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Accounting Policies, by Policy (Policies)
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12 Months Ended | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Dec. 31, 2013
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| Accounting Policies [Abstract] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Basis of Accounting, Policy [Policy Text Block] |
These financial statements are presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP). The most significant accounting policies include the valuation of real estate and royalty interests assigned through the 1888 Declaration of Trust and revenue recognition policies. |
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| Use of Estimates, Policy [Policy Text Block] |
The preparation of financial statements in accordance with the accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America 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 income and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. |
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| Revenue Recognition, Policy [Policy Text Block] |
Oil and gas royalties Oil and gas royalties (royalties) are received in connection with royalty interests owned by the Trust. Royalties are recognized as revenue when crude oil and gas products are removed from the respective mineral reserve locations. Royalty payments are generally received one to three months after the crude oil and gas products are removed. An accrual is included in accrued receivables for amounts not received during the month removed based on historical trends. The Trust has analyzed public reports of drilling activities by the oil companies with which it has entered into royalty interest leases in an effort to identify unpaid royalties associated with royalty interests owned by the Trust. Rights to certain royalties believed by the Trust to be due and payable may be subject to dispute with the oil company involved as a result of disagreements with respect to drilling and related engineering information. Disputed royalties are recorded when these contingencies are resolved. Grazing lease rentals The Trust leases land to the ranching industry for grazing purposes. Lease income is recognized when earned. These leases generally require fixed annual payments and terms range from three to five years. Lease cancellations are allowed. Advance lease payments are deferred (unearned revenue) and amortized over the appropriate accounting period. Lease payments not paid are recorded as accrued receivables. Land sales Income is recognized on land sales during the periods in which such sales are closed and sufficient amounts of cash down payments are received using the full accrual method of gain recognition. For income tax purposes, land sales are recognized on the installment method. The sales price of land sales are reflected as income and the cost (basis) of the respective parcels of land are reflected as expenses as these parcels of land are not primarily held as income-producing “operating” properties. Interest income from notes receivable Interest income is recognized when earned, using the simple interest method. Accrued interest not received is reflected in accrued receivables. Easements and sundry income Easement contracts represent contracts which permit companies to install pipe lines, pole lines and other equipment on land owned by the Trust. Easement income is recognized when the Trust receives a signed contract and when the Trust makes available the respective parcel of land to the grantee. Sundry income represents leasing arrangements to companies in a wide array of industries, including: agricultural, oil and gas, construction, wind power and other industries. Lease income is recognized when earned. These leases generally require fixed annual payments or royalties. Lease terms generally range from month-to-month arrangements to ten years. Lease cancellations are allowed. Advance lease payments are deferred and amortized over the appropriate accounting period. Lease payments not paid are included in accrued receivables |
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| Cash and Cash Equivalents, Policy [Policy Text Block] |
Cash and cash equivalents consist of bank deposit and savings accounts. The Trust considers all highly liquid debt instruments with original maturities of three months or less to be cash equivalents. At times the cash may exceed federally insured limits. The Trust maintains its cash and cash equivalents in two large financial institutions. The Trust monitors the credit quality of these institutions and does not anticipate any losses. Cash disbursed for income taxes in 2013, 2012 and 2011 was $13,178,312, $11,844,051, and $10,029,759, respectively. New loans made by the Trust in connection with land sales amounted to $0, $613,800, and $174,750 for the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 and 2011, respectively. |
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| Receivables, Policy [Policy Text Block] |
Accrued receivables consist primarily of amounts due under oil and gas royalty leases and unpaid interest on notes receivable for land sales. Accrued receivables are reflected at their net realizable value based on historical royalty and interest receipt information and other factors anticipated to affect valuation. A valuation allowance is recorded if amounts expected to be received are considered impaired. No allowance was considered necessary at December 31, 2013 and 2012. |
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| Depreciation, Depletion, and Amortization [Policy Text Block] |
Provision for depreciation of depreciable assets is made by charges to income at straight-line and accelerated rates considered to be adequate to amortize the cost of such assets over their useful lives, which generally range from three to five years. Accumulated depreciation as of December 31, 2013 and 2012 is $109,631 and $104,192, respectively. |
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| Finance, Loans and Leases Receivable, Policy [Policy Text Block] |
Notes receivable for land sales (notes receivable) consists of installment notes received as partial payment on land sales and are reflected at the principal amounts due net of an allowance for loan losses, if any. The Trust generally receives cash payments on land sales of 25% or more. Thereafter, annual principal and interest payments are required by the Trust. Notes receivable bear interest rates ranging from 7.0% to 9.0% as of December 31, 2013 and are secured by first lien deeds of trust on the properties sold. The weighted average interest rate is 7.1% as of December 31, 2013. The annual installments on notes are generally payable over terms of 10 to 15 years. There is no penalty for prepayment of principal, and prepayments in 2013, 2012 and 2011 were $2,736,616, $940,145, and $2,683,841, respectively. The interest rates on notes receivable are considered comparable with current rates on similar land sales and, accordingly, the carrying value of such notes receivable approximates fair value. Management of the Trust monitors delinquencies to assess the propriety of the carrying value of its notes receivable. Accounts are considered delinquent thirty days after the contractual due dates. At the point in time that notes receivable become delinquent, management reviews the operations information of the debtor and the estimated fair value of the collateral held as security to determine whether an allowance for losses is required. There was no allowance for uncollectible notes receivable at December 31, 2013 and 2012. Three customers represented approximately 77% of notes receivable at December 31, 2013 and 80% at December 31, 2012. The maturities of notes receivable for each of the five years subsequent to December 31, 2013 are:
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| Real Estate Owned, Valuation Allowance, Policy [Policy Text Block] |
While the Trust is generally not a purchaser of land, parcels are purchased from time to time at the discretion of the Trustees. Newly acquired real estate is recorded at cost. Real estate acquired through foreclosure is recorded at the aggregate of the outstanding principal balance, accrued interest, past due ad valorem taxes, and other fees incurred relating to the foreclosure. Real estate acquired is carried at the lower of cost or market. Valuations are periodically performed or obtained by management whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. Impairments, if any, are recorded by a charge to net income and a valuation allowance if the carrying value of the property exceeds its estimated fair value. Minimal, if any, real estate improvements are made to land.
The fair market value of the Trust’s land and royalty interests was not determined in 1888 when the Trust was formed; therefore, no value is assigned to the land, town lots, royalty interests, Certificates of Proprietary Interest, and Sub-share Certificates in Certificates of Proprietary Interest in the accompanying balance sheets. Consequently, in the statements of income and total comprehensive income, no allowance is made for depletion and no cost is deducted from the proceeds of original land sales. Even though the 1888 value of real properties cannot be precisely determined, it has been concluded that the effect of this matter can no longer be significant to the Trust’s financial position or results of operations. For Federal income tax purposes, however, deductions are made for depletion, computed on the statutory percentage basis of income received from royalties. Minimal, if any, real estate improvements are made to land. |
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| Real Estate and Royalty Interests Assigned [Policy Text Block] |
The fair market value of the Trust’s land and royalty interests was not determined in 1888 when the Trust was formed; therefore, no value is assigned to the land, town lots, royalty interests, Certificates of Proprietary Interest, and Sub-share Certificates in Certificates of Proprietary Interest in the accompanying balance sheets. Consequently, in the statements of income and total comprehensive income, no allowance is made for depletion and no cost is deducted from the proceeds of original land sales. Even though the 1888 value of real properties cannot be precisely determined, it has been concluded that the effect of this matter can no longer be significant to the Trust’s financial position or results of operations. For Federal income tax purposes, however, deductions are made for depletion, computed on the statutory percentage basis of income received from royalties. Minimal, if any, real estate improvements are made to land. |
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| Earnings Per Share, Policy [Policy Text Block] |
The cost of Sub-share Certificates purchased and retired is charged to net proceeds from all sources. Net income per Sub-share Certificate is based on the weighted average number of Sub-share Certificates in Certificates of Proprietary Interest and equivalent Sub-share Certificates of Proprietary Interest outstanding during each period (8,601,171 in 2013, 8,939,045 in 2012 and 9,336,998 in 2011). |
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| Income Tax, Policy [Policy Text Block] |
Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases and operating loss and tax credit carry-forwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. When tax returns are filed, it is highly certain that some positions taken would be sustained upon examination by the taxing authorities, while others are subject to uncertainty about the merits of the position taken or the amount of the position that would be ultimately sustained. The benefit of a tax position is recognized in the financial statements in the period during which, based on all available evidence, management believes it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained upon examination, including the resolution of appeals or litigation processes, if any. Tax positions taken are not offset or aggregated with other positions. Tax positions that meet the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold are measured as the largest amount of tax benefit that is more than 50 percent likely of being realized upon settlement with the applicable taxing authority. The portion of the benefits associated with tax positions taken that exceeds the amount measured as described above is reflected as a liability for unrecognized tax benefits in the accompanying balance sheet along with any associated interest and penalties that would be payable to the taxing authorities upon examination. The liability for unrecognized tax benefits is zero at December 31, 2013 and 2012. |
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| New Accounting Pronouncements, Policy [Policy Text Block] |
In January 2010, the FASB issued ASU No. 2010-06, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (Topic 820) — Improving Disclosures about Fair Value Measurements (”ASU 2010-06”). This update requires the following new disclosures: (i) the amounts of significant transfers in and out of Level 1 and Level 2 fair value measurements and a description of the reasons for the transfers; and (ii) a reconciliation for fair value measurements using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3), including separate information about purchases, sales, issuances, and settlements. The update also clarifies existing requirements about fair value measurement disclosures and disclosures about inputs and valuation techniques. The new disclosures and clarifications of existing disclosures were effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2009, except for the reconciliation of Level 3 activity, which was effective for the Company in the first quarter of 2011. Adoption of this guidance had no effect on the Company’s results of operations, financial position and cash flows. In June 2011, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2011-05, “Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Presentation of Comprehensive Income” (“ASU 2011-05”). ASU 2011-05 amends existing guidance by allowing only two options for presenting the components of net income and other comprehensive income: (1) in a single continuous financial statement, statement of comprehensive income or (2) in two separate but consecutive financial statements, consisting of an income statement followed by a separate statement of other comprehensive income. ASU No. 2011-05 requires retrospective application, and it is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2011. We adopted the provisions of ASU 2011-05 as of January 1, 2012 using the single continuous statement presentation. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material effect on our financial statements. No other effective or pending accounting pronouncements are expected to affect the Trust. |
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| Comprehensive Income, Policy [Policy Text Block] |
Comprehensive income (loss) consists of net income and other gains and losses affecting capital that, under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, are excluded from net income |
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