UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM
(Mark One)
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ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the fiscal year ended
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TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 FOR THE TRANSITION PERIOD FROM TO |
Commission File Number
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its Charter)
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(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
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Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
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Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐
Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant has submitted electronically, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to submit such files).
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definition of “large accelerated filer”, “accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
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Emerging growth company |
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If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). YES
The aggregate market value of voting and nonvoting common equity held by non-affiliates of the Registrant, as of June 30, 2021, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, was approximately $
The number of shares of the Registrant’s common stock outstanding as of March 25, 2022 was
Documents Incorporated By Reference
Information required by Part III is incorporated by reference from registrant’s Proxy Statement for its 2022 annual meeting of stockholders or an amendment to this Annual Report on Form 10-K, which will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after the end of its fiscal year ended December 31, 2021.
Table of Contents
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Item 1. |
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Item 1A. |
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Item 1B. |
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Item 2. |
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Item 3. |
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Item 4. |
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Item 5. |
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Item 6. |
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Item 7. |
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations |
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Item 7A. |
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Item 8. |
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Item 9. |
Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure |
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Item 9A. |
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Item 9B. |
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Item 9C. |
Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections |
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Item 10. |
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Item 11. |
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Item 12. |
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters |
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Item 13. |
Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence |
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Item 14. |
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Item 15. |
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Item 16. |
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PART I
Item 1. Business.
LM Funding America, Inc. (“we”, “our”, “LMFA”, or the “Company”) is a specialty finance company that is engaged primarily in the business of providing funding to nonprofit community associations, with a focus on associations in the State of Florida. We offer incorporated nonprofit community associations, which we refer to as “Associations,” a variety of financial products customized to each Association’s financial needs. Our original product offering consists of providing funding to Associations by purchasing their rights under delinquent accounts that are selected by the Associations arising from unpaid Association assessments. Historically, we provided funding against such delinquent accounts, which we refer to as “Accounts,” in exchange for a portion of the proceeds collected by the Associations from the account debtors on the Accounts. In addition to our original product offering, we have started purchasing Accounts on varying terms tailored to suit each Association’s financial needs, including under our New Neighbor Guaranty™ program, and are exploring other specialty finance business opportunities that are complementary to or that can leverage our historical business.
We also have implemented plans to operate in the Bitcoin mining ecosystem. Specifically, we plan to develop and grow a cryptocurrency mining business, specializing in Bitcoin. Our key mission is to become a leading Bitcoin mining company in the United States. As of the date of this filing, we have not commenced mining operations. We aim to deploy the computing power that we will create to mine Bitcoin and validate transactions on the Bitcoin network. We believe that recent developments in Bitcoin mining have created an opportunity for us to deploy capital and conduct large-scale mining operations in the United States. We have formed a new wholly owned subsidiary, US Digital Mining and Hosting Co, LLC, a Florida limited liability company (US Digital), to develop and operate our cryptocurrency mining business.
Specialty Finance Company Operations
In our specialty finance operations, we purchase an Association’s right to receive a portion of the Association’s collected proceeds from owners that are not paying their assessments. After taking assignment of an Association’s right to receive a portion of the Association’s proceeds from the collection of delinquent assessments, we engage law firms to perform collection work on a deferred billing basis wherein the law firms receive payment upon collection from the account debtors or a predetermined contracted amount if payment from account debtors is less than legal fees and costs owed. Under this business model, we typically fund an amount equal to or less than the statutory minimum an Association could recover on a delinquent account for each Account, which we refer to as the “Super Lien Amount.” Upon collection of an Account, the law firm working on the Account, on behalf of the Association, generally distributes to us the funded amount, interest, and administrative late fees, with the law firm retaining legal fees and costs collected, and the Association retaining the balance of the collection. In connection with this line of business, we have developed proprietary software for servicing Accounts, which we believe enables law firms to service Accounts efficiently and profitably.
Under our New Neighbor Guaranty program, an Association will generally assign substantially all of its outstanding indebtedness and accruals on its delinquent units to us in exchange for payment by us of monthly dues on each delinquent unit. This simultaneously eliminates a substantial portion of the Association’s balance sheet bad debts and assists the Association to meet its budget by receiving guaranteed monthly payments on its delinquent units and relieving the Association from paying legal fees and costs to collect its bad debts. We believe that the combined features of the program enhance the value of the underlying real estate in an Association and the value of an Association’s delinquent receivables.
Because we acquire and collect on the delinquent receivables of Associations, the Account debtors are third parties about whom we have little or no information. Therefore, we cannot predict when any given Account will be paid off or how much it will yield. In assessing the risk of purchasing Accounts, we review the property values of the underlying units, the governing documents of the relevant Association, and the total number of delinquent receivables held by the Association.
Specialty Finance Products
Original Product
Our original product relies upon Florida statutory provisions that effectively protect the principal amount invested by us in each Account. In particular, Section 718.116(1), Florida Statutes, makes purchasers and sellers of a unit in an Association jointly and severally liable for all past due assessments, interest, late fees, legal fees, and costs payable to the Association. As discussed above, the Florida Statutes grants to Associations a so-called “super lien”, which is a category of lien that is given a statutorily higher priority than all other types of liens other than property tax liens. The amount of the Association’s priority
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over a first mortgage holder that takes title to a property through foreclosure (or deed in lieu), referred to as the Super Lien Amount, is limited to twelve months’ past due assessments or, if less, one percent (1.0%) of the original mortgage amount. Under our contracts with Associations for our original product, we pay Associations an amount up to the Super Lien Amount for the right to receive all collected interest and late fees on Accounts purchased from the Associations.
In other states in which we have offered our original product, which are currently only in Washington, Colorado and Illinois, we rely on statutes that we believe are similar to the above-described Florida statutes in relevant respects. A total of approximately 22 U.S. states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia have super lien statutes that give Association assessments super lien status under some circumstances, and of these states, we believe that all of these jurisdictions other than Alaska have a regulatory and business environment that would enable us to offer our original product to Associations in those states on materially the same basis.
New Neighbor Guaranty
We also have a product that we refer to as the New Neighbor Guaranty™, wherein an Association assigns substantially all of its outstanding indebtedness and accruals on its delinquent units to us in exchange for payments in an amount equal to the regular ongoing monthly or quarterly assessments for delinquent units when those amounts would be due to the Association. We assume both the payment and collection obligations for these assigned Accounts under this product. This simultaneously eliminates an Association’s balance sheet bad debts and assists the Association to meet its budget by receiving guaranteed assessment payments on its delinquent units and relieving the Association from paying legal fees and costs to collect its bad debts. We believe that the combined features of the product enhance the value of the underlying real estate in an Association and the value of an Association’s delinquent receivables.
Before we implement the New Neighbor Guaranty™ program for an Association, an Association typically asks us to conduct a review of its accounts receivable. After we have conducted the review, we inform the Association which Accounts we are willing to purchase and the terms of such purchase. Once we implement the New Neighbor Guaranty™ program, we begin making scheduled payments to the Association on the Accounts as if the Association had non-delinquent residents occupying the units underlying the Accounts. Our New Neighbor Guaranty™ contracts typically allow us to retain all collection proceeds on each Account other than special assessments and accelerated assessment balances. Thus, the Association foregoes the potential benefit of a larger future collection in exchange for the certainty of a steady stream of immediate payments on the Account.
Recent Developments
Reverse Stock Split
On May 11, 2020, our shareholders voted in favor of the approval of an amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation, in the event it is deemed advisable by our Board of Directors, to effect an additional reverse stock split of the Company’s issued and outstanding common stock at a ratio within the range of one-for-two (1:2) and one-for-ten (1:10), as determined by the Board of Directors.
On May 6, 2021, pursuant to the foregoing shareholder vote, the Company effected a common share consolidation (“Reverse Stock Split”) by means of a one-for-five (1:5) reverse split of its outstanding common stock, par value $0.001 per share which resulted in a decrease in outstanding common stock to 5,414,296 shares. The Reverse Stock Split was effected by the filing of an amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation on May 5, 2021 which provided that the Reverse Stock Split become effective at 12:01 a.m. Eastern time on May 7, 2021. The amendment provided that any fraction of a share of common stock that would be created as a result of the Reverse Stock Split is to be cashed out at price equal to the product of the closing price of the Company’s common stock on May 6, 2021 and the amount of the fractional share. The Reverse Stock Split became effective on May 7, 2021 and the Company’s common stock began trading on The Nasdaq Capital Market on a split-adjusted basis on May 7, 2021. The Company has retroactively adjusted all share amounts and per share data herein to give effect to the Reverse Stock Split.
Sponsorship of LMF Acquisition Opportunities, Inc.
On January 28, 2021, LMF Acquisition Opportunities, Inc. (“LMF Acquisition”), a special purpose acquisition company organized by the Company, announced the closing of an initial public offering of units (“Units”). In the initial public offering, LMF Acquisition sold an aggregate of 10,350,000 Units at a price of $10.00 per unit, resulting in total gross proceeds of $103,500,000. Each Unit consisted of one share of Class A common stock and one redeemable warrant, with each warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one share of Class A common stock of LMF Acquisition at a price of
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$11.50 per share. LMFAO Sponsor, LLC (“Sponsor”), a subsidiary in which the Company owns approximately 70% of the equity and for which the Company is the sole manager, served as the sponsor for LMF Acquisition’s initial public offering.
The Sponsor was organized by, and its initial capital contribution was contributed by, the Company and the Company’s executive officers. The Company’s executive officers and LMF Acquisition’s directors collectively own an approximately 30% nonvoting equity interest in Sponsor, and LMF Acquisition is managed by the Company’s management team. In connection with the initial public offering of LMF Acquisition, the Company loaned $5.7 million to Sponsor in an intercompany loan, which Sponsor used to purchase an aggregate of approximately 5,738,000 warrants of LMF Acquisition. Prior to a business combination by LMF Acquisition, Sponsor holds 100% of the shares of Class B common stock outstanding of LMF Acquisition. The Class B shares equal approximately 20% of the outstanding common stock of LMF Acquisition. Upon the successful completion of a business combination by LMF Acquisition, the proforma ownership of the new company will vary depending on the business combination terms. If LMF Acquisition does not successfully complete a business combination within 18 months from its initial public offering or July 29, 2022 (subject to a potential extension from the 18 month period to up to 21 months) or if the business combination is not successful, the Company can lose its entire investment in Sponsor.
As a result of LMF Acquisition’s IPO, we ceased having a controlling financial interest in LMF Acquisition as of January 28, 2021. Additionally, as our retained investment in LMF Acquisition qualifies for equity-method accounting, we are required to remeasure our retained interest in LMF Acquisition at fair value and include any resulting adjustments as part of a gain or loss recognized on deconsolidation. The fair value calculation related to our retained interest in LMF Acquisition is dependent upon company-specific adjustments applied to the observable trading price of LMF Acquisition’s Class A common stock and publicly traded warrants. Changes in fair value will be recorded in the income statement during the period of the change.
Transactions with Borqs
On December 14, 2020, the Company entered into a Master Loan Receivables Purchase and Assignment Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) under which the Company agreed to purchase up to $18 million of loan receivables of Borqs Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: BRQS), a British Virgin Islands company (“Borqs”), from Borqs’ senior lenders, Partners for Growth IV, L.P. and Partners for Growth V. L.P. As a part of the transaction, the Company entered into a Settlement Agreement, dated December 14, 2020 (the “Settlement Agreement”), with Borqs pursuant to which Borqs was obligated to issue shares of Borqs common stock to the Company (the “Settlement Shares”), in one or more tranches, in settlement of the loan receivables acquired by the Company under the Purchase Agreement. This transaction was completed on February 11, 2021 and the Company realized $5.7 million from the transaction.
In a separate transaction that was funded after December 31, 2020 and as previously disclosed on December 16, 2020, the Company and Esousa Holdings, LLC, a private investor (the “Investor”) entered into a Loan Agreement (the “Loan Agreement”) pursuant to which the Investor agreed to provide consulting services and make one or more non-recourse loans to the Company in a principal amount of up to the purchase price of the Borqs loan receivables purchased by the Company. The Loan Agreement does not provide a fixed rate of interest, and the Company and Investor agreed to split the net proceeds from the Company’s sale of the Settlement Shares, with the Company receiving one-third of the net proceeds after a return of Investor’s principal and the Investor receiving return of principal plus two-thirds of the net proceeds thereafter.
In an additional transaction on February 24, 2021, the Company entered into a specialty finance transaction with Borqs, under which the Company agreed to purchase Senior Secured Convertible Promissory Notes of Borqs (the “Borqs Notes”) up to an aggregate principal amount of $5 million. The Borqs Notes are due in two years, have an annual interest rate of 8%, are convertible into ordinary shares of Borqs at a 10% discount from the market price, and have 90% warrant coverage (with the warrants exercisable at 110% of the conversion price. One-third of the Borqs Notes ($1,666,667) were funded by the Company at the execution of definitive agreements for the transaction, and two-thirds of the Borqs Notes ($3,333,333) to be purchased by the Company were required to be purchased and funded upon the satisfaction of certain conditions, including effectiveness of a registration statement to be filed by Borqs by April 15, 2021. The registration was deemed effective on May 3, 2021 and the Company completed this funding on May 6, 2021.
Entry into Contracts Relating to Planned Cryptocurrency Mining Business
In connection with our planned cryptocurrency mining business, on September 8, 2021, we entered into a sale and purchase agreement (the “Bitmain Purchase Agreement”) with Bitmain Technologies Limited (“Seller”) pursuant to which we agreed to purchase, and Seller agreed to supply to us, an aggregate of 1,002 Bitcoin S19J Pro Antminer cryptocurrency mining machines for an aggregate purchase price of $6.3 million (the “Mining Machines”). On October 6, 2021, we entered into a second Bitmain Purchase Agreement pursuant to which we agreed to purchase, and Seller agreed to supply to us, an
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aggregate of 4,044 Bitcoin additional S19J Pro Antminer cryptocurrency Mining Machines for an aggregate purchase price of $25.3 million. The Bitmain Purchase Agreements provide for delivery of the Mining Machines in batches over an estimated delivery timeframe starting in April 2022 and continuing through September 2022. The Bitmain Purchase Agreements require us to pay $7.9 million or 25% of the total purchase price as a non-refundable deposit for the Mining Machines within 7 days of the date of the signing of the respective Bitmain Purchase Agreements, and additional 35% of the batch price at least 6 months prior to shipment of such batch, and the remaining 40% of each batch price one month prior to the shipment of the batch.
On October 6, 2021, US Digital entered into a sale and purchase agreement (the “Uptime Purchase Agreement”) with Uptime Armory LLC (“Uptime”) pursuant to which US Digital agreed to purchase, and Uptime agreed to supply to US Digital, an aggregate of 18 modified 40-foot cargo containers (“POD5ive containers”) that will be designed to hold and operate 280 S19 Pro Antminers manufactured by Seller. The purchase price of the POD5ive containers totals $3.15 million of which $2.4 million or 75% is due as a non-refundable down payment within 7 business days of the effective date and the remaining 25% is due within five business days after Uptime delivers a “notice of completion” of the equipment. The Uptime Purchase Agreement contains other customary terms, provisions, and conditions. On the same effective date, US Digital also entered into a hosting agreement with Uptime Hosting LLC to host the Company’s 18 POD5ive containers at a secure location and provide power, maintenance and other services specified in the contract for 6 cents per kilowatt with a term of one year. This hosting agreement requires a deposit of $0.8 million within 7 business days of the effective date, an additional deposit for each container three months prior to delivery at the hosting site of $44 thousand and a final deposit for each container one month prior to arrival at the hosting site of $44 thousand.
In November 2021, also in connection with our planned cryptocurrency mining business, we entered into strategic alliance agreements (the “Strategic Alliance Agreements”) with OTC Miners Corp. (“OTC Miners”) and Spartan Crest Capital Corp. (“Spartan”). The Strategic Alliance Agreements generally provide that OTC Miners and Spartan will work together with us and collaborate with us regarding our cryptocurrency mining business strategy and planned business operations. The agreements contemplate that each of OTC Miners and Spartan will provide ongoing consulting and advisory services to us on a non-exclusive basis over a one-year period with respect to the bitcoin mining business and industry and that the parties will meet periodically to collaborate and share information regarding the industry, the equipment used in the industry, key industry relationships, and financing options. In consideration of the strategic alliances and related services and benefits, we issued 100,000 shares of restricted common stock to each of OTC Miners and Spartan and paid OTC Miners $1,250,000 to cover anticipate expenses of OTC Miners in connection with its activities under the strategic alliance. We also agreed to pay OTC Miners a fee of 3% of the aggregate consideration of any strategic transaction completed by our company that we and OTC Miners jointly agree to pursue. The Strategic Alliance Agreements have a term of one year each.
Public Offering
On October 18, 2021, the Company entered into an Underwriting Agreement with Maxim Group LLC on behalf of itself and as representative of the underwriters named therein (the “Underwriting Agreement”), pursuant to which the Company issued and sold, in an underwritten public offering (the “Public Offering”), 6,315,780 units, with each unit consisting of one share of common stock, $0.001 par value per share (“Common Stock”), and one warrant to purchase one share of Common Stock (the “Common Warrants”). The units were sold to the public at the price of $4.75 per unit.
On October 19, 2021, the Public Offering closed, resulting in gross proceeds to the Company of approximately $30,000,000, before deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses. The Company also granted to the underwriter a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 947,367 shares of Common Stock (“Option Shares”) and/or warrants (“Option Warrants”) to purchase up to 947,367 shares of Common Stock (the “Over-Allotment Option”). The underwriter partially exercised the Over-Allotment Option, and the Company thereby issued and sold the additional 947,367 Option Warrants, in a simultaneous closing with the Public Offering on October 19, 2021. On October 20, 2021, the underwriter exercised the remainder of the Over-Allotment Option, and the Company thereby issued and sold the additional 947,367 Option Shares (the “October 20 Over-Allotment Closing”).
The Common Warrants issued in the offering are immediately exercisable and entitle the holder to purchase one share of Common Stock at an exercise price equal to $5.00 and expire on the fifth anniversary of the issuance date. The Common Warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis if there is no effective registration statement available for the resale of the shares of common stock underlying such warrants.
The Company agreed to an underwriting discount of 8% of the public offering price of the Units sold in this offering. In addition, the Company issued to Maxim Group LLC (or its designee) warrants to purchase an aggregate of 3% of the number of shares of Common Stock sold in the Public Offering, which warrants entitle the holder to purchase up to an aggregate of
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217,894 shares of Common Stock after the October 20 Over-Allotment Closing (the “Representative’s Warrants”). The Representative’s Warrants have an exercise price equal to $5.94, which is 110% of the offering price in the Public Offering. The Representative’s Warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis and will be exercisable six months following the closing date until April 16, 2025.
COVID-19 Update
Although COVID-19 is currently not material to our results of operations, there is uncertainty relating to the potential future impact on our business. While our employees currently have the ability and are encouraged to work remotely, such measures have and may continue to have an impact on employee attendance or productivity, which, along with the possibility of employees’ illness, may adversely affect our operations. In addition to encouraging employees to work remotely, the Company has increased sanitation of its offices, provided hand gel and masks to its employees and has closed the offices during identified periods of high contagion.
The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our operations, or our ability to obtain financing should we require it, will depend on future developments which are uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions taken by governments and private businesses to contain COVID-19 to treat its impact, among others. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19 continue for an extended period of time, financial markets may not be available to the Company for raising capital in order to fund future growth. Should the Company not be able to obtain financing when required, in the amounts necessary or under terms which are economically feasible, we may be required to reduce planned future growth and/or the scope of our operations.
Human Capital
As of March 31, 2022, we had 8 employees, all of which are full-time. We use outside consultants, attorneys, and accountants, as necessary. We endeavor to maintain a workplace that is free from discrimination or harassment on the basis of color, race, sex, national origin, ethnicity, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identification or expression or any other status protected by applicable law. The basis for recruitment, hiring, development, training, compensation and advancement is a person’s qualifications, performance, skills and experience. We believe that our employees are fairly compensated, without regard to gender, race and ethnicity, and routinely recognized for outstanding performance.
Corporate Information
The Company was originally organized in January 2008 as a Florida limited liability company under the name LM Funding, LLC. Prior to our initial public offering in 2015, all of our business was conducted through LM Funding, LLC and its subsidiaries. Immediately prior to our initial public offering in October 2015, the members of the LM Funding, LLC contributed all of their membership interests to LM Funding America, Inc., a Delaware corporation incorporated on April 20, 2015, in exchange for shares of the common stock of the Company. Immediately after such contribution and exchange, the former members of LM Funding, LLC became the holders of 100% of the issued and outstanding common stock of the Company, thereby making LM Funding, LLC a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company.
The Company organized two new subsidiaries in 2020: LMFA Financing LLC, a Florida limited liability company on November 21, 2020 and LMFAO Sponsor LLC on October 29, 2020. LMFAO Sponsor LLC, a Florida limited liability company organized a subsidiary LMF Acquisition Opportunities Inc., on October 29, 2020. LM Funding America Inc. organized a subsidiary, US Digital Mining and Hosting Co., LLC., on September 10, 2021.
Where you can Find More Information
We are required to file annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and other information, including our proxy statement, with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The public can obtain copies of these materials by accessing the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. In addition, as soon as reasonably practicable after these materials are filed with or furnished to the SEC, we will make copies available to the public free of charge through our website, https://www.lmfunding.com. The information on our website is not incorporated into, and is not part of, this Annual Report on Form 10-K or our other filings with the SEC.
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Item 1A. Risk Factors.
You should carefully consider each of the risks described below, together with all of the other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, before making an investment decision with respect to our securities. If any of the following risks actually occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flow could be materially and adversely affected and you may lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Relating to our Business -- General Risks
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Our quarterly operating results may fluctuate and cause our stock price to decline. |
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Any future acquisitions that we make may prove unsuccessful or strain or divert our resources. |
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Our business, results of operations, and financial condition may be impacted by the recent coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. |
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Our investments in other businesses and entry into new business ventures may adversely affect our operations. |
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Our organizational documents and Delaware law may make it harder for us to be acquired without the consent and cooperation of our Board of Directors and management. |
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We may inadvertently become subject to the requirements of the Investment Company Act, which would limit our business operations and require us to spend significant resources to comply with the Investment Company Act. |
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We are currently operating in a period of economic uncertainty and capital markets disruption, which has been significantly impacted by geopolitical instability due to the ongoing military conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected by any negative impact on the global economy and capital markets resulting from the conflict in Ukraine or any other geopolitical tensions. |
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We are currently operating in a period of economic uncertainty and capital markets disruption, which has been significantly impacted by geopolitical instability due to the ongoing military conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected by any negative impact on the global economy and capital markets resulting from the conflict in Ukraine or any other geopolitical tensions. |
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A reversal of the U.S. economic recovery and a return to volatile or recessionary conditions in the United States or abroad could adversely affect our business or our access to capital markets in a material manner. |
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We may be adversely affected by the effects of inflation. |
Risks Relating to Our Planned Cryptocurrency Mining Business
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Our cryptocurrency mining business is in an early stage of development and may not be able to generate revenues or achieve profitability. |
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Our lack of operating history in the cryptocurrency mining business makes evaluating our business difficult. |
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We will likely need to raise additional capital to fund our planned cryptocurrency mining business. |
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Operating results may fluctuate due to the highly volatile nature of cryptocurrency markets. |
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If we are unable to maintain power and hosting arrangements or secure sites for data centers, our business results may suffer. |
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Bitcoin mining activities are energy-intensive, which may restrict the geographic locations of miners and have a negative environmental impact. Government regulators may potentially restrict the ability of electricity suppliers to provide electricity to mining operations, such as ours, or even fully or partially ban mining operations. |
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We may be affected by price fluctuations in the wholesale and retail power markets. |
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We will be vulnerable to severe weather conditions and natural disasters, including severe heat, earthquakes, fires, floods, hurricanes, as well as power outages and other industrial incidents, which could severely disrupt the normal operation of our business and adversely affect our results of operations. |
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We are exposed to risks related to disruptions or other failures in the supply chain for cryptocurrency hardware and difficulties in obtaining new hardware. |
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The properties in our mining network may experience damages, including damages that are not covered by insurance. |
Risks Related to the Specialty Finance Business
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We may not be able to purchase Accounts at favorable prices, or on sufficiently favorable terms, or at all. |
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We may not be able to recover sufficient amounts on our Accounts to recover charges to the Accounts for interest and late fees necessary to fund our operations. |
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We are subject to intense competition seeking to provide a collection solution to Associations for delinquent Accounts. |
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We are dependent upon third-party law firms to service our Accounts. |
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If we are unable to access external sources of financing, we may not be able to fund and grow our operations. |
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We may incur substantial indebtedness from time to time in connection with the purchase of Accounts and could be subject to risks associated with incurring such indebtedness. |
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We may encounter difficulties managing changes in our business including cyclical growth and declines, which could disrupt our operations, and there is no assurance that any such growth (if experienced) can be sustained. |
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Government regulations may limit our ability to recover and enforce the collection of our Accounts. |
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We may become regulated under the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, or CFPB, and have not developed compliance standards for such oversight. |
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Current and new laws may adversely affect our ability to collect our Accounts, which could adversely affect our revenues and earnings. |
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Class action suits and other litigation could divert our management’s attention from operating our business, increase our expenses, and otherwise harm our business. |
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If our technology and software systems are not operational or are subject to cybersecurity incidents, our operations could be disrupted and our ability to successfully acquire and collect Accounts could be adversely affected. |
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Insolvency of BLG Association Law, PLLC (“BLGAL”) which is our primary law firm could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. |
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Associations do not make any guarantee with respect to the validity, enforceability or collectability of the Accounts acquired by us. |
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All of our Accounts are located in Florida, and any adverse conditions affecting Florida could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. |
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Foreclosure on an Association’s lien may not result in our company recouping the amount that we invested in the related Account. |
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If Account debtors or their agents make payments on the Accounts to or negotiate reductions in the Accounts with an Association, it could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. |
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Account debtors are subject to a variety of factors that may adversely affect their payment ability. |
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Defaults on the Accounts could harm our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. |
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We depend on the skill and diligence of third parties to collect the Accounts. |
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The payoff amounts received by us from Accounts may be adversely affected due to a variety of factors beyond our control. |
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The liens securing the Accounts we own may not be superior to all liens on the related units and homes. |
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We may not choose to pursue a foreclosure action against condominium and home owners who are delinquent in paying off the Accounts relating to their units or homes. |
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The holding period for our Accounts from purchase to payoff is indeterminate. |
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Our business model and related accounting treatment may result in acceleration of expense recognition before the corresponding revenues can be recognized. |
Risk Related to Our Investment in LMF Acquisition Opportunities, Inc.
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We have made a significant investment in a special purpose acquisition company (“SPAC”), and will suffer the loss of all of our investment if the SPAC does not complete an acquisition within 18 months or July 29, 2022 (subject to an extension of up to 21 months). |
Risks Relating to Our Securities
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Our common shares and warrants could be delisted from the Nasdaq Capital Market. |
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Future sales of our common stock by our affiliates or other stockholders may depress our stock price. |
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The market price and trading volume of our shares of common stock may be volatile and you may not be able to resell your shares of common stock (as the case may be) at or above the price you paid for them. |
Risks Relating to our Business -- General Risks
Our quarterly operating results may fluctuate and cause our stock price to decline.
Because of the nature of our business, our quarterly operating results may fluctuate, which may adversely affect the market price of our common stock. Our results may fluctuate as a result of the following factors:
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the timing and amount of collections on our Account portfolio; |
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our inability to identify and acquire additional Accounts; |
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a decline in the value of our Account portfolio recoveries; |
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increases in operating expenses associated with the growth of our operations; and |
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general, economic and real estate market conditions. |
Any future acquisitions that we make may prove unsuccessful or strain or divert our resources.
We may seek to grow through acquisitions of related businesses. Such acquisitions present risks that could materially adversely affect our business and financial performance, including:
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the diversion of our management’s attention from our everyday business activities; |
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the assimilation of the operations and personnel of the acquired business; |
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the contingent and latent risks associated with the past operations of, and other unanticipated problems arising in, the acquired business; and |
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the need to expand our management, administration and operational systems to accommodate such acquired business. |
If we make such acquisitions we cannot predict whether:
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we will be able to successfully integrate the operations of any new businesses into our business; |
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we will realize any anticipated benefits of completed acquisitions; or |
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there will be substantial unanticipated costs associated with such acquisitions. |
In addition, future acquisitions by us may result in potentially dilutive issuances of our equity securities, the incurrence of additional debt, and the recognition of significant charges for depreciation and amortization related to goodwill and other intangible assets.
Although we have no definitive plans or intentions to make acquisitions of related businesses, we continuously evaluate such potential acquisitions. However, we have not reached any agreement or arrangement with respect to any particular acquisition and we may not be able to complete any acquisitions on favorable terms or at all.
Our business, results of operations, and financial condition may be impacted by the recent coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
The global spread of COVID-19 has created significant volatility and uncertainty. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a global economic slowdown that may last for a potentially extended duration, and it is possible that it could cause a global recession. Deteriorating economic and political conditions caused by COVID-19, such as increased unemployment, decreases in capital spending, declines in customer confidence, or economic slowdowns or recessions, could cause a decrease in demand for our products and services.
While our employees currently have the ability and are encouraged to work remotely, such measures have had, and may continue to have, an impact on employee attendance or productivity, which, along with the possibility of employees’ illness, may adversely affect our operations. Although COVID-19 is currently not material to our results of operations, there is uncertainty relating to the potential future impact on our business. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our operations, or our ability to obtain financing should we require it, will depend on future developments which are uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions taken by governments and private businesses to contain COVID-19 to treat its impact, among others. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19 continue for an extended period of time, financial markets may not be available to the Company for raising capital in order to fund future growth. Should the Company not be able to obtain financing when required, in the amounts necessary or under terms which are economically feasible, we may be required to reduce planned future growth and/or the scope of our operations. In addition, actions we have taken or may take, or decisions we have made or may make, as a consequence of COVID-19, may result in legal claims or litigation against us.
A threatened direct and derivative claim by one of our stockholders against the Company and our officers and directors could have material adverse effects on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
On March 9, 2022, legal counsel to a purported stockholder of the Company threatened to file a direct and derivative complaint alleging breaches of fiduciary duty by the Company’s officers and directors, primarily with respect to (i) the Amended and Restated Employment Agreements entered into by the Company with each of Mr. Rodgers and Mr. Russell in October 2021; (ii) the approval of actions taken at our 2021 annual meeting of stockholders in December 2021; (iii) payments
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made to Business Law Group, P.A. in exchange for services provided pursuant to the Services Agreement between the Company and Business Law Group; and (iv) strategic advisory agreements entered into by us in connection with our planned cryptocurrency mining business.
Our board of directors is evaluating the matters raised by the purported stockholder and his legal counsel and is determining the actions, if any, that should be taken by the Company with respect to those matters. There can be no assurance as to whether any litigation will be commenced against the Company’s officers and directors with respect to the alleged breaches of fiduciary duty. As of the date of filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, legal action has not been taken by the purported stockholder.
In the event an action is commenced and the resulting case is decided adversely, we may be liable for significant damages directly or under our indemnification obligations, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations and cash flows. In addition, there can be no assurance (i) that we will not incur material losses due to damages, costs and/or expenses as a result of threatened litigation, (ii) that our directors’ and officers’ insurance policy and the liabilities we have established or may establish will be sufficient to cover such losses or (iii) that such losses will not materially exceed the coverage limits of our insurance and such liabilities will not have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations. Further, the amount of time that will be required to resolve any threatened litigation is unpredictable, and this threatened action is likely to divert management’s attention from the day-to-day operations of our business, which could further adversely affect our business, results of operations and cash flows.
Our investments in other businesses and entry into new business ventures may adversely affect our operations.
We previously made and subsequently disposed of, and may in the future acquire, interests in companies or may commence operations in businesses and industries that are not identical to those with which we have historically engaged. If these investments or arrangements are not successful, our earnings could be materially adversely affected by increased expenses and decreased revenues.
Our organizational documents and Delaware law may make it harder for us to be acquired without the consent and cooperation of our Board of Directors and management.
Certain provisions of our organizational documents and Delaware law may deter or prevent a takeover attempt, including a takeover attempt in which the potential purchaser offers to pay a per share price greater than the current market price of our common stock. Under the terms of our certificate of incorporation, our Board of Directors has the authority, without further action by our stockholders, to issue shares of preferred stock in one or more series and to fix the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions thereof. In addition, our directors serve staggered terms of one to three years each and, as such, at any given annual meeting of our stockholders, only a portion of our Board of Directors may be considered for election, which may prevent our stockholders from replacing a majority of our Board of Directors at certain annual meetings and may entrench our management and discourage unsolicited stockholder proposals. The ability to issue shares of preferred stock could tend to discourage takeover or acquisition proposals not supported by our current Board of Directors.
We may inadvertently become subject to the requirements of the Investment Company Act, which would limit our business operations and require us to spend significant resources to comply with the Investment Company Act.
We run the risk of inadvertently being deemed to be an investment company that is required to register under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “Investment Company Act”) because a significant portion of our assets may be deemed to consist of, or may be deemed to have consisted of, investment securities, including potentially our interest in LMF Acquisition Opportunities, Inc. and our transactions with BORQS Technologies. The risk varies depending on events beyond our control, such as significant appreciation or depreciation in the market value of certain of our assets, and transactions involving the sale and purchase of certain assets. If we are deemed to be an inadvertent investment company, we may seek to rely on a safe-harbor under the Investment Company Act that would provide us a one-year period to take steps to avoid being deemed to be an investment company.
The Investment Company Act defines an “investment company” as an issuer that is engaged in the business of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading in securities and owns investment securities having a value exceeding 40% of the issuer's unconsolidated assets, excluding cash items and securities issued by the federal government. While the Investment Company Act also has several exclusions and exceptions that we would seek to rely upon to avoid being deemed an investment company, our reliance on any such exclusions or exceptions may be misplaced resulting in violation of the Investment Company Act, the consequences of which can be significant.
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A company that falls within the scope of Section 3(a)(1)(C) of the Investment Company Act can avoid being regulated as an investment company if it can rely on certain of the exclusions or exemptions under the Investment Company Act. One such exclusion is Rule 3a-2 under the Investment Company Act. Rule 3a-2 of the Investment Company Act provides that inadvertent or transient investment companies will not be treated as investment companies subject to the provisions of the Investment Company Act, provided the issuer has the requisite intent to be engaged in a non-investment business, evidenced by the issuer’s business activities and an appropriate resolution of the issuer’s board of directors, within one year from the commencement of the earlier of (1) the date on which the issuer owns securities and/or cash having a value exceeding 50% of the value of such issuer's total assets on either a consolidated or unconsolidated basis, or (2) the date on which an issuer owns or proposes to acquire investment securities (as defined in section 3(a) of the Exchange Act) having a value exceeding 40% of the value of such issuer's total assets (exclusive of government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis.
In order to ensure we avoid being deemed an investment company, we have taken, and may need to continue to take, steps to reduce the percentage of our assets that constitute investment securities under the Investment Company Act. These steps have included, among others, selling investment securities that we might otherwise hold for the long-term and deploying our cash in assets that are not investment securities. We may be forced to sell our investment securities at unattractive prices or to sell assets that we otherwise believe benefit our business in the future to remain below the requisite threshold. We may also seek to acquire additional assets to maintain compliance with the Investment Company Act, and we may need to incur debt, issue additional equity, or enter into other financing arrangements that are not otherwise attractive to our business. Any of these actions could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
We can make no assurance that we would successfully be able to take the necessary steps to avoid being deemed to be an investment company in accordance with the safe-harbor. If we were unsuccessful, then we would have to register as an investment company, and we would be unable to operate our business in its current form. We would be subject to extensive, restrictive, and potentially adverse statutory provisions and regulations relating to, among other things, operating methods, management, capital structure, indebtedness, dividends, and transactions with affiliates. If we were deemed to be an investment company and did not register as an investment company when required to do so, there would be a risk, among other material adverse consequences, that we could become subject to monetary penalties or injunctive relief, or both, that we would be unable to enforce contracts with third parties, and/or that third parties could seek to obtain rescission of transactions with us undertaken during the period in which we were an unregistered investment company.
We are currently operating in a period of economic uncertainty and capital markets disruption, which has been significantly impacted by geopolitical instability due to the ongoing military conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected by any negative impact on the global economy and capital markets resulting from the conflict in Ukraine or any other geopolitical tensions.
U.S. and global markets are experiencing volatility and disruption following the escalation of geopolitical tensions and the start of the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine. On February 24, 2022, a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops was reported. Although the length and impact of the ongoing military conflict is highly unpredictable, the conflict in Ukraine could lead to market disruptions, including significant volatility in commodity prices, credit and capital markets, as well as supply chain interruptions. We are continuing to monitor the situation in Ukraine and globally and assessing its potential impact on our business.
Additionally, the recent military conflict in Ukraine has led to sanctions and other penalties being levied by the United States, European Union and other countries against Russia. Additional potential sanctions and penalties have also been proposed and/or threatened. Russian military actions and the resulting sanctions could adversely affect the global economy and financial markets and lead to instability and lack of liquidity in capital markets, potentially making it more difficult for us to obtain additional funds.
Although our business has not been materially impacted by the ongoing military conflict between Russian and Ukraine to date, it is impossible to predict the extent to which our operations, or those of our suppliers and manufacturers, will be impacted in the short and long term, or the ways in which the conflict may impact our business. The extent and duration of the military action, sanctions and resulting market disruptions are impossible to predict, but could be substantial. Any such disruptions may also magnify the impact of other risks described in this Annual Report.
A reversal of the U.S. economic recovery and a return to volatile or recessionary conditions in the United States or abroad could adversely affect our business or our access to capital markets in a material manner.
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Worsening economic and market conditions, downside shocks, or a return to recessionary economic conditions could severely reduce demand for our products and adversely affect our operating results. These economic conditions may also impact the financial condition of one or more of our key suppliers, which could affect our ability to secure product to meet our customers’ demand. Our results of operations and the implementation of our business strategy could be adversely affected by general conditions in the global economy. An economic downturn may cause uncertainty in the capital and credit markets and could have a material adverse effect on us. We could also be adversely affected by such factors as changes in foreign currency rates, weak economies, and political conditions in each of the countries in which we sell our products.
We may be adversely affected by the effects of inflation.
Inflation has the potential to adversely affect our liquidity, business, financial condition and results of operations by increasing our overall cost structure, particularly if we are unable to achieve commensurate increases in the prices we charge our customers. The existence of inflation in the economy has resulted in, and may continue to result in, higher interest rates and capital costs, shipping costs, supply shortages, increased costs of labor, weakening exchange rates and other similar effects. As a result of inflation, we have experienced and may continue to experience, cost increases. Although we may take measures to mitigate the impact of this inflation, if these measures are not effective our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity could be materially adversely affected. Even if such measures are effective, there could be a difference between the timing of when these beneficial actions impact our results of operations and when the cost inflation is incurred.
Risks Relating to Our Planned Cryptocurrency Mining Business
Our cryptocurrency mining business is in an early stage of development. If we are not able to develop our business as anticipated, we may not be able to generate revenues or achieve profitability and you may lose your investment.
We have no operating history in the cryptocurrency mining business and have not earned any revenues to date in such business. Although we believe that our planned cryptocurrency mining business significant profit potential, we may not attain profitable operations and our management may not succeed in realizing our business objectives. If we are not able to develop our business as anticipated, we may not be able to generate revenues or achieve profitability and you may lose your investment.
Our lack of operating history in the cryptocurrency mining business makes evaluating our business and future prospects difficult and increases the risk of an investment in our securities.
We have no operating history in the cryptocurrency mining business upon which an investor may evaluate our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results. It is difficult to predict our future revenues and appropriately budget for our expenses, and we have limited insight into trends that may emerge and affect our planned cryptocurrency mining business. Furthermore, we plan to focus our business on cryptocurrency, and specifically Bitcoin, mining, a new and developing field, which could further exacerbate the risks. In the event that actual results differ from our plans and expectations, our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results could be adversely affected.
We will likely need to raise additional capital to fund our planned cryptocurrency mining business and purchase related equipment, and such capital may not be available on terms acceptable to us, or at all.
We have entered into agreements under which we have agreed to purchase a substantial number of cryptocurrency mining machines, and we will have escalating operating expenses associating with developing our planned cryptocurrency mining business. Accordingly, we will likely require additional capital to fund our planned equipment purchases and to respond to technological advancements, competitive dynamics or technologies, customer demands, business opportunities, challenges, or unforeseen circumstances. Accordingly, we will likely need to engage in equity or debt financings or enter into credit facilities for the above-mentioned or other reasons. We may not be able to timely secure additional debt or equity financing on favorable terms, or at all. If we raise additional funds through equity financing, our existing stockholders could experience significant dilution.
Furthermore, any debt financing obtained by us in the future could involve restrictive covenants relating to our capital raising activities and other financial and operational matters, which may make it more difficult for us to obtain additional capital and to pursue business opportunities. If we are unable to obtain adequate financing or financing on terms satisfactory to us, when we require it, our ability to continue to grow or support our business and to respond to business challenges could be significantly limited.
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Our operating results may fluctuate due to the highly volatile nature of cryptocurrencies in general and, specifically, Bitcoin.
The revenue from our cryptocurrency mining business will be dependent on cryptocurrencies and, specifically, Bitcoin and the broader blockchain and Bitcoin mining ecosystem. Due to the highly volatile nature of the cryptocurrency markets and the prices of cryptocurrency assets, our operating results may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter in accordance with market sentiments and movements in the broader cryptocurrency ecosystem. Our operating results may fluctuate as a result of a variety of factors, many of which are unpredictable and in certain instances are outside of our control, including:
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macroeconomic conditions; |
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changes in the legislative or regulatory environment, or actions by governments or regulators, including fines, orders, or consent decrees; |
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adverse legal proceedings or regulatory enforcement actions, judgments, settlements, or other legal proceeding and enforcement-related costs; |
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increases in operating expenses that we expect to incur to grow and expand our operations and to remain competitive; |
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system errors, failures, outages and computer viruses, which could disrupt our ability to continue mining; |
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power outages and certain other events beyond our control, including natural disasters and telecommunication failures; |
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breaches of security or privacy; |
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our ability to attract and retain talent; and |
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our ability to compete with our existing and new competitors. |
As a result of these factors, it may be difficult for us to forecast growth trends accurately and our business and future prospects are difficult to evaluate, particularly in the short term.
If we are unable to successfully maintain our power and hosting arrangements or secure the sites for our data centers, on acceptable terms or at all, or if we must otherwise relocate to replacement sites, our operations may be disrupted, and our business results may suffer.
As part of the planned build out of our cryptocurrency mining operations, we plan to set up or lease cryptocurrency mining facilities (or sites). Actually securing these sites on terms acceptable to our management team may not occur within our timing expectations or at all. Although we have entered into agreements with Uptime Armory and Uptime Hosting to provide cargo containers and hosting services, our inability to secure sites for our data centers could adversely impact the anticipated timing of our initial buildout phase and therefore the time by which we are able to commence our operations.
Bitcoin mining activities are energy-intensive, which may restrict the geographic locations of miners and have a negative environmental impact. Government regulators may potentially restrict the ability of electricity suppliers to provide electricity to mining operations, such as ours, or even fully or partially ban mining operations.
Mining Bitcoin requires massive amounts of electrical power, and electricity costs are expected to account for a significant portion of our overall costs. The availability and cost of electricity will restrict the geographic locations of our mining activities. Any shortage of electricity supply or increase in electricity costs in any location where we plan to operate may negatively impact the viability and the expected economic return for Bitcoin mining activities in that location.
Further, our business model can only be successful and our mining operations can only be profitable if the costs, including electrical power costs, associated with Bitcoin mining are lower than the price of Bitcoin itself. As a result, any mining operation we establish can only be successful if we can obtain sufficient electrical power for that site on a cost-effective basis, and our establishment of new mining data centers requires us to find sites where that is the case. Even if our electrical power costs do not increase, significant fluctuations in, and any prolonged periods of, low Bitcoin prices may also cause our electrical supply to no longer be cost-effective.
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Furthermore, there may be significant competition for suitable cryptocurrency mining sites, and government regulators, including local permitting officials, may potentially restrict our ability to set up cryptocurrency mining operations in certain locations. They can also restrict the ability of electricity suppliers to provide electricity to mining operations in times of electricity shortage, or may otherwise potentially restrict or prohibit the provision of electricity to mining operations. In addition, if cryptocurrency mining becomes more widespread, government scrutiny related to restrictions on cryptocurrency mining facilities and their energy consumption may significantly increase. The considerable consumption of electricity by mining operators may also have a negative environmental impact, including contribution to climate change, which could set the public opinion against allowing the use of electricity for Bitcoin mining activities or create a negative consumer sentiment and perception of Bitcoin, specifically, or cryptocurrencies, generally. This, in turn, could lead to governmental measures restricting or prohibiting cryptocurrency mining or the use of electricity for Bitcoin mining activities. Any such development in the jurisdictions where we plan to operate could increase our compliance burdens and have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, and operating results. Government regulators in other countries may also ban or substantially limit their local cryptocurrency mining activities, which could have a material effect on our supply chains for mining equipment or services and the price of Bitcoin. It could also increase our domestic competition as some of those cryptocurrency miners or new entrants in this market may consider moving their cryptocurrency mining operations or establishing new operations in the United States.
Additionally, our mining operations could be materially adversely affected by power outages and similar disruptions. Given the power requirements for our mining equipment, it would not be feasible to run this equipment on back-up power generators in the event of a government restriction on electricity or a power outage. If we are unable to receive adequate power supply and are forced to reduce our operations due to the availability or cost of electrical power, it would have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, and operating results.
We may be affected by price fluctuations in the wholesale and retail power markets.
A substantial portion of our power and hosting arrangements will likely contain certain price adjustment mechanisms in case of certain events. Furthermore, a portion of our power and hosting arrangements will likely include merchant power prices, or power prices reflecting market movements.
Market prices for power, generation capacity and ancillary services, are unpredictable. Depending upon the effectiveness of any price risk management activity undertaken by us, an increase in market prices for power, generation capacity, and ancillary services may adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, and operating results. Long- and short-term power prices may fluctuate substantially due to a variety of factors outside of our control, including, but not limited to:
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increases and decreases in generation capacity; |
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changes in power transmission or fuel transportation capacity constraints or inefficiencies; |
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volatile weather conditions, particularly unusually hot or mild summers or unusually cold or warm winters; |
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technological shifts resulting in changes in the demand for power or in patterns of power usage, including the potential development of demand-side management tools, expansion and technological advancements in power storage capability and the development of new fuels or new technologies for the production or storage of power; |
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federal and state power, market and environmental regulation and legislation; and |
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changes in capacity prices and capacity markets. |
If we are unable to secure power supply at prices or on terms acceptable to us, it would have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, and operating results.
We will be vulnerable to severe weather conditions and natural disasters, including severe heat, earthquakes, fires, floods, hurricanes, as well as power outages and other industrial incidents, which could severely disrupt the normal operation of our business and adversely affect our results of operations.
Our business will be subject to the risks of severe weather conditions and natural disasters, including severe heat, earthquakes, fires, floods, hurricanes, as well as power outages and other industrial incidents, any of which could result in system failures, power supply disruptions and other interruptions that could harm our business.
The majority of our power and hosting arrangements have merchant power prices, or power prices reflecting the market movements. In an event of a major power outage, the merchant power prices could be too high to make Bitcoin mining profitable. To extent the power prices increase significantly as result of severe weather conditions, natural disasters or any
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other causes, resulting in contract prices for power being significantly lower than current market prices, the counterparties under our power and hosting arrangements may refuse to supply power to us during that period of fluctuating prices.
From time to time, we may consider protecting against power price movements by adopting a more risk averse power procurement strategy and hedging our power purchase prices, which would translate into additional hedging costs for us.
Furthermore, state or regional government officials to introduce new legislation and requirements on power providers that may result in, among other things, restrictions on cryptocurrency mining operations in general.
We will be exposed to risks related to disruptions or other failures in the supply chain for cryptocurrency hardware and difficulties in obtaining new hardware.
Manufacture, assembly and delivery of certain components and products for mining operations could be complex and long processes, in the course of which various problems could arise, including disruptions or delays in the supply chain, product quality control issues, as well other external factors, over which we have no control.
Our mining operations can only be successful and ultimately profitable if the costs associated with Bitcoin mining, including hardware costs, are lower than the price of Bitcoin itself. In the course of the normal operation of our cryptocurrency mining facilities, our miners and other critical equipment and materials related to datacenter construction and maintenance, such as containers, switch gears, transformers and cables, will experience ordinary wear and tear and may also face more significant malfunctions caused by a number of extraneous factors beyond our control. Declines in the condition of our miners and other hardware will require us, over time, to repair or replace those miners. Additionally, as the technology evolves, we may be required to acquire newer models of miners to remain competitive in the market. Any upgrading process may require substantial capital investment, and we may face challenges in doing so on a timely and cost-effective basis.
Our mining business will be subject to limitations inherent within the supply chain of certain of our components, including competitive, governmental, and legal limitations, and other events. For example, we expect that we will significantly rely on foreign imports to obtain certain equipment and materials. Any global trade disruption, introductions of tariffs, trade barriers and bilateral trade frictions, together with any potential downturns in the global economy resulting therefrom, could adversely affect our necessary supply chains. Our third-party manufacturers, suppliers and subcontractors may also experience disruptions by worker absenteeism, quarantines, restrictions on employees’ ability to work, office and factory closures, disruptions to ports and other shipping infrastructure, border closures, or other travel or health-related restrictions, such as those that were triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, for example. Depending on the magnitude of such effects on our supply chain, shipments of parts for our miners, or any new miners that we order, may be delayed.
Furthermore, the global supply chain for cryptocurrency miners is currently heavily dependent on China, which has been severely affected by the China as a main supplier of cryptocurrency miners has been called into question in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. China has also in the past limited the shipment of products in and out of its borders, which could negatively impact our ability to receive mining equipment from our China-based suppliers. Should similar outbreaks or other disruptions to the China-based global supply chain for cryptocurrency hardware occur, such as, for example, as result of worsening of the U.S. trade relations with China, including imposition of new tariffs, trade barriers and bilateral trade frictions, we may not be able to obtain adequate equipment from the manufacturer on a timely basis. Such events could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, and operating results.
The properties in our mining network may experience damages, including damages that are not covered by insurance.
Any cryptocurrency mining sites we establish will be subject to a variety of risks relating to physical condition and operation, including:
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the presence of construction or repair defects or other structural or building damage; |
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any noncompliance with, or liabilities under, applicable environmental, health or safety regulations or requirements or building permit requirements; |
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any damage resulting from extreme weather conditions or natural disasters, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, floods and snow or windstorms; and |
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claims by employees and others for injuries sustained at our properties. |
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For example, our cryptocurrency mining facilities could be rendered inoperable, temporarily or permanently, as a result of, among others, a fire or other natural disasters. The security and other measures we anticipate to take to protect against these risks may not be sufficient.
Additionally, our mines could be materially adversely affected by a power outage or loss of access to the electrical grid or loss by the grid of cost-effective sources of electrical power generating capacity.
Risks Related to the Specialty Finance Business
We may not be able to purchase Accounts at favorable prices, or on sufficiently favorable terms, or at all.
Our success depends upon the continued availability of Association Accounts. The availability of Accounts at favorable prices and on terms acceptable to us depends on a number of factors outside our control, including:
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the status of the economy and real estate market in markets which we have operations may become so strong that delinquent Accounts do not occur in sufficient quantities to efficiently acquire them; |
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the perceived need of Associations to sell their Accounts to us as opposed to taking other measures to solve budget problems such as increasing assessments; and |
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competitive pressures from law firms, collections agencies, and others to produce more revenue for Associations than we can provide through the purchase of Accounts. |
In addition, our ability to purchase Accounts, in particular with respect to our original product, is reliant on state statutes allowing for a Super Lien Amount to protect our principal investment; any change of those statutes and elimination of the priority of the Super Lien Amount, particularly in Florida, could have an adverse effect on our ability to purchase Accounts. If we were unable to purchase Accounts at favorable prices or on terms acceptable to us, or at all, it would likely have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
We may not be able to recover sufficient amounts on our Accounts to recover charges to the Accounts for interest and late fees necessary to fund our operations.
We acquire and collect on the delinquent receivables of Associations. Since Account debtors are third parties that we have little to no information about, we cannot predict when any given Account will pay off or how much it will yield. In order to operate profitably over the long term, we must continually purchase and collect on a sufficient volume of Accounts to generate revenue that exceeds our costs.
We are subject to intense competition seeking to provide a collection solution to Associations for delinquent Accounts.
Lawyers, collection agencies, and other direct and indirect competitors vying to collect on Accounts all propose to solve the problem delinquent Accounts pose to Associations. Additionally, Associations and their management companies sometimes try to solve their delinquent Account problems in house, without the assistance of third-party collection agencies. An Account that an Association attempts to collect through any of these other options is an Account we cannot purchase and collect. We compete on the basis of reputation, industry experience, performance and financing dollars. Some of these competitors have greater contacts with Associations, greater financial resources and access to capital, more personnel, wider geographic presence and greater resources than we have. In addition, we expect the entry of new competitors in the future given the relatively new nature of the market in which we operate. Aggressive pricing by our competitors could raise the price of acquiring and purchasing Accounts above levels that we are willing to pay, which could reduce the number of Accounts suitable for us to purchase or if purchased by us, reduce the profits, if any, generated by such Accounts. If we are unable to purchase Accounts at favorable prices or at all, the revenues generated by us and our earnings could be materially reduced.
We are dependent upon third-party law firms to service our Accounts.
Although we utilize our proprietary software and in-house staff to track, monitor, and direct the collection of our Accounts, we depend upon third-party law firms to perform the collection work. As a result, we are dependent upon the efforts of our third-party law firms, particularly BLG Association Law, PLLC (“BLGAL”) to service and collect our Accounts.
On February 1, 2022, LM Funding America, Inc. (the “Company”) consented to the assignment by the law firm of Business Law Group, P.A. to the law firm BLG Association Law, PLLC of the Services Agreement, dated April 15, 2015, previously entered into by the Company and Business Law Group, P.A. (the “Services Agreement”). The Services Agreement had set forth the terms under which Business Law Group, P.A. would act as the primary law firm used by the Company and its
15
association clients for the servicing and collection of association accounts. The assignment of the Services Agreement was necessitated by the death of the principal attorney and owner of Business Law Group, P.A. In connection with the assignment, BLGAL agreed to amend the Services Agreement on February 1, 2022, to reduce the monthly compensation payable to the law firm from approximately $82,000 to $53,000 (the “Amendment”). Bruce M. Rodgers, the chairman and CEO of the Company, is a 50% owner of BLGAL, and the assignment and Amendment was approved by the independent directors of the Company.
As of December 31, 2021, BLG was responsible for servicing over 98% of our Accounts. Our revenues and profitability could be materially affected if:
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(i) |
our agreements with the third-party law firms we use are terminated and we are not able to secure replacement law firms or direct payments from Account debtors to our replacement law firms; |
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(ii) |
our relationships with our law firms adversely change; |
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(iii) |
our law firms fail to adequately perform their obligations; or |
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(iv) |
internal changes at such law firms occur, such as loss of staff who service us. |
If we are unable to access external sources of financing, we may not be able to fund and grow our operations.
We depend upon loans from external sources from time to time to fund and expand our operations. Our ability to grow our business is dependent on our access to additional financing and capital resources. The failure to obtain financing and capital as needed would limit our ability to purchase Accounts and achieve our growth plans.
We may incur substantial indebtedness from time to time in connection with the purchase of Accounts and could be subject to risks associated with incurring such indebtedness.
We may incur substantial indebtedness from time to time in connection with the purchase of Accounts and could be subject to risks associated with incurring such indebtedness, including:
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(i) |
we could be required to dedicate a portion of our cash flows from operations to pay debt service costs and, as a result, we would have less funds available for operations, future acquisitions of Accounts, and other purposes; |
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(ii) |
it may be more difficult and expensive to obtain additional funds through financings, if such funds are available at all; |
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(iii) |
we could be more vulnerable to economic downturns and fluctuations in interest rates, less able to withstand competitive pressures and less flexible in reacting to changes in our industry and general economic conditions; and |
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(iv) |
if we default under any of our existing credit facilities or if our creditors demand payment of a portion or all of our indebtedness, we may not have sufficient funds to make such payments. |
We may encounter difficulties managing changes in our business including cyclical growth and declines, which could disrupt our operations, and there is no assurance that any such growth (if experienced) can be sustained.
From time to time since our inception, we have experienced periods of significant growth and declines. Although there is no assurance that we will again experience periods of significant growth or continued declines in the future, if we do, there can be no assurance that we will be able to manage our changing operations effectively or that we will be able to maintain or accelerate our growth, and any failure to do so could adversely affect our ability to generate revenues and control expenses. Future growth will depend upon a number of factors, including:
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(i) |
the effective and timely initiation and development of relationships with law firms, management companies, accounting firms and other trusted advisors of Associations willing to sell Accounts; |
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(ii) |
our ability to continue to develop our proprietary software for use in other markets and with different products; |
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(iii) |
our ability to maintain the collection of Accounts efficiently; |
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(iv) |
the recruitment, motivation and retention of qualified personnel both in our principal office and in new markets; |
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(v) |
our ability to successfully implement our business strategy in states outside of the state of Florida; and |
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(vi) |
our successful implementation of enhancements to our operational and financial systems. |
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Due to our limited financial resources and the limited experience and size of our management team, we may not be able to effectively manage the growth of our business. Significant growth may lead to significant costs and may divert our management and business development resources. Any inability to manage growth could delay the execution of our business strategy or disrupt our operations.
Government regulations may limit our ability to recover and enforce the collection of our Accounts.
Federal, state and municipal laws, rules, rules, regulations and ordinances may limit our ability to recover and enforce our rights with respect to the Accounts acquired by us. These laws include, but are not limited to, the following federal statutes and regulations promulgated thereunder and comparable statutes in states where Account debtors reside and/or located:
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(i) |
the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act; |
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(ii) |
the Federal Trade Commission Act; |
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(iii) |
the Truth-In-Lending Act; |
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(iv) |
the Fair Credit Billing Act; |
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(v) |
the Dodd-Frank Act; |
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the Equal Credit Opportunity Act; and |
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(vii) |
the Fair Credit Reporting Act. |
We may be precluded from collecting Accounts we purchase where the Association or its prior legal counsel, management company, or collection agency failed to comply with applicable laws in charging the account debtor or prosecuting the collection of the Account. Laws relating to the collection of consumer debt also directly apply to our business. Our failure to comply with any laws applicable to us, including state licensing laws, could limit our ability to recover our Accounts and could subject us to fines and penalties, which could reduce our revenues.
We may become regulated under the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, or CFPB, and have not developed compliance standards for such oversight.
The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (2010), or Dodd-Frank Act, represents a comprehensive overhaul of the financial services industry within the U.S. The Dodd-Frank Act allows consumers free access to their credit score if their score negatively affects them in a financial transaction or a hiring decision, and also gives consumers access to credit score disclosures as part of an adverse action and risk-based pricing notice. Title X of the Dodd-Frank Act establishes the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, or CFPB, within the Federal Reserve Board, and requires the CFPB and other federal agencies to implement many new and significant rules and regulations. Significant portions of the Dodd-Frank Act related to the CFPB became effective on July 21, 2011. The CFPB has broad powers to promulgate, administer and enforce consumer financial regulations, including those applicable to us and possibly our funded Associations. Under the Dodd-Frank Act, the CFPB is the principal supervisor and enforcer of federal consumer financial protection laws with respect to nondepository institutions, or “nonbanks”, including, without limitation, any “covered person” who is a “larger participant” in a market for other consumer financial products or services. We do not know if our unique business model makes us a covered person.
The CFPB has started to exercise authority to define unfair, deceptive or abusive acts and practices and to require reports and conduct examinations of these entities for purposes of (i) assessing compliance with federal consumer financial protections laws; (ii) obtaining information about the activities and compliance systems or procedures of such entities; and (iii) detecting and assessing risks to consumers and to markets for consumer financial products and services. The exercise of this supervisory authority must be risk-based, meaning that the CFPB will identify nonbanks for examination based on the risk they pose to consumers, including consideration of the entity’s asset size, transaction volume, risk to consumers, existing oversight by state authorities and any other factors that the CFPB determines to be relevant. When a nonbank is in violation of federal consumer financial protection laws, including the CFPB’s own rules, the CFPB may pursue administrative proceedings or litigation to enforce those laws and rules. In these proceedings, the CFPB can obtain cease and desist orders, which can include orders for restitution or rescission of contracts, as well as other kinds of affirmative relief, and monetary penalties ranging from $5,000 per day for ordinary violations of federal consumer financial protection laws to $25,000 per day for reckless violations and $1 million per day for knowing violations. Also, where a company has violated Title X of the Dodd-Frank Act or CFPB regulations under Title X, the Dodd-Frank Act empowers state attorneys general and state regulators to bring civil actions for the kind of cease and desist orders available to the CFPB (but not for civil penalties). If the CFPB or one or more state officials believe that we have committed a violation of the foregoing laws, they could exercise their enforcement powers in a manner that could have a material adverse effect on us.
At this time, we cannot predict the extent to which the Dodd-Frank Act or the resulting rules and regulations, including those of the CFPB, will impact the U.S. economy and our products and services. Compliance with these new laws and regulations
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may require changes in the way we conduct our business and could result in additional compliance costs, which could be significant and could adversely impact our results of operations, financial condition or liquidity.
Current and new laws may adversely affect our ability to collect our Accounts, which could adversely affect our revenues and earnings.
Currently all of our Accounts are located in Florida. But because our Accounts are generally originated and collected pursuant to a variety of federal and state laws by a variety of third parties and may involve consumers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, there can be no assurance that all Associations and their management companies, legal counsel, collections agencies and others have at all times been in compliance with all applicable laws relating to the collection of Accounts. Additionally, there can be no assurance that we or our law firms have been or will continue to be at all times in compliance with all applicable laws. Failure to comply with applicable laws could materially adversely affect our ability to collect our Accounts and could subject us to increased costs, fines, and penalties. Furthermore, changes in state law regarding the lien priority status of delinquent Association assessments could materially and adversely affect our business. Currently all of our Accounts are located in Florida,
Class action suits and other litigation could divert our management’s attention from operating our business, increase our expenses, and otherwise harm our business.
Certain originators and servicers involved in consumer credit collection and related businesses have been subject to class actions and other litigation. Claims include failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations such as usury and improper or deceptive origination and collection practices. From time to time we are a party to such litigation, and as a result, our management’s attention may be diverted from our everyday business activities and implementing our business strategy, and our results of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected by, among other things, legal expenses and challenges to our business model in connection with such litigation.
If our technology and software systems are not operational or are subject to cybersecurity incidents, our operations could be disrupted and our ability to successfully acquire and collect Accounts could be adversely affected.
Our success depends in part on our proprietary software. We must record and process significant amounts of data quickly and accurately to properly track, monitor and collect our Accounts. Any failure of our information systems and their backup systems, including by means of cybersecurity attacks, breaches or other incidents, would interrupt our operations. We may not have adequate backup arrangements for all of our operations and we may incur significant losses if an outage occurs. In addition, we rely on third-party law firms who also may be adversely affected in the event of a cybersecurity breach or attack or other outage in which the third-party servicer does not have adequate backup arrangements. Any interruption in our operations or our third-party law firms’ operations could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
Insolvency of BLGAL could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Our primary Account servicer, BLGAL, deposits collections on the Accounts in its Interest on Lawyers Trust Account (“IOLTA Trust Account”) and then distributes the proceeds to itself, us and the Associations pursuant to the terms of the purchase agreements with the Associations and applicable law. We do not have a perfected security interest in the amounts BLGAL collects on the Accounts while such amounts are held in the IOLTA Trust Account. BLGAL has agreed to promptly remit to us all amounts collected on the Accounts that are owed to us. If, however, BLGAL were to become subject to any insolvency law and a creditor or trustee-in-bankruptcy of BLGAL were to take the position that proceeds of the Accounts held in BLGAL’s IOLTA Trust Account should be treated as assets of BLGAL, an Association or another third party, delays in payments from collections on the Accounts held by BLGAL could occur or reductions in the amounts of payments to be remitted by BLGAL to us could result, which could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Associations do not make any guarantee with respect to the validity, enforceability or collectability of the Accounts acquired by us.
Associations do not make any representations, warranties or covenants with respect to the validity, enforceability or collectability of Accounts in their assignments of Accounts to us. If an Account proves to be invalid, unenforceable or otherwise generally uncollectible, we will not have any recourse against the respective Association. If a significant number of our Accounts are later held to be invalid, unenforceable or are otherwise uncollectible, our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be adversely affected.
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All of our Accounts are located in Florida, and any adverse conditions affecting Florida could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
Our primary business relates to revenues from Accounts purchased by us, which are all based in Florida, and our primary source of revenue consists of payments made by condominium and home-owners to satisfy the liens against their condominiums and homes. As of December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, Florida represented 100% of our Accounts. An economic recession, adverse market conditions in Florida, and/or significant property damage caused by hurricanes, tornadoes or other inclement weather could adversely affect the ability of these condominium and home owners to satisfy the liens against their condominiums and homes, which could, in turn, have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
Foreclosure on an Association’s lien may not result in our company recouping the amount that we invested in the related Account.
All of the Accounts purchased by us are in default. The Accounts are secured by liens held by Associations, which we have an option to foreclose upon on behalf of the Associations. Should we foreclose upon such a lien on behalf of an Association, we are generally entitled pursuant to our contractual arrangements with the Association to have the Association quitclaim its interests in the condominium unit or home to us. In the event that any Association quitclaims its interests in a condominium unit or home to us, we will be relying on the short-term rental prospects, to the extent permitted under bylaws and rules applicable to the Association, and value of its interest in the underlying property, which value may be affected by numerous risks, including:
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(i) |
changes in general or local economic conditions; |
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(ii) |
neighborhood values; |
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(iii) |
interest rates; |
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(iv) |
real estate tax rates and other operating expenses; |
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(v) |
the possibility of overbuilding of similar properties and of the inability to obtain or maintain full occupancy of the properties; |
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(vi) |
governmental rules and fiscal policies; |
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(vii) |
acts of God; and |
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(viii) |
other factors which are beyond our control. |
It is possible that as a result of a decrease in the value of the property or any of the other factors referred to in this paragraph, the amount realized from the sale of such property after taking title through a lien foreclosure may be less than our total investment in the Account. If this occurs with regard to a substantial number of Accounts, the amount expected to be realized from the Accounts will decrease and our financial condition and results of operations could be harmed.
If Account debtors or their agents make payments on the Accounts to or negotiate reductions in the Accounts with an Association, it could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
From time to time Account debtors and/or their agents may make payments on the Accounts directly to the Association or its management company. Our sole recourse in this instance is to recover these misapplied payments through set-offs of payments later collected for that Association by our third-party law firms. A significant number of misapplied or reduced payments could hinder our cash flows and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
Account debtors are subject to a variety of factors that may adversely affect their payment ability.
Collections on the Accounts have varied and may in the future vary greatly in both timing and amount from the payments actually due on the Accounts due to a variety of economic, social and other factors. Failures by Account debtors to timely pay off their Accounts could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Defaults on the Accounts could harm our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
We take assignments of the lien foreclosure rights of Associations against delinquent units owned by Account debtors who are responsible for payment of the Accounts. The payoff of the Accounts is dependent upon the ability and willingness of the condominium and home owners to pay such obligations. If an owner fails to pay off the Account relating to his, her or its unit or home, only net amounts recovered, if any, will be available with respect to that Account. Foreclosures by holders of first mortgages generally result in our receipt of reduced recoveries from Accounts. In addition, foreclosure actions by any holder of a tax lien may result in us receiving no recovery from an Account to the extent excess proceeds from such tax lien foreclosure are insufficient to provide for payment to us. If, at any time, (i) we experience an increase in mortgage
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foreclosures or tax lien foreclosures or (ii) we experience a decrease in owner payments, our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be adversely affected.
We depend on the skill and diligence of third parties to collect the Accounts.
Because the collection of Accounts requires special skill and diligence, any failure of BLGAL, or any other law firm utilized by us, to diligently collect the Accounts could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
The payoff amounts received by us from Accounts may be adversely affected due to a variety of factors beyond our control.
Several factors may reduce the amount that can be collected on any individual Account. The delinquent assessments that are the subject of the Accounts and related charges are included within an Association’s claim of lien under the applicable statute. In Florida, Association liens are recorded in the official county records and hold first priority status with respect to a first mortgage holder for an amount equal to the Super Lien Amount. Associations have assigned to us the right to direct law firms to collect on the liens and foreclose, subject to the terms and conditions of the purchase agreements between each Association and us.
Each Account presents a separate risk as to the creditworthiness of the debtor obligated to pay the Account, which, in general, is the owner of the unit or home when the Account was incurred and subsequent owners. For instance, if the debtor has incurred a property tax lien, a sale related to such lien could result in our complete loss of the Account. Also, a holder of a first mortgage taking title through a foreclosure proceeding in which the Association is named as a defendant must only pay the Super Lien Amount in a state with a super lien statute. Although we purchase Accounts at a discount to the outstanding balance and the owner remains personally liable for any deficiency, we may decide that it is not cost-effective to pursue such a deficiency. As a result, the purchase or ownership of a significant number of Accounts which result in payment of only the Super Lien Amount or less where no statute specifying a Super Lien Amount applies, could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
The liens securing the Accounts we own may not be superior to all liens on the related units and homes.
Although the liens of the Associations securing the Accounts may be superior in right of payment to some of the other liens on a condominium unit or home, they may not be superior to all liens on that condominium unit or home. For instance, a lien relating to delinquent property taxes would be superior in right of payment to the liens securing the Accounts. In addition, if an Association fails to assert the priority of its lien in a foreclosure action, the Association may inadvertently waive the priority of its lien. In the event that there is a lien of superior priority on a unit or home relating to one of the Accounts, the Association’s lien might be extinguished in the event that such superior liens are foreclosed. In most instances, the unit or home owner will be liable for the payment of such Account and the ultimate payment would depend on the creditworthiness of such owner. In the case of a tax lien foreclosure, an owner taking title through foreclosure would not be liable for the payment of obligations that existed prior to the foreclosure sale. The purchase or ownership of a significant number of Accounts that are the subject of foreclosure by a superior lien could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
We may not choose to pursue a foreclosure action against condominium and home owners who are delinquent in paying off the Accounts relating to their units or homes.
Although we have the right to pursue a foreclosure action against a unit or home owner who is delinquent in paying off the Account relating to his or her unit or home, we may not choose to do so as the cost of such litigation may be prohibitive, especially when pursuing an individual claim against a single unit or home owner. Our choice not to foreclose on a unit or home may delay our ability to collect on the Account. If we decide not to pursue foreclosure against a significant number of Accounts, it could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
The holding period for our Accounts from purchase to payoff is indeterminate.
It can take our third-party law firms anywhere from three months to ten years or longer to collect on an Account. Approximately 65% of our Accounts were purchased prior to 2017, with some being purchased as early as 2008. Due to various factors, including those discussed above, we cannot project the payoff date for any Account. This indeterminate holding period reduces our liquidity and ability to fund our operations. If our ability to collect on a material number of Accounts was significantly delayed, it could adversely affect our cash flows and ability to fund our operations.
Our business model and related accounting treatment may result in acceleration of expense recognition before the corresponding revenues can be recognized.
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As we expand our business, we may incur significant upfront costs relating to the acquisition of Accounts. Under United States generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) such amounts may be required to be recognized in the period that they are expended. However, the corresponding revenue stream relating to the acquisition of such Accounts will not be recognized until future dates. Therefore, we may experience reduced earnings in earlier periods until such time as the revenue stream relating to the acquisition of such Accounts may be recognized.
Risk Related to Our Investment in LMF Acquisition Opportunities, Inc.
We have made a significant investment, through an intercompany loan, in a subsidiary that is the sponsor of a blank check company commonly referred to as a special purpose acquisition company (“SPAC”), and will suffer the loss of all of our investment if the SPAC does not complete an acquisition within 18 months (subject to an extension of up to 21 months).
In January 2021, we made an intercompany loan of $5.7 million to a majority owned subsidiary, LMFAO Sponsor, LLC (“Sponsor”), that served as the sponsor of LMF Acquisition Opportunities, Inc., a special purpose acquisition company (“LMF Acquisition”). The loan was made to fund Sponsor’s purchase of private placement warrants of LMF Acquisition as a part of the sponsorship of LMF Acquisition. Prior to a business combination by LMF Acquisition, Sponsor holds 100% of the shares of Class B common stock outstanding of LMF Acquisition. The Class B shares equal approximately 20% of the outstanding common stock of LMF Acquisition. The Company owns approximately a 70% interest in the Sponsor. Upon the successful completion of a business combination by LMF Acquisition, the proforma ownership of the new company will vary depending on the business combination terms.
There is no assurance that LMF Acquisition will be successful in completing a business combination or that any business combination will be successful. The Company can lose its entire investment in Sponsor if a business combination is not completed within 18 months (subject to potential extension to up to 21 months) or if the business combination is not successful, which may materially adversely impact our stockholder value.
Risks Relating to Our Securities
Our common shares and warrants could be delisted from the Nasdaq Capital Market.
Over the past two years, the Company has received notification letters from Nasdaq stating that the Company was not in compliance with Nasdaq Continued Listing Rule 5550(a)(2), which requires the Company’s listed securities to maintain a minimum bid price of $1.00 per share.
If a suspension or delisting were to occur, there would be significantly less liquidity in the suspended or delisted securities. In addition, our ability to raise additional necessary capital through equity or debt financing would be greatly impaired. Furthermore, with respect to any suspended or delisted common shares, we would expect decreases in investor demand, market making activity and information available concerning trading prices and volume. Additionally, fewer broker-dealers would be willing to execute trades with respect to such common shares. A suspension or delisting would likely decrease the attractiveness of our common shares to investors and cause the trading volume of our common shares to decline, which could result in a further decline in the market price of our common shares.
Future sales of our common stock by our affiliates or other stockholders may depress our stock price.
Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market could cause a decrease in the market price of our common stock. We had authorized 350,000,000 shares of common stock and 150,000,000 shares of preferred stock as of December 31, 2021.
We had 13,017,943 shares of common stock issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2021. In addition, pursuant to our 2021 Omnibus Incentive Plan, options to purchase 3,956,827 shares of our common stock were outstanding as of December 31, 2021, of which 3,760 shares were exercisable. There were 7,702,441 warrants issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2021 that allowed for the issuance of 7,702,441 shares, respectively.
We may issue additional shares in connection with our business and may grant additional stock options or restricted shares to our employees, officers, directors and consultants under our present or future equity compensation plans or we may issue warrants to third parties outside of such plans. If a significant portion of these shares were sold in the public market, the market value of our common stock could be adversely affected.
The market price and trading volume of our shares of common stock may be volatile and you may not be able to resell your shares of common stock (as the case may be) at or above the price you paid for them.
Our securities may trade at prices significantly below the price you paid for it, in which case, holders of our securities may experience difficulty in reselling, or an inability to sell, our securities. In addition, when the market price of a company’s
21
equity drops significantly, equity holders often institute securities class action lawsuits against the company. A lawsuit against us could cause us to incur substantial costs and could divert the time and attention of our management and other resources away from the day-to-day operations of our business.
Securities analysts may not initiate coverage of our securities or may issue negative reports, which may adversely affect the trading price of our securities.
We cannot assure you that securities analysts will ever cover our company. As of December 31, 2021, no securities analyst covers our company. If securities analysts do not cover our company, this lack of coverage may adversely affect the trading price of our securities. In the event that securities analysts begin to cover our company, the trading market for our securities will rely in part on the research and reports that such securities analysts publish about us and our business. If one or more of the analysts who cover our company downgrades our securities, the trading price of our securities may decline. If one or more of these analysts then ceases to cover our company, we could lose visibility in the market, which, in turn, could also cause the trading price of our securities to decline. Further, because of our small market capitalization, it may be difficult for us to attract securities analysts to cover our company, which could significantly and adversely affect the trading price of our securities.
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.
None.
Item 2. Properties.
Our executive and administrative offices are located in Tampa, Florida, where we lease approximately 5,600 square feet of general office space for approximately $8,100 per month, plus utilities. The lease began July 15, 2019 and expires on July 31, 2022. We elected to renew this lease in February 2022 for another 3 years for approximately $8,300 per month.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings.
We are not currently a party to material litigation proceedings, and we are not subject to any known material threatened legal proceedings other than described under Note 9 of our Consolidated Financial Statements included herein under the caption “Legal Proceedings.” In addition to the foregoing, we periodically become a party to litigation in the ordinary course of business, including either the prosecution or defense of claims arising from contracts by and between us and client Associations. Regardless of the outcome, litigation can have an adverse impact on us because of prosecution, defense, and settlement costs, diversion of management resources and other factors.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.
None
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PART II
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.
Market Information
Our common stock quoted on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbols “LMFA”. On December 31, 2021 there were 4 holders of record of our common stock.
Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans
See “Equity Compensation Plan Information” in Part III, Item 12 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities
None.
Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer
None.
Item 6. Reserved
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
Forward-Looking Statements
This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including without limitation, statements regarding our future financial position, business strategy, budgets, projected revenues, projected costs and plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “may,” “will,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “projects,” “estimates,” “anticipates,” “believes” or the negative thereof or any variation thereon or similar terminology or expressions.
We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and projections about future events. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions about us that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Important factors which could materially affect our results and our future performance include, without limitation, our ability to purchase defaulted consumer receivables at appropriate prices, competition to acquire such receivables, our dependence upon third party law firms to service our accounts, our ability to obtain funds to purchase receivables, ability to manage growth or declines in the business, changes in government regulations that affect our ability to collect sufficient amounts on our defaulted consumer receivables, the impact of class action suits and other litigation, our ability to keep our software systems updated to operate our business, our ability to employ and retain qualified employees, our ability to establish and maintain internal accounting controls, changes in the credit or capital markets, changes in interest rates, deterioration in economic conditions, and negative press regarding the debt collection industry which may have a negative impact on a debtor’s willingness to pay the debt we acquire, as well as other factors set forth under “Risk Factors” in this report.
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our ability to retain the listing of our securities on the Nasdaq Capital market, |
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• |
our ability to purchase defaulted consumer receivables at appropriate prices, |
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• |
competition to acquire such receivables, |
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our dependence upon third party law firms to service our accounts, |
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our ability to obtain funds to purchase receivables, |
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our ability to manage growth or declines in the business, |
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changes in government regulations that affect our ability to collect sufficient amounts on our defaulted consumer receivables, |
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the impact of class action lawsuits and other litigation on our business or operations, |
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our ability to keep our software systems updated to operate our business, |
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our ability to employ and retain qualified employees, |
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our ability to establish and maintain internal accounting controls, |
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changes in the credit or capital markets, |
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changes in interest rates, |
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deterioration in economic conditions, |
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negative press regarding the debt collection industry which may have a negative impact on a debtor’s willingness to pay the debt we acquire, |
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the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), its impact on the economy generally and, more specifically, the specialty finance industry, and |
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other factors set forth under “Risk Factors” in this report. |
Except as required by law, we assume no duty to update or revise any forward-looking statements.
Overview
We are a specialty finance company that provides funding to nonprofit community associations primarily located in the state of Florida. We offer incorporated nonprofit community associations, which we refer to as “Associations,” a variety of financial products customized to each Association’s financial needs. Our original product offering consists of providing funding to Associations by purchasing their rights under delinquent accounts that are selected by the Associations arising from unpaid Association assessments. Historically, we provided funding against such delinquent accounts, which we refer to as “Accounts,” in exchange for a portion of the proceeds collected by the Associations from the account debtors on the Accounts. In addition to our original product offering, we have started purchasing Accounts on varying terms tailored to suit each Association’s financial needs, including under our New Neighbor Guaranty™ program, and are exploring other specialty finance business opportunities that are complementary to or that can leverage our historical business.
We also have implemented plans to operate in the Bitcoin mining ecosystem. Specifically, we plan to develop and grow a cryptocurrency mining business, specializing in Bitcoin. Our key mission is to become a leading Bitcoin mining company in the United States. As of the date of this filing, we have not commenced mining operations. We aim to deploy the computing power that we will create to mine Bitcoin and validate transactions on the Bitcoin network. We believe that recent developments in Bitcoin mining have created an opportunity for us to deploy capital and conduct large-scale mining operations in the United States. We have formed a new wholly owned subsidiary, US Digital Mining and Hosting Co, LLC, a Florida limited liability company (US Digital), to develop and operate our cryptocurrency mining business.
Specialty Finance Company Operations
In our specialty finance company operations, we purchase an Association’s right to receive a portion of the Association’s collected proceeds from owners that are not paying their assessments. After taking assignment of an Association’s right to receive a portion of the Association’s proceeds from the collection of delinquent assessments, we engage law firms to perform collection work on a deferred billing basis wherein the law firms receive payment upon collection from the account debtors or a predetermined contracted amount if payment from account debtors is less than legal fees and costs owed. Under this business model, we typically fund an amount equal to or less than the statutory minimum an Association could recover on a delinquent account for each Account, which we refer to as the “Super Lien Amount.” Upon collection of an Account, the law firm working on the Account, on behalf of the Association, generally distributes to us the funded amount, interest, and administrative late fees, with the law firm retaining legal fees and costs collected, and the Association retaining the balance of the collection. In connection with this line of business, we have developed proprietary software for servicing Accounts, which we believe enables law firms to service Accounts efficiently and profitably.
Under our New Neighbor Guaranty program, an Association will generally assign substantially all of its outstanding indebtedness and accruals on its delinquent units to us in exchange for payment by us of monthly dues on each delinquent unit. This simultaneously eliminates a substantial portion of the Association’s balance sheet bad debts and assists the Association to meet its budget by receiving guaranteed monthly payments on its delinquent units and relieving the Association from paying legal fees and costs to collect its bad debts. We believe that the combined features of the program enhance the value of the underlying real estate in an Association and the value of an Association’s delinquent receivables.
Because we acquire and collect on the delinquent receivables of Associations, the Account debtors are third parties about whom we have little or no information. Therefore, we cannot predict when any given Account will be paid off or how much it will yield. In assessing the risk of purchasing Accounts, we review the property values of the underlying units, the governing documents of the relevant Association, and the total number of delinquent receivables held by the Association.
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Specialty Finance Products
Original Product
Our original product relies upon Florida statutory provisions that effectively protect the principal amount invested by us in each Account. In particular, Section 718.116(1), Florida Statutes, makes purchasers and sellers of a unit in an Association jointly and severally liable for all past due assessments, interest, late fees, legal fees, and costs payable to the Association. As discussed above, the Florida Statutes grants to Associations a so-called “super lien”, which is a category of lien that is given a statutorily higher priority than all other types of liens other than property tax liens. The amount of the Association’s priority over a first mortgage holder that takes title to a property through foreclosure (or deed in lieu), referred to as the Super Lien Amount, is limited to twelve months’ past due assessments or, if less, one percent (1.0%) of the original mortgage amount. Under our contracts with Associations for our original product, we pay Associations an amount up to the Super Lien Amount for the right to receive all collected interest and late fees on Accounts purchased from the Associations.
The Statutes specify that the rate of interest an association (or its assignor) may charge on delinquent assessments is equal to the rate set forth in the association’s declaration or bylaws. In Florida if a rate is not specified, the statutory rate is equal to 18% but may not exceed the maximum rate allowed by law. Similarly, the Statutes in Florida also stipulate that administrative late fees cannot be charged on delinquent assessments unless so provided by the association’s declaration or bylaws and may not exceed the greater of $25 or 5% of each delinquent assessment.
In other states in which we have offered our original product, which are currently only in Washington, Colorado and Illinois, we rely on statutes that we believe are similar to the above-described Florida statutes in relevant respects.
New Neighbor Guaranty
We also developed the New Neighbor Guaranty, wherein an Association assigns substantially all of its outstanding indebtedness and accruals on its delinquent units to us in exchange for payments in an amount equal to the regular ongoing monthly or quarterly assessments for delinquent units when those amounts would be due to the Association. We assume both the payment and collection obligations for these assigned Accounts under this product. This simultaneously eliminates an Association’s balance sheet bad debts and assists the Association to meet its budget by receiving guaranteed assessment payments on its delinquent units and relieving the Association from paying legal fees and costs to collect its bad debts. We believe that the combined features of the product enhance the value of the underlying real estate in an Association and the value of an Association’s delinquent receivables.
Before we implement the New Neighbor Guaranty program for an Association typically asks us to conduct a review of its accounts receivable. After we have conducted the review, we inform the Association which Accounts we are willing to purchase and the terms of such purchase. Once we implement the New Neighbor Guaranty program, we begin making scheduled payments to the Association on the Accounts as if the Association had non-delinquent residents occupying the units underlying the Accounts. Our New Neighbor Guaranty contracts typically allow us to retain all collection proceeds on each Account other than special assessments and accelerated assessment balances. Thus, the Association foregoes the potential benefit of a larger future collection in exchange for the certainty of a steady stream of immediate payments on the Account.
Recent Developments
Reverse Stock Split
On May 11, 2020, our shareholders voted in favor of the approval of an amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation, in the event it is deemed advisable by our Board of Directors, to effect an additional reverse stock split of the Company’s issued and outstanding common stock at a ratio within the range of one-for-two (1:2) and one-for-ten (1:10), as determined by the Board of Directors.
On May 6, 2021, pursuant to the foregoing shareholder vote, the Company effected a common share consolidation (“Reverse Stock Split”) by means of a one-for-five (1:5) reverse split of its outstanding common stock, par value $0.001 per share which resulted in a decrease in outstanding common stock to 5,414,296 shares. The Reverse Stock Split was effected by the filing of an amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation on May 5, 2021 which provided that the Reverse Stock Split become effective at 12:01 a.m. Eastern time on May 7, 2021. The amendment provided that any fraction of a share of common stock that would be created as a result of the Reverse Stock Split is to be cashed out at price equal to the product of the closing price of the Company’s common stock on May 6, 2021 and the amount of the fractional share. The Reverse Stock Split became effective on May 7, 2021 and the Company’s common stock began trading on The Nasdaq Capital Market on a
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split-adjusted basis on May 7, 2021. The Company has retroactively adjusted all share amounts and per share data herein to give effect to the Reverse Stock Split.
Sponsorship of LMF Acquisition Opportunities, Inc.
On January 28, 2021, LMF Acquisition Opportunities, Inc. (“LMF Acquisition”), a special purpose acquisition company organized by the Company, announced the closing of an initial public offering of units (“Units”). In the initial public offering, LMF Acquisition sold an aggregate of 10,350,000 Units at a price of $10.00 per unit, resulting in total gross proceeds of $103,500,000. Each Unit consisted of one share of Class A common stock and one redeemable warrant, with each warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one share of Class A common stock of LMF Acquisition at a price of $11.50 per share. LMFAO Sponsor, LLC (“Sponsor”), a subsidiary in which the Company owns approximately 70% of the equity and for which the Company is the sole manager, served as the sponsor for LMF Acquisition’s initial public offering.
Sponsor was organized by, and its initial capital contribution was contributed by, the Company and the Company’s executive officers. The Company’s executive officers and LMF Acquisition’s directors collectively own an approximately 30% nonvoting equity interest in Sponsor, and LMF Acquisition is managed by the Company’s management team. In connection with the initial public offering of LMF Acquisition, the Company loaned $5.7 million to Sponsor in an intercompany loan, which Sponsor used to purchase an aggregate of approximately 5,738,000 warrants of LMF Acquisition. Prior to a business combination by LMF Acquisition, Sponsor holds 100% of the shares of Class B common stock outstanding of LMF Acquisition. The Class B shares equal approximately 20% of the outstanding common stock of LMF Acquisition. Upon the successful completion of a business combination by LMF Acquisition, the proforma ownership of the new company will vary depending on the business combination terms. If LMF Acquisition does not successfully complete a business combination within 18 months from its initial public offering or July 29, 2022 (subject to a potential extension from the 18 month period to up to 21 months) or if the business combination is not successful, the Company can lose its entire investment in Sponsor.
As a result of LMF Acquisition’s IPO, we ceased having a controlling financial interest in LMF Acquisition as of January 28, 2021. Additionally, as our retained investment in LMF Acquisition qualifies for equity-method accounting, we are required to remeasure our retained interest in LMF Acquisition at fair value and include any resulting adjustments as part of a gain or loss recognized on deconsolidation. The fair value calculation related to our retained interest in LMF Acquisition is dependent upon company-specific adjustments applied to the observable trading price of LMF Acquisition’s Class A common stock and publicly traded warrants. Changes in fair value will be recorded in the income statement during the period of the change.
