Recent Accounting Standards (Notes)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2015

New Accounting Pronouncements and Changes in Accounting Principles [Abstract]

Recent Accounting Standards

Recent Accounting Standards

Business Combinations

In September 2015, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”) issued amended guidance which requires measurement period adjustments to be recorded in the reporting period in which the adjustment amounts are determined.  Previously, such adjustments were required to be retrospectively recorded in prior period financial information. This amended guidance will be effective for us beginning January 1, 2016, and applied prospectively, with early adoption permitted. We have early adopted this amended guidance as of the quarter ended September 30, 2015, and the adoption did not have a significant impact on our Consolidated Financial Statements.

Revenue Recognition

In May 2014, the FASB issued amended guidance on revenue recognition which requires entities to recognize revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. In July 2015, the FASB affirmed its proposal to delay the effective date of the new revenue standard by one year to January 1, 2018, with early adoption to be permitted as of the original effective date of January 1, 2017. We are currently assessing the impact the adoption of the amended guidance will have on our Consolidated Financial Statements.

Debt Issuance Costs

In April 2015, the FASB issued amended guidance which requires debt issuance costs to be presented as a direct deduction from the carrying value of the associated debt liability rather than as separate assets on the balance sheet. The FASB later issued guidance in August 2015 stating that debt issuance costs related to line-of-credit arrangements may be presented as an asset and subsequently amortized ratably over the term of the line-of-credit arrangement, regardless of whether there are any outstanding borrowings on the line-of-credit arrangement. The recognition and measurement guidance for debt issuance costs are not affected by this amendment. This amended guidance will be effective for us beginning January 1, 2016. Early adoption is permitted, and the new guidance will be applied on a retrospective basis. We plan to early adopt this amended guidance as of the quarter ended December 31, 2015. We do not expect the adoption of this amended guidance to have a significant impact on our Consolidated Financial Statements.

Consolidation

In February 2015, the FASB issued amended guidance to the consolidation standard which updates the analysis that a reporting entity must perform to determine whether it should consolidate certain types of legal entities. The amendment modifies the evaluation of whether limited partnerships and similar legal entities are variable interest entities (“VIEs”) or voting interest entities and affects the consolidation analysis of reporting entities that are involved with VIEs, particularly those that have fee arrangements and related party relationships, among other provisions. This amended guidance will be effective for us beginning January 1, 2016.  Early adoption is permitted.  We do not expect the adoption of this amended guidance to have a significant impact on our Consolidated Financial Statements.

Extraordinary and Unusual Items

In January 2015, the FASB issued amended guidance which eliminates the concept of extraordinary items from generally accepted accounting principles. Prior to this amendment, an entity was required to separately classify and present an event or transaction that was determined to be both unusual in nature and infrequent in occurrence as an extraordinary item, net of tax, after income from continuing operations in the income statement. Upon adopting this amended guidance, a material event or transaction that an entity considers to be unusual or infrequent, or both, may still be presented separately but will now be presented on a pre-tax basis within income from continuing operations or disclosed in the notes to the financial statements. This amended guidance will be effective for us beginning January 1, 2016 and may be applied retrospectively or prospectively, with early adoption permitted. We have early adopted this amended guidance as of the quarter ended March 31, 2015, and the adoption did not have a significant impact on our Consolidated Financial Statements.

Going Concern

In August 2014, the FASB issued amended guidance which defines management's responsibility to evaluate whether there are conditions or events that raise substantial doubt about the entity’s ability to continue as a going concern and to provide related disclosures. Currently, this evaluation has only been an auditor requirement. Specifically, the amendments (1) provide a definition of the term “substantial doubt,” (2) require an evaluation every reporting period, (3) provide principles for considering the mitigating effect of management’s plans, (4) require certain disclosures when substantial doubt is alleviated as a result of the consideration of management’s plans, (5) require an express statement and other disclosures when substantial doubt is not alleviated, and (6) require an assessment for a period of one year after the date that financial statements are issued. This amended guidance will be effective for us beginning January 1, 2016. We do not expect the adoption of this amended guidance to have a significant impact on our Consolidated Financial Statements.

Share-Based Payments with Performance Targets

In June 2014, the FASB issued amended guidance which requires that a performance target that affects vesting, and that could be achieved after the requisite service period, be treated as a performance condition. As such, the performance target should not be reflected in estimating the grant date fair value of the award. This amended guidance will be effective for us beginning January 1, 2016 and can be either applied prospectively or retrospectively. We do not expect the adoption of this amended guidance to have a significant impact on our Consolidated Financial Statements.