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Basis of Presentation (Policy)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2016

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal, recurring adjustments) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the interim periods presented are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the full year. These financial statements should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and footnotes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015.

Business Acquisitions Policy

Business acquisition

We acquired substantially all of the assets of JW Homes ("Wieland") in January 2016, for approximately $430 million in cash and the assumption of certain payables related to such assets. The acquired net assets were located in Atlanta, Charleston, Charlotte, Nashville, and Raleigh, and included approximately 7,000 lots, including 375 homes in inventory, and control of approximately 1,300 lots through land option contracts. We also assumed a sales order backlog of 317 homes. The acquired net assets were recorded at their estimated fair values and provisionally resulted in goodwill of $38.3 million and separately identifiable intangible assets of $18.0 million comprised of the John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods tradename, which is being amortized over a 20-year life. The acquisition of these assets was not material to our results of operations or financial condition.

Use of Estimates Policy

Use of estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Reclassification Policy

Reclassifications

Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation, including the adoption in January 2016 of Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2015-03, “Interest - Imputation of Interest,” which changes the presentation of debt issuance costs in the balance sheet from an asset to a direct reduction of the carrying amount of the related debt. The adoption of this guidance resulted in the reclassification of applicable unamortized debt issuance costs from other assets to senior notes and term loan. See Note 4.

Subsequent Events Policy

Subsequent events

We evaluated subsequent events up until the time the financial statements were filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC").

Earnings Per Share Policy

Earnings per share

Basic earnings per share is computed by dividing income available to common shareholders (the “Numerator”) by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding, adjusted for unvested shares (the “Denominator”) for the period. Computing diluted earnings per share is similar to computing basic earnings per share, except that the Denominator is increased to include the dilutive effects of stock options, unvested restricted shares and restricted share units, and other potentially dilutive instruments. Any stock options that have an exercise price greater than the average market price are considered to be anti-dilutive and are excluded from the diluted earnings per share calculation. Our diluted earnings per share calculation excluded 2.3 million and 4.8 million potentially dilutive instruments, including stock options, unvested restricted shares and restricted share units for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

In accordance with ASC 260 "Earnings Per Share", the two-class method determines earnings per share for each class of common stock and participating securities according to an earnings allocation formula that adjusts the Numerator for dividends or dividend equivalents and participation rights in undistributed earnings. Unvested share-based payment awards that contain non-forfeitable rights to dividends or dividend equivalents are participating securities and, therefore, are included in computing earnings per share pursuant to the two-class method. Our outstanding restricted share awards, restricted share units, and deferred shares are considered participating securities. The following table presents the earnings per common share (000's omitted, except per share data):

Residential Mortgage Loans Available for Sale Policy

Residential mortgage loans available-for-sale

Substantially all of the loans originated by us are sold in the secondary mortgage market within a short period of time after origination, generally within 30 days. At March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015, residential mortgage loans available-for-sale had an aggregate fair value of $290.6 million and $442.7 million, respectively, and an aggregate outstanding principal balance of $279.4 million and $429.6 million, respectively. The net gain resulting from changes in fair value of these loans totaled $1.0 million and $0.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively. These changes in fair value were substantially offset by changes in fair value of the corresponding hedging instruments. Net gains from the sale of mortgages were $21.5 million and $16.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Policy

Derivative instruments and hedging activities

We are party to interest rate lock commitments with customers resulting from our mortgage origination operations. At March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015, we had aggregate interest rate lock commitments of $257.3 million and $208.2 million, respectively, which were originated at interest rates prevailing at the date of commitment.

We are also party to forward contracts on mortgage-backed securities, which are commitments to either purchase or sell a specified financial instrument at a specified future date for a specified price. Forward contracts on mortgage-backed securities are the predominant derivative financial instruments we use to minimize market risk during the period from the time we execute an interest rate lock until the time the loan is sold to an investor. We also use whole loan investor commitments, which are obligations of the investor to buy loans at a specified price within a specified time period. At March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015, we had unexpired forward contracts of $469.7 million and $525.0 million, respectively, and whole loan investor commitments of $38.0 million and $77.6 million, respectively. Changes in the fair value of interest rate lock commitments and other derivative financial instruments are recognized in Financial Services revenues, and the fair values are reflected in other assets or other liabilities, as applicable.

There are no credit-risk-related contingent features within our derivative agreements, and counterparty risk is considered minimal. Gains and losses on interest rate lock commitments and residential mortgage loans available-for-sale are substantially offset by corresponding gains or losses on forward contracts on mortgage-backed securities and whole loan investor commitments. We are generally not exposed to variability in cash flows of derivative instruments for more than approximately 60 days.

New Accounting Pronouncements Policy

New accounting pronouncements

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers" ("ASU 2014-09"). The standard is a comprehensive new revenue recognition model that requires revenue to be recognized in a manner to depict the transfer of goods or services to a customer at an amount that reflects the consideration expected to be received in exchange for those goods or services. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-14, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date", which delayed the effective date by one year. As a result, the standard is effective for us for annual and interim periods beginning January 1, 2018 and allows for full retrospective or modified retrospective methods of adoption. We are currently evaluating the impact that the standard will have on our financial statements.

