Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2016

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of NVR, Inc. and its subsidiaries (“NVR” or the “Company”) and certain other entities in which the Company is deemed to be the primary beneficiary (see Notes 3 and 4 herein for additional information). All significant intercompany transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Financial Statements

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“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 periods. Management continually evaluates the estimates used to prepare the consolidated financial statements and updates those estimates as necessary. In general, the Company’s estimates are based on historical experience, on information from third party professionals, and other various assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the facts and circumstances. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates made by management.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents include short-term investments with original maturities of three months or less. At December 31, 2016 and 2015, $1,214 and $990, respectively, of cash related to a consolidated variable interest entity is included in “Assets related to consolidated variable interest entity” on the accompanying consolidated balance sheet.

The homebuilding segment had restricted cash of $17,561 and $23,440 at December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively. Restricted cash in 2016 was attributable to customer deposits for certain home sales. Restricted cash in 2015 was attributable to holding requirements related to outstanding letters of credit issued under the Company’s letter of credit agreement and to customer deposits for certain home sales.

The mortgage banking segment had restricted cash of $1,857 and $2,038 at December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively, which included amounts collected from customers for loans in process and closed mortgage loans held for sale.

Homebuilding Inventory

The carrying value of inventory is stated at the lower of cost or market value. Cost of lots and completed and uncompleted housing units represent the accumulated actual cost of the units. Field construction supervisors’ salaries and related direct overhead expenses are included in inventory costs. Interest costs are not capitalized into inventory, with the exception of land under development and joint venture investments, as applicable (see below). Upon settlement, the cost of the unit is expensed on a specific identification basis. Cost of building materials is determined on a first-in, first-out basis.

Sold inventory is evaluated for impairment based on the contractual sales price compared to the total estimated cost to construct plus a reasonable profit margin. Unsold inventory is evaluated for impairment by analyzing recent comparable sales prices within the applicable community compared to the costs incurred to date plus the expected costs to complete and a reasonable profit margin. Any calculated impairments are recorded immediately.

Contract Land Deposits

The Company purchases finished lots under fixed price lot purchase agreements (“Lot Purchase Agreements”) that require deposits that may be forfeited if NVR fails to perform under the contract. The deposits are in the form of cash or letters of credit in varying amounts and represent a percentage of the aggregate purchase price of the finished lots.

NVR maintains an allowance for losses on contract land deposits that reflects the Company’s judgment of the present loss exposure in the existing contract land deposit portfolio at the end of the reporting period. To analyze contract land deposit impairments, NVR utilizes an Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 450, Contingencies, loss contingency analysis that is conducted each quarter. In addition to considering market and economic conditions, NVR assesses contract land deposit impairments on a community-by-community basis pursuant to the purchase contract terms, analyzing, as applicable, current sales absorption levels, recent sales’ direct profit, the dollar differential between the contractual purchase price and the current market price for lots, a developer’s financial stability, a developer’s financial ability or willingness to reduce lot prices to current market prices, and the contract’s default status by either the Company or the developer along with an analysis of the expected outcome of any such default.

NVR’s analysis is focused on whether the Company can sell houses at an acceptable margin and sales pace in a particular community in the current market with which the Company is faced. Because the Company does not own the finished lots on which the Company has placed a contract land deposit, if the above analysis leads to a determination that the Company cannot sell homes at an acceptable margin and sales pace at the current contractual lot price, the Company then determines whether it will elect to default under the contract, forfeit the deposit and terminate the contract, or whether the Company will attempt to restructure the lot purchase contract, which may require it to forfeit the deposit to obtain contract concessions from a developer. The Company also assesses whether impairment is present due to collectability issues resulting from a developer’s non-performance because of financial or other conditions.

For the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, the Company recognized net pre-tax recoveries of $4,269, $11,058 and $225, respectively, of contract land deposits previously determined to be unrecoverable. The contract land deposit assets on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets are shown net of $31,306 and $42,239 impairment valuation allowances at December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

Land Under Development

On a limited basis, NVR directly acquires raw parcels of land already zoned for its intended use to develop into finished lots. Land under development includes the land acquisition costs, direct improvement costs, capitalized interest, where applicable, and real estate taxes.

