Item 1. BUSINESS General Development of Business ATEL 12, LLC (the “Company” or the “Fund”) was formed under the laws of the state of California on January 25, 2007 for the purpose of equipment financing and acquiring equipment to engage in equipment leasing and sales activities, as well as in real estate, growth capital investment activities and green technologies (the “principal operations”). From its inception into the third quarter of 2013, the Company’s Managing Member was ATEL Associates 12, LLC (“AA12”), a Nevada limited liability corporation. Effective September 30, 2013, AA12 was merged into ATEL Financial Services, LLC (“AFS”) (the “Managing Member” or “Manager”), a California limited liability corporation, which assumed the role of Managing Member of the Company. The Fund may continue until December 31, 2030. As a limited liability company, the liability of any individual member for the obligations of the Fund is limited to the extent of capital contributions to the Fund by the individual member.
The Company conducted a public offering of 20,000,000 Limited Liability Company Units (“Units”), at a price of $10 per Unit. On January 24, 2008, subscriptions for the minimum number of Units (120,000, representing $1.2 million), excluding subscriptions from Pennsylvania investors, had been received and the Fund requested subscription proceeds to be released from escrow. On that date, the Company commenced initial operations and continued in its development stage activities until transitioning to an operating enterprise during the second quarter of 2008. Pennsylvania subscriptions were subject to a separate escrow to be released to the Fund only when the Fund had received aggregate subscriptions for all investors equal to at least $7.5 million. Total contributions to the Fund exceeded $7.5 million on July 15, 2008. The offering was terminated on September 25, 2009.
As of December 31, 2014, cumulative contributions, net of rescissions and repurchases, totaling $29.9 million (inclusive of the $500 initial member’s capital investment) have been received and 2,992,482 Units were issued and outstanding.
The Fund, or Managing Member and/or affiliates on behalf of the Fund, has incurred costs in connection with the organization, registration and issuance of the Units. The amount of such costs to be borne by the Fund is limited by certain provisions of the ATEL 12, LLC Limited Liability Company Operating Agreement dated April 3, 2007 (the “Operating Agreement”).
The Company’s principal objectives are to invest in a diversified portfolio of investments that (i) preserves, protects and returns the Company’s invested capital; (ii) generates regular cash distributions to Unitholders, any balance remaining after required minimum distributions to be used to purchase additional investments during the reinvestment period (“Reinvestment Period”) (defined as six full years following the year the offering was terminated) which ends on December 31, 2015 and (iii) provides additional cash distributions following the Reinvestment Period and until all investment portfolio assets have been sold or otherwise disposed. The Company is governed by its Operating Agreement, as amended.
Narrative Description of Business The Company has acquired and intends to acquire various types of new and used equipment subject to leases and to make loans secured by equipment acquired by its borrowers. The Company’s primary investment objective is to acquire investments primarily in low-technology, low-obsolescence equipment such as materials handling equipment, manufacturing equipment, mining equipment, and transportation equipment. A portion of the portfolio will include some more technology-dependent equipment such as certain types of communications equipment, medical equipment, manufacturing equipment and office equipment. The Company will also seek investments in equipment or financing of equipment and business involving “green technologies” such as those involved in the following activities: materials recycling, water purification, sewage treatment pollution radiation, gas and other emission treatment, solid waste management, renewable energy generation, as well as many other similar industries and activities.
The Company only purchases equipment under pre-existing leases or for which a lease will be entered into concurrently at the time of the purchase. Through December 31, 2014, the Company had purchased equipment with a total acquisition price of $28.6 million. The Company had also loaned $5.4 million for notes receivable secured by various assets.
The Company’s objective is to have at least 60% of its investment portfolio (by cost) consist of equipment leased to lessees that the Manager deems to be high quality corporate credits and/or leases guaranteed by such high quality corporate credits. High quality corporate credits are lessees or guarantors who have a credit rating by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. of “Baa” or better, or the credit equivalent as determined by the Manager, or are public and private corporations with substantial revenues and histories of profitable operations, as well as established hospitals with histories of profitability or municipalities. The remaining 40% of the initial investment portfolio may include equipment lease transactions, real property single tenant net leases and other financing for companies which, although deemed creditworthy by the Manager, would not satisfy the specific credit criteria for the portfolio described above. Included in this 40% of the portfolio may be growth capital financing investments. No more than 20% of the initial portfolio, by cost, will consist of these growth capital financing investments and no more than 20% of the portfolio, by cost, will consist of real estate investments. The Company’s objective is to invest approximately 25% of its capital in assets that involve “green” technologies or applications as discussed above.
During 2014 and 2013, certain lessees and/or financial borrowers generated significant portions (defined as greater than or equal to 10%) of the Company’s total leasing and lending revenues, excluding gains or losses on disposition of assets, as follows:
These percentages are not expected to be comparable in future periods.
The equipment financing industry is highly competitive. Equipment manufacturers, corporations, partnerships and others offer users an alternative to the purchase of most types of equipment with payment terms that vary widely depending on the type of financing, the lease or loan term and type of equipment. The ability of the Company to keep the equipment leased and the terms of purchase, lease and sale of equipment depends on various factors (many of which neither the Managing Member nor the Company can control), such as general economic conditions, including the effects of inflation or recession, and fluctuations in supply and demand for various types of equipment resulting from, among other things, technological and economic obsolescence.
The Managing Member will use its best efforts to diversify lessees by geography and industry and to maintain an appropriate balance and diversity in the types of equipment acquired and the types of leases entered into by the Company, and will apply the following policies: (i) The Managing Member will seek to limit the amount invested in equipment or property leased to any single lessee to not more than 20% of the aggregate purchase price of investments owned at any time during the reinvestment period; (ii) in no event will the Company’s equity investment in equipment or property leased to a single lessee exceed an amount equal to 20% of the maximum capital from the sale of Units (or $30 million); and (iii) the Managing Member will seek to invest not more than 20% of the aggregate purchase price of equipment in equipment acquired from a single manufacturer. However, this last limitation is a general guideline only, and the Company may acquire equipment from a single manufacturer in excess of the stated percentage during the offering period and before the offering proceeds are fully invested, or if the Managing Member deems such a course of action to be in the Company’s best interest.
The primary geographic regions in which the Company seeks leasing opportunities are North America and Europe. Currently, 100% of the Company’s operating revenues are from customers domiciled in North America.
The business of the Company is not seasonal.
The Company has no full time employees. Employees of the Managing Member and affiliates provide the services the Company requires to effectively operate. The cost of these services is reimbursed by the Company to the Managing Member and affiliates per the Operating Agreement.
Equipment Leasing Activities The Company has acquired a diversified portfolio of equipment. The equipment has been leased to lessees in various industries. The following tables set forth the types of equipment acquired by the Company through December 31, 2014 and the industries to which the assets have been leased (dollars in thousands):
From inception to December 31, 2014, the Company has disposed of certain leased assets as set forth below (in thousands):
For further information regarding the Company’s equipment lease portfolio as of December 31, 2014, see Note 6 to the financial statements, Investments in equipment and leases, net, as set forth in Part II, Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.
Notes Receivable Activities The Company finances assets in diverse industries. The following tables set forth the types of assets financed by the Company through December 31, 2014 and the industries to which the assets have been financed (dollars in thousands):
From inception to December 31, 2014, assets financed by the Company that are associated with terminated loans are as follows (in thousands):
For further information regarding the Company’s notes receivable portfolio as of December 31, 2014, see Note 4 to the financial statements, Notes receivable, net, as set forth in Part II, Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.
Item 2.
Item 2. PROPERTIES The Company does not own or lease any real property, plant or material physical properties other than the equipment held for lease as set forth in Item 1, Business.
Item 3.
Item 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS In the ordinary course of conducting business, there may be certain claims, suits, and complaints filed against the Company. In the opinion of management, the outcome of such matters, if any, will not have a material impact on the Company’s financial position or results of operations. No material legal proceedings are currently pending against the Company or against any of its assets.
Item 4.
Item 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES Not Applicable.
PART II
Item 5.
Item 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Market Information There are certain material conditions and restrictions on the transfer of Units imposed by the terms of the Operating Agreement. Consequently, there is no public market for Units and it is not anticipated that a public market for Units will develop. In the absence of a public market for the Units, there is no currently ascertainable fair market value for the Units.
Holders As of December 31, 2014, a total of 906 investors were Unitholders of record in the Company.
Unit Valuation As noted above, there is no public market for Units and, in order to preserve the Company’s status for federal income tax purposes, the Company will not permit a secondary market or the substantial equivalent of a secondary market for the Units. In the absence of a public market for the Units, there is no currently ascertainable fair market value for the Units.
Nevertheless, in order to provide an estimated per Unit value for those Unitholders who seek valuation information, AFS has calculated an estimated value per Unit as of December 31, 2014. AFS estimates the Company’s per unit value by estimating the aggregate net asset value of the Company. The valuation does not take into account any future business activity of the Company; rather it is a snapshot view of the Fund’s portfolio as of the valuation date.
The estimated values for non-interest bearing items such as any current assets and liabilities, as well as for any investment in securities, were assumed to equal their respective reported balances, which management believes approximate their respective fair values, as adjusted for impairment. And when applicable, the same was applied to loans incurred under the receivables funding program and the acquisition facility since they also bear variable rates of interest.
A discounted cash flow approach was used to estimate the values of notes receivable, investments in leases and non-recourse debt. Under such approach, the value of a financial instrument was estimated by calculating the present value of the instrument’s expected cash flows. The present value was determined by discounting the cash flows the instrument is expected to generate by discount rates as deemed appropriate by the Manager. In most cases, the discount rates used were based on U.S. Treasury yields reported as of the reporting date, plus a spread to account for the credit risk difference between the instrument being valued and Treasury securities. The valuation of the Company’s warrants was determined using a Black-Scholes formulation of value based upon the stock price(s), the exercise price(s), the volatility of comparable venture companies, and a risk free interest rate for the term(s) of the warrant exercise(s).
After calculating the aggregate estimated net asset value of the Company, AFS then calculated the portion of the aggregate estimated value that would be distributed to Unitholders on liquidation of the Company, and divided the total that would be distributable by the number of outstanding Units as of the December 31, 2014 valuation date. As of December 31, 2014, the value of the Company’s assets, calculated on this basis, was approximately $4.83 per Unit.
The aforementioned valuation was performed solely for the purpose of providing an estimated liquidation value per Unit for those Unitholders who seek valuation information. It is important to note again that there is no market for the Units, and, accordingly, this value does not represent an estimate of the amount a Unitholder would receive if he were to seek to sell his Units. The Company will liquidate its assets in the ordinary course of its business and investment cycle. Furthermore, there can be no assurance as to when the Company will be fully liquidated, the amount the Company may actually receive if and when it seeks to liquidate its assets, the amount of lease payments and equipment disposition proceeds the Company will actually receive over the remaining term of the Company, or the amounts that may actually be received in distributions by Unitholders over the course of the Company’s remaining term.
Distributions The Unitholders of record are entitled to certain distributions as provided under the Operating Agreement.
The Managing Member has sole discretion in determining the amount of distributions; provided, however, that the Managing Member will not cause the Company to reinvest operating revenues in equipment, but will distribute available cash, subject to payment of any obligations of the Company, (i) in an amount sufficient to allow an investor in a 31% federal income tax bracket to meet the federal and state income taxes due on income from the operations of the Fund; (ii) through the first full fiscal quarter ending at least six months after termination of the offering of Units, an amount equal to the lesser of: (a) a rate of return on their original capital contribution equal to 2.5% over the average yield on five-year United States Treasury Bonds for the fiscal quarter immediately preceding the date of distribution, as published in a national financial newspaper from time to time (with a minimum of 8% per annum and a maximum of 9% per annum), or (b) 90% of the total amount of cash available for distributions; and (iii) for each quarter during the rest of the reinvestment period, an amount equal to 9% per annum on their original capital contribution.
The Company commenced periodic distributions in February 2008. The rate for monthly distributions from 2014 operations was $0.075 per Unit for the period from January through December 2014. Likewise the rate for monthly distributions from 2013 operations was $0.075 per Unit for the period from January through December 2013. The rate for each of the quarterly distributions paid in 2014 and 2013 was $0.225 per Unit.
The following table presents summarized information regarding distributions to Other Members:
Item 6.
Item 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA A smaller reporting company is not required to present selected financial data in accordance with item 301(c) of Regulation S-K.
Item 7.
Item 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Statements contained in this Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” (“MD&A”) and elsewhere in this Form 10-K, which are not historical facts, may be forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. In particular, economic recession and changes in general economic conditions, including fluctuations in demand for equipment, lease rates, and interest rates, may result in delays in investment and reinvestment, delays in leasing, re-leasing, and disposition of equipment, and reduced returns on invested capital. The Company’s performance is subject to risks relating to lessee defaults and the creditworthiness of its lessees. The Company’s performance is also subject to risks relating to the value of its equipment at the end of its leases, which may be affected by the condition of the equipment, technological obsolescence and the markets for new and used equipment at the end of lease terms. Investors are cautioned not to attribute undue certainty to these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this Form 10-K. We undertake no obligation to publicly release any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this Form 10-K or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, other than as required by law.
Overview ATEL 12, LLC (the “Company” or the “Fund”) is a California limited liability company that was formed in January 2007 for the purpose of equipment financing and acquiring equipment to engage in equipment leasing and sales activities, as well as in real estate, growth capital investment activities and green technologies (the “principal operations”), primarily in the United States.
The Company conducted a public offering of 20,000,000 Limited Liability Company Units (“Units”), at a price of $10 per Unit. On January 24, 2008, subscriptions for the minimum number of Units (120,000, representing $1.2 million), excluding subscriptions from Pennsylvania investors, had been received and the Fund requested subscription proceeds to be released from escrow. On that date, the Company commenced initial operations and continued in its development stage activities until transitioning to an operating enterprise during the second quarter of 2008. Pennsylvania subscriptions were subject to a separate escrow to be released to the Fund only when the Fund had received aggregate subscriptions for all investors equal to at least $7.5 million. Total contributions to the Fund exceeded $7.5 million on July 15, 2008. As of September 25, 2009, the offering was terminated.
