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Income Taxes (Tables) | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2015
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract] |
Schedule of Effective Tax Rates | The effective tax rates for the respective periods are shown below:
| Year Ended December 31,
| 2015 |  | 2014 |  | 2013
Federal provision | 35.0 | % |  | 35.0 | % |  | 35.0 | %
State (benefit) provision(1) | (1.2 | )% |  | 8.2 | % |  | 5.8 | %
Federal expense (benefit) of state | 0.4 | % |  | (2.9 | )% |  | (2.0 | )%
Changes in state apportionment(2) | 0.0 | % |  | 0.0 | % |  | (0.2 | )%
International benefit(3) | (12.5 | )% |  | (3.6 | )% |  | (2.2 | )%
Tax reserves(4) | (3.3 | )% |  | 0.0 | % |  | 0.0 | %
Permanent items(5) | 9.6 | % |  | 4.3 | % |  | 2.4 | %
Release of valuation allowance | (9.1 | )% |  | 0.0 | % |  | 0.0 | %
Other(6) | 3.4 | % |  | (6.4 | )% |  | (1.2 | )%
Effective rate | 22.3 | % |  | 34.6 | % |  | 37.6 | %
________________________
(1) | Change from 2014 to 2015 relates primarily to a beneficial settlement with a state tax authority.
(2) | Represents changes in state apportionment methodologies.
(3) | Relates primarily to the lower tax rate on the income attributable to international operations.
(4) | Represents release of reserves taken for a certain tax position.
(5) | Represents a provision for nondeductible items, including the CFPB settlement.
(6) | Includes the effect of discrete items, primarily relates to the recognition of tax benefit as a result of a favorable tax settlement with taxing authorities as discussed below.
Components of Pretax Income | The pretax income from continuing operations consisted of the following (in thousands):
| Year Ended December 31,
| 2015 |  | 2014 |  | 2013
Domestic | $ | 22,104 |  |  | $ | 131,434 |  |  | $ | 105,009 |
Foreign | 38,877 |  |  | 21,181 |  |  | 15,859 |
| $ | 60,981 |  |  | $ | 152,615 |  |  | $ | 120,868 |
Components of Provision for Income Taxes | The provision for income taxes consisted of the following (in thousands):
| Year Ended December 31,
| 2015 |  | 2014 |  | 2013
Current expense: |  |  |  |  |
Federal | $ | 42,459 |  |  | $ | 71,002 |  |  | $ | 50,304 |
State | 567 |  |  | 7,741 |  |  | 7,196 |
Foreign | 7,124 |  |  | 3,752 |  |  | 4,052 |
| 50,150 |  |  | 82,495 |  |  | 61,552 |
Deferred (benefit) expense: |  |  |  |  |
Federal | (35,353 | ) |  | (33,398 | ) |  | (13,134 | )
State | (1,409 | ) |  | 2,710 |  |  | (2,369 | )
Foreign | 209 |  |  | 918 |  |  | (661 | )
| (36,553 | ) |  | (29,770 | ) |  | (16,164 | )
| $ | 13,597 |  |  | $ | 52,725 |  |  | $ | 45,388 |
Components of Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities | The components of deferred tax assets and liabilities consisted of the following (in thousands):
| December 31, 2015 |  | December 31, 2014
Deferred tax assets: |  |  |
Stock-based compensation expense | $ | 1,301 |  |  | $ | 7,143 |
Accrued expenses | 7,899 |  |  | 6,701 |
Differences in income recognition related to receivable portfolios | 33,652 |  |  | 31,799 |
State and international operating losses | 15,234 |  |  | 12,917 |
Difference in basis of depreciable assets | 3,069 |  |  | 2,077 |
Capitalized legal fees—international | 4,143 |  |  | 4,365 |
Cumulative translation adjustment | 958 |  |  | 4,036 |
Tax benefit of uncertain tax positions | 1,349 |  |  | 1,247 |
Difference in basis of bond and loan costs | 9,480 |  |  | 10,455 |
Difference in basis of intangible assets | 18,089 |  |  | — |
Other | 2,372 |  |  | 376 |
Valuation allowance | (4,517 | ) |  | (10,047 | )
| 93,029 |  |  | 71,069 |
Deferred tax liabilities: |  |  |
State taxes | (690 | ) |  | (1,643 | )
Deferred court costs | (25,277 | ) |  | (19,550 | )
Difference in basis of amortizable assets | (14,988 | ) |  | (10,682 | )
Difference in basis of depreciable assets | (9,163 | ) |  | (7,868 | )
Differences in income recognition related to receivable portfolios | (17,432 | ) |  | (16,308 | )
Deferred debt cancellation income | (1,957 | ) |  | (2,602 | )
Other | (46 | ) |  | (3,533 | )
| (69,553 | ) |  | (62,186 | )
Net deferred tax asset | $ | 23,476 |  |  | $ | 8,883 |
Differences between Total Income Tax Expense and Income Tax Expense | The differences between the total income tax expense and the income tax expense computed using the applicable federal income tax rate of 35.0% per annum were as follows (in thousands):
| Year Ended December 31,
| 2015 |  | 2014 |  | 2013
Computed “expected” Federal income tax expense | $ | 21,343 |  |  | $ | 53,415 |  |  | $ | 42,304 |
(Decrease) increase in income taxes resulting from: |  |  |  |  |
State income taxes, net | (460 | ) |  | 8,118 |  |  | 3,138 |
Foreign non-taxed income, rate differential | (7,609 | ) |  | (5,453 | ) |  | (2,647 | )
Other adjustments, net | 323 |  |  | (3,355 | ) |  | 2,593 |
| $ | 13,597 |  |  | $ | 52,725 |  |  | $ | 45,388 |
Unrecognized Tax Benefit | A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of the Company’s unrecognized tax benefit is as follows (in thousands):
| Amount
Balance at December 31, 2012 | $ | 1,784 |
Decreases related to prior year tax positions | (712 | )
Increases related to current and prior year tax positions | 70,201 |
Balance at December 31, 2013 | 71,273 |
Increases related to prior year tax positions | 33,027 |
Increases related to current year tax positions | 1,329 |
Decreases related to settlements with taxing authorities | (67,204 | )
Balance at December 31, 2014 | 38,425 |
Increases related to prior year tax positions | 5,835 |
Increases related to current year tax positions | 11,882 |
Decreases related to prior year tax positions | (8,193 | )
Balance at December 31, 2015 | $ | 47,949 |

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- Definition Tabular disclosure of the components of income tax expense attributable to continuing operations for each year presented including, but not limited to: current tax expense (benefit), deferred tax expense (benefit), investment tax credits, government grants, the benefits of operating loss carryforwards, tax expense that results from allocating certain tax benefits either directly to contributed capital or to reduce goodwill or other noncurrent intangible assets of an acquired entity, adjustments of a deferred tax liability or asset for enacted changes in tax laws or rates or a change in the tax status of the entity, and adjustments of the beginning-of-the-year balances of a valuation allowance because of a change in circumstances that causes a change in judgment about the realizability of the related deferred tax asset in future years. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 740 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 9 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6907707&loc=d3e32639-109319 + Details
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