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UNCONSOLIDATED AFFILIATES AND COST METHOD INVESTMENTS
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2015
Equity Method Investments and Joint Ventures [Abstract]  
UNCONSOLIDATED AFFILIATES AND COST METHOD INVESTMENTS
UNCONSOLIDATED AFFILIATES AND COST METHOD INVESTMENTS 
Unconsolidated Affiliates
At December 31, 2015, the Company had investments in the following 19 entities, which are accounted for using the equity method of accounting:
Joint Venture
 
Property Name
 
Company's
Interest
Ambassador Infrastructure, LLC
 
Ambassador Town Center - Infrastructure Improvements
 
65.0
%
Ambassador Town Center JV, LLC
 
Ambassador Town Center
 
65.0
%
CBL/T-C, LLC
 
CoolSprings Galleria, Oak Park Mall and West County Center
 
50.0
%
CBL-TRS Joint Venture, LLC
 
Friendly Center, The Shops at Friendly Center and a portfolio of four office buildings
 
50.0
%
CBL-TRS Joint Venture II, LLC
 
Renaissance Center
 
50.0
%
El Paso Outlet Outparcels, LLC
 
The Outlet Shoppes at El Paso (vacant land)
 
50.0
%
Fremaux Town Center JV, LLC
 
Fremaux Town Center Phases I and II
 
65.0
%
Governor’s Square IB
 
Governor’s Plaza
 
50.0
%
Governor’s Square Company
 
Governor’s Square
 
47.5
%
High Pointe Commons, LP
 
High Pointe Commons
 
50.0
%
High Pointe Commons II-HAP, LP
 
High Pointe Commons - Christmas Tree Shop
 
50.0
%
JG Gulf Coast Town Center LLC
 
Gulf Coast Town Center Phase I, II and III
 
50.0
%
Kentucky Oaks Mall Company
 
Kentucky Oaks Mall
 
50.0
%
Mall of South Carolina L.P.
 
Coastal Grand
 
50.0
%
Mall of South Carolina Outparcel L.P.
 
Coastal Grand Crossing and vacant land
 
50.0
%
Port Orange I, LLC
 
The Pavilion at Port Orange Phase I and one office building
 
50.0
%
Triangle Town Member LLC
 
Triangle Town Center, Triangle Town Commons and Triangle Town Place
 
50.0
%
West Melbourne I, LLC
 
Hammock Landing Phases I and II
 
50.0
%
York Town Center, LP
 
York Town Center
 
50.0
%


Although the Company had majority ownership of certain joint ventures during 2015, 2014 and 2013, it evaluated the investments and concluded that the other partners or owners in these joint ventures had substantive participating rights, such as approvals of:
the pro forma for the development and construction of the project and any material deviations or modifications thereto;
the site plan and any material deviations or modifications thereto;
the conceptual design of the project and the initial plans and specifications for the project and any material deviations or modifications thereto;
any acquisition/construction loans or any permanent financings/refinancings;
the annual operating budgets and any material deviations or modifications thereto;
the initial leasing plan and leasing parameters and any material deviations or modifications thereto; and
any material acquisitions or dispositions with respect to the project.
As a result of the joint control over these joint ventures, the Company accounts for these investments using the equity method of accounting.

Gulf Coast Town Center
In the third quarter of 2015, the lender of the non-recourse mortgage loan secured by Phases I and II of Gulf Coast Town Center in Ft. Myers, FL sent a formal notice of default and initiated foreclosure proceedings. Gulf Coast Town Center generates insufficient cash flow to cover the debt service on the mortgage, which had a balance of $190,800 (of which the Company's 50.0% share was $95,400) at December 31, 2015 and a contractual maturity date of July 2017. In the third quarter of 2015, the lender on the loan began receiving the net operating cash flows of the Property each month in lieu of scheduled monthly mortgage payments.

Renaissance Center
In December 2015, the Company and its 50/50 joint venture partner entered into a binding agreement to sell Renaissance Center, a community center located in Durham, NC, for a gross sales price of $129,200 of which $64,600 represents each partner's share. The sale is expected to close in the second quarter of 2016, subject to customary closing conditions, the assumption of the $16,000 loan secured by the Property's second phase and defeasance of the loan secured by the first phase, which had a balance of $31,678 as of December 31, 2015.
Triangle Town Center and Triangle Town Commons
Subsequent to December 31, 2015, the Company's 50.0% interest was sold to a newly formed joint venture. See Note 19 for more information.
Condensed combined financial statement information of these unconsolidated affiliates is as follows:
 
December 31,
 
2015
 
2014
ASSETS:
 
 
 
Investment in real estate assets
$
2,357,902

 
$
2,266,252

Accumulated depreciation
(677,448
)
 
(619,558
)
 
1,680,454

 
1,646,694

Developments in progress
59,592

 
75,877

  Net investment in real estate assets
1,740,046

 
1,722,571

Other assets (1)
168,540

 
166,391

    Total assets
$
1,908,586

 
$
1,888,962

 
 
 
 
LIABILITIES:
 
 
 
Mortgage and other indebtedness (1)
$
1,546,272

 
$
1,508,663

Other liabilities
51,357

 
42,517

    Total liabilities
1,597,629

 
1,551,180

 
 
 
 
OWNERS' EQUITY:
 
 
 
The Company
184,868

 
198,261

Other investors
126,089

 
139,521

  Total owners' equity
310,957

 
337,782

    Total liabilities and owners’ equity
$
1,908,586

 
$
1,888,962


(1) In accordance with the adoption in the fourth quarter of 2015 of ASU 2015-03 and ASU 2015-15, unamortized deferred financing costs were reclassified from other assets to mortgage and other indebtedness. These reclassifications consisted of $2,884 and $4,163 as of December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.


 
Year Ended December 31,
 
2015
 
2014
 
2013
Total revenues
$
253,399

 
$
250,248

 
$
243,215

Depreciation and amortization
(79,870
)
 
(79,059
)
 
(76,323
)
Other operating expenses
(75,875
)
 
(73,218
)
 
(72,166
)
Income from operations
97,654

 
97,971

 
94,726

Interest and other income
1,337

 
1,358

 
1,359

Interest expense
(75,485
)
 
(74,754
)
 
(76,934
)
Gain on sales of real estate assets
2,551

 
1,697

 
102

Net income
$
26,057

 
$
26,272

 
$
19,253

2015 Financings
The following table presents the loan activity of the Company's unconsolidated affiliates in 2015:
Date
 
Property
 
Stated
Interest
Rate
 
Maturity Date (1)
 
Amount Financed
or Extended
December
 
Hammock Landing - Phase I (2)
 
LIBOR + 2.00%
 
February 2016
(3) 
$
39,475

December
 
Hammock Landing - Phase II (2)
 
LIBOR + 2.00%
 
February 2016
(3) 
16,757

December
 
The Pavilion at Port Orange (2)
 
LIBOR + 2.00%
 
February 2016
(3) 
58,820

October
 
Oak Park Mall (4)
 
3.97%
 
October 2025
 
276,000

July
 
Gulf Coast Town Center - Phase III (5)
 
LIBOR + 2.00%
 
July 2017
 
5,352

(1)
Excludes any extension options.
(2)
The loan was amended and modified to extend its initial maturity date and interest rate.
(3)
Subsequent to December 31, 2015, the loan was extended to February 2018 with a one-year extension option. See Note 19 for more information.
(4)
CBL/T-C, a 50% owned subsidiary of the Company, closed on a non-recourse loan, secured by Oak Park Mall in Overland Park, KS. Net proceeds were used to retire the outstanding borrowings of $275,700 under the previous loan which bore interest at 5.85% and had a December 2015 maturity date.
(5)
The loan was amended and modified to extend its maturity date. As part of the refinancing agreement, the loan is no longer guaranteed by the Operating Partnership. See Note 14 for more information.

See Note 19 for information related to an unconsolidated affiliate's mortgage loan, which was modified and restructured subsequent to December 31, 2015.
2014 Financings
The following table presents the loan activity of the Company's unconsolidated affiliates in 2014:
Date
 
Property
 
Stated
Interest
Rate
 
Maturity Date (1)
 
Amount Financed
or Extended
December
 
Ambassador Town Center (2)
 
LIBOR + 1.80%
 
December 2017
(3) 
$
48,200

December
 
Ambassador Town Center - Infrastructure Improvements (4)
 
LIBOR + 2.00%
 
December 2017
(3) 
11,700

November
 
Hammock Landing - Phase II (5)
 
LIBOR + 2.25%
 
November 2015
(6) 
16,757

August
 
Fremaux Town Center - Phase I (7)
 
LIBOR + 2.00%
 
August 2016
(8) 
47,291

August
 
Fremaux Town Center - Phase II (9)
 
LIBOR + 2.00%
 
August 2016
(8) 
32,100

July
 
Coastal Grand - Myrtle Beach (10)
 
4.09%
 
August 2024
 
126,000

February
 
Fremaux Town Center - Phase I (11)
 
LIBOR + 2.125%
 
March 2016
 
47,291

(1)
Excludes any extension options.
(2)
The unconsolidated 65/35 joint venture closed on a construction loan for the development of Ambassador Town Center, a community center located in Lafayette, LA. The Operating Partnership has guaranteed 100% of the loan. See Note 14 for information on the Operating Partnership's guaranty of this loan and future guaranty reductions. The interest rate will be reduced to LIBOR + 1.60% once certain debt service and operational metrics are met.
(3)
The loan has two one-year extension options, which are at the joint venture's election, for an outside maturity date of December 2019.
(4)
The unconsolidated 65/35 joint venture was formed to construct certain infrastructure improvements related to the development of Ambassador Town Center. The Operating Partnership has guaranteed 100% of the loan. See Note 14 for information on the Operating Partnership's guaranty of this loan and future guaranty reductions. Under a PILOT program, in lieu of ad valorem taxes, Ambassador and other contributing landowners will make annual PILOT payments to Ambassador Infrastructure, which will be used to repay the infrastructure construction loan.
(5)
The $10,757 construction loan was amended and restated to increase the loan by $6,000 to finance the construction of Academy Sports. The interest rate was reduced to LIBOR + 2.00% in the fourth quarter of 2015 as Academy Sports is open and paying contractual rent. See Note 14 for information on the Operating Partnership's guaranty of this loan. The loan was subsequently amended and modified in 2015. See above.
(6)
The construction loan had two one-year extension options, which were at the joint venture's election, for an outside maturity date of November 2017.
(7)
Fremaux amended and modified its Phase I construction loan to change the maturity date and interest rate. Additionally, the Operating Partnership's guarantee of the loan was reduced from 100% to 50% of the outstanding principal loan amount. In the second quarter of 2015, the guaranty was reduced from 50% to 15%. See Note 14 for further information.
(8)
The construction loan has two one-year extension options, which are at the joint venture's election, for an outside maturity date of August 2018.
(9)
The Operating Partnership's guaranty of the construction loan was reduced in the fourth quarter of 2014 from 100% to 50% upon the land closing with Dillard's. See Note 14 for further information on future guaranty reductions.
(10)
Two subsidiaries of Mall of South Carolina L.P. and Mall of South Carolina Outparcel L.P., closed on a non-recourse loan, secured by Coastal Grand in Myrtle Beach, SC. Net proceeds were used to retire the outstanding borrowings under the previous loan, which had a balance of $75,238 as well as to pay off $18,000 of subordinated notes to the Company and its joint venture partner, each of which held $9,000. Excess proceeds were distributed 50/50 to the Company and its partner and the Company's share of excess proceeds was used to reduce outstanding balances on its lines of credit.
(11)
Fremaux amended and restated its March 2013 loan agreement to increase the capacity on its construction loan from $46,000 to $47,291 for additional development costs related to Fremaux Town Center. The Operating Partnership had guaranteed 100% of the loan. The construction loan had two one-year extension options, which were at the joint venture's election, for an outside maturity date of March 2018. See footnote 7 and footnote 8 above for information on the extension and modification of the Phase I loan in August 2014.

All of the debt on the Properties owned by the unconsolidated affiliates listed above is non-recourse, except for Ambassador, Ambassador Infrastructure, Fremaux Phase I and II, Hammock Landing and Port Orange. See Note 14 for a description of guarantees the Operating Partnership has issued related to certain unconsolidated affiliates.
Ambassador Town Center JV, LLC
In December 2014, the Company formed a 65/35 joint venture, Ambassador, to develop, own and operate Ambassador Town Center, a community center development located in Lafayette, LA. Construction began in early 2015 and is expected to be complete in spring 2016. The partners contributed aggregate initial equity of $14,800, of which the Company's contribution was $13,320. Following the initial formation of Ambassador, all required future contributions will be funded on a 65/35 pro rata basis.
CBL/T-C, LLC
CBL/T-C, LLC ("CBL/T-C") and TIAA-CREF each own a 50% interest with respect to the CoolSprings Galleria, Oak Park Mall and West County Center Properties. The terms of the joint venture agreement provide that, with respect to these Properties, voting rights, capital contributions and distributions of cash flows will be on a pari passu basis in accordance with ownership percentages. As of December 31, 2013, the Company and TIAA-CREF owned 88% and 12% interests, respectively, in Pearland Town Center. The Company accounted for the formation of CBL/T-C as the sale of a partial interest in the combined CoolSprings Galleria, Oak Park Mall and West County Center Properties and recognized a gain on sale of real estate of $54,327 in 2011, which included the impact of a reserve for future capital expenditures that the Company must fund related to parking decks at West County Center in the amount of $26,439. The Company recorded its investment in CBL/T-C under the equity method of accounting at $116,397, which represented its combined remaining 50% cost basis in the CoolSprings Galleria, Oak Park Mall and West County Center Properties. The Company determined that CBL/T-C's interest in Pearland Town Center represented an interest in a VIE and accounted for the Pearland Town Center Property separately from the combined CoolSprings Galleria, Oak Park Mall and West County Center Properties. The Company determined that, because it had the option to acquire TIAA-CREF's interest in Pearland Town Center in the future, it did not qualify as a partial sale and therefore, accounted for the $18,264 contributed by TIAA-CREF attributable to Pearland Town Center as a financing. This amount was included in mortgage and other indebtedness in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2013. Under the financing method, the Company continued to account for Pearland Town Center on a consolidated basis. In accordance with the terms of the joint venture agreement, the Company elected to purchase TIAA-CREF's 12% interest in Pearland Town Center in the first quarter of 2014 for $17,948. This amount represented the noncontrolling partner's unreturned equity contribution related to Pearland Town Center, which was accounted for as a financing obligation, plus accrued and unpaid preferred return at a rate of 8%. See Note 6 for more information.
Cost Method Investments
The Company owns a 6.2% noncontrolling interest in subsidiaries of Jinsheng Group (“Jinsheng”), an established mall operating and real estate development company located in Nanjing, China. Jinsheng owns controlling interests in home furnishing shopping malls.
The Company accounts for its noncontrolling interest in Jinsheng using the cost method because the Company does not exercise significant influence over Jinsheng and there is no readily determinable market value of Jinsheng’s shares since they are not publicly traded. The noncontrolling interest is reflected as investment in unconsolidated affiliates in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2015 and 2014.