Heritage Global Inc.: Form 10-K for the period ended Dec 31, 2024

Overview and History

We are an asset services company specializing in financial and industrial asset transactions. We provide a full suite of services including market making, acquisitions, refurbishment, dispositions, valuations and secured lending. We focus on identifying, valuing, acquiring and monetizing underlying tangible assets across more than twenty-five global sectors. We act as an advisor as well as a principal, acquiring or brokering turnkey manufacturing facilities, surplus industrial machinery and equipment, industrial inventories, and charged-off receivable portfolios.

Our operations are organized into two divisions, Industrial Assets and Financial Assets. Within these two divisions, we group our business activities into the following four operating segments to manage performance:

Industrial Assets Division

• Auction and Liquidation – Through our subsidiary Heritage Global Partners, Inc. (“HGP”), we operate a global full-service auction, appraisal and asset advisory firm, including the acquisition of turnkey manufacturing facilities and used industrial machinery and equipment.
• Refurbishment & Resale – Through our subsidiary Heritage ALT LLC (“ALT”), we acquire, refurbish and supply specialized laboratory equipment.

Financial Assets Division

• Brokerage – Through our subsidiary National Loan Exchange, Inc. (“NLEX”), we broker charged-off receivables in the United States and Canada on behalf of lenders including banks, mortgage companies, and auto and alternative lending sources.
• Specialty Lending – Through our subsidiary Heritage Global Capital LLC (“HGC”), we provide specialty financing solutions to investors in charged-off and nonperforming asset portfolios.

Corporate Information

HG was incorporated in Florida in 1983 under the name “MedCross, Inc.” Our name was changed to “I-Link Incorporated” in 1997, to “Acceris Communications Inc.” in 2003, to “C2 Global Technologies Inc.” in 2005, to “Counsel RB Capital Inc.” in 2011, and to Heritage Global Inc. in 2013. The most recent name change more closely identifies HG with its auction and liquidation and specialty lending segments.

Our corporate headquarters are located at 12625 High Bluff Drive, Suite 305, San Diego, CA 92130. Our telephone number is (858) 847-0659 and our corporate website is www.hginc.com (http://www.hginc.com).

The organization chart below outlines our basic domestic corporate structure as of December 31, 2024.

(1) Registrant.

(2) Auction and Liquidation.

(3) Holding Company.

(4) Refurbishment & Resale.

(5) Brokerage.

(6) Specialty Lending.

Employees

As of December 31, 2024, we had 86 total and full-time employees, broken down by segment as follows: 34 are employed by HGP, 19 by NLEX, 22 by ALT, 5 by HGC and 6 by HG.

Industry and Competition

Our business consists primarily of the auction, appraisal, refurbishment and asset advisory services provided by our Industrial Assets division and the charged-off receivable brokerage and specialty financing services provided by our Financial Assets division, each of which is further described below. Our business also includes the purchase and sale, including at auction, of industrial machinery and equipment, real estate, inventories, charged-off receivable and distressed debt. The market for all of these services and assets is highly fragmented. To acquire auction or appraisal contracts, or assets for resale, we compete with other liquidators, auction companies, dealers and brokers. We also compete with them for potential purchasers and lenders. Some competitors have significantly greater financial and marketing resources and name recognition.

We believe that our business is positioned to grow in all economic cycles. As the economy encounters situations of recession, flattening yield curves and rising credit costs, our business may experience wider margins on principal asset sales, a favorable lending cycle for charged-off and nonperforming asset portfolios, higher volumes of nonperforming assets and building surplus inventories and bankruptcies. In times of economic growth, our business has demonstrated its ability to experience growth based on our competitive advantages in the industry, including our domain expertise related to deal sourcing and execution capabilities, our diversification of integrated service platforms and our experience across underserved markets. We intend to continue to leverage our competitive advantages to grow within each segment and across platforms through increasing synergies, maintaining high incremental margins, improving earnings predictability, strengthening financial metrics reflected on our balance sheet and managing expenses.

Our business strategy in the Specialty Lending and Auction and Liquidation segments includes the option of partnering with one or more additional purchasers or lenders, pursuant to a partnership, joint venture or limited liability company agreement (collectively, “Joint Ventures”). These Joint Ventures give us access to more opportunities, helping to mitigate some of the competition from the market’s larger participants and contribute to our objective to be the leading resource for clients requiring financial and industrial asset solutions.

Our Competitive Strengths

We believe we have attributes that differentiate us from our competitors and provide us with significant competitive advantages. Our key competitive strengths are described below.

Differentiated Business Model. We believe we have diversified business lines serving the financial and industrial asset liquidation market. We have multiple revenue streams including our brokerage, principal based auction services, refurbishment and resale, advisory services and secured lending services. Further, our business is event-driven and we have repeat, forward-flow contracts in place with industry leading customers. We expect to drive growth in our revenue streams by taking different roles, and using partners as needed.

Compelling Macro Growth Drivers. Historically, recessions drive an increased supply of surplus assets and increased demand for liquidation services, which we believe we are well-positioned to provide. Further, consumer lending and resulting charge-offs, specifically via credit cards, are expected to continue their upward trend to meet, and possibly exceed, pre-pandemic levels, which we believe will drive an increased supply of charged off and nonperforming assets. Additionally, we believe an active market for mergers and acquisitions in manufacturing industries drives demand for industrial asset liquidations and our services. The market in which we operate is highly fragmented, presenting a continued opportunity for the Company to increase market share and drive consolidation.

High Return on Invested Capital. We believe we have an opportunity to drive improved auction economics by serving more frequently in the role of principal rather than the lower margin role of broker.

Strong Management Team. We have built an experienced executive-level management team with deep domain expertise. Our President and Chief Executive Officer, Ross Dove, is a third-generation auctioneer and a pioneering innovator in applying technology to the asset liquidation industry. Mr. Dove began his career in the auction business over forty years ago, beginning with a small family-owned auction house and helping to expand it into a global firm, DoveBid, which was sold to a third party in 2008. In addition, our senior management team has deep domain expertise in both industrial asset and financial asset transactions. On September 17, 2020, we entered into an Employment Agreement with Kirk Dove, the former President and Chief Operating Officer of the Company. Upon his resignation, Kirk Dove continued his employment with us in an advisory capacity, and is expected to do so until December 31, 2027. Also, during 2020, Nick Dove was appointed as President, Industrial Assets division, and David Ludwig was appointed as President, Financial Assets division. Nick Dove previously served as Executive Vice President of Sales of Heritage Global Partners since August 2017. David Ludwig previously served as President of NLEX, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, and has served in such capacity since the Company acquired NLEX in 2014.

Financial Assets Division

Our Financial Assets division provides services to issuers of consumer credit that are looking to monetize nonperforming and charged-off loans — loans that creditors have written off due to failure to pay. Nonperforming and charged-off loans typically originate from banks that issue unsecured consumer credit.

Brokerage Segment

Through NLEX, we act as an advisor for sales of charged-off and nonperforming asset portfolios via an electronic auction exchange platform for banks and other debt holders throughout the United States and Canada. Since the 1980s, NLEX has sold over $200 billion face value of performing, nonperforming and charged-off assets. NLEX sales range from credit card, secured and unsecured consumer and business loans, and automobile defaults to real estate nonperforming loans. The typical credit we broker sells at a discount to face value, and we typically receive a commission for these services from both buyers and sellers. We have existing relationships with high quality, top-tier and mid-tier debt buyers. In addition to its creditor relationships, NLEX has continued to be opportunistic as new lending facilities, such as FinTech, peer-to-peer and more recently Buy Now Pay Later lenders have expanded the availability of consumer credit. Because of growing volume in this industry, and due to continued elevated delinquency and charge-off rates, we anticipate growth opportunities in our brokerage segment as these sectors evolve. Given many of our clients' limited resources in this space, we have also implemented post-sale support, further entrenching NLEX with our dedicated clients as well as differentiating us from competitors.

Specialty Lending Segment

Through HGC, we provide specialty financing solutions to investors in charged-off and nonperforming asset portfolios. Since the inception of HGC in 2019, we have issued $154.5 million in total loans to investors through both self-funded loans and in partnership with senior lenders. Our portion of the total loans funded since inception is $68.1 million. Our income from secured lending consists of upfront fees, interest income, monthly monitoring fees and backend profit share. As of December 31, 2024, our net balance related to investments in loans to buyers of charged-off and nonperforming receivable portfolios was $29.0 million, of which $9.6 million is classified as notes receivable and $19.4 million is classified as equity method investments.

