Document and Entity Information - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
Document and Entity Information - USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018	Feb. 20, 2019	Jun. 29, 2018
Document and Entity Information
Entity Registrant Name	LendingTree, Inc.
Entity Central Index Key	0001434621
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Document Type	10-K
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2018
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2018
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		12,830,510
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Public Float			$ 1,684,020,501

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Income Statement [Abstract]
Revenue	$ 764,865	$ 617,736	$ 384,402
Costs and expenses:
Cost of revenue (exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below)	36,399	17,223	13,764
Selling and marketing expense	500,291	432,784	261,100
General and administrative expense	101,219	71,541	37,227
Product development	26,958	17,925	13,761
Depreciation	7,385	7,085	4,944
Amortization of intangibles	23,468	12,992	1,243
Change in fair value of contingent consideration	10,788	23,931	0
Severance	2,352	404	122
Litigation settlements and contingencies	(186)	718	129
Total costs and expenses	708,674	584,603	332,290
Operating income	56,191	33,133	52,112
Other (expense) income, net:
Interest expense, net	(12,437)	(7,028)	(561)
Other (expense) income	(10)	(396)	23
Income before income taxes	43,744	25,709	51,574
Income tax benefit (expense)	65,575	(6,291)	(20,366)
Net income from continuing operations	109,319	19,418	31,208
Loss from discontinued operations, net of tax	(12,820)	(3,840)	(3,714)
Net income	96,499	15,578	27,494
Comprehensive income	$ 96,499	$ 15,578	$ 27,494
Weighted average shares outstanding:
Weighted average basic common shares (in shares)	12,504	11,945	11,812
Weighted average diluted common shares (in shares)	14,097	13,682	12,773
Income per share from continuing operations:
Basic (in dollars per share)	$ 8.74	$ 1.63	$ 2.64
Diluted (in dollars per share)	7.75	1.42	2.44
Loss per share from discontinued operations:
Basic (in dollars per share)	(1.03)	(0.32)	(0.31)
Diluted (in dollars per share)	(0.91)	(0.28)	(0.29)
Net income per share:
Basic (in dollars per share)	7.72	1.30	2.33
Diluted (in dollars per share)	$ 6.85	$ 1.14	$ 2.15

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
ASSETS:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 105,102	$ 368,550
Restricted cash and cash equivalents	56	4,091
Accounts receivable (net of allowance of $1,143 and $675, respectively)	91,072	53,444
Prepaid and other current assets	16,428	11,881
Assets held for sale	21,328	0
Current assets of discontinued operations	185	75
Total current assets	234,171	438,041
Property and equipment (net of accumulated depreciation of $13,887 and $13,043, respectively)	23,175	36,431
Goodwill	348,347	113,368
Intangible assets, net	205,699	81,125
Deferred income tax assets	79,289	20,156
Other non-current assets	2,168	1,910
Non-current assets of discontinued operations	3,266	2,428
Total assets	896,115	693,459
LIABILITIES:
Revolving credit facility, outstanding amount	125,000	0
Accounts payable, trade	15,074	9,250
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities	93,190	77,183
Current contingent consideration	11,080	46,576
Current liabilities of discontinued operations (Note 19)	17,609	14,507
Total current liabilities	261,953	147,516
Long-term debt, net of current portion	250,943	238,199
Non-current contingent consideration	27,757	11,273
Other non-current liabilities	8,360	1,597
Deferred income tax liabilities	894	0
Total liabilities	549,907	398,585
Commitments and contingencies (Notes 14 and 15)
SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY:
Preferred stock $.01 par value; 5,000,000 shares authorized; none issued or outstanding	0	0
Common stock $.01 par value; 50,000,000 shares authorized; 15,428,351 and 14,218,572 shares issued, respectively, and 12,809,764 and 11,979,434 shares outstanding, respectively	154	142
Additional paid-in capital	1,134,227	1,087,582
Accumulated deficit	(610,482)	(708,354)
Treasury stock; 2,618,587 and 2,239,138 shares, respectively	(177,691)	(85,085)
Noncontrolling interest (Note 8)	0	589
Total shareholders' equity	346,208	294,874
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity	$ 896,115	$ 693,459

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]
Accounts receivable, allowance	$ 1,143	$ 675
Accumulated depreciation	$ 13,887	$ 13,043
Preferred stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Preferred stock, authorized shares	5,000,000	5,000,000
Preferred stock, issued shares	0	0
Preferred stock, outstanding shares	0	0
Common stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Common stock, authorized shares	50,000,000	50,000,000
Common stock, issued shares	15,428,351	14,218,572
Common stock, outstanding shares	12,809,764	11,979,434
Treasury stock, shares	2,618,587	2,239,138

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Total	Comprehensive Income	Common Stock	Additional Paid-in Capital	Accumulated Deficit	Treasury Stock	Noncontrolling Interest
Balance at Dec. 31, 2015	$ 241,142		$ 139	$ 1,006,688	$ (750,124)	$ (15,561)	$ 0
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2015			13,866,000			1,474,000
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity
Net income and comprehensive income	27,494	$ 27,494			27,494
Non-cash compensation	9,647			9,647
Purchase of treasury stock	$ (48,524)					$ (48,524)
Purchase of treasury stock (in shares)	(690,218)					(690,000)
Issuance of common stock for stock options, restricted stock awards and restricted stock units, net of withholding taxes	$ (4,084)		$ 1	(4,085)
Issuance of common stock for stock options, restricted stock awards and restricted stock units, net of withholding taxes (in shares)			89,000
Tax benefit from stock-based award activity	5,760			5,760
Balance at Dec. 31, 2016	231,435		$ 140	1,018,010	(722,630)	$ (64,085)	0
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2016			13,955,000			2,164,000
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity
Net income and comprehensive income	15,578	15,578			15,578
Non-cash compensation	23,361			23,361
Purchase of treasury stock	$ (21,000)					$ (21,000)
Purchase of treasury stock (in shares)	(75,393)					(75,000)
Issuance of common stock for stock options, restricted stock awards and restricted stock units, net of withholding taxes	$ 1,601		$ 2	1,599
Issuance of common stock for stock options, restricted stock awards and restricted stock units, net of withholding taxes (in shares)			263,000
Cumulative effect adjustment \| Accounting Standards Update 2016-09	985			2,287	(1,302)
Issuance of 0.625% Convertible Senior Notes, net	60,415			60,415
Convertible note hedge	(61,500)			(61,500)
Sale of warrants	43,410			43,410
Noncontrolling interest (Note 8)	589
Balance at Dec. 31, 2017	294,874		$ 142	1,087,582	(708,354)	$ (85,085)	589
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2017			14,218,000			2,239,000
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity
Net income and comprehensive income	96,499	$ 96,499			96,499
Non-cash compensation	44,365			44,365
Purchase of treasury stock	$ (92,606)					$ (92,606)
Purchase of treasury stock (in shares)	(379,449)					(379,000)
Issuance of common stock for stock options, restricted stock awards and restricted stock units, net of withholding taxes	$ 2,217		$ 12	2,205
Issuance of common stock for stock options, restricted stock awards and restricted stock units, net of withholding taxes (in shares)			1,210,000
Cumulative effect adjustment \| Accounting Standards Update 2014-09	1,373				1,373
Issuance of 0.625% Convertible Senior Notes, net	(4)			(4)
Acquisition of noncontrolling interest	(510)			79			(589)
Balance at Dec. 31, 2018	$ 346,208		$ 154	$ 1,134,227	$ (610,482)	$ (177,691)	$ 0
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2018			15,428,000			2,618,000
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity
Interest rate	0.625%

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($) Rate	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)
Cash flows from operating activities attributable to continuing operations:
Net income and comprehensive income	$ 96,499	$ 15,578	$ 27,494
Less: Loss from discontinued operations, net of tax	12,820	3,840	3,714
Net income from continuing operations	109,319	19,418	31,208
Adjustments to reconcile income from continuing operations to net cash provided by operating activities attributable to continuing operations:
Loss on impairments and disposal of fixed assets	2,210	840	640
Amortization of intangibles	23,468	12,992	1,243
Depreciation	7,385	7,085	4,944
Rental amortization of intangibles and depreciation	630	1,474	0
Non-cash compensation expense	44,365	23,361	9,647
Deferred income taxes	(63,901)	(6,370)	6,367
Change in fair value of contingent consideration	10,788	23,931	0
Bad debt expense	880	195	515
Amortization of debt issuance costs	1,776	1,032	245
Write-off of previously-capitalized debt issuance costs	0	90	0
Amortization of convertible debt discount	11,397	6,385	0
Changes in current assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable	(16,820)	(11,381)	(8,361)
Prepaid and other current assets	(2,985)	(5,358)	(1,558)
Accounts payable, accrued expenses and other current liabilities	14,270	31,108	4,769
Current contingent consideration	(21,912)	0	0
Income taxes receivable	3,669	(1,104)	13,385
Other, net	(591)	(160)	1,170
Net cash provided by operating activities attributable to continuing operations	123,948	103,538	64,214
Cash flows from investing activities attributable to continuing operations:
Capital expenditures	(14,907)	(8,040)	(31,955)
Acquisition of intangible assets	0	(5)	(2,030)
Acquisition of other businesses	0	0	(4,500)
Net cash used in investing activities attributable to continuing operations	(383,038)	(74,435)	(119,667)
Cash flows from financing activities attributable to continuing operations:
Proceeds from exercise of stock options, net of payments related to net-share settlement of stock-based compensation	2,217	1,602	(4,085)
Contingent consideration payments	(27,588)	0	0
Proceeds from revolving credit facility	125,000	0	0
Acquisition of noncontrolling interest	$ (499)	0	0
Interest rate \| Rate	0.625%
Proceeds from the issuance of 0.625% Convertible Senior Notes	$ 0	300,000	0
Payment of convertible note hedge transactions	0	(61,500)	0
Proceeds from the sale of warrants	0	43,410	0
Proceeds from equity offering, net of offering costs	0	0	(23)
Payment of debt issuance costs	(583)	(10,486)	(8)
Purchase of treasury stock	(93,704)	(19,901)	(48,524)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities attributable to continuing operations	4,843	253,125	(52,640)
Total cash (used in) provided by continuing operations	(254,247)	282,228	(108,093)
Discontinued operations:
Net cash used in operating activities attributable to discontinued operations	(13,236)	(4,807)	(10,203)
Total cash used in discontinued operations	(13,236)	(4,807)	(10,203)
Net (decrease) increase in cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, and restricted cash equivalents	(267,483)	277,421	(118,296)
Cash, Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Restricted Cash Equivalents	105,158	372,641	95,220
Supplemental cash flow information:
Interest	3,593	1,327	320
Income tax payments	541	20,359	3,095
Income tax refunds	5,678	133	22
QuoteWizard [Member]
Adjustments to reconcile income from continuing operations to net cash provided by operating activities attributable to continuing operations:
Change in fair value of contingent consideration	6,800
Cash flows from investing activities attributable to continuing operations:
Payments to acquire business, net of cash acquired	(297,072)	0	0
Student Loan Hero [Member]
Cash flows from investing activities attributable to continuing operations:
Payments to acquire business, net of cash acquired	(59,483)	0	0
Ovation [Member]
Adjustments to reconcile income from continuing operations to net cash provided by operating activities attributable to continuing operations:
Change in fair value of contingent consideration	1,600
Cash flows from investing activities attributable to continuing operations:
Payments to acquire business, net of cash acquired	(11,566)	0	0
SnapCap [Member]
Adjustments to reconcile income from continuing operations to net cash provided by operating activities attributable to continuing operations:
Change in fair value of contingent consideration	300	700
Cash flows from investing activities attributable to continuing operations:
Payments to acquire businesses	(10)	(11,886)	0
DepositAccounts [Member]
Adjustments to reconcile income from continuing operations to net cash provided by operating activities attributable to continuing operations:
Change in fair value of contingent consideration	2,000
Cash flows from investing activities attributable to continuing operations:
Payments to acquire businesses	0	(25,000)	0
MagnifyMoney [Member]
Cash flows from investing activities attributable to continuing operations:
Payments to acquire business, net of cash acquired	0	(29,504)	0
CompareCards [Member]
Adjustments to reconcile income from continuing operations to net cash provided by operating activities attributable to continuing operations:
Change in fair value of contingent consideration	700	21,200
Cash flows from investing activities attributable to continuing operations:
Payments to acquire businesses	$ 0	$ 0	$ (81,182)

ORGANIZATION	12 Months Ended
ORGANIZATION	Dec. 31, 2018
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
ORGANIZATION	ORGANIZATION Company Overview LendingTree, Inc. ("LendingTree" or the "Company"), is the parent of LendingTree, LLC and several companies owned by LendingTree, LLC. LendingTree operates what it believes to be the leading online consumer platform that connects consumers with the choices they need to be confident in their financial decisions. The Company offers consumers tools and resources, including free credit scores, that facilitate comparison-shopping for mortgage loans, home equity loans and lines of credit, reverse mortgage loans, auto loans, credit cards, deposit accounts, personal loans, student loans, small business loans, insurance quotes and other related offerings. The Company primarily seeks to match in-market consumers with multiple providers on its marketplace who can provide them with competing quotes for loans, deposit products, insurance or other related offerings they are seeking. The Company also serves as a valued partner to lenders and other providers seeking an efficient, scalable and flexible source of customer acquisition with directly measurable benefits, by matching the consumer inquiries it generates with these providers. The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of LendingTree and all its wholly-owned entities. Intercompany transactions and accounts have been eliminated. Discontinued Operations The LendingTree Loans business is presented as discontinued operations in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets, consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income and consolidated cash flows for all periods presented. The notes accompanying these consolidated financial statements reflect the Company's continuing operations and, unless otherwise noted, exclude information related to the discontinued operations. See Note 19 —Discontinued Operations for additional information. Basis of Presentation The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP") and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to current year presentation. See the discussion in Note 2—Significant Accounting Policies for the impact of adopting Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2016-18 on the presentation of changes in restricted cash, and ASU 2016-09 on the presentation of excess tax benefits and deficiencies, within the statement of cash flows.

SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Revenue Recognition

The Company derives its revenue primarily from match fees and closing fees. Revenue is recognized when performance obligations under the terms of a contract with a customer are satisfied and promised services have transferred to the customer. In identifying performance obligations, judgment is required around contracts where there was a possibility of bundled services and multiple parties. In applying judgment, the Company considers customer expectations of performance, materiality and the core principles of Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The Company's services are generally transferred to the customer at a point in time.

Variable consideration is included in revenue if it is probable that a significant future reversal of cumulative revenue under the contract will not occur.

Revenue within the mortgage product category is primarily generated from upfront match fees paid by mortgage Network Partners that receive a loan request, and in some cases upfront fees for clicks or call transfers. Match fees and upfront fees for clicks and call transfers are earned through the delivery of loan requests that originated through the Company's websites or affiliates. The Company recognizes revenue at the time a loan request is delivered to the customer, provided that no significant obligations remain. Revenue recognition on match fees was not impacted by the adoption of ASC Topic 606 in the first quarter of 2018, as the Company's contractual right to the match fee consideration is contemporaneous with the satisfaction of the performance obligation to deliver a loan request to the customer.

In addition to match and other upfront fees, revenue within the non-mortgage product category is also generated from closing fees and approval fees.

Closing fees are derived from lenders on certain auto loans, business loans, personal loans and student loans when the lender funds a loan with the consumer. Prior to the adoption of ASC Topic 606, closed loan fees were recognized at the time the lender reported the closed loan to the Company, which could be several months after the original request was transmitted.

Approval fees are derived from credit card issuers when the credit card consumer receives card approval from the credit card issuer. Prior to the adoption of ASC Topic 606, approval fees were recognized at the time the credit card issuer reported the card approval for the consumer to the Company, which is generally within two weeks after the consumer's request was transmitted.

Under ASC Topic 606, the timing of recognizing revenue for closing fees and approval fees is accelerated to the point when a loan request or a credit card consumer is delivered to the customer, as opposed to when the consumer loan is closed by the lender or credit card approval is made by the issuer. The Company's contractual right to closing fees and approval fees is not contemporaneous with the satisfaction of the performance obligation to deliver a loan request or a credit card consumer to the customer. As such, the Company records a contract asset at each reporting period-end related to the estimated variable consideration on closing fees and approval fees for which the Company has satisfied the related performance obligation, but are still pending the loan closing or credit card approval before the Company has a contractual right to payment. This estimate is based on the Company's historical closing rates and historical time between when a consumer request for a loan or credit card is delivered to the lender or card issuer and when the loan is closed by the lender or approved by the card issuer. The time between satisfaction of the Company's performance obligation and when the Company's right to consideration becomes unconditional is generally less than 90 days.

Upfront fees and subscription fees are derived from consumers in the Company's credit services business, which was acquired on June 11, 2018. Upfront fees paid by consumers are recognized as revenue over the estimated time the consumer will remain a customer and receive services. Subscription fees are recognized over the period a consumer is receiving services.

Revenue from the Company's insurance business, which was acquired on October 31, 2018, is primarily generated from match fees, fees for website clicks or fees for calls. Match fees and upfront fees for clicks and call transfers are earned through the delivery of consumer requests that originated through the Company's websites or affiliates. The Company recognizes revenue at the time a consumer request is delivered to the customer, provided that no significant obligations remain. The Company's contractual right to the match fee consideration is contemporaneous with the satisfaction of the performance obligation to deliver a consumer request to the customer.

Both the mortgage and non-mortgage product categories are included in the Company's single reportable segment.

Our payment terms vary by customer and services offered. The term between invoicing and when payment is due is generally 30 days or less.

Sales commissions are incremental costs of obtaining contracts with customers. The Company expenses sales commissions when incurred as the duration of contracts with customers is less than one year, based on the right for either party to terminate the contract with less than one year's notice without compensation to either party. These costs are recorded within selling and marketing expense on the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income.

For additional information on the adoption of ASC Topic 606, please see the discussion over ASU 2014-09 in the section titled "Recent Accounting Pronouncements" within this Note.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents include cash and short-term, highly liquid money market investments with original maturities of three months or less.

Restricted Cash

Cash escrowed or contractually restricted for a specific purpose is designated as restricted cash.

Accounts Receivable

Accounts receivable are stated at amounts due from customers, net of an allowance for doubtful accounts.

The Company determines its allowance for doubtful accounts by considering a number of factors, including the length of time accounts receivable are past due, previous loss history and the specific customer's current ability to pay its obligation. Accounts receivable are considered past due when they are outstanding longer than the contractual payment terms. Accounts receivable are written off when management deems them uncollectible.

A reconciliation of the beginning and ending balances of the allowance for doubtful accounts is as follows (in thousands):



	Year Ended December 31,
	2018			2017			2016
Balance, beginning of the period	$	675		$	1,059		$	606
Charges to earnings	880			195			515
Write-off of uncollectible accounts receivable	(412		)	(579		)	(62		)
Balance, end of the period	$	1,143		$	675		$	1,059

Loan Loss Obligations (Discontinued Operations)

The Company's Home Loan Center, Inc. ("HLC") subsidiary, which during its period of active operation primarily conducted business as LendingTree Loans, sold loans it originated to investors on a servicing-released basis and the risk of loss or default by the borrower was generally transferred to the investor. However, LendingTree Loans was required by these investors to make certain representations relating to credit information, loan documentation and collateral. To the extent LendingTree Loans did not comply with such representations, LendingTree Loans may be required to repurchase loans or indemnify the investors for any losses from borrower defaults. LendingTree Loans maintains a liability for the estimated exposure relating to such contingent obligations and changes to the estimate are recorded in income from discontinued operations in the periods they occur.

The Company estimates the liability for loan losses using a settlement discount framework. This approach estimates the lifetime losses on the population of remaining loans originated and sold by LendingTree Loans using actual defaults for loans with similar characteristics and projected future defaults. It also considers the likelihood of claims expected due to alleged breaches of representations and warranties made by LendingTree Loans and the percentage of those claims investors estimate LendingTree Loans may agree to repurchase. The Company then applies a settlement discount factor to the result of the foregoing to reflect publicly-announced bulk settlements for similar loan types and vintages, the Company's own settlement experience, as well as LendingTree Loans' non-operating status, in order to estimate a range of potential liability. Changes to any one of these factors could significantly impact the estimate of the liability and could have a material impact on the Company's results of operations for any particular period. See Note 19—Discontinued Operations—LendingTree Loans—Loan Loss Obligations for additional information on the loan loss reserve.

Segment Reporting

The Company has one reportable segment.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment, including internally-developed software and significant improvements, are recorded at cost less accumulated depreciation. Acquisition and construction costs for land and building is capitalized and depreciated over the applicable useful lives. Due to the rapid advancements in technology and evolution of company products, all internally-developed software is written-off at the end of its useful life. Repairs and maintenance and any gains or losses on dispositions are recognized as incurred in current operations.

Depreciation is recorded on a straight-line basis to allocate the cost of depreciable assets to operations over their estimated service lives. The following table presents the estimated useful lives for each asset category:



Asset Category	Estimated Useful Lives
Land	N/A
Building	34 years
Site Improvements	1 to 15 years
Computer equipment and capitalized software	1 to 5 years
Leasehold improvements	Lesser of asset life or life of lease
Furniture and other equipment	3 to 7 years
Aircraft and automobile	5 to 10 years

Software Development Costs

Software development costs primarily include internal and external labor expenses incurred to develop the software that powers the Company's websites. Certain costs incurred during the application development stage are capitalized based on specific activities tracked, while costs incurred during the preliminary project stage and post-implementation/operation stage are expensed as incurred. Capitalized software development costs are amortized over an estimated useful life of one to five years.

Goodwill and Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets

Goodwill acquired in business combinations is assigned to the reporting units that are expected to benefit from the combination as of the acquisition date. Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets, consisting of certain trade names and trademarks, are not amortized. Rather, these assets are tested annually for impairment as of October 1, or more frequently upon the occurrence of certain events or substantive changes in circumstances.

As part of its annual impairment testing of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets, in each instance, the Company may elect to assess qualitative factors as a basis for determining whether it is necessary to perform the traditional quantitative impairment testing. If the Company’s assessment of these qualitative factors indicates that it is not more likely than not that the fair value of the reporting unit or indefinite-lived intangible asset is less than its carrying value, then no further testing is required. Otherwise, the goodwill reporting unit or long-lived intangible assets, as applicable, must be quantitatively tested for impairment.

The quantitative test for goodwill impairment is determined using a two-step process. The first step is to compare the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount, including goodwill. In performing the first step, the Company determines the fair value of its reporting units by using a market approach and a discounted cash flow ("DCF") analysis. Determining fair value using a DCF analysis requires the exercise of significant judgments, including judgments about appropriate discount rates, perpetual growth rates and the amount and timing of expected future cash flows. If the fair value of a reporting unit exceeds its carrying amount, goodwill of the reporting unit is not impaired and the second step of the impairment test is not required. If the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, the second step of the goodwill impairment test is required to be performed to measure the amount of impairment, if any. The second step of the goodwill impairment test compares the implied fair value of the reporting unit's goodwill with the carrying amount of that goodwill. The implied fair value of goodwill is determined in the same manner as the amount of goodwill recognized in a business combination. If the carrying amount of the reporting unit's goodwill exceeds the implied fair value of that goodwill, an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to that excess.

The quantitative impairment test for indefinite-lived intangible assets involves a comparison of the estimated fair value of the intangible asset with its carrying value. If the carrying value of the indefinite-lived intangible asset exceeds its estimated fair value, an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to that excess. The estimates of fair value of indefinite-lived intangible assets are determined using a DCF valuation analysis that employs a relief-from-royalty methodology in estimating the fair value of trade names and trademarks. Significant judgments inherent in this analysis include the determination of royalty rates, discount rates, perpetual growth rates and the amount and timing of future revenues.

For the October 1, 2018 and 2017 annual impairment tests of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets, the Company elected to perform qualitative assessments as a precursor to the traditional quantitative tests. Results of the October 1, 2018 and 2017 annual impairment tests indicated that it is not more likely than not that the fair value of the goodwill and the indefinite-lived intangible assets were each less than their respective carrying values. Accordingly, no further testing was required.

Long-Lived Assets and Intangible Assets with Definite Lives

Long-lived assets include property and equipment and intangible assets with definite lives. Amortization of definite-lived intangible assets is recorded on a straight-line basis over their estimated lives.

Long-lived assets are tested for recoverability whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that their carrying amounts may not be recoverable. The carrying amount of a long-lived asset is not recoverable if it exceeds the sum of the undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use and eventual disposition of the asset. If the carrying amount is deemed to not be recoverable, an impairment loss is recorded as the amount by which the carrying amount of the long-lived asset exceeds its fair value.

At December 31, 2018 and 2017, the Company performed its review of impairment triggering events for long-lived assets and determined that a triggering event had not occurred.

Assets and Liabilities Held for Sale

The Company classifies assets or disposal groups to be sold as held for sale in the period in which all of the following criteria are met:


•	Management, having the authority to approve the action, commits to a plan to sell the asset or disposal group;


•	The asset or disposal group is available for immediate sale in its present condition subject only to terms that are usual and customary for sales of such assets or disposal groups;


•	An active program to locate a buyer and other actions required to complete the plan to sell the asset or disposal group have been initiated;


•	The sale of the asset or disposal group is probable, and transfer of the asset or disposal group is expected to qualify for recognition as a completed sale within one year, except if events or circumstances beyond the Company's control extend the period of time required to sell the asset or disposal group beyond one year;


•	The asset or disposal group is being actively marketed for sale at a price that is reasonable in relation to its current fair value; and


•	Actions required to complete the plan indicate that it is unlikely that significant changes to the plan will be made or that the plan will be withdrawn.

A long-lived asset or disposal group that is classified as held for sale is initially measured at the lower of its carrying value or fair value less any costs to sell. Any loss resulting from this measurement is recognized in the period in which the held for sale criteria are met. Conversely, gains are not recognized on the sale of a long-lived asset or disposal group until the date of sale. The fair value of a long-lived asset or disposal group, less any costs to sell, is assessed each reporting period it remains classified as held for sale and any subsequent changes are reported as an adjustment to the carrying value of the asset or disposal group, as long as the new carrying value does not exceed the carrying value of the asset at the time it was initially classified as held for sale.

Fair Value Measurements

The Company categorizes its assets and liabilities measured at fair value into a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the assumptions used in pricing the asset or liability into the following three levels:


•	Level 1: Observable inputs, such as quoted prices for identical assets and liabilities in active markets obtained from independent sources.


•	Level 2: Other inputs that are observable directly or indirectly, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active and inputs that are derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data.


•	Level 3: Unobservable inputs for which there is little or no market data and which require the Company to develop its own assumptions, based on the best information available under the circumstances, about the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability.

The Company's non-financial assets, such as goodwill, intangible assets and property and equipment are recorded at fair value upon acquisition. These assets are remeasured at fair value when there is an indicator of impairment and recorded at fair value only when an impairment charge is recognized. Such fair value measurements are based predominantly on Level 3 inputs.

Contingent consideration payments related to acquisitions are measured at fair value each reporting period using Level 3 unobservable inputs. The Company's estimates of fair value are based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable but which are uncertain and involve significant judgments by management. Any changes in the fair value of these contingent consideration payments are included in operating income in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income.

Cost of Revenue

Cost of revenue consists primarily of expenses associated with compensation and other employee-related costs (including stock-based compensation) related to internally-operated customer call centers, third-party customer call center fees, costs for online advertising resold to third parties, credit scoring fees, credit card fees, website network hosting and server fees.

Product Development

Product development expense consists primarily of compensation and other employee-related costs (including stock-based compensation) and third-party labor costs that are not capitalized, for employees and consultants engaged in the design, development, testing and enhancement of technology.

Advertising

Advertising costs are expensed in the period incurred (except for production costs which are initially capitalized and then recognized as expense when the advertisement first runs) and principally represent offline costs, including television, print and radio advertising, and online advertising costs, including fees paid to search engines and distribution partners. Advertising expense was $469.9 million, $410.8 million and $243.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively, and is included in selling and marketing expense on the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income.

Income Taxes

Income taxes are accounted for under the liability method, and deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. In estimating future tax consequences, all expected future events are considered. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. A valuation allowance is provided on deferred tax assets if it is determined that it is more likely than not that the deferred tax asset will not be realized. Interest is recorded on potential tax contingencies as a component of income tax expense and recorded net of any applicable related income tax benefit. For the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, the Company followed the incremental or "with" and "without" approach to intraperiod tax allocation for determination of the amount of tax benefit to allocate to continuing operations as prescribed in Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") 740-20-45-7.

In accordance with the accounting standard for uncertainty in income taxes, liabilities for uncertain tax positions are recognized based on the two-step process prescribed by the accounting standards. The first step is to evaluate the tax position for recognition by determining if the weight of available evidence indicates it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained on audit, including resolution of related appeals or litigation processes, if any. The second step is to measure the tax benefit as the largest amount that is more than 50% likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement.

Effective January 1, 2018, the Company changed the method used to estimate the deduction for prepaid marketing and advertising costs. This change in methodology impacts the timing of the tax deductibility of these related costs. The Company historically estimated these expenses to be deductible as long as the services were provided within 12 months of payment. Under the proposed method of accounting, the Company will take into account only prepaid marketing and advertising as the Company makes payment for the services to the extent that the payment is due and the services are reasonably expected by the Company to be provided to the applicant within 3 ½-months after the date of payment as authorized by Treas. Reg. §1.461-4(d)(6)(ii). The Company has accounted for this change as a change in accounting method and recorded a cumulative impact of $1.0 million as a deferred tax liability to be recognized over four years.

Effective January 1, 2017, the Company changed the method used to estimate the deduction for internally developed software. This change in methodology impacts the timing of the tax deductibility of these related costs. The Company historically capitalized these expenses and amortized them over three years. Under the proposed method of accounting, the Company will treat costs attributable to internally developed software as current expenses and take them into account in full in accordance with Section 5.01(1) of Rev. Proc. 2000-50 and rules similar to those applicable under Section 174(a). The Section 481(a) adjustment is the cumulative difference between the present method and the proposed method of accounting computed as of the first day of the year of change, January 1, 2017 and was reflected in the timely filed income tax return during 2018 related to the period of change.

On December 22, 2017, the SEC staff issued Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118 ("SAB 118"), which provides guidance on accounting for the tax effect of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ("TCJA"). SAB 118 provides a measurement period that should not extend beyond one year from the TCJA enactment date for companies to complete the accounting under ASC 740. In accordance with SAB 118, a company must reflect the income tax effects of those aspects of the TCJA for which the accounting under ASC 740 is complete. To the extent that a company's accounting for certain income tax effects of the TCJA is incomplete but it is able to determine a reasonable estimate, it must record a provisional estimate in the financial statements. In accordance with SAB 118, the Company determined that the $9.1 million of the deferred tax expense recorded in connection with the remeasurement of certain deferred tax assets and liabilities was a provisional amount and a reasonable estimate at December 31, 2017.

