Item 1A. Risk Factors
Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below and the other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K before making an investment in our common stock. Our business, financial condition, results of operations, or prospects could be materially and adversely affected if any of these risks occurs, and as a result, the market price of our common stock could decline and you could lose all or part of your investment. This Annual Report on Form 10-K also contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. See “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.” Our actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including those set forth below.
Risks Related to our Business
A deterioration in the economic or inflationary environment in the countries in which we operate could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
Our performance may be adversely affected by economic, political or inflationary conditions in any market in which we operate. These conditions could include regulatory developments, changes in global or domestic economic policy, legislative changes, and sovereign debt crises. Deterioration in economic conditions, or a significant rise in inflation or high level of sustained inflation could negatively affect the ability of consumers to pay their debts and could reduce the real value of our purchased receivables. This may in turn adversely impact our business and financial results.
If global credit market conditions and the stability of global banks deteriorate, the amount of consumer or commercial lending and financing could be reduced, thus reducing the volume of nonperforming loans available for purchase, which could adversely affect our business, financial results and ability to succeed in the markets in which we operate. Uncertainty about future economic conditions, including the possibility of a recession, a disease outbreak and impacts from wars, such as in Ukraine and in the Middle East makes it difficult for us to forecast operating results and to make decisions about future investments.
Other economic factors that could influence our performance include the financial stability of the lenders on our Revolving Credit Facility (as defined herein) and our access to capital and credit. For example, deterioration in the financial markets could contribute to the insolvency of lending institutions, notably those providing our Revolving Credit Facility, or the tightening of credit markets, which could make it difficult or impossible for us to obtain credit on favorable terms or at all. These and other economic factors could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
We may not be able to continually replace our nonperforming loans with additional portfolios sufficient to operate efficiently and profitably, and/or we may not be able to purchase nonperforming loans at appropriate prices .
To operate profitably, we must purchase and service a sufficient amount of nonperforming loans to generate revenue that exceeds our expenses. Salaries and other compensation expense constitute a significant portion of our operating expenses and, if we do not replace the nonperforming loan portfolios we service with additional portfolios, we may have to reduce the number of our collection and other administrative personnel. We may then have to rehire staff if we subsequently obtain additional portfolios. These practices could lead to negative consequences, including the following:
low employee morale;
fewer experienced employees;
higher training costs;
disruptions in our operations;
loss of efficiency; and
excess costs associated with unused space in our facilities.
The availability of nonperforming loan portfolios at prices that generate an appropriate return on our investment depends on a number of factors, including the following:
consumer debt levels;
sales of nonperforming loan portfolios by credit originators; and
competitive factors affecting potential purchasers and credit originators of receivables.
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Furthermore, heightened regulation of the credit card and consumer lending industry or changing credit origination strategies may result in decreased availability of credit to consumers, potentially leading to a future reduction in nonperforming loans available for purchase from credit originators. We cannot predict how our ability to identify and purchase nonperforming loans and the quality of those nonperforming loans would be affected if there were a shift in lending practices, whether caused by changes in the regulations or accounting practices applicable to credit originators or purchasers, a sustained economic downturn or otherwise.
Moreover, there can be no assurance that credit originators will continue to sell their nonperforming loans consistent with historical levels or at all, or that we will be able to bid competitively for those portfolios. As a substantial percentage of our purchases are concentrated with a few large sellers, with our top client representing 23.6% and 32.8% of purchases for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively, a significant decrease in the volume of nonperforming loan purchases from any of these large sellers could force us to seek to source nonperforming loan portfolios from other existing or new clients, which could cost time and additional resources and adversely impact our business. In addition, because of the length of time involved in collecting on acquired portfolios and the variability in the timing of our collections, we may not be able to identify trends and make changes in our purchasing strategies in a timely manner. If we are unable to maintain our business or adapt to changing market needs as well as our current or future competitors, we may experience reduced access to loan portfolios at appropriate prices and, therefore, reduced .
We may not be able to collect sufficient amounts on our nonperforming loans to fund our operations .
Our principal business consists of purchasing and collecting nonperforming loans that consumers or others have failed to pay. The credit originators have typically made numerous attempts to recover on their receivables, often using a combination of in-house recovery efforts and third-party collection agencies. These nonperforming loans are difficult to collect, and we may not collect a sufficient amount to cover our investment and the costs of running our business. Furthermore, if the statistical and behavioral models we use to prepare financial projections and make business decisions are inaccurate, we may acquire nonperforming loan portfolios that ultimately prove to be unprofitable. Moreover, if we experience operational issues in making collections on our nonperforming loan portfolios, we may incur losses on portfolios that would have otherwise been profitable.
Our collections may decrease if certain types of insolvency proceedings and bankruptcy filings involving liquidations increase.
Various economic trends and potential changes to existing legislation may contribute to an increase in the amount of personal bankruptcy and insolvency filings. Under certain of these filings, a debtor’s assets may be sold to repay creditors, but because most of the receivables we collect through our collection operations are unsecured, we typically would not be able to collect on those receivables. Although our insolvency collections business could benefit from an increase in personal bankruptcies and insolvencies, we cannot ensure that our collections operations business would not decline with an increase in personal insolvencies or bankruptcy filings or changes in related regulations or practices. If our actual collection experience with respect to a nonperforming or insolvent bankrupt receivables portfolio is significantly lower than the total amount we projected when we acquired the portfolio, our financial condition and results of operations could be impacted.
Obligors of the nonperforming loans that we have purchased and attempt to collect on may have sought, or in the future may seek, protection under federal or state bankruptcy or debtor relief laws. If an obligor seeks protection under federal or state bankruptcy or debtor relief laws, or has become the subject of an involuntary bankruptcy petition, a stay will go into effect that will automatically put any pending collection actions on the related receivable on hold and prevent further collection action absent bankruptcy court approval, and a court could reduce, restructure or discharge completely such obligor’s obligations to make payments due under its contract. Federal bankruptcy and state debtor relief and collection laws may also affect the ability to collect outstanding balances owed by debtors. As a result, all or a portion of the related receivable would be written off as uncollectible and our financial condition and results of operations could be adversely impacted.
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We outsource and offshore certain activities related to our business to third parties. Any disruption or failure of these third parties to provide these services could adversely affect our business operations, financial condition and reputation .
We use third parties to conduct collection and other activities through outsourcing and offshoring. These third parties include law firms, collection agencies, data providers, tracing service providers, business process outsourcing and information technology firms. One or more of these third parties could fail to meet its obligations and service level expectations, become insolvent or cease operations, which could adversely impact our business operations and financial condition. Furthermore, we may not be able to find alternative third parties in a timely manner on terms that are acceptable to us or because of contractual restrictions that limit our flexibility in responding to disruptions at these vendors, resulting in operational inefficiencies. If any of these third-party service providers violate laws, regulatory requirements, contractual obligations, or act inappropriately in the conduct of their business, our operations and reputation could be negatively impacted and result in regulatory fines and . Any of these factors could cause our business, financial condition, results of operations and reputation to be affected.
Disruptions at our co-sourced operation in Mumbai could adversely impact our business.
Our co-sourced operation in Mumbai, India provides critical support within our voluntary collection channel. If our operations at our co-sourced operation are disrupted, whether due to malevolent acts, computer viruses, strikes, wars, terrorism, other geopolitical unrest, climate change, natural disasters, power or telecommunications failures, or other external events beyond our control, it could result in interruptions in service to our customers, damage to our reputation, harm to our customer relationships, and reduced revenues and profitability. Our operation in Mumbai may be more exposed to certain geopolitical and other risks than the voluntary collection channel that we operate and maintain in other markets. Should our Mumbai operation be disrupted, there is no guarantee that we could transition our servicing back to our domestic operations or to external resources without the disruption significantly impacting our business.
Goodwill impairment charges could negatively impact our net income and stockholders’ equity.
We have recorded goodwill as a result of our acquisitions. Goodwill is not amortized, but rather, is tested for impairment at the reporting unit level. Goodwill is required to be tested for impairment annually and between annual tests if events or circumstances indicate that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. There are numerous risks that may cause the fair value of a reporting unit to fall below its carrying amount, which could lead to the recognition of a goodwill impairment charge.
These risks include:
adverse changes in macroeconomic conditions, the business climate, or the market for the entity’s products or services;
significant variances between actual and expected financial results;
negative or declining cash flows;
lowered expectations of future results;
failure to realize anticipated synergies from acquisitions;
significant expense increases;
a more likely-than-not expectation of selling or disposing all, or a portion of, a reporting unit;
the loss of key personnel;
an adverse action or assessment by a regulator; and
significant increase in discount rates.
Our goodwill impairment testing involves the use of estimates and the exercise of judgment, including judgments regarding expected future business performance and market conditions. Significant changes in our assessment of such factors, including the deterioration of market conditions, could affect our assessment of the fair value of one or more of our reporting units and could result in a goodwill impairment charge in a future period.
Our loss contingency accruals may not be adequate to cover actual losses.
We are involved in judicial, regulatory and arbitration proceedings or investigations concerning matters arising from our business activities. We establish accruals for potential liability arising from legal proceedings when it is probable that such liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. However, there can be no assurance as to the ultimate outcome. We may still incur legal costs for a matter even if we have not accrued a liability. In addition, actual losses may be higher than the amount accrued for a certain matter, or in the aggregate. An unfavorable resolution
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of a legal proceeding or claim could adversely impact our business, financial condition, results of operations, or liquidity.
Solicitors of Moriarty, our wholly-owned law firm subsidiary in the United Kingdom, could act outside our interests and/or regulatory bodies to which such law firm subsidiary and its solicitors are subject could take enforcement action or impose sanctions that could impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Moriarty, our wholly-owned law firm subsidiary in the United Kingdom that specializes in debt collections, is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (the “SRA”), which is responsible for regulating the professional conduct of solicitors and other authorized individuals at law firms in England and Wales. Pursuant to the Code of Conduct of the SRA, which contains the ethical principles that guide solicitors in their work and which apply to all of our solicitors and govern the responsibilities owed to clients by licensed solicitors, the solicitors of Moriarty must place the interests of their clients as their first priority, including the interests of the external clients they continue to serve. It is possible that these duties may lead to decisions that are not in our financial interest and which limit short-term financial gain, which may adversely affect our results of operations. In addition, under these ethical requirements of the legal profession, for Moriarty’s external cases, we will have no right to, and will not make decisions with respect to, the conduct or direction of any particular legal claim or any settlement or resolution thereof. The right to make such decisions remains solely with the client and his or her Moriarty solicitor.
It is possible that external clients might sue for malpractice or make claims against Moriarty. Because Moriarty is governed by the rules of the SRA, the SRA retains the ultimate discretion to impose economic sanctions in England and Wales.
Our expected collections from the Conn’s and Bluestem Portfolio Purchases may not be realized, or our expenses from the FTE that were formerly employed by Conn’s may be higher than we anticipated, which may adversely impact our financial results.
Our ability to realize the anticipated benefits of the purchase of a substantial portfolio of unsecuritized loans and credit card receivables from Conn’s, Inc. (the “Conn’s Portfolio Purchase”) and Bluestem depends on our ability to collect the unsecuritized loans and credit card receivables we acquired. The portfolios acquired could underperform relative to our expectations or not perform in accordance with our anticipated timetable, either of which could result in an impairment charge. We may also find that the operating expenses we incur to make our expected collections of the Conn’s and Bluestem Portfolios exceed our forecast. We could experience higher expenses than we anticipate from the 197 FTE we hired from Conn’s, should we encounter difficulties integrating these FTEs into our workforce, as well as from the vendor contracts we entered into or from the new operating site in San Antonio, Texas. Any one of these factors could adversely impact our financial results. There are 91 FTE from the Conn’s Portfolio Purchase remaining as of December 31, 2025.
Risks Related to Our International Operations
Our international operations expose us to risks, which could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations .
A portion of our operations is conducted outside the United States. This could expose us to adverse economic, industry and political conditions that may have a negative impact on our ability to manage our existing operations or pursue alternative strategic transactions, which could have a negative effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The global nature of our operations expands the risks and uncertainties described elsewhere in this section, including the following:
changes in local political, economic, social and labor conditions in the markets in which we operate;
foreign exchange controls on currency conversion and the transfer of funds that might prevent us from repatriating cash earned in countries outside the United States in a tax-efficient manner;
currency exchange rate fluctuations, currency restructurings, inflation or deflation and our ability to manage these fluctuations through a foreign exchange risk management program;
different employee/employer relationships, laws and regulations, union recognition and the existence of employment tribunals and works councils;
laws and regulations imposed by international governments, including those governing data security, sharing and transfer and debt collection activities;
potentially adverse tax consequences resulting from changes in tax laws in the jurisdictions in which we operate or challenges to our interpretations and application of complex international tax laws;
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logistical, communications and other challenges caused by distance and cultural and language differences, each making it harder to do business in certain jurisdictions;
volatility of global credit markets and the availability of consumer credit and financing in our international markets;
uncertainty as to the enforceability of contract rights under local laws;
the potential of forced nationalization of certain industries, or the impact on creditors’ rights, consumer disposable income levels, flexibility and availability of consumer credit and the ability to enforce and collect aged or charged-off debts stemming from international governmental actions, whether through austerity or stimulus measures or initiatives, intended to control or influence macroeconomic factors such as wages, unemployment, national output or consumption, inflation, investment, credit, finance, taxation or other economic drivers;
the presence of varying levels of business corruption in international markets and the effect of various anti-corruption and other laws on our international operations;
the impact on our day-to-day operations and our ability to staff our international operations given long-term trends towards higher wages in developed and emerging international markets as well as the potential impact of union organizing efforts;
the potential for a widening military conflict in Europe and in the Middle East;
potential damage to our reputation due to non-compliance with international and local laws; and
the complexity and necessity of using non-U.S. representatives, consultants and other third-party vendors.
Any one of these factors could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may experience losses on portfolios consisting of new asset classes of receivables or receivables in new geographies due to our lack of collection experience with these receivables, which could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We continually evaluate opportunities to expand the asset classes we acquire. We may sometimes evaluate and may acquire portfolios consisting of assets with which we have little or no collection experience or portfolios of receivables in new geographies where we do not historically maintain an operational footprint. While we typically look to mitigate risks from this approach, including by partnering with an operator with the requisite experience and the right alignment, or by limiting purchases made without strong historical experience to a relatively small proportion of our quarterly deployments, our lack of experience in new asset classes or geographies may negatively impact our ability to generate our expected level of profits from these portfolios. Further, our existing methods of collections may prove less effective than we expect for these new receivables, which may have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Compliance with complex and evolving international and U.S. laws and regulations that apply to our international operations could increase our cost of doing business in international jurisdictions.
We operate on a global basis with offices and activities in a number of jurisdictions throughout the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Latin America. We face increased exposure to risks inherent in conducting business internationally, including compliance with complex international and U.S. laws and regulations that apply to our international operations, which could increase our cost of doing business in international jurisdictions. These laws and regulations include those related to taxation and anti-corruption laws such as the FCPA and the U.K. Bribery Act, and economic and trade sanctions laws and regulations, such as those administered and enforced by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the United Nations Security Council, and other relevant sanctions authorities. Given the complexity of these laws, there is a risk that we may inadvertently breach certain provisions of these laws, such as through the negligent behavior of an employee or our failure to comply with certain formal documentation requirements. Violations of these laws and regulations by us, any of our employees or our third-party vendors, either or intentionally, could result in and , sanctions, restrictions on our operations and ability to offer our products and services in one or more countries. of these laws could also affect our business, brand, international expansion efforts, ability to attract and retain employees and results of operations.
We are subject to tax in the United States and in certain foreign jurisdictions in which we operate. The United States and many countries in Europe, as well as a number of other countries and organizations, have recently proposed or recommended changes to existing tax laws or have enacted new laws that could significantly increase our tax obligations in countries where we do business, or require us to change the manner in which we operate our business. For example, in
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August 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act (the “IRA”) was signed into law. The IRA, among other things, includes a new 15% corporate minimum tax as well as a 1% excise tax on corporate stock repurchases, subject to certain exceptions. In July 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (the “OBBBA”) was signed into law. The OBBBA introduced significant changes to numerous areas of U.S. federal income tax law, including permanency of certain provisions in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and changes to R&D expensing, bonus depreciation, and international tax provisions. Additional guidance with respect to any of these rules or other changes in tax law could materially affect our financial position, tax
obligations, and effective tax rate.
Evolving regulation, particularly in Latin America, where the regulatory environment is less restrictive with respect to the use of certain new technologies and where we test new collection capabilities before broader adoption across our business, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our operations in Latin America are subject to various laws and regulations that govern debt collection practices. Currently, these jurisdictions have regulatory environments that are less restrictive with respect to the use of certain new technologies compared to other regions where we operate. This regulatory landscape currently allows for the development and testing of innovative collection capabilities, including the use of artificial intelligence (“AI”). Although not currently introduced outside of Latin America, we can introduce in other jurisdictions these AI collection capabilities found to be effective.
There is a risk that regulatory regimes in Latin America may change in the future and impose greater restrictions on the use of new technologies, including through increased restrictions on debt collection practices and enhanced consumer protection laws. If such changes were to occur, they could require us to modify our business practices, incur additional compliance costs, or limit our ability to operate as effectively across jurisdictions.
Risks Related to Government Regulation and Litigation
Our ability to collect and enforce our nonperforming and performing loans may be limited under federal, state and international laws, regulations and policies.
Our operations are subject to licensing and regulation by governmental and regulatory bodies in the many jurisdictions in which we operate. U.S. federal, state and local laws and regulations, and the laws and regulations of the international countries in which we operate, may limit our ability to collect on and enforce our rights with respect to our nonperforming and performing loans and may hinder portfolio purchases such as the Conn’s Portfolio Purchase, regardless of any act or omission on our part. Some laws and regulations applicable to credit issuers may preclude us from collecting on nonperforming and performing loans we acquire if the credit issuer previously failed to comply with applicable laws in generating or servicing those receivables. Collection laws and regulations also directly apply to our business. Such laws and regulations are extensive and subject to change. A variety of state, federal and international laws and regulations govern the collection, use, retention, transmission, sharing and security of consumer data. Consumer protection and privacy protection laws, changes in the ways that existing rules or laws are interpreted or enforced and any procedures that may be implemented as a result of regulatory consent orders may affect our ability to collect on our loans and affect our business. Our to comply with laws or regulations applicable to us could limit our ability to collect on our receivables, which could reduce our and affect our business.
Failure to comply with government regulation of the collections industry could result in penalties, fines, litigation, damage to our reputation or the suspension or termination of our ability to conduct our business.
The collections industry throughout the markets in which we operate is governed by various laws and regulations, many of which require us to be a licensed debt collector. Our industry is also at times investigated by regulators and offices of state attorneys general, and subpoenas and other requests or demands for information may be issued by governmental authorities who are investigating debt collection activities. These investigations may result in enforcement actions, fines and penalties, or the assertion of private claims and lawsuits. If any such investigations result in findings that we or our vendors have failed to comply with applicable laws and regulations, we could be subject to penalties, litigation losses and expenses, damage to our reputation, or the or of, or required modification to, our ability to conduct collections, which would affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In a number of jurisdictions, we must maintain licenses to purchase or own debt, and/or to perform debt recovery services and must satisfy related bonding requirements. Our failure to comply with existing licensing requirements, changing interpretations of existing requirements, or adoption of new licensing requirements, could restrict our ability to collect in
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certain jurisdictions, subject us to increased regulation, increase our costs or adversely affect our ability to purchase, own and/or collect our receivables.
Some laws, among other things, also may limit the interest rate and fees that we may impose on consumers, limit the time in which we may file legal actions to enforce consumer accounts and require specific account information for certain collection activities. In addition, local requirements and court rulings in various jurisdictions may affect our ability to collect.
Regulations and statutes applicable to our industry further provide that, in some cases, consumers cannot be held liable for, or their liability may be limited with respect to, charges to their debit or credit card accounts that resulted from unauthorized use of their credit. These laws, among others, may limit our ability to recover amounts owing with respect to the receivables, whether or not we committed any wrongful act or omission in connection with the account.
In the United States and certain other jurisdictions we are subject to laws and regulations that broadly prohibit unfair competition and unfair, deceptive and abusive acts and practices. These consumer-focused regulations impose requirements on the way we operate our business and could restrict our ability to collect in certain jurisdictions, subject us to increased regulation, increase our costs or adversely affect our ability to purchase, own and/or collect our receivables.
If we fail to comply with any applicable laws and regulations discussed above, such failure could result in penalties, litigation losses and expenses, damage to our reputation, or otherwise impact our ability to conduct collections efforts, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Investigations, reviews or enforcement actions by governmental authorities may result in changes to our business practices; negatively impact our deployment volume; make collection of receivables more difficult; or expose us to the risk of fines, penalties, restitution payments and litigation.
Our debt collection activities and business practices are subject to review from time to time by various governmental authorities and regulators, including the CFPB, which may commence investigations, reviews or enforcement actions targeted at businesses in the financial services industry. These investigations or reviews may involve individual consumer complaints or our debt collection policies and practices generally. Such investigations or reviews could lead to assertions by governmental authorities that we are not complying with applicable laws or regulations. In such circumstances, authorities may request or seek to impose a range of remedies that could involve potential compensatory or punitive damage claims, fines, restitution payments, sanctions or injunctive relief, that if agreed to or granted, could require us to make payments or incur other expenditures. The CFPB has the authority to obtain cease and desist orders (which can include orders for restitution or rescission of contracts, as well as other kinds of affirmative relief), recover costs, and impose monetary (ranging from $5,000 per day to over $1 million per day, depending on the nature and gravity of the ). In addition, where a company has Title X of the Dodd-Frank Act or CFPB regulations implemented thereunder, the Dodd-Frank Act state attorneys general and other state regulators to bring civil actions to remedy under state law. Governmental authorities could also request or seek to require us to certain practices or institute new practices. publicity relating to or proceedings brought by governmental authorities could have an impact on our reputation, our ability to conduct business with industry participants, and result in financial institutions reducing or eliminating sales of receivables portfolios to us. Moreover, changing or modifying our internal policies or procedures, responding to governmental inquiries and and lawsuits or other proceedings could require significant efforts on the part of management and result in increased costs to our business. In addition, such efforts could management’s full attention from our business operations. All of these factors could have an effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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Changes in tax provisions or exposures to additional tax liabilities could have an adverse tax effect on our financial condition.
Our tax filings are subject to audit by domestic and international tax authorities. If our tax filing positions are successfully challenged, payments could be required that are in excess of reserved amounts or we may be required to reduce the carrying amount of our net deferred tax asset, either of which could be significant to our financial condition or results of operations. Although we believe our estimates are reasonable, the ultimate tax outcome may differ from the amounts recorded in our financial statements and may adversely or beneficially affect our financial results in the period(s) for which such determination is made.
Recent changes in U.S. trade policy could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The U.S. government has made significant changes in U.S. trade policy and has taken certain actions that have negatively impacted U.S. trade, including imposing tariffs on certain goods imported into the United States. For example, in March 2025, the Trump administration implemented a 25% additional tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico, which have since been adjusted, and a 10% additional tariff on imports from China, which has since been increased. To date, several governments, including those of Canada, Mexico, the European Union and China have imposed tariffs on certain goods imported from the United States. The Trump administration has since that date implemented, and it is possible it will continue to implement, additional tariffs on imports from the same or other countries and such countries will implement reciprocal tariffs on imports from the United States. Any further changes in U.S. or international trade policy could trigger additional retaliatory actions by affected countries, resulting in “trade wars” that could indirectly affect service businesses involved in debt purchasing and collections on charged-off consumer accounts. While these tariffs primarily target goods, and the accounts we purchase would not be covered, the broader economic implications may influence consumer behavior and financial stability, thereby impacting the debt purchasing and collection industries. Potential impacts include:
higher prices for imported goods, contributing to inflation and reducing consumers’ disposable income, which may result in higher delinquency rates on performing loans or lower liquidation rates on non-performing loans as individuals have less disposable income to meet their debt obligations;
rising default rates on loans and credit accounts, which could lead to a larger volume of charged-off accounts entering the market, potentially increasing deployment opportunities for debt purchasers;
lenders adopting more stringent credit policies, which could reduce the issuance of new credit, thereby affecting the flow of accounts that debt purchasers typically acquire, or influence lenders’ strategies regarding debt sales and collections as they prepare for potential loan defaults amid declining revenues; and
increased volatility in capital markets, such as the rise of borrowing costs since April 2, 2025, which may impact the ability to secure financing for purchasing portfolios.
