v3.26.1
Asset-Backed Financing
 3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2026
Transfers and Servicing [Abstract]  
Asset-Backed Financing Asset-Backed Financing
The Company participates in asset-backed financing both through asset-backed securitization transactions and through asset-backed commercial paper conduit facilities. In the Company's asset-backed financing programs, the Company transfers retail motorcycle finance receivables to special purpose entities (SPEs), which are considered VIEs under U.S. GAAP. Each SPE then converts those assets into cash through the issuance of debt. The Company retains servicing rights for all of the retail motorcycle finance receivables transferred to SPEs as part of an asset-backed financing. The accounting treatment for asset-backed financings depends on the terms of the related transaction and the Company’s continuing involvement with the VIE.
In transactions where the Company has power over the significant activities of the VIE and has an obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits from the VIE that are potentially significant to the VIE, the Company is the primary beneficiary of the VIE and consolidates the VIE within its consolidated financial statements. On a consolidated basis, the asset-backed financing is treated as a secured borrowing in this type of transaction and is referred to as an on-balance sheet asset-backed financing.
In transactions where the Company is not the primary beneficiary of the VIE, the Company must determine whether it can achieve a sale for accounting purposes under ASC Topic 860, Transfers and Servicing (ASC 860). To achieve a sale for accounting purposes, the assets being transferred must be legally isolated, not be constrained by restrictions from further transfer, and be deemed to be beyond the Company’s control. If the Company does not meet all of these criteria for sale accounting, then the transaction is accounted for as a secured borrowing and is referred to as an on-balance sheet asset-backed financing.
If the Company meets all three of the sale criteria above, the transaction is recorded as a sale for accounting purposes and is referred to as an off-balance sheet asset-backed financing. Upon sale, the retail motorcycle finance receivables are removed from the Company’s Consolidated balance sheets and a gain or loss is recognized for the difference between the cash proceeds received, the assets derecognized, and the liabilities recognized as part of the transaction. The gain or loss on sale is recorded in Financial services revenue on the Consolidated statements of operations.
The Company is not required, and does not currently intend, to provide any additional financial support to the on- or off-balance sheet VIEs associated with these transactions. Investors and creditors in these transactions only have recourse to the assets held by the VIEs.
The Company had no assets or liabilities related to on-balance sheet asset-backed financings included in the Consolidated balance sheets at March 31, 2026 or December 31, 2025.
The assets and liabilities related to the on-balance sheet asset-backed financings included in the Consolidated balance sheet at March 31, 2025 were as follows (in thousands):
March 31, 2025
Finance receivablesAllowance for credit lossesRestricted cashOther assetsTotal assetsAsset-backed debt, net
On-balance sheet assets and liabilities:
Consolidated VIEs:
Asset-backed securitizations$2,124,680 $(120,775)$120,794 $4,856 $2,129,555 $1,658,745 
Asset-backed U.S. commercial paper conduit facility598,290 (33,952)38,507 2,296 605,141 531,260 
Unconsolidated VIEs:
Asset-backed Canadian commercial paper conduit facility78,457 (3,682)6,791 134 81,700 68,275 
$2,801,427 $(158,409)$166,092 $7,286 $2,816,396 $2,258,280 
On-Balance Sheet Asset-Backed Securitization VIEs – The Company transfers U.S. retail motorcycle finance receivables to SPEs that in turn issue secured notes to investors, with various maturities and interest rates, secured by future collections of the purchased U.S. retail motorcycle finance receivables. Each on-balance sheet asset-backed securitization SPE is a separate legal entity, and the U.S. retail motorcycle finance receivables included in the asset-backed securitizations are only available for payment of the secured debt and other obligations arising from the asset-backed securitization transactions and are not available to pay other obligations or claims of the Company’s creditors until the associated secured debt and other obligations are satisfied. Restricted cash balances held by the SPEs are used only to support the securitizations. There are no amortization schedules for the secured notes; however, the debt is reduced monthly as available collections on the related U.S. retail motorcycle finance receivables are applied to outstanding principal.
