Significant Accounting Policies (Policies) |
6 Months Ended | ||||||||||||
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Jun. 30, 2017 | |||||||||||||
| Accounting Policies [Abstract] | |||||||||||||
| Basis of Presentation | Basis of Presentation. These condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”) and include the accounts of the Company and its controlled subsidiaries. Noncontrolling interests on the condensed consolidated statements of financial condition represents the portion of consolidated sponsored investment funds in which the Company does not have direct equity ownership. Accounts and transactions between consolidated entities have been eliminated. 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 the reported amounts of revenue and expense during the reporting periods. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Certain financial information that normally is included in annual financial statements, including certain financial statement footnotes, is not required for interim reporting purposes and has been condensed or omitted herein. These condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Company’s consolidated financial statements and notes related thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on February 28, 2017 (“2016 Form 10-K”). The interim financial information at June 30, 2017 and for the three and six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016 is unaudited. However, in the opinion of management, the interim information includes all normal recurring adjustments necessary for the fair presentation of the Company’s results for the periods presented. The results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for the full year. Certain items previously reported have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation. Beginning with the first quarter of 2017, Aladdin revenue previously reported within “BlackRock Solutions® and advisory” has been presented within “Technology and risk management revenue” on the condensed consolidated statements of income. The remaining previously reported “BlackRock Solutions and advisory” revenue is currently reported as part of “Advisory and other revenue.” The prior period amounts reported for BlackRock Solutions and advisory for the three and six months ended June 30, 2016 have been reclassified to conform to the current presentation. |
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| Accounting Pronouncements Adopted in the Six Months Ended June 30, 2017 | Accounting Pronouncements Adopted in the Six Months Ended June 30, 2017. Accounting for Share-Based Payments. In March 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued ASU 2016-09, Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting (“ASU 2016-09”). ASU 2016-09 simplifies accounting for employee share-based payment transactions, including the accounting for income taxes, forfeitures, and statutory tax withholding requirements, as well as classification in the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows. The Company adopted ASU 2016-09 as of January 1, 2017. ASU 2016-09 requires all excess tax benefits and deficiencies to be recognized in income tax expense on the condensed consolidated statements of income. Accordingly, the Company recorded a discrete income tax benefit of $81 million during the three months ended March 31, 2017 for vested restricted stock units where the grant date stock price was lower than the vesting date stock price. The new guidance will increase the volatility of income tax expense as a result of fluctuations in the Company’s stock price. Upon adoption, the Company elected to account for forfeitures as they occur, which did not have a material impact on the condensed consolidated financial statements. In addition, the Company elected to present excess tax benefits and deficiencies prospectively in operating activities on the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows. |
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| Fair Value Measurements | Fair Value Measurements. Hierarchy of Fair Value Inputs. The Company uses a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes inputs to valuation approaches used to measure fair value. The fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority to quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs. Assets and liabilities measured and reported at fair value are classified and disclosed in one of the following categories: Level 1 Inputs: Quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities at the reporting date.
Level 2 Inputs: Quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities that are not active; quotes from pricing services or brokers for which the Company can determine that orderly transactions took place at the quoted price or that the inputs used to arrive at the price are observable; and inputs other than quoted prices that are observable, such as models or other valuation methodologies.
Level 3 Inputs: Unobservable inputs for the valuation of the asset or liability, which may include nonbinding broker quotes. Level 3 assets include investments for which there is little, if any, market activity. These inputs require significant management judgment or estimation.
Significance of Inputs. The Company’s assessment of the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurement in its entirety requires judgment and considers factors specific to the financial instrument. Valuation Approaches. The fair values of certain Level 3 assets and liabilities were determined using various valuation approaches as appropriate, including third-party pricing vendors, broker quotes and market and income approaches. Such quotes and modeled prices are evaluated for reasonableness through various procedures, including due diligence reviews of third-party pricing vendors, variance analyses, consideration of the current market environment and other analytical procedures. A significant number of inputs used to value equity, debt securities and investments in CLOs is sourced from third-party pricing vendors. Generally, prices obtained from pricing vendors are categorized as Level 1 inputs for identical securities traded in active markets and as Level 2 for other similar securities if the vendor uses observable inputs in determining the price. Annually, BlackRock’s internal valuation committee or other designated groups review both the valuation approaches, including the general assumptions and methods used to value various asset classes, and operational processes with these vendors. On a quarterly basis, meetings are held with key vendors to identify any significant changes to the vendors’ processes. In addition, quotes obtained from brokers generally are nonbinding and categorized as Level 3 inputs. However, if the Company is able to determine that market participants have transacted for the asset in an orderly manner near the quoted price or if the Company can determine that the inputs used by the broker are observable, the quote is classified as a Level 2 input. Investments Measured at Net Asset Values. As a practical expedient, the Company uses net asset value (“NAV”) as the fair value for certain investments. The inputs to value these investments may include BlackRock capital accounts for its partnership interests in various alternative investments, including hedge funds, real assets and private equity funds, which may be adjusted by using the returns of certain market indices. The various partnerships generally are investment companies, which record their underlying investments at fair value based on fair value policies established by management of the underlying fund. Fair value policies at the underlying fund generally require the fund to utilize pricing/valuation information from third-party sources, including independent appraisals. However, in some instances, current valuation information for illiquid securities or securities in markets that are not active may not be available from any third-party source or fund management may conclude that the valuations that are available from third-party sources are not reliable. In these instances, fund management may perform model-based analytical valuations that could be used as an input to value these investments. |
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| Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities | Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities. The Company does not use derivative financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes. The Company uses derivative financial instruments primarily for purposes of hedging exposures to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates of certain assets and liabilities, and market exposures for certain seed investments. However, certain consolidated sponsored investment funds may also utilize derivatives as a part of their investment strategy. Changes in the fair value of the Company’s derivative financial instruments are recognized in earnings and, where applicable, are offset by the corresponding gain or loss on the related foreign-denominated assets or liabilities or hedged investments, on the condensed consolidated statements of income. The Company may also use financial instruments designated as net investment hedges for accounting purposes to hedge net investments in international subsidiaries whose functional currency is not U.S. dollars. The gain or loss from revaluing accounting hedges of net investments in foreign operations at the spot rate is deferred and reported within accumulated other comprehensive income on the condensed consolidated statements of financial condition. The Company reassesses the effectiveness of its net investment hedge on a quarterly basis. |
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| Money Market Fee Waivers | Money Market Fee Waivers. The Company is currently voluntarily waiving a portion of its management fees on certain money market funds to ensure that they maintain a targeted level of daily net investment income (the “Yield Support waivers”). During the three and six months ended June 30, 2017, these waivers resulted in a reduction of management fees of approximately $0 million and $6 million, respectively. During the three and six months ended June 30, 2016, these waivers resulted in a reduction of management fees of approximately $13 million and $25 million, respectively. Approximately 0% and 60% of Yield Support waivers for the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively, were offset by a reduction of BlackRock’s distribution and servicing costs paid to a financial intermediary. BlackRock may increase or decrease the level of Yield Support waivers in future periods. |
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| Separate Account Assets and Liabilities | Separate Account Assets and Liabilities. Separate account assets are maintained by BlackRock Life Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, which is a registered life insurance company in the United Kingdom, and represent segregated assets held for purposes of funding individual and group pension contracts. The life insurance company does not underwrite any insurance contracts that involve any insurance risk transfer from the insured to the life insurance company. The separate account assets primarily include equity securities, debt securities, money market funds and derivatives. The separate account assets are not subject to general claims of the creditors of BlackRock. These separate account assets and the related equal and offsetting liabilities are recorded as separate account assets and separate account liabilities on the condensed consolidated statements of financial condition. The net investment income attributable to separate account assets supporting individual and group pension contracts accrues directly to the contract owner and is not reported on the condensed consolidated statements of income. While BlackRock has no economic interest in these separate account assets and liabilities, BlackRock earns policy administration and management fees associated with these products, which are included in investment advisory, administration fees and securities lending revenue on the condensed consolidated statements of income. |
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| Separate Account Collateral Assets Held and Liabilities Under Securities Lending Agreements | Separate Account Collateral Assets Held and Liabilities Under Securities Lending Agreements. The Company facilitates securities lending arrangements whereby securities held by separate accounts maintained by BlackRock Life Limited are lent to third parties under global master securities lending agreements. In exchange, the Company receives legal title to the collateral with minimum values generally ranging from approximately 102% to 112% of the value of the securities lent in order to reduce counterparty risk. The required collateral value is calculated on a daily basis. The global master securities lending agreements provide the Company the right to request additional collateral or, in the event of borrower default, the right to liquidate collateral. The securities lending transactions entered into by the Company are accompanied by an agreement that entitles the Company to request the borrower to return the securities at any time; therefore, these transactions are not reported as sales. The Company records on the condensed consolidated statements of financial condition the cash and noncash collateral received under these BlackRock Life Limited securities lending arrangements as its own asset in addition to an equal and offsetting collateral liability for the obligation to return the collateral. The securities lending revenue earned from lending securities held by the separate accounts is included in investment advisory, administration fees and securities lending revenue on the condensed consolidated statements of income. During the six months ended June 30, 2017 and 2016, the Company had not resold or repledged any of the collateral received under these arrangements. At June 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, the fair value of loaned securities held by separate accounts was approximately $23.8 billion and $25.7 billion, respectively, and the fair value of the collateral held under these securities lending agreements was approximately $26.3 billion and $27.8 billion, respectively. |
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| Recent Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted | Recent Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted. Revenue from Contracts with Customers. In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASU 2014-09”). ASU 2014-09 outlines a single comprehensive model for entities to use in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers and supersedes most current revenue recognition guidance, including industry-specific guidance. The guidance also changes the accounting for certain contract costs and revises the criteria for determining if an entity is acting as a principal or agent in certain arrangements. The Company continues to evaluate the impact of ASU 2014-09 on the presentation and recognition of its revenue contracts and certain contract costs. The most significant change identified to date relates to the presentation of certain distribution costs, which are currently presented net against revenues (contra-revenue) and will likely be presented as an expense on a gross basis. The Company will adopt ASU 2014-09 upon its effective date of January 1, 2018, together with all amending ASUs, and is currently evaluating which transition method it will apply. Recognition and Measurement of Financial Instruments. In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-01, Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities (“ASU 2016-01”). ASU 2016-01 amends guidance on the classification and measurement of financial instruments, including significant revisions in accounting related to the classification and measurement of investments in equity securities and presentation of certain fair value changes for financial liabilities when the fair value option is elected. ASU 2016-01 also amends certain disclosure requirements associated with the fair value of financial instruments. ASU 2016-01 is effective for the Company on January 1, 2018. In the period of adoption, the Company is required to reclassify the unrealized gains/losses on equity securities within accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings, which is not expected to be material to the condensed consolidated financial statements. Leases. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (“ASU 2016-02”), which requires lessees to recognize assets and liabilities arising from most operating leases on the statement of financial condition. The Company expects to record assets and liabilities for its current operating leases upon adoption of ASU 2016-02 and does not expect the adoption to have a material impact on its results of operations or cash flows. ASU 2016-02 is effective for the Company on January 1, 2019, and the Company intends to apply the practical expedients allowed by the standard upon transition. See Note 13 of the 2016 Form 10-K for information on the Company’s operating lease commitments. Cash Flow Classification. In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-15, Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments (“ASU 2016-15”), which amends and clarifies the current guidance to reduce diversity in practice of the classification of certain cash receipts and payments in the statement of cash flows. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting ASU 2016-15, which is effective for the Company on January 1, 2018 with early adoption permitted. The Company must apply the guidance retrospectively to all periods presented. |