Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
Letters of credit are issued to support purchase obligations and commitments
(as reflected on the Contractual Obligations and Commitments table) as follows
(In millions) :
Insurance
Inventory obligations
Real estate development
Other
$ 265
69
13
8
Total
$ 355
We have no off-balance sheet arrangements other than those disclosed on the
Contractual Obligations and Commitments table and a credit agreement guaranty
on behalf of SureScripts-RxHub, LLC. This agreement is described more fully in
Note 11 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
Both on-balance sheet and off-balance sheet financing are considered when
targeting debt to equity ratios to balance the interests of equity and debt (including
real estate) investors. This balance allows us to lower our cost of capital while
maintaining a prudent level of financial risk.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In December 2007, the FASB issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standard
(SFAS) No. 141(R), Business Combinations. This statement establishes principles
and requirements for how the acquirer recognizes and measures identifiable assets
acquired, liabilities assumed and any noncontrolling interest in a business combination. In addition, the statement provides a revised definition of a business, shifts
from the purchase method to the acquisition method, expenses acquisition-related
transaction costs, recognizes contingent consideration and contingent assets and
liabilities at fair value and capitalizes acquired in-process research and development.
This statement, which will be effective for the first quarter of fiscal 2010, will be
applied prospectively to business combinations.
We adopted the provisions of SFAS No. 157, Fair Value Measurements, for financial
assets and liabilities beginning in the first quarter of fiscal 2009. FASB Staff Position
(FSP) No. 157-2 deferred the effective date of nonfinancial assets and liabilities until
fiscal year 2010. We do not expect to have a material impact in the first quarter of
fiscal 2010, when we apply the statement to our nonfinancial assets and liabilities.
In April 2009, the FASB issued FSP FAS 107-1 and Accounting Principles Board
Opinion (APB) 28-1, Interim Disclosures about Fair Value of Financial Instruments.
This FSP amends SFAS No. 107, Disclosures about Fair Values of Financial
Instruments, to require disclosures about fair value of financial instruments in interim
financial statements as well as in annual financial statements. This FSP also amends
APB Opinion No. 28, Interim Financial Reporting, to require those disclosures in all
interim financial statements. We will adopt FSP FAS 107-1 and APB 28-1 and
provide the additional required disclosures in the first quarter of fiscal 2010.
In June of 2009, the FASB approved its Accounting Standards Codification, or
Codification, as the single source of authoritative United States accounting and
reporting standards applicable for all non-governmental entities, with the exception
of the SEC and its staff. The Codification, which changes the referencing of
financial standards, is effective for interim or annual financial periods ending after
September 15, 2009. Therefore, in the first quarter of fiscal 2010, all references
made to US GAAP will use the new Codification numbering system prescribed by
the FASB. As the Codification is not intended to change or alter existing US GAAP,
it is not expected to have any impact on our consolidated financial position or
results of operations.
In June 2009, the FASB issued SFAS No. 167, Amendments to FASB Interpretation
No. 46(R), which amends the consolidation guidance applicable to variable interest
entities. The amendments will significantly affect the overall consolidation analysis
under FASB Interpretation No. 46(R). This statement, which will be effective for the
first quarter of fiscal 2011, is not expected to have a material impact on our
consolidated financial position or results of operations.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements and projections of future results made in this report constitute
forward-looking information that is based on current market, competitive and
regulatory expectations that involve risks and uncertainties. Please see Walgreen
Co.’s Form 10-K for the period ended August 31, 2009, for a discussion of
important factors as they relate to forward-looking statements. Actual results
could differ materially.
In December 2007, the FASB issued SFAS No. 160, Noncontrolling Interest in
Consolidated Financial Statements – an amendment of Accounting Research
Bulletin No. 51. The objective of this statement is to improve the relevance, comparability and transparency of the financial information that a reporting entity provides
in its consolidated financial statements by establishing accounting and reporting
standards for the noncontrolling interest in a subsidiary and for the deconsolidation
of a subsidiary. The statement significantly changes the accounting for transactions
with minority interest holders. This statement, which will be effective for the first
quarter of fiscal 2010, is not expected to have a material impact on our consolidated
financial position or results of operations.
2009 Walgreens Annual Report
Page 23