Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value

v3.19.3.a.u2
Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2019
Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value  
Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value

(6) Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value

For assets and liabilities required to be reported at fair value, GAAP provides a hierarchy that prioritizes inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value into three broad levels. Level 1 inputs are quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the reporting entity has the ability to access at the measurement date. Level 2 inputs, other than quoted market prices included within Level 1, are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. Level 3 inputs are unobservable inputs for the asset or liability.  The Company does not have any recurring assets or liabilities measured at fair value that would be considered Level 3.

The Company's assets and liabilities measured at fair value are as follows:

December 31, 2019

December 31, 2018

 

Quoted prices

Quoted prices

 

in active 

Significant

in active

Significant

 

markets

other

markets

other

 

for identical

observable

for identical

observable

 

assets

inputs

assets

inputs

 

Description

Total

(Level 1)

(Level 2)

Total

(Level 1)

(Level 2)

 

 amounts in millions

 

Cash equivalents

    

$

339

    

339

    

    

310

    

310

    

Indemnification asset (1)

$

202

202

79

79

Debt

$

1,557

 

 

1,557

 

1,334

 

 

1,334

(1) The indemnification asset is included in Other current assets on the consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2019 and 2018.

The majority of the Company's Level 2 financial assets and liabilities are debt instruments with quoted market prices that are not considered to be traded on "active markets," as defined in GAAP. Accordingly, the debt instruments are reported in the foregoing table as Level 2 fair value.

Pursuant to an indemnification agreement, GCI Liberty has agreed to indemnify LI LLC for certain payments made to a holder of LI LLC’s 1.75% Exchangeable Debentures due 2046 (the “1.75% Exchangeable Debentures”). An indemnity asset in the amount of $281 million was recorded upon completion of the GCI Liberty Split-Off. In June 2018, Qurate Retail repurchased 417,759 of the 1.75% Exchangeable Debentures for approximately $457 million, including accrued interest, and GCI Liberty made a payment under the indemnification agreement to Qurate Retail in the amount of $133 million. The remaining indemnification to LI LLC for certain payments made to a holder of the 1.75% Exchangeable Debentures pertains to the holder’s ability to exercise its exchange right according to the terms of the debentures on or before October 5, 2023.  Such amount will equal the difference between the exchange value and par value of the 1.75% Exchangeable Debentures at the time the exchange occurs.  The indemnification asset recorded in the consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2019 represents the fair value of the estimated exchange feature included in the 1.75% Exchangeable Debentures primarily based on observable market data as significant inputs (Level 2).  As of December 31, 2019, a holder of the 1.75% Exchangeable Debentures does have the ability to exchange and, accordingly, such indemnification asset is included as a current asset in our consolidated balance sheet as of that date. Additionally, as of December 31, 2019, 332,241 bonds of the 1.75% Exchangeable Debentures remain outstanding.

Realized and Unrealized Gains (Losses) on Financial Instruments

Realized and unrealized gains (losses) on financial instruments are comprised of changes in the fair value of the following:

Years ended December 31,

 

    

2019

    

2018

    

2017

 

amounts in millions

 

Equity securities

$

(22)

 

155

 

434

Exchangeable senior debentures

 

(337)

 

(3)

 

(193)

Indemnification asset

123

(70)

Other financial instruments

 

(15)

 

(6)

 

(96)

$

(251)

 

76

 

145