SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2011

SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES [Abstract]

Principles of Consolidation

(a)  Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of EastGroup Properties, Inc., its wholly owned subsidiaries and its investment in any joint ventures in which the Company has a controlling interest.  At December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009, the Company had a controlling interest in two joint ventures: the 80% owned University Business Center and the 80% owned Castilian Research Center.  The Company records 100% of the joint ventures' assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses with noncontrolling interests provided for in accordance with the joint venture agreements.  The equity method of accounting is used for the Company's 50% undivided tenant-in-common interest in Industry Distribution Center II.  All significant intercompany transactions and accounts have been eliminated in consolidation.

Income Taxes

(b)  Income Taxes

EastGroup, a Maryland corporation, has qualified as a real estate investment trust (REIT) under Sections 856-860 of the Internal Revenue Code and intends to continue to qualify as such.  To maintain its status as a REIT, the Company is required to distribute at least 90% of its ordinary taxable income to its stockholders.  If the Company has a capital gain, it has the option of (i) deferring recognition of the capital gain through a tax-deferred exchange, (ii) declaring and paying a capital gain dividend on any recognized net capital gain resulting in no corporate level tax, or (iii) retaining and paying corporate income tax on its net long-term capital gain, with the shareholders reporting their proportional share of the undistributed long-term capital gain and receiving a credit or refund of their share of the tax paid by the Company.  The Company distributed all of its 2011, 2010 and 2009 taxable income to its stockholders.  Accordingly, no provision for income taxes was necessary.  The following table summarizes the federal income tax treatment for all distributions by the Company for the years ended 2011, 2010 and 2009.

Federal Income Tax Treatment of Share Distributions

	Years Ended December 31,
	2011	2010	2009
Common Share Distributions:
Ordinary income	$       1.6852	1.4775	1.7534
Return of capital	.3948	.6025	.3266
Total Common Distributions	$       2.0800	2.0800	2.0800

EastGroup applies the principles of Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 740, Income Taxes, when evaluating and accounting for uncertainty in income taxes.  With few exceptions, the Company's 2007 and earlier tax years are closed for examination by U.S. federal, state and local tax authorities.  In accordance with the provisions of ASC 740, the Company had no significant uncertain tax positions as of December 31, 2011 and 2010.

The Company's income may differ for tax and financial reporting purposes principally because of (1) the timing of the deduction for the provision for possible losses and losses on investments, (2) the timing of the recognition of gains or losses from the sale of investments, (3) different depreciation methods and lives, (4) real estate properties having a different basis for tax and financial reporting purposes, (5) mortgage loans having a different basis for tax and financial reporting purposes, thereby producing different gains upon collection of these loans, and (6) differences in book and tax allowances and timing for stock-based compensation expense.

Income Recognition

(c) Income Recognition

Minimum rental income from real estate operations is recognized on a straight-line basis.  The straight-line rent calculation on leases includes the effects of rent concessions and scheduled rent increases, and the calculated straight-line rent income is recognized over the lives of the individual leases.  The Company maintains allowances for doubtful accounts receivable, including straight-line rents receivable, based upon estimates determined by management.  Management specifically analyzes aged receivables, customer credit-worthiness, historical bad debts and current economic trends when evaluating the adequacy of the allowance for doubtful accounts.

Revenue is recognized on payments received from tenants for early terminations after all criteria have been met in accordance with ASC 840, Leases.

The Company recognizes gains on sales of real estate in accordance with the principles set forth in ASC 360, Property, Plant and Equipment.  Upon closing of real estate transactions, the provisions of ASC 360 require consideration for the transfer of rights of ownership to the purchaser, receipt of an adequate cash down payment from the purchaser, adequate continuing investment by the purchaser and no substantial continuing involvement by the Company.  If the requirements for recognizing gains have not been met, the sale and related costs are recorded, but the gain is deferred and recognized by a method other than the full accrual method.

The Company recognizes interest income on mortgage loans on the accrual method unless a significant uncertainty of collection exists.  If a significant uncertainty exists, interest income is recognized as collected.  Discounts on mortgage loans receivable are amortized over the lives of the loans using a method that does not differ materially from the interest method.  The Company evaluates the collectibility of both interest and principal on each of its loans to determine whether the loans are impaired.  A loan is considered to be impaired when, based on current information and events, it is probable that the Company will be unable to collect all amounts due according to the existing contractual terms.  When a loan is considered to be impaired, the amount of loss is calculated by comparing the recorded investment to the value determined by discounting the expected future cash flows at the loan's effective interest rate or to the fair value of the underlying collateral (if the loan is collateralized) less costs to sell.  As of December 31, 2011 and 2010, there was no significant uncertainty of collection; therefore, interest income was recognized, and the discount on mortgage loans receivable was amortized.  In addition, the Company determined that no allowance for collectibility of the mortgage loans receivable was necessary.

