Operating income. As a result of the above factors, our operating income totaled $1.2 million and $3.0 million for the three and nine months period ended September 30, 2005, compared to operating income of $1.2 million and $1.4 million for the third quarter and nine months of 2004. As a percentage of total revenue, operating income was 12.5% and 10.8% for the third quarter and nine months of 2005 compared to 12.1% and 4.7% for the same periods in 2004.
Interest expense, net. Interest expense, net decreased 15.1% and 42.7% to $79,000 and $219,000 for the third quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2005 compared to $93,000 and $382,000 for the comparable periods in 2004. The decrease for the first nine months of 2005 is primarily due to the reduction of our debt balances in 2004 as a result of the Capital Event discussed in Note E of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. For the third quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2005, interest expense includes approximately $24,000 and $72,000 of debt issuance cost amortization.
Other income. During the nine months ended September 30, 2004, the Company received proceeds totaling $266,000 relating to notes receivable from former officers of one of the Company’s subsidiaries. These notes had previously been written-off as uncollectible; therefore, the collection resulted in this gain.
Income tax provision. The income tax provision was approximately $433,000 and $1.1 million for the third quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2005 compared to a benefit of $531,000 and a benefit of $462,000 for the same periods in 2004. During September of 2004, the Company recorded a tax benefit of $972,000 relating to an income tax contingent liability for which the statue of limitations expired in September 2004. As a result, the effective tax rate for the quarter ended September 30, 2004 was (47.2%). The Company expects its effective tax rate to be approximately 39.0% in all future periods. As a percentage of income before taxes, the income tax rate was approximately 39.0% for the nine months of 2005.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our primary sources of capital have historically been cash provided by operations, short-term and long-term debt, and investment from stockholders. During the first nine months of 2005 our operating activities provided cash of approximately $2.6 million. We used approximately $1.9 million in our investing activities, consisting primarily of capital expenditures of $424,000 and $711,000 of software development costs, as well as $508,000 for the acquisition of the KVI leasing business. We currently estimate that total capital expenditures for 2005 will be approximately $500,000 (excluding expenditures for software development costs).
Cash used in financing activities totaled $522,000 for the first nine months of 2005, which is the result of net proceeds of $1.5 million from draws against our line of credit as well as $396,000 of proceeds received from employee stock option exercises and stock purchases and $71,000 net proceeds from lease financing. Offsetting these financing receipts were repayments of long-term debt totaling $1.2 million, dividend payments of $1.1 million, and repurchase of common stock of $150,000.
The Company was the borrower under a credit agreement dated August 7, 1998 between the Company as borrower, Fleet National Bank as administrative agent and a syndicate of other lenders (the “1998 Credit Facility”). The 1998 Credit Facility was paid in full on January 20, 2004 using the net proceeds received from the Lightyear transaction and the net proceeds from the Bank of America Credit Facility.
The Company entered into the Bank of America Credit Facility on January 19, 2004. The credit facility is secured by a pledge of all of the Company’s assets and contains financial and non-financial covenants. The new credit agreement includes a term loan in the amount of $5.0 million and a revolving line of credit of up to $6.0 million for a total facility of up to $11.0 million. The revolving line of credit includes a $1.0 million letter of credit sub-limit. As of September 30, 2005, $3.7 million was outstanding under the Bank of America Credit Facility.
22
The Bank of America Credit Facility expires on January 19, 2007. The revolving credit commitment reduces by $1.0 million on each of the first two anniversary dates.
The term loan is repayable in twelve equal quarterly installments of $416,667, along with interest at the applicable margin. Interest is also due on the revolving loan quarterly at the applicable margin. The interest rates of the term loan and revolving loan are based on a pricing grid using the Company’s Funded Debt to Earnings before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization (“EBITDA”) Ratio, as follows (The Company has the option of choosing Libor or Base Rate):
Funded Debt to EBITDA | | Libor | | Base Rate |
| |
| |
|
Less than or equal to 1.0 | | Libor + 2.25% | | 0 |
Greater than 1.0 but less than or equal to 1.25 | | Libor + 2.50% | | 0 |
Greater than 1.25 but less than or equal to 1.50 | | Libor + 2.75% | | 0 |
As of September 30, 2005, the Company’s applicable borrowing rate, calculated as Libor + 2.25%, was 5.76%.
