Fair Value Option

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2023

Other Financial Assets and Liabilities at Fair Value

In addition to trading assets and liabilities, and certain investments and loans, the firm accounts for certain of its other financial assets and liabilities at fair value, substantially all under the fair value option. The primary reasons for electing the fair value option are to:

•Reflect economic events in earnings on a timely basis;

•Mitigate volatility in earnings from using different measurement attributes (e.g., transfers of financial assets accounted for as financings are recorded at fair value, whereas the related secured financing would be recorded on an accrual basis absent electing the fair value option); and

•Address simplification and cost-benefit considerations (e.g., accounting for hybrid financial instruments at fair value in their entirety versus bifurcation of embedded derivatives and hedge accounting for debt hosts).

Hybrid financial instruments are instruments that contain bifurcatable embedded derivatives and do not require settlement by physical delivery of nonfinancial assets (e.g., physical commodities). If the firm elects to bifurcate the embedded derivative from the associated debt, the derivative is accounted for at fair value and the host contract is accounted for at amortized cost, adjusted for the effective portion of any fair value hedges. If the firm does not elect to bifurcate, the entire hybrid financial instrument is accounted for at fair value under the fair value option.

Other financial assets and liabilities accounted for at fair value under the fair value option include:

•Repurchase agreements and substantially all resale agreements;

•Certain securities borrowed and loaned transactions;

•Certain customer and other receivables and certain other assets and liabilities;

•Certain time deposits (deposits with no stated maturity are not eligible for a fair value option election), including structured certificates of deposit, which are hybrid financial instruments;

•Substantially all other secured financings, including transfers of assets accounted for as financings; and

•Certain unsecured short- and long-term borrowings, substantially all of which are hybrid financial instruments.

See Note 4 for an overview of the firm’s fair value measurement policies, valuation techniques and significant inputs used to determine the fair value of other financial assets and liabilities, and Note 5 for information about other financial assets and liabilities within the fair value hierarchy.

Gains and Losses on Other Financial Assets and Liabilities Accounted for at Fair Value Under the Fair Value Option

The table below presents the gains and losses recognized in earnings as a result of the election to apply the fair value option to certain financial assets and liabilities.



	Three Months Ended September				Nine Months Ended September
$ in millions	2023		2022		2023		2022
Unsecured short-term borrowings	$	(111)	$	1,114	$	(2,934)	$	5,379
Unsecured long-term borrowings	1,551		2,445		(890)		8,316
Other	(38)		434		(177)		1,255
Total	$	1,402	$	3,993	$	(4,001)	$	14,950

In the table above:

•Gains/(losses) were substantially all included in market making.

•Gains/(losses) exclude contractual interest, which is included in interest income and interest expense, for all instruments other than hybrid financial instruments. See Note 23 for further information about interest income and interest expense.

•Gains/(losses) included in unsecured short- and long-term borrowings were substantially all related to the embedded derivative component of hybrid financial instruments. These gains and losses would have been recognized under other U.S. GAAP even if the firm had not elected to account for the entire hybrid financial instrument at fair value.

•Gains/(losses) included in other were substantially all related to resale and repurchase agreements, deposits, other secured financings and other liabilities.

•Other financial assets and liabilities at fair value are frequently economically hedged with trading assets and liabilities. Accordingly, gains or losses on such other financial assets and liabilities can be partially offset by gains or losses on trading assets and liabilities. As a result, gains or losses on other financial assets and liabilities do not necessarily represent the overall impact on the firm’s results of operations, liquidity or capital resources.

Gains/(losses) on trading assets and liabilities accounted for at fair value under the fair value option are included in market making. See Note 6 for further information about gains/(losses) from market making. See Note 8 for information about gains/(losses) on equity securities and Note 9 for information about gains/(losses) on loans which are accounted for at fair value under the fair value option.

Long-Term Debt Instruments

The aggregate contractual principal amount of long-term other secured financings, for which the fair value option was elected, exceeded the related fair value by $256 million as of September 2023. The related amount was not material as of December 2022.

The aggregate contractual principal amount of unsecured long-term borrowings, for which the fair value option was elected, exceeded the related fair value by $5.91 billion as of September 2023 and $5.03 billion as of December 2022.

These debt instruments include both principal-protected and non-principal-protected long-term borrowings.

Debt Valuation Adjustment

The firm calculates the fair value of financial liabilities for which the fair value option is elected by discounting future cash flows at a rate which incorporates the firm’s credit spreads.

The table below presents information about the net debt valuation adjustment (DVA) gains/(losses) on financial liabilities for which the fair value option was elected.



	Three Months Ended September				Nine Months Ended September
$ in millions	2023		2022		2023		2022
Pre-tax DVA	$	443	$	907	$	(370)	$	3,488
After-tax DVA	$	328	$	673	$	(283)	$	2,601

In the table above:

•After-tax DVA is included in debt valuation adjustment in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income.

•The gains/(losses) reclassified to market making in the consolidated statements of earnings from accumulated other comprehensive income/(loss) upon extinguishment of such financial liabilities were not material for each of the three and nine months ended September 2023 and September 2022.

Loans and Lending Commitments

The table below presents the difference between the aggregate fair value and the aggregate contractual principal amount for loans (included in trading assets and loans in the consolidated balance sheets) for which the fair value option was elected.


	As of
	September		December
$ in millions	2023		2022
Performing loans
Aggregate contractual principal in excess of fair value	$	2,434	$	2,645

Loans on nonaccrual status and/or more than 90 days past due
Aggregate contractual principal in excess of fair value	$	2,556	$	3,331
Aggregate fair value	$	1,955	$	2,633

In the table above, the aggregate contractual principal amount of loans on nonaccrual status and/or more than 90 days past due (which excludes loans carried at zero fair value and considered uncollectible) exceeds the related fair value primarily because the firm regularly purchases loans, such as distressed loans, at values significantly below the contractual principal amounts.

The fair value of unfunded lending commitments for which the fair value option was elected was a liability of $10 million as of September 2023 and $22 million as of December 2022, and the related total contractual amount of these lending commitments was $176 million as of September 2023 and $307 million as of December 2022. See Note 18 for further information about lending commitments.

Impact of Credit Spreads on Loans and Lending Commitments

The estimated net gain/(loss) attributable to changes in instrument-specific credit spreads on loans and lending commitments for which the fair value option was elected was $(118) million for the three months ended September 2023, $(75) million for the three months ended September 2022, $(170) million for the nine months ended September 2023 and $(182) million for the nine months ended September 2022. The firm generally calculates the fair value of loans and lending commitments for which the fair value option is elected by discounting future cash flows at a rate which incorporates the instrument-specific credit spreads. For floating-rate loans and lending commitments, substantially all changes in fair value are attributable to changes in instrument-specific credit spreads, whereas for fixed-rate loans and lending commitments, changes in fair value are also attributable to changes in interest rates.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for a company's election to apply the fair value option for measurement and reporting of eligible financial assets and liabilities (as defined), as well as certain other eligible items (as defined) included in the statement of financial position, whether such option is elected for a single eligible item or a group of similar eligible items and is in addition to other disclosures concerning fair value which the company may be required to provide. Such disclosure might be expected to include: (1) for items included in the statement of financial position: (a) the reasons for electing a fair value option for each eligible item or group of similar eligible items; (b) if the fair value option is elected for some but not all eligible items within a group of similar eligible items: (i) a description of those similar items and the reasons for partial election and (ii) information of how the group of similar items relates to individual balance sheet line items; (c) for each line item in the statement of financial position that includes an item or items for which the fair value option has been elected: (i) information of how each line item in the statement of financial position relates to major categories of assets and liabilities presented in accordance with other fair value disclosures and (ii) the aggregate carrying amount of ineligible items included in each line item in the balance sheet, if any; (d) the difference between the aggregate fair value and the aggregate unpaid principal balance (assuming contractual principal amounts and fair value option elected) of: (i) loans and long-term receivables (other than securities otherwise reported at fair value) and (ii) long-term debt instruments; (e) for loans held as assets for which the fair value option has been elected: (i) the aggregate fair value of loans that are 90 days or more past due, (ii) if the policy is to recognize interest income separately from other changes in fair value, the aggregate fair value of loans in nonaccrual status, and (iii) the difference between the aggregate fair value and the aggregate unpaid principal balance for loans that are 90 days or more past due, in nonaccrual status, or both; (f) for investments that would have been accounted for under the equity method if the entity had not chosen to apply the fair value option, the information required for such investments, if material either individually or in the aggregate; (2) for items included in the income statement: (a) the amounts of gains and losses from fair value changes included in earnings and in which line in the income statement those gains and losses are reported whether or not combined with gains and losses from items required to be accounted for at fair value; (b) a description of how interest and dividends are measured and where they are reported in the income statement; (c) for loans and other receivables held as assets: (i) the estimated amount of gains or losses included in earnings attributable to changes in instrument-specific credit risk and (ii) how the gains or losses attributable to changes in instrument-specific credit risk were determined; (d) for liabilities with fair values that have been significantly affected during the reporting period by changes in the instrument-specific credit risk: (i) the estimated amount of gains and losses from fair value changes included in earnings that are attributable to changes in the instrument-specific credit risk, (ii) qualitative information about the reasons for those changes, and (iii) how the gains and losses attributable to changes in instrument-specific credit risk were determined; and (3) certain other disclosures as required or determined to be provided.

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