UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

 

 

 

Commission File Number: 1-31950

 

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code
(952) 591-3000

 

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

 

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

 

 

 

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.  Yes  o      No  þ

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act.  Yes  o      No  þ

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.  Yes  þ      No  o

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).  Yes  o      No  o

 

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.   þ

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).  Yes  o      No  þ

 

The market value of common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant, computed by reference to the last sales price as reported on the New York Stock Exchange as of June 30, 2009, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, was $146.2 million.

 

82,694,964 shares of common stock were outstanding as of March 8, 2010.

 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

 

Certain information required by Part III of this report is incorporated by reference from the registrant’s proxy statement for the 2010 Annual Meeting.

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

 

(“Raphaels Bank”). In January 2010, we acquired the assets of our agent in the Netherlands, Blue Dolphin Financial Services N.V. Finally, we sold FSMC, Inc. and continued the exit of our ACH Commerce business in 2009.

 

Our global money transfer and bill payment services are our primary revenue drivers. Money transfers are transfers of funds between consumers from one location to another. The sender pays a fee based on the amount to be transferred and the location at which the funds are to be received. The transferred funds are made available for payment in cash to the designated recipient at any agent location. In select countries, the designated recipient may also receive the transferred funds via a deposit to the recipient’s bank account, mobile phone account or prepaid card. We typically pay both our “send” and “receive” agents a commission for the transaction.

 

We provide money transfer services through our worldwide network of agents and through Company-owned retail locations in the United States and Western Europe. We also offer our money transfer services on the Internet via our MoneyGram Online service. In Italy and the Philippines, we also offer our money transfer services via mobile phone and intend to expand our mobile phone money transfer network.

 

Our primary bill payment service offering is our ExpressPayment ^® service, which is offered at all of our money transfer agent locations in the United States and at certain agent locations in select Caribbean countries. Our ExpressPayment service enables a consumer to pay cash at an agent location for bills and obtain same-day notification of credit to the consumer’s account with their biller. Our consumers can also use our ExpressPayment service to load and reload prepaid debit cards. Our ExpressPayment bill payment service is also available for payments to select billers via the Internet at www.moneygram.com .

 

We also derive revenue through our money order and official check services. We provide money orders through retail and financial institutions located throughout the United States and Puerto Rico, and we provide official check outsourcing services to financial institutions across the United States. Consumers use our money orders to make bill payments or in lieu of cash or personal checks. Official checks are used by consumers where a payee requires a check drawn on a bank and by financial institutions to pay their own obligations.

 

During 2009, 2008 and 2007, our 10 largest agents accounted for 48 percent, 44 percent and 36 percent, respectively, of our total company fee and investment revenue and 53 percent, 53 percent and 53 percent, respectively, of the fee and investment revenue of our Global Funds Transfer segment. Walmart Stores, Inc. (“Walmart”) is our only agent that accounts for more than 10 percent of our total company fee and investment revenue. In 2009, 2008 and 2007, Walmart accounted for 29 percent, 26 percent and 20 percent, respectively, of our total company fee and investment revenue, and 32 percent, 31 percent and 29 percent, respectively, of the fee and investment revenue of our Global Funds Transfer segment. Our contract with Walmart in the United States provides for Walmart’s sale of our money order and money transfer services, and real-time, urgent bill payment services at its retail locations on an exclusive basis. The term of our agreement with Walmart runs through January 2013.

 

During the fourth quarter of 2009, we revised our segment reporting to reflect changes in how we manage our business, review operating performance and allocate resources. We now manage our business primarily through two segments: Global Funds Transfer and Financial Paper Products. Following is a description of each segment.

 

The Global Funds Transfer segment is our primary segment, providing money transfer and bill payment services to consumers, who are often “unbanked” or “underbanked.” “Unbanked consumers” are those consumers who do not have a traditional relationship with a financial institution. “Underbanked consumers” are consumers who, while they may have a savings account with a financial institution, do not have a checking account. Other consumers who use our services are “convenience users” and “emergency users” who may have a checking account with a financial institution, but prefer to use our services on the basis of convenience or to make emergency payments. We primarily offer services to consumers through third-party agents, including retail chains, independent retailers and financial institutions.

In 2009, our Global Funds Transfer segment had total fee and investment revenue of $1,027.9 million. We continue to focus on the growth of our Global Funds Transfer segment outside of the United States. During 2009, 2008 and 2007, operations outside of the United States generated 27 percent, 25 percent and 21 percent, respectively, of our total company fee and investment revenue, and 31 percent of our Global Funds Transfer segment fee and investment revenue in all three years.

 

The Global Funds Transfer segment is managed as two geographical regions, the Americas and EMEAAP, to coordinate sales, agent management and marketing activities. The Americas region includes the United States, Canada, Mexico and Latin America (including the Caribbean). The EMEAAP region includes Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Asia Pacific region. In 2009, we added 14,000 net locations to our global agent network.

 

As of December 31, 2009, we had 66,000 agent locations in the Americas. We added 3,200 Canada Post locations to our network, making our money transfer services available coast to coast across Canada. The addition of agent locations in the United States and Canada were more than offset by numerous agent closures during the year. In Brazil, we added 1,000 Itau Unibanco locations, bringing money transfer services to the bank’s network of nearly 5,000 locations. We also added nearly 1,200 locations in Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia and the Dominican Republic.

 

In the EMEAAP region, we added 16,600 agent locations in several key markets. Through our agreement with M. Lhuillier Financial Services, Inc., we added 1,200 agent locations in the Philippines. In India, we have relationships with 18 banks and now have more than 22,000 agent locations. The Bank of China offers our services at all of its 200-plus locations in Beijing and is expanding its offering of our services into its full network of 10,000 locations across the mainland. In Saudi Arabia, National Commerce Bank now offers our money transfer services at its 1,400 ATM locations, creating one of the largest money transfer networks in Saudi Arabia. We also significantly expanded our agent locations in Kenya, Ethiopia, Angola, Morocco, Thailand, South Korea, Romania, Cyprus, Sweden and Serbia. As of December 31, 2009, we had 124,000 agent locations in the EMEAAP region, representing a 16 percent increase from December 31, 2008.

 

We provide Global Funds Transfer products and services utilizing a variety of proprietary point-of-sale platforms. Our platforms include AgentConnect ^® , which is integrated into an agent’s point-of-sale system, and DeltaWorks ^® and Delta T3 ^® , which are separate software and stand-alone device platforms. Through our FormFree ^® service, customers may contact our call center and a representative will collect transaction information over the telephone, entering it directly into our central data processing system. We also operate two customer care centers in the United States, and we contract for additional call center services in Bulgaria and the Dominican Republic. We provide call center services 24 hours per day, 365 days per year and provide customer service in over 30 languages.

 

Money Transfers.   We derive our money transfer revenues primarily from consumer transaction fees and the management of currency exchange spreads on money transfer transactions involving different “send” and “receive” currencies. We have corridor pricing capabilities that enable us to establish different consumer fees and foreign exchange rates for our money transfer services by location, for a broader segment such as defined ZIP code regions or for a widespread direct marketing area. We strive to maintain our money transfer consumer fees at a price point below our primary competitor and above the niche players in the market.

 

As of December 31, 2009, we offer money transfers to consumers in a choice of local currency, United States dollars or euros in 136 countries (“multi-currency”). Our multi-currency technology allows us to execute our money transfers directly between and among several different currencies. Where implemented, these capabilities allow our agents to settle with us in local currency and allow consumers to know the amount that will be received in the local currency of the receiving country, or in United States dollars or euros in certain countries.

 

As of December 31, 2009, our agent network consisted of approximately 190,000 money transfer agent locations in approximately 190 countries and territories worldwide. These agent locations are in the following geographic regions: 43,700 locations in Western Europe and the Middle East; 39,500 locations in North America; 26,700 locations in the Indian subcontinent; 26,500 locations in Latin America (including Mexico, which represents 12,900 locations); 25,800 locations in Eastern Europe; 19,800 locations in Asia Pacific; and 8,000 locations in Africa.

 

Bill Payment Services.   We derive our bill payment revenues primarily from transaction fees charged to consumers for each bill payment transaction completed. Our bill payment services allow consumers to make urgent payments or pay routine bills through our network to certain creditors (“billers”). We maintain relationships with billers in key

industries (also referred to as “verticals”). These industries include the credit card, mortgage, auto finance, telecommunications, corrections, satellite, property management, prepaid card and collections industries.

 

Our bill payment services also enable consumers to load and reload prepaid debit cards. Consumers with any Visa ReadyLink ^® -enabled prepaid card or any NetSpend ^® prepaid debit card can add funds to their cards at any of our United States agent locations. We also offer our MoneyGram AccountNow ^® Prepaid Visa card, which participates in the Visa ReadyLink, Interlink ^® and Plus ^® networks. The card can be used everywhere Visa is accepted and can be reloaded at any of our United States agent locations.

 

Our bill payment service also allows customers to make low-cost, in-person payments of non-urgent utility bills for credit to a biller, typically within two to three days. Through our PropertyBridge service, we offer a complete bill payment solution to the property rental industry, including the ability to electronically accept security deposits and rent payments.

 

Our Financial Paper Products segment provides money orders to consumers through our retail and financial institution agent locations in the United States and Puerto Rico, and provides official check services for financial institutions in the United States.

 

In 2009, our Financial Paper Products segment posted revenues of $122.8 million. Since early 2008, our investment portfolio has consisted of lower risk, highly liquid, short-term securities that produce a lower rate of return, which has resulted in lower revenues and profit margins in our Financial Paper Products segment.

 

Money Orders.   We generate revenue from money orders by charging per item and other fees, as well as from the investment of funds underlying outstanding money orders, which generally remain outstanding for fewer than 10 days. We sell money orders under the MoneyGram brand and on a private label or co-branded basis with certain of our large retail and financial institution agents in the United States.

 

In 2009, we issued approximately 204.7 million money orders through our network of 61,092 agent and financial institution locations in the United States and Puerto Rico. In 2008, we issued approximately 245.1 million money orders through our network of 73,030 agent and financial institution locations in the United States and Puerto Rico.

 

Official Check Outsourcing Services.   As with money orders, we generate revenue from our official check outsourcing services from per item and other fees and from the investment of funds underlying outstanding official checks, which generally remain outstanding for fewer than 3.5 days. In 2009, we restructured our official check business model by reducing the commissions we pay our financial institution customers and increasing per item and other fees. As of December 31, 2009, we provide official check outsourcing services at approximately 14,000 branch locations of more than 1,600 financial institutions. We issued 35.9 million and 42.4 million of official checks in 2009 and 2008, respectively.

 

We focus our product development and enhancements on innovative ways to transfer money and pay bills. We continually seek to provide our customers with added flexibility and convenience to help them meet the financial demands of their daily lives. We also invest in our infrastructure to increase efficiencies and support our strategic initiatives.

 

In 2009, we began reaching new customers through alternate money transfer delivery channels. We now offer mobile phone money transfers through key agents in the Philippines and Italy. In January 2010, we launched the MoneyGram iPhone ^tm application, Mobile Companion, allowing consumers to search for agent locations, including the agent’s address, phone numbers and hours of operation. Mobile Companion also includes the convenience of a fee estimator that allows consumers to determine the fee for a transaction in advance.

 

We also introduced the convenience of cash-to-card services through key agents in the Philippines, which allows their customers to collect remittances on a card, which can then be used to pay for purchases at participating stores.

We have made enhancements to our MoneyGram Online service and will continue to make further enhancements to provide a better consumer experience and efficiency in completing a transaction for our online customers, as well as more cost-effective transaction processing. We also enhanced our MoneyGram rewards program and now offer members the ability to receive a text message on their mobile phones informing them that the funds they transferred have been picked up by their receiver. We expanded our MoneyGram Rewards program to Canada, Italy, France, Germany and Spain in 2009, and will continue its international expansion during 2010 and beyond. Total MoneyGram Rewards membership grew 30 percent from 2008.

 

We continue to invest in our infrastructure to provide a better overall consumer and agent experience, reduce our costs and create efficiencies. We have made important infrastructure enhancements to our settlement and commission processing, data management, financial systems and regulatory and compliance reporting. We are continuing our efforts to enhance our agent on-boarding process, improving our speed to market for new agents.

 

We market our products and services through a number of dedicated sales and marketing teams, and we continually assess the effectiveness of our sales and marketing efforts. In the United States, a dedicated sales and marketing team markets our money transfer, money order and bill payment services. Dedicated sales and marketing teams also market our bill payment services directly to billers, including those in key verticals, and market our official check and money order services to financial institutions. In addition, we have sales and marketing teams that focus on strategic alliances and partnerships. Internationally, we have sales and marketing teams located in or near the following regions: Western Europe; Eastern Europe; Asia; Australia; the Middle East; Africa; Canada; Mexico; and Latin America.

 

Our sales and marketing efforts continue to be supported by a wide range of consumer advertising methods. A key component of our advertising and marketing is our global branding. Our global branding is a result of significant research and differentiates MoneyGram from other payment services providers. Signage continues to be a key method by which we build global awareness of our brand. We strive to ensure that our signs are displayed prominently at our agent locations and that our signage displays our brand consistently across the markets we serve. We also use traditional media methods to reach our consumers, including television, radio and print advertising, as well as advertising our services at community and cultural events throughout the world.

 

Our MoneyGram Rewards program continues to build loyalty and repeat usage with consumers around the world. The program includes features such as a discount structure based on a consumer’s use of our services, e-mail and/or text message notifications to the sender when the funds are picked up, and a more streamlined customer service experience.

 

While we are the second largest money transfer company in the world, the market for our money transfer and bill payment services remains very competitive. The market consists of a small number of large competitors and a large number of small, niche competitors. Our competitors include other large money transfer and electronic bill payment providers, banks and niche person-to-person money transfer service providers that serve select regions. As new technologies for money transfer and bill payment services emerge that allow consumers to send and receive money and to pay bills in a variety of ways, we face increasing competition. These emerging technologies include online payment services, card-based services such as ATM cards and stored-value cards, bank-to-bank money transfers and mobile telephone payment services.

 

We generally compete for money transfer agents on the basis of value, service, quality, technical and operational differences, price and commission. We compete for money transfer consumers on the basis of number and location of outlets, price, convenience, technology and brand recognition.

 

Compliance with legal requirements and government regulations is a highly complex and integral part of our day-to-day operations. Our operations are subject to a wide range of laws and regulations that include international,

federal and state anti-money laundering laws and regulations; money transfer and payment instrument licensing laws; escheatment laws; privacy laws; data protection and information security laws; and consumer disclosure and consumer protection laws. Failure to comply with any applicable laws and regulations could result in restrictions on our ability to provide our products and services, as well as the potential imposition of civil fines and possibly criminal penalties. See “Risk Factors” for additional discussion regarding potential impacts of failure to comply. We continually monitor and enhance our global compliance program to stay current with the most recent legal and regulatory changes. During 2009, we increased our compliance personnel headcount and made investments in our compliance-related technology and infrastructure.

 

Anti-Money Laundering Compliance.   Our money transfer services are subject to anti-money laundering laws and regulations of the United States, including the Bank Secrecy Act, as amended by the USA PATRIOT Act, as well as the anti-money laundering laws and regulations in many of the countries in which we operate, particularly in the European Union. Countries in which we operate may require one or more of the following:

 

 

Anti-money laundering regulations are constantly evolving and vary from country to country. We continuously monitor our compliance with anti-money laundering regulations and implement policies and procedures to make our business practices flexible, so we can comply with the most current legal requirements.

 

We offer our money transfer services through third-party agents with whom we contract and do not directly control. As a money services business, the Company and its agents are required to establish anti-money laundering compliance programs that include: (i) internal policies and controls; (ii) designation of a compliance officer; (iii) ongoing employee training and (iv) an independent review function. We have developed an anti-money laundering training manual available in multiple languages and a program to assist with the education of our agents on the various rules and regulations. We also offer in-person and online training as part of our agent compliance training program and engage in various agent oversight activities.

 

Money Transfer and Payment Instrument Licensing.   The majority of United States states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands and Guam require us to be licensed to conduct business within their jurisdictions. In November 2009, our primary overseas operating subsidiary, MoneyGram International Ltd, became a licensed payment institution under the European Union Payment Services Directive. Licensing requirements generally include minimum net worth, provision of surety bonds, compliance with operational procedures, agent oversight and the maintenance of reserves or “permissible investments” in an amount equivalent to outstanding payment obligations, as defined by our various regulators. The types of securities that are considered “permissible investments” vary from state to state, but generally include cash and cash equivalents, United States government securities and other highly rated debt instruments. Most states and our other regulators require us to file reports on a quarterly or more frequent basis to verify our compliance with their

requirements. Many states and other regulators also subject us to periodic examinations and require us and our agents to comply with anti-money laundering and other laws and regulations.

 

Escheatment Regulations.   Unclaimed property laws of every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands require that we track certain information on all of our payment instruments and money transfers and, if they are unclaimed at the end of an applicable statutory abandonment period, that we remit the proceeds of the unclaimed property to the appropriate jurisdiction. Statutory abandonment periods for payment instruments and money transfers range from three to seven years. Certain foreign jurisdictions also may have unclaimed property laws, though we do not have material amounts subject to any such law.

 

Privacy Regulations.   In the ordinary course of our business, we collect certain types of data which subjects us to certain privacy laws in the United States and abroad. In the United States, we are subject to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 (the “GLB Act”), which requires that financial institutions have in place policies regarding the collection, processing, storage and disclosure of information considered nonpublic personal information. We are also subject to privacy laws of various states. In addition, we are subject to the European Union Privacy Directive (the “Privacy Directive”). We abide by the United States Department of Commerce’s Safe Harbor framework principles to assist in compliance with the Privacy Directive. In some cases, the privacy laws of a European Union member state may be more restrictive than the Privacy Directive and may impose additional duties with which we must comply. We also have confidentiality/information security standards and procedures in place for our business activities and with our third-party vendors and service providers. Privacy and information security laws, both domestically and internationally, evolve regularly and conflicting laws in the various jurisdictions where we do business pose challenges.

 

Banking Regulations.   We were recently informed by Goldman Sachs that the Company may be deemed a controlled subsidiary of a bank holding company under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (the “Bank Holding Company Act”), as a result of Goldman Sachs’ status as a bank holding company and its equity interest in the Company. Affiliates of Goldman Sachs beneficially own all of the Company’s Series B-1 Preferred Stock, and may convert the B-1 stock into non-voting Series D Preferred Stock (the “D Stock”). While not convertible into common stock of the Company while beneficially owned by Goldman Sachs, the D Stock may be sold or transferred to a third party who may then convert the D Stock into common stock. As a result, Goldman Sachs has informed us that the Company may be considered a controlled non-bank subsidiary of Goldman Sachs for U.S. bank regulatory purposes. Companies that are deemed to be subsidiaries of a bank holding company are subject to the Bank Holding Company Act, and are thus subject to reporting to, and examination and supervision by, the Federal Reserve Board.

 

Bank holding companies may engage in the business of banking, managing and controlling banks, as well as closely related activities. Bank holding companies that are well-capitalized, well-managed and meet certain other conditions (referred to as “financial holding companies”) are allowed greater operational flexibility. The Federal Reserve Board has approved Goldman Sachs as a financial holding company, and Goldman Sachs may engage in additional activities that are deemed financial in nature, such as securities and insurance activities and certain merchant banking activities. The Federal Reserve Board, together with the U.S. Treasury Department, may periodically announce additional permissible activities for financial holding companies.

 

The businesses that we conduct are permissible activities for subsidiaries of financial holding companies under U.S. law, and we do not expect the limitations described above to adversely affect our current operations. It is possible, however, that these restrictions might limit our ability to enter other businesses that we may wish to engage in at some time in the future. It is also possible that these laws may be amended in the future, or new laws or regulations adopted, that adversely affect our ability to engage in our current or additional businesses.

 

In addition, a financial holding company that falls out of compliance with the well-managed, well-capitalized and other requirements applicable to financial holding companies must enter into an agreement with the Federal Reserve Board to rectify the situation. The Federal Reserve Board may refuse to allow the financial holding company, including its subsidiaries, to engage in activities that are permissible for financial holding companies but not permissible for bank holding companies. Consequently, Goldman Sachs’ non-compliance with the requirements applicable to financial holding companies could have an impact on the Company.

We have been in discussions with Goldman Sachs regarding this matter, and Goldman Sachs and the Company are each evaluating various alternatives pursuant to which the Company would not be deemed to be a subsidiary of a bank holding company and thus not subject to the Bank Holding Company Act. There can be no assurance of any particular outcome of such evaluations.

 

Other.   We sell our MoneyGram-branded prepaid card in the United States, in addition to loading prepaid cards of other card issuers through our ExpressPayment system. Prepaid card services are generally subject to federal and state laws and regulations, including laws related to consumer protection, licensing, escheat, anti-money laundering and the payment of wages. These laws are evolving, unclear and sometimes inconsistent. The extent to which these laws are applicable to us is uncertain and we are currently unable to determine the impact that any future clarification, changes or interpretation of these laws will have on our services.

 

Our business involves the movement of money. On average, we move over $1.0 billion daily to settle our payment instruments and make related settlements with our agents and financial institutions. We generally receive a similar amount on a daily basis from our agents and financial institutions in connection with our payment service obligations. We move money through a network of clearing and cash management banks, and our relationships with these clearing banks and cash management banks are a critical component of our ability to move funds on a global and timely basis.

 

We maintain contractual relationships with a variety of domestic and international cash management banks for automated clearing house (“ACH”) and wire transfer services for the movement of consumer funds and agent settlements. There are a limited number of international cash management banks with a network large enough to manage cash settlements for our entire agent base. During 2009, we converted to a new primary international cash management banking relationship. This relationship and our other banking relationships provide us with cash management services that are sufficient for our needs.

 

We rely on two banks to clear our retail money orders. We entered into a new five-year agreement with our secondary money order clearing bank in early 2009, and are in the process of negotiating a new agreement with our primary money order clearing bank. We currently have five official check clearing banks. We believe these relationships provide sufficient capacity for our money order and official check outsourcing services.

 

The MoneyGram brand is important to our business. We have registered our MoneyGram trademark in the United States and a majority of the other countries where we do business. We maintain a portfolio of other trademarks that are also important to our business, including our ExpressPayment, globe with arrows logo, MoneyGram Rewards, The Power is in Your Hands ^® , The Power to Change the Way You Send Money ^® , FormFree and AgentConnect marks. In addition, we maintain a portfolio of MoneyGram branded domain names.

 

We rely on a combination of patent, trademark and copyright laws, and trade secret protection and confidentiality or license agreements to protect our proprietary rights in products, services, know-how and information. Intellectual property rights in processing equipment, computer systems, software and business processes held by us and our subsidiaries provide us with a competitive advantage. Even though not all of these assets are protectable, we take appropriate measures to protect our intellectual property.

 

We own United States and foreign patents related to our money order and money transfer technology. Our United States patents have in the past given us competitive advantages in the marketplace, including a number of patents for automated money order dispensing systems and printing techniques, many of which have expired. We also have patent applications pending in the United States that relate to our money transfer, money order, PrimeLink and bill payment technologies and business methods. We anticipate that these applications, if granted, could give us continued competitive advantages in the marketplace. However, our competitors also actively patent their technology and business processes.

 

As of December 31, 2009, we had approximately 1,806 full-time employees in the United States and 591 full-time employees outside of the United States. In addition, we engage contractors to support various aspects of our business. None of our employees in the United States are represented by a labor union. We consider our employee relations to be good.

 

In September 2009, the Board of Directors announced that Pamela H. Patsley assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Anthony P. Ryan, who had assumed the role in January 2009. Ms. Patsley will continue her role as the Chairman of the Board as appointed in January 2009. In December 2009, we announced the January 2010 departure of Jeffrey R. Woods, who assumed the role of Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer following the departure of David J. Parrin in the first quarter of 2009. Steven Piano was named as Executive Vice President of Human Resources in August 2009, following the departure of Cindy Stemper in May 2009. Timothy C. Everett assumed the role of Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary in January 2010, following the retirement of Teresa H. Johnson in September 2009. In September 2009, Mary A. Dutra departed from her role as Executive Vice President, Global Payment Processing and Settlement. Mubashar Hameed, Chief Information Officer, departed in January 2010. The Company is in the process of identifying a Chief Financial Officer and a Head of Operations and Technology. Following is information regarding our executive officers:

 

Pamela H. Patsley , age 53, has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer since September 2009. Ms. Patsley was appointed Executive Chairman in January 2009. Ms. Patsley also serves on the boards of directors of Texas Instruments, Inc. and Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. Ms. Patsley previously served as Senior Executive Vice President of First Data Corporation, a global payment processing company, from March 2000 to October 2007, and President of First Data International from May 2002 to October 2007. From 1991 to 2000, Ms. Patsley served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Paymentech, Inc., prior to its acquisition by First Data Corporation. Ms. Patsley also served as Chief Financial Officer of First USA, Inc.

 

Jean C. Benson , age 42, has served as Senior Vice President, Controller since May 2007. Ms. Benson previously served as Vice President, Controller from August 2001 to May 2007. From 1994 to 2001, Ms. Benson was with Metris Companies, Inc., a financial products and services company, serving as Corporate Controller and Executive Vice President of Finance from 1996 to 2001. From 1990 to 1994, Ms. Benson was an auditor with the accounting firm Deloitte & Touche LLP.

 

Daniel J. Collins , age 46, has served as Senior Vice President, Treasurer since August 2008. Mr. Collins previously served as Vice President, Audit from June 2004 to August 2008. From 2000 to 2004, Mr. Collins served as Controller of the investment firm of RBC Wealth Management. From 1997 to 2000, Mr. Collins served as Division CFO, Consumer Products for U.S. Bank. Prior to that, Mr. Collins spent four years with the accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and six years with the accounting firm Ernst & Young, LLP, most recently as senior manager.

 

Timothy C. Everett, age 47 , has served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary since January 2010. Mr. Everett previously served as Vice President and Secretary of Kimberly-Clark Corporation, a multi-national consumer product company, from 2003 to 2009. Prior to that, Mr. Everett served in various roles of increasing responsibility at Kimberly-Clark from 1993 to 2003. From 1990 to 1993, Mr. Everett was with the global law firm, Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP. From 1984 to 1987, Mr. Everett was an auditor with the accounting firm Ernst & Young, LLP.

 

John Hempsey , age 57, has served as Executive Vice President of EMEAAP since December 2009. From May 2003 to December 2009, Mr. Hempsey served as Chief Executive Officer of the Company’s subsidiary, MoneyGram International Ltd. From 2001 to 2003, Mr. Hempsey served as a non-executive board member of Travelex Group Limited, a payment services company. From 1982 to 2001, Mr. Hempsey was with Thomas Cook Global Financial Services prior its acquisition by Travelex Group, serving most recently as Chief Executive Officer. From 1974 to 1982, Mr. Hempsey was with the accounting firms KPMG LLP and Ernst & Young LLP.

Theodore L. Hill , age 47, has served as Senior Vice President, Global Services and General Manager, Financial Paper Products since February 2010. From 2008 to February 2010, Mr. Hill served as Vice President, Global Services and General Manager, Financial Paper Products. From 2007 to 2008, Mr. Hill served as Vice President, Global Services and from 2000 to 2007 served as Vice President, Customer Setup and Support. Mr. Hill had served as Senior Director, Customer Setup and Support from 1999 to 2000, Director, Global Client Services from 1995 to 1999 and Manager, Control Operations from 1989 to 1995. From 1984 to 1989, Mr. Hill was with Sears, Roebuck & Co.

 

Daniel J. O’Malley , age 45, has served as Executive Vice President of the Americas since December 2009. From April 2007 to December 2009, Mr. O’Malley served as Senior Vice President, Global Payment Systems/President Americas. Mr. O’Malley previously served as Vice President, Global Payment Systems/Americas from April 2003 to April 2007, Vice President, Customer Service from June 1999 to April 2003, Director, Operations from 1996 to 1999, Regulatory Project Manager from 1995 to 1996, Manager of the Southeast Processing Center from 1989 to 1995 and Coordinator of the Southeast Processing Center from 1988 to 1989. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. O’Malley held various operations positions at NCNB National Bank and Southeast Bank N.A. from 1983 to 1988.

 

Steven Piano , age 44, has served as Executive Vice President, Human Resources since August 2009. From January 2008 to August 2009, Mr. Piano served as Global Lead Human Resource Partner with National Grid, a multi-national utility company. From 1996 to January 2008, Mr. Piano held a variety of human resources positions with First Data Corporation, a global electronic payment processing company, serving most recently as Senior Vice President — First Data International. From 1987 to 1996, Mr. Piano held human resources positions with Citibank, Dun & Bradstreet — Nielsen Media Research and Lehman Brothers.

 

Our principal executive offices are located at 1550 Utica Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55416 and our telephone number is (952) 591-3000. Our website address is www.moneygram.com. We make our reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K, Section 16 reports on Forms 3, 4 and 5, and all amendments to those reports, available electronically free of charge in the Investor Relations section of our website as soon as reasonably practicable after they are filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).

Item 1A.  RISK FACTORS

 

Various risks and uncertainties could affect our business. Any of the risks described below or elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K or our other filings with the SEC could have a material impact on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

 

RISK FACTORS

 

Our increased debt service, significant debt covenant requirements and our credit rating could impair our financial condition and adversely affect our ability to operate and grow our business.

 

We have substantial debt service obligations. Our indebtedness could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and could have an adverse impact on our stockholders, including:

 

 

 

• our debt service obligations may affect our ability to attract or retain agents on favorable terms;

 

 

Our credit rating is non-investment grade. Together with our leverage, this rating adversely affects our ability to obtain additional financing and increases our cost of borrowing. A non-investment grade rating may also affect our ability to attract and retain certain customers.

 

Our recapitalization significantly diluted the interests of the common stockholders and grants other important rights to the Investors.

 

The Series B Stock issued to the Investors is convertible into shares of common stock or common equivalent stock at the price of $2.50 per common share (subject to anti-dilution rights), giving the Investors an initial equity interest in us of approximately 79 percent. Dividends payable on the Series B Stock have been accrued since inception. If we continue to accrue dividends in lieu of paying in cash, the ownership interest of the Investors will substantially increase and continue to dilute the interests of the common stockholders. With the accrual of dividends, the Investors had an equity interest of 82 percent as of December 31, 2009.

 

The holders of the B Stock vote as a class with the common stock and have a number of votes equal to the number of shares of common stock issuable if all outstanding shares of B Stock were converted into common stock plus the number of shares of common stock issuable if all outstanding shares of B-1 Stock were converted into Series D Participating Convertible Preferred Stock and subsequently converted into common stock. As a result, holders of the B Stock are able to determine the outcome of matters put to a stockholder vote, including the ability to elect our directors, determine our corporate and management policies, including compensation of our executives, and determine, without the consent of our other stockholders, the outcome of any corporate action submitted to our stockholders for approval, including potential mergers, acquisitions, asset sales and other significant corporate transactions. This concentration of ownership may discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our Company, which could deprive our stockholders of an opportunity to receive a premium for their common stock as part of a sale of our Company and might reduce our share price. THL also has sufficient voting power to amend our organizational documents. We cannot provide assurance that the interests of the Investors will coincide with the interests of other holders of our common stock.

 

In view of their significant ownership stake in the Company, THL, as holders of the B Stock, has appointed four members to our Board of Directors and Goldman Sachs, as holders of the B-1 Stock, has appointed two observers to our Board of Directors. The size of our Board has been set at nine directors, three of which are independent. Our Certificate of Incorporation provides that, as long as the Investors have a right to designate directors to our Board, Goldman Sachs shall have the right to designate one director who shall have one vote and THL shall have the right to designate two to four directors who shall each have equal votes and who shall have such number of votes equal to the number of directors as is proportionate to the Investors’ common stock ownership, calculated on a fully converted basis assuming the conversion of all shares of Series B Stock into common stock, minus the one vote of the director designated by Goldman Sachs. Therefore, each director designated by THL will have multiple votes and each other director will have one vote.

