Note 12.
Other Assets
Other assets are generally less liquid, non-financial assets. The table below presents other assets by type.
| As of December | ||||||||
| in millions | 2013 | 2012 | ||||||
|
Property, leasehold improvements |
$ 9,196 | $ 8,217 | ||||||
|
Goodwill and identifiable intangible assets |
4,376 | 5,099 | ||||||
|
Income tax-related assets 1 |
5,241 | 5,620 | ||||||
|
Equity-method investments 2 |
417 | 453 | ||||||
|
Miscellaneous receivables and other |
3,279 | 20,234 | ||||||
|
Total |
$22,509 | $39,623 | ||||||
| 1. |
See Note 24 for further information about income taxes. |
| 2. |
Excludes investments accounted for at fair value under the fair value option where the firm would otherwise apply the equity method of accounting of $6.07 billion and $5.54 billion as of December 2013 and December 2012, respectively, which are included in “Financial instruments owned, at fair value.” The firm has generally elected the fair value option for such investments acquired after the fair value option became available. |
Assets Held for Sale
In the fourth quarter of 2012, the firm classified its Americas reinsurance business within its Institutional Client Services segment as held for sale. As of December 2012, assets related to this business were $16.92 billion. In the table above, $16.77 billion of such assets were included in “Miscellaneous receivables and other” (primarily available-for-sale securities and separate account assets) and $149 million were included in “Goodwill and identifiable intangible assets.” Liabilities related to this business of $14.62 billion as of December 2012 were included in “Other liabilities and accrued expenses.”
The firm completed the sale of a majority stake in its Americas reinsurance business in April 2013. See Note 3 for further information.
Property, Leasehold Improvements and Equipment
Property, leasehold improvements and equipment in the table above is presented net of accumulated depreciation and amortization of $9.04 billion and $9.05 billion as of December 2013 and December 2012, respectively. Property, leasehold improvements and equipment included $6.02 billion and $6.20 billion as of December 2013 and December 2012, respectively, related to property, leasehold improvements and equipment that the firm uses in connection with its operations. The remainder is held by investment entities, including VIEs, consolidated by the firm.
Substantially all property and equipment are depreciated on a straight-line basis over the useful life of the asset. Leasehold improvements are amortized on a straight-line basis over the useful life of the improvement or the term of the lease, whichever is shorter. Certain costs of software developed or obtained for internal use are capitalized and amortized on a straight-line basis over the useful life of the software.
Impairments
The firm tests property, leasehold improvements and equipment, identifiable intangible assets and other assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances suggest that an asset’s or asset group’s carrying value may not be fully recoverable. To the extent the carrying value of an asset exceeds the projected undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use and eventual disposal of the asset or asset group, the firm determines the asset is impaired and records an impairment loss equal to the difference between the estimated fair value and the carrying value of the asset or asset group. In addition, the firm will recognize an impairment loss prior to the sale of an asset if the carrying value of the asset exceeds its estimated fair value.
Primarily as a result of a decline in the market conditions in which certain of the firm’s consolidated investments operate, during 2013 and 2012, the firm determined certain assets were impaired and recorded impairment losses of $216 million ($160 million related to property, leasehold improvements and equipment and $56 million related to identifiable intangible assets) for 2013 and $404 million ($253 million related to property, leasehold improvements and equipment and $151 million related to identifiable intangible and other assets) for 2012.
These impairment losses, substantially all of which were included in “Depreciation and amortization” within the firm’s Investing & Lending segment, represented the excess of the carrying values of these assets over their estimated fair values, which are primarily level 3 measurements, using a combination of discounted cash flow analyses and relative value analyses, including the estimated cash flows expected to result from the use and eventual disposition of these assets.