Ally Financial - 10-Q quarterly report FY2016 Q2

FORM 10-Q

Commission file number: 1-3754

ALLY FINANCIAL INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

200 Renaissance Center

(Address of principal executive offices)

(Zip Code)

(866) 710-4623

The assets of consolidated variable interest entities, presented based upon the legal transfer of the underlying assets in order to reflect legal ownership, that can be used only to settle obligations of the consolidated variable interest entities and the liabilities of these entities for which creditors (or beneficial interest holders) do not have recourse to our general credit were as follows.

Our accounting and reporting policies conform to accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP). Additionally, where applicable, the policies conform to the accounting and reporting guidelines prescribed by bank regulatory authorities. 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 that affect income and expenses during the reporting period and related disclosures. In developing the estimates and assumptions, management uses all available evidence; however, actual results could differ because of uncertainties associated with estimating the amounts, timing, and likelihood of possible outcomes.

Change in Reportable Segments

Significant Accounting Policies

We account for our business acquisitions using the acquisition method of accounting. Under this method we generally record the initial carrying values of purchased assets, including identifiable intangible assets, and assumed liabilities at fair value on the acquisition date. We recognize goodwill when the acquisition price is greater than the fair value of the net assets acquired, including identifiable intangible assets. The initial fair value of recognized assets and liabilities are subject to refinement during the measurement period, a period up to one year after the closing date of an acquisition, as information relative to closing date fair values becomes available. Costs directly related to business combinations are recorded as expenses as they are incurred.

Goodwill and Other Intangibles

Goodwill and intangible assets, net of accumulated amortization, are reported in other assets.

Income Taxes

Investments

Our portfolio of investments includes various debt and marketable equity securities and nonmarketable equity investments. Debt and marketable equity securities are classified based on management’s intent to sell or hold the security. We classify debt securities as held-to-maturity only when we have both the intent and ability to hold the securities to maturity. We classify debt and marketable equity securities as trading when the securities are acquired for the purpose of selling or holding them for a short period of time. Securities not classified as either held-to-maturity or trading are classified as available-for-sale.

Our debt and marketable equity securities include government securities, corporate bonds, asset-backed securities (ABS), mortgage-backed securities (MBS), equity securities and other investments. Our portfolio includes securities classified as available-for-sale and held-to-maturity. Our available-for-sale securities are carried at fair value with unrealized gains and losses included in accumulated other comprehensive income or loss and are subject to impairment. Our held-to-maturity securities are carried at amortized cost and are subject to impairment.

We amortize premiums and discounts on debt securities as an adjustment to investment yield generally over the stated maturity of the security. For ABS and MBS where prepayments can be reasonably estimated, amortization is adjusted for expected prepayments.

Additionally, we assess our debt and marketable equity securities for potential other-than-temporary impairment. We employ a methodology that considers available evidence in evaluating potential other-than-temporary impairment of our debt and marketable equity securities classified as available-for-sale and held-to-maturity. If the cost of an investment exceeds its fair value, we evaluate, among other factors, the magnitude and duration of the decline in fair value. We also evaluate the financial health of and business outlook for the issuer, the performance of the underlying assets for interests in securitized assets, and, for securities classified as available-for-sale, our intent and ability to hold the investment through recovery of its amortized cost basis.

Once a decline in fair value of a debt security is determined to be other-than-temporary, an impairment charge for the credit component is recorded to other gain (loss) on investments, net, in our Consolidated Statement of Income, and a new cost basis in the investment is established. Noncredit component losses of a debt security are recorded in other comprehensive income (loss) when we do not intend to sell the security and it is not more likely than not that we will have to sell the security prior to the security's anticipated recovery. Unrealized losses that we have determined to be other-than-temporary on equity securities are recorded to other gain (loss) on investments, net in our Consolidated Statement of Income. Subsequent increases and decreases to the fair value of available-for-sale debt and equity securities are included in other comprehensive income (loss), so long as they are not attributable to another other-than-temporary impairment.

Recently Adopted Accounting Standards

Consolidation — Amendments to the Consolidation Analysis (ASU 2015-02)

As of January 1, 2016, we adopted ASU (Accounting Standards Update) 2015-02. The amendments in this update modify the requirements of consolidation with respect to entities that are or are similar in nature to limited partnerships or are variable interest entities (VIEs). For entities that are or are similar to limited partnerships, the guidance clarifies the evaluation of kick-out rights, removes the presumption that the general partner will consolidate and generally states that such entities will be presumed to be VIEs unless proven otherwise. For VIEs, the guidance modifies the analysis related to the evaluation of servicing fees, excludes servicing fees that are deemed commensurate with the level of service required from the determination of the primary beneficiary and clarifies certain considerations related to the consolidation analysis when performing a related party assessment. The amendments in this guidance did not impact our historical VIE

and consolidation conclusions. No adjustments to our consolidated financial statements were required as a result of the adoption of this guidance.

Recently Issued Accounting Standards

Revenue from Contracts with Customers (ASU 2014-09) and Revenue from Contracts with Customers — Deferral of the Effective Date (ASU 2015-14)

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued ASU 2014-09. The purpose of this guidance is to streamline and consolidate existing revenue recognition principles in GAAP and to converge revenue recognition principles with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The core principle of the amendments is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled to receive in exchange for those goods or services. The amendments include a five step process for consideration of the main principle, guidance on the accounting treatment for costs associated with a contract, and disclosure requirements related to the revenue process. As originally issued, the amendments in ASU 2014-09 were to be effective beginning on January 1, 2017. However, in August 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-14, which deferred the effective date of the guidance until January 1, 2018, and permitted early adoption as of the original effective date in ASU 2014-09. The FASB created a transition resource group to work with stakeholders and clarify the new guidance as necessary. The FASB has issued and is anticipating issuing additional ASUs to provide clarifying guidance and implementation support for ASU 2014-09. Management will consider these additional ASUs when assessing the overall impact of ASU 2014-09. The amendments to the revenue recognition principles can be applied on adoption either through a full retrospective application or on a modified basis with a cumulative effect adjustment on the date of initial adoption with certain practical expedients. Management has determined certain contractual arrangements that are in scope of this guidance and are in the process of completing a scoping assessment in order to determine the impact of the adoption of this guidance.

