SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

BASIS OF PRESENTATION – These notes are an integral part of the accompanying unaudited financial statements of The Laclede Group, Inc. (Laclede Group or the Company), as well as Laclede Gas Company (Laclede Gas or the Missouri Utilities) and Alabama Gas Corporation (Alagasco or the Alabama Utility). Laclede Gas, which includes the operations of Missouri Gas Energy (MGE), and Alagasco are wholly owned subsidiaries of the Company. Collectively, Laclede Gas and Alagasco are referred to as the Utilities. The accompanying unaudited financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP) for interim financial information with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the disclosures required for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited financial statements include all adjustments (consisting of only normal recurring accruals) necessary for the fair presentation of the results of operations for the periods presented. This Form 10-Q should be read in conjunction with the Notes to Financial Statements contained in Laclede Group's, Laclede Gas' and Alagasco's Annual Reports on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2015.

The consolidated financial position, results of operations, and cash flows of Laclede Group are primarily derived from the financial position, results of operations, and cash flows of the Utilities. In compliance with GAAP, transactions between the Utilities and their affiliates, as well as intercompany balances on the Utilities' balance sheets, have not been eliminated from the Utilities' financial statements.

Certain amounts in the prior period have been adjusted to conform with the current period presentation for Laclede Group, Laclede Gas and Alagasco. The Company considered the impact of the adjustments on prior period results and determined that the amounts were not material to those periods.

NATURE OF OPERATIONS – Laclede Group, headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, is a public utility holding company. It has two operating segments: Gas Utility and Gas Marketing. The Gas Utility segment is comprised of the regulated natural gas distribution operations of the Missouri Utilities and the Alabama Utility and serves St. Louis and eastern Missouri, Kansas City and western Missouri, and central and northern Alabama. Laclede Group’s primary non-utility business, Laclede Energy Resources, Inc. (LER), included in the Gas Marketing segment, provides non-regulated natural gas services. The activities of other subsidiaries are described in Note 8, Information by Operating Segment, and are reported as Other. The Company's earnings are primarily derived from its Gas Utility segment, and due to the seasonal nature of the Utilities, earnings are typically concentrated during the heating season of November through April each fiscal year. As a result, the interim statements of income for Laclede Group, Laclede Gas and Alagasco are not necessarily indicative of annual results or representative of succeeding quarters of the fiscal year.

REVENUE RECOGNITION – The Utilities read meters and bill customers on monthly cycles. The Missouri Utilities record their gas utility revenues from gas sales and transportation services on an accrual basis that includes estimated amounts for gas delivered but not yet billed. The accruals for unbilled revenues are reversed in the subsequent accounting period when meters are actually read and customers are billed. The amounts of accrued unbilled revenues for Laclede Gas at December 31, 2015, September 30, 2015, and December 31, 2014 were $74.6, $27.6, and $102.2, respectively.

Alagasco records natural gas distribution revenues in accordance with the tariff established by the Alabama Public Service Commission (APSC). The amount of accrued unbilled revenues, which is not recorded as revenue until billed, for Alagasco at December 31, 2015, September 30, 2015, and December 31, 2014 were $16.4, $6.4, and $20.8, respectively.

Laclede Group's other subsidiaries, including LER, record revenues when earned, either when the product is delivered or when services are performed.

In the course of its business, LER enters into commitments associated with the purchase or sale of natural gas. Certain of LER’s derivative natural gas contracts are designated as normal purchases or normal sales and, as such, are excluded from the scope of Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic 815, “Derivatives and Hedging.” Those contracts are accounted for as executory contracts and recorded on an accrual basis. Revenues and expenses from such contracts are recorded using a gross presentation. Contracts not designated as normal purchases or normal sales are recorded as derivatives with changes in fair value recognized in earnings in the periods prior to physical delivery. Certain of LER’s wholesale purchase and sale transactions are classified as trading activities for financial reporting purposes. Under GAAP, revenues and expenses associated with trading activities are presented on a net basis in Gas Marketing Operating Revenues in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income. This net presentation has no effect on operating income or net income.

GROSS RECEIPTS TAXES – Gross receipts taxes associated with the Utilities' services are imposed on the Utilities and billed to customers. The revenue and expense amounts are recorded gross in the "Operating Revenues" and "Taxes, other than income taxes" lines, respectively, in the statements of income. The following table presents gross receipts taxes recorded as revenues.



	Three Months Ended December 31,
	2015		2014
Laclede Group	$	17.9	$	27.7
Laclede Gas	13.9		21.9
Alagasco	4.0		5.8

REGULATED OPERATIONS – The Utilities account for their regulated operations in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 980, “Regulated Operations.” This Topic sets forth the application of GAAP for those companies whose rates are established by or are subject to approval by an independent third-party regulator. The provisions of this accounting guidance require, among other things, that financial statements of a regulated enterprise reflect the actions of regulators, where appropriate. These actions may result in the recognition of revenues and expenses in time periods that are different than non-regulated enterprises. When this occurs, costs are deferred as assets in the balance sheet (regulatory assets) and recorded as expenses when those amounts are reflected in rates. In addition, regulators can impose liabilities upon a regulated company for amounts previously collected from customers and for recovery of costs that are expected to be incurred in the future (regulatory liabilities). Management believes that the current regulatory environment supports the continued use of these regulatory accounting principles and that all regulatory assets and regulatory liabilities are recoverable or refundable through the regulatory process. As authorized by the Missouri Public Service Commission (MoPSC), the Purchased Gas Adjustment (PGA) clauses allow the Missouri Utilities to flow through to customers, subject to prudence review by the MoPSC, the cost of purchased gas supplies. Similarly, Alagasco's rate schedules for natural gas distribution charges contain a Gas Supply Adjustment (GSA) rider, which permits the pass-through to customers of changes in the cost of gas supply. Regulatory assets and liabilities related to the PGA clauses and GSA rider are both labeled Unamortized Purchased Gas Adjustments herein. See additional discussion on regulated operations in Note 3, Regulatory Matters.

