2.	Accounting Policies and Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Accounting Policies

The complete list of the Company’s accounting policies is included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 16, 2018 with the SEC.

 

Revenue Recognition

The Company generates real estate brokerage commissions by acting as a broker for real estate owners or investors seeking to buy or sell commercial properties. The Company generates financing fees from securing financing on purchase transactions as well as fees earned from refinancing its clients’ existing mortgage debt and other financing activities. Other revenues include fees generated from consulting and advisory services, as well as referral fees from other real estate brokers. The Company’s contracts contain one performance obligation related to its real estate brokerage, financing and consulting and advisory services offered to buyers and sellers of commercial real estate and provide that it is operating as a principal in all its revenue generating activities. The Company does not have multiple-element arrangements, variable consideration, financing components, significant noncash consideration, licenses, long-term contracts with customers or other items affecting the transaction price. Accordingly, the Company determined that the transaction price is generally fixed and determinable and collectability is reasonably assured. The Company recognizes revenue in principally all cases at the close of escrow for real estate brokerage, close of loan for financing and when services are provided upon closing of the transaction for other revenues.

Capitalization of Internal Labor

Certain costs related to the development or purchases of internal-use software are capitalized. Internal computer software costs that are incurred in the preliminary project stage are expensed as incurred. Direct consulting costs and certain payroll and related costs that are incurred during the development stage of a project are capitalized and amortized using the straight-line method over estimated useful lives ranging from 3 to 7 years. Capitalized costs are recorded in the property and equipment, net caption and amortization is recorded in the depreciation and amortization caption in the condensed consolidated financial statements. Amortization begins for software that has been placed into production and is ready for its intended use. Postimplementation costs such as training, maintenance and support are expensed as incurred. The Company evaluates its capitalized software costs for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets may not be recoverable.

Concentration of Credit Risk

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to a concentration of credit risk principally consist of cash and cash equivalents, due from independent contractors (included under other assets, net current and other assets non-current captions), investments in marketable securities, available-for-sale, security deposits (included under other assets, non-current caption) and commissions receivables. Cash and cash equivalents are placed with high-credit quality financial institutions and invested in high-credit quality money market funds and commercial paper. Concentrations of marketable securities, available-for-sale are limited by the approved investment policy.

To reduce its credit risk, the Company monitors the credit standing of the financial institutions that hold the Company’s cash and cash equivalents. The Company historically has not experienced any significant losses related to cash and cash equivalents.

The Company derives its revenues from a broad range of real estate investors, owners, and users in the United States and Canada, none of which individually represents a significant concentration of credit risk. The Company requires collateral on a case-by-case basis. The Company maintains allowances, as needed, for estimated credit losses based on management’s assessment of the likelihood of collection. For the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, no transaction represented 10% or more of total revenues. Further, while one or more transactions may represent 10% or more of commissions receivable at any reporting date, amounts due are typically collected within 10 days of settlement and, therefore, do not expose the Company to significant credit risk.

During the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, the Company’s Canadian operations represented less than 1% of total revenues.

During the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, no office represented 10% or more of total revenues.

Segment Reporting

The Company follows the guidance for segment reporting, which requires reporting information on operating segments in interim and annual financial statements. Substantially all of the Company’s operations involve the delivery of commercial real estate services to its customers including real estate investment sales, financing and consulting and advisory services. Management makes operating decisions, assesses performance and allocates resources based on an ongoing review of these integrated operations, which constitute the Company’s only operating segment for financial reporting purposes.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Adopted

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASU 2014-09”), which supersedes virtually all of the existing revenue recognition guidance under U.S. GAAP, and requires entities to recognize revenue for the transfer to a customer of promised goods or services in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled to receive in exchange for those goods or services. Subsequent to the issuance of ASU 2014-09,the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-14, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date, ASU No. 2016-08, Revenue from Contacts with Customers: Principal Versus Agent Considerations, ASU No. 2016-10, Revenue from Contracts with Customers: Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing, and ASU No. 2016-12, Revenue from Contracts with Customers: Narrow-Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients. The additional ASU’s clarified certain provisions of ASU 2014-09 in response to recommendations from the Transition Resources Group established by the FASB and extended the required adoption of ASU 2014-09 which is now effective for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. The Company adopted the new standard on January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective application method.

The Company assessed the impact of the standard and determined that its contracts contain one performance obligation related to its real estate brokerage, financing and consulting and advisory services offered to buyers and sellers of commercial real estate and provide that it is operating as a principal in all of its revenue generating activities. The Company does not have multiple-element arrangements, variable consideration, financing components, significant noncash consideration, licenses, long-term contracts with customers or other items affecting the transaction price. The Company determined the transaction price is generally fixed and determinable and collectability is reasonably assured. Revenue was and will continue to be recognized in principally all cases at the close of escrow for real estate brokerage, close of loan for financing and when services are provided upon closing of the transaction for other revenues. Accordingly, the adoption of ASU 2014-09, as clarified, does not have an effect on the manner or timing of the recognition of the Company’s revenue.

In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-02, Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (“ASU 2018-02”). ASU 2018-02 is effective for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018 and early adoption is permitted. ASU 2018-02 permits Companies that elect to make the reclassification adjustment the option to apply the guidance retrospectively or to record the reclassification as of the beginning of the period of adoption. The Company adopted the new standard on January 1, 2018 and elected to make the reclassification adjustment pertaining to the stranded tax effects resulting from the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Act”) from accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings as of the beginning of the period presented in the amount of $13,000.

Pending Adoption

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases, to increase transparency and comparability by recognizing lease assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet and disclosing key information about leasing arrangements. The Company is still evaluating the impact of the new standard and has begun evaluating the population of all leases and related systems and internal control considerations. The Company will be required to adopt the new standard effective January 1, 2019, and the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheets will be impacted by the recording of a lease liability and right of use asset for virtually all of its current operating leases. As of March 31, 2018, the Company has remaining contractual obligations for operating leases (autos and office) that aggregate approximately $83.6 million. Accordingly, the Company anticipates that the adoption of the new standard will have a material impact on the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheet. The amount of which and the potential impact on the condensed consolidated statements of net and comprehensive income and condensed consolidated statements of cash flows has yet to be determined.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (“ASU 2016-13”). ASU 2016-13 is effective for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019 and early adoption is permitted. For the Company, the new standard will be effective January 1, 2020. Under ASU 2016-13, the Company will be required to use an expected-loss model for its marketable securities, available-for sale, which requires that credit losses be presented as an allowance rather than as an impairment write-down. Reversals of credit losses (in situations in which the estimate of credit losses declines) is permitted in the reporting period the change occurs. Current U.S. GAAP prohibits reflecting reversals of credit losses in current period earnings. At March 31, 2018, the Company had $130.4 million in marketable securities, available for sale which would be subject to this new standard. As of March 31, 2018, these marketable securities, available for sale have an average credit rating of AA and no impairment write-downs have been recorded. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this new standard on its investment policy and investments.