opening new permanent offices can be accomplished by the sale of new territories or the opening of permanent offices in previously sold territories . during the 2016 tax season , we stressed the importance to our franchisees of opening permanent locations in new territories . in fiscal 2016 , on a net basis , our franchisees operated 196 more 37 permanent offices in the u.s. , compared to operating 101 more permanent offices in fiscal 2015 compared to fiscal 2014. prior to the 2015 tax season , walmart substantially changed the way in which it charged rent to our franchisees for walmart kiosk locations . as a result , our franchisees operated fewer such offices during the 2016 and 2015 tax seasons and we have deemphasized seasonal offices such as kiosks as part of our growth plans . we utilize our ad program to focus on areas with large underdeveloped groups of territories we believe would benefit from the dedicated sales attention that an ad brings to our franchise sales process . although we intend to grow our franchise network through the sale of new ad areas , opportunities often arise to acquire underperforming ad areas or ad areas in mature markets at favorable terms , offering us better future profitability from the associated franchise locations . continued growth of siempretax+ brand . during fiscal 2015 , we launched our second brand , siempretax+ . given the demographic trends in the united states , the growing consumer purchasing power of the hispanic community , and the prospect of immigration reform , whether through congressional legislation or executive action , we believe serving the hispanic community through a separate brand that engages with customers in their preferred language and provides ancillary services unique to their needs presents a significant office growth opportunity . for this reason , although we had a successful launch of this brand in fiscal 2015 , our ability to grow this brand further should substantially contribute to our future ability to meet our growth goals . number of returns prepared . we strive to provide our franchisees with the resources and training needed to grow their own revenue . one of the principal factors in that growth is growth in the number of returns prepared . we and our franchisees prepared a total of approximately 1.8 million returns in our u.s. offices in fiscal 2016 , which was a decrease of 3.9 % from fiscal 2015 . our new retail offices typically experience their most rapid growth during the first five years as they develop customer loyalty , operational experience and a referral base within their community . the seasoning of our u.s. offices shown in the following table highlights the relatively young age of our offices , with 1,749 offices of 4,225 operated during tax season 2016 having been operated for five or fewer years , including the 2016 tax season . 38 replace_table_token_7_th growth in systemwide revenue . systemwide revenue , a non-gaap financial measure , includes sales by both company-owned and franchised offices . we believe systemwide revenue data is useful in assessing consumer demand for our services and products , the overall success of the liberty tax brand and , ultimately , the performance of the company . our royalty revenue is computed as a percentage of sales made by our franchised offices , less certain deductions . accordingly , sales by our franchisees have a direct effect on the company 's royalty revenue and profitability . in addition , our systemwide revenue reflects the size of the liberty tax system , and because the size of our franchise system drives our management and infrastructure needs , systemwide revenue data helps us assess those needs in comparison to other companies in our industry and other franchise operators . our systemwide revenue in the u.s. grew by 1.1 % from fiscal 2015 to 2016 and 4.0 % from fiscal 2014 to fiscal 2015 . we experienced a 5.1 % increase in average net fee per return filed in the u.s. from $ 217 in fiscal 2015 to $ 228 in fiscal 2016 and a decrease of 3.9 % in number of tax returns filed in the u.s. processed from 1,907,000 in fiscal 2015 to 1,832,000 in fiscal 2016 . number of company-owned offices . for the 2016 and 2015 tax seasons we operated a total of 310 , which includes one processing center , and 182 company-owned offices , respectively . during fiscal 2016 we opened 79 company-owned offices in selected areas to meet franchisee interest in purchasing turnkey locations . tax settlement products obtained by u.s. customers . the total percentage of our u.s. customers obtaining a refund transfer product decreased to 49.2 % during fiscal 2016 compared to 49.7 % during fiscal 2015 . during fiscal 2016 , the share of refund transfer products funded through jth financial was 100 % of the total refund transfer products utilized by our customers , compared to 73.4 % in fiscal 2015 . as we have demonstrated our ability to offer products through jth financial , we have been successful in obtaining more favorable terms from 39 outside vendors . each year we analyze available tax settlement product solutions to balance risk and maximize profit per product . however , having grown the share of products funded through jth financial to 100 % of our total financial products in fiscal 2016 , we recognize that the prospects for continued growth through shifting away from externally-originated products may be limited , and that future growth of financial products revenue will largely depend on increasing the attachment rate , increasing the number of customers served and future fee increases . results of operations fiscal year 2016 compared to fiscal year 2015 revenues . the table below sets forth the components and changes in our revenue for the years ended april 30 , 2016 and 2015 . story_separator_special_tag we consider accounts and notes receivable to be impaired if the amounts due exceed the fair value of the underlying franchise and estimate an allowance for doubtful accounts based on that excess . amounts due include the recorded value of the accounts and notes receivable reduced by the allowance for uncollected interest , amounts due to ads for their portion of franchisee receivables , any related unrecognized revenue and amounts owed to the franchisee or ad by us . in establishing the fair value of the underlying franchise , we consider net fees of open territories and the number of unopened territories . at april 30 , 2016 , our allowance for doubtful accounts for impaired accounts and notes receivable was $ 7.8 million . there were no significant concentrations of credit risk with any individual franchisee or ad as of april 30 , 2016 , and we believe that our allowance for doubtful accounts as of april 30 , 2016 is adequate for our existing loss exposure . we closely monitor the performance of our franchisees and ads , and will adjust our allowances as appropriate if we determine that the existing allowances are inadequate to cover estimated losses . dividends . until our dividend paid in april 2015 , we had never declared or paid a cash dividend on our common stock . although we have now announced a $ 0.16 per share quarterly cash dividend and may continue to pay cash dividends in the future , the payment of dividends will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend , among other things , on our earnings , capital requirements , and financial condition . our ability to pay dividends will also be subject to compliance with financial covenants that are contained in our credit facility and may be restricted by any future indebtedness that we incur or issuances of preferred stock . in addition , applicable law requires our board of directors to determine that we have adequate surplus prior to the declaration of dividends . we can not provide an assurance that we will continue to pay dividends at any specific level or at all . see `` item 5—market for registrant 's common equity , related stockholder matters and issuer purchases of equity securities . `` story_separator_special_tag each fiscal year will adversely affect our cash flow . as of june 14 , 2016 , we had maintained a zero balance on our revolver for the required 45 days and thus have already met the requirement for fiscal 2017 . several factors could affect our cash flow in future periods , including the following : the delay by the irs until at least february 15 , 2017 to issue refunds to taxpayers who claim the earned income tax credit or the child tax credit . the extent to which we extend additional operating financing to our franchisees and ads , beyond the levels of prior periods . the extent and timing of capital expenditures . the cash flow effect of stock option exercises and the extent to which we engage in stock repurchases . our ability to generate fee and other income related to tax settlement products in light of regulatory pressures on us and our business partners . the extent to which we repurchase ad areas , which will involve the use of cash in the short-term , but improve cash receipts in future periods from what would have been the ad 's share of royalties and franchise fees . the extent , if any , to which our board of directors elects to continue to declare dividends on our common stock . effect of our credit facility covenants on our future performance . our credit facility , which matures on april 30 , 2019 , imposes several restrictive covenants , including a covenant that requires us to maintain a `` leverage ratio `` of not more than 4.5:1 at the end of each fiscal quarter ending january 31 and a ratio of not more than 3:1 at the end of each other fiscal quarter . the higher permitted leverage ratio at the end of the january 31 quarter reflects the fact that as of that date , we have typically extended significant credit to our franchisees for working capital and other needs that is not reflected in revenue that we receive from our franchisees until the period beginning in february each year . at january 31 , 2016 and april 30 , 2016 , we had a leverage ratio of 3.9 :1 and 0.52 :1 , respectively . our leverage ratio at april 30 , 2016 reflected the fact that we had no balance outstanding on our revolving credit facility at that date and a $ 19.0 million balance under our term loan . the leverage ratio is measured only at the end of each fiscal quarter , and so there may be times at which we exceed the quarter-end leverage ratio during the quarter , which we are permitted to do provided that our leverage ratio is within the allowable ratio at quarter-end . we continue to be obligated under our credit facility to satisfy a fixed charge coverage ratio test which requires that ratio to be not less than 1.50:1 at the end of every fiscal quarter . at january 31 , 2016 and april 30 , 2016 , our fixed charge coverage ratios were 5.50 :1 and 5.35 :1 , respectively . we were in compliance with the ratio tests described in this section as of april 30 , 2016 . we expect to be able to manage our cash flow and our operating activities in such a manner that we will continue to be able to satisfy our obligations under the credit facility for the remainder of the term of that facility . as noted above , although we are subject under our credit facility to a requirement that we reduce the balance of our

sources and uses of cash operating activities in fiscal 2016 , our cash provided from operating activities increased $ 5.3 million from the cash provided in fiscal 2015 . this increase was driven by : a $ 10.1 million decrease in cash tax payments in fiscal 2016 compared to fiscal 2015. a $ 3.9 million increase in income taxes payable , resulting from less excess tax benefits recognized during the year for stock option exercises . there was a corresponding decrease in cash flows from financing activities as a result of such excess tax benefits , offset by an $ 8.3 million increase in payments related to the settlement of our class action litigation cases . offset by higher revenues with only a slight increase in collections from franchisees and the payments of certain expenses that were delayed into fiscal 2016 from fiscal 2015. in fiscal 2015 , our cash provided from operating activities declined $ 19.0 million from cash provided in fiscal 2014. this reduction was driven by : a $ 4.8 million reduction in income taxes payable , resulting from excess tax benefits recognized during the year for stock option exercises . there is a corresponding increase in cash flows from financing activities as a result of such excess tax benefits . these excess tax benefits will reduce the amount of income taxes we would otherwise owe and pay in cash in fiscal 2016. a $ 4.1 million increase in cash tax payments in fiscal 2015 compared to fiscal 2014 . 45 higher operating expenses associated with investments we made to drive growth , including siempretax+ and our aca initiatives . lower collections from franchisees partially offset by delayed payments of certain expenses typically paid by year end .


 Write a concise suspicious activity report of the following text delimited by triple backquotes. Return your response as a formal report which covers the key points highlighting the location,dates,entity names and account holder information in chronological order of the text.
     ```sources and uses of cash operating activities in fiscal 2016 , our cash provided from operating activities increased $ 5.3 million from the cash provided in fiscal 2015 . this increase was driven by : a $ 10.1 million decrease in cash tax payments in fiscal 2016 compared to fiscal 2015. a $ 3.9 million increase in income taxes payable , resulting from less excess tax benefits recognized during the year for stock option exercises . there was a corresponding decrease in cash flows from financing activities as a result of such excess tax benefits , offset by an $ 8.3 million increase in payments related to the settlement of our class action litigation cases . offset by higher revenues with only a slight increase in collections from franchisees and the payments of certain expenses that were delayed into fiscal 2016 from fiscal 2015. in fiscal 2015 , our cash provided from operating activities declined $ 19.0 million from cash provided in fiscal 2014. this reduction was driven by : a $ 4.8 million reduction in income taxes payable , resulting from excess tax benefits recognized during the year for stock option exercises . there is a corresponding increase in cash flows from financing activities as a result of such excess tax benefits . these excess tax benefits will reduce the amount of income taxes we would otherwise owe and pay in cash in fiscal 2016. a $ 4.1 million increase in cash tax payments in fiscal 2015 compared to fiscal 2014 . 45 higher operating expenses associated with investments we made to drive growth , including siempretax+ and our aca initiatives . lower collections from franchisees partially offset by delayed payments of certain expenses typically paid by year end .
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 Suspicious Activity Report : opening new permanent offices can be accomplished by the sale of new territories or the opening of permanent offices in previously sold territories . during the 2016 tax season , we stressed the importance to our franchisees of opening permanent locations in new territories . in fiscal 2016 , on a net basis , our franchisees operated 196 more 37 permanent offices in the u.s. , compared to operating 101 more permanent offices in fiscal 2015 compared to fiscal 2014. prior to the 2015 tax season , walmart substantially changed the way in which it charged rent to our franchisees for walmart kiosk locations . as a result , our franchisees operated fewer such offices during the 2016 and 2015 tax seasons and we have deemphasized seasonal offices such as kiosks as part of our growth plans . we utilize our ad program to focus on areas with large underdeveloped groups of territories we believe would benefit from the dedicated sales attention that an ad brings to our franchise sales process . although we intend to grow our franchise network through the sale of new ad areas , opportunities often arise to acquire underperforming ad areas or ad areas in mature markets at favorable terms , offering us better future profitability from the associated franchise locations . continued growth of siempretax+ brand . during fiscal 2015 , we launched our second brand , siempretax+ . given the demographic trends in the united states , the growing consumer purchasing power of the hispanic community , and the prospect of immigration reform , whether through congressional legislation or executive action , we believe serving the hispanic community through a separate brand that engages with customers in their preferred language and provides ancillary services unique to their needs presents a significant office growth opportunity . for this reason , although we had a successful launch of this brand in fiscal 2015 , our ability to grow this brand further should substantially contribute to our future ability to meet our growth goals . number of returns prepared . we strive to provide our franchisees with the resources and training needed to grow their own revenue . one of the principal factors in that growth is growth in the number of returns prepared . we and our franchisees prepared a total of approximately 1.8 million returns in our u.s. offices in fiscal 2016 , which was a decrease of 3.9 % from fiscal 2015 . our new retail offices typically experience their most rapid growth during the first five years as they develop customer loyalty , operational experience and a referral base within their community . the seasoning of our u.s. offices shown in the following table highlights the relatively young age of our offices , with 1,749 offices of 4,225 operated during tax season 2016 having been operated for five or fewer years , including the 2016 tax season . 38 replace_table_token_7_th growth in systemwide revenue . systemwide revenue , a non-gaap financial measure , includes sales by both company-owned and franchised offices . we believe systemwide revenue data is useful in assessing consumer demand for our services and products , the overall success of the liberty tax brand and , ultimately , the performance of the company . our royalty revenue is computed as a percentage of sales made by our franchised offices , less certain deductions . accordingly , sales by our franchisees have a direct effect on the company 's royalty revenue and profitability . in addition , our systemwide revenue reflects the size of the liberty tax system , and because the size of our franchise system drives our management and infrastructure needs , systemwide revenue data helps us assess those needs in comparison to other companies in our industry and other franchise operators . our systemwide revenue in the u.s. grew by 1.1 % from fiscal 2015 to 2016 and 4.0 % from fiscal 2014 to fiscal 2015 . we experienced a 5.1 % increase in average net fee per return filed in the u.s. from $ 217 in fiscal 2015 to $ 228 in fiscal 2016 and a decrease of 3.9 % in number of tax returns filed in the u.s. processed from 1,907,000 in fiscal 2015 to 1,832,000 in fiscal 2016 . number of company-owned offices . for the 2016 and 2015 tax seasons we operated a total of 310 , which includes one processing center , and 182 company-owned offices , respectively . during fiscal 2016 we opened 79 company-owned offices in selected areas to meet franchisee interest in purchasing turnkey locations . tax settlement products obtained by u.s. customers . the total percentage of our u.s. customers obtaining a refund transfer product decreased to 49.2 % during fiscal 2016 compared to 49.7 % during fiscal 2015 . during fiscal 2016 , the share of refund transfer products funded through jth financial was 100 % of the total refund transfer products utilized by our customers , compared to 73.4 % in fiscal 2015 . as we have demonstrated our ability to offer products through jth financial , we have been successful in obtaining more favorable terms from 39 outside vendors . each year we analyze available tax settlement product solutions to balance risk and maximize profit per product . however , having grown the share of products funded through jth financial to 100 % of our total financial products in fiscal 2016 , we recognize that the prospects for continued growth through shifting away from externally-originated products may be limited , and that future growth of financial products revenue will largely depend on increasing the attachment rate , increasing the number of customers served and future fee increases . results