Recent Accounting Pronouncements

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2011

New Accounting Pronouncements and Changes In Accounting Principles [Abstract]

Recent Accounting Pronouncements [Text Block]

8.	Recent Accounting Pronouncements
	In January 2010, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2010-06, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (Topic 820): Improving Disclosures about Fair Value Measurements.” ASU 2010-06 amends Subtopic 820-10 to clarify existing disclosures, require new disclosures, and includes conforming amendments to guidance on employers’ disclosures about postretirement benefit plan assets. ASU 2010-06 is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2009, except for disclosures about purchases, sales, issuances, and settlements in the roll forward of activity in Level 3 fair value measurements. Those disclosures are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2010 and for interim periods within those fiscal years. The adoption of the new guidance did not have a material impact on the company’s consolidated financial statements.
	In July 2010, the FASB issued ASU 2010-20, “Receivables (Topic 310) – Disclosures about the Credit Quality of Financing Receivables and the Allowance for Credit Losses.” The new disclosure guidance significantly expands the existing requirements and will lead to greater transparency into an entity’s exposure to credit losses from lending arrangements. The extensive new disclosures of information as of the end of a reporting period became effective for both interim and annual reporting periods ending on or after December 15, 2010. Specific disclosures regarding activity that occurred before the issuance of the ASU, such as the allowance roll forward and modification disclosures, were required for periods beginning on or after December 15, 2010. The company has included the required disclosures in its consolidated financial statements.

The Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) issued Final Rule No. 33-9002, “Interactive Data to Improve Financial Reporting.” The rule requires companies to submit financial statements in extensible business reporting language (XBRL) format with their SEC filings on a phased-in schedule. Large accelerated filers and foreign large accelerated filers using U.S. GAAP were required to provide interactive data reports starting with their first quarterly report for fiscal periods ending on or after June 15, 2010. All remaining filers are required to provide interactive data reports starting with their first quarterly report for fiscal periods ending on or after June 15, 2011. The company complied with this Rule beginning with the filing of the June 30, 2011 Form 10-Q.

In March 2011, the SEC issued Staff Accounting Bulletin (SAB) 114. This SAB revises or rescinds portions of the interpretive guidance included in the codification of the Staff Accounting Bulletin Series. This update is intended to make the relevant interpretive guidance consistent with current authoritative accounting guidance issued as a part of the FASB’s Codification. The principal changes involve revision or removal of accounting guidance references and other conforming changes to ensure consistency of referencing through the SAB Series. The effective date for SAB 114 is March 28, 2011. The adoption of the new guidance did not have a material impact on the company’s consolidated financial statements.

In April 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-02, “Receivables (Topic 310) – A Creditor’s Determination of Whether a Restructuring Is a Troubled Debt Restructuring.” The amendments in this ASU clarify the guidance on a creditor’s evaluation of whether it has granted a concession to a debtor. They also clarify the guidance on a creditor’s evaluation of whether a debtor is experiencing financial difficulty. The amendments in this ASU are effective for the first interim or annual period beginning on or after June 15, 2011. Early adoption is permitted. Retrospective application to the beginning of the annual period of adoption for modifications occurring on or after the beginning of the annual adoption period is required. As a result of applying these amendments, an entity may identify receivables that are newly considered to be impaired. For purposes of measuring impairment of those receivables, an entity should apply the amendments prospectively for the first interim or annual period beginning on or after June 15, 2011. The company has adopted ASU 2011-02 and included the required disclosures in its consolidated financial statements.

In April 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-03, “Transfers and Servicing (Topic 860) – Reconsideration of Effective Control for Repurchase Agreements.” The amendments in this ASU remove from the assessment of effective control (1) the criterion requiring the transferor to have the ability to repurchase or redeem the financial assets on substantially the agreed terms, even in the event of default by the transferee and (2) the collateral maintenance implementation guidance related to that criterion. The amendments in this ASU are effective for the first interim or annual period beginning on or after December 15, 2011. The guidance should be applied prospectively to transactions or modifications of existing transactions that occur on or after the effective date. Early adoption is not permitted. The company is currently assessing the impact that ASU 2011-03 will have on its consolidated financial statements.

In May 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-04, “Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820) – Amendments to Achieve Common Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure Requirements in U.S. GAAP and IFRSs.” This ASU is the result of joint efforts by the FASB and IASB to develop a single, converged fair value framework on how (not when) to measure fair value and what disclosures to provide about fair value measurements. The ASU is largely consistent with existing fair value measurement principles in U.S. GAAP (Topic 820), with many of the amendments made to eliminate unnecessary wording differences between U.S. GAAP and IFRSs. The amendments are effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011 with prospective application. Early application is not permitted. The company is currently assessing the impact that ASU 2011-04 will have on its consolidated financial statements.

In June 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-05, “Comprehensive Income (Topic 220) – Presentation of Comprehensive Income.” The objective of this ASU is to improve the comparability, consistency and transparency of financial reporting and to increase the prominence of items reported in other comprehensive income by eliminating the option to present components of other comprehensive income as part of the statement of changes in stockholders’ equity. The amendments require that all non-owner changes in stockholders’ equity be presented either in a single continuous statement of comprehensive income or in two separate but consecutive statements. The single statement of comprehensive income should include the components of net income, a total for net income, the components of other comprehensive income, a total for other comprehensive income, and a total for comprehensive income. In the two-statement approach, the first statement should present total net income and its components followed consecutively by a second statement that should present all the components of other comprehensive income, a total for other comprehensive income, and a total for comprehensive income. The amendments do not change the items that must be reported in other comprehensive income, the option for an entity to present components of other comprehensive income either net of related tax effects or before related tax effects, or the calculation or reporting of earnings per share. The amendments in this ASU should be applied retrospectively. The amendments are effective for fiscal years and interim periods within those years beginning after December 15, 2011. Early adoption is permitted because compliance with the amendments is already permitted. The amendments do not require transition disclosures. The company is currently assessing the impact that ASU 2011-05 will have on its consolidated financial statements.

In August 2011, the SEC issued Final Rule No. 33-9250, “Technical Amendments to Commission Rules and Forms related to the FASB’s Accounting Standards Codification.” The SEC has adopted technical amendments to various rules and forms under the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and the Investment Company Act of 1940. These revisions were necessary to conform those rules and forms to the FASB Accounting Standards Codification. The technical amendments include revision of certain rules in Regulation S-X, certain items in Regulation S-K, and various rules and forms prescribed under the Securities Act, Exchange Act and Investment Company Act. The Release was effective as of August 12, 2011. The adoption of the release did not have a material impact on the company’s consolidated financial statements.