During 2009, the Company completed its initial acquisition stage with the investment of the net proceeds from the public offering of Units. Subsequently, during the reinvestment period (“Reinvestment Period”) (defined as six full years following the year the offering was terminated), the Company has utilized its credit facilities and reinvested cash flow in excess of certain amounts required to be distributed to the Other Members to acquire additional equipment and/or to fund financing transactions. Throughout the Reinvestment Period, which ends December 31, 2015, the Company anticipates continued reinvestment of cash flow in excess of minimum distributions and other obligations. The Company is governed by its Limited Liability Company Operating Agreement (“Operating Agreement”), as amended.
The Company may continue until December 31, 2030. Periodic distributions are paid at the discretion of the Managing Member.
Results of Operations As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, there were concentrations (greater than or equal to 10% as a percentage of total equipment cost) of equipment leased to lessees and/or financed for borrowers in certain industries as follows:
* Less than 10%
As previously mentioned, certain lessees and/or financial borrowers generated significant portions (defined as greater than or equal to 10%) of the Company’s total leasing and lending revenues, excluding gains or losses on disposition of assets, during 2014 and 2013 as follows:
These percentages are not expected to be comparable in future periods due to anticipated changes in the mix of investments and/or lessees as a result of normal business activities.
It is the Company’s objective to maintain a 100% utilization rate for all equipment purchased in any given year. All equipment transactions are acquired subject to binding lease commitments, so equipment utilization is expected to remain high throughout the reinvestment stage. Initial lease terms of these leases are generally from 36 to 120 months, and as they expire, the Company will attempt to re-lease or sell the equipment; as such, utilization rates may tend to decrease during the liquidation stage of the Company. All of the Company’s leased property was acquired during the period from 2008 to 2013. The utilization percentage of existing assets under lease was 93% and 99% as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.
Cost reimbursements to the Managing Member are based on its costs incurred in performing administrative services for the Company. These costs are allocated to each managed entity based on certain criteria such as total assets, number of investors or contributed capital based upon the type of cost incurred.
2014 versus 2013 The Company had net income of $894 thousand and $992 thousand for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Results for 2014 reflect decreases in both total revenues and total expenses when compared to prior year.
Revenues Total revenues for 2014 decreased by $589 thousand, or 12%, as compared to prior year. The net decrease in total revenues was largely attributable to an unrealized loss on fair valuation of warrants and decreases in operating lease revenues and other revenue offset, in part, by an increase in gain on sales of lease assets and early termination of notes.
During 2014, the Company recorded $162 thousand of unrealized losses on fair valuation of warrants as compared to $555 thousand of unrealized gains during the prior year. The unrealized losses for the current year reduced the fair value of the Company’s portfolio of warrants from $555 thousand at December 31, 2013 to $393 thousand at December 31, 2014. Such change in market value was attributable to the required periodic revaluation of the warrants in the Company’s portfolio of investments. In this regard, the majority of the decline in fair market value is related to the price of one portfolio company subsequent to its initial public offering. Operating lease revenues decreased by $496 thousand primarily due to run-off and sales of lease assets; and, other revenue declined by $78 thousand due to reductions in deferred maintenance fees and late fees charged to certain lessees.
Partly offsetting the aforementioned decreases in revenue was a $715 thousand increase in gain on sales of lease assets and early termination of notes. Such increase was largely attributable to a $407 thousand gain realized on the sale of two drill rigs associated with a terminated lease during the current year, and a change in the mix of assets sold.
Expenses Total expenses for 2014 decreased by $491 thousand, or 13%, as compared to prior year. The decrease was largely attributable to reductions in depreciation and acquisition expenses, cost reimbursements to AFS and interest expense offset, in part, by impairment losses recorded during the current year and an increase in the provision for credit losses.
The reduction in depreciation expense totaled $498 thousand and was largely a result of run-off and sales of lease assets. Acquisition expense declined by $115 thousand due to a lower level of spending related to identifying potential lease and funding transactions. Cost reimbursements to AFS declined by $58 thousand due to lower costs allocated by the Manager based on the Company’s declining asset base; and, interest expense decreased by $53 thousand as a result of a $2.1 million reduction in borrowings since December 31, 2013.
The aforementioned decreases in expenses were partially offset by $226 thousand of impairment losses recognized during 2014, and a $53 thousand increase in the provision for credit losses. The impairment losses in 2014 were related to the reduction of the cost basis of certain off-lease research equipment deemed impaired. There were no such impairments during the prior year. Finally, the increase in the provision for credit losses was primarily due to a reduction in recovery of accounts receivable amounts previously reserved.
Capital Resources and Liquidity At December 31, 2014 and 2013, the Company’s cash and cash equivalents totaled $2.3 million and $857 thousand, respectively. The liquidity of the Company varies, increasing to the extent cash flows from leases and proceeds of asset sales exceed expenses and decreasing as lease assets are acquired, as distributions are made to the Members and to the extent expenses exceed cash flows from leases and proceeds from asset sales.
The primary source of liquidity for the Company has been its cash flow from fixed-term leasing activities. As the lease terms expire, the Company will re-lease or sell the equipment. The future liquidity beyond the contractual minimum rentals will depend on the Company’s success in remarketing or selling the equipment as it comes off rental.
Throughout the Reinvestment Period (as defined in the Operating Agreement), the Company anticipates reinvesting a portion of lease payments from assets owned, and/or payments received on notes receivable, in new leasing or financing transactions. Such reinvestment will occur only after the payment of all obligations, including debt service (both principal and interest), the payment of management fees to the Manager and providing for cash distributions to the Members.
If inflation in the general economy becomes significant, it may affect the Company in as much as the residual (resale) values and rates on re-leases of the Company’s leased assets may increase as the costs of similar assets increase. However, the Company’s revenues from existing leases and notes would not increase as such rates are generally fixed for the terms of the leases and notes without adjustment for inflation. In addition, if interest rates increase significantly under such circumstances, the rates that the Company can obtain on future lease or financing transactions will be expected to increase as the cost of capital is a significant factor in the pricing of leases and investments in notes receivable. Leases and notes already in place, for the most part, would not be affected by changes in interest rates.
The Company currently believes it has available adequate reserves to meet its immediate cash requirements and those of the next twelve months, but in the event those reserves were found to be inadequate, the Company would likely be in a position to borrow against its current portfolio to meet such requirements. The Managing Member envisions no such requirements for operating purposes.
Cash Flows The following table sets forth summary cash flow data (in thousands):
2014 versus 2013 During 2014 and 2013, the Company’s primary sources of liquidity were cash flows from its portfolio of operating and direct financing lease contracts, and its investments in notes receivable. Moreover, the Company realized $3.0 million and $689 thousand of proceeds from the sales of lease assets and/or the early termination of notes receivable, and utilized borrowings totaling $197 thousand and $2.7 million during the respective years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013.
During the same respective periods, cash was primarily used to pay distributions to both Other Members and the Managing Member and pay down debt. Total distributions paid to Members amounted to $2.9 million for each of 2014 and 2013; while cash used to pay down debt totaled $2.3 million and $2.2 million for 2014 and 2013, respectively. During 2013, cash was also used to fund $905 thousand of investments in notes receivable and to purchase $895 thousand of equipment. There was no such funding or purchase activity during the current year.
Revolving credit facility The Company participates with AFS and certain of its affiliates in a revolving credit facility (the “Credit Facility”) comprised of a working capital facility to AFS, an acquisition facility (the “Acquisition Facility”) and a warehouse facility (the “Warehouse Facility”) to AFS, the Company and affiliates, and a venture facility available to an affiliate, with a syndicate of financial institutions. The Credit Facility was for an amount up to $60 million and set to expire in June 2014. During January 2014, the line was increased to $75 million and expiration extended to June 2015. During the first quarter of 2015, the Company was removed as a participant of the Credit Facility.
Compliance with covenants The Credit Facility includes certain financial and non-financial covenants applicable to each borrower, including the Company. Such covenants include covenants typically found in credit facilities of the size and nature of the Credit Facility, such as accuracy of representations, good standing, absence of liens and material litigation, etc. The Company was in compliance with all covenants under the Credit Facility as of December 31, 2014. The Company considers certain financial covenants to be material to its ongoing use of the Credit Facility and these covenants are described below.
Material financial covenants Under the Credit Facility, the Company is required to maintain a specific tangible net worth, to comply with a leverage ratio and an interest coverage ratio, and to comply with other terms expressed in the Credit Facility, including limitation on the incurrence of additional debt and guaranties, defaults, and delinquencies. The material financial covenants are summarized as follows:
Minimum Tangible Net Worth: $7.5 million
Leverage Ratio (leverage to Tangible Net Worth): Not to exceed 1.25 to 1
Collateral Value: Collateral value under the Warehouse Facility must exceed outstanding borrowings under that facility
EBITDA to Interest Ratio: Not to be less than 2 to 1 for the four fiscal quarters just ended
“EBITDA” is defined under the Credit Facility as, for the relevant period of time (1) gross revenues (all payments from leases and notes receivable) for such period minus (2) expenses deducted in determining net income for such period plus (3) to the extent deducted in determining net income for such period (a) provision for income taxes and (b) interest expense, and (c) depreciation, amortization and other non-cash charges. Extraordinary items and gains or losses on (and proceeds from) sales or dispositions of assets outside of the ordinary course of business are excluded in the calculation of EBITDA. “Tangible Net Worth” is defined as, as of the date of determination, (i) the net worth of the Company, after deducting therefrom (without duplication of deductions) the net book amount of all assets of the Company, after deducting any reserves and other amounts for assets which would be treated as intangibles under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”), and after certain other adjustments permitted under the agreements.
The financial covenants referred to above are applicable to the Company only to the extent that the Company has borrowings outstanding under the Credit Facility. The Company was in compliance with each of these financial covenants with a minimum Tangible Net Worth, leverage ratio and (EBITDA) interest coverage ratio, as calculated per the Credit Facility agreement of $7.6 million, 0.25 to 1, and 67.86 to 1, respectively, as of December 31, 2014. As such, as of December 31, 2014, the Company was in compliance with all such material financial covenants.
Reconciliation to GAAP of EBITDA For purposes of compliance with the Credit Facility covenants, the Company uses a financial calculation of EBITDA, as defined therein, which is a non-GAAP financial performance measure. The EBITDA is utilized by the Company to calculate its debt covenant ratios.
The following is a reconciliation of net income to EBITDA, as defined in the loan agreement, for the twelve months ended December 31, 2014 (in thousands):
Events of default, cross-defaults, recourse and security The terms of the Credit Facility include standard events of default by the Company which, if not cured within applicable grace periods, could give lenders remedies against the Company, including the acceleration of all outstanding borrowings and a demand for repayment in advance of their stated maturity. If a breach of any material term of the Credit Facility should occur, the lenders may, at their option, increase borrowing rates, accelerate the obligations in advance of their stated maturities, terminate the facility, and exercise rights of collection available to them under the express terms of the facility, or by operation of law. The lenders also retain the discretion to waive a violation of any covenant at the Company’s request.
The Company is currently in compliance with its obligations under the Credit Facility. In the event of a technical default (e.g., the failure to timely file a required report, or a one-time breach of a financial covenant), the Company believes it has ample time to request and be granted a waiver by the lenders, or, alternatively, cure the default under the existing provisions of its debt agreements, including, if necessary, arranging for additional capital from alternate sources to satisfy outstanding obligations.
The lending syndicate providing the Credit Facility has a blanket lien on all of the Company’s assets as collateral for any and all borrowings under the Acquisition Facility, and on a pro-rata basis under the Warehouse Facility.
The Acquisition Facility is generally recourse solely to the Company, and is not cross-defaulted to any other obligations of affiliated companies under the Credit Facility, except as described in this paragraph. The Credit Facility is cross-defaulted to a default in the payment of any debt (other than non-recourse debt) or any other agreement or condition beyond the period of grace (not exceeding 30 days), the effect of which would entitle the lender under such agreement to accelerate the obligations prior to their stated maturity in an individual or aggregate principal amount in excess of 15% of the Company’s consolidated Tangible Net Worth. Also, a bankruptcy of AFS will trigger a default for the Company under the Credit Facility.
Non-Recourse Long-Term Debt As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, the Company had non-recourse long-term debt totaling $1.9 million and $4.0 million, respectively. Such non-recourse notes payable do not contain any material financial covenants. The notes are secured by a lien granted by the Company to the non-recourse lenders on (and only on) the discounted lease transactions. The lenders have recourse only to the following collateral: the specific leased equipment; the related lease chattel paper; the lease receivables; and proceeds of the foregoing items.
For detailed information on the Company’s debt obligations, see Notes 8 and 9 to the financial statements as set forth in Part II, Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.
Distributions The Company commenced periodic distributions, based on cash flows from operations, beginning with the month of February 2008. Such distributions have been consistently made through December 31, 2014. See Item 5, Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities, for additional information regarding the distributions.
Commitments and Contingencies and Off-Balance Sheet Transactions Commitments and Contingencies At December 31, 2014, the Company had no commitments to purchase lease assets or fund investments in notes receivable.
Off-Balance Sheet Transactions None.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASU 2014-09”), which amends the existing accounting standards for revenue recognition. ASU 2014-09 is based on principles that govern the recognition of revenue at an amount an entity expects to be entitled when products are transferred to customers. ASU 2014-09 is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within that reporting period. Early adoption is not permitted. The new revenue standard may be applied retrospectively to each prior period presented or retrospectively with the cumulative effect recognized as of the date of adoption. The Company evaluated the impact of the new standard on its financial statements and has determined that such impact is virtually non-existent as the new revenue guideline does not affect revenues from leases and loans, which comprise the majority of the Company’s revenues.
In August 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2014 - 15, Presentation of Financial Statements - Going Concern (subtopic 205-40): Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern. The new standard provides guidance relative to management’s responsibility to evaluate whether there is substantial doubt about an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern and to provide related footnote disclosures. The new standard is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2016. Early adoption is permitted. Management is currently evaluating the standard and its operational and related disclosure requirements.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates The policies discussed below are considered by management of the Company to be critical to an understanding of the Company’s financial statements because their application requires significantly complex or subjective judgments, decisions, or assessments, with financial reporting results relying on estimation about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain. Specific risks for these critical accounting policies are described in the following paragraphs. The Company also states these accounting policies in the notes to the financial statements and in relevant sections in this discussion and analysis. For all of these policies, management cautions that future events rarely develop exactly as forecast, and the best estimates routinely require adjustment.
Use of estimates: The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Such estimates primarily relate to the determination of residual values at the end of the lease term and expected future cash flows used for impairment analysis purposes and for determination of the allowance for doubtful accounts and reserve for credit losses on notes receivable.
Equipment on operating leases and related revenue recognition: Equipment subject to operating leases is stated at cost. Depreciation is being recognized on a straight-line method over the terms of the related leases to the equipment’s estimated residual values. Off-lease equipment is generally not subject to depreciation. The Company depreciates all lease assets, in accordance with guidelines consistent with ASC 840-20-35-3, over the periods of the lease terms contained in each asset’s respective lease contract to the estimated residual value at the end of the lease contract. All lease assets are purchased only concurrent with the execution of a lease commitment by the lessee. Thus, the original depreciation period corresponds with the term of the original lease. Once the term of an original lease contract is completed, the subject property is typically sold to the existing user, re-leased to the existing user, or, when off-lease, is held for sale. Assets which are re-leased continue to
be depreciated using the terms of the new lease agreements and the estimated residual values at the end of the new lease terms, adjusted downward as necessary. Assets classified as held-for-sale are carried at the lower of carrying amount, or the fair value less cost to sell (ASC 360-10-35-43).
The Company does not use the equipment held in its portfolio, but holds it solely for lease and ultimate sale. In the course of marketing equipment that has come off-lease, management may determine at some point that re-leasing the assets may provide a superior return for investors and would then execute another lease. Upon entering into a new lease contract, management will estimate the residual value once again and resume depreciation. If, and when, the Company, at any time, determines that depreciation in value may have occurred with respect to an asset held-for-sale, the Company would review the value to determine whether a material reduction in value had occurred and recognize any appropriate impairment. All lease assets, including off-lease assets, are subject to the Company’s quarterly impairment analysis, as described below. Maintenance costs associated with the Fund’s portfolio of leased assets are expensed as incurred. Major additions and betterments are capitalized.
Operating lease revenue is recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of the underlying leases. The initial lease terms will vary as to the type of equipment subject to the leases, the needs of the lessees and the terms to be negotiated, but initial leases are generally on terms from 36 to 120 months. The difference between rent received and rental revenue recognized is recorded as unearned operating lease income on the balance sheet.
Operating leases are generally placed in a non-accrual status (i.e., no revenue is recognized) when payments are more than 90 days past due. Additionally, management considers the equipment underlying the lease contracts for impairment and periodically reviews the credit worthiness of all operating lessees with payments outstanding less than 90 days. Based upon management’s judgment, the related operating leases may be placed on non-accrual status. Leases placed on non-accrual status are only returned to an accrual status when the account has been brought current and management believes recovery of the remaining unpaid lease payments is probable. Until such time, revenues are recognized on a cash basis.
Recorded values of the Company’s leased asset portfolio are reviewed each quarter to confirm the reasonableness of established residual values and to determine whether there is indication that an asset impairment might have taken place. The Company uses a variety of sources and considers many factors in evaluating whether the respective book values of its assets are appropriate. In addition, the company may direct a residual value review at any time if it becomes aware of issues regarding the ability of a lessee to continue to make payments on its lease contract. An impairment loss is measured and recognized only if the estimated undiscounted future cash flows of the asset are less than their net book value. The estimated undiscounted future cash flows are the sum of the residual value of the asset at the end of the asset’s lease contract and undiscounted future rents from the existing lease contract. The residual value assumes, among other things, that the asset is utilized normally in an open, unrestricted and stable market. Short-term fluctuations in the marketplace are disregarded and it is assumed that there is no necessity either to dispose of a significant number of the assets, if held in quantity, simultaneously or to dispose of the asset quickly. Impairment is measured as the difference between the fair value (as determined by a valuation method using discounted estimated future cash flows, third party appraisals or comparable sales of similar assets as applicable based on asset type) of the asset and its carrying value on the measurement date. Upward adjustments for impairments recognized in prior periods are not made in any circumstances.
Direct financing leases and related revenue recognition: Income from direct financing lease transactions is reported using the financing method of accounting, in which the Company’s investment in the leased property is reported as a receivable from the lessee to be recovered through future rentals. The interest income portion of each rental payment is calculated so as to generate a constant rate of return on the net receivable outstanding.
Allowances for losses on direct financing leases are typically established based on historical charge-off and collection experience and the collectability of specifically identified lessees and billed and unbilled receivables. Direct financing leases are charged off to the allowance as they are deemed uncollectible.
Direct financing leases are generally placed in a non-accrual status (i.e., no revenue is recognized) and deemed impaired when payments are more than 90 days past due. Additionally, management periodically reviews the creditworthiness of all direct finance lessees with payments outstanding less than 90 days. Based upon management’s judgment, the related direct financing leases may be placed on non-accrual status. Leases placed on non-accrual status are only returned to an accrual status when the account has been brought current and management believes recovery of the remaining unpaid lease payments is probable. Until such time, all payments received are applied only against outstanding principal balances.
Notes receivable, unearned interest income and related revenue recognition: The Company records all future payments of principal and interest on notes as notes receivable, which are then offset by the amount of any related unearned interest income. For financial statement purposes, the Company reports only the net amount of principal due on the balance sheet. The unearned interest is recognized over the term of the note and the income portion of each note payment is calculated so as to generate a constant rate of return on the net balance outstanding. Any fees or costs related to notes receivable are recorded as part of the net investment in notes receivable and amortized over the term of the loan.
Allowances for losses on notes receivable are typically established based on historical charge-off and collection experience and the collectability of specifically identified borrowers and billed and unbilled receivables. Notes are considered impaired when, based on current information and events, it is probable that the Company will be unable to collect the scheduled payments of principal and/or interest when due according to the contractual terms of the note agreement. Factors considered by management in determining impairment include payment status, collateral value, and the probability of collecting scheduled principal and interest when due. If it is determined that a loan is impaired with regard to scheduled payments, the Company will perform an analysis of the note to determine if an impairment valuation reserve is necessary. This analysis considers the estimated cash flows from the note, or the collateral value of the property underlying the note when note repayment is collateral dependent. Any required valuation reserve is charged to earnings when determined; and notes are charged off to the allowance as they are deemed uncollectible.
Notes receivable are generally placed in a non-accrual status (i.e., no revenue is recognized) when payments are more than 90 days past due. Additionally, management periodically reviews the creditworthiness of companies with note payments outstanding less than 90 days. Based upon management’s judgment, notes may be placed in a non-accrual status. Notes placed on non-accrual status are only returned to an accrual status when the account has been brought current and management believes recovery of the remaining unpaid receivable is probable. Until such time, all payments received are applied only against outstanding principal balances.
