Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

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GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2016
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]  
GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
NOTE 12 - GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
Goodwill
Goodwill represents the excess purchase price paid over the fair value of the net assets of acquired companies and is not subject to amortization. We assign goodwill arising from acquired companies to the reporting units that are expected to benefit from the synergies of the acquisition. Our reporting units are either at the operating segment level or a component one level below our operating segments that constitutes a business for which management generally reviews production and financial results of that component. Decisions often are made as to capital expenditures, investments and production plans at the component level as part of the ongoing management of the related operating segment. We have determined that our Asia Pacific Iron Ore operating segment constitutes a separate reporting unit and that Northshore within our U.S. Iron Ore operating segment constitutes a reporting unit. Goodwill is allocated among and evaluated for impairment at the reporting unit level in the fourth quarter of each year or as circumstances occur that potentially indicate that the carrying amount of these assets may exceed their fair value.
For the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015, there were no goodwill impairment charges. During the third quarter of 2014, a goodwill impairment charge of $73.5 million was recorded for our Asia Pacific Iron Ore reporting segment. The impairment charge was a result of downward long-term pricing estimates as determined through management's long-range planning process.
The carrying amount of goodwill for the years ended December 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015 was $2.0 million and related to our U.S. Iron Ore operating segment.
Other Intangible Assets and Liabilities
Following is a summary of intangible assets and liabilities as of December 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015:
 
 
 
(In Millions)
 
 
 
December 31, 2016
 
December 31, 2015
 
Classification
 
Gross
Carrying
Amount
 
Accumulated
Amortization
 
Net
Carrying
Amount
 
Gross
Carrying
Amount
 
Accumulated
Amortization
 
Net
Carrying
Amount
Definite-lived intangible assets:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Permits
Other non-current assets
 
$
78.4

 
$
(24.6
)
 
$
53.8

 
$
78.4

 
$
(20.2
)
 
$
58.2

Total intangible assets
 
 
$
78.4

 
$
(24.6
)
 
$
53.8

 
$
78.4

 
$
(20.2
)
 
$
58.2

Below-market sales contracts
Other current liabilities
 
$

 
$

 
$

 
$
(23.1
)
 
$

 
$
(23.1
)
Below-market sales contracts
Other liabilities
 

 

 

 
(205.8
)
 
205.8

 

Total below-market sales contracts
 
 
$

 
$

 
$

 
$
(228.9
)
 
$
205.8

 
$
(23.1
)

Amortization expense relating to intangible assets was $4.8 million, $4.2 million and $8.4 million for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively, and is recognized in Cost of goods sold and operating expenses in the Statements of Consolidated Operations. During the year ended December 31, 2014, an impairment charge of $13.8 million was recorded related to the permits intangible asset and is recognized in Impairment of goodwill and other long-lived assets in the Statements of Consolidated Operations. There were no impairment charges recorded for definite-lived intangible assets in 2016 or 2015. The estimated amortization expense relating to intangible assets for each of the five succeeding years is as follows:

(In Millions)

Amount
Year Ending December 31

2017
1.9

2018
1.9

2019
2.0

2020
1.6

2021
1.0

Total
$
8.4


The below-market sales contract was historically classified as a liability and was recognized over the term of the underlying contract, which expired December 31, 2016. As a result, there will be no future impact to Product revenues for the succeeding fiscal years relating to this contract. For the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, we recognized $23.1 million per year in Product revenues related to below-market sales contracts.