Company entered into a Series Seed Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement with GoMoto, Inc. (“GoMoto”) in which we paid $100,000 for 317,460 shares of Series Seed Preferred Stock, $0.001 par value per share.  The $100,000 investment in GoMoto was recorded at cost because the Company does not have significant influence over GoMoto. In October 2015 we invested an additional $375,000 in GoMoto in the form of a convertible promissory note (“GoMoto Note”). The convertible promissory note accrues interest at an annual rate of 4.0% and is due and payable in full on or after October 28, 2017 upon demand or at GoMoto’s option ten days’ written notice unless converted prior to the maturity date. The convertible note will be converted into preferred stock of GoMoto in the event of a preferred stock financing by GoMoto of at least $1.0 million prior to the maturity date of the convertible note. The GoMoto Note is classified as an other long-term asset on the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2015.

Accounts Receivable.  Credit is extended to customers based on an evaluation of the customer’s financial condition, and when credit is extended, collateral is generally not required. Interest is not normally charged on receivables.

Allowances for Bad Debts and Customer Credits.  The allowance for bad debts is an estimate of bad debt expense that could result from the inability or refusal of customers to pay for services. Additions to the estimated allowance for bad debts are recorded to sales and marketing expenses and are based on factors such as historical write-off percentages, the current business environment and known concerns within the current aging of accounts receivable. Reductions in the estimated allowance for bad debts due to subsequent cash recoveries are recorded as a decrease in sales and marketing expenses. As specific bad debts are identified, they are written-off against the previously established estimated allowance for bad debts with no impact on operating expenses.

The allowance for customer credits is an estimate of adjustments for services that do not meet the customer requirements. Additions to the estimated allowance for customer credits are recorded as a reduction of revenues and are based on the Company’s historical experience of: (i) the amount of credits issued; (ii) the length of time after services are rendered that the credits are issued; (iii) other factors known at the time; and (iv) future expectations. Reductions in the estimated allowance for customer credits are recorded as an increase in revenues. As specific customer credits are identified, they are written-off against the previously established estimated allowance for customer credits with no impact on revenues.

If there is a decline in the general economic environment that negatively affects the financial condition of the Company’s customers or an increase in the number of customers that are dissatisfied with their services, additional estimated allowances for bad debts and customer credits may be required, and the impact on the Company’s business, results of operations, financial condition, earnings per share, cash flow or the trading price of our stock could be material.

Contingencies.   From time to time the Company may be subject to proceedings, lawsuits and other claims.  The Company assesses the likelihood of any adverse judgments or outcomes of these matters as well as potential ranges of probable losses. The Company records a loss contingency when an unfavorable outcome is probable and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. The amount of allowances required, if any, for these contingencies is determined after analysis of each individual case. The amount of allowances may change in the future if there are new material developments in each matter.  Gain contingencies are not recorded until all elements necessary to realize the revenue are present. Any legal fees incurred in connection with a contingency are expensed as incurred.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments.  The Company records its financial assets and liabilities at fair value, which is defined under the applicable accounting standards as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measure date.  The Company uses valuation techniques to measure fair value, maximizing the use of observable outputs and minimizing the use of unobservable inputs.  The standard describes a fair value hierarchy based on three levels of inputs, of which the first two are considered observable and the last unobservable, that may be used to measure fair value which are the following:

Level 1 – Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2 – Inputs other than Level 1 that are observable, either directly or indirectly, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities.

Level 3 – Inputs include management’s best estimate of what market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability at the measurement date.  The inputs are unobservable in the market and significant to the instrument’s valuation.

Cash equivalents, accounts receivable, net of allowance, accounts payable and accrued liabilities, are carried at cost, which management believes approximates fair value because of the short-term maturity of these instruments.

