EDGAR 10-K Filing

Company CIK: 1006837
Filing Year: 2021
Filename: 1006837_10-K_2021_0001006837-21-000027.json

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ITEM 1. BUSINESS
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
Unless the context otherwise requires, in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, "HC2," means HC2 Holdings, Inc. and the "Company," "we" and "our" mean HC2 together with its consolidated subsidiaries.
This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements. See "Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements."
General
HC2 is a diversified holding company that has a portfolio of subsidiaries in a variety of operating segments. We seek to grow these businesses so that they can generate long-term sustainable free cash flow and attractive returns in order to maximize value for all stakeholders. As of December 31, 2020, our four reportable operating segments, plus our Other segment, based on management’s organization of the enterprise included Infrastructure, Life Sciences, Spectrum, Insurance and Other, which includes businesses that do not meet the separately reportable segment thresholds.
Our principal operating subsidiaries include the following assets:
(i)DBM Global Inc. ("DBMG") (Infrastructure), a family of companies providing fully integrated structural and steel construction services;
(ii)Pansend Life Sciences, LLC ("Pansend") (Life Sciences), our subsidiary focused on supporting healthcare and biotechnology product development;
(iii)HC2 Broadcasting Holdings Inc. and its subsidiaries ("HC2 Broadcasting") (Spectrum), a strategic acquirer and operator of Over-The-Air ("OTA") broadcasting stations across the United States ("U.S.") and Puerto Rico. In addition, Spectrum, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, HC2 Network Inc. ("Network"), operates Azteca America, a Spanish-language broadcast network offering high quality Hispanic content to a diverse demographic across the United States; and
(iv)Continental Insurance Group Ltd. ("CIG") (Insurance), a platform for our run-off long-term care and life and annuity business, through its insurance company, Continental General Insurance Company ("CGI" or the "Insurance Company");
(v)Other, which represents all other businesses or investments that do not meet the definition of a segment individually or in the aggregate.
We expect to focus on operating and managing our portfolio of companies and building value in Infrastructure, Life Sciences and Spectrum in the future. We believe these segments are well positioned to take advantage of current trends in today’s economy and that there is opportunity to build value organically and inorganically in these three segments. We will consider opportunities outside of these businesses in the longer term to acquire and invest in businesses with attractive assets that we consider to be undervalued or fairly valued.
Overall Business Strategy
We evaluate strategic and business alternatives, which may include the following: operating, growing or acquiring additional assets or businesses related to our current or historical operations; or winding down or selling our existing operations (including our Insurance segment), or, in the longer-term, acquiring assets or businesses unrelated to our current or historical operations. We will generally pursue either controlling positions in durable, cash-flow generating businesses, assets that will enhance our current businesses or companies we believe exhibit substantial growth potential in Infrastructure, Life Sciences and Spectrum. We may choose to actively assemble or re-assemble a company’s management team to ensure the appropriate expertise is in place to execute the operating objectives of such business. We view ourselves as strategic and financial partners and seek to align our management teams’ incentives with our goal of delivering sustainable long-term value to our stakeholders.
As part of any acquisition strategy, we may raise capital in the form of debt or equity securities (including preferred stock) or a combination thereof. We have broad discretion in selecting a business strategy for the Company. If we elect to pursue an acquisition, while we intend to focus on Infrastructure, Life Science and Spectrum, we have broad discretion in identifying and selecting both the industry and the possible acquisition or business combination opportunity. In connection with evaluating these strategic and business alternatives, we may at any time be engaged in ongoing discussions with respect to possible acquisitions, business combinations and debt or equity securities offerings of widely varying sizes. There can be no assurance that any of these discussions will result in a definitive agreement and if they do, what the terms or timing of any agreement would be.
Competition
From a strategic perspective, we encounter competition for acquisition and business opportunities from other entities having similar business objectives, such as strategic investors and private equity firms, which could lead to higher prices for acquisition targets. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and executing transactions directly or through affiliates. Our financial resources and human resources may be relatively limited when contrasted with many of these competitors which may place us at a competitive disadvantage. Competitive conditions affecting our operating businesses are described in the discussions below.
Employees
As of December 31, 2020, we had approximately 2,803 employees, including the employees of our operating businesses as described in more detail below. We consider our relations with our employees to be satisfactory.
Our Operating Subsidiaries
Infrastructure Segment (DBMG)
DBM Global Inc. is a fully integrated Industrial Construction, Structural Steel, and Facility Maintenance provider who provides 3D Building Information Modeling ("BIM"), detailing, fabrication, and erection of structural steel and heavy steel plate, heavy mechanical and facility maintenance services. DBMG provides these services on commercial, industrial, and infrastructure construction projects such as high- and low-rise buildings and office complexes, hotels and casinos, convention centers, sports arenas and stadiums, shopping malls, hospitals, dams, bridges, mines, metal processing, refineries, pulp and paper mills, and power plants. DBMG also fabricates trusses and girders and specializes in the fabrication and erection of large-diameter water pipe and water storage tanks. Through its Aitken business ("Aitken"), DBMG manufactures pollution control scrubbers, tunnel liners, pressure vessels, strainers, filters, separators and a variety of customized products. Through its GrayWolf Industrial business ("GrayWolf"), DBMG also provides integrated solutions for digital engineering, modeling and detailing, construction, heavy equipment installation and facility services including maintenance, repair, and installation to a diverse range of end markets. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, DBMG has domestic operations in Alabama, Arizona, California, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Washington with construction projects primarily located in the aforementioned states. In addition, through its DBM Vircon business (“DBM Vircon”), DBMG also has international operations located in Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, the Philippines, Thailand, and the United Kingdom, providing steel detailing, rebar detailing, BIM modeling, and BIM management services.
DBMG’s results of operations are affected primarily by (i) the level of commercial, industrial and infrastructure construction as well as the need for mechanical and maintenance services in its principal markets; (ii) its ability to win project contracts; (iii) the number and complexity of project changes requested by customers or general contractors; (iv) its success in utilizing its resources at or near full capacity; and (v) its ability to complete contracts on a timely and cost-effective basis. The level of commercial, industrial and infrastructure construction activity is related to several factors, including local, regional and national economic conditions, interest rates, availability of financing, and the supply of existing facilities relative to demand.
Strategy
DBMG’s objective is to achieve and maintain a leading position in the geographic regions and project segments that it serves by providing timely, high-quality services to its customers. DBMG pursues this objective with a strategy comprised of the following components:
•Pursue Large, Value-Added Design-Build Projects: DBMG’s unique ability to offer design-build services, a full range of steel construction services and project management capabilities makes it a preferred partner for complex, design-build fabrication projects in the geographic regions it serves. This capability often enables DBMG to bid against fewer competitors in a less traditional, more negotiated selection process on these kinds of projects, thereby offering the potential for higher margins while providing overall cost savings and project flexibility and efficiencies to its customers;
•Expand and Diversify Revenue Base: DBMG is seeking to expand and diversify its revenue base by leveraging its long-term relationships with national and multi-national construction and engineering firms, national and regional accounts and other customers. DBMG also intends to continue to grow its operations by targeting smaller projects that carry higher margins and less risk of large margin fluctuations. DBMG believes that continuing to diversify its revenue base by completing smaller projects, such as low-rise office buildings, healthcare facilities and other commercial and industrial structures, could reduce the impact of periodic adverse market or economic conditions, as well as the margin slippage that may accompany larger projects;
•Emphasize Innovative Services: DBMG focuses its BIM modeling, design-build, engineering, detailing, fabrication and erection expertise on larger, more complex projects, where it typically experiences less competition and more advantageous negotiated contract opportunities. DBMG has extensive experience in providing services requiring complex BIM modeling, detailing, fabrication and erection techniques and other unusual project needs, such as BIM coordination, specialized transportation, steel treatment or specialty coating applications. These service capabilities have enabled DBMG to address such design-sensitive projects as stadiums and uniquely designed hotels and casinos; and
•Diversify Customer and Product Base: Although DBMG seeks to achieve a leading share of the geographic and product markets in which it traditionally competes, it also seeks to diversify its product offerings and geographic markets through acquisition. By expanding the portfolio of products offered and geographic markets served, DBMG believes that it will be able to offer more value-added services to existing and new potential customers, as well as to reduce the impact of periodic adverse market or economic conditions.
•Ensure Project Delivery Success through Predictive Technologies: DBMG uses resources including data analytics, modeling and detailing, laser scan to BIM, and augmented and virtual reality to provide fully integrated solutions for a project’s lifecycle, from design through fabrication, construction, and mechanical and facility services. DBMG is thus able to deliver optimal value and reliable outcomes that are on schedule and on budget.
Services and Customers
DBMG consists of four business units spread across diverse markets: Schuff Steel Company ("SSC") (steel fabrication and erection), DBM Vircon ("DBM Vircon") (steel detailing, rebar detailing, bridge detailing, BIM modeling services and BIM management services), the Aitken product line ("Aitken") (manufacturing of equipment for the oil and gas industry) and GrayWolf (specialty facility maintenance, repair, and installation services, as well as management of smaller structural steel projects). For the year ended December 31, 2020 revenues were as follows (in millions):
Revenue % of Total Revenue
SSC $ 436.3 64.5 %
GrayWolf 192.9 28.5 %
DBM Vircon 40.6 6.0 %
Aitken 6.8 1.0 %
Total $ 676.6 100.0 %
The majority of DBMG's business is in North America, but DBM Vircon provides detailing services on five continents, and SSC provides fabricated steel to Canada and other select countries. In 2020, DBMG's two largest customers represented approximately 18.6% of revenues. In 2019, DBMG’s two largest customers represented approximately 20.2% of revenues.
DBMG’s size gives it the production capacity to complete large-scale, demanding projects, with typical utilization per facility ranging from 75%-88% and a sales pipeline that includes over $857 million in potential revenue generation. DBMG believes it has benefited from being one of the largest players in a market that is highly fragmented across many small firms.
DBMG achieves a highly efficient and cost-effective construction process by focusing on collaborating with all project participants and utilizing its extensive design-build and design-assist capabilities with its clients. Additionally, DBMG has in-house fabrication and erection combined with access to a network of subcontractors for smaller projects in order to provide high-quality solutions for its customers. DBMG offers a range of services across a broad geography through its ten fabrication shops in the United States and 29 sales and management facilities located in the United States, Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, the Philippines, Thailand and the UK.
DBMG operates with minimal bonding requirements, with a current balance of 23% of DBMG's backlog (out of a total backlog of $394.5 million) as of December 31, 2020, and bonding is reduced as projects are billed, rather than upon completion. DBMG has limited its raw material cost exposure by securing fixed prices from mills at contract bid, as well as by utilizing its purchasing power as one of the largest domestic buyers of wide flange beams in the United States.
SSC offers a variety of services to its customers which it believes enhances its ability to obtain and successfully complete projects. These services fall into six distinct groups: design-assist/design-build, pre-construction design and budgeting, steel management, fabrication, erection, and BIM:
•Design-Assist/Design-Build: Using the latest technology and BIM, DBMG works to provide clients with cost-effective steel designs. The end result is turnkey-ready, structural steel solutions for its diverse client base;
•Pre-Construction Design and Budgeting: Clients who contact DBMG in the early stages of planning can receive a DBMG-performed analysis of the structure and cost breakdown. Both of these tools allow clients to accurately plan and budget for any upcoming project;
•Steel Management: Using DBMG’s proprietary SIMS, DBMG can track any piece of steel and instantly know its location. Additionally, DBMG can help clients manage steel subcontracts, providing clients with savings on raw steel purchases and giving them access to a variety of DBMG-approved subcontractors;
•Fabrication: Through its six fabrication shops in Arizona, California, Kansas, and Utah, SSC has one of the highest fabrication capacities in the United States, with over 1.5 million square feet under roof and a maximum annual fabrication capacity of approximately 310,000 tons;
•Erection: Named the top steel erector in the United States for 2007, 2008, 2011, and from 2013-2020 by Engineering News-Record, SSC knows how to add value to its projects through the safe and efficient erection of steel structures; and
•BIM: DBMG uses BIM on every project to manage its role efficiently. Additionally, DBMG’s use of Steel Integrated Management Systems ("SIMS") in conjunction with its BIM platform Visualizer allows for real-time reporting on a project’s progress and an information-rich model review.
Aitken is a manufacturer of equipment used in the oil, gas, petrochemical and pipeline industries. Aitken supplies the following products both nationwide and internationally:
•Strainers: Temporary cone and basket strainers, tee-type strainers, vertical and horizontal permanent line strainers and fabricated duplex strainers;
•Measurement Equipment: Orifice meter tubes, orifice plates, orifice flanges, seal pots, flow nozzles, Venturi tubes, low loss tubes and straightening vanes; and
•Major Products: Spectacle blinds, paddle blinds, drip rings, bleed rings, and test inserts, ASME vessels, launchers and pipe spools.
DBM Vircon provides steel detailing, rebar detailing, BIM modeling and BIM management services for industrial and infrastructure and commercial construction projects in Australia, New Zealand, Europe and North America.
•Steel Detailing: Utilizing industry leading technologies, DBM Vircon provides steel detailing services which include: shop drawings, erection plans, anchor bolt drawings, connection sketches, DSTV files for cutting and drilling, DXF files for plate work, field bolt lists, specialist reports and advance bill of material and piping;
•Rebar Detailing: These services, including rebar detailing and estimating, are delivered by a staff experienced in rebar installation and familiar with the construction practices and constructability issues that arise on project sites. Deliverables include: field placement/shop drawings, field and/or phone support, 2D and 3D modeling, connection sketches, bar listing in ASA format, DGN files, and complete rebar estimating;
•BIM Modeling: Through multidisciplinary teams, DBM Vircon creates highly accurate, scaled virtual models of each structural component. These independent models and data are integrated and standardized to produce a single 3D model simulation of the entire structure using DBM Vircon’s proprietary application, Visualizer. This integrated model contains complete information for all functional requirements of a project, including procurement and logistics, financial modeling, claims and litigation, fabrication, construction support and asset management;
•BIM Management: DBM Vircon is an industry leading provider of BIM management consultancy services ("BIM Management"), with clients ranging from government, industry organizations and general construction contractors. BIM Management of all project participants’ input, use and development of the applicable model is integral to ensuring that the model remains the single point of reference. DBM Vircon’s BIM Management service includes the governing of process and workflow management, which is a collection of defined model uses, workflows, and modeling methods used to achieve specific, repeatable and reliable information results from the model. The way the model is created and shared, and the sequencing of its application, impacts the effective and efficient use of BIM for desired project outcomes and decision support; and
•Bridge Steel Detailing: Utilizing industry leading technologies, DBM Vircon, through its wholly owned subsidiary Candraft Detailing, provides steel detailing services for bridges which include: shop drawings, erection plans, anchor bolt drawings, connection sketches, DSTV files for cutting and drilling, DXF files for plate work, field bolt lists, specialist reports and advance bill of material and piping.
GrayWolf provides services including steel fabrication, steel management, maintenance, repair, erection, and installation to a diverse range of end markets in order to provide high-quality outage, turnaround, and new installation services to customers. GrayWolf provides the following services through its four major brands: GrayWolf Integrated Construction (formerly Titan Contracting), Inco Services, Milco National Constructors and Titan Fabricators.
•Specialty mechanical contracting services: GrayWolf offers specialty mechanical contracting services to the power, petrochemical, refining and other industrial markets. Its services including plant maintenance, specialty welding, equipment rigging, and mechanical construction to customers in the power, industrial, petrochemical, water treatment, and refining markets at a national level;
•Specialty construction solutions for processing markets: Customers in the pulp and paper, metals, mining and minerals, and petrochemical markets are able to receive specialized solutions including plant maintenance, process piping, equipment, and tank and vessel fabrication and erection that are catered to the needs and specifications of the customer’s industry through the Inco Services brand;
•Turnarounds, tank construction, and piping services: GrayWolf offers services including plant maintenance, specialty welding, piping systems, and tanks and vessels construction to the power, refining, petrochemical, and water treatment markets in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and West Coast;
•Custom steel fabrication and erection: GrayWolf offers engineering, design, fabrication, modularization, erection and additional services to the heavy commercial and industrial markets in the Southwest, Midwest, Gulf Coast and Southeast; and
•Structural steel management: provides turn-key steel fabrication and erection services with expertise in project management. Leveraging such strengths, GrayWolf uses its relationships with reliable subcontractors and erectors, along with state-of-the-art management systems, to deliver excellence to clients
Suppliers
DBMG currently purchases its steel from a variety of domestic and foreign steel producers but is not dependent on any one producer. During the year ended December 31, 2020, DBMG, through SSC, purchased approximately 53% of the total value of steel and steel components purchased from two domestic steel vendors. See Item 1A - Risk Factors - "Risks Related to the Infrastructure segment" elsewhere in this document for discussion on DBMG’s reliance on suppliers of steel and steel components.
Sales and Distributions
DBMG obtains contracts through competitive bidding or negotiation, which generally are fixed-price, cost-plus, unit cost, or time and material arrangements. Bidding and negotiations require DBMG to estimate the costs of the project up front, with most projects typically lasting from one to 12 months. However, large and more complex projects can often last two years or more.
Marketing
Sales managers lead DBMG’s sales and marketing efforts. Each sales manager is primarily responsible for estimating sales and marketing efforts in defined geographic areas. In addition, DBMG employs full-time project estimators and chief estimators. DBMG’s sales representatives build and maintain relationships with general contractors, architects, engineers and other potential sources of business to identify potential new projects. DBMG generates future project reports to track the weekly progress of new opportunities. DBMG’s sales efforts are further supported by most of its executive officers and engineering personnel, who have substantial experience in the design, detailing, modeling, fabrication and erection of structural steel and heavy steel plate.
DBMG competes for new project opportunities through its relationships and interaction with its active and prospective customer base which provides valuable current market information and sales opportunities. In addition, DBMG is often contacted by governmental agencies in connection with public construction projects, and by large private-sector project owners, general contractors and engineering firms in connection with new building projects such as manufacturing and industrial plants, data centers, warehouse and distribution centers, and other industrial and commercial facilities.
Upon selection of projects to bid or price, DBMG’s estimating departments review and prepare projected costs of shop, field, detail drawing preparation and crane hours, steel and other raw materials, and other costs. With respect to bid projects, a formal bid is prepared detailing the specific services and materials DBMG plans to provide, along with payment terms and project completion timelines. Upon acceptance, DBMG’s bid proposal is finalized in a definitive contract.
Competition
The principal geographic and product markets DBMG serves are highly competitive, and this intense competition is expected to continue. DBMG competes with other contractors for commercial, industrial and specialty projects on a local, regional, or national basis. Continued service within these markets requires substantial resources and capital investment in equipment, technology and skilled personnel, and certain of DBMG’s competitors have financial and operating resources greater than DBMG. Competition also places downward pressure on DBMG’s contract prices and margins. The principal competitive factors within the industry are price, timeliness of project completion, quality, reputation, and the desire of customers to utilize specific contractors with whom they have favorable relationships and prior experience. While DBMG believes that it maintains a competitive advantage with respect to many of these factors, failure to continue to do so or to meet other competitive challenges could have a material adverse effect on DBMG’s results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.
Employees
As of December 31, 2020, DBMG employed approximately 2,530 people across the globe, including the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, Philippines, Thailand, and the UK. The number of persons DBMG employs on an hourly basis fluctuates directly in relation to the amount of business DBMG performs. Certain of the fabrication and erection personnel DBMG employs are represented by the United Steelworkers of America and the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers Union. DBMG is a party to several separate collective bargaining agreements with these unions in certain of its current operating regions, which expire (if not renewed) at various times in the future. Approximately 28% of DBMG’s employees are covered under various collective bargaining agreements. As of December 31, 2020, most of DBMG’s collective bargaining agreements are subject to automatic annual or other renewal unless either party elects to terminate the agreement on the scheduled expiration date. DBMG considers its relationship with its employees to be satisfactory and, other than sporadic and unauthorized work stoppages of an immaterial nature, none of which have been related to its own labor relations, DBMG has not experienced a work stoppage or other labor disturbance.
DBMG strategically utilizes third-party fabrication and erection subcontractors on many of its projects and also subcontracts detailing services from time to time when its management determines that this would be economically beneficial (and/or when DBMG requires additional capacity for such services). DBMG’s inability to engage fabrication, erection and detailing subcontractors on favorable terms could limit its ability to complete projects in a timely manner or compete for new projects, which could have a material adverse effect on its operations.
Legal, Environmental and Insurance
DBMG is subject to claims and legal proceedings that arise in the ordinary course of business. Such matters are inherently uncertain, and there can be no guarantee that the outcome of any such matter will be decided favorably to DBMG or that the resolution of any such matter will not have a material adverse effect upon DBMG or the Company’s business, consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows. Neither DBMG nor the Company believes that any of such pending claims and legal proceedings will have a material adverse effect on its (or the Company’s) business, consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
DBMG’s operations and properties are affected by numerous federal, state and local environmental protection laws and regulations, such as those governing discharges to air and water and the handling and disposal of solid and hazardous wastes. These laws and regulations have become increasingly stringent and compliance with these laws and regulations has become increasingly complex and costly. There can be no assurance that such laws and regulations or their interpretation will not change in a manner that could materially and adversely affect DBMG’s operations. Certain environmental laws, such as CERCLA (the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act) and its state law counterparts, provide for strict and joint and several liability for investigation and remediation of spills and other releases of toxic and hazardous substances. These laws may apply to conditions at properties currently or formerly owned or operated by an entity or its predecessors, as well as to conditions at properties at which wastes or other contamination attributable to an entity or its predecessors come to be located. Although DBMG has not incurred any material environmental related liability in the past and believes that it is in material compliance with environmental laws, there can be no assurance that DBMG, or entities for which it may be responsible, will not incur such liability in connection with the investigation and remediation of facilities it currently operates (or formerly owned or operated) or other locations in a manner that could materially and adversely affect its operations.
DBMG maintains commercial general liability insurance in the amount of $1.0 million per occurrence and $2.0 million in the aggregate. In addition, DBMG maintains umbrella coverage limits of $75.0 million. DBMG also maintains insurance against property damage caused by fire, flood, explosion and similar catastrophic events that may result in physical damage or destruction of its facilities and property. DBM maintains professional liability insurance in the amount of $10.0 million for professional services related to our work in steel erection and fabrication projects.
All policies are subject to various deductibles and coverage limitations. Although DBMG’s management believes that its insurance is adequate for its present needs, there can be no assurance that it will be able to maintain adequate insurance at premium rates that management considers commercially reasonable, nor can there be any assurance that such coverage will be adequate to cover all claims that may arise.
Life Sciences Segment (Pansend Life Sciences, LLC)
Pansend focuses on the development of innovative technologies and products in the healthcare industry. As of December 31, 2020, Pansend is currently invested in four companies:
R2 Technologies, Inc.
R2 Technologies, Inc. ("R2"), a company developing and commercializing breakthrough aesthetic medical and non-medical devices in the aesthetic dermatology market. Founded in 2014 by Pansend and Blossom Innovations, LLC, R2 exclusively licenses intellectual property developed at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
Skin lightening and brightening is a large and fast growing segment of aesthetic dermatology. Current lightening products and/or procedures may be ineffective, unpredictable or even harmful, and patients often must compensate for lack of efficacy by using makeup or concealers. R2 has developed breakthrough CryoAesthetic technologies that uniquely deliver in-office treatments that provide patients skin lightening, brightening, skin tone evening and reduction or elimination of hyperpigmentation. R2 uses patented CryoAesthetic technology, which is the use of controlled cooling to suppress melanin, inflammation and discomfort by precisely controlling time and temperature to deliver an effective treatment with no social downtime.
In 2019, R2 closed its Series B “Commercialization” round with its strategic partner, Huadong Medicine Company, Ltd., (“Huadong”) and, in exchange for a staged $30 million investment, entered into an exclusive distribution agreement with Huadong for the Asia-Pacific region. As a part of this agreement, Huadong’s existing sales force will be responsible for sales and marketing in the Asia-Pacific region, and R2 will receive a share of the residual profits from such sales. As of December 31, 2020, R2 received two $10 million staged investments from Huadong based on the completion of certain pre-determined milestones at a post-money valuation of approximately $90 million. On February 3, 2021, the Company announced that R2 received its third and final $10 million staged investment at a pre-determined post-money valuation of approximately $113 million.
R2 currently has three products in various stages of commercialization and development:
1.Glacial Rx - Launching in the first quarter of 2021 in the United States after receiving U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) clearance, the Glacial Rx system removes benign lesions of the skin (such as those caused by aging, sun damage and/or genetics), leaving the skin with a smoother and brighter appearance with little to no pain and downtime for the patient. The Glacial Rx system will be sold to dermatologists and plastic surgeons and operated by trained healthcare professionals.
2.Glacial Spa - Launching in the first half of 2021 in China after receiving China Non-Medical Classification, the Glacial Spa is a cooling experience used to even skin tone, and brighten and lighten skin. The Glacial Spa system will be sold by Huadong’s existing sales force to spas and operated by a trained aesthetician.
3.Glacial AI - Currently undergoing research and development, the Glacial AI is an autonomous cooling device focused on whole-body skin lightening and brightening.
MediBeacon, Inc.
MediBeacon, Inc. ("MediBeacon") develops proprietary non-invasive real-time monitoring system for the evaluation of kidney function. Current methods to evaluate kidney function are indirect estimates that may be inaccurate and are not real-time. Chronic kidney disease is estimated to affect more than 850 million people worldwide.
MediBeacon’s Transdermal GFR Measurement System (“TGFR”), which uses an optical skin sensor combined with Lumitrace, a proprietary agent that glows in the presence of light, will be the first non-invasive system to enable real-time, direct monitoring of kidney function at point-of-care. On October 22, 2018, the FDA granted Breakthrough Device designation to the TGFR for the measurement of Glomerular Filtration Rate (“GFR”) in patients with impaired or normal kidney function. Under the Breakthrough Device program, the FDA works with companies to expedite regulatory review in order to give patients more timely access to innovative diagnostic and therapeutic technologies. MediBeacon is expected to begin its U.S. pivotal study in the second half of 2021.
In 2019, MediBeacon closed its Series B financing round with its strategic partner, Huadong, providing Huadong with exclusive rights to MediBeacon’s portfolio of assets in Greater China in exchange for a staged $30 million investment. Further, Huadong will be responsible for funding clinical trials, commercial and regulatory activities in 25 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including Greater China. In exchange, MediBeacon will receive royalty payments on net sales of the TGFR system. As of December 31, 2020, MediBeacon has received $15 million from Huadong at a pre-money valuation of approximately $300 million. Contingent upon the regulatory approval of the TGFR system by the FDA, Huadong will make a second $15 million investment at a pre-money valuation of approximately $400 million. In 2020, Huadong amended its commercial agreement, which will provide an additional $20 million pre-payment of future China royalties over the next two years to pursue Class 1 status in China, allowing the device to immediately enter the Chinese hospital system. As of December 31, 2020, MediBeacon has received approximately $10 million to include China in MediBeacon's global pivotal study.
MediBeacon is also exploring additional clinical applications of the patented Lumitrace technology, including:
1.Gastrointestinal permeability, which has the potential to transform management of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, including Crohn’s disease. Grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, in collaboration with scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Mayo Clinic, have supported MediBeacon’s research in this area. During 2020, the first in-human clinical studies were conducted to establish the feasibility of fluorescent tracer agent-based systems to quantify the permeability of the gastrointestinal tract in patients with active Crohn’s disease.
2.Ocular angiography, which has the potential to diagnose and monitor vasculature leakage in the eye, a key factor in diagnosing and monitoring various diseases, including macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and retinal vasculitis while avoiding current potential clinical side effects such as allergic reactions, nausea and vomiting. MediBeacon was the recipient of a Small Business Innovation Research grant supported by the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). With this support, MediBeacon is pursuing research into the use of a MediBeacon fluorescent tracer agent to visualize vasculature in the eye, having recently received FDA approval in 2020 to begin clinical studies.
3.Surgical visualization feasibility, which has the potential to be used in open, laparoscopic and robotic surgeries to identify critical structures, tumor margins and blood flow in tissues in real-time. Clinical research in this area is still underway.
Genovel Orthopedics, Inc.
Genovel Orthopedics, Inc. ("Genovel") is a medical device company developing novel partial and total knee replacements for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee based on patented technology developed at New York University School of Medicine.
Triple Ring Technologies
Triple Ring Technologies is a research and development engineering company specializing in medical devices, homeland security, imaging sensors, optics, fluidics, robotics and mobile healthcare.
Spectrum Segment (HC2 Broadcasting Holdings, Inc.)
HC2 Broadcasting Holdings Inc., ("HC2B" and together with its subsidiaries, "HC2 Broadcasting"), a majority-owned subsidiary of HC2 Holdings, Inc., is an owner and operator of broadcast TV stations throughout the U.S. and an avenue for high-end content providers to deliver their product OTA to more homes and, ultimately, mobile devices. HC2 Broadcasting’s stations are interconnected to an internet protocol network backbone, which allows HC2 Broadcasting to monitor and operate the stations remotely, resulting in significant cost efficiencies.
As of December 31, 2020, HC2 Broadcasting operated approximately 221 stations, including 6 Full-Power stations, 49 Class A stations and 166 LPTV stations. HC2 Broadcasting stations are collectively able to broadcast over 1,500 sub-channels and reach 94 markets in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, including 34 of the top 35 markets. HC2B has approximately 100 stations concentrated in the top 35 markets. HC2 Broadcasting also owns approximately 200 construction permits for broadcast stations, a portion of which are expected to be selectively built and licensed over the next 24 months, increasing HC2 Broadcasting’s footprint to approximately 130 markets.
HC2 Broadcasting includes Azteca America,. Azteca America airs Spanish language programming targeting U.S. Hispanics. The majority of the network’s programming is provided by TV Azteca, S.A.B. de C.V. ("TV Azteca"), Mexico’s second largest broadcast network, under a multi-year Programming Licensing Agreement ("PLA"). As of December 31, 2020, Azteca America was carried on approximately 85 HC2 Broadcasting stations. HC2 Broadcasting has employees in the U.S. and contracted employees in Mexico under a Broadcast Services Agreement ("BSA") with TV Azteca dedicated to the operations of Azteca America.
Operating Broadcast Stations
Below are HC2 Broadcasting’s operating stations as of December 31, 2020, listed by call sign and market rank:
Market Market
Rank (a)
Station Service
New York, NY 1 WTXX-LD Full-Power Station (b)
WKOB-LD LPTV Station
W02CY-D LPTV Station
Los Angeles, CA 2 KSKJ-CD Class A Station
KHIZ-LD LPTV Station
Chicago, IL 3 WPVN-CD Class A Station
W31EZ-D LPTV Station
Philadelphia, PA 4 WPSJ-CD Class A Station
WZPA-LD LPTV Station
WDUM-LD LPTV Station
W25FG-LD LPTV Station
Dallas - Ft. Worth, TX 5 KNAV-LP LPTV Station
KODF-LD LPTV Station
KHPK-LD LPTV Station
K07AAD-D LPTV Station
KPFW-LD LPTV Station
KJJM-LD LPTV Station
San Francisco - Oakland - San Jose, CA 6 KEMO-TV Full-Power Station
KQRO-LD LPTV Station
Houston, TX 8 KUGB-CD Class A Station
KUVM-CD Class A Station
KUVM-LD LPTV Station
KEHO-LD LPTV Station
KBMN-LD LPTV Station
Boston, MA 9 WLEK-LD LPTV Station
Atlanta, GA 10 WYGA-CD Class A Station
WDWW-LD LPTV Station
WUEO-LD LPTV Station
WUVM-LP LPTV Station
Phoenix - Prescott, AZ 11 KPDF-CD Class A Station
K18JL-D LPTV Station
KTVP-LD LPTV Station
Tampa - St Petersburg - Sarasota, FL 12 WXAX-CD Class A Station
WTAM-LD LPTV Station
W16DQ-D LPTV Station
W15CM-D LPTV Station
Seattle, WA 13 KUSE-LD LPTV Station
Detroit, MI 14 WDWO-CD Class A Station
WUDL-LD LPTV Station
Minneapolis - St. Paul, MN 15 K33LN-D Class A Station
KJNK-LD LPTV Station
KMBD-LD LPTV Station
KMQV-LD LPTV Station
KWJM-LD LPTV Station
K28PQ-D LPTV Station
Miami - Ft. Lauderdale, FL 16 W16CC-D LPTV Station
Denver, CO 17 KRDH-LD LPTV Station
Orlando - Daytona Beach - Melbourne, FL 18 WATV-LD LPTV Station
WFEF-LD LPTV Station
Cleveland - Akron - Canton, OH 19 WUEK-LD LPTV Station
WQDI-LD LPTV Station
KONV-LD LPTV Station
WEKA-LD LPTV Station
Sacramento - Stockton - Modesto, CA 20 KBTV-CD Class A Station
KFTY-LD LPTV Station
KFMS-LD LPTV Station
KAHC-LD LPTV Station
K04QR-D LPTV Station
KFKK-LD LPTV Station
KBIS-LD LPTV Station
K12XJ-D LPTV Station
Charlotte, NC 21 W15EB-D Class A Station
WHEH-LD LPTV Station
WVEB-LD LPTV Station
Portland, OR 22 KOXI-CD Class A Station
St. Louis, MO 23 K25NG-D Class A Station
KBGU-LD LPTV Station
WODK-LD LPTV Station
KPTN-LD LPTV Station
W09DL-D LPTV Station
WLEH-LD LPTV Station
Pittsburgh, PA 24 WWKH-CD Class A Station
WJMB-CD Class A Station
WMVH-CD Class A Station
WWLM-CD Class A Station
WKHU-CD Class A Station
Indianapolis, IN 25 WUDZ-LD LPTV Station
WSDI-LD LPTV Station
WQDE-LD LPTV Station
Baltimore, MD 26 WQAW-LP LPTV Station
Raleigh - Durham - Fayetteville, NC 27 WIRP-LD LPTV Station
WNCB-LD LPTV Station
Nashville, TN 28 WCTZ-LD LPTV Station
WKUW-LD LPTV Station
San Diego, CA 29 KSKT-CD Class A Station
Salt Lake City, UT 30 KPNZ Full-Power Station
KBTU-LD LPTV Station
San Antonio, TX 31 KVDF-CD Class A Station
K17MJ-D LPTV Station
KSAA-LP LPTV Station
KOBS-LD LPTV Station
KISA-LD LPTV Station
KSSJ-LD LPTV Station
Kansas City, MO 32 KAJF-LD LPTV Station
KCMN-LD LPTV Station
KQML-LD LPTV Station
Hartford - New Haven, CT 33 WRNT-LD LPTV Station
Columbus, OH 34 WDEM-CD Class A Station
Milwaukee, WI 35 WTSJ-LD LPTV Station
West Palm Beach - Ft. Pierce, FL 36 WWCI-CD Class A Station
WDOX-LD LPTV Station
WXOD-LD LPTV Station
Las Vegas, NV 39 KNBX-CD Class A Station
KHDF-CD Class A Station
K36NE-D Class A Station
KEGS-LD LPTV Station
KVPX-LD LPTV Station
Austin, TX 40 KGBS-CD Class A Station
KVAT-LD LPTV Station
Jacksonville, FL 41 WODH-LD LPTV Station
WKBJ-LD LPTV Station
WRCZ-LD LPTV Station
WJXE-LD LPTV Station
Oklahoma City, OK 43 KOHC-CD Class A Station
KTOU-LD LPTV Station
KBZC-LD LPTV Station
Birmingham - Anniston - Tuscaloosa, AL 44 WUOA-LD LPTV Station
Albuquerque - Santa Fe, NM 46 KWPL-LD LPTV Station
KQDF-LP LPTV Station
New Orleans, LA 50 WTNO-LP Class A Station
WQDT-LD LPTV Station
Buffalo, NY 52 WVTT-CD Class A Station
WWHC-LP LPTV Station
Ft. Myers - Naples, FL 53 WGPS-LD LPTV Station
Richmond - Petersburg, VA 54 WUDW-LD LPTV Station
WFWG-LD LPTV Station
WWBK-LD LPTV Station
Fresno - Visalia, CA 55 K17JI-D Class A Station
KZMM-CD Class A Station
Mobile, AL - Pensacola, FL 57 WWBH-LP LPTV Station
WEDS-LD LPTV Station
Tulsa, OK 58 KZLL-LD LPTV Station
KUOC-LD LPTV Station
Little Rock - Pine Bluff, AR 62 KWMO-LD LPTV Station
KENH-LD LPTV Station
K23OW-D LPTV Station
Des Moines - Ames, IA 68 KAJR-LD LPTV Station
KRPG-LD LPTV Station
KCYM-LD LPTV Station
Omaha, NE 71 KAJS-LD LPTV Station
KQMK-LD LPTV Station
Wichita - Hutchinson, KS 72 KFVT-LD LPTV Station
Springfield, MO 73 KFKY-LD LPTV Station
KCNH-LD LPTV Station
Charleston - Huntington, WV 74 WOCW-LD LPTV Station
Rochester - Mason City - Austin, NY 76 WGCE-CD Class A Station
Flint - Saginaw - Bay City, MI 77 W35DQ-D LPTV Station
WFFC-LD LPTV Station
Huntsville - Decatur - Florence, AL 78 W34EY-D Class A Station
Madison, WI 81 W23BW-D Class A Station
WZCK-LD LPTV Station
Waco - Temple - Bryan, TX 82 KZCZ-LD LPTV Station
KAXW-LD LPTV Station
Harlingen - Weslaco - Brownsville - McAllen, TX 83 KRZG-CD Class A Station
KAZH-LP LPTV Station
KNWS-LP LPTV Station
Paducah, KY - Cape Girardeau, MO - Harrisburg, IL 84 W29CI-D Class A Station
Champaign - Springfield - Decatur, IL 88 W23EW-D LPTV Station
WCQA-LD LPTV Station
Savannah, GA 89 WUET-LD LPTV Station
WDID-LD LPTV Station
Cedar Rapids - Waterloo - Iowa City, IA 90 KWKB Full-Power Station
KFKZ-LD LPTV Station
Charleston, SC 91 WBSE-LD LPTV Station
Chattanooga, TN 92 WYHB-CD Class A Station
Baton Rouge, LA 94 K29LR-D LPTV Station
K27NB-D LPTV Station
South Bend - Elkhart, IN 98 KPDS-LD LPTV Station
Ft. Smith - Fayetteville - Springdale - Rogers, AR 101 KFLU-LD LPTV Station
KAJL-LD LPTV Station
Boise, ID 102 K31FD-D Class A Station
KFLL-LD LPTV Station
KBKI-LD LPTV Station
Augusta, GA - Aiken, SC 108 WIEF-LD LPTV Station
Ft. Wayne, IN 110 WFWC-CD Class A Station
WCUH-LD LPTV Station
WODP-LD LPTV Station
W25FH-D LPTV Station
W30EH-D LPTV Station
Tyler - Longview- Nacogdoches, TX 114 KCEB Full-Power Station
KPKN-LD LPTV Station
KDKJ-LD LPTV Station
KBJE-LD LPTV Station
KKPD-LD LPTV Station
Yakima - Pasco - Richland - Kennewick, WA 118 K33EJ-D Class A Station
Macon, GA 119 W28EU-D LPTV Station
Montgomery - Selma, AL 122 WQAP-LD LPTV Station
WDSF-LD LPTV Station
Lafayette, LA 123 K21OM-D LPTV Station
Bakersfield, CA 125 KTLD-CD Class A Station
KXBF-LD LPTV Station
Santa Barbara - San Luis Obispo, CA 126 KSBO-CD Class A Station
KQMM-CD Class A Station
KVMM-CD Class A Station
KDFS-CD Class A Station
KLDF-CD Class A Station
KZDF-LP LPTV Station
Wilmington, NC 127 WQDH-LD LPTV Station
Corpus Christi, TX 128 KYDF-LD LPTV Station
K21OC-D LPTV Station
K32OC-D LPTV Station
KCCX-LD LPTV Station
Columbus, GA - Opelika - Auburn, AL 130 W29FD-D LPTV Station
Amarillo, TX 132 KAUO-LD LPTV Station
KLKW-LD LPTV Station
Palm Springs, CA 141 K21DO-D Class A Station
Lubbock, TX 142 K24GP LPTV Station
KNKC-LD LPTV Station
Topeka, KS 144 K35KX-D LPTV Station
Joplin, MO - Pittsburg, KS 153 KRLJ-LD LPTV Station
KPJO-LD LPTV Station
Biloxi-Gulfport, MS 155 W33EG-D LPTV Station
Quincy, IL - Hannibal, MO - Keokuk, IA 174 WVDM-LD LPTV Station
Jackson, TN 176 WYJJ-LD LPTV Station
Bowling Green, KY 177 WKUT-LD LPTV Station
WCZU-LD LPTV Station
Puerto Rico NA WOST Full-Power Station
WQQZ-CD Class A Station
W20EJ-D LPTV Station
WWKQ-LD LPTV Station
W27DZ-D LPTV Station
(a) Rankings are based on the relative size of a station’s Designated Market Area ("DMA") among the 210 generally recognized DMAs in the United States as estimated by Nielsen Media Research (Nielsen) as of December 31, 2020.
(b) WTXX-LD is an LPTV license broadcasting on full-power station WEDW, pursuant to a channel-sharing agreement. The station is currently broadcasting from Stamford, CT. A DTS installation is underway that will enable the station to broadcast from Manhattan, NY.
Broadcast Operations
HC2 Broadcasting carries more than 70 networks on its stations, distributing content across the U.S. Broadcasting provides free OTA programming to television viewing audiences in the communities it serves. The programming Broadcasting distributes includes networks targeting shopping, weather, sports and entertainment programming, as well as religious networks and networks targeting select ethnic groups.
Revenues
Broadcast station revenue is generated primarily from the sale of television airtime in return for a fixed fee or a portion of the related ad sales. In a typical broadcast station revenue agreement, the owner of a station makes available, for a fee, airtime on a station subchannel to a third party. The third party broadcasts during that airtime and collects revenue from advertising aired during such content. Broadcast station revenue is recognized over the life of the contract. The fees charged can be fixed or variable and the contracts that the Company enters into are generally short-term in nature. Variable fees are usage/sales-based and are recognized as revenue when the subsequent usage occurs.
Network advertising revenue is generated primarily from the sale of television airtime for advertisements or paid programming. Network advertising inventory is sold in the upfront and scatter markets and is offered at market rates, based on a number of factors such as available inventory, network programming and ratings, and economic conditions. In the upfront market, advertisers buy advertising time for the upcoming season. In the scatter market, advertisers buy advertising time close to when the commercials will be run and varies quarter over quarter. In some cases, the network advertising sales are subject to impressions guarantees that require the Company to provide additional advertising time if the guaranteed audience levels are not achieved. Network advertising revenue is recognized when advertising spots are aired, and as impression guarantees, if any, are achieved. Impressions are defined as the number of times that an advertisement is viewed by users. The achievement of performance guarantees is based on audience viewership from an independent research company. If there is a guarantee to deliver a targeted audience number of impressions, revenues are recognized based on the proportion of the audience impressions delivered to the total guaranteed in the contract.
For the local inventory the Company sells national spot advertising and local advertising. National spot advertising represents time sold to advertisers that advertise in more than one DMA. Local advertising revenue is generated from local merchants and service providers. National and local advertising spots are generally sold without guaranteed ratings, and revenue is recognized when spots are aired.
Network distribution revenue consists of fees charged and payments received from cable, satellite and other multiple video program distribution (“MVPD”) systems for their retransmission of our network content. The Company’s network is aired on MVPDs pursuant to multi-year carriage agreements that provide for the level of carriage that the Company’s network will receive. Carriage of the network is generally determined by package, such as whether the network is included in the more widely distributed, general entertainment packages offered or lesser-distributed, specialized packages, such as U.S. Hispanic-targeted or Spanish language package. Network distribution revenue is determined on the contractual rate-per-subscriber negotiated in the agreements, the average number of subscribers that receive content, and the market demand for the content that the Company provides. Network distribution fees received from MVPDs are recognized as revenue in the period that services are provided.
Strategy
HC2 Broadcasting’s strategy includes the following initiatives:
•HC2 Broadcasting is principally designed to be a nationwide OTA distribution platform, targeting the growing number of OTA households in the U.S.;
•HC2 Broadcasting's vision is to capitalize on the opportunities to bring valuable content to more viewers over-the-air and to position itself for the changing media landscape and to take advantage of the technology advances rapidly underway in the industry.
•As of December 31, 2020, 203 operating stations are connected to HC2 Broadcasting's cloud-based IP backbone, can be operated and monitored remotely, allowing for substantial cost savings and operating efficiencies. In 2018, FCC deregulation in TV broadcasting has eliminated the need for full time employees and studio facilities in markets where HC2 Broadcasting operates Full-Power and Class A stations, thus allowing HC2 Broadcasting to operate these stations remotely at greater cost efficiency;
•HC2 Broadcasting's major focus is to attract the highest quality content providers looking for nationwide distribution. With its national footprint and cloud-based infrastructure, HC2 Broadcasting also expects to realize premium pricing for content distribution;
•HC2 Broadcasting's growing revenue source is from providing national carriage to content providers. Pricing carriage contracts is in part determined by the signal contour of the broadcast station and the number of OTA TV households in a given market, as well as market supply and demand; and,
•As an anchor network tenant, Azteca America is distributed on the HC2 Broadcasting platform in 60+ markets.
New Broadcast TV Technology: ATSC 3.0
In 2017, the FCC approved ATSC 3.0, next generation broadcast standards defining how television signals are broadcast and interpreted. ATSC 3.0 is an enhancement to previous broadcast standards, providing enhanced picture and audio quality, mobility, addressability, increased capacity, and IP connectivity. ATSC 3.0 will offer a platform to merge linear programming and non-TV data services alongside OTA and over-the-top ("OTT"). Among the many emerging opportunities will be hyper-local news, weather, and traffic; dynamic ad insertion; geographic and demographic targeted advertising; customizable content; better measurement and analytics; the ability to share data with devices connected to the Internet; flexibility to add streams as needed; an ultra-high definition picture quality with enhanced immersive audio; and connectivity to automobiles. In addition, ATSC 3.0 will provide new emergency capabilities including advanced alerting functions which can relay evacuation routes and device wake-up features. Many of these features will be available to mobile devices.
Employees
As of December 31, 2020, HC2 Broadcasting employed approximately 58 people across the U.S.
See Note 22. Operating Segment and Related Information for additional detail regarding our Segment's operations and financial information.
Insurance Segment (Continental Insurance Group Ltd.)
CIG currently provides long-term care, life, annuity, and other accident and health coverage to approximately 124,000 individuals through CGI. The benefits provided by CIG's insurance operations help protect policy and certificate holders from the financial hardships associated with illness, injury, loss of life, or income discontinuation.
CIG has a concentrated focus on long-term care insurance and is committed to the continued delivery of best-practice services as established by CIG’s insurance operations to its policy and certificate holders. Through investments in technology, a commitment to attracting, developing and retaining best-in-class insurance professionals, a dedication to continuing process improvements, and a focus on strategic growth, we believe CIG is well equipped to maintain and improve the level of service provided to its customers and assume a leading role in the long-term care industry.
CIG’s plan is to leverage its existing platform and industry expertise to identify strategic growth opportunities for managing closed blocks of long-term care business. Growth opportunities are expected to come from:
•Future acquisitions of long-term care businesses and/or closed blocks of long-term care policies;
•Reinsurance arrangements;
•Third party administration arrangements; and
•Strategically diversifying into other product lines.
Products
Long-Term Care Insurance
CIG's long-term care insurance products pay a benefit that is either a specified daily indemnity amount or reimbursement of actual charges up to a daily maximum for long-term care services provided in the insured’s home or in assisted living or nursing facilities. Benefits begin after a waiting period, usually 90 days or less, and are generally paid for a period of three years, six years, or the policy holder's lifetime.
Substantially all of the in-force long-term care insurance policies were sold after 1995, with all sales then being discontinued in January 2010. Policies were issued in all states except for New York, with Texas being the largest issue state with approximately 20% of the business. The existing block of policies includes both individual and group products, but all individuals were individually underwritten. CIG's long-term care insurance products were sold on a guaranteed renewable basis which allows us to re-price in-force policies, subject to regulatory approval. Profitability of CIG's long-term care block is affected by premium rate increases, persistency, investment returns, claims experience, and the level of administrative expenses. As part of CIG's strategy for its long-term care insurance business, management has been implementing, and expects to continue to pursue, significant premium rate increases on its blocks of business as actuarially justified. Premium rates vary by age and are based on assumptions concerning morbidity, mortality, persistency, administrative expenses, and investment yields. CIG develops its assumptions based on its own claims and persistency experience and published industry tables.
Life Insurance and Annuities
CIG's life insurance products include Traditional, Term, Universal, and Interest Sensitive Life Insurance. Its annuity products include Flexible and Single Premium Deferred Annuities. CIG's life insurance business provides a personal financial safety net for individuals and their families. These products provide protection against financial hardship after the death of an insured. Some of these products also offer a savings element that can help accumulate funds to meet future financial needs. Annuities are long-term retirement saving instruments that benefit from income accruing on a tax-deferred basis. The issuer of the annuity collects premiums, credits interest or earnings on the policy and pays out a benefit upon death, surrender or annuitization. All life insurance and annuity products are closed to new business. The life insurance products were issued with both full and simplified underwriting.
Other Accident & Health
CIG’s accident and health products, other than Long-Term Care Insurance, include accidental death, accidental death and dismemberment disability income, hospital expense, hospital indemnity, and major medical individual insurance policies. These products provide from partial reimbursement to full reimbursement of covered medical and related expenses. All products were sold prior to the introduction of the Affordable Care Act and these product lines are closed to new business. If not otherwise exempted from the requirements of the Affordable Care Act, the policies are grandfathered under the Affordable Care Act and not subject to the requirements of the Affordable Care Act. A limited number of these policies were guaranteed issued, although the majority of the policies were issued with individual underwriting.
Customers
CIG's long-term care insurance policies were marketed and sold to individuals between 1986 and 2010 for the purpose of providing defined levels of protection against the significant and escalating costs of long-term care services provided in the insured’s home or in assisted living or nursing facilities. Though CIG no longer actively markets new insurance products, it continues to service and receive net renewal premiums on its in-force Long-Term Care, Life, Annuity, and Other Accident & Health blocks for approximately 124,000 lives.
Employees and Operations
As of December 31, 2020, CIG employed 144 people, the majority of whom are employed on a salaried basis with some on an hourly basis. Besides eleven remote employees working in various states, all other employees typically work out of the home office located in Austin, Texas. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most employees are working remotely with the exception of certain essential workers remaining in the home office. CIG considers its relations with its employees to be satisfactory and has never experienced a work stoppage or other labor disturbance. All operating centers maintain a cost effective and efficient operating model.
Administrative Services Agreement
On December 24, 2015, an Administrative Services Agreement (the "Administrative Services Agreement") was entered into with Great American, pursuant to which Great American Life Insurance Company ("GALIC") agreed to continue to administer the Insurance Company’s life and annuity businesses for a period of no less than five years. Effective July 1, 2019, the Insurance Company and GALIC entered into Amendment No. 1 to Administrative Services Agreement which removed the five-year duration clause effectively extending the duration of the Administrative Services Agreement.
The KIC acquisition included the assumption of numerous existing, or the establishment of new, third party administrator ("TPA") agreements to continue to provide services and perform processes critical (actuarial, claims processing, rate increase work etc.) to KIC’s ability to continue producing outputs. The majority of KIC’s insurance contracts are currently administered by these TPAs. CIG has assumed the administration for the KIC Life and Annuity blocks previously administered by one of these TPAs.
Reinsurance
CIG reinsures through cession agreements a significant portion of its insurance business with unaffiliated reinsurers. In a reinsurance transaction, a reinsurer agrees to indemnify another insurer for part or all of its liability under a policy or policies it has issued for an agreed upon premium. CIG participates in reinsurance cession activities in order to minimize exposure to significant risks, limit losses, and provide additional capacity for future growth. CIG also obtains reinsurance to meet certain capital requirements.
Under the terms of the reinsurance agreements, the reinsurer agrees to reimburse CIG for the ceded amount in the event a claim is paid. Cessions under reinsurance agreements do not discharge CIG's obligations as the primary insurer. If the assuming reinsurer in a reinsurance agreement is unable to meet its obligations, CIG remains contingently liable. In the event that reinsurers do not meet their obligations under the terms of the reinsurance agreement, reinsurance recoverable balances could become uncollectible. CIG evaluates the financial condition of reinsurers to whom CIG cedes business and monitors concentration of credit risk to minimize our exposure. CIG may also require acceptable collateral to support reinsurance recoverable balances. The collectability of CIG’s reinsurance recoverable is primarily a function of the solvency of the individual reinsurers. Although CIG has controls to minimize its exposure, the insolvency of a reinsurer or the inability or unwillingness of a reinsurer to comply with the terms of a reinsurance contract could have a material adverse effect on CIG’s results of operations. CIG has various quota share reinsurance agreements in place for its long-term care business, with ceded reinsurance totaling $524 million in active life reserves and $125 million in disabled life reserves. Amounts recoverable from reinsurers are estimated in a manner consistent with the gross liability associated with the reinsured policy.
Reserves for Policy Contracts and Benefits
The applicable insurance laws under which insurance companies operate require that they report, as liabilities, policy reserves to meet future obligations on their outstanding policies. These reserves are the amounts which, with the additional premiums to be received and interest thereon compounded annually at certain assumed rates, are calculated to be sufficient to meet the various policy and contract obligations as they mature. These laws specify that the reserves shall not be less than reserves calculated using certain specified mortality and morbidity tables, interest rates, and methods of valuation required for statutory accounting.
CIG calculates reserves in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("U.S. GAAP"), which calculations can differ from those specified by the laws of the various states and reported in the statutory financial statements. These differences result from the use of mortality and morbidity tables and interest assumptions which CIG believes are more representative of the expected experience for these policies than those required for statutory accounting purposes and also result from differences in actuarial reserving methods.
The assumptions CIG uses to calculate its reserves are intended to represent an estimate of experience for the period that policy benefits are payable. If actual experience is more favorable than our reserve assumptions, then reserves should be adequate to provide for future benefits and expenses. If experience is less favorable than the reserve assumptions, additional reserves may be required. The key experience assumptions include claim incidence rates, claim resolution rates, mortality and morbidity rates, policy persistency, interest rates, crediting spreads, and premium rate increases. CIG periodically reviews its experience and updates its policy reserves and reserves for all claims incurred, as it believes appropriate.
The statements of income include the annual change in reserves for future policy and contract benefits. The change reflects a normal accretion for premium payments and interest buildup and decreases for policy terminations such as lapses, deaths, and benefit payments. If policy reserves using best estimate assumptions as of the date of a test for loss recognition are higher than existing policy reserves net of any deferred acquisition costs, the increase in reserves necessary to recognize the deficiency is also included in the change in reserves for future policy and contract benefits.
For further discussion of reserves, refer to the risks related to the Insurance Segment within "Risk Factors" contained herein in Item 1A, the discussion of the Insurance segment operating results included in "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" contained herein in Item 7, and Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies and Note 13. Life, Accident and Health Reserves of the "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements."
Investments
CIG manages its cash and invested assets using an approach that is intended to balance quality, diversification, asset/liability matching, liquidity needs and investment return. The goals of the investment process are to optimize after-tax, risk-adjusted investment income and after-tax, risk-adjusted total return while managing the assets and liabilities on a cash flow and duration basis. CIG’s liabilities are primarily supported by investments in investment grade, fixed maturity securities reflected on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets.
The Company filed an Investment Management Agreement Form D application with the Texas Department of Insurance ("TDOI") to appoint CIG, an affiliate, as investment manager, effective April 1, 2020. The TDOI issued a “no action” letter dated May 14, 2020 with respect to the April 1, 2020 Investment Management Agreement. The CGIC Board of Directors has approved the extension of the current IMA for a six month period and notification has been given to the TDOI on February 26, 2021. The TDOI responded on March 1, 2021 expressing no concern with the extension request.
CIG entered into a new Investment Management Agreement with Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (“GSAM”) dated December 23, 2020 to begin providing services no earlier than January 1, 2021. Approximately one-third of the portfolio will be managed by GSAM while the remaining two-thirds remains with the affiliate investment manager, CIG.
Regulation
CIG's insurance company subsidiary is subject to regulations in the jurisdictions where it does business. In general, the insurance laws of the various states establish regulatory agencies with broad administrative powers governing, among other things, premium rates, solvency standards, licensing of insurers, agents and brokers, trade practices, forms of policies, maintenance of specified reserves and capital for the protection of policyholders, deposits of securities for the benefit of policyholders, investment activities and relationships between insurance subsidiaries and their parents and affiliates. Material transactions between insurance subsidiaries and their parents and affiliates generally must receive prior approval of the applicable insurance regulatory authorities and be disclosed. In addition, while differing from state to state, these regulations typically restrict the maximum amount of dividends that may be paid by an insurer to its stockholders in any twelve-month period without advance regulatory approval. Such limitations are generally based on net earnings or statutory surplus.
Our insurance subsidiary is examined periodically by its state of domicile and by other states in which it is licensed to conduct business. The domestic examinations have traditionally emphasized financial matters from the perspective of protection of policyholders, but they can and have covered other subjects that an examining state may be interested in reviewing, such as market conduct issues. Examinations in other states more typically focus on market conduct, such as a review of sales practices, including the content and use of advertising materials and the licensing and appointing of agents and brokers, as well as underwriting, claims, and customer service practices, and identification and handling of unclaimed property to determine compliance with state laws. Our insurance subsidiary is also subject to assessments by state insurance guaranty associations to cover the proportional cost of insolvent or failed insurers. Financial impact of annual guaranty assessments for CGI has not been material.
The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (the "Dodd-Frank Act"), among other things, established a Federal Insurance Office ("FIO") within the U.S. Treasury. The Dodd-Frank Act requires the promulgation of regulations for the FIO to carry out its mandate to focus on systemic risk oversight. The FIO gathered information regarding the insurance industry and submitted a report to Congress in December 2013. The report concluded that a hybrid approach to regulation, involving a combination of state and federal government action, could improve the U.S. insurance system by attaining uniformity, efficiency and consistency, particularly with respect to solvency and market conduct regulation. The FIO has issued additional reports since that time on various aspects of the insurance sector and insurance regulation. We cannot predict the extent to which any of these matters might result in changes to the current state-based system of insurance industry regulation or ultimately impact the Company’s operations.
Risk-based capital ("RBC') standards for U.S. life insurance companies are prescribed by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners ("NAIC"). The domiciliary state of our insurance subsidiary has adopted a version of the NAIC RBC for Insurers Model Act, which prescribes a system for assessing the adequacy of statutory capital and surplus for all life and health insurers. The basis of the system is a risk-based formula that applies prescribed factors to the various risk elements in a life and health insurer's business to report a minimum capital requirement proportional to the amount of risk assumed by the insurer. The life and health RBC formula is designed to measure annually (i) the risk of loss from asset defaults and asset value fluctuations, (ii) the risk of loss from adverse mortality and morbidity experience, (iii) the risk of loss from mismatching of asset and liability cash flow due to changing interest rates, and (iv) business risks. The formula is used as an early warning tool to identify companies that are potentially inadequately capitalized. The formula is intended to be used as a regulatory tool only and is not intended as a means to rank insurers generally. The RBC ratio for our insurance subsidiary remains in line with our expectations and is significantly above the level that would require state regulatory action. The NAIC has also issued a proposal to implement a new and more granular RBC structure for fixed income asset capital charges. The proposed structure will expand the fixed income asset designations from six to 20 categories and will revise factor values. The new structure related to fixed income assets is not in effect as of December 31, 2020. CIG will continue to monitor the NAIC's activities on this issue.
Competition
CIG competes with financial services firms with respect to the acquisition of insurance companies and/or blocks of insurance businesses through merger, stock purchase, or reinsurance transactions or otherwise.
Environmental Regulation and Laws
Our operations and properties, including those of DBMG, are subject to a wide variety of increasingly complex and stringent foreign, federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations, including those concerning emissions into the air, discharge into waterways, generation, storage, handling, treatment and disposal of waste materials and health and safety of employees. Sanctions for noncompliance may include revocation of permits, corrective action orders, administrative or civil penalties and criminal prosecution. Some environmental laws provide for strict, joint and several liability for remediation of spills and other releases of hazardous substances, as well as damage to natural resources. In addition, companies may be subject to claims alleging personal injury or property damage as a result of alleged exposure to hazardous substances. These laws and regulations may also expose us to liability for the conduct of or conditions caused by others, or for our acts that were in compliance with all applicable laws at the time such acts were performed.
Compliance with federal, state and local provisions regulating the discharge of materials into the environment or relating to the protection of the environment has not had a material impact on our capital expenditures, earnings or competitive position. Based on our experience to date, we do not currently anticipate any material adverse effect on our business or consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows as a result of future compliance with existing environmental laws and regulations. However, future events, such as changes in existing laws and regulations or their interpretation, more vigorous enforcement policies of regulatory agencies, or stricter or different interpretations of existing laws and regulations, may require additional expenditures by us, which may be material. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that we will not incur significant environmental compliance costs in the future.
Corporate Information
HC2, a Delaware corporation was incorporated in 1994. The Company’s executive offices are located at 450 Park Avenue, 29th Floor, New York, NY, 10022. The Company’s telephone number is (212) 235-2690. Our Internet address is www.hc2.com. We make available free of charge through our Internet website our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). The information on our website is not a part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
The information required by this item relating to our executive officers, directors and code of conduct is set forth in Item 10. Information relating to our Audit Committee and Audit Committee Financial Expert will be set forth in our 2021 Proxy Statement under the Caption "Board Committees" and is incorporated herein by reference.

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Summary of Risk Factors
Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. These risks are discussed more fully below and include, but are not limited to, the following, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows:
Risks Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic
•The COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on our liquidity, business, financial condition and results of operations.
Risks Related to Our Businesses
•The ability of our subsidiaries to make distributions, our principal source of revenue
•Our levels of indebtedness, financing arrangements and other obligations
•Restrictive covenants in our debt and preferred stock instruments
•Ability to meet working capital requirements
•Dependence on key personnel and ability to attract and retain skilled personnel
•Any identified material weaknesses in our internal controls
•Foreign exchange rate volatility
•Changes in United States trade policy
•Impact of competition on our business
•Impact of any potential future acquisitions and ability to manage future growth and the incurrence of substantial costs in connection with acquisitions
•Cyber-attacks and other privacy or data security incidents
•Stability and security of our information technology systems
•Ability to fully utilize net operating loss and other tax carryforwards
•Presentation of corporate opportunities by certain current and former directors and officers and the impact of related party transactions
•Our status as a non-investment company
•Impact of potential litigation
•Deterioration of global economic conditions and the impact of operating globally
•Impact of Brexit
•Compliance costs related to our acquired businesses
•Ability of our development stage companies to produce revenues or income
•Adverse tax impact of our acquisitions or dispositions
•Lack of sole control in joint venture investments
•Ability to protect our intellectual property
•Potential dilution of our current stockholders
•Status as a “smaller reporting company”
•Impact of our recently reconstituted board and change in management
Risks Related to the Infrastructure segment
•Unpredictability in timing of DBMG’s construction contracts and payments thereunder
•Impact of construction contract pricing terms, including fixed-price and cost-plus pricing
•Termination or cancellation of construction projects
•Increased concentration of construction projects in backlog
•Ability to realize revenue value reported in backlog
•Ability to meet contractual schedule or performance requirements
•Modification or termination of government contracts
•Reliability of subcontractors and third-party vendors
•Volatility in the supply and demand for steel and steel components
•Dependability of steel component suppliers
•Intense competition in construction markets
•Ability of customers to receive applicable regulatory and environmental approvals
•Impact of failure to obtain or maintain required licenses
•Impact of bonding and letter of credit capacity
•Variability in liquidity over time
•Exposure to professional liability, product liability, warranty and other claims
•Impact of environmental compliance costs
•Labor disruptions that would interfere with operations.
•Ability to maintain safe work environment
Risks related to our Spectrum segment
•Effectiveness of our operations in a highly competitive market
•Impact of FCC regulations, including with respect to broadcasting licenses, or Congressional legislation
Risks Related to the Insurance Segment
•Ability to attract and retain quality personnel
•Variability of statutory capital required to be held
•Ability of management to make good assumptions and accurate estimates
•Variability in timing and amount of policy claims
•Inability to increase premiums on in-force long-term care insurance policies
•Impact of legal restrictions and regulations
•Adverse developments for our reinsurers
•Impact of assumptions on fair value and future performance of investments from actual experience.
•Interest rate fluctuations
•Impact of financial disintermediation
•Impact of credit spreads
•Ability to successfully diversify investment portfolio
•Impact of any potential litigation or law enforcement or regulatory investigations
•Dependence on the performance of others under the Administrative Services Agreement
•Availability of growth capital
•Impact of evolving accounting rules
•Any catastrophes, pandemics and malicious and terrorist acts
•Impact of decreases in the fair value of fixed maturity securities
•Unanticipated increases in policyholder withdrawals or surrenders
Risk Factors
The following risk factors and the forward-looking statements elsewhere herein should be read carefully in connection with evaluating the business of the Company and its subsidiaries. A wide range of events and circumstances could materially affect our overall performance, the performance of particular businesses and our results of operations, and therefore, an investment in us is subject to risks and uncertainties. In addition to the important factors affecting specific business operations and the financial results of those operations identified elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, the following important factors, among others, could adversely affect our operations. While each risk is described separately below, some of these risks are interrelated and it is possible that certain risks could trigger the applicability of other risks described below. Also, the risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones that we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us, or that are currently deemed immaterial, could also potentially impair our overall performance, the performance of particular businesses and our results of operations. These risk factors may be amended, supplemented or superseded from time to time in filings and reports that we file with the SEC in the future.
To the extent that the COVID-19 pandemic adversely affects the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and liquidity, it may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in this “Risk Factors” section, such as those relating to the Company’s level of indebtedness, its ability to comply with the financial covenants contained in the agreements that govern the Company’s indebtedness and volatility of the Company’s common stock price.
Risks Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Our business, operating results and financial condition may be adversely impacted by COVID-19.
We are monitoring and continue to assess the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our businesses and operations. We operate in a number of industries and geographies that are expected to be impacted materially by the COVID-19 pandemic. The scope of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and its related economic impact on our businesses depends on many factors beyond our control, and the effects are difficult to assess or predict with meaningful precision both generally and specifically as to our businesses. While the full extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic may adversely impact our results is uncertain, the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic may be material to our businesses.
The pandemic has resulted in a widespread health crisis that is adversely affecting the economies and financial markets of many countries. During the COVID-19 pandemic and even after it has subsided, the Company may continue to experience adverse impacts to the Company’s business as a result of the pandemic’s global economic impact, including any recession, economic downturn, government spending cuts, tightening of credit markets or increased unemployment that has occurred or may occur in the future, which could cause our ultimate customers and potential customers to postpone or reduce spending on our products or put downward pressure on prices. In addition, the illness, incapacitation or death due to COVID-19 of any key personnel of our businesses can have a material impact on our financial condition and results of operations.
Many governments have implemented policies intended to stop or slow the further spread of COVID-19, such as shelter-in-place orders, travel bans, declarations of states of emergency, business closures, manufacturing and other commercial restrictions and closure of schools and non-essential businesses, and these measures may remain in place for a significant period of time.
The Company’s top priority is to protect our employees and their families, and those of the Company’s customers. The Company is taking precautionary measures as directed by health authorities and the local government, including changing operational procedures as necessary, providing additional protective gear and cleaning to protect them, which has resulted and may continue to result in disruptions to and increased costs of the Company’s operations.
Individually and collectively, the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic could adversely impact the Company's business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and liquidity. The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic ultimately impacts the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, and liquidity may differ from management’s current estimates due to inherent uncertainties regarding the duration and further spread of the outbreak, its severity, actions taken to contain the virus or treat its impact, and how quickly and to what extent normal economic and operating conditions can resume.
Infrastructure Segment
DBMG is dependent on its workforce to carry out its services. Developments resulting from governmental responses to COVID-19, such as social distancing and shelter-in-place directives, have impacted, and will continue to impact, DBMG’s ability to deploy its workforce in its facilities and project sites efficiently. The nature of DBMG’s business does not permit alternative workforce arrangements in its facilities and project sites such as remote work schemes to be implemented effectively, and as a result of potential workforce disruptions, DBMG may experience delays or suspensions of projects. During the year ended December 31, 2020, $19.4 million COVID-19 related expenses were incurred. DBMG may also experience disruptions in the supply chain depending on the spread of COVID-19 and related governmental orders. These delays, suspensions, and impacts to supply chain, may negatively impact DBMG’s results of operations, cash flows or financial condition. likely will cause the timing of revenue and possibly impact earnings and backlog. Persistent delays, suspensions or cancellations of projects under contract may occur while governments implement policies designed to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Any such
continued loss or suspension of projects under contract may negatively impact the DBMG’s results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.
Life Sciences Segment
Our Life Sciences segment may be adversely disrupted by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, requirements to implement COVID-19 operational measures at clinical trial sites may result in clinical studies in some locations being delayed. Such delays may slow progress towards regulatory clearances and approval of our products in the U.S. and globally. In addition, stay-in-place orders of governmental authorities have impacted the ability of our employees to continue to conduct research and development activities despite our work-from-home policies. Disruptions in our labor force and in the labor force of our suppliers may also lead to delays in our manufacturing scale up, which in turn could result in delays in our product launch plans and ultimate customer adoption of our products. In the event that we are unable to achieve anticipated regulatory clearances or commence certain clinical trials in a timely manner due to the ongoing pandemic, we could fail to achieve the final milestones under our stock purchase agreements with Hangzhou Huasheng Investment Management Co., Ltd. (“Hangzhou”) which in turn could result in Hangzhou determining not to purchase the final $15.0 million of preferred stock for MediBeacon, and our inability to continue our operations.
The ultimate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the business operations of our Life Science segment is highly uncertain and subject to change and will depend on future developments, which cannot be accurately predicted, including the duration of the pandemic, additional or modified government actions, new information that will emerge concerning the severity and impact of COVID-19 and the actions taken to contain or address its impact in the short and long term, among others.
Spectrum Segment
Our Spectrum segment has been, and may continue to be, impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in numerous ways. Spectrum is dependent on advertising revenue, and numerous advertisers have reduced or suspended their purchase of television advertising time, primarily due to the cessation of local consumer business activity mandated by state governors. Many of the top industries that are heavy television advertisers have suffered from these business shut downs, including the significant industry sectors relating to travel, entertainment and theme parks, auto sales, all consumer retail, casual dining and quick serve restaurants. We may also be indirectly impacted by the slow-down in television advertising by our spectrum lease clients. These clients pay us lease fees to air their programming on our television stations, and many of them rely on advertising revenue from those television stations to pay such spectrum lease fees. Losses in our clients’ advertising revenue could expose us to consequential loss of broadcast station revenue.
In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed down our ability to build out our additional television stations. Illness, social distancing, and other pandemic-related precautions have resulted in equipment delivery delays and labor shortages, including the availability of tower crews, an already limited, highly-specialized and thinly-stretched work force necessary to install our broadcast antennas and related equipment. We depend on operational stations for our revenue, and delays in completing our station builds will directly result in delays in monetizing those stations.
Our ability to refinance our short term debt may be compromised to the extent COVID-19 disrupts our access to the high-yield debt markets.
Insurance Segment
Our Insurance segment may incur increased losses under insurance policies that it has written including group life insurance, individual life insurance, and annuities, which may result in increased death claims due to COVID-19 mortality. Our Insurance segment has not written or does not retain any risk for workers’ compensation, short-term disability, general liability, surety, director and officer liability, and employment practices liability which are key insurance liabilities that may be directly impacted by COVID-19.
Our Insurance segment does not actively issue or market new policies, therefore there is no potential disruptions to brokers or agents that would have an impact on operations.
In addition, our insurance segment relies on timely collections of premiums due from our customers. Regulatory requirements applicable to our Insurance segment to extend premium grace periods (e.g., FL Memorandum OIR - 20-04M), potential delays in obtaining rate increase approvals for the long-term care liabilities, and increased demands for cash surrender values for life and annuity liabilities may negatively impact our cash flows and result of operations.
Risks Related to Our Businesses
HC2 is a holding company and its only material assets are its cash in hand, equity interests in its operating subsidiaries and its other investments. As a result, HC2’s principal source of revenue and cash flow is distributions from its subsidiaries and its subsidiaries may be limited by law and by contract in making distributions to HC2.
As a holding company, HC2's assets are its cash and cash equivalents, the equity interests in its subsidiaries and other investments. As of December 31, 2020, we had $27.5 million in cash and cash equivalents at the corporate level at HC2.
HC2’s principal source of revenue and cash flow is distributions from its subsidiaries. Thus, its ability to service its debt, including the $340.4 million in aggregate principal amount of 11.50% Senior Secured Notes due 2021 (the "Secured Notes"), $55.0 million aggregate principal amount of 7.5% convertible senior notes due 2022 (the "Convertible Notes"), and $15.0 million secured revolving credit agreement (the “Revolving Credit Agreement”), and to finance future acquisitions, is dependent on the ability of its subsidiaries to generate sufficient net income and cash flows to make upstream cash distributions to HC2. HC2’s subsidiaries are separate legal entities, and although they may be wholly-owned or controlled by HC2, they have no obligation to make any funds available to HC2, whether in the form of loans, dividends, distributions or otherwise. The ability of HC2’s subsidiaries to distribute cash to it are and will remain subject to, among other things, restrictions that are contained in its subsidiaries’ financing agreements, availability of sufficient funds and applicable state laws and regulatory restrictions. For instance, each of DBMG is a borrower under credit facilities that restrict their ability to make distributions or loans to HC2. Specifically, DBMG is party to credit agreements that include certain financial covenants that can limit the amount of cash available to make upstream dividend payments to HC2. For additional information, See Item 7 "Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of operations - Liquidity and Capital Resources."
Claims of creditors of our subsidiaries generally will have priority as to the assets of such subsidiaries over our claims and claims of our creditors and stockholders. To the extent the ability of HC2’s subsidiaries to distribute dividends or other payments to HC2 could be limited in any way, our ability to grow, pursue business opportunities or make acquisitions that could be beneficial to our businesses, or otherwise fund and conduct our business could be materially limited. In addition, if HC2 depends on distributions and loans from its subsidiaries to make payments on HC2’s debt, and if such subsidiaries were unable to distribute or loan money to HC2, HC2 could default on its debt, which would permit the holders of such debt to accelerate the maturity of the debt which may also accelerate the maturity of other debt of ours with cross-default or cross-acceleration provisions.
To service our indebtedness and other obligations, we will require a significant amount of cash.
Our ability to generate cash depends on many factors beyond our control, and any failure to meet our debt service obligations, including under our outstanding indebtedness, and our obligations under our outstanding shares of preferred stock, could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our ability to make payments on and to refinance our indebtedness and outstanding preferred stock and to fund working capital needs and planned capital expenditures will depend on our ability to generate cash in the future. This, to a certain extent, is subject to general economic, financial, competitive, business, legislative, regulatory and other factors that are beyond our control. For a description of our and our subsidiaries indebtedness, see Item 7 "Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and Note 14. Debt Obligations, of the "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements."
If our business does not generate sufficient cash flow from operations or if future borrowings are not available to us in an amount sufficient to enable us and our subsidiaries to pay our indebtedness or make mandatory redemption payments with respect to our outstanding shares of preferred stock, or to fund our other liquidity needs, we may need to refinance all or a portion of our indebtedness or redeem the preferred stock, on or before the maturity thereof, sell assets, reduce or delay capital investments or seek to raise additional capital, any of which could have a material adverse effect on us.
In addition, we may not be able to effect any of these actions, if necessary, on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Our ability to restructure or refinance our indebtedness or redeem the preferred stock will depend on the condition of the capital markets and our financial condition at such time. Any refinancing of our debt or financings related to the redemption of our preferred stock could be at higher interest rates and may require us to comply with more onerous covenants, which could further restrict our business operations. The terms of existing or future debt instruments or preferred stock may limit or prevent us from taking any of these actions. In addition, any failure to make scheduled payments of interest and principal on our outstanding indebtedness or dividend payments on our outstanding shares of preferred stock would likely result in a reduction of our credit rating, which could harm our ability to incur additional indebtedness or otherwise raise capital on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Our inability to generate sufficient cash flow to satisfy our debt service and other obligations, or to refinance or restructure our obligations on commercially reasonable terms or at all, would have an adverse effect, which could be material, on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The agreements governing our indebtedness and Certificate of Designations for our outstanding shares of preferred stock contain various covenants that limit our discretion in the operation of our business and/or require us to meet financial maintenance tests and other covenants. The failure to comply with such tests and covenants could have a material adverse effect on us.
The agreements governing our indebtedness and the Certificate of Designations for our outstanding shares of preferred stock contain, and any of our other future financing agreements may contain, covenants imposing operating and financial restrictions on our businesses.
The indenture governing the Secured Notes dated November 20, 2018, by and among HC2, the guarantors party thereto and U.S. Bank National Association, a national banking association ("U.S. Bank"), as trustee (the "Secured Indenture"), and the separate indenture governing the Convertible Notes dated November 20, 2018, between HC2 and U.S. Bank, as trustee (the "Convertible Indenture"), contain, and any future indentures may contain various covenants, including those that restrict our ability to, among other things, the ability of the Company, and, in certain cases, the Company’s subsidiaries, to incur additional indebtedness; create liens; engage in sale-leaseback transactions; pay dividends or make distributions in respect of capital stock; make certain restricted payments; sell assets; engage in transactions with affiliates; or consolidate or merge with, or sell substantially all of its assets to, another person.
The debt facilities at our subsidiaries contain similar covenants applicable to each respective subsidiary. These covenants may limit our ability to effectively operate our businesses. For example, DBMG has an indemnity agreement with its surety bond provider that also contains covenants on retention of capital and working capital requirements for DBMG, which may limit the amount of dividends DBMG may pay to its stockholders.
In addition, the Secured Indenture requires that we meet certain financial tests, including a collateral coverage ratio and minimum liquidity test. Our ability to satisfy these tests may be affected by factors and events beyond our control, and we may be unable to meet such tests in the future.
Any failure to comply with the restrictions in the agreements governing our indentures, or any agreement governing other indebtedness we could incur, may result in an event of default under those agreements. Such default may allow the creditors to accelerate the related debt, which acceleration may trigger cross-acceleration or cross-default provisions in other debt. If any of these risks were to occur, our business and operations could be materially and adversely affected.
The Certificates of Designation provide the holders of our preferred stock with consent and voting rights with respect to certain of the matters referred to above, in addition to certain corporate governance rights. These restrictions may interfere with our ability to obtain financings or to engage in other business activities, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and operations.
We have significant indebtedness and other financing arrangements and could incur additional indebtedness and other obligations, which could adversely affect our business and financial condition.
We have a significant amount of indebtedness and outstanding shares of preferred stock. As of December 31, 2020, our total outstanding indebtedness was $561.5 million and the accrued value of our outstanding preferred stock was $26.5 million inclusive of shares held by our Insurance Company which are eliminated in consolidation. We may not generate enough cash flow to satisfy our obligations under such indebtedness and other arrangements. This significant amount of indebtedness poses risks such as risk of inability to repay such indebtedness, as well as:
•increased vulnerability to general adverse economic and industry conditions;
•higher interest expense if interest rates increase on our floating rate borrowings are not effective to mitigate the effects of these increases;
•our Secured Notes are secured by substantially all of HC2’s assets and those of certain of HC2’s subsidiaries that have guaranteed the Secured Notes, including certain equity interests in our other subsidiaries and other investments, as well as certain intellectual property and trademarks, and those assets cannot be pledged to secure other financings;
•certain assets of our subsidiaries are pledged to secure their indebtedness, and those assets cannot be pledged to secure other financings;
•our having to divert a significant portion of our cash flow from operations to payments on our indebtedness and other arrangements, thereby reducing the availability of cash to fund working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, investments and other general corporate purposes;
•limiting our ability to obtain additional financing, on terms we find acceptable, if needed, for working capital, capital expenditures, expansion plans and other investments, which may limit our ability to implement our business strategy;
•limiting our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our businesses and the markets in which we operate or to take advantage of market opportunities; and
•placing us at a competitive disadvantage compared to our competitors that have less debt and fewer other outstanding obligations.
In addition, it is possible that we may need to incur additional indebtedness or enter into additional financing arrangements in the future in the ordinary course of business. The terms of the Secured Indenture and our subsidiaries’ other financing arrangements allow us to incur additional debt and issue additional shares of preferred stock, subject to certain limitations. If additional indebtedness is incurred or equity is issued, the risks described above could intensify. In addition, our inability to maintain certain leverage ratios could result in acceleration of a portion of our debt obligations and could cause us to be in default if we are unable to repay the accelerated obligations.
We have experienced significant historical, and may experience significant future, operating losses and net losses, which may hinder our ability to meet working capital requirements or service our indebtedness, and we cannot assure you that we will generate sufficient cash flow from operations to meet such requirements or service our indebtedness.
We cannot assure you that we will recognize net income in future periods. If we cannot generate net income or sufficient operating profitability, we may not be able to meet our working capital requirements or service our indebtedness. Our ability to generate sufficient cash for our operations will depend upon, among other things, the future financial and operating performance of our operating business, which will be affected by prevailing economic and related industry conditions and financial, business, regulatory and other factors, many of which are beyond our control. We recognized net loss attributable to HC2 of $92.0 million in 2020 and net loss attributable to HC2 of $31.5 million in 2019, and have incurred net losses in prior periods.
We cannot assure you that our business will generate cash flow from operations in an amount sufficient to fund our liquidity needs. If our cash flows and capital resources are insufficient, we may be forced to reduce or delay capital expenditures, sell assets and/or seek additional capital or financings. Our ability to obtain future financings will depend on the condition of the capital markets and our financial condition at such time. Any financings could be at high interest rates and may require us to comply with covenants in addition to, or more restrictive than, covenants in our current financing documents, which could further restrict our business operations. In the absence of such operating results and resources, we could face substantial liquidity problems and might be required to dispose of material assets or operations to meet our obligations. We may not be able to consummate those dispositions for fair market value or at all. Furthermore, any proceeds that we could realize from any such disposition may not be adequate to meet our obligations. We recognized cash flows from operating activities of $41.7 million in 2020 and $110.7 million in 2019.
We are dependent on Wayne Barr, Jr., our President and Chief Executive Officer, and certain other key personnel, the loss or distraction of whom may adversely affect our financial condition or results of operations.
We believe that the future success of HC2 and its operating subsidiaries depends and will depend to a significant extent upon the performance of Wayne Barr, Jr., our President and Chief Executive Officer ("CEO"), who has served as a director of HC2 since January 2014, as Lead Director during March 2020, as interim CEO from June 2020 to November 2020 and as President and CEO of HC2 since November 2020, as well as the services of other key personnel at HC2 and its operating subsidiaries, which may consist of a relatively small number of individuals that possess sales, marketing, engineering, financial, technical and other skills that are critical to the operation of our businesses. The executive management teams that lead our subsidiaries are also highly experienced and possess extensive skills in their relevant industries. The ability to retain key personnel is important to our success and future growth. Competition for these professionals can be intense, and we may not be able to retain and motivate our existing officers and senior employees, and continue to compensate such individuals competitively. The unexpected loss of the services of one or more of these individuals, whether due to competition, distraction caused by personal matters or otherwise, could have a detrimental effect on the financial condition or results of operations of our businesses, and could hinder the ability of such businesses to effectively compete in the various industries in which we operate.
We and our subsidiaries may not be able to attract and/or retain additional skilled personnel.
We may not be able to attract new personnel, including management and technical and sales personnel, necessary for future growth, or replace lost personnel. In particular, the activities of some of our operating subsidiaries, such as CGI, require personnel with highly specialized skills. Competition for the best personnel in our businesses can be intense. Our financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected if we are unable to attract and/or retain qualified personnel.
We may identify material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting which could adversely affect our ability to report our financial condition and results of operations in a timely and accurate manner.
A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. As of December 31, 2020 and 2019, management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective.
In future periods, if the process required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, (the "Sarbanes-Oxley Act") reveals or we otherwise identify one or more material weaknesses or significant deficiencies, the correction of any such material weakness or significant deficiency could require additional remedial measures including additional personnel which could be costly and time-consuming. If a material weakness exists as of a future period year-end (including a material weakness identified prior to year-end for which there is an insufficient period of time to evaluate and confirm the effectiveness of the corrections or related new procedures), our management will be unable to report favorably as of such future period year-end to the effectiveness of our control over financial reporting. If we are unable to assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective in any future period, we could lose investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, which could have an adverse effect on the trading price of our common stock and potentially subject us to additional and potentially costly litigation and governmental inquiries/investigations.
Fluctuations in the exchange rate of the U.S. dollar and in foreign currencies may adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.
We conduct various operations outside the United States. As a result, we face exposure to movements in currency exchange rates. These exposures include but are not limited to:
•re-measurement gains and losses from changes in the value of foreign denominated assets and liabilities;
•translation gains and losses on foreign subsidiary financial results that are translated into U.S. dollars, our functional currency, upon consolidation; and
•planning risk related to changes in exchange rates between the time we prepare our annual and quarterly forecasts and when actual results occur.
Because we face significant competition for acquisition and business opportunities, including from numerous companies with a business plan similar to ours, it may be difficult for us to fully execute our business strategy. Additionally, our subsidiaries also operate in highly competitive industries, limiting their ability to gain or maintain their positions in their respective industries.
We expect to encounter intense competition for acquisition and business opportunities from both strategic investors and other entities having a business objective similar to ours, such as private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), blank check companies, and other entities, domestic and international, competing for the type of businesses that we may acquire. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources, or more local industry knowledge, or greater access to capital, than we do, and our financial resources may be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. These factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully completing future acquisitions and investments.
In addition, while we believe that there are numerous target businesses that we could potentially acquire or invest in, our ability to compete with respect to the acquisition of certain target businesses that are sizable will be limited by our available financial resources. We may need to obtain additional financing in order to consummate future acquisitions and investment opportunities and cannot assure you that any additional financing will be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all, or that the terms of our existing financing arrangements will not limit our ability to do so. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing acquisition and investment opportunities.
Furthermore, our subsidiaries also face competition from both traditional and new market entrants that may adversely affect them as well, as discussed below in the risk factors related to DBMG, HC2 Broadcasting, and the Insurance Company,.
We may be required to expend substantial sums in order to bring the companies we have acquired or may acquire in the future, into compliance with the various reporting requirements applicable to public companies and/or to prepare required financial statements, and such efforts may harm our operating results or be unsuccessful altogether.
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires our management to assess the effectiveness of the internal control over financial reporting for the companies we acquire and our external auditor to attest to, and report on the internal control over financial reporting, for these companies. In order to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, we will need to implement or enhance internal control over financial reporting at acquired companies and evaluate the internal controls. We do not conduct a formal evaluation of companies’ internal control over financial reporting prior to an acquisition. We may be required to hire additional staff and incur substantial costs to implement the necessary new internal controls at the companies we acquire. Any failure to implement required internal controls, or difficulties encountered in their implementation, could harm our operating results or increase the risk of material weaknesses in internal controls, which could, if not remediated, adversely affect our ability to report our financial condition and results of operations in a timely and accurate manner.
Future acquisitions or business opportunities could involve unknown risks that could harm our business and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
We are a diversified holding company that owns interests in a number of different businesses. We have in the past, and intend in the future, to acquire businesses or make investments, directly or indirectly through our subsidiaries, that involve unknown risks, some of which will be particular to the industry in which the investment or acquisition targets operate, including risks in industries with which we are not familiar or experienced. There can be no assurance our due diligence investigations will identify every matter that could have a material adverse effect on us or the entities that we may acquire. We may be unable to adequately address the financial, legal and operational risks raised by such investments or acquisitions, especially if we are unfamiliar with the relevant industry, which can lead to significant losses on material investments. The realization of any unknown risks could expose us to unanticipated costs and liabilities and prevent or limit us from realizing the projected benefits of the investments or acquisitions, which could adversely affect our financial condition and liquidity. In addition, our financial condition, results of operations and the ability to service our debt may be adversely impacted depending on the specific risks applicable to any business we invest in or acquire and our ability to address those risks.
We rely on information systems to conduct our businesses, and failure to protect these systems against security breaches and otherwise to implement, integrate, upgrade and maintain such systems in working order could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.
The efficient operation of our businesses is dependent on computer hardware and software systems. For instance, HC2 and its subsidiaries rely on information systems to process customer orders, manage inventory and accounts receivable collections, purchase products, manage accounts payable processes, track costs and operations, maintain client relationships and accumulate financial results. Information technology security threats - from user error to cybersecurity attacks designed to gain unauthorized access to our systems, networks and data - are increasing in frequency and sophistication. Cybersecurity attacks may range from random attempts to coordinated and targeted attacks, including sophisticated computer crime and advanced persistent threats. Cybersecurity attacks could also include attacks targeting sensitive data or the security, integrity and/or reliability of the hardware and software installed in products we use. We treat such cybersecurity risks seriously given these threats pose a risk to the security of our systems and networks and the confidentiality, availability and integrity of our data. We devote resources to maintain and regularly update our systems and processes that are designed to protect the security of our computer systems, software, networks and other technology assets against attempts by unauthorized parties to obtain access to confidential information, destroy data, disrupt or degrade service, sabotage systems or cause other damage, and we have implemented certain review and approval procedures internally and with our banks; and have implemented system-wide changes. Despite our implementation of industry-accepted security measures and technology, our information systems are vulnerable to and have been in the past subject to computer viruses, malicious codes, unauthorized access, phishing efforts, denial-of-service attacks and other cyber attacks and we expect to be subject to similar attacks in the future as such attacks become more sophisticated and frequent. Although to date, such attacks have not had a material impact on our financial condition, results of operations or liquidity, there can be no assurance that our cyber-security measures and technology will adequately protect us from these and other risks, including internal and external risks such as natural disasters and power outages and internal risks such as insecure coding and human error. Attacks perpetrated against our information systems could result in loss of assets and critical information, theft of intellectual property or inappropriate disclosure of confidential information and could expose us to remediation costs and reputational damage. In addition, the unexpected or sustained unavailability of the information systems or the failure of these systems to perform as anticipated for any reason, including cyber-security attacks and other intentional hacking, could subject us to legal claims if there is loss, disclosure or misappropriation of or access to our customers’ information and could result in service interruptions, safety failures, security violations, regulatory compliance failures, an inability to protect information and assets against intruders, sensitive data being lost or manipulated and could otherwise disrupt our businesses and result in decreased performance, operational difficulties and increased costs, any of which could adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition or liquidity.
We intend to increase our operational size in the future, and may experience difficulties in managing growth.
We have adopted a business strategy that contemplates that we will expand our operations, including future acquisitions or other business opportunities, and as a result, we are required to increase our level of corporate functions, which may include hiring additional personnel to perform such functions and enhancing our information technology systems. Any future growth may increase our corporate operating costs and expenses and impose significant added responsibilities on members of our management, including the need to identify, recruit, maintain and integrate additional employees and implement enhanced informational technology systems. Our future financial performance and our ability to compete effectively will depend, in part, on our ability to manage any future growth effectively.
We may not be able to fully utilize our net operating loss and other tax carryforwards.
Our ability to utilize our net operating loss ("NOL") and other tax carryforward amounts, such as Section 163(j) disallowed interest carryforwards, to reduce taxable income in future years may be limited for various reasons. As a result of the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ("TCJA"), the deduction for NOLs arising in tax years after December 31, 2017, will be limited to 80% of taxable income, although they can be carried forward indefinitely. NOLs that arose prior to the years beginning January 1, 2018 are still subject to the same carryforward periods. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”), enacted in the second quarter of 2020, temporarily reverses or modifies some of the changes made by the TCJA. The CARES Act provides businesses with the ability to amend returns to carry back NOLs and permits such NOLs to fully offset taxable income. In addition, the CARES Act temporarily increases the Section 163(j) limitation.
In addition, our ability to fully utilize these U.S. tax assets can be adversely affected by "ownership changes" within the meaning of Sections 382 and 383 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"). An ownership change is generally defined as a greater than a 50 percentage point increase in equity ownership by "5% shareholders" (as that term is defined for purposes of Sections 382 and 383 of the Code) in any three-year period.
In 2014, substantial acquisitions of our common stock were reported by new beneficial owners on Schedule 13D filings made with the SEC, and we issued shares of our preferred stock, which are convertible into a substantial number of shares of our common stock. During the second quarter of 2014, we completed a Section 382 review. The conclusions of this review indicated that an ownership change had occurred as of May 29, 2014.
As a result of our common stock offering in November 2015 and our purchase of GrayWolf in November 2018, we triggered additional ownership changes, imposing additional limitations on the use of our NOL carryforward amounts. The ownership changes may impact the timing of our ability to use these losses. There can be no assurance that future ownership changes would not further negatively impact our NOL carryforward amounts because any future annual Section 382 limitation will ultimately depend on the value of our equity as determined for these purposes and the amount of unrealized gains immediately prior to such ownership change.
We have restated certain of our financial statements in the past and may be required to do so in the future, which may lead to additional risks and uncertainties, including stockholder litigation and loss of investor confidence.
The preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP involves making estimates, judgments, interpretations and assumptions that affect reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, expenses and income. These estimates, judgments, interpretations and assumptions are often inherently imprecise or uncertain, and any necessary revisions to prior estimates, judgments, interpretations or assumptions could lead to a restatement of our financial statements. For example, in March 2016, we restated certain of our historical financial statements. Any such restatement or correction may be highly time consuming, may require substantial attention from management and significant accounting costs, may result in adverse regulatory actions by the SEC or NYSE, may result in stockholder litigation, may cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations, and may cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, leading to a decline in our stock price.
Our officers, directors, stockholders and their respective affiliates may have a pecuniary interest in certain transactions in which we are involved, and may also compete with us.
While we have adopted a code of ethics applicable to our officers and directors reasonably designed to promote the ethical handling of actual or apparent conflicts of interest between personal and professional relationships, we have neither adopted a policy that expressly prohibits our directors, officers, stockholders or affiliates from having a direct or indirect pecuniary interest in any transaction to which we are a party or in which we have an interest nor do we have a policy that expressly prohibits any such persons from engaging for their own account in business activities of the types conducted by us. We have in the past engaged in transactions in which such persons have an interest and, subject to the terms of any applicable covenants in financing arrangements or other agreements we may enter into from time to time, may in the future enter into additional transactions in which such persons have an interest. In addition, such parties may have an interest in certain transactions such as strategic partnerships or joint ventures in which we are involved, and may also compete with us.
In the course of their other business activities, certain of our current and future directors and officers may become aware of business and acquisition opportunities that may be appropriate for presentation to us as well as the other entities with which they are affiliated. Such directors and officers are not required to and may therefore not present otherwise attractive business or acquisition opportunities to us.
Certain of our current and future directors and officers may become aware of business and acquisition opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us as well as the other entities with which they are or may be affiliated. Due to those directors’ and officers’ affiliations with other entities, they may have obligations to present potential business and acquisition opportunities to those entities, which could cause conflicts of interest. Moreover, as permitted by Delaware law, our Certificate of Incorporation contains a provision that renounces our expectation to certain corporate opportunities that are presented to our current and future directors that serve in capacities with other entities. Accordingly, our directors and officers may not present otherwise attractive business or acquisition opportunities to us of which they may become aware.
We may suffer adverse consequences if we are deemed an investment company and we may incur significant costs to avoid investment company status.
We believe we are not an investment company as defined by the Investment Company Act of 1940, and have operated our business in accordance with such view. If the SEC or a court were to disagree with us, we could be required to register as an investment company. This would subject us to disclosure and accounting rules geared toward investment, rather than operating, companies; limit our ability to borrow money, issue options, issue multiple classes of stock and debt, and engage in transactions with affiliates; and require us to undertake significant costs and expenses to meet the disclosure and other regulatory requirements to which we would be subject as a registered investment company.
We are subject to litigation in respect of which we are unable to accurately assess our level of exposure and which, if adversely determined, may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
We are currently, and may become in the future, party to legal proceedings that are considered to be either ordinary or routine litigation incidental to our current or prior businesses or not material to our financial position or results of operations. We also are currently, or may become in the future, party to legal proceedings with the potential to be material to our financial position or results of operations. There can be no assurance that we will prevail in any litigation in which we may become involved, or that our insurance coverage will be adequate to cover any potential losses. To the extent that we sustain losses from any pending litigation which are not reserved or otherwise provided for or insured against, our business, results of operations, cash flows and/or financial condition could be materially adversely affected. See Item 3, "Legal Proceedings."
Deterioration of global economic conditions could adversely affect our business.
The global economy and capital and credit markets have experienced exceptional turmoil and upheaval over the past several years. Many major economies worldwide entered significant economic recessions in recent times and continue to experience economic weakness, with the potential for another economic downturn to occur. Ongoing concerns about the systemic impact of potential long-term and widespread recession and potentially prolonged economic recovery, volatile energy costs, fluctuating commodity prices and interest rates, volatile exchange rates, geopolitical issues, natural disasters and pandemic illness, instability in credit markets, cost and terms of credit, consumer and business confidence and demand, a changing financial, regulatory and political environment, and substantially increased unemployment rates have all contributed to increased market volatility and diminished expectations for many established and emerging economies, including those in which we operate. Furthermore, austerity measures that certain countries may agree to as part of any debt crisis or disruptions to major financial trading markets may adversely affect world economic conditions and have an adverse impact on our business. These general economic conditions could have a material adverse effect on our cash flow from operations, results of operations and overall financial condition.
The availability, cost and terms of credit also have been and may continue to be adversely affected by illiquid markets and wider credit spreads. Concern about the stability of the markets generally, and the strength of counterparties specifically, has led many lenders and institutional investors to reduce credit to businesses and consumers. These factors have led to a decrease in spending by businesses and consumers over the past several years, and a corresponding slowdown in global infrastructure spending.
Continued uncertainty in the U.S. and international markets and economies and prolonged stagnation in business and consumer spending may adversely affect our liquidity and financial condition, and the liquidity and financial condition of our customers, including our ability to access capital markets and obtain capital lease financing to meet liquidity needs.
We are subject to risks associated with our international operations.
We operate in international markets, and may in the future consummate additional investments in or acquisitions of foreign businesses. Our international operations are subject to a number of risks, including:
•political conditions and events, including embargo;
•changing regulatory environments, including as a result of Brexit;
•outbreaks of pandemic diseases or fear of such outbreaks;
•restrictive actions by U.S. and foreign governments;
•the imposition of withholding or other taxes on foreign income, tariffs or restrictions on foreign trade and investment;
•adverse tax consequences;
•limitations on repatriation of earnings and cash;
•currency exchange controls and import/export quotas;
•nationalization, expropriation, asset seizure, blockades and blacklisting;
•limitations in the availability, amount or terms of insurance coverage;
•loss of contract rights and inability to adequately enforce contracts;
•political instability, war and civil disturbances or other risks that may limit or disrupt markets, such as terrorist attacks, piracy and kidnapping;
•fluctuations in currency exchange rates, hard currency shortages and controls on currency exchange that affect demand for our services and our profitability;
•potential noncompliance with a wide variety of anti-corruption laws and regulations, such as the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 (the "FCPA"), and similar non-U.S. laws and regulations, including the U.K. Bribery Act 2010 (the "Bribery Act");
•labor strikes and shortages;
•changes in general economic and political conditions;
•adverse changes in foreign laws or regulatory requirements; and
•different liability standards and legal systems that may be less developed and less predictable than those in the United States.
If we are unable to adequately address these risks, we could lose our ability to operate in certain international markets and our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
The U.S. Departments of Justice, Commerce, Treasury and other agencies and authorities have a broad range of civil and criminal penalties they may seek to impose against companies for violations of export controls, the FCPA, and other federal statutes, sanctions and regulations, including those established by the Office of Foreign Assets Control ("OFAC") and, increasingly, similar or more restrictive foreign laws, rules and regulations. By virtue of these laws and regulations, and under laws and regulations in other jurisdictions, including the European Union and the United Kingdom, we may be obliged to limit our business activities, we may incur costs for compliance programs and we may be subject to enforcement actions or penalties for noncompliance.
In recent years, U.S. and foreign governments have increased their oversight and enforcement activities with respect to these laws and we expect the relevant agencies to continue to increase these activities. A violation of these laws, sanctions or regulations could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
The Company has compliance policies in place for its employees with respect to FCPA, OFAC, the Bribery Act and similar laws. Our operating subsidiaries also have relevant compliance policies in place for their employees, which are tailored to their operations. However, there can be no assurance that our employees, consultants or agents, or those of our subsidiaries or investees, will not engage in conduct for which we may be held responsible. Violations of the FCPA, the Bribery Act, the rules and regulations established by OFAC and other laws, sanctions or regulations may result in severe criminal or civil penalties, and we may be subject to other liabilities, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Furthermore, significant developments stemming from the current U.S. administration's trade policies could have a material adverse effect on us. For example, the administration has expressed a desire to alter existing trade agreements and proposed increases in tariffs on goods imported into the United States, particularly from China.” Further changes in U.S. social, political, regulatory and economic conditions or in laws and policies governing foreign trade, manufacturing, development and investment in the territories and countries where we currently develop and sell products, and any negative sentiments towards the United States as a result of such changes, could adversely affect our business. In addition, negative sentiments towards the United States among non-U.S. customers and among non-U.S. employees or prospective employees could adversely affect sales or hiring and retention, respectively.
We face certain risks associated with the acquisition or disposition of businesses and lack of control over certain of our investments.
In pursuing our corporate strategy, we may acquire, dispose of or exit businesses or reorganize existing investments. The success of this strategy is dependent upon our ability to identify appropriate opportunities, negotiate transactions on favorable terms and ultimately complete such transactions.
In the course of our acquisitions, we may not acquire 100% ownership of certain of our operating subsidiaries or we may face delays in completing certain acquisitions, including in acquiring full ownership of certain of our operating companies. Once we complete acquisitions or reorganizations there can be no assurance that we will realize the anticipated benefits of any transaction, including revenue growth, operational efficiencies or expected synergies. If we fail to recognize some or all of the strategic benefits and synergies expected from a transaction, goodwill and intangible assets may be impaired in future periods. The negotiations associated with the acquisition and disposition of businesses could also disrupt our ongoing business, distract management and employees or increase our expenses.
In addition, we may not be able to integrate acquisitions successfully and we could incur or assume unknown or unanticipated liabilities or contingencies, which may impact our results of operations. If we dispose of or otherwise exit certain businesses, there can be no assurance that we will not incur certain disposition related charges, or that we will be able to reduce overhead related to the divested assets.
In the ordinary course of our business, we evaluate the potential disposition of assets and businesses that may no longer help us meet our objectives or that no longer fit with our broader strategy. For example, our Marine Services segment announced the sale of its stake in Huawei Marine Networks Co., Limited (“HMN”), its 49% joint venture with Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., to Hengtong Optic-Electric Co Ltd. and on March 2, 2020, we announced that a subsidiary of GMH LLC, in which HC2 holds an approximate 73% equity interest, completed the sale of 100% of GMSL to an investment affiliate of J.F. Lehman & Company, LLC. When we decide to sell assets or a business, we may encounter difficulty in finding buyers or alternative exit strategies on acceptable terms in a timely manner, which could delay the accomplishment of our strategic objectives, or we may dispose of a business at a price or on terms which are less than we had anticipated. In addition, there is a risk that we sell a business whose subsequent performance exceeds our expectations, in which case our decision would have potentially sacrificed enterprise value.
In addition to the risks described above, acquisitions are accompanied by a number of inherent risks, including, without limitation, the following:
•the difficulty of integrating acquired products, services or operations;
•difficulties in maintaining uniform standards, controls, procedures and policies;
•the potential impairment of relationships with employees and customers as a result of any integration of new management personnel;
•difficulties in disposing of the excess or idle facilities of an acquired company or business and expenses in maintaining such facilities; and
•the effect of and potential expenses under the labor, environmental and other laws and regulations of various jurisdictions to which the business acquired is subject.
