Significant Accounting Policies | Note 2. Significant Accounting Policies Basis of Presentation . These accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) and the rules and regulations of the SEC. The Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of CARS and its 100% owned subsidiaries. All intercompany transactions and accounts have been eliminated in consolidation. Use of Estimates . The preparation of the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect amounts reported in the Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying disclosures. Although these estimates are based on management’s best knowledge of current events and actions that the Company may undertake in the future, actual results may differ from those estimates Reclassifications . Certain prior year balances have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation. Revenue. The Company accounts for a customer arrangement when the Company and the customer have an approved contract that specifies the rights and obligations of each party and the payment terms, and the Company believes it is probable that the Company will collect substantially all of the consideration to which the Company will be entitled in exchange for the services that will be provided to the customer. The Company allocates the contractual transaction price to each distinct performance obligation based on the relative standalone selling price and recognizes revenue when it satisfies a performance obligation by providing a service to a customer. Revenue is generated through the Company’s direct sales force (Retail revenue) and prior to October 2019, through affiliate sales channels (Wholesale revenue). Marketplace Subscription Advertising Revenue. The Company’s primary source of Retail revenue and, prior to October 2019, Wholesale revenue is through the sale of marketplace subscription advertising packages to dealer customers. Our subscription packages allow dealer customers to showcase their new and used vehicle inventory to in-market shoppers on the Cars.com website. The subscription packages are generally a fixed price arrangement with varying contract terms, typically ranging from three to six months, that are automatically renewed, typically on a month-to month basis. The Company recognizes subscription package revenue ratably as the service is provided over the contract term. Marketplace subscription advertising revenue is recorded in Retail revenue and, prior to October 2019, Wholesale revenue in the Consolidated Statements of (Loss) Income. The Company also offers its customers several add-on products to the subscription packages. Add-on products include premium advertising products that can be uniquely tailored to an individual dealer customer’s current needs. Substantially all of the Company’s add-on products are not sold separately from the subscription packages as the customer cannot benefit from add-on products on their own. Therefore, the subscription packages and add-on products are combined as a single performance obligation, and the Company recognizes the related revenue ratably as the services are provided over the contract term. The Company also provides services, including hosting, related to flexible, custom designed website platforms supporting highly personalized digital marketing campaigns, digital retailing and messaging platform products. The Company recognizes revenue related to these services ratably as the service is provided over the contract term. The related revenue is recorded in Retail revenue in the Consolidated Statements of (Loss) Income. Prior to October 2019, the Company’s affiliates also sold marketplace subscription advertising Display Advertising Products and Services Revenue. The Company also earns revenue through the sale of display advertising on the Company’s website to national advertisers, pursuant to transaction-based contracts, which are billed for impressions delivered or click-throughs on their advertisements. An impression is the display of an advertisement to an end-user on the website and is a measure of volume. A click-through occurs when an end-user clicks on an impression. The Company recognizes revenue as the impressions or click-throughs are delivered. If the impressions or click-throughs delivered are less than the amount invoiced to the customer, the difference is recorded as deferred revenue and recognized as revenue when earned. The Company also provides services related to customized digital marketing and customer acquisition services, including paid, organic, social and creative services to dealer customers. The Company recognizes revenue related to these services at the point in time the service is provided. Display advertising products revenue sold to dealer customers is recorded in Retail revenue in the Consolidated Statements of (Loss) Income. Pay Per Lead Revenue. The Company also sells leads, which are connections from consumers to dealer customers in the form of phone calls, emails and text messages, to dealer customers, OEMs and third-party resellers. The Company recognizes pay per lead revenue primarily on a per-lead basis at the point in time in which the lead has been delivered. Revenue related to pay per lead is recorded in Retail and Wholesale revenue, in the Consolidated Statements of (Loss) Income. Other Revenue. Other revenue primarily includes revenue related to vehicle listing data sold to third parties and peer-to-peer vehicle advertising. The Company recognizes other revenue either ratably as the services are provided or at the point in time the services have been performed. Other revenue is recorded in Retail revenue in the Consolidated Statements of (Loss) Income. Cash and Cash Equivalents. All cash balances and liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less on their acquisition date are classified as cash and cash equivalents. Accounts Receivable and Allowance for Doubtful Accounts . Accounts receivable are primarily derived from sales to customers and recorded at invoiced amounts. The allowance for doubtful accounts reflects the Company’s estimate of credit exposure, determined principally on the basis of its collection experience, aging of its receivables, expected losses, and any specific reserves needed for certain customers based on their credit risk. Bad debt expense is included in Marketing and sales in the Consolidated Statements of (Loss) Income. The allowance for doubtful accounts was $4.4 million and $5.0 million as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Concentrations of Credit Risk. The Company’s financial instruments, consisting primarily of cash and cash equivalents and customer receivables, are exposed to concentrations of credit risk. The Company invests its cash and cash equivalents with highly-rated financial institutions. Investments . Investments in non-marketable equity securities are measured at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in Net (loss) income. The Company utilizes the measurement alternative for equity investments without readily determinable fair values and revalues these investments upon the occurrence of an observable price change for similar investments. On at least an annual basis, the Company assesses its investments to determine whether any events have occurred, or circumstances have changed, which might have a significant adverse effect on their fair value and which may be indicative of impairment. In the first quarter of 2020, the Company recorded a full impairment of $9.4 million, triggered by the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (“COVID-19”) pandemic and the related restrictions, for the year ended December 31, 2020. The impairment was included in the Other (expense) income, net line item of the Consolidated Statements of (Loss) Incom e. The non-marketable investments recorded within Investments and other assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheets were zero and $9.4 million as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. For further information on the triggering event, see Note 6 (Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets). Property and Equipment . Property and equipment are recorded at cost and depreciated on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives as follows (in thousands): December 31, Asset 2020 2019 Estimated Useful Life Computer software $ 60,707 $ 46,636 18 months - 5 years Computer hardware 20,197 19,429 3 - 5 years Leasehold improvements 18,887 19,151 Lesser of useful life or lease term Furniture and fixtures 4,634 4,757 10 years Property and equipment, gross 104,425 89,973 Less: Accumulated depreciation (63,102 ) (46,277 ) Property and equipment, net $ 41,323 $ 43,696 Depreciation expense for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018 was $18.9 million, $18.3 million and $12.8 million, respectively. Normal repairs and maintenance are expensed as incurred. Any resulting gain or loss from the disposition of those assets is included in General and administrative expense on the Consolidated Statements of (Loss) Income. Internally Developed Technology . The Company capitalizes costs associated with customized internal-use software systems and website development that have reached the application development stage. Such capitalized costs include external direct costs utilized in developing or obtaining the applications and payroll and payroll-related expenses for employees who are directly associated with the applications. Capitalization of such costs begins when the preliminary project stage is complete and ceases at the point in which the project is substantially complete and ready for its intended purpose. The Company reviews the carrying amount of internally developed technology for impairment and useful lives whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. Capitalized software costs, including cloud computing arrangements, for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018 were $16.3 million, $19.8 million and $11.5 million, respectively. Capitalized costs, excluding those for cloud computing arrangements, are included in Property and equipment, net on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Cloud Computing Arrangements. The Company capitalizes costs associated with the development of cloud computing arrangements in a manner consistent with internally developed technology. Capitalized costs are included in Prepaid expenses on the Consolidated Balance Sheet. Any amortization is recorded in the same manner on the Consolidated Statement of (Loss) Income as the associated expense with the underlying host arrangement. These costs as of December 31, 2020 were immaterial. Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets . Prior to the first quarter of 2020, the period in which the Company fully impaired our goodwill, goodwill represented the excess of acquisition cost over the fair value of assets acquired, including identifiable intangible assets, net of liabilities assumed. Goodwill was tested for impairment on an annual basis or between annual tests if events occur or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of a reporting unit below its carrying amount. The Company’s goodwill was tested for impairment at a level referred to as the reporting unit. The level at which the Company tested goodwill for impairment required the Company to determine whether the operations below the business segment level constitute a business for which discrete financial information was available and segment management regularly reviews the operating results. The Company determined that it operated as a single reporting unit. The process of estimating the fair value of goodwill is subjective and required the Company to make estimates that may significantly impact the outcome of the analysis. A qualitative assessment considers events and circumstances such as macroeconomic conditions, industry and market conditions, cost factors and overall financial performance, as well as company specifications. If after performing this assessment, the Company concluded it is more likely than not that the fair value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, then the Company performed the quantitative test. Under the quantitative test, a goodwill impairment is identified by comparing the fair value of the reporting unit to the carrying amount, including goodwill. If the carrying amount of the reporting unit exceeds the fair value of the reporting unit, goodwill is considered impaired and an impairment charge is recognized in an amount equal to the excess, not to exceed the carrying amount of goodwill. The Company estimated the fair value of the reporting unit with an income approach using the discounted cash flow (“DCF”) analysis and the Company also considered a market-based valuation methodology using comparable public company trading values and the Company’s market capitalization. Determining fair value requires the exercise of significant judgments, including the amount and timing of expected future cash flows, long-term growth rates, the discount rate and relevant comparable public company earnings multiples. The cash flows employed in the DCF analysis are based on the Company’s best estimate of future sales, earnings and cash flows after considering factors such as general market conditions and recent operating performance. The discount rate utilized in the DCF analysis is based on the reporting unit’s weighted-average cost of capital, which takes into account the relative weights of each component of capital structure (equity and debt) and represents the expected cost of new capital, adjusted as appropriate to consider the risk inherent in future cash flows of the Company’s reporting unit. Impairment assessment inherently involves management judgments regarding a number of assumptions described above. The reporting unit fair value also depends on the future strength of the U.S. economy. New and developing competition as well as technological change could also adversely affect future fair value estimates. Due to the many variables inherent in the estimation of a reporting unit’s fair value and the relative size of the Company’s recorded goodwill, differences in assumptions could have a material effect on the estimated fair values. For further information, see Note 6 (Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets). The Company’s indefinite-lived intangible asset relates to the Cars.com trade name. Intangible assets with indefinite lives are tested for impairment annually, or more often if circumstances dictate, such as in the quarter ended March 31, 2020, and written down to fair value as required. The estimates of fair value are determined using the “relief from royalty” methodology, which is a variation of the income approach. The discount rate assumption is based on an assessment of the risk inherent in the projected future cash flows generated by the trade name intangible asset. Amortizable intangible assets are amortized on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives as follows: Intangible Asset Estimated Useful Life Acquired software 2 - 7 years Customer relationships 3 - 14 years Other trade names 10 - 12 years Valuation of Long-Lived Assets . The Company reviews the carrying amount of long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. Once an indicator of potential impairment has occurred, the impairment test is based on whether the intent is to hold the asset for continued use or to hold the asset for sale. If the intent is to hold the asset for continued use, the impairment test first requires a comparison of projected undiscounted future cash flows against the carrying amount of the asset group. If the carrying value of the asset group exceeds the estimated undiscounted future cash flows, the asset group would be deemed to be potentially impaired. The impairment, if any, would be measured based on the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the fair value. Fair value is determined primarily using the projected future undiscounted cash flows. Losses on long-lived assets to be disposed of are determined in a similar manner, except that fair values are reduced for the cost to dispose. No impairment losses were recognized for the periods presented in the Consolidated Statements of (Loss) Income. Fair Value of Financial Instruments . The Company’s financial instruments include the interest rate swap (the “Swap”) held at fair value. Financial instruments also include accounts receivable, accounts payable, debt and other liabilities. The carrying values of these instruments approximate their fair values. The Company’s debt is classified as Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy and the fair value is measured based on comparable trading prices, ratings, sectors, coupons and maturities of similar instruments. Level 2 assets and liabilities are based on observable inputs other than quoted prices, such as quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets and liabilities in markets that are not active, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data. Derivative Financial Instrument. The interest rate on borrowings under the Company’s Term Loan is floating and, therefore, subject to fluctuations. In order to manage the risk associated with changes in interest rates on its borrowing under the Term Loan, the Company entered into the Swap effective December 31, 2018. Under the terms of the Swap, the Company is locked into a fixed rate of interest of 2.96% plus an applicable margin, as defined in the Credit Agreement, on a notional amount of $300 million. The amendment entered into in June 2020 (the “Second Amendment”) resulted in the loss of hedge accounting. For further information, see Note 9 (Interest Rate Swap). Statements of ( Loss ) Income . Subsequent to the Second Amendment, any changes in the fair value of the Swap is recorded within Other (expense) income, net on the Consolidated Statements of ( Loss ) Income. As a result of the amendment entered into in October 2020 (the “Third Amendment”), the existing debt at the time of the amendment resulted in a partial debt extinguishment. Due to the reduction in value of the underlying Term Loan upon the Third Amendment as compared to the notional amount of the Swap, a proportional amount of the frozen Accumulated other comprehensive loss balance was immediately reclassified into Interest expense, net. The Swap is recognized on the Consolidated Balance Sheet at fair value and classified based on the instrument’s maturity date. Income Taxes . Income taxes are presented on the Consolidated Financial Statements using the asset and liability method, under which deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized based on the future tax consequences attributable to temporary differences that exist between the financial statement carrying amount of assets and liabilities and their respective tax basis, as well as from operating loss and tax credit carry-forwards. Deferred income taxes reflect expected future tax benefits (i.e. assets) and future tax costs (i.e. liabilities). The Company measures deferred tax assets and liabilities using the enacted tax rate expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recoverable or settled. The Company recognizes the effect on deferred taxes of a change in tax rates in income in the period that includes the enactment date. Valuation allowances are established if, based upon the weight of available evidence, management determines it is “more likely than not” that some portion or all of the deferred tax asset will not be realized. The Company’s uncertain tax position reserves are reviewed periodically and are adjusted as events occur that affect its estimates, such as the availability of new information, the lapsing of applicable statutes of limitation, the conclusion of tax audits, the measurement of additional estimated liability, the identification of new tax matters, the release of administrative tax guidance affecting its estimates of tax liabilities or the rendering of relevant court decisions. Uncertain tax positions that relate to deferred tax assets are recorded against deferred tax assets; otherwise, uncertain tax positions are recorded as either a current or noncurrent liability in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The Company records penalties and interest relating to uncertain tax positions in Income tax (benefit) expense in the Consolidated Statements of (Loss) Income. For further information, see Note 15 (Income Taxes). Stock-Based Compensation. Stock-based compensation expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the vesting period. Forfeitures are recorded at the time the forfeiture event occurs. For further information, see Note 13 (Stock-Based Compensation) Advertising Costs . The Company expenses all advertising costs as they are incurred and are included in Marketing and sales in the Consolidated Statements of (Loss) Income. Advertising expense for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018 was $80.4 million, $115.8 million and $109.2 million, respectively. Cost of Revenue and Operations. Cost of revenue and operations consist of expenses related to the pay-per-lead products, third-party costs such as processing of dealer vehicle inventory, product fulfillment, customer service, hosting for our digital solutions and related compensation costs. Defined Contribution Plans. The Company’s employees are eligible to participate in a defined contribution plan. Participants are eligible on the first day of the quarter following the date of hire after one month of service and are allowed to make tax-deferred contributions up to 100% of annual compensation, subject to limitations specified by the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Employer contributions consist of matching contributions and/or non-elective employer contributions. The Company provides a maximum match for 4% of the employee’s salary and contributions are immediately fully vested. As part of the cost reduction efforts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions, beginning in the second quarter of 2020, the Company temporarily suspended the employer match of employees’ defined contribution plans for a portion of the year ended December 31, 2020. As of December 31, 2020, the Company’s match was fully reinstated. The Company’s contributions to its defined contribution plans for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018 were $2.4 million, $4.3 million and $4.4 million, respectively |