Financial Statement Information Adoption of New Lease Standard (Policies)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2019

Adoption of New Lease Standard [Abstract]

Cumulative Effect of Adoption of ASC 842 on Consolidated Financial Statements [Policy Text Block]

In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update 2016-02, "Leases" ("ASU 2016-02"), which represents the FASB Accounting Standard Codification Topic 842 ("ASC 842"), to increase transparency and comparability by recognizing lease assets and lease liabilities on the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets and disclosing key information about leasing arrangements. The main difference between the prior standard and ASU 2016-02 is the recognition of lease assets and lease liabilities by lessees for those leases classified as operating leases under the prior standard.

We adopted the standard in the first quarter of 2019 using the modified retrospective approach and took advantage of the transition package of practical expedients permitted within the new standard, which, among other things, allows us to carryforward the historical lease classification. For leases with a term of 12 months or less, we elected the short-term lease exemption, which allowed us to not recognize right-of-use assets or lease liabilities for qualifying leases existing at transition and new leases we may enter into in the future. Additionally, we adopted the practical expedient to combine lease and non-lease components.

As of January 1, 2019, we recorded both an operating lease asset and operating lease liability of $1.3 billion. The preexisting deferred rent liability balances from the historical straight-line treatment of operating leases was reclassified as a reduction of the lease asset upon adoption. The adoption of the standard did not materially affect our Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income or Statements of Cash Flows as operating lease payments will still be an operating cash outflow and capital lease payments will still be a financing cash outflow. The new standard did not have a material impact on our liquidity. The standard will have no impact on our debt covenant compliance under our current agreements as the covenant calculations are based on the prior lease accounting rules.