Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Description of Business and Basis of Presentation (Policies)

v3.23.1
Description of Business and Basis of Presentation (Policies)
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2023
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Description of Business
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 March 31, 2023, MMI operates 80 offices in the United States and Canada through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, including the operations of Marcus & Millichap Capital Corporation.
Basis of Presentation 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 condensed 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, including the Company’s accounting policies for the year ended December 31, 2022 included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on February 28, 2023 with the SEC. The results of the three months ended March 31, 2023 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the year ending December 31, 2023, for other interim periods or for future years.
Consolidation Consolidation The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Revenue Recognition
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 interests in commercial properties and generates financing fees from securing financing on purchase transactions, from refinancing its clients’ existing mortgage debt and other ancillary fees associated with financing activities, including, but not limited to, debt and equity advisory services, loan sales, due diligence services, guarantee fees, and loan performance fees.
Real Estate Brokerage Commissions
Contracts for representing buyers and sellers of real estate are usually negotiated on a transaction-by-transaction basis. The consideration associated with the successful outcome remains constrained until the completion of a transaction which occurs at the close of escrow. At that time, the Company's performance is complete, and revenue is recorded.
Financing Fees
Contracts for representing potential borrowers are usually negotiated on a transaction-by-transaction basis. The consideration associated with the successful outcome remains constrained until the completion of a transaction which occurs at the time the loan closes. At that time, the Company recognizes revenue related to the transaction. The Company’s fee arrangements, with an exception for guarantee obligations, do not include terms or conditions that require the Company to perform any service or fulfill any obligation once the loan closes.
Loan Performance Fees - For loans originated through the Strategic Alliance with MTRCC, the Company receives variable consideration in the form of loan performance fees based on a portion of the servicing fees expected to be received under the servicing contract for servicing the loan. As the Company is not obligated to perform any servicing functions and has no further obligations related to the transaction giving rise to the loan performance fees, the estimated value of the loan performance fees to be received is recorded at the time the loan closes and are collected over the estimated term of the related loan. Any changes in the estimate of loan performance fees to be received are recorded in revenue in the period the estimate changes.
Guarantee Obligations - For certain loans originated through the Strategic Alliance with MTRCC, the Company may agree, at its option, to indemnify MTRCC for a portion of MTRCC’s obligations for loans sold to Fannie Mae. For these loans, the Company allocates a portion of the transaction price and records a loan guarantee obligation based on its fair value. Revenue for this stand-ready obligation is recorded on a straight-line basis over the term of the estimated guarantee period and is recorded in financing fees in the condensed consolidated statements of operations. The guarantee obligation is capped at 16.7% of any unpaid principal balance in excess of the collateral securing such loan. For these loans, the Company is required to pledge cash in a restricted bank account in support of the guarantee obligation. The Company records an allowance for estimated losses related to the loans subject to the guarantee considering the risk characteristics of the loan, the loan's risk rating, historical loss experience, potential adverse situations affecting individual loans and other forecasted information as appropriate.
Mortgage Servicing - The Company recognized mortgage servicing revenue upon the acquisition of a servicing contract. The Company recorded servicing fees when earned, provided the loans were current and the debt service payments were made by the borrowers. As of September 30, 2022, the Company no longer owns any mortgage servicing rights.
Other Revenue
Other revenue includes fees generated from consulting and advisory services, as well as referral fees from other real estate brokers, and fees are recognized when services are provided, or upon closing of the transaction.
Use of Estimates Use of Estimates The preparation of condensed 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, the related disclosures at the date of the condensed consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Concentration of Credit Risk
Concentrations of Credit Risk
Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to a concentration of credit risk principally consist of cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash, investments in marketable debt securities, available-for-sale, security deposits (included under other assets, non-current) and commissions receivable, net. Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash are placed with high-credit quality financial institutions and invested in high-credit quality money market funds and commercial paper. Concentrations and ratings of marketable debt 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 money market funds that represent amounts recorded as cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash. The Company historically has not experienced any significant losses related to cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash.
In September 2021, the Company entered into a Strategic Alliance (“Strategic Alliance”) with M&T Realty Capital Corporation (“MTRCC”) pursuant to which the Company has agreed to provide loan opportunities that may be funded through MTRCC’s Delegated Underwriting and Servicing Agreement (“DUS Agreement”) with the Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”) that requires MTRCC to guarantee a portion of each loan funded. On a loan-by-loan basis, the Company, at its option, can indemnify a portion of MTRCC’s guarantee obligation of loan opportunities presented to and closed by MTRCC through the DUS Agreement. The Company manages and limits the concentration of risk related to the guarantees assumed by monitoring the underlying property type, geographic location, credit of the borrowers, underlying debt service coverage, and loan to value ratios.
The Company derives its revenue 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 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, 2023 and 2022, no transaction represented 10% or more of total revenue. 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, 2023 and 2022, the Company’s Canadian operations represented 2.9% and 2.2% of total revenue, respectively.
During each of the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, no office represented 10% or more of total revenue.
Reorganization and Initial Public Offering 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, Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services, Inc. (“MMREIS”). 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 November 5, 2013