| Categorization of Variable Interest Entities (VIE) for consolidation and (or) disclosure purposes, whether individually or in aggregate, by: (1) VIEs consolidated because the entity is the primary beneficiary, (2) VIEs not consolidated because the entity is not the primary beneficiary, and (3) VIEs or potential VIEs that are not consolidated because necessary information is not available. In general, a VIE is a corporation, partnership, trust, or any other legal structure used for business purposes that either (a) does not have equity investors with voting rights or (b) has equity investors that do not provide sufficient financial resources for the entity to support its activities. A VIE often holds financial assets, including loans or receivables, real estate or other property. A VIE may be essentially passive or it may engage in research and development or other activities on behalf of another company. |