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Ten Point Seven Five Percent Series B Cumulative Exchangeable Redeemable Preferred Stock
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2015
Equity [Abstract]  
10 3/4% Series B Cumulative Exchangeable Redeemable Preferred Stock

10. 10 3/4% Series B Cumulative Exchangeable Redeemable Preferred Stock

Voting Rights Triggering Event

Pursuant to the Certificate of Designations, each holder of shares of our Series B preferred stock had the right, on October 15, 2013, to request that we repurchase (subject to the legal availability of funds and the Delaware General Corporate Law) all or a portion of such holder’s shares of Series B preferred stock at a purchase price equal to 100% of  the liquidation preference of such shares, plus all accumulated and unpaid dividends (as described in more detail below) on those shares to the date of repurchase.

 

On October 15, 2013, holders of shares of our Series B preferred stock requested that we repurchase 92,223 shares of Series B preferred stock for an aggregate repurchase price of $126.9 million, which included accumulated and unpaid dividends on these shares as of October 15, 2013. We did not have sufficient funds legally available to repurchase all of the Series B preferred stock for which we received requests and instead used the limited funds legally available to us to repurchase 1,800 shares for a purchase price of approximately $2.5 million, which included accrued and unpaid dividends. Consequently, a “voting rights triggering event” occurred (the “Voting Rights Triggering Event”).

Following the occurrence, and during the continuation, of the Voting Rights Triggering Event, holders of the outstanding Series B preferred stock will be entitled to elect two directors to newly created positions on our Board of Directors, and we will be subject to more restrictive operating covenants, including a prohibition on our ability to incur any additional indebtedness and restrictions on our ability to pay dividends or make distributions, redeem or repurchase securities, make investments, enter into transactions with affiliates or merge or consolidate with (or sell substantially all of our assets to) any other person. On June 6, 2014, we held our Annual Meeting of Stockholders (“Annual Meeting”).  At the Annual Meeting, the holders of the Series B preferred stock nominated and elected Alan Miller and Gary Stone to serve as the Series B preferred stock directors.

The Voting Rights Triggering Event shall continue until (i) all dividends in arrears shall have been paid in full and (ii) all other failures, breaches or defaults giving rise to such Voting Rights Triggering Event are remedied or waived by the holders of at least a majority of the shares of the then outstanding Series B preferred stock.  We do not currently have sufficient funds legally available to be able to satisfy the conditions for terminating the Voting Rights Triggering Event. During the continuation of the Voting Rights Triggering Event, the Indenture governing our Notes prohibits us from paying dividends or from repurchasing the Series B preferred stock.

Quarterly Dividends

Under the terms of our Series B preferred stock, the holders of the outstanding shares of the Series B preferred stock are entitled to receive, when, as and if declared by the Board of Directors out of funds of the Company legally available therefor, dividends on the Series B preferred stock at a rate of 10 ¾% per year, of the $1,000 liquidation preference per share. All dividends are cumulative, whether or not earned or declared, and are payable quarterly in arrears on specified dividend payment dates. While the Voting Rights Triggering Event continues, we cannot pay dividends on the Series B preferred stock without causing a breach of covenants under the Indenture governing our Notes.  As of March 31, 2015, the aggregate cumulative unpaid dividends on the outstanding shares of the Series B preferred stock was approximately $48.3 million, which is accrued on our condensed consolidated balance sheet as 10 ¾% Series B cumulative exchangeable redeemable preferred stock.

Redemption Date and Subsequent Accounting Treatment of the Preferred Stock

Prior to October 15, 2013, the Series B preferred stock was considered “conditionally redeemable” because the redemption of the shares of Series B preferred stock was contingent on the Series B preferred stockholders requesting that their Series B preferred stock be repurchased on October 15, 2013. On October 15, 2013, almost all of the holders of the Series B preferred stock requested that we repurchase their shares of Series B preferred stock. As a result of their request, we assessed and determined that, under applicable accounting principles, the contingency had occurred, and the Series B preferred stock now met the definition of a “mandatorily redeemable” instrument under Accounting Standards Codification 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity” (“ASC 480”).  Although under Delaware law the Series B preferred stock is deemed equity, under ASC 480, if an instrument changes from being “conditionally redeemable” to “mandatorily redeemable,” then the financial instrument should be reclassified as a liability.  

In addition, the Series B preferred stock will be measured at each reporting date as the amount of cash that would be paid pursuant to the contract, had settlement occurred on the reporting date, recognizing the resulting change in that amount from the previous reporting date as interest expense. Therefore, the accruing quarterly dividends of the Series B preferred stock will be recorded as interest expense (i.e. “Dividends on Series B preferred stock classified as interest expense”).