1.	Description of business, basis of presentation and recent accounting pronouncements

Description of Business

Marcus & Millichap, Inc., (the “Company”, “Marcus & Millichap”, or “MMI”), a Delaware corporation, is a brokerage firm specializing in commercial real estate investment sales, financing, research and advisory services. As of September 30, 2016, MMI operates 81 offices in the United States and Canada through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services, Inc. (“MMREIS”), which includes the operations of Marcus & Millichap Capital Corporation (“MMCC”).

Reorganization and Initial Public Offering

MMI was formed in June 2013 in preparation for Marcus & Millichap Company (“MMC”) to spin-off its majority owned subsidiary, MMREIS (“Spin-Off”). Prior to the initial public offering (“IPO”) of MMI, all of the preferred and common stockholders of MMREIS (including MMC and employees of MMREIS) contributed all of their outstanding shares to MMI, in exchange for new MMI common stock. As a result, MMREIS became a wholly-owned subsidiary of MMI. Thereafter, MMC distributed 80.0% of the shares of MMI common stock to MMC’s shareholders and exchanged the remaining portion of its shares of MMI common stock for cancellation of indebtedness of MMC. MMI completed its IPO on October 30, 2013.

Basis of Presentation

The financial information presented in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, has been prepared in accordance with rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) for quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and Article 10-01 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and notes include all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring adjustments) necessary for a fair presentation of the consolidated financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the annual audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2015 included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 15, 2016 with the SEC. The results of the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2016, or for other interim periods or future years.

Consolidation

The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the related disclosures at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Reclassifications

Certain prior-period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation. These changes had no impact on the previously reported condensed consolidated results of operations, financial condition, stockholders’ equity or on cash flows subtotals.

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 is placed with high-credit quality financial institutions and invested high-credit quality money market funds.

 

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 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 performs credit evaluations of its customers and debtors and 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 and nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, 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.

The Company’s Canadian operations represented less than 1.0% of total revenues in each period presented.

For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016, one office represented approximately 10.9% and 10.1% of real estate brokerage commissions revenue, respectively. No office represented 10% or more of real estate brokerage commissions revenue during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

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 current revenue recognition guidance under U.S. GAAP, and requires entities to recognize revenue for transfer to 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, 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 and early adoption is permitted as of the original effective date.

ASU 2014-09 permits two implementation approaches, one requiring retrospective application of the new standard with restatement of prior years and one requiring prospective application of the new standard with disclosure of results under old standards. For the Company, the new standard will be effective January 1, 2018. The Company does not have multiple-element arrangements, variable consideration, licenses and long-term contracts with customers. Accordingly, the Company does not expect this standard to have a significant effect in the manner or timing of its revenue recognition. The Company is in the process of completing the evaluation of the impact of this new standard and will select a transition method when the effect is determined.

In August 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-15, Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern (“ASU 2014-15”). Currently, there is no guidance under U.S. GAAP regarding management’s responsibility to assess whether there is substantial doubt about an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern. Under ASU 2014-15, the Company will be required to assess its ability to continue as a going concern each interim and annual reporting period and provide certain disclosures if there is substantial doubt about the entity’s ability to continue as a going concern, including management’s plan to alleviate the substantial doubt. ASU 2014-15 is effective for reporting periods ending after December 15, 2016 and early adoption is permitted. For the Company, the new standard will be effective December 31, 2016. The Company does not anticipate that the adoption will have an impact on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial position or results of operations.

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. The Company will be required to adopt the new standard in 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, the amount of which and potential impact on the condensed consolidated statements of net and comprehensive income and condensed consolidated statements of cash flows has yet to be determined. As of September 30, 2016, the Company has remaining contractual obligations for operating leases (autos and office), which aggregate approximately $77.1 million. Accordingly, we anticipate that the adoption of the new standard will have a material impact on the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheet.

 

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting (“ASU 2016-09”). The ASU changes the accounting for share-based payment awards issued to employees in the following areas:

 

1.

Accounting for income taxes upon vesting or settlement of awards

 

2.

Presentation of excess tax benefits on the statement of cash flows

 

3.

Accounting for forfeitures

 

4.

Minimum statutory withholding requirements

 

5.

Presentation of employee taxes paid on the statement of cash flows when an employer withholds shares to meet minimum statutory withholding requirements

 

6.

Private company practical expedients

ASU 2016-09 is effective for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016 and early adoption is permitted. For the Company, the new standard will be effective on January 1, 2017. The Company is finalizing its evaluation of the impact of ASU 2016-09. The Company intends to adopt the provisions of ASU 2016-09 as of January 1, 2017. Since the Company issues stock-based awards to its employees and independent contractors and has recognized windfall tax benefits in additional paid in capital, it is anticipated that the ASU, when adopted, will impact (i) the Company’s provision for income taxes, and therefore net and comprehensive income and related earnings per share amounts, (ii) amounts presented in the condensed consolidated statement of stockholders’ equity and condensed consolidated statements of cash flows and (iii) to a lesser extent the timing of our stock-based compensation expense. In accordance with the provision of ASU 2016-09, the Company intends to change its accounting for forfeitures from awards that are not expected to vest to when forfeitures occur. The Company anticipates adopting the majority of the provision of ASU 2016-09 on a prospective basis except for the change in the accounting for forfeitures, where the Company anticipates adopting the provision on a modified retrospective basis with a cumulative-effect adjustment as of January 1, 2017. Since the impact of the adoption of ASU 2016-09 is dependent on the future share price of the Company’s stock, the Company cannot determine what the future impact will be for the forfeitures; however, based on the closing stock price on September 30, 2016, the cumulative-effect adjustment as of January 1, 2017 is not expected to be material. See Note 9 – “Stock-Based Compensation Plans” for additional information.

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 a 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. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this new standard.

In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments (“ASU 2016-15”), to reduce diversity in practice in the classification of cash activity related to eight specific areas. ASU 2016-15 is effective for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017 and interim periods within those years and early adoption is permitted. The Company adopted ASU 2016-15 during the nine months ended September 30, 2016. The Company evaluated the impact of this new standard and determined its historical classifications, where applicable, were in accordance with ASU 2016-15. Accordingly, the adoption did not have an impact on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial position or results of operations.