Subsequent to the execution of the agreement with ACG, the Company was presented with the opportunity to include the Ruby Project within the scope of an existing USCIS-approved EB-5 Regional Center, and with the goal of expediting the approval process for the Ruby Project by USCIS, the Company, together with ACG, has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with an existing Regional Center, the Northern California Regional Center, LLC ("NCRC"). NCRC has agreed to expand the scope of its USCIS-approved designation to include mining projects in the counties of Sierra and Nevada in Northern California, and together with ACG has agreed to sponsor North Bay's application to obtain $7.5 million through the EB-5 Program for the Ruby Project in Sierra County, California.
NCRC was approved on April 22, 2010 by USCIS as a designated EB-5 Regional Center, and is currently approved to sponsor qualifying investments in such capacity within the Northern California counties of Colusa, Butte, Glenn, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Shasta, Sutter, Tehama, Yuba and Yolo. Pursuant to its regional center designation, NCRC may sponsor qualifying investments in certain industry economic sectors that do not currently include mining. The Memorandum of Understanding provides that NCRC will seek USCIS approval for an expansion of NCRC’s Regional Center Geographic Area (the “Expansion”) to include the counties of Nevada and Sierra, where the Ruby Mine is located, and for approval to include mining within its designated industry sectors (the “Mining Designation”).
The applications and all supporting documentation required by USCIS were filed by NCRC in January, 2011. In July, 2011, NCRC received formal approval by USCIS for the expansion of the Regional Center, and the inclusion of the Ruby Mine as a qualified EB-5 project.
With the approval of the Expansion and Mining Designation by USCIS, NCRC is now permitted to sponsor qualified investments in North Bay’s Ruby Project under the EB-5 Program. The Memorandum of Understanding provides that NCRC will receive a $5,000 administrative fee to be paid by each investor independent of the investor’s minimum EB-5 investment of $500,000. In addition, upon the Ruby Project receiving the aggregate sum of $7,500,000 through the EB-5 Program, NCRC shall be entitled to an undivided one and one half percent (1.5%) interest in the Ruby Project. No shares of Company stock have been or will be issued in connection with this agreement, and the entire EB-5 funding is expected to be non-dilutive to shareholders. While a new Regional Center remains a long-term goal of North Bay and ACG, the agreement to bring the Ruby Project within the scope of a pre-existing Regional Center is seen by the Company as the most efficient and expeditious way to complete funding for the Ruby Project through the EB-5 Program in the near-term. This is an arms-length agreement, and neither the Company nor any of its officers or directors has any ownership position or pre-existing relationship with NCRC.
Procedurally, once USCIS has approved the Ruby Project, regardless of whether under the auspices of NCRC’s Regional Center or a new Regional Center owned by North Bay and ACG, the Regional Center will organize a limited partnership (“LP”) that will be made up of the foreign investors, as limited partners, each of whom will subscribe to a Regulation S offering and purchase a unit in the LP at the purchase price of $500,000. Each investor will complete and deliver to the LP a subscription agreement, and will pay a minimum of $500,000 into an escrow account, which will be held in escrow until the investor’s I-526 petition filed with USCIS has been either approved or denied by USCIS. If the investor’s I-526 petition is denied by USCIS the Escrow Agent will return the investor’s funds to the investor. If the I-526 petition is approved the Escrow Agent will pay the investment to the LP. As each new investor's I-526 petition is approved by USCIS and funds are released from escrow, the LP will then loan the funds to the Ruby Project.
To facilitate receipt by the Ruby Project of EB-5 funding from the investor LP and to comply with USCIS requirements, the Ruby Project must be organized as an original business and a new enterprise under the EB-5 Program. Accordingly, North Bay and ACG have therefore jointly organized an appropriate special purpose entity as a limited liability company domiciled in California called Ruby Gold, LLC (the "JV") that will own and operate the Ruby Project. The initial ownership/membership interest in the JV will be held 60% by North Bay and 40% by ACG. Once approved by USCIS, it is expected that the EB-5 funding for the Ruby Project will then come from the investor LP in the form of a loan to the JV.
Governance of the JV shall be through a board of directors (the "JV Board"). The appointment of the members of the JV Board shall be allocated between North Bay and ACG on a pro rata basis of their ownership/membership interest in the JV, provided however, that from the date on which the JV is organized and at all times subsequent thereto, at least one member of the JV Board shall be appointed by ACG. The operating agreement of the JV shall provide that the number of members of the JV Board shall be adjusted from time to time so as to reflect North Bay's and ACG's respective ownership/membership interest in the JV. Additionally, the operating agreement of the JV shall provide that if the initial capital contributions made by the owner/members of the JV shall not be sufficient to operate the Ruby Project, then any such required or desired capital shall be satisfied by the JV borrowing such capital.
As determined by the agreement with ACG dated July 28, 2010, net income from the Ruby Project is to be distributed as follows: (a) until the first $3,000,000 of the EB-5 Financing is returned to the EB-5 investors, 80% of the net profits from the Ruby Project will be returned to the EB-5 investors and 20% will be distributed to the owners of the JV; (b) after the first $3,000,000 of the EB-5 Financing is returned to the EB-5 investors and until the entire amount of the EB-5 Financing has been returned to the EB-5 investors, 70% of the net profits from the Ruby Project will be returned to the EB-5 investors and 30% will be distributed to the owners of the JV; (c) after the entire amount of the EB-5 Financing has been returned to the EB-5 investors, 100% of the net profits from the Ruby Project will be distributed to the owners of the JV. By virtue of the loan covenant dated September 27, 2010 with Tangiers and the Memorandum of Understanding dated October 14, 2010 with NCRC, the interests of Tangiers (0.75%) and NCRC (1.5%) are included in the net profit distributions to the owners of the JV. The loan from Tangiers was satisfied and retired in the first quarter of 2011, but the profit interest agreed to and described herein remains in effect.
The Company notes that its intention to utilize EB-5 funding is a matter of economics and the success of the Ruby Project itself is not exclusively contingent on the EB-5 financing heretofore disclosed. Unless and until all of the milestones related to USCIS approvals for EB-5 are achieved and funds are received, the Company may elect to accept alternative funding should a suitable funding source be identified and acceptable terms negotiated. As of the date of this prospectus, the EB-5 funding remains pending, the Company has not received any funding through the EB-5 program, and there is no guarantee that it will be completed. Accordingly, given the length of time this process has been ongoing, as of the date of this prospectus the Company has elected to proceed on its own by funding the project through loans and stock issuances.
On December 2, 2013, the Board of Directors authorized the spinoff of RGI as a separate and independent public company by distributing shares of RGI’s common stock to North Bay shareholders based on a date and at a ratio yet to be determined. Other than the authorization for said spinoff by our Board of Directors and the Board of RGI, there are no agreements, formal or otherwise, in place between the respective companies, any affiliate of either company, or any other parties governing the spinoff, and no shareholder approvals are required. On the same date, the Board of Directors of RGI authorized the formalization of a joint-venture agreement between the Company and RGI with regard to Ruby on a 50/50 profit-sharing basis. On January 14, 2014, RGI filed a registration statement on Form 10 with the SEC to initiate said spinoff. On March 10, 2014, RGI withdrew the Form 10 after discussions with the SEC and expects to file a registration statement on Form S-1 to register 120 million shares of RGI as the stock dividend to be issued to our shareholders in the spinoff, which amounts to 40% of the issued and outstanding shares of RGI common stock currently owned by North Bay. Accordingly, as the completion of the spinoff is contingent on a registration statement by RGI becoming effective, no determination has yet been made as to whether or not the stock dividend will be tax-free, there has been no further determination as to when the spinoff and stock dividend distribution might be completed, and there is no guarantee that it will be completed.
On June 4, 2013, the Company executed a Memorandum of Understanding (the “June 2013 Agreement”) with a private US investor (the “June 2013 Investor”) for an advance sale of up to 120 ounces of specimen gold from the Ruby Mine in Sierra County, California. The price paid in advance by the June 2013 Investor shall be at a ten percent (10%) discount to the then-current spot price of gold on the day the gold is produced and made available for shipment (the “June 2013 Delivery Date”). The June 2013 Investor will acquire the right to purchase the gold at their discretion. Upon signing the June 2013 Agreement, the Company received an initial cash advance of $150,000 (the “June 2013 Advance”), which is based on a 10% discount to the current spot price of gold, for delivery of the first 120 ounces of specimen gold produced from the Ruby Mine on or before February 1, 2014. The June 2013 Advance paid will be applied to the amount due to the Company on the June 2013 Delivery Date, as determined by the then-current spot price of gold on the June 2013 Delivery Date. In the event that 120 ounces of specimen gold is not available for delivery by February 1, 2014, the June 2013 Investor will be entitled to be repaid the June 2013 Advance in cash plus 10% interest equal to $165,000 total, with an option to still purchase the same amount of gold at a discount of 10% to the then-current spot price of gold when the specimen gold becomes available for delivery at a later date As of the date of this prospectus, the Company has repaid the entire cash advance plus interest in a cash payment of $165,000. As per the terms of the agreement, the investor still retains the right to again purchase the 120 ounces of gold at a future date..
On August 2, 2013, the Company executed a Memorandum of Understanding (the “August 2013 Agreement”) with a second private US investor (the “August 2013 Investor”) for an advance sale of up to 40 ounces of specimen gold from the Ruby Mine in Sierra County, California. The price paid in advance by the August 2013 Investor shall be at a ten percent (10%) discount to the then-current spot price of gold on the day the gold is produced and made available for shipment (the “August 2013 Delivery Date”). The August 2013 Investor will acquire the right to purchase the gold at their discretion. Upon signing the Agreement, the Company received an initial cash advance of $50,000 (the “August 2013 Advance”), which is based on a 10% discount to the current spot price of gold, for delivery of 40 ounces of specimen gold produced from the Ruby Mine on or before April 2, 2014. The August 2013 Advance paid will be applied to the amount due to the Company on the August 2013 Delivery Date, as determined by the then-current spot price of gold on the Delivery Date. In the event that 40 ounces of specimen gold is not available for delivery by April 2, 2014, the August 2013 Investor will be entitled to be repaid the August 2013 Advance in cash plus 10% interest equal to $55,000 total, with an option to still purchase the same amount of gold at a discount of 10% to the then-current spot price of gold when the specimen gold becomes available for delivery at a later date
On November 1, 2011, the Company agreed to option the Taber Mine in Sierra County, California, for a period of up to nine months, during which time the Company will continue to conduct further due diligence. On July 11, 2012, the Company executed an amendment to the Taber Mine Option Agreement to extend the option for one additional year. The consideration to be paid during the term of the option is $2,000 per month. Should the Company elect to exercise the option, the parties will then enter into a definitive lease agreement, with an optional buyout provision. As of the date of this prospectus, the term of the option has expired, and the Company has elected not to renew it.
Our CEO, Mr. Perry Leopold owns 100 shares of the Company’s Series I Preferred Stock. Each outstanding share of the Series I Preferred Stock represents its proportionate share of eighty per cent (80%) of all votes entitled to be voted and which is allocated to the outstanding shares of Series I Preferred Stock and therefore Mr. Leopold is able to control the outcome of most corporate matters on which our shareholders are entitled to vote. These shares are not convertible into common stock or any commodities. The Series I Preferred Stock was issued in February 2007. These shares were issued to our Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Perry Leopold, in February 2007 as an anti-takeover measure to insure that Mr. Leopold maintains control of the Company during periods when the Company’s stock may be severely undervalued and subject to hostile takeover in the open market. As specified in the Certificate of Designation filed by the Company with the Delaware Secretary of State in February 2007, the outstanding shares of Series I Preferred Stock shall vote together with the shares of Common Stock of the Corporation as a single class and, regardless of the number of shares of Series I Preferred Stock outstanding and as long as at least one of such shares of Series I Preferred Stock is outstanding, shall represent eighty percent (80%) of all votes entitled to be voted at any annual or special meeting of shareholders of the Corporation or action by written consent of shareholders. Each outstanding share of the Series I Preferred Stock shall represent its proportionate share of the 80% which is allocated to the outstanding shares of Series I Preferred Stock”.
Our headquarters are located at 2120 Bethel Road, Lansdale, PA 19446, with a mailing address of PO Box 162, Skippack, PA 19474. Our website is located at www.northbayresources.com. Our telephone number is (215) 661-1100.
Going Concern
Our consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis, which implies the Company will continue to realize its assets and discharge its liabilities in the normal course of business. The Company has generated modest revenues since inception and has never paid any dividends and is unlikely to pay dividends. The continuation of the Company as a going concern is dependent upon the continued financial support from its shareholders, the ability of the Company to obtain necessary equity financing to continue operations and to determine the existence, discovery and successful exploration of economically recoverable reserves in its resource properties, confirmation of the Company’s interests in the underlying properties, and the attainment of profitable operations. The Company has had very little operating history to date. These consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments to the recoverability and classification of recorded asset amounts and classification of liabilities that might be necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.
We have experienced recurring net losses from operations, which losses have caused an accumulated deficit of $15,535,153 as of December 31, 2013. In addition, we have a working capital deficit of $3,249,806 as of December 31, 2013. We had net losses of $2,059,305 and $2,119,706 for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. If we are unable to generate profits and are unable to continue to obtain financing to meet our working capital requirements, we may have to curtail our business sharply or cease operations altogether. Our continuation as a going concern is dependent upon our ability to generate sufficient cash flow to meet our obligations on a timely basis to retain our current financing, to obtain additional financing, and, ultimately, to attain profitability. Should any of these events not occur, we will be adversely affected and we may have to cease operations.
As of December 31, 2013 the accumulated deficit attributable to CEO stock awards, including previous management, and valued according to GAAP, totals $2,558,535 since inception in 2004. As of December 31, 2013 the accumulated deficit attributable to CEO compensation is $820,474 in deferred compensation. This reflects the total amounts unpaid as per the management agreement with The PAN Network dating back to January 2006, less any amounts actually paid or forgiven since 2006. These totals are non-cash expenses which are included in the accumulated deficit since inception. Actual CEO compensation paid in cash over the course of the seven years since 2006 consists of $10,000 in 2006, $50,764 in 2007, $23,139 in 2008, $29,979 in 2009, $21,988 in 2010, $90,000 in 2011, $116,000 in 2012, and $100,000 in 2013. These cash expenditures are also included in the accumulated deficit.
The ongoing execution of our business plan is expected to result in operating losses over the next twelve months. Management believes it will need to raise capital through loans or stock issuances in order to have enough cash to maintain its operations for the next twelve months. There are no assurances that we will be successful in achieving our goals of obtaining cash through loans, stock issuances, or increasing revenues and reaching profitability.
In view of these conditions, our ability to continue as a going concern is dependent upon our ability to meet our financing requirements, and to ultimately achieve profitable operations. Management believes that its current and future plans provide an opportunity to continue as a going concern. The accompanying consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments relating to the recoverability and classification of recorded assets, or the amounts and classification of liabilities that may be necessary in the event we cannot continue as a going concern.