Land under development, including the land under development held by the Company’s unconsolidated joint ventures and the related joint venture investments, is reviewed for potential write-downs when impairment indicators are present. In addition to considering market and economic conditions, the Company assesses land under development impairments on a community-by-community basis, analyzing, as applicable, current sales absorption levels, recent sales’ direct profit, and the dollar differential between the projected fully-developed cost of the lots and the current market price for lots. If indicators of impairment are present for a community, NVR performs an analysis to determine if the undiscounted cash flows estimated to be generated by those assets are less than their carrying amounts, and if so, impairment charges are required to be recorded if the fair value of such assets is less than their carrying amounts. For those assets deemed to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized is measured as the amount by which the carrying amount of the assets exceeds the fair value of the assets. The Company’s determination of fair value is primarily based on discounting the estimated future cash flows at a rate commensurate with the inherent risks associated with the assets and related estimated cash flow streams. NVR does not believe that any of the land under development is impaired at this time.

Property, Plant, and Equipment

Property, plant, and equipment are carried at cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation is based on the estimated useful lives of the assets using the straight-line method. Model home furniture and fixtures are generally depreciated over a two-year period, office facilities and other equipment are depreciated over a period of three to ten years and production facilities are depreciated over periods of five to forty years.

Intangible Assets

On December 31, 2012, the Company acquired substantially all of the assets of Heartland Homes, Inc., which resulted in the Company recording finite-lived intangible assets and goodwill. The Company completed its annual assessment for impairment of goodwill and management determined that there was no impairment. As of December 31, 2016 and 2015, finite-lived intangible assets attributable to the Heartland Homes, Inc. acquisition, net of accumulated amortization, totaled $2,158 and $3,541, respectively. As of both December 31, 2016 and 2015, the goodwill value was $441. The remaining finite-lived intangible assets will be amortized on a straight-line basis over a weighted average life of 3 years.

Warranty/Product Liability Accruals

The Company establishes warranty and product liability reserves to provide for estimated future expenses as a result of construction and product defects, product recalls and litigation incidental to NVR’s homebuilding business. Liability estimates are determined based on management’s judgment considering such factors as historical experience, the likely current cost of corrective action, manufacturers’ and subcontractors’ participation in sharing the cost of corrective action, consultations with third party experts such as engineers, and discussions with the Company’s General Counsel and outside counsel retained to handle specific product liability cases.

Mortgage Loans Held for Sale, Derivatives and Hedging Activities

NVR originates several different loan products to its customers to finance the purchase of a home through its wholly-owned mortgage subsidiary, NVR Mortgage Finance, Inc. (“NVRM”). NVRM sells all of the loans it originates into the secondary market on a servicing released basis, typically within 30 days from origination. All of the loans that NVRM originates are underwritten to the standards and specifications of the ultimate investor. Those underwriting standards are typically equal to or more stringent than the underwriting standards required by Fannie Mae (“FNMA”), the Department of Veterans Affairs (“VA”) and the Federal Housing Administration (“FHA”). Insofar as NVRM underwrites its originated loans to those standards, NVRM bears no increased concentration of credit risk from the issuance of loans, except in certain limited instances where early payment default occurs. NVRM employs a quality control department to ensure that its underwriting controls are effectively operating, and further assesses the underwriting function as part of its assessment of internal controls over financial reporting. NVRM maintains an allowance for losses on mortgage loans originated that reflects NVR’s judgment of the present loss exposure in the loans that NVRM has originated and sold. The allowance is calculated based on an analysis of historical experience and exposure (see Note 15 herein for further information).

Mortgage loans held for sale are carried at the lower of cost or fair value, net of deferred origination costs, until sold.

In the normal course of business, NVRM enters into contractual commitments to extend credit to buyers of single-family homes with fixed expiration dates. The commitments become effective when the borrowers “lock-in” a specified interest rate within time frames established by NVRM. All mortgagors are evaluated for credit worthiness prior to the extension of the commitment. Market risk arises if interest rates move adversely between the time of the “lock-in” of rates by the borrower and the sale date of the loan to a broker/dealer. To mitigate the effect of the interest rate risk inherent in providing rate lock commitments to borrowers, NVRM enters into optional or mandatory delivery forward sale contracts to sell whole loans and mortgage-backed securities to broker/dealers. The forward sale contracts lock in an interest rate and price for the sale of loans similar to the specific rate lock commitments. NVRM does not engage in speculative or trading derivative activities. Both the rate lock commitments to borrowers and the forward sale contracts to broker/dealers are undesignated derivatives, and, accordingly, are marked to fair value through earnings. At December 31, 2016, there were contractual commitments to extend credit to borrowers aggregating $458,161, and open forward delivery sale contracts aggregating $738,637, which hedge both the rate lock loan commitments and closed loans held for sale (see Note 14 herein for a description of the Company’s fair value accounting).

