Table of Contents

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

_______________

FORM 10-Q

 (Mark One)

OR

Commission File No. 1-8951

M.D.C. HOLDINGS, INC.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

(303) 773-1100 

(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports) and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.  Yes  ☒  No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).  Yes  ☒  No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See definition of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).  Yes  ☐  No  ☒

As of October 30, 2018, 56,614,573 shares of M.D.C. Holdings, Inc. common stock were outstanding.

M.D.C. HOLDINGS, INC.

FORM 10-Q

FOR THE QUARTER ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2018

INDEX

The Unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements of M.D.C. Holdings, Inc. ("MDC," “the Company," “we,” “us,” or “our,” which refers to M.D.C. Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiaries) have been prepared, without audit, pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). Accordingly, they do not include all information and footnotes required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) for complete financial statements. These statements reflect all normal and recurring adjustments which, in the opinion of management, are necessary to present fairly the financial position, results of operations and cash flows of MDC at September 30, 2018 and for all periods presented. These statements should be read in conjunction with MDC’s Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto included in MDC’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017.

On November 20, 2017, MDC’s board of directors declared an 8% stock dividend that was distributed on December 19, 2017 to shareholders of record on December 5, 2017. In accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 260, Earnings Per Share (“ASC 260”), basic and diluted earnings per share amounts, share amounts and dividends declared per share have been restated for any periods or dates prior to the stock dividend record date.

Included in these footnotes are certain statements that constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include statements regarding our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, strategies and prospects. These forward-looking statements may be identified by terminology such as “likely,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential” or “continue,” or the negative of such terms and other comparable terminology. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements contained in this section are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. However, any further disclosures made on related subjects in subsequent reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K should be considered.

When necessary, reclassifications have been made to our prior period financial information to conform to the current year presentation.

Adoption of New Accounting Standards

Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2018-02, Income Statement – Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220) (“ASU 2018-02”). ASU 2018-02 allows for a reclassification from accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings for certain tax effects resulting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that was signed into law in December of 2017 (the “Act”). ASU 2018-02 is effective for our interim and annual reporting periods beginning January 1, 2018, and is to be applied either (a) at the beginning of the period of adoption or (b) retrospectively to each period in which the income tax effects of the Act related to items remaining in accumulated other comprehensive income are recognized. On January 1, 2018, we adopted ASU 2018-02 by recognizing an adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings for certain tax effects related to net unrealized gains on equity investments. The comparative information has not been restated and continues to be reported under the accounting standards in effect for the period. Please see the table below for a summary of all transition adjustments from adoption of new accounting guidance.

ASU 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted Cash (a consensus of the FASB Emerging Issues Task Force (“ASU 2016-18”). ASU 2016-18 amends ASC 830, Statement of Cash Flows and requires restricted cash to be included with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the beginning and ending amounts on the statement of cash flows. In certain states, we are restricted from using deposits received from our customers who enter into home sale contracts for general purposes unless we take measures to release state imposed restrictions on such deposits received from homebuyers, which may include posting blanket surety bonds. As a result, cash deposits with such restrictions are classified as restricted cash. On January 1, 2018, we adopted ASU 2016-18 using the retrospective transition method. The comparative information in our statement of cash flows has been restated and the impact from adoption of this guidance was not material to our statement of cash flows.

ASU 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments (a consensus of the Emerging Issues Task Force) (“ASU 2016-15”). ASU 2016-15 amends ASC 830, Statement of Cash Flows and clarifies guidance on the classification of certain cash receipts and payments in the statement of cash flows. On January 1, 2018, we adopted ASU 2016-15 using the retrospective transition method. There were no items in our comparative statement of cash flows that required restatement as a result of the adoption of ASU 2016-15 and the impact from adoption of this guidance was not material to our statement of cash flows.

ASU 2016-01, Financial Instruments-Overall: Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities (“ASU 2016-01”). On January 1, 2018, we adopted ASU 2016-01 using a modified retrospective transition method. Prior to this amendment, our equity investments with readily determinable fair values were classified as available for sale with changes in fair value being reported through other comprehensive income. Under the amended standard, any changes in fair value of equity investments with readily determinable fair values are now recognized in net income. We adopted the changes from ASU 2016-01 by recognizing an adjustment to beginning retained earnings for our net unrealized gains/losses on equity investments with readily determinable fair values. The comparative information has not been restated and continues to be reported under the accounting standards in effect for the period. Please see the table below for a summary of all transition adjustments from adoption of new accounting guidance. The effect of the change on income before income taxes for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 was an increase of approximately $2.9 million and $3.0 million, respectively.

ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASU 2014-09”). In May 2014, ASU 2014-09 was issued which created ASC Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASC 606”) and is a comprehensive new revenue recognition model. In addition, ASU 2014-09 amended ASC 340, Other Assets and Deferred Costs, by adding ASC 340-40, Other Assets and Deferred Costs – Contracts with Customers (“ASC 340-40”). On January 1, 2018, we adopted ASC 606 and ASC 340-40 using the modified retrospective transition method applied to contracts that were not completed as of January 1, 2018. We recognized the cumulative effect of initially applying ASC 606 and ASC 340-40 as an adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings. The comparative information has not been restated and continues to be reported under the accounting standards in effect for the period. Please see the table below for a summary of all transition adjustments from adoption of the new accounting guidance. As a result of adopting ASC 606 and ASC 340-40, there was not a material impact to our consolidated balance sheets or consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income. Furthermore, there were no significant changes to our internal controls, processes, or systems as a result of adoption of this new guidance.

As substantially all of our contracts are completed within a year, we will not disclose the value of unsatisfied performance obligations. At January 1, 2018 and September 30, 2018, receivables from contracts with customers were $32.6 million and $37.9 million, respectively, and are included in trade and other receivables on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.

The cumulative effect of the changes made to our consolidated January 1, 2018 balance sheet for the adoption of ASU 2018-02, ASU 2016-01 and ASU 2014-09 was as follows:                    

As a result of our adoption of ASU 2014-09, our significant accounting policies have been updated as follows:

Revenue Recognition for Homebuilding Segments. We recognize home sale revenues from home deliveries when we have satisfied the performance obligations within the sales agreement, which is generally when title to and possession of the home are transferred to the buyer at the home closing date. Revenue from a home delivery includes the base sales price and any purchased options and upgrades and is reduced for any sales price incentives.

We generally do not record the sale of a home or recognize the associated revenue if all of the following criteria are present: (1) HomeAmerican Mortgage Corporation (“HomeAmerican”) originates the mortgage loan and has not sold the mortgage loan, or loans, as of the end of the pertinent reporting period; and (2) the homebuyer does not meet certain collectability thresholds, based on the type of mortgage loan, related to their credit score, debt to income ratio and loan to value ratio. The deferral is subsequently recognized at the time HomeAmerican sells the respective loan to a third-party purchaser. In the event the gross margin is a loss, we recognize such loss at the time the home is closed.

In certain states that we build, we are not always able to complete certain outdoor features (such as landscaping or pools) prior to closing the home. To the extent these separate deliverables are not complete upon the closing of a home, we defer home sale revenues related to incomplete outdoor features, and recognize revenue upon completion of the outdoor features.

Home Cost of Sales. Home cost of sales includes the specific construction costs of each home and all applicable land acquisition, land development and related costs, warranty costs and finance and closing costs, including closing cost incentives. We use the specific identification method for the purpose of accumulating home construction costs and allocate costs to each lot within a subdivision associated with land acquisition and land development based upon relative fair value of the lots prior to home construction. Lots within a subdivision typically have comparable fair values, and, as such, we generally allocate costs equally to each lot within a subdivision. We record all home cost of sales when a home is closed and performance obligations have been completed on a house-by-house basis.     

When a home is closed, we may not have paid for all costs necessary to complete the construction of the home. This includes (1) construction that has been completed on a house but has not yet been billed or (2) work still to be performed on a home (such as limited punch-list items or certain outdoor features). For each of these items, we create an estimate of the total expected costs to be incurred and, with the exclusion of outdoor features, the estimated total costs for those items, less any amounts paid to date, are included in home cost of sales. Actual results could differ from such estimates. For incomplete outdoor features, we will defer the revenue and any cost of sales on this separate stand-alone deliverable until complete.

Costs Related to Sales Facilities. Certain marketing costs related to model homes or on-site sales facilities are either recorded as inventory, capitalized as property and equipment, or expensed as incurred. Costs related to interior and exterior upgrades to the home that will be sold as part of the home, such as wall treatments and additional upgraded landscaping, are recorded as housing completed or under construction. Costs to furnish and ready the model home or on-site sales facility that will not be sold as part of the model home, such as furniture, construction of the sales facility parking lot or construction of the sales center, are capitalized as property and equipment, net. Other costs incurred related to the marketing of the community and readying the model home for sale are expensed as incurred.

Property and Equipment, net. Property and equipment is carried at cost less accumulated depreciation. For property and equipment related to on-site sales facilities, depreciation is recorded using the units of production method as homes are delivered. For all other property and equipment, depreciation is recorded using a straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the related assets, which range from 2 to 29 years.

Accounting Standards Issued But Not Yet Adopted

In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (“ASU 2016-02”), which requires a lessee to recognize a right-of-use asset and a corresponding lease liability for virtually all leases. The liability will be equal to the present value of the remaining lease payments while the right-of-use asset will be based on the liability, subject to adjustment, such as for initial direct costs. In addition, ASU 2016-02 expands the disclosure requirements for lessees. The Company is still evaluating the impact of the new standard and has begun evaluating the population of all leases and related systems and internal control considerations. The Company will be required to adopt the new standard effective January 1, 2019, and the Company’s consolidated balance sheets will be impacted by the recording of a lease liability and right of use asset for virtually all of its current operating leases. As of September 30, 2018, the Company had remaining contractual obligations for operating leases, primarily associated with our office facilities, of $43.1 million. The amount of which and the potential impact on the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income and consolidated statements of cash flows has yet to be determined.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (“ASU 2016-13”), which requires measurement and recognition of expected credit losses for financial assets held. The amendments in ASU 2016-13 eliminate the probable threshold for initial recognition of a credit loss in current GAAP and reflect an entity’s current estimate of all expected credit losses. ASU 2016-13 is effective for our interim and annual reporting periods beginning January 1, 2021, and is to be applied using a modified retrospective transition method. Earlier adoption is permitted. We do not plan to early adopt ASU 2016-13 and with our current holdings of financial instruments that are subject to credit losses, we do not believe adoption of this guidance will be material to our financial statements.

An operating segment is defined as a component of an enterprise for which discrete financial information is available and is reviewed regularly by the Chief Operating Decision Maker (“CODM”), or decision-making group, to evaluate performance and make operating decisions. We have identified our CODM as two key executives—the Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and the Chief Operating Officer (“COO”).

We have identified each homebuilding division as an operating segment. Our homebuilding operating segments have been aggregated into the reportable segments noted below because they are similar in the following regards: (1) economic characteristics; (2) housing products; (3) class of homebuyer; (4) regulatory environments; and (5) methods used to construct and sell homes. Our homebuilding reportable segments are as follows:

Our financial services business consists of the operations of the following operating segments: (1) HomeAmerican; (2) Allegiant Insurance Company, Inc., A Risk Retention Group (“Allegiant”); (3) StarAmerican Insurance Ltd. (“StarAmerican”); (4) American Home Insurance Agency, Inc.; and (5) American Home Title and Escrow Company. Due to its contributions to consolidated pretax income, we consider HomeAmerican to be a reportable segment (“mortgage operations”). The remaining operating segments have been aggregated into one reportable segment (“other”) because they do not individually exceed 10 percent of: (1) consolidated revenue; (2) the greater of (a) the combined reported profit of all operating segments that did not report a loss or (b) the positive value of the combined reported loss of all operating segments that reported losses; or (3) consolidated assets.

Corporate is a non-operating segment that develops and implements strategic initiatives and supports our operating divisions by centralizing key administrative functions such as finance, treasury, information technology, insurance, risk management, litigation and human resources. Corporate also provides the necessary administrative functions to support MDC as a publicly traded company. A portion of the expenses incurred by Corporate are allocated to the homebuilding operating segments based on their respective percentages of assets, and to a lesser degree, a portion of Corporate expenses are allocated to the financial services segments. A majority of Corporate’s personnel and resources are primarily dedicated to activities relating to the homebuilding segments, and, therefore, the balance of any unallocated Corporate expenses is included in the homebuilding operations section of our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income.     

