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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Form 10-K
| (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 January 31, 2003 |
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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 |
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Commission file number 0-24201
CARREKER CORPORATION
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| 75-1622836 (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
Delaware (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
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4055 Valley View Lane #1000 Dallas, Texas 75244 (Address of principal executive offices) |
75244 (Zip Code) |
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Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (972) 458-1981 |
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SECURITIES REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OF THE ACT:
None
SECURITIES REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(g) OF THE ACT:
Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share
(Title of class)
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. Yes ý No o
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant's knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. ý
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 12b-2). Yes ý No o
The aggregate market value on July 31, 2002 of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the registrant was $160,656,532.
Number of shares of registrant's Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share, outstanding as of April 11, 2003: 23,547,326
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Selected portions of the registrant's definitive Proxy Statement for the 2003 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated by reference into Part III hereof.
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| PART I: | |||
| Item 1. | Business | ||
| Item 2. | Properties | ||
| Item 3. | Legal Proceedings | ||
| Item 4. | Submission of Matters to A Vote of Security Holders | ||
PART II: |
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| Item 5. | Market for Registrant's Common Equity and Related Stockholder Matters | ||
| Item 6. | Selected Financial Data | ||
| Item 7. | Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations | ||
| Item 7A. | Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk | ||
| Item 8. | Financial Statements and Supplementary Data | ||
| Item 9. | Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure | ||
PART III: |
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| Item 10. | Directors and Executive Officers of the Company | ||
| Item 11. | Executive Compensation | ||
| Item 12. | Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters | ||
| Item 13. | Certain Relationships and Related Transactions | ||
| Item 14 | Controls and Procedures | ||
PART IV: |
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| Item 15. | Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules, and Reports On Form 8-K | ||
SIGNATURES |
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CERTIFICATIONS |
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EXHIBIT INDEX |
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Unless the context otherwise requires, the term "we," "us," "our," "Company," "Carreker," or "Carreker Corporation" when used in this Form 10-K ("Report") and in the Annual Report to the Stockholders refers to Carreker Corporation, a Delaware corporation organized in 1998, and its consolidated subsidiaries and predecessors. Our Internet Website address is www.Carreker.com. Our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to such reports are available, free of charge, on our Internet Website under "Investor Relations (IR)SEC Filings" as soon as reasonably practicable after we file electronically such material with, or furnish it to, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC. Information on our Internet Website does not constitute a part of this Report. This Report contains some forward looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. When used in this Report, the words "expects," "plans," "believes," "anticipating," "estimates," and similar expressions are intended to identify forward looking statements. Actual results and the timing of some events could differ materially from those projected in or contemplated by the forward looking statements due to a number of factors, including without limitation those set forth under "Forward Looking Statements and Risk Factors" below.
Our Business Focus
We provide payments-related software and consulting solutions to financial institutions and financial service providers. These solutions help our customers improve operational efficiency in how payments are processed; enhance revenue and profitability from payments-oriented products and services; reduce losses associated with fraudulent payment transactions; and evolve toward next-generation payment practices and technologies.
We are organized into three primary operating divisions: Global Payments Technologies ("GPT"), Revenue Enhancement ("Rev E"), and Global Payments Consulting ("GPC"). These operating divisions are structured to provide three discreet, yet synergistic avenues through which we can bring value to our customers.
Global Payments Technologies. This division is responsible for design, development, sales, and support of our payment technology solutions. This division is comprised of more than 135 software products and solutions, which encompass the following lines of business:
The strategic emphasis for GPT is to help financial institutions achieve total electronification of the check workflow and clearing process; to deliver enhanced fraud mitigation capabilities; and to increasingly support processing of non-check payment types through Carreker software solutions. Revenue is derived from license fees, implementation fees and maintenance fees.
Revenue Enhancement. This highly specialized practice group provides consulting and software solutions focused on increasing clients' revenue streams. Areas of expertise include fee income, market segmentation, management of customer price structures, account retention, acquisition and profitability. A majority of the revenue generated by this division is through benefit-sharing agreements with client
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banks. The Revenue Enhancement Product Portfolio includes tactical consulting solutions, a licensable software product and sales management methodology.
Global Payments Consulting. The objective in our professional services organization is to provide banks with "applied thought leadership" related to payments. GPC services include:
Revenue in the GPC division is primarily derived through the delivery of consulting services primarily through time and materials agreements with clients.
Through these three operating divisions, we seek to provide our customers with a broad set of strategic, tactical, and technological solutions that address both the expense and the revenue sides of the payments business.
Our Market
The global payments industry, while defined and measured differently by various analysts, represents a substantial market space. Boston Consulting Group estimates that in 2002, payments revenues were $176 billion for banks in the United States (U.S.) and $254 billion worldwide. It forecasts that the worldwide market will experience approximately a 30% increase to $332 billion by the year 2010. Carreker estimates that for a typical top-50 U.S. bank, payments revenuesas defined by BCGcomprised 35-40% of their total operating revenue in 2002.
Tower Group estimates that global technology expenditures on payments infrastructure in 2002 were approximately $12 billion, and they expect this number to grow for the next three years at a rate of 5.3% annually. Payments-related revenue for non-bank, third party processors in 2002 was an estimated $119 billion in the United States. One component of the payments market is fraud solutions.
Our fraud solutions target an area of direct financial losses to banks, which in 2002 amounted to more than $1 billion (total deposit account fraud losses) in the United States. There is an increasing payment fraud and money laundering regulatory focus in the U.S and internationally, which is expected to drive the estimated 2002 worldwide expenditures of $240 million for transaction monitoring and anti-money laundering software solutions at a growth rate of 15% annually through 2005.
While the majority of our business continues to come from top-100 banks in the U.S., we consider other geographic regions and customer segments to be important elements of our market opportunity. With a presence in Toronto, London, Johannesburg and Sydney, we have been able to leverage additional revenues from our existing product and service offerings. We are pursuing international markets by working to define and deliver additional technology and service offerings that will be more directly targeted at those and other non-U.S. markets.
Non-bank payment service providers comprise a substantial market opportunity for our business, as well. We now have volume-sensitive licensing agreements for various Carreker solutions in place with providers in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada through which we will participate in the business success of those providers. We have specifically assigned sales resources to engage and support such providers.
Significant new regulatory, competitive, technological, and behavioral forces are acting on the payments industry now in ways that seem likely to impact virtually all participants in this market space.
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Regulatory Change. There are three important areas of regulatory changes:
Technological Change. Technologies for electronification of check workflows continue to be refined and to gain further industry adoption. Many of our key customers are defining strategies now for the electronification of checks at the earliest point of receipt and for exchanging images between banks as a basis for financial settlement. Such practices would significantly reduce check-related operating expenses for banks and position banks to deliver more robust payment services to their customers. We believe we are positioned, through our broad suite of check imaging products, to benefit from continued adoption of check imaging.
At the same time, practices are emerging for conversion of checks at the point of sale or at lockbox processing locations to alternative electronic payment types, such as ACH or debit transactions. In these cases, transactions are less likely to be processed through Carreker's current suite of technology solutions. We are developing enhancements to selected products that will address these electronic payment types.
As a third point, integration between banks and the point of sale will increasingly lead to more real time verification and guarantee of transactions at the point of sale. We are engaged now with key customers and partners in trying to define next-generation fraud mitigation solutions, and see this as an area of opportunity for technology growth.
Behavioral Change. While industry experts debate the extent and rate of decline in check usage, it is generally believed that check volumes flattened and began a gradual decline in the mid-1990s. It is anticipated that consumer use of internet bill payment, debit cards, stored value cards, ACH payments, and other electronic technologies will continue to grow, generating some commensurate decline in paper check volumes over the coming years. With overall U.S. payment transaction volumes continuing to grow, it is expected that electronic volumes will surpass check volumes for the first time in a 2005 or 2006 timeframe.
The Carreker Solution
Our products and services are designed to address the unique requirements of the banking industry. These solutions combine consulting services and technological applications to enable banks to
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identify and implement payment solutions, increase revenues, reduce costs and enhance delivery of customer services. The key characteristics of our solutions include:
Integrated and Consultative Approach. We combine our consulting expertise and proprietary technology to serve as a single-source provider of fully-integrated solutions that address the critical needs of banks. This approach sets us apart from providers of partial solutions that require banks to seek costly additional expertise or implementation services to attain a complete solution. By offering integrated solutions, we achieve more rapid identification and implementation of solutions than would a piecemeal approach.
Comprehensive Delivery Model. We are able to deliver our solutions in a variety of ways to meet our clients' needs. These delivery methods include traditional software licensing and associated consulting, third party web-hosting and licensing software for use by multiple banks in a shared operating environment. Our ability to deliver products and services in a variety of methods allows us to provide solutions to a wider range of clients.
Advanced Technology. We incorporate the latest technological developments, including web-enabled systems and protocols, to produce software applications that can be expanded with minimal effort, are functional and are able to interface with a bank's current or legacy systems. In addition, our current and past participation in inter-bank organizations, such as the Electronic Check Clearinghouse Organization, enables us to stay at the forefront of technological innovations in the industry.
Compelling Business Proposition for Clients. Our solutions reduce investment risk for our clients by increasing revenues or reducing costs in a relatively short period of time. In addition, in appropriate circumstances, we value-price certain of our solutions, whereby we receive a percentage of the amount of additional revenues or reduced costs achieved by the customer. These arrangements allow banks to fund their investments in our solutions with the benefits derived from their implementation.
Broad Array of Services and Technology. We believe that our offerings are one of the broadest in the banking industry, enabling us to provide a bank with an expert solution targeted to a narrow area of a bank's operations or to address a broad range of a bank's operational requirements. We believe that offering a wide variety of solutions, from revenue enhancement to cost reduction to improved delivery of customer services, enhances the value we offer to our customers. In addition, our solutions embrace critical aspects of payments, including mitigation of fraud, electronic processing of paper-based payments, archiving of historical transactions and research and adjustments relating to each of these functions. Our complementary groups of products and services, when offered together, are able to deliver comprehensive solutions to banks. We believe we are ideally positioned to assist banks in the transformation of their financial transaction processing expertise into profitable revenue opportunities with their commercial customers.
Products and Services
Global Payments Technologies Solutions. Carreker's technology solutions help financial institutions address the needs of some critical payment services and delivery functions that impact overall operating costs and risk management. These functions include presentment of checks in paper and electronic form, determination of the availability of funds, identification and mitigation of fraudulent payments, handling irregular items such as checks returned unpaid (exceptions), maintaining a record of past transactions (archiving), responding to related customer inquiries (research), and correcting any errors that are discovered (adjustments). The Global Payments Technologies solutions suite addresses these key functions in the context of improving operational efficiency and a gradual transition from paper to electronic-based payment systems. In addition, we offer technology solutions that optimize the inventory management of a bank's cash stock levels, including managing how much is needed, when it is needed
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and where it is needed. Our solutions reduce the amount of cash banks need to hold in reserve accounts and as cash-on-hand, while ensuring a high level of customer service through timely replenishment of ATM cash supplies.
Specific solutions in the Global Payments Technologies group include:
| Solution |
Description |
Products Offered |
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| Fraud Mitigation | Automated fraud detection and prevention solutions that reduce incidents of check fraud, deposit fraud, check kiting, and electronic fraud. Scalable solutions are offered for community banks. | FraudLink On-Us, FraudLink Deposit, FraudLink Kite, FraudLink Positive Pay, FraudLink eTracker, FraudLink PC, CORE, FraudLink ACHeCK, eFraudLink.com, Fraud Solutions Consulting | ||
Back Office Processing |
Products that bring new efficiencies to back-office operations through leading-edge image, workflow, and RECO technologies. |
Adjustments/Express, Exceptions/Express, Input/Express, Inbound Returns/Express, Image Bulk-File, All Transactions File and Fine Sort |
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Remittance Processing |
Both host- and client/server-based platforms for improved productivity in processing retail and wholesale remittance transactions. |
NeXGen Remittance |
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Conventional Check Capture |
An extensive array of enhancement products that add flexibility and usability to IBM's Check Processing Control System (CPCS) and the IBM 3890/XP series of Document Processors. |
Conventional Capture Products, CPCS Enhancements Products, XP/Productivity Tools, Platform Emulation, NeXGen Settlement, NeXGen Balancing, LTA (Large Table Access) |
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Check Image Capture |
Products and services related to the capture, storage and delivery of check images. |
ALS & CIMS Products, NeXGen Image Processor, Image Enhancement Products, Reject Repair, RECO Technology, Image POD, Image Delivery Products, Delivery Express |
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Check Image Archive Management |
Comprehensive array of check image archive management products that may be tailored to a bank's unique requirements based on their operational environments and volumes. Carreker offers archive technology for both in-house solutions and shared outsource providers. |
Check Image Archive-AIX, Check Image Archive-MVS, Check Image Archive Load |
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Image Applications |
Applications providing new solutions that address revenue enhancement and expense reduction issues through the application of image, workflow and RECO technologies. |
Image Statements, NeXGen Remittance, + CDRom Delivery, Exceptions/Express, Inbound Returns/Express, Adjustments/Express, Input/Express, Express Capture, Payee Name Verification, Amount Encoding Verification, Image Quality Analysis |
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Global Tracking |
A complete bar code tracking system eliminates manual log sheets, automates data gathering and maximizes workflow by tracking accountable mail, branch bags, item volumes, currency bags, incoming domestic and international deposits, outgoing cash letters, exceptions and much more. |
Receive Sentry |
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eMetrics |
Performance-measurement software suite that uses historical data to generate key performance indicators, item processing volume data, productivity statistics and quality control benchmarks. |
Lumen, ProModel, eiMICR, eiStats, eiQuality, eiPerform |
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Electronic Check Presentment |
Enables banks to transition from paper-based to electronic payment systems by automating key elements of the processing stream, as well as improving a bank's yield from float management. These solutions are designed to reduce and eventually eliminate the movement of paper payments through the system, improving productivity, reducing errors, increasing customer satisfaction and reducing fraud. |
CheckLink, CheckLink PC, Deposit Manager, Branch Truncation Manager, Cnotes |
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Float Management |
Solutions that manage a bank's float through float analysis, pricing and a comprehensive consulting practice to improve profitability, reporting, workflow and check clearing operations. These products also provide critical activity summaries, aid in creating multiple availability and pricing schedules, and pinpoint the cost/profitability of any transaction or relationship. |
Float Analysis System, Float Pricing System |
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ATM Solutions |
Advanced ATM monitoring and management improving ATM availability and ensuring service levels are met. These solutions include an automated ATM monitoring and dispatching system for maximizing network availability; an Internet-based cash forecasting and inventory management desktop system for reducing cash needs by 20-40% across the enterprise; and a real-time Internet-based system for efficient handling of ATM service requests and responses. |
eiManager, eiGateway, iCom |
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Cash Solutions |
A product suite, now optimized through Web-based software solutions, that dramatically reduces the amount of cash banks, financial institutions and companies need to hold as cash-on-hand throughout vault, branch and ATM networks. These solutions also automate and standardize the cash ordering process. Consulting solutions can drive further efficiency and automation in vault, branch and ATM operations. |
iCom, ReserveLink, ReserveLink Plus, Vault Master, Cash Supply Chain Consulting |
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Logistics |
Improves margins related to the cash product by reducing operational infrastructure and cash movement (armored transportation) expense; optimizes the cash delivery channel and associated workflows; assesses the cash strategic direction, pricing components, customer approach and existing service levels. |
Cash Supply Chain Consulting |
Revenue Enhancement Solutions. The Revenue Enhancement Division includes two business units: RevE and EnAct. RevE is a highly specialized division that provides consulting services focused on tactical methods of increasing banks' fee income. The scope and depth of this practice has expanded throughout its 12 year history and now includes retail, small business, and commercial deposits, treasury management, consumer and commercial lending, credit card lending and trust and investment services. Our solutions involve developing strategies that enable our clients to take advantage of electronification
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trends, often gaining first mover advantages for our clients. In addition to developing strategies, our business model ensures that we continue to translate those strategies into tactical implementations with measurable revenue streams. Our client base has continued to expand with very high penetration rates in the markets in which we operate. Thus, we have experienced a trend of becoming longer term strategic partners with our clients.
Another component of our Revenue Enhancement Division is our business providing EnAct software and proprietary sales management methodology. Our Customer Value Management and EnAct solutions assist financial institutions in leveraging central intelligence with local insight. This enables our clients to recognize those customers and prospects representing the greatest value or potential. Our approach is unique and complimentary to many CRM investments that banks have made in recent years and is designed to focus their activities such that they can actually attain the returns that have been promised.
Global Payments Consulting. Carreker helps financial institutions pro-actively plan, prepare and optimize for the regulatory, competitive and technological impacts affecting the financial payments environment.
Our Global Payments Consulting (GPC) division provides strategic planning and implementation advisory services for financial institutions with large enterprise payment infrastructure environments. We provide payment research services, predictive financial and operational modeling, organizational design, and business planning services focused on assisting financial institutions in preparing and positioning their organization for the rapidly changing payment landscape of financial services.
GPC has specialized advisory services focused on operational and infrastructure planning, implementation and measurements associated with the changing payment technology and delivery landscape. Specific areas of focus and expertise are business infrastructure planning in image processing, float/available fund optimization, operational migration planning and fraud and risk management across all types of payments.
Customers
A majority of our revenues are generated from contracts with banks maintaining assets in excess of $5.0 billion. We currently provide services or products to each of the 20 largest banks in the United States, as measured by total assets by Sheshunoff Information Services. Our five largest customers accounted for approximately 34%, 34% and 50% of total revenues during the fiscal years ended January 31, 2003, 2002 and 2001, respectively. U.S. Bank, N.A. accounted for approximately 10% of total revenues during the year ended January 31, 2003, and Wells Fargo & Company accounted for approximately 11% of total revenues during the year ended January 31, 2002. U.S. BANK, N.A. accounted for approximately 29% of total revenues during the year ended January 31, 2001. Please see Note 14 of our Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for information about our non-U.S. customers.
Solutions Development
Our solutions development activities focus on identifying specific bank needs, prototyping and developing promising applications, test marketing new products, developing sales strategies and coordinating distribution and on-going maintenance for each of our solutions. In certain instances, we have contracted with third party software development companies to develop our solutions.
We frequently receive customer requests for new services and/or software. We strive to develop solutions in response to these requests and historically have been able to partner with our customers and share some or all of the development costs. In addition to customer-funded solutions development, we have invested significant amounts in solutions development, including expenditures of $11.3 million,
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$10.8 million, and $6.1 million for research and development in the years ended January 31, 2003, 2002 and 2001, respectively. Further, some of our key product introductions have resulted from the adaptation of products developed for customers to a wider market. In exchange for either a one-time payment and/or on-going royalties, we are often able to obtain the right to develop, enhance and market these modified products.
Technology
Our software products incorporate open systems architecture and protocols to provide scalability and functionality to interface with a bank's current and legacy systems. Our core proprietary technologies, for both our client/server and mainframe software products, are primarily directed at using a standard set of components, drivers, and application interfaces, and leveraging the quality and productivity benefits of reusable component development.
Many of our newer products operate on Windows or Unix platforms, support industry-standard Web browsers such as Microsoft Internet Explorer and AOL Netscape, and databases such as Oracle, DB2, or SQL, and can be delivered as an ASP or standard packaged product.
We continue to enhance our second-generation computer systems, which are primarily IBM mainframe-based or client server applications, and use common computer tools to integrate the data from these computer programs into our new products.
Sales and Marketing
We have developed strong relationships with many senior bank executives as a result of our delivery of solutions to many of the largest banks in the United States for over 20 years. As of January 31, 2003, we had 22 Account Relationship Managers, who are responsible for managing our day-to-day relationships with our customers. 16 are responsible for North American bank relationships, and 6 are responsible for the International bank relationships. Our Account Relationship Managers' responsibilities include identifying customers' needs and assisting our business unit teams in presenting their solutions and concluding sales. Our Account Relationship Managers work closely with our executive officers, some of whom serve as Executive Relationship Managers to our customers. We also employ technical sales support staff, who are familiar with our technology and who participate in opportunities to sell technology-based solutions.
We derive a significant portion of our business through customer referrals. In addition, we market our services through a variety of media, including:
As of January 31, 2003, we employed a marketing staff of 13 individuals, including graphics designers, writers, administrative coordinators and a Web master.
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Competition
We compete with third-party providers of services and software products to the banking industry, which include consulting firms and software companies. Many of these competitors have significantly greater financial, technical, marketing and other resources than we do. However, we believe that our market position with respect to these competitors is enhanced by virtue of our unique ability to deliver fully integrated software solutions and consulting services focused on enabling banks to identify and implement payments solutions, increase their revenues, reduce their costs and enhance their delivery of customer services. We believe that we compete based on a number of factors, including:
In addition to competing with a variety of third parties, we experience competition from our customers and potential customers when they develop, implement and maintain their own services and applications. In addition, customers or potential customers could enter into strategic relationships with one or more of our competitors to develop, market and sell competing services or products. As a result, we must demonstrate to existing and prospective customers the advantages of purchasing our services and products.
Government Regulation
Our primary customers are banks. Although the services we currently offer have not been subject to any material industry-specific government regulation, the banking industry is heavily regulated. Our products and services must allow our banking customers to comply with all applicable regulations, and as a result, we must understand the intricacies and application of many government regulations. The regulations most applicable to our provision of solutions to banks include requirements establishing minimum reserve requirements, governing funds availability and the collection and return of checks, and establishing rights, liabilities and responsibilities of parties in electronic funds transfers. For example, some of our consulting services assist banks with minimizing their reserves while complying with Federal Reserve requirements. In addition, the expedited availability and check return requirements imposed by funds availability regulations have increased fraud opportunities dramatically, and our Global Payments Technologies products and services address this concern while complying with such regulations.
While we are not directly subject to federal or state regulations specifically applicable to financial institutions, such as banks, thrifts and credit unions, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the National Credit Union Administration, the Office of Thrift Supervision, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and various state regulatory authorities typically assert the right to observe the operations of companies to which certain functions of financial institutions (such as data processing) are outsourced. These regulators may from time to time also claim the right to observe the operations of companies like us that provide software to financial institutions. In addition, financial institutions with whom we do business may from time to time require, by contract or otherwise, that evaluations of our internal controls be performed by independent auditors or by the financial institutions themselves.
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Proprietary Rights
We rely upon a combination of patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret laws, including the use of confidentiality agreements with employees, independent contractors and third parties and physical security devices to protect our proprietary technology and information. We have a number of issued patents and registered trademarks and have filed applications for additional patents and trademarks in the United States. We vigorously defend our proprietary rights.
We enter into invention assignment and confidentiality agreements with our employees and independent contractors and confidentiality agreements with certain customers. We also limit access to the source codes for our software and other proprietary information. We believe that due to the rapid pace of innovation within the software industry, factors such as the technological and creative expertise of our personnel, the quality of our solutions, the quality of our technical support and training services and the frequency of release of technology enhancements are more important to establishing and maintaining a technology leadership position than the various legal protections available for our technology.
We are not aware that we are infringing on any proprietary rights of third parties. We rely upon certain software that we license from third parties, including software that is integrated with our internally developed software and used in our solutions to perform key functions. We are not aware that any third-party software being re-sold by us is infringing upon proprietary rights of other third-parties.
Employees
As of January 31, 2003, we had 617 employees. Of these employees, 172 provided consulting services, 222 worked in the technology group, 53 performed sales and marketing, customer relations and business development functions and 170 persons performed corporate, finance and administrative functions. We have no unionized employees, and we believe that our employee relations are good.
Forward Looking Statements and Risk Factors
Forward Looking Statements
Statements in this Report and the Annual Report to the Stockholders that are not purely historical facts including statements about our expected future financial position, results of operations or cash flows, as well as other statements including words such as "anticipate," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "should," "could," "goal," "target," "designated," "on track," "comfortable with," "optimistic" and other similar expressions, constitute forward looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Actual results of the timing of some events could differ materially from those projected in or contemplated by the forward looking statements due to a number of factors, including, without limitation, those set forth below and elsewhere in this Report. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward looking statements, for no assurances can be given with respect to any forward looking statements. In addition to the other information in this Report, the following factors, which may affect our current position and future prospects, should be considered carefully in evaluating us and an investment in our common stock.
Risk Factors
Our performance depends on the banking industry, and any change in the banking industry's demand for our solutions could reduce our revenues and have a material adverse effect on our business.
We derive substantially all of our revenues from solutions provided to banks and other participants in the banking industry. Accordingly, our future success significantly depends upon this industry's continued demand for our solutions. We believe that an important factor in our growth has been
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substantial changes in the banking industry in recent years, as manifested by continuing consolidation, regulatory change, technological innovation, the emergence of the Internet and other trends. If this environment of change were to slow, we could experience reduced demand for our solutions. In addition, the banking industry is sensitive to changes in economic conditions and is highly susceptible to unforeseen events, such as domestic or foreign political instability, recession, inflation or other adverse occurrences that may result in a significant decline in the utilization of bank services. Furthermore, due to concerns regarding data security and other factors, banks have been and may in the future be hesitant to adopt electronic solutions, which can adversely affect the demand for our solutions. Any event that results in decreased consumer or corporate use of bank services, or increased pressures on banks towards the in-house development and implementation of revenue enhancement or cost reduction measures, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our inability to respond to a decline in check volumes could reduce our revenues and have a material adverse effect on our business.
We have in the past derived a significant portion of our revenues from check related products and services. A decline in check volumes could have a material adverse effect on our business. If banks and merchants decide to use pricing incentives to further stimulate a decline in check usage, this decline in usage could accelerate. Our future success depends on our ability to leverage existing competencies to support emerging payments types, and to define and develop new solutions addressing those payment types. If we are unable to capitalize on these competencies to generate new revenues to offset any loss of revenues arising as a result of a decline in check usage, then our business could be adversely affected.
Many factors, some beyond our control, could cause fluctuations in our operating results, which could result in a lower market price for our common stock.
