Interim financial statements

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2020

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Interim financial statements

Interim financial statements. The financial information contained in this report for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, and as of March 31, 2020, 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, 2019.

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 the United States (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 $497.5 million and $483.4 million at March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively. In addition, included within cash and cash equivalents are statutory reserve funds of approximately $18.3 million and $39.7 million at March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, 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 June 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (Topic 326). Topic 326 significantly changed 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. The previous GAAP generally required the recognition of credit losses when incurred. Topic 326 also amended certain accounting treatments for available-for-sale debt securities. Effective January 1, 2020, the Company adopted Topic 326 which did not result in any material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

E. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2020, a global pandemic escalated relating to a novel strain of coronavirus (COVID-19), which resulted in a slowdown in the global economy and a U.S. declaration of a national emergency. In response to the pandemic, health and governmental bodies, including the state of Texas where the Company is headquartered, have issued travel restrictions, quarantine orders, temporary closures of non-essential businesses and other restrictive measures. Although the title insurance industry has been deemed essential in the U.S., the pandemic and measures to contain it have caused disruptions in the real estate market and in the Company's business operations. While the Company continues to close transactions on a daily basis, as it works through a pipeline of business from the first quarter, orders opened in the second quarter are expected to be lower. There is near-term uncertainty regarding future real estate market transaction volumes and the impacts to the Company's results of operations. To the extent that the COVID-19 pandemic continues or worsens, it could adversely impact the Company's future operational and financial performance, which may include impairments of the Company's goodwill, investments and other long-lived assets. The Company is currently unable to determine the effects the COVID-19 pandemic will have on the Company's financial statements or results of operations.