2.11 Early-Warning Disclosures When Future Impairments Are Reasonably Possible

50-6 This Subtopic requires discussion of estimates when, based on known information available before the financial statements are issued or are available to be issued (as discussed in Section 855-10-25), it is reasonably possible that the estimate will change in the near term and the effect of the change will be material. The estimate of the effect of a change in a condition, situation, or set of circumstances that existed at the date of the financial statements shall be disclosed and the evaluation shall be based on known information available before the financial statements are issued or are available to be issued (as discussed in Section 855-10-25).

50-7 Various Topics require disclosures about uncertainties addressed by those Topics. In particular, Subtopic 450-20 specifies disclosures to be made about contingencies that exist at the date of the financial statements. In addition to disclosures required by Topic 450 and other accounting Topics, this Subtopic requires disclosures regarding estimates used in the determination of the carrying amounts of assets or liabilities or in disclosure of gain or loss contingencies, as described below.

50-8 Disclosure regarding an estimate shall be made when known information available before the financial statements are issued or are available to be issued (as discussed in Section 855-10-25) indicates that both of the following criteria are met:

1. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimate of the effect on the financial statements of a condition, situation, or set of circumstances that existed at the date of the financial statements will change in the near term due to one or more future confirming events.
2. The effect of the change would be material to the financial statements.

55-50 Offshore Industries is a manufacturer of offshore drilling rigs and platforms. The entity’s manufacturing process requires significant specialized equipment, which it currently owns. As a result of a decline in the price of oil, the demand for its products and services has fallen dramatically in the past two years, resulting in a significant underutilization of its manufacturing capacity.

55-51 The entity depreciates its investments in specialized equipment based on its original estimate of the remaining useful lives of the equipment using the units-of-production method, since it believes that the exhaustion of usefulness of these specialized assets relates more to their use than to the passage of time. The entity reevaluates these estimates in light of current conditions in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). The entity also monitors the policies of its major competitors and is aware that several have reported large write-downs of similar assets. Nevertheless, while the entity believes that it is at least reasonably possible that its estimate that it will recover the carrying amount of those assets from future operations will change during the next year, it believes it is more likely that conditions in the industry will improve and that no write-down for impairment will be necessary.

55-52 The entity would make the following disclosure:

Offshore’s policy is to depreciate specialized manufacturing equipment (with a net book value of $25 million at December 31, 19X7) over its remaining useful life using the units-of-production method and to evaluate the remaining life and recoverability of such equipment in light of current conditions. [Given the excess capacity in the industry,] it is reasonably possible that the entity’s estimate that it will recover the carrying amount of this equipment from future operations will change in the near term.

55-53 Regarding the preceding illustrative disclosure, if the information in the first sentence is already disclosed elsewhere in the notes, it need not be repeated. Also, the bracketed material in the second sentence represents an example of voluntary disclosure that is encouraged by paragraph 275-10-50-9.

55-54 In this Example, the entity acknowledges that the carrying amount of the specialized assets is subject to significant uncertainty based on current conditions. The uncertainty relates to the measurement of the specialized assets at the date of the financial statements, and the entity’s disclosure makes clear that it is at least reasonably possible that the carrying amount will change in the near term.