Basis of Presentation (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Our interim consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the instructions to Form 10-Q and, therefore, do not necessarily include all information and footnotes necessary for a fair statement of our consolidated financial position, results of operations, and cash flows in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, or GAAP.

Basis of Consolidation

Our consolidated financial statements reflect all of our accounts, including those of our controlled subsidiaries and our tenancy-in-common interest as described below. The portions of equity in consolidated subsidiaries that are not attributable, directly or indirectly, to us are presented as noncontrolling interests. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.

Variable Interest Entity

When we obtain an economic interest in an entity, we evaluate the entity to determine if it should be deemed a variable interest entity, or VIE, and, if so, whether we are the primary beneficiary and are therefore required to consolidate the entity. We apply accounting guidance for consolidation of VIEs to certain entities in which the equity investors do not have the characteristics of a controlling financial interest or do not have sufficient equity at risk for the entity to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support from other parties. Fixed price purchase and renewal options within a lease, as well as certain decision-making rights within a loan or joint-venture agreement, can cause us to consider an entity a VIE. Limited partnerships and other similar entities that operate as a partnership will be considered a VIE unless the limited partners hold substantive kick-out rights or participation rights. Significant judgment is required to determine whether a VIE should be consolidated. We review the contractual arrangements provided for in the partnership agreement or other related contracts to determine whether the entity is considered a VIE, and to establish whether we have any variable interests in the VIE. We then compare our variable interests, if any, to those of the other variable interest holders to determine which party is the primary beneficiary of the VIE based on whether the entity (i) has the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the economic performance of the VIE and (ii) has the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits of the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE. The liabilities of these VIEs are non-recourse to us and can only be satisfied from each VIE’s respective assets.

At March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, we considered 29 and 28 entities to be VIEs, respectively, 22 and 21 of which, respectively, we consolidated as we are considered the primary beneficiary. The following table presents a summary of selected financial data of the consolidated VIEs included in the consolidated balance sheets (in thousands):



	March 31, 2018			December 31, 2017
Land, buildings and improvements	$	945,949		$	916,001
Net investments in direct financing leases	40,644			40,133
In-place lease and other intangible assets	286,512			268,863
Above-market rent intangible assets	104,219			103,081
Accumulated depreciation and amortization	(257,816		)	(251,979		)
Total assets	1,199,580			1,118,727

Non-recourse mortgages, net	$	118,328		$	128,230
Total liabilities	194,988			201,186

At both March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, our seven unconsolidated VIEs included our interests in six unconsolidated real estate investments, which we account for under the equity method of accounting, and one unconsolidated entity, which we accounted for at fair value as of March 31, 2018 and under the cost method of accounting as of December 31, 2017 (Note 7), and is included within our Investment Management segment. We do not consolidate these entities because we are not the primary beneficiary and the nature of our involvement in the activities of these entities allows us to exercise significant influence on, but does not give us power over, decisions that significantly affect the economic performance of these entities. As of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the net carrying amount of our investments in these entities was $153.4 million and $152.7 million, respectively, and our maximum exposure to loss in these entities was limited to our investments.

At March 31, 2018, we had an investment in a tenancy-in-common interest in various underlying international properties. Consolidation of this investment is not required as such interest does not qualify as a VIE and does not meet the control requirement for consolidation. Accordingly, we account for this investment using the equity method of accounting. We use the equity method of accounting because the shared decision-making involved in a tenancy-in-common interest investment provides us with significant influence on the operating and financial decisions of this investment.

At times, the carrying value of our equity investments may fall below zero for certain investments. We intend to fund our share of the jointly owned investments’ future operating deficits should the need arise. However, we have no legal obligation to pay for any of the liabilities of such investments, nor do we have any legal obligation to fund operating deficits. At March 31, 2018, none of our equity investments had carrying values below zero.

New Accounting Policies

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Pronouncements Adopted as of March 31, 2018

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, issued ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606). ASU 2014-09 is a comprehensive new revenue recognition model requiring a company to recognize revenue to depict the transfer of goods or services to a customer at an amount reflecting the consideration it expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services. ASU 2014-09 does not apply to our lease revenues, which constitute a majority of our revenues, but will primarily apply to revenues generated from our operating properties and our Investment Management business. We adopted this guidance for our interim and annual periods beginning January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective transition method applied to any contracts not completed as of that date. There were no changes to the prior period presentations of revenue. Results of operations for reporting periods beginning January 1, 2018 are presented under Topic 606. The adoption of Topic 606 did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

Revenue is recognized when, or as, control of promised goods or services is transferred to customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. At contract inception, we assess the services promised in our contracts with customers and identify a performance obligation for each promise to transfer to the customer a good or service (or bundle of goods or services) that is distinct. To identify the performance obligations, we consider all of the services promised in the contract regardless of whether they are explicitly stated or are implied by customary business practices.