A variety of these tariffs enacted in 2025 have been subject to successful legal challenge, but it remains unclear whether and to whom those tariffs may be refunded, and the federal government may attempt to impose new or similar tariffs under alternative statutory mechanisms. While the tariffs are not expected to directly impact the debt purchasing business, their potential ripple effects through the economy, such as heightened consumer financial stress, increased default rates and market volatility, could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Risks Related to Information Technology, Cybersecurity and Intellectual Property
The regulation of data privacy in the United States and globally, or an inability to effectively manage our data governance structures, could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations by increasing our compliance costs or decreasing our competitiveness.
A variety of jurisdictions in which we operate have laws and regulations concerning, privacy, cybersecurity, and the protection of personal information, including the EU GDPR, the U.K. GDPR, the GLBA, and the CCPA, each as defined herein. These laws and regulations create certain privacy rights for individuals and impose prescriptive operational requirements for covered businesses relating to the processing and protection of personal information and may also impose substantial penalties for non-compliance.
In addition, laws and regulations relating to privacy, cybersecurity and data protection are quickly evolving, and any such proposed or new legal frameworks could significantly impact our operations, financial performance and business. The application and enforcement of these evolving legal requirements is uncertain and may require us to further change or
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update our information practices, and could impose additional compliance costs and regulatory scrutiny. If we fail to effectively implement and maintain data governance structures across our business, or to effectively interpret and utilize such data, our operations could be exposed to additional adverse impacts, and we could be at a competitive disadvantage.
We may incur significant costs complying with legal obligations and inquiries, investigations or any other government actions related to privacy, cybersecurity, and data protection. Such legal requirements and government actions also may impede our development of new products, services, or businesses, make existing products, services, or businesses unprofitable, increase our operating costs, require substantial management resources, result in adverse publicity and subject us to remedies that harm our business or profitability, including penalties or orders that we may change or terminate current business practices. Our insurance policies may be insufficient to insure us against such risks, and future escalations in premiums and deductibles under these policies may render them uneconomical.
We are dependent on our data gathering systems and proprietary consumer profiles, and if access to such data was lost or became public, our business could be materially and adversely affected.
Our models and consumer databases provide information that is critical to our business. We rely on data provided to us by multiple credit reference agencies, our servicing partners and other sources in order to operate our systems, develop our proprietary consumer profiles and run our business generally. If these credit reference agencies were to terminate their agreements or stop providing us with data for any reason, for example, due to a change in governmental regulation, or if they were to considerably raise the price of their services, our business could be materially and adversely affected. Also, if any of the proprietary information or data that we use became public, for example, due to a change in government regulations, we could lose a significant competitive advantage and our business could be negatively impacted.
If we become unable to continue to acquire or use information and data in the manner in which it is currently acquired and used, or if we were prohibited from accessing or aggregating the data in these systems or profiles for any reason, we may lose a significant competitive advantage, in particular if our competitors continue to be able to acquire and use such data, and our business could be materially and adversely affected.
We and our third-party providers are exposed to cybersecurity risks and incidents which could damage our reputation and adversely impact our business and financial results.
Our business is highly dependent on our ability to process and monitor a large number of transactions across markets and in multiple currencies. We rely on information technology systems to conduct our business, including systems developed and administered by third parties. We own and manage some of these information technology systems but also rely on third parties for a range of information technology systems and related products and services. Many of these systems contain sensitive and confidential information, including personal information, our trade secrets and proprietary business information, and information and materials owned by or pertaining to our customers, vendors and business partners (collectively, “Confidential Information”). The secure maintenance of this Confidential Information and the information technology systems on which they reside is critical to our business strategy as well as our operations and financial performance. As we expand geographically, and our reliance on information technology systems increases, maintaining the security of such systems and our data becomes more significant and challenging.
We face numerous and evolving cybersecurity risks that threaten the confidentiality, integrity and availability of our information technology systems and Confidential Information, including from diverse threat actors, such as state-sponsored organizations, opportunistic hackers and hacktivists, as well as through diverse attack vectors, such as social engineering/phishing, malware (including ransomware), malfeasance by insiders, human or technological error, and as a result of malicious code embedded in open-source software, or misconfigurations, bugs or other vulnerabilities in commercial software that is integrated into our (or our suppliers’ or service providers’) information technology systems, products or services. Although we take a number of steps to protect our information technology systems, the attacks that companies have experienced have increased in number, sophistication and complexity over the past few years, as threat actors use techniques and tools – including AI – that circumvent security controls, evade detection and remove forensic evidence. Additionally, any integration of AI in our or any third party’s operations, products or services is expected to pose new or unknown cybersecurity risks and . Further, remote and hybrid working arrangements at our company (and at many third-party providers) also increase cybersecurity risks due to the associated with managing remote computing assets and security that are present in many non-corporate and home networks.
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Accordingly, we may be unable to detect, investigate, remediate or recover from future attacks or incidents, or to avoid a material adverse impact to our information technology systems, Confidential Information or business. We and certain of our third-party providers regularly experience data security incidents or other cybersecurity incidents, and we expect such attacks and incidents to continue in varying degrees. Any such breach or other incident could result in the Confidential Information stored on our information technology systems and networks, or our vendors’ systems and networks, being improperly accessed, acquired or modified, publicly disclosed, lost, or stolen, which could subject us to liability to our customers, vendors, business partners and others. We seek to detect and such and to prevent their recurrence where practicable through preventive and remedial measures, but such measures may not be . There can also be no assurance that our cybersecurity risk management program and processes, including our policies, controls or procedures, will be fully implemented, complied with or in protecting our information technology systems and Confidential Information.
Should a cybersecurity incident occur, we may be required to expend significant resources to notify affected parties, modify our protective measures or investigate and remediate vulnerabilities or other exposures. Further, such cybersecurity events could cause reputational damage and subject us to fines, penalties, litigation costs (including from class actions) and settlements and financial losses that may not be fully covered by our cybersecurity insurance. To date, disruptions to our information technology systems, due to outages, security breaches or other causes, including cybersecurity incidents have not had a material impact on our business. However, any such disruption could have significant consequences for our business, including financial loss and reputational .
The underperformance or failure of our information technology infrastructure, networks or communication systems could result in a loss in productivity, loss of competitive advantage and business disruption.
We depend on effective information and communication systems to operate our business. We have also acquired and expect to acquire additional systems as a result of business acquisitions. Significant resources are required to maintain or enhance our existing information and telephone systems and to replace obsolete systems. Although we periodically upgrade, streamline, and integrate our systems and have invested in strategies to prevent a failure, our systems are susceptible to outages due to natural disasters, power loss, computer viruses, security breaches, hardware or software vulnerabilities, disruptions, and similar events. Failure to adequately implement or maintain effective and efficient information systems with sufficiently advanced technological capabilities, or our to and effectively consolidate our information systems to eliminate redundant or applications, could cause us to our competitive , management’s time, result in a of productivity or business operations, which could have a material effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may not be able to adequately protect the intellectual property rights upon which we rely and, as a result, any lack of protection may diminish our competitive advantage.
We rely on proprietary software programs and valuation and collection processes and techniques, and we believe that these assets provide us with a competitive advantage. We consider our proprietary software, processes, and techniques to be trade secrets, but they are not protected by patent or registered copyright. We may not be able to protect our technology and data resources adequately, which may diminish our competitive advantage, which may, in turn, adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may be subject to intellectual property rights claims by third parties, which may be costly to defend and could require us to pay significant damages. We cannot be certain that the operation of our business does not, or will not, infringe or otherwise violate the intellectual property rights of third parties. We may in the future be subject, to legal proceedings and claims alleging that we infringe or otherwise violate the intellectual property rights of third parties. We may not be aware if we are infringing, misappropriating, or otherwise violating third-party intellectual property rights, and third parties may bring claims alleging such , or . Moreover, the law continues to evolve and be applied and interpreted by courts in novel ways that we may not be to anticipate, and such changes may subject us to additional and liabilities. In addition, certain companies and rights holders seek to enforce and monetize intellectual property rights they own, have purchased, or otherwise obtained and many potential have the ability to dedicate substantial resources to assert their intellectual property rights and to that may be brought them. We may not be to ourselves effectively such intellectual property rights and could be to incur significant defense costs and pay significant , which, in turn, could affect
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our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our proprietary technology platforms and business solutions contain third-party open-source software components, and failure to comply with the terms of the applicable underlying open-source software licenses could compromise the proprietary nature of our platform or could require disclosure of affected proprietary software source code.
