Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2021

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]

DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS AND HEDGING ACTIVITIES

(10) DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS AND HEDGING ACTIVITIES

The Company is exposed to foreign currency exchange risk resulting from (i) the collection of funds or the settlement of money transfer transactions in currencies other than the U.S. Dollar, (ii) derivative contracts written to its customers in connection with providing cross-currency money transfer services and (iii) certain foreign currency denominated other asset and liability positions. The Company enters into foreign currency derivative contracts, primarily foreign currency forwards and cross-currency swaps, to minimize its exposure related to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. As a matter of Company policy, the derivative instruments used in these activities are economic hedges and are not designated as hedges under ASC 815, primarily due to either the relatively short duration of the contract term or the effects of fluctuations in currency exchange rates are reflected concurrently in earnings for both the derivative instrument and the transaction and have an offsetting effect. 

Foreign currency exchange contracts - Ria Operations and Corporate

In the United States, the Company uses short-duration foreign currency forward contracts, generally with maturities up to 14 days, to offset the fluctuation in foreign currency exchange rates on the collection of money transfer funds between initiation of a transaction and its settlement. Due to the short duration of these contracts and the Company’s credit profile, the Company is generally not required to post collateral with respect to these foreign currency forward contracts. Most derivative contracts executed with counterparties in the U.S. are governed by an International Swaps and Derivatives Association agreement that includes standard netting arrangements; therefore, asset and liability positions from forward contracts and all other foreign exchange transactions with the same counterparty are net settled upon maturity. The Company had foreign currency forward contracts outstanding in the U.S. with a notional value of $120 million and $246 million as of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively. The foreign currency forward contracts consist primarily in Australian dollars, Canadian dollars, British pounds sterling, euro and Mexican pesos.

In addition, the Company uses forward contracts, typically with maturities from a few days to less than one year, to offset foreign exchange rate fluctuations on certain short-term borrowings that are payable in currencies other than the U.S dollar. The Company had foreign currency forward contracts outstanding with a notional value of $593 million and $454 million as of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively, primarily in euro.

Foreign currency exchange contracts - xe Operations

xe writes derivative instruments, primarily foreign currency forward contracts and cross-currency swaps, mostly with counterparties comprised of individuals and small-to-medium size businesses and derives a currency margin from this activity as part of its operations. xe aggregates its foreign currency exposures arising from customer contracts and hedges the resulting net currency risks by entering into offsetting contracts with established financial institution counterparties. Foreign exchange revenues from xe's total portfolio of positions were $18.5 million and $18.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. All of the derivative contracts used in the Company' s xe operations are economic hedges and are not designated as hedges under ASC 815. The duration of these derivative contracts is generally less than one year.

The fair value of xe's total portfolio of positions can change significantly from period to period based on, among other factors, market movements and changes in customer contract positions. xe manages counterparty credit risk (the risk that counterparties will default and not make payments according to the terms of the agreements) on an individual counterparty basis. It mitigates this risk by entering into contracts with collateral posting requirements and/or by performing financial assessments prior to contract execution, conducting periodic evaluations of counterparty performance and maintaining a diverse portfolio of qualified counterparties. xe does not expect any significant losses from counterparty defaults.

The aggregate equivalent U.S. dollar notional amount of foreign currency derivative customer contracts held by the Company in its xe operations as of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020 was approximately $1.4 billion and $1.3 billion, respectively. The significant majority of customer contracts are written in major currencies such as the euro, U.S. dollar, British pounds sterling, Australian dollar and New Zealand dollar.

Balance Sheet Presentation

The following table summarizes the fair value of the derivative instruments as recorded in the Consolidated Balance Sheets as of the dates below:

	Asset Derivatives					Liability Derivatives
		Fair Value					Fair Value
(in thousands)	Balance Sheet Location	March 31, 2021		December 31, 2020		Balance Sheet Location	March 31, 2021			December 31, 2020
Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments
Foreign currency exchange contracts	Other current assets	$	49,390	$	80,879	Other current liabilities	$	(41,219	)	$	(65,905	)

The following tables summarize the gross and net fair value of derivative assets and liabilities as of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020 (in thousands):

Offsetting of Derivative Assets

							Gross Amounts Not Offset in the Consolidated Balance Sheet
As of March 31, 2021	Gross Amounts of Recognized Assets		Gross Amounts Offset in the Consolidated Balance Sheet		Net Amounts Presented in the Consolidated Balance Sheet		Financial Instruments			Cash Collateral Received			Net Amounts
Derivatives subject to a master netting arrangement or similar agreement	$	49,390	$	—	$	49,390	$	(26,069	)	$	(4,243	)	$	19,078
As of December 31, 2020
Derivatives subject to a master netting arrangement or similar agreement	$	80,879	$	—	$	80,879	$	(44,893	)	$	(2,778	)	$	33,208

Offsetting of Derivative Liabilities

									Gross Amounts Not Offset in the Consolidated Balance Sheet
As of March 31, 2021	Gross Amounts of Recognized Liabilities			Gross Amounts Offset in the Consolidated Balance Sheet		Net Amounts Presented in the Consolidated Balance Sheet			Financial Instruments		Cash Collateral Paid		Net Amounts
Derivatives subject to a master netting arrangement or similar agreement	$	(41,219	)	$	—	$	(41,219	)	$	26,069	$	2,307	$	(12,843	)
As of December 31, 2020
Derivatives subject to a master netting arrangement or similar agreement	$	(65,905	)	$	—	$	(65,905	)	$	44,893	$	12,272	$	(8,740	)

See Note 11, Fair Value Measurements, for the determination of the fair values of derivatives.

Income Statement Presentation

The following table summarizes the location and amount of gains and losses on derivatives in the Consolidated Statements of Income for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020:

		Amount of (Loss) Gain Recognized in Income on Derivative Contracts (a)
	Location of (Loss) Gain Recognized in Income on Derivative Contracts	Three Months Ended March 31,
(in thousands)		2021			2020
Foreign currency exchange contracts - Ria Operations	Foreign currency exchange (loss) gain, net	$	(2,468	)	$	1,019

(a) The Company enters into derivative contracts such as foreign currency exchange forwards and cross-currency swaps as part of its xe operations. These derivative contracts are excluded from this table as they are part of the broader disclosure of foreign currency exchange revenues for this business discussed above.

See Note 11, Fair Value Measurements, for the determination of the fair values of derivatives.