XML 36 R25.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT
v3.23.3

Business and Basis of Presentation (Policies) | 9 Months Ended
--- | ---
Sep. 30, 2023
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract] |
Basis of Presentation | Basis of Presentation The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements are unaudited and were prepared in accordance with the instructions for Form 10‑Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. In compliance with those instructions, certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in annual consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America ("GAAP") have been condensed or omitted. The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in this quarterly report are presented on a consolidated basis and include the accounts of the Company and its majority-owned subsidiaries. Results of operations and cash flows for the interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the entire year. All significant intercompany transactions and accounts have been eliminated as of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022 and for all periods presented. In the opinion of management, these condensed consolidated financial statements include all the normal recurring adjustments necessary to fairly present the Company’s condensed consolidated results of operations, financial position, and cash flows as of September 30, 2023 and for all periods presented. These condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Company’s consolidated financial statements within the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10‑K for the year ended December 31, 2022. Consistent with industry practice, the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets are unclassified due to the short-term nature of the Company’s settlement obligations contrasted with the Company’s ability to invest cash awaiting settlement in long-term investment securities.
Use of Estimates | Use of Estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from these estimates.
Earnings Per Share | The calculation of basic earnings per share is computed by dividing net income available to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding for the period. Outstanding options to purchase Western Union stock and unvested shares of restricted stock are excluded from basic shares outstanding. Diluted earnings per share reflects the potential dilution that could occur if outstanding stock options at the presented dates are exercised and shares of restricted stock have vested, using the treasury stock method. The treasury stock method assumes proceeds from the exercise price of stock options and the unamortized compensation expense of options and restricted stock are available to acquire shares at an average market price throughout the period, and therefore, reduce the dilutive effect.
Investment Securities | Investment securities included in Settlement assets in the Company’s Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets consist primarily of highly-rated state and municipal debt securities, including fixed-rate term notes and variable-rate demand notes. Variable-rate demand note securities can be put (sold at par) typically on a daily basis with settlement periods ranging from the same day to one week but have varying maturities through 2052. These securities may be used by the Company for short-term liquidity needs and held for short periods of time. Investment securities are exposed to market risk due to changes in interest rates and credit risk. The Company is required to hold highly-rated, investment grade securities and such investments are restricted to satisfy outstanding settlement obligations in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements. The Company’s investment securities are classified as available-for-sale and recorded at fair value. Western Union regularly monitors credit risk and attempts to mitigate its exposure by investing in highly-rated securities and through investment diversification. Unrealized gains on available-for-sale securities are excluded from earnings and presented as a component of accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of related deferred taxes. Available-for-sale securities with a fair value below the amortized cost basis are evaluated on an individual basis to determine whether the impairment is due to credit-related factors or noncredit-related factors. Factors that could indicate a credit loss exists include but are not limited to: (i) negative earnings performance, (ii) credit rating downgrades, or (iii) adverse changes in the regulatory or economic environment of the asset. Any impairment that is not credit-related is excluded from earnings and presented as a component of accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of related deferred taxes, unless the Company intends to sell the impaired security, or it is more likely than not that the Company will be required to sell the security before recovering its amortized cost basis. Credit-related impairments are recognized immediately as an adjustment to earnings, regardless of whether the Company has the ability or intent to hold the security to maturity and are limited to the difference between fair value and the amortized cost basis. The Company’s provision for credit losses on its available-for-sale securities during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022 and the related allowance for credit losses as of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022 were immaterial.
Foreign Currency - Derivatives | Foreign Currency Derivatives The Company’s policy is to use longer duration foreign currency forward contracts, with maturities of up to 36 months at inception and a targeted weighted-average maturity of approximately one year, to help mitigate some of the risk that changes in foreign currency exchange rates compared to the United States dollar could have on forecasted revenues denominated in other currencies related to its business. As of September 30, 2023, these foreign currency forward contracts had maturities of a maximum of 24 months with a weighted-average maturity of approximately one year. These contracts are accounted for as cash flow hedges of forecasted revenue, with effectiveness assessed based on changes in the spot rate of the affected currencies during the period of designation and thus time value is excluded from the assessment of effectiveness. The initial value of the excluded components is amortized into Revenues within the Company’s Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income. The Company also uses short duration foreign currency forward contracts, generally with maturities ranging from a few days to one month, to offset foreign exchange rate fluctuations on settlement assets and obligations between initiation and settlement. In addition, forward contracts, typically with maturities of less than one year at inception, are utilized to offset foreign exchange rate fluctuations on certain foreign currency denominated cash and other asset and liability positions. None of these contracts are designated as accounting hedges.
Foreign Currency - Business Solutions | Business Solutions Operations On August 4, 2021, the Company entered into an agreement to sell its Business Solutions business to Goldfinch Partners LLC and The Baupost Group LLC, and the final closing for this transaction occurred on July 1, 2023. See Note 4 for further information regarding this transaction. Prior to the final closing, t he Company wrote derivatives, primarily foreign currency forward contracts and option contracts, mostly with small and medium size enterprises and derived a currency spread from this activity as part of its Business Solutions operations. The Company aggregated its Business Solutions foreign currency exposures arising from customer contracts, including the derivative contracts described above, and hedged the resulting net currency risks by entering into offsetting contracts with Convera through the end of the final closing of the Business Solutions divestiture. The derivatives written were part of the broader portfolio of foreign currency positions arising from the Company’s cross-currency payments operations, which primarily included spot exchanges of currency in addition to forwards and options. Foreign exchange revenues from the total portfolio of positions included in Revenues in the Company’s Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income were $39.3 million for the three months ended September 30, 2022 and $27.8 million and $151.5 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. None of the derivative contracts used in Business Solutions operations were designated as accounting hedges.

X
- Definition Disclosure of accounting policy for basis of accounting, or basis of presentation, used to prepare the financial statements (for example, US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, Other Comprehensive Basis of Accounting, IFRS). + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | us-gaap_BasisOfAccountingPolicyPolicyTextBlock
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | dtr-types:textBlockItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Disclosure of accounting policy for computing basic and diluted earnings or loss per share for each class of common stock and participating security. Addresses all significant policy factors, including any antidilutive items that have been excluded from the computation and takes into account stock dividends, splits and reverse splits that occur after the balance sheet date of the latest reporting period but before the issuance of the financial statements. + References Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 260 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (c) -Publisher FASB -URI https://asc.fasb.org//1943274/2147482662/260-10-50-1 Reference 2: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 260 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 2 -Publisher FASB -URI https://asc.fasb.org//1943274/2147482662/260-10-50-2 + Details
Name: | us-gaap_EarningsPerSharePolicyTextBlock
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | dtr-types:textBlockItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Disclosure of accounting policy for investment in financial asset. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Topic 944 -SubTopic 220 -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Section S99 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (SX 210.7-04(3)(b)) -Publisher FASB -URI https://asc.fasb.org//1943274/2147483586/944-220-S99-1 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Topic 946 -SubTopic 10 -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Section S99 -Paragraph 3 -Subparagraph (SX 210.6-03(d)) -Publisher FASB -URI https://asc.fasb.org//1943274/2147479886/946-10-S99-3 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Topic 946 -SubTopic 10 -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Section S99 -Paragraph 3 -Subparagraph (SX 210.6-03(f)(1)) -Publisher FASB -URI https://asc.fasb.org//1943274/2147479886/946-10-S99-3 Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Topic 946 -SubTopic 10 -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Section S99 -Paragraph 3 -Subparagraph (SX 210.6-03(f)(2)) -Publisher FASB -URI https://asc.fasb.org//1943274/2147479886/946-10-S99-3 Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Topic 946 -SubTopic 10 -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Section S99 -Paragraph 3 -Subparagraph (SX 210.6-03(f)(3)) -Publisher FASB -URI https://asc.fasb.org//1943274/2147479886/946-10-S99-3 Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Topic 946 -SubTopic 320 -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Section S99 -Paragraph 12 -Subparagraph (i) -Publisher FASB -URI https://asc.fasb.org//1943274/2147480032/946-320-S99-12 Reference 7: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Topic 946 -SubTopic 320 -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Section S99 -Paragraph 19 -Subparagraph (2) -Publisher FASB -URI https://asc.fasb.org//1943274/2147480032/946-320-S99-19 + Details
Name: | us-gaap_InvestmentPolicyTextBlock
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | dtr-types:textBlockItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- References No definition available. + Details
Name: | us-gaap_OrganizationConsolidationAndPresentationOfFinancialStatementsAbstract
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Disclosure of accounting policy for the use of estimates in the preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles. + References Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 275 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 9 -Publisher FASB -URI https://asc.fasb.org//1943274/2147482861/275-10-50-9 Reference 2: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 275 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 4 -Publisher FASB -URI https://asc.fasb.org//1943274/2147482861/275-10-50-4 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (b) -SubTopic 10 -Topic 275 -Publisher FASB -URI https://asc.fasb.org//1943274/2147482861/275-10-50-1 Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (c) -SubTopic 10 -Topic 275 -Publisher FASB -URI https://asc.fasb.org//1943274/2147482861/275-10-50-1 Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Section 50 -Paragraph 11 -SubTopic 10 -Topic 275 -Publisher FASB -URI https://asc.fasb.org//1943274/2147482861/275-10-50-11 Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Section 50 -Paragraph 12 -SubTopic 10 -Topic 275 -Publisher FASB -URI https://asc.fasb.org//1943274/2147482861/275-10-50-12 Reference 7: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 275 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 8 -Publisher FASB -URI https://asc.fasb.org//1943274/2147482861/275-10-50-8 + Details
Name: | us-gaap_UseOfEstimates
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | dtr-types:textBlockItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Description of the entity's risk management policy for Business Solutions segment foreign currency exchange rate derivatives. Includes a description of the items or transactions for which risks are hedged, such as foreign currency exchange risk on foreign currency denominated sales, as well as accounting method for such derivatives. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | wu_DerivativesForeignCurrencyBusinessSolutionsPolicyTextBlock
Namespace Prefix: | wu_
Data Type: | dtr-types:textBlockItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition Description of the entity's risk management policy for foreign currency exchange rate derivatives. Includes a description of the items or transactions for which risks are hedged, such as foreign currency exchange risk on foreign currency denominated sales, as well as the accounting method for such derivatives. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | wu_DerivativesForeignCurrencyPolicyTextBlock
Namespace Prefix: | wu_
Data Type: | dtr-types:textBlockItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration