Fair Value Measurements

Certain of Devon's assets and liabilities are measured at fair value at each reporting date. Fair value represents the price that would be received to sell the asset or paid to transfer the liability in an orderly transaction between market participants. This price is commonly referred to as the "exit price".

Fair value measurements are classified according to a hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs underlying the valuation techniques. This hierarchy consists of three broad levels. Level 1 inputs on the hierarchy consist of unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities and have the highest priority. Level 2 measurements are based on inputs other than quoted prices that are generally observable for the asset or liability. Common examples of Level 2 inputs include quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets or quoted prices for identical assets and liabilities in markets not considered to be active. Level 3 measurements have the lowest priority and are based upon inputs that are not observable from objective sources. The most common Level 3 fair value measurement is an internally developed cash flow model. Devon uses appropriate valuation techniques based on the available inputs to measure the fair values of its assets and liabilities. When available, Devon measures fair value using Level 1 inputs because they generally provide the most reliable evidence of fair value.

See Note 11 for fair value measurements included in Devon's accompanying consolidated balance sheets.

Discontinued Operations

As a result of the November 2009 plan to divest Devon's offshore assets, all amounts related to Devon's International operations are classified as discontinued operations. The Gulf of Mexico properties that were divested in 2010 do not qualify as discontinued operations under accounting rules. As such, amounts in these notes and the accompanying consolidated financial statements that pertain to continuing operations include amounts related to Devon's offshore Gulf of Mexico operations. See Note 5 for additional details of the offshore divestiture program.

The captions assets held for sale and liabilities associated with assets held for sale in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets present the assets and liabilities associated with Devon's discontinued operations. Devon measures its assets held for sale at the lower of its carrying amount or estimated fair value less costs to sell. Additionally, Devon does not recognize depreciation, depletion and amortization on its long-lived assets held for sale.

Property and Equipment

Devon follows the full cost method of accounting for its oil and gas properties. Accordingly, all costs incidental to the acquisition, exploration and development of oil and gas properties, including costs of undeveloped leasehold, dry holes and leasehold equipment, are capitalized. Internal costs incurred that are directly identified with acquisition, exploration and development activities undertaken by Devon for its own account, and that are not related to production, general corporate overhead or similar activities, are also capitalized. Interest costs incurred and attributable to unproved oil and gas properties under current evaluation and major development projects of oil and gas properties are also capitalized. All costs related to production activities, including workover costs incurred solely to maintain or increase levels of production from an existing completion interval, are charged to expense as incurred.

Under the full cost method of accounting, the net book value of oil and gas properties, less related deferred income taxes, may not exceed a calculated "ceiling." The ceiling limitation is the estimated after-tax future net revenues, discounted at 10% per annum, from proved oil, gas and NGL reserves plus the cost of properties not subject to amortization. Estimated future net revenues exclude future cash outflows associated with settling asset retirement obligations included in the net book value of oil and gas properties. Such limitations are imposed separately on a country-by-country basis and are tested quarterly.

Future net revenues are calculated using prices that represent the average of the first-day-of-the-month price for the 12-month period prior to the end of the period. Prior to December 31, 2009, prices and costs used to calculate future net revenues were those as of the end of the appropriate quarterly period. Prices are held constant indefinitely and are not changed except where different prices are fixed and determinable from applicable contracts for the remaining term of those contracts, including derivative contracts in place that qualify for hedge accounting treatment. None of Devon's derivative contracts held during the three-year period ended December 31, 2010 qualified for hedge accounting treatment.

Any excess of the net book value, less related deferred taxes, over the ceiling is written off as an expense. An expense recorded in one period may not be reversed in a subsequent period even though higher commodity prices may have increased the ceiling applicable to the subsequent period.

Capitalized costs are depleted by an equivalent unit-of-production method, converting gas to oil at the ratio of six thousand cubic feet of gas to one barrel of oil. Depletion is calculated using the capitalized costs, including estimated asset retirement costs, plus the estimated future expenditures (based on current costs) to be incurred in developing proved reserves, net of estimated salvage values.

Costs associated with unproved properties are excluded from the depletion calculation until it is determined whether or not proved reserves can be assigned to such properties. Devon assesses its unproved properties for impairment quarterly. Significant unproved properties are assessed individually. Costs of insignificant unproved properties are transferred into the depletion calculation over holding periods ranging from three to five years.

No gain or loss is recognized upon disposal of oil and gas properties unless such disposal significantly alters the relationship between capitalized costs and proved reserves in a particular country.

Depreciation of midstream pipelines are provided on a unit-of-production basis. Depreciation and amortization of other property and equipment, including corporate and other midstream assets and leasehold improvements, are provided using the straight-line method based on estimated useful lives ranging from three to 39 years. Interest costs incurred and attributable to major midstream and corporate construction projects are also capitalized.

Devon recognizes liabilities for retirement obligations associated with tangible long-lived assets, such as producing well sites, offshore production platforms, and midstream pipelines and processing plants when there is a legal obligation associated with the retirement of such assets and the amount can be reasonably estimated. The initial measurement of an asset retirement obligation is recorded as a liability at its fair value, with an offsetting asset retirement cost recorded as an increase to the associated property and equipment on the consolidated balance sheet. If the fair value of a recorded asset retirement obligation changes, a revision is recorded to both the asset retirement obligation and the asset retirement cost. The asset retirement cost is depreciated using a systematic and rational method similar to that used for the associated property and equipment.

Investments

Devon reports its investments and other marketable securities at fair value, except for debt securities in which management has the ability and intent to hold until maturity.

