| Summary of Significant Accounting Policies | 2. Summary of significant accounting policies:
Basis of presentation:
The accompanying balance sheets as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, and the related statements of income, changes in members’ capital, and cash flows for the years then ended, have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation. These reclassifications had no significant effect on the reported financial position or results of operations.
Footnote and tabular amounts are presented in thousands, except as to Units and per Unit data.
In preparing the accompanying financial statements, the Company has reviewed, as determined necessary by the Managing Member, events that have occurred after December 31, 2020, up until the issuance of the financial statements. No events were noted which would require additional disclosure in the footnotes to the financial statements.
Cash and cash equivalents:
Cash and cash equivalents include cash in banks and cash equivalent investments such as U.S. Treasury instruments with original and/or purchased maturities of ninety days or less.
Use of estimates:
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Such estimates primarily relate to the determination of residual values at the end of the lease term and expected future cash flows used for impairment analysis purposes and determination of the allowances for doubtful accounts.
Accounts receivable:
Accounts receivable represent the amounts billed under operating and direct financing lease contracts, and notes receivable which are due to the Company. Allowances for doubtful accounts are typically established based on historical charge off and collection experience and the collectability of specifically identified lessees and borrowers, and invoiced amounts. Accounts receivable deemed uncollectible are charged off to the allowance on a specific identification basis. Amounts recovered that were previously written-off are recorded as other income in the period received.
Credit risk:
Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk include cash and cash equivalents, operating and direct financing lease receivables, notes receivable and accounts receivable. The Company places the majority of its cash deposits in noninterest-bearing accounts with financial institutions that have no less than $10 billion in assets. Such deposits are insured up to $250 thousand. The remainder of the Company’s cash is temporarily invested in U.S. Treasury denominated instruments. The concentration of such deposits and temporary cash investments is not deemed to create a significant risk to the Company. Accounts and notes receivable represent amounts due from lessees or borrowers in various industries, related to equipment on operating and direct financing leases or notes receivable.
Equipment on operating leases and related revenue recognition:
Equipment subject to operating leases is stated at cost. Depreciation is being recognized on a straight-line method over the terms of the related leases to the equipment’s estimated residual values. Off-lease equipment is generally not subject to depreciation. The Company depreciates all lease assets, in accordance with guidelines consistent with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 360‑20‑35‑3, over the periods of the lease terms contained in each asset’s respective lease contract to the estimated residual value at the end of the lease contract. All lease assets are purchased only concurrent with the execution of a lease commitment by the lessee. Thus, the original depreciation period corresponds with the term of the original lease. Once the term of an original lease contract is completed, the subject property is typically sold to the existing user, re-leased to the existing user, or, when off-lease, is held for sale. Assets which are re-leased continue to be depreciated using the terms of the new lease agreements and the estimated residual values at the end of the new lease terms, adjusted downward as necessary. Assets classified as held-for-sale are carried at the lower of carrying amount, or the fair value less cost to sell (ASC 360‑10‑35‑43).
The Company does not use the equipment held in its portfolio, but holds it solely for lease and ultimate sale. In the course of marketing equipment that has come off-lease, management may determine at some point that re-leasing the assets may provide a superior return for investors and would then execute another lease. Upon entering into a new lease contract, management will estimate the residual value once again and resume depreciation. If, and when, the Company, at any time, determines that depreciation in value may have occurred with respect to an asset held-for-sale, the Company would review the value to determine whether a material reduction in value had occurred and recognize any appropriate impairment. All lease assets, including off-lease assets, are subject to the Company’s quarterly impairment analysis, as described below. Maintenance costs associated with the Fund’s portfolio of leased assets are expensed as incurred. Major additions and betterments are capitalized.
Operating lease revenue is recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of the underlying leases. The initial lease terms will vary as to the type of equipment subject to the leases, the needs of the lessees and the terms to be negotiated, but initial leases are generally on terms from 36 to 120 months. The difference between rent received and rental revenue recognized is recorded as unearned operating lease income on the balance sheet. Operating leases are generally placed in a non-accrual status (i.e., no revenue is recognized) when payments are more than 90 days past due. Additionally, management considers the equipment underlying the lease contracts for impairment and periodically reviews the credit worthiness of all operating lessees with payments outstanding less than 90 days. Based upon management’s judgment, the related operating leases may be placed on non-accrual status. Leases placed on non-accrual status are only returned to an accrual status when the account has been brought current and management believes recovery of the remaining unpaid lease payments is probable. Until such time, revenues are recognized on a cash basis.
Initial direct costs:
Incremental costs of a lease that would not have been incurred if the lease had not been obtained are capitalized and amortized over the lease term. All other costs associated with the execution of the Company’s leases are expensed as incurred.
