Item 1. Business
Company overview
We are a leader and an innovator in providing technology-enabled services platforms that empower consumers to make healthcare saving and spending decisions. Consumers and employers use our platforms to manage tax-advantaged health savings accounts (“HSAs”) and other consumer-directed benefits (“CDBs”) offered by employers, including flexible spending accounts and health reimbursement arrangements (“FSAs” and “HRAs”), Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (“COBRA”) administration, commuter and other benefits, compare treatment options and pricing, evaluate and pay healthcare bills, receive personalized benefit information, access remote and telemedicine benefits, earn wellness incentives, and receive investment advice to grow their tax-advantaged healthcare savings. We believe the secular shift to greater consumer responsibility for healthcare costs will require a significant portion of consumers under the age of 65 with private health insurance in the United States to use platforms such as ours.
The core of our offerings is the HSA, a financial account through which consumers spend and save long-term for healthcare expenses on a tax-advantaged basis. As of January 31, 2021, we administered 5.8 million HSAs, with balances totaling $14.3 billion, which we call HSA Assets. During the fiscal years ended January 31, 2021 and 2020, we added approximately 0.7 million and 1.5 million new HSAs, respectively, which reflects in 2019 our acquisition of WageWorks, Inc. (the "WageWorks Acquisition"). Also, as of January 31, 2021, we administered 7.0 million complementary CDBs. We refer to the aggregate number of HSAs and other CDBs on our platforms as Total Accounts, of which we had 12.8 million as of January 31, 2021.
We reach consumers primarily through relationships with their employers, which we call Clients. We reach Clients primarily through a sales force that calls on Clients directly, relationships with benefits brokers and advisors, and integrated partnerships with a network of health plans, benefits administrators, benefits brokers and consultants, and retirement plan recordkeepers, which we call Network Partners. As of January 31, 2021, our platforms were integrated with 174 Network Partners, and we serve approximately 100,000 Clients.
We have increased our share of the growing HSA market from 4% in calendar year 2010 to 16% in 2020, measured by HSA Assets. According to Devenir, we are currently the largest HSA provider by accounts and second largest by assets. In addition, we believe we are the largest provider of other CDBs. We seek to differentiate ourselves through our proprietary technology, product breadth, ecosystem connectivity, and service-driven culture. Our proprietary technology is designed to help consumers optimize the value of their HSAs and other CDBs and gain confidence and skills in managing their healthcare costs as part of their financial security.
Our ability to engage consumers is enhanced by our platforms’ capacity to securely share data in both directions with others in the health, benefits, and retirement ecosystems. Our commuter benefits offering also leverages connectivity to an ecosystem of mass transit, ride hailing, and parking providers. These strengths reflect our “DEEP Purple” culture of remarkable service to customers and teammates, achieved by driving excellence, ethics, and process into everything we do.
Our business model provides strong visibility into our future operating performance. As of the beginning of the past several fiscal years, we had approximately 90% visibility into the revenue of the subsequent fiscal year.
We earn revenue primarily from three sources: service, custodial, and interchange. We earn service revenue mainly from fees paid by Clients on a recurring per-account per-month basis. We earn custodial revenue mainly from HSA Assets held at our members’ direction in federally insured cash deposits, insurance contracts or mutual funds, and from investment of Client-held funds. We earn interchange revenue mainly from fees paid by merchants on payments that our members make using our physical payment cards and virtual platforms. See “Key components of our results of operations” for additional information on our sources of revenue, including the adverse impacts caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
WageWorks Acquisition
On August 30, 2019, we completed the WageWorks Acquisition and paid approximately $2.0 billion in cash to WageWorks stockholders, financed through net borrowings of approximately $1.22 billion under a new term loan facility and approximately $816.9 million of cash on hand.
The key strategy of the WageWorks Acquisition was to enable us to increase the number of our employer sales opportunities, the conversion of these opportunities to Clients, and the value of Clients in generating members, HSA Assets and complementary CDBs. WageWorks’ historic strength of selling to employers directly and through health
benefits brokers and advisors complemented our distribution through Network Partners. With WageWorks’ CDB capabilities, we provide employers with a single partner for both HSAs and other CDBs, which is preferred by the vast majority of employers according to research conducted for us by Aite Group. For Clients that partner with us in this way, we believe we can produce more value by encouraging both CDB participants to contribute to HSAs and HSA-only members to take advantage of tax savings available through other CDBs. Accordingly, we believe that there are significant opportunities to expand the scope of services that we provide to our Clients.
Our products and services
Technology platforms. We offer multiple cloud-based platforms, accessed by our members online via a desktop or mobile device, through which individuals can make health saving and spending decisions, pay healthcare bills, compare treatment options and prices, receive personalized benefit and clinical information, earn wellness incentives, grow their savings and make investment choices. The platforms provide users with access to services we provide as well as services provided by third parties selected by us or by our Network Partners.
Among other features, our HSA platform includes the capability to present to users medical bills upon adjudication by a health plan, including details such as the amount paid by insurance, specific nature of the medical service provided, and diagnostic code. Users of our HSA platform can pay these bills from an account of ours or from any bank account, online, via a mobile device, or using our payment card. All users of our HSA platform gain access to our healthcare consumer specialists, available every hour of every day, via a toll-free telephone number or email. Our specialists can assist users with such tasks as optimizing the use of tax-advantaged accounts to reduce medical spending or selecting from among medical plans offered by an employer or health plan.
We acquired several other technology platforms as part of the WageWorks Acquisition. These additional technology platforms are designed to be highly scalable based on an on-demand delivery model that Clients and members may access through a standard web browser on any internet-enabled device, including computers, smart phones, and other mobile devices such as tablet computers. Our on-demand delivery model for these platforms eliminates the need for our Clients to install and maintain hardware and software in order to support CDB programs and enables us to rapidly implement product enhancements across our entire user base.
We are working to phase out certain technology platforms, which requires us to migrate certain Clients to one of our remaining technology platforms.
Health savings accounts. The Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 created HSAs, a tax-exempt trust or custodial account managed by a custodian that is a bank, an insurance company, or a non-bank custodian specifically authorized by the Internal Revenue Service, or IRS, as meeting certain ownership, capitalization, expertise, and governance requirements. We are an IRS-approved non-bank custodian of our members' HSAs, designated to serve as both a passive and non-passive non-bank custodian of HSAs.
To be eligible to contribute to an HSA, an individual must be covered under a high deductible healthcare plan, or HDHP, have no additional health coverage, not be enrolled in Medicare, and not be claimed as a dependent on someone else’s tax return. HSAs have several tax-advantaged benefits, which we call the "triple tax savings": (1) individuals can claim a tax deduction for contributions they make to their HSAs, and contributions that their employers make to their HSAs may be excluded from their gross income for purposes of federal and most state income and employment tax; (2) the interest or earnings on the assets in the account, including reinvestment, accumulate without being subject to tax; and (3) distributions may be tax free if they are used to pay qualified medical expenses. There is no requirement to provide receipts to us to substantiate HSA distributions to members, whether made through our payment card or directly from our online HSA platform. Additionally, taxable distributions other than for qualified medical expenses are permitted without penalty (although subject to income tax) after age 65. Balances remain in the account until used, i.e., there is no “use or lose” requirement. An HSA is owned by the account holder; it remains the account holder’s property upon a change of employment, health plan or retirement.
Investment platform and advisory services. We offer a mutual fund investment platform and access to an online-only automated investment advisory service to all of our members whose account balances exceed a stated threshold. These services are entirely elective to the member. The advisory service is delivered through a web-based tool, Advisor, which is offered and managed by HealthEquity Advisors, LLC, our SEC-registered investment adviser subsidiary. HealthEquity Advisors, LLC provides investment advice to its clients exclusively through the Advisor tool on an interactive website. Members who utilize our mutual fund investment platform or subscribe for Advisor services pay asset-based fees, which include the cost of the advisory service and all other expenses associated with transactions made through these online tools.
Advisor provides investment education guidance and management, including maintaining HSA cash (liquidity) in amounts directed by the member, targeting risk appropriate portfolio diversification, and mutual fund selection.
We offer investors access to three levels of service:
•Self-driven: For members who do not subscribe for Advisor, we provide a mutual fund investment platform to invest HSA balances. Neither we nor Advisor provides advice to members in respect of investments among funds on the platform;
•GPS powered by HealthEquity Advisors, LLC: Advisor provides guidance and advice, but the member makes the final investment decisions and implements portfolio allocation and investment advice through the HealthEquity platform; and
•AutoPilot powered by HealthEquity Advisors, LLC: Advisor manages the account and implements portfolio allocation and investment advice automatically for the member.
Regardless of the level of service selected, members are responsible for their proportionate share of fees and expenses payable by the underlying mutual funds and other investment vehicles in which they invest.
Healthcare flexible spending accounts. Healthcare FSAs are employer-sponsored CDBs that enable employees to set aside pre-tax dollars to pay for eligible healthcare expenses that are not generally covered by insurance, such as co-pays, deductibles and over-the-counter medical products, as well as vision expenses, orthodontia, and medical devices. Our employer Clients also realize payroll tax (i.e., FICA and Medicare) savings on the pre-tax contributions made by their employees.
The IRS imposes a limit, indexed to inflation, on pre-tax dollar employee contributions made to healthcare FSAs. The IRS also allows a carryover of up to 20% of the indexed contribution limit that does not count against or otherwise affect the indexed salary reduction limit applicable to each plan year. Employers are able to contribute additional amounts in excess of this statutory limit and may choose to do so in an effort to mitigate the impact of rising healthcare costs on their employees. Under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, employers are permitted to amend FSA plans to remove carryover limitations and extend grace periods for 2020 and 2021 plan years.
Dependent care flexible spending accounts. We also administer FSA programs for dependent care plans. These plans allow employees to set aside pre-tax dollars to pay for eligible dependent care expenses, which typically include child care or day care expenses but may also include expenses incurred from adult and elder care. Current laws and regulations impose a statutory limit on the amount of pre-tax dollars employees can contribute to dependent care FSAs with no carryover allowed. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 temporarily increased the contribution limit for the 2021 plan year. Like healthcare FSAs, employers can also contribute funds to employees’ dependent care FSAs; however, these are subject to the statutory annual limit on total contributions. As with healthcare FSAs, employers realize payroll tax savings on the pre-tax dependent care FSA contributions made by their employees. Under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, employers are permitted to amend FSA plans to remove carryover limitations and extend grace periods for 2020 and 2021 plan years.
HealthEquity administers the United States Office of Personnel Management's (“OPM”) Federal Flexible Spending Account Program (“FSAFEDS”). This relationship provides eligible federal government employees access to our advanced technology platforms and premium service capabilities.
Health reimbursement arrangements. Under HRAs, employers provide their employees with a specified amount of reimbursement funds that are available to help employees defray their out-of-pocket healthcare expenses, such as deductibles, co-insurance and co-payments. HRAs may only be funded by employers and there is no limitation on how much employers may contribute; however, similar to other CDBs that are funded with pre-tax dollars, employers are required to establish the programs in such a way as to prevent discrimination in favor of highly compensated employees. HRAs must either be considered an excepted benefit (for example, a dental-only HRA or a vision-only HRA), a retiree HRA or be integrated with another group health plan. HRAs can be customized by employers so employers have the freedom to determine what expenses are eligible for reimbursement under these arrangements. At the end of the plan year, employers have the option to allow all or a portion of the unused funds to roll over and accumulate year-to-year if not spent. All amounts paid by employers into HRAs are deductible for tax purposes by the employer and tax-free to the employee.
COBRA. We offer COBRA continuation services to employer clients to meet the employer’s obligation to make available continuation of coverage for participants who are no longer eligible for the employer’s COBRA covered benefits, which include medical, dental, vision, HRAs and certain healthcare FSAs. COBRA requires employers to make health coverage available for qualified beneficiaries for a period of up to 36 months post-termination. As part of our COBRA program, we offer a direct billing service where former employee participants pay us directly as opposed to their employers for coverage they elect to continue. We handle the accounting and customer services for such terminated employees, as well as interfacing with the carrier regarding the employees’ eligibility for
participation in the COBRA program. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 provides a temporary 100% subsidy of COBRA premium payments for eligible individuals who lost coverage due to an involuntary termination for up to 6 months.