Real Estate Properties

(d) Real Estate Properties

EastGroup has one reportable segment-industrial properties.  These properties are concentrated in major Sunbelt markets of the United States, primarily in the states of Florida, Texas, Arizona, California and North Carolina, have similar economic characteristics and also meet the other criteria that permit the properties to be aggregated into one reportable segment.

The Company reviews long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable.  Recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset to future undiscounted net cash flows (including estimated future expenditures necessary to substantially complete the asset) expected to be generated by the asset.  If the carrying amount of an asset exceeds its estimated future cash flows, an impairment charge is recognized for the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset exceeds the fair value of the asset.  As of December 31, 2011 and 2010, the Company determined that no impairment charges on the Company's real estate properties were necessary.

Depreciation of buildings and other improvements, including personal property, is computed using the straight-line method over estimated useful lives of generally 40 years for buildings and 3 to 15 years for improvements and personal property.  Building improvements are capitalized, while maintenance and repair expenses are charged to expense as incurred.  Significant renovations and improvements that improve or extend the useful life of the assets are capitalized.  Depreciation expense for continuing and discontinued operations was $48,648,000, $48,442,000 and $45,195,000 for 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively.

Real Estate Held for Sale

(f) Real Estate Held for Sale

The Company considers a real estate property to be held for sale when it meets the criteria established under ASC 360, Property, Plant and Equipment, including when it is probable that the property will be sold within a year.  A key indicator of probability of sale is whether the buyer has a significant amount of earnest money at risk.  Real estate properties held for sale are reported at the lower of the carrying amount or fair value less estimated costs to sell and are not depreciated while they are held for sale.  In accordance with the guidelines established under the Codification, the results of operations for the operating properties sold or held for sale during the reported periods are shown under Discontinued Operations on the Consolidated Statements of Income.  Interest expense is not generally allocated to the properties held for sale or whose operations are included under Discontinued Operations unless the mortgage is required to be paid in full upon the sale of the property.

Business Combinations and Acquired Intangibles

(j) Business Combinations and Acquired Intangibles

Upon acquisition of real estate properties, the Company applies the principles of ASC 805, Business Combinations, which requires that acquisition-related costs be recognized as expenses in the periods in which the costs are incurred and the services are received.  The Codification also provides guidance on how to properly determine the allocation of the purchase price among the individual components of both the tangible and intangible assets based on their respective fair values.  Goodwill is recorded when the purchase price exceeds the fair value of the assets and liabilities acquired.  The Company determines whether any financing assumed is above or below market based upon comparison to similar financing terms for similar properties.  The cost of the properties acquired may be adjusted based on indebtedness assumed from the seller that is determined to be above or below market rates.  Factors considered by management in allocating the cost of the properties acquired include an estimate of carrying costs during the expected lease-up periods considering current market conditions and costs to execute similar leases.  The allocation to tangible assets (land, building and improvements) is based upon management's determination of the value of the property as if it were vacant using discounted cash flow models.

The purchase price is also allocated among the following categories of intangible assets:  the above or below market component of in-place leases, the value of in-place leases, and the value of customer relationships.  The value allocable to the above or below market component of an acquired in-place lease is determined based upon the present value (using a discount rate reflecting the risks associated with the acquired leases) of the difference between (i) the contractual amounts to be paid pursuant to the lease over its remaining term, and (ii) management's estimate of the amounts that would be paid using fair market rates over the remaining term of the lease.  The amounts allocated to above and below market leases are included in Other Assets and Other Liabilities, respectively, on the Consolidated Balance Sheets and are amortized to rental income over the remaining terms of the respective leases. The total amount of intangible assets is further allocated to in-place lease values and customer relationship values based upon management's assessment of their respective values.  These intangible assets are included in Other Assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheets and are amortized over the remaining term of the existing lease, or the anticipated life of the customer relationship, as applicable.

Amortization of above and below market leases decreased rental income by $341,000 in 2011, $478,000 in 2010 and $11,000 in 2009.  Amortization expense for in-place lease intangibles was $2,316,000, $3,205,000 and $2,443,000 for 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively.  Projected amortization of in-place lease intangibles for the next five years as of December 31, 2011 is as follows:

Years Ending December 31,	(In thousands)
2012	$           3,485
2013	1,528
2014	919
2015	719
2016	1,028