Transactions with Borqs
On December 14, 2020, the Company entered into a Master Loan Receivables Purchase and Assignment Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) under which the Company agreed to purchase up to $18 million of loan receivables of Borqs Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: BRQS), a British Virgin Islands company (“Borqs”), from Borqs’ senior lenders, Partners for Growth IV, L.P. and Partners for Growth V. L.P. As a part of the transaction, the Company entered into a Settlement Agreement, dated December 14, 2020 (the “Settlement Agreement”), with Borqs pursuant to which Borqs was obligated to issue shares of Borqs common stock to the Company (the “Settlement Shares”), in one or more tranches, in settlement of the loan receivables acquired by the Company under the Purchase Agreement. This transaction was completed on February 11, 2021 and the Company realized $5.7 million from the transaction.
In a separate transaction that was funded after December 31, 2020 and as previously disclosed on December 16, 2020, the Company and Esousa Holdings, LLC, a private investor (the “Investor”) entered into a Loan Agreement (the “Loan Agreement”) pursuant to which the Investor agreed to provide consulting services and make one or more non-recourse loans to the Company in a principal amount of up to the purchase price of the Borqs loan receivables purchased by the Company. The Loan Agreement does not provide a fixed rate of interest, and the Company and Investor agreed to split the net proceeds from the Company’s sale of the Settlement Shares, with the Company receiving one-third of the net proceeds after a return of Investor’s principal and the Investor receiving return of principal plus two-thirds of the net proceeds thereafter.
In an additional transaction on February 24, 2021, the Company entered into a specialty finance transaction with Borqs, under which the Company agreed to purchase Senior Secured Convertible Promissory Notes of Borqs (the “Borqs Notes”) up to an aggregate principal amount of $5 million. The Borqs Notes are due in two years, have an annual interest rate of 8%, are convertible into ordinary shares of Borqs at a 10% discount from the market price, and have 90% warrant coverage (with the warrants exercisable at 110% of the conversion price. One-third of the Borqs Notes ($1,666,667) were funded by the Company at the execution of definitive agreements for the transaction, and two-thirds of the Borqs Notes ($3,333,333) to be purchased by the Company were required to be purchased and funded upon the satisfaction of certain conditions, including
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effectiveness of a registration statement to be filed by Borqs by April 15, 2021. The registration was deemed effective on May 3, 2021 and the Company completed this funding on May 6, 2021.
Entry into Contracts Relating to Planned Cryptocurrency Mining Business
On September 15, 2021, we announced that we plan to operate in the Bitcoin mining ecosystem. As of the date of this filing, we have not commenced operations. We aim to deploy the computing power that we will create to mine Bitcoin and validate transactions on the Bitcoin network. We believe that recent developments in Bitcoin mining have created an opportunity for us to deploy capital and conduct large-scale mining operations in the United States. We have formed a new wholly owned subsidiary, US Digital Mining and Hosting Co, LLC, a Florida limited liability company (US Digital), to develop and operate our cryptocurrency mining business.
In furtherance of these plans, on September 8, 2021, we entered into a sale and purchase agreement (the “Bitmain Purchase Agreement”) with Bitmain Technologies Limited (“Seller”) pursuant to which we agreed to purchase, and Seller agreed to supply to us, an aggregate of 1,002 Bitcoin S19J Pro Antminer cryptocurrency mining machines for an aggregate purchase price of $6.3 million (the “Mining Machines”). On October 6, 2021, we entered into a second Bitmain Purchase Agreement pursuant to which we agreed to purchase, and Seller agreed to supply to us, an aggregate of 4,044 Bitcoin additional S19J Pro Antminer cryptocurrency Mining Machines for an aggregate purchase price of $25.3 million. The Bitmain Purchase Agreements provide for delivery of the Mining Machines in batches over an estimated delivery timeframe starting in April 2022 and continuing through September 2022. The Bitmain Purchase Agreements require us to pay $7.9 million or 25% of the total purchase price as a non-refundable deposit for the Mining Machines within 7 days of the date of the signing of the respective Bitmain Purchase Agreements, and additional 35% of the batch price at least 6 months prior to shipment of such batch, and the remaining 40% of each batch price one month prior to the shipment of the batch.
On October 6, 2021, US Digital entered into a sale and purchase agreement (the “Uptime Purchase Agreement”) with Uptime Armory LLC (“Uptime”) pursuant to which US Digital agreed to purchase, and Uptime agreed to supply to US Digital, an aggregate of 18 modified 40-foot cargo containers (“POD5ive containers”) that will be designed to hold and operate 280 S19 Pro Antminers manufactured by Seller. The purchase price of the POD5ive containers totals $3.15 million of which $2.4 million or 75% is due as a non-refundable down payment within 7 business days of the effective date and the remaining 25% is due within five business days after Uptime delivers a “notice of completion” of the equipment. The Uptime Purchase Agreement contains other customary terms, provisions, and conditions. On the same effective date, US Digital also entered into a hosting agreement with Uptime Hosting LLC to host the Company’s 18 POD5ive containers at a secure location and provide power, maintenance and other services specified in the contract for 6 cents per kilowatt with a term of one year. This hosting agreement requires a deposit of $0.8 million within 7 business days of the effective date, an additional deposit for each container three months prior to delivery at the hosting site of $44 thousand and a final deposit for each container one month prior to arrival at the hosting site of $44 thousand.
In November 2021, also in connection with our planned cryptocurrency mining business, we entered into strategic alliance agreements (the “Strategic Alliance Agreements”) with OTC Miners Corp. (“OTC Miners”) and Spartan Crest Capital Corp. (“Spartan”). The Strategic Alliance Agreements generally provide that OTC Miners and Spartan will work together with us and collaborate with us regarding our cryptocurrency mining business strategy and planned business operations. The agreements contemplate that each of OTC Miners and Spartan will provide ongoing consulting and advisory services to us on a non-exclusive basis over a one-year period with respect to the bitcoin mining business and industry and that the parties will meet periodically to collaborate and share information regarding the industry, the equipment used in the industry, key industry relationships, and financing options. In consideration of the strategic alliances and related services and benefits, we issued 100,000 shares of restricted common stock to each of OTC Miners and Spartan and paid OTC Miners $1,250,000 to cover anticipate expenses of OTC Miners in connection with its activities under the strategic alliance. We also agreed to pay OTC Miners a fee of 3% of the aggregate consideration of any strategic transaction completed by our company that we and OTC Miners jointly agree to pursue. The Strategic Alliance Agreements have a term of one year each.
Public Offering
On October 18, 2021, the Company entered into an Underwriting Agreement with Maxim Group LLC on behalf of itself and as representative of the underwriters named therein (the “Underwriting Agreement”), pursuant to which the Company issued and sold, in an underwritten public offering (the “Public Offering”), 6,315,780 units, with each unit consisting of one share of common stock, $0.001 par value per share (“Common Stock”), and one warrant to purchase one share of Common Stock (the “Common Warrants”). The units were sold to the public at the price of $4.75 per unit.
On October 19, 2021, the Public Offering closed, resulting in gross proceeds to the Company of approximately $30,000,000, before deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses. The Company also granted to
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the underwriter a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 947,367 shares of Common Stock (“Option Shares”) and/or warrants (“Option Warrants”) to purchase up to 947,367 shares of Common Stock (the “Over-Allotment Option”). The underwriter partially exercised the Over-Allotment Option, and the Company thereby issued and sold the additional 947,367 Option Warrants, in a simultaneous closing with the Public Offering on October 19, 2021. On October 20, 2021, the underwriter exercised the remainder of the Over-Allotment Option, and the Company thereby issued and sold the additional 947,367 Option Shares (the “October 20 Over-Allotment Closing”).
The Common Warrants issued in the offering are immediately exercisable and entitle the holder to purchase one share of Common Stock at an exercise price equal to $5.00 and expire on the fifth anniversary of the issuance date. The Common Warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis if there is no effective registration statement available for the resale of the shares of common stock underlying such warrants.
The Company agreed to an underwriting discount of 8% of the public offering price of the Units sold in this offering. In addition, the Company issued to Maxim Group LLC (or its designee) warrants to purchase an aggregate of 3% of the number of shares of Common Stock sold in the Public Offering, which warrants entitle the holder to purchase up to an aggregate of 217,894 shares of Common Stock after the October 20 Over-Allotment Closing (the “Representative’s Warrants”). The Representative’s Warrants have an exercise price equal to $5.94, which is 110% of the offering price in the Public Offering. The Representative’s Warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis and will be exercisable six months following the closing date until April 16, 2025.
COVID-19 Update
Although COVID-19 is currently not material to our results of operations, there is uncertainty relating to the potential future impact on our business. While our employees currently have the ability and are encouraged to work remotely, such measures have and may continue to have an impact on employee attendance or productivity, which, along with the possibility of employees’ illness, may adversely affect our operations. In addition to encouraging employees to work remotely, the Company has increased sanitation of its offices, provided hand gel and masks to its employees and has closed the offices during identified periods of high contagion.
The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our operations, or our ability to obtain financing should we require it, will depend on future developments which are uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions taken by governments and private businesses to contain COVID-19 to treat its impact, among others. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19 continue for an extended period of time, financial markets may not be available to the Company for raising capital in order to fund future growth. Should the Company not be able to obtain financing when required, in the amounts necessary or under terms which are economically feasible, we may be required to reduce planned future growth and/or the scope of our operations.
Paycheck Protection Program Loan
On April 30, 2020, the Company obtained a $185,785 Paycheck Protection Program loan (“PPP Loan”). These business loans were established by the 2020 US Federal government Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) to help certain businesses, self-employed workers, sole proprietors, certain nonprofit organizations, and tribal businesses continue paying their workers.
The Paycheck Protection Program allows entities to apply for low interest private loans to pay for their payroll and certain other costs. The loan proceeds were used to cover payroll costs, rent, interest, and utilities. The loan was to be partially or fully forgiven if the Company keeps its employee counts and employee wages stable. The program was implemented by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The interest rate is 1.0% and has a maturity date of 2 years. We applied for loan and interest forgiveness in the fourth quarter of 2020.
On May 6, 2021, we received notice from the Paycheck Protection Program that $157,250 of our loan had been forgiven. As such, we paid the remaining balance of $28,534 by September 30, 2021.
Corporate History and Reorganization
The Company was originally organized in January 2008 as a Florida limited liability company under the name LM Funding, LLC. Prior to our initial public offering in 2015, all of our business was conducted through LM Funding, LLC and its subsidiaries. Immediately prior to our initial public offering in October 2015, the members of the LM Funding, LLC contributed all of their membership interests to LM Funding America, Inc., a Delaware corporation incorporated on April 20, 2015 (“LMFA”), in exchange for shares of the common stock of LMFA. Immediately after such contribution and exchange,
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the former members of LM Funding, LLC became the holders of 100% of the issued and outstanding common stock of LMFA, thereby making LM Funding, LLC a wholly-owned subsidiary of LMFA.
The Company organized two new subsidiaries in 2020: LMFA Financing LLC, a Florida limited liability company, on November 21, 2020, and LMFAO Sponsor LLC, a Florida limited liability company, on October 29, 2020. LMFAO Sponsor LLC organized a subsidiary, LMF Acquisition Opportunities Inc., on October 29, 2020. LM Funding America Inc. organized a subsidiary, US Digital Mining and Hosting Co., LLC., on September 10, 2021.
Results of Operations
The Year Ended December 31, 2021 compared with the Year Ended December 31, 2020
Revenues
During the year ended December 31, 2021, total revenues decreased by $0.4 million, or 28.9%, to $0.9 million from $1.3 million in the year ended December 31, 2020. The decrease is due in part to a decrease in interest, administrative and late fees collected during the year along with a reduction in rental revenues resulting from a reduced number of rental properties.
The decrease in interest, administrative and late fees was the result of a decrease in the average revenue collected per unit. The average revenue per unit was down to $1,676 for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared with $3,011 for the year ended December 31, 2020. There was a 28% increase in payoffs as the Company recorded approximately 452 payoff occurrences for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared with 351 payoff occurrences for the year ended December 31, 2020. “Payoffs” consist of recovery of the entire legally collectible portion, or a settlement thereof, of our principal investment, accrued interest, and late fees owed to us from the proceeds of the Accounts collected by the Associations in accordance with our contracts with Associations.
Rental revenue (which includes sales of units) for the year ended December 31, 2021 was $0.1 million as compared to $0.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. There were 11 rental units in the portfolio as December 31, 2021 compared with 9 rental units as of December 31, 2020.
Operating Expenses
During the year ended December 31, 2021, operating expenses increased by $4.0 million, or 76%, to $9.3 million from $5.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. The net increase in operating expenses can be attributed to various factors including a $0.2 million expense for stock provided to digital strategy consultants, $2.3 million of expense related to the issuance of stock options to management and board members, increased payroll of $0.6 million related to increased bonuses and base compensation, $0.5 million for increased professional fees and a $0.2 million reduction in the recoupment of bad debt allowance from a related party offset in part by a decrease in real estate management fees of $79 thousand.
Legal fees (excluding fees paid pursuant to our service agreement with BLG), for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 were approximately $1.3 million and $0.8 million, respectively. In the ordinary course of our business, we are involved in numerous legal proceedings. We regularly initiate collection lawsuits, using our network of third-party law firms, against debtors. In addition, debtors occasionally initiate litigation against us. Legal fees for BLG for the year ended December 31, 2021 were $1.0 million compared to $1.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. See Note 12. Related Party Transactions for further discussion regarding the service agreements with BLG.
Other Income
The Company recognized a $13.8 million gain on securities for the year ended December 31, 2021 including:
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a $5.7 million gain on a transaction with Borqs in which the Company acquired debt of Borqs and converted the debt into Borqs common stock and subsequently sold such shares at a gain. |
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A $8.5 million gain as part of its purchase of the Borqs $5 million convertible note in which it received warrants that were subsequently exercised in a cashless exercise and received 5,956,544 common shares in Borqs. The Company subsequently sold those warrants and recognized $8.5 million in proceeds, all of which was recognized as gain for the year ended December 31, 2021. |
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The Company recognized a $0.3 million realized loss on the sale of 1,064,935 shares of Borqs common stock for the year ended December 31, 2021. |
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The Company previously classified $5 million convertible note has been classified as a trading security and as such is fair valued each quarter. The Company recognized an unrealized loss of $0.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 from the revaluation and partial conversion of the Borq convertible debt securities.
The Company recognized a $1.4 million unrealized loss on marketable securities for year ended December 31, 2021.
The Company’s investment in LMAO changed due to the LMAO IPO on January 28, 2021. This resulted in LMAO’s deconsolidation from the Company and any changes in fair value will be recorded in the income statement during the period of the change. The Company recognized an unrealized gain on securities of $0.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 from the revaluation of LMAO’s Class B common stock and Private Placement Warrants.
The Company recognized a $0.5 million realized gain on the sale of its digital assets for year ended December 31, 2021.
The Company recognized a gain on the forgiveness of note payable of $157 thousand for year ended December 31, 2021.
Interest (Income) Expense
During the year ended December 31, 2021, net interest income was approximately $211 thousand as compared to $7 thousand of interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase is related to the investment in Note Receivable.
