Accounting Pronouncements (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

New Accounting Pronouncements and Changes in Accounting Principles [Abstract]

New Accounting Pronouncements and Changes in Accounting Principles [Text Block]

Accounting Standards Recently Adopted

In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842). The ASU requires organizations that lease assets, referred to as "lessees," to recognize on the consolidated statement of financial position the rights and obligations created by those leases. The ASU also requires disclosures to help investors and other financial statement users better understand the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. These disclosures include qualitative and quantitative requirements, providing additional information about the amounts recorded in the consolidated financial statements. The ASU on leases became effective for public companies for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2018.

The Company has several lease agreements, such as district office locations related to our Home Service Insurance segment. The Company adopted this standard effective January 1, 2019 and recognizes these lease agreements on the consolidated statements of financial position as a right-of-use asset and a corresponding lease liability. See Note 9. Leases for further discussions.

In March 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-08, Receivables-Nonrefundable Fees and Other Costs (Subtopic 310-20). The amendments in this ASU shorten the amortization period for certain callable debt securities held at a premium. Specifically, the amendments require the premium to be amortized to the earliest call date. The amendments do not require an accounting change for securities held at a discount; the discount continues to be amortized to maturity. The Company has a large portfolio of callable debt securities purchased at a premium. As such, the Company had already been amortizing the premium to the earliest call date (yield to worst). For public business entities, the amendments in this ASU are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2018.

In June 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-07, Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718), Improvements to Nonemployee Share-Based Payment Accounting. This ASU is intended to simplify aspects of share-based compensation issued to non-employees by making the guidance consistent with the accounting for employee share-based compensation. This ASU is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018 and interim periods within those annual periods, with early adoption permitted. We adopted the provisions of this ASU in the first quarter of 2019. This guidance did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

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

Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326), with the main objective to provide financial statement users with more decision-useful information about the expected credit losses on financial instruments and other commitments to extend credit held by a reporting entity at each reporting date. The ASU requires a financial asset (or a group of financial assets) measured at amortized cost basis to be presented at the net amount expected to be collected. The allowance for credit losses is a valuation account that is deducted from the amortized cost basis of the financial asset(s) to present the net carrying value at the amount expected to be collected on the financial asset. The income statement reflects the measurement of credit losses for newly recognized financial assets, as well as the expected increases or decreases of expected credit losses that have taken place during the period. Credit losses on available-for-sale debt securities should be measured in a manner similar to current U.S. GAAP; however, the credit losses are recorded through an allowance for credit losses rather than as a write-down. This approach is an improvement to current U.S. GAAP because an entity will be able to record reversals of credit losses (in situations in which the estimate of credit losses declines) in current period net income, which in turn should align the income statement recognition of credit losses with the reporting period in which changes occur. Current U.S. GAAP prohibits reflecting those improvements in current-period earnings. For public business entities, the amendments in this ASU will be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is evaluating the impact this guidance will have on our consolidated financial statements. This guidance could have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-12, Financial Services-Insurance (Topic 944): Targeted Improvements to the Accounting for Long-Duration Contracts. This ASU amends four key areas of the accounting and impacts disclosures for long-duration insurance and investment contracts:

Requires updated assumptions for liability measurement. Assumptions used to measure the liability for traditional insurance contracts, which are typically determined at contract inception, will now be reviewed at least annually, and, if there is a change, updated, with the effect recorded in net income;

Standardizes the liability discount rate. The liability discount rate will be a market-observable discount rate (upper-medium grade fixed-income instrument yield), with the effect of rate changes recorded in other comprehensive income;

Provides greater consistency in measurement of market risk benefits. The two previous measurement models have been reduced to one measurement model (fair value), resulting in greater uniformity across similar market-based benefits and better alignment with the fair value measurement of derivatives used to hedge capital market risk;

Simplifies amortization of deferred acquisition costs. Previous earnings-based amortization methods have been replaced with a more level amortization basis; and

Requires enhanced disclosures. The new disclosures include rollforwards and information about significant assumptions and the effects of changes in those assumptions.

For calendar-year public companies, the changes will be effective on January 1, 2021. The Company is evaluating the impact this guidance will have on our consolidated financial statements. This new guidance is expected to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-13, Disclosure Framework - Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement. This ASU eliminates, adds and modifies certain disclosure requirements for fair value measurements. Among the changes, entities will no longer be required to disclose the amount of and reasons for transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy, but will be required to disclose the range and weighted average used to develop significant unobservable inputs for Level 3 fair value measurements. This ASU will be effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019; early adoption is permitted. Entities are also allowed to elect early adoption of the eliminated or modified disclosure requirements and delay adoption of the new disclosure requirements until their effective date. As this ASU only revises disclosure requirements, it is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In September 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-15, Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That Is a Service Contract. This ASU requires an entity in a cloud computing arrangement (i.e., hosting arrangement) that is a service contract to follow the internal-use software guidance in ASC 350-40 to determine which implementation costs to capitalize as assets or expense as incurred. Capitalized implementation costs should be presented in the same line item on the balance sheet as amounts prepaid for the hosted service, if any (generally as an "other asset"). The capitalized costs will be amortized over the term of the hosting arrangement, with the amortization expense being presented in the same income statement line item as the fees paid for the hosted service. This ASU will be effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019; early adoption is permitted. We are evaluating the impact of this guidance on our limited cloud computing arrangements and our consolidated financial statements.

No other new accounting pronouncement issued or effective during the fiscal year had, or is expected to have, a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.