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Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

Note 11. Other Assets

Other assets consisted of:

           
December 31, ($ in millions)
2006
 
2005
Premises and equipment at cost
$
1,645
 
$
2,899
Accumulated depreciation
 
(1,067
)
 
(1,145
)
Net premises and equipment
 
578
   
1,754
Cash reserve deposits held for securitization trusts(a)
 
2,623
   
2,907
Fair value of derivative contracts in receivable position
 
2,544
   
3,000
Real estate and other investments(b)
 
3,068
   
1,855
Restricted cash collections for securitization trusts(c)
 
1,858
   
1,871
Goodwill, net of accumulated amortization
 
1,827
   
2,446
Deferred policy acquisition cost
 
1,740
   
1,696
Accrued interest and rent receivable
 
1,315
   
1,163
Repossessed and foreclosed assets, net
 
1,215
   
689
Debt issuance costs
 
643
   
726
Servicer advances
 
606
   
499
Securities lending
 
445
   
Investment in used vehicles held for sale, at lower of cost or market
 
423
   
503
Subordinated note receivable
 
250
   
Intangible assets, net of accumulated amortization(d)
         
Customer lists and contracts
 
48
   
16
Trademarks and other
 
11
   
15
Receivables related to taxes
 
9
   
774
Other assets
 
4,293
   
2,528
Total other assets
$
23,496
 
$
22,442
(a) Represents credit enhancement in the form of cash reserves for various securitization transactions we have executed. On November 22, 2006, $710 of cash reserve deposits were transferred to GM as part of a distribution of certain securitized U.S. lease assets. Refer to Note 18 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for further description of the distribution.
(b) Includes residential real estate investments of $2 billion and $1.3 billion and related accumulated depreciation of $13 and $9 for years ended December 31, 2006 and 2005, respectively.
(c) Represents cash collection from customer payments on securitized receivables. These funds are distributed to investors as the related secured debt matures.
(d) Aggregate amortization expense on intangible assets was $16 and $17, including $1 and $8 for Capmark, for the years ended December 31, 2006 and 2005, respectively. Amortization expense is expected to average $10 per year over the next five fiscal years. In addition, during 2006, our Commercial Finance Group had $13 of intangible assets that were deemed impaired and subsequently written off during the third quarter of 2006.

The changes in the carrying amounts of goodwill for the periods indicated were as follows:

                                   
($ in millions)
North American Operations
 
International Operations
 
ResCap
 
Insurance
 
Other
 
Total
Goodwill at beginning of 2005
$
14
 
$
515
 
$
455
 
$
666
 
$
1,624
 
$
3,274
Goodwill acquired
 
   
3
   
16
   
3
   
   
22
Impairment losses(a)
 
   
   
   
   
(712
)
 
(712
)
Other
 
   
   
(4
)
 
   
(18
)
 
(22
)
Foreign currency translation effect
 
   
(14
)
 
(7
)
 
   
(36
)
 
(57
)
Transfers to assets held for sale(b)
 
   
   
   
   
(59
)
 
(59
)
Goodwill at beginning of 2006
$
14
 
$
504
 
$
460
 
$
669
 
$
799
 
$
2,446
Goodwill acquired
 
   
   
3
   
148
   
   
151
Impairment losses(c)
 
   
   
   
   
(827
)
 
(827
)
Other
 
   
3
   
1
   
   
   
4
Foreign currency translation effect
 
   
16
   
7
   
2
   
28
   
53
Goodwill at end of 2006
$
14
 
$
523
 
$
471
 
$
819
 
$
 
$
1,827
(a) During the fourth quarter of 2005, we completed our goodwill impairment analysis of our Commercial Finance Group (CFG) reporting unit in accordance with SFAS 142. The CFG reporting unit’s goodwill related primarily to its 1999 acquisition of The Bank of New York’s commercial finance business. With the assistance of a third party, management performed an assessment of the fair value of the CFG reporting unit. The fair value of the CFG reporting unit was determined using the average of an internally developed discounted cash flow methodology and a valuation derived from recent market precedent transactions. Based on this assessment, it was determined that indicators of impairment existed as the carrying amount of the CFG reporting unit including goodwill exceeded its fair value. These indicators were largely attributed to current competitive conditions in the industry in which CFG operates, the relative level of liquidity in its market and the CFG reporting unit experiencing declining margins and a more difficult environment for growth than anticipated in previous forecasts. Because the carrying amount of the CFG reporting unit, including goodwill, as a whole exceeded its fair value, management assessed the fair value of the CFG reporting unit’s individual assets, including identifiable intangible assets and liabilities, to derive an implied fair value of the CFG reporting unit’s goodwill. Based on this assessment, we recorded an impairment charge of $648 in the fourth quarter of 2005 as it was determined that the carrying value of the CFG reporting unit’s goodwill was greater than its implied fair value. In addition, other includes impairment losses of $64 related to the former GMAC Commercial Mortgage business.
(b) At December 31, 2005, $59 of goodwill in the former GMAC Commercial Mortgage business was transferred to assets held for sale in our Consolidated Balance Sheet.
(c) Following attrition of key personnel around the middle of the year, our Commercial Finance reporting unit initiated a goodwill impairment test, in accordance with SFAS 142, outside the normal fourth quarter cycle. A necessary precedent to such test was a thorough review of the business by new leadership, with a particular focus on long-term strategy. As a result of the review the operating divisions were reorganized and the decision was made to implement a different exit strategy for the workout portfolio and to exit product lines with lower returns. These decisions had a significant impact on expected asset levels and growth rate assumptions used to estimate the fair value of the business. In particular, the analysis performed during the third quarter incorporates management’s decision to discontinue activity in the equipment finance business, which had a portfolio of over $1 billion, representing approximately 20% of Commercial Finance business’s average commercial loan portfolio during 2006. Consistent with the prior analysis, the fair value of the Commercial Finance business was determined using an internally developed discounted cash flow analysis based on five-year projected net income and a market driven terminal value multiple. Based upon the results of the assessment, we concluded that the carrying value of goodwill exceeded its fair value, resulting in an impairment loss of $827 during 2006.
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