Basis of Presentation (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2020

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Basis of Presentation

Basis of Presentation

Our interim consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the instructions to Form 10-Q and, therefore, do not necessarily include all information and footnotes necessary for a fair statement of our consolidated financial position, results of operations, and cash flows in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”).

Basis of Consolidation

Basis of Consolidation

Our consolidated financial statements reflect all of our accounts, including those of our controlled subsidiaries. The portions of equity in consolidated subsidiaries that are not attributable, directly or indirectly, to us are presented as noncontrolling interests. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.

Variable Interest Entity

When we obtain an economic interest in an entity, we evaluate the entity to determine if it should be deemed a VIE and, if so, whether we are the primary beneficiary and are therefore required to consolidate the entity. There have been no significant changes in our VIE policies from what was disclosed in the 2019 Annual Report.

During the three months ended March 31, 2020, we had a net decrease of four entities considered to be consolidated VIEs, primarily related to disposition activity and certain lease amendments.

At March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, we considered 14 and 18 entities to be VIEs, respectively, of which we consolidated seven and 11, respectively, as we are considered the primary beneficiary. The following table presents a summary of selected financial data of the consolidated VIEs included in our consolidated balance sheets (in thousands):

	March 31, 2020			December 31, 2019
Land, buildings and improvements	$	458,092		$	493,714
Net investments in direct financing leases	15,508			15,584
In-place lease intangible assets and other	48,054			56,915
Above-market rent intangible assets	32,177			34,576
Accumulated depreciation and amortization	(141,408		)	(151,017		)
Assets held for sale, net	—			104,010
Total assets	425,426			596,168
Non-recourse mortgages, net	$	24,353		$	32,622
Total liabilities	70,590			98,671

At both March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, our seven unconsolidated VIEs included our interests in five unconsolidated real estate investments, which we account for under the equity method of accounting, and two unconsolidated entities, which we accounted for at fair value. We do not consolidate these entities because we are not the primary beneficiary and the nature of our involvement in the activities of these entities allows us to exercise significant influence on, but does not give us power over, decisions that significantly affect the economic performance of these entities. As of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the net carrying amount of our investments in these entities was $293.9 million and $298.3 million, respectively, and our maximum exposure to loss in these entities was limited to our investments.

Lease Revenue

Lease revenue (including straight-line lease revenue) is only recognized when deemed probable of collection. Collectibility is assessed for each tenant receivable using various criteria including credit ratings (Note 5), guarantees, past collection issues, and the current economic and business environment affecting the tenant. If collectibility of the contractual rent stream is not deemed probable, revenue will only be recognized upon receipt of cash from the tenant.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Pronouncements Adopted as of March 31, 2020

In June 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-13, Financial Instruments — Credit Losses. ASU 2016-13 replaces the “incurred loss” model with an “expected loss” model, resulting in the earlier recognition of credit losses even if the risk of loss is remote. This standard applies to financial assets measured at amortized cost and certain other instruments, including loans receivable and net investments in direct financing leases. This standard does not apply to receivables arising from operating leases, which are within the scope of Topic 842.

We adopted ASU 2016-13 on January 1, 2020 using the modified retrospective method, which requires applying changes in loss reserves through a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings. Upon adoption, we recorded a net decrease in retained earnings of $14.8 million, which is reflected within our consolidated statement of equity.

The allowance for credit losses, which is recorded as a reduction to Net investments in direct financing leases on our consolidated balance sheets, was measured on a pool basis by credit ratings (Note 5), using a probability of default method based on the lessees’ respective credit ratings, the expected value of the underlying collateral upon its repossession, and our historical loss experience related to other direct financing leases. Included in our model are factors that incorporate forward-looking information. Allowance for credit losses is included in our consolidated statements of income within Other gains and (losses).

In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-04, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting. ASU 2020-04 contains practical expedients for reference rate reform-related activities that impact debt, leases, derivatives, and other contracts. The guidance in ASU 2020-04 is optional and may be elected over time as reference rate reform activities occur. During the first quarter of 2020, we elected to apply the hedge accounting expedients related to probability and the assessments of effectiveness for future London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) indexed cash flows to assume that the index upon which future hedged transactions will be based matches the index on the corresponding derivatives. Application of these expedients preserves the presentation of derivatives consistent with past presentation. We will continue to evaluate the impact of the guidance and may apply other elections as applicable as additional changes in the market occur

Intangible Assets and Liabilities and Goodwill

We have recorded net lease, internal-use software development, and trade name intangibles that are being amortized over periods ranging from two years to 48 years. In-place lease intangibles, at cost are included in In-place lease intangible assets and other in the consolidated financial statements. Above-market rent intangibles, at cost are included in Above-market rent intangible assets in the consolidated financial statements. Accumulated amortization of in-place lease and above-market rent intangibles is included in Accumulated depreciation and amortization in the consolidated financial statements. Internal-use software development and trade name intangibles are included in Other assets, net in the consolidated financial statements. Below-market rent and below-market purchase option intangibles are included in Below-market rent and other intangible liabilities, net in the consolidated financial statements.

Amortization of below-market rent and above-market rent intangibles is recorded as an adjustment to Lease revenues and amortization of internal-use software development, trade name, and in-place lease intangibles is included in Depreciation and amortization.

Fair Value Measurement

The fair value of an asset is defined as the exit price, which is the amount that would either be received when an asset is sold or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The guidance establishes a three-tier fair value hierarchy based on the inputs used in measuring fair value. These tiers are: Level 1, for which quoted market prices for identical instruments are available in active markets, such as money market funds, equity securities, and U.S. Treasury securities; Level 2, for which there are inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable for the instrument, such as certain derivative instruments including interest rate caps, interest rate swaps, foreign currency forward contracts, and foreign currency collars; and Level 3, for securities that do not fall into Level 1 or Level 2 and for which little or no market data exists, therefore requiring us to develop our own assumptions.

Earnings Per Share

Under current authoritative guidance for determining earnings per share, all nonvested share-based payment awards that contain non-forfeitable rights to dividends are considered to be participating securities and therefore are included in the computation of earnings per share under the two-class method. The two-class method is an earnings allocation formula that determines earnings per share for each class of common shares and participating security according to dividends declared (or accumulated) and participation rights in undistributed earnings. During the prior year period, certain of our nonvested RSUs contained rights to receive non-forfeitable dividend equivalents or dividends, respectively, and therefore we apply the two-class method of computing earnings per share. The calculation of earnings per share below excludes the income attributable to the nonvested participating RSUs from the numerator and such nonvested shares in the denominator