Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2020

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Note 2 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Accounting Guidance Adopted

Description	Expected Adoption Date & Application Method	Financial Statement Effect and Other Information
Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-13, Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments	January 1, 2020 - Modified Retrospective	The guidance replaces the current incurred loss impairment model, which reflects credit events, with a current expected credit loss model, which recognizes an allowance for credit losses based on an entity’s estimate of contractual cash flows not expected to be collected. The Company has determined that its available-for-sale debt securities, guarantees, mortgage and other notes receivable and receivables within the scope of ASC 606 fall under the scope of this standard. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements or disclosures.

ASU 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement	January 1, 2020 - Prospective	The guidance eliminates, adds and modifies certain disclosure requirements for fair value measurements. Entities will no longer be required to disclose the amount of and reasons for transfers between Level 1 and 2 of the fair value hierarchy, but public companies will be required to disclose the range and weighted average used to develop significant unobservable inputs for Level 3 fair value measurements. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements or disclosures.

ASU 2018-15, Customer's Accounting for Implementation Costs

Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That Is a Service Contract

January 1, 2020 -

Prospective

The guidance addresses diversity in practice in accounting for the costs of implementation activities in a cloud computing arrangement that is a service contract. Under the guidance, the Company is to follow Subtopic 350-40 on internal-use software to determine which implementation costs to capitalize and which to expense.

The guidance also requires an entity to expense capitalized implementation costs over the term of the hosting arrangement and include that expense in the same line item as the fees associated with the service element of the arrangement.

The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements or disclosures.

Lease Modification Q&A	April 1, 2020 – Prospective		In April 2020, the FASB issued a question-and-answer document (the “Lease Modification Q&A”) focused on the application of lease accounting guidance related to lease concessions provided as a result of COVID-19. Under existing lease guidance, the Company would have to determine, on a lease by lease basis, if a lease concession was the result of a new arrangement reached with the tenant (treated within the lease modification accounting framework) or if a lease concession was under the enforceable rights and obligations within the existing lease agreement (precluded from applying the lease modification accounting framework). The Lease Modification Q&A clarifies that entities may elect to not evaluate whether lease-related relief that lessors provide to mitigate the economic effects of COVID-19 on lessees is a lease modification under Topic 842, Leases. Instead, an entity that elects not to evaluate whether a concession directly related to COVID-19 is a modification can then elect whether to apply the modification guidance (i.e. assume the relief was always contemplated by the contract or assume the relief was not contemplated by the contract). Both lessees and lessors may make this election. The Company has elected to apply the relief provided under the Lease Modification Q&A and will avail itself of the election to avoid performing a lease by lease analysis for the lease concessions that were (1) granted as relief due to the COVID-19 pandemic and (2) result in the cash flows remaining substantially the same or less than the original contract. The Lease Modification Q&A had a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements as of and for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020. However, its future impact to the Company is dependent upon the extent of lease concessions granted to tenants as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in future periods and the elections made by the Company at the time of entering such concessions. The Lease Modification Q&A allows the Company to determine accounting policy elections at a disaggregated level, and the elections should be applied consistently by either the type of concession, underlying asset class or on another reasonable basis. As a result, the Company has made the following policy elections based on the type of concession agreed to with the respective tenant. Rent Deferrals The Company will account for rental deferrals using the receivables model as described within the Lease Modification Q&A. Under the receivables model, the Company will continue to recognize lease revenue in a manner that is unchanged from the original lease agreement and continue to recognize lease receivables and rental revenue during the deferral period. Rent Abatements The Company will account for rental abatements using the negative variable income model as described within the Lease Modification Q&A. Under the negative variable income model, the Company will recognize negative variable rent for the current period reduction of rental revenue associated with any lease concessions we provide.
			At September 30, 2020, the Company’s receivables include $22,127 related to receivables that have been deferred and are to be repaid over periods generally starting in late 2020 and extending for some portion of 2021. The Company granted abatements of $13,097 and $14,945 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, respectively. The Company continues to assess rent relief requests from its tenants but is unable to predict the resolution or impact of these discussions. For agreements that are in currently under negotiation, the Company does not expect the impact to be material.

Accounting Guidance Not Yet Adopted
Description		Financial Statement Effect and Other Information
ASU 2020-04, Reference Rate Reform		On March 12, 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-04, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848) - Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting, which provides optional expedients and exceptions for applying GAAP to contracts, hedging relationships and other transactions that reference LIBOR or other reference rates expected to be discontinued because of reference rate reform. This ASU is effective as of March 12, 2020 through December 31, 2022. The Company has not adopted any of the optional expedients or exceptions as of September 30, 2020, but will continue to evaluate the possible adoption of any such expedients or exceptions during the effective period as circumstances evolve.

Accounts Receivable

Receivables include amounts billed and currently due from tenants pursuant to lease agreements and receivables attributable to straight-line rents associated with those lease agreements. Individual leases where the collection of rents is in dispute are assessed for collectability based on management’s best estimate of collection considering the anticipated outcome of the dispute. Individual leases that are not in dispute are assessed for collectability and upon the determination that the collection of rents over the remaining lease term is not probable, accounts receivable 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, management assesses whether operating lease receivables, at a portfolio level, are appropriately valued based upon an analysis of balances outstanding, historical collection levels and current economic trends. An allowance for the uncollectible portion of the portfolio is recorded as an adjustment to rental revenues. Management’s estimate of the collectability of accounts receivable from tenants is based on the best information available to management at the time of evaluation.

The duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and our tenants’ ability to resume operations once governmental and legislative restrictions are lifted has caused uncertainty in the Company’s ongoing ability to collect rents when due. Considering the potential impact of these uncertainties, management’s collection assessment also took into consideration the type of retailer and current discussions with the tenants, as well as recent rent collection experience and tenant bankruptcies based on the best information available to management at the time of evaluation. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, the Company recorded $13,771 and $54,463, respectively, associated with potentially uncollectible revenues, which includes to $2,581 and $5,137, respectively, for straight line receivables.

Carrying Value of Long-Lived Assets and Investment in Unconsolidated Affiliates

The Company evaluates its real estate assets and investment in unconsolidated affiliates for impairment indicators whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that recoverability of its investment in the asset is not reasonably assured. Furthermore, this evaluation is conducted no less frequently than quarterly, irrespective of changes in

circumstances. The prolonged outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in sustained closure of the Company’s properties for a period of time, as well as the cessation of the operations of certain of its tenants, which has resulted and will likely continue to result in a reduction in the revenues and cash flows of many of its properties due to the adverse financial impacts on its tenants, as well as reductions in other sources of income generated by its properties. In addition to reduced revenues, the Company’s ability to obtain sufficient financing for such properties may be impaired as well as its ability to lease or re-lease properties as a result of worsening market and economic conditions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of September 30, 2020, the Company’s evaluation of impairment of real estate assets considered its estimate of cash flow declines caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, but its other assumptions, including estimated hold period, were generally unchanged given the highly uncertain environment. The worsening of estimated future cash flows due to a change in the Company’s plans, policies, or views of market and economic conditions as it relates to one or more of its properties adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic could result in the recognition of substantial impairment charges on its assets, which could adversely impact its financial results. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, the Company recorded impairment charges of $146,964 related to three of its malls. As of September 30, 2020, five other properties had impairment indicators; however, based on the Company’s plans with respect to those properties and the economic environment as of September 30, 2020, no additional impairment charges were recorded.

As of September 30, 2020, the Company’s estimates of fair value for each investment are based on a number of assumptions that are subject to economic and market uncertainties including, but not limited to, demand for space, competition for tenants, changes in market rental rates, and operating costs. Future declines in the fair value of the Company’s investments in unconsolidated affiliates, including those resulting from the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the real estate assets owned by the unconsolidated affiliates, could result in the recognition of substantial impairment charges on its investments in unconsolidated affiliates to the extent such declines are determined to be other-than-temporary. No impairments of investments in unconsolidated affiliates were recorded in the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2020 and 2019. As of September 30, 2020, there were indicators that the fair value of two investments in unconsolidated affiliates had declined below the Company’s carrying value of the investment; however, the decline was determined to not be other-than-temporary.