Description of Business and Principles of Consolidation	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2022
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Description of Business and Principles of Consolidation	Note 1 – Description of Business and Principles of Consolidation These consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Heritage Global Inc. together with its subsidiaries, including Heritage Global Partners, Inc. (“HGP”), National Loan Exchange Inc. (“NLEX”), Heritage Global LLC (“HG LLC”), Heritage Global Capital LLC (“HGC”), and Heritage ALT LLC (“ALT”). These entities, collectively, are referred to as “HG,” the “Company,” “we” or “our” in these consolidated financial statements. These consolidated financial statements were prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“GAAP”), as outlined in the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) and include the assets, liabilities, revenues, and expenses of all subsidiaries over which HG exercises control. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated upon consolidation. The Company began its operations in 2009 with the establishment of HG LLC. The business was subsequently expanded by the acquisitions of HGP, NLEX, and ALT in 2012, 2014, and 2021 respectively, and the creation of HGC in 2019. As a result, HG is positioned to provide an array of value-added capital and financial asset solutions: auction and appraisal services, traditional asset disposition sales, and specialty financing solutions. The Company’s reportable segments consist of Auction and Liquidation, through HPG, Refurbishment & Resale, through ALT, Brokerage, through NLEX and Specialty Lending, through HGC. COVID-19 While the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic had a negative impact on the Company's performance during 2021 due to evolving travel and work restrictions, stimulus payments and credit policies impacting debt sales by financial institutions, and a delay in the typical process for the sale of certain industrial assets by manufacturing companies, it did not have a material negative impact on the Industrial Assets Division during 2022, as the supply of surplus industrial assets largely returned to pre-pandemic levels and the continuing disruptions to the global supply chain, particularly those involving industrial assets, increased demand for U.S. based surplus assets. COVID-19’s potentially negative impact on the Financial Assets Division in 2022 from reduced charged-off receivable portfolio volumes was offset by an increase in business volume and an influx of new clients for the NLEX brokerage business as a result of adaptive changes made during 2021. Going forward, the Company does not believe the COVID-19 pandemic will have material negative impacts on its financial performance, as it expects that supply and demand will remain robust in the Industrial Assets Division and increasing consumer spending and rising delinquency and charge-off rates will result in expanding volumes of nonperforming and charged-off consumer loans, which will benefit the Financial Assets Division. Repurchase Program The Company’s Board of Directors authorized a share repurchase program on May 5, 2022 (“2022 Repurchase Program”), which permits the Company to purchase up to an aggregate of $4.0 million in common shares over a three year period ending in June of 2025. As of December 31, 2022, the Company had approximately $3.6 million in remaining aggregate dollar value of shares that may be purchased under the program. There were 243,468 shares repurchased in the open market for approximately $0.4 million during 2022.

Description of Business and Principles of Consolidation

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2022

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Description of Business and Principles of Consolidation

Note 1 – Description of Business and Principles of Consolidation

These consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Heritage Global Inc. together with its subsidiaries, including Heritage Global Partners, Inc. (“HGP”), National Loan Exchange Inc. (“NLEX”), Heritage Global LLC (“HG LLC”), Heritage Global Capital LLC (“HGC”), and Heritage ALT LLC (“ALT”). These entities, collectively, are referred to as “HG,” the “Company,” “we” or “our” in these consolidated financial statements. These consolidated financial statements were prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“GAAP”), as outlined in the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) and include the assets, liabilities, revenues, and expenses of all subsidiaries over which HG exercises control. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated upon consolidation.

The Company began its operations in 2009 with the establishment of HG LLC. The business was subsequently expanded by the acquisitions of HGP, NLEX, and ALT in 2012, 2014, and 2021 respectively, and the creation of HGC in 2019. As a result, HG is positioned to provide an array of value-added capital and financial asset solutions: auction and appraisal services, traditional asset disposition sales, and specialty financing solutions. The Company’s reportable segments consist of Auction and Liquidation, through HPG, Refurbishment & Resale, through ALT, Brokerage, through NLEX and Specialty Lending, through HGC.

COVID-19

While the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic had a negative impact on the Company's performance during 2021 due to evolving travel and work restrictions, stimulus payments and credit policies impacting debt sales by financial institutions, and a delay in the typical process for the sale of certain industrial assets by manufacturing companies, it did not have a material negative impact on the Industrial Assets Division during 2022, as the supply of surplus industrial assets largely returned to pre-pandemic levels and the continuing disruptions to the global supply chain, particularly those involving industrial assets, increased demand for U.S. based surplus assets. COVID-19’s potentially negative impact on the Financial Assets Division in 2022 from reduced charged-off receivable portfolio volumes was offset by an increase in business volume and an influx of new clients for the NLEX brokerage business as a result of adaptive changes made during 2021. Going forward, the Company does not believe the COVID-19 pandemic will have material negative impacts on its financial performance, as it expects that supply and demand will remain robust in the Industrial Assets Division and increasing consumer spending and rising delinquency and charge-off rates will result in expanding volumes of nonperforming and charged-off consumer loans, which will benefit the Financial Assets Division.

Repurchase Program

The Company’s Board of Directors authorized a share repurchase program on May 5, 2022 (“2022 Repurchase Program”), which permits the Company to purchase up to an aggregate of $4.0 million in common shares over a three year period ending in June of 2025. As of December 31, 2022, the Company had approximately $3.6 million in remaining aggregate dollar value of shares that may be purchased under the program. There were 243,468 shares repurchased in the open market for approximately $0.4 million during 2022.