ORGANIZATION AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2016

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Basis of Accounting and Presentation

Basis of Accounting and Presentation

The unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) Regulation S-X. Accordingly, these financial statements do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete consolidated financial statements. In the opinion of management, the interim data includes all normal recurring adjustments considered necessary to fairly state the results for the interim periods presented. The preparation of interim condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of our interim condensed consolidated financial statements, as well as the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Intercompany transactions and accounts have been eliminated in consolidation. Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to current year presentation.

Altisource consolidates two cooperative entities which are managed by The Mortgage Partnership of America, L.L.C. (“MPA”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Altisource: Best Partners Mortgage Cooperative, Inc., a mortgage cooperative doing business as Lenders One^® (“Lenders One”) and Best Partners Mortgage Brokers Cooperative, Inc., a mortgage cooperative doing business as Wholesale One^® (“Wholesale One”). MPA provides services to Lenders One under a management agreement that ends on December 31, 2025 (with renewals for three successive five-year periods at MPA’s option) and to Wholesale One under a management agreement that ends on July 8, 2039 (with automatic renewals for three successive five-year periods).

The management agreements between MPA and Lenders One and between MPA and Wholesale One, pursuant to which MPA is the management company, represent variable interests in variable interest entities. MPA is the primary beneficiary of Lenders One and Wholesale One as it has the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact each of these cooperatives’ economic performance and the right to receive benefits from each of these cooperatives. As a result, Lenders One and Wholesale One are presented in the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements on a consolidated basis and the interests of the members are reflected as non-controlling interests. As of September 30, 2016, Lenders One had total assets of $4.0 million and total liabilities of $1.9 million. As of December 31, 2015, Lenders One had total assets of $4.9 million and total liabilities of $3.7 million. As of September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, Wholesale One had less than $0.1 million in total assets and less than $0.1 million in total liabilities.

These interim condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015, as filed with the SEC on March 15, 2016.

Fair Value Measurements

Fair Value Measurements

Fair value is defined as an exit price, representing the amount that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The three-tier hierarchy for inputs used in measuring fair value, which prioritizes the inputs used in the methodologies of measuring fair value for assets and liabilities, is as follows:

Level 1 — Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities

Level 2 — Observable inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1

Level 3 — Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of assets or liabilities.

Financial assets and financial liabilities are classified based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurements. Our assessment of the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurements requires judgment and may affect the valuation of the assets and liabilities being measured and their placement within the fair value hierarchy.

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncement

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncement

On January 1, 2016, Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2015-03, Interest-Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30): Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs, became effective. As a result of this accounting change, the Company now presents debt issuance costs, net as a direct deduction from the related debt (see Note 12). Prior to January 1, 2016, debt issuance costs, net were included in other assets. We adopted the standard retrospectively. Accordingly, prior period amounts were reclassified to conform to the current presentation.

Future Adoption of New Accounting Pronouncements

Future Adoption of New Accounting Pronouncements

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606). This standard establishes a single comprehensive model for entities to use in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers and supersedes most current revenue recognition guidance. The core principle of this standard is an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. This standard will be effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within that reporting period. Early adoption is permitted, although not prior to annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016. The Company is currently evaluating the impact this guidance may have on its results of operations and financial position.

In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-01, Financial Instruments - Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities. This standard will require equity investments (except those accounted for under the equity method of accounting or those that result in consolidation of the investee) to be measured at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in net income. The standard also simplifies the impairment assessment of equity investments without readily determinable fair values by requiring a qualitative assessment to identify impairment. When a qualitative assessment indicates that impairment exists, an entity is required to measure the investment at fair value. It also amends certain financial statement presentation and disclosure requirements associated with the fair value of financial instruments. This standard will be effective for annual periods beginning after December 31, 2017, including interim periods within that reporting period. Early adoption is not permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact this guidance may have on its results of operations and financial position.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842). This standard introduces a new lessee model that brings substantially all leases on the balance sheet. The standard will require companies to recognize lease assets and lease liabilities on their balance sheets and disclose key information about leasing arrangements in their financial statements. This standard will be effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within that reporting period. Early application of this standard is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact this guidance may have on its results of operations and financial position.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-08, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Principal versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue Gross versus Net). This standard clarifies guidance on principal versus agent considerations in connection with revenue recognition. When another party is involved in providing goods or services to a customer, an entity is required to determine whether the nature of its promise is to provide the specified good or service itself (that is, the entity is a principal) or to arrange for that good or service to be provided by the other party (that is, the entity is an agent). An entity is a principal if it controls the specified good or service before that good or service is transferred to a customer. The guidance includes indicators to assist an entity in determining whether it controls a specified good or service before it is transferred to the customer. This standard will be effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within that reporting period. Early adoption is permitted, although not prior to annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016. The Company is currently evaluating the impact this guidance may have on its results of operations and financial position.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting. This standard simplifies several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment transactions, including the income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities and classification on the statement of cash flows. The standard will require companies to recognize all award-related excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies in their income statements, classify any excess tax benefits as an operating activity in their statements of cash flows, provide companies with the option of estimating forfeitures or recognizing forfeitures as they occur, modify the statutory tax withholding requirements and classify cash paid by employers when directly withholding shares for tax withholding purposes as an investing activity in their statements of cash flows. This standard will be effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within that reporting period. Early application of this standard is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact this guidance may have on its results of operations and financial position.

In April 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-10, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing. This standard provides guidance on identifying performance obligations in a contract with a customer and clarifying several licensing considerations, including whether an entity’s promise to grant a license provides a customer with either a right to use the entity’s intellectual property (which is satisfied at a point in time) or a right to access the entity’s intellectual property (which is satisfied over time) and guidance on sales-based and usage-based royalties. This standard will be effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within that reporting period. Early adoption is permitted, although not prior to annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016. The Company is currently evaluating the impact this guidance may have on its results of operations and financial position.

In May 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-12, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Narrow-Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients. This standard addresses collectability, sales taxes and other similar taxes collected from customers, non-cash consideration, contract modifications at transition and completed contracts at transition. This standard will be effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within that reporting period. Early adoption is permitted, although not prior to annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016. The Company is currently evaluating the impact this guidance may have on its results of operations and financial position.

In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments. This standard addresses eight specific cash flow issues with the objective of reducing the existing diversity in practice. This standard will be effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within that reporting period. Early adoption of this standard is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact this guidance may have on its statement of cash flows.

In October 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-16, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other Than Inventory.  This standard will require that companies recognize the income tax consequences of an intra-entity transfer of an asset (other than inventory) when the transfer occurs.  Current guidance prohibits companies from recognizing current and deferred income taxes for an intra-entity asset transfer until the asset has been sold to an outside party.  This standard will be effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within that reporting period.  Early adoption of this standard is permitted.  The Company is currently evaluating the impact this guidance may have on its results of operations and financial position.