Income Tax Provision (Benefit)
The Company recorded net income tax expense of approximately $326 thousand for the year ended December 31, 2021. Due to the Company generating income of approximately $5.3 million before income taxes, the Company released $1.1 million of its income tax valuation allowance while also recognizing approximately $1.1 million income tax expense. No income tax benefit or expense for the year ended December 31, 2020 due to continuing losses.
Under ASC 740-10-30-5, Income Taxes, deferred tax assets should be reduced by a valuation allowance if, based on the weight of available evidence, it is more-likely-than-not (i.e., a likelihood of more than 50%) that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The Company considers all positive and negative evidence available in determining the potential realization of deferred tax assets including, primarily, the recent history of taxable earnings or losses. Based on operating losses reported by the Company during 2020, 2019 and 2018, the Company concluded there was not sufficient positive evidence to overcome this recent operating history. As a result, the Company believes that a valuation allowance continues to be necessary based on the more-likely-than-not threshold noted above. The Company recorded a valuation allowance of approximately $3.2 million and $4.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Net Income (loss) from Continuing Operations
During the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company generated net income from continuing operations of approximately $5.0 million as compared to a net loss of $4.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 for the reasons mentioned above.
Income from Discontinued Operations
During the year ended December 31, 2021, the income from discontinued operations was $0 as compared to net income of $16 thousand for the year ended December 31, 2020.
Net Income Attributable to Non-Controlling Interest
The Company owns 70.5% of Sponsor. As such, approximately $244 thousand of the $0.9 million net unrealized gain recognized by the Sponsor’s ownership of LMAO is attributed to the Non-Controlling Interest.
Net Loss
During the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company generated net income of approximately $4.8 million as compared to a net loss of $4.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 for the reasons mentioned above.
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Liquidity and Capital Resources
General
As of December 31, 2021, we had cash and cash equivalents of $32.6 million compared with $11.6 million at December 31, 2020. The increase in cash is due primarily to $10.2 million of proceeds from the exercise of warrants and $31.5 million of proceeds from our October 2021 public offering.
Recent Capital Raising Transactions
Public Offering - 2021
In October 2021, we raised approximately $31.5 million in net proceeds in a registered public offering by issuing 7.3 million shares of common stock and 7.5 million warrants to purchase shares of common stock. Holders of the warrants subsequently exercised such warrants for 140,500 shares of common stock for approximately $702 thousand.
Holders of our warrants issued in our public offering from 2020 exercised warrants for 2,330,536 shares for total consideration of approximately $9.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2021.
Public Offering - 2020
On August 18, 2020, we raised approximately $8.2 million in net proceeds in a registered public offering by issuing 2.0 million shares of common stock and 2.2 million warrants to purchase shares of common stock. Holders of the warrants subsequently exercised such warrants for 30,000 shares of common stock for $135 thousand.
Holders of our warrants exercised warrants for 255,540 shares for total consideration of approximately $2.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2020.
On March 23, 2020, the Company entered into a Share Exchange Agreement (the “Share Exchange Agreement”), with Hanfor (Cayman) Limited, a Cayman Islands exempted company (“Hanfor”), and BZ Industrial Limited, a British Virgin Islands business company and the sole stockholder of Hanfor (“Hanfor Owner”). In connection with the execution of the Share Exchange Agreement, the Company and Hanfor Owner entered into a Stock Purchase Agreement, dated March 23, 2020, pursuant to which Hanfor Owner purchased from Company an aggregate of 104,168 shares of the Company’s common stock at a price of $12.00 per share. Hanfor Owner paid $250,000 cash on March 23, 2020 and the Company received the remaining $1.0 million in April 2020 at which time the Company issued the 104,168 shares.
Cash from Operations
Net cash provided by operations was approximately $3.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2021 compared with net cash used in operations of $3.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2020. This change was primarily driven by a $5.7 million realized gain on securities from the Borq Note transactions and a $8.5 million realized gain on securities from selling the Borq warrants offset in part by a $5 million investment in the Borq convertible note receivable and a $3.7 million investment in marketable securities.
Cash from Investing Activities
Net cash used in investing activities was $24 million during the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to net cash provided by investing activities of $1.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase in cash used in investing activities was due to the investment of $5.7 million in LMF Acquisition Opportunities Inc (a special purpose acquisition corporation), a $1.4 million investment in digital assets, a $2 million investment in Symbiont note receivable and a $16.8 million deposit for mining equipment offset in part by the receipt of $1.9 million from the sale of digital assets. For the year ended December 31, 2020 we received $1.5 million from the recoupment of a note receivable.
Cash from Financing Activities
Net cash provided by financing activities was $41.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to $12.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. During 2021 the Company received $31.5 million from a public offering of common stock and warrants, and $10.2 million from the exercise of warrants. During 2021, the Company repaid $0.2 million in principal repayments. During 2020 the Company received $1.3 million from a stock subscription agreement, $8.2 million from a public offering of common stock and warrants, and $3.1 million from the exercise of warrants. During 2020, the Company repaid $0.2 million in principal repayments and borrowed $0.2 million.
31
Outstanding Debt
Debt of the Company consisted of the following:
|
|
Year ended December 31, |
|
|||||
|
|
2021 |
|
|
2020 |
|
||
Promissory note issued by a financial institution, bearing interest at 1.0%, interest and no principal payments. The note matures April 30, 2022. Annualized interest is 1.0%. This is a U.S. Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program (the “PPP Loan”) |
|
$ |
- |
|
|
$ |
185,785 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Financing agreement with FlatIron capital that is unsecured. Down payment of $20,746 was required upfront and equal installment payments of $19,251 to be made over a 10 month period. The note matures on May 1, 2021. Annualized interest is 5.95% |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
96,257 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Financing agreement with FlatIron capital that is unsecured. Down payment of $36,255 was required upfront and equal installment payments of $19,114 to be made over a 10 month period. The note matures on May 1, 2022. Annualized interest is 3.95% |
|
|
114,688 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
114,688 |
|
|
$ |
282,042 |
|
Minimum required principal payments on the Company’s debt as of December 31, 2021 are as follows :
Years Ending December 31, |
|
2022 |
$114,688 |
|
$114,688 |
On April 30, 2020, the Company obtained a $185,785 Paycheck Protection Program loan. These business loans were established by the 2020 US Federal government Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) to help certain businesses, self-employed workers, sole proprietors, certain nonprofit organizations, and tribal businesses continue paying their workers.
The Paycheck Protection Program allows entities to apply for low interest private loans to pay for their payroll and certain other costs. The loan proceeds were used to cover payroll costs, rent, interest, and utilities. The loan was to be partially or fully forgiven if the Company kept its employee counts and employee wages stable. The program was implemented by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The interest rate was 1.0% and had a maturity date of 2 years.
On May 6, 2021, we received notice from the Paycheck Protection Program that $157,250 of our loan had been forgiven. As such, we paid the remaining balance of $28,534 by September 30, 2021.
Critical Accounting Estimates
Our financial statements are prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, or GAAP. The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles, generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) requires our management to make a number of estimates and assumptions relating to the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure or inclusion of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the period. We evaluate our significant estimates on an ongoing basis, including, but not limited to, estimates related to allowance for doubtful accounts, and income tax provisions. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results could differ from those estimates. We do not consider any of our policies or estimates to be critical. Refer to Note 1 - Significant Accounting Policies to our financial statements for a complete discussion of the significant accounting policies and methods used in the preparation of our financial statements.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
We do not have any off-balance sheet arrangements.
32
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Not applicable
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.
The Financial Statements of the Company, the Notes thereto and the Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm thereon required by this Item 8 begin on page F-1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K located immediately following the signature page.
Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure.
None
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures.
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to Rule 13a-15 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report. In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives. In addition, the design of disclosure controls and procedures must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints and that management is required to apply its judgment in evaluating the benefits of possible controls and procedures relative to their costs.
Based on management’s evaluation (in accordance with Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(b)), our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that, as of December 31, 2021, due to the weakness in internal control over financial reporting described below, our disclosure controls and procedures are not designed at a reasonable assurance level or effective to provide reasonable assurance that information we are required to disclose in reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. As discussed below, we plan on increasing the size of our accounting staff at the appropriate time for our business and its size to ameliorate our auditor’s concern that the Company does not effectively segregate certain accounting duties, which we believe would resolve the material weakness in internal control over financial reporting and similarly improve disclosure controls and procedures, but there can be no assurances as to the timing of any such action or that the Company will be able to do so.
Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting.
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(f). Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting based on the criteria set forth in Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.
Our management assessed the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021. Based on that assessment, our management determined that, as of December 31, 2021, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting was not effective for the purposes for which it is intended. Specifically, management’s determination was based on the following material weaknesses which existed as of December 31, 2021.
The Company did not effectively segregate certain accounting duties nor have a proper multi-level review process due to the small size of its accounting staff. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of control deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim consolidated financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Notwithstanding the determination that our internal control over financial reporting was not effective, as of December 31, 2021, and that there was a material weakness as identified in this Annual Report, we believe that our consolidated financial statements contained in this Annual Report fairly present our financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the years covered hereby in all material respects.
33
This Annual Report does not include an attestation report by MaloneBailey LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm, regarding internal control over financial reporting. As a smaller reporting company, our management's report was not subject to attestation by our registered public accounting firm pursuant to rules of the SEC that permit us to provide only management’s report in this Annual Report.
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting.
We regularly review our system of internal control over financial reporting and make changes to our processes and systems to improve controls and increase efficiency. Changes may include such activities as implementing new, more efficient systems, consolidating activities, and migrating processes. There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the three months ended December 31, 2021 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting. Although we plan to increase the size of our accounting staff at the appropriate time for our business and its size to ameliorate our auditor’s concern that the Company does not effectively segregate certain accounting duties, there can be no assurances as to the timing of any such action or that the Company will be able to do so.
Item 9B. Other Information.
None
Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections.
Not applicable.
PART III
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.
The information required by this Item will be included in and is hereby incorporated by reference from our definitive proxy statement relating to our 2022 annual meeting of stockholders or an amendment to this Form 10-K, which we intend to file within 120 days after the end of our fiscal year ended December 31, 2021.
Item 11. Executive Compensation.
Summary Compensation Table
The information required by this Item will be included in and is hereby incorporated by reference from our definitive proxy statement relating to our 2022 annual meeting of stockholders or an amendment to this Form 10-K, which we intend to file within 120 days after the end of our fiscal year ended December 31, 2021.
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.
The information required by this Item will be included in and is hereby incorporated by reference from our definitive proxy statement relating to our 2022 annual meeting of stockholders or an amendment to this Form 10-K, which we intend to file within 120 days after the end of our fiscal year ended December 31, 2021.
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence.
The information required by this Item will be included in and is hereby incorporated by reference from our definitive proxy statement relating to our 2022 annual meeting of stockholders or an amendment to this Form 10-K, which we intend to file within 120 days after the end of our fiscal year ended December 31, 2021.
34
Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services.
The information required by this Item will be included in and is hereby incorporated by reference from our definitive proxy statement relating to our 2022 annual meeting of stockholders or an amendment to this Form 10-K, which we intend to file within 120 days after the end of our fiscal year ended December 31, 2021.
PART IV
Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules.
(a) The following documents are filed as a part of this report:
1. Financial Statements. See the Index to Consolidated Financial Statements on page F-1.
2. Exhibits. See Item 15(b) below.
(b) Exhibits. The exhibits listed on the Exhibit Index, which appears at the end of this report, are filed as part of, or are incorporated by reference into, this report.
(c) Financial Statement Schedule. See Item 15(a)(1) above.
Item 16. Form 10-K Summary.
None.
35
INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
F-1
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the shareholders and board of directors of
LM Funding America, Inc.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of LM Funding America, Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company”) as of December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, and the related consolidated statements of operations, changes in stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for the years then ended, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for the years then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) ("PCAOB") and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the entity's internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Critical Audit Matters
The critical audit matters communicated below are matters arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that were communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relate to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. We determined that there are no critical audit matters.
/s/
www.malonebailey.com
We have served as the Company's auditor since 2018.
March 31, 2022
F-2
LM FUNDING AMERICA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
|
|
December 31, |
|
|
December 31, |
|
||
|
|
2021 |
|
|
2020 |
|
||
Assets |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
Finance receivables: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Original product (Note 2) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Special product - New Neighbor Guaranty program, net of allowance for credit losses of (Note 3) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Short-term investments - convertible debt securities (Note 5) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
- |
|
Marketable securities (Note 5) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
- |
|
Short-term investments - note receivable (Note 5) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
- |
|
Prepaid expenses and other assets |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Current assets |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fixed assets, net |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Real estate assets owned (Note 6) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating lease - right of use assets (Note 9) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Long-term investments - equity securities in affiliates (Note 5) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
- |
|
Investments in unconsolidated affiliates (Note 5) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
- |
|
Deposit on mining equipment (Note 7) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
- |
|
Other assets |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Long-term assets |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total assets |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Liabilities and stockholders' equity |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Note payable (Note 8) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accounts payable and accrued expenses |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Due to related party payable (Note 12) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Income tax payable (Note 10) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
- |
|
Current portion of lease liability (Note 9) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Current liabilities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Notes payable - long-term (Note 8) |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
|
|
Lease liability - long-term (Note 9) |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
|
|
Long-term liabilities |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
|
|
Total liabilities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stockholders' equity (Note 11) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Preferred stock, par value $ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Common stock, par value $ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Additional paid-in capital |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accumulated deficit |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
( |
) |
Total LM Funding America stockholders' equity |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Non-controlling interest |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total stockholders' equity |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
F-3
LM FUNDING AMERICA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
|
|
Years ended December 31, |
|
|||||
|
|
2021 |
|
|
2020 |
|
||
Revenues |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest on delinquent association fees |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
Administrative and late fees |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Recoveries in excess of cost - special product |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Underwriting fees and other revenues |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rental revenue |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total revenues |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating expenses |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Staff costs & payroll |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Professional fees |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Settlement costs with associations |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Selling, general and administrative |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Real estate management and disposal |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Depreciation and amortization |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Collection costs |
|
|
|
|
|
|
( |
) |
Recovery of cost from related party receivable |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
( |
) |
Provision for credit losses |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
|
|
Other operating |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total operating expenses |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating loss from continuing operations |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
( |
) |
Realized gain on securities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
- |
|
Unrealized loss on convertible debt security |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
- |
|
Unrealized loss on marketable securities |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
- |
|
Unrealized gain on investment and equity securities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
- |
|
Realized gain on digital assets |
|
|
|
|
|
|
- |
|
Impairment loss on digital assets |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
- |
|
Interest income |
|
|
|
|
|
|
- |
|
Interest expense |
|
|
( |
) |
|
|
( |
) |
Dividend income |
|
|
|
|
|
|
- |
|
Gain on forgiveness of note payable |
|
|
|
|
|
|
- |
|
Income (loss) before income taxes |
|
$ |
|
|
|
$ |
( |
) |
Income tax expense |
|
|
( |