Ownership, Description of Business, and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Schedule of Changes in Accounting Principles

The following table summarizes the cumulative effects of adopting the CECL guidance on the Company’s consolidated statements of financial condition as of January 1, 2020 (in thousands):

	Balance as of December 31, 2019		Adjustment		Opening Balance as of January 1, 2020
Assets
Investment in receivable portfolios, net	$	3,283,984	$	44,166	$	3,328,150
Deferred court costs, net	100,172		(100,172)		—
Liabilities
Other liabilities (for deferred tax liabilities)	147,436		(11,768)		135,668
Equity
Accumulated earnings	888,058		(44,238)		843,820

Estimated Useful Lives of Property and Equipment

The provision for depreciation and amortization is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets as follows:

Fixed Asset Category	Estimated Useful Life
Leasehold improvements	Lesser of lease term, including periods covered by renewal options, or useful life
Furniture, fixtures and equipment	5 to 10 years
Computer hardware and software	3 to 5 years

Reconciliation of Shares Used in Calculating Earnings Per Basic and Diluted Shares

A reconciliation of shares used in calculating earnings per basic and diluted shares follows for the periods presented (in thousands, except per share amounts):

	Year Ended December 31,
	2020		2019		2018
Net income attributable to Encore Capital Group, Inc.	$	211,848	$	167,869	$	115,886
Total weighted-average basic shares outstanding	31,427		31,210		28,313
Dilutive effect of stock-based awards	283		264		259
Total weighted-average dilutive shares outstanding	31,710		31,474		28,572
Basic earnings per share	$	6.74	$	5.38	$	4.09
Diluted earnings per share	$	6.68	$	5.33	$	4.06