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Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies
12 Months Ended
Nov. 30, 2023
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Basis of Consolidation
The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Lennar Corporation and all subsidiaries, partnerships and other entities in which Lennar Corporation has a controlling interest and VIEs (see Note 8) in which Lennar Corporation is deemed the primary beneficiary (the "Company"). The Company’s investments in both unconsolidated entities in which a significant, but less than controlling, interest is held and in VIEs in which the Company is not deemed to be the primary beneficiary are accounted for by the equity method. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation.
Use of Estimates
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 amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Revenue Recognition
Homebuilding revenues and related profits from sales of homes are recognized at the time of the closing of a sale, when title to and possession of the property are transferred to the homebuyer. In order to promote sales of homes, the Company may offer sales incentives to homebuyers. The types of incentives vary on a community-by-community basis and home-by-home basis. They include primarily price discounts on individual homes and financing incentives, all of which are reflected as a reduction of home sales revenues. For the years ended November 30, 2023, 2022 and 2021, sales incentives offered to homebuyers averaged $42,900 per home, or 8.8% as a percentage of home sales revenues, $17,300 per home, or 3.5% as a percentage of home sales revenues and $9,000 per home, or 2.1% as a percentage of home sales revenues, respectively. The Company’s performance obligation, to deliver the agreed-upon home, is generally satisfied in less than one year from the original contract date. Cash proceeds from home closings are included in Homebuilding cash and cash equivalents in the Company's consolidated balance sheets. Contract liabilities include customer deposits liability related to sold but undelivered homes that are included in other liabilities in the Company's consolidated balance sheets. The Company periodically elects to sell parcels of land to third parties. Cash consideration from land sales is typically due on the closing date, which is generally when performance obligations are satisfied, and revenue is recognized as title to and possession of the property are transferred to the buyer.
Advertising Costs
The Company expenses advertising costs as incurred. Advertising costs were $146.0 million, $102.1 million and $74.2 million for the years ended November 30, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
Share-Based Payments
The Company has share-based awards outstanding under the 2016 Equity Incentive Plan (the "Plan"), which provides for the granting of stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted common stock ("nonvested shares") and other share based awards to officers, associates and directors. The exercise prices of stock options may not be less than the market value of the common stock on the date of the grant. Exercises are permitted in installments determined when options are granted. Each stock option will expire on a date determined at the time of the grant, but not more than 10 years after the date of the grant. The Company accounts for stock option awards and nonvested share awards granted under the Plan based on the estimated grant date fair value.
Cash and Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash
The Company considers all highly liquid investments purchased with original maturities of three months or less to be cash equivalents. Due to the short maturity period of cash equivalents, the carrying amounts of these instruments approximate their fair values. Homebuilding restricted cash consists of customer deposits on home sales held in restricted accounts until title transfers to the homebuyer, as required by the state and local governments in which the homes were sold, as well as funds on deposit to secure and support performance obligations. Financial Services restricted cash consists of upfront deposits and application fees LMF Commercial receives before originating loans and is recognized as income once the loan has been originated, as well as cash held in escrow by the Company’s loan service provider on behalf of customers and lenders which is disbursed in accordance with agreements between the transacting parties.
Homebuilding cash and cash equivalents as of November 30, 2023 and 2022 included $594.8 million and $1.0 billion, respectively, of cash held in escrow for approximately two days.
Receivables
At November 30, 2023 and 2022, Homebuilding accounts receivable primarily related to receivables from land banks for land development, rebates and joint ventures. The Company performs ongoing credit evaluations of its customers and generally does not require collateral for accounts receivable. Receivables from land banks represent development costs incurred by the Company which are reimbursable from the land banks. Mortgages and notes receivable arising from the sale of homes and land are generally collateralized by the property sold to the buyer. Allowances are maintained for potential credit losses based on historical experience, present economic conditions and other factors considered relevant by the Company. Balances as of November 30, 2023 and 2022 are noted below:
November 30,
(In thousands)20232022
Accounts receivable$640,292 490,420 
Mortgages and notes receivable250,074 185,739 
890,366 676,159 
Allowance for credit losses(2,374)(2,179)
Receivables, net (1)$887,992 673,980 
(1)Receivables, net as of November 30, 2022 included $50 million related to a short-term loan due from Upward America that was repaid subsequent to November 30, 2022.
Inventories
Finished homes and construction in progress are included within inventories. Inventories are stated at cost unless the inventory within a community is determined to be impaired, in which case the impaired inventory is written down to fair value. Inventory costs include land, land development and home construction costs, real estate taxes, and interest related to development and construction. Construction overhead and selling expenses are expensed as incurred. Homes held-for-sale are classified as inventories until delivered. Land, land development, amenities and other costs are accumulated by specific area and allocated to homes within the respective areas.
The Company reviews its inventory for indicators of impairment by evaluating each community during each reporting period. The inventory within each community is categorized as finished homes and construction in progress or land under development based on the development state of the community. There were 1,255 and 1,200 active communities, excluding unconsolidated entities, as of November 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. If the undiscounted cash flows expected to be generated by a community are less than its carrying amount, an impairment charge is recorded to write down the carrying amount of such community to its estimated fair value.
In conducting its review for indicators of impairment on a community level, the Company evaluates, among other things, the margins on homes that have been delivered, margins on homes under sales contracts in backlog, projected margins with regard to future home sales over the life of the community, projected margins with regard to future land sales and the estimated fair value of the land itself. The Company pays particular attention to communities in which inventory is moving at a slower than anticipated absorption pace and communities whose average sales price and/or margins are trending downward and are anticipated to continue to trend downward. From this review, the Company identifies communities in which to assess if the carrying values exceed their undiscounted projected cash flows.
The Company estimates the fair value of its communities using a discounted cash flow model. The projected cash flows for each community are significantly impacted by estimates related to market supply and demand, product type by community, homesite sizes, sales pace, sales prices, sales incentives, construction costs, sales and marketing expenses, the local economy, competitive conditions, labor costs, costs of materials and other factors for that particular community. Every division evaluates the historical performance of each of its communities as well as current trends in the market and economy impacting the community and its surrounding areas. These trends are analyzed for each of the estimates listed above.
Each of the homebuilding markets in which the Company operates is unique, as homebuilding has historically been a local business driven by local market conditions and demographics. Each of the Company’s homebuilding markets has specific supply and demand relationships reflective of local economic conditions. The Company’s projected cash flows are impacted by many assumptions. Some of the most critical assumptions in the Company’s cash flow model are projected absorption pace for home sales, sales prices and costs to build and deliver homes on a community by community basis.
In order to arrive at the assumed absorption pace for home sales and the assumed sales prices included in the Company’s cash flow model, the Company analyzes its historical absorption pace and historical sales prices in the community and in other comparable communities in the geographical area. In addition, the Company considers internal and external market studies and places greater emphasis on more current metrics and trends, which generally include, but are not limited to, statistics and forecasts on population demographics and on sales prices in neighboring communities, unemployment rates and
availability and sales prices of competing product in the geographical area where the community is located as well as the absorption pace realized in its most recent quarters and the sales prices included in the Company's current backlog for such communities.
Generally, if the Company notices a variation from historical results over a span of two fiscal quarters, the Company considers such variation to be the establishment of a trend and adjusts its historical information accordingly in order to develop assumptions on the projected absorption pace and sales prices in the cash flow model for a community.
In order to arrive at the Company’s assumed costs to build and deliver homes, the Company generally assumes a cost structure reflecting contracts currently in place with its vendors adjusted for any anticipated cost reduction initiatives or increases in cost structure. Those costs assumed are used in the cash flow model for the Company’s communities.
Since the estimates and assumptions included in the Company’s cash flow models are based upon historical results and projected trends, they do not anticipate unexpected changes in market conditions or strategies that may lead the Company to incur additional impairment charges in the future.
The determination of fair value requires discounting the estimated cash flows at a rate the Company believes a market participant would determine to be commensurate with the inherent risks associated with the assets and related estimated cash flow streams. The discount rate used in determining each asset’s fair value depends on the community’s projected life and development stage.
The Company estimates the fair value of inventory evaluated for impairment based on market conditions and assumptions made by management at the time the inventory is evaluated, which may differ materially from actual results if market conditions or assumptions change. For example, changes in market conditions and other specific developments or changes in assumptions may cause the Company to re-evaluate its strategy regarding previously impaired inventory, as well as inventory not currently impaired but for which indicators of impairment may arise if market deterioration occurs, and certain other assets that could result in further valuation adjustments and/or additional write-offs of option deposits and pre-acquisition costs due to abandonment of those options contracts.
The Company's valuation adjustments for finished homes and construction in progress were included in Homebuilding costs and expenses in the Company's consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss) for the years ended November 30, 2023 and 2022. The table below summarizes communities reviewed for indicators of impairment and communities with valuation adjustments recorded:
At November 30,Communities with valuation adjustments
for the years ended November 30,
# of communities with potential indicators of impairment# of communitiesFair Value
(in thousands)
Valuation Adjustments
(in thousands)
20232518 $95,731 $37,500 
202215105,042 33,563 
The table below summarizes the most significant unobservable inputs used in the Company's discounted cash flow model to determine the fair value of its communities for which the Company recorded valuation adjustments:
Years Ended November 30,
20232022
Unobservable inputsRangeRange
Average selling price (1)$179,000$850,000 $233,000 $753,000 
Absorption rate per quarter (homes)326212
Discount rate20%20%
(1)Represents the projected average selling price on future deliveries for communities in which the Company recorded valuation adjustments during the years ended November 30, 2023 and 2022.
