ORGANIZATION AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2020

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

ORGANIZATION AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION

ORGANIZATION AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION

As used in these condensed consolidated financial statements:

“Oaktree” refers to (i) Oaktree Capital Group, LLC and, where applicable, its subsidiaries and affiliates prior to October 1, 2019 and (ii) the Oaktree Operating Group and, where applicable, their respective subsidiaries and affiliates after September 30, 2019; and

the “Company” refers to Oaktree Capital Group, LLC and, where applicable, its subsidiaries and affiliates, including, as the context requires, affiliated Oaktree Operating Group members after September 30, 2019.

Oaktree is a leader among global investment managers specializing in alternative investments. Oaktree emphasizes an opportunistic, value-oriented and risk-controlled approach to investments in credit, private equity, real assets and listed equities. Funds managed by Oaktree (the “Oaktree funds”) include commingled funds, separate accounts, collateralized loan obligation vehicles (“CLOs”) and business development companies (“BDCs”). Commingled funds include open-end and closed-end limited partnerships in which Oaktree makes an investment and for which it serves as the general partner. CLOs are structured finance vehicles in which Oaktree typically makes an investment and for which it serves as collateral manager.

Oaktree Capital Group, LLC is a Delaware limited liability company that was formed on April 13, 2007. Prior to the Mergers described below, the Company was owned by (i) its public Class A common unitholders, (ii) its public Series A and Series B preferred unitholders and (iii) Oaktree Capital Group Holdings, L.P. (“OCGH”) who held 100% of the Company’s Class B common units which did not represent an economic interest in the Company. OCGH is owned by Oaktree’s senior executives, current and former employees, and certain other investors (collectively, the “OCGH unitholders”). The Class A units held by the public unitholders were entitled to one vote per unit and the Class B units held by OCGH were entitled to ten votes per unit. The number of Class B units held by OCGH increased or decreased in response to corresponding changes in OCGH’s economic interest in the Oaktree Operating Group; consequently, the OCGH unitholders’ economic interest in the Oaktree Operating Group is reflected within non-controlling interests in consolidated subsidiaries in the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements.

Subsequent to the Mergers, (i) all of the Company’s Class A units, which are no longer publicly traded, are held by an affiliate of Brookfield Asset Management, Inc. (“Brookfield”), (ii) the Company’s public preferred unitholders continue to hold the Series A and Series B preferred units listed on the NYSE and (iii) OCGH continues to hold all of the Company’s Class B units. Subject to the operating agreement of the Company, to the extent the approval of any matter requires the vote of the Company’s unitholders, the Class A units continue to be entitled to one vote per unit and the Class B units continue to be entitled to ten votes per unit, voting together as a single class.

Additionally, prior to the Restructuring as described below, the Company’s operations were conducted through a group of six operating entities collectively referred to as the “Oaktree Operating Group,” and the Company had an indirect economic interest in each of the members of the Oaktree Operating Group. However, after the Restructuring, the Company has an indirect economic interest in only two of the six Oaktree Operating Group members. OCGH has a direct economic interest in all six of the Oaktree Operating Group members. The interests in the Oaktree Operating Group are referred to as the “Oaktree Operating Group units.” An Oaktree Operating Group unit is not a separate legal interest but represents one limited partnership interest in each of the Oaktree Operating Group entities.

As of October 1, 2019, Oaktree Capital Management, L.P. (“OCM”), a former indirect subsidiary of the Company, provides certain administrative and other services relating to the operations of the Company’s business pursuant to a Services Agreement between the Company and OCM (as amended from time to time, the “Services Agreement”).

Brookfield Merger

On March 13, 2019, Oaktree, Brookfield, Berlin Merger Sub, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Merger Sub”) and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Brookfield, Oslo Holdings LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“SellerCo”) and a wholly-owned subsidiary of OCGH, and Oslo Holdings Merger Sub LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Oaktree (“Seller MergerCo”) entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”). Pursuant to the terms and conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement, on September 30, 2019, (i) Merger Sub merged with and into Oaktree (the “Merger”), with Oaktree continuing as the surviving entity, and (ii) immediately following the Merger, SellerCo merged with and into Seller MergerCo (the “Subsequent Merger” and together with the Merger, the “Mergers”), with Seller MergerCo continuing as the surviving entity.

Upon the completion of the Mergers on September 30, 2019, Brookfield acquired 61.2% of Oaktree’s business in a stock and cash transaction. The remaining 38.8% of the business continued to be owned by OCGH, whose unitholders consist primarily of Oaktree’s founders and certain other members of management and current and former employees. As part of the Merger, Brookfield acquired all outstanding vested OCG Class A units for, at the election of OCG Class A unitholders, either $49.00 in cash or 1.0770 Class A shares of Brookfield per OCG Class A unit (subject to pro-ration to ensure that no more than fifty percent (50%) of the aggregate merger consideration is paid in the form of cash or stock), in each case, without interest and subject to any applicable withholding taxes. In addition, as part of the Subsequent Merger the founders, senior management, and current and former employee-unitholders of OCGH sold 20% of their OCGH units to Brookfield for the same consideration as the OCG Class A unitholders received in the merger.

