SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Use of Estimates

The preparation of condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of consolidated revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Certain accounting policies involve judgments and uncertainties to such an extent that there is reasonable likelihood that materially different amounts could have been reported under different conditions, or if different assumptions had been used. The Company evaluates its estimates and assumptions on a regular basis. The Company uses historical experience and various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances to form the basis for making judgments about carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may materially differ from these estimates and assumptions used in preparation of the condensed consolidated financial statements.

Comprehensive Income

Comprehensive income includes items that impact changes in shareholders’ equity but are not recorded in earnings. The Company did not have any such items during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015. Accordingly, comprehensive income (loss) is equal to net income (loss) for those periods.

Restricted Cash

At September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, restricted cash and cash equivalents were comprised of the following (in thousands):



	September 30, 2016		December 31, 2015
Senior lender controlled accounts	$	2,081	$	3,036
Escrows and other restricted accounts	245		505
Total restricted cash and cash equivalents	$	2,326	$	3,541

Restricted cash includes cash items that are legally or contractually restricted as to usage or withdrawal, which include amounts maintained in escrow or other restricted accounts for contractually specified purposes, such as property taxes, insurance, interest and furniture, fixtures and equipment (“FF&E”) reserves for our hospitality assets.

Real Estate Ventures

The Company, through various subsidiaries, holds interests in its properties through interests in both consolidated and unconsolidated real estate ventures. The Company assesses its investments in real estate ventures to determine if a venture is a variable interest entity (“VIE”). Generally, an entity is determined to be a VIE when either (i) the equity investors (if any) lack one or more of the essential characteristics of a controlling financial interest, (ii) the equity investment at risk is insufficient to finance that entity’s activities without additional subordinated financial support or (iii) the equity investors have voting rights that are not proportionate to their economic interests and substantially all of the activities of the entity involve or are conducted on behalf of an investor that has disproportionately fewer voting rights. The Company consolidates entities that are VIEs for which the Company is determined to be the primary beneficiary. In instances where the Company is not the primary beneficiary, the Company does not consolidate the entity for financial reporting purposes. The primary beneficiary is the entity that has both (i) the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance and (ii) the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits of the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE. Entities that are not defined as VIEs are consolidated where the Company is the general partner (or the equivalent) and the limited partners (or the equivalent) in such investments do not have rights which would preclude control.

For entities where the Company is the general partner (or the equivalent), but does not control the real estate venture, and the other partners (or the equivalent) hold substantive participating rights, the Company uses the equity method of accounting. For entities where the Company is a limited partner (or the equivalent), management considers factors such as ownership interest, voting control, authority to make decisions and contractual and substantive participating rights of the partners (or the equivalent) to determine if the presumption that the general partner controls the entity is overcome. In instances where these factors indicate the Company controls the entity, the Company would consolidate the entity; otherwise the Company accounts for its investments using the equity method of accounting.

Under the equity method of accounting, investments are initially recognized in the consolidated balance sheet at cost, or fair value in the case of legal assignments of such interests, and are subsequently adjusted to reflect the Company’s proportionate share of net earnings or losses of the entity, distributions received, contributions and certain other adjustments, as appropriate. Any difference between the carrying amount of these investments on the Company’s balance sheet and the underlying equity in net assets is amortized as an adjustment to equity in earnings (loss) of unconsolidated entities. When circumstances indicate there may have been a loss in value of an equity method investment, and the Company determines the loss in value is other than temporary, the Company recognizes an impairment charge to reflect the investment at fair value.

Noncontrolling Interests

Noncontrolling interests represent the portion of equity in the Company’s consolidated subsidiaries which is not attributable to the Company’s stockholders. Accordingly, noncontrolling interests are reported as a component of equity, separate from stockholders’ equity, in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets. On the condensed consolidated statements of operations, operating results are reported at their consolidated amounts, including both the amount attributable to the Company and to noncontrolling interests.

Reclassifications

Certain reclassifications have been made to 2015 amounts to conform to the current year presentation. See “Note 8 – Segment Information” in the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements for additional information regarding these reclassifications.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Changes to GAAP are established by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) in the form of accounting standards updates (“ASUs”) to the FASB’s Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”). The Company considers the applicability and impact of all ASUs.

