Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - USD ($) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014
Operating activities:
Net income	$ 45,788	$ 70,321
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	24,669	19,879
Non-cash interest expense, net	27,455	20,989
Stock-based compensation expense	17,259	13,560
Deferred income taxes	(257)	(11,863)
Excess tax benefit from stock-based payment arrangements	(1,705)	(11,422)
Reversal of allowances on receivable portfolios, net	(3,958)	(12,455)
Changes in operating assets and liabilities
Deferred court costs and other assets	(41,354)	(16,498)
Prepaid income tax and income taxes payable	(45,776)	2,402
Accounts payable, accrued liabilities and other liabilities	41,260	23,850
Net cash provided by operating activities	63,381	98,763
Investing activities:
Cash paid for acquisitions, net of cash acquired	(236,214)	(495,519)
Purchases of receivable portfolios, net of put-backs	(549,957)	(666,470)
Collections applied to investment in receivable portfolios, net	488,174	488,086
Originations and purchases of receivables secured by tax liens	(167,739)	(108,739)
Collections applied to receivables secured by tax liens	123,407	93,986
Purchases of property and equipment	(15,754)	(13,598)
Other, net	3,178	(1,987)
Net cash used in investing activities	(354,905)	(704,241)
Financing activities:
Payment of loan costs	(7,316)	(15,271)
Proceeds from credit facilities	903,319	993,449
Repayment of credit facilities	(466,745)	(878,883)
Proceeds from senior secured notes	0	288,645
Repayment of senior secured notes	(11,250)	(11,250)
Proceeds from issuance of convertible senior notes	0	161,000
Proceeds from issuance of securitized notes	0	134,000
Repayment of securitized notes	(32,324)	(20,599)
Repayment of preferred equity certificates, net	0	702
Purchases of convertible hedge instruments	0	(33,576)
Repurchase of common stock	(33,185)	(16,815)
Taxes paid related to net share settlement of equity awards	(6,050)	(19,356)
Excess tax benefit from stock-based payment arrangements	1,705	11,422
Other, net	(2,299)	987
Net cash provided by financing activities	345,855	593,051
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents	54,331	(12,427)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	(3,274)	1,654
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period	124,163	126,213
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period	175,220	115,440
Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information:
Cash paid for interest	114,731	120,125
Cash paid for income taxes, net	72,306	54,452
Supplemental schedule of non-cash investing and financing activities:
Fixed assets acquired through capital lease	$ 1,290	$ 6,852