Note 14 - New Authoritative Accounting Guidance

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2012

Description of New Accounting Pronouncements Not yet Adopted [Text Block]

14. NEW AUTHORITATIVE ACCOUNTING GUIDANCE

Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) ASU No. 2011-12 "Comprehensive Income (Topic 220) - Deferral of the Effective Date for Amendments to the Presentation of Reclassifications of Items Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income in Accounting Standards Update No. 2011-05." ASU 2011-12 defers changes in ASU No. 2011-05 that relate to the presentation of reclassification adjustments to allow the FASB time to redeliberate whether to require presentation of such adjustments on the face of the financial statements to show the effects of reclassifications out of accumulated other comprehensive income on the components of net income and other comprehensive income. ASU 2011-12 allows entities to continue to report reclassifications out of accumulated other comprehensive income consistent with the presentation requirements in effect before ASU No. 2011-05. All other requirements in ASU No. 2011-05 are not affected by ASU No. 2011-12. ASU 2011-12 was effective for the Company for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2011 and did not have a material impact on the Company's financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

ASU No. 2011-11, "Balance Sheet (Topic 210) - "Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities." ASU 2011-11 amends Topic 210, "Balance Sheet," to require an entity to disclose both gross and net information about financial instruments, such as sales and repurchase agreements and reverse sale and repurchase agreements and securities borrowing/lending arrangements, and derivative instruments that are eligible for offset in the statement of financial position and/or subject to a master netting arrangement or similar agreement. ASU 2011-11 will be effective for the Company for annual and interim periods beginning on January 1, 2013, and is not expected to have a material impact on the Company's financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

ASU No. 2011-08, “Intangibles – Goodwill and Other (Topic 350) – Testing Goodwill for Impairment” amends Topic 350 to allow an entity to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is necessary to perform the two-step quantitative goodwill impairment test.  Under these amendments, an entity would not be required to calculate the fair value of a reporting unit unless the entity determines, based on a qualitative assessments, that it is more likely than not that its fair value is less than its carrying amount.  The amendments include a number of events and circumstances for an entity to consider in conducting the qualitative assessment.  The new authoritative accounting guidance under ASU 2011-08 was effective for the Company on January 1, 2012 and did not have a material impact on the Company's financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

ASU No. 2011-05, “Comprehensive Income (Topic 220) – Presentation of Comprehensive Income” amends Topic 220, "Comprehensive Income," to require that all nonowner changes in shareholders' equity be presented in either a single continuous statement of comprehensive income or in two separate but consecutive statements. Additionally, ASU 2011-05 requires entities to present, on the face of the financial statements, reclassification adjustments for items that are reclassified from other comprehensive income to net income in the statement or statements where the components of net income and the components of other comprehensive income are presented. The option to present components of other comprehensive income as part of the statement of changes in shareholders' equity was eliminated.  The new authoritative accounting guidance under ASU 2011-05 was effective for the Company on January 1, 2012 and did  not have a material impact on the Company's financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. 

ASU No. 2011-04,  “Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820) - Amendments to Achieve Common Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure Requirements in U.S. GAAP and IFRSs”   amends Topic 820, "Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures," to converge the fair value measurement guidance in U.S. generally accepted accounting principles and International Financial Reporting Standards. ASU 2011-04 clarifies the application of existing fair value measurement requirements, changes certain principles in Topic 820 and requires additional fair value disclosures.  The new authoritative accounting guidance under ASU 2011-04 was effective for the Company on January 1, 2012 and did  not have a material impact on the Company's financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. 

ASU No. 2011-03, “Transfers and Servicing (Topic 860) - Reconsideration of Effective Control for Repurchase Agreements.” ASU 2011-03 removes from the assessment of effective control (1) the criterion requiring the transferor to have the ability to repurchase or redeem the financial assets on substantially the agreed terms, even in the event of default by the transferee, and (2) the collateral maintenance implementation guidance related to that criterion.  The new authoritative accounting guidance under ASU 2011-03 was effective for the Company on January 1, 2012 and did not have a material impact on the Company's financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.