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Organization and Basis of Presentation
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2022
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Organization and Basis of Presentation Organization and Basis of Presentation
Newmark Group, Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, “Newmark” or the “Company”), a Delaware corporation, was formed as NRE Delaware, Inc. on November 18, 2016. Newmark changed its name to Newmark Group, Inc. on October 18, 2017. Newmark Holdings, L.P. (“Newmark Holdings”) is a consolidated subsidiary of Newmark for which Newmark is the general partner. Newmark and Newmark Holdings jointly own Newmark Partners, L.P. (“Newmark OpCo”), the operating partnership. Newmark is a leading commercial real estate services firm. Newmark offers a diverse array of integrated services and products designed to meet the full needs of both real estate investors/owners and occupiers. Newmark’s investor/owner services and products include capital markets, which consists of investment sales, debt and structured finance and loan sales, agency leasing, property management, valuation and advisory, commercial real estate due diligence consulting and advisory services and Government Sponsored Enterprise (“GSE”) lending and loan servicing, mortgage brokerage and equity-raising. Newmark’s occupier services and products include tenant representation, real estate management technology systems, workplace and occupancy strategy, global corporate consulting services, project management, lease administration and facilities management. Newmark's global flexible workspace platform, which operates under the names Knotel and Deskeo, is a product that is offered to owners and investors. Newmark enhances these services and products through innovative real estate technology solutions and data analytics that enable clients to increase their efficiency and profits by optimizing their real estate portfolio. Newmark has relationships with many of the world’s largest commercial property owners, real estate developers and investors, as well as Fortune 500 and Forbes Global 2000 companies.

Nasdaq Monetization Transactions
On June 28, 2013, BGC Partners, Inc. ("BGC") had sold certain assets of its on-the-run, electronic benchmark U.S. Treasury platform (“eSpeed”) to Nasdaq, Inc. ("Nasdaq"). The total consideration received in the transaction included $750.0 million in cash paid upon closing and an earn-out of up to 14,883,705 shares of Nasdaq shares to be paid ratably over 15 years, provided that Nasdaq, as a whole, produces at least $25.0 million in consolidated gross revenues each year (the “Nasdaq Earn-out”). The remaining rights under the Nasdaq Earn-out were transferred to Newmark on September 28, 2017. From September of 2017 through June of 2021, Newmark received 10.2 million shares of Nasdaq. From January of 2018 to March of 2022, Newmark sold 7.6 million shares of Nasdaq and delivered 2.6 million shares of Nasdaq to the Royal Bank of Canada ("RBC"), and recognized $1,474.2 million of realized gains and dividend income. Newmark did not hold any Nasdaq shares as of December 31, 2022. See below for further discussion and Note 7 — “Marketable Securities” for additional information.

Exchangeable Preferred Partnership Units and Nasdaq Forward Contracts
On June 18, 2018 and September 26, 2018, Newmark OpCo issued approximately 175.0 million and 150.0 million of exchangeable preferred partnership units (“EPUs”), respectively, in private transactions to RBC (together the “Newmark OpCo Preferred Investment”). Newmark received $266.1 million of cash in 2018 with respect to these transactions. The EPUs were issued in four tranches and were separately convertible by either RBC or Newmark into a fixed number of shares of Newmark Class A common stock, subject to a revenue hurdle in each of the fourth quarters of 2019 through 2022 for each of the respective four tranches. The ability to convert the EPUs into Newmark Class A common stock was subject to the special purpose vehicle's (the “SPVs”) option to settle the postpaid forward contracts as described below. As the EPUs represented equity ownership of a consolidated subsidiary of Newmark, they were included in “Noncontrolling interests” on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets and consolidated statements of changes in equity. The EPUs were entitled to a preferred payable-in-kind dividend, which was recorded as accretion to the carrying amount of the EPUs through Retained earnings on the accompanying consolidated statements of changes in equity and were reductions to “Net income (loss) available to common stockholders” for the purpose of calculating earnings per share.

Contemporaneously with the issuance of the EPUs, a SPV that is a consolidated subsidiary of Newmark entered into variable postpaid forward contracts with RBC (together, the “Nasdaq Forwards”). The SPV was an indirect subsidiary of Newmark whose sole assets were the Nasdaq Earn-outs for 2019 through 2022. Each of the Nasdaq Forwards provided the SPV the option to settle using up to 992,247 Nasdaq shares, to be received by the SPV pursuant to the Nasdaq Earn-out shares to be received (see Note 7 — “Marketable Securities”), or Newmark Class A common stock, in exchange for either cash or redemption of the EPUs, notice of which was to be provided to RBC prior to November 1 of each year from 2019 through 2022.