Sustained financial market illiquidity could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

The global capital and credit markets continue to experience illiquidity. As a result, we may face certain risks. In particular:

 

 

If current levels of market illiquidity worsen, there can be no assurance we will not experience an adverse effect, which may be material, on our ability to access capital and on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Continued weakness in economic conditions, in both the United States and global markets, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Our money transfer business relies in part on the overall strength of global economic conditions as well as international migration patterns. Consumer money transfer transactions and migration patterns are affected by, among other things, employment opportunities and overall economic conditions. Our customers tend to have employment in industries such as construction, manufacturing and retail that tend to be more significantly impacted by weak economic conditions than other industries. This may result in reduced job opportunities for our customers in the United States or other countries that are important to our business which could adversely affect our results of operations. In addition, increases in employment opportunities may lag other elements of any economic recovery.

 

Our agents or billers may have reduced sales or business as a result of weak economic conditions. As a result, our agents could reduce their numbers of locations or hours of operation, or cease doing business altogether. Our billers may have fewer customers making payments to them, particularly billers in those industries that may be more affected by an economic downturn such as the automobile, mortgage and retail industries.

 

If general market softness in the United States or other national economies important to the Company’s business were to continue for an extended period of time or deteriorate further, the Company’s results of operations could be adversely impacted. Additionally, if our consumer transactions decline or migration patterns shift due to deteriorating economic conditions, we may be unable to timely and effectively reduce our operating costs or take other actions in response which could adversely affect our results of operations.

 

A material slow down or complete disruption in international migration patterns could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

The money transfer business relies in part on migration patterns, as individuals move from their native countries to countries with greater economic opportunities or a more stable political environment. A significant portion of money transfer transactions are initiated by immigrants or refugees sending money back to their native countries. Changes in immigration laws that discourage international migration and political or other events (such as war,

terrorism or health emergencies) that make it more difficult for individuals to migrate or work abroad could adversely affect our money transfer remittance volume or growth rate. Sustained weakness in global economic conditions could reduce economic opportunities for migrant workers and result in reduced or disrupted international migration patterns. Reduced or disrupted international migration patterns, particularly in the United States or Europe, are likely to reduce money transfer transaction volumes and therefore have an adverse effect on our results of operations.

 

If we lose key agents or are unable to maintain our Global Funds Transfer agent or biller networks, our business and results of operations could be adversely affected.

 

Revenue from our money transfer and urgent bill payment services is derived from transactions conducted through our retail agent and biller networks. Many of our high volume agents are in the check cashing industry. There are risks associated with the check cashing industry that could cause this agent base to decline. We may not be able to retain all of our current retail agents or billers for other reasons, as the competition for retail agents and billers is intense. If agents or billers decide to leave our agent network, or if we are unable to add new agents or billers to our network, our revenue would decline.

 

Larger agents and billers in our Global Funds Transfer segment are increasingly demanding financial concessions and more information technology customization. The development, equipment and capital necessary to meet these demands could require substantial expenditures and there can be no assurance that we will have the available capital after paying dividends to the Investors and servicing our debt, or that we will be allowed to make such expenditures under the terms of our debt agreements. If we were unable to meet these demands, we could lose customers and our business and results of operations would be adversely affected.

 

A substantial portion of our transaction volume is generated by a limited number of key agents. During 2009 and 2008, our 10 largest agents accounted for 48 percent and 44 percent, respectively, of our total company fee and investment revenue and 53 percent and 53 percent, respectively, of the fee and investment revenue of our Global Funds Transfer segment. In 2009 and 2008, our largest agent, Walmart, accounted for 29 percent and 26 percent, respectively, of our total company fee and investment revenue and 32 percent and 31 percent, respectively, of the fee and investment revenue of our Global Funds Transfer segment. The term of our agreement with Walmart runs through January 2013. If any of our key agents were not to renew their contracts with us, or if such agents were to reduce the number of their locations, or cease doing business, we might not be able to replace the volume of business conducted through these agents, and our business and results of operations would be adversely affected.

 

Litigation or investigations involving MoneyGram or our agents, which could result in material settlements, fines or penalties, may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We are currently the subject of an informal SEC inquiry and stockholder litigation, including a securities class action lawsuit and one lawsuit under ERISA. While we believe the suits are without merit and intend to vigorously defend against such claims, the outcome of the lawsuits cannot be predicted at this time. The cost to defend the stockholder and ERISA litigation could be substantial, regardless of the outcome. In addition, we have been, and in the future may be, subject to allegations and complaints that individuals or entities have used our money transfer services for fraud-induced money transfers which may result in fines, settlements and litigation expenses.

 

Regulatory and judicial proceedings and potential adverse developments in connection with ongoing stockholder litigation may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. There may also be adverse publicity associated with lawsuits and investigations that could decrease agent and customer acceptance of our services. Additionally, our business has been in the past, and may be in the future, the subject of class action lawsuits, regulatory actions and investigations and other general litigation. The outcome of class action lawsuits, regulatory actions and investigations is difficult to assess or quantify. Plaintiffs or regulatory agencies in these lawsuits, actions or investigations may seek recovery of very large or indeterminate amounts, and the magnitude of these actions may remain unknown for substantial periods of time. The cost to defend or settle future lawsuits or investigations may be significant.

We face credit risks from our retail agents and official check financial institution customers.

 

The vast majority of our Global Funds Transfer segment is conducted through independent agents that provide our products and services to consumers at their business locations. Our agents receive the proceeds from the sale of our payment instruments and money transfers and we must then collect these funds from the agents. If an agent becomes insolvent, files for bankruptcy, commits fraud or otherwise fails to remit money order or money transfer proceeds to us, we must nonetheless pay the money order or complete the money transfer on behalf of the consumer. Moreover, we have made, and may make in the future, secured or unsecured loans to retail agents under limited circumstances or allow agents to retain our funds for a period of time before remitting them to us. As of December 31, 2009, we had credit exposure to our agents of approximately $436.4 million in the aggregate spread across over 14,000 agents, of which five owed us in excess of $15.0 million.

 

Our official checks outsourcing business is conducted through financial institutions. Our official check financial institution customers issue official checks and money orders and remit to us the face amounts of those instruments the day after they are issued. MoneyGram is liable for payment on all of those instruments except cashier’s checks. As of December 31, 2009, we had credit exposure to our official check financial institution customers of approximately $482.0 million in the aggregate spread across 1,700 financial institutions, of which one owed us in excess of $15.0 million.

 

We monitor the creditworthiness of our agents and official check financial institution customers on an ongoing basis. There can be no assurance that the models and approaches we use to assess and monitor agent and official check financial institution customer creditworthiness will be sufficiently predictive, and we may be unable to detect and take steps to timely mitigate an increased credit risk.

 

In the event of an agent bankruptcy, we would generally be in the position of creditor, possibly with limited security or financial guarantees of performance, and we would therefore be at risk of a reduced recovery. We are not insured against credit losses, except in circumstances of agent theft or fraud. Significant credit losses could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

We face fraud risks that could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Criminals are using increasingly sophisticated methods to engage in illegal activities such as paper instrument counterfeiting, fraud and identity theft. As we make more of our services available over the Internet and other unmanned media, we subject ourselves to new types of consumer fraud risk because requirements relating to customer authentication are more complex with Internet services. Certain former retail agents have also engaged in fraud against consumers or us, and existing agents could engage in fraud against consumers or us. We use a variety of tools to protect against fraud; however, these tools may not always be successful. Allegations of fraud may result in fines, settlements and litigation expenses.

 

Negative economic conditions may result in increased agent or consumer fraud. If consumer fraud levels involving our services were to rise, it could lead to regulatory intervention and reputational and financial damage. This, in turn, could reduce the use and acceptance of our services or increase our compliance costs and thereby have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

An inability of the Company or its agents to maintain adequate banking relationships may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We rely on domestic and international banks for international cash management, ACH and wire transfer services to pay money transfers and settle with our agents. We also rely on domestic banks to provide clearing, processing and settlement functions for our paper-based instruments, including official checks and money orders. The Company’s relationships with these banks are a critical component of our ability to conduct our official check, money order and money transfer businesses. An inability on our part to maintain existing or establish new banking relationships sufficient to enable us to conduct our official check, money order and money transfer businesses could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to establish and maintain adequate banking relationships.

We rely on a primary international banking relationship for cash management, ACH and wire transfer services. Should we not be successful in maintaining a sufficient relationship with one of the limited number of large international banks that provide these services, we would be required to establish a global network of banks to provide us with these services. This could alter the pattern of settlement with our agents and result in our agent receivables and agent payables being outstanding for longer periods than the current remittance schedule thereby adversely impacting our cash flow and revenue. Maintaining a global network of banks, if necessary, may also increase our overall costs for banking services.

 

We and our agents are considered Money Service Businesses in the United States under the Bank Secrecy Act. The federal banking regulators are increasingly taking the stance that Money Service Businesses, as a class, are high risk. As a result, several financial institutions, which look to the federal regulators for guidance, have terminated their banking relationships with some of our agents. If our agents are unable to maintain existing or establish new banking relationships, they may not be able to continue to offer our services which could adversely affect our results of operations.

 

We may be unable to operate our official check and money order businesses profitably as a result of historically low interest rates and our revised pricing strategies.

 

Our revenues in the official check business are generated primarily by the investment of funds we receive from the sale of official checks. In turn, we pay commissions to our official check financial institution customers based on the outstanding balance produced by that customer’s sale of official checks, calculated at a rate based on short-term variable financial indices, such as the federal funds rate. Fluctuations in interest rates affect the revenue produced by our investment portfolio and the commissions that we pay our official check financial institution customers. There can be no assurance that interest rate fluctuations in our investments will align with the commission rates we pay to our official check financial institution customers. Both our investment revenue and the commissions we pay decrease when interest rates decline and increase when interest rates rise. However, because our commission rates reset more frequently than the rates earned on our investments, changes in investment revenue will lag changes in commission rates. A rising interest rate environment typically has a negative impact on our investment margin. In the past our investments included long-term and medium-term fixed income securities, a portion of which were asset-backed securities. Our investment portfolio now focuses on highly liquid, short-term securities that produce a lower rate of return. As a result, we have reduced the commissions we pay to our official check financial institution customers and have implemented and/or increased per-item and other fees for our official check services. Despite these changes, there can be no assurance that our official check business will operate profitably. Further, our official check financial institution customers have a right to terminate their agreements with us if they do not accept these pricing changes, and we have numerous agreements with these customers that will expire in 2010 and may not be renewed. There can be no assurance that we will retain those official check financial institution customers that we wish to retain.

 

Earnings in our money order business are generated in part by the investment of funds we receive from the sale of money orders. As a result of the composition of our investment portfolio, we earn a lower rate of return on the investment of funds we receive from the sale of money orders. The continued success of our money order business is dependent on our ability to increase money order fees paid to us by our agents.

 

Failure to maintain sufficient capital could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

If we do not have sufficient capital, we may not be able to pursue our growth strategy and fund key strategic initiatives, such as product development and acquisitions. We may not be able to meet new capital requirements introduced or required by our regulators. Given the leveraged nature of the Company and the significant restrictive covenants in our debt agreements, there can be no assurance that we will have access to sufficient capital. Failure to have such access could materially impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Failure to attract and retain key employees could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Our success depends to a large extent upon our ability to attract and retain key employees. We are in a period of significant change in our executive management team, including vacancies of key positions, and we may face uncertainties in implementing our business strategies and goals as a result. A failure to attract and retain key personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

 

If we fail to successfully develop and timely introduce new and enhanced products and services or we make substantial investments in an unsuccessful new product, service or infrastructure change, our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

 

Our future growth will depend, in part, on our ability to continue to develop and successfully introduce new and enhanced methods of providing money transfer, money order, official check, bill payment and related services that keep pace with competitive introductions, technological changes and the demands and preferences of our agents, financial institution customers and consumers. Many of our competitors offer electronic payment mechanisms, including Internet-based and cellular phone payment services, that could be substituted for traditional forms of payment, such as the money order, bill payment and money transfer services that we offer. If these alternative payment mechanisms become widely substituted for our products and services, and we do not develop and offer similar alternative payment mechanisms successfully and on a timely basis, our business and prospects could be adversely affected. Additionally, we may make future investments or enter into strategic alliances to develop new technologies and services or to implement infrastructure change to further our strategic objectives, strengthen our existing businesses and remain competitive. Such investments and strategic alliances are inherently risky and we cannot guarantee that such investments or strategic alliances will be successful and if not successful, will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

If we are unable to adequately protect our brand and the intellectual property rights related to our existing and any new or enhanced products and services, or if we are unable to avoid infringing on the rights of others, our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

 

The MoneyGram ^® brand is important to our business. We utilize trademark registrations in various countries and other tools to protect our brand. Our business would be harmed if we were unable to adequately protect our brand, and the value of our brand were to decrease as a result.

 

We rely on a combination of patent, trademark and copyright laws, trade secret protection and confidentiality and license agreements to protect the intellectual property rights related to our products and services. We also investigate the intellectual property rights of third parties to prevent our infringement of those rights. We may be subject to claims of third parties that we infringe their intellectual property rights or have misappropriated other proprietary rights. We may be required to spend resources to defend any such claims or to protect and police our own rights. Some of our intellectual property rights may not be protected by intellectual property laws, particularly in foreign jurisdictions. The loss of our intellectual property protection, the inability to secure or enforce intellectual property protection or to successfully defend against claims of intellectual property infringement could harm our business and prospects.

 

We face intense competition, and if we are unable to continue to compete effectively, our business, financial condition and results of operations would be adversely affected.

 

The markets in which we compete are highly competitive, and we face a variety of competitors across our businesses, in particular our largest competitor, The Western Union Company. In addition, new competitors or alliances among established companies may emerge. With respect to our money transfer, urgent bill payment and money order businesses, our primary competition comes from our largest competitor. We cannot anticipate every effect that actions taken by our competitors will have on our business, or the money transfer and bill payment industry in general.

 

Money transfer, money order and bill payment services within our Global Funds Transfer segment compete in a concentrated industry, with a small number of large competitors and a large number of small, niche competitors. We also compete with banks and niche person-to-person money transfer service providers. The electronic bill payment services within our Global Funds Transfer segment compete in a highly fragmented consumer-to-business payment

industry. Competitors in the electronic payments area include financial institutions, third parties that host financial institution and bill payment services, third parties that offer payment services directly to consumers and billers offering their own bill payment services.

 

Our official check business competes primarily with financial institutions that have developed internal processing capabilities or services similar to ours and do not outsource official check services. Financial institutions could also offer competing official check outsourcing services to our existing and prospective official check customers.

 

There can be no assurance that growth in consumer money transfer transactions, bill payment transactions and other payment products will continue. In addition, consolidation among payment services companies has occurred and could continue. If we are unable to continue to grow our existing products, while also growing newly developed and acquired products, we will be unable to compete effectively in the changing marketplace, and our business, financial condition and results of operations would be adversely affected.

 

MoneyGram and our agents are subject to a number of risks relating to United States and international regulatory requirements which could result in material settlements, fines or penalties or changes in our or their business operations that may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Our business is subject to a wide range of laws and regulations which vary from country to country. The money transfer business is subject to a variety of regulations aimed at the prevention of money laundering and terrorism. We are subject to United States federal anti-money laundering laws, including the Bank Secrecy Act and the requirements of the OFAC, which prohibit us from transmitting money to specified countries or on behalf of prohibited individuals. Additionally, we are subject to the anti-money laundering laws in many countries where we operate, particularly in the European Union. We are also subject to financial services regulations, money transfer and payment instrument licensing regulations, consumer protection laws, currency control regulations, escheat laws, as well as privacy and data protection laws. Many of the laws to which we are subject are evolving, unclear and inconsistent across various jurisdictions, making compliance challenging.

 

Changes in laws, regulations or other industry practices and standards may increase our costs of operations and may disrupt our business as we develop new business and compliance models. For example, the European Union’s Payment Services Directive (“PSD”) has created a new framework of licensing and other regulations for our business operations in the European Union and imposes a number of new requirements on our business, including greater potential liability on us for the conduct of our agents and the commission of third party fraud utilizing our services. We have modified our business operations in the European Union in light of PSD and will likely experience increased costs of operating in the European Union. In the event we fail to comply with the PSD, our business, financial position and results of operations may be adversely impacted. Additionally, the United States and other countries periodically consider initiatives designed to lower costs of international remittances which, if implemented, may adversely impact our business, financial position and results of operations.

 

Changes in laws, regulations or other industry practices and standards, or interpretations of legal or regulatory requirements may reduce the market for or value of our products or services or render our products or services less profitable or obsolete and have an adverse effect on our results of operations. Changes in the laws affecting the kinds of entities that are permitted to act as money transfer agents (such as changes in requirements for capitalization or ownership) could adversely effect our ability to distribute our services and the cost of providing such services, both by us and our agents. Many of our high volume agents are in the check cashing industry. Any regulatory action that adversely affects check cashers could also cause this portion of our agent base to decline. If onerous regulatory requirements were imposed on our agents, the requirements could lead to a loss of agents, which, in turn, could lead to a loss of retail business.

 

Any intentional or negligent violation by us of the laws and regulations set forth above could lead to significant fines or penalties and could limit our ability to conduct business in some jurisdictions. Regulators in the United States and other jurisdictions are showing a greater inclination than they have in the past to hold money services businesses like ours to higher standards of agent training and monitoring for possible violations of laws and regulations by agents. Our systems, employees and processes may not be sufficient to detect and prevent an intentional or negligent violation of the laws and regulations set forth above by our agents, which could also lead to us being subject to significant fines or penalties. In addition to those direct costs, a failure by us or our agents to comply with applicable

laws and regulations also could seriously damage our reputation and brands and result in diminished revenue and profit and increased operating costs.

 

Failure by us or our agents to comply with the laws and regulatory requirements of applicable regulatory authorities could result in, among other things, revocation of required licenses or registrations, loss of approved status, termination of contracts with banks or retail representatives, administrative enforcement actions and fines, class action lawsuits, cease and desist orders and civil and criminal liability. The occurrence of one or more of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We conduct money transfer transactions through agents in some regions that are politically volatile or, in a limited number of cases, are subject to certain OFAC restrictions.

 

We conduct money transfer transactions through agents in some regions that are politically volatile or, in a limited number of cases, are subject to certain OFAC restrictions. While we have instituted policies and procedures to protect against violations of law, it is possible that our money transfer service or other products could be used by wrong-doers in contravention of United States law or regulations. In addition to monetary fines or penalties that we could incur, we could be subject to reputational harm that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

A material breach of security of our systems could adversely affect our business.

 

We obtain, transmit and store confidential customer information in connection with certain of our services. Any significant security breaches in our computer networks, databases or facilities could harm our business and reputation, cause inquiries and fines or penalties from regulatory or governmental authorities and cause a loss of customers. We rely on a variety of technologies to provide security for our systems. Advances in computer capabilities, new discoveries in the field of cryptography or other events or developments, including improper acts by third parties, may result in a compromise or breach of the security measures we use to protect our systems. We may be required to expend significant capital and other resources to protect against these security breaches or to alleviate problems caused by these breaches. Third-party contractors also may experience security breaches involving the storage and transmission of our data. If users gain improper access to our or our contractor’s systems or databases, they may be able to steal, publish, delete or modify confidential customer information. A security breach could expose us to monetary liability, lead to reputational harm and make our customers less confident in our services.

 

Our business is particularly dependent on the efficient and uninterrupted operation of our computer network systems and data centers.

 

Our ability to provide reliable service largely depends on the efficient and uninterrupted operation of our computer network systems and data centers. Our business involves the movement of large sums of money and the management of data necessary to do so. The success of our business particularly depends upon the efficient and error-free handling of transactions and data. We rely on the ability of our employees and our internal systems and processes to process these transactions in an efficient, uninterrupted and error-free manner.

 

In the event of a breakdown, catastrophic event (such as fire, natural disaster, power loss, telecommunications failure or physical break-in), security breach, improper operation, improper action by our employees, agents, customer financial institutions or third party vendors or any other event impacting our systems or processes or our vendors’ systems or processes, we could suffer financial loss, loss of customers, regulatory sanctions and damage to our reputation. The measures we have enacted, such as the implementation of disaster recovery plans and redundant computer systems, may not be successful. We may also experience problems other than system failures, including software defects, development delays and installation difficulties, which would harm our business and reputation and expose us to potential liability and increased operating expenses. Certain of our agent contracts, including our contract with Walmart, contain service level standards pertaining to the operation of our system, and give the agent a right to collect damages and in extreme situations a right of termination for system downtime exceeding agreed upon service levels. If we experience significant system interruptions or system failures, our business interruption insurance may not be adequate to compensate us for all losses or damages that we may incur.

If we are unable to effectively operate and scale our technology to match our business growth, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

 

Our ability to continue to provide our services to a growing number of agents and consumers, as well as to enhance our existing services and offer new services, is dependent on our information technology systems. If we are unable to effectively manage the technology associated with our business, we could experience increased costs, reductions in system availability and loss of agents or consumers. Any failure of our systems in scalability, reliability and functionality could adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

The operation of retail locations and acquisition or start-up of businesses create risks and may adversely affect our operating results.

 

We operate Company-owned retail locations for the sale of our products and services. After substantial capital investment to open retail locations, it is uncertain whether these locations will be profitable. We may be subject to additional laws and regulations that are triggered by our ownership of retail locations and our employment of individuals who staff our retail locations. There are also certain risks inherent in operating any retail location, including theft, personal injury and property damage and long-term lease obligations.

 

We may, from time to time, acquire or start up businesses both inside and outside of the United States. The acquisition and integration of businesses, involve a number of risks. We may not be able to successfully integrate businesses that we acquire or open, including their facilities, personnel, financial systems, distribution, operations and general operating procedures. If we fail to successfully integrate acquisitions, we could experience increased costs and other operating inefficiencies, which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations. The diversion of capital and management’s attention from our core business that results from acquiring or opening new businesses could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

There are a number of risks associated with our international sales and operations that could adversely affect our business.

 

We provide money transfer services between and among approximately 190 countries and territories and continue to expand in various international markets. Our ability to grow in international markets and our future results could be harmed by a number of factors, including:

 

 

Unfavorable outcomes of tax positions we take could adversely affect our tax expense.

 

We file tax returns and take positions with respect to federal, state, local and international taxation, including positions that relate to our 2007 and 2008 net security losses, and our tax returns and tax positions are subject to review and audit by taxing authorities. An unfavorable outcome of a tax review or audit could result in higher tax expense, which could adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows. We establish reserves for material,

known tax exposures. While we believe our reserves are adequate to cover material, known tax exposures, there can be no assurance that an actual taxation event would not exceed our reserves.

 

Because we may be deemed to be a subsidiary of a financial holding company under the Bank Holding Company Act, we may be limited in our ability to engage in other businesses.

 

Because Goldman Sachs is a registered bank holding company, the Federal Reserve Board has the authority to examine and supervise its operations, including the operations of its controlled subsidiaries. We may be deemed a controlled subsidiary of Goldman Sachs. As Goldman Sachs has been approved by the Federal Reserve Board as a financial holding company and because we may be deemed to be an indirect subsidiary of Goldman Sachs, our ability to engage in other businesses may be limited to those permissible for a financial holding company.

 

Failure to maintain effective internal controls in accordance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act could have a material adverse effect on our business.

 

We are required to certify and report on our compliance with the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which requires annual management assessments of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and a report by our independent registered public accounting firm addressing the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. If we fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal controls, as such standards are modified, supplemented or amended from time to time, we may not be able to ensure that we can conclude on an ongoing basis that we have effective internal controls over financial reporting in accordance with Section 404. In order to achieve effective internal controls we may need to enhance our accounting systems or processes which could increase our cost of doing business. Any failure to achieve and maintain an effective internal control environment could have a material adverse effect on our business.

 

We have significant overhang of salable convertible preferred stock relative to float.

 

The trading market for our common stock was first established in June 2004. The float in that market now consists of approximately 82,300,000 shares out of a total of 82,515,119 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2009. The Series B Stock issued to the Investors is convertible into shares of common stock or common equivalent stock at the price of $2.50 per common share, subject to anti-dilution rights. Under the Registration Rights Agreement entered into between the Company and the Investors at the closing of the recapitalization, the Investors and other parties may require us to register for sale publicly (at times largely of their choosing) all of the Series B Stock that they hold, as well as any common stock or Series D Participating Convertible Preferred Stock into which the B-1 Stock may be converted. Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock, or the perception that significant sales could occur (particularly if sales are concentrated in time or amount), may depress the trading price of our common stock.

 

An agreement among the Investors and Walmart could prevent an acquisition of the Company.

 

Effective through March 17, 2010, the Investors and Walmart have an agreement that, among other things, prevents the Investors, without the prior written consent of Walmart, from voting in favor of, consenting to or selling or transferring their equity securities in a manner that would result in a change of control of the Company. The Investors collectively have a majority of the voting stock of the Company and Walmart, whose interests may differ from our stockholders’ interests, could prevent the Investors from agreeing to a sale of the Company under certain circumstances.

 

Our capital structure, charter documents, and Delaware law could delay or prevent an acquisition of the Company, which could inhibit your ability to receive a premium on your investment from a possible sale of the Company.

 

Our current capital structure and certain provisions of our charter documents may discourage third parties from seeking to acquire the Company. The holders of the B Stock would vote as a class with the common stockholders on any proposed business combination and would control the outcome. These matters and certain provisions of Delaware law relating to business combinations with interested stockholders may have the effect of delaying, deterring or

preventing a merger or change in control of the Company. Some of these matters may discourage a future acquisition of the Company even if common stockholders would receive an attractive value for their shares or if a significant number of our common stockholders believed such a proposed transaction to be in their best interests. As a result, stockholders who desire to participate in such a transaction may not have the opportunity to do so.

 

If we cannot meet the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) continued listing requirements, the NYSE may delist our common stock.

 

Our common stock is currently listed on the NYSE. The NYSE requires us to maintain an average closing price of our common stock of $1.00 per share or higher over 30 consecutive trading days as well as to maintain average market capitalization and stockholders’ equity of at least $75 million.

 

If we are unable to maintain compliance with the NYSE criteria for continued listing, our common stock would be subject to delisting. A delisting of our common stock could negatively impact us by, among other things, reducing the liquidity and market price of our common stock; reducing the number of investors willing to hold or acquire our common stock, which could negatively impact our ability to raise equity financing; decreasing the amount of news and analyst coverage for the Company; and limiting our ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future.

 

 

 

 

 

 

other-than-temporary impairments related to certain of the Company’s investments. The Consolidated Complaint seeks recovery of losses incurred by stockholder class members in connection with their purchases of the Company’s securities. On February 24, 2010, the parties entered into a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding pursuant to which the parties agreed, subject to final approval of the parties and the court, to settle this action for a cash payment of $80 million, all but $20 million of which would be paid by the Company’s insurance carriers. On March 9, 2010, the parties entered into a Settlement Agreement to settle the case on terms consistent with the Memorandum of Understanding. On March 10, 2010, the Court issued an Order that preliminarily approved the settlement. The parties will seek final approval of the settlement at a hearing currently set for June 18, 2010.

 

Minnesota Stockholder Derivative Claims  — Certain of the Company’s present and former officers and directors are defendants in a consolidated shareholder derivative action in the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota captioned In re MoneyGram International, Inc. Derivative Litigation . The Consolidated Complaint in this Action, which was filed on November 18, 2009 and arises out of the same matters at issue in the securities class action, alleges claims on behalf of the Company for, among other things, breach of fiduciary duties, unjust enrichment, abuse of control, and gross mismanagement. On February 24, 2010, the parties entered into a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding pursuant to which they agreed, subject to final approval of the parties and the court, to settle this action. The Memorandum of Understanding provides for changes to MoneyGram’s business, corporate governance and internal controls, some of which have already been implemented in whole or in part in connection with MoneyGram’s recent recapitalization. The Company also agreed to pay attorney fees and expenses to the plaintiff’s counsel in the amount of $1.3 million, with $1.0 million to be paid by the Company’s insurance carriers. The Memorandum of Understanding is subject to negotiation and execution of definitive settlement documents containing usual and customary settlement terms, notice to shareholders, and approval of the Court.

 

ERISA Class Action — On April 22, 2008, Delilah Morrison, on behalf of herself and all other MoneyGram 401(k) Plan participants, brought an action in the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota. The complaint alleges claims under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), including claims that the defendants breached fiduciary duties by failing to manage the plan’s investment in Company stock, and by continuing to offer Company stock as an investment option when the stock was no longer a prudent investment. The complaint also alleges that defendants failed to provide complete and accurate information regarding Company stock sufficient to advise plan participants of the risks involved with investing in Company stock and breached fiduciary duties by failing to avoid conflicts of interests and to properly monitor the performance of plan fiduciaries and fiduciary appointees. Finally, the complaint alleges that to the extent that the Company is not a fiduciary, it is liable for knowingly participating in the fiduciary breaches as alleged. On August 7, 2008, plaintiff amended the complaint to add an additional plaintiff, name additional defendants and additional allegations. For relief, the complaint seeks damages based on what the most profitable alternatives to Company stock would have yielded, unspecified equitable relief, costs and attorneys’ fees. On March 25, 2009, the Court granted in part and denied in part defendants’ motion to dismiss.

 

California Action  — On January 22, 2008, Russell L. Berney filed a complaint in Los Angeles Superior Court against the Company and its officers and directors, Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P., and PropertyBridge, Inc. and two of its officers, alleging false and negligent misrepresentation, violations of California securities laws and unfair business practices with regard to disclosure of the Company’s investments. The complaint also alleges derivative claims against the Company’s Board of Directors relating to the Board’s oversight of disclosure of the Company’s investments and with regard to the Company’s negotiations with Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. and Euronet Worldwide, Inc. The complaint seeks monetary damages, disgorgement, restitution or rescission of stock purchases, rescission of agreements with third parties, constructive trust and declaratory and injunctive relief, as well as attorneys’ fees and costs. In July 2008, an amended complaint was filed asserting an additional claim for declaratory relief. In September 2009, an amended complaint was filed alleging additional facts and naming additional defendants.

 

SEC Inquiry  — By letter dated February 4, 2008, the Company received notice from the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) that it is conducting an informal, non-public inquiry relating to the Company’s financial statements, reporting and disclosures related to the Company’s investment portfolio and offers and negotiations to sell the Company or its assets. The SEC’s notice states that it has not determined that any violations of the securities

laws have occurred. On February 11, 2008 and November 5, 2008, the Company received additional letters from the SEC requesting certain information. The Company cooperated with the SEC on a voluntary basis.

 

Other Matters  — On September 25, 2009, the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, Austin returned a jury verdict in a patent suit brought against the Company by Western Union, awarding $16.5 million to Western Union. The Company has appealed the verdict. In connection with its agreement with the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”), the Company is making enhancements to its consumer anti-fraud program and has paid $18.0 million into an FTC-administered fund to refund consumers who have been victimized through third-party fraud. The Company is continuing to cooperate with a government entity in a separate matter involving complaints that certain individuals or entities may have used our money transfer services for fraud-induced money transfers.

 

 

PART II

Item 5.  MARKET FOR THE REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

 

Our common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol MGI. No dividends on our common stock were declared by our Board of Directors in 2009 or 2008. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Mezzanine Equity and Stockholders’ Deficit” and Note 13 — Stockholders’ Deficit of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. As of March 8, 2010, there were 13,919 stockholders of record of our common stock.

 

The high and low sales prices for our common stock for fiscal 2009 and 2008 were as follows:

 

 

The Board of Directors has authorized the repurchase of a total of 12,000,000 shares. These authorizations were announced publicly in our press releases issued on November 18, 2004, August 18, 2005 and May 9, 2007. The repurchase authorization is effective until such time as the Company has repurchased 12,000,000 common shares. MoneyGram common stock tendered to the Company in connection with the exercise of stock options or vesting of restricted stock are not considered repurchased shares under the terms of the repurchase authorization. As of December 31, 2009, we have repurchased 6,795,000 shares of our common stock under this authorization and have remaining authorization to repurchase up to 5,205,000 shares. The Company has not repurchased any shares since July 2007, other than in connection with employees’ exercise of stock options. However, the Company may consider repurchasing shares from time-to-time, subject to limitations in our debt agreements.

 

We completed a recapitalization on March 25, 2008, as described in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”, as well as Note 2 — Recapitalization of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. The terms of our debt agreements place significant limitations on the amount of restricted payments we may make, including dividends on our common stock. With certain exceptions, we may only make restricted payments in an aggregate amount not to exceed $25.0 million, subject to an incremental build-up based on our consolidated net income in future periods. As a result, our ability to declare or pay dividends or distributions to the stockholders of the Company’s common stock is materially limited at this time.

STOCKHOLDER RETURN PERFORMANCE

 

The following graph compares the cumulative total return from December 31, 2004 to December 31, 2009 for our common stock, our peer group index of payment services companies and the S&P 500 Index. The peer group index of payment services companies consists of: Euronet Worldwide Inc., Fidelity National Information Services, Inc., Fiserv, Inc., Global Payments Inc., MasterCard, Inc., Online Resources Corporation, Total System Services, Inc., Visa, Inc. and The Western Union Company (the “Peer Group Index”). We changed our peer group in 2009 to delete CSG Systems International, Inc., DST Systems, Inc. and Jack Henry & Associates, Inc. and to add MasterCard, Inc. and Visa, Inc. We believe the new peer group represents a more relevant group of companies in the global remittance market that we participate in. The graph assumes the investment of $100 in each of our common stock, our peer group indexes and the S&P 500 Index on December 31, 2004, and the reinvestment of all dividends as and when distributed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Item 7.  MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our Consolidated Financial Statements and related Notes. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. MoneyGram’s actual results could differ materially from those anticipated due to various factors discussed below under “Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Statements,” in Part I, Item 1A under the caption “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

Basis of Presentation

 

The financial statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are presented on a consolidated basis and include the accounts of the Company and our subsidiaries. See Note 3 — Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information regarding consolidation. References to “MoneyGram,” the “Company,” “we,” “us” and “our” are to MoneyGram International, Inc. and its subsidiaries and consolidated entities. Our Consolidated Financial Statements are prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”).

 

Components of Net Revenue  — Our net revenue consists of fee and other revenue, investment revenue and net securities gains and losses, less fee and investment commissions expense. We generate net revenue primarily by charging transaction fees in excess of third-party agent commissions, managing foreign currency exchange and managing our investments to provide returns in excess of commissions paid to financial institution customers.

 

We derive revenue primarily through service fees charged to consumers and through our investments. Fee and other revenue consists of transaction fees, foreign exchange and miscellaneous revenue. Transaction fees are fees earned on money transfer, money order, bill payment and official check transactions. Money transfer transaction fees vary based on the principal amount of the transaction, the originating location and the receiving location. Money order and bill payment transaction fees are fixed per transaction. Foreign exchange revenue is derived from the management of currency exchange spreads on money transfer transactions involving different “send” and “receive” currencies. Miscellaneous revenue primarily consists of processing fees on rebate checks and controlled disbursements, service charges on aged outstanding money orders and money order dispenser fees.

Investment revenue consists of interest and dividends generated through the investment of cash balances received from the sale of official checks, money orders and other payment instruments. These cash balances are available to us for investment until the payment instrument is presented for payment. Investment revenue varies depending on the level of investment balances and the yield on our investments. Investment balances vary based on the number of payment instruments sold, the principal amount of those payment instruments and the length of time that passes until the instruments are presented for payment.

 

Net securities gains and losses consist of realized gains and losses from the sale, call or maturity of investments, other-than-temporary impairments of investments and unrealized gains and losses on trading investments and related put options.

 

We incur fee commissions on our money transfer products. In a money transfer transaction, both the agent initiating the transaction and the agent disbursing the funds receive a commission that is generally based on a percentage of the fee charged to the consumer. We generally do not pay commissions to agents on the sale of money orders. In certain limited circumstances for large agents, we may pay a fixed commission amount based on money order volumes transacted by that agent. Fee commissions expense also includes the amortization of capitalized agent signing bonus payments.

 

Investment commissions consist of amounts paid to financial institution customers based on short-term interest rate indices times the average outstanding cash balances of official checks sold by that financial institution. Through the second quarter of 2008, investment commissions expense included costs associated with interest rate swaps and the sale of receivables program. We historically used interest rate swaps to convert a portion of our variable rate commission payments to fixed rate payments, which hedged the interest rate risk associated with the variable rate commissions paid to our financial institution customers. In connection with the interest rate swaps, we paid a fixed amount to a counterparty and received a variable rate payment in return. To the extent that the fixed rate exceeded the variable rate, we incurred an expense related to the swap; if the variable rate exceeded the fixed rate, we recognized income related to the swap. In connection with the restructuring of the official check business in 2008, we terminated certain financial institution customer relationships. As a result, we terminated the swaps related to commission payments in June 2008. See further discussion of the termination of these swaps in Note 7 — Derivative Financial Instruments of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. Under our sale of receivables program, we historically sold certain of our agent receivables at a discount to accelerate our cash flow, with the discount recorded in investment commissions. In January 2008, we terminated our sale of receivables program and ceased selling receivables by March 2008. See further discussion on our sale of receivables program in Note 3 — Summary of Significant Accounting Policies — Sale of Receivables of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

Discontinued Operations  — During 2007, we paid $3.3 million in connection with the settlement of a contingency arising from the Sale and Purchase Agreement related to the continued operations of Game Financial Corporation with one casino. We recognized a loss from discontinued operations of $0.3 million in 2007 in the Consolidated Statements of Loss, representing the recognition of a deferred tax asset valuation allowance partially offset by the reversal of the remaining liability for contingencies that expired. The following discussion of our results of operations is focused on our continuing businesses.

 

Segment Reporting Changes  — During the fourth quarter of 2009, we revised our segment reporting to reflect changes in how we manage our business, review operating performance and allocate resources. We now manage our business primarily through two reporting segments: Global Funds Transfer, which is composed of the money transfer and bill payment products, and Financial Paper Products, which is composed of the official check and money order products. Prior year results have been revised for comparative purposes. See the Segment Performance section for further discussion of our reporting segments.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

 

 

NM = Not meaningful

 

Following is a summary of our operating results from continuing operations in 2009:

 

 

 

Following is a summary of significant actions taken by the Company and economic conditions during the year that impacted our operating results in 2009:

 

Global Economic Conditions  — Throughout 2009, worldwide economic conditions remained weak, as evidenced by growing unemployment rates, government assistance to citizens and businesses on a global basis, continued declines in asset values, restricted lending activity and low consumer confidence, among other factors. Historically, the money remittance industry has generally been resilient during times of economic softness as money transfers are deemed essential to many, with the funds used by the receiving party for food, housing and other basic needs. However, given the global reach and extent of the current economic recession, the growth of money transfer volumes and the average principal of money transfers were adversely impacted in 2009. In addition, bill payment products available in the United States are not as resilient as money transfers given the more discretionary nature of some items paid for by consumers using these products. Accordingly, the volume of bill payment transactions was adversely impacted in 2009, particularly in the auto and credit card sectors. While there have been some indicators of moderation and improvement in December 2009 and early 2010, we continue to have limited visibility into the future and believe growth rates will continue to be hampered in 2010.

 

Interest Rate Environment  — Interest rates remained at historical lows through 2009. Interest rates affect our business in several ways, but primarily through investment revenue, investment commission expense and interest expense. First, the majority of our investment portfolio (including cash and cash equivalents) is floating rate, causing investment revenue to decrease when rates decline and increase when rates rise. Second, the commissions

we pay to our financial institution customers are variable rate and primarily based on the effective federal funds rate. Accordingly, our investment commissions expense decreases when rates decline and increases when rates rise. As discussed in “Results of Operations — Table 3 — Net Investment Revenue Analysis ,” our net investment margin is based on the spread between the yield earned on our investment portfolio and the commission rates paid to our financial institution customers. In a declining interest rate environment, our net investment margin will typically be benefited, while an increasing interest rate environment will typically have a negative impact on our net investment margin. This is due to the lag between when changes in interest rates impact the two components of the net investment margin, with commission rates resetting faster than our investment portfolio. In the current environment, the federal funds rate is so low that most of our financial institution customers are in a “negative” commission position, in that we do not owe any commissions to our customers. While the vast majority of our contracts require the financial institution customers to pay us for the negative commission amount, we have opted at this time to impose certain per-item and other fees rather than require payment. We continue to monitor the negative commissions and may decide to pursue payment at a future date. Finally, our Senior Facility is floating rate debt, and accordingly, our interest expense will decrease in a declining rate environment and increase when rates rise.

 

Official Check Restructuring and Repricing  — In the first quarter of 2008, we initiated the restructuring of our official check business by changing the commission structure and exiting certain large customer relationships, particularly our top 10 financial institution customers. As of December 31, 2009, approximately $1.9 billion of balances for the top 10 customers have run off, with the remaining balances expected to run off over the next 24 months as these customers cease issuing new official checks and old issuances are presented to us for payment. Effective June 1, 2008 for most customers and July 1, 2008 for our remaining customers, we reduced the commission rate paid to the majority of our official check financial institution customers. This repricing results in an average contractual payout rate of the effective federal funds rate less approximately 85 basis points.

 

Money Order Repricing and Review  — In the fourth quarter of 2008, we initiated the first phase of a repricing initiative for our money order product sold through retail agent locations. This initiative increases the per-item fee we receive for our money orders and reflects the impact of the realigned investment portfolio on the profitability of this product. A broader second phase of repricing was initiated in the second quarter of 2009. In addition, we continue to review our credit exposure to our agents and may terminate or otherwise revise our relationship with certain agents. As anticipated, money order volumes in 2009 declined from these initiatives. As we continue our repricing and review efforts, we expect volumes to further decline from the attrition of money order customers.

 

 

Fee and other revenue consists of fees on money transfer, bill payment, money order and official check transactions. In 2009, fee and other revenue increased $25.2 million, or 2 percent, compared to 2008, driven by money transfer transaction volume growth, partially offset by lower average money transfer fees, the decline in the euro exchange rate and a $6.6 million reduction in bill payment revenue. Money transfer transaction volume increased 6 percent, generating incremental revenue of $53.3 million. Average money transfer fees declined from lower average principal per transaction and corridor mix, reducing revenue by $20.7 million. The decline in the euro exchange rate, net of hedging activities, reduced revenue by $10.9 million in 2009. In addition, money order and official check fee and other revenue increased $9.3 million and $5.6 million, respectively, primarily due to our repricing initiatives. Also, 2009 fee and other revenue declined $6.1 million from 2008 due to discontinued businesses and products.

 

In 2008, fee and other revenue increased $156.6 million, or 17 percent, compared to 2007, primarily driven by growth in money transfer. Money transfer fee and other revenue grew 19 percent in 2008, while money transfer transaction volume increased 18 percent. Money transfer transaction volume growth resulted in incremental fee and

other revenue of $131.8 million in 2008, while average money transfer fees declined from lower principal per transaction and corridor mix, reducing revenue by $12.1 million in 2008. The increase in the euro exchange rate, net of hedging activities, increased fee and other revenue by $20.7 million in 2008. Bill payment transaction volume growth of 13 percent in 2008 increased fee and other revenue by $19.1 million.

 

Fee commissions expense consists primarily of fees paid to our third-party agents for the money transfer and bill payment services. In 2009, fee commissions expense decreased $5.2 million, or 1 percent, from 2008 due to lower average money transfer commission rates, the decline in the euro exchange rate, lower bill payment volumes and lower signing bonus amortization, partially offset by money transfer volume growth. Incremental fee commissions of $16.1 million resulting from money transfer transaction volume growth was significantly offset by a decrease of $7.7 million from lower average commission rates and $7.6 million from the decline in the euro exchange rate, net of hedging activities. Bill payment volume declines reduced commissions expense by $3.8 million and signing bonus amortization decreased by $2.0 million as certain historical signing bonuses were fully amortized in the third quarter of 2009.

 

In 2008, fee commissions expense increased $92.0 million, or 22 percent, compared to 2007. Higher money transfer transaction volumes increased fee commissions expense $54.4 million, while higher average commissions per transaction, primarily from higher commissions paid to Walmart from new contract pricing, increased commissions $4.0 million. Amortization of signing bonuses increased $11.4 million in 2008 from the signing of several large agents in 2007 and one large agent in the first quarter of 2008. The change in the euro exchange rate, net of hedging activities, increased fee commissions expense by $8.8 million. Bill payment fee commissions expense increased $11.3 million due to volume and $3.2 million due to rate.

 

 

 

 

Investment revenue consists of interest and dividends generated through the investment of cash balances received from the sale of official checks, money orders and other payment instruments. Investment revenue in 2009 decreased $128.9 million, or 80 percent, compared to 2008 due to lower yields earned on our investment portfolio and a decline in average investable balances from the termination of certain official check financial institution customers. Lower interest rates earned on cash and cash equivalents resulted in a decrease of $110.0 million from 2008, while the decline in average investable balances resulted in a decrease of $20.7 million. Investment revenue in 2008 also included a $10.0 million recovery of a security that was fully impaired in 2007.

 

In 2008, investment revenue decreased $236.1 million, or 59 percent, compared to 2007 due to lower yields earned on our realigned investment portfolio and the decrease in average investable balances from the termination of certain official check financial institution customers and the termination of our sale of receivables program. With the realignment completed in the first quarter of 2008, our portfolio now primarily consists of lower yielding cash equivalents and government securities. Lower interest rates earned on cash and cash equivalents resulted in a decrease of $134.0 million from 2007, while the decline in average investable balances resulted in a decrease of $92.9 million. Also negatively impacting investment revenue in 2008 is the application of the cost recovery method of accounting for investments classified as “Other asset-backed securities.” Under cost recovery, interest proceeds are deemed to be recoveries of principal, with no recognition as investment revenue until the principal of the related security is fully recovered. See Note 6 — Investment Portfolio of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information related to the investment portfolio and the application of the cost recovery method. During 2008, we received interest proceeds of $26.9 million from our other asset-backed securities, with $10.7 million applied to reduce the book value of the related securities. The remaining $16.2 million of interest proceeds was recognized as investment revenue in 2008, including $10.0 million related to the recovery of a security that was fully impaired in 2007.

 

Investment commissions expense includes payments made to financial institution customers based on their average outstanding balances generated by the sale of official checks times short-term interest rate indices. Investment commission expense decreased $100.9 million, or 99 percent, compared to 2008. The decline in the federal funds rate resulted in a decrease of $49.7 million, while lower average investable balances resulted in a decrease of $23.4 million. In addition, investment commissions expense for 2008 included a $27.7 million net loss from the termination of interest rate swaps as a result of the termination of certain official check customers in 2008. See Note 7 — Derivative Financial Instruments of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information regarding the interest rate swaps. The federal funds rate has been so low during 2009 that most of our financial institution customers are in a “negative” commission position, meaning we do not owe any commissions to our customers. While the majority of our contracts require that the financial institution customers pay us for the negative commission amount, we have opted at this time to impose certain per-item and other fees rather than require payment of the negative commission amount. We continue to monitor the negative commissions and may decide to require payment of negative commissions at a future date.

 

In 2008, investment commissions expense decreased $151.3 million, or 60 percent, compared to 2007. Lower commission rates from the official check repricing and the decline in the effective federal funds rate decreased commissions by $120.0 million, while lower average investable balances decreased commissions by $35.8 million. In addition, the termination of the sales of receivable program in the first quarter of 2008 reduced commissions expense by $20.2 million. See Note 3 — Summary of Significant Accounting Policies of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information on the sale of receivables program. Partially offsetting these benefits is the $27.7 million loss from the termination of interest rate swaps related to the official check business.

 

Net investment revenue decreased 47 percent in 2009 compared to 2008, reflecting the lower interest rate environment and lower average investable balances discussed above. The net investment margin of 0.75 percent for 2009 decreased 48 basis points from 1.23 percent in 2008, reflecting these same factors. Net investment revenue decreased 59 percent in 2008 as compared to 2007, reflecting the lower yields from the realigned portfolio, lower average investable balances and the termination loss on swaps, partially offset by the official check repricing initiative and the decline in the effective federal funds rate. The net investment margin decreased 105 basis points from 2007 to 1.23 percent for 2008 as a result of the same factors.

 

Net securities gains of $7.8 million for 2009 primarily reflects a $7.6 million net gain from the call of two trading investments in 2009. We recorded a valuation gain of $4.3 million on the put option related to the remaining trading investment, reflecting the passage of time. Other-than-temporary impairments on our other asset-backed securities were $4.1 million from continued declines in the fair value.

 

Net securities losses for 2008 reflect $256.3 million of net realized losses from the realignment of the investment portfolio in the first quarter of 2008, $70.3 million of other-than-temporary impairments on our other asset-backed securities and $40.6 million of unrealized losses from our trading investments, partially offset by a $26.5 million unrealized gain from put options received in the fourth quarter of 2008 related to the trading investments. The other-than-temporary impairments and unrealized losses were the result of continued deterioration in the mortgage markets, as well as continued illiquidity and uncertainty in the broader markets in 2008. The recapitalization completed on March 25, 2008 included funds to cover these losses. In December 2008, two of our three auction rate securities classified as trading investments had the embedded preferred put option exercised. As a result, one trading security converted to a perpetual preferred stock and the collateral of the other security was replaced with perpetual preferred stock. These actions resulted in a decline in fair value as preferred stock is viewed as less liquid and the discretionary income streams as more uncertain. In the fourth quarter of 2008, we opted into a buy-back program sponsored by the trading firm that sold us all of our trading investments. Under this program, we received the right to require the trading firm to redeem our trading investments at full par value beginning in June 2010 (the “put options”). The initial fair value and subsequent remeasurements are recognized as unrealized gains (losses) from trading investments. In general, the fair value of these put options should offset any realized and unrealized losses from our trading securities as they provide a known cash flow stream in the future, subject to the creditworthiness of the broker issuing the put options. See Note 6 — Investment Portfolio of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information regarding these put options.

 

We had net securities losses of $1.2 billion in 2007, reflecting other-than-temporary impairments recorded in December 2007 as a result of the substantial market deterioration and our decision to realign the investment portfolio. See Note 6 — Investment Portfolio of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion.

 

Expenses

 

The following discussion relates to operating expenses, excluding commissions expense, as presented in Table 1 — Results of Operations .

 

Compensation and benefits  — Compensation and benefits includes salaries and benefits, management incentive programs and other employee related costs. Compensation and benefits decreased $25.5 million, or 11 percent, primarily from a $14.3 million net curtailment gain on benefit plans, a $12.3 million decrease in executive severance and related costs, a $7.1 million decrease in incentive compensation from accruing annual incentives at a

lower tier and a $2.0 million decrease from the suspension of the discretionary profit sharing plan. Stock-based compensation increased $10.5 million from 2009 grants, partially offset by lower expense from historical grants that vested in the first quarter of 2009 and executive forfeitures. As reflected in each of the amounts discussed above, the change in the euro exchange rate, net of hedging activities, decreased compensation and benefits by approximately $2.1 million in 2009.

 

Compensation and benefits increased $36.5 million, or 19 percent, in 2008 compared to 2007, primarily from a $19.5 million increase in executive severance and related costs, an $8.5 million increase from a 2 percent increase in headcount supporting the growth in the money transfer business and an $8.5 million increase in incentive compensation. Severance includes $16.5 million of costs related to our former chief executive officer. Salaries and benefits increased $8.5 million due to higher headcount. Incentive compensation increased $10.9 million from higher headcount and achieving a higher incentive tier than the prior year, partially offset by a $2.4 million decrease in stock-based compensation expense as no long-term stock-based incentives were offered during 2008 and several large stock-based awards were forfeited during the year due to terminations. As reflected in each of the amounts discussed above, the change in the euro exchange rate, net of hedging activities, increased compensation and benefits by approximately $2.7 million in 2008.

 

Transaction and operations support  — Transaction and operations support expense includes marketing, professional fees and other outside services, telecommunications and agent forms related to our products. Transaction and operations support costs increased $64.4 million, or 29 percent, in 2009 compared to 2008. We recorded $54.8 million of legal reserves in 2009 relating to securities litigation, stockholder derivative claims, a patent lawsuit and a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission. Asset impairments of $18.3 million were recorded in 2009, an increase of $9.5 million over 2008. The 2009 impairments include a $7.0 million impairment charge related to the decision to sell our airplane, a $5.2 million impairment of goodwill and other assets from the decision to discontinue certain bill payment products and the sale of a non-core business, a $3.6 million impairment of intangible assets and a $2.5 million impairment of goodwill related to our money order product from continued declines in that business. Professional fees increased by $9.5 million in 2009, primarily due to litigation fees and the implementation of the European Union Payment Services Directive. Our provision for agent receivables increased by $9.0 million, primarily from the closure of an international agent during the year. As our agent base and transaction volumes continue to grow, we expect that provision for loss will increase; however, we expect this growth to be much slower than agent base and transaction growth due to our underwriting and credit monitoring processes. Marketing costs decreased $12.7 million in 2009 from controlled spending, partially offset by higher costs from agent location growth. In addition, $9.5 million of costs related to the recapitalization and restructuring of the official check business were recorded in 2008. As reflected in each of the amounts discussed above, the change in the euro exchange rate, net of hedging activities, decreased transaction and operations support by approximately $1.7 million in 2009.

 

Transaction and operations support expense increased $28.8 million, or 15 percent, in 2008 compared to 2007. The recapitalization and restructuring of the official check business drove professional fees of $9.5 million in 2008. In addition, professional fees increased $5.1 million in 2008 for costs relating to the growth of the business and various business analyses initiated during the year. In the fourth quarter of 2008, we recognized a goodwill impairment charge of $8.8 million related to our decision to wind down our external ACH Commerce business. Costs related to agent forms and supplies increased $2.8 million from our transaction and agent base growth. Our provision for loss increased $4.6 million in 2008 due to expected increases in uncollectible receivables from agent growth and the impact of current economic conditions. Marketing costs decreased $3.6 million in 2008 from controlled spending, partially offset by higher costs from agent location growth and a new marketing campaign to enhance our brand positioning. As reflected in each of the amounts discussed above, the change in the euro exchange rate, net of hedging activities, increased transaction and operations support by approximately $1.9 million in 2008.

 

Occupancy, equipment and supplies  — Occupancy, equipment and supplies expense includes facilities rent and maintenance costs, software and equipment maintenance costs, freight and delivery costs and supplies. Expenses increased $1.4 million, or 3 percent, in 2009 compared to 2008. Software maintenance and office rent increased $2.3 million and $1.5 million, respectively, to support the growth of the business. The timing of the roll out of new agent locations and controlled spending resulted in a $2.8 million reduction of agent costs. As reflected in each of the amounts discussed above, the change in the euro exchange rate, net of hedging activities, decreased occupancy, equipment and supplies expense by approximately $0.4 million in 2009.

Occupancy, equipment and supplies expense increased $1.3 million, or 3 percent, in 2008 compared to 2007 from higher rent, software maintenance and building operating costs, partially offset by lower freight and supplies expense. Office rent increased $1.3 million in 2008 due to the expansion of our retail locations and normal annual increases under our lease agreements. Software maintenance expense increased $0.9 million in 2008 primarily from purchased licenses to support our growth. Additionally, disposal of fixed assets, building operating costs, maintenance and higher property taxes increased our expenses by $1.6 million. Partially offsetting these increases is a $2.2 million decline in freight and supplies expense due to lower shipments from the timing of the roll out of new agents.

 

Interest expense  — Interest expense increased to $107.9 million in 2009 from $95.0 million in 2008 due to higher average outstanding debt as a result of the recapitalization completed in the first quarter of 2008, partially offset by the repayment of $186.9 million of debt in 2009. In addition, interest expense in 2009 includes $2.7 million of expense from the write-off of a pro-rata portion of deferred financing costs and unamortized discount on Tranche B of our Senior Facility in connection with the repayment of debt in December 2009. Based on our outstanding debt balances and interest rates in effect at December 31, 2009 and the expectation that we will continue to pay all interest in cash, our interest expense will be approximately $87.0 million in 2010. This amount would be reduced by any prepayments of debt we may make in 2010.

 

Interest expense increased to $95.0 million in 2008 from $11.1 million in 2007 due to higher average outstanding debt resulting from the recapitalization, amortization of additional deferred financing costs related to the new debt, amortization of the debt discount on the Senior Facility and a $2.0 million net loss from the termination of interest rate swaps relating to our floating rate debt in the second quarter of 2008. Interest expense on our variable rate Senior Facility benefited from the declining interest rate environment.

 

Depreciation and amortization  — Depreciation and amortization expense includes depreciation on point of sale equipment, agent signage, computer hardware and software, capitalized software development costs, office furniture, equipment and leasehold improvements and amortization of intangible assets. Depreciation and amortization was flat in 2009 compared to 2008 as a $3.2 million increase in depreciation from capital investments in point of sale equipment, purchased software and other fixed assets to support the growth of the business was mostly offset by a $2.8 million decrease in amortization of capitalized software, intangible assets and other assets. As reflected in each of the amounts discussed above, the change in the euro exchange rate, net of hedging activities, decreased depreciation and amortization expense by approximately $0.6 million in 2009.

 

Depreciation and amortization increased $4.7 million, or 9 percent, in 2008 compared to 2007. Our investment in agent equipment and signage, in connection with network growth, increased depreciation expense by $3.3 million, while our investment in computer hardware and capitalized software to enhance our support functions increased depreciation expense by $0.3 million. Amortization of leasehold improvements increased by $0.9 million primarily from build-outs at our main offices to support headcount additions and update aging facilities. As reflected in each of the amounts discussed above, the change in the euro exchange rate, increased depreciation and amortization by approximately $0.7 million in 2008.

 

We are developing a new system to provide improved connections between our agents and our marketing, sales, customer service and support functions. The new system and associated processes are intended to increase the flexibility of our back office and improve operating efficiencies. In 2009 and 2008, we capitalized software costs of approximately $2.9 million and $3.8 million, respectively, related to this project that will impact future depreciation and amortization.

 

Income taxes  — We had a tax benefit of $20.4 million in 2009, primarily reflecting a release of $17.6 million of valuation allowances on realized deferred tax assets. Our pre-tax net loss of $22.3 million, when adjusted for our estimated book to tax differences, results in taxable income, allowing us to release some valuation allowances on our tax loss carryovers. The book to tax differences included impairments on securities and other assets, as well as accruals related to separated employees, litigation and unrealized foreign exchange losses.

 

In 2008, we had a $75.8 million tax benefit, primarily reflecting the recognition of a $90.5 million benefit in the fourth quarter of 2008 upon the completion of an evaluation of the technical merits of tax positions with respect to part of the net securities losses in 2008 and 2007. The $90.5 million benefit relates to the amount of tax carry-back we were able to utilize to recover tax payments made for fiscal 2005 through 2007. We had tax expense of

$78.5 million in 2007 on a pre-tax loss of $993.3 million, reflecting the tax treatment of the $1.2 billion of investment losses incurred in 2007.

 

In 2007, we determined it was appropriate to establish a valuation allowance for the deferred tax assets relating to the full basis difference on our asset-backed securities. In 2008 and 2009, we continued to believe that it was appropriate to maintain a full valuation allowance for the deferred tax assets related to the full basis difference on these securities and our tax attributes. Essentially all of our deferred tax assets relate to the U.S. jurisdiction, where we are in a net deferred tax liability position, and we do not believe we have sufficient positive evidence to overcome the negative evidence. Changes in facts and circumstances in the future may cause us to record additional tax benefits as further deferred tax valuation allowances are released and carry-forwards are utilized. We continue to evaluate additional available tax positions related to the net securities losses in prior years.

 

Segment Performance

 

Our reporting segments are primarily organized based on the nature of products and services offered and the type of consumer served. During the fourth quarter of 2009, we revised our segment reporting to reflect changes in how we manage our business, review operating performance and allocate resources. We now manage our business primarily through two reporting segments, Global Funds Transfer and Financial Paper Products. The Global Funds Transfer segment provides global money transfers and bill payment services to consumers through a network of agents and, in select markets, company-operated locations. The Financial Paper Products segment provides money orders to consumers through our retail and financial institution locations in the United States and Puerto Rico, and provides official check services to financial institutions in the United States. Businesses which are not operated within these segments are categorized as “Other,” and primarily relate to discontinued products and businesses. Prior year results have been revised for comparative purposes.

 

The Global Funds Transfer segment is managed as two geographical regions, the Americas and EMEAAP, to coordinate sales, agent management and marketing activities. The Americas region includes the United States, Canada, Mexico and Latin America (including the Caribbean). The EMEAAP region includes Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Asia Pacific region. We monitor performance and allocate resources at both a regional and reporting segment level. As the two regions routinely interact in completing money transfer transactions and share systems, processes and licenses, we view the Global Funds Transfer segment as one global network. The nature of the consumers and products offered is the same for each region, and the regions utilize the same agent network, systems and support functions. In addition, the regions have similar regulatory requirements and economic characteristics. Accordingly, we aggregate the two regions into one reporting segment.

 

Segment accounting policies are the same as those described in Note 3 — Summary of Significant Accounting Policies in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements. We manage our investment portfolio on a consolidated level, with no specific investment security assigned to a particular segment. However, investment revenue is allocated to each segment based on the average investable balances generated by that segment’s sale of payment instruments during the period. Net securities gains (losses) are not allocated to the segments as the investment portfolio is managed at a consolidated level. While the derivatives portfolio is also managed on a consolidated level, each derivative instrument is utilized in a manner that can be identified to a particular segment. Interest rate swaps historically used to hedge variable rate commissions were identified with the official check product in the Financial Paper Products segment, while forward foreign exchange contracts are identified with the money transfer product in the Global Funds Transfer segment. Any interest rate swaps related to our credit agreements are not allocated to the segments.

 

Also excluded from operating income for Global Funds Transfer and Financial Paper Products are interest and other expenses related to our credit agreements, items related to our preferred stock, operating income from businesses categorized as “Other,” certain pension and benefit obligation expenses, director deferred compensation plan expenses, executive severance and related costs, and certain legal and corporate costs not related to the performance of the segments. Unallocated expenses in 2009 include $20.3 million of legal reserves related to securities litigation and stockholder derivative claims, a net curtailment gain on benefit plans of $14.3 million, $7.0 million of asset impairments and $4.4 million of executive severance and related costs in addition to other net corporate costs of $13.0 million not allocated to the segments. Unallocated expenses in 2008 include $16.7 million of executive

severance and related costs and $7.7 million of transaction costs related to the recapitalization in addition to other net corporate costs of $9.3 million not allocated to the segments. Following is a reconciliation of segment operating income to the consolidated operating results:

 

 

 

2009 Compared to 2008

 

Total revenue for the Global Funds Transfer segment consists primarily of fees on money transfers and bill payment transactions. For 2009, Global Funds Transfer total revenue increased $14.7 million, or 1 percent, due primarily to money transfer fee revenue growth, partially offset by lower bill payment revenue and lower investment revenue.

Investment revenue decreased $1.7 million due to lower yields earned on our investment portfolio. See Table 3 — Net Investment Revenue Analysis for further information regarding average investable balances and yields on the consolidated investment portfolio.

 

Money transfer fee and other revenue grew $23.0 million, or 3 percent, from 2008, driven by money transfer transaction volume growth, partially offset by lower average money transfer fees and the decline in the euro exchange rate. Money transfer transaction volume increased 6 percent, generating incremental revenue of $53.3 million. Volume growth was lower in 2009 compared to the prior year, reflecting the slowing economic conditions in 2009 and a growing volume base. Average money transfer fees declined from lower principal per transaction and corridor mix, reducing revenue by $20.7 million. The decline in the euro exchange rate, net of hedging activities, reduced revenue by $10.9 million in 2009.

