Summary of significant accounting policies	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2017
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Summary of significant accounting policies	1. Summary of significant accounting policies (a) Basis of preparation and liquidity The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared for Cogint, Inc., a Delaware corporation, in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“US GAAP”) and applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) regarding interim financial reporting. Certain information and note disclosures normally included in annual financial statements prepared in accordance with US GAAP have been condensed or omitted pursuant to those rules and regulations. The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all normal recurring adjustments necessary to present fairly the financial position, results of operations, and cash flows for the interim periods, but are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations to be anticipated for any future interim periods or for the full year ending December 31, 2017. The information included in this quarterly report on Form 10-Q should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 (“2016 Form 10-K”). The condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2016 included herein was derived from the audited financial statements as of that date included in the 2016 Form 10-K, but does not include all disclosures including notes required by US GAAP. Reclassifications Certain prior period items, including write-off of long-lived assets, have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation. Principles of consolidation The condensed consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries. All significant transactions among the Company and its subsidiaries have been eliminated upon consolidation. (b) Recently issued accounting standards In May 2014, Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2014-09 (“ASU 2014-09”), “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606).” The standard’s core principle is that a company will recognize revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. In August 2015, FASB issued ASU No. 2015-14, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date,” which delays the effective date of ASU 2014-09 by one year. FASB also agreed to allow entities to choose to adopt the standard as of the original effective date. In March 2016, FASB issued ASU No. 2016-08, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Principal versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue Gross versus Net)” (“ASU 2016-08”), which clarifies the implementation guidance on principal versus agent considerations. The guidance includes indicators to assist an entity in evaluating whether it controls the good or the service before it is transferred to the customer. The new revenue recognition standard will be effective for public entities for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods therein, that is, the first quarter of 2018. The new standard also permits two methods of adoption: retrospectively to each prior reporting period presented (full retrospective method), or retrospectively with the cumulative effect of initially applying the guidance recognized at the date of initial application (the modified retrospective method). We currently do not plan to early adopt ASU 2014-09, and we anticipate adopting the standard using the modified retrospective method. We plan to have our preliminary assessment on the impact this guidance will have on our condensed consolidated financial statements and related disclosures in the fourth quarter of 2017. In February 2016, FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02 (“ASU 2016-02”), “Leases (Topic 842),” which generally requires companies to recognize operating and financing lease liabilities and corresponding right-of-use assets on the balance sheet. This guidance will be effective in the first quarter of 2019 on a modified retrospective basis and early adoption is permitted. We are still evaluating the effect that this guidance will have on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. In March 2016, FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09 (“ASU 2016-09”), “Compensation-Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvement to Employee Share-based Payment Accounting,” which simplifies the accounting for share-based payment transactions, including the income tax consequences, an option to recognize gross share-based compensation expense with actual forfeitures recognized as they occur, as well as certain classifications on the statement of cash flows. We adopted ASU 2016-09 in the first quarter of 2017 on a retrospective basis. As a result of the adoption, the Company recorded an increase to the deferred tax asset balance and an increase to the corresponding valuation allowance of $301 related to the cumulative-effect adjustment as of January 1, 2017. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, the Company recorded tax expense of $482 and $2,451, respectively, which was offset by a corresponding reduction in the valuation allowance. In August 2016, FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15 (“ASU 2016-15”), “Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments,” which provides guidance for certain cash flow issues, including contingent consideration payments made after a business combination and debt prepayment or debt extinguishment costs, etc. The guidance will be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years, and early adoption is permitted. We are still evaluating the impact of ASU 2016-15 on our condensed consolidated financial statements. In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-18 (“ASU 2016-18”), “Restricted Cash,” which requires entities to show the changes in the total of cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents in the statement of cash flows. ASU 2016-18 is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted. The Company plans to adopt this standard on January 1, 2018, and the standard will result in changes to its consolidated statements of cash flows such that restricted cash amounts will be included in the beginning-of-period and end-of-period cash and cash equivalents totals. In January 2017, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2017-04 (“ASU 2017-04”), “Intangibles - Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment,” which eliminates step two from the goodwill impairment test. Under ASU 2017-04, an entity should recognize an impairment charge for the amount by which the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value up to the amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. This guidance will be effective for us in the first quarter of 2020 on a prospective basis, and early adoption is permitted. We do not expect the standard to have a material impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements.

1. Summary of significant accounting policies

(a) Basis of preparation and liquidity

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared for Cogint, Inc., a Delaware corporation, in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“US GAAP”) and applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) regarding interim financial reporting. Certain information and note disclosures normally included in annual financial statements prepared in accordance with US GAAP have been condensed or omitted pursuant to those rules and regulations.

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all normal recurring adjustments necessary to present fairly the financial position, results of operations, and cash flows for the interim periods, but are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations to be anticipated for any future interim periods or for the full year ending December 31, 2017.

The information included in this quarterly report on Form 10-Q should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 (“2016 Form 10-K”).

The condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2016 included herein was derived from the audited financial statements as of that date included in the 2016 Form 10-K, but does not include all disclosures including notes required by US GAAP.

Reclassifications

Certain prior period items, including write-off of long-lived assets, have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation.

Principles of consolidation

The condensed consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries. All significant transactions among the Company and its subsidiaries have been eliminated upon consolidation.

(b) Recently issued accounting standards

In May 2014, Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2014-09 (“ASU 2014-09”), “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606).” The standard’s core principle is that a company will recognize revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. In August 2015, FASB issued ASU No. 2015-14, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date,” which delays the effective date of ASU 2014-09 by one year. FASB also agreed to allow entities to choose to adopt the standard as of the original effective date. In March 2016, FASB issued ASU No. 2016-08, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Principal versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue Gross versus Net)” (“ASU 2016-08”), which clarifies the implementation guidance on principal versus agent considerations. The guidance includes indicators to assist an entity in evaluating whether it controls the good or the service before it is transferred to the customer. The new revenue recognition standard will be effective for public entities for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods therein, that is, the first quarter of 2018. The new standard also permits two methods of adoption: retrospectively to each prior reporting period presented (full retrospective method), or retrospectively with the cumulative effect of initially applying the guidance recognized at the date of initial application (the modified retrospective method). We currently do not plan to early adopt ASU 2014-09, and we anticipate adopting the standard using the modified retrospective method. We plan to have our preliminary assessment on the impact this guidance will have on our condensed consolidated financial statements and related disclosures in the fourth quarter of 2017.

In February 2016, FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02 (“ASU 2016-02”), “Leases (Topic 842),” which generally requires companies to recognize operating and financing lease liabilities and corresponding right-of-use assets on the balance sheet. This guidance will be effective in the first quarter of 2019 on a modified retrospective basis and early adoption is permitted. We are still evaluating the effect that this guidance will have on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In March 2016, FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09 (“ASU 2016-09”), “Compensation-Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvement to Employee Share-based Payment Accounting,” which simplifies the accounting for share-based payment transactions, including the income tax consequences, an option to recognize gross share-based compensation expense with actual forfeitures recognized as they occur, as well as certain classifications on the statement of cash flows. We adopted ASU 2016-09 in the first quarter of 2017 on a retrospective basis. As a result of the adoption, the Company recorded an increase to the deferred tax asset balance and an increase to the corresponding valuation allowance of $301 related to the cumulative-effect adjustment as of January 1, 2017. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, the Company recorded tax expense of $482 and $2,451, respectively, which was offset by a corresponding reduction in the valuation allowance.

In August 2016, FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15 (“ASU 2016-15”), “Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments,” which provides guidance for certain cash flow issues, including contingent consideration payments made after a business combination and debt prepayment or debt extinguishment costs, etc. The guidance will be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years, and early adoption is permitted. We are still evaluating the impact of ASU 2016-15 on our condensed consolidated financial statements.

In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-18 (“ASU 2016-18”), “Restricted Cash,” which requires entities to show the changes in the total of cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents in the statement of cash flows. ASU 2016-18 is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted. The Company plans to adopt this standard on January 1, 2018, and the standard will result in changes to its consolidated statements of cash flows such that restricted cash amounts will be included in the beginning-of-period and end-of-period cash and cash equivalents totals.

In January 2017, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2017-04 (“ASU 2017-04”), “Intangibles - Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment,” which eliminates step two from the goodwill impairment test. Under ASU 2017-04, an entity should recognize an impairment charge for the amount by which the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value up to the amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. This guidance will be effective for us in the first quarter of 2020 on a prospective basis, and early adoption is permitted. We do not expect the standard to have a material impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements.