Basis of Presentation (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2020

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Nature of Business

Nature of Business. SandRidge Energy, Inc. is an oil and natural gas acquisition, development and production company headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma with a principal focus on developing and producing hydrocarbon resources in the United States.

Principles of Consolidation

Principles of Consolidation. The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned or majority owned subsidiaries, including its proportionate share of the Royalty Trusts. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Interim Financial Statements

Interim Financial Statements. The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and notes should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and notes contained in the Company’s 2019 Form 10-K. Certain information and disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) have been condensed or omitted, although the Company believes that the disclosures contained herein are adequate to make the information presented not misleading. In the opinion of management, the financial statements include all adjustments, which consist of normal recurring adjustments unless otherwise disclosed, necessary to fairly state the Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

Significant Accounting Policies

Significant Accounting Policies. The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements were prepared in accordance with the accounting policies stated in the 2019 Form 10-K as well as the items noted below.

Use of Estimates

Use of Estimates. The preparation of the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management 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.

The more significant areas requiring the use of assumptions, judgments and estimates include: oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids (“NGL”) reserves; impairment tests of long-lived assets; the carrying value of unproved oil and natural gas properties and other property, plant and equipment; depreciation, depletion and amortization; asset retirement obligations; determinations of significant alterations to the full cost pool and related estimates of fair value used to allocate the full cost pool net book value to divested properties, as necessary; valuation allowances for deferred tax assets; income taxes; valuation of derivative instruments; contingencies; and accrued revenue and related receivables. Although management believes the estimates used in the areas noted above are reasonable, actual results could differ significantly.

Going Concern Consideration. The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles applicable to a going concern, which contemplates the realization of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business.

The Company previously disclosed circumstances that gave rise to substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Those conditions were resolved as a result of the Company executing previously disclosed initiatives. These initiatives include reducing our 2020 capital expenditures, personnel and non-personnel cost reductions and the sale of the company headquarters for net proceeds of $35.4 million.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements. Accounting Standards Updates ("ASU") 2016-13 - In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, “Financial Instruments —Credit Losses (Topic 326) Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments,” which changes how entities will measure credit losses for most financial assets and certain other instruments that are not measured at fair value through net income. The standard replaced the previously required incurred loss approach with an expected loss model for instruments measured at amortized cost. The company adopted this ASU on January 1, 2020 using a modified retrospective approach; however, the impact was not material upon adoption.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted. ASU 2020-04 - In March 2020, FASB issued ASU No. 2020-04, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848), to facilitate the effects of reference rate reform on financial reporting. This ASU provides optional practical expedients and exceptions for applying US GAAP provisions to contracts, hedging relationships, and other transactions that reference LIBOR, or other reference rates expected to be discontinued because of reference rate reform, if certain criteria are met. The provisions of this ASU do not apply to contract modifications made and hedging transactions entered into or evaluated after December 31, 2022, except for hedging relationships existing as of December 31, 2022, that an

entity has elected certain optional expedients for and that are retained through the end of the hedging relationship. The amendments in ASU 2020-04 are effective, for all entities, as of March 12, 2020 through December 31, 2022. The Company is currently reviewing the potential impact of the upcoming LIBOR reference rate change on its current contracts and hedging relationships and will determine the applicable provisions of ASU 2020-04.

ASU 2019-12 - In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12, “Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes,” which simplifies various aspects of accounting for income taxes, including requirements related to hybrid tax regimes, the tax basis step-up in goodwill obtained in a transaction that is not a business combination, separate financial statements of entities not subject to tax, the intraperiod tax allocation exception to the incremental approach, ownership changes in investments, interim-period accounting for enacted changes in tax laws, and year-to-date loss limitation in interim-period tax accounting. The standard is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2020, with early adoption permitted, and will be applied on a prospective basis. The Company is currently evaluating the effect the guidance will have on its consolidated financial statements.

Oil, natural gas and NGL revenues

Oil, natural gas and NGL revenues. A majority of the Company’s revenues come from sales of oil, natural gas and NGLs and are recorded at a point in time when control of the oil, natural gas and NGL production passes to the customer at the inlet of the processing plant or pipeline, or the delivery point for onloading to a delivery truck. As the Company’s customers obtain control of the production prior to selling it to other end customers, the Company presents its revenues on a net basis, rather than on a gross basis. Pricing for the Company’s oil, natural gas and NGL contracts is variable and is based on either an index price, net of deductions, or a percentage of the sales price obtained by the customer, which is also based on index prices. The transaction price is allocated on a pro-rata basis to each unit of oil, natural gas or NGL sold based on the terms of the contract. Oil, natural gas and NGL revenues are also recorded net of royalties, discounts and allowances, and transportation costs, as applicable. Taxes assessed by governmental authorities on oil, natural gas and NGL sales are presented separately from revenues and are included in production, ad valorem, and other tax expense in the consolidated statements of operations.