Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Balance Sheet Presentation of Securitization Variable Interest Entities
We operate investment businesses that acquire unrated, investment grade and non-investment grade rated CMBS and RMBS. These securities represent interests in securitization structures (commonly referred to as special purpose entities, or “SPEs”). These SPEs are structured as pass through entities that receive principal and interest on the underlying collateral and distribute those payments to the certificate holders. Under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”), SPEs typically qualify as VIEs. These are entities that, by design, either (1) lack sufficient equity to permit the entity to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support from other parties, or (2) have equity investors that do not have the ability to make significant decisions relating to the entity’s operations through voting rights, or do not have the obligation to absorb the expected losses, or do not have the right to receive the residual returns of the entity.
Because we often serve as the special servicer or servicing administrator of the trusts in which we invest, or we have the ability to remove and replace the special servicer without cause, consolidation of these structures is required pursuant to GAAP as outlined in detail below. This results in a consolidated balance sheet which presents the gross assets and liabilities of the VIEs. The assets and other instruments held by these VIEs are restricted and can only be used to fulfill the obligations of the entity. Additionally, the obligations of the VIEs do not have any recourse to the general credit of any other consolidated entities, nor to us as the consolidator of these VIEs.
The VIE liabilities initially represent investment securities on our balance sheet (pre-consolidation). Upon consolidation of these VIEs, our associated investment securities are eliminated, as is the interest income related to those securities. Similarly, the fees we earn in our roles as special servicer of the bonds issued by the consolidated VIEs or as collateral administrator of the consolidated VIEs are also eliminated. Finally, a portion of the identified servicing intangible associated with the eliminated fee streams is eliminated in consolidation.
Refer to the segment data in Note 24 for a presentation of our business segments without consolidation of these VIEs.
Basis of Accounting and Principles of Consolidation
The accompanying consolidated financial statements include our accounts and those of our consolidated subsidiaries and VIEs. Intercompany amounts have been eliminated in consolidation.
Entities not deemed to be VIEs are consolidated if we own a majority of the voting securities or interests or hold the general partnership interest, except in those instances in which the minority voting interest owner or limited partner can remove us as general partner without cause, dissolve the partnership without cause or effectively participate through substantive participative rights. Substantive participative rights include the ability to select, terminate and set compensation of the investee’s management, if applicable, and the ability to participate in capital and operating decisions of the investee, including budgets, in the ordinary course of business.
We invest in entities with varying structures, many of which do not have voting securities or interests, such as general partnerships, limited partnerships, and limited liability companies. In many of these structures, control of the entity rests with the general partners or managing members, while other members hold passive interests. The general partner or managing member may hold anywhere from a relatively small percentage of the total financial interests to a majority of the financial interests. For entities not deemed to be VIEs, where we serve as the sole general partner or manag
Free historical financial statements for Starwood Property Trust Inc..
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Data imported from Starwood Property Trust Inc. SEC filings. Check original filings before making any investment decision.