Commuter Programs. We administer pre-tax commuter benefit programs. Employers are permitted to provide employees with commuter benefits including qualified transit (which includes vanpooling) and parking. The maximum monthly federal (and sometimes state) tax free exclusion is indexed for inflation. For 2021, the maximum pre-tax monthly limits are $270 for qualified transit and $270 for qualified parking.
In March 2021, we bolstered our commuter offering with the acquisition of Luum, which provides employers with a suite of commute tools as well as real-time commute data, to help them design and implement flexible return-to-office and hybrid-workplace strategies and benefits.
Our technology
Our proprietary technology is deployed as a cloud-based solution that is accessible to customers through the web and mobile devices. We utilize a multi-tenant architecture that allows changes made for one Network Partner to be extended to all others. This architecture provides operating leverage by reducing costs and improving efficiencies, enabling us to maximize the utilization of our infrastructure capacity with a reduction in required maintenance. We are increasing investment in our technology and communications systems to support new opportunities and enhance security, privacy, and platform infrastructure.
Our solution is hosted via cloud-based services and on a virtual private cloud with an ability to scale on demand. This allows us to quickly support our current and projected growth. We utilize regional cloud failover and multiple redundant third-party data centers to ensure continuous access and data availability. The data centers are purpose-built facilities for hosting mission critical systems with multiple built-in redundancy layers to minimize service disruptions and meet industry-standard measures.
Due to the sensitive nature of our customers’ data, we have a heightened focus on data security and protection. We have implemented industry-standard processes, policies, and tools through all levels of our software development and network administration, reducing the risk of vulnerabilities in our system.
Our competitive landscape
Our direct competitors are HSA custodians and other CDB providers. Many of these are state or federally chartered banks and other financial institutions for which we believe technology-based healthcare services are not a core business. Some of our direct competitors (including healthcare service companies such as United Health Group's Optum, Webster Bank, and well-known retail investment companies, such as Fidelity Investments) are in a position to devote more resources to the development, sale and support of their products and services than we have at our disposal. In addition, numerous indirect competitors, including benefits administration technology and service providers, partner with banks and other HSA custodians to compete with us. Our Network Partners may also choose to offer competitive services directly, as some health plans have done. Our success depends on our ability to predict and react quickly to these and other industry and competitive dynamics.
Our competitive strengths and strategy
We believe we are well-positioned to benefit from the transformation of the healthcare benefits market. Our technology platforms are aligned with a healthcare environment that rewards consumer engagement and fosters an integrated consumer experience.
Leadership and first-mover advantage. We have established a defensible leadership position in the HSA industry through our first-mover advantage, focus on innovation, and differentiated capabilities. Our leadership position is evidenced by the quadrupling of our market share (measured by HSA Assets), from 4% in December 2010 to 16% in December 2020, as noted by the 2020 Devenir HSA Research Report, which indicates we are the second largest HSA custodian by market share measured by HSA Assets.
Complete solution for managing consumer healthcare saving and spending. Our members utilize our platforms in a number of ways and in varying frequencies. For example, our members utilize our HSA platform to evaluate and pay healthcare bills through the member portal, which allows members to pay their healthcare providers, receive reimbursements and learn of savings opportunities for prescription drugs. Members also utilize the platform’s mobile app to view and pay claims on-the-go, including uploading medical and insurance documentation to the platform with their mobile phone cameras.
Bundled solution for HSAs and complementary CDBs. We are the largest custodian and administrator of HSAs (by number of accounts), as well as a market-share leader in each of the major categories of complementary CDBs, including FSAs and HRAs, COBRA and commuter benefits administration. Our Clients and their benefits advisors increasingly seek HSA providers that can deliver an integrated offering of HSAs and complementary CDBs. With our CDB capabilities, we can provide employers with a single partner for both HSAs and complementary CDBs, which is preferred by the vast majority of employers, according to research conducted for us by Aite Group. We believe that the combination of HSA and complementary CDB offerings significantly strengthens our value proposition to employers, health benefits brokers and consultants, and Network Partners as a leading single-source provider.
Proprietary and integrated technology platforms. We have proprietary cloud-based technology platforms, developed and refined during more than a decade of operations and acquired through the WageWorks Acquisition, which we believe are differentiated in the marketplace for a number of key reasons:
•Purpose-built technology: Our platforms were designed specifically to serve the needs of healthcare consumers, health plans and employers. We believe they provide greater functionality and flexibility than the technologies used by our competitors, many of which were originally developed for banking, benefits administration or retirement services. We believe we are one of few providers with platforms that encompass all of the core functionality of healthcare saving and spending in integrated, secure, and compliant systems, including custodial administration of individual savings and investment accounts, card and electronic funds transaction processing, benefits enrollment and eligibility, electronic and paper medical claims processing, medical bill presentment, tax-advantaged reimbursement account and health incentive administration, HSA trust administration, online investment advice, and sophisticated analytics.
•Data integration: Our technology platforms allow us to integrate data from disparate sources, which enables us to seamlessly incorporate personal health information, clinical insight, and individually tailored strategies into the consumer experience. We currently have more than 15,000 distinct integrations with health plans, pharmacy benefit managers, employers, and other benefits provider systems. Many of our partners’ systems rely on custom data models, non-standard formats, complex business rules, and security protocols that are difficult or expensive to change.
•Configurability: Our flexible technology platforms enable us to create a unique solution for each of our Network Partners. For example, a HealthEquity team member can readily configure product attributes, including integration with a partner’s chosen healthcare price transparency or wellness tools, single sign on, sales and broker support sites, branding, member communication, custom fulfillment and payment card, savings options and interest rates, fees, and mutual fund investment choices.
Differentiated consumer experience. We have designed our solutions and support services to deliver a differentiated consumer experience, which is a function of our culture and technology. We believe this provides a significant competitive advantage relative to legacy competitors whom we believe prioritize transaction processing and benefits administration.
•Culture: We call our culture “DEEP Purple,” which we define as driving excellence, ethics, and process while providing remarkable service. Our DEEP Purple culture is a significant factor in our ability to attract and retain customers and to nimbly address opportunities in the rapidly changing healthcare sector.
•Technology: Our technology helps us to deliver on our commitment to DEEP Purple. We tailor the content of our platforms and the guidance of our experts to be timely, personal, and relevant to each member. For example, our technology generates health savings strategies that are delivered to our members when they interact with our platforms or call us. We employ individuals who provide real-time assistance to our members via telephone, email, or chat.
•Customer service and education: As a key part of our strategy and commitment to DEEP Purple, our team members work directly with our Network Partners to engage with consumers, educating them about the benefits of our HSAs and our other products and providing personalized guidance.
We believe our DEEP Purple culture drives our success. Our commitment to DEEP Purple has been rewarded with consumer loyalty scores that exceed those of most banks and traditional health insurers.
Large and diversified channel access. We believe our differentiated distribution platforms provide a competitive advantage by efficiently enabling us to reach a growing consumer market. Our platforms are built on a business-to-business-to-consumer, or B2B2C, channel strategy, whereby we work with Network Partners and Clients to reach consumers in addition to marketing our services to these potential members directly. Reaching the consumer is critical in order for us to increase the number of our HSA members.
We work directly with our Network Partners and Clients to reach the consumer in various ways. Our health plan and administrator partners collectively employ thousands of sales representatives and account managers who promote both the health plan and administrators partner’s health insurance products, such as HDHPs, and our HSAs. Our Clients collectively employ thousands of human resources professionals who are tasked with explaining the benefits of our HSAs to their employees. Our sales and account management teams work with and train the sales representatives and account management teams of our Network Partners and the human resource professionals of our Clients on the benefits of enrolling in, contributing to, and saving and spending through our HSAs, and our Network Partners and Clients then convey these benefits to prospective members. As a result of this collaboration, we develop relationships with each member who enrolls in an HSA with us. This personalized engagement with our members constitutes our B2B2C channel strategy.
Scalable operating model. We believe that our technology is scalable because our products and services are accessed primarily through our technology platforms, which are cloud based. After initial on-boarding and a period of education, our service costs for any given customer typically decline over time. Our opportunity to earn high-margin revenue from existing HSA members grows over time because our HSA members’ balances typically grow, increasing custodial revenue without significant incremental cost to us.
Strong customer retention rates. Retention of our HSA members has been strong over time. Individually owned trust accounts, including HSAs, have inherently high switching costs, as switching requires a certain amount of effort on the part of the account holder and may result in closure fees. We believe that our retention rates are also high due to our HSA platform’s integration with the broader healthcare system used by our HSA members and our customer engagement and focus on the consumer experience.
Selectively pursue strategic acquisitions. We have a successful history of acquiring HSA portfolios and businesses that strengthen our platform. We expect to continue this growth strategy and regularly evaluate opportunities. We have developed an internal capability to source, evaluate, and integrate acquisitions that have created value for stockholders. We believe the nature of our competitive landscape provides significant acquisition opportunities. Many of our competitors view their HSA businesses as non-core functions. We believe they may look to divest these assets and, in certain cases, be limited from making acquisitions due to depository capital requirements.
Government regulation
Our business is subject to extensive, complex, and rapidly changing federal and state laws and regulations.
IRS regulations
We are subject to applicable IRS regulations, which lay the foundation for tax savings and eligible expenses under the HSAs, HRAs, and FSAs we administer. The IRS issues guidance regarding these regulations regularly. In addition, we are subject to conflict of interest and other prohibited transaction rules that are enforced through excise taxes under the Internal Revenue Code. Although the excise taxes are enforced by the IRS, the underlying rules are promulgated by the Department of Labor.
In February 2006, HealthEquity, Inc. received designation by the U.S. Department of Treasury to act as a passive non-bank custodian, which allows HealthEquity, Inc. to hold custodial assets for individual account holders. In July 2017, HealthEquity, Inc. received designation by the U.S. Department of Treasury to act as both a passive and non-passive non-bank custodian, which allows HealthEquity, Inc. to hold custodial assets for individual account holders and use discretion to direct investment of such assets held. As a passive and non-passive non-bank custodian, the Company must maintain net worth (assets minus liabilities) greater than 2% of passive custodial funds held at each fiscal year-end and 4% of the non-passive custodial funds held at each fiscal year-end in order to take on additional custodial assets. As of January 31, 2021, the Company's year-end for trust and tax purposes, the net worth of the Company exceeded the required thresholds.
Privacy and data security regulations
In the provision of HSA custodial services and directed TPA services for FSAs and HRAs, we are subject to the Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999 (Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act or GLBA), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act), and similar state laws.
GLBA imposes financial privacy and security requirements on financial institutions that relate to the collection, storage, use, and disclosure of an account holder’s nonpublic personal information. Nonpublic personal information includes information that is collected or generated in the course of offering a financial product or service. For example, nonpublic personal information includes information submitted by a prospective account holder in an
application, an account holder’s name and contact information, and transaction information. Because part of our business is the administration of financial products such as HSAs, we are required under the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s financial privacy rule under GLBA to send a notice of privacy practices to account holders and to comply with restrictions on the disclosure of nonpublic personal information to non-affiliated third parties. We are also required under GLBA to establish reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect the security, confidentiality, and integrity of nonpublic personal information pursuant to the Federal Trade Commission’s safeguards rule. Violations of GLBA can result in civil and criminal penalties.
HIPAA covered entities and their business associates are required to adhere to HIPAA privacy and security standards. Covered entities include most healthcare providers, health plans, and healthcare clearinghouses. Because we perform services (such as FSA services) for covered entities that include processing protected health information, we are a business associate and subject to HIPAA. The two rules that most significantly affect our business are: (i) the Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information, or the Privacy Rule; and (ii) the Security Standards for the Protection of Electronic Protected Health Information, or the Security Rule. The Privacy Rule restricts the use and disclosure of protected health information, and requires us to safeguard that information and provide certain rights to individuals with respect to that information. The Security Rule establishes requirements for safeguarding protected health information transmitted or stored electronically. Both civil and criminal penalties apply for violating HIPAA, which may be enforced by both the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights and state attorneys general. Violations of HIPAA may also subject us to contractual remedies under the terms of agreements with covered entities.
