Recent Accounting Pronouncements

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2014

New Accounting Pronouncements and Changes in Accounting Principles [Abstract]

Schedule of New Accounting Pronouncements and Changes in Accounting Principles [Table Text Block]

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In April 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2014-08, Presentation of Financial Statements (Topic 205) and Property, Plant, and Equipment (Topic 360): Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity. This ASU raises the threshold for a disposal to qualify as a discontinued operation and requires new disclosures of both discontinued operations and certain other disposals that do not meet the definition of a discontinued operation. This ASU is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2014, and interim periods within annual periods beginning on or after December 15, 2015, with early adoption permitted. We early adopted this ASU in the third quarter of 2014.

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606). This ASU provides a new comprehensive revenue recognition model that requires companies to recognize revenue to depict the transfer of goods or services to a customer at an amount that reflects the consideration it expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services. This update also requires additional disclosure about the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from customer contracts. This update permits the use of either the retrospective or cumulative effect transition method. We are evaluating the effect this new guidance will have on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. We have not yet selected a transition method nor have we determined the effect of the standard on our ongoing financial reporting. This update is effective for annual and interim periods beginning on or after December 15, 2016, with early application not permitted.

In November 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-17, Business Combinations (Topic 805). This ASU provides an acquired entity with an option to apply pushdown accounting in its separate financial statements upon occurrence of an event in which an acquirer obtains control of the acquired entity. An acquired entity may elect the option to apply pushdown accounting in the reporting period in which the change-in-control event occurs. An acquired entity should determine whether to elect to apply pushdown accounting for each individual change-in-control event in which an acquirer obtains control of the acquired entity. If pushdown accounting is not applied in the reporting period in which the change-in-control event occurs, an acquired entity will have the option to elect to apply pushdown accounting in a subsequent reporting period to the acquired entity’s most recent change-in-control event.The amendments in this Update are effective on November 18, 2014. After the effective date, an acquired entity can make an election to apply the guidance to future change-in-control events or to its most recent change-in-control event. However, if the financial statements for the period in which the most recent change-in-control event occurred already have been issued or made available to be issued, the application of this guidance would be a change in accounting principle. We plan to adopt this ASU for the annual period beginning January 1, 2015 and do not expect this update to have a material impact on our financial statements.