Securities Being Offered by Selling Stockholder | Up to 29,463,118 shares of our common stock. |
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Offering Price | The selling shareholder will sell our common stock at prevailing market prices or privately negotiated prices. |
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Terms of the Offering | The selling shareholder will determine when and how it will sell the common stock offered in this prospectus. |
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Risk Factors | The securities offered hereby involve a high degree of risk and should not be purchased by investors who cannot afford the loss of their entire investment. See “Risk Factors.” |
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Common Stock Outstanding before Offering | 152,531,443 shares of our common stock are issued and outstanding as of the date of this prospectus. |
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Common Stock Outstanding after Offering (1) | 181,994,561shares of common stock. |
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Use of Proceeds | The selling stockholder will receive all of the proceeds from the sale of the shares offered for sale by it under this prospectus. Accordingly, we will not receive proceeds from the sale of the shares by the selling stockholder. However, we may receive up to $883,894 in proceeds from the sale of our common stock to the selling stockholder from the shares covered herein and sold to the selling stockholder under the Securities Purchase Agreement described below. Any proceeds that we receive under the purchase agreement are expected to be used for general working capital purposes. |
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OTCQB Market Symbol | NBRI |
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(1) | Assumes the issuance to the selling stockholder of all shares being registered herein under the Securities Purchase Agreement. |
This offering relates to the resale of 29,463,118 shares of our common stock, par value of $0.001, by the selling stockholder, Tangiers Investors LP (“Tangiers”). The Company will receive proceeds from the sale of our common stock to Tangiers under the Securities Purchase Agreement entered into with the selling stockholder on October 7, 2009 and amended on July 24, 2013 (“Securities Purchase Agreement”).
Pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement, we may, at our sole discretion, periodically issue and sell to Tangiers shares of our common stock for a total aggregate purchase price of $10,000,000. We have previously registered 45,094,833 shares under this facility, of which 19,651,471 shares were issued between January 24, 2011 and April 25, 2013, at an aggregate average price per share of $0.065, and 25,365,768 shares were issued between September 11, 2013 and February 26, 2014 at an aggregate average price per share of $0.03. During the second quarter of fiscal 2013, we discovered certain shares of the 19,651,471 shares registered in 2011 were inadvertently offered and sold without registration under the Securities Act, as amended, during the period from October 24, 2011 through April 25, 2013. A more detailed discussion is included in Note 10 of the audited Financial Statements on page 117 and in the Risk Factor on page 18. We have deregistered the remaining shares from our previous registration statement by filing a post-effective amendment to the registration statement. Under this registration statement on Form S-1 (“Registration Statement”), we are only registering 29,463,118 additional shares of our common stock. We will issue additional shares to Tangiers, at our option, in order to continue to receive advances under the Securities Purchase Agreement. If additional shares are issued, they will be covered by future registration statements. The registration statement of which this Prospectus is a part of must be declared effective prior to us being able to issue those additional shares to Tangiers so that we may obtain further cash advances under the Securities Purchase Agreement.
Pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement, the dollar amount of each advance is based upon the average daily trading volume in dollar amount during the ten (10) trading days preceding the advance notice date (the “Base Amount”). For each share of common stock purchased under the Securities Purchase Agreement, Tangiers will pay us 90% of the lowest volume weighted average price (“VWAP”) of the Company's common stock as quoted by Bloomberg, LP on other principal market on which the Company's common stock is traded for the five days immediately following the notice date (the “Market Price”). Any advance notice that exceeds the Base Amount by up to 200% will be further discounted by 7.5% (or 82.5% of the Market Price), and any advance notice in excess of 200% and up to 300% of the Base Amount will be further discounted by an additional 7.5% (or 75% of the Market Price). The price paid by Tangiers for the Company's stock shall be determined as of the date of each individual request for an Advance under the Securities Purchase Agreement. Tangiers’ obligation to purchase shares of the Company's common stock under the Securities Purchase Agreement is subject to certain conditions, including the Company obtaining an effective registration statement for shares of the Company's common stock sold under the Securities Purchase Agreement, and is limited to a maximum of $250,000 per ten consecutive trading days after the advance notice is provided to Tangiers. The Securities Purchase Agreement shall terminate and Tangiers shall have no further obligation to make advances under the Securities Purchase Agreement at the earlier of the passing of 60 months after the date that the Securities and Exchange Commission declares the Company’s registration statement effective or the Company receives advances from Tangiers equal to $10,000,000. Upon the execution of the Securities Purchase Agreement, Tangiers received a one-time commitment fee in October 2009 equal to $85,000 of the Company's common stock divided by the lowest volume weighted average price of the Company's common stock during the 10 business days immediately following the date of the Securities Purchase Agreement, as quoted by Bloomberg, LP.
By way of example, the following table illustrates the total share issuance from a hypothetical $50,000 draw request (“Advance Notice”) where the Base Amount preceding the Advance Notice has been tabulated to be $20,000, and the VWAP during the 5 day period following the Advance Notice is determined to be $0.05. The Base Amount for this hypothetical draw request is thus $20,000, which at a 10% discount of the Market Price of $0.05 per share will set the issuance price at $0.045 and will result in 444,444 shares being issued. The amount that is more than 100% of the Base Amount but less than or equal to 200% of the Base Amount (Tier 1) is $20,000, which at a 17.5% discount of the Market Price results in an additional 484,849 shares being issued. The amount that is greater than 200% of the Base Amount (Tier 2) is $10,000, which at a 25% discount to the Market Price results in an additional 266,667 shares being issued, for a total issuance on this example $50,000 draw request of 1,195,960 shares.
| | Draw Request | | | 10-day Avg $ Volume (Base Amount) | | | Tier Split (Base / Tier 1 / Tier 2) | | | Low VWAP During 5-day Pricing Period | | | Discount | | | Tier Price | | | Shares Issued | |
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Our common stock is recently trading around $0.04 per share. If this price is maintained, of which there is no assurance, our shares will be issued to Tangiers at a minimum of $0.03 (25% discount) to a maximum of 0.036 (10% discount) per share, depending on the amount of each draw request. As of the date of this prospectus, $2,041,800 has been drawn from this facility since January 24, 2011, leaving $7,958,200 remaining to be drawn if the entire $10,000,000 available to us is to be received. Therefore, assuming said minimum price and including the amount already received, we will need to register as many as 193,755,556 additional shares of our common stock in order to obtain the full $10,000,000 available to us under the Securities Purchase Agreement as of the date of this prospectus. We are only registering 29,463,118 on this Registration Statement. The total amount of 29,463,118 shares of our common stock will be issued to Tangiers in order to obtain the funds available to us under the Securities Purchase Agreement. We will be required to file other registration statements if we intend to obtain the full amount of funds available to us under the Securities Purchase Agreement. If we issue to Tangiers all 29,463,118 shares of our common stock at the current stock price we will only be able to receive approximately $883,894 in net proceeds after the minimum discount of 10% is applied and after deducting expenses related to filing this registration statement. This Registration Statement must be declared effective prior to us being able to issue those additional shares to Tangiers so that we may obtain cash advances under the Securities Purchase Agreement.
As of the date of this prospectus, the shares of common stock to be issued in order to receive advances under the Securities Purchase Agreement upon issuance would equal approximately 19.33% of our outstanding common stock.
The shares of our common stock being offered for resale by the selling security holder are highly speculative in nature, involve a high degree of risk and should be purchased only by persons who can afford to lose the entire amount invested in the common stock. Before purchasing any of the shares of common stock, you should carefully consider the following factors relating to our business and prospects. The risks and uncertainties described below are not exclusive. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known or that the Company currently deems immaterial may also impair operations. If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition or operating results could be materially adversely affected. As one of our stockholders, you will be subject to the risks inherent in our business. In such case, the trading price of our common stock could decline and you may lose all or part of your investment. As of the date of this prospectus, our management is aware of the following material risks and we have included all known material risks in this section:
Risks Related To Our Business
We have been the subject of a going concern opinion by our independent auditors who have raised substantial doubt as to our ability to continue as a going concern
Our audited financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis, which implies the Company will continue to realize its assets and discharge its liabilities in the normal course of business. The Company has generated modest revenues since inception and has never paid any dividends and is unlikely to pay dividends. The continuation of the Company as a going concern is dependent upon the continued financial support from its shareholders, the ability of the Company to obtain necessary equity financing to continue operations and to determine the existence, discovery and successful exploration of economically recoverable reserves in its resource properties, confirmation of the Company’s interests in the underlying properties, and the attainment of profitable operations. The Company has had very little operating history to date. These financial statements do not include any adjustments to the recoverability and classification of recorded asset amounts and classification of liabilities that might be necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern. These factors raise substantial doubt regarding the ability of the Company to continue as a going concern.
We have experienced recurring net losses from operations, which losses have caused an accumulated deficit of $15,535,153 as of December 31, 2013. In addition, we have a working capital deficit of $3,249,806 as of December 31, 2013. We had net losses of $2,059,305 and $2,119,706 for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. If we are unable to generate profits and are unable to continue to obtain financing to meet our working capital requirements, we may have to curtail our business sharply or cease operations altogether. Our continuation as a going concern is dependent upon our ability to generate sufficient cash flow to meet our obligations on a timely basis to retain our current financing, to obtain additional financing, and, ultimately, to attain profitability. Should any of these events not occur, we will be adversely affected and we may have to cease operations.
As of December 31, 2013 the accumulated deficit attributable to CEO stock awards, including previous management, and valued according to GAAP, totals $2,558,535 since inception in 2004. As of December 31, 2013 the accumulated deficit attributable to CEO compensation is $820,474 in deferred compensation. This reflects the total amounts unpaid as per the management agreement with The PAN Network dating back to January 2006, less any amounts actually paid or forgiven since 2006. These totals are non-cash expenses which are included in the accumulated deficit since inception. Actual CEO compensation paid in cash over the course of the seven years since 2006 consists of $10,000 in 2006, $50,764 in 2007, $23,139 in 2008, $29,979 in 2009, $21,988 in 2010, $90,000 in 2011, $116,000 in 2012, and $100,000 in 2013. These cash expenditures are also included in the accumulated deficit.
Excluding management fees, which are deferred as-needed, the Company has required approximately $7,000 (USD) per month to maintain its mineral claims in British Columbia in good standing and pay general administrative expenses. We believe these expenses can be maintained at present levels for the foreseeable future. Going forward, as a fully-reporting company, we estimate it will cost an additional $2,500 to $5,000 per month in SEC compliance fees, consisting primarily of accounting, legal, and edgarization fees. If we cannot generate enough revenue from claim sales and joint-ventures to cover these costs, we believe we can rely on loans and our equity credit line established with Tangiers to make up for any revenue shortfall once this Registration Statement is declared effective by the SEC. However, as there is no assurance that this Registration Statement or any subsequent Registration Statement will be declared effective, the equity line with Tangiers may be unavailable to us. If we cannot generate sufficient revenue or raise additional funds through equity, we may not be able to maintain our mineral claims or make timely filings with the SEC. In fiscal year 2014, our mortgage on the Ruby Mine Property (“Ruby Mine”) requires us to pay $60,000 per month through December 30, 2015. The Company believes it can rely on loans and our equity credit line established with Tangiers to make up for any revenue shortfall once this registration statement to register the Tangiers equity credit line is made effective by the SEC. However, as there is no assurance that this or any subsequent registration statement will be made effective, the equity line with Tangiers may be unavailable to us. If we cannot generate sufficient revenue or raise additional funds through loans, equity, we may not be able to maintain our mortgage on the Ruby Mine.
The ongoing execution of our business plan is expected to result in operating losses over the next twelve months. Management believes it will need to raise capital through loans and stock issuances in order to have enough cash to maintain its operations for the next twelve months. There are no assurances that we will be successful in achieving our goals of obtaining cash through loans or stock issuances, or increasing revenues and reaching profitability.
In view of these conditions, our ability to continue as a going concern is dependent upon our ability to meet its financing requirements, and to ultimately achieve profitable operations. Management believes that its current and future plans provide an opportunity to continue as a going concern. The accompanying financial statements do not include any adjustments relating to the recoverability and classification of recorded assets, or the amounts and classification of liabilities that may be necessary in the event we cannot continue as a going concern.
We may not be able to engage in joint-ventures, which could have a significant negative impact on our financial condition.
We intend to increase our revenues and available cash through joint-venture opportunities. We may not have the resources required to promote our properties and attract viable joint-venture partners. If we are unable to secure additional joint-venture partners for our mining properties, we will not be able to generate enough revenue to achieve and maintain profitability or to continue our operations.
Because of our dependence on a limited number of potential partners, our failure to attract new partners for our mining properties could impair our ability to continue successful operations. The absence of a significant partnership base may impair our ability to attract new partners. Our failure to develop and sustain long-term relationships with joint-venture partners would impair our ability to continue exploration of our properties. Once secured, the failure of a joint-venture partner to obtain sufficient financing to meet their commitments to us may cause the joint-venture to fail, and our business prospects may suffer.
We may not be able to increase our revenue or effectively operate our business. To the extent we are unable to achieve revenue growth, we may continue to incur losses. We may not be successful or make progress in the growth and operation of our business. Our current and future expense levels are based on operating plans and estimates of future revenues and are subject to increase as strategies are implemented. Even if our revenues grow, we may be unable to adjust spending in a timely manner to compensate for any unexpected revenue shortfall.
Accordingly, any significant shortfall in revenues would likely have an immediate material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition. Further, if we substantially increase our operating expenses and such expenses are not subsequently followed by increased revenues, our operating performance and results would be adversely affected and, if sustained, could have a material adverse effect on our business. To the extent we implement cost reduction efforts to align our costs with revenue, our revenue could be adversely affected.
We may face many of the challenges that a developing company in the mining industry typically encounters which may impede or prevent successful implementation of our business plan.
These challenges include, but are not limited to:
· | Evaluation and staking of new prospects; |
· | Maintaining claims in good standing; |
· | Engaging and retaining the services of qualified geological, engineering and mining personnel and consultants; |
· | Establishing and maintaining budgets, and implementing appropriate financial controls; |
· | Identifying and securing joint-venture partners; |
· | Establishing initial exploration plans for mining prospects; |
· | Obtaining and verifying independent studies to validate mineralization levels on our prospects; and |
· | Ensuring the necessary exploratory and operational permits are filed on a timely basis, the necessary permits are maintained and approved by governmental authorities and jurisdictions, and adhering to all regulatory and safety requirements. |
The failure to address one or more of these above factors may impair our ability to carry out our business plan. In that event, an investment in us would be substantially impaired.
Our business plan is dependent on continually finding new mining prospects with sufficient mineralization, grade and consistency without which it may not be practical to pursue the business plan, and investors will lose their investment.
Our business model depends on locating new prospects with commercially sufficient amounts of precious and other metal mineralization. Until feasibility studies are completed, permits issued, and actual extraction and processing begins, we will not know if our prospects are commercially viable. Even if initial reports about mineralization in a particular prospect are positive, subsequent activities may determine that the prospect is not commercially viable. Thus, at any stage in the exploration and development process, we may determine there is no business reason to continue, and at that time, our financial resources may not enable us to continue exploratory operations and will cause us to terminate our current business plan.
Our metals exploration efforts are highly speculative in nature and may be unsuccessful.
Metals exploration is highly speculative in nature, involves many risks and frequently is unsuccessful. Once mineralization is discovered, it may take a number of years from the initial phases of drilling before production is possible, during which time the economic feasibility of production may change. Substantial expenditures are required to establish proven and probable ore reserves through drilling, to determine metallurgical processes to extract the metals from the ore and, in the case of new properties, to construct mining and processing facilities. As a result of the foregoing uncertainties, no assurance can be given that our exploration programs will result in the identification, expansion, or replacement of current or future production with new proven and probable ore reserves.
