Acquisitions

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Business Combinations [Abstract]

Acquisitions

Acquisitions

In January 2020, we acquired the remaining 66% of Location for $11.5 million, subject to certain working capital adjustments. Location is a leading provider of geographic location indicators for crime and non-weather related events connected to underwriting risk assessment. This acquisition further progresses our long-term strategic plan by adding scale to our insurance and spatial businesses. Location is included as a component of our PIRM segment. The purchase price was allocated to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed using a variety of valuation techniques including discounted cash flow analysis, which included significant unobservable inputs. We have preliminarily recorded proprietary technology of $6.0 million with an estimated useful life of 10 years, client lists of $0.3 million with an estimated useful life of 5 years, trademarks of $0.8 million with an estimated useful life of 8 years, non-compete agreements of $0.4 million with an estimated useful life of 5 years, and goodwill of $12.6 million. As of December 31, 2020, goodwill increased by $0.3 million as a result of a change in the purchase price allocation for certain working capital adjustments. In connection with this acquisition, we remeasured our then-existing 34% investment ownership in Location which resulted in a $0.6 million step-up gain that we recorded within gain/(loss) on investments and other, net, in our consolidated statement of operations for the year-ended December 31, 2020.

In August 2019, we completed the acquisition of NTS for $15.0 million, subject to certain working capital adjustments, and up to $7.5 million to be paid in cash by 2022 contingent upon the achievement of certain revenue targets in fiscal years 2020 and 2021 (See Note 10 - Fair Value for further details). NTS is a leading provider of commercial property tax payment services and specializes in identifying potential collateral loss related to unpaid property tax, homeowner's association fees, and inaccurate flood zone determinations. The NTS acquisition increases the Company's commercial property tax offerings and is expected to drive future growth in the US. NTS is included as a component of our UWS segment. The purchase price was allocated to the assets acquired and the liabilities assumed using a variety of valuation techniques including discounted cash flow analysis, which included significant unobservable inputs. We recorded client lists of $5.0 million with an estimated useful life of 10 years, proprietary technology of $3.3 million with an estimated useful life of 7 years, trademarks of $1.0 million with an estimated useful life of 7 years, non-compete agreements of $0.3 million with an estimated useful life of 5 years, contract liabilities of $2.5 million, and goodwill of $5.5 million, all of which is deductible for tax purposes.

In December 2018, we acquired the remaining 72.0% of Symbility for C$107.1 million, or approximately $80.0 million, exclusive of working capital adjustments. Symbility is a leading global provider of cloud-based property claims workflow solutions for the property and casualty insurance industry, headquartered in Canada. This acquisition further progresses our long-term strategic plan by adding scale to our insurance and spatial businesses and international presence. Symbility is included as a component of our PIRM segment. The purchase price was allocated to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed using a variety of valuation techniques including discounted cash flow analysis, which included significant unobservable inputs. We recorded $14.9 million in proprietary technology with an estimated useful life of 8 years, client lists of $6.4 million with an estimated useful life of 12 years, trademarks of $1.2 million with an estimated useful life of 4 years, $0.4 million of deferred tax liabilities, and goodwill of $70.7 million. In connection with this acquisition, we remeasured our existing 28.0% investment ownership in Symbility which resulted in a $13.3 million step-up gain that we recorded within (loss)/gain on investments and other, net in our consolidated statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2018.

In December 2018, we completed the acquisition of HomeVisit for $12.7 million, exclusive of working capital adjustments. HomeVisit is a leading provider of marketing focused real estate solutions, including property listing photography, videography, 3D modeling, drone imagery and related services. Given anticipated synergy with our pre-existing real estate solutions platforms, this acquisition is expected to enable the next generation of property marketing solutions for real estate professionals, MLS, brokers and agents across North America. HomeVisit is included as a component of our PIRM segment. The purchase price was allocated to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed using a variety of valuation techniques including discounted cash flow analysis, which included significant unobservable inputs. We recorded $1.4 million for non-compete agreements with an estimated useful life of 5 years, client lists of $0.9 million with an estimated useful life of 11 years, trademarks of $0.2 million with an estimated useful life of 3 years, and goodwill of $10.3 million, all of which is deductible for tax purposes.

In April 2018, we completed the acquisition of a la mode for $120.0 million, exclusive of working capital adjustments. a la mode is a provider of subscription-based software solutions that facilitate the aggregation of data, imagery, and photographs in a government-sponsored enterprise compliant format for the completion of US residential appraisals. This acquisition contributes to our continual development and scaling of our end-to-end valuation solutions workflow suite, which includes data and market insights, analytics as well as data-enabled services and platforms. a la mode is included as a component of our UWS segment. The purchase price was allocated to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed using a variety of valuation techniques including discounted cash flow analysis, which included significant unobservable inputs. We recorded contract liabilities of

$7.5 million, proprietary technology of $15.8 million with an estimated useful life of 7 years, client lists of $32.5 million with an estimated useful life of 13 years, tradenames of $9.0 million with an estimated useful life of 8 years, non-compete agreements of $5.7 million with an estimated useful life of 5 years, and goodwill of $63.6 million, of which $61.4 million is deductible for tax purposes.

In February 2018, we completed the acquisition of eTech for cash of approximately £15.0 million, or $21.0 million, exclusive of working capital adjustments. eTech is a leading provider of innovative mobile surveying and workflow management software that enhances productivity and mitigates risk for participants in the U.K. valuation market. This acquisition expands our U.K. presence and strengthens our technology platform offerings. eTech is included as a component of our PIRM segment. The purchase price was allocated to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed using a variety of valuation techniques including discounted cash flow analysis, which included significant unobservable inputs. We recorded a deferred tax liability of $1.6 million, proprietary technology of $7.0 million with an estimated useful life of 5 years, client lists of $1.7 million with an estimated useful life of 9 years, and goodwill of $14.1 million.

For the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, the business combinations in each respective period did not have a material impact on our consolidated statements of operations; and we incurred $0.3 million, $0.4 million and $4.2 million, respectively, of acquisition-related costs within selling, general and administrative expenses in our consolidated statements of operations.