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Noninterest Income
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2019
Other Income and Expenses [Abstract]  
Noninterest Income
Noninterest Income
On January 1, 2018, we adopted accounting standard ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers and all the related amendments ("ASC 606" or "ASU 2014-09"). Included below is a summary of noninterest income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018:
 
 
Three months ended September 30,
 
Nine months ended September 30,
(Dollars in thousands)
 
2019
 
2018
 
2019
 
2018
Noninterest income:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Gains on investment securities, net
 
$
29,849

 
$
32,193

 
$
106,575

 
$
77,365

Gains on equity warrant assets, net
 
37,561

 
34,141

 
107,213

 
72,393

Client investment fees
 
46,679

 
36,265

 
136,905

 
88,592

Foreign exchange fees
 
40,309

 
32,656

 
116,863

 
100,560

Credit card fees
 
30,158

 
24,121

 
86,431

 
68,739

Deposit service charges
 
22,482

 
19,588

 
65,496

 
56,081

Lending related fees
 
11,707

 
10,675

 
36,857

 
30,938

Letters of credit and standby letters of credit fees
 
10,842

 
8,409

 
31,205

 
24,938

Investment banking revenue
 
38,516

 

 
137,005

 

Commissions
 
12,275

 

 
40,812

 

Other
 
13,631

 
12,022

 
42,773

 
38,671

Total noninterest income
 
$
294,009

 
$
210,070

 
$
908,135

 
$
558,277


Gains on investment securities, net
Net gains on investment securities include both gains and losses from our non-marketable and other equity securities, which include public equity securities held as a result of exercised equity warrant assets, gains and losses from sales of our AFS debt securities portfolio, when applicable, and carried interest.
Our non-marketable and other equity securities portfolio primarily represents investments in venture capital and private equity funds, our China Joint Venture, debt funds, private and public portfolio companies, which include public equity securities held as a result of exercised equity warrant assets and qualified affordable housing projects. We experience variability in the performance of our non-marketable and other equity securities from period to period, which results in net gains or losses on investment securities (both realized and unrealized). This variability is due to a number of factors, including unrealized changes in the values of our investments, changes in the amount of realized gains from distributions, changes in liquidity events and general economic and market conditions. Unrealized gains from non-marketable and other equity securities for any single period are typically driven by valuation changes.
The extent to which any unrealized gains or losses will become realized is subject to a variety of factors, including, among other things, the expiration of certain sales restrictions to which these equity securities may be subject to (i.e., lock-up agreements), changes in prevailing market prices, market conditions, the actual sales or distributions of securities, and the timing of such actual sales or distributions, which, to the extent such securities are managed by our managed funds, are subject to our funds' separate discretionary sales/distributions and governance processes.
Carried interest is comprised of preferential allocations of profits recognizable when the return on assets of our individual managed fund of funds and direct venture funds exceeds certain performance targets and is payable to us, as the general partners of the managed funds. The carried interest we earn is often shared with employees, who are also members of the general partner entities. We record carried interest on a quarterly basis by measuring fund performance to date versus the performance target.  For our unconsolidated managed funds, carried interest is recorded as gains on investment securities, net. For our consolidated managed funds, it is recorded as a component of net income attributable to noncontrolling interests. Carried interest allocated to others is recorded as a component of net income attributable to noncontrolling interests. Any carried interest paid to us (or our employees) may be subject to reversal to the extent fund performance declines to a level where inception to date carried interest is lower than actual payments made by the funds. The limited partnership agreements for our funds provide that carried interest is generally not paid to the general partners until the funds have provided a full return of contributed capital to the limited partners. Accrued, but unpaid carried interest may be subject to reversal to the extent that the fund performance declines
to a level where inception-to-date carried interest is less than prior amounts recognized. Carried interest income is accounted for under an ownership model based on ASC 323 — Equity Method of Accounting and ASC 810 — Consolidation.
Our available-for-sale securities portfolio is a fixed income investment portfolio that is managed with the objective of earning an appropriate portfolio yield over the long-term while maintaining sufficient liquidity and credit diversification as well as addressing our asset/liability management objectives. Though infrequent, sales of debt securities in our AFS securities portfolio may result in net gains or losses and are conducted pursuant to the guidelines of our investment policy related to the management of our liquidity position and interest rate risk.
Gains on investment securities are recognized outside of the scope of ASC 606 as it explicitly excludes noninterest income earned from our investment-related activities. A summary of gains and losses on investment securities for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018 is as follows:
  
 
Three months ended September 30,

Nine months ended September 30,
(Dollars in thousands)
 
