3.  NEW ACCOUNTING STANDARDS

Not yet adopted

In August 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued ASU No. 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments (“ASU 2016-15”) related to how certain cash receipts and payments are presented and classified in the statement of cash flows. These cash flow issues include debt prepayment or extinguishment costs, settlement of zero-coupon debt, contingent consideration payments made after a business combination, proceeds from the settlement of insurance claims, distributions received from equity method investees, beneficial interests in securitization transactions, and separately identifiable cash flows. ASU 2016-15 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years. We are currently evaluating the provisions of this guidance and are assessing its potential impact on our cash flows and related disclosures. Due to the nature of this accounting standards update, this may have an impact on items reported in our statements of cash flows, but no impact is expected on our financial position, results of operations or related disclosures as a result of implementation.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (“ASU 2016-13”) related to the calculation of credit losses on financial instruments. All financial instruments not accounted for at fair value will be impacted, including our trade and partner receivables. Allowances are to be measured using a current expected credit loss model as of the reporting date which is based on historical experience, current conditions and reasonable and supportable forecasts. This is significantly different from the current model which increases the allowance when losses are probable. This change is effective for all public companies for fiscal years beginning after December 31, 2019, including interim periods within those fiscal years and will be applied with a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the beginning of the first reporting period in which the guidance is effective. We are currently evaluating the provisions of ASU 2016-13 and are assessing its potential impact on our financial position, results of operations, cash flows and related disclosures.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting (“ASU 2016-09”) that changes several aspects of accounting for share-based payment transactions, including a requirement to recognize all excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies as income tax expense or benefit in the income statement, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, and classification on the statements of cash flows. This standard is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 31, 2016, with early adoption permitted. Varying transition methods (modified retrospective, retrospective or prospective) are applicable to different provisions of the standard. We are in the process of evaluating all changes, both required and elective, and are developing implementation plans for each as appropriate; however, we do not expect any of the changes to have a significant impact on our financial position, results of operations, cash flows or related disclosures.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) (“ASU 2016-02”), which amended the accounting standards for leases.  ASU 2016-02 retains a distinction between finance leases and operating leases. The primary change is the recognition of lease assets and lease liabilities by lessees for those leases classified as operating leases on the balance sheet. The classification criteria for distinguishing between finance leases and operating leases are substantially similar to the classification criteria for distinguishing between capital leases and operating leases in the previous guidance. Certain aspects of lease accounting have been simplified. Additional qualitative and quantitative disclosures are required along with specific quantitative disclosures required by lessees and lessors to meet the objective of enabling users of financial statements to assess the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. In transition, lessees and lessors are required to recognize and measure leases at the beginning of the earliest period presented using a modified retrospective approach. The amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years, with early application permitted. We are currently evaluating the provisions of this update and are assessing the potential impact on our financial position, results of operations, cash flows and related disclosures.  

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) (“ASU 2014-09”), which revised guidance on revenue from contracts with customers that will supersede most current revenue recognition guidance, including industry-specific guidance. The core principle of the new revenue model is that an entity will recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The new standard provides a five-step approach to determine when and how revenue is recognized. The guidance permits the use of either a full retrospective or a modified retrospective approach to adoption. In July 2015, the FASB approved a one-year deferral of the effective date of ASU 2014-09 to annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017 for public companies. The FASB approved early adoption of the standard, but not before the original effective date of annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016. Since May 2014, several additional accounting standards updates have been issued by FASB to clarify implementation issues. We continue to evaluate the impact of this revised guidance and the several clarifications that have been issued since. We have not yet quantified the impact, if any, of this amended guidance on our financial position, results of operations, cash flows and related disclosures.

Adopted

In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-03, Interest – Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30): Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs (ASU 2015-03) that requires the presentation of debt issuance costs in financial statements as a direct reduction of the related debt liabilities, with amortization of debt issuance costs reported as interest expense. Under prior GAAP, debt issuance costs were reported as deferred charges (i.e., as an asset). We adopted ASU 2015-03 in the first quarter of 2016. As discussed in Note 6 below, in the second quarter of 2016, our loan agreement was modified into a term loan. At that time, a portion of deferred debt issuance costs related to the revolving credit facility were charged to expense. The remaining unamortized deferred financing costs plus the incremental costs of converting the revolver into a term loan are presented as a direct reduction of Long-term debt on our condensed consolidated balance sheet.