Specialty Lending - Concentration and credit risk

As of December 31, 2024, we held a gross balance of investments in notes receivable of $30.2 million, recorded in both notes receivable and equity method investments. Our portfolio includes our largest borrower’s gross notes receivable balance of approximately $22.2 million, representing 74% of our total gross notes receivable balance as of December 31, 2024, as compared to 62% as of December 31, 2023. As discussed further in Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Nonaccrual Loans, our largest borrower is in default. As a result, the balance of the loans outstanding with our largest borrower were in nonaccrual status as of December 31, 2024. Whether we will realize any return with respect to the impacted loans is uncertain. We do not intend to hold highly concentrated balances due from one borrower as part of our long-term strategy but will in the short term have concentration risk on our path to an established and diversified portfolio.

We do not evaluate concentration risk solely based on balance due from specific borrowers, but also consider the number of portfolio purchases, type of charged off accounts within the portfolio, and the seller of the portfolio when determining the overall risk. Of the balance due from one borrower of $22.2 million, there are 11 distinct loan agreements, the underlying portfolio of accounts are diversified throughout FinTech loans, installment loans and credit card accounts, and further diversified amongst six separate sellers of these charged off portfolios.

We mitigate this concentration risk by requiring, and monitoring, security from each borrower consisting of their charged off and nonperforming receivable portfolios. We engage in a due diligence process that leverages our valuation expertise, knowledge and experience in the underlying nonperforming receivable portfolios marketplace. In the event of default, we are entitled to call the unpaid interest and principal balances and receive all net collections directly. We may also recover our investment by engaging a third party to collect on the underlying charged off or nonperforming receivable portfolio or the underlying portfolio can be sold through our Brokerage segment. In certain cases, our recovery options may be subject to concurrence of the originator or other prior holder of the assets.

Industrial Assets Division

Our Industrial Assets division advises enterprise and financial customers on the sale of industrial assets mostly from surplus and sometimes distressed circumstances while acting as an agent, guarantor or principal in the sale.

Auction and Liquidation Segment

Through HGP, we offer a global full-service auction, appraisal and asset advisory firm, including the acquisition of turnkey manufacturing facilities and used industrial machinery and equipment. The fees for our services typically range from 15–50%, depending on our role and the transaction. This division predominantly targets sellers of surplus or distressed “inside the building” assets. Our buyers consist of both end-users and dealers.

Refurbishment & Resale Segment

Through ALT, we have specialized our offering in the biotech and pharma sectors, which have been key verticals over the past decade. ALT focuses on refurbishing and reselling laboratory equipment.

Our management team has decades of domain expertise with the ability to leverage extensive industry relationships, real time access to databases of buyers and sales, as well as a deep understanding of the underlying asset value across the more than 25 industrial sectors in which we operate. We believe we have the opportunity for growth in our auction services through our ability to secure ongoing contracts with large multinational sellers, to be a first mover in emerging sectors, and to gain market share in sectors in which we are currently less active. Our extensive network and ability to find and source new opportunities are key factors for expansion. We believe we have the opportunity for growth in our valuation services through the addition of incremental bank-approved vendor lists, geographic expansion and through deeper penetration with our existing bank relationships.

Government Regulation

We are subject to federal, state and local consumer protection laws, including laws protecting the privacy of customer non-public information and regulations prohibiting unfair and deceptive trade practices. Many jurisdictions also regulate “auctions” and “auctioneers” and may regulate online auction services. These consumer protection laws and regulations could result in substantial compliance costs and could interfere with the conduct of our business.

Legislation in the United States has increased public companies’ regulatory and compliance costs as well as the scope and cost of work provided by independent registered public accountants and legal advisors. As regulatory and compliance guidelines continue to evolve, we may incur additional costs in the future, which may or may not be material, in order to comply with legislative requirements or rules, pronouncements and guidelines by regulatory bodies.

We sell merchandise, such as scientific instruments, that is subject to export control and economic sanctions laws, among other laws, imposed by the United States and other governments. Such restrictions include the U.S. Export Administration regulations, the International Traffic in Arms regulations, and economic sanctions and embargo laws administered by the Office of the Foreign Assets Control regulations. These restrictions prohibit us from, among other things, selling property to (1) persons or entities that appear on lists of restricted or prohibited parties maintained by the United States or other governments or (2) countries, regimes, or nationals that are the target of applicable economic sanctions or other embargoes.

Available Information

We file certain reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K and any amendments to those reports. The SEC maintains an Internet site at http://www.sec.gov that contains the reports and information statements and other information we file electronically. The documents that we file under Canadian securities law are available on SEDAR at the following address: http//sedar.com. Our website address is www.hginc.com (http://www.hginc.com). Through our website, we make available, free of charge, our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K and all amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) as soon as reasonably practical after we electronically file or furnish such materials to the SEC. Please note that our website address is provided as an inactive textual reference only. The information provided on our website is not part of this report, and is therefore not incorporated by reference unless such information is specifically referenced elsewhere in this report.

In connection with the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, we are including the following cautionary statements identifying important factors that could significantly and adversely affect the Company and cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in forward looking statements made by, or on behalf of, the Company. The risks and uncertainties described below should be considered carefully, and with all the other information contained in this Report, in evaluating the Company and its business. You should carefully consider and evaluate these risk factors, as any of them could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations, which, in turn, can adversely affect the price of our securities.

Competition and Economic Risks

We face significant competition in our business.

Our business depends on our ability to successfully obtain a continuous supply of auction or appraisal contracts, or distressed and surplus assets for profitable resale to third parties. In this regard, we compete with numerous other organizations, some of which are much larger and better-capitalized, with greater resources available for both asset acquisition and associated marketing to potential customers. Additionally, some competitors have a longer history of activity in the business and may have advantages with respect to accessing both deals and capital.

Our business is subject to inventory risk and credit risk.

Under our business model, when not acting solely as an auctioneer, we assume the general and physical inventory and credit risks associated with purchasing assets for subsequent resale. Although we do enter into transactions for which a subsequent purchaser has already been identified, in most cases we purchase assets and assume the risk that they may sell for less than our forecasted price. Further, we may miscalculate demand or resale value and subsequently sell the assets for less than their original purchase price. Either situation could have a material adverse effect upon our use of working capital and our results of operations.

Our Specialty Lending segment is concentrated.

A significant portion of our Specialty Lending loan portfolio may at any time be concentrated with a small number of borrowers. Our Specialty Lending loan portfolio includes a gross notes receivable balance of approximately $22.2 million from one borrower, representing 74% of our total gross notes receivable as of December 31, 2024. Concentration with a small number of borrowers exposes us to the risk that financial difficulty with a single borrower or a small number of borrowers can materially affect our business, financial conditions or operating results. This borrower is currently in default, and our loans to this borrower are in nonaccrual status.

Our Specialty Lending segment depends on the expertise, efforts and financial health of our borrowers.

The ability of our borrowers to repay the loans we make to them depends on the ability of our borrowers to collect the charged off receivables purchased with the proceeds of these loans in accordance with their projections, which in turn requires our borrowers to properly evaluate the collectability of the charged off receivables as well as the costs of collection. If our borrowers' collection model forecasts are incorrect, or if unanticipated market conditions cause our borrowers' evaluations to be incorrect, our business, financial conditions and operating results could be negatively affected. Our largest borrower is currently in default, and our loans to this borrower are in nonaccrual status.

Our Specialty Lending segment depends on the ability of our borrowers to purchase charged off receivables at favorable prices.

Portfolios of charged off receivables fluctuate in price and volume, according to both the availability of new charged off receivables and the demand for these receivables. If our borrowers are unable to purchase a sufficient volume of charged off receivables, or to purchase charged off receivables at a favorable price, our business, financial conditions and operating results could be negatively affected.

Our operating results are subject to significant fluctuation.

Our revenue and operating results are subject to fluctuation from quarter to quarter and from year to year due to the nature of the business, which involves discrete deals of varying size that are very difficult to predict. The timing of revenue recognition related to significant transactions can materially affect quarterly and annual operating results. Despite the accompanying variability of direct costs, quarterly fixed costs that are largely composed of salaries and benefits could exceed our gross profit. There can therefore be no assurance that we can sustain profitability on a quarterly or annual basis. The adverse effect of these issues could be increased due to concentration of our revenue, at times, with one or more major customers. This concentration of customers and revenue affects our overall risk profile, since a significant portion of our customers would be similarly affected by changes in economic, political, regulatory, and other industry conditions. An abrupt or unforeseen change in conditions in these industries could adversely affect demand for our services, which could negatively impact our results of operations.

Operational and Governmental Risks

We are subject to the risks associated with managing growth.

Since the establishment of our business in 2009, we have experienced significant growth including through acquisitive transactions and organic expansion. This growth requires an increased investment in personnel, systems and facilities. In the absence of continued revenue growth, our operating margins could decline from current levels. Additional acquisitions will be accompanied by such risks as exposure to unknown liabilities of acquired businesses, unexpected acquisition expenses, greater than anticipated investments in personnel, systems and facilities, the expense of integrating new and existing operations, diversion of senior management resources, and dilution to existing stockholders. Failure to anticipate and manage these risks could have a material adverse effect upon our business and results of operations.

A portion of our business is conducted through Joint Ventures.

Conducting business through Joint Ventures, as described above under “Industry and Competition,” allows us to participate in significantly larger deals than those we could fund independently. If we ceased entering into Joint Ventures, or our Joint Venture partners decide not to partner with us, the pool of potential transactions would be reduced. Further, upon entering into Joint Ventures, we become exposed to the uncertainties of the activities of our partners. This could negatively impact our ability to obtain a continuous supply of assets for resale, and could have a material adverse effect upon our use of working capital and our results of operations.

We are dependent upon key personnel.

Our operations are substantially dependent on the knowledge, skills and performance of several of our executive officers, particularly our Chief Executive Officer and President, President of Financial Assets and President of Industrial Assets. The loss of any of these officers could damage key relationships and result in the loss of essential information and expertise. As our operations expand, we will be required to hire additional employees and may face competition for them. Therefore, either the loss of the services of the above existing officers, or the inability to attract and retain appropriately skilled new employees, could have a material adverse effect upon our business and results of operations.

Disruptions to information systems and those of certain third-party service providers utilized by us could adversely impact our operations, reputation and brand.

The protection of client, employee and company data is extremely important to us. The regulatory environment surrounding information security and privacy is becoming increasingly demanding and frequently changing in the jurisdictions in which we do business. Clients and employees have expectations that we will protect their information from cyber-attacks and other security breaches. We have implemented systems and processes that are designed to protect personal and company information and to prevent data losses, however, these measures cannot provide absolute security, and our systems may be vulnerable to cyber-security breaches such as viruses, hacking, and similar disruptions from unauthorized intrusions. As part of our information systems infrastructure, we rely increasingly upon third-party service providers to perform services related to our services. Any failure on our part or by these third-party service providers to maintain the security of our confidential data and our client and employee personal information could result in business disruption, damage to reputation, financial obligations, lawsuits, sizable fines and costs, and loss of employee and client confidence in our Company, and thus could have a material adverse impact on our business and financial condition, and adversely affect our results of operations. A significant security breach could require future expenditures to implement additional security measures to protect against new privacy threats or to comply with state, federal and international laws aimed at addressing those threats.

The auction portion of our business may be subject to a variety of additional costly government regulations.

Many states and other jurisdictions have regulations governing the conduct of traditional “auctions” and the liability of traditional “auctioneers” in conducting auctions, which may also apply to online auction services. In addition, certain states have laws or regulations that expressly apply to online auction services. We may incur additional costs in the future to comply with these laws and could be subject to fines or other penalties for any failure to comply with these laws. We may be required to make changes in our business to comply with these laws, which could increase our costs, reduce our revenue, and cause us to prohibit the listing of certain items, or otherwise adversely affect our financial condition or operating results.

Certain categories of merchandise that we sell are subject to government restrictions.

We sell merchandise, such as scientific instruments, that is subject to export control and economic sanctions laws, among other laws, imposed by the United States and other governments. Such restrictions include the U.S. Export Administration regulations, the International Traffic in Arms regulations, and economic sanctions and embargo laws administered by the Office of the Foreign Assets Control regulations. These restrictions prohibit us from, among other things, selling property to (1) persons or entities that appear on lists of restricted or prohibited parties maintained by the United States or other governments or (2) countries, regimes, or nationals that are the target of applicable economic sanctions or other embargoes.

We may incur significant costs or be required to modify our business to comply with these requirements. If we are alleged to have violated any of these laws or regulations we may be subject to civil and criminal penalties and administrative sanctions, including termination of contracts, forfeiture of profits, suspension of payments, fines, and suspension or prohibition from doing business with U.S. federal government agencies. In addition, we could suffer serious harm to our reputation if allegations of impropriety are made against us, whether or not true.

We are subject to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”).

We are subject to the FCPA, which generally prohibits U.S. companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to foreign officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. Failure to comply with the FCPA could subject us to, among other things, penalties and legal expenses that could harm our reputation and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business is subject to environmental risk.

Our business at times includes the purchase and resale of buildings and land. Although our purchase process includes due diligence to determine that there are no material adverse environmental issues, it is possible that such issues could be discovered subsequent to a completed purchase. Any remediation and related costs could have a material adverse effect upon our business and results of operations.

Changes in tax laws or their interpretations, or becoming subject to additional foreign, U.S. federal, state or local taxes, could negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We are subject to extensive tax liabilities, including U.S. federal and state taxes. Changes in tax laws or their interpretations could decrease the amount of earnings we retain, the value of any tax loss carry forwards and tax credits recorded on our balance sheet and the amount of our cash flow, and have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Some of our tax liabilities are subject to periodic audits by the respective taxing authority, which could increase our tax liabilities. If we are required to pay additional taxes, our costs would increase and our net income would be reduced, which could have a material adverse effect on our effective tax rate, business, financial condition and results of operations.

If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud.

Effective internal controls over financial reporting are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and, together with adequate disclosure controls and procedures, are designed to prevent fraud. Any failure to implement required new or improved controls, or difficulties encountered in their implementation could cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations. In addition, any testing by us conducted in connection with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), or any subsequent testing by our independent registered public accounting firm, may reveal deficiencies in our internal controls over financial reporting that are deemed to be material weaknesses or that may require prospective or retroactive changes to our financial statements or identify other areas for further attention or improvement. Ineffective internal controls could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could have a negative effect on the trading price of our common stock.

Capitalization and General Market Risks

We may require additional financing in the future, which may not be available, or may not be available on favorable terms.

We may need additional funds to finance the operations of our business, to make additional investments, to expand our Specialty Lending segment, or to acquire complementary businesses or assets. We may be unable to generate these funds from our operations. If funds are not available, or not available on acceptable terms, we could experience a material adverse effect upon our business.

Provisions in our organizational documents and Florida or certain other state laws could delay or prevent a change in control of our company, which could adversely affect the price of our common stock.

Provisions in our Articles of Incorporation, as amended (the “Articles”), and Restated Bylaws and anti-takeover provisions of the Florida Business Corporation Act (“FBCA”), could discourage, delay or prevent an unsolicited change in control of the Company, which could adversely affect the price of our common stock. These provisions may also have the effect of making it more difficult for third parties to replace our current management without the consent of the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board”). Provisions in our Articles and Restated Bylaws that could delay or prevent an unsolicited change in control include:

• a staggered board of directors;
• limitations on persons authorized to call a special meeting of stockholders; and
• the authorization of undesignated preferred stock, the terms of which may be established and shares of which may be issued without stockholder approval.

The Company is a Florida corporation and is therefore subject to certain anti-takeover provisions that apply to public corporations under Florida law. Pursuant to Section 607.0901 of the FBCA, a publicly held Florida corporation may not engage in a broad range of extraordinary corporate transactions with an interested shareholder within three years of when the shareholder became an interested shareholder without the approval of the holders of two-thirds of the voting shares of the corporation (excluding shares held by the interested shareholder), unless, among other exceptions:

• the transaction is approved by a majority of disinterested directors;
• the interested shareholder has owned at least 80% of the corporation’s outstanding voting shares for at least three years preceding the announcement date of any such extraordinary corporate transaction;
• the interested shareholder is the beneficial owner of at least 90% of the outstanding voting shares of the corporation, exclusive of shares acquired directly from the corporation in a transaction not approved by a majority of the disinterested directors; or
• the consideration paid to the holders of the corporation’s voting stock is at least equal to certain fair price criteria.

Subject to certain exceptions, an interested shareholder is defined as a person who beneficially owns more than 15% of a corporation’s outstanding voting shares. Although permitted by the FBCA, we have not elected in our Articles to opt out of the terms of Section 607.0901. This statutory provision may prevent takeover attempts that might result in a premium over the market price for shares of our common stock.

Our Board of Directors may issue additional shares of preferred stock without stockholder approval.

Our Articles authorize the issuance of up to 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock, $10.00 par value per share. Of the 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock authorized under our Articles, the Company has designated 20,000 shares as Series N Preferred Stock. There are 563 shares of Series N Preferred Stock issued and outstanding. Our Board is authorized to determine the rights and preferences of any additional series or class of preferred stock. Our Board may, without stockholder approval, issue shares of preferred stock with dividend, liquidation, conversion, voting or other rights that are senior to our shares of common stock or that could adversely affect the voting power or other rights of the existing holders of outstanding shares of preferred stock or common stock. The issuance of additional shares of preferred stock may also hamper or discourage an acquisition or change in control of the Company.

We may conduct future offerings of our common stock and preferred stock that may diminish our investors’ pro rata ownership and depress our stock price.

Our Articles authorize us to issue shares of our preferred stock, common stock or securities convertible into common stock for the consideration and on the terms and conditions established by our Board of Directors in its sole discretion, including at prices differing from the price of the common stock previously issued. We could issue a significant number of shares of common stock in the future in connection with investments or acquisitions. Any of these issuances could dilute our existing stockholders, and such dilution could be significant. Moreover, such dilution could have a material adverse effect on the market price for the shares of our common stock.

The future issuance of shares of preferred stock with voting rights may adversely affect the voting power of the holders of shares of our common stock, either by diluting the voting power of our common stock if the preferred stock votes together with the common stock as a single class, or by giving the holders of any such preferred stock the right to block an action on which they have a separate class vote, even if the action were approved by the holders of our shares of our common stock.

The future issuance of shares of additional preferred stock with dividend or conversion rights, liquidation preferences or other economic terms favorable to the holders of preferred stock could adversely affect the market price for our common stock by making an investment in the common stock less attractive. For example, investors in common stock may not wish to purchase common stock at a price above the conversion price of a series of convertible preferred stock because the holders of the preferred stock would effectively be entitled to purchase common stock at the lower conversion price, causing economic dilution to the holders of common stock.

The market price of our common stock may be volatile and this may adversely affect our stockholders.

The price at which our common stock trades may be volatile. The market price of our common stock may be influenced by many factors, including:

• our operating and financial performance;
• variances in our quarterly financial results compared to expectations;
• the depth and liquidity of the market for our common stock;
• we have a relatively small base of shares of common stock that could result in significant stock price movements upward or downward based on low levels of trading volume in our common stock;
• future sales of common stock or debt or the perception that sales could occur;
• investor perception of our business and our prospects;
• developments relating to the occurrence of risks impacting our company, including any of the risk factors set forth herein; or
• general economic and stock market conditions.

In addition, the stock market in general has experienced price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of companies in our industry. These broad market and industry factors may materially reduce the market price of our common stock, regardless of our operating performance. In the past, securities class-action litigation has often been brought against companies following periods of volatility in the market price of their respective securities. We may become involved in this type of litigation in the future. Litigation of this type is often expensive to defend and may divert our management team’s attention as well as resources from the operation of our business.

We have a material amount of goodwill which, if it becomes impaired, would result in a reduction in our net income.

Goodwill represents the amount by which the cost of an acquisition accounted for using the purchase method exceeds the fair value of the net assets acquired. Current accounting standards require that goodwill be periodically evaluated for impairment based on the fair value of the reporting unit. As of December 31, 2024 approximately 9% of our total assets represents goodwill. Declines in our profitability or the value of comparable companies may impact the fair value of our reporting units, which could result in a write-down of goodwill and a reduction in net income.

We may not be able to utilize income tax loss carry forwards.

Restrictions in our ability to utilize income tax loss carry forwards have occurred in the past due to the application of certain changes in ownership tax rules in the United States. There is no certainty that the application of these rules may not recur. In addition, further restrictions of, reductions in, or expiration of net operating loss and net capital loss carry forwards may occur through future merger, acquisition and/or disposition transactions or through failure to continue a significant level of business activities. Any such additional limitations could require us to pay income taxes in the future and record an income tax expense to the extent of such liability. We could be liable for income taxes on an overall basis while having unutilized tax loss carry forwards since these losses may be applicable to one jurisdiction and/or particular line of business while earnings may be applicable to a different jurisdiction and/or line of business. Additionally, income tax loss carry forwards may expire before we have the ability to utilize such losses in a particular jurisdiction and there is no certainty that current income tax rates will remain in effect at the time when we have the opportunity to utilize reported tax loss carry forwards. Thus, any net operating loss arising in a taxable year ending before January 1, 2018 may only be carried forward for 20 taxable years following the taxable year of such loss. Any net operating loss arising in a taxable year ending on or after January 1, 2018 can be carried forward indefinitely. In addition, any net operating loss deduction with respect to a net operating loss arising in a taxable year beginning after December 31, 2017 is limited to 80% of our taxable income in the year in which deduction is taken.

We have not declared any dividends on our common stock to date and have no expectation of doing so in the foreseeable future.

The payment of cash dividends on our common stock rests within the discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend, among other things, upon our earnings, unencumbered cash, capital requirements and our financial condition, as well as other relevant factors. To date, we have not paid dividends on our common stock nor do we anticipate that we will pay dividends in the foreseeable future. As of December 31, 2024, we did not have any preferred stock outstanding that has any preferential dividends.

Our executive officers, directors and their affiliates hold a large percentage of our common stock and their interests may differ from other stockholders.

Our executive officers, directors and their affiliates beneficially own, in the aggregate, 12% of our common stock as of March 1, 2025. If they were to act together, these stockholders would have significant influence over most matters requiring approval by stockholders, including the election of directors, any amendments to our Articles of Incorporation and certain significant corporate transactions, including potential merger or acquisition transactions. In addition, without the consent of these stockholders, we could be delayed or prevented from entering into transactions that could be beneficial to us or our other investors. These stockholders may take these actions even if they are opposed by our other investors.

There is a limited public trading market for our common stock. Our stock price could be extremely volatile and may decline substantially from the public offering price. As a result, you may not be able to resell your shares at or above the price you paid for them.

Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market (“Nasdaq”) and has a limited public trading market in the United States. Without an active trading market, there can be no assurance regarding the liquidity or resale value of the common stock. In addition, the market price of our common stock has been, and may continue to be, volatile. Such price fluctuations may be affected by general market price movements or by reasons unrelated to our operating performance or prospects such as, among other things, announcements concerning us or our competitors, technological innovations, government regulations, and litigation concerning proprietary rights or other matters. Volatility in the market price of our common stock, as well as general economic, market or political conditions, may prevent a holder of our common stock from being able to sell their shares at or above the price paid for the shares and may otherwise negatively affect the liquidity of our common stock. Holders of our common stock may experience a decrease, which could be substantial, in the value of their stock, including decreases unrelated to our operating performance or prospects, and a holder of our common stock could lose part or all of their investment. The price of our common stock could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to a number of factors.

We could be delisted from Nasdaq, which could seriously harm the liquidity of our stock and our ability to raise capital.

Our common stock is currently listed on Nasdaq, which has qualitative and quantitative listing criteria. However, we cannot assure you that our common stock will continue to be listed on Nasdaq in the future. In order to continue listing our common stock on Nasdaq, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and stock price levels. Generally, we must maintain a minimum amount in stockholders' equity and a minimum number of holders of our common stock.

If we cease to be eligible to trade on Nasdaq, the following may occur:

• We may have to pursue trading on a less recognized or accepted market, such as the OTC Bulletin Board or the “pink sheets.”
• The trading price of our common stock could suffer, including an increased spread between the “bid” and “asked” prices quoted by market makers.
• Shares of our common stock could be less liquid and marketable, thereby reducing the ability of stockholders to purchase or sell our shares as quickly and as inexpensively as they have done historically. If our stock is traded as a “penny stock,” transactions in our stock would be more difficult and cumbersome.
• We may be unable to access capital on favorable terms or at all, as companies trading on alternative markets may be viewed as less attractive investments with higher associated risks, such that existing or prospective institutional investors may be less interested in, or prohibited from, investing in our common stock. This may also cause the market price of our common stock to decline.

The financial reporting obligations of being a public company in the United States are expensive and time consuming and place significant additional demands on our management.

The obligations of being a public company in the United States place additional demands on our management and require significant expenditures, including costs resulting from public company reporting obligations under the Exchange Act; the rules and regulations regarding corporate governance practices, including those under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the Dodd Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act; and the listing requirements for Nasdaq. Our management and other personnel devote a substantial amount of time to ensure that we comply with these requirements. Moreover, despite reforms made possible by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 and the 2015 Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act, the reporting requirements, rules, and regulations will increase our legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time-consuming and costly, particularly if we were no longer to qualify as a smaller reporting company. Any changes that we make to comply with these obligations may not be sufficient to allow us to satisfy our obligations as a public company on a timely basis, or at all.

These rules and regulations make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage. These factors also could make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our Board of Directors, particularly to serve on our Audit Committee and Compensation Committee, or as executive officers.

We place a high priority on securing confidential business information and the personal information we receive and store about our customers and employees. Our cybersecurity risk management is based on recognized cybersecurity industry frameworks and standards, including those of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which we use, together with information collected from internal assessments, to develop policies for use of our information assets (for example, mobile phones and personal computers) and protection of personal information. We protect these information assets through techniques such as multifactor authentication and malware defenses. We also work with internal stakeholders across the company to integrate foundational cybersecurity principles throughout our organization’s operations, including restricting access to information based on business need. We utilize an established, nationally recognized cloud-services provider to maintain and manage our data with the exception of certain highly sensitive information, which we maintain in separate designated systems with enhanced security controls. In addition, we contract a third-party IT consultant with over twenty years of experience, who manages the core information technology functions of the business including coordinating with our cloud-services provider, implementing new processes, monitoring of our network for cyber threats, and other information technology administrative responsibilities. Throughout the year, we train our employees on cybersecurity awareness, confidential information protection and perform simulated phishing attacks. In addition to the processes, technologies, and controls that we have in place to reduce the likelihood of a material cybersecurity incident (or series of related cybersecurity incidents), we have developed a written incident response plan outlining how to address cybersecurity events that occur. The plan sets forth the steps for coordination among various corporate functions and governance groups and serves as a framework for the execution of responsibilities across businesses and operational roles. The incident response plan is designed to help us coordinate actions to prepare for, detect, respond to and recover from cybersecurity incidents, and includes processes to triage, assess severity, escalate, contain, investigate, and remediate the incident, as well as to assess the need for disclosure and comply with applicable legal obligations. We also maintain insurance coverage that, subject to its terms and conditions, is intended to help us cover certain costs associated with cybersecurity incidents and information system failures. To date, we have not experienced a material cybersecurity or information security breach.

Oversight responsibility in this area is shared by management, the Board, and its Corporate Governance Committee. To prevent, detect and respond to information security threats more effectively, the Company has established a Management Cybersecurity Committee (MCC) consisting of the Chief Financial Officer, the Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, the Chief Marketing Officer, business unit leaders, the third-party IT consultant, and other internal and external IT resources. The MCC regularly reports to the Corporate Governance Committee, which in turn reports to the Audit Committee and the Board. The Board also receives an annual update from our senior leadership on cybersecurity and information security matters. The Corporate Governance Committee regularly briefs the Board on these matters, and the Board also receives periodic briefings on cyber threats to enhance our directors’ awareness on cybersecurity and information security issues.

We lease or rent office space in several locations in the United States. The principal locations are Del Mar, CA, Hayward, CA, and San Diego, CA, which are related to HGP’s operations, and Edwardsville, IL, which is related to NLEX’s operations. The Edwardsville office is leased from a related party, as discussed in Note 15 to our consolidated financial statements. We own a warehouse and office space East Lyme, CT, which is related to our ALT operations.

We are involved in various legal matters arising out of our operations in the normal course of business, none of which are expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto, included in “Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules” of this Report. Our accounting policies have the potential to significantly impact our financial statements, either because of the significance of the financial statement item to which they relate, or because they require judgment and estimation due to the uncertainty involved in measuring, at a specific point in time, events that are continuous in nature.

Business Overview, Recent Developments and Outlook

Please see “Item 1. Business” of this Report for an overview of our business and recent developments. Please see “Item 1A. Risk Factors” of this Report for a discussion of the risk factors that may impact our current and future operations, and financial condition.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Liquidity

At December 31, 2024, we had working capital of $18.5 million, as compared to working capital of $11.6 million at December 31, 2023, an increase of $6.9 million.

Our current assets increased to $33.1 million at December 31, 2024 compared to $26.3 million at December 31, 2023. The change in our current assets of $6.8 million is primarily due to a decrease in the current portion of notes receivable of $3.2 million and accounts receivable of $0.4 million, offset by increases in cash and cash equivalents of $9.5 million, inventory of $0.3 million, and other current assets of $0.6 million.

Our current liabilities decreased to $14.6 million at December 31, 2024 as compared to $14.7 million at December 31, 2023. The decrease of $0.1 million is primarily due to a decrease in accounts payable and accrued liabilities of $1.2 million and the current portion of third party debt of $1.3 million, offset by an increase in payables to sellers of $2.4 million.

We believe we can fund our operations and our debt service obligations during 2025 and beyond through a combination of cash flows from our on-going operations and accessing financing from our existing line of credit.

Our indebtedness consists of a promissory note dated August 23, 2021 (the “ALT Note”) issued in the amount of $2.0 million as part of the aggregate purchase price paid to acquire certain assets and liabilities of American Laboratory Trading and any amounts borrowed under the promissory note, business loan agreement, commercial security agreement and pledge agreement (the “2021 Credit Facility”) with C3bank, National Association, for a $10.0 million revolving line of credit.

The terms of the ALT Note require us to pay off the Note in 48 equal installments of approximately $44,000 with an interest rate of 3% per annum and a maturity date of August 23, 2025. As of December 31, 2024, we had an outstanding balance of $0.4 million on the ALT Note.

On December 27, 2024, the Company entered into a Loan Modification Agreement and Reaffirmation of Loan (the “Modification Agreement”), by and between the Company and C3 Bank. The Modification Agreement modifies and reaffirms the 2021 Credit Facility to, among other things, extend the maturity date, modify the applicable interest rate, and further modify the loan covenants. The maturity date was modified to June 27, 2026. We are permitted to use the proceeds of the loan solely for our business operations. As of December 31, 2024, we had no outstanding balance on the 2021 Credit Facility.

During 2024, our primary source of cash was the cash on hand, payments received on notes receivable of $11.0 million and $7.7 million of cash provided by our operating activities. Cash disbursements during 2024 consisted primarily of investments in notes receivable of $5.7 million, repurchase of our common stock under our Repurchase Program of approximately $2.2 million, repayments on our ALT Note of $0.5 million, repayments on our Term Loan of $6.3 million (as discussed further under Note 11 – Debt), payment of operating expenses, and settlement of auction liabilities.

We expect that future net cash flows from our operating activities will continue to be the primary source of cash required to fund our ongoing operations for the foreseeable future.

Ownership Structure and Capital Resources

At December 31, 2024 and 2023, we had stockholders’ equity of $65.2 million and $61.1 million, respectively.

We determine our future capital and operating requirements based upon our current and projected operating performance and contractual commitments. We expect to be able to finance our future operations through a combination of working capital, future net cash flows from operating activities, and our 2021 Credit Facility. Our contractual requirements are limited to the outstanding debt and lease commitments with related and unrelated parties. Capital requirements are generally limited to our purchases of surplus and distressed assets and our investment activity under our Specialty Lending segment. We believe that our current capital resources, including available borrowing capacity from our 2021 Credit Facility, are sufficient for these requirements. In the event additional capital is needed, we believe we can obtain additional debt financing through capital partners.

Cash Position and Cash Flows

Cash and cash equivalents at December 31, 2024 were $21.7 million compared to $12.3 million at December 31, 2023.

Cash flows from operating activities. Cash provided by operating activities was $7.7 million during 2024 as compared to $13.0 million during 2023. The approximate $5.3 million decrease was primarily attributable to a decrease of $6.3 million in net income adjusted for noncash items during 2024 as compared to 2023, offset by an increase in operating assets and liabilities of $1.0 million during 2024 as compared to 2023.

The significant changes in operating assets and liabilities during 2024 as compared to 2023 are primarily due to the nature of our operations. We earn revenue from discrete auction and liquidation deals that vary considerably with respect to their magnitude and timing, and that can consist of fees, commissions, asset sale proceeds, or a combination of all. The operating assets and liabilities associated with such transactions are therefore subject to the same variability and can be different at the end of any given period.

Cash flows from investing activities. Cash provided by investing activities during 2024 was $10.9 million, as compared to cash used in investing activities of $15.9 million during 2023.

Cash provided by investing activities during 2024 consisted primarily of payments received on notes receivable of $11.0 million as well as return of investment and cash distributions received from equity method investments of $6.0 million. Cash provided by investing activities during 2024 was offset by cash used in investing activities consisting primarily of investments in notes receivable of $5.7 million and equity method investments of $0.3 million.

Cash used in investing activities during 2023 consisted primarily of investments in notes receivable of $29.8 million and equity method investments of $17.2 million. Cash used in investing activities during 2023 was offset by cash provided by investing activities primarily of cash received on transfer of notes receivable to partners of $8.9 million, payments received on notes receivable of $11.9 million as well as return of investment and cash distributions received from equity method investments of $10.7 million.

Cash flows from financing activities. Cash used in financing activities was $9.1 million during 2024, as compared to cash provided by financing activities of $2.5 million during 2023.

Cash used in financing activities in 2024 of $9.1 million was primarily attributable to $6.3 million in repayments to our Term Loan (as discussed further under Note 11 – Debt), $0.5 million in repayments to our ALT Note, as well as repurchase of our common stock under our Repurchase Program of approximately $2.2 million.

Cash provided by financing activities in 2023 of $2.5 million was primarily attributable to $13.0 million in proceeds from draws on our 2021 Credit Facility and Term Loan, offset by $8.9 million in repayments to our 2021 Credit Facility, $0.7 million in repayments to our Term Loan, $0.5 million in repayments to our ALT Note, as well as repurchase of our common stock under our Repurchase Program of approximately $0.4 million.

Management’s Discussion of Results of Operations

The following table summarizes our consolidated results of operations (in thousands):

Our revenue has several components: (1) traditional fee based asset disposition services, such as commissions from on-line and webcast auctions, liquidations and negotiated sales, and commissions from the NLEX charged-off receivables business, (2) the acquisition and subsequent disposition of distressed and surplus assets, including industrial machinery and equipment and real estate, and (3) fees and interest earned for appraisal, management advisory services and specialty lending services.

We report segment information based on the “management” approach. The management approach designates the internal reporting used by the Chief Operating Decision Maker (CODM), which we determined to be Ross Dove, CEO, for making decisions and assessing performance as the source of our reportable segments. We manage our business primarily on differentiated revenue streams for services offered. Our reportable segments consist of the Auction and Liquidation segment, Refurbishment & Resale segment, Brokerage segment, and Specialty Lending segment. Our Auction and Liquidation segment, through HGP, operates as a global full-service auction, appraisal and asset advisory firm, including the acquisition of turnkey manufacturing facilities and used industrial machinery and equipment. Our Refurbishment & Resale segment, through ALT, acquires, refurbishes and supplies specialized laboratory equipment. Our Brokerage segment, through NLEX, brokers charged-off receivables in the U.S. and Canada on behalf of financial institutions. Our Specialty Lending segment, through HGC, provides specialty financing solutions to investors in charged-off and nonperforming asset portfolios.

Our CODM evaluates the performance of our reportable segments based primarily on operating income and routinely receives internal reports that analyze operating income for the reporting segments. The CODM is not routinely provided detailed information regarding significant operating expenses by segment, and such information is not considered critical for allocating resources or assessing the performance of each segment. Our operating expenses are comprised mainly of fixed and variable compensation, marketing, outside services such as audit, legal and information technology, occupancy, and other regulatory costs incurred as a public entity. Additionally, earnings from equity method investments related to significant transactions involving real estate, machinery and equipment in the Company's Auction and Liquidation segment and Joint Venture lending activity related to the Company's Specialty Lending segment are significant in the computation of segment operating income and reported separately as shown in the table below.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the reported segment operating income for ALT and HGC represents incremental costs for managing these segments as part of their sister segments (HGP for ALT and NLEX for HGC). As such, the reported operating income for ALT and HGC does not represent their true standalone contribution, as we do not attempt to allocate existing fixed divisional overhead costs of the sister divisions to the newer segments. Similarly, corporate overhead cost is not allocated to the operating divisions for management reporting purposes. Further, we do not utilize segmented asset information to evaluate the performance of our reportable segments and do not include intercompany transfers between segments for management reporting purposes.

The following table sets forth certain financial information for the Company's reportable segments (in thousands):

[1] Within the Company’s Industrial Asset division, management allocates gross profit from certain auctions from the Auction and Liquidation segment (HGP) to the Refurbishment & Resale segment (ALT). From time to time, ALT may source and refer an auction project to HGP or directly sell equipment inventory through the auction channel. In these instances, the gross profit related to these transactions are allocated to ALT rather than accounted for under the segment profit or loss of HGP. In 2024, the total amount of gross profit allocated to ALT from HGP was approximately $1.4 million, as compared to the total amount of gross profit allocated to ALT from HGP in 2023 of approximately $3.8 million.

[2] All financing arrangements are originated with Corporate and other. Management may determine from time to time that interest incurred from financing arrangements are directly attributable to a specific segment. As a result, interest incurred may be charged to the segment and included in that segment’s profit or loss as a charge to operating expense. In 2024, the total amount of interest allocated to the Specialty Lending segment (HGC) from Corporate and other was approximately $0.3 million, as compared to the total amount of interest allocated to HGC from Corporate and other in 2023 of approximately $0.5 million.

2024 Compared to 2023

Revenues and cost of revenues – Revenues were $45.4 million in 2024 as compared to $60.5 million in 2023 and costs of services revenue and asset sales were $14.1 million in 2024 compared to $20.7 million in 2023. This resulted in gross profit of $31.2 million in 2024 compared to $39.8 million in 2023, a decrease of approximately $8.6 million or approximately 22%. The decrease in gross profit in the current year is primarily due to a significant one-time principal auction transaction in our Industrial Asset Division in the first quarter of 2023, as well as decreased volume of transactions within our Brokerage segment as compared to 2023.

Selling, general and administrative expense – Selling, general and administrative expense was $24.3 million in 2024 as compared to $26.0 million in 2023, a decrease of $1.8 million or 7%. As compared to 2023 there was a decrease in selling, general and administrative expense during 2024 primarily due to decreased compensation expense as a result of lower performance in certain operational segments.

Significant components of selling, general and administrative expense were as shown below (dollars in thousands):

Reclassifications – Certain prior year balances within schedule of selling, general and administrative expense above have been reclassified to conform to current year presentation.

Depreciation and amortization expense – Depreciation and amortization expense in 2024 was $0.6 million, as compared to $0.5 million in 2023. Depreciation and amortization expense in both years consisted primarily of amortization expense related to intangible assets, while the depreciation of property, plant and equipment was not material.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements – We had no off-balance sheet arrangements during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023.

Key Performance Indicators

We monitor a number of financial and non-financial measures on a regular basis in order to track our underlying operational performance and trends. Other than operating income (a GAAP financial measure as shown in our consolidated income statements), which we believe is the most important measure of our operational performance and trends, we believe that EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP financial measures) are key performance indicators (“KPIs”) for our business. These KPIs may not be defined or calculated in the same way as similar KPIs used by other companies.

We prepared our audited consolidated financial statements in accordance with GAAP. We define EBITDA as net income plus depreciation and amortization, interest expense, and provision for income taxes. Adjusted EBITDA reflects EBITDA adjusted further to eliminate the effects of stock-based compensation. Management uses EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA in assessing the Company’s results, evaluating the Company’s performance and in reaching operating and strategic decisions. Management believes that the presentation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA, when considered together with our GAAP financial statements and the reconciliation to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, is useful in providing investors a more complete understanding of the factors and trends affecting the underlying performance of the Company on a historical and ongoing basis. Our use of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA is not meant to be, and should not be, considered in isolation or as a substitute for, or superior to, any GAAP financial measure. You should carefully evaluate the financial information below, which reconciles our GAAP reported net income to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA for the periods presented (in thousands).

Recently adopted accounting pronouncements

In 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (“ASU 2016-13”), which applies a current expected credit loss model, which is a new impairment model based on expected losses rather than incurred losses. The expected credit losses, and subsequent adjustments to such losses, is recorded through an allowance account that is deducted from, or added to, the amortized cost basis of the financial asset, with the net carrying value of the financial asset presented on the consolidated balance sheet at the amount expected to be collected. ASU 2016-13 eliminates the current accounting model for loans and debt securities acquired with deteriorated credit quality under ASC Topic 310-30, Receivables – Loans and Debt Securities Acquired with Deteriorated Credit Quality, which provides authoritative guidance for the accounting of our notes receivable. With respect to smaller reporting companies, the amendments in this update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The adoption of ASU 2016-13 resulted in an adjustment to retained earnings on January 1, 2023 of $0.3 million, and established an expected credit loss reserve against our receivables related to loans outstanding, including those held within equity method investments. The increase is a result of changing from an “incurred loss” model, which encompasses allowances for current known and inherent losses within the portfolio, to an “expected loss” model, which encompasses allowances for losses expected to be incurred over the life of the portfolio. As of December 31, 2024, the allowance for credit losses was $1.5 million, with $0.1 million classified as accounts receivable, $0.4 million classified as notes receivable and $1.0 million classified as equity method investments. As of December 31, 2023, the allowance for credit losses was $1.7 million, with $0.1 million classified as accounts receivable, $0.7 million classified as notes receivable and $0.9 million classified as equity method investments.

In November 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-07, "Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures" ("ASU 2023-07"), which, among other updates, requires enhanced disclosures about significant segment expenses regularly provided to the chief operating decision maker, as well as the aggregate amount of other segment items included in the reported measure of segment profit or loss. ASU 2023-07 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and for interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024, and requires retrospective adoption. The adoption of ASU 2023-07 resulted in additional disclosures for our segment results, which are included in Note 17 of our consolidated financial statements.

Critical Accounting Policies

The preparation of our consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions. Our critical accounting policies requiring estimates, assumptions and judgments that we believe have the most significant impact on our consolidated financial statements are described below.

Revenue recognition

We recognize revenue in accordance with ASC Topic 606, *Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“*ASC 606”) and ASC Topic 310, *Receivables (“*ASC 310”).

Services revenue generally consists of commissions and fees from providing auction services, appraisals, brokering of sales transactions, and secured lending. Asset sales revenue generally consists of proceeds obtained through sales of purchased assets. With the exception of revenue generated within our Specialty Lending segment, revenue is recognized for both services revenue and asset sales revenue based on the ASC 606 standard recognition model, which consists of the following: (1) an agreement exists between two or more parties that creates enforceable rights and obligations, (2) the performance obligations are clearly identified, (3) the transaction price has been determined, (4) the transaction price has been properly allocated to each performance obligation, and (5) the entity satisfies a performance obligation by transferring a promised good or service to a customer for each of the entities.

All services and asset sales revenue from contracts with customers consists of three of our reportable segments: Auction and Liquidation, Refurbishment & Resale, and Brokerage segments. Generally, revenue is recognized at the point in time in which the performance obligation has been satisfied and full consideration is received. The exception to recognition at this point in time occurs when certain contracts provide for advance payments recognized over a period of time. Services revenue recognized over a period of time is not material in comparison to total revenues (less than 1% of total revenues for the year ended December 31, 2024), and therefore not reported on a disaggregated basis. Further, as certain contracts stipulate that the customer make advance payments, amounts not recognized within the reporting period are considered deferred revenue and our “contract liability”. As of December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, the deferred revenue balance was approximately $0.6 million, $0.5 million and $0.4 million, respectively, and is recorded within accounts payable and accrued liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet. The deferred revenue balance is primarily related to customer deposits on asset sales within our Refurbishment & Resale segment. We record receivables in certain situations based on timing of payments for Auction and Liquidation transactions held at the end of the reporting period; however, revenue is generally recognized in the period that we satisfy the performance obligation and cash is collected. We do not record a “contract asset” for partially satisfied performance obligations.

For auction services and brokerage sale transactions, funds are typically collected from buyers and are held by us on the seller's behalf. The funds are included in cash and cash equivalents in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. We release the funds to the seller, less our commission and other fees due, after the buyer has accepted the goods. The amount of cash held on behalf of the sellers is recorded as payables to sellers in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets.

We evaluate revenue from Auction and Liquidation and Brokerage segment transactions in accordance with the accounting guidance to determine whether to report such revenue on a gross or net basis. We have determined that we act as an agent for our fee based transactions and therefore we report the revenue from transactions in which we act as an agent on a net basis.

We also earn income through transactions that involve us acting jointly with one or more additional purchasers or lenders, pursuant to a partnership, joint venture or limited liability company agreement (collectively, “Joint Ventures”). For these transactions, in which our ownership share meets the criteria for the equity method investments under ASC Topic 323, *Equity Method and Joint Ventures (“*ASC 323”), we do not record revenue or expense. Instead, our proportionate share of the net income (loss) is reported as earnings of equity method investments. In general, the Joint Ventures apply the same revenue recognition and other accounting policies as the Company.

Through our Specialty Lending segment, we provide specialty financing solutions to investors in charged-off and nonperforming asset portfolios. We recognize revenue generated by lending activity in accordance with ASC 310. Fees collected in relation to the issuance of loans includes loan origination fees, interest income, portfolio monitoring fees, and a backend profit share percentage related to the underlying asset portfolio.

The monitoring fees and the backend profit share are considered a separate earnings process as compared to the origination fees and interest income. Monitoring fees are recorded at the agreed upon rate, and at the moment in which payments are made by the borrower. The backend profit share is recognized in accordance with the agreed upon rate at the time in which the amount is realizable and earned. The recognition policy was established due to the uncertainty of timing of the amount of backend profit share that will be realized.

Through our Refurbishment and Resale segment, we offer financing on our standard laboratory equipment sales. We recognize revenue upon shipment of our financed products in accordance with ASC 606. We record a loan receivable for the unpaid balance of the order. A loan amortization table is created upon shipment outlining the principal and interest income portion of each future payment. These loans are classified as held-for-investment and accounted for under the guidelines of ASC 310.

For both the Specialty Lending and Refurbishment and Resale segments, loan origination fees are offset with any direct origination costs and are deferred upon issuance of the loan and amortized over the lives of the related loans, as an adjustment to interest income. The interest method is used to arrive at a periodic interest cost (including amortization) that will represent a level effective rate on the sum of the face amount of the debt and (plus or minus) the unamortized premium or discount and expense at the beginning of each period.

Nonaccrual Loans

We determine a loan to be in default status when the minimum payment amount has not been received within the grace period of the payment due date. The status of default does not solely trigger nonaccrual loan status. We consider quantitative and qualitative factors when evaluating a loan in default status to determine the likelihood of recovering the outstanding principal balance and contractual interest payments. We also monitor financial standing and performance of our borrowers on an ongoing basis and regularly update the collection forecasts for the underlying charged off or nonperforming receivable portfolios related to each outstanding loan. If we determine (1) it is not probable that the projected cash flows expected from the borrower’s collection efforts on the underlying charged off or nonperforming receivable portfolio will be sufficient to satisfy all of the outstanding principal balance and contractual interest payments, and (2) it is not probable that the borrower will be able to meet the minimum required principal and interest payments through other operational cash flows, we will place the loans on nonaccrual status. If, based on our analysis, we elect to maintain accrual status after initial payment default, the loan will generally be placed on nonaccrual status if principal or interest payments become 90 days past due.

The accrual of interest is generally discontinued and all accrued interest is reversed against interest income when a loan is placed on nonaccrual status. Interest received on such loans is accounted for using the cost-recovery or the cash-basis method, until qualifying for return to accrual. Under the cost-recovery method, interest income is not recognized until the loan balance is reduced to zero. Under the cash-basis method, interest payments received by the creditor are recorded as interest income provided the amount does not exceed the amount that would have been earned at the loan’s original effective interest rate. Loans are returned to accrual status when all the principal and interest amounts contractually due are brought current, there is a sustained period of repayment performance, and all remaining principal and interest payments are deemed probable.