2019

2018

2019

2018
Gains on non-marketable and other equity securities, net
 
$
29,849

 
$
32,193

 
$
110,480

 
$
77,365

Losses on sales of available-for-sale securities, net
 

 

 
(3,905
)
 

Total gains on investment securities, net
 
$
29,849

 
$
32,193

 
$
106,575

 
$
77,365


Gains on equity warrant assets, net
In connection with negotiating credit facilities and certain other services, we often obtain rights to acquire stock in the form of equity warrant assets in primarily private, venture-backed companies in the technology and life science/healthcare industries. Any changes in fair value from the grant date fair value of equity warrant assets will be recognized as increases or decreases to other assets on our balance sheet and as net gains or losses on equity warrant assets, in noninterest income, a component of consolidated net income. Gains on equity warrant assets are recognized outside of the scope of ASC 606 as it explicitly excludes noninterest income earned from our derivative-related activities. A summary of net gains on equity warrant assets for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018 is as follows:
  
 
Three months ended September 30,

Nine months ended September 30,
(Dollars in thousands)
 
2019

2018

2019

2018
Equity warrant assets:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Gains on exercises, net
 
$
30,047

 
$
18,287

 
$
90,357

 
$
42,808

Terminations
 
(481
)
 
(1,432
)
 
(2,931
)
 
(3,158
)
Changes in fair value, net
 
7,995

 
17,286

 
19,787

 
32,743

Total net gains on equity warrant assets
 
$
37,561

 
$
34,141

 
$
107,213

 
$
72,393


Client investment fees
Client investment fees include fees earned from discretionary investment management services for substantially all clients, managing clients’ portfolios based on their investment policies, strategies and objectives and investment advisory fees. Revenue is recognized on a monthly basis upon completion of our performance obligation and consideration is typically received in the subsequent month. Included in our sweep money market fees are Rule 12(b)-1 fees, revenue sharing and customer transactional-based fees. Rule 12(b)-1 fees and revenue sharing are recognized as earned based on client funds that are invested in the period, typically monthly. Transactional based fees are earned and recognized on fixed income securities when the transaction is executed on the clients' behalf. Amounts paid to third-party service providers are predominantly expensed, such that client investment fees are recorded gross of payments made to third parties. A summary of client investment fees by instrument type for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018 is as follows:
 
 
Three months ended September 30,
 
Nine months ended September 30,
(Dollars in thousands)
 
2019
 
2018
 
2019
 
2018
Client investment fees by type:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sweep money market fees
 
$
26,202

 
$
21,105

 
$
79,698

 
$
50,605

Asset management fees (1)
 
7,256

 
6,358

 
20,883

 
17,447

Repurchase agreement fees
 
13,221

 
8,802

 
36,324

 
20,540

Total client investment fees (2)
 
$
46,679

 
$
36,265

 
$
136,905

 
$
88,592

 
 
(1)
Represents fees earned from investments in third-party money market mutual funds and fixed-income securities managed by SVB Asset Management.
(2)
Represents fees earned on client investment funds which are maintained at third-party financial institutions and are not recorded on our balance sheet.
Foreign exchange fees
Foreign exchange fees represent the income differential between purchases and sales of foreign currency on behalf of our clients, primarily from spot contracts. Foreign exchange spot contract fees are recognized upon the completion of the single performance obligation, the execution of a spot trade in exchange for a fee. In line with customary business practice, the legal right transfers to the client upon execution of a foreign exchange contract on the trade date, and as such, we currently recognize our fees based on the trade date and are typically settled within two business days.
Forward contract and option premium fees are recognized outside of the scope of ASC 606 as it explicitly excludes noninterest income earned from our derivative-related activities. A summary of foreign exchange fee income by instrument type for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018 is as follows:
 
 
Three months ended September 30,

Nine months ended September 30,
(Dollars in thousands)
 
2019

2018

2019

2018
Foreign exchange fees by instrument type:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Spot contract commissions
 
$
36,836

 
$
30,041

 
$
106,561

 
$
92,791

Forward contract commissions
 
3,371

 
2,534

 
10,144

 
7,474

Option premium fees
 
102

 
81

 
158

 
295

Total foreign exchange fees
 
$
40,309

 
$
32,656

 
$
116,863

 
$
100,560


Credit card fees
Credit card fees include interchange income from credit and debit cards and fees earned from processing transactions for merchants. Interchange income is earned after satisfying our performance obligation of providing nightly settlement services to a payment network. Costs related to rewards programs are recorded when the rewards are earned by the customer and presented as a reduction to interchange fee income. Rewards programs continue to be accounted for under ASC 310 - Receivables. Our performance obligations for merchant service fees are to transmit data and funds between the merchant and the payment network. Credit card interchange and merchant service fees are earned daily upon completion of transaction settlement services.
Annual card service fees are recognized on a straight-line basis over a 12-month period and continue to be accounted for under ASC 310 - Receivables.
A summary of credit card fees by instrument type for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018 is as follows:
 
