16.   NONCONTROLLING INTERESTS IN SUBSIDIARIES



Noncontrolling interests in subsidiaries in the accompanying consolidated financial statements relate to (i) common units and LTIP units in the Operating Partnership, held by parties other than the Company, and (ii) interests in consolidated joint ventures for the portion of such ventures not owned by the Company.



The following table reflects the activity of noncontrolling interests for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively (dollars in thousands):



 

Pursuant to ASC 810, Consolidation, on the accounting and reporting for noncontrolling interests and changes in ownership interests of a subsidiary, changes in a parent’s ownership interest (and transactions with noncontrolling interest unitholders in the subsidiary) while the parent retains its controlling interest in its subsidiary should be accounted for as equity transactions.  The carrying value of the noncontrolling interest shall be adjusted to reflect the change in its ownership interest in the subsidiary, with the offset to equity attributable to the parent.  Accordingly, as a result of equity transactions which caused changes in ownership percentages between Mack-Cali Realty Corporation stockholders’ equity and noncontrolling interests in the Operating Partnership that occurred during the three months ended March 31, 2016, the Company has decreased noncontrolling interests in the Operating Partnership and increased additional paid-in capital in Mack-Cali Realty Corporation stockholders’ equity by approximately $0.1 million as of March 31, 2016.



OPERATING PARTNERSHIP



Common Units

Certain individuals and entities own common units in the Operating Partnership.  A common unit and a share of Common Stock of the Company have substantially the same economic characteristics in as much as they effectively share equally in the net income or loss of the Operating Partnership.  Common unitholders have the right to redeem their common units, subject to certain restrictions.  The redemption is required to be satisfied in shares of Common Stock, cash, or a combination thereof, calculated as follows:  one share of the Company’s Common Stock, or cash equal to the fair market value of a share of the Company’s Common Stock at the time of redemption, for each common unit.  The Company, in its sole discretion, determines the form of redemption of common units (i.e., whether a common unitholder receives Common Stock, cash, or any combination thereof).  If the Company elects to satisfy the redemption with shares of Common Stock as opposed to cash, it is obligated to issue shares of its Common Stock to the redeeming unitholder.  Regardless of the rights described above, the common unitholders may not put their units for cash to the Company or the Operating Partnership under any circumstances.  When a unitholder redeems a common unit, noncontrolling interest in the Operating Partnership is reduced and Mack-Cali Realty Corporation Stockholders’ equity is increased.



LTIP Units

On March 8, 2016, the Company granted 2016 LTIP awards to senior management of the Company, including all of the Company’s executive officers. All of the 2016 LTIP Awards will be in the form of units in the Operating Partnership. See Note 15: Mack-Cali Realty Corporation Stockholders’ Equity – Long-Term Incentive Plan Awards.



LTIP Units are designed to qualify as “profits interests” in the Operating Partnership for federal income tax purposes. As a general matter, the profits interests characteristics of the LTIP Units mean that initially they will not be economically equivalent in value to a common unit. If and when events specified by applicable tax regulations occur, LTIP Units can over time increase in value up to the point where they are equivalent to common units on a one-for-one basis. After LTIP Units are fully vested, and to the extent the special tax rules applicable to profits interests have allowed them to become equivalent in value to common units, LTIP Units may be converted on a one-for-one basis into common units. Common units in turn have a one-for-one relationship in value with shares of the Company’s common stock, and are redeemable on a one-for-one basis for cash or, at the election of the Company, shares of the Company’s common stock.



Unit Transactions

The following table sets forth the changes in noncontrolling interests in the Operating Partnership which relate to the common units and LTIP units in the Operating Partnership for the three months ended March 31, 2016:



 

Noncontrolling Interest Ownership in Operating Partnership

As of March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015, the noncontrolling interest common unitholders owned 10.5 percent and 10.5 percent of the Operating Partnership, respectively.



CONSOLIDATED JOINT VENTURES

The Company consolidates certain joint ventures in which it has ownership interests.  Various entities and/or individuals hold noncontrolling interests in these ventures.



PARTICIPATION RIGHTS

The Company’s interests in certain real estate projects (three properties and a future development) each provide for the initial distributions of net cash flow solely to the Company, and thereafter, other parties have participation rights in 50 percent of the excess net cash flow remaining after the distribution to the Company of the aggregate amount equal to the sum of: (a) the Company’s capital contributions, plus (b) an IRR of 10 percent per annum.