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SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2011
SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES  
SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

NOTE 2—SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Principles of Consolidation

        The consolidated financial statements include the accounts and operations of OLP, its wholly owned subsidiaries and its investment in a joint venture in which the Company, as defined, has a controlling interest. OLP and its subsidiaries are hereinafter referred to as the "Company". Material intercompany items and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

        With respect to its consolidated joint venture, in which the Company has a 90% interest, the Company has determined that (i) such entity is not a variable interest entity and (ii) the Company exercises substantial operating control over such entity and accordingly, such entity should be consolidated for financial statement purposes. Current accounting guidance provides a framework for determining whether an entity is a variable interest entity and if consolidation of an entity in which it owns an interest is appropriate.

Investment in Unconsolidated Joint Ventures

        The Company accounts for its investments in unconsolidated joint ventures under the equity method of accounting. All investments in unconsolidated joint ventures have sufficient equity at risk to permit the entity to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support and, as a group, the holders of the equity at risk have power through voting rights to direct the activities of the venture. As a result, none of the Company's unconsolidated joint ventures are variable-interest entities. In addition, although the Company is the managing member, it does not exercise substantial operating control over these entities, and therefore the entities are not consolidated. These investments are recorded initially at cost, as investments in unconsolidated joint ventures, and subsequently adjusted for its share of equity in earnings, cash contributions and distributions. None of the joint venture debt is recourse to the Company, subject to standard carve-outs.

        The Company has elected to follow the cumulative earnings approach when assessing, for the statement of cash flows, whether the distribution from the investee is a return of the investor's investment as compared to a return on its investment. The source of the cash generated by the investee to fund the distribution is not a factor in the analysis (that is, it does not matter whether the cash was generated through investee refinancing, sale of assets or operating results).

        Consequently, the investor only considers the relationship between the cash received from the investee to its equity in the undistributed earnings of the investee, on a cumulative basis, in assessing whether the distribution from the investee is a return on or return of its investment. Cash received from the unconsolidated entity is presumed to be a return on the investment to the extent that, on a cumulative basis, distributions received by the investor are less than its share of the equity in the undistributed earnings of the entity.

Use of Estimates

        The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("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.

        Management believes that the estimates and assumptions that are most important to the portrayal of the Company's financial condition and results of operations, in that they require management's most difficult, subjective or complex judgments, form the basis of the accounting policies deemed to be most significant to the Company. These significant accounting policies relate to revenues and the value of the Company's real estate portfolio. Management believes its estimates and assumptions related to these significant accounting policies are appropriate under the circumstances; however, should future events or occurrences result in unanticipated consequences, there could be a material impact on the Company's future financial condition or results of operations.

Revenue Recognition

        Rental income includes the base rent that each tenant is required to pay in accordance with the terms of their respective leases reported on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease. The Company's policy is not to record straight-line rent beyond the expected useful life of a building. In order for management to determine, in its judgment, that the unbilled rent receivable applicable to each specific property is collectible, management reviews unbilled rent receivables on a quarterly basis and takes into consideration the tenant's payment history and financial condition. Some of the leases provide for additional contingent rental revenue in the form of percentage rents and increases based on the consumer price index. The percentage rents are based upon the level of sales achieved by the lessee and are recorded once the required sales levels are reached.

        Substantially all of the Company's properties are subject to long-term net leases under which the tenant is typically responsible to pay for real estate taxes, insurance and ordinary maintenance and repairs for the property directly to the vendor and the Company is not the primary obligor with respect to such items. As a result, the revenue and expenses relating to these properties is recorded on a net basis. For certain properties, the tenants, in addition to base rent, also pay the Company their pro rata share of real estate taxes and operating expenses. The income and expenses associated with these properties is recorded on a gross basis. During 2011 and 2010, the Company recorded additional rental income for the reimbursement of expenses in the amount of $794,000 and $496,000, respectively. No additional rental income was recorded during 2009.

        Gains or losses on disposition of properties are recorded when the criteria under GAAP have been met.

Fair Value Measurements

        The Company accounts for fair value measurements based on the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. As a basis for considering market participant assumptions in fair value measurements, a fair value hierarchy distinguishes between market participant assumptions based on market data obtained from sources independent of the reporting entity and the reporting entity's own assumptions about market participant assumptions. In accordance with the fair value hierarchy, Level 1 assets/liabilities are valued based on quoted prices for identical instruments in active markets, Level 2 assets/liabilities are valued based on quoted prices in active markets for similar instruments, on quoted prices in less active or inactive markets, or on other "observable" market inputs and Level 3 assets/liabilities are valued based significantly on "unobservable" market inputs. The Company does not currently own any financial instruments that are classified as Level 3.

Purchase Accounting for Acquisition of Real Estate

        The Company allocates the purchase price of real estate among land, building, improvements and intangibles, such as the value of above, below and at-market leases and origination costs associated with in-place leases. The Company assesses the fair value of the lease intangibles and the assumed mortgage based on estimated cash flow projections that utilize appropriate discount rates and available market information. Such inputs are Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy. The fair value of the tangible assets of an acquired property is determined by valuing the property as if it were vacant. The value, as determined, is allocated to land, buildings and improvements based on management's determination.

        In valuing an acquired property's intangibles, factors considered by management include an estimate of carrying costs during the expected lease-up periods, such as real estate taxes, insurance, other operating expenses, and estimates of lost rental revenue during the expected lease-up periods based on its evaluation of current market demand. Management also estimates costs to execute similar leases, including leasing commissions, tenant improvements, legal and other related costs.

        The values of acquired above-market and below-market leases are recorded based on the present values (using discount rates which reflect the risks associated with the leases acquired) of the differences between the contractual amounts to be received and management's estimate of market lease rates, measured over the terms of the respective leases that management deemed appropriate at the time of the acquisitions. Such valuations include a consideration of the non-cancellable terms of the respective leases as well as any applicable renewal period(s). The fair values associated with below-market rental renewal options are determined based on the Company's experience and the relevant facts and circumstances that existed at the time of the acquisitions. The values of above-market leases are amortized to rental income over the terms of the respective non-cancelable lease periods. The portion of the values of below-market leases associated with the original non-cancelable lease terms are amortized to rental income over the terms of the respective non-cancelable lease periods. The portion of the values of the leases associated with below-market renewal options that are likely of exercise are amortized to rental income over the respective renewal periods. The value of other intangible assets (including leasing commissions and tenant improvements) is amortized to expense over the applicable terms of the respective leases. If a lease were to be terminated prior to its stated expiration or not renewed, all unamortized amounts relating to that lease would be recognized in operations at that time. The estimated useful lives of building and intangible assets or liabilities generally range from two to forty years.

Accounting for Long-Lived Assets and Impairment of Real Estate Owned

        The Company reviews its real estate portfolio on a quarterly basis to ascertain if there are any indicators of impairment to the value of any of its real estate assets, including deferred costs and intangibles, in order to determine if there is any need for an impairment charge. In reviewing the portfolio, the Company examines one or more of the following: the type of asset, the current financial statements or other available financial information of the tenant, the economic situation in the area in which the asset is located, the economic situation in the industry in which the tenant is involved, the timeliness of the payments made by the tenant under its lease, and as any current communication with the tenant, including property inspection reports. For each real estate asset owned for which indicators of impairment exist, if the undiscounted cash flow analysis yields an amount which is less than the asset's carrying amount, an impairment loss is recorded to the extent that the estimated fair value is less than the asset's carrying amount. The estimated fair value is determined using a discounted cash flow model of the expected future cash flows through the useful life of the property. The analysis includes an estimate of the future cash flows that are expected to result from the real estate investment's use and eventual disposition. These cash flows consider factors such as expected future operating income, trends and prospects, the effects of leasing demand, competition and other factors. Real estate assets that are classified as held for sale are valued at the lower of carrying amount or fair value less costs to sell on an individual asset basis. A $229,000 impairment charge was recorded in 2009 on a property that was sold. There were no impairment charges required for 2011 and 2010.

        Real estate investments include costs of development and redevelopment activities, and construction in progress. Capitalized costs, including interest and other carrying costs during the construction and/or renovation periods, are included in the cost of the related asset and charged to operations through depreciation over the asset's estimated useful life. Interest capitalized amounted to $36,000 in 2011. A variety of costs are incurred in the acquisition, development and leasing of a property, such as pre-construction costs essential to the development of the property, development costs, constructions costs, interest costs, real estate taxes, and other costs incurred during the period of development. After a determination is made to capitalize a cost, it is allocated to the specific component of a project that is benefited. The Company ceases capitalization on the portions substantially completed and occupied, or held available for occupancy, and capitalizes only those costs associated with the portions under development. The Company considers a construction project to be substantially completed and held available for occupancy upon the completion of tenant improvements.

        A conditional asset retirement obligation ("CARO") is a legal obligation to perform an asset retirement activity in which the timing and/or method of settlement is conditional on a future event that may or may not be within the control of the Company. The Company would record a liability for a CARO if the fair value of the obligation can be reasonably estimated. There were no CARO's recorded by the Company during the three years ended December 31, 2011.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

        All highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less when purchased are considered to be cash equivalents. The Company places its cash and cash equivalents in high quality financial institutions.

Escrow, Deposits and Other Assets and Receivables

        Escrow, deposits and other assets and receivables include $1,083,000 and $1,184,000 at December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively, of restricted cash relating to real estate taxes, insurance and other escrows.

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

        The Company maintains an allowance for doubtful accounts for estimated losses resulting from the inability of our tenants to make required rent payments. If the financial condition of a specific tenant were to deteriorate, resulting in an impairment of its ability to make payments, additional allowances may be required. At December 31, 2011 and 2010, the balance in allowance for doubtful accounts was $335,000 and $977,000, respectively, recorded as a reduction to accounts receivable. The balance at December 31, 2011 is net of a $1,109,000 write off, primarily related to Robb & Stucky, a former tenant which vacated the Company's property in June 2011 in the course of its liquidation after filing for bankruptcy protection in early 2011. The Company records bad debt expense as a reduction of rental income. For 2011, 2010 and 2009, the Company recorded bad debt expense of $467,000, $525,000 and $619,000, respectively. Of these amounts $2,000 and $75,000 were recorded in discontinued operations for 2010 and 2009, respectively. There was no bad debt expense in discontinued operations for 2011.

Depreciation and Amortization

        Depreciation of buildings is computed on the straight-line method over an estimated useful life of 40 years for commercial properties and 271/2 years for the Company's residential property. Depreciation for improvements is computed on the straight line method over the lesser of the remaining lease term or its estimated useful life. Depreciation ceases when a property is deemed "held for sale". If a property which was deemed "held for sale" is reclassified to a "held and used" property, "catch-up" depreciation is recorded. Leasehold interest and the related ground lease payments are amortized over the initial lease term of the leasehold position. Depreciation expense, including amortization of a leasehold position, lease origination costs, and capitalized lease commissions amounted to $9,599,000, $8,657,000 and $8,261,000 for 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively.

Deferred Financing Costs

        Mortgage and credit line costs are deferred and amortized on a straight-line basis over the terms of the respective debt obligations, which approximates the effective interest method. At December 31, 2011 and 2010, accumulated amortization of such costs was $3,016,000 and $2,764,000, respectively.

Federal Income Taxes

        The Company has qualified as a real estate investment trust under the applicable provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. Under these provisions, the Company will not be subject to federal income taxes on amounts distributed to stockholders providing it distributes at least 90% of its taxable income and meets certain other conditions.

        Distributions during 2011 were treated as ordinary income. Distributions during 2010 included 1.3% treated as capital gain distributions, with the balance treated as ordinary income.

        The Company follows a two-step approach for evaluating uncertain tax positions. Recognition (step one) occurs when an enterprise concludes that a tax position, based solely on its technical merits, is more-likely-than-not to be sustained upon examination. Measurement (step two) determines the amount of benefit that more-likely-than-not will be realized upon settlement. Derecognition of a tax position that was previously recognized would occur when a company subsequently determines that a tax position no longer meets the more-likely-than-not threshold of being sustained. The use of a valuation allowance as a substitute for derecognition of tax positions is prohibited. The Company has not identified any uncertain tax positions requiring accrual.

Investment in Available-For-Sale Securities

        The Company determines the classification of equity and debt securities at the time of purchase and reassesses the classification at each reporting date. At December 31, 2011, all marketable securities have been classified as available-for-sale and recorded at fair value. The fair value of the Company's equity and debt investment in publicly-traded companies is determined based upon the closing trading price of the equity and debt securities as of the balance sheet date and unrealized gains and losses on these securities are recorded as a separate component of stockholders' equity. Unrealized losses that are determined to be other-than-temporary are recognized in earnings.

        The Company's investment in 37,081 common shares of BRT Realty Trust ("BRT"), a related party of the Company, (accounting for less than 1% of the total voting power of BRT), was purchased at a cost of $132,000 and has a fair market value at December 31, 2011 of $235,000.

        At December 31, 2011, the total cumulative net unrealized gain of $86,000 on all investments in equity and debt securities is reported as accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in the stockholders' equity section. In addition, certain marketable securities that had unrealized losses of $126,000 were sold in January 2012 and accordingly, these losses were determined to be other-than-temporary. In 2011, this unrealized loss was reclassified from other comprehensive income against earnings as an impairment charge.

        Realized gains and losses are determined using the average cost method and are included in "Other income" on the income statement. During 2011, 2010 and 2009, sales proceeds and gross realized gains and losses on securities classified as available-for-sale were (amounts in thousands):

 
  2011   2010   2009  

Sales proceeds

  $   $ 6,345   $ 4,495  

Gross realized losses

             

Gross realized gains

        149      

Concentration of Credit Risk

        The Company maintains accounts at various financial institutions, all of which accounts are federally insured.

        The Company's properties are located in 29 states. During 2011, 2010 and 2009, 12.6%, 12.6% and 14.6% of rental revenues, respectively, were attributable to real estate investments located in Texas and 14.2%, 15.0% and 16.0% of rental revenues, respectively, were attributable to real estate investments located in New York. No other state contributed over 10% to the Company's rental revenues.

        The Company owns eleven real estate investments that are located in six states and are net leased to Haverty Furniture Companies, Inc., a retail furniture company, pursuant to a master lease. The initial term of the net lease expires August 2022, with several renewal options. These real estate investments, which represented 11.9% of the depreciated book value of real estate investments at December 31, 2011, generated rental revenues of approximately $4,844,000 in each year, or 10.7%, 11.8% and 12.3%, of the Company's total revenues for 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively.

        In 2008, the Company acquired eight real estate investments, located in seven states, net leased to Office Depot, Inc., a retail office supply company, pursuant to eight separate leases. The initial term of the net leases expire September 2018, with several renewal options. The Company sold one of these investments in May 2011 (see Note 4). The remaining seven real estate investments plus two other real estate investments, net leased to Office Depot, Inc. and purchased prior to 2008, represented 9.0% of the depreciated book value of real estate investments at December 31, 2011 and generated rental revenues of $3,545,000 in each of 2011, 2010 and 2009, or 7.8%, 8.6% and 9.0%, of the Company's total revenues, respectively.

Earnings Per Common Share

        Basic earnings per share was determined by dividing net income allocable to common stockholders for each year by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during each year, including the effect of the 2,700,000 shares sold in February 2011 as described in Note 10. Net income is also allocated to the unvested restricted stock outstanding during each year, as the restricted stock is entitled to receive dividends and is therefore considered a participating security. Unvested restricted stock is not allocated net losses and/or any excess of dividends declared over net income; such amounts are allocated entirely to the common stockholders other than the holders of unvested restricted stock. The restricted stock units awarded under the Pay-for-Performance program described in Note 10 are excluded from the basic earnings per share calculation, as these units are not participating securities.

        Diluted earnings per share reflects the potential dilution that could occur if securities or other rights exercisable for, or convertible into, common stock were exercised or converted or otherwise resulted in the issuance of common stock that shared in the earnings of the Company. The weighted average number of common shares outstanding used for the diluted earnings per share calculations includes the full impact of common stock issued in connection with the dividends paid in April, July and October 2009 and January 2010, as of the dividend declaration date, as the shares were contingently issuable as of that date. Such stock dividends were included in basic earnings per share as of the issuance date.

        For 2011 and 2010, the diluted weighted average number of common shares also includes 50,000 and 30,000 shares respectively, representing the weighted average impact of the 100,000 shares of common stock underlying the restricted stock units awarded on September 14, 2010 under the Pay-For-Performance Program. These 100,000 shares may vest upon satisfaction of the total stockholder return threshold and were weighted for each quarterly period, based on the number of shares that would be issued based on the current market price and dividends paid at the end of each quarterly period assuming the end of that quarterly period was the end of the vesting period The remaining 100,000 shares of common stock underlying the restricted stock units awarded under the Pay-For-Performance Program are not included, as they did not meet the defined performance metric during any quarterly period during 2011 and 2010. There were no options outstanding to purchase shares of common stock or other rights exercisable for, or convertible into, common stock in 2011, 2010 and 2009.

        Earnings per share for 2010 and 2009 are calculated based on the data presented in the consolidated statements of income for those periods.

        The following table provides a reconciliation of the numerator and denominator of earnings per share calculations for 2011 (amounts in thousands, except per share amounts):

Numerator for basic and diluted earnings per share:

       

Income from continuing operations

  $ 12,511  

Plus net loss attributable to noncontrolling interest

    4  

Less earnings allocated to unvested shares

    (460 )
       

Income from continuing operations available for common stockholders

    12,055  

Discontinued operations

    1,209  
       

Net income available for common stockholders, basic and diluted

  $ 13,264  
       

Denominator:

       

Denominator for basic earnings per share—weighted average shares

    13,801  

Effect of diluted securities:

       

Restricted stock units awarded under Pay-for-Performance program

    50  
       

Denominator for diluted earnings per share—weighted average shares

    13,851  
       

 

 

 

 

 

Earnings per common share, basic

  $ .96  
       

Earnings per common share, diluted

  $ .96  
       

 

 

 

 

 

Income from continuing operations

  $ 12,515  

Income from discontinued operations

    1,209  
       

Net income attributable to One Liberty Properties, Inc. 

  $ 13,724  
       

Segment Reporting

        Substantially all of the Company's real estate assets are comprised of real estate owned that is net leased to tenants on a long-term basis. Therefore, the Company operates predominantly in one industry segment.

Derivatives and Hedging Activities

        The Company's objective in using derivatives, and in particular interest rate swaps, is to add stability to interest expense and to manage its exposure to interest rate movements. The Company does not use derivatives for trading or speculative purposes.

        The Company records all derivatives on the consolidated balance sheets at fair value. The valuation of these instruments is determined using widely accepted valuation techniques including discounted cash flow analysis on the expected cash flows of each derivative. In addition, the Company incorporates credit valuation adjustments to appropriately reflect both its own nonperformance risk and the respective counterparty's nonperformance risk in the fair value measurements. These counterparties are generally larger financial institutions engaged in providing a variety of financial services. These institutions generally face similar risks regarding adverse changes in market and economic conditions, including, but not limited to, fluctuations in interest rates, exchange rates, equity and commodity prices and credit spreads.

        The accounting for changes in the fair value of derivatives depends on the intended use of the derivative, whether the Company has elected to designate a derivative in a hedging relationship and apply hedge accounting and whether the hedging relationship has satisfied the criteria necessary to apply hedge accounting. Derivatives designated and qualifying as a hedge of the exposure to variability in expected future cash flows are considered cash flow hedges. For derivatives designated as cash flow hedges, the effective portion of changes in the fair value of the derivative is initially reported in accumulated other comprehensive income (outside of earnings) and subsequently reclassified to earnings in the period in which the hedged transaction affects earnings. The ineffective portion of changes in the fair value of the derivative is recognized directly in earnings. For derivatives not designated as cash flow hedges, changes in the fair value of the derivative are recognized directly in earnings in the period in which the change occurs.

Stock Based Compensation

        The fair value of restricted stock grants and restricted stock units, determined as of the date of grant, is amortized into general and administrative expense over the respective vesting period. The deferred compensation to be recognized as expense is net of certain forfeiture and performance assumptions which are re-evaluated quarterly.

New Accounting Pronouncements

        In January 2010, the FASB issued ASU No. 2010-06, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures, Improving Disclosures about Fair Value Measurements which requires a number of additional disclosures regarding fair value measurements, including the amount of transfers between Level 1 and 2 of the fair value hierarchy, the reasons for transfers in or out of Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy and activity for recurring Level 3 measures. In addition, the amendments clarify certain existing disclosure requirements related to the level at which fair value disclosures should be disaggregated and the requirement to provide disclosures about the valuation techniques and inputs used in determining the fair value of assets or liabilities classified as Level 2 or 3. These required disclosures were effective January 1, 2010, except for the disclosures about purchases, sales, issuances and settlements in the roll-forward of activity in Level 3 fair value measurements. Those disclosures were effective for the Company on January 1, 2011. There were no transfers between Level 1 and 2 and no significant transfers into or out of level 3 during 2011 and 2010. The adoption did not have a material effect on the Company's consolidated financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.

        In May 2011, FASB issued ASU No. 2011-04, Fair Value Measurement: Amendments to Achieve Common Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure Requirements in U.S GAAP and IFRS. This update defines fair value, clarifies a framework to measure fair value, and requires specific disclosures of fair value measurements. The guidance will be effective for the Company's interim and annual reporting periods beginning January 1, 2012, and applied prospectively. The Company does not expect adoption of this guidance to have a material impact on its financial condition, results of operations, or disclosures.

        In June 2011, the FASB issued ASU No. 2011-05, Presentation of Comprehensive Income. This standard eliminates the current option to report other comprehensive income and its components in the statement of stockholders' equity and instead requires the components of other comprehensive income to be presented either in a single continuous statement of comprehensive income or in two separate but consecutive statements. This standard is intended to enhance comparability between entities that report under GAAP and to provide a more consistent method of presenting other comprehensive income transactions that affect an entity's equity. This standard is effective for the Company on January 1, 2012 and is to be applied retrospectively. The amendments in this update do not change the items that must be reported in other comprehensive income or when an item of other comprehensive income must be reclassified to net income but will change the way the information is presented in the Company's consolidated financial statements.

Reclassification

        Property management costs of $600,000, $600,000 and $550,000 per annum incurred under the compensation and services agreement were reclassified from general and administrative expenses to real estate operating expenses for 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively. Such amounts had been included as a component of general and administrative expenses in 2010 and 2009.