Document and Entity Information - shares	3 Months Ended
Document and Entity Information - shares	Mar. 31, 2019	Apr. 19, 2019
Entity Information:
Entity Registrant Name	LendingTree, Inc.
Entity Central Index Key	0001434621
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2019
Amendment Flag	false
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		12,879,149
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2019
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Revenue	$ 262,390	$ 181,035
Costs and expenses:
Cost of revenue (exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below)	17,670	5,696
Selling and marketing expense	174,891	126,044
General and administrative expense	31,117	22,814
Product development	10,166	6,260
Depreciation	2,482	1,671
Amortization of intangibles	13,427	3,963
Change in fair value of contingent consideration	14,592	(741)
Severance	54	0
Litigation settlements and contingencies	(207)	(22)
Total costs and expenses	264,192	165,685
Operating (loss) income	(1,802)	15,350
Other (expense) income, net:
Interest expense, net	(5,468)	(2,988)
Other income	68	34
(Loss) income before income taxes	(7,202)	12,396
Income tax benefit	7,752	23,461
Net income from continuing operations	550	35,857
Loss from discontinued operations, net of tax	(1,062)	(4,333)
Net (loss) income and comprehensive (loss) income	$ (512)	$ 31,524
Weighted average shares outstanding:
Basic	12,718	12,090
Diluted	14,186	14,848
Income per share from continuing operations:
Basic (in dollars per share)	$ 0.04	$ 2.97
Diluted (in dollars per share)	0.04	2.41
Loss per share from discontinued operations:
Basic (in dollars per share)	(0.08)	(0.36)
Diluted (in dollars per share)	(0.07)	(0.29)
Net (loss) income per share:
Basic (in dollars per share)	(0.04)	2.61
Diluted (in dollars per share)	$ (0.04)	$ 2.12

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
ASSETS:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 64,565	$ 105,102
Restricted cash and cash equivalents	38	56
Accounts receivable (net of allowance of $1,370 and $1,143, respectively)	119,707	91,072
Prepaid and other current assets	12,899	16,428
Assets held for sale	21,337	21,328
Current assets of discontinued operations	420	185
Total current assets	218,966	234,171
Property and equipment (net of accumulated depreciation of $13,377 and $13,887 respectively)	25,823	23,175
Goodwill	419,952	348,347
Intangible assets, net	223,872	205,699
Deferred income tax assets	87,323	79,289
Other non-current assets	13,303	2,168
Non-current assets of discontinued operations	3,266	3,266
Total assets	992,505	896,115
LIABILITIES:
Revolving credit facility	185,000	125,000
Accounts payable, trade	12,181	15,074
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities	106,007	93,190
Current contingent consideration	30,710	11,080
Current liabilities of discontinued operations	16,361	17,609
Total current liabilities	350,259	261,953
Long-term debt	254,248	250,943
Non-current contingent consideration	18,719	27,757
Deferred income tax liabilities	894	894
Other non-current liabilities	16,197	8,360
Total liabilities	640,317	549,907
Commitments and contingencies
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; 15,514,993 and 15,428,351 shares issued, respectively, and 12,878,905 and 12,809,764 shares outstanding, respectively	155	154
Additional paid-in capital	1,144,694	1,134,227
Accumulated deficit	(610,994)	(610,482)
Treasury stock; 2,636,088 and 2,618,587 shares, respectively	(181,667)	(177,691)
Total shareholders' equity	352,188	346,208
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity	$ 992,505	$ 896,115

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]
Accounts receivable, allowance (in dollars)	$ 1,370	$ 1,143
Accumulated depreciation of property and equipment	$ 13,377	$ 13,887
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	15,514,993	15,428,351
Common stock, outstanding shares	12,878,905	12,809,764
Treasury stock, shares	2,636,088	2,618,587

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Total	Common Stock	Additional Paid-in Capital	Accumulated Deficit	Treasury Stock	Comprehensive Income (Loss)	Noncontrolling interest
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 (loss) income and comprehensive (loss) income	31,524			31,524		$ 31,524
Non-cash compensation	$ 11,109		11,109
Purchase of treasury stock (in shares)	30,416				30,000
Purchase of treasury stock	$ (11,000)				$ (11,000)
Issuance of common stock for stock options, restricted stock awards and restricted stock units, net of withholding taxes	2,057	$ 5	2,052
Issuance of common stock for stock options, restricted stock awards and restricted stock units, net of withholding taxes (in shares)		473,000
Cumulative effect adjustment due to ASU 2014-09	1,373			1,373
Noncontrolling interest	(34)						(34)
Balance at Mar. 31, 2018	329,903	$ 147	1,100,743	(675,457)	$ (96,085)		$ 555
Balance (in shares) at Mar. 31, 2018		14,691,000			2,269,000
Balance at Dec. 31, 2018	346,208	$ 154	1,134,227	(610,482)	$ (177,691)
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2018		15,428,000			2,618,000
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity
Net (loss) income and comprehensive (loss) income	(512)			(512)		$ (512)
Non-cash compensation	$ 14,053		14,053
Purchase of treasury stock (in shares)	17,501				18,000
Purchase of treasury stock	$ (3,976)				$ (3,976)
Issuance of common stock for stock options, restricted stock awards and restricted stock units, net of withholding taxes	(3,585)	$ 1	(3,586)
Issuance of common stock for stock options, restricted stock awards and restricted stock units, net of withholding taxes (in shares)		87,000
Balance at Mar. 31, 2019	$ 352,188	$ 155	$ 1,144,694	$ (610,994)	$ (181,667)
Balance (in shares) at Mar. 31, 2019		15,515,000			2,636,000

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Cash flows from operating activities attributable to continuing operations:
Net (loss) income and comprehensive (loss) income	$ (512)	$ 31,524
Less: Loss from discontinued operations, net of tax	1,062	4,333
Net income from continuing operations	550	35,857
Adjustments to reconcile income from continuing operations to net cash provided by operating activities attributable to continuing operations:
Loss on disposal of assets	468	92
Amortization of intangibles	13,427	3,963
Depreciation	2,482	1,671
Rental amortization of intangibles and depreciation	0	202
Non-cash compensation expense	14,053	11,109
Deferred income taxes	(7,752)	(25,781)
Change in fair value of contingent consideration	14,592	(741)
Bad debt expense	510	56
Amortization of debt issuance costs	483	434
Amortization of convertible debt discount	2,951	2,799
Changes in current assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable	(27,534)	(11,381)
Prepaid and other current assets	(207)	(515)
Accounts payable, accrued expenses and other current liabilities	5,705	(2,024)
Current contingent consideration	(1,000)	0
Income taxes receivable	4,288	2,092
Other, net	253	(158)
Net cash provided by operating activities attributable to continuing operations	23,269	17,675
Cash flows from investing activities attributable to continuing operations:
Capital expenditures	(4,960)	(3,456)
Other investing activities	0	(34)
Net cash used in investing activities attributable to continuing operations	(110,405)	(3,500)
Cash flows from financing activities attributable to continuing operations:
Payments related to net-share settlement of stock-based compensation, net of proceeds from exercise of stock options	(3,585)	2,057
Contingent consideration payments	(3,000)	(23,500)
Net proceeds from revolving credit facility	60,000	0
Payment of debt issuance costs	(31)	(76)
Purchase of treasury stock	(3,976)	(12,099)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities attributable to continuing operations	49,408	(33,618)
Total cash used in continuing operations	(37,728)	(19,443)
Net cash used in operating activities attributable to discontinued operations	(2,827)	(2,644)
Total cash used in discontinued operations	(2,827)	(2,644)
Net decrease in cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents	(40,555)	(22,087)
Cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents at beginning of period	105,158	372,641
Cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents at end of period	64,603	350,554
Non-cash investing activities:
Capital additions from tenant improvement allowance	852	0
ValuePenguin
Cash flows from investing activities attributable to continuing operations:
Acquisition of businesses, net of cash acquired	(105,445)	0
Ovation
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	600
SnapCap
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	2,100
Cash flows from investing activities attributable to continuing operations:
Acquisition of businesses	0	(10)
Cash flows from financing activities attributable to continuing operations:
Contingent consideration payments	(3,000)
DepositAccounts
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	800	$ 900
Cash flows from financing activities attributable to continuing operations:
Contingent consideration payments	$ (1,000)

ORGANIZATION (Note)	3 Months Ended
ORGANIZATION (Note)	Mar. 31, 2019
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 17 —Discontinued Operations for additional information. Basis of Presentation The accompanying unaudited interim consolidated financial statements as of March 31, 2019 and for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively, have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP") for interim financial information and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). In the opinion of management, the unaudited interim consolidated financial statements have been prepared on the same basis as the audited financial statements, and include all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, necessary for the fair statement of the Company's financial position for the periods presented. The results for the three months ended March 31, 2019 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the year ending December 31, 2019, or any other period. The accompanying consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2018 was derived from audited financial statements included in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 (the "2018 Annual Report"). The accompanying consolidated financial statements do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for annual financial statements. Accordingly, they should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and notes thereto included in the 2018 Annual Report.

SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Note)	3 Months Ended
SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Note)	Mar. 31, 2019
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES	SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES 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 March 31, 2019, 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. 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 partners without using its services. 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. Litigation Settlements and Contingencies Litigation settlements and contingencies consists of expenses related to actual or anticipated litigation settlements. Recent Accounting Pronouncements In August 2018, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("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 Accounting Standards Codification ("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 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 February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02 related to lease accounting guidance. This ASU introduces ASC Topic 842, Leases, which supersedes ASC Topic 840, Leases. In 2018 and 2019, the FASB issued final amendments clarifying 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, transition disclosures and certain other transition matters. The clarification ASUs also provided 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. The clarification ASUs must be adopted concurrently with the adoption of ASU 2016-02 (collectively, "ASC Topic 842"). The Company has adopted 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. The adoption resulted in the increase in total assets and total liabilities of $8.8 million as of January 1, 2019 related to operating leases greater than one year in duration for which the Company is the lessee, with no cumulative effect adjustment to the opening balance of accumulated deficit. As part of the transition, the Company has elected the package of practical expedients which allows the Company 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 has elected as accounting policy to not record short-term leases, which are leases with an initial term of twelve months or fewer, on the balance sheet.

REVENUE (Note)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]

REVENUE

Revenue is as follows (in thousands):



	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2019		2018
Revenue:
Mortgage products	$	45,984	$	73,462
Non-mortgage products
Credit cards	54,506		46,132
Personal loans	32,531		25,965
Insurance	67,092		13
Other	62,277		35,463
Total non-mortgage products	216,406		107,573
Total revenue	$	262,390	$	181,035

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. The Company's services are generally transferred to the customer at a point in time.

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. 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. Approval fees are derived from credit card issuers when the credit card consumer receives card approval from the credit card issuer. The Company recognizes revenue on closing fees and approval fees at the point when a loan request or a credit card consumer is delivered to the customer. 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.

Revenue from the Company's insurance business 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.

Upfront fees and subscription fees are derived from consumers in the Company's credit services business. 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.

The contract asset recorded within prepaid and other current assets on the consolidated balance sheets related to estimated variable consideration was $5.4 million and $4.8 million on March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively.

The contract liability recorded within accrued expenses and other current liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets related to upfront fees paid by consumers in the Company's credit services business was $0.6 million and $0.4 million on March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively. During the first quarter of 2019, the Company recognized revenue of $0.3 million that was included in the contract liability balance at December 31, 2018.

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 $0.9 million in the first quarter of 2019. There was no adjustment to such revenue from prior periods in the first quarter of 2018.

GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS (Note)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

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, 2018	$	831,435	$	(483,088	)	$	348,347
Acquisition of QuoteWizard	183		—			183
Acquisition of ValuePenguin	71,422		—			71,422
Balance at March 31, 2019	$	903,040	$	(483,088	)	$	419,952

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



	March 31, 2019		December 31, 2018
Intangible assets with indefinite lives	$	10,142	$	10,142
Intangible assets with definite lives, net	213,730		195,557
Total intangible assets, net	$	223,872	$	205,699

Goodwill and Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets

The Company's goodwill is associated with its one reportable segment. Intangible assets with indefinite lives relate to the Company's trademarks.

Intangible Assets with Definite Lives

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



	Cost		Accumulated Amortization			Net
Technology	$	116,600	$	(28,033	)	$	88,567
Customer lists	80,200		(9,773		)	70,427
Trademarks and tradenames	18,042		(4,593		)	13,449
Website content	51,000		(9,717		)	41,283
Other	256		(252		)	4
Balance at March 31, 2019	$	266,098	$	(52,368	)	$	213,730



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

See Note 6—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 March 31, 2019, future amortization is estimated to be as follows (in thousands):



	Amortization Expense
Remainder of current year	$	41,844
Year ending December 31, 2020	53,179
Year ending December 31, 2021	42,839
Year ending December 31, 2022	25,356
Year ending December 31, 2023	8,702
Thereafter	41,810
Total intangible assets with definite lives, net	$	213,730

- 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 (Notes)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

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.

In November 2018, the Company's Board of Directors approved a plan to sell the two office buildings. The properties are classified as current assets held for sale in the consolidated balance sheets for March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018. In February 2019, the Company agreed to sell these buildings to an unrelated third party, which agreement was amended in March 2019. The agreement as amended provides for a sale price of $24.5 million subject to prorations and adjustments. The sale is expected to be finalized in the second quarter of 2019. These properties are associated with the Company's one reportable segment.

Property and equipment classified as held for sale during each of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 is as follows (in thousands):



	Amount
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 during each of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 is as follows (in thousands):



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

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):



	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2019			2018
Revenue	$	—		$	—

Loss before income taxes	$	(1,344	)	$	(5,485	)
Income tax benefit	282			1,152
Net loss	$	(1,062	)	$	(4,333	)

During the first quarters of 2019 and 2018, 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.



	Number of Loans		Original Issue Balance
	(in thousands)		(in billions)
Loans sold by HLC	234		$	38.9
Subsequent settlements	(172	)	(28.8		)
Remaining unsettled balance as of March 31, 2019	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 March 31, 2019. The reserve balance recorded as of March 31, 2019 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):



	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2019		2018
Loan loss reserve, beginning of period	$	7,554	$	7,554
Provisions	—		—
Charge-offs to reserves	—		—
Loan loss reserve, end of period	$	7,554	$	7,554

The liability for losses on previously sold loans is presented as current liabilities of discontinued operations in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018.

BUSINESS ACQUISITION (Note)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Business Combinations [Abstract]

BUSINESS ACQUISITION

BUSINESS ACQUISITIONS

2019 Acquisition

ValuePenguin

On January 10, 2019, the Company acquired Value Holding, Inc., the parent company of ValuePenguin Inc. ("ValuePenguin"), a personal finance website that offers consumers objective analysis on a variety of financial topics from insurance to credit cards. The Company made an upfront cash payment of $106.1 million at the closing of the transaction, funded through $90.0 million drawn on the Company's Revolving Credit Facility and the balance using cash on hand. The Company has estimated a preliminary purchase price of $106.2 million, comprised of the upfront cash payment of $106.1 million and an estimated $0.1 million post-closing adjustment to working capital.

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	$	2,820
Fixed assets	68
Intangible assets	31,600
Goodwill	71,422
Net noncurrent assets	322
Total preliminary purchase price	$	106,232

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, content and trademarks and tradenames. The estimated fair values of the developed technology were determined using cost replacement analysis, the content was determined using excess earnings 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	$	4,200	3 years
Content	26,100		3 years
Trademarks and tradenames	1,300		5 years
Total intangible assets	$	31,600	3.1 years

As of March 31, 2019, 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 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 $71.4 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 ValuePenguin as a going concern, which represents the ability of the Company to earn a higher return on the collection of assets and business of ValuePenguin 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 Company has preliminarily accounted for the acquisition as an asset purchase which would indicate the goodwill will be tax deductible. However, the Company has not yet completed an assessment in order to make a tax election that could impact the tax purchase accounting for the acquisition.

Subsequent to the acquisition date, the Company’s consolidated results of operations include the results of the acquired ValuePenguin business. In the first quarter of 2019, revenue of $5.4 million and net income from continuing operations of $1.9 million have been included in the Company’s consolidated results of operations. Acquisition-related costs were $0.1 million in the first quarter of 2019, and are included in general and administrative expense on the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income.

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, 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 $313.4 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 $0.4 million post-closing reduction to working capital.

As of March 31, 2019, the estimated fair value of the contingent consideration totaled $35.1 million, of which $21.5 million is included in current contingent consideration and $13.6 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 the first quarter of 2019, the Company recorded $14.4 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	$	8,383
Fixed assets	1,509
Intangible assets	120,400
Goodwill	183,046
Other noncurrent assets	17
Total preliminary purchase price	$	313,355

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 March 31, 2019, 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 second 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 $183.0 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.

The unaudited pro forma financial results for the first quarter of 2018 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.



	Three Months Ended March 31, 2018
	(in thousands)
Pro forma revenue	$	218,757
Pro forma net income from continuing operations	$	35,600

Acquisition-related costs incurred by the Company and QuoteWizard that are directly attributable to the acquisition, and which will not have an ongoing impact, have been eliminated from the unaudited pro forma net income from continuing operations for the first quarter of 2018.

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 March 31, 2019, the estimated fair value of the contingent consideration totaled $6.8 million, of which $4.1 million is included in current contingent consideration and $2.7 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 the first quarter of 2019, the Company recorded a gain of $0.6 million 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 March 31, 2019, 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 second 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.

Changes in Contingent Consideration

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.

In the first quarter of 2019, the Company paid $3.0 million related to the earnout payment for the period of October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018, which is included within cash flows from financing activities on the consolidated statement of cash flows.

As of March 31, 2019, the estimated fair value of the contingent consideration totaled $5.3 million, of which $2.9 million is included in current contingent consideration and $2.4 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 the first quarters of 2019 and 2018, the Company recorded contingent consideration expense of $1.6 million and a gain of $2.1 million, respectively, in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income due to the change in estimated fair value of the contingent consideration.

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.

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. In the first quarter of 2019, the Company paid $1.0 million associated with a specified increase in the Federal Funds rate in December 2018, which is included within cash flows from operating activities on the consolidated statement of cash flows.

As of March 31, 2019, the estimated fair value of the contingent consideration totaled $2.2 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 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 the first quarters of 2019 and 2018, the Company recorded a gain of $0.8 million and expense of $0.9 million, respectively, in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income due to the change in estimated fair value of the contingent consideration.

In April 2019, the Company paid $2.0 million associated with the one-time performance payment based on the net revenue of deposit products during the period of January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2018.

Pro forma Financial Results

The unaudited pro forma financial results for the first quarters of 2019 and 2018 combine the consolidated results of the Company and Ovation, Student Loan Hero, Inc. (“Student Loan Hero”), QuoteWizard and ValuePenguin, giving effect to the acquisitions as if the Ovation, Student Loan Hero and QuoteWizard acquisitions had been completed on January 1, 2017, and as if the ValuePenguin acquisition had been completed on January 1, 2018. 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, 2017 or 2018, 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 adjusted for the impact of the QuoteWizard acquisition, as described above. Interest expense was also adjusted to reflect incremental interest associated with debt issued to finance the ValuePenguin acquisition. The provision for income taxes from continuing operations has 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.



	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2019		2018
	(in thousands)
Pro forma revenue	$	262,905	$	229,884
Pro forma net income from continuing operations	$	241	$	35,616

The unaudited pro forma net income from continuing operations in the first quarter of 2019 includes the aggregate after tax contingent consideration expense associated with the DepositAccounts, SnapCap, Ovation and QuoteWizard earnouts of $10.6 million. The unaudited pro forma net income from continuing operations in the first quarter of 2018 includes the aggregate after tax contingent consideration gain associated with the DepositAccounts and SnapCap earnouts of $0.9 million.

The unaudited pro forma net income from continuing operations for the first quarter of 2018 has been adjusted to include acquisition-related costs of $0.5 million incurred by the Company that are directly attributable to the ValuePenguin acquisition, and which will not have an ongoing impact. Accordingly, such acquisition-related costs have been eliminated from the unaudited pro forma net income from continuing operations for the first quarter of 2019. Acquisition-related costs incurred by the Company and QuoteWizard that are directly attributable to the Ovation and QuoteWizard acquisitions, and which will not have an ongoing impact, have been eliminated from the unaudited pro forma net income from continuing operations for the first quarter of 2018.

