Interim financial statements

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2019

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Interim financial statements

Interim financial statements. The financial information contained in this report for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018, and as of September 30, 2019, is unaudited. This report should be read in conjunction with the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018.

A. Management’s responsibility. The accompanying interim financial statements were prepared by management, who is responsible for their integrity and objectivity. These financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), including management’s best judgments and estimates. In the opinion of management, all adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of this information for all interim periods, consisting only of normal recurring accruals, have been made. The Company’s results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results for a full year and actual results could differ.

B. Consolidation. The condensed consolidated financial statements include all subsidiaries in which the Company owns more than 50% voting rights in electing directors. All significant intercompany amounts and transactions have been eliminated and provisions have been made for noncontrolling interests. Unconsolidated investees, in which the Company typically owns from 20% through 50% of the voting stock, are accounted for using the equity method.

C. Restrictions on cash and investments. The Company maintains investments in accordance with certain statutory requirements for the funding of statutory premium reserves. Statutory reserve funds are required to be fully funded and invested in high-quality securities and short-term investments. Statutory reserve funds are not available for current claim payments, which must be funded from current operating cash flow. Included in investments in debt and equity securities are statutory reserve funds of approximately $439.9 million and $462.2 million at September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively, In addition, included within cash and cash equivalents are statutory reserve funds of approximately $77.4 million and $37.7 million at September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively. Although these cash statutory reserve funds are not restricted or segregated in depository accounts, they are required to be held pursuant to state statutes. If the Company fails to maintain minimum investments or cash and cash equivalents sufficient to meet statutory requirements, the Company may be subject to fines or other penalties, including potential revocation of its business license. These funds are not available for any other purpose. In the event that insurance regulators adjust the determination of the statutory premium reserves of the Company’s title insurers, these restricted funds as well as statutory surplus would correspondingly increase or decrease.

D. Recently adopted accounting standard. In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2016-02, Topic 842: Leases (Topic 842) which updates the current guidance related to leases to increase transparency and comparability among organizations. Most prominent among the changes in the standard is the recognition of right-of-use lease assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet by lessees for those leases classified as operating leases. Additional financial statement disclosures are required to enable users of financial statements to assess the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. Topic 842 is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2018. Topic 842 permits adoption using either a modified retrospective approach or an optional transition method. The optional transition method allows the application of the recognition and measurement requirements of the standard in the period of adoption and annual disclosures using the legacy lease guidance in Topic 840 for comparative periods.

The Company adopted Topic 842 effective January 1, 2019 using the optional transition method of adoption. In addition, the Company elected practical expedients permitted under the transition guidance of the standard, which among other things, allowed the carry forward of the historical lease classifications for existing leases. The adoption resulted in the recognition on the Company's January 1, 2019 consolidated balance sheet of approximately $99.8 million of operating lease assets and lease liabilities, and the reclassification of approximately $10.7 million of existing deferred rent liabilities from accounts payable and accrued liabilities to operating lease assets. There was no impact on the Company's 2019 consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income and cash flows. The accounting treatment for finance leases remained substantially unchanged.

E. Recent accounting standard not yet adopted. In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (Topic 326). Topic 326 significantly changes the impairment model for financial instruments by introducing the current expected credit loss (CECL) model, which requires the immediate recognition of estimated credit losses expected to occur over the remaining life of the financial instrument. Current practice generally requires the recognition of credit losses when incurred. Topic 326 also amends certain accounting treatments for available-for-sale debt securities. Topic 326 is effective for the Company's fiscal year beginning January 1, 2020 and subsequent interim periods. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this new standard on the Company's consolidated financial statements.

F. Merger Agreement Termination. During March 2018, the Company entered into an agreement and plan of merger (Merger Agreement) with Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (FNF) (the Mergers), as disclosed in detail in Note 1-S of the Company’s 2018 Annual Report on Form 10-K and in Exhibit 2.1 to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on March 19, 2018 with the Securities and Exchange Commission. On September 9, 2019, the Company and FNF mutually terminated the Merger Agreement. In connection with the termination and as stipulated in the Merger Agreement, FNF paid the Company a reverse merger termination fee of $50 million, which is presented as part of Investment and other gains - net in the 2019 condensed consolidated statement of income and comprehensive income (refer to Notes 5 and 12).