SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING AND REPORTING POLICIES | Revenue Recognition The Company has contractual agreements with its clients that set forth the general terms and conditions of the relationship including line item pricing, payment terms and contract duration. Revenues are recognized as earned (i.e., for transaction based fees, when the underlying transaction is processed) in conjunction with ASC 605, Revenue Recognition . ASC 605, Revenue Recognition , establishes guidance as to when revenue is realized or realizable and earned by using the following criteria: (1) persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists; (2) delivery has occurred or services have been rendered; (3) the seller’s price is fixed or determinable; and (4) collectibility is reasonably assured. The Company follows guidance provided in ASC 605-45, Principal Agent Considerations . ASC 605-45, Principal Agent Considerations, which states that whether a company should recognize revenue based on the gross amount billed to a customer or the net amount retained is a matter of judgment that depends on the facts and circumstances of the arrangement and that certain factors should be considered in the evaluation. The Company recognizes processing revenues net of interchange fees, which are assessed to the Company’s merchant customers on all processed transactions. Interchange rates are not controlled by the Company, which effectively acts as a clearing house collecting and remitting interchange fee settlement on behalf of issuing banks, debit networks, credit card associations and its processing customers. All other revenue is reported on a gross basis, as the Company contracts directly with the end customer, assumes the risk of loss and has pricing flexibility. The Company generates revenue primarily by processing electronic payment transactions. Set forth below is a description of the Company’s revenue by segment. Merchant Services The Company’s Merchant Services segment revenue is primarily derived from processing credit and debit card transactions. Merchant Services revenue is primarily comprised of fees charged to businesses, net of interchange fees, for payment processing services, including authorization, capture, clearing, settlement and information reporting of electronic transactions. The fees charged consist of either a percentage of the dollar volume of the transaction or a fixed fee, or both, and are recognized at the time of the transaction. Merchant Services revenue also includes a number of revenue items that are incurred by the Company and are reimbursable as the costs are passed through to and paid by the Company’s clients. These items primarily consist of Visa, MasterCard and other payment network fees. In addition, for sales through ISOs and certain other referral sources in which the Company is the primary party to the contract with the merchant, the Company records the full amount of the fees collected from the merchant as revenue. Merchant Services segment revenue also includes revenue from ancillary services such as fraud management, equipment sales and terminal rent. Merchant Services revenue is recognized as services are performed. Financial Institution Services The Company’s Financial Institution Services segment revenues are primarily derived from debit, credit and ATM card transaction processing, ATM driving and support, and PIN debit processing services. Financial Institution Services revenue associated with processing transactions includes per transaction and account related fees, card production fees and fees generated from the Company’s Jeanie network. Financial Institution Services revenue related to card transaction processing is recognized when consumers use their client-issued cards to make purchases. Financial Institution Services also generates revenue through other services, including statement production, collections and inbound/outbound call centers for credit transactions and other services such as credit card portfolio analytics, program strategy and support, fraud and security management and chargeback and dispute services. Financial Institution Services revenue is recognized as services are performed. Financial Institution Services provides certain services to Fifth Third. Revenues related to these services are included in the accompanying statements of income as related party revenues. Expenses Set forth below is a brief description of the components of the Company’s expenses: • Network fees and other costs primarily consist of certain expenses incurred by the Company in connection with providing processing services to its clients which are passed through to its clients, including Visa and MasterCard network association fees, payment network fees, third party processing fees, telecommunication charges, postage and card production costs. • Sales and marketing expense primarily consists of salaries and benefits paid to sales personnel, sales management and other sales and marketing personnel, residual payments made to ISOs and referral partners, and advertising and promotional costs. • Other operating costs primarily consist of salaries and benefits paid to operational and IT personnel, costs associated with operating the Company’s technology platform and data centers, information technology costs for processing transactions, product development costs, software consulting fees and maintenance costs. • General and administrative expenses primarily consist of salaries and benefits paid to executive management and administrative employees, including finance, human resources, product development, legal and risk management, share-based compensation costs, equipment and occupancy costs and consulting costs. • Non-operating expenses during the three months and six months ended June 30, 2015 primarily relate to the change in fair value of a tax receivable agreement ("TRA") entered into in June 2014 (see Note 8 - Fair Value Measurements). The amounts for the three months and six months ended June 30, 2014 relate to the refinancing of the Company's senior secured credit facilities in June 2014 and the change in fair value of a TRA entered into in June 2014. Share-Based Compensation The Company expenses employee share-based payments under ASC 718, Compensation—Stock Compensation , which requires compensation cost for the grant-date fair value of share-based payments to be recognized over the requisite service period. The Company estimates the grant date fair value of the share-based awards issued in the form of options using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The fair value of restricted stock awards and performance awards is measured based on the market price of the Company’s stock on the grant date. For the six months ended June 30, 2015 and 2014 total share-based compensation expense was $16.7 million and $20.0 million , respectively. Earnings Per Share Basic earnings per share is computed by dividing net income attributable to Vantiv, Inc. by the weighted average shares outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings per share is computed by dividing net income attributable to Vantiv, Inc., adjusted as necessary for the impact of potentially dilutive securities, by the weighted-average shares outstanding during the period and the impact of securities that would have a dilutive effect on earnings per share. See Note 9 - Net Income Per Share for further discussion. Dividend Restrictions The Company does not intend to pay cash dividends on its Class A common stock in the foreseeable future. Vantiv, Inc. is a holding company that does not conduct any business operations of its own. As a result, Vantiv, Inc.’s ability to pay cash dividends on its common stock, if any, is dependent upon cash dividends and distributions and other transfers from Vantiv Holding, which are subject to certain Fifth Third consent rights in the Amended and Restated Vantiv Holding Limited Liability Company Agreement. These consent rights require the approval of Fifth Third for certain significant matters, including the payment of all distributions by Vantiv Holding other than certain permitted distributions, which relate primarily to the payment of tax distributions and tax-related obligations. The amounts available to Vantiv, Inc. to pay cash dividends are also subject to the covenants and distribution restrictions in its subsidiaries’ loan agreements. As a result of the restrictions on distributions from Vantiv Holding and its subsidiaries, essentially all of the Company's consolidated net assets are held at the subsidiary level and are restricted as of June 30, 2015. Income Taxes Vantiv, Inc. is taxed as a C corporation for U.S. income tax purposes and is therefore subject to both federal and state taxation at a corporate level. Income taxes are computed in accordance with ASC 740, Income Taxes , and reflect the net tax effects of temporary differences between the financial reporting carrying amounts of assets and liabilities and the corresponding income tax amounts. The Company has deferred tax assets and liabilities and maintains valuation allowances where it is more likely than not that all or a portion of deferred tax assets will not be realized. To the extent the Company determines that it will not realize the benefit of some or all of its deferred tax assets, such deferred tax assets will be adjusted through the Company’s provision for income taxes in the period in which this determination is made. As of June 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014 , the Company had recorded no valuation allowances against deferred tax assets. The Company's consolidated interim effective tax rate is based upon expected annual income from operations, statutory tax rates and tax laws in the various jurisdictions in which the Company operates. Significant or unusual items, including adjustments to accruals for tax uncertainties, are recognized in the quarter in which the related event occurs. The Company's effective tax rates were 31.5% and 28.4% , respectively, for the six months ended June 30, 2015 and 2014. The effective tax rate for each period reflects the impact of the Company's non-controlling interests. Cash and Cash Equivalents Cash on hand and investments with original maturities of three months or less (that are readily convertible to cash) are considered to be cash equivalents. Cash equivalents consist primarily of overnight EuroDollar sweep accounts which are maintained at reputable financial institutions with high credit quality and therefore are considered to bear minimal credit risk. Accounts Receivable—net Accounts receivable primarily represent processing revenues earned but not collected. For a majority of its customers, the Company has the authority to debit the client’s bank accounts through the Federal Reserve’s Automated Clearing House; as such, collectibility is reasonably assured. The Company records a reserve for doubtful accounts when it is probable that the accounts receivable will not be collected. The Company reviews historical loss experience and the financial position of its customers when estimating the allowance. As of June 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014 , the allowance for doubtful accounts was not material to the Company’s statements of financial position. Customer Incentives Customer incentives represent signing bonuses paid to customers. Customer incentives are paid in connection with the acquisition or renewal of customer contracts, and are therefore deferred and amortized using the straight-line method based on the contractual agreement. Related amortization is recorded as contra-revenue. Property, Equipment and Software—net Property, equipment and software consists of the Company’s facilities, furniture and equipment, software, land and leasehold improvements. These assets are depreciated on a straight-line basis over their respective useful lives, which are 15 to 40 years for the Company’s facilities and related improvements, 2 to 10 years for furniture and equipment, 3 to 5 years for software and 3 to 10 years for leasehold improvements or the lesser of the estimated useful life of the improvement or the term of lease. Also included in property, equipment and software is work in progress consisting of costs associated with software developed for internal use which has not yet been placed in service. Accumulated depreciation as of June 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014 was $224.5 million and $202.8 million , respectively. The Company capitalizes certain costs related to computer software developed for internal use and amortizes such costs on a straight-line basis over an estimated useful life of 3 to 5 years. Research and development costs incurred prior to establishing technological feasibility are charged to operations as such costs are incurred. Once technological feasibility has been established, costs are capitalized until the software is placed in service. Goodwill and Intangible Assets In accordance with ASC 350, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other , the Company tests goodwill for impairment for each reporting unit on an annual basis, or when events occur or circumstances indicate the fair value of a reporting unit is below its carrying value. If the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value, an impairment loss is recorded to the extent that fair value of the goodwill within the reporting unit is less than its carrying value. The Company performed its most recent annual goodwill impairment test for all reporting units as of July 31, 2014 using market data and discounted cash flow analyses. Based on this analysis, it was determined that the fair value of all reporting units were substantially in excess of the carrying value. There have been no other events or changes in circumstances subsequent to the testing date that would indicate impairment of these reporting units as of June 30, 2015 . Intangible assets consist of acquired customer relationships, trade names and customer portfolios and related assets that are amortized over their estimated useful lives. The Company reviews finite lived intangible assets for possible impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that carrying amounts may not be recoverable. As of June 30, 2015 , there have been no such events or circumstances that would indicate potential impairment of finite lived intangible assets. Subsequent to the Mercury acquisition in June 2014, the Company decided to phase out an existing trade name used in the ISO channel within the Merchant Services segment. As a result of this decision, the remaining useful life was changed from indefinite to definite which resulted in the Company recording a charge to amortization expense of $34.3 million during the quarter ended June 30, 2014. Settlement Assets and Obligations Settlement assets and obligations result from Financial Institution Services when funds are transferred from or received by the Company prior to receiving or paying funds to a different entity. This timing difference results in a settlement asset or obligation. The amounts are generally collected or paid the following business day. The settlement assets and obligations recorded by Merchant Services represent intermediary balances due to differences between the amount the Sponsoring Member receives from the card associations and the amount funded to the merchants. Such differences arise from timing differences, interchange expenses, merchant reserves and exception items. In addition, certain card associations limit the Company from accessing or controlling merchant settlement funds and, instead, require that these funds be controlled by the Sponsoring Member. The Company follows a net settlement process whereby, if the settlement received from the card associations precedes the funding obligation to the merchant, the Company temporarily records a corresponding liability. Conversely, if the funding obligation to the merchant precedes the settlement from the card associations, the amount of the net receivable position is recorded by the Company, or in some cases, the Sponsoring Member may cover the position with its own funds in which case a receivable position is not recorded by the Company. Derivatives The Company accounts for derivatives in accordance with ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging . This guidance establishes accounting and reporting for derivative instruments, including certain derivative instruments embedded in other contracts, and for hedging activities. All derivatives, whether designated in hedging relationships or not, are required to be recorded on the statement of financial position at fair value. If the derivative is designated as a fair value hedge, the changes in the fair value of the derivative and the hedged item will be recognized in earnings. If the derivative is designated as a cash flow hedge, the effective portion of the change in the fair value of the derivative will be recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income ("AOCI") and will be recognized in the statement of income when the hedged item affects earnings. The Company does not enter into derivative financial instruments for speculative purposes. Tax Receivable Agreements As of June 30, 2015, the Company is party to tax receivable agreements ("TRAs") with Fifth Third, which were executed in connection with its initial public offering ("IPO"). One provides for the payment by the Company to Fifth Third of 85% of the amount of cash savings, if any, in U.S. federal, state, local and foreign income tax that the Company actually realizes as a result of the increases in tax basis that may result from the purchase of Vantiv Holding units from Fifth Third or from the future exchange of units by Fifth Third for cash or shares of the Company's Class A common stock, as well as the tax benefits attributable to payments made under such tax receivable agreement. Any actual increase in tax basis, as well as the amount and timing of any payments under the agreement, will vary depending upon a number of factors, including the timing of exchanges, the price of shares of our Class A common stock at the time of the exchange, the extent to which such exchanges are taxable, and the amount and timing of the Company's income. The other tax receivable agreement provides for the payment by the Company to Fifth Third of 85% of the amount of cash savings according to Fifth Third's respective ownership interests in Vantiv Holding immediately prior to our initial public offering, if any, in U.S. federal, state, local and foreign income tax that National Processing Company ("NPC") actually realizes as a result of its use of its net operating losses ("NOLs") and other tax attributes. Simultaneously and in connection with the completion of the acquisition of Mercury Payment Systems, LLC ("Mercury"), the Company entered into a TRA (the "Mercury TRA") with pre-acquisition owners of Mercury (the "Mercury TRA Holders"). The Mercury TRA generally provides for the payment by the Company to the Mercury TRA Holders of 85% of the value of the amount of cash savings, if any, in U.S. federal, state, local and foreign income tax that the Company actually realizes as a result of the increase in tax basis of the assets of Mercury and the use of the NOLs and other tax attributes of Mercury. The Mercury TRA is considered contingent consideration under ASC 805, Business Combinations ("ASC 805") as it is part of the consideration payable to the former owners of Mercury. In accordance with ASC 805, the contingent consideration is initially measured at fair value at the acquisition date and recorded as a liability. The Mercury TRA liability is therefore recorded at fair value based on estimates of discounted future cash flows associated with estimated payments to the Mercury TRA Holders. The liability recorded by the Company for the Mercury TRA obligations will be re-measured at fair value at each reporting date with the change in fair value recognized in earnings as a non-operating expense. All TRA obligations are recorded based on the full and undiscounted amount of the expected future payments, except for the Mercury TRA which represents contingent consideration relating to an acquired business, and is recorded at fair value for financial reporting purposes (See Note 8 - Fair Value Measurements). Payments under each of the TRAs discussed above are required to the extent the Company realizes cash savings as a result of the underlying tax attributes. The cash savings realized by the Company are computed by comparing the Company's actual income tax liability to the amount of such taxes the Company would have been required to pay had there been no deductions related to the tax attributes discussed above. The Company retains the benefit of the remaining 15% of these tax savings. The timing and/or amount of aggregate payments due under the TRAs may vary based on a number of factors, including the amount and timing of the taxable income the Company generates in the future and the tax rate then applicable, the use of loss carryovers and amortizable basis. Payments under the TRAs, if necessary, are required to be made no later than January 5th of the second year immediately following the current taxable year. A payment under the TRA obligations of approximately $22.8 million was paid during January 2015. The term of the TRAs will continue until all such tax benefits have been utilized or expired, unless we exercise our right to terminate the TRAs for an amount based on the agreed payments remaining to be made under the agreements. See Note 12 - Subsequent Event for discussion of the Repurchase Addendum to the Mercury TRA executed as of July 24, 2015. New Accounting Pronouncements In April 2015, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2015-03, Interest - Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30): Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs. The update requires debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of the related debt liability instead of being presented as an asset. Amortization of the costs will continue to be reported as interest expense. The update requires retrospective application and represents a change in accounting principle. The update is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2015, with early adoption permitted for financial statements that have not been previously issued. The Company does not expect the new guidance to have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements. In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, "Revenue From Contracts With Customers." The ASU supersedes the revenue recognition requirements in ASC 605, Revenue Recognition . The amendment provides a five-step analysis of transactions to determine when and how revenue is recognized, based upon the core principal that revenue is recognized to depict the transfer of goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The amendment also requires additional disclosures regarding the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. The amendment is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2016, with early adoption prohibited. The amendment allows companies to use either a full retrospective or a modified retrospective approach to adopt this ASU. In July 2015, the FASB confirmed its decision to defer the effective date of this standard by one year, which makes the standard effective beginning after December 15, 2017. The Company is currently evaluating which transition approach to use and assessing the impact of the adoption of this principle on the Company's consolidated financial statements. |