Introduction and Basis of Presentation

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2019

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Introduction and Basis of Presentation

Introduction and Basis of Presentation

The Firm

Morgan Stanley is a global financial services firm that maintains significant market positions in each of its business segments—Institutional Securities, Wealth Management and Investment Management. Morgan Stanley, through its subsidiaries and affiliates, provides a wide variety of products and services to a large and diversified group of clients and customers, including corporations, governments, financial institutions and individuals. Unless the context otherwise requires, the terms “Morgan Stanley” or the “Firm” mean Morgan Stanley (the “Parent Company”) together with its consolidated subsidiaries. See the “Glossary of Common Acronyms” for definitions of certain acronyms used throughout this Form 10-Q.

A description of the clients and principal products and services of each of the Firm’s business segments is as follows:

Institutional Securities provides investment banking, sales and trading, lending and other services to corporations, governments, financial institutions, and high to ultra-high net worth clients. Investment banking services consist of capital raising and financial advisory services, including services relating to the underwriting of debt, equity and other securities, as well as advice on mergers and acquisitions, restructurings, real estate and project finance. Sales and trading services include sales, financing, prime brokerage and market-making activities in equity and fixed income products, including foreign exchange and commodities. Lending activities include originating corporate loans, commercial mortgage lending, providing secured lending facilities and extending financing to sales and trading customers. Other activities include investments and research.

Wealth Management provides a comprehensive array of financial services and solutions to individual investors and small to medium-sized businesses and institutions covering brokerage and investment advisory services; financial and wealth planning services; annuity and insurance products; securities-based lending, residential real estate loans and other lending products; banking and retirement plan services.

Investment Management provides a broad range of investment strategies and products that span geographies, asset classes, and public and private markets to a diverse group of clients across institutional and intermediary channels. Strategies and products include equity, fixed income, liquidity and alternative/other products. Institutional clients include defined benefit/defined contribution plans, foundations, endowments, government entities, sovereign wealth funds, insurance companies, third-party fund sponsors and corporations. Individual clients are served through intermediaries, including affiliated and non-affiliated distributors.

Basis of Financial Information

The unaudited consolidated financial statements (“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 valuation of goodwill and intangible assets, compensation, deferred tax assets, the outcome of legal and tax matters, allowance for credit losses 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. Intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated. Certain reclassifications have been made to prior periods to conform to the current presentation.

The Firm has evaluated subsequent events for adjustment to or disclosure in the 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 2018 Form 10-K. Certain footnote disclosures included in the 2018 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

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 12). 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 consolidated income statements (“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 consolidated balance sheets (“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 2018 Form 10-K.