Revenue from contracts under Accounting Standards Codification, or ASC, 606 in our Owned Real Estate segment primarily represents operating property revenues of $7.2 million and $7.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. Operating property revenues are primarily comprised of revenues from room rentals and from food and beverage services at our two hotel operating properties during those periods. We identified a single performance obligation for each distinct service. Performance obligations are typically satisfied at a point in time, at the time of sale, or at the rendering of the service. Fees are generally determined to be fixed. Payment is typically due immediately following the delivery of the service. Revenue from contracts under ASC 606 from our Investment Management segment is discussed in Note 3.

In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-01, Financial Instruments — Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities. ASU 2016-01 requires all equity investments (other than those accounted for under the equity method of accounting or those that result in consolidation of the investee) to be measured at fair value, with changes in the fair value recognized through net income. We adopted this guidance for our interim and annual periods beginning January 1, 2018. The adoption of ASU 2016-01 did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments. ASU 2016-15 intends to reduce diversity in practice for certain cash flow classifications, including, but not limited to (i) debt prepayment or debt extinguishment costs, (ii) contingent consideration payments made after a business combination, (iii) proceeds from the settlement of insurance claims, and (iv) distributions received from equity method investees. We retrospectively adopted this guidance for our interim and annual periods beginning January 1, 2018. As a result, we reclassified debt extinguishment costs from net cash provided by operating activities to net cash used in financing activities on the consolidated statement of cash flows for the three months ended March 31, 2017. The adoption of ASU 2016-15 did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted Cash. ASU 2016-18 intends to reduce diversity in practice for the classification and presentation of changes in restricted cash on the statement of cash flows. ASU 2016-18 requires that the statement of cash flows explain the change during the period in the total of cash, cash equivalents, and amounts generally described as restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents. Therefore, amounts generally described as restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents should be included with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the beginning-of-period and end-of-period total amounts shown on the statement of cash flows. We retrospectively adopted this guidance for our interim and annual periods beginning January 1, 2018. See Restricted Cash above for additional information.

In February 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-05, Other Income — Gains and Losses from the Derecognition of Nonfinancial Assets (Subtopic 610-20): Clarifying the Scope of Asset Derecognition Guidance and Accounting for Partial Sales of Nonfinancial Assets. ASU 2017-05 clarifies the scope and application of ASC 610-20 on the sale or transfer of nonfinancial assets and in substance nonfinancial assets to non-customers, including partial sales. Nonfinancial assets within the scope of this Subtopic include the sale of land, buildings, and intangible assets. ASU 2017-05 further clarifies that a financial asset is within the scope of Subtopic 610-20 if it meets the definition of an in substance nonfinancial asset. The amendments define the term “in substance nonfinancial asset,” in part, as a financial asset promised to a counterparty in a contract if substantially all of the fair value of the assets (recognized and unrecognized) that are promised to the counterparty in the contract is concentrated in nonfinancial assets. This amendment also clarifies that nonfinancial assets within the scope of Subtopic 610-20 may include nonfinancial assets transferred within a legal entity to a counterparty. For example, a parent company may transfer control of nonfinancial assets by transferring ownership interests in a consolidated subsidiary. We adopted this guidance for our interim and annual periods beginning January 1, 2018 and applied the modified retrospective transition method (applicable to any contracts not completed as of that date). The adoption of ASU 2017-05 did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

In May 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-09, Compensation — Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Scope of Modification Accounting. ASU 2017-09 clarifies when to account for a change to the terms and conditions of a share-based payment award as a modification. Under the new guidance, modification accounting is required only if the fair value, vesting conditions, or classification of the award (as equity or liability) changes as a result of the change in terms or conditions. We adopted this guidance for our interim and annual periods beginning January 1, 2018. The adoption of ASU 2017-09 did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

Pronouncements to be Adopted after March 31, 2018

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842). ASU 2016-02 outlines a new model for accounting by lessees, whereby their rights and obligations under substantially all leases, existing and new, would be capitalized and recorded on the balance sheet. For lessors, however, the accounting remains largely unchanged from the current model, with the distinction between operating and financing leases retained, but updated to align with certain changes to the lessee model and the new revenue recognition standard. The new standard also replaces existing sale-leaseback guidance with a new model applicable to both lessees and lessors. Additionally, the new standard requires extensive quantitative and qualitative disclosures. Early application will be permitted for all entities. The new standard must be adopted using the modified retrospective transition method and provides for certain practical expedients. Transition will require application of the new model at the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented. We will adopt this guidance for our interim and annual periods beginning January 1, 2019. The ASU is expected to impact our consolidated financial statements as we have certain operating office and land lease arrangements for which we are the lessee. We are evaluating the impact of the new standard and have not yet determined if it will have a material impact on our business or our consolidated financial statements.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments — Credit Losses. ASU 2016-13 introduces a new model for estimating credit losses based on current expected credit losses for certain types of financial instruments, including loans receivable, held-to-maturity debt securities, and net investments in direct financing leases, amongst other financial instruments. ASU 2016-13 also modifies the impairment model for available-for-sale debt securities and expands the disclosure requirements regarding an entity’s assumptions, models, and methods for estimating the allowance for losses. ASU 2016-13 will be effective for public business entities in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those fiscal years, with early application of the guidance permitted. We are in the process of evaluating the impact of adopting ASU 2016-13 on our consolidated financial statements.

In August 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-12, Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities. ASU 2017-12 will make more financial and nonfinancial hedging strategies eligible for hedge accounting. It also amends the presentation and disclosure requirements and changes how companies assess hedge effectiveness. It is intended to more closely align hedge accounting with companies’ risk management strategies, simplify the application of hedge accounting, and increase transparency as to the scope and results of hedging programs. ASU 2017-12 will be effective in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. We are in the process of evaluating the impact of adopting ASU 2017-12 on our consolidated financial statements, and expect to adopt the standard for the fiscal year beginning January 1, 2019.

Distributions from Equity Method Investments — We classify distributions received from equity method investments using the cumulative earnings approach. Distributions received are considered returns on the investment and classified as cash inflows from operating activities unless the investor’s cumulative distributions received, less distributions received in prior periods determined to be returns of investment, exceed cumulative equity in earnings recognized by the investor. The excess is considered a return of investment and is classified as cash inflows from investing activities.

Intangible Assets and Liabilities and Goodwill

We have recorded net lease, internal-use software development, and trade name intangibles that are being amortized over periods ranging from one year to 40 years. In addition, we have several ground lease intangibles that are being amortized over periods of up to 99 years. In-place lease and below-market ground lease (as lessee) intangibles, at cost are included in In-place lease and other intangible assets in the consolidated financial statements. Above-market rent intangibles, at cost are included in Above-market rent intangible assets in the consolidated financial statements. Accumulated amortization of in-place lease, below-market ground lease (as lessee), and above-market rent intangibles is included in Accumulated depreciation and amortization in the consolidated financial statements. Internal-use software development and trade name intangibles are included in Other assets, net in the consolidated financial statements. Below-market rent, above-market ground lease (as lessee), and below-market purchase option intangibles are included in Below-market rent and other intangible liabilities, net in the consolidated financial statements.

Amortization of below-market rent and above-market rent intangibles is recorded as an adjustment to Lease revenues; amortization of internal-use software development, trade name, and in-place lease intangibles is included in Depreciation and amortization; and amortization of above-market ground lease and below-market ground lease intangibles is included in Property expenses, excluding reimbursable tenant costs.

Fair Value Measurement

The fair value of an asset is defined as the exit price, which is the amount that would either be received when an asset is sold or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The guidance establishes a three-tier fair value hierarchy based on the inputs used in measuring fair value. These tiers are: Level 1, for which quoted market prices for identical instruments are available in active markets, such as money market funds, equity securities, and U.S. Treasury securities; Level 2, for which there are inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable for the instrument, such as certain derivative instruments including interest rate caps, interest rate swaps, foreign currency forward contracts, and foreign currency collars; and Level 3, for securities that do not fall into Level 1 or Level 2 and for which little or no market data exists, therefore requiring us to develop our own assumptions.

Earnings Per Share

Under current authoritative guidance for determining earnings per share, all nonvested share-based payment awards that contain non-forfeitable rights to distributions are considered to be participating securities and therefore are included in the computation of earnings per share under the two-class method. The two-class method is an earnings allocation formula that determines earnings per share for each class of common shares and participating security according to dividends declared (or accumulated) and participation rights in undistributed earnings. Certain of our nonvested RSUs and RSAs contain rights to receive non-forfeitable distribution equivalents or distributions, respectively, and therefore we apply the two-class method of computing earnings per share. The calculation of earnings per share below excludes the income attributable to the nonvested participating RSUs and RSAs from the numerator and such nonvested shares in the denominator.

Redeemable Interest

We account for the noncontrolling interest in our subsidiary, W. P. Carey International, LLC, or WPCI, held by a third party as a redeemable noncontrolling interest, because, pursuant to a put option held by the third party, we had an obligation to redeem the interest at fair value, subject to certain conditions. This obligation was required to be settled in shares of our common stock.

Discontinued Operations

We have an active capital recycling program, with a goal of extending the average lease term through reinvestment, improving portfolio credit quality through dispositions and acquisitions of assets, increasing the asset criticality factor in our portfolio, and/or executing strategic dispositions of assets. We may make a decision to dispose of a property when it is vacant as a result of tenants vacating space, tenants electing not to renew their leases, tenant insolvency, or lease rejection in the bankruptcy process. In such cases, we assess whether we can obtain the highest value from the property by selling it, as opposed to re-leasing it. We may also sell a property when we receive an unsolicited offer or negotiate a price for an investment that is consistent with our strategy for that investment. When it is appropriate to do so, we classify the property as an asset held for sale on our consolidated balance sheet. All property dispositions are recorded within our Owned Real Estate segment.