During the fourth quarter of the year ended December 31, 2018, the Company finalized the computations of the income tax effects of the Act. As such, in accordance with SAB 118, the Company's accounting for the effects of the Act is complete. The Company did not significantly adjust provisional amounts recorded in the prior year and the SAB 118 measurement period subsequently ended on December 22, 2018. Although the Company no longer considers these amounts to be provisional, the determination of the Act's income tax effects may change following future legislation or further interpretation of the Act based on future guidance from the Internal Revenue Service and state tax authorities.

Stock-Based Compensation

The forms of stock-based awards granted to LendingTree employees are principally restricted stock units ("RSUs"), RSUs with performance conditions, restricted stock, stock options and stock options with performance conditions. Further, performance-based stock options with market conditions and time-vested restricted stock with a performance condition have been granted to the Company's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. RSUs are awards in the form of units, denominated in a hypothetical equivalent number of shares of LendingTree common stock and with the value of each award equal to the fair value of LendingTree common stock at the date of grant. RSUs may be settled in cash, stock or both, as determined by the Company's Compensation Committee at the time of grant. The Company does not have a history of settling these awards in cash. Each stock-based award is subject to service-based vesting, where a specific period of continued employment must pass before an award vests. The Compensation Committee can modify the vesting provisions of an award. Certain awards also include performance-based vesting, where certain performance targets set at the time of grant must be achieved before an award vests.

LendingTree recognizes as expense non-cash compensation for all stock-based awards for which vesting is considered probable. Prior to the adoption of ASU 2016-09, the amount of non-cash compensation was reduced by estimated forfeitures, using a rate estimated at the grant date based on historical experience and revised, if necessary, in subsequent periods if the actual forfeiture rate differed from the estimated rate. Subsequent to the adoption of ASU 2016-09 in the first quarter of 2017, forfeitures are recognized when they occur.

For service-based awards, non-cash compensation is measured at fair value on the grant date and expensed ratably over the vesting term. The fair value of each stock option award without a market condition is estimated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model, while the fair value of an RSU or restricted stock award is measured as the closing common stock price at the time of grant. For performance-based awards, the fair value is measured on the grant date and recognized as non-cash compensation expense, considering the probability of the targets being achieved. Performance-based awards with a market condition are valued using a Monte Carlo simulation model.

Subsequent to the Company's adoption of ASU 2016-09 in the first quarter of 2017, excess tax benefits and deficiencies that arise due to the difference in the measure of stock compensation and the amount deductible for tax purposes are prospectively recorded in income tax expense within the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income, and are retrospectively classified as a component of operating cash flows within the consolidated statements of cash flows. Prior to the adoption of ASU 2016-09, these excess tax benefits were recognized in the consolidated statement of shareholders' equity and reported as a component of financing cash flows. For additional information on the adoption of ASU 2016-09, please see the section titled "Recent Accounting Pronouncements" within this Note.

Litigation Settlements and Contingencies

Litigation settlements and contingencies consists of expenses related to actual or anticipated litigation settlements, in addition to legal fees incurred in connection with various patent litigation claims the Company pursues against others.

The Company is involved in legal proceedings on an ongoing basis. If the Company believes that a loss arising from such matters is probable and can be reasonably estimated, the estimated liability is accrued in the consolidated financial statements. If only a range of estimated losses can be determined, an amount within the range is accrued that, in the Company's judgment, reflects the most likely outcome; if none of the estimates within that range is a better estimate than any other amount, the low end of the range is accrued. For those proceedings in which an unfavorable outcome is reasonably possible but not probable, an estimate of the reasonably possible loss or range of losses or a conclusion that an estimate of the reasonably possible loss or range of losses arising directly from the proceeding (i.e., monetary damages or amounts paid in judgment or settlement) are not material is disclosed. Legal expenses associated with these matters are recognized as incurred.

Accounting Estimates

Management is required to make certain estimates and assumptions during the preparation of the consolidated financial statements in accordance with GAAP. These estimates and assumptions impact the reported amount of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the consolidated financial statements. They also impact the reported amount of net earnings during any period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Significant estimates underlying the accompanying consolidated financial statements, including discontinued operations, include: loan loss obligations; the recoverability of long-lived assets, goodwill and intangible assets; the determination of income taxes payable and deferred income taxes, including related valuation allowances; fair value of assets acquired in a business combination; contingent consideration related to business combinations; litigation accruals; contract assets; various other allowances, reserves and accruals; and assumptions related to the determination of stock-based compensation.

Certain Risks and Concentrations

LendingTree's business is subject to certain risks and concentrations including dependence on third-party technology providers, exposure to risks associated with online commerce security and credit card fraud.

Financial instruments, which potentially subject the Company to concentration of credit risk at December 31, 2018, consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents and accounts receivable, as disclosed in the consolidated balance sheet. Cash and cash equivalents are in excess of Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insurance limits, but are maintained with quality financial institutions of high credit. The Company generally requires certain network partners to maintain security deposits with the Company, which in the event of non-payment, would be applied against any accounts receivable outstanding.

Due to the nature of the mortgage lending industry, interest rate fluctuations may negatively impact future revenue from the Company's marketplace.

For the year ended December 31, 2018, there were no network partners accounting for more than 10% of total revenue. For the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, one network partner accounted for 11% and 15% of total revenue, respectively. For the year ended December 31, 2016, another network partner accounted for 13% of total revenue.

Lenders and lead purchasers participating on the Company's marketplace can offer their products directly to consumers through brokers, mass marketing campaigns or through other traditional methods of credit distribution. These lenders and lead purchasers can also offer their products online, either directly to prospective borrowers, through one or more online competitors, or both. If a significant number of potential consumers are able to obtain loans and other products from network partners without utilizing the Company's services, the Company's ability to generate revenue may be limited. Because the Company does not have exclusive relationships with the network partners whose loans and other financial products are offered on its online marketplace, consumers may obtain offers from these network partner without using its service.

Other than a support services office in India, the Company's operations are geographically limited to and dependent upon the economic condition of the United States.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In August 2018, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued ASU 2018-15 which aligns the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred in a hosting arrangement that is a service contract with the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred to develop or obtain internal-use software (and hosting arrangements that include an internal-use software license). This ASU is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in any interim period. The amendments should be applied either retrospectively or prospectively to all implementation costs incurred after the date of adoption. The Company is evaluating the impact this ASU will have on its consolidated financial statements and whether to early adopt.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-13 which removes, modifies and adds certain disclosure requirements in ASC Topic 820, Fair Value Measurement. This ASU is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019, with early adoption permitted. Entities are permitted to adopt any removed or modified disclosures and delay adoption of the additional disclosures until the effective date of the ASU. Certain amendments must be applied prospectively while others are to be applied on a retrospective basis to all periods presented. The Company is evaluating the impact this ASU will have on its consolidated financial statements and whether to early adopt.

In June 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-07 which simplifies the accounting for nonemployee share-based payments by expanding the scope of ASC Topic 718, Compensation—Stock Compensation, to include share-based payment transactions for acquiring goods and services from nonemployees. Under the new guidance, most of the initial and subsequent measurement for such payments to nonemployees is aligned with the requirements for share-based payments to employees. This ASU is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018, with early adoption permitted. Entities must transition to the new guidance through a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the beginning of the fiscal year of adoption. The Company early-adopted this ASU during the second quarter of 2018, with no impact to its consolidated financial statements.

In May 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-09 which clarifies when to account for a change to the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award as a modification. Under the new guidance, modification accounting is required only if the fair value, the vesting conditions or the classification of the award changes as a result of the change in terms or conditions. This ASU is effective prospectively for annual periods beginning on or after December 15, 2017, and early adoption was permitted. The Company adopted this ASU during the first quarter of 2018.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04 which eliminates the requirement to calculate the implied fair value of goodwill to measure a goodwill impairment charge (Step 2 of the goodwill impairment test). Instead, an impairment charge will be based on the excess of the carrying amount over the fair value. This ASU is effective for annual and interim impairment tests performed in periods beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted for annual and interim goodwill impairment testing dates after January 1, 2017. The Company is evaluating the impact this ASU will have on its consolidated financial statements and whether to early adopt.

In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-18 which is intended to reduce the diversity in the classification and presentation of changes in restricted cash in the statement of cash flows, by requiring entities to combine the changes in cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash in one line. As a result, entities will no longer present transfers between cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash in the statement of cash flows. In addition, if more than one line item is recorded on the balance sheet for cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash, a reconciliation between the statement of cash flows and balance sheet is required. This ASU is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, and early adoption was permitted. The retrospective transition method, requiring adjustment to all comparative periods presented, is required. The Company adopted this ASU during the first quarter of 2018. The adoption resulted in an immaterial reclassification of cash outflows from investing activities to operating activities for 2017, and a reclassification of $2.5 million of cash inflows from investing activities to operating activities for 2016. See Note 4—Cash and Restricted Cash for the reconciliation of cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash reported on the balance sheet to the total of such amounts shown on the statement of cash flows.

In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-15 which addresses eight cash flow classification issues, eliminating the diversity in practice. This ASU is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, and early adoption was permitted. The retrospective transition method, requiring adjustment to all comparative periods presented, is required unless it is impracticable for some of the amendments, in which case those amendments would be prospectively applied as of the earliest date practicable. The Company adopted this ASU during the first quarter of 2018, and there was no adjustment to prior periods. Pursuant to adoption of this ASU, contingent consideration payments made are classified as cash outflows from financing activities up to the amount of the contingent consideration liability recognized at the acquisition date, and the portion of payments in excess of that initial liability are classified as cash outflows from operating activities. See Note 8—Business Acquisitions for additional information.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09 which simplifies various aspects related to how share-based payments are accounted for and presented in the financial statements, including the income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, forfeitures and classification of excess tax benefits on the statement of cash flows. This ASU was effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and early adoption was permitted. Upon adoption, any adjustments were to be reflected as of the beginning of the fiscal year of adoption. The Company adopted this ASU during the first quarter of 2017.

The new standard required excess tax benefits and deficiencies, which arise due to the difference in the measure of stock compensation and the amount deductible for tax purposes, to be recorded in earnings in income tax expense. These excess tax benefits and deficiencies were generally previously recorded in additional paid-in capital and had no impact on net income. The standard required prospective adoption for this portion of the new guidance. Additionally, the new standard required the excess tax benefits and deficiencies to be classified as an operating activity in the accompanying consolidated statements of cash flows. These excess tax benefits and deficiencies were previously recorded as a financing activity in the statement of cash flows. The standard allowed for either prospective or retrospective adoption for the change in presentation in the statement of cash flows. The Company elected to retrospectively adopt the classification change in the statement of cash flows. Accordingly, prior periods have been adjusted to increase the cash provided by operating activities and decrease the cash provided by financing activities by $5.8 million in 2016 within the accompanying consolidated statements of cash flows. The standard also allows for an election by the Company to either estimate forfeitures, as required under previous guidance, or recognize forfeitures when they occur. The Company elected to recognize forfeitures of stock awards as they occur, with the modified retrospective transition method required. Accordingly, the Company recognized a $1.4 million cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of January 1, 2017.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02 related to leases. This ASU introduces ASC Topic 842, Leases, which will supersede the existing lease accounting guidance in ASC Topic 840, Leases. This ASU is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018, with early adoption permitted. In July 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-10 which clarifies certain narrow aspects of implementing ASU 2016-02, including clarifications related to the rate implicit in the lease, lessee reassessment of lease classification, lessor reassessment of lease term and purchase options, variable payments that depend on an index or rate, and impairment of the net investment in the lease. In the same month, the FASB issued ASU 2018-11 which provides an optional transition method that allows entities to initially apply the lease accounting transition requirements at the adoption date and recognize a cumulative effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings in the period of adoption without restating comparative prior periods presented. ASU 2018-11 also includes a practical expedient for lessors to not separate the lease and nonlease components of a contract. In December 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-20 which provides certain narrow scope improvements for lessors, including an accounting policy election to not evaluate whether certain sales taxes and other similar taxes are lessor costs or lessee costs. ASU 2018-10, ASU 2018-11 and ASU 2018-20 must be adopted concurrently with the adoption of ASU 2016-02 (collectively, "ASC Topic 842"). The Company does not expect the adoption of ASC Topic 842, which includes the recognition of right-of-use assets and lease liabilities related to operating leases greater than one year in duration for which the Company is the lessee, to have a material effect on its consolidated financial statements. The Company will adopt ASC Topic 842 as of January 1, 2019 using the optional transition method to apply the new requirements at the adoption date without restating comparative prior periods presented, and does not expect a material cumulative effect adjustment, if any, to the opening balance of accumulated deficit in the period of adoption. The Company will elect the package of practical expedients which allows for an entity to not reassess whether expired or existing contracts contain leases, lease classification for expired or existing leases, and initial direct costs for existing leases. Additionally, the Company will elect as accounting policy to not record on the balance sheet leases with a term of twelve months or less.

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09 related to revenue recognition. This guidance introduces ASC Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, and supersedes the revenue recognition requirements in ASC Topic 605, Revenue Recognition. In 2016, the FASB issued final amendments clarifying implementation guidance for principal versus agent considerations, identifying performance obligations, assessing collectability, presenting sales taxes, measuring noncash consideration and certain other transition matters. The clarification ASUs must be adopted concurrently with the adoption of ASU 2014-09 (collectively, "ASC Topic 606"). Under the new ASUs, the timing of recognizing revenue for closing fees and approval fees in the Company's non-mortgage product category has been accelerated to the point when a loan request or a credit card consumer is delivered to the customer as opposed to when the consumer loan is closed by the lender or credit card approval is made by the issuer and communicated to the Company.

The Company has adopted ASC Topic 606 as of January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective transition approach. The Company recognized the cumulative effect of initially applying ASC Topic 606 as an adjustment to the opening balance of accumulated deficit. Under this approach, revenue for 2017 and 2016 is reported in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income on the historical basis, and revenue for 2018 is reported in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income under ASC Topic 606. A comparison of revenue for 2018 periods to the historical basis is included below. See Note 3—Revenue for additional information.

The cumulative effect of the changes made to the consolidated January 1, 2018 balance sheet for the adoption of ASC Topic 606 were as follows (in thousands):



	December 31, 2017			Adjustments due to ASC Topic 606			January 1, 2018
Assets:
Prepaid and other current assets	$	11,881		$	1,903		$	13,784
Deferred income tax assets	20,156			(530		)	19,626

Shareholders' equity:
Accumulated deficit	$	(708,354	)	$	1,373		$	(706,981	)

The impact of adoption on the consolidated income statement and balance sheet for the period ended December 31, 2018 was as follows (in thousands):



	Year Ended December 31, 2018
	As Reported		Balances without adoption of ASC Topic 606		Effect of Change
Revenue	$	764,865	$	762,739	$	2,126

Costs and expenses:
Income tax benefit	65,575		66,182		(607		)

Net income from continuing operations	$	109,319	$	107,800	$	1,519



	December 31, 2018
	As Reported			Balances without adoption of ASC Topic 606			Effect of Change
Assets:
Prepaid and other current assets	$	16,428		$	11,627		$	4,801
Deferred income tax assets	79,289			79,819			(530		)

Shareholders' equity:
Accumulated deficit	$	(610,482	)	$	(614,753	)	$	4,271

REVENUE

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]

Revenue

REVENUE

Revenue is as follows (in thousands):



	Year Ended December 31,
	2018		2017		2016
Revenue:
Mortgage products	$	242,175	$	275,910	$	219,991
Non-mortgage products
Credit cards	165,776		147,028		39,434
Personal loans	134,199		88,244		66,457
Other	222,715		106,554		58,520
Total non-mortgage products	522,690		341,826		164,411
Total revenue	$	764,865	$	617,736	$	384,402

The contract asset recorded within prepaid and other current assets on the consolidated balance sheets related to estimated variable consideration was $1.9 million and $4.8 million on January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2018, respectively. The increase in the contract asset from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018 is primarily due to recent business acquisitions. During 2018, the Company established a contract asset for business loans from a recent acquisition, for which the Company has determined it has established sufficient historical information to determine an estimate. Additionally, the Company increased the contract asset balance for the acquisition of Student Loan Hero, Inc. (“Student Loan Hero”), which was acquired on July 23, 2018.

As a result of the acquisition of Ovation Credit Services, Inc. ("Ovation") on June 11, 2018, a $0.4 million contract liability was recorded within accrued expenses and other current liabilities on the December 31, 2018 consolidated balance sheet related to the upfront fees paid by consumers.

Revenue recognized in any reporting period includes estimated variable consideration for which the Company has satisfied the related performance obligations, but are still pending the occurrence or non-occurrence of a future event outside the Company's control (such as lenders providing loans to consumers or credit card approvals of consumers) before the Company has a contractual right to payment. The Company recognized an increase to such revenue from prior periods of $0.7 million in 2018.

CASH AND RESTRICTED CASH (Note)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Cash and Cash Equivalents [Abstract]

CASH AND RESTRICTED CASH

Total cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents consist of the following (in thousands):



	December 31, 2018		December 31, 2017
Cash and cash equivalents	$	105,102	$	368,550
Restricted cash and cash equivalents	56		4,091
Total cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents	$	105,158	$	372,641

Restricted cash and cash equivalents consists of the following (in thousands):



	December 31, 2018		December 31, 2017
Cash in escrow from sale of LendingTree Loans ^(a)	$	—	$	4,034
Other	56		57
Total restricted cash and cash equivalents	$	56	$	4,091

(a)

HLC, a subsidiary of the Company, continues to be liable for certain indemnification obligations, repurchase obligations and premium repayment obligations following the sale of substantially all of the operating assets of its LendingTree Loans business in the second quarter of 2012. Of the purchase price received, a portion was deposited in escrow in accordance with the agreement with Discover for certain loan loss obligations that remain with the Company following the sale. During the second quarter of 2018, the remaining funds in escrow were released to the Company in accordance with the terms of the agreement with Discover.

PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]

PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT

The balance of property and equipment, net is as follows (in thousands):



	December 31, 2018			December 31, 2017
Land	$	—		$	5,818
Building	—			14,984
Site improvements	—			950
Computer equipment and capitalized software	22,847			16,885
Leasehold improvements	4,651			3,257
Furniture and other equipment	1,935			1,203
Aircraft and automobile	2,621			2,621
Projects in progress	5,008			3,756
Total gross property and equipment	37,062			49,474
Accumulated depreciation	(13,887		)	(13,043		)
Total property and equipment, net	$	23,175		$	36,431

See Note 7—Assets Held for Sale for property and equipment classified as held for sale during the fourth quarter of 2018.

Unamortized capitalized software development costs, in service or under development, are $16.2 million and $9.5 million at December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. Capitalized software development depreciation expense was $6.1 million, $5.7 million and $4.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

Long-lived assets located outside the United States, the Company's country of domicile, were $0.1 million at December 31, 2018.

GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]

GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS

The balance of goodwill, net is as follows (in thousands):



	Goodwill		Accumulated Impairment Loss			Net Goodwill
Balance at December 31, 2016	$	539,545	$	(483,088	)	$	56,457
Acquisition of DepositAccounts	19,389		—			19,389
Acquisition of MagnifyMoney	23,784		—			23,784
Acquisition of SnapCap	13,738		—			13,738
Balance at December 31, 2017	$	596,456	$	(483,088	)	$	113,368
Acquisition of Ovation	11,260		—			11,260
Acquisition of Student Loan Hero	40,856		—			40,856
Acquisition of QuoteWizard	182,863		—			182,863
Balance at December 31, 2018	$	831,435	$	(483,088	)	$	348,347

The balance of intangible assets, net is as follows (in thousands):



	December 31, 2018		December 31, 2017
Intangible assets with indefinite lives	$	10,142	$	10,142
Intangible assets with definite lives, net	195,557		70,983
Total intangible assets, net	$	205,699	$	81,125

Goodwill and Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets

The Company's goodwill is associated with its one reportable segment. The carrying amount of goodwill increased during the year ended December 31, 2018 due to the acquisitions of Ovation, Student Loan Hero and QuoteWizard, and increased during the year ended December 31, 2017 due to the acquisitions of DepositAccounts, MagnifyMoney and SnapCap. See Note 8—Business Acquisitions for a discussion of the acquisitions and associated goodwill. Results of the annual impairment test as of October 1, 2018 indicated that no impairment had occurred.

Intangible assets with indefinite lives relate to the Company's trademarks. Results of the annual impairment test as of October 1, 2018 indicated that no impairment had occurred.

Intangible Assets with Definite Lives

Intangible assets with definite lives relate to the following (dollars in thousands):



	Weighted Average Amortization Life	Cost		Accumulated Amortization			Net
Technology	4.2 years	$	112,400	$	(21,022	)	$	91,378
Customer lists	12.9 years	80,200		(7,746		)	72,454
Trademarks and tradenames	4.7 years	16,742		(3,730		)	13,012
Website content	3.0 years	24,900		(6,192		)	18,708
Other	3.0 years	256		(251		)	5
Balance at December 31, 2018		$	234,498	$	(38,941	)	$	195,557



	Weighted Average Amortization Life	Cost		Accumulated Amortization			Net
Technology	4.2 years	$	37,500	$	(8,694	)	$	28,806
Customer lists	11.3 years	33,100		(3,239		)	29,861
Trademarks and tradenames	4.5 years	6,942		(1,992		)	4,950
Tenant leases	3.3 years	1,362		(504		)	858
Website content	3.0 years	7,800		(1,300		)	6,500
Other	3.0 years	256		(248		)	8
Balance at December 31, 2017		$	86,960	$	(15,977	)	$	70,983

See Note 7—Assets Held for Sale for tenant leases classified as held for sale during the fourth quarter of 2018.

Amortization of intangible assets with definite lives is computed on a straight-line basis and, based on balances as of December 31, 2018, future amortization is estimated to be as follows (in thousands):



	Amortization Expense
Year ending December 31, 2019	$	45,774
Year ending December 31, 2020	42,819
Year ending December 31, 2021	32,479
Year ending December 31, 2022	24,255
Year ending December 31, 2023	8,442
Thereafter	41,788
Total intangible assets with definite lives, net	$	195,557

See Note 8—Business Acquisitions for a discussion of the 2018 and 2017 acquisitions and associated intangibles.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the aggregate amount of goodwill and a description of intangible assets, which may include (a) for amortizable intangible assets (also referred to as finite-lived intangible assets), the carrying amount, the amount of any significant residual value, and the weighted-average amortization period, (b) for intangible assets not subject to amortization (also referred to as indefinite-lived intangible assets), the carrying amount, and (c) the amount of research and development assets acquired and written off in the period, including the line item in the income statement in which the amounts written off are aggregated, if not readily apparent from the income statement. Also discloses (a) for amortizable intangibles assets in total and by major class, the gross carrying amount and accumulated amortization, the total amortization expense for the period, and the estimated aggregate amortization expense for each of the five succeeding fiscal years, (b) for intangible assets not subject to amortization the carrying amount in total and by major class, and (c) for goodwill, in total and for each reportable segment, the changes in the carrying amount of goodwill during the period (including the aggregate amount of goodwill acquired, the aggregate amount of impairment losses recognized, and the amount of goodwill included in the gain (loss) on disposal of a reporting unit). If any part of goodwill has not been allocated to a reportable segment, discloses the unallocated amount and the reasons for not allocating. For each impairment loss recognized related to an intangible asset (excluding goodwill), discloses: (a) a description of the impaired intangible asset and the facts and circumstances leading to the impairment, (b) the amount of the impairment loss and the method for determining fair value, (c) the caption in the income statement or the statement of activities in which the impairment loss is aggregated, and (d) the segment in which the impaired intangible asset is reported. For each goodwill impairment loss recognized, discloses: (a) a description of the facts and circumstances leading to the impairment, (b) the amount of the impairment loss and the method of determining the fair value of the associated reporting unit, and (c) if a recognized impairment loss is an estimate not finalized and the reasons why the estimate is not final. May also disclose the nature and amount of any significant adjustments made to a previous estimate of an impairment loss.

+ References + Details

ASSETS HELD FOR SALE

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Discontinued Operations and Disposal Groups [Abstract]

ASSETS HELD FOR SALE

In December 2016, the Company acquired two office buildings in Charlotte, North Carolina for $23.5 million in cash, which included $0.1 million in acquisition-related costs which were capitalized. The buildings were acquired with the intent to use such buildings as the Company's corporate headquarters and rent any unused space. The acquisition was accounted for as an asset purchase and the allocation of the purchase price to the assets acquired was as follows (in thousands):



	Fair Value		Weighted Average Depreciation Life
Land	$	5,818	N/A
Building	14,679		34.0 years
Site improvements	950		6.6 years
Tenant leases	2,029		3.2 years
Total purchase price	$	23,476

In November 2018, the Company's Board of Directors approved a plan to sell the two office buildings. The properties are expected to be sold in 2019 to an unrelated third-party and are classified as current assets held for sale in the consolidated balance sheet for December 31, 2018. In February 2019, the Company agreed to sell these buildings to an unrelated third party. For additional information, see Note 22—Subsequent Events. These properties are associated with the Company's one reportable segment.

Property and equipment classified as held for sale is as follows (in thousands):



	December 31, 2018
Land	$	5,818
Building	14,984
Site improvements	950
Computer equipment and capitalized software	166
Furniture and other equipment	145
Total gross property and equipment	22,063
Accumulated depreciation	(1,278		)
Total property and equipment, net	$	20,785

Intangible assets classified as held for sale relate to the following (in thousands):



	December 31, 2018
Tenant leases	$	961
Total gross intangible assets	961
Accumulated amortization	(468		)
Total intangible assets, net	$	493

Future rental income from the building tenants as of December 31, 2018 under operating lease agreements having an initial or remaining non-cancelable lease term in excess of one year are as follows (in thousands):



Year ending December 31,	Amount
2019	$	657
2020	673
2021	269
2022	59
2023	56
Thereafter	65
Total	$	1,779

Rental income of $0.9 million in 2018 and $1.6 million in 2017 is included in other income on the accompanying consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income.

DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS

The revenue and net loss reported as discontinued operations in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income are as follows (in thousands):



	Year Ended December 31,
	2018			2017			2016
Revenue	$	—		$	(750	)	$	1,325

Loss before income taxes	$	(16,228	)	$	(5,909	)	$	(5,728	)
Income tax benefit	3,408			2,069			2,014
Net loss	$	(12,820	)	$	(3,840	)	$	(3,714	)

In 2018, 2017 and 2016, loss from discontinued operations was primarily due to litigation settlements and contingencies and legal fees associated with ongoing legal proceedings.

LendingTree Loans

On June 6, 2012, the Company sold substantially all of the operating assets of its LendingTree Loans business for $55.9 million in cash to a wholly-owned subsidiary of Discover Financial Services ("Discover").

Discover generally did not assume liabilities of the LendingTree Loans business that arose before the closing date, except for certain liabilities directly related to assets Discover acquired. Of the purchase price received, a portion was deposited in escrow in accordance with the agreement with Discover for certain loan loss obligations that remain with the Company following the sale. During the second quarter of 2018, the remaining funds in escrow were released to the Company in accordance with the terms of the agreement with Discover.

Significant Assets and Liabilities of LendingTree Loans

Upon closing of the sale of substantially all of the operating assets of the LendingTree Loans business on June 6, 2012, LendingTree Loans ceased to originate consumer loans. Liability for losses on previously sold loans will remain with LendingTree Loans and are discussed below.

Loan Loss Obligations

LendingTree Loans sold loans it originated to investors on a servicing-released basis, so the risk of loss or default by the borrower was generally transferred to the investor. However, LendingTree Loans was required by these investors to make certain representations and warranties relating to credit information, loan documentation and collateral. These representations and warranties may extend through the contractual life of the loan. Subsequent to the loan sale, if underwriting deficiencies, borrower fraud or documentation defects are discovered in individual loans, LendingTree Loans may be obligated to repurchase the respective loan or indemnify the investors for any losses from borrower defaults if such deficiency or defect cannot be cured within the specified period following discovery.

HLC, a subsidiary of the Company, continues to be liable for these indemnification obligations, repurchase obligations and premium repayment obligations following the sale of substantially all of the operating assets of its LendingTree Loans business in the second quarter of 2012.

The following table represents the aggregate loans sold, subsequent settlements and remaining unsettled loans as of December 31, 2018:



	Number of Loans		Original Issue Balance
	(in thousands)		(in billions)
Loans sold by HLC	234		$	38.9
Subsequent settlements	(172	)	(28.8		)
Remaining unsettled loans	62		$	10.1

During the fourth quarter of 2015, LendingTree Loans completed a settlement agreement for $0.6 million with one of the investors to which it had sold loans. This investor accounted for approximately 10% of the total number of loans sold and 12% of the original issue balance. This settlement related to all existing and future losses on loans sold to this investor.

During the fourth quarter of 2014, LendingTree Loans completed a settlement agreement for $5.4 million with the largest investor to which it had sold loans. This investor accounted for approximately 40% of both the total number of loans sold and the original issue balance. This settlement related to all existing and future losses on loans sold to this investor.

In the second quarter of 2014, LendingTree Loans completed settlements with two buyers of previously purchased loans.

The Company has been negotiating with certain of the remaining secondary market purchasers to settle any existing and future contingent liabilities, but it may not be able to complete such negotiations on acceptable terms, or at all. Because LendingTree Loans does not service the loans it sold, it does not maintain nor generally have access to the current balances and loan performance data with respect to the individual loans previously sold to investors. Accordingly, LendingTree Loans is unable to determine, with precision, its maximum exposure for breaches of the representations and warranties it made to the investors that purchased such loans.

The Company uses a settlement discount framework for evaluating the adequacy of the reserve for loan losses. This model estimates lifetime losses on the population of remaining loans originated and sold by LendingTree Loans using actual defaults for loans with similar characteristics and projected future defaults. It also considers the likelihood of claims expected due to alleged breaches of representations and warranties made by LendingTree Loans and the percentage of those claims investors estimate LendingTree Loans may agree to repurchase. A settlement discount factor is then applied to the result of the foregoing to reflect publicly-announced bulk settlements for similar loan types and vintages, the Company's own settlement experience, as well as LendingTree Loans' non-operating status, in order to estimate a range of potential obligation.

The estimated range of remaining loan losses using this settlement discount framework was determined to be $4.3 million to $7.9 million at December 31, 2018. The reserve balance recorded as of December 31, 2018 was $7.6 million. Management has considered both objective and subjective factors in the estimation process, but given current general industry trends in mortgage loans as well as housing prices and market expectations, actual losses related to LendingTree Loans' obligations could vary significantly from the obligation recorded as of the balance sheet date or the range estimated above.

