Variable Interest Entities

VIEs are entities in which equity investors lack the characteristics of a controlling financial interest. VIEs are consolidated by the primary beneficiary. The primary beneficiary is the party who has both the power to direct the activities of a VIE that most significantly impact the entity’s economic performance and an obligation to absorb losses of the entity or a right to receive benefits from the entity that could potentially be significant to the entity.

Our variable interests in VIEs include debt and equity interests, an equity interest in an associated company, commitments, guarantees and certain fees. Our involvement with VIEs arises primarily from the following activities of Jefferies, but also includes other activities discussed below:


•	Purchases of securities in connection with our trading and secondary market making activities,


•	Retained interests held as a result of securitization activities, including the resecuritization of mortgage- and other asset-backed securities and the securitization of commercial mortgage, corporate and consumer loans,


•	Acting as placement agent and/or underwriter in connection with client-sponsored securitizations,


•	Financing of agency and non-agency mortgage- and other asset-backed securities,


•	Real estate investments,


•	Warehousing funding arrangements for client-sponsored consumer loan vehicles and CLOs through participation certificates and revolving loan and note commitments, and


•	Loans to, investments in and fees from various investment fund vehicles.

We determine whether we are the primary beneficiary of a VIE upon our initial involvement with the VIE and we reassess whether we are the primary beneficiary of a VIE on an ongoing basis. Our determination of whether we are the primary beneficiary of a VIE is based upon the facts and circumstances for each VIE and requires significant judgment. Our considerations in determining the VIE’s most significant activities and whether we have power to direct those activities include, but are not limited to, the VIE’s purpose and design and the risks passed through to investors, the voting interests of the VIE, management, service and/or other agreements of the VIE, involvement in the VIE’s initial design and the existence of explicit or implicit financial guarantees. In situations where we have determined that the power over the VIE’s significant activities is shared, we assess whether we are the party with the power over the most significant activities. If we are the party with the power over the most significant activities, we meet the "power" criteria of the primary beneficiary. If we do not have the power over the most significant activities or we determine that decisions require consent of each sharing party, we do not meet the "power" criteria of the primary beneficiary.

We assess our variable interests in a VIE both individually and in aggregate to determine whether we have an obligation to absorb losses of or a right to receive benefits from the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE. The determination of whether our variable interest is significant to the VIE requires significant judgment. In determining the significance of our variable interest, we consider the terms, characteristics and size of the variable interests, the design and characteristics of the VIE, our involvement in the VIE and our market-making activities related to the variable interests.

Consolidated VIEs

The following tables present information about the assets and liabilities of our consolidated VIEs, which are presented within our Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition in the respective asset and liability categories, as of September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015 (in millions):



	September 30, 2016				December 31, 2015
	Securitization Vehicles		Real Estate Investment Vehicle		Securitization Vehicles

Cash	$	11.7	$	1.4	$	1.1
Financial instruments owned	90.6		—		68.3
Securities purchased under agreement to resell (1)	604.0		—		717.3
Receivables	306.0		197.9		149.8
Loans to and investments in associated companies	—		107.9		—
Other	16.1		9.0		8.8
Total assets	$	1,028.4	$	316.2	$	945.3

Other secured financings (2)	$	993.6	$	—	$	930.8
Long-term debt	—		158.4		—
Other	34.1		7.9		14.5
Total liabilities	$	1,027.7	$	166.3	$	945.3

Noncontrolling interests	$	—	$	90.8	$	—


(1)	Securities purchased under agreement to resell represent an amount due under a collateralized transaction on a related consolidated entity, which is eliminated in consolidation.


(2)	Approximately $86.5 million and $22.1 million of the secured financing represents an amount held by Jefferies in inventory and eliminated in consolidation at September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively.

Securitization Vehicles. Jefferies is the primary beneficiary of securitization vehicles associated with their financing of consumer and small business loans. In the creation of the securitization vehicles, Jefferies was involved in the decisions made during the establishment and design of the entities and holds variable interests consisting of the securities retained that could potentially be significant. The assets of the VIEs consist of the small business loans and term loans backed by consumer installment receivables, which are available for the benefit of the vehicles' beneficial interest holders. The creditors of the VIEs do not have recourse to Jefferies general credit and the assets of the VIEs are not available to satisfy any other debt.

Jefferies is also the primary beneficiary of mortgage-backed financing vehicles to which Jefferies sells agency and non-agency residential and commercial mortgage loans and mortgage-backed securities pursuant to the terms of a master repurchase agreement. Jefferies manages the assets within these vehicles. Jefferies variable interests in these vehicles consist of its collateral margin maintenance obligations under the master repurchase agreement and retained interests in securities issued. The assets of these VIEs consist of reverse repurchase agreements, which are available for the benefit of the vehicle’s debt holders. The creditors of these VIEs do not have recourse to Jefferies general credit and each such VIE’s assets are not available to satisfy any other debt.