 
Three months ended September 30,

Nine months ended September 30,
(Dollars in thousands)
 
2019

2018

2019

2018
Credit card fees by instrument type:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Card interchange fees, net
 
$
24,560

 
$
18,849

 
$
68,808

 
$
54,547

Merchant service fees
 
3,943

 
3,679

 
12,763

 
10,010

Card service fees
 
1,655

 
1,593

 
4,860

 
4,182

Total credit card fees
 
$
30,158

 
$
24,121

 
$
86,431

 
$
68,739


Deposit service charges
Deposit service charges include fees earned from performing cash management activities and other deposit account services. Deposit services include, but are not limited to, the following: receivables services, which include merchant services, remote capture, lockbox, electronic deposit capture, and fraud control services. Payment and cash management products and services include wire transfer and automated clearing house payment services to enable clients to transfer funds more quickly, as well as business bill pay, business credit and debit cards, account analysis, and disbursement services. Deposit service charges are recognized over the period in which the related performance obligation is provided, generally on a monthly basis, and are presented in the "Disaggregation of revenue from contracts with customers" table below.
Lending related fees
Unused commitment fees, minimum finance fees and unused line fees are recognized as earned on a monthly basis. Fees that qualify for syndication treatment are recognized at the completion of the syndicated loan deal for which the fees were received. Lending related fees are recognized outside of the scope of ASC 606 as it explicitly excludes noninterest income earned from our lending-related activities. A summary of lending related fees by instrument type for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018 is as follows:
 
 
Three months ended September 30,

Nine months ended September 30,
(Dollars in thousands)
 
2019

2018

2019

2018
Lending related fees by instrument type:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unused commitment fees
 
$
8,339

 
$
8,410

 
$
25,060

 
$
24,994

Other
 
3,368

 
2,265

 
11,797

 
5,944

Total lending related fees
 
$
11,707

 
$
10,675

 
$
36,857

 
$
30,938


Letters of credit and standby letters of credit fees
Commercial and standby letters of credit represent conditional commitments issued by us on behalf of a client to guarantee the performance of the client to a third party when certain specified future events have occurred. Fees generated from letters of credit and standby letters of credit are deferred as a component of other liabilities and recognized in noninterest income over the commitment period using the straight-line method, based on the likelihood that the commitment being drawn down will be remote. Letters of credit and standby letters of credit fees are recognized outside of the scope of ASC 606 as it explicitly excludes noninterest income earned from our lending related activities.
Investment banking revenue
The Company earns investment banking revenue from clients for providing services related to securities underwriting, private placements and advisory services on strategic matters such as mergers and acquisitions. Underwriting fees are attributable to public and private offerings of equity and debt securities and are recognized at the point in time when the offering has been deemed to be completed by the lead manager of the underwriting group. Once the offering is completed, the performance obligation has been satisfied and the Company recognizes the applicable management fee as well the underwriting fee, net of consideration payable to customers. The Company recognizes private placement fees at the point in time when the private placement is completed, which is generally when the client accepts capital from the fund raise. Advisory fees from mergers and acquisitions engagements are generally recognized at the point in time when the related transaction is completed. Expenses are deferred only to the extent they are explicitly reimbursable by the client and the related revenue is recognized at a point in time. All other deal-related expenses are expensed as incurred. The Company has determined that it acts as principal in the majority of these transactions and therefore presents expenses gross within other operating expenses.
A summary of investment banking revenue by instrument type for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018 is as follows:
  
 
Three months ended September 30,
 
Nine months ended September 30,
(Dollars in thousands)
 
2019
 
2018
 
2019
 
2018
Investment banking revenue:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Underwriting fees
 
$
31,016

 
$

 
$
109,371

 
$

Advisory fees
 
5,200

 

 
22,789

 

Private placements and other
 
2,300

 

 
4,845

 

Total investment banking revenue
 
$
38,516

 
$

 
$
137,005

 
$


Commissions
Commissions include commissions received from customers for the execution of agency-based brokerage transactions in listed and over-the-counter equities. The execution of each trade order represents a distinct performance obligation and the transaction price is fixed at the point in time or trade order execution. Trade execution is satisfied at the point in time that the customer has control of the asset and as such, fees are recorded on a trade date basis. Commission are presented in the "Disaggregation of revenue from contracts with customers" table below.