The following table summarizes revenues for our homebuilding and financial services operations:

The following table summarizes pretax income (loss) for our homebuilding and financial services operations:

The following table summarizes total assets for our homebuilding and financial services operations. The assets in our West, Mountain and East segments consist primarily of inventory while the assets in our Corporate segment primarily include our cash and cash equivalents, marketable securities and deferred tax assets. The assets in our financial services segment consist mostly of cash and cash equivalents, marketable securities and mortgage loans held-for-sale.

ASC 260 requires a company that has participating security holders (for example, holders of unvested restricted stock that have non-forfeitable dividend rights) to utilize the two-class method for calculating earnings per share (“EPS”) unless the treasury stock method results in lower EPS. The two-class method is an allocation of earnings/(loss) between the holders of common stock and a company’s participating security holders. Under the two-class method, earnings/(loss) for the reporting period are allocated between common shareholders and other security holders based on their respective rights to receive distributed earnings (i.e., dividends) and undistributed earnings (i.e., net income/(loss)). Our common shares outstanding are comprised of shareholder owned common stock and shares of unvested restricted stock held by participating security holders. Basic EPS is calculated by dividing income or loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding, excluding participating shares in accordance with ASC 260. To calculate diluted EPS, basic EPS is adjusted to include the effect of potentially dilutive stock options outstanding. The table below shows our basic and diluted EPS calculations.

Diluted EPS for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 excluded options to purchase approximately 0.6 and 0.6 million shares of common stock, respectively, because the effect of their inclusion would be anti-dilutive. For the same periods in 2017, diluted EPS excluded options to purchase approximately 0.7 and 1.1 million shares, respectively.

The following table sets forth our changes in accumulated other comprehensive income (“AOCI”):

⁽¹⁾ All amounts net-of-tax.

⁽²⁾ See separate table below for details about these reclassifications.

During the first quarter of 2018, an election was made to reclassify the income tax effects of the Act related to net unrealized gains on equity investments from accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings. See Note 2 for further discussion of adoption of new accounting standards.

The Metropolitan District Limited Tax General Obligation Capital Appreciation Bonds Series 2007 (the “Metro Bonds”) were acquired from a quasi-municipal corporation in the state of Colorado, which was formed to help fund and maintain the infrastructure associated with a master-planned community developed by our Company. During the 2017 third quarter, we sold the Metro Bonds for net proceeds of $44.3 million. With a cost basis of $8.4 million, we recorded a realized gain of $35.8 million, which is included in interest and other income in the homebuilding section of our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017.

The following table sets forth the activity, including the Metro Bonds discussed above, related to reclassifications out of accumulated other comprehensive income:

ASC Topic 820, Fair Value Measurements (“ASC 820”), defines fair value, establishes guidelines for measuring fair value and expands disclosures regarding fair value measurements. ASC 820 establishes a three-tier fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value. These tiers include: Level 1, defined as observable inputs such as quoted prices in active markets; Level 2, defined as inputs, other than quoted prices in active markets, that are either directly or indirectly observable; and Level 3, defined as unobservable inputs for which little or no market data exists, therefore requiring an entity to develop its own assumptions.

The following table sets forth the fair values and methods used for measuring the fair values of financial instruments on a recurring basis:

The following methods and assumptions were used to estimate the fair value of each class of financial instruments as of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017.

Cash and cash equivalents (excluding debt securities with an original maturity of three months or less), restricted cash, trade and other receivables, prepaid and other assets, accounts payable, accrued liabilities and borrowings on our revolving credit facility. Fair value approximates carrying value.

Equity securities. Our equity securities consist of holdings in common stock, preferred stock and exchange traded funds. As of September 30, 2018, all of our equity securities were recorded at fair value with all changes in fair value recorded to either interest and other income or other expense, dependent upon whether there was a net gain or loss, respectively, in the homebuilding section or financial services section of our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income. As of December 31, 2017, all of our equity securities were treated as available-for-sale investments and as such, were recorded at fair value with all changes in fair value initially recorded through AOCI, subject to an assessment to determine if an unrealized loss, if applicable, was other-than-temporary. See Note 2 for further discussion of adoption of new accounting standards.

