Basis of Presentation

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2011

Basis of Presentation [Abstract]

Basis of Presentation

Note 1. Basis of Presentation:

The accompanying interim financial statements of PMC Commercial Trust (“PMC Commercial” or together with its wholly-owned subsidiaries, “we,” “us” or “our”) have not been audited by independent accountants. These consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statement presentation. In the opinion of management, the financial statements include all normal recurring adjustments necessary for a fair statement of the results for the interim period. All material intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated. The results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011 are not necessarily indicative of future financial results. Therefore, these financial statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010.

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect (1) the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and (2) the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Our most sensitive estimates involve the valuation of our real estate owned and determination of loan loss reserves.