In August 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-15, “Disclosure of Uncertainties About an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern” (“ASU 2014-15”), which requires management to evaluate, at each annual and interim reporting period, whether there are conditions or events that raise substantial doubt about the entity’s ability to continue as a going concern and provide related disclosures. ASU 2014-15 is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning January 1, 2017 and is not expected to have a material impact on our financial statements.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, "Leases (Topic 842)" ("ASU 2016-02"), which amends the existing accounting standards for lease accounting, including requiring lessees to recognize most leases on their balance sheets. ASU 2016-02 will be effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018, and early adoption is permitted. ASU 2016-02 requires a modified retrospective transition approach for all leases existing at, or entered into after, the date of initial application, with an option to use certain transition relief. We are currently evaluating the impact that the standard will have on our financial statements.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, "Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting" ("ASU 2019-09"), which includes multiple amendments intended to simplify aspects of share-based payment accounting. ASU 2016-09 will be effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and early adoption is permitted. Amendments to the timing of when excess tax benefits are recognized, minimum statutory withholding requirements, and forfeitures will be applied using a modified retrospective transition method through a cumulative-effect adjustment to equity as of the beginning of the period of adoption. Amendments to the presentation of employee taxes paid on the statement of cash flows when an employer withholds shares to meet the minimum statutory withholding requirement will be applied retrospectively, and amendments requiring the recognition of excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies in the income statement are to be applied prospectively. We are currently evaluating the impact that the standard will have on our financial statements.

Inventory, Interest Capitalization Policy

We capitalize interest cost into inventory during the active development and construction of our communities. In all periods presented, we capitalized all Homebuilding interest costs into inventory because the level of our active inventory exceeded our debt levels

Fair Value of Financial Instruments Policy

ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures,” provides a framework for measuring fair value in generally accepted accounting principles and establishes a fair value hierarchy which requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value. The fair value hierarchy can be summarized as follows:



Level 1		Fair value determined based on quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2		Fair value determined using significant observable inputs, generally either quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities or quoted prices in markets that are not active.

Level 3		Fair value determined using significant unobservable inputs, such as pricing models, discounted cash flows, or similar techniques.

Our assets and liabilities measured or disclosed at fair value are summarized below ($000’s omitted):



Financial Instrument	Fair Value Hierarchy	Fair Value
Financial Instrument	Fair Value Hierarchy	March 31, 2016			December 31, 2015

Measured at fair value on a recurring basis:
Residential mortgage loans available-for-sale	Level 2	$	290,578		$	442,715
Interest rate lock commitments	Level 2	8,899			5,574
Forward contracts	Level 2	(3,173		)	338
Whole loan commitments	Level 2	(95		)	13

Measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis:
House and land inventory	Level 3	$	—		$	11,052

Disclosed at fair value:
Cash and equivalents (including restricted cash)	Level 1	$	1,018,115		$	775,435
Financial Services debt	Level 2	118,614			267,877
Term loan	Level 2	500,000			500,000
Senior notes	Level 2	2,663,408			1,643,651

Fair values for agency residential mortgage loans available-for-sale are determined based on quoted market prices for comparable instruments. Fair values for non-agency residential mortgage loans available-for-sale are determined based on purchase commitments from whole loan investors and other relevant market information available to management. Fair values for interest rate lock commitments, including the value of servicing rights, are based on market prices for similar instruments. Forward contracts on mortgage-backed securities are valued based on market prices for similar instruments. Fair values for whole loan investor commitments are based on market prices for similar instruments from the specific whole loan investor.

Certain assets are required to be recorded at fair value on a non-recurring basis when events and circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. The non-recurring fair values included in the above table represent only those assets whose carrying values were adjusted to fair value as of the respective balance sheet dates.

The carrying amounts of cash and equivalents, Financial Services debt, the Term Loan, and the Revolving Credit Facility approximate their fair values due to their short-term nature and floating interest rate terms. The fair values of senior notes are based on quoted market prices, when available. If quoted market prices are not available, fair values are based on quoted market prices of similar issues.

Legal Reserves Policy

We establish liabilities for legal claims and regulatory matters when such matters are both probable of occurring and any potential loss is reasonably estimable. We accrue for such matters based on the facts and circumstances specific to each matter and revise these estimates as the matters evolve. In such cases, there may exist an exposure to loss in excess of any amounts currently accrued. In view of the inherent difficulty of predicting the outcome of these legal and regulatory matters, we generally cannot predict the ultimate resolution of the pending matters, the related timing, or the eventual loss. While the outcome of such contingencies cannot be predicted with certainty, we do not believe that the resolution of such matters will have a material adverse impact on our results of operations, financial position, or cash flows. However, to the extent the liability arising from the ultimate resolution of any matter exceeds the estimates reflected in the recorded reserves relating to such matter, we could incur additional charges that could be significant.

Standard Product Warranty, Policy

Allowance for warranties

Home purchasers are provided with a limited warranty against certain building defects, including a one-year comprehensive limited warranty and coverage for certain other aspects of the home’s construction and operating systems for periods of up to and in limited instances exceeding 10 years. We estimate the costs to be incurred under these warranties and record liabilities in the amount of such costs at the time product revenue is recognized. Factors that affect our warranty liabilities include the number of homes sold, historical and anticipated rates of warranty claims, and the cost per claim. We periodically assess the adequacy of the warranty liabilities for each geographic market in which we operate and adjust the amounts as necessary. Actual warranty costs in the future could differ from the current estimates. Changes to warranty liabilities were as follows ($000’s omitted):