In the course of executing on the Company’s land light strategy, the Company may sell land to third parties (including land banks) and unconsolidated entities while maintaining an option to repurchase the land in the future. Although, such transactions include cash consideration from the buyer and the transfer of title from the Company to the buyer, such transactions do not meet the criteria for revenue recognition under GAAP due to the Company’s option to repurchase the land from the buyer in the future. As such, land related to such transactions remains on the Company’s accompanying consolidated balance sheet and is reclassified from land and land under development to consolidated inventory not owned. The liabilities related to consolidated inventory not owned primarily represent the difference between the option exercise prices for the optioned land and the Company’s cash deposits. During the year ended November 30, 2023, consolidated inventory not owned increased by $661.3 million with a corresponding increase to liabilities related to consolidated inventory not owned in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet as of November 30, 2023. The increase was primarily due to reclassifications from land and land under development to consolidated inventory not owned during the year ended November 30, 2023 as the
Company continued to focus on increasing its controlled homesites as compared to owned homesites. The increase was partially offset by takedowns during the year ended November 30, 2023.
Deposits and pre-acquisition costs on real estate
The Company has access to land inventory through option contracts, which generally enables the Company to defer acquiring portions of properties owned by third parties (including land banks) and unconsolidated entities until it has determined whether to exercise its option. The use of option contracts allows the Company to reduce the financial risks associated with long-term land holdings.
A majority of the Company’s option contracts require a non-refundable cash deposit or irrevocable letter of credit based on a percentage of the purchase price of the land. As of November 30, 2023, the Company had $1.9 billion of non-refundable option deposits and pre-acquisition costs related to certain of these homesites. The Company’s option contracts sometimes include price adjustment provisions, which adjust the purchase price of the land to its approximate fair value at the time of acquisition or are based on the fair value at the time of takedown.
Deposits and pre-acquisition costs on real estate are stated at cost unless the deposit or pre-acquisition costs within a community is determined to be impaired, in which case the impaired cost is written down to fair value. Costs include deposits on land purchase contracts and capitalizable due diligence and development costs incurred prior to the acquisition of land.
Some option contracts contain a predetermined take-down schedule for the optioned land parcels. However, in substantially all instances, the Company has the right and ability to not exercise its option and forfeit its deposit without further penalty, other than termination of the option and loss of any unapplied portion of its deposit and pre-acquisition costs and the incurrence of any applicable termination fee associated with the option contract. Therefore, in substantially all instances, the Company does not consider the take-down price to be a firm contractual obligation. In determining whether to walk away from an option contract, the Company evaluates the option primarily based upon its expected cash flows from the property under option. If the Company intends to walk away from an option contract, it records a charge to earnings in the period such decision is made for the unapplied deposit amount and any related pre-acquisition costs and accrues any applicable termination fee associated with the option contract. During the years ended November 30, 2023 and 2022, the Company wrote-off $19.9 million and $47.9 million, respectively, of deposit and pre-acquisition costs. To reflect the purchase price of homesite takedowns related to option contracts that the Company decided to exercise, the Company had a net reclass related to option deposits from consolidated inventory not owned to finished homes and construction in progress in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet as of November 30, 2023.
Investments in Unconsolidated Entities
The Company evaluates the long-lived assets in unconsolidated entities for indicators of impairment during each reporting period. If a valuation adjustment is recorded by an unconsolidated entity related to its assets, the Company generally uses a discount rate between 10% and 20%, subject to the perceived risks associated with the community’s cash flow streams relative to its inventory or operating assets. The Company’s proportionate share of a valuation adjustment is reflected in the Company's Homebuilding, Multifamily or Lennar Other equity in earnings (loss) from unconsolidated entities with a corresponding decrease to its Homebuilding, Multifamily or Lennar Other investment in unconsolidated entities.
Additionally, the Company evaluates if a decrease in the fair value of an investment below its carrying value is other-than-temporary. This evaluation includes certain critical assumptions made by management: (1) projected future distributions from the unconsolidated entities, (2) discount rates applied to the future distributions, (3) the length of the time and the extent to which the market value has been less than cost and (4) various other factors, which include age of the venture, relationships with the other partners and banks, general economic market conditions, land status and liquidity needs of the unconsolidated entity. If the decline in the fair value of the investment is other-than-temporary, then these losses are included in Homebuilding other income, net, Multifamily other gain (loss) or Lennar Other other gain (loss). During the year ended November 30, 2023, the Company estimated the fair value of an investment in an unconsolidated entity using a cash flow analysis with a 15% discount rate and concluded that the investment had an other-than-temporary impairment of $36.8 million included in Homebuilding other income (expense), net in the Company's consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income.
The Company tracks its share of cumulative earnings and distributions of its joint ventures ("JVs"). For purposes of classifying distributions received from JVs in the Company’s consolidated statements of cash flows, cumulative distributions are treated as returns on capital to the extent of cumulative earnings and included in the Company’s consolidated statements of cash flows as operating activities. Cumulative distributions in excess of the Company’s share of cumulative earnings are treated as returns of capital and included in the Company’s consolidated statements of cash flows as cash from investing activities.
Variable Interest Entities
GAAP requires the assessment of whether an entity is a VIE and, if so, if the Company is the primary beneficiary at the inception of the entity or at a reconsideration event. Additionally, GAAP requires the consolidation of VIEs in which an enterprise has a controlling financial interest. A controlling financial interest will have both of the following characteristics: (a)
the power to direct the activities of a VIE that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance and (b) the obligation to absorb losses of the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE or the right to receive benefits from the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE.
The Company’s variable interest in VIEs may be in the form of (1) equity ownership, (2) contracts to purchase assets, (3) management and development agreements between the Company and a VIE, (4) loans provided by the Company to a VIE or other partner and/or (5) guarantees provided by members to banks and other third parties. The Company examines specific criteria and uses its judgment when determining if it is the primary beneficiary of a VIE. Factors considered in determining whether the Company is the primary beneficiary include risk and reward sharing, experience and financial condition of other partner(s), voting rights, involvement in day-to-day capital and operating decisions, representation on a VIE’s executive committee, existence of unilateral kick-out rights or voting rights, level of economic disproportionality, if any, between the Company and the other partner(s) and contracts to purchase assets from VIEs. The determination of whether an entity is a VIE and, if so, whether the Company is the primary beneficiary may require management to exercise significant judgment.
Generally, all major decision making in the Company’s joint ventures is shared among all partners. In particular, business plans and budgets are generally required to be unanimously approved by all partners. Generally, the Company purchases less than a majority of the JV’s assets and the purchase prices under its option contracts are at market.
Generally, Homebuilding and Multifamily unconsolidated entities are determined to be VIEs due to insufficient equity at risk for the JV entity as the partner(s) continue to provide subordinated financial support in the form of capital contributions.
Homebuilding and Multifamily unconsolidated entities become VIEs and consolidate if the other partner(s) lack the intent and financial wherewithal to remain in the entity. As a result, the Company continues to fund operations and debt paydowns through partner loans or substituted capital contributions.
Goodwill
Goodwill is recorded with acquisitions of businesses when the purchase price of the business exceeds the fair value of the net tangible and identifiable assets acquired. In accordance with ASC Topic 350, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other ("ASC 350"), the Company evaluates goodwill for potential impairment on at least an annual basis. The Company has the option to perform a qualitative or quantitative assessment to determine whether the fair value of a reporting unit exceeds its carrying value. Qualitative factors may include, but are not limited to, economic conditions, industry and market considerations, cost factors, overall financial performance of the reporting units and other entity and reporting unit specific events. The fair value estimate is derived through various valuation methods, including the use of discounted expected future cash flows of each reporting unit. The expected future cash flows for each reporting unit are significantly impacted by current market conditions. If these market conditions and resulting expected future cash flows for each reporting unit decline significantly, the actual results for each segment could differ from the Company's estimate, which may cause goodwill to be impaired. The annual goodwill impairment analysis was performed as of September 30, 2023, and no impairment was recorded.
Operating Properties and Equipment
Operating properties and equipment are recorded at cost and are included in other assets in the consolidated balance sheets. The assets are depreciated over their estimated useful lives using the straight-line method. At the time operating properties and equipment are disposed of, the asset and related accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and any resulting gain or loss is credited or charged to earnings. The estimated useful life for operating properties is 30 years, for furniture, fixtures and equipment is two to 10 years and for leasehold improvements is five years or the life of the lease, whichever is shorter. Operating properties are reviewed for possible impairment if there are indicators that their carrying amounts are not recoverable.