During 2011, EastGroup acquired the following operating properties:  Lakeview Business Center (127,000 square feet) and Ridge Creek Distribution Center II (300,000 square feet) in Charlotte, North Carolina; Broadway Industrial Park, Building VII (24,000 square feet) in Tempe, Arizona; the Tampa Industrial Portfolio (1,147,000 square feet) in Tampa, Florida; and Rittiman Distribution Center (172,000 square feet) in San Antonio, Texas.  The Company purchased these properties for a total cost of $88,592,000, of which $80,624,000 was allocated to real estate properties.  The Company allocated $13,872,000 of the total purchase price to land using third party land valuations for the Charlotte, Tempe, Tampa and San Antonio markets.  The market values used are considered to be Level 3 inputs as defined by ASC 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (see Note 17 for additional information on ASC 820).  Intangibles associated with the purchase of real estate were allocated as follows:  $6,949,000 to in-place lease intangibles, $1,693,000 to above market leases (both included in Other Assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheets) and $674,000 to below market leases (included in Other Liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets).  These costs are amortized over the remaining lives of the associated leases in place at the time of acquisition.  During 2011, EastGroup expensed acquisition-related costs of $252,000 in connection with these acquisitions.

During 2010, EastGroup acquired the following operating properties:  Commerce Park 2 & 3 (193,000 square feet) in Charlotte, North Carolina; Ocean View Corporate Center (274,000 square feet) in San Diego, California; and East University Distribution Center III (32,000 square feet) in Phoenix, Arizona.  EastGroup purchased these operating properties for a total cost of $23,555,000, of which $19,545,000 was allocated to real estate properties.  The Company allocated $7,914,000 of the total purchase price to land using third party land valuations for the Charlotte, San Diego and Phoenix markets.  The market values are considered to be Level 3 inputs as defined by ASC 820.  Intangibles associated with the purchase of real estate were allocated as follows:  $3,118,000 to in-place lease intangibles, $923,000 to above market leases and $31,000 to below market leases.  During 2010, the Company expensed acquisition-related costs of $72,000 in connection with these acquisitions.

The Company periodically reviews the recoverability of goodwill (at least annually) and the recoverability of other intangibles (on a quarterly basis) for possible impairment.  In management's opinion, no impairment of goodwill and other intangibles existed at December 31, 2011 and 2010.

Stock-Based Compensation

(k) Stock-Based Compensation

The Company has a management incentive plan which was approved by the stockholders and adopted in 2004.  The Plan was further amended by the Board of Directors in September 2005 and December 2006.  This plan authorizes the issuance of common stock to employees in the form of options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, deferred stock units, performance shares, bonus stock or stock in lieu of cash compensation.  Typically, the Company issues new shares to fulfill stock grants or upon the exercise of stock options.

EastGroup applies the provisions of ASC 718, Compensation - Stock Compensation, to account for its stock-based compensation plans.  Under the modified prospective application method, the Company continues to recognize compensation cost on a straight-line basis over the service period for awards that precede January 1, 2006, when guidance was updated so that performance-based awards are determined using the graded vesting attribution method.  The cost for performance-based awards after January 1, 2006, is determined using the graded vesting attribution method which recognizes each separate vesting portion of the award as a separate award on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period.  This method accelerates the expensing of the award compared to the straight-line method.  The cost for market-based awards after January 1, 2006, and awards that only require service are expensed on a straight-line basis over the requisite service periods.

The total compensation cost for service and performance based awards is based upon the fair market value of the shares on the grant date, adjusted for estimated forfeitures.  The grant date fair value for awards that are subject to a market condition are determined using a simulation pricing model developed to specifically accommodate the unique features of the awards.

During the restricted period for awards not subject to contingencies, the Company accrues dividends and holds the certificates for the shares; however, the employee can vote the shares.  For shares subject to contingencies, dividends are accrued based upon the number of shares expected to vest.  Share certificates and dividends are delivered to the employee as they vest.

Earnings Per Share

(l)  Earnings Per Share

The Company applies ASC 260, Earnings Per Share, which requires companies to present basic earnings per share (EPS) and diluted EPS.  Basic EPS represents the amount of earnings for the period attributable to each share of common stock outstanding during the reporting period.  The Company's basic EPS is calculated by dividing net income attributable to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding.

Diluted EPS represents the amount of earnings for the period attributable to each share of common stock outstanding during the reporting period and to each share that would have been outstanding assuming the issuance of common shares for all dilutive potential common shares outstanding during the reporting period.  The Company calculates diluted EPS by dividing net income attributable to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding plus the dilutive effect of nonvested restricted stock and stock options had the options been exercised.  The dilutive effect of stock options and their equivalents (such as nonvested restricted stock) was determined using the treasury stock method which assumes exercise of the options as of the beginning of the period or when issued, if later, and assumes proceeds from the exercise of options are used to purchase common stock at the average market price during the period.

Use of Estimates

(m) Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and revenues and expenses during the reporting period and to disclose material contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements.  Actual results could differ from those estimates.