1. DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION
DESCRIPTION OF THE BUSINESS
Effective March 23, 2022, Alliance Data Systems Corporation was renamed Bread Financial Holdings, Inc., and on April 4, 2022, its New York Stock Exchange ticker changed from “ADS” to “BFH”. Neither the name change nor the ticker change affected the Company’s legal entity structure, nor did either change have an impact on the Company’s financial statements.
Bread Financial Holdings, Inc. (BFH or, including its consolidated subsidiaries and variable interest entities (VIEs), the Company) is a tech-forward financial services company providing simple, personalized payment, lending and saving solutions. The Company creates opportunities for its customers and partners through digitally enabled choices that offer ease, empowerment, financial flexibility and exceptional customer experiences. Driven by a digital-first approach, data insights and white-label technology, the Company delivers growth for its partners through a comprehensive product suite, including private label and co-brand credit cards, installment lending, and buy now, pay later (split-pay). The Company also offers direct-to-consumer solutions that give customers more access, choice and freedom through its branded Bread CashbackTM American Express® Credit Card and Bread SavingsTM products.
BASIS OF PRESENTATION
The accompanying unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP). For purposes of comparability, certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current presentation, in particular, as a result of the spinoff of its LoyaltyOne segment and its classification as discontinued operations, the Company has adjusted the presentation of its Consolidated Financial Statements from its historical approach under SEC Regulation S-X Article 5, which is broadly applicable to all “commercial and industrial companies,” to Article 9, which is applicable to “bank holding companies.” While neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is considered a “bank” within the meaning of the Bank Holding Company Act, the changes from the historical presentation, to the bank holding company presentation, the most significant of which reflect a reclassification of Interest expense within Net interest income, are intended to reflect the Company’s operations going forward and better align the Company with its peers for comparability purposes.
The unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statement should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 25, 2022; if not significantly different, certain note disclosures included therein have been omitted from these unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.
The unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included herein reflect all adjustments, which consist of normal, recurring adjustments that are, in the opinion of management, necessary to state fairly the results for the interim periods presented. Results of operations reported for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results for the entire year.
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses, and the disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities. These accounting estimates and assumptions reflect the best judgement of management, but actual results could differ. The most significant of those estimates and assumptions relate to the Company’s Allowance for credit losses.
The accompanying unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of the Company and all subsidiaries in which the Company has a controlling financial interest. All intercompany transactions have been eliminated.