Document and Entity Information - shares	9 Months Ended
Document and Entity Information - shares	Sep. 30, 2017	Oct. 23, 2017
Entity Information:
Entity Registrant Name	LendingTree, Inc.
Entity Central Index Key	0001434621
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2017
Amendment Flag	false
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		11,968,798
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2017
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Revenue	$ 171,494	$ 94,558	$ 456,782	$ 283,561
Costs and expenses:
Cost of revenue (exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below)	4,388	3,392	12,143	10,329
Selling and marketing expense	118,538	62,819	320,930	192,416
General and administrative expense	17,920	9,008	41,561	26,820
Product development	4,805	3,718	12,492	11,384
Depreciation	1,798	1,286	5,309	3,458
Amortization of intangibles	3,817	166	9,034	263
Change in fair value of contingent consideration	2,501	0	20,640	0
Severance	0	0	404	72
Litigation settlements and contingencies	272	19	961	109
Total costs and expenses	154,039	80,408	423,474	244,851
Operating income	17,455	14,150	33,308	38,710
Other income (expense):
Interest expense, net	(2,804)	(141)	(4,048)	(424)
Other (expense) income	(228)	0	(215)	0
Income before income taxes	14,423	14,009	29,045	38,286
Income tax expense	(4,292)	(6,729)	(3,109)	(15,099)
Net income from continuing operations	10,131	7,280	25,936	23,187
Loss from discontinued operations, net of tax	(1,011)	(664)	(2,632)	(3,017)
Net income and comprehensive income	$ 9,120	$ 6,616	$ 23,304	$ 20,170
Weighted average shares outstanding:
Basic	11,999	11,754	11,931	11,827
Diluted	13,774	12,742	13,625	12,782
Income per share from continuing operations:
Basic (in dollars per share)	$ 0.84	$ 0.62	$ 2.17	$ 1.96
Diluted (in dollars per share)	0.74	0.57	1.90	1.81
Loss per share from discontinued operations:
Basic (in dollars per share)	(0.08)	(0.06)	(0.22)	(0.26)
Diluted (in dollars per share)	(0.07)	(0.05)	(0.19)	(0.24)
Income per share attributable to common shareholders:
Basic (in dollars per share)	0.76	0.56	1.95	1.71
Diluted (in dollars per share)	$ 0.66	$ 0.52	$ 1.71	$ 1.58

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
ASSETS:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 345,239	$ 91,131
Restricted cash and cash equivalents	4,087	4,089
Accounts receivable (net of allowance of $1,260 and $1,059, respectively)	64,128	41,382
Prepaid and other current assets	9,690	4,021
Total current assets	423,144	140,623
Property and equipment (net of accumulated depreciation of $12,172 and $9,739, respectively)	35,345	35,462
Goodwill	113,558	56,457
Intangible assets, net	85,265	71,684
Deferred income tax assets	17,737	14,610
Other non-current assets	826	810
Non-current assets of discontinued operations	3,781	3,781
Total assets	679,656	323,427
LIABILITIES:
Accounts payable, trade	3,552	5,593
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities	68,744	49,403
Current contingent consideration	24,014	0
Current liabilities of discontinued operations	13,396	11,711
Total current liabilities	109,706	66,707
Long-term debt	235,120	0
Non-current contingent consideration	30,544	23,600
Other non-current liabilities	1,473	1,685
Total liabilities	376,843	91,992
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; 14,174,357 and 13,955,378 shares issued, respectively, and 11,968,459 and 11,791,633 shares outstanding, respectively	142	140
Additional paid-in capital	1,076,748	1,018,010
Accumulated deficit	(700,628)	(722,630)
Treasury stock; 2,205,898 and 2,163,745 shares, respectively	(74,086)	(64,085)
Noncontrolling interest	637	0
Total shareholders' equity	302,813	231,435
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity	$ 679,656	$ 323,427

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]
Accounts receivable, allowance (in dollars)	$ 1,260	$ 1,059
Accumulated depreciation of property and equipment	$ 12,172	$ 9,739
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	14,174,357	13,955,378
Common stock, outstanding shares	11,968,459	11,791,633
Treasury stock, shares	2,205,898	2,163,745

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY - 9 months ended Sep. 30, 2017 - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Total	Common Stock	Additional Paid-in Capital	Accumulated Deficit	Treasury Stock	Comprehensive Income (Loss)	Noncontrolling interest
Balance at Dec. 31, 2016	$ 231,435	$ 140	$ 1,018,010	$ (722,630)	$ (64,085)		$ 0
Balance (in shares) at Dec. 31, 2016		13,955,000			2,164,000
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity
Net income and comprehensive income	23,304			23,304		$ 23,304
Non-cash compensation	$ 13,068		13,068
Purchase of treasury stock (in shares)	42,153				42,000
Purchase of treasury stock	$ (10,001)				$ (10,001)
Issuance of common stock for stock options, restricted stock awards and restricted stock units, net of withholding taxes	1,064	$ 2	1,062
Issuance of common stock for stock options, restricted stock awards and restricted stock units, net of withholding taxes (in shares)		219,000
Cumulative effect adjustment due to ASU 2016-09	985		2,287	(1,302)
Issuance of 0.625% Convertible Senior Notes, net	60,411		60,411
Convertible note hedge	61,500		61,500
Sale of warrants	43,410		43,410
Noncontrolling interest	637						637
Balance at Sep. 30, 2017	$ 302,813	$ 142	$ 1,076,748	$ (700,628)	$ (74,086)		$ 637
Balance (in shares) at Sep. 30, 2017		14,174,000			2,206,000

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS - USD ($) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Cash flows from operating activities attributable to continuing operations:
Net income and comprehensive income	$ 23,304	$ 20,170
Less: Loss from discontinued operations, net of tax	2,632	3,017
Net income from continuing operations	25,936	23,187
Adjustments to reconcile income from continuing operations to net cash provided by operating activities attributable to continuing operations:
Loss on disposal of fixed assets	673	388
Amortization of intangibles	9,034	263
Depreciation	5,309	3,458
Rental amortization of intangibles and depreciation	1,011	0
Non-cash compensation expense	13,068	7,410
Deferred income taxes	(5,571)	333
Change in fair value of contingent consideration	20,640	0
Bad debt expense	401	378
Amortization of debt issuance costs	622	183
Amortization of convertible debt discount	3,635	0
Changes in current assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable	(22,271)	(8,565)
Prepaid and other current assets	(5,070)	(2,051)
Accounts payable, accrued expenses and other current liabilities	19,361	(5)
Income taxes payable	(1,399)	13,261
Other, net	296	(645)
Net cash provided by operating activities attributable to continuing operations	65,083	38,885
Cash flows from investing activities attributable to continuing operations:
Capital expenditures	(5,925)	(8,017)
Acquisition of SnapCap	(11,886)	0
Acquisition of DepositAccounts	(25,000)	0
Initial cash consideration to acquire business	(29,511)	0
Acquisition of a business	0	4,500
Decrease in restricted cash	2	2,450
Net cash used in investing activities attributable to continuing operations	(72,320)	(10,067)
Cash flows from financing activities attributable to continuing operations:
Proceeds from stock options exercised	1,065
Proceeds from exercise of stock options, net of payments related to net-share settlement of stock-based compensation		(3,093)
Proceeds from the issuance of 0.625% Convertible Senior Notes	300,000	0
Payment of convertible note hedge transactions	(61,500)	0
Proceeds from the sale of warrants	43,410	0
Proceeds from equity offering	0
Payment of equity offering costs		(23)
Payment of debt issuance costs	(9,264)	(8)
Purchase of treasury stock	(10,001)	(48,524)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities attributable to continuing operations	263,710	(51,648)
Total cash provided by (used in) continuing operations	256,473	(22,830)
Net cash used in operating activities attributable to discontinued operations	(2,365)	(7,220)
Total cash used in discontinued operations	(2,365)	(7,220)
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	254,108	(30,050)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	91,131	206,975
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	345,239	$ 176,925
MagnifyMoney
Cash flows from investing activities attributable to continuing operations:
Initial cash consideration to acquire business	$ (29,592)

ORGANIZATION (Note)	9 Months Ended
ORGANIZATION (Note)	Sep. 30, 2017
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 loan marketplace for consumers seeking loans and other credit-based offerings. The Company offers consumers tools and resources, including free credit scores, that facilitate comparison-shopping for mortgage loans, home equity loans, reverse mortgage loans, auto loans, credit cards, personal loans, deposit accounts, student loans, small business loans and other related offerings. The Company primarily seeks to match in-market consumers with multiple lenders on its marketplace who can provide them with competing quotes for the loans, deposits or credit-based offerings they are seeking. The Company also serves as a valued partner to lenders seeking an efficient, scalable and flexible source of customer acquisition with directly measurable benefits, by matching the consumer loan inquiries it generates with these lenders. 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 14 —Discontinued Operations for additional information. Basis of Presentation The accompanying unaudited interim consolidated financial statements as of September 30, 2017 and for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, 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 and nine months ended September 30, 2017 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the year ending December 31, 2017, or any other period. The accompanying consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2016 was derived from audited financial statements included in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 (the "2016 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 2016 Annual Report.

SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Note)	9 Months Ended
SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Note)	Sep. 30, 2017
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; 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 September 30, 2017, 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 lenders 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 lender marketplace. Lenders 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 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 from participating lenders without utilizing the Company's services, its ability to generate revenue may be limited. Because the Company does not have exclusive relationships with the lenders whose loan offerings are offered on its online marketplace, consumers may obtain offers and loans from these lenders without using its service. The Company maintains operations solely in the United States. Litigation Settlements and Contingencies Litigation settlements and contingencies consists of expenses related to actual or anticipated litigation settlements, in addition to legal fees incurred in connection with various patent litigation claims the Company pursues against others. Recent Accounting Pronouncements In May 2017, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2017-09 which clarifies when to account for a change to the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award as a modification. Under the new guidance, modification accounting is required only if the fair value, the vesting conditions or the classification of the award changes as a result of the change in terms or conditions. This ASU is effective prospectively for annual periods beginning on or after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted. 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 November 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-18 which is intended to reduce the diversity in the classification and presentation of changes in restricted cash in the statement of cash flows, by requiring entities to combine the changes in cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash in one line. As a result, entities will no longer present transfers between cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash in the statement of cash flows. In addition, if more than one line item is recorded on the balance sheet for cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash, a reconciliation between the statement of cash flows and balance sheet is required. This ASU is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted. The retrospective transition method, requiring adjustment to all comparative periods presented, is required. The Company is evaluating the impact this ASU will have on its consolidated financial statements and whether to early adopt. In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-15 which addresses eight cash flow classification issues, eliminating the diversity in practice. This ASU is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted. The retrospective transition method, requiring adjustment to all comparative periods presented, is required unless it is impracticable for some of the amendments, in which case those amendments would be prospectively applied as of the earliest date practicable. The Company is evaluating the impact this ASU will have on its consolidated financial statements and whether to early adopt. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09 which simplifies various aspects related to how share-based payments are accounted for and presented in the financial statements, including the income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, forfeitures and classification of excess tax benefits on the statement of cash flows. This ASU was effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, with early adoption permitted. Upon adoption, any adjustments are to be reflected as of the beginning of the fiscal year of adoption. The Company adopted this ASU during the first quarter of 2017. The new standard requires excess tax benefits and deficiencies, which arise due to the difference in the measure of stock compensation and the amount deductible for tax purposes, to be recorded in earnings in income tax expense. These excess tax benefits and deficiencies were generally previously recorded in additional paid-in capital and had no impact on net income. The standard required prospective adoption for this portion of the new guidance. During the third quarter and first nine months of 2017, the Company recognized $0.8 million and $8.4 million, respectively, of excess tax benefit in income tax expense in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income. Additionally, the new standard requires the excess tax benefits and deficiencies to be classified as an operating activity in the accompanying consolidated statements of cash flows. These excess tax benefits and deficiencies were previously recorded as a financing activity in the statement of cash flows. The standard allowed for either prospective or retrospective adoption for the change in presentation in the statement of cash flows. The Company elected to retrospectively adopt the classification change in the statement of cash flows. Accordingly, prior periods have been adjusted, which increased the cash provided by operating activities and decreased the cash provided by financing activities by $5.7 million in the first nine months of 2016 in the accompanying consolidated statements of cash flows. The standard also allows for an election by the Company to either estimate forfeitures, as required under previous guidance, or recognize forfeitures when they occur. The Company elected to recognize forfeitures of stock awards as they occur, with the modified retrospective transition method required. Accordingly, the Company recognized a $1.4 million cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of January 1, 2017. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02 related to leases. This ASU requires the recognition of a right-of-use lease asset and a lease liability by lessees for all leases greater than one year in duration. This ASU is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018, with early adoption permitted. The guidance must be adopted using a modified retrospective transition. The Company is evaluating the impact this ASU will have on its consolidated financial statements and whether to early adopt. In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09 related to revenue recognition. This ASU was initiated as a joint project between the FASB and the International Accounting Standards Board ("IASB") to clarify the principles for recognizing revenue and to develop a common revenue standard for GAAP and international financial reporting standards ("IFRS"). This guidance will supersede the existing revenue recognition requirements in Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") Topic 605, Revenue Recognition and was set to be effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016. However, in July 2015, the FASB deferred the effective date by one year, such that the standard will be effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. The ASU can be applied (i) retrospectively to each prior period presented or (ii) retrospectively with the cumulative effect of initially adopting the ASU recognized at the date of initial application. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-08, which clarifies the principal versus agent guidance under ASU 2014-09. In April 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-10, which clarifies the identification of distinct performance obligations in a contract. In May 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-12, which clarifies the guidance on assessing collectability, presenting sales taxes, measuring noncash consideration and certain other transition matters. The clarification ASUs must be adopted concurrently with the adoption of ASU 2014-09. The Company will adopt the ASUs as of January 1, 2018 and apply the modified retrospective transition approach. Under this approach revenue for 2016 and 2017 will be reported in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income on the historical basis and revenue for 2018 will be reported in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income applying the new ASUs. Additionally, the Company will disclose revenue for 2018 periods on the historical basis in the footnotes to the financial statements. Under the new ASUs, the timing of recognizing revenue for closing fees and approval fees will be accelerated to the point when a loan request or a credit card consumer is delivered to the customer as opposed to when the consumer loan is closed by the lender or credit card approval is made by the issuer. The Company does not expect the adoption of the ASUs to have a material effect on annual revenue or net income from continuing operations.

RESTRICTED CASH (Note)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

Cash and Cash Equivalents [Abstract]

RESTRICTED CASH

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



	September 30, 2017		December 31, 2016
Cash in escrow from sale of LendingTree Loans ^(a)	$	4,033	$	4,032
Other	54		57
Total restricted cash and cash equivalents	$	4,087	$	4,089


(a)	Home Loan Center, Inc. ("HLC"), a subsidiary of the Company, continues to be liable for certain indemnification obligations, repurchase obligations and premium repayment obligations following the sale of substantially all of the operating assets of its LendingTree Loans business in the second quarter of 2012.

GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS (Note)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]

GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS

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



	Goodwill		Accumulated Impairment Loss			Net Goodwill
Balance at December 31, 2016	$	539,545	$	(483,088	)	$	56,457
Acquisition of DepositAccounts	19,389		—			19,389
Acquisition of MagnifyMoney	23,784		—			23,784
Acquisition of SnapCap	13,928		—			13,928
Balance at September 30, 2017	$	596,646	$	(483,088	)	$	113,558

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



	September 30, 2017		December 31, 2016
Intangible assets with indefinite lives	$	10,142	$	10,142
Intangible assets with definite lives, net	75,123		61,542
Total intangible assets, net	$	85,265	$	71,684

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	$	37,500	$	(6,437	)	$	31,063
Customer lists	32,900		(2,506		)	30,394
Trademarks and tradenames	6,942		(1,674		)	5,268
Tenant leases	2,030		(785		)	1,245
Website content	7,800		(650		)	7,150
Other	250		(247		)	3
Balance at September 30, 2017	$	87,422	$	(12,299	)	$	75,123



	Cost		Accumulated Amortization			Net
Technology	$	28,300	$	(659	)	$	27,641
Customer lists	28,100		(639		)	27,461
Trademarks and tradenames	5,342		(937		)	4,405
Tenant leases	2,030		—			2,030
Other	250		(245		)	5
Balance at December 31, 2016	$	64,022	$	(2,480	)	$	61,542

Amortization of intangible assets with definite lives is computed on a straight-line basis and, based on balances as of September 30, 2017, future amortization is estimated to be as follows (in thousands):



	Amortization Expense
Remainder of current year	$	4,345
Year ending December 31, 2018	16,228
Year ending December 31, 2019	15,973
Year ending December 31, 2020	13,948
Year ending December 31, 2021	5,743
Thereafter	18,886
Total intangible assets with definite lives, net	$	75,123

- 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

BUSINESS ACQUISITION (Note)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

Business Combinations [Abstract]

BUSINESS ACQUISITION

CompareCards

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

As of September 30, 2017, the estimated fair value of the Earnout Payments totaled $43.1 million, $22.0 million of which is included in current contingent consideration and $21.1 million of which is included in non-current contingent consideration in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet. The estimated fair value of the Earnout Payments is determined using an option pricing model. The estimated value of the Earnout Payments 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 Earnout Payments from the current estimated fair value of the Earnout Payments will be recorded in operating income in the consolidated statements of operations. During the third quarter and first nine months of 2017, the Company recorded $1.9 million and $20.0 million, respectively, of contingent consideration expense in the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income due to the change in estimated fair value of the Earnout Payments.

The acquisition has been accounted for as a business combination. During the quarter ended March 31, 2017, the Company completed the determination of the final allocation of the purchase price with respect to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed as follows (in thousands):



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

Acquisition-related costs in the first nine months of 2017 of $0.1 million are included in general and administrative expense in the accompanying consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income.

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 Web, 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 (the “Contingent Consideration”). These additional payments, to the extent earned, will be payable in cash. The purchase price for the acquisition is $29.0 million, comprised of the upfront cash payment of $24.0 million and $5.0 million for the estimated fair value of the Contingent Consideration at the time of closing the acquisition.

In the third quarter of 2017, the Company made a payment of $1.0 million associated with a specified increase in the Federal Funds rate in June 2017. As of September 30, 2017, the estimated fair value of the Contingent Consideration totaled $4.6 million, of which $1.5 million is included in current contingent consideration and $3.1 million of which is included in non-current contingent consideration in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet. The estimated fair value of the portion of the Contingent Consideration payments based on increases in interest rates is determined using a scenario approach based on the interest rate forecasts of Federal Open Market Committee participants. The estimated fair value of the portion of the Contingent Consideration payments potentially earned based on net revenue is determined using an option pricing model. The estimated value of the Contingent Consideration is based upon available information and certain assumptions, known at the time of this report, which management believes are reasonable. Any differences in the actual Contingent Consideration payments will be recorded in operating income in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income. During the third quarter and first nine months of 2017, the Company recorded $0.6 million of contingent consideration expense in the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income due to the change in estimated fair value of the Contingent Consideration.

The acquisition has been accounted for as a business combination. During the quarter ended September 30, 2017, the Company completed the determination of the final allocation of purchase price to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed as follows (in thousands):



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

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



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

The Company recorded goodwill of $19.4 million, which represents the excess of the purchase price over the estimated fair value of the intangible assets acquired. The goodwill is primarily attributable to DepositAccounts as a going concern which represents the ability of the Company to earn a higher return on the collection of assets and business of DepositAccounts than if those assets were to be acquired and managed separately. The benefit of access to the workforce is an additional element of goodwill. The goodwill is recorded in the Company’s one reportable segment. For income tax purposes, the Company treated the acquisition as an asset purchase and the goodwill will be tax deductible.

As of the acquisition date, the Company’s consolidated results of operations include the results of the acquired DepositAccounts business. In the third quarter and first nine months of 2017, revenue of $1.9 million and $2.2 million, respectively, and net income from continuing operations of $0.4 million and $0.6 million, respectively, have been included in the Company’s consolidated results of operations. Acquisition-related costs were $0.1 million and $0.3 million, respectively, in the third quarter and first nine months of 2017 and are included in general and administrative expense on the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income.

MagnifyMoney

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

In addition, the Company issued two key employees of MagnifyMoney restricted stock unit awards for a total of 38,468 shares of Company common stock, and may issue a further restricted stock unit award for 19,234 shares to a third key employee of the foreign affiliate should he become employed by the Company following the Company’s exercise of the option to acquire the foreign affiliate. The total value of these restricted stock unit awards was $10.0 million on June 20, 2017. All of these restricted stock units will vest, if at all, on the basis of performance conditions following the acquisition.



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

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

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



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

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

The Company has determined that the foreign entity which provides technology and research support to MagnifyMoney under a services agreement is a variable interest entity which must be consolidated for financial reporting. The Company has recorded the assets, liabilities and non-controlling interest in this entity at their estimated fair value.

As of the acquisition date, the Company’s consolidated results of operations include the results of the acquired MagnifyMoney business. In the third quarter and first nine months of 2017, revenue of $1.2 million and $1.3 million, respectively, and net loss from continuing operations of $0.3 million and $0.3 million, respectively, have been included in the Company’s consolidated results of operations and comprehensive income. Acquisition-related costs were $0.4 million in the first nine months of 2017 and are included in general and administrative expense on the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income.

SnapCap

On September 19, 2017, the Company acquired certain assets of Snap Capital LLC, which does business under the name SnapCap (“SnapCap”). SnapCap, a tech-enabled online platform, connects business owners with lenders offering small business loans, lines of credit and merchant cash advance products through a concierge-based sales approach.

The Company paid $11.9 million of initial cash consideration and could make up to three additional contingent consideration payments, each ranging from zero to $3.0 million, based on certain defined operating results during the periods of October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018, October 1, 2018 through September 30, 2019 and October 1, 2019 through March 31, 2020. These additional payments, to the extent earned, will be payable in cash. The Company has estimated a preliminary purchase price of $18.2 million, comprised of the upfront cash payment of $11.9 million and $6.3 million for the estimated fair value of the contingent consideration, which is included in non-current contingent consideration in the accompanying 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 after the final determination of purchase price will be recorded in operating income (expense) in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income.

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 and other assets	$	42
Fixed assets	146
Intangible assets	4,100
Goodwill	13,928
Total preliminary purchase price	$	18,216



	Preliminary Fair Value		Weighted Average Amortization Life
Technology	$	400	3 years
Customer lists	3,100		10 years
Trade name and trademarks	600		5 years
Total intangible assets	$	4,100	8.6 years

As of September 30, 2017, 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 fourth quarter of 2017. 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 $13.9 million, which represents the excess of the purchase price over the estimated fair value of the intangible assets acquired. The goodwill is primarily attributable to SnapCap as a going concern which represents the ability of the Company to earn a higher return on the collection of assets and business of SnapCap than if those assets were to be acquired and managed separately. The benefit of access to the workforce is an additional element of goodwill. The goodwill is recorded in the Company’s one reportable segment. For income tax purposes, the Company treated the acquisition as an asset purchase and the goodwill will be tax deductible.

As of the acquisition date, the Company’s consolidated results of operations include the results of the acquired SnapCap business. In the third quarter of 2017, revenue of $0.2 million and net loss from continuing operations of $0.1 million have been included in the Company’s consolidated results of operations. Acquisition-related costs were $0.2 million in the third quarter of 2017 and are included in general and administrative expense on the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income.

Pro forma Financial Results

The unaudited pro forma financial results for the third quarter and first nine months of 2017 and 2016 combines the consolidated results of the Company and CompareCards, DepositAccounts, MagnifyMoney and SnapCap giving effect to the acquisitions as if the CompareCards acquisition had been completed on January 1, 2015 and as if the DepositAccounts, MagnifyMoney and SnapCap acquisitions had been completed on January 1, 2016. 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, 2015 or 2016, 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. The provision for income taxes from continuing operations has also been adjusted to reflect taxes on the historical results of operations of CompareCards, DepositAccounts and SnapCap. CompareCards, DepositAccounts and SnapCap did not pay taxes at the entity level as these entities were limited liability companies whose members elected for them to be taxed as a partnership.



	Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2017		2016		2017		2016
	(in thousands)
Pro forma revenue	$	172,400	$	118,219	$	465,624	$	347,442
Pro forma net income from continuing operations	$	10,043	$	8,776	$	26,072	$	23,556

The pro forma net income from continuing operations in the third quarter and first nine months of 2017 include the after tax contingent consideration expense associated with the CompareCards and DepositAccounts Earnouts of $1.5 million and $12.4 million, respectively. The pro forma net income from continuing operations for the first nine months of 2016 have been adjusted to include acquisition-related costs of $1.0 million incurred by the Company, DepositAccounts, MagnifyMoney and SnapCap that are directly attributable to the acquisitions, which will not have an on-going impact. Accordingly, the acquisition-related costs have been eliminated from the pro forma net income from continuing operations for the third quarter and first nine month of 2017.

SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY (Note)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

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 September 30,		Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2017	2016	2017	2016
Weighted average basic common shares	11,999	11,754	11,931	11,827
Effect of stock options	1,619	913	1,598	877
Effect of dilutive share awards	101	75	96	78
Effect of Convertible Senior Notes	55	—	—	—
Weighted average diluted common shares	13,774	12,742	13,625	12,782

For the three months ended September 30, 2017, the weighted average shares that were anti-dilutive, and therefore excluded from the calculation of diluted income per share, included options to purchase 0.3 million shares of common stock and 0.1 million restricted stock awards. For the nine months ended September 30, 2017, the weighted average shares that were anti-dilutive, and therefore excluded from the calculation of diluted income per share included options to purchase 0.1 million shares of common stock.

The 0.625% Convertible Senior Notes due June 1, 2022 and the warrants issued by the Company in the second quarter of 2017 could be converted into the Company’s common stock in the future, subject to certain contingencies. See Note 10 —Debt for additional information. Shares of the Company’s common stock associated with these instruments were excluded from the calculation of diluted income per share during the first nine months of 2017 as they are anti-dilutive since the conversion price of the Convertible Senior Notes and the strike price of the warrants were greater than the average market price of the Company’s common stock. Shares of the Company's common stock associated with the warrants were excluded from the calculation of diluted income per share during the three months ended September 30, 2017 as they were anti-dilutive since the strike price of the warrants was greater than the average market price of the Company's common stock.

Common Stock Repurchases

In each of January 2010, May 2014, January 2016 and February 2016, the board of directors authorized and the Company announced the repurchase of up to $10.0 million, $10.0 million, $50.0 million and $40.0 million, respectively, of LendingTree's common stock. During the nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, the Company purchased 42,153 and 690,218 shares, respectively, of its common stock pursuant to this stock repurchase program. At September 30, 2017, approximately $38.7 million of the previous authorizations to repurchase common stock remain available for the Company to purchase its common stock.

STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION (Note)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

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 September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2017		2016		2017		2016
Cost of revenue	$	41	$	29	$	129	$	99
Selling and marketing expense	1,366		737		2,543		2,118
General and administrative expense	5,864		1,072		8,684		3,511
Product development	667		510		1,712		1,682
Total non-cash compensation	$	7,938	$	2,348	$	13,068	$	7,410

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, 2017	1,991,802		$	21.23
Granted ^(b)	51,089		187.82
Exercised	(179,165	)	31.75
Forfeited	(20,001	)	71.04
Expired	—		—
Options outstanding at September 30, 2017	1,843,725		24.28		4.58	$	405,934
Options exercisable at September 30, 2017	1,072,151		$	11.82	2.71	$	249,411

(a)

The aggregate intrinsic value represents the total pre-tax intrinsic value (the difference between the Company's closing stock price of $244.45 on the last trading day of the quarter ended September 30, 2017 and the exercise price, multiplied by the number of shares covered by in-the-money options) that would have been received by the option holders had all option holders exercised their options on September 30, 2017. The intrinsic value changes based on the market value of the Company's common stock.


(b)	During the nine months ended September 30, 2017, the Company granted stock options to certain employees and members of the board of directors with a weighted average grant date fair value per share of $93.26, calculated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model, which vesting periods include (a) three years from the grant date, (b) two years from the grant date and (c) immediately upon grant.

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⁾	5.00 - 6.00 years
Expected dividend ⁽²⁾	—
Expected volatility ⁽³⁾	51% - 52%
Risk-free interest rate ⁽⁴⁾	1.74% - 2.17%


(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 2017, no dividends are expected to be paid over the contractual term of the stock options, resulting in a zero expected dividend rate.


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


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

Restricted Stock Units and Restricted Stock

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



	RSUs
	Number of Units		Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
			(per unit)
Nonvested at January 1, 2017	152,374		$	65.64
Granted	83,113		138.07
Vested	(72,112	)	54.79
Forfeited	(14,078	)	82.37
Nonvested at September 30, 2017	149,297		$	109.64



	Restricted Stock
	Number of Shares		Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
			(per share)
Nonvested at January 1, 2017	14,464		$	25.14
Granted	—		—
Vested	(14,464	)	25.14
Forfeited	—		—
Nonvested at September 30, 2017	—		$	—

Restricted Stock Units with Performance Conditions

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



	RSUs with Performance Conditions
	Number of Units		Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
			(per unit)
Nonvested at January 1, 2017	44,509		$	88.28
Granted	53,306		164.07
Vested	(1,931	)	96.46
Forfeited	—		—
Nonvested at September 30, 2017	95,884		$	130.25

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Grants

As disclosed in the Company's report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ending June 30, 2017, on July 25, 2017, the Company’s Compensation Committee of its Board of Directors approved new compensation arrangements for its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. The new compensation arrangements include the issuance of performance based equity compensation grants with a modeled total grant date value of $87.5 million of which 25% (119,015 shares) would be in the form of time-vested restricted stock awards with a performance condition and 75% (a maximum of 769,376 shares) would be in the form of performance-based nonqualified stock options.

Stock Options with Market Conditions

The performance-based nonqualified stock options have a target number of shares that vest upon achieving targeted total shareholder return performance of 110% stock price appreciation and a maximum number of shares for achieving superior performance up to 167% of the target number of shares. No shares will vest unless 70% of the targeted performance is achieved. Time-based service vesting conditions would also have to be satisfied in order for performance-vested shares to become fully vested and no longer subject to forfeiture. In connection with the new compensation arrangements, on July 26, 2017, an initial grant of performance-based nonqualified stock options with a target number of shares of 402,694 and a maximum number of shares of 672,499 were issued with an exercise price of $183.80, the closing stock price on July 26, 2017. The fair value of the performance-based stock options will be recognized on a straight-line basis through the vest date of September 30, 2022, whether or not any of the total shareholder return targets are met. In the three months ended September 30, 2017, the Company recorded $2.0 million in stock-based compensation expense in the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income.

The Company's Fifth Amended and Restated 2008 Stock and Annual Incentive Plan (the "2008 Plan") imposes a per employee upper annual grant limit of 672,500 shares. As a result, the remaining 58,010 target performance-based nonqualified stock options (and potential performance-based restricted stock awards) will be awarded on or about January 2, 2018. The form of the awards will consist of a performance-based nonqualified stock option award with a per share exercise price of $183.80 or the closing price of the Company's common stock on such future grant date (“2018 Performance Option”) if the closing price on such future grant date is greater than $183.80; and, if the closing share price of the Company's common stock on January 2, 2018 is greater than the closing share price on July 26, 2017, a second performance-based restricted stock award will be granted, substituting for an equal number of the performance-based options, to compensate for the increase in the exercise price of the performance-based option granted on July 26, 2017. The number of performance-based options and performance-based restricted stock shares will not be determined until January 2, 2018. As of September 30, 2017, the Company estimated the fair value of the remaining 58,010 target shares using a Monte Carlo simulation model and the Company's common stock price on September 30, 2017 to record mark-to-market expense associated with the commitment to issue the shares. In the three months ended September 30, 2017, the Company recorded $0.4 million in stock-based compensation expense based on the current estimated fair value on a straight-line basis.

As of September 30, 2017, the performance conditions associated with the performance-based nonqualified stock options and the potential performance-based restricted stock shares had not been met.

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, 2017	—	$	—
Granted (b)	402,694	183.80
Exercised	—	—
Forfeited	—	—
Expired	—	—
Options outstanding at September 30, 2017	402,694	183.80		9.82	$	24,423
Options exercisable at September 30, 2017	—	$	—	0	$	—

(a)


(b)	During the nine months ended September 30, 2017, the Company granted stock options to an employee with a weighted average grant date fair value per share of $142.45, calculated using the Monte Carlo simulation model, which have a vesting date of September 30, 2022.

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



Expected term ⁽¹⁾	7.50 years
Expected dividend ⁽²⁾	—
Expected volatility ⁽³⁾	50%
Risk-free interest rate ⁽⁴⁾	2.12%


(1)	The expected term of stock options with a market condition 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 with market conditions due to a lack of historical exercise behavior by the Company's employees.


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


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


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

Time Vested Restricted Stock Awards with Performance Conditions

On January 2, 2018, 119,015 restricted stock awards with time-vesting and a performance condition will be granted. The terms of these awards were fixed in the approved new compensation agreements in July 2017. In the three months ended September 30, 2017, the Company recorded $1.3 million in stock-based compensation to reflect the commitment to issue the shares in the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income. The performance condition is tied to the Company's operating results during the first six months of 2018. As of September 30, 2017, the performance condition associated with the awards had not been met.

INCOME TAXES (Note)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

INCOME TAXES



	Three Months Ended September 30,						Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2017			2016			2017			2016
	(in thousands, except percentages)
Income tax expense	$	(4,292	)	$	(6,729	)	$	(3,109	)	$	(15,099	)
Effective tax rate	29.8		%	48.0		%	10.7		%	39.4		%

For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, the effective tax rate varied from the federal statutory rate of 35% primarily due to a tax benefit of $0.8 million and $8.4 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. See Note 2 —Significant Accounting Policies —Recent Accounting Pronouncements for additional information.

For the third quarter of 2016, the effective tax rate varied from the federal statutory rate of 35% primarily due to state taxes, including the impact of a reduction in the North Carolina state income tax rates which reduced the value of the Company's deferred tax assets.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2016, the effective tax rate varied from the federal statutory rate of 35% primarily due to the benefit derived from the federal research tax credit, partially offset by state taxes. The federal research tax credit benefit was the result of a study completed during the second quarter of 2016 for the open tax years 2011 through 2015, plus an estimate of the benefit from 2016 research activities.



	Three Months Ended September 30,						Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2017			2016			2017			2016
	(in thousands)
Income tax expense - excluding excess tax benefit on stock compensation	$	(5,103	)	$	(6,729	)	$	(11,523	)	$	(15,099	)
Excess tax benefit on stock compensation	811			—			8,414			—
Income tax expense	$	(4,292	)	$	(6,729	)	$	(3,109	)	$	(15,099	)

DEBT

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

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 issuance included $35.0 million aggregate principal amount of Notes under a 30-day purchase option, solely to cover over-allotments, which was exercised in full. 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 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.

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.

In the first nine months of 2017, the Company recorded interest expense on the Notes of $4.7 million which consisted of $0.6 million associated with the 0.625% coupon rate, $3.6 million associated with the accretion of the debt discount, and $0.4 million associated with the amortization of the debt issuance costs. The debt discount will be amortized over the term of the debt.

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.