In September 2020, the SPV notified RBC of its decision to settle the second Nasdaq Forward using the Nasdaq shares the SPV received in November 2020 in exchange for the second tranche of the EPUs, which resulted in a payable to RBC that was settled upon receipt of Nasdaq Earn-out shares. The fair value of the Nasdaq common shares that Newmark received was
$121.9 million. On November 30, 2020, Newmark settled the second Nasdaq Forward 741,505 Nasdaq shares, with a fair value of $93.5 million and Newmark retained 250,742 Nasdaq shares.
In September 2019, the SPV notified RBC of its decision to settle the first Nasdaq Forward using the Nasdaq shares the SPV received in November 2019 in exchange for the first tranche of the EPUs, which resulted in a payable to RBC that was settled upon receipt of Nasdaq Earn-out shares. The fair value of the Nasdaq shares that Newmark received was $98.6 million. On December 2, 2019, Newmark settled the first Nasdaq forward contract with 898,685 Nasdaq shares, with a fair value of $93.5 million and Newmark retained 93,562 Nasdaq shares.

Acceleration of Nasdaq Earn-out
On February 2, 2021, Nasdaq announced that it entered into a definitive agreement to sell its U.S. fixed income business to Tradeweb. On June 25, 2021, Nasdaq announced the close of the sale of its U.S. fixed income business, which accelerated Newmark’s receipt of Nasdaq shares. Newmark received 6,222,340 Nasdaq shares, with a fair value of $1,093.9 million based on the closing price on June 30, 2021 included in “Other (loss) income, net” for the year ended December 31, 2021.

On June 25, 2021, the SPV notified RBC of its decision to settle the third and fourth Nasdaq Forwards using the Nasdaq shares the SPV received on June 25, 2021. On July 2, 2021, Newmark settled the third and the fourth Nasdaq Forwards with 944,329 Nasdaq shares, with a fair value of $166.0 million based on the closing price of June 30, 2021.

2021 Equity Event and Share Count Reduction
In connection with the acceleration of the Nasdaq Earn-out, on June 28, 2021, the Compensation Committee of Newmark’s Board of Directors (the "Compensation Committee") approved a plan to expedite the tax deductible exchange and redemption of a substantial number of limited partnership units held by partners of the Company (the "2021 Equity Event"). The 2021 Equity Event also accelerated certain compensation expenses resulting in $428.6 million of compensation charges. These charges, along with the use of $101.0 million of net deferred tax assets, offset a significant percentage of the Company's taxes related to the Nasdaq Earn-out. These partnership units were settled using a $12.50 share price. In July 2021, the Compensation Committee approved increasing to $13.01 the price to settle certain units.

Some of the key components of the 2021 Equity Event are as follows:

8.3 million and 8.0 million compensatory limited partnership units, respectively, of Newmark Holdings and BGC Holdings, L.P. ("BGC Holdings") held by the Company's partners who are employees were redeemed or exchanged.

23.2 million and 17.4 million compensatory limited partnership units, respectively, of Newmark Holdings and BGC Holdings held by the Company's partners who are independent contractors were redeemed or exchanged. The Company also accelerated the payment of related withholding taxes to them with respect to their Newmark units. Independent contractors received one BGC Class A common share for each redeemed non-preferred BGC unit or cash and are responsible for paying any related withholding taxes.

Partners with nonexchangeable non-preferred compensatory units exchanged or redeemed in connection with the 2021 Equity Event generally received restricted Class A common shares of Newmark and/or BGC to the extent tax deductible. A portion of the BGC Class A common shares received by independent contractors were unrestricted to facilitate their payment of withholding taxes.

The issuance of Newmark Class A common stock related to the 2021 Equity Event reflected the June 30, 2021 exchange ratio of 0.9403.

Newmark Holdings and BGC Holdings limited partnership interests with rights to convert into HDUs for cash were also redeemed in connection with the 2021 Equity Event.

See Note 27 — "Related Party Transactions" for the transactions with the Company's executive officers in connection with the 2021 Equity Event.
(a)    Basis of Presentation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. (“U.S. GAAP”).

“Equity-based compensation and allocations of net income to limited partnership units and founding/working partner units (“FPUs”)” reflects the following items related to cash and equity-based compensation:
Charges with respect to the grant of shares of common stock or limited partnership units, such as HDUs, including in connection with the redemption of non-exchangeable limited partnership units, including PSUs;
Charges with respect to grants of exchangeability, such as the right of holders of limited partnership units with no capital accounts, such as PSUs, to exchange the units into shares of common stock, or HDUs, as well as the cash paid in the settlement of the related exchangeable preferred units to pay withholding taxes owed by the unit holder upon such exchange;
Preferred units granted in connection with the grant of certain limited partnership units, such as PSUs, that may be granted exchangeability to cover the withholding taxes owed by the unit holder, rather than issuing the gross amount of shares to employees, subject to cashless withholding of shares to pay applicable withholding taxes;
Charges related to the amortization of RSUs and REUs; and
Allocations of net income to limited partnership units and FPUs, including the Preferred Distribution (as hereinafter defined).

