Operations.  W&T Offshore, Inc. (with subsidiaries referred to herein as “W&T,” “we,” “us,” “our,” or the “Company”) is an independent oil and natural gas producer with substantially all of its operations offshore in the Gulf of Mexico.  The Company is active in the exploration, development and acquisition of oil and natural gas properties.  Our interests in fields, leases, structures and equipment are primarily owned by W&T Offshore, Inc. (on a stand-alone basis, the “Parent Company”) and its 100%-owned subsidiary, W & T Energy VI, LLC (“Energy VI”) and through our proportionately consolidated interest in Monza Energy LLC (“Monza”), as described in more detail in Note 4.

Use of Estimates.  The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods.  Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Accounting Standard Updates Effective January 1, 2018:  

   Accounting Standards Update No. 2017-01, Business Combinations (Topic 805) – Clarifying the Definition of a Business (“ASU 2017-01”), became effective for us as of January 1, 2018.  The new guidance is intended to assist with the evaluation of whether a set of transferred assets and activities is a business.  In application of the revised guidance under ASU 2017-01 for our acquisition of a non-operated interest in the Heidelberg field described in Note 5, we determined the transaction should be treated as an asset purchase rather than the purchase of a business.          

Accounting Standard Update No. 2014-09, Revenue from Customers (Topic 606) (“ASU 2014-09”), became effective for us in the period ending March 31, 2018.  We reviewed our contracts using the five-step revenue recognition model, which did not identify any changes required as to the amount or timing of revenue recognition.  We adopted the new standard using the modified retrospective approach which did not result in any cumulative-effect adjustment on the date of adoption.  The implementation of ASU 2014-09 resulted in a change in our reporting in the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations so that we now report revenue streams separately for crude oil, NGLs, natural gas and other revenues in compliance with the new standard.    

Reclassification.  Certain reclassifications have been made to prior periods’ financial statements to conform to the current presentation as follows:  Within the Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities of the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows, adjustments were made to certain line items, of which did not change the total amount previous reported.  The adjustments did not affect the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets or the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations

Oil and Natural Gas Properties and Other, Net – at cost.  Oil and natural gas properties and equipment are recorded at cost using the full cost method.  There were no amounts excluded from amortization as of the dates presented in the following table (in thousands):

Accrued Liabilities.  The major categories are presented in the following table (in thousands):

Recent Accounting Developments.  In February 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) (“ASU 2016-02”).  Under the new guidance, a lessee will be required to recognize assets and liabilities for leases with lease terms of more than 12 months.  Consistent with current GAAP, the recognition, measurement and presentation of expenses and cash flows arising from a lease by a lessee primarily will depend on its classification as a financing or operating lease.  However, unlike current GAAP, which requires only capital or financing leases to be recognized on the balance sheet, ASU 2016-02 will require both types of leases to be recognized on the balance sheet.  ASU 2016-02 also will require disclosures to help investors and other financial statement users to better understand the amount, timing and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases.  These disclosures include qualitative and quantitative requirements, providing additional information about the amounts recorded in the financial statements.  ASU 2016-02 does not apply for leases for oil and gas properties, but does apply to equipment used to explore and develop oil and gas resources.  ASU 2016-02 is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2018 and is to be applied using the modified retrospective approach.  Our current operating leases that will be impacted by ASU 2016-02 are leases for office space, which is primarily in Houston, Texas, although ASU 2016-02 may impact the accounting for leases related to equipment depending on the term of the lease.  We currently do not have any leases classified as financing leases nor do we have any leases recorded on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.  We have not yet fully determined or quantified the effect ASU 2016-02 will have on our financial statements.

In June 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326) (“ASU 2016-13”).  The new guidance eliminates the probable recognition threshold and broadens the information to consider past events, current conditions and forecasted information in estimating credit losses.  ASU 2016-13 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019 and early adoption is permitted for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018.  We have not yet fully determined or quantified the effect ASU 2016-13 will have on our financial statements.

In August 2017, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2017-12, Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815) – Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities (“ASU 2017-12”).  The amendments in ASU 2017-12 require an entity to present the earnings effect of the hedging instrument in the same income statement line in which the earning effect of the hedged item is reported.  This presentation enables users of financial statements to better understand the results and costs of an entity’s hedging program.  Also, relative to current GAAP, this approach simplifies the financial statement reporting for qualifying hedging relationships.  ASU 2017-12 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019 and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020.  Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in an interim period.  As we do not designate our commodity derivative instruments as qualifying hedging instruments, our assessment is this amendment will not impact the presentation of the changes in fair values of our commodity derivative instruments on our financial statements.