States also have laws and regulations that impose additional restrictions on our collection, storage, and use of personally identifiable information. Privacy regulation has become a priority issue in many states, including California, which in 2018 enacted the California Consumer Privacy Act ("CCPA") broadly regulating California residents’ personal information and providing California residents with various rights to access and control their data. We expect further privacy requirements to be applicable to us as a result of the recently passed California Privacy Rights Act, as it significantly modifies the CCPA by expanding consumers’ rights with respect to certain sensitive personal information.
ERISA
Our private-sector clients’ FSAs, HRAs, COBRA continuation insurance, and other account-based retirement plans are covered by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, or ERISA, which governs “employee benefits plans.” Title I of ERISA does not generally apply to HSAs. ERISA generally imposes extensive reporting requirements on employers, as well as an obligation to provide various disclosures to covered employees and beneficiaries; and employers and third-party administrators that have authority or discretion over management, administration, or investment of plan assets are subject to fiduciary responsibility under ERISA. ERISA's requirements affect our FSAs, HRAs, and COBRA administration businesses. The Department of Labor can bring enforcement actions or assess penalties against employers, investment advisers, administrators, and other service providers for failing to comply with ERISA’s requirements. Participants and beneficiaries may also file lawsuits against employers, investment advisers, administrators, and other service providers under ERISA.
Department of Labor
The Department of Labor, or the DOL, regulates plans that are subject to ERISA, including health FSAs, HRAs, and 401(k) and other retirement plans, as well as COBRA administration. The DOL also issues guidance related to fiduciary responsibility and prohibited transactions under ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code that affect administration of HSAs (as well as health FSAs, HRAs, and retirement plans).
The DOL issues regulations, technical releases, and other guidance that apply to employee benefit plans, tax-favored savings arrangements (including HSAs) and COBRA administration, generally. In addition, in response to a request by an individual or an organization, the DOL’s Employee Benefits Security Administration may issue an advisory opinion that interprets and applies ERISA and/or corresponding prohibited transaction rules under the Internal Revenue Code to a specific situation, including issues related to consumer-centric healthcare accounts and retirement plans.
Healthcare reform
In March 2010, the federal government enacted significant reforms to healthcare benefits through the Affordable Care Act. The legislation amended various provisions in many federal laws, including the Internal Revenue Code and ERISA. The reforms included new excise taxes that incentivize employers to provide health benefits (including HSA-compatible benefits) to all full-time employees and new coverage mandates for health plans. The rules directly
affect health FSAs and HRAs and have an indirect effect on HSAs. Further changes to the Affordable Care Act and related healthcare regulation remain under consideration, including "Medicare for all" plans.
Investment Advisers Act of 1940
Our subsidiary HealthEquity Advisors, LLC is an SEC-registered investment adviser that provides web-only automated investment advisory services to members. As an SEC-registered investment adviser, it must comply with the requirements of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, or the Advisers Act, and related Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, regulations and is subject to periodic inspections by the SEC staff. Such requirements relate to, among other things, fiduciary duties to clients, disclosure obligations, recordkeeping and reporting requirements, marketing restrictions limitations on agency cross and principal transactions between the adviser and its clients, and general anti-fraud prohibitions. The SEC is authorized to institute proceedings and impose sanctions for violations of the Advisers Act, ranging from fines and censure to termination of an investment adviser’s registration. Investment advisers also are subject to certain state securities laws and regulations. Failure to comply with the Advisers Act or other federal and state securities and regulations could result in investigations, sanctions, profit disgorgement, fines or other similar consequences.
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is important to our success. We rely on trademarks and other forms of intellectual property rights and measures, including trade secrets, know-how and other unpatented proprietary processes, and nondisclosure agreements, to maintain and protect proprietary aspects of our products and technologies. We require our team members and consultants to execute confidentiality agreements in connection with their employment or consulting relationships with us. We also require our team members and consultants to disclose and assign to us all inventions conceived during the term of their employment or engagement while using our property or which relate to our business.
Geographic areas
Our sole geographic market is the U.S.
Human capital
HealthEquity is comprised of people dedicated to empowering consumers to connect health and wealth by delivering remarkable service. We refer to our culture as “DEEP Purple,” which stands for Driving Excellence, Ethics and Process while providing remarkable service to our clients and members. We believe that our DEEP Purple culture is a key differentiator that drives the success of our company through, among other things, attracting and retaining top talent. DEEP Purple is the essence of our company, and we invest a lot of time and energy to support and maintain it.
Our board of directors and its committees provide oversight on certain human capital matters. The Talent, Compensation and Culture Committee of our board of directors acts on behalf of the board to review and determine executive compensation plans, policies and programs, oversee the Company’s culture and related strategies, programs and risks, and oversee the Company’s talent management, development and retention efforts and related strategies, programs, and risks, including with respect to diversity and inclusion.
As of January 31, 2021, we had 3,001 full-time team members and 38 part-time team members, including 1,905 in service delivery, 554 in technology and development, and 580 in sales and marketing, and general and administrative positions. Our team members reside in 44 states across the United States. Of these team members, 37% were men and 63% were women, with 33% people of color. Fewer than 1% of team members did not specify gender, and 14% percent did not specify race.
We seek and collect feedback from our team members to assess engagement through our semi-annual team member engagement survey. The survey focuses on team member loyalty, engagement, and satisfaction indicators. The surveys conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic have shown positive increases in our team members’ engagement, satisfaction, and loyalty. We believe this is a result of the Company’s responsive action, transparent communication, and sense of care for their personal well-being.
Diversity and inclusion
As an employer, we celebrate the diversity of our team members and strive for consistent inclusion. We strive to make HealthEquity a place where diversity of thought, culture, orientation, identity, and experience enhance every aspect of what we do. We recognize the value of diversity and inclusion in our business practices. We believe that
inclusion and equality in the workplace are key to team members feeling happier and more comfortable in their work environment and that this translates to higher productivity, increased motivation and improved performance.
As part of our diversity and inclusion ("D&I") efforts, in 2019 we established a D&I committee to support our initiatives and drive our D&I goals. Dubbed the “Created Equal Committee” – a name chosen through a team member survey – the committee seeks to reflect President Abraham Lincoln’s description of our nation as one “conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men [and women] are created equal.”
We believe that a diverse workforce is critical to our success, and we continue to focus on the hiring, retention and advancement of women and underrepresented populations. Our recent efforts have been focused in three areas: inspiring innovation through an inclusive and diverse culture; expanding our efforts to recruit and hire world-class diverse talent; and identifying strategic partners to accelerate our diversity and inclusion programs.
Health, Safety and Wellness
HealthEquity also seeks to ensure that team members have the working conditions they need to succeed. The health and well-being of our team members at work are foremost among our concerns. We encourage our team members to follow common sense safety practices and correct any unsafe condition or report it to their supervisor. We are committed to maintaining a safe workplace free from unlawful drugs and alcohol in accordance with applicable law and free from harassment. HealthEquity supports these measures through extensive training as well as formal grievance procedures and policies.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have prioritized the health and safety of our team members. This includes having the vast majority of our team members work from home, while implementing additional safety measures for team members continuing critical on-site work. In addition, the Company has established a conditionally based paid leave policy to support team members who have been directly impacted by COVID-19. HealthEquity has also helped team members maintain a healthy work-life balance and juggle competing needs during the pandemic by supporting flexible work schedules. HealthEquity has maintained a strong focus to support the holistic health of our team members, offering a variety of recurring sessions addressing their mental, emotional, and physical health and that of their dependents.
Equitable Pay Philosophy and Benefits
HealthEquity is proud to be a workplace where hard work is valued and rewarded. We are committed to pay equity, which is being implemented through our Total Rewards program.
Our pay philosophy is intended to foster a program that supports the Company’s mission, values, and culture. We believe that our greatest asset is our people, and our Total Rewards program is designed to attract and retain talented team members who drive the Company’s success. The program is intended to be fair and easy to understand so that all team members and their managers understand the goals and outcomes. HealthEquity strives to administer the program in a manner that is applied consistently, equitably, and free of discrimination. HealthEquity believes in sharing the financial success of the Company and rewarding individual performance through offering participation in a bonus plan to all non-commissioned team members. The bonus pool is funded based on the financial performance of the Company, and team members' performance against objectives determines the individual payouts earned.
We believe in approaching team member health holistically. Our benefits philosophy is rooted in the foundational beliefs that – first – all areas of health are intertwined, and – second – that when team members are thriving in mental, emotional, physical, social, and financial health, they are in the best position to succeed personally and provide remarkable service professionally. Accordingly, HealthEquity provides our team members a variety of comprehensive, consumer-driven healthcare medical plans offered in conjunction with generous HSA contributions from the Company, a 401(k) plan that offers Company contributions, a subsidized dental plan, voluntary vision coverage, paid maternity and parental leaves, and importantly, a holistic wellness plan that supports the continued development of our team members’ mental, physical, financial, emotional, and social health.
Talent Development
HealthEquity is dedicated to maintaining our Purple culture by helping team members succeed in their current roles and reach their ultimate career goals. We know that supporting individual career growth benefits not only our team members, but also our Company, our clients, and our members. A full 99% of the Purple team was involved in training during fiscal year 2021, logging more than 106,000 hours of training and compliance, including 85,000 hours of instructor-led training and 21,000 hours of online training. Team members logged approximately 30 hours of training on average in important areas such as the HealthEquity Code of Conduct and other compliance policies and measures.
Corporate information
HealthEquity, Inc. was incorporated as a Delaware corporation on September 18, 2002. Our principal business office is located at 15 W. Scenic Pointe Dr., Ste. 100, Draper, Utah 84020. Our website address is www.healthequity.com. We do not incorporate the information contained on, or accessible through, our corporate website into this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and you should not consider it to be part of this report.
Where you can find additional information
Our website is located at www.healthequity.com, and our investor relations website is located at ir.healthequity.com. Copies of our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and any amendments to these reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act are available, free of charge, on our investor relations website as soon as reasonably practicable after we file such material electronically with or furnish it to the SEC. The SEC maintains an internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC at www.sec.gov.
Item 1A. Risk factors
You should carefully consider the risks described below together with the other information set forth in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, which could materially affect our business, financial condition, and future results. The risks described below are not the only risks facing our company. Risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial also may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, and operating results. If any of the following risks are realized, our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects could be materially and adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our common stock could decline.
Risk Factors Summary
The following is a summary of the principal risks that could adversely affect our business, operations and financial results:
Risks relating to our business and industry
•The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has materially impacted our business and may continue to materially impact our business.
•We may experience difficulties in integrating the operations of WageWorks into our business and in realizing the expected benefits of the WageWorks Acquisition.
•Our management has identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting in the WageWorks subsidiary that could adversely affect our ability to report our financial condition and results of operations in a timely and accurate manner.
•Any diminution in, elimination of, or change in the availability of tax benefits for HSAs and other CDBs, or in the use of these accounts, would materially adversely affect us.
•If we are not successful in adapting to our rapidly evolving industry, our growth may be limited, and our business may be adversely affected.
•We may be unable to compete effectively against our current and future competitors.
•Developments in the rapidly changing healthcare industry could adversely affect our business.
•If our members do not continue to utilize our payment cards, our results of operations, business, and prospects would be materially adversely affected.
Data security, technological, and intellectual property risks
•Cyber-attacks or other privacy or data security incidents could materially adversely impact our business.
•Fraudulent and other illegal activity involving our products and services could lead to financial and reputational damage to us and reduce the use and acceptance of our products and services.
•We rely on software licensed from third parties that may be difficult to replace or that could cause errors or failures of our technology platforms that could lead to lost customers or harm to our reputation.
•Developing and implementing new and updated applications, features, and services for our technology platforms may be more difficult than expected, may take longer and cost more than expected, or may result in the platforms not operating as expected.
•Any disruption of service at our facilities or our third-party data centers could interrupt or delay our customers’ access to our products and services.
•Interruption or failure of our information technology and communications systems could impair our ability to effectively deliver our products and services.
•Our technology platforms may link to or utilize open source software, and any failure to comply with the terms of one or more of these open source licenses could negatively affect our business.
•Failure to adequately protect our brands and the intellectual property rights related to our products and services, and infringement of the intellectual property rights of others, would negatively impact our business.