 

Through the third quarter of 2009, pricing on money transfers remained stable. During the fourth quarter of 2009, we implemented a low-fee promotion with our largest agent, reducing the average fee per transaction. We expect the competitive environment to remain high and potentially intensify in various geographic locations, which could impact our pricing in the future. We continue to evaluate the price-volume dynamic and will make further changes where deemed appropriate. In January 2008, we launched our MoneyGram Rewards loyalty program in the United States, which provides tiered discounts on transaction fees to our repeat consumers, less paperwork and notifications to the sender when the funds are received, among other features. In 2009, we rolled out MoneyGram Rewards in Canada, France, Germany, Spain and certain agent locations in Italy. Our MoneyGram Rewards program has positively impacted our transaction volumes, with membership in the program up 30 percent as of December 31, 2009 compared to 2008 and transaction volumes from members up 34 percent. We plan to launch the program in additional European markets in 2010.

 

Transactions and the related fee revenue are viewed as originating from the send side of a transaction. Accordingly, discussion of transactions by geographic location refers to the region originating a transaction. Money transfer transactions originated in the Americas increased 6 percent. Transactions originating in the United States, excluding transactions sent to Mexico, increased 9 percent due primarily to intra-United States remittances. Canada and Latin America saw transaction growth of 15 percent and 9 percent, respectively, from agent network growth. Transactions sent to Mexico declined 9 percent, reflecting the impact of the United States recession on our consumers. Mexico represented approximately 10 percent of our total transactions in 2009 as compared to 12 percent in 2008. Transactions originated in EMEAAP increased 6 percent despite a negative 9 percentage point impact from volume declines in Spain. EMEAAP transactions accounted for 24 percent of our volume in 2009 and 2008. The fastest growing regions in 2009 were South East and Central Africa, the Philippines and South Asia, which all had double-digit growth. The Middle East saw transaction growth of 9 percent, driven by send transactions from, and agent signings and renewals in, the United Arab Emirates. Our France retail business saw transaction growth of 155 percent, while the United Kingdom saw transaction growth of 6 percent primarily from sends to India and Eastern Europe, as well as growth from our three largest agents in the United Kingdom. Greece had transaction growth of 14 percent through its receive markets in Eastern Europe. Spain had volume declines of 24 percent from local economic conditions.

 

The money transfer agent base expanded 8 percent to approximately 190,000 locations in 2009, primarily due to expansion in the international markets. At December 31, 2009, the Americas had 66,000 locations, with 39,500 locations in North America and 26,500 locations in Latin America (including 12,900 locations in Mexico). At December 31, 2009, EMEAAP had 124,000 locations, with 39,600 locations in Western Europe, 26,700 locations in the Indian subcontinent, 25,800 locations in Eastern Europe, 19,800 locations in Asia Pacific, 8,000 locations in Africa and 4,100 locations in the Middle East.

 

Bill payment revenue decreased $6.6 million, or 5 percent, from 2008 from a 4 percent decrease in transaction volume. Lower bill payment volumes reduced revenue by $4.9 million, reflecting the departure of a large biller in the third quarter of 2008 and the impact of economic conditions on our bill payment customers. In addition, lower principal per transaction and biller vertical mix reduced revenue by $1.7 million in 2009.

 

Commissions expense consists primarily of fees paid to our third-party agents for the money transfer and bill payment services, including the amortization of capitalized agent signing bonuses. Commissions expense for 2009 decreased $3.8 million, primarily from lower commission rates and the decline in the euro exchange rate, partially

offset by growth in money transfer transaction volume. Money transfer transaction volume growth resulted in incremental commissions expense of $16.1 million, while lower commission rates and the decline in the euro exchange rate, net of hedging activities, reduced commissions expense by $7.7 million and $6.9 million, respectively. Bill payment fee commissions expense decreased $3.8 million due to volume declines, partially offset by a $0.6 million increase due to higher average rates. Commissions expense in 2009 also decreased by $2.5 million primarily from lower signing bonus amortization as certain historical signing bonuses were fully amortized in the third quarter of 2009.

 

The operating margin of 8.3 percent for 2009 decreased from 13.8 percent in 2008, due primarily to $34.5 million of legal reserves related to a patent lawsuit and a settlement agreement with the Federal Trade Commission, a $5.2 million increase in stock-based compensation, a $7.1 million increase in provision for loss and a $3.2 million charge to impair goodwill related to discontinued bill payment product offerings, partially offset by the higher fee revenue as discussed above.

 

2008 Compared to 2007

 

For 2008, Global Funds Transfer revenue increased $154.5 million, or 18 percent, compared to 2007. Fee and other revenue increased $157.8 million, or 18 percent, driven by the growth in money transfer and bill payment transaction volume, partially offset by a $3.3 million decrease in investment revenue from lower yields earned on the realigned portfolio. See Table 3 — Net Investment Revenue Analysis for further information.

 

Money transfer fee and other revenue grew $138.7 million, or 19 percent, in 2008, while money transfer transaction volume increased 18 percent. Money transfer transaction volume growth resulted in incremental fee and other revenue of $131.8 million in 2008, while average money transfer fees reduced revenue by $11.6 million from lower principal per transaction and corridor mix. The increase in the euro exchange rate, net of hedging activities, increased revenue by $20.2 million in 2008. The money transfer growth in 2008 was a result of our network expansion and continued targeted pricing initiatives to provide a strong consumer value proposition, supported by targeted marketing efforts. For money transfer, our Americas transactions increased 19 percent in 2008, while EMEAAP transactions increased 16 percent in 2008. Transaction volume to Mexico grew 2 percent in 2008 compared to 8 percent in 2007, reflecting slowing growth from the economic conditions in the United States. Mexico represented 12 percent of our total transactions in 2008 compared to 13 percent in 2007. Bill payment transaction volume growth of 13 percent from network expansion increased revenue by $18.8 million, while higher average fees from higher principal per transaction and vertical mix increased revenue by $0.3 million in 2008.

 

Commissions expense increased $92.9 million, or 23 percent, from 2007, primarily driven by higher money transfer and bill payment transaction volume, higher commission rates, amortization of signing bonuses and increases in the euro exchange rate. Higher money transfer transaction volumes increased fee commissions expense by $54.4 million, while higher average commissions per transaction, primarily from Walmart, increased commissions by $4.0 million. The extension of the current agreement with Walmart, our largest agent, through January 2013 includes certain commission increases over the term of the contract. The Walmart commission rate increased one percent effective March 25, 2008, but is not scheduled to increase again until 2011. Amortization of signing bonuses increased $11.6 million in 2008 from the signing of several large agents in 2007 and one large agent in the first quarter of 2008. The change in the euro exchange rate increased fee commissions expense by $8.8 million. Bill payment commissions expense increased $11.3 million due to volume growth and $3.2 million due to higher average rates.

 

Operating income of $139.4 million in 2008 increased from operating income of $127.3 million in 2007, reflecting a higher growth of fee revenue compared to commissions expense growth and investment revenue declines.

 

2009 Compared to 2008

 

Total revenue for the Financial Paper Products segment consists of investment revenue and per-item fees charged to our financial institution customers and retail agents. For 2009, Financial Paper Products total revenue decreased $115.4 million, or 48 percent, due primarily to a $130.4 million, or 81 percent, decrease in investment revenue from lower yields earned on our investment portfolio and a decline in average investable balances from the termination of certain official check financial customers. See Table 3 — Net Investment Revenue Analysis for further information. This decrease was partially offset by a $15.0 million increase in fee and other revenue for money order and official check products, primarily due to our repricing initiatives. Beginning in the fourth quarter of 2008, we implemented a phased repricing initiative for money order, which includes remittance schedule changes focused on reducing our credit exposure and had an emphasis on agents that sell only our money order product. During 2009, money order volumes declined 17 percent. This decline is attributed to the anticipated attrition of agents due to the repricing initiative, consumer pricing increases as agents pass along fee increases, the continued migration to other payment methods and the general economic environment.

 

Commissions expense includes payments made to financial institution customers based on official check and money order average investable balance times short-term interest rate indices. Commissions expense decreased $102.0 million, or 92 percent, from 2008. Commissions expense for 2008 included a $27.7 million net loss due to the termination of interest rate swaps related to the official check business. See Note 7 — Derivative Financial Instruments of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for further information. Investment commissions paid to financial institution customers decreased in 2009 from the decline in the federal funds rate and lower investment balances upon which commissions were paid. See Table 3 — Net Investment Revenue Analysis for further information.

 

Operating margin increased to 22.3 percent in 2009 from 12.7 percent in 2008, reflecting the growth in fee revenue from repricing initiatives, the $27.7 million loss from the termination of swaps in 2008 and lower commissions expense from the decline in the federal funds rate and lower investment balances.

2008 Compared to 2007

 

For 2008, total Financial Paper Products revenue decreased $231.9 million, or 49 percent, due primarily to a $232.4 million decline in investment revenue from lower yields earned on our realigned investment portfolio and the decrease in our investment balances from the termination of official check financial institution customers and the termination of our sale of receivables program. See Table 3 — Net Investment Revenue Analysis for further information.

 

For 2008 and 2007, commissions expense includes costs associated with interest rate swaps used to hedge our variable rate commission payments and costs related to the sale of receivables program which was terminated in the first quarter of 2008. In 2008, commissions expense decreased $152.4 million, or 58 percent, due primarily to lower average investable balances, lower commission rates from the official check repricing and the decline in the effective federal funds rate. See Table 3 — Net Investment Revenue Analysis for further information. In addition, commissions expense in 2007 included $22.3 million of expense related to the sale of receivables program, while minimal expense was incurred in 2008 as the program was terminated in the first quarter of 2008. Partially offsetting these benefits is a $27.7 million net loss resulting from the termination of interest rate swaps related to the official check business. See Note 7 — Derivative Financial Instruments of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for further information regarding the terminations of the interest rate swaps.

 

Operating income for 2008 of $30.2 million decreased from operating income of $93.3 million in 2007 reflecting the decrease in revenue. The net investment margin of 1.20 percent in 2008 as compared to 2.21 percent in 2007 reflects the lower yields on our realigned portfolio, partially offset by lower commission rates from the repricing initiatives and the declining federal funds rate. As the lower commission rates did not go into effect until the second half of 2008, the lower yields on the portfolio offset the benefits of the repricing initiatives.

 

Trends Expected to Impact 2010

 

The discussion of trends expected to impact 2010 is based on information presently available and contains certain assumptions regarding future economic conditions. Differences in actual economic conditions during 2010 compared with our assumptions could have a material impact on our results. See “Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those contemplated by the following forward-looking statements.

 

Throughout 2009, global economic conditions remained weak. We cannot predict the duration or extent of severity of these economic conditions, nor the extent to which these conditions could negatively affect our business, operating results or financial condition. While the money remittance industry has generally been resilient during times of economic softness, the current global economic conditions have continued to adversely impact the demand for money remittances. Given the global economic uncertainty, we have less visibility to the future and believe growth rates could continue to be impacted by slow economic conditions. In addition, bill payment products available in the United States have not been as resilient as money transfers given the more discretionary nature of items paid for by consumers using these products.

 

While there is great uncertainty around when the global economy and the remittance industry will begin to improve, the World Bank, a key source of industry analysis for developing countries, is projecting flat to modest remittance growth in 2010. This is consistent with our expectations for modest money transfer volume growth. We expect this growth to be driven by agent expansion and increasing productivity in our existing agent locations through marketing support, customer acquisition and new product innovation. We believe these efforts will not only help to counteract the current global economic conditions, but position us for enhanced market share and strong growth when the economy begins to recover.

 

For our Financial Paper Products segment, we expect the decline in overall paper-based transactions to continue in 2010. Given the current interest rate environment, we expect our net investment margin to decline as our cash and cash equivalents will likely reset to lower rates. As described earlier, the effective federal funds rate was so low throughout 2009 that commissions to most of our financial institution customers were negative during the year. While we expect the effective federal funds rate to remain at their current historic lows throughout 2010, we do not expect any benefit to commission expense in 2010 to offset the likely decline in investment yields. Any increase in interest rates in 2010 will also negatively impact our investment margin due to the lagging impact of rising rates on our investment portfolio.

We continue to see a trend among state, federal and international regulators toward enhanced scrutiny of anti-money laundering compliance, as well as consumer fraud prevention and education. In addition, we created a new licensed entity in connection with the November 2009 adoption of the European Union’s Payment Services Directive, which provides for a new licensing and regulatory framework for our services in the European Union. As we continue to add staff and enhance our technology systems to meet regulatory trends, our operating expenses for compliance will likely increase.

 

Acquisition and Disposal Activity

 

Acquisition and disposal activity is set forth in Note 4 — Acquisition and Disposal Activity of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

Recapitalization

 

On March 25, 2008, we completed a series of transactions pursuant to which we received an infusion of $1.5 billion of gross equity and debt capital to support the long-term needs of the business and provide necessary capital due to the investment portfolio losses in late 2007 and the first quarter of 2008 (the “recapitalization”). The net proceeds of the recapitalization were used to invest in cash equivalents to supplement our unrestricted assets and to repay $100.0 million on our revolving credit facility. Following are the key terms of the equity and debt capital issued.

 

Equity Capital  — The equity component of the recapitalization consisted of the private placement of 760,000 shares, in aggregate, of B Stock and shares of non-voting B-1 Stock to affiliates of THL and affiliates of Goldman Sachs, respectively, for an aggregate purchase price of $760.0 million. After the issuance of the Series B Stock, the Investors had an equity interest of approximately 79 percent; this equity interest has increased to 82 percent as of December 31, 2009 from the accrual of dividends during the year. In connection with the recapitalization, we also paid Goldman Sachs an investment banking advisory fee equal to $7.5 million in the form of 7,500 shares of B-1 Stock. See Note 12 — Mezzanine Equity of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information regarding the Series B Stock.

 

Debt Capital  — Our wholly owned subsidiary, Worldwide, entered into a Senior Facility of $600.0 million with various lenders and JPMorgan as Administrative Agent for the lenders. At the time of the recapitalization, the Senior Facility was composed of a $100.0 million tranche A term loan (“Tranche A”), a $250.0 million tranche B term loan (“Tranche B”) and a $250.0 million revolving credit facility. Tranche B was issued at a discount of 93.5 percent, for a $16.3 million discount. Worldwide also issued $500.0 million of Notes maturing in March 2018 to Goldman Sachs. See Note 10 — Debt of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further information regarding the Senior Facility and the Notes.

 

 

Liquidity

 

Our primary sources of liquidity include cash flows generated by the sale of our payment instruments, our cash and cash equivalent balances, credit capacity under our credit facilities and proceeds from our investment portfolio. Our primary operating liquidity needs relate to the settlement of payment service obligations to our agents and financial institution customers, as well as general operating expenses.

 

To meet our payment service obligations at all times, we must have sufficient highly liquid assets and be able to move funds globally on a timely basis. On average, we pay over $1.0 billion a day to settle our payment service obligations. We generally receive a similar amount on a daily basis for the principal amount of our payment instruments sold and the related fees. We use the incoming funds from sales of new payment instruments to settle our payment service obligations for previously sold payment instruments. This pattern of cash flows allows us to settle our payment service obligations through on-going cash generation rather than liquidating investments or utilizing our revolving credit facility. We have historically generated, and expect to continue generating, sufficient cash flows from daily operations to fund ongoing operational needs.

 

The timely remittance of funds by our agents and financial institution customers is an important component of our liquidity and allows for the pattern of cash flows described above. If the timing of the remittance of funds were to deteriorate, it would alter our pattern of cash flows and could require us to liquidate investments or utilize our revolving credit facility to settle payment service obligations. To manage this risk, we closely monitor the remittance patterns of our agents and financial institution customers and act quickly if we detect deterioration or alternation in remittance timing or patterns. If deemed appropriate, we have the ability to deactivate an agent’s equipment at any time, thereby preventing the initiation or issuance of further money transfers and money orders. See “Enterprise Risk Management —  Credit Risk” for further discussion of this risk and our mitigation efforts.