Operating properties and equipment are included in Homebuilding other assets in the consolidated balance sheets and were as follows:
November 30,
(In thousands)20232022
Operating properties (1)$300,351 305,743 
Leasehold improvements72,994 68,951 
Furniture, fixtures and equipment297,275 207,223 
670,620 581,917 
Accumulated depreciation and amortization(265,831)(226,822)
$404,789 355,095 
(1)Operating properties primarily include solar systems, rental operations and commercial properties.
Investment Securities
The Company holds investment securities classified as available-for-sale or held-to-maturity. Available-for-sale securities are recorded at fair value. Any unrealized holding gains or losses on available-for-sale securities are reported as accumulated other comprehensive income or loss, which is a separate component of stockholders’ equity, net of tax, until realized. Securities classified as held-to-maturity are carried at amortized cost because they are purchased with the intent and ability to hold to maturity.
At November 30, 2023 and 2022, the Financial Services segment had investment securities classified as held-to-maturity totaling $140.7 million and $143.3 million, respectively, which consist mainly of commercial mortgage-backed securities ("CMBS"), corporate debt obligations, U.S. government agency obligations, certificates of deposit and U.S. treasury securities that mature at various dates, mainly within three years.
At November 30, 2023 and 2022, the Lennar Other segment had investment securities classified as held-for-sale totaling $38.0 million and $35.5 million, respectively. Additionally, the Lennar Other segment had investments in equity securities with a readily determinable fair value (publicly traded common stock), not accounted for under the equity method, that are recorded at fair value with unrealized gains and losses included in earnings. For equity securities without a readily determinable fair value, the investment is recorded at cost, less any impairment, plus or minus adjustments related to observable transactions for the same or similar securities, with unrealized gains and losses included in earnings. The Lennar Other segment had investments in equity securities of $297.2 million and $391.0 million that are recorded at fair value with unrealized gains and losses included in earnings, as of November 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
For equity method investments in the Lennar Other segment, the Company records the investment as Lennar Other investments in unconsolidated entities. The Company regularly reviews its investments in unconsolidated entities to determine whether there is a decline in fair value below book value. If there is a decline that is other-than-temporary, the investment is written down to fair value. There were no impairments recorded during the years ended November 30, 2023 and 2022.
Interest and Real Estate Taxes
Interest and real estate taxes attributable to land and homes are capitalized as inventory costs while they are being actively developed. Interest related to homebuilding and land, including interest costs relieved from inventories, is included in costs of homes sold and costs of land sold. Interest expense related to the Financial Services and Multifamily operations is included in its costs and expenses.
During the years ended November 30, 2023, 2022 and 2021, interest incurred by the Company’s homebuilding operations related to homebuilding debt was $187.6 million, $230.8 million and $275.1 million, respectively; interest capitalized into inventories was $172.0 million, $211.7 million and $254.9 million, respectively.
Interest expense was included in costs of homes sold, costs of land sold and other interest expense as follows:
Years Ended November 30,
(In thousands)202320222021
Interest expense in costs of homes sold$240,871 293,105 342,756 
Interest expense in costs of land sold1,588 498 2,475 
Other interest expense (1)15,434 19,128 20,142 
Total interest expense$257,893 312,731 365,373 
(1)Included in Homebuilding other income, net.
Income Taxes
The Company records income taxes under the asset and liability method, whereby deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized based on the future tax consequences attributable to temporary differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases and attributable to operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply in the years in which the temporary differences are expected to be recovered or paid. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in earnings in the period when the changes are enacted. Interest related to unrecognized tax benefits is recognized in the financial statements as a component of income tax expense.
A reduction of the carrying amounts of deferred tax assets by a valuation allowance is required if, based on the available evidence, it is more likely than not that such assets will not be realized. Accordingly, the need to establish valuation allowances for deferred tax assets is assessed each reporting period by the Company based on the consideration of all available positive and negative evidence using a "more-likely-than-not" standard with respect to whether deferred tax assets will be realized. This assessment considers, among other matters, the nature, frequency and severity of current and cumulative losses, actual earnings, forecasts of future profitability, the duration of statutory carryforward periods, the Company’s experience with loss carryforwards not expiring unused and tax planning alternatives.
Based on the analysis of positive and negative evidence, the Company believed that there was enough positive evidence for the Company to conclude that it was more likely than not that the Company would realize the majority of its deferred tax assets. As of November 30, 2023 and 2022, the Company's net deferred tax assets of $326.5 million and $242.4 million included a valuation allowance of $2.3 million and $2.9 million, respectively. See Note 5 for additional information.