As of September 30, 2017, the fair value of the Notes is estimated to be approximately $398.7 million using the Level 1 observable input of the last quoted market price on September 29, 2017.

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):



	September 30, 2017		December 31, 2016
Gross carrying amount	$	300,000	$	—
Unamortized debt discount	57,953		—
Debt issuance costs	6,927		—
Net carrying amount	$	235,120	$	—

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 October 22, 2015, the Company's wholly-owned subsidiary, LendingTree, LLC, entered into a $125.0 million five-year senior secured revolving credit facility which matures on October 22, 2020 (the “Revolving Credit Facility”). The proceeds of the Revolving Credit Facility can be used to finance the working capital needs, capital expenditures and general corporate purposes, including to finance permitted acquisitions. As of September 30, 2017, the Company does not have any borrowings outstanding under the Revolving Credit Facility.

Up to $10.0 million of the Revolving Credit Facility will be available for short-term loans, referred to as swingline loans. Additionally, up to $10.0 million of the Revolving Credit Facility will be available for the issuance of letters of credit. 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 up to an aggregate amount of $50.0 million.

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 1.0% to 2.0% based on the funded debt to consolidated 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 2.0% to 3.0% based on the funded debt to consolidated 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 certain restrictive financial covenants, which include a funded debt to consolidated EBITDA ratio and a consolidated EBITDA to interest expense ratio. 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 September 30, 2017.

During the second quarter of 2017, the Company entered into the Second Amendment to Credit Agreement (the “Second Amendment”). Among other things, the Second Amendment modified the original credit agreement to allow for the Notes and the Hedge and Warrant transactions, discussed above. The Second Amendment also increased the restrictive financial covenant for funded debt to consolidated EBITDA ratio. In addition, the Second Amendment also allows the Company to enter into a potential real estate term loan of an aggregate principal amount of no more than (a) $20.0 million which shall be used to finance all or a portion of the purchase price of certain real estate purchased in December 2016 and located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and (b) $25.0 million which shall be used to finance post-acquisition improvements to such real estate, related equipment, and related hedging obligations. As of October 26, 2017, the Company has not entered into the real estate term loan.

The Revolving Credit Facility requires LendingTree, LLC to pledge as collateral, subject to certain customary exclusions, 100% of its assets, including 100% of its equity in all of its subsidiaries. The obligations under this facility are unconditionally guaranteed on a senior basis by LendingTree, Inc. and specific subsidiaries of LendingTree, LLC, which guaranties are secured by a pledge as collateral, subject to certain customary exclusions, of 100% of each of such guarantor's assets, including 100% of its equity in all of its subsidiaries.

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 0.5% per annum based on a funded debt to consolidated 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 2.0% to 3.0% based on the funded debt to consolidated EBITDA ratio. The letter of credit fronting fee is 0.125% per annum on the face amount of each letter of credit.

The Company incurred debt issuance costs of $1.3 million for the Revolving Credit Facility, which is included in prepaid and other current assets and other non-current assets in the Company's consolidated balance sheet and is being amortized to interest expense over the life of the Revolving Credit Facility of five years.

CONTINGENCIES (Note)	9 Months Ended
CONTINGENCIES (Note)	Sep. 30, 2017
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 11, 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 September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, the Company had a litigation settlement accrual of $0.6 million and $0.7 million, respectively, in continuing operations and $4.0 million and $4.0 million, respectively, in discontinued operations. The litigation settlement accrual relates 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 Intellectual Property Litigation Zillow LendingTree v. Zillow, Inc., et al. Civil Action No. 3:10-cv-439. On September 8, 2010, the Company filed an action for patent infringement in the US District Court for the Western District of North Carolina against Zillow, Inc., NexTag, Inc., Quinstreet, Inc., Quinstreet Media, Inc. and Adchemy, Inc. The complaint was amended to include Leadpoint, Inc. d/b/a Securerights on September 24, 2010. The complaint alleged that each of the defendants infringed one or both of the Company's patents-U.S. Patent No. 6,385,594, entitled "Method and Computer Network for Co-Ordinating a Loan over the Internet," and U.S. Patent No. 6,611,816, entitled "Method and Computer Network for Co-Ordinating a Loan over the Internet." The defendants in this action asserted various defenses and counterclaims against the Company, including the assertion by certain of the defendants of counterclaims alleging illegal monopolization via the Company's maintenance of the asserted patents. Defendant NexTag asserted defenses of laches and equitable estoppel. In July 2011, the Company reached a settlement agreement with Leadpoint, Inc., pursuant to which all claims against Leadpoint, Inc. and all counterclaims against the Company by Leadpoint, Inc. were dismissed. In November 2012, the Company reached a settlement agreement with Quinstreet, Inc. and Quinstreet Media, Inc. (collectively, the "Quinstreet Parties"), pursuant to which all claims against the Quinstreet Parties and all counterclaims against the Company by the Quinstreet Parties were dismissed. After an unsuccessful attempt to reach settlement through mediation with the remaining parties, this matter went to trial beginning in February 2014, and on March 12, 2014, the jury returned a verdict. The jury found that the defendants Zillow, Inc., Adchemy, Inc. and NexTag, Inc. did not infringe the two patents referenced above and determined that those patents are invalid due to an inventorship defect, and the court found that NexTag was entitled to defense of laches and equitable estoppel. The jury found in the Company's favor on the defendants' counterclaims alleging inequitable conduct and antitrust violations. Judgment was entered on March 31, 2014. After the court entered judgment, on May 27, 2014, the Company reached a settlement agreement with defendant Adchemy, Inc., including an agreement to dismiss and withdraw all claims, counterclaims, and motions between the Company and Adchemy, Inc. As a result, a joint and voluntary dismissal was filed June 12, 2014 with respect to claims between the Company and Adchemy. The parties filed various post-trial motions; in particular, defendants collectively sought up to $9.7 million in fees and costs. On October 9, 2014, the court denied the Company's post-trial motion for judgment as a matter of law and denied Zillow's post-trial motions for sanctions and attorneys' fees. The court also denied in part and granted in part NexTag's post-trial motion for attorneys' fees, awarding NexTag a portion of its attorney's fees and costs totaling $2.3 million, plus interest. In November 2014, the Company filed a notice of appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit with respect to the jury verdict concerning Zillow, Inc. and NexTag, Inc. and the award of attorneys' fees. In March 2015, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit granted the Company's motion to stay appellate briefing pending an en banc review by such court of the laches defense in an unrelated patent infringement matter and ruled in favor of Zillow, Inc. on an immaterial amount of costs related to the trial process. In June 2015, the Company reached a settlement agreement for $1.1 million with defendant NexTag pursuant to which the Company dismissed its appeal of the jury verdict and the award of attorney's fees concerning NexTag, and NexTag dismissed its cross-appeal and claims relating to the jury verdict and the award of attorneys' fees. In July 2015, the stay was lifted on the Company's appeal with respect to the jury verdict concerning Zillow, Inc. The appeal was heard by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in June 2016, and in July 2016 the Court determined that certain of the claims of the two patents referenced above were directed to ineligible subject matter and thus such claims were invalid under 35 U.S.C. Section 101. With respect to the remaining claims that the Court did not hold were ineligible, the Court granted a remand to the federal district court to allow LendingTree to file a motion to vacate the judgment of invalidity for incorrect inventorship. In June 2017, the Federal District Court vacated the invalidity judgment arising from the March 2014 jury verdict. As a result, certain claims of the Company's two issued patents remain valid. The case is now closed and the Company expects no further significant events regarding this litigation. Legal Matters Next Advisor Continued, Inc. Next Advisor Continued, Inc. v. LendingTree, Inc. and LendingTree, LLC, No. 15-cvs-20775 (N.C. Super. Ct.). On November 6, 2015, the plaintiff filed this action against LendingTree, Inc. and LendingTree, LLC (together "LendingTree"). The plaintiff generally alleged that LendingTree breached a non-disclosure agreement and misappropriated trade secrets in the context of a potential business acquisition of the plaintiff by LendingTree. Based upon these allegations, the plaintiff asserted claims for breach of contract, misappropriation of trade secrets and violation of North Carolina Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act. The plaintiff requested money damages, attorneys' fees and injunctive relief. On December 16, 2015, LendingTree filed its answer to the plaintiff's complaint, denying the material allegations and asserting numerous defenses thereto. In June 2016, the Court granted the plaintiff's motion for preliminary injunction and temporarily ordered, pending trial, that LendingTree cease any utilization of confidential and trade secret information of the plaintiff and cease marketing credit card products via certain third party content marketing platforms. However, LendingTree continued to believe that the plaintiff's allegations lacked merit and to vigorously defend the case. In July 2016, LendingTree filed a notice of interlocutory appeal to the North Carolina Supreme Court with respect to the preliminary injunction, but the interlocutory appeal was dismissed in December 2016. In February 2017, LendingTree filed a motion for partial summary judgment. In June 2017, the court granted LendingTree's motion for partial summary judgment, restricting the duration of any injunction and ruling that the plaintiff is not entitled to recover compensatory damages on any of its claims. On September 14, 2017, LendingTree and the plaintiff finalized a settlement agreement pursuant to which (i) LendingTree defrayed a portion of plaintiff’s litigation costs, and (ii) the parties agreed that the injunction would be of no further effect as of January 3, 2018. The Court’s order approving the settlement was a final judgment and this matter is otherwise now closed. Massachusetts Division of Banks On February 11, 2011, the Massachusetts Division of Banks (the "Division") delivered a Report of Examination/Inspection to LendingTree, LLC, which identified various alleged violations of Massachusetts and federal laws, including the alleged insufficient delivery by LendingTree, LLC of various disclosures to its customers. On October 14, 2011, the Division provided a proposed Consent Agreement and Order to settle the Division's allegations, which the Division had shared with other state mortgage lending regulators. Thirty-four of such state mortgage lending regulators (the "Joining Regulators") indicated that if LendingTree, LLC would enter into the Consent Agreement and Order, they would agree not to pursue any analogous allegations that they otherwise might assert. None of the Joining Regulators have asserted any such allegations. The proposed Consent Agreement and Order calls for a fine to be allocated among the Division and the Joining Regulators and for LendingTree, LLC to adopt various new procedures and practices. The Company has commenced negotiations toward an acceptable Consent Agreement and Order. It does not believe its mortgage marketplace business violated any federal or state mortgage lending laws; nor does it believe that any past operations of the mortgage business have resulted in a material violation of any such laws. Should the Division or any Joining Regulator bring any actions relating to the matters alleged in the February 2011 Report of Examination/Inspection, the Company intends to defend against such actions vigorously. The range of possible loss is estimated to be between $0.5 million and $6.5 million, and an estimated liability of $0.5 million has been established for this matter in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet as of September 30, 2017. 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 Home Loan Center, 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 (Count One); and (2) contractual indemnification for alleged liabilities, losses, and damages incurred by RFC arising out of purported defects in loans that RFC purchased from HSBC and sold to third parties (Count Two). 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.” HLC filed a Motion to Dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure or, in the alternative, a Motion for More Definite Statement under Rule 12(e). On June 25, 2015 the judge denied HLC's motion. On July 9, 2015, HLC filed its answer to RFC’s complaint, denying the material allegations of the complaint and asserting numerous defenses thereto. Discovery is ongoing in this matter. Plaintiff is seeking damages of $61.0 million in this action; HLC intends to vigorously defend this action. An estimated liability of $3.0 million for this matter is included in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet as of September 30, 2017. 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 Home Loan Center and approximately 149 other defendants (the "Complaint"). The Complaint generally seeks (1) a declaratory judgment that the settlements entered into by LBHI with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as part of LBHI's bankruptcy proceedings gave rise to LBHI's contractual indemnification claims against defendants alleged in the Complaint; (2) indemnification from HLC and the other defendants for losses allegedly incurred by LBHI in respect of defective mortgage loans sold by defendants to LBHI or its affiliates; and (3) interest, attorneys' fees and costs incurred by LBHI in the litigation. On March 31, 2017, HLC filed an omnibus motion to dismiss with other defendants. HLC intends to defend this action vigorously. HLC had previously received a demand letter (the "Letter") from LBHI in December 2014 with respect to 64 loans (the “Loans”) that LBHI alleges were sold by HLC to Lehman Brothers Bank, FSB (“LBB”) between 2004 and 2008 pursuant to a loan purchase agreement (the “LPA”) between HLC and LBB. The Letter generally sought indemnification from HLC in accordance with the LPA for certain claims that LBHI alleged it allowed in its bankruptcy with respect to the Loans. An estimated liability of $1.0 million for this matter is included in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet as of September 30, 2017.