 

We also seek to maintain liquidity beyond our operating needs to provide a cushion through the normal fluctuations in our payment service assets and obligations and to invest in the infrastructure and growth of our business. While the assets in excess of payment service obligations, as shown in Table 8, would be available to us for our general operating needs and investment in the Company, we consider a portion of our assets in excess of payment service obligations as additional assurance that regulatory and contractual requirements are maintained. We believe we have sufficient assets and liquidity to operate and grow our business for the next 12 months. Should our liquidity needs exceed our operating cash flows, we believe that our external financing sources, including availability under our Senior Facility, will be sufficient to meet any liquidity needs.

 

Cash and Cash Equivalents — To ensure we maintain adequate liquidity to meet our operating needs at all times, we keep a significant portion of our investment portfolio in cash and cash equivalents at financial institutions rated Aa3 or better by Moody’s and AA- or better by S&P and in United States government money market funds rated Aaa by Moody’s and AAA by S&P. As of December 31, 2009, cash and equivalents totaled $3.8 billion, representing 92 percent of our total investment portfolio. Cash equivalents consisted of time deposits, certificates of deposit and money market funds that invest in United States government and government agency securities.

 

Clearing and Cash Management Banks — We move and receive money through a network of clearing and cash management banks. The relationships with these clearing banks and cash management banks are a critical

component of our ability to move monies on a global and timely basis. We have agreements with nine clearing banks that provide clearing and processing functions for official checks, money orders and other draft instruments. We have eight official check clearing banks, of which three banks are currently operating under post-termination arrangements of their contracts. The remaining five active banks provide sufficient capacity for our official check business. We rely on two banks to clear our retail money orders and believe that these banks provide sufficient capacity for that business. One clearing bank contract has financial covenants that include the maintenance of total cash, cash equivalents, receivables and investments in an amount at least equal to total outstanding payment service obligations, as well as the maintenance of a minimum 103 percent ratio of total assets held at that bank to instruments estimated to clear through that bank. Financial covenants related to special purpose entities (“SPEs”) include the maintenance of specified ratios of greater than 100 percent of cash, cash equivalents and investments held in the SPE to outstanding payment instruments issued by the related financial institution.

 

We also maintain contractual relationships with a variety of domestic and international cash management banks for ACH and wire transfer services for the movement of consumer funds and agent settlements. There are a limited number of international cash management banks with a network large enough to manage cash settlements for our entire agent base. In addition, some large international banks have opted not to bank money service businesses. As a result, in addition to utilizing a large cash management bank, we also utilize regional or country-based banking partners. We do not anticipate that these in-country relationships will affect our liquidity or timing of remittances.

 

Special Purpose Entities — For certain of our financial institution customers, we established individual SPEs upon the origination of our relationship. Along with operational processes and certain financial covenants, these SPEs provide the financial institutions with additional assurance of our ability to clear their official checks. Under these relationships, the cash, cash equivalents, investments and payment service obligations related to the financial institution customer are all held by the SPE. In most cases, the fair value of the cash, cash equivalents and investments must be maintained in excess of the payment service obligations. As the financial institution customer sells our payment service instruments, the principal amount of the instrument and any fees are paid into the SPE. As payment service instruments issued by the financial institution customer are presented for payment, the cash and cash equivalents within the SPE are used to settle the instrument. As a result, cash and cash equivalents within SPEs are generally not available for use outside of the SPE. We remain liable to satisfy the obligations, both contractually and under the Uniform Commercial Code, as the issuer and drawer of the official checks regardless of the existence of the SPEs. Accordingly, we consolidate all of the assets and liabilities of these SPEs in our Consolidated Balance Sheets, with the individual assets and liabilities of the SPEs classified in a manner similar to our other assets and liabilities. Under limited circumstances, the financial institution customers that are beneficiaries of the SPEs have the right to either demand liquidation of the assets in the SPEs or to replace us as the administrator of the SPE. Such limited circumstances consist of material, and in most cases continued, failure to uphold our warranties and obligations pursuant to the underlying agreements with the financial institutions.

 

The combined SPEs hold 3 percent of our $4.1 billion portfolio as of December 31, 2009, as compared to 6 percent at December 31, 2008. As the SPEs relate to financial institution customers we terminated in connection with the restructuring of the official check business, we expect the SPEs to continue to decline as a percent of our portfolio as the outstanding instruments related to the financial institutions roll-off.

 

Credit Facilities — Our credit facilities consist of the Senior Facility and the Notes. During 2009, we repaid $186.9 million of outstanding debt, including the repayment of the full $145.0 million balance on our revolving credit line, a $40.0 million prepayment on Tranche B and $1.9 million of scheduled quarterly principal payments on

Tranche B. We continue to evaluate further reductions of our outstanding debt ahead of scheduled maturities. Following is a summary of our outstanding debt at December 31:

 

 

 

 

The revolving credit facility has $234.5 million of borrowing capacity as of December 31, 2009, reflecting $15.5 million of standby letters of credit issued under the facility. Amounts outstanding under the revolving credit facility and Tranche A are due upon maturity in 2013. As a result of the $40.0 million prepayment of Tranche B in December 2009, no principal payments are due on Tranche B until maturity in 2013. We may elect an interest rate for the Senior Facility at each reset period based on either the United States prime bank rate or the Eurodollar rate, with a minimum rate of 250 basis points set for the Eurodollar option. The interest rate election may be made individually for each term loan and each draw under the revolving credit facility. For the revolving credit facility and Tranche A, the interest rate is either the United States prime bank rate plus 250 basis points or the Eurodollar rate plus 350 basis points. In addition, we incur fees of 50 basis points on the daily unused availability under the revolving credit facility. The interest rate for Tranche B can be set at either the United States prime bank rate plus 400 basis points or the Eurodollar rate plus 500 basis points. Through 2009 and as of the date of this filing, our interest rates have been set based on the United States prime bank rate.

 

The Notes mature in 2018, with principal due in full at that time. The interest rate on the Notes is 13.25 percent per year. Prior to March 25, 2011, we have the option to capitalize interest at a rate of 15.25 percent. If interest is capitalized, 0.50 percent of the interest is payable in cash and 14.75 percent is capitalized into the outstanding principal balance. We elected to pay the interest through December 31, 2009, and we anticipate that we will continue to pay the interest on the Notes for the foreseeable future.

 

Our borrowing facilities contain various financial and non-financial covenants. A violation of these covenants could negatively impact our liquidity by restricting our ability to borrow under the revolving credit facility and/or causing acceleration of amounts due under the credit facilities. The financial covenants in our credit facilities measure leverage, interest coverage and liquidity. Leverage is measured through a senior secured debt ratio calculated as consolidated indebtedness to consolidated earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”), adjusted for certain items such as net securities gains (losses), stock-based compensation expense, certain legal settlements and asset impairments, among other items (“adjusted EBITDA”). Interest coverage is calculated as adjusted EBITDA to net cash interest expense. Liquidity is measured as assets in excess of payment service obligations, as shown in Table 8, adjusted for various exclusions. We are in compliance with all financial covenants as of December 31, 2009.

 

The terms of our credit facilities also place restrictions on certain types of payments we may make, including dividends, acquisitions, and the funding of foreign subsidiaries, among others. We do not anticipate these restrictions to limit our ability to grow the business either domestically or internationally. In addition, we may only make dividend payments to common stockholders subject to an incremental build-up based on our

consolidated net income in future periods. No dividends were paid on our common stock in 2009 and we do not anticipate declaring any dividends on our common stock during 2010.

 

Credit Ratings — As of December 31, 2009 our credit ratings from Moody’s, Standard & Poors and Fitch were B1, B+ and B+, respectively, with a negative outlook assigned by the three credit rating agencies. Our credit facilities, regulatory capital requirements and other obligations are not impacted by the level of our credit ratings. However, higher credit ratings could increase our ability to attract capital, minimize our weighted average cost of capital and obtain more favorable terms with our lenders, agents and clearing and cash management banks.

 

Mezzanine Equity — Our Series B Stock pays a cash dividend of 10 percent. At the Company’s option, we may accrue dividends at a rate of 12.5 percent through March 25, 2013 and 15.0 percent thereafter. We accrued dividends in 2008 and 2009, and anticipate accruing dividends for at least the next 12 months.

 

Contractual and Regulatory Capital

 

Regulatory Capital Requirements — We have capital requirements relating to government regulations in the United States and other countries where we operate. Such regulations typically require us to maintain certain assets in a defined ratio to our payment service obligations. In the United States, through our wholly owned subsidiary and licensed entity, MPSI, we are regulated by various state agencies that generally require us to maintain a pool of liquid assets and investments with a rating of A or higher in an amount generally equal to the regulatory payment service obligation measure, as defined by the state, for our regulated payment instruments, namely teller checks, agent checks, money orders and money transfers. The regulatory requirements do not require us to specify individual assets held to meet our payment service obligations, nor are we required to deposit specific assets into a trust, escrow or other special account. Rather, we must maintain a pool of liquid assets. Provided we maintain a total pool of liquid assets sufficient to meet the regulatory and contractual requirements, we are able to withdraw, deposit or sell our individual liquid assets at will, with no prior notice or penalty or limitations.

 

The regulatory requirements in the United States are similar to our internal measure of assets in excess of payment service obligations set forth in Table 8 — Assets in Excess of Payment Service Obligations . The regulatory payment service assets measure varies by state, but in all cases excludes investments rated below A-. The most restrictive states may also exclude assets held at banks that do not belong to a national insurance program, varying amounts of accounts receivable balances and/or assets held in one of the SPEs. The regulatory payment service obligation measure varies by state, but in all cases is substantially lower than our payment service obligations as disclosed in the Consolidated Balance Sheets as we are not regulated by state agencies for payment service obligations resulting from outstanding cashier’s checks or for amounts payable to agents and brokers. All states require MPSI to maintain positive net worth, with one state also requiring MPSI to maintain positive tangible net worth of $100.0 million.

 

We are also subject to regulatory requirements in various countries outside of the United States, which typically results in needing to either prefund agent settlements or hold minimum required levels of cash within the applicable country. The most material of these requirements is in the United Kingdom, where our licensed entity, MoneyGram International Limited, is required to maintain a cash balance equivalent to outstanding payment instruments issued in the European community. This amount will fluctuate based on our level of activity within the European Community and is likely to increase over time as our business expands in that region. Assets used to meet these regulatory requirements support our payment service obligations, but are not available to satisfy other liquidity needs. As of December 31, 2009, we had approximately $35.0 million of cash deployed internationally to meet regulatory requirements.

 

We were in compliance with all financial regulatory requirements as of December 31, 2009. We believe that our liquidity and capital resources will remain sufficient to ensure on-going compliance with all financial regulatory requirements.

 

Investment Portfolio — Our investment portfolio is composed of $298.6 million of available-for-sale investments and $27.0 million of trading investments and related put options. Available-for-sale investments consist of $276.5 million of United States government agency residential mortgage-backed securities and United States government agency debentures, as well as $22.1 million of other asset-backed securities. In completing our recapitalization, we contemplated that our other asset-backed securities and trading investments might decline further in value. Accordingly, the capital raised assumed a zero value for these securities. As a result, further unrealized losses and impairments on these securities are already funded and would not cause us to seek additional capital or financing.

Other Funding Sources and Requirements

 

Contractual Obligations  — The following table includes aggregated information about the Company’s contractual obligations that impact its liquidity and capital needs. The table includes information about payments due under specified contractual obligations, aggregated by type of contractual obligation.

 

 

Debt consists of amounts outstanding under our Senior Facility and the Notes as shown in Table 9 — Schedule of Credit Facilities, as well as related interest payments, facility fees and annual commitment fees. Included in our Consolidated Balance Sheet at December 31, 2009 is $796.8 million of debt, net of unamortized discounts of $9.5 million, and $0.1 million of accrued interest on the debt. The above table reflects the principal and interest that will be paid through the maturity of the debt using the rates in effect on December 31, 2009 and assuming no prepayments of principal and the continued payment of interest on the Notes. Operating leases consist of various leases for buildings and equipment used in our business. Other obligations are unfunded capital commitments related to our limited partnership interests included in “Other asset-backed securities” in our investment portfolio. We have other commitments as described further below that are not included in Table 10 as the timing and/or amount of payments are difficult to estimate.

 

The Series B Stock has a cash dividend rate of 10 percent. At the Company’s option, dividends may be accrued through March 25, 2013 at a rate of 12.5 percent in lieu of paying a cash dividend. Due to restrictions in our debt agreements, we elected to accrue the dividends in 2009 and expect that dividends will be accrued for at least the next 12 months. While no dividends have been declared as of December 31, 2009, we have accrued dividends of $110.3 million in our Consolidated Balance Sheets as accumulated and unpaid dividends are included in the redemption price of the Series B Stock regardless of whether dividends have been declared.

 

We have a funded, noncontributory pension plan that is frozen to both future benefit accruals and new participants. Our funding policy has historically been to contribute the minimum contribution required by applicable regulations. We were not required to, and did not make, a contribution to the funded pension plan during 2009. We anticipate a minimum contribution of $3.0 million to the pension plan trust in 2010. We also have certain unfunded pension and postretirement plans that require benefit payments over extended periods of time. During 2009, we paid benefits totaling $4.3 million related to these unfunded plans. Benefit payments under these unfunded plans are expected to be $2.6 million in 2010. Expected contributions and benefit payments under these plans are not included in the above table as it is difficult to estimate the timing and amount of benefit payments and required contributions beyond the next 12 months. See “Critical Accounting Policies — Pension Obligations” for further discussion of these plans.

 

As of December 31, 2009, the liability for unrecognized tax benefits is $10.7 million. As there is a high degree of uncertainty regarding the timing of potential future cash outflows associated with liabilities relating to this liability, we are unable to make a reasonably reliable estimate of the amount and period in which these liabilities might be paid.

In limited circumstances, we may grant minimum commission guarantees as an incentive to new or renewing agents for a specified period of time at a contractually specified amount. Under the guarantees, we will pay to the agent the difference between the contractually specified minimum commission and the actual commissions earned by the agent. As of December 31, 2009, the minimum commission guarantees had a maximum payment of $7.9 million over a weighted average remaining term of 1.3 years. The maximum payment is calculated as the contractually guaranteed minimum commission times the remaining term of the contract and, therefore, assumes that the agent generates no money transfer transactions during the remainder of its contract. As of December 31, 2009, the liability for minimum commission guarantees is $0.6 million. Minimum commission guarantees are not reflected in the table above.

 

 

Table 11 summarizes the net cash flows from operating activities. Operating activities provided net cash of $82.5 million in 2009. In addition to normal operating expenses, cash generated from operations was used to pay $186.9 million and $94.4 million of principal and interest, respectively, on our debt, $37.9 million of capital expenditures and $22.2 million for signing bonuses to new agents. We received an income tax refund of $43.5 million during 2009 and did not make any income tax payments. We also reinvested $141.0 million and $32.9 million of proceeds from our available-for-sale investments and trading investments, respectively, into cash and cash equivalents during 2009.

 

Operating activities used net cash of $4.6 billion in 2008. Besides normal operating activities, cash provided by continuing operations was used to pay $84.0 million of interest on our debt, $57.7 million for signing bonuses to new agents and $29.7 million to terminate our interest rate swaps. We also received an income tax refund of $24.7 million during 2008 and did not make any tax payments. During 2008, we used $4.7 billion of proceeds from the sale and normal maturity of available-for-sale securities and the recapitalization to invest in cash equivalents and settle payment service obligations for instruments sold by departing official check financial institution customers in connection with the official check restructuring.

 

Operating activities in 2007 used net cash of $355.8 million. Our payment service assets and obligations used $585.2 million of cash due to the normal fluctuations in the timing of settlements of outstanding payment service instruments and the receipt of collected funds from our agents, partially offset by proceeds from the sale of a trading investment for $83.2 million. Besides normal operating activities, cash provided by continuing operations was used to pay $33.1 million for signing bonuses to new agents, $16.0 million of income taxes and $11.6 million of interest on our debt.

 

To understand the cash flow activity of our business, the cash flows from operating activities relating to the payment service assets and obligations should be reviewed in conjunction with the cash flows from investing activities related to our investment portfolio.