Commitments and Contingencies | 12. Commitments and contingencies (a) Capital commitment The Company incurred data costs of $2,122 and $2,132 for the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively, under certain data licensing agreements. As of March 31, 2021, material capital commitments under certain data licensing agreements were $8,688, shown as follows: (In thousands) Year March 31, 2021 Remainder of 2021 $ 5,295 2022 2,492 2023 423 2024 217 2025 224 2026 and thereafter 37 Total $ 8,688 (b) Contingencies The Company establishes accruals for those contingencies where the incurrence of a loss is probable and can be reasonably estimated, and it discloses the amount accrued and the amount of a reasonably possible loss in excess of the amount accrued, if such disclosure is necessary for its financial statements to not be misleading. To estimate whether a loss contingency should be accrued by a charge to income, the Company evaluates, among other factors, the degree of probability of an unfavorable outcome and the ability to make a reasonable estimate of the amount of the loss. The Company does not record liabilities when the likelihood that the liability has been incurred is probable, but the amount cannot be reasonably estimated . The Company may be involved in litigation from time to time in the ordinary course of business. The Company does not believe that the ultimate resolution of any such matters will have a material adverse effect on its business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. However, the results of such matters cannot be predicted with certainty and the Company cannot assure you that the ultimate resolution of any legal or administrative proceeding or dispute will not have a material adverse effect on its business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. (c ) Covid-19 update In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus, known as Covid-19, was reported in Wuhan, China and has since extensively impacted the global health and economic environment. In March 2020, the World Health Organization characterized Covid-19 as a pandemic. The Company has taken numerous steps, and will continue to take further actions as appropriate, to minimize the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the Company’s business, results of operations and financial performance. To ensure the health and well-being of its employees, beginning in March 2020, the Company instructed employees at its offices to work from home on a temporary basis. Starting in the second quarter of 2020, the Company implemented cost containment strategies across all areas of the organization, including continued curtailment of Company travel and partnering with suppliers, landlords and vendors for price concessions and payment deferrals during this interim period. As a result of preventative and protective actions taken by federal, state and local governments, including the implementation of stay-at-home orders and social distancing policies that resulted in significantly reduced commercial activity, and certain temporary government-imposed moratoria on collection customers’ activities, the Company experienced reduced transaction volume in the second and third quarters of 2020. Transaction volume returned to pre-Covid levels by the end of the third quarter of 2020, except for collection customer volume. Collection customer transaction volume remained below pre-Covid levels during the first quarter of 2021, down $0.7 million, primarily attributable to the Company’s idiVERIFIED service, which is an ancillary collections market offering that is purely transactional and of a lower margin profile, for the three months ended March 31, 2021, compared to the three months ended March 31, 2020. The Company expects collection customer transaction volume, including that of its idiVERIFIED service, to return to pre-Covid levels in the second half of 2021. Beginning the second quarter of 2020, the Company took a proactive customer-centric approach working with customers who were impacted by Covid-19. Customers who had minimum contractual commitments and requested concessions because they were temporarily unable to meet their minimum contractual commitments as a result of Covid-19 were granted reductions, or eliminations where applicable, of minimums on a month-to-month basis. The end date of the customer’s agreement was extended by one month for each month of the temporary concession. During the second quarter of 2020, the Company provided concessions to a total of 152 customers, representing a $342 reduction in minimum committed spend. During the third quarter of 2020, the Company provided concessions to a total of 22 customers, representing a $94 reduction in minimum committed spend. During the fourth quarter of 2020, the Company provided concessions to a total of 7 customers, representing a $32 reduction in minimum committed spend. The Company continues to work with customers who have been impacted by Covid-19 and consider potential concessions on a case-by-case basis. The Company continues to take precautionary measures intended to minimize the risk of the Covid-19 pandemic to its employees, its customers, and the communities in which it operates. These measures may result in inefficiencies, delays and additional costs to the Company’s business. The Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on the Company and the economy has significantly limited the Company’s ability to forecast its future operating results, including its ability to predict revenue and expense levels, and plan for and model future operating results. The Company will continue to evaluate the nature and extent of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to its business. To further support the Company’s liquidity, beginning April 1, 2020, the Company elected, under Section 2302 of the CARES Act, to defer payment of the employer portion of Social Security payroll tax. Under the CARES Act, employers can forgo timely payment of the employer portion of Social Security taxes that would otherwise be due from March 27, 2020 through December 31, 2020, without penalty or interest charges. Employers must pay 50% of the deferred amount by December 31, 2021, and the remainder by December 31, 2022. On May 5, 2020, the Company received the Loan under the CARES Act as discussed in Note 10 above. The Company will continue to assess the CARES Act and other applicable government legislation aimed at assisting businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic. In accordance with best practices and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Company implemented protective safeguards, including daily temperature checks, mandatory wearing of masks, social distancing, plexiglass protective barriers, and an entire office HVAC UV-C system. The Company began its first phase of employees returning to the Boca Raton, Florida office in June 2020. By the end of the first quarter of 2021, nearly all of the Boca Raton office employees have returned to an in-office work environment. The Company will continue to assess the need and timing of additional employees returning to an in-office work environment. Given the dynamic nature of this health emergency, the full impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the Company’s ongoing business, results of operations and overall financial performance cannot be reasonably estimated at this time. |