Exploration projects have no operating history upon which to base estimates of proven and probable ore reserves and estimates of future cash operating costs. Such estimates are, to a large extent, based upon the interpretation of geologic data obtained from drill holes and other sampling techniques, and feasibility studies which derive estimates of cash operating costs based upon anticipated tonnage and grades of ore to be mined and processed, the configuration of the ore body, expected recovery rates of the mineral from the ore, comparable facility and equipment operating costs, anticipated climatic conditions and other factors. As a result, it is possible that actual cash operating costs and economic returns based upon development of proven and probable ore reserves may differ significantly from those originally estimated. Moreover, significant decreases in actual over expected prices may mean reserves, once found, will be uneconomical to produce. It is not unusual in new mining operations to experience unexpected problems during the start-up phase.
Other risk factors include changes in regulations, environmental concerns or restrictions, legacy rights accorded to local First Nations communities, technical issues relating to exploration, development, and extraction, such as rock falls, subsidence, flooding and weather conditions, safety requirements, and labor issues. Any of these factors individually or together could delay or halt implementation of the business plan or raise costs to levels that may make it unprofitable or impractical to pursue our business objectives.
Regulatory compliance is complex and the failure to meet all the various requirements could result in loss of a claim, fines or other limitations on our business plan.
With the exception of the Ruby Mine in Sierra County, California, all of our mining claims are in British Columbia, Canada, where we are subject to regulation by numerous federal and provincial governmental authorities, but most importantly, by the British Columbia Ministry of Energy, Mines, and Petroleum Resources. Our Ruby Mine project (“Ruby Project”) in Sierra County, California, is subject to US regulation by the Federal Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Department of the Interior, the Bureau of Land Management, the US Forestry Service, the US Department of Labor Mine Safety and Health Administration, as well as other comparable state agencies, such as the California Department of Conservation Office of Mine Reclamation, the California State Water Resources Control Board and the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health. At the Ruby, we are also subject to various federal and state statutes, such as the federal Mine Safety & Health Act of 1977, the federal Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006, the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, also known as the "Superfund" law, the federal Clean Air Act , the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and the California Surface Mining and Reclamation Act. Where EB-5 funding has been applied for, offered, or secured, we are subject to regulation by the US Department of Homeland Security and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services ("USCIS"). The acquisition of a prospect in Mexico, or any other country, will be subject to similar regulatory agencies requirements by various agencies in each country. In all cases, the failure or delay in making required filings and obtaining regulatory approvals or licenses will adversely affect our ability to carry out our business plan. The failure to obtain and comply with any regulations or licenses may result in fines or other penalties, and even the loss of our rights over a prospect. We expect compliance with these regulations to be a substantial expense in terms of time and cost. Therefore, compliance with or the failure to comply with applicable regulation will affect our ability to succeed in our business plan and ultimately to generate revenues and profits. We expect that our operations will comply in all material respects with applicable laws and regulations. We believe that the existence and enforcement of such laws and regulations will have no more restrictive an effect on our operations than on other similar companies in the resource industry.
The Ruby Mine has no proven or probable reserves, and production may be less than expected, or may never begin at all.
Our current resource estimate at the Ruby Mine is inferred, or hypothetical. While past production is a good indicator, past production does not guarantee future results. If our mining efforts fail to produce a grade of gold high enough to sustain an economic enterprise, our Ruby Mine Project may fail. In the event of such a failure, our inability to repay any accumulated debt incurred from the Ruby project may cause our business to fail.
Our ability to begin mining operations at the Ruby Mine requires that we raise sufficient capital to pay off the mortgage on the Ruby Mine property and provide enough operating capital to begin as well as sustain commercial production. We have elected to avail ourselves of the federal EB-5 Program to secure funding, for which the Ruby Mine has been pre-approved by the USCIS in July 2011, but which is contingent on our ability to raise sufficient funds from foreign investors who participate in the federal EB-5 Program. As of the date of this prospectus, the EB-5 funding remains pending, the Company has not received any funding through the EB-5 program, and there is no guarantee that it will be completed. Accordingly, given the length of time this process has been ongoing, as of the date of this prospectus the Company has elected to proceed on its own by funding the project through revenue generated from claim sales and joint-ventures, and capital from loans, stock sales, and other alternative funding sources. If we fail to secure enough capital from either the EB-5 Program or any other alternative funding sources, we may have to curtail the Ruby project and forfeit the property.
Placing a mining project into production without first establishing reserves has a much higher risk of economic or technical failure.
Historically, placing a mining project into production without first establishing reserves has a much higher risk of economic or technical failure. We are not basing our production decision on a final or bankable feasibility study of mineral reserves, and intend to mine and sample simultaneously. While unorthodox by current industry practices, mining and sampling simultaneously has historically been the standard in California's drift mines such as the Ruby Mine. This approach is supported the Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management ("BLM") Technical Bulletin 4 entitled "Placer Examination Principles and Practice". Nevertheless, the increased uncertainty inherent in this approach increases the economic and technical risks of failure associated with this type of production decision.
Competition may develop which could hinder our ability to locate, stake and explore new mining claims, or to attract new joint-venture partners.
As metal prices continue to increase and demand grows, we expect new companies to form and compete with the already numerous junior and developed mining, exploration and production companies in existence. Some of these companies may be more efficient in locating new claims, which could impede our business plan. As well, some of these companies may be better funded, or more successful in attracting joint-venture partners, and thereby diminish our ability to execute our business plan.
We could fail to attract or retain key personnel, which could be detrimental to our operations.
Our success largely depends on the efforts and abilities of our Chief Executive Officer, Perry Leopold. The loss of his services could materially harm our business because of the cost and time necessary to find his successor. Such a loss would also divert management’s attention away from operational issues. We do not presently maintain key-man life insurance policies on our Chief Executive Officer. To the extent that we are smaller than our competitors and have fewer resources, we may not be able to attract sufficient number and quality of staff.
New exploration activities require substantial capital expenditures.
New exploration activities, if done independently and without benefit of a joint-venture partner, require substantial capital expenditures for the extraction, production and processing stages and for machinery, equipment and experienced personnel. There can be no assurance that the Company will generate sufficient cash flow and/or that it will have access to sufficient external sources of funds in the form of outside investment or loans to continue exploration activities at the same or higher levels than in the past.
Our Chief Executive Officer controls another company, Speebo, Inc. (“Speebo”), that could potentially create a conflict of interest
Speebo is a private exploration company founded and funded in 2006 by our Chief Executive Officer, Perry Leopold, as a proof-of-concept in the use of MTO technology as the primary methodology for the identification and acquisition of mineral properties of merit. As a result of Mr. Leopold’s success in acquiring claims in this manner and subsequently generating revenue from them, the Board of Directors of North Bay agreed with Mr. Leopold’s contention that new technology holds the key to a successful exploration enterprise in the 21st century, and in 2007 the Company adopted the Generative Business Model that incorporates MTO (as defined below) technology as the core methodology in the execution of our current business plan. Speebo continues to operate to a limited extent, and often acts for the benefit of North Bay. Two key claims currently owned by North Bay, Bouleau Creek Gold and Pine River Vanadium, were originally acquired and subsequently gifted to the Company by Speebo. To date there have never been any material related-party transactions between Speebo and North Bay for the benefit of Speebo, nor has there been any instance, material or otherwise, of Speebo ever receiving any benefit whatsoever from its affiliation as a related-party. While the potential inherently exists for a conflict-of-interest in the future, the reality of the relationship to date has been complimentary and supportive to the sole benefit of North Bay, and not competitive in any way. In the event a potential transaction in the future might convey a benefit to Speebo, it may only be done with the unanimous consent of the Board of Directors, and in full compliance with the Code of Ethics adopted by the Company in October, 2009.
A single shareholder, our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board Mr. Perry Leopold, has the ability to control our business direction.
Our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board, Mr. Perry Leopold, owns 80% of the voting shares of our stock by virtue of his ownership of 100% of the authorized Series I Preferred Shares. These shares were issued to him in February 2007 as an anti-takeover measure to insure that Mr. Leopold maintains control of the Company during periods when the Company’s stock may be severely undervalued and subject to hostile takeover in the open market. As specified in the Certificate of Designation filed by the Company with the Delaware Secretary of State in February 2007, “the outstanding shares of Series I Preferred Stock shall vote together with the shares of Common Stock of the Corporation as a single class and, regardless of the number of shares of Series I Preferred Stock outstanding and as long as at least one of such shares of Series I Preferred Stock is outstanding, shall represent eighty percent (80%) of all votes entitled to be voted at any annual or special meeting of shareholders of the Corporation or action by written consent of shareholders. Each outstanding share of the Series I Preferred Stock shall represent its proportionate share of the 80% which is allocated to the outstanding shares of Series I Preferred Stock.” These Series I Preferred Shares also supersede any other shares that Mr. Leopold may own, so that any additional shares he may acquire do not increase his 80% voting rights, and are therefore included within the 80%. Accordingly, Mr. Leopold is likely to be in a position to control the election of our Board of Directors and the selection of officers, management and consultants. He will also have a significant influence in determining the outcome of all corporate transactions or other matters, including mergers, consolidations and the sale of all or substantially all of our assets, and also the power to prevent or cause a change in control. While we have no current plans with regard to any merger, consolidation or sale of substantially all of our assets, the interests of Mr. Leopold may still differ from the interests of the other stockholders.
Our executive officers do not have any training specific to the technicalities of mineral exploration, and there is a higher risk our business will fail
Mr. Perry Leopold, our Chief Executive Officer since 2006, does not have any formal training as a geologist or a mining engineer. As a result, our management may lack certain skills that are advantageous in managing an exploration company. In addition, Mr. Leopold’s decisions and choices may not take into account standard engineering or managerial approaches mineral exploration companies commonly use. Consequently, our operations, earnings, and ultimate financial success could suffer irreparable harm due to management’s lack of experience in geology and mine engineering.
We anticipate our operating expenses will increase and we may never achieve profitability
Prior to completion of our exploration stage, we anticipate that we will incur increased operating expenses without increasing or realizing any revenues. We expect to incur continuing and significant losses into the foreseeable future. As a result of continuing losses, we may exhaust all of our resources and be unable to execute on our business plan. Our accumulated deficit will continue to increase as we continue to incur losses. We may not be able to earn profits or continue operations if we are unable to generate significant revenues. There is no history upon which to base any assumption as to the likelihood that we will be successful, and we may not be able to generate any operating revenues from mining or ever achieve profitable operations. If we are unsuccessful in addressing these risks, our business will most likely fail.
We have one employee, our Chief Executive Officer, who also has other business interests, and he may not be able to devote a sufficient amount of time to our business operations, causing our business to fail
Mr. Perry Leopold, our Chief Executive Officer, currently devotes 40 or more hours per week to our business affairs, and currently devotes less than 10 hours per week total on his other business interests, specifically, Speebo, Circular Logic, Inc., and The PAN Network. Mr. Leopold also serves as a consultant to a major consumer electronics firm on legacy technology issues related to his work with The PAN Network in aiding the development of the internet in the 1980’s, and which is done only as time permits, on an as-needed as-available basis. Currently, we do not have any other employees. If the demands of any of Mr. Leopold’s other business interests should increase in the future, it is possible that Mr. Leopold may not be able to devote sufficient time to the management of our business, as and when needed. If our management is unable to devote a sufficient amount of time to manage our operations, our business will fail.
A single shareholder, our Chief Executive Officer Mr. Perry Leopold, owns 100% of our outstanding convertible preferred stock, and the market price of our shares would most likely decline if he were to convert these shares to common stock and sell a substantial number of shares all at once or in large blocks.
Our Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Perry Leopold owns 4,000,000 shares of our Series A Preferred stock, which equates to 20,000,000 shares of common stock upon conversion if he so elects. Mr. Leopold will then be eligible to sell these shares publicly subject to the volume limitations in Rule 144. The offer or sale of a large number of shares at any price may cause the market price to fall. Sales of substantial amounts of common stock or the perception that such transactions could occur may materially and adversely affect prevailing markets prices for our common stock.
If First Nations land claims affect the title to our mineral claims, our ability to mine on our claims may be lost.
The Province of British Columbia and Canadian government policy at this time is to consult with all potentially affected First Nations bands and other stakeholders in the area of any potential commercial production. In the event that we encounter a situation where a First Nations person or group claims an interest in any of our mineral claims, we may be unable to provide compensation to the affected party in order to continue with our exploration work, or if such an option is not available, we may have to relinquish any interest that we may have in this claim. The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that both the federal and provincial governments in Canada are now obliged to negotiate these matters in good faith with First Nations groups. If any of our mineral claims should become the subject of a dispute with First Nations groups, the costs and/or losses could be greater than our financial capacity and our business would fail.
The Province of British Columbia owns most of the land covered by our Canadian mineral claims, and our ability to conduct exploratory programs is subject to the consent of the Province of British Columbia, leading to possible ejection from or forfeiture of our mineral claims.
The land covered by most of our mineral claims in Canada is owned by the Province of British Columbia. The ability to conduct an exploratory program on any of our claims is subject to the consent of the Province of British Columbia. In order to keep our claims in good standing with the Province of British Columbia, the Province of British Columbia requires that before the expiry dates of the mineral claim that exploration work on any mineral claim valued at an amount stipulated by the government be completed together with the payment of a filing fee, or, a payment to the Province of British Columbia in lieu of completing said exploration work. In the event that these conditions are not satisfied prior to the expiry dates of the mineral claim, we will lose our interest in any mineral claim so affected, and the mineral claim then become available again to any party that wishes to stake an interest in these claims. In the event that either we are ejected from the land or our mineral claims expire, we will lose all interest that we have in the claims so affected.
Our mineral and placer rights in British Columbia are limited.
Our acquisition of any mining claim in British Columbia conveys the mineral or placer rights for mining-related purposes only, and while our rights allow us to use the surface of a claim for mining and exploration activities, our claims do not convey any other surface, residential or recreational rights to the Company. Additionally, our right to extraction is not absolute, as any mechanized extraction work on claims in British Columbia requires additional permits and possibly conversion of our claims to mining leases, the approval of which is not guaranteed. In the event a mining permit is not approved, the subject claims may become worthless to us, and we may be forced to allow them to forfeit.
Some of the land overlying our Canadian mineral claims is owned by private parties, and our ability to conduct exploratory programs is subject to their consent.
The land covered by some of our mineral claims in Canada is owned by private parties by virtue of legacy Crown Grants registered over the past century. Access and availability to conduct an exploratory program on any of these claims is subject to the consent of the private landowner. In the event any private party objects to our access and blocks our ability to conduct exploration work on these claims, these claims may become worthless to us, and we may be forced to allow them to forfeit.
Risk Factors Related to Our Planned Spinoff of Ruby Gold, Inc., Our Wholly-owned Subsidiary
We have announced our intention to spinoff our wholly-owned subsidiary, Ruby Gold, Inc. which may cause shareholders to sell their stock if the spinoff is completed, and which may cause our stock to decline.
On December 2, 2013, our Board of Directors authorized the spinoff of our wholly-owned subsidiary, Ruby Gold, Inc. (“RGI”) as a separate and independent public company. Once the spinoff is complete, the Company intends to issue a special stock dividend based on a ratio yet to be determined. Shareholders who are eligible to receive such stock dividend will be holders of common stock of North Bay as of the record date, which has yet to be set by the Board of Directors of the Company. On January 14, 2014, RGI filed a registration statement on Form 10 with the SEC to initiate said spinoff. After the RGI registration statement on Form 10 is deemed effective, the Board of Directors of the Company intends to then determine the date and ratio for the distribution of shares from the spin-off and a news release announcing the record date will be issued at that time. Other than the authorization for said spinoff by our Board of Directors and the Board of RGI, there are no agreements, formal or otherwise, in place between the respective companies, any affiliate of either company, or any other parties governing the spinoff, and no shareholder approvals are required. On March 10, 2014, RGI withdrew the Form 10 after discussions with the SEC and expects to file a registration statement on Form S-1 to register 120 million shares of RGI as the stock dividend to be issued to our shareholders in the spinoff, which amounts to 40% of the issued and outstanding shares of RGI common stock currently owned by North Bay. Accordingly, as the completion of the spinoff is contingent on a registration statement by RGI becoming effective, no determination has yet been made as to whether or not the stock dividend will be tax-free, there has been no further determination as to when the spinoff and stock dividend distribution might be completed, and there is no guarantee that it will be completed.
In the event the spinoff is completed and North Bay shareholders receive a special stock dividend of shares in RGI, it is possible that North Bay shareholders who originally invested in North Bay principally because of the Ruby Mine project might then sell their North Bay shares. Such an event could place further downward pressure on the price of our common stock.
We may be unable to achieve some or all of the benefits that we expect to achieve from the separation of RGI and our Company.
We may not be able to achieve the full strategic and financial benefits that we expect will result from the separation of RGI and our Company or such benefits may be delayed or may not occur at all. For example, analysts and investors may not regard our corporate structure to be clearer and simpler than the current corporate structure or place a greater value on our Company. As a result, in the future the aggregate market price of our Company’s common stock and RGI’s common stock as separate companies may be less than the market price per share of our common stock had the spinoff not occurred.
Risk Factors Related to Our Securities, the Securities Purchase Agreement and This Offering
We are registering herein 29,463,118 shares of common stock to be issued under the Securities Purchase Agreement. The sale of such shares could depress the market price of our common stock.
We are registering 29,463,118 shares of common stock under the registration statement of which this Prospectus forms a part for issuance pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement. The sale of these shares into the public market by Tangiers could depress the market price of our common stock.
Existing stockholders will experience significant dilution from our sale of shares under the Securities Purchase Agreement.
The sale of shares pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement will have a dilutive impact on our stockholders. As a result, the market price of our common stock could decline significantly as we sell shares pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement. In addition, for any particular advance, we will need to issue a greater number of shares of common stock under the Securities Purchase Agreement as our stock price declines. If our stock price is lower, then our existing stockholders would experience greater dilution.
The investor under the Securities Purchase Agreement will pay less than the then-prevailing market price of our common stock.
The common stock to be issued under the Securities Purchase Agreement will be issued at 90% of the lowest daily volume weighted average price of our common stock during the five consecutive trading days immediately following the date we submit an Advance Notice to Tangiers. In the event we submit an Advance Notice in excess of the Base Amount, as determined by average daily trading volume in dollar amount during the ten (10) trading days preceding the Advance Notice, the discount on the excess shares might be as much as 25%. These discounted sales could also cause the price of our common stock to decline.
The sale of our stock under the Securities Purchase Agreement could encourage short sales by third parties, which could contribute to the further decline of our stock price.
The significant downward pressure on the price of our common stock caused by the sale of material amounts of common stock under the Securities Purchase Agreement could encourage short sales by third parties. Such an event could place further downward pressure on the price of our common stock.
We may be limited in the amount we can raise under the Securities Purchase Agreement because of concerns about selling more shares into the market than the market can absorb without a significant price adjustment.
The Company intends to exert its best efforts to avoid a significant downward pressure on the price of its common stock by refraining from placing more shares into the market than the market can absorb. This potential adverse impact on the stock price may limit our willingness to use the Securities Purchase Agreement. Until there is a greater trading volume, it seems unlikely that we will be able to access the maximum amount we can draw without an adverse impact on the stock price.
We may not be able to access sufficient funds under the Securities Purchase Agreement when needed.
Our common stock is recently trading around $0.04 per share. If this price is maintained, of which there is no assurance, our shares will be issued to Tangiers at a minimum of $0.03 to a maximum of $0.036 per share, depending on the amount of each draw request and the applicable discount applied (see “The Offering”). As of the date of this prospectus, $2,041,800 has been drawn from this facility since the original effective date of January 24, 2011, leaving $7,958,200 remaining to be drawn if the entire $10,000,000 available to us is to be received. Therefore, assuming said minimum price and including the amount already received, we will need to register as many as 193,755,556 additional shares of our common stock in order to obtain the full $10,000,000 available to us under the Securities Purchase Agreement as of the date of this prospectus. We are only registering 29,463,118 on this registration statement. The total amount of 29,463,118 shares of our common stock will be issued to Tangiers in order to obtain the funds available to us under the Securities Purchase Agreement, as amended. We will be required to file other registration statements if we intend to obtain the full amount of funds available to us under the Securities Purchase Agreement. If we issue to Tangiers all 29,463,118 shares of our common stock at the current stock price we will only be able to receive approximately $883,894 in net proceeds after a 10% discount is applied and after deducting expenses related to filing this Registration Statement. This Registration Statement must be declared effective prior to us being able to issue those additional shares to Tangiers so that we may obtain cash advances under the Securities Purchase Agreement.
Our ability to raise funds under the Securities Purchase Agreement is also limited by a number of factors, including the fact that the maximum advance amount during any 10 trading day period is capped at $250,000, as well as the fact that we are not permitted to submit any request for an advance within 10 trading days of a prior request. Also, the Company may only draw an amount up to 300% of the average daily trading volume in dollar amount during the 10 trading days preceding the advance date. As such, although sufficient funds are made available to the Company under the Securities Purchase Agreement, such funds may not be readily available when needed by the Company.
We will not be able to use the Securities Purchase Agreement if the shares to be issued in connection with an advance would result in Tangiers owning more than 9.9% of our outstanding common stock.
Under the terms of the Securities Purchase Agreement, we may not request advances if the shares to be issued in connection with such advances would result in Tangiers and its affiliates owning more than 9.9% of our outstanding common stock. We are permitted under the terms of the Securities Purchase Agreement to make limited draws on the Securities Purchase Agreement so long as Tangiers’ beneficial ownership of our common stock remains lower than 9.9%. A possibility exists that Tangiers and its affiliates may own more than 9.9% of our outstanding common stock (whether through open market purchases, retention of shares issued under the Securities Purchase Agreement, or otherwise) at a time when we would otherwise plan to obtain an advance under the Securities Purchase Agreement. As such, by operation of the provisions of the Securities Purchase Agreement, the Company may be prohibited from procuring additional funding when necessary due to these provisions discussed above.
The Securities Purchase Agreement will restrict our ability to engage in alternative financings.
The structure of transactions under the Securities Purchase Agreement will result in the Company being deemed to be involved in a near continuous indirect primary public offering of our securities. As long as we are deemed to be engaged in a public offering, our ability to engage in a private placement will be limited because of integration concerns which therefore limits our ability to obtain additional funding if necessary.
We are increasing our authorized shares, and may need to do so again in the future as we draw down on our equity line with Tangiers.
As of the date of this prospectus, we have 152,531,443 shares outstanding out of 250,000,000 shares authorized. We have also reserved 56,852,098 shares of common stock for the possible conversion, consisting of 13,302,098 shares for the possible conversion of outstanding convertible notes, 20,000,000 shares for the possible conversion of outstanding preferred stock, and 23,550,000 shares for the possible exercise of outstanding warrants. We are in the process of filing all required documents to increase the number of authorized shares to 500,000,000 to provide for our reserves, and may have to again increase the authorized shares at some point in the future if we are to obtain the full $10,000,000 available to us under the Securities Purchase Agreement.
There may not be sufficient trading volume in our common stock to permit us to generate adequate funds.
The Securities Purchase Agreement, as amended, provides that the maximum dollar amount of each advance request will be the lesser of $250,000 or no more than 300% of the average daily trading volume in dollar amount during the ten (10) trading days preceding the Advance Date. If the average daily trading volume in our common stock is too low, it is possible that it would reduce the amount of each advance or advances to amounts at each time that may not provide adequate funding for our planned operations.
Our shares are quoted on OTCQB under the symbol “NBRI”. As such, we are required to remain current in our filings with the SEC and our securities will not be eligible for quotation if we are not current in our filings with the SEC; failure to remain current in our filings is a breach of the Securities Purchase Agreement
Because our shares are quoted on OTCQB, we are required to remain current in our filings with the SEC in order for shares of our common stock to remain eligible for quotation on OTCQB. In the event that we become delinquent in our required filings with the SEC, quotation of our common stock will be terminated following a 30 or 60 day grace period if we do not make our required filing during that time. If our shares are not eligible for quotation on OTCQB investors in our common stock may find it difficult to sell their shares. Furthermore, failure to remain current in our filings with the SEC is a breach of the Securities Purchase Agreement, and a cause for Tangiers to terminate said agreement.
We have offered and sold certain shares of common stock without registration under the Securities Act of 1933. Some holders of our securities may have the right to rescind their purchases. If these security holders exercise their right to rescind their purchases, our operations could be materially adversely affected.
We have inadvertently offered and sold certain shares of common stock without registration under the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”), as amended, during the period from October 24, 2011 through April 25, 2013. Pursuant to Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act, by the time our prospectus had been in use for 9 months from the effective date of January 24, 2011, the balance sheet date of the audited financial statement contained in our prospectus was more than 16 months old, and had not been refreshed to present our current financial statements within said prospectus. This inadvertent failure to update our prospectus according to Rule Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act may have caused our prospectus to no longer be effective as of October 24, 2011, and thus may have constituted a violation of Section 5 of the Securities Act (which generally requires an effective registration of offers and sales of securities) and may give rise to liability under Section 12 of the Securities Act (which generally provides a rescission remedy for offers and sales of securities in violation of Section 5) as well as potential liability under the anti-fraud provisions of federal and state securities laws.
The Securities Act requires that any claim for rescission be brought within one year of the violation. The time periods within which claims for rescission must be brought under state securities laws vary and may be two years or more from the date of the violation. As of the date of this prospectus and within the federal statute of limitations approximately 10 million shares of our outstanding common stock are subject to rescission, with a potential liability approximating $668,000, including interest at 10% per annum.
As of the date of this prospectus management is unable to determine at this time whether any claim for rescission may be filed against us; however, there can be no assurance that claims will not be asserted. In addition, regulatory agencies could launch a formal investigation and/or institute an enforcement proceeding against us for violations of federal and state registration and qualification requirements. If any security holders exercise their right to rescind their purchases, or if a formal investigation results in an enforcement action against us, our operations could be materially adversely affected.
Trading of our stock may be restricted by the Securities and Exchange Commission’s penny stock regulations, which may limit a stockholder’s ability to buy and sell our stock.
The Securities and Exchange Commission has adopted regulations which generally define “penny stock” to be any equity security that has a market price (as defined) less than $5.00 per share or an exercise price of less than $5.00 per share, subject to certain exceptions. Our securities are covered by the penny stock rules, which impose additional sales practice requirements on broker-dealers who sell to persons other than established customers and “accredited investors”. The term “accredited investor” refers generally to institutions with assets in excess of $10,000,000 or individuals with a net worth in excess of $1,000,000 or annual income exceeding $200,000 or $300,000 jointly with their spouse. The penny stock rules require a broker-dealer, prior to a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from the rules, to deliver a standardized risk disclosure document in a form prepared by the Securities and Exchange Commission, which provides information about penny stocks and the nature and level of risks in the penny stock market. The broker-dealer also must provide the customer with current bid and offer quotations for the penny stock, the compensation of the broker-dealer and its salesperson in the transaction and monthly account statements showing the market value of each penny stock held in the customer’s account. The bid and offer quotations, and the broker-dealer and salesperson compensation information, must be given to the customer orally or in writing prior to effecting the transaction and must be given to the customer in writing before or with the customer’s confirmation. In addition, the penny stock rules require that prior to a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from these rules, the broker-dealer must make a special written determination that the penny stock is a suitable investment for the purchaser and receive the purchaser’s written agreement to the transaction. These disclosure requirements may have the effect of reducing the level of trading activity in the secondary market for the stock that is subject to these penny stock rules. Consequently, these penny stock rules may affect the ability of broker-dealers to trade our securities. We believe that the penny stock rules discourage investor interest in and limit the marketability of our common stock.
This prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus contain certain forward-looking statements and are based on the beliefs of our management as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to our management. Statements that are not based on historical facts, which can be identified by the use of such words as “likely,” “will,” “suggests,” “target,” “may,” “would,” “could,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “predict,” and similar expressions and their variants, are forward-looking. Such statements reflect our judgment as of the date of this prospectus and they involve many risks and uncertainties, including those described under the captions “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” These risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted in any forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Moreover, neither we nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update forward-looking statements.
General
On October 7, 2009 we entered into the Securities Purchase Agreement which provides that, upon the terms and subject to the conditions and limitations set forth therein, Tangiers is committed to purchase up to an aggregate of $10 million of our shares of common stock over the term of the Securities Purchase Agreement. In consideration for entering into the Securities Purchase Agreement, concurrently with the execution of the Securities Purchase Agreement, we issued to Tangiers the 6,569,147 shares of our common stock on October 7, 2009, as a commitment fee. Concurrently with entering into the Securities Purchase Agreement, we also entered into the Registration Rights Agreement, in which we agreed to file one or more registration statements as permissible and necessary to register under the Securities Act for the sale of the shares of our common stock that have been and may be issued to Tangiers under the Securities Purchase Agreement.
As of the date of this prospectus, there were 152,531,443 shares of our common stock outstanding (130,947,191 shares held by non-affiliates) excluding the 29,463,118 shares offered herein that may be issued to Tangiers pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement. If all of such 29,463,118 shares of our common stock offered hereby were issued and outstanding as of the date hereof, such shares would represent 19.33% of the total common stock outstanding or 22.50% of the non-affiliate shares of common stock outstanding as of the date hereof. The number of shares of our common stock ultimately offered for sale by Tangiers is dependent upon the number of shares purchased by Tangiers under the Securities Purchase Agreement.
Pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement, as amended, and the Registration Rights Agreement, we are registering with this Registration Statement of which this prospectus is a part 29,463,118 shares of our common stock under the Securities Act, which we may issue to Tangiers after this Registration Statement is declared effective under the Securities Act. All 29,463,118 shares of common stock are being offered pursuant to this prospectus.
Mechanics of Purchase of Shares (Advances) under the Securities Purchase Agreement
After the Securities and Exchange Commission has declared effective the Registration Statement of which this prospectus is a part (“Effective Date”), we have the right, in our sole discretion, to present Tangiers at any time(s) with an Advance Notice requiring Tangiers to advance to us per advance an amount no less than $10,000 (Minimum Advance Amount) nor greater than $250,000 (Maximum Advance Amount). The Base Amount (the “Base Amount”) of each advance notice is calculated based on the average dollar volume over the 10 day period preceding an Advance Notice. In the event the Base Amount is lower than the Minimum Advance Amount of $10,000, the Base Amount shall be equal to the Minimum Advance Amount. The purchase price of the common stock acquired with each advance will be 90% of the lowest daily volume weighted average price (the “Market Price”) of our common stock during the five (5) consecutive trading days after the Advance Notice date. Any advance notice that exceeds the Base Amount by up to 200% will be further discounted by 7.5% (or 82.5% of the Market Price), and any advance notice in excess of 200% and up to 300% of the Base Amount will be further discounted by an additional 7.5% (or 75% of the Market Price). Under the present Registration Statement the total number of shares issued pursuant to the aforementioned advances will not exceed 29,463,118 shares which will amount to only a portion of the dollar amount of Tangiers’ full commitment under the Securities Purchase Agreement (of $10,000,000 in stock purchases from us). In order for us to present Tangiers with Advance Notices for the balance of the full commitment amount, we are required under the Securities Purchase Agreement to file and have declared effective additional registration statements covering the balance of shares.