The credit agreement includes certain restrictive financial covenants, measured quarterly, relating to net worth, maximum annual capital expenditures, funded debt to EBITDA ratio and fixed charges coverage ratio, as defined in the credit agreement. The credit agreement also contains certain non-financial covenants, including but not limited to a prohibition on declaring and paying any cash dividends on any class of stock, except for the Series A and Series B preferred shares outstanding, provided, that no default, as defined in the credit agreement, exists as of the date of payment and such payment will not cause a default. As of September 30, 2005, the Company was, and expects to be throughout 2005, in compliance with the credit agreement covenants.
As of September 30, 2005, we had working capital of approximately $154,000 compared to a working capital deficit of approximately $158,000 as of December 31, 2004. The change in working capital resulted primarily from decreases in accrued liabilities, partially offset by an increase in accounts receivable. We believe that our line of credit availability along with future operating cash flows will be sufficient to meet our working capital and capital expenditure requirements for the next twelve months.
We may, in the future, acquire businesses or products complementary to our business, although we cannot be certain that any such acquisitions will be made. The need for cash to finance additional working capital or to make acquisitions may cause us to seek additional equity or debt financing. We cannot be certain that such financing will be available, or that our need for higher levels of working capital will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
New Accounting Pronouncements
On December 16, 2004, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued SFAS No. 123(R) (revised 2004), Share-Based Payment, which is a revision of SFAS Statement No. 123, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation. SFAS No.123(R) supersedes APB Opinion No. 25, Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees, and amends SFAS No. 95, Statement of Cash Flows. Generally, the approach in SFAS No. 123(R) is similar to the approach described in SFAS No. 123. However, SFAS No. 123(R) requires all share-based payments to employees, including grants of employee stock options, to be recognized in the income statement based on their fair values. Pro forma disclosure is no longer an alternative.
The Company must adopt SFAS No. 123(R) no later than January 1, 2006. Early adoption will be permitted in periods in which financial statements have not yet been issued. We expect to adopt SFAS No. 123(R) on January 1, 2006.
23
As permitted by SFAS No. 123, the Company currently accounts for share-based payments to employees using APB Opinion No. 25’s intrinsic value method and, as such, generally recognizes no compensation cost for employee stock options. Accordingly, the adoption of SFAS No 123(R)’s fair value method will have a significant impact on our result of operations, although it will have no impact on our overall financial position. The impact of adoption of SFAS No. 123(R) cannot be predicted at this time because it will depend on levels of share-based payments granted in the future. However, had we adopted SFAS No. 123(R) in prior periods, the impact of that standard would have approximated the impact of SFAS No. 123 as described in the disclosure of pro forma net income and earnings per share in Note 1 to our consolidated financial statements. SFAS No. 123(R) also requires the benefits of tax deductions in excess of recognized compensation cost to be reported as a financing cash flow, rather than as an operating cash flow as required under current literature. This requirement will reduce net operating cash flows and increase net financing cash flows in periods after adoption. While the Company cannot estimate what those amounts will be in the future (because they depend on, among other things, when employees exercise stock options), the amount of operating cash flows recognized in prior periods for such excess tax deductions were not material to the Company’s consolidated financial position or results of operations.
Inflation
We do not believe that inflation has had a material effect on our results of operation. There can be no assurance, however, that our business will not be affected by inflation in the future.
Risk Factors
This section summarizes certain risks, among others, that should be considered by stockholders and prospective investors in the Company. Many of these risks are discussed in other sections of this report. If any of the following risks actually occur, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely affected. In such case, the trading price of our common stock could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment.
We primarily depend on our product. We currently derive a significant portion of our revenues from receivables financing; the majority of which flows through BusinessManager. Approximately 1% of our consolidated revenues derived from license fees from new agreements with client banks and approximately 61% derive from participation fees based on accounts receivables purchased by our bank clients from small businesses. We expect to continue to derive significant revenues from this product and related services. If total revenues derived from BusinessManager decline, our other products or services may not be sufficient to replace that lost revenue, so any events that adversely impact BusinessManager could adversely impact our business. We cannot be certain that we will be able to continue to successfully market and sell BusinessManager to both banks and their small business customers or that problems will not develop with BusinessManager that could materially impact our business.
We may be unable to promote BusinessManager to new and existing small business customers. Other than the initial contract fee and a small annual support fee, we do not generate any income from banks contracting to utilize BusinessManager unless small businesses finance their accounts receivable through our client banks. If we and our client banks cannot retain existing clients and convince potential small business customers of the benefits of BusinessManager, such businesses will not continue to use or initiate use of our products and services. Since small business customers of our client banks are the foundation of our business, their unwillingness to use BusinessManager could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.
24
We depend on the banking industry for clients. BusinessManager is used almost exclusively by banks, primarily community banks. Due to our dependence upon the banking industry, any events that adversely impact the industry in general and community banks in particular, such as changed or expanded bank regulations, could adversely affect the Company and its operations. The banking industry is subject to supervision by several federal and/or state governmental regulatory agencies. Regulation of banks, especially with respect to receivable services such as BusinessManager, can indirectly affect our business. The use of BusinessManager by banks is currently in compliance with or is not subject to banking regulations. These regulatory agencies, however, could change or impose new regulations on banks, including modifying the banks’ ability to offer products and services similar to ours to their small business customers. These new regulations, if any, could prevent or lessen the use of our services by banks.
The banking industry is subject to industry consolidation, and we may lose customers with little notice. The banking industry is prone to consolidations that result from mergers and acquisitions. Other financial institutions that do not use our products and services may acquire our existing customer banks, which may result in our customer banks adopting competing products and services.
Lightyear owns a majority of the company’s stock and therefore effectively controls the company’s management and policies. Lightyear PBI Holdings, LLC, an affiliate of Lightyear Capital (“Lightyear”), through its holdings of Company Series A Preferred Stock, and warrants convertible into common stock, beneficially owns, in the aggregate, approximately 52% of the Company’s common stock. As a result of Lightyear’s investment in the Company, the Company has agreed to use its best efforts to cause four Lightyear nominees to serve on the Company’s Board of Directors, which is composed of seven directors. Four Lightyear nominees are currently serving on the Company’s Board. In addition, the Company is required to obtain the approval of holders of the Series A Preferred Stock prior to taking certain actions. The holders of the Series A Preferred Stock have certain pre-emptive rights to participate in future equity financings. In view of its large percentage of ownership and its rights as the holders of the Series A Preferred Stock, Lightyear effectively controls the Company’s management and policies, such as the appointment of new management and the approval of any other action requiring the approval of the stockholders, including any amendments to the Company’s certificate of incorporation, a sale of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets or a merger. In addition, Lightyear has registration rights with respect to the shares of the Company common stock that it beneficially owns. Any decision by Lightyear to exercise such registration rights and to sell a significant amount of its shares in the public market could have an adverse effect on the price of the Company’s common stock.
We may be unable to successfully market our products and services to new client banks or to retain current client banks. Our success depends to a large degree on our ability to convince prospective client banks to utilize BusinessManager and offer it to small businesses. Failure to maintain market acceptance, retain clients or successfully expand our offered services could adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition. We have spent, and will continue to spend, considerable resources educating potential customers about our products and services. Even with these educational efforts, however, we may not be able to maintain market acceptance and client retention. In addition, as we continue to offer new products and expand our services, existing and potential client banks or their small business customers may be unwilling to accept the new products or services.
We may be unable to attract, hire, or retain enough qualified sales and marketing personnel. If we are unable to implement our growth plans and strategies, our business, operating results and financial condition could be adversely affected. An important part of our sales strategy is to attract, hire and retain qualified sales and marketing personnel in order to maintain our marketing capabilities in our current markets and expand the number of markets we serve. Since competition for experienced sales and marketing personnel is intense, we cannot be certain that we will be able to attract and retain enough qualified sales and marketing personnel or that those we do hire will be able to generate new business at the rate we currently expect. If the Company is unable to hire and retain enough qualified sales and marketing personnel or those we hire are not as productive as we expect, the Company may not be able to implement its sales plans.
