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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2021

We currently operate in one reportable segment which represents our core business of offering financing programs that enable Dealers to sell vehicles to consumers, regardless of their credit history. The consolidated financial statements reflect the financial results of our one reportable operating segment.

Cash and Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash equivalents consist of readily marketable securities with original maturities at the date of acquisition of three months or less. As of September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, we had $13.0 million and $15.7 million, respectively, in cash and cash equivalents that were not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”).

Restricted cash and cash equivalents consist of cash pledged as collateral for secured financings and cash held in a trust for future vehicle service contract claims. As of September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, we had $426.0 million and $376.9 million, respectively, in restricted cash and cash equivalents that were not insured by the FDIC.

The following table provides a reconciliation of cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents reported in our consolidated balance sheets to the total shown in our consolidated statements of cash flows:


(In millions)	As of
	September 30, 2021		December 31, 2020		September 30, 2020		December 31, 2019
Cash and cash equivalents	$	13.3	$	16.0	$	8.9	$	187.4
Restricted cash and cash equivalents	429.0		380.2		391.9		330.3
Total cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents	$	442.3	$	396.2	$	400.8	$	517.7

Restricted Securities, Available-for-sale

Restricted Securities Available for Sale

Restricted securities available for sale consist of amounts held in a trust for future vehicle service contract claims. We determine the appropriate classification of our investments in debt securities at the time of purchase and reevaluate such determinations at each balance sheet date. Debt securities for which we do not have the intent or ability to hold to maturity are classified as available for sale, and stated at fair value with unrealized gains and losses, net of income taxes included in the determination of comprehensive income and reported as a component of shareholders’ equity.

Loans Receivable and Allowance for Credit Losses

Consumer Loan Assignment. For legal purposes, a Consumer Loan is considered to have been assigned to us after the following has occurred:

•the consumer and Dealer have signed a Consumer Loan contract; and

•we have received the executed Consumer Loan contract and supporting documentation in either physical or electronic form.

For accounting and financial reporting purposes, a Consumer Loan is considered to have been assigned to us after the following has occurred:

•the Consumer Loan has been legally assigned to us; and

•we have made a funding decision and generally have provided funding to the Dealer in the form of either an advance under the Portfolio Program or one-time purchase payment under the Purchase Program.

Portfolio Segments and Classes. Our Loan portfolio consists of two portfolio segments: Dealer Loans and Purchased Loans. Our determination is based on the following:

•We have two financing programs: the Portfolio Program and the Purchase Program. We are considered to be a lender to our Dealers for Consumer Loans assigned under the Portfolio Program and a purchaser of Consumer Loans assigned under the Purchase Program.

•The Portfolio Program and the Purchase Program have different levels of risk in relation to credit losses. Under the Portfolio Program, the impact of negative variances in Consumer Loan performance is mitigated by Dealer Holdback and the cross-collateralization of Consumer Loan assignments. Under the Purchase Program, we are impacted by the full amount of negative variances in Consumer Loan performance.

•Our business model is narrowly focused on Consumer Loan assignments from one industry with expected cash flows that are significantly lower than the contractual cash flows owed to us due to credit quality. We do not believe that it is meaningful to disaggregate our Loan portfolio beyond the Dealer Loans and Purchased Loans portfolio segments.

Each portfolio segment consists of one class of Consumer Loan assignments, which is Consumer Loans originated by Dealers to finance purchases of vehicles and related ancillary products by consumers with impaired or limited credit histories. Our determination is based on the following:

•All of the Consumer Loans assigned to us have similar risk characteristics in relation to the categorization of borrowers, type of financing receivable, industry sector and type of collateral.

•We only accept Consumer Loan assignments from Dealers located within the United States.

Recognition and Measurement Policies. On January 1, 2020, we adopted Accounting Standards Update 2016-13, Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments, which is known as the current expected credit loss model, or CECL. Loans outstanding prior to the adoption date qualified for transition relief and are accounted for as purchased financial assets with credit deterioration (“PCD Method”).

Under the PCD Method, on January 1, 2020, we:

•calculated an effective interest rate based on expected future net cash flows; and

•increased the Loans receivable and the related allowance for credit losses balances by the present value of the difference between contractual future net cash flows and expected future net cash flows discounted at the effective interest rate. This “gross-up” did not impact the net carrying amount of Loans (Loans receivable less allowance for credit losses) or net income.

Under the PCD Method, for each reporting period subsequent to the adoption of CECL, we:

•recognize finance charge revenue using the effective interest rate that was calculated on the adoption date based on expected future net cash flows; and

•adjust the allowance for credit losses so that the net carrying amount of each Loan equals the present value of expected future net cash flows discounted at the effective interest rate. The adjustment to the allowance for credit losses is recognized as either provision for credit losses expense or a reversal of provision for credit losses expense.

Consumer Loans assigned to us on or subsequent to January 1, 2020 do not qualify for the PCD Method and are accounted for as originated financial assets (“Originated Method”). While the cash flows we expect to collect at the time of assignment are significantly lower than the contractual cash flows owed to us due to credit quality, our Loans do not qualify for the PCD Method because the assignment of the Consumer Loan to us occurs a moment after the Consumer Loan is originated by the Dealer, so “a more-than-insignificant deterioration in credit quality since origination” has not occurred at the time of assignment. In addition, Dealer Loans also do not qualify for the PCD Method because Consumer Loans assigned to us under the Portfolio Program are considered to be advances under Dealer Loans originated by us rather than Consumer Loans purchased by us.

Under the Originated Method, at the time of assignment, we:

•calculate the effective interest rate based on contractual future net cash flows;

•record a Loan receivable equal to the advance paid to the Dealer under the Portfolio Program or purchase price paid to the Dealer under the Purchase Program; and

•record an allowance for credit losses equal to the difference between the initial Loan receivable balance and the present value of expected future net cash flows discounted at the effective interest rate. The initial allowance for credit losses is recognized as provision for credit losses expense.

Under the Originated Method, for each reporting period subsequent to assignment, we:

•recognize finance charge revenue using the effective interest rate that was calculated at the time of assignment based on contractual future net cash flows; and

Loans Receivable. Amounts advanced to Dealers for Consumer Loans assigned under the Portfolio Program are recorded as Dealer Loans and are aggregated by Dealer for purposes of recognizing revenue and measuring credit losses. Amounts paid to Dealers for Consumer Loans assigned under the Purchase Program are recorded as Purchased Loans and, for purposes of recognizing revenue and measuring credit losses, are:

•not aggregated, if assigned on or subsequent to January 1, 2020; or

•aggregated into pools based on the month of purchase, if assigned prior to January 1, 2020.

The outstanding balance of each Loan included in Loans receivable is comprised of the following:

•cash paid to the Dealer (or to third party ancillary product providers on the Dealer’s behalf) for the Consumer Loan assignment (advance under the Portfolio Program or one-time purchase payment under the Purchase Program);

•finance charges;

•Dealer Holdback payments;

•accelerated Dealer Holdback payments;

•recoveries;

•transfers in;

•less: collections (net of certain collection costs);

•less: write-offs; and

•less: transfers out.

Under our Portfolio Program, certain events may result in Dealers forfeiting their rights to Dealer Holdback. We transfer the Dealer’s outstanding Dealer Loan balance and the related allowance for credit losses balance to Purchased Loans in the period this forfeiture occurs. We aggregate these Purchased Loans by Dealer for purposes of recognizing revenue and measuring credit losses.

Allowance for Credit Losses. The outstanding balance of the allowance for credit losses of each Loan represents the amount required to reduce net carrying amount of Loans (Loans receivable less allowance for credit losses) to the present value of expected future net cash flows discounted at the effective interest rate. Expected future net cash flows for Dealer Loans are comprised of expected future collections on the assigned Consumer Loans, less any expected future Dealer Holdback payments. Expected future net cash flows for Purchased Loans are comprised of expected future collections on the assigned Consumer Loans.

Expected future collections are forecasted for each individual Consumer Loan based on the historical performance of Consumer Loans with similar characteristics, adjusted for recent trends in payment patterns and economic conditions. Our forecast of expected future collections includes estimates for prepayments and post-contractual-term cash flows. Unless the consumer is no longer contractually obligated to pay us, we forecast future collections on each Consumer Loan for a 120 month period after the origination date. Expected future Dealer Holdback payments are forecasted for each individual Dealer based on the expected future collections and current advance balance of each Dealer Loan.

We fully write off the outstanding balances of a Loan and the related allowance for credit losses once we are no longer forecasting any expected future net cash flows on the Loan. Under our partial write-off policy, we write off the amount of the outstanding balances of a Loan and the related allowance for credit losses, if any, that exceeds 200% of the present value of expected future net cash flows on the Loan, as we deem this amount to be uncollectable.

Credit Quality. Substantially all of the Consumer Loans assigned to us are made to individuals with impaired or limited credit histories. Consumer Loans made to these individuals generally entail a higher risk of delinquency, default and repossession and higher losses than loans made to consumers with better credit. Since most of our revenue and cash flows are generated from these Consumer Loans, our ability to accurately forecast Consumer Loan performance is critical to our business and financial results. At the time a Consumer Loan is submitted to us for assignment, we forecast future expected cash flows from the Consumer Loan. Based on these forecasts, an advance or one-time purchase payment is made to the related Dealer at a price designed to maximize our economic profit, a non-GAAP financial measure that considers our return on capital, our cost of capital and the amount of capital invested.

We monitor and evaluate the credit quality of Consumer Loans on a monthly basis by comparing our current forecasted collection rates to our initial expectations. We use a statistical model that considers a number of credit quality indicators to estimate the expected collection rate for each Consumer Loan at the time of assignment. The credit quality indicators considered in our model include attributes contained in the consumer’s credit bureau report, data contained in the consumer’s credit application, the structure of the proposed transaction, vehicle information and other factors. We continue to evaluate the expected collection rate of each Consumer Loan subsequent to assignment primarily through the monitoring of consumer payment behavior. Our evaluation becomes more accurate as the Consumer Loans age, as we use actual performance data in our forecast. Since all known, significant credit quality indicators have already been factored into our forecasts and pricing, we are not able to use any specific credit quality indicators to predict or explain variances in actual performance from our initial expectations. Any variances in performance from our initial expectations are the result of Consumer Loans performing differently from historical Consumer Loans with similar characteristics. We periodically adjust our statistical pricing model for new trends that we identify through our evaluation of these forecasted collection rate variances.

When overall forecasted collection rates underperform our initial expectations, the decline in forecasted collections has a more adverse impact on the profitability of the Purchased Loans than on the profitability of the Dealer Loans. For Purchased Loans, the decline in forecasted collections is absorbed entirely by us. For Dealer Loans, the decline in the forecasted collections is substantially offset by a decline in forecasted payments of Dealer Holdback.

Methodology Changes. On January 1, 2020, we adopted CECL, which changed our accounting policies for Loans. During the first quarter of 2020, we reduced forecasted collection rates to reflect the estimated long-term impact of COVID-19 on Consumer Loan performance. For additional information, see Note 6. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, we did not make any other methodology changes for Loans that had a material impact on our financial statements.

Finance Charges

Sources of Revenue. Finance charges is comprised of: (1) interest income earned on Loans; (2) administrative fees earned from ancillary products; (3) program fees charged to Dealers under the Portfolio Program; (4) Consumer Loan assignment fees charged to Dealers; and (5) direct origination costs incurred on Dealer Loans.

We provide Dealers the ability to offer vehicle service contracts to consumers through our relationships with Third Party Providers (“TPPs”). A vehicle service contract provides the consumer protection by paying for the repair or replacement of certain components of the vehicle in the event of a mechanical failure. The retail price of the vehicle service contract is included in the principal balance of the Consumer Loan. The wholesale cost of the vehicle service contract is paid to the TPP, net of an administrative fee retained by us. The difference between the wholesale cost and the retail price to the consumer is paid to the Dealer as a commission. Under the Portfolio Program, the wholesale cost of the vehicle service contract and the commission paid to the Dealer are charged to the Dealer’s advance balance. TPPs process claims on vehicle service contracts that are underwritten by third party insurers. We bear the risk of loss for claims on certain vehicle service contracts that are reinsured by us. We market the vehicle service contracts directly to our Dealers.

We provide Dealers the ability to offer Guaranteed Asset Protection (“GAP”) to consumers through our relationships with TPPs. GAP provides the consumer protection by paying the difference between the loan balance and the amount covered by the consumer’s insurance policy in the event of a total loss of the vehicle due to severe damage or theft. The retail price of GAP is included in the principal balance of the Consumer Loan. The wholesale cost of GAP is paid to the TPP, net of an administrative fee retained by us. The difference between the wholesale cost and the retail price to the consumer is paid to the Dealer as a commission. Under the Portfolio Program, the wholesale cost of GAP and the commission paid to the Dealer are charged to the Dealer’s advance balance. TPPs process claims on GAP contracts that are underwritten by third party insurers.

Program fees represent monthly fees charged to Dealers for access to our Credit Approval Processing System (“CAPS”); administration, servicing and collection services offered by us; documentation related to or affecting our program; and all tangible and intangible property owned by Credit Acceptance. We charge a monthly fee of $599 to Dealers participating in our Portfolio Program and we collect it from future Dealer Holdback payments.

Recognition Policy. We recognize finance charges under the interest method such that revenue is recognized on a level-yield basis over the life of the Loan. We calculate finance charges on a monthly basis by applying the effective interest rate of the Loan to the net carrying amount of the Loan (Loan receivable less the related allowance for credit losses). For Consumer Loans assigned on or subsequent to January 1, 2020, the effective interest rate is based on contractual future net cash flows. For Consumer Loans assigned prior to January 1, 2020, the effective interest rate was determined based on expected future net cash flows.

In connection with the adoption of CECL on January 1, 2020, we have elected to report the change in the present value of credit losses attributable to the passage of time as a reduction to finance charges. As a result, we allocate finance charges recognized on each Loan between the Loan receivable and the related allowance for credit losses. The amount of finance charges allocated to the Loan receivable is equal to the effective interest rate applied to the Loans receivable balance. The reduction of finance charges allocated to the allowance for credit losses is equal to the effective interest rate applied to the allowance for credit losses balance.

Reinsurance

VSC Re Company (“VSC Re”), our wholly-owned subsidiary, is engaged in the business of reinsuring coverage under vehicle service contracts sold to consumers by Dealers on vehicles financed by us. VSC Re currently reinsures vehicle service contracts that are offered through one of our third party providers. Vehicle service contract premiums, which represent the selling price of the vehicle service contract to the consumer, less fees and certain administrative costs, are contributed to a trust account controlled by VSC Re. These premiums are used to fund claims covered under the vehicle service contracts. VSC Re is a bankruptcy remote entity. As such, our exposure to fund claims is limited to the trust assets controlled by VSC Re and our net investment in VSC Re.

Premiums from the reinsurance of vehicle service contracts are recognized over the life of the policy in proportion to expected costs of servicing those contracts. Expected costs are determined based on our historical claims experience. Claims are expensed through a provision for claims in the period the claim was incurred. Capitalized acquisition costs are comprised of premium taxes and are amortized as general and administrative expense over the life of the contracts in proportion to premiums earned.

We have consolidated the trust within our financial statements based on our determination of the following:

•We have a variable interest in the trust. We have a residual interest in the assets of the trust, which is variable in nature, given that it increases or decreases based upon the actual loss experience of the related service contracts. In addition, VSC Re is required to absorb any losses in excess of the trust's assets.

•The trust is a variable interest entity. The trust has insufficient equity at risk as no parties to the trust were required to contribute assets that provide them with any ownership interest.

•We are the primary beneficiary of the trust. We control the amount of premiums written and placed in the trust through Consumer Loan assignments under our Programs, which is the activity that most significantly impacts the economic performance of the trust. We have the right to receive benefits from the trust that could potentially be significant. In addition, VSC Re has the obligation to absorb losses of the trust that could potentially be significant.

New Accounting Updates

New Accounting Update Adopted During the Current YearSimplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes. In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12, which intends to enhance and simplify various aspects of the income tax accounting guidance, including requirements impacting the allocation of income tax expense to certain legal entities and interim-period accounting for enacted changes in tax law. The adoption of ASU 2019-12 on January 1, 2021 did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

- Definition

Disclosure of accounting policy for segment reporting.

+ References + Details