Debt securities. Our debt securities consist of U.S. government securities. As of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, all of our debt securities were treated as available-for-sale investments and, as such, are recorded at fair value with all changes in fair value initially recorded through AOCI, subject to an assessment to determine if any unrealized loss, if applicable, is other-than-temporary.

Each quarter we assess all of our securities in an unrealized loss position (excluding marketable equity securities subsequent to the adoption of ASU 2016-01 – see Note 2 for further discussion of adoption of new accounting standards) for a potential other-than-temporary impairment (“OTTI”). If the unrealized loss is determined to be other-than-temporary, an OTTI is recorded in other-than-temporary impairment of marketable securities in the homebuilding or financial services sections of our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, we recorded pretax OTTI’s of $0.0 million and $0.2 million, respectively. No such impairments were recorded during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018.

The following tables set forth the cost and estimated fair value of our available for sale debt securities:

The following table reconciles the net gain recognized during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 on equity securities to the unrealized gain recognized during the periods on equity securities still held at the reporting date.

Mortgage loans held-for-sale, net.  Our mortgage loans held-for-sale, which are measured at fair value on a recurring basis, include (1) mortgage loans held-for-sale that are under commitments to sell and (2) mortgage loans held-for-sale that are not under commitments to sell. At September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, we had $101.7 million and $103.5 million, respectively, of mortgage loans held-for-sale under commitments to sell. The fair value for those loans was based on quoted market prices for those mortgage loans, which are Level 2 fair value inputs. At September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, we had $13.1 million and $34.6 million, respectively, of mortgage loans held-for-sale that were not under commitments to sell. The fair value for those loans was primarily based upon the estimated market price received from an outside party, which is a Level 2 fair value input.

Gains on sales of mortgage loans, net, are included as a component of revenues in the financial services section of our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, we recorded net gains on the sales of mortgage loans of $11.8 million and $31.1 million, respectively, compared to $9.8 million and $28.5 million for the same periods in the prior year, respectively.

Mortgage Repurchase Facility. The debt associated with our mortgage repurchase facility (see Note 18 for further discussion) is at floating rates that approximate current market rates and have relatively short-term maturities, generally within 30 days. The fair value approximates carrying value and is based on Level 2 inputs.

Senior Notes. The estimated values of the senior notes in the following table are based on Level 2 inputs, which primarily reflect estimated prices for our senior notes which were provided by multiple sources.

The following table sets forth, by reportable segment, information relating to our homebuilding inventories:

Our inventories are primarily associated with communities where we intend to construct and sell homes, including models and unsold homes. Costs capitalized to land and land under development primarily include: (1) land costs; (2) land development costs; (3) entitlement costs; (4) capitalized interest; (5) engineering fees; and (6) title insurance, real property taxes and closing costs directly related to the purchase of the land parcel. Components of housing completed or under construction primarily include: (1) land costs transferred from land and land under development; (2) direct construction costs associated with a house; (3) real property taxes, engineering fees, permits and other fees; (4) capitalized interest; and (5) indirect construction costs, which include field construction management salaries and benefits, utilities and other construction related costs. Land costs are transferred from land and land under development to housing completed or under construction at the point in time that construction of a home on an owned lot begins.

In accordance with ASC Topic 360, Property, Plant, and Equipment (“ASC 360”), homebuilding inventories, excluding those classified as held for sale, are carried at cost unless events and circumstances indicate that the carrying value of the underlying subdivision may not be recoverable.  We evaluate inventories for impairment at each quarter end on a subdivision level basis as each such subdivision represents the lowest level of identifiable cash flows. In making this determination, we review, among other things, the following for each subdivision:

If events or circumstances indicate that the carrying value of our inventory may not be recoverable, assets are reviewed for impairment by comparing the undiscounted estimated future cash flows from an individual subdivision (including capitalized interest) to its carrying value. If the undiscounted future cash flows are less than the subdivision’s carrying value, the carrying value of the subdivision is written down to its then estimated fair value. We generally determine the estimated fair value of each subdivision by determining the present value of the estimated future cash flows at discount rates, which are Level 3 inputs, that are commensurate with the risk of the subdivision under evaluation. The evaluation for the recoverability of the carrying value of the assets for each individual subdivision can be impacted significantly by our estimates of future home sale revenues, home construction costs, and development costs per home, all of which are Level 3 inputs.