of operations fiscal year 2016 compared to fiscal year 2015 revenues . the table below sets forth the components and changes in our revenue for the years ended april 30 , 2016 and 2015 . story_separator_special_tag we consider accounts and notes receivable to be impaired if the amounts due exceed the fair value of the underlying franchise and estimate an allowance for doubtful accounts based on that excess . amounts due include the recorded value of the accounts and notes receivable reduced by the allowance for uncollected interest , amounts due to ads for their portion of franchisee receivables , any related unrecognized revenue and amounts owed to the franchisee or ad by us . in establishing the fair value of the underlying franchise , we consider net fees of open territories and the number of unopened territories . at april 30 , 2016 , our allowance for doubtful accounts for impaired accounts and notes receivable was $ 7.8 million . there were no significant concentrations of credit risk with any individual franchisee or ad as of april 30 , 2016 , and we believe that our allowance for doubtful accounts as of april 30 , 2016 is adequate for our existing loss exposure . we closely monitor the performance of our franchisees and ads , and will adjust our allowances as appropriate if we determine that the existing allowances are inadequate to cover estimated losses . dividends . until our dividend paid in april 2015 , we had never declared or paid a cash dividend on our common stock . although we have now announced a $ 0.16 per share quarterly cash dividend and may continue to pay cash dividends in the future , the payment of dividends will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend , among other things , on our earnings , capital requirements , and financial condition . our ability to pay dividends will also be subject to compliance with financial covenants that are contained in our credit facility and may be restricted by any future indebtedness that we incur or issuances of preferred stock . in addition , applicable law requires our board of directors to determine that we have adequate surplus prior to the declaration of dividends . we can not provide an assurance that we will continue to pay dividends at any specific level or at all . see `` item 5—market for registrant 's common equity , related stockholder matters and issuer purchases of equity securities . `` story_separator_special_tag each fiscal year will adversely affect our cash flow . as of june 14 , 2016 , we had maintained a zero balance on our revolver for the required 45 days and thus have already met the requirement for fiscal 2017 . several factors could affect our cash flow in future periods , including the following : the delay by the irs until at least february 15 , 2017 to issue refunds to taxpayers who claim the earned income tax credit or the child tax credit . the extent to which we extend additional operating financing to our franchisees and ads , beyond the levels of prior periods . the extent and timing of capital expenditures . the cash flow effect of stock option exercises and the extent to which we engage in stock repurchases . our ability to generate fee and other income related to tax settlement products in light of regulatory pressures on us and our business partners . the extent to which we repurchase ad areas , which will involve the use of cash in the short-term , but improve cash receipts in future periods from what would have been the ad 's share of royalties and franchise fees . the extent , if any , to which our board of directors elects to continue to declare dividends on our common stock . effect of our credit facility covenants on our future performance . our credit facility , which matures on april 30 , 2019 , imposes several restrictive covenants , including a covenant that requires us to maintain a `` leverage ratio `` of not more than 4.5:1 at the end of each fiscal quarter ending january 31 and a ratio of not more than 3:1 at the end of each other fiscal quarter . the higher permitted leverage ratio at the end of the january 31 quarter reflects the fact that as of that date , we have typically extended significant credit to our franchisees for working capital and other needs that is not reflected in revenue that we receive from our franchisees until the period beginning in february each year . at january 31 , 2016 and april 30 , 2016 , we had a leverage ratio of 3.9 :1 and 0.52 :1 , respectively . our leverage ratio at april 30 , 2016 reflected the fact that we had no balance outstanding on our revolving credit facility at that date and a $ 19.0 million balance under our term loan . the leverage ratio is measured only at the end of each fiscal quarter , and so there may be times at which we exceed the quarter-end leverage ratio during the quarter , which we are permitted to do provided that our leverage ratio is within the allowable ratio at quarter-end . we continue to be obligated under our credit facility to satisfy a fixed charge coverage ratio test which requires that ratio to be not less than 1.50:1 at the end of every fiscal quarter . at january 31 , 2016 and april 30 , 2016 , our fixed charge coverage ratios were 5.50 :1 and 5.35 :1 , respectively . we were in compliance with the ratio tests described in this section as of april 30 , 2016 . we expect to be able to manage our cash flow and our operating activities in such a manner that we will continue to be able to satisfy our obligations under the credit facility for the remainder of the term of that facility . as noted above , although we are subject under our credit facility to a requirement that we reduce the balance of our

