FIRST DATA CORPORATION
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Unaudited)
Note 1: Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Business Description
First Data Corporation (FDC, First Data, or the Company) is a global leader in commerce-enabling technology and solutions for merchants, financial institutions, and card issuers. The Company provides merchant transaction processing and acquiring; credit, retail, and debit card processing; prepaid and payroll services; check verification; settlement and guarantee services; and statement printing as well as solutions to help clients grow their businesses including the Company’sClover line of payment solutions and related applications.
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements of the Company should be read in conjunction with the Company’s Annual Report on Form10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018. Significant accounting policies disclosed therein have not changed, except for those disclosed below in the recently adopted section.
The accompanying consolidated financial statements are unaudited; however, in the opinion of management, they include all normal recurring adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of the consolidated financial position of the Company, the consolidated results of the Company’s operations, comprehensive income, consolidated cash flows and changes in equity as of and for the periods presented. Results of operations reported for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results for the entire year due in part to the seasonality of certain business units.
For the three months ended March 31, 2019 the Company recorded expenses of $23 million for an out of period adjustment, which impacted multiple years, related to correction of a lease classification error. The Company does not believe this adjustment will be material to the financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019 and it is not material to previously reported financial statements. Effective January 1, 2019, initial direct costs associated with hardware revenue are now recorded in costs of products sold within “Cost of revenues (exclusive of items shown below)”.
Pending Merger with Fiserv, Inc.
On January 16, 2019, First Data and Fiserv, Inc. (Fiserv), and 300 Holdings, Inc. (Merger Sub), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fiserv, entered into an agreement and plan of merger (Merger Agreement), pursuant to which the Company will merge into Merger Sub (the Merger). The terms are subject to the conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement, which states at closing each share of the Company’s common stock issued and outstanding will be converted into the right to receive 0.303 (Exchange Ratio) of a share of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of Fiserv. First Data’s equity awards will generally be converted into Fiserv equity awards after giving effect to the Exchange Ratio and appropriate adjustments and be governed by the same terms and conditions as applicable to First Data’s corresponding equity awards. Completion of the Merger is subject to customary closing conditions for both parties. The Company currently anticipates that it will close the merger during the second half of 2019. For additional information see Form 425 and Form8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission dated January 16, 2019 and available through the “Investor Relations” portion of our website at http://investor.firstdata.com.
On March 15, 2019, First Data, following the declaration by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on March 14, 2019 that the Registration Statement of Fiserv became effective, received the written consent of New Omaha Holdings L.P. ( New Omaha), with respect to 364,441,146 shares of Class B common stock of First Data, to approve (i) the adoption of the Merger Agreement and (ii) the adoption of a resolution regarding certain Merger-related executive officer compensation payments that will or may be made to First Data’s named executive officers in connection with the Merger. The completion of the Merger remains subject to the satisfaction or waiver of customary closing conditions.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the unaudited consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
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