Other
Other noninterest income primarily includes income from fund management fees and service revenue. Fund management fees are comprised of fees charged directly to our managed funds of funds and direct venture funds. Fund management fees are based upon the contractual terms of the limited partnership agreements and are generally recognized as earned over the specified contract period, which is generally equal to the life of the individual fund. Fund management fees are calculated as a percentage of committed capital and collected in advance and are received quarterly. Fund management fees for certain of our limited partnership agreements are calculated as a percentage of distributions made by the funds and revenue is recorded only at the time of a distribution event. As distribution events are not predetermined for these certain funds, management fees are considered variable and constrained under ASC 606.
Other service revenue primarily consists of dividend income on FHLB/FRB stock, correspondent bank rebate income, incentive fees related to carried interest and other fee income. We recognize revenue when our performance obligations are met and record revenues on a daily/monthly basis, quarterly, semi-annually or annual basis. For event driven revenue sources, we recognize revenue when: (i) persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, (ii) we have performed the service, provided we have no other remaining obligations to the customer, (iii) the fee is fixed or determinable and (iv) collectability is probable.
A summary of other noninterest income by instrument type for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018 is as follows:
 
 
Three months ended September 30,
 
Nine months ended September 30,
(Dollars in thousands)
 
2019
 
2018
 
2019
 
2018
Other noninterest income by instrument type:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Fund management fees
 
$
8,493

 
$
5,479

 
$
24,292

 
$
17,144

Net (losses) gains on revaluation of foreign currency instruments, net of foreign exchange forward contracts (1)
 
(78
)
 
796

 
173

 
985

Other service revenue
 
5,216

 
5,747

 
18,308

 
20,542

Total other noninterest income
 
$
13,631

 
$
12,022

 
$
42,773

 
$
38,671

 
(1)
Represents the net revaluation of client and internal foreign currency denominated financial instruments. We enter into foreign exchange forward contracts to economically reduce our foreign exchange exposure related to client and internal foreign currency denominated financial instruments.
Disaggregation of revenue from contracts with customers
The following tables present our revenues from contracts with customers disaggregated by revenue source and segment for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018:
Three months ended September 30, 2019
(Dollars in thousands)
 
Global
Commercial
Bank (2)
 
SVB Private  
Bank
 
SVB Capital (2)  
 
SVB
Leerink (2)
 
Other Items
 
Total      
Revenue from contracts with customers:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Client investment fees
 
$
46,171

 
$
508

 
$

 
$

 
$

 
$
46,679

Spot contract commissions
 
36,644

 
89

 

 

 
103

 
36,836

Card interchange fees, gross
 
34,867

 

 

 

 
181

 
35,048

Merchant service fees
 
3,943

 

 

 

 

 
3,943

Deposit service charges
 
22,263

 
36

 

 

 
183

 
22,482

Investment banking revenue
 

 

 

 
38,516

 

 
38,516

Commissions
 

 

 

 
12,275

 

 
12,275

Fund management fees
 

 

 
7,063

 
1,430

 

 
8,493

Correspondent bank rebates
 
1,633

 

 

 

 

 
1,633

Total revenue from contracts with customers
 
$
145,521

 
$
633

 
$
7,063

 
$
52,221

 
$
467

 
$
205,905

Revenues outside the scope of ASC 606 (1)
 
15,508

 
1

 
27,892

 
726

 
43,977

 
88,104

Total noninterest income
 
$
161,029

 
$
634

 
$
34,955

 
$
52,947

 
$
44,444

 
$
294,009

 
(1)
Amounts are accounted for under separate guidance than ASC 606.
(2)
Global Commercial Bank’s, SVB Capital’s and SVB Leerink's components of noninterest income are shown net of noncontrolling interests. Noncontrolling interest is included within “Other Items."
Three months ended September 30, 2018
(Dollars in thousands)
 
Global
Commercial
Bank (2)
 
SVB Private  
Bank
 
SVB Capital (2)  
 
Other Items
 
Total      
Revenue from contracts with customers:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Client investment fees (3)
 
$
35,845

 
$
420

 
$

 
$

 
$
36,265

Spot contract commissions
 
29,776

 
184

 

 
81

 
30,041

Card interchange fees, gross
 
33,905

 

 

 
108

 
34,013

Merchant service fees
 
3,677

 
2

 

 

 
3,679

Deposit service charges
 
19,207

 
24

 

 
357

 
19,588

Fund management fees
 

 

 
5,479

 

 
5,479

Correspondent bank rebates
 
1,372

 

 

 

 
1,372

Total revenue from contracts with customers
 
$
123,782

 
$
630

 
$
5,479

 
$
546

 
$
130,437

Revenues outside the scope of ASC 606 (1)
 