We also own a minority interest in a number of entities, such as MediBeacon and Triple Ring Technologies, Inc., over which we do not exercise, or have only limited, management control and we are therefore unable to direct or manage the business to realize the anticipated benefits that we can achieve through full integration.
We have incurred substantial costs in connection with our prior acquisitions and expect to incur substantial costs in connection with any other transaction we complete in the future, which may increase our indebtedness or reduce the amount of our available cash and could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.
We have incurred substantial costs in connection with our prior acquisitions and expect to incur substantial costs in connection with any other transactions we complete in the future. These costs may increase our indebtedness or reduce the amount of cash otherwise available to us for acquisitions, business opportunities and other corporate purposes. There is no assurance that the actual costs associated with any such acquisitions will not exceed our estimates. Once an acquisition is consummated, we may continue to incur additional material charges reflecting additional costs associated with our investments and the integration of HC2 and our subsidiaries' acquisitions in fiscal quarters subsequent to the quarter in which such investments and acquisitions were consummated.
Our development stage companies may never produce revenues or income.
We have made investments in and own a majority stake in a number of development stage companies, primarily in our Life Sciences segment. Each of these companies is at an early stage of development and is subject to all business risks associated with a new enterprise, including constraints on their financial and personnel resources, lack of established credit, the need to establish meaningful and beneficial vendor and customer relationships and uncertainties regarding product development and future revenues. We anticipate that many of these companies will continue to incur substantial additional operating losses for at least the next several years and expect their losses to increase as research and development efforts expand. There can be no assurance as to when or whether any of these companies will be able to develop significant sources of revenue or that any of their respective operations will become profitable, even if any of them is able to commercialize any products. As a result, we may not realize any returns on our investments in these companies, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition or liquidity.
We could consume resources in researching acquisitions, business opportunities or financings and capital market transactions that are not consummated, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or invest in another business.
We anticipate that the investigation of each specific acquisition or business opportunity and the negotiation, drafting and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents and other instruments with respect to such transaction will require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for financial advisors, accountants, attorneys and other advisors. If a decision is made not to consummate a specific acquisition, business opportunity or financing and capital market transaction, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, even if an agreement is reached relating to a specific acquisition, investment target or financing, we may fail to consummate the investment or acquisition for any number of reasons, including those beyond our control. Any such event could consume significant management time and result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred, which could adversely affect our financial position and our ability to consummate other acquisitions and investments.
There may be tax consequences associated with our acquisition, investment, holding and disposition of target companies and assets.
We may incur significant taxes in connection with effecting acquisitions of, or investments in, holding, receiving payments from, operating or disposing of target companies and assets. Our decision to make a particular acquisition, sell a particular asset or increase or decrease a particular investment may be based on considerations other than the timing and amount of taxes owed as a result thereof. We remain liable for certain tax obligations of certain disposed companies, and we may be required to make material payments in connection therewith.
Our participation in current or any future joint investment could be adversely affected by our lack of sole decision-making authority, our reliance on a partner’s financial condition and disputes between us and the relevant partners.
We have, indirectly through our subsidiaries, formed joint ventures, and may in the future engage in similar joint ventures with third parties. In such circumstances, we may not be in a position to exercise significant decision-making authority if we do not own a substantial majority of the equity interests of such joint venture or otherwise have contractual rights entitling us to exercise such authority. These ventures may involve risks not present were a third party not involved, including the possibility that partners might become insolvent or fail to fund their share of required capital contributions. In addition, partners may have economic or other business interests or goals that are inconsistent with our business interests or goals, and may be in a position to take actions contrary to our policies or objectives. Disputes between us and partners may result in litigation or arbitration that would increase our costs and expenses and divert a substantial amount of management’s time and effort away from our businesses. We may also, in certain circumstances, be liable for the actions of our third-party partners which could have a material adverse effect on us.
We and our subsidiaries rely on trademark, copyright, trade secret, contractual restrictions and patent rights to protect our intellectual property and proprietary rights and if these rights are impaired, then our ability to generate revenue and our competitive position may be harmed.
If we fail to protect our intellectual property rights adequately, our competitors might gain access to our technology, and our business might be harmed. In addition, defending our intellectual property rights might entail significant expense. Any of our trademarks or other intellectual property rights may be challenged by others or invalidated through administrative process or litigation. While we have some U.S. patents and pending U.S. patent applications, we may be unable to obtain patent protection for the technology covered in our patent applications. In addition, our existing patents and any patents issued in the future may not provide us with competitive advantages, or may be successfully challenged by third parties. Furthermore, legal standards relating to the validity, enforceability and scope of protection of intellectual property rights are uncertain. Effective patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret protection may not be available to us in every country in which we operate. The laws of some foreign countries may not be as protective of intellectual property rights as those in the U.S., and mechanisms for enforcement of intellectual property rights may be inadequate. Accordingly, despite our efforts, we may be unable to prevent third parties from infringing upon or misappropriating our intellectual property. In addition, some of our operating subsidiaries may use trademarks which have not been registered and may be more difficult to protect.
We might be required to spend significant resources to monitor and protect our intellectual property rights. We may initiate claims or litigation against third parties for infringement of our proprietary rights or to establish the validity of our proprietary rights. Any litigation, whether or not it is resolved in our favor, could result in significant expense to us and divert the efforts of our technical and management personnel.
We may issue additional shares of common stock or preferred stock, which could dilute the interests of our stockholders and present other risks.
Our certificate of incorporation, as amended (the "Certificate of Incorporation"), authorizes the issuance of up to 160,000,000 shares of common stock and 20,000,000 shares of preferred stock.
As of December 31, 2020, HC2 has 77,836,586 issued and 76,726,835 outstanding shares of its common stock, and 26,500 shares of preferred stock issued and outstanding inclusive of shares held by our Insurance Company which are eliminated in consolidation. However, the Certificate of Incorporation authorizes our board of directors (the "HC2 Board of Directors"), from time to time, subject to limitations prescribed by law and any consent rights granted to holders of outstanding shares of preferred stock, to issue additional shares of preferred stock having rights that are senior to those afforded to the holders of our common stock. We also have reserved shares of common stock for issuance pursuant to our broad-based equity incentive plans, upon exercise of stock options and other equity-based awards granted thereunder, and pursuant to other equity compensation arrangements.
We may issue shares of common stock or additional shares of preferred stock to raise additional capital, to complete a business combination or other acquisition, to capitalize new businesses or new or existing businesses of our operating subsidiaries or pursuant to other employee incentive plans, any of which could dilute the interests of our stockholders and present other risks.
The issuance of additional shares of common stock or preferred stock may, among other things:
•significantly dilute the equity interest and voting power of all other stockholders;
•subordinate the rights of holders of our outstanding common stock and/or preferred stock if preferred stock is issued with rights senior to those afforded to holders of our common stock and/or preferred stock;
•trigger an adjustment to the price at which all or a portion of our outstanding preferred stock converts into our common stock, if such stock is issued at a price lower than the then-applicable conversion price;
•entitle our existing holders of preferred stock to purchase a portion of such issuance to maintain their ownership percentage, subject to certain exceptions;
•call for us to make dividend or other payments not available to the holders of our common stock; and
•cause a change in control of our company if a substantial number of shares of our common stock are issued and/or if additional shares of preferred stock having substantial voting rights are issued.
The issuance of additional shares of common stock or preferred stock, or perceptions in the market that such issuances could occur, may also adversely affect the prevailing market price of our outstanding common stock and impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities.
Conversion of the Convertible Notes will dilute the ownership interest of existing stockholders, including holders who had previously converted their Convertible Notes, or may otherwise depress the market price of our common stock.
The conversion of some or all of HC2's Convertible Notes will dilute the ownership interests of existing stockholders. Any sales in the public market of the shares of our common stock issuable upon such conversion could adversely affect prevailing market prices of our common stock. In addition, the existence of the Convertible Notes may encourage short selling by market participants because the conversion of the notes could be used to satisfy short positions, or anticipated conversion of the notes into shares of our common stock could depress the market price of our common stock.
Future sales of substantial amounts of our common stock by holders of our preferred stock or other significant stockholders may adversely affect the market price of our common stock.
As of December 31, 2020, the holders of our outstanding preferred stock had certain rights to convert their Preferred Stock into approximately 2.6 million shares of our common stock, excluding shares owned by our Insurance Company, which are eliminated in consolidation.
Pursuant to a second amended and restated registration rights agreement, dated January 5, 2015, entered into in connection with the issuance of the preferred stock (the "Registration Rights Agreement"), we have granted registration rights to the purchasers of our preferred stock and certain of their transferees with respect to HC2 common stock held by them and common stock underlying the preferred stock. This Registration Rights Agreement allows these holders, subject to certain conditions, to require us to register the sale of their shares under the federal securities laws. Furthermore, the shares of our common stock held by these holders, as well as other significant stockholders, may be sold into the public market under Rule 144 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
Future sales of substantial amounts of our common stock into the public market whether by holders of the preferred stock, by other holders of substantial amounts of our common stock or by us, or perceptions in the market that such sales could occur, may adversely affect the prevailing market price of our common stock and impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities.
Price fluctuations in our common stock could result from general market and economic conditions and a variety of other factors.
The trading price of our common stock may be highly volatile and could be subject to fluctuations in response to a number of factors beyond our control, including:
•actual or anticipated fluctuations in our results of operations and the performance of our competitors;
•reaction of the market to our announcement of any future acquisitions or investments;
•the public’s reaction to our press releases, our other public announcements and our filings with the SEC;
•changes in general economic conditions;
•outbreaks of pandemic diseases, including coronavirus, or fear of such outbreaks; and
•actions of our equity investors, including sales of our common stock by significant stockholders.
Delaware law and our charter documents contain provisions that could discourage or prevent a potential takeover, even if such a transaction would be beneficial to our stockholders.
Some provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, as well as provisions of Delaware law, may discourage, delay or prevent a merger or acquisition that a stockholder may consider favorable. These include provisions:
•authorizing a board of directors to issue preferred stock;
•prohibiting cumulative voting in the election of directors;
•limiting the persons who may call special meetings of stockholders;
•prohibiting stockholder actions by written consent;
•creating a classified board of directors pursuant to which our directors are elected for staggered three-year terms;
•permitting the board of directors to increase the size of the board and to fill vacancies;
•requiring a super-majority vote of our stockholders to amend our bylaws and certain provisions of our certificate of incorporation; and
•establishing advance notice requirements for nominations for election to the board of directors or for proposing matters that can be acted on by stockholders at stockholder meetings.
We are subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law which limit the right of a corporation to engage in a business combination with a holder of 15 percent or more of the corporation’s outstanding voting securities, or certain affiliated persons. We do not currently have a stockholder rights plan in place.
Although we believe that these charter and bylaw provisions, and provisions of Delaware law, provide an opportunity for the board to assure that our stockholders realize full value for their investment, they could have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control, even under circumstances that some stockholders may consider beneficial.
We are a “smaller reporting company” and we cannot be certain whether the reduced requirements applicable to smaller reporting companies will make our common stock less attractive to investors.
We are a “smaller reporting company” under the rules of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act. As a result, we may choose to take advantage of certain scaled disclosure requirements available specifically to smaller reporting companies. For example, we are not required to provide market risk disclosures, a contractual obligations table in our management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations or selected financial data in our annual report. Additionally, as long as we continue to be a smaller reporting company, we may continue to use reduced compensation disclosure obligations. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the fiscal year following the determination that our public float is $250 million or more measured on the last business day of our second fiscal quarter, or our annual revenues are $100 million or more during the most recently completed fiscal year and our public float is $700 million or more measured on the last business day of our second fiscal quarter.
We cannot predict or otherwise determine if investors will find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on exemptions as a smaller reporting company. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and the price of our common stock may be more volatile.
Actions of activist stockholders, including a proxy contest, could be disruptive and potentially costly and the possibility that activist stockholders may contest, or seek changes that conflict with, our strategic direction could cause uncertainty about the strategic direction of our business. Such actions may also trigger a change in control under certain agreements to which the Company is party, which could materially and adversely affect our business.
Under certain circumstances arising out of, or related to, certain actions of activist stockholders, including a proxy contest or consent solicitation, a change in a majority of our Board of Directors may trigger the requirement that we make an offer to redeem our shares of preferred stock at a price per share of preferred stock, equal to the greater of (i) the accrued value of the preferred stock, plus any accrued and unpaid dividends (to the extent not included in the accrued value of preferred stock), and (ii) the value that would be received if the share of preferred stock were converted into common stock, the occurrence of which could materially and adversely affect our business. In such instance, the Company cannot assure stockholders that it would be able to obtain the financing on commercially reasonable terms (if at all) to fund the offer to redeem all of the preferred stock. If any of these risks were to occur, our business, operating results and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.
Our newly reconstituted Board and change in executive management may not result in growth of our business or enhance stockholder value.
Our executive management team is critical to the overall management of the Company and also plays a key role in maintaining our culture and setting our strategic direction. Recent changes in our executive management team and composition of the Board, and any related speculation and uncertainty regarding our future business strategy and direction, may cause or result in: disruption of our business and operations; difficulty recruiting, hiring, motivating and retaining talented and skilled personnel; departures of other members of management; increased stock price volatility; and difficulty in establishing, maintaining or negotiating business or strategic relationships or transactions. On May 14, 2020, the Company announced a settlement agreement with MG Capital Management, Ltd. to reconstitute the Board as a result of ongoing engagement with stockholders. On June 11, 2020, the Company announced that the Board had appointed Wayne Barr, Jr. as interim Chief Executive Officer. On November 30, 2020 the Company announced that the Board appointed Mr. Barr as permanent Chief Executive Officer effective as of November 25, 2020.
Risks Related to the Infrastructure segment
DBMG’s business is dependent upon major construction contracts, the unpredictable timing of which may result in significant fluctuations in its cash flow due to the timing of receipt of payment under such contracts.
DBMG’s cash flow is dependent upon obtaining major construction contracts primarily from general contractors and engineering firms responsible for commercial and industrial construction projects, such as high- and low-rise buildings and office complexes, hotels and casinos, convention centers, sports arenas, shopping malls, hospitals, dams, bridges, mines and power plants. The timing of or failure to obtain contracts, delays in awards of contracts, cancellations of contracts, delays in completion of contracts, or failure to obtain timely payment from DBMG’s customers, could result in significant periodic fluctuations in cash flows from DBMG’s operations. In addition, many of DBMG’s contracts require it to satisfy specific progress or performance milestones in order to receive payment from the customer. As a result, DBMG may incur significant costs for engineering, materials, components, equipment, labor or subcontractors prior to receipt of payment from a customer. Such expenditures could have a material adverse effect on DBMG’s results of operations, cash flows or financial condition
The nature of DBMG’s primary contracting terms for its contracts, including fixed-price and cost-plus pricing, could have a material adverse effect on DBMG’s results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.
DBMG’s projects are awarded through a competitive bid process or are obtained through negotiation, in either case generally using one of two types of contract pricing approaches: fixed-price or cost-plus pricing. Under fixed-price contracts, DBMG performs its services and executes its projects at an established price, subject to adjustment only for change orders approved by the customer, and, as a result, it may benefit from cost savings but be unable to recover any cost overruns. If DBMG does not execute such a contract within cost estimates, it may incur losses or the project may be less profitable than expected. Historically, the majority of DBMG’s contracts have been fixed-price arrangements. The revenue, cost and gross profit realized on such contracts can vary, sometimes substantially, from the original projections due to a variety of factors, including, but not limited to:
•failure to properly estimate costs of materials, including steel and steel components, engineering services, equipment, labor or subcontractors;
•costs incurred in connection with modifications to a contract that may be unapproved by the customer as to scope, schedule, and/or price;
•unanticipated technical problems with the structures, equipment or systems we supply;
•unanticipated costs or claims, including costs for project modifications, customer-caused delays, errors or changes in specifications or designs, or contract termination;
•changes in the costs of materials, engineering services, equipment, labor or subcontractors;
•changes in labor conditions, including the availability and productivity of labor;
•productivity and other delays caused by weather conditions;
•failure to engage necessary suppliers or subcontractors, or failure of such suppliers or subcontractors to perform;
•difficulties in obtaining required governmental permits or approvals;
•changes in laws and regulations; and
•changes in general economic conditions.
Under cost-plus contracts, DBMG receives reimbursement for its direct labor and material cost, plus a specified fee in excess thereof, which is typically a fixed rate per hour, an overall fixed fee, or a percentage of total reimbursable costs, up to a maximum amount, which is an arrangement that may protect DBMG against cost overruns. If DBMG is unable to obtain proper reimbursement for all costs incurred due to improper estimates, performance issues, customer disputes, or any of the additional factors noted above for fixed-price contracts, the project may be less profitable than expected.
Generally, DBMG’s contracts and projects vary in length from 1 to 24 months, depending on the size and complexity of the project, project owner demands and other factors. The foregoing risks are exacerbated for projects with longer-term durations because there is an increased risk that the circumstances upon which DBMG based its original estimates will change in a manner that increases costs. In addition, DBMG sometimes bears the risk of delays caused by unexpected conditions or events. To the extent there are future cost increases that DBMG cannot recover from its customers, suppliers or subcontractors, the outcome could have a material adverse effect on DBMG’s results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.
Furthermore, revenue and gross profit from DBMG’s contracts can be affected by contract incentives or penalties that may not be known or finalized until the later stages of the contract term. Some of DBMG’s contracts provide for the customer’s review of its accounting and cost control systems to verify the completeness and accuracy of the reimbursable costs invoiced. These reviews could result in reductions in reimbursable costs and labor rates previously billed to the customer.
The cumulative impact of revisions in total cost estimates during the progress of work is reflected in the period in which these changes become known, including, to the extent required, the reversal of profit recognized in prior periods and the recognition of losses expected to be incurred on contracts in progress. Due to the various estimates inherent in DBMG’s contract accounting, actual results could differ from those estimates.
DBMG’s billed and unbilled revenue may be exposed to potential risk if a project is terminated or canceled or if DBMG’s customers encounter financial difficulties.
DBMG’s contracts often require it to satisfy or achieve certain milestones in order to receive payment for the work performed. As a result, under these types of arrangements, DBMG may incur significant costs or perform significant amounts of services prior to receipt of payment. If the ultimate customer does not proceed with the completion of the project or if the customer or contractor under which DBMG is a subcontractor defaults on its payment obligations, DBMG may face difficulties in collecting payment of amounts due to it for the costs previously incurred. If DBMG is unable to collect amounts owed to it, this could have a material adverse effect on DBMG’s results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.
DBMG may be exposed to additional risks as it obtains new significant awards and executes its backlog, including greater backlog concentration in fewer projects, potential cost overruns and increasing requirements for letters of credit, each of which could have a material adverse effect on DBMG’s results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.
As DBMG obtains new significant project awards, these projects may use larger sums of working capital than other projects and DBMG’s backlog may become concentrated among a smaller number of customers. Approximately $141.8 million, representing 35.9%, of DBMG’s backlog at December 31, 2020 was attributable to five contracts, letters of intent, notices to proceed or purchase orders. If any significant projects such as these currently included in DBMG’s backlog or awarded in the future were to have material cost overruns, or be significantly delayed, modified or canceled, DBMG’s results of operations, cash flows or financial position could be adversely impacted.
Moreover, DBMG may be unable to replace the projects that it executes in its backlog. Additionally, as DBMG converts its significant projects from backlog into active construction, it may face significantly greater requirements for the provision of letters of credit or other forms of credit enhancements which exceed its current credit facilities.
We can provide no assurance that DBMG would be able to access such capital and credit as needed or that it would be able to do so on economically attractive terms.
DBMG may not be able to fully realize the revenue value reported in its backlog, a substantial portion of which is attributable to a relatively small number of large contracts or other commitments.
At December 31, 2020, DBMG's backlog was $394.5 million, consisting of $334.9 million under contracts or purchase orders and $59.6 million under letters of intent or notices to proceed. Approximately $141.8 million, representing 35.9% of DBMG’s backlog at December 31, 2020, was attributable to five contracts, letters of intent, notices to proceed or purchase orders. If one or more of these projects terminate or reduce their scope, DBMG’s backlog could decrease substantially.
Commitments may be in the form of written contracts, letters of intent, notices to proceed and purchase orders. New awards may also include estimated amounts of work to be performed based on customer communication and historic experience and knowledge of our customers’ intentions. Backlog consists of projects which have either not yet been started or are in progress but are not yet complete. In the latter case, the revenue value reported in backlog is the remaining value associated with work that has not yet been completed, which increases or decreases to reflect modifications in the work to be performed under a given commitment. The revenue projected in DBMG’s backlog may not be realized or, if realized, may not be profitable as a result of poor contract terms or performance.
Due to project terminations, suspensions or changes in project scope and schedule, we cannot predict with certainty when or if DBMG’s backlog will be performed. From time to time, projects are canceled that appeared to have a high certainty of going forward at the time they were recorded as new awards. In the event of a project cancellation, DBMG typically has no contractual right to the total revenue reflected in its backlog. Some of the contracts in DBMG’s backlog provide for cancellation fees or certain reimbursements in the event customers cancel projects. These cancellation fees usually provide for reimbursement of DBMG’s out-of-pocket costs, costs associated with work performed prior to cancellation, and, to varying degrees, a percentage of the profit DBMG would have realized had the contract been completed. Although DBMG may be reimbursed for certain costs, it may be unable to recover all direct costs incurred and may incur additional unrecoverable costs due to the resulting under-utilization of DBMG’s assets.
DBMG’s failure to meet contractual schedule or performance requirements could have a material adverse effect on DBMG’s results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.
In certain circumstances, DBMG guarantees project completion by a scheduled date or certain performance levels. Failure to meet these schedule or performance requirements could result in a reduction of revenue and additional costs, and these adjustments could exceed projected profit. Project revenue or profit could also be reduced by liquidated damages withheld by customers under contractual penalty provisions, which can be substantial and can accrue on a daily basis. Schedule delays can result in costs exceeding our projections for a particular project. Performance problems for existing and future contracts could cause actual results of operations to differ materially from those previously anticipated and could cause us to suffer damage to our reputation within our industry and our customer base.
DBMG’s government contracts may be subject to modification or termination, which could have a material adverse effect on DBMG’s results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.
DBMG is a provider of services to U.S. government agencies and is therefore exposed to risks associated with government contracting. Government agencies typically can terminate or modify contracts to which DBMG is a party at their convenience, due to budget constraints or various other reasons. As a result, DBMG’s backlog may be reduced or it may incur a loss if a government agency decides to terminate or modify a contract to which DBMG is a party. DBMG is also subject to audits, including audits of internal control systems, cost reviews and investigations by government contracting oversight agencies. As a result of an audit, the oversight agency may disallow certain costs or withhold a percentage of interim payments. Cost disallowances may result in adjustments to previously reported revenue and may require DBMG to refund a portion of previously collected amounts. In addition, failure to comply with the terms of one or more of our government contracts or government regulations and statutes could result in DBMG being suspended or debarred from future government projects for a significant period of time, possible civil or criminal fines and penalties, the risk of public scrutiny of our performance, and potential harm to DBMG’s reputation, each of which could have a material adverse effect on DBMG’s results of operations, cash flows or financial condition. Other remedies that government agencies may seek for improper activities or performance issues include sanctions such as forfeiture of profit and suspension of payments.
In addition to the risks noted above, legislatures typically appropriate funds on a year-by-year basis, while contract performance may take more than one year. As a result, contracts with government agencies may be only partially funded or may be terminated, and DBMG may not realize all of the potential revenue and profit from those contracts. Appropriations and the timing of payment may be influenced by, among other things, the state of the economy, competing political priorities, curtailments in the use of government contracting firms, budget constraints, the timing and amount of tax receipts and the overall level of government expenditures.
DBMG is exposed to potential risks and uncertainties associated with its reliance on subcontractors and third-party vendors to execute certain projects.
DBMG relies on third-party suppliers, especially suppliers of steel and steel components, and subcontractors to assist in the completion of projects. To the extent these parties cannot execute their portion of the work and are unable to deliver their services, equipment or materials according to the agreed-upon contractual terms, or DBMG cannot engage subcontractors or acquire equipment or materials, DBMG’s ability to complete a project in a timely manner may be impacted. Furthermore, when bidding or negotiating for contracts, DBMG must make estimates of the amounts these third parties will charge for their services, equipment and materials. If the amount DBMG is required to pay for third-party goods and services in an effort to meet its contractual obligations exceeds the amount it has estimated, DBMG could experience project losses or a reduction in estimated profit.
Any increase in the price of, or change in supply and demand for, the steel and steel components that DBMG utilizes to complete projects could have a material adverse effect on DBMG’s results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.
The prices of the steel and steel components that DBMG utilizes in the course of completing projects are susceptible to price fluctuations due to supply and demand trends, energy costs, transportation costs, government regulations, duties and tariffs, changes in currency exchange rates, price controls, general economic conditions and other unforeseen circumstances. Although DBMG may attempt to pass on certain of these increased costs to its customers, it may not be able to pass all of these cost increases on to its customers. As a result, DBMG’s margins may be adversely impacted by such cost increases.
DBMG’s dependence on suppliers of steel and steel components makes it vulnerable to a disruption in the supply of its products.
DBMG purchases a majority of the steel and steel components utilized in the course of completing projects from several domestic and foreign steel producers and suppliers. DBMG generally does not have long-term contracts with its suppliers. An adverse change in any of the following could have a material adverse effect on DBMG’s results of operations or financial condition:
•its ability to identify and develop relationships with qualified suppliers;
•the terms and conditions upon which it purchases products from its suppliers, including applicable exchange rates, transport costs and other costs, its suppliers’ willingness to extend credit to it to finance its inventory purchases and other factors beyond its control;
•financial condition of its suppliers;
•political instability in the countries in which its suppliers are located;
•its ability to import products;
•its suppliers’ noncompliance with applicable laws, trade restrictions and tariffs;
•its inability to find replacement suppliers in the event of a deterioration of the relationship with current suppliers; or
•its suppliers’ ability to manufacture and deliver products according to its standards of quality on a timely and efficient basis.
Intense competition in the markets DBMG serves could reduce DBMG’s market share and earnings.
The principal geographic and product markets DBMG serves are highly competitive, and this intense competition is expected to continue. DBMG competes with other contractors for commercial, industrial and specialty projects on a local, regional, or national basis. Continued service within these markets requires substantial resources and capital investment in equipment, technology and skilled personnel, and certain
of DBMG’s competitors have financial and operating resources greater than DBMG. Competition also places downward pressure on DBMG’s contract prices and margins. Among the principal competitive factors within the industry are price, timeliness of completion of projects, quality, reputation, and the desire of customers to utilize specific contractors with whom they have favorable relationships and prior experience.
While DBMG believes that it maintains a competitive advantage with respect to these factors, failure to continue to do so or to meet other competitive challenges could have a material adverse effect on DBMG’s results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.
DBMG’s customers’ ability to receive the applicable regulatory and environmental approvals for projects and the timeliness of those approvals could adversely affect DBMG’s business.
The regulatory permitting process for DBMG’s projects requires significant investments of time and money by DBMG’s customers and sometimes by DBMG. There are no assurances that DBMG’s customers or DBMG will obtain the necessary permits for these projects. Applications for permits may be opposed by governmental entities, individuals or special interest groups, resulting in delays and possible non-issuance of the permits.
DBMG’s failure to obtain or maintain required licenses may adversely affect its business.
DBMG is subject to licensure and holds licenses in each of the states in the United States in which it operates and in certain local jurisdictions within such states. While we believe that DBMG is in material compliance with all contractor licensing requirements in the various jurisdictions in which it operates. The failure to obtain, loss or revocation of any license or the limitation on any of DBMG’s primary services thereunder in any jurisdiction in which it conducts substantial operations could prevent DBMG from conducting further operations in such jurisdiction and have a material adverse effect on DBMG’s results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.
Volatility in equity and credit markets could adversely impact DBMG due to its impact on the availability of funding for DBMG’s customers, suppliers and subcontractors.
Some of DBMG’s ultimate customers, suppliers and subcontractors have traditionally accessed commercial financing and capital markets to fund their operations, and the availability of funding from those sources could be adversely impacted by volatile equity or credit markets. The unavailability of financing could lead to the delay or cancellation of projects or the inability of such parties to pay DBMG or provide needed products or services and thereby have a material adverse effect on DBMG’s results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.
DBMG’s business may be adversely affected by bonding and letter of credit capacity.
Certain of DBMG’s projects require the support of bid and performance surety bonds or letters of credit. A restriction, reduction, or termination of DBMG’s surety bond agreements or letter of credit facilities could limit its ability to bid on new project opportunities, thereby limiting new awards, or to perform under existing awards.
DBMG is vulnerable to significant fluctuations in its liquidity that may vary substantially over time.
DBMG’s operations could require the utilization of large sums of working capital, sometimes on short notice and sometimes without assurance of recovery of the expenditures. Circumstances or events that could create large cash outflows include losses resulting from fixed-price contracts, environmental liabilities, litigation risks, contract initiation or completion delays, customer payment problems, professional and product liability claims and other unexpected costs. There is no guarantee that DBMG’s facilities will be sufficient to meet DBMG’s liquidity needs or that DBMG will be able to maintain such facilities or obtain any other sources of liquidity on attractive terms, or at all.
DBMG’s projects expose it to potential professional liability, product liability, warranty and other claims.
DBMG’s operations are subject to the usual hazards inherent in providing engineering and construction services for the construction of often large commercial industrial facilities, such as the risk of accidents, fires and explosions. These hazards can cause personal injury and loss of life, business interruptions, property damage and pollution and environmental damage. DBMG may be subject to claims as a result of these hazards. In addition, the failure of any of DBMG’s products to conform to customer specifications could result in warranty claims against it for significant replacement or rework costs, which could have a material adverse effect on DBMG’s results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.
Although DBMG generally does not accept liability for consequential damages in its contracts, should it be determined liable, it may not be covered by insurance or, if covered, the dollar amount of these liabilities may exceed applicable policy limits. Any catastrophic occurrence in excess of insurance limits at project sites involving DBMG’s products and services could result in significant professional liability, product liability, warranty or other claims against DBMG. Any damages not covered by insurance, in excess of insurance limits or, if covered by insurance, subject to a high deductible, could result in a significant loss for DBMG, which may reduce its profits and cash available for operations. These claims could also make it difficult for DBMG to obtain adequate insurance coverage in the future at a reasonable cost. Additionally, customers or subcontractors that have agreed to indemnify DBMG against such losses may refuse or be unable to pay DBMG.
DBMG may experience increased costs and decreased cash flow due to compliance with environmental laws and regulations, liability for contamination of the environment or related personal injuries.
DBMG is subject to environmental laws and regulations, including those concerning emissions into the air, discharge into waterways, generation, storage, handling, treatment and disposal of waste materials and health and safety.
DBMG’s fabrication business often involves working around and with volatile, toxic and hazardous substances and other highly regulated pollutants, substances or wastes, for which the improper characterization, handling or disposal could constitute violations of U.S. federal, state or local laws and regulations and laws of other countries, and result in criminal and civil liabilities. Environmental laws and regulations generally impose limitations and standards for certain pollutants or waste materials and require DBMG to obtain permits and comply with various other requirements. Governmental authorities may seek to impose fines and penalties on DBMG, or revoke or deny issuance or renewal of operating permits for failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations. DBMG is also exposed to potential liability for personal injury or property damage caused by any release, spill, exposure or other accident involving such pollutants, substances or wastes. In connection with the historical operation of our facilities, substances which currently are or might be considered hazardous may have been used or disposed of at some sites in a manner that may require us to make expenditures for remediation.
The environmental, health and safety laws and regulations to which DBMG is subject are constantly changing, and it is impossible to predict the impact of such laws and regulations on DBMG in the future. We cannot ensure that DBMG’s operations will continue to comply with future laws and regulations or that these laws and regulations will not cause DBMG to incur significant costs or adopt more costly methods of operation.
Additionally, the adoption and implementation of any new regulations imposing reporting obligations on, or limiting emissions of greenhouse gases from, DBMG’s customers’ equipment and operations could significantly impact demand for DBMG’s services, particularly among its customers for industrial facilities.
Any expenditures in connection with compliance or remediation efforts or significant reductions in demand for DBMG’s services as a result of the adoption of environmental proposals could have a material adverse effect on DBMG’s results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.
DBMG is and will likely continue to be involved in litigation that could have a material adverse effect on DBMG’s results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.
DBMG has been and may be, from time to time, named as a defendant in legal actions claiming damages in connection with fabrication and other products and services DBMG provides and other matters. These are typically claims that arise in the normal course of business, including employment-related claims and contractual disputes or claims for personal injury or property damage which occur in connection with services performed relating to project or construction sites. Contractual disputes normally involve claims relating to the timely completion of projects or other issues concerning fabrication and other products and services DBMG provides. There can be no assurance that any of DBMG’s pending contractual, employment-related personal injury or property damage claims and disputes will not have a material effect on DBMG’s future results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.
Work stoppages, union negotiations and other labor problems could adversely affect DBMG’s business.
A portion of DBMG’s employees are represented by labor unions, and 28% of DBMG’s employees are covered under collective bargaining agreements that expire in less than one year, at which time they will be renegotiated. A lengthy strike or other work stoppage at any of its facilities could have a material adverse effect on DBMG’s business. There is inherent risk that ongoing or future negotiations relating to collective bargaining agreements or union representation may not be favorable to DBMG. From time to time, DBMG also has experienced attempts to unionize its non-union facilities. Such efforts can often disrupt or delay work and present risk of labor unrest.
DBMG’s employees work on projects that are inherently dangerous, and a failure to maintain a safe work site could result in significant losses.
DBMG often works on large-scale and complex projects, frequently in geographically remote locations. Such involvement often places DBMG’s employees and others near large equipment, dangerous processes or highly regulated materials. If DBMG or other parties fail to implement appropriate safety procedures for which they are responsible or if such procedures fail, DBMG’s employees or others may suffer injuries. In addition to being subject to state and federal regulations concerning health and safety, many of DBMG’s customers require that it meet certain safety criteria to be eligible to bid on contracts, and some of DBMG’s contract fees or profits are subject to satisfying safety criteria. Unsafe work conditions also have the potential of increasing employee turnover, project costs and operating costs. The failure to comply with safety policies, customer contracts or applicable regulations could subject DBMG to losses and liability and could result in a variety of administrative, civil and criminal enforcement measures.
Risks related to our Spectrum segment
We may not be able to successfully integrate HC2 Broadcasting's recent acquisitions into our business, or realize the anticipated benefits of these acquisitions.
Following the completion of HC2 Broadcasting’s recent and pending acquisitions, the integration of these businesses into our operations may be a complex and time-consuming process that may not be successful. For example, prior to the completion of HC2 Broadcasting’s acquisition of Azteca America, we did not operate a Spanish-language broadcast network providing original content to the Hispanic audience in the United States. In addition, HC2 Broadcasting’s pending and completed acquisitions during 2020 expanded HC2 Broadcasting's network to 221 operational stations. In addition, Spectrum owns approximately 200 construction permits, allowing for further build-out of coverage across the United States. This may add complexity to effectively overseeing, integrating and operating these assets.
Even if we successfully integrate these assets into our business and operations, there can be no assurance that we will realize the anticipated benefits and operating synergies. The Company's estimates regarding the earnings, operating cash flow, capital expenditures and liabilities resulting from these acquisitions may prove to be incorrect. For example, with any past or future acquisition, there is the possibility that:
•we may not have implemented company policies, procedures and cultures, in an efficient and effective manner;
•we may not be able to successfully reduce costs, increase advertising revenue or audience share;
•we may fail to retain and integrate employees and key personnel of the acquired business and assets;
•our management may be reassigned from overseeing existing operations by the need to integrate the acquired business;
•we may encounter unforeseen difficulties in extending internal control and financial reporting systems at the newly acquired business;
•we may fail to successfully implement technological integration with the newly acquired business or may exceed the capabilities of our technology infrastructure and applications;
•we may not be able to generate adequate returns;
•we may encounter and fail to address risks or other problems associated with or arising from our reliance on the representations and warranties and related indemnities, if any, provided to us by the sellers of acquired companies and assets;
•we may suffer adverse short-term effects on operating results through increased costs and may incur future impairments of goodwill associated with the acquired business;
•we may be required to increase our leverage and debt service or to assume unexpected liabilities in connection with our acquisitions; and
•we may encounter unforeseen challenges in entering new markets in which we have little or no experience.
The occurrence of any of these events or our inability generally to successfully implement our acquisition and investment strategy would have an adverse effect, which could be material, on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our broadcasting business conducted by HC2 Broadcasting operates in highly competitive markets and our ability to maintain market share and generate operating revenues depends on how effectively we compete with existing and new competition.
Spectrum's broadcast stations compete for audiences and advertising revenue with other broadcast stations as well as with other media such as the Internet and radio. HC2 Broadcasting also faces competition from (i) local free over-the-air broadcast television and radio stations; (ii) telecommunication companies; (iii) cable and satellite system operators and cable networks; (iv) print media providers such as newspapers, direct mail and periodicals; (v) internet search engines, internet service providers, websites, and mobile applications; and (vi) other emerging technologies including mobile television. Some of HC2 Broadcasting's current and potential competitors have greater financial and other resources than HC2 Broadcasting does and so may be better placed to extend audience reach and expand programming. Many of HC2 Broadcasting’s competitors possess greater access to capital, and its financial resources may be relatively limited when contrasted with those of such competitors. If HC2 Broadcasting needs to obtain additional funding, HC2 Broadcasting may be unable to such raise capital or, if HC2 Broadcasting is able to obtain capital it may be on unfavorable terms. If HC2 Broadcasting is unable to obtain additional funding as and when needed, it could be forced to delay its development, marketing and expansion efforts and, if it continues to experience losses, potentially cease operations.
In addition, cable companies and others have developed national advertising networks in recent years that increase the competition for national advertising. Over the past decade, cable television programming services, other emerging video distribution platforms and the Internet have captured increasing market share. Cable providers, direct broadcast satellite companies and telecommunication companies are developing new technology that allows them to transmit more channels on their existing equipment to highly targeted audiences, reducing the cost of creating channels and potentially leading to the division of the television industry into ever more specialized niche markets. The decreased cost of creating channels may also encourage new competitors to enter HC2 Broadcasting's markets and compete with us for advertising revenue. In addition, technologies that allow viewers to digitally record, store and play back television programming may decrease viewership of commercials as recorded by media measurement services and, as a result, lower Spectrum's advertising revenues. Furthermore, technological advancements and the resulting increase in programming alternatives, such as cable television, direct broadcast satellite systems, pay-per-view, home video and entertainment systems, video-on-demand, mobile video and the Internet have also created new types of competition to television broadcast stations and will increase competition for household audiences and advertisers. We cannot provide any assurances that we will remain competitive with these developing technologies.
HC2 Broadcasting's inability to successfully respond to new and growing sources of competition in the broadcasting industry could have an adverse effect on HC2 Broadcasting's business, financial condition and results of operations.
The Federal Communications Commission ("FCC") could implement regulations or the U.S. Congress could adopt legislation that might have a significant impact on the operations of the stations we own and the stations we provide services to or the television broadcasting industry as a whole.
The FCC regulates HC2 Broadcasting's broadcasting business. We must often times obtain the FCC’s approval to obtain, renew, assign or modify, a license, purchase a new station, sell an existing station or transfer the control of one of HC2 Broadcasting's subsidiaries that hold a license. HC2 Broadcasting's FCC licenses are critical to HC2 Broadcasting's operations; we cannot operate without them. We cannot be certain that the FCC will renew these licenses in the future or approve new acquisitions in a timely manner, if at all. If licenses are not renewed or acquisitions are not approved, we may lose revenue that we otherwise could have earned and this would have an adverse effect on HC2 Broadcasting's business, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, Congress and the FCC may, in the future, adopt new laws, regulations and policies regarding a wide variety of matters (including, but not limited to, technological changes in spectrum assigned to particular services) that could, directly or indirectly, materially and adversely affect the operation and ownership of HC2 Broadcasting's broadcast properties.
Broadcasting Licenses are issued by, and subject to the jurisdiction of the FCC, pursuant to the Communications Act of 1934, as amended (the "Communications Act"). The Communications Act empowers the FCC, among other actions, to issue, renew, revoke and modify broadcasting licenses; determine stations’ frequencies, locations and operating power; regulate some of the equipment used by stations; adopt other regulations to carry out the provisions of the Communications Act and other laws, including requirements affecting the content of broadcasts; and to impose penalties for violation of its regulations, including monetary forfeitures, short-term renewal of licenses and license revocation or denial of license renewals.
License Renewals. Broadcast television licenses are typically granted for standard terms of eight years. Most licenses for commercial and noncommercial TV broadcast stations, Class A TV broadcast stations, television translators and Low Power Television ("LPTV") broadcast stations are scheduled to expire between 2020 and 2023; however, the Communications Act requires the FCC to renew a broadcast license if the FCC finds that the station has served the public interest, convenience and necessity and, with respect to the station, there have been no serious violations by the licensee of either the Communications Act or the FCC’s rules and regulations and there have been no other violations by the licensee of the Communications Act or the FCC’s rules and regulations that, taken together, constitute a pattern of abuse. The Company has 51 pending renewal applications at the end of 2020, and will have 75 applications due in 2021. Third parties may oppose license renewals. A station remains authorized to operate while its license renewal application is pending.
License Assignments. The Communications Act requires prior FCC approval for the assignment or transfer of control of an FCC licensee. Third parties may oppose the Company’s applications to assign, transfer or acquire broadcast licenses.
Full Power and Class A Station Regulations. The Communications Act and FCC rules and regulations limit the ability of individuals and entities to have certain official positions or ownership interests, known as "attributable" interests, above specific levels in full power broadcast stations as well as in other specified mass media entities. Many of these limits do not apply to Class A stations, television translators and LPTV authorizations. In seeking FCC approval for the acquisition of a broadcast television station license, the acquiring person or entity must demonstrate that the acquisition complies with applicable FCC ownership rules or that a waiver of the rules is in the public interest. Additionally, while the Communications Act and FCC regulations have been modified to no longer strictly prohibit ownership of a broadcast station license by any corporation with more than 25 percent of its stock owned or voted by non-U.S. persons, their representatives or any other corporation organized under the laws of a foreign country, foreign ownership above such threshold is determined by the FCC on a case-by-case basis, which analysis is subject to the specific circumstances of each such request. The FCC has also adopted regulations concerning children’s television programming, commercial limits, local issues and programming, political files, sponsorship identification, equal employment opportunity requirements and other requirements for full power and Class A broadcast television stations. The FCC’s rules require operational full-power and Class A stations to file quarterly reports demonstrating compliance with these regulations.
Low Power Television and TV Translator Authorizations. LPTV stations and TV Translators have "secondary spectrum priority" to full-service television stations. The secondary status of these authorizations prohibits LPTV and TV Translator stations from causing interference to the reception of existing or future full-service television stations and requires them to accept interference from existing or future full-service television stations and other primary licensees. LPTV and TV Translator licensees are subject to fewer regulatory obligations than full-power and Class A licensees, and there no limit on the number of LPTV stations that may be owned by any one entity.
The 600 MHz Incentive Auction and the Post-Auction Relocation Process. The FCC concluded a two-sided auction process for 600 MHz band spectrum (the "600 MHz Incentive Auction") on April 13, 2017. The auction process allowed eligible full-power and Class A broadcast television licensees to sell some or all of their spectrum usage rights in exchange for compensation; the FCC would pay reasonable expenses for the remaining, non-participating full-power and Class A stations to relocate to the remaining "in-core" portion of the 600 MHz band. Several of our stations will relocate to new channel assignments and will receive funding from the 600 MHz Band Broadcaster Relocation Fund. LPTV and TV translator stations will eventually be required to relocate from the "out-of-core" portion of the 600 MHz band (i.e., channels 38-51) and are required under the rules to mitigate interference to any relocated full-power or Class A station in the in-core band (or cease operations). The FCC has created a priority filing window for LPTV and TV translator stations licensed and operating as of April 13,
2017, and some of our LPTV and TV translator stations have found new channel assignments as a result of this special displacement window. But some LPTV and TV translator stations displaced as a result of the 600 MHz Incentive Auction were not qualified for an alternate channel assignment. The FCC opened a second displacement application filing window in April of 2019 for LPTV and TV translator stations that still lacked channel assignments. All of our remaining LPTV and TV translator stations have found new channel assignments as a result of this window.
License Expirations. The Communications Act prohibits any licensed television station to remain silent for more than one year. We have purchased numerous stations whose on-air deadlines occurred in 2019. Building these stations before those deadlines has been extremely challenging, especially in the post-auction relocation environment, which is creating scarcity of industry equipment and labor, which has caused us to miss such deadlines for some stations. The FCC may extend these deadlines for reasons beyond the control of a station licensee, and has granted such extensions for reasons of equipment delivery delays or installation labor shortages due to the post-auction repack. However, it remains possible that we will not obtain such extensions for some stations, in which case those licenses will expire.
Obscenity and Indecency Regulations. Federal law and FCC regulations prohibit the broadcast of obscene material on television at any time and the broadcast of indecent material between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. local time. The FCC investigates complaints of broadcasts of prohibited obscene or indecent material and can assess fines of up to $350,000 per incident for violation of the prohibition against obscene or indecent broadcasts and up to $3,300,000 for any continuing violation based on any single act or failure to act. The FCC may also revoke or refuse to renew a broadcast station license based on a serious violation of the agency’s obscenity and indecency rules.
Risks Related to the Insurance Segment
Our acquisitions of the Insurance Companies are subject to certain post-closing adjustments.
In December 2015, pursuant to the SPA between us, Great American Financial Resources, Inc. ("GAFRI") and Continental General Corp. ("CGC," and together with Great American, the "Seller Parties"), we purchased all of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock of UTA and CGI, as well as all assets owned by the Seller Parties or their affiliates that are used exclusively or primarily in the business of the Insurance Companies, subject to certain exceptions. On December 31, 2016, UTA merged into and with CGI, with CGI being the survivor ("Merger").
Pursuant to the purchase agreement, the Company also agreed to pay to the Seller Parties, on an annual basis with respect to the years 2015 through 2019, the amount, if any, by which the Insurance Companies’ cash flow testing and premium deficiency reserves decrease from the amount of such reserves as of December 31, 2014, up to $13.0 million. The balance is calculated based on the annual fluctuation of the statutory cash flow testing and premium deficiency reserves following each of the Insurance Companies' filings with its domiciliary insurance regulator of its annual statutory statements for each calendar year ending December 31, 2015 through and including December 31, 2019. The Company did not set up a contingent liability at acquisition primarily due to the following factors: (i) reduced confidence that treasury rates will increase to historical averages over the near term; (ii) uncertainty around future operating expenses historically performed by the Seller Parties; and (iii) the increase in the premium deficiency reserve as reported at December 31, 2015 of approximately $8.0 million. Because the balance is cumulative over the period at issue, a decrease of approximately $8.0 million would have been required before any obligation existed to the Seller Parties under the earn-out).
On August 9, 2018, CGI completed the acquisition of KMG America Corporation ("KMG"), the parent company of Kanawha Insurance Company ("KIC"), Humana’s long-term care insurance subsidiary for consideration of ten thousand dollars.
As a condition to the approval of the Acquisition by the South Carolina Department of Insurance, CGI agreed to redomesticate KIC from South Carolina to Texas and simultaneously merge KIC with and into CGI, with CGI surviving (the "Merger"), and to maintain a risk-based capital ratio of no less than 450 percent for two years following the closing. Similarly, CGI agreed with the Texas Commissioner of Insurance that it will maintain a total adjusted capital to authorized control risk-based capital level of no less than 450 percent for two years from the date of the Merger and of no less than 400 percent for the subsequent three years.
As a result of the merger of KIC with and into CGI, the Insurance Company’s cash flow testing and premium deficiency reserve increased to $537.9 million which exceeded the December 31, 2014 amount of such reserve by $462.5 million. Because the balance is cumulative over the period at issue a decrease of approximately $462.5 million would have been required before any obligation existed to the Seller Parties under the earn-out. The obligation to the Seller Parties expired without payment with the conclusion of the December 31, 2019 financial reporting.
If our Insurance segment is unable to retain, attract and motivate qualified employees, its results of operations and financial condition may be adversely impacted and it may incur additional costs to recruit replacement and additional personnel.
Our Insurance segment is highly dependent on its senior management team and other key personnel for the operation and development of its business. Our Insurance segment faces intense competition in retaining and attracting key employees including actuarial, finance, legal, risk, compliance and other professionals.
CGI comprises the core of our insurance business segment. Our Insurance segment will endeavor to retain key personnel we believe are necessary for the success of the business. As we do not currently have substantial insurance company holdings, we also expect that our Insurance segment will add headcount as we continue to fill out the platform and grow the Insurance segment.
Any failure to attract and retain key members of our Insurance segment’s management team or other key personnel going forward could have a material adverse effect on our Insurance segment’s business, financial condition and results of operations.
The amount of statutory capital our Insurance segment has and the amount of statutory capital that it must hold to maintain its financial strength and meet other requirements can vary significantly from time to time and is sensitive to a number of factors outside of our Insurance segment’s control.
Our Insurance segment is subject to regulations that provide minimum capitalization requirements based on risk-based capital ("RBC") formulas for life and health insurance companies. The RBC formula for life and health insurance companies establishes capital requirements relating to insurance, business, asset, interest rate, and certain other risks.
In any particular year, statutory surplus amounts and RBC ratios may increase or decrease depending on a variety of factors, including the following: the amount of statutory income or losses generated by our Insurance segment (which are sensitive to equity market and credit market conditions), the amount of additional capital our Insurance segment must hold to support business growth, changes in reserve requirements applicable to our Insurance segment, our Insurance segment’s ability to secure capital market solutions to provide reserve relief, changes in equity market levels, the value of certain fixed-income and equity securities in its investment portfolio, the credit ratings of investments held in its portfolio, changes in interest rates, credit market volatility, changes in consumer behavior, as well as changes to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ ("NAIC") RBC formula. Many of these factors are outside of our Insurance segment’s control. The financial strength of our Insurance segment is significantly influenced by its statutory surplus amounts and capital adequacy ratios.
As a condition to the approval of the Acquisition by the South Carolina Department of Insurance, CGI agreed to redomesticate KIC from South Carolina to Texas and simultaneously merge KIC with and into CGI, with CGI surviving (the "Merger"), and to maintain a risk-based capital ratio of no less than 450 percent for two years following the closing. Similarly, CGI agreed with the Texas Commissioner of Insurance that it will maintain a total adjusted capital to authorized control risk-based capital level of no less than 450 percent for two years from the date of the Merger and of no less than 400 percent for the subsequent three years.
Our Insurance segment’s results and financial condition may be negatively affected should actual performance differ from management’s assumptions and estimates.
Our Insurance segment makes certain assumptions and estimates regarding mortality, morbidity (i.e., frequency and severity of claims, including claim termination rates and benefit utilization rates), health care experience (including type of care and cost of care), persistency (i.e., the probability that a policy or contract will remain in-force from one period to the next), future premium increases, expenses, interest rates, tax liability, business mix, frequency of claims, contingent liabilities, investment performance and other factors related to its business and anticipated results. The long-term profitability of our Insurance segment’s insurance products depends upon how our Insurance segment’s actual experience compares with its pricing and valuation assumptions and estimates. For example, if morbidity rates are higher than underlying pricing assumptions, our Insurance segment could be required to make greater payments under its long-term care insurance policies than currently projected, and such amounts could be significant. Likewise, if mortality rates are lower than our Insurance segment’s pricing assumptions, our Insurance segment could be required to make greater payments and thus establish additional reserves under both its long-term care insurance policies and annuity contracts and such amounts could be significant. Conversely, if mortality rates are higher than our Insurance segment’s pricing and valuation assumptions, our Insurance segment could be required to make greater payments under its life insurance policies than currently projected.
The above-described assumptions and estimates incorporate assumptions about many factors, none of which can be predicted with certainty. Our Insurance segment’s actual experiences, as well as changes in estimates, are used to prepare our Insurance segment’s consolidated statements of operations. To the extent our Insurance segment’s actual experience and changes in estimates differ from original estimates, our Insurance segment’s business, operations and financial condition may be materially adversely affected.
The calculations our Insurance segment uses to estimate various components of its balance sheet and consolidated statements of operations are necessarily complex and involve analyzing and interpreting large quantities of data. Our Insurance segment currently employs various techniques for such calculations including engaging third-party studies and from time to time will develop and implement more sophisticated administrative systems and procedures capable of facilitating the calculation of more precise estimates.
However, assumptions and estimates involve judgment, and by their nature are imprecise and subject to changes and revisions over time. Accordingly, our Insurance segment’s results may be adversely affected from time to time, by actual results differing from assumptions, by changes in estimates, and by changes resulting from implementing more sophisticated administrative systems and procedures that facilitate the calculation of more precise estimates.
If our Insurance segment’s reserves for future policy claims are inadequate as a result of deviations from management’s assumptions and estimates or other reasons, our Insurance segment may be required to increase reserves, which could have a material adverse effect on its results of operations and financial condition.
Our Insurance segment calculates and maintains reserves for estimated future payments of claims to policyholders and contract holders in accordance with U.S. GAAP and statutory accounting practices. These reserves are released as those future obligations are paid, experience changes or policies lapse. The reserves reflect estimates and actuarial assumptions with regard to future experience. These estimates and actuarial assumptions involve the exercise of significant judgment. Our Insurance segment’s future financial results depend significantly on the extent to which actual future experience is consistent with the assumptions and methodologies used in pricing our Insurance segment’s insurance products and calculating reserves. Small changes in assumptions or small deviations of actual experience from assumptions can have material impacts on reserves, results of operations and financial condition.
Because these factors are not known in advance and have the potential to change over time, they are difficult to accurately predict and inherently uncertain, which means that our Insurance segment cannot determine with precision the ultimate amounts it will pay for actual claims or the timing of those payments. In addition, our Insurance segment includes assumptions for anticipated (but not yet filed) future premium rate increases in its determination of loss recognition testing of long-term care insurance reserves under U.S. GAAP and asset adequacy testing of statutory long-term care insurance reserves. Our Insurance segment may not be able to realize these anticipated results in the future as a result of its inability to obtain required regulatory approvals or other factors. In this event, our Insurance segment would have to increase its long-term care insurance reserves by amounts that could be material. Moreover, our Insurance segment may not be able to mitigate the impact of unexpected adverse experience by increasing premiums and/or other charges to policyholders (when it has the right to do so) or alternatively by reducing benefits.
The risk that our Insurance segment’s claims experience may differ significantly from its pricing assumptions is significant for its long-term care insurance products. Long-term care insurance policies provide for long-duration coverage and, therefore, actual claims experience will emerge over many years after pricing and locked-in valuation assumptions have been established. For example, changes in the economy, socio-demographics, behavioral trends (e.g., location of care and level of benefit use) and medical advances, among other factors, may have a material adverse impact on future loss trends. Moreover, long-term care insurance does not have as extensive of a claims experience history as life insurance, and as a result, our Insurance segment’s ability to forecast future claim costs for long-term care insurance is more limited than for life insurance.
For long-duration contracts (such as long-term care policies), loss recognition occurs when, based on current expectations as of the measurement date, the existing contract liabilities plus the present value of future premiums (including reasonably expected rate increases) are not expected to cover the present value of future claims payments, related settlement and maintenance costs, and unamortized acquisition costs. Our Insurance segment regularly reviews its reserves and associated assumptions as part of its ongoing assessment of business performance and risks. If our Insurance segment concludes that its reserves are insufficient to cover actual or expected policy and contract benefits and claim payments as a result of changes in experience, assumptions or otherwise, our Insurance segment would be required to increase its reserves and incur charges in the period in which such determination is made. The amounts of such increases may be significant and thus could materially adversely affect our Insurance segment’s results of operations and financial condition and may require additional capital in our Insurance segment’s businesses.
Insurers that have issued or reinsured long-term care insurance policies have recognized, and may recognize in the future, substantial losses in order to strengthen reserves for liabilities to policyholders in respect of such policies. Such losses may be due to the effect of changes in assumptions of future investment yields, changes in claims, expense, persistency assumptions or other factors. Our Insurance segment is subject to similar risks that adverse changes in any of its reserve assumptions in future periods could result in additional loss recognition in respect of its business.
Our Insurance segment’s inability to increase premiums on in-force long-term care insurance policies by sufficient amounts or in a timely manner may adversely affect our Insurance segment’s results of operations and financial condition.
The success of our Insurance segment’s strategy for its run-off long-term care insurance business assumes our Insurance segment’s ability to obtain significant price increases, as warranted and actuarially justified based on its experience on its in-force block of long-term care insurance policies. The adequacy of our Insurance segment’s current long-term care insurance reserves also depends significantly on this assumption and our Insurance segment’s ability to successfully execute its in-force management plan through increased premiums as anticipated.
Although the terms of our Insurance segment’s long-term care insurance policies permit our Insurance segment to increase premiums during the premium-paying period, these increases generally require regulatory approval, which often have long lead times to obtain and may not be obtained in all relevant jurisdictions or for the full amounts requested. In addition, some states are considering adopting long-term care insurance rate increase legislation, which would further limit increases in long-term care insurance premium rates, beyond the rate stability legislation previously adopted in certain states.
Such long-term care insurance rate increase legislation would adversely impact our Insurance segment’s ability to achieve anticipated rate increases. Our Insurance segment can neither predict how policyholders, competitors and regulators may react to any rate increases, nor whether regulators will approve regulated rate increases. If our Insurance segment is not able to increase rates to the extent it currently anticipates, our Insurance segment may be required to establish additional reserves and make greater payments under long-term care insurance policies than it currently projects.
Our Insurance segment is highly regulated and subject to numerous legal restrictions and regulations.
Our Insurance segment conducts its business throughout the United States, excluding New York State. Our Insurance segment is subject to government regulation in each of the states in which it conducts business. Such regulation is vested in state agencies having broad administrative, and in some instances discretionary, authority with respect to many aspects of our Insurance segment’s business, which may include, among other things, premium rates and increases thereto, privacy, claims denial practices, policy forms, reinsurance reserve requirements, acquisitions, mergers, and capital adequacy, and is concerned primarily with the protection of policyholders and other customers as opposed to other stakeholders. At any given time, a number of financial and/or market conduct examinations of our Insurance segment may be ongoing. From time to time, regulators raise issues during examinations or audits of our Insurance segment that could, if determined adversely, have a material impact on our Insurance segment.
Under insurance guaranty fund laws in most states, insurance companies doing business therein can be assessed up to prescribed limits for policyholder losses incurred by insolvent companies. Our Insurance segment cannot predict the amount or timing of any such future assessments.
Although our Insurance segment’s business is subject to regulation in each state in which it conducts business, in many instances the state regulatory models emanate from the NAIC. State insurance regulators and the NAIC regularly re-examine existing laws and regulations applicable to insurance companies and their products. Changes in these laws and regulations, or in interpretations thereof, are often made for the benefit of the consumer and at the expense of the insurer and, thus, could have a material adverse effect on our Insurance segment’s business, operations and financial condition.
Our Insurance segment is also subject to the risk that compliance with any particular regulator’s interpretation of a legal or accounting issue may not result in compliance with another regulator’s interpretation of the same issue, particularly when compliance is judged in hindsight. There is further risk that any particular regulator’s interpretation of a legal or accounting issue may change over time to our Insurance segment’s detriment, or that changes to the overall legal or market environment, even absent any change of interpretation by a particular regulator, may cause our Insurance segment to change its views regarding the actions it should take from a legal risk management perspective, which could necessitate changes to our Insurance segment’s practices that may, in some cases, limit its ability to grow and improve profitability.
Some of the NAIC pronouncements, particularly as they affect accounting issues, take effect automatically in the various states without affirmative action by the states. Statutes, regulations, and interpretations may be applied with retroactive impact, particularly in areas such as accounting and reserve requirements.
At the federal level, bills are routinely introduced in both chambers of the U.S. Congress which could affect life insurers. In the past, Congress has considered legislation that would impact insurance companies in numerous ways, such as providing for an optional federal charter for insurance companies or a federal presence in insurance regulation, pre-empting state law in certain respects regarding the regulation of reinsurance, increasing federal oversight in areas such as consumer protection and solvency regulation, and other matters.
Currently, the U.S. federal government does not directly regulate the business of insurance. However, Dodd-Frank established the FIO within the Department of the Treasury, which has the authority to participate in the negotiations of international insurance agreements with foreign regulators for the U.S., as well as to collect information about the insurance industry and recommend prudential standards. On December 12, 2013, the FIO issued a report, mandated by Dodd-Frank, which, among other things, urged the states to modernize and promote greater uniformity in insurance regulation. The report raised the possibility of a greater role for the federal government if states do not achieve greater uniformity in their laws and regulations. We cannot predict whether any such legislation or regulatory changes will be adopted, or what impact they will have on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Federal legislation and administrative policies can significantly and adversely affect insurance companies, including policies regarding financial services regulation, securities regulation, derivatives regulation, pension regulation, health care regulation, privacy, tort reform legislation and taxation. In addition, various forms of direct and indirect federal regulation of insurance have been proposed from time to time, including proposals for the establishment of an optional federal charter for insurance companies.
Our Insurance segment cannot predict whether, or in what form, reforms will be enacted and, if so, whether the enacted reforms will positively or negatively affect our Insurance segment or whether these effects will be material.
Other types of regulation that could affect our Insurance segment include insurance company investment laws and regulations, state statutory accounting practices, antitrust laws, minimum solvency requirements, federal privacy laws, insurable interest laws, federal anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism laws. Our Insurance segment cannot predict what form any future changes in these or other areas of regulation affecting the insurance industry might take or what effect, if any, such proposals might have on our Insurance segment if enacted into law.
Our Insurance segment’s reinsurers could fail to meet assumed obligations or be subject to adverse developments that could materially adversely affect our Insurance segment’s business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our Insurance segment cedes material amounts of insurance and transfers related assets and certain liabilities to other insurance companies through reinsurance. However, notwithstanding the transfer of related assets and certain liabilities, our Insurance segment remains liable with respect to ceded insurance should any reinsurer fail to meet the obligations it has assumed. Accordingly, our Insurance segment bears credit risk with respect to its reinsurers. Our Insurance segment currently cedes material reinsurance obligations to Loyal American Life Insurance Company ("Loyal") (rated A by A.M. Best), Hannover Life Reassurance Company ("Hannover") (rated A+ by A.M. Best), GALIC (rated A+ by A.M. Best), Munich American Reassurance Company ("Munich") (rated A+), and Manhattan Life Assurance Company of America ("Manhattan") (rated B+). The failure, insolvency, inability or unwillingness of a reinsurer, including Loyal, Hannover, GALIC, Munich, and Manhattan to pay under the terms of its reinsurance agreement with our Insurance segment could materially adversely affect our Insurance segment’s business, financial condition and results of operations.
Reinsurers are currently facing many challenges regarding illiquid credit or capital markets, investment downgrades, rating agency downgrades, deterioration of general economic conditions and other factors negatively impacting the financial services industry generally. If such events cause a reinsurer to fail to meet its obligations, our Insurance segment’s business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
Our Insurance segment’s financial condition or results of operations could be adversely impacted if its assumptions regarding the fair value and future performance of its investments differ from actual experience.
Our Insurance segment makes assumptions regarding the fair value and expected future performance of its investments. For example, our Insurance segment expects that its investments in residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities will continue to perform in accordance with their contractual terms, based on assumptions that our Insurance segment believes are industry standard and those that a reasonable market participant would use in determining the current fair value and the performance of the underlying assets. It is possible that the underlying collateral of these investments will perform more poorly than current market expectations and that such reduced performance may lead to adverse changes in the cash flows on our Insurance segment’s holdings of these types of securities. This could lead to potential future other-than-temporary impairments within our Insurance segment’s portfolio of mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities.
In addition, expectations that our Insurance segment’s investments in corporate securities and/or debt obligations will continue to perform in accordance with their contractual terms are based on evidence gathered through its normal credit surveillance process. It is possible that issuers of the corporate securities in which our Insurance segment has invested will perform more poorly than current expectations. Such events may lead our Insurance segment to recognize potential future other-than-temporary impairments within its portfolio of corporate securities and may also have an adverse effect on its liquidity and ability to meet its obligations. It is also possible that such unanticipated events would lead our Insurance segment to dispose of certain of those holdings and recognize the effects of any market movements in its financial statements. Furthermore, actual values may differ from our Insurance segment’s assumptions. Such events could result in a material change in the value of our Insurance segment’s investments, business, operations and financial condition.
Interest rate fluctuations and withdrawal demands in excess of assumptions could negatively affect our Insurance segment’s business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our Insurance segment’s business is sensitive to interest rate fluctuations, volatility and the low interest rate environment. For the past several years interest rates have remained at historically low levels. In order to meet policy and contractual obligations, our Insurance segment must earn a sufficient return on invested assets. A prolonged period of historically low rates or significant changes in interest rates could expose our Insurance segment to the risk of not achieving sufficient return on invested assets by not achieving anticipated interest earnings, or of not earning anticipated spreads between the interest rate earned on investments and the credited interest rates paid on outstanding policies and contracts.
Additionally, a prolonged period of low interest rates may lengthen liability maturity, thus increasing the need for a re-investment of assets at yields that are below the amounts required to support guarantee features of outstanding contracts.
Both rising and declining interest rates can negatively affect our Insurance segment’s interest earnings and spread income (the difference between the returns our Insurance segment earns on its investments and the amounts that it must credit to policyholders and contract holders). While our Insurance segment develops and maintains asset liability management programs and procedures designed to mitigate the effect on interest earnings and spread income in rising or falling interest rate environments, no assurance can be given that changes in interest rates will not materially adversely affect its business, financial condition and results of operations.
An extended period of declining interest rates or a prolonged period of low interest rates may cause our Insurance segment to change its long-term view of the interest rates that our Insurance segment can earn on its investments. Such a change would cause our Insurance segment to change the long-term interest rate that it assumes in its calculation of insurance assets and liabilities under U.S. GAAP. This revision would result in increased reserves and other unfavorable consequences. In addition, while the amount of statutory reserves is not directly affected by changes in interest rates, additional statutory reserves may be required as the result of an asset adequacy analysis, which is altered by rising or falling interest rates or compressing credit spreads.
Some of our products, principally traditional whole life insurance and deferred annuities expose us to the risk that changes in interest rates will reduce our "spread," or the difference between the amounts we are required to pay under our contracts to policyholders and the rate of return we are able to earn on our investments intended to support obligations under the contracts. Spread is an integral component of our Insurance Company's net income.
As interest rates decrease or remain at low levels, we may be forced to reinvest proceeds from investments that have matured, prepaid, been sold, or called at lower yields, reducing our investment margin. Our fixed income bond portfolio is exposed to interest rate risk as a significant portion of the portfolio is callable. Lowering interest crediting rates can help offset decreases in investment margins on some of our products.
Our Insurance segment is subject to financial disintermediation risks in rising interest rate environments.
Our Insurance segment offers certain products that allow policyholders to withdraw their funds under defined circumstances. In order to meet such funding obligations, our Insurance segment manages its liabilities and configures its investment portfolios so as to provide and maintain sufficient liquidity to support expected withdrawal demands and contract benefits and maturities. However, in order to provide necessary long-term returns, a certain portion of its assets are relatively illiquid. There can be no assurance that actual withdrawal demands will match its estimated withdrawal demands.
As interest rates increase, our Insurance segment is exposed to the risk of financial disintermediation through a potential increase in the number of withdrawals. Disintermediation risk refers to the risk that policyholders may surrender their contracts in a rising interest rate environment, requiring our Insurance segment to liquidate assets in an unrealized loss position. If our Insurance segment experiences unexpected withdrawal activity, whether as a result of financial strength downgrades or otherwise, it could exhaust its liquid assets and be forced to liquidate other assets, possibly at a loss or on other unfavorable terms, which could have a material adverse effect on our Insurance segment’s business, financial condition and results of operations.
Additionally, our Insurance segment may experience spread compression, and a loss of anticipated earnings, if credited interest rates are increased on renewing contracts in an effort to decrease or manage withdrawal activity.
Our Insurance segment is subject to cyber-attacks and other privacy or data security incidents. If we are unable to prevent or contain the effects of any such attacks, we may suffer exposure to substantial liability, reputational harm, loss of revenue or other damages.
Our business depends on our clients’ and customers’ willingness to entrust us with their sensitive personal information. Our Insurance segment and certain of our other businesses retain confidential information in their computer systems, and rely on commercial technologies to maintain the security of those systems. Nevertheless, computer systems may be vulnerable to physical break-ins, computer viruses or malware, programming errors, attacks by third parties or similar disruptive problems. We may be the target of computer viruses or other malicious codes, unauthorized access, cyber-attacks or other computer-related penetrations. Despite the implementation of network security measures, our servers could be subject to physical and electronic break-ins, and similar disruptions from unauthorized tampering with our computer systems. Anyone who is able to circumvent these security measures and penetrate our and our subsidiaries’ computer systems could access, view, misappropriate, alter, or delete any information in the systems, including personally identifiable customer information and proprietary business information. In addition, an increasing number of states require that customers be notified of unauthorized access, use, or disclosure of their information. Any compromise of the security of our Insurance segment’s computer systems that results in inappropriate access, use, or disclosure of personally identifiable customer information could damage our Insurance segment’s reputation in the marketplace, subject our Insurance segment to significant civil and criminal liability, and require our Insurance segment to incur significant technical, legal, and other expenses.
There have been large scale cyber-attacks and other cyber-security breaches within the insurance industry. As we increase the amount of personal information that we store and share digitally, our exposure to data security and related cyber-security risks increases, including the risk of undetected attacks, damage, loss or unauthorized access or misappropriation of proprietary or personal information, and the cost of attempting to protect against these risks also increases. In addition, while we have certain standards for all vendors that provide us services, our vendors, and in turn, their own service providers, may become subject to the same type of security breaches. Finally, our offices may be vulnerable to security incidents or security attacks, acts of vandalism or theft, misplaced or lost data, human error or similar events that could negatively affect our systems and our customers’ and clients’ data.
The costs to eliminate or address security threats and vulnerabilities before or after a cyber-incident could be significant. Our remediation efforts may not be successful and could result in interruptions, delays, or cessation of service and loss of existing or potential customers.
In addition, breaches of our security measures and the unauthorized dissemination of sensitive personal information or proprietary information or confidential information about us, our customers or other third-parties could expose our customers’ private information and our customers to the risk of identity theft, any of which could adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition or liquidity.
Our Insurance segment’s investments are subject to market, credit, legal and regulatory risks that could be heightened during periods of extreme volatility or disruption in financial and credit markets.
Our Insurance segment’s invested assets are subject to risks of credit defaults and changes in market values. Periods of extreme volatility or disruption in the financial and credit markets could increase these risks.
Stressed conditions, volatility and disruptions in financial asset classes or various markets, including global capital markets, can have an adverse effect on us, in part because we have a large investment portfolio and our insurance liabilities are sensitive to changing market factors. Global market factors, including interest rates, credit spreads, equity prices, real estate markets, foreign currency exchange rates, consumer spending, business investment, government spending, the volatility and strength of the capital markets, deflation and inflation, all affect our financial condition, as well as the volume, profitability and results of our business operations, either directly or by virtue of their impact on the business and economic environment generally and on general levels of economic activity, employment and customer behavior specifically. Disruptions in one market or asset class can also spread to other markets or asset classes. Upheavals in the financial markets can also affect our financial condition (including our liquidity and capital levels) as a result of mismatched impacts on the value of our assets and our liabilities.
The value of our Insurance segment’s mortgage-backed investments depends in part on the financial condition of the borrowers and tenants for the properties underlying those investments, as well as general and specific circumstances affecting the overall default rate.
Significant continued financial and credit market volatility, changes in interest rates, credit spreads, credit defaults, real estate values, market illiquidity, declines in equity prices, acts of corporate malfeasance, ratings downgrades of the issuers or guarantors of these investments, and declines in general economic conditions, either alone or in combination, could have a material adverse impact on our Insurance segment’s results of operations, financial condition, or cash flows through realized losses, other-than-temporary impairments, changes in unrealized loss positions, and increased demands on capital. In addition, market volatility can make it difficult for our Insurance segment to value certain of its assets, especially if trading becomes less frequent.
Also, in the event of extreme prolonged market events, such as the global credit crisis, we could incur significant capital and/or operating losses due to, among other reasons, losses incurred in our general account and as a result of the impact on us of guarantees, capital maintenance obligations and/or collateral requirements associated with our affiliated reinsurers and other similar arrangements. Even in the absence of a market downturn, we are exposed to substantial risk of loss due to market volatility, which may also increase the cost.
Valuations may include assumptions or estimates that may have significant period-to-period changes that could have an adverse impact on our Insurance segment’s results of operations or financial condition. Moreover, difficult conditions in the global capital markets and the economy may continue to raise the possibility of legislative, judicial, regulatory and other governmental actions.
Credit spreads could adversely affect our Insurance segment’s investment portfolio and financial position.
Our exposure to credit spreads primarily relates to market price volatility and cash flow variability associated with changes in such spreads. Market price volatility can make it difficult to value certain of our securities if trading becomes less frequent. In such case, valuations may include assumptions or estimates that may have significant period-to-period changes, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition. If there is a resumption of significant volatility in the markets, it could cause changes in credit spreads and defaults and a lack of pricing transparency which, individually or in tandem, could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition, liquidity or cash flows.
Significant volatility or disruption in credit markets could have a material adverse effect on our Insurance segment’s investment portfolio, and, as a result, our Insurance segment’s business, financial condition and results of operations. Changes in interest rates and credit spreads could cause market price and cash flow variability in the fixed income instruments in our Insurance segment’s investment portfolio. Significant volatility and lack of liquidity in the credit markets could cause issuers of the fixed-income securities in our Insurance segment’s investment portfolio to default on either principal or interest payments on these securities.
Concentration of our Insurance segment’s investment portfolio in any particular economic sector or asset type may increase our Insurance segment’s exposure to risk if that area of concentration experiences events that cause underperformance.
Our Insurance segment’s investment portfolio may be concentrated in areas, such as particular industries, groups of related industries, asset classes or geographic areas that experience events that cause underperformance of the investments. While our Insurance segment seeks to mitigate this risk through portfolio diversification, if our Insurance segment’s investment portfolio is concentrated in any areas that experience negative events or developments, the impact of those negative events may have a disproportionate effect on our Insurance segment’s portfolio, which may have an adverse effect on the performance of our Insurance segment’s investment portfolio.
Our Insurance segment must continue to evaluate the need for a valuation allowance against its deferred tax assets.
Deferred tax assets refer to assets that are attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets, in essence, represent future savings of taxes that would otherwise be paid in cash. The realization of the deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of sufficient future taxable income, including capital gains. If it is determined that the deferred tax assets cannot be realized, a deferred tax valuation allowance must be established, with a corresponding charge to net income.
In 2019, the Insurance segment generated sufficient current year income to come out of a cumulative loss position and to release the valuation allowance against its beginning of year deferred tax assets. In addition, the Insurance segment continues to be in a cumulative gain position through December 31, 2020 and has determined that it can rely upon projections of future income to support the realization of its deferred tax assets. The ultimate realizability of the deferred tax assets depends on the Insurance segment's ability to generate sufficient future taxable income and needs to be assessed at each balance sheet date.
Financial services companies are frequently the targets of litigation, including class action litigation, which could result in substantial judgments.
Our Insurance segment operates in an industry in which various practices are subject to scrutiny and potential litigation, including class actions. Civil jury verdicts have been returned against insurers and other financial services companies involving sales, underwriting practices, product design, product disclosure, administration, denial or delay of benefits, charging excessive or impermissible fees, recommending unsuitable products to customers, breaching fiduciary or other duties to customers, refund or claims practices, alleged agent misconduct, failure to properly supervise representatives, relationships with agents or other persons with whom the insurer does business, payment of sales or other contingent commissions, and other matters. For example, a class action lawsuit was filed against CGI in November 2016 alleging breach of contract, tortious interference with contract and unjust enrichment in relation to the introduction of new products to existing policyholders and the replacement of in-force policies. Such lawsuits can result in the award of substantial judgments that are disproportionate to the actual damages, including material amounts of punitive or non-economic compensatory damages. In some states, juries, judges, and arbitrators have substantial discretion in awarding punitive and non-economic compensatory damages, which creates the potential for unpredictable material adverse judgments or awards in any given lawsuit or arbitration. Arbitration awards are subject to very limited appellate review. In addition, in some class action and other lawsuits, financial services companies have made material settlement payments.
Companies in the financial services industry are sometimes the target of law enforcement investigations and the focus of increased regulatory scrutiny.
The financial services industry, including insurance companies, is sometimes the target of law enforcement and regulatory investigations relating to the numerous laws and regulations that govern such companies. Some financial services companies have been the subject of law enforcement or other actions resulting from such investigations. Resulting publicity about one company may generate inquiries into or litigation against other financial services companies, even those who do not engage in the business lines or practices at issue in the original action. It is impossible to predict the outcome of such investigations or actions, whether they will expand into other areas not yet contemplated, whether they will result in changes in insurance regulation, whether activities currently thought to be lawful will be characterized as unlawful, or the impact, if any, of such scrutiny on the financial services and insurance industry or our Insurance segment.
Our Insurance segment is dependent on the performance of others under the Administrative Services Agreement and on an ongoing basis as part of its business.
Our Insurance segment is dependent on the performance of third parties as part of its business. In the near term, our Insurance segment will depend on the Seller Parties of the Insurance Companies, under the Administrative Services Agreement, for the performance of certain administrative services with respect to our Insurance segment’s life insurance and annuity business.
In addition, various other third parties provide services to our Insurance segment or are otherwise involved in our Insurance segment’s business operations, on an ongoing basis. For example, our Insurance segment’s operations are dependent on various technologies, some of which are provided and/or maintained by certain key outsourcing partners and other parties.
Any failure by any of the Seller Parties or such other third-party providers to provide such services could have a material adverse effect on our Insurance segment’s business or financial results.
Our Insurance segment also depends on other parties that may default on their obligations to our Insurance segment due to bankruptcy, insolvency, lack of liquidity, adverse economic conditions, operational failure, fraud, or other reasons. Such defaults could have a material adverse effect on our Insurance segment’s financial condition and results of operations. In addition, certain of these other parties may act, or be deemed to act, on behalf of our Insurance segment or represent our Insurance segment in various capacities. Consequently, our Insurance segment may be held responsible for obligations that arise from the acts or omissions of these other parties.
If our Insurance segment does not maintain an effective outsourcing strategy or third-party providers do not perform as contracted, our Insurance segment may experience operational difficulties, increased costs and a loss of business that could have a material adverse effect on its results of operations. In addition, our Insurance segment’s reliance on third-party service providers that it does not control does not relieve our Insurance segment of its responsibilities and requirements. Any failure or negligence by such third-party service providers in carrying out their contractual duties may result in our Insurance segment becoming liable to parties who are harmed and may result in litigation. Any litigation relating to such matters could be costly, expensive and time-consuming, and the outcome of any such litigation may be uncertain. Moreover, any adverse publicity arising from such litigation, even if the litigation is not successful, could adversely affect the reputation and sales of our Insurance segment and its products.
Our Insurance segment’s ability to grow depends in large part upon the continued availability of capital.
Our Insurance segment’s long-term strategic capital requirements will depend on many factors, including acquisition activity, our Insurance segment’s ability to manage the run-off of in-force insurance business, our Insurance segment’s accumulated statutory earnings and the relationship between our Insurance segment’s statutory capital and surplus and various elements of required capital. To support its capital requirements and/or finance future acquisitions, our Insurance segment may need to increase or maintain statutory capital and surplus through financings, which could include debt or equity financing arrangements and/or other surplus relief transactions. Adverse market conditions have affected and continue to affect the availability and cost of capital from external sources. We are not obligated to, and may choose not to or be unable to, provide financing or make any future capital contribution to CGI. Consequently, financing, if available at all, may be available only on terms that are not favorable to our Insurance segment.
New accounting rules, changes to existing accounting rules, or the grant of permitted accounting practices to competitors could negatively impact our Insurance segment.
Our Insurance segment is required to comply with U.S. GAAP. A number of organizations are instrumental in the development and interpretation of U.S. GAAP such as the SEC, FASB, and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. U.S. GAAP is subject to constant review by these organizations and others in an effort to address emerging accounting rules and issue interpretative accounting guidance on a continual basis. Our Insurance segment can give no assurance that future changes to U.S. GAAP will not have a negative impact on our Insurance segment.
The application of U.S. GAAP to insurance businesses and investment portfolios, like our Insurance segment’s, involves a significant level of complexity and requires a number of factors and judgments. U.S. GAAP includes the requirement to carry certain investments and insurance liabilities at fair value. These fair values are sensitive to various factors including, but not limited to, interest rate movements, credit spreads, and various other factors. Because of this, changes in these fair values may cause increased levels of volatility in our Insurance segment’s financial statements.
In addition, our Insurance segment is required to comply with statutory accounting principles ("SAP"). SAP and various components of SAP (such as actuarial reserving methodology) are subject to ongoing review by the NAIC and its task forces and committees as well as state insurance departments in an effort to address emerging issues and otherwise improve financial reporting. Various proposals are currently or have previously been pending before committees and task forces of the NAIC, some of which, if enacted, would negatively affect our Insurance segment. The NAIC is also currently working to reform state regulation in various areas, including comprehensive reforms relating to life insurance reserves and the accounting for such reserves.
Our Insurance segment cannot predict whether or in what form reforms will be enacted and, if so, whether the enacted reforms will positively or negatively affect our Insurance segment. In addition, the NAIC Accounting Practices and Procedures manual provides that state insurance departments may permit insurance companies domiciled therein to depart from SAP by granting them permitted accounting practices. Our Insurance segment cannot predict whether or when the insurance departments of the states of domicile of its competitors may permit them to utilize advantageous accounting practices that depart from SAP, the use of which is not permitted by the insurance department of CGI’s state of domicile (Texas). With respect to regulations and guidelines, states sometimes defer to the interpretation of the insurance department of the state of domicile. Neither the action of the domiciliary state nor action of the NAIC is binding on a state. Accordingly, a state could choose to follow a different interpretation. Our Insurance segment can give no assurance that future changes to SAP or components of SAP or the grant of permitted accounting practices to its competitors will not have a negative impact on our Insurance segment.
Our Insurance segment is exposed to the risks of natural and man-made catastrophes, pandemics and malicious and terrorist acts that could materially adversely affect our Insurance segment’s business, financial condition and results of operations.
Natural and man-made catastrophes, pandemics and malicious and terrorist acts present risks that could materially adversely affect our Insurance segment’s operations and results. No assurance can be given that there are not risks that have not been predicted or protected against that could have a material adverse effect on our Insurance segment. A natural or man-made catastrophe, pandemic or malicious or terrorist act could materially adversely affect the mortality or morbidity experience of our Insurance segment or its reinsurers. Claims arising from such events could have a material adverse effect on our Insurance segment’s business, operations and financial condition, either directly or as a result of their effect on its reinsurers or other counterparties. While our Insurance segment has taken steps to identify and manage these risks, such risks cannot be predicted with certainty, nor fully protected against even if anticipated.
In addition, such events could result in a decrease or halt in economic activity in large geographic areas, adversely affecting the administration of our Insurance segment’s business within such geographic areas and/or the general economic climate, which in turn could have an adverse effect on our Insurance segment’s business, operations and financial condition. The possible macroeconomic effects of such events could also adversely affect our Insurance segment’s asset portfolio.
Future acquisition transactions may not be financially beneficial to our Insurance segment.
In the future, our Insurance segment may pursue acquisitions of insurance companies and/or blocks of insurance businesses through merger, stock purchase or reinsurance transactions or otherwise. Lines of business that may be acquired include but are not limited to, standalone long-term care, life and annuity products, life and annuity products with long-term care and critical illness features, and supplemental health products.
There can be no assurance that the performance of the companies or blocks of business acquired will meet our Insurance segment’s expectations, or that any of these acquisitions will be financially advantageous for our Insurance segment. The evaluation and negotiation of potential acquisitions, as well as the integration of an acquired business or portfolio, could result in a substantial diversion of management resources. Acquisitions could involve numerous additional risks such as potential losses from unanticipated litigation, levels of claims or other liabilities and exposures, an inability to generate sufficient revenue to offset acquisition costs and financial exposures in the event that the sellers of the acquired entities or blocks of business are unable or unwilling to meet their indemnification, reinsurance and other obligations to our Insurance segment (if any such obligations are in place).
Our Insurance segment’s ability to manage its growth through acquisitions will depend, in part, on its success in addressing these risks. Any failure to effectively implement our Insurance segment’s acquisition strategies could have a material adverse effect on our Insurance segment’s business, financial condition or results of operations.
Our Insurance segment may be unable to execute acquisition transactions in accordance with its strategy.
The market for acquisitions of life or health insurers and blocks of like businesses is highly competitive, and there can be no assurance that our Insurance segment will be able to identify acquisition targets at acceptable valuations, or that any such acquisitions will ultimately achieve projected returns. In addition, insurance is a highly regulated industry and many acquisition transactions are subject to approval of state insurance regulatory authorities, and therefore involve heightened execution risk.
Our Insurance segment’s investment portfolio is subject to various risks that may result in realized investment losses. In particular, decreases in the fair value of fixed maturity securities may significantly reduce the value of our investments, and as a result, our financial condition may suffer.
We are subject to credit risk in our investment portfolio. Defaults by third parties in the payment or performance of their obligations under these securities could reduce our investment income and realized investment gains or result in the recognition of investment losses. The value of our investments may be materially adversely affected by increases in interest rates, downgrades in the bonds included in our portfolio and by other factors that may result in the recognition of other-than-temporary impairments. Each of these events may cause us to reduce the carrying value of our investment portfolio.
The fair value of fixed maturities and the related investment income fluctuates depending on general economic and market conditions. The fair value of these investments generally increases or decreases in an inverse relationship with fluctuations in interest rates, while net investment income realized by us will generally increase or decrease in line with changes in market interest rates. In addition, actual net investment income and/or cash flows from investments that carry prepayment risk, such as mortgage-backed and other asset-backed securities, may differ from those anticipated at the time of investment as a result of interest rate fluctuations. The impact of value fluctuations affects our consolidated financial statements, as a large portion of our fixed maturities are classified as available-for-sale, with changes in fair value reflected in our stockholders’ equity (accumulated other comprehensive income or loss). No similar adjustment is made for liabilities to reflect a change in interest rates. Therefore, interest rate fluctuations and economic conditions could adversely affect our stockholders’ equity, total comprehensive income and/or cash flows. All of our fixed maturities are subject to credit risk. If any of the issuers of our fixed maturities suffer financial setbacks, the ratings on the fixed maturities could fall (with a concurrent fall in fair value) and, in a worst-case scenario, the issuer could default on its financial obligations. If the issuer defaults, we could have realized losses associated with the impairment of the securities.
Unanticipated increases in policyholder withdrawals or surrenders could negatively impact liquidity.
A primary liquidity concern is the risk of unanticipated or extraordinary policyholder withdrawals or surrenders. We track and manage liabilities and attempt to align our investment portfolio to maintain sufficient liquidity to support anticipated withdrawal demands. However, withdrawal and surrender levels may differ from anticipated levels for a variety of reasons, including changes in economic conditions, changes in policyholder behavior or financial needs, or changes in our claims-paying ability. Any of these occurrences could adversely affect our liquidity, profitability and financial condition.
While we own a significant amount of liquid assets, we could exhaust all sources of liquidity and be forced to obtain additional financing or liquidate assets, perhaps on unfavorable terms, if we experience unanticipated withdrawal or surrender activity. The availability of additional
financing will depend on a variety of factors, such as market conditions, the availability of credit in general or more specifically in the insurance industry, the strength or weakness of the capital markets, the volume of trading activities, our credit capacity, and the perception of our long- or short-term financial prospects if we incur large realized or unrealized investment losses or if the level of business activity declines due to a market downturn. If we are forced to dispose of assets on unfavorable terms, it could have an adverse effect on our liquidity, results of operations and financial condition.

