Asset-Backed Financing

The Company participates in asset-backed financing both through asset-backed securitization transactions and through asset-backed commercial paper conduit facilities. See Note 1 for more information on the Company's accounting for asset-backed financings and VIEs.

The following table shows the assets and liabilities related to the on-balance sheet asset-backed financings included in the financial statements at December 31 (in thousands):



	2017
	Finance receivables		Allowance for credit losses			Restricted cash		Other assets		Total assets		Asset-backed debt
On-balance sheet assets and liabilities
Consolidated VIEs
Asset-backed securitizations	$	439,301	$	(13,686	)	$	34,919	$	1,260	$	461,794	$	352,624
Asset-backed U.S. commercial paper conduit facilities	300,530		(9,392		)	13,787		888		305,813		279,457
Unconsolidated VIEs
Asset-backed Canadian commercial paper conduit facility	203,691		(3,746		)	9,983		470		210,398		174,779
Total on-balance sheet assets and liabilities	$	943,522	$	(26,824	)	$	58,689	$	2,618	$	978,005	$	806,860

	2016
	Finance receivables		Allowance for credit losses			Restricted cash		Other assets		Total assets		Asset-backed debt
On-balance sheet assets and liabilities
Consolidated VIEs
Asset-backed securitizations	$	893,804	$	(25,468	)	$	57,057	$	2,452	$	927,845	$	796,275
Asset-backed U.S. commercial paper conduit facilities	—		—			—		329		329		—
Unconsolidated VIEs
Asset-backed Canadian commercial paper conduit facility	165,719		(3,573		)	10,090		426		172,662		149,338
Total on-balance sheet assets and liabilities	$	1,059,523	$	(29,041	)	$	67,147	$	3,207	$	1,100,836	$	945,613

On-Balance Sheet Asset-Backed Securitization VIEs

The Company transfers U.S. retail motorcycle finance receivables to SPEs which in turn issue secured notes to investors, with various maturities and interest rates, secured by future collections of the purchased U.S. retail motorcycle finance receivables. Each on-balance sheet asset-backed securitization SPE is a separate legal entity and the U.S. retail motorcycle finance receivables included in the asset-backed securitizations are only available for payment of the secured debt and other obligations arising from the asset-backed securitization transactions and are not available to pay other obligations or claims of the Company’s creditors until the associated secured debt and other obligations are satisfied. Restricted cash balances held by the SPEs are used only to support the securitizations. There are no amortization schedules for the secured notes; however, the debt is reduced monthly as available collections on the related U.S. retail motorcycle finance receivables are applied to outstanding principal. The secured notes’ contractual lives have various maturities ranging from 2019 to 2022.

The Company is the primary beneficiary of its on-balance sheet asset-backed securitization VIEs because it retains servicing rights and a residual interest in the VIEs in the form of a debt security. As the servicer, the Company is the variable interest holder with the power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance. As a residual interest holder, the Company has the obligation to absorb losses and the right to receive benefits which could potentially be significant to the VIE.

There were no on-balance sheet asset-backed securitization transactions during 2017 or 2016. At December 31, 2017, the Company's consolidated balance sheet included outstanding balances related to the following secured notes with the related maturity dates and interest rates (in thousands):



Issue Date	Principal Amount at Date of Issuance	Weighted-Average Rate at Date of Issuance	Contractual Maturity Date
May 2015	$500,000	0.88%	May 2016 - December 2022
January 2015	$700,000	0.89%	February 2016 - August 2022
April 2014	$850,000	0.66%	April 2015 - October 2021

In addition, outstanding balances related to the following secured notes included in the Company's consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2016 were repaid during 2017 (in thousands):



Issue Date	Principal Amount at Date of Issuance	Weighted-Average Rate at Date of Issuance	Contractual Maturity Date

April 2013	$650,000	0.57%	May 2014 - December 2020

For the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, interest expense on the secured notes was $7.9 million and $13.1 million, respectively, which is included in financial services interest expense. The weighted average interest rate of the outstanding on-balance sheet asset-backed securitization transactions was 1.53% and 1.31% at December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

On-Balance Sheet Asset-Backed U.S. Commercial Paper Conduit Facilities VIE

On December 13, 2017, the Company renewed its existing $300.0 million and $600.0 million revolving facility agreements with a third party bank-sponsored asset-backed U.S. commercial paper conduit. Availability under the revolving facilities (together, the U.S. Conduit Facilities) is based on, among other things, the amount of eligible U.S. retail motorcycle finance receivables held by the SPE as collateral.

