ITEM 5. | INTEREST IN SECURITIES OF THE ISSUER: |
(a) As of the close of business on September 17, 2010, the reporting persons beneficially owned an aggregate of 15,827,323 Shares, constituting approximately 32.0% of the Shares outstanding.
(b) This statement relates to 8,014,909 Shares held by IAT and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, 278,535 Shares held by companies, partnerships and foundations which are controlled by Mr. Kellogg, 100,000 shares held by Mr. Kellogg’s wife, Cynthia, and 6,979,334 Shares issuable upon conversion of $23,031,800 of 8.5% convertible senior subordinated notes due 2012 (the “2012 Notes”) held by IAT and its subsidiaries, plus 454,545 Shares issuable upon conversion of $1,500,000 of 2012 Notes held by a partnership controlled by Mr. Kellogg. The 2012 Notes are convertible into Shares at any time prior to the maturity date of January 15, 2012 at a conversion price of $3.30 per share, subject to certain adjustments. Mr. Kellogg has sole dispositive and voting power with respect to the Shares owned by IAT and its subsidiaries. By virtue of his position with IAT, Mr. Kellogg may be considered to indirectly beneficially own such shares. Mr. Kellogg disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares owned by his wife, by IAT and its subsidiaries and by the foundation controlled by Mr. Kellogg. This statement should not be deemed to be an admission that Mr. Kellogg is a member of any “group” within the meaning of Section 13(d)(3) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder.
(c) Below is a list of all transactions in Shares during the 60 days prior to the date of the event which required the filing of this Schedule 13D. All of the transactions in the Shares set forth below were made by IAT and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All of the Share transactions during this period were purchases. Unless otherwise indicated, all transactions were open market transactions.
Date of Transaction | | Number of Shares Purchased | | Price per Share |
8/4/10 | | 100,000 | | $4.99 |
8/5/10 | | 184,900 | | $5.05 |
8/4/10 | | 60,000 | | $4.99 |
8/9/10 | | 300,000 | | $5.10 |
9/16/10 | | 200,000 | | $5.5904 |
9/17/10 | | 20,973 | | $5.42 |
CUSIP No. 588056101 | Page 5 of 6 |
In addition, IAT and its subsidiaries made the following purchases of Mercer’s 8.5% convertible senior subordinated notes due 2012. The 2012 Notes are convertible into Shares at a conversion price of $3.30 per Share at any time prior to the maturity date of January 15, 2012. As a result of these transactions, the reporting persons’ beneficial ownership increased by the amounts set forth below:
Date of Transaction | | Principal Amount of Notes Purchased | | Price Paid for Notes | | Number of Shares issueable upon conversion of Notes at $3.30 per share |
8/12/10 | | $3,000,000 | | $4,650,000 | | 909,091 |
8/16/10 | | $1,000,000 | | $1,550,000 | | 303,030 |
8/17/10 | | $1,000,000 | | $1,550,000 | | 303,030 |
8/20/10 | | $2,281,806 | | $3,491,163 | | 691,456 |
Forms 4 were filed by the reporting persons with the SEC to reflect all of the transactions listed in this Item 5(c).
(d) The non-voting stockholders of IAT have the right to participate in the receipt of dividends from, or proceeds from the sale of, the common shares held by them in accordance with their ownership interest in IAT.
(e) Not Applicable
ITEM 6. | CONTRACTS, ARRANGEMENTS, UNDERSTANDINGS OR RELATIONSHIPS WITH RESPECT TO SECURITIES OF THE ISSUER: |
Except as described in Item 5(d) above, to the best knowledge of Mr. Kellogg and IAT, there are no contracts, arrangements, understandings or relationships (legal or otherwise) among the persons enumerated in Item 2 or between such persons and any other person with respect to any securities of Mercer, including, but not limited to, transfer or voting of any of the shares, finder’s fees, joint ventures, loan or option arrangements, puts or calls, guarantees of profits, division of profits or loss, or the giving or withholding of proxies.
ITEM 7. | MATERIALS TO BE FILED AS EXHIBITS |
| Exhibit A -- | Joint Filing Agreement between Peter R. Kellogg and IAT Reinsurance Company Ltd. to file this statement jointly on behalf of each of them. Incorporated by reference from a Schedule 13D filed by the reporting persons with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 25, 2010. |
| Exhibit B -- | Power of Attorney in favor of Marguerite R. Gorman to sign all 13D and 13G filings on behalf of Mr. Peter R. Kellogg. Incorporated by reference from a Schedule 13D filed by the reporting persons with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 5, 2007. |