In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-01. The amendments in this update modify the requirements related to the measurement of certain financial instruments in the statement of financial condition and results of operation. For equity investments (other than investments accounted for using the equity method), entities must measure such instruments at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in net income. Changes in fair value for available-for-sale equity securities will no longer be recognized through other comprehensive income. Reporting entities may continue to elect to measure equity investments which do not have a readily determinable fair value at cost with adjustments for impairment and observable changes in price. In addition, for a liability (other than a derivative liability) that an entity measures at fair value, any change in fair value related to the instrument-specific credit risk, that is the entity’s own-credit, should be presented separately in other comprehensive income and not as a component of net income. The amendments are effective on January 1, 2018, with early adoption permitted solely for the provisions pertaining to instrument-specific credit risk for liabilities measured at fair value. The amendments must be applied on a modified retrospective basis with a cumulative effect adjustment as of the beginning of the fiscal year of initial adoption. Management is currently evaluating the impact of the amendments. However, we do expect additional volatility in our consolidated results of operations as a result of the requirement to measure equity investments at fair value with changes in the fair value recognized in net income upon adoption.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02. The amendments in this update primarily replace the existing accounting requirements for operating leases for lessees. Lessee accounting requirements for finance leases and lessor accounting requirements for both operating leases and sales type and direct financing leases (both of which were previously referred to as capital leases) are largely unchanged. The amendments require the lessee of an operating lease to record a balance sheet gross-up upon lease commencement by recognizing a right-to-use asset and lease liability equal to the present value of the lease payments. The right-to-use asset and lease liability should be derecognized in a manner which effectively yields a straight line lease expense over the lease term. In addition to the changes to lessee operating lease accounting, the amendments require additional disclosures for all lease types for both lessees and lessors. The amendments are effective on January 1, 2019, with early adoption permitted. The amendments must be applied on a modified retrospective basis with a cumulative adjustment to the beginning of the earliest fiscal year presented in the financial statements in the period of adoption. Management is currently evaluating the impact of these amendments. Preliminarily, we expect to record a gross up in our consolidated statement of financial position upon adoption reflecting our right-to-use asset and lease liability for our operating leases where we are the lessee (for example, our facility leases). We are currently evaluating the impact of the gross up for our operating leases where we are the lessee. We do not believe the amendments will have a material impact to leases where we are the lessor.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09. The amendments in this update include changes to several aspects of share-based payment accounting. The amendments allow for an entity wide accounting policy election to either account for forfeitures as they occur or estimate the number of awards that are expected to vest. The amendments modify the tax withholding requirements to allow entities to withhold an amount up to the employee’s maximum individual statutory tax rates without resulting in a liability classification of the award as opposed to limiting the withholding to the minimum statutory tax rates. The amendments require that all excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies related to share-based payment awards should be recognized in income tax expense or benefit in the income statement in the period in which they occur. The amendments also address the classification and presentation of certain items on the cash flow statement. The amendments are effective on January 1, 2017, with early adoption permitted. The transition method varies depending on the specific amendment. Management is currently evaluating the impact of these amendments.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13. The amendments in this update introduce a new accounting model to measure credit losses for financial assets measured at amortized cost. Credit losses for financial assets measured at amortized cost should be determined based on the total current expected credit losses over the life of the financial asset or group of financial assets. In effect, the financial asset or group of financial assets should be presented at the net amount expected to be collected. Credit losses will no longer be measured as they are incurred for financial assets measured at amortized cost. The amendments also modify the accounting for available-for-sale debt securities whereby credit losses will be recorded through an allowance for credit losses rather than a write-down to the security’s cost basis, which allows for reversals of credit losses when estimated credit losses decline. Credit losses for available-for-sale debt securities should be measured in a manner similar to current GAAP. The amendments are effective on January 1, 2020, with early adoption permitted as of January 1, 2019. The amendments must be applied using a modified retrospective approach with a cumulative-effect adjustment through retained earnings as of the beginning of the fiscal year upon adoption. The new accounting model for credit losses represents a significant departure from existing GAAP, which will increase the allowance for credit losses with a resulting negative adjustment to retained earnings. Management is currently evaluating the impact of the amendments.

The following table summarizes the allocation of cash consideration paid for TradeKing and the amounts of the identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed recognized at the acquisition date.

Select Automotive Finance Operations

Other Operations

Other operations relate to previous discontinued operations for which we continue to have minimal residual costs.

Select Financial Information

Select financial information of discontinued operations is summarized below. The pretax income or loss includes direct costs to transact a sale.

Details of other income, net of losses, were as follows.

Details of other operating expenses were as follows.

Our portfolio of securities includes bonds, equity securities, asset- and mortgage-backed securities, and other investments. The cost, fair value, and gross unrealized gains and losses on investment securities were as follows.

The maturity distribution of investment securities outstanding is summarized in the following tables. Call or prepayment options may cause actual maturities to differ from contractual maturities.