Intercompany balances and transactions within Newmark have been eliminated. Transactions between Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P. ("Cantor") and Newmark pursuant to service agreements with Cantor (see Note 27 — “Related Party Transactions”), representing valid receivables and liabilities of Newmark which are periodically cash settled, have been included on the accompanying consolidated financial statements as either receivables from or payables to related parties.

Newmark receives administrative services to support its operations, and in return, Cantor allocates certain of its expenses to Newmark. Such expenses represent costs related, but not limited to, treasury, legal, accounting, information technology, payroll administration, human resources, incentive compensation plans and other services. These costs, together with an allocation of Cantor's overhead costs, are included as expenses on the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. Where it is possible to specifically attribute such expenses to activities of Newmark, these amounts have been expensed directly to Newmark. Allocation of all other such expenses is based on a services agreement with Cantor which reflects the utilization of service provided or benefits received by Newmark during the periods presented on a consistent basis, such as headcount, square footage, revenue, etc. Management believes the assumptions underlying the stand-alone financial statements, including the assumptions regarding allocated expenses, reasonably reflect the utilization of services provided to or the benefit received by Newmark during the periods presented. However, these shared expenses may not represent the amounts that would have been incurred had Newmark operated independently from Cantor. Actual costs that would have been incurred if Newmark had performed the services itself would depend on multiple factors, including organizational structure and strategic decisions in various areas, including information technology and infrastructure (see Note 27 — “Related Party Transactions” for an additional discussion of expense allocations).

Transfers of cash, both to and from Cantor, as well as amounts due to Newmark from BGC are included in “Receivables from related parties” or “Payables to related parties” on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets and as part of the change in payments to and borrowings from related parties in the financing section prior to the Spin-Off and in the operating section after the Spin-Off on the accompanying consolidated statements of cash flows.

The income tax provision on the accompanying consolidated statements of operations and consolidated statements of comprehensive income has been calculated as if Newmark had been operating on a stand-alone basis and filed separate tax returns in the jurisdictions in which it operates. Prior to the Spin-Off, Newmark’s operations had been included in the BGC U.S. federal and state tax returns or separate non-U.S. jurisdictions tax returns. As Newmark operations in many jurisdictions were unincorporated commercial units of BGC and its subsidiaries, stand-alone tax returns have not been filed for the operations in these jurisdictions.

The accompanying consolidated financial statements contain all normal and recurring adjustments that, in the opinion of management, are necessary for a fair presentation of the accompanying consolidated balance sheets, consolidated statements of operations, consolidated statements of comprehensive income, consolidated statements of cash flows and consolidated statements of changes in equity of Newmark for the periods presented.
(b)    Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes. The ASU is part of the FASB’s simplification initiative, and it is expected to reduce cost and complexity related to accounting for income taxes by eliminating certain exceptions to the guidance in ASC 740, Income Taxes related to the approach for intraperiod tax allocation, the methodology for calculating income taxes in an interim period and the recognition of deferred tax liabilities for outside basis differences. The new guidance also simplifies aspects of the accounting for franchise taxes and enacted changes in tax laws or rates, and clarifies the accounting for transactions that result in a step-up in the tax basis of goodwill. Newmark adopted the standard on the required effective date beginning January 1, 2021 and, with certain exceptions, it was applied prospectively. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the accompanying consolidated financial statements.

In January 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-01, Investments—Equity Securities (Topic 321), Investments—Equity Method and Joint Ventures (Topic 323), and Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815)—Clarifying the Interactions between Topic 321, Topic 323, and Topic 815 (a consensus of the FASB Emerging Issues Task Force). These amendments improve previous guidance by reducing diversity in practice and increasing comparability of the accounting for the interactions between these codification topics as they pertain to certain equity securities, investments under the equity method of accounting and forward contracts or purchased options to purchase securities that, upon settlement of the forward contract or exercise of the purchased option, would be accounted for under the equity method of accounting or the fair value option. Newmark adopted the standard on the required effective date beginning January 1, 2021 on a prospective basis. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the accompanying consolidated financial statements.

In October 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-10, Codification Improvements. The standard amends the Codification by moving existing disclosure requirements to (or adding appropriate references in) the relevant disclosure sections. The ASU also clarifies various provisions of the Codification by amending and adding new headings, cross-referencing, and refining or correcting terminology. Newmark adopted the standard on the required effective date beginning January 1, 2021 and was applied using a modified retrospective method of transition. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the accompanying consolidated financial statements.