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS (Note)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

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 September 30, 2017. See Note 10—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 nine months ended September 30, 2017 are as follows (in thousands):



	Contingent Consideration
Balance at December 31, 2016	$	23,100
Transfers into Level 3	—
Transfers out of Level 3	—
Total net (gains) losses included in earnings (realized and unrealized)	20,640
Purchases, sales and settlements:
Additions	11,318
Payments	(1,000		)
Balance at September 30, 2017	$	54,058

The contingent consideration liability at September 30, 2017 is the estimated fair value of the earnout payments of the CompareCards, DepositAccounts and SnapCap acquisitions. The Company will make earnout payments ranging from zero to $45.0 million based on the achievement of certain defined earnings targets for CompareCards, payments ranging from zero to $9.0 million based on the achievement of defined milestone and performance targets for DepositAccounts, and payments ranging from zero to $9.0 million based on the achievement of certain defined earnings targets for SnapCap. See Note 5—Business Acquisition 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 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)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

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 September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2017		2016		2017		2016
Mortgage products	$	73,756	$	53,523	$	208,209	$	164,571
Non-mortgage products	97,738		41,035		248,573		118,990
Total revenue	$	171,494	$	94,558	$	456,782	$	283,561

DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS (Note)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

Discontinued Operations and Disposal Groups [Abstract]

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 September 30,						Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2017			2016			2017			2016
Revenue	$	—		$	1,834		$	(750	)	$	1,835

Loss before income taxes	$	(1,555	)	$	(1,021	)	$	(4,049	)	$	(4,640	)
Income tax benefit	544			357			1,417			1,623
Net loss	$	(1,011	)	$	(664	)	$	(2,632	)	$	(3,017	)

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 paid, as of September 30, 2017, $4.0 million is being held in escrow in accordance with the agreement with Discover for certain loan loss obligations that remain with the Company following the sale. The escrowed amount is recorded as restricted cash as of September 30, 2017.

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. In the case of early loan payoffs and early defaults on certain loans, LendingTree Loans may be required to repay all or a portion of the premium initially paid by the investor.

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 September 30, 2017	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, 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 September 30, 2017. The reserve balance recorded as of September 30, 2017 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 September 30,					Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2017		2016			2017		2016
Loan loss reserve, beginning of period	$	7,554	$	8,127		$	6,804	$	8,127
Provisions	—		(1,834		)	750		(1,834		)
Charge-offs to reserves	—		—			—		—
Loan loss reserve, end of period	$	7,554	$	6,293		$	7,554	$	6,293

The liability for losses on previously sold loans is presented as current liabilities of discontinued operations in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet as of September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016.

SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)	9 Months Ended
SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)	Sep. 30, 2017
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; 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 September 30, 2017, 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 lenders 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 lender marketplace. Lenders 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 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 from participating lenders without utilizing the Company's services, its ability to generate revenue may be limited. Because the Company does not have exclusive relationships with the lenders whose loan offerings are offered on its online marketplace, consumers may obtain offers and loans from these lenders without using its service. The Company maintains operations solely in 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, in addition to legal fees incurred in connection with various patent litigation claims the Company pursues against others.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements	Recent Accounting Pronouncements In May 2017, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2017-09 which clarifies when to account for a change to the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award as a modification. Under the new guidance, modification accounting is required only if the fair value, the vesting conditions or the classification of the award changes as a result of the change in terms or conditions. This ASU is effective prospectively for annual periods beginning on or after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted. 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 November 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-18 which is intended to reduce the diversity in the classification and presentation of changes in restricted cash in the statement of cash flows, by requiring entities to combine the changes in cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash in one line. As a result, entities will no longer present transfers between cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash in the statement of cash flows. In addition, if more than one line item is recorded on the balance sheet for cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash, a reconciliation between the statement of cash flows and balance sheet is required. This ASU is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted. The retrospective transition method, requiring adjustment to all comparative periods presented, is required. The Company is evaluating the impact this ASU will have on its consolidated financial statements and whether to early adopt. In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-15 which addresses eight cash flow classification issues, eliminating the diversity in practice. This ASU is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted. The retrospective transition method, requiring adjustment to all comparative periods presented, is required unless it is impracticable for some of the amendments, in which case those amendments would be prospectively applied as of the earliest date practicable. The Company is evaluating the impact this ASU will have on its consolidated financial statements and whether to early adopt. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09 which simplifies various aspects related to how share-based payments are accounted for and presented in the financial statements, including the income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, forfeitures and classification of excess tax benefits on the statement of cash flows. This ASU was effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, with early adoption permitted. Upon adoption, any adjustments are to be reflected as of the beginning of the fiscal year of adoption. The Company adopted this ASU during the first quarter of 2017. The new standard requires excess tax benefits and deficiencies, which arise due to the difference in the measure of stock compensation and the amount deductible for tax purposes, to be recorded in earnings in income tax expense. These excess tax benefits and deficiencies were generally previously recorded in additional paid-in capital and had no impact on net income. The standard required prospective adoption for this portion of the new guidance. During the third quarter and first nine months of 2017, the Company recognized $0.8 million and $8.4 million, respectively, of excess tax benefit in income tax expense in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income. Additionally, the new standard requires the excess tax benefits and deficiencies to be classified as an operating activity in the accompanying consolidated statements of cash flows. These excess tax benefits and deficiencies were previously recorded as a financing activity in the statement of cash flows. The standard allowed for either prospective or retrospective adoption for the change in presentation in the statement of cash flows. The Company elected to retrospectively adopt the classification change in the statement of cash flows. Accordingly, prior periods have been adjusted, which increased the cash provided by operating activities and decreased the cash provided by financing activities by $5.7 million in the first nine months of 2016 in the accompanying consolidated statements of cash flows. The standard also allows for an election by the Company to either estimate forfeitures, as required under previous guidance, or recognize forfeitures when they occur. The Company elected to recognize forfeitures of stock awards as they occur, with the modified retrospective transition method required. Accordingly, the Company recognized a $1.4 million cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of January 1, 2017. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02 related to leases. This ASU requires the recognition of a right-of-use lease asset and a lease liability by lessees for all leases greater than one year in duration. This ASU is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018, with early adoption permitted. The guidance must be adopted using a modified retrospective transition. The Company is evaluating the impact this ASU will have on its consolidated financial statements and whether to early adopt. In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09 related to revenue recognition. This ASU was initiated as a joint project between the FASB and the International Accounting Standards Board ("IASB") to clarify the principles for recognizing revenue and to develop a common revenue standard for GAAP and international financial reporting standards ("IFRS"). This guidance will supersede the existing revenue recognition requirements in Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") Topic 605, Revenue Recognition and was set to be effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016. However, in July 2015, the FASB deferred the effective date by one year, such that the standard will be effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. The ASU can be applied (i) retrospectively to each prior period presented or (ii) retrospectively with the cumulative effect of initially adopting the ASU recognized at the date of initial application. In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-08, which clarifies the principal versus agent guidance under ASU 2014-09. In April 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-10, which clarifies the identification of distinct performance obligations in a contract. In May 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-12, which clarifies the guidance on assessing collectability, presenting sales taxes, measuring noncash consideration and certain other transition matters. The clarification ASUs must be adopted concurrently with the adoption of ASU 2014-09. The Company will adopt the ASUs as of January 1, 2018 and apply the modified retrospective transition approach. Under this approach revenue for 2016 and 2017 will be reported in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income on the historical basis and revenue for 2018 will be reported in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income applying the new ASUs. Additionally, the Company will disclose revenue for 2018 periods on the historical basis in the footnotes to the financial statements. Under the new ASUs, the timing of recognizing revenue for closing fees and approval fees will be accelerated to the point when a loan request or a credit card consumer is delivered to the customer as opposed to when the consumer loan is closed by the lender or credit card approval is made by the issuer. The Company does not expect the adoption of the ASUs to have a material effect on annual revenue or net income from continuing operations.

RESTRICTED CASH (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

Cash and Cash Equivalents [Abstract]

Schedule of Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents

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



	September 30, 2017		December 31, 2016
Cash in escrow from sale of LendingTree Loans ^(a)	$	4,033	$	4,032
Other	54		57
Total restricted cash and cash equivalents	$	4,087	$	4,089


(a)	Home Loan Center, Inc. ("HLC"), a subsidiary of the Company, continues to be liable for certain indemnification obligations, repurchase obligations and premium repayment obligations following the sale of substantially all of the operating assets of its LendingTree Loans business in the second quarter of 2012.

GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]

Schedule of goodwill

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



	Goodwill		Accumulated Impairment Loss			Net Goodwill
Balance at December 31, 2016	$	539,545	$	(483,088	)	$	56,457
Acquisition of DepositAccounts	19,389		—			19,389
Acquisition of MagnifyMoney	23,784		—			23,784
Acquisition of SnapCap	13,928		—			13,928
Balance at September 30, 2017	$	596,646	$	(483,088	)	$	113,558

Schedule of balance of intangible assets, net

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



	September 30, 2017		December 31, 2016
Intangible assets with indefinite lives	$	10,142	$	10,142
Intangible assets with definite lives, net	75,123		61,542
Total intangible assets, net	$	85,265	$	71,684

Schedule of intangible assets with definite lives

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



	Cost		Accumulated Amortization			Net
Technology	$	37,500	$	(6,437	)	$	31,063
Customer lists	32,900		(2,506		)	30,394
Trademarks and tradenames	6,942		(1,674		)	5,268
Tenant leases	2,030		(785		)	1,245
Website content	7,800		(650		)	7,150
Other	250		(247		)	3
Balance at September 30, 2017	$	87,422	$	(12,299	)	$	75,123



	Cost		Accumulated Amortization			Net
Technology	$	28,300	$	(659	)	$	27,641
Customer lists	28,100		(639		)	27,461
Trademarks and tradenames	5,342		(937		)	4,405
Tenant leases	2,030		—			2,030
Other	250		(245		)	5
Balance at December 31, 2016	$	64,022	$	(2,480	)	$	61,542

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



	Amortization Expense
Remainder of current year	$	4,345
Year ending December 31, 2018	16,228
Year ending December 31, 2019	15,973
Year ending December 31, 2020	13,948
Year ending December 31, 2021	5,743
Thereafter	18,886
Total intangible assets with definite lives, net	$	75,123

BUSINESS ACQUISITION (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

Business Combinations [Abstract]

Schedule of purchase price allocation

During the quarter ended September 30, 2017, the Company completed the determination of the final allocation of purchase price to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed as follows (in thousands):



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

During the quarter ended March 31, 2017, the Company completed the determination of the final allocation of the purchase price with respect to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed as follows (in thousands):



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



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

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



	Preliminary Fair Value
Net working capital and other assets	$	42
Fixed assets	146
Intangible assets	4,100
Goodwill	13,928
Total preliminary purchase price	$	18,216

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):



	Preliminary Fair Value		Weighted Average Amortization Life
Technology	$	400	3 years
Customer lists	3,100		10 years
Trade name and trademarks	600		5 years
Total intangible assets	$	4,100	8.6 years

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



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

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



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

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



	Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2017		2016		2017		2016
	(in thousands)
Pro forma revenue	$	172,400	$	118,219	$	465,624	$	347,442
Pro forma net income from continuing operations	$	10,043	$	8,776	$	26,072	$	23,556

SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

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 September 30,		Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2017	2016	2017	2016
Weighted average basic common shares	11,999	11,754	11,931	11,827
Effect of stock options	1,619	913	1,598	877
Effect of dilutive share awards	101	75	96	78
Effect of Convertible Senior Notes	55	—	—	—
Weighted average diluted common shares	13,774	12,742	13,625	12,782

STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

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

Schedule of non-cash compensation expense related to equity awards

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



	Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2017		2016		2017		2016
Cost of revenue	$	41	$	29	$	129	$	99
Selling and marketing expense	1,366		737		2,543		2,118
General and administrative expense	5,864		1,072		8,684		3,511
Product development	667		510		1,712		1,682
Total non-cash compensation	$	7,938	$	2,348	$	13,068	$	7,410

Summary of changes in outstanding 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, 2017	1,991,802		$	21.23
Granted ^(b)	51,089		187.82
Exercised	(179,165	)	31.75
Forfeited	(20,001	)	71.04
Expired	—		—
Options outstanding at September 30, 2017	1,843,725		24.28		4.58	$	405,934
Options exercisable at September 30, 2017	1,072,151		$	11.82	2.71	$	249,411

(a)


(b)	During the nine months ended September 30, 2017, the Company granted stock options to certain employees and members of the board of directors with a weighted average grant date fair value per share of $93.26, calculated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model, which vesting periods include (a) three years from the grant date, (b) two years from the grant date and (c) immediately upon grant.