  The Company’s investments at December 31, 2015 and 2014 consist primarily of investments in SaleMove, AutoWeb and GoMoto and are accounted for under the cost method. Although there is no established market for these investments, we evaluated the investments for impairment by comparing them to an estimated fair value and determined that there is no impairment. To determine the estimated fair value for our investment in SaleMove, we analyzed the discounted future cash flows of our sales of SaleMove products. These fair value measurements are based on significant inputs not observable in the market and represent a Level 3 measurement. On the AutoWeb Merger Date, Merger Sub merged with and into AutoWeb, with AutoWeb continuing as the surviving corporation and as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Autobytel. Prior to the acquisition, we owned 15% of the outstanding shares of AutoWeb, on a fully converted and diluted basis.

Variable Interest Entities.  The Company has investments in certain entities that are considered variable interest entities (“VIEs”) under GAAP.  The Company has concluded that their investment in SaleMove qualifies as a variable interest and SaleMove is a VIE. In addition, in relation to the Company’s acquisition of AutoWeb in October 2015 and AutoWeb’s relationship with Endine, the Company has concluded that AutoWeb’s relationship with Endine qualifies as a variable interest and Endine is a VIE. VIEs are legal entities in which the equity investors do not have sufficient equity at risk for the entity to independently finance its activities or the collective holders do not have the power through voting or similar rights to direct the activities of the entity that most significantly impact its economic performance, the obligation to absorb the expected losses of the entity, or the right to receive expected residual returns of the entity. Consolidation of a VIE is considered appropriate if a reporting entity is the primary beneficiary, the party that has both significant influence and control over the VIE. Management periodically performs a qualitative analysis to determine if the Company is the primary beneficiary of a VIE. This analysis includes review of the VIEs’ capital structures, contractual terms, and primary activities, including the Company’s ability to direct the activities of the VIEs and obligations to absorb losses, or the right to receive benefits, significant to the VIEs.  Additionally, changes in our various equity investments have in the past resulted in a reconsideration event.

Based on Autobytel’s analysis for the periods presented in this report, it is not the primary beneficiary of SaleMove. Accordingly, SaleMove does not meet the criteria for consolidation.   The SaleMove Advances are classified as an other long-term asset on the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014.   The carrying value and maximum potential loss exposure from SaleMove totaled $0.7 million as of December 31, 2015, and $1.6 million as of December 31, 2014.

The Company performed an analysis of the VIE rules as it related to the acquisition of AutoWeb and its relationships. AutoWeb has a contract with Endine wherein Endine provides the technical expertise for AutoWeb that will continue into 2016. Based on Autobytel’s analysis of the contract that AutoWeb has with Endine under the VIE guidelines, the Company has concluded that AutoWeb is the primary beneficiary of Endine and that Endine meets the criteria for consolidation. The Company performed an analysis of Endine’s financial position and operations and determined that consolidation of Endine into Autobytel is immaterial to Autobytel’s consolidated financial statements. The Company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2015 do not include the consolidation of Endine.

Concentration of Credit Risk and Risks Due to Significant Customers.  Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, investments and accounts receivable. Cash and cash equivalents are primarily maintained with two financial institutions in the United States. Deposits held by banks exceed the amount of insurance provided for such deposits. Generally these deposits may be redeemed upon demand. Accounts receivable are primarily derived from fees billed to automotive Dealers and automotive Manufacturers.

The Company has a concentration of credit risk with its automotive industry related accounts receivable balances, particularly with Urban Science Applications (which represents several Manufacturer programs), General Motors and Ford Direct.  During 2015, approximately 28% of the Company’s total revenues were derived from these three customers, and approximately 37% or $10.7 million of gross accounts receivable related to these three customers at December 31, 2015.  In 2015, Urban Science Applications accounted for 16% of total revenues and total accounts receivable as of December 31, 2015.

During 2014, approximately 27% of the Company’s total revenues were derived from Urban Science Applications, General Motors and Jumpstart, and approximately 41% or $7.8 million of gross accounts receivable related to these three customers at December 31, 2014.  In 2014, Urban Science Applications accounted for 19% of total revenues and 23% of the total accounts receivable as of December 31, 2014.

Property and Equipment.  Property and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation is provided using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the respective assets, generally three years. Amortization of leasehold improvements is provided using the straight-line method over the shorter of the remaining lease term or the estimated useful lives of the improvements. Repair and maintenance costs are charged to operating expenses as incurred. Gains or losses resulting from the retirement or sale of property and equipment are recorded as operating income or expenses, respectively.

Operating Leases.  The Company leases office space and certain office equipment under operating lease agreements which expire on various dates through 2023, with options to renew on expiration of the original lease terms.

Reimbursed tenant improvements are considered in determining straight-line rent expense and are amortized over the shorter of their estimated useful lives or the lease term. The lease term begins on the date of initial possession of the leased property for purposes of recognizing rent expense on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease. Lease renewal periods are considered on a lease-by-lease basis and are generally not included in the initial lease term.

Capitalized Internal Use Software and Website Development Costs.  The Company capitalizes costs to develop internal use software in accordance with the Internal-Use Software and the Website Development Costs Topics, which require the capitalization of external and internal computer software costs and website development costs, respectively, incurred during the application development stage. The application development stage is characterized by software design and configuration activities, coding, testing and installation. Training and maintenance costs are expensed as incurred while upgrades and enhancements are capitalized if it is probable that such expenditures will result in additional functionality. Capitalized internal use software development costs are amortized using the straight-line method over an estimated useful life of three to five years. Capitalized website development costs, once placed in service, are amortized using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of the related websites.  The Company capitalized $1.5 million, $0.6 million and $82,000 of such costs for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and Intangible Assets.  The Company periodically reviews long-lived assets to determine if there is any impairment of these assets. The Company assesses the impairment of these assets, or the need to accelerate amortization, whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. Judgments regarding the existence of impairment indicators are based on legal factors, market conditions and operational performance of the long-lived assets and other intangibles. Future events could cause the Company to conclude that impairment indicators exist and that the assets should be reviewed to determine their fair value. The Company assesses the assets for impairment based on the estimated future undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use of the assets and their eventual disposition. If the carrying amount of an asset exceeds its estimated future undiscounted cash flows, an impairment loss is recorded for the excess of the asset’s carrying amount over its fair value. Fair value is generally determined based on a valuation process that provides an estimate of a fair value of these assets using a discounted cash flow model, which includes many assumptions and estimates. Once the valuation is determined, the Company would write-down these assets to their determined fair value, if necessary. Any write-down could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition and results of operations.

Goodwill.  Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price for business acquisitions over the fair value of identifiable assets and liabilities acquired. The Company evaluates the carrying value of enterprise goodwill for impairment. Testing for impairment of goodwill is a two-step process. The first step requires the Company to compare the enterprise’s carrying value to its fair value. If the fair value is less than the carrying value, enterprise goodwill is potentially impaired and the Company then completes the second step to measure the impairment loss, if any. The second step requires the calculation of the implied fair value of goodwill by deducting the fair value of all tangible and intangible net assets from the fair value of the reporting unit. If the implied fair value of goodwill is less than the carrying amount of enterprise goodwill, an impairment loss is recognized equal to the difference. The Company evaluates enterprise goodwill, at a minimum, on an annual basis, in the fourth quarter of each year or whenever events or changes in circumstances suggest that the carrying amount of goodwill may be impaired.

Revenue Recognition.  Lead fees consist of fees from the sale of Leads for new and used vehicles and Leads for vehicle financing.  Fees paid by customers participating in the Company’s Lead programs are comprised of monthly transaction and/or subscription fees.  Advertising revenues represent fees for display advertising on Company’s Websites.

The Company recognizes revenues when evidence of an arrangement exists, pricing is fixed and determinable, collection is reasonably assured and delivery or performance of service has occurred. Lead fees are generally recognized as revenues in the period the service is provided. Advertising revenues are generally recognized in the period the advertisements are displayed on Company Websites. Fees billed prior to providing services are deferred, as they do not satisfy all U.S. GAAP revenue recognition criteria. Deferred revenues are recognized as revenue over the periods services are provided.

Cost of Revenues. Cost of revenues consists of Lead and traffic acquisition costs and other cost of revenues. Lead and traffic acquisition costs consist of payments made to the Company’s Lead providers, including internet portals and on-line automotive information providers. Other cost of revenues consists of search engine marketing (“SEM”) and fees paid to third parties for data and content, including search engine optimization (“SEO”) activity, included on the Company’s properties, connectivity costs and development costs related to the Company Websites, compensation related expense and technology license fees, server equipment depreciation and technology amortization directly related to Company Websites.  SEM, sometimes referred to as paid search marketing, is the practice of bidding on keywords on search engines to drive traffic to a website.

 Income Taxes.  The Company accounts for income taxes under the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to temporary differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. The Company records a valuation allowance, if necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to an amount it believes is more likely than not to be realized.

Computation of Basic and Diluted Net Earnings per Share.  Basic net earnings per share is computed using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period.  Diluted net earnings per share is computed using the weighted average number of common shares, and if dilutive, potential common shares outstanding, as determined under the treasury stock and if-converted method, during the period. Potential common shares consist of common shares issuable upon the exercise of stock options, common shares issuable upon the exercise of warrants described below and common shares issuable upon conversion of the shares described in Note 3.

The following are the share amounts utilized to compute the basic and diluted net earnings per share for the years ended December 31:

	2015	2014			2013
Basic Shares:
Weighted average common shares outstanding	9,907,066		8,998,035			8,883,357
Weighted average common shares repurchased	—		(18,138	)		—
Basic Shares	9,907,066		8,979,897			8,883,357
Diluted Shares:
Basic Shares	9,907,066		8,979,897			8,883,357
Weighted average dilutive securities	2,755,258		2,232,011			1,732,596
Dilutive Shares	12,662,324		11,211,908			10,615,953

 For the year ended December 31, 2015, weighted average dilutive securities included dilutive options, warrants and convertible preferred shares. For the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, weighted average dilutive securities included dilutive options, warrants and convertible debt.

Potentially dilutive securities representing approximately 1.4 million, 1.1 million and 1.1 million shares of common stock for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively, were excluded from the computation of diluted income per share for these periods because their effect would have been anti-dilutive.

Share-Based Compensation.  The Company grants restricted stock and stock option awards (the “Awards”) under several of its share-based compensation Plans (the “Plans”), that are more fully described in Note 9.  The Company recognizes share-based compensation based on the Awards’ fair value, net of estimated forfeitures on a straight line basis over the requisite service periods, which is generally over the awards’ respective vesting period, or on an accelerated basis over the estimated performance periods for options with performance conditions. 

Restricted stock fair value is measured on the grant date based on the quoted market price of the Company’s common stock, and the stock option fair value is estimated on the grant date using the Black-Scholes option pricing model based on the underlying common stock closing price as of the date of grant, the expected term, stock price volatility and risk-free interest rates.

Business Segment. The Company conducts its business within the United States and within one business segment which is defined as providing automotive and marketing services.  The Company’s operations are aggregated into a single reportable operating segment based upon similar economic and operating characteristics as well as similar markets.

Advertising Expense.  Advertising costs are expensed in the period incurred and the majority of advertising expense is recorded in sales and marketing expense. Advertising expense in the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013 was $2.0 million, $1.6 million and $1.8 million, respectively.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Accounting Standards Codification 225-20 “Income Statement – Extraordinary and Unusual Items.” In January 2015, Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2015-01, “Simplifying Income Statement Presentation by Eliminating the Concept of Extraordinary Items” was issued. This ASU eliminates from GAAP the concept of extraordinary items. Preparers will not have to assess whether a particular event is extraordinary. However, presentation and disclosure guidance for items that are unusual in nature or occur infrequently will be retained and will be expanded to include items that are both unusual and infrequently occurring. The amendments in this ASU are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods with those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2015. A reporting entity may apply the amendments prospectively. A reporting entity also may apply the amendments retrospectively to all prior periods presented in the financial statements. Early adoption is permitted provided the guidance is applied from the beginning of the fiscal year of adoption. The Company has not yet selected a transition method nor has it determined the effect of the standard on the ongoing financial reporting.

Accounting Standards Codification 810 “Consolidation.” In February 2015, ASU No. 2015-02, “Amendments to the Consolidation Analysis” was issued. This ASU was issued to respond to stakeholders’ concerns about current accounting for consolidation of certain legal entities. The amendments in the ASU (i) modify the evaluation of whether limited partnerships and similar legal entities are variable interest entities or voting interest entities, (ii) eliminate the presumption that a general partner should consolidate a limited partnership, (iii) affect the consolidation analysis of reporting entities that are involved with variable interest entities, particularly those that have fee arrangements and related party relationships and (iv) provide a scope exception from consolidation guidance for reporting entities with interests in legal entities that are required to comply with or operate in accordance with requirements that are similar to those in Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 for registered money market funds. The amendments in this ASU are effective for public business entities for fiscal years, and for interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2015. The Company has yet to determine if this ASU will be material to the consolidated financial statements.

Accounting Standards Codification 606 “Revenue from Contracts with Customers.”  In May 2014, ASU No. 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)” was issued.  This ASU requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers. The standard will replace most existing revenue recognition guidance in U.S. GAAP when it becomes effective. Early application is not permitted. The standard permits the use of either the retrospective or cumulative effect transition method. In August 2015, the FASB voted to defer the effective date and it is now effective for public entities for annual periods ending after December 15, 2017. Early adoptions of the standard is permitted, but not before the original effective date of December 15, 2016. This update permits the use of either the retrospective or cumulative effect transition method. The Company is evaluating the effect this guidance will have on the consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

Accounting Standards Codification 805 “Business Combinations.”  In September 2015, ASU No. 2015-16, “Simplifying the Accounting for Measurement-Period Adjustments” was issued.  This ASU requires that an acquirer recognize adjustments to provisional amounts that are identified during the measurement period in the reporting period in which the adjustment amounts are determined. The amendments require that the acquirer record, in the same period’s financial statements, the effect on earnings of changes in depreciation, amortization, or other income effects, if any, as a result of the change to the provisional amounts, calculated as if the accounting had been completed at the acquisition date. The amendments in this ASU are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2015, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The amendments in this ASU should be applied prospectively to adjustments to provisional amounts that occur after the effective date of this ASU with earlier application permitted for financial statements that have not been issued. The Company has yet to determine if this ASU will be material to the consolidated financial statements.

 Accounting Standards Codification 740 “Income Taxes.”  In November 2015, ASU No. 2015-17, “Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes” was issued.  This ASU requires that deferred tax liabilities and assets be classified as noncurrent in a classified statement of financial position. The amendments in this Update apply to all entities that present a classified statement of financial position. The amendments in this ASU are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company believes this ASU will be immaterial to the consolidated financial statements.

Accounting Standards Codification 842 “Leases.”  In February 2016, ASU No. 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842)” was issued.  This ASU will require lessees to recognize on the balance sheet the assets and liabilities for the rights and obligations created by those leases of terms more than 12 months. The ASU will require both capital and operating leases to be recognized on the balance sheet. Qualitative and quantitative disclosures will also be required to help investors and other financial statement users better understand the amount, timing and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. The ASU will take effect for public companies for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2018. The Company has yet to determine if this ASU will be material to the consolidated financial statements.