Summary of Significant Accounting Policies | 1. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Organization PHH Corporation and subsidiaries (collectively, “PHH” or the “Company”) is a leading provider of end to end mortgage solutions. The Company operates in two business segments, Mortgage Production, which provides mortgage loan origination services and sells mortgage loans, and Mortgage Servicing, which performs servicing activities for originated and purchased loans, and acts as a sub-servicer. The Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts and transactions of PHH and its subsidiaries, as well as entities in which the Company directly or indirectly has a controlling interest and variable interest entities of which the Company is the primary beneficiary. PHH Home Loans, LLC and its subsidiaries are consolidated within the Consolidated Financial Statements and Realogy Corporation’s ownership interest is presented as a noncontrolling interest. Intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated from the Consolidated Financial Statements. Preparation of Financial Statements The Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (GAAP) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. These estimates and assumptions include, but are not limited to, those related to the valuation of mortgage servicing rights, mortgage loans held for sale and other financial instruments, the estimation of liabilities for commitments and contingencies, mortgage loan repurchases and indemnifications and the determination of certain income tax assets and liabilities and associated valuation allowances. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Effective on July 1, 2014, the Company sold its Fleet Management Services business and related fleet entities (collectively the “Fleet business”) to certain wholly owned subsidiaries of Element Financial Corporation. The results of the Fleet business are presented as discontinued operations in the Consolidated Statements of Operations, and have been excluded from continuing operations and segment results for all periods presented. The cash flows and comprehensive income related to the Fleet business have not been segregated and are included in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows and Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income, respectively, for all periods presented. Amounts related to the Fleet business are excluded from the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements unless otherwise noted. See Note 2, 'Discontinued Operations' for additional information. Unless otherwise noted, and except for share and per share data, dollar amounts presented within these Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements are in millions. Changes in Accounting Policies Presentation of Financial Statements. In April 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-08, “Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity.” Under the new guidance, only disposals of a component of an entity that represent a major strategic shift on an entity’s operations and financial results shall be reported in discontinued operations. The guidance also requires the presentation as discontinued operations for an entity that, on acquisition, meets the criteria to be classified as held for sale. In addition, the update expands disclosures for discontinued operations, requires new disclosures regarding disposals of an individually significant component of an entity that does not qualify for discontinued operations presentation and expands disclosures about an entity’s significant continuing involvement with a discontinued operation. Due to the change in requirements for reporting discontinued operations described above, presentation and disclosures of future disposal transactions after adoption may be different than under current standards. The Company adopted this guidance as of January 1, 2015, and there was no impact to the Company’s financial statements or disclosures. Transfers of Financial Assets. In June 2014, the FASB issued limited amendments to ASC 860, “Transfers and Servicing” through the issuance of ASU 2014-11, “Repurchase-to-Maturity Transactions, Repurchase Financings, and Disclosures.” The update requires entities to account for repurchase-to-maturity transactions as secured borrowings, and eliminates the accounting guidance on linked repurchase financing transactions. In addition, the update expands disclosure requirements related to certain transfers of financial assets accounted for as financings and accounted for as sales. The Company adopted this guidance as of January 1, 2015 and there was no impact to the Company’s financial statements. Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements Revenue Recognition. In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-9, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers.” The objective of the guidance is to clarify the principles for recognizing revenue and to develop a common revenue standard for GAAP and IFRS. The Amendment supersedes most current revenue recognition guidance, including industry-specific guidance. The Amendment also enhances disclosure requirements around revenue recognition and the related cash flows. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-14, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers - Deferral of the Effective Date,” which defers the effective date for ASU 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers.” The update defers the effective date of the new revenue recognition guidance for one year; therefore the guidance is to be applied retrospectively to all prior periods presented or through a cumulative adjustment in the year of adoption, for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is permitted only as of annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim reporting periods within that period. The Company is not expecting to early adopt this guidance and is currently evaluating the impact of adopting this new standard. Share-Based Payments. In June 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-12, “Accounting for Share-Based Payments When the Terms of an Award Provide That a Performance Target Could Be Achieved after the Requisite Service Period.” The amendments require that a performance target that affects vesting and that could be achieved after the requisite service period be treated as a performance condition, rather than being reflected in estimating the grant-date fair value of the award. The amendments are effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015 and will be adopted prospectively. The Company does not expect the adoption of this new standard to have an impact on its financial statements. Presentation of Financial Statements. In August 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-15, “Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern” which requires an entity’s management, at each annual and interim reporting period, to evaluate the entity’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the date that the financial statements are issued and to provide enhanced footnote disclosures surrounding any uncertainties and management’s evaluation of the uncertainties. Management’s evaluation should be based on relevant conditions and events that are known at the date financial statements are issued. The amendments in this Update are effective for the first interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016 with early adoption permitted. This new standard enhances disclosure requirements but will not impact the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows. Consolidation. In February 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-02, “Amendments to the Consolidation Analysis.” The update impacts an entity’s consolidation analysis of its variable interest entities, particularly those that have fee arrangements and related party relationships. The update eliminates certain conditions for evaluating whether a fee paid to a decision maker or a service provider represents a variable interest, and places more emphasis in the evaluation of variable interests other than fee arrangements. Additionally, the amendments reduce the extent to which related party arrangements cause an entity to be considered a primary beneficiary. The amendments in this update are effective for the first interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015 and can be applied retrospectively or by using a modified retrospective approach. The Company does not expect the adoption of this new standard to have a significant impact on its financial statements. Interest. In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-03, “Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs” which requires that debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability be presented in the Balance Sheets as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of that debt liability, consistent with the presentation of debt discounts. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-15, “Presentation and Subsequent Measurement of Debt Issue Costs Associated with Line-of-Credit Arrangements” which states that due to the lack of authoritative guidance within ASU 2015-03 for debt issuance costs related to line-of-credit arrangements, the SEC staff would not object to an entity deferring and presenting debt issuance costs as an asset and subsequently amortizing the deferred debt issuance costs ratably over the term of the line-of-credit arrangement, regardless of whether there are any outstanding borrowings on the line-of-credit arrangement. The amendments in these updates are effective for the first interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015 and will be applied retrospectively. The adoption will impact the Company's balance sheet presentation, and will result in a reclassification of an insignificant balance of deferred costs from Other assets to Debt, but will not impact the Company’s results of operations or cash flows. Intangibles-Goodwill and Other-Internal-Use Software. In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-05, “Customer’s Accounting for Fees Paid in a Cloud Computing Arrangement.” This update clarifies whether a cloud computing arrangement should be accounted for as a software license or as a service contract by the customer, depending on the terms of the arrangement. In addition, the guidance requires all software licenses within the scope of the internal use software subtopic to be accounted for consistent with other licenses of intangible assets. The amendments in this update are effective for the first interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015 and will be adopted prospectively to all arrangements entered into or materially modified after the effective date. The Company does not expect the adoption of this new standard to have an impact on its financial statements. Financial Instruments. In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-01, “Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities.” This update revises an entity's accounting related to the classification and measurement of investments in equity securities (except those accounted for under the equity method of accounting or those that result in consolidation of the investee), changes the presentation of certain fair value changes relating to instrument specific credit risk for financial liabilities and amends certain disclosure requirements associated with the fair value of financial instruments. This update is effective for the first interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017 with early adoption permitted for certain provisions of the update. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting this new standard. Leases. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842).” This update revises an entity’s accounting for operating leases by a lessee, among other changes, and requires a lessee to recognize a liability to make lease payments and an asset representing its right to use the underlying asset for the lease term in the statement of financial position. The distinction between finance and operating leases has not changed and the update does not significantly change the effect of finance and operating leases on the statement of comprehensive income and the statement of cash flows. Additionally, this update requires both qualitative and specific quantitative disclosures. This update is effective for the first interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018, with early adoption permitted. At adoption, this update will be applied using a modified retrospective approach. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting this new standard. Revenue Recognition Mortgage Production. Mortgage production includes the origination and sale of residential mortgage loans, which are originated through various channels, including relationships with financial institutions, real estate brokerage firms, and corporate clients. The Company also purchases mortgage loans originated by third parties. Revenues from Mortgage production include: Origination and other loan fees. Origination and other loan fees consist of fee income earned on all loan originations, including loans closed to be sold and fee-based closings. Fee income consists of amounts earned related to application and underwriting fees, fees on canceled loans and amounts earned from financial institutions related to brokered loan fees and origination assistance fees resulting from private label mortgage outsourcing activities. Fees associated with the origination and acquisition of mortgage loans are recognized as earned. Gain on loans held for sale. Gain on loans held for sale, net includes the realized and unrealized gains and losses on sales of mortgage loans, as well as the changes in fair value of all loan-related derivatives, including interest rate lock commitments and freestanding loan-related derivatives. Interest income. Interest income is recognized on loans held for sale for the period from loan funding to sale, which is typically within 30 days . Loans are placed on non-accrual status when any portion of the principal or interest is 90 days past due or earlier if factors indicate that the ultimate collectability of the principal or interest is not probable. Interest received from loans on non-accrual status is recorded as income when collected. Loans return to accrual status when the principal and interest become current and it is probable that the amounts are fully collectible. Mortgage Servicing. Mortgage servicing involves the servicing of residential mortgage loans on behalf of an investor. Revenues from Mortgage servicing include: Loan servicing income–Capitalized servicing portfolio . Loan servicing income from the capitalized servicing portfolio represents recurring servicing and other ancillary fees earned for servicing mortgage loans owned by investors. Servicing fees received for servicing mortgage loans owned by investors are based on a stipulated percentage of the outstanding monthly principal balance on such loans, or the difference between the weighted-average yield received on the mortgage loans and the amount paid to the investor, less guaranty fees and interest on curtailments. Loan servicing income is receivable only out of interest collected from mortgagors and is recorded as income when collected. Late charges and other miscellaneous fees collected from mortgagors are also recorded as income when collected. Loan servicing income—Subserviced portfolio . Loan servicing income related to the subserviced portfolio includes fee income related to loans that are subserviced for clients that own the underlying servicing rights. Contractual subservicing fees are generally based on a stated amount per loan and vary depending on the delinquency status of the loan and the terms of each subservicing agreement. Fees related to the subserviced portfolio are accrued in the period the services are performed. Sales of Financial Assets Originated mortgage loans are principally sold directly to, or pursuant to programs sponsored by, government-sponsored entities and other investors. Additionally, the Company has entered into agreements to sell a portion of newly-created Mortgage servicing rights (“MSRs”) and may complete other sales of existing MSRs. Each type of loan sale agreement is evaluated for sales treatment through a review that includes both an accounting and a legal analysis to determine whether or not the transferred assets have been isolated from the transferor, the extent of the continuing involvement and the existence of any protection provisions. Each MSR sale agreement is evaluated for sales treatment through a review that includes an analysis of the approvals required by the investor and the purchaser, as well as a review of any seller financing or interim servicing provisions. MSR sales are further evaluated to determine that both title to the MSRs and substantially all risks and rewards have been transferred to the purchaser prior to recognizing a transfer of MSRs as a sale. To the extent the transfer of loan or MSR assets qualifies as a sale, the asset is derecognized and the gain or loss is recorded on the sale date. In the event the transfer of assets does not qualify as a sale, the transfer would be treated as a secured borrowing. For MSR sale agreements where the Company has continuing involvement through an ongoing subservicing arrangement, to the extent the transfer of MSRs qualifies as a sale, any loss is recorded on the sale date and any gain amount is recognized over the life of the subservicing agreement. Income Taxes Current tax expense represents the amount of taxes currently payable to or receivable from a taxing authority plus amounts accrued for income tax contingencies (including tax, penalty and interest). Deferred tax expense generally represents the net change in the deferred tax asset or liability balance during the year plus any change in the valuation allowance, excluding any changes in amounts recorded in Additional paid-in capital or Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Deferred income taxes are determined using the balance sheet method. This method requires that income taxes reflect the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets or liabilities for book and tax purposes using the current enacted tax rates. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are regularly reviewed to assess their potential realization and to establish a valuation allowance when it is “more likely than not” that some portion will not be realized. The Company is subject to the income tax laws of the various jurisdictions in which it operates, including U.S. federal, state and local jurisdictions. A consolidated federal income tax return is filed. Depending upon the jurisdiction, the Company files consolidated or separate legal entity state income tax returns. With respect to the Company’s operations prior to the sale of the Fleet business in 2014, the Company was also subject to income tax laws of Canada. Cash and Cash Equivalents Cash and cash equivalents include marketable securities with original maturities of three months or less. Restricted Cash Restricted cash includes amounts specifically designated to repay debt, to provide over-collateralization within warehouse facilities and the servicing advance facility, to support letters of credit, and to fund collected and held for pending mortgage closings. Mortgage Loans Held for Sale Mortgage loans held for sale represent loans originated or purchased and held until sold to secondary market investors. Mortgage loans are typically warehoused for a period after origination or purchase before sale into the secondary market. Servicing rights may be retained upon sale of mortgage loans in the secondary market. Mortgage loans held for sale are measured at fair value on a recurring basis and are recognized in Gain on loans held for sale, net in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Servicing Advances, net The Company is required under most of its mortgage servicing agreements to advance funds to meet contractual principal and interest payments to investors and to pay tax, insurance, foreclosure costs and various other items that are required to preserve the assets being serviced. Advances are recovered either from the borrower in subsequent payments, from liquidation proceeds or from insurance claims following foreclosure or liquidation. The Company is exposed to losses only to the extent that the respective servicing guidelines are not followed and records a reserve against the advances when it is probable that the servicing advance will be uncollectable. As of December 31, 2015 and 2014 , the recorded reserve for uncollectable servicing advances was $5 million and $4 million , respectively. In certain circumstances, the Company may be required to remit funds on a non-recoverable basis, which are expensed as incurred. Mortgage Servicing Rights A mortgage servicing right is the right to receive a portion of the interest coupon and fees collected from the mortgagor for performing specified mortgage servicing activities. Mortgage servicing activities consist of collecting loan payments, remitting principal and interest payments to investors, managing escrow funds for the payment of mortgage-related expenses such as taxes and insurance and otherwise administering the mortgage loan servicing portfolio. Mortgage servicing rights are created through either the direct purchase of servicing from a third party or through the sale of an originated mortgage loan with servicing retained. The servicing rights relate to a single class of residential mortgage loans, which are measured at fair value on a recurring basis. The initial value of capitalized mortgage servicing rights is recorded as an addition to Mortgage servicing rights in the Consolidated Balance Sheets and within Gain on loans held for sale, net in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Valuation changes adjust the carrying amount of Mortgage servicing rights in the Consolidated Balance Sheets and are recognized in Change in fair value of mortgage servicing rights in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Subsequent measurements including the market-related fair value adjustments and actual prepayments of the underlying mortgage loan and receipts of recurring cash flows are recorded in Change in fair value of mortgage servicing rights. Property and Equipment Property and equipment (including leasehold improvements) are recorded at cost, net of accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation and amortization expense are computed utilizing the straight-line method over the following estimated useful lives: Capitalized software 3 to 5 years Furniture, fixtures and equipment 3 to 7 years Capital leases Lesser of the remaining lease term or 5 years Leasehold improvements Lesser of the remaining lease term or 20 years Internal software development costs are capitalized during the application development stage. The costs capitalized relate to external direct costs of materials and services and employee costs related to the time spent on the project during the capitalization period. Capitalized software is evaluated for impairment annually or when changing circumstances indicate that amounts capitalized may be impaired. Impaired items are written down to their estimated fair values at the date of evaluation. Derivative Instruments Derivative instruments are used as part of the overall strategy to manage exposure to market risks primarily associated with fluctuations in interest rates. As a matter of policy, derivatives are not used for speculative purposes. Derivative instruments are measured at fair value on a recurring basis and are included in Other assets or Other liabilities in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The Company does not have any derivative instruments designated as hedging instruments. Subservicing Advance Liabilities Under the terms of certain subservicing arrangements, the subservicing counterparty is required to fund servicing advances for their respective portfolios of subserviced loans. A subservicing advance liability is recorded for cash received from the counterparty to fund advances, and is repaid to the counterparty upon the collection of the mortgage servicing advance receivables. Loan Repurchase and Indemnification Liability The Company has established a Loan repurchase and indemnification liability for various representation and warranties that are provided in connection with its capacity as a loan originator and servicer. The liability for probable losses includes estimates associated with: (i) losses for loans where a repurchase or indemnification obligation could exist from breaches of representation and warranties, (ii) losses for specific non-performing loans where the Company believes it will be required to indemnify the investor and (iii) losses for government loans that may not be reimbursed pursuant to mortgage insurance programs. We estimate our obligation for representations and warranties using a model that incorporates the Company's historical repurchase and indemnification experience, servicing portfolio performance and other market-based information. The model considers borrower performance (both actual and estimated future defaults), estimated future repurchase and indemnification requests (impacted by current and expected loan file requests, investor demand patterns, expected relief from the expiration of repurchase obligations and levels of origination defects), success rates in appealing repurchase requests (or the ability to cure the origination defects) and projected loss severity rates upon repurchase of the loan (adjusted for home price forecasts). The liability related to specific non-performing loans is based on a loan-level analysis which considers the delinquency status of the loan and projected loss severity rates. To estimate the liability related to losses for loans that may not be reimbursed pursuant to mortgage insurance programs, the Company considers government loans currently in foreclosure, historical origination defect rates and projected loss severity rates. The Company establishes an initial reserve at fair value for expected losses relating to loan sales at the date the loans are de-recognized from the Balance Sheet which is recorded as a reduction of the transaction gain or loss within Gain on loans held for sale, net in the Consolidated Statement of Operations. Subsequent updates to the recorded liability from changes in assumptions are recorded through Other operating expenses in the Consolidated Statement of Operations. Custodial Accounts The Company has a fiduciary responsibility for servicing accounts related to customer escrow funds and custodial funds due to investors aggregating $3.5 billion and $3.4 billion as of December 31, 2015 and 2014 , respectively. These funds are maintained in segregated bank accounts, and these amounts are not included in the assets and liabilities presented in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The Company receives certain benefits from these deposits, as allowable under federal and state laws and regulations. Income earned on these escrow accounts is recorded in the Consolidated Statements of Operations either as Interest income or as a reduction of Secured interest expense. Subsequent Events Subsequent events are evaluated through the date of filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. |