TRANSFERS OF FINANCIAL ASSETS

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Transfers and Servicing [Abstract]

TRANSFERS OF FINANCIAL ASSETS

TRANSFERS OF FINANCIAL ASSETS

Accounts Receivable Programs

The Company maintains committed accounts receivable facilities with various financial institutions, including in the United States, which expires in November 2022 (“U.S. A/R Program”) and in Europe, which expires in July 2023 (“Europe A/R Program” and together with the U.S. A/R Program, "the Programs"). Under the terms of the Programs, the Company may sell certain eligible trade accounts receivable at any point in time, up to $900 million for the U.S. A/R Program and up to €400 million for the Europe A/R Program. Under the terms of the Programs, the Company continues to service the receivables from the customer, but retains no interest in the receivables, and remits payment to the financial institutions. The Company also provides a guarantee to the financial institutions for the creditworthiness and collection of the receivables in satisfaction of the facility. See Note 16 for additional information related to guarantees. There were no receivables sold under the Programs during the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019.

Accounts Receivable Securitization Facilities

The Company historically sold trade accounts receivable of select North American entities and qualifying trade accounts receivable of select European entities on a revolving basis to certain multi-seller commercial paper conduit entities ("conduits"). The proceeds received were comprised of cash and interests in specified assets of the conduits (the receivables sold by the Company) that entitled the Company to the residual cash flows of such specified assets in the conduits after the commercial paper had been repaid. Neither the conduits nor the investors in those entities had recourse to other assets of the Company in the event of nonpayment by the debtors.

In the fourth quarter of 2017, the Company suspended further sales of trade accounts receivable through these facilities and began reducing outstanding balances through collections of trade accounts receivable previously sold to such conduits. In 2018, the Company recognized a loss of $7 million on the sale of these receivables, which is included in “Interest expense and amortization of debt discount” in the consolidated statements of income. The Company's interests in the conduits were reflected in "Investing Activities" in the consolidated statements of cash flows and were $657 million in 2018. In September and October 2018, the North American and European facilities, respectively, were amended and the terms of the agreements changed from off-balance sheet arrangements to secured borrowing arrangements. In November 2019 and July 2020, the North American and European facilities, respectively, were amended and are no longer secured borrowing arrangements. These facilities were not drawn upon during the period they were secured borrowing arrangements. See Note 15 for additional information on the secured borrowing arrangements.