Recent Accounting Pronouncements | 9 Months Ended |
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Sep. 30, 2011 | |
| Recent Accounting Pronouncements |
2. Recent Accounting Pronouncements
Adoption of Accounting Standards Updates
Presentation of Comprehensive Income
In
June 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board
(“FASB”) issued updated guidance to increase the
prominence of items reported in other comprehensive income by
eliminating the option of presenting components of comprehensive
income as part of the statement of changes in shareholders’
equity. The updated guidance requires that all non-owner
changes in shareholders’ equity be presented either as a
single continuous statement of comprehensive income or in two
separate but consecutive statements. The updated
guidance is to be applied retrospectively and is effective for the
quarter ending March 31, 2012. Early adoption is
permitted. The adoption of this guidance resulted in a change in
the presentation of the Company’s financial statements but
did not have any impact on the Company’s results of
operations, financial position or liquidity.
Intangibles — Goodwill and Other: When to Perform Step 2 of
the Goodwill Impairment Test for Reporting Units with Zero or
Negative Carrying Amounts
In
December 2010, the FASB issued updated guidance that modifies the
goodwill impairment test. Under the updated guidance, goodwill is
tested for impairment using a two-step process. The first step is
to identify potential impairments by comparing the estimated fair
value of a reporting unit to its carrying value, including
goodwill. If the carrying value of a reporting unit exceeds the
estimated fair value, a second step is performed to measure the
amount of impairment, if any. The second step is to determine the
implied fair value of the reporting unit’s goodwill, measured
in the same manner as goodwill is recognized in a business
combination, and compare the implied fair value with the carrying
amount of the goodwill. If the carrying amount exceeds the implied
fair value of the reporting unit’s goodwill, an impairment
loss is recognized in an amount equal to that excess.
The
updated guidance requires that, if the carrying amount of a
reporting unit becomes zero or negative, the second step of the
impairment test must be performed when it is more likely than not
that a goodwill impairment loss exists. In considering whether it
is more likely than not that an impairment loss exists, a company
is required to evaluate qualitative factors, including the factors
presented in existing guidance that trigger an interim impairment
test of goodwill (e.g., a significant adverse change in business
climate or an anticipated sale of a reporting unit). The provisions
of the guidance were effective for annual and interim periods
beginning after December 15, 2010. The adoption of this guidance in
January 2011 did not have any effect on the Company’s results
of operations, financial position or liquidity.
Deferred Acquisition Costs
In
October 2010, the FASB issued updated guidance to address the
diversity in practice for the accounting for costs associated with
acquiring or renewing insurance contracts. This guidance modifies
the definition of acquisition costs to specify that a cost must be
directly related to the successful acquisition of a new or renewal
insurance contract in order to be deferred. If application of this
guidance would result in the capitalization of acquisition costs
that had not previously been capitalized by a reporting entity, the
entity may elect not to capitalize those costs. The updated
guidance is effective on either a retrospective or prospective
basis for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after
December 15, 2011, with early adoption permitted as of the
beginning of a company’s annual period. We are currently
evaluating the impact of the adoption of this new guidance on our
consolidated results of operations and financial
condition.
Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted
Transfers and Servicing: Reconsideration of Effective Control for
Repurchase Agreement
In
April 2011, the FASB amended its guidance on accounting for
repurchase agreements. The amendments simplify the accounting by
eliminating the requirement that the transferor demonstrate it has
adequate collateral to fund substantially all the cost of
purchasing replacement assets. Under the amended guidance, a
transferor maintains effective control over transferred financial
assets (and thus accounts for the transfer as a secured borrowing)
if there is an agreement that both entitles and obligates the
transferor to repurchase the financial assets before maturity and
if all of the following conditions previously required are met; (i)
financial assets to be repurchased or redeemed are the same or
substantially the same as those transferred, (ii) repurchase or
redemption date before maturity at a fixed or determinable price,
and (iii) the agreement is entered into contemporaneously with, or
in contemplation of, the transfer. As a result, more
arrangements could be accounted for as secured borrowings rather
than sales. The updated guidance is effective on a
prospective basis for interim and annual reporting periods
beginning on or after December 15, 2011, early adoption is
prohibited. We are currently evaluating the impact of the adoption
of this new guidance on our consolidated results of operations and
financial condition.
Amendments to Achieve Common Fair Value Measurements and Disclosure
Requirements in U.S. GAAP and IFRS
In
May 2011, the FASB issued updated guidance that addresses the
objective of the FASB and the International Accounting Standards
Board (“IASB”) to develop common requirements for
measuring and for disclosing information about fair value
measurements with U.S. GAAP and International Financial Reporting
Standards (“IFRS”). The FASB and the IASB
worked together to ensure that fair value has the same meaning in
U.S. GAAP and IFRS and that their respective fair value measurement
and disclosure requirements are the same (except for minor
differences in wording and style). The FASB and the IASB concluded
that this guidance will improve comparability of fair value
measurements presented and disclosed in financial statements
prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP and IFRS. The guidance
explains how to measure fair value. This updated guidance does not
require additional fair value measurements and are not intended to
establish valuation standards or affect valuation practices outside
of financial reporting. The updated guidance is
effective during interim and annual periods after December 15,
2011. Early application is not permitted. The adoption of this
guidance is not expected to have any effect on the Company’s
results of operations, financial position or
liquidity.
Intangibles — Goodwill and Other: Testing Goodwill for
Impairment
In
September 2011, the FASB issued updated guidance on goodwill
impairment that gives companies the option to perform a qualitative
assessment that may allow them to skip the annual two-step test and
reduce costs. Under the new guidance, an entity has the option to
first assess qualitative factors to determine whether the existence
of events or circumstances leads to a determination that it is more
likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less
than its carrying amount. If, after assessing the totality of
events or circumstances, an entity determines it is not more likely
than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its
carrying amount, then performing the two-step impairment test is
unnecessary. The FASB provided a sample list of events and
circumstances that an entity can consider in performing its
qualitative assessment. Under the amended guidance, an entity has
the option to bypass the qualitative assessment and proceed
directly to performing the first step of the two-step goodwill
impairment test and may resume performing the qualitative
assessment in any subsequent period. The amendments are effective
for annual and interim goodwill impairment tests performed for
fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2011. Early adoption is
permitted. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have
any effect on the Company’s results of operations, financial
position or liquidity.
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