Fair Value Measurement of Financial Instruments

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2018

Fair Value Measurement of Financial Instruments

Piedmont considers its cash and cash equivalents, tenant receivables, notes receivable, restricted cash and escrows, accounts payable and accrued expenses, interest rate swap agreements, and debt to meet the definition of financial instruments. The following table sets forth the carrying and estimated fair value for each of Piedmont’s financial instruments, as well as its level within the GAAP fair value hierarchy, as of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively (in thousands):



	September 30, 2018					December 31, 2017
Financial Instrument	Carrying Value		Estimated Fair Value		Level Within Fair Value Hierarchy	Carrying Value		Estimated Fair Value		Level Within Fair Value Hierarchy
Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents⁽¹⁾	$	6,807	$	6,807	Level 1	$	7,382	$	7,382	Level 1
Tenant receivables, net⁽¹⁾	$	10,522	$	10,522	Level 1	$	12,139	$	12,139	Level 1
Notes receivable ⁽¹⁾	$	3,200	$	3,200	Level 1	$	—	$	—	Level 1
Restricted cash and escrows⁽¹⁾	$	1,374	$	1,374	Level 1	$	1,373	$	1,373	Level 1
Interest rate swaps	$	4,069	$	4,069	Level 2	$	688	$	688	Level 2
Liabilities:
Accounts payable and accrued expenses⁽¹⁾	$	14,584	$	14,584	Level 1	$	126,429	$	126,429	Level 1
Interest rate swaps	$	—	$	—	Level 2	$	1,478	$	1,478	Level 2
Debt, net	$	1,715,371	$	1,714,923	Level 2	$	1,726,927	$	1,759,905	Level 2


⁽¹⁾	For the periods presented, the carrying value of these financial instruments approximates estimated fair value due to their short-term maturity.

Piedmont's debt was carried at book value as of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017; however, to estimate its fair value as disclosed in the table above, Piedmont used widely accepted valuation techniques including discounted cash flow analysis based on the contractual terms of the debt facilities, including the period to maturity of each instrument, and observable market-based inputs for similar debt facilities which have transacted recently in the market. Therefore, the estimated fair values determined are considered to be based on significant other observable inputs (Level 2). Scaling adjustments are made to these inputs to make them applicable to the remaining life of Piedmont's outstanding debt. Piedmont has not changed its valuation technique for estimating the fair value of its debt.

Piedmont’s interest rate swap agreements presented above (further discussed in Note 6) are classified as “Interest rate swap” assets and liabilities in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets and were carried at estimated fair value as of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017. The estimated fair value of these derivative instruments was determined using widely accepted valuation techniques such as discounted cash flow analysis based on the contractual terms of the derivatives including the period to maturity of each instrument. Observable market-based inputs, including interest rate curves and implied volatilities, were also used.

Therefore, the estimated fair values determined are considered to be based on significant other observable inputs (Level 2). In addition, Piedmont considered both its own and the respective counterparties’ risk of nonperformance in determining the estimated fair value of its derivative financial instruments by estimating the current and potential future exposure under the derivative financial instruments for both Piedmont and the counterparties that were at risk as of the valuation date. The credit risks of both Piedmont and its counterparties were factored into the calculation of the estimated fair value of the interest rate swaps; however, as of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, this credit valuation adjustment did not comprise a material portion of the estimated fair value. Therefore, Piedmont believes that any unobservable inputs used to determine the estimated fair values of its derivative financial instruments are not significant to the fair value measurements in their entirety, and does not consider any of its derivative financial instruments to be Level 3 assets or liabilities.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments as well as disclosures related to the fair value of non-financial assets and liabilities. Such disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities would include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate); (2) for items for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value, disclosure would include: (a) information pertinent to estimating fair value (including, carrying amount, effective interest rate, and maturity, and (b) the reasons why it is not practicable to estimate fair value; (3) significant concentrations of credit risk including: (a) information about the activity, region, or economic characteristics identifying a concentration, (b) the maximum amount of loss the entity is exposed to based on the gross fair value of the related item, (c) policy for requiring collateral or other security and information as to accessing such collateral or security, and (d) the nature and brief description of such collateral or security; (4) quantitative information about market risks and how such risks are managed; (5) for items measured on both a recurring and nonrecurring basis information regarding the inputs used to develop the fair value measurement; and (6) for items presented in the financial statement for which fair value measurement is elected: (a) information necessary to understand the reasons for the election, (b) discussion of the effect of fair value changes on earnings, (c) a description of [similar groups] items for which the election is made and the relation thereof to the balance sheet, the aggregate carrying value of items included in the balance sheet that are not eligible for the election; (7) all other required (as defined) and desired information.

+ References + Details