•If we are unable to promote our brands effectively, our business may suffer.
•Confidentiality arrangements with team members and others may not adequately prevent disclosure of trade secrets and other proprietary information.
Legal and regulatory risks
•The restatement of WageWorks’ previously issued financial results resulted in securities class action and stockholder litigation, which could have a material adverse impact on us.
•The healthcare regulatory and political framework is uncertain and evolving, and we cannot predict the effect that further healthcare reform and other changes in government programs may have on our business, financial condition, or results of operations.
•Changes in applicable federal and state laws relating to the tax benefits available through tax-advantaged healthcare accounts such as HSAs and other CDBs could materially adversely affect our business.
•We are subject to privacy regulations, including regarding the access, use, and disclosure of personally identifiable information. If we or any of our third-party vendors experience a privacy breach, it could result in substantial financial and reputational harm, including possible criminal and civil penalties.
•Changes in laws and regulations relating to interchange fees on payment card transactions could adversely affect our revenue and results of operations.
•Failure to comply with, or changes in, payment card industry, credit card association or other network rules or standards set by Visa or MasterCard, or changes in card association and debit network fees or products or interchange rates, could materially adversely affect us.
•We are subject to complex regulation, and any compliance failures or regulatory action could adversely affect our business.
•If we are unable to meet or exceed the net worth test required by the IRS, we could be unable to maintain our non-bank custodian status.
Risks relating to our partners and service providers
•If our Network Partners choose to partner with other providers of, or otherwise reduce offering or cease to offer, our products and services, our business could be materially and adversely affected.
•A change in relationship with any of our bank identification number sponsors, or the failure by these sponsors to comply with certain banking regulations, could materially and adversely affect our business.
•A business failure in any of our federally insured custodial depository partners would materially and adversely affect our business.
•Replacing our third-party vendors would be difficult and disruptive to our business.
Acquisition and growth-related risks
•Our acquisition strategy may not be successful.
•We may not be able to operate, integrate, and scale our technology effectively to match our business growth.
•Failure to manage future growth effectively could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
•We may not accurately estimate the impact on our business of developing, introducing, and updating new and existing products and services.
•We may need to record write-downs from future impairments of identified intangible assets and goodwill.
Risks relating to our service and culture
•Any failure to offer high-quality customer support services could adversely affect our relationships with our members, Clients, and Network Partners and our operating results.
•We rely on our management team and key team members and our business could be harmed if we are unable to retain qualified personnel.
•If we cannot maintain our corporate culture as we grow, we could lose the innovation, teamwork, passion, and focus on execution that we believe contribute to our success.
Financing, tax and related risks
•We may be unable to generate or obtain sufficient capital to fund our business and growth strategy.
•The terms of our credit facility require us to meet certain operating and financial covenants and place restrictions on our operating and financial flexibility.
•We may be adversely affected by interest rate changes due to the floating interest rate under our credit agreement.
•A decline in interest rate levels, including an environment of negative interest rates, may reduce our ability to earn income on our HSA Assets and Client-held funds and to attract HSA contributions.
•Legislative, regulatory, and legal developments involving taxes could adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows.
General Risk Factors
•Our ability to secure insurance may not be sufficient to cover potential liabilities.
•Natural disasters, pandemics or other epidemics (including the current COVID-19 pandemic), acts of terrorism, acts of war and other unforeseen events may cause damage or disruption to us or our customers.
•Our quarterly operating results may fluctuate significantly from period to period, which could adversely impact the value of our common stock.
•We do not intend to pay regular cash dividends on our common stock and, consequently, your ability to achieve a return on your investment will depend on appreciation in the price of our common stock.
•Provisions in our charter documents and under Delaware law could discourage a takeover that stockholders may consider favorable.
•The exclusive forum provision in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or team members.
Risks relating to our business and industry
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has materially impacted our business and may continue to materially impact our business.
Our business has been, and may continue to be, materially and adversely affected by the current outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Federal Reserve’s interest rate cut in response to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and other interest rate market conditions have caused interest rates to decline significantly. As a result, the funds that we place with our depository partners in this environment have been, and are likely to continue to be for the foreseeable future, placed at lower interest rates than we originally expected. In addition, stock market volatility, such as a decline in the stock market, may decrease HSA investment assets and the related fees we earn from HSA investment assets.
Our financial results related to certain of our products have also been adversely affected by the pandemic. For example, we have seen a significant decline in the use of commuter benefits and in our members' spend on healthcare, which has negatively impacted both our interchange revenue and service revenue. If the "work from home" trend continues after the pandemic, the revenue we receive from commuter benefits would continue to be negatively impacted. As the pandemic persists, some Clients may be unable to pay fees required under contracts and exercise "force majeure" or similar defenses, which would negatively impact our financial results. As an increasing number of companies go out of business, the number of our Clients and potential Clients could be adversely affected. Increased unemployment may mean that fewer of our members utilize HSAs or other CDBs and may reduce overall demand for our products. In the event our financial results continue to be severely impacted or the impact worsens, it may make it more difficult for us to comply with the financial covenants in our credit agreement, which could result in a breach of the financial covenants and the acceleration of our outstanding debt by our lenders.
We have also seen an increase in regulatory changes related to our products due to government responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and may continue to see additional regulatory changes, which changes require substantial time and costs for us to ensure compliance. For example, regulatory changes related to our FSA and COBRA product have created uncertainty and additional workload on our team members, which could reduce our operational efficiency and result in additional costs.
As a result of the ongoing pandemic, substantially all of our team members are working from home. Sales opportunities have been impacted by the lack of travel and in-person meetings, with some opportunities delayed and most now being held virtually. We have also had to support the open enrollment activities of our Clients virtually. We may be unable to meet our service level commitments to our Clients as a result of disruptions to our work force and disruptions to third-party contractors that we rely on to provide our services. Our team members may be less efficient at home, and it may take additional time for us to pursue significant business initiatives. The risk of cybersecurity breaches and incidents, and the potential impact of these on our operations, is also higher while our team members log in to our network remotely.
The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to negatively impact our business remains highly uncertain and, as a result, may continue to have a material and adverse impact on our business and financial results.
We may experience difficulties in integrating the operations of WageWorks into our business and in realizing the expected benefits of the WageWorks Acquisition.
The success of the WageWorks Acquisition depends in part on our ability to realize the anticipated business opportunities from combining the operations of WageWorks with our business in an efficient and effective manner. The integration process is an expensive multi-year process that could take longer and cost more than anticipated and result in the loss of Clients.
As part of the integration process, we are working to migrate certain Clients to different technology platforms, which could result in Client attrition if we are unable to meet Client expectations or if we are unable to meet the technical requirements of our Clients. Clients may also decide to not cooperate with the platform migration process, resulting in delays to and additional costs associated with this process or the loss of those Clients. The challenges associated with the platform migration process may result in Client dissatisfaction, potentially impairing our long-term relationship with our Clients. We may also face challenges in integrating the back-office systems and people associated with these technology platforms.
Our management team and other team members are spending significant amounts of time on integration efforts, which may distract them from their other responsibilities. Integration could also disrupt each company's ongoing businesses, result in tax inefficiencies, or create inconsistencies in standards, controls, information technology systems, procedures, and policies, any of which could adversely affect our ability to maintain relationships with third parties, or our ability to achieve the anticipated benefits of the WageWorks Acquisition, and could harm our financial performance.
We may fail to fully realize the remaining anticipated net synergies from the WageWorks Acquisition. Achievement of these remaining anticipated net synergies is based on our ability to grow revenue as a combined company, the integration of the WageWorks' CDB and other offerings with our technology platforms, and realization of the targeted cost synergies expected from the WageWorks Acquisition. Actual operating, technological, strategic, and revenue opportunities, if achieved at all, may be less significant than expected or may take longer or cost more to achieve than anticipated. If we are not able to achieve these objectives and realize the remaining anticipated net synergies expected from the WageWorks Acquisition within the anticipated timing or at all, our business, financial condition, and operating results may be adversely affected.
Our management has identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting in the WageWorks subsidiary that could adversely affect our ability to report our financial condition and results of operations in a timely and accurate manner.
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act. Our management has determined that our internal control over financial reporting was not effective due to the existence of material weaknesses arising out of the WageWorks Acquisition. See Item 9A - Controls and Procedures. Until fully remediated, these material weaknesses may materially adversely affect our ability to report our financial condition and results of operations in a timely and accurate manner. Although we have developed a plan to address the material weaknesses, we cannot provide a timeframe as to when the remediation will be completed and tested, nor can we assure you that the remediation, integration and testing process will not reveal additional material weaknesses or other deficiencies, so that our internal control over financial reporting and related disclosure controls and procedures are effective. If we are unable to report our results in a timely and accurate manner, we may not be able to comply with the applicable covenants in our credit agreement, and may be required to seek waivers or repay amounts under the credit agreement earlier than anticipated, which could adversely impact our liquidity and financial condition. Although we continually review and evaluate internal control systems to allow management to report on the sufficiency of our internal controls over financial reporting, we cannot assure you that we will not discover additional weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting.
In addition to remediating existing material weaknesses, we expect that the continued integration of the WageWorks business will require modifications to our internal control systems, processes, and information systems. We cannot be certain that changes to our internal control over financial reporting will be effective for any period, or on an ongoing basis. If we are unable to accurately report our financial results in a timely manner or are unable to assert that our internal controls over financial reporting are effective, our business, financial condition and results of operations, and the market perception thereof, may be materially adversely affected.
Any diminution in, elimination of, or change in the availability of tax benefits for HSAs and other CDBs, or in the use of these accounts, would materially adversely affect us.
Substantially all of our revenue is earned from tax-advantaged HSAs and other CDBs. Based on our experience with our customers, we believe that many consumers are not familiar with, or do not fully appreciate, the tax-advantaged benefits of HSAs and other CDBs. If employers reduce or cease to offer HSAs or other CDB programs, if the tax benefits for these accounts are reduced or eliminated, or if the rate of adoption of these accounts decreases, our results of operations, financial condition, business, and prospects would be materially and adversely affected.
If we are not successful in adapting to our rapidly evolving industry, our growth may be limited, and our business may be adversely affected.
The market for our products and services is subject to rapid and significant change and competition. The market for administration of HSAs and other CDBs is characterized by rapid technological change, new product and service introductions, evolving industry standards, changing customer needs, existing competition, and the entrance of non-traditional competitors. In addition, there may be a limited-time opportunity to achieve and maintain a significant share of this market due in part to our rapidly evolving industry and the substantial resources available to our existing and potential competitors. In order to remain competitive, we are continually involved in a number of projects to develop new services or compete with these new market entrants. These projects carry risks, such as cost overruns, delays in delivery, performance problems, and lack of acceptance by our Clients, Network Partners and members.
Our success depends to a substantial extent on the willingness of consumers to increase their use of HSAs and other CDBs, our ability to increase engagement, and our ability to demonstrate the value of our services to our existing and potential Clients, Network Partners and members. If our existing Clients, Network Partners and members do not recognize or acknowledge the benefits of our services or we do not drive engagement, then the market for our services might develop more slowly than we expect, which could adversely affect our operating results.
In addition, we have limited insight into industry or broader trends that might develop and affect our business. As such, we might make errors in predicting and reacting to relevant business, legal, and regulatory trends, which could harm our business. If any of these events occur, it could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Finally, our competitors may have the ability to devote more financial and operational resources than we can to developing new technologies and services, including services that provide improved operating functionality, and adding features to their existing service offerings. If successful, their development efforts could render our services less desirable, resulting in the loss of our existing customers or a reduction in the fees we earn from our products and services.
We may be unable to compete effectively against our current and future competitors.
The market for our products and services is highly competitive, rapidly evolving, and fragmented. We view our competition in terms of direct and indirect competitors. Our direct HSA competitors are HSA custodians and administrators that include state or federally chartered banks, such as Webster and Optum Bank, insurance companies, well-known retail investment companies, such as Fidelity Investments, and non-bank custodians approved by the U.S. Treasury as meeting certain ownership, capitalization, expertise, and governance requirements.
We also have numerous indirect HSA administration competitors, including benefits administrators and health plans, that license technology platforms and partner with other HSA custodians to provide "white label" HSA offerings. Increased focus on HSA-favorable healthcare regulatory reforms may create renewed interest and investment by our competitors in their HSA offerings and lead to greater competition, which could make it harder for us to maintain our growth trajectory. Our competitors may also offer reduced fee or no-fee HSAs, which may permit them to increase market share in our market and lead to Client and Network Partner attrition, or cause us to reduce our fees; and this risk could be compounded if legal requirements or administrative rules are interpreted in a way that makes compliance more onerous for us than for our competitors. Our other CDB administration competitors include health insurance carriers, human resources consultants and outsourcers, payroll providers, national CDB specialists, regional third-party administrators, and commercial banks.
If one or more of our competitors were to merge or partner with another of our competitors, the change in the competitive landscape could materially adversely affect our ability to compete effectively. Our competitors may also establish or strengthen cooperative relationships with our current or future Network Partners or other strategic
partners, thereby limiting our ability to promote our solution with these parties. We have seen an increase in Network Partners that have decided to offer HSAs or other CDBs directly to their customers, and a continuation of this trend would significantly reduce our channel partner opportunities.
Well-known retail mutual fund companies, such as Fidelity Investments, have entered the HSA business and gained significant market share. Our market share could decline if Fidelity and other mutual fund companies continue expanding their presence in the market. These investment companies have significant advantages over us in terms of brand name recognition, years of experience managing tax-advantaged retirement accounts (e.g., 401(k) and IRA), highly developed recordkeeping, trust functions, and fund advisory and customer relations management, among others. If we are unable to compete effectively with these mutual fund company competitors, our results of operations, financial condition, business, and prospects could be materially adversely affected.
Many of our competitors, in particular banks, insurance companies, and other financial institutions, have longer operating histories and significantly greater financial, technical, marketing, and other resources than we have. As a result, some of these competitors may be in a position to devote greater resources to the development, promotion, sale, and support of their products and services and have offered, or may in the future offer, a wider range of products and services that are increasingly desired by potential customers, and they may also use advertising and marketing strategies that (including loss-leaders) achieve broader brand recognition or acceptance.
Developments in the rapidly changing healthcare industry could adversely affect our business.
Substantially all of our revenue is derived from healthcare-related saving and spending by consumers, which could be affected by changes affecting the broader healthcare industry, including decreased spending in the industry overall. General reductions in expenditures by healthcare industry participants could result from, among other things:
•government regulation or private initiatives that affect the manner in which healthcare industry participants interact with consumers and the general public;
•consolidation of healthcare industry participants;
•reductions in governmental funding for healthcare; and
•adverse changes in general business or economic conditions affecting healthcare industry participants.
Even if general expenditures by industry participants remain the same or increase, developments in the healthcare industry may result in reduced spending in some or all of the specific market segments that we serve now or in the future. The healthcare industry has changed significantly in recent years, and we expect that significant changes will continue to occur. However, the timing and impact of developments in the healthcare industry are difficult to predict. We cannot assure you that the demand for our products and services will continue to exist at current levels or that we will have adequate technical, financial, and marketing resources to react to changes in the healthcare industry.
If our members do not continue to utilize our payment cards, our results of operations, business, and prospects would be materially adversely affected.
We derived 15%, 16%, and 21% of our total revenue during the fiscal years ended January 31, 2021, 2020, and 2019, respectively, from interchange fees that are paid to us when our customers utilize our payment cards. These fees represent a percentage of the expenses transacted on each card. If our customers do not use these payment cards at the rate we expect, if they elect to withdraw funds using a non-revenue generating mechanism such as direct reimbursement, or if other alternatives to these payment cards develop, our results of operations, business, and prospects would be materially adversely affected.
Data security, technological, and intellectual property risks
Cyber-attacks or other privacy or data security incidents could materially adversely impact our business.
Our proprietary technology platforms enable the exchange of, and access to, sensitive information, and, as a result, we are frequently the target of cyber-attacks or other privacy or data security incidents. As one of the largest providers of HSAs and other CDBs, we are an even more attractive target for cyber-attacks, which means we must continue to secure and monitor each of our technology platforms, making sure these platforms are aligned to our industry benchmark security posture.
Our ability to ensure the security of our technology platforms and thus sensitive customer and partner information is critical to our operations. We rely on standard Internet and other security systems to provide the security and authentication necessary to effect secure transmission of data. Despite our security measures, our information technology and infrastructure is vulnerable to cybersecurity threats, including attacks by hackers and other malfeasance. Such security breaches could compromise our networks and result in the information stored or transmitted there to be accessed, publicly disclosed, lost, or stolen. Such access, disclosure, or other loss of
information could result in legal claims or proceedings leading to liability, including under laws that protect the privacy of personal information, disrupt our operations and the services we provide to our clients, damage our reputation, and cause a loss of confidence in our products and services, which could adversely affect our business, operations, and competitive position.
A major breach of our network security and systems could have serious negative consequences for our business, including possible fines, penalties and damages, reduced demand for our services, an unwillingness of members, Clients, Network Partners and other data owners to provide us with their payment information, an unwillingness of members and other data owners to provide us with personal information, and harm to our reputation and brand.
In addition, security breaches could result in the loss of this sensitive information, theft or loss of actual funds, litigation, indemnity obligations to our customers, fines and other liabilities, including under laws that protect the privacy of personal information, disrupt our operations and the services we provide to our members, Clients and Network Partners, damage our reputation, and cause a loss of confidence in our products and services. While we have security measures in place, we have experienced data privacy incidents in the past, including several incidents in 2018. As a result, or if our security measures are breached again or unauthorized access to data is otherwise obtained as a result of third-party action, team member error or otherwise, our reputation could be significantly damaged, our business may suffer and we could incur substantial liability which could result in loss of sales and customers.
We have found that the security measures associated with some of the technology platforms used by WageWorks are not sufficient, and improving these security measures has taken and will continue to take significant resources. The continued integration of the WageWorks technology platforms with our technology platforms may create further vulnerabilities in our systems. If third parties improperly obtain and use the personal information of our customers, we may be required to expend significant resources to resolve these problems.
Because techniques used to obtain unauthorized access to or sabotage systems change frequently and are generally not identified until they are launched against a target, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate preventative measures. Any or all of these issues could negatively impact our ability to attract new, or increase engagement by, members, Clients and Network Partners, and subject us to third-party lawsuits, regulatory fines, contractual liability, and other action or liability, thereby harming our operating results.
Fraudulent and other illegal activity involving our products and services, including our payment cards, could lead to financial and reputational damage to us and reduce the use and acceptance of our products and services.
Criminals are using increasingly sophisticated methods to capture personal information in order to engage in illegal activities such as counterfeiting and identity theft. We rely upon third parties for some transaction processing services, data feeds, and vendors, which subjects us to risks related to the vulnerabilities of those third parties. For example, we are exposed to risks relating to the theft of payment card numbers housed in a merchant's point of sale systems if our members use our payment cards at a merchant whose systems are compromised. We may make our members whole for losses sustained when using our payment cards, even in instances where we are not directly responsible for the underlying cause of such loss. A single significant incident of fraud, or increases in the overall level of fraud, involving our payment cards, our custodial accounts or our reimbursement administration services, could result in financial and reputational damage to us, which could reduce the use and acceptance of our products and services, or cause our Clients, members and Network Partners to cease doing business with us.
We rely on software licensed from third parties that may be difficult to replace or that could cause errors or failures of our technology platforms that could lead to lost customers or harm to our reputation.
We rely on certain cloud-based software licensed from third parties to run our business. This software may not continue to be available to us on commercially reasonable terms and any loss of the right to use any of this software could result in delays in the provisioning of our products and services until equivalent technology is either developed by us, or, if available, identified, obtained, and integrated, which would likely take a significant amount of time and harm our business. In addition, we have service level agreements with certain of our Clients and Network Partners for which the availability of this software is critical. Any decrease in the availability of our service as a result of errors, defects, a disruption or failure of our licensed software may require us to provide significant fee credits or refunds to our customers. Our software licensed from third parties is also subject to change or upgrade, which may result in our incurring significant costs to implement such changes or upgrades.
Developing and implementing new and updated applications, features, and services for our technology platforms may be more difficult than expected, may take longer and cost more than expected, or may result in the platforms not operating as expected.
Attracting and retaining new customers requires us to continue to improve the technology underlying our proprietary technology platforms and requires our technology to operate as expected. In addition, customers are increasingly seeking a bundled solution, encompassing a wide range of features. Accordingly, we must continue to develop new and updated applications, features, and services, and maintain existing applications, features, and services. If we are unable to do so on a timely basis or if we are unable to implement new applications, features and services that enhance our customers’ experience without disruption to our existing applications, features and services, or if we encounter technical obstacles that result in the technology not operating properly, we may lose potential and existing Clients and Network Partners. We rely on a combination of internal development, strategic relationships, licensing, and acquisitions to develop our content offerings, products and services. These efforts may:
•cost more than expected;
•take longer than originally expected;
•require more testing than originally anticipated;
•require significant cost to address or resolve technical defects or obstacles;
•require additional advertising and marketing costs; and
•require the acquisition of additional personnel and other resources.
The revenue opportunities earned from these efforts may fail to justify the amounts spent. In addition, material performance problems, defects or errors in our existing or new software may occur in the future, which may harm our operating results.
Any disruption of service at our facilities or our third-party data centers could interrupt or delay our customers’ access to our products and services.
The ability of our team members, members, Network Partners, and Clients to access our technology platforms is critical to our business. We cannot ensure that the measures we have taken will be effective to prevent or minimize interruptions to our operations. Our technology platforms are hosted by third-party data centers. Our facilities and our third-party data centers are vulnerable to interruption or damage from a number of sources, many of which are beyond our control, including, without limitation:
•extended power loss;
•telecommunications failures from multiple telecommunications providers;
•natural disaster or an act of terrorism;
•software and hardware errors, or failures in our own systems or in other systems;
•network environment disruptions such as computer viruses, hacking and similar problems in our own systems and in other systems;
•theft and vandalism of equipment; and
•actions or events caused by or related to third parties.
We attempt to mitigate these risks through various business continuity efforts, including redundant infrastructure, 24/7/365 system activity monitoring, backup and recovery procedures, use of a secure storage facility for backup media, separate test systems, and change management and system security measures, but our precautions may not protect against all potential problems. Our data recovery centers are equipped with physical space, power, storage and networking infrastructure and Internet connectivity to support our technology platforms in the event of the interruption of services at our data centers. Even with these data recovery centers, our operations would be interrupted during the transition process should our primary data center experience a failure. Disruptions at our data centers could cause disruptions to our technology platforms and data loss or corruption. We have experienced interruptions and delays in service and availability for data centers, and bandwidth and other technology issues in the past. Any future errors, failure, interruptions or delays experienced in connection with these third-party technologies could delay access to our products by members, Clients and Network Partners, which would harm our business. This could damage our reputation, subject us to potential liability or costs related to defending against claims or cause our members, Clients and Network Partners to cease doing business with us, any of which could negatively impact our financial results.
Interruption or failure of our information technology and communications systems could impair our ability to effectively deliver our products and services.
Our business depends on the continuing operation of our technology infrastructure and systems. Any damage to or failure of our systems could result in interruptions in our ability to deliver our products and services. Interruptions in our service could negatively impact our financial results, and our reputation could be damaged if our systems are viewed as unreliable. Our systems and operations are vulnerable to damage or interruption from earthquakes, terrorist attacks, floods, fires, power loss, break-ins, hardware or software failures, telecommunications failures, computer viruses or other attempts to harm our systems, and similar events.
Any unscheduled interruption in our service could negatively impact our financial results. Frequent or persistent system failures that result in the unavailability of our technology platforms or slower response times could reduce our members, Clients and Network Partners' ability to access our technology platforms, impair the delivery of our products and services, and harm the perception of our platforms as reliable, trustworthy, and consistent. Our insurance policies provide only limited coverage for service interruptions and may not adequately compensate us for any losses that may occur due to any failures or interruptions in our systems.
Our technology platforms may link to or utilize open source software, and any failure to comply with the terms of one or more of these open source licenses could negatively affect our business.
Our technology platforms may incorporate software covered by open source licenses. The terms of various open source licenses have not been interpreted by United States courts, and there is a risk that such licenses could be construed in a manner that imposes unfavorable conditions on us. For example, by the terms of certain open source licenses, we could be required to offer our technology platforms that incorporate the open source software for no cost, that we make publicly available source code for modifications or derivative works that we created based upon, incorporating or using the open source software, and/or that we license such modifications or derivative works under the terms of the particular open source license. If portions of our proprietary software are determined to be subject to an open source license, then the value of our technologies and services could be reduced.
In addition to risks related to license requirements, usage of open source software may be riskier than use of third-party commercial software, as open source licensors generally do not provide warranties or controls on the origin of the software. Many of the risks associated with usage of open source software cannot be eliminated and could negatively affect our business.
Failure to adequately protect our brands and the intellectual property rights related to our products and services, and infringement of the intellectual property rights of others, would negatively impact our business.
We believe that the HealthEquity and WageWorks brands are critical to the success of our business, and we utilize trademark registration and other means to protect these brands. Our business would be harmed if we were unable to protect our brands against infringement and the value of our brands was to decrease as a result.
We rely on a combination of trademark and copyright laws, trade secret protection, and confidentiality and license agreements to protect the intellectual property rights related to our products and services such as our technology platforms, applications and the content on our website. We also rely on intellectual property licensed from third parties. We may unknowingly violate the intellectual property or other proprietary rights of others and, thus, may be subject to claims by third parties. If so, we may be required to devote significant time and resources to defending against these claims or to protecting and enforcing our own rights. As a result of any such dispute, we may have to:
•develop non-infringing technology;
•pay damages;
•enter into royalty or licensing agreements;
•cease providing certain products or services; or
•take other actions to resolve the claims.
Additionally, we have largely relied, and expect to continue to rely, on copyright, trade secret, and trademark laws, as well as generally relying on confidentiality procedures and agreements with our team members, consultants, customers, and vendors, to control access to, and distribution of, technology, software, documentation, and other confidential information. Despite these precautions, it may be possible for a third party to copy or otherwise obtain, use, or distribute our technology without authorization, particularly in foreign jurisdictions where some of our intellectual property rights may not be protected by intellectual property laws. If this were to occur, we could lose revenue as a result of competition from products infringing or misappropriating our technology and intellectual property and we may be required to initiate litigation to protect our proprietary rights and market position. U.S. copyright, trademark, and trade secret laws offer us only limited protection and the laws of some foreign countries
do not protect proprietary rights to the same extent. Accordingly, defense of our intellectual property and proprietary technology may become an increasingly important issue as we continue to expand our operations.
Policing unauthorized use of our intellectual property and technology is difficult and the steps we take may not prevent misappropriation of the intellectual property or technology on which we rely. If competitors are able to use our intellectual property or technology without recourse, our ability to compete would be harmed and our business would be materially and adversely affected. We may elect to initiate litigation in the future to enforce or protect our proprietary rights or to determine the validity and scope of the rights of others.
The loss of our intellectual property or the inability to secure or enforce our intellectual property rights or to defend successfully against an infringement action could harm our business, results of operations, financial condition, and prospects.
If we are unable to promote our brands effectively, our business may suffer.
We believe that promoting our brands in an effective manner is critical to achieving widespread acceptance of our products and services, attracting new customers and strategic partners, and integrating the WageWorks business and Clients. Brand promotion activities may not generate customer awareness or increase revenue, and even if they do, any increase in revenue may not offset the expenses we incur in building our brands. If we fail to successfully promote our brands, or incur substantial expenses in doing so, we may fail to attract or retain a sufficient number of Clients and Network Partners necessary for us to realize a sufficient return on our brand-building efforts, to achieve the widespread brand awareness that is critical for broad customer adoption of our products and services, or to fully and effectively integrate the WageWorks business and clients.
We currently own the web domain names www.healthequity.com and www.wageworks.com, among others, which are critical to the operation of our business. The acquisition and maintenance of domain names, or Internet addresses, is generally regulated by governmental agencies and their designees. The regulation of domain names in the U.S. is subject to change. Governing bodies may establish additional top-level domains, appoint additional domain name registrars or modify the requirements for holding domain names. Furthermore, it is unclear whether laws protecting trademarks and similar proprietary rights will be extended to protect domain names. Therefore, we may be unable to prevent third parties from acquiring domain names that are similar to, infringe upon, or otherwise decrease the value of our brands, trademarks and other proprietary rights. We may not be able to successfully implement our business strategy of establishing strong branding if we cannot prevent others from using similar domain names or trademarks. This failure could impair our ability to increase our market share and revenue.
Confidentiality arrangements with team members and others may not adequately prevent disclosure of trade secrets and other proprietary information.
We have devoted substantial resources to the development of our technology, business operations and business plans. In order to protect our trade secrets and proprietary information, we rely in significant part on confidentiality arrangements with our team members, independent contractors, advisors, customers, and other partners. These arrangements may not be effective to prevent disclosure of confidential information, including trade secrets, and may not provide an adequate remedy in the event of unauthorized disclosure of confidential information. In addition, others may independently discover trade secrets and proprietary information, and in such cases we would not be able to assert trade secret rights against such parties. The loss of trade secret protection could make it easier for third parties to compete with our products and services by copying functionality. In addition, any changes in, or unexpected interpretations of, the trade secret and other intellectual property laws may compromise our ability to enforce our trade secret and intellectual property rights. Costly and time-consuming litigation could be necessary to enforce and determine the scope of our proprietary rights, and failure to obtain or maintain trade secret protection could adversely affect our competitive business position.
Legal and regulatory risks
The healthcare regulatory and political framework is uncertain and evolving, and we cannot predict the effect that further healthcare reform and other changes in government programs may have on our business, financial condition, or results of operations.
Healthcare laws and regulations are rapidly evolving and may change significantly in the future, which could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. For example, the Affordable Care Act, which includes a variety of healthcare reform provisions and requirements that have become effective at varying times, substantially changed the way healthcare is financed by both governmental and private insurers and may significantly impact our industry. Further changes to the Affordable Care Act and related healthcare regulation remain under consideration.
In addition, proposals to implement a single payer or "Medicare for all" system in the U.S., if adopted, could have a material adverse effect on our business. The full impact of healthcare reform and other changes in the healthcare industry and in healthcare spending is unknown, and may be affected by President Biden's administration and a Democratically controlled Congress. Accordingly, we are unable to predict what effect healthcare reform measures will have on our business.
Changes in applicable federal and state laws relating to the tax benefits available through tax-advantaged healthcare accounts such as HSAs and other CDBs could materially adversely affect our business.
The efforts of governmental and third-party payers to raise revenue or contain or reduce the costs of healthcare as well as legislative and regulatory proposals aimed at changing the U.S. healthcare system, which could include restructuring the tax benefits available through HSAs, HRAs, FSAs, and similar tax-advantaged healthcare accounts, may adversely affect our business, operating results, and financial condition. For example, the federal government or states may seek to raise revenues by enacting tax laws that eliminate the tax deductions available to individuals who contribute to HSAs. In addition, our business, operating results, and financial condition could be negatively impacted by changes to the federal and state tax laws related to our non-healthcare CDBs, such as our commuter product. Our business is substantially dependent on the tax benefits available through HSAs and other CDBs. In addition, changes to the regulatory landscape impacting our products may require substantial time and costs for us to ensure our products are compliant. For example, regulatory changes related to our FSA and COBRA products enacted in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic have created uncertainty and additional workload on our team members, which could reduce our operational efficiency and result in additional costs. We cannot predict if any new tax reforms will ultimately become law, or if enacted, what their terms or the regulations promulgated pursuant to such reforms will be. If the laws or regulations are changed to limit or eliminate the tax benefits available through these accounts, such a change would have a material adverse effect on our business.
The restatement of WageWorks’ previously issued financial results resulted in securities class action and stockholder litigation, which could have a material adverse impact on us.
Our subsidiary WageWorks and certain of its former directors and officers are subject to securities class action and stockholder litigation relating to its previous public disclosures. See Note 7—Commitments and contingencies of the Notes to consolidated financial statements for a description of these legal proceedings and investigations. While we have signed a term sheet to settle the securities class action, the settlement is subject to notice to class members and approval of the Court, the other stockholder litigation continues, and additional stockholder litigation was initiated subsequent to the end of the fiscal year ended January 31, 2021. These lawsuits may result in substantial liability and other adverse consequences to us. In addition, WageWorks could become subject to additional private litigation or investigations arising out of alleged misstatements in its previously issued financial statements. Our management team may be required to devote significant time and attention to these matters, and these and any additional matters that arise could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, and cash flows. We have incurred and may continue to incur significant additional expenses in connection with these proceedings and investigations in order to defend this litigation and to fulfill indemnification obligations to former officers and directors of WageWorks.
We are subject to privacy regulations, including regarding the access, use, and disclosure of personally identifiable information. If we or any of our third-party vendors experience a privacy breach, it could result in substantial financial and reputational harm, including possible criminal and civil penalties.
State and federal laws and regulations govern the collection, dissemination, access, and use of personally identifiable information, including HIPAA and HITECH, which govern the treatment of protected health information, and the Gramm-Leach Bliley Act, which governs the treatment of nonpublic personal information. In the provision of services to our customers, we and our third-party vendors may collect, access, use, maintain, and transmit personally identifiable information in ways that are subject to many of these laws and regulations. Although we have implemented measures to comply with these privacy laws, rules, and regulations, we have experienced data privacy incidents. Any further unauthorized disclosure of personally identifiable information experienced by us or our third-party vendors could result in substantial financial and reputational harm, including possible criminal and civil penalties. In many cases, we are subject to HIPAA and other privacy regulations because we are a business associate providing services to covered entities; as a result, the covered entities direct HIPAA compliance matters in the event of a security breach, which complicates our ability to address harm caused by the breach. As a result of the WageWorks Acquisition, we now obtain substantially more HIPAA data than before the WageWorks Acquisition. Additionally, as we have in connection with prior security incidents, we may be required to report breaches to partners, regulators, state attorney generals, and impacted individuals depending on the severity of the breach, our role, legal requirements, and contractual obligations.
Privacy regulation has become a priority issue in many states, and as such the regulatory environment is continually changing. For example, the California Consumer Privacy Act ("CCPA") became effective on January 1, 2020. The CCPA requires companies, such as ours, that process information on California residents to make new disclosures to consumers about their data collection, use, and sharing practices, and allows consumers to opt out of certain data sharing with third parties and provides a new cause of action for data breaches. We expect further privacy requirements to be applicable to us as a result of the recently passed California Privacy Rights Act, as it significantly modifies the CCPA by expanding consumers’ rights with respect to certain sensitive personal information. Other governmental authorities are also considering legislative and regulatory proposals concerning data protection.
Continued compliance with current and potential new privacy laws, rules, and regulations and meeting consumer expectations with respect to the control of personal data in a rapidly changing technology environment could result in higher compliance and technology costs for us, as well as costly penalties in the event we are deemed to not be in compliance with such laws, rules, and regulations.
Changes in laws and regulations relating to interchange fees on payment card transactions could adversely affect our revenue and results of operations.
Existing laws and regulations limit the fees or interchange rates that can be charged on payment card transactions. For example, the Federal Reserve Board has the power to regulate payment card interchange fees and has issued a rule setting a cap on the interchange fee an issuer can receive from a single payment card transaction. Our HSA-linked payment cards are exempt from this rule, although we are subject to a general requirement of reasonable compensation for services rendered. To the extent that our payment cards lose their exempt status, the interchange rates applicable to transactions involving our payment cards could be impacted, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
Failure to comply with, or changes in, payment card industry, credit card association or other network rules or standards set by Visa or MasterCard, or changes in card association and debit network fees or products or interchange rates, could materially adversely affect us.
We, and the banks that issue our prepaid debit cards, are subject to Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards and Visa and MasterCard association rules that could subject us to a variety of fines or penalties that may be levied by the card associations or networks for acts or omissions by us or businesses that work with us, including card processors. Failure to comply with these rules and standards could result in significant fines, other penalties, or the termination of our interchange revenue agreements. The termination of the card association registrations held by us or any of the banks that issue our cards, or any changes in card association or other debit network rules or standards, including interpretation and implementation of existing rules, participants deciding to use PIN networks, standards or guidance that increase the cost of doing business or limit our ability to provide our products and services, or limit our ability to receive interchange fees, could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition, business, and prospects. In addition, from time-to-time, card associations increase the organization or processing fees that they charge, which could increase our operating expenses, reduce our profit margin and materially adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition, business, and prospects.
We are subject to complex regulation, and any compliance failures or regulatory action could adversely affect our business.
Our business, including HSAs and many of the CDBs we administer and our investment adviser and trust company subsidiaries, is subject to extensive, complex, and frequently changing federal and state laws and regulations, including IRS, Health and Human Services (“HHS”), and Department of Labor (“DOL”) regulations; ERISA, HIPAA, HITECH, and other privacy and data security regulations; the Advisers Act; state banking laws; state third-party administrator laws, and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Our subsidiary HealthEquity Advisors, LLC is an SEC-registered investment adviser that provides automated web-only investment advisory services. As such, it must comply with the requirements of the Advisers Act and related SEC regulations and is subject to periodic inspections by the SEC staff. Such requirements relate to, among other things, fiduciary duties to clients, disclosure obligations, recordkeeping and reporting requirements, marketing restrictions, limitations on agency cross and principal transactions between the adviser and its clients, and general anti-fraud prohibitions. The SEC is authorized to institute proceedings and impose sanctions for violations of the Advisers Act, ranging from fines and censure to termination of an investment adviser’s registration. Investment advisers also are subject to certain state securities laws and regulations.
Our subsidiary HealthEquity Trust Company is a non-depository trust company and subject to regulation and supervision by the Wyoming Division of Banking.
Compliance with regulatory requirements may divert internal resources and take significant time and effort. Any claim of non-compliance, regardless of merit or ultimate outcome, could subject us to investigation by the HHS, the DOL, the SEC, the Wyoming Division of Banking, or other regulatory authorities. This in turn could result in additional claims or class action litigation brought on behalf of our members or Network Partners, any of which could result in substantial cost to us and divert management’s attention and other resources away from our operations. Furthermore, investor perceptions of us may suffer, and this could cause a decline in the market price of our common stock. Our compliance processes may not be sufficient to prevent assertions that we failed to comply with any applicable law, rule or regulation. In addition, all of our business is subject, to varying degrees, to fiduciary and other service provider obligations under ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code, and underlying regulations. A failure to comply could subject us to disgorgement of profits, excise taxes, civil penalties, private lawsuits, and other costs, including reputational harm.
If we are unable to meet or exceed the net worth test required by the IRS, we could be unable to maintain our non-bank custodian status.
As a non-bank custodian, we are required to comply with Treasury Regulations Section 1.408-2(e), or the Treasury Regulations, including the net worth requirements set forth therein. If we should fail to comply with the Treasury Regulations’ non-bank custodian requirements, including the net worth requirements, such failure would materially and adversely affect our ability to maintain our current custodial accounts and grow by adding additional custodial accounts, and it could result in the institution of procedures for the revocation of our authorization to operate as a non-bank custodian.
Risks relating to our partners and service providers
If our Network Partners choose to partner with other providers of, or otherwise reduce offering or cease to offer, our products and services, our business could be materially and adversely affected.
Our business depends on our Network Partners’ willingness to partner with us to offer their customers and/or employees our products and services. In particular, certain of our Network Partners enjoy significant market share in various geographic regions. If these Network Partners choose to partner with our competitors, or otherwise reduce offering, or cease to offer, our products and services, our results of operations, business, and prospects could be materially adversely affected.
A change in relationship with any of our bank identification number sponsors, or the failure by these sponsors to comply with certain banking regulations, could materially and adversely affect our business.
We rely on a limited number of bank identification number, or BIN, sponsors in relation to the payment cards we issue. A BIN sponsor is a bank or credit union that provides the BIN that allows a prepaid card program to run on one of the major card brand networks (e.g., VISA, MasterCard, Discover or American Express). Our BIN sponsors enable us to link the payment cards that we offer our members to the VISA and Mastercard networks, thereby allowing our members to use our payment cards to pay for expenses with a “swipe” of the card. If any material adverse event were to affect our BIN sponsors, including a significant decline in the financial condition of any of our BIN sponsors, a decline in the quality of service provided by our BIN sponsors, the inability of our BIN sponsors to comply with applicable banking and financial service regulatory requirements or industry standards, systems failure or the inability of our BIN sponsors to pay us fees, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected because we may be forced to reduce the availability of, or eliminate entirely, our payment card offering, which would materially impact our interchange revenue. In addition, we do not have long-term contracts with our BIN sponsors, and our BIN sponsors may increase the fees charged to us or terminate our relationship. If we were required to change BIN sponsors, we could not accurately predict the success of such change or that the terms of our agreement with a new BIN sponsor would be as favorable to us, especially in light of the regulatory scrutiny of the payment card industry, which has rendered the market for BIN sponsor services less competitive.
A business failure in any of our federally insured custodial depository partners would materially and adversely affect our business.
As a non-bank custodian, we rely on our federally insured custodial depository partners to hold the vast majority of our custodial cash assets. If any material adverse event were to affect one of our federally insured depository partners, including a significant decline in its financial condition, a decline in the quality of its service, loss of deposits, its inability to comply with applicable banking and financial services regulatory requirements, systems failure or its inability to pay us fees, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. If we were required to change depository partners, we could not accurately predict the success of such change or that the terms of our agreement with a new depository partner would be as favorable to
us as our current agreements, especially in light of the consolidation in the banking industry, which has rendered the market for federally insured retail banking services less competitive.
Replacing our third-party vendors would be difficult and disruptive to our business.
We have entered into contracts with third-party vendors to provide critical services relating to our business, including the redesign of our technology platforms, fraud management and other customer verification services, transaction processing and settlement, telephony services, call centers and card production. In addition, WageWorks uses third-party vendors for its COBRA transaction processing and also uses one of our competitors for card processing and other services. In the event that these service providers fail to maintain adequate levels of support, do not provide high quality service, increase the fees they charge us, discontinue their lines of business, terminate our contractual arrangements or cease or reduce operations, we may suffer additional costs and be required to pursue new third-party relationships, which could harm our reputation, materially disrupt our operations and our ability to provide our products and services, and could divert management’s time and resources. A transition to a new vendor could take a significant amount of time and resources and, if we are unable to complete a transition to a new provider on a timely basis, or at all, we could be forced to temporarily or permanently discontinue certain services, such as our payment card services, which could disrupt services to our customers and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. We may also be unable to establish comparable new third-party relationships on as favorable terms or at all, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Acquisition and growth-related risks
Our acquisition strategy may not be successful.
We have in the past acquired, and, as a key part of our strategy, seek to acquire or invest in, assets, businesses, products, or technologies that we believe could complement or expand our products and services, enhance our technical capabilities, or otherwise offer growth opportunities. There is no assurance that we will be successful in consummating such acquisitions, or even if consummated, realize the anticipated benefits of these or any future acquisitions. The pursuit of potential acquisitions may divert the attention of management and cause us to incur various expenses related to identifying, investigating, and pursuing suitable acquisitions, whether or not they are consummated.
There are inherent risks in integrating and managing acquisitions. If we acquire additional businesses, we may not be able to assimilate or integrate the acquired personnel, operations, and technologies successfully or effectively manage the combined business following the acquisition, and our management may be distracted from operating our business. We also may not achieve the anticipated benefits from the acquired business due to a number of factors, including, without limitation:
•unanticipated costs or liabilities associated with the acquisition;
•incurrence of acquisition-related costs, which would be recognized as a current period expense;
•inability to earn sufficient revenue to offset acquisition or investment costs;
•the inability to maintain relationships with customers and partners of the acquired business;
•the difficulty of incorporating acquired technology and rights into our technology platforms and of maintaining quality and security standards consistent with our brand;
•the need to integrate or implement additional controls, procedures, and policies;
•harm to our existing business relationships with customers and strategic partners as a result of the acquisition;
•the diversion of management’s time and resources from our core business;
•the potential loss of key team members;
•use of resources that are needed in other parts of our business and diversion of management and employee resources;
•our ability to coordinate organizations that are geographically diverse and that have different business cultures;
•our inability to comply with the regulatory requirements applicable to the acquired business;
•the inability to recognize acquired revenue in accordance with our revenue recognition policies; and
•use of substantial portions of our available cash or the incurrence of debt to consummate the acquisition.
Acquisitions also increase the risk of unforeseen legal liability, including for potential violations of applicable law or industry rules and regulations, arising from prior or ongoing acts or omissions by the acquired businesses which are not discovered by due diligence during the acquisition process. Generally, if an acquisition fails to meet our expectations, our operating results, business, and financial condition may suffer. Acquisitions could also result in dilutive issuances of equity securities or the incurrence of additional debt, which could adversely affect our
business, results of operations, or financial condition. Even if we are successful in completing and integrating an acquisition, the acquisition may not perform as we expect or enhance the value of our business as a whole.
We may not be able to operate, integrate, and scale our technology effectively to match our business growth.
Our ability to continue to provide our products and services to a growing number of customers, as well as to enhance our existing products and services, attract new customers and strategic partners, offer new products and services, and continue the integration of the WageWorks business into our business, is dependent on our information technology systems. If we are unable to manage the technology associated with our business effectively, we could experience increased costs, reductions in system availability, and customer loss. We are currently investing in a significant modernization of our proprietary technology platforms to support new opportunities and enhance security, privacy, and platform infrastructure. If we are unsuccessful in implementing these upgrades to our technology platforms, we may be unable to adequately meet the needs of our customers and/or implement technology-based innovation in response to a rapidly changing market, which could harm our reputation and adversely impact our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Failure to manage future growth effectively could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
The continued rapid expansion and development of our business has placed a significant strain upon our management and administrative, operational, and financial infrastructure. As of January 31, 2021, we had approximately 5.8 million HSAs and $14.3 billion in HSA assets representing growth of 8% and 24%, respectively, from January 31, 2020. For the fiscal year ended January 31, 2021, our total revenue and Adjusted EBITDA were approximately $733.6 million and $240.8 million, respectively, which represents year-over-year annual growth rates of approximately 38% and 23%, respectively. See “Key financial and operating metrics” for the definition of Adjusted EBITDA and a reconciliation of net income, the most comparable measure under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or GAAP, to Adjusted EBITDA. Our growth strategy contemplates further increasing the number of our HSAs, CDBs and our HSA Assets at relatively higher growth rates than industry averages. However, the rate at which we have been able to add new HSAs, CDBs and HSA Assets in the past may not be indicative of the rate at which we will be able to grow in the future.
Our success depends in part upon the ability of our executive officers to manage growth effectively. Our ability to grow also depends upon our ability to successfully hire, train, supervise, and manage new team members, obtain financing for our capital needs, expand our systems effectively, control increasing costs, allocate our human resources optimally, maintain clear lines of communication between our operational functions and our finance and accounting functions, and manage the pressures on our management and administrative, operational, and financial infrastructure. There can be no assurance that we will be able to accurately anticipate and respond to the changing demands we will face as we continue to expand our operations or that we will be able to manage growth effectively or to achieve further growth at all. If our business does not continue to grow or if we fail to effectively manage any future growth, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
We may not accurately estimate the impact on our business of developing, introducing, and updating new and existing products and services.
We intend to continue to invest in technology and development to create new and enhanced products and services to offer our customers and to enhance the capabilities of our platforms. We may not be able to anticipate or manage new risks and obligations or legal, compliance, or other requirements that may arise in these areas. The anticipated benefits of such new and improved products and services may not outweigh the costs and resources associated with their development. Some new services may be received negatively by our existing and/or potential customers and strategic partners and have to be put on hold or canceled entirely.
Our ability to attract and retain new customer revenue from existing customers will depend in large part on our ability to enhance and improve our existing products and services and to introduce new products and services. The success of any enhancement or new product or service depends on several factors, including the timely completion, introduction, and market acceptance of the enhancement or new product or service. Any new product or service we develop or acquire may not be introduced in a timely or cost-effective manner and may not achieve the broad market acceptance necessary to earn significant revenue. If we are unable to successfully develop or acquire new products or services or enhance our existing products or services to meet member or network partner requirements, our results of operations, financial condition, business or prospects may be materially adversely affected.
We may need to record write-downs from future impairments of identified intangible assets and goodwill.
Our consolidated balance sheet includes significant intangible assets, including approximately $1.33 billion in goodwill and $767.0 million in intangible assets, together representing approximately 77% of our total assets as of January 31, 2021. The determination of related estimated useful lives and whether these assets are impaired involves significant judgments. We test our goodwill for impairment each fiscal year, but we also test goodwill and other intangible assets for impairment at any time when there is a change in circumstances that indicates that the carrying value of these assets may be impaired. Any future determination that these assets are carried at greater than their fair value could result in substantial non-cash impairment charges, which could significantly impact our reported operating results.
Risks relating to our service and culture
Any failure to offer high-quality customer support services could adversely affect our relationships with our members, Clients, and Network Partners and our operating results.
Our customers depend on our support and customer education organizations to educate them about, and resolve technical issues relating to, our products and services. We may be unable to respond quickly enough to accommodate short-term increases in customer demand for education and support services. Increased customer demand for these services, without a corresponding increase in revenue, could increase costs and adversely affect our operating results. In addition, our sales process is highly dependent on the reputation of our products, services, and business and on positive recommendations from our existing customers. Further, WageWorks uses third-party vendors for its call centers and COBRA claims and transaction processing, including certain offshore vendors for member chat service, which vendors may not provide the same quality of support services for our Clients and members. Any failure to maintain high-quality education and technical support, or a market perception that we do not maintain high-quality education support, could adversely affect our reputation, our ability to sell our products and services to existing and prospective customers and our business and operating results. We promote 24/7/365 education and support along with our proprietary technology platforms. Interruptions or delays that inhibit our ability to meet that standard may hurt our reputation or ability to attract and retain customers.
We rely on our management team and key team members and our business could be harmed if we are unable to retain qualified personnel.
Our success depends, in part, on the skills, working relationships and continued services of our founder and senior management team and other key personnel. While we have entered into offer letters or employment agreements with certain of our executive officers, all of our team members are “at-will” employees, and their employment can be terminated by us or them at any time, for any reason, and without notice, subject, in certain cases, to severance payment rights. In order to retain valuable team members, in addition to salary and cash incentives, we provide stock options and other equity-based awards that vest over time or based on performance. The value to team members of these awards will be significantly affected by movements in our stock price that are beyond our control and may at any time be insufficient to counteract offers from other organizations. The departure of key personnel could adversely affect the conduct of our business. In such event, we would be required to hire other personnel to manage and operate our business, and there can be no assurance that we would be able to employ a suitable replacement for the departing individual, or that a replacement could be hired on terms that are favorable to us. Volatility or lack of performance in our stock price may affect our ability to attract replacements should key personnel depart.
Our success also depends on our ability to attract, retain, and motivate additional skilled management personnel. For example, competition for qualified personnel in our field and geographic market is intense due to the limited number of individuals who possess the skills and experience required by our industry, particularly in the technology-related fields. In addition, we have experienced employee turnover as a result of the WageWorks Acquisition and expect to continue to experience employee turnover in the future. New hires require significant training and, in most cases, take significant time before they achieve full productivity. New team members may not become as productive as we expect, and we may be unable to hire or retain sufficient numbers of qualified individuals. If our retention efforts are not successful or our employee turnover rate increases in the future, our business will be harmed.
If we cannot maintain our corporate culture as we grow, we could lose the innovation, teamwork, passion, and focus on execution that we believe contribute to our success.
We believe that a critical component to our success has been our corporate culture. We have invested substantial time and resources in building our team. As we continue to grow, including through the integration of WageWorks team members, we may find it difficult to maintain these important aspects of our corporate culture. Any failure to
preserve our culture could negatively affect our future success, including our ability to retain and recruit personnel and to effectively focus on and pursue our corporate objectives.
Financing, tax and related risks
We may be unable to generate or obtain sufficient capital to fund our business and growth strategy.
To fund our expanding business and growth strategy, we must have sufficient working capital to continue to make significant investments in our service offerings, advertising, technology, and other activities. As a result, in addition to the revenue we earn from our business, we may need additional equity or debt financing to provide the funds required for these endeavors. If such financing is not available on satisfactory terms or at all, we may be unable to operate or expand our business in the manner and at the rate desired. For example, our existing credit agreement may make it more challenging to incur additional debt, as it includes prohibitions against incurring additional debt without approval from our existing lenders, and other lenders may not be willing to take on the risk of adding to our existing leverage, In addition, debt financing increases expenses, may contain covenants that restrict the operation of our business and must be repaid regardless of operating results. Equity financing, or debt financing that is convertible into equity, could result in additional dilution to our existing stockholders, and any new securities we issue could have rights, preferences, and privileges superior to those associated with our common stock.
Our inability to generate or obtain the financial resources needed to fund our business and growth strategies may require us to delay, scale back or eliminate some or all of our operations or the expansion of our business, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, financial condition, and prospects.
The terms of our credit facility require us to meet certain operating and financial covenants and place restrictions on our operating and financial flexibility.
We are party to a $1.6 billion credit agreement, which consists of (i) a five-year senior secured term loan A facility in the aggregate principal amount of $1.25 billion and (ii) a five-year senior secured revolving credit facility in an aggregate principal amount of up to $350 million. The credit agreement is secured by a lien covering substantially all of our assets. The credit agreement contains customary affirmative and negative covenants, including covenants related to the following subjects: mergers and sales of assets; limitations on the incurrence of certain liens; limitations on certain indebtedness; limitations on the ability to pay dividends; certain affiliate transactions; and financial performance covenants. If we default under the credit agreement, the lenders will be able to declare all obligations immediately due and payable and take control of our pledged assets, potentially requiring us to renegotiate the credit agreement on terms less favorable to us or to immediately cease operations. The lenders' rights to repayment would be senior to the rights of the holders of our common stock to receive any proceeds.
We may be adversely affected by interest rate changes due to the floating interest rate under our credit agreement.
Borrowings under our credit agreement bear interest at an annual rate equal to, at the option of the Company, either (i) LIBOR (adjusted for reserves) plus a margin ranging from 1.25% to 2.25% or (ii) an alternate base rate plus a margin ranging from 0.25% to 1.25%, with the applicable margin determined by reference to a leverage-based pricing grid set forth in the credit agreement. As such, our financial position may be adversely affected by fluctuations in interest rates. In addition, although the credit agreement provides an alternative mechanism for determining the applicable interest rate when LIBOR is no longer available, the interest rates we pay may be adversely affected as a result of potential disruptions in the credit market at the end of 2021 when LIBOR is scheduled to be phased out.
A decline in interest rate levels, including an environment of negative interest rates, may reduce our ability to earn income on our HSA Assets and Client-held funds and to attract HSA contributions.
We partner with our depository partners to hold our HSA Assets and other Client-held funds. We earn a significant portion of our consolidated revenue from fees we earn from our depository partners, approximately 26%, 34%, and 44% during the fiscal years ended January 31, 2021, 2020, and 2019, respectively. A decline in prevailing interest rates, such as the current low interest rate environment due to the COVID-19 pandemic, or a negative interest rate environment, has and may continue to negatively affect our business by reducing the yield we realize on our HSA Assets and other Client-held funds. In addition, if we do not offer competitive interest rates on HSA Assets, our members may choose another HSA custodian. Similarly, if the value of the invested funds we hold declines, whether due to market conditions or other factors, our fees, which are based on a percentage of the asset values, would be adversely affected. Any such scenario could materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.
Legislative, regulatory, and legal developments involving taxes could adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows.
We are subject to U.S. federal and state income, payroll, property, sales and use, and other types of taxes in numerous jurisdictions. Significant judgment is required in determining our provisions for income taxes. Changes in tax rates, enactments of new tax laws, revisions of tax regulations, and claims or litigation with taxing authorities could result in substantially higher taxes. For example, President Biden’s campaign proposals included increasing the U.S. corporate income tax rate and imposing a new alternative minimum tax on book income. If these proposals are ultimately enacted, they could materially impact our tax provision, cash tax liability and effective tax rate.
We do not collect sales and use taxes in all jurisdictions in which our customers are located, based on our belief that such taxes are not applicable. Sales and use tax laws and rates vary by jurisdiction and such laws are subject to interpretation. In those jurisdictions and in those cases where we do believe sales taxes are applicable, we collect and file timely sales tax returns. Currently, such sales taxes are minimal. Jurisdictions in which we do not collect sales and use taxes may assert that such taxes are applicable, which could result in the assessment of such taxes, interest, and penalties, and we could be required to collect such taxes in the future. This additional sales and use tax liability could adversely affect the results of our operations.
General risk factors
Our ability to secure insurance may not be sufficient to cover potential liabilities.
We maintain various forms of liability insurance coverage, including coverage for errors and omissions, fiduciary, cybersecurity, employment practices, and directors and officers insurance. It is possible, however, that claims could exceed the amount of our applicable insurance coverage, if any, or that this coverage may not continue to be available on acceptable terms or in sufficient amounts. Even if these claims do not result in liability to us, investigating and defending against them could be expensive and time-consuming and could divert management’s attention away from our operations. In addition, negative publicity caused by these events may affect the current market acceptance of our products and services, any of which could materially adversely affect our reputation and our business.
Natural disasters, pandemics or other epidemics (including the current COVID-19 pandemic), acts of terrorism, acts of war and other unforeseen events may cause damage or disruption to us or our customers.
Natural disasters, pandemics or other epidemics (including the current COVID-19 pandemic) acts of war, terrorist attacks, and the escalation of military activity in response to such attacks or otherwise may have negative and significant effects, such as imposition of increased security measures, changes in applicable laws, market disruptions, and job losses. Such events may have an adverse effect on the economy in general. Moreover, the potential for future terrorist attacks and the national and international responses to such threats could affect the business in ways that cannot be predicted. The effect of any of these events or threats could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our quarterly operating results may fluctuate significantly from period to period, which could adversely impact the value of our common stock.
Our quarterly operating results, including our revenue, gross profit, net income, and cash flows, and certain non-GAAP measures such as EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA, may vary significantly in the future, which could cause our stock price to decline rapidly, may lead analysts to change their long-term models for valuing our common stock, could cause short-term liquidity issues, may impact our ability to retain or attract key personnel or cause other unanticipated issues. If our quarterly operating results or guidance fall below the expectations of research analysts or investors, the price of our common stock could decline substantially. Our quarterly operating expenses and operating results may vary significantly in the future and period-to-period comparisons of our operating results may not be meaningful. You should not rely on the results of one quarter as an indication of future performance.
We do not intend to pay regular cash dividends on our common stock and, consequently, your ability to achieve a return on your investment will depend on appreciation in the price of our common stock.
We have no current plans to declare and pay any cash dividends for the foreseeable future. We currently intend to retain all our future earnings, if any, to fund our growth. Therefore, you are not likely to receive any dividends on your common stock for the foreseeable future and the success of an investment in our common stock will depend upon any future appreciation in its value. There is no guarantee that our common stock will appreciate in value or even maintain the price at which our stockholders have purchased their shares.
Provisions in our charter documents and under Delaware law could discourage a takeover that stockholders may consider favorable.
Certain provisions in our governing documents could make a merger, tender offer or proxy contest involving us difficult; even if such events would be beneficial to the interests of our stockholders. These provisions include the inability of our stockholders to act by written consent and certain advance notice procedures with respect to stockholder proposals and nominations for candidates for the election of directors. In addition, because we are incorporated in Delaware, we are governed by the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law which, subject to certain exceptions, prohibits stockholders owning in excess of 15% of our outstanding voting stock from merging or combining with us. Accordingly, our board of directors could rely upon these or other provisions in our governing documents and Delaware law to prevent or delay a transaction involving a change in control of our company, even if doing so would benefit our stockholders.
The exclusive forum provision in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or team members.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the exclusive forum for any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, any action asserting a claim for breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our directors and officers to us or our stockholders, any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our amended and restated bylaws, or any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine. The choice of forum provision may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other team members, which may discourage such lawsuits against us and our directors, officers, and other team members. Alternatively, if a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could adversely affect our business and financial condition.