Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2017

Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]

As discussed in Note A, Significant Accounting Policies, goodwill is not amortized, but is tested for impairment on an annual basis or when circumstances exist that indicate goodwill may be impaired. Prior to the transaction resulting in the sale of Trillium, the company's goodwill was allocated between two reporting units; Customer Interaction and Trillium. As of December 31, 2016 we had one reporting unit.

During our annual impairment test in 2017, we performed a Step One analysis using a business enterprise value approach to determine the fair value of the business. The fair value of the reporting unit was estimated for the purpose of deriving an excess or deficit between the fair value and the carrying amount of the business enterprise. The fair value calculated using the discounted cash flow method was a component of the analysis. Estimated future cash flows were discounted at a rate of 14.0%. The results of the Step One analysis, in accordance with ASU 2017-04, indicated that the carrying value exceeded the fair value and the full carrying value of goodwill should be written-off, resulting in an impairment charge of $34.5 million. Our fair value estimates relied on management assumptions including market rates, revenue growth rates, operating margins, and discount rates.

In conjunction with the sale of Trillium on December 23, 2016, the allocated fair value of goodwill of $149.3 million was written-off. This write-off is reflected in the Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of income taxes line of the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) in the Consolidated Financial Statements.

During our annual impairment test in 2016, we performed a Step One analysis. During the first step we used the income-based approach, in which estimated future cash flows were discounted at a rate of 11.5%. The results were combined with results of the market-based approach to determine fair value of the business. The results indicated that the fair value of the reporting unit was less than its carrying amount and a Step Two analysis was warranted.

Under Step Two, the fair value of the reporting unit was estimated for the purpose of deriving an estimate of the implied fair value of goodwill. The fair value of tangible assets along with the estimated fair value of intangible assets including non-compete agreements, trade names, and customer relationships, were taken into consideration for the analysis. Additional assumptions used in measuring the fair value of the assets and liabilities included customer attrition rates, discount rates, and royalty rates used in valuing the intangible assets, and the consideration of the market environment in valuing tangible assets. The resulting implied fair value of the goodwill was then compared to the recorded goodwill to determine the amount of impairment. The results of Step Two indicated that a goodwill write down of $38.7 million was necessary.

During 2015, as a result of a sustained decline in our market capitalization below our book value of equity and recent operating performance, the company determined that a triggering event had occurred. Using the income-based approach and the market-based approach, the fair value of the reporting unit was estimated to be below the carrying value and therefore indicated impairment. The second step of the test indicated that goodwill was impaired by $209.9 million. The impairment charge resulted in a corresponding $36.8 million tax benefit resulting in a net income impact of $173.1 million. Our fair value estimates relied on management assumptions including discount rate, revenue growth rates, operating margins, attrition rates, and royalty rates.

Our accumulated goodwill impairment was $283.1 million, $248.6 million, and $209.9 million for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015, respectively.

We recorded $3.5 million in goodwill in 2016 in connection with the acquisition of the business of Aleutian Consulting, Inc. on March 4, 2016. The residual purchase price methodology used in the calculation relied on management's assumptions, which are considered Level 3 inputs, as they are unobservable. This goodwill will be tax deductible.

On April 14, 2015, we sold our B2B research businesses, Aberdeen Group and Harte Hanks Market Intelligence (the "B2B research business”). As a result, the $11.1 million allocated fair value within the net book value of Customer Interaction goodwill was written off. In addition, $2.3 million of intangible assets with indefinite useful lives related to the Aberdeen Group trade name was written off. These amounts are reflected in the Loss on sale in the Other expenses section of the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss).

On March 16, 2015, we acquired 3Q Digital. We performed a valuation to estimate of the total purchase consideration and values for the tangible and identifiable intangible assets. As a result, we recorded $41.8 million in goodwill and $4.8 million of identified intangible assets with definite lives for client relationships and non-compete agreements. For further discussion on transactions discussed above, see Note M, Acquisition and Disposition.

The changes in the carrying amount of goodwill are as follows:



In thousands
Balance at December 31, 2015	$	69,699
Purchase consideration	3,480
Impairment	(38,669		)
Balance at December 31, 2016	$	34,510
Impairment	(34,510		)
Balance at December 31, 2017	$	—

Other intangibles with definite useful lives relate to contact databases, client relationships, and non-compete agreements. They are amortized on a straight-line basis over their respective estimated useful lives, typically a period of 2 to 10 years, and reviewed for impairment when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable.

The changes in the carrying amount of other intangibles with definite lives are as follows:



In thousands
Balance at December 31, 2015	$	4,123
Amortization	(821		)
Balance at December 31, 2016	$	3,302
Amortization	(713		)
Balance at December 31, 2017	$	2,589

Amortization expense related to other intangibles with definite useful lives was $0.7 million, $0.8 million, and 0.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015, respectively. Expected amortization expense for the next five years is as follows:



In thousands
2018	$	624
2019	613
2020	613
2021	613
2022	126
Thereafter	—
Total	2,589

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the aggregate amount of goodwill and a description of intangible assets, which may include (a) for amortizable intangible assets (also referred to as finite-lived intangible assets), the carrying amount, the amount of any significant residual value, and the weighted-average amortization period, (b) for intangible assets not subject to amortization (also referred to as indefinite-lived intangible assets), the carrying amount, and (c) the amount of research and development assets acquired and written off in the period, including the line item in the income statement in which the amounts written off are aggregated, if not readily apparent from the income statement. Also discloses (a) for amortizable intangibles assets in total and by major class, the gross carrying amount and accumulated amortization, the total amortization expense for the period, and the estimated aggregate amortization expense for each of the five succeeding fiscal years, (b) for intangible assets not subject to amortization the carrying amount in total and by major class, and (c) for goodwill, in total and for each reportable segment, the changes in the carrying amount of goodwill during the period (including the aggregate amount of goodwill acquired, the aggregate amount of impairment losses recognized, and the amount of goodwill included in the gain (loss) on disposal of a reporting unit). If any part of goodwill has not been allocated to a reportable segment, discloses the unallocated amount and the reasons for not allocating. For each impairment loss recognized related to an intangible asset (excluding goodwill), discloses: (a) a description of the impaired intangible asset and the facts and circumstances leading to the impairment, (b) the amount of the impairment loss and the method for determining fair value, (c) the caption in the income statement or the statement of activities in which the impairment loss is aggregated, and (d) the segment in which the impaired intangible asset is reported. For each goodwill impairment loss recognized, discloses: (a) a description of the facts and circumstances leading to the impairment, (b) the amount of the impairment loss and the method of determining the fair value of the associated reporting unit, and (c) if a recognized impairment loss is an estimate not finalized and the reasons why the estimate is not final. May also disclose the nature and amount of any significant adjustments made to a previous estimate of an impairment loss.

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