Credit Losses

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2020

In the first quarter of 2020, we adopted the updated guidance within Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") 326, Credit Impairment for the measurement of credit losses for most financial assets and certain other instruments that are not measured at fair value through net income. Under this updated standard, the previous "incurred loss" approach is replaced with an "expected loss" model for instruments measured at amortized cost. The adoption of this standard in the first quarter of 2020 resulted in a $10 million increase in the allowance for credit losses, partially offset by a $1 million decrease in deferred tax liabilities and a $1 million increase in accounts receivable with a corresponding increase of approximately $8 million in our opening retained deficit as of January 1, 2020.

We are exposed to credit losses primarily through our sales of services provided to participants in the travel and transportation industry which we consider to be our singular portfolio segment. We develop and document our methodology used in determining the allowance for credit losses at the portfolio segment level. Within the travel portfolio segment, we identify airlines, hoteliers and travel agencies as each presenting unique risk characteristics associated with historical credit loss patterns unique to each and we determine the adequacy of our allowance for credit loss by assessing the risks and losses inherent in our receivables related to each.

The majority of our receivables are trade receivables due in less than one year. In addition to our short-term trade and unbilled receivables, our receivables also include contract assets and long-term trade unbilled receivables. See Note 2. Revenue from Contracts with Customers for more information about these financial assets. Contract assets and long-term receivables are reviewed for recoverability on a periodic basis based on a review of subjective factors and trends in collection data including the aging of our trade receivable balances with these customers and expectations of future global economic growth. We believe our credit risk is mitigated with carriers who use the Airline Clearing House (“ACH”) and other similar clearing houses, as ACH requires participants to deposit certain balances into their demand deposit accounts by certain deadlines, which facilitates a timely settlement process. For those carriers from which we do not collect payments through the ACH or other similar clearing houses, our credit risk is higher. We monitor our ongoing credit exposure for these carriers through active review of customer balances against contract terms and due dates with account management. Our activities include established collection processes, account reconciliations, dispute resolution and payment confirmations. We may employ collection agencies and legal counsel to pursue recovery of defaulted receivables. We generally do not require security or collateral from our customers as a condition of sale.

We evaluate the collectability of our receivables based on a combination of factors. In circumstances where we are aware of a specific customer’s inability to meet its financial obligations to us, such as bankruptcy filings or failure to pay amounts due to us or others, we specifically reserve for bad debts against amounts due to reduce the recorded receivable to the amount we reasonably believe will be collected. For all other customers, we record reserves for receivables, including unbilled receivables and contract assets, based on historical experience and the length of time the receivables are past due. The estimate of credit losses is developed by analyzing historical twelve-month collection rates and adjusting for current customer-specific factors indicating financial instability and other macroeconomic factors that correlate with the expected collectability of our receivables.

Receivables are considered to be delinquent when contractual payment terms are exceeded. All receivables aged over twelve months are fully reserved. Receivables are written off against the allowance when it is probable that all remaining contractual payments will not be collected as evidenced by factors such as the extended age of the balance, the exhaustion of collection efforts, and the lack of ongoing contact or billing with the customer.

Our allowance for credit losses relates to all financial assets, primarily trade receivables due in less than one year recorded in Accounts Receivable, net on our consolidated balance sheets. Our allowance for credit losses for the three months ended March 31, 2020 for our portfolio segment is summarized as follows (in thousands):


	Three Months Ended March 31, 2020
Balance at December 31, 2019	$	57,730
Cumulative-effect adjustment upon adoption	9,868
Provision for expected credit losses	36,359
Write-offs	(3,945)
Other	2,743
Balance at March 31, 2020	$	102,755

For the three months ended March 31, 2020, we made a decision to fully reserve for balances related to particular customers due to heightened uncertainty regarding collectability during the quarter. Additionally, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy and other general increases in aging balances affected our current estimate of expected credit losses since year-end. Macro-economic factors, including the economic downtown and lack of liquidity in the capital markets resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, can have a significant effect on additions to the allowance as the pandemic may result in the restructuring or bankruptcy of certain of our customers. Given the uncertainties surrounding the duration and effects of COVID-19, we cannot provide assurance that the assumptions used in our estimates will be accurate.