ORGANIZATION AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2013

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

ORGANIZATION AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION

ORGANIZATION AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION

Oaktree Capital Group, LLC (together with its subsidiaries, “Oaktree” or the “Company”) is a leader among global investment managers specializing in alternative investments. Oaktree emphasizes an opportunistic, value-oriented and risk-controlled approach to investments in distressed debt, corporate debt (including high yield debt and senior loans), control investing, convertible securities, real estate and listed equities. Funds managed by Oaktree (the “Oaktree funds”) include both separate accounts and commingled funds. The commingled funds include open-end and closed-end limited partnerships in which the Company makes an investment and for which it serves as the general partner or, in certain limited cases, co-general partner.

Reorganization of Oaktree Capital Management, LLC

Oaktree Capital Group, LLC was formed on April 13, 2007 for the purpose of effecting a private over-the-counter equity offering. On May 21, 2007, the Company sold 23,000,000 Class A units to qualified institutional buyers, as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 as amended, (the “2007 Private Offering”) for net proceeds of $944.2 million, of which $243.0 million represented primary proceeds. Prior to the 2007 Private Offering, our business was operated through Oaktree Capital Management, LLC (“OCM” or the “Predecessor Company”), formed in April 1995, which was owned by its Principals, senior employees and certain other investors. In connection with the 2007 Private Offering, OCM caused all of its business to be contributed to a group of operating entities collectively referred to as the Oaktree Operating Group. In addition to the contribution and assignment of OCM’s business to the Oaktree Operating Group, the owners who held interests in OCM immediately prior to the 2007 Private Offering exchanged those interests for units of Oaktree Capital Group Holdings, L.P. (“OCGH”) and became limited partners of OCGH (together with any subsequently admitted limited partners, the “OCGH unitholders”). In exchange for the assignment and contribution of OCM’s business to the Oaktree Operating Group, OCGH received limited partnership units in each Oaktree Operating Group entity. These series of transactions are collectively referred to as the May 2007 Restructuring. An Oaktree Operating Group unit is not a legal interest but represents one limited partnership interest in each of the Oaktree Operating Group entities.

As a result of the May 2007 Restructuring and other transactions associated with the 2007 Private Offering, the Company became the owner of, and our Class A unitholders therefore had, a 15.86% indirect economic interest in the Oaktree Operating Group, while OCGH retained an 84.14% direct economic interest in the Oaktree Operating Group. Additionally, the Company issued all of its outstanding Class B units to OCGH. The Class B units are entitled to 10 votes per unit whereas the Class A units are only entitled to one vote per unit. Therefore, the Class B units initially held 98.15% of the voting interest of the Company.

OCM is considered the predecessor of the Company for accounting purposes and its financial statements are the historical financial statements of the Company. The May 2007 Restructuring was accounted for as a reorganization of entities under common control. Accordingly, the value of assets and liabilities recognized in OCM’s financial statements were unchanged when those assets and liabilities were carried forward into the Company’s financial statements. When the Company indirectly purchased Oaktree Operating Group units from OCGH and directly from the Oaktree Operating Group, it recorded the proportion of Oaktree Operating Group net assets acquired at their historical carrying value and proportionately reduced the OCGH non-controlling interest in consolidated subsidiaries. Subsequent to the completion of the May 2007 Restructuring, the OCGH unitholders’ economic interest in the Oaktree Operating Group is reflected as OCGH non-controlling interest in consolidated subsidiaries in the accompanying consolidated financial statements.

Initial Public Offering

On April 12, 2012, the Company listed its Class A units on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”). In connection with the listing, the Company and selling unitholders sold 7,888,864 and 954,159 Class A units, respectively. Upon the completion of the initial public offering, the Company owned approximately 20% of the Oaktree Operating Group and the Company’s Principals controlled 98% of the total combined voting power of the Company’s units entitled to vote. The Company did not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of Class A units by the selling unitholders, and used the offering proceeds from the issuance of units to acquire interests in the Company’s business from its Principals, employees (including former employees) and other investors.

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company, its wholly-owned or majority-owned subsidiaries, the consolidated entities that are considered to be variable interest entities and for which the Company is considered the primary beneficiary, and certain entities that are not considered variable interest entities but in which the Company has a controlling financial interest. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.