Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)

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BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)
 6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2017
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Basis Of Consolidation
Basis of Consolidation
The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include our accounts and the accounts of our wholly-owned and majority-owned subsidiaries, including the following operations as of June 30, 2017:
Name
 
Location
 
Ownership Interest
 
Operation
 
Status of Operations
Northshore
 
Minnesota
 
100.0%
 
Iron Ore
 
Active
United Taconite
 
Minnesota
 
100.0%
 
Iron Ore
 
Active
Tilden
 
Michigan
 
85.0%
 
Iron Ore
 
Active
Empire
 
Michigan
 
79.0%
 
Iron Ore
 
Indefinitely Idled
Koolyanobbing
 
Western Australia
 
100.0%
 
Iron Ore
 
Active

Intercompany transactions and balances are eliminated upon consolidation.
Equity Method Investments
Equity Method Investments
Our 23% ownership interest in Hibbing is recorded as an equity method investment. As of June 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, our investment in Hibbing was $6.5 million and $8.7 million, respectively, classified as Other liabilities in the Statements of Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Position.
Foreign Currency
Foreign Currency
Our financial statements are prepared with the U.S. dollar as the reporting currency. The functional currency of our Australian subsidiaries is the Australian dollar. The functional currency of all other international subsidiaries is the U.S. dollar. The financial statements of our Australian subsidiaries are translated into U.S. dollars using the exchange rate at each balance sheet date for assets and liabilities and a weighted average exchange rate for each period for revenues, expenses, gains and losses. Translation adjustments are recorded as Accumulated other comprehensive loss. Income taxes generally are not provided for foreign currency translation adjustments. To the extent that monetary assets and liabilities, including short-term intercompany loans, are recorded in a currency other than the functional currency, these amounts are remeasured each reporting period, with the resulting gain or loss being recorded in the Statements of Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Operations. Transaction gains and losses resulting from remeasurement of short-term intercompany loans are included in Miscellaneous - net in the Statements of Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Operations.
The following represents the transaction gains and losses resulting from remeasurement for the three and six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016:
 
 
(In Millions)
 
 
Three Months Ended
June 30,
 
Six Months Ended
June 30,
 
 
2017
 
2016
 
2017
 
2016
Remeasurement of short-term intercompany loans
 
$
1.5

 
$
(0.1
)
 
$
16.6

 
$
0.2

Remeasurement of cash and cash equivalents
 
(0.5
)
 
0.5

 
(1.7
)
 
1.5

Other remeasurement
 
(1.0
)
 
(0.2
)
 
(1.3
)
 
(2.6
)
Net impact of transaction gains and (losses) resulting from remeasurement
 
—

 
0.2

 
13.6

 
(0.9
)
Significant Accounting Policies
Significant Accounting Policies
A detailed description of our significant accounting policies can be found in the audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016 included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC. There have been no material changes in our significant accounting policies and estimates from those disclosed therein.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
Issued and Not Effective
In March 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-07, Compensation - Retirement Benefits (Topic 715): Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost. The new standard requires the service cost component of pension and other postretirement benefit expenses to be included in the same line item as other compensation costs arising from services rendered by employees, with the other components of net benefit cost as defined by paragraphs 715-30-35-4 and 715-60-35-9 to be presented in the income statement separately from the service cost component and outside a subtotal of income from operations. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and early adoption is permitted. The adoption of ASU No. 2017-07 will impact Statements of Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Operations by changing our classification of the components of pension and OPEB costs; however, it will not impact our Net Income.
In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases. The new standard requires lessees to recognize a right-of-use asset and a lease liability on the balance sheet for all leases with the exception of short-term leases. For lessees, leases will continue to be classified as either operating or finance leases in the income statement. The effective date of the new standard for public companies is for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018 and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. The new standard must be adopted using a modified retrospective transition and requires application of the new guidance at the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented. We are currently evaluating the effect the updated standard will have on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. Based on our analysis to date, we anticipate the largest impact will be the balance sheet recognition of operating leases.
In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenues from Contracts with Customers. The new revenue guidance broadly replaces the revenue guidance provided throughout the Codification. The core principle of the revenue guidance is that an entity should 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. To achieve that core principle, an entity should apply the following steps: (1) identify the contract(s) with a customer, (2) identify the performance obligations in the contract, (3) determine the transaction price, (4) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract and (5) recognize revenue when (or as) the entity satisfies a performance obligation. Reporting entities must prepare new disclosures providing qualitative and quantitative information on the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. New disclosures also include qualitative and quantitative information on significant judgments, changes in judgments, and contract acquisition assets. At issuance, ASU No. 2014-09 was effective starting in 2017 for calendar-year public entities, and interim periods within that year. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-14, Revenue from Contracts with Customers: Deferral of the Effective Date, which defers the adoption of ASU No. 2014-09 to annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim reporting periods within that reporting period. Earlier application is permitted. As of June 30, 2017, we have completed the initial evaluation of the new standard and the related review and assessment of a representative sample of existing contracts with our customers. We determined, on a preliminary basis, that the timing and pattern of revenue recognition for our U.S. Iron Ore contracts will likely change; however, the total amount of revenue recognized during the year should remain substantially the same as under current GAAP. We do not anticipate any significant changes in the timing and pattern of revenue recognition for our Asia Pacific Iron Ore contracts. We anticipate utilizing the modified retrospective transition method. Based on our analysis to date, we anticipate the primary impact of the adoption on our consolidated financial statements will be the additional required disclosures around revenue recognition in the notes to the consolidated financial statements.