The aggregate amount of cash payable to Class A unitholders and OCGH unitholders in the transaction was approximately $2.4 billion and approximately 52.8 million Brookfield Class A shares were issued in the Mergers. In connection with the closing of the Merger, Oaktree Class A units were delisted from the New York Stock Exchange.

Upon completion of the Merger, each unvested Class A Unit held by current, or in certain cases former, employees, officers and directors of Oaktree and its subsidiaries was converted into one unvested OCGH Unit (each, a “Converted OCGH Unit”) and became subject to the terms and conditions of the OCGH limited partnership agreement. The Converted OCGH Units will (i) be subject to the same vesting terms that were applicable to such units prior to the completion of the Merger, (ii) be entitled to receive ongoing distributions in respect of earnings, but not capital distributions and (iii) upon vesting, receive the accumulated value of capital distributions that accrued while such units were unvested. Please see note 15 for more information.

Restructuring Transaction

On the closing date of the Mergers, the Company and certain other entities entered into a Restructuring Agreement (the “Restructuring”) pursuant to which the Company’s direct and indirect ownership of general partner and limited partner interests in certain Oaktree Operating Group entities were transferred to newly-formed, indirect subsidiaries of Brookfield as of October 1, 2019. As a result, as of October 1, 2019, four of the six Oaktree Operating Group entities are no longer indirect subsidiaries of the Company. Accordingly, the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements reflect its indirect economic interest in only two of the Oaktree Operating Group entities: (i) Oaktree Capital I, L.P. (“Oaktree Capital I”), which acts as or controls the general partner of certain Oaktree funds and which holds a majority of Oaktree’s investments in its funds and (ii) Oaktree Capital Management (Cayman), L.P. (“OCM Cayman”), which represents Oaktree’s non-U.S. fee business. As of October 1, 2019, the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements no longer reflects any economic interests in the remaining four Oaktree Operating Group entities: (i) Oaktree Capital II, L.P. (“Oaktree Capital II”), which acts as or controls the general partner of certain Oaktree funds and which includes Oaktree’s investments in certain funds and other businesses, including Oaktree’s investment in DoubleLine Capital, L.P., (ii) OCM, an entity that serves as the U.S. registered investment adviser to most of the Oaktree funds, (iii) Oaktree Investment Holdings, L.P. (“Oaktree Investment Holdings”), which holds certain corporate investments in other entities and (iv) Oaktree AIF Investments, L.P. (“Oaktree AIF”), which primarily holds interests in certain Oaktree fund investments for regulatory and structuring purposes. As a consequence, the assets of Oaktree Capital II, OCM, Oaktree Investment Holdings and Oaktree AIF will no longer directly support the Company’s operations.

As a result of the Restructuring of the Company’s business, references to “Oaktree” in these financial statements will generally refer to the collective business of the Oaktree Operating Group, of which the Company is a component.

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) for interim financial information. The condensed consolidated financial statements, including these notes, are unaudited and exclude some of the disclosures required in annual financial statements. Management believes it has made all necessary adjustments (consisting of only normal recurring items) such that the condensed consolidated financial statements are presented fairly and that estimates made in preparing its condensed consolidated financial statements are reasonable and prudent. The operating results presented for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for any other interim period or for the entire year. The condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company, its wholly-owned or majority-owned subsidiaries and entities in which the Company is deemed to have a direct or indirect controlling financial interest based on either a variable interest model or voting interest model. Certain of the Oaktree funds consolidated by the Company are investment companies that follow a specialized basis of accounting established by GAAP. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation.

The Restructuring was a transfer of assets among entities under common control, since both the transferring and receiving entities are under control of OCGH. Accordingly, the assets and liabilities were removed at book value and the transfer did not result in a gain or loss to the Company. The deconsolidation of the Oaktree Operating Group entities whose interests were transferred in the Restructuring was accounted for prospectively and did not require a recast of the Company's historical financial information. On October 1, 2019, the deconsolidation of entities whose interests were transferred in the Restructuring resulted in decreases in total assets of $1.7 billion, total liabilities of $1.2 billion, and total unitholders capital of $0.5 billion. Additionally, as a result of the Restructuring, our consolidated results of operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 reflect the activities for Oaktree Capital I and OCM Cayman, including their related funds and investment vehicles, and do not include the activities for the remaining four Oaktree Operating Group entities, including their related funds and investment vehicles. As a result of the Restructuring, our consolidated results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 are not directly comparable to the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, which included the activities of all six Oaktree Operating Group entities.

These condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements of the Company for the year ended December 31, 2019 included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on March 2, 2020.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of the condensed consolidated financial statements in accordance with GAAP requires the Company to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities as of the date of the condensed consolidated financial statements, as well as the reported amounts of income and expenses during the period then ended. Actual results could differ from these estimates.