Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Reclassification

Certain prior period amounts in the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements have been reclassified to conform to the current period’s presentation.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In January 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2016-01, “Financial Instruments – Overall: Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities”. ASU 2016-01 requires equity investments (except 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 fair value recognized in net income, requires public business entities to use the exit price notion when measuring the fair value of financial instruments for disclosure purposes, requires separate presentation of financial assets and financial liabilities by measurement category and form of financial asset, and eliminates the requirement for public business entities to disclose the method(s) and significant assumptions used to estimate the fair value that is required to be disclosed for financial instruments measured at amortized cost. These changes became effective for our fiscal year beginning October 1, 2018. The most significant change for us, once ASU 2016-01 was adopted, was the accounting treatment for our investments in marketable securities that are classified as available for sale. The accounting treatment used for our Consolidated Financial Statements through Fiscal 2018 was that our investments in marketable securities, classified as available for sale, were carried at fair value, with net unrealized holding gains and losses being excluded from earnings and reported as a separate component of Shareholders’ Equity until realized and the change in net unrealized holding gains and losses being reflected as comprehensive income (loss). Under ASU 2016-01, effective October 1, 2018, these marketable securities continue to be measured at fair value, however, the changes in net unrealized holding gains and losses are now recognized through net income on our Consolidated Statements of Income (Loss). On October 1, 2018, unrealized net holding losses of $24.7 million were reclassed to beginning Undistributed Income (Loss) to recognize the unrealized losses previously recorded in “accumulated other comprehensive income” on our consolidated balance sheets.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, “Leases”. ASU 2016-02 amends the existing accounting standards for lease accounting, including requiring lessees to recognize most leases on their balance sheets and making targeted changes to lessee and lessor accounting. The standard requires a modified retrospective transition approach for all leases existing at, or entered into after, the date of initial application, with an option to use certain transition relief. The most significant changes related to lessor accounting under ASU 2016-02 include bifurcating revenue into lease and non-lease components and the new standard’s narrow definition of initial direct costs for leases. Since our revenue is primarily derived from leasing activities from long-term net-leases and since we currently do not capitalize indirect costs for leases, we believe that we will continue to account for our leases and related leasing costs in substantially the same manner as we currently do once the adoption of the ASU 2016-02 becomes effective. In addition, the guidance requires lessees to recognize assets and liabilities for operating leases with lease terms greater than twelve months on the balance sheet. Therefore, the most significant impact for us may be the recognition of our corporate office lease, while accounting where we are the lessor will remain substantially the same. Upon adoption, we may recognize an asset and lease liability equal to the present value of the minimum lease payments due under our corporate office lease. In July 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-10, “Codification Improvements to Topic 842, Leases”. The amendment in ASU 2018-10 affects narrow aspects of the guidance issued earlier in ASU 2016-02 by removing certain inconsistencies and providing additional clarification related to the guidance issued earlier. We are currently evaluating the potential impact this standard may have on our consolidated financial statements and expect that the adoption of this standard will not have a significant impact on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. In December 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-20 “Narrow-Scope Improvements for Lessors”. Similar to ASU 2018-10, 2018-20 affects narrow aspects of the guidance issued earlier in ASU 2016-02 as well by providing additional clarification related to the guidance issued earlier. The most significant changes related to lessor accounting under ASU 2018-20 is the clarification of how to treat payments made by a lessee directly to a third party, such as real estate taxes paid by the lessee directly to the taxing authority, whereby items paid directly by the lessee to a third party should not be reflected in the lessors income statement and, thus, should not be bifurcated and included in revenue and operating expenses. A majority of our reimbursable expenses are paid by us and are billed back to our lessees. Therefore, these reimbursable expenses will continue to be presented separately by bifurcating these revenue and expense items in our Consolidated Statements of Income. We are currently evaluating the potential impact this standard may have on our consolidated financial statements and expect that the adoption of this standard will not have a significant impact on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures, other than any of these types of payments made by a lessee directly to a third party will no longer be presented on a gross basis in our Consolidated Statements of Income, which will have a net zero effect on our Net Income Attributable to Common Shareholders. ASU 2016-02, 2018-10 and 2018-20 are effective for annual reporting periods, including interim reporting periods within those periods, beginning after December 15, 2018. Therefore, we expect to adopt these standards effective October 1, 2019.

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers”. The FASB issued further guidance in ASU 2016-12, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Narrow-Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients”, that provides clarifying guidance in certain narrow areas and adds some practical expedients. ASU 2014-09 will replace most existing revenue recognition guidance in U.S. GAAP when it becomes effective. The effective date of ASU 2014-09 was extended by one year by ASU 2015-14, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date”. The new standard is effective for the first interim period within annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Therefore, we adopted the standard effective October 1, 2018. Our revenue is primarily derived from leasing activities and historically our property dispositions have been cash sales with no contingencies and no future involvement in the property. Since this standard applies to all contracts with customers except those that are within the scope of other guidance, such as leases, the adoption of this standard did not have a significant impact on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

We do not believe that any other recently issued, but not yet effective accounting pronouncements, if adopted, would have a material effect on the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements.