NOTE 1 - BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with SEC rules and regulations and, in the opinion of management, include all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) necessary to present fairly, the financial position, results of operations, comprehensive income and cash flows for the periods presented. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Management bases its estimates on various assumptions and historical experience, which are believed to be reasonable; however, due to the inherent nature of estimates, actual results may differ significantly due to changed conditions or assumptions. The results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013 are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for the year ended December 31, 2013 or any other future period. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012.

Basis of Consolidation

The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include our accounts and the accounts of our wholly owned and majority-owned subsidiaries, including the following operations:



Name	Location	Ownership Interest	Operation
Northshore	Minnesota	100.0%	Iron Ore
United Taconite	Minnesota	100.0%	Iron Ore
Wabush	Newfoundland and Labrador/ Quebec, Canada	100.0%	Iron Ore
Bloom Lake	Quebec, Canada	75.0%	Iron Ore
Tilden	Michigan	85.0%	Iron Ore
Empire	Michigan	79.0%	Iron Ore
Koolyanobbing	Western Australia	100.0%	Iron Ore
Pinnacle	West Virginia	100.0%	Coal
Oak Grove	Alabama	100.0%	Coal
CLCC	West Virginia	100.0%	Coal

Intercompany transactions and balances are eliminated upon consolidation.

Also included in our consolidated results are Cliffs Chromite Ontario Inc. and Cliffs Chromite Far North Inc. Cliffs Chromite Ontario Inc. holds a 100 percent interest in each of the Black Label and Black Thor chromite deposits and, together with Cliffs Chromite Far North Inc., a 70 percent interest in the Big Daddy chromite deposit, all located in northern Ontario, Canada.

Equity Method Investments

Investments in unconsolidated ventures that we have the ability to exercise significant influence over, but not control, are accounted for under the equity method. The following table presents the detail of our investments in unconsolidated ventures and where those investments are classified in the Statements of Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Position as of September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012. Parentheses indicate a net liability.



				(In Millions)
Investment	Classification	Accounting Method	Interest Percentage	September 30, 2013		December 31, 2012
Amapá	Investments in ventures	Equity Method	30	$	29.4	$	101.9
Cockatoo	Other liabilities²	Equity Method	—	N/A		(25.3		)
Hibbing	Investments in ventures¹	Equity Method	23	8.3		(2.1		)
Other	Investments in ventures	Equity Method	Various	33.8		33.9
				$	71.5	$	108.4

¹At December 31, 2012 the classification for Hibbing was Other liabilities.

² At December 31, 2012 our ownership interest percentage for Cockatoo was 50 percent.

Amapá

On December 27, 2012, our board of directors authorized the sale of our 30 percent interest in Amapá. Per this original agreement, together with Anglo American plc, we were to sell our respective interest in a 100 percent sale transaction to a single entity.

On March 28, 2013, an unknown event caused the Santana port shiploader to collapse into the Amazon River, preventing further ship loading by the mine operator, Anglo American plc. In light of the March 28, 2013 collapse of the Santana port shiploader and subsequent evaluation of the effect that this event had on the carrying value of our investment in Amapá as of June 30, 2013, we recorded an impairment charge of $67.6 million in the second quarter of 2013.

On August 28, 2013, we entered into an agreement to sell our 30 percent interest in Amapá to Anglo American plc for nominal cash consideration, plus the right to certain contingent deferred consideration upon the two year anniversary of the closing. The closing is conditional on obtaining certain regulatory approvals. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2013.

Cockatoo Island

On July 31, 2012, we entered into a definitive asset sale agreement with our joint venture partner, HWE Cockatoo Pty Ltd., to sell our beneficial interest in the mining tenements and certain infrastructure of Cockatoo Island to Pluton Resources, which was amended on August 31, 2012. On September 7, 2012, the closing date, Pluton Resources paid a nominal sum of AUD $4.00 and assumed ownership of the assets and responsibility for the environmental rehabilitation obligations and other assumed liabilities not inherently attached to the tenements acquired. The rehabilitation obligations and assumed liabilities that are inherently attached to the tenements were transferred to Pluton Resources upon registration by the Department of Mining and Petroleum denoting Pluton Resources as the tenement holder. Upon final settlement of the sale, which was completed during the second quarter of 2013, we transferred approximately $18.6 million related to the estimated cost of the rehabilitation.

Discontinued Operations

On July 10, 2012, we entered into a definitive share and asset sale agreement to sell our 45 percent economic interest in the Sonoma joint venture coal mine located in Queensland, Australia. Upon completion of the transaction on November 12, 2012, we collected approximately AUD $141.0 million in net cash proceeds. The Sonoma operations previously were included in Other within our reportable segments.

Significant Accounting Policies

A detailed description of our significant accounting policies can be found in the audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012 included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC. The significant accounting policies requiring updates have been included within the disclosures below.

Other Intangible Assets and Liabilities

Other intangible assets are subject to periodic amortization on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives or on a units of production basis as follows:



Intangible Assets	Basis	Useful Life (years)
Permits - Asia Pacific Iron Ore	Units of production	Life of mine
Permits - All Other	Straight line	15 - 40
Utility contracts	Straight line	5
Leases - North American Coal	Units of production	Life of mine
Leases - All Other	Straight line	4.5 - 17.5

Earnings Per Share

We present both basic and diluted earnings per share amounts. Basic earnings per share amounts are calculated by dividing Net Income Attributable to Cliffs Shareholders less any paid or declared but unpaid dividends on our depositary shares by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period presented. Diluted earnings per share amounts are calculated by dividing Net Income Attributable to Cliffs Shareholders by the weighted average number of common shares, common share equivalents under stock plans using the treasury stock method and the number of common shares that would be issued under an assumed conversion of our outstanding depositary shares, each representing a 1/40th interest in a share of our Series A Mandatory Convertible Preferred Stock, Class A, under the if-converted method. Our outstanding depositary shares are convertible into common shares based on the volume weighted average of closing prices of our common stock over the 20 consecutive trading day period ending on the third day immediately preceding the end of the reporting period. Common share equivalents are excluded from EPS computations in the periods in which they have an anti-dilutive effect. See NOTE 18 - EARNINGS PER SHARE for further information.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

On July 18, 2013, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2013-11, Presentation of an Unrecognized Tax Benefit When a Net Operating Loss Carryforward, a Similar Tax Loss, or a Tax Credit Carryforward Exists. ASU 2013-11 requires the netting of unrecognized tax benefits against a deferred tax asset for a loss or other carryforward that would apply in settlement of the uncertain tax positions. ASU 2013-11 is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2013. We will adopt ASU 2013-11 in the fourth quarter of 2013 on a prospective basis, which will impact the presentation of our non-current Deferred income taxes and unrecognized tax benefits (within non-current Other liabilities) in the Statements of Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Position.

In February 2013, the FASB amended the guidance on the presentation of comprehensive income in order to improve the reporting of reclassifications out of accumulated other comprehensive income. The amendment does not change the current requirements for reporting net income or other comprehensive income in financial statements. Rather, it requires the entity to present, either on the face of the statement where net income is presented or in the notes, significant amounts reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income by the respective line items of net income but only if the amount being reclassified is required under GAAP to be reclassified in its entirety to net income in the same reporting period. For other amounts that are not required under GAAP to be reclassified in their entirety to net income, an entity is required to cross-reference to other disclosures required under GAAP that provide additional detail about those amounts. The new guidance was applied prospectively for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2012. We adopted the provisions of guidance required for the period beginning January 1, 2013. Refer to NOTE 16 - SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY for further information.