-----BEGIN PRIVACY-ENHANCED MESSAGE----- Proc-Type: 2001,MIC-CLEAR Originator-Name: webmaster@www.sec.gov Originator-Key-Asymmetric: MFgwCgYEVQgBAQICAf8DSgAwRwJAW2sNKK9AVtBzYZmr6aGjlWyK3XmZv3dTINen TWSM7vrzLADbmYQaionwg5sDW3P6oaM5D3tdezXMm7z1T+B+twIDAQAB MIC-Info: RSA-MD5,RSA, NcGRe1ZNglN8MxrcOW2IMbtn4mVyeFOdcyIKNusdY9nYu6x3TY/QqYyyUB35v2hp SabOY4y36fbnGWPd2yxqiA== 0000950144-98-007150.txt : 19980605 0000950144-98-007150.hdr.sgml : 19980605 ACCESSION NUMBER: 0000950144-98-007150 CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE: 424B3 PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT: 1 FILED AS OF DATE: 19980604 SROS: NONE FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: CREDIT DEPOT CORP CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0000869276 STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION: MORTGAGE BANKERS & LOAN CORRESPONDENTS [6162] IRS NUMBER: 581909265 STATE OF INCORPORATION: DE FISCAL YEAR END: 0630 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: 424B3 SEC ACT: SEC FILE NUMBER: 333-52113 FILM NUMBER: 98642429 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 700 WACHOVIA CENTER CITY: GAINESVILLE STATE: GA ZIP: 30501 BUSINESS PHONE: 7705319927 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: 700 WACHOVIA CENTER CITY: GAINESVILLE STATE: GA ZIP: 30501 424B3 1 CREDIT DEPOT CORP 1 Filed pursuant to 424(b)(3) Registration No. 333-52113 PROSPECTUS CREDIT DEPOT CORPORATION 9,880,618 SHARES OF COMMON STOCK This Prospectus relates to the public offering of up to 9,880,618 shares of Common Stock, $.001 par value (the "Common Stock") by the holders thereof (the "Selling Securityholders"). The Common Stock offered by the Selling Securityholders hereunder is outstanding or is issuable upon conversion or exercise of currently outstanding shares of 11% Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock (the 11% Preferred Stock), a convertible bridge loan, 10% Convertible Secured Notes (the "10% Notes"), and warrants to purchase Common Stock. The Selling Securityholders directly, through agents designated from time to time, or through dealers or underwriters also to be designated, may sell the Common Stock from time to time on terms to be determined at the time of sale. To the extent required, the specific Common Stock to be sold, names of the Selling Securityholders, purchase price, public offering price, the names of any such agent, dealer or underwriter, and any applicable commission or discount with respect to a particular offer will be set forth in an accompanying Prospectus Supplement. See "Selling Securityholders" and "Plan of Distribution." The Selling Securityholders and any broker-dealer, agents or underwriters that participate with the Selling Securityholders in the distribution of the Common Stock may be deemed to be "underwriters" within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 (the "Securities Act") and any commission received by them and any profit on the resale of the Common Stock purchased by them may be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts under the Securities Act. The Company and the Selling Securityholders have agreed to indemnify each other under certain circumstances. See "Plan of Distribution." On the date of this Prospectus, the Common Stock of the Company was traded in the over-the-counter market and was quoted on the Nasdaq SmallCap Market ("NASDAQ") under the symbol LEND. Such Common Stock may, however, be delisted from NASDAQ. See "Risk Factors." The last sale price of the Common Stock as reported by NASDAQ on June 1, 1998 was $1.19 per share. The Company is paying all the expenses of registering the Common Stock under the Securities Act as well as certain states (including related filing, legal, accounting, printing and miscellaneous fees and expenses) which are estimated at $20,000. The Company will not receive any of the proceeds from any sale of the Common Stock by the Selling Securityholders. The Selling Securityholders will severally pay or assume underwriting discounts, brokerage commissions or other charges incurred in any respective sale by them of the Common Stock. THE SECURITIES OFFERED HEREBY INVOLVE SUBSTANTIAL RISKS. SEE "RISK FACTORS." THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED BY THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION NOR HAS THE COMMISSION NOR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION PASSED UPON THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS PROSPECTUS. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE. The date of this Prospectus is June 2, 1998 1 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS AVAILABLE INFORMATION...................................... 3 INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE............ 3 PROSPECTUS SUMMARY......................................... 5 RISK FACTORS............................................... 6 "SAFE HARBOR" STATEMENT UNDER THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995........................16 RECENT DEVELOPMENTS........................................16 USE OF PROCEEDS............................................17 SELLING SECURITIES HOLDERS.................................18 PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION.......................................37 DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK...............................38 DISCLOSURE OF COMMISSION POSITION AND INDEMNIFICATION FOR SECURITIES ACT LIABILITIES......................40 EXPERTS....................................................41 LEGAL MATTERS..............................................41
2 3 AVAILABLE INFORMATION The Company is subject to the informational requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act") and in accordance therewith files reports and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission"). Such reports and other information can be inspected and copied at the Commission's public reference facilities located at 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549, and at the Commission's Regional Offices at Citicorp Center, 500 West Madison Street, Suite 1400, Chicago, Illinois 60661, and 7 World Trade Center, New York, New York 10048. Copies of such material can be obtained from the Public Reference Section of the Commission at 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549, at prescribed rates. The Commission maintains a web site that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers, such as the Company, that file electronically with the Commission. The address of the web site is http://www.sec.gov. The Company has filed registration statements on Form S-3 with the Commission (such registration statements including all amendments and exhibits thereto, called the "Registration Statements") under the Securities Act with respect to the Common Stock offered hereby. This Prospectus does not contain all the information set forth in the Registration Statements. For further information with respect to the Company and the Common Stock offered hereby, reference is made to the Registration Statements. Statements contained in the Prospectus concerning provisions of certain documents are not necessarily complete and, in each instance, reference is made to the copy of such document filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement, each such statement being qualified in all respects by such references. INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE This Prospectus should be read in conjunction with the following documents of the Company which have been filed with the Commission and are hereby incorporated by reference into this Prospectus: (i) the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-KSB, as amended, for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1997; (ii) the Company's Proxy Statement dated November 21, 1997 for the Annual Meeting held on December 23, 1997; (iii) Supplement dated December 8, 1997 to the Company's Proxy Statement dated November 21, 1997 (the "November Proxy Statement"); (iv) the Company's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-QSB for the quarters ended September 30, 1997, December 31, 1997, and March 31, 1998; (v) the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K dated February 9, 1998 (the "February Current Report"); (vi) the Company's Issuer Tender Offer Statement filed on Schedule 13E-4 dated September 26, 1997; 3 4 (vii) the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K dated October 27, 1997; and (viii) all other documents filed by the Company pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act subsequent to the date of this Prospectus and prior to the termination of this offering. All documents filed by the Company pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act subsequent to the date of this Prospectus and prior to the termination of the offering shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Prospectus and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents. Any statement contained herein, in any supplement or amendment hereto or in a document all or any portion of which is incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Prospectus to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any supplement or amendment hereto modifies or supersedes such statement. Any statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this Prospectus or any supplement or amendment hereto. Neither the delivery of this Prospectus nor any sale of securities made hereunder shall, under any circumstances, create any implication that there has been no change in the affairs of the Company or its affiliates since the date hereof or that the information contained herein is correct as of any time subsequent to its date. Copies of any information incorporated by reference herein will be provided without charge (other than exhibits to the information, unless such exhibits are themselves specifically incorporated by reference) to any person to who receives this Prospectus upon written or oral request of such person. Requests for such copies are to be directed to the Chief Financial Officer of the Company, at the Company's offices located at 700 Wachovia Center, Gainesville, Georgia 30501. The Company's telephone number is (770) 531-9927. 