Additionally, LendingTree has guaranteed certain loans sold to two investors in the event that LendingTree Loans is unable to satisfy its repurchase and warranty obligations related to such loans.

Based on historical experience, it is anticipated that LendingTree Loans will continue to receive repurchase requests and incur losses on loans sold in prior years.

The activity related to loss reserves on previously sold loans is as follows (in thousands):



	Year Ended December 31,
	2018		2017		2016
Loan loss reserve, beginning of period	$	7,554	$	6,804	$	8,127
Provision adjustments ^(a)	—		750		(1,323		)
Charge-offs to reserves	—		—		—
Loan loss reserve, end of period	$	7,554	$	7,554	$	6,804


(a)	During 2016, the Company adjusted the loan loss reserve by $1.8 million to remove the estimated liability for loans sold to RFC. The Company is in litigation with RFC and separately reserved for the estimated loss for this litigation. See Note 15—Contingencies for additional information about the RFC litigation.

The liability for losses on previously sold loans is presented as current liabilities of discontinued operations in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2018 and 2017.

BUSINESS ACQUISITIONS

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Business Combinations [Abstract]

BUSINESS ACQUISITIONS

2018 Acquisitions

QuoteWizard

On October 31, 2018, the Company acquired QuoteWizard.com, LLC ("QuoteWizard"), one of the largest insurance comparison marketplaces in the growing online insurance advertising market. QuoteWizard services clients by driving consumers to insurance companies’ websites, providing leads to agents and carriers, as well as phone transfers of consumers into carrier call centers.

The Company paid $299.9 million in initial cash consideration, funded through $174.9 million of cash on hand and $125.0 million drawn on the Revolving Credit Facility (defined below), and could make up to three additional earnout payments, each ranging from zero to $23.4 million, based on certain defined operating results during the earnout periods November 1, 2018 through October 31, 2019, November 1, 2019 through October 31, 2020, and November 1, 2020 through October 31, 2021. These additional payments, to the extent earned, will be payable in cash. The Company has estimated a preliminary purchase price of $313.3 million, comprised of the upfront cash payment of $299.9 million, $13.9 million for the estimated fair value of the earnout payments, and an estimated $0.5 million post-closing reduction to working capital.

As of December 31, 2018, the estimated fair value of the contingent consideration totaled $20.7 million, which is included in non-current contingent consideration in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet. The estimated fair value of the contingent consideration payments is determined using an option pricing model. The estimated value of the contingent consideration is based upon available information and certain assumptions, known at the time of this report, which management believes are reasonable. Any differences in the actual contingent consideration payments will be recorded in operating income in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income. During 2018, the Company recorded $6.8 million of contingent consideration expense in the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income due to the change in estimated fair value of the contingent consideration.

The acquisition has been accounted for as a business combination. The preliminary allocation of purchase price to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed is as follows (in thousands):



	Preliminary Fair Value
Net working capital	$	8,535
Fixed assets	1,501
Intangible assets	120,400
Goodwill	182,863
Other noncurrent assets	17
Total preliminary purchase price	$	313,316

The Company primarily used the income approach for the valuation as appropriate, and used valuation inputs in these models and analyses that were based on market participant assumptions. Market participants are buyers and sellers unrelated to the Company and fair value is determined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction at the measurement date.

The acquired intangible assets are definite-lived assets consisting of developed technology, customer relationships, content and trademarks and tradenames. The estimated fair values of the developed technology were determined using excess earnings analysis, the customer relationships were determined using the distributor method, the content was determined using cost replacement analysis, and the trademarks and tradenames were determined using relief from royalty analysis. The fair value of the intangible assets with definite lives are as follows (dollars in thousands):



	Preliminary Fair Value		Weighted Average Amortization Life
Technology	$	68,900	4 years
Customer lists	42,700		14.7 years
Content	1,000		3 years
Trademarks and tradenames	7,800		5 years
Total intangible assets	$	120,400	7.9 years

As of December 31, 2018, the Company has not completed its determination of the final purchase price or the final allocation of the purchase price to the assets and liabilities of the acquisition. The purchase price and final allocation of purchase price is expected to be finalized in the first quarter of 2019. Any adjustment to the preliminary purchase price or the assets and liabilities assumed with the acquisition will adjust goodwill.

The Company recorded preliminary goodwill of $182.9 million, which represents the excess of the purchase price over the estimated fair value of tangible and intangible assets acquired, net of the liabilities assumed. The goodwill is primarily attributable to QuoteWizard as a going concern, which represents the ability of the Company to earn a higher return on the collection of assets and business of QuoteWizard than if those assets and business were to be acquired and managed separately. The benefit of access to the workforce is an additional element of goodwill. The goodwill is recorded in the Company’s one reportable segment. For income tax purposes, the acquisition was an asset purchase and the goodwill will be tax deductible.

As of the acquisition date, the Company’s consolidated results of operations include the results of the acquired QuoteWizard business. In 2018, revenue of $31.3 million and net income from continuing operations of $2.2 million, which excludes any contingent consideration expense associated with the acquisition, have been included in the Company’s consolidated results of operations. Acquisition-related costs were $4.8 million in 2018 and are included in general and administrative expense on the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income.

The unaudited pro forma financial results for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 below combine the consolidated results of the Company and QuoteWizard, giving effect to the acquisition as if it had been completed on January 1, 2017. This unaudited pro forma financial information is presented for informational purposes only and is not indicative of future operations or results had the acquisition been completed as of January 1, 2017, or any other date.

The unaudited pro forma financial results include adjustments for additional amortization expense based on the fair value of the intangible assets with definite lives and their estimated useful lives, as well as changes in depreciation expense associated with the change in fair value of the property, plant and equipment recorded in relation to the acquisition. Interest expense was adjusted to eliminate historical interest associated with QuoteWizard's revolving credit facility and notes payable that were not assumed with the acquisition, as well as reflect incremental interest expense associated with debt issued to finance the acquisition. The provision for income taxes from continuing operations has also been adjusted to reflect taxes on the historical results of operations of QuoteWizard. QuoteWizard did not pay taxes at the entity level as it was a limited liability company whose members elected for it to be taxed as a partnership.



	2018		2017
	(in thousands)
Pro forma revenue	$	900,978	$	701,184
Pro forma net income from continuing operations	$	110,015	$	1,164

The unaudited pro forma net income from continuing operations in 2018 includes the aggregate after tax contingent consideration expense associated with the QuoteWizard earnout of $4.9 million. The unaudited pro forma net income from continuing operations for 2017 has been adjusted to include acquisition-related costs of $5.9 million incurred by the Company and QuoteWizard that are directly attributable to the acquisition, which will not have an ongoing impact. Accordingly, these acquisition-related costs have been eliminated from the unaudited pro forma net income from continuing operations for 2018.

Student Loan Hero

On July 23, 2018, the Company acquired Student Loan Hero, Inc., a personal finance website dedicated to helping student loan borrowers manage their student debt. Student Loan Hero offers current and former students in-depth financial comparison tools, educational resources, and unbiased, personalized advice. The Company made an upfront cash payment of $60.7 million at the closing of the transaction, of which $2.3 million was recognized as severance expense in the Company's consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income. The purchase price of $60.4 million is comprised of the upfront cash payment of $60.7 million less the $2.3 million recognized as severance expense, and a $2.0 million post-closing payment for working capital settlement.

The acquisition has been accounted for as a business combination. During 2018, the Company completed the determination of the final allocation of purchase price to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed as follows (in thousands):



	Fair Value
Net working capital	$	5,429
Intangible assets	19,600
Goodwill	40,856
Deferred tax liabilities	(5,467		)
Total purchase price	$	60,418

The acquired intangible assets are definite-lived assets consisting of content, customer relationships and trademarks and tradenames. The estimated fair values of the content was determined using excess earnings analysis, the customer relationships were determined using the distributor method and the trademarks and tradenames were determined using relief from royalty analysis. The fair value of the intangible assets with definite lives are as follows (dollars in thousands):



	Fair Value		Weighted Average Amortization Life
Content	$	16,100	3 years
Customer lists	2,500		10 years
Trademarks and tradenames	1,000		5 years
Total intangible assets	$	19,600	4.0 years

The Company recorded goodwill of $40.9 million, which represents the excess of the purchase price over the estimated fair value of tangible and intangible assets acquired, net of the liabilities assumed. The goodwill is primarily attributable to Student Loan Hero as a going concern, which represents the ability of the Company to earn a higher return on the collection of assets and business of Student Loan Hero than if those assets and business were to be acquired and managed separately. The benefit of access to the workforce is an additional element of goodwill. The goodwill is recorded in the Company’s one reportable segment. For income tax purposes, the acquisition was an equity purchase and the goodwill will not be tax deductible. Acquisition-related costs were $0.5 million in 2018 and are included in general and administrative expense on the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income.

Ovation

On June 11, 2018, the Company acquired Ovation Credit Services, Inc., a leading provider of credit services with a strong customer service reputation. Ovation utilizes a proprietary software application that facilitates the credit repair process and is integrated directly with certain credit bureaus while educating consumers on credit improvement via ongoing outreach with Ovation case advisors. The proprietary software application offers consumers a simple, streamlined process to identify, dispute, and correct inaccuracies within their credit reports.

The Company paid $12.2 million in initial cash consideration and could make up to two additional earnout payments, each ranging from zero to $4.375 million, based on certain defined operating metrics during the earnout periods July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019 and July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020. These additional payments, to the extent earned, will be payable in cash. The purchase price of $17.9 million is comprised of the upfront cash payment of $12.2 million, $5.8 million for the estimated fair value of the earnout payments, and a $0.1 million post-closing receipt for working capital settlement.

As of December 31, 2018, the estimated fair value of the contingent consideration totaled $7.4 million, of which $4.1 million is included in current contingent consideration and $3.3 million is included in non-current contingent consideration in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet. The estimated fair value of the contingent consideration payments is determined using an option pricing model. The estimated value of the contingent consideration is based upon available information and certain assumptions, known at the time of this report, which management believes are reasonable. Any differences in the actual contingent consideration payments will be recorded in operating income in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income. During 2018, the Company recorded $1.6 million of contingent consideration expense in the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income due to the change in estimated fair value of the contingent consideration.

The acquisition has been accounted for as a business combination. The preliminary allocation of purchase price to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed is as follows (in thousands):



	Preliminary Fair Value
Net working capital	$	323
Fixed assets	76
Intangible assets	8,900
Goodwill	11,260
Net deferred tax liabilities	(2,688		)
Total purchase price	$	17,871

The acquired intangible assets are definite-lived assets consisting of developed technology, customer relationships and trademarks and tradenames. The estimated fair values of the developed technology were determined using excess earnings analysis, the customer relationships were determined using cost savings analysis and the trademarks and tradenames were determined using relief from royalty analysis. The fair value of the intangible assets with definite lives are as follows (dollars in thousands):



	Fair Value		Weighted Average Amortization Life
Technology	$	6,000	7 years
Customer lists	1,900		1 year
Trademarks and tradenames	1,000		4 years
Total intangible assets	$	8,900	5.4 years

As of December 31, 2018, the Company has not completed its determination of the final allocation of the purchase price to the assets and liabilities of the acquisition. The final allocation of purchase price is expected to be finalized in the first quarter of 2019. Any adjustment to the assets and liabilities assumed with the acquisition will adjust goodwill.

The Company recorded preliminary goodwill of $11.3 million, which represents the excess of the purchase price over the estimated fair value of tangible and intangible assets acquired, net of the liabilities assumed. The goodwill is primarily attributable to Ovation as a going concern, which represents the ability of the Company to earn a higher return on the collection of assets and business of Ovation than if those assets and business were to be acquired and managed separately. The benefit of access to the workforce is an additional element of goodwill. The goodwill is recorded in the Company’s one reportable segment. For income tax purposes, the acquisition was an equity purchase and the goodwill will not be tax deductible. Acquisition-related costs were $0.4 million in 2018 and are included in general and administrative expense on the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income.

2017 Acquisitions

SnapCap

On September 19, 2017, the Company acquired certain assets of Snap Capital LLC, which does business under the name SnapCap (“SnapCap”). SnapCap, a tech-enabled online platform, connects business owners with lenders offering small business loans, lines of credit and merchant cash advance products through a concierge-based sales approach. The Company paid $11.9 million of initial cash consideration and could make up to three additional contingent consideration payments, each ranging from zero to $3.0 million, based on certain defined operating results during the periods of October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018, October 1, 2018 through September 30, 2019 and October 1, 2019 through March 31, 2020. These additional payments, to the extent earned, will be payable in cash. The purchase price for the acquisition is $18.2 million, comprised of the upfront cash payment of $11.9 million and $6.3 million for the estimated fair value of the contingent consideration.

As of December 31, 2018, the estimated fair value of the contingent consideration totaled $6.7 million, of which $3.0 million is included in current contingent consideration and $3.7 million is included in non-current contingent consideration in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet. The estimated fair value of the contingent consideration payments is determined using an option pricing model. The estimated value of the contingent consideration is based upon available information and certain assumptions, known at the time of this report, which management believes are reasonable. Any differences in the actual contingent consideration payments will be recorded in operating income in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income. During 2018 and 2017, the Company recorded a gain of $0.3 million and expense of $0.7 million, respectively, in the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income due to the change in estimated fair value of the contingent consideration.

In January 2019, the Company paid $3.0 million related to the earnout payment for the period of October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018.

The acquisition has been accounted for as a business combination. During 2017, the Company completed the determination of the final allocation of purchase price to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed as follows (in thousands):



	Fair Value
Net working capital and other assets	$	42
Fixed assets	146
Intangible assets	4,300
Goodwill	13,738
Total purchase price	$	18,226

The acquired intangible assets are definite-lived assets consisting primarily of developed technology, customer relationships and trade name and trademarks. The estimated fair values of the developed technology were determined using cost savings analysis, the customer relationships were determined using the excess earnings analysis method and the trade name and trademarks were determined using relief from royalty analysis. The fair value of the intangible assets with definite lives are as follows (dollars in thousands):



	Fair Value		Weighted Average Amortization Life
Technology	$	400	3 years
Customer lists	3,300		10 years
Trade name and trademarks	600		5 years
Total intangible assets	$	4,300	8.7 years

The Company recorded goodwill of $13.7 million, which represents the excess of the purchase price over the estimated fair value of the intangible assets acquired. The goodwill is primarily attributable to SnapCap as a going concern which represents the ability of the Company to earn a higher return on the collection of assets and business of SnapCap than if those assets were to be acquired and managed separately. The benefit of access to the workforce is an additional element of goodwill. The goodwill is recorded in the Company’s one reportable segment. For income tax purposes, the acquisition was an asset purchase and the goodwill will be tax deductible. Acquisition-related costs were $0.3 million in 2017 and are included in general and administrative expense on the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income.

MagnifyMoney

On June 20, 2017, the Company acquired the membership interests of Camino Del Avion (Delaware), LLC, which does business under the name MagnifyMoney (“MagnifyMoney”) for $29.6 million cash consideration at the closing of the transaction. Camino del Avion (Delaware), LLC was immediately merged with and into LendingTree, LLC following such acquisition. MagnifyMoney is a leading consumer-facing media property that offers editorial content, expert commentary, tools and resources to help consumers compare financial products and make informed financial decisions. The Company also acquired an option to purchase an affiliate in India, which provides technology and research support to MagnifyMoney under a services agreement, for an estimated fair value of $0.5 million at any time during the three years after the closing. This purchase option was exercised on December 31, 2018.

In addition, the Company issued two key employees of MagnifyMoney restricted stock unit awards for a total of 38,468 shares of Company common stock. In connection with the terms of the purchase option described above, the Company issued a further restricted stock unit award for 19,234 shares to a key employee of technology and research operations in India upon the exercise of the purchase option. The total value of these restricted stock unit awards was $10.0 million on June 20, 2017. All of these restricted stock units will vest, if at all, on the basis of performance conditions following the acquisition.



	Fair Value
Net working capital	$	921
Intangible assets	9,700
Goodwill	23,784
Deferred tax liabilities	(4,176		)
Noncontrolling interest	(637		)
Total purchase price	$	29,592

The acquired intangible assets are definite-lived assets consisting primarily of content, developed technology, customer relationships and trade name and trademarks. The estimated fair values of the content was determined using excess earnings analysis, developed technology was determined using cost savings analysis, the customer relationships were determined using the distributor method and the trade name and trademarks were determined using relief from royalty analysis.

The fair value of the intangible assets with definite lives are as follows (dollars in thousands):



	Fair Value		Weighted Average Amortization Life
Technology	$	200	3 years
Customer lists	1,100		9 years
Trade name and trademarks	600		4 years
Content	7,800		3 years
Total intangible assets	$	9,700	3.7 years

The Company recorded goodwill of $23.8 million, which represents the excess of the purchase price over the estimated fair value of the tangible and intangible assets acquired, net of the liabilities assumed. The goodwill is primarily attributable to MagnifyMoney as a going concern which represents the ability of the Company to earn a higher return on the collection of assets and business of MagnifyMoney than if those assets were to be acquired and managed separately. The benefit of access to the workforce is an additional element of goodwill. The goodwill is recorded in the Company’s one reportable segment. For income tax purposes, the acquisition was an equity purchase and the goodwill will not be tax deductible. Acquisition-related costs were $0.4 million in 2017 and are included in general and administrative expense on the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income.

Prior to exercising the purchase option to acquire technology and support operations in India on December 31, 2018, the Company determined that this was a variable interest entity which must be consolidated for financial reporting. The Company recorded the assets, liabilities and non-controlling interest in this entity at their estimated fair value as of December 31, 2017.

DepositAccounts

On June 14, 2017, the Company acquired substantially all of the assets of Deposits Online, LLC, which does business under the name DepositAccounts.com (“DepositAccounts”). DepositAccounts is a leading consumer-facing media property in the depository industry and is one of the most comprehensive sources of depository deals and analysis on the Internet, covering all major deposit product categories through editorial content, programmatic rate tables and user-generated content.

The Company paid $24.0 million of initial cash consideration and could make additional contingent consideration payments of up to $9.0 million. The potential contingent consideration payments are comprised of (i) up to seven payments of $1.0 million each based on specified increases in Federal Funds interest rates during the period commencing on the closing date and ending on June 30, 2020 and (ii) a one-time performance payment of up to $2.0 million based on the net revenue of deposit products during the period of January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2018. These additional payments, to the extent earned, will be payable in cash. The purchase price for the acquisition is $29.0 million, comprised of the upfront cash payment of $24.0 million and $5.0 million for the estimated fair value of the contingent consideration at the time of closing the acquisition.

In the third quarter of 2017, the Company made a payment of $1.0 million associated with a specified increase in the Federal Funds rate in June 2017. In each of the four quarters of 2018, the Company paid $1.0 million associated with specified increases in the Federal Funds rate in December 2017, March 2018, June 2018 and September 2018, respectively, which are included within cash flows from financing activities on the consolidated statement of cash flows, except for an immaterial portion of the fourth quarter payment included within cash flows from operating activities. As of December 31, 2018, the estimated fair value of the contingent consideration totaled $4.0 million, which is included in current contingent consideration in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet. The estimated fair value of the portion of the contingent consideration payments based on increases in interest rates is determined using a scenario approach based on the interest rate forecasts of Federal Open Market Committee participants. The estimated fair value of the portion of the contingent consideration payments potentially earned based on net revenue is determined using an option pricing model. The estimated value of the contingent consideration is based upon available information and certain assumptions, known at the time of this report, which management believes are reasonable. Any differences in the actual contingent consideration payments will be recorded in operating income in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income. During each of 2018 and 2017, the Company recorded $2.0 million of contingent consideration expense in the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income due to the change in estimated fair value of the contingent consideration.

In January 2019, the Company paid $1.0 million associated with a specified increase in the Federal Funds rate in December 2018.



	Fair Value
Intangible assets	$	9,600
Goodwill	19,389
Total purchase price	$	28,989

The acquired intangible assets are definite-lived assets consisting primarily of developed technology, customer relationships and trade name and trademarks. The estimated fair values of the developed technology were determined using excess earnings analysis, the customer relationships were determined using the distributor method and the trade name and trademarks were determined using relief from royalty analysis. The fair value of the intangible assets with definite lives are as follows (dollars in thousands):



	Fair Value		Weighted Average Amortization Life
Technology	$	8,600	5 years
Customer lists	600		8 years
Trade name and trademarks	400		4 years
Total intangible assets	$	9,600	5.2 years

The Company recorded goodwill of $19.4 million, which represents the excess of the purchase price over the estimated fair value of the intangible assets acquired. The goodwill is primarily attributable to DepositAccounts as a going concern which represents the ability of the Company to earn a higher return on the collection of assets and business of DepositAccounts than if those assets were to be acquired and managed separately. The benefit of access to the workforce is an additional element of goodwill. The goodwill is recorded in the Company’s one reportable segment. For income tax purposes, the acquisition was an asset purchase and the goodwill will be tax deductible. Acquisition-related costs were $0.3 million in 2017 and are included in general and administrative expense on the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income.

2016 Acquisitions

CompareCards

On November 16, 2016, the Company acquired all of the membership interests of Iron Horse Holdings, LLC, which does business under the name CompareCards ("CompareCards"). CompareCards is an online marketing platform for credit cards, which the Company is utilizing to grow its existing credit card business. The Company paid $80.7 million in initial cash consideration and agreed to make two earnout payments, each up to $22.5 million, based on the amount of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization CompareCards generates during the periods of January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017 and January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2018, or up to $45.0 million in aggregate payments. The purchase price for the acquisition is $103.8 million comprised of an upfront cash payment of $80.7 million on November 16, 2016 and $23.1 million for the estimated fair value of the earnout payments at the time of closing the acquisition.

In the first quarter of 2018, the Company paid $22.5 million related to the earnout payment for the period of January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017, which is included within cash flows from financing activities on the consolidated statement of cash flows. In the second quarter of 2018, the Company paid $22.5 million related to the earnout payment for the period of January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2018, of which $0.6 million is included within cash flows from financing activities and $21.9 million is included within cash flows from operating activities on the consolidated statement of cash flows. During 2018 and 2017, the Company recorded $0.7 million and $21.2 million, respectively, of contingent consideration expense in the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income due to the change in estimated fair value of the earnout payments.

The acquisition has been accounted for as a business combination. During 2017, the Company completed the determination of the final allocation of the purchase price with respect to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed as follows (in thousands):



	Fair Value
Accounts receivable	$	3,538
Intangible assets	55,400
Goodwill	52,450
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	(7,638		)
Total purchase price	$	103,750

The acquired intangible assets are definite-lived assets consisting primarily of developed technology, customer relationships, and trade name and trademarks. The estimated fair values of the developed technology was determined using excess earnings analysis, the customer relationships were determined using the distributor method and the trade name and trademarks were determined using relief from royalty analysis. The fair value of the intangible assets with definite lives are as follows (dollars in thousands):



	Fair Value		Weighted Average Amortization Life
Technology	$	27,900	4 years
Customer lists	23,200		12 years
Trade name and trademarks	4,300		5 years
Total intangible assets	$	55,400	7.4 years

The Company recorded goodwill of $52.5 million, which represents the excess of the purchase price over the estimated fair value of tangible and intangible assets acquired, net of the liabilities assumed. The goodwill is primarily attributable to CompareCards as a going concern, which represents the ability of the Company to earn a higher return on the collection of assets and business of CompareCards than if those assets and business were to be acquired and managed separately. The benefit of access to the work force is an additional relevant element of goodwill. The goodwill is recorded in the Company’s one reportable segment. For income tax purposes, the acquisition was an asset purchase and the goodwill will be tax deductible. Acquisition-related costs of $0.1 million and $0.4 million in 2017 and 2016, respectively, are included in general and administrative expense on the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income.

SimpleTuition, Inc.

On May 31, 2016, the Company acquired certain assets of SimpleTuition, Inc. ("SimpleTuition"), a leading online marketing platform for student loans, for $5.0 million of cash consideration. Of the purchase price, $4.5 million was funded with available cash on hand and $0.5 million was held-back in satisfaction of any potential claims. The $0.5 million hold-back was paid in full in the second quarter of 2018.

The acquisition has been accounted for as a business combination. During 2016, the Company completed its determination of the final allocation of the purchase price with respect to the acquired assets. The Company has recorded the $5.0 million paid to the tangible and identifiable intangible assets based on their fair value, with the residual recorded to goodwill in the Company's one reportable segment. No liabilities were assumed. Acquisition-related costs were $0.1 million for 2016 and are included in general and administrative expense on the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income. The allocation of the purchase price to the assets acquired is as follows (dollars in thousands):



	Fair Value		Weighted Average Amortization Life
Accounts receivable	$	125	N/A
Total intangible assets with definite lives, net	$	4,500	9.2 years
Goodwill	$	375	N/A

The purchase was an asset acquisition for income tax purposes and the Company will deduct the recognized goodwill for income tax purposes. The acquisition of SimpleTuition was not considered significant to the accompanying consolidated financial statements.

Pro forma Financial Results and Other Information

The unaudited pro forma financial results for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 combine the consolidated results of the Company and CompareCards, DepositAccounts, MagnifyMoney, SnapCap, Ovation, Student Loan Hero and QuoteWizard, giving effect to the acquisitions as if the CompareCards acquisition had been completed on January 1, 2015, as if the DepositAccounts, MagnifyMoney and SnapCap acquisitions had been completed on January 1, 2016, and as if the Ovation, Student Loan Hero and QuoteWizard acquisitions had been completed on January 1, 2017. This unaudited pro forma financial information is presented for informational purposes only and is not indicative of future operations or results had the acquisitions been completed as of January 1, 2015, 2016 or 2017, or any other date.

The unaudited pro forma financial results include adjustments for additional amortization expense based on the fair value of the intangible assets with definite lives and their estimated useful lives. Depreciation expense and interest expense was also adjusted for the impact of the QuoteWizard acquisition, as described above. The provision for income taxes from continuing operations has been adjusted to reflect taxes on the historical results of operations of CompareCards, DepositAccounts, SnapCap and QuoteWizard. CompareCards, DepositAccounts, SnapCap and QuoteWizard did not pay taxes at the entity level as these entities were limited liability companies whose members elected for them to be taxed as a partnership.



	2018		2017			2016
	(in thousands)
Pro forma revenue	$	917,393	$	729,370		$	461,969
Pro forma net income from continuing operations	$	111,376	$	(2,998	)	$	31,139

The unaudited pro forma net income from continuing operations in 2018 includes the aggregate after tax contingent consideration expense associated with the CompareCards, DepositAccounts, SnapCap, Ovation and QuoteWizard earnouts of $7.7 million. The unaudited pro forma net income from continuing operations for 2017 has been adjusted to include acquisition-related costs of $6.9 million incurred by the Company, Student Loan Hero and QuoteWizard that are directly attributable to the Ovation, Student Loan Hero and QuoteWizard acquisitions, which will not have an ongoing impact. Accordingly, these acquisition-related costs have been eliminated from the unaudited pro forma net income from continuing operations for 2018.

The unaudited pro forma net income from continuing operations in 2017 include the aggregate after tax contingent consideration expense associated with the CompareCards, DepositAccounts and SnapCap earnouts of $14.4 million. The unaudited pro forma net income from continuing operations for 2016 has been adjusted to include acquisition-related costs of $1.0 million incurred by the Company, DepositAccounts, MagnifyMoney and SnapCap that are directly attributable to the DepositAccounts, MagnifyMoney and SnapCap acquisitions, which will not have an ongoing impact. Accordingly, these acquisition-related costs have been eliminated from the unaudited pro forma net income from continuing operations for 2017.

The Company’s consolidated results of operations include the results of the business acquisitions completed in 2018 as of the acquisition dates. In 2018, revenue of $44.8 million and net income from continuing operations of $1.8 million, which excludes any contingent consideration expense associated with the acquisitions, have been included in the Company’s consolidated results of operations.

SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Earnings Per Share [Abstract]

SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY

Basic and diluted net income per share was determined based on the following share data (in thousands):



	Year Ended December 31,
	2018	2017	2016
Weighted average basic common shares	12,504	11,945	11,812
Effect of stock options	1,043	1,626	886
Effect of dilutive share awards	153	111	75
Effect of Convertible Senior Notes and warrants	397	—	—
Weighted average diluted common shares	14,097	13,682	12,773

For the year ended December 31, 2018, the weighted average shares that were anti-dilutive, and therefore excluded from the calculation of diluted income per share, included options to purchase 0.4 million shares of common stock. For the year ended December 31, 2017, the weighted average shares that were anti-dilutive included options to purchases 0.1 million shares of common stock.

The 0.625% Convertible Senior Notes due June 1, 2022 and the warrants issued by the Company in the second quarter of 2017 could be converted into the Company’s common stock in the future, subject to certain contingencies. See Note 13—Debt for additional information. Shares of the Company’s common stock associated with these instruments were excluded from the calculation of diluted income per share during 2017 as they were anti-dilutive since the conversion price of the Convertible Senior Notes and the strike price of the warrants were greater than the average market price of the Company’s common stock.

See Note 11—Stock-Based Compensation for a full description of outstanding equity awards.

Common Stock Repurchases

In each of January 2010, May 2014, January 2016, February 2016 and February 2018, the board of directors authorized and the Company announced the repurchase of up to $10.0 million, $10.0 million, $50.0 million, $40.0 million and $100.0 million, respectively, of LendingTree's common stock. During the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, the Company purchased 379,449, 75,393 and 690,218 shares, respectively, of its common stock for aggregate consideration of $92.6 million, $21.0 million and $48.5 million, respectively. At December 31, 2018, $35.1 million remains authorized for share repurchase.

STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]

STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

The Company currently has two active plans, the Fifth Amended and Restated LendingTree 2008 Stock and Annual Incentive Plan (the "Equity Award Plan") and the LendingTree 2017 Inducement Grant Plan (the "Inducement Plan"), under which future awards may be granted, which currently covers outstanding stock options to acquire shares of the Company's common stock, restricted stock, restricted stock with performance conditions, RSUs and RSUs with performance conditions, and provides for the future grants of these and other equity awards. Under the Equity Award Plan and the Inducement Plan, the Company is authorized to grant stock options, restricted stock, RSUs and other equity-based awards for up to 5.35 million and 0.5 million shares, respectively, of LendingTree common stock to employees, and, under the Equity Award Plan only, to non-employee consultants and directors.

The Equity Award Plan and Inducement Plan each have a stated term of ten years and provide that the exercise price of stock options granted will not be less than the market price of the common stock on the grant date. The Equity Award Plan and Inducement Plan do not specify grant dates or vesting schedules, as those determinations are delegated to the Compensation Committee of the board of directors. Each grant agreement reflects the vesting schedule for that particular grant, as determined by the Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee has the authority to modify the vesting provisions of an award.

Non-cash compensation related to equity awards is included in the following line items in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income (in thousands):



	Year Ended December 31,
	2018		2017		2016
Cost of revenue	$	378	$	175	$	129
Selling and marketing expense	3,568		3,973		2,722
General and administrative expense	34,325		16,874		4,699
Product development	6,094		2,339		2,097
Total non-cash compensation	$	44,365	$	23,361	$	9,647

For the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, the Company recognized $11.2 million, $9.5 million and $3.7 million of income tax benefit related to non-cash compensation. Additionally, for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, the Company recognized $77.6 million and $12.9 million, respectively, of excess tax benefit, including state taxes, in income tax expense. See Note 2—Significant Accounting Policies—Recent Accounting Pronouncements, for additional information regarding excess tax benefits and deficiencies.

Stock Options

A summary of the changes in outstanding stock options is as follows:



	Number of Options		Weighted Average Exercise Price		Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term	Aggregate Intrinsic Value^(a)
			(per option)		(in years)	(in thousands)
Outstanding at December 31, 2017	1,863,739		$	30.70
Granted	77,576		293.18
Exercised	(994,222	)	16.83
Forfeited	(6,560	)	301.51
Expired	—		—
Outstanding at December 31, 2018	940,533		$	65.12	5.17	$	150,897
Options exercisable	766,552		$	28.37	4.40	$	146,742

(a)

The aggregate intrinsic value represents the total pre-tax intrinsic value (the difference between the Company's closing stock price of $219.57 on the last trading day of 2018 and the exercise price, multiplied by the number of shares covered by in-the-money options) that would have been received by the option holder had the option holder exercised these options on December 31, 2018. The intrinsic value changes based on the market value of the Company's common stock.

As of December 31, 2018, there was approximately $15.8 million of unrecognized compensation cost related to stock options. These costs are expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of approximately 2.3 years.

Upon exercise, the intrinsic value represents the pre-tax difference between the Company's closing stock price on the exercise date and the exercise price, multiplied by the number of stock options exercised. During the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, the total intrinsic value of stock options that were exercised was $268.3 million, $27.7 million and $0.3 million, respectively. Cash received from stock option exercises and the related actual tax benefit realized were $16.7 million and $73.3 million, respectively, for the year ended December 31, 2018.

During the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, the Company granted stock options with a weighted average grant date fair value per share of $150.55 , $105.15, and $40.05, respectively, of which the vesting periods include (a) immediately upon grant, (b) five months from the grant date, (c) one year from the grant date, (d) 50% over a period of two years from the grant date, (e) 20% over a period of one and half years to five and half years, (f) 33% over a period of three years from the grant date, (g) 25% and 75% over a period of two years and three years, respectively, (h) four years from the grant date, (i) 25% over a period of four years from the grant date, (j) 8% over a period of five months and 18% in each of the following five years, (k) 25%, 25% and 50% over a period of one year, two years and three years, respectively, and (l) 50%, 31% and 19% over a period of two years, three years and four years, respectively.

For purposes of determining stock-based compensation expense, the weighted average grant date fair value per share of the stock options was estimated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model, which requires the use of various key assumptions. The weighted average assumptions used are as follows:



	Year Ended December 31,
	2018	2017	2016
Expected term ⁽¹⁾	5.00 - 6.71 years	5.00 - 7.00 years	5.22 - 6.38 years
Expected dividend ⁽²⁾	—	—	—
Expected volatility ⁽³⁾	50% - 53%	51% - 52%	48% - 53%
Risk-free interest rate ⁽⁴⁾	2.33% - 3.06%	1.74% - 2.24%	1.10% - 2.18%


(1)	The expected term of stock options granted was calculated using the 'Simplified Method', which utilizes the midpoint between the weighted average time of vesting and the end of the contractual term. This method was utilized for the stock options due to a lack of historical exercise behavior by the Company's employees.


(2)	For all stock options granted during the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, no dividends are expected to be paid over the contractual term of the stock options, resulting in a zero expected dividend rate.


(3)	The expected volatility rate is based on the historical volatility of the Company's common stock.


(4)	The risk-free interest rate is specific to the date of grant. The risk-free interest rate is based on U.S. Treasury yields for notes with comparable expected terms as the awards, in effect at the grant date.

During the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, the total fair value of options vested was $11.4 million, $4.1 million and $0.9 million, respectively.

Stock Options with Performance Conditions

A summary of the changes in outstanding stock options with performance conditions is as follows:



	Number of Options	Weighted Average Exercise Price		Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term	Aggregate Intrinsic Value^(a)
		(per option)		(in years)	(in thousands)
Outstanding at December 31, 2017	37,877	$	308.90
Granted	—	—
Exercised	—	—
Forfeited	—	—
Expired	—	—
Outstanding at December 31, 2018	37,877	$	308.90	8.95	$	—
Options exercisable	—	$	—	0.00	$	—

(a)

No stock options with performance conditions were granted in 2018 or 2016. During 2017, the Company granted stock options with performance conditions with a weighted average grant date fair value per share of $152.45, of which vesting periods range from 1.2 years to 2.2 years, pending the attainment of certain performance targets set at the time of grant.

As of December 31, 2018, the performance conditions associated with the performance-based nonqualified stock options had not been met. None of the performance-based nonqualified stock options had been earned, and no compensation cost associated with these options has been recorded, as of December 31, 2018.



	Year ended December 31, 2017
Expected term⁽¹⁾	5.50 - 6.00 years
Expected dividend ⁽²⁾	—
Expected volatility ⁽³⁾	51%
Risk-free interest rate ⁽⁴⁾	2.16% - 2.23%


(1)	The expected term of stock options granted was calculated using the 'Simplified Method', which utilizes the midpoint between the weighted average time of vesting and the end of the contractual term. This method was utilized for the stock options due to a lack of historical exercise behavior by the Company's employees.


(2)	For all stock options granted during the year ended December 31, 2017, no dividends are expected to be paid over the contractual term of the stock options, resulting in a zero expected dividend rate.


(3)	The expected volatility rate is based on the historical volatility of the Company's common stock.


(4)	The risk-free interest rate is specific to the date of grant. The risk-free interest rate is based on U.S. Treasury yields for notes with comparable expected terms as the awards, in effect at the grant date.

Restricted Stock Units

A summary of the changes in outstanding nonvested RSUs, exclusive of RSUs granted to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in 2018 described below, is as follows:



	RSUs
	Number of Units		Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
			(per unit)
Nonvested at December 31, 2017	152,829		$	121.68
Granted ^(a)	121,751		272.93
Vested	(68,915	)	103.56
Forfeited	(13,993	)	213.59
Nonvested at December 31, 2018	191,672		$	217.56


(a)	The grant date fair value per share of the RSUs is calculated as the closing market price of LendingTree's common stock at the time of grant.

As of December 31, 2018, there was approximately $30.5 million of unrecognized compensation cost related to these RSUs. These costs are expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of approximately 2.0 years.

The total fair value of RSUs that vested during the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 was $21.8 million, $11.5 million and $10.1 million, respectively.

Restricted Stock Units with Performance Conditions

A summary of the changes in outstanding nonvested RSUs with performance conditions is as follows:



	RSUs with Performance Conditions
	Number of Units		Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
			(per unit)
Nonvested at December 31, 2017	111,205		$	160.34
Granted ^(a)	19,234		178.85
Vested	(30,806	)	121.37
Forfeited	(7,152	)	94.28
Nonvested at December 31, 2018	92,481		$	182.28


(a)	The grant date fair value per share of the RSUs with performance conditions is calculated as the closing market price of LendingTree's common stock at the time of grant.

During 2018, 2017 and 2016, the Company granted RSUs with performance conditions to certain employees, of which vesting periods range from 0.33 years to 4.00 years, pending the attainment of certain performance targets set at the time of grant.

As of December 31, 2018, there was approximately $10.3 million of unrecognized compensation cost related to RSUs with performance conditions. These costs are expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of approximately 1.0 year.

The total fair value of RSUs with performance conditions that vested during the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017, and 2016 was $7.9 million, $0.4 million, and 0.2 million, respectively.

Restricted Stock

Subsequent to the end of 2017, there was no outstanding nonvested restricted stock other than the restricted stock grants to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer described in the section below.

The total fair value of restricted stock, exclusive of restricted stock granted to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in 2018 described below, that vested during the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 was $2.1 million and $3.9 million, respectively.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Grants

2017 Grants

On July 25, 2017, the Company’s Compensation Committee approved new compensation arrangements for its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. The new compensation arrangements include the issuance of performance based equity compensation grants with a modeled total grant date value of $87.5 million of which 25% (119,015 shares) would be in the form of time-vested restricted stock awards with a performance condition and 75% (a maximum of 769,376 shares) would be in the form of performance-based nonqualified stock options.

The performance-based nonqualified stock options have a target number of shares that vest upon achieving targeted total shareholder return performance of 110% stock price appreciation and a maximum number of shares for achieving superior performance up to 167% of the target number of shares. No shares will vest unless 70% of the targeted performance is achieved. Time-based service vesting conditions would also have to be satisfied in order for performance-vested shares to become fully vested and no longer subject to forfeiture. On July 26, 2017, an initial grant of performance-based nonqualified stock options with a target number of shares of 402,694 and a maximum number of shares of 672,499 were issued with an exercise price of $183.80, the closing stock price on July 26, 2017. The performance measurement period ends on September 30, 2022. The fair value of the performance-based stock options will be recognized on a straight-line basis through the vest date of September 30, 2022, whether or not any of the total shareholder return targets are met.

The Company's Equity Award Plan imposes a per employee upper annual grant limit of 672,500 shares. As a result, the remaining 58,010 target performance-based nonqualified stock options and potential performance-based restricted stock awards were awarded on January 2, 2018. The form of the awards consisted of 31,336 performance-based nonqualified stock options with a per share exercise price of $340.25, and 26,674 performance-based restricted stock awards, substituting for an equal number of the performance-based options, to compensate for the increase in the exercise price of the performance-based option granted on July 26, 2017. These performance-based nonqualified stock options and performance-based restricted stock awards were issued with respective total grant date fair values of $9.5 million and $1.9 million.

As of December 31, 2018, performance-based nonqualified stock options of 312,008 and performance-based restricted stock awards of 19,175 had been earned, which have a vest date of September 30, 2022. As of December 31, 2018 there was approximately $1.4 million of unrecognized compensation cost related to the performance-based restricted stock awards.

On January 2, 2018, the 119,015 time-vested restricted stock awards with a performance condition were granted. The terms of these awards were fixed in the approved new compensation agreements in July 2017 with a total grant date fair value of $21.9 million. The performance condition was tied to the Company's operating results during the first six months of 2018, and has been met. During 2018, 47,603 of these awards vested at a total fair value of $13.6 million. As of December 31, 2018, there was approximately $13.1 million of unrecognized compensation cost related to these time-vested restricted stock awards. These costs are expected to be recognized through the vest date of December 31, 2021.

2018 Grants

On February 16, 2018, the Company’s Compensation Committee approved the issuance of performance based equity compensation grants to its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer with a modeled total grant date value of $7.5 million, of which 50% (9,896 shares) would be in the form of time-vested restricted stock units and 50% (a maximum of 21,982 shares) would be in the form of performance-based nonqualified stock options. On February 16, 2018, the 9,896 time-vested restricted stock units were granted with a grant date fair value of $378.95. As of December 31, 2018, there was approximately $2.9 million of unrecognized compensation costs related to these RSUs. These costs ares expected to be recognized through the vest date of February 16, 2022.

The performance-based nonqualified stock options have a target number of shares that vest upon achieving targeted total shareholder return performance of 81% stock price appreciation and a maximum number of shares for achieving superior performance up to 167% of the target number of shares. No shares will vest unless 41% of the targeted performance is achieved. Time-based service vesting conditions would also have to be satisfied in order for performance-vested shares to become fully vested and no longer subject to forfeiture. On February 16, 2018, the performance-based nonqualified stock options with a target number of shares of 13,163 and a maximum number of shares of 21,982 were issued with an exercise price of $378.95, the closing stock price on February 16, 2018. The performance measurement period ends on March 31, 2022. The fair value of the performance-based stock options will be recognized on a straight-line basis through the vest date of March 31, 2022, whether or not any of the total shareholder return targets are met. As of December 31, 2018, the performance targets associated with the performance-based nonqualified stock options had not been met.

In 2018 and 2017, the Company recorded $20.5 million and $8.9 million, respectively, in stock-based compensation expense related to the 2017 and 2018 grants to its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income.

A summary of changes in outstanding stock options with market conditions is as follows:



	Number of Options with Market Conditions	Weighted Average Exercise Price		Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term	Aggregate Intrinsic Value^(a)
		(per option)		(in years)	(in thousands)
Outstanding at December 31, 2017	402,694	$	183.80
Granted^(b)	44,499	351.70
Exercised	—	—
Forfeited	—	—
Expired	—	—
Outstanding at December 31, 2018	447,193	200.51		8.62	$	14,404
Options exercisable	—	$	—	0.00	$	—

(a)


(b)	During the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, the Company granted stock options with a weighted-average grant date fair value per share of $296.80 and $142.45, respectively, calculated using the Monte Carlo simulation model, which have vesting dates of March 31, 2022 and September 30, 2022.

For purposes of determining stock-based compensation expense, the weighted-average grant date fair value per share of the stock options was estimated using the Monte Carlo simulation model, which requires the use of various key assumptions. The weighted-average assumptions used are as follows:



	Year Ended December 31,
	2018	2017
Expected term ⁽¹⁾	7.00 - 7.15 years	7.50 years
Expected dividend ⁽²⁾	—	—
Expected volatility ⁽³⁾	50%	50%
Risk-free interest rate ⁽⁴⁾	2.38% - 2.81%	2.12%


(1)	The expected term of stock options with a market condition granted was calculated using the midpoint between the weighted average time of vesting and the end of the contractual term.


(2)	For all stock options with a market condition granted during the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, no dividends are expected to be paid over the contractual term of the stock options, resulting in a zero expected dividend rate.


(3)	The expected volatility rate is based on the historical volatility of the Company's common stock.


(4)	The risk-free interest rate is specific to the date of grant. The risk-free interest rate is based on U.S. Treasury yields for notes with comparable expected terms as the awards, in effect at the grant date.

As of December 31, 2018, there was approximately $51.3 million of unrecognized compensation cost related to stock options with market conditions. These costs are expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of approximately 3.7 years.

INCOME TAXES

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

INCOME TAXES

Income Tax Provision

The components of the income tax expense (benefit) are as follows (in thousands):



	Year Ended December 31,
	2018			2017			2016
Current income tax expense:
Federal	$	(1,470	)	$	10,055		$	11,519
State	(204		)	2,606			2,480
Current income tax (benefit) expense	(1,674		)	12,661			13,999
Deferred income tax (benefit) provision:
Federal	(44,950		)	(3,805		)	3,703
State	(18,951		)	(2,565		)	2,664
Deferred income tax (benefit) provision	(63,901		)	(6,370		)	6,367
Income tax expense (benefit)	$	(65,575	)	$	6,291		$	20,366

A reconciliation of the income tax expense (benefit) to the amounts computed by applying the statutory federal income tax rate to income from continuing operations before income taxes is shown as follows (in thousands):



	Year Ended December 31,
	2018			2017			2016
Federal statutory income tax	$	9,186		$	8,998		$	18,051
State income taxes, net of effect of federal tax benefit	(14,884		)	(268		)	4,038
Impact of Tax Cuts and Jobs Act	270			9,062			—
Excess tax deductions on non-cash compensation	(59,601		)	(11,134		)	—
Change in (release of) valuation allowance	(12		)	593			(416		)
Research and experimentation tax credit	(2,523		)	(1,318		)	(2,574		)
Other, net	1,989			358			1,267
Income tax expense (benefit)	$	(65,575	)	$	6,291		$	20,366

During the fourth quarter of 2017, LendingTree recorded a net tax expense of $9.1 million related to the enactment of the TCJA. The expense is primarily related to the remeasurement of LendingTree’s deferred tax assets and liabilities considering the TCJA’s enacted tax rates and certain other impacts. Simultaneous with the Act, the SEC Staff released Accounting Bulletin No. 118 ("SAB 118"), which allows the use of provisional amounts (reasonable estimates) if the analysis of the impacts of the Act have not been completed when financial statements are issued. During the fourth quarter of 2018, the Company finalized the computations of the income tax effects of the Act. As such, in accordance with SAB 118, the Company's accounting for the effects of the Act is complete. The Company did not significantly adjust provisional amounts recorded in the prior fiscal year and the SAB 118 measurement period subsequently ended on December 22, 2018. Although the Company no longer considers these amounts to be provisional, the determination of the Act’s income tax effects may change following future legislation or further interpretation of the Act based on the publication of recently proposed U.S. Treasury regulations and guidance from the Internal Revenue Service and state tax authorities.

Deferred Income Taxes

The tax effects of cumulative temporary differences that give rise to significant portions of the deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities are as follows (in thousands):



	December 31,
	2018			2017
Deferred tax assets:
Provision for accrued expenses	$	5,953		$	4,368
Net operating loss carryforwards ^(a)	59,817			6,296
Non-cash compensation expense	12,505			8,929
Interest limitation	3,532			—
Contingent liabilities	3,053			6,666
Other	4,545			2,138
Total gross deferred tax assets	89,405			28,397
Less: valuation allowance ^(b)	(2,229		)	(2,694		)
Total deferred tax assets, net of the valuation allowance	87,176			25,703
Deferred tax liabilities:
Intangible and other assets	(4,623		)	(1,960		)
Other	(892		)	(1,160		)
Total gross deferred tax liabilities	(5,515		)	(3,120		)
Net deferred taxes	$	81,661		$	22,583

(a)

At December 31, 2018, the Company had pre-tax consolidated federal net operating losses ("NOLs") of $203.5 million. The federal NOLs no longer expire under the new TCJA. The Company's NOLs will be available to offset taxable income subject to the Internal Revenue Code Section 382 annual limitation. In addition, the Company has state NOLs of approximately $498.5 million at December 31, 2018 that will expire at various times between 2020 and 2038.


(b)	The valuation allowance is related to items for which it is "more likely than not" that the tax benefit will not be realized.

Deferred income taxes are presented in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets as follows (in thousands):



	December 31,
	2018			2017
Deferred income tax assets	$	79,289		$	20,156
Non-current assets of discontinued operations	3,266			2,427
Deferred income tax liabilities	(894		)	—
Net deferred taxes	$	81,661		$	22,583

Valuation Allowance

A valuation allowance is provided on deferred tax assets if it is determined that it is "more likely than not" that the deferred tax asset will not be realized. As of each reporting date, management considers both positive and negative evidence regarding the likelihood of future realization of the deferred tax assets.

At December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, the Company recorded a partial valuation allowance of $2.2 million, $2.7 million and $2.1 million, respectively, primarily related to state net operating losses, which the Company does not expect to be able to utilize prior to expiration.

A reconciliation of the beginning and ending balances of the deferred tax valuation allowance is as follows (in thousands):



	Year Ended December 31,
	2018			2017		2016
Balance, beginning of the period	$	2,694		$	2,101	$	2,341
Charges to earnings	(465		)	593		(240		)
Balance, end of the period	$	2,229		$	2,694	$	2,101

Unrecognized Tax Benefits

A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amounts of unrecognized tax benefits, excluding interest and penalties, is as follows (in thousands):



	Year Ended December 31,
	2018		2017
Balance, beginning of the period	$	748	$	550
Additions based on tax positions of the current period	249		198
Additions based on tax positions of the prior period	130		—
Balance, end of the period	$	1,127	$	748

Interest and, if applicable, penalties are recognized related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax expense. Interest and penalties on unrecognized tax benefits included in income tax expense for each of the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 was immaterial.

As of December 31, 2018, the accrual for unrecognized tax benefits, including interest, was $1.2 million, which would benefit the effective tax rate if recognized. As of December 31, 2017, the accrual for unrecognized tax benefits, including interest, was $0.7 million, which would benefit the effective tax rate if recognized.

Tax Audits

LendingTree is subject to audits by federal, state and local authorities in the area of income tax. These audits include questioning the timing and the amount of deductions and the allocation of income among various tax jurisdictions. Income taxes payable include amounts considered sufficient to pay assessments that may result from examination of prior year returns; however, any amounts paid upon resolution of issues raised may differ from the amount provided. Differences between the reserves for tax contingencies and the amounts owed by the Company are recorded in the period they become known. As of December 31, 2018, the Company is subject to a federal income tax examination for the tax years 2014 through 2017. In addition, the Company is subject to state and local tax examinations for the tax years 2014 through 2017.

DEBT DEBT

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Debt Disclosure [Abstract]

Long-term Debt [Text Block]

DEBT

Convertible Senior Notes

On May 31, 2017, the Company issued $300.0 million aggregate principal amount of its 0.625% Convertible Senior Notes due June 1, 2022 (the “Notes”) in a private placement. The Notes bear interest at a rate of 0.625% per year, payable semi-annually on June 1 and December 1 of each year, beginning on December 1, 2017. The Notes will mature on June 1, 2022, unless earlier repurchased or converted.

The initial conversion rate of the Notes is 4.8163 shares of Common Stock per $1,000 principal amount of Notes (which is equivalent to an initial conversion price of approximately $207.63 per share). The conversion rate will be subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of certain specified events but will not be adjusted for accrued and unpaid interest. In addition, upon the occurrence of a fundamental change prior to the maturity of the Notes, the Company will, in certain circumstances, increase the conversion rate by a specified number of additional shares for a holder that elects to convert the Notes in connection with such fundamental change. Upon conversion, the Notes will settle for cash, shares of the Company’s stock, or a combination thereof, at the Company’s option. It is the intent of the Company to settle the principal amount of the Notes in cash and any conversion premium in shares of its common stock.

The Notes are the Company’s senior unsecured obligations and will rank senior in right of payment to any of the Company’s indebtedness that is expressly subordinated in right of payment to the Notes; equal in right of payment to any of the Company’s unsecured indebtedness that is not so subordinated; effectively junior in right of payment to any of the Company’s secured indebtedness, including borrowings under the senior secured Revolving Credit Facility, described below, to the extent of the value of the assets securing such indebtedness; and structurally junior to all indebtedness and other liabilities (including trade payables) of the Company’s subsidiaries.

Prior to the close of business on the business day immediately preceding February 1, 2022, the Notes will be convertible at the option of the holders thereof only under the following circumstances:

•

during any calendar quarter commencing after the calendar quarter ending on September 30, 2017 (and only during such calendar quarter), if the last reported sale price of the common stock for at least 20 trading days (whether or not consecutive) during the 30 consecutive trading day period ending on, and including the last trading day of the immediately preceding calendar quarter is greater than or equal to 130% of the conversion price on each applicable trading day;


•	during the five business day period after any five consecutive trading day period in which, for each trading day of that period, the trading price (as defined in the Notes) per $1,000 principal amount of Notes for such trading day was less than 98% of the product of the last reported sale price of the Common Stock and the conversion rate on each such trading day; or


•	upon the occurrence of specified corporate events including but not limited to a fundamental change.

Holders of the Notes became entitled to convert the Notes on January 1, 2018, based on the last reported sales price of the Company's common stock, for at least 20 trading days (whether or not consecutive) during the period of 30 consecutive trading days ending on December 31, 2017, being greater than or equal to 130% of the conversion price of the Notes on each applicable trading day. Holders of the Notes continued to have such right until June 30, 2018 based on the last reported sales price of the Company's common stock, for at least 20 trading days (whether or not consecutive) during the period of 30 consecutive trading days ending on March 31, 2018, being greater than or equal to 130% of the conversion price of the Notes on each applicable trading day. Holders of the Notes have not been entitled to convert the Notes since July 1, 2018. Holders of the Notes are not entitled to convert the Notes during the calendar quarter ended March 31, 2019 as the last reported sales price of the Company's common stock, for at least 20 trading days (whether or not consecutive) during the period of 30 consecutive trading days ending on December 31, 2018, was not greater than or equal to 130% of the conversion price of the Notes on each applicable trading day.

On or after February 1, 2022, until the close of business on the second scheduled trading day immediately preceding the maturity date of the Notes, holders of the Notes may convert all or a portion of their Notes regardless of the foregoing conditions.

The Company may not redeem the Notes prior to the maturity date and no sinking fund is provided for the Notes. Upon the occurrence of a fundamental change prior to the maturity date of the Notes, holders of the Notes may require the Company to repurchase all or a portion of the Notes for cash at a price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Notes to be repurchased, plus any accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding, the fundamental change repurchase date.

If the market price per share of the Common Stock, as measured under the terms of the Notes, exceeds the conversion price of the Notes, the Notes could have a dilutive effect, unless the Company elects, subject to certain conditions, to settle the principal amount of the Notes and any conversion premium in cash.

The initial measurement of convertible debt instruments that may be settled in cash is separated into a debt and an equity component whereby the debt component is based on the fair value of a similar instrument that does not contain an equity conversion option. The separate components of debt and equity of the Company’s Notes were determined using an interest rate of 5.36%, which reflects the nonconvertible debt borrowing rate of the Company at the date of issuance. As a result, the initial components of debt and equity were $238.4 million and $61.6 million, respectively.

Financing costs related to the issuance of the Notes were approximately $9.3 million of which $7.4 million were allocated to the liability component and are being amortized to interest expense over the term of the debt and $1.9 million were allocated to the equity component.

During 2018, the Company recorded interest expense on the Notes of $14.6 million which consisted of $1.9 million associated with the 0.625% coupon rate, $11.4 million associated with the accretion of the debt discount, and $1.3 million associated with the amortization of the debt issuance costs. During 2017, the Company recorded interest expense on the Notes of $8.2 million which consisted of $1.1 million associated with the 0.625% coupon rate, $6.4 million associated with the accretion of the debt discount, and $0.7 million associated with the amortization of the debt issuance costs. The debt discount is being amortized over the term of the debt.

As of December 31, 2018, the fair value of the Notes is estimated to be approximately $368.3 million using the Level 1 observable input of the last quoted market price on December 31, 2018.

A summary of the gross carrying amount, unamortized debt cost, debt issuance costs and net carrying value of the liability component of the Notes are as follows (in thousands):



	December 31, 2018		December 31, 2017
Gross carrying amount	$	300,000	$	300,000
Unamortized debt discount	43,805		55,202
Debt issuance costs	5,252		6,599
Net carrying amount	$	250,943	$	238,199

Convertible Note Hedge and Warrant Transactions

On May 31, 2017, in connection with the issuance of the Notes, the Company entered into Convertible Note Hedge (the “Hedge”) and Warrant transactions with respect to the Company’s common stock. The Company used approximately $18.1 million of the net proceeds from the Notes to pay for the cost of the Hedge, after such cost was partially offset by the proceeds from the Warrant transactions.

On May 31, 2017, the Company paid $61.5 million to the counterparties for the Hedge transactions. The Hedge transactions cover approximately 1.4 million shares of the Company’s common stock, the same number of shares initially underlying the Notes, and are exercisable upon any conversion of the Notes. The Hedge Transactions are expected generally to reduce the potential dilution to the Common Stock upon conversion of the Notes and/or offset any cash payments the Company is required to make in excess of the principal amount of the converted Notes, as the case may be, in the event that the market price per share of Common Stock, as measured under the terms of the Hedge transactions, is greater than the strike price of the Hedge transactions, which initially corresponds to the initial conversion price of the Notes, or approximately $207.63 per share of Common Stock. The Hedge transactions will expire upon the maturity of the Notes.

On May 31, 2017, the Company sold to the counterparties, warrants (the "Warrants") to acquire 1.4 million shares of Common Stock at an initial strike price of $266.39 per share, which represents a premium of 70% over the reported sale price of the Common Stock of $156.70 on May 24, 2017. On May 31, 2017, the Company received aggregate proceeds of approximately $43.4 million from the sale of the Warrants.

If the market price per share of the Common Stock, as measured under the terms of the Warrants, exceeds the strike price of the Warrants, the Warrants could have a dilutive effect, unless the Company elects, subject to certain conditions, to settle the Warrants in cash.

The Hedge and Warrant transactions are indexed to, and potentially settled in, the Company's common stock and the net cost of $18.1 million has been recorded as a reduction to additional paid-in capital in the consolidated statement of shareholders’ equity.

Senior Secured Revolving Credit Facility

On November 21, 2017, the Company's wholly-owned subsidiary, LendingTree, LLC, entered into an amended and restated $250.0 million five-year senior secured revolving credit facility which matures on November 21, 2022 (the “Revolving Credit Facility”). Under certain conditions, the Company will be permitted to add one or more term loans and/or increase revolving commitments under the Revolving Credit Facility by an additional $100.0 million or a greater amount provided that a total consolidated senior secured debt to EBITDA ratio does not exceed 2.50 to 1.00. On October 26, 2018, the Company amended the Revolving Credit Facility to increase the borrowing capacity by $100.0 million to $350.0 million. Pricing and other terms and conditions of the Revolving Credit Facility remain unchanged. Borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility can be used to finance working capital needs, capital expenditures and general corporate purposes, including to finance permitted acquisitions. As of December 31, 2018, the Company had a $125.0 million, 31-day borrowing outstanding under the Revolving Credit Facility bearing interest at the LIBO rate option of 4.02%. See Note 22—Subsequent Events for additional information regarding the Senior Secured Revolving Credit Facility.

Up to $10.0 million of the Revolving Credit Facility will be available for short-term loans, referred to as swingline loans. Additionally, up to $10.0 million of the Revolving Credit Facility will be available for the issuance of letters of credit.

The Company’s borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility bear interest at annual rates that, at the Company’s option, will be either:


•	a base rate generally defined as the sum of (i) the greater of (a) the prime rate of SunTrust Bank, (b) the federal funds effective rate plus 0.5% and (c) the LIBO rate (defined below) on a daily basis applicable for an interest period of one month plus 1.0% and (ii) an applicable percentage of 0.25% to 1.0% based on a total consolidated debt to EBITDA ratio; or


•	a LIBO rate generally defined as the sum of (i) the rate for Eurodollar deposits in the applicable currency and (ii) an applicable percentage of 1.25% to 2.0% based on a total consolidated debt to EBITDA ratio.

All swingline loans bear interest at the base rate defined above. Interest on the Company’s borrowings are payable quarterly in arrears for base rate loans and on the last day of each interest rate period (but not less often than three months) for LIBO rate loans.

The Revolving Credit Facility contains a restrictive financial covenant, which initially limits the total consolidated debt to EBITDA ratio to 4.5, with step downs to 4.0 over time, except that this may increase by 0.5 for the four fiscal quarters following a material acquisition. In addition, the Revolving Credit Facility contains customary affirmative and negative covenants in addition to events of default for a transaction of this type that, among other things, restrict additional indebtedness, liens, mergers or certain fundamental changes, asset dispositions, dividends, stock repurchases and other restricted payments, transactions with affiliates, sale-leaseback transactions, hedging transactions, loans and investments and other matters customarily restricted in such agreements. The Company was in compliance with all covenants at December 31, 2018.

The Revolving Credit Facility requires LendingTree, LLC to pledge as collateral, subject to certain customary exclusions, substantially all of its assets, including 100% of its equity in all of its domestic subsidiaries and 66% of the voting equity, and 100% of the non-voting equity, in all of its material foreign subsidiaries (of which there are currently none). The obligations under this facility are unconditionally guaranteed on a senior basis by LendingTree, Inc. and material domestic subsidiaries of LendingTree, LLC, which guaranties are secured by a pledge as collateral, subject to certain customary exclusions, of 100% of each such guarantor's assets, including 100% of each such guarantor’s equity in all of its domestic subsidiaries and 66% of the voting equity, and 100% of the non-voting equity, in all of its material foreign subsidiaries (of which there are currently none).

The Company is required to pay an unused commitment fee quarterly in arrears on the difference between committed amounts and amounts actually borrowed under the Revolving Credit Facility equal to an applicable percentage of 0.25% to 0.45% per annum based on a total consolidated debt to EBITDA ratio. The Company is required to pay a letter of credit participation fee and a letter of credit fronting fee quarterly in arrears. The letter of credit participation fee is based upon the aggregate face amount of outstanding letters of credit at an applicable percentage of 1.25% to 2.0% based on a total consolidated debt to EBITDA ratio. The letter of credit fronting fee is 0.125% per annum on the face amount of each letter of credit.

The Company recognized $0.1 million in additional interest expense in the fourth quarter of 2017 due to the write-off of certain unamortized debt issuance costs associated with the original revolving credit facility entered into on October 22, 2015. In addition to the remaining unamortized debt issuance costs associated with the original revolving credit facility and the Revolving Credit Facility, debt issuance costs of $0.5 million related to the October 2018 amendment are being amortized to interest expense over the life of the Revolving Credit Facility, and are included in prepaid and other current assets and other non-current assets in the Company's consolidated balance sheet.

During 2018, the Company recorded interest expense related to the Revolving Credit Facility of $2.0 million which consisted of $0.8 million associated with borrowings bearing interest at the base rate and the LIBO rate, $0.8 million in unused commitment fees, and $0.4 million associated with the amortization of the debt issuance costs. During 2017, the Company recorded interest expense related to the Revolving Credit Facility of $0.5 million in unused commitment fees and $0.4 million associated with the amortization of the debt issuance costs.

COMMITMENTS

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

COMMITMENTS

Operating Leases

The Company leases office space used in connection with its operations under various operating leases, which contain escalation clauses. The Company's operating leases relate to its office space in: Charlotte, North Carolina; Burlingame, California; Charleston, South Carolina; New York City, New York; Northbrook, Illinois; Jacksonville, Florida; Seattle, Washington; Sacramento, California; Denver, Colorado; and Makarba, India.

Future minimum payments as of December 31, 2018 under operating lease agreements having an initial or remaining non-cancelable lease term in excess of one year are as follows (in thousands):



Year ending December 31,	Amount
2019	$	4,406
2020	3,188
2021	1,094
2022	736
2023	228
Total	$	9,652

Rental expense for all operating leases, except those with terms of a month or less that were not renewed, charged to continuing operations was $3.4 million, $2.0 million and $1.6 million, for each of the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively, which is included in general and administrative expense in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income.

Bonds

The Company has funding commitments that could potentially require performance in the event of demands by third parties or contingent events, as follows (in thousands):



	Commitments Due By Period
	Total		Less Than 1 year		1-3 years		3-5 years		More Than 5 years
Surety bonds ^(a)	$	4,193	$	4,168	$	25	$	—	$	—

(a) State laws and regulations generally require businesses which engage in mortgage brokering activity to maintain a mortgage broker or similar license. Mortgage brokering activity is generally defined to include, among other things, receiving valuable consideration for offering assistance to a buyer in obtaining a residential mortgage or soliciting financial and mortgage information from the public and providing that information to an originator of residential mortgage loans. All states require that the Company maintain surety bonds for potential claims.

Other Commitments

The Company has certain other commitments through 2020, where the commitments for these contracts range from $2.9 million to $5.2 million each year throughout the remaining life of the contract.

CONTINGENCIES	12 Months Ended
CONTINGENCIES	Dec. 31, 2018
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
CONTINGENCIES	CONTINGENCIES Overview LendingTree is involved in legal proceedings on an ongoing basis. In assessing the materiality of a legal proceeding, the Company evaluates, among other factors, the amount of monetary damages claimed, as well as the potential impact of non-monetary remedies sought by plaintiffs (e.g., injunctive relief) that may require it to change its business practices in a manner that could have a material and adverse impact on the business. With respect to the matters disclosed in this Note 15, unless otherwise indicated, the Company is unable to estimate the possible loss or range of losses that could potentially result from the application of such non-monetary remedies. As of December 31, 2018 and 2017, the Company had litigation settlement accruals of $0.2 million and $0.3 million, respectively, in continuing operations and $8.0 million and $4.0 million, respectively, in discontinued operations. The litigation settlement accruals relate to litigation matters that were either settled or a firm offer for settlement was extended, thereby establishing an accrual amount that is both probable and reasonably estimable. Specific Matters Litigation Related to Discontinued Operations Residential Funding Company Residential Funding Company, LLC v Home Loan Center, Inc., No. 13-cv-3451 (U.S. Dist. Ct., Minn.). On or about December 16, 2013, Home Loan Center, Inc. was served in the above captioned matter. Generally, Residential Funding Company, LLC ("RFC") seeks damages for breach of contract and indemnification for certain residential mortgage loans as well as residential mortgage-backed securitizations ("RMBS") containing mortgage loans. RFC asserts that, beginning in 2008, RFC faced massive repurchase demands and lawsuits from purchasers or insurers of the loans and RMBS that RFC had sold. RFC filed for bankruptcy protection in May 2012. Plaintiff alleges that, after RFC filed for Chapter 11 protection, hundreds of proofs of claim were filed, many of which mirrored the litigation filed against RFC prior to its bankruptcy. In December 2013, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York entered an Order confirming the Second Amended Joint Chapter 11 Plan Proposed by Residential Capital, LLC et al. and the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors. Plaintiff then began filing substantially similar complaints against approximately 80 of the loan originators from whom RFC had purchased loans, including HLC, in federal and state courts in Minnesota and New York. In each case, Plaintiff claims that the defendant is liable for a portion of the global settlements in RFC’s bankruptcy. Plaintiff asserts two claims against HLC: (1) breach of contract based on HLC’s alleged breach of representations and warranties concerning the quality and characteristics of the mortgage loans it sold to RFC; and (2) contractual indemnification for alleged liabilities, losses, and damages incurred by RFC arising out of purported defects in loans that RFC purchased from HLC and sold to third parties. Plaintiff alleges that the “types of defects” contained in the loans it purchased from HLC included “income misrepresentation, employment misrepresentation, appraisal misrepresentations or inaccuracies, undisclosed debt, and missing or inaccurate documents.” Plaintiff sought damages of up to $61.0 million plus attorney's fees and prejudgment interest. HLC denied the material allegations of the complaint and asserted numerous defenses thereto. The matter went to trial in October 2018, and the jury returned a verdict of $28.7 million in favor of Plaintiff. Plaintiff is also seeking up to $28.8 million in attorneys’ fees and $30.6 million in pre-judgment interest in addition to the jury verdict amount. As of February 28, 2019, the court has not yet entered judgment in favor of Plaintiff. HLC believes it has strong grounds for appeal and further believes that Plaintiff’s demand for attorneys’ fees and pre-judgment interest is excessive (and, if granted, would be subject to appeal). HLC intends to vigorously pursue an appeal. The Company estimates the range of HLC’s potential losses in the RFC matter to be $0.0 million to $88.1 million. An estimated liability of $7.0 million for this matter is included in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2018. Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc. Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. v. Home Loan Center, Inc., Case No. 08-13555 (SCC), Adversary Proceeding No. 16-01342 (SCC) (Bankr. S.D.N.Y.). In February 2016, Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. (“LBHI”) filed an Adversary Complaint against HLC and approximately 149 other defendants (the “Complaint”). In December 2018, LBHI amended its complaint against HLC. The amended complaint references approximately 370 allegedly defective mortgage loans sold by HLC with purported "Claim Amounts" totaling $40.2 million. LBHI alleges it settled all such claims and is seeking indemnification from HLC for LBHI’s purported losses and liabilities associated with such settlements, plus prejudgment interest, attorneys’ fees, litigation costs and other expenses. The amended complaint does not specify the amount of LBHI’s purported damages. HLC believes that these claims lack merit and intends to defend this action vigorously. An estimated liability of $1.0 million for this matter is included in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2018.

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENT

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENT

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

Other than the Notes and the Warrants, the carrying amounts of the Company's financial instruments are equal to fair value at December 31, 2018. See Note 13—Debt for additional information on the Notes and the Warrants.

Contingent consideration payments related to acquisitions are measured at fair value each reporting period using Level 3 unobservable inputs. The changes in the fair value of the Company's Level 3 liabilities during the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 are as follows (in thousands):



	Year Ended December 31,
	2018			2017			2016
Contingent consideration, beginning of period	$	57,349		$	23,100		$	—
Transfers into Level 3	—			—			—
Transfers out of Level 3	—			—			—
Total net (gains) losses included in earnings (realized and unrealized)	10,788			23,931			—
Purchases, sales and settlements:
Additions	19,700			11,318			23,100
Payments	(49,000		)	(1,000		)	—
Contingent consideration, end of period	$	38,837		$	57,349		$	23,100

The contingent consideration liability at December 31, 2018 is the estimated fair value of the earnout payments of the DepositAccounts, SnapCap, Ovation, and QuoteWizard acquisitions. The contingent consideration liability at December 31, 2017 was the estimated fair value of the earnout payments of the CompareCards, DepositAccounts, and SnapCap acquisitions. The contingent consideration liability at December 31, 2016 was the estimated fair value of the earnout payments of the CompareCards acquisition. The Company will make earnout payments ranging from $3.0 million to $4.0 million based on the achievement of defined milestone and performance targets for DepositAccounts, payments ranging from $3.0 million to $9.0 million based on the achievement of certain defined earnings targets for SnapCap, payments ranging from zero to $8.75 million based on the achievement of certain defined operating metrics for Ovation, and payments ranging from zero to $70.2 million based on the achievement of certain defined performance targets for QuoteWizard. See Note 8—Business Acquisitions for additional information on the contingent consideration for each of these respective acquisitions.

The significant unobservable inputs used to calculate the fair value of the contingent consideration are estimated future cash flows for the acquisitions, estimated customer growth rates, estimated date and likelihood of an increase in interest rates and the discount rate. Actual results will differ from the projected results and could have a significant impact on the estimated fair value of the contingent considerations. Additionally, as the liability is stated at present value, the passage of time alone will increase the estimated fair value of the liability each reporting period. Any changes in fair value will be recorded in operating income in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments as well as disclosures related to the fair value of non-financial assets and liabilities. Such disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities would include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate); (2) for items for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value, disclosure would include: (a) information pertinent to estimating fair value (including, carrying amount, effective interest rate, and maturity, and (b) the reasons why it is not practicable to estimate fair value; (3) significant concentrations of credit risk including: (a) information about the activity, region, or economic characteristics identifying a concentration, (b) the maximum amount of loss the entity is exposed to based on the gross fair value of the related item, (c) policy for requiring collateral or other security and information as to accessing such collateral or security, and (d) the nature and brief description of such collateral or security; (4) quantitative information about market risks and how such risks are managed; (5) for items measured on both a recurring and nonrecurring basis information regarding the inputs used to develop the fair value measurement; and (6) for items presented in the financial statement for which fair value measurement is elected: (a) information necessary to understand the reasons for the election, (b) discussion of the effect of fair value changes on earnings, (c) a description of [similar groups] items for which the election is made and the relation thereof to the balance sheet, the aggregate carrying value of items included in the balance sheet that are not eligible for the election; (7) all other required (as defined) and desired information.

+ References + Details

RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS	12 Months Ended
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS	Dec. 31, 2018
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS	RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS One of the Company's board of directors also serves as a director to a marketing partner of the Company. During 2018, 2017 and 2016, the Company recognized $0.7 million, $1.2 million and $1.3 million, respectively, of expenses for this marketing partner through the normal course of business. In the fourth quarter of 2017, the Company's Board of Directors approved a $10.0 million contribution to fund the newly formed LendingTree Foundation. The Company expects to pay $3.3 million of the $10.0 million contribution in 2019, and the remainder by 2021. Officers of the Company serve as officers of the LendingTree Foundation. The contribution is recorded in general and administrative expense on the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income.

BENEFIT PLANS	12 Months Ended
BENEFIT PLANS	Dec. 31, 2018
Defined Contribution Plan [Abstract]
BENEFIT PLANS	BENEFIT PLANS The Company operates a retirement savings plan for its employees in the United States that is qualified under Section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code. Employees are eligible to enroll in the plan upon date of hire. Participating employees may contribute up to 50% of their pre-tax earnings, but not more than statutory limits ($18,000 for 2016 and 2017, and $18,500 for 2018). The company match contribution is fifty cents for each dollar a participant contributes to the plan, with a maximum contribution of 6% of a participant's eligible earnings. Matching contributions are invested in the same manner as each participant's voluntary contributions in the investment options provided under the plan. LendingTree stock is not included in the available investment options or the plan assets. Funds contributed to the plan vest according to the participant's years of service, with less than three years of service vesting at 0%, and three years or more of service vesting at 100%. Matching contributions were approximately $1.4 million, $0.9 million and $0.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Discontinued Operations and Disposal Groups [Abstract]

DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS

ASSETS HELD FOR SALE



	Fair Value		Weighted Average Depreciation Life
Land	$	5,818	N/A
Building	14,679		34.0 years
Site improvements	950		6.6 years
Tenant leases	2,029		3.2 years
Total purchase price	$	23,476

Property and equipment classified as held for sale is as follows (in thousands):



	December 31, 2018
Land	$	5,818
Building	14,984
Site improvements	950
Computer equipment and capitalized software	166
Furniture and other equipment	145
Total gross property and equipment	22,063
Accumulated depreciation	(1,278		)
Total property and equipment, net	$	20,785

Intangible assets classified as held for sale relate to the following (in thousands):



	December 31, 2018
Tenant leases	$	961
Total gross intangible assets	961
Accumulated amortization	(468		)
Total intangible assets, net	$	493



Year ending December 31,	Amount
2019	$	657
2020	673
2021	269
2022	59
2023	56
Thereafter	65
Total	$	1,779

Rental income of $0.9 million in 2018 and $1.6 million in 2017 is included in other income on the accompanying consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income.

DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS

The revenue and net loss reported as discontinued operations in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income are as follows (in thousands):



	Year Ended December 31,
	2018			2017			2016
Revenue	$	—		$	(750	)	$	1,325

Loss before income taxes	$	(16,228	)	$	(5,909	)	$	(5,728	)
Income tax benefit	3,408			2,069			2,014
Net loss	$	(12,820	)	$	(3,840	)	$	(3,714	)

In 2018, 2017 and 2016, loss from discontinued operations was primarily due to litigation settlements and contingencies and legal fees associated with ongoing legal proceedings.

LendingTree Loans

Significant Assets and Liabilities of LendingTree Loans

Loan Loss Obligations

The following table represents the aggregate loans sold, subsequent settlements and remaining unsettled loans as of December 31, 2018:



	Number of Loans		Original Issue Balance
	(in thousands)		(in billions)
Loans sold by HLC	234		$	38.9
Subsequent settlements	(172	)	(28.8		)
Remaining unsettled loans	62		$	10.1

In the second quarter of 2014, LendingTree Loans completed settlements with two buyers of previously purchased loans.

Additionally, LendingTree has guaranteed certain loans sold to two investors in the event that LendingTree Loans is unable to satisfy its repurchase and warranty obligations related to such loans.

Based on historical experience, it is anticipated that LendingTree Loans will continue to receive repurchase requests and incur losses on loans sold in prior years.

The activity related to loss reserves on previously sold loans is as follows (in thousands):



	Year Ended December 31,
	2018		2017		2016
Loan loss reserve, beginning of period	$	7,554	$	6,804	$	8,127
Provision adjustments ^(a)	—		750		(1,323		)
Charge-offs to reserves	—		—		—
Loan loss reserve, end of period	$	7,554	$	7,554	$	6,804


(a)	During 2016, the Company adjusted the loan loss reserve by $1.8 million to remove the estimated liability for loans sold to RFC. The Company is in litigation with RFC and separately reserved for the estimated loss for this litigation. See Note 15—Contingencies for additional information about the RFC litigation.

The liability for losses on previously sold loans is presented as current liabilities of discontinued operations in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2018 and 2017.

SEGMENT INFORMATION

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

SEGMENT INFORMATION

The Company has one reportable segment.

Mortgage and non-mortgage product revenue is as follows (in thousands):



	Year Ended December 31,
	2018		2017		2016
Mortgage products	$	242,175	$	275,910	$	219,991
Non-mortgage products	522,690		341,826		164,411
Total revenue	$	764,865	$	617,736	$	384,402

QUARTERLY FINANCIAL INFORMATION

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Quarterly Financial Information [Abstract]

QUARTERLY FINANCIAL INFORMATION (UNAUDITED)

The following tables set forth summary financial information for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017:



	Q1			Q2			Q3			Q4
	(in thousands, except per share amounts)
2018
Revenue	$	181,035		$	184,101		$	197,057		$	202,672
Operating income ⁽¹⁾	15,350			18,123			20,290			2,428
Income from continuing operations ⁽¹⁾	35,857			44,849			28,362			251
Loss from discontinued operations	(4,333		)	(2,302		)	(2,634		)	(3,551		)
Net income (loss) and comprehensive income (loss)	$	31,524		$	42,547		$	25,728		$	(3,300	)
Income (loss) per share from continuing operations:
Basic	$	2.97		$	3.61		$	2.22		$	0.02
Diluted	$	2.41		$	3.17		$	2.05		$	0.02
Loss per share from discontinued operations:
Basic	$	(0.36	)	$	(0.19	)	$	(0.21	)	$	(0.28	)
Diluted	$	(0.29	)	$	(0.16	)	$	(0.19	)	$	(0.26	)
Net income (loss) per share:
Basic	$	2.61		$	3.43		$	2.01		$	(0.26	)
Diluted	$	2.12		$	3.01		$	1.86		$	(0.24	)


(1)	The fourth quarter of 2018 includes contingent consideration expense of $6.8 million for the QuoteWizard acquisition due to an increased probability of achievement of certain defined performance targets for QuoteWizard.



	Q1			Q2			Q3			Q4
	(in thousands, except per share amounts)
2017
Revenue	$	132,515		$	152,773		$	171,494		$	160,954
Operating income (expense) ⁽¹⁾	6,884			8,969			17,455			(175		)
Income (loss) from continuing operations ^{(1) (2)}	7,798			8,007			10,131			(6,518		)
Loss from discontinued operations	(932		)	(689		)	(1,011		)	(1,208		)
Net income (loss) and comprehensive income (loss)	$	6,866		$	7,318		$	9,120		$	(7,726	)
Income (loss) per share from continuing operations:
Basic	$	0.66		$	0.67		$	0.84		$	(0.54	)
Diluted	$	0.58		$	0.59		$	0.74		$	(0.54	)
Loss per share from discontinued operations:
Basic	$	(0.08	)	$	(0.06	)	$	(0.08	)	$	(0.10	)
Diluted	$	(0.07	)	$	(0.05	)	$	(0.07	)	$	(0.10	)
Net income (loss) per share:
Basic	$	0.58		$	0.61		$	0.76		$	(0.64	)
Diluted	$	0.51		$	0.54		$	0.66		$	(0.64	)


(1)	In the fourth quarter of 2017, the Company's Board of Directors approved a $10.0 million contribution to fund the newly formed LendingTree Foundation. The contribution is recorded in general and administrative expense on the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income.


(2)	During the fourth quarter of 2017, the Company recorded a net tax expense of $9.1 million related to the enactment of the TCJA. See Note 12—Income Taxes for additional information.

SUBSEQUENT EVENT	12 Months Ended
SUBSEQUENT EVENT	Dec. 31, 2018
Subsequent Events [Abstract]
Subsequent Events [Text Block]	SUBSEQUENT EVENTS Acquisition of Value Holding Inc. On January 10, 2019, the Company acquired Value Holding Inc., the parent company of ValuePenguin Inc., a personal finance website that offers consumers objective analysis on a variety of financial topics from insurance to credit cards, for $105.0 million in cash at the closing of the transaction, subject to adjustments for working capital. The acquisition was funded through $90.0 million drawn on the Company's Revolving Credit Facility and the balance using cash on hand. Common Stock Repurchase Program In February 2019, the board of directors authorized and the Company announced the addition of up to $150.0 million under the stock repurchase program. Between January 1, 2019 and February 28, 2019, the Company purchased 17,501 shares of its common stock for aggregate consideration of $3.9 million. As of February 28, 2019, approximately $181.2 million remains authorized for future share repurchases. Sale of North Carolina Office Properties On February 22, 2019, the Company entered into a real estate purchase and sale agreement for the sale of its two office buildings to an unrelated third party. See Item 2. Properties and Note 7—Assets Held For Sale for further information on these buildings. The agreement provides for a sale price of $24.75 million subject to prorations and adjustments. The agreement allows the purchaser a period of inspection through March 28, 2019 during which time it may elect to not proceed with the purchase and receive a return of its earnest money deposit. After such period, an earnest money deposit of $1.0 million would become non-refundable if the purchaser does not purchase the property, subject to certain exceptions.

SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Revenue Recognition

Variable consideration is included in revenue if it is probable that a significant future reversal of cumulative revenue under the contract will not occur.

In addition to match and other upfront fees, revenue within the non-mortgage product category is also generated from closing fees and approval fees.

Both the mortgage and non-mortgage product categories are included in the Company's single reportable segment.

Our payment terms vary by customer and services offered. The term between invoicing and when payment is due is generally 30 days or less.

For additional information on the adoption of ASC Topic 606, please see the discussion over ASU 2014-09 in the section titled "Recent Accounting Pronouncements" within this Note.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents include cash and short-term, highly liquid money market investments with original maturities of three months or less.

Restricted Cash

Cash escrowed or contractually restricted for a specific purpose is designated as restricted cash.

Accounts Receivable

Accounts receivable are stated at amounts due from customers, net of an allowance for doubtful accounts.

Loan Loss Obligations (Discontinued Operations)

Segment Reporting

The Company has one reportable segment.

Property and Equipment



Asset Category	Estimated Useful Lives
Land	N/A
Building	34 years
Site Improvements	1 to 15 years
Computer equipment and capitalized software	1 to 5 years
Leasehold improvements	Lesser of asset life or life of lease
Furniture and other equipment	3 to 7 years
Aircraft and automobile	5 to 10 years

Software Development Costs

Goodwill and Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets

Long-Lived Assets and Intangible Assets with Definite Lives

At December 31, 2018 and 2017, the Company performed its review of impairment triggering events for long-lived assets and determined that a triggering event had not occurred.

Assets and Liabilities Held for Sale

The Company classifies assets or disposal groups to be sold as held for sale in the period in which all of the following criteria are met:


•	Management, having the authority to approve the action, commits to a plan to sell the asset or disposal group;


•	The asset or disposal group is available for immediate sale in its present condition subject only to terms that are usual and customary for sales of such assets or disposal groups;


•	An active program to locate a buyer and other actions required to complete the plan to sell the asset or disposal group have been initiated;


•	The sale of the asset or disposal group is probable, and transfer of the asset or disposal group is expected to qualify for recognition as a completed sale within one year, except if events or circumstances beyond the Company's control extend the period of time required to sell the asset or disposal group beyond one year;


•	The asset or disposal group is being actively marketed for sale at a price that is reasonable in relation to its current fair value; and


•	Actions required to complete the plan indicate that it is unlikely that significant changes to the plan will be made or that the plan will be withdrawn.

Fair Value Measurements


•	Level 1: Observable inputs, such as quoted prices for identical assets and liabilities in active markets obtained from independent sources.


•	Level 2: Other inputs that are observable directly or indirectly, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active and inputs that are derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data.


•	Level 3: Unobservable inputs for which there is little or no market data and which require the Company to develop its own assumptions, based on the best information available under the circumstances, about the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability.

Stock-Based Compensation

Litigation Settlements and Contingencies

Accounting Estimates

Certain Risks and Concentrations

Due to the nature of the mortgage lending industry, interest rate fluctuations may negatively impact future revenue from the Company's marketplace.

Other than a support services office in India, the Company's operations are geographically limited to and dependent upon the economic condition of the United States.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

The cumulative effect of the changes made to the consolidated January 1, 2018 balance sheet for the adoption of ASC Topic 606 were as follows (in thousands):



	December 31, 2017			Adjustments due to ASC Topic 606			January 1, 2018
Assets:
Prepaid and other current assets	$	11,881		$	1,903		$	13,784
Deferred income tax assets	20,156			(530		)	19,626

Shareholders' equity:
Accumulated deficit	$	(708,354	)	$	1,373		$	(706,981	)

The impact of adoption on the consolidated income statement and balance sheet for the period ended December 31, 2018 was as follows (in thousands):



	Year Ended December 31, 2018
	As Reported		Balances without adoption of ASC Topic 606		Effect of Change
Revenue	$	764,865	$	762,739	$	2,126

Costs and expenses:
Income tax benefit	65,575		66,182		(607		)

Net income from continuing operations	$	109,319	$	107,800	$	1,519



	December 31, 2018
	As Reported			Balances without adoption of ASC Topic 606			Effect of Change
Assets:
Prepaid and other current assets	$	16,428		$	11,627		$	4,801
Deferred income tax assets	79,289			79,819			(530		)

Shareholders' equity:
Accumulated deficit	$	(610,482	)	$	(614,753	)	$	4,271

SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Schedule of reconciliation of the allowance for doubtful accounts

A reconciliation of the beginning and ending balances of the allowance for doubtful accounts is as follows (in thousands):



	Year Ended December 31,
	2018			2017			2016
Balance, beginning of the period	$	675		$	1,059		$	606
Charges to earnings	880			195			515
Write-off of uncollectible accounts receivable	(412		)	(579		)	(62		)
Balance, end of the period	$	1,143		$	675		$	1,059

Schedule of depreciation period for each asset category

The following table presents the estimated useful lives for each asset category:



Asset Category	Estimated Useful Lives
Land	N/A
Building	34 years
Site Improvements	1 to 15 years
Computer equipment and capitalized software	1 to 5 years
Leasehold improvements	Lesser of asset life or life of lease
Furniture and other equipment	3 to 7 years
Aircraft and automobile	5 to 10 years

Schedule of effect of new accounting pronouncements

The cumulative effect of the changes made to the consolidated January 1, 2018 balance sheet for the adoption of ASC Topic 606 were as follows (in thousands):



	December 31, 2017			Adjustments due to ASC Topic 606			January 1, 2018
Assets:
Prepaid and other current assets	$	11,881		$	1,903		$	13,784
Deferred income tax assets	20,156			(530		)	19,626

Shareholders' equity:
Accumulated deficit	$	(708,354	)	$	1,373		$	(706,981	)

The impact of adoption on the consolidated income statement and balance sheet for the period ended December 31, 2018 was as follows (in thousands):



	Year Ended December 31, 2018
	As Reported		Balances without adoption of ASC Topic 606		Effect of Change
Revenue	$	764,865	$	762,739	$	2,126

Costs and expenses:
Income tax benefit	65,575		66,182		(607		)

Net income from continuing operations	$	109,319	$	107,800	$	1,519



	December 31, 2018
	As Reported			Balances without adoption of ASC Topic 606			Effect of Change
Assets:
Prepaid and other current assets	$	16,428		$	11,627		$	4,801
Deferred income tax assets	79,289			79,819			(530		)

Shareholders' equity:
Accumulated deficit	$	(610,482	)	$	(614,753	)	$	4,271

CASH AND RESTRICTED CASH (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Cash and Cash Equivalents [Abstract]

Schedule of cash, restricted cash and cash equivalents

Total cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents consist of the following (in thousands):



	December 31, 2018		December 31, 2017
Cash and cash equivalents	$	105,102	$	368,550
Restricted cash and cash equivalents	56		4,091
Total cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents	$	105,158	$	372,641

Restricted cash and cash equivalents consists of the following (in thousands):



	December 31, 2018		December 31, 2017
Cash in escrow from sale of LendingTree Loans ^(a)	$	—	$	4,034
Other	56		57
Total restricted cash and cash equivalents	$	56	$	4,091

(a)

GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]

Goodwill rollforward

The balance of goodwill, net is as follows (in thousands):



	Goodwill		Accumulated Impairment Loss			Net Goodwill
Balance at December 31, 2016	$	539,545	$	(483,088	)	$	56,457
Acquisition of DepositAccounts	19,389		—			19,389
Acquisition of MagnifyMoney	23,784		—			23,784
Acquisition of SnapCap	13,738		—			13,738
Balance at December 31, 2017	$	596,456	$	(483,088	)	$	113,368
Acquisition of Ovation	11,260		—			11,260
Acquisition of Student Loan Hero	40,856		—			40,856
Acquisition of QuoteWizard	182,863		—			182,863
Balance at December 31, 2018	$	831,435	$	(483,088	)	$	348,347

Schedule of balance of intangible assets, net

The balance of intangible assets, net is as follows (in thousands):



	December 31, 2018		December 31, 2017
Intangible assets with indefinite lives	$	10,142	$	10,142
Intangible assets with definite lives, net	195,557		70,983
Total intangible assets, net	$	205,699	$	81,125

Schedule of intangible assets with definite lives

Intangible assets with definite lives relate to the following (dollars in thousands):



	Weighted Average Amortization Life	Cost		Accumulated Amortization			Net
Technology	4.2 years	$	112,400	$	(21,022	)	$	91,378
Customer lists	12.9 years	80,200		(7,746		)	72,454
Trademarks and tradenames	4.7 years	16,742		(3,730		)	13,012
Website content	3.0 years	24,900		(6,192		)	18,708
Other	3.0 years	256		(251		)	5
Balance at December 31, 2018		$	234,498	$	(38,941	)	$	195,557



