10-Q 1 d10q.htm FORM 10-Q Form 10-Q
Table of Contents

 

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 


 

FORM 10-Q

 

x QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15 (d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the quarterly period ending September 30, 2003

 

¨ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15 (d) OF THE SECURITIES  EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the transition period from                          to                         

 

Commission file number 0-23489

 


 

Access Worldwide Communications, Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

 

Delaware   52-1309227
(State or Other Jurisdiction of
Incorporation or Organization)
  (I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)
4950 Communication Avenue, Suite 300
Boca Raton, Florida
  33431
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)   (Zip Code)

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code (561) 226-5000

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each class.


 

Name of each exchange on which registered.


None

  None

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

 

Common Stock, $0.01 par value

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 as the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes x No ¨

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ¨ No x

 

The number of shares outstanding of the registrant’s common stock, $.01 par value, as of November 14, 2003 was 9,740,501.

 



Table of Contents

 

ACCESS WORLDWIDE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.

 

INDEX

 

         Page

Part I—Financial Information     
Item 1.  

Financial Statements

    
   

Consolidated Balance Sheets – September 30, 2003 (unaudited) and December 31, 2002

   1
   

Consolidated Statements of Operations (unaudited) – Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2003 and September 30, 2002

   2
   

Consolidated Statement of Changes in Stockholders’ (Deficit) Equity – Nine Months Ended September 30, 2003 (unaudited)

   3
   

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows – Nine Months Ended September 30, 2003 and September 30, 2002 (unaudited)

   4
   

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

   5-12
Item 2.  

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

   12-16
Item 3.  

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

   16
Item 4.  

Controls and Procedures

   16
Part II—Other Information     
Item 1.  

Legal Proceedings

   16
Item 2.  

Changes in Securities and Use of Proceeds

   17
Item 3.  

Defaults Upon Senior Securities

   17
Item 6.  

Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K

   17
   

Signatures

   17
   

Certifications

    


Table of Contents

 

PART I—FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 

ITEM 1.   FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

ACCESS WORLDWIDE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.

 

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

 

     September 30,
2003
(Unaudited)


    December 31,
2002


 

ASSETS

                

Current assets:

                

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 448,604     $ 2,197,209  

Restricted cash

     123,000       —    

Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $660,889 and $129,430, respectively

     8,914,642       9,663,853  

Unbilled receivables

     2,059,685       3,005,335  

Other assets, net

     1,904,859       528,053  
    


 


Total current assets

     13,450,790       15,394,450  

Property and equipment, net

     4,176,542       4,804,536  

Intangible assets, net

     —         9,062,900  

Restricted cash

     711,000       —    

Other assets, net

     425,302       168,854  
    


 


Total assets

   $ 18,763,634     $ 29,430,740  
    


 


LIABILITIES AND COMMON STOCKHOLDERS’ (DEFICIT) EQUITY                 

Current liabilities:

                

Current portion of indebtedness

   $ 3,575,836     $ 5,255,559  

Current portion of indebtedness – related parties

     383,334       1,724,291  

Accounts payable and accrued expenses

     7,863,570       8,540,869  

Deferred revenue

     3,291,775       717,310  

Accrued salaries, wages and related benefits

     1,321,453       2,199,862  

Accrued interest and other related party expenses

     13,305       23,990  
    


 


Total current liabilities

     16,449,273       18,461,881  

Long-term portion of indebtedness

     129,567       51,564  

Other long-term liabilities

     286,053       314,259  

Convertible Notes, net

     1,448,140       —    

Mandatorily redeemable preferred stock, $0.01 par value:

                

2,000,000 shares authorized, 40,000 shares issued and outstanding

     4,000,000       4,000,000  
    


 


Total liabilities

     22,313,033       22,827,704  
    


 


Commitments and contingencies

                

Common stockholders’ (deficit) equity:

                

Common stock, $.01 par value: voting: 20,000,000 shares authorized; 9,740,501 and 9,740,001 shares issued and outstanding, respectively

     97,405       97,400  

Additional paid-in capital

     64,362,294       63,636,069  

Accumulated deficit

     (67,981,048 )     (57,130,433 )

Unearned stock compensation

     (28,050 )     —    
    


 


Total common stockholders’ (deficit) equity

     (3,549,399 )     6,603,036  
    


 


Total liabilities and common stockholders’ (deficit) equity

   $ 18,763,634     $ 29,430,740  
    


 


 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

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Table of Contents

ACCESS WORLDWIDE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.

 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (UNAUDITED)

 

     Three Months Ended
September 30,


    Nine Months Ended
September 30,


 
     2003

    2002

    2003

    2002

 

Revenues

   $ 10,770,036     $ 11,246,562     $ 36,969,317     $ 35,510,638  

Cost of revenues

     6,781,065       6,689,396       24,423,376       22,406,750  
    


 


 


 


Gross profit

     3,988,971       4,557,166       12,545,941       13,103,888  

Selling, general and administrative expenses

     (4,438,705 )     (4,481,619 )     (14,396,811 )     (12,957,328 )

Impairment of intangible assets

     (8,951,856 )     —         (8,951,856 )     —    

Gain on extinguishment of indebtedness – related party

     —         —         299,555       —    

Amortization expense

     (37,036 )     (60,534 )     (111,044 )     (181,602 )
    


 


 


 


(Loss) income from operations

     (9,438,626 )     15,013       (10,614,215 )     (35,042 )

Interest income

     3,141       9,532       12,180       26,189  

Interest income—related parties

     —         —         —         197,484  

Interest expense—related parties

     (31,459 )     (66,091 )     (99,637 )     (230,556 )

Interest expense

     (344,858 )     (107,397 )     (695,147 )     (401,420 )
    


 


 


 


Loss before income tax benefit

     (9,811,802 )     (148,943 )     (11,396,819 )     (443,345 )

Income tax benefit

     546,204       —         546,204       —    
    


 


 


 


Loss from continuing operations

     (9,265,598 )     (148,943 )     (10,850,615 )     (443,345 )
    


 


 


 


Discontinued operations (Note 11):

                                

Loss from discontinued operations, net of income tax benefit of $0 and $(107,873) for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2002, respectively

     —         —         —         (467,838 )

Gain on disposal of segments, net of income tax expense of $45,458 and $1,594,638 for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2002, respectively

     —         97,543       —         8,451,760  
    


 


 


 


       —         97,543       —         7,983,922  
    


 


 


 


Net (loss) income

   $ (9,265,598 )   $ (51,400 )   $ (10,850,615 )   $ 7,540,577  
    


 


 


 


Basic (loss) earnings per share of common stock:

                                

Continuing operations

   $ (0.95 )   $ (0.02 )   $ (1.11 )   $ (0.05 )

Discontinued operations

     0.00       0.01       0.00       0.82  

Net (loss) income

   $ (0.95 )   $ (0.01 )   $ (1.11 )   $ 0.77  

Weighted average common shares outstanding

     9,740,501       9,740,001       9,740,390       9,740,001  

Diluted (loss) earnings per share of common stock:

                                

Continuing operations

   $ (0.95 )   $ (0.02 )   $ (1.11 )   $ (0.05 )

Discontinued operations

     0.00       0.01       0.00       0.82  

Net (loss) income

   $ (0.95 )   $ (0.01 )   $ (1.11 )   $ 0.77  

Weighted average common shares outstanding

     9,740,501       9,740,001       9,740,390       9,740,001  

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

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ACCESS WORLDWIDE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.

 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN COMMON STOCKHOLDERS’ (DEFICIT) EQUITY

(UNAUDITED)

 

FOR THE NINE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2003

 

     Common Stock

  

Additional
Paid-in

Capital


  

Accumulated

Deficit


   

Deferred

Compensation


    Total

 
   Shares

   Amount

         

Balance, December 31, 2002

   9,740,001    $ 97,400    $ 63,636,069    $ (57,130,433 )     —       $ 6,603,036  

Unearned compensation expense

   —        —        33,000      —       $ (33,000 )     —    

Issuance of warrants in connection with Convertible Notes

   —        —        546,000      —         —         546,000  

Beneficial conversion feature associated with Convertible Notes

   —        —        147,000      —         —         147,000  

Amortization of unearned stock compensation

   —        —        —        —         4,950       4,950  

Stock options exercised

   500      5      225      —         —         230  

Net loss

   —        —        —        (10,850,615 )     —         (10,850,615 )
    
  

  

  


 


 


Balance, September 30, 2003

   9,740,501    $ 97,405    $ 64,362,294    $ (67,981,048 )   $ (28,050 )   $ (3,549,399 )
    
  

  

  


 


 


 

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ACCESS WORLDWIDE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.

 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (UNAUDITED)

 

FOR THE NINE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30,

 

     2003

    2002

 

Cash flows from operating activities:

                

Net (loss) income

   $ (10,850,615 )   $ 7,540,577  

Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) income to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:

                

Depreciation and amortization

     1,245,092       1,365,057  

Impairment of intangible assets

     8,951,856       —    

Gain on extinguishment of indebtedness – related party

     (299,555 )     —    

Amortization of deferred financing costs

     246,745       229,966  

Amortization of unearned stock compensation

     4,950       —    

Gain on disposition of discontinued operations

     —         (10,046,398 )

Changes in discontinued operations

     —         (694,922 )

Allowance for doubtful accounts

     531,459       117,029  

Accretion of discount on Convertible Notes

     41,140       —    

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

                

Accounts receivables

     217,752       (2,077,459 )

Unbilled receivables

     945,650       55,475  

Other assets

     (1,531,978 )     2,104,750  

Accounts payable and accrued expenses

     (705,505 )     (1,891,347 )

Accrued interest and other related party expenses

     385,876       (4,707 )

Accrued salaries, wages and related benefits

     (878,410 )     527,683  

Deferred revenue and customer deposits

     2,574,466       (43,945 )
    


 


Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities

     878,923       (2,818,241 )
    


 


Cash flows from investing activities:

                

Additions to property and equipment, net

     (428,051 )     (577,653 )

Increase in restricted cash

     (834,000 )     —    

Additions to property and equipment from discontinued operations, net

     —         (267,830 )

Net proceeds from sale of discontinued operations

     —         31,832,681  
    


 


Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities

     (1,262,051 )     30,987,198  
    


 


Cash flows from financing activities:

                

Payments of capital leases

     (12,325 )     (20,607 )

Issuance of common stock

     230       —    

Net payments under Credit Facility and Debt Agreement

     (1,667,398 )     (29,165,741 )

Proceeds from issuance of Convertible Notes

     2,100,000       —    

Payment of loan origination fees

     (744,582 )     —    

Payments on related party debt

     (1,041,402 )     (1,139,773 )
    


 


Net cash used in financing activities

     (1,365,477 )     (30,326,121 )
    


 


Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents

     (1,748,605 )     (2,157,164 )

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period

     2,197,209       3,373,422  
    


 


Cash and cash equivalents, end of period

   $ 448,604     $ 1,216,258  
    


 


Supplemental disclosures

                

Non-cash investing and financing activities:

                

Equipment acquisitions through capital leases

     78,003       —    

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

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Table of Contents

ACCESS WORLDWIDE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.

 

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

1. BASIS OF PRESENTATION

 

The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements of Access Worldwide Communications, Inc. (“Access Worldwide,” “we,” “our,” “us,” or the “Company”) have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America for interim financial information and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Accordingly, we do not include therein all of the information and footnotes required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America for a complete set of consolidated financial statements. For further information, refer to our consolidated financial statements and footnotes included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K as of and for the year ended December 31, 2002, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect reported amounts included in the consolidated financial statements. In our opinion, all adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of this interim financial information have been included. Such adjustments consisted only of normal recurring items. The results of operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2003 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the year ending December 31, 2003.

 

2. LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

 

At December 31, 2002, we were in compliance with all the financial covenants of the Credit Facility. On April 1, 2003, we notified the Bank Group of our inability to make a mandatory payment required to reduce our outstanding debt under the Credit Facility to the $5.7 million limit, which became effective April 1, 2003 and, therefore, resulted in an event of default pursuant to the Credit Facility. On April 3, 2003, we received a letter from the Bank Group which allowed us to continue to use cash proceeds generated in the ordinary course of business to fund working capital and operations and changed the interest rate to a default rate of prime plus 5% on the outstanding balance of the Credit Facility.

 

On April 29, 2003, we entered into the Seventh Amendment and Waiver Agreement (the “Amendment”) to the Credit Facility. The Amendment allowed the Company to continue to use cash proceeds generated in the ordinary course of business to fund working capital and operations. In addition, the Amendment increased the effective rate of interest to Bank of America’s prime rate of interest plus 5% and limited the revolving commitment line to $6.1 million through May 14, 2003, with periodic reductions thereafter. The outstanding balance on the Credit Facility was due on July 1, 2003.

 

On June 10, 2003, we entered into a new revolving credit, term loan and security agreement (“Debt Agreement”) with CapitalSource Finance, LLC (“CapitalSource”), a commercial finance firm with expertise in the pharmaceutical industry through their healthcare finance lending unit. The Debt Agreement provides up to $10.0 million under a revolving line of credit (the “Revolver”); up to $0.5 million under a Term Loan (the “Term Loan”) and requires us to have initial subscriptions of at least $1.5 million of Convertible Promissory Notes (the “Convertible Notes”) on June 10, 2003 and at least $2.0 million in Convertible Notes on or before July 15, 2003 (see Notes 12 and 13).

 

In accordance with our Debt Agreement, we sold unregistered Convertible Notes to accredited investors, including Company officers and directors. The Convertible Notes were issued on July 15, 2003 in a non-public offering. The proceeds of the Convertible Notes were used to fund working capital and operations (see Note 13).

 

In accordance with Emerging Issues Task Force (“EITF”) No. 95-22, “Accounting for Agreements that Include Both a Subjective Acceleration Clause and a Lock-box Arrangement,” which states that agreements with both subjective acceleration clauses and a lock-box agreement should be classified as a current liability due to the financial institutions’ ability to accelerate the due date of the debt based on certain events outside of our control, we have classified the entire amount outstanding on the Debt Agreement as current portion of indebtedness in the accompanying balance sheet at September 30, 2003.

 

As a result of our lawsuit against MTI Information Technologies, LLC (“MTI”), we recorded bad debt expense of approximately $0.6 million during the three months ended June 30, 2003, which placed us in default of the covenants contained in our Debt Agreement. Therefore, we notified CapitalSource about the potential default of covenants on July 29, 2003, and we entered into the First Amendment (the “First Amendment”) to the Debt Agreement on August 11, 2003, which modified the financial covenants to allow for such event.

 

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Table of Contents

ACCESS WORLDWIDE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.

 

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)

 

2. LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES (Continued)

 

As of September 30, 2003, we were in default of our financial covenants contained in our Debt Agreement due to a significant decrease in revenues and profitability at our medical education division. On November 12, 2003, we entered into the Second Amendment (“Second Amendment”) to our Debt Agreement dated June 10, 2003. The Second Amendment modified the financial covenants to allow for the above mentioned events and increased the minimum additional participation fee from $250,000 to $400,050.

 

The auditor’s report on our financial statements included with the 2002 Annual Report on Form 10-K includes an explanatory paragraph indicating that there is substantial doubt regarding our ability to continue as a going concern. As discussed above, in June 2003, we closed on a new debt agreement and simultaneously paid off our Credit Facility.

 

3. RECLASSIFICATIONS

 

Certain reclassifications have been made to the 2002 consolidated financial statements to conform to the September 30, 2003 presentation. Such reclassifications did not change our net loss or total common stockholders’ equity as previously reported.

 

4. RESTRICTED CASH

 

On June 10, 2003, we obtained a new letter of credit (“Letter of Credit”) in the amount of $834,000 to replace the original letter of credit issued to the landlord of our Maryland communication center in 2001 by the Bank Group. The Letter of Credit was collateralized by a certificate of deposit in the same amount (see Note 12). Therefore, such certificate of deposit is classified as restricted cash in the accompanying balance sheet at September 30, 2003.

 

The amount of the Letter of Credit and restricted cash will be reduced on each anniversary of the lease agreement through May 2011. The balance of the Letter of Credit will be reduced to the amount shown on each anniversary date as follows:

 

May 2003

   $ 834,000

May 2004

     711,000

May 2005

     589,000

May 2006

     466,000

May 2007

     343,000

May 2008 through 2010

     221,000

 

5. INTANGIBLE ASSETS

 

During the three months ended September 30, 2003, we experienced a significant reduction in revenues from our medical education division. In accordance with SFAS No. 142, “Goodwill and Other Intangibles,” we performed a two-step fair value based intangible asset assessment. The first step of the test compared the book value of our reporting unit to its estimated fair value. The estimated fair value of the reporting unit was computed using the present value of future cash flows as of September 30, 2003. In the second step of the impairment test, we compared the implied fair value of the intangible assets in accordance with the methodology prescribed by SFAS No. 142 to its book value. As a result of performing the two-step test, we determined that the division’s goodwill and intangible assets were impaired resulting in a charge of $8,951,856 during the three months ended September 30, 2003.

 

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Table of Contents

ACCESS WORLDWIDE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.

 

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)

 

6. STOCK BASED COMPENSATION

 

In December 2002, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued SFAS No. 148, “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation – Transition and Disclosure – an Amendment of SFAS No. 123,” to provide alternative methods of transition for a voluntary change to the fair value based method of accounting for stock-based employee compensation. SFAS No. 148 amends the requirements of SFAS No. 123 requiring prominent disclosure in annual and interim financial statements about methods of accounting for stock-based employee compensation and the effects of the method used on reported results. We continue to use the intrinsic value method and, as a result, the implementation of SFAS No. 148 had no impact on our results of operations or financial position at adoption or during the nine months ended September 30, 2003.

 

Had the fair value based method been used to account for such compensation, compensation costs would have increased the net loss and loss per share for the three months ended September 30, 2003 and 2002 and the nine months ended September 30, 2003. Compensation costs would have decreased the net income and earnings per share for the nine months ended September 30, 2002.

 

     Three Months
Ended
Sept. 30, 2003


    Three Months
Ended
Sept. 30, 2002


    Nine Months
Ended
Sept. 30, 2003


    Nine Months
Ended
Sept. 30, 2002


 

Net (loss) income, as reported

   $ (9,265,598 )   $ (51,400 )   $ (10,850,615 )   $ 7,540,577  

Deduct: Total stock-based employee compensation expense determined under fair value method for all awards, net of related tax effect

     (53,879 )     (41,959 )     (137,797 )     (125,877 )
    


 


 


 


Proforma net (loss) income

     (9,319,477 )     (93,359 )     (10,988,412 )     7,414,700  
    


 


 


 


(Loss) earnings per share:

                                

Basic – as reported

   $ (0.95 )   $ (0.01 )   $ (1.11 )   $ 0.77  

Basic – proforma

   $ (0.96 )   $ (0.01 )   $ (1.13 )   $ 0.76  

Diluted – as reported

   $ (0.95 )   $ (0.01 )   $ (1.11 )   $ 0.77  

Diluted – proforma

   $ (0.96 )   $ (0.01 )   $ (1.13 )   $ 0.76  

 

7. INCOME TAXES

 

The effective tax rate used by us to record an income tax benefit for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2003 differs from the federal statutory rate primarily due to the utilization of net operating loss carrybacks. The effective tax rate for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2002 differs from the federal statutory tax rate primarily due to the utilization of net operating loss carryforwards.

 

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ACCESS WORLDWIDE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.

 

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)

 

8. (LOSSES) EARNINGS PER COMMON SHARE

 

The computation of weighted average number of common and common equivalent shares used in the calculation of basic and diluted earnings (losses) per share is as follows:

 

     For the Three Months
Ended September 30,


   For the Nine Months
Ended September 30,


     Shares

   Shares

2003:

         

Weighted average number of common shares outstanding – basic

   9,740,501    9,740,390

Weighted average number of common and common equivalent shares outstanding – dilutive*

   9,740,501    9,740,390

 

     For the Three Months
Ended September 30,


   For the Nine Months
Ended September 30,


     Shares

   Shares

2002:

         

Weighted average number of common shares outstanding – basic

   9,740,001    9,740,001

Weighted average number of common and common equivalent shares outstanding – dilutive*

   9,740,001    9,740,001

 

* Since the effects of the stock options and earn-out contingencies are anti-dilutive for both the three and nine months ended September 30, 2003 and 2002, these effects have not been included in the calculation of dilutive (losses) earnings per common share. Additionally, our dilutive losses per share computation for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2003 did not include 2.1 million shares of our common stock issuable upon conversion of our Convertible Notes, as our common stock was not issuable under the conversion provisions of this debt instrument (see Note 13).

 

9. NEW ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

 

In November 2002, Financial Accounting Standards Board Interpretation (“FIN”) No. 45, “Guarantor’s Accounting and Disclosure Requirements for Guarantors, Including Indirect Guarantees of Indebtedness of Others” was issued. FIN No. 45 requires recognition of an initial liability for the fair value of the guarantor’s obligation upon issuance of certain guarantees. We adopted the disclosure requirements of FIN No. 45 as of December 31, 2002. On January 1, 2003, we adopted the initial recognition and measurement provisions which were effective on a prospective basis for guarantees issued or modified after December 31, 2002. The implementation of FIN No. 45 had no impact on our results of operations or financial position at adoption or during the nine months ended September 30, 2003.

 

In May 2003, Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 150 (“SFAS No. 150”), “Accounting For Certain Financial Instruments with Characteristics of both Liabilities and Equity,” was issued. This statement improves the accounting for certain financial instruments that, under previous guidance, issuers could account for as equity. This statement requires that those instruments be classified as liabilities in the statement of financial position. This statement is effective for financial instruments entered into or modified after May 31, 2003, and otherwise is effective at the beginning of the first interim period beginning after June 15, 2003, except for mandatorily redeemable financial instruments of nonpublic entities. It is to be implemented by reporting the cumulative effect of a change in an accounting principle for financial instruments created before the issuance date of the statement and still existing at the beginning of the interim period of adoption. SFAS No. 150 had no impact on our results of operations or financial condition at adoption or during the nine months ended September 30, 2003.

 

10. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

 

We are involved in legal actions arising in the ordinary course of our business. We believe that the ultimate resolution of these matters will not have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operation or cash flow except as described below.

 

On May 29, 2001, Douglas Rebak and Joseph Macaluso filed suit against the Company in Federal District Court for the district of New Jersey. The lawsuit seeks enforcement of an alleged amendment to an earn-out agreement between the Company and Messrs. Rebak and Macaluso relating to our acquisition of the Phoenix Marketing Group (“Phoenix”) in 1997. Messrs. Rebak and Macaluso were two majority shareholders of Phoenix prior to the acquisition and became officers of the Company after

 

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ACCESS WORLDWIDE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.

 

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)

 

10. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (Continued)

 

Phoenix became a subsidiary of Access Worldwide. The suit alleges that we agreed to amend the earn-out agreement. The lawsuit seeks actual damages of $0.9 million plus additional unspecified punitive damages. On August 5, 2003, the Court granted the Company’s Motion for Summary Judgment and dismissed all claims. On August 14, 2003, Messrs. Rebak and Macaluso filed an appeal of the summary judgment. The parties are attempting to reach a settlement in this matter; otherwise, we intend to vigorously defend the appeal. We cannot provide assurances as to the outcome of the litigation.

 

On July 18, 2003, we filed a suit against MTI Information Technologies, LLC (“MTI”) in Broward County, Florida. The lawsuit seeks enforcement of our pharmaceutical telemarketing service contract (the “Contract”) with MTI for services rendered. We performed pharmaceutical telemarketing services for MTI from November 2001 to April 2003, when services were terminated after payments due from MTI became severely delinquent. The lawsuit alleges that MTI breached its Contract with the Company by not paying for services rendered. The lawsuit seeks payment for work performed of approximately $0.6 million.

 

On July 21, 2003, MTI filed a suit against the Company in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, for breach of contract and tortious interference for the Company’s failure to complete telemarketing campaigns. Management asserts that these claims are not valid and intends to vigorously defend any action related to this claim and take all necessary steps to collect amounts due on account. While we believe MTI’s claims have no legal basis, we cannot provide assurances as to the outcome of the litigation.

 

11. DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS

 

In accordance with SFAS No. 144, “Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets,” we reclassified as discontinued operations, the operations of our a) Cultural Access Group division (“CAG”), which provided in language, in-culture market research services and consulting services to Fortune 500 companies in a variety of industries and was sold on January 31, 2002 to Lumina Americas, Inc. for $1.2 million in cash, plus the assumption of certain liabilities and b) Phoenix, which provided pharmaceutical sample distribution services and was sold on February 25, 2002 to Express Scripts, Inc. for $33.0 million in cash, plus the assumption of certain liabilities. We realized a net gain of $8.5 million, net of income taxes and expenses incurred in connection with the transactions. Revenues and operating (loss) income for the nine months ended September 30, 2002 were $358,008 and $(370,998) for CAG and $4,207,194 and $(7,189) for Phoenix, respectively.

 

12. INDEBTEDNESS

 

At December 31, 2002, we were in compliance with all the financial covenants of the Credit Facility. On April 1, 2003, we notified the Bank Group of our inability to make a mandatory payment required to reduce our outstanding debt under the Credit Facility to the $5.7 million limit, which became effective April 1, 2003 and, therefore, resulted in an event of default pursuant to the Credit Facility. On April 3, 2003, we received a letter from the Bank Group which allowed us to continue to use cash proceeds generated in the ordinary course of business to fund working capital and operations and changed the interest rate to a default rate of prime plus 5% on the outstanding balance of the Credit Facility.

 

On April 29, 2003, we entered into the Seventh Amendment and Waiver Agreement (the “Amendment”) to the Credit Facility. The Amendment allowed the Company to continue to use cash proceeds generated in the ordinary course of business to fund working capital and operations. In addition, the Amendment increased the effective rate of interest to Bank of America’s prime rate of interest plus 5% and limited the revolving commitment line to $6.1 million through May 14, 2003, with periodic reductions thereafter. The outstanding balance on the Credit Facility was due on July 1, 2003.

 

On June 10, 2003, we entered into a new Debt Agreement with CapitalSource. The Debt Agreement provides up to $10.0 million under a revolving line of credit (the “Revolver”), up to $0.5 million under a Term Loan and requires us to have initial subscriptions of at least $1.5 million of Convertible Notes on June 10, 2003, and at least $2.0 million in Convertible Notes on or before July 15, 2003 (see Note 13). The Revolver has a three year term and bears interest at the prime rate plus 2.75%. The availability on the Revolver is based on a percentage of our accounts receivable, unbilled receivables and billings in excess of cost, as defined. The Term Loan bears interest at the prime rate plus 5.75% with monthly payments of $83,333 commencing on July 1, 2003 through maturity on December 31, 2003. The Term Loan is collateralized by the personal assets of Mr. Shawkat Raslan, Chief Executive Officer of the Company.

 

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ACCESS WORLDWIDE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.

 

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)

 

12. INDEBTEDNESS (Continued)

 

The availability under the Debt Agreement was used to repay the Credit Facility with the Bank Group, settle our 6.5% subordinated promissory note with a former stockholder of AM Medica Communications Group for $0.7 million, which resulted in a gain of approximately $0.3 million and make a $50,000 payment on our 6% subordinated promissory note (the “Subordinated Note”) with a former stockholder of TMS Professional Markets Group. The terms of the Subordinated Note were amended to be subordinated to the Debt Agreement with regularly scheduled monthly payments of principal and interest not to exceed the lesser of 25% of Excess Cash Flow (as defined in the Debt Agreement) for the prior month or $63,000 per month.

 

The original letter of credit previously issued to the landlord of our Maryland communication center by the Bank Group was canceled in June 2003. A new Letter of Credit was issued to the landlord in June 2003 and is collateralized by a certificate of deposit in the amount of $834,000 (see Note 4).

 

As a result of our lawsuit against MTI in the three months ended June 30, 2003, we recorded bad debt expense of approximately $0.6 million during the three months ended June 30, 2003, which placed us in default of the covenants contained in our Debt Agreement. Therefore, we notified CapitalSource about the potential default in our covenants on July 29, 2003 and entered into the First Amendment (the “First Amendment”) to the Debt Agreement on August 11, 2003, which modified the financial covenants to allow for such event.

 

As of September 30, 2003, we were in default of our financial covenants contained in our Debt Agreement due to a significant decrease in revenues and profitability at our medical education division. On November 12, 2003, we entered into the Second Amendment (“Second Amendment”) to our Debt Agreement dated June 10, 2003. The Second Amendment modified the financial covenants to allow for the above mentioned events and increased the minimum additional participation fee from $250,000 to $400,050.

