Sale of Receivables

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Sale of Receivables [Abstract]

Sale of Receivables

6. Sale of Receivables

We are party to several supply chain financing arrangements, in which we may sell certain of our customers’ trade accounts receivable to such customers’ financial institutions.  We sell our undivided interests in certain of these receivables at our discretion when we determine that the cost of these arrangements is less than the cost of servicing our receivables with existing debt.  Under the terms of the agreements, we retain no rights or interest, have no obligations with respect to the sold receivables, and do not service the receivables after the sale.  As such, these transactions are being accounted for as a sale.

Pursuant to these agreements, we sold $719 million and $720 million of receivables for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively, which was reflected as a reduction of accounts receivable in the consolidated balance sheet at the time of sale.  A charge in the amount of $22 million, $24.4 million and $22.6 million related to the sale of receivables is included in selling, general and administrative expenses in our consolidated statements of operations for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

To the extent that these arrangements are terminated, our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and liquidity could be adversely affected by extended payment terms, delays or failures in collecting trade accounts receivables.  The utility of the supply chain financing arrangements also depends upon the LIBOR rate, as it is a component of the discount rate applicable to each arrangement.  If the LIBOR rate increases significantly, we may be negatively impacted as we may not be able to pass these added costs on to our customers, which could have a material and adverse effect upon our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.