MORGAN STANLEY

1. Introduction and Basis of Presentation

The Firm

Morgan Stanley is a global financial services firm that maintains significant market positions in each of its business segments—Institutional Securities, Wealth Management and Investment Management. Morgan Stanley, through its subsidiaries and affiliates, provides a wide variety of products and services to a large and diversified group of clients and customers, including corporations, governments, financial institutions and individuals. Unless the context otherwise requires, the terms “Morgan Stanley” or the “Firm” mean Morgan Stanley (the “Parent Company”) together with its consolidated subsidiaries. See the “Glossary of Common Terms and Acronyms” for the definition of certain terms and acronyms used throughout this Form 10-K.

A description of the clients and principal products and services of each of the Firm’s business segments is as follows:

Institutional Securities provides a variety of products and services to corporations, governments, financial institutions and ultra-high net worth clients. Investment Banking services consist of capital raising and financial advisory services, including the underwriting of debt, equity securities and other products, as well as advice on mergers and acquisitions, restructurings and project finance. Our Equity and Fixed Income businesses include sales, financing, prime brokerage, market-making, Asia wealth management services and certain business-related investments. Lending activities include originating corporate loans and commercial real estate loans, providing secured lending facilities, and extending securities-based and other financing to clients. Other activities include research.

Wealth Management provides a comprehensive array of financial services and solutions to individual investors and small to medium-sized businesses and institutions. Wealth Management covers: financial advisor-led brokerage, custody, administrative and investment advisory services; self-directed brokerage services; financial and wealth planning services; workplace services, including stock plan administration; securities-based lending, residential and commercial real estate loans and other lending products; banking; and retirement plan services.

Investment Management provides a broad range of investment strategies and products that span geographies, asset classes, and public and private markets to a diverse group of clients across institutional and intermediary channels. Strategies and products, which are offered through a variety of investment vehicles, include equity, fixed income, alternatives and solutions, and liquidity and overlay services. Institutional clients include defined benefit/defined contribution plans, foundations, endowments, government entities, sovereign wealth funds,

insurance companies, third-party fund sponsors and corporations. Individual clients are generally served through intermediaries, including affiliated and non-affiliated distributors.

Basis of Financial Information

The financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP, which requires the Firm to make estimates and assumptions regarding the valuations of certain financial instruments, the valuations of goodwill and intangible assets, the outcome of legal and tax matters, deferred tax assets, ACL, and other matters that affect its financial statements and related disclosures. The Firm believes that the estimates utilized in the preparation of its financial statements are prudent and reasonable. Actual results could differ materially from these estimates.

The Notes are an integral part of the Firm’s financial statements. The Firm has evaluated subsequent events for adjustment to or disclosure in these financial statements through the date of this report and has not identified any recordable or disclosable events not otherwise reported in these financial statements or the notes thereto.

Consolidation

The financial statements include the accounts of the Firm, its wholly owned subsidiaries and other entities in which the Firm has a controlling financial interest, including certain VIEs (see Note 15). Intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated. For consolidated subsidiaries that are not wholly owned, the third-party holdings of equity interests are referred to as Noncontrolling interests. The net income attributable to Noncontrolling interests for such subsidiaries is presented as Net income applicable to noncontrolling interests in the income statement. The portion of shareholders’ equity that is attributable to Noncontrolling interests for such subsidiaries is presented as Noncontrolling interests, a component of Total equity, in the balance sheet.

For entities where the total equity investment at risk is sufficient to enable the entity to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support and the equity holders bear the residual economic risks and returns of the entity and have the power to direct the activities of the entity that most significantly affect its economic performance, the Firm consolidates those entities it controls either through a majority voting interest or otherwise. For VIEs (i.e., entities that do not meet the aforementioned criteria), the Firm consolidates those entities where it has the power to make the decisions that most significantly affect the economic performance of the VIE and has the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits that could potentially be significant to the VIE.

For investments in entities in which the Firm does not have a controlling financial interest but has significant influence over operating and financial decisions, it applies the equity method

Table of Contents

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

of accounting with net gains and losses recorded within Other revenues (see Note 11) unless the Firm has elected to measure the investment at fair value, in which case net gains and losses are recorded within Investments revenues (see Note 5).

Equity and partnership interests held by entities qualifying for accounting purposes as investment companies are carried at fair value.

The Firm’s significant regulated U.S. and international subsidiaries include:

•Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC (“MS&Co.”),

•Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“MSSB”),

•Morgan Stanley Europe SE (“MSESE”),

•Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc (“MSIP”),

•Morgan Stanley Capital Services LLC (“MSCS”),

•Morgan Stanley Capital Group Inc. (“MSCG”),

•Morgan Stanley MUFG Securities Co., Ltd. (“MSMS”),

•Morgan Stanley Bank, N.A. (“MSBNA”) and

•Morgan Stanley Private Bank, National Association (“MSPBNA”).

For further information on the Firm’s significant regulated U.S. and international subsidiaries, see Note 16.