Earnings Per Share

Earnings per Share

The following weighted average shares and share equivalents were used to calculate basic and diluted earnings per share for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014:

	Year Ended December 31,
	2016		2015		2014
Weighted average number of shares outstanding used to calculate basic EPS		3,847		4,022		4,278
Dilutive securities:
Stock options and restricted share units		257		233		157
Weighted average number of shares and share equivalents outstanding used to calculate diluted EPS		4,104		4,255		4,435

The assumed proceeds used in the treasury method for calculating NVR’s diluted earnings per share includes the amount the employee must pay upon exercise, the amount of compensation cost attributed to future services not yet recognized and the amount of tax benefits that would be credited or charged to additional paid-in capital assuming exercise of the stock option or vesting of the restricted share unit. The assumed amount credited to additional paid-in capital equals the tax benefit from assumed exercise of stock options or the assumed vesting of restricted share units after consideration of the intrinsic value upon assumed exercise or vesting less the actual stock-based compensation expense to be recognized in the income statement.

The following stock options and restricted share units issued under equity incentive plans were outstanding during the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014; however, they were not included in the computation of diluted earnings per share because the effect would have been anti-dilutive.

	Year Ended December 31,
	2016		2015		2014
Anti-dilutive securities		87		50		757

Revenues-Homebuilding Operations

Revenues – Homebuilding Operations

NVR builds single-family detached homes, townhomes and condominium buildings, which generally are constructed on a pre-sold basis for the ultimate customer. Revenues are recognized at the time the unit is settled and title passes to the customer, adequate cash payment has been received and there is no continuing involvement. In situations where the buyer’s financing is originated by NVRM and the buyer has not made an adequate initial or continuing investment as prescribed by GAAP, the profit on such settlement is deferred until the sale of the related loan to a third-party investor has been completed.

Mortgage Banking Fees

Mortgage banking fees include income earned by NVRM for originating mortgage loans, servicing mortgage loans held on an interim basis, title fees, gains and losses on the sale of mortgage loans and mortgage servicing and other activities incidental to mortgage banking. Mortgage banking fees are generally recognized after the loan has been sold to an unaffiliated, third party investor.

Income Taxes

Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax basis. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on the deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date.

ASC 740-10, Income Taxes, provides that a tax benefit from an uncertain tax position may be recognized when it is more-likely-than-not (defined as a likelihood of more than 50%) that the position will be sustained upon examination, including resolution of any related appeals or litigation processes, based on the technical merits. If a tax position does not meet the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold, despite the Company’s belief that its filing position is supportable, the benefit of that tax position is not recognized in the statements of income. The Company recognizes interest related to unrecognized tax benefits as a component of income tax expense. Based on its historical experience in dealing with various taxing authorities, the Company has found that it is the administrative practice of the taxing authorities to not seek penalties from the Company for the tax positions it has taken on its returns, related to its unrecognized tax benefits. Therefore, the Company does not accrue penalties for the positions in which it has an unrecognized tax benefit. However, if such penalties were to be accrued, they would be recorded as a component of income tax expense. The Company recognizes unrecognized tax benefits in the period that the uncertainty is eliminated by either affirmative agreement of the uncertain tax position by the applicable taxing authority, by expiration of the applicable statute of limitation, or by determination in accordance with certain states’ administrative practices that the uncertain tax position has been effectively settled (see Note 11 herein for further information).

Financial Instruments

Except as otherwise noted herein, NVR believes that insignificant differences exist between the carrying value and the fair value of its financial instruments (see Note 14 herein for further information).

Equity-Based Compensation

The company accounts for its equity-based compensation in accordance with ASC 718, Compensation – Stock Compensation. ASC 718 requires an entity to recognize an expense within its income statement for all share-based payment arrangements, which includes employee stock option and restricted share unit plans. The expense is based on the grant-date fair value of the stock options and restricted share units granted, and is recognized ratably over the requisite service period. Recognition of compensation expense for the stock options which are subject to a performance condition are treated as a separate award from the “service-only” stock options, and expense is recognized when it becomes probable that the stated performance target will be achieved. The Company calculates the fair value of its non-publicly traded, employee stock options using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The grant date fair value of the restricted share units is the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the day immediately preceding the date of grant. The Company’s equity-based compensation programs are accounted for as equity-classified awards (see Note 12 herein for further discussion of equity-based compensation plans).