11,446

 
(25
)
 
18,944

 
49,268

 
79,633

Total noninterest income
 
$
135,228

 
$
605

 
$
24,423

 
$
49,814

 
$
210,070

 
(1)
Amounts are accounted for under separate guidance than ASC 606.
(2)
Global Commercial Bank’s and SVB Capital’s components of noninterest income are shown net of noncontrolling interests. Noncontrolling interest is included within “Other Items."
(3)
For the three months ended September 30, 2018, the amount of client investment fees previously reported as "Other Items" has been correctly allocated to the reportable segment "Global Commercial Bank" to properly reflect the source of such revenue. The correction of this immaterial error had no impact on the "Total" amount of client investment fees.


Nine months ended September 30, 2019
(Dollars in thousands)
 
Global
Commercial
Bank (2)
 
SVB Private  
Bank
 
SVB Capital (2)  
 
SVB
Leerink (2)
 
Other Items
 
Total      
Revenue from contracts with customers:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Client investment fees
 
$
135,551

 
$
1,354

 
$

 
$

 
$

 
136,905

Spot contract commissions
 
105,877

 
376

 

 

 
308

 
106,561

Card interchange fees, gross
 
115,468

 

 

 

 
518

 
115,986

Merchant service fees
 
12,764

 

 

 

 

 
12,764

Deposit service charges
 
64,806

 
104

 

 

 
586

 
65,496

Investment banking revenue
 

 

 

 
137,005

 

 
137,005

Commissions
 

 

 

 
40,812

 

 
40,812

Fund management fees
 

 

 
20,050

 
4,242

 

 
24,292

Correspondent bank rebates
 
4,712

 

 

 

 

 
4,712

Total revenue from contracts with customers
 
$
439,178

 
$
1,834

 
$
20,050

 
$
182,059

 
$
1,412

 
$
644,533

Revenues outside the scope of ASC 606 (1)
 
32,314

 
(5
)
 
79,810

 
6,005

 
145,478

 
263,602

Total noninterest income
 
$
471,492

 
$
1,829

 
$
99,860

 
$
188,064

 
$
146,890

 
$
908,135

 
(1)
Amounts are accounted for under separate guidance than ASC 606.
(2)
Global Commercial Bank’s, SVB Capital’s and SVB Leerink's components of noninterest income are shown net of noncontrolling interests. Noncontrolling interest is included within “Other Items."
Nine months ended September 30, 2018
(Dollars in thousands)
 
Global
Commercial
Bank (2)
 
SVB Private  
Bank
 
SVB Capital (2)  
 
Other Items
 
Total      
Revenue from contracts with customers:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Client investment fees (3)
 
$
87,491

 
$
1,101

 
$

 
$

 
$
88,592

Spot contract commissions
 
92,098

 
507

 

 
186

 
92,791

Card interchange fees, gross
 
95,088

 

 

 
311

 
95,399

Merchant service fees
 
10,008

 
2

 

 

 
10,010

Deposit service charges
 
54,633

 
83

 

 
1,365

 
56,081

Fund management fees
 

 

 
17,144

 

 
17,144

Correspondent bank rebates
 
4,241

 

 

 

 
4,241

Total revenue from contracts with customers
 
$
343,559

 
$
1,693

 
$
17,144

 
$
1,862

 
$
364,258

Revenues outside the scope of ASC 606 (1)
 
33,761

 
(16
)
 
64,688

 
95,586

 
194,019

Total noninterest income
 
$
377,320

 
$
1,677

 
$
81,832

 
$
97,448

 
$
558,277

 
(1)
Amounts are accounted for under separate guidance than ASC 606.
(2)
Global Commercial Bank’s and SVB Capital’s components of noninterest income are shown net of noncontrolling interests. Noncontrolling interest is included within “Other Items."
(3)
For the nine months ended September 30, 2018, the amount of client investment fees previously reported as "Other Items" has been correctly allocated to the reportable segment "Global Commercial Bank" to properly reflect the source of such revenue. The correction of this immaterial error had no impact on the "Total" amount of client investment fees.
The timing of revenue recognition may differ from the timing of cash settlements or invoicing to customers. We record a receivable when revenue is recognized prior to invoicing, and unearned revenue when revenue is recognized subsequent to receipt of consideration. These assets and liabilities are reported on the consolidated balance sheets on a contract-by-contract basis at the end of each reporting period. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018, changes in our contract assets, contract liabilities and receivables were not material. Additionally, revenues recognized during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018 that were included in the corresponding contract liability balance at the beginning of the periods were not material.