Our proprietary technology platforms and business solutions contain software modules licensed to us by third-party authors under “open source” licenses. Use and distribution of open-source software may entail greater risks than use of third-party commercial software, as open-source licensors generally do not provide support, warranties, indemnification or other contractual protections regarding infringement claims or the quality of the software and open-source software may have security and other vulnerabilities and architectural instabilities due to their wide availability.
In addition, if we combine our proprietary software with open-source software in a certain manner, we could, under certain “copyleft” open source licenses, be required to release the source code of our proprietary software under the terms of such an open source software license, which could require us to offer our source code at little or no cost or grant other rights to our intellectual property. This could enable our competitors to create similar offerings with lower development effort, resources and time and ultimately could result in a loss of our competitive advantages.
Even though we have certain procedures in place to monitor our use of open-source software, we could inadvertently breach the terms of an open source license, or such breach could be claimed, in part because open source license terms are often ambiguous and the terms of many open-source licenses have not been interpreted by U.S. or foreign courts, leaving a risk that licenses could be construed as imposing unanticipated restrictions. As a result, we could be subject to lawsuits by parties claiming breach or failure to comply with the terms and conditions of the open source software licenses and we could face infringement or other liability. Many of these risks associated with the use of open source software, cannot be eliminated, and could, if not properly addressed, negatively affect our business.
Our use of machine learning and AI technologies could adversely affect our products and services, harm our reputation, or cause us to incur liability resulting from harm to individuals or violation of laws and regulations or contracts to which we are a party.
We and some of our vendors use or are exploring use of machine learning, AI and automated decision-making technologies to improve operational efficiency and for other purposes in our business. Predictive prioritization models are used in this market to estimate the expected value of accounts, which allows resources to be optimized and improves operational efficiency. In addition, algorithms are developed to analyze the historical behavior of accounts to recommend the best next action or offer in real time. These activities can result in increased recovery rates on accounts. In the United States, one of our vendors uses AI to train agents on how to provide better responses to questions. In addition, we authorized the use of AI for some limited activities including content generation for marketing, communications and similar business activities.
Further, the regulatory framework for AI is rapidly evolving as many federal, state and foreign government bodies and agencies have introduced or are currently considering additional laws and regulations. Additionally, existing laws and regulations may be interpreted in ways that could affect the operation of our AI technologies, or could be rescinded or amended as new administrations take differing approaches to evolving AI technologies. As a result, implementation standards and enforcement practices are likely to remain uncertain for the foreseeable future, and we cannot yet completely determine the impact future laws, regulations, standards or market perception of their requirements may have on our business and may not always be able to anticipate how to respond to these laws or regulations.
Although we have adopted a governance policy for the use of AI to establish guidelines and best practices for the appropriate, responsible and secure use of generative AI, as with many technological innovations, there are significant risks and challenges involved in developing, maintaining and deploying these technologies, and there can be no assurance that the usage of such technologies will always enhance our solutions or be beneficial to our business, including our efficiency or profitability.
In particular, if the models underlying machine learning, AI and automated decision-making technologies that we develop or use are: (i) incorrectly designed or implemented; (ii) trained or reliant on incomplete, inadequate, inaccurate, biased or otherwise poor quality data, or on data to which we do not have sufficient rights or in relation to which we and/or the providers of such data have not implemented sufficient legal compliance measures (including with respect to the
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processing and protection of such data); (iii) used without sufficient oversight and governance to ensure their responsible and ethical use; and/or (iv) adversely impacted by unforeseen defects, technical challenges, cybersecurity threats or material performance issues, the performance of our products, services and business, as well as our reputation and the reputations of our customers and business partners, could suffer or we could incur liability resulting from harm to individuals, civil claims or the violation of laws or contracts to which we are a party.
Risks Related to Our Financial Condition and Indebtedness
We expect to use leverage in executing our business strategy, which may have adverse consequences.
We may incur a substantial amount of debt in the future. As of December 31, 2025, we had total consolidated indebtedness of $1,409.0 million, which was comprised of $300.0 million outstanding principal amount of the 2026 Notes (as defined herein), $400.0 million outstanding principal amount of the 2029 Notes (as defined herein), $500.0 million outstanding principal amount of 2030 Notes (as defined herein). As of December 31, 2025, the amount available to be borrowed under the Revolving Credit Facility, subject to borrowing base restrictions, was $768.4 million, all of which if borrowed would be secured. Our management team considers a number of factors when evaluating our level of indebtedness and when making decisions about incurring any new indebtedness, including the purchase price of assets to be acquired with debt financing, the estimated market value of our assets and the ability of particular assets and the Company as a whole, to generate cash flow to cover the expected debt service.
Incurring a substantial amount of debt could have important consequences for our business, including:
making it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations with respect to our debt or to our trade or other creditors;
increasing our vulnerability to adverse economic or industry conditions;
limiting our ability to obtain additional financing to fund capital expenditures and acquisitions, particularly when the availability of financing in the capital markets is constrained;
requiring a substantial portion of our cash flows from operations and reducing our ability to use our cash flows to fund working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions and general corporate requirements;
increasing the amount of interest expense because the indebtedness under our Revolving Credit Facility bears interest at floating rates, which, if interest rates increase, will result in higher interest expense;
limiting our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the industry in which we operate; and
placing us at a competitive disadvantage compared to less leveraged competitors.
We cannot assure you that our business will generate sufficient cash flow from operations or that future borrowings will be available to us through capital markets financings, under credit facilities or otherwise, in an amount sufficient to enable us to repay our indebtedness, or fund our other liquidity needs. We may need to refinance all or a portion of our indebtedness, at or before its scheduled maturity. We cannot assure you that we will be able to refinance any of our indebtedness on commercially reasonable terms or at all. In addition, we may incur additional indebtedness in order to finance our operations or to repay existing indebtedness. If we cannot service our indebtedness, we may have to take actions such as selling assets, seeking additional debt or equity or reducing or delaying capital expenditures, strategic acquisitions, investments and alliances. We cannot assure you that any such actions, if necessary, could be effected on commercially reasonable terms or at all, or on terms that would be advantageous to our stockholders or on terms that would not require us to the terms and conditions of our existing or future debt agreements. Our ability to access additional future borrowings could be impacted as a result of the impact of disease outbreaks, the possibility of a and the impacts from the wars in Ukraine and in the Middle East on the global debt and capital markets.
We may not be able to generate sufficient cash flow or complete alternative financing plans, including raising additional capital, to meet our debt service obligations.
Our ability to generate sufficient cash flow from operations to make scheduled payments on our debt obligations will depend on our current and future financial performance, which is subject to general economic, financial, competitive, legislative, regulatory and other factors that are beyond our control. In the future, we may fail to generate sufficient cash flow from the collection of nonperforming loans to meet our cash requirements. Further, our capital requirements may vary materially from those currently planned if, for example, our collections do not reach expected levels, we have to incur unforeseen expenses, we invest in acquisitions or make other investments that we believe will benefit our competitive position. If we do not generate sufficient cash flow from operations to satisfy our debt obligations, including interest payments and the payment of principal at maturity, we may have to undertake alternative financing plans, such as
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refinancing or restructuring our debt, selling assets or seeking to raise additional capital. We cannot provide assurance that any refinancing would be possible, that any assets could be sold, or, if sold, of the timeliness and amount of proceeds realized from those sales, that additional financing could be obtained on acceptable terms, if at all, or that additional financing would be permitted under the terms of our various debt instruments then in effect. Furthermore, our ability to refinance would depend upon the condition of the finance and credit markets. Our inability to generate sufficient cash flow to satisfy our debt obligations, or to refinance our obligations on commercially reasonable terms or on a timely basis, would materially affect our business, financial condition or results of operations and may delay or prevent the expansion of our business.
The agreements governing our indebtedness include provisions that may restrict our financial and business operations.
Our Revolving Credit Facility, the indentures governing our 2026 Notes, 2029 Notes and 2030 Notes (each as defined herein, and together, the “Senior Notes”) and our other indebtedness contain financial and other restrictive covenants, including restrictions on certain types of transactions and our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders. These restrictions may interfere with our ability to engage in other necessary or desirable business activities, which could materially affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Failure to satisfy any one of these covenants could result in negative consequences, including the following:
acceleration of outstanding indebtedness;
our inability to continue to purchase nonperforming loans needed to operate our business; or
our inability to secure alternative financing on favorable terms, if at all.
