9. Goodwill

The Company’s reporting units for goodwill impairment evaluation purposes are the same as its reportable segments. The Company concluded that goodwill was impaired for the Business Payments segment as of December 31, 2023. As of December 31, 2023, accumulated impairment loss was $75.7 million for the Business Payments segment. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, there were no accumulated impairment losses for either the Consumer Payments or Business Payments segment.

The following table presents changes to goodwill by business segment, for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022:

 

($ in thousands)

 

Consumer Payments

 

 

Business Payments

 

 

Total

 

Balance at December 31, 2021

 

$

743,608

 

 

$

80,473

 

 

$

824,081

 

Measurement period adjustment

 

 

3,732

 

 

 

 

 

 

3,732

 

Reallocation

 

 

(138,201

)

 

 

138,201

 

 

 

 

Balance at December 31, 2022

 

$

609,139

 

 

$

218,674

 

 

$

827,813

 

Dispositions

 

 

(35,270

)

 

 

 

 

 

(35,270

)

Impairments

 

 

 

 

 

(75,750

)

 

 

(75,750

)

Balance at December 31, 2023

 

$

573,869

 

 

$

142,924

 

 

$

716,793

 

During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company recognized a reduction in goodwill of $35.3 million related to the disposition of BCS. In addition, the Company recognized an impairment of $75.7 million related to the Business Payments reporting unit during the annual goodwill impairment testing. Determining the fair value of a reporting unit is subject to uncertainty, as the Business Payments reporting unit was primarily impacted by a change in the discount rate. The impairment

loss was recognized within Impairment loss in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Operations. The fair value of the Business Payments reporting unit is considered a level 3 fair value measurement as it includes certain unobservable inputs.

During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company recognized a $3.7 million measurement period adjustment in accordance with the BillingTree acquisition, primarily related to a $4.7 million increase in deferred tax liability as a result of the finalization of the tax basis balance sheet. An increase in accounts receivable of $1.0 million was also recognized related to updated collection information on the acquired receivables. The goodwill reallocation of $138.2 million between the Consumer Payments and Business Payments segments resulted from the relative fair value allocation of the new reporting units structure as of December 31, 2022.

Historical Timeline

Fiscal YearFiled
2023Feb 29, 2024Showing above
2022Mar 1, 2023
2021Mar 1, 2022
2020Mar 1, 2021
2019Mar 16, 2020

About Goodwill & Intangibles Disclosures

Goodwill and intangible asset disclosures reveal the premium paid in acquisitions and how management assesses whether that premium retains its value. Since goodwill is no longer amortized under US GAAP, the annual impairment test is the only mechanism that adjusts carrying values downward — making the assumptions behind that test critically important for investors.

Key signals: a history of goodwill impairments suggests management consistently overpays for acquisitions. Watch the gap between reporting unit fair value and carrying amount — when fair value exceeds carrying amount by less than 10-20%, a small decline in business performance could trigger a write-down. For finite-lived intangibles, examine useful life assumptions across customer relationships, technology, and trade names; aggressive estimates inflate near-term earnings. Compare total intangibles-to-total-assets ratios against peers to assess acquisition dependency. Rising goodwill as a percentage of equity can signal balance sheet fragility.