Under the U.S. Conduit Facilities, the Company may transfer U.S. retail motorcycle finance receivables to an SPE, which in turn may issue debt to the third party bank-sponsored asset-backed commercial paper conduit. The assets of the SPE are restricted as collateral for the payment of the debt or other obligations arising in the transaction and are not available to pay other obligations or claims of the Company’s creditors. The terms for this debt provide for interest on the outstanding principal based on prevailing commercial paper rates or LIBOR to the extent the advance is not funded by a conduit lender through the issuance of commercial paper plus, in each case, a program fee based on outstanding principal. The U.S. Conduit Facilities also provide for an unused commitment fee based on the unused portion of the total aggregate commitment of $900.0 million. There is no amortization schedule; however, the debt will be reduced monthly as available collections on the related finance receivables are applied to outstanding principal. Upon expiration of the U.S. Conduit Facilities, any outstanding principal will continue to be reduced monthly through available collections. Unless earlier terminated or extended by mutual agreement of the Company and the lenders, the U.S. Conduit Facilities have an expiration date of December 12, 2018.

The Company is the primary beneficiary of its U.S. Conduit Facilities VIE because it retains servicing rights and a residual interest in the VIE in the form of a debt security. As the servicer, the Company is the variable interest holder with the power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance. As a residual interest holder, the Company has the obligation to absorb losses and the right to receive benefits which could potentially be significant to the VIE.

During 2017, the Company transferred $429.7 million of U.S. retail motorcycle finance receivables to an SPE which, in turn, issued $383.3 million of debt under the U.S. Conduit Facilities. The VIE did not borrow under the U.S. Conduit Facilities during 2016 and did not have an outstanding balance at December 31, 2016. The contractual maturity of the debt is approximately 5 years.

For the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company recorded interest expense of $7.1 million under the U.S. Conduit Facilities. The weighted average interest rate of the outstanding U.S. Conduit Facilities was 2.33% at December 31, 2017. For the year ended December 31, 2016, interest expense was $1.3 million related to the unused portion of the total aggregate commitment. Interest expense on the U.S. Conduit Facilities is included in financial services interest expense.

On-Balance Sheet Asset-Backed Canadian Commercial Paper Conduit Facility

In June 2017, the Company amended its facility agreement (Canadian Conduit) with a Canadian bank-sponsored asset-backed commercial paper conduit. Under the agreement, the Canadian Conduit is contractually committed, at the Company's option, to purchase eligible Canadian retail motorcycle finance receivables for proceeds up to C$220.0 million. The transferred assets are restricted as collateral for the payment of debt. The terms for this debt provide for interest on the outstanding principal based on prevailing market interest rates plus a specified margin. The Canadian Conduit also provides for a program fee and an unused commitment fee based on the unused portion of the total aggregate commitment of C$220.0 million. There is no amortization schedule; however, the debt is reduced monthly as available collections on the related finance receivables are applied to outstanding principal. Upon expiration of the Canadian Conduit, any outstanding principal will continue to be reduced monthly through available collections. The contractual maturity of the debt is approximately 5 years. Unless earlier terminated or extended by mutual agreement of the Company and the lenders, the Canadian Conduit expires on June 30, 2018.

During 2017 and 2016, the Company transferred $105.4 million and $71.1 million, respectively, of Canadian retail motorcycle finance receivables to the Canadian Conduit for proceeds of $87.0 million and $62.4 million, respectively.

For the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company recorded interest expense of $2.6 million and $2.7 million, respectively, on the secured notes. Interest expense on the Canadian Conduit is included in financial services interest expense. The weighted average interest rate of the outstanding Canadian Conduit was 1.96% and 1.84% at December 31, 2017 and 2016.

The Company is not the primary beneficiary of the Canadian bank-sponsored, multi-seller conduit VIE; therefore, the Company doesn’t consolidate the VIE. However, the Company treats the conduit facility as a secured borrowing as it maintains effective control over the assets transferred to the VIE and therefore doesn’t meet the requirements for sale accounting.