The purchase price and share numbers will be adjusted for any reorganization, recapitalization, non-cash dividend, stock split, or other similar transaction occurring during the trading day(s) used to compute the purchase price. We may deliver multiple purchase notices to Tangiers from time to time during the term of the Securities Purchase Agreement, so long as the most recent purchase has been completed.
There are no trading volume requirements or restrictions under the Securities Purchase Agreement, and we will control the timing and amount of any sales of our common stock to Tangiers. Tangiers has no right to require any sales by us, but is obligated to make purchases from us as we direct in accordance with the Securities Purchase Agreement, as amended. There are no limitations on use of proceeds, financial or business covenants, restrictions on future fundings, rights of first refusal, participation rights, penalties or liquidated damages in the Securities Purchase Agreement.
Limitation
The advance provisions of the Securities Purchase Agreement notwithstanding, the amount of an advance requested by us shall not result in the issuance of a number of shares of our common stock that will cause Tangiers and its affiliates to beneficially own in excess of nine and 9/10 percent (9.9%) of the then outstanding Common Stock of the Company.
Default Termination by Tangiers
Generally, Tangiers may terminate the Securities Purchase Agreement upon the occurrence of any of the following events of default: (i) any stop order or suspension of the effectiveness of a registration statement for an aggregate of fifty (50) Trading Days, other than due to the acts of the Investor, during the Commitment Period, or (ii) any breach by us of the representations or warranties or covenants contained in the Securities Purchase Agreement or any related agreements which could have a material adverse effect on us, subject to a cure period of thirty (30) days after receipt of written notice.. Such breaches include: the suspension from trading or failure of our common stock to be listed on our principal market; our failure to deliver instructions to our transfer agent to issue to Tangiers shares of our common stock which Tangiers is entitled to receive under the Securities Purchase Agreement.
Commitment Period
The commitment period commences when the first registration statement filed pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement is declared effective (i.e., January 24, 2011) and ends sixty (60) months after said effective date.
No Short-Selling or Hedging by Tangiers
Tangiers has agreed that neither it nor any of its agents, representatives and affiliates shall engage in any direct or indirect short-selling or hedging of our common stock during any time prior to the termination of the Securities Purchase Agreement.
Effect of Performance of the Securities Purchase Agreement on Our Stockholders
The Securities Purchase Agreement does not limit the ability of Tangiers to sell any or all of the 29,463,118 shares registered in this offering. It is anticipated that shares registered in this offering will be sold over a period of up to approximately 30 months from the date of this prospectus. The sale by Tangiers of a significant amount of shares registered in this offering at any given time could cause the market price of our common stock to decline and/or to be highly volatile. Tangiers may ultimately purchase all, some or none of the 29,463,118 shares of common stock not yet issued but registered in this offering. After it has acquired such shares, it may sell all, some or none of such shares. Therefore, sales to Tangiers by us pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement also may result in substantial dilution to the interests of other holders of our common stock. However, we have the right to control the timing and amount of any sales of our shares to Tangiers and we may terminate the Securities Purchase Agreement at any time at our discretion without any penalty or cost to us.
Amount of Potential Proceeds to be Received under the Securities Purchase Agreement
In connection with entering into the Securities Purchase Agreement, we authorized the future sale to Tangiers of up to $10 million of our common stock. The number of shares ultimately offered for sale by Tangiers in this offering is dependent upon the number of shares purchased by Tangiers under the Securities Purchase Agreement.
We cannot predict at what price our shares of common stock will be trading at the time that Tangiers acquires shares under the Securities Purchase Agreement. However, based upon our recent stock price of around $0.04 per share, our shares will be issued to Tangiers at $0.03 to $0.036 per share, depending on the amount of each Advance. As of the date of this prospectus, $2,041,800 has been drawn from this facility since the original effective date of January 24, 2011, leaving $7,958,200 remaining to be drawn if the entire $10,000,000 available to us is to be received. Therefore, assuming said minimum price and including the amount already received, we will need to register as many as 193,755,556 additional shares of our common stock in order to obtain the full $10,000,000 available to us under the Securities Purchase Agreement as of the date of this prospectus. We are only registering 29,463,118 on this Registration Statement. The total amount of 29,463,118 shares of our common stock will be issued to Tangiers in order to obtain the funds available to us under the Securities Purchase Agreement, as amended. We will be required to file other registration statements if we intend to obtain the full amount of funds available to us under the Securities Purchase Agreement. If we issue to Tangiers all 29,463,118 shares of our common stock at the current stock price we will only be able to receive approximately $883,894 in net proceeds after deducting expenses related to filing this Registration Statement. We intend to use said net proceeds for working capital. See “Use of Proceeds”, below. This Registration Statement must be declared effective prior to us being able to issue those shares to Tangiers so that we may obtain cash advances under the Securities Purchase Agreement.
Tangiers intends to sell any shares purchased under the Securities Purchase Agreement at the then prevailing market price. Tangiers may sell shares of our common stock that are subject to a particular advance before it actually receives those shares. These sales of our common stock in the public market could lower the market price of our common stock. In the event that the market price of our common stock decreases, we would not be able to draw down the remaining balance available under the Securities Purchase Agreement with the number of shares being registered in the accompanying Registration Statement.
There is an inverse relationship between our stock price and the number of shares to be issued under the Securities Purchase Agreement. That is, as our stock price declines, we would be required to issue a greater number of shares under the Securities Purchase Agreement for a given advance. If the market price of our common stock remains at its current level or decreases, we may have to increase the number of authorized shares if we are to obtain the full $10,000,000 available to us under the Securities Purchase Agreement
This prospectus relates to shares of our common stock that may be offered and sold from time to time by the selling stockholder. There will be no proceeds to us from the sale of shares of our common stock in this offering. The selling stockholder will receive all such proceeds.
However, we will receive proceeds from the sale of shares of our common stock to Tangiers under the Securities Purchase Agreement, as amended. Tangiers will purchase our shares of common stock under the Securities Purchase Agreement in a range of 10% to 25% discount to the current market price, depending on the amount of each Advance Notice. The purchase price of the shares purchased under the Securities Purchase Agreement will be 90% of the Market Price of our common stock during the five (5) consecutive trading days after the Advance Notice date. The Base Amount of each advance notice is calculated based on the average dollar volume over the 10 day period preceding an Advance Notice. Any advance notice that exceeds the Base Amount by up to 200% will be further discounted by 7.5% (or 82.5% of the Market Price), and any advance notice in excess of 200% and up to 300% of the Base Amount will be further discounted by an additional 7.5% (or 75% of the Market Price). Pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement, as amended, we cannot draw more than $250,000 every 10 trading days.
For illustrative purposes only, the following table shows how the number of shares issued subsequent to each Advance Notice would increase if more than the Base Amount is drawn on any Advance Notice. The Base Amount is calculated based on the average dollar volume over the 10 day period preceding an Advance Notice. The Market Price is defined as 90% of the lowest daily VWAP during the 5 day period following the Advance Notice. The table assumes that the 10 day average dollar volume is $10,000 per day, and the lowest volume weighted average price over the 5 day period following the Advance Notice is $0.10. The Base Amount for this Advance Notice would then be $10,000. In this example, the Advance Notice is for $30,000, or 300% more than the Base Amount. The Market Price for the first $10,000 is then $0.09, or 90% of the lowest 5 day VWAP. The Market Price for the next $10,000 (up to 200% more than the Base Amount) is $0.0825, or 82.5% of the 5 day VWAP. The Market Price for the next $10,000 (more than 200% higher than the Base Amount) is $0.075, or 75% of the 5 day VWAP. The total number of shares to be issued for the $30,000 Advance Notice would then be 365,657 shares.
| | | | | Draw | | | Discount | | | Market Price (w/Discount) | | | Shares Issued | |
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Up to 200% of Base Amount | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
More than 200% of Base Amount | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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For illustrative purposes only, we have set forth below our intended use of proceeds for the range of net proceeds indicated below to be received under the Securities Purchase Agreement. The table assumes estimated offering expenses of $10,000 for this offering, and aggregate expenses of $50,000 on subsequent offerings. The figures below are estimates only, and may be changed due to various factors, including the timing of the receipt of the proceeds.
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Number of shares that would have to be issued under the Securities Purchase Agreement at an assumed offering price equal to $0.06. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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The Securities Purchase Agreement allows us to use our proceeds for general corporate purposes. We have chosen to pursue the Securities Purchase Agreement funding because it will make a large amount of cash available to us with the advantage of allowing us to decide when, and how much, we will draw from this financing. We will be in control of the draw down amounts and hope to be able to draw down from the Securities Purchase Agreement whenever the Company deems that such funds are needed. Our objective will be to draw down on the Securities Purchase Agreement funding during periods of positive results for us and during stages when our stock price is rising, in order to control and minimize, as much as possible, the potential dilution for our current and future stockholders. It may not be possible for us to always meet our objective; therefore, we will continue to identify alternative sources of financing, as we always have, including loans and additional private placements of our stock.
The selling shareholder will sell our shares at prevailing market prices or privately negotiated prices. Each of the selling shareholder, any broker-dealers, and any broker-dealer executing sell orders on behalf of the selling shareholder, may be deemed to be an “underwriter” as such term is defined in the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).
The issuance of the 29,463,118 shares pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement will have a dilutive impact on our stockholders. For any particular advance, we will need to issue a greater number of shares of common stock under the Securities Purchase Agreement which would expose our existing stockholders to greater dilution.
The following table presents information regarding the selling shareholder. A description of our relationship to the selling shareholder and how the selling shareholder acquired the shares to be sold in this offering is detailed in the information immediately following this table.
Selling Stockholder | | Shares Beneficially Owned before Offering(1) | | | Percentage of Outstanding Shares Beneficially Owned before Offering(2) | | | Shares that Could Be Issued to Draw Down Under the Securities Purchase Agreement | | | Shares that May Be Acquired Under the Securities Purchase Agreement(3) | | | Percentage of Outstanding Shares Being Registered to Be Acquired Under the Securities Purchase Agreement | | | Shares to Be Sold in the Offering | | | Percentage of Outstanding Shares Beneficially Owned after Offering(2) | |
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(1) | Represents 5,714,440 shares of common stock held by Tangiers as of the date of this prospectus, 5,550,000 shares of common stock underlying warrants held by Tangiers, and 13,302,098 shares of common stock underlying convertible notes held by Tangiers. The Share Purchase Agreement, the warrants, and the notes all contain a contractually stipulated 9.99% ownership restriction. |
(2) | The number of shares and the percentage of ownership represent the maximum amount of shares that Tangiers can beneficially control under a contractually stipulated 9.99% ownership restriction. Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission and generally includes voting or investment power with respect to securities. Shares of common stock are deemed to be beneficially owned by the person holding such securities for the purpose of computing the percentage of ownership of such person, but are not treated as outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of any other person. |
(3) | Represents the number of additional shares of our common stock that would be issued to Tangiers at an assumed market price of $0.03 less 10%, or $0.027, to draw down the entire $7,958,200 remaining of the $10 million available under the Securities Purchase Agreement. |
Shares Acquired In Financing Transactions with North Bay
Tangiers. Tangiers is the investor under the Securities Purchase Agreement. All investment decisions of, and control of, Tangiers are held by Robert Papiri and Michael Sobeck, its managing partners. Tangiers Capital, LLC (“Tangiers Capital”) makes the investment decisions on behalf of and controls Tangiers. Tangiers acquired all shares being registered in this offering in a financing transaction with us. This transaction is explained below:
Securities Purchase Agreement. On October 7, 2009, we entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with Tangiers, as amended. Pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement, the Company may, at its discretion, periodically sell to Tangiers shares of its common stock for a total purchase price of up to $10,000,000. As described in detail in the “Use of Proceeds” section above, for each share of common stock purchased under the Securities Purchase Agreement, Tangiers will pay us up to 90% of the lowest volume weighted average price of the Company's common stock as quoted by Bloomberg, LP on the principal market on which the Company's common stock is traded for the five days immediately following the notice date. The price paid by Tangiers for the Company's stock shall be determined as of the date of each individual request for an advance under the Securities Purchase Agreement. Tangiers’ obligation to purchase shares of the Company's common stock under the Securities Purchase Agreement is subject to certain conditions, including the Company obtaining an effective registration statement for shares of the Company's common stock sold under the Securities Purchase Agreement and is limited to a maximum of $250,000 per ten consecutive trading days after the advance notice is provided to Tangiers. The Securities Purchase Agreement shall terminate and Tangiers shall have no further obligation to make advances under the Securities Purchase Agreement at the earlier of the passing of 60 months after the date that the Securities and Exchange Commission first declares the Company’s registration statement effective or the Company receives advances from Tangiers equal to $10,000,000. Upon the execution of the Securities Purchase Agreement in October 2009, Tangiers received a one-time commitment fee equal to $85,000 of the Company's common stock divided by the lowest volume weighted average price of the Company's common stock during the 10 business days immediately following the date of the Securities Purchase Agreement, as quoted by Bloomberg, LP. This resulted in the issuance of 6,589,147 shares to Tangiers in January, 2010.
Tangiers, a selling stockholder under this Registration Statement, intends to sell up to 29,463,118 shares of our common stock which will be issued to Tangiers so that we may receive financing pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement. As of the date of this prospectus, the shares of common stock to be issued in order to receive advances under the Securities Purchase Agreement upon issuance would equal approximately 22.35% of our outstanding common stock. We will register each resale offering after each put to Tangiers.
There are certain risks related to sales by Tangiers, including:
| · | The outstanding shares will be issued based on a discount to the market rate. As a result, the lower the stock price is around the time Tangiers is issued shares, the greater chance that Tangiers gets more shares. This could result in substantial dilution to the interests of other holders of common stock. |
| · | To the extent Tangiers sells our common stock, our common stock price may decrease due to the additional shares in the market. This could allow Tangiers to sell greater amounts of common stock, the sales of which would further depress the stock price. |
| · | The significant downward pressure on the price of our common stock as Tangiers sells material amounts of our common stock could encourage short sales by others. This could place further downward pressure on the price of our common stock. |
The selling stockholder has advised us that the sale or distribution of our common stock owned by the selling stockholder may be sold or transferred directly to purchasers by the selling stockholder as principals or through one or more underwriters, brokers, dealers or agents from time to time in one or more transactions (which may involve crosses or block transactions) (i) on the over-the-counter market or in any other market on which the price of our shares of common stock are quoted or (ii) in transactions otherwise than on the over-the-counter market. Any of such transactions may be effected at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to such prevailing market prices, at varying prices determined at the time of sale or at negotiated or fixed prices, in each case as determined by the selling stockholder or by agreement between the selling stockholder and underwriters, brokers, dealers or agents, or purchasers. If the selling stockholder effects such transactions by selling their shares of common stock to or through underwriters, brokers, dealers or agents, such underwriters, brokers, dealers or agents may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from the selling stockholder or commissions from purchasers of common stock for whom they may act as agent (which discounts, concessions or commissions as to particular underwriters, brokers, dealers or agents may be in excess of those customary in the types of transactions involved).
Tangiers is an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 in connection with the sale of common stock under the Securities Purchase Agreement. Tangiers will pay us up to 90% of, or a 10% discount to, the volume weighted average price of our common stock on the principal trading market on which our common stock is traded for the five (5) consecutive trading days immediately following the advance date. In addition, Tangiers received 6,589,147 shares of our common stock, which were previously issued as a commitment fee under the Securities Purchase Agreement. Tangiers’ obligations under the Securities Purchase Agreement are not transferable.
The commitment amount of the Securities Purchase Agreement is $10,000,000. After estimated fees and offering costs, we may receive net proceeds of approximately $9,950,000. As of the date of this prospectus, $2,041,800 has been drawn from this facility since the original effective date of January 24, 2011, leaving $7,958,200 remaining to be drawn if the entire $10,000,000 available to us is to be received. Therefore, assuming said minimum price and including the amount already received, we will need to register as many as 193,755,556 additional shares of our common stock in order to obtain the full $10,000,000 available to us under the Securities Purchase Agreement. We are only registering 29,463,118 shares of our common stock under this Registration Statement which will be issued to Tangiers in order to obtain the funds available to us under the Securities Purchase Agreement. This means that we will be required to file other registration statements if we intend to obtain the full amount of funds available to us under the Securities Purchase Agreement. If we issue to Tangiers all 29,463,118 shares of our common stock being registered in this prospectus at an assumed discounted average price of $0.054 per share, we will only be able to receive approximately $883,894 in net proceeds after paying expenses related to this Registration Statement of approximately $10,000.
The dollar amount of the equity line was based on a number of considerations which include (i) the Company’s capital requirements; (ii) the Company’s then share price and then number of shares outstanding; and (iii) Tangiers’ ability to purchase shares in an amount required to provide capital to the Company.
Under the Securities Purchase Agreement, Tangiers contractually agrees not to engage in any short sales of our stock and to our knowledge Tangiers has not engaged in any short sales or any other hedging activities related to our stock.
Tangiers was formed as a Delaware limited partnership. Tangiers is a domestic hedge fund in the business of investing in and financing public companies. Tangiers does not intend to make a market in our stock or to otherwise engage in stabilizing or other transactions intended to help support the stock price. Prospective investors should take these factors into consideration before purchasing our common stock.
Under the securities laws of certain states, the shares of our common stock may be sold in such states only through registered or licensed brokers or dealers. The selling stockholder is advised to ensure that any underwriters, brokers, dealers or agents effecting transactions on behalf of the selling stockholder are registered to sell securities in all fifty states. In addition, in certain states the shares of our common stock may not be sold unless the shares have been registered or qualified for sale in such state or an exemption from registration or qualification is available and is complied with.
We will pay all of the expenses incident to the registration, offering and sale of the shares of our common stock to the public hereunder other than commissions, fees and discounts of underwriters, brokers, dealers and agents. If any of these other expenses exists, we expect the selling stockholder to pay these expenses. We have agreed to indemnify Tangiers and its controlling persons against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. We estimate that the expenses of the offering to be borne by us will be approximately $10,000. The offering expenses are estimated as follows: a SEC registration fee of approximately $400, edgarization fees of $1,600, accounting fees of $6,000 and legal fees of $2,000. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of any of the shares of our common stock by the selling stockholder. However, we will receive proceeds from the sale of our common stock under the Securities Purchase Agreement.
The selling stockholder is subject to applicable provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and its regulations, including Regulation M. Under Regulation M, the selling stockholder or its agents may not bid for, purchase, or attempt to induce any person to bid for or purchase, shares of our common stock while such selling stockholder are distributing shares covered by this prospectus. Pursuant to the requirements of Regulation S-K and as stated in Part II of this Registration Statement, the Company must file a post-effective amendment to the accompanying Registration Statement once informed of a material change from the information set forth with respect to the Plan of Distribution.
We are not a party to any pending legal proceeding, nor is our property the subject of a pending legal proceeding, that is not in the ordinary course of business or otherwise material to the financial condition of our business. None of our directors, officers or affiliates is involved in a proceeding adverse to our business or has a material interest adverse to our business.
DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS, PROMOTERS AND CONTROL PERSONS
The following table sets forth the names and positions of our executive officers and directors. Our directors are elected at our annual meeting of stockholders and serve for one year or until successors are elected. Our Board of Directors elects our officers, and their terms of office are at the discretion of the Board, except to the extent governed by an employment contract.
Our directors, executive officers and other significant employees, their ages and positions are as follows:
Name | | Age | | Position with the Company |
| | | | Chairman and Chief Executive Officer |
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Perry Leopold. Mr. Leopold has served as Chairman and CEO of the Company since February 2006. Prior to joining the Company he led a number of successful enterprises over a 30 year period in a diverse number of fields, ranging from the arts and technology to finance and natural resources. In February 2006, Mr. Leopold was engaged as CEO to engineer the Company's total corporate restructuring and lead its re-emergence as the natural resources company formerly known as Enterayon, Inc. Mr. Leopold subsequently designed the Company's business model and incorporated state-of-the-art technology to assist in cost-efficient acquisition targeting, which has resulted in over 50 acquisitions of high-quality mining properties throughout British Columbia. Educated at the University of Pennsylvania, Mr. Leopold is also the founder and current President of Speebo Inc.(1) since 2006, a privately owned exploration company. In addition, since 2005 he is currently serving as President of Circular Logic, Inc., a registered Commodity Trading Advisor (CTA) and Commodity Pool Operator (CPO) firm specializing in commodity trading system development. Mr. Leopold is also the owner of The PAN Network, a private company he founded as a sole-proprietorship in 1981, and which has since been in continuous operation to the present day. Mr. Leopold is qualified to serve on the Board of Directors because of his familiarity with the Company’s business and industrial experience.
Fred Michini. Mr. Michini has served as a Director of the Company since August 2007. He is a tax, financial, management accounting and litigation support specialist, and has extensive previous experience serving as the Chief Financial Officer of a variety of public and private companies, including Speebo, Inc. (1) from 2006-2008, a private mineral exploration company currently controlled by North Bay’s Chief Executive Officer, Perry Leopold. Mr. Michini is also a Certified Public Accountant, has been Partner and Managing Partner of two regional accounting firms, has served as an auditor for the U.S. General Accounting Office, and is a former Board Member of the Central Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Michini earned his B.S. from LaSalle University and his MBA from Temple University. Mr. Michini has been employed as a CPA and Real Estate Tax Consultant by AJ Michini Associates since 1973 and by AJ Michini MBA CPA since 1984. In addition, Mr. Michini serves as Acting CFO for Artimplant USA, a subsidiary of the Swedish public company Artimplant AB, a position he has held since 2005. As of January, 2008 Mr. Michini was no longer associated with Speebo, Inc. Mr. Michini’s expertise in accounting makes him a valuable member of the Board of Directors, Inc.
(1) Speebo, Inc. is a private exploration company with mineral and energy-related claims throughout British Columbia. In addition to its metal-based mineral claims, Speebo holds the rights to several oil shale properties in the Queen Charlotte Islands. Prior to 2008 when British Columbia issued a permanent moratorium on uranium mining, Speebo also held the rights to dozens of uranium properties, most of which have subsequently been allowed to terminate Speebo, Inc. has no active mining operations at the present time, nor does it intend to. Speebo Inc. was incorporated as a C-Corp in October 2006, and was reclassified as an S-Corp as of January 2008. Perry Leopold is the sole officer, director, and shareholder. There have never been any material related-party transactions between Speebo, Inc. and North Bay Resources Inc.
Family Relationships
There are no family relationships between any of our directors, executive officers or directors.
Involvement In Certain Legal Proceedings
During the past ten years, none of our officers, directors, promoters or control persons have been involved in any legal proceedings as described in Item 401(f) of Regulation S-K.
Director Independence
Our common stock is listed on the OTC Bulletin Board inter-dealer quotation system, which does not have director independence requirements. For purposes of determining director independence, we have applied the definition set forth in NASDAQ Rule 4200(a)(15). Perry Leopold would not be considered “independent” under the NASDAQ rule due to the fact that he is an employee of the Company. Fred Michini is considered “independent” under the NASDAQ rule due to the fact that he has not served on the Board of Directors of or business dealings with an affiliate within the past 3 years.
Committees; Audit Committee Financial Expert.
Our Board of Directors has an audit committee made up solely of Fred Michini.
Our Board of Directors has determined that the Company has one audit committee financial expert, Mr. Michini.
Our common stock is quoted on OTCQB, which does not require companies to maintain audit, compensation or nominating committees.
Code of Ethics
We adopted a Code of Ethics on October 16, 2009 that applies to all of our directors, officers and employees, including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer and principal accounting officer. The Code of Ethics is filed as Exhibit 14 to this Registration Statement.
Board Leadership Structure and Role in Risk Oversight
Although we have not adopted a formal policy on whether the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer positions should be separate or combined, we have traditionally determined that it is in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders to partially combine these roles. Due to the small size of the Company, we believe it is currently most effective to have the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer positions partially combined.
Our Board of Directors is primarily responsible for overseeing our risk management processes. The Board of Directors receives and reviews periodic reports from management, auditors, legal counsel, and others, as considered appropriate regarding the Company’s assessment of risks. The Board of Directors focuses on the most significant risks facing us and our general risk management strategy, and also ensures that risks undertaken by us are consistent with the Board of Directors’s appetite for risk. While the Board of Directors oversees the Company, our management is responsible for day-to-day risk management processes. We believe this division of responsibilities is the most effective approach for addressing the risks facing the Company and that our board leadership structure supports this approach.
SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT
The following table sets forth certain information, as of the date of this prospectus, with respect to the beneficial ownership of the Company’s outstanding voting securities by (i) any holder of more than five (5%) percent; (ii) each of the Company’s executive officers and directors; and (iii) the Company’s directors and executive officers as a group. Except as otherwise indicated, each of the stockholders listed below has sole voting and investment power over the shares beneficially owned.
Title Of Class | | Name And Address Of Beneficial Owner (1) | | Amount And Nature Of Beneficial Ownership (2) | | Approximate Ownership Percent of Class (%)** | | | Total Voting Percent of Class (%)** | | |
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| | Ruby Development Company(6) | | | | | | | | | | |
| | All executive officers and directors as a group (2 persons) | | | | | | | | | | |
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** The percentages listed for each shareholder assume the exercise or exchange by that shareholder only, of his or its entire convertible or exchangeable security (including options or warrants), as the case may be, and thus include the shares underlying said convertible or exchangeable security (including options or warrants). However, the percentages do not assume the exercise of all convertible or exchangeable securities (including options or warrants) by all the shareholders holding such securities.
(1) | Except as noted above, the address for the above identified officers and directors of the Company is c/o North Bay Resources Inc., 2120 Bethel Road, Lansdale, PA 19446. |
(2) | Beneficial Ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission and generally includes voting or investment power with respect to securities. Shares of common stock subject to options, warrants, or convertible securities currently exercisable or convertible, or exercisable or convertible within 60 days of the date of this prospectus are deemed outstanding for computing the percentage of the person holding such option or warrant. Percentages are based on a total of 152,531,443 shares of common stock outstanding on the date of this prospectus and shares issuable upon the exercise of options, warrants exercisable, and securities convertible on or within 60 days of the date of this prospectus, as described above. The inclusion in the aforementioned table of those shares, however, does not constitute an admissio that the named shareholder is a direct or indirect beneficial owner of those shares. Unless otherwise indicated, to our knowledge based upon information produced by the persons and entities named in the table, each person or entity named in the table has sole voting power and investment power, or shares voting and/or investment power with his or her spouse, with respect to all shares of capital stock listed as owned by that person or entity. |
(3) | The number of shares, the percentage of ownership and voting percentage listed in the table above represents the maximum amount of shares that Tangiers can beneficially control under a contractually stipulated 9.99% ownership restriction as of the date of this prospectus. Tangiers is the investor under the Securities Purchase Agreement dated October 7, 2009, and owns 5,714,440 shares of common stock as of the date of this prospectus. All investment decisions of, and control of, Tangiers are held by Robert Papiri and Michael Sobeck, its managing partners. Tangiers Capital, LLC makes the investment decisions on behalf of and controls Tangiers. Tangiers acquired all shares being registered in this offering in a financing transaction with us. As of the date of this prospectus, Tangiers holds an aggregate of 5,550,000 warrants, as follows: (a) 2.5 million 5 year warrants convertible to common stock and exercisable at $0.05 pursuant to a $50,000 Convertible Promissory Note Agreement dated September 27, 2010, (b) 250,000 5 year warrants convertible to common stock and exercisable at $0.115 pursuant to a $50,000 Convertible Promissory Note Agreement dated December 29, 2011, (c) 500,000 5 year warrants convertible to common stock and exercisable at $0.13 pursuant to two $50,000 Convertible Promissory Note Agreements dated February 2, 2012, (d) 500,000 5 year warrants convertible to common stock and exercisable at $0.09 pursuant to two $37,500 Convertible Promissory Note Agreements dated March 15, 2012, (e) 150,000 5 year warrants convertible to common stock and exercisable at $0.07 pursuant to a $50,000 Convertible Promissory Note Agreement dated May 16, 2012, (f) 150,000 5 year warrants convertible to common stock and exercisable at $0.06 pursuant to a $25,000 Convertible Promissory Note Agreement dated May 30, 2012, and (g) 750,000 5 year warrants convertible to common stock and exercisable at $0.14 and 750,000 5 year warrants convertible to common stock and exercisable at $0.07 pursuant to a $100,000 Convertible Promissory Note Agreement dated June 19, 2012. As of the date of this prospectus, Tangiers also holds the following promissory notes which are eligible to be converted into an aggregate of 13,302,098 shares of common stock: (a) one $25,000 convertible promissory note with an interest rate of 9.9 per year, convertible into common stock at a price of $0.08 per share (with an outstanding balance of $29,970 as of the date of this prospectus), (b) two $50,000 convertible promissory notes with an interest rate of 9.9 per year, convertible into common stock at a price of $0.08 per share (with an aggregate outstanding balance of $118,932 as of the date of this prospectus), (c) two $37,500 convertible promissory notes with an interest rate of 9.9% per year, convertible into common stock at a price of $0.09 per share (with an aggregate outstanding balance of $88,345 as of the date of this prospectus, (d) one $50,000 convertible promissory note with an interest rate of 9.9% per year, convertible into common stock at a price of $0.06 per share (with an outstanding balance of $58,818 as of the date of this prospectus), (e) one $25,000 convertible promissory note convertible into common stock at a price of $0.06 per share (with an outstanding balance of $28,314 as of the date of this prospectus), (f) one $100,000 convertible promissory note with an interest rate of 7% per year, convertible into common stock at the lesser of 7 cents or the undiscounted VWAP price on the day prior to conversion, with a floor price of 2 cents (with an outstanding balance of $110,740 as of the date of this prospectus), and (g) one $750,000 convertible promissory note with an interest rate of 7% per annum, convertible into common stock at a the undiscounted VWAP on the day of conversion, subject to a floor price of $0.0129 per share, and a ceiling price of the undiscounted VWAP on the date prior to each tranche received (with an outstanding balance of $419,674 as of the date of this prospectus). All of the warrants and promissory notes held by Tangiers contain a blocker provision under which Tangiers can only exercise its warrants or convert its promissory notes to a point where it would own a maximum of 9.99% of the total shares outstanding. |
(4) | Mr. Leopold, the Company’s CEO and Chairman owns 4,000,000 shares of the Company’s Series A Preferred Stock. Each outstanding share of the Series A Preferred Stock has 10 votes per share, and may be converted to shares of common at a ratio of 5 to 1. The Series A Preferred Stock was issued in August 2009. |
(5) | Mr. Leopold owns 100 shares of the Company’s Series I Preferred Stock. Each outstanding share of the Series I Preferred Stock represents its proportionate share of eighty per cent (80%) of all votes entitled to be voted and which is allocated to the outstanding shares of Series I Preferred Stock. These shares are not convertible into common stock or any commodities. The Series I Preferred Stock was issued in February 2007. These shares were issued our Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Perry Leopold, in February 2007 as an anti-takeover measure to insure that Mr. Leopold maintains control of the Company during periods when the Company’s stock may be severely undervalued and subject to hostile takeover in the open market. As specified in the Certificate of Designation filed by the Company with the Delaware Secretary of State in February 2007, ”the outstanding shares of Series I Preferred Stock shall vote together with the shares of Common Stock of the Corporation as a single class and, regardless of the number of shares of Series I Preferred Stock outstanding and as long as at least one of such shares of Series I Preferred Stock is outstanding, shall represent eighty percent (80%) of all votes entitled to be voted at any annual or special meeting of shareholders of the Corporation or action by written consent of shareholders. Each outstanding share of the Series I Preferred Stock shall represent its proportionate share of the 80% that is allocated to the outstanding shares of Series I Preferred Stock. The Series I preferred shares supersede any other shares that Mr. Leopold may own so that any additional securities that Mr. Leopold may own do not increase his 80% voting rights, and are therefore included within the 80%. |
(6) | The four (4) principals of Ruby Development Company (“RDC”), the estate of R.E. Frederking Trustee, W. R. Frederking, G. W. Frederking, and R. L. Frederking., each own 2.5 million shares of common stock. Ruby Development Company is also entitled to 10 million warrants, immediately exercisable, and giving them the option to purchase up to 10 million shares of common stock at $0.02 per share until December 30, 2018, 2 million warrants convertible to common stock and exercisable at $0.10 per share until December 30, 2018, 2 million warrants convertible to common stock and exercisable at $0.09 per share until December 30, 2018, and 4 million warrants convertible to common stock and exercisable at $0.04 per share until December 30, 2018. The warrants may be exercised, in whole or in part, any time, and from time to time, at RDC's discretion. The number of shares, the percentage of ownership and voting percentage listed in the table above include the shares underlying the aforementioned warrants held by the shareholder. |
General
The following description of our capital stock and the provisions of our Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws, each as amended, is only a summary.