	Weighted Average Amortization Life	Cost		Accumulated Amortization			Net
Technology	4.2 years	$	37,500	$	(8,694	)	$	28,806
Customer lists	11.3 years	33,100		(3,239		)	29,861
Trademarks and tradenames	4.5 years	6,942		(1,992		)	4,950
Tenant leases	3.3 years	1,362		(504		)	858
Website content	3.0 years	7,800		(1,300		)	6,500
Other	3.0 years	256		(248		)	8
Balance at December 31, 2017		$	86,960	$	(15,977	)	$	70,983

Schedule of amortization of intangible assets with definite lives for the next five years



	Amortization Expense
Year ending December 31, 2019	$	45,774
Year ending December 31, 2020	42,819
Year ending December 31, 2021	32,479
Year ending December 31, 2022	24,255
Year ending December 31, 2023	8,442
Thereafter	41,788
Total intangible assets with definite lives, net	$	195,557

ASSETS HELD FOR SALE (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Discontinued Operations and Disposal Groups [Abstract]

Summary of assets acquired

The acquisition was accounted for as an asset purchase and the allocation of the purchase price to the assets acquired was as follows (in thousands):



	Fair Value		Weighted Average Depreciation Life
Land	$	5,818	N/A
Building	14,679		34.0 years
Site improvements	950		6.6 years
Tenant leases	2,029		3.2 years
Total purchase price	$	23,476

Disclosure of long lived assets held-for-sale

roperty and equipment classified as held for sale is as follows (in thousands):



	December 31, 2018
Land	$	5,818
Building	14,984
Site improvements	950
Computer equipment and capitalized software	166
Furniture and other equipment	145
Total gross property and equipment	22,063
Accumulated depreciation	(1,278		)
Total property and equipment, net	$	20,785

Intangible assets classified as held for sale relate to the following (in thousands):



	December 31, 2018
Tenant leases	$	961
Total gross intangible assets	961
Accumulated amortization	(468		)
Total intangible assets, net	$	493

Schedule of future rental income



Year ending December 31,	Amount
2019	$	657
2020	673
2021	269
2022	59
2023	56
Thereafter	65
Total	$	1,779

BUSINESS ACQUISITIONS (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Business Combinations [Abstract]

Schedule of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in a business acquisition

During 2017, the Company completed the determination of the final allocation of purchase price to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed as follows (in thousands):



	Fair Value
Net working capital and other assets	$	42
Fixed assets	146
Intangible assets	4,300
Goodwill	13,738
Total purchase price	$	18,226

During 2017, the Company completed the determination of the final allocation of the purchase price with respect to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed as follows (in thousands):



	Fair Value
Accounts receivable	$	3,538
Intangible assets	55,400
Goodwill	52,450
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	(7,638		)
Total purchase price	$	103,750

During 2017, the Company completed the determination of the final allocation of purchase price to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed as follows (in thousands):



	Fair Value
Intangible assets	$	9,600
Goodwill	19,389
Total purchase price	$	28,989

The allocation of the purchase price to the assets acquired is as follows (dollars in thousands):



	Fair Value		Weighted Average Amortization Life
Accounts receivable	$	125	N/A
Total intangible assets with definite lives, net	$	4,500	9.2 years
Goodwill	$	375	N/A

The preliminary allocation of purchase price to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed is as follows (in thousands):



	Preliminary Fair Value
Net working capital	$	8,535
Fixed assets	1,501
Intangible assets	120,400
Goodwill	182,863
Other noncurrent assets	17
Total preliminary purchase price	$	313,316

The preliminary allocation of purchase price to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed is as follows (in thousands):



	Preliminary Fair Value
Net working capital	$	323
Fixed assets	76
Intangible assets	8,900
Goodwill	11,260
Net deferred tax liabilities	(2,688		)
Total purchase price	$	17,871

During 2017, the Company completed the determination of the final allocation of purchase price to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed as follows (in thousands):



	Fair Value
Net working capital	$	921
Intangible assets	9,700
Goodwill	23,784
Deferred tax liabilities	(4,176		)
Noncontrolling interest	(637		)
Total purchase price	$	29,592

During 2018, the Company completed the determination of the final allocation of purchase price to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed as follows (in thousands):



	Fair Value
Net working capital	$	5,429
Intangible assets	19,600
Goodwill	40,856
Deferred tax liabilities	(5,467		)
Total purchase price	$	60,418

Schedule of definite-lived intangible assets acquired in a business acquisition

The fair value of the intangible assets with definite lives are as follows (dollars in thousands):



	Preliminary Fair Value		Weighted Average Amortization Life
Technology	$	68,900	4 years
Customer lists	42,700		14.7 years
Content	1,000		3 years
Trademarks and tradenames	7,800		5 years
Total intangible assets	$	120,400	7.9 years

The fair value of the intangible assets with definite lives are as follows (dollars in thousands):



	Fair Value		Weighted Average Amortization Life
Technology	$	400	3 years
Customer lists	3,300		10 years
Trade name and trademarks	600		5 years
Total intangible assets	$	4,300	8.7 years

The fair value of the intangible assets with definite lives are as follows (dollars in thousands):



	Fair Value		Weighted Average Amortization Life
Technology	$	6,000	7 years
Customer lists	1,900		1 year
Trademarks and tradenames	1,000		4 years
Total intangible assets	$	8,900	5.4 years

The fair value of the intangible assets with definite lives are as follows (dollars in thousands):



	Fair Value		Weighted Average Amortization Life
Technology	$	8,600	5 years
Customer lists	600		8 years
Trade name and trademarks	400		4 years
Total intangible assets	$	9,600	5.2 years

The fair value of the intangible assets with definite lives are as follows (dollars in thousands):



	Fair Value		Weighted Average Amortization Life
Technology	$	27,900	4 years
Customer lists	23,200		12 years
Trade name and trademarks	4,300		5 years
Total intangible assets	$	55,400	7.4 years

The fair value of the intangible assets with definite lives are as follows (dollars in thousands):



	Fair Value		Weighted Average Amortization Life
Technology	$	200	3 years
Customer lists	1,100		9 years
Trade name and trademarks	600		4 years
Content	7,800		3 years
Total intangible assets	$	9,700	3.7 years

The fair value of the intangible assets with definite lives are as follows (dollars in thousands):



	Fair Value		Weighted Average Amortization Life
Content	$	16,100	3 years
Customer lists	2,500		10 years
Trademarks and tradenames	1,000		5 years
Total intangible assets	$	19,600	4.0 years

Unaudited pro forma revenue and net income from continuing operations of business acquisition



	2018		2017
	(in thousands)
Pro forma revenue	$	900,978	$	701,184
Pro forma net income from continuing operations	$	110,015	$	1,164



	2018		2017			2016
	(in thousands)
Pro forma revenue	$	917,393	$	729,370		$	461,969
Pro forma net income from continuing operations	$	111,376	$	(2,998	)	$	31,139

STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]

Schedule of non-cash compensation expense related to equity awards

Non-cash compensation related to equity awards is included in the following line items in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income (in thousands):



	Year Ended December 31,
	2018		2017		2016
Cost of revenue	$	378	$	175	$	129
Selling and marketing expense	3,568		3,973		2,722
General and administrative expense	34,325		16,874		4,699
Product development	6,094		2,339		2,097
Total non-cash compensation	$	44,365	$	23,361	$	9,647

Summary of changes in outstanding stock options

A summary of the changes in outstanding stock options is as follows:



	Number of Options		Weighted Average Exercise Price		Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term	Aggregate Intrinsic Value^(a)
			(per option)		(in years)	(in thousands)
Outstanding at December 31, 2017	1,863,739		$	30.70
Granted	77,576		293.18
Exercised	(994,222	)	16.83
Forfeited	(6,560	)	301.51
Expired	—		—
Outstanding at December 31, 2018	940,533		$	65.12	5.17	$	150,897
Options exercisable	766,552		$	28.37	4.40	$	146,742

(a)

A summary of the changes in outstanding stock options with performance conditions is as follows:



	Number of Options	Weighted Average Exercise Price		Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term	Aggregate Intrinsic Value^(a)
		(per option)		(in years)	(in thousands)
Outstanding at December 31, 2017	37,877	$	308.90
Granted	—	—
Exercised	—	—
Forfeited	—	—
Expired	—	—
Outstanding at December 31, 2018	37,877	$	308.90	8.95	$	—
Options exercisable	—	$	—	0.00	$	—

(a)

A summary of changes in outstanding stock options with market conditions is as follows:



	Number of Options with Market Conditions	Weighted Average Exercise Price		Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term	Aggregate Intrinsic Value^(a)
		(per option)		(in years)	(in thousands)
Outstanding at December 31, 2017	402,694	$	183.80
Granted^(b)	44,499	351.70
Exercised	—	—
Forfeited	—	—
Expired	—	—
Outstanding at December 31, 2018	447,193	200.51		8.62	$	14,404
Options exercisable	—	$	—	0.00	$	—

(a)


(b)	During the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, the Company granted stock options with a weighted-average grant date fair value per share of $296.80 and $142.45, respectively, calculated using the Monte Carlo simulation model, which have vesting dates of March 31, 2022 and September 30, 2022.

Summary of stock option valuation assumptions



	Year ended December 31, 2017
Expected term⁽¹⁾	5.50 - 6.00 years
Expected dividend ⁽²⁾	—
Expected volatility ⁽³⁾	51%
Risk-free interest rate ⁽⁴⁾	2.16% - 2.23%


(1)	The expected term of stock options granted was calculated using the 'Simplified Method', which utilizes the midpoint between the weighted average time of vesting and the end of the contractual term. This method was utilized for the stock options due to a lack of historical exercise behavior by the Company's employees.


(2)	For all stock options granted during the year ended December 31, 2017, no dividends are expected to be paid over the contractual term of the stock options, resulting in a zero expected dividend rate.


(3)	The expected volatility rate is based on the historical volatility of the Company's common stock.


(4)	The risk-free interest rate is specific to the date of grant. The risk-free interest rate is based on U.S. Treasury yields for notes with comparable expected terms as the awards, in effect at the grant date.



	Year Ended December 31,
	2018	2017	2016
Expected term ⁽¹⁾	5.00 - 6.71 years	5.00 - 7.00 years	5.22 - 6.38 years
Expected dividend ⁽²⁾	—	—	—
Expected volatility ⁽³⁾	50% - 53%	51% - 52%	48% - 53%
Risk-free interest rate ⁽⁴⁾	2.33% - 3.06%	1.74% - 2.24%	1.10% - 2.18%


(1)	The expected term of stock options granted was calculated using the 'Simplified Method', which utilizes the midpoint between the weighted average time of vesting and the end of the contractual term. This method was utilized for the stock options due to a lack of historical exercise behavior by the Company's employees.


(2)	For all stock options granted during the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, no dividends are expected to be paid over the contractual term of the stock options, resulting in a zero expected dividend rate.


(3)	The expected volatility rate is based on the historical volatility of the Company's common stock.


(4)	The risk-free interest rate is specific to the date of grant. The risk-free interest rate is based on U.S. Treasury yields for notes with comparable expected terms as the awards, in effect at the grant date.



	Year Ended December 31,
	2018	2017
Expected term ⁽¹⁾	7.00 - 7.15 years	7.50 years
Expected dividend ⁽²⁾	—	—
Expected volatility ⁽³⁾	50%	50%
Risk-free interest rate ⁽⁴⁾	2.38% - 2.81%	2.12%


(1)	The expected term of stock options with a market condition granted was calculated using the midpoint between the weighted average time of vesting and the end of the contractual term.


(2)	For all stock options with a market condition granted during the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, no dividends are expected to be paid over the contractual term of the stock options, resulting in a zero expected dividend rate.


(3)	The expected volatility rate is based on the historical volatility of the Company's common stock.


(4)	The risk-free interest rate is specific to the date of grant. The risk-free interest rate is based on U.S. Treasury yields for notes with comparable expected terms as the awards, in effect at the grant date.

Schedule of changes in outstanding non-vested RSUs, restricted stock and RSUs with performance conditions

A summary of the changes in outstanding nonvested RSUs, exclusive of RSUs granted to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in 2018 described below, is as follows:



	RSUs
	Number of Units		Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
			(per unit)
Nonvested at December 31, 2017	152,829		$	121.68
Granted ^(a)	121,751		272.93
Vested	(68,915	)	103.56
Forfeited	(13,993	)	213.59
Nonvested at December 31, 2018	191,672		$	217.56


(a)	The grant date fair value per share of the RSUs is calculated as the closing market price of LendingTree's common stock at the time of grant.

A summary of the changes in outstanding nonvested RSUs with performance conditions is as follows:



	RSUs with Performance Conditions
	Number of Units		Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
			(per unit)
Nonvested at December 31, 2017	111,205		$	160.34
Granted ^(a)	19,234		178.85
Vested	(30,806	)	121.37
Forfeited	(7,152	)	94.28
Nonvested at December 31, 2018	92,481		$	182.28


(a)	The grant date fair value per share of the RSUs with performance conditions is calculated as the closing market price of LendingTree's common stock at the time of grant.

INCOME TAXES (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Schedule of components of the income tax provision (benefit)

The components of the income tax expense (benefit) are as follows (in thousands):



	Year Ended December 31,
	2018			2017			2016
Current income tax expense:
Federal	$	(1,470	)	$	10,055		$	11,519
State	(204		)	2,606			2,480
Current income tax (benefit) expense	(1,674		)	12,661			13,999
Deferred income tax (benefit) provision:
Federal	(44,950		)	(3,805		)	3,703
State	(18,951		)	(2,565		)	2,664
Deferred income tax (benefit) provision	(63,901		)	(6,370		)	6,367
Income tax expense (benefit)	$	(65,575	)	$	6,291		$	20,366

Schedule of reconciliation of total income tax provision to amounts computed by applying statutory federal income tax rate to income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes



	Year Ended December 31,
	2018			2017			2016
Federal statutory income tax	$	9,186		$	8,998		$	18,051
State income taxes, net of effect of federal tax benefit	(14,884		)	(268		)	4,038
Impact of Tax Cuts and Jobs Act	270			9,062			—
Excess tax deductions on non-cash compensation	(59,601		)	(11,134		)	—
Change in (release of) valuation allowance	(12		)	593			(416		)
Research and experimentation tax credit	(2,523		)	(1,318		)	(2,574		)
Other, net	1,989			358			1,267
Income tax expense (benefit)	$	(65,575	)	$	6,291		$	20,366

Schedule of components of the deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities

The tax effects of cumulative temporary differences that give rise to significant portions of the deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities are as follows (in thousands):



	December 31,
	2018			2017
Deferred tax assets:
Provision for accrued expenses	$	5,953		$	4,368
Net operating loss carryforwards ^(a)	59,817			6,296
Non-cash compensation expense	12,505			8,929
Interest limitation	3,532			—
Contingent liabilities	3,053			6,666
Other	4,545			2,138
Total gross deferred tax assets	89,405			28,397
Less: valuation allowance ^(b)	(2,229		)	(2,694		)
Total deferred tax assets, net of the valuation allowance	87,176			25,703
Deferred tax liabilities:
Intangible and other assets	(4,623		)	(1,960		)
Other	(892		)	(1,160		)
Total gross deferred tax liabilities	(5,515		)	(3,120		)
Net deferred taxes	$	81,661		$	22,583

(a)


(b)	The valuation allowance is related to items for which it is "more likely than not" that the tax benefit will not be realized.

Deferred income taxes are presented in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets as follows (in thousands):



	December 31,
	2018			2017
Deferred income tax assets	$	79,289		$	20,156
Non-current assets of discontinued operations	3,266			2,427
Deferred income tax liabilities	(894		)	—
Net deferred taxes	$	81,661		$	22,583

Schedule of the deferred tax valuation allowance reconciliation

A reconciliation of the beginning and ending balances of the deferred tax valuation allowance is as follows (in thousands):



	Year Ended December 31,
	2018			2017		2016
Balance, beginning of the period	$	2,694		$	2,101	$	2,341
Charges to earnings	(465		)	593		(240		)
Balance, end of the period	$	2,229		$	2,694	$	2,101

Schedule of reconciliation of beginning and ending amounts of unrecognized tax benefits, excluding interest and penalties

A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amounts of unrecognized tax benefits, excluding interest and penalties, is as follows (in thousands):



	Year Ended December 31,
	2018		2017
Balance, beginning of the period	$	748	$	550
Additions based on tax positions of the current period	249		198
Additions based on tax positions of the prior period	130		—
Balance, end of the period	$	1,127	$	748

COMMITMENTS (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Schedule of future minimum payments under operating lease agreements

Future minimum payments as of December 31, 2018 under operating lease agreements having an initial or remaining non-cancelable lease term in excess of one year are as follows (in thousands):



Year ending December 31,	Amount
2019	$	4,406
2020	3,188
2021	1,094
2022	736
2023	228
Total	$	9,652

Schedule of funding commitments that could potentially require performance in the event of demands by third parties or contingent events

The Company has funding commitments that could potentially require performance in the event of demands by third parties or contingent events, as follows (in thousands):



	Commitments Due By Period
	Total		Less Than 1 year		1-3 years		3-5 years		More Than 5 years
Surety bonds ^(a)	$	4,193	$	4,168	$	25	$	—	$	—

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENT (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]

Schedule of changes in assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis using significant unobservable inputs

The changes in the fair value of the Company's Level 3 liabilities during the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 are as follows (in thousands):



	Year Ended December 31,
	2018			2017			2016
Contingent consideration, beginning of period	$	57,349		$	23,100		$	—
Transfers into Level 3	—			—			—
Transfers out of Level 3	—			—			—
Total net (gains) losses included in earnings (realized and unrealized)	10,788			23,931			—
Purchases, sales and settlements:
Additions	19,700			11,318			23,100
Payments	(49,000		)	(1,000		)	—
Contingent consideration, end of period	$	38,837		$	57,349		$	23,100

DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS

Schedule of the aggregate loans sold, subsequent settlements and remaining unsettled loans

The following table represents the aggregate loans sold, subsequent settlements and remaining unsettled loans as of December 31, 2018:



	Number of Loans		Original Issue Balance
	(in thousands)		(in billions)
Loans sold by HLC	234		$	38.9
Subsequent settlements	(172	)	(28.8		)
Remaining unsettled loans	62		$	10.1

Lending Tree Loans

DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS

Schedule of revenue and net income of the discontinued operations

The revenue and net loss reported as discontinued operations in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income are as follows (in thousands):



	Year Ended December 31,
	2018			2017			2016
Revenue	$	—		$	(750	)	$	1,325

Loss before income taxes	$	(16,228	)	$	(5,909	)	$	(5,728	)
Income tax benefit	3,408			2,069			2,014
Net loss	$	(12,820	)	$	(3,840	)	$	(3,714	)

Schedule of activity related to loss reserves on previously sold loans

The activity related to loss reserves on previously sold loans is as follows (in thousands):



	Year Ended December 31,
	2018		2017		2016
Loan loss reserve, beginning of period	$	7,554	$	6,804	$	8,127
Provision adjustments ^(a)	—		750		(1,323		)
Charge-offs to reserves	—		—		—
Loan loss reserve, end of period	$	7,554	$	7,554	$	6,804


(a)	During 2016, the Company adjusted the loan loss reserve by $1.8 million to remove the estimated liability for loans sold to RFC. The Company is in litigation with RFC and separately reserved for the estimated loss for this litigation. See Note 15—Contingencies for additional information about the RFC litigation.

SEGMENT INFORMATION (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Schedule of mortgage and non-mortgage product revenue

Mortgage and non-mortgage product revenue is as follows (in thousands):



	Year Ended December 31,
	2018		2017		2016
Mortgage products	$	242,175	$	275,910	$	219,991
Non-mortgage products	522,690		341,826		164,411
Total revenue	$	764,865	$	617,736	$	384,402

QUARTERLY FINANCIAL INFORMATION (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Quarterly Financial Information [Abstract]

Schedule of quarterly financial information

The following tables set forth summary financial information for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017:



	Q1			Q2			Q3			Q4
	(in thousands, except per share amounts)
2018
Revenue	$	181,035		$	184,101		$	197,057		$	202,672
Operating income ⁽¹⁾	15,350			18,123			20,290			2,428
Income from continuing operations ⁽¹⁾	35,857			44,849			28,362			251
Loss from discontinued operations	(4,333		)	(2,302		)	(2,634		)	(3,551		)
Net income (loss) and comprehensive income (loss)	$	31,524		$	42,547		$	25,728		$	(3,300	)
Income (loss) per share from continuing operations:
Basic	$	2.97		$	3.61		$	2.22		$	0.02
Diluted	$	2.41		$	3.17		$	2.05		$	0.02
Loss per share from discontinued operations:
Basic	$	(0.36	)	$	(0.19	)	$	(0.21	)	$	(0.28	)
Diluted	$	(0.29	)	$	(0.16	)	$	(0.19	)	$	(0.26	)
Net income (loss) per share:
Basic	$	2.61		$	3.43		$	2.01		$	(0.26	)
Diluted	$	2.12		$	3.01		$	1.86		$	(0.24	)


(1)	The fourth quarter of 2018 includes contingent consideration expense of $6.8 million for the QuoteWizard acquisition due to an increased probability of achievement of certain defined performance targets for QuoteWizard.



	Q1			Q2			Q3			Q4
	(in thousands, except per share amounts)
2017
Revenue	$	132,515		$	152,773		$	171,494		$	160,954
Operating income (expense) ⁽¹⁾	6,884			8,969			17,455			(175		)
Income (loss) from continuing operations ^{(1) (2)}	7,798			8,007			10,131			(6,518		)
Loss from discontinued operations	(932		)	(689		)	(1,011		)	(1,208		)
Net income (loss) and comprehensive income (loss)	$	6,866		$	7,318		$	9,120		$	(7,726	)
Income (loss) per share from continuing operations:
Basic	$	0.66		$	0.67		$	0.84		$	(0.54	)
Diluted	$	0.58		$	0.59		$	0.74		$	(0.54	)
Loss per share from discontinued operations:
Basic	$	(0.08	)	$	(0.06	)	$	(0.08	)	$	(0.10	)
Diluted	$	(0.07	)	$	(0.05	)	$	(0.07	)	$	(0.10	)
Net income (loss) per share:
Basic	$	0.58		$	0.61		$	0.76		$	(0.64	)
Diluted	$	0.51		$	0.54		$	0.66		$	(0.64	)


(1)	In the fourth quarter of 2017, the Company's Board of Directors approved a $10.0 million contribution to fund the newly formed LendingTree Foundation. The contribution is recorded in general and administrative expense on the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income.


(2)	During the fourth quarter of 2017, the Company recorded a net tax expense of $9.1 million related to the enactment of the TCJA. See Note 12—Income Taxes for additional information.

SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Details - Rev, AR & Seg) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($) segment	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts Receivable [Roll Forward]
Balance, beginning of the period	$ 675	$ 1,059	$ 606
Charges to earnings	880	195	515
Write off of uncollectible accounts receivable	(412)	(579)	(62)
Balance, end of the period	$ 1,143	$ 675	$ 1,059
Number of reportable segments \| segment	1

SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Details - PP&E & Advertising) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Advertising
Advertising Expense	$ 469.9	$ 410.8	$ 243.2
Building
Property and Equipment
Depreciation period	34 years
Site improvements \| Minimum
Property and Equipment
Depreciation period	1 year
Site improvements \| Maximum
Property and Equipment
Depreciation period	15 years
Computer equipment and capitalized software \| Minimum
Property and Equipment
Depreciation period	1 year
Computer equipment and capitalized software \| Maximum
Property and Equipment
Depreciation period	5 years
Furniture and other equipment \| Minimum
Property and Equipment
Depreciation period	3 years
Furniture and other equipment \| Maximum
Property and Equipment
Depreciation period	7 years
Software development \| Minimum
Property and Equipment
Depreciation period	1 year
Software development \| Maximum
Property and Equipment
Depreciation period	5 years
Aircraft and automobile \| Minimum
Property and Equipment
Depreciation period	5 years
Aircraft and automobile \| Maximum
Property and Equipment
Depreciation period	10 years

SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Details - Taxes) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Jan. 01, 2018
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Change in Accounting Estimate, Amount					$ 1,000
Proceeds and Excess Tax Benefit from Share-based Compensation		$ 77,600	$ 12,900
Provisional estimate for remeasurement of deferred tax assets and liabilities from Tax Cuts and Jobs Act	$ 9,100	$ 270	$ 9,062	$ 0
New Accounting Pronouncement or Change in Accounting Principle, Retrospective Adjustment to Cash Flow Presentation				5,800
New Accounting Pronouncement or Change in Accounting Principle, Cumulative Effect of Change on Equity or Net Assets				$ 1,400

SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Details - Concentration Risk) - Revenues - Customer concentration - customer	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Certain Risks and Concentrations
Number of major customers	0	1	2
Customer one
Certain Risks and Concentrations
Concentration risk (as a percent)			13.00%
Customer two
Certain Risks and Concentrations
Concentration risk (as a percent)		11.00%	15.00%

SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Details - ASC 606) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Jan. 01, 2018
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Revenue	$ 202,672	$ 197,057	$ 184,101	$ 181,035	$ 160,954	$ 171,494	$ 152,773	$ 132,515	$ 764,865	$ 617,736	$ 384,402
Income tax benefit (expense)									65,575	(6,291)	(20,366)
Income (loss) from continuing operations	251	$ 28,362	$ 44,849	$ 35,857	(6,518)	$ 10,131	$ 8,007	$ 7,798	109,319	19,418	$ 31,208
Prepaid and other current assets	16,428				11,881				16,428	11,881		$ 13,784
Deferred income tax assets	79,289				20,156				79,289	20,156		19,626
Accumulated deficit	(610,482)				(708,354)				(610,482)	(708,354)		$ (706,981)
Balances without adoption of ASC Topic 606
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Revenue									762,739
Income tax benefit (expense)									66,182
Income (loss) from continuing operations									107,800
Prepaid and other current assets	11,627				11,881				11,627	11,881
Deferred income tax assets	79,819				20,156				79,819	20,156
Accumulated deficit	(614,753)				(708,354)				(614,753)	(708,354)
Adjustments due to ASC Topic 606 \| Accounting Standards Update 2014-09
Revenue, Initial Application Period Cumulative Effect Transition [Line Items]
Revenue									2,126
Income tax benefit (expense)									(607)
Income (loss) from continuing operations									1,519
Prepaid and other current assets	4,801				1,903				4,801	1,903
Deferred income tax assets	(530)				(530)				(530)	(530)
Accumulated deficit	$ 4,271				$ 1,373				$ 4,271	$ 1,373

REVENUE REVENUE (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
REVENUE REVENUE (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Jan. 01, 2018
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	$ 202,672	$ 197,057	$ 184,101	$ 181,035	$ 160,954	$ 171,494	$ 152,773	$ 132,515	$ 764,865	$ 617,736	$ 384,402
Contract Asset	4,800								4,800			$ 1,900
Contract Liability	$ 400								400
Revenue recognized from prior period									700
Mortgage Products
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue									242,175	275,910	219,991
Credit Cards
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue									165,776	147,028	39,434
Personal Loans
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue									134,199	88,244	66,457
Other Products And Services
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue									222,715	106,554	58,520
Non-mortgage Products
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue									$ 522,690	$ 341,826	$ 164,411

CASH AND RESTRICTED CASH (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents Items [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 105,102	$ 368,550
Restricted cash and cash equivalents	56	4,091
Cash, Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Restricted Cash Equivalents	105,158	372,641	$ 95,220	$ 213,516
Other
Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents Items [Line Items]
Restricted cash and cash equivalents	56	57
Lending Tree Loans \| Discover Bank \| Cash in escrow from sale of LendingTree Loans
Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents Items [Line Items]
Restricted cash and cash equivalents	$ 0	$ 4,034

PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT - Schedule of property and equipment, net (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Property and Equipment
Total gross property and equipment	$ 37,062	$ 49,474
Accumulated depreciation	(13,887)	(13,043)
Total property and equipment, net	23,175	36,431
Land
Property and Equipment
Total gross property and equipment	0	5,818
Building
Property and Equipment
Total gross property and equipment	0	14,984
Site improvements
Property and Equipment
Total gross property and equipment	0	950
Computer equipment and capitalized software
Property and Equipment
Total gross property and equipment	22,847	16,885
Leasehold improvements
Property and Equipment
Total gross property and equipment	4,651	3,257
Furniture and other equipment
Property and Equipment
Total gross property and equipment	1,935	1,203
Aircraft and automobile
Property and Equipment
Total gross property and equipment	2,621	2,621
Projects in progress
Property and Equipment
Total gross property and equipment	$ 5,008	$ 3,756

PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Property and Equipment
Unamortized capitalized software development costs	$ 16.2	$ 9.5
Capitalized software development amortization expense	6.1	$ 5.7	$ 4.3
Non-US
Property and Equipment
Long-lived assets	$ 0.1

GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS (Details - Balance Sheet)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($) segment	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)	Oct. 31, 2018 USD ($)	Jul. 23, 2018 USD ($)	Jun. 11, 2018 USD ($)	Sep. 19, 2017 USD ($)	Jun. 20, 2017 USD ($)	Jun. 14, 2017 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)
Goodwill [Line Items]
Impairment losses during period related to goodwill	$ 0
Balance of goodwill and intangible assets, net
Goodwill	831,435,000	$ 596,456,000							$ 539,545,000
Accumulated impairment losses	(483,088,000)	(483,088,000)							(483,088,000)
Net goodwill	348,347,000	113,368,000							$ 56,457,000
Intangible assets with indefinite lives	10,142,000	10,142,000
Intangible assets with definite lives, net	195,557,000	70,983,000
Total intangible assets, net	$ 205,699,000	81,125,000
Number of reportable segments \| segment	1
Impairment charges related to trade names and trademarks	$ 0
DepositAccounts [Member]
Goodwill [Line Items]
Increase to goodwill due to acquisitions		19,389,000
Impairment losses during period related to goodwill		0
Balance of goodwill and intangible assets, net
Net goodwill		19,389,000						$ 19,400,000
MagnifyMoney [Member]
Goodwill [Line Items]
Increase to goodwill due to acquisitions		23,784,000
Impairment losses during period related to goodwill		0
Balance of goodwill and intangible assets, net
Net goodwill		23,784,000					$ 23,800,000
SnapCap [Member]
Goodwill [Line Items]
Increase to goodwill due to acquisitions		13,738,000
Impairment losses during period related to goodwill		0
Balance of goodwill and intangible assets, net
Net goodwill		$ 13,738,000				$ 13,700,000
Ovation [Member]
Goodwill [Line Items]
Increase to goodwill due to acquisitions	11,260,000
Impairment losses during period related to goodwill	0
Balance of goodwill and intangible assets, net
Net goodwill	11,260,000				$ 11,300,000
Student Loan Hero [Member]
Goodwill [Line Items]
Increase to goodwill due to acquisitions	40,856,000
Impairment losses during period related to goodwill	0
Balance of goodwill and intangible assets, net
Net goodwill	40,856,000			$ 40,900,000
QuoteWizard [Member]
Goodwill [Line Items]
Increase to goodwill due to acquisitions	182,863,000
Impairment losses during period related to goodwill	0
Balance of goodwill and intangible assets, net
Net goodwill	$ 182,863,000		$ 182,900,000

GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS (Details - Definite Lived Intangibles) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Intangible assets with definite lives
Cost	$ 234,498	$ 86,960
Accumulated Amortization	(38,941)	(15,977)
Net	195,557	70,983
Technology
Intangible assets with definite lives
Cost	112,400	37,500
Accumulated Amortization	(21,022)	(8,694)
Net	$ 91,378	$ 28,806
Technology \| Weighted Average
Intangible assets with definite lives
Weighted Average Amortization Life	4 years 2 months	4 years 2 months
Customer lists
Intangible assets with definite lives
Cost	$ 80,200	$ 33,100
Accumulated Amortization	(7,746)	(3,239)
Net	$ 72,454	$ 29,861
Customer lists \| Weighted Average
Intangible assets with definite lives
Weighted Average Amortization Life	12 years 11 months	11 years 4 months
Trademarks and trade names
Intangible assets with definite lives
Cost	$ 16,742	$ 6,942
Accumulated Amortization	(3,730)	(1,992)
Net	$ 13,012	$ 4,950
Trademarks and trade names \| Weighted Average
Intangible assets with definite lives
Weighted Average Amortization Life	4 years 8 months	4 years 6 months 10 days
Tenant leases
Intangible assets with definite lives
Cost		$ 1,362
Accumulated Amortization	$ (468)	(504)
Net		$ 858
Tenant leases \| Weighted Average
Intangible assets with definite lives
Weighted Average Amortization Life		3 years 3 months
Website content
Intangible assets with definite lives
Cost	24,900	$ 7,800
Accumulated Amortization	(6,192)	(1,300)
Net	$ 18,708	$ 6,500
Website content \| Weighted Average
Intangible assets with definite lives
Weighted Average Amortization Life	3 years	3 years
Other
Intangible assets with definite lives
Cost	$ 256	$ 256
Accumulated Amortization	(251)	(248)
Net	$ 5	$ 8
Other \| Weighted Average
Intangible assets with definite lives
Weighted Average Amortization Life	3 years	3 years

GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS (Details - 5yr Definite Lived Intangibles Amortization) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Amortization of intangible assets with definite lives computed on a straight-line basis
Year ending December 31, 2019	$ 45,774
Year ending December 31, 2020	42,819
Year ending December 31, 2021	32,479
Year ending December 31, 2022	24,255
Year ending December 31, 2023	8,442
Thereafter	41,788
Net	$ 195,557	$ 70,983

ASSETS HELD FOR SALE ASSETS HELD FOR SALE - Schedule for asset acquisition (Details) $ in Thousands	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($) building	Dec. 31, 2018 segment	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Number of reportable segments \| segment		1
Building
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Depreciation period		34 years
Two Office Buildings In Charlotte, NC
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Number Of Office Buildings Acquired \| building	2
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Land	$ 5,818			$ 5,818
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Buildings	14,679			14,679
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired And Liabilities Assumed, Land Improvements	950			950
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired And Liabilities Assumed, Leases	2,029			$ 2,029
Weighted Average Amortization Life				3 years 2 months 10 days
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Property, Plant, and Equipment	$ 23,476		$ 23,500	$ 23,476
Acquisition Costs, Period Cost			$ 100
Two Office Buildings In Charlotte, NC \| Building \| Weighted Average
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Depreciation period				34 years
Two Office Buildings In Charlotte, NC \| Site improvements \| Weighted Average
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Depreciation period				6 years 7 months 10 days

ASSETS HELD FOR SALE ASSETS HELD FOR SALE - Schedule for assets held for sale (Details) $ in Thousands	1 Months Ended
	Nov. 30, 2018 building	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)
Long Lived Assets Held-for-sale [Line Items]
Number Of Buildings Held For Sale \| building	2
Assets held for sale		$ 21,328	$ 0
Assets Held-For-Sale, Not Part Of Disposal Group, Property, Plant, And Equipment, Gross		22,063
Assets Held-For-Sale, Not Part Of Disposal Group, Property, Plant, And Equipment, Accumulated Depreciation, Depletion And Amortization		(1,278)
Assets Held-For-Sale, Not Part Of Disposal Group, Property, Plant, And Equipment, Net		20,785
Assets Held-For-Sale, Not Part Of Disposal Group, Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Gross		961
Accumulated Amortization		(38,941)	(15,977)
Assets Held-For-Sale, Not Part Of Disposal Group, Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Net		493
Land
Long Lived Assets Held-for-sale [Line Items]
Assets held for sale		5,818
Building
Long Lived Assets Held-for-sale [Line Items]
Assets held for sale		14,984
Site improvements
Long Lived Assets Held-for-sale [Line Items]
Assets held for sale		950
Computer equipment and capitalized software
Long Lived Assets Held-for-sale [Line Items]
Assets held for sale		166
Furniture and other equipment
Long Lived Assets Held-for-sale [Line Items]
Assets held for sale		145
Tenant leases
Long Lived Assets Held-for-sale [Line Items]
Assets held for sale		961
Accumulated Amortization		$ (468)	$ (504)

ASSETS HELD FOR SALE ASSETS HELD FOR SALE - Schedule for future rental income (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Discontinued Operations and Disposal Groups [Abstract]
Rental Income, Nonoperating	$ 900	$ 1,600
2019	657
2020	673
2021	269
2022	59
2023	56
Thereafter	65
Operating Leases, Payments Receivable	$ 1,779

BUSINESS ACQUISITIONS (Details)									3 Months Ended					12 Months Ended
BUSINESS ACQUISITIONS (Details)	Oct. 31, 2018 USD ($) payment	Jul. 23, 2018 USD ($)	Jun. 11, 2018 USD ($) payment	Sep. 19, 2017 USD ($) payment	Jun. 20, 2017 USD ($) shares	Jun. 14, 2017 USD ($) payment	Nov. 16, 2016 USD ($) payment	May 31, 2016 USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2019 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2018 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2018 USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2018 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($) segment shares	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Proceeds from revolving credit facility														$ 125,000,000	$ 0	$ 0
Contingent consideration payments														27,588,000	0	0
Change in fair value of contingent consideration										$ 6,800,000				10,788,000	23,931,000	0
Goodwill										348,347,000				$ 348,347,000	113,368,000	56,457,000
Acquisition-related costs															6,900,000	1,000,000
Stock granted, net of forfeitures					$ 10,000,000
Number of reportable segments \| segment														1
Current contingent consideration										11,080,000				$ 11,080,000	46,576,000
Contingent considerations										27,757,000				27,757,000	11,273,000
Current contingent consideration														(21,912,000)	0	0
Contingent consideration arrangements, after tax contingent consideration expense														7,700,000	14,400,000
Revenue of acquirees since acquisition date														44,800,000
Earnings of acquiree since acquisition date														1,800,000
QuoteWizard [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Acquisition purchase consideration	$ 299,900,000
Business Combination, Consideration Transferred, Cash On Hand	$ 174,900,000
Business Combination, Number Of Payments \| payment	3
Total purchase price	$ 313,300,000													313,316,000
Contingent consideration on acquisition date	13,900,000									20,700,000				20,700,000
Business Combination, Provisional Information, Initial Accounting Incomplete, Adjustment, Working Capital	500,000
Change in fair value of contingent consideration														6,800,000
Goodwill	182,900,000									182,863,000				182,863,000
Acquisition-related costs														4,800,000	5,900,000
Contingent consideration arrangements, after tax contingent consideration expense														4,900,000
Revenue of acquirees since acquisition date														31,300,000
Earnings of acquiree since acquisition date														2,200,000
Student Loan Hero [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Severance Costs		$ 2,300,000
Acquisition purchase consideration		60,700,000
Total purchase price		60,400,000												60,418,000
Business Combination, Provisional Information, Initial Accounting Incomplete, Adjustment, Working Capital		2,000,000
Goodwill		$ 40,900,000								40,856,000				40,856,000
Acquisition-related costs														500,000
Ovation [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Acquisition purchase consideration			$ 12,200,000
Business Combination, Number Of Payments \| payment			2
Total purchase price			$ 17,900,000											17,871,000
Contingent consideration on acquisition date			5,800,000							7,400,000				7,400,000
Business Combination, Provisional Information, Initial Accounting Incomplete, Adjustment, Working Capital			100,000
Change in fair value of contingent consideration														1,600,000
Goodwill			11,300,000							11,260,000				11,260,000
Acquisition-related costs														400,000
Current contingent consideration										4,100,000				4,100,000
Contingent considerations										3,300,000				3,300,000
SnapCap [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Acquisition purchase consideration				$ 11,900,000										10,000	11,886,000	0
Number of contingent consideration payments \| payment				3
Total purchase price				$ 18,200,000											18,226,000
Contingent consideration on acquisition date				6,300,000						6,700,000				6,700,000
Change in fair value of contingent consideration														300,000	700,000
Goodwill				13,700,000											13,738,000
Acquisition-related costs															300,000
Current contingent consideration										3,000,000				3,000,000
Contingent considerations										3,700,000				3,700,000
Earnout Payment for One Contingent Earnout [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Contingent consideration range, maximum				3,000,000
MagnifyMoney [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Acquisition purchase consideration					29,600,000
Total purchase price															29,592,000
Goodwill					23,800,000										23,784,000
Acquisition-related costs															400,000
Option to acquire a foreign affiliate					$ 500,000
Option to acquire a foreign affiliate, window					3 years
DepositAccounts [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Acquisition purchase consideration						$ 24,000,000								0	25,000,000	0
Number of contingent consideration payments \| payment						7
Contingent consideration range, maximum						$ 9,000,000
Total purchase price						29,000,000									28,989,000
Contingent consideration on acquisition date						5,000,000				4,000,000				4,000,000
Contingent consideration payments										$ 1,000,000
Change in fair value of contingent consideration														2,000,000
Goodwill						19,400,000									19,389,000
Acquisition-related costs															300,000
Contingent consideration, individual payments based on specified increases in federal funds interest rates						1,000,000
Contingent consideration, one-time performance payment						$ 2,000,000
Payment for contingent consideration liability, investing activities											$ 1,000,000
CompareCards [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Acquisition purchase consideration							$ 80,700,000							0	0	81,182,000
Number of contingent consideration payments \| payment							2
Contingent consideration range, maximum							$ 45,000,000.0
Total purchase price							103,800,000								103,750,000
Contingent consideration on acquisition date							23,100,000
Contingent consideration payments												$ 600,000	$ 22,500,000
Payment for Contingent Consideration Liability, Operating Activities														21,900,000
Change in fair value of contingent consideration														700,000	21,200,000
Goodwill							52,500,000								52,450,000
Acquisition-related costs														$ 100,000	$ 400,000
Current contingent consideration												22,500,000
SimpleTuition [Domain]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Acquisition purchase consideration								$ 4,500,000
Total purchase price								5,000,000
Contingent consideration on acquisition date								500,000
Contingent consideration payments												$ 500,000
Goodwill								$ 375,000
Acquisition-related costs																$ 100,000
Earnout Payment for One Contingent Earnout [Member] \| QuoteWizard [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Combination, Contingent Consideration Arrangements, Range of Outcomes, Value, Low	0
Contingent consideration range, maximum	23,400,000
Earnout Payment for One Contingent Earnout [Member] \| Ovation [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Combination, Contingent Consideration Arrangements, Range of Outcomes, Value, Low			0
Contingent consideration range, maximum			$ 4,375,000
Earnout Payment for One Contingent Earnout [Member] \| SnapCap [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Contingent consideration range, minimum				$ 0
Earnout Payment for One Contingent Earnout [Member] \| CompareCards [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Contingent consideration range, maximum							$ 22,500,000.0
Two Key Employees [Member] \| MagnifyMoney [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Granted (in shares) \| shares					38,468
Third Key Employee [Member] \| MagnifyMoney [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Granted (in shares) \| shares														19,234
Subsequent Event [Member] \| SnapCap [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Contingent consideration payments									$ 3,000,000
Subsequent Event [Member] \| DepositAccounts [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Contingent consideration payments									$ 1,000,000
Revolving Credit Facility [Member] \| QuoteWizard [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Proceeds from revolving credit facility	$ 125,000,000
RSUs
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Granted (in shares) \| shares														121,751

BUSINESS ACQUISITIONS (Details - Schedule of Purchase Price Allocation) - USD ($) $ in Thousands									12 Months Ended
	Oct. 31, 2018	Jul. 23, 2018	Jun. 11, 2018	Sep. 19, 2017	Jun. 20, 2017	Jun. 14, 2017	Nov. 16, 2016	May 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Goodwill									$ 348,347	$ 113,368	$ 56,457
Student Loan Hero [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Net working capital and other assets									5,429
Intangible assets									19,600
Total intangible assets with definite lives, net		$ 19,600
Goodwill		40,900							40,856
Deferred tax liabilities									(5,467)
Total purchase price		$ 60,400							60,418
Weighted Average Amortization Life		4 years
QuoteWizard [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Net working capital and other assets									8,535
Fixed assets									1,501
Intangible assets									120,400
Total intangible assets with definite lives, net	$ 120,400
Goodwill	182,900								182,863
Other noncurrent assets									17
Total purchase price	$ 313,300								313,316
Weighted Average Amortization Life	7 years 11 months
Ovation [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Net working capital and other assets									323
Fixed assets									76
Intangible assets									8,900
Total intangible assets with definite lives, net			$ 8,900
Goodwill			11,300						11,260
Deferred tax liabilities									(2,688)
Total purchase price			$ 17,900						$ 17,871
Weighted Average Amortization Life			5 years 5 months
DepositAccounts [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Intangible assets						$ 9,600				9,600
Goodwill						19,400				19,389
Total purchase price						$ 29,000				28,989
Weighted Average Amortization Life						5 years 1 month 25 days
CompareCards [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Accounts receivable										3,538
Intangible assets										55,400
Total intangible assets with definite lives, net							$ 55,400
Goodwill							52,500			52,450
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities										(7,638)
Total purchase price							$ 103,800			103,750
Weighted Average Amortization Life							7 years 5 months
MagnifyMoney [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Net working capital and other assets										921
Intangible assets					$ 9,700					9,700
Goodwill					$ 23,800					23,784
Deferred tax liabilities										(4,176)
Noncontrolling interest										(637)
Total purchase price										29,592
Weighted Average Amortization Life					3 years 8 months 27 days
SnapCap [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Net working capital and other assets										42
Fixed assets										146
Intangible assets				$ 4,300						4,300
Goodwill				13,700						13,738
Total purchase price				$ 18,200						$ 18,226
Weighted Average Amortization Life				8 years 8 months
SimpleTuition [Domain]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Accounts receivable								$ 125
Total intangible assets with definite lives, net								4,500
Goodwill								375
Total purchase price								$ 5,000
Weighted Average Amortization Life								9 years 2 months

BUSINESS ACQUISITIONS (Details - Schedule of Finite LIved Intangible Assets Acquired) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Oct. 31, 2018	Jul. 23, 2018	Jun. 11, 2018	Sep. 19, 2017	Jun. 20, 2017	Jun. 14, 2017	Nov. 16, 2016	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Student Loan Hero [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Fair Value		$ 19,600
Weighted Average Amortization Life		4 years
Intangible assets								$ 19,600
QuoteWizard [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Fair Value	$ 120,400
Weighted Average Amortization Life	7 years 11 months
Intangible assets								120,400
Ovation [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Fair Value			$ 8,900
Weighted Average Amortization Life			5 years 5 months
Intangible assets								$ 8,900
DepositAccounts [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Weighted Average Amortization Life						5 years 1 month 25 days
Intangible assets						$ 9,600			$ 9,600
MagnifyMoney [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Weighted Average Amortization Life					3 years 8 months 27 days
Intangible assets					$ 9,700				9,700
SnapCap [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Weighted Average Amortization Life				8 years 8 months
Intangible assets				$ 4,300					$ 4,300
CompareCards [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Fair Value							$ 55,400
Weighted Average Amortization Life							7 years 5 months
Technology \| QuoteWizard [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Fair Value	$ 68,900
Weighted Average Amortization Life	4 years
Technology \| Ovation [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Fair Value			$ 6,000
Weighted Average Amortization Life			7 years
Technology \| DepositAccounts [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Fair Value						$ 8,600
Weighted Average Amortization Life						5 years
Technology \| MagnifyMoney [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Fair Value					$ 200
Weighted Average Amortization Life					3 years
Technology \| SnapCap [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Fair Value				$ 400
Weighted Average Amortization Life				3 years
Technology \| CompareCards [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Fair Value							$ 27,900
Weighted Average Amortization Life							4 years
Customer lists \| Student Loan Hero [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Fair Value		$ 2,500
Weighted Average Amortization Life		10 years
Customer lists \| QuoteWizard [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Fair Value	$ 42,700
Weighted Average Amortization Life	14 years 8 months
Customer lists \| Ovation [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Fair Value			$ 1,900
Weighted Average Amortization Life			1 year
Customer lists \| DepositAccounts [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Fair Value						$ 600
Weighted Average Amortization Life						8 years
Customer lists \| MagnifyMoney [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Fair Value					$ 1,100
Weighted Average Amortization Life					9 years
Customer lists \| SnapCap [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Fair Value				$ 3,300
Weighted Average Amortization Life				10 years
Customer lists \| CompareCards [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Fair Value							$ 23,200
Weighted Average Amortization Life							12 years
Website content \| Student Loan Hero [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Fair Value		$ 16,100
Weighted Average Amortization Life		3 years
Website content \| QuoteWizard [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Fair Value	$ 1,000
Weighted Average Amortization Life	3 years
Website content \| MagnifyMoney [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Fair Value					$ 7,800
Weighted Average Amortization Life					3 years
Trademarks and trade names \| Student Loan Hero [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Fair Value		$ 1,000
Weighted Average Amortization Life		5 years
Trademarks and trade names \| QuoteWizard [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Fair Value	$ 7,800
Weighted Average Amortization Life	5 years
Trademarks and trade names \| Ovation [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Fair Value			$ 1,000
Weighted Average Amortization Life			4 years
Trademarks and trade names \| DepositAccounts [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Fair Value						$ 400
Weighted Average Amortization Life						4 years
Trademarks and trade names \| MagnifyMoney [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Fair Value					$ 600
Weighted Average Amortization Life					4 years
Trademarks and trade names \| SnapCap [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Fair Value				$ 600
Weighted Average Amortization Life				5 years
Trademarks and trade names \| CompareCards [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Fair Value							$ 4,300
Weighted Average Amortization Life							5 years

BUSINESS ACQUISITIONS (Details - Pro Forma Information) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Business Acquisition, Pro Forma Information, Nonrecurring Adjustment [Line Items]
Pro forma revenue	$ 917,393	$ 729,370	$ 461,969
Pro forma net income from continuing operations	111,376	(2,998)	31,139
Contingent consideration arrangements, after tax contingent consideration expense	7,700	14,400
Acquisition-related costs		6,900	$ 1,000
Revenue of acquirees since acquisition date	44,800
Earnings of acquiree since acquisition date	1,800
QuoteWizard [Member]
Business Acquisition, Pro Forma Information, Nonrecurring Adjustment [Line Items]
Pro forma revenue	900,978	701,184
Pro forma net income from continuing operations	110,015	1,164
Contingent consideration arrangements, after tax contingent consideration expense	4,900
Acquisition-related costs	4,800	$ 5,900
Revenue of acquirees since acquisition date	31,300
Earnings of acquiree since acquisition date	$ 2,200

ACCRUED EXPENSES AND OTHER CURRENT LIABILITIES (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities
Accrued advertising expense	$ 60,268	$ 40,727
Accrued compensation and benefits	6,381	7,679
Accrued professional fees	2,549	2,072
Customer deposits and escrows	6,913	5,564
Contribution to LendingTree Foundation, Current	3,333	10,000
Other	13,746	11,141
Total accrued expenses and other current liabilities	93,190	$ 77,183
Contribution to LendingTree Foundation, Total	$ 10,000

SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY (Details) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY (Details) - USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Feb. 21, 2018	May 31, 2017	Feb. 26, 2016	Jan. 14, 2016	May 07, 2014	Jan. 11, 2010
Weighted average shares outstanding:
Weighted average basic common shares (in shares)	12,504,000	11,945,000	11,812,000
Effect of stock options (in shares)	1,043,000	1,626,000	886,000
Effect of dilutive share awards (in shares)	153,000	111,000	75,000
Effect of Convertible Senior Notes and warrants	397,000	0	0
Weighted average diluted common shares (in shares)	14,097,000	13,682,000	12,773,000
Additional disclosure
Interest rate	0.625%				0.625%
Common Stock Repurchases
Value of common stock authorized to be repurchased				$ 100,000,000.0		$ 40,000,000.0	$ 50,000,000.0	$ 10,000,000.0	$ 10,000,000
Purchase of treasury stock (in shares)	379,449	75,393	690,218
Value of treasury stock acquired	$ 92,606,000	$ 21,000,000	$ 48,524,000
Remaining authorized repurchase amount	$ 35,100,000
Employee Stock Option [Member]
Additional disclosure
Anti-dilutive securities excluded from calculation of diluted earnings per share	400,000	100,000

STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION (Details - Plan Information and P&L Impact) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($) plan shares	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)
Unrecognized compensation cost
Number of active plans \| plan	2
Term of plan	10 years
Proceeds and Excess Tax Benefit from Share-based Compensation	$ 77,600	$ 12,900
Non-cash compensation expense related to equity awards
Non-cash stock-based compensation expense before income taxes	44,365	23,361	$ 9,647
Income tax benefit related to non-cash compensation	11,200	9,500	3,700
Cost of revenue
Non-cash compensation expense related to equity awards
Non-cash stock-based compensation expense before income taxes	378	175	129
Selling and marketing expense
Non-cash compensation expense related to equity awards
Non-cash stock-based compensation expense before income taxes	3,568	3,973	2,722
General and administrative expense
Non-cash compensation expense related to equity awards
Non-cash stock-based compensation expense before income taxes	34,325	16,874	4,699
Product development
Non-cash compensation expense related to equity awards
Non-cash stock-based compensation expense before income taxes	6,094	$ 2,339	$ 2,097
Employee Stock Option [Member]
Unrecognized compensation cost
Unrecognized compensation cost	$ 15,800
Weighted-average period for recognition of unrecognized compensation cost	2 years 3 months 20 days
Performance Shares [Member]
Unrecognized compensation cost
Unrecognized compensation cost	$ 10,300
RSUs
Unrecognized compensation cost
Unrecognized compensation cost	$ 30,500
Weighted-average period for recognition of unrecognized compensation cost	2 years
Restricted Stock
Unrecognized compensation cost
Weighted-average period for recognition of unrecognized compensation cost	1 year
Equity Award Plan [Member]
Unrecognized compensation cost
Number of shares authorized \| shares	5,350,000.00
Inducement Plan [Member]
Unrecognized compensation cost
Number of shares authorized \| shares	500,000.0

STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION (Details - Stock Options Rollforward) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands				12 Months Ended
	Feb. 16, 2018	Jan. 02, 2018	Jul. 26, 2017	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	May 24, 2017
Weighted Average Exercise Price
Granted (in dollars per share)	$ 378.95	$ 340.25	$ 183.80
Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Share price				$ 219.57			$ 156.70
Weighted average fair value (in dollars per share)				$ 150.55	$ 105.15	$ 40.05
Weighted average assumptions
Fair Value of Options Vested				$ 11,400	$ 4,100	$ 900
Employee Stock Option [Member]
Number of Options
Outstanding at the beginning of the period (in shares)				1,863,739
Granted (in shares)				77,576
Exercised (in shares)				(994,222)
Forfeited (in shares)				(6,560)
Expired (in shares)				0
Outstanding at the end of the period (in shares)				940,533	1,863,739
Options exercisable at the end of the period (in shares)				766,552
Weighted Average Exercise Price
Outstanding at the beginning of the period (in dollars per share)				$ 30.70
Granted (in dollars per share)				293.18
Exercised (in dollars per share)				16.83
Forfeited (in dollars per share)				301.51
Expired (in dollars per share)				0.00
Outstanding at the end of the period (in dollars per share)				65.12	$ 30.70
Options exercisable at the end of the period (in dollars per share)				$ 28.37
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term
Outstanding at the end of the period				5 years 2 months 1 day
Options exercisable at the end of the period				4 years 4 months 24 days
Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Outstanding at the end of the period				$ 150,897
Options exercisable at the end of the period				146,742
Intrinsic value of stock options exercised				268,300	$ 27,700	$ 300
Cash received from stock option exercised				16,700
Actual tax benefit realized				$ 73,300
Weighted average assumptions
Expected Volatility Rate, Minimum				50.00%	51.00%	48.00%
Expected Volatility Rate, Maximum				53.00%	52.00%	53.00%
Risk Free Interest Rate, Minimum				2.33%	1.74%	1.10%
Risk Free Interest Rate, Maximum				3.06%	2.24%	2.18%
Dividend yield				0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Employee Stock Option 2 [Member]
Number of Options
Outstanding at the beginning of the period (in shares)				37,877
Granted (in shares)				0
Exercised (in shares)				0
Forfeited (in shares)				0
Expired (in shares)				0
Outstanding at the end of the period (in shares)				37,877	37,877
Options exercisable at the end of the period (in shares)				0
Weighted Average Exercise Price
Outstanding at the beginning of the period (in dollars per share)				$ 308.90
Granted (in dollars per share)				0.00
Exercised (in dollars per share)				0.00
Forfeited (in dollars per share)				0.00
Expired (in dollars per share)				0.00
Outstanding at the end of the period (in dollars per share)				308.90	$ 308.90
Options exercisable at the end of the period (in dollars per share)				$ 0.00
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term
Outstanding at the end of the period				8 years 11 months 13 days
Options exercisable at the end of the period				0 years
Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Outstanding at the end of the period				$ 0
Options exercisable at the end of the period				$ 0
Weighted average fair value (in dollars per share)					$ 152.45
Weighted average assumptions
Expected Volatility Rate, Minimum					51.00%
Expected Volatility Rate, Maximum					51.00%
Risk Free Interest Rate, Minimum					2.16%
Risk Free Interest Rate, Maximum					2.23%
Dividend yield					0.00%
Performance Options [Member]
Number of Options
Outstanding at the beginning of the period (in shares)				402,694
Granted (in shares)				44,499
Exercised (in shares)				0
Forfeited (in shares)				0
Expired (in shares)				0
Outstanding at the end of the period (in shares)				447,193	402,694
Options exercisable at the end of the period (in shares)				0
Weighted Average Exercise Price
Outstanding at the beginning of the period (in dollars per share)				$ 183.80
Granted (in dollars per share)				351.70
Exercised (in dollars per share)				0.00
Forfeited (in dollars per share)				0.00
Expired (in dollars per share)				0.00
Outstanding at the end of the period (in dollars per share)				200.51	$ 183.80
Options exercisable at the end of the period (in dollars per share)				$ 0.00
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term
Outstanding at the end of the period				8 years 7 months 15 days
Options exercisable at the end of the period				0 years
Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Outstanding at the end of the period				$ 14,404
Options exercisable at the end of the period				$ 0
Weighted average fair value (in dollars per share)				$ 296.80	$ 142.45
Weighted average assumptions
Expected Volatility Rate, Minimum				50.00%	50.00%
Expected Volatility Rate, Maximum				50.00%	50.00%
Risk Free Interest Rate, Minimum				2.38%	2.12%
Risk Free Interest Rate, Maximum				2.81%	2.12%
Dividend yield				0.00%	0.00%
Minimum [Member] \| Employee Stock Option [Member]
Weighted average assumptions
Expected Term, Simplified Method				P5Y	P5Y	P5Y2M20D
Minimum [Member] \| Employee Stock Option 2 [Member]
Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Vesting period					1 year 2 months
Weighted average assumptions
Expected Term, Simplified Method					P5Y6M
Minimum [Member] \| Performance Options [Member]
Weighted average assumptions
Expected Term, Simplified Method				P7Y	P7Y6M
Maximum [Member] \| Employee Stock Option [Member]
Weighted average assumptions
Expected Term, Simplified Method				P6Y8M15D	P7Y	P6Y4M18D
Maximum [Member] \| Employee Stock Option 2 [Member]
Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Vesting period					2 years 2 months
Weighted average assumptions
Expected Term, Simplified Method					P6Y
Maximum [Member] \| Performance Options [Member]
Weighted average assumptions
Expected Term, Simplified Method				P7Y1M24D	P7Y6M
five months from the grant date \| Employee Stock Option [Member]
Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Vesting period				5 months
one year from the grant date \| Employee Stock Option [Member]
Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Vesting period				1 year
50% over a period of two years from the grant date \| Employee Stock Option [Member]
Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Vesting period				2 years
Award Vesting Rights, Percentage				50.00%
20% over a period of one and a half years from the grant date \| Employee Stock Option [Member]
Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Vesting period				1 year 6 months
Award Vesting Rights, Percentage				20.00%
20% over a period of five and a half years from the grant date \| Employee Stock Option [Member]
Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Vesting period				5 years 6 months
33% over a period of three years from the grant date \| Employee Stock Option [Member]
Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Vesting period				3 years
Award Vesting Rights, Percentage				33.00%
25% over a period of two years from the grant date \| Employee Stock Option [Member]
Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Vesting period				2 years
Award Vesting Rights, Percentage				25.00%
75% over a period of three years from the grant date \| Employee Stock Option [Member]
Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Vesting period				3 years
Award Vesting Rights, Percentage				75.00%
four years from the grant date \| Employee Stock Option [Member]
Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Vesting period				4 years
25% over a period of four years from the grant date \| Employee Stock Option [Member]
Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Vesting period				4 years
Award Vesting Rights, Percentage				25.00%
8% over a period of five months from the grant date \| Employee Stock Option [Member]
Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Vesting period				5 months
Award Vesting Rights, Percentage				8.00%
18% each year over a period of five years from the grant date \| Employee Stock Option [Member]
Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Vesting period				5 years
Award Vesting Rights, Percentage				18.00%
25% over a period of one year from the grant date \| Employee Stock Option [Member]
Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Vesting period				1 year
Award Vesting Rights, Percentage				25.00%
25% over a period of two years from the grant date \| Employee Stock Option [Member]
Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Vesting period				2 years
Award Vesting Rights, Percentage				25.00%
50% over a period of three years from the grant date \| Employee Stock Option [Member]
Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Vesting period				3 years
Award Vesting Rights, Percentage				50.00%
50% over a period of two years from the grant date \| Employee Stock Option [Member]
Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Vesting period				2 years
Award Vesting Rights, Percentage				50.00%
31% over a period of three years from the grant date \| Employee Stock Option [Member]
Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Vesting period				3 years
Award Vesting Rights, Percentage				31.00%
19% over a period of four years from the grant date \| Employee Stock Option [Member]
Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Vesting period				4 years
Award Vesting Rights, Percentage				19.00%

STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION (Details - RSU and RSA Rollforwards) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions			12 Months Ended
	Jul. 26, 2017	Jul. 25, 2017	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
RSUs
STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
Unrecognized compensation cost			$ 30.5
Weighted-average period for recognition of unrecognized compensation cost			2 years
Nonvested RSUs and RSAs, Number of Shares
Nonvested at the beginning of the period (in shares)			152,829
Granted (in shares)			121,751
Vested (in shares)			(68,915)
Forfeited (in shares)			(13,993)
Nonvested at the end of the period (in shares)			191,672	152,829
Nonvested RSUs and RSAs, Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Nonvested at the beginning of the period (in dollars per share)			$ 121.68
Granted (in dollars per share)			272.93
Vested (in dollars per share)			103.56
Forfeited (in dollars per share)			213.59
Nonvested at the end of the period (in dollars per share)			$ 217.56	$ 121.68
Fair value of RSUs and RSAs that vested during the year			$ 21.8	$ 11.5	$ 10.1
Performance Shares [Member]
STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
Unrecognized compensation cost			$ 10.3
Nonvested RSUs and RSAs, Number of Shares
Nonvested at the beginning of the period (in shares)			111,205
Granted (in shares)		119,015	19,234
Vested (in shares)			(30,806)
Forfeited (in shares)			(7,152)
Nonvested at the end of the period (in shares)			92,481.000	111,205
Nonvested RSUs and RSAs, Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Nonvested at the beginning of the period (in dollars per share)			$ 160.34
Granted (in dollars per share)	$ 1,900,000		178.85
Vested (in dollars per share)			121.37
Forfeited (in dollars per share)			94.28
Nonvested at the end of the period (in dollars per share)			$ 182.28	$ 160.34
Fair value of RSUs and RSAs that vested during the year			$ 7.9	$ 0.4	0.2
Restricted Stock
STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
Weighted-average period for recognition of unrecognized compensation cost			1 year
Nonvested RSUs and RSAs, Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Fair value of RSUs and RSAs that vested during the year				$ 2.1	$ 3.9
Minimum [Member] \| Performance Shares [Member]
Nonvested RSUs and RSAs, Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Vesting period			4 months
Maximum [Member] \| Performance Shares [Member]
Nonvested RSUs and RSAs, Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Vesting period			4 years

STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION (Details - CEO Awards) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands					12 Months Ended
	Feb. 16, 2018	Jan. 02, 2018	Jul. 26, 2017	Jul. 25, 2017	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	May 24, 2017
STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
Share price					$ 219.57			$ 156.70
Target Grant Date Value of Performance Based Equity Compensation	$ 7,500			$ 87,500
Granted (in dollars per share)	$ 378.95	$ 340.25	$ 183.80
Percentage, Target Grant Date Value of Performance Based Equity Compensation, Restricted Stock Awards	50.00%			25.00%
Percentage, Target Grant Date Value of Performance Based Equity Compensation, Nonqualified Stock Options	50.00%			75.00%
Targeted Total Shareholder Return Performance, Nonqualified Stock Options	81.00%			110.00%
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Grants in Period, Gross	13,163	58,010	402,694
Non-cash stock-based compensation expense before income taxes					$ 44,365	$ 23,361	$ 9,647
Annaul Grant Limit Per Employee, Shares					672,500
Weighted average fair value (in dollars per share)					$ 150.55	$ 105.15	$ 40.05
Maximum [Member]
STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
Targeted Total Shareholder Return Performance, Nonqualified Stock Options	167.00%			167.00%
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Grants in Period, Gross	21,982		672,499
Minimum [Member]
STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
Targeted Total Shareholder Return Performance, Nonqualified Stock Options	41.00%			70.00%
Performance Shares [Member]
STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
Unrecognized compensation cost					$ 10,300
Granted (in shares)				119,015	19,234
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Grants in Period, Gross		26,674
Granted (in dollars per share)			$ 1,900,000		$ 178.85
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Vested in Period					30,806
Fair value of RSUs and RSAs that vested during the year					$ 7,900	$ 400	$ 200
Performance-Based Restricted Stock [Member]
STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
Unrecognized compensation cost					$ 1,400
Performance Awards Earned					19,175
Time-Vested Performance Shares [Member]
STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
Unrecognized compensation cost					$ 13,100
Granted (in shares)		119,015
Granted (in dollars per share)		$ 21,900,000
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Vested in Period					47,603
Fair value of RSUs and RSAs that vested during the year					$ 13,600
RSUs
STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
Unrecognized compensation cost					$ 30,500
Weighted-average period for recognition of unrecognized compensation cost					2 years
Granted (in shares)					121,751
Granted (in dollars per share)					$ 272.93
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Vested in Period					68,915
Fair value of RSUs and RSAs that vested during the year					$ 21,800	$ 11,500	$ 10,100
2018 RSU Grants
STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
Unrecognized compensation cost					$ 2,900
Granted (in shares)	9,896
Granted (in dollars per share)	$ 378.95
Performance Options [Member]
STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
Expected Volatility Rate, Minimum					50.00%	50.00%
Unrecognized compensation cost					$ 51,300
Weighted-average period for recognition of unrecognized compensation cost					3 years 8 months 12 days
Dividend yield					0.00%	0.00%
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Outstanding, Number					447,193	402,694
Performance Awards Earned					312,008
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Outstanding, Weighted Average Exercise Price					$ 200.51	$ 183.80
Granted (in shares)					44,499
Granted (in dollars per share)					$ 351.70
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Exercises in Period					0
Exercised (in dollars per share)					$ 0.00
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Forfeitures in Period					0
Forfeited (in dollars per share)					$ 0.00
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Expirations in Period					0
Expired (in dollars per share)					$ 0.00
Outstanding at the end of the period					8 years 7 months 15 days
Outstanding at the end of the period					$ 14,404
Options exercisable at the end of the period (in shares)					0
Options exercisable at the end of the period (in dollars per share)					$ 0.00
Options exercisable at the end of the period					0 years
Options exercisable at the end of the period					$ 0
Maximum Potential Future Issuance of Performance Stock Options				769,376
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Grants in Period, Gross	21,982	31,336
Granted (in dollars per share)			$ 9,500,000
Weighted average fair value (in dollars per share)					$ 296.80	$ 142.45
Expected Volatility Rate, Maximum					50.00%	50.00%
Risk Free Interest Rate, Minimum					2.38%	2.12%
Risk Free Interest Rate, Maximum					2.81%	2.12%
Performance Options [Member] \| Maximum [Member]
STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
Expected Term, Simplified Method					P7Y1M24D	P7Y6M
Performance Options [Member] \| Minimum [Member]
STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
Expected Term, Simplified Method					P7Y	P7Y6M
Chairman And Chief Executive Officer [Member]
STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
Non-cash stock-based compensation expense before income taxes					$ 20,500	$ 8,900

INCOME TAXES (Details - Income Tax Provision Components) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Current income tax expense:
Federal	$ (1,470)	$ 10,055	$ 11,519
State	(204)	2,606	2,480
Current income tax expense	(1,674)	12,661	13,999
Deferred income tax (benefit) provision:
Federal	(44,950)	(3,805)	3,703
State	(18,951)	(2,565)	2,664
Deferred income tax (benefit) provision	(63,901)	(6,370)	6,367
Income tax expense (benefit)	$ (65,575)	$ 6,291	$ 20,366

INCOME TAXES (Details - Income Tax Reconciliation when Applying the Statutory Federal Tax Rate) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Reconciliation of income tax provision to amounts computed by statutory federal income tax rate to income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes
Federal statutory income tax		$ 9,186	$ 8,998	$ 18,051
State income taxes, net of effect of federal tax benefit		(14,884)	(268)	4,038
Impact of Tax Cuts and Jobs Act	$ 9,100	270	9,062	0
Excess Tax Deductions on Non-Cash Compensation		(59,601)	(11,134)	0
Change in (release of) valuation allowance		(12)	593	(416)
Research and experimentation tax credit		(2,523)	(1,318)	(2,574)
Other, net		1,989	358	1,267
Income tax expense (benefit)		$ (65,575)	$ 6,291	$ 20,366
Federal Statutory Income Tax Rate (as a percent)		21.00%	35.00%	35.00%

INCOME TAXES (Details - Deferred Income Taxes - Components) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Deferred tax assets:
Provision for accrued expenses	$ 5,953	$ 4,368
Net operating loss carryforwards (a)	59,817	6,296
Non-cash compensation expense	12,505	8,929
Interest limitation	3,532	0
Contingent liabilities	3,053	6,666
Other	4,545	2,138
Total gross deferred tax assets	89,405	28,397
Less: valuation allowance (b)	(2,229)	(2,694)	$ (2,101)	$ (2,341)
Total deferred tax assets, net of the valuation allowance	87,176	25,703
Deferred tax liabilities:
Intangible and other assets	(4,623)	(1,960)
Other	(892)	(1,160)
Total gross deferred tax liabilities	(5,515)	(3,120)
Net deferred taxes	81,661	$ 22,583
Federal
Deferred tax liabilities:
Operating loss carryforwards	203,500
State
Deferred tax liabilities:
State operating loss carryforwards	$ 498,500

INCOME TAXES (Details - Deferred Income Taxes - BS Presentation) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Deferred income tax assets	$ 79,289	$ 20,156
Non-current assets of discontinued operations	3,266	2,427
Deferred Tax Liabilities, Net, Noncurrent	(894)	0
Net deferred taxes	$ 81,661	$ 22,583

INCOME TAXES (Details - Valuation Allowance) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Operating Loss Carryforwards, Valuation Allowance	$ 2,200	$ 2,700	$ 2,100
Valuation Allowance [Abstract]
Balance, beginning of the period	2,694	2,101	2,341
Change in valuation allowance	(465)	593	(240)
Balance, end of the period	$ 2,229	$ 2,694	$ 2,101

INCOME TAXES (Details - Unrecognized Tax Benefits) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Reconciliation of unrecognized tax benefits, excluding interest
Balance, beginning of the period	$ 748	$ 550
Additions based on tax positions of the current period	249	198
Additions based on tax positions of the prior period	130	0
Balance, end of the period	1,127	748
Unrecognized Tax Benefits Including Interest	$ 1,200	$ 700

CONVERTIBLE DEBT (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands		12 Months Ended
	May 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate, at Point in Time		4.02%
Convertible Debt	$ 300,000	$ 300,000	$ 300,000
Interest rate	0.625%	0.625%
Debt Conversion, Number of Shares of Common Stock Convertible per $1,000 of Principal Notes	4.8163
Convertible Preferred Stock, Terms of Conversion	1000
Debt Instrument, Convertible, Conversion Price	$ 207.63
Debt Instrument, Convertible, Threshold Percentage of Stock Price Trigger	130.00%
Debt Instrument, Redemption Price, Percentage	100.00%
Nonconvertible Debt Borrowing Rate at the Date of Issuance	5.36%
Convertible Debt, Noncurrent	$ 238,400
Debt Instrument, Convertible, Carrying Amount of Equity Component	61,600
Interest Expense, Debt		$ 14,600	8,200
Interest Expense, Debt, Excluding Amortization		1,900	1,100
Amortization of convertible debt discount		11,397	6,385	$ 0
Amortization of debt issuance costs		1,776	1,032	$ 245
Debt Issuance Costs, Gross	9,300
Debt issuance costs, equity component	1,900
Long-term Debt, Fair Value		368,300
Debt Issuance Costs, Net [Abstract]
Gross carrying amount	300,000	300,000	300,000
Unamortized debt discount		43,805	55,202
Debt issuance costs	$ 7,400	5,252	6,599
Net carrying amount		250,943	238,199
Convertible Notes Payable [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Amortization of debt issuance costs		$ 1,300	$ 700

CONVERTIBLE NOTE HEDGE AND WARRANTS (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands, shares in Millions		12 Months Ended
	May 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	May 24, 2017
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Net proceeds from the Convertible Notes used to pay for the cost of the Convertible Note Hedge	$ 18,100
Payments for Hedge, Financing Activities	$ 61,500	$ 0	$ 61,500	$ 0
Number of Shares Covered by the Hedge Transactions	1.4
Debt Instrument, Convertible, Conversion Price	$ 207.63
Class of Warrant or Right, Exercise Price of Warrants or Rights	$ 266.39
Premium of warrant strike price over sales price of common stock	70.00%
Share price		$ 219.57			$ 156.70
Proceeds from the sale of warrants	$ 43,400	$ 0	$ 43,410	$ 0

REVOLVING CREDIT FACILITY (Details) - USD ($)		3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
REVOLVING CREDIT FACILITY (Details) - USD ($)	Nov. 21, 2017	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Oct. 31, 2018
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Revolving credit facility, outstanding amount		$ 0	$ 125,000,000	$ 0
Long-term Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate, at Point in Time			4.02%
Ratio of Debt to EBITDA Step-Down	4.0
Ratio of Debt to EBITDA Increase	0.5
Write-off of previously-capitalized debt issuance costs			$ 0	90,000	$ 0
Interest Expense, Debt			14,600,000	8,200,000
Debt Instrument, Unused Borrowing Capacity, Fee			800,000	500,000
Amortization of debt issuance costs			1,776,000	1,032,000	$ 245,000
Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Revolving credit facility, current borrowing capacity	$ 250,000,000					$ 350,000,000.0
Revolving credit facility, term	5 years
Revolving credit facility, conditional increase to borrowing capacity	$ 100,000,000.0
Line Of Credit Facility, Increase Limit						100,000,000.0
Line of Credit Facility, Collateral, Percent of Domestic Subsidiaries Equity	100.00%
Line of Credit Facility, Collateral, Percent of Voting Equity	66.00%
Line of Credit Facility, Collateral, Percent of Non-Voting Equity	100.00%
Revolving credit facility, collateral, percent of assets	100.00%
Revolving credit facility, collateral, percent of equity	100.00%
Revolving credit facility, letter of credit fronting fee percentage	0.125%
Write-off of previously-capitalized debt issuance costs		$ 100,000
Revolving credit facility, debt issuance costs						$ 500,000
Swingline Facility [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Revolving credit facility, current borrowing capacity	$ 10,000,000.0
Letter of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Revolving credit facility, current borrowing capacity	$ 10,000,000.0
Federal Funds Effective Swap Rate [Member] \| Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Revolving credit facility, basis spread on variable rate	0.50%
London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) [Member] \| Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Revolving credit facility, basis spread on variable rate	1.00%
Minimum [Member] \| Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Revolving credit facility, unused capacity, commitment fee percentage	0.25%
Revolving credit facility, letter of credit participation fee percentage	1.25%
Minimum [Member] \| London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) [Member] \| Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Revolving credit facility, basis spread on variable rate	1.25%
Minimum [Member] \| Base Rate [Member] \| Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Revolving credit facility, basis spread on variable rate	0.25%
Maximum [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Ratio of Debt to EBITDA to Increase Revolving Commitment	2.50
Ratio of Debt to EBITDA	4.5
Maximum [Member] \| Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Revolving credit facility, unused capacity, commitment fee percentage	0.45%
Revolving credit facility, letter of credit participation fee percentage	2.00%
Maximum [Member] \| London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) [Member] \| Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Revolving credit facility, basis spread on variable rate	2.00%
Maximum [Member] \| Base Rate [Member] \| Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Revolving credit facility, basis spread on variable rate	1.00%
Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Interest Expense, Debt			2,000,000
Amortization of debt issuance costs			400,000	$ 400,000
Revolving Credit Facility, Borrowings At Base Rate Plus LIBOR [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Interest Expense, Debt			$ 800,000

COMMITMENTS (Details - Operating Leases) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Future minimum payments under operating lease
Operating Leases, Future Minimum Payments, Due in One Year	$ 4,406
Operating Leases, Future Minimum Payments, Due in Two Years	3,188
Operating Leases, Future Minimum Payments, Due in Three Years	1,094
Operating Leases, Future Minimum Payments, Due in Four Years	736
Operating Leases, Future Minimum Payments, Due in Five Years	228
Total	9,652
Operating Leases, Rent Expense, Net	$ 3,400	$ 2,000	$ 1,600

COMMITMENTS (Details - Bonds) - Surety bond $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)
Commitment
Total Amounts Committed	$ 4,193
Less Than 1 year	4,168
1-3 years	25
3-5 years	0
More Than 5 years	$ 0

CONTINGENCIES (Details) $ in Millions	1 Months Ended			12 Months Ended
CONTINGENCIES (Details) $ in Millions	Oct. 31, 2018 USD ($)	Feb. 29, 2016	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($) loan	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2014 claim
Contingencies
Accrued litigation liabilities				$ 0.2	$ 0.3
Loss Contingency, Damages Sought			61.0
Loss Contingency, Number of Defendants		149
Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc. Demand Letter [Member]
Contingencies
Loss Contingency, Damages Sought				40.2
Loss Contingencies, Number of Loans Sold with Losses \| loan				370
Pending litigation or appeal \| Residential Funding Co. v Home Loan Center [Member]
Contingencies
Accrued litigation liabilities				$ 7.0
Number of Loan Originators			80
Loss Contingency, Pending Claims, Number \| claim						2
Pending litigation or appeal \| Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc. Demand Letter [Member]
Contingencies
Accrued litigation liabilities				1.0
Judicial Ruling [Member] \| Residential Funding Co. v Home Loan Center [Member]
Contingencies
Litigation Settlement, Amount Awarded to Other Party	$ 28.7
Discontinued Operations, Disposed of by Sale [Member]
Contingencies
Accrued litigation liabilities				8.0	$ 4.0
Minimum [Member] \| Residential Funding Co. v Home Loan Center [Member]
Contingencies
Range of possible loss, minimum				0.0
Maximum [Member] \| Residential Funding Co. v Home Loan Center [Member]
Contingencies
Range of possible loss, minimum				$ 88.1
Attorney Fees [Member] \| Judicial Ruling [Member] \| Residential Funding Co. v Home Loan Center [Member]
Contingencies
Loss Contingency, Damages Sought, Value	28.8
Pre-Judgment Interest [Member] \| Judicial Ruling [Member] \| Residential Funding Co. v Home Loan Center [Member]
Contingencies
Loss Contingency, Damages Sought, Value	$ 30.6

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENT (Details) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENT (Details) - USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Oct. 31, 2018	Jun. 11, 2018	Sep. 19, 2017	Jun. 14, 2017
Fair Value, Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation, Calculation [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance		$ 57,349,000	$ 23,100,000	$ 0
Change in fair value of contingent consideration	$ 6,800,000	10,788,000	23,931,000	0
Contingent consideration additions		19,700,000	11,318,000	23,100,000
Contingent consideration payments		(49,000,000)	(1,000,000)	0
Ending balance	$ 38,837,000	$ 38,837,000	$ 57,349,000	$ 23,100,000
Minimum [Member]
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Line Items]
Contingent consideration on acquisition date					$ 0	$ 0	$ 3,000,000.0	$ 3,000,000.0
Maximum [Member]
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Line Items]
Contingent consideration on acquisition date					$ 70,200,000	$ 8,750,000	$ 9,000,000	$ 4,000,000

RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS (Details) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS (Details) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($) directors	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]
Number Of Board Of Directors Also Serving As Director To Marketing Partner Of The Company \| directors		1
Expenses incurred for related parties		$ 700	$ 1,200	$ 1,300
Charitable Contribution, Total	$ 10,000	10,000
Contribution to LendingTree Foundation, Current	$ 10,000	$ 3,333	$ 10,000

BENEFIT PLANS (Details) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
BENEFIT PLANS (Details) - USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Defined Contribution Plan [Abstract]
Maximum contribution by employees as a percentage of pre-tax earnings	50.00%
Generally the maximum amount a participant may contribute in accordance with statutory limits	$ 18,500	$ 18,000
Defined Contribution Plan Employer Matching Contribution Per Participant Dollar Contributed	$ 0.50
Maximum contribution by employer (as a percent)	6.00%
Requisite service period for matching contribution	3 years
Vesting of employer matching contribution prior to requisite service period (as a percent)	0.00%
Vesting of employer matching contribution after requisite service period (as a percent)	100.00%
Matching contribution made by the entity	$ 1,400,000	$ 900,000	$ 700,000

DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS (Details - Disposal Groups) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Revenue and net income (loss) of discontinued operations
Revenue									$ 0	$ (750)	$ 1,325
Income (loss) before income taxes									(16,228)	(5,909)	(5,728)
Income tax benefit									3,408	2,069	2,014
Loss from discontinued operations	$ 3,551	$ 2,634	$ 2,302	$ 4,333	$ 1,208	$ 1,011	$ 689	$ 932	12,820	3,840	3,714
Loan loss obligations \| Discontinued operations \| Lending Tree Loans
Revenue and net income (loss) of discontinued operations
(Recoveries) provisions									$ 0	$ 750	$ (1,323)

- Definition

Amount before tax of income (loss) from a discontinued operation. Includes, but is not limited to, the income (loss) from operations during the phase-out period, gain (loss) on disposal, gain (loss) for reversal of write-down (write-down) to fair value, less cost to sell, and adjustments to a prior period gain (loss) on disposal.

+ References + Details

- Definition

Amount of tax expense (benefit) related to a discontinued operation. Includes, but is not limited to, tax expense (benefit) related to income (loss) from operations during the phase-out period, tax expense (benefit) related to gain (loss) on disposal, tax expense (benefit) related to gain (loss) for reversal of write-down (write-down) to fair value, less cost to sell, and tax expense (benefit) related to adjustments of a prior period gain (loss) on disposal.

+ References + Details

- Definition

Amount after tax of income (loss) from a discontinued operation attributable to the parent. Includes, but is not limited to, the income (loss) from operations during the phase-out period, gain (loss) on disposal, gain (loss) for reversal of write-down (write-down) to fair value, less cost to sell, and adjustments to a prior period gain (loss) on disposal.

+ References + Details

DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS (Details - LendingTree Loans) - Lending Tree Loans $ in Thousands			3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Oct. 15, 2015 USD ($) investor	Jun. 07, 2012	Dec. 31, 2014 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2014 buyer	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($) investor	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($)	Jun. 06, 2012 USD ($)
Discover Bank
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Asset Purchase Agreement Proceeds From Sale									$ 55,900
Loan loss obligations
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Payment for settlement with buyers of previously purchased loans	$ 600		$ 5,400
Loss Contingencies, Number of Loans Sold to one investor		40.00%
Discontinued operations
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Guarantee Obligations, Number of Investors to whom Loans Guaranteed \| investor	1				2
Discontinued operations \| Loan loss obligations
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
(Recoveries) provisions					$ 0	$ 750	$ (1,323)
Number of buyers of previously purchased limited documentation loans \| buyer				2
Amount of reserve for contingencies					7,554	$ 7,554	6,804	$ 8,127
Investor One [Member] \| Loan loss obligations
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Loss Contingencies, Number of Loans Sold to one investor		10.00%
Loss Contingencies, Percentage of the Original Loan Issue Balance		12.00%
Residential Funding Company [Domain] \| Discontinued operations \| Loan loss obligations
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
(Recoveries) provisions							$ 1,800
Minimum [Member] \| Discontinued operations \| Loan loss obligations
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Loss Contingency, Estimate of Possible Loss					4,300
Maximum [Member] \| Discontinued operations \| Loan loss obligations
Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Additional Disclosures by Disposal Groups, Including Discontinued Operations [Line Items]
Loss Contingency, Estimate of Possible Loss					$ 7,900

DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS (Details - Loan Loss Obligations) - Lending Tree Loans loan in Thousands, $ in Thousands			3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended			79 Months Ended
	Oct. 15, 2015 USD ($) investor	Jun. 07, 2012	Dec. 31, 2014 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2014 buyer	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($) investor	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($) loan	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($) loan	Jun. 06, 2012 USD ($) loan
Discontinued operations
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Guarantee Obligations, Number of Investors to whom Loans Guaranteed \| investor	1				2
Loan loss obligations
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Payment for settlement with buyers of previously purchased loans	$ 600		$ 5,400
Loss Contingencies, Number of Loans Sold to one investor		40.00%
Loan loss obligations \| Discontinued operations
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Loss Contingencies, Number of Loans Sold \| loan										234
Loss Contingencies, Original Principal Balance										$ 38,900,000
Number of buyers of previously purchased limited documentation loans \| buyer				2
Amount of reserve for contingencies					$ 7,554	$ 6,804	$ 8,127	$ 7,554	$ 7,554
Loan loss reserve, beginning of period					7,554	6,804	8,127
Provision adjustments					0	750	(1,323)
Charge-offs to reserves					0	0	0
Loan loss reserve, end of period					$ 7,554	$ 7,554	6,804	$ 7,554
Loss Contingencies, Number of Loans Subsequently Settled \| loan								(172)
Loss Contingencies,Value of Loans Subsequently Settled								$ (28,800,000)
Loss Contingencies, Number of Unsettled Loans Remaining \| loan									62
Loss Contingencies, Remaining Unsettled Loans									$ 10,100,000
Investor One [Member] \| Loan loss obligations
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Loss Contingencies, Number of Loans Sold to one investor		10.00%
Loss Contingencies, Percentage of the Original Loan Issue Balance		12.00%
Residential Funding Company [Domain] \| Loan loss obligations \| Discontinued operations
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Provision adjustments							$ 1,800
Minimum [Member] \| Loan loss obligations \| Discontinued operations
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Range of possible loss, minimum									4,300
Maximum [Member] \| Loan loss obligations \| Discontinued operations
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Range of possible loss, minimum									$ 7,900

SEGMENT INFORMATION (Details) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
SEGMENT INFORMATION (Details) $ in Thousands	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2018 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2018 USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2018 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2017 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2017 USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2017 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($) segment	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)
SEGMENT INFORMATION
Number of reportable segments \| segment									1
Revenue	$ 202,672	$ 197,057	$ 184,101	$ 181,035	$ 160,954	$ 171,494	$ 152,773	$ 132,515	$ 764,865	$ 617,736	$ 384,402
Mortgage Products
SEGMENT INFORMATION
Revenue									242,175	275,910	219,991
Non-mortgage Products
SEGMENT INFORMATION
Revenue									$ 522,690	$ 341,826	$ 164,411

QUARTERLY FINANCIAL INFORMATION (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Quarterly Financial Information [Abstract]
Change in fair value of contingent consideration	$ 6,800								$ 10,788	$ 23,931	$ 0
Revenue	202,672	$ 197,057	$ 184,101	$ 181,035	$ 160,954	$ 171,494	$ 152,773	$ 132,515	764,865	617,736	384,402
Operating income (loss)	2,428	20,290	18,123	15,350	(175)	17,455	8,969	6,884	56,191	33,133	52,112
Income (loss) from continuing operations	251	28,362	44,849	35,857	(6,518)	10,131	8,007	7,798	109,319	19,418	31,208
Loss from discontinued operations	(3,551)	(2,634)	(2,302)	(4,333)	(1,208)	(1,011)	(689)	(932)	(12,820)	(3,840)	(3,714)
Net income (loss) and comprehensive income (loss)	$ (3,300)	$ 25,728	$ 42,547	$ 31,524	$ (7,726)	$ 9,120	$ 7,318	$ 6,866	$ 96,499	$ 15,578	$ 27,494
Basic (in dollars per share)	$ 0.02	$ 2.22	$ 3.61	$ 2.97	$ (0.54)	$ 0.84	$ 0.67	$ 0.66	$ 8.74	$ 1.63	$ 2.64
Diluted (in dollars per share)	0.02	2.05	3.17	2.41	(0.54)	0.74	0.59	0.58	7.75	1.42	2.44
Income (loss) per share from discontinued operations:
Basic (in dollars per share)	(0.28)	(0.21)	(0.19)	(0.36)	(0.10)	(0.08)	(0.06)	(0.08)
Diluted (in dollars per share)	(0.26)	(0.19)	(0.16)	(0.29)	(0.10)	(0.07)	(0.05)	(0.07)
Income per share from continuing operations:
Basic (in dollars per share)	(0.26)	2.01	3.43	2.61	(0.64)	0.76	0.61	0.58	7.72	1.30	2.33
Diluted (in dollars per share)	$ (0.24)	$ 1.86	$ 3.01	$ 2.12	$ (0.64)	$ 0.66	$ 0.54	$ 0.51	$ 6.85	$ 1.14	$ 2.15
Charitable Contribution, Total					$ 10,000				$ 10,000
Provisional estimate for remeasurement of deferred tax assets and liabilities from Tax Cuts and Jobs Act					$ 9,100				$ 270	$ 9,062	$ 0

SUBSEQUENT EVENT (Details) - USD ($)			2 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
SUBSEQUENT EVENT (Details) - USD ($)	Feb. 22, 2019	Jan. 10, 2019	Feb. 28, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Feb. 20, 2019	Feb. 21, 2018	Feb. 26, 2016	Jan. 14, 2016	May 07, 2014	Jan. 11, 2010
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Proceeds from revolving credit facility				$ 125,000,000	$ 0	$ 0
Value of common stock authorized to be repurchased								$ 100,000,000.0	$ 40,000,000.0	$ 50,000,000.0	$ 10,000,000.0	$ 10,000,000
Purchase of treasury stock (in shares)				379,449	75,393	690,218
Value of treasury stock acquired				$ 92,606,000	$ 21,000,000	$ 48,524,000
Remaining authorized repurchase amount				$ 35,100,000
Subsequent Event [Member]
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Value of common stock authorized to be repurchased							$ 150,000,000.0
Purchase of treasury stock (in shares)			17,501
Value of treasury stock acquired			$ 3,900,000
Remaining authorized repurchase amount			$ 181,200,000
Proceeds from sale of property held-for-sale	$ 24,750,000
Earnest money deposit	$ 1,000,000
ValuePenguin [Member] \| Subsequent Event [Member]
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Acquisition purchase consideration		$ 105,000,000
Revolving Credit Facility [Member] \| ValuePenguin [Member] \| Subsequent Event [Member]
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Proceeds from revolving credit facility		$ 90,000,000

COMMITMENTS - Other (Details) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)
Minimum [Member]
Other Commitments [Line Items]
Other Commitment	$ 2.9
Maximum [Member]
Other Commitments [Line Items]
Other Commitment	$ 5.2