Initial direct costs: The Company capitalizes initial direct costs (“IDC”) associated with the origination and funding of lease assets and investments in notes receivable. IDC includes both internal costs (e.g., the costs of employees’ activities in connection with successful lease and loan originations) and external broker fees incurred with such originations. The costs are amortized on a lease by lease (or note by note) basis based on actual contract term using a straight-line method for operating leases and the effective interest rate method for direct financing leases and notes receivable. Upon disposal of the underlying lease or loan assets, both the initial direct costs and the associated accumulated amortization are relieved. Costs related to leases or notes receivable that are not consummated are not eligible for capitalization as initial direct costs and are expensed as acquisition expense.
Asset valuation: Recorded values of the Company’s leased asset portfolio are periodically reviewed for impairment. An impairment loss is measured and recognized only if the estimated undiscounted future cash flows of the asset are less than their net book value. The estimated undiscounted future cash flows are the sum of the estimated residual value of the asset at the end of the asset’s expected holding period and estimates of undiscounted future rents. The residual value assumes, among other things, that the asset is utilized normally in an open, unrestricted and stable market. Short-term fluctuations in the market place are disregarded and it is assumed that there is no necessity either to dispose of a significant number of the assets, if held in quantity, simultaneously or to dispose of the asset quickly. Impairment is measured as the difference between the fair value (as determined by a valuation method using discounted estimated future cash flows, third party appraisals or comparable sales of similar assets as applicable based on asset type) of the assets and its carrying value on the measurement date.
Item 8.
Item 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA See the Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm, Financial Statements and Notes to Financial Statements attached hereto at pages 15 through 38.
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM The Members
ATEL 12, LLC
We have audited the accompanying balance sheets of ATEL 12, LLC (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, and the related statements of income, changes in members’ capital, and cash flows for the years then ended. These financial statements are the responsibility of the Management of the Company’s Managing Member. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. Our audits included consideration of internal control over financial reporting as a basis for designing audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit also includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of ATEL 12, LLC as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the years then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
/s/ Moss Adams LLP
San Francisco, California
March 27, 2015
ATEL 12, LLC
BALANCE SHEETS
DECEMBER 31, 2014 AND 2013
(In Thousands)
See accompanying notes.
ATEL 12, LLC
STATEMENTS OF INCOME
FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2014 AND 2013
(In Thousands Except for Units and Per Unit Data)
See accompanying notes.
ATEL 12, LLC
STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN MEMBERS’ CAPITAL
FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2014 AND 2013
(In Thousands Except for Units and Per Unit Data)
See accompanying notes.
ATEL 12, LLC
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2014 AND 2013
(In Thousands)
See accompanying notes.
ATEL 12, LLC
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 1. Organization and Limited Liability Company matters: ATEL 12, LLC (the “Company” or the “Fund”) was formed under the laws of the state of California on January 25, 2007 for the purpose of equipment financing and acquiring equipment to engage in equipment leasing and sales activities, as well as in real estate, growth capital investment activities and green technologies (the “principal operations”). From its inception into the third quarter of 2013, the Company’s Managing Member was ATEL Associates 12, LLC (“AA12”), a Nevada limited liability corporation. Effective September 30, 2013, AA12 was merged into ATEL Financial Services, LLC (“AFS”) (the “Managing Member” or “Manager”), a California limited liability corporation, which assumed the role of Managing Member of the Company. The Fund may continue until December 31, 2030. As a limited liability company, the liability of any individual member for the obligations of the Fund is limited to the extent of capital contributions to the Fund by the individual member.
The Company conducted a public offering of 20,000,000 Limited Liability Company Units (“Units”), at a price of $10 per Unit. On January 24, 2008, subscriptions for the minimum number of Units (120,000, representing $1.2 million), excluding subscriptions from Pennsylvania investors, had been received and the Fund requested subscription proceeds to be released from escrow. On that date, the Company commenced initial operations and continued in its development stage activities until transitioning to an operating enterprise during the second quarter of 2008. Pennsylvania subscriptions were subject to a separate escrow to be released to the Fund only when the Fund had received aggregate subscriptions for all investors equal to at least $7.5 million. Total contributions to the Fund exceeded $7.5 million on July 15, 2008. The offering was terminated on September 25, 2009.
As of December 31, 2014, cumulative contributions, net of rescissions and/or redemptions, totaling $29.9 million (inclusive of the $500 initial Member’s capital investment) have been received and 2,992,482 Units were issued and outstanding.
The Fund, or Managing Member and/or affiliates on behalf of the Fund, has incurred costs in connection with the organization, registration and issuance of the Units. The amount of such costs to be borne by the Fund is limited by certain provisions of the ATEL 12, LLC Limited Liability Company Operating Agreement dated April 3, 2007 (the “Operating Agreement”).
The Company’s principal objectives are to invest in a diversified portfolio of investments that (i) preserves, protects and returns the Company’s invested capital; (ii) generates regular cash distributions to Unitholders, any balance remaining after required minimum distributions to be used to purchase additional investments during the Reinvestment Period (ending six calendar years after the completion of the Company’s public offering of Units) which ends on December 31, 2015 and (iii) provides additional cash distributions following the Reinvestment Period and until all investment portfolio assets have been sold or otherwise disposed. The Company is governed by its Operating Agreement, as amended.
2. Summary of significant accounting policies: Basis of presentation: The accompanying balance sheets as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, and the related statements of income, changes in members’ capital, and cash flows for the years then ended, have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation. These reclassifications had no significant effect on the reported financial position or results of operations.
Footnote and tabular amounts are presented in thousands, except as to Units and per Unit data.
In preparing the accompanying financial statements, the Company has reviewed, as determined necessary by the Managing Member, events that have occurred after December 31, 2014, up until the issuance of the financial statements. No events were noted which would require disclosure in the footnotes to the financial statements.
Cash and cash equivalents: Cash and cash equivalents include cash in banks and cash equivalent investments such as U.S. Treasury instruments with original and/or purchased maturities of ninety days or less.
ATEL 12, LLC
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2. Summary of significant accounting policies: - (continued) Use of Estimates: The preparation of the financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from the estimates. Such estimates primarily relate to the determination of residual values at the end of the lease term and expected future cash flows used for impairment analysis purposes and determination of the allowances for doubtful accounts and reserve for credit losses on notes receivable.
Accounts receivable: Accounts receivable represent the amounts billed under operating and direct financing lease contracts, and notes receivable which are currently due to the Company. Allowances for doubtful accounts are typically established based on historical charge off and collection experience and the collectability of specifically identified lessees and borrowers, and invoiced amounts. Accounts receivable deemed uncollectible are generally charged off against the allowance on a specific identification basis. Recoveries of amounts that were previously written-off are recorded as other income in the period received.
