Investments, Equity Method and Joint Ventures

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2022

Equity Method Investments and Joint Ventures [Abstract]

Equity Method Investments and Joint Ventures Disclosure

EQUITY METHOD INVESTMENTS

The Company applies the equity method of accounting when it has the ability to exercise significant influence over operating and financial policies of an investee but does not have a controlling financial or operating interest in the joint venture. The Company records its share of the net earnings or losses of its equity method investments on the “Equity in losses (earnings) of unconsolidated entities” line in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations. Investments not accounted for using the equity method are measured at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in net income or in the case that an investment does not have readily determinable fair values, at cost minus impairment (if any) plus or minus changes resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for an identical or similar investment.

The Company has various equity method investments which are recorded within other non-current assets on the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets. The Company's share of equity earnings or losses related to these investments are included in the financial results of the Title Group and Owned Brokerage Group reportable segments. The Company's equity method investment balances at December 31, 2022 and 2021 were as follows:


	December 31,
	2022		2021
Guaranteed Rate Affinity	$	72	$	94
Title Insurance Underwriter Joint Venture	75		—
Other Title Group equity method investments	10		8
Total Title Group equity method investments	157		102
Owned Brokerage Group equity method investments	27		29
Total equity method investments	$	184	$	131

Guaranteed Rate Affinity, the Company's 49.9% minority-owned mortgage origination joint venture with Guaranteed Rate, Inc., originates and markets its mortgage lending services to the Company's real estate brokerage as well as other real estate brokerage companies across the country. While the Company has certain governance rights, the Company does not have a controlling financial or operating interest in the joint venture. The Company's investment in Guaranteed Rate Affinity had balances of $72 million and $94 million at December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The Company recorded equity in losses of $22 million, earnings of $49 million and earnings of $126 million related to its investment in Guaranteed Rate Affinity during the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The Company received no cash dividends during the year ended December 31, 2022 and $44 million and $96 million in cash dividends from Guaranteed Rate Affinity during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

The Company’s 26% equity interest in the Title Insurance Underwriter Joint Venture as of December 31, 2022 is accounted for as an equity method investment. While the Company has certain governance rights, the Company does not have a controlling financial or operating interest in the joint venture. In March 2022, the Company recorded a $90 million investment at the closing of the Title Underwriter sale transaction which represented the fair value of the Company's 30% equity interest based upon the agreed upon purchase price. Subsequent to the closing, the Company received a dividend equal to $12 million from the Title Insurance Underwriter Joint Venture. This dividend reduced the Company’s investment balance to $78 million as of March 31, 2022. In April 2022, the Company sold a portion of its interest in the Title Insurance Underwriter Joint Venture to a third party reducing the Company's equity stake from 30% to 26%. The sale resulted in a gain of $4 million recorded in the Other income, net line on the Consolidated Statements of Operations. The Company recorded equity in earnings of $6 million from the Title Insurance Underwriter Joint Venture during the year ended December 31, 2022.

Title Group's various other equity method investments had investment balances totaling $10 million and $8 million at December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The Company recorded equity earnings from the operations of Title Group's various other title related equity method investments of $5 million, $6 million and $5 million during the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The Company received $3 million, $7 million and $5 million in cash dividends from these equity method investments during the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

Owned Brokerage Group's equity method investments include its former investment in RealSure, the real estate auction joint venture and other brokerage related investments. RealSure is the Company's 49% owned joint venture with Home Partners of America which was formed in 2020. The Company and Home Partners of America agreed to cease operations of the joint venture in the fourth quarter of 2022 which resulted in a $4 million impairment of the investment. The real estate auction joint venture, the Company's 50% owned unconsolidated joint venture with Sotheby's, was formed in 2021 and

holds an 80% ownership stake in Sotheby's Concierge Auctions, a global luxury real estate auction marketplace that partners with real estate agents to host luxury online auctions for clients. While the Company has certain governance rights over these equity method investments, the Company does not have a controlling financial or operating interest in the joint ventures. These equity method investments had investment balances totaling $27 million and $29 million at December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The Company recorded equity in losses of $17 million, $7 million and none from the operations of Owned Brokerage Group's equity method investments for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The Company invested $19 million, $34 million and $2 million of cash into these equity method investments during the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively.