Item 1A. Risk Factors
Item 1A. Risk Factors.
There are certain risks and uncertainties in our business that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. A detailed discussion of our risk factors was included in Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 24, 2024. These risk factors should be read carefully in connection with evaluating our business and in connection with the forward-looking statements and other information contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Any of the risks described in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, could materially affect our business, financial condition or future results and the actual outcome of matters as to which forward-looking statements are made. Except as set forth below, there have been no material changes to the risk factors set forth in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023.
Recent events and developments related to our investment in Freedom VCM and our prior business relationship with Brian Kahn and related to the SEC subpoenas we received may continue to have adverse effects on our business, results of operations, reputation, and stock price.
As disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 (the “Annual Report”), we are subject to risks associated with our investment in Freedom VCM and our prior business relationship with Brian Kahn—see “Item 1 – Legal Proceedings”. The Company and members of our Board of Directors have been named in putative class action lawsuits related to these matters, and in July 2024 and November 2024 each of the Company and Mr. Riley received a subpoena from the SEC requesting the production of certain documents. See “Recent Developments – SEC Subpoena”. We expect that the Company may be subject to additional lawsuits and other claims related to these matters.
In addition, in July 2024, Conn’s and certain of its subsidiaries filed voluntary petitions for relief (the “Chapter 11 Cases”) under chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code. FRG, pursuant to a transaction consummated in January 2024, acquired a substantial equity investment in Conn’s, and in December 2023, the Company loaned $108.0 million to Conn’s subsequently reduced to $93.0 million due to principal repayments.
On November 3, 2024, FRG, its operating businesses, and certain other affiliates, including Freedom VCM, filed voluntary petitions for relief (the “FRG Chapter 11 Cases”) under chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code. As a result, on November 4, 2024, we concluded that we were required to record an additional impairment with respect to the Freedom VCM Investment and the Vintage Loan Receivable. The non-cash impairments of the Freedom VCM Investment and the Vintage Loan Receivable are $118.0 million in the aggregate as of November 4, 2024. As a result of such additional impairment we have ascribed no value to the Freedom VCM Investment as of September 30, 2024 and a value of $2.0 million to the Vintage Loan Receivable as of December 20, 2024.
We expect that the Company may be subject to lawsuits and other claims related to the Conn’s Chapter 11 Cases and the FRG Chapter 11 Cases. See “Recent Developments—Conn’s and FRG”. These events and developments have exacerbated, and they and additional similar events and developments including additional litigation and claims will continue to exacerbate, the risk that we will continue to: (i) incur expenses in connection with these matters, which expenses may be material and, in some cases, are not or will not be covered by insurance; (ii) harm our reputation and
100
negatively impact employee morale and retention; (iii) lose customers or negative impact on our ability to attract new customers and increased competition for new clients and business; and (iv) result in additional write-downs, which may be material.
Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.