As the Company participates in and does not consolidate the Canadian bank-sponsored, multi-seller conduit VIE, the maximum exposure to loss associated with this VIE, which would only be incurred in the unlikely event that all the finance receivables and underlying collateral have no residual value, is $35.6 million at December 31, 2017. The maximum exposure is not an indication of the Company's expected loss exposure.

Off-Balance Sheet Asset-Backed Securitization VIE

There were no off-balance sheet asset-backed securitization transactions during the year ended December 31, 2017. During the second quarter of 2016, the Company sold retail motorcycle finance receivables with a principal balance of $301.8 million into a securitization VIE that was not consolidated, recognized a gain of $9.3 million and received cash proceeds of $312.6 million. Similar to an on-balance sheet asset-backed securitization, the Company transferred U.S. retail motorcycle finance receivables to an SPE which in turn issued secured notes to investors, with various maturities and interest rates, secured by future collections of the purchased U.S. retail motorcycle finance receivables. The off-balance sheet asset-backed securitization SPE is a separate legal entity, and the U.S. retail motorcycle finance receivables included in the term asset-backed securitization are only available for payment of the secured debt and other obligations arising from the asset-backed securitization transaction and are not available to pay other obligations or claims of the Company’s creditors. In an on-balance sheet asset-backed securitization, the Company retains a financial interest in the VIE in the form of a debt security. As part of this off-balance sheet securitization, the Company did not retain any financial interest in the VIE beyond servicing rights and ordinary representations and warranties and related covenants.

The Company is not the primary beneficiary of the off-balance sheet asset-backed securitization VIE because it only retained servicing rights and does not have the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits from the VIE which could potentially be significant to the VIE. Accordingly, this transaction met the accounting sale requirements under ASC Topic 860 and was recorded as a sale for accounting purposes. Upon the sale, the retail motorcycle finance receivables were removed from the Company’s balance sheet and a gain was recognized for the difference between the cash proceeds received, the assets derecognized and the liabilities recognized as part of the transaction. The gain on sale was included in financial services revenue in the Consolidated Statement of Income.

At December 31, 2017, the assets of this off-balance sheet asset-backed securitization VIE were $146.4 million and represented the current unpaid principal balance of the retail motorcycle finance receivables, which was the Company’s maximum exposure to loss in the off-balance sheet VIE at December 31, 2017. This is based on the unlikely event that all the receivables have underwriting defects or other defects that trigger a violation of certain covenants and that the underlying collateral has no residual value. This maximum exposure is not an indication of expected losses.

Servicing Activities

The Company services all retail motorcycle finance receivables that it originates. When the Company transfers retail motorcycle finance receivables to SPEs through asset-backed financings, the Company retains the right to service the finance receivables and receives servicing fees based on the securitized finance receivables balance and certain ancillary fees. In on-balance sheet asset-backed financing, servicing fees are eliminated in consolidation and therefore are not recorded on a consolidated basis. In off-balance sheet asset-backed financings, servicing fees and ancillary fees are recorded in Financial Services revenue in the Consolidated Statement of Income. The fees the Company is paid for servicing represent adequate compensation, and, consequently, the Company does not recognize a servicing asset or liability. The Company recognized servicing fee income of $1.9 million and $1.6 million for the years ended December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively.

The unpaid principal balance of serviced retail motorcycle finance receivables at December 31 was as follows (in thousands):



	2017		2016
On-balance sheet retail motorcycle finance receivables	$	5,993,185	$	5,839,467
Off-balance sheet retail motorcycle finance receivables	146,425		236,706
Total serviced retail motorcycle finance receivables	$	6,139,610	$	6,076,173

The balance of serviced finance receivables 30 days or more delinquent at December 31 was as follows (in thousands):



	Amount 30 days or more past due:
	2017		2016
On-balance sheet retail motorcycle finance receivables	$	227,127	$	221,393
Off-balance sheet retail motorcycle finance receivables	2,106		1,858
Total serviced retail motorcycle finance receivables	$	229,233	$	223,251

Credit losses, net of recoveries for the serviced finance receivables for the years ended December 31 were as follows (in thousands):



	2017		2016
On-balance sheet retail motorcycle finance receivables	$	113,316	$	107,161
Off-balance sheet retail motorcycle finance receivables	1,191		820
Total serviced retail motorcycle finance receivables	$	114,507	$	107,981