In November 2023, we and our affiliated Joint Ventures restructured loans (the "Restructured Loans") with our largest borrower by restructuring certain outstanding loans with an amortized cost basis of $51.6 million or 59% of the amortized cost basis of the total charged-off asset portfolio loans of our and our affiliated joint ventures. Our share of the Restructured Loans amortized cost basis was $22.2 million, or 57% of our share of the loan book. All Restructured Loans were restructured by term extension, adding a weighted average of 1.5 years to the life of the Restructured Loans, which reduced the monthly payments for the borrower. As of September 30, 2023, we increased the allowance for credit losses related to our largest borrower experiencing financial difficulties. This resulted in an allowance for credit losses on the loans later restructured of $1.0 million as of September 30, 2023. As of December 31, 2024, our allowance for credit losses related to the Restructured Loans was $1.1 million, of which $0.3 million was classified as notes receivable and $0.8 million was recorded within equity method investments. As of December 31, 2023, our allowance for credit losses related to the Restructured Loans was $1.1 million, of which $0.4 million was classified as notes receivable and $0.7 million was recorded within equity method investments.

Pursuant to the terms of existing credit agreements, our largest borrower was required to collect on underlying charged off and nonperforming consumer loan portfolios and remit a required minimum monthly payment to us. However, this borrower became unable to make the required minimum monthly payments and therefore is in default. While in default, this borrower continues to collect on the underlying charged off and nonperforming consumer loan portfolios but must remit all such net collections to us and senior lenders. These remittances of net collections have not met the amount of the required minimum monthly payments since June of 2024. We determined that (1) it is not probable that the projected cash flows expected from the borrower’s collection efforts on the underlying charged off or nonperforming receivable portfolio will be sufficient to satisfy all of the outstanding principal balance and contractual interest payments, and (2) it is not probable that the borrower will be able to meet the minimum required principal and interest payments through other operational cash flows. We do not expect to realize any return with respect to these loans in 2025, and whether we will realize any return with respect to these loans is uncertain. As we continue to work closely with the borrower and its senior lenders in an effort to mitigate the default in an efficient and effective manner, the impacted loans have been placed in nonaccrual status beginning in June 2024. In addition, there was a balance of $1.5 million from our share of other loans within affiliated Joint Ventures that are impacted by the default with our largest borrower and have been placed in nonaccrual status as of June 2024. Our share of payments received from this borrower, including interest, will be applied against the outstanding loan balance. As of December 31, 2024, the amortized cost basis of loans in nonaccrual status was $23.5 million, of which $5.3 million is recorded within notes receivable and $18.2 million is recorded within equity method investments. There were no loans in nonaccrual status as of December 31, 2023.

Notes receivable, net

Our notes receivable balance consists of loans to buyers of charged-off receivable portfolios, which is considered the only loan category or segment to be reported under the applicable accounting guidance. These loans are measured at historical costs and reported at their outstanding principal balances net of any unamortized deferred fees and costs on originated loans and allowance for credit losses. Loan origination fees and certain direct origination costs are deferred and recognized as adjustments to interest income over the lives of the related loans.

We adopted ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (“ASC 326”) on January 1, 2023, which requires the application of a credit loss model based prospectively on current expected credit losses (CECL). Under ASC 326, we elected to evaluate notes receivable as a single pool, for individual notes receivable and borrowers with similar risk characteristics. Notes receivable and borrowers that do not share risk characteristics are evaluated on an individual basis. Management estimates the allowance for credit losses using relevant available information from internal and external sources relating to past events, current conditions and reasonable and supportable forecasts. As we lack historical internal data, we observe that our notes receivable are similar in character to transactions undertaken by smaller banking institutions. We elect to base our estimation of expected credit losses on the Scaled Current Expected Credit Loss (CECL) Allowance Loss Estimator ("SCALE rate") available from the Federal Reserve, which was 1.3231% as of January 1, 2023. To reflect the cumulative effects of the adoption of ASC 326, we recorded the allowance for credit losses and an increase to accumulated deficit of $0.2 million and deferred tax asset of $0.1 million on the January 1, 2023 consolidated balance sheet, and balance of the allowance for credit losses was therefore $0.3 million as of January 1, 2023.

In order to evaluate the need for an adjustment to the receivable balance related to credit losses, or impairment, we perform a review of all outstanding loan receivables on a quarterly basis to determine if any indicators exist that suggest the loan will not be fully recoverable. As of December 31, 2024, the SCALE rate increased to 1.3644% and our credit loss rate specific to notes receivable was 3.7%. The increase over the SCALE rate was due to both risks with the concentrated balance and declining collections industry-wide. As of December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, our allowance for credit losses related to notes receivable outstanding was $0.4 million and $0.7 million, respectively.

See Note 2 and Note 3 to our consolidated financial statements for further detail.

Equity Method Investments

As noted above, we conduct a portion of our business through Joint Ventures. Transactions in which our ownership share meets the criteria for the equity method investments under ASC 323 are accounted for using the equity method of accounting whereby our proportionate share of the Joint Venture’s net income (loss) is reported in the consolidated income statement as earnings of equity method investments. At the balance sheet date, our investments in these Joint Ventures are reported in the consolidated balance sheet as equity method investments. We monitor the value of each Joint Ventures’ underlying assets and liabilities, and record a write down of our investments should we conclude that there has been a decline in the value of the net assets. These investments have historically been classified as non-current in our consolidated financial statements due to the uncertainties relating to the timing of resale of the underlying assets as a result of the Joint Venture relationship.

Upon adoption of ASC 326 on January 1, 2023, we evaluated the receivable balances held by our affiliated Joint Ventures and recorded an adjustment to reduce earnings from equity method investments by our share of the allowance for credit losses recorded on the Joint Ventures’ books of $0.2 million. Similar to notes receivable, the loans held by the Joint Ventures are evaluated on a quarterly basis to determine if an adjustment to the allowance for credit losses is needed. As of December 31, 2024, the SCALE rate increased to 1.3644% and the credit loss rate specific to equity method investments was 4.5%. The increase over the SCALE rate was due to both risks with the concentrated balance and declining collections industry-wide. As of December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, we have recorded an allowance for credit losses related to its equity method investments of $1.0 million and $0.9 million, respectively.

See Note 2 and Note 5 to our consolidated financial statements for further detail.

Deferred income taxes

We recognize deferred tax assets and liabilities for temporary differences between the tax basis of assets and liabilities and the amounts at which they are carried in the financial statements, based upon the enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. We periodically assess the recoverability of our deferred tax assets, which have been generated by a history of net operating and net capital losses, and determine the necessity for a valuation allowance that will reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized. We evaluate which portion of the deferred tax assets, if any, will more likely than not be realized by offsetting future taxable income, taking into consideration any limitations that may exist on our use of our net operating and net capital loss carryforwards. In 2023, we recorded a reduction to the valuation allowance of $2.2 million resulting in a net deferred tax asset balance of approximately $9.1 million as we believed that it was more likely than not that a significant portion of our net operating loss carryforwards will be utilized. In 2024, we increased the valuation allowance by $1.3 million, resulting in a net deferred tax asset balance of approximately $6.0 million. The change to the valuation allowance was primarily due to the application of our nonaccrual loan policy, which resulted in a decrease to our estimates related to the utilization of net operating loss carryforwards in 2025. For further discussion of our income taxes, see Note 13 to our consolidated financial statements.

Stock-based compensation

Our stock-based compensation is primarily in the form of options to purchase common shares. The fair value of stock options is calculated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The determination of the fair value of our stock options is based on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, the price of our common stock, the expected volatility of the stock price over the expected life of the award and expected exercise behavior. The fair value of the awards is subsequently expensed over the vesting period, net of estimated forfeitures. The provisions of our stock-based compensation plans do not require that we settle any options by transferring cash or other assets, and therefore we classify the option awards as equity. See Note 16 to our consolidated financial statements for further discussion of our stock-based compensation.

As a Smaller Reporting Company, we are electing scaled reporting obligations and therefore are not required to provide the information requested by this Item.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

As of the end of the period covered by this Report, under the supervision and with the participation of management, including our Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer (the “Certifying Officers”), we conducted an evaluation of our disclosure controls and procedures. As defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Exchange Act, the term “disclosure controls and procedures” means controls and other procedures of an issuer that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the issuer in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by an issuer in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the issuer’s management, including the Certifying Officers, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Based on this evaluation, the Certifying Officers have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of December 31, 2024.

Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, in accordance with Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act. Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including the Certifying Officers, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting based on the framework in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.

Our internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America. Our internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of our assets; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures are being made by us only in accordance with authorizations of our management and directors; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

Based on its assessment using these criteria, our management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2024.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the fourth fiscal quarter of 2024 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.