Comprehensive Income

For the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014, comprehensive income equaled net income; therefore, a separate statement of comprehensive income is not included in the accompanying consolidated financial statements.

Reclassifications

Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to 2016 presentation.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In April 2015, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2015-03, Interest – Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30) – Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs. The standard requires that debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability be presented on the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the debt liability, rather than as an asset. On January 1, 2016, the Company adopted the standard which on a retrospective basis resulted in the reclassification of the unamortized debt issuance costs related to the Company’s 3.95% Senior Notes due 2022 from the homebuilding “Other assets” line item to the homebuilding “Senior notes” line item in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets.

In May 2014, 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 standard will replace most existing revenue recognition guidance in GAAP when it becomes effective. In July 2015, the FASB delayed the standard’s effective date for one year. The standard is effective for the Company as of January 1, 2018. The standard permits the use of either the retrospective or cumulative effect transition method. The Company does not believe that the adoption of this standard will have a material effect on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In February 2015, FASB issued ASU 2015-02, Consolidation (Topic 810) – Amendments to the Consolidation Analysis. The standard changes the manner in which reporting entities evaluate consolidation requirements of certain legal entities. The standard became effective for the Company on January 1, 2016. The adoption of this standard did not have any effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In July 2015, FASB issued ASU 2015-11, Inventory (Topic 330): Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory. The standard simplifies the subsequent measurement of inventory by requiring inventory to be measured at the lower of cost or net realizable value. The amendments in the standard do not apply to inventory that is measured using last-in, first-out (LIFO) or the retail inventory method. The standard is effective for the Company as of January 1, 2017. The amendments in the standard are to be applied prospectively. The Company does not believe that the adoption of this standard will have a material effect on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In February 2016, FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), which requires lessees to recognize most leases on-balance sheet with a liability equal to the present value of lease payments over the lease term and a right-of-use asset for the right to use the underlying asset over the lease term. Lessees will recognize expenses on their income statements in a manner similar to current GAAP. The standard also requires additional disclosures of key information about leasing arrangements. The standard is effective for the Company as of January 1, 2019. The Company believes that the adoption of this standard will have a material effect on both assets and liabilities presented on the balance sheet, and is further evaluating the impact of its adoption.

In March 2016, FASB issued ASU 2016-09, Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting. The standard simplifies several aspects of share-based payment accounting, including the recognition of income tax effects, statutory tax withholding requirements and accounting for forfeitures. The standard is effective for the Company as of January 1, 2017. The Company believes that the standard will likely have a material effect on net income and earnings per share presented on its consolidated financial statements resulting from the recognition of excess tax benefit from equity plan activity. Additionally, the Company has elected to record forfeitures based on actual results.

In June 2016, FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326), which significantly changes the way impairment of financial assets is recognized. The standard will require immediate recognition of estimated credit losses expected to occur over the remaining life of many financial assets, which will generally result in earlier recognition of allowances for credit losses on loans and other financial instruments. The standard’s provisions will be applied as a cumulative-effect adjustment to beginning retained earnings as of the effective date. The standard is effective for the Company as of January 1, 2020. Early adoption is permitted for annual and interim periods beginning January 1, 2019. The Company is currently evaluating the effect that the standard will have on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In August 2016, FASB issued ASU 2016-15, Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments. The objective of the standard is to address the diversity in practice of how certain cash receipts and payments are presented on the statement of cash flows. The standard requires that the guidance be applied retrospectively in the first interim and annual periods in which an entity adopts the guidance. The standard is effective for the Company as of January 1, 2018, and early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the effect that the standard will have on its consolidated statements of cash flows and related disclosures.

In November 2016, FASB issued ASU 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230), Restricted Cash. The amendments in the standard require that the statement of cash flows explain the change during the period in the total of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents. As a result, restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents should be included with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the beginning-of-period and end-of-period total cash amounts shown on the statement of cash flows. The standard is effective for the Company as of January 1, 2018, and early adoption is permitted. The Company does not believe that the adoption of this standard will have a material effect on its consolidated statements of cash flows and related disclosures.

In January 2017, FASB issued ASU 2017-04, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other (Topic 350), Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment. The standard’s objective is to simplify the subsequent measurement of goodwill by eliminating Step 2 from the goodwill impairment test. Under the amendments in the standard, an entity would perform its annual, or interim, goodwill impairment test by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount. If the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, an impairment charge would then be recognized, not to exceed the amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. The standard is effective for the Company on January 1, 2020, and early adoption is permitted. The Company does not believe that the adoption of this standard will have a material effect on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.