TRANSACTIONS WITH AFFILIATES – Transactions between affiliates of the Company have been eliminated from the consolidated financial statements of Laclede Group. Other than normal intercompany shared services transactions, there were no intercompany transactions between Alagasco and affiliates during the quarters ended December 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014. Laclede Gas had the following transactions with affiliates:



	Three Months Ended December 31,
	2015		2014
Sales of natural gas from Laclede Gas to LER	$	0.7	$	1.0
Sales of natural gas from LER to Laclede Gas	13.2		25.3
Transportation services provided by Laclede Pipeline Company to Laclede Gas	0.3		0.3
Insurance services provided by Laclede Insurance Risk Services, Inc. to Laclede Gas	0.2		0.2

UTILITY PLANT – Laclede Gas had accrued capital expenditures of $4.6, $9.6, and $2.5 as of December 31, 2015, September 30, 2015, and December 31, 2014, respectively. Alagasco had accrued capital expenditures of $3.1, $3.1, and $4.8 as of December 31, 2015, September 30, 2015, and December 31, 2014, respectively. Accrued capital expenditures are excluded from the capital expenditures shown in the statements of cash flows.

FINANCE RECEIVABLES – Alagasco finances third party contractor sales of merchandise including gas furnaces and appliances. The Company’s finance receivables totaled approximately $11.2, $11.2, and $11.1 as of December 31, 2015, September 30, 2015, and December 31, 2014, respectively. Financing is available only to qualified customers who meet creditworthiness thresholds for customer payment history and external agency credit reports. Alagasco relies upon ongoing payments as the primary indicator of credit quality during the term of each contract. The allowance for credit losses is recognized using an estimate of write-off percentages based on historical experience applied to an aging of the finance receivable balance. Delinquent accounts are evaluated on a case-by-case basis and, absent evidence of debt repayment after 90 days, are due in full and assigned to a third party collection agency. The remaining finance receivable is written off approximately 12 months after being assigned to the third party collection agency. Alagasco's finance receivables that were at least 90 days past due totaled $0.4, $0.4, and $0.3 as of December 31, 2015, September 30, 2015, and December 31, 2014, respectively. Alagasco recorded an allowance for credit losses of $0.4, $0.4, and $0.3 as of December 31, 2015, September 30, 2015, and December 31, 2014, respectively.

NEW ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS – In May 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The core principle of the standard is when an entity transfers goods or services to customers it will recognize revenue in an amount that reflects the consideration the entity expects to be entitled to for those goods or services. ASU No. 2014-09 also requires disclosures that will enable users of financial statements to understand the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-14, which made the guidance in ASU No. 2014-09 effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017 and interim periods within those years, but companies may choose to adopt it one year earlier. The Company, Laclede Gas and Alagasco are currently assessing the available transition methods and the potential impacts of the standard, which must be adopted by the first quarter of fiscal 2019.

In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-03, Interest – Imputation of Interest: Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs, to require debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability to be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of that debt liability, consistent with debt discounts. The Company, Laclede Gas and Alagasco are currently assessing the timing and impacts of adopting this standard, which must be adopted by the first quarter of fiscal year 2017.

In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-11 – Inventory: Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory. This standard provides guidance for the subsequent measurement of inventory and requires that inventory that is measured using average cost be measured at the lower of cost and net realizable value. The Company, Laclede Gas and Alagasco are currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of this new standard, which must be adopted by the first quarter of fiscal year 2018.

In September 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-16 – Business Combinations: Simplifying the Accounting for Measurement-Period Adjustments. Under this new standard, an acquirer will no longer be required to retrospectively account for adjustments to provisional amounts but will recognize them in the reporting period in which the adjustment amounts are determined. The timing and effects of adoption by the Company, Laclede Gas and Alagasco will be affected by the timing of any future business combination activity and the nature and amounts of related measurement-period adjustments.

In November 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-17, Income Taxes: Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes, to require that deferred tax liabilities and assets be classified entirely as non-current. This amended guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within those years. Early adoption is permitted, and the amended guidance may be applied prospectively to all deferred tax liabilities and assets or retrospectively to all periods presented. The Company, Laclede Gas and Alagasco are currently evaluating the effects and timing of the adoption of this new standard, which must be adopted by the first quarter of fiscal year 2018.

In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-01, Financial Instruments-Overall: Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities, which provides revised guidance concerning certain matters involving the recognition, measurement, and disclosure of financial instruments. It is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company, Laclede Gas and Alagasco are currently assessing the timing and impacts of adopting this standard, which must be adopted by the first quarter of fiscal year 2019.