Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

v3.23.3
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)
 9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2023
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Basis of Presentation
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements comprise the financial statements of FoA and its controlled subsidiaries. The condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with United States ("U.S.") generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") for interim financial statements and pursuant to the accounting and disclosure rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). The accompanying financial statements contain all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, necessary for a fair statement of its financial condition as of September 30, 2023, its results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, and its cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022. The Condensed Consolidated Statement of Financial Condition at December 31, 2022 was derived from audited financial statements but does not contain all of the footnote disclosures from the annual financial statements. Operating results for the interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for any future period or for the full year. The condensed consolidated financial statements, including the significant accounting policies, should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes as of and for the year ended December 31, 2022 within the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K ("Form 10-K").
The significant accounting policies, together with the other notes that follow, are an integral part of the condensed consolidated financial statements.
Use of Estimates
Use of Estimates
The preparation of condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires the Company to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the condensed consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results may differ from those estimates and assumptions due to factors such as changes in the economy, interest rates, secondary market pricing, prepayment assumptions, home prices, or discrete events affecting specific borrowers, and such differences could be material.
Asset Acquisitions and Business Combinations
Asset Acquisitions and Business Combinations
In accordance with Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") 805, Business Combinations ("ASC 805"), as of the acquisition date, the Company evaluates acquisitions to determine whether the Company has acquired a business or a group of assets. The evaluation includes a screen test to determine if substantially all of the fair value of the gross assets acquired is concentrated in a single identifiable asset or group of similar identifiable assets. The results of this evaluation impacts whether the Company accounts for an acquisition under business combination or asset acquisition guidance.
If the screen test is met, the acquisition is not considered to be a business, and is instead accounted for as an asset acquisition. Under ASC 805, asset acquisitions are measured following a cost accumulation and allocation model, whereby the costs to acquire the assets, including transaction costs, are accumulated and then allocated to the individual assets and liabilities acquired based upon their estimated fair values. No goodwill or bargain purchase gain is recognized in an asset acquisition.
The Company applies the acquisition method to all transactions and other events in which the entity obtains control over one or more other businesses. Under business combination, assets acquired and liabilities assumed are measured at fair value as of the acquisition date. Liabilities related to contingent consideration are recognized at the acquisition date and re-measured at fair value in each subsequent reporting period. Goodwill is recognized if the consideration transferred exceeds the fair value of the net assets acquired.
Under ASC 805, there is an option to apply push-down accounting, which establishes a new basis for the assets and liabilities of the acquired company based on a "push-down" of the acquirer’s stepped-up basis. The push-down accounting election is made in the reporting period in which the change in control event occurs. Refer to Note 3 - Acquisitions for further information about the Company’s acquisition-related transactions.
Discontinued Operations And Assets Held For Sale
Discontinued Operations and Assets Held for Sale
The Company classifies assets and liabilities as held for sale when management, having the authority to approve the action, commits to a plan to sell the disposal group, the sale is probable within one year, and the disposal group is available for immediate sale in its present condition. We also consider whether an active program to locate a buyer has been initiated, whether the disposal group is marketed actively for sale at a price that is reasonable in relation to its current fair value, and whether actions required to complete the plan indicate it is unlikely significant changes to the plan will be made or the plan will be withdrawn.
In accordance with ASC 205, Presentation of Financial Statements ("ASC 205"), we classify operations as discontinued when they meet all the criteria to be classified as held for sale and when the sale represents a strategic shift that will have a major impact on our financial condition and results of operations. The Company considers a component of the entity that is being exited to be discontinued operations when all operations, including wind-down operations, cease.
Recently Adopted Accounting Guidance and Recently Issued Accounting Guidance, Not Yet Adopted
Recently Adopted Accounting Guidance
Standard Description Effective Date Effect on Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
ASU 2020-04, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting

ASU 2021-01, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Codification Clarification







ASU 2022-06, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Deferral of the Sunset Date of Topic 848 		The amendments in this Update provide temporary optional expedients and exceptions for applying U.S. GAAP to contract modifications and hedging relationships, subject to meeting certain criteria, that reference London Inter-Bank Offered Rate ("LIBOR") or other interbank offered rates expected to be discontinued.