25
We may be unable to manage growth of our business. Our business has the potential to grow in size and complexity. If our management is unable to manage growth effectively, our business, operating results and financial condition could be adversely affected. Any new sustained growth would be expected to place a significant strain on our management systems and operational resources. We anticipate that new sustained growth, if any, will require us to recruit, hire and retain new managerial, finance, sales, marketing and support personnel. We cannot be certain that we will be successful in recruiting, hiring or retaining such personnel. Our ability to compete effectively and to manage our future growth, if any, will depend on our ability to maintain and improve operational, financial, and management information systems on a timely basis and to expand, train, motivate and manage our work force. If we begin to grow, we cannot be certain that our personnel, systems, procedures, and controls will be adequate to support our operations. Also, one element of our growth strategy is to actively evaluate and pursue strategic alliances with businesses that are complementary to the Company’s business. We cannot be certain that we will be able to integrate fully any such alliances with our existing operations or otherwise implement our growth strategy.
The failure to execute our growth plans may impact our ability to remain a publicly traded company. Part of our business strategy involves growth either through the development of new products or the formation of strategic alliances. These growth plans will require a substantial expenditure of time, money and other valuable resources. Not only does this take resources away from our current business, but there is the chance that our strategy will not ultimately be successful. In such event, it is possible that the continued costs associated with being a publicly traded company will outweigh the anticipated organic growth of our current business, which could result in our being delisted from the Nasdaq Smallcap Market or engaging in a going private transaction.
Our plans to expand the number of products and services offered may not be successful and may lower our overall profit margin. Part of our business strategy is to expand our offering of products and services. We believe that we can provide these services profitably, but such services may generate a lower profit margin than our current products and services. As a result, by offering additional products and services we may lower our overall profit margin. Although gross revenues would likely increase, the lowering of our profit margin may be viewed negatively by the stock market, possibly resulting in a reduction in our stock price.
As stated elsewhere in this filing, we are engaged in introducing several new products to our customer base. Although our research leads us to believe that markets and customers exist for this expansion, there can be no assurances that the introduction and sales of these new products will be sufficient for us to recover our investment in costs.
Our products and services may not be as successful in a slower economy. Since the introduction of BusinessManager in 1991, the United States economy generally has been relatively strong. If the United States economy weakens or enters into a recession or depression, our client banks and their small business customers may view the services and benefits provided by BusinessManager differently and may be reluctant to use the products and services we provide. In addition, in an economic recession or depression, the customers of small businesses may reduce their purchases of goods and services, thus reducing accounts receivable eligible for our solution. This development could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.
We may be unable to compete in the financial services market. The market for small business financial services is competitive, rapidly evolving, fragmented and highly sensitive to new product introductions and marketing efforts by industry participants. Fluctuations in interest rates and increased competition for services similar to BusinessManager could lower our market share and negatively impact our business and stock price. The Company faces primary competition from a number of companies that offer to banks products similar to BusinessManager. However, we believe that we are the largest of the companies offering these services in terms of revenues and number of client banks under contract.
26
We also compete with banks that use their internal information technology departments to develop proprietary systems or purchase software from third parties to offer similar services to small businesses. In addition, we compete with traditional sources of financial services to small businesses such as lines of credit, amortizing loans and factoring. Many banks and other traditional providers of financing are much larger and more established than Private Business, have significantly greater resources, generate more revenues and have greater name recognition. We cannot be certain our competitors will not develop products and services comparable or superior to those that we have developed or adapt more quickly to new technologies, evolving industry trends or changing small business requirements. Most providers of traditional sources of financing have already established relationships with small businesses may be able to leverage these relationships to discourage these customers from purchasing the BusinessManager solution or persuade them to replace our products with their products.
We expect that competition will increase as other established and emerging companies enter the accounts receivable financing market, as new products and technologies are introduced and as new competitors enter the market. In addition, as we develop new services, we may begin competing with companies with whom we have not previously competed. Increased competition may result in price reductions, lower profit margins and loss of our market share, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.
We are dependent upon our key employees. Our future performance will also largely depend on the efforts and abilities of our executive officers, as well as our key employees and our ability to retain them. The loss of any of our executive officers or key employees could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.