Devon's primary investments consist of auction rate securities that totaled $94 million and $115 million at December 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively. These securities are rated AAA—the highest rating—by one or more rating agencies and are collateralized by student loans that are substantially guaranteed by the United States government. Although Devon's auction rate securities generally have contractual maturities of more than 20 years, the underlying interest rates on such securities are scheduled to reset every seven to 28 days. Therefore, these auction rate securities were generally priced and subsequently traded as short-term investments because of the interest rate reset feature.

Since February 8, 2008, Devon has experienced difficulty selling its securities due to the failure of the auction mechanism, which provided liquidity to these securities. An auction failure means that the parties wishing to sell securities could not do so. The securities for which auctions have failed will continue to accrue interest and be auctioned every seven to 28 days until the auction succeeds, the issuer calls the securities or the securities mature.

From February 2008, when auctions began failing, to December 31, 2010, issuers have redeemed $58 million of Devon's auction rate securities holdings at par. However, based on continued auction failures and the current market for Devon's auction rate securities, Devon has classified its auction rate securities as long-term investments as of December 31, 2010. These securities are included in other long-term assets in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet. Devon has the ability to hold the securities until maturity. At this time, Devon does not believe the values of its long-term securities are impaired.

Commitments and Contingencies

Liabilities for loss contingencies arising from claims, assessments, litigation or other sources are recorded when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount can be reasonably estimated. Liabilities for environmental remediation or restoration claims are recorded when it is probable that obligations have been incurred and the amounts can be reasonably estimated. Expenditures related to such environmental matters are expensed or capitalized in accordance with Devon's accounting policy for property and equipment. Reference is made to Note 10 for a discussion of amounts recorded for these liabilities.

Revenue Recognition and Gas Balancing

Oil, gas and NGL sales are recognized when production is sold to a purchaser at a fixed or determinable price, delivery has occurred, title has transferred and collectability of the revenue is probable. Delivery occurs and title is transferred when production has been delivered to a pipeline, railcar or truck or a tanker lifting has occurred. Cash received relating to future production is deferred and recognized when all revenue recognition criteria are met. Taxes assessed by governmental authorities on oil, gas and NGL sales are presented separately from such revenues in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.

Devon follows the sales method of accounting for gas production imbalances. The volumes of gas sold may differ from the volumes to which Devon is entitled based on its interests in the properties. These differences create imbalances that are recognized as a liability only when the estimated remaining reserves will not be sufficient to enable the underproduced owner to recoup its entitled share through production. The liability is priced based on current market prices. No receivables are recorded for those wells where Devon has taken less than its share of production unless all revenue recognition criteria are met. If an imbalance exists at the time the wells' reserves are depleted, settlements are made among the joint interest owners under a variety of arrangements.

Marketing and midstream revenues are recorded at the time products are sold or services are provided to third parties at a fixed or determinable price, delivery or performance has occurred, title has transferred and collectability of the revenue is probable. Revenues and expenses attributable to oil, gas and NGL purchases, transportation and processing contracts are reported on a gross basis when Devon takes title to the products and has risks and rewards of ownership.

During 2010, 2009 and 2008, no purchaser accounted for more than 10% of Devon's revenues from continuing operations.

General and Administrative Expenses

General and administrative expenses are reported net of amounts reimbursed by working interest owners of the oil and gas properties operated by Devon and net of amounts capitalized pursuant to the full cost method of accounting.

Share Based Compensation

Devon grants stock options, restricted stock awards and other types of share-based awards to members of its Board of Directors and selected employees. All such awards are measured at fair value on the date of grant and are recognized as a component of general and administrative expenses in the accompanying statements of operations over the applicable requisite service periods. As a result of Devon's strategic repositioning announced in 2009, certain share based awards were accelerated and recognized as a component of restructuring expense in the accompanying 2010 and 2009 statements of operations.

Generally, Devon uses new shares to grant share-based awards and to issue shares upon stock option exercises. Shares repurchased under approved programs are available to be issued as part of Devon's share based awards. However, Devon has historically cancelled these shares upon repurchase.

Income Taxes

Devon is subject to current income taxes assessed by the federal and various state jurisdictions in the United States and by other foreign jurisdictions. In addition, Devon accounts for deferred income taxes related to these jurisdictions using the asset and liability method. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets are also recognized for the future tax benefits attributable to the expected utilization of existing tax net operating loss carryforwards and other types of carryforwards. 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 and carryforwards 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.

Devon does not recognize United States deferred income taxes on the unremitted earnings of its foreign subsidiaries that are deemed to be permanently reinvested. When such earnings are no longer deemed permanently reinvested, Devon  recognizes the appropriate deferred income tax liabilities.

Devon recognizes the financial statement effects of tax positions when it is more likely than not, based on the technical merits, that the position will be sustained upon examination by a taxing authority. Recognized tax positions are initially and subsequently measured as the largest amount of tax benefit that is more likely than not of being realized upon ultimate settlement with a taxing authority. Liabilities for unrecognized tax benefits related to such tax positions are included in other long-term liabilities unless the tax position is expected to be settled within the upcoming year, in which case the liabilities are included in other current liabilities. Interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits are included in current income tax expense. Additional information regarding Devon's unrecognized tax benefits, including changes in such amounts during 2010 and 2009, is provided in Note 17.

Net Earnings (Loss) Per Common Share

Devon's basic earnings per share amounts have been computed based on the average number of shares of common stock outstanding for the period. Basic earnings per share includes the effect of participating securities, which primarily consist of Devon's outstanding restricted stock awards. Diluted earnings per share is calculated using the treasury stock method to reflect the potential dilution that could occur if Devon's dilutive outstanding stock options were exercised.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Devon considers all highly liquid investments with original contractual maturities of three months or less to be cash equivalents.