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ORGANIZATION AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION (Policies)
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2017
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.
Effective January 1, 2017, our reportable segments changed as a result of changes in our internal organization, which changed the way our Chief Executive Officer (our chief operating decision maker) manages our businesses, allocates resources and evaluates performance. We now report our operations through two new reportable segments: Mortgage Market and Real Estate Market. In addition, we report Other Businesses, Corporate and Eliminations separately. Prior to the January 1, 2017 change in reportable segments, our reportable segments were Mortgage Services, Financial Services and Technology Services. Prior year comparable period segment disclosures have been restated to conform to the current year presentation. See Note 21 for a description of our business segments.
Altisource consolidates Best Partners Mortgage Cooperative, Inc., which is managed by The Mortgage Partnership of America, L.L.C. (“MPA”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Altisource. Best Partners Mortgage Cooperative, Inc. is a mortgage cooperative doing business as Lenders One® (“Lenders 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).
The management agreement between MPA and Lenders One, pursuant to which MPA is the management company, represents a variable interest in a variable interest entity. MPA is the primary beneficiary of Lenders One as it has the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the cooperative’s economic performance and the right to receive benefits from the cooperative. As a result, Lenders One is presented in the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements on a consolidated basis and the interests of the members are reflected as non-controlling interests.
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 1Quoted 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
The Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2016-09, Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting, became effective on January 1, 2017. 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 requires companies to recognize all award-related excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies in the income statement, classify any excess tax benefits as an operating activity in the statement of cash flows, limit tax withholding up to the maximum statutory tax rates in order to continue to apply equity accounting rules and classify cash paid by employers when directly withholding shares for tax withholding purposes as an investing activity in the statement of cash flows. The standard also provides companies with the option of estimating forfeitures or recognizing forfeitures as they occur. In connection with the adoption of this standard, the Company made an accounting policy election to account for forfeitures in compensation expense as they occur, rather than continuing to apply the Company’s previous policy of estimating forfeitures. This policy election resulted in a cumulative effect adjustment of $0.9 million to retained earnings and additional paid-in capital as of January 1, 2017 using the modified retrospective transition method. There were no other significant impacts of the adoption of this standard on the Company’s results of operations and financial position.
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 new 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. The Company plans to adopt ASU No. 2014-09 retrospectively with the cumulative effect of initially applying the new standard recognized on the date of the initial application. The new standard will be effective for the Company on January 1, 2018. Based on the Company’s analysis of all sources of revenue from customers for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, the Company estimates that less than 3% of consolidated revenue, primarily related to software development professional services, would likely be deferred and recognized over future periods under the new standard. The Company will continue to analyze the impact of this guidance and refine the estimated impact 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 15, 2017, including interim periods within that reporting period. Early adoption is not permitted. Based on the Company’s analysis of this guidance, upon adoption of ASU No. 2016-01 the Company will reflect changes in the fair value of its available for sale securities in income. These changes in fair value are currently reflected in other comprehensive income. The Company will adopt ASU No. 2016-01 with a cumulative effect adjustment to the balance sheet as of the beginning of the year of adoption. The Company currently has one investment that will be impacted by this standard, its investment in Altisource Residential Corporation (“RESI”) (see Note 4). As of September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, the unrealized loss in accumulated other comprehensive loss related to the RESI investment was $1.5 million and $1.7 million, respectively.
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 of this guidance on its results of operations and financial position. Based on the Company’s preliminary analysis of its lease arrangements as of September 30, 2017 where the Company is a lessee, less than $25.0 million, primarily related to office leases, would be recorded as right-of-use assets and lease liabilities on the Company’s balance sheet under the new standard. The Company will continue to analyze the impact of this guidance and refine the estimated impact 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. The Company is currently evaluating the impact this guidance may have on its results of operations and financial position in connection with its adoption of ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), as described above.
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. The Company is currently evaluating the impact this guidance may have on its results of operations and financial position in connection with its adoption of ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), as described above.
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. The Company is currently evaluating the impact this guidance may have on its results of operations and financial position in connection with its adoption of ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), as described above.
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 currently does not expect the adoption of this guidance to have a material effect 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 currently does not expect the adoption of this guidance to have a material effect on its results of operations and financial position.
In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted Cash. This standard will require that companies include restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents in their cash and cash equivalent balances in the statement of cash flows. Therefore, amounts generally described as restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents should be included with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the beginning-of-period and end-of-period total amounts shown on the statement of cash flows. 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 currently does not expect the adoption of this guidance to have a material effect on its statement of cash flows. As of September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, restricted cash was $4.2 million and $4.1 million, respectively.
In December 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-20, Technical Corrections and Improvements to Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The FASB issued 13 technical corrections and improvements to ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), including providing optional exemptions from the disclosure requirement for remaining performance obligations for specific situations in which an entity need not estimate variable consideration to recognize revenue. The amendments in this standard also expand the information that is required to be disclosed when an entity applies one of the optional exemptions. This standard will be effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within that reporting period. The Company is currently evaluating the impact this guidance may have on its results of operations and financial position in connection with its adoption of ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), as described above.
In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-01, Business Combinations (Topic 805): Clarifying the Definition of a Business. This standard clarifies the definition of a business and provides a screen to determine if a set of inputs, processes and outputs is a business. The screen requires that when substantially all of the fair value of gross assets acquired (or disposed of) is concentrated in a single identifiable asset or a group of similar identifiable assets, the assets acquired would not be a business. Under the new guidance, in order to be considered a business, an acquisition must include, at a minimum, an input and a substantive process that together significantly contribute to the ability to create output. In addition, the standard narrows the definition of the term “output” so that it is consistent with how it is described in ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606). This standard will be effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within that reporting period. The Company does not expect the adoption of this guidance to have a material effect on its results of operations and financial position.
In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-04, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment. This standard will simplify the subsequent measurement of goodwill by eliminating Step 2 from the goodwill impairment test. Current guidance requires that companies compute the implied fair value of goodwill under Step 2 by performing procedures to determine the fair value at the impairment testing date of its assets and liabilities (including unrecognized assets and liabilities) following the procedure that would be required in determining the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in a business combination. This standard will require companies to perform annual or interim goodwill impairment tests by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount. An entity should recognize an impairment charge for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value; however, the loss recognized should not exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. This standard will be effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within that reporting period, and will be applied prospectively. Early adoption of this standard is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact this guidance may have on its consolidated financial statements.
In February 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-05, Other Income-Gains and Losses from the Derecognition of Nonfinancial Assets (Subtopic 610-20): Clarifying the Scope of Asset Derecognition Guidance and Accounting for Partial Sales of Nonfinancial Assets. This standard was issued to clarify the scope of Subtopic 610-20, Other Income-Gains and Losses from the Derecognition of Nonfinancial Assets, and to add guidance for partial sales of nonfinancial assets. Subtopic 610-20 provides guidance for recognizing gains and losses from the transfer of nonfinancial assets in contracts with noncustomers. 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 currently does not expect the adoption of this guidance to have a material effect on its results of operations and financial position.
In May 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-09, Compensation—Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Scope of Modification Accounting. This standard provides guidance about which changes to the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award require the application of modification accounting. This standard will require companies to continue to apply modification accounting, unless the fair value, vesting conditions and classification of an award all do not change as a result of the modification. This standard will be effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within that reporting period. Early adoption is permitted. The Company currently does not expect the adoption of this guidance to have a material effect on its results of operations and financial position.
In August 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-12, Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities. The amendments in this standard better align an entity’s risk management activities and financial reporting for hedging relationships through changes to both the designation and measurement guidance for qualifying hedging relationships and the presentation of hedging results. This standard will be effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within that reporting period. Early application is permitted. The Company currently does not expect the adoption of this guidance to have a material effect on its results of operations and financial position.