Asset valuation:
Recorded values of the Company’s leased asset portfolio are reviewed each quarter to confirm the reasonableness of established residual values and to determine whether there is indication that an asset impairment might have taken place. The Company uses a variety of sources and considers many factors in evaluating whether the respective book values of its assets are appropriate. In addition, the company may direct a residual value review at any time if it becomes aware of issues regarding the ability of a lessee to continue to make payments on its lease contract. An impairment loss is measured and recognized only if the estimated undiscounted future cash flows of the asset are less than their net book value. The estimated undiscounted future cash flows are the sum of the residual value of the asset at the end of the asset’s lease contract and undiscounted future rents from the existing lease contract. The residual value assumes, among other things, that the asset is utilized normally in an open, unrestricted and stable market. Short-term fluctuations in the marketplace are disregarded and it is assumed that there is no necessity either to dispose of a significant number of the assets, if held in quantity, simultaneously or to dispose of the asset quickly. Impairment is measured as the difference between the fair value (as determined by a valuation method using discounted estimated future cash flows, third party appraisals or comparable sales of similar assets as applicable based on asset type) of the asset and its carrying value on the measurement date. Upward adjustments for impairments recognized in prior periods are not made in any circumstances.
Segment reporting:
The Company is not organized by multiple operating segments for the purpose of making operating decisions or assessing performance. Accordingly, the Company operates in one reportable operating segment in North America.
The Company’s principal decision makers are the Managing Member’s Chief Executive Officer and its Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer. The Company believes that its equipment leasing business operates as one reportable segment because: a) the Company measures profit and loss at the equipment portfolio level as a whole; b) the principal decision makers do not review information based on any operating segment other than the equipment leasing transaction portfolio; c) the Company does not maintain discrete financial information on any specific segment other than its equipment financing operations; d) the Company has not chosen to organize its business around different products and services other than equipment lease financing; and e) the Company has not chosen to organize its business around geographic areas.
The primary geographic region in which the Company sought leasing opportunities was North America. The table below summarizes geographic information relating to the sources, by nation, of the Company’s total revenues for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, and long-lived tangible assets as of December 31, 2020 and 2019 (dollars in thousands):
Year Ended December 31,
2020
% of Total
2019
% of Total
Revenue
United States
$
1,247
95
%
$
2,774
98
%
Canada
61
5
%
44
2
%
Total
$
1,308
100
%
$
2,818
100
%
As of December 31,
2020
% of Total
2019
% of Total
Long-lived assets
United States
$
3,163
98
%
$
3,701
98
%
Canada
59
2
%
91
2
%
Total
$
3,222
100
%
$
3,792
100
%
Foreign currency transactions:
Foreign currency transaction gains and losses are reported in the results of operations as “other income” or “other expense” in the period in which they occur. Currently, the Company does not use derivative instruments to hedge its economic exposure with respect to assets, liabilities and firm commitments as the foreign currency transactions risks to date have not been significant. During the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, all foreign currency transaction gains and losses were nominal in value.
Investment in securities:
From time to time, the Company may purchase securities of its borrowers or receive warrants to purchase securities in connection with its lending arrangements.
Purchased securities
Purchased securities registered for public sale are carried at fair value. Such securities with readily determinable fair values are measured at fair value with any changes in fair value recognized in the Company's results of operations. The Company's investment securities that do not have readily determinable fair values are measured at cost minus impairment, and adjusted for changes in observable prices. Factors considered by the Managing Member in determining fair value include, but are not limited to, available financial information, the issuer’s ability to meet its current obligations and indications of the issuer’s subsequent ability to raise capital. The Company’s investment securities totaled $200 thousand and $44 thousand at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. There were minimal amount of fair value adjustments on investment securities with readily determinable fair values for both years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019. There were $156 thousand of fair value adjustments to investment securities that do not have readily determinable fair values for the year end December 31, 2020. There were no such fair value adjustments recorded in 2019. Cumulatively, the Fund recorded $58 thousand of adjustments to increase the fair value of such investments based on changes in observable prices. Impairment losses on investment securities totaled $11 thousand for the year ended December 31, 2019. T here were no such losses during the current year. Also, there were no investment securities sold or disposed for the years end December 31, 2020 and 2019.
Unearned operating lease income:
The Company records prepayments on operating leases as a liability under the caption of unearned operating lease income. The liability is recorded when prepayments are received and recognized as operating lease revenue over the period to which the prepayments relate using a straight-line method.