In 2015, the FASB voted to defer ASU 2014-09. Under the new guidance, companies will recognize revenue when the seller satisfies a performance obligation, which would be when the buyer takes control of the good or service. This new guidance could result in different amounts of revenue being recognized and could result in revenue being recognized in different reporting periods than under the current guidance. The standard specifically excludes revenue associated with lease contracts. The guidance is effective for periods beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted for periods beginning after December 15, 2016. We expect to adopt this guidance effective January 1, 2018, and we are currently assessing the potential impact of adopting the new guidance.

In August 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-15, Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern. ASU 2014-15 introduces an explicit requirement for management to assess and provide certain disclosures if there is substantial doubt about an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern. ASU 2014-15 is effective for the annual period ending after December 15, 2016. The Company does not expect the adoption of ASU 2014-15 to have a material impact on the Company’s operating results, or financial position or disclosures.

In February 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-02, Consolidation (Topic 810): Amendments to the Consolidation Analysis, which amends current consolidation guidance by modifying the evaluation of whether limited partnerships and similar legal entities are variable interest entities or voting interest entities, eliminating the presumption that a general partner should consolidate a limited partnership, and affects the consolidation analysis of reporting entities that are involved with variable interest entities. ASU No. 2015-02 is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2015, with early adoption permitted. All legal entities are subject to reevaluation under the revised consolidation model. The adoption of this update did not have a material impact on the Company’s operating results or financial position.

In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-01, Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities. This update amends certain aspects of recognition, measurement, presentation and disclosure of financial instruments, including the requirement to measure certain equity investments at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in net income. ASU 2016-01 is effective for interim and annual reporting periods in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017. We are currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of ASU 2016-01 on our consolidated financial statements.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases. This new standard establishes a right-of-use (ROU) model that requires a lessee to record a ROU asset and a lease liability on the balance sheet for all leases with terms longer than 12 months. Leases will be classified as either finance or operating, with classification affecting the pattern of expense recognition in the income statement. ASU 2016-02 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. A modified retrospective transition approach is required for lessees for capital and operating leases existing at, or entered into after, the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented in the financial statements, with certain practical expedients available. We are currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of ASU 2016-02 on our consolidated financial statements.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-07, Investments-Equity Method and Joint Ventures. This update eliminates the requirement that when an investment qualifies for use of the equity method as a result of an increase in the level of ownership interest or degree of influence, an investor must adjust the investment, results of operations, and retained earnings retroactively on a step-by-step basis as if the equity method had been in effect during all previous periods that the investment had been held. The amendments require that the equity method investor add the cost of acquiring the additional interest in the investee to the current basis of the investor’s previously held interest and adopt the equity method of accounting as of the date the investment becomes qualified for equity method accounting. Therefore, upon qualifying for the equity method of accounting, no retroactive adjustment of the investment is required. The amendments in this update are effective for all entities for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2016. We are currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of ASU 2016-07 on our consolidated financial statements.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, Compensation - Stock Compensation Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting. The amendments in this topic are intended to simplify several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment award transactions and are effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those annual periods, with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of ASU 2016-09 on our consolidated financial statements.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses. The ASU requires an organization to measure all expected credit losses for financial assets held at the reporting date based on historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts. Financial institutions and other organizations will now use forward-looking information to better inform their credit loss estimates. Many of the loss estimation techniques applied today will still be permitted, although the inputs to those techniques will change to reflect the full amount of expected credit losses. Organizations will continue to use judgment to determine which loss estimation method is appropriate for their circumstances. Additionally, the ASU amends the accounting for credit losses on available-for-sale debt securities and purchased financial assets with credit deterioration. For public companies, this update will be effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2019. We have not yet determined the impact the adoption of ASU 2016-13 will have on our consolidated financial statements.

In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-15, Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments. The ASU addresses how certain cash receipts and cash payments are presented and classified in the statement of cash flows under Topic 230, Statement of Cash Flow, and other Topics. The ASU is effective for annual reporting periods, and interim periods therein, beginning after December 15, 2017. We are currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of ASU 2016-15 on our consolidated financial statements.