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ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None.

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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
Our corporate headquarters facility is located in New York, New York. We lease administrative, technical and sales office space in various locations in the countries in which we operate. DBMG is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona; Beyond6 is headquartered in Saratoga Springs, NY, and leases land for fueling stations across the U.S., HC2 Broadcasting is headquartered in New York, New York and CGI is headquartered in Austin, Texas. As of December 31, 2020, total leased space approximates 357,422 square feet, and land leased for fueling stations of 1,283,893 square feet. See Note 16. Leases for annual lease costs. The Company has entered into operating and finance lease agreements primarily for land, office space, equipment and vehicles, expiring between 2021 and 2045. The operating leases expire at various times, with the longest commitment expiring in 2045. In addition, Beyond6 and DBMG own operational facilities and sales offices throughout the United States totaling approximately 5,625,591 square feet. We believe that our present administrative, technical and sales office facilities are adequate for our anticipated operations and that similar space can be obtained readily as needed.

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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
Litigation
The Company is subject to claims and legal proceedings that arise in the ordinary course of business. Such matters are inherently uncertain, and there can be no guarantee that the outcome of any such matter will be decided favorably to the Company or that the resolution of any such matter will not have a material adverse effect upon the Company’s Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. The Company does not believe that any of such pending claims and legal proceedings will have a material adverse effect on its Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. The Company records a liability in its Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for these matters when a loss is known or considered probable and the amount can be reasonably estimated. The Company reviews these estimates each accounting period as additional information is known and adjusts the loss provision when appropriate. If a matter is both probable to result in a liability and the amounts of loss can be reasonably estimated, the Company estimates and discloses the possible loss or range of loss to the extent necessary for its Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements not to be misleading. If the loss is not probable or cannot be reasonably estimated, a liability is not recorded in its Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.
Based on a review of the current facts and circumstances with counsel in each of the matters disclosed, management has provided for what is believed to be a reasonable estimate of loss exposure. While acknowledging the uncertainties of litigation, management believes that the ultimate outcome of litigation will not have a material effect on its financial position and will defend itself vigorously.
VAT assessment
On February 20, 2017, and on August 15, 2017, the Company's subsidiary, ICS, received notices from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs office in the U.K. (the "HMRC") indicating that it was required to pay certain Value-Added Taxes ("VAT") for the 2015 and 2016 tax years. ICS disagrees with HMRC’s assessments on technical and factual grounds and intends to dispute the assessed liabilities and vigorously defend its interests. We do not believe the assessment to be probable and expect to prevail based on the facts and merits of our existing VAT position.
Fair Value Investments Litigation
On October 1, 2020, Fair Value Investments Incorporated (“FVI”) filed a putative stockholder class action and derivative complaint in the Delaware Court of Chancery against HC2 and certain of DBMG’s current and former officers and directors, including current and former HC2 officers and directors AJ Stahl, Kenneth S. Courtis, Robert V. Leffler, Jr., Philip A. Falcone, Michael J. Sena, and Paul Voigt (together with HC2, the “HC2 Defendants”) styled Fair Value Investments Incorporated v. Roach, et al., C.A. No. 2020-0847-JTL (Del. Ch.) (the “FVI Action”). In the FVI Action, FVI alleges that HC2, in its capacity as DBMG’s controlling stockholder, and DBMG’s current and former officers and directors breached their fiduciary duties to DBMG and DBMG’s minority stockholders by approving certain transactions that allegedly provide disproportionate benefits to HC2. FVI challenges the following transactions: (i) DBMG’s payments to HC2 from 2016-present pursuant to a Tax Sharing Agreement between DBMG and HC2; (ii) DBMG acting as a guarantor or providing collateral for loans taken on by HC2; (iii) DBMG’s issuance of dividends to its common and preferred stockholders in 2017-2020; (iv) DBMG’s issuance of preferred stock to HC2 to finance DBMG’s 2018 acquisition of GrayWolf Industrial; and (v) HC2’s appointment of directors to DBMG’s board of directors by written consent in lieu of holding an annual stockholder meeting. On February 23, 2021, FVI filed an Amended Verified Stockholder Class Action Complaint (the "Amended Complaint"). In the Amended Complaint, FVI named two additional defendants: HC2’s Chief Executive Officer, Wayne Barr, and DBMG’s General Counsel, Scott D. Sherman. The Amended Complaint
includes additional fact allegations in support of the largely similar claims raised in the original complaint. Defendants expect to file a motion to dismiss the Amended Complaint in early April. HC2 believes the allegations in the FVI Amended Complaint are without merit and the HC2-related defendants have filed a motion to dismiss the complaint, which continues to be pending. HC2 intends to vigorously defend this litigation.
OSHA Complaint
On November 4, 2020, the Company received notice that a complaint was filed on August 27, 2020 with the U.S. Department of Labor ("DOL") (OSHA Complaint Number 2-4173-20-156), by a former employee of Continental Insurance Group Ltd. alleging retaliatory employment practices in violation of the whistleblower provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The Company submitted a position statement to the DOL denying the material allegations in the complaint. The DOL has not issued a determination.
Separation from Philip A. Falcone
The Company has engaged in ongoing negotiations with Philip A. Falcone, the former Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, regarding his separation. Mr. Falcone rejected the Company’s most recent severance offer, and on December 18, 2020, Mr. Falcone filed a demand for arbitration against the Company with the American Arbitration Association. The Company contends that the claims in Mr. Falcone’s demand are without merit and that the Company has both factual and legal defenses. In addition, Mr. Falcone made two books and records demands of the Company, which the Company has denied, including in light of the fact that Mr. Falcone is no longer a director of the Company.