In addition, the amounts borrowed under the Revolving Credit Facility are secured by substantially all of the assets of four of our operating subsidiaries, collectively accounting for a significant amount of our total assets. As a result, in the event of the occurrence of a default under our Revolving Credit Facility, the Administrative Agent (as defined herein) may enforce its security interests (for the ratable benefit of the lenders under our Revolving Credit Facility and the other secured parties) over our subsidiaries’ assets that secure the obligations under our Revolving Credit Facility, take control of the assets and businesses of those subsidiaries, force us to seek bankruptcy protection, or force us to curtail or abandon our current business plans. If that were to happen, you may lose all, or a part of, your investment in our common stock.
If we fail to satisfy the restrictive covenants contained in our Revolving Credit Facility or our Senior Notes, or if we are unable to renegotiate, expand or replace the Revolving Credit Facility when needed, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be impacted negatively.
Adverse changes in our credit ratings could have a negative impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations .
Our ability to access capital markets is important to our ability to operate our business. Increased scrutiny of our industry and the impact of regulation, as well as changes in our financial performance and unfavorable conditions in the capital markets, could result in credit agencies reexamining and downgrading our credit ratings. A downgrade in our credit ratings may restrict or discontinue our ability to access capital markets at attractive rates and increase our borrowing costs, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock
The JCF Stockholders control us, and their interests may conflict with ours or yours in the future, including with respect to matters that involve corporate opportunities.
As of December 31, 2025, the JCF Stockholders control approximately 67.6% of the voting power for our common stock. As such, the JCF Stockholders control the vote of all matters submitted to a vote of our stockholders, which enables them to control the election of the members of the board of directors and all other corporate decisions. Even when the JCF Stockholders cease to own shares of our stock representing a majority of the total voting power, for so long as the JCF Stockholders continue to own a significant percentage of our stock, the JCF Stockholders will still be able to significantly influence the composition of our board of directors and the approval of actions requiring stockholder approval. Accordingly, for such period of time, the JCF Stockholders will have significant influence with respect to our management, business plans and policies, including the appointment and removal of our officers, decisions on whether to raise future capital and amending our charter and bylaws, which govern the rights attached to our common stock. In particular, for so long as the JCF Stockholders continue to own a significant percentage of our stock, the JCF Stockholders will be able to
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cause or prevent a change of control of us or a change in the composition of our board of directors and could preclude any unsolicited acquisition of us. The concentration of ownership could deprive you of an opportunity to receive a premium for your shares of common stock as part of a sale of us and ultimately might affect the market price of our common stock.
In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the JCF Stockholders have the right to designate four nominees for election to our board of directors, which number shall decline in the future in proportion to any declines in the JCF Stockholders’ ownership in us.
The JCF Stockholders and their affiliates engage in a broad spectrum of activities, including investments in the financial services industry generally. In the ordinary course of their business activities, the JCF Stockholders and their affiliates may engage in activities where their interests conflict with our interests or those of our stockholders, such as investing in or advising businesses that directly or indirectly compete with certain portions of our business or are customers of ours. Although the “corporate opportunities doctrine” provides that directors and officers of a corporation, as part of their duty of loyalty to the corporation and its stockholders, generally have a fiduciary duty to disclose opportunities to the corporation that are related to its business and are prohibited from pursuing those opportunities unless the corporation determines that it is not going to pursue them, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation waives the corporate opportunities doctrine. Specifically, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that none of the JCF Stockholders, any of their affiliates or any director affiliated with the JCF Stockholders who is not employed by us (including any such non-employee director who serves as one of our officers in both his director and officer capacities) have any duty to refrain from engaging, directly or indirectly, in the same business activities or similar business activities or lines of business in which we operate. The JCF Stockholders and their affiliates also may pursue acquisition that may be complementary to our business, and, as a result, those acquisition may not be available to us. In addition, if the JCF Stockholders or any non-employee director acquires knowledge of a potential transaction or other business which may be a corporate for us, such person has no duty to communicate or offer such transaction or business to us and they may take any such for themselves or offer it to another person or entity. The JCF Stockholders and their affiliates may have an interest in pursuing acquisitions, and other transactions that, in its judgment, could its investment, even though such transactions might involve risks to you.
An active, liquid trading market for our common stock may not be sustained, which may limit your ability to sell your shares.
An active trading market for our shares may not be sustained. A public trading market having the desirable characteristics of depth, liquidity and orderliness depends upon the existence of willing buyers and sellers at any given time, such existence being dependent upon the individual decisions of buyers and sellers over which neither we nor any market maker has control. The failure of an active and liquid trading market to develop and continue would likely have a material adverse effect on the value of our common stock and may reduce the fair value of your shares. You may not be able to sell your shares of our common stock at or above the price you paid, or at all. An inactive market may also impair our ability to raise capital to continue to fund operations by issuing shares and may impair our ability to acquire other companies or technologies by using our shares as consideration.
Our stock price may change significantly and you may not be able to resell shares of our common stock at or above the price you paid or at all, and you could lose all or part of your investment as a result. Our operating results and the trading price of our common stock may fluctuate and you may not be able to resell your shares at or above the public offering price due to a number of factors, including:
market conditions in our industry or the broader stock market;
actual or anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly financial and operating results;
introduction of new solutions or services by us or our competitors;
issuance of new or changed securities analysts’ reports or recommendations; sales, or anticipated sales, of large blocks of our stock;
additions or departures of key personnel;
regulatory or political developments;
litigation and governmental investigations;
changing economic conditions; investors’ perception of us;
events beyond our control such as weather and war; and
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any default on our indebtedness.
In particular, securities markets worldwide have experienced, and are likely to continue to experience, significant price and volume fluctuations. This market volatility, as well as general economic, market or political conditions, could subject the market price of our shares to wide price fluctuations regardless of our operating performance. These and other factors, many of which are beyond our control, may cause our operating results and the market price and demand for our shares to fluctuate substantially. Fluctuations in our quarterly operating results could limit or prevent investors from readily selling their shares and may otherwise negatively affect the market price and liquidity of our shares. In addition, in the past, when the market price of a stock has been volatile, holders of that stock have sometimes instituted securities class action litigation against the company that issued the stock. If any of our stockholders brought a lawsuit against us, we could incur substantial costs defending the lawsuit. Such a lawsuit could also divert the time and attention of our management from our business, which could significantly our and reputation.
There can be no assurance that we will continue to declare cash dividends or repurchase our shares at all or in any particular amounts.
Since the beginning of the third quarter of 2025, we have paid and intend to continue to pay quarterly cash dividends and also may consider share repurchase programs in the future to supplement our dividend policy. Our intent to pay quarterly dividends and potentially repurchase our shares is subject to capital availability and periodic determinations by our board of directors that such actions are in the best interest of our stockholders. Future dividends and share repurchases may be affected by, among other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant, our financial condition, earnings, liquidity and capital requirements, regulatory constraints, level of indebtedness, contractual restrictions with respect to payment of future dividends, restrictions imposed by Delaware law and general business conditions. Our policies regarding dividend payments and share repurchases may change from time to time, and there can be no assurance that we will pay any dividends to holders of our common stock or repurchase any shares of our common stock, or as to the amount of any such dividends or repurchases. Therefore, any return on investment in our common stock may depend solely upon the appreciation of the price of our common stock on the open market, which may not occur. Additionally, any reduction or suspension in our dividend payments could have a negative effect on our stock price.
We are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the corporate governance rules of the Nasdaq and, as a result, we qualify for exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements. You will not have the same protections as those afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to such governance requirements .
JCF Stockholders together control a majority of the voting power of our outstanding common stock. As a result, we are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the corporate governance rules of the Nasdaq. Under these rules, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power for the election of directors is held by an individual, group or another company is a “controlled company” and may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements, including the requirements that, within one year of the date of the listing of our common stock:
we have a board that is composed of a majority of “independent directors” as defined under the rules of such exchange; and
we have a compensation committee that is composed entirely of independent directors.
These exemptions do not modify the requirement for a fully independent audit committee, which is permitted to be phased-in as follows: (1) one independent committee member at the time of our initial public offering; (2) a majority of independent committee members within 90 days of our initial public offering; and (3) all independent committee members within one year of our initial public offering. Similarly, once we are no longer a “controlled company,” we must comply with the independent board committee requirements as they relate to the compensation committee, on the same phase-in schedule as set forth above, with the trigger date being the date we are no longer a “controlled company” as opposed to our initial public offering date.
Additionally, we have 12 months from the date we cease to be a “controlled company” to have a majority of independent directors on our board of directors. We are currently utilizing the “controlled company exemption,” and therefore, you will not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of the corporate governance requirements of the Nasdaq.
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We are an emerging growth company and our compliance with the reduced reporting and disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies could make our common stock less attractive to investors.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (the “JOBS Act”), and may remain an emerging growth company until the earliest of:
the last day of our fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the date of our initial public offering of common stock;
the last day of our fiscal year in which we have an annual gross revenue of $1.235 billion or more; the date on which we have, during the previous three-year period, issued more than $1 billion in nonconvertible debt; and
the date on which we are deemed to be a “large accelerated filer,” which will occur at such time as we (i) have an aggregate worldwide market value of common equity securities held by non-affiliates of $700 million or more as of the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter, (ii) have been required to file quarterly and annual reports under the Exchange Act for a period of at least 12 months, and (iii) have filed at least one annual report pursuant to the Exchange Act.
For as long as we are an emerging growth company, we will not be required to comply with certain requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, including the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and may also avail ourselves of the reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports, proxy statements and registration statements and the exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and obtaining stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, the information we provide stockholders is different than the information that is available with respect to other public companies. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock, and our stock price may be more volatile.
The JOBS Act also permits an emerging growth company like us to avail ourselves of an extended transition period to comply with new or revised accounting standards applicable to public companies. We have elected to avail ourselves of this extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards and, therefore, we will not be subject to the same new or revised accounting standards as other public companies that comply with such new or revised accounting standards on a non-delayed basis.
The requirements of being a public company may strain our resources and distract our management, which could make it difficult to manage our business, particularly after we are no longer an “emerging growth company.”
As a public company, we will incur legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not previously incur. We are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the listing requirements of the Nasdaq and other applicable securities rules and regulations. Compliance with these rules and regulations will increase our legal and financial compliance costs, make some activities more difficult, time consuming or costly and increase demand on our systems and resources, particularly after we are no longer an “emerging growth company.” The Exchange Act requires that we file quarterly, annual and current reports with respect to our business, financial condition and results of operations. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we establish and maintain effective internal controls and procedures for financial reporting. Furthermore, the need to establish the corporate infrastructure demanded of a public company may divert our management’s attention from implementing our growth strategy, which could prevent us from improving our business, financial condition and results of operations. We have made, and will continue to make, changes to our internal controls and procedures for financial reporting and accounting systems to meet our reporting obligations as a public company. However, the measures we take may not be sufficient to our obligations as a public company. In addition, these rules and regulations have increased and will continue to increase our legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time-consuming and . For example, these rules and regulations make it more and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to incur substantial costs to maintain the same or similar coverage. These additional obligations could have a material effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, changing laws, regulations and standards relating to corporate governance, Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) related matters and general public disclosure are creating uncertainty for public companies around public company standards, increasing legal and financial compliance costs and making certain activities more time consuming. These laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations, in many cases due to their lack of
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specificity, and, as a result, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance is provided by regulatory and governing bodies. This could result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and higher costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to disclosure and governance practices. We intend to invest resources to comply with evolving laws, regulations and standards, and this investment may result in increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of our management’s time and attention from revenue-generating activities to compliance activities. If our efforts to comply with new laws, regulations and standards differ from the activities intended by regulatory or governing bodies due to ambiguities related to their application and practice, regulatory authorities may initiate legal proceedings against us and there could be a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, if they adversely change their recommendations regarding our shares or if our results of operations do not meet their expectations, our stock price and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our common stock is influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts publish about us or our business. We do not have any control over these analysts. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of us or fail to publish reports on us regularly, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline. Moreover, if one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade our stock, or if our results of operations do not meet their expectations, our stock price could decline.
General Risk Factors
We are obligated to develop and maintain proper and effective internal control over financial reporting in order to comply with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We may not complete our analysis of our internal control over financial reporting in a timely manner or these internal controls may not be determined to be effective, which may adversely affect investor confidence in us and, as a result, the value of our common stock.
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP. We are in the early stages of the costly and challenging process of compiling the system and processing documentation necessary to perform the evaluation needed to comply with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We may not be able to complete our evaluation, testing and any required remediation prior to becoming a public company or in a timely manner thereafter. If we are unable to assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, we could lose investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, which would cause the price of our common stock to decline, and we may be subject to investigation or sanctions by the SEC.
We will be required, pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, to furnish a report by management on, among other things, the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of the end of the fiscal year that coincides with the filing of our second annual report on Form 10-K. This assessment will need to include disclosure of any material weaknesses identified by our management in our internal control over financial reporting. We will also be required to disclose changes made in our internal control and procedures on a quarterly basis. However, our independent registered public accounting firm will not be required to report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act until the later of the year following our first annual report required to be filed with the SEC, or the date we are no longer an “emerging growth company” as defined in the JOBS Act. At such time, our independent registered public accounting firm may issue a report that is adverse in the event it is not satisfied with the level at which our controls are documented, designed or operating.
Additionally, if one or more material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting are identified in future periods, our management would be required to devote significant time and incur significant expense to remediate any such material weaknesses and may not be able to remediate any such material weaknesses in a timely manner. Any such material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting could also result in errors in our financial statements that could require us to restate our financial statements, cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations and cause stockholders to lose confidence in our reported financial information, all of which could materially and adversely affect our business and stock price. To comply with the requirements of being a public company, we may need to undertake various costly and time-consuming actions, such as implementing new internal controls and procedures and hiring accounting or internal audit staff, which may affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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The number of shares of our common stock eligible for future sale could adversely affect the market price of our stock.
We have reserved approximately 6,739,713 shares of our common stock for future equity grants under the 2025 Plan, which includes the 477,542 options to purchase shares of our common stock that we have granted in connection or since the IPO. We may issue additional restricted securities or register additional shares of our common stock under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), in the future. The issuance of a significant number of shares of our common stock upon the exercise of stock options or the availability for sale, or sale, of a substantial number of the shares of common stock eligible for future sale under effective registration statements, under Rule 144 or otherwise, could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.
The value of our common stock may be materially adversely affected by additional issuances of common stock by us. Any future issuances or sales of our common stock by us will be dilutive to our existing common stockholders. We may choose to raise additional capital to grow our business and implement our growth strategy through public or private issuances of our common stock or securities convertible into, or exchangeable for, our common stock. Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public or private market, a perception in the market that such sales could occur, or the issuance of securities exercisable or convertible into our common stock, could dilute your interest in our share capital and adversely affect the prevailing price of our common stock. In addition, in the event that additional financing is required from outside sources, we may not be able to raise it on terms acceptable to us or at all. If we are unable to raise additional capital when desired, our business, financial condition and results of operations would be harmed.
Our anti-takeover provisions may delay or prevent a change of control, which could adversely affect the price of our common stock.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws, contain provisions that may make it difficult to remove our board of directors and management and may discourage or delay “change of control” transactions, which could adversely affect the price of our common stock. These provisions include, among others:
our board of directors is divided into three classes, with each class serving for a staggered three-year term, which prevents stockholders from electing an entirely new board of directors at an annual meeting;
no cumulative voting in the election of directors, which prevents the minority stockholders from electing director candidates;
the exclusive right of our board of directors to elect a director to fill a vacancy created by the expansion of the board of directors or the resignation, death or removal of a director, which prevents stockholders from being able to fill vacancies on our board of directors;
from and after such time as the JCF Stockholders and their affiliates cease to own (directly or indirectly) at least 40% of the shares of our outstanding common stock (the “Trigger Date”), actions to be taken by our stockholders may only be effected at an annual or special meeting of our stockholders and not by written consent;
from and after the Trigger Date, special meetings of our stockholders can be called only by the board of directors, the Chairman of the board of directors, our chief executive officer, our president or other officer selected by a majority of our directors;
advance notice procedures that stockholders, other than the JCF Stockholders prior to the Trigger Date, must comply with in order to nominate candidates to our board of directors and propose matters to be brought before an annual meeting of our stockholders may discourage or deter a potential acquirer from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect the acquirer’s own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to obtain control of our company;
from and after the Trigger Date, a 66 ⅔ % stockholder vote is required for removal of a director and a director may only be removed for cause, and a 66 ⅔ % stockholder vote is required for the amendment, repeal or modification of certain provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws;
the JCF Stockholders have the right to designate a specified number of nominees for election to our board of directors for so long as the JCF Stockholders beneficially own, in the aggregate, at least 10% of the outstanding shares of our common stock; and
our board of directors may, without stockholder approval, issue series of preferred stock, or rights to acquire preferred stock, that could dilute the interest of, or impair the voting power of, holders of our common stock or could also be used as a method of discouraging, delaying or preventing a change of control.