Income taxes:
The Company is treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes. Pursuant to the provisions of Section 701 of the Internal Revenue Code, a partnership is not subject to federal income taxes. Accordingly, the Company has provided current franchise income taxes for only those states which levy income taxes on partnerships. For the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, the related provision for state income taxes was $9 thousand and $34 thousand, respectively. The Company does not have any entity level uncertain tax positions. The Company files income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction and various state jurisdictions and is generally subject to examination by U.S. federal (or state and local) income tax authorities for three years from the filing of a tax return.
The tax bases of the Company’s net assets and liabilities vary from the amounts presented in these financial statements at December 31, 2020 and 2019 (in thousands):
2020
2019
Financial statement basis of net assets
$
4,757
$
5,969
Tax basis of net assets (unaudited)
20,214
20,853
Difference
$
(15,457)
$
(14,884)
The primary differences between the tax bases of net assets and the amounts recorded in the financial statements are the result of differences in accounting for syndication costs and differences between the depreciation methods used in the financial statements and the Company’s tax returns.
The following reconciles the net income reported in these financial statements to the income reported on the Company’s federal tax return (unaudited) for each of the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 (in thousands):
2020
2019
Net income per financial statements
$
374
$
1,462
Tax adjustments (unaudited):
Adjustment to depreciation expense
174
131
Provision for losses and doubtful accounts
157
89
Adjustments to gain on sales of assets
242
674
Other
1
292
Income per federal tax return (unaudited)
$
948
$
2,648
Per Unit data:
Net income and distributions per Unit are based upon the weighted average number of Other Members’ Units outstanding during the year.
Recent accounting pronouncements:
In March 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued ASU No. 2020-03, Codification Improvements to Financial Instruments (“ASU 2020-03”). ASU 2020-03 improves and clarifies various financial instruments topics, including the current expected credit losses (CECL) standard issued in 2016. ASU 2020-03 includes seven different issues that describe the areas of improvement and the related amendments to GAAP that are intended to make the standards easier to understand and apply by eliminating inconsistencies and providing clarifications. The amendments have different effective dates. Management is currently evaluating the effect of adopting this new accounting guidance but does not expect adoption will have a material impact on the Fund’s financial statements and disclosures.
In June 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2016‑13, Financial Instruments — Credit Losses (Topic 326) (“ASU 2016‑13”). The main objective of this Update is to provide financial statement users with more decision-useful information about the expected credit losses on financial instruments and other commitments to extend credit held by a reporting entity at each reporting date. To achieve this objective, the amendments in this Update replace the incurred loss impairment methodology in current GAAP with a methodology that reflects expected credit losses and requires consideration of a broader range of reasonable and supportable information to inform credit loss estimates. The amendments affect entities holding financial assets and equipment under operating leases that are not accounted for at fair value through net income. The amendments affect loans, debt securities, trade receivables, equipment under operating lease, off-balance-sheet credit exposures, reinsurance receivables, and any other financial assets not excluded from the scope that have the contractual right to receive cash. Management is currently evaluating the standard and expects the update may potentially result in the increase in the allowance for credit losses given the change to estimated losses over the contractual life adjusted for expected prepayments.
In November 2018, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2018-19, Codification Improvements to Topic 326, Financial Instruments — Credit Losses (“ASU 2018-19”). The new standard clarifies certain aspects of the new CECL impairment model in ASU 2016-13. The amendment clarifies that receivables arising from operating leases are within the scope of ASC 842, rather than ASC 326. Management is currently evaluating the impact of the standard on the financial statements and related disclosure requirements.
On August 15, 2019, the FASB issued a proposed ASU that would grant certain companies additional time to implement FASB standards on CECL, and hedging. The proposed ASU defers the effective date for CECL to fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2022, including interim periods within those fiscal years; and defers the effective dates for hedging to fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2020, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021. The ASU was approved on October 16, 2019. In February 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-02 and delayed the effective date of Topic 326 until fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022.
In August 2018, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (“ASU 2018-13”), which amends the disclosure requirements on fair value measurements in Topic 820, Fair Value Measurement. This ASU modifies disclosure requirements for fair value measurements by removing, modifying or adding certain disclosures. The amendments in this Update are effective for all entities for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019. The amendments on changes in unrealized gains and losses, the range and weighted average of significant unobservable inputs used to develop Level 3 fair value measurements, and the narrative description of measurement uncertainty should be applied prospectively for only the most recent interim or annual period presented in the initial fiscal year of adoption. All other amendments should be applied retrospectively to all periods presented upon their effective date. The Fund adopted ASU 2018-13 on January 1, 2020. Such adoption did not have a significant impact on the Fund’s financial statements and related disclosure requirements. |
