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Fair Value Measurements

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Note 2: Fair Value Measurements

Fair value is defined as the price that would be received upon sale of an asset or the price paid to transfer a liability, in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date (i.e., the “exit price”). The Company uses a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs used in valuation techniques to measure fair value into three broad levels. The following is a brief description of each level:

•Level 1: Observable inputs such as quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

•Level 2: Inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. These include quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets and quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active.

•Level 3: Unobservable inputs, including inputs that reflect the reporting entity’s own assumptions.

Financial Instruments Required To Be Carried At Fair Value

Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis are summarized below (in thousands):


	Fair Value Measurements as of December 31, 2020
	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Assets

Cross-currency swap agreements	$	—	$	11,578	$	—	$	11,578
Interest rate cap contracts	—		659		—		659
Liabilities

Interest rate swap agreements	—		(5,232)		—		(5,232)
Contingent consideration	—		—		(2,957)		(2,957)


	Fair Value Measurements as of December 31, 2019
	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Assets

Foreign currency exchange contracts	$	—	$	1,473	$	—	$	1,473
Interest rate cap contracts	—		2,460		—		2,460
Liabilities
Interest rate swap agreements	—		(9,116)		—		(9,116)
Contingent consideration	—		—		(66)		(66)

Derivative Contracts:

The Company uses derivative instruments to manage its exposure to fluctuations in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates. Fair values of these derivative instruments are estimated using industry standard valuation models. These models project future cash flows and discount the future amounts to a present value using market-based observable inputs, including interest rate curves, foreign currency exchange rates, and forward and spot prices for currencies.

Contingent Consideration:

The Company carries certain contingent liabilities resulting from its mergers and acquisition activities. Certain sellers of the Company’s acquired entities could earn additional earn-out payments in cash based on the entities’ subsequent operating performance. The Company recorded the acquisition date fair values of these contingent liabilities, based on the likelihood of contingent earn-out payments, as part of the consideration transferred. The earn-out payments are subsequently remeasured to fair value at each reporting date, based on actual and forecasted operating performance.

The following table provides a roll-forward of the fair value of contingent consideration for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018 (in thousands):


	Amount
Balance as of December 31, 2017	$	10,612
Issuance of contingent consideration	1,728
Change in fair value of contingent consideration	(5,664)
Payment of contingent consideration	(271)
Effect of foreign currency translation	(207)
Balance as of December 31, 2018	6,198
Change in fair value of contingent consideration	(2,300)
Payment of contingent consideration	(3,686)
Effect of foreign currency translation	(146)
Balance as of December 31, 2019	66
Issuance of contingent consideration	2,848
Payment of contingent consideration	(88)
Effect of foreign currency translation	131
Balance as of December 31, 2020	$	2,957

Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest:

Some minority shareholders in certain subsidiaries of the Company had the right, at certain times, to require the Company to acquire their ownership interest in those entities at fair value and, in some cases, to force a sale of the subsidiary if the Company chose not to purchase their interests at fair value. In connection with various business transactions, the Company redeemed or deconsolidated all of its redeemable noncontrolling interest during the year ended December 31, 2018 and no longer carried any redeemable noncontrolling interest as of December 31, 2018.

The components of the change in the redeemable noncontrolling interest for the years ended December 31, 2018 are presented in the following table (in thousands):


	Amount











Balance as of December 31, 2017	$	151,978

Redemption of redeemable noncontrolling interest	(138,835)
Deconsolidation upon sale of redeemable noncontrolling interest	5,535
Net loss attributable to redeemable noncontrolling interest	(4,791)
Adjustment of the redeemable noncontrolling interest to fair value	(7,419)
Effect of foreign currency translation attributable to redeemable noncontrolling interest	(6,468)
Balance as of December 31, 2018	$	—

Non-Recurring Fair Value Measurement:

Certain assets are measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis. These assets include real estate-owned assets classified as held for sale at the lower of their carrying value or fair value less cost to sell. The fair value of the assets held for sale and estimated selling expenses were determined at the time of initial recognition and in each reporting period using Level 3 measurements. The fair value estimate of the assets held for sale was approximately $42.2 million and $46.7 million as of December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively.