Certain anti-takeover provisions under Delaware law also apply to our company. In general, Section 203 of the Delaware
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General Corporation Law (“DGCL”), an anti-takeover provision, prohibits a publicly held Delaware corporation from engaging in a business combination, such as a merger, with an “interested stockholder,” or person or group owning 15% or more of the corporation’s voting stock, for a period of three years following the date the person became an interested stockholder, unless (with certain exceptions) the business combination or the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder is approved in the manner prescribed by the DGCL and Delaware Court of Chancery.
We elected in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation not to be subject to Section 203 of the DGCL; however, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation contains provisions that have generally the same effect as Section 203. Nonetheless, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the JCF Stockholders, their respective affiliates and successors, and their respective direct and indirect transferees are not deemed “interested stockholders” for purposes of such provisions and therefore are not subject to such provisions regardless of the percentage of our voting stock owned by them.
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Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws provide for an exclusive forum in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware for certain disputes between us and our stockholders, and that the federal district courts of the United States will be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action under the Securities Act.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws provide, that: (i) unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, if such court does not have subject matter jurisdiction thereof, the federal district court of the State of Delaware) will, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the sole and exclusive forum for: (A) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of us, (B) any action asserting a claim for or based on a breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our current or former directors, officers, other employees, agents or stockholders to us or our stockholders, including without limitation a claim alleging the aiding and abetting of such a breach of fiduciary duty, (C) any action asserting a claim against us or any of our current or former directors, officers, employees, agents or stockholders arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or amended and bylaws or as to which the DGCL confers jurisdiction on the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware, or (D) any action asserting a claim related to or involving us that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine; (ii) unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States will, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the sole and forum for the resolution of any asserting a cause or causes of action arising under the Securities Act, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, including all causes of action asserted any to such ; (iii) any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring or holding any interest in shares of our capital stock will be deemed to have notice of and consented to these provisions; and (iv) to enforce the foregoing provisions would cause us , and we will be entitled to equitable relief, including injunctive relief and specific performance, to enforce the foregoing provisions.
This exclusive forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. Nothing in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or amended and restated bylaws precludes stockholders that assert claims under the Exchange Act, from bringing such claims in federal court to the extent that the Exchange Act confers exclusive federal jurisdiction over such claims, subject to applicable law.
We believe these provisions may benefit us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law and federal securities laws by chancellors and judges, as applicable, particularly experienced in resolving corporate disputes, efficient administration of cases on a more expedited schedule relative to other forums and protection against the burdens of multi-forum litigation. If a court were to find the choice of forum provision to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. For example, Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. Accordingly, there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such a forum selection provision as written in connection with claims arising under the Securities Act.
The choice of forum provisions may limit a stockholders ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or any of our current or former directors, officers, other employees, agents or stockholders, which may discourage such claims against us or any of our current or former directors, officers, other employees, agents or stockholders and result in increased costs for investors to bring a claim.
We are a holding company and rely on dividends, distributions, and other payments, advances, and transfers of funds from our subsidiaries to meet our obligations.
We are a holding company that does not conduct any business operations of our own. As a result, we are largely dependent upon cash dividends and distributions and other transfers, including for payments in respect of indebtedness, at the holding company level from our subsidiaries to meet our obligations. The agreements governing the indebtedness of our subsidiaries impose restrictions on our subsidiaries’ ability to pay dividend distributions or other transfers to us. Each of our subsidiaries is a distinct legal entity, and under certain circumstances legal and contractual restrictions may limit our ability to obtain cash from them. The deterioration of the earnings from, or other available assets of, our subsidiaries for any reason could also limit or impair their ability to pay dividends or other distributions to us.
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Item 1B . Unresolved Staff Comments
None.
Item 1C. Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity Risk Management and Strategy
We have developed and implemented a cybersecurity risk management program intended to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of our critical systems and information.
We design and assess our cybersecurity risk management program based on our International Organization for Standardization (the “ISO”) and International Electrotechnical Commission (the “IEC”) ISO 27001 certified Information Security Management System (the “ISMS”), as well as other recognized industry best-practice frameworks, including the National Institute of Standards and Technology Cybersecurity Framework (NIST CSF) and the Center for Internet Security (the “CIS”) Controls. This does not imply that we meet any particular technical standards, specifications, or requirements beyond the scope of our formal ISO/IEC 27001 certification; rather, these frameworks serve as guiding references to help us identify, assess, and manage cybersecurity risks relevant to our business.
Our cybersecurity risk management program is integrated into our overall risk management program , and shares common methodologies, reporting channels and governance processes that apply across the risk management program to other legal, compliance, strategic, operational, and financial risk areas.
Key elements of our cybersecurity risk management program include but are not limited to the following:
risk assessments designed to help identify material risks from cybersecurity threats to our critical systems and information;
a security team principally responsible for managing (1) our cybersecurity risk assessment processes, (2) our security controls, and (3) our response to cybersecurity incidents;
the use of external service providers , where appropriate, to assess, test or otherwise assist with aspects of our security processes;
cybersecurity awareness training of our employees, including incident response personnel and senior management;
a cybersecurity incident response plan that includes procedures for responding to cybersecurity incidents; and
a third-party risk management process for key service providers based on our assessment of their criticality to our operations and respective risk profile.
To date, we have not identified or experienced risks from known cybersecurity threats, including as a result of any prior cybersecurity incidents, that we deemed to be material or to have materially affected us, including our operations, business strategy, results of operations, or financial condition. We face risks from cybersecurity threats that, if realized, are reasonably likely to materially affect us, including our operations, business strategy, results of operations, or financial condition. See Item 1A. Risk Factors – “Risks Related to Information Technology, Cybersecurity and Intellectual Property.”
Cybersecurity Governance
Our Board considers cybersecurity risk as part of its risk oversight function and has delegated to the Compliance and Risk Committee (the “Committee”) oversight of cybersecurity risks, including oversight of management’s implementation of our cybersecurity risk management program.
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The Committee receives quarterly reports from management on our cybersecurity risks. In addition, management updates the Committee, where it deems appropriate, regarding cybersecurity incidents it considers to be significant or potentially significant.
The Committee reports to the full Board regarding its activities, including those related to cybersecurity. The full Board also regularly receives briefings from management on our cyber risk management program. Board members receive presentations and training on cybersecurity topics from our internal Information Technology security staff including on topics that impact public companies.
Our management team, including our Chief Technology Officer and Information Security Manager , is responsible for assessing and managing our material risks from cybersecurity threats. The team has primary responsibility for our overall cybersecurity risk management program and supervises both our internal cybersecurity personnel and our retained external cybersecurity consultants. Our management team’s experience includes cybersecurity-specific expertise supported by professional designations commonly recognized in the information security field, including certifications such as Certified Information Systems Security Professional (“CISSP”), Certified Information Security Manager (“CISM”), and Certified Information Systems Auditor (“CISA”). Collectively, the team has significant experience in designing, implementing, and maintaining controls aligned with our ISO/IEC 27001 certified ISMS, as well as applying leading industry frameworks such as the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and CIS Controls. Team members have overseen enterprise security programs, conducted cybersecurity risk assessments, led incident response efforts, managed third-party and vendor risk, and supported security operations in regulated environments. In addition, the management team maintains ongoing engagement with current cybersecurity threat intelligence, regulatory developments, and emerging security technologies to support continuous improvement of our cybersecurity posture.
Our management team takes steps to stay informed about and monitor efforts to prevent, detect, mitigate, and remediate cybersecurity risks and incidents through various means, which may include: briefings from internal security personnel; threat intelligence and other information obtained from governmental, public or private sources, including external consultants engaged by us; and alerts and reports produced by security tools deployed in our IT environment.
