Basis of Presentation

SVB Financial Group is a diversified financial services company, as well as a bank holding company and financial holding company. SVB Financial was incorporated in the state of Delaware in March 1999. Through our various subsidiaries and divisions, we offer a variety of banking and financial products and services to support our clients of all sizes and stages throughout their life cycles. In these notes to our consolidated financial statements, when we refer to “SVB Financial Group,” “SVBFG”, the “Company,” “we,” “our,” “us” or use similar words, we mean SVB Financial Group and all of its subsidiaries collectively, including Silicon Valley Bank (the “Bank”), unless the context requires otherwise. When we refer to “SVB Financial” or the “Parent” we are referring only to the parent company, SVB Financial Group, unless the context requires otherwise.

The accompanying unaudited interim consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments of a normal and recurring nature that are, in the opinion of management, necessary to fairly present our financial position, results of operations and cash flows in accordance with GAAP. Such unaudited interim consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the instructions to Form 10-Q pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations. The results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014 are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for any future periods. These unaudited interim consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013 (“2013 Form 10-K”).

During the second quarter of 2014, we re-designated certain securities from the classification of "available-for-sale" ("AFS") to "held-to-maturity" ("HTM"). Transfers of investment securities into the held-to-maturity category from the available-for-sale category are made at fair value at the date of transfer. The unrealized gains (losses), net of tax, are retained in other comprehensive income, and the carrying value of the held-to-maturity securities are amortized over the life of the securities in a manner consistent with the amortization of a premium or discount. Our decision to re-designate the securities was based on our ability and intent to hold these securities to maturity. Other than the re-designation of securities from AFS to HTM, the accompanying unaudited interim consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a consistent basis with the accounting policies described in Consolidated Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 2—“Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” under Part II, Item 8 of our 2013 Form 10-K.

The preparation of unaudited interim consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Estimates may change as new information is obtained. Significant items that are subject to such estimates include measurements of fair value, the valuation of non-marketable securities, the valuation of equity warrant assets, the adequacy of the allowance for loan losses and reserve for unfunded credit commitments, and the recognition and measurement of income tax assets and liabilities.

Principles of Consolidation and Presentation

Our consolidated financial statements include the accounts of SVB Financial Group and entities in which we have a controlling financial interest. We determine whether we have a controlling financial interest in an entity by evaluating whether the entity is a voting interest entity or a VIE and whether the applicable accounting guidance requires consolidation. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.

Voting interest entities are entities that have sufficient equity and provide the equity investors voting rights that enable them to make significant decisions relating to the entity’s operations. For these types of entities, the Company’s determination of whether it has a controlling interest is based on ownership of the majority of the entities’ voting equity interest or through control of management of the entities.

VIEs are entities that, by design, either (1) lack sufficient equity to permit the entity to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support from other parties, or (2) have equity investors that do not have the ability to make significant decisions relating to the entity’s operations through voting rights, or do not have the obligation to absorb the expected losses, or do not have the right to receive the residual returns of the entity. We determine whether we have a controlling financial interest in a VIE by considering whether our involvement with the VIE is significant and whether we are the primary beneficiary based on the following:


1.	We have the power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact the entity’s economic performance;


2.	The aggregate indirect and direct variable interests held by the Company have the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits from the entity that could be significant to the VIE; and,


3.	Qualitative and quantitative factors regarding the nature, size, and form of our involvement with the VIE.

Voting interest entities in which we have a controlling financial interest or by which we control through management rights are consolidated into our financial statements.

We have not provided financial or other support during the periods presented to any VIE that we were not previously contractually required to provide. We are variable interest holders in certain partnerships for which we are not the primary beneficiary. We perform on-going reassessments on the status of the entities and whether facts or circumstances have changed in relation to previously evaluated voting interest entities and our involvement in VIEs which could cause our consolidation conclusion to change.

Impact of Adopting ASU No. 2013-08, Amendments to the Scope, Measurement and Disclosure Requirement for Investment Companies

In June 2013, the FASB issued an accounting standards update, which modified the guidance in ASC 946 for determining whether an entity is an investment company, as well as the measurement and disclosure requirements for investment companies. The ASU does not change current accounting where a noninvestment company parent retains the specialized accounting applied by an investment company subsidiary in consolidation. ASU 2013-08 was effective on a prospective basis for the interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2013, and was therefore adopted in the first quarter of 2014. This standard did not have any impact on our financial position, results of operations or stockholders' equity.

Impact of Adopting ASU No. 2013-11, Presentation of an Unrecognized Tax Benefit When a Net Operating Loss Carryforward, a Similar Tax Loss, or a Tax Credit Carryforward Exists

In July 2013, the FASB issued a new accounting standard which requires an unrecognized tax benefit to be presented as a reduction to a deferred tax asset for a net operating loss carryforward, a similar tax loss or a tax credit carryforward that the entity intends to use and is available for settlement at the reporting date. ASU 2013-11 was effective for, and adopted by the Company, in the first quarter of 2014. The adoption of ASU 2013-11 did not have a material impact on our financial position, results of operations or stockholders' equity.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

In January 2014, the FASB issued a new accounting standard (ASU 2014-01, Investments - Equity Method and Joint Ventures (Topic 323), Accounting for Investments in Qualified Affordable Housing Projects), which permits entities that invest in qualified affordable housing projects through limited liability entities that are flow-through entities for tax purposes to make an accounting policy election to use proportional amortization method or apply an equity or cost method. If the proportional amortization method is elected, retrospective presentation is required for prior periods. The guidance is effective on a retrospective basis for the interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2014, with early adoption available. We are currently assessing the impact of this guidance, however, we do not expect it to have a material impact on our financial position, results of operations or stockholders' equity.

In May 2014, the FASB issued a new accounting standard (ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)), which provides revenue recognition guidance that is intended to create greater consistency with respect to how and when revenue from contracts with customers is shown in the income statement. The guidance requires that revenue from contracts with customers be recognized upon delivery of a good or service based on the amount of consideration expected to be received, and requires additional disclosures about revenue. The guidance will be effective on a retrospective basis beginning on January 1, 2017. We do not expect the adoption of this guidance to have a material impact on our financial position, results of operations or stockholders' equity.

In August 2014, the FASB issued a new accounting standard (ASU 2014-15, Going Concern (Topic 205-40)), which requires management to evaluate for each annual and interim reporting period whether there is substantial doubt about an entity's ability to continue as a going concern. The guidance will be effective for annual and quarterly periods ending after December 15, 2016 with early adoption permitted. We are currently developing processes and controls to adopt this guidance by the adoption period and do not expect the adoption of this guidance to have a material impact on our financial position, results of operations or stockholders' equity.

Reclassifications

Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to current period presentations.