Item 1A. Risk Factors
Item 1A. Risk Factors.
Risk Factor Update
In light of our recent announcement regarding the Board’s review of potential strategic alternatives for the Company and recent developments affecting the financial services industry, we are also supplementing the risk factors set out under Part I, Item 1A “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 with the new risk factors set out below. The risk factors below should be carefully read in conjunction with the risk factors set out in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, which could materially affect our business, financial condition or future results. The risks described in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ending March 31, 2023 are not the only risks we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial also may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or future results.
RISKS RELATED TO OUR BUSINESS
Risks Related to Review of Strategic Alternatives Process and a Potential Strategic Transaction
We are reviewing strategic alternatives and there can be no assurance that we will be successful in identifying or completing any strategic transaction, that any such strategic transaction will result in additional value for our stockholders or that the process will not have an adverse impact on our business.
On June 29, 2023, we announced our Board had initiated a process to explore potential strategic alternatives, possibly including, but not limited to, a sale, merger or other potential strategic or financial transaction, aimed at increasing stockholder value. There can be no assurance that the review of strategic alternatives will result in the identification or consummation of any transaction. Our Board may also determine that our most effective strategy is to continue to execute on our current strategy.
The process of reviewing strategic alternatives may be costly, time consuming and disruptive to our business operations and, if we are unable to effectively manage the process, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected. We have incurred, and may in the future incur, significant costs associated with identifying, evaluating and negotiating potential strategic alternatives, such as legal, financial advisor and accounting fees and expenses and other related charges. We may also incur additional unanticipated expenses in connection with this process. A considerable portion of these costs will be incurred regardless of whether any such course of action is implemented or transaction is completed, decreasing cash available for use in our business.
There can be no assurance that any potential transaction, or series of transactions, or other strategic alternative, if consummated, will provide greater value to our stockholders than that reflected in the current price of our common stock. Until the review process is concluded, perceived uncertainties related to our future may impact our business performance and volatility in the market price of our common stock and may make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified personnel and key employees. Our Board has not set a timetable for the conclusion of this review, nor has it made any definitive decisions related to taking any further actions or potential strategic options at this time or at all.
Even if we are successful in completing a strategic alternative, we may be exposed to other operational and financial risks.
Although there can be no assurance that a strategic alternative will result from the process we have undertaken to explore potential strategic alternatives, the negotiation and consummation of any such transaction, if completed, will require significant time on the part of our management, which could result in disruption to our business.
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The negotiation and consummation of any such transaction may also require more time or greater cash resources than we anticipate and expose us to other operational and financial risks, including, but not limited to:
• increased near-term and long-term expenditures;
• exposure to unknown liabilities;
• higher than expected acquisition or integration costs;
• incurrence of substantial debt or dilutive issuances of equity securities to fund future operations;
• write-downs of assets or goodwill or incurrence of non-recurring, impairment or other charges;
• increased amortization expenses;
• difficulty and cost in combining the operations and personnel of any acquiring or acquired business with our operations and personnel;
• impairment of relationships with key suppliers or customers of any acquired business due to changes in management and ownership;
• inability to retain key employees of our Company or any acquired or merged business; and
• possibility of future litigation.
Any of the foregoing risks could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and prospects.
GENERAL RISKS
Economic Conditions and Natural Disasters
Adverse developments affecting the financial services industry, including events or concerns involving liquidity, defaults, or non-performance by financial institutions, could adversely affect our business, financial condition, or results of operations.
We currently maintain cash balances in accounts at U.S. financial institutions that we believe are high quality. These accounts, held by us and our affiliated companies, are in non-interest-bearing and interest-bearing operating accounts and may, from time to time, exceed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) insurance limits. If such banking institutions were to fail, we could lose all or a portion of those amounts held in excess of such insurance limitations. In addition, actual events involving limited liquidity, defaults, non-performance or other adverse developments that affect financial institutions, our third-party vendors and counterparties or other companies in the financial services industry or the financial services industry generally, or concerns or rumors about any events of these kinds or other similar risks, have in the past and may in the future lead to market-wide liquidity problems, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.
Although we assess our banking relationships as we believe necessary or appropriate, our access to funding sources and other credit arrangements in amounts adequate to finance or capitalize our respective current and projected future business operations could be significantly impaired by factors that affect us, the financial institutions with which we have arrangements directly, or the financial services industry or economy in general. These factors could include, among others, events such as liquidity constraints or failures, the ability to perform obligations under various types of financial, credit or liquidity agreements or arrangements, disruptions or instability in the financial services industry or financial markets, or concerns or negative expectations about the prospects for companies in the financial services industry. These factors could involve financial institutions or financial services industry companies with which we, have financial or business relationships, but could also include factors involving financial markets or the financial services industry generally.
In addition, investor concerns regarding the U.S. or international financial systems could result in less favorable commercial financing terms, including higher interest rates or costs and tighter financial and operating covenants, or systemic limitations on access to credit and liquidity sources, thereby making it more difficult for us to acquire future financing or access to capital on acceptable terms or at all. As availability under our Credit Facility and/or the ability to access capital has historically been, and is expected to continue to be, one of our primary sources of liquidity, any adverse impacts on our ability to access such credit and liquidity sources as a result of adverse developments affecting the financial services industry could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations.
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