 

13. CONVERTIBLE NOTES

 

In conjunction with our Debt Agreement, on July 15, 2003 (the “Effective Date”), we closed on $2.1 million of Convertible Notes that were sold to accredited investors. The proceeds of the Convertible Notes were used to fund working capital and operations. The Convertible Notes have a 39 month term, bear interest at a rate of 5% and are convertible after one year from the Effective Date of the Convertible Notes to common stock at $1.00 per share. The Convertible Notes also have 1.05 million of attached warrants with an exercise price of $0.01 per share. The warrants have a life of ten years and are exercisable commencing July 15, 2004. Interest on the Convertible Notes is paid quarterly, provided we are in compliance with the covenants of our Debt Agreement.

 

In the event that any interest payment is not made within 30 days of its due date, an interest rate of 8% will be retroactively applied to the effective date of the Convertible Notes. In the event of a default, as defined, a default rate of the lesser of 16% per annum or the maximum rate of interest allowable by law will be retroactively applied to the effective date of the Convertible Notes and additional warrants equaling 50% of the remaining outstanding principal balance of the Convertible Notes plus all accrued and unpaid interest will be required to be issued.

 

In connection with the Convertible Notes, we were required to adopt the accounting principles prescribed by Emerging Issues Task Force (“EITF”) No. 00-27, “Application of EITF Issue No. 98-5 to Certain Convertible Instruments.” In accordance with the accounting requirements of EITF No. 00-27, we have reflected $147,000 and $546,000 as a decrease to the carrying value of our Convertible Notes with a comparable increase to additional paid-in capital. The amount accreted to the Convertible Notes is calculated based on the (a) difference between the market price of our common stock at the grant date ($0.81 per share) and the effective conversion price per share available to the holders of our Convertible Notes ($0.74) multiplied by (b) the number of shares of common stock that will be issued if the shares of our Convertible Notes are ever converted. While the amount accreted to the warrants is calculated based on the relative fair value of the convertible notes and the warrants. The fair value of the warrants was determined using the Black-Sholes model. The amounts are accreted over the contractual life of the Convertible Notes as additional interest expense.

 

14. UNEARNED STOCK COMPENSATION

 

During the three months ended March 31, 2003, the Company granted 150,000 stock options to an executive of the Company with a strike price of $0.50 per share. The Company recorded unearned stock compensation in the amount of $33,000 in connection with the grant. Such amount, which is shown as a reduction of stockholder’s equity, will be amortized as compensation expense over the related vesting period.

 

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ACCESS WORLDWIDE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.

 

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)

 

15. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

 

The Board of Directors and certain executive management have invested $950,000 in the Company’s Convertible Notes (see Note 13). In addition, a greater-than-5% shareholder has invested $75,000 in the Convertible Notes.

 

16. SEGMENTS

 

In accordance with SFAS No. 131, “Disclosures about Segments of an Enterprise and Related Information,” our reportable segments are strategic business units that offer different products and services to different industries in the United States and other countries.

 

The table below presents information about our reportable segments for our continuing operations used by the chief operating decision-maker of the Company for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2003 and 2002. The following information about reportable segments for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2002 excludes the results of Phoenix (previously included in the Pharmaceutical Segment) and CAG (previously included in the Other Segment), as such amounts have been reclassified as discontinued operations (see Note 11):

 

For the three months ended September 30,

 

     Pharmaceutical(2)

    Consumer

   Segment Total

    Reconciliation

    Total

 

2003

                                       

Revenues

   $ 4,136,749     $ 6,633,287    $ 10,770,036     $ —       $ 10,770,036  

Gross profit

     1,570,408       2,418,563      3,988,971       —         3,988,971  

(Loss) income from operations

     (9,071,783 )     423,714      (8,648,069 )     (790,557 )     (9,438,626 )

EBITDA(1)

     (8,935,168 )     665,046      (8,270,122 )     (760,001 )     (9,030,123 )

Depreciation expense

     99,579       241,332      340,911       30,556       371,467  

Amortization expense

     37,036       —        37,036       —         37,036  

2002

                                       

Revenues

   $ 5,730,129     $ 5,516,433    $ 11,246,562     $ —       $ 11,246,562  

Gross profit

     2,221,392       2,335,774      4,557,166       —         4,557,166  

Income (loss) from operations

     297,625       602,889      900,514       (885,501 )     15,013  

EBITDA(1)

     468,646       867,285      1,335,931       (866,688 )     469,243  

Depreciation expense

     110,487       264,396      374,883       18,813       393,696  

Amortization expense

     60,534       —        60,534       —         60,534  

For the nine months ended September 30,

                                       
     Pharmaceutical (2)

    Consumer

   Segment Total

    Reconciliation

    Total

 

2003

                                       

Revenues

   $ 16,290,454     $ 20,678,863    $ 36,969,317     $ —       $ 36,969,317  

Gross profit

     5,021,242       7,524,699      12,545,941       —         12,545,941  

(Loss) income from operations

     (9,735,540 )     1,529,528      (8,206,012 )     (2,408,203 )     (10,614,215 )

EBITDA(1)

     (9,331,122 )     2,280,163      (7,050,959 )     (2,318,164 )     (9,369,123 )

Depreciation expense

     293,374       750,635      1,044,009       90,039       1,134,048  

Amortization expense

     111,044       —        111,044       —         111,044  

2002

                                       

Revenues

   $ 19,661,619     $ 15,849,019    $ 35,510,638     $ —       $ 35,510,638  

Gross profit

     6,352,006       6,751,882      13,103,888       —         13,103,888  

Income (loss) from operations

     1,170,522       1,269,737      2,440,259       (2,475,301 )     (35,042 )

EBITDA(1)

     1,680,365       2,069,832      3,750,197       (2,420,182 )     1,330,015  

Depreciation expense

     328,241       800,095      1,128,336       55,119       1,183,455  

Amortization expense

     181,602       —        181,602       —         181,602  

 

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ACCESS WORLDWIDE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.

 

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (Continued)

 

16. SEGMENTS (Continued)

 

(1) EBITDA is calculated by taking (loss) income from operations and adding depreciation and amortization expense. EBITDA is a non-GAAP measure of profitability and operating efficiency widely used by investors to evaluate and compare operating performance among different companies excluding the impact of certain non-cash charges (depreciation and amortization). We believe that EBITDA provides investors with valuable measures to compare our operating performance with the operating performance of other companies. EBITDA for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2003 and 2002 can be reconciled to the most comparable GAAP measure, income (loss) from operations, as shown above.

 

(2) (Loss) income from operations and EBITDA for the Pharmaceutical Segment include a $299,555 gain on extinguishment of indebtedness – related party for the nine months ended September 30, 2003 and a $8,951,856 impairment of intangible assets charge for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2003.

 

ITEM 2.   MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

The following discussion of the financial condition and results of operations of the Company should be read in conjunction with our Annual Report on Form 10-K as of and for the year ended December 31, 2002.

 

Three Months Ended September 30, 2003 Compared to Three Months Ended September 30, 2002

 

Our revenues decreased $0.4 million, or 3.6%, to $10.8 million for the three months ended September 30, 2003, compared to $11.2 million for the three months ended September 30, 2002. Revenues for the Pharmaceutical Segment decreased $1.6 million, or 28.1%, to $4.1 million for the three months ended September 30, 2003, compared to $5.7 million for the three months ended September 30, 2002. The decrease was primarily due to a decrease and/or delay in the number of medical education meetings awarded to us from existing clients and the loss of certain drug lines with existing clients offset by an increase in physician and pharmacy telecommunication programs. Revenues for the Consumer Segment increased $1.1 million, or 20% to $6.6 million for the three months ended September 30, 2003, compared to $5.5 million for the three months ended September 30, 2002. The increase was primarily due to an overall increase in billable hours performed on existing programs.

 

Our cost of revenues increased by $0.1 million, or 1.5%, to $6.8 million for the three months ended September 30, 2003, compared to $6.7 million for the three months ended September 30, 2002. Cost of revenues as a percentage of revenues increased to 63.0% for the three months ended September 30, 2003, from 59.8% for the three months ended September 30, 2002. Cost of revenues as a percentage of revenues for the Pharmaceutical Segment for the three months ended September 30, 2003 increased to 63.4%, compared to 61.4% for the three months ended September 30, 2002. The increase was primarily due to the decrease in medical education revenues offset by an increase in productivity at our pharmaceutical telecommunication division. Cost of revenues as a percentage of revenues for the Consumer Segment increased to 63.6% for the three months ended September 30, 2003, from 58.2% for the three months ended September 30, 2002. The increase was primarily attributed to the increase in revenues which resulted in an increase in head count, non-billable training costs and additional telecommunication costs.

 

Our selling, general and administrative expenses decreased by $0.1 million, or 2.2%, to $4.4 million for the three months ended September 30, 2003, compared to $4.5 million for the three months ended September 30, 2002. Selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of revenues for the Company increased to 40.7% for the three months ended September 30, 2003, compared to 40.2% for the three months ended September 30, 2002. Selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of revenues for the Pharmaceutical Segment increased to 41.5% for the three months ended September 30, 2003, from 33.3% for the three months ended September 30, 2002. The increase was primarily due to the decrease in medical education revenues offset by an increase in physician and pharmacy telecommunications revenues. Selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of revenues for the Consumer Segment decreased slightly to 30.3% for the three months ended September 30, 2003, compared to 30.9% for the three months ended September 30, 2002.

 

During the three months ended September 30, 2003, we experienced a significant reduction in revenues from our medical education division. In accordance with SFAS No. 142, “Goodwill and Other Intangibles,” we performed a two-step fair value based intangible asset assessment. The first step of the test compared the book value of our reporting unit to its estimated fair value. The estimated fair value of the reporting unit was computed using the present value of future cash flows as of September 30, 2003. In the second step of the impairment test, we compared the implied fair value of the intangible assets in accordance with the methodology prescribed by SFAS No. 142 to its book value. As a result of performing the two-step test, we determined that the division’s goodwill and intangible assets were impaired resulting in a charge of $8,951,856 during the three months ended September 30, 2003.

 

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Our net interest expense increased $0.2 million, or 100%, to $0.4 million for the three months ended September 30, 2003, compared to $0.2 million for the three months ended September 30, 2002. The increase was primarily due to higher deferred financing costs which are being amortized over 6 and 36 month periods and the accretion of the debt discount on our Convertible Notes which is recorded as interest expense (see Note 13).

 

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2003 Compared to Nine Months Ended September 30, 2002

 

Our revenues increased $1.5 million, or 4.2%, to $37.0 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2003, compared to $35.5 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2002. Revenues for the Pharmaceutical Segment decreased $3.4 million, or 17.3%, to $16.3 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2003, compared to $19.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2002. The decrease was primarily due to a decrease and/or delay in the number of medical education meetings awarded to us from existing clients and the loss of certain drug lines with existing clients offset by an increase in physician and pharmacy telecommunication programs. Revenues for the Consumer Segment increased by $4.9 million, or 31.0%, to $20.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2003, compared to $15.8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2002. The increase was primarily due to an overall increase in billable hours performed on existing programs.

 

Our cost of revenues increased $2.0 million, or 8.9%, to $24.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2003, compared to $22.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2002. Cost of revenues as a percentage of revenues increased to 65.9% for the nine months ended September 30, 2003, from 63.1% for the nine months ended September 30, 2002. Cost of revenues as a percentage of revenues for the Pharmaceutical Segment for the nine months ended September 30, 2003 increased to 69.3%, compared to 67.5% for the nine months ended September 30, 2002. The increase was primarily due to the decrease in medical education revenues and a decrease in direct costs incurred by us due to client specifications. Cost of revenues as a percentage of revenues for the Consumer Segment increased to 63.8% for the nine months ended September 30, 2003, from 57.6% for the nine months ended September 30, 2002. The increase was primarily attributed to the increase in revenues which resulted in an increase in head count, non-billable training costs and additional telecommunication costs.

 

Our selling, general and administrative expenses increased by $1.4 million, or 10.8%, to $14.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2003, compared to $13.0 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2002. Selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of revenues for the Company increased to 38.9% for the nine months ended September 30, 2003, compared to 36.6% for the nine months ended September 30, 2002. Selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of revenues for the Pharmaceutical Segment increased to 36.8% for the nine months ended September 30, 2003, from 25.4% for the nine months ended September 30, 2002. The increase was primarily attributed to bad debt expenses relating to a pharmaceutical client and a decrease in medical education revenues. Selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of revenues for the Consumer Segment decreased to 29.0% for the nine months ended September 30, 2003, compared to 34.8% for the nine months ended September 30, 2002. The decrease was due to an increase in revenues while continuing to manage cost levels.

 

During the three months ended September 30, 2003, we experienced a significant reduction in revenues from our medical education division. In accordance with SFAS No. 142, “Goodwill and Other Intangibles,” we performed a two-step fair value based intangible asset assessment. The first step of the test compared the book value of our reporting unit to its estimated fair value. The estimated fair value of the reporting unit was computed using the present value of future cash flows as of September 30, 2003. In the second step of the impairment test, we compared the implied fair value of the intangible assets in accordance with the methodology prescribed by SFAS No. 142 to its book value. As a result of performing the two-step test, we determined that the division’s goodwill and intangible assets were impaired resulting in a charge of $8,951,856 during the three months ended September 30, 2003.

 

Our 6.5% subordinated promissory note with a former stockholder of AM Medica Communications Group was settled for $0.7 million, which resulted in a gain of approximately $0.3 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2003.

 

Our net interest expense increased $0.4 million, or 100%, to $0.8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2003, compared to $0.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2002. The increase was due to interest income from Phoenix Marketing Group (“Phoenix”) and Cultural Access Group (“CAG”) intercompany loans for which the corresponding interest expense has been classified as discontinued operations in 2002, higher deferred financing costs being amortized over 6 and 36 month periods, accretion of the debt discount on our Convertible Notes which is recorded as interest expense (see Note 13), offset by a decrease in interest expense, as amortized, on a subordinated promissory note with a former stockholder of AM Medica Communications Group, which was settled for $0.7 million and resulted in a gain of $0.3 million.

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

At September 30, 2003, we had negative working capital of $2.9 million, as compared to negative working capital of $3.1 million at December 31, 2002. Cash and cash equivalents were $0.4 million at September 30, 2003, compared to $2.2 million at December 31, 2002.

 

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Net cash provided by operating activities during the first nine months of 2003 was $0.9 million, compared to $2.8 million net cash used in operating activities during the first nine months of 2002. The increase in net cash provided by operating activities was primarily due to an increase in deferred revenues and other assets and a decrease in accounts receivable and accrued salaries and wages.

 

Net cash used in investing activities was $1.3 million for the first nine months of 2003, compared to $31.0 million net cash provided by investing activities for the first nine months of 2002. The decrease in net cash provided by investing activities was primarily due to the proceeds received from the sale of our Phoenix and CAG divisions in 2002 and an increase in restricted cash in 2003.

 

Net cash used in financing activities was $1.4 million for the first nine months of 2003, compared to $30.3 million net cash used in financing activities for the first nine months of 2002. The decrease in net cash used in financing activities was primarily due to the net payments under our Credit Facility made in 2002 from proceeds received from the sale of Phoenix and CAG, refinancing of our Credit Facility, cash received for the future issuance of our 5% Convertible Promissory Notes (the “Convertible Notes”) and repayments of our related party debt in 2003.

 

At December 31, 2002, we were in compliance with all the financial covenants of the Credit Facility. On April 1, 2003, we notified the Bank Group of our inability to make a mandatory payment required to reduce our outstanding debt under the Credit Facility to the $5.7 million limit, which became effective April 1, 2003 and, therefore, resulted in an event of default pursuant to the Credit Facility. On April 3, 2003, we received a letter from the Bank Group which allowed us to continue to use cash proceeds generated in the ordinary course of business to fund working capital and operations and changed the interest rate to a default rate of prime plus 5% on the outstanding balance of the Credit Facility.

 

On April 29, 2003, the Company entered into the Seventh Amendment and Waiver Agreement (the “Amendment”) to the Credit Facility. The Amendment allowed the Company to continue to use cash proceeds generated in the ordinary course of business to fund working capital and operations. In addition, the Amendment increased the effective rate of interest to Bank of America’s prime rate of interest plus 5% and limited the revolving commitment line to $6.1 million through May 14, 2003 with periodic reductions thereafter. The outstanding balance on the Credit Facility was due on July 1, 2003.

 

On June 10, 2003, we entered into a new revolving credit, term loan and security agreement (“Debt Agreement”) with CapitalSource Finance, LLC (“CapitalSource”), a commercial finance firm with expertise in the pharmaceutical industry through their healthcare finance lending unit. The Debt Agreement provides up to $10.0 million under a revolving line of credit (the “Revolver”); up to $0.5 million under a Term Loan (the “Term Loan”) and requires us to have initial subscriptions of at least $1.5 million of Convertible Notes on June 10, 2003 and at least $2.0 million in Convertible Notes on or before July 15, 2003 (see Note 13). The Revolver has a three year term and bears interest at the prime rate plus 2.75%. The availability on the Revolver is based on a percentage of our accounts receivable, unbilled receivables and billings in excess of cost, as defined. The Term Loan bears interest at the prime rate plus 5.75% with monthly payments of $83,333 commencing on July 1, 2003 through maturity on December 31, 2003. The Term Loan is collateralized by the personal assets of Mr. Shawkat Raslan, Chief Executive Officer of the Company.

 

On July 15, 2003, we sold $2.1 million of our 5% Convertible Promissory Notes and Warrants. The securities were offered and sold pursuant to the exemption provided by Section 4(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Rule 506 of Regulation D as promulgated under the Securities Act. The securities were sold only to Accredited Investors, as that term is defined under Regulation D. The Convertible Notes have a 39 month term and bear interest at a rate of 5%. Interest is paid quarterly, provided we are in compliance with the covenants of our Debt Agreement. Holders of the convertible notes may convert all or any part of the principal amount into shares of the company’s common stock at any time until all principal and accrued interest thereon is paid in full, at a conversion price equal to $1.00 per share. The warrants are exercisable, at a purchase price of $0.01 per share of common stock, from one year after the maturity date through 10 years from the vesting date. Proceeds from the sale of these securities were used to fund working capital and operations.

 

The availability under the Debt Agreement allowed us to restructure our debt by repaying the Credit Facility with the Bank Group, settling our 6.5% subordinated promissory note with a former stockholder of AM Medica Communications Group for $0.7 million, which resulted in a gain of approximately $0.3 million and making a $50,000 payment on our 6% subordinated promissory note (the “Subordinated Note”) with a former stockholder of TMS Professional Markets Group. The Subordinated Note was amended to be subordinated to the Debt Agreement with regularly scheduled monthly payments of principal and interest not to exceed the lesser of 25% of Excess Cash Flow (as defined in the Debt Agreement) for the prior month or $63,000 per month.

 

In addition, a letter of credit previously issued to the landlord of our Maryland communication center by the Bank Group was canceled in June 2003. A new letter of credit was issued to the landlord in June 2003 and is collateralized by a certificate of deposit in the amount of $834,000 (see Note 4).

 

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In accordance with Emerging Issues Task Force (“EITF”) No. 95-22, “Accounting for Agreements that Include Both a Subjective Acceleration Clause and a Lock-box Arrangement,” which states that agreements with both subjective acceleration clauses and a lock-box agreement should be classified as a current liability due to the financial institutions’ ability to accelerate the due date of the debt based on certain events outside of our control, we have classified the entire amount outstanding on the Debt Agreement as current portion of indebtedness in the accompanying balance sheet at September 30, 2003.

 

As a result of our lawsuit against MTI Information Technologies, LLC (“MTI”), we recorded bad debt expense of approximately $0.6 million during the three months ended June 30, 2003, which placed us in default of the covenants contained in our Debt Agreement. Therefore, we notified CapitalSource about the potential default of covenants on July 29, 2003, and we entered into the First Amendment (the “First Amendment”) to the Debt Agreement on August 11, 2003, which modified the financial covenants to allow for such event.

 

As of September 30, 2003, we were in default of our financial covenants contained in our Debt Agreement due to a significant decrease in revenues and profitability at our medical education division. On November 12, 2003, we entered into the Second Amendment (“Second Amendment”) to our Debt Agreement dated June 10, 2003. The Second Amendment modified the financial covenants to allow for the above mentioned events and increased the minimum additional participation fee from $250,000 to $400,050.

 

The auditor’s report on our financial statements included with the 2002 Annual Report on Form 10-K includes an explanatory paragraph indicating that there is substantial doubt regarding our ability to continue as a going concern. As discussed above, in June 2003, we closed on a new Debt Agreement and simultaneously paid off our Credit Facility. We believe that the new debt structure provides us with the liquidity and capital resources needed to grow the existing business and increase shareholder value. We believe that we will be able to meet the financial covenants of the Second Amendment and that our cash and cash equivalents, as well as cash provided by operations and the availability from the Debt Agreement and the Convertible Notes will be sufficient to fund our current operations for the next twelve months.

 

Risk Factors That May Affect Future Results

 

This report contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Those statements represent our current expectations, beliefs, future plans and strategies, anticipated events or trends concerning matters that are not historical facts. Such forward-looking statements include, among others:

 

  Statements regarding proposed activities pursuant to agreements with clients;

 

  Future plans relating to our business strategy; and,

 

  Trends, or proposals, or activities of clients or industries which we serve.

