EQT Corp | 2013 | FY | 3


17.                   Concentrations of Credit Risk

 

Revenues and related accounts receivable from the EQT Production segment’s operations are generated primarily from the sale of produced natural gas, NGLs and crude oil to marketers, utility and industrial customers located mainly in the Appalachian Basin and a gas processor in Kentucky and West Virginia. Additionally, a significant amount of revenues and related accounts receivable from EQT Midstream are generated from the gathering of natural gas in Kentucky, Virginia, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.  The Company had one customer within the EQT Production segment account for approximately 11% of its revenues in 2013. No single customer accounted for more than 10% of revenues in 2012 or 2011.

 

Approximately 82% of the Company’s accounts receivable balance as of December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively, represented amounts due from marketers.  The Company manages the credit risk of sales to marketers by limiting its dealings to those marketers that meet the Company’s criteria for credit and liquidity strength and by regularly monitoring these accounts.  The Company may require letters of credit, guarantees, performance bonds or other credit enhancements from a marketer in order for that marketer to meet the Company’s credit criteria.  As a result, the Company did not experience any significant defaults on sales of natural gas to marketers during the years ended December 31, 2013, 2012 or 2011.

 

The Company is exposed to credit loss in the event of nonperformance by counterparties to derivative contracts.  This credit exposure is limited to derivative contracts with a positive fair value, which may change as market prices change.  The Company believes that NYMEX-traded future contracts have limited credit risk because CFTC regulations are in place to protect exchange participants, including the Company, from any potential financial instability of the exchange members.  The Company’s OTC swap and collar derivative instruments are primarily with financial institutions and, thus, are subject to events that would impact those companies individually as well as that industry as a whole.

 

The Company utilizes various processes and analyses to monitor and evaluate its credit risk exposures.  These include monitoring current market conditions, counterparty credit fundamentals and credit default swap rates.  Credit exposure is controlled through credit approvals and limits based on counterparty credit fundamentals.  To manage the level of credit risk, the Company enters into transactions with financial counterparties that are of investment grade or better, enters into netting agreements whenever possible and may obtain collateral or other security.

 

As of December 31, 2013, the Company was not in default under any derivative contracts and has no knowledge of default by any counterparty to derivative contracts. The Company made no adjustments to the fair value of derivative contracts due to credit related concerns outside of the normal non-performance risk adjustment included in the Company’s established fair value procedure. The Company monitors market conditions that may impact the fair value of derivative contracts reported in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

 


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