ACCRUED EXPENSES AND OTHER CURRENT LIABILITIES (Note)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Payables and Accruals [Abstract]

ACCRUED EXPENSES AND OTHER CURRENT LIABILITIES

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities consist of the following (in thousands):



	March 31, 2019		December 31, 2018
Accrued advertising expense	$	59,224	$	60,268
Accrued compensation and benefits	12,831		6,381
Accrued professional fees	1,290		2,549
Customer deposits and escrows	6,797		6,913
Contribution to LendingTree Foundation	3,333		3,333
Current lease liabilities	4,695		—
Other	17,837		13,746
Total accrued expenses and other current liabilities	$	106,007	$	93,190

LEASES (Notes)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Leases [Abstract]

LEASES

The Company is a lessee to leases of corporate offices and certain office equipment. The majority of leases for corporate offices include one or more options to renew, with renewal terms ranging from three to five years. These renewal options have not been included in the calculation of right-of-use assets and lease liabilities, as the Company is not reasonably certain of the exercise of these renewal options. The Company used its incremental borrowing rate to calculate the right-of-use asset and lease liability for each lease.

As of March 31, 2019, right-of use assets totaling $11.2 million are included in other non-current assets and lease liabilities totaling $13.0 million are included in accrued expenses and other current liabilities and other non-current liabilities in the accompanying balance sheet.

Lease expense, which is included in general and administrative expense on the accompanying consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income, consists of the following (in thousands):



	Three Months Ended March 31, 2019
Operating lease cost	$	1,263
Short-term lease cost	39
Total lease cost	$	1,302

Weighted average remaining lease term and discount rate for operating leases are as follows:



	March 31, 2019
Weighted average remaining lease term	3.5 years
Weighted average discount rate	5.1	%

Supplemental cash flow information related to leases is as follows (in thousands):



	Three Months Ended March 31, 2019
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities:
Operating cash flows from operating leases	$	1,292
Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for new operating lease liabilities	$	3,534

Maturities of lease liabilities as of March 31, 2019 is as follows (in thousands):



	Operating Leases
Remainder of current year	$	3,971
Year ending December 31, 2020	4,248
Year ending December 31, 2021	2,298
Year ending December 31, 2022	1,913
Year ending December 31, 2023	1,552
Thereafter	343
Total lease payments	14,325
Less: Interest	1,295
Present value of lease liabilities	$	13,030

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):



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

The Company operates as a lessor in connection with the office buildings in Charlotte, North Carolina acquired in December 2016. See Note 6—Assets Held for Sale for further information on the office buildings.

Future rental income from the building tenants as of March 31, 2019 under operating lease agreements having an initial or remaining non-cancelable lease term in excess of one year are as follows (in thousands):



	Amount
Remainder of current year	$	531
Year ending December 31, 2020	726
Year ending December 31, 2021	324
Year ending December 31, 2022	116
Year ending December 31, 2023	113
Thereafter	74
Total	$	1,884

Rental income of $0.2 million in each of the first quarters of 2019 and 2018, respectively, is included in other income on the accompanying consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income.

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):



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

LEASES

Lease expense, which is included in general and administrative expense on the accompanying consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income, consists of the following (in thousands):



	Three Months Ended March 31, 2019
Operating lease cost	$	1,263
Short-term lease cost	39
Total lease cost	$	1,302

Weighted average remaining lease term and discount rate for operating leases are as follows:



	March 31, 2019
Weighted average remaining lease term	3.5 years
Weighted average discount rate	5.1	%

Supplemental cash flow information related to leases is as follows (in thousands):



	Three Months Ended March 31, 2019
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities:
Operating cash flows from operating leases	$	1,292
Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for new operating lease liabilities	$	3,534

Maturities of lease liabilities as of March 31, 2019 is as follows (in thousands):



	Operating Leases
Remainder of current year	$	3,971
Year ending December 31, 2020	4,248
Year ending December 31, 2021	2,298
Year ending December 31, 2022	1,913
Year ending December 31, 2023	1,552
Thereafter	343
Total lease payments	14,325
Less: Interest	1,295
Present value of lease liabilities	$	13,030

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):



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



	Amount
Remainder of current year	$	531
Year ending December 31, 2020	726
Year ending December 31, 2021	324
Year ending December 31, 2022	116
Year ending December 31, 2023	113
Thereafter	74
Total	$	1,884



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

SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY (Note)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Earnings Per Share [Abstract]

SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY

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



	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2019	2018
Weighted average basic common shares	12,718	12,090
Effect of stock options	686	1,559
Effect of dilutive share awards	161	213
Effect of Convertible Senior Notes and warrants	621	986
Weighted average diluted common shares	14,186	14,848

For the first quarter of 2019, 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 first quarter of 2018, the weighted average shares that were anti-dilutive included options to purchase 0.3 million shares of common stock.

The 0.625% Convertible Senior Notes due June 1, 2022 and the warrants issued by the Company in 2017 could be converted into the Company’s common stock in the future, subject to certain contingencies. See Note 13—Debt for additional information.

Common Stock Repurchases

In each of January 2010, May 2014, January 2016, February 2016, February 2018 and February 2019, 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, $100.0 million and $150.0 million, respectively, of LendingTree's common stock. During the first quarters of 2019 and 2018, the Company purchased 17,501 and 30,416 shares, respectively, of its common stock for aggregate consideration of $4.0 million and $11.0 million, respectively. At March 31, 2019, approximately $181.2 million of the previous authorizations to repurchase common stock remain available.

STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION (Note)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

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

STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

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):



	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2019		2018
Cost of revenue	$	153	$	58
Selling and marketing expense	1,749		1,501
General and administrative expense	10,221		8,739
Product development	1,930		811
Total non-cash compensation	$	14,053	$	11,109

Stock Options

A summary of 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)
Options outstanding at January 1, 2019	940,533		$	65.12
Granted ^(b)	35,392		310.93
Exercised	(58,265	)	30.13
Forfeited	(17,520	)	337.78
Expired	—		—
Options outstanding at March 31, 2019	900,140		71.74		4.97	$	252,048
Options exercisable at March 31, 2019	724,395		$	32.71	4.05	$	231,035

(a)

The aggregate intrinsic value represents the total pre-tax intrinsic value (the difference between the Company's closing stock price of $351.56 on the last trading day of the quarter ended March 31, 2019 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 March 31, 2019. The intrinsic value changes based on the market value of the Company's common stock.


(b)	During the three months ended March 31, 2019, the Company granted stock options to certain employees with a weighted average grant date fair value per share of $161.64, calculated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model, which vesting periods include (a) three years from the grant date and (b) four years from the grant date.

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:



Expected term ⁽¹⁾	6.00 - 6.25 years
Expected dividend ⁽²⁾	—
Expected volatility ⁽³⁾	51 - 52%
Risk-free interest rate ⁽⁴⁾	2.52% - 2.55%


(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 in 2019, 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.

Stock Options with Performance Conditions

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



	Number of Options with Performance Conditions		Weighted Average Exercise Price		Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term	Aggregate Intrinsic Value^(a)
			(per option)		(in years)	(in thousands)
Options outstanding at January 1, 2019	37,877		$	308.90
Granted	—		—
Exercised	—		—
Forfeited	—		—
Expired	(11,876	)	308.90
Options outstanding at March 31, 2019	26,001		308.90		8.70	$	1,109
Options exercisable at March 31, 2019	—		$	—	0.00	$	—

(a)

Stock Options with Market Conditions

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)
Options outstanding at January 1, 2019	447,193	$	200.51
Granted^(b)	16,247	308.96
Exercised	—	—
Forfeited	—	—
Expired	—	—
Options outstanding at March 31, 2019	463,440	204.31		8.42	$	68,602
Options exercisable at March 31, 2019	—	$	—	0	$	—

(a)


(b)	During the three months ended March 31, 2019, the Company granted stock options with a grant date fair value per share of $230.81, calculated using the Monte Carlo simulation model, which has a vesting date of March 31, 2023.

For purposes of determining stock-based compensation expense, the 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 assumptions used are as follows:



Expected term ⁽¹⁾	7.00 years
Expected dividend ⁽²⁾	—
Expected volatility ⁽³⁾	51%
Risk-free interest rate ⁽⁴⁾	2.54%


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


(2)	For all stock options with a market condition granted in 2019, 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.

A maximum of 773,945 shares may be earned for achieving superior performance up to 167% of the target number of shares. As of March 31, 2019, performance-based nonqualified stock options with a market condition of 312,008 had been earned, which have a vest date of September 30, 2022.

Restricted Stock Units

A summary of changes in outstanding nonvested restricted stock units ("RSUs") is as follows:



	RSUs
	Number of Units		Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
			(per unit)
Nonvested at January 1, 2019	201,568		$	225.48
Granted	47,007		305.25
Vested	(45,810	)	189.14
Forfeited	(14,093	)	290.95
Nonvested at March 31, 2019	188,672		$	249.29

Restricted Stock Units with Performance Conditions

A summary of 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 January 1, 2019	92,481		$	182.28
Granted	—		—
Vested	—		—
Forfeited	(2,265	)	308.90
Nonvested at March 31, 2019	90,216		$	179.10

Restricted Stock Awards with Performance Conditions

A summary of changes in outstanding nonvested restricted stock awards ("RSAs") with performance conditions is as follows:



	RSAs with Performance Conditions
	Number of Awards		Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
			(per unit)
Nonvested at January 1, 2019	71,412		$	340.25
Granted	—		—
Vested	(5,951	)	340.25
Forfeited	—		—
Nonvested at March 31, 2019	65,461		$	340.25

Restricted Stock Awards with Market Conditions

A summary of changes in outstanding nonvested RSAs with market conditions is as follows:



	RSAs with Market Conditions
	Number of Awards	Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
		(per unit)
Nonvested at January 1, 2019	26,674	$	340.25
Granted	—	—
Vested	—	—
Forfeited	—	—
Nonvested at March 31, 2019	26,674	$	340.25

A maximum of 44,545 shares may be earned for achieving superior performance up to 167% of the target number of shares. As of March 31, 2019, performance-based restricted stock awards with a market condition of 19,175 had been earned, which have a vest date of September 30, 2022.

INCOME TAXES (Note)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

INCOME TAXES



	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2019			2018
	(in thousands, except percentages)
Income tax benefit	$	7,752		$	23,461
Effective tax rate	107.6		%	(189.3		)%

For the first quarter of 2019 and the first quarter of 2018, the effective tax rate varied from the federal statutory rate of 21% primarily due to a tax benefit of $6.0 million and $27.2 million, respectively, recognized for excess tax benefits due to employee exercises of stock options and vesting of restricted stock in accordance with ASU 2016-09 and the effect of state taxes.



	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2019		2018
	(in thousands)
Income tax benefit (expense) - excluding excess tax benefit on stock compensation	$	1,749	$	(3,742	)
Excess tax benefit on stock compensation	6,003		27,203
Income tax benefit	$	7,752	$	23,461

DEBT (Note)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Debt Disclosure [Abstract]

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 were not entitled to convert the Notes from July 1, 2018 to March 31, 2019. Holders of the Notes are entitled to convert the Notes during the calendar quarter ended June 30, 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 March 31, 2019, was 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 are separated into a debt and 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.

In the first quarter of 2019, the Company recorded interest expense on the Notes of $3.8 million which consisted of $0.5 million associated with the 0.625% coupon rate, $3.0 million associated with the accretion of the debt discount, and $0.3 million associated with the amortization of the debt issuance costs. In the first quarter of 2018, the Company recorded interest expense on the Notes of $3.6 million which consisted of $0.5 million associated with the 0.625% coupon rate, $2.8 million associated with the accretion of the debt discount, and $0.3 million associated with the amortization of the debt issuance costs. The debt discount is being amortized over the term of the debt.

As of March 31, 2019, the fair value of the Notes is estimated to be approximately $523.5 million using the Level 1 observable input of the last quoted market price for the quarter ended March 31, 2019.

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):



	March 31, 2019		December 31, 2018
Gross carrying amount	$	300,000	$	300,000
Unamortized debt discount	40,854		43,805
Debt issuance costs	4,898		5,252
Net carrying amount	$	254,248	$	250,943

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 March 31, 2019, the Company had $185.0 million in borrowings outstanding under the Revolving Credit Facility at the LIBO rate option with a weighted average interest rate of 3.99%, consisting of a $105.0 million 31-day borrowing and an $80.0 million 32-day borrowing. 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%.

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 March 31, 2019.

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.

In addition to the remaining unamortized debt issuance costs associated with the original revolving credit facility entered into on October 22, 2015 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.

In the first quarter of 2019, the Company recorded interest expense related to the Revolving Credit Facility of $2.1 million, which consisted of $1.9 million associated with borrowings bearing interest at the LIBO rate, $0.1 million in unused commitment fees, and $0.1 million associated with the amortization of the debt issuance costs. In the first quarter of 2018, the Company recorded interest expense related to the Revolving Credit Facility of $0.2 million in unused commitment fees and $0.1 million associated with the amortization of the debt issuance costs.

CONTINGENCIES (Note)	3 Months Ended
CONTINGENCIES (Note)	Mar. 31, 2019
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 14, 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 March 31, 2019, the Company had litigation settlement accruals of $0.1 million and $8.0 million in continuing operations and discontinued operations, respectively. As of December 31, 2018, the Company had litigation settlement accruals of $0.2 million and $8.0 million in continuing operations and discontinued operations, respectively. 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 settlement 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 sought interest on the verdict amount and on its attorneys' fees in addition to the jury verdict amount. On March 18, 2019, the Court denied Plaintiff’s request for interest on any award of attorneys’ fees (previously estimated to be $15.2 million), and awarded Plaintiff’s request for (1) pre-verdict interest in the amount of $14.1 million and (2) post-verdict, pre-judgment interest on the award of damages, the amount of which has yet to be calculated because judgment has yet to be entered. As of April 26, 2019, the post-verdict, pre-judgment interest is estimated to be $3.3 million (previously estimated to be $1.4 million). Plaintiff is also seeking up to $28.7 million in attorneys’ fees. HLC believes it has strong grounds for an appeal and further believes that Plaintiff’s demand for attorneys’ fees 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 $74.8 million. An estimated liability of $7.0 million for this matter is included in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet as of March 31, 2019. Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc. Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. v. 1st Advantage Mortgage, LLC et al., 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 March 31, 2019.

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS (Note)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

Other than the 0.625% Convertible Senior Notes and the Warrants, the carrying amounts of the Company's financial instruments are equal to fair value at March 31, 2019. See Note 13—Debt for additional information on the 0.625% Convertible Senior 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 first quarters of 2019 and 2018 are as follows (in thousands):



	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2019			2018
Contingent consideration, beginning of period	$	38,837		$	57,349
Transfers into Level 3	—			—
Transfers out of Level 3	—			—
Total net losses (gains) included in earnings (realized and unrealized)	14,592			(741		)
Purchases, sales and settlements:
Additions	—			—
Payments	(4,000		)	(23,500		)
Contingent consideration, end of period	$	49,429		$	33,108

The contingent consideration liability at March 31, 2019 is the estimated fair value of the earnout payments of the DepositAccounts, SnapCap, Ovation and QuoteWizard acquisitions. The Company will make payments ranging from $2.0 million to $3.0 million based on the achievement of defined milestone and performance targets for DepositAccounts, payments ranging from zero to $6.0 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 7—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

SEGMENT INFORMATION (Note)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

SEGMENT INFORMATION

The Company has one reportable segment.

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



	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2019		2018
Mortgage products	$	45,984	$	73,462
Non-mortgage products	216,406		107,573
Total revenue	$	262,390	$	181,035

DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS (Note)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Discontinued Operations and Disposal Groups [Abstract]

DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS

ASSETS HELD FOR SALE

Property and equipment classified as held for sale during each of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 is as follows (in thousands):



	Amount
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 during each of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 is as follows (in thousands):



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

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):



	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2019			2018
Revenue	$	—		$	—

Loss before income taxes	$	(1,344	)	$	(5,485	)
Income tax benefit	282			1,152
Net loss	$	(1,062	)	$	(4,333	)

During the first quarters of 2019 and 2018, 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.



	Number of Loans		Original Issue Balance
	(in thousands)		(in billions)
Loans sold by HLC	234		$	38.9
Subsequent settlements	(172	)	(28.8		)
Remaining unsettled balance as of March 31, 2019	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):



	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2019		2018
Loan loss reserve, beginning of period	$	7,554	$	7,554
Provisions	—		—
Charge-offs to reserves	—		—
Loan loss reserve, end of period	$	7,554	$	7,554

SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)	3 Months Ended
SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)	Mar. 31, 2019
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Accounting Estimates	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	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 March 31, 2019, 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. 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 partners without using its services. 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.
Litigation Settlements and Contingencies	Litigation Settlements and Contingencies Litigation settlements and contingencies consists of expenses related to actual or anticipated litigation settlements.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements	Recent Accounting Pronouncements In August 2018, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("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 Accounting Standards Codification ("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 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 February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02 related to lease accounting guidance. This ASU introduces ASC Topic 842, Leases, which supersedes ASC Topic 840, Leases. In 2018 and 2019, the FASB issued final amendments clarifying 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, transition disclosures and certain other transition matters. The clarification ASUs also provided 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. The clarification ASUs must be adopted concurrently with the adoption of ASU 2016-02 (collectively, "ASC Topic 842"). The Company has adopted 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. The adoption resulted in the increase in total assets and total liabilities of $8.8 million as of January 1, 2019 related to operating leases greater than one year in duration for which the Company is the lessee, with no cumulative effect adjustment to the opening balance of accumulated deficit. As part of the transition, the Company has elected the package of practical expedients which allows the Company 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 has elected as accounting policy to not record short-term leases, which are leases with an initial term of twelve months or fewer, on the balance sheet.

REVENUE Schedule of Revenue (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]

Disaggregation of Revenue [Table Text Block]

Revenue is as follows (in thousands):



	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2019		2018
Revenue:
Mortgage products	$	45,984	$	73,462
Non-mortgage products
Credit cards	54,506		46,132
Personal loans	32,531		25,965
Insurance	67,092		13
Other	62,277		35,463
Total non-mortgage products	216,406		107,573
Total revenue	$	262,390	$	181,035

CASH AND RESTRICTED CASH (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Cash and Cash Equivalents [Abstract]

Schedule of Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents

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



	March 31, 2019		December 31, 2018
Cash and cash equivalents	$	64,565	$	105,102
Restricted cash and cash equivalents	38		56
Total cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents	$	64,603	$	105,158

GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

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, 2018	$	831,435	$	(483,088	)	$	348,347
Acquisition of QuoteWizard	183		—			183
Acquisition of ValuePenguin	71,422		—			71,422
Balance at March 31, 2019	$	903,040	$	(483,088	)	$	419,952

Schedule of balance of intangible assets, net

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



	March 31, 2019		December 31, 2018
Intangible assets with indefinite lives	$	10,142	$	10,142
Intangible assets with definite lives, net	213,730		195,557
Total intangible assets, net	$	223,872	$	205,699

Schedule of intangible assets with definite lives

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



	Cost		Accumulated Amortization			Net
Technology	$	116,600	$	(28,033	)	$	88,567
Customer lists	80,200		(9,773		)	70,427
Trademarks and tradenames	18,042		(4,593		)	13,449
Website content	51,000		(9,717		)	41,283
Other	256		(252		)	4
Balance at March 31, 2019	$	266,098	$	(52,368	)	$	213,730



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

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



	Amortization Expense
Remainder of current year	$	41,844
Year ending December 31, 2020	53,179
Year ending December 31, 2021	42,839
Year ending December 31, 2022	25,356
Year ending December 31, 2023	8,702
Thereafter	41,810
Total intangible assets with definite lives, net	$	213,730

ASSETS HELD FOR SALE (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Discontinued Operations and Disposal Groups [Abstract]

Disclosure of long lived assets held-for-sale

Property and equipment classified as held for sale during each of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 is as follows (in thousands):



	Amount
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 during each of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 is as follows (in thousands):



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

BUSINESS ACQUISITION (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Business Combinations [Abstract]

Schedule of purchase price allocation

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 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	$	2,820
Fixed assets	68
Intangible assets	31,600
Goodwill	71,422
Net noncurrent assets	322
Total preliminary purchase price	$	106,232

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	$	8,383
Fixed assets	1,509
Intangible assets	120,400
Goodwill	183,046
Other noncurrent assets	17
Total preliminary purchase price	$	313,355

Schedule of the fair value of definite lived intangible assets acquired

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):



	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):



	Preliminary Fair Value		Weighted Average Amortization Life
Technology	$	4,200	3 years
Content	26,100		3 years
Trademarks and tradenames	1,300		5 years
Total intangible assets	$	31,600	3.1 years

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



	Three Months Ended March 31, 2018
	(in thousands)
Pro forma revenue	$	218,757
Pro forma net income from continuing operations	$	35,600



	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2019		2018
	(in thousands)
Pro forma revenue	$	262,905	$	229,884
Pro forma net income from continuing operations	$	241	$	35,616

LEASES (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Leases [Abstract]

Summary of Lease Expense and Weighted Average

Lease expense, which is included in general and administrative expense on the accompanying consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income, consists of the following (in thousands):



	Three Months Ended March 31, 2019
Operating lease cost	$	1,263
Short-term lease cost	39
Total lease cost	$	1,302

Weighted average remaining lease term and discount rate for operating leases are as follows:



	March 31, 2019
Weighted average remaining lease term	3.5 years
Weighted average discount rate	5.1	%

Lessee operating leases supplemental cash flow information and noncash activity table

Supplemental cash flow information related to leases is as follows (in thousands):



	Three Months Ended March 31, 2019
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities:
Operating cash flows from operating leases	$	1,292
Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for new operating lease liabilities	$	3,534

Operating Lease Maturity

Maturities of lease liabilities as of March 31, 2019 is as follows (in thousands):



	Operating Leases
Remainder of current year	$	3,971
Year ending December 31, 2020	4,248
Year ending December 31, 2021	2,298
Year ending December 31, 2022	1,913
Year ending December 31, 2023	1,552
Thereafter	343
Total lease payments	14,325
Less: Interest	1,295
Present value of lease liabilities	$	13,030

Operating Lease Maturity ASC 840

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):



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

Operating Lease Maturity, Receivable



	Amount
Remainder of current year	$	531
Year ending December 31, 2020	726
Year ending December 31, 2021	324
Year ending December 31, 2022	116
Year ending December 31, 2023	113
Thereafter	74
Total	$	1,884

Operating Lease Maturity, Receivable ASC 840



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

SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Earnings Per Share [Abstract]

Schedule of weighted average basic and diluted common shares

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



	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2019	2018
Weighted average basic common shares	12,718	12,090
Effect of stock options	686	1,559
Effect of dilutive share awards	161	213
Effect of Convertible Senior Notes and warrants	621	986
Weighted average diluted common shares	14,186	14,848

STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

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):



	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2019		2018
Cost of revenue	$	153	$	58
Selling and marketing expense	1,749		1,501
General and administrative expense	10,221		8,739
Product development	1,930		811
Total non-cash compensation	$	14,053	$	11,109

Summary of changes in outstanding stock options

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



	Number of Options with Performance Conditions		Weighted Average Exercise Price		Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term	Aggregate Intrinsic Value^(a)
			(per option)		(in years)	(in thousands)
Options outstanding at January 1, 2019	37,877		$	308.90
Granted	—		—
Exercised	—		—
Forfeited	—		—
Expired	(11,876	)	308.90
Options outstanding at March 31, 2019	26,001		308.90		8.70	$	1,109
Options exercisable at March 31, 2019	—		$	—	0.00	$	—

(a)

A summary of 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)
Options outstanding at January 1, 2019	940,533		$	65.12
Granted ^(b)	35,392		310.93
Exercised	(58,265	)	30.13
Forfeited	(17,520	)	337.78
Expired	—		—
Options outstanding at March 31, 2019	900,140		71.74		4.97	$	252,048
Options exercisable at March 31, 2019	724,395		$	32.71	4.05	$	231,035

(a)


(b)	During the three months ended March 31, 2019, the Company granted stock options to certain employees with a weighted average grant date fair value per share of $161.64, calculated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model, which vesting periods include (a) three years from the grant date and (b) four years from the grant date

Schedule of stock option valuation assumptions



Expected term ⁽¹⁾	6.00 - 6.25 years
Expected dividend ⁽²⁾	—
Expected volatility ⁽³⁾	51 - 52%
Risk-free interest rate ⁽⁴⁾	2.52% - 2.55%


(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 in 2019, 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.



Expected term ⁽¹⁾	7.00 years
Expected dividend ⁽²⁾	—
Expected volatility ⁽³⁾	51%
Risk-free interest rate ⁽⁴⁾	2.54%


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


(2)	For all stock options with a market condition granted in 2019, 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 stock options with market conditions

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)
Options outstanding at January 1, 2019	447,193	$	200.51
Granted^(b)	16,247	308.96
Exercised	—	—
Forfeited	—	—
Expired	—	—
Options outstanding at March 31, 2019	463,440	204.31		8.42	$	68,602
Options exercisable at March 31, 2019	—	$	—	0	$	—

(a)


(b)	During the three months ended March 31, 2019, the Company granted stock options with a grant date fair value per share of $230.81, calculated using the Monte Carlo simulation model, which has

Schedule of changes in outstanding non-vested RSUs and restricted stock

A summary of changes in outstanding nonvested restricted stock units ("RSUs") is as follows:



	RSUs
	Number of Units		Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
			(per unit)
Nonvested at January 1, 2019	201,568		$	225.48
Granted	47,007		305.25
Vested	(45,810	)	189.14
Forfeited	(14,093	)	290.95
Nonvested at March 31, 2019	188,672		$	249.29

Schedule of changes in outstanding nonvested RSUs and restricted stock with performance and market conditions

A summary of 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 January 1, 2019	92,481		$	182.28
Granted	—		—
Vested	—		—
Forfeited	(2,265	)	308.90
Nonvested at March 31, 2019	90,216		$	179.10

A summary of changes in outstanding nonvested RSAs with market conditions is as follows:



	RSAs with Market Conditions
	Number of Awards	Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
		(per unit)
Nonvested at January 1, 2019	26,674	$	340.25
Granted	—	—
Vested	—	—
Forfeited	—	—
Nonvested at March 31, 2019	26,674	$	340.25

A summary of changes in outstanding nonvested restricted stock awards ("RSAs") with performance conditions is as follows:



	RSAs with Performance Conditions
	Number of Awards		Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
			(per unit)
Nonvested at January 1, 2019	71,412		$	340.25
Granted	—		—
Vested	(5,951	)	340.25
Forfeited	—		—
Nonvested at March 31, 2019	65,461		$	340.25

INCOME TAXES (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Schedule of income tax (expense) benefit



	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2019			2018
	(in thousands, except percentages)
Income tax benefit	$	7,752		$	23,461
Effective tax rate	107.6		%	(189.3		)%

Reconciliation of income tax (expense) benefit



	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2019		2018
	(in thousands)
Income tax benefit (expense) - excluding excess tax benefit on stock compensation	$	1,749	$	(3,742	)
Excess tax benefit on stock compensation	6,003		27,203
Income tax benefit	$	7,752	$	23,461

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

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 first quarters of 2019 and 2018 are as follows (in thousands):



	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2019			2018
Contingent consideration, beginning of period	$	38,837		$	57,349
Transfers into Level 3	—			—
Transfers out of Level 3	—			—
Total net losses (gains) included in earnings (realized and unrealized)	14,592			(741		)
Purchases, sales and settlements:
Additions	—			—
Payments	(4,000		)	(23,500		)
Contingent consideration, end of period	$	49,429		$	33,108

SEGMENT INFORMATION (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Schedule of mortgage and non-mortgage product revenue

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



	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2019		2018
Mortgage products	$	45,984	$	73,462
Non-mortgage products	216,406		107,573
Total revenue	$	262,390	$	181,035

DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS

Schedule of revenue and net income (loss) 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):



	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2019			2018
Revenue	$	—		$	—

Loss before income taxes	$	(1,344	)	$	(5,485	)
Income tax benefit	282			1,152
Net loss	$	(1,062	)	$	(4,333	)

Schedule of the number of loans sold and the original issue balance

The following table represents the aggregate loans sold, subsequent settlements and remaining unsettled loans.



	Number of Loans		Original Issue Balance
	(in thousands)		(in billions)
Loans sold by HLC	234		$	38.9
Subsequent settlements	(172	)	(28.8		)
Remaining unsettled balance as of March 31, 2019	62		$	10.1

Lending Tree Loans

DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS

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):



	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2019		2018
Loan loss reserve, beginning of period	$	7,554	$	7,554
Provisions	—		—
Charge-offs to reserves	—		—
Loan loss reserve, end of period	$	7,554	$	7,554

SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2019	Jan. 01, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Assets	$ 992,505		$ 896,115
Liabilities	$ 640,317		$ 549,907
Accounting Standards Update 2016-02
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Assets		$ 8,800
Liabilities		$ 8,800

REVENUE (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
REVENUE (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2018
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	$ 262,390	$ 181,035
Contract asset	5,400		$ 4,800
Contract liability	600		$ 400
Revenue recognized from prior period	300
Estimated variable consideration, increase in revenue	900
Mortgage products
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	45,984	73,462
Credit Cards
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	54,506	46,132
Personal Loans
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	32,531	25,965
Insurance
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	67,092	13
Other Products And Services
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	62,277	35,463
Non-mortgage products
Disaggregation of Revenue [Line Items]
Revenue	$ 216,406	$ 107,573

CASH AND RESTRICTED CASH (Details - Balance Sheet) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Cash and Cash Equivalents [Abstract]
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 64,565	$ 105,102
Restricted cash and cash equivalents	38	56
Cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents at beginning of period	$ 64,603	$ 105,158	$ 350,554	$ 372,641

GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS (Details - Balance Sheet) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Jan. 10, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Oct. 31, 2018
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Goodwill	$ 903,040		$ 831,435
Accumulated impairment losses	(483,088)		(483,088)
Net goodwill	419,952		348,347
Intangible Assets, Net (Including Goodwill) [Abstract]
Intangible assets with indefinite lives	10,142		10,142
Intangible assets with definite lives, net	213,730		195,557
Total intangible assets, net	223,872		$ 205,699
QuoteWizard
Goodwill [Line Items]
Increase to goodwill due to acquisitions	183
Impairment losses during period related to goodwill	0
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Net goodwill	183,046			$ 183,000
ValuePenguin
Goodwill [Line Items]
Increase to goodwill due to acquisitions	71,422
Impairment losses during period related to goodwill	0
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Net goodwill	$ 71,422	$ 71,400

GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS (Details - Definite Lived Intangibles) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Intangible assets with definite lives
Cost	$ 266,098	$ 234,498
Accumulated Amortization	(52,368)	(38,941)
Total intangible assets with definite lives, net	213,730	195,557
Technology
Intangible assets with definite lives
Cost	116,600	112,400
Accumulated Amortization	(28,033)	(21,022)
Total intangible assets with definite lives, net	88,567	91,378
Customer lists
Intangible assets with definite lives
Cost	80,200	80,200
Accumulated Amortization	(9,773)	(7,746)
Total intangible assets with definite lives, net	70,427	72,454
Trademarks and tradenames
Intangible assets with definite lives
Cost	18,042	16,742
Accumulated Amortization	(4,593)	(3,730)
Total intangible assets with definite lives, net	13,449	13,012
Website content
Intangible assets with definite lives
Cost	51,000	24,900
Accumulated Amortization	(9,717)	(6,192)
Total intangible assets with definite lives, net	41,283	18,708
Other
Intangible assets with definite lives
Cost	256	256
Accumulated Amortization	(252)	(251)
Total intangible assets with definite lives, net	$ 4	$ 5

GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS (Details - 5yr Definite Lived Intangibles Amortization) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Amortization of intangible assets with definite lives computed on a straight-line basis
Remainder of current year	$ 41,844
2020	53,179
2021	42,839
2022	25,356
2023	8,702
Thereafter	41,810
Total intangible assets with definite lives, net	$ 213,730	$ 195,557

ASSETS HELD FOR SALE ASSETS HELD FOR SALE - Schedule for assets held for sale (Details) $ in Thousands	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2016 building	Mar. 31, 2019 USD ($) segment	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($) segment	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)
Long Lived Assets Held-for-sale [Line Items]
Sale price subject to prorations and adjustments		$ 24,500
Assets held for sale		21,337	$ 21,328
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		(52,368)	$ (38,941)
Assets Held-For-Sale, Not Part Of Disposal Group, Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Net		$ 493
Number of reportable segments \| segment		1	1
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)
Two Office Buildings In Charlotte, NC [Member]
Long Lived Assets Held-for-sale [Line Items]
Number Of Office Buildings Acquired \| building	2
Fixed assets				$ 23,500
Acquisition Costs, Period Cost				$ 100

BUSINESS ACQUISITION (Details - Acquisitions)						3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
BUSINESS ACQUISITION (Details - Acquisitions)	Jan. 10, 2019 USD ($)	Oct. 31, 2018 USD ($) payment	Jun. 11, 2018 USD ($) payment	Sep. 19, 2017 USD ($) payment	Jun. 14, 2017 USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2019 USD ($) segment	Mar. 31, 2018 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($) segment
Consideration Transferred
Goodwill						$ 419,952,000		$ 348,347,000
Fair Value of Intangible Assets
Net proceeds from revolving credit facility						60,000,000	$ 0
Current contingent consideration						30,710,000		11,080,000
Non-current contingent consideration						18,719,000		$ 27,757,000
Severance expense						$ 54,000	0
Number of reportable segments \| segment						1		1
Acquisition related costs						$ 500,000
Change in fair value of contingent consideration						14,592,000	(741,000)
ValuePenguin
Consideration Transferred
Net working capital						2,820,000
Intangible assets						31,600,000
Goodwill	$ 71,400,000					71,422,000
Fixed assets						68,000
Total preliminary purchase price	106,200,000					106,232,000
Fair Value of Intangible Assets
Preliminary Fair Value	$ 31,600,000
Weighted Average Amortization Life	3 years 1 month
Initial cash consideration to acquire business	$ 106,100,000
Estimated increase to working capital	100,000
Acquisition related costs						100,000
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Other Noncurrent Assets						322,000
QuoteWizard
Consideration Transferred
Net working capital						8,383,000
Intangible assets						120,400,000
Goodwill		$ 183,000,000				183,046,000
Fixed assets						1,509,000
Total preliminary purchase price		313,400,000				313,355,000
Fair Value of Intangible Assets
Preliminary Fair Value		$ 120,400,000
Weighted Average Amortization Life		7 years 11 months
Initial cash consideration to acquire business		$ 299,900,000
Business Combination, Consideration Transferred, Cash On Hand		174,900,000
Contingent consideration		13,900,000				35,100,000
Current contingent consideration						21,500,000
Non-current contingent consideration						13,600,000
Estimated increase to working capital		$ 400,000
Number of payments \| payment		3
Change in fair value of contingent consideration						14,400,000
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Other Noncurrent Assets						17,000
Ovation
Consideration Transferred
Net working capital						323,000
Intangible assets						8,900,000
Goodwill						11,260,000
Net deferred tax liabilities						(2,688,000)
Fixed assets						76,000
Total preliminary purchase price			$ 17,871,000
Fair Value of Intangible Assets
Preliminary Fair Value			$ 8,900,000
Weighted Average Amortization Life			5 years 5 months
Initial cash consideration to acquire business			$ 12,200,000
Contingent consideration			5,800,000			6,800,000
Current contingent consideration						4,100,000
Non-current contingent consideration						2,700,000
Estimated increase to working capital			$ 100,000
Number of payments \| payment			2
Change in fair value of contingent consideration						600,000
DepositAccounts
Fair Value of Intangible Assets
Initial cash consideration to acquire business					$ 24,000,000
Contingent consideration						2,200,000
Contingent consideration range, maximum					$ 9,000,000
Change in fair value of contingent consideration						800,000	900,000
SnapCap
Fair Value of Intangible Assets
Initial cash consideration to acquire business				$ 11,900,000		0	10,000
Contingent consideration						5,300,000
Current contingent consideration						2,900,000
Non-current contingent consideration						2,400,000
Number of payments \| payment				3
Change in fair value of contingent consideration						$ 1,600,000	$ 2,100,000
Technology \| ValuePenguin
Fair Value of Intangible Assets
Preliminary Fair Value	$ 4,200,000
Weighted Average Amortization Life	3 years
Technology \| QuoteWizard
Fair Value of Intangible Assets
Preliminary Fair Value		$ 68,900,000
Weighted Average Amortization Life		4 years
Technology \| Ovation
Fair Value of Intangible Assets
Preliminary Fair Value			$ 6,000,000
Weighted Average Amortization Life			7 years
Customer lists \| QuoteWizard
Fair Value of Intangible Assets
Preliminary Fair Value		$ 42,700,000
Weighted Average Amortization Life		14 years 8 months
Customer lists \| Ovation
Fair Value of Intangible Assets
Preliminary Fair Value			$ 1,900,000
Weighted Average Amortization Life			1 year
Website content \| ValuePenguin
Fair Value of Intangible Assets
Preliminary Fair Value	$ 26,100,000
Weighted Average Amortization Life	3 years
Website content \| QuoteWizard
Fair Value of Intangible Assets
Preliminary Fair Value		$ 1,000,000
Weighted Average Amortization Life		3 years
Trademarks and tradenames \| ValuePenguin
Fair Value of Intangible Assets
Preliminary Fair Value	$ 1,300,000
Weighted Average Amortization Life	5 years
Trademarks and tradenames \| QuoteWizard
Fair Value of Intangible Assets
Preliminary Fair Value		$ 7,800,000
Weighted Average Amortization Life		5 years
Trademarks and tradenames \| Ovation
Fair Value of Intangible Assets
Preliminary Fair Value			$ 1,000,000
Weighted Average Amortization Life			4 years
Contingent earnout \| QuoteWizard
Fair Value of Intangible Assets
Contingent consideration range, minimum		$ 0
Contingent consideration range, maximum		23,400,000
Contingent earnout \| Ovation
Fair Value of Intangible Assets
Contingent consideration range, minimum			$ 0
Contingent consideration range, maximum			$ 4,375,000
Contingent earnout \| SnapCap
Fair Value of Intangible Assets
Contingent consideration range, minimum				$ 0
Contingent consideration range, maximum				$ 3,000,000
Revolving Credit Facility \| ValuePenguin
Fair Value of Intangible Assets
Net proceeds from revolving credit facility	$ 90,000,000
Revolving Credit Facility \| QuoteWizard
Fair Value of Intangible Assets
Net proceeds from revolving credit facility		$ 125,000,000

BUSINESS ACQUISITION BUSINESS ACQUISITION (Details - Changes in Contingent Consideration)			3 Months Ended
	Sep. 19, 2017 USD ($) payment	Jun. 14, 2017 USD ($) payment	Jun. 30, 2019 USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2019 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2018 USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2018 USD ($)
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Contingent consideration payments				$ 3,000,000			$ 23,500,000
Current contingent consideration				30,710,000	$ 11,080,000
Non-current contingent consideration				18,719,000	27,757,000
Change in fair value of contingent consideration				14,592,000			(741,000)
DepositAccounts
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Initial cash consideration to acquire business		$ 24,000,000
Contingent consideration range, maximum		9,000,000
Contingent consideration				2,200,000
Contingent consideration payment						$ 1,000,000
Contingent consideration payments				1,000,000	$ 1,000,000
Change in fair value of contingent consideration				800,000			900,000
Value of potential contingent consideration payments based on specified increases in federal funds interest rates		1,000,000
One-time contingent consideration performance payment		$ 2,000,000
Number Of Contingent Consideration Payments \| payment		7
SnapCap
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Initial cash consideration to acquire business	$ 11,900,000			0			10,000
Number of payments \| payment	3
Contingent consideration				5,300,000
Contingent consideration payments				3,000,000
Current contingent consideration				2,900,000
Non-current contingent consideration				2,400,000
Change in fair value of contingent consideration				$ 1,600,000			$ 2,100,000
Contingent earnout \| SnapCap
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Contingent consideration range, minimum	$ 0
Contingent consideration range, maximum	$ 3,000,000
Subsequent Event \| DepositAccounts
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Contingent consideration payments			$ 2,000,000

BUSINESS ACQUISITION BUSINESS ACQUISITION (Details - Pro forma Financial Results) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Business Acquisition, Pro Forma Information, Nonrecurring Adjustment [Line Items]
Pro forma revenue	$ 262,905	$ 229,884
Pro forma net income from continuing operations	241	35,616
After tax contingent consideration tax	10,600	900
Acquisition related costs	500
Revenue of acquirees since acquisition date	5,400
Earnings of acquiree since acquisition date	$ 1,900
QuoteWizard
Business Acquisition, Pro Forma Information, Nonrecurring Adjustment [Line Items]
Pro forma revenue		218,757
Pro forma net income from continuing operations		$ 35,600

ACCRUED EXPENSES AND OTHER CURRENT LIABILITIES (Details - Balance Sheet) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Payables and Accruals [Abstract]
Contribution to LendingTree Foundation	$ 3,333	$ 3,333
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities
Accrued advertising expense	59,224	60,268
Accrued compensation and benefits	12,831	6,381
Accrued professional fees	1,290	2,549
Customer deposits and escrows	6,797	6,913
Current lease liabilities	4,695	0
Other	17,837	13,746
Total accrued expenses and other current liabilities	$ 106,007	$ 93,190

LEASES - Narrative (Details) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
LEASES - Narrative (Details) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2019 USD ($) renewal_options
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Number of renewal options \| renewal_options	1
Rental income	$ 200
Operating lease right-of-use asset	11,200
Present value of lease liabilities	$ 13,030
Minimum
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Renewal term	3 years
Maximum
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Renewal term	5 years

LEASES - Summary of Lease Expense and Weighted Average (Details) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019 USD ($)
Leases [Abstract]
Operating lease cost	$ 1,263
Short-term lease cost	39
Total lease cost	$ 1,302
Weighted average remaining lease term	3 years 6 months 10 days
Weighted average discount rate	5.10%

LEASES - Lessee Operating Leases Supplemental Cash Flow Information (Details) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019 USD ($)
Leases [Abstract]
Operating cash flows from operating leases	$ 1,292
Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for new operating lease liabilities	$ 3,534

LEASES - Operating Lease Maturity (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Operating Lease Maturity, ASC 842
Remainder of current year	$ 3,971
Year ending December 31, 2020	4,248
Year ending December 31, 2021	2,298
Year ending December 31, 2022	1,913
Year ending December 31, 2023	1,552
Thereafter	343
Total lease payments	14,325
Less: Interest	1,295
Present value of lease liabilities	$ 13,030
Operating Lease Maturity, ASC 840
Year ending December 31, 2019		$ 4,406
Year ending December 31, 2020		3,188
Year ending December 31, 2021		1,094
Year ending December 31, 2022		736
Year ending December 31, 2023		228
Total		$ 9,652

LEASES - Operating Lease Maturity, Receivable (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Operating Lease Maturity, Receivable ASC 842
Remainder of current year	$ 531
Year ending December 31, 2020	726
Year ending December 31, 2021	324
Year ending December 31, 2022	116
Year ending December 31, 2023	113
Thereafter	74
Total	$ 1,884
Operating Leases, Future Minimum Payments Receivable [Abstract]
Year ending December 31, 2019		$ 657
Year ending December 31, 2020		673
Year ending December 31, 2021		269
Year ending December 31, 2022		59
Year ending December 31, 2023		56
Thereafter		65
Total		$ 1,779

SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY (Details) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended
SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY (Details) - USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018	Feb. 20, 2019	Feb. 21, 2018	May 31, 2017	Feb. 25, 2016	Jan. 14, 2016	May 07, 2014	Jan. 11, 2010
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Annual interest rate on convertible senior notes					0.625%
Calculation of weighted average common shares
Weighted average common shares, basic	12,718,000	12,090,000
Effect of dilutive securities
Effect of stock options (in shares)	686,000	1,559,000
Effect of dilutive share awards (in shares)	161,000	213,000
Effect of Convertible Senior Notes (in shares)	621,000	986,000
Weighted average common shares, diluted	14,186,000	14,848,000
Common stock repurchases
Value of common stock authorized to be repurchased			$ 150,000,000	$ 100,000,000		$ 40,000,000	$ 50,000,000	$ 10,000,000	$ 10,000,000.0
Purchase of treasury stock (in shares)	17,501	30,416
Treasury Stock, Value, Acquired, Cost Method	$ 3,976,000	$ 11,000,000
Remaining authorized repurchase amount	$ 181,200,000
Employee stock options
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share, Amount	400,000	300,000

STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION (Details - P&L Impact) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Non-cash compensation expense related to equity awards
Total non-cash compensation	$ 14,053	$ 11,109
Cost of revenue
Non-cash compensation expense related to equity awards
Total non-cash compensation	153	58
Selling and marketing expense
Non-cash compensation expense related to equity awards
Total non-cash compensation	1,749	1,501
General and administrative expense
Non-cash compensation expense related to equity awards
Total non-cash compensation	10,221	8,739
Product development
Non-cash compensation expense related to equity awards
Total non-cash compensation	$ 1,930	$ 811

STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION (Details - Stock Options Rollforward) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	May 24, 2017
Stock options, Grant Date Fair Value Valuation
Share price	$ 351.56		$ 156.70
Grant date fair value	$ 161.64
Aggregate stock options
Stock options, Shares
Outstanding at the beginning of the period (in shares)	940,533
Granted (in shares)	35,392
Exercised (in shares)	(58,265)
Forfeited (in shares)	(17,520)
Expired (in shares)	0
Outstanding at the end of the period (in shares)	900,140	940,533
Options exercisable at the end of the period (in shares)	724,395
Stock options, Weighted Average Exercise Price
Outstanding at the beginning of the period (in dollars per share)	$ 65.12
Granted (in dollars per share)	310.93
Exercised (in dollars per share)	30.13
Forfeited (in dollars per share)	337.78
Expired (in dollars per share)	0.00
Outstanding at the end of the period (in dollars per share)	71.74	$ 65.12
Options exercisable at the end of the period (in dollars per share)	$ 32.71
Stock options, Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term
Outstanding at the end of the period	4 years 11 months 20 days
Options exercisable at the end of the period	4 years 20 days
Stock options, Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Outstanding at the end of the period	$ 252,048,000
Options exercisable at the end of the period	$ 231,035,000
Stock options, Grant Date Fair Value Valuation
Expected dividend rate	0.00%
Expected volatility, minimum	51.00%
Expected volatility, maximum	52.00%
Risk-free interest rate, minimum	2.52%
Risk-free interest rate, maximum	2.55%
Expected dividends	$ 0
Performance options
Stock options, Shares
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)	(11,876)
Outstanding at the end of the period (in shares)	26,001	37,877
Options exercisable at the end of the period (in shares)	0
Stock options, 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)	308.90
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
Stock options, Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term
Outstanding at the end of the period	8 years 8 months 12 days
Options exercisable at the end of the period	0 years
Stock options, Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Outstanding at the end of the period	$ 1,109,000
Options exercisable at the end of the period	$ 0
Market options
Stock options, Shares
Outstanding at the beginning of the period (in shares)	447,193
Granted (in shares)	16,247
Exercised (in shares)	0
Forfeited (in shares)	0
Expired (in shares)	0
Outstanding at the end of the period (in shares)	463,440	447,193
Options exercisable at the end of the period (in shares)	0
Stock options, Weighted Average Exercise Price
Outstanding at the beginning of the period (in dollars per share)	$ 200.51
Granted (in dollars per share)	308.96
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)	204.31	$ 200.51
Options exercisable at the end of the period (in dollars per share)	$ 0.00
Stock options, Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term
Outstanding at the end of the period	8 years 5 months
Options exercisable at the end of the period	0 years
Stock options, Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Outstanding at the end of the period	$ 68,602,000
Options exercisable at the end of the period	$ 0
Stock options, Grant Date Fair Value Valuation
Grant date fair value	$ 230.81
Expected term	P7Y
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Fair Value Assumptions, Expected Volatility Rate	51.00%
Expected dividend rate	0.00%
Risk-free interest rate	2.54%
Expected dividends	$ 0
Performance Awards Earned	312,008
Minimum \| Aggregate stock options
Stock options, Grant Date Fair Value Valuation
Expected term	P6Y
Minimum \| Employee stock options
Stock options, Grant Date Fair Value Valuation
Grant date fair value
Maximum \| Aggregate stock options
Stock options, Grant Date Fair Value Valuation
Expected term	P6Y3M
Maximum \| Employee stock options
Stock options, Grant Date Fair Value Valuation
Grant date fair value
33% over a period of three years from the grant date \| Employee stock options
Stock options, Grant Date Fair Value Valuation
Vesting period	3 years
25% over a period of four years from the grant date \| Employee stock options
Stock options, Grant Date Fair Value Valuation
Vesting period		4 years

STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION (Details - RSA & RSU Rollforwards)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019 $ / shares shares
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs)
Nonvested RSUs, Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units with Performance Conditions, Number of Shares
Nonvested at the beginning of the period (in shares)	201,568
Granted (in shares)	47,007
Vested (in shares)	(45,810)
Forfeited (in shares)	(14,093)
Nonvested at the end of the period (in shares)	188,672
Nonvested RSUs, Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units with Performance Conditions, Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Nonvested at the beginning of the period (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	$ 225.48
Granted (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	305.25
Vested (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	189.14
Forfeited (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	290.95
Nonvested at the end of the period (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	$ 249.29
Restricted Stock Units with performance conditions
Nonvested RSUs, Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units with Performance Conditions, Number of Shares
Nonvested at the beginning of the period (in shares)	92,481
Granted (in shares)	0
Vested (in shares)	0
Forfeited (in shares)	(2,265)
Nonvested at the end of the period (in shares)	90,216
Nonvested RSUs, Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units with Performance Conditions, Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Nonvested at the beginning of the period (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	$ 182.28
Granted (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	0.00
Vested (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	0.00
Forfeited (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	308.90
Nonvested at the end of the period (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	$ 179.10
Restricted Stock with performance conditions
Nonvested RSUs, Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units with Performance Conditions, Number of Shares
Nonvested at the beginning of the period (in shares)	71,412
Granted (in shares)	0
Vested (in shares)	(5,951)
Forfeited (in shares)	0
Nonvested at the end of the period (in shares)	65,461
Nonvested RSUs, Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units with Performance Conditions, Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Nonvested at the beginning of the period (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	$ 340.25
Granted (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	0.00
Vested (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	340.25
Forfeited (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	0.00
Nonvested at the end of the period (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	$ 340.25
Restricted Stock with market conditions
STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
Performance Awards Earned	19,175
Nonvested RSUs, Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units with Performance Conditions, Number of Shares
Nonvested at the beginning of the period (in shares)	26,674
Granted (in shares)	0
Vested (in shares)	0
Forfeited (in shares)	0
Nonvested at the end of the period (in shares)	26,674
Nonvested RSUs, Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units with Performance Conditions, Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Nonvested at the beginning of the period (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	$ 340.25
Granted (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	0.00
Vested (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	0.00
Forfeited (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	0.00
Nonvested at the end of the period (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	$ 340.25

INCOME TAXES (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
INCOME TAXES (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income tax benefit	$ 7,752	$ 23,461
Effective tax rates (as a percent)	107.60%	(189.30%)
Federal statutory income tax rate (as a percentage)	21.00%
Income tax expense - excluding excess tax benefit on stock compensation	$ (1,749)	$ 3,742
Excess tax benefits on stock compensation	$ 6,003	$ 27,203

DEBT (Details - Convertible Senior Notes) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands		3 Months Ended
	May 31, 2017 USD ($) day $ / shares Rate shares	Mar. 31, 2019 USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2018 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Aggregate principal amount of convertible senior notes	$ 300,000	$ 300,000		$ 300,000
Annual interest rate on convertible senior notes \| Rate	0.625%
Initial conversion rate, shares per $1,000 principal amount of notes \| shares	4.8163
Principal amount of notes convertible into shares	1000
Initial conversion price per share \| $ / shares	$ 207.63
Conversion rate, sales price of common stock as a percentage of the conversion price \| Rate	130.00%
Threshold trading days \| day	5
Threshold consecutive trading days \| day	5
Conversion rate, sales price of common stock as a percentage of the conversion price, five business days \| Rate	98.00%
Cash repurchase at a price equal to the principal amount of the notes, Percentage \| Rate	100.00%
Nonconvertible debt borrowing rate at the date of issuance \| Rate	5.36%
Debt component of the principal amount of the Convertible Senior Notes	$ 238,400
Equity component of the principal amount of the Convertible Senior Notes	61,600
Financing costs related to the issuance of the Convertible Senior Notes	9,300
Debt issuance costs, liability component	7,400	4,898		5,252
Debt issuance costs, equity component	$ 1,900
Total interest expense on the Convertible Senior Notes		3,800	$ 3,600
Interest expense recognized associated with the 0.625% coupon rate		500	500
Amortization of convertible debt discount		2,951	2,799
Amortization of debt issuance costs		483	434
Long-term debt		254,248		250,943
Fair value of the Convertible Senior Notes using a Level 1 observable input		523,500
Unamortized debt discount		40,854		$ 43,805
Convertible Notes Payable [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Amortization of debt issuance costs		$ 300	$ 300

DEBT (Details - Convertible Note Hedge and Warrant Transactions) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Millions, $ in Millions	May 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2019	May 24, 2017
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Net proceeds from the Convertible Notes used to pay for the cost of the Convertible Note Hedge	$ 18.1
Payment of convertible note hedge transactions	$ 61.5
Number of shares covered by the hedge transactions	1.4
Initial conversion price per share	$ 207.63
Strike price of warrants sold	$ 266.39
Premium of warrant strike price over sales price of common stock	70.00%
Share price		$ 351.56	$ 156.70
Proceeds from the sale of warrants	$ 43.4

DEBT (Details - Revolving Credit Facility) - USD ($)		3 Months Ended
DEBT (Details - Revolving Credit Facility) - USD ($)	Nov. 21, 2017	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2018	Oct. 26, 2018
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Long-term Debt, Current Maturities		$ 185,000,000		$ 125,000,000
Long-term Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate, at Point in Time		3.99%		4.02%
Ratio of Debt to EBITDA Step-Down	4.0
Ratio of Debt to EBITDA Increase	0.5
Interest Expense, Debt		$ 3,800,000	$ 3,600,000
Debt Instrument, Unused Borrowing Capacity, Fee		100,000	200,000
Amortization of debt issuance costs		483,000	434,000
Revolving Credit Facility
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Current borrowing capacity	$ 250,000,000.0				$ 350,000,000
Revolving Credit Facility, term	5 years
Revolving Credit Facility, conditional increase to borrowing capacity	$ 100,000,000.0
Increase in borrowing capacity					$ 100,000,000.0
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%
Fees and expense paid to lenders at closing	$ 500,000
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%
Swingline Facility [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Current borrowing capacity	$ 10,000,000.0
Letters of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Current borrowing capacity	$ 10,000,000.0
Federal Funds Effective Swap Rate [Member] \| Revolving Credit Facility
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
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Revolving Credit Facility, basis spread on variable rate	1.00%
Minimum \| Revolving Credit Facility
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 \| London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) [Member] \| Revolving Credit Facility
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Revolving Credit Facility, basis spread on variable rate	1.25%
Minimum \| Base Rate [Member] \| Revolving Credit Facility
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Revolving Credit Facility, basis spread on variable rate	0.25%
Maximum
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 \| Revolving Credit Facility
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 \| London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) [Member] \| Revolving Credit Facility
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Revolving Credit Facility, basis spread on variable rate	2.00%
Maximum \| Base Rate [Member] \| Revolving Credit Facility
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Revolving Credit Facility, basis spread on variable rate	1.00%
Revolving Credit Facility, Borrowings At Base Rate Plus LIBOR [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Interest Expense, Debt		1,900,000
Revolving Credit Facility
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Interest Expense, Debt		2,100,000
Amortization of debt issuance costs		100,000	$ 100,000
Revolving Credit Facility, 31 Day Borrowing \| Revolving Credit Facility
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Long-term Debt, Current Maturities		105,000,000
Revolving Credit Facility, 32 Day Borrowing \| Revolving Credit Facility
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Long-term Debt, Current Maturities		$ 80,000,000

CONTINGENCIES (Details) $ in Millions		1 Months Ended			3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
CONTINGENCIES (Details) $ in Millions	Mar. 18, 2019 USD ($)	Oct. 31, 2018 USD ($)	Feb. 29, 2016 defendant	Dec. 31, 2013 claim network_lender	Mar. 31, 2019 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($) loan
Contingencies
Accrued litigation liability					$ 0.1	$ 0.2
Damages sought				61.0
Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc. Demand Letter
Contingencies
Damages sought						40.2
Loss Contingencies, Number of Loans Sold with Losses \| loan						370
Pending litigation or appeal \| Residential Funding Company
Contingencies
Accrued litigation liability					7.0
Number of loan originators \| network_lender				80
Number of asserted claims \| claim				2
Pending litigation or appeal \| Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc. Demand Letter
Contingencies
Accrued litigation liability					1.0
Number of defendants \| defendant			149
Judicial Ruling [Member] \| Residential Funding Co. v Home Loan Center [Member]
Contingencies
Litigation Settlement, Amount Awarded to Other Party		$ 28.7
Minimum \| Residential Funding Co. v Home Loan Center [Member]
Contingencies
Range of possible loss, minimum					0.0
Maximum \| Residential Funding Co. v Home Loan Center [Member]
Contingencies
Range of possible loss, minimum					74.8
Discontinued Operations, Disposed of by Sale
Contingencies
Accrued litigation liability					8.0	$ 8.0
Attorney Fees [Member] \| Judicial Ruling [Member] \| Residential Funding Co. v Home Loan Center [Member]
Contingencies
Damages sought		$ 28.7
Attorney Fees [Member] \| Settled Litigation \| Residential Funding Co. v Home Loan Center [Member]
Contingencies
Litigation settlement interest	$ 15.2
Pre-Verdict Interest \| Settled Litigation \| Residential Funding Co. v Home Loan Center [Member]
Contingencies
Litigation settlement interest	$ 14.1
Pre-Judgment Interest [Member] \| Settled Litigation \| Residential Funding Co. v Home Loan Center [Member]
Contingencies
Litigation settlement interest					$ 3.3	$ 1.4

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS (Details) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended
FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS (Details) - USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018	Oct. 31, 2018	Jun. 11, 2018	Sep. 19, 2017	Jun. 14, 2017	May 31, 2017
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Line Items]
Annual interest rate on convertible senior notes							0.625%
Fair Value, Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation, Calculation [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance	$ 38,837,000	$ 57,349,000
Change in fair value of contingent consideration	14,592,000	(741,000)
Contingent consideration additions	0	0
Contingent consideration payments	(4,000,000)	(23,500,000)
Ending balance	$ 49,429,000	$ 33,108,000
Minimum
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Line Items]
Contingent consideration			$ 0	$ 0	$ 0	$ 2,000,000.0
Maximum
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Line Items]
Contingent consideration			$ 70,200,000	$ 8,750,000	$ 6,000,000	$ 3,000,000

SEGMENT INFORMATION (Details) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
SEGMENT INFORMATION (Details) $ in Thousands	Mar. 31, 2019 USD ($) segment	Mar. 31, 2018 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2018 segment
Segment Information
Number of reportable segments \| segment	1		1
Revenue	$ 262,390	$ 181,035
Mortgage products
Segment Information
Revenue	45,984	73,462
Non-mortgage products
Segment Information
Revenue	$ 216,406	$ 107,573

DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS (Details-Disposal Groups) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2018	Jun. 06, 2012
DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 64,565		$ 105,102
Revenue and net income (loss) of discontinued operations
Revenue	0	$ 0
Loss before income taxes	(1,344)	(5,485)
Income tax benefit	282	1,152
Loss from discontinued operations	(1,062)	$ (4,333)
Assets and liabilities of facilities reported as discontinued operations
Non-current assets of discontinued operations	3,266		3,266
Current liabilities	$ (16,361)		$ (17,609)
Lending Tree Loans \| Discover
DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS
Asset purchase agreement proceeds from sale				$ 55,900

DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS (Details - Loan Loss Obligations) loan in Thousands, $ in Thousands			3 Months Ended				9 Months Ended	82 Months Ended
	Oct. 15, 2015 USD ($)	Jun. 07, 2012	Mar. 31, 2019 USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2018 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2014 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2012 investor	Sep. 30, 2014 investor	Mar. 31, 2019 USD ($) loan	Mar. 31, 2019 USD ($) loan	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)	Jun. 06, 2012 USD ($) loan
Loan Loss Obligations
Restricted cash and cash equivalents									$ 38	$ 56
Cash and cash equivalents									$ 64,565	105,102
Original number of loans sold by HLC \| loan											234
Original principal balance of loans sold by HLC											$ 38,900,000
Subsequent settlements of loans sold by HLC, number \| loan								(172)
Subsequent settlement of loans sold by HLC, original issue balance								$ (28,800,000)
Remaining number of unsettled loans \| loan									62
Remaining unsettled loans, original issue balance									$ 10,100,000
Lending Tree Loans \| Discontinued operations
Loan Loss Obligations
Number of investors to whom loans are guaranteed \| investor							2
Loan loss obligations \| Lending Tree Loans
Loan Loss Obligations
Settlement value of indemnification claim and other miscellaneous items	$ 600				$ 5,400
Loan loss obligations \| Lending Tree Loans \| Discontinued operations
Loan Loss Obligations
Number of buyers of Previously purchased limited documentation loans with settlements \| investor						2
Loan loss reserve, at carrying value			$ 7,554	$ 7,554				7,554	7,554	$ 7,554
Activity related to loss reserves on previously sold loans
Loan loss reserve, beginning of period			7,554	7,554
Provisions			0	0
Charge-offs to reserves			0	0
Loan loss reserve, end of period			$ 7,554	$ 7,554				$ 7,554
Investor One [Member] \| Loan loss obligations \| Lending Tree Loans
Loan Loss Obligations
Number of loans sold to one investor		10.00%
Percentage of the original loan issue balance		12.00%
Investor Two [Member] \| Loan loss obligations \| Lending Tree Loans
Loan Loss Obligations
Number of loans sold to one investor		40.00%
Minimum \| Loan loss obligations \| Lending Tree Loans \| Discontinued operations
Loan Loss Obligations
Estimated range of remaining possible losses due to loan losses									4,300
Maximum \| Loan loss obligations \| Lending Tree Loans \| Discontinued operations
Loan Loss Obligations
Estimated range of remaining possible losses due to loan losses									$ 7,900