Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2021

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Basis of Financial Information

Basis of Financial Information

The financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP, which requires the Firm to make estimates and assumptions regarding the valuations of certain financial instruments, the valuations of goodwill and intangible assets, the outcome of legal and tax matters, deferred tax assets, ACL, and other matters that affect its financial statements and related disclosures. The Firm believes that the estimates utilized in the preparation of its financial statements are prudent and reasonable. Actual results could differ materially from these estimates.

The financial statements reflect the effects of the following reclassifications to prior period amounts. The Provision for credit losses for loans and lending commitments is now presented as a separate line in the income statements. Previously, the provision for credit losses for loans was included in Other revenues, and the provision for credit losses for lending commitments was included in Other expenses. In addition, economic hedges of certain held-for-sale and held-for-investment loans, which were previously reported in Trading revenues, are now reported in Other revenues.

The Notes are an integral part of the Firm's financial statements. The Firm has evaluated subsequent events for adjustment to or disclosure in these financial statements through the date of this report and has not identified any recordable or disclosable events not otherwise reported in these financial statements or the notes thereto.

The accompanying financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Firm’s financial statements and notes thereto included in the 2020 Form 10-K. Certain footnote disclosures included in the 2020 Form 10-K have been condensed or omitted from these financial statements as they are not required for interim reporting under U.S. GAAP. The financial statements reflect all adjustments of a normal, recurring nature that are, in the opinion of management, necessary for the fair presentation of the results for the interim period. The results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results for the entire year.

Consolidation

Consolidation

The financial statements include the accounts of the Firm, its wholly owned subsidiaries and other entities in which the Firm has a controlling financial interest, including certain VIEs (see Note 15). Intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated. For consolidated subsidiaries that are not wholly owned, the third-party holdings of equity interests are referred to as Noncontrolling interests. The net income attributable to Noncontrolling interests for such subsidiaries is

presented as Net income applicable to noncontrolling interests in the income statements. The portion of shareholders’ equity that is attributable to noncontrolling interests for such subsidiaries is presented as noncontrolling interests, a component of Total equity, in the balance sheets.

For a discussion of the Firm’s significant regulated U.S. and international subsidiaries and its involvement with VIEs, see Note 1 to the financial statements in the 2020 Form 10-K.