We have experienced in the past, and expect to experience in the future, significant fluctuations in quarterly operating results. Such fluctuations may be caused by many factors, including but not limited to:
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Due to the foregoing factors, many of which are beyond our control, our quarterly revenues and operating results are difficult to forecast. It is possible that our future quarterly results of operations from time to time will not meet the expectations of securities analysts or investors, which could have a material adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.
Our use of fixed-price and value-priced arrangements for customer projects could reduce our revenues and net income, which could result in decreased operating margins or losses.
We primarily price our solutions on a time-and-materials, fixed-price or value-priced basis. In connection with fixed-price projects, we occasionally incur costs in excess of our projections and as a result achieve lower margins than expected or may incur losses with respect to projects. In connection with value-priced projects, we are paid based on an agreed percentage of either projected or actual increased revenues or decreased costs derived by the bank generally over a period of up to twelve months following the implementation of our solutions. We typically must first commit time and resources to develop such projections before a bank will commit to purchase our solutions and therefore assume the risk of making these commitments and incurring related expenses with no assurance that the bank will purchase the solutions. In addition, from time to time, a customer will not achieve projected revenues or savings because it belatedly decides not to implement our solutions or the solutions do not produce the projected results, in which case we may not be able to collect any or all of the fees provided for in the customer's contract. The nature of our fixed-priced and value-priced arrangements can result in decreased operating margins or losses and could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We do not typically enter into long-term agreements with our customers, which makes it more difficult to plan and efficiently allocate our resources, and any deferral, modification or cancellation of a customer project can adversely affect our operating results.
We typically provide services to customers on a project-by-project basis without long-term agreements. When a customer defers, modifies or cancels a project, we must be able to rapidly re-deploy our personnel to other projects in order to minimize the under-utilization of our personnel and the resulting adverse impact on operating results. In addition, our operating expenses are relatively fixed and cannot be reduced on short notice to compensate for unanticipated variations in the number or size of projects in progress. As a result, any delay, modification or cancellation of a customer project, or any disruption of our business relationships with any of our significant customers or with a number of smaller customers could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We have experienced growth in our business, and there can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain this growth rate. If we are able to maintain it, our operational and financial resources could be strained, which could cause us to lose customers, prevent us from obtaining new customers and increase our operating expenses.
We have experienced significant growth in recent years, but there can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain this growth rate. If we are not successful in maintaining this growth rate, our business could be negatively affected. To be successful in maintaining our growth rate, we anticipate that additional expansion may be required in order to address potential market opportunities. Any further growth would place further demands on our management, operational capacity and financial resources. We anticipate that we will need to recruit qualified personnel in all areas of our operations, including management, sales, marketing, delivery and software development. There can be no assurance that we will be effective in attracting and retaining additional qualified personnel, expanding our operational capacity or otherwise managing growth. In addition, there can be no assurance that our systems, procedures or controls will be adequate to support any expansion of our operations. As a
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result of acquisitions and continued growth, the needs of our management information systems are expected to expand and change, which could result in the implementation of new or modified management information systems and procedures. This may necessitate additional training of existing personnel or the hiring of additional personnel. If we cannot implement new, or modified, management information systems in a timely manner, our ability to manage growth effectively or generate timely operating and financial reports could be materially and adversely affected. The failure to manage growth effectively could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our future success significantly depends on the experience of our key personnel, and the loss of any one of them could impair our ability to do business.
Our future success depends, in significant part, upon the continued services of John D. Carreker, Jr., our Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, as well as other executive officers and key personnel. The loss of services of Mr. Carreker or one or more of our other executive officers or key employees could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations, and there can be no assurance that we will be able to retain our executive officers or key personnel. We do not maintain key-man life insurance covering any of our executive officers or other key personnel.
Our software and solutions may contain defects or errors, which could adversely affect our business and subject us to liability claims.
Our solutions at times in the past have been, and in the future may be, incompatible with the operating environments of our customers or inappropriate to address their needs, resulting in additional costs being incurred by us in rendering services to our customers. Further, like other software products, our software occasionally has contained undetected errors, or "bugs," which become apparent through use of the software. Because our new or enhanced software initially is installed at a limited number of sites and operated by a limited number of users, such errors and/or incompatibilities may not be detected for a number of months after delivery of the software. The foregoing errors in the past have resulted in the deployment of our personnel and funds to cure errors, occasionally resulting in cost overruns and delays in solutions development and enhancement. Moreover, solutions with substantial errors could be rejected by or result in damages to customers, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. There can be no assurance that errors or defects will not be discovered in the future, potentially causing delays in solution implementation or requiring design modifications that could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. It is also possible that errors or defects in our solutions could give rise to liability claims against us.
Our future success depends on our ability to develop new technologies and services to meet the changing needs of our current and future customers, and our inability to introduce new solutions could negatively impact our ability to do business and maintain our financial condition.
We regularly undertake new projects and initiatives in order to meet the changing needs of our customers. In so doing, we invest substantial resources with no assurance of their ultimate success. We believe our future success will depend, in part, upon our ability to:
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There can be no assurance that future advances in technology will be beneficial to, or compatible with, our business or that we will be able to incorporate such advances into our business. In addition, keeping abreast of technological advances in our business may require substantial expenditures and lead-time. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in using new technologies, adapting our solutions to emerging industry standards or developing, introducing and marketing solution enhancements or new solutions, or that we will not experience difficulties that could delay or prevent the successful development, introduction or marketing of these solutions. If we incur increased costs or are unable, for technical or other reasons, to develop and introduce new solutions or enhancements of existing solutions in a timely manner in response to changing market conditions or customer requirements, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
Our focus on providing an application service provider, or ASP, software hosting model subjects us to risks associated with an increased dependence on third-party providers and the Internet.
Our ASP software hosting model gives rise to numerous risks, particularly risks related to our heightened dependence on third party providers and the Internet. The success of our ASP software hosting model partially depends on the performance of the third party application service provider with whom we have contracted to provide software hosting services. In addition, we are also dependent on the Internet as a reliable network backbone capable of supporting our customers' use of our software. There can be no assurance that our solutions that rely on Internet access will be protected against disruptions, delays or losses due to technical difficulties, natural causes or security breaches. These problems may adversely affect the success of our ASP software hosting model and could negatively impact our operating results. We may also be subject to any governmental adoption of regulations that charge Internet access fees or impose taxes on subscriptions. Increasingly, there are new laws and regulations that specifically regulate the Internet. Such laws and regulations, when adopted, may increase our operating expenses.
Our focus on providing business process outsourcing, or BPO, with a significant offshore component subjects us to risks associated with new markets, new competition, cross border and geopolitical risks and a dependence on third-party providers.
Our BPO business model gives rise to numerous risks, particularly risks related to our dependence on third party providers operating in distant geographic regions and those associated with entering a new market with competitors who may have significantly more resources than we do. The success of our BPO model partially depends on the performance of the offshore third party service provider with whom we have contracted to provide BPO services to our clients. In addition, we have to compete on the basis of a number of factors including the attractiveness and breadth of the business strategy and services that we offer, pricing, technological innovation, quality of service, ability to invest in or acquire assets of potential customers, and our scale in certain industries or geographic regions. Because some of these factors are outside of our control and because many of our competitors may have greater financial resources, larger customer bases, and larger technical, sales and marketing resources, we cannot be sure that we will compete successfully against them in the future. If we fail to compete successfully against our competitors with respect to these or other factors, our business, financial condition, and results of operations will be materially and adversely affected.
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There is competition in our industry for qualified banking professionals and technical and managerial personnel, and our failure to attract and retain these people could affect our ability to respond to banking and technological change and to increase our revenues.
Our future success depends upon our continuing ability to attract and retain highly qualified banking, technical and managerial personnel. Competition for such personnel has at times caused difficulties in attracting the desired number of such individuals. Further, our employees have left us to work in-house with our customers and with our competitors. There can be no assurance that we will be able to attract or retain a sufficient number of highly qualified employees or independent contractors in the future. If we are unable to attract personnel in key positions, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
A small number of customers account for a substantial portion of our business, so the loss of any one of them could have an adverse impact on our business and financial condition.
Our five largest customers accounted for approximately 34%, 34% and 50% of total revenues during the fiscal years ended January 31, 2003, 2002, 2001, respectively. Our significant customers have changed from period to period. However, a significant portion of our current revenues is derived from customers who were major customers in prior years, and we are therefore dependent to a significant degree on our ability to maintain our existing relationships with these customers. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in maintaining our existing customer relationships or in securing additional customers, and there can be no assurance that we can retain or increase the volume of business that we do with such customers. In particular, continuing consolidation within the banking industry may result in the loss of one or more significant customers. Any failure by us to retain one or more of our large customers, maintain or increase the volume of business done for such customers or establish profitable relationships with additional customers could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our indebtedness could adversely affect our financial condition.
In June 2001, we completed a revolving credit facility and borrowed on the line to facilitate the purchase of Check Solutions Company. Our indebtedness could have important consequences for our business. For example, it could:
During the quarter ended January 31, 2003, we were granted a waiver until April 30, 2003 to file our quarterly financial statements and corresponding compliance certification for the quarter ended October 31, 2002. While we believe that we will meet the financial covenant targets, there can be no assurance that we will be able to do so and, if we are not able to meet these targets, what actions our lenders might take.
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We face increased competition that could result in price reductions, fewer customer orders and loss of market share, any of which could materially and adversely affect our business.
We compete with third-party providers of services and software products to the banking industry that include consulting firms and software companies. Many of our competitors have significantly greater financial, technical, marketing and other resources than we do. Our competitors may be able to respond more quickly to new or emerging technologies and changes in customer requirements or to devote greater resources to the development, promotion and sale of their products than we can. Also, several of our current and potential competitors have greater name recognition and larger customer bases that such competitors could leverage to increase market share at our expense. We expect to face increased competition as other established and emerging companies enter the banking services market. Increased competition could result in price reductions, fewer customer orders and loss of market share, any of which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. There can be no assurance that we will be able to compete successfully against current or future competitors, and the failure to do so would have a material adverse effect upon our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition to competing with a variety of third parties, we experience competition from our customers and potential customers. From time to time, these potential customers develop, implement and maintain their own services and applications for revenue enhancements, cost reductions and/or enhanced customer services, rather than purchasing services and related products from third parties. There can be no assurance that these customers or other potential customers will perceive sufficient value in our solutions to justify investing in them. In addition, customers or potential customers could enter into strategic relationships with one or more of our competitors to develop, market and sell competing services or products.
We may be unable to fully benefit from our strategic alliances and acquisitions, which could negatively affect our business and hinder our ability to realize expected benefits.
We regularly evaluate opportunities and may enter into strategic alliances, or make acquisitions of other businesses, products or technologies. Risks inherent in alliances may include, among others:
Acquisitions involve numerous risks, including:
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There can be no assurance that we will be successful in identifying and entering into strategic alliances or making acquisitions, if at all, and any inability to do so could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We expect that future acquisitions, if any, could provide for consideration to be paid in cash, shares of our common stock, or a combination of cash and our common stock. If the consideration for an acquisition transaction is paid in common stock, this could further dilute existing stockholders. Any impairment or amortization of a significant amount of goodwill or other assets resulting from an acquisition transaction could materially impair our operating results and financial condition.
Our inability to protect adequately our proprietary technology or to prevent its unauthorized use could divert our financial resources and cause significant expenditures, which could materially harm our business.
Our success significantly depends upon our proprietary technology and information. We rely upon a combination of patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret laws and confidentiality procedures to protect our proprietary technology and information. We have a number of issued patents and registered trademarks. There can be no assurance that the steps we have taken to protect our services and products are adequate to prevent misappropriation of our technology or that our competitors independently will not develop technologies that are substantially equivalent or superior to our technology. Furthermore, it is very difficult to police unauthorized use of our software due to the nature of software. Any such misappropriation of our proprietary technology or information or the development of competitive technologies could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, the laws of some countries in which our software is distributed do not protect our intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States. For example, the laws of a number of foreign jurisdictions in which we license our software protect trademarks solely on the basis of the first to register. We currently do not possess any trademark registrations in foreign jurisdictions, although we do have copyright protection of our software under the provisions of various international conventions. Accordingly, intellectual property protection of our services and products may be ineffective in many foreign countries. In summary, there can be no assurance that the protection provided by the laws of the United States or such foreign jurisdictions will be sufficient to protect our proprietary technology or information.
Infringement claims by third parties can subject us to substantial liability and expenses and can impair our ability to sell our solutions.
We may need to litigate claims against third parties to enforce our intellectual property rights, protect our trade secrets, determine the validity and scope of the proprietary rights of others or defend against claims of infringement or invalidity. We may be required to incur significant costs in reaching a
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resolution to the asserted claims, or any other claims that may be asserted against us. There can be no assurance that the resolution of a claim would not require us to pay damages or obtain a license to the third party's intellectual property rights in order to continue licensing our software as currently offered or, if such a third-party license is required, that it would be available on terms acceptable to us. The resolution of claims may also divert our management resources. If we cannot adequately protect our proprietary rights, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.
We depend on third parties for technology licenses, and if we cannot obtain satisfactory licenses our business could suffer.
Some technology used in our current software and software in development includes technology licensed from third parties. These licenses generally require us to pay royalties and to fulfill confidentiality obligations. The termination of any such licenses, or the failure of the third party licensors to adequately maintain or update their products, could result in delays in our ability to implement solutions or in delays in the introduction of our new or enhanced solutions while we search for similar technology from alternative sources, if any, which could prove costly. Any need to implement alternative technology could prove to be very expensive for us, and any delay in solution implementation could result in a material adverse effect on the business, financial condition and results of our operations. It may also be necessary or desirable in the future to obtain additional licenses for use of third-party products in our solutions, and there can be no assurance that we will be able to do so on commercially reasonable terms, if at all.
We may face liability claims related to the use of our solutions, including those which arise out of the use of our ASP software hosting model, and the defense of these claims could have a negative effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition.
As a result of our provision of solutions that address critical functions of bank operations, we are exposed to possible liability claims from banks and their customers. Although we have not experienced any material liability claims to date, there can be no assurance that we will not become subject to such claims in the future. A liability claim against us could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our ASP software hosting model requires the storage and transmission of sensitive business information of our customers electronically over the Internet. The difficulty of securely storing confidential information electronically has been a significant issue in conducting electronic commerce and in carrying out banking operations over the Internet. Our ASP software hosting model requires us to spend significant capital and other resources to protect against the threat of security breaches or computer viruses, or to alleviate problems caused by breaches or viruses. To the extent that our activities or the activities of our customers require the storage and transmission of confidential information, such as banking records or credit information, security breaches and viruses could expose us to claims, litigation or other possible liabilities. Our inability to prevent security breaches or computer viruses could also cause our customers to lose confidence in our solutions and terminate their relationships with us.
The ultimate resolution of the class action lawsuits may have a material adverse effect on our business.
We are unable to predict or determine the final outcome of the class action lawsuits described under "Item 3. Legal Proceedings," and the effect of these proceedings on our financial results, our business or our management. In addition, it is not feasible to estimate the amounts or potential range of losses with respect thereto. The potential outcomes or resolutions of the class action lawsuits could include judgments against us or settlements that could require substantial payments by us. In addition,
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the timing of the final resolution of these matters is uncertain. We believe that material adverse outcomes with respect to the class action lawsuits could have a material adverse effect on our financial results, our business or our management.
Our stock price has fluctuated significantly, sometimes for reasons unrelated to our performance.
There has been significant volatility in the market price of our common stock, as well as in the market price of securities of many companies in the technology and emerging growth sectors. Factors which may have a significant impact on the market price of our common stock include the following:
We believe that factors such as quarterly fluctuations in financial results or announcements by us, our competitors, banks and other bank industry participants could cause the market price of our common stock to fluctuate substantially. In addition, the stock market may experience extreme price and volume fluctuations that often are unrelated to the operating performance of specific companies. Market fluctuations or perceptions regarding the banking industry and general economic or political conditions may adversely affect the market price of the common stock.
In the event we fail to meet any of the terms of the exception granted permitting the continued listing of our common stock on The NASDAQ National Market, our common stock may be delisted from The NASDAQ Stock Market.
As previously announced, on February 21, 2003 The NASDAQ Listing Qualifications Panel granted an exception permitting the continued listing of our common stock on The NASDAQ National Market, subject to our compliance with certain specified items. These terms include the requirement that we file our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended October 31, 2002, as well as this Annual Report on Form 10-K containing all necessary restatements on or before April 30, 2003. We have met this requirement. Other terms of the exception include a provision providing that in the event of our failure to timely file any periodic report with the SEC and NASDAQ for any reporting period ending on or before January 31, 2004, our common stock may be subject to immediate delisting from The NASDAQ Stock Market. Further, any failure on our part to comply with any NASDAQ continued listing requirement during the period through January 31, 2004 will result in our need to demonstrate compliance with all continued listing requirements in order for our common stock to remain listed on The NASDAQ Stock Market. The panel also expressly reserved the right to terminate or modify the terms of the exception upon its review of our reported financial results. In the event of our failure to comply with any terms of the exception, our common stock will be subject to delisting from The NASDAQ Stock Market.
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We face risks in connection with the expansion of our international operations, which could have a negative impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We provide solutions to banks outside the United States, and a key component of our growth strategy is to broaden our international operations. In addition, our provision of business process outsourcing involves a significant offshore component. Our international operations are subject to risks inherent in the conduct of international business, including:
Some of our international sales are denominated in local currencies, and the impact of future exchange rate fluctuations on our financial condition and results of operations cannot be accurately predicted. There can be no assurance that fluctuations in currency exchange rates in the future will not have a material adverse effect on revenue from international sales and thus our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our use of independent contractors exposes us to legal and tax risks which, if determined against us, could adversely affect our business and financial condition.
We often provide solutions through independent contractors. As we do not treat these individuals as our employees, we do not pay federal or state employment taxes or withhold federal or state employment or income taxes from compensation paid to such persons. We also do not consider these persons eligible for coverage or benefits provided under our employee benefit plans or include these persons when evaluating the compliance of our employee benefit plans with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code. Additionally, we do not treat such persons as employees for purposes of worker's compensation, labor and employment, or other legal purposes. From time to time, we may face legal challenges to the appropriateness of the characterization of these individuals as independent contractors from governmental agencies, the independent contractors themselves or some other person or entity. The determination of such a legal challenge generally will be determined on a case-by-case basis in view of the particular facts of each case. The fact specific nature of this determination raises the risk that from time to time an individual that we have characterized as an independent contractor will be reclassified as an employee for these or other legal purposes.
In the event persons engaged by us as independent contractors are determined to be employees by the Internal Revenue Service or any applicable taxing authority, we would be required to pay applicable federal and state employment taxes and withhold income taxes with respect to these individuals and could become liable for amounts required to be paid or withheld in prior periods and for costs, penalties and interest thereon. In addition, we could be required to include these individuals in our employee benefit plans on a retroactive, as well as a current, basis. Furthermore, depending on the party that makes the legal challenge and the remedy sought, we could be subject to other liabilities
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sought by governmental authorities or private persons. During the fiscal year 2002 we used approximately 34 independent contractors. Any challenge by the IRS, state authorities or private litigants resulting in a determination that these individuals are employees could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
From time to time new legislation may be proposed to establish more stringent requirements for the engagement of independent contractors. We are unable to assess the likelihood that any such legislation will be enacted. Further, our ability to retain independent contractors could in the future deteriorate, due in part to the lower commitment level that these contractors have to us.
Government regulation and legal uncertainties could force us to change our operations, which could have a material adverse effect on our ability to maintain our current business.
Our primary customers are banks. Although the solutions that we currently offer have not been subject to any material, specific government regulation, the banking industry is regulated heavily, and we expect that such regulation will affect the relative demand for our solutions. While we are not directly subject to federal or state regulations specifically applicable to financial institutions, such as banks, thrifts and credit unions, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the National Credit Union Administration, the Office of Thrift Supervision, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and various state regulatory authorities typically assert the right to observe the operations of companies to which certain functions of financial institutions (such as data processing) are outsourced. These regulators may from time to time also claim the right to observe the operations of companies like us that provide software to financial institutions. In addition, financial institutions with whom we do business may from time to time require, by contract or otherwise, that evaluations of our internal controls be performed by independent auditors or by the financial institutions themselves. There can be no assurance that federal, state or foreign governmental authorities will not adopt new regulations, and any adoption of new regulations could require us to modify our current or future solutions. The adoption of laws or regulations affecting us or our customers' businesses could reduce our growth rate or could otherwise have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents and under Delaware law could prevent or delay potential acquisition bids, including bids which may be beneficial to our stockholders.
Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws contain provisions that may have the effect of delaying, deterring or preventing a potential takeover that our stockholders may consider to be in their best interests. The certificate and bylaws provide for a classified board of directors serving staggered terms of three years, prevent stockholders from calling a special meeting of stockholders and prohibit stockholder action by written consent. The certificate also authorizes only the board of directors to fill vacancies, including newly-created directorships, and states that our directors may be removed only for cause and only by the affirmative vote of holders of at least two-thirds of the outstanding shares of the voting stock, voting together as a single class. In addition, our board of directors may issue up to 2,000,000 shares of preferred stock in one or more series and can fix the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions thereof without any further vote or action by our stockholders. The issuance of shares of preferred stock may prevent or delay a change of control transaction.
In addition, Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which is applicable to us, restricts certain business combinations with interested stockholders even if such a combination would be beneficial to stockholders. These provisions may inhibit a non-negotiated merger or other business combination. The anti-takeover provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law prevent us from engaging in a "business combination" with any "interested stockholder" for three years following the date that the stockholder became an interested stockholder. For purposes of Delaware law, a "business combination" includes a merger or consolidation involving us and the interested stockholder and the
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sale of more than 10% of our assets. In general, Delaware law defines an "interested stockholder" as any entity or person beneficially owning more than 15% of the outstanding voting stock of a corporation and any entity or person affiliated with or controlling or controlled by such entity or person. Under Delaware law, a Delaware corporation may opt out of the anti-takeover provisions. We do not intend to opt out of these anti-takeover provisions.
The foregoing provisions could discourage potential acquisition proposals and could delay or prevent a change in control transaction. They could also discourage others from making tender offers for our shares. As a result, these provisions may prevent the market price of our common stock from reflecting the effects of actual or rumored takeover attempts. These provisions may also prevent significant changes in our board of directors and management.
The adoption of the Financial Accounting Standards Board Statement of Financial Accounting Standard No. 142, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets as of February 1, 2002 could adversely affect our future results of operations and financial position.
In June 2001, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standard No. 142, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets (SFAS 142), effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2001. Under SFAS 142, goodwill and intangible assets deemed to have indefinite lives will no longer be amortized but will be subject to annual impairment tests in accordance with the Statement. There can be no assurance that such tests will not result in a determination that these assets have been impaired. If at any time it is determined that an impairment has occurred, we will be required to reflect the impaired value as a charge resulting in a reduction in earnings in the quarter such impairment is identified and a corresponding reduction in the net asset value of the Company. The Company recorded a goodwill impairment charge of $46.0 million in the quarterly period ended January 31, 2003 due to the decline in the Company's market valuation. Goodwill that remains recorded at January 31, 2003 was $21.2 million. Further declines in market conditions, increases in interest rates and changes in projections with respect to the Global Payments Technologies reporting unit in which goodwill is allocated could result in additional impairment charges in the future.
We cannot predict every event and circumstance which may impact our business and, therefore, the risks and uncertainties discussed above may not be the only ones you should consider.
The risks and uncertainties discussed above are in addition to those that apply to most businesses generally. In addition, as we continue to grow our business, we may encounter other risks of which we are not aware at this time. These additional risks may cause serious damage to our business in the future, the impact of which we cannot estimate at this time.
Our principal executive office is a leased facility with approximately 72,443 square feet of space in Dallas, Texas. The lease agreement for this space expires on May 31, 2010. We also lease approximately 45,757 square feet in Memphis, Tennessee pursuant to a lease agreement which expires August 31, 2005 and approximately 40,307 square feet in Charlotte, North Carolina pursuant to a lease agreement which expires December 31, 2008. We believe that our facilities are well maintained and in good operating condition and are adequate for our present and anticipated levels of operations
On April 16, 2003 the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division, issued an order consolidating a number of purported class action lawsuits against the Company, John D. Carreker Jr. and Terry L. Gage into a Consolidated Action styled In re Carreker Corporation Securities Litigation, Civil Action No. 303CV0250-M. Also, on March 3, 2003, Claude
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Alton Coulter filed a purported class action lawsuit (Civil Action No. 503-CV-5-Q) against the Company, John D. Carreker Jr. and Terry L. Gage in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Texarkana Division. These complaints, filed on behalf of purchasers of our common stock between May 20, 1998 and December 10, 2002, inclusive, allege violations of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 against all defendants and violations of Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act against the individual defendants. These complaints also allege, among other things, that defendants artificially inflated the value of Carreker stock by knowingly or recklessly misrepresenting the Company's financial results during the purported class period. The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified amounts of compensatory damages, interests and costs, including legal fees.
The Company denies the allegations in these complaints and intends to defend itself vigorously.
Earnings Performance Group ("EPG") filed a complaint on or about September 16, 1998 in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Law Division, Essex County seeking to enjoin and restrain the Company from using any EPG confidential or proprietary information or trade secrets and from employing any former EPG employee in such a manner that disclosure or use of an EPG confidential or proprietary information or trade secret would be likely. EPG also seeks (a) an accounting of any profits realized from or attributable to the use of any EPG confidential or proprietary information or trade secret, (b) compensatory and exemplary damages, plus interest and (c) attorneys' fees and costs of suit. On October 14, 1998, the Company removed the case to the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. The Company answered the complaint on November 4, 1998, essentially denying the allegations and setting forth various affirmative defenses. On November 20, 1998, the Company filed an Amended Answer, Separate Defenses and Counterclaim. In the Counterclaim the Company asserts claims for (a) restraint of trade, (b) tortuous interference with contractual relationships, (c) unfair competition and (d) interference w