Other Liabilities
Reflected within the consolidated balance sheets, the other liabilities balance as of November 30, 2023 and 2022, included accrued interest payable, product warranty (as noted below), accrued bonuses, accrued wages and benefits, lease liabilities, deferred income, customer deposits, income taxes payable, and other accrued liabilities.
Product Warranty
Warranty and similar reserves for homes are established at an amount estimated to be adequate to cover potential costs for materials and labor with regard to warranty-type claims expected to be incurred subsequent to the delivery of a home. Reserves are determined based on historical data and trends with respect to similar product types and geographical areas. The Company regularly monitors the warranty reserve and makes adjustments to its pre-existing warranties in order to reflect changes in trends and historical data as information becomes available. Warranty reserves are included in Homebuilding other liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets. The activity in the Company’s warranty reserve was as follows:
Years Ended November 30,
(In thousands)20232022
Warranty reserve, beginning of year$418,017 377,021 
Warranties issued286,019 274,766 
Adjustments to pre-existing warranties from changes in estimates (1)566 26,222 
Payments(289,806)(259,992)
Warranty reserve, end of year$414,796 418,017 
(1)The adjustments to pre-existing warranties from changes in estimates during the years ended November 30, 2023 and 2022 primarily related to specific claims in certain of the Company's homebuilding communities and other adjustments.
Self-Insurance
Reserves for estimated losses for construction defects, general liability and workers’ compensation have been established using the assistance of a third-party actuary. The third-party actuary uses the Company's historical warranty and construction defect data to assist management in estimating the unpaid claims, claim adjustment expenses and incurred but not reported claims reserves for the risks that the Company is assuming under the general liability and construction defect programs. The estimates include provisions for inflation, claims handling and legal fees. These estimates are subject to a high degree of variability due to uncertainties such as trends in construction defect claims relative to the markets and the types of products the Company builds, claim settlement patterns, insurance industry practices and legal interpretations. Given the high degree of judgment required in determining these estimated liability amounts, actual future costs could differ significantly from the Company's currently estimated amounts. The Company’s self-insurance reserve, net of expected recoveries, as of November 30, 2023 and 2022 was $245.8 million and $210.1 million, respectively, and was included in Homebuilding other liabilities. Amounts incurred in excess of the Company's self-insurance occurrence or aggregate retention limits are covered by insurance up to the Company's purchased coverage levels. The Company's insurance policies are maintained with highly-rated underwriters for whom the Company believes counterparty default risk is not significant.
Earnings per Share
Basic earnings per share is computed by dividing net earnings attributable to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted earnings per share reflects the potential dilution that could occur if securities or other contracts to issue common stock were exercised or converted into common stock or resulted in the issuance of common stock that then shared in earnings of the Company.
All outstanding nonvested shares that contain non-forfeitable rights to dividends or dividend equivalents that participate in undistributed earnings with common stock are considered participating securities and are included in computing earnings per share pursuant to the two-class method. The two-class method is an earnings allocation formula that determines earnings per share for each class of common stock and participating securities according to dividends or dividend equivalents and participation rights in undistributed earnings. The Company’s restricted common stock ("nonvested shares") are considered participating securities.
Preferred Stock
The Company is authorized to issue 500,000 shares of preferred stock with a par value of $10 per share and 100 million shares of participating preferred stock with a par value of $0.10 per share. No shares of preferred stock or participating
preferred stock have been issued as of November 30, 2023 and 2022.
Common Stock
During the years ended November 30, 2023, 2022 and 2021 the Company’s Class A and Class B common stockholders received a per share annual dividend of $1.50, $1.50 and $1.00, respectively. The only significant difference between the Class A common stock and Class B common stock is that Class A common stock entitles holders to one vote per share and the Class B common stock entitles holders to ten votes per share.
As of November 30, 2023, Stuart Miller, the Company’s Executive Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer, directly owned, or controlled through family-owned entities, shares of Class A and Class B common stock, which represented approximately 36% voting power of the Company’s stock.
In March 2022, the Company's Board of Directors approved an authorization for the Company to repurchase up to the lesser of $2 billion in value, or 30 million in shares, of its outstanding Class A or Class B common stock. The repurchase authorization has no expiration date. The authorization was in addition to what was remaining of the October 2021 stock repurchase program. Subsequent to November 30, 2023, the Company's Board of Directors authorized an increase to its stock repurchase program to enable the Company to repurchase up to an additional $5 billion in value of our outstanding Class A or Class B common stock. Repurchases are authorized to be made in open-market or private transactions. The repurchase authorization has no expiration date.