Schedule of stock option valuation assumptions



Expected term ⁽¹⁾	5.00 - 6.00 years
Expected dividend ⁽²⁾	—
Expected volatility ⁽³⁾	51% - 52%
Risk-free interest rate ⁽⁴⁾	1.74% - 2.17%


(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 2017, no dividends are expected to be paid over the contractual term of the stock options, resulting in a zero expected dividend rate.


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


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



Expected term ⁽¹⁾	7.50 years
Expected dividend ⁽²⁾	—
Expected volatility ⁽³⁾	50%
Risk-free interest rate ⁽⁴⁾	2.12%


(1)	The expected term of stock options with a market condition 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 with market conditions due to a lack of historical exercise behavior by the Company's employees.


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


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


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

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

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



	RSUs
	Number of Units		Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
			(per unit)
Nonvested at January 1, 2017	152,374		$	65.64
Granted	83,113		138.07
Vested	(72,112	)	54.79
Forfeited	(14,078	)	82.37
Nonvested at September 30, 2017	149,297		$	109.64



	Restricted Stock
	Number of Shares		Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
			(per share)
Nonvested at January 1, 2017	14,464		$	25.14
Granted	—		—
Vested	(14,464	)	25.14
Forfeited	—		—
Nonvested at September 30, 2017	—		$	—

Schedule of changes in outstanding nonvested RSUs with performance conditions

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



	RSUs with Performance Conditions
	Number of Units		Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
			(per unit)
Nonvested at January 1, 2017	44,509		$	88.28
Granted	53,306		164.07
Vested	(1,931	)	96.46
Forfeited	—		—
Nonvested at September 30, 2017	95,884		$	130.25

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, 2017	—	$	—
Granted (b)	402,694	183.80
Exercised	—	—
Forfeited	—	—
Expired	—	—
Options outstanding at September 30, 2017	402,694	183.80		9.82	$	24,423
Options exercisable at September 30, 2017	—	$	—	0	$	—

(a)


(b)	During the nine months ended September 30, 2017, the Company granted stock options to an employee with a weighted average grant date fair value per share of $142.45, calculated using the Monte Carlo simulation model, which have a vesting date of September 30, 2022.

INCOME TAXES (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Schedule of income tax (expense) benefit



	Three Months Ended September 30,						Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2017			2016			2017			2016
	(in thousands, except percentages)
Income tax expense	$	(4,292	)	$	(6,729	)	$	(3,109	)	$	(15,099	)
Effective tax rate	29.8		%	48.0		%	10.7		%	39.4		%

Reconciliation of income tax (expense) benefit



	Three Months Ended September 30,						Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2017			2016			2017			2016
	(in thousands)
Income tax expense - excluding excess tax benefit on stock compensation	$	(5,103	)	$	(6,729	)	$	(11,523	)	$	(15,099	)
Excess tax benefit on stock compensation	811			—			8,414			—
Income tax expense	$	(4,292	)	$	(6,729	)	$	(3,109	)	$	(15,099	)

DEBT (Table)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

Debt Instrument [Line Items]

Summary of the gross carrying amount, unamortized debt cost and net carrying value of the liability component of the Notes

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):



	September 30, 2017		December 31, 2016
Gross carrying amount	$	300,000	$	—
Unamortized debt discount	57,953		—
Debt issuance costs	6,927		—
Net carrying amount	$	235,120	$	—

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

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 nine months ended September 30, 2017 are as follows (in thousands):



	Contingent Consideration
Balance at December 31, 2016	$	23,100
Transfers into Level 3	—
Transfers out of Level 3	—
Total net (gains) losses included in earnings (realized and unrealized)	20,640
Purchases, sales and settlements:
Additions	11,318
Payments	(1,000		)
Balance at September 30, 2017	$	54,058

SEGMENT INFORMATION (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

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 September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2017		2016		2017		2016
Mortgage products	$	73,756	$	53,523	$	208,209	$	164,571
Non-mortgage products	97,738		41,035		248,573		118,990
Total revenue	$	171,494	$	94,558	$	456,782	$	283,561

DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

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 September 30,						Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2017			2016			2017			2016
Revenue	$	—		$	1,834		$	(750	)	$	1,835

Loss before income taxes	$	(1,555	)	$	(1,021	)	$	(4,049	)	$	(4,640	)
Income tax benefit	544			357			1,417			1,623
Net loss	$	(1,011	)	$	(664	)	$	(2,632	)	$	(3,017	)

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 September 30, 2017	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 September 30,					Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2017		2016			2017		2016
Loan loss reserve, beginning of period	$	7,554	$	8,127		$	6,804	$	8,127
Provisions	—		(1,834		)	750		(1,834		)
Charge-offs to reserves	—		—			—		—
Loan loss reserve, end of period	$	7,554	$	6,293		$	7,554	$	6,293

SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES NOTES (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2016
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Excess tax benefits recognized in income tax expense	$ 811	$ 0	$ 8,414	$ 0
Prior period cash flow presentation for excess tax benefits				$ 5,700
Cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings for the recognition of forfeitures of stock awards					$ 1,400

RESTRICTED CASH RESTRICTED CASH (Details - Balance Sheet) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents
Restricted cash and cash equivalents	$ 4,087		$ 4,089
Cash and cash equivalents	345,239	$ 176,925	91,131	$ 206,975
Decrease in restricted cash	2	$ 2,450
Cash in escrow for sale of LendingTree Loans
Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents
Restricted cash and cash equivalents	4,033		4,032
Other Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents
Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents
Restricted cash and cash equivalents	54		$ 57
Discover \| Lending Tree Loans
Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents
Restricted cash and cash equivalents	$ 4,000

GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS (Details - Balance Sheet) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 19, 2017	Jun. 20, 2017	Jun. 14, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Goodwill [Line Items]
Goodwill	$ 539,545
Goodwill, gross at the end of the period	596,646
Goodwill, accumulated impairment loss at the beginning of the period	483,088
Goodwill, accumulated impairment loss at the end of the period	483,088
Net goodwill at the beginning of the period	56,457
Net goodwill at the end of the period	113,558
Net goodwill	56,457	$ 113,558				$ 56,457
Intangible assets with indefinite lives		10,142				10,142
Intangible assets with definite lives, net		75,123				61,542
Total intangible assets, net		85,265				$ 71,684
DepositAccounts
Goodwill [Line Items]
Increase to goodwill due to acquisitions	19,389
Impairment losses during period related to goodwill	0
Net goodwill at the end of the period	19,389
Net goodwill	19,389	19,389			$ 19,400
MagnifyMoney
Goodwill [Line Items]
Increase to goodwill due to acquisitions	23,784
Impairment losses during period related to goodwill	0
Net goodwill at the end of the period	23,784
Net goodwill	23,784	23,784		$ 23,800
SnapCap
Goodwill [Line Items]
Increase to goodwill due to acquisitions	13,928
Impairment losses during period related to goodwill	0
Net goodwill at the end of the period	13,928
Net goodwill	$ 13,928	$ 13,928	$ 13,900

GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS (Details - Definite Lived Intangibles) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Intangible assets with definite lives
Cost	$ 87,422	$ 64,022
Accumulated amortization	(12,299)	(2,480)
Total intangible assets with definite lives, net	75,123	61,542
Technology
Intangible assets with definite lives
Cost	37,500	28,300
Accumulated amortization	(6,437)	(659)
Total intangible assets with definite lives, net	31,063	27,641
Customer lists
Intangible assets with definite lives
Cost	32,900	28,100
Accumulated amortization	(2,506)	(639)
Total intangible assets with definite lives, net	30,394	27,461
Trade name and trademarks
Intangible assets with definite lives
Cost	6,942	5,342
Accumulated amortization	(1,674)	(937)
Total intangible assets with definite lives, net	5,268	4,405
Tenant leases
Intangible assets with definite lives
Cost	2,030	2,030
Accumulated amortization	(785)	0
Total intangible assets with definite lives, net	1,245	2,030
Website content
Intangible assets with definite lives
Cost	7,800
Accumulated amortization	(650)
Total intangible assets with definite lives, net	7,150
Other
Intangible assets with definite lives
Cost	250	250
Accumulated amortization	(247)	(245)
Total intangible assets with definite lives, net	$ 3	$ 5

GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS (Details - 5yr Definite Lived Intangibles Amortization) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Amortization of intangible assets with definite lives computed on a straight-line basis
Remainder of current year	$ 4,345
2018	16,228
2019	15,973
2020	13,948
2021	5,743
Thereafter	18,886
Total intangible assets with definite lives, net	$ 75,123	$ 61,542

BUSINESS ACQUISITION BUSINESS ACQUISITION (Details) - USD ($)					3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 19, 2017	Jun. 20, 2017	Jun. 14, 2017	Nov. 17, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Nov. 16, 2016
Business Acquisition
Initial cash consideration to acquire business							$ 29,511,000	$ 0
Current contingent consideration					$ 24,014,000		24,014,000			$ 0
Non-current contingent consideration					30,544,000		30,544,000			23,600,000
Change in fair value of contingent consideration					2,501,000	$ 0	20,640,000	0
Goodwill					113,558,000		113,558,000			$ 56,457,000
Acquisition-related costs							1,000,000
Revenue					171,494,000	94,558,000	456,782,000	283,561,000
Operating Income (Loss)					17,455,000	14,150,000	33,308,000	38,710,000
Value of option to acquire a foreign affiliate		$ 500,000
Value of restricted stock unit awards		10,000,000
Pro forma revenue					172,400,000	118,219,000	465,624,000	347,442,000
Pro forma net income from continuing operations					10,043,000	$ 8,776,000	26,072,000	$ 23,556,000
After tax contingent consideration tax					1,500,000		12,400,000
MagnifyMoney
Business Acquisition
Initial cash consideration to acquire business		29,600,000					29,592,000
Working capital					921,000		921,000
Intangible assets		9,700,000			9,700,000		9,700,000
Goodwill		$ 23,800,000			23,784,000		23,784,000
Deferred tax liabilities					(4,176,000)		(4,176,000)
Noncontrolling interest					637,000		637,000
Acquisition-related costs							400,000
Weighted average useful life of intangible assets acquired		3 years 8 months 27 days
Revenue					1,200,000		1,300,000
Operating Income (Loss)					300,000		300,000
Granted (in shares)		38,468
Potential future issuance of restricted stock units		19,234
CompareCards
Business Acquisition
Initial cash consideration to acquire business				$ 80,700,000
Contingent consideration range, maximum											$ 45,000,000
Purchase price consideration on acquisition date				$ 103,800,000
Contingent consideration					43,100,000		43,100,000				23,100,000
Current contingent consideration					22,000,000		22,000,000
Non-current contingent consideration					21,100,000		21,100,000
Change in fair value of contingent consideration					1,900,000		20,000,000
Accounts receivable									$ 3,538,000
Intangible assets									55,400,000
Goodwill									52,450,000
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities									(7,638,000)
Total purchase price									$ (103,750,000)
Acquisition-related costs							100,000
DepositAccounts
Business Acquisition
Initial cash consideration to acquire business			$ 24,000,000
Contingent consideration range, maximum			9,000,000
Purchase price consideration on acquisition date			29,000,000				28,989,000
Contingent consideration			5,000,000		4,600,000		4,600,000
Current contingent consideration					1,500,000		1,500,000
Non-current contingent consideration					3,100,000		3,100,000
Intangible assets			9,600,000		9,600,000		9,600,000
Goodwill			19,400,000		19,389,000		19,389,000
Acquisition-related costs					100,000		300,000
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
Weighted average useful life of intangible assets acquired			5 years 1 month 25 days
Revenue					1,900,000		2,200,000
Operating Income (Loss)					400,000		600,000
Contingent consideration payment					1,000,000
Contingent earnout
Business Acquisition
Contingent consideration range, maximum	$ 3,000,000										22,500,000
SnapCap
Business Acquisition
Initial cash consideration to acquire business	11,900,000
Purchase price consideration on acquisition date	18,216,000
Contingent consideration	6,300,000
Working capital					42,000		42,000
Fixed assets					146,000		146,000
Intangible assets	4,100,000				4,100,000		4,100,000
Goodwill	$ 13,900,000				13,928,000		$ 13,928,000
Acquisition-related costs					200,000
Weighted average useful life of intangible assets acquired	8 years 7 months 3 days
Revenue					200,000
Operating Income (Loss)					$ 100,000
Technology \| MagnifyMoney
Business Acquisition
Fair value of the intangible assets acquired with definite lives		$ 200,000
Weighted average useful life of intangible assets acquired		3 years
Technology \| DepositAccounts
Business Acquisition
Fair value of the intangible assets acquired with definite lives			$ 8,600,000
Weighted average useful life of intangible assets acquired			5 years
Technology \| SnapCap
Business Acquisition
Fair value of the intangible assets acquired with definite lives	$ 400,000
Weighted average useful life of intangible assets acquired	3 years
Customer lists \| MagnifyMoney
Business Acquisition
Fair value of the intangible assets acquired with definite lives		$ 1,100,000
Weighted average useful life of intangible assets acquired		9 years
Customer lists \| DepositAccounts
Business Acquisition
Fair value of the intangible assets acquired with definite lives			$ 600,000
Weighted average useful life of intangible assets acquired			8 years
Customer lists \| SnapCap
Business Acquisition
Fair value of the intangible assets acquired with definite lives	$ 3,100,000
Weighted average useful life of intangible assets acquired	10 years
Trade name and trademarks \| MagnifyMoney
Business Acquisition
Fair value of the intangible assets acquired with definite lives		$ 600,000
Weighted average useful life of intangible assets acquired		4 years
Trade name and trademarks \| DepositAccounts
Business Acquisition
Fair value of the intangible assets acquired with definite lives			$ 400,000
Weighted average useful life of intangible assets acquired			4 years
Trade name and trademarks \| SnapCap
Business Acquisition
Fair value of the intangible assets acquired with definite lives	$ 600,000
Weighted average useful life of intangible assets acquired	5 years
Website content \| MagnifyMoney
Business Acquisition
Fair value of the intangible assets acquired with definite lives		$ 7,800,000
Weighted average useful life of intangible assets acquired		3 years
Contingent earnout \| Iron Horse Holdings, LLC [Member]
Business Acquisition
Contingent consideration range, minimum											0
Contingent earnout \| SnapCap
Business Acquisition
Contingent consideration range, minimum	$ 0
Minimum
Business Acquisition
Contingent consideration	0		$ 0								0
Maximum
Business Acquisition
Contingent consideration	$ 9,000,000		$ 9,000,000								$ 45,000,000

ACCRUED EXPENSES AND OTHER CURRENT LIABILITIES (Details - Balance Sheet) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities
Accrued litigation liability	$ 588	$ 736
Accrued advertising expense	44,698	26,976
Accrued compensation and benefits	5,905	5,626
Accrued professional fees	1,003	1,411
Customer deposits and escrows	5,522	5,041
Other	11,028	9,613
Total accrued expenses and other current liabilities	$ 68,744	$ 49,403

SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY (Details) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY (Details) - USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	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	11,999,000	11,754,000	11,931,000	11,827,000
Effect of dilutive securities
Effect of stock options (in shares)	1,619,000	913,000	1,598,000	877,000
Effect of dilutive share awards (in shares)	101,000	75,000	96,000	78,000
Effect of Convertible Senior Notes (in shares)	55,000	0	0	0
Weighted average common shares, diluted	13,774,000	12,742,000	13,625,000	12,782,000
Common stock repurchases
Value of common stock authorized to be repurchased						$ 40,000,000	$ 50,000,000	$ 10,000,000	$ 10,000,000
Purchase of treasury stock (in shares)	42,153		42,153	690,218
Remaining authorized repurchase amount	$ 38,700,000		$ 38,700,000
Employee stock options
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Anti-dilutive securities excluded from calculation of diluted earnings per share (in shares)	300,000		100,000
Restricted stock
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Anti-dilutive securities excluded from calculation of diluted earnings per share (in shares)	100,000

STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION (Details - P&L Impact) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Non-cash compensation expense related to equity awards
Total non-cash compensation	$ 7,938	$ 2,348	$ 13,068	$ 7,410
Cost of revenue
Non-cash compensation expense related to equity awards
Total non-cash compensation	41	29	129	99
Selling and marketing expense
Non-cash compensation expense related to equity awards
Total non-cash compensation	1,366	737	2,543	2,118
General and administrative expense
Non-cash compensation expense related to equity awards
Total non-cash compensation	5,864	1,072	8,684	3,511
Product development
Non-cash compensation expense related to equity awards
Total non-cash compensation	$ 667	$ 510	$ 1,712	$ 1,682

STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION (Details - Stock Options Rollforward) - USD ($)			9 Months Ended
	Jul. 26, 2017	Jul. 25, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	May 24, 2017
STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
Share price			$ 244.45	$ 156.70
Stock options, Shares
Granted (in shares)	402,694
Stock options, Weighted Average Exercise Price
Granted (in dollars per share)	$ 183.80
Stock options, Grant Date Fair Value Valuation
Grant date fair value			$ 93.26
Target grant date value of performance based equity compensation		$ 87,500,000
Percentage, Target grant date value of performance based equity compensation, Restricted stock awards		25.00%
Percentage, Target grant date value of performance based equity compensation, Nonqualified stock options		75.00%
Targeted total shareholder return performance, Nonqualified stock options		110.00%
Aggregate stock options
Stock options, Shares
Outstanding at the beginning of the period (in shares)			1,991,802
Granted (in shares)			51,089
Exercised (in shares)			(179,165)
Forfeited (in shares)			(20,001)
Expired (in shares)			0
Outstanding at the end of the period (in shares)			1,843,725
Options exercisable at the end of the period (in shares)			1,072,151
Stock options, Weighted Average Exercise Price
Outstanding at the beginning of the period (in dollars per share)			$ 21.23
Granted (in dollars per share)			187.82
Exercised (in dollars per share)			31.75
Forfeited (in dollars per share)			71.04
Expired (in dollars per share)			0.00
Outstanding at the end of the period (in dollars per share)			24.28
Options exercisable at the end of the period (in dollars per share)			$ 11.82
Stock options, Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term
Outstanding at the end of the period			4 years 6 months 28 days
Options exercisable at the end of the period			2 years 8 months 15 days
Stock options, Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Outstanding at the end of the period			$ 405,934,000
Options exercisable at the end of the period			249,411,000
Stock options, Grant Date Fair Value Valuation
Expected dividends			$ 0
Expected dividend rate			0.00%
Expected volatility, minimum			51.00%
Expected volatility, maximum			52.00%
Risk-free interest rate, minimum			1.74%
Risk-free interest rate, maximum			2.17%
Employee stock options
Stock options, Grant Date Fair Value Valuation
Vesting period			3 years
Director stock options
Stock options, Grant Date Fair Value Valuation
Vesting period			2 years
Performance Options [Member]
Stock options, Shares
Outstanding at the beginning of the period (in shares)			0
Granted (in shares)			402,694
Exercised (in shares)			0
Forfeited (in shares)			0
Expired (in shares)			0
Outstanding at the end of the period (in shares)			402,694
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)			$ 0.00
Granted (in dollars per share)			183.80
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)			183.80
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			9 years 9 months 25 days
Options exercisable at the end of the period			0 years
Stock options, Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Outstanding at the end of the period			$ 24,423,000
Options exercisable at the end of the period			$ 0
Stock options, Grant Date Fair Value Valuation
Grant date fair value			$ 142.45
Expected dividends			$ 0
Expected dividend rate			0.00%
Expected volatility, minimum			50.00%
Expected volatility, maximum			50.00%
Risk-free interest rate, minimum			2.12%
Risk-free interest rate, maximum			2.12%
Minimum
Stock options, Grant Date Fair Value Valuation
Targeted total shareholder return performance, Nonqualified stock options		70.00%
Minimum \| Aggregate stock options
Stock options, Grant Date Fair Value Valuation
Expected term			P5Y0M0D
Minimum \| Employee stock options
Stock options, Grant Date Fair Value Valuation
Grant date fair value
Minimum \| Performance Options [Member]
Stock options, Grant Date Fair Value Valuation
Expected term			P7Y6M0D
Maximum
Stock options, Shares
Granted (in shares)	672,499
Stock options, Grant Date Fair Value Valuation
Targeted total shareholder return performance, Nonqualified stock options		167.00%
Maximum \| Aggregate stock options
Stock options, Grant Date Fair Value Valuation
Expected term			P6Y0M0D
Maximum \| Employee stock options
Stock options, Grant Date Fair Value Valuation
Grant date fair value
Maximum \| Performance Options [Member]
Stock options, Grant Date Fair Value Valuation
Expected term			P7Y6M0D

STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION (Details - RSA & RSU Rollforwards)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017 $ / shares shares
RSUs
Nonvested RSUs, Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units with Performance Conditions, Number of Shares
Nonvested at the beginning of the period (in shares) \| shares	152,374
Granted (in shares) \| shares	83,113
Vested (in shares) \| shares	72,112
Forfeited (in shares) \| shares	(14,078)
Nonvested at the end of the period (in shares) \| shares	149,297
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	$ 65.64
Granted (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	138.07
Vested (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	54.79
Forfeited (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	82.37
Nonvested at the end of the period (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	$ 109.64
Restricted stock
Nonvested RSUs, Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units with Performance Conditions, Number of Shares
Nonvested at the beginning of the period (in shares) \| shares	14,464
Granted (in shares) \| shares	0
Vested (in shares) \| shares	14,464
Nonvested at the end of the period (in shares) \| shares	0
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	$ 25.14
Granted (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	0.00
Vested (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	25.14
Nonvested at the end of the period (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	$ 0.00

STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION (Details - RSUs with performance conditions) - Performance Shares [Member] - $ / shares		9 Months Ended
	Jul. 25, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017
Nonvested RSUs, Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units with Performance Conditions, Number of Shares
Nonvested at the beginning of the period (in shares)		44,509
Granted (in shares)	119,015	53,306
Vested (in shares)		(1,931)
Nonvested at the end of the period (in shares)		95,884
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)		$ 88.28
Granted (in dollars per share)		164.07
Vested (in dollars per share)		96.46
Nonvested at the end of the period (in dollars per share)		$ 130.25

STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION (Details - Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Grants) - USD ($)			3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Jul. 26, 2017	Jul. 25, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	May 24, 2017
STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
Target grant date value of performance based equity compensation		$ 87,500,000
Percentage, Target grant date value of performance based equity compensation, Restricted stock awards		25.00%
Percentage, Target grant date value of performance based equity compensation, Nonqualified stock options		75.00%
Targeted total shareholder return performance, Nonqualified stock options		110.00%
Total non-cash compensation			$ 7,938,000	$ 2,348,000	$ 13,068,000	$ 7,410,000
Annaul grant limit per employee, Shares					672,500
Future issuance of performance based equity compensation, Nonqualified stock options, Target		58,010
Stock options, Shares
Granted (in shares)	402,694
Stock options, Weighted Average Exercise Price
Granted (in dollars per share)	$ 183.80
Stock options, Grant Date Fair Value Valuation
Grant date fair value					$ 93.26
Share price			$ 244.45		$ 244.45		$ 156.70
Maximum
STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
Targeted total shareholder return performance, Nonqualified stock options		167.00%
Stock options, Shares
Granted (in shares)	672,499
Minimum
STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
Targeted total shareholder return performance, Nonqualified stock options		70.00%
Performance Options [Member]
STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
Total non-cash compensation			$ 400,000
Stock options, Shares
Outstanding at the beginning of the period (in shares)					0
Granted (in shares)					402,694
Exercised (in shares)					0
Forfeited (in shares)					0
Expired (in shares)					0
Outstanding at the end of the period (in shares)			402,694		402,694
Options exercisable at the end of the period (in shares)			0		0
Stock options, Weighted Average Exercise Price
Outstanding at the beginning of the period (in dollars per share)					$ 0.00
Granted (in dollars per share)					183.80
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)			$ 183.80		183.80
Options exercisable at the end of the period (in dollars per share)			$ 0.00		$ 0.00
Stock options, Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term
Outstanding at the end of the period					9 years 9 months 25 days
Options exercisable at the end of the period					0 years
Stock options, Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Outstanding at the end of the period			$ 24,423,000		$ 24,423,000
Options exercisable at the end of the period			0		$ 0
Stock options, Grant Date Fair Value Valuation
Grant date fair value					$ 142.45
Expected dividends					$ 0
Expected dividend rate					0.00%
Expected volatility, minimum					50.00%
Expected volatility, maximum					50.00%
Risk-free interest rate, minimum					2.12%
Risk-free interest rate, maximum					2.12%
Performance Options [Member] \| Maximum
Stock options, Grant Date Fair Value Valuation
Expected term					P7Y6M0D
Performance Options [Member] \| Minimum
Stock options, Grant Date Fair Value Valuation
Expected term					P7Y6M0D
Performance Shares [Member]
STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
Granted (in shares)		119,015			53,306
Maximum potential future issuance of performance based equity compensation, Nonqualified stock options		769,376
Total non-cash compensation			1,300,000
Employee stock options
STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
Total non-cash compensation			$ 2,000,000
Employee stock options \| Maximum
Stock options, Grant Date Fair Value Valuation
Grant date fair value
Employee stock options \| Minimum
Stock options, Grant Date Fair Value Valuation
Grant date fair value

INCOME TAXES (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
INCOME TAXES (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income tax expense	$ (4,292)	$ (6,729)	$ (3,109)	$ (15,099)
Effective tax rates (as a percent)	29.80%	48.00%	10.70%	39.40%
Federal statutory income tax rate (as a percentage)		35.00%	35.00%	35.00%
Income tax expense - excluding excess tax benefit on stock compensation	$ 5,103	$ 6,729	$ 11,523	$ 15,099
Excess tax benefits recognized in income tax expense	$ 811	$ 0	$ 8,414	$ 0

DEBT DEBT (Details - Convertible Senior Notes) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands		9 Months Ended
	May 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2016
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Aggregate principal amount of convertible senior notes	$ 300,000	$ 300,000		$ 0
Annual interest rate on convertible senior notes	0.625%
Principal amount of convertible senior notes exercised to cover the over-allotment	$ 35,000
Initial conversion rate, shares per $1,000 principal amount of notes	4.8163
Principal amount of notes convertible into shares	1000
Initial conversion price per share	$ 207.63
Conversion rate, sales price of common stock as a percentage of the conversion price	130.00%
Cash repurchase at a price equal to the principal amount of the notes, Percentage	100.00%
Nonconvertible debt borrowing rate at the date of issuance	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
Total interest expense on the Convertible Senior Notes		4,700
Interest expense recognized associated with the 06.25% coupon rate		600
Amortization of convertible debt discount		3,635	$ 0
Amortization of debt issuance costs		622	$ 183
Financing costs related to the issuance of the Convertible Senior Notes	9,300
Debt issuance costs, liability component	7,400	6,927		0
Long-term debt		235,120		0
Debt issuance costs, equity component	$ 1,900
Fair value of the Convertible Senior Notes using a Level 1 observable input		398,700
Unamortized debt discount		57,953		$ 0
Convertible Notes Payable [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Amortization of debt issuance costs		$ 400

DEBT DEBT (Details - Convertible Note Hedge and Warrant Transactions) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands, shares in Millions		9 Months Ended
	May 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	May 24, 2017
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Net proceeds from the Convertible Notes used to pay for the cost of the Convertible Note Hedge	$ 18,100
Payment of convertible note hedge transactions	$ 61,500	$ 61,500	$ 0
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		$ 244.45		$ 156.70
Proceeds from the sale of warrants	$ 43,400	$ 43,410	$ 0

DEBT DEBT (Details - Revolving Credit Facility) - USD ($)		3 Months Ended
	Oct. 22, 2015	Jun. 30, 2017
Finance all or a portion of the purchase price of certain real estate
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Restrictive Covenants		20.0
Finance post-acquisition improvements to such real estate, related equipment and related hedging obligations
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Restrictive Covenants		25.0
Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Revolving Credit Facility, current borrowing capacity	$ 125,000,000.0
Revolving Credit Facility, term	5 years
Revolving Credit Facility, conditional increase to borrowing capacity	$ 50,000,000.0
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	$ 1,300,000
Swingline Facility [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Revolving Credit Facility, current borrowing capacity	10,000,000.0
Letters of Credit [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Revolving Credit Facility, current borrowing capacity	$ 10,000,000.0
Federal Funds Effective Swap Rate [Member] \| Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Revolving Credit Facility, basis spread on variable rate	0.50%
London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) [Member] \| Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Revolving Credit Facility, basis spread on variable rate	1.00%
Minimum \| Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Revolving Credit Facility, unused capacity, commitment fee percentage	0.25%
Revolving Credit Facility, letter of credit participation fee percentage	2.00%
Minimum \| London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) [Member] \| Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Revolving Credit Facility, basis spread on variable rate	2.00%
Minimum \| Base Rate [Member] \| Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Revolving Credit Facility, basis spread on variable rate	1.00%
Maximum \| Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Revolving Credit Facility, unused capacity, commitment fee percentage	0.50%
Revolving Credit Facility, letter of credit participation fee percentage	3.00%
Maximum \| London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) [Member] \| Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Revolving Credit Facility, basis spread on variable rate	3.00%
Maximum \| Base Rate [Member] \| Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Revolving Credit Facility, basis spread on variable rate	2.00%

CONTINGENCIES (Details) $ in Thousands				6 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
CONTINGENCIES (Details) $ in Thousands	Oct. 23, 2017 regulator	Oct. 14, 2011 regulator	Sep. 08, 2010 patent	Jun. 30, 2015 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2014 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2017 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2014 USD ($)	Mar. 12, 2014 patent
Contingencies
Accrued litigation liability						$ 588	$ 736
Massachusetts Division of Banks \| Unfavorable regulatory action
Contingencies
Accrued litigation liability						500
Number of Joining Regulators \| regulator		34
Massachusetts Division of Banks \| Unfavorable regulatory action \| Subsequent Event [Member]
Contingencies
Number of Joining Regulators \| regulator	0
Pending litigation or appeal \| Residential Funding Company
Contingencies
Accrued litigation liability						3,000
Pending litigation or appeal \| Lending Tree v. Zillow, Inc.
Contingencies
Accrued litigation liability						0
Number of patents found not infringed upon \| patent									2
Settlement amount				$ 1,100	$ 2,300
Number of patents alleged infringement upon, maximum \| patent			2
Pending litigation or appeal \| Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc. Demand Letter
Contingencies
Accrued litigation liability						1,000
Minimum \| Massachusetts Division of Banks \| Unfavorable regulatory action
Contingencies
Estimated range of remaining possible losses due to loan losses						500
Maximum \| Massachusetts Division of Banks \| Unfavorable regulatory action
Contingencies
Estimated range of remaining possible losses due to loan losses						6,500
Maximum \| Pending litigation or appeal \| Lending Tree v. Zillow, Inc.
Contingencies
Estimated range of remaining possible losses due to loan losses								$ 9,700
Discontinued Operations, Disposed of by Sale [Member]
Contingencies
Accrued litigation liability						$ 4,000	$ 4,000

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS (Details) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 19, 2017	Jun. 14, 2017	May 31, 2017	Nov. 16, 2016
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]
Balance at December 31, 2016			$ 23,100,000
Change in fair value of contingent consideration	$ 2,501,000	$ 0	20,640,000	$ 0
Contingent consideration additions			11,318,000
Contingent consideration payments			(1,000,000)
Balance at September 30, 2017	$ 54,058,000		$ 54,058,000
Minimum
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Line Items]
Contingent consideration					$ 0	$ 0		$ 0
Maximum
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Line Items]
Contingent consideration					$ 9,000,000	$ 9,000,000		$ 45,000,000

SEGMENT INFORMATION SEGMENT INFORMATION (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016
Segment Information
Revenue	$ 171,494	$ 94,558	$ 456,782	$ 283,561
Mortgage Products [Member]
Segment Information
Revenue	73,756	53,523	208,209	164,571
Non-mortgage Products [Member]
Segment Information
Revenue	$ 97,738	$ 41,035	$ 248,573	$ 118,990

DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS (Details-Disposal Groups) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2017	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Jun. 06, 2012
DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 345,239	$ 176,925	$ 345,239	$ 176,925	$ 91,131	$ 206,975
Revenue and net income (loss) of discontinued operations
Revenue	0	1,834	(750)	1,835
Loss before income taxes	(1,555)	(1,021)	(4,049)	(4,640)
Income tax benefit	544	357	1,417	1,623
Loss from discontinued operations	(1,011)	$ (664)	(2,632)	$ (3,017)
Assets and liabilities of facilities reported as discontinued operations
Non-current assets of discontinued operations	3,781		3,781		3,781
Current liabilities	$ (13,396)		$ (13,396)		$ (11,711)
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			64 Months Ended
	Oct. 15, 2015 USD ($)	Jun. 07, 2012	Sep. 30, 2017 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2016 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2014 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2012 investor	Sep. 30, 2017 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2016 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2014 investor	Sep. 30, 2017 USD ($) loan	Sep. 30, 2017 USD ($) loan	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2016 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($)	Jun. 06, 2012 USD ($) loan
Loan Loss Obligations
Restricted cash and cash equivalents											$ 4,087	$ 4,089
Cash and cash equivalents											$ 345,239	91,131	$ 176,925	$ 206,975
Increase (Decrease) in Restricted Cash							$ (2)	$ (2,450)
Cash and Cash Equivalents, Period Increase (Decrease)							254,108	(30,050)
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	$ 8,127			6,804	8,127		7,554	7,554	$ 6,804	$ 6,293	$ 8,127
Activity related to loss reserves on previously sold loans
Loan loss reserve, beginning of period			7,554	8,127			6,804	8,127
Provisions			0	(1,834)			750	(1,834)
Charge-offs to reserves			0	0			0	0
Loan loss reserve, end of period			$ 7,554	$ 6,293			$ 7,554	$ 6,293		$ 7,554
Discover Bank \| Lending Tree Loans
Loan Loss Obligations
Restricted cash and cash equivalents											4,000
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