In January 2021, FASB issued an Update which refines the scope of Topic 848 and clarifies the guidance issued to facilitate the effects of reference rate reform on financial reporting. The amendment permits entities to elect certain optional expedients and exceptions when accounting for derivative contracts and certain hedging relationships affected by changes in the interest rates used for discounting cash flows, computing variation margin settlements and calculating price alignment interest in connection with reference rate reform activities.

In December 2022, the FASB issued ASU 2022-06 that defers the sunset date for applying the reference rate reform relief in Topic 848 to December 31, 2024 (originally December 31, 2022), thereby extending the period over which entities can apply the guidance in ASU 2020-04, which provides “optional expedients and exceptions for applying generally accepted accounting principles to contract modifications and hedging relationships, subject to meeting certain criteria, that reference LIBOR or another reference rate expected to be discontinued.” 		March 12, 2020 The adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.
Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2021-08, Business Combinations (Topic 805) Accounting for Contract Assets and Contract Liabilities from Contracts with Customers In October 2021, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued ASU 2021-08 to improve the accounting for acquired revenue contracts with customers in a business combination by addressing diversity in practice and inconsistency related to the following: (1) Recognition of an acquired contract liability and (2) Payment terms and their effect on subsequent revenue recognized by the acquirer.
                                                                                                                                  The amendments in this ASU require that an entity (acquirer) recognize, and measure contract assets and contract liabilities acquired in a business combination in accordance with Topic 606. At the acquisition date, an acquirer should account for the related revenue contracts in accordance with Topic 606 as if it had originated the contracts.

The amendments in this ASU do not affect the accounting for other assets or liabilities that may arise from revenue contracts with customers in accordance with Topic 606, such as refund liabilities, or in a business combination, such as customer-related intangible assets and contract-based intangible assets. 		January 1, 2023 The adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.
Business Segment Reporting
The Company operates through two operating segments: Retirement Solutions and Portfolio Management.
Retirement Solutions
Our Retirement Solutions segment is where we fulfill our goal to help older homeowners achieve their financial goals in retirement. This segment includes all loan origination activity for the Company. We originate or acquire reverse mortgage loans through our FAR operating subsidiary. This segment originates HECM and non-agency reverse mortgages. We securitize HECM into HMBS, which Ginnie Mae guarantees, and sell them in the secondary market while retaining the rights to service. Non-agency reverse mortgages, which complement the FHA HECM for higher value homes, may be sold as whole loans to investors or held for investment and pledged as collateral to securitized nonrecourse debt obligations. Non-agency reverse mortgage loans are not insured by the FHA. We originate reverse mortgage loans through a retail channel (consisting primarily of field offices and a centralized retail platform) and a third-party originator channel (consisting primarily of a network of mortgage brokers).
Portfolio Management
Our Portfolio Management segment provides product development, loan securitization, loan sales, risk management, servicing oversight, and asset management services to the Company. As part of the vertical integration of our business, our Portfolio Management team acts as the connector between borrowers and investors. The direct connections to investors, provided by our Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ("FINRA") registered broker-dealer, allows us to innovate and manage risk through better price and product discovery. Given our scale, we are able to work directly with investors and where appropriate, retain assets on the balance sheet for attractive return opportunities. These retained investments are a source of growing and recurring earnings. The Portfolio Management segment generates revenues and earnings in the form of gains on sale of loans, fair value gains on portfolio assets, interest income, and fee income related to mortgage servicing rights, underwriting, advisory, valuation, and other ancillary services.
Corporate and Other
Our Corporate and Other segment consists of our corporate services groups.
The Company's segments are based upon the Company's organizational structure which focuses primarily on the services offered. Corporate functional expenses are allocated to individual segments based on actual cost of services performed based on a direct resource utilization, estimate of percentage use for shared services or headcount percentage for certain functions. Non-allocated corporate expenses include administrative costs of executive
management and other corporate functions that are not directly attributable to the Company's operating segments. Revenues generated on inter-segment services performed are valued based on similar services provided to external parties. To reconcile the Company's consolidated results, certain inter-segment revenues and expenses are eliminated in the "Eliminations" column in the previous tables.