Years Ended
November 30, 2023November 30, 2022
(Dollars in thousands, except price per share)Class AClass BClass AClass B
Shares repurchased7,499,660 2,500,340 9,628,203 1,339,797 
Total purchase price$851,502 $248,835 $868,788 $98,613 
Average price per share$113.54 $99.52 $90.23 $73.60 
Restrictions on Payment of Dividends
There are no restrictions on the payment of dividends on common stock by the Company. There are no agreements which restrict the payment of dividends by subsidiaries of the Company other than the need to maintain the financial ratios and net worth requirements under the Financial Services segment’s warehouse lines of credit, which restrict the payment of dividends from the Company’s mortgage subsidiaries following the occurrence and during the continuance of an event of default thereunder.
401(k) Plan
Under the Company’s 401(k) Plan (the "Plan"), contributions made by associates can be invested in a variety of mutual funds or proprietary funds provided by the Plan trustee. The Company may also make contributions for the benefit of associates. The Company records as compensation expense its contribution to the Plan. For the years ended November 30, 2023, 2022 and 2021, this amount was $53.4 million, $37.5 million and $29.4 million, respectively.
Share-Based Payments
Compensation expense related to the Company’s share-based awards was as follows:
Years Ended November 30,
(In thousands)202320222021
Total compensation expense for nonvested share-based awards$160,720 184,086 135,090 
The fair value of nonvested shares is determined based on the trading price of the Company’s common stock on the grant date. The weighted average fair value of nonvested shares granted during the years ended November 30, 2023, 2022 and 2021 was $91.61, $88.92 and $80.95, respectively. A summary of the Company’s nonvested shares activity for the year ended November 30, 2023 was as follows:
SharesWeighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Nonvested shares at November 30, 2022
3,152,146 $80.39 
Grants2,389,995 $91.61 
Vested(2,035,786)$73.53 
Forfeited(535,595)$89.29 
Nonvested shares at November 30, 2023
2,970,760 $92.51 
At November 30, 2023, there was $112.5 million of unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested share-based awards granted under the Company’s share-based payment plan, all of which relates to nonvested shares with a weighted average remaining contractual life of 1.8 years. For the years ended November 30, 2023, 2022 and 2021, 2.0 million, 1.6 million and 1.8 million nonvested shares, respectively, vested each year.
Financial Services
Revenue Recognition
Premiums on title policies issued directly by the Company are recognized as revenue on the effective date of the title policies. Escrow fees and loan origination revenues are recognized at the time the related real estate transactions are completed, usually upon the close of escrow. Expected gains and losses from the sale of loans and their related servicing rights are included in the measurement of all written loan commitments that are accounted for at fair value through earnings at the time of commitment. Interest income on loans held-for-sale and loans held-for-investment is recognized as earned over the terms of the mortgage loans based on the contractual interest rates.
Loans Held-for-Sale
Loans held-for-sale by the Financial Services segment, including the rights to service the mortgage loans, are carried at fair value and changes in fair value are reflected in earnings. Premiums and discounts recorded on these loans are presented as an adjustment to the carrying amount of the loans and are not amortized. Management believes carrying loans held-for-sale at fair value improves financial reporting by mitigating volatility in reported earnings caused by measuring the fair value of the loans and the derivative instruments used to economically hedge them without having to apply complex hedge accounting provisions.
In addition, the Financial Services segment recognizes the fair value of its rights to service a mortgage loan as revenue upon entering into an interest rate lock loan commitment with a borrower. The fair value of these servicing rights is included in Financial Services' other assets as of November 30, 2023 and 2022. Fair value of the servicing rights is determined based on values in the Company’s servicing sales contracts.
Provision for Losses
The Company establishes reserves for possible losses associated with mortgage loans previously originated and sold to investors based upon, among other things, an analysis of repurchase requests received, an estimate of potential repurchase claims not yet received and actual past repurchases and losses through the disposition of affected loans, as well as previous settlements. Loan origination liabilities are included in Financial Services’ liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets. The activity in the Company’s loan origination liabilities was as follows:
Years Ended November 30,
(In thousands)20232022
Loan origination liabilities, beginning of year$11,787 11,670 
Provision for losses6,939 966 
Payments(1,128)(849)
Loan origination liabilities, end of year$17,598 11,787 
Loans Held-for-Investment, Net
Loans for which the Company has the positive intent and ability to hold to maturity consist of mortgage loans carried at the principal amounts outstanding, net of unamortized discounts and allowance for credit losses. Discounts are amortized over the estimated lives of the loans using the interest method.
The Financial Services segment provides an allowance for credit losses. The provision recorded and the adequacy of the related allowance is determined by management’s continuing evaluation of the loan portfolio in light of past loan loss experience, credit worthiness and nature of underlying collateral, present economic conditions and other factors considered relevant by the Company’s management. Anticipated changes in economic factors, which may influence the level of the allowance, are considered in the evaluation by the Company’s management when the likelihood of the changes can be reasonably determined. While the Company’s management uses the best information available to make such evaluations, future adjustments to the allowance may be necessary as a result of future economic and other conditions that may be beyond management’s control.
Derivative Financial Instruments
The Financial Services segment, in the normal course of business, uses derivative financial instruments to reduce its exposure to fluctuations in mortgage-related interest rates. The segment uses mortgage-backed securities ("MBS") forward commitments, option contracts, future contracts and investor commitments to protect the value of fixed rate-locked loan
commitments and loans held-for-sale from fluctuations in mortgage-related interest rates. These derivative financial instruments are carried at fair value with the changes in fair value included in Financial Services revenues.
LMF Commercial - Loans Held-for-Sale
The originated mortgage loans are classified as loans held-for-sale and are recorded at fair value. The Company elected the fair value option for LMF Commercial's loans held-for-sale in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") 825, Financial Instruments, which permits entities to measure various financial instruments and certain other items at fair value on a contract-by-contract basis. Management believes that carrying loans held-for-sale at fair value improves financial reporting by mitigating volatility in reported earnings caused by measuring the fair value of the loans and the derivative instruments, which are also carried at fair value, used to economically hedge them without having to apply complex hedge accounting provisions. Changes in fair values of the loans are reflected in Financial Services revenues in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. Interest income on these loans is calculated based on the interest rate of the loan and is recorded in Financial Services revenues in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. Substantially all of the mortgage loans originated are sold within a short period of time in securitizations on a servicing-released, non-recourse basis; although, the Company remains liable for certain limited industry-standard representations and warranties related to loan sales. The Company recognizes revenue on the sale of loans into securitization trusts when control of the loans has been relinquished.
Multifamily
Management Fees and General Contractor Revenue
The Multifamily segment provides management services with respect to the development, construction and property management of rental projects in joint ventures in which the Company has investments. As a result, the Multifamily segment earns and receives fees, which are generally based upon a stated percentage of development and construction costs and a percentage of gross rental collections. In addition, the Multifamily segment provides general contractor services for the construction of some of its rental projects. Both management fees and general contractor revenue are recognized over the period in which the services are performed using an input method, which properly depicts the level of effort required to complete the management or construction services. These customer contracts require the Company to provide management and general contractor services which represents a performance obligation that the Company satisfies over time. Management fees and general contractor services in the Multifamily segment are included in Multifamily revenue.
Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements
In December, 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09 (“ASU 2023-09”) Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures. ASU 2023-09 requires public companies to annually (1) disclose specific categories in the rate reconciliation and (2) provide additional information for reconciling items that meet a quantitative threshold (if the effect of those reconciling items is equal to or greater than 5 percent of the amount computed by multiplying pretax income or loss by the applicable statutory income tax rate). ASU 2023-09 will be effective for the annual reporting periods in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024. The Company is currently evaluating ASU 2023-09 and does not expect it to have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
In November 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-07, "Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures" ("ASU 2023-07"). ASU 2023-07 requires disclosure of significant segment expenses that are regularly provided to the chief operating decision maker ("CODM") and included within the segment measure of profit or loss, an amount and description of its composition for other segment items to reconcile to segment profit or loss, and the title and position of the entity’s CODM. ASU 2023-07 will be applied retrospectively and is effective for annual reporting periods in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and interim reporting periods in fiscal years beginning after December 31, 2024. The Company is currently reviewing the impact that the adoption of ASU 2023-07 may have on its Consolidated Financial Statements and disclosure.
In March 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued ASU 2020-04, Reference Rate Reform, which provides optional expedients and exceptions for applying U.S. GAAP to contracts, hedging relationships, and other transactions affected by the discontinuation of the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) or by another reference rate expected to be discontinued. The guidance was effective beginning March 12, 2020 and can be applied prospectively through December 31, 2024, with earlier adoption permitted. In January 2021, the FASB issued ASU 2021-01, Reference Rate Reform - Scope, which clarified the scope and application of the original guidance. In December 2022, the FASB issued ASU 2022-06 Reference Rate Reform - Deferral of the Sunset Date of Topic 848, which defers the sunset date from December 31, 2022 to December 31, 2024. The adoption of ASU 2020-04 did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.
Reclassifications
Certain amounts in the Company's consolidated statement of operations and consolidated balance sheets of prior year have been reclassified to conform to the fiscal 2023 presentation. These reclassifications had no impact on the Company's total assets, total equity, revenues or net earnings in its consolidated financial statements.