At September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, Foursight Capital is the primary beneficiary of SPEs it utilized to securitize automobile loans receivable. Foursight Capital acts as the servicer for which it receives a fee, and owns an equity interest in the SPEs. The notes issued by the SPEs are secured solely by the assets of the SPEs and do not have recourse to Foursight Capital’s general credit and the assets of the VIEs are not available to satisfy any other debt. During the nine months ended September 30, 2016, a pool of automobile loan receivables aggregating $228.3 million was securitized by Foursight Capital in connection with a secured borrowing offering. The majority of the proceeds from issuance of the secured borrowing were used to pay down Foursight Capital’s two credit facilities.

Real Estate Investment Vehicle. 54 Madison, which we consolidate through our control of the 54 Madison investment committee, has real estate investments in which it is the primary beneficiary. 54 Madison was involved in the decisions made during the establishment and design of the investment entities. 54 Madison variable interests consist of its investment in and management of the assets within these entities. The assets of these VIEs consist primarily of financing note receivables and investments in associated companies, which are available for the benefit of the VIEs' debt holders. The debt holders of these VIEs have recourse to 54 Madison's general credit and the assets of the VIEs are not available to satisfy any other debt.

Nonconsolidated VIEs

The following tables present information about our variable interests in nonconsolidated VIEs as of September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015 (in millions):



	Financial Statement Carrying Amount				Maximum Exposure to Loss		VIE Assets
	Assets		Liabilities

September 30, 2016
CLOs	$	74.7	$	7.6	$	336.7	$	4,900.2
Consumer loan vehicles	170.0		—		607.2		1,231.4
Related party private equity vehicles	38.3		—		64.2		157.5
Real estate investment vehicle	89.9		—		101.4		84.6
Other private investment vehicles	89.9		—		102.4		4,569.4
Total	$	462.8	$	7.6	$	1,211.9	$	10,943.1

December 31, 2015
CLOs	$	73.6	$	0.2	$	458.1	$	6,368.7
Consumer loan vehicles	188.3		—		845.8		1,133.0
Related party private equity vehicles	39.3		—		65.8		168.2
Other private investment vehicles	88.0		—		91.4		4,846.1
Total	$	389.2	$	0.2	$	1,461.1	$	12,516.0

Our maximum exposure to loss often differs from the carrying value of the variable interests. The maximum exposure to loss is dependent on the nature of the variable interests in the VIEs and is limited to the notional amounts of certain loan and equity commitments and guarantees. Our maximum exposure to loss does not include the offsetting benefit of any financial instruments that may be utilized to hedge the risks associated with its variable interests and is not reduced by the amount of collateral held as part of a transaction with a VIE.

Collateralized Loan Obligations. Assets collateralizing the CLOs include bank loans, participation interests and sub-investment grade and senior secured U.S. loans. Jefferies underwrites securities issued in CLO transactions on behalf of sponsors and provides advisory services to the sponsors. Jefferies may also sell corporate loans to the CLOs. Jefferies variable interests in connection with CLOs where it has been involved in providing underwriting and/or advisory services consist of the following:


•	Forward sale agreements whereby Jefferies commits to sell, at a fixed price, corporate loans and ownership interests in an entity holding such corporate loans to CLOs,


•	Warehouse funding arrangements in the form of participation interests in corporate loans held by CLOs and commitments to fund such participation interests,


•	Trading positions in securities issued in a CLO transaction,


•	Investments in variable funding notes issued by CLOs, and


•	A guarantee to a CLO managed by Jefferies Finance, whereby Jefferies guarantees certain of the obligations of Jefferies Finance to the CLO.

In addition, Jefferies owns variable interests in CLOs previously managed by Jefferies. These variable interests consist of debt securities and a right to a portion of the CLOs’ management and incentive fees. Jefferies exposure to loss from these CLOs is limited to its investments in the debt securities held. Management and incentives fees are accrued as the amounts become realizable. These CLOs represent interests in assets consisting primarily of senior secured loans, unsecured loans and high yield bonds.

Consumer Loan Vehicles. Jefferies provides financing and lending related services to certain client-sponsored VIEs in the form of revolving funding note agreements, revolving credit facilities and forward purchase agreements. The underlying assets, which are collateralizing the vehicles, are primarily composed of unsecured consumer and small business loans. In addition, Jefferies may provide structuring and advisory services and act as an underwriter or placement agent for securities issued by the vehicles. Jefferies does not control the activities of these entities.

