CBRE GROUP, INC. - Quarter Report: 2016 June (Form 10-Q)

Table of Contents

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

For the quarterly period ended June 30, 2016

OR

For the Transition Period from                      to                     

Commission File Number 001 – 32205

CBRE GROUP, INC.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

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  x    No  ¨.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted 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 and post such files).    Yes  x    No  ¨.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 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  x.

The number of shares of Class A common stock outstanding at July 31, 2016 was 335,618,448.

Table of Contents

FORM 10-Q

June 30, 2016

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents

PART I—FINANCIAL INFORMATION

CBRE GROUP, INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(Dollars in thousands, except share data)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

3

Table of Contents

CBRE GROUP, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(Unaudited)

(Dollars in thousands, except share data)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

4

Table of Contents

CBRE GROUP, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

(Unaudited)

(Dollars in thousands)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

5

Table of Contents

CBRE GROUP, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Unaudited)

(Dollars in thousands)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

6

Table of Contents

CBRE GROUP, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF EQUITY

(Unaudited)

(Dollars in thousands)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

7

Table of Contents

CBRE GROUP, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

Readers of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (Quarterly Report) should refer to the audited financial statements and notes to consolidated financial statements of CBRE Group, Inc., a Delaware corporation (which may be referred to in these financial statements as the “Company,” “we,” “us” and “our”), for the year ended December 31, 2015, which are included in our 2015 Annual Report on Form 10-K (2015 Annual Report), filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and also available on our website (www.cbre.com), since we have omitted from this Quarterly Report certain footnote disclosures which would substantially duplicate those contained in such audited financial statements. You should also refer to Note 2, Significant Accounting Policies, in the notes to consolidated financial statements in our 2015 Annual Report for further discussion of our significant accounting policies and estimates.

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the rules applicable to quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and include all information and footnotes required for interim financial statement presentation, but do not include all disclosures required under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (GAAP) for annual financial statements. In our opinion, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments, except as otherwise noted) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires us to make estimates and assumptions about future events. These estimates and the underlying assumptions affect the amounts of assets and liabilities reported, and reported amounts of revenue and expenses. Such estimates include the value of goodwill, intangibles and other long-lived assets, real estate assets, accounts receivable, investments in unconsolidated subsidiaries and assumptions used in the calculation of income taxes, retirement and other post-employment benefits, among others. These estimates and assumptions are based on our best judgment. We evaluate our estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis using historical experience and other factors, including consideration of the current economic environment, and adjust such estimates and assumptions when facts and circumstances dictate. As future events and their effects cannot be determined with precision, actual results could differ significantly from these estimates. Changes in these estimates resulting from continuing changes in the economic environment will be reflected in the financial statements in future periods. Certain reclassifications have been made to the 2015 financial statements to conform with the 2016 presentation.

The results of operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2016 are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations to be expected for the year ending December 31, 2016.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements Pending Adoption

The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) has recently issued four Accounting Standards Updates (ASUs) related to revenue recognition, all of which become effective for the Company on January 1, 2018. The ASUs issued are: (1) in May 2014, ASU 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606);” (2) in March 2016, ASU 2016-08, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Principal versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue Gross versus Net);” (3) in April 2016, ASU 2016-10, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing;” and (4) in May 2016, ASU 2016-12, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Narrow-scope Improvements and Practical Expedients.” ASU 2014-09 requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers and will replace most existing revenue recognition guidance under GAAP. This ASU permits the use of either the retrospective or cumulative effect transition method. We are evaluating the effect that ASU 2014-09 will have on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. We have not yet selected a transition method nor have we determined the

8

Table of Contents

CBRE GROUP, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)

(Unaudited)

effect of this ASU on our ongoing financial reporting. ASU 2016-08 clarifies the implementation guidance on principal versus agent considerations. We are evaluating the effect that ASU 2016-08 will have on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. ASU 2016-10 clarifies guidance related to identifying performance obligations and licensing implementation guidance contained in ASU 2014-09. ASU 2016-12 clarifies guidance in certain narrow areas and adds some practical expedients. We do not believe the application of ASU 2016-10 and ASU 2016-12 will have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-01, “Financial Instruments—Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities.” This ASU will significantly change the income statement impact of equity investments and the recognition of changes in fair value of financial liabilities when the fair value option is elected. This ASU is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is not permitted, except for the provisions related to the recognition of changes in fair value of financial liabilities when the fair value option is elected. We do not believe the adoption of ASU 2016-01 will have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842).” This ASU requires lessees to recognize most leases on-balance sheet and mandates a modified retrospective transition method for all entities. This ASU is effective for annual periods in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018. We are evaluating the effect that ASU 2016-02 will have on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-05, “Effect of Derivative Contract Novations on Existing Hedge Accounting Relationships.” This ASU clarifies that a change in one of the parties to a derivative contract (through novation) that is part of a hedge accounting relationship does not, by itself, require designation of that relationship, as long as all other hedge accounting criteria continue to be met. This ASU is effective for annual and interim periods in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, with early adoption permitted. We do not believe the adoption of ASU 2016-05 will have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-07, “Simplifying the Transition to the Equity Method of Accounting.” This ASU eliminates the requirement for an investor to retroactively apply the equity method when its increase in ownership interest (or degree of influence) in an investee triggers equity method accounting. ASU 2016-07 should be applied prospectively upon its effective date to increases in the level of ownership interest or degree of influence that result in the adoption of the equity method. This ASU is effective for all entities for interim and annual periods in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, with early application permitted. We do not believe the application of ASU 2016-07 will have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, “Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting.” This ASU is intended to improve the accounting for share-based payment transactions as part of the FASB’s simplification initiative. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those years, with early adoption permitted. We are evaluating the effect that ASU 2016-09 will have on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, “Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments.” This ASU is intended to improve financial reporting

9

Table of Contents

CBRE GROUP, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)

(Unaudited)

by requiring timelier recording of credit losses on loans and other financial instruments held by financial institutions and other organizations. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, and interim periods within those years, with early adoption permitted. We are evaluating the effect that ASU 2016-13 will have on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

On September 1, 2015, CBRE, Inc., our wholly-owned subsidiary, pursuant to a Stock and Asset Purchase Agreement with Johnson Controls, Inc. (JCI), acquired JCI’s Global Workplace Solutions business (we refer to this transaction as the GWS Acquisition). The acquired GWS business is a market-leading provider of integrated facilities management solutions for major occupiers of commercial real estate and has significant operations around the world. The purchase price was $1.475 billion, paid in cash, with adjustments for working capital and other items.

The preliminary purchase accounting adjustments related to the GWS Acquisition have been recorded in the accompanying consolidated financial statements. The excess purchase price over the estimated fair value of net assets acquired has been recorded to goodwill. The goodwill arising from the GWS Acquisition consists largely of the synergies and economies of scale expected from combining the operations acquired from GWS with our business. Of the $852 million of goodwill recorded in connection with the GWS Acquisition, approximately $445 million is deductible for tax purposes. Given the complexity of the transaction, the calculation of the fair value of certain assets and liabilities acquired, including intangible assets and income tax items, is still preliminary. As a result, the assignment of goodwill to our reporting units has not been completed. We expect to complete the purchase price allocation and the assignment of goodwill to our reporting units as soon as practicable, but no later than one year from the acquisition date.

Unaudited pro forma results, assuming the GWS Acquisition had occurred as of January 1, 2015 for purposes of the 2015 pro forma disclosures, are presented below. They include certain adjustments for the three and six months ended June 30, 2015, including $16.9 million and $33.8 million, respectively, of increased amortization expense as a result of intangible assets acquired in the GWS Acquisition, $9.0 million and $19.3 million, respectively, of additional interest expense as a result of debt incurred to finance the GWS Acquisition, the removal of $4.8 million and $8.0 million, respectively, of direct costs incurred by us related to the GWS Acquisition, net of the tax impact during the period of these pro forma adjustments. These pro forma results have been prepared for comparative purposes only and do not purport to be indicative of what operating results would have been had the GWS Acquisition occurred on January 1, 2015 and may not be indicative of future operating results (dollars in thousands, except share data):

10

Table of Contents

CBRE GROUP, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)

(Unaudited)

We hold variable interests in certain variable interest entities (VIEs) in our Global Investment Management and Development Services segments which are not consolidated as it was determined that we are not the primary beneficiary. Our involvement with these entities is in the form of equity co-investments and fee arrangements.

As of June 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, our maximum exposure to loss related to the VIEs which are not consolidated was as follows (dollars in thousands):

The “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures” topic (Topic 820) of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) defines fair value as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Topic 820 also establishes a three-level fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs used to measure fair value. This hierarchy requires entities to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. The three levels of inputs used to measure fair value are as follows:

There were no significant transfers in or out of Level 1 and Level 2 during the three and six months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015. There have been no significant changes to the valuation techniques and inputs used to develop the recurring fair value measurements from those disclosed in our 2015 Annual Report.

11

Table of Contents

CBRE GROUP, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)

(Unaudited)

The following tables present the fair value of assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of June 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015 (dollars in thousands):

12

Table of Contents

CBRE GROUP, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)

(Unaudited)

The following table provides additional information about fair value measurements for the Level 3 assets for the six months ended June 30, 2016 (dollars in thousands):

There were no significant non-recurring fair value measurements recorded during the three and six months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015.

FASB ASC Topic 825, “Financial Instruments” requires disclosure of fair value information about financial instruments, whether or not recognized in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. Our financial instruments are as follows:

13

Table of Contents

CBRE GROUP, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)

(Unaudited)

14

Table of Contents

CBRE GROUP, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)

(Unaudited)

Investments in unconsolidated subsidiaries are accounted for under the equity method of accounting. Our investment ownership percentages in equity method investments vary, generally ranging up to 5.0% in our Global Investment Management segment, up to 10.0% in our Development Services segment, and up to 50% in our other business segments.

Combined condensed financial information for the entities actually accounted for using the equity method is as follows (dollars in thousands):

Long-Term Debt

Long-term debt consists of the following (dollars in thousands):

15

Table of Contents

CBRE GROUP, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)

(Unaudited)

On January 9, 2015, CBRE Services, Inc. (CBRE), our wholly-owned subsidiary, entered into an amended and restated credit agreement (the 2015 Credit Agreement) with a syndicate of banks jointly led by Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Credit Suisse AG. On March 21, 2016, we executed an amendment to the 2015 Credit Agreement which, among other things, extended the maturity on our revolving credit facility to March 2021 and increased the borrowing capacity under our revolving credit facility by $200.0 million.

The 2015 Credit Agreement is an unsecured credit facility that is jointly and severally guaranteed by us and substantially all of our material domestic subsidiaries. As of June 30, 2016, the 2015 Credit Agreement provided for the following: (1) a $2.8 billion revolving credit facility, which includes the capacity to obtain letters of credit and swingline loans and matures on March 21, 2021; (2) a $500.0 million tranche A term loan facility requiring quarterly principal payments, which began on June 30, 2015 and continue through maturity on January 9, 2020; (3) a $270.0 million tranche B-1 term loan facility requiring quarterly principal payments, which began on December 31, 2015 and continue through maturity on September 3, 2020; and (4) a $130.0 million tranche B-2 term loan facility requiring quarterly principal payments, which began on December 31, 2015 and continue through maturity on September 3, 2022.

Our 2015 Credit Agreement and the indentures governing our 5.00% senior notes, 4.875% senior notes and 5.25% senior notes contain restrictive covenants that, among other things, limit our ability to incur additional indebtedness, pay dividends or make distributions to stockholders, repurchase capital stock or debt, make investments, sell assets or subsidiary stock, create or permit liens on assets, engage in transactions with affiliates, enter into sale/leaseback transactions, issue subsidiary equity and enter into consolidations or mergers. Our 2015 Credit Agreement also requires us to maintain a minimum coverage ratio of EBITDA (as defined in the 2015 Credit Agreement) to total interest expense of 2.00x and a maximum leverage ratio of total debt less available cash to EBITDA (as defined in the 2015 Credit Agreement) of 4.25x as of the end of each fiscal quarter. On this basis, our coverage ratio of EBITDA to total interest expense was 12.15x for the trailing twelve months ended June 30, 2016, and our leverage ratio of total debt less available cash to EBITDA was 1.61x as of June 30, 2016.

Short-Term Borrowings

Revolving Credit Facility

As of June 30, 2016, we had $156.0 million of revolving credit facility principal outstanding under the 2015 Credit Agreement with a weighted average annual interest rate of 2.2% and which was included in short-term borrowings in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. As of June 30, 2016, letters of credit totaling $2.0 million were outstanding under the revolving credit facility. These letters of credit, which reduce the amount we may borrow under the revolving credit facility, were primarily issued in the ordinary course of business. As of December 31, 2015, no amounts were outstanding under our revolving credit facility other than letters of credit totaling $2.0 million.

Warehouse Lines of Credit

CBRE Capital Markets has warehouse lines of credit with third-party lenders for the purpose of funding mortgage loans that will be resold, and a funding arrangement with Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) for the purpose of selling a percentage of certain closed multifamily loans to Fannie Mae. These warehouse lines are recourse only to CBRE Capital Markets and are secured by our related warehouse receivables.

During the six months ended June 30, 2016, we had a maximum of $1.9 billion of warehouse lines of credit principal outstanding. As of June 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, we had $839.3 million and $1.8 billion, respectively, of warehouse lines of credit principal outstanding, which are included in short-term borrowings in

16

Table of Contents

CBRE GROUP, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)

(Unaudited)

the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. Additionally, we had $847.7 million and $1.8 billion of mortgage loans held for sale (warehouse receivables) as of June 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively, included in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets, which substantially represented mortgage loans funded through the lines of credit that were either under commitment to be purchased by Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) or had confirmed forward trade commitments for the issuance and purchase of Fannie Mae or Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae) mortgage backed securities that will be secured by the underlying loans.

We are a party to a number of pending or threatened lawsuits arising out of, or incident to, our ordinary course of business. We believe that any losses in excess of the amounts accrued therefor as liabilities on our financial statements are unlikely to be significant, but litigation is inherently uncertain and there is the potential for a material adverse effect on our financial statements if one or more matters are resolved in a particular period in an amount materially in excess of what we anticipated.

In January 2008, CBRE Multifamily Capital, Inc. (CBRE MCI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBRE Capital Markets, entered into an agreement with Fannie Mae under Fannie Mae’s Delegated Underwriting and Servicing Lender Program (DUS Program), to provide financing for multifamily housing with five or more units. Under the DUS Program, CBRE MCI originates, underwrites, closes and services loans without prior approval by Fannie Mae, and in selected cases, is subject to sharing up to one-third of any losses on loans originated under the DUS Program. CBRE MCI has funded loans subject to such loss sharing arrangements with unpaid principal balances of $13.5 billion at June 30, 2016. CBRE MCI, under its agreement with Fannie Mae, must post cash reserves or other acceptable collateral under formulas established by Fannie Mae to provide for sufficient capital in the event losses occur. As of June 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, CBRE MCI had a $42.0 million and $35.0 million, respectively, letter of credit under this reserve arrangement, and had provided approximately $23.4 million and $21.8 million, respectively, of loan loss accruals. Fannie Mae’s recourse under the DUS Program is limited to the assets of CBRE MCI, which assets totaled approximately $300.6 million (including $130.7 million of warehouse receivables, a substantial majority of which are pledged against warehouse lines of credit and are therefore not available to Fannie Mae) at June 30, 2016.

We had outstanding letters of credit totaling $48.0 million as of June 30, 2016, excluding letters of credit for which we have outstanding liabilities already accrued on our consolidated balance sheet related to our subsidiaries’ outstanding reserves for claims under certain insurance programs as well as letters of credit related to operating leases. CBRE MCI’s letter of credit totaling $42.0 million as of June 30, 2016 referred to in the preceding paragraph represented the majority of the $48.0 million outstanding letters of credit as of such date. The remaining letters of credit are primarily executed by us in the ordinary course of business and expire at varying dates through June 2017.

We had guarantees totaling $55.0 million as of June 30, 2016, excluding guarantees related to pension liabilities, consolidated indebtedness and other obligations for which we have outstanding liabilities already accrued on our consolidated balance sheet, and excluding guarantees related to operating leases. The $55.0 million primarily represents guarantees executed by us in the ordinary course of business, including various guarantees of management and vendor contracts in our operations overseas, which expire at the end of each of the respective agreements.

In addition, as of June 30, 2016, we had issued numerous non-recourse carveout, completion and budget guarantees relating to development projects for the benefit of third parties. These guarantees are commonplace in our industry and are made by us in the ordinary course of our Development Services business. Non-recourse

17

Table of Contents

CBRE GROUP, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)

(Unaudited)

carveout guarantees generally require that our project-entity borrower not commit specified improper acts, with us potentially liable for all or a portion of such entity’s indebtedness or other damages suffered by the lender if those acts occur. Completion and budget guarantees generally require us to complete construction of the relevant project within a specified timeframe and/or within a specified budget, with us potentially being liable for costs to complete in excess of such timeframe or budget. However, we generally use “guaranteed maximum price” contracts with reputable, bondable general contractors with respect to projects for which we provide these guarantees. These contracts are intended to pass the risk to such contractors. While there can be no assurance, we do not expect to incur any material losses under these guarantees.

An important part of the strategy for our Global Investment Management business involves investing our capital in certain real estate investments with our clients. These co-investments generally total up to 2.0% of the equity in a particular fund. As of June 30, 2016, we had aggregate commitments of $36.5 million to fund future co-investments.

Additionally, an important part of our Development Services business strategy is to invest in unconsolidated real estate subsidiaries as a principal (in most cases co-investing with our clients). As of June 30, 2016, we had committed to fund $28.6 million of additional capital to these unconsolidated subsidiaries.

The calculations of basic and diluted income per share attributable to CBRE Group, Inc. shareholders are as follows (dollars in thousands, except share data):

For the three and six months ended June 30, 2016, 1,536,189 and 1,553,158, respectively, of contingently issuable shares were excluded from the computation of diluted income per share because their inclusion would have had an anti-dilutive effect.

18

Table of Contents

CBRE GROUP, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)

(Unaudited)

For the three and six months ended June 30, 2015, 47,082 of contingently issuable shares were excluded from the computation of diluted income per share because their inclusion would have had an anti-dilutive effect.

We report our operations through the following segments: (1) Americas; (2) Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA); (3) Asia Pacific; (4) Global Investment Management; and (5) Development Services.

The Americas segment is our largest segment of operations and provides a comprehensive range of services throughout the U.S. and in the largest regions of Canada and key markets in Latin America. The primary services offered consist of the following: property sales, property leasing, mortgage services, appraisal and valuation, property management and occupier outsourcing services.

Our EMEA and Asia Pacific segments generally provide services similar to the Americas business segment. The EMEA segment has operations primarily in Europe, while the Asia Pacific segment has operations in Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

Our Global Investment Management business provides investment management services to clients seeking to generate returns and diversification through direct and indirect investments in real estate in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific.

Our Development Services business consists of real estate development and investment activities primarily in the U.S.

Summarized financial information by segment is as follows (dollars in thousands):

19

Table of Contents

CBRE GROUP, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)

(Unaudited)

EBITDA represents earnings before net interest expense, write-off of financing costs on extinguished debt, income taxes, depreciation and amortization. EBITDA is not a recognized measurement under GAAP and when analyzing our operating performance, investors should use EBITDA in addition to, and not as an alternative for, net income as determined in accordance with GAAP. Because not all companies use identical calculations, our presentation of EBITDA may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies.

We generally use EBITDA to evaluate operating performance and for other discretionary purposes, and we believe that this measure provides a more complete understanding of ongoing operations and enhances comparability of current results to prior periods. We further believe that investors may find EBITDA useful in evaluating our operating performance compared to that of other companies in our industry because EBITDA calculations generally eliminate the effects of acquisitions, which would include impairment charges of goodwill and intangibles created from acquisitions, the effects of financings and income taxes and the accounting effects of capital spending. EBITDA may vary for different companies for reasons unrelated to overall operating performance.

EBITDA is not intended to be a measure of free cash flow for our discretionary use because it does not consider certain cash requirements such as tax and debt service payments. EBITDA may also differ from the amount calculated under similarly titled definitions in our debt instruments, which amounts are further adjusted to reflect certain other cash and non-cash charges and are used by us to determine compliance with financial covenants therein and our ability to engage in certain activities, such as incurring additional debt and making certain restricted payments.

Net interest expense and write-off of financing costs on extinguished debt have been expensed in the segment where incurred. Provision for income taxes has been allocated among our segments by using applicable U.S. and foreign effective tax rates. EBITDA for our segments is calculated as follows (dollars in thousands):

20

Table of Contents

CBRE GROUP, INC.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)

(Unaudited)