Credit risk: Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk include cash and cash equivalents, operating and direct financing lease receivables, notes receivable and accounts receivable. The Company places the majority of its cash deposits in noninterest-bearing accounts with financial institutions that have no less than $10 billion in assets. Such deposits are insured up to $250 thousand. The remainder of the Funds’ cash is temporarily invested in U.S. Treasury denominated instruments. The concentration of such deposits and temporary cash investments is not deemed to create a significant risk to the Company. Accounts and notes receivable represent amounts due from lessees or borrowers in various industries, related to equipment on operating and direct financing leases or notes receivable.
Equipment on operating leases and related revenue recognition: Equipment subject to operating leases is stated at cost. Depreciation is being recognized on a straight-line method over the terms of the related leases to the equipment’s estimated residual values. Off-lease equipment is generally not subject to depreciation. The Company depreciates all lease assets, in accordance with guidelines consistent with ASC 840-20-35-3, over the periods of the lease terms contained in each asset’s respective lease contract to the estimated residual value at the end of the lease contract. All lease assets are purchased only concurrent with the execution of a lease commitment by the lessee. Thus, the original depreciation period corresponds with the term of the original lease. Once the term of an original lease contract is completed, the subject property is typically sold to the existing user, re-leased to the existing user, or, when off-lease, is held for sale. Assets which are re-leased continue to be depreciated using the terms of the new lease agreements and the estimated residual values at the end of the new lease terms, adjusted downward as necessary. Assets classified as held-for-sale are carried at the lower of carrying amount, or the fair value less cost to sell (ASC 360-10-35-43).
The Company does not use the equipment held in its portfolio, but holds it solely for lease and ultimate sale. In the course of marketing equipment that has come off-lease, management may determine at some point that re-leasing the assets may provide a superior return for investors and would then execute another lease. Upon entering into a new lease contract, management will estimate the residual value once again and resume depreciation. If, and when, the Company, at any time, determines that depreciation in value may have occurred with respect to an asset held-for-sale, the Company would review the value to determine whether a material reduction in value had occurred and recognize any appropriate impairment. All lease assets, including off-lease assets, are subject to the Company’s quarterly impairment analysis, as described below. Maintenance costs associated with the Fund’s portfolio of leased assets are expensed as incurred. Major additions and betterments are capitalized.
ATEL 12, LLC
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2. Summary of significant accounting policies: - (continued) Operating lease revenue is recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of the underlying leases. The initial lease terms will vary as to the type of equipment subject to the leases, the needs of the lessees and the terms to be negotiated, but initial leases are generally on terms from 36 to 120 months. The difference between rent received and rental revenue recognized is recorded as unearned operating lease income on the balance sheet.
Operating leases are generally placed in a non-accrual status (i.e., no revenue is recognized) when payments are more than 90 days past due. Additionally, management considers the equipment underlying the lease contracts for impairment and periodically reviews the credit worthiness of all operating lessees with payments outstanding less than 90 days. Based upon management’s judgment, the related operating leases may be placed on non-accrual status. Leases placed on non-accrual status are only returned to an accrual status when the account has been brought current and management believes recovery of the remaining unpaid lease payments is probable. Until such time, revenues are recognized on a cash basis.
Recorded values of the Company’s leased asset portfolio are reviewed each quarter to confirm the reasonableness of established residual values and to determine whether there is indication that an asset impairment might have taken place. The Company uses a variety of sources and considers many factors in evaluating whether the respective book values of its assets are appropriate. In addition, the company may direct a residual value review at any time if it becomes aware of issues regarding the ability of a lessee to continue to make payments on its lease contract. An impairment loss is measured and recognized only if the estimated undiscounted future cash flows of the asset are less than their net book value. The estimated undiscounted future cash flows are the sum of the residual value of the asset at the end of the asset’s lease contract and undiscounted future rents from the existing lease contract. The residual value assumes, among other things, that the asset is utilized normally in an open, unrestricted and stable market. Short-term fluctuations in the marketplace are disregarded and it is assumed that there is no necessity either to dispose of a significant number of the assets, if held in quantity, simultaneously or to dispose of the asset quickly. Impairment is measured as the difference between the fair value (as determined by a valuation method using discounted estimated future cash flows, third party appraisals or comparable sales of similar assets as applicable based on asset type) of the asset and its carrying value on the measurement date. Upward adjustments for impairments recognized in prior periods are not made in any circumstances.
Direct financing leases and related revenue recognition: Income from direct financing lease transactions is reported using the financing method of accounting, in which the Company’s investment in the leased property is reported as a receivable from the lessee to be recovered through future rentals. The interest income portion of each rental payment is calculated so as to generate a constant rate of return on the net receivable outstanding.
Allowances for losses on direct financing leases are typically established based on historical charge-off and collection experience and the collectability of specifically identified lessees and billed and unbilled receivables. Direct financing leases are charged off to the allowance as they are deemed uncollectible.
Direct financing leases are generally placed in a non-accrual status (i.e., no revenue is recognized) and deemed impaired when payments are more than 90 days past due. Additionally, management periodically reviews the creditworthiness of all direct finance lessees with payments outstanding less than 90 days. Based upon management’s judgment, the related direct financing leases may be placed on non-accrual status. Leases placed on non-accrual status are only returned to an accrual status when the account has been brought current and management believes recovery of the remaining unpaid lease payments is probable. Until such time, all payments received are applied only against outstanding principal balances.
Notes receivable, unearned interest income and related revenue recognition: The Company records all future payments of principal and interest on notes as notes receivable, which are then offset by the amount of any related unearned interest income. For financial statement purposes, the Company reports only the net amount of principal due on the balance sheet. The unearned interest is recognized over the term of the note and the income portion of each note payment is calculated so as to generate a constant rate of return on the net balance outstanding. Any fees or costs related to notes receivable are recorded as part of the net investment in notes receivable and amortized over the term of the loan.
ATEL 12, LLC
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2. Summary of significant accounting policies: - (continued) Allowances for losses on notes receivable are typically established based on historical charge off and collection experience and the collectability of specifically identified borrowers and billed and unbilled receivables. Notes are considered impaired when, based on current information and events, it is probable that the Company will be unable to collect the scheduled payments of principal and/or interest when due according to the contractual terms of the note agreement. Factors considered by management in determining impairment include payment status, collateral value, and the probability of collecting scheduled principal and interest when due. If it is determined that a loan is impaired with regard to scheduled payments, the Company will perform an analysis of the note to determine if an impairment valuation reserve is necessary. This analysis considers the estimated cash flows from the note, or the collateral value of the property underlying the note when note repayment is collateral dependent. Any required valuation reserve is charged to earnings when determined; and notes are charged off to the allowance as they are deemed uncollectible.
Notes receivable are generally placed in a non-accrual status (i.e., no revenue is recognized) when payments are more than 90 days past due. Additionally, management periodically reviews the creditworthiness of companies with note payments outstanding less than 90 days. Based upon management’s judgment, notes may be placed in a non-accrual status. Notes placed on non-accrual status are only returned to an accrual status when the account has been brought current and management believes recovery of the remaining unpaid receivable is probable. Until such time, all payments received are applied only against outstanding principal balances.