In August 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-06, Debt—Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging—Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40): Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity’s Own Equity. The standard is expected to reduce complexity and improve comparability of financial reporting associated with accounting for convertible instruments and contracts in an entity’s own equity. The ASU also enhances information transparency by making targeted improvements to the related disclosures guidance. Additionally, the amendments affect the diluted EPS calculation for instruments that may be settled in cash or shares and for convertible instruments. Newmark adopted the standard on the required effective date beginning January 1, 2022, and it was applied using a modified retrospective method of transition. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the accompanying consolidated financial statements.

In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-04, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting. The guidance is designed to provide relief from the accounting analysis and impacts that may otherwise be required for modifications to agreements (e.g., loans, debt securities, derivatives, and borrowings) necessitated by reference rate reform as entities transition away from LIBOR and other interbank offered rates to alternative reference rates. This ASU also provides optional expedients to enable companies to continue to apply hedge accounting to certain hedging relationships impacted by reference rate reform. Application of the guidance is optional and only available in certain situations. The ASU is effective upon issuance and generally can be applied through December 31, 2022. In January 2021, the FASB issued ASU No. 2021-01, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Scope. The amendments in this standard are elective and principally apply to entities that have derivative instruments that use an interest rate for margining, discounting, or contract price alignment that is modified as a result of reference rate reform (referred to as the “discounting transition”). The standard expands the scope of ASC 848, Reference Rate Reform and allows entities to elect optional expedients to derivative contracts impacted by the discounting transition. Similar to ASU No. 2020-04, provisions of this ASU are effective upon issuance and generally can be applied through December 31, 2022. During the first quarter of 2022, Newmark elected to apply the practical expedients to modifications of qualifying contracts as continuation of the existing contract rather than as a new contract. The adoption of the new guidance did not have a material impact on the accompanying consolidated financial statements.

In November 2021, the FASB issued ASU No. 2021-10, Government Assistance (Topic 832): Disclosures by Business Entities about Government Assistance. The standard requires business entities to make annual disclosures about transactions
with a government they account for by analogizing to a grant or contribution accounting model. The guidance is aimed at increasing transparency about government assistance transactions that are not in the scope of other U.S. GAAP guidance. The ASU requires disclosure of the nature and significant terms and considerations of the transactions, the accounting policies used and the effects of those transactions on an entity’s financial statements. The new standard became effective for Newmark’s financial statements issued for annual reporting periods beginning on January 1, 2022 and will be applied prospectively. The adoption of this guidance did not have an impact on the accompanying consolidated financial statements.

(c)    New Accounting Pronouncements

In October 2021, the FASB issued ASU No. 2021-08, Business Combinations (Topic 805): Accounting for Contract Assets and Contract Liabilities from Contracts with Customers. The standard improves the accounting for acquired revenue contracts with customers in a business combination by addressing diversity in practice and inconsistency related to the recognition of an acquired contract liability, as well as payment terms and their effect on subsequent revenue recognized by the acquirer. The ASU requires companies to apply guidance in ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, to recognize and measure contract assets and contract liabilities from contracts with customers acquired in a business combination, and, thus, creates an exception to the general recognition and measurement principle in ASC 805, Business Combinations. The new standard became effective for Newmark beginning January 1, 2023, and will be applied prospectively for business combinations occurring on or after the effective date. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material impact on the accompanying consolidated financial statements.

In March 2022, the FASB issued ASU No. 2022-02, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (Topic 326): Troubled Debt Restructurings and Vintage Disclosures. The guidance is intended to improve the decision usefulness of information provided to investors about certain loan refinancings, restructurings, and write-offs. The standard eliminates the recognition and measurement guidance on troubled debt restructurings (“TDRs”) for creditors that have adopted ASC 326, Financial Instruments — Credit Losses and requires them to make enhanced disclosures about loan modifications for borrowers experiencing financial difficulty. The new guidance also requires public business entities to present current-period gross write-offs (on a current year-to-date basis for interim-period disclosures) by year of origination in their vintage disclosures. The new standard became effective for Newmark beginning January 1, 2023. The guidance for recognition and measurement of TDRs will be applied using a prospective transition method, and the amendments related to disclosures will be applied prospectively. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material impact on the accompanying consolidated financial statements.

In December 2022, the FASB issued ASU No. 2022-06, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Deferral of the Sunset Date of Topic 848. ASU No. 2020-04, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting provided optional guidance to ease the potential burden in accounting for (or recognizing the effects of) reference rate reform on financial reporting. The ASU was effective upon issuance and generally could be applied through December 31, 2022. Because the current relief in ASC 848, Reference Rate Reform may not cover a period of time during which a significant number of modifications may take place, the amendments in ASU No. 2022-06 defer the sunset date from December 31, 2022 to December 31, 2024, after which entities will no longer be permitted to apply the relief in ASC 848. Management is currently evaluating the impact of the new standard on the accompanying consolidated financial statements.