Our charter, bylaws and Tennessee law contain provisions that could discourage a takeover. Our charter, bylaws and Tennessee law contain provisions that could make it more difficult for a third party to obtain control of the Company. For example, our charter provides for a staggered board of directors, restricts the ability of stockholders to call a special meeting and prohibits stockholder action by written consent. Our bylaws allow the board to expand its size and fill any vacancies without stockholder approval. In addition, the Tennessee Business Corporation Act contains provisions, such as the Tennessee Business Combination Act and the Tennessee Greenmail Act, that impose restrictions on stockholder actions intended to gain or exercise control over the Company.
We may be unable to adequately protect our proprietary technology. Our success and ability to compete are dependent largely upon our proprietary technology. Third party claims against our proprietary technology could negatively affect our business. We cannot be certain that we have taken adequate steps to deter misappropriation or independent third-party development of our technology. In addition, we cannot be certain that third parties will not assert infringement claims in the future or, if infringement claims are asserted, that such claims will be resolved in our favor. Although we are not currently subject to any dispute either protecting our proprietary technology or asserting a third party claim against our proprietary technology, any infringement claims resolved against us could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, operating results and financial condition.
The failure of our network infrastructure and equipment would have a material effect on our business. Failure of our network infrastructure and equipment, upon which our business is greatly dependent, as well as the occurrence of significant human error, a natural disaster or other unanticipated problems could halt our services, damage network equipment and result in substantial expense to repair or replace damaged equipment. In addition, the failure of our telecommunications providers to supply the necessary services could also interrupt our business, in particular, the application hosting and transaction processing services we offer to our client banks via secure Internet connections. The inability to supply these services to our customers could negatively affect our business, operating results and financial condition, and may also harm our reputation.
27
Private Business relies on the technological infrastructure of its client banks and their individual customers. The success of the products and services offered by Private Business depends, to a degree, on the technological infrastructure and equipment of its client banks and their small business customers. Private Business provides application hosting and transaction processing services to its client banks that require some level of integration with the client banks’ technological infrastructure. In addition, management services and access to information related to the Private Business products are offered to each client bank and their customers through the Private Business portal at BusinessManager.com. Proper technical integration between Private Business and its client banks, as well as continued accessibility of the BusinessManager.com portal is critical to the successful provision of services by Private Business. A failure of a client bank’s infrastructure or the inability to access BusinessManager.com for any reason could negatively affect the business, financial condition and results of Private Business’s operations.
Because our business involves the electronic storage and transmission of data, security breaches and computer viruses could adversely affect us. Our online transaction processing systems electronically store and transmit sensitive business information of our customers. The difficulty of securely storing confidential information electronically has been a significant issue in conducting electronic transactions. We may be required to spend significant capital and other resources to protect against the threat of security breaches and computer viruses, or to alleviate problems caused by breaches or viruses. To the extent that our activities or the activities of our customers involve the storage and transmission of confidential information, security breaches and viruses could expose us to claims, litigation and other possible liabilities. Any inability to prevent security breaches or computer viruses could also cause existing customers to lose confidence in our systems and could inhibit our ability to attract new customers.
Private Business’s revenues declined in the first nine months of 2005 and may continue to decline. Private Business’s revenues declined during the first nine months of 2005 as compared to 2004. Although the Company has previously shown revenue growth, Private Business’s revenue may not grow in the future. This could cause the financial results of the company to suffer and have a negative effect on the price of the Private Business common stock.
Private Business may not be able to use the tax benefit from its operating losses. At December 31, 2004, Private Business Inc. had available federal net operating losses, or NOLs, of approximately $44.2 million that will expire beginning in 2011 if not used. Approximately $38.7 million of these NOL’s were acquired in connection with the Company’s merger with Towne Services, Inc. The amount of NOLs available to Private Business in any given year will be limited by Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code. This limitation could be material and only permit Private Business to realize a small portion of the potential tax benefit of the NOLs. Private Business estimates it will be able to realize approximately $9.6 million of these NOLs, which have been recorded as a $3.7 million deferred tax asset at December 31, 2004. To the extent that Private Business is not permitted to use these NOLs in future years, some NOLs will not be realized before they expire.
Increased fraud committed by small businesses and increased uncollectible accounts of small businesses may adversely affect our business. Small business customers from time to time fraudulently submit artificial receivables to our client banks using our products and services. In addition, customers from time to time keep cash payments that are mistakenly remitted to the small business when those payments should actually be remitted directly to the client bank. Our client banks are also susceptible to uncollectible accounts from small business customers. Many of the banks purchase insurance through us to insure against these risks. If the number and amount of fraudulent or bad debt claims increase, our client banks may decide to reduce or terminate their use of our products and services, reducing our ability to attract and retain revenue producing client banks. Further, our insurance carrier providing coverage for the insurance products may increase rates or cancel coverage, reducing our ability to produce that revenue and reducing our margins on that business.
Errors and omissions by our employees at the Private Business service center and any problems with systems or software may expose Private Business to claims and loss of business. Private Business currently conducts processing services for certain client banks and may do so for future client banks. Acting as processor for client banks may expose Private Business to claims about the quality of those services. Private Business employees may make errors, or technical or other events beyond our control may occur. These errors or events may cause banks to reduce their participation in the program or leave the program entirely, negatively affecting our revenue.
28
Access to capital for growth and new product introduction or acquisitions may not be available. A significant part of our growth plans rest on the development of new products, strategic acquisitions, and the formation of certain strategic alliances for both of our primary products. The execution of these plans may require that we have access to additional capital. Market conditions at the time we need this capital may preclude access to new capital of any kind or to capital on terms acceptable to us. Any of these developments could significantly hinder our ability to add new products or services.
If we are unable to complete the merger with Captiva Solutions, LLC, our business may be adversely affected. If we do not complete the merger as we intend, our business and the market price of our stock price may be adversely affected, and we may be unable to find another way to grow our business. We must pay the costs related to the merger, such as legal, accounting and financial advisor fees, even if the merger does not close.
The merger will result in dilution to our current shareholders. The issuance of shares of our capital stock options to purchase common stock and warrants to purchase our capital stock in the merger and in connection with the related financing will dilute the voting power, book value, and ownership percentage of our existing shareholders.
We may not realize the anticipated benefits from the merger. We may not achieve the benefits we are seeking in the merger. There is no assurance that we can successfully integrate Captiva’s technology into our operations, that Captiva’s technology will provide an adequate platform to grow our combined business or that we will otherwise succeed in growing the business, or that the financial results of the combined company will meet or exceed the financial results that we would have achieved without the merger. As a result, our operations and financial results may suffer and the market price of our common stock may decline.
If we are unable to successfully integrate the business operations of Captiva into our business operations after the merger, we will not realize the anticipated potential benefits from the merger and our business could be adversely affected. The merger involves the integration of companies that have previously operated independently. Successful integration of Captiva’s operations with ours will depend on our ability to consolidate operations, systems and procedures, eliminate redundancies and reduce costs. If we are unable to do so, we will not realize the anticipated potential benefits of the merger, and our business and results of operations could be adversely affected. Difficulties could include the loss of key employees and customers, the disruption of our and Captiva’s ongoing businesses and possible inconsistencies in standards, controls, procedures and policies. Our integration of Captiva may be complex and time-consuming. Additionally, a number of factors beyond our control could prevent us from realizing any efficiencies and cost savings we expect.
The debt we will incur to pay the cash portion of the merger consideration will increase our debt to equity ratio and expose us to greater risks. To finance the cash portion of the merger consideration, our debt will increase by approximately $6.0 million. This additional leverage may:
| • | increase our vulnerability to general adverse economic and industry conditions; |
| | |
| • | limit our flexibiilty in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the financial technology industry, which may place us at a competitive disadvantage compared to our competitors that have less debt, and |
| | |
| • | limit, along with the possible financial and other restrictive convenants in our indebtedness, our ability to borrow additional funds. |
29
We may borrow more than the $6.0 million needed to finance the cash portion of the merger consideration to pay for transaction costs and other working capital needs, which would further increase our risk. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on us and our operations and financial results.
Item 3. | Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk |
The Company is subject to market risk from exposure to changes in interest rates based on our financing and cash management activities. Our exposure relates primarily to our long-term debt obligations that expire in 2007. In the event that interest rates associated with these debt obligations were to increase 100 basis points, the annual impact on future cash flows would be approximately $37,000.