Our Articles of Incorporation authorize the issuance of 250,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.001 par value per share. We are authorized to issue 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock. As of December 31, 2013, and the date of this prospectus, there were 4,000,100 shares of preferred stock outstanding. Set forth below is a description of certain provisions relating to our capital stock.
Common Stock
Each outstanding share of common stock has one vote on all matters requiring a vote of the stockholders. There is no right to cumulative voting; thus, the holder of fifty percent or more of the shares outstanding can, if they choose to do so, elect all of the directors. In the event of a voluntary or involuntary liquidation, all stockholders are entitled to a pro rata distribution after payment of liabilities and after provision has been made for each class of stock, if any, having preference over the common stock. The holders of the common stock have no preemptive rights with respect to future offerings of shares of common stock. Holders of common stock are entitled to dividends if, as and when declared by the Board out of the funds legally available therefore. It is our present intention to retain earnings, if any, for use in our business. The payment of dividends on the common stock is, therefore, unlikely in the foreseeable future.
On February 7, 2008, we declared a reverse stock split at a ratio of 1 for 10.
Preferred Stock
We have 10,000,000 authorized shares of preferred stock with a par value of $0.001 per share, issuable in such series and bearing such voting, dividend, conversion, liquidation and other rights and preferences as the Board of Directors may determine. As of December 31, 2013, and the date of this prospectus, 4,000,100 shares of our preferred stock are outstanding.
Our preferred stock is divided among the following:
4,000,000 Series A Preferred Shares. Each outstanding share of the Series A Preferred Stock has 10 votes per share, and may be converted to shares of common at a ratio of 5 to 1. 4,000,000 shares of the Series A Preferred Stock were issued in August 2009 to Mr. Leopold, the Company’s CEO and Chairman.
0 Series G Preferred Shares. Each outstanding share of the Series G Preferred Stock has no votes per share, and may be converted to 1/100 of an ounce of gold two years following the date of issuance subject to the availability of gold from the Company’s inventory, or shares of common at a ratio of 20 to 1. 100,000 shares of the Series G Preferred Stock were issued in August 2009 to Mr. Leopold, the Company’s CEO and Chairman. These shares were returned and cancelled in July 2012, and the Series G Preferred Class was subsequently eliminated.
100 Series I Preferred Shares. Each outstanding share of the Series I Preferred Stock represents its proportionate share of eighty per cent (80%) of all votes entitled to be voted and which is allocated to the outstanding shares of Series I Preferred Stock. These shares are not convertible into common stock or any commodities. The Series I Preferred Stock was issued to our Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Perry Leopold, on February 12, 2007 as an anti-takeover measure to insure that Mr. Leopold maintains control of the Company during periods when the Company’s stock may be severely undervalued and subject to hostile takeover in the open market. As specified in the Certificate of Designation filed by the Company with the Delaware Secretary of State in February 2007, ”the outstanding shares of Series I Preferred Stock shall vote together with the shares of Common Stock of the Corporation as a single class and, regardless of the number of shares of Series I Preferred Stock outstanding and as long as at least one of such shares of Series I Preferred Stock is outstanding, shall represent eighty percent (80%) of all votes entitled to be voted at any annual or special meeting of shareholders of the Corporation or action by written consent of shareholders. Each outstanding share of the Series I Preferred Stock shall represent its proportionate share of the 80% which is allocated to the outstanding shares of Series I Preferred Stock.
Dividend Policy
We currently intend to retain any earnings for use in our business, and therefore do not anticipate paying cash dividends in the foreseeable future.
On December 2, 2013, the Board of Directors authorized the spinoff of our wholly-owned subsidiary, Ruby Gold, Inc. (“RGI”) as a separate and independent public company. Once the spinoff is complete, of which there is no guarantee, the Company intends to issue a special stock dividend based on a ratio yet to be determined. Shareholders who are eligible to receive such stock dividend will be holders of common stock of North Bay as of the record date, which has yet to be set by the Board of Directors of the Company. On January 14, 2014, RGI filed a registration statement on Form 10 with the SEC to initiate said spinoff. On March 10, 2014, RGI withdrew the Form 10 after discussions with the SEC and expects to file a registration statement on Form S-1 to register 120 million shares of RGI as the stock dividend to be issued to our shareholders in the spinoff, which amounts to 40% of the issued and outstanding shares of RGI common stock currently owned by North Bay. After the RGI registration statement on Form S-1 is deemed effective, the Board of Directors of the Company intends to then determine the date and ratio for the distribution of shares from the spin-off and a news release announcing the record date will be issued at that time.
Anti-Takeover Effects Of Provisions Of The Articles Of Incorporation of Authorized And Unissued Stock
The authorized but unissued shares of our common stock are available for future issuance without our stockholders’ approval. These additional shares may be utilized for a variety of corporate purposes including but not limited to future public or direct offerings to raise additional capital, corporate acquisitions and employee incentive plans. The issuance of such shares may also be used to deter a potential takeover of the Company that may otherwise be beneficial to stockholders by diluting the shares held by a potential suitor or issuing shares to a stockholder that will vote in accordance with the Company’s Board of Directors’ desires. A takeover may be beneficial to stockholders because, among other reasons, a potential suitor may offer stockholders a premium for their shares of stock compared to the then-existing market price.
The existence of authorized but unissued and unreserved shares of preferred stock may enable the Board of Directors to issue shares to persons friendly to current management which would render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of the Company by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise, and thereby protect the continuity of our management.
No expert or counsel named in this prospectus as having prepared or certified any part of this prospectus or having given an opinion upon the validity of the securities being registered or upon other legal matters in connection with the registration or offering of the common stock was employed on a contingency basis or had, or is to receive, in connection with the offering, a substantial interest, directly or indirectly, in the registrant or any of its parents or subsidiaries.
DISCLOSURE OF SEC POSITION OF INDEMNIFICATION FOR SECURITIES ACT LIABILITIES
Our Articles of Incorporation include an indemnification provision under which we have agreed to indemnify our directors and officers from and against certain claims arising from or related to future acts or omissions as a director or officer of the Company. Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to our directors, officers and controlling persons pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, we have been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. If a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by us of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of North Bay Resources Inc. in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered) we will, unless in the opinion of our counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by us is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
The audited financial statements included in this prospectus and elsewhere in the Registration Statement for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2013 and December 31, 2012 have been audited by M&K CPAS, PLLC. The reports of M&K CPAS, PLLC are included in this prospectus in reliance upon the authority of this firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
The opinion regarding validity of the shares offered herein has been provided by the Sichenzia Ross Friedman Ference LLP and has been filed with the Registration Statement.
Business of the Issuer
North Bay Resources Inc., a Delaware corporation, engages in the acquisition, management, exploration, and mining of precious metals and other mineral properties. The Company’s mission is to build a portfolio of viable mining prospects throughout the world and advance them through our subsidiaries and joint-venture partners to their full economic potential. We seek to acquire, explore, develop, and exploit natural resource properties with extensive reserves of precious metals, including gold, silver, platinum, and palladium, as well as base metals, including copper, zinc, lead, molybdenum, etc. We intend to develop our properties both independently and through joint-venture partners.
The Company was incorporated in the State of Delaware on June 18, 2004 under the name Ultimate Jukebox, Inc. On September 4, 2004, Ultimate Jukebox, Inc. merged with NetMusic Corporation, and subsequently changed the Company name to NetMusic Entertainment Corporation. On March 10, 2006, the Company ceased digital media distribution operations, began operations as a natural resources company, and changed the Company name to Enterayon, Inc. On January 15, 2008, the Company merged with and assumed the name of its wholly-owned subsidiary, North Bay Resources Inc. As a result of the merger, Enterayon, Inc. was effectively dissolved, leaving North Bay Resources Inc. as the remaining company.
We are an exploration stage company and there is no assurance that a commercially viable mineral deposit exists on any of our properties. Further exploration will be required before any final evaluation as to the economic viability and feasibility of any of our mining projects can be determined.
We currently generate income from claim sales and joint-venture agreements. When we sell a claim, we capture near-term income, but forego any possibility of a future revenue stream. When we enter into a joint-venture, we receive near-term income as well as a commitment for future revenue, but since the joint-venture partner has the option to withdraw at any time, we cannot project revenue from a joint-venture into the future. However, should a joint-venture partner withdraw, we still retain control of the asset, and can therefore enter into another joint-venture with another partner, develop the property ourselves, or else elect to sell the claims.
The Company makes use of a suite of online applications which are provided to people and companies licensed to acquire and maintain mineral rights within the Province of British Columbia. Mineral Titles Online (“MTO”) is an Internet-based mineral titles administration system provided and maintained by the British Columbia Ministry of Energy, Mines, and Petroleum Resources that allows the mineral exploration industry to acquire and maintain mineral titles by selecting the area on a seamless digital GIS map of British Columbia and pay the associated fees electronically.
This MTO system is also interactively linked to British Columbia’s MINFILE Project and Assessment Report Indexing System (“ARIS”), both of which are provided and maintained by the British Columbia Geological Survey.
The MINFILE Project is a mineral inventory system that contains information on more than 12,300 metallic mineral, industrial mineral and coal occurrences in British Columbia. It is used by industry, governments, universities and the public to find information on documented mineralization anywhere in British Columbia, develop exploration strategies, conduct geoscience research, and evaluate the resource potential of an area.
The ARIS database has over 30,500 approved mineral exploration assessment reports filed by the exploration and mining industry since 1947. These reports provide information on geological, geophysical, geochemical, drilling and other exploration-related activities throughout B.C.
Both MINFILE and ARIS are interlinked with MTO, which combined and interfaced with other geospatial applications such as Google Earth, provide a skilled user with the ability to virtually visit any location in British Columbia, analyze its geographical and geological setting, access and evaluate its geological records and the historical archives of any prior development work, and determine the relative value of a given area. If the area is also open to staking, a claim can then be staked, and the required claim registration fees can be paid immediately and interactively.
Going Concern
Our consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis, which implies the Company will continue to realize its assets and discharge its liabilities in the normal course of business. The Company has generated modest revenues since inception and has never paid any dividends and is unlikely to pay dividends. The continuation of the Company as a going concern is dependent upon the continued financial support from its shareholders, the ability of the Company to obtain necessary equity financing to continue operations and to determine the existence, discovery and successful exploration of economically recoverable reserves in its resource properties, confirmation of the Company’s interests in the underlying properties, and the attainment of profitable operations. The Company has had very little operating history to date. These consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments to the recoverability and classification of recorded asset amounts and classification of liabilities that might be necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern. These factors raise substantial doubt regarding the ability of the Company to continue as a going concern.
We have experienced recurring net losses from operations, which losses have caused an accumulated deficit of $15,535,153 as of December 31, 2013. In addition, we have a working capital deficit of $3,249,806 as of December 31, 2013. We had net losses of $2,059,305 and $2,119,706 for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. If we are unable to generate profits and are unable to continue to obtain financing to meet our working capital requirements, we may have to curtail our business sharply or cease operations altogether. Our continuation as a going concern is dependent upon our ability to generate sufficient cash flow to meet our obligations on a timely basis to retain our current financing, to obtain additional financing, and, ultimately, to attain profitability. Should any of these events not occur, we will be adversely affected and we may have to cease operations.
As of December 31, 2013 the accumulated deficit attributable to CEO stock awards, including previous management, and valued according to GAAP, totals $2,558,535 since inception in 2004. As of December 31, 2013 the accumulated deficit attributable to CEO compensation is $820,474 in deferred compensation. This reflects the total amounts unpaid as per the management agreement with The PAN Network dating back to January 2006, less any amounts actually paid or forgiven since 2006. These totals are non-cash expenses which are included in the accumulated deficit since inception. Actual CEO compensation paid in cash over the course of the seven years since 2006 consists of $10,000 in 2006, $50,764 in 2007, $23,139 in 2008, $29,979 in 2009, $21,988 in 2010, $90,000 in 2011, $116,000 in 2012, and $100,000 in 2013. These cash expenditures are also included in the accumulated deficit.
The ongoing execution of our business plan is expected to result in operating losses over the next twelve months. Management believes it will need to raise capital through loans or stock issuances in order to have enough cash to maintain its operations for the next twelve months. There are no assurances that we will be successful in achieving our goals of obtaining cash through loans, stock issuances, or increasing revenues and reaching profitability.
In view of these conditions, our ability to continue as a going concern is dependent upon our ability to meet our financing requirements, and to ultimately achieve profitable operations. Management believes that its current and future plans provide an opportunity to continue as a going concern. The accompanying consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments relating to the recoverability and classification of recorded assets, or the amounts and classification of liabilities that may be necessary in the event we cannot continue as a going concern.
