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Accounts Receivable, Net
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2016
Accounts Receivable, Net  
Accounts Receivable, Net

 

Note 4—Accounts Receivable, Net

 

Our accounts receivable are primarily from purchasers and shippers of crude oil and, to a lesser extent, purchasers of NGL and natural gas. To mitigate credit risk related to our accounts receivable, we utilize a rigorous credit review process. We closely monitor market conditions to make a determination with respect to the amount, if any, of open credit to be extended to any given customer and the form and amount of financial performance assurances we require. Such financial assurances are commonly provided to us in the form of advance cash payments, standby letters of credit or parental guarantees. As of March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015, we had received $52 million and $88 million, respectively, of advance cash payments from third parties to mitigate credit risk. We also received $26 million and $36 million as of March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively, of standby letters of credit to support obligations due from third parties, a portion of which applies to future business. Additionally, in an effort to mitigate credit risk, a significant portion of our transactions with counterparties are settled on a net-cash basis. Furthermore, we also enter into netting agreements (contractual agreements that allow us to offset receivables and payables with those counterparties against each other on our balance sheet) for a majority of such arrangements.

 

We review all outstanding accounts receivable balances on a monthly basis and record a reserve for amounts that we expect will not be fully recovered. We do not apply actual balances against the reserve until we have exhausted substantially all collection efforts. At March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015, substantially all of our trade accounts receivable (net of allowance for doubtful accounts) were less than 30 days past their scheduled invoice date. Our allowance for doubtful accounts receivable totaled $4 million at both March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015. Although we consider our allowance for doubtful accounts receivable to be adequate, actual amounts could vary significantly from estimated amounts.