Item 4. | Controls and Procedures |
In an effort to ensure that the information the Company must disclose in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported on a timely basis, the Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer have evaluated the effectiveness of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e), as of September 30, 2005. Based on such evaluation, such officers have concluded that, as of September 30, 2005, the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective in timely alerting them to information relating to the Company required to be disclosed in the Company’s periodic reports filed with the SEC. There has been no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting during the quarter ended September 30, 2005 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
PART II – Other Information
Except for the lawsuit described below, we are not currently a party to, and none of our material properties is currently subject to, any material litigation other than routine litigation incidental to our business.
Citizens Bank & Trust v. Private Business, Inc.
This cause of action was filed against Private Business Inc. (“PBI”) in the District Court of Louisiana, in the Parish of Iberville on November 25, 2002. Citizens Bank & Trust (“Bank”) alleges that PBI made factual misrepresentations regarding the viability of a merchant placed on the BusinessManager Program at Citizens Bank & Trust in 1999. The merchant subsequently defaulted on the receivables purchased by the Bank, and efforts to collect the receivables from the merchant by the Bank have been unsuccessful to date. The Bank is seeking damages from the Company in the amount of $500,000. This matter is set for trial on January 26, 2006, and PBI anticipates vigorously defending the alleged claims. PBI believes based upon all available information that the outcome of this cause of action would not have a material affect on the Company’s financial position or operations.
Item 2. | Changes in Securities, Use of Proceeds and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities |
During July 2005, the Company purchased a total of 40,800 shares of the Company’s common shares on the open market for $61,000. These repurchases are in accordance with the Company’s share repurchase plan initiated and announced in December 2004. The repurchase plan approved by the Board of Directors of the Company allows for the purchase of up to $500,000 of the Company’s common stock. As such, as of September 30, 2005, the Company has cumulatively purchased $150,000 of common shares, and therefore can purchase up to an additional $350,000 of common shares. The share repurchase plan was originally scheduled to expire on December 1, 2005. The Company’s Board of Directors has elected to extend the expiration date of the share repurchase plan to December 1, 2006. All other terms and conditions of the share repurchase program remain unchanged.
30
On August 1, 2005, the Company sold 57,803 shares of its common stock (the “Stock”) to Donald V. Kincaid. The consideration for the Stock was the Company’s acquisition of all the issued and outstanding stock of KVI Capital, Inc., a Florida corporation (“KVI”) partially owned by Mr. Kincaid. The aggregate consideration paid to Mr. Kincaid for the acquisition was (i) the Stock, (ii) an additional 57,804 shares of the Company’s common stock paid into escrow, which Mr. Kincaid will receive on August 1, 2006 unless certain conditions occur, and (iii) 20% of the operating income of KVI for each of the fiscal years ending December 31, 2006, 2007, and 2008 (the “Earnout”). The Earnout will be payable 70% in cash and 30% in shares of the Company’s common stock unless the Company elects to pay the entire amount in cash. The Stock will not be registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) in reliance on private offering exemption under Section 4(2) of the Securities Act.
31
3.1 | – | Amended and Restated Charter of the Company (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s Registration Statement on No. 333-75013 Form S-1) |
| | |
3.2 | – | Amended and Restated By-laws of the Company (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Company’s Registration Statement on No. 333-75013 Form S-1) |
| | |
31.1 | – | Certification pursuant to Rule 13a – 14(a)/15d – 14(a) – Chief Executive Officer |
| | |
31.2 | – | Certification pursuant to Rule 13a – 14(a)/15d – 14(a) – Chief Financial Officer |
| | |
32.1 | – | Certification pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350 as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 – Chief Executive Officer |
| | |
32.2 | – | Certification pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350 as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 – Chief Financial Officer |
32
Signatures
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
| Private Business, Inc. |
| | (Registrant) |
| | |
Date: November 14, 2005 | By: | /s/ Henry M. Baroco |
| |
|
| | Henry M. Baroco |
| | Chief Executive Officer |
| | |
| | |
Date: November 14, 2005 | By: | /s/ J. Scott Craighead. |
| |
|
| | J. Scott Craighead |
| | Chief Financial Officer |
33