Condensed Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jun. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 139,009	$ 123,993
Investment in receivable portfolios, net	2,469,593	2,440,669
Property and equipment, net	67,428	72,546
Deferred court costs, net	69,150	75,239
Other assets	184,721	148,762
Goodwill	840,544	924,847
Assets associated with discontinued operations	0	388,763
Total assets	3,770,445	4,174,819
Liabilities:
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	217,215	290,608
Debt	2,849,066	2,944,063
Other liabilities	30,451	59,226
Liabilities associated with discontinued operations	0	232,434
Total liabilities	3,096,732	3,526,331
Commitments and contingencies
Redeemable noncontrolling interest	40,736	38,624
Redeemable equity component of convertible senior notes	4,588	6,126
Equity:
Convertible preferred stock, $.01 par value, 5,000 shares authorized, no shares issued and outstanding	0	0
Common stock, $.01 par value, 50,000 shares authorized, 25,527 shares and 25,288 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively	255	253
Additional paid-in capital	112,959	110,533
Accumulated earnings	598,771	543,489
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(92,536)	(57,822)
Total Encore Capital Group, Inc. stockholders’ equity	619,449	596,453
Noncontrolling interest	8,940	7,285
Total equity	628,389	603,738
Total liabilities, redeemable equity and equity	3,770,445	4,174,819
Variable Interest Entities [Member]
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents	37,464	50,483
Investment in receivable portfolios, net	1,176,446	1,197,513
Property and equipment, net	16,447	19,767
Deferred court costs, net	33,018	33,296
Other assets	45,711	31,679
Goodwill	637,156	706,812
Assets associated with discontinued operations	0	92,985
Liabilities:
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	92,210	142,375
Debt	1,637,825	1,665,009
Other liabilities	719	839
Liabilities associated with discontinued operations	$ 0	$ 58,923