Investment in Finance Affiliate

6 Months Ended

Apr. 29, 2022

Equity Method Investments and Joint Ventures [Abstract]


10			Investment in Finance Affiliate

The company and a subsidiary of The Huntington National Bank, are parties to the Red Iron joint venture ("Red Iron"), the primary purpose of which is to provide inventory financing to certain distributors and dealers of certain of the company’s products in the U.S. These financing transactions are structured as an advance in the form of a payment by Red Iron to the company on behalf of a distributor or dealer with respect to invoices financed by Red Iron. These payments extinguish the obligation of the dealer or distributor to make payment to the company under the terms of the applicable invoice. The company has also entered into a limited inventory repurchase agreement with Red Iron, under which the company has agreed to repurchase certain repossessed products, up to a maximum aggregate amount of $7.5 million in a calendar year. The company's financial exposure under this limited inventory repurchase agreement is limited to the difference between the amount paid for repurchases of repossessed product and the amount received upon the subsequent resale of the repossessed product. The company has repurchased immaterial amounts of inventory under this limited inventory repurchase agreement for the six months ended April 29, 2022 and April 30, 2021.

Under separate agreements between Red Iron and the dealers and distributors, Red Iron provides loans to the dealers and distributors for the advances paid by Red Iron to the company. The net amount of receivables financed for dealers and distributors under this arrangement for the six months ended April 29, 2022 and April 30, 2021 were $1,209.7 million and $1,180.9 million, respectively. As of April 29, 2022, Red Iron’s total assets were $636.3 million and total liabilities were $567.6 million. The total amount of receivables due from Red Iron to the company as of April 29, 2022, April 30, 2021, and October 31, 2021 were $19.9 million, $17.1 million and $31.0 million, respectively.

The company owns 45 percent of Red Iron and TCFIF owns 55 percent of Red Iron. The company accounts for its investment in Red Iron under the equity method of accounting. At inception, the company and TCFIF each contributed a specified amount of the estimated cash required to enable Red Iron to purchase the company’s inventory financing receivables and to provide financial support for Red Iron’s inventory financing programs. Red Iron borrows the remaining requisite estimated cash utilizing a $625.0 million secured revolving credit facility established under a credit agreement between Red Iron and TCFIF. The company’s total investment in Red Iron as of April 29, 2022, April 30, 2021, and October 31, 2021 was $30.9 million, $25.3 million, and $20.7 million, respectively. The company has not guaranteed the outstanding indebtedness of Red Iron.