If land is classified as held for sale, in accordance with ASC 360, we measure it at the lower of the carrying value or fair value less estimated costs to sell. In determining fair value, we primarily rely upon the most recent negotiated price which is a Level 2 input. If a negotiated price is not available, we will consider several factors including, but not limited to, current market conditions, recent comparable sales transactions and market analysis studies, which are considered Level 3 inputs. If the fair value less estimated costs to sell is lower than the current carrying value, the land is impaired down to its estimated fair value less costs to sell.

Impairments of homebuilding inventory by segment for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 are shown in the table below.

The table below provides quantitative data, for the periods presented, used in determining the fair value of the impaired inventory.

We capitalize interest to inventories during the period of development in accordance with ASC Topic 835, Interest (“ASC 835”). Homebuilding interest capitalized as a cost of inventories is included in cost of sales during the period that related units or lots are delivered. To the extent our homebuilding debt exceeds our qualified assets as defined in ASC 835, we expense a portion of the interest incurred. Qualified homebuilding assets consist of all lots and homes, excluding finished unsold homes or finished models, within projects that are actively selling or under development. The table set forth below summarizes homebuilding interest activity. For all periods presented below, our qualified assets exceeded our homebuilding debt and as such, all interest incurred has been capitalized.

The following table sets forth the components of homebuilding prepaid and other assets:

The following table sets forth information relating to homebuilding accrued liabilities:

The following table sets forth information relating to financial services accounts payable and accrued liabilities:

Our homes are sold with limited third-party warranties and, under our agreement with the issuer of the third-party warranties, we are responsible for performing all of the work for the first two years of the warranty coverage and paying for substantially all of the work required to be performed during years three through ten of the warranties. We record accruals for general and structural warranty claims, as well as accruals for known, unusual warranty-related expenditures. Our warranty accrual is recorded based upon historical payment experience in an amount estimated to be adequate to cover expected costs of materials and outside labor during warranty periods. The determination of the warranty accrual rate for closed homes and the evaluation of our warranty accrual balance at period end are based on an internally developed analysis that includes known facts and interpretations of circumstances, including, among other things, our trends in historical warranty payment levels and warranty payments for claims not considered to be normal and recurring.

Our warranty accrual is included in accrued liabilities in the homebuilding section of our consolidated balance sheets and adjustments to our warranty accrual are recorded as an increase or reduction to home cost of sales in the homebuilding section of our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income.

The table set forth below summarizes accrual, adjustment and payment activity related to our warranty accrual for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017. For the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, we recorded adjustments to increase our warranty accrual by $3.1 million and decrease our warranty accrual by $0.4 million, respectively. For the three months ended September 30, 2017, we recorded adjustments to decrease our warranty accrual by $0.4 million. No such adjustments were recorded during the three months ended September 30, 2018. The adjustments recorded during the nine months ended September 30, 2018 were due to higher than expected warranty related expenditures.

The establishment of reserves for estimated losses associated with insurance policies issued by Allegiant and re-insurance agreements issued by StarAmerican are based on actuarial studies that include known facts and interpretations of circumstances, including our experience with similar cases and historical trends involving claim payment patterns, pending levels of unpaid claims, product mix or concentration, claim severity, frequency patterns depending on the business conducted, and changing regulatory and legal environments. It is possible that changes in the insurance payment experience used in estimating our ultimate insurance losses could have a material impact on our insurance reserves.

The establishment of reserves for estimated losses to be incurred by our homebuilding subsidiaries associated with (1) the self-insured retention (“SIR”) portion of construction defect claims that are expected to be covered under insurance policies with Allegiant and (2) the entire cost of any construction defect claims that are not expected to be covered by insurance policies with Allegiant are based on actuarial studies that include known facts similar to those established for our insurance reserves. It is possible that changes in the payment experience used in estimating our ultimate losses for construction defect claims could have a material impact on our reserves.

The table set forth below summarizes our insurance and construction defect claim reserves activity for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017. These reserves are included as a component of accrued liabilities in either the financial services or homebuilding sections of the consolidated balance sheets.

