Variable Interest Entities

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2011

7. Variable Interest Entities

The Company has analyzed all of its affiliate relationships in accordance with GAAP and determined that Elliott Cove Capital Management LLC ("Elliott Cove") is a variable interest entity ("VIE"). However, the Company does not have a controlling interest in Elliott Cove. The Company owns a 40.8% equity interest in Elliott Cove, an investment advisory services company, through its wholly—owned subsidiary, Northrim Investment Services Company ("NISC"). The Company determined that Elliott Cove is a VIE based on the fact that the Company provides Elliott Cove with a line of credit for which the majority owner of Elliott Cove provides additional subordinated financial support in the form of a 50% guarantee. This line of credit has a committed amount of $750,000 and an outstanding balance of $432,000 as of June 30, 2011. Furthermore, Elliott Cove does not have access to any other financial support through other institutions, nor is it likely that it would be able to obtain additional lines of credit based on its operational losses to date and its resulting lack of equity. As such, it appears that Elliott Cove cannot finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support and is therefore considered a VIE under GAAP. However, the Company has determined that it does not have a controlling interest in Elliott Cove based on the following facts and circumstances:

	a.		Neither the Company nor any members of the Company's management have control over the budgeting or operational processes of Elliott Cove.

	b.		While the President, CEO and Chairman of the Company is a member of Elliott Cove's board, he does not exert influence on decisions beyond Northrim Investment Services Company's ownership percentage in Elliott Cove.

The Company has no veto rights with respect to decisions affecting the operations of Elliott Cove.

The Company has the obligation to absorb losses of Elliott Cove up to its ownership percentage of 40.8%. There are no caps or guarantees on returns, and there are no protections to limit any investor's share of losses. Additionally, the Company provides Elliott Cove with a $750,000 line of credit. This line includes a 50% personal guarantee by the majority owner of Elliott Cove. Therefore, the Company does have the obligation to absorb losses and the right to receive benefits that could be significant to Elliott Cove and which, as a result of its exposure to 50% of any losses incurred on the line of credit that the Company has extended to Elliott Cove, may be greater than the Company's 40.8% ownership therein.

However, GAAP requires that the Company have both the power to control the activities of Elliott Cove that most significantly impact its economic performance and the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits from Elliott Cove that could potentially be significant to Elliott Cove. The Company has determined that the facts and circumstances of its relationship with Elliott Cove including its overall involvement in the operations, decision-making capabilities and proportionate share in earnings and losses does not satisfy the criteria for a controlling interest because it does not have the power to direct the activities of Elliott Cove according to GAAP.

The Company also provides a line of credit to our mortgage affiliate, RML. While the Company also provides a line of credit to RML, which is also guaranteed by the other owners of RML, RML has other available lines of credit with unrelated financial institutions which have been in place for many years. Additionally, RML has a history of profitability and has sufficient capital to support its operations. RML had $19.9 million in equity, $108.4 million in assets and net income of $5.9 million as of and for the year ended December 31, 2010 (see Note 9 in the Company's Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010). As such, the total equity investment in the entity, which is provided by the Company and the other owners, is adequate to finance the activities of RML. Therefore, the Company has concluded that RML is not a VIE.

- Definition

Tabular disclosure of the significant judgments and assumptions made in determining whether a variable interest (as defined) held by the entity requires the variable interest entity (VIE) (as defined) to be consolidated and (or) disclose information about its involvement with the VIE, individually or in aggregate (as applicable); the nature of restrictions, if any, on the consolidated VIE's assets and on the settlement of its liabilities reported by an entity in its statement of financial position, including the carrying amounts of such assets and liabilities; the nature of, and changes in, the risks associated with involvement in the VIE; how involvement with the VIE affects the entity's financial position, financial performance, and cash flows; the lack of recourse if creditors (or beneficial interest holders) of the consolidated VIE have no recourse to the general credit of the primary beneficiary (if applicable); the terms of arrangements, giving consideration to both explicit arrangements and implicit variable interests, if any, that could require the entity to provide financial support to the VIE, including events or circumstances that could expose the entity to a loss; the methodology used by the entity for determining whether or not it is the primary beneficiary of the variable interest entity; the significant factors considered and judgments made in determining that the power to direct the activities of a VIE that most significantly impact the VIE's economic performance are shared (as defined); the carrying amounts and classification of assets and liabilities of the VIE included in the statement of financial position; the entity's maximum exposure to loss, if any, as a result of its involvement with the VIE, including how the maximum exposure is determined and significant sources of the entity's exposure to the VIE; a comparison of the carrying amounts of the assets and liabilities and the entity's maximum exposure to loss; information about any liquidity arrangements, guarantees, and (or) other commitments by third parties that may affect the fair value or risk of the entity's variable interest in the VIE; whether or not the entity has provided financial support or other support (explicitly or implicitly) to the VIE that it was not previously contractually required to provide or whether the entity intends to provide that support, including the type and amount of the support and the primary reasons for providing the support; and supplemental information the entity determines necessary to provide.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 810
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 9
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6970148&loc=SL6228884-111685

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Glossary Variable Interest Entity
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6528138

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)
-Number 167
-Appendix D
-Paragraph 23A

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name FASB Interpretation (FIN)
-Number 46R
-Paragraph 2, 14, 15, 16, 23, 24, 25, 26
-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)
-Number 167
-Appendix D
-Paragraph 22E

Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 810
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 5A
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6970148&loc=SL6759159-111685

Reference 7: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)
-Number 140
-Paragraph 35
-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

Reference 8: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)
-Number 167
-Appendix D
-Paragraph 22B

Reference 9: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name FASB Interpretation (FIN)
-Number 46R
-Paragraph 4
-Subparagraph g
-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

Reference 10: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name FASB Staff Position (FSP)
-Number FAS140-4/FIN46(R)-8
-Paragraph C4
-Subparagraph d
-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

Reference 11: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)
-Number 167
-Appendix D
-Paragraph 24

Reference 12: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 810
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
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-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6970148&loc=d3e5710-111685

Reference 13: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
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-Topic 810
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-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6970148&loc=d3e5728-111685

Reference 14: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 810
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 6
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6970148&loc=d3e5747-111685

+ Details