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ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not applicable.
PART II

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ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Common Stock
HC2 common stock trades on the NYSE under the ticker symbol "HCHC".
Holders of Common Stock
As of December 31, 2020, HC2 had approximately 4,735 holders of record of its common stock. This number does not include stockholders for whom shares were held in "nominee" or "street" name.
Dividends
HC2 paid no dividends on its common stock in 2020 or 2019, and the HC2 Board of Directors has no current intention of paying any dividends on HC2 common stock in the near future. The payment of dividends, if any, in the future is within the discretion of the HC2 Board of Directors and will depend on our earnings, our capital requirements, financial condition, the ability to comply with the requirements of the law and agreements governing our and our subsidiaries indebtedness. The Secured Indenture contains covenants that, among other things, limit or restrict our ability to make certain restricted payments, including the payment of cash dividends with respect to HC2’s common stock. The DBMG Facility contains similar covenants applicable to DBMG. See Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Liquidity and Capital Resources and Note 15. Debt Obligations to our consolidated financial statements for more detail concerning our Secured Notes and other financing arrangements. Moreover, dividends may be restricted by other arrangements entered into in the future by us.
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
HC2 did not repurchase any of its equity securities in the year ended December 31, 2020.

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ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with the information in our consolidated annual audited financial statements and the notes thereto, each of which are contained in Item 8 entitled "Financial Statements and Supplementary Data," and other financial information included herein. Some of the information contained in this discussion and analysis includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. You should review the "Risk Factors" section as well as the section below entitled "Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" for a discussion of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results described in or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in the following discussion and analysis.
Unless the context otherwise requires, in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, "HC2" means HC2 Holdings, Inc. and the "Company," "we" and "our" mean HC2 together with its consolidated subsidiaries. "U.S. GAAP" means accounting principles accepted in the United States of America.
Our Business
We are a diversified holding company with principal operations conducted through five operating platforms or reportable segments: Infrastructure ("DBMG"), Life Sciences ("Pansend"), Spectrum, Insurance ("CIG"), and Other, which includes businesses that do not meet the separately reportable segment thresholds.
Certain previous year amounts have been reclassified to conform with current year presentations, including:
•The recasting of GMSL's, ICS's, and Beyond6's results to discontinued operations. Further, the reclassification of prior period assets and liabilities have been classified as held for sale;
•As a result of the sale of GMSL, ICS, and Beyond6, and in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") 280, the Company no longer includes the results of operations and balance sheets of these entities as separate segments. These entities and our investment in HMN have been reclassified to the Other segment.
•The recasting of Earnings Per Share ("EPS") in the prior period, as a result of the discontinued operations noted above. This includes presenting EPS for Net (loss) income from continuing operations, Net (loss) income from discontinuing operations, and Net (loss) income.
Our Operations
Refer to Note 1. Organization and Business to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
Seasonality and Cyclical Patterns
Our segments' operations can be highly cyclical. Our volume of business in our Infrastructure segment may be adversely affected by declines or delays in projects, which may vary by geographic region. Project schedules, particularly in connection with large, complex, and longer-term projects can also create fluctuations in the services provided, which may adversely affect us in a given period.
For example, in connection with larger, more complicated projects, the timing of obtaining permits and other approvals may be delayed, and we may need to maintain a portion of our workforce and equipment in an underutilized capacity to ensure we are strategically positioned to deliver on such projects when they move forward.
Examples of other items that may cause our results or demand for our services to fluctuate materially from quarter to quarter include: weather or project site conditions, financial condition of our customers and their access to capital; margins of projects performed during any particular period; economic, and political and market conditions on a regional, national or global scale.
Accordingly, our operating results in any particular period may not be indicative of the results that can be expected for any other period.
Recent Developments
COVID-19 Impact on our Business
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of the novel coronavirus ("COVID-19") pandemic resulting in action from federal, state and local governments that has significantly affected virtually all facets of the U.S. and global economies. The U.S. federal and various state governments, have implemented enhanced screenings, quarantine requirements, and travel restrictions in connection with the COVID-19 outbreak.
The Company’s top priority is to protect its employees and their families, and those of the Company’s customers. The Company continues to take precautionary measures as directed by health authorities and the local government, including changing operational procedures as necessary, providing additional protective gear and cleaning to protect them, which has resulted and may continue to result in disruptions to and increased costs of the Company’s operations. We may take further actions as may be required by government authorities or that we determine are in the best interests of our employees, customers, partners, vendors, and suppliers. Work-from-home and other measures introduce additional operational risks, including cybersecurity risks, and have affected the way we conduct our operations. There is no certainty that such measures will be sufficient to mitigate the risks posed by the virus, and illness and workforce disruptions could lead to unavailability of key personnel and harm our ability to perform critical functions.
The extent of the impact of COVID-19 on our operational and financial performance will depend on future developments, including, but not limited to, the duration and spread of the outbreak, the outbreak of any new strains of the coronavirus, and related travel advisories and restrictions, and its impact to the U.S. and global financial markets, all of which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted. Preventing the effects from and responding to this market disruption if any other public health threat, related or otherwise, may further increase costs of our business and may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We continue to monitor the evolving situation and guidance from authorities, including federal, state and local public health departments, and may take additional actions based on their recommendations. In these circumstances, there may be developments outside our control requiring us to adjust our plans. As such, given the dynamic nature of this situation, we cannot reasonably estimate the impact of COVID-19 on our results of operations, financial condition, or cash flows in the future. However, we do expect that it could have a material adverse impact on our future revenue growth as well as our overall profitability and may lead to revised payment terms with certain of our customers.
During the year ended December 31, 2020, the effects of COVID-19 and the related actions undertaken in the U.S. to attempt to control its spread, specifically impacted certain of our segments as follows:
Infrastructure
DBMG is dependent on its workforce to carry out its services. Developments resulting from governmental responses to COVID-19 such as social distancing and shelter-in-place directives have impacted, and will continue to impact, DBMG’s ability to deploy its workforce in its facilities and project sites efficiently. The nature of DBMG’s business does not permit alternative workforce arrangements in its facilities and project sites such as remote work schemes to be implemented effectively, and as a result of potential workforce disruptions, DBMG may continue to experience delays or suspensions of projects. DBMG has incurred significant costs related to additional procedures to maintain COVID-19 related safety measures. During the year ended December 31, 2020, $19.4 million of COVID-19 related expenses were incurred. DBMG may also experience disruptions in the supply chain depending on the spread of COVID-19 and related governmental orders. These delays, suspensions, and impacts to supply chain may negatively impact DBMG’s results of operations, cash flows or financial condition. This could cause the timing of revenue to be delayed and possibly impact earnings and backlog. Persistent delays, suspensions or
cancellations of projects under contract may occur while governments implement policies designed to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Any such continued loss or suspension of projects under contract may negatively impact the DBMG’s results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.
Spectrum
As a result of COVID-19, our Spectrum segment has experienced adverse effects on its advertising business because of weakness in the advertising market as advertisers seek to reduce their own costs in response to the pandemic’s impact on their businesses. We are not able to predict when or whether advertising budgets and the advertising market generally will return or be comparable to historical levels.
In addition, COVID-19 could impact our Spectrum segment’s business, financial condition and results of operations in a number of other ways, including, but not limited to:
•negative impact on our broadcast station revenue, as many of our customers also rely on advertising revenues and might be negatively affected by COVID-19;
•slow-down of our ability to build out additional broadcast television stations, as illness, social distancing, and other pandemic-related precautions may result in equipment delivery delays and labor shortages, including the availability of tower crews, an already limited, highly-specialized work force necessary to install broadcast equipment;
•negative impact on our network distribution revenues, as consumers may seek to reduce discretionary spending by cutting back or foregoing subscriptions to cable television or other multichannel video programming distributors;
•negative impact on our financial condition or our ability to fund operations or future investment opportunities due to an increase in the cost or difficulty in obtaining debt or equity financing, or refinancing our debt in the future, or our ability to comply with our covenants;
•impairments of our programming inventory, goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets, and other long-lived assets; and
•increased cyber and payment fraud risk, as cybercriminals attempt to profit from the disruption, given increased online activity.
The magnitude of the impact on our Spectrum segment will depend on numerous evolving factors that we may not be able to accurately predict, including the duration and extent of the pandemic, the impact of federal, state, local and foreign governmental actions, consumer behavior in response to the pandemic and such governmental actions, and the economic and operating conditions that we may face in the aftermath of COVID-19. Even after COVID-19 has subsided, we may experience materially adverse impacts to our business as a result of its global economic impact, including any recession that has occurred or may occur in the future.
For further discussion regarding the potential future impacts of COVID-19 and related economic conditions on the Company's liquidity and capital resources, see "Part I-Item 1A - Risk Factors."
Insurance
Our Insurance segment has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, including multiple reductions in target interest rates by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and significant market volatility, driving actual and projected results of our business operations as well as our views on potential effectiveness of certain prudent and feasible tax planning strategies. The Company’s December 31, 2020 results reflected in earnings are primarily impacted by the Insurance segment's net unrealized losses on investments of $6.5 million, included in the Net realized and unrealized gains (loss) on investments line, primarily driven by preferred stock mark to market adjustments. The impact on other comprehensive income was $244.1 million of unrealized gain on fixed maturity securities at December 31, 2020, a significant improvement as compared to prior quarter results, which reflected $355.5 million of unrealized loss at March 31, 2020, $9.2 million of unrealized gain at June 30, 2020, and $91.2 million of unrealized gain at September 30, 2020. The unrealized gains and losses were largely attributable to market factors caused by the COVID-19 crisis. The unrealized gains and losses are considered temporary in nature, as we have the ability to hold these securities to maturity.
Acquisitions and Dispositions
Other
Sale of GMSL
On January 30, 2020, the Company announced that, through its indirect subsidiary GMH in which the Company holds an approximately 73% controlling interest, the Company entered into a definitive agreement to sell 100% of the shares of GMSL to Trafalgar AcquisitionCo, Ltd. and an affiliate of J.F. Lehman & Company, LLC. The total base consideration was $250.0 million, subject to customary purchase price adjustments, working capital adjustments, and a potential earn-out of up to $12.5 million at such time, if any, if J.F. Lehman & Company, LLC and its investment affiliates achieve a specified multiple of their invested capital.
The purchase price is subject to customary potential downward or upward post-closing adjustments based on net working capital, cash, unpaid transaction expenses, indebtedness and certain of the Company’s pre-closing paid capital expenditures. The Share Purchase Agreement contains customary representations, warranties and covenants for a transaction of this nature. In connection with the closing of the transaction, the purchaser deposited (i) $1.25 million of the base price into an escrow fund for the purpose of securing certain indemnification obligations
for losses payable in the first twelve months after closing and (ii) $1.91 million of the base price into an escrow fund for the purpose of securing a purchase price adjustment, if any, in favor of purchaser. Following the closing, the purchaser shall pay an amount equal to $2.4 million on the earlier of December 31, 2020 and the date on which a cash collateralized bonding facility is released.
The transaction closed on February 28, 2020. GMH received approximately $144.0 million of net proceeds from the sale, of which $36.8 million and $5.5 million were paid to noncontrolling interest holders and redeemable noncontrolling interest holders, respectively. HC2 received net proceeds of approximately $100.8 million.
At the time of the sale, the Company recorded a $39.3 million loss, inclusive of recognizing a $31.3 million loss from the realization of AOCI. During the fourth quarter of 2020, the Company recognized a gain on sale of $2.4 million c noted above.
Sale of HMN
On October 30, 2019, the Company announced the sale of its stake in HMN, its 49% joint venture with Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., to Hengtong Optic-Electric Co Ltd. The sale valued HMN at $285.0 million, and GMH's 49% stake, through New Saxon, at approximately $140.0 million.
Under the terms of the Sale and Purchase Agreement, the sale of New Saxon’s 49% interest in HMN will be affected in two tranches. The sale of the portion of New Saxon’s 30% interest of HMN, closed on May 12, 2020 (the "First HMN Close"). The remaining 19% interest of HMN is retained by New Saxon and subject to a put option agreement by New Saxon, exercisable starting on the second year anniversary of the closing date of the First HMN Close at a price equal to the greater of the share price paid for the 30% interest or fair market value as of the exercisable date.
In conjunction with the first tranche of the sale, the Company received $85.5 million in cash, of which $17.5 million and $2.1 million were paid to noncontrolling interest holders and redeemable noncontrolling interest holders, respectively. New Saxon recorded a $71.1 million gain, included in Other income (loss) in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. The gain recognized includes $11.3 million related to the fair value of the put option. In addition, the Company recorded a $7.2 million tax expense related to a foreign tax payment when the first tranche closed.
Sale of ICS
The sale of ICS and its subsidiary, Go2 Tel, Inc., closed on October 31, 2020. The Company recorded a $0.9 million gain on the sale. Proceeds were used for general corporate purposes.
Sale of Beyond6
On December 31, 2020, the Company announced a plan to sell Beyond6 to an affiliate of Mercuria Investments US, Inc., pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Merger ( the "Merger Agreement") among Beyond6, Greenfill, Inc., a Delaware Corporation ("Parent"), Greenfill Merger Inc., a newly-formed Delaware corporation and wholly-owned subsidiary of the Parent, and an affiliate of HC2 as the Stockholder Representative for the Beyond6 stockholders. The sale closed on January 15, 2021
Debt Obligations
Spectrum
In February 2020, Spectrum amended its agreement governing its privately placed note funded by MSD Partners, L.P., increasing the principal balance to $39.3 million. The proceeds were used to repay principal and interest on existing debt.
In August 2020, Spectrum modified its agreement with MSD Partners, L.P. and Great American Life Insurance Company to extend the maturity on its privately placed notes to October 2021.
In September 2020, Spectrum amended its agreement governing its privately placed note funded by MSD Partners, L.P., increasing the principal balance by $4.0 million to $43.3 million. The proceeds were used to repay principal and interest on existing debt and for general business purposes.
In November 2020, Spectrum paid down $2.9 million of its 8.50% Note due 2021 and $3.0 million on other various notes.
In December 2020, Spectrum paid down $21.0 million and $9.6 million of its 8.5% Note due 2021 and 10.5% Note due 2021, respectively.
Non-Operating Corporate
In March 2020, with the cash proceeds from the sale of GMSL, HC2 fully repaid its $15.0 million secured revolving line of credit with MSD PCOF Partners IX, LLC (the "2019 Revolving Credit Agreement"). HC2 recognized $0.4 million in extinguishment loss related to the repayment of the 2019 Revolving Credit Agreement, which is included in Loss on early extinguishment or restructuring of debt in our Consolidated Statement of Operations.
In March 2020, HC2 entered into a new $15.0 million secured revolving credit agreement (the “2020 Revolving Credit Agreement”). The 2020 Revolving Credit Agreement matures in September 2021. Loans under the 2020 Revolving Credit Agreement bear interest at a per annum rate equal to, at HC2's option, one, two or three month LIBOR plus a margin of 6.75%. In April and May 2020, HC2 drew $10.0 million and $5.0 million of the 2020 Revolving Credit Agreement, respectively. The Company used the proceeds for general corporate purposes.
In March 2020, with the cash proceeds from the sale of GMSL, HC2 redeemed $76.9 million of its 11.50% senior secured notes due 2021 (the "Senior Secured Notes") at a price equal to 104.5% of the principal amount plus accrued interest through the redemption date. HC2 recognized $5.4 million in extinguishment loss related to the redemption of its Senior Secured Notes, which is included in Loss on early extinguishment or restructuring of debt in our Consolidated Statement of Operations.
In June 2020, with the cash proceeds from the partial sale of New Saxon's interest in HMN, HC2 redeemed $50.6 million of its Senior Secured Notes at a price equal to 104.5% of the principal amount plus accrued interest through the redemption date. HC2 recognized $3.4 million in extinguishment loss related to the this redemption, which is included in Loss on early extinguishment or restructuring of debt in our Consolidated Statement of Operations.
In October 2020, HC2 redeemed an additional $2.1 million of its Senior Secured Notes at a price equal to 104.5% of the principal amount plus accrued interest through the redemption date. HC2 recognized $0.1 million in extinguishment loss related to the this redemption, which is included in Loss on early extinguishment or restructuring of debt in our Consolidated Statement of Operations.
Pansend
In April 2020, R2 received $10.0 million in funding from Huadong Medicine Company Limited as part of Huadong's $30 million Series B equity investment in R2. These funds are being used to commercialize R2's CryoAesthetic technology which provides physicians a new way to lighten, brighten and rejuvenate skin. This investment represents the second tranche of Huadong's investment at an approximate post-money valuation of $90.0 million and reduces Pansend's ownership by 7.8% to 56.1%.
Financial Presentation Background
In the below section within this Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, we compare, pursuant to U.S. GAAP and SEC disclosure rules, the Company’s results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2020 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2019.
Results of Operations
The following table summarizes our results of operations and a comparison of the change between the periods (in millions):
Years Ended December 31,
2020 2019 Increase / (Decrease)
Net revenue
Infrastructure
$ 676.6 $ 713.3 $ (36.7)
Spectrum 40.3 41.8 (1.5)
Insurance 300.2 331.6 (31.4)
Other - 0.5 (0.5)
Eliminations (1)
(11.3) (10.2) (1.1)
Total net revenue 1,005.8 1,077.0 (71.2)
(Loss) income from operations
Infrastructure
$ 20.5 $ 45.1 $ (24.6)
Life Sciences (16.9) (8.9) (8.0)
Spectrum (2.2) (11.4) 9.2
Insurance 35.6 37.3 (1.7)
Other (2.8) (1.6) (1.2)
Non-operating Corporate (27.0) (25.0) (2.0)
Eliminations (1)
(11.3) (10.2) (1.1)
Total (loss) income from operations (4.1) 25.3 (29.4)
Interest expense (79.4) (76.1) (3.3)
Loss on early extinguishment or restructuring of debt (9.4) - (9.4)
(Loss) income from equity investees (3.4) 1.6 (5.0)
Gain on bargain purchase - 1.1 (1.1)
Other income 68.5 6.3 62.2
Loss from continuing operations (27.8) (41.8) 14.0
Income tax benefit (expense) (10.5) 19.6 (30.1)
Loss from continuing operations (38.3) (22.2) (16.1)
Loss from discontinued operations (including loss on disposal of $44.2 million) (63.8) (13.9) (49.9)
Net loss (102.1) (36.1) (66.0)
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interest and redeemable noncontrolling interest 10.1 4.6 5.5
Net loss attributable to HC2 Holdings, Inc. (92.0) (31.5) (60.5)
Less: Preferred dividends, deemed dividends, and repurchase gains 3.6 - 3.6
Net loss attributable to common stock and participating preferred stockholders $ (95.6) $ (31.5) $ (64.1)
(1) The Insurance segment revenues are inclusive of realized and unrealized gains and net investment income for the year ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, which are related to transactions between entities under common control which are eliminated or are reclassified in consolidation.
Net revenue: Net revenue for the year ended December 31, 2020 decreased $71.2 million to $1,005.8 million from $1,077.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The decrease in revenue was driven by our Infrastructure segment, primarily driven by lower revenues from our structural steel fabrication and erection business, and our Insurance segment, net of eliminations, largely driven by lower net investment income and unfavorable market movements in values for common and preferred stock holdings and fixed maturity impairments.
(Loss) income from operations: (Loss) income from operations for the year ended December 31, 2020 decreased $29.4 million to a loss of $4.1 million from income of $25.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The decrease is attributable to our Infrastructure segment due to lower revenues from our structural steel fabrication and erection business and our Life Sciences segment driven by R2, which increased spending in the current period to support commercialization efforts and further develop its product platform. This was partially offset by a decrease in loss at our Spectrum segment related to cost reductions at Network and gains recognized on the sale of broadcast stations in the current period.
Interest expense: Interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2020 increased $3.3 million to $79.4 million from $76.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The increase was attributable to an increase in the aggregate principal amount of debt at our Spectrum segment.
Loss on early extinguishment or restructuring of debt: Loss on early extinguishment or restructuring of debt for the year ended December 31, 2020 was $9.4 million. This was driven by the write-off of deferred financing costs and original issuance discount related to the $15.0 million pay down of the 2019 Revolving Credit Agreement and the $129.5 million of redemptions of the Senior Secured Notes during 2020.
(Loss) income from equity investees: (Loss) income from equity investees for the year ended December 31, 2020 decreased $5.0 million to a loss of $3.4 million from income of $1.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The decrease was driven by a decrease in income for the HMN investment, driven by the timing of turnkey project work and the reduction of ownership from 49% to 19% during 2020, and an increase in losses recorded from our investment in MediBeacon due to the timing of clinical trials.
Gain on bargain purchase: Gain on bargain purchase for the year ended December 31, 2020 decreased $1.1 million to zero from $1.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The change relates to a gain recognized in 2019 due to a purchase price allocation adjustment related to the Insurance segment's acquisition of KIC in 2018.
Other income: Other income for the year ended December 31, 2020 increased $62.2 million to $68.5 million from $6.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The increase was primarily driven by the gain recognized on the partial HMN Sale, which closed during the second quarter of 2020.
Income tax benefit (expense): Income tax benefit (expense) was an expense of $10.5 million and a benefit of $19.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The income tax expense recorded for the year ended December 31, 2020 primarily relates to tax expense incurred in China from the partial sale of HMN and the tax expense as calculated under ASC 740 for taxpaying entities, offset by a tax benefit from the carryback of net operating losses at the Insurance segment as a result of the enactment of the CARES Act in the first quarter of 2020. Additionally, the tax benefits associated with losses generated by the HC2 Holdings, Inc. U.S. tax consolidated group and certain other businesses have been reduced by a full valuation allowance as we do not believe it is more-likely-than-not that the losses will be utilized.
The income tax benefit recorded for the year ended December 31, 2019 was $19.6 million. The benefit was primarily driven by a net valuation allowance release of $37.4 million related to the Insurance segment partially offset by an impairment of goodwill which is not deductible for tax purposes.
Preferred dividends, deemed dividends, and repurchase gains: Preferred dividends, and deemed dividends, and repurchase gains for the year ended December 31, 2020 was $3.6 million compared to zero for the year ended December 31, 2019. The decrease was largely driven by the issuance of Series B Non-Voting participating Convertible Preferred Shares (the "Series B Preferred Stock") in September and November 2020, which were issued with a $2.0 million Beneficial Conversion feature. In addition, in the prior year, the Insurance segment purchased 10,000 shares of the Company's Series A-2 Preferred Stock at a $1.7 million discount.
Segment Results of Operations
In the Company's Consolidated Financial Statements, other operating (income) expense includes (i) (gain) loss on sale or disposal of assets, (ii) lease termination costs, (iii) asset impairment expense, (iv) accretion of asset retirement obligations, and (v) FCC reimbursements. Each table summarizes the results of operations of our operating segments and compares the amount of the change between the periods presented (in millions).
Infrastructure Segment
Years Ended December 31,
2020 2019 Increase / (Decrease)
Net revenue $ 676.6 $ 713.3 $ (36.7)
Cost of revenue 566.2 572.3 (6.1)
Selling, general and administrative 79.1 79.8 (0.7)
Depreciation and amortization 10.7 15.5 (4.8)
Other operating (income) expense 0.1 0.6 (0.5)
Income from operations $ 20.5 $ 45.1 $ (24.6)
Net revenue: Net revenue from our Infrastructure segment for the year ended December 31, 2020 decreased $36.7 million to $676.6 million from $713.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The decrease was primarily driven by lower revenues from our structural steel fabrication and erection business, which had increased activity in the comparable period on certain large commercial construction projects that are now at or near completion, as well as a decrease in power and industrial maintenance and repair work performed.
Cost of revenue: Cost of revenue from our Infrastructure segment for the year ended December 31, 2020 decreased $6.1 million to $566.2 million from $572.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The decrease was primarily driven by the timing of project work under execution and change in backlog mix, including a reduction in large commercial construction projects in the current period. The decrease was partially offset by higher costs incurred in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Selling, general and administrative: Selling, general and administrative expenses from our Infrastructure segment for the year ended December 31, 2020 decreased $0.7 million to $79.1 million from $79.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The decrease was primarily driven by lower travel expenses and acquisition related costs in the current period, partially offset by higher costs incurred due to an increase in salaries and wages
Depreciation and amortization: Depreciation and amortization from our Infrastructure segment for the year ended December 31, 2020 decreased $4.8 million to $10.7 million from $15.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The decrease was primarily related to the full depreciation and amortization of assets that took place subsequent to the comparable period.
Other operating (income) expense: Other operating (income) expense from our Infrastructure segment for the year ended December 31, 2020 decreased by $0.5 million to a loss of $0.1 million from income of $0.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The change was primarily due to the gains and losses on the sale of land and assets in the comparable periods.
Life Sciences Segment
Years Ended December 31,
2020 2019 Increase / (Decrease)
Selling, general and administrative $ 16.7 $ 8.6 $ 8.1
Depreciation and amortization 0.1 0.3 (0.2)
Other operating expense 0.1 - 0.1
Loss from operations $ (16.9) $ (8.9) $ (8.0)
Selling, general and administrative: Selling, general and administrative expenses from our Life Sciences segment for the year ended December 31, 2020 increased $8.1 million to $16.7 million from $8.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The increase was driven by higher expenses at R2, which increased spending from the comparable period to ramp up operations to support commercialization efforts and further develop its product platform.
Spectrum
Years Ended December 31,
2020 2019 Increase / (Decrease)
Net revenue $ 40.3 $ 41.8 $ (1.5)
Cost of revenue 22.3 23.5 (1.2)
Selling, general and administrative 20.1 26.4 (6.3)
Depreciation and amortization 6.8 6.3 0.5
Other operating (income) expense (6.7) (3.0) (3.7)
Loss from operations $ (2.2) $ (11.4) $ 9.2
Net revenue: Net revenue from our Spectrum segment for the year ended December 31, 2020 decreased $1.5 million to $40.3 million from $41.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The decrease was primarily driven by a decrease in advertising revenues at the Azteca network driven by the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, partially offset by higher station revenues as our Spectrum segment grew the number of operating stations and launched new customers across its broadcast platform.
Cost of revenue: Cost of revenue from our Spectrum segment for the year ended December 31, 2020 decreased $1.2 million to $22.3 million from $23.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The decrease was primarily driven by cost reductions at Network, partially offset by increased cost of revenues associated with the higher number of operating stations.
Selling, general and administrative: Selling, general and administrative expenses from our Spectrum segment for the year ended December 31, 2020 decreased $6.3 million to $20.1 million from $26.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The decrease was primarily due to lower compensation, overhead, and acquisition-related expenses.
Depreciation and amortization: Depreciation and amortization from our Spectrum segment for the year ended December 31, 2020 increased $0.5 million to $6.8 million from $6.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The increase was driven by additional amortization of fixed assets at new stations which were acquired or built subsequent to the comparable period.
Other operating (income) expense: Other operating (income) expense from our Spectrum segment for the year ended December 31, 2020 increased $3.7 million to income of $6.7 million from income of $3.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The increase was primarily due to gains recognized on the sale of stations in the current period, partially offset by the impairment of licenses in the current period and a decrease in gains from FCC reimbursements.
Insurance Segment
Years Ended December 31,
2020 2019 Increase / (Decrease)
Life, accident and health earned premiums, net $ 115.1 $ 116.8 $ (1.7)
Net investment income 198.8 212.9 (14.1)
Net realized and unrealized gains on investments (13.7) 1.9 (15.6)
Net revenue 300.2 331.6 (31.4)
Policy benefits, changes in reserves, and commissions 250.0 234.4 15.6
Selling, general and administrative 35.5 35.7 (0.2)
Depreciation and amortization (20.9) (23.1) 2.2
Other operating expense - 47.3 (47.3)
Income from operations (1)
$ 35.6 $ 37.3 $ (1.7)
(1) The Insurance segment revenues are inclusive of realized and unrealized gains and net investment income for the year ended December 31, 2020 and 2019. Such adjustments are related to transactions between entities under common control which are eliminated or are reclassified in consolidation.
Life, accident and health earned premiums, net: Life, accident and health earned premiums, net from our Insurance segment for the year ended December 31, 2020 decreased $1.7 million to $115.1 million from $116.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The decrease was primarily related to natural run-off of the closed blocks of business.
Net investment income: Net investment income from our Insurance segment for the year ended December 31, 2020 decreased $14.1 million to $198.8 million from $212.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The decrease was primarily due to decreased holdings in equity, mortgage and short-term investments to pivot investment strategy to a more conservative methodology, including decreased yield on equity method investments, partially offset by an increase in investment income from higher average invested assets as a result of the reinvestment of premiums and investment income received.
Net realized and unrealized gains on investments: Net realized and unrealized gains on investments from our Insurance segment for the year ended December 31, 2020 decreased $15.6 million to $13.7 million from $1.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The decrease was driven by unrealized losses due to unfavorable market movements in preferred investments, and realized losses on the sale of bond and equity investments.
Policy benefits, changes in reserves, and commissions: Policy benefits, changes in reserves, and commissions from our Insurance segment for the year ended December 31, 2020 increased $15.6 million to $250.0 million from $234.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2019.The increase was due to unfavorable reserves development in the active life reserve for the LTC policies acquired in 2018 and expected increase in claims activity in the current period.
Depreciation and amortization: Depreciation and amortization from our Insurance segment for the year ended December 31, 2020 decreased $2.2 million to $20.9 million from $23.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The decrease was driven by a reduction in negative VOBA amortization largely due to lower policy terminations for the LTC policies acquired in 2018.
Other operating expense: Other operating expense from our Insurance segment for the year ended December 31, 2020 was zero compared to $47.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The decrease was due to goodwill impairment in the comparable period not recognized in the current period.
Non-operating Corporate
Years Ended December 31,
2020 2019 Increase / (Decrease)
Selling, general and administrative $ 26.9 $ 24.9 $ 2.0
Depreciation and amortization 0.1 0.1 -
Loss from operations $ (27.0) $ (25.0) $ (2.0)
Selling, general and administrative: Selling, general and administrative expenses from our Non-operating Corporate segment for the year ended December 31, 2020 increased $2.0 million to $26.9 million from $24.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The increase was driven by costs incurred associated with the proxy contest, acquisition and disposition costs, and increased legal activity. This was partially offset by a decrease in bonus, stock compensation expense, rent expense and various consulting expenses in the current period.
(Loss) income from Equity Investees
Years Ended December 31,
2020 2019 Increase / (Decrease)
Life Sciences $ (6.0) $ (3.4) $ (2.6)
Other 2.6 5.0 (2.4)
(Loss) income from equity investees $ (3.4) $ 1.6 $ (5.0)
Life Sciences: Loss from equity investees within our Life Sciences segment for the year ended December 31, 2020 increased $2.6 million to $6.0 million from $3.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The increase in loss was largely due to higher equity method losses recorded from our investment in MediBeacon due to the timing of clinical trials.
Other: Income from equity investees within our Other segment for the year ended December 31, 2020 decreased $2.4 million to $2.6 million from $5.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The decrease was driven by the equity investment in HMN, as the joint venture produced lower profits than in the comparable period, which is generally attributable to timing of turnkey project work, and a reduction in ownership from 49% to 19% as a result of the partial sale of HC2's investment in the second quarter of 2020.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures and Other Information
Adjusted EBITDA
Adjusted EBITDA is not a measurement recognized under U.S. GAAP. In addition, other companies may define Adjusted EBITDA differently than we do, which could limit its usefulness.
Management believes that Adjusted EBITDA provides investors with meaningful information for gaining an understanding of our results as it is frequently used by the financial community to provide insight into an organization’s operating trends and facilitates comparisons between peer companies, since interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and the other items listed in the definition of Adjusted EBITDA below can differ greatly between organizations as a result of differing capital structures and tax strategies. Adjusted EBITDA can also be a useful measure of a company’s ability to service debt. While management believes that non-U.S. GAAP measurements are useful supplemental information, such adjusted results are not intended to replace our U.S. GAAP financial results. Using Adjusted EBITDA as a performance measure has inherent limitations as an analytical tool as compared to net income (loss) or other U.S. GAAP financial measures, as this non-GAAP measure excludes certain items, including items that are recurring in nature, which may be meaningful to investors. As a result of the exclusions, Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered in isolation and does not purport to be an alternative to net income (loss) or other U.S. GAAP financial measures as a measure of our operating performance. Adjusted EBITDA excludes the results of operations and any consolidating eliminations of our Insurance segment.
The calculation of Adjusted EBITDA, as defined by us, consists of Net income (loss) as adjusted for depreciation and amortization; amortization of equity method fair value adjustments at acquisition; Other operating (income) expense, which is inclusive of (gain) loss on sale or disposal of assets, lease termination costs, and FCC reimbursements; asset impairment expense, interest expense; net gain (loss) on contingent consideration; loss on early extinguishment or restructuring of debt; gain (loss) on sale of subsidiaries; other (income) expense, net; foreign currency transaction (gain) loss included in cost of revenue; income tax (benefit) expense; noncontrolling interest; bonus to be settled in equity; share-based compensation expense; discontinued operations; non-recurring items; costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic; and acquisition and disposition costs.
(in millions) Year ended December 31, 2020
Infrastructure
Life Sciences Spectrum Other and Elimination Non-operating Corporate HC2
Net loss attributable to HC2 Holdings, Inc. $ (92.0)
Less: Net Income attributable to HC2 Holdings Insurance segment 40.2
Less: Consolidating eliminations attributable to HC2 Holdings Insurance segment (6.0)
Net Income (loss) attributable to HC2 Holdings, Inc., excluding Insurance segment $ 6.8 $ (14.4) $ (17.5) $ (1.5) $ (99.6) $ (126.2)
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to Adjusted EBITDA:
Depreciation and amortization 10.7 0.1 6.8 - 0.1 17.7
Depreciation and amortization (included in cost of revenue) 9.1 - - - - 9.1
Other operating (income) expenses 0.1 0.1 (6.7) - - (6.5)
Interest expense 8.5 - 14.7 - 56.2 79.4
Other (income) expense, net 0.5 (2.3) 5.7 (72.2) 3.0 (65.3)
Loss on early extinguishment of debt - - - - 9.4 9.4
Income tax expense 4.2 - 0.3 11.0 0.2 15.7
Noncontrolling interest 0.6 (6.2) (5.3) 0.8 - (10.1)
Discontinued operations - - - 61.7 3.9 65.6
Bonus to be settled in equity - - - - (0.5) (0.5)
Share-based payment expense - 0.2 0.3 - 2.4 2.9
Non-recurring items 2.7 - - - 5.4 8.1
COVID-19 Costs 19.4 - - - - 19.4
Acquisition and disposition costs 0.6 - 0.5 1.8 3.9 6.8
Adjusted EBITDA $ 63.2 $ (22.5) $ (1.2) $ 1.6 $ (15.6) $ 25.5
(in millions) Year ended December 31, 2019
Infrastructure
Life Sciences Spectrum Other and Elimination Non-operating Corporate HC2
Net loss attributable to HC2 Holdings, Inc. $ (31.5)
Less: Net Income attributable to HC2 Holdings Insurance segment 59.4
Less: Consolidating eliminations attributable to HC2 Holdings Insurance segment (8.7)
Net Income (loss) attributable to HC2 Holdings, Inc., excluding Insurance Segment $ 24.7 $ (0.2) $ (18.5) $ (0.6) $ (87.6) $ (82.2)
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to Adjusted EBITDA:
Depreciation and amortization 15.5 0.3 6.3 - 0.1 22.2
Depreciation and amortization (included in cost of revenue) 9.1 - - - - 9.1
Other operating (income) expenses 0.5 - (2.9) 0.1 - (2.3)
Interest expense 9.3 - 9.6 - 57.5 76.4
Other (income) expense, net (1.6) (8.6) 2.7 - 2.2 (5.3)
Income tax (benefit) expense 10.9 - (1.5) - (8.1) 1.3
Noncontrolling interest 2.0 (3.4) (3.8) 0.6 - (4.6)
Share-based payment expense - 0.1 0.6 - 5.5 6.2
Discontinued Operations - - - 3.5 11.0 14.5
Acquisition and disposition costs 5.3 - 1.2 0.1 1.5 8.1
Adjusted EBITDA $ 75.7 $ (11.8) $ (6.3) $ 3.7 $ (17.9) $ 43.4
Infrastructure: Net income from our Infrastructure segment for the year ended December 31, 2020 decreased $17.9 million to $6.8 million from $24.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. Adjusted EBITDA from our Infrastructure segment for the year ended December 31, 2020 decreased $12.5 million to $63.2 million from $75.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The decrease in Adjusted EBITDA can be attributed to the timing of project work under execution and change in backlog mix, including a reduction in large commercial construction projects in the current period, as well as a decline in power and industrial repair and maintenance work performed.
Life Sciences: Net loss from our Life Sciences segment for the year ended December 31, 2020 decreased $14.2 million to $14.4 million from $0.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. Adjusted EBITDA loss from our Life Sciences segment for the year ended December 31, 2020 increased $10.7 million to $22.5 million from $11.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The increase in Adjusted EBITDA loss was primarily driven by higher expenses at R2, which increased spending from the comparable period to support commercialization efforts and further develop its product platform. and higher equity method losses recorded from our investment in MediBeacon due to the timing of clinical trials.
Spectrum: Net loss from our Spectrum segment for the year ended December 31, 2020 decreased $1.0 million to $17.5 million from $18.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. Adjusted EBITDA loss from our Spectrum segment for the year ended December 31, 2020 decreased $5.1 million to $1.2 million from $6.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The overall decrease in Adjusted EBITDA loss was primarily driven by a decrease in compensation and overhead, expenses, as well as higher station revenues as our Spectrum segment grew the number of operating stations and launched new customers across its broadcast platform. This was partially offset by a decrease in advertising revenues at the Azteca network driven by the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Other and Elimination: Net income (loss) from our Other segment for the year ended December 31, 2020 decreased $0.9 million to income of $1.5 million from a loss of $0.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. Adjusted EBITDA from our Other segment for the year ended December 31, 2020 decreased $2.1 million to $1.6 million from $3.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The decrease in Adjusted EBITDA for Other and Eliminations was driven by lower profits for the HMN investment, which is generally attributable to the timing of turnkey project work and the reduction of ownership from 49% to 19% as a result of the partial sale of HMN in the second quarter of 2020.
Non-operating Corporate: Net loss from our Non-operating Corporate segment for the year ended December 31, 2020 increased $12.0 million to $99.6 million from $87.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. Adjusted EBITDA loss from our Non-operating Corporate segment for the year ended December 31, 2020 decreased $2.3 million to $15.6 million from $17.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The decrease in Adjusted EBITDA loss was driven by a decrease in discretionary bonus and a general reduction in overhead expenses, including professional fees, travel and entertainment expenses, and rent expense, partially offset by an increase in recurring legal fees resulting from an increase in activity.
(in millions): Year ended December 31,
2020 2019 Increase / (Decrease)
Infrastructure
$ 63.2 $ 75.7 $ (12.5)
Life Sciences (22.5) (11.8) (10.7)
Spectrum (1.2) (6.3) 5.1
Other and Eliminations 1.6 3.7 (2.1)
Non-Operating Corporate (15.6) (17.9) 2.3
Adjusted EBITDA $ 25.5 $ 43.4 $ (17.9)
Adjusted Operating Income - Insurance
Adjusted Operating Income ("Insurance AOI") and Pre-tax Adjusted Operating Income (“Pre-tax Insurance AOI”) for the Insurance segment are non-U.S. GAAP financial measures frequently used throughout the insurance industry and are economic measures the Insurance segment uses to evaluate its financial performance. Management believes that Insurance AOI and Pretax Insurance AOI measures provide investors with meaningful information for gaining an understanding of certain results and provide insight into an organization’s operating trends and facilitates comparisons between peer companies. However, Insurance AOI and Pre-tax Insurance AOI have certain limitations, and we may not calculate it the same as other companies in our industry. It should, therefore, be read together with the Company's results calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP.
Similarly to Adjusted EBITDA, using Insurance AOI and Pre-tax Insurance AOI as performance measures have inherent limitations as an analytical tool as compared to income (loss) from operations or other U.S. GAAP financial measures, as these non-U.S. GAAP measures exclude certain items, including items that are recurring in nature, which may be meaningful to investors. As a result of the exclusions, Insurance AOI and Pre-tax Insurance AOI should not be considered in isolation and do not purport to be an alternative to income (loss) from operations or other U.S. GAAP financial measures as measures of our operating performance.
Management defines Insurance AOI as Net income for the Insurance segment adjusted to exclude the impact of net investment gains (losses), including OTTI losses recognized in operations; asset impairment; intercompany elimination; gain on bargain purchase, gain on reinsurance recaptures; and acquisition costs. Management defines Pre-tax Insurance AOI as Insurance AOI adjusted to exclude the impact of income tax (benefit) expense recognized during the current period. Management believes that Insurance AOI and Pre-tax Insurance AOI provide meaningful financial metrics that help investors understand certain results and profitability. While these adjustments are an integral part of the overall performance of the Insurance segment, market conditions impacting these items can overshadow the underlying performance of the business. Accordingly, we believe using a measure which excludes their impact is effective in analyzing the trends of our operations.
The table below shows the adjustments made to the reported Net income (loss) of the Insurance segment to calculate Insurance AOI and Pre-tax Insurance AOI (in millions). Refer to the analysis of the fluctuations within the results of operations section:
Year ended December 31,
2020 2019 Increase / (Decrease)
Net income - Insurance segment $ 40.2 $ 59.4 $ (19.2)
Effect of investment (gains) (1)
13.6 (1.9) 15.5
Asset impairment expense - 47.3 (47.3)
Gain on bargain purchase - (1.1) 1.1
Acquisition costs 0.1 2.1 (2.0)
Insurance AOI 53.9 105.8 (51.9)
Income tax expense (benefit) (4.3) (20.1) 15.8
Pre-tax Insurance AOI $ 49.6 $ 85.7 $ (36.1)
(1) The Insurance segment revenues are inclusive of realized and unrealized gains and net investment income for the year ended December 31, 2020 and 2019. Such adjustments are related to transactions between entities under common control which are eliminated or are reclassified in consolidation.
Net income for the year ended December 31, 2020 decreased $19.2 million to $40.2 million from $59.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. Pre-tax Insurance AOI for the year ended December 31, 2020 decreased $36.1 million to $49.6 million from $85.7 million for year ended December 31, 2019. The decrease was primarily driven by non-recurring favorable claims activity recognized in the comparable period and additional unfavorable claims activity and reserve developments in the current year. Additionally, the Insurance segment had a reduction in net investment income due to lower bond yields and unfavorable market movements in values for preferred stock holdings and fixed maturity impairments and unfavorable VOBA amortization largely due to lower policy terminations for the LTC policies acquired in 2018.
Backlog
Projects in backlog consist of awarded contracts, letters of intent, notices to proceed, change orders, and purchase orders obtained. Backlog increases as contract commitments are obtained, decreases as revenues are recognized and increases or decreases to reflect modifications in the work to be performed under the contracts. Backlog is converted to sales in future periods as work is performed or projects are completed. Backlog can be significantly affected by the receipt or loss of individual contracts.
Infrastructure Segment
At December 31, 2020, DBMG's backlog was $394.5 million, consisting of $334.9 million under contracts or purchase orders and $59.6 million under letters of intent or notices to proceed. Approximately $141.8 million, representing 35.9% of DBMG’s backlog at December 31, 2020, was attributable to five contracts, letters of intent, notices to proceed or purchase orders. If one or more of these projects terminate or reduce their scope, DBMG’s backlog could decrease substantially.
DBMG's backlog at December 31, 2019 was $497.7 million, consisting of $329.7 million under contracts or purchase orders and $168.0 million under letters of intent or notices to proceeds.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Short- and Long-Term Liquidity Considerations and Risks
HC2 is a holding company and its liquidity needs are primarily for interest payments on its Senior Secured Notes, Convertible Notes, and its Revolving Credit Agreement (each as defined below), dividend payments on its Preferred Stock and recurring operational expenses.
As of December 31, 2020, the Company had $232.3 million of cash and cash equivalents compared to $193.7 million as of December 31, 2019. On a stand-alone basis, as of December 31, 2020, HC2 had cash and cash equivalents of $27.5 million compared to $11.6 million at December 31, 2019. At December 31, 2020, cash and cash equivalents in our Insurance segment was $188.5 million compared to $170.5 million at December 31, 2019.
Our subsidiaries' principal liquidity requirements arise from cash used in operating activities, debt service, and capital expenditures, including purchases of steel construction equipment, OTA broadcast station equipment, liabilities associated with insurance products, development of back-office systems, operating costs and expenses, and income taxes.
As of December 31, 2020, the Company had $576.6 million of indebtedness on a consolidated basis compared to $754.1 million as of December 31, 2019. On a stand-alone basis, as of December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, HC2 had indebtedness of $410.4 million and $540.0 million, respectively.
HC2's stand-alone debt consists of the $340.4 million aggregate principal amount of 11.50% senior secured notes due 2021 (the "Senior Secured Notes"), the $55.0 million aggregate principal amount of 7.5% convertible senior notes due 2022 (the "Convertible Notes"), and the $15.0 million secured revolving credit agreement ("2020 Revolving Credit Agreement"), fully drawn. HC2 is required to make semi-annual interest payments on its Senior Secured Notes and Convertible Notes, and quarterly interest payments on its 2020 Revolving Credit Agreement.
HC2 is required to make dividend payments on its outstanding Preferred Stock on January 15th, April 15th, July 15th, and October 15th of each year.
HC2 received $5.2 million in net management fees during the year ended December 31, 2020, related to fees earned in the fourth quarter of 2019 and the first three quarters of 2020.
HC2 received $18.0 million in dividends from its Infrastructure segment during the year ended December 31, 2020.
We have financed our growth and operations to date, and expect to finance our future growth and operations, through public offerings and private placements of debt and equity securities, credit facilities, vendor financing, capital lease financing and other financing arrangements, as well as cash generated from the operations of our subsidiaries. In the future, we may also choose to sell assets or certain investments to generate cash.
At this time, we believe that we will be able to continue to meet our liquidity requirements and fund our fixed obligations (such as debt service and operating leases) and other cash needs for our operations for at least the next twelve months through a combination of cash on hand, distributions from our subsidiaries, and/or the sale of assets and certain investments. Historically, we have chosen to reinvest cash and receivables into the growth of our various businesses, and therefore have not kept a large amount of cash on hand at the holding company level. The ability of HC2’s subsidiaries to make distributions to HC2 is subject to numerous factors, including restrictions contained in each subsidiary’s financing agreements, regulatory requirements, availability of sufficient funds at each subsidiary and the approval of such payment by each subsidiary’s board of directors, which must consider various factors, including general economic and business conditions, tax considerations, strategic plans, financial results and condition, expansion plans, any contractual, legal or regulatory restrictions on the payment of dividends, and such other factors each subsidiary’s board of directors considers relevant. Our ability to sell assets and certain of our investments to meet our existing financing needs may also be limited by our existing financing instruments. Although the Company believes that it will be able to raise additional equity capital, refinance or renegotiate terms of our indebtedness or preferred stock, enter into other financing arrangements or engage in asset sales and sales of certain investments sufficient to fund any cash needs that we are not able to satisfy with the funds expected to be provided by our subsidiaries, there can be no assurance that it will be able to do so on terms satisfactory to the Company if at all. Such financing options, if pursued, may also ultimately have the effect of negatively impacting our liquidity profile and prospects over the long-term. In addition, the sale of assets or the Company’s investments may also make the Company less attractive to potential investors or future financing partners.
We have seen significant costs increases, primarily at our Infrastructure segment, driven by expenses associated with maintaining a safe work environment, and while executing on its projects. During the year ended December 31, 2020, $19.4 million of COVID-19 costs were incurred. Although the COVID-19 pandemic did not have a material impact on the HC2’s liquidity for the year ended December 31, 2020, management believes the continuation of the pandemic and its related effect on the U.S. and global economies could introduce added pressure on the Company’s liquidity position and financial performance. Our sources of liquidity are primarily from the dividends and tax sharing agreement with DBMG, cash proceeds from completed and anticipated monetization’s and other arrangements.
Additionally, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, our corporate staff is predominantly working remotely and many of our key vendors, and consultants have similarly begun to work remotely. As a result of such remote work arrangements, certain operational, reporting, accounting and other processes may slow, which could result in longer time to execute critical business functions.
Capital Expenditures
Capital expenditures for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 are set forth in the table below (in millions):
Years Ended December 31,
2020 2019
Infrastructure
$ 5.7 $ 9.8
Life Sciences 0.1 0.1
Spectrum 11.8 14.2
Insurance 0.2 0.6
Total $ 17.8 $ 24.7
Indebtedness
Senior Secured Notes Terms and Conditions
Maturity. The Secured Notes mature on December 1, 2021.
Interest. The Secured Notes accrue interest at a rate of 11.50% per year. Interest on the Secured Notes is paid semi-annually on December 1 and June 1 of each year.
Issue Price. The issue price of the Secured Notes was 98.75% of par.
Ranking. The notes and the note guarantees are the Company’s and certain of its direct and indirect domestic subsidiaries’ (the "Subsidiary Guarantors") general senior secured obligations. The notes and the note guarantees will rank: (i) senior in right of payment to all of the Company’s and the Subsidiary Guarantors’ future subordinated debt; (ii) equal in right of payment, subject to the priority of any First-Out Obligations (as defined in the Secured Indenture), with all of the Company’s and the Subsidiary Guarantors’ existing and future senior debt and effectively senior to all of its and the Subsidiary Guarantor’s unsecured debt to the extent of the value of the collateral; and (iii) effectively subordinated to all liabilities of its non-guarantor subsidiaries. The notes and the note guarantees are secured on a first-priority basis by substantially all of the Company’s assets and the assets of the Subsidiary Guarantors, subject to certain exceptions and permitted liens.
Collateral. The Secured Notes are secured by a first priority lien on substantially all of the Company’s assets (except for certain "Excluded Assets," and subject to certain "Permitted Liens," each as defined in the Secured Indenture), including, without limitation:
•all equity interests owned by the Company or a Subsidiary Guarantor (which, in the case of any equity interest in a foreign subsidiary, will be limited to 100% of the non-voting stock (if any) and 65% of the voting stock of such foreign subsidiary) and the related rights and privileges associated therewith (but excluding Equity Interests of Insurance Subsidiaries (as defined in the Secured Indenture), to the extent the pledge thereof is deemed a "change of control" under applicable insurance regulations);
•all equipment, goods and inventory owned by the Company or a Subsidiary Guarantor;
•all cash and investment securities owned by the Company or a Subsidiary Guarantor;
•all documents, books and records, instruments and chattel paper owned by the Company or a Subsidiary Guarantor;
•all general intangibles owned by the Company or a Subsidiary Guarantor; and
•any proceeds and supporting obligations thereof.
The Secured Indenture permits the Company, under specified circumstances, to incur additional debt in the future that could equally and ratably share in the collateral. The amount of such debt is limited by the covenants contained in the Secured Indenture.
Events of Default. The Secured Indenture contains customary events of default which could, subject to certain conditions, cause the Secured
Notes to become immediately due and payable.
Convertible Notes Terms and Conditions
Certain terms and conditions of the Convertible Notes are as follows:
Maturity. The Convertible Notes mature on June 1, 2022 unless earlier converted, redeemed or purchased.
Interest. The Convertible Notes accrue interest at a rate of 7.5% per year. Interest on the Convertible Notes is paid semi-annually on December 1 and June 1 of each year.
Issue Price. The issue price of the Convertible Notes was 100% of par.
Ranking. The notes are the Company’s general unsecured and unsubordinated obligations and will rank equally in right of payment with all of the Company’s existing and future unsecured and unsubordinated indebtedness, and senior in right of payment to any of the Company’s future indebtedness that is expressly subordinated to the notes. The notes will be effectively subordinated to all of the Company’s existing and future secured indebtedness, including the Company’s Secured Notes, to the extent of the value of the collateral securing that indebtedness, and structurally subordinated to all indebtedness and other liabilities of the Company’s subsidiaries, including trade credit.
Optional Redemption. The Company may not redeem the notes prior to June 1, 2020. On or after June 1, 2020, the Company may redeem for cash all of the notes if the last reported sale price of the Company’s common stock has been at least 130% of the conversion price then in effect for at least 20 trading days (which need not be consecutive trading days) during any 30 consecutive trading-day period ending within five trading days prior to the date on which the Company provides notice of redemption. The redemption price will equal 100% of the principal amount of the notes being redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest, including additional interest, if any, to, but excluding, the redemption date.
Conversion Rights. The Convertible Notes are convertible into shares of the Company’s common stock based on an initial conversion rate of 228.3105 shares of common stock per $1,000 principal amount of Convertible Notes (equivalent to an initial conversion price of approximately $4.38 per share of the Company’s common stock), at any time prior to the close of business on the business day immediately preceding the maturity date, in principal amounts of $1,000 or an integral multiple of $1,000 in excess thereof. In addition, following a Make-Whole Fundamental Change (as defined in the Convertible Indenture) or the Company’s delivery of a notice of redemption for the Convertible Notes, the Company will, in certain circumstances, increase the conversion rate for a holder who elects to convert its Convertible Notes in connection with (i) such Make-Whole Fundamental Change or (ii) such notice of redemption. However, to comply with certain listing standards of The New York Stock Exchange, the Company will settle in cash its obligation to increase the conversion rate in connection with a Make-Whole Fundamental Change or redemption until it has obtained the requisite stockholder approval.
Events of Default. The Convertible Indenture contains customary events of default which could, subject to certain conditions, cause the Convertible Notes to become immediately due and payable.
2020 Revolving Credit Agreement
Lender. MSD PCOF Partners IX, LLC (“MSD”)
Ranking. Obligations under the 2020 Revolving Credit Agreement constitute a First-Out Debt, as defined in the Senior Indenture, and are secured on a pari passu basis with the Secured Notes.
Collateral: As provided under a Collateral Trust Joinder, the lender was added as a secured party to the Collateral Trust Agreement, and accordingly the pari passu obligations and commitments under the Credit Agreement are secured equally and ratably by the collateral of the Secured Notes.
Infrastructure
The Wells Fargo Facility and the TCW Loan associated with our Infrastructure segment contain customary restrictive and financial covenants related to debt levels and performance. As of December 31, 2020, DBMG was in compliance with all of the financial covenants to its debt agreements.
See Note 15. Debt Obligations to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional details regarding the Company's indebtedness.
Restrictive Covenants
The indenture governing the Senior Secured Notes dated November 20, 2018, by and among HC2, the guarantors party thereto and U.S. Bank National Association, a national banking association ("U.S. Bank"), as trustee (the "Secured Indenture"), contains certain affirmative and negative covenants limiting, among other things, the ability of the Company, and, in certain cases, the Company’s subsidiaries, to incur additional indebtedness; create liens; engage in sale-leaseback transactions; pay dividends or make distributions in respect of capital stock; make certain restricted payments; sell assets; engage in transactions with affiliates; or consolidate or merge with, or sell substantially all of its assets to, another person. These covenants are subject to a number of important exceptions and qualifications.
The Company is also required to comply with certain financial maintenance covenants, which are similarly subject to a number of important exceptions and qualifications. These covenants include maintenance of (1) liquidity; (2) collateral coverage; (3) secured net leverage ratio; and (4) fixed charge coverage ratio.
The maintenance of liquidity covenant provides that the Company will not permit the aggregate amount of (i) all unrestricted cash and Cash Equivalents of the Company and the Subsidiary Guarantors, (ii) amounts available for drawing under revolving credit facilities and undrawn letters of credit of the Company and the Subsidiary Guarantors and (iii) dividends, distributions or payments that are immediately available to be paid to the Company by any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to be less than the Company’s obligation to pay interest on the Senior Secured Notes and all other Debt, including Convertible Preferred Stock mandatory cash dividends or any other mandatory cash pay Preferred Stock but excluding any obligation to pay interest on Convertible Preferred Stock or any other mandatory cash pay Preferred Stock which, in each case, may be paid by accretion or in-kind in accordance with its terms of the Company and its Subsidiary Guarantors for the next six months. As of December 31, 2020, the Company was in compliance with this covenant.
The maintenance of collateral coverage provides that the certain subsidiaries' Collateral Coverage Ratio (as defined in the Secured Indenture as the ratio of (i) the Loan Collateral to (ii) Consolidated Secured Debt (each as defined therein)) calculated on a pro forma basis as of the last day of each fiscal quarter may not be less than 1.50 to 1.00. As of December 31, 2020, the Company was in compliance with this covenant.
The maintenance of secured net leverage ratio provides that the Company’s Secured Net Leverage Ratio (as defined in the Secured Indenture) as of any date of determination calculated on a pro forma basis after accounting for the net proceeds from any Asset Sale which the Company has determined to apply to the repayment of any Debt to exceed 7.75 to 1.00. As of December 31, 2020, the Company was in compliance with this covenant.
The maintenance of fixed charge coverage ratio provides that commencing with the fiscal year ending December 31, 2019, that the Company will not permit the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio (as defined in the Secured Indenture) calculated as of the last day of each fiscal year of the Company to be less than 1.00 to 1.00 or that the Company’s “HC2 Corporate Overhead” (as defined in the Secured Indenture) in any fiscal year not exceed the sum of $29.0 million for such fiscal year. As of December 31, 2019 the Company was in compliance.
The instruments governing the Company’s Preferred Stock also limit the Company’s and its subsidiaries ability to take certain actions, including, among other things, to incur additional indebtedness; issue additional Preferred Stock; engage in transactions with affiliates; and make certain restricted payments. These limitations are subject to a number of important exceptions and qualifications.
On February 1, 2021, HC2 closed on $330.0 million of 8.500% senior secured notes due 2026 at an issue price of 100%. The Notes will be senior secured obligations of the Company and will be guaranteed by certain of the Company's domestic subsidiaries. The proceeds from the issuance of the Notes were used, together with the net cash proceeds of the Company’s previously announced sale of its majority-owned subsidiary Beyond6, Inc., to redeem in full HC2’s existing 11.50% senior secured notes, repay the outstanding indebtedness under its revolving credit agreement, pay related fees and expenses, and for general corporate purposes.
The Company conducted its operations in a manner that resulted in compliance with the prior Secured Indenture; however, compliance with certain financial covenants for future periods may depend on the Company or one or more of the Company’s subsidiaries undertaking one or more non-operational transactions, such as the management of operating cash outflows, a monetization of assets, a debt incurrence or refinancing, the raising of equity capital, or similar transactions. If the Company is unable to remain in compliance and does not make alternate arrangements, an event of default would occur under the Company’s Secured Indenture which, among other remedies, could result in the outstanding obligations under the indenture becoming immediately due and payable and permitting the exercise of remedies with respect to the collateral. There is no assurance the Company will be able to complete any non-operational transaction it may undertake to maintain compliance with covenants under the Secured Indenture or, even if the Company completes any such transaction, that it will be able to maintain compliance for any subsequent period.
Summary of Consolidated Cash Flows
The below table summarizes the cash provided or used in our activities and the amount of the respective changes between the periods (in millions):
Years Ended December 31, Increase / (Decrease)
2020 2019
Operating activities from Continuing Operations $ 52.4 $ 53.2 $ (0.8)
Investing activities from Continuing Operations 185.7 (209.2) 394.9
Financing activities from Continuing Operations (196.4) 33.7 (230.1)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents 0.7 0.7 -
Cash flows from discontinued operations (42.3) 31.8 (74.1)
Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash $ 0.1 $ (89.8) $ 89.9
Less: Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents classified within current assets held for sale (38.6) 20.9 (59.5)
Net change in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash $ 38.7 $ (110.7) $ 149.4
Operating Activities
Cash provided by operating activities was $52.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 as compared to cash provided by operating activities of $53.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The $0.8 million change was the result of the working capital improvements in our Infrastructure segment offset by declines in working capital at our Life Sciences segment. Our Infrastructure segment benefited from increased billings in excess of costs on new projects. Our Life Sciences segment incurred additional costs as it ramped up efforts to achieve commercialization of its products.
Investing Activities
Cash provided by investing activities was $185.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 as compared to cash used in investing activities of $209.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The $394.9 million change was from the proceeds from sales of subsidiaries, largely GMSL and HMN during the current year, and a decline in net investment activity at our Insurance Segment.
Financing Activities
Cash used in financing activities was $196.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 as compared cash provided by financing activities of $33.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The $230.1 million change was largely a result of the principal payments on debt obligations at our Corporate segment and payments to minority stockholders at our Other segment for the portion of the proceeds received from the sale of GMSL and HMN. Further adding to the decline were payments on borrowings at our Infrastructure and Spectrum segments when compared to the prior period. This was partially offset by proceeds received from HC2's 2020 rights offering and issuance of Series B Preferred Stock.
Discontinued Operations
Cash used in discontinued operations was $42.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 as compared to cash provided by discontinued operations of $31.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The $74.1 million decrease was largely due to the timing of sales of subsidiaries during the year, cash balances at the subsidiaries which was included as part of these sales, and lower working capital at ICS compared to the prior year.
Infrastructure
Cash Flows
Cash flows from operating activities are the principal source of cash used to fund DBMG’s operating expenses, interest payments on debt, and capital expenditures. DBMG's short-term cash needs are primarily for working capital to support operations including receivables, inventories, and other costs incurred in performing its contracts. DBMG attempts to structure the payment arrangements under its contracts to match costs incurred under the project. To the extent it is able to bill in advance of costs incurred, DBMG generates working capital through billings in excess of costs and recognized earnings on uncompleted contracts. DBMG relies on its credit facilities to meet its working capital needs. DBMG believes that its existing borrowing availability together with cash from operations will be adequate to meet all funding requirements for its operating expenses, interest payments on debt and capital expenditures for the foreseeable future.
DBMG is required to make monthly or quarterly interest payments on all of its debt. Based upon the December 31, 2020 debt balance, DBMG anticipates that its interest payments will be approximately $1.6 million each quarter of 2021.
DBMG believes that its available funds, cash generated by operating activities and funds available under its bank credit facilities will be sufficient to fund its capital expenditures and its working capital needs. However, DBMG may expand its operations through future acquisitions and may require additional equity or debt financing.
Insurance
Cash flows
CIG’s principal cash inflows from its operating activities relate to its premiums, annuity deposits and insurance, investment product fees and other income. CIG’s principal cash inflows from its invested assets result from investment income and the maturity and sales of invested assets. The primary liquidity concern with respect to these cash inflows relates to the risk of default by debtors and interest rate volatility. Additional sources of liquidity to meet unexpected cash outflows in excess of operating cash inflows and current cash and equivalents on hand include selling short-term investments or fixed maturity securities.
CIG's principal cash outflows relate to the payment of claims liabilities, interest credited and operating expenses. CIG’s management believes its current sources of liquidity are adequate to meet its cash requirements for the next 12 months.
Market environment
As of December 31, 2020, CIG was in a position to hold any investment security showing an unrealized loss until recovery, provided it remains comfortable with the credit of the issuer. CIG does not rely on short-term funding or commercial paper and to date it has experienced no liquidity pressure, nor does it anticipate such pressure in the foreseeable future. CIG projects its reserves to be sufficient and believes its current capital base is adequate to support its business.
Dividend Limitations
CIG's insurance subsidiary is subject to Texas statutory provisions that restrict the payment of dividends. The maximum amount of dividends which can be paid to stockholders by life insurance companies domiciled in the State of Texas without prior approval of the Insurance Commissioner is the greater of 10% of surplus as regards to policyholders or net gain on operations as of the preceding year end, but only to the extent of earned surplus as of the preceding year end. The maximum amount of dividends payable in 2020 and 2019 without prior approval was $0 based on statutory earned deficit.
In addition to the limitations noted above, laws and regulations require, among other items, that the CIG’s insurance subsidiary maintain minimum solvency requirements, which may limit the amount of dividends this subsidiary can pay.
Along with solvency regulations, the primary driver in determining the amount of capital used for dividends is the level of capital needed to maintain desired financial strength in the form of its subsidiary Risk-Based Capital ("RBC") ratio. CIG monitors its insurance subsidiary's compliance with the RBC requirements specified by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. As of December 31, 2020, CIG’s insurance subsidiary exceeded the minimum RBC requirements.
Insurance Companies Capital Contributions
The Company has an agreement with the TDOI that, for two years from August 9, 2018, CIG will contribute to Continental General Insurance Company (“CGI” or the “Insurance Company”) cash or marketable securities acceptable to the TDOI to the extent required for CGI’s total adjusted capital to be not less than 450% of CGI’s authorized control level risk-based capital and for three years from August 9, 2020, CIG will contribute to CGI cash or marketable securities acceptable to the TDOI to the extent required for CGI’s total adjusted capital to be not less than 400% of CGI’s authorized control level risk-based capital (each as defined under Texas law and reported in CGI’s statutory statements filed with the TDOI).
Additionally, CGI entered into a capital maintenance agreement with Great American. Under the agreement, if the applicable acquired company’s total adjusted capital reported in its annual statutory financial statements is less than 400% of its authorized control level risk-based capital, Great American agreed to pay cash or assets to the applicable acquired company as required to eliminate such shortfall (after giving effect to any capital contributions made by the Company or its affiliates since the date of the relevant annual statutory financial statement). Great American’s obligation to make such payments is capped at $35.0 million under the capital maintenance agreement. The capital maintenance agreements remained in effect from January 1, 2016 to January 1, 2021 or until payments by Great American under the applicable agreement equal the applicable cap. Pursuant to the purchase agreement, the Company is required to indemnify Great American for the amount of any payments made by Great American under the capital maintenance agreements. As of the date of this filing, the agreement has expired.
Asset Liability Management
CIG’s insurance subsidiary maintains investment strategies intended to provide adequate funds to pay benefits without forced sales of investments. Products having liabilities with longer durations, such as long-term care insurance, are matched with investments such as long-term fixed maturity securities. Shorter-term liabilities are matched with fixed maturity securities that have short- and medium-term fixed maturities. The types of assets in which CIG may invest are influenced by state laws, which prescribe qualified investment assets applicable to insurance companies. Within the parameters of these laws, CIG invests in assets giving consideration to four primary investment objectives: (i) maintain robust absolute returns; (ii) provide reliable yield and investment income; (iii) preserve capital and (iv) provide liquidity to meet policyholder and other corporate obligations. The Insurance segment’s investment portfolio is designed to contribute stable earnings and balance risk across diverse asset classes and is primarily invested in high quality fixed income securities. In addition, at any given time, CIG’s insurance subsidiary could hold cash, highly liquid, high-quality short-term investment securities and other liquid investment grade fixed maturity securities to fund anticipated operating expenses, surrenders and withdrawals.
Investments
At December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, CIG’s investment portfolio is comprised of the following (in millions):
December 31, 2020 December 31, 2019
Fair Value Percent Fair Value Percent
U.S. Government and government agencies $ 8.4 0.2 % $ 7.7 0.2 %
States, municipalities and political subdivisions 441.9 9.4 % 440.1 9.9 %
Residential mortgage-backed securities 52.9 1.1 % 66.9 1.5 %
Commercial mortgage-backed securities 97.4 2.0 % 109.4 2.5 %
Asset-backed securities 403.1 8.6 % 577.8 13.1 %
Corporate and other (*)
3,494.1 74.1 % 2,866.8 64.8 %
Common stocks (*)
22.0 0.5 % 25.6 0.6 %
Perpetual preferred stocks 108.8 2.3 % 118.9 2.7 %
Mortgage loans 57.2 1.2 % 183.5 4.1 %
Policy loans 17.8 0.4 % 19.1 0.4 %
Other invested assets 7.7 0.2 % 7.2 0.2 %
Total $ 4,711.3 100.0 % $ 4,423.0 100.0 %
(*) Balance includes fair value of certain securities held by the Company, which are eliminated in consolidation.
Credit Quality
Insurance statutes regulate the type of investments that CIG is permitted to make and limit the amount of funds that may be used for any one type of investment. In light of these statutes and regulations, and CIG's business and investment strategy, CIG generally seeks to invest in (i) securities rated investment grade by established nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (each, a nationally recognized statistical rating organization ("NRSRO")), (ii) U.S. Government and government-sponsored agency securities, or (iii) securities of comparable investment quality, if not rated.
The following table summarizes the credit quality, by NRSRO rating, of CIG's fixed income portfolio (in millions):
December 31, 2020 December 31, 2019
Fair Value Percent Fair Value Percent
AAA, AA, A $ 2,007.9 44.6 % $ 1,954.9 48.1 %
BBB 2,185.2 48.6 % 1,834.5 45.1 %
Total investment grade 4,193.1 93.2 % 3,789.4 93.2 %
BB 187.9 4.2 % 210.7 5.2 %
B 49.3 1.1 % 18.0 0.4 %
CCC, CC, C 59.5 1.3 % 37.9 0.9 %
D 8.0 0.2 % 12.7 0.3 %
Total non-investment grade 304.7 6.8 % 279.3 6.8 %
Total $ 4,497.8 100.0 % $ 4,068.7 100.0 %
Discontinued Operations
We have reclassified several entities as discontinued operations for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019. Accordingly, revenue, costs, and expenses of the discontinued operations have been excluded from continuing operations. The entities reported in discontinued operations are as follows:
•The sale of GMSL closed on February 28, 2020. At the time of the sale, the Company recorded a $39.3 million loss on the sale, inclusive of recognizing a $31.3 million loss from the realization of AOCI. During the fourth quarter of 2020, the Company recognized a gain of $2.4 million as a result of bonding releases related to projects which existed prior to sale.
•The sale of ICS and its subsidiary, Go2 Tel, Inc., closed on October 31, 2020. The Company recorded a $0.9 million gain on the sale and recognized $8.2 million of Accumulated other comprehensive loss related to the foreign currency translation of PTGi International Carrier Services Ltd., which was essentially liquidated in conjunction with the sale. The proceeds were used for general corporate purposes.
•On December 31, 2020, the Company signed the Merger Agreement to sell Beyond6. The sale closed on January 15, 2021.
Cash flows from discontinued operations are reported in the Statement of Cash Flows as a separate line item within the Operations, Investing and Financing activities sections for each year presented.
In the absence of cash flows from the discontinued operations, the Company does not expect there to be an impact on liquidity at the Company.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
In September 2018, the Company entered into a 75-month lease for office space. As part of the agreement, HC2 was able to pay a lower security deposit and lease payments, and received a favorable lease terms as consideration for landlord required cross default language in the event of default of the shared space leased by Harbinger Capital Partners ("HCP"), formerly a related party, as disclosed in Note. 21. Related Parties. With the adoption of ASC 842, as of January 1, 2019, this lease was recognized as a right of use asset and lease liability on the Consolidated Balance Sheets.
DBMG’s off-balance sheet arrangements at December 31, 2020 included letters of credit of $9.8 million under Credit and Security Agreements and performance bonds of $88.8 million. DBMG’s contract arrangements with customers sometimes require DBMG to provide performance bonds to partially secure its obligations under its contracts. Bonding requirements typically arise in connection with public works projects and sometimes with respect to certain private contracts. DBMG’s performance bonds are obtained through surety companies and typically cover the entire project price.
New Accounting Pronouncements
For a discussion of our New Accounting Pronouncements, refer to Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Critical Accounting Policies
The preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. GAAP requires the use of estimates and assumptions that have an impact on the assets, liabilities, revenue and expense amounts reported. These estimates can also affect supplemental disclosures including information about contingencies, risk and financial condition.
Critical accounting estimates are defined as those that are reflective of significant judgments and uncertainties and potentially yield materially different results under different assumptions or conditions. Given current facts and circumstances, we believe that our estimates and assumptions are reasonable, adhere to GAAP and are consistently applied. Our selection and disclosure of our critical accounting policies and estimates has been reviewed with our Audit Committee. Following is a review of the more significant assumptions and estimates and the accounting policies and methods used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements. For all of these estimates, we caution that future events rarely develop exactly as forecast, and the best estimates routinely require adjustment. See Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, to the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements which discusses the significant accounting policies that we have adopted.
Fair Value Measurements
In determining the estimated fair value of our investments, fair values are based on unadjusted quoted prices for identical investments in active markets that are readily and regularly obtainable. When such quoted prices are not available, fair values are based on quoted prices in markets that are not active, quoted prices for similar but not identical investments, or other observable inputs. If these inputs are not available, or observable inputs are not determinable, unobservable inputs and/or adjustments to observable inputs requiring management judgment are used to determine the estimated fair value of investments. The methodologies, assumptions and inputs utilized are described in Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies. Financial markets are susceptible to severe events evidenced by rapid depreciation in asset values accompanied by a reduction in asset liquidity. Our ability to sell investments, or the price ultimately realized for investments, depends upon the demand and liquidity in the market and increases the use of judgment in determining the estimated fair value of certain investments.
Valuation of fixed maturity securities
Fixed maturity securities are classified as available for sale and are carried at fair value with changes in fair value recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) within stockholders' equity. Fair value is defined as the price at which an asset could be exchanged in an orderly transaction between market participants at the balance sheet date.
Determining fair value for a financial instrument requires management judgment. The degree of judgment involved generally correlates to the level of pricing readily observable in the markets. Financial instruments with quoted prices in active markets or with market observable inputs to determine fair value, such as public securities, generally require less judgment. Conversely, private placements including more complex securities that are traded infrequently are typically measured using pricing models that require more judgment as to the inputs and assumptions used to estimate fair value. There may be a number of alternative inputs to select based on an understanding of the issuer, the structure of the security and overall market conditions. In addition, these factors are inherently variable in nature as they change frequently in response to market conditions. See Note 7. Fair Value of Financial Instruments for a discussion of our fair value measurements, the procedures performed by management to determine that the amounts represent appropriate estimates.
Typically, the most significant input in the measurement of fair value is the market interest rate used to discount the estimated future cash flows of the instrument. Such market rates are derived by calculating the appropriate spreads over comparable U.S. Treasury securities, based on the credit quality, industry and structure of the asset.
Assessment of "other-than-temporary" impairments on fixed maturity securities
Certain fixed maturity securities with a fair value below amortized cost are carried at fair value with changes in fair value recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income. For these investments, we have determined that the decline in fair value below its amortized cost is temporary. To make this determination, we evaluated the expected recovery in value and our intent to sell or the likelihood of a required sale of the fixed maturity prior to an expected recovery. In making this evaluation, we considered a number of general and specific factors including the regulatory, economic and market environments, length of time and severity of the decline, and the financial health and specific near term prospects of the issuer.
If we subsequently determine that the excess of amortized cost over fair value is other-than-temporary for any or all of these fixed maturity securities, the amount recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income would be reclassified to stockholders' net income as an impairment loss.
Income Taxes
Our annual tax rate is based on our income, statutory tax rates, exchange rates and tax planning opportunities available to us in the various jurisdictions in which we operate. Tax laws are complex and subject to different interpretations by the taxpayer and respective governmental taxing authorities. Significant judgment is required in determining our tax expense and in evaluating our tax positions including evaluating uncertainties under ASC 740.
We review our tax positions quarterly and adjust the balances as new information becomes available. Deferred income tax assets represent amounts available to reduce income taxes payable on taxable income in future years. Such assets arise because of temporary differences between the financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities, as well as from net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. We evaluate the recoverability of these future tax deductions by assessing the adequacy of future expected taxable income from all sources, including reversal of taxable temporary differences, forecasted operating earnings and available tax planning strategies. These sources of income inherently rely heavily on estimates. To provide insight, we use our historical experience and our short and long-range business forecasts. We believe it is more likely than not that a portion of the deferred income tax assets may expire unused and have established a valuation allowance against them. Although realization is not assured for the remaining deferred income tax assets, we believe it is more likely than not the deferred tax assets will be fully recoverable within the applicable statutory expiration periods. However, deferred tax assets could be reduced in the near term if our estimates of taxable income are significantly reduced.
We recognize deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of transactions and events. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the difference between the book basis and the tax basis of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. If necessary, deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance to an amount that is determined to be more likely than not recoverable. We must make significant estimates and assumptions about future taxable income and future tax consequences when determining the amount of the valuation allowance. The additional guidance provided by ASC No. 740, “Income Taxes” (“ASC 740”), clarifies the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes recognized in the financial statements. Expected outcomes of current or anticipated tax examinations, refund claims and tax-related litigation and estimates regarding additional tax liability (including interest and penalties thereon) or refunds resulting therefrom will be recorded based on the guidance provided by ASC 740 to the extent applicable.
We recognize the tax benefit from an uncertain tax position only if it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained on examination by the taxing authorities, based on the technical merits of the position. The tax benefits recognized in the consolidated financial statements from such a position are measured based on the largest benefit that has a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon ultimate resolution. These assessments of uncertain tax positions contain judgments related to the interpretation of tax regulations in the jurisdictions in which we transact business. The judgments and estimates made at a point in time may change based on the outcome of tax audits, expiration of statutes of limitations, as well as changes to, or further interpretations of, tax laws and regulations.
See Note 17. Income Taxes, to the "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements" for further information.
Goodwill and Intangible Assets
Goodwill and intangible assets deemed to have indefinite lives are not amortized but rather are tested at least annually for impairment, or more often if events or changes in circumstances indicate that more likely than not the carrying amount of the asset may not be recoverable. Goodwill is tested for impairment at the reporting unit level. A reporting unit represents an operating segment or a component of an operating segment. Goodwill is tested for impairment by either performing a qualitative evaluation or a two-step quantitative test. The qualitative evaluation is an assessment of factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, including goodwill.
We may elect not to perform the qualitative assessment for some or all reporting units and perform a two-step quantitative impairment test. Fair value is determined based on discounted cash flow analyses. The discounted estimates of future cash flows include significant management assumptions such as revenue growth rates, operating margins, weighted average cost of capital, and future economic and market conditions. If the carrying value of the reporting unit exceeds fair value, goodwill is considered impaired. The amount of the impairment is the difference between the carrying value of the goodwill and the "implied" fair value, which is calculated as if the reporting unit had just been acquired and accounted for as a business combination.
The estimates of future cash flows involve considerable management judgment and are based upon assumptions about expected future operating performance, economic conditions, market conditions, and cost of capital. Inherent in estimating the future cash flows are uncertainties beyond our control, such as capital markets. The actual cash flows could differ materially from management's estimates due to changes in business conditions, operating performance, and economic conditions.
See also Note 12. Goodwill and Intangibles, net, net, to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on goodwill and intangible assets.
Refer to Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies for New Accounting Pronouncements to be Adopted Subsequent to December 31, 2019.
Related Party Transactions
For a discussion of our Related Party Transactions, refer to Note 21. Related Parties to our Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains or incorporates a number of "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such statements are based on current expectations, and are not strictly historical statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "if," "may," "should," "believe," "anticipate," "future," "forward," "potential," "estimate," "opportunity," "goal," "objective," "growth," "outcome," "could," "expect," "intend," "plan," "strategy," "provide," "commitment," "result," "seek," "pursue," "ongoing," "include" or in the negative of such terms or comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements inherently involve certain risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of performance, results, or the creation of stockholder value, although they are based on our current plans or assessments which we believe to be reasonable as of the date hereof.
Factors that could cause actual results, events and developments to differ include, without limitation: the ability of our subsidiaries (including, target businesses following their acquisition) to generate sufficient net income and cash flows to make upstream cash distributions, capital market conditions, our and our subsidiaries’ ability to identify any suitable future acquisition opportunities, efficiencies/cost avoidance, cost savings, income and margins, growth, economies of scale, combined operations, future economic performance, conditions to, and the timetable for, completing the integration of financial reporting of acquired or target businesses with HC2 or the applicable subsidiary of HC2, completing future acquisitions and dispositions, litigation, potential and contingent liabilities, management’s plans, changes in regulations and taxes.
We claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 for all forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance. You should understand that the following important factors, in addition to those discussed under the section entitled "Risk Factors" in this Annual Report and in the documents incorporated by reference, could affect our future results and could cause those results or other outcomes to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. You should also understand that many factors described under one heading below may apply to more than one section in which we have grouped them for the purpose of this presentation. As a result, you should consider all of the following factors, together with all of the other information presented herein, in evaluating our business and that of our subsidiaries.
HC2 Holdings, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Our actual results or other outcomes may differ from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements contained herein due to a variety of important factors, including, without limitation, the following:
•the effect of the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic and related governmental responses on our business, financial condition and results of operations;
•limitations on our ability to successfully identify any strategic acquisitions or business opportunities and to compete for these opportunities with others who have greater resources;
•our possible inability to generate sufficient liquidity, margins, earnings per share, cash flow and working capital from our operating segments;
•the impact of catastrophic events including natural disasters, pandemic illness and the outbreak of war or acts of terrorism;
•our dependence on distributions from our subsidiaries to fund our operations and payments on our obligations;
•the impact on our business and financial condition of our substantial indebtedness and the significant additional indebtedness and other financing obligations we may incur;
•the impact of covenants in the Indenture governing HC2’s new notes, the Certificates of Designation governing HC2’s Preferred Stock and all other subsidiary debt obligations as summarized in Note 15. Debt Obligations and future financing agreements on our ability to operate our business and finance our pursuit of acquisition opportunities;
•our dependence on certain key personnel;
•uncertain global economic conditions in the markets in which our operating segments conduct their businesses;
•the ability of our operating segments to attract and retain customers;
•increased competition in the markets in which our operating segments conduct their businesses;
•our expectations regarding the timing, extent and effectiveness of our cost reduction initiatives and management’s ability to moderate or control discretionary spending;
•management’s plans, goals, forecasts, expectations, guidance, objectives, strategies and timing for future operations, acquisitions, synergies, asset dispositions, fixed asset and goodwill impairment charges, tax and withholding expense, selling, general and administrative expenses, product plans, performance and results;
•management’s assessment of market factors and competitive developments, including pricing actions and regulatory rulings;
•the impact of additional material charges associated with our oversight of acquired or target businesses and the integration of our financial reporting;
•the impact of expending significant resources in considering acquisition targets or business opportunities that are not consummated;
•our expectations and timing with respect to our ordinary course acquisition activity and whether such acquisitions are accretive or dilutive to stockholders;
•our expectations and timing with respect to any strategic dispositions and sales of our operating subsidiaries, or businesses that we may make in the future and the effect of any such dispositions or sales on our results of operations;
•the possibility of indemnification claims arising out of divestitures of businesses;
•tax consequences associated with our acquisition, holding and disposition of target companies and assets;
•the effect any interests our officers, directors, stockholders and their respective affiliates may have in certain transactions in which we are involved;
•our ability to effectively increase the size of our organization, if needed, and manage our growth;
•the potential for, and our ability to, remediate future material weaknesses in our internal controls over financial reporting;
•our possible inability to raise additional capital when needed or refinance our existing debt, on attractive terms, or at all; and
•our possible inability to hire and retain qualified executive management, sales, technical and other personnel.
Infrastructure / DBM Global Inc.
Our actual results or other outcomes of DBM Global, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries ("DBMG"), and, thus, our Infrastructure segment, may differ from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements contained herein due to a variety of important factors, including, without limitation, the following:
•our ability to maintain efficient staffing and productivity as well as delays and cancellations as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic;
•its ability to realize cost savings from expected performance of contracts, whether as a result of improper estimates, performance, or otherwise;
•potential impediments and limitations on our ability to complete ordinary course acquisitions in anticipated time frames or at all;
•uncertain timing and funding of new contract awards, as well as project cancellations;
•cost overruns on fixed-price or similar contracts or failure to receive timely or proper payments on cost-reimbursable contracts, whether as a result of improper estimates, performance, disputes, or otherwise;
•risks associated with labor productivity, including performance of subcontractors that DBMG hires to complete projects;
•its ability to settle or negotiate unapproved change orders and claims;
•changes in the costs or availability of, or delivery schedule for, equipment, components, materials, labor or subcontractors;
•adverse impacts from weather affecting DBMG’s performance and timeliness of completion of projects, which could lead to increased costs and affect the quality, costs or availability of, or delivery schedule for, equipment, components, materials, labor or subcontractors;
•fluctuating revenue resulting from a number of factors, including the cyclical nature of the individual markets in which our customers operate;
•adverse outcomes of pending claims or litigation or the possibility of new claims or litigation, and the potential effect of such claims or litigation on DBMG’s business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flow; and
•lack of necessary liquidity to provide bid, performance, advance payment and retention bonds, guarantees, or letters of credit securing DBMG’s obligations under bids and contracts or to finance expenditures prior to the receipt of payment for the performance of contracts.
Life Sciences / Pansend Life Sciences, LLC
Our actual results or other outcomes of Pansend Life Sciences, LLC, and, thus, our Life Sciences segment, may differ from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements contained herein due to a variety of important factors, including, without limitation, the following:
•our Life Sciences segment’s ability to invest in development stage companies;
•our Life Sciences segment’s ability to develop products and treatments related to its portfolio companies;
•medical advances in healthcare and biotechnology; and
•governmental regulation in the healthcare industry.
Spectrum / HC2 Broadcasting Holdings Inc.
Our actual results or other outcomes of HC2 Broadcasting Holdings Inc., and, thus, our Spectrum segment, may differ from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements contained herein due to a variety of important factors, including, without limitation, the following:
•our ability to attract advertisers during the COVID-19 pandemic;
•our Spectrum segment’s ability to integrate our recent and pending broadcasting acquisitions;
•our Spectrum segment’s ability to operate in highly competitive markets and maintain market share;
•our Spectrum segment’s ability to effectively implement its business strategy or be successful in the operation of its business;
•new and growing sources of competition in the broadcasting industry; and
•FCC regulation of the television broadcasting industry.
Insurance / Continental Insurance Group Ltd.
Our actual results or other outcomes of Continental Insurance Group Ltd. ("CIG"), the parent operating company of Continental General Insurance Company ("CGI"), which together comprise our Insurance segment, may differ from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements contained herein due to a variety of important factors, including, without limitation, the following:
•our ability to timely collect premiums resulting from impacts of regulations responding to the COVID-19 pandemic;
•our Insurance segment’s ability to maintain statutory capital and maintain or improve their financial strength;
•our Insurance segment’s reserve adequacy, including the effect of changes to accounting or actuarial assumptions or methodologies;
•the accuracy of our Insurance segment’s assumptions and estimates regarding future events and ability to respond effectively to such events, including mortality, morbidity, persistency, expenses, interest rates, tax liability, business mix, frequency of claims, severity of claims, contingent liabilities, investment performance, and other factors related to its business and anticipated results;
•availability, affordability and adequacy of reinsurance and credit risk associated with reinsurance;
•extensive regulation and numerous legal restrictions on our Insurance segment;
•our Insurance segment’s ability to defend itself against litigation, inherent in the insurance business (including class action litigation) and respond to enforcement investigations or regulatory scrutiny;
•the performance of third parties, including distributors and technology service providers, and providers of outsourced services;
•the impact of changes in accounting and reporting standards;
•our Insurance segment’s ability to protect its intellectual property;
•general economic conditions and other factors, including prevailing interest and unemployment rate levels and stock and credit market performance which may affect, among other things, our Insurance segment’s ability to access capital resources and the costs associated therewith, the fair value of our Insurance segment’s investments, which could result in impairments and other-than-temporary impairments, and certain liabilities;
•our Insurance segment’s exposure to any particular sector of the economy or type of asset through concentrations in its investment portfolio;
•the ability to increase sufficiently, and in a timely manner, premiums on in-force long-term care insurance policies and/or reduce in-force benefits, as may be required from time to time in the future (including as a result of our Insurance segment’s failure to obtain any necessary regulatory approvals or unwillingness or inability of policyholders to pay increased premiums);
•other regulatory changes or actions, including those relating to regulation of financial services affecting, among other things, regulation of the sale, underwriting and pricing of products, and minimum capitalization, risk-based capital and statutory reserve requirements for our Insurance segment, and our Insurance segment’s ability to mitigate such requirements;
•our Insurance segment’s ability to effectively implement its business strategy or be successful in the operation of its business;
•our Insurance segment’s ability to retain, attract and motivate qualified employees;
•interruption in telecommunication, information technology and other operational systems, or a failure to maintain the security, confidentiality or privacy of sensitive data residing on such systems;
•medical advances, such as genetic research and diagnostic imaging, and related legislation; and
•the occurrence of natural or man-made disasters or a pandemic.
Other
Our actual results or other outcomes of our Other segment may differ from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements contained herein due to a variety of important factors, including, without limitation, the following:
•risks associated with our equity method investment that operates in China (i.e., Huawei Marine Systems Co. Limited, a Hong Kong holding company with a Chinese operating subsidiary)
We caution the reader that undue reliance should not be placed on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this document. Neither we nor any of our subsidiaries undertake any duty or responsibility to update any of these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this document or to reflect actual outcomes, except as required by applicable law.

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ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

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ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
The report of the independent registered public accounting firm and financial statements listed in the accompanying index are included in Item 15 of this report. See Index to the consolidated financial statements on page of this Form 10-K.

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ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS
ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
None.

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ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Our management evaluated, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as amended (the "Exchange Act") as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based on this evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that, as of December 31, 2020, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective. Disclosure controls and procedures mean our controls and other procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in our reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in our reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act. The Company's internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance as to the reliability of its financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Because of the inherent limitations in any internal control, no matter how well designed, misstatements may occur and not be prevented or detected. Accordingly, even effective internal control over financial reporting can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to financial statement preparation. Further, the evaluation of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting described below was made as of a specific date, and continued effectiveness in future periods is subject to the risks that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or that the degree of compliance with the policies and procedures may decline.
Our management assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2020. This assessment was based on updated criteria for effective internal control over financial reporting set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013). Based on this evaluation, our management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2020.
Auditor Attestation Report
Our independent registered public accounting firm has issued an attestation report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, which is on page of this report.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2020, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

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ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
None.
PART III
The information required by Part III will be provided in our definitive proxy statement for our 2021 annual meeting of stockholders ("2021 Proxy Statement"), which is incorporated herein by reference.

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ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Information regarding this item will be set forth in our 2021 Proxy Statement and is incorporated herein by reference.
Code of Conduct
We have adopted a Code of Conduct applicable to all directors, officers and employees, including the Chief Executive Officer, senior financial officers and other persons performing similar functions. The Code of Conduct is a statement of business practices and principles of behavior that support our commitment to conducting business in accordance with the highest standards of business conduct and ethics. Our Code of Conduct covers, among other things, compliance resources, conflicts of interest, compliance with laws, rules and regulations, internal reporting of violations and accountability for adherence to the Code of Conduct. A copy of the Code of Conduct is available under the "Investor Relations-Corporate Governance" section of our website at www.hc2.com. Any amendment of the Code of Conduct or any waiver of its provisions for a director or executive officer must be approved by the Board or a duly authorized committee thereof. We intend to post on our website all disclosures that are required by law or the rules of the NYSE concerning any amendments to, or waivers from, any provision of the Code of Conduct.

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ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
The information regarding this item will be set forth in our 2021 Proxy Statement and is incorporated herein by reference.

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ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS
ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
Information regarding this item will be set forth in our 2021 Proxy Statement and is incorporated herein by reference.

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ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
Information regarding this item will be set forth in our 2021 Proxy Statement and is incorporated herein by reference.

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ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES
Information regarding principal accountant fees and services will be set forth in our 2021 Proxy Statement and is incorporated herein by reference.
PART IV

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ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
ITEM 15. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
(a) List of Documents Filed
1) Financial Statements and Schedules
The financial statements as set forth under Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K are incorporated herein.
(b) Exhibit Index
The following is a list of exhibits filed as part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Exhibit
Number Description
2.1 Amended and Restated Stock Purchase Agreement, dated as of December 24, 2015, by and among HC2, Continental General Corporation and Great American Financial Resources, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to HC2’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on December 28, 2015)(File No. 001-35210).
2.2 Stock Purchase Agreement, dated as of November 6, 2017, by and between Humana, Inc. and Continental General Insurance Company (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to HC2's Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on November 7, 2017) (File No. 001-35210).
2.3 Fourth Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of Global Marine Holdings, LLC, dated as of November 30, 2017, by and among Global Marine Holdings, LLC and the Members party thereto (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to HC2's Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on November 30, 2017) (File No. 001-35210).
2.4 Agreement and Plan of Merger, by and among DBM Global Inc., DBM Merger Sub, Inc., CB-Horn Holdings, Inc. and Charlesbank Equity Fund VI, Limited Partnership, as Stockholders' Representative, dated as of October 10, 2018 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to HC2's Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on December 4, 2018) (File No. 001-35210).
2.5 Amendment No. 1 to Agreement and Plan of Merger, by and among DBM Global Inc., DBM Merger Sub, Inc., CB-Horn Holdings, Inc. and Charlesbank Equity Fund VI, Limited Partnership, as Stockholders' Representative, dated as of November 29, 2018 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.2 to HC2's Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on December 4, 2018) (File No. 001-35210).
2.6 Merger Agreement, dated as of May 2, 2018, by and among Janssen Biotech, Inc., Dogfish Merger Sub, Inc., Benevir Biopharm, Inc., and Shareholder Representative Services LLC, as holder representative (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to HC2's Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on May 3, 2018) (File No. 001-35210).
2.7 Share Purchase Agreement dated January 30, 2020, by and among New Saxon 2019 Limited, Trafalgar AcquisitionCo., Ltd. and Global Marine Holdings, Limited (solely for purposes of Section 2.04(a), Section 6.01, Section 6.02, Section 6.03, Section 6.07 and Article X) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to HC2's Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on January 30, 2020) (File No. 001-35210).
2.8 Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of December 30, 2020, by and among Beyond6, Inc., Greenfill Inc., Greenfill Merger, Inc., and HC2 Holdings, Inc., solely in its capacity as the Stockholders’ Representative (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 on HC2's Current Report on Form 8-K, filed December 31, 2020).
3.1 Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of HC2 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to HC2’s Form 8-A, filed on June 20, 2011) (File No. 001-35210).
3.2 Certificate of Ownership and Merger Merging PTGI Name Change, Inc. into Primus Telecommunications Group, Incorporated (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to HC2’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on October 18, 2013) (File No. 001-35210).
3.3 Certificate of Ownership and Merger Merging HC2 Name Change, Inc. into PTGI Holding, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to HC2’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on April 11, 2014) (File No. 001-35210).
3.4 Certificate of Amendment to Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of HC2 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to HC2’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on June 18, 2014) (File No. 001-35210).
3.5 Fourth Amended and Restated By-Laws of HC2 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to HC2's Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on February 25, 2019) (File No. 001-35210).
3.6 Certificate of Amendment No. 2 to Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of HC2 Holdings, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 on HC2's Current Report on Form 10-K, filed on November 23, 2020 (File No. 001-35210).
Exhibit
Number Description
4.1 Certificate of Amendment to the Certificate of Designation of Series A Convertible Participating Preferred Stock of HC2 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to HC2’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on January 9, 2015) (File No. 001-35210).
4.2 Certificate of Designation of Series A-2 Convertible Participating Preferred Stock of HC2 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to HC2’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on January 9, 2015) (File No. 001-35210).
4.3 Certificate of Correction of the Certificate of Amendment to the Certificate of Designation of Series A Convertible Participating Preferred Stock of HC2, filed on January 5, 2015 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 on HC2’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed on August 10, 2015) (File No. 001-35210).
4.4 Certificate of Correction of the Certificate of Amendment to the Certificate of Designation of Series A Convertible Participating Preferred Stock of HC2, filed on January 5, 2015 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 on HC2’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed on August 10, 2015) (File No. 001-35210).
4.5 Certificate of Correction of the Certificate of Amendment to the Certificate of Designation of Series A Convertible Participating Preferred Stock of HC2, filed on May 29, 2014 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.3 on HC2’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed on August 10, 2015) (File No. 001-35210).
4.6 Certificate of Correction of the Certificate of Amendment to the Certificate of Designation of Series A-2 Convertible Participating Preferred Stock of HC2, filed on January 5, 2015 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.6 on HC2’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed on August 10, 2015) (File No. 001-35210).
4.7 Warrant Agreement, dated as of December 24, 2015, between HC2 and Great American Financial Resources, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to HC2’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on December 28, 2015) (File No. 001-35210)
4.8 Indenture, dated as of November 20, 2018, by and among HC2, the guarantors party thereto and U.S. Bank National Association (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to HC2's Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on November 21, 2018) (File No. 001-35210).
4.9 Indenture, dated as of November 20, 2018, by and among HC2 and U.S. Bank National Association (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to HC2's Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on November 21, 2018) (File No. 001-35210).
4.10 Certificate of Designation for Series A Fixed-to-Floating Rate Perpetual Preferred Shares of DBM Global Inc., dated as of November 30, 2018 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.4 to HC2's Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on December 4, 2018) (File No. 001-35210).
4.11 Certificate of Designation of Series A Fixed-to-Floating Rate Perpetual Preferred Stock of HC2 Broadcasting Holdings Inc., dated as of December 3, 2018 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.15 to HC2's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 12, 2019) (File No. 001-35210).
4.12 Secured Note dated October 24, 2019, by and among HC2 Station, HC2 LPTV, HC2 Broadcasting Inc. ("HC2 Broadcasting"), HC2 Network Inc. ("HC2 Network") (collectively the "Subsidiary Borrowers"), HC2 Broadcasting Intermediate Holdings Inc. ("HC2 Intermediate") (the "Intermediate Parent"), HC2 Broadcasting Holdings (the "Parent Borrower" and, together with the Intermediate Parent and the Subsidiary Borrowers, the "Borrowers"), and MSD PCOF Partners XVIII, LLC ("MSD") (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.12 to HC2's Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed on March 16, 2020) (File No. 001-35210).
4.13 Amended and Restated Secured Note dated October 24, 2019, by and among HC2 Station, HC2 LPTV, HC2 Broadcasting, Amended and Restated Secured Note dated October 24, 2019, by and among HC2 Station, HC2 LPTV, HC2 Broadcasting, HC2 Network (collectively, the "Subsidiary Borrowers"), HC2 Intermediate (the "Intermediate Parent), HC2 Broadcasting Holdings (the "Parent Borrower" and, together with the Intermediate Parent and the Subsidiary Borrowers, the "Borrowers", Great American Life Insurance Company ("GALIC") and Great American Insurance Company ("GAIC"). (collectively, the "Subsidiary Borrowers"), HC2 Intermediate (the "Intermediate Parent), HC2 Broadcasting Holdings (the "Parent Borrower" and, together with the Intermediate Parent and the Subsidiary Borrowers, the "Borrowers", Great American Life Insurance Company ("GALIC") and Great American Insurance Company ("GAIC") (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.13 to HC2's Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed on March 16, 2020) (File No. 001-35210).
4.14 Description of the Registrant's Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.14 to HC2's Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed on March 16, 2020) (File No. 001-35210).
4.15 First Omnibus Amendment to Secured Notes and Intercreditor Agreement by and among HC2 Station Group, Inc., HC2 LPTV Holdings, Inc., HC2 Broadcasting, Inc., HC2 Network Inc., HC2 Broadcasting Intermediate Holdings Inc., HC2 Broadcasting Holdings Inc., and MSD PCOF Partners, XVIII, LLC, Great American Life Insurance Company and Great American Insurance Company. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to HC2’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed on May 11, 2020) (File No. 001-35210)
4.16 First Supplemental Indenture dated August 19, 2020, between HC2 Holdings, Inc. ("HC2") and U.S. Bank National Association (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of HC2's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed on November 9, 2020) (File No. 001-35210).
Exhibit
Number Description
4.17 Form of Certificate of Designations of Series B Non-Voting Participating Convertible Preferred Stock of HC2 (included in Exhibit 10.1) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 on HC2's Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on September 9, 2020 (File No. 021-35210).
4.18 Form of Subscription Rights Certificate (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 on HC2's Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on October 7, 2020) (File No. 021-35210).
10.1 Securities Purchase Agreement, dated as of May 29, 2014, by and among HC2 and affiliates of Hudson Bay Capital Management LP, Benefit Street Partners L.L.C. and DG Capital Management, LLC (the "Purchasers") (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to HC2’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on June 4, 2014) (File No. 001-35210).
10.2^ HC2 2014 Omnibus Equity Award Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit A to HC2’s Definitive Proxy Statement, filed on April 30, 2014) (File No. 001-35210)
10.3^ 2014 HC2 Executive Bonus Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to HC2’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on June 18, 2014) (File No. 001-35210).
10.4 Securities Purchase Agreement, dated as of September 22, 2014, by and among HC2 and affiliates of DG Capital Management, LLC and Luxor Capital Partners, LP (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to HC2’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on September 26, 2014) (File No. 001-35210).
10.5 Second Amended and Restated Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of January 5, 2015, by and among HC2 Holdings, the initial purchasers of the Series A Preferred Stock, the initial purchasers of the Series A-1 Preferred Stock and the purchasers of the Series A-2 Preferred Stock (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 on HC2’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on January 9, 2015) (File No. 001-35210).
10.6 Consent and Waiver, dated as of October 9, 2014 to Securities Purchase Agreement, dated as of May 29, 2014, by and among HC2 and affiliates of Hudson Bay Capital Management LP, Benefit Street Partners L.L.C. and DG Capital Management, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.14 on HC2’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed on November 10, 2014) (File No. 001-35210).
10.7 Consent, Waiver and Amendment, dated as of September 22, 2014 to Securities Purchase Agreement, dated as of May 29, 2014, by and among HC2 and affiliates of Hudson Bay Capital Management LP, Benefit Street Partners L.L.C. and DG Capital Management, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.15 on HC2’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed on November 10, 2014) (File No. 001-35210).
10.8^ Reformed and Clarified Option Agreement, dated October 26, 2014, by and between HC2 and Philip Falcone (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.18.1 on HC2's Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed on March 16, 2015) (File No. 001-35210).
10.9^ Form of Option Agreement (Additional Time Contingent Option) by and between HC2 and Philip Falcone (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.18.2 on HC2's Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed on March 16, 2015) (File No. 001-35210).
10.10^ Form of Option Agreement (Contingent Option) by and between HC2 and Philip Falcone (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.18.3 on HC2's Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed on March 16, 2015) (File No. 001-35210).
10.11^ Form of Non-Qualified Stock Option Award Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 on HC2’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on September 22, 2014) (File No. 001-35210)
10.12^ Form of Restricted Stock Award Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 on HC2’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on September 22, 2014) (File No. 001-35210)
10.13^ Employment Agreement, dated May 20, 2015, by and between HC2 and Michael Sena (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 on HC2’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed on August 10, 2015) (File No. 001-35210).
10.14 Voluntary Conversion Agreement, dated August 2, 2016, by and among HC2 and Luxor Capital Group, LP, as investment manager of the exchanging entities, holders of the Company’s Series A-1 Convertible Participating Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 on HC2’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed on August 9, 2016) (File No. 001-35210).
10.15 Voluntary Conversion Agreement, dated August 2, 2016, by and between HC2 and Corrib Master Fund, Ltd., a holder of the Company’s Series A Participating Preferred Stock, par value ($0.01 per share) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 on HC2’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed on August 9, 2016) (File No. 001-35210).
10.16^ Form of Employee Nonqualified Option Award Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 on HC2’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed on August 9, 2016) (File No. 001-35210).
10.17 Voluntary Conversion Agreement, dated as of October 7, 2016, by and between Hudson Bay Absolute Return Credit Opportunities Master Fund, LTD. and HC2 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 on HC2’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on October 11, 2016) (File No. 001-35210).
10.18^ Revised Form of Indemnification Agreement of HC2 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 on HC2’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed on November 9, 2016) (File No. 001-35210).
Exhibit
Number Description
10.19 Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of August 2, 2016, by and between Luxor Capital Group, LP and HC2 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 on HC2’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed on August 9, 2016) (File No. 001-35210).
10.20 Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of August 2, 2016, by and between Corrib Master Fund, Ltd. and HC2 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 on HC2’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed on August 9, 2016) (File No. 001-35210).
10.21 Voluntary Conversion Agreement dated as of May 2, 2017, by and among DG Value Partners, LP, DG Value Partners II Master Fund, LP and HC2 Holdings, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to HC2's Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on May 8, 2017) (File No. 001-35210).
10.22^ Form of Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to HC2's Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on June 14, 2017) (File No. 001-35210).
10.23 Securities Purchase Agreement dated as of June 27, 2017 among DTV Holding Inc., John N. Kyle II, Kristina C. Bruni, King Forward, Inc., Equity Trust Co FBO John N. Kyle, Tiger Eye Licensing L.L.C., Bella Spectra Corporation, Kim Ann Dagen and Michael S. Dagen, Trustees of the Kim Ann Dagen Revocable Living Trust Agreement dated March 2, 1999, Madison Avenue Ventures, LLC, Paul Donner, Reeves Callaway, Don Shalhub, Shalhub Medical Investments PA, Tipi Sha, LLC, Luis O. Suau, Irwin Podhajser and Humberto Garriga (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to HC2's Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on June 28, 2017) (File No. 001-35210).
10.24 Investor Rights Agreement dated as of June 27, 2017 between DTV Holding Inc., DTV America Corporation and other signatories party thereto (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to HC2's Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on June 28, 2017) (File No. 001-35210).
10.25 Asset Purchase Agreement dated as of June 27, 2017 among DTV Holding Inc., King Forward, Inc., Tiger Eye Broadcasting Corporation, Tiger Eye Licensing L.L.C. and Bella Spectra Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to HC2's Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on June 28, 2017) (File No. 001-35210).
10.26^ Employment Agreement dated as of September 11, 2017, by and between HC2 and Joseph Ferraro (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to HC2's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed on November 8, 2017) (File No. 001-35210).
10.27^ Separation Agreement by and between HC2 Holdings, Inc. and Paul Voigt dated May 9, 2018 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to HC2's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed on August 8, 2018) (File No. 001-35210).
10.28^ HC2 Second Amended and Restated 2014 Omnibus Equity Award Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit A to the HC2 Definitive Proxy Statement, filed on April 30, 2018) (File No. 001-35210).
10.29 Second Amended & Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of Pansend Life Sciences, LLC, dated as of September 20, 2017, by and among HC2 Holdings 2, Inc., David Present and Cherine Plumaker (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to HC2's Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on May 3, 2018) (File No. 001-35210).
10.30 Agreement Re: Secured Notes, dated January 22, 2019, by and among HC2 Station, HC2 LPTV and the Institutional Investors (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to HC2's Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on January 23, 2019) (File No. 001-35210).
10.31 Securities Purchase Agreement, by and between DBM Global Inc. and DBM Global Intermediate Holdco Inc., dated November 30, 2018 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.3 to HC2's Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on December 4, 2018) (File No. 001-35210).
10.32 Financing Agreement, dated as of November 30, 2018, by and among DBM Global Inc. ("DBM"), as borrower, certain direct and indirect subsidiaries of DBM as borrowers or guarantors, the lenders from time to time party thereto and TCW Asset Management Company LLC, as administrative agent for the lenders and collateral agent for the secured parties (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.5 to HC2's Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on December 4, 2018) (File No. 001-35210).
10.33 Fourth Amended and Restated Credit and Security Agreement, dated as of November 30, 2018, by and among DBM Global Inc. and certain of its subsidiaries, collectively as borrower, and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association as lender (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.6 to HC2's Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on December 4, 2018) (File No. 001-35210).
10.34 First Amendment to Fourth Amended and Restated Credit and Security Agreement dated as of May 6, 2019, by and among DBMG, and certain of its subsidiaries, and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to HC2's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed on August 8, 2019) (File No. 001-35210).
10.35 Ninth Amended and Restated Agreement Re: Secured Notes dated October 24, 2019, among HC2 Station, HC2 LPTV, HC2 Network, HC2 Broadcasting, GALIC, GAIC and MSD (incorporated by reference to Exhibit10.38 to HC2's Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed on March 16, 2020) (File No. 001-35210).
10.36 First Amendment to Financing Agreement dated November 13, 2019, by and among DBM Global, Inc. and TCW Asset Management Company (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.39 to HC2's Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed on March 16, 2020) (File No. 001-35210).
Exhibit
Number Description
10.37 Second Amendment to Intercreditor Agreement dated as of April 9, 2020, by and among Wells Fargo Bank, National Association and TCW Asset Management Company LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to HC2's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed on August 10, 2020) (File No. 001-35210).
10.38 Second Amendment to Financing Agreement dated as of April 9, 2020 by and among DBM Global Inc. ("DBM"), as borrower, certain direct and indirect subsidiaries of DBM as borrowers or guarantors, the lenders from time to time party hereto, and TCW Asset Management Company, LLC, as administrative agent for the lenders and collateral agent to the secured parties (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to HC2's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed August 10, 2020) (File No. 001-35210).
10.39 Second Amendment to Fourth Amended and Restated Credit and Security Agreement dated as of April 9, 2020, by and among DBM and certain of its subsidiaries, and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to HC2's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed August 10, 2020) (File No. 001-35210).
10.40^ Employment Agreement dated effective as of August 7, 2020, by and between HC2 Holdings, Inc. and Wayne Barr, Jr.(incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to HC2's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed August 10, 2020) (File No. 001-35210).
10.41 Cooperation Agreement, dated as of May 13, 2020, by and among HC2 Holdings, Inc., MG Capital Management Ltd., Percy Rockdale LLC and Rio Royal LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 on HC2’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on May 14, 2020) (File No. 001-35210).
10.42 Agreement, dated as of May 13, 2020, by and among HC2 Holdings, Inc. and Lancer Capital LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 on HC2’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on May 14, 2020) (File No. 001-35210).
10.43 Agreement, dated as of May 13, 2020, by and among HC2 Holdings, Inc. and JDS1, LLC and CCUR Holdings, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 on HC2’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on May 14, 2020) (File No. 001-35210).
10.44 Letter Agreement, dated as of July 5, 2020, by and among HC2 Holdings, Inc., MG Capital Management Ltd., Percy Rockdale LLC and Rio Royal LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 on HC2’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on July 6, 2020) (File No. 001-35210).
10.45 Letter Agreement, dated as of July 5, 2020, by and between HC2 Holdings, Inc. and Lancer Capital LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 on HC2’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on July 6, 2020) (File No. 001-35210).
10.46 Letter Agreement, dated as of July 5, 2020, by and among HC2 Holdings, Inc., JDS1, LLC and CCUR Holdings, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 on HC2’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on July 6, 2020) (File No. 001-35210).
10.47 Investment Agreement, dated as of September 9, 2020, by and between HC2 Holdings, Inc. and Lancer Capital, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 on HC2's Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on September 9, 2020 (File No. 021-35210).
10.48 Form of Registration Rights Agreement by and between HC2 and Lancer Capital LLC (included in Exhibit 10.1) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 on HC2's Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on September 9, 2020 (File No. 021-35210).
10.49 Third Omnibus Amendment to Secured Notes and Second Amendment to Intercreditor Agreement dated September 25, 2020 by and among HC2 Station Group, Inc., HC2 LPTV Holdings, Inc., HC2 Broadcasting Inc., HC2 Network Inc., HC2 Broadcasting Intermediate Holdings Inc., HC2 Broadcasting Holdings Inc., MSD PCOF Partners XVIII, LLC, Great American Life Insurance Company and Great American Insurance Company (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 on HC2's Current Report on Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on November 9, 2020) (File No. 001-35210).
10.50 Amended and Restated Employment Agreement, effective as of November 25, 2020, by and between HC2 Holdings, Inc. and Wayne Barr, Jr. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 on HC2's Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on November 30, 2020) (File No. 001-35210).
21.1 Subsidiaries of HC2 (filed herewith).
23.1 Consent of BDO USA, LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm (filed herewith).
31.1 Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) Certification of Chief Executive Officer (filed herewith).
31.2 Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) Certification of Chief Financial Officer (filed herewith).
32.1* Section 1350 Certification of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer (furnished herewith).
Exhibit
Number Description
101 The following materials from the registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, formatted in extensible business reporting language (XBRL); (i) Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, (ii) Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, (iii) Consolidated Balance Sheets at December 31, 2020 and 2019, (iv) Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, (v) Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, and (vi) Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (filed herewith).
* These certifications are being "furnished" and will not be deemed "filed" for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or otherwise subject to the liability of that section. Such certifications will not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, except to the extent that the registrant specifically incorporates it by reference.
^ Indicates management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.