Generative Business Model
The Company’s business plan is based on the Generative Business Model, which we believe is designed to generate a steady stream of revenue before any property is ever developed into a commercial mining operation.
The Generative Business Model comprises the following steps:
1. | Targeting and acquiring properties with good historical assays. |
2. | Identifying potential partners for the development of each of the Company’s properties and entering into joint-venture or option agreements. In most cases, the partner is another mining company whose shares trade on a public exchange. |
3. | The initial agreement usually comprises a small non-refundable cash payment in advance and a significant number of shares in the stock of the partner or acquiring company. Cash and shares increase in staged payments on the anniversary date of the agreement. In the case of an option agreement, the Company will retain a Net Smelter Royalty with a buyout provision should the property be the site of a major discovery and/or developed into a commercially-operating mine. In the case of a joint-venture, we retain a percentage of ownership, typically 50%, in the event the partner satisfies all the terms of the contract to completion. |
4. | The partner or acquiring company also must commit to a specific work program over a period of several years to develop the property, often involving a commitment of several million dollars. |
5. | We believe these work programs enable us to maintain our properties for little or no cost, as the annual maintenance fees due to the government are offset by the amount of money spent on property exploration and development paid for by our partners. Any surplus of expenditures beyond what is due to maintain the properties can then be applied as “portable assessment credits” towards the maintenance of other Company properties that are not yet producing revenue but which have good prospects of doing so in the future. |
6. | If at anytime the partner defaults on the work agreement or does not make staged cash or stock payments by the anniversary date, the property then reverts back to us, which then leaves us free to find another partner and begin the process all over again. |
Material Agreements
On June 24, 2013, the Company executed a definitive joint-venture agreement for mining operations on the Company’s 100%-owned Fraser River Project near Lytton, British Columbia, with Solid, a private company domiciled in British Columbia and based in Houston, BC. The terms of the agreement call for Solid to provide all equipment, personnel, and related expenditures required to initiate and sustain mining operations at the Fraser River Project JV. The Company will be responsible for maintaining the property in good standing and securing the permits required for mining operations to proceed. The Company will retain 100% ownership of the property, and will be paid a 20% net smelter royalty (“NSR”) on all metals recovered from operations, with Solid retaining 100% of the net profits following payment of the aforementioned NSR. Solid will be deemed the project operator, and will be responsible for the day-to-day operations.
On October 24, 2012, the Company entered into an agreement on its Willa property with Caribou King Resources Ltd. ("Caribou"), a Canadian issuer listed on the TSX Venture Exchange. Under the terms of agreement, Caribou may earn up to a 100% interest in the claims in the Willa property (“Willa Claims”) by making aggregate payments to North Bay of USD $232,500 in cash and issuing 1,000,000 shares of Caribou common stock. Of the aggregate payments, $7,500 in cash and 500,000 shares are due upon receipt of regulatory acceptance of the agreement by the TSX Venture Exchange. This regulatory approval has been received, and the initial consideration has been paid. An additional $50,000 cash and 500,000 shares of Caribou stock are due upon the first anniversary of the agreement, and a $175,000 cash payment is due upon the second anniversary of the agreement. In addition to the consideration received, North Bay shall be granted a royalty equal to 2% of net smelter returns ("NSR"). At any time up to the commencement of commercial production, Caribou may purchase one-half of the NSR (being 1%) in consideration of USD $1,000,000 payable to North Bay, such that North Bay will then retain a 1% NSR.
The Company has not issued nor does it expect to issue any of its own stock in connection with any of these agreements. The Company does not receive any funds directly with regard to contractual work commitments, and relies on each joint venture partner to make the agreed expenditures independently and on its own schedule during the course of the work programs.
In the event any contract terminates before all the terms of the agreement have been satisfied, North Bay shall regain its 100% interest in the subject property.
On June 5, 2013 the Company executed a binding Memorandum of Understanding with a private US investor for an advance sale of up to 2,120 ounces of specimen gold production from the Ruby Mine. The agreement provides that up to 2,120 ounces of specimen gold from the Ruby Mine will be purchased in advance of production at a 10% discount of the then-current spot price of gold. The Company has received a $150,000 advance cash payment on the first 120 ounces, priced at $1,250 per ounce based on the current spot price of gold at the time of the agreement. Subsequent tranches to sell up to 2,000 additional ounces in advance of production will be prepaid based on current spot prices, with final settlement based on the spot price of gold at the time of production and delivery. As of the date of this prospectus, an aggregate of 160 ounces of specimen gold has been presold through this facility, and a total of $200,000 cash has been received.
On January 9, 2014, the Company and our wholly-owned subsidiary, Ruby Gold, Inc. ("RGI"), executed a definitive joint-venture agreement (the “Ruby JV Agreement”), with regard to the exploration and exploitation of the Ruby Mine in Sierra County, California (the "Ruby"). Under the terms of the Ruby JV Agreement, the Company will fund Ruby through loans, as needed, to maintain the property and operations thereof. RGI will remain the owner and operator of Ruby, and the Company shall be apportioned a 50% interest of net income distribution from Ruby once all debt has been extinguished.
EB-5
On July 28, 2010, the Company executed an agreement with ACG Consulting, LLC ("ACG") intended to establish a new economic Regional Center ("Regional Center") under the federal EB-5 program (the "EB-5 Program") that will encompass all of Northern California's Gold Country. Once established, the Regional Center is expected to provide full funding for the Company's Ruby Mine Project in Sierra County, California. Terms of the agreement specify that upon filing an application for a new Regional Center with USCIS, North Bay shall pay ACG its share of the startup expenses, which as of December 31, 2011 were $0. During the first quarter of 2011, the Company agreed to reimburse ACG $37,216 in expenses incurred to prepare and file EB-5 applications with USCIS. As of March 31, 2011, $15,000 of this amount had been paid, and $22,216 remained outstanding. As of September 30, 2012, $0 remains outstanding and this account has been paid in full. No shares of Company stock have been or will be issued in connection with this agreement.
The agreement also provides that North Bay will own 49% of the Regional Center, and ACG will own 51%. ACG and North Bay, working together through the Regional Center, will seek to raise up to $7.5M in EB-5 funding for North Bay's Ruby Mine Project, subject to USCIS approval. ACG will also be an equity partner in each project North Bay may bring into the Regional Center, the amount of which will vary on a deal by deal basis based on the amount of consulting services ACG actually provides. At the present time, no projects other than mining are being considered, and the industry focus for the Regional Center is expected to be limited to mining initially.
Effective October 14, 2010, the Company, together with ACG, entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Northern California Regional Center, LLC ("NCRC"), whereby NCRC has agreed to expand its scope to include mining projects in the counties of Sierra and Nevada in Northern California, and together with ACG has agreed to sponsor North Bay's application to secure $7.5 million for the Ruby Gold project in Sierra County, California, through the EB-5 Program. NCRC was approved on April 22, 2010 by the USCIS as a designated EB-5 Regional Center, and is currently approved to sponsor qualifying investments in such capacity within the counties of Colusa; Butte; Glenn; Sacramento; San Joaquin; Shasta; Sutter; Tehama; Yuba; and Yolo in the State of California. Pursuant to its regional center designation, NCRC may sponsor qualifying investments in certain industry economic sectors that do not currently include mining. The agreement with North Bay and ACG calls for NCRC to seek USCIS approval for an expansion of NCRC’s Regional Center Geographic Area (the “Expansion”) to include Sierra County, where the Ruby Mine is located, and for approval to include mining within its designated industry sectors (the “Mining Designation”). These applications have been filed with USCIS, and are currently being reviewed. Upon approval of the Expansion and Mining Designation by USCIS, NCRC will then be permitted to sponsor qualified investments in North Bay’s Ruby Gold project under the EB-5 Program. Under the terms of the agreement, NCRC will receive a $5,000 fee for each investor whose minimum $500,000 investment is approved by USCIS. In addition, upon the Ruby Gold project receiving the aggregate sum of $7,500,000 through the EB-5 Program, NCRC shall be entitled to an undivided one and one half percent (1.5%) interest in the Ruby Gold project. No shares of Company stock have been or will be issued in connection with this agreement, and the entire EB-5 funding is expected to be non-dilutive to shareholders.
On July 19, 2011, the NCRC Expansion Amendment, which includes the Mining Designation and pre-approval of the Ruby Gold project as a qualified EB-5 project, was formally approved by USCIS.
The Ruby Property
On September 27, 2010, the Company executed an option-to-purchase agreement with Ruby Development Company (“RDC”), a California partnership, for the acquisition of the Ruby Mine (the “Ruby”) in Sierra County, California. The purchase price is $2,500,000, which was originally to be paid in stages extending to December 30, 2012, and which has since been extended by amendment to December 30, 2015. Terms of the Ruby agreement provided for an initial option period of 5 months that expired on January 31, 2011, at which time we elected to extend the option for a second 5 month period, expiring on June 30, 2011. On June 1, 2011, the Company exercised its option to purchase the Ruby Mine and made a final option payment of $85,000 to open escrow. On July 1, 2011, escrow was closed and the acquisition of the Ruby Mine was completed. During the preceding option period and as of the closing date, the Company has made payments totaling $510,000 to RDC, consisting of $360,000 cash and 10,000,000 shares of common stock valued at $150,000. These payments were credited towards the purchase price, thereby reducing the outstanding principal due to $1,990,000. In addition, in compliance with the agreement dated September 27, 2010, as amended on January 26, 2011, the Company issued warrants to RDC that gives them the option, until December 31, 2015, of purchasing up to 10 million shares of stock at two cents ($0.02) per share, and in compliance with a second amendment to the Option Agreement dated April 22, 2011, the Company issued 5-year warrants granting RDC the right to purchase 2 million shares of the Company’s common stock at the exercise price of ten cents ($0.10) per share.
On the transaction closing date of July 1, 2011, the Company issued a promissory note to RDC for $1,990,000 plus 3% interest per annum. The note was due on or before December 30, 2012. Pursuant to an amendment executed on December 12, 2012, the note maturity was extended to June 30, 2013, and monthly mortgage payments in Q1 2013 were reduced to $10,000 per month. In consideration of said extension, the Company made a $50,000 principal payment on December 27, 2012. Monthly payments as of April 1, 2013, were set to increase to $85,000 per month. . Upon receipt of the Company’s EB-5 funding, the Company has agreed to pay RDC at least 50% of the funding received until the note is paid off in full. During 2012 the Company issued an additional 2 million 5-year warrants to RDC in consideration for reducing the Company’s monthly mortgage payments on the Ruby Mine property. Said warrants give RDC the right to purchase up to 2 million shares of the Company’s common stock at the exercise price of nine cents ($0.09) per share. Pursuant to a subsequent amendment dated March 28, 2013, RDC agreed to extend the maturity date of the note to December 30, 2015, with interest due on the note through 2014 at 6% per annum, and shall increase to 8% per annum on January 1, 2015. Pursuant to an amendment dated November 19, 2013, the Company issued an additional 4 million 5-year warrants at an exercise price of $0.04 in consideration for a modification of the payment terms of the note that amortized a $1M payment previously due on December 30, 2013. Pursuant to said amendments, mortgage payments are now $20,000 per month due on the 1st of each month through December 30, 2015, and an additional $40,000 per month due on the 20th day of each month through December 30, 2015. In addition, pursuant to the November 19, 2013 modification agreement, the Company has agreed to extend the expiration of all 18 million total outstanding warrants issued in aggregate to RDC since September 27, 2010, until December 30, 2018. As of December 31, 2013, the outstanding balance due on the note is $1,832,638. The note is collateralized with all of the assets associated with the Ruby Mine.
Upon the close of the transaction and the transfer of title, as previously set forth in the purchase agreement, the Company acquired all of the real and personal property associated with the Ruby Gold Mine, all of the shares of Ruby Gold, Inc., a private California corporation, and $171,618 in reclamation bonds securing the permits at the Ruby Mine. Subsequent to the close of the transaction, Ruby Gold, Inc. became a wholly-owned subsidiary of North Bay Resources Inc. The Company has also assumed the reclamation liabilities on the Ruby Mine, for which the $171,618 in reclamation bonds are pledged. In addition, a $2,500 liability from a pre-existing shareholder loan that was outstanding as of the closing date has been paid and extinguished. As of December 31, 2013, interest accrued to the Reclamation Bond has increased its current value to $172,880.
It is expected that the aggregate total of warrants related to this transaction will be dilutive to shareholders by adding up to 18 million shares onto our outstanding share total in the event that all the warrants are exercised. The actual dilution is dependent upon whether or not any of the warrants are exercised prior to their expiration dates.
Operational funding for the Ruby project of up to $7.5 million was initially expected to be provided through the federal EB-5 program (“EB-5”). As of the date of this prospectus, the EB-5 funding remains pending, the Company has not received any funding through the EB-5 program, and there is no guarantee that it will be completed. Accordingly, given the length of time this process has been ongoing, as of the date of this prospectus the Company has elected to proceed on its own by funding the project through revenue from claim sales and joint-ventures, loans, and stock sales. If revenue is not sufficient we believe we can rely on loans and our equity credit line established by way of our Securities Purchase Agreement with Tangiers, LP to meet our obligations.
The Ruby purchase agreement includes the subsurface mineral rights to 2 patented claims comprising 435 acres, and 30 unpatented claims comprising approximately 1,320 acres. All of the unpatented claims in the property package are in good standing through August 31, 2013 with both the BLM in Sacramento and Sierra County in Downieville, CA. Annual BLM claim fees are currently $10,640 per year. Sierra County property taxes are currently $26,220 per year. As of December 31, 2013 and the date of this prospectus, all BLM fees and Sierra County property taxes have been paid and are current. The Ruby Mine is permitted(3) for underground exploration, small scale development and small scale production.
(1) The sum total of the acreage of the unpatented claims is 1,506 acres. However, as some placer claims overlap lode claims, the true acreage of the unpatented claim area is known to be approximately 1,320 acres, for a total property extent of approximately 1,755 acres including the subsurface patented claim area.
(2) September 1, 2014 represents the “Good Until” date of the Ruby unpatented claims. In order to maintain a mining claim in California in good standing, the claim holder must perform annual work having a minimum cost of $100 or, alternatively, pay to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (”BLM”) an annual maintenance fee of $140. Patented claims have no “Good Until” date, and instead are only subject to local and state taxes. As of September 1, 2013, $10,640 was paid to maintain the unpatented claims, and $26,220 was paid in property taxes to maintain the unpatented and patented claims in good standing.
(3) The current Plan of Operations, effective as of 2001, was formally renewed by United States Forest Service in February 2011. The Plan of Operations is now effective through December 31, 2018. The Waste Discharge Order must be reviewed and approved by the Water Quality Control Board prior to the commencement of mining operations, along with the Annual Fee for Waste Discharge Requirements for 2014, which was paid to the State Water Resources Control Board in November 2013. The Reclamation Permit has been renewed through April 2018. In September 2011 the Company filed an updated Reclamation Plan with Sierra County and the California Department of Conservation Office of Mine Reclamation (“OMR”). This updated Reclamation Plan was formally approved in December, 2011, and is effective through April, 2018. A Reclamation Bond of $172,880 is also in place.
The Ruby Mine is an underground placer and lode mine located between Downieville and Forest City, in Sierra County, California. It is in the Alleghany-Downieville mining district, situated in the Sierra Nevada foothills south of the Yuba River.
The following information has been reviewed for technical accuracy by Mr. C. Gary Clifton, P. Geo.