DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS

The revenue and net income that are reported as discontinued operations in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income are as follows (in thousands):



	Year Ended December 31,
	2014			2013			2012
Revenue	$	14,256		$	(1,520	)	$	86,833

Income (loss) before income taxes ^(a)	$	10,392		$	(4,887	)	$	25,750
Income tax benefit (expense)	(543		)	(54		)	(1,249		)
Gain from sale of discontinued operations, net of tax	—			9,561			24,373
Net income	$	9,849		$	4,620		$	48,874


(a)	Income before income taxes for the year ended December 31, 2012 includes goodwill and intangible asset impairment charges of $1.4 million and restructuring expense totaling $0.3 million. Income before income taxes for the year ended December 31, 2014 includes income from a reduction in the loan loss reserve of $14.1 million. See additional information in "Loan Loss Obligations" below.

LendingTree Loans

On June 6, 2012, the Company sold substantially all of the operating assets of its LendingTree Loans business for $55.9 million in cash to Discover. Of the total purchase price, $8.0 million was paid prior to the closing, $37.9 million was paid upon the closing and the contingent amount of $10.0 million was paid and recognized as a gain from sale of discontinued operations in 2013.

Discover generally did not assume liabilities of the LendingTree Loans business that arose before the closing date, except for certain liabilities directly related to assets Discover acquired. Of the purchase price paid, as of December 31, 2014, $16.1 million is being held in escrow in accordance with the agreement with Discover for certain loan loss obligations that remain with the Company following the sale. As a result of a settlement agreement in 2014 with a secondary market purchaser of loans, $12.1 million of such amount is expected to be released from escrow in December 2015. The escrowed amount is recorded as restricted cash at December 31, 2014.

Separate from the asset purchase agreement, LendingTree agreed to provide certain marketing-related services to Discover in connection with its mortgage origination business for approximately seventeen months following the closing, or such earlier point as the agreed-upon services are satisfactorily completed. The services were satisfactorily completed in 2013.

Discover has participated as a marketplace lender since closing of the transaction.

The Company agreed to indemnify Discover for a breach or inaccuracy of any representation, warranty or covenant made by it in the asset purchase agreement, for any liability of LendingTree Loans that was not assumed, for any claims by its stockholders against Discover and for its failure to comply with any applicable bulk sales law, subject to certain limitations. Discover submitted a claim for indemnification relating to the sale prior to the closing of certain loans that were listed in the asset purchase agreement as to be conveyed to Discover at closing. In May 2013, this indemnification claim and other miscellaneous items were settled by agreeing to credit Discover for $1.3 million in future services. A majority of these credits were applied against services during the year ended December 31, 2013. The remaining credits were exhausted in 2014.

An evaluation of the facts and circumstances of the transaction and the applicable accounting guidance for discontinued operations indicates that the LendingTree Loans business should be reflected as discontinued operations in the accompanying consolidated financial statements for all periods presented. The continuing cash flows related to this transaction are not significant and, accordingly, are not deemed to be direct cash flows of the divested business.

Significant Assets and Liabilities of LendingTree Loans

Upon closing of the sale of substantially all of the operating assets of the LendingTree Loans business on June 6, 2012, LendingTree Loans ceased to originate consumer loans. The remaining operations are being wound down. These wind-down activities have included, among other things, selling the balance of loans held for sale to investors, paying off and then terminating the warehouse lines of credit and settling derivative obligations, all of which have been completed. Liability for losses on previously sold loans will remain with LendingTree Loans and are discussed below.

Loan Loss Obligations

LendingTree Loans sold loans it originated to investors on a servicing-released basis, so the risk of loss or default by the borrower was generally transferred to the investor. However, LendingTree Loans was required by these investors to make certain representations and warranties relating to credit information, loan documentation and collateral. These representations and warranties may extend through the contractual life of the loan. Subsequent to the loan sale, if underwriting deficiencies, borrower fraud or documentation defects are discovered in individual loans, LendingTree Loans may be obligated to repurchase the respective loan or indemnify the investors for any losses from borrower defaults if such deficiency or defect cannot be cured within the specified period following discovery. In the case of early loan payoffs and early defaults on certain loans, LendingTree Loans may be required to repay all or a portion of the premium initially paid by the investor.

