Company: HOUS
Filing Date: 2025-02-25
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0001398987-25-000020
Chunk: 191

Company: Anywhere Real Estate Inc.
Filing Date: 2025-02-25
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1
Chunk 191
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 required to enter into licensing or consent agreements (if available on acceptable terms or at all), or to pay damages or royalties or cease using certain service marks, trademarks, technology or other intellectual property.

We franchise our brands to franchisees. While we try to ensure that the quality of our brands is maintained by all of our franchisees, we cannot assure that these franchisees will not take actions that hurt the value of our brands or our reputation. In addition, our license agreements for the use of the Sotheby's International Realty® and Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate brands are terminable by the respective licensor prior to the end of the license term if certain conditions occur and the loss of either of these licenses could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Other Business Risks

Our goodwill and other long-lived assets are subject to potential impairment which could negatively impact our earnings.

A significant portion of our assets consists of goodwill and other long-lived assets, the carrying value of which may be reduced if we determine that those assets are impaired. If actual results differ from the assumptions and estimates used in the goodwill and long-lived asset valuation calculations (due to the risks reflected in this Annual Report or otherwise), we could incur impairment charges in the past (including as related to management's estimates with respect to the potential impact of the ongoing housing market downturn on our business), which would negatively impact our earnings. We have recognized significant non-cash impairment charges and we may be required to take additional such charges in the future, which may be material.

We could be subject to significant losses if banks do not honor our escrow and trust deposits.

Our company owned brokerage business and our title, escrow and settlement services business act as escrow agents for numerous customers. As an escrow agent, we receive money from customers to hold until certain conditions are satisfied. Upon the satisfaction of those conditions, we release the money to the appropriate party. We deposit this money with various banks and while these deposits are not assets of the Company (and therefore excluded from our consolidated balance sheet), we remain contingently liable for the disposition of these deposits. These escrow and trust deposits totaled $518 million at December 31, 2024. The banks may hold a significant amount of these deposits in excess of the federal deposit insurance limit. If any of our depository banks were to become unable to honor any portion of our deposits, customers could seek to hold us responsible for such amounts and, if the customers prevailed in their claims, we could be subject to