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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policy)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2019

Our condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of our subsidiaries, certain partially owned real estate joint ventures or partnerships and variable interest entities (“VIEs”) which meet the guidelines for consolidation. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated.

The condensed consolidated financial statements included in this report are unaudited; however, amounts presented in the condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2018 are derived from our audited financial statements at that date. In our opinion, all adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of such financial statements have been included. Such adjustments consisted of normal recurring items. Interim results are not necessarily indicative of results for a full year.

The condensed consolidated financial statements and notes are presented as permitted by Form 10-Q and certain information included in our annual financial statements and notes thereto has been condensed or omitted. These condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes for the year ended December 31, 2018.

Our financial statements are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). Such statements require management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and 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 these estimates. We have evaluated subsequent events for recognition or disclosure in our condensed consolidated financial statements.

Leases

As part of our operations, we are primarily a lessor of commercial retail space. In certain instances, we are also a lessee, primarily of ground leases associated with our operations. Our contracts are reviewed to determine if they qualify as a lease. A contract is determined to be a lease when the right to obtain substantially all of the economic benefits and to direct the use of an identified asset is transferred to a customer over a defined period of time for consideration. During this review, we evaluate among other items, asset specification, substitution rights, purchase options, operating rights and control over the asset during the contract period.

We have elected accounting policy practical expedients, both as a lessor and a lessee, to not separate any nonlease components (primarily common area maintenance) within a lease contract for all classes of underlying assets (primarily real estate assets). We have determined to account for both the lease and nonlease components as a single component when the lease component is the predominate component of a contract. As a lessor, we have further determined that this policy will be effective only on a lease that has been classified as an operating lease and the revenue recognition pattern and timing is the same for both types of components. Therefore, Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") No. 842, “Leases” will be applied to these lease contracts for both types of components. Additionally, for lessee leases, we have also elected not to apply the overall balance sheet recognition requirements to short-term leases.

Significant judgments and assumptions are inherent in not only determining if a contract contains a lease but also the lease classification, terms, payments, and, if needed, discount rates. Judgments include the nature of any options with the determination if they will be exercised, evaluation of implicit discount rates, assessment and consideration of “fixed” payments for straight-line rent revenue calculations and the evaluation of asset identification and substitution rights.

The determination of the discount rate used in a lease should be the incremental borrowing rate of the lease contract. For lessee leases, this rate is often not readily determinable as the lessor’s initial direct costs and expected residual value are at the end of the lease term and unknown. Therefore, as the lessee, our incremental borrowing rate will be used. Selected discount rates reflect rates that we would have to pay to borrow on a fully collateralized basis over a term similar to the lease. Additionally, we obtain lender quotes with similar terms and if not available, the asset type, risk free rates and financing spreads to account for creditworthiness and collateral.

Our lessor leases are principally related to our shopping centers. We believe risk of an inadequate residual value of the leased asset upon the termination of these leases is low due to our ability to re-lease the space, the long-lived nature of our real estate assets and the propensity of real estate assets to hold their value over a long period of time.

Leases

Revenue Recognition

At the inception of a revenue producing contract, we determine if a contract qualifies as a lease and if not, then as a customer contract. Based on this determination, the appropriate GAAP is applied to the contract, including its revenue recognition.

Rentals, net

Rental revenue is primarily derived from operating leases and, therefore, is generally recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease, which typically begins the date the tenant takes control of the space. Variable rental revenue consists primarily of tenant reimbursements of taxes, maintenance expenses and insurance, is subject to our interpretation of lease provisions and is recognized over the term of a lease as services are provided. Additionally, variable rental revenue based on a percentage of tenants’ sales is recognized only after the tenant exceeds its sales breakpoint. In circumstances where we provide a tenant improvement allowance for improvements that are owned by the tenant, we recognize the allowance as a reduction of rental revenue on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease. Further, at the lease commencement date, we consider the collectability of a lease when determining revenue to be recognized. Prior to the adoption of ASC No. 842, rental revenues were recognized under ASC No. 840, “Leases.”

Other

Other revenue consists of both customer contract revenue and income from contractual agreements with third parties or partially owned real estate joint ventures or partnerships, which do not meet the definition of a lease or a customer contract. Revenues which do not meet the definition of a lease or customer contract are recognized as the related services are performed under the applicable agreement.

We have identified primarily three types of customer contract revenue: (1) management contracts with partially-owned real estate joint ventures or partnerships or third parties, (2) licensing and occupancy agreements and (3) certain non-tenant contracts. At contract inception, we assess the services provided in these contracts and identify any performance obligations that are distinct. To identify the performance obligation, we consider all services, whether explicitly stated or implied by customary business practices. We have identified the following substantive services, which may or may not be included in each contract type, that represent performance obligations:



Contract Type	Performance Obligation Description	Elements of Performance Obligations	Payment Timing
Management Agreements	• Management and asset management services • Construction and development services • Marketing services	• Over time • Right to invoice • Long-term contracts	Typically monthly or quarterly
	• Leasing and legal preparation services • Sales commissions	• Point in time • Long-term contracts
Licensing and Occupancy Agreements	• Rent of non-specific space	• Over time • Right to invoice • Short-term contracts	Typically monthly
	• Set-up services	• Point in time • Right to invoice
Non-tenant Contracts	• Placement of miscellaneous items at our centers that do not qualify as a lease, i.e. advertisements, trash bins, etc.	• Point in time • Long-term contracts	Typically monthly
	• Set-up services	• Point in time • Right to invoice

We also assess collectability of the customer contract revenue prior to recognition. None of these customer contracts include a significant financing component.

Unamortized Lease Costs, net

Lease costs represent the initial direct costs incurred in origination, negotiation and processing of a lease agreement. Such costs include outside broker commissions and other independent third party costs, as well as internal leasing commissions paid directly related to completing a lease and are amortized over the life of the lease on a straight-line basis. Costs related to salaries and benefits, supervision, administration, unsuccessful origination efforts and other activities are charged to expense as incurred. Also included are in place lease costs which are amortized over the life of the applicable lease term on a straight-line basis.

Accrued Rent, Accrued Contract Receivables and Accounts Receivable, net

Receivables include rental revenue, amounts billed and currently due from customer contracts and receivables attributable to straight-line rental commitments. Accrued contract receivables includes amounts due from customers for contracts that do not qualify as a lease in which we earned the right to the consideration through the satisfaction of the performance obligation, but before the customer pays consideration or before payment is due. Upon the adoption of ASC No. 842, individual leases are assessed for collectability and upon the determination that the collection of rents is not probable, accrued rent and accounts receivables are reduced as an adjustment to rental revenues. Revenue from leases where collection is deemed to be less than probable is recorded on a cash basis until collectability is determined to be probable. Further, we assess whether operating lease receivables, at a portfolio level, are appropriately valued based upon an analysis of balances outstanding, historical bad debt levels and current economic trends. An allowance for the uncollectible portion of the portfolio is recorded as an adjustment to rental revenues. Prior to the adoption of ASC No. 842, an allowance for the uncollectible portion of accrued rents and accounts receivable was determined based upon an analysis of balances outstanding, historical bad debt levels, tenant creditworthiness and current economic trends. Additionally, estimates of the expected recovery of pre-petition and post-petition claims with respect to tenants in bankruptcy are considered in assessing the collectability of the related receivables. Management’s estimate of the collectability of accrued rents and accounts receivable is based on the best information available to management at the time of evaluation.

Restricted Deposits And Mortgage Escrows

Restricted Deposits and Mortgage Escrows

Restricted deposits and mortgage escrows consist of escrow deposits held by lenders primarily for property taxes, insurance and replacement reserves and restricted deposits that are held for a specific use or in a qualified escrow account for the purposes of completing like-kind exchange transactions.

Other Assets, net

Other assets include an asset related to the debt service guaranty (see Note 5 for further information), tax increment revenue bonds, right-of-use assets, investments, investments held in a grantor trust, deferred tax assets, prepaid expenses, the net value of above-market leases, deferred debt costs associated with our revolving credit facilities and other miscellaneous receivables. Right-of-use assets are amortized to achieve the recognition of rent expense on a straight-line basis after adjusting for the corresponding lease liabilities’ interest over the lives of the leases. Investments held in a grantor trust and investments in mutual funds are adjusted to fair value at each period with changes included in our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. Investments held to maturity are carried at amortized cost and are adjusted using the interest method for amortization of premiums and accretion of discounts. Our tax increment revenue bonds have been classified as held to maturity and are recorded at amortized cost offset by a recognized credit loss (see Note 16 for further information). Above-market leases are amortized as adjustments to rental revenues over terms of the acquired leases. Deferred debt costs, including those classified in debt, are amortized primarily on a straight-line basis, which approximates the effective interest rate method, over the terms of the debt. Other miscellaneous receivables have a reserve applied to the carrying amount when it becomes apparent that conditions exist that may lead to our inability to fully collect on outstanding amounts due. Such conditions include delinquent or late payments on receivables, deterioration in the ongoing relationship with the borrower and other relevant factors. We establish a reserve when expected loss conditions exist by reviewing the borrower’s ability to generate revenues to meet debt service requirements and assessing the fair value of any collateral.

Other Liabilities, net

Other liabilities include non-qualified benefit plan liabilities, deferred revenue, lease liabilities, the net value of below-market leases and other miscellaneous liabilities. Lease liabilities are amortized to rent expense using the effective interest rate method, over the lease life. Below-market leases are amortized as adjustments to rental revenues over terms of the acquired leases.

Reclassifications

We have reclassified prior years’ miscellaneous lease-related revenues identified during our implementation of Accounting Standard Update ("ASU") No. 2016-02, "Leases" of $.2 million and $.6 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2018 to Rentals, net from Other revenue in our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations to conform to the current year presentation (see Note 2 for further information).

Newly Issued Accounting Pronouncements

Adopted

In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued ASU No. 2016-02, "Leases." This ASU was further updated by ASU No. 2018-01, "Land Easement Practical Expedient for Transition for Topic 842," ASU No. 2018-10, "Codification Improvements to Topic 842," ASU No. 2018-11, "Targeted Improvements for Topic 842," ASU No. 2018-20, "Narrow-Scope Improvements for Lessors" and ASU No. 2019-01, "Codification Improvements to Topic 842." These ASUs set out the principles for the recognition, measurement, presentation and disclosure of leases for both lessees and lessors. The ASUs require lessees to adopt a right-of-use asset approach that will bring substantially all leases onto the balance sheet, with the exception of short-term leases. The subsequent accounting for this right-of-use asset will be based on a dual-model approach, under which the lease will be classified as either a finance or an operating lease. The lessor accounting model under these ASUs is similar to current guidance, but certain underlying principles in the lessor model have been aligned with the new revenue recognition standard. A practical expedient was added for lessors to elect, by class of underlying assets, to account for lease and nonlease components as a single lease component if certain criteria are met. The provisions of these ASUs were effective for us as of January 1, 2019. We adopted this guidance as of January 1, 2019 and applied it on a modified retrospective approach.

Upon adoption, we applied the following practical expedients:


•	The transition method in which the application date of January 1, 2019 is the beginning of the reporting period that we first applied the new guidance.


•	The practical expedient package which allows an entity not to reassess (1) whether any expired or existing contracts are or contain leases; (2) the lease classification for expired or existing leases; and (3) initial direct costs for any existing leases.


•	The practical expedient which allows an entity not to reassess whether any existing or expired land easements that were not previously accounted for as a lease or if the contract contains a lease.


•	As an accounting policy election, a lessor may choose not to separate the nonlease components, by class of underlying assets, from the lease components and instead account for both types of components as a single component under certain conditions.


•	As an accounting policy election, a lessee may choose not to separate the nonlease components, by class of underlying assets, from the lease components and instead account for both types of components as a single component.


•	As an accounting policy election, a lessee may choose by class of the underlying asset, not to apply the recognition requirements to short-term leases.

The adoption resulted in the following changes as of January 1, 2019:


•	From the Lessor Perspective:

◦

Our existing leases will continue to be classified as operating leases, however, leases entered into or modified after January 1, 2019 may be classified as either operating or sales-type leases, based on specific classification criteria. We believe the majority of our leases will continue to be classified as operating leases, and all operating leases will continue to have a similar pattern of recognition as under current GAAP.

◦

Capitalization of leasing costs has been limited under the new ASU which no longer allows indirect costs to be capitalized. Therefore, indirect, internally-generated leasing and legal costs are no longer capitalized and are recorded in General and administrative expenses in our Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations in the period of adoption prospectively. We continue to capitalize direct costs as defined within the ASU.

◦

We are entitled to receive tenant reimbursements for operating expenses for common area maintenance (“CAM”). These ASUs have defined CAM reimbursement revenue as a nonlease component, which would need to be accounted for in accordance with Topic 606. However, we have applied the practical expedient for all of our real estate related leases, to account for the lease and nonlease components as a single, combined operating lease component as long as the nonlease component is not the predominate component of the combined components within a contract.

◦

We previously accounted for real estate taxes that are paid directly by the tenant on a gross basis in our consolidated financial statements. These ASUs have indicated that a lessor should exclude from variable payments, lessor costs paid by a lessee directly to a third party. Therefore, we have excluded any costs paid directly by the tenant from our revenues and expenses and will only include as variable payments those which are reimbursed to us by our tenants. Real estate taxes paid directly by our tenants was $1.0 million and $2.2 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2018, respectively.


•	From the Lessee Perspective:


◦	On January 1, 2019, we were the lessee under ground lease agreements for land underneath all or a portion of 12 centers and under four administrative office leases that we accounted for as operating leases. Also, we had one finance lease in which we were the lessee of two centers with a $21.9 million lease obligation.

We recognized right-of-use assets for our operating leases in Other Assets, along with corresponding lease liabilities in Other Liabilities on January 1, 2019 in the amounts of $44.2 million and $42.9 million, respectively, in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet. The difference between the right-of-use assets and the lease liabilities is primarily associated with intangibles related to ground leases. For these existing operating leases, we continue to recognize a single lease expense for both our ground and office leases, currently included in Operating expenses and General and administrative expenses, respectively, in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.


◦	We continue to recognize our finance lease asset balance in Property and our finance lease liability in Debt in our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. The finance lease charges a portion of the payment to both asset amortization and interest expense.

In June 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-07, "Improvements to Nonemployee Share-Based Payment Accounting." This ASU amends prior employee share-based payment guidance to include nonemployee share-based payment transactions for acquiring services or property. This ASU now aligns the determination of the measurement date, the accounting for performance conditions, and the accounting for share-based payments after vesting in addition to other items. The provisions of ASU No. 2018-07 were effective for us as of January 1, 2019 using a modified transition method upon adoption. The adoption of this ASU did not have a material impact to our consolidated financial statements.

Not Yet Adopted

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, "Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments." This ASU was further updated by ASU No. 2018-19, "Codification Improvements to Topic 326, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses," ASU No. 2019-04, "Codification Improvements to Topic 326, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses" and ASU No. 2019-05, "Targeted Transition Relief." These ASUs amend prior guidance on the impairment of financial instruments, and adds an impairment model that is based on expected losses rather than incurred losses with the recognition of an allowance based on an estimate of expected credit losses. The provisions of ASU No. 2016-13, as amended in subsequently issued amendments, are effective for us as of January 1, 2020, and early adoption is permitted for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018.

We are in the process of evaluating the impact that the adoption of ASU 2016-13, as amended, will have on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. In identifying all of our financial instruments covered under this guidance, the majority of our instruments result from operating leasing transactions, which are not within the scope of the new standard and are to remain governed by the recently issued leasing guidance and other previously issued guidance. Excluding these instruments, the adoption of this standard may impact our financial instruments, which include tax increment revenue bonds, debt securities and cash equivalents recorded at amortized cost, a debt service guaranty asset, and other financial instruments.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-13, "Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement." This ASU amends and removes several disclosure requirements including the valuation processes for Level 3 fair value measurements. The ASU also modifies some disclosure requirements and requires additional disclosures for changes in unrealized gains and losses included in other comprehensive income for recurring Level 3 fair value measurements and requires the range and weighted average of significant unobservable inputs used to develop Level 3 fair value measurements. The provisions of ASU No. 2018-13 are effective for us as of January 1, 2020 using a prospective transition method for amendments effecting changes in unrealized gains and losses, significant unobservable inputs used to develop Level 3 fair value measurements and narrative description on uncertainty of measurements. The remaining provisions of the ASU are to be applied retrospectively, and early adoption is permitted. Although we are still assessing the impact of this ASU's adoption, we do not believe this ASU will have a material impact to our consolidated financial statements.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-14, "Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Defined Benefit Plans." This ASU clarifies current disclosures and removes several disclosures requirements including accumulated other comprehensive income expected to be recognized over the next fiscal year and amount and timing of plan assets expected to be returned to the employer. The ASU also requires additional disclosures for the weighted-average interest crediting rates for cash balance plans and explanations for significant gains and losses related to changes in the benefit plan obligation. The provisions of ASU No. 2018-14 are effective for us as of December 31, 2020 using a retrospective basis for all periods presented, and early adoption is permitted. Although we are still assessing the impact of this ASU's adoption, we do not believe this ASU will have a material impact to our consolidated financial statements.