Annual report pursuant to section 13 and 15(d)

Notes Payable

v2.4.0.8
Notes Payable
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2013
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]  
Notes Payable
Notes Payable

Notes payable consisted of the following:
 
December 31,
2013
 
December 31,
2012
Note payable under revolving credit agreement with principal shareholder
$

 
$
25,500

Notes payable to clearing firm under forgivable loans
14,285

 
18,214

Note payable to a subsidiary of Premier Trust’s former shareholder
450

 
685

Notes payable to finance Securities America acquisition, net of $1,618 and $7,120 of unamortized discount in 2013 and 2012, respectively
48,232

 
153,580

Note payable under term loan with bank
1,681

 

Total
$
64,648

 
$
197,979



The Company estimates that the fair value of notes payable was $68,908 at December 31, 2013 and $187,385 at December 31, 2012 based on then current interest rates at which similar amounts of debt could currently be borrowed (Level 2 inputs). As of December 31, 2013, the Company was in compliance with all debt covenants in its debt agreements.

Revolving Credit Agreement

On October 19, 2007, in connection with the Investacorp acquisition, the Company entered into a $30,000 revolving credit agreement with Frost Gamma Investments Trust (“Frost Gamma”), an affiliate of the Company’s chairman of the board and principal shareholder, and borrowed $30,000. Borrowings under the Frost Gamma credit agreement bear interest at a rate of 11% per annum, payable quarterly. Frost Gamma received a one-time funding fee of $150. On August 25, 2009, the revolving credit agreement was amended to extend the maturity date to August 25, 2016. In connection with the Securities America acquisition, on August 16, 2011, the Company entered into a second amendment to the revolving credit agreement, under which available borrowings were increased by $10,000 to an aggregate of $40,000. In 2013, the Company used a portion of the net proceeds from the sale of Series A Preferred Stock to repay the outstanding balance (approximately $39,300) under the revolving credit agreement. At December 31, 2013, the Company had no outstanding balance under the revolving credit agreement.

The note issued under the credit agreement contains customary events of default, which, if uncured, entitle the holder to accelerate the due date of the unpaid principal amount of, and all accrued and unpaid interest on, such note. Under the revolving credit agreement, Frost Gamma received a warrant to purchase 2,000,000 shares of LTS common stock. The warrant is exercisable at any time during its ten-year term at an exercise price of $1.91 per share, the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the Investacorp acquisition date. The warrant, which is classified as debt issue cost, was valued at $3,200 based on the Black-Scholes option pricing model, and is being amortized under the straight-line method over the remaining term of the revolving credit agreement. The Company may repay outstanding amounts at any time prior to the maturity date of August 25, 2016, without penalty, and may re-borrow up to the full amount of the agreement.



NFS Forgivable Loans

On November 4, 2011, the primary clearing firm of the Company's subsidiaries, National Financial Services LLC (“NFS”), a Fidelity Investments® company, provided the Company with a seven-year, $15,000 forgivable loan. The Company used the forgivable loan proceeds to fund expenses related to the Securities America acquisition. Interest on the loan accrues at the average annual Federal Funds effective rate plus 6% per annum, subject to the maximum rate of 11% per annum (6.8% at December 31, 2013). If Securities America meets certain annual clearing revenue targets set forth in the loan agreement, the principal balance of the loan will be forgiven in seven equal yearly installments of $2,143 through November 2018. Interest payments due with respect to each such year will also be forgiven if the annual clearing revenue targets are met. Any principal amounts not forgiven will be due in November 2018, and any interest payments not forgiven are due annually. If during the loan term any principal amount is not forgiven, the Company may have such principal forgiven in future years if Securities America exceeds subsequent annual clearing revenue targets. In 2013, principal and interest of $2,143 and $787, respectively, were forgiven. Upon meeting annual revenue targets, principal and interest of $2,143 and $919 respectively, in 2012, were forgiven and included in other income.

In connection with the entering into the new forgivable loan, Securities America and the Company’s other broker-dealer subsidiaries amended their clearing agreements with NFS to, among other things, extend the term of those agreements through November 2018. Also, the Company and NFS amended the terms of the 2009 forgivable loan made by NFS to the Company such that the remaining principal balance of $7,143 and the related accrued interest will be forgiven, subject to the terms and conditions of the loan, in four equal annual installments commencing in November 2012 without the Company being required to satisfy the annual clearing revenue targets previously established. Interest on the 2009 loan accrues at the prime rate plus 2% (5.25% at December 31, 2013). Upon meeting annual revenue targets, principal and interest, respectively, of $1,786 and $280 in 2013, $1,786 and $446 in 2012 and $1,429 and $450 in 2011, were forgiven and included in other income.

The Company has expensed, and will continue to expense, interest under the loan agreements prior to forgiveness.

The forgivable loan agreements contain covenants, including limitations on the incurrence of additional indebtedness, maintenance of minimum adjusted shareholders’ equity levels and a prohibition on the termination of the Company’s $40,000 revolving credit agreement prior to its current maturity. Upon the occurrence of an event of default, the outstanding principal and interest under the loan agreements may be accelerated and become due and payable. If the clearing agreements are terminated prior to the loan maturity date, all amounts then outstanding must be repaid on demand. The loan agreements are secured by the Company’s, but not its subsidiaries’, deposits and accounts held at NFS or its affiliates, which amounted to $3,276 at December 31, 2013.

Premier Trust Note

On September 1, 2010, as part of the consideration paid for Premier Trust, the Company issued a four-year, non-negotiable promissory note in the aggregate principal amount of $1,161 to a subsidiary of Premier Trust’s former shareholder. The note bears interest at 6.5% per annum and is payable in 15 equal quarterly installments.

Securities America Notes

On November 4, 2011 (the “Closing Date”), in connection with the Securities America acquisition, the Company entered into a loan agreement with various lenders (the “Lenders”), under which the Lenders provided a loan to the Company in an aggregate principal amount of $160,700 (the "November 2011 Loan"), a portion of which was used to fund the cash purchase price payable on the Closing Date. Interest on the November 2011 Loan is payable quarterly at 11% per annum. The Company may elect to pay interest in kind with the consent of certain Lenders. The remaining balance of the loan, together with accrued and unpaid interest thereon, is due on November 4, 2016. The Company may voluntarily repay the loan at any time without premium or penalty. The notes issued under the loan rank senior in right of payment to all of the Company's indebtedness incurred after the Closing Date and will rank at least equal in right of payment with the claims of all of the Company's existing unsecured and unsubordinated creditors. Also, so long as amounts remain outstanding and unpaid under such notes, the Company may not, without the consent of the Lenders, create, incur or suffer to exist any indebtedness for borrowed money (other than existing indebtedness as the same may be amended or extended, or trade payables incurred in the ordinary course of business) that is not subordinated in all respects to the indebtedness under such notes. The notes contain customary events of default, which, if uncured, permit the Lenders to accelerate the maturity date of the loan. On the Closing Date, the Company paid a one-time aggregate funding fee of $804 to the Lenders and issued warrants to purchase an aggregate of 10,713,332 shares of the Company's common stock. The Warrants are exercisable at any time prior to their expiration on November 4, 2016 at $1.68 per share, which was the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the Closing Date. The Warrants may be exercised in cash, by net exercise or pursuant to a Lender’s surrender of all or a portion of the principal amount of such Lender’s note.

The warrants were valued at $9,428 utilizing the Black-Scholes option pricing model using the following inputs:

 
 
Dividend yield
%
Expected volatility
62.19
%
Risk-free interest rate
0.88
%
Expected life (in years)
5



The value of the warrants were credited to Additional Paid-in Capital with a corresponding reduction in the carrying value of the notes as debt discount, which is being amortized over the term of the notes by the interest method.

The lenders under the November 2011 Loan included Frost Nevada Investments Trust ("Frost Nevada"), an affiliate of the Company's chairman of the board and principal shareholder, Vector Group, Ltd. ("Vector Group"), a principal shareholder of the Company, and the Company's president and chief executive officer and a director. The principal amounts loaned by Frost Nevada, Vector Group and the Company's president and chief executive officer were $135,000, $15,000 and $200, respectively.

The Company used the net proceeds from the sale of Series A Preferred Stock in the year ended December 31, 2013 (see Note 15) to prepay $110,850 principal amount of the $160,700 aggregate principal amount of the November 2011 Loan. In connection with the prepayment, the Company recorded a loss on extinguishment of debt for the year ended December 31, 2013 of $4,547, which included unamortized discounts and write-off of debt issue costs.

Bank Term Loan

On November 6, 2013, our subsidiary, Securities America Financial Corporation, which is the parent of Securities America, entered into a loan agreement with a third-party financial institution for a term loan in the aggregate principal amount of approximately $1,709. The term loan bears interest at 5.5%, has a 54-month term and is collateralized by Securities America’s non-forgivable financial advisor note portfolio. Pursuant to this loan agreement, up to $1,500 aggregate principal amount of additional loans is available, subject to certain conditions. Any additional loans would bear interest at 5.5% per annum. At December 31, 2013, $1,681 was outstanding under this loan.

The loan agreement contain certain affirmative and negative covenants, including covenants regarding Securities America’s client asset levels and number of financial advisors.