In the ordinary course of business, we make payments from our insurance and construction defect claim reserves to settle litigation claims arising from our homebuilding activities. These payments are irregular in both their timing and their magnitude. As a result, the cash payments, net of recoveries shown for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 are not necessarily indicative of what future cash payments will be for subsequent periods.

Our overall effective income tax rates were 20.8% and 19.8% for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, respectively, and 31.8% and 34.1% for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, respectively. The rates for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 resulted in income tax expense of $14.0 million and $38.5 million, respectively, compared to income tax expense of $28.5 million and $60.7 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, respectively. The year-over-year decrease in our effective tax rate for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 was impacted by the following items:

(1) The net impact from the enactment of the Act, which reduced the U.S. federal corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21% but also reduced the deductibility of certain executive based compensation and eliminated the domestic manufacturing deduction.

(2) Our estimated effective tax rate for the 2017 full year as of September 30, 2017 included no estimate for energy tax credits as the tax provision had expired and had not been extended for 2017. However, in February 2018, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 was signed into law, retroactively extending energy tax credits for 2017. As a result, for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, we recorded discrete tax adjustments for energy tax credits of $3.2 million and $11.3 million, respectively. The majority of the tax credits recognized during 2018 relate to certificates associated with 2017 closings that have been received throughout the first nine months of 2018. The remaining credits are related to certificates received from closings in other open tax years prior to 2017. As of September 30, 2018, energy tax credits for 2018 were not approved and as a result, no such estimate has been included in our estimated effective tax rate for 2018.

(3) In the 2017 first quarter, we established a discrete valuation allowance against certain state net operating loss carryforwards. No such valuation allowances were established during the nine months ended September 30, 2018.

At September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 we had deferred tax assets, net of valuation allowances and deferred tax liabilities, of $36.8 million and $41.5 million, respectively. The valuation allowances were primarily related to various state net operating loss carryforwards where realization is more uncertain at this time due to the limited carryforward periods that exist in certain states.

On August 21, 2018 the Internal Revenue Service issued Notice 2018-68 providing initial guidance on the application of Section 162(m) regarding performance-based executive compensation provisions that were changed as a result of the Act. During the quarter ended September 30, 2018, there were no changes to the provisional amounts recorded in our December 31, 2017 financial statements. As of September 30, 2018, we are still analyzing the impact the changes to performance-based executive compensation provisions will have on our estimates. The Company continued to apply the guidance in SAB 118 when accounting for the enactment date effects of the Act.

The carrying value of our senior notes as of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, net of any unamortized debt issuance costs or discount, were as follows:

Our senior notes are not secured and, while the senior note indentures contain some restrictions on secured debt and other transactions, they do not contain financial covenants. Our senior notes are fully and unconditionally guaranteed on an unsecured basis, jointly and severally, by most of our homebuilding segment subsidiaries.

We account for share-based awards in accordance with ASC Topic 718 Compensation–Stock Compensation (“ASC 718”), which requires the fair value of stock-based compensation awards to be amortized as an expense over the vesting period. Stock-based compensation awards are valued at fair value on the date of grant. The following table sets forth share-based award expense activity for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017:

On May 23, 2018, June 20, 2017 and July 25, 2016, the Company granted long term performance stock unit awards (“PSUs”) to each of the CEO, the COO, and the Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”) under the Company’s 2011 Equity Incentive Plan. The PSUs will be earned based upon the Company’s performance, over a three year period (the “Performance Period”), measured by increasing home sale revenues over a “Base Period”. Each award is conditioned upon the Company achieving an average gross margin from home sales (excluding impairments) of at least fifteen percent (15%) over the Performance Period. Target goals will be earned if the Company’s three year average home sale revenues over the Performance Period (“Performance Revenues”) exceed the home sale revenues over the Base Period (“Base Revenues”) by at least 10% but less than 20%. If Performance Revenues exceed the Base Revenues by at least 5% but less than 10%, 50% of the Target Goals will be earned (“Threshold Goals”). If Performance Revenues exceed the Base Revenues by at least 20%, 200% of the Target Goals will be earned (“Maximum Goals”). For the PSUs granted in 2017 and 2018, the number of PSUs earned shall be adjusted to be proportional to the partial performance between the Threshold Goals, Target Goals and Maximum Goals. Details for each defined term above for both grants have been provided in the table below.