Initial direct costs: The Company capitalizes initial direct costs (“IDC”) associated with the origination and funding of lease assets and investments in notes receivable. IDC includes both internal costs (e.g., the costs of employees’ activities in connection with successful lease and loan originations) and external broker fees incurred with such originations. The costs are amortized on a lease by lease (or note by note) basis based on actual lease term using a straight-line method for operating leases and the effective interest rate method for direct financing leases and notes receivable. Upon disposal of the underlying lease or loan assets, both the initial direct costs and the associated accumulated amortization are relieved. Costs related to leases or notes receivable that are not consummated are not eligible for capitalization as initial direct costs and are expensed as acquisition expense.
Acquisition expense: Acquisition expense represents costs which include, but are not limited to, legal fees and expenses, travel and communication expenses, cost of appraisals, accounting fees and expenses and miscellaneous expenses related to the selection and acquisition of equipment which are reimbursable to the Managing Member under the terms of the Operating Agreement. As the costs are not eligible for capitalization as initial direct costs, such amounts are expensed as incurred.
Asset valuation: Recorded values of the Company’s leased asset portfolio are periodically reviewed for impairment. An impairment loss is measured and recognized only if the estimated undiscounted future cash flows of the asset are less than their net book value. The estimated undiscounted future cash flows are the sum of the estimated residual value of the asset at the end of the asset’s expected holding period and estimates of undiscounted future rents. The residual value assumes, among other things, that the asset is utilized normally in an open, unrestricted and stable market. Short-term fluctuations in the market place are disregarded and it is assumed that there is no necessity either to dispose of a significant number of the assets, if held in quantity, simultaneously or to dispose of the asset quickly. Impairment is measured as the difference between the fair value (as determined by a valuation method using discounted estimated future cash flows, third party appraisals or comparable sales of similar assets as applicable based on asset type) of the asset and its carrying value on the measurement date.
Segment reporting: The Company is organized into one operating segment for the purpose of making operating decisions or assessing performance. Accordingly, the Company operates in one reportable operating segment in the United States.
ATEL 12, LLC
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2. Summary of significant accounting policies: - (continued) The Company’s principal decision makers are the Managing Member’s Chief Executive Officer and its Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer. The Company believes that its equipment leasing business operates as one reportable segment because: a) the Company measures profit and loss at the equipment portfolio level as a whole; b) the principal decision makers do not review information based on any operating segment other than the equipment leasing transaction portfolio; c) the Company does not maintain discrete financial information on any specific segment other than its equipment financing operations; d) the Company has not chosen to organize its business around different products and services other than equipment lease financing; and e) the Company has not chosen to organize its business around geographic areas.
The primary geographic regions in which the Company sought leasing opportunities were North America and Europe. For the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, and as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, 100% of the Company’s operating revenues and long-lived assets are from customers domiciled in North America.
Investment in securities: Purchased securities Purchased securities are generally not registered for public sale and are carried at cost. Such securities are adjusted to fair value if the fair value is less than the carrying value and such impairment is deemed by the Managing Member to be other than temporary. Factors considered by the Managing Member in determining fair value include, but are not limited to, available financial information, the issuer’s ability to meet its current obligations and indications of the issuer’s subsequent ability to raise capital. Based upon the Company’s review of its portfolio, no fair value adjustment was deemed necessary for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013. Purchased securities totaled $258 thousand and $275 thousand at December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Gains recognized on sales or dispositions of investment securities totaled $14 thousand and $5 thousand for the respective years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013.
Warrants Warrants owned by the Company are not registered for public sale, but are considered derivatives and are reflected at an estimated fair value on the balance sheet at the end of the period, as determined by the Managing Member. During 2014 and 2013, the Company recorded unrealized losses of $162 thousand and unrealized gains of $555 thousand, respectively, on fair valuation of its warrants. As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, the Company’s portfolio of warrants had an estimated fair value of $393 thousand and $555 thousand, respectively. During 2014, the Company realized gains of $16 thousand on the net exercise of certain warrants. There were no net exercises of warrants during prior year.
Unearned operating lease income: The Company records prepayments on operating leases as a liability under the caption of unearned operating lease income. The liability is recorded when prepayments are received and recognized as operating lease revenue over the period to which the prepayments relate using a straight-line method.
Income Taxes: The Company is treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes. Pursuant to the provisions of Section 701 of the Internal Revenue Code, a partnership is not subject to federal income taxes. Accordingly, the Company has provided current franchise income taxes for only those states which levy income taxes on partnerships. For the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, the related provision for state income taxes was approximately $1 thousand and $4 thousand, respectively. The Company does not have any entity level uncertain tax positions. The Company files income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction and various state jurisdictions and is generally subject to examination by U.S. federal (or state and local) income tax authorities for three years from the filing of a tax return.
ATEL 12, LLC
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2. Summary of significant accounting policies: - (continued) The tax bases of the Company’s net assets and liabilities vary from the amounts presented in these financial statements at December 31, 2014 and 2013 as follows (in thousands):
The primary differences between the tax bases of net assets and the amounts recorded in the financial statements are the result of differences in accounting for impairment losses, syndication costs and differences between the depreciation methods used in the financial statements and the Company’s tax returns.
The following reconciles the net income reported in these financial statements to the income reported on the Company’s federal tax return (unaudited) for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 (in thousands):
Per Unit data: Net income and distributions per Unit are based upon the weighted average number of Other Members Units outstanding during the year.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASU 2014-09”), which amends the existing accounting standards for revenue recognition. ASU 2014-09 is based on principles that govern the recognition of revenue at an amount an entity expects to be entitled when products are transferred to customers. ASU 2014-09 is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within that reporting period. Early adoption is not permitted. The new revenue standard may be applied retrospectively to each prior period presented or retrospectively with the cumulative effect recognized as of the date of adoption. The Company evaluated the impact of the new standard on its financial statements and has determined that such impact is virtually non-existent as the new revenue guideline does not affect revenues from leases and loans, which comprise the majority of the Company’s revenues.
In August 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2014 - 15, Presentation of Financial Statements - Going Concern (subtopic 205-40): Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern. The new standard provides guidance relative to management’s responsibility to evaluate whether there is substantial doubt about an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern and to provide related footnote disclosures. The new standard is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2016. Early adoption is permitted. Management is currently evaluating the standard and its operational and related disclosure requirements.
ATEL 12, LLC
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 3. Concentration of credit risk and major customers: The Company leases equipment to lessees and provides debt financing to borrowers in diversified industries. Leases and notes receivable are subject to the Managing Member’s credit committee review. The leases and notes receivable provide for the return of the equipment to the Company upon default.
As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, there were concentrations (greater than or equal to 10% as a percentage of total equipment cost) of equipment leased to lessees and/or financed for borrowers in certain industries as follows:
* Less than 10%
During 2014 and 2013, certain lessees and/or financial borrowers generated significant portions (defined as greater than or equal to 10%) of the Company’s total leasing and lending revenues, excluding gains or losses on disposition of assets as follows:
4. Notes receivable, net: The Company has various notes receivable from borrowers who have financed the purchase of equipment through the Company. At December 31, 2014, the terms of the notes receivable are from 36 to 42 months and bear interest at rates ranging from 11.37% to 14.30% per annum. The notes are secured by the equipment financed and have maturity dates ranