LendingTree Inc

To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of LendingTree, Inc.

Opinions on the Financial Statements and Internal Control over Financial Reporting

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of LendingTree, Inc. and its subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, and the related consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss), of shareholders' equity and of cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2023, including the related notes (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). We also have audited the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2023 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Also in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the COSO.

Basis for Opinions

The Company's management is responsible for these consolidated financial statements, for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting, and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting appearing under Item 9A. Our responsibility is to express opinions on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and on the Company's internal control over financial reporting based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud, and whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.

Our audits of the consolidated financial statements included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audits also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.

Definition and Limitations of Internal Control over Financial Reporting

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

Critical Audit Matters

The critical audit matters communicated below are matters arising from the current period audit of the consolidated financial statements that were communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that (i) relate to accounts or disclosures that are material to the consolidated financial statements and (ii) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matters below, providing separate opinions on the critical audit matters or on the accounts or disclosures to which they relate.

Interim Goodwill Impairment Assessment – Home and Insurance Reporting Units

As described in Notes 2 and 7 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company’s consolidated goodwill balance was $381.5 million as of December 31, 2023, and the goodwill associated with the Home and Insurance reporting units was $59.3 million and $156.1 million, respectively. Goodwill is tested annually for impairment as of October 1, or more frequently upon the occurrence of certain events or substantive changes in circumstances. Management may elect to assess qualitative factors as a basis for determining whether it is necessary to perform the traditional quantitative impairment testing. At September 29, 2023, the Company’s market capitalization was below the Company’s book value. In addition, considering the effects of the challenging interest rate environment, low for-sale home inventories and the rise in home prices in the Home reporting unit and consumer price inflation negatively impacting carrier underwriting in the Insurance reporting unit, management concluded that a triggering event had occurred and an interim quantitative impairment test was performed as of September 30, 2023. The quantitative impairment test for goodwill involves a comparison of the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount, including goodwill. Upon completing the quantitative interim goodwill impairment test, management concluded that the carrying value of the Insurance reporting unit exceeded its fair value, which resulted in a goodwill impairment charge of $38.6 million, and that the fair value of the Home reporting unit exceeded its carrying amount, indicating no goodwill impairment. Management determines the fair value of the Company’s reporting units by using a market approach and a discounted cash flow analysis. Determining the fair value using a discounted cash flow analysis and market analysis requires the exercise of significant judgments, including judgments about appropriate discount rates, revenue growth rates, marketing spend, direct operating expenses, the amount and timing of expected future cash flows, and market multiples.

The principal considerations for our determination that performing procedures relating to the interim goodwill impairment assessment of the Home and Insurance reporting units is a critical audit matter are (i) the significant judgment by management when developing the fair value estimate of the Home and Insurance reporting units; (ii) a high degree of auditor judgment , subjectivity, and effort in performing procedures and evaluating management’s significant assumptions related to revenue growth rates, marketing spend, direct operating expenses, the discount rate, and market multiples; and (iii) the audit effort involved the use of professionals with specialized skill and knowledge.

Addressing the matter involved performing procedures and evaluating audit evidence in connection with forming our overall opinion on the consolidated financial statements. These procedures included testing the effectiveness of controls relating to management’s goodwill impairment assessment, including controls over the valuation of the Home and Insurance reporting units. These procedures also included, among others (i) testing management’s process for developing the fair value estimate of the Home and Insurance reporting units; (ii) evaluating the appropriateness of the discounted cash flow analysis and market approach used by management; (iii) testing the completeness and accuracy of the underlying data used in the discounted cash flow analysis and market approach; and (iv) evaluating the reasonableness of the significant assumptions used by management related to revenue growth rates, marketing spend, direct operating expenses, the discount rate, and market multiples. Evaluating management’s assumptions related to revenue growth rates, marketing spend, and direct operating expenses involved considering (i) the current and past performance of the Home and Insurance reporting units and (ii) whether the assumptions were consistent with evidence obtained in other areas of the audit, and for revenue growth rates (iii) the consistency with external market and industry data. Professionals with specialized skill and knowledge were used to assist in evaluating (i) the appropriateness of the discounted cash flow analysis and market approach and (ii) the reasonableness of the assumptions related to the discount rate and market multiples.

Equity Investment Impairment Assessment – Stash Investment

As described in Notes 2 and 8 to the consolidated financial statements, in the third quarter of 2023, management determined there was an impairment indicator related to the Company’s Stash investment and performed a valuation of the investment, which resulted in an impairment charge of $113.1 million. The equity investments do not have a readily determinable fair value and, upon acquisition, the Company elected the measurement alternative to value its investments. The equity investments are carried at cost less impairment, if any, and subsequently measured to fair value upon observable price changes in an orderly transaction for the identical or similar investments. Additionally, if a qualitative assessment identifies impairment indicators, then the equity investments must be evaluated for impairment and written down to its fair value, if it is determined that the fair value is less than the carrying value. Management determined the fair value by using a market approach and a discounted cash flow analysis. Determining the fair value using a discounted cash flow analysis and market analysis requires the exercise of significant judgments, including judgments about the appropriate discount rate, perpetual growth rates, including short-term revenue and EBITDA, the amount and timing of expected future cash flows, and the revenue exit multiple.

The principal considerations for our determination that performing procedures relating to the equity investment impairment assessment of the Stash investment is a critical audit matter are (i) the significant judgment by management when developing the fair value estimate of the Stash investment; (ii) a high degree of auditor judgment, subjectivity, and effort in performing procedures and evaluating management’s significant assumptions related to short-term revenue and EBITDA growth rates, the discount rate, and the revenue exit multiple; and (iii) the audit effort involved the use of professionals with specialized skill and knowledge.

Addressing the matter involved performing procedures and evaluating audit evidence in connection with forming our overall opinion on the consolidated financial statements. These procedures included testing the effectiveness of controls relating to management’s equity investment impairment assessment, including controls over the valuation of the Stash investment. These procedures also included, among others (i) testing management’s process for developing the fair value estimate of the Stash investment; (ii) evaluating the appropriateness of the discounted cash flow analysis and market approach used by management; (iii) testing the completeness and accuracy of the underlying data used in the discounted cash flow analysis and market approach; and (iv) evaluating the reasonableness of the significant assumptions used by management related to short-term revenue and EBITDA growth rates, the discount rate, and the revenue exit multiple. Evaluating management’s assumptions related to short-term revenue and EBITDA growth rates involved considering (i) the current and past performance of the Stash investment and (ii) the consistency with market data. Professionals with specialized skill and knowledge were used to assist in evaluating (i) the appropriateness of the discounted cash flow analysis and market approach and (ii) the reasonableness of the assumptions related to the discount rate and the revenue exit multiple.

/s/PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Charlotte, North Carolina

February 28, 2024

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2012.