 

Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited, to the following:

 

  The ability to continue as a going concern if the Company is unable to generate additional cash flow and income from continuing operations;

 

  The ability to continue to comply with the financial covenants contained under the Debt Agreement;

 

  Competition from other third-party providers and those clients and prospects who may decide to do the work that Access Worldwide does in-house;

 

  Consolidation in the pharmaceutical, medical, telecommunications and consumer products industries which reduces the number of clients that are able to be served;

 

  Potential consumer saturation reducing the need for services;

 

  The Company’s ability and clients’ ability to comply with state, federal and industry regulations;

 

  Reliance on a limited number of major clients and the possible loss of one or more clients;

 

  The ability to develop or fund the operations of new products or service offerings;

 

  Reliance on technology;

 

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  Reliance on key personnel and labor force;

 

  The possible prolonged impact of the general downturn in the U.S. economy;

 

  The volatility of the stock price; and

 

  The unpredictability of the outcome of litigation in which the Company is involved.

 

The Company assumes no duty to update any forward-looking statements. For a more detailed discussion of these risks and others that could affect the Company’s results, see the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the risk factors section of Access Worldwide’s 2002 Annual Report on Form 10-K as of and for the year ended December 31, 2002 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

ITEM 3.   QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

 

We are exposed to market risks from changes in interest rates and are subject to interest rate risks on our Debt Agreement caused by changes in interest rates. Our ability to limit our exposure to market risk and interest rate risk is restricted as a result of our current cash management arrangement under the Debt Agreement. Accordingly, we are unable to enter into any derivative or similar transactions that could limit our exposure to market risk and interest rate risks. Our Debt Agreement currently provides for interest rates ranging from prime plus 2.75% to prime plus 5.75%. The prime rate is the prime rate published by the Wall Street Journal. A one percent increase in the prime interest rate would result in a pre-tax impact to us on earnings of approximately $0.05 million per year.

 

ITEM 4.   CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

 

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

 

We carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report. Based upon that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report in accumulating and communicating to our management, including them, material information required to be included in the reports we file or submit under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

 

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

 

Based on an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, there has been no change in our internal control over financial reporting during our last fiscal quarter, identified in connection with the evaluation, that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

 

PART II–OTHER INFORMATION

 

ITEM 1.   LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

 

We are involved in legal actions arising in the ordinary course of our business. We believe that the ultimate resolution of these matters will not have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operation or cash flow except as described below;

 

On May 29, 2001, Douglas Rebak and Joseph Macaluso filed suit against the Company in Federal District Court for the district of New Jersey. The lawsuit seeks enforcement of an alleged amendment to an earn-out agreement between the Company and Messrs. Rebak and Macaluso relating to our acquisition of Phoenix in 1997. Messrs. Rebak and Macaluso were two primary shareholders of Phoenix prior to the acquisition and became officers of the Company after Phoenix became a subsidiary of Access Worldwide. The suit alleges that we agreed to amend the earn-out agreement. The lawsuit seeks actual damages of $0.9 million plus additional unspecified punitive damages. On August 5, 2003, the Court granted the Company’s Motion for Summary Judgment and dismissed all claims. On August 14, 2003, Messrs. Rebak and Macaluso filed an appeal of the summary judgment. The parties are attempting to reach a settlement in this matter; otherwise, we intend to vigorously defend the appeal. We cannot provide assurances as to the outcome of the litigation.

 

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On July 18, 2003, we filed a suit against MTI Information Technologies, LLC (“MTI”) in Broward County, Florida. The lawsuit seeks enforcement of our pharmaceutical telemarketing service contract (the “Contract”) with MTI for services rendered. We performed pharmaceutical telemarketing services for MTI from November 2001 to April 2003, when services were terminated after payments due from MTI became severely delinquent. The lawsuit alleges that MTI breached its Contract with the Company by not paying for services rendered. The lawsuit seeks payment for work performed of approximately $0.6 million.

 

On July 21, 2003, MTI filed a suit against the Company in Bucks County, Pennsylvania for breach of contract and tortious interference for the Company’s failure to complete telemarketing campaigns. Management asserts that these claims are not valid and intends to vigorously defend any action related to this claim and take all necessary steps to collect amounts due on account. While we believe MTI’s claims have no legal basis, we cannot provide assurance as to the outcome of the litigation.

 

ITEM 2.   CHANGES IN SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS

 

On July 15, 2003, we sold $2.1 million of our 5% Convertible Promissory Notes and Warrants. The securities were offered and sold pursuant to the exemption provided by Section 4(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Rule 506 of Regulation D as promulgated under the Securities Act. The securities were sold only to Accredited Investors, as that term is defined under Regulation D. The Convertible Notes have a 39 month term and bear interest at a rate of 5%. Interest is paid quarterly, provided we are in compliance with the covenants of our Debt Agreement. Holders of the convertible notes may convert all or any part of the principal amount into shares of the company’s common stock at any time until all principal and accrued interest thereon is paid in full, at a conversion price equal to $1.00 per share. The warrants are exercisable, at a purchase price of $0.01 per share of common stock, from one year after the maturity date through 10 years from the vesting date. Proceeds from the sale of these securities were used to fund working capital and operations.

 

ITEM 3.    DEFAULTS   UPON SENIOR SECURITIES

 

As of September 30, 2003, we defaulted on our Debt Agreement dated June 10, 2003 with CapitalSource. The default was triggered by our inability to comply with certain financial covenants contained in the Debt Agreement due to a significant decrease in revenue and profitability at our medical education division. On November 12, 2003, we entered into the Second Amendment (“Second Amendment”) to our Debt Agreement dated June 10, 2003 that modified the financial covenants resulting in a cure of the default.

 

ITEM 6.   EXHIBITS AND REPORTS ON FORM 8-K

 

  (a) Exhibits

 

10(bbb)  First Amendment to the Revolving Credit, Term Loan and Security Agreement with Capital Source

Finance, LLC, dated August 11, 2003.

 

31.1 Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) Certification of Chief Executive Officer

 

31.2 Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) Certification of Chief Financial Officer

 

32.1 Section 1350 Certification of Chief Executive Officer

 

32.2 Section 1350 Certification of Chief Financial Officer

 

  (b) Reports on Form 8-K

 

Current Report on Form 8-K dated August 13, 2003, and furnished on August 18, 2003, setting forth the press release containing information relating to the Company’s financial results for the three and six month periods ending June 30, 2003. This current report on Form 8-K is not deemed to be incorporated by reference in any filings made by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

        ACCESS WORLDWIDE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.

Date: November 14, 2003

      By:   

/s/ Shawkat Raslan

         
               

Shawkat Raslan, Chairman of the Board,

President and Chief Executive Officer

(principal executive officer)

 

Date: November 14, 2003

      By:   

/s/ John Hamerski

         
               

John Hamerski, Executive Vice President and

Chief Financial Officer

(principal financial and accounting officer)

 

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Exhibit Index

 

Exhibit No.

 

Description


10(bbb)   First Amendment to the Revolving Credit, Term Loan and Security Agreement with Capital Source Finance, LLC, dated August 11, 2003.
31.1   Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) Certification of Chief Executive Officer
31.2   Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) Certification of Chief Financial Officer
32.1   Section 1350 Certification of Chief Executive Officer
32.2   Section 1350 Certification of Chief Financial Officer