Related Party Private Equity Vehicles. Jefferies has committed to invest equity in private equity funds (the "JCP Funds") managed by Jefferies Capital Partners, LLC (the "JCP Manager"). Additionally, Jefferies has committed to invest equity in the general partners of the JCP Funds (the "JCP General Partners") and the JCP Manager. Jefferies variable interests in the JCP Funds, JCP General Partners and JCP Manager (collectively, the "JCP Entities") consist of equity interests that, in total, provide Jefferies with limited and general partner investment returns of the JCP Funds, a portion of the carried interest earned by the JCP General Partners and a portion of the management fees earned by the JCP Manager. Jefferies total equity commitment in the JCP Entities is $148.1 million, of which $125.1 million and $124.6 million was funded as of September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively. The carrying value of Jefferies equity investments in the JCP Entities was $38.3 million and $39.3 million at September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively. Jefferies exposure to loss is limited to the total of its carrying value and unfunded equity commitment. The assets of the JCP Entities primarily consist of private equity and equity related investments.

Jefferies has also provided a guarantee of a portion of Energy Partners I, LP's obligations under a credit agreement. Energy Partners I, LP, is a private equity fund owned and managed by our employees. The maximum exposure to loss of the guarantee was $3.0 million and $3.0 million as of September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively. Energy Partners I, LP has assets consisting primarily of debt and equity investments.

Real Estate Investment Vehicle. In the first quarter of 2016, 54 Madison committed to invest $98.0 million in a real estate investment vehicle, of which $86.5 million was funded as of September 30, 2016. 54 Madison's maximum exposure to loss is limited to its equity commitment. 54 Madison is not the primary beneficiary of the investment vehicle as it does not have the power to control the most important activities of the VIE. The assets of the VIE consist primarily of an investment in a real estate project.

Other Private Investment Vehicles. We had commitments to invest $137.9 million and $76.4 million as of September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively, in various other private investment vehicles, of which $99.0 million and $73.0 million was funded as of September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively. The carrying amount of our equity investment was $89.9 million and $88.0 million at September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively. Our exposure to loss is limited to the total loss of our carrying value and unfunded equity commitment. These private investment vehicles have assets primarily consisting of private and public equity investments, debt instruments and various oil and gas assets.

Mortgage- and Other Asset-Backed Vehicles. In connection with Jefferies secondary trading and market-making activities, Jefferies buys and sells agency and non-agency mortgage-backed and other asset-backed securities, which are issued by third party securitization SPEs and are generally considered variable interests in VIEs. Securities issued by securitization SPEs are backed by residential mortgage loans, U.S. agency collateralized mortgage obligations, commercial mortgage loans, CDOs and CLOs and other consumer loans, such as installment receivables, auto loans and student loans. These securities are accounted for at fair value and included in Trading assets in our Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition. Jefferies has no other involvement with the related SPEs and therefore does not consolidate these entities.

Jefferies also engages in underwriting, placement and structuring activities for third-party-sponsored securitization trusts generally through agency (FNMA ("Fannie Mae"), Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation ("Freddie Mac") or GNMA ("Ginnie Mae")) or non-agency sponsored SPEs and may purchase loans or mortgage-backed securities from third parties that are subsequently transferred into the securitization trusts. The securitizations are backed by residential and commercial mortgage, home equity and auto loans. Jefferies does not consolidate agency sponsored securitizations as it does not have the power to direct the activities of the SPEs that most significantly impact their economic performance. Further, Jefferies is not the servicer of non-agency sponsored securitizations and therefore does not have power to direct the most significant activities of the SPEs and accordingly, does not consolidate these entities. Jefferies may retain unsold senior and/or subordinated interests at the time of securitization in the form of securities issued by the SPEs.

Jefferies transfers existing securities, typically mortgage-backed securities, into resecuritization vehicles. These transactions in which debt securities are transferred to a VIE in exchange for new beneficial interests occur in connection with both agency and non-agency sponsored VIEs. The consolidation analysis is largely dependent on Jefferies role and interest in the resecuritization trusts. Most resecuritizations in which Jefferies is involved are in connection with investors seeking securities with specific risk and return characteristics. As such, we have concluded that the decision-making power is shared between Jefferies and the investor(s), considering the joint efforts involved in structuring the trust and selecting the underlying assets as well as the level of security interests the investor(s) hold in the SPE; therefore, Jefferies does not consolidate the resecuritization VIEs.

At September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, Jefferies held $1,341.1 million and $3,359.1 million of agency mortgage-backed securities, respectively, and $515.0 million and $630.5 million of non-agency mortgage- and other asset-backed securities, respectively, as a result of its secondary trading and market-making activities, underwriting, placement and structuring activities and resecuritization activities. Jefferies maximum exposure to loss on these securities is limited to the carrying value of its investments in these securities. Mortgage- and other asset-backed securitization vehicles discussed within this section are not included in the above table containing information about our variable interests in nonconsolidated VIEs.

We also have a variable interest in a nonconsolidated VIE consisting of our equity interest in an associated company, Golden Queen. See Note 9 for further discussion. In addition, we have a variable interest in a nonconsolidated VIE consisting of our senior secured term loan receivable and equity interest in FXCM. See Notes 3 and 9 for further discussion.