* Dollars in thousands

In accordance with ASC 718, the PSUs were valued on the date of grant at their fair value. The fair value of these grants was equal to the closing price of MDC stock on the date of grant less the discounted cash flows of expected future dividends over the respective vesting period (as these PSUs do not participate in dividends). The grant date fair value and maximum potential expense if the Maximum Goals were met for these awards has been provided in the table above. ASC 718 does not permit recognition of expense associated with performance-based stock awards until achievement of the performance targets are probable of occurring.

2016 PSU Grants. In the 2018 second quarter, the Company determined that achievement of the Maximum Goals for these awards was probable and as such, the Company recorded share-based award expense related to the awards of $0.9 million and $5.4 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, respectively. As of September 30, 2017, the Company had concluded that achievement of the Threshold Goals was probable and, as such, recorded share-based award expense related to the awards of $0.2 million and $1.1 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017.

2017 and 2018 PSU Grants. For the PSUs granted in June of 2017 and in May of 2018, the Company concluded that achievement of any of the performance metrics has not met the level of probability required to record compensation expense and, as such, no expense related to these awards has been recognized as of September 30, 2018.

Surety Bonds and Letters of Credit. We are required to obtain surety bonds and letters of credit in support of our obligations for land development and subdivision improvements, homeowner association dues, warranty work, contractor license fees and earnest money deposits. At September 30, 2018, we had outstanding surety bonds and letters of credit totaling $209.0 million and $71.4 million, respectively, including $41.6 million in letters of credit issued by HomeAmerican. The estimated cost to complete obligations related to these bonds and letters of credit were approximately $94.8 million and $30.3 million, respectively. All letters of credit as of September 30, 2018, excluding those issued by HomeAmerican, were issued under our unsecured revolving credit facility (see Note 18 for further discussion of the revolving credit facility). We expect that the obligations secured by these performance bonds and letters of credit generally will be performed in the ordinary course of business and in accordance with the applicable contractual terms. To the extent that the obligations are performed, the related performance bonds and letters of credit should be released and we should not have any continuing obligations. However, in the event any such performance bonds or letters of credit are called, our indemnity obligations could require us to reimburse the issuer of the performance bond or letter of credit.

We have made no material guarantees with respect to third-party obligations.

Litigation. Due to the nature of the homebuilding business, we have been named as defendants in various claims, complaints and other legal actions arising in the ordinary course of business, including product liability claims and claims associated with the sale and financing of homes. In the opinion of management, the outcome of these ordinary course matters will not have a material adverse effect upon our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Lot Option Contracts. In the ordinary course of business, we enter into lot option purchase contracts (“Option Contracts”), generally through a deposit of cash or a letter of credit, for the right to purchase land or lots at a future point in time with predetermined terms. The use of such land option and other contracts generally allow us to reduce the risks associated with direct land ownership and development, reduces our capital and financial commitments, and minimizes the amount of land inventories on our consolidated balance sheets. In certain cases, these contracts will be settled shortly following the end of the period. Our obligation with respect to Option Contracts is generally limited to forfeiture of the related deposits. At September 30, 2018, we had cash deposits and letters of credit totaling $30.4 million and $8.2 million, respectively, at risk associated with the option to purchase 9,360 lots.

The derivative instruments we utilize in the normal course of business are interest rate lock commitments and forward sales of mortgage-backed securities, both of which typically are short-term in nature. Forward sales of mortgage-backed securities are utilized to hedge changes in fair value of our interest rate lock commitments as well as mortgage loans held-for-sale not under commitments to sell. For forward sales of mortgage-backed securities, as well as interest rate lock commitments that are still outstanding at the end of a reporting period, we record the changes in fair value of the derivatives in revenues in the financial services section of our consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income with an offset to other assets or accounts payable and accrued liabilities in the financial services section of our consolidated balance sheets, depending on the nature of the change.

At September 30, 2018, we had interest rate lock commitments with an aggregate principal balance of $152.0 million. Additionally, we had $12.7 million of mortgage loans held-for-sale at September 30, 2018 that had not yet been committed to a mortgage purchaser. In order to hedge the changes in fair value of our interest rate lock commitments and mortgage loans held-for-sale that had not yet been committed to a mortgage purchaser, we had forward sales of securities totaling $102.5 million at September 30, 2018.