Financial Instruments Not Required To Be Carried At Fair Value

The table below summarizes fair value estimates for the Company’s financial instruments that are not required to be carried at fair value. The total of the fair value calculations presented does not represent, and should not be construed to represent, the underlying value of the Company. The carrying amounts in the following table are recorded in the consolidated statements of financial condition as of December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019 (in thousands):


	December 31, 2020				December 31, 2019
	Carrying Amount		Estimated Fair Value		Carrying Amount		Estimated Fair Value
Financial Assets
Investment in receivable portfolios	$	3,291,918	$	3,705,672	$	3,283,984	$	3,464,050
Deferred court costs	—		—		100,172		100,172
Financial Liabilities
Convertible notes and exchangeable notes(1)	564,136		622,081		642,547		693,708
Senior secured notes(2)	1,642,058		1,684,729		1,127,435		1,170,945

________________________

(1)Carrying amount represents the portion of the convertible and exchangeable notes classified as debt, while estimated fair value pertains to the face amount of the notes.

(2)Carrying amount represents historical cost, adjusted for any related debt discount or debt premium.

Investment in Receivable Portfolios:

The fair value of investment in receivable portfolios is measured using Level 3 inputs by discounting the estimated future cash flows generated by the Company’s proprietary forecasting models. The key inputs include the estimated future gross cash flow, average cost to collect, and discount rate. The determination of such inputs requires significant judgment, including assessing the assumed market participant’s cost structure, its determination of whether to include fixed costs in its valuation, its collection strategies, and determining the appropriate weighted average cost of capital. The Company evaluates the use of these key inputs on an ongoing basis and refines the data as it continues to obtain better information from market participants in the debt recovery and purchasing business.

Deferred Court Costs:

Effective January 1, 2020, the Company no longer carries Deferred Court Costs as a result of its change in accounting policy. The fair value estimate for Deferred Court Costs as of December 31, 2019 involved Level 3 inputs as there was little observable market data available and management was required to use significant judgment in its estimates.

Borrowings:

The Company’s convertible notes, exchangeable notes and senior secured notes are carried at historical cost, adjusted for the applicable debt discount. The fair value estimate for the convertible and exchangeable notes incorporates quoted market prices using Level 2 inputs. The fair value of the senior secured notes is estimated using widely accepted valuation techniques, including discounted cash flow analyses using available market information on discount and borrowing rates with similar terms, maturities, and credit ratings. Accordingly, the Company used Level 2 inputs for these debt instrument fair value estimates.

The carrying value of the Company’s senior secured revolving credit facility agreement approximates fair value due to the short-term nature of the interest rate period. The Company’s borrowings also include private placement notes, securitisation senior facility and finance lease liabilities for which the carrying value approximates respective fair value.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments as well as disclosures related to the fair value of non-financial assets and liabilities. Such disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities would include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate); (2) for items for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value, disclosure would include: (a) information pertinent to estimating fair value (including, carrying amount, effective interest rate, and maturity, and (b) the reasons why it is not practicable to estimate fair value; (3) significant concentrations of credit risk including: (a) information about the activity, region, or economic characteristics identifying a concentration, (b) the maximum amount of loss the entity is exposed to based on the gross fair value of the related item, (c) policy for requiring collateral or other security and information as to accessing such collateral or security, and (d) the nature and brief description of such collateral or security; (4) quantitative information about market risks and how such risks are managed; (5) for items measured on both a recurring and nonrecurring basis information regarding the inputs used to develop the fair value measurement; and (6) for items presented in the financial statement for which fair value measurement is elected: (a) information necessary to understand the reasons for the election, (b) discussion of the effect of fair value changes on earnings, (c) a description of [similar groups] items for which the election is made and the relation thereof to the balance sheet, the aggregate carrying value of items included in the balance sheet that are not eligible for the election; (7) all other required (as defined) and desired information.

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