Fair Value Option

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Fair value option

We elected fair value as an alternative measurement for selected financial assets, financial liabilities, unrecognized firm commitments and written loan commitments.

The following table presents the assets and liabilities, by type, of consolidated investment management funds recorded at fair value.



Assets and liabilities of consolidated investment management funds, at fair value
	Dec. 31,
(in millions)	2015		2014
Assets of consolidated investment management funds:
Trading assets	$	1,228	$	8,678
Other assets	173		604
Total assets of consolidated investment management funds	$	1,401	$	9,282
Liabilities of consolidated investment management funds:
Trading liabilities	$	229	$	7,660
Other liabilities	17		9
Total liabilities of consolidated investment management funds	$	246	$	7,669

BNY Mellon values the assets and liabilities of its consolidated asset management funds using quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in active markets or observable inputs such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities. Quoted prices for either identical or similar assets or liabilities in inactive markets may also be used. Accordingly, fair value best reflects the interests BNY Mellon holds in the economic performance of the consolidated asset management funds. Changes in the value of the assets and liabilities are recorded in the income statement as investment income of consolidated investment management funds and in the interest of investment management fund note holders, respectively.

We have elected the fair value option on $419 million and $21 million of loans at Dec. 31, 2015 and Dec. 31, 2014, respectively. The fair value of these loans was $422 million at Dec. 31, 2015 and $21 million at Dec. 31, 2014. The loans were valued using observable market inputs to discount expected loan cash flows. These loans are included in Level 2 of the valuation hierarchy.

We have elected the fair value option on $240 million of long-term debt. The fair value of this long-term debt was $359 million at Dec. 31, 2015 and $347 million at Dec. 31, 2014. The long-term debt is valued using observable market inputs and is included in Level 2 of the valuation hierarchy.

The following table presents the changes in fair value of the loans and long-term debt and the location of the changes in the consolidated income statement.



Impact of changes in fair value in the income statement (a)
	Year ended Dec. 31,
(in millions)	2015			2014			2013
Loans:
Investment and other income	$	3		$	—		$	—
Long-term debt:
Foreign exchange and other trading revenue	$	(12	)	$	(26	)	$	24


(a)	The changes in fair value of the loans and long-term debt are approximately offset by economic hedges included in foreign exchange and other trading revenue.

- 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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