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DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS | 6 Months Ended
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Jun. 30, 2021
Discontinued Operations and Disposal Groups [Abstract] |
DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS | DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS The LendingTree Loans Business is presented as discontinued operations in the accompanying financial statements. The LendingTree Loans Business originated various consumer mortgage loans through HLC. On June 6, 2012, the Company sold substantially all of the operating assets of HLC, including the 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 HLC that arose before the closing date, except for certain liabilities directly related to assets Discover acquired. A portion of the purchase price received was deposited in escrow in accordance with the purchase agreement with Discover for certain loan loss obligations that remained with HLC following the sale. During 2018, the remaining funds in escrow were released to HLC in accordance with the terms of the purchase agreement with Discover. Upon closing of the sale of substantially all of the operating assets of HLC on June 6, 2012, HLC ceased to originate consumer loans. HLC agreed to retain certain liability for losses on previously sold loans. Litigation settlements and contingencies and legal fees associated with related bankruptcy and ongoing legal proceedings against the Company are included in discontinued operations in the accompanying financial statements. Home Loan Center, Inc. Bankruptcy Filing On June 21, 2019, the U.S. District Court of Minnesota entered judgment in ResCap Liquidating Trust v. Home Loan Center, Inc., against HLC for $68.5 million, see Litigation Related to Discontinued Operations below. The judgment against HLC exceeded the assets of HLC, which were $11.2 million at July 21, 2019, including cash of $5.9 million. On July 19, 2019, HLC appealed the judgment to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. On July 21, 2019, at the direction of the sole independent director of HLC, HLC voluntarily filed a petition under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (the “Bankruptcy Code”) with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Northern District of California in San Jose, California (the “Bankruptcy Court”) in order to preserve assets for the benefit of all creditors of HLC. On September 16, 2019, the Bankruptcy Court converted the bankruptcy to Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code and appointed a Trustee to liquidate HLC's assets. HLC’s voluntary petition under the Bankruptcy Code does not represent an event of default under LendingTree, LLC’s Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement dated as of December 10, 2019, the Company’s indenture dated May 31, 2017 with respect to the Company’s 0.625% Convertible Senior Notes due 2022, or the Company’s indenture dated July 24, 2020 with respect to the Company’s 0.50% Convertible Senior Notes due 2025. As a result of the voluntary petition, LendingTree, LLC was, as of the initial July 21, 2019 bankruptcy petition filing date, no longer deemed to have a controlling interest in HLC under applicable accounting standards. As a result, HLC and its consolidated subsidiary were deconsolidated from the Company’s consolidated financial statements as of July 21, 2019. The effect of such deconsolidation was the elimination of the consolidated assets and liabilities of HLC (and its consolidated subsidiary) from the Company’s consolidated balance sheets. Upon deconsolidation, in 2019 the Company recognized a loss of $5.5 million which includes a net gain of $4.5 million related to the removal of HLC's (and its consolidated subsidiary's) assets and liabilities and the recognition of a liability of $10.0 million related to LendingTree, LLC's ownership in HLC. No consideration was received by the Company as a result of the deconsolidation. During its bankruptcy, HLC indicated that it believed that it had claims against HLC’s sole shareholder, LendingTree, LLC, and certain of its officers and directors, relating to the declaration of a dividend by HLC in January 2016 of $40.0 million. LendingTree, LLC believes the declaration of the dividend was proper, that the amounts paid to LendingTree, LLC following such declaration are not subject to recovery by HLC and that any claims by HLC relating to such dividend declaration are without merit. During the second quarter of 2020, LendingTree, LLC and HLC entered into a settlement agreement in the amount of $36.0 million for the release of any and all claims against the Company defendants by HLC, including the dividend claim. The bankruptcy court held a hearing on July 16, 2020 on the motion to approve the settlement to which no objections were made, and approved the settlement the same day. The $36.0 million settlement payment was made in the third quarter of 2020. During the HLC bankruptcy, a bar date for claims against HLC was set, establishing a deadline for all HLC’s creditors to assert any claim they may have had against HLC. Distributions were made to holders of allowed claims deemed timely filed. After all distributions to creditors were made and HLC’s Chapter 7 bankruptcy estate was fully administered, the HLC bankruptcy case was closed on July 14, 2021. Litigation Related to Discontinued Operations Residential Funding Company ResCap Liquidating Trust v. Home Loan Center, Inc., Case No. 14-cv-1716 (U.S. Dist. Ct., Minn.), successor to 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 original captioned matter, which involves claims of Residential Funding Company, LLC ("RFC") for damages for breach of contract and indemnification for certain residential mortgage loans as well as residential mortgage-backed securitizations ("RMBS") containing mortgage loans. RFC asserted 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 alleged that, after RFC filed for Chapter 11 protection, hundreds of proofs of claim were filed, many of which mirrored the litigation filed against RFC prior to its bankruptcy. In December 2013, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York entered an Order confirming the Second Amended Joint Chapter 11 Plan Proposed by Residential Capital, LLC et al. and the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors. Plaintiff then began filing substantially similar complaints against approximately 80 of the loan originators from whom RFC had purchased loans, including HLC, in federal and state courts in Minnesota and New York. In each case, plaintiff claimed that the defendant is liable for a portion of the global settlement in RFC’s bankruptcy. HLC’s filing under the Bankruptcy Code discussed above in Home Loan Center, Inc. Bankruptcy Filing created an automatic stay of enforcement of the judgment entered against HLC by the U.S. District Court in Minnesota. On August 27, 2019, plaintiff filed a lawsuit captioned ResCap Liquidating Trust v. LendingTree, LLC, et al., Case No. 19-cv-2360 (U.S. Dist. Ct., Minn.), seeking to hold the Company liable for the judgment against HLC, under assumption of liability, agency and alter ego theories. On June 17, 2020, the Company entered into a settlement agreement with ResCap, pursuant to which, the Company agreed to, among other things, pay ResCap $58.5 million, less any amounts ResCap receives in the HLC bankruptcy, in exchange for, among other things, ResCap releasing any and all claims against the Company, and the Company’s directors and officers, including any claims asserted in ResCap v. LendingTree. Pursuant to the settlement agreement, the Company was responsible for the difference of $58.5 million minus the amount that ResCap received through the HLC Bankruptcy. In the third and fourth quarters of 2020, the Company made payments of $26.5 million and $6.4 million, respectively, to the ResCap Liquidating Trust, and the ResCap Liquidating Trust, in turn, assigned its allowed claims against HLC to the Company. In the second quarter of 2021, the Company received a refund of $8.6 million related to these amounts, from the final distributions in the HLC Bankruptcy on account of the allowed claims that the ResCap Liquidating Trust had assigned to the Company. Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc. Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. v. 1st Advantage Mortgage, LLC et al., Case No. 08-13555 (SCC), Adversary Proceeding No. 16-01342 (SCC) (Bankr. S.D.N.Y.). In February 2016, Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc. (“LBHI”) filed an Adversary Complaint against HLC and approximately 149 other defendants (the "Complaint"). On December 4, 2019, LBHI filed a $44.7 million proof of claim in HLC’s bankruptcy seeking recovery for the claims asserted in the lawsuit. HLC’s filing under the Bankruptcy Code discussed above in Home Loan Center, Inc. Bankruptcy Filing created an automatic stay of this proceeding. On June 11, 2020, LBHI filed a lawsuit captioned Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. v. LendingTree, LLC, et al., Case No. 20-cv-01351 (U.S. Dist. Ct., Minn.), transferred to Case No. 08-13555 (SCC), Adversary Proceeding No. 21-01107 (SCC) (Bankr. S.D.N.Y.), seeking to hold the Company liable for its allowed bankruptcy claim of $13.3 million. In July 2021, the Company reached a settlement with LBHI, which is included as a liability on the accompanying consolidated balance sheet as of June 30, 2021. Financial Information of Discontinued Operations The components of net loss reported as discontinued operations in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income are as follows (in thousands):
| Three Months Ended June 30, |  | Six Months Ended June 30,
| 2021 |  | 2020 |  | 2021 |  | 2020
Revenue | $ | — |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | — |
Loss before income taxes | (4,261) |  |  | (28,424) |  |  | (4,614) |  |  | (34,526) |
Income tax benefit | 1,062 |  |  | 7,283 |  |  | 1,152 |  |  | 8,810 |
Net loss | $ | (3,199) |  |  | $ | (21,141) |  |  | $ | (3,462) |  |  | $ | (25,716) |
Losses from discontinued operations included all activity of HLC prior to bankruptcy, including litigation settlements, contingencies and legal fees associated with legal proceedings. The results of discontinued operations also include litigation settlements and contingencies and legal fees associated with ongoing legal proceedings against LendingTree, Inc. or LendingTree, LLC that arose due to the LendingTree Loans Business or the HLC bankruptcy filing.

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- Definition The entire disclosure related to a disposal group. Includes, but is not limited to, a discontinued operation, disposal classified as held-for-sale or disposed of by means other than sale or disposal of an individually significant component. + References Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 360 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/topic&trid=2155823 Reference 2: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 205 -SubTopic 20 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/subtopic&trid=2122178 + Details
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