Evercore Inc. 10-K

Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations The following discussion should be read in conjunction with Evercore Inc.'s consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this Form 10-K. Key Financial Measures Revenue Total revenues reflect revenues from our Investment Banking and Investment Management business segments that include fees for services, transaction-related client reimbursements and other revenue. Net revenues reflect total revenues less interest expense. Investment Banking. Our Investment Banking business earns fees from our clients for providing advice on mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, leveraged buyouts, restructurings, activism and defense and similar corporate finance matters, and from underwriting and private placement activities, as well as commissions and fees from research and our sales and trading activities. The amount and timing of the fees paid vary by the type of engagement or services provided. In general, advisory fees are paid at the time we sign an engagement letter, during the course of the engagement or when an engagement is completed. The majority of our investment banking revenue consists of advisory fees for which realizations are dependent on the successful completion of transactions. A transaction can fail to be completed for many reasons which are outside of our control, including failure of parties to agree upon final terms with the counterparty, to secure necessary board or shareholder approvals, to secure necessary financing or to achieve necessary regulatory approvals, or due to adverse market conditions. In the case of bankruptcy engagements, fees are subject to approval of the court. Underwriting fees are recognized when the offering has been deemed to be completed and placement fees are generally recognized at the time of the client's acceptance of capital or capital commitments. Commissions and Related Fees includes commissions, which are recorded on a trade-date basis or, in the case of payments under commission sharing arrangements, on the date earned. Commissions and Related Fees also include subscription fees for the sales of research. Cash received before the subscription period ends is initially recorded as deferred revenue (a contract liability) and recognized as revenue over the remaining subscription period. Revenue trends in our advisory business generally are correlated to the volume of M&A activity, restructuring activity, which tends to be counter-cyclical to M&A, and capital advisory activity. Demand for these capabilities can vary in any given year or quarter for a number of reasons. For example, changes in our market share or the ability of our clients to close certain large transactions can cause our revenue results to diverge from the level of overall M&A, restructuring or capital advisory activity. Revenue trends in our equities business are correlated to market volumes, which generally decrease in periods of low market volatility or unfavorable market or economic conditions. For further information, see COVID-19 in "Results of Operations." Investment Management. Our Investment Management business includes operations related to the Wealth Management and Institutional Asset Management businesses and interests in private equity funds which we do not manage. Revenue sources primarily include management fees, fiduciary fees, performance fees and gains (or losses) on our investments. We completed the sale of the ECB Trust business on July 2, 2020 and the remaining ECB business on December 16, 2020. Following these transactions, there are no remaining consolidated businesses in the Institutional Asset Management business. See Note 5 to our consolidated financial statements for further information. Management fees for third party clients generally represent a percentage of AUM. Fiduciary fees, which are generally a function of the size and complexity of each engagement, are individually negotiated. We record performance fees upon the earlier of the termination of the investment fund or when the likelihood of clawback is mathematically improbable. Gains and losses include both realized and unrealized gains and losses on principal investments, including those arising from our equity interest in investment partnerships. Transaction-Related Client Reimbursements . In both our Investment Banking and Investment Management segments, we incur various transaction-related expenditures, such as travel and professional fees, in the course of performing our services. Pursuant to the engagement letters with our advisory clients, these expenditures may be reimbursable. We define these expenses, which are associated with revenue activities earned over time, as transaction-related expenses and record such expenditures as incurred and record revenue when it is determined that clients have an obligation to reimburse us for such transaction-related expenses. Client expense reimbursements are recorded as revenue on the Consolidated Statements of Operations on the later of the date an engagement letter is executed or the date we pay or accrue the expense. 29 Table of Contents Other Revenue and Interest Expense. Other Revenue and Interest Expense is derived from investing customer funds in financing transactions. These transactions are principally repurchases and resales of Mexican government and government agency securities. Revenue and expenses associated with these transactions are recognized over the term of the repurchase or resale transaction. These transactions were part of our ECB business in Mexico, which was sold on December 16, 2020. See Note 5 to our consolidated financial statements for further information. Other Revenue also includes the following: • Interest income and income (losses) earned on investment securities, including our investment funds and futures contracts which are used as an economic hedge against our deferred cash compensation program, certificates of deposit, cash and cash equivalents and on our debt security investment in G5 Holdings S.A. ("G5") • Adjustments to amounts due pursuant to our tax receivable agreement, subsequent to its initial establishment, related to changes in enacted tax rates • Gains (losses) resulting from foreign currency fluctuations • Principal trading and realized and unrealized gains and losses on interests in private equity funds which we do not manage • A net loss on the sales of our businesses at ECB, as well as a loss related to the release of cumulative foreign exchange losses resulting from the sale and wind-down of our businesses in Mexico in 2020 Interest Expense also includes interest expense associated with our Notes Payable, subordinated borrowings and lines of credit. Operating Expenses Employee Compensation and Benefits Expense. We include all payments for services rendered by our employees, as well as profits interests in our businesses that have been accounted for as compensation, in employee compensation and benefits expense. We maintain compensation programs, including base salary, cash, deferred cash and equity bonus awards and benefits programs and manage compensation to estimates of competitive levels based on market conditions and performance. Our level of compensation, including deferred compensation, reflects our plan to maintain competitive compensation levels to retain key personnel, and it reflects the impact of newly-hired senior professionals, including related grants of equity awards which are generally valued at their grant date. Increasing the number of high-caliber, experienced senior level employees is critical to our growth efforts. See Item 1. "Business" for further information. In our advisory businesses, these hires generally do not begin to generate significant revenue in the year they are hired. Our annual compensation program includes share-based compensation awards and deferred cash awards as a component of the annual bonus awards for certain employees. These awards are generally subject to annual vesting requirements over a four-year period beginning at the date of grant, which occurs in the first quarter of each year; accordingly, the expense is generally amortized over the stated vesting period, subject to retirement eligibility. With respect to annual awards, our retirement eligibility criteria generally stipulates that if an employee has at least five years of continuous service, is at least 55 years of age and has a combined age and years of service of at least 65 years, the employee is eligible for retirement. Beginning in 2019, we implemented additional retirement eligibility qualifying criteria, for awards issued in 2019 and after, that stipulates if an employee has at least 10 years of continuous service and is at least 60 years of age, the employee is also eligible for retirement. Retirement eligibility allows for continued vesting of awards after employees depart from the Company, provided they give the minimum advance notice, which is generally six months to one year. We estimate forfeitures in the aggregate compensation cost to be amortized over the requisite service period of the awards. We periodically monitor our estimated forfeiture rate and adjust our assumptions to the actual occurrence of forfeited awards. A change in estimated forfeitures is recognized through a cumulative adjustment in the period of the change. Our Long-term Incentive Plan provides for incentive compensation awards to Advisory Senior Managing Directors, excluding executive officers, who exceed defined benchmark results over four-year performance periods beginning January 1, 30 Table of Contents 2013 (the "2013 Long-term Incentive Plan") and January 1, 2017 (the "2017 Long-term Incentive Plan"). The 2013 Long-term Incentive Plan was paid in cash in installments in 2017, 2018 and 2019 (for the performance period beginning on January 1, 2013). The 2017 Long-term Incentive Plan is due to be paid, in cash or Class A Shares, at our discretion, in three equal installments in the first quarter of 2021, 2022 and 2023 (for the performance period beginning on January 1, 2017), subject to employment at the time of payment. These awards are subject to retirement eligibility requirements after the performance criteria has been achieved. We periodically assess the probability of the benchmarks being achieved and expense the probable payout over the requisite service period of the award. The performance period for the 2017 Long-term Incentive Plan ended on December 31, 2020. From time to time, we also grant performance awards to certain individuals which include both performance and service based vesting requirements. See Note 19 to our consolidated financial statements for further information. We believe that the ratio of Employee Compensation and Benefits Expense to Net Revenues is an important measure to assess the annual cost of compensation and provides a meaningful basis for comparison of compensation and benefits expense between present, historical and future years. Non-Compensation Expenses. Our other operating expenses include costs for occupancy and equipment rental, professional fees, travel and related expenses, communications and information technology services, depreciation and amortization, execution, clearing and custody fees, acquisition and transition costs and other operating expenses. We refer to all of these expenses as non-compensation expenses. Other Expenses Other Expenses include the following: • Amortization of LP Units and Certain Other Awards – Includes amortization costs associated with the vesting of Class J limited partnership units of Evercore LP ("Class J LP Units") issued in conjunction with the acquisition of ISI and certain other related awards. • Special Charges, Including Business Realignment Costs – Includes the following expenses for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018: ◦ 2020 – Includes expenses related to separation and transition benefits and related costs as a result of our review of operations and the acceleration of depreciation expense for leasehold improvements and certain other fixed assets in conjunction with the expansion of our headquarters in New York and our business realignment initiatives, as well as charges related to the impairment of assets resulting from the wind-down of our businesses in Mexico ◦ 2019 – Includes expenses related to the acceleration of depreciation expense for leasehold improvements in conjunction with the expansion of our headquarters in New York, the impairment of goodwill in our Institutional Asset Management reporting unit and separation and transition benefits and related costs as a result of the review of our operations ◦ 2018 – Includes expenses related to separation benefits and costs for the termination of certain contracts associated with closing our agency trading platform in the U.K. and separation benefits and related charges associated with our businesses in Mexico, as well as the acceleration of depreciation expense for leasehold improvements in conjunction with the expansion of our headquarters in New York • Acquisition and Transition Costs – Includes costs incurred in connection with acquisitions, divestitures and other ongoing business development initiatives, primarily comprised of professional fees for legal and other services, including costs in 2020 associated with the sale of our ECB businesses. • Fair Value of Contingent Consideration – Includes expense, or the reversal of expense, associated with changes in the fair value of contingent consideration issued to the sellers of certain of our acquisitions. • Intangible Asset and Other Amortization – Includes amortization of intangible assets and other purchase accounting-related amortization associated with certain acquisitions. 31 Table of Contents Income from Equity Method Investments Our share of the income (loss) from our equity interests in ABS, Atalanta Sosnoff and Luminis are included within Income from Equity Method Investments, as a component of Income Before Income Taxes, on the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Provision for Income Taxes We account for income taxes in accordance with ASC 740, "Income Taxes" ("ASC 740") , which requires the recognition of tax benefits or expenses on temporary differences between the financial reporting and tax basis of our assets and liabilities. Excess tax benefits and deficiencies associated with the appreciation or depreciation in our share price upon vesting of employee share-based awards above or below the original grant price are recognized in our Provision for Income Taxes. In addition, net deferred tax assets are impacted by changes to statutory tax rates in the period of enactment. Noncontrolling Interest We record noncontrolling interest relating to the ownership interests of certain of our current and former Senior Managing Directors and other officers and their estate planning vehicles in Evercore LP, as well as the portions of our operating subsidiaries not owned by Evercore. Evercore Inc. is the sole general partner of Evercore LP and has a majority economic interest in Evercore LP. As a result, Evercore Inc. consolidates Evercore LP and records a noncontrolling interest for the economic interest in Evercore LP held by the limited partners. We generally allocate net income or loss to participating noncontrolling interests held at Evercore LP and at the operating entity level, where required, by multiplying the relative ownership interest of the noncontrolling interest holders for the period by the net income or loss of the entity to which the noncontrolling interest relates. In circumstances where the governing documents of the entity to which the noncontrolling interest relates require special allocations of profits or losses to the controlling and noncontrolling interest holders, the net income or loss of these entities is allocated based on these special allocations. 32 Table of Contents Results of Operations The following is a discussion of our results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019. For a more detailed discussion of the factors that affected the revenue and operating expenses of our Investment Banking and Investment Management business segments in these periods, as well as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, see the discussion in "Business Segments" and COVID-19 below. For the Years Ended December 31, Change 2020 2019 2018 2020 v. 2019 2019 v. 2018 (dollars in thousands, except per share data) Revenues Investment Banking: Advisory Fees $ 1,755,273 $ 1,653,585 $ 1,743,473 6 % (5 %) Underwriting Fees 276,191 89,681 71,691 208 % 25 % Commissions and Related Fees 205,767 189,506 200,015 9 % (5 %) Asset Management and Administration Fees 54,397 50,611 48,246 7 % 5 % Other Revenue, Including Interest and Investments (6,309) 45,454 19,051 NM 139 % Total Revenues 2,285,319 2,028,837 2,082,476 13 % (3 %) Interest Expense 21,414 20,139 17,771 6 % 13 % Net Revenues 2,263,905 2,008,698 2,064,705 13 % (3 %) Expenses Operating Expenses 1,688,015 1,534,122 1,492,241 10 % 3 % Other Expenses 49,457 36,865 30,387 34 % 21 % Total Expenses 1,737,472 1,570,987 1,522,628 11 % 3 % Income Before Income from Equity Method Investments and Income Taxes 526,433 437,711 542,077 20 % (19 %) Income from Equity Method Investments 14,398 10,996 9,294 31 % 18 % Income Before Income Taxes 540,831 448,707 551,371 21 % (19 %) Provision for Income Taxes 128,151 95,046 108,520 35 % (12 %) Net Income 412,680 353,661 442,851 17 % (20 %) Net Income Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest 62,106 56,225 65,611 10 % (14 %) Net Income Attributable to Evercore Inc. $ 350,574 $ 297,436 $ 377,240 18 % (21 %) Diluted Net Income Per Share Attributable to Evercore Inc. Common Shareholders $ 8.22 $ 6.89 $ 8.33 19 % (17 %) 2020 versus 2019 Net Income Attributable to Evercore Inc. was $350.6 million in 2020, an increase of $53.1 million, or 18%, compared to $297.4 million in 2019. The changes in our operating results during these years are described below. Net Revenues were $2.26 billion in 2020, an increase of $255.2 million, or 13%, versus Net Revenues of $2.01 billion in 2019. Advisory Fees increased $101.7 million, or 6%, Underwriting Fees increased $186.5 million, or 208%, and Commissions and Related Fees increased $16.3 million, or 9%, compared to 2019. Asset Management and Administration Fees increased $3.8 million, or 7%, compared to 2019. Other Revenue, Including Interest and Investments, decreased compared to 2019, primarily due to a loss of $30.8 million resulting from the sale and wind-down of our businesses in Mexico, including $3.4 million related to the sale of the ECB businesses, as well as $27.4 million related to the release of cumulative foreign exchange losses. See Note 5 to our consolidated financial statements for further information. O ther Revenue, Including Interest and Investments, also decreased due to lower interest income and losses on our legacy private equity investments during 2020. Interest Expense increased 6% compared to 2019, which was primarily attributable to interest expense on the 2019 Private 33 Table of Contents Placement Notes which were issued in August 2019. See Note 14 to our consolidated financial statements for further information. Total Operating Expenses were $1.69 billion in 2020, compared to $1.53 billion in 2019, an increase of $153.9 million, or 10%. Employee Compensation and Benefits Expense, as a component of Operating Expenses, was $1.37 billion in 2020, an increase of $188.5 million, or 16%, versus expense of $1.18 billion in 2019. The increase in the amount of compensation recognized in 2020 principally reflects higher levels of compensation expense in 2020 related to higher revenues and higher amortization of prior period deferred compensation awards, partially offset by lower compensation expense related to senior new hires. See Note 19 to our consolidated financial statements for further information. Non-Compensation expenses, as a component of Operating Expenses, were $316.7 million in 2020, a decrease of $34.6 million, or 10%, versus $351.3 million in 2019. Non-Compensation operating expenses decreased compared to 2019, primarily driven by decreased travel and related expenses, related to prolonged travel restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. See COVID-19 below for further information. Non-Compensation expenses per employee were approximately $171.7 thousand in 2020, versus $193.8 thousand for 2019. Total Other Expenses of $49.5 million in 2020 included (a) Special Charges, Including Business Realignment Costs, of $46.6 million related to separation and transition benefits and related costs (see below for further information) and the acceleration of depreciation expense for leasehold improvements and certain other fixed assets in conjunction with the expansion of our headquarters in New York and our business realignment initiatives, as well as charges related to the impairment of assets resulting from the wind-down of our businesses in Mexico, (b) intangible asset and other amortization of $1.2 million, (c) compensation costs of $1.1 million associated with the vesting of Class J LP Units and certain other awards granted in conjunction with the acquisition of ISI and (d) Acquisition and Transition Costs of $0.6 million. Total Other Expenses of $36.9 million in 2019 included (a) compensation costs of $18.2 million associated with the vesting of Class J LP Units and certain other awards granted in conjunction with the acquisition of ISI, (b) Special Charges, Including Business Realignment Costs, of $10.1 million related to the acceleration of depreciation expense for leasehold improvements in conjunction with the expansion of our headquarters in New York, the impairment of goodwill in the Institutional Asset Management reporting unit and separation and transition benefits for certain employees terminated as a result of the review of our operations (see below for further information), (c) intangible asset and other amortization of $7.5 million and (d) Acquisition and Transition Costs of $1.0 million. In 2020, we completed a review of operations focused on markets, sectors and people which delivered lower levels of productivity in an effort to attain greater flexibility of operations and better position ourself for future growth. This review, which began in the fourth quarter of 2019, generated reductions of approximately 8% of our headcount. In conjunction with the employment reductions, we incurred aggregate separation and transition benefits (including costs related to the acceleration of deferred compensation) and related costs of $41.7 million in 2020 and $2.9 million in 2019, which has been recorded in Special Charges, Including Business Realignment Costs As a result of the factors noted above, Employee Compensation and Benefits Expense as a percentage of Net Revenues was 60.6% in 2020, compared to 59.8% in 2019. The compensation ratio for 2020 and 2019 is 62.4% and 59.9%, respectively, when the $41.3 million and $2.9 million, respectively, of separation and transition benefits expense, which is presented within Special Charges, Including Business Realignment Costs, is also included. The increase in the compensation ratio principally reflects higher levels of compensation expense in 2020 related to higher revenues and higher amortization of prior period deferred compensation awards, partially offset by lower compensation expense related to senior new hires. See Note 19 to our consolidated financial statements for further information. The compensation ratio in any given period is subject to fluctuation based, in part, on the amount of revenue earned in that period. Income from Equity Method Investments was $14.4 million in 2020, compared to $11.0 million in 2019. The increase was a result of an increase in earnings from ABS, Atalanta Sosnoff and Luminis in 2020. The provision for income taxes in 2020 was $128.2 million, which reflected an effective tax rate of 23.7%. The provision for income taxes in 2019 was $95.0 million, which reflected an effective tax rate of 21.2%. The provision for income taxes for 2020 reflects an additional tax expense of $0.02 million and for 2019 an additional tax benefit of $12.2 million due to the net impact associated with the appreciation or depreciation in our share price upon vesting of employee share-based awards above or below the original grant price, the effect of certain nondeductible expenses, including expenses related to Class J LP Units and Class I-P and K-P Units, as well as the noncontrolling interest associated with LP Units and other adjustments. The increase in the tax rate also reflects the increase in compensation subject to the IRC section 162(m) disallowance. 34 Table of Contents Net Income Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest was $62.1 million in 2020 compared to $56.2 million in 2019. The increase in Net Income Attributable to Noncontrolling Interest primarily reflects higher income in 2020, partially offset by the full year impact of our purchases of the remaining 10% of the Private Capital Advisory L.P. business and the purchase of 17% of the EWM business in May 2019. COVID-19 The COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt our business operations, and the substantial majority of our teams continue to work remotely. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our revenues and cash flows for 2020 was mitigated by our broad and diverse capabilities, including underwriting, restructuring, capital markets advisory and equities, together with strong M&A activity during the fourth quarter of 2020. However, there remains uncertainty as to how the course of the pandemic, including the timing and acceptance of vaccinations, and government response may impact the markets and our clients' needs in the future. For a further discussion of risks related to our business, refer to "Risk Factors" elsewhere in this Form 10-K. For a discussion of 2019 versus 2018, refer to "Results of Operations" in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019. Impairment of Assets Goodwill 2020 – At November 30, 2020, in accordance with ASC 350, "Intangibles - Goodwill and Other" ("ASC 350"), we performed our annual Goodwill impairment assessment and concluded that the fair value of our reporting units substantially exceeded their carrying values. 2019 – At November 30, 2019, we determined that the fair value of our reporting units substantially exceeded their carrying values, with the exception of our Institutional Asset Management reporting unit, which was less than its carrying value. In determining the fair value of this reporting unit, we utilized a discounted cash flow methodology based on the adjusted cash flows from operations. As a result of this analysis, we recorded a goodwill impairment charge of $0.8 million in the Investment Management segment, which is included within Special Charges, Including Business Realignment Costs, on the Consolidated Statement of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2019. This charge resulted in a decrease of $0.5 million to Net Income Attributable to Evercore Inc. (after adjustments for noncontrolling interest and income taxes) for the year ended December 31, 2019. Additionally, in December 2019, we performed an impairment assessment of the goodwill remaining in the Institutional Asset Management reporting unit following the classification of the ECB Trust business as Held for Sale, in accordance with ASC 350. In determining the fair value of this reporting unit, we utilized a discounted cash flow methodology based on the adjusted cash flows from operations. As a result of this analysis, we determined that the fair value of the remaining business in the Institutional Asset Management reporting unit was less than its carrying value. Accordingly, we recorded a goodwill impairment charge of $2.1 million in the Investment Management segment, which is included within Special Charges, Including Business Realignment Costs, on the Consolidated Statement of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2019. This charge resulted in a decrease of $1.4 million to Net Income Attributable to Evercore Inc. (after adjustments for noncontrolling interest and income taxes) for the year ended December 31, 2019. Other Assets We recorded impairment charges of $1.7 million in Special Charges, Including Business Realignment Costs, on the Consolidated Statement of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2020, related to the impairment of assets resulting from the wind-down of our businesses in Mexico. This was comprised of a charge of $1.2 million related to the impairment of operating lease right-of-use assets and a charge of $0.5 million related to the impairment of leasehold improvements. See Note 5 to our consolidated financial statements for further information. 35 Table of Contents Business Segments The following data presents revenue, expenses and contributions from our equity method investments by business segment. Investment Banking The following table summarizes the operating results of the Investment Banking segment. For the Years Ended December 31, Change 2020 2019 2018 2020 v. 2019 2019 v. 2018 (dollars in thousands) Revenues Investment Banking: Advisory Fees (1) $ 1,755,273 $ 1,653,585 $ 1,743,473 6 % (5 %) Underwriting Fees (2) 276,191 89,681 71,691 208 % 25 % Commissions and Related Fees 205,767 189,506 200,015 9 % (5 %) Other Revenue, net (3)(4) (19,845) 19,023 (3,156) NM NM Net Revenues 2,217,386 1,951,795 2,012,023 14 % (3 %) Expenses Operating Expenses 1,637,542 1,485,477 1,448,301 10 % 3 % Other Expenses 49,112 33,618 30,366 46 % 11 % Total Expenses 1,686,654 1,519,095 1,478,667 11 % 3 % Operating Income 530,732 432,700 533,356 23 % (19 %) Income from Equity Method Investments (5) 1,546 916 518 69 % 77 % Pre-Tax Income $ 532,278 $ 433,616 $ 533,874 23 % (19 %) (1) Includes client related expenses of $14.9 million, $32.2 million and $31.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively. (2) Includes client related expenses of $14.4 million, $7.2 million and $4.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively. (3) Includes interest expense on Notes Payable, subordinated borrowings and lines of credit of $18.2 million, $12.9 million and $9.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively. (4) Includes a loss of $21.1 million resulting from the sale and wind-down of our businesses in Mexico, related to the release of cumulative foreign exchange losses, for the year ended December 31, 2020. (5) Equity in Luminis is classified as Income from Equity Method Investments. 36 Table of Contents For 2020, the dollar value of North American announced and completed M&A activity decreased 23% and 13%, respectively, compared to 2019, and the dollar value of Global announced and completed M&A activity decreased 4% and 6%, respectively, compared to 2019. For 2020, the dollar value of North American and Global announced M&A activity between $1 - $5 billion increased 16% and decreased 2%, respectively, compared to 2019. For the Years Ended December 31, Change 2020 2019 2018 2020 v. 2019 2019 v. 2018 Industry Statistics ($ in billions) * Value of North American M&A Deals Announced $ 1,467 $ 1,897 $ 1,742 (23 %) 9 % Value of North American M&A Deals Announced between $1 - $5 billion $ 448 $ 386 $ 494 16 % (22 %) Value of North American M&A Deals Completed $ 1,431 $ 1,637 $ 1,817 (13 %) (10 %) Value of Global M&A Deals Announced $ 3,605 $ 3,755 $ 3,865 (4 %) (3 %) Value of Global M&A Deals Announced between $1 - $5 billion $ 907 $ 927 $ 1,101 (2 %) (16 %) Value of Global M&A Deals Completed $ 2,974 $ 3,152 $ 3,696 (6 %) (15 %) Evercore Statistics ** Total Number of Fees From Advisory Client Transactions 687 661 663 4 % — % Investment Banking Fees of at Least $1 million from Advisory Client Transactions 386 328 345 18 % (5 %) * Source: Refinitiv January 5, 2021 ** Includes revenue generating clients only from Advisory and Underwriting transactions Investment Banking Results of Operations 2020 versus 2019 Net Investment Banking Revenues were $2.22 billion in 2020, compared to $1.95 billion in 2019, an increase of $265.6 million, or 14%. We earned 687 fees from Advisory clients in 2020, compared to 661 in 2019, representing a 4% increase. We earned 386 fees in excess of $1.0 million in 2020, compared to 328 in 2019, representing an 18% increase. The increase in revenues from 2019 was partially attributed to an increase of $101.7 million, or 6%, in Advisory Fees, reflecting an increase in the number of Advisory fees earned and an increase in revenue earned from large transactions during 2020. Underwriting Fees increased $186.5 million, or 208%, compared to 2019, reflecting an increase in the number of transactions we participated in, as well as the relative size of our participation in those transactions. We participated in 118 underwriting transactions in 2020 (compared to 71 in 2019), 85 of which were as a bookrunner (compared to 53 in 2019). Commissions and Related Fees increased $16.3 million, or 9%, compared to 2019, as a result of elevated volatility during 2020. Other Revenue, net, in 2020, decreased versus 2019, primarily reflecting a loss of $21.1 million resulting from the sale and wind-down of our businesses in Mexico, related to the release of cumulative foreign exchange losses, as well as lower interest income and increased interest expense on the 2019 Private Placement Notes, which were issued in August 2019. Operating Expenses were $1.64 billion in 2020, compared to $1.49 billion in 2019, an increase of $152.1 million, or 10%. Employee Compensation and Benefits Expense, as a component of Operating Expenses, was $1.33 billion in 2020, compared to $1.15 billion in 2019, an increase of $186.1 million, or 16%. The increase in the amount of compensation recognized in 2020 principally reflects higher levels of compensation expense in 2020 related to higher revenues and higher amortization of prior period deferred compensation awards, partially offset by lower compensation expense related to senior new hires. See Note 19 to our consolidated financial statements for further information. Non-Compensation expenses, as a component of Operating Expenses, were $302.8 million in 2020, compared to $336.9 million in 2019, a decrease of $34.1 million, or 10%. Non-Compensation operating expenses decreased from the prior year primarily driven by decreased travel and related expenses, related to prolonged travel restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. See COVID-19 above for further information. Other Expenses of $49.1 million in 2020 included (a) Special Charges, Including Business Realignment Costs, of $46.6 million related to separation and transition benefits and related costs and the acceleration of depreciation expense for leasehold 37 Table of Contents improvements and certain other fixed assets in conjunction with the expansion of our headquarters in New York and our business realignment initiatives, as well as charges related to the impairment of assets resulting from the wind-down of our businesses in Mexico, (b) intangible asset and other amortization of $1.2 million, (c) compensation costs of $1.1 million associated with the vesting of Class J LP Units and certain other awards granted in conjunction with the acquisition of ISI, and (d) Acquisition and Transition Costs of $0.3 million. Other Expenses of $33.6 million in 2019 included (a) compensation costs of $18.2 million associated with the vesting of Class J LP Units and certain other awards granted in conjunction with the acquisition of ISI, (b) intangible asset and other amortization of $7.5 million, (c) Special Charges, Including Business Realignment Costs, of $7.2 million related to the acceleration of depreciation expense for leasehold improvements in conjunction with the expansion of our headquarters in New York and separation and transition benefits for certain employees terminated as a result of the review of our operations and (d) Acquisition and Transition Costs of $0.7 million. For a discussion of 2019 versus 2018, refer to "Results of Operations" in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019. Investment Management The following table summarizes the operating results of the Investment Management segment. For the Years Ended December 31, Change 2020 2019 2018 2020 v. 2019 2019 v. 2018 (dollars in thousands) Revenues Asset Management and Administration Fees: Wealth Management $ 53,069 $ 48,083 $ 44,875 10 % 7 % Institutional Asset Management (1) 1,328 2,528 3,371 (47 %) (25 %) Asset Management and Administration Fees 54,397 50,611 48,246 7 % 5 % Other Revenue, net (2) (7,878) 6,292 4,436 NM 42 % Net Revenues 46,519 56,903 52,682 (18 %) 8 % Expenses Operating Expenses 50,473 48,645 43,940 4 % 11 % Other Expenses (3) 345 3,247 21 (89 %) NM Total Expenses 50,818 51,892 43,961 (2 %) 18 % Operating Income (Loss) (4,299) 5,011 8,721 NM (43 %) Income from Equity Method Investments (4) 12,852 10,080 8,776 28 % 15 % Pre-Tax Income $ 8,553 $ 15,091 $ 17,497 (43 %) (14 %) (1) Includes the ECB business, which was sold in 2020. (2) Includes a loss of $9.7 million resulting from the sale and wind-down of our businesses in Mexico, including $3.4 million related to the sale of our ECB businesses and $6.3 million related to the release of cumulative foreign exchange losses for the year ended December 31, 2020. (3) Includes an impairment charge related to the impairment of goodwill in the Institutional Asset Management reporting unit of $2.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. (4) Equity in ABS and Atalanta Sosnoff is classified as Income from Equity Method Investments. Investment Management Results of Operations Our Investment Management segment includes the following activities: • Wealth Management – conducted through EWM and ETC. Fee-based revenues from EWM are primarily earned on a percentage of AUM, while ETC primarily earns fees from negotiated trust services. • Private Equity – conducted through our investment interests in private equity funds. We maintain a limited partner's interest in Glisco II, Glisco III and Glisco IV, as well as Glisco Manager Holdings LP and the general partners of the Glisco Funds. We receive our portion of the management fees earned by Glisco from Glisco Manager Holdings LP. We are passive investors and do not participate in the management of any Glisco sponsored funds. We are also passive investors in Trilantic IV, Trilantic V and Trilantic VI. In the event the private equity funds perform below 38 Table of Contents certain thresholds we may be obligated to repay certain carried interest previously distributed. As of December 31, 2020, $0.4 million of previously distributed carried interest received from the funds was subject to repayment. • We also hold interests in ABS and Atalanta Sosnoff that are accounted for under the equity method of accounting. The results of these investments are included within Income from Equity Method Investments. Our Investment Management results include the ECB businesses, which were previously included in Institutional Asset Management above. These businesses were sold in 2020. See Note 5 to our consolidated financial statements for further information. Assets Under Management AUM for our consolidated Investment Management businesses of $10.2 billion at December 31, 2020 decreased compared to $10.7 billion at December 31, 2019, reflecting the deconsolidation of $1.5 billion of assets resulting from the sale of our ECB business, partially offset by market appreciation in our Wealth Management business. The amounts of AUM presented in the table below primarily reflect the assets which we manage. These assets reflect the fair value of assets managed on behalf of Institutional Asset Management (deconsolidated on December 16, 2020) and Wealth Management clients. As defined in ASC 820 "Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures" ("ASC 820"), valuations performed for Level 1 investments are based on quoted prices obtained from active markets generated by third parties and Level 2 investments are valued through the use of models based on either direct or indirect observable inputs in the use of models or other valuation methodologies performed by third parties to determine fair value. For both the Level 1 and Level 2 investments, we obtain both active quotes from nationally recognized exchanges and third-party pricing services to determine market or fair value quotes, respectively. For Level 3 investments, pricing inputs are unobservable for the investment and includes situations where there is little, if any, market activity for the investment. The inputs into the determination of fair value require significant management judgment or estimation. Wealth Management maintained 72% and 69% of Level 1 investments, 24% and 27% of Level 2 investments and 4% of Level 3 investments as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Institutional Asset Management maintained 85% of Level 1 investments and 15% of Level 2 investments as of December 31, 2019. The fees that we receive for providing investment advisory and management services are primarily driven by the level and composition of AUM. Accordingly, client flows, market movements, foreign currency fluctuations and changes in our product mix will impact the level of management fees we receive from our investment management businesses. Fees vary with the type of assets managed and the channel in which they are managed, with higher fees earned on equity assets and alternative investment funds, such as hedge funds and private equity funds, and lower fees earned on fixed income and cash management products. Clients will increase or reduce the aggregate amount of AUM that we manage for a number of reasons, including changes in the level of assets that they have available for investment purposes, their overall asset allocation strategy, our relative performance versus competitors offering similar investment products and the quality of our service. The fees we earn are also impacted by our investment performance, as the appreciation or depreciation in the value of the assets that we manage directly impacts our fees. 39 Table of Contents The following table summarizes AUM activity for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019: Wealth Management (1) Institutional Asset Management Total (dollars in millions) Balance at December 31, 2018 $ 7,560 $ 1,575 $ 9,135 Inflows 1,056 1,057 2,113 Outflows (826) (1,158) (1,984) Market Appreciation 1,268 160 1,428 Balance at December 31, 2019 $ 9,058 $ 1,634 $ 10,692 Inflows 969 645 1,614 Outflows (869) (616) (1,485) Market Appreciation (Depreciation) 1,005 (125) 880 Deconsolidation of ECB (December 16, 2020) — (1,538) (1,538) Balance at December 31, 2020 $ 10,163 $ — $ 10,163 Unconsolidated Affiliates - Balance at December 31, 2020: Atalanta Sosnoff $ — $ 7,718 $ 7,718 ABS $ — $ 6,574 $ 6,574 (1) Assets Under Management includes Evercore assets which are managed by Evercore Wealth Management of $76.4 million and $319.8 million as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The following table represents the composition of AUM for Wealth Management as of December 31, 2020: Wealth Management Equities 62 % Fixed Income 24 % Liquidity (1) 9 % Alternatives 5 % Total 100 % (1) Includes cash, cash equivalents and U.S. Treasury securities. Our Wealth Management business serves individuals, families and related institutions delivering customized investment management, financial planning, and trust and custody services. Investment portfolios are tailored to meet the investment objectives of individual clients and reflect a blend of equity, fixed income and other products. Fees charged to clients reflect the composition of the assets managed and the services provided. Investment performance in the Wealth Management businesses is measured against appropriate indices based on the AUM, most frequently the S&P 500 and a composite fixed income index principally reflecting BarCap and MSCI indices. In 2020, AUM for Wealth Management increased 12%, reflecting an 11% increase due to market appreciation and a 1% increase due to flows. Wealth Management outperformed the S&P 500 on a 1 and 3-year basis by approximately 6% and 4%, respectively, during the period. Wealth Management lagged the fixed income composite on a 1 and 3 year basis by approximately 80 basis points and 50 basis points, respectively. For the period, the S&P 500 and fixed income composite were up approximately 18% and 5%, respectively. In 2019, AUM for Wealth Management increased 20%, reflecting a 17% increase due to market appreciation and a 3% increase due to flows. Wealth Management outperformed the S&P 500 on a 1 and 3 year basis by approximately 7% and 3%, respectively, during the period. Wealth Management lagged the fixed income composite on a 1 and 3 year basis by approximately 40 basis points and 30 basis points, respectively. For the period, the S&P 500 and fixed income composite were up approximately 31% and 6%, respectively. 40 Table of Contents Our Institutional Asset Management business reflected assets managed by ECB prior to its deconsolidation on December 16, 2020. ECB primarily manages Mexican Government and corporate fixed income securities, as well as equity products. ECB utilizes the IPC Index, which is a capitalization weighted index of leading equities traded on the Mexican Stock Exchange and the Cetes 28 Index, which is an index of Treasury Bills issued by the Mexican Government, as benchmarks in reviewing their performance and managing their investment decisions. ECB's AUM market depreciation for the year reflects market volatility, as well as the impact of the fluctuation of foreign currency. ECB outperformed the equities index and outperformed the fixed income index on two of their three portfolios in 2020. In 2019, AUM for Institutional Asset Management increased 4%, reflecting a 10% increase due to market appreciation, partially offset by a 6% decrease due to flows. ECB's AUM market appreciation reflects favorable market volatility, as well as the impact of the fluctuation of foreign currency. ECB outperformed the equities index and outperformed the fixed income index on two of their three portfolios in 2019. AUM from our unconsolidated affiliates increased 12% compared to December 31, 2019, primarily related to positive performance in Atalanta Sosnoff and ABS. 2020 versus 2019 Asset Management and Administration Fees earned from the management of client portfolios increased 7% from 2019, primarily driven by an increase of $5.0 million in fees from Wealth Management clients, as associated AUM increased 12%. Fee-based revenues included $0.08 million and $0.2 million of revenues from performance fees in 2020 and 2019, respectively. Other Revenue, net, decreased from 2019, primarily driven by a loss of $9.7 million resulting from the sale and wind-down of our businesses in Mexico, including $3.4 million related to the sale of our ECB businesses, as well as $6.3 million related to the release of cumulative foreign exchange losses, and losses on our legacy private equity investments. See Note 5 to our consolidated financial statements for further information. These items contributed to an overall decrease in Net Investment Management Revenues of 18% ($46.5 million in 2020, compared to $56.9 million in 2019). Income from Equity Method Investments increased from 2019, as a result of an increase in earnings from our investments in ABS and Atalanta Sosnoff. Operating Expenses were $50.5 million in 2020, compared to $48.6 million in 2019, an increase of $1.8 million, or 4%. Employee Compensation and Benefits Expense, as a component of Operating Expenses, was $36.6 million in 2020, compared to $34.1 million in 2019, an increase of $2.5 million, or 7%. Non-Compensation expenses, as a component of Operating Expenses, were $13.9 million in 2020, compared to $14.5 million in 2019, a decrease of $0.6 million, or 4%. Other Expenses of $0.3 million in 2020 included Acquisition and Transition Costs of $0.3 million and Special Charges, Including Business Realignment Costs, of $0.05 million, related to separation and transition benefits and related costs. Other Expenses of $3.2 million in 2019 included Special Charges, Including Business Realignment Costs, of $2.9 million related to the impairment of goodwill in the Institutional Asset Management reporting unit and Acquisition and Transition Costs of $0.3 million. For a discussion of 2019 versus 2018, refer to "Results of Operations" in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019. Cash Flows Our operating cash flows are primarily influenced by the timing and receipt of investment banking and investment management fees (for further information see COVID-19 above), and the payment of operating expenses, including incentive compensation to our employees and interest expense on our repurchase agreements (prior to the sale of our ECB business), Notes Payable, subordinated borrowings and lines of credit, and the payment of income taxes. Investment Banking advisory fees are generally collected within 90 days of billing. However, placement fees may be collected within 180 days of billing, with fees related to private funds capital raising being collected in a period exceeding one year. Commissions earned from our agency trading activities are generally received from our clearing broker within 11 days. Fees from our Wealth Management and Institutional Asset Management businesses are generally billed and collected within 90 days. We traditionally pay a substantial portion of incentive compensation to personnel in the Investment Banking business and to executive officers during the first three months of each calendar year with respect to the prior year's results and prior year's deferred compensation. Likewise, payments to fund investments related to hedging our deferred cash compensation plans are generally funded in the first three months of each calendar year. Our investing and financing cash flows are primarily influenced by activities to invest our cash in highly liquid securities or bank certificates of deposit, deploy capital to fund investments and acquisitions, raise capital through the issuance of stock or debt, repurchase of outstanding Class A Shares, and/or noncontrolling interest in Evercore LP, as well as our other subsidiaries, payment of dividends and other periodic distributions to our stakeholders. We 41 Table of Contents generally make dividend payments and other distributions on a quarterly basis. We periodically draw down on our lines of credit to balance the timing of our operating, investing and financing cash flow needs. A summary of our operating, investing and financing cash flows is as follows: For the Years Ended December 31, 2020 2019 2018 (dollars in thousands) Cash Provided By (Used In) Operating activities: Net income $ 412,680 $ 353,661 $ 442,851 Non-cash charges 481,698 414,852 334,335 Other operating activities 83,993 (263,816) 72,388 Operating activities 978,371 504,697 849,574 Investing activities (483,871) (373,471) (212,566) Financing activities (307,793) (290,009) (452,927) Effect of exchange rate changes 7,631 2,573 (1,370) Net Increase (Decrease) in Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash 194,338 (156,210) 182,711 Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash Beginning of Period 643,886 800,096 617,385 End of Period $ 838,224 $ 643,886 $ 800,096 2020. Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash were $838.2 million at December 31, 2020, an increase of $194.3 million versus Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash of $643.9 million at December 31, 2019. Operating activities resulted in a net inflow of $978.4 million, primarily related to earnings. Cash of $483.9 million was used by investing activities primarily related to net purchases of investment securities and purchases of equipment and leasehold improvements, primarily related to the expansion of our headquarters in New York, partially offset by the maturity of certificates of deposit. Financing activities during the period used cash of $307.8 million, primarily for purchases of treasury stock and the payment of dividends and distributions to noncontrolling interest holders. Cash is also impacted due to the effect of foreign exchange rate fluctuation when translating non-U.S. currencies to U.S. Dollars. 2019. Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash were $643.9 million at December 31, 2019, a decrease of $156.2 million versus Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash of $800.1 million at December 31, 2018. Operating activities resulted in a net inflow of $504.7 million, primarily related to earnings. Cash of $373.5 million was used in investing activities primarily related to net purchases of investment securities and certificates of deposit and purchases of furniture, equipment and leasehold improvements, primarily related to the expansion of our headquarters in New York. Financing activities during the period used cash of $290.0 million, primarily for purchases of treasury stock and noncontrolling interests, the payment of dividends and distributions to noncontrolling interest holders, partially offset by the issuance of the 2019 Private Placement Notes. For further information see Note 14 to our consolidated financial statements. For a discussion of 2018, refer to "Cash Flows" in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019. Liquidity and Capital Resources General Our current assets principally include Cash and Cash Equivalents, Investment Securities and Certificates of Deposit, Accounts Receivable and contract assets, included in Other Current Assets, relating to Investment Banking and Investment Management revenues. Our current liabilities principally include accrued expenses, accrued liabilities related to improvements in our leased facilities, accrued employee compensation and short-term borrowings. We traditionally have made payments for employee bonus awards and year-end distributions to partners in the first quarter of the year with respect to the prior year's results. In addition, payments in respect of deferred cash compensation arrangements and related investments are also made in the first quarter. From time to time, advances and/or commitments may also be granted to new employees at or near the date they begin employment, or to existing employees for the purpose of incentive or retention. Cash distributions related to 42 Table of Contents partnership tax allocations are made to the partners of Evercore LP and certain other entities in accordance with our corporate estimated payment calendar; these payments are made prior to the end of each calendar quarter. In addition, dividends on Class A Shares, and related distributions to partners of Evercore LP, are paid when and if declared by the Board of Directors, which is generally quarterly. We regularly monitor our liquidity position, including cash, other significant working capital, current assets and liabilities, long-term liabilities, lease commitments and related fixed assets, principal investment commitments related to our Investment Management business, dividends on Class A Shares, partnership distributions and other capital transactions, as well as other matters relating to liquidity and compliance with regulatory requirements. Our liquidity is highly dependent on our revenue stream from our operations, principally from our Investment Banking business, which is a function of closing transactions and earning success fees, the timing and realization of which is irregular and dependent upon factors that are not subject to our control. Our revenue stream funds the payment of our expenses, including annual bonus payments, a portion of which are guaranteed, deferred compensation arrangements, interest expense on our repurchase agreements (prior to the sale of our ECB business), Notes Payable, lines of credit and other financing arrangements and income taxes. Payments made for income taxes may be reduced by deductions taken for the increase in tax basis of our investment in Evercore LP. Certain of these tax deductions, when realized, require payment under our long-term liability, Amounts Due Pursuant to Tax Receivable Agreements. We intend to fund these payments from cash and cash equivalents on hand, principally derived from cash flows from operations. These tax deductions, when realized, will result in cash otherwise required to satisfy tax obligations becoming available for other purposes. Our Management Committee meets regularly to monitor our liquidity and cash positions against our short and long-term obligations, as well as our capital requirements and commitments. The result of this review contributes to management's recommendation to the Board of Directors as to the level of quarterly dividend payments, if any. As a financial services firm, our businesses are materially affected by conditions in the global financial markets and economic conditions throughout the world. Revenue generated by our advisory activities is related to the number and value of the transactions in which we are involved. In addition, revenue related to our equities business is driven by market volumes and institutional investor trends, such as the trend to passive investment strategies. During periods of unfavorable market or economic conditions, the number and value of M&A transactions, as well as market volumes in equities, generally decrease, and they generally increase during periods of favorable market or economic conditions. Restructuring activity generally is counter-cyclical to M&A activity. In addition, during periods of unfavorable market conditions our Investment Management business may be impacted by reduced equity valuations and generate relatively lower revenue because fees we receive, either directly or through our affiliates, typically are in part based on the market value of underlying publicly-traded securities. Our profitability may also be adversely affected by our fixed costs and the possibility that we would be unable to scale back other costs within a time frame and in an amount sufficient to match any decreases in revenue relating to changes in market and economic conditions. Likewise, our liquidity may be adversely impacted by our contractual obligations, including lease obligations. Reduced equity valuations resulting from future adverse economic events and/or market conditions may impact our performance and may result in future net redemptions of AUM from our clients, which would generally result in lower revenues and cash flows. These adverse conditions could also have an impact on our goodwill impairment assessment, which is done annually, as of November 30th, or more frequently if circumstances indicate impairment may have occurred. For further information, see COVID-19 in "Results of Operations." We assess our equity method investments for impairment annually, or more frequently if circumstances indicate impairment may have occurred. These circumstances could include unfavorable market conditions or the loss of key personnel of the investee. For a further discussion of risks related to our business, refer to "Risk Factors" elsewhere in this Form 10-K. Treasury and Noncontrolling Interest Repurchases We periodically repurchase Class A Shares and/or LP Units into Treasury in order to offset the dilutive effect of equity awards granted as compensation (see Note 19 to our consolidated financial statements for further information.) The amount of cash required for these share repurchases is a function of the mix of equity and deferred cash compensation awarded for the annual bonus awards (see further discussion on deferred compensation under Other Commitments below). In addition, we may from time to time, purchase noncontrolling interests in subsidiaries. On October 23, 2017, our Board of Directors authorized (in addition to the net settlement of equity awards) the repurchase of Class A Shares and/or LP Units so that from that date forward, we are able to repurchase an aggregate of the lesser of $750.0 million worth of Class A Shares and/or LP Units and 8.5 million Class A Shares and/or LP Units. Under this share repurchase program, shares may be repurchased from time to time in open market transactions, in privately-negotiated transactions or 43 Table of Contents otherwise. The timing and the actual amount of shares repurchased will depend on a variety of factors, including legal requirements, price, economic and market conditions and the objective to reduce the dilutive effect of equity awards granted as compensation to employees. This program may be suspended or discontinued at any time and does not have a specified expiration date. During 2020, we repurchased 854,134 Class A Shares, at an average cost per share of $75.93, for $64.9 million pursuant to our repurchase program. In addition, periodically, we buy shares into treasury from our employees in order to allow them to satisfy their minimum tax requirements for share deliveries under our share equity plan. During 2020, we repurchased 1,068,259 Class A Shares, at an average cost per share of $76.51, for $81.7 million primarily related to minimum tax withholding requirements of share deliveries. The aggregate 1,922,393 Class A Shares repurchased during 2020 were acquired for aggregate purchase consideration of $146.6 million, at an average cost per share of $76.25. On March 29, 2018, we purchased, at fair value, an additional 15% of the Private Capital Advisory L.P. Common Interests for $25.5 million and on May 31, 2019, we purchased, at fair value, the remaining 10% of the Private Capital Advisory L.P. Common Interests for $28.4 million. On May 31, 2019, we purchased, at fair value, an additional 17% of the EWM Class A Units for $24.5 million (in cash of $21.8 million and the issuance of 31,383 Class A LP Units having a fair value of $2.7 million). Private Placements On March 30, 2016, we issued an aggregate $170.0 million of senior notes, including: $38.0 million aggregate principal amount of our 4.88% Series A senior notes due 2021 (the "Series A Notes"), $67.0 million aggregate principal amount of our 5.23% Series B senior notes due 2023 (the "Series B Notes"), $48.0 million aggregate principal amount of our 5.48% Series C senior notes due 2026 (the "Series C Notes") and $17.0 million aggregate principal amount of our 5.58% Series D senior notes due 2028 (the "Series D Notes" and together with the Series A Notes, the Series B Notes and the Series C Notes, the "2016 Private Placement Notes"), pursuant to the 2016 Note Purchase Agreement dated as of March 30, 2016 (the "2016 Note Purchase Agreement"), among the Company and the purchasers party thereto in a private placement exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933. Interest on the 2016 Private Placement Notes is payable semi-annually and the 2016 Private Placement Notes are guaranteed by certain of our domestic subsidiaries. We may, at our option, prepay all, or from time to time any part of, the 2016 Private Placement Notes (without regard to Series), in an amount not less than 5% of the aggregate principal amount of the 2016 Private Placement Notes then outstanding at 100% of the principal amount thereof plus an applicable "make-whole amount." Upon the occurrence of a change of control, the holders of the 2016 Private Placement Notes will have the right to require us to prepay the entire unpaid principal amounts held by each holder of the 2016 Private Placement Notes plus accrued and unpaid interest to the prepayment date. The 2016 Note Purchase Agreement contains customary covenants, including financial covenants requiring compliance with a maximum leverage ratio, a minimum tangible net worth and a minimum interest coverage ratio, and customary events of default. As of December 31, 2020, we were in compliance with all of these covenants. On August 1, 2019, we issued $175.0 million and £25.0 million of senior unsecured notes through private placement. These notes reflect a weighted average life of 12 years and a weighted average stated interest rate of 4.26%. These notes include: $75.0 million aggregate principal amount of our 4.34% Series E senior notes due 2029 (the "Series E Notes"), $60.0 million aggregate principal amount of our 4.44% Series F senior notes due 2031 (the "Series F Notes"), $40.0 million aggregate principal amount of our 4.54% Series G senior notes due 2033 (the "Series G Notes") and £25.0 million aggregate principal amount of our 3.33% Series H senior notes due 2033 (the "Series H Notes" and together with the Series E Notes, the Series F Notes and the Series G Notes, the "2019 Private Placement Notes"), each of which were issued pursuant to the 2019 Note Purchase Agreement (the "2019 Note Purchase Agreement"), among the Company and the purchasers party thereto in a private placement exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933. Interest on the 2019 Private Placement Notes is payable semi-annually and the 2019 Private Placement Notes are guaranteed by certain of our domestic subsidiaries. We may, at our option, prepay all, or from time to time any part of, the 2019 Private Placement Notes (without regard to Series), in an amount not less than 5% of the aggregate principal amount of the 2019 Private Placement Notes then outstanding at 100% of the principal amount thereof plus an applicable "make-whole amount." Upon the occurrence of a change of control, the holders of the 2019 Private Placement Notes will have the right to require us to prepay the entire unpaid principal amounts held by each holder of the 2019 Private Placement Notes plus accrued 44 Table of Contents and unpaid interest to the prepayment date. The 2019 Note Purchase Agreement contains customary covenants, including financial covenants requiring compliance with a maximum leverage ratio and a minimum tangible net worth, and customary events of default. As of December 31, 2020, we were in compliance with all of these covenants. Lines of Credit On June 24, 2016, Evercore Partners Services East L.L.C. ("East") entered into a loan agreement with PNC Bank, National Association ("PNC") for a revolving credit facility in an aggregate principal amount of up to $30.0 million, to be used for working capital and other corporate activities. This facility is secured by East's accounts receivable and the proceeds therefrom, as well as certain assets of EGL, including certain of EGL's accounts receivable. In addition, the agreement contains certain reporting covenants, as well as certain debt covenants that prohibit East and us from incurring other indebtedness, subject to specified exceptions. We and our consolidated subsidiaries were in compliance with these covenants as of December 31, 2020. Drawings under this facility bear interest at the prime rate. On March 11, 2019, East drew down $30.0 million on this facility, which was repaid on May 3, 2019. East amended this facility on October 30, 2020 such that, among other things, the interest rate provisions were modified to LIBOR plus 150 basis points and the maturity date was extended to October 31, 2022 (as amended, the "Existing PNC Facility"). On July 26, 2019, East entered into an additional loan agreement with PNC for a revolving credit facility in an aggregate principal amount of up to $20.0 million, to be used for working capital and other corporate activities. The facility is unsecured. In addition, the agreement contains certain reporting requirements and debt covenants consistent with the Existing PNC Facility. We and our consolidated subsidiaries were in compliance with these covenants as of December 31, 2020. On October 30, 2020, East amended this facility such that, among other things, the revolving credit facility has increased to an aggregate principal amount of $30.0 million. Drawings under this facility will bear interest at LIBOR plus 180 basis points and the maturity date was extended to October 31, 2022. East is only permitted to borrow under this facility if there is no undrawn availability under the Existing PNC Facility and must repay indebtedness under this facility prior to repaying indebtedness under the Existing PNC Facility. There have been no drawings under this facility as of December 31, 2020. In addition, EGL's clearing broker provides temporary funding for the settlement of securities transactions. Other Commitments We have a long-term liability, Amounts Due Pursuant to Tax Receivable Agreements, which requires payments to certain Senior Managing Directors. This liability was re-measured following the decrease in income tax rates in the U.S. in 2018 and future years in conjunction with the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on December 22, 2017. We have made certain capital commitments with respect to our investment activities, as well as commitments related to contingent consideration from our acquisitions, which are included in the Contractual Obligations section below. Pursuant to deferred compensation and deferred consideration arrangements, we are obligated to make cash payments in future periods. Further, we make investments to hedge the economic risk of the return on deferred compensation. For further information see Notes 8 and 19 to our consolidated financial statements. Certain of our subsidiaries are regulated entities and are subject to capital requirements. For further information see Note 21 to our consolidated financial statements. On July 1, 2018, we entered into a new lease agreement for office space at our headquarters at 55 East 52nd St., New York, New York, and subsequently entered into an amendment to this lease agreement for additional office space, as well as extending our original commitment, on December 6, 2019. We expect to spend approximately $9.0 million, net of a tenant improvement allowance, to improve the premises under this lease over the next twelve months. Our work at these premises, which was temporarily suspended at the end of the first quarter as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, resumed in June. For further information see Note 10 to our consolidated financial statements and COVID-19 in "Results of Operations." Collateralized Financing Activity at ECB Our ECB business was sold in December 2020. See Note 5 to our consolidated financial statements for further information. Prior to its sale, our ECB business entered into repurchase agreements with clients seeking overnight money market returns whereby ECB transferred to the clients Mexican government securities in exchange for cash and concurrently agreed to repurchase the securities at a future date for an amount equal to the cash exchanged plus a stipulated premium or interest factor. ECB deployed the cash received from, and acquired the securities deliverable to, clients under these repurchase 45 Table of Contents arrangements by purchasing securities in the open market or by entering into reverse repurchase agreements with unrelated third parties. We accounted for these repurchase and reverse repurchase agreements as collateralized financing transactions. We recorded a liability on our Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition in relation to repurchase transactions executed with clients as Securities Sold Under Agreements to Repurchase. We recorded as assets on our Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition, Financial Instruments Owned and Pledged as Collateral at Fair Value (where we had acquired the securities deliverable to clients under these repurchase arrangements by purchasing securities in the open market) and Securities Purchased Under Agreements to Resell (where we had acquired the securities deliverable to clients under these repurchase agreements by entering into reverse repurchase agreements with unrelated third parties). These Mexican government securities included in Financial Instruments Owned and Pledged as Collateral at Fair Value on the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition were pledged as collateral against repurchase agreements, which were collateralized financing agreements. Generally, collateral was posted equal to the contract value at inception and was subject to market changes. These repurchase agreements were primarily with institutional customer accounts managed by ECB, generally matured within one business day and permitted the counterparty to pledge the securities. Increases and decreases in asset and liability levels related to these transactions were a function of growth in ECB's AUM, as well as clients' investment allocations requiring positioning in repurchase transactions. There were no remaining assets or liabilities related to collateralized financing activities as of December 31, 2020. See Note 5 to our consolidated financial statements for further information. As of December 31, 2019, a summary of ECB's assets, liabilities and risk measures related to its collateralized financing activities was as follows: December 31, 2019 Amount Market Value of Collateral Received or (Pledged) (dollars in thousands) Assets Financial Instruments Owned and Pledged as Collateral at Fair Value $ 12,431 Securities Purchased Under Agreements to Resell 13,566 $ 13,572 Total Assets $ 25,997 Liabilities Securities Sold Under Agreements to Repurchase $ (26,000) $ (25,992) Net Liabilities $ (3) Risk Measures VaR $ 1 Stress Test: Portfolio sensitivity to a 100 basis point increase in the interest rate $ (1) Portfolio sensitivity to a 100 basis point decrease in the interest rate $ 1 46 Table of Contents Contractual Obligations The following table summarizes our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2020: Payment Due by Period Total Less than 1 year 1-3 years 3-5 years More than 5 years (dollars in thousands) Operating Lease Obligations $ 646,711 $ 53,532 $ 90,038 $ 78,072 $ 425,069 Tax Receivable Agreements 86,751 9,891 20,586 19,572 36,702 Notes Payable 505,236 54,883 97,160 24,904 328,289 Investment Banking Commitments (1) 274 274 — — — Investment Management Commitments 11,975 11,975 — — — Total $ 1,250,947 $ 130,555 $ 207,784 $ 122,548 $ 790,060 (1) Excludes unvested deferred compensation commitments. See Note 19 to our consolidated financial statements for further information. On July 1, 2018, we entered into a new lease agreement for office space at our headquarters at 55 East 52nd St., New York, New York. Under the terms of the agreement, we committed to extend the lease term for our current space and add space on up to seven additional floors, three of which commenced as of the lease’s effective date. We anticipate we will take possession of the remainder of these floors over the next three years. On December 6, 2019, the lease was modified to add an additional floor and to extend the lease term for all current and prospective space to end on December 31, 2035. When all floors have commenced, we will have approximately 375,000 square feet of space at this location. For further information see Note 10 to our consolidated financial statements. We had total commitments (not reflected on our Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition) relating to future capital contributions to private equity funds of $12.0 million and $13.8 million as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. We expect to fund these commitments with cash flows from operations. We may be required to fund these commitments at any time through June 2028, depending on the timing and level of investments by our private equity funds. Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements We do not invest in any off-balance sheet vehicles that provide liquidity, capital resources, market or credit risk support, or engage in any leasing activities that expose us to any liability that is not reflected in our consolidated financial statements. Market Risk and Credit Risk We, in general, are not a capital-intensive organization and as such, are not subject to significant market or credit risks. Nevertheless, we have established procedures to assess both the market and credit risk, as well as specific investment risk, exchange rate risk and credit risk related to receivables. Market and Investment Risk We hold equity securities and invest in exchange-traded funds and mutual funds, principally as an economic hedge against our deferred compensation program. As of December 31, 2020, the fair value of our investments with these products, based on closing prices, was $107.9 million. We estimate that a hypothetical 10%, 20% and 30% adverse change in the market value of the investments would have resulted in a decrease in pre-tax income of approximately $10.8 million, $21.6 million and $32.4 million, respectively, for the year ended December 31, 2020. In February 2020, we entered into four-month futures contracts on a stock index fund with a notional amount of $38.9 million, and in April 2019, we entered into three-month futures contracts on a stock index fund with a notional amount of $14.8 million, as an economic hedge against our deferred cash compensation program. These contracts settled in June 2020 and June 2019, respectively. In accordance with ASC 815 " Derivatives and Hedging " ("ASC 815"), these contracts were carried at fair value, with changes in fair value recorded in Other Revenue, Including Interest and Investments, on the Consolidated 47 Table of Contents Statements of Operations. We had realized gains (losses) of ($4.0) million and $0.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. See "-Liquidity and Capital Resources" above for a discussion of collateralized financing transactions at ECB. Private Equity Funds Through our principal investments in private equity funds and our ability to earn carried interest from these funds, we face exposure to changes in the estimated fair value of the companies in which these funds invest. Valuations and analysis regarding our investments in Trilantic and Glisco are performed by their respective professionals, and thus we are not involved in determining the fair value for the portfolio companies of such funds. We estimate that a hypothetical 10% adverse change in the value of the private equity funds would have resulted in a decrease in pre-tax income of approximately $1.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. Exchange Rate Risk We have foreign operations, through our subsidiaries and affiliates, primarily in Europe, Asia and Mexico (currently in wind-down), as well as provide services to clients in other jurisdictions, which creates foreign exchange rate risk. We have not entered into any transactions to hedge our exposure to foreign exchange fluctuations in these subsidiaries through the use of derivative instruments or otherwise. An appreciation or depreciation of any of these currencies relative to the U.S. dollar would result in an adverse or beneficial impact to our financial results. A significant portion of our European, Asian and Latin American revenues and expenses have been, and will continue to be, derived from contracts denominated in foreign currencies (i.e. British Pounds sterling, Euros, Mexican pesos, Brazilian real, among others). Historically, the value of these foreign currencies has fluctuated relative to the U.S. dollar. For the year ended December 31, 2020, the net impact of the fluctuation of foreign currencies recorded in Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) within the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income was ($0.7) million. Foreign Currency Gain (Loss), net, within the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income for the year ended December 31, 2020 also included the reclassification of $27.4 million of cumulative foreign currency translation losses to Other Revenue, Including Interest and Investments, on the Consolidated Statement of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2020. It is generally not our intention to hedge our foreign currency exposure in these subsidiaries, and we will reevaluate this policy from time to time. Credit Risks We maintain cash and cash equivalents, as well as certificates of deposit, with financial institutions with high credit ratings. At times, we may maintain deposits in federally insured financial institutions in excess of federally insured ("FDIC") limits or enter into sweep arrangements where banks will periodically transfer a portion of our excess cash position to a money market fund. However, we believe that we are not exposed to significant credit risk due to the financial position of the depository institutions or investment vehicles in which those deposits are held. Accounts Receivable consists primarily of advisory fees and expense reimbursements billed to our clients. Other Assets includes long-term receivables from fees related to private funds capital raising. Receivables are reported net of any allowance for doubtful accounts. We maintain an allowance for doubtful accounts to provide coverage for probable losses from our customer receivables and determine the adequacy of the allowance by estimating the probability of loss based on our analysis of historical credit loss experience of our client receivables, and taking into consideration current market conditions and reasonable and supportable forecasts that affect the collectability of the reported amount. The Investment Banking and Investment Management receivables collection periods generally are within 90 days of invoice, with the exception of placement fees, which are generally collected within 180 days of invoice, and fees related to private funds capital raising, which are collected in a period exceeding one year. The collection period for restructuring transaction receivables may exceed 90 days. We recorded bad debt expense of approximately $6.9 million, $10.5 million and $3.4 million for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively. As of December 31, 2020 and 2019, total receivables recorded in Accounts Receivable amounted to $368.3 million and $296.4 million, respectively, net of an allowance for doubtful accounts, and total receivables recorded in Other Assets amounted to $71.0 million and $63.6 million, respectively. Other Current Assets and Other Assets include arrangements in which an estimate of variable consideration has been included in the transaction price and thereby recognized as revenue that precedes the contractual due date (contract assets). As of December 31, 2020, total contract assets recorded in Other Current Assets and Other Assets amounted to $29.3 million and 48 Table of Contents $5.3 million, respectively. As of December 31, 2019, total contract assets recorded in Other Current Assets and Other Assets amounted to $31.5 million and $2.5 million, respectively. With respect to our Investment Securities portfolio, which is comprised primarily of highly-rated corporate and municipal bonds, treasury bills, exchange-traded funds, mutual funds and securities investments, we manage our credit risk exposure by limiting concentration risk and maintaining investment grade credit quality. As of December 31, 2020, we had Investment Securities of $1.1 billion, of which 90% were treasury bills. Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates The consolidated financial statements included in this report are prepared in conformity with U.S. GAAP, which requires management to make estimates and assumptions regarding future events that affect the amounts reported in our consolidated financial statements and their notes, including reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. We base these estimates on historical experience and various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates. We believe that the following discussion addresses our most critical accounting policies, which are those that are most important to the presentation of our financial condition and results of operations and require management's most difficult, subjective and complex judgments. Revenue Recognition We adopted Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2014-09, " Revenue from Contracts with Customers " ("ASU 2014-09"), effective January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective method of transition applied to contracts which were not completed as of January 1, 2018. ASU 2014-09 creates ASC 606, which provides a five step model to revenue recognition as follows: Step 1: Identify the contract(s) with a customer Step 2: Identify the performance obligations in the contract Step 3: Determine the transaction price Step 4: Allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract Step 5: Recognize revenue when (or as) the entity satisfies a performance obligation We apply this model to our Investment Banking and Asset Management revenue streams. Investment Banking Revenue We earn investment banking fees from clients for providing advisory services on strategic matters, including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, leveraged buyouts, restructurings, activism and defense and similar corporate finance matters. Our Investment Banking services also include services related to securities underwriting, private placement services and commissions for agency-based equity trading services and equity research. Revenue is recognized as we satisfy performance obligations, upon transfer of control of promised services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to receive in exchange for these services. Our contracts with customers may include promises to transfer multiple services to a customer. Determining whether services are considered distinct performance obligations that should be accounted for separately versus together may require significant judgment. For performance obligations satisfied over time, determining a measure of progress requires us to make significant judgments that affect the timing of revenue recognized. For certain advisory services, we have concluded that performance obligations are satisfied over time. This is based on the premise that we transfer control of services and the client simultaneously receives benefits from these services over the course of an engagement. For performance obligations satisfied at a point in time, determining when control transfers requires us to make significant judgments that affect the timing of when revenue is recognized. In general, advisory fees are paid at the time we sign an engagement letter, during the course of the engagement or when an engagement is completed. In some circumstances, and as a function of the terms of an engagement letter, we may receive fixed retainer fees for financial advisory services concurrent with, or soon after, the execution of the engagement letter or over the course of the engagement, where the engagement letter will specify a future service period associated with those fees. We may also receive announcement fees upon announcement of a transaction in addition to success fees upon closing of a transaction or another defined outcome, both of which represent variable consideration. This variable consideration will be included in the transaction price, as defined, and recognized as revenue to the extent that it is probable that a significant reversal of revenue will not occur. When assessing probability, we apply careful analysis and judgment to the remaining factors necessary for completion of a transaction, including factors outside of our control. A transaction can fail to be completed for 49 Table of Contents many reasons which are outside of our control, including failure of parties to agree upon final terms, to secure necessary board or shareholder approvals, to secure necessary financing, to achieve necessary regulatory approvals, or due to adverse market conditions. In the case of bankruptcy engagements, fees are subject to approval of the court. With respect to retainer, announcement and success fees, there are no distinct performance obligations aside from advisory activities, which are generally focused on achieving a milestone (typically, the announcement and/or the closing of a transaction). These advisory services are provided over time throughout the contract period. We recognize revenue when distinct services are performed and when it is probable that a reversal of revenue will not occur, which is generally upon the announcement or closing of a transaction. Accordingly, in any given period, advisory fees recognized for certain transactions may relate to services performed in prior periods. In circumstances in which retainer fees are received in advance of services, these fees are initially recorded as deferred revenue (a contract liability), which is recorded in Other Current Liabilities on the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition, and subsequently recognized as advisory fee revenue in Advisory Fees on the Consolidated Statements of Operations during the applicable time period within which the service is rendered. Announcement fees for advisory services are recognized upon announcement (the point at which it is determined that the reversal of revenue is not probable) and all other requirements for revenue recognition are satisfied. A portion of the announcement fee may be deferred based on the services remaining to be completed, if any. Success fees for advisory services, such as merger and acquisition advice, are recognized when it is determined that the reversal of revenue is not probable and all other requirements for revenue recognition are satisfied, which is generally at closing of the transaction. With respect to fairness or valuation opinions, fees are fixed and there is a distinct performance obligation, since the opinion is rendered separate from any other advisory activities. Revenues related to fairness or valuation opinions are recognized at the point in time when the opinion has been rendered and delivered to the client. In the event we were to receive an opinion or success fee in advance of the completion conditions noted above, such fee would initially be recorded as deferred revenue (a contract liability) in Other Current Liabilities on the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition and subsequently recognized as advisory fee revenue in Advisory Fees on the Consolidated Statements of Operations when the conditions of completion have been satisfied. Placement fee revenues are attributable to capital raising on both corporations and financial sponsors. We recognize placement fees in accordance with the terms of the engagement letter, which are generally contingent on the achievement of a capital commitment by an investor, at the time of the client's acceptance of capital or capital commitments. Underwriting fees are attributable to public and private offerings of equity and debt securities and are recognized at the point in time when the offering has been deemed to be completed by the lead manager of the underwriting group. When the offering is completed, the performance obligation has been satisfied and we recognize the applicable management fee, selling concession and underwriting fee. Offering expenses are presented gross in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Commissions and Related Fees include commissions received from customers for the execution of agency-based brokerage transactions in listed and over-the-counter equities. The execution of each trade order represents a distinct performance obligation and the transaction price at the point in time of trade order execution is fixed. Trade execution is satisfied at the point in time that the customer has control of the asset and as such, fees are recorded on a trade date basis or, in the case of payments under commission sharing arrangements, when earned. We also earn subscription fees for the sales of research. The delivery of research under subscription arrangements represents a distinct performance obligation that is satisfied over time. The fees are fixed and are recognized over the period in which the performance obligation is satisfied. Cash received before the subscription period ends is initially recorded as deferred revenue (a contract liability) in Other Current Liabilities on the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition, and is recognized in Commissions and Related Fees on the Consolidated Statements of Operations ratably over the period in which the related services are rendered. Taxes collected from customers and remitted to governmental authorities are presented on a net basis on the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Investment Management Revenue Our Investment Management business generates revenues from the management of client assets and through interests in private equity funds which are not managed by us. Our contracts with customers may include promises to transfer multiple services to a customer. Determining whether services are considered distinct performance obligations that should be accounted for separately versus together may require significant judgment. For performance obligations satisfied over time, determining a measure of progress requires us to make significant judgments that affect the timing of revenue recognized. 50 Table of Contents Asset management fees for third-party clients are generally based on the value of the assets under management and any performance fees that may be negotiated with the client. The management of asset portfolios represents a distinct performance obligation that is satisfied over time. These fees are generally recognized over the period that the related services are provided and in which the performance obligation is satisfied, based upon the beginning, ending or average value of the assets for the relevant period. Fees paid in advance of services rendered are initially recorded as deferred revenue (a contract liability), which is recorded in Other Current Liabilities on the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition, and are recognized in Asset Management and Administration Fees on the Consolidated Statements of Operations ratably over the period in which the related service is rendered. Generally, to the extent performance fee arrangements have been negotiated, these fees are earned when the likelihood of clawback is mathematically improbable. Fees generated for serving as an independent fiduciary and/or trustee are either based on a flat fee, are pre-negotiated with the client or are based on the value of assets under administration. The management of assets under administration represents a distinct performance obligation that is satisfied over time. For ongoing engagements, fees are billed monthly or quarterly either in advance or in arrears. Fees paid in advance of services rendered and satisfaction of the performance obligation are initially recorded as deferred revenue (a contract liability) in Other Current Liabilities on the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition, and are recognized in Asset Management and Administration Fees on the Consolidated Statements of Operations ratably over the period in which the related services are rendered and the performance obligation is satisfied. Accounts Receivable consists primarily of investment banking fees and expense reimbursements charged to our clients. We record Accounts Receivable, net of any allowance for doubtful accounts, when relevant revenue recognition criteria has been achieved and payment is conditioned on the passage of time. We maintain an allowance for doubtful accounts to provide coverage for estimated losses from our client receivables. We adopted ASU No. 2016-13 "Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments" ("ASU 2016-13") on January 1, 2020, using a modified retrospective method of transition. We recorded a cumulative-effect adjustment to decrease retained earnings by $1.3 million as of January 1, 2020. Following the adoption of ASU 2016-13, we determine the adequacy of the allowance by estimating the probability of loss based on our analysis of historical credit loss experience of our client receivables, and taking into consideration current market conditions and reasonable and supportable forecasts that affect the collectability of the reported amount. We have determined that long-term forecasted information is not relevant to our fee receivables, which are primarily short-term. We update our average credit loss rates periodically and maintain a quarterly allowance review process to consider current factors that would require an adjustment to the credit loss allowance. In addition, we periodically perform a qualitative assessment to monitor risks associated with current and forecasted conditions that may require an adjustment to the expected credit loss rates. Expected credit losses for newly recognized financial assets and changes to expected credit losses during the period are recognized in earnings. The Investment Banking and Investment Management receivables collection periods generally are within 90 days of invoice, with the exception of placement fees, which are generally collected within 180 days of invoice, and fees related to private funds capital raising, which are collected in a period exceeding one year. The collection period for restructuring transaction receivables may exceed 90 days. Receivables that are collected in a period exceeding one year are reflected in Other Assets on the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition. We record contract assets within Other Current Assets and Other Assets on the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition when payment is due from a client conditioned on future performance or the occurrence of other events. We also recognize a contract asset for the incremental costs of obtaining a contract with a customer if the benefit of those costs is expected to be longer than one year. We apply a practical expedient to expense costs to obtain a contract as incurred when the amortization period is one year or less. Valuation The valuation of our investments in securities and of our investments in private equity funds which we do not manage impacts both the carrying value of direct investments and the determination of management and performance fees, including carried interest. Per ASC 820, we disclose information about financial instruments carried at fair value, including their classification in the fair value hierarchy. Level 1 investments include treasury bills, financial instruments owned and pledged as collateral, readily-marketable equity securities and investment funds. Level 2 investments include our investments in corporate and municipal bonds and other debt securities. See Note 12 to our consolidated financial statements for further information. ASC 825, " Financial Instruments" permits entities the option to measure most financial instruments and certain other items at fair value at specified election dates and to report related unrealized gains and losses in earnings. We have not elected to apply the fair value option to any specific financial assets or liabilities. 51 Table of Contents Investment Securities and Futures Contracts Investment Securities include investments in U.S. treasury securities, corporate, municipal and other debt securities and investments in readily-marketable equity securities, which are accounted for under ASC 320-10, " Investments - Debt Securities" and ASC 321-10, "Investments - Equity Securities" following the adoption of ASU No. 2016-01, "Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities" ("ASU 2016-01") in January 2018. These securities are carried at fair value on the Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition; debt securities are valued based on quoted prices that exist in the marketplace for similar issues and equity securities are valued using quoted market prices on applicable exchanges or markets. Investment Securities transactions are recorded as of the trade date. We also periodically enter into futures contracts. In accordance with ASC 815, futures contracts are carried at fair value. We invest in readily marketable debt and equity securities, as well as in a portfolio of exchange-traded funds and mutual funds, and periodically enter into futures contracts, as an economic hedge against our deferred cash compensation program. Debt securities are classified as available-for-sale and any unrealized gains and losses are recorded as net increases or decreases to Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), net of tax, and realized gains and losses on these securities are included in Other Revenue, Including Interest and Investments, on the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Realized and unrealized gains and losses on equity securities are recorded in Other Revenue, Including Interest and Investments, on the Consolidated Statements of Operations beginning on January 1, 2018, following the application of ASU 2016-01. Realized and unrealized gains and losses on futures contracts are recorded in Other Revenue, Including Interest and Investments, on the Consolidated Statements of Operations. EGL and our other broker-dealers also invest in fixed income portfolios consisting primarily of U.S. treasury securities, municipal bonds and other debt securities, which are carried at fair value, with changes in fair value recorded in Other Revenue, Including Interest and Investments, on the Consolidated Statements of Operations, as required for broker-dealers in securities. Financial Instruments Owned and Pledged as Collateral at Fair Value Our Financial Instruments Owned and Pledged as Collateral at Fair Value consist principally of foreign government obligations, which are recorded on a trade-date basis and are stated at quoted market values. Related gains and losses are reflected in Other Revenue, Including Interest and Investments, on the Consolidated Statements of Operations. We pledge our Financial Instruments Owned and Pledged as Collateral at Fair Value to collateralize certain financing arrangements which permits the counterparty to pledge the securities. Our ECB business was sold in December 2020; following the sale, there are no remaining Financial Instruments Owned and Pledged as Collateral at Fair Value. See Notes 5 and 9 to our consolidated financial statements for further information. Equity and Other Deferred Compensation We account for share-based payments in accordance with ASC 718, " Compensation – Stock Compensation" ("ASC 718"). We grant certain employees performance-based awards that vest upon the occurrence of performance criteria being achieved. Compensation cost is accrued if it is probable that the performance condition will be achieved and is not accrued if it is not probable that the performance condition will be achieved. Significant judgment is required in determining the probability that the performance criteria will be achieved. The fair value of these awards is amortized over the vesting period or requisite substantive service period, as required by ASC 718. See Note 19 to our consolidated financial statements for further information. Income Taxes As part of the process of preparing our consolidated financial statements, we are required to estimate income taxes in each of the jurisdictions in which we operate. Significant management judgment is required in determining our provision for income taxes, our deferred tax assets and liabilities and any valuation allowance recorded against our net deferred tax assets. This process requires us to estimate our actual current tax liability and to assess temporary differences resulting from differing book versus tax treatment of items, such as deferred revenue, compensation and benefits expense, unrealized gains and losses on long-term investments and depreciation. These temporary differences result in deferred tax assets and liabilities, which are included within our Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition. We must then assess the likelihood that deferred tax assets will be recovered from future taxable income, and, to the extent we believe that recovery is not more-likely-than-not, we must establish a valuation allowance. The ultimate realization of the deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which temporary differences become deductible. Management considers the level of historical taxable income, scheduled reversals of deferred taxes, projected future taxable income and tax planning strategies that can be implemented by us in making this assessment. If actual results differ from these estimates or we adjust these estimates in 52 Table of Contents future periods, we may need to adjust our valuation allowance, which could materially impact our consolidated financial condition and results of operations. Per ASU No. 2016-09, "Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting" ("ASU 2016-09"), the tax deduction associated with the appreciation in our share price upon vesting of employee share-based awards above the original grant price is reflected in income tax expense. See Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements for further information. In addition, in order to determine the quarterly tax rate, we are required to estimate full year pre-tax income and the related annual income tax expense in each jurisdiction. Changes in the geographic mix or estimated level of annual pre-tax income can affect our overall effective tax rate. Furthermore, our interpretation of complex tax laws may impact our measurement of current and deferred income taxes. ASC 740 provides a benefit recognition model with a two-step approach consisting of "more-likely-than-not" recognition criteria, and a measurement attribute that measures the position as the largest amount of tax benefit that is greater than 50% likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement. This standard also requires the recognition of liabilities created by differences between tax positions taken in a tax return and amounts recognized in the financial statements. See Note 22 to our consolidated financial statements herein in regard to the impact of the adoption of this standard on the consolidated financial statements. The majority of the deferred tax assets relate to the U.S. operations of the Company. The realization of the deferred tax assets is primarily dependent on the amount of the Company's historic and projected future taxable income for its U.S. and foreign operations. In 2020 and 2019, we performed an assessment of the ultimate realization of our deferred tax assets and determined that the Company should have sufficient future taxable income in the normal course of business to fully realize the portion of the deferred tax assets associated with its U.S. operations and management has concluded that it is more-likely-than-not the deferred tax assets will be realized. We also concluded that the net deferred tax assets of certain foreign subsidiaries required a valuation allowance. We intend to maintain a valuation allowance until sufficient positive evidence exists to support its reversal. See Note 22 to our consolidated financial statements for further information. The Company estimates that Evercore Inc. must generate approximately $1 billion of future taxable income to realize the gross deferred tax asset balance, including the valuation allowance, of approximately $334 million. The deferred tax balance is expected to reverse primarily over a period ranging from 5 to 15 taxable years. The Company evaluated Evercore Inc.'s historical U.S. taxable income, which has averaged approximately $254 million per year over the past 7 years, as well as the anticipated taxable income of approximately $484 million in 2020, and taxable income in the future, which indicates sufficient taxable income to support the realization of these deferred tax assets. To the extent enough taxable income is not generated in the 15 year estimated reversal period, the Company can carry forward net operating losses indefinitely, but limited to 80% of taxable income for that year under the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on December 22, 2017. Impairment of Assets In accordance with ASC 350, we test goodwill for impairment annually, as of November 30 th , or more frequently if circumstances indicate impairment may have occurred. In this process, we make estimates and assumptions in order to determine the fair value of our reporting units and to project future earnings using valuation techniques. We use our best judgment and information available to us at the time to perform this review. Because our assumptions and estimates are used in projecting future earnings as part of the valuation, actual results could differ. Intangible assets with finite lives are amortized over their estimated useful lives which are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying amount of such assets may not be recoverable as prescribed by ASC 360, " Property, Plant, and Equipment." We test goodwill for impairment at the reporting unit level. In determining the fair value for each reporting unit, we utilize either a market multiple approach and/or a discounted cash flow methodology based on the adjusted cash flows from operations. The market multiple approach includes applying the average earnings multiples of comparable public companies for their respective reporting segment multiplied by the forecasted earnings of the respective reporting unit to yield an estimate of fair value. The discounted cash flow methodology begins with the adjusted cash flows from each of the reporting units and uses a discount rate that reflects the weighted average cost of capital adjusted for the risks inherent in the future cash flows. We adopted ASU No. 2017-04, "Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment" ("ASU 2017-04") effective April 1, 2017. ASU 2017-04 eliminates Step 2 from the goodwill impairment test and requires companies to recognize an impairment charge for the amount by which the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value. See Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements for further information. 53 Table of Contents In addition to goodwill and intangible assets, we annually assess our equity method investments for impairment (or more frequently if circumstances indicate impairment may have occurred) per ASC 323-10. We concluded there was no impairment of goodwill, intangible assets or equity method investments during the year ended December 31, 2020. We recorded impairment charges of $1.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, related to the impairment of assets resulting from the wind-down of our businesses in Mexico. See Note 5 to our consolidated financial statements for further information. We recorded impairment charges of $2.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 related to the goodwill in our Institutional Asset Management reporting unit, which resulted in a decrease of $1.9 million to Net Income Attributable to Evercore Inc. (after adjustments for noncontrolling interest and income taxes). We concluded there was no impairment of intangible assets or equity method investments during the year ended December 31, 2019. See Note 5 to our consolidated financial statements for further information. We concluded there was no impairment of goodwill, intangible assets or equity method investments during the year ended December 31, 2018. Variable Interest Entities Our policy is to consolidate all subsidiaries in which we have a controlling financial interest, as well as any variable interest entities ("VIEs") where we are deemed to be the primary beneficiary, when we have the power to make the decisions that most significantly affect the economic performance of the VIE and have the obligation to absorb significant losses or the right to receive benefits that could potentially be significant to the VIE. We review factors, including the rights of the equity holders and obligations of equity holders to absorb losses or receive expected residual returns, to determine if the investment is a VIE. In evaluating whether we are the primary beneficiary, we evaluate our economic interests in the entity held either directly or indirectly by us. The consolidation analysis is generally performed qualitatively. This analysis, which requires judgment, is performed at each reporting date. Recently Issued Accounting Standards For a discussion of other recently issued accounting standards and their impact or potential impact on our consolidated financial statements, see Note 3 to our consolidated financial statements.