Item 1A. Risk Factors
We believe the risks described below are the risks that are material to us as of the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. If any of the following risks actually occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects could be materially and adversely affected. These risks are not the only risks that we may face in connection our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects, which could also be affected by additional factors that apply to all companies operating in the United States, as well as other risks that are not currently known to us or that we currently consider to be immaterial to our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects.
Risks Related to Our Business
Our success depends significantly on our management team, and the loss of our senior executive officers or other key employees and our inability to recruit or retain suitable replacements could adversely affect our business, results of operations and growth prospects.
Our success depends significantly on the continued service and skills of our existing executive management team, particularly David Brooks, our Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Torry Berntsen, our President and Chief Operating Officer, Daniel Brooks, our Vice Chairman and Chief Risk Officer, Brian Hobart, our Vice Chairman and Chief Lending Officer, Michelle Hickox, our Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, and Jan Webb, our Executive Vice President and Secretary. The implementation of our business and growth strategies also depends significantly on our ability to retain employees with experience and business relationships within their respective market areas. Our officers may terminate their employment with us at any time, and we could have difficulty replacing such officers with persons who are experienced in the specialized aspects of our business or who have ties to the communities within our market areas. The loss of any of our key personnel could therefore have an adverse impact on our business and growth.
The obligations associated with being a public company will require significant resources and management attention, which will increase our costs of operations and may divert focus from our business operations.
We have not been required in the past to comply with the requirements of the SEC, to file periodic reports with the SEC or to have our consolidated financial statements completed, reviewed or audited and filed within a specified time. Having become a publicly traded company following completion of our public offering in April 2013, we are now required to file periodic reports containing our consolidated financial statements with the SEC within a specified time following the completion of quarterly and annual periods. As a public company, we will also incur significant legal, accounting, insurance and other expenses. Compliance with these reporting requirements and other rules of the SEC and the rules of the NASDAQ will increase our legal and financial compliance costs and make some activities more time consuming and costly. Furthermore, the need to establish the corporate infrastructure demanded of a public company may divert managements attention from implementing our growth strategy, which could prevent us from successfully implementing our strategic initiatives and improving our business, results of operations and financial condition. We have made, and will continue to make, changes to our internal controls and procedures for financial reporting and accounting systems to meet our reporting obligations as a public company. However, we cannot predict or estimate the amount of additional costs we may incur in order to comply with these requirements. We anticipate that these costs will materially increase our general and administrative expenses.
Our business concentration in Texas imposes risks and may magnify the adverse effects and consequences to us resulting from any regional or local economic downturn affecting Texas.
We conduct our operations almost exclusively in Texas as approximately 98% of the loans in our real estate loan portfolio as of March 31, 2013, were secured by properties and collateral located in Texas. Likewise, as of such date, approximately 96% of the loans in our loan portfolio were made to borrowers who live and/or conduct business in Texas. This geographic concentration imposes risks from lack of geographic diversification. The economic conditions in Texas affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and future prospects, where adverse economic developments, among other things, could affect the volume of loan originations, increase the level of nonperforming assets, increase the rate of foreclosure losses on loans and reduce the value of our loans and loan servicing portfolio. Any regional or local economic downturn that affects Texas or existing or prospective borrowers or
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property values in such areas may affect us and our profitability more significantly and more adversely than our competitors whose operations are less geographically concentrated.
Our small to medium-sized business customers may have fewer financial resources than larger entities to weather a downturn in the economy, which may impair a borrowers ability to repay a loan, and such impairment could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
We focus our business development and marketing strategy primarily to serve the banking and financial services needs of small to medium-sized businesses. These small to medium-sized businesses generally have fewer financial resources in terms of capital or borrowing capacity than larger entities. If general economic conditions negatively impact the north and central Texas area or the Texas market generally and small to medium-sized businesses are adversely affected, our results of operations and financial condition may be negatively affected.
Our strategy of pursuing acquisitions exposes us to financial, execution and operational risks that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects.
We have been pursuing a growth strategy that includes the acquisition of other financial institutions in target markets. We have completed four acquisitions since 2010, and we intend to continue this strategy. Such an acquisition strategy, involves significant risks, including the following:
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finding
suitable markets for expansion;
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finding
suitable candidates for acquisition;
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attracting funding to support additional growth;
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maintaining asset quality;
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attracting and retaining qualified management; and
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maintaining adequate regulatory capital.
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Acquisitions of financial institutions also involve operational risks and uncertainties, and acquired companies may have unknown or contingent liabilities with no available manner of recourse, exposure to unexpected asset quality problems, key employee and customer retention problems and other problems that could negatively affect our organization. We may not be able to complete future acquisitions or, if completed, we may not be able to successfully integrate the operations, management, products and services of the entities that we acquire and eliminate redundancies. The integration process may also require significant time and attention from our management that they would otherwise direct toward servicing existing business and developing new business. Acquisitions typically involve the payment of a premium over book and market values and, therefore, some dilution of our tangible book value and net income per common share may occur in connection with any future transaction. Failure to successfully integrate the entities we acquire into our existing operations may increase our operating costs significantly and adversely affect our business and earnings.
If we do not manage our growth effectively, our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects could be negatively affected, and we may not be able to continue to implement our business strategy and successfully conduct our operations.
If the goodwill that we recorded in connection with a business acquisition becomes impaired, it could require charges to earnings, which would have a negative impact on our financial condition and results of operations.
Goodwill represents the amount by which the cost of an acquisition exceeded the fair value of net assets we acquired in connection with the purchase of another financial institution. We review goodwill for impairment at least annually, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of the asset might be impaired.
We determine impairment by comparing the implied fair value of the reporting unit goodwill with the carrying amount of that goodwill. If the carrying amount of the reporting unit goodwill exceeds the implied fair value of that goodwill, an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to that excess. Any such adjustments are reflected in our results of operations in the periods in which they become known. As of March 31, 2013, our goodwill totaled $28.7 million. While we have not recorded any such impairment charges since we initially recorded the goodwill, there can be no assurance that our future evaluations of goodwill will not result in findings of impairment and related write-downs, which may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
If we do not effectively manage our asset quality and credit risk, we would experience loan losses which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operation.
Making any loan involves risk, including risks inherent in dealing with individual borrowers, risks of nonpayment, risks resulting from uncertainties as to the future value of collateral and cash flows available to service debt, and risks resulting from
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changes in economic and market conditions. Our credit risk approval and monitoring procedures may fail to identify or reduce these credit risks, and they cannot completely eliminate all credit risks related to our loan portfolio. If the overall economic climate in the United States, generally, or our market areas, specifically, experiences material disruption, our borrowers may experience difficulties in repaying their loans, the collateral we hold may decrease in value or become illiquid, and the level of nonperforming loans, charge-offs and delinquencies could rise and require additional provisions for loan losses, which would cause our net income and return on equity to decrease.
Because a significant portion of our loan portfolio is comprised of real estate loans, negative changes in the economy affecting real estate values and liquidity could impair the value of collateral securing our real estate loans and result in loan and other losses.
As of March 31, 2013, approximately 82.1% of our loan portfolio was comprised of loans with real estate as a primary or secondary component of collateral, excluding agricultural loans secured by real estate. As a result, adverse developments affecting real estate values in our market areas could increase the credit risk associated with our real estate loan portfolio. The market value of real estate can fluctuate significantly in a short period of time as a result of market conditions in the area in which the real estate is located. Adverse changes affecting real estate values and the liquidity of real estate in one or more of our markets could increase the credit risk associated with our loan portfolio, and could result in losses that would adversely affect credit quality, financial condition, and results of operation. Negative changes in the economy affecting real estate values and liquidity in our market areas could significantly impair the value of property pledged as collateral on loans and affect our ability to sell the collateral upon foreclosure without a loss or additional losses. Collateral may have to be sold for less than the outstanding balance of the loan, which could result in losses on such loans. Such declines and losses would have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations and growth prospects. If real estate values decline, it is also more likely that we would be required to increase our allowance for loan losses, which could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Our allowance for loan losses may prove to be insufficient to absorb potential losses in our loan portfolio, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We establish our allowance for loan losses and maintain it at a level considered adequate by management to absorb probable loan losses based on our analysis of our portfolio and market environment. The allowance for loan losses represents our estimate of probable losses in the portfolio at each balance sheet date and is based upon relevant information available to us. The allowance contains provisions for probable losses that have been identified relating to specific borrowing relationships, as well as probable losses inherent in the loan portfolio and credit undertakings that are not specifically identified. Additions to the allowance for loan losses, which are charged to earnings through the provision for loan losses, are determined based on a variety of factors, including an analysis of the loan portfolio, historical loss experience and an evaluation of current economic conditions in our market areas. The actual amount of loan losses is affected by changes in economic, operating and other conditions within our markets, as well as changes in the financial condition, cash flows, and operations of our borrowers, all of which are beyond our control, and such losses may exceed current estimates.
As of March 31, 2013, our allowance for loan losses as a percentage of total loans was 0.85% and as a percentage of total nonperforming loans was 209.73%. Additional loan losses will likely occur in the future and may occur at a rate greater than we have previously experienced. We may be required to take additional provisions for loan losses in the future to further supplement the allowance for loan losses, either due to managements decision to do so or requirements by our banking regulators. In addition, bank regulatory agencies will periodically review our allowance for loan losses and the value attributed to nonaccrual loans or to real estate acquired through foreclosure. Such regulatory agencies may require us to recognize future charge-offs. These adjustments may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
A lack of liquidity could adversely affect our operations and jeopardize our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Liquidity is essential to our business. We rely on our ability to generate deposits and effectively manage the repayment and maturity schedules of our loans and investment securities, respectively, to ensure that we have adequate liquidity to fund our operations. An inability to raise funds through deposits, borrowings, the sale of our investment securities, Federal Home Loan Bank advances, the sale of loans, and other sources could have a substantial negative effect on our liquidity. Our most important source of funds consists of deposits. Deposit balances can decrease when customers perceive alternative investments as providing a better risk/return tradeoff. If customers move money out of bank deposits and into other investments, we would lose a relatively low-cost source of funds, increasing our funding costs and reducing our net interest income and net income.
Other primary sources of funds consist of cash flows from operations, investment maturities and sales of investment securities, and proceeds from the issuance and sale of our equity and debt securities to investors. Additional liquidity is provided by the ability to borrow from the Federal Reserve Bank and the Federal Home Loan Bank. We also may borrow funds from third-party lenders, such as other financial institutions. Our access to funding sources in amounts adequate to finance or capitalize our activities, or on terms
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that are acceptable to us, could be impaired by factors that affect us directly or the financial services industry or economy in general, such as disruptions in the financial markets or negative views and expectations about the prospects for the financial services industry.
Any decline in available funding could adversely impact our ability to originate loans, invest in securities, meet our expenses, pay dividends to our shareholders, or to fulfill obligations such as repaying our borrowings or meeting deposit withdrawal demands, any of which could have a material adverse impact on our liquidity, business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may need to raise additional capital in the future, and if we fail to maintain sufficient capital, whether due to losses, an inability to raise additional capital or otherwise, our financial condition, liquidity and results of operations, as well as our ability to maintain regulatory compliance, would be adversely affected.
We face significant capital and other regulatory requirements as a financial institution. We may need to raise additional capital in the future to provide us with sufficient capital resources and liquidity to meet our commitments and business needs, which could include the possibility of financing acquisitions. In addition, the Company, on a consolidated basis, and the Bank, on a stand-alone basis, must meet certain regulatory capital requirements and maintain sufficient liquidity. We face significant capital and other regulatory requirements as a financial institution. Our ability to raise additional capital depends on conditions in the capital markets, economic conditions and a number of other factors, including investor perceptions regarding the banking industry, market conditions and governmental activities, and on our financial condition and performance. In the future, we may not be able to raise additional capital if needed or on terms acceptable to us. If we fail to maintain capital to meet regulatory requirements, our financial condition, liquidity and results of operations would be materially and adversely affected.
Interest rate shifts may reduce net interest income and otherwise negatively impact our financial condition and results of operations.
The majority of our banking assets are monetary in nature and subject to risk from changes in interest rates. Like most financial institutions, our earnings are significantly dependent on our net interest income, the principal component of our earnings, which is the difference between interest earned by us from our interest-earning assets, such as loans and investment securities, and interest paid by us on our interest-bearing liabilities, such as deposits and borrowings. We expect that we will periodically experience gaps in the interest rate sensitivities of our assets and liabilities, meaning that either our interest-bearing liabilities will be more sensitive to changes in market interest rates than our interest-earning assets, or vice versa. In either event, if market interest rates should move contrary to our position, this gap will negatively impact our earnings. The impact on earnings is more adverse when the slope of the yield curve flattens, that is, when short-term interest rates increase more than long-term interest rates or when long-term interest rates decrease more than short-term interest rates. Many factors impact interest rates, including governmental monetary policies, inflation, recession, changes in unemployment, the money supply, and international disorder and instability in domestic and foreign financial markets.
Interest rate increases often result in larger payment requirements for our borrowers, which increase the potential for default. At the same time, the marketability of the property securing a loan may be adversely affected by any reduced demand resulting from higher interest rates. In a declining interest rate environment, there may be an increase in prepayments on loans as borrowers refinance their loans at lower rates.
Changes in interest rates also can affect the value of loans, securities and other assets. An increase in interest rates that adversely affects the ability of borrowers to pay the principal or interest on loans may lead to an increase in nonperforming assets and a reduction of income recognized, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and cash flows. Further, when we place a loan on nonaccrual status, we reverse any accrued but unpaid interest receivable, which decreases interest income. At the same time, we continue to have a cost to fund the loan, which is reflected as interest expense, without any interest income to offset the associated funding expense. Thus, an increase in the amount of nonperforming assets would have an adverse impact on net interest income.
If short-term interest rates remain at their historically low levels for a prolonged period, and assuming longer term interest rates fall further, we could experience net interest margin compression as our interest earning assets would continue to reprice downward while our interest-bearing liability rates could fail to decline in tandem. Such an occurrence would have a material adverse effect on our net interest income and our results of operations.
We could recognize losses on securities held in our securities portfolio, particularly if interest rates increase or economic and market conditions deteriorate.
While we attempt to invest a significant percentage of our assets in loans (our loan to deposit ratio was 100.1% as of March 31, 2013), we invest a percentage of our total assets (approximately 6.5% as of March 31, 2013) in investment securities as part of our overall liquidity strategy. As of March 31, 2013, the fair value of our securities portfolio was approximately $114.5 million. Factors beyond our control can significantly influence the fair value of securities in our portfolio and can cause potential adverse changes to the fair value of these securities. For example, fixed-rate securities are generally subject to decreases in market value when market
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interest rates rise. Additional factors include, but are not limited to, rating agency downgrades of the securities, defaults by the issuer or individual borrowers with respect to the underlying securities, and continued instability in the credit markets. Any of the foregoing factors could cause an other-than-temporary impairment in future periods and result in realized losses. The process for determining whether impairment is other-than-temporary usually requires difficult, subjective judgments about the future financial performance of the issuer and any collateral underlying the security in order to assess the probability of receiving all contractual principal and interest payments on the security. Because of changing economic and market conditions affecting market interest rates, the financial condition of issuers of the securities and the performance of the underlying collateral, we may recognize realized and/or unrealized losses in future periods, which could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
We face strong competition from financial services companies and other companies that offer banking services, which could harm our business.
We conduct our operations almost exclusively in Texas. Many of our competitors offer the same, or a wider variety of, banking services within our market areas. These competitors include banks with nationwide operations, regional banks and other community banks. We also face competition from many other types of financial institutions, including savings and loan institutions, finance companies, brokerage firms, insurance companies, credit unions, mortgage banks and other financial intermediaries. In addition, a number of out-of-state financial intermediaries have opened production offices, or otherwise solicit deposits, in our market areas. Increased competition in our markets may result in reduced loans and deposits, as well as reduced net interest margin and profitability. Ultimately, we may not be able to compete successfully against current and future competitors. If we are unable to attract and retain banking customers, we may be unable to continue to grow our loan and deposit portfolios, and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.
We have a continuing need for technological change, and we may not have the resources to effectively implement new technology, or we may experience operational challenges when implementing new technology.
The financial services industry is undergoing rapid technological changes with frequent introductions of new technology-driven products and services. In addition to better serving customers, the effective use of technology increases efficiency and enables financial institutions to reduce costs. Our future success will depend in part upon our ability to address the needs of our customers by using technology to provide products and services that will satisfy customer demands for convenience as well as to create additional efficiencies in our operations as we continue to grow and expand our market area. We may experience operational challenges as we implement these new technology enhancements or products, which could result in us not fully realizing the anticipated benefits from such new technology or require us to incur significant costs to remedy any such challenges in a timely manner.
Many of our larger competitors have substantially greater resources to invest in technological improvements. As a result, they may be able to offer additional or superior products to those that we will be able to provide, which would put us at a competitive disadvantage. Accordingly, we may not be able to effectively implement new technology-driven products and services or be successful in marketing such products and services to our customers.
System failure or breaches of our network security could subject us to increased operating costs as well as litigation and other liabilities.
The computer systems and network infrastructure we use could be vulnerable to unforeseen problems. Our operations are dependent upon our ability to protect our computer equipment against damage from physical theft, fire, power loss, telecommunications failure or a similar catastrophic event, as well as from security breaches, denial of service attacks, viruses, worms and other disruptive problems caused by hackers. Any damage or failure that causes breakdowns or disruptions in our customer relationship management, general ledger, deposit, loan and other systems could damage our reputation, result in a loss of customer business, subject us to additional regulatory scrutiny, or expose us to civil litigation and possible financial liability, any of which could have a material adverse effect on us. Computer break-ins, phishing and other disruptions could also jeopardize the security of information stored in and transmitted through our computer systems and network infrastructure, which may result in significant liability to us and may cause existing and potential customers to refrain from doing business with us. In addition, advances in computer capabilities could result in a compromise or breach of the systems we and our third-party service providers use to encrypt and protect customer transaction data. A failure of such security measures could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
Our operations could be interrupted if our third-party service providers experience difficulty, terminate their services or fail to comply with banking regulations.
We depend on a number of relationships with third-party service providers. Specifically, we receive core systems processing, essential web hosting and other Internet systems, deposit processing and other processing services from third-party service providers. If these third-party service providers experience difficulties, or terminate their services, and we are unable to replace them with other service providers, particularly on a timely basis, our operations could be interrupted. If an interruption were to continue for a significant period of time, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected, perhaps materially.
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Even if we are able to replace third party service providers, it may be at a higher cost to us, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We are subject to certain operational risks, including, but not limited to, customer or employee fraud and data processing system failures and errors.
Employee errors and employee and customer misconduct could subject us to financial losses or regulatory sanctions and seriously harm our reputation. Misconduct by our employees could include hiding unauthorized activities from us, improper or unauthorized activities on behalf of our customers or improper use of confidential information. It is not always possible to prevent employee errors and misconduct, and the precautions we take to prevent and detect this activity may not be effective in all cases. Employee errors could also subject us to financial claims for negligence.
We maintain a system of internal controls and insurance coverage to mitigate against operational risks, including data processing system failures and errors and customer or employee fraud. If our internal controls fail to prevent or detect an occurrence, or if any resulting loss is not insured or exceeds applicable insurance limits, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, we rely heavily upon information supplied by third parties, including the information contained in credit applications, property appraisals, title information, equipment pricing and valuation and employment and income documentation, in deciding which loans we will originate, as well as the terms of those loans. If any of the information upon which we rely is misrepresented, either fraudulently or inadvertently, and the misrepresentation is not detected prior to asset funding, the value of the asset may be significantly lower than expected, or we may fund a loan that we would not have funded or on terms we would not have extended. Whether a misrepresentation is made by the applicant or another third party, we generally bear the risk of loss associated with the misrepresentation. A loan subject to a material misrepresentation is typically unsellable or subject to repurchase if it is sold prior to detection of the misrepresentation. The sources of the misrepresentations are often difficult to locate, and it is often difficult to recover any of the monetary losses we may suffer.
We could be subject to environmental risks and associated costs on our foreclosed real estate assets, which could materially and adversely affect us.
A significant portion of our loan portfolio is comprised of loans collateralized by real estate. There is a risk that hazardous or toxic waste could be discovered on the properties that secure our loans. If we acquire such properties as a result of foreclosure, we could be held responsible for the cost of cleaning up or removing this waste, and this cost could exceed the value of the underlying properties and materially and adversely affect us.
Our subsidiary, IBG Adriatica, may not be able to dispose of its real estate holdings in a timely manner at prices at least equal to the amount of our investment, which could adversely affect our earnings.
We formed IBG Adriatica as a wholly owned subsidiary in June 2011 to acquire certain loans from an unaffiliated bank. The loans had an aggregate face value of approximately $23.0 million at acquisition and were secured by approximately 27 acres of real property located in the Adriatica Development in McKinney, Texas.
IBG Adriatica will not act as a developer of the real property; rather, it plans to sell the real property to real estate developers and end-user businesses and homeowners. If IBG Adriatica is unable to sell the real property at prices sufficient to repay the loan owed to its lender, IBG Adriatica, and the Company as guarantor and on a consolidated basis, could incur a loss. Depending on the amount of the loss, if any, such loss could have a material effect on the Companys consolidated financial condition and adversely affect its business and earnings.
IBG Adriatica has engaged and will engage in transactions with principals of the Company which, because of the inherent conflict of interest, creates a risk that the terms of such transactions may not be favorable to the Company.
IBG Adriatica has sold two parcels of undeveloped real property, an associated interest in the common areas and an option to purchase 32,000 square feet of undeveloped real property in the Adriatica Development to Himalayan Ventures, L.P. Himalayan Ventures is an investment partnership comprised of principals of the Company, including Vincent Viola, our majority shareholder, David Brooks, our Chairman of the Board and CEO, Torry Berntsen, our President and Chief Operating Officer, Dan Brooks, our Vice Chairman and Chief Risk Officer, and Doug Cifu, a director of the Company. The purchase price paid for the property was based on the appraised value and was approved by an independent committee of the Board of Directors of the Company. Banking regulations require that all such transactions be based on the appraised value of the property. While the Company believes that these transactions are consistent with terms that are at least as favorable to the Company as could have been arranged with unrelated third parties, there is inherent risk in these transactions given the conflict of interest arising from the involvement of the Companys principals in Himalayan Ventures.
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Our Chairman and CEO, our majority shareholder, and certain other officers and directors of the Company, are business partners in business ventures in addition to our Company, which creates potential conflicts of interest and corporate governance issues.
Messrs. David Brooks, Viola, Cifu, Berntsen and Dan Brooks are partners in Himalayan Ventures. A dispute between these individuals in connection with this business venture outside of the Company could impact their relationship at the Company and, because of their prominence within the Company, the Company itself.
Risks Related to an Investment in our Common Stock
An active trading market for our common stock may not be sustained, and you may not be able to sell your common stock at or above the price you paid for that common stock.
We recently completed the initial public offering of our common stock. Prior to that offering, there was no public market for our common stock. An active trading market for shares of our common stock may not be sustained. If an active trading market is not sustained, investors in our common stock may have difficulty selling their shares of common stock at an attractive price, or at all. An inactive market may also impair our ability to raise capital by selling our common stock and may impair our ability to expand our business by using our common stock as consideration.
We are dependent upon the Bank for cash flow, and the Banks ability to make cash distributions is restricted.
Our primary tangible asset is the Bank. As such, we depend upon the Bank for cash distributions (through dividends on the Banks stock) that we use to pay our operating expenses, satisfy our obligations (including our senior indebtedness, or subordinated debentures, and our junior subordinated indebtedness issued in connection with trust preferred securities), and to pay dividends on the Companys common stock. There are numerous laws and banking regulations that limit the Banks ability to pay dividends to the Company. If the Bank is unable to pay dividends to the Company, we will not be able to satisfy our obligations or pay dividends on the Company common stock. Federal and state statutes and regulations restrict the Banks ability to make cash distributions to the Company. These statutes and regulations require, among other things, that the Bank maintain certain levels of capital in order to pay a dividend. Further, state and federal banking authorities have the ability to restrict the payment of dividends by supervisory action.
Our dividend policy may change without notice, and our future ability to pay dividends is subject to restrictions.
Although we have historically paid dividends to our shareholders, we have no obligation to continue doing so and may change our dividend policy at any time without notice to our shareholders. Holders of our common stock are entitled to receive only such cash dividends as our board of directors may declare out of funds legally available for such payments. Holders of the Companys common stock are entitled to receive only such dividends as the Companys Board of Directors may declare out of funds legally available for such payments. Any declaration and payment of dividends on common stock will depend upon the Companys earnings and financial condition, liquidity and capital requirements, the general economic and regulatory climate, the Companys ability to service any equity or debt obligations senior to the common stock and other factors deemed relevant by the Board of Directors. Furthermore, consistent with our strategic plans, growth initiatives, capital availability, projected liquidity needs, and other factors, we have made, and will continue to make, capital management decisions and policies that could adversely impact the amount of dividends, if any, paid to our common shareholders.
The Federal Reserve Board has indicated that bank holding companies should carefully review their dividend policy in relation to the organizations overall asset quality, level of current and prospective earnings and level, composition and quality of capital. The guidance provides that the Company inform and consult with the Federal Reserve Board prior to declaring and paying a dividend that exceeds earnings for the period for which the dividend is being paid or that could result in an adverse change to the Companys capital structure, including interest on the subordinated debentures underlying the Companys trust preferred securities. If required payments on the Companys outstanding junior subordinated debentures, held by its unconsolidated subsidiary trusts, are not made or are suspended, the Company will be prohibited from paying dividends on its common stock.
Our majority shareholder and Board of Directors have historically controlled, and in the future will continue to be able to control, the Company.
Collectively, Messrs. Vincent Viola and David Brooks own 48% of our outstanding common stock on a fully diluted basis. Vincent Viola, the majority shareholder of our Company, currently owns 39.3% of our outstanding common stock, and David Brooks, our Chairman of the Board and CEO, currently owns 8.7% of our common stock, each calculated on a fully diluted basis. Further, our other directors and executive officers currently own collectively approximately 10.7% of our outstanding common stock as a result, these individuals will be able to control the election of the Board of Directors and otherwise exert controlling influence in our management and policies. Further, given the large ownership position of these individuals, it will be difficult for any other shareholder to elect members to our Board of Directors or otherwise influence our management or direction of the Company.
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In addition, three of our directors have close professional and personal ties to Vincent Viola, our majority shareholder. Doug Cifu is the President and Chief Operating Officer of Virtu Financial, LLC, Mr. Violas primary operating entity; Torry Berntsen, our President and Chief Operating Officer, was formerly Vice Chairman of Virtu Management, LLC, Mr. Violas family investment vehicle; and Michael Viola is the son of Vincent Viola. Further, David Brooks, our Chairman and CEO, has a 25 year history of ownership and operation of the Bank with Vincent Viola; and he has joint investments with Mr. Viola outside of the Company. Given these close relationships, even though he will not serve on our Board, Mr. Viola will continue to have a large influence over the direction and operation of the Company.
Our corporate organizational documents and the provisions of Texas law to which we are subject contain certain provisions that could have an anti-takeover effect and may delay, make more difficult or prevent an attempted acquisition of the Company that you may favor.
Our certificate of formation and bylaws contain various provisions that could have an anti-takeover effect and may delay, discourage or prevent an attempted acquisition or change of control of the Company. These provisions include:
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staggered terms
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provision that directors cannot be removed except for cause;
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provision that any special meeting of our shareholders may be called only by a majority of the board of directors, the Chairman or a holder or group of holders of at least 20% of our shares entitled to vote at the meeting;
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provision that requires the vote of two-thirds of the shares outstanding for major corporate actions, such as an amendment to the Companys certificate of formation or bylaws or the approval of a merger; and
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provision establishing certain advance notice procedures for nomination of candidates for election as directors and for shareholder proposals to be considered only at an annual or special meeting of shareholders.
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Our certificate of formation provides for noncumulative voting for directors and authorizes the board of directors to issue shares of its preferred stock without shareholder approval and upon such terms as the board of directors may determine. The issuance of our preferred stock, while providing desirable flexibility in connection with possible acquisitions, financings and other corporate purposes, could have the effect of making it more difficult for a third party to acquire, or of discouraging a third party from acquiring, a controlling interest in us. In addition, certain provisions of Texas law, including a provision which restricts certain business combinations between a Texas corporation and certain affiliated shareholders, may delay, discourage or prevent an attempted acquisition or change in control of the Company. Also, our certificate of formation prohibits shareholder action by written consent.
The holders of our debt obligations and any shares of our preferred stock that may be outstanding in the future will have priority over our common stock with respect to payment in the event of liquidation, dissolution or winding up and with respect to the payment of interest and preferred dividends.
Upon the liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company, holders of our common stock will not be entitled to receive any payment or other distribution of assets until after all of our obligations to our debt holders have been satisfied and holders of trust preferred securities have received any payment or distribution due to them. In addition, we are required to pay interest on our subordinated debentures and junior subordinated debentures issued in connection with our trust preferred securities before we pay any dividends on our common stock. Furthermore, while we have no shares of preferred stock outstanding, our board of directors may also, in its sole discretion, designate and issue one or more series of preferred stock from our authorized and unissued preferred stock, which may have preferences with respect to common stock in dissolution, dividends, liquidation or otherwise.
Prior to April 1, 2013, we were treated as an S-corporation under Subchapter S of the Internal Revenue Code, and claims of taxing authorities related to our prior status as an S-corporation could harm us.
On April 1, 2013, our prior status as an S-corporation status terminated and we are now treated as a C-corporation under Subchapter C of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, which is applicable to most corporations and treats the corporation as an entity that is separate and distinct from its shareholders. If the unaudited, open tax years in which we were an S-corporation are audited by the Internal Revenue Service, and we are determined not to have qualified for, or to have violated, our S-corporation status, we will be obligated to pay back taxes, interest and penalties, and we do not have the right to reclaim tax distributions that we have made to our shareholders during those periods. These amounts could include taxes on all of our taxable income while we were an S-corporation. Any such claims could result in additional costs to us and could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
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We have entered into tax indemnification agreements with the persons holding shares of our common stock immediately prior to the consummation of our initial public offering, including Messrs. Viola and David Brooks, and could become obligated to make payments to them for any additional federal, state or local income taxes assessed against them for fiscal periods prior to the completion of this offering.
Prior to April 1, 2013, the Company has been treated as an S-corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In connection with our initial public offering, our S-corporation status terminated and we are now subject to federal and increased state income taxes. In the event of an adjustment to our reported taxable income for a period or periods prior to termination of our S-corporation status, our existing shareholders could be liable for additional income taxes for those prior periods. Therefore, we have entered into tax indemnification agreements with the persons holding shares of our common stock immediately prior to the consummation of our initial public offering. Pursuant to those agreements, we have agreed that upon filing any tax return (amended or otherwise), or in the event of any restatement of our taxable income, in each case for any period during which we were an S-corporation, we will make a payment to each shareholder on a pro rata basis in an amount sufficient so that the shareholder with the highest incremental estimated tax liability (calculated as if the shareholder would be taxable on its allocable share of our taxable income at the highest applicable federal, state and local tax rates and taking into account all amounts we previously distributed in respect of taxes for the relevant period) receives a payment equal to that shareholders incremental tax liability. We have also agreed to indemnify the shareholders for any interest, penalties, losses, costs or expenses (including reasonable attorneys fees) arising out of any claim under the agreements.
We are an emerging growth company, and we cannot be certain if the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies will make our common stock less attractive to investors.
We are an emerging growth company, as defined in the JOBS Act, and we are taking advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, including, but not limited to, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. In addition, even if we comply with the greater obligations of public companies that are not emerging growth companies, we may avail ourselves of the reduced requirements applicable to emerging growth companies from time to time in the future, so long as we are an emerging growth company. We will remain an emerging growth company for up to five years, though we may cease to be an emerging growth company earlier under certain circumstances, including if, before the end of such five years, we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer under the rules of the SEC (which depends on, among other things, having a market value of common stock held by nonaffiliates in excess of $700 million). Investors and securities analysts may find it more difficult to evaluate our common stock because we will rely on one or more of these exemptions, and, as a result, investor confidence and the market price of our common stock may be materially and adversely affected.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make our financial statements not comparable with those of another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
An investment in our common stock is not an insured deposit and is not guaranteed by the FDIC, so you could lose some or all of your investment.
An investment in our common stock is not a bank deposit and, therefore, is not insured against loss or guaranteed by the FDIC, any other deposit insurance fund or by any other public or private entity. An investment in our common stock is inherently risky for the reasons described herein. As a result, if you acquire our common stock, you could lose some or all of your investment.
Risks Related to the Business Environment and Our Industry
Legislative and regulatory actions taken now or in the future may increase our costs and impact our business, governance structure, financial condition or results of operations.
We and our subsidiaries are subject to extensive regulation by multiple regulatory bodies. These regulations may affect the manner and terms of delivery of our services. If we do not comply with governmental regulations, we may be subject to fines, penalties, lawsuits or material restrictions on our businesses in the jurisdiction where the violation occurred, which may adversely affect our business operations. Changes in these regulations can significantly affect the services that we provide as well as our costs of
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compliance with such regulations. In addition, adverse publicity and damage to our reputation arising from the failure or perceived failure to comply with legal, regulatory or contractual requirements could affect our ability to attract and retain customers.
Current economic conditions, particularly in the financial markets, have resulted in government regulatory agencies and political bodies placing increased focus and scrutiny on the financial services industry. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, or the Dodd-Frank Act, significantly changed the regulation of financial institutions and the financial services industry. The Dodd-Frank Act and the regulations thereunder affect large and small financial institutions alike, including several provisions that will affect how community banks, thrifts and small bank and thrift holding companies will be regulated in the future.
The Dodd-Frank Act, among other things, imposes new capital requirements on bank holding companies; changes the base for FDIC insurance assessments to a banks average consolidated total assets minus average tangible equity, rather than upon its deposit base, and permanently raises the current standard deposit insurance limit to $250,000 and expands the FDICs authority to raise insurance premiums. The legislation also calls for the FDIC to raise the ratio of reserves to deposits from 1.15% to 1.35% for deposit insurance purposes by September 30, 2020 and to offset the effect of increased assessments on insured depository institutions with assets of less than $10.0 billion. The Dodd-Frank Act also limits interchange fees payable on debit card transactions. The Dodd-Frank Act establishes the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection as an independent entity within the Federal Reserve, which will have broad rulemaking, supervisory and enforcement authority over consumer financial products and services, including deposit products, residential mortgages, home-equity loans and credit cards, and contains provisions on mortgage-related matters, such as steering incentives, determinations as to a borrowers ability to repay and prepayment penalties. The Dodd-Frank Act also includes provisions that affect corporate governance and executive compensation at all publicly traded companies and allows financial institutions to pay interest on business checking accounts.
The Collins Amendment to the Dodd-Frank Act, among other things, eliminates certain trust preferred securities from Tier 1 capital, although certain trust preferred securities issued prior to May 19, 2010 by bank holding companies with total consolidated assets of $15 billion or less will continue to be includable in Tier 1 capital until 2019. This provision also requires the federal banking agencies to establish minimum leverage and risk-based capital requirements that will apply to both insured banks and their holding companies. Our management is reviewing the provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act, many of which are to be phased-in over the next several months and years, and assessing its probable impact on our operations. However, the ultimate effect of the Dodd-Frank Act on the financial services industry in general, and us in particular, is uncertain at this time.
New proposals for legislation continue to be introduced in the U.S. Congress that could further substantially increase regulation of the financial services industry, impose restrictions on the operations and general ability of firms within the industry to conduct business consistent with historical practices, including in the areas of compensation, interest rates, financial product offerings and disclosures, and have an effect on bankruptcy proceedings with respect to consumer residential real estate mortgages, among other things. Federal and state regulatory agencies also frequently adopt changes to their regulations or change the manner in which existing regulations are applied. Certain aspects of current or proposed regulatory or legislative changes to laws applicable to the financial industry, if enacted or adopted, may impact the profitability of our business activities, require more oversight or change certain of our business practices, including the ability to offer new products, obtain financing, attract deposits, make loans, and achieve satisfactory interest spreads, and could expose us to additional costs, including increased compliance costs. These changes also may require us to invest significant management attention and resources to make any necessary changes to operations in order to comply, and could therefore also materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The Group of Governors and Heads of Supervision, the oversight body of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, adopted Basel III in September 2010, which is a strengthened set of capital requirements for banking organizations in the United States and around the world. Basel III is currently supported by the U.S. federal banking agencies. While Basel III was originally intended to be fully phased in on a global basis by January 1, 2019, the U.S. federal banking agencies have recently agreed to suspend the implementation of Basel III provisions until further notice. Consequently, the ultimate timing and scope of any U.S. implementation of Basel III remains uncertain.
Such proposals and legislation, if finally adopted, would change banking laws, our operating environment and the operating environment of our subsidiaries in substantial and unpredictable ways. We cannot determine whether such proposals and legislation will be adopted, or the ultimate effect that such proposals and legislation, if enacted, or regulations issued to implement the same, would have upon our business, financial condition or results of operations. Also, in recent years, regulatory oversight and enforcement have increased substantially, imposing additional costs and increasing the potential risks associated with our operations. If these regulatory trends continue, they could adversely affect our business and, in turn, our consolidated results of operations.
Monetary policies and regulations of the Federal Reserve could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition to being affected by general economic conditions, our earnings and growth are affected by the policies of the Federal Reserve. An important function of the Federal Reserve is to regulate the money supply and credit conditions. Among the instruments used by the Federal Reserve to implement these objectives are open market operations in U.S. government securities, adjustments of
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the discount rate and changes in reserve requirements against bank deposits. These instruments are used in varying combinations to influence overall economic growth and the distribution of credit, bank loans, investments and deposits. Their use also affects interest rates charged on loans or paid on deposits.
The monetary policies and regulations of the Federal Reserve have had a significant effect on the operating results of commercial banks in the past and are expected to continue to do so in the future. The effects of such policies upon our business, financial condition and results of operations cannot be predicted.
The Federal Reserve may require us to commit capital resources to support the Bank.
The Federal Reserve, which examines us and the Bank, requires a bank holding company to act as a source of financial and managerial strength to a subsidiary bank and to commit resources to support such subsidiary bank. Under the source of strength doctrine, the Federal Reserve may require a bank holding company to make capital injections into a troubled subsidiary bank and may charge the bank holding company with engaging in unsafe and unsound practices for failure to commit resources to such a subsidiary bank. In addition, the Dodd-Frank Act directs the federal bank regulators to require that all companies that directly or indirectly control an insured depository institution serve as a source of strength for the institution. Under these requirements, in the future, we could be required to provide financial assistance to the Bank if it experiences financial distress.
A capital injection may be required at times when we do not have the resources to provide it, and therefore we may be required to borrow the funds. In the event of a bank holding companys bankruptcy, the bankruptcy trustee will assume any commitment by the holding company to a federal bank regulatory agency to maintain the capital of a subsidiary bank. Moreover, bankruptcy law provides that claims based on any such commitment will be entitled to a priority of payment over the claims of the holding companys general unsecured creditors, including the holders of its note obligations. Thus, any borrowing that must be done by the holding company in order to make the required capital injection becomes more difficult and expensive and will adversely impact the holding companys cash flows, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Federal banking agencies periodically conduct examinations of our business, including compliance with laws and regulations, and our failure to comply with any supervisory actions to which we become subject as a result of such examinations could materially and adversely affect us.
Texas and federal banking agencies periodically conduct examinations of our business, including compliance with laws and regulations. If, as a result of an examination, a Texas or federal banking agency were to determine that the financial condition, capital resources, asset quality, earnings prospects, management, liquidity or other aspects of our operations had become unsatisfactory, or that the Company or its management was in violation of any law or regulation, it may take a number of different remedial actions as it deems appropriate. These actions include the power to enjoin unsafe or unsound practices, to require affirmative actions to correct any conditions resulting from any violation or practice, to issue an administrative order that can be judicially enforced, to direct an increase in our capital, to restrict our growth, to assess civil monetary penalties against the Bank, our officers or directors, to remove officers and directors and, if it is concluded that such conditions cannot be corrected or there is an imminent risk of loss to depositors, to terminate our deposit insurance. If we become subject to such regulatory actions, we could be materially and adversely affected.
We may be required to pay significantly higher FDIC deposit insurance assessments in the future, which could materially and adversely affect us.
Recent insured depository institution failures, as well as deterioration in banking and economic conditions generally, have significantly increased the loss provisions of the FDIC, resulting in a decline in the designated reserve ratio of the FDIC to historical lows. The FDIC anticipates that additional insured depository institutions are likely to fail in the foreseeable future so the reserve ratio may continue to decline. In addition, the deposit insurance limit on FDIC deposit insurance coverage generally has increased to $250,000. These developments have caused the FDIC premiums to increase and may result in increased assessments in the future.
On February 7, 2011, the FDIC approved a final rule that amended the Deposit Insurance Fund restoration plan and implemented certain provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act. Effective April 1, 2011, the assessment base is determined using average consolidated total assets minus average tangible equity rather than the previous assessment base of adjusted domestic deposits. The new assessment rates, calculated on the revised assessment base, generally range from 2.5 to 9.0 basis points for Risk Category I institutions, 9.0 to 24.0 basis points for Risk Category II institutions, 8.0 to 33.0 basis points for Risk Category III institutions, and 30.0 to 45.0 basis points for Risk Category IV institutions. The new assessment rates were calculated for the quarter beginning April 1, 2011 and were reflected in invoices for assessments due September 30, 2011.
The final rule provides the FDICs board with the flexibility to adopt actual rates that are higher or lower than the total base assessment rates adopted on February 7, 2011 without notice and comment, if certain conditions are met. An increase in the assessment rates could materially and adversely affect us.
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We may be materially and adversely affected by the creditworthiness and liquidity of other financial institutions.
Financial services institutions are interrelated as a result of trading, clearing, counterparty, or other relationships. We have exposure to many different industries and counterparties, and routinely execute transactions with counterparties in the financial services industry, including commercial banks, brokers and dealers, investment banks, and other institutional customers. Many of these transactions expose us to credit risk in the event of a default by a counterparty or customer. In addition, our credit risk may be exacerbated when the collateral held by us cannot be realized upon or is liquidated at prices not sufficient to recover the full amount of the credit or derivative exposure due to us. Any such losses could have a material adverse effect on us.
The recent repeal of federal prohibitions on payment of interest on commercial demand deposits could increase our interest expense, which could have a material adverse effect on us.
All federal prohibitions on the ability of financial institutions to pay interest on commercial demand deposit accounts were repealed as part of the Dodd-Frank Act. As a result, beginning on July 21, 2011, financial institutions were able to offer interest on commercial demand deposits to compete for customers. Our interest expense will increase and our net interest margin could decrease if we begin offering interest on commercial demand deposits to attract additional customers or maintain current customers, which could have a material adverse effect on us.
We face a risk of noncompliance and enforcement action with the Bank Secrecy Act and other anti-money laundering statutes and regulations.
The federal Bank Secrecy Act, the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 and other laws and regulations require financial institutions, among other duties, to institute and maintain effective anti-money laundering programs and file suspicious activity and currency transaction reports as appropriate. The federal Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, established by the Treasury to administer the Bank Secrecy Act, is authorized to impose significant civil money penalties for violations of those requirements and has recently engaged in coordinated enforcement efforts with the individual federal banking regulators, as well as the U.S. Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration and Internal Revenue Service. There is also increased scrutiny of compliance with the rules enforced by the Office of Foreign Assets Control. If our policies, procedures and systems are deemed deficient or the policies, procedures and systems of the financial institutions that we have already acquired or may acquire in the future are deficient, we would be subject to liability, including fines and regulatory actions such as restrictions on our ability to pay dividends and the necessity to obtain regulatory approvals to proceed with certain aspects of our business plan, including our acquisition plans, which would negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations. Failure to maintain and implement adequate programs to combat money laundering and terrorist financing could also have serious reputational consequences for us.
There are substantial regulatory limitations on changes of control of bank holding companies.
With certain limited exceptions, federal regulations prohibit a person or company or a group of persons deemed to be acting in concert from, directly or indirectly, acquiring more than 10% (5% if the acquirer is a bank holding company) of any class of our voting stock or obtaining the ability to control in any manner the election of a majority of our directors or otherwise direct the management or policies of our company without prior notice or application to and the approval of the Federal Reserve. Accordingly, prospective investors need to be aware of and comply with these requirements, if applicable, in connection with any purchase of shares of our common stock. These provisions effectively inhibit certain mergers or other business combinations, which, in turn, could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.