4 5 PROSPECTUS SUMMARY THE COMPANY Credit Depot Corporation (the "Company") is a mortgage finance company engaged in originating, purchasing, and selling first and second mortgage loans secured by single family (one to four family) residences made to credit-impaired individuals who are generally unable to obtain financing from conventional lending sources. The Company's customers borrow funds generally for debt consolidation or to refinance first mortgages on the customer's primary residence. The Company's mortgage loans are at higher interest rates than conventional mortgage loans, which the Company's customers are willing to incur because of their inability to obtain financing from conventional sources. While the typical borrowers from the Company may not have attractive credit histories due to a pattern of credit weakness, unverifiable income, insufficient credit history or a previous bankruptcy or insolvency, it is the Company's experience that these borrowers nevertheless have generally demonstrated an ability to make payments due under their loans. The Company believes its underwriting procedures generally enable it to determine which borrowers with substandard credit histories are likely to meet their mortgage obligations. The Company was incorporated in Delaware in 1990 and is the successor by merger to a corporation organized in 1986. Unless the context otherwise requires, reference to the "Company" includes the Company, its predecessor and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. The Company's principal executive offices are located at Wachovia Center, Suite 700, Gainesville, Georgia 30501 and its telephone number is 770- 531-9927. All dollar amounts in this Prospectus, other than those relating the prices per share of the Common Stock have been rounded to the nearest $1,000. THE OFFERING This Prospectus relates to the public offering of up to 9,880,318 shares of Common Stock, $.001 par value (the "Common Stock") by the holders thereof (the "Selling Securityholders "). The Common Stock offered by the Selling Securityholders hereunder is outstanding or is issuable upon conversion or exercise of currently outstanding shares of 11% Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock (the 11% Preferred Stock), a convertible bridge loan, 10% Convertible Secured Notes (the "10% Notes"), and warrants to purchase Common Stock. The Selling Securityholders directly, through agents designated from time to time, or through dealers or underwriters also to be designated, may sell the Common Stock from time to time on terms to be determined at the time of sale. To the extent required, the specific Common Stock to be sold, names of the Selling Securityholders, purchase price, public offering price, the names of any such agent, dealer or underwriter, and any applicable commission or discount with respect to a particular offer will be set forth in an accompanying Prospectus Supplement. See "Selling Securityholders" and "Plan of Distribution." 5 6 RISK FACTORS An investment in the Common Stock offered hereby is speculative and involves substantial risks. Prospective purchasers of the Common Stock offered hereby should carefully consider the following risk factors in addition to the other information included or incorporated by reference in this Prospectus before purchasing the Common Stock offered hereby. LIMITED REVENUES AND CONTINUING OPERATING LOSSES; ACCUMULATED DEFICIT. Although the Company's revenues increased to $5,918,000 for the year ended June 30, 1997, from $2,279,000 for the year ended June 30, 1996, during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1997, the Company incurred losses of $3,363,000 compared to losses of $4,115,000 for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1996. For the nine months ended March 31, 1998, the Company incurred losses of $9,932,000 ($6,420,000 of which were non-cash expenses recorded in conversion of debt to equity in October 1997) compared to losses of $1,022,000 for the nine months ended March 31, 1997, on revenues of $3,275,000 compared to $4,973,000 for the nine months ended March 31, 1997. In addition, at June 30, 1997, and March 31, 1998, the Company had accumulated deficits of $16,063,000 and $26,313,000, respectively. Although the Company had modest earnings for its 1992 fiscal year, it has incurred losses during all of its other fiscal years since 1991. Although the Company believes that the reduction of expenses associated with the conversion of debt to equity in October 1997, combined with expense reductions in certain operational areas and increased loan sales, will allow the Company to move toward or achieve profitability, there can be no assurance that the Company will not continue to post operating losses or that it will ever be able to achieve profitability. LIQUIDITY AND FINANCING REQUIREMENTS; REPORT OF INDEPENDENT PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS. The Company will require substantial additional capital in order to retire bridge loans and participations due July 31 and June 30, 1998, respectively, and to meet its operating expenses and finance its operations prior to the time, if ever, that the Company's operations result in positive cash flow. To the extent that sufficient financing is not available in the future, it could affect the Company's ability to originate and acquire mortgage loans. While the Company considers its warehouse lines of credit adequate for current levels of loan originations, there can be no assurance that the lines will be maintained, renewed or increased as future needs may require. In the absence of warehouse lines of credit, the Company would be required to cease operations. See the response to Item 5 of the February Current Report. As of March 31, 1998, the Company's debt under the 10% Notes was $1,170,000, the balance of outstanding bridge loans was $2,200,000, the balance of unpaid advances received against the Interest-Only Strip Receivable was $2,028,000. On the same date, the Company had other borrowings of $500,000 and the Company's other indebtedness was $11,818,000 and the Company had a working capital deficiency of $2,121,000. The Company is currently experiencing and, in the past, has experienced significant cash shortages resulting from the substantial outlays of cash required for its financing operations and losses from its operations. These cash shortages have negatively impacted loan originations, and in the absence of sufficient warehouse lines of credit, could be expected to do so in the future. The Company currently operates with a relatively small amount of unrestricted cash and has no cash reserves for any significant unplanned expenses. The Company has been seeking, and is continuing to seek, additional financing to meet its cash requirements and, most immediately, retire outstanding bridge loans and other indebtedness which is 6 7 currently or will shortly become payable. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to obtain necessary financing on terms not unfavorable to the Company, if at all. Furthermore, the Company will require substantial additional capital in the future. To the extent that the Company experiences cash shortages in the future, it may be required to sell mortgage loans on less favorable terms than it might otherwise be able to obtain and to curtail or eliminate its lending activities. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to obtain, on acceptable terms, additional funds under lines of credit, or otherwise. If the Company experiences cash shortages and unless adequate funds are obtained, the Company will be required to curtail its lending activities and would be unable to comply with the terms of covenants contained in the agreements relating to indebtedness. The Company has not obtained any commitments with respect to any additional capital. Even if the Company is successful in raising additional capital, the Company may still require additional capital in the future. In recent years, the Company has financed its operations through private placements of debt and equity securities. There can be no assurance that the Company will not continue to require additional capital or that such capital, if required, will be available on terms not unfavorable to the Company, if at all. In the past, the Company has sought equity or debt financing or sold mortgage loans on terms less favorable than might otherwise be available to meet its capital requirements under these circumstances. The Company has, in the past, issued convertible securities which have resulted in substantial dilution to holders of Common Stock and future financings, if necessary, could result in further dilution to holders of Common Stock. The report of the Company's independent public accountants with respect to the Company's financial statements for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1997 included an explanatory paragraph which expressed substantial doubt concerning the ability of the Company to continue as a going concern. LOAN REPURCHASE AND LOSS OBLIGATIONS. The Company has sold loans pursuant to arrangements that require the Company to repurchase, at the request of the purchaser, certain loans, including any loan that becomes past due by over 90 days. The aggregate outstanding balance of all such loans subject to repurchase was $887,000 at March 31, 1998. On the same date, none of such loans was so overdue. From March 1996 to September 1997, the Company sold $108,626,000 of loans with a "first loss" provision, meaning if the purchaser forecloses upon a loan and takes a loss (or gain), the Company would be obligated to reimburse the purchaser for the loss (or be entitled to receive the proceeds from a gain). At March 31, 1998, loans sold in this manner had an outstanding balance of $72,016,000 and 2 such loans had been foreclosed upon and an aggregate loss of $44,000 was incurred by the Company. Pursuant to the terms of the Company's warehouse lines of credit, the lenders could request the Company to repurchase loans having an aggregate outstanding balance of $13,718,000 on March 31, 1998. The Company maintains a loan loss reserve which, in the opinion of management, is adequate to cover losses both from loans held by the Company for its own portfolio and for loans sold subject to repurchase and loss obligations. In the event, however, of increased rates of default, the Company may be required to repurchase additional loans or reimburse foreclosure losses or incur losses which would reduce the value of the Company's retained interest in the mortgage loans sold, which could have a material adverse effect on the Company's ability to originate or acquire new mortgage loans and on the financial condition and operations of the Company. There can be no assurance that the Company will have sufficient available cash to meet its repurchase and foreclosure loss obligations which would have a material adverse effect on the Company's ability to originate or acquire new mortgage loans and on the financial condition and operations of the Company. 7 8 SERVICING ASSET/INTEREST-ONLY STRIP RECEIVABLE. Prior to December 1994, the Company sold the majority of its loans with the servicing retained and received a servicing fee and the right to receive a portion of the interest to be received on the mortgage loans. In addition, loans sold to a securitizer, while service released, were sold on the basis wherein the Company retained an ownership interest in a portion of the interest to be received on the mortgage loans. A large portion of the Company's revenue from both of these types of sales is recognized as a gain on sale of mortgage loan receivables, which primarily represents the present value of the cash flow resulting from the difference between the interest rate charged by the Company to a borrower and the interest rate received by the purchaser of the loan receivable (the "Spread"). If the Company retains the servicing, the Spread is reduced by a normal loan servicing fee, and the Company will record a corresponding asset equal to the amount of the gain as the Servicing Asset (the "SA"). If the Company retains an interest in the sold loan but does not perform the servicing, as in the case of the sales to Access Financial Corporation ("Access"), an Interest-Only Strip Receivable (the "I/O Strip") is recorded as the corresponding asset equal to the amount of the gain. The Company recognizes such gain on sale of loans in the fiscal year in which such loans are sold, although cash (representing SA and servicing fees or just the I/O Strip) is received by the Company over the lives of the loans. Both the SA and I/O Strip are computed in part based upon, and amortized over, the estimated lives of the loans. From March 1996 until September 1997 the Company sold substantially all of its mortgage loans to Access. The Company's gain on sale in these transactions was in the form of I/O Strips representing unsecured payment obligations of Access. In the event of a bankruptcy, insolvency or other financial difficulty of Access or if Access does not properly service the loans, the Company's ability to receive payments on account of the I/O Strips could be materially adversely affected and the Company could be required to write down their carrying value. Because the gain recognized in the year of sale is equal to the present value of the estimated future cash flows from the SA or I/O Strip, the amount of cash which the Company is entitled to receive over the lives of the loans can exceed the gain recognized at the time the loans were sold. In the subsequent years, the Company would recognize additional income and fees to the extent actual cash flows from such loans exceed the amortization of the SA or I/O Strip. If actual prepayments with respect to sold loans occur faster than they were projected at the time such loans were sold or loans go into foreclosure, the carrying value of the SA or I/O Strip is written down through a charge to earnings in the period of adjustment. During the year ended June 30, 1997 and the nine months ended March 31, 1998, the actual prepayments exceeded those previously anticipated at the time of the sale of the loans for the SA and the Company reduced the value of the SA previously recorded by $39,000 and $22,000 respectively, to reflect the actual prepayments incurred. In connection with the nine months ended March 31, 1998, the Company reduced the value of the I/O Strip previously recorded by $2,006,000 to reflect continued prepayment at higher than anticipated levels. See the response to Item 5 of the February Current Report. There can be no assurance that a change in the prepayment speed of the loans underlying the SA or I/O Strip or other change in the assumptions used to calculate the original value of the SA or I/O Strip will not necessitate a significant write-down in the carrying value of the SA or I/O Strip in the future. LEVERAGE AND DEBT SERVICE. As of March 31, 1998, the Company's aggregate indebtedness, excluding trade payables and accrued liabilities, was $17,716,000 of which $13,718,000 pertained to warehouse lines of credit or mortgage participations secured by the underlying mortgage loans. Since December 31, 1997, the Company has added $750,000 to a bridge loan maturing on July 31, 1998, bringing 8 9 the total of the bridge loans to $2,200,000. The Company may incur additional indebtedness in the future. The degree to which the Company is leveraged may materially adversely affect the Company for the following reasons, among others: (i) the Company's ability to obtain additional financing in the future for working capital, general corporate purposes or other purposes may be limited or impaired; (ii) certain of the Company's borrowings are and will continue to be at variable rates of interest, which could result in higher interest expenses in the event of increases in interest rates; and (iii) certain of the instruments governing such indebtedness contains financial and restrictive covenants, the failure to comply with which will result in an event of default which, if not cured or waived, could have a material adverse effect on the Company DEFAULTS ON CUSTOMER LOANS; HIGH DELINQUENCY RATE. The lending business is subject to the risk that borrowers will not satisfy their debt service payments, including interest charges and principal amortization obligations. The Company's borrowers typically do not meet the credit standards established by commercial banks and other conventional lenders because of the borrowers' credit histories (due to circumstances such as a pattern of credit weakness, unverifiable income, insufficient credit history or previous bankruptcies or insolvencies) or other factors. Thus, there can be no assurance that such borrowers will be able to meet their repayment obligations to the Company. If the Company experiences defaults on its loans and if the properties securing such loans cannot be sold for amounts sufficient to repay the balances of the outstanding loans and expenses related thereto, the Company will not recover the balances of the originated loans. Further, in the event of a default by a borrower, the Company may experience procedural or other delays in enforcing its rights as a mortgagee and may incur significant costs associated with protecting its investment. Of the 194 mortgage loans originated by the Company from July 1, 1994, through March 31, 1998, which were held by the Company on March 31, 1998 or sold prior thereto on a service retained basis, having an aggregate principal balance of $8,858,000, two mortgage loans have been foreclosed (0.4% of such aggregate principal balance) and borrowers under 13 mortgage loans, with an aggregate principal balance of $430,000 (4.9% of such aggregate principal balance), have sought protection from creditors pursuant to Federal bankruptcy laws. In addition, at March 31, 1998, $633,000 aggregate principal balance outstanding (7.1% of the principal balance of loans outstanding at such date) were overdue by more than 60 days. 9 10 The following table sets forth the delinquency rate on mortgage loans originated by the Company which were held on the dates indicated or sold prior thereto on a servicing retained basis:
March 31, ------------------------------------------ 1998 1997 1996 1995 ---- ---- ---- ---- DELINQUENCY RATES 30-59 days 0.30% 1.11% 4.23% 6.77% 60-89 days 0.35% 0.23% 0.51% 3.30% 90-119 days 0.53% 1.96% 0.38% 0.00% 120 days & over 6.61% 5.25% 6.99% 6.11%
CHANGES IN COMPANY STRATEGY. The Company had adopted a strategy of geographical expansion to increase its mortgage loan production and sales of mortgage loans to Access in transactions in which the Company's premiums were in the form of the I/O Strip. While this strategy increased the Company's revenues on sale of mortgage loans, it also increased the Company's capital requirements because the gain on sale was in the form of a non-cash receivable which would only be reduced to cash over the lives of the mortgage loans. The Company has recently determined that it would require too much additional capital to continue this strategy. Accordingly, since September 1997, all mortgage loans sold by the Company have been sold on a whole loan basis in transactions in which the premiums were paid in cash. Sales of mortgage loans on this basis are expected to result in lower gains on sale and, therefore, the Company will need to substantially increase its loan volume to reduce its operating losses and become profitable. To do so, the Company will require additional capital and maintain its current warehouse credit facilities. There can be no assurance that the Company will be successful and that the Company will not continue to incur losses. See "Recent Developments." LOWER CREDIT STANDARDS FOR BORROWERS. Although the Company has maintained a policy of originating mortgage loans only to borrowers whom it believes will make payments on such loans, the Company's credit standards are lower than the credit standards typically established by commercial banks and other conventional lenders. The Company's borrowers typically would not have satisfied the creditworthiness standards established by commercial banks and other conventional lenders because of the borrowers' credit histories, income levels, or a combination of these factors, and many of such borrowers would be categorized as "high risk" by conventional lenders and would generally be unable to obtain mortgage financing from such lenders. Thus, there can be no assurance that the Company's borrowers will be able to pay all sums due under their loans, including scheduled principal and interest payments thereunder. In addition, the Company does not typically restrict a borrower from incurring indebtedness secured by the property subject to the Company's mortgage which is subordinate to the Company's first mortgage. Accordingly, borrowers may incur indebtedness in excess of their abilities to pay, thereby impairing their ability to repay the mortgage loans. 10 11 POSSIBLE DECLINE IN REAL ESTATE VALUES; ECONOMIC CONDITIONS. An overall decline in the residential real estate market or in the residential real estate market in particular states in which the Company originates mortgage loans or the general condition of particular properties, together with other related factors, could adversely affect the values of the properties securing the Company's mortgage loans. Therefore, in a continuing period of economic decline, the rates of delinquencies, foreclosures and losses on mortgage loans could be higher than those heretofore experienced by the Company and in the mortgage lending industry in general. In addition, adverse economic conditions (which may adversely affect real property values) may affect the timely payment by borrowers of scheduled payments of principal and interest on the mortgage loans. To the extent real estate values may decline, the amount which may be recovered on the foreclosure and sale of properties upon mortgage loan defaults may also decline, and the Company may be unable to sell such foreclosed properties on a timely basis or on terms acceptable to the Company. As of March 31, 1998, the Company held real estate acquired as a result of foreclosures representing a principal balance of defaulted loans of $38,000, which properties may or may not be sold at prices equal to the value of the principal and accrued interest on the foreclosed loans. There can be no assurance that the loan-to-value ratios of such loans, determined as of a date subsequent to the origination date, will be the same or lower than the loan-to-value ratios for such loans, determined as of the origination date. INTEREST RATE FLUCTUATIONS AND PREPAYMENT. The Company is directly affected by the level of and fluctuations in interest rates and is dependent upon the Company's ability to earn a spread between the earnings on its assets and the costs of its liabilities, including the interest rates payable on the indebtedness incurred by the Company to provide funds for the origination or acquisition of mortgage loans. Additionally, the value and effective maturity of the Company's assets and the cost and duration of its liabilities are affected by changes in interest rates. While the Company monitors the interest rate environment, there can be no assurance that the potential profitability and/or liquidity of the Company would not be adversely affected during any period of unexpected volatility in the interest rate environment. A continued or significant reduction in interest rates also could decrease the number of the loans underlying the Interest-Only Strip Receivable and Servicing Asset by increasing the level of loan prepayments, and thereby result in write-down of those assets. See the response to Item 5 in the February Current Report. DEPENDENCE ON SECONDARY MARKETS. The Company originates and acquires mortgage loans with a view to selling the mortgage loans to third parties rather than holding such mortgage loans for its own account. Accordingly, the Company is dependent upon its ability to sell its loans to third party investors. In the event that the Company's mortgage loans are or become unattractive to investors or investors choose not to purchase the Company's loans for any other reason, the Company's inability to sell its loans would have a material adverse effect on the business and operations of the Company. BALLOON MORTGAGES. Until October 1994, substantially all of the Company's mortgage loans had been balloon loans that provided for equal monthly payments, consisting of principal and interest, based generally on a 15-year amortization schedule, and a single payment of the remaining balance of the balloon loan five years after origination. Amortization of a balloon loan based on a scheduled period that is longer than the term of the loan results in a remaining principal balance at maturity that is substantially larger than the regular scheduled payments. If borrowers are unable to refinance the amounts due upon the maturity date of the balloon mortgage loans, borrowers may default on the "balloon" principal payments due at maturity. At March 31, 1998, the Company was servicing $2,872,000 of balloon loans either in the Company's own portfolio or for other entities with respect to which the Company is liable for any defaults. 11 12 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS. In certain circumstances, state and Federal laws may impose statutory liens for the cleanup costs expended by state or Federal governments on account of hazardous wastes or hazardous substances released or disposed of improperly. Such a lien generally will have priority over all subsequent liens on the property and, in certain instances may have priority over prior recorded liens, including the lien of a mortgage. In addition, under the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act ("CERCLA"), owners and operators of a contaminated property are among the class of persons and entities liable for such cleanup costs. CERCLA provides a "security interest exemption" under Section 101(20) for persons who, without participating in the management of a contaminated facility, hold an "indicia of ownership" in the property primarily to protect a security interest. Such a party may, however, lose this exemption in the event that: (I) the party participates in management activities to an extent beyond merely protecting its security interest; or (ii) the party forecloses on the contaminated property and thereafter conducts itself in such a way as to engage in management beyond mere protection of a security interest. While the Company intends to make every effort to comply with the foregoing guidelines, there can be no assurance that the Company, after acquisition of title to a property following default, may not engage in activities which may cause it to lose its security interest exemption with respect to specific properties. LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS; GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS. The origination, servicing and collection of mortgage loans are subject to state regulation and law with respect to interest rates, permissible charges, disclosure to borrowers, legal and equitable principles regarding protection of consumers and unfair and deceptive practices. The origination, servicing and closing of mortgage loans are also subject to Federal laws, including: (I) the Federal Truth-in-Lending Act and Regulation Z promulgated thereunder, which require certain disclosures to the borrowers regarding the terms of the mortgage loans; (ii) the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and Regulation B promulgated thereunder, which prohibit discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, sex, religion, marital status, national origin, receipt of public assistance or the exercise of any right under the Consumer Credit Protection Act, in the extension of credit; (iii) the Fair Credit Reporting Act, which regulates the use and reporting of information related to the borrower's credit experience; and (iv) the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act ("RESPA"). See the response to Item 5 of the February Current Report. The Company's mortgage banking business is subject to extensive regulation, supervision and licensing by Federal and state authorities. Regulated matters include, without limitation, maximum interest rates and fees which may be charged by the Company, disclosures in connection with loan originations, credit reporting requirements, servicing requirements, Federal and state taxation, and multiple qualification and licensing requirements for doing business in various jurisdictions. While the Company believes that it maintains all requisite licenses, permits and approvals and is in compliance in all material respects with applicable Federal and state regulations, there can be no assurance that more restrictive laws or regulations will not be adopted which could make compliance in the future more difficult and/or more expensive. Legislative and regulatory proposals are periodically advanced which, if adopted, could adversely affect the Company's profitability or the manner in which the Company conducts its activities. See the response to Item 5 of the February Current Report. 12 13 RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH TRUTH-IN-LENDING ACT AND RESPA LAWSUITS. Borrowers have brought and may continue to bring lawsuits against lenders, many in the form of class action suits, asserting violations of the Truth-In-Lending Act ("TILA") and RESPA, including the (a) alleged failure of mortgage lenders to properly disclose to the borrowers certain fees associated with the subject mortgage loans and (b) the making of unlawful payments. Judgments entered against lenders have been harsh, including mandatory civil penalties and rescinding mortgage loans. There can be no assurance that the Company will not be involved in similar lawsuits in the future, the result of which could have a material adverse affect on the future of the Company. To date, the Company has been involved in one such action, which was settled for nominal consideration and is a defendant in another action. See the response to Item 5 of the February Current Report. In January 1998, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (the "Eleventh Circuit"), in an action in which the Company was not a party, held that certain fees paid to mortgage brokers represent "yield spread premiums" which constitute referral fees in violation of RESPA. Certain Federal District Courts have reached similar conclusions. The Company believes that the defendant will seek to have the Eleventh Circuit reconsider its holding and, if necessary, ultimately appeal the holding to the United States Supreme Court. The Eleventh Circuit is the federal appellate court for cases arising in the Federal District Courts in Alabama, Florida and Georgia. A significant porion of the Company's loan originations are made in those States. The Company has and intends to continue to pay yield spread premiums to its mortgage brokers and the Company has taken steps to disclose the nature of such fees to its borrowers. In addition to possible criminal violations for unlawful payments in violation of RESPA, a payor can be held liable for damages in the amount of 300% of the unlawful payments. If the Company is ever found to be liable to such extent, the Company would not have sufficient resources with which to pay such damages and investors could expect to lose their entire investment in the Company. RISKS OF EXPANSION. The Company is pursuing a growth strategy and intends to hire additional personnel in the future. The success of the Company's planned expansion will depend on numerous factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control, including, among other factors, the securing of necessary governmental permits and regulatory approvals, the hiring and training of management personnel, the terms and availability of financing and other general economic and business conditions. Any problems or delays encountered in any one or more of these areas can result in delays in the opening of branch offices. There can be no assurance that the Company will effectively manage its expanding operations and anticipate all of the changing demands that its planned expansion will impose on its resources. CONTROL BY OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS. The Company believes that its executive officers and directors beneficially owned or may be deemed to, directly or indirectly, otherwise have voting control of 538,334 shares of Common Stock as of March 31, 1998, representing approximately 9.4% of the Company's shares of Common Stock outstanding at such date. The foregoing includes shares held by affiliates of such persons and shares which may be acquired upon exercise or conversion of securities held by them. As a result of such ownership, they will as a practical matter, have the ability to direct substantially all matters requiring approval by the stockholders of the Company, including the election of directors. Furthermore, such ownership could discourage the possible takeover of the Company or make the removal of management of the Company more difficult, discourage hostile bids for control of the Company in which stockholders may receive premiums for their shares of Common Stock, or otherwise dilute the rights of holders of Common Stock and the market price of Common Stock. 13 14 RESTRICTIVE COVENANTS. The security agreement pursuant to which $1,170,000 of 10% Notes are still outstanding contains various operating covenants including, among others, restrictions on the ability of the Company to incur additional indebtedness, to create liens or other encumbrances, to make certain payments and investments, to pay dividends on Common Stock and to sell or otherwise dispose of assets and merge or consolidate with another entity without approval of a requisite majority of the 10% Note holders. Any failure of the Company to comply with the covenants contained in the 10% Notes could result in an event of default under the Notes which could permit acceleration of the obligations thereunder and acceleration of debt under other instruments that may contain cross-acceleration or cross-default provisions. Other indebtedness of the Company in the future could contain financial and other covenants more restrictive than those contained in the 10% Notes. In connection with bridge loans of the Company aggregating $2,200,000 and which are payable on July 31, 1998, the Company has agreed to various operating covenants including, among others, restrictions on the ability of the Company to incur additional indebtedness, to create liens or other encumbrances, to make certain payments and investments, to pay dividends on Common Stock and to sell or otherwise dispose of assets and merge or consolidate with another entity. Any failure of the Company to repay the bridge loans when due or to comply with such would result in an event of default which could permit acceleration of the obligations thereunder and acceleration of debt under other instruments that contain cross-acceleration or cross-default provisions. Other indebtedness of the Company in the future including any future warehouse financing facility that the Company is likely to seek could contain financial and other covenants more restrictive than those described above. SHARES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE. At March 31, 1998, the Company had 5,748,575 shares of Common Stock outstanding. Of these shares, 1,883,171 are freely transferable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act. The remaining shares of Common Stock currently outstanding are "restricted securities" or owned by affiliates within the meaning of such term in Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act, and which are currently eligible for sale in the public market in reliance upon Rule 144. In general, under Rule 144 as currently in effect, a person (or persons whose shares are aggregated), including persons who may be deemed to be "affiliates" of the Company as that term is defined in Rule 144, is entitled to sell within any three-month period a number of restricted shares beneficially owned for at least one year that does not exceed the greater of (I) one percent of the then outstanding shares of Common Stock, or (ii) the average weekly trading volume in the Common Stock during the four calendar weeks preceding the filing of a prescribed notice with the Commission with respect to such sale. Sales under Rule 144 are also subject to certain requirements as to the manner of sale, notice and the availability of current public information about the Company. Where a minimum of two years has elapsed between the later of the date of the acquisition of restricted securities from an issuer or from an affiliate of an issuer and any resale thereof in reliance on Rule 144 for the account of either the initial acquiror or any subsequent holder, a person who has not been an affiliate of the Company for at least the three months immediately preceding the sale is entitled to sell such securities under Rule 144 without regard to any of the limitations described above. Sales of substantial amounts of Common Stock in the public market under Rule 144, pursuant to registration statements or otherwise could adversely affect the prevailing market price of the Common Stock. EFFECT OF OUTSTANDING CONVERTIBLE SECURITIES, OPTIONS AND WARRANTS. The Company has outstanding (I) securities convertible into 2,341,742 shares of Common Stock, (ii) warrants for the purchase of an aggregate of 2,462,184 shares of Common Stock and (iii) options to purchase an aggregate of 334,900 14 15 shares of Common Stock. Additional shares of Common Stock could become issuable pursuant to anti-dilution adjustments under the terms of such securities. The Company has an additional 566,600 shares of Common Stock reserved for issuance under its 1993 Stock Option Plan. For the respective terms of such convertible securities, warrants and options, the holders thereof are given an opportunity to profit from a rise in the market price of the Company's Common Stock with a resulting dilution in the interests of the other stockholders. Further, the terms on which the Company may obtain additional financing during that period may be adversely affected by the existence of such convertible securities, options and warrants. The holders of the convertible securities, warrants and options may convert or exercise them at a time when the Company might be able to obtain additional capital through a new offering of securities on terms more favorable than those provided therein. MARKET FOR COMMON STOCK. There is not significant trading volume in the Company's Common Stock and, accordingly, there can be no assurance that holders of the Company's Common Stock will be able to sell their Common Stock when they desire to do so. The market price of the Common Stock is subject to rapid and significant fluctuations based upon general market conditions and in response to press releases and reporting of quarterly financial results by the Company. The reaction in the stock market to such news can often be unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of the Company. POSSIBLE DELISTING FROM NASDAQ. Although the Company believes that the continued listing of the Company's Common Stock on NASDAQ is important for the marketability of the Common Stock and the prestige of the Company in the financial community, the Company's Common Stock may be delisted from NASDAQ for failure of the Company to meet the minimum tangible net worth or minimum bid price requirements for continued listing on NASDAQ. See the response to Item 5 of the February Current Report. The Company has been notified by NASDAQ that unless (a) the Company has net tangible assets of $2,000,000; (b) market capitalization of $35,000,000; or (C) levels of net income which the company did not achieve, the Company's Common Stock may be delisted from NASDAQ. The Company intends to submit its plan to NASDAQ not later than June 8, 1998 pursuant to which the Company proposes to meet the NASDAQ listing requirements. If the plan is not timely submitted or NASDAQ does not believe the plan warrants continued listing, NASDAQ will then specify a delisting date for the Company's Common Stock. DIVIDEND POLICY AND RESTRICTIONS. The Company has never paid any cash dividends on its Common Stock and has no present intention to declare or to pay cash dividends on its Common Stock. It is the present policy of the Company to retain any earnings to finance the growth and development of the Company's business. The Company will be restricted from paying dividends on the Common Stock unless cumulative dividends on the Company's outstanding Preferred Stock have first been paid. Provisions within the security agreement for the 10% Notes also restrict payment of dividends on Common Stock. COMPETITION. As a marketer of sub-prime mortgage loans, the Company faces intense competition. Many of the competitors are substantially larger and have more capital and resources than the Company. Competition can take many forms including convenience in obtaining a loan, customer service, marketing and distribution channels, and interest or credit terms. DEPENDENCE ON KEY PERSONNEL. The Company's future performance is dependent to a significant degree upon the services of its key executive officers. The loss of services of key officers could have a material adverse impact on the Company. Additionally, the loss of several key operations personnel during 15 16 a short period of time could negatively impact the Company's expansion plans and impair the ability of the Company to recruit qualified personnel. "SAFE HARBOR" STATEMENT UNDER THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995 Certain statements contained in the "Prospectus Summary" and "Risk Factors" regarding matters that are not statements of historical fact, including statements relating to plans, strategies, expectations and future economic results, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act. Actual results may differ materially from the statements made, as a result of various factors, including risks associated with the Company's mortgage loan investments, such as the risks of defaults on mortgage loans, economic and other factors which impact real estate values and prevailing interest rates, the Company's ability to originate a sufficient volume of mortgage loans, the Company's ability to resell the mortgage loans in the secondary market, and other factors which are listed from time to time in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS The Company's target customer base consists of homeowners with equity of at least 20% in their homes (typically with values ranging from $35,000 to $300,000), a debt-to-gross-income ratio averaging 35%, and stable employment. Although the Company typically requires that the loan-to-value (as reflected in an appraisal) ratio for mortgage loans that it originates or acquires be no greater than 80%, the Company's standards with respect to the other three criteria have been lower than those typically applied by conventional lenders. During the nine months ended March 31, 1997 and 1998, the Company originated $64,584,000 and $61,923,000 of loans, respectively. The average original principal balance of the loans originated by the Company during the nine months ended March 31, 1997 and 1998, was $51,000 and $52,000, respectively, with an average annual interest rate to the Company of approximately 11.8% and 11.1%, respectively. During the year ended June 30, 1997, and the nine months ended March 31, 1998, approximately 92% and 91%, respectively, of the Company's loans originated for each period had an original principal balance of between $10,000 and $150,000. For the year ended June 30, 1997 and the nine months ended March 31, 1998, the weighted average loan-to-value ratio at the time of origination of the Company's loans originated was 69% and 74%, respectively, and the weighted average debt-to-gross-income ratio for the Company's borrowers was 36% and 35%, respectively. In September 1997, the Company began selling its loans to several different investors and was therefore able to expand its product line to include second mortgages, adjustable rate mortgages, combination fixed and adjustable rate mortgages, and other products the Company was previously restricted in selling due to liquidity concerns and the Company's sales arrangement with a particular purchaser of the Company's loans. The Company's sales strategy since September 1997 has been to sell the loans originated by it for a cash premium received at the time of sale, with no further interest in the loan or retention of servicing rights (referred to as selling loans "Whole"). 16 17 From March 1996 to September 1997, the Company sold $108,626,000 of loans originated or acquired by it (most of its production) to Access. Access accumulated loans from the Company and other companies and placed the loans into mortgage pools which were then sold to investors in securitization transactions. Access retained the servicing rights to the sold loans, and the Company did not receive any premium on loan sales to Access at the time of sale. Instead, the agreement between the Company and Access provided that the Company receive the difference between the interest rate charged to the borrower on the sold loan, and the lower contractual rate between the Company and Access, in cash each month as the borrower made payments on the loan. The Company recorded as the gain on sale from these transactions the present value of the portion of the stream of interest payments due the Company over the life of the loan, with several assumptions included in the calculation. The corresponding asset created is referred to as an "Interest-Only Strip Receivable" and is reported on the Company's balance sheet. Pursuant to the agreement with Access, the Company is obligated to reimburse Access for any losses incurred by Access on sales of foreclosed loans, and is also obligated to repurchase a loan previously sold under certain circumstances. A modification of the agreement in November 1997 permitted the Company to receive a partial cash advance against the interest stream due to the Company over the life of loan. While the type of sales agreement with Access generally results in a higher gain on sale than loans sold Whole, the Company believes the improved cash flow and lower contingency risk associated with the Whole loan sale is presently more beneficial to the Company and the Company's present plans now call for continued Whole loan sales. In March 1998, the Company received data on the recent performance of mortgage loan pools the Company sold to Access. Sales of loans to Access during this period generated the I/O Strip (the "Asset"). This data indicate that the assumptions used to estimate the value of the Asset (primarily the prepayment assumption) have changed significantly. Based upon such data, the Company reduced the amount of the Asset on the Company's balance sheet at March 31, 1998 by $2,006,000 to record an impairment loss, primarily to reflect the recent increase in prepayment speed of the mortgage pools. The Company monitors the performance of the mortgage pools underlying the Asset and will make further adjustments to the value of the Asset on a quarterly basis if the loan servicer reports indicate that the assumptions used to value the Asset have changed significantly. The Company has offices in thirteen states (Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia) from which mortgage loans are originated. Subject to the availability of capital, the Company currently plans to continue to expand geographically by adding sales representatives in selected additional states and in states where the Company already does business. The sales representatives are based in their home or in a small executive suite. The Company has loan processing capabilities in three offices located in Georgia, North Carolina, and Ohio, and may add additional processing centers if loan production volume levels increase to certain levels. USE OF PROCEEDS The Common Stock offered hereby will be offered by the Selling Securityholders. See "Selling Securityholders" and "Plan of Distribution." The Company will not receive any proceeds from the sale of the Common Stock. 17 18 SELLING SECURITYHOLDERS The following table sets forth certain information as of the date hereof, with respect to the Common Stock held by each Selling Securityholder. Except as set forth below, none of the Selling Securityholders has had any position, office or other material relationship with the Company or any of its predecessors or affiliates within the past three years other than as a result of the ownership of the Common Stock. The Common Stock offered by this Prospectus may be offered from time to time by the Selling Securityholders named below:
SHARES OF COMMON STOCK PERCENTAGE OF NUMBER OF BENEFICIALLY SHARES SHARES BEING NAME & ADDRESS OWNED(1) OUTSTANDING OFFERED - -------------- -------- ----------- ------- Raymond A. Abt 16,180 0.28% 16,180 14463 Washington Blvd University Hgts, OH 44118-4662 Dipl. Ing. Roland Agne 152,221 2.65% 152,221 Informationsbuero Friesenplatz 5 D-50672 Cologne, Germany Yong S. Ahn 53,920 0.93% 53,920 219 Hidden Pond Road Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417 Alfredo Ambrosetti 34,839 0.60% 34,839 Ambrosetti Group Via Delgi Omemoni 2 20121 Milan Italy Applebaum Family Limited Partnership 16,180 0.28% 16,180 Irv Applebaum 4 Birnawoods Ln St. Louis, MO 63132 Arkansas Teacher's Retirement System 371,441 6.07% 371,441 c/o Kennedy Capital Mgmt 10829 Olive Blvd St. Louis, MO 63141
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SHARES OF COMMON STOCK PERCENTAGE OF NUMBER OF BENEFICIALLY SHARES SHARES BEING NAME & ADDRESS OWNED(1) OUTSTANDING OFFERED - -------------- -------- ----------- ------- E. H. Arnold 100,000 1.71% 100,000 100 Wall St. 10th Floor New York, NY 10005 Robert E. Atkins 10,790 0.19% 10,790 22 Parkside Drive Great Neck, NY 11021 Auer Von Welsbach AG 152,260 2.58% 152,260 c/o AvW Invest AG Haupstrasse 118 A-9201 Krumpendorf, Austria BAii Asset Management 36,499 0.63% 36,499 c/o T. Finn & Co. Chase P.O. Box 50000 Newark, NJ 07101-8006 BAii Asset Management 23,225 0.40% 23,225 c/o Hare & Co. Bank of New York One Wall St New York, NY 10286 BAii Asset Management 9,958 0.17% 9,958 c/o Fram & Co. 200 Liberty Street New York, NY 10281 John & Elizabeth Barrott 20,636 0.36% 20,636 8525 St. Ives Pl Cincinnati, OH 45255
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SHARES OF COMMON STOCK PERCENTAGE OF NUMBER OF BENEFICIALLY SHARES SHARES BEING NAME & ADDRESS OWNED(1) OUTSTANDING OFFERED - -------------- -------- ----------- ------- J. M. Bearden 16,180 0.28% 16,180 P.O. Box 229 Isola, MS 38754 Richard S. Benson 10,790 0.19% 10,790 95 River St Hoboken, NJ 07030 Ronald A. Bero 10,790 0.19% 10,790 14550 Ridgemoor Dr. Elm Grove, WI 53122 Leonard C. Blade 10,790 0.19% 10,790 1207 N. Nokomis N.E Alexandria, MN 56308 Marvin V. Bolt 2,240 0.02% 2,240 10 River Road, 3L Roosevelt Island, NY 10044 Charles Brand 27,298 0.47% 27,298 175 Boundary Rd Colts Neck, NJ 07722 David Braunstein 10,790 0.19% 10,790 1604 Ugale Rd Wilmington, DE 19810 James H. Brennan III 10,000 0.17% 10,000 735 Broad St Chattanooga, TN 37402
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SHARES OF COMMON STOCK PERCENTAGE OF NUMBER OF BENEFICIALLY SHARES SHARES BEING NAME & ADDRESS OWNED(1) OUTSTANDING OFFERED - -------------- -------- ----------- ------- Michael Brunone(2) 277 0.00% 277 100 Wall St. 10th Fl New York, NY 10005 Peter M. Burns (2) 5,022 0.09% 5,022 100 Wall St. 10th Fl New York, NY 10005 O. Beirne Chisolm 41,271 0.71% 41,271 21 Stepping Stone Lane Greenwich, CT 06830 Barbara B. Chisolm 20,636 0.36% 20,636 21 Stepping Stone Ln Greenwich, CT 06830 O. Beirne & Barbara Chisolm 20,636 0.36% 20,636 21 Stepping Stone Ln Greenwich, CT 06830 Corbet L. Jr. Clark 16,180 0.28% 16,180 210 Benson Drive Walnut Ridge, AR 72476 John C. Clifford 123,814 2.11% 123,814 5305 S. Van Marter Ct Spokane, WA 99206 Maria Conte 34,839 0.60% 34,839 Ambrosetti Group Via Delgi Omemoni 2 20121 Milan Italy
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SHARES OF COMMON STOCK PERCENTAGE OF NUMBER OF BENEFICIALLY SHARES SHARES BEING NAME & ADDRESS OWNED(1) OUTSTANDING OFFERED - -------------- -------- ----------- ------- Ronald D. Cowan 10,790 0.19% 10,790 10201 Cr. 3050 Rolla, MO 65402 Joseph & Antonina D'Amadeo (2) 32,948 0.57% 32,948 150 Freedom Ave Staten Island, NY 10314 Guerino & Frances DeLuca 26,960 0.47% 26,960 5953 Belmont St Dearborn Heights, MI 48127 Steven J. Dennis 10,790 0.19% 10,790 24 Mentone Dr. Carmel, CA 93923 Samuel R. Dunlap, Jr 62,813 1.08% 17,000 341 Normandy Circle Gainesville, GA 30506 Douglas A. Dyer 10,000 0.17% 10,000 735 Broad St Chattanooga, TN 37402 Robert Edmondson 16,180 0.28% 16,180 1158 5th Ave New York, NY 10029 Harry or Cynthia Farnham 16,180 0.28% 16,180 7006 McKamy Blvd Dallas, TX 75248
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SHARES OF COMMON STOCK PERCENTAGE OF NUMBER OF BENEFICIALLY SHARES SHARES BEING NAME & ADDRESS OWNED(1) OUTSTANDING OFFERED - -------------- -------- ----------- ------- Lawrence D. Feldhacker 16,180 0.28% 16,180 14949 Chandler Rd . Omaha, NE 68138 Dipl. Ing. Friedrich Forstbach 34,839 0.60% 34,839 Informationsbuero Friesenplatz 5 D-50672 Cologne, Germany Denis Fortin 53,920 0.93% 53,920 26 Brookside Dr. Easton, CT 06612 John Friedman 16,180 0.28% 16,180 c/o Katretas Food Inc. 1012 Tuckerton Court Rd . Reading, Pa 19605 B. Kent Garlinghouse 32,360 0.56% 32,360 2001 Wildwood Lane Topeka, KS 66614 Gary Garson 3,000 0.05% 3,000 55 Public Square Cleveland, OH 44113 James R. Gerchow 26,960 0.47% 26,960 404 Union Bronson, MI 49028 The Global Opportunity Fund, Ltd. 1,267,099 18.06% 1,267,099 Charlotte St. P.O. Box N-9204 Nassau, Bahamas
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SHARES OF COMMON STOCK PERCENTAGE OF NUMBER OF BENEFICIALLY SHARES SHARES BEING NAME & ADDRESS OWNED(1) OUTSTANDING OFFERED - -------------- -------- ----------- ------- Richard Groberg (2) 440 0.00 440 100 Wall St. 10th Fl New York, NY 10005 Hans Gruter 41,271 0.71% 41,271 Informationsbuero Friesenplatz 5 D-50672 Cologne, Germany Douglas Hailey (2) 5,022 0.09% 5,022 100 Wall St. 10th Fl New York, NY 10005 Howard Hall Jr 20,636 0.36% 20,636 3539 Mary Taylor Rd Birmingham, AL 35233 Howard Hall Sr 41,271 0.71% 41,271 3539 Mary Taylor Road Birmingham, AL 35233 Tommy Harman 10,790 0.19% 10,790 5475 Mark Dabling Blvd Ste. 200 Colorado Springs, CO 80918 Heckert Construction Co., Inc. 21,570 0.37% 21,570 746 E. 520th Ave Pittsburgh, KS 66762 Samuel S. Hemingway 25,000 0.43% 25,000 801 N.W. 42nd St Seattle, WA 98107
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SHARES OF COMMON STOCK PERCENTAGE OF NUMBER OF BENEFICIALLY SHARES SHARES BEING NAME & ADDRESS OWNED(1) OUTSTANDING OFFERED - -------------- -------- ----------- ------- Ranier Heubach 365,817 5.98% 365,817 Unterbergstrasse 104 A-5084 Grossgmain Salzburg Austria Jeffrey G. Hipp 16,180 0.28% 16,180 5 Jamie Way Norwalk, Oh 44857 John E. Houser 10,790 0.19% 10,790 20 Savannah Cir Union Grove, AL 35125 Intergroup Corp., The 323,550 5.33% 323,550 P.O. Box 80037 San Diego, CA 92138-0037 Scott Isaak 16,180 0.28% 16,180 11450 Hwy 2 E Coulee City, WA 99115 Jackt Holdings Corp. 500,000 8.00% 500,000 Avieneda Justo Arrosemena, Calle 32 Panama 5, Rep. of Panama Kadish, Hinkle, Weibell & Co. 1,000 0.02% 1,000 1717 East 9th St. Suite 2112 Cleveland, OH 44114 Armin Kaiser 100,000 1.71% 100,000 Drosselweg 13 D-70839 Gerlingen Germany
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SHARES OF COMMON STOCK PERCENTAGE OF NUMBER OF BENEFICIALLY SHARES SHARES BEING NAME & ADDRESS OWNED(1) OUTSTANDING OFFERED - -------------- -------- ----------- ------- Dwain Kasel 7,550 0.13% 7,550 2440 N. Dunlap Roseville, MN 55113 Leslie A. Kaser 16,180 0.28% 16,180 806 Apollo Ave Osborne, KS 67473 Dipl. Ing. Friedel Kellermann 34,839 0.60% 34,839 Informationsbuero Friesenplatz 5 D-50672 Cologne, Germany Donald Kent 16,180 0.28% 16,180 715 Georgia Ave Chattanooga, TN 37402 Celia Klein 20,636 0.36% 20,636 215 Beaumont St Brooklyn, NY 11235 Ronald R. Koch Living Trust 26,960 0.47% 26,960 P.O. Box 51053 Palo Alto, CA 94303 Richard Kramer 10,318 0.18% 10,318 730 Oak Lane Franklin Lakes, NJ 0741 Lancer Offshore, Inc. 144,449 2.45% 144,449 Kaya Flamboyan 9 Curacao Netherlands Antilles
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SHARES OF COMMON STOCK PERCENTAGE OF NUMBER OF BENEFICIALLY SHARES SHARES BEING NAME & ADDRESS OWNED(1) OUTSTANDING OFFERED - -------------- -------- ----------- ------- Lancer Partners, L.P. 680,975 10.59% 680,975 237 Park Ave New York, NY 10017 Larson Family Trust c/o Miles & Joan 20,636 0.36% 20,636 115-44th St Newport Beach, CA 92663 Mark Levine (2) 139 0.00% 139 100 Wall St. 10th Fl New York, NY 10005 Gustave L. Levinson 26,960 0.47% 26,960 1200 Merriman Rd . Akron, Oh 44313 Michael Lyon 10,790 0.19% 10,790 3326 Prince Charles Ct Falls Church, VA 22044 Michael Madie 10,790 0.19% 10,790 277 West End Ave #1D New York, NY 10023 John Marcus 26,960 0.47% 26,960 11559 Rock Island Ct Maryland, Heights, MO 63043 Donald & Jacqueline McCulloch 10,790 0.19% 10,790 820 Oakmere Pl N. Muskegon, MI 49445
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SHARES OF COMMON STOCK PERCENTAGE OF NUMBER OF BENEFICIALLY SHARES SHARES BEING NAME & ADDRESS OWNED(1) OUTSTANDING OFFERED - -------------- -------- ----------- ------- Richard P. McKibben Trust 41,271 0.71% 41,271 1167 W. Samalayuca Dr Tucson, AZ 85704 Geneva A. Meis 10,790 0.19% 10,790 25 Jade Dr. Victoria, TX 77904 Michigan Employee's Retirement 807,925 12.32% 807,925 System c/o Kennedy Capital Mgmt 10829 Olive Blvd St. Louis, MO 63141 Rudolph Miles 16,180 0.28% 16,180 3905 Flamingo Dr. El Paso, TX 79902 Thomas P. Morrissey 26,960 0.47% 26,960 236 W. Detweiller Dr. Peoria, IL 61615 Muico & Company 209,038 3.51% 209,038 c/o Putnam Investments One Post Office Square Boston, MA 02116 Carlos Munoz 13,000 0.23% 3,000 589 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10017 Ronald D. Officer 16,180 0.28% 16,180 23699 Hearthside Dr. Barrington, IL 60010
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SHARES OF COMMON STOCK PERCENTAGE OF NUMBER OF BENEFICIALLY SHARES SHARES BEING NAME & ADDRESS OWNED(1) OUTSTANDING OFFERED - -------------- -------- ----------- ------- Richard Oh (2) 1,400 0.02% 1,400 100 Wall St. 10th Fl New York, NY 10005 Fred Ostad 10,790 0.19% 10,790 320 E. 65th St. #619 NY, NY 10021 Vincent Palmieri (2) 1,440 0.02% 1,440 100 Wall St. 10th Fl New York, NY 10005 Irene Penix 2,400 0.02% 2,400 10 River Road, 3L Roosevelt Island, NY 10044 Jay Petschek 7,842 0.14% 7,842 87 Sheldrake Rd Scarsdale, NY 10583 Thea Petschek Trust 23,112 0.40% 23,112 87 Sheldrake Road Scarsdale, NY 10583 James W. Poole 26,960 0.47% 26,960 P.O. Box 81 Eutaw, AL 35462 Portsmouth Square 107,850 1.84% 107,850 P.O. Box 80037 San Diego, CA 92138-0037
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SHARES OF COMMON STOCK PERCENTAGE OF NUMBER OF BENEFICIALLY SHARES SHARES BEING NAME & ADDRESS OWNED(1) OUTSTANDING OFFERED - -------------- -------- ----------- ------- Dr. Dieter Quast 34,839 0.60% 34,839 Informationsbuero Friesenplatz 5 D-50672 Cologne, Germany Quintus Trust (Kingsley & Co.) 261,298 4.35% 261,298 c/o Coyers Dill & Pearman, TTEE Clarendon House Church St Hamilton, Bermuda Steven Raddochia 3,327 0.06% 3,327 100 San Rico Drive Manchester, CT 06040 Lousi E. Randle, Jr 10,790 0.19% 10,790 P.O. Box 681248 Indianapolis, IN 46268 Michael E. Recca (2) 10,044 0.17% 10,044 100 Wall St. 10th Fl New York, NY 10005 Dietrich Frhr. Von der Recke 123,814 2.11% 123,814 Ander Trift 17 D-31515 Steinhude Germany Karl Reeves (2) 3,750 0.10% 3,750 100 Wall St. 10th Fl New York, NY 10005 Fritz Reimann 300,000 4.96% 300,000 Osterkampsweg 48 D-26131 Oldenburg Germany
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SHARES OF COMMON STOCK PERCENTAGE OF NUMBER OF BENEFICIALLY SHARES SHARES BEING NAME & ADDRESS OWNED(1) OUTSTANDING OFFERED - -------------- -------- ----------- ------- J. Michael Reisert 14,376 0.25% 14,376 2455 East Sunrise Blvd Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33304 Robert Riccio 12,381 0.21% 12,381 78 Chelsea Road Garden City, NY 11530 Dennis E. Roby 10,790 0.19% 10,790 R R #1, Box 87 Warrensburg, IL 62573 Jeffery & Barbara Sadar 16,180 0.28% 16,180 6640 Ridgebury Blvd Mayfield Hts, OH 44124 Eric Sanderson 21,570 0.37% 21,570 20 Old Stagecoach Dr. Monson, MA 01057 Santa Fe Financial Corp. 323,550 5.33% 323,550 P.O. Box 80037 San Diego, CA 92138-0037 Alan Schiff 15,600 0.27% 15,600 14 Laurel Hill Lane Pepper Pike, OH 44124 Shelby Springs Stock Farm 20,636 0.36% 20,636 3539 Mary Taylor Rd . Birmingham, AL 35235
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SHARES OF COMMON STOCK PERCENTAGE OF NUMBER OF BENEFICIALLY SHARES SHARES BEING NAME & ADDRESS OWNED(1) OUTSTANDING OFFERED - -------------- -------- ----------- ------- Jeffrey Sicular 16,180 0.28% 16,180 99 North Broadway Hicksville, NY 11801 Alan Solomon 10,400 0.18% 10,400 8251 Pine Creek Ct Chargrin Falls, OH 44023 William C. Steele 12,940 0.22% 12,940 216 Release Circle Raleigh, NC 27615 Arthur & Marie Sterling 33,017 0.57% 33,017 3000 Northmoor Trail Long Beach, IN 46360 Michael Stern (2) 139 0.00% 139 100 Wall St. 10th Fl New York, NY 10005 Gerald F. Sullivan 51,000 0.88% 50,000 5255 Porter Lane Gainesville, GA 30506 Franz Sveceny 34,839 0.60% 34,839 Jorgerstr. 14 1180 Vienna Austria Sydney Investments Corp., Ltd. 69,679 1.20% 69,679 1370 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10044
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SHARES OF COMMON STOCK PERCENTAGE OF NUMBER OF BENEFICIALLY SHARES SHARES BEING NAME & ADDRESS OWNED(1) OUTSTANDING OFFERED - -------------- -------- ----------- ------- Garland S. Sydnor,. Jr 37,750 0.65% 37,750 8 Tapoan Rd . Richmond, VA 23226 Eugene Szczepanski 21,570 0.37% 21,570 35 Highland Ave Worthington, OH 43085 James L. Tadych 21,570 0.37% 21,570 602 Meadowood Ln Brillion, WI 54110 Robert F. Taglich (2) 63,743 1.10% 63,743 100 Wall St. 10th Fl New York, NY 10005 Michael Taglich (2) 63,744 1.10% 63,744 100 Wall St. 10th Fl New York, NY 10005 Thai Thai (2) 2,527 0.04% 2,527 100 Wall St. 10th Fl New York, NY 10005 Dr. Uwe Thieme 104,519 1.79% 104,519 1370 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10019 Heiko H. Thieme 333,334 5.48% 333,334 1370 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10019
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SHARES OF COMMON STOCK PERCENTAGE OF NUMBER OF BENEFICIALLY SHARES SHARES BEING NAME & ADDRESS OWNED(1) OUTSTANDING OFFERED - -------------- -------- ----------- ------- Thieme Consulting, Inc. 2,244 0.02% 2,244 1370 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10019 John C. Thomas 45,517 0.79% 28,000 200 N. Cobb Parkway Suite 200 Marietta, GA 30062 George Unbehaun 104,519 1.79% 104,519 Reinberger Felbermaier & Partner Bahnhofplatz 5 D-89073 Ulm Germany Vandergrift Fwd. Co. 6,191 0.11% 6,191 1 Evertrust Plaza Jersey City, NJ 07302 Von Graffenried AG Privatbank 209,038 3.51% 209,038 Marktgass-Passage 3 Postfach 3000 Bern 7 Switzerland VPM Verwaltungs AG 458,605 7.39% 458,605 Thierwilerstrasse 10 CH-4103 Bottingham Switzerland Thomas J. Waggoner 26,960 0.47% 26,960 119-A W 6th St Briston, OK 74010
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SHARES OF COMMON STOCK PERCENTAGE OF NUMBER OF BENEFICIALLY SHARES SHARES BEING NAME & ADDRESS OWNED(1) OUTSTANDING OFFERED - -------------- -------- ----------- ------- Thomas Wagner (2) 1,822 0.03% 1,822 100 Wall St. 10th Fl New York, NY 10005 William L. Watkins 10,790 0.19% 10,790 1204 Deerfield Ln Jackson, MS 39211 Roy Wescott, Sr 10,790 0.19% 10,790 P.O. Box 716 Manteo, NE 27954 Louis & Joanne Westfall 10,790 0.19% 10,790 1 Westview Dr. Sanford, ME 04073 Dr. Argil J.Wheelock 34,839 0.60% 34,839 fbo Associated Urologists of Chattanooga Deferred PSP 710 West Brow Road Lookout Mountain, TN 37350 Joel C. Williams 20,000 0.35% 20,000 2 East Bryan St. 8th Floor Savannah, GA 31401 Tad Wilson 16,180 0.28% 16,180 877 Maple Dr. Spencer, IN 47460
35 36
SHARES OF COMMON STOCK PERCENTAGE OF NUMBER OF BENEFICIALLY SHARES SHARES BEING NAME & ADDRESS OWNED(1) OUTSTANDING OFFERED - -------------- -------- ----------- ------- Paul Winters 10,790 0.19% 10,790 1910 E. 86th St Apt. 126 Bloomington, MN 55425 Dr. Lutz Wolfram 41,271 0.71% 41,271 Vieringhausen 51 D-45857 Remscheid Germany Totals 9,954,948 9,880,618
- --------------- (1) The Company believes that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by them. For purposes hereof, a person is deemed to be the beneficial owner of securities that can be acquired by such person within 60 days from the date hereof upon the exercise of warrants or options or the conversion of convertible securities. Each beneficial owner's percentage ownership is determined by assuming that any such warrants, options or convertible securities that are held by such person (but not those held by any other person) and which are exercisable within 60 days from the date hereof, have been exercised or converted, as the case may be. (2) These persons are employed by Taglich Brothers, D'Amadeo, Wagner & Co., Inc. The Selling Securityholders have advised the Company that the shares of Common Stock to be offered by the Selling Securityholders represents all of such shares beneficially owned by them as of the date of this Prospectus. Since December 1997, Heiko H. Thieme has been a member of the Company's Board of Directors and its Chairman. Mr. Thieme is the President of The Global Opportunity Fund Limited ("Global") and its investment advisor. Reference is made to the Supplement dated December 8, 1997 to the Company's Proxy Statement dated November 21, 1997 with respect to certain material relationships between the Company and Mr. Thieme and his affiliates. Taglich Brothers, D'Amadeo, Wagner & Co., Inc. has been a consultant to the Company Such firm also acted as the Placement Agent for the Company's sale of 11% Preferred Stock for which it received a commission of $167,000. James Brennan and Douglas Dyer are employee of Brennan & Dyer, which has been a consultant to the Company. VPM Verwaltungs AG acted as the placement agent for the Company's sale of 9% Preferred Stock for which it received a commission of $640,000 and warrants for the purchase of the Common Stock. Between July 31, 1997 and March 13, 1998, Global loaned an aggregate of $1,100,000 to the 36 37 Company for which it received the Company's 10% promissory notes in such aggregate amount due on July 31, 1998 and warrants for the purchase of an aggregate of 550,000 shares of the Company's Common Stock at a weighted average exercise price of $2.00 per share. In connection with such loans, the Company paid aggregate commissions of $35,000 to Thieme Securities, Inc. Prior to April 17, 1997, Alan Schiff and Alan Solomon were the President and Vice President, respectively, of Cash Back Mortgage Corporation ("CBMC"). On that date, CBMC was acquired by the Company and Mr. Schiff became and Mr. Solomon continued to be a Vice President of CBMC. Mr. Schiff's services were terminated by CBMC in January 1998. Reference is made to the November Proxy Statement and the other documents incorporated herein by reference with respect to other relationships between certain Selling Securityholders and the Company. PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION The Common Stock may be sold from time to time to purchasers directly by any of the Selling Securityholders. Alternatively, the Selling Securityholders may from time to time offer the Common Stock through underwriters, dealers or agents, who may receive compensation in the form of underwriting discounts, concessions or commissions from the Selling Securityholders for whom they may act as agent. The Selling Securityholders and any underwriters, dealers or agents that participate in the distribution of Common Stock may be deemed to by underwriters, and any commissions or concessions received by any such underwriters, dealers or agents might be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions under the Securities Act. At the time a particular offer of Common Stock is made, to the extent required, a Prospectus Supplement will be distributed which will set forth the terms of the offering, including the name or names of any underwriters, dealers or agents, any discounts, commissions and other items constituting compensation from the Selling Securityholders and any discounts, commissions or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers. The Common Stock may be sold from time to time in one or more transactions at a fixed offering price, which may be changed, or at varying prices determined at the time of sale or at negotiated prices. The Company will pay substantially all of the expenses incident to the offering and sale of the Common Stock to the public other than commissions and discounts of underwriters, dealers or agents. Under agreements entered into with the Company, the Selling Securityholders, and any underwriter they may utilize, will be indemnified by the Company against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. 37 38 DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK GENERAL Set forth below is a description of the material terms and provisions of the capital stock of the Company, which should be read in conjunction with the Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, of the Company (the "Certificate of Incorporation"), and the By-Laws, as amended, of the Company (the "By-Laws"). The Certificate of Incorporation and the By-Laws, are exhibits to the Company's Registration Statement on Form S-1 (Registration No. 33-37416) and are available from the Public Reference Section of the Commission at 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549 at prescribed rates or may be requested by writing to the Chief Financial Officer of the Company, at Wachovia Center, Suite 700, Gainesville, Georgia 30501. COMMON STOCK The holders of Common Stock are entitled to one vote at all meetings of stockholders for each share held by them with respect to all matters upon which they have a right to vote. Shares of Common Stock have no preemptive rights and have no other rights to subscribe for additional shares of the Company, nor do the shares of Common Stock have any conversion rights or rights of redemption. All shares of Common Stock will participate equally in dividends, when, as and if declared by the Board of Directors, out of funds legally available therefor, and in net assets upon liquidation, subject to the rights of holders of preferred stock, if any. All shares of Common Stock currently outstanding and those which may be issued upon conversion of the 10% Notes, 11% Preferred Stock, convertible warehouse line or exercise of warrants are and will be duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable by the Company upon issuance. At March 31, 1998, there were 5,748,575 shares of Common Stock outstanding. Transfer Agent. The Company's transfer agent is Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, New York, New York. PREFERRED STOCK General. The Certificate of Incorporation of the Company authorizes the issuance of 2,000,000 shares of Preferred Stock. The Board of Directors, within the limitations and restrictions contained in the Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, and without further action by the Company's stockholders, has the authority to issue shares of Preferred Stock from time to time in one or more series and to fix the number of shares and the relative rights, conversion rights, voting rights, and terms of redemption, liquidation preferences and any other preferences, special rights and qualifications of any such series. An issuance of Preferred Stock could, under certain circumstances, have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control of the Company and may adversely affect the rights of holders of Common Stock. 9% Convertible Preferred Stock. Pursuant to a Certificate of Designation filed with the Secretary of the State of Delaware, the Company was authorized to issue a series of up to 320,000 shares of 9% 38 39 convertible preferred stock (referred to as "Series A"), all of which was issued in October 1995. In October 1997 a conversion offer was approved by the Board of Directors, and holders of all remaining outstanding shares of the Series A Preferred Stock subsequently converted their Preferred Stock into Common Stock. No shares of Series A Preferred Stock are currently authorized or outstanding. 11% Convertible Preferred Stock. Pursuant to a Certificate of Designation filed with the Secretary of the State of Delaware, the Company is authorized to issue a series of up to 60,000 shares of 11% convertible redeemable preferred stock (referred to as "Series B"). In April 1997, 16,740 shares were issued, all of which is currently outstanding. The following is a summary of the terms of the Series B Preferred Stock. Dividends The holders of the Series B Preferred Stock are entitled to receive, if, when and as declared by the Board of Directors out of funds legally available as prescribed by statute, cumulative dividends at the rate of 11% per annum per share on the liquidation preference of the Series B Preferred Stock, payable quarterly. Dividends will accrue and be cumulative to the extent not paid on any dividend payment date. No dividends may be paid on any shares of capital stock ranking junior to the Series B Preferred Stock (including Common Stock) unless and until all accumulated and unpaid dividends on the Series B Preferred Stock have been declared and paid in full. The Board of Directors has, at its discretion, an option to pay the quarterly dividend in the form of additional Series B Preferred Stock instead of cash until the quarterly payment of June 30, 1998, at a rate equivalent to the market price of the Common Stock. Dividends paid in Series B Preferred Stock after July 1, 1998 would be at a rate equivalent to 80% of the market price of the Common Stock. Furthermore, the dividend rate will increase 2% per quarter, commencing April 1, 2000, up to a maximum rate of 24% on any Series B Preferred Stock still outstanding at that time. Conversion Each share of Series B Preferred Stock is convertible, at any time prior to redemption, at the option of the holder, into shares of Common Stock at a conversion price initially equivalent to $2.50 per share. The number of shares of Series B Preferred Stock to be received upon conversion, and the price per shares of Common Stock are subject to adjustment from time to time in the event of (I) the combination, subdivision or reclassification of the Common Stock; (ii) the issuance of Common Stock as a dividend or distribution on any class of capital stock of the Company; and (iii) the distribution to all holders of Common Stock of evidences of the Company's indebtedness or assets (including securities, but excluding cash dividends or distributions paid out of earned surplus). Payment of accumulated and unpaid dividends will be made upon conversion to the extent of legally available funds. The conversion price of Series B Preferred Stock is subject to decrease based on the weighted average of the price of the Common Stock issued or issuable on conversion or exercise of securities convertible or exercisable for Common Stock, through April 16, 1998, subject to certain exclusions. During the second half of 1997, the Company effected a one-for-five reverse stock spilt and issued convertible debt, which adjusted the conversion price to $2.00 per share. The Company may purchase the Series B Preferred Stock for $.01 per share if the average closing price of the Common Stock for 20 out of 30 trading days is 200% or more of the conversion price upon 30 days notice. 39 40 Redemption The Company may at its option, commencing in September 1999, redeem the shares of Series B Preferred Stock, in whole or in part, at a redemption price of $100.00 per share plus any accrued and unpaid dividends. In the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of the Company, before any payment or distribution of the assets of the Company (whether capital or surplus), or the proceeds thereof, may be made or set apart for the holders of the Common Stock or any series or class of stock ranking junior to the Series B Preferred Stock, the holders of the Series B Preferred Stock will be entitled to receive, out of the assets of the Company available for distribution to stockholders, a liquidating distribution of $100.00 per share plus any accumulated and unpaid dividends. Delaware Anti-Takeover Law. The Company is governed by the provisions of Section 203 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware ("DGCL"), an anti-takeover law enacted in 1988. In general, this law prohibits a public Delaware corporation from engaging in a "business combination" with an "interested stockholder" for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder, unless the business combination is approved in a prescribed manner. "Business combination" is defined to include mergers, asset sales and other transactions resulting in a financial benefit to the stockholder. An "interested stockholder" is defined as a person who, together with affiliates and associates, owns (or, within the prior three years, did own) 15% or more of the corporation's voting stock. The DGCL contains provisions enabling a corporation to avoid the statutory restrictions described above through an amendment to its certificate of incorporation. DISCLOSURE OF COMMISSION POSITION AND INDEMNIFICATION FOR SECURITIES ACT LIABILITIES Indemnification of Directors and Officers. ARTICLE Seven of the Registrant's Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, provides as follows: SEVENTH: Any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative, or investigative (whether or not by or in the right of the Corporation) by reason of the fact that he is or was a director, officer, incorporator, employee, or agent of the Corporation, or is or was serving a the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, incorporator, employee, or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, or other enterprise shall be entitled to be indemnified by the Corporation to the full extent then permitted by law or to the extent that a court of competent jurisdiction shall deem proper or permissible under the circumstances, whichever is greater against expenses (including attorneys' fees), judgments, fines and amount paid in settlement incurred by him in connection with such action, suit or proceeding. Such right of indemnification shall inure 40 41 whether or not the claim asserted is based on matters which antedate the adoption of this Article SEVENTH. Such right of indemnification shall continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director, officer, incorporator, employee, or agent and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs and personal representatives of such person. Section 145 of the DGCL empowers a Delaware corporation to indemnify any person who is, or is threatened to be made, a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative )other than an action by or in the right of such corporation) by reason of the fact that such person is or was an officer or director of such corporation, or is or was serving at the request of such corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of any other corporation or enterprise. The indemnity may include expenses (including attorney's fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding, provided that he acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful. A Delaware corporation, may indemnify officers and directors in an action by or in the right of the corporation under the same conditions, except that no indemnification is permitted without judicial approval if the officer or director is adjudged to be liable for negligence or misconduct in the performance of his duty to the corporation. Where an officer or director is successful on the merits or otherwise in the defense of any action referred to above, the corporation must indemnify him against the expenses which he actually and reasonably incurred in connection therewith. The indemnification provided is not deemed to be exclusive of any other rights to which an officer or director may be entitled under a corporation's by-laws, by agreement, vote, or otherwise. Insofar as indemnification arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Company pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Company has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. EXPERTS The consolidated financial statements of the Company at June 30, 1997 and 1996, and for each of the three years in the period ended June 30, 1997, appearing in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-KSB, as amended, have been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, independent auditors, as set forth in their report thereon (which contains an explanatory paragraph describing conditions that raise substantial doubt about the Company's ability to continue as a going concern as described in Note 12 to the consolidated financial statements) and incorporated herein by reference, and are included in reliance upon such report given upon the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing. LEGAL MATTERS Certain legal matters relating to the Common Stock offered hereby have been passed upon for the Company by Reisman & Associates, P.A., Boca Raton, Florida. 41 -----END PRIVACY-ENHANCED MESSAGE-----