• risks relating to our ability to license and effectively apply technologies to improve and expand the scope of our business;
We account for the purchase of life insurance policies in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification 325-30, Investments in Insurance Contracts, which requires us to use either the investment method or the fair value method. We have elected to account for all of our life insurance policies using the fair value method.
We initially record our purchase of life insurance policies at the transaction price, which is the amount paid for the policy, inclusive of all external fees and costs associated with the acquisition. At each subsequent reporting period, we re-measure the investment at fair value in its entirety and recognize the change in fair value as unrealized gain (revenue) in the current period, net of premiums paid. Changes in the fair value of our portfolio are based on periodic evaluations and are recorded in our consolidated statements of operations as changes in fair value of life insurance policies.
The 2015 Valuation Basic Table (“2015 VBT”) finalized by the Society of Actuaries is based on a much larger dataset of insured lives, face amount of policies and more current information compared to the dataset underlying the 2008 Valuation Basic Table. The 2015 VBT dataset includes 266 million policies compared to the 2008 VBT dataset of 75 million. The experience data in the 2015 VBT dataset includes 2.55 million claims on policies from 51 insurance carriers. Life expectancies implied by the 2015 VBT are generally longer for male and female nonsmokers between the ages of 65 and 80, while smokers and insureds of both genders over the age of 85 have significantly lower life expectancies. We adopted the 2015 VBT in our valuation process in June 2016.
(2) Represents the weighted-average interest rate paid on all interest-bearing indebtedness as of the measurement date, determined as follows:
Adjusted Non-GAAP Net Income. We calculate our adjusted non-GAAP net income by recognizing the actuarial gain accruing within our life insurance portfolio at the Expected IRR against our adjusted cost basis without regard to fair value. We net this actuarial gain against our adjusted operating costs during the same period to calculate our net income on a non-GAAP basis.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud and whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.
(1) Nature of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (cont.)
forms and receipt of payment). In the case of mortality, the gain (or loss) we recognize is the difference between the policy benefits and the carrying values of the policy once we determine that collection of the policy benefits is realizable and reasonably assured. In the case of a policy sale, the gain (or loss) we recognize is the difference between the sale price and the carrying value of the policy on the date we receive sale proceeds.
Earnings (loss) per Share - Basic earnings (loss) per share attributable to common shareholders are calculated using the weighted-average number of shares outstanding during the reported period. Diluted earnings (loss) per share are calculated based on the potential dilutive impact of our Series A, RPS, RPS 2, warrants and stock options. Due to our net loss attributable to common shareholders for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, there are no dilutive securities.
Life insurance policies are valued based on unobservable inputs that are significant to their overall fair value. Changes in the fair value of these policies are recorded as gain or loss on life insurance policies, net of premiums paid on those policies, in our consolidated statements of operations. Fair value is determined on a discounted cash flow basis that incorporates life expectancy assumptions generally derived from reports obtained from widely accepted life expectancy providers, other than insured lives covered under small face amount policies (i.e., $1 million in face value benefits or less), assumptions relating to cost-of-insurance (premium) rates and other assumptions. The discount rate we apply incorporates current information about discount rates applied by other public reporting companies owning portfolios of life insurance policies, the discount rates observed in the life insurance secondary market, market interest rates, the estimated credit exposure to the insurance companies that issued the life insurance policies and management’s estimate of the operational risk premium a purchaser would require to receive the future cash flows derived from our portfolio as a whole. Management has discretion regarding the combination of these and other factors when determining the discount rate. As a result of management’s analysis, discount rates of 10.45% and 10.96% were applied to our portfolio as of December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively.
As of December 31, 2017, approximately 82.6% of the total face value of our portfolio is pledged to LNV Corporation. The amount outstanding under this facility was $222,525,000 and $162,725,000 at December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. Obligations under the facility are secured by a security interest in DLP IV’s assets, for the benefit of the lenders under the Amended and Restated Loan Agreement, through an arrangement under which Wells Fargo serves as securities intermediary. The life insurance policies owned by DLP IV do not serve as direct collateral for the obligations of GWG Holdings under the L Bonds. The difference between the amount outstanding and the carrying amount on our balance sheet is due to netting of unamortized debt issuance costs.
As of December 31, 2017, we had sold 88,709 shares of RPS 2 for aggregate gross consideration of $88,709,000 and incurred approximately $6,142,000 of selling costs related to the sale of those shares.
At December 31, 2017 and 2016, we had federal net operating loss (“NOL”) carryforwards of $34,775,000 and $26,642,000, respectively, and aggregate state NOL carryforwards of approximately $34,749,000 and $26,616,000, respectively. The NOL carryforwards will begin to expire in 2031. Future utilization of NOL carryforwards is subject to limitations under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code. This section generally relates to a more than 50 percent change in ownership over a three-year period. We currently do not believe that any prior issuance of common stock has resulted in an ownership change under Section 382 through December 31, 2017.
As of December 31, 2017, we have issued SARs for 343,000 shares of the common stock to employees. The strike price of the SARs was between $7.84 and $10.38, which was equal to the market price of the common stock at the date of issuance. As of December 31, 2017, 189,000 of the SARs were vested. On December 31, 2017, the market price of GWG’s common stock was $8.32.