HLC, a subsidiary of the Company, continues to be liable for these indemnification obligations, repurchase obligations and premium repayment obligations following the sale of substantially all of the operating assets of its LendingTree Loans business in the second quarter of 2012. As of December 31, 2014, approximately $16.1 million is being held in escrow pending resolution of certain of these contingent liabilities. As a result of a settlement agreement in 2014 with a secondary market purchaser of loans, $12.1 million of such amount is expected to be released from escrow in December 2015.

Prior to the sale of substantially all of the operating assets of LendingTree Loans in June 2012, it originated approximately 234,000 loans with an original issue balance of $38.9 billion.

During the fourth quarter of 2014, LendingTree Loans completed a settlement agreement for $5.4 million with the largest investor to which it had sold loans. This investor accounted for approximately 40% of both the total number of loans sold and the original issue balance. This settlement related to all existing and future losses on loans sold to this investor. The settlement was paid in the fourth quarter of 2014 with restricted cash of $3.1 million and cash on hand of $2.3 million. The settlement with this investor in the fourth quarter of 2014 and the impact this settlement had on the estimate of the remaining loan loss obligations resulted in income of $14.1 million, which is included in income from discontinued operations in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income. The adjustment to the loan loss reserve did not result in tax expense recognition due to the Company's full valuation allowance against its deferred tax assets.

In the second quarter of 2012, LendingTree Loans completed settlements with two buyers of previously purchased loans. These settlements of $0.5 million and $3.3 million, respectively, relate to all existing and substantially all future losses on loans sold to these buyers. In the second quarter of 2014, LendingTree Loans completed settlements with two buyers of previously purchased loans.

The Company has been negotiating with certain of the remaining secondary market purchasers to settle any existing and future contingent liabilities, but it may not be able to complete such negotiations on acceptable terms, or at all. Because LendingTree Loans does not service the loans it sold, it does not maintain nor generally have access to the current balances and loan performance data with respect to the individual loans previously sold to investors. Accordingly, LendingTree Loans is unable to determine, with precision, its maximum exposure for breaches of the representations and warranties it made to the investors that purchased such loans.

During the fourth quarter of 2013, the Company revised its estimation process for evaluating the adequacy of the reserve for loan losses to use a settlement discount framework. This model estimates the lifetime losses on the population of remaining loans originated and sold by LendingTree Loans using actual defaults for loans with similar characteristics and projected future defaults. It also considers the likelihood of claims expected due to alleged breaches of representations and warranties made by LendingTree Loans and the percentage of those claims investors estimate LendingTree Loans may agree to repurchase. A settlement discount factor is then applied to the result of the foregoing to reflect publicly-announced bulk settlements for similar loan types and vintages, the Company's own settlement experience, as well as LendingTree Loans' non-operating status, in order to estimate a range of potential obligation.

The estimated range of remaining loan losses using this settlement discount framework was determined to be $6.3 million to $11.2 million at December 31, 2014. The reserve balance recorded as of December 31, 2014 was $8.8 million. Management has considered both objective and subjective factors in the estimation process, but given current general industry trends in mortgage loans as well as housing prices and market expectations, actual losses related to LendingTree Loans' obligations could vary significantly from the obligation recorded as of the balance sheet date or the range estimated above.

Additionally, LendingTree has guaranteed certain loans sold to two investors in the event that LendingTree Loans is unable to satisfy its repurchase and warranty obligations related to such loans.

Based on historical experience, it is anticipated that LendingTree Loans will continue to receive repurchase requests and incur losses on loans sold in prior years.

The activity related to loss reserves on previously sold loans is as follows (in thousands):



	Year Ended December 31,
	2014			2013			2012
Loan loss reserve, beginning of period	$	28,543		$	27,182		$	31,512
Provision adjustments ^(a)	(14,144		)	1,531			6,977
Change in estimate ^(b)	—			—			(6,493		)
Charge-offs to reserves	(5,649		)	(170		)	(4,814		)
Loan loss reserve, end of period	$	8,750		$	28,543		$	27,182


(a)	As discussed above, during 2014, LendingTree Loans completed a settlement agreement with the largest investor to which it had sold loans, resulting in an adjustment to the provision.


(b)	During 2012, in order to reflect the Company's exit from the mortgage loan origination business and its commercial objective to pursue bulk settlements with investors, management revised the estimation process for evaluating the adequacy of the reserve for loan losses resulting in a change in estimate.

The liability for losses on previously sold loans is included in current liabilities of discontinued operations in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2014 and 2013.

Warehouse Lines of Credit

As a result of the closing of the sale of substantially all of the operating assets of the LendingTree Loans business on June 6, 2012, all three then-existing warehouse lines of credit totaling $325.0 million expired and terminated on July 21, 2012. Borrowings under these lines of credit were used to fund, and were secured by, consumer residential loans that were held for sale. Loans under these lines of credit were repaid using proceeds from the sales of loans by LendingTree Loans. The LendingTree Loans business was highly dependent on the availability of these warehouse lines.

Fair Value Measurements

A financial instrument's categorization within the fair value hierarchy is based upon the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. Transfers in and out of Level 1, 2 or 3 are recorded at fair value at the beginning of the reporting period.

Following is a description of valuation methodologies used for instruments measured at fair value, as well as the general classification of such instruments pursuant to the fair value hierarchy.

LendingTree Loans entered into commitments with consumers to originate loans at specified interest rates (interest rate lock commitments—"IRLCs"). IRLCs were reported as derivative instruments at fair value, with changes in fair value being recorded in discontinued operations. IRLCs for loans to be sold to investors using a mandatory or assignment of trade ("AOT") method were hedged using "to be announced mortgage-backed securities" ("TBA MBS") and were valued using quantitative risk models. The IRLCs derive their base value from an underlying loan type with similar characteristics using the TBA MBS market, which is actively quoted and easily validated through external sources. The most significant data inputs used in this valuation included, but were not limited to, loan type, underlying loan amount, note rate, loan program and expected sale date of the loan. IRLCs for loans sold to investors on a best-efforts basis were hedged using best-efforts forward delivery commitments. LendingTree Loans valued IRLCs for loans sold to investors on a best-efforts basis using quantitative risk models on a loan level basis. The most significant data inputs used in the valuation of these IRLCs included, but were not limited to, investor pricing tables stratified by product, note rate and term, adjusted for current market conditions. These valuations were adjusted at the loan level to consider the servicing-release premium and loan pricing adjustments specific to each loan. LendingTree Loans applied an anticipated loan funding probability based on its own experience to value IRLCs, which resulted in the classification of these derivatives as Level 3. The value of the underlying loans and the anticipated loan funding probability were the most significant assumptions affecting the valuation of IRLCs. A significant change in the unobservable inputs could have resulted in a significant change in the ending fair value measurement. At December 31, 2014 and 2013, there are no IRLCs outstanding.

Loans held for sale measured at fair value and sold to investors using a mandatory or AOT method were also hedged using TBA MBS and valued using quantitative risk models. The valuation was based on the loan amount, note rate, loan program and expected sale date of the loan. Loans held for sale measured at fair value and sold to investors on a best-efforts basis were hedged using best-efforts forward delivery commitments and were valued using quantitative risk models. The most significant data inputs used in the valuation of these loans included investor pricing tables stratified by product, note rate and term, adjusted for current market conditions. Loans held for sale, excluding impaired loans, were classified as Level 2. Loans held for sale measured at fair value that became impaired were transferred from Level 2 to Level 3, as the estimate of fair value was based on LendingTree Loans' experience considering lien position and current status of the loan. A significant change in the unobservable inputs could have resulted in a significant change in the ending fair value measurement. LendingTree Loans recognized interest income separately from other changes in fair value.

Under LendingTree Loans' risk management policy, LendingTree Loans economically hedged the changes in fair value of IRLCs and loans held for sale caused by changes in interest rates by using TBA MBS and entering into best-efforts forward delivery commitments. These hedging instruments were recorded at fair value with changes in fair value recorded in current earnings as a component of revenue from the origination and sale of loans. TBA MBS used to hedge both IRLCs and loans were valued using quantitative risk models based primarily on inputs related to characteristics of the MBS stratified by product, coupon and settlement date. These derivatives were classified as Level 2. Best-efforts forward delivery commitments were valued using quantitative risk models based on investor pricing tables stratified by product, note rate and term, adjusted for current market conditions. An anticipated loan funding probability was applied to value best-efforts commitments hedging IRLCs, which resulted in the classification of these contracts as Level 3. The current base loan price and the anticipated loan funding probability were the most significant assumptions affecting the value of the best-efforts commitments. A significant change in the unobservable inputs could have resulted in a significant change in the ending fair value measurement. The best-efforts forward delivery commitments hedging loans held for sale were classified as Level 2, so such contracts were transferred from Level 3 to Level 2 at the time the underlying loan was originated. For the purposes of the tables below, we refer to TBA MBS and best-efforts forward delivery commitments collectively as "Forward Delivery Contracts".

Assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis

There were no assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis at December 31, 2014 and 2013; however, there were during the year ended December 31, 2012.

The changes in assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) during the year ended December 31, 2012 are as follows (in thousands):



	December 31, 2012
	Interest Rate Lock Commitments			Forward Delivery Contracts			Loans Held for Sale
Balance at January 1, 2012	$	9,122		$	19		$	295
Transfers into Level 3	—			—			564
Transfers out of Level 3	—			(845		)	—
Total net gains (losses) included in earnings (realized and unrealized)	73,378			846			(147		)
Purchases, sales, and settlements:
Purchases	—			—			—
Sales	(5,640		)	(20		)	(491		)
Settlements	(3,401		)	—			(221		)
Transfers of IRLCs to closed loans	(73,459		)	—			—
Balance at December 31, 2012	$	—		$	—		$	—

The following presents the gains (losses) included in earnings for the year ended December 31, 2012 relating to assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) (in thousands):



	Year Ended December 31, 2012
	Interest Rate Lock Commitments		Forward Delivery Contracts		Loans Held for Sale
Total net gains (losses) included in earnings, which are included in discontinued operations	$	73,378	$	846	$	(147	)
Change in unrealized losses relating to assets and liabilities still held at December 31, 2012, which are included in discontinued operations	$	—	$	—	$	(412	)

The gain recognized in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income for derivatives for the year ended December 31, 2012 was as follows (in thousands):



	Location of Gain Recognized in Income on Derivative	Year Ended December 31, 2012
Interest Rate Lock Commitments	Discontinued operations	$	73,378
Forward Delivery Contracts	Discontinued operations	4,244
Total gain on derivatives		$	77,622

Assets and liabilities under the fair value option

LendingTree Loans elected to account for loans held for sale originated on or after January 1, 2008 at fair value. Electing the fair value option allowed a better offset of the changes in fair values of the loans and the forward delivery contracts used to economically hedge them, without the burden of complying with the requirements for hedge accounting.

LendingTree Loans did not elect the fair value option on loans held for sale originated prior to January 1, 2008 and on loans that were repurchased from investors on or subsequent to that date. As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, there were no loans held for sale or carried at the lower of cost or market ("LOCOM") value assessed on an individual loan basis.

During the year ended December 31, 2012, the change in fair value of loans held for sale for which the fair value option was elected was a gain of $2.7 million and is included in discontinued operations in the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive income.