The Company is the primary beneficiary of its on-balance sheet asset-backed securitization VIEs because it is the variable interest holder with the power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance and has the obligation to absorb losses and the right to receive benefits which could potentially be significant to the VIE.
There were no transfers of U.S. retail motorcycle finance receivables to SPEs during the first quarter of 2026 or 2025.
On-Balance Sheet Asset-Backed U.S. Commercial Paper Conduit Facility VIE – In October 2025, the Company renewed its $1.50 billion revolving facility agreement (the U.S. Conduit Facility) with third-party banks and their asset-backed U.S. commercial paper conduits. Under the revolving facility agreement, the Company may transfer U.S. retail motorcycle finance receivables to an SPE, which in turn may issue debt to those third-party banks and their asset-backed U.S. commercial paper conduits. Availability under the U.S. Conduit Facility is based on, among other things, the amount and credit performance of eligible U.S. retail motorcycle finance receivables held by the SPE as collateral. In addition to extending the term of the U.S. Conduit Facility, the October 2025 amendment updated the fee structure and finance receivable take-out provisions to better align with ongoing HDFS funding needs, including for the Forward Flow Agreement.
Under the U.S. Conduit Facility, the assets of the SPE are restricted as collateral for the payment of the debt or other obligations arising in the transaction and are not available to pay other obligations or claims of the Company’s creditors. The terms for this debt provide for interest on the outstanding principal based on prevailing commercial paper rates if funded by a conduit lender through the issuance of commercial paper. The interest rate on all outstanding debt and future borrowings, if not funded by a conduit lender through the issuance of commercial paper, is based on the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR), with provisions for a transition to other benchmark rates in the future, if necessary. In addition to interest, a program fee is assessed based on the outstanding debt principal balance. The U.S. Conduit Facility also provides for an unused commitment fee based on the unused portion of the total aggregate commitment. There is no amortization schedule; however, the debt is reduced monthly as available collections on the related finance receivables are applied to outstanding principal. Upon expiration of the U.S. Conduit Facility, any outstanding principal will continue to be reduced monthly through available collections. Unless earlier terminated or extended by mutual agreement of the Company and the lenders, as of March 31, 2026, the U.S. Conduit Facility had an expiration date of October 30, 2026.
The Company is the primary beneficiary of its U.S. Conduit Facility VIE because it is the variable interest holder with the power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance and has the obligation to absorb losses and the right to receive benefits which could potentially be significant to the VIE.
There were no finance receivable transfers under the U.S. Conduit Facility during the first quarter of 2026. During the first quarter of 2025, the Company transferred $179.5 million of U.S. retail motorcycles finance receivables to an SPE which, in turn, issued $155.0 million of debt under the U.S. Conduit Facility.
On-Balance Sheet Asset-Backed Canadian Commercial Paper Conduit Facility – In June 2025, the Company renewed and amended its revolving facility agreement (Canadian Conduit) with a Canadian bank-sponsored asset-backed commercial paper conduit. Under the renewed and amended agreement, the Canadian Conduit is contractually committed, at the Company's option, to purchase eligible Canadian retail motorcycle finance receivables for proceeds up to C$165.0 million. The transferred assets are restricted as collateral for the payment of the associated debt. Availability under the Canadian Conduit is based on, among other things, the amount and credit performance of eligible Canadian retail motorcycle finance receivables held as collateral.
The terms for this debt provide for interest on the outstanding principal based on prevailing market interest rates plus a specified margin. The Canadian Conduit also provides for a program fee and an unused commitment fee based on the unused portion of the total aggregate commitment. There is no amortization schedule; however, the debt is reduced monthly as available collections on the related finance receivables are applied to outstanding principal. Upon expiration of the Canadian Conduit, any outstanding principal will continue to be reduced monthly through available collections. Unless earlier terminated or extended by mutual agreement of the Company and the lenders, as of March 31, 2026, the Canadian Conduit had an expiration date of June 30, 2026.
The Company is not the primary beneficiary of the Canadian bank-sponsored, multi-seller conduit VIE; therefore, the Company does not consolidate the VIE. However, the Company treats the conduit facility as a secured borrowing as it maintains effective control over the assets transferred to the VIE and, therefore, does not meet the requirements for sale accounting.
As the Company participates in and does not consolidate the Canadian bank-sponsored, multi-seller conduit VIE, the maximum exposure to loss associated with this VIE is limited to the value of the Company's finance receivables held within the VIE. Accordingly, the Company did not have any exposure loss at March 31, 2026.
There were no finance receivable transfers under the Canadian Conduit Facility during the first quarter of 2026 or 2025.
Off-Balance Sheet Asset-Backed Financing - During the third quarter of 2025, HDFS completed the sale of the securitization beneficial interests to two counterparties. As a result, the Company determined that it was no longer the primary beneficiary of the associated VIEs. Accordingly, the VIEs were deconsolidated during the third quarter of 2025 as the transfers of loans that occurred at the inception of each VIE met the criteria for an accounting sale under ASC 860. The sales of the securitization beneficial interests have been aggregated for purposes of the disclosures below.
In conjunction with the sale of these beneficial interests, the Company recorded an investment in a 5% interest in all notes (Retained Notes) previously issued by the VIEs that were deconsolidated, in accordance with Regulation RR of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (Regulation RR). The Company is prevented from transferring the Retained Notes due to risk retention rules in Regulation RR. The Company also retained an investment in 5% of the residual cash flows of the deconsolidated VIEs (Residual Interests). The investments in Retained Notes and Residual Interests, which are collectively the retained securitization beneficial interests, are recorded within Other current assets and Other long-term assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The Company had no other assets or liabilities related to its continuing involvement with the off-balance sheet VIEs as of March 31, 2026. Refer to Note 11 of the Notes to Consolidated financial statements for further information about the valuation and classification of these investments.
Cash flows from the Residual Interests, if any, arise from collections on U.S. retail motorcycle loans sold to the securitization trust, less servicing fees, credit losses, and contracted payment obligations owed to securitization trust investors. The investments in Residual Interests and investments in Retained Notes balances are classified as available for sale (AFS) securities and, accordingly, are held at fair value remeasured through OCI in the Statement of comprehensive income until realized. Unrealized losses are reclassified to Financial services revenue on the Consolidated statements of operations if the Company intends to sell the security or it is more likely than not that the Company will be required to sell the security before the recovery of the unrealized loss. Realized gains or losses are recorded in Financial services revenue on the Consolidated statements of operations. The Company evaluates the investments in Residual Interests and investments in Retained Notes for impairment on a quarterly basis. Cash flows from the Residual Interests and Retained Notes are presented within Collection of retained securitization beneficial interests on the Consolidated statement of cash flows. The Company's interest in residual cash flows is subject primarily to the credit risk and prepayment risk inherent in the underlying finance receivables. Retained Notes have a stated principal and interest rate and are senior securities within the VIEs. As the Company participates in and does not consolidate the off-balance sheet VIEs, the maximum exposure to loss associated with these VIEs,
which would only be incurred in the unlikely event that all the finance receivables and underlying collateral have no residual value, was $67.9 million at March 31, 2026.
The Company retained servicing rights on the U.S. retail motorcycle loans within the deconsolidated VIEs for which it will receive servicing fees of 1% per annum. The servicing fee paid to the Company is considered adequate compensation for the services provided and therefore no servicing asset or liability has been recorded. Servicing and related fee income is included in Financial services revenue on the Consolidated statements of operations as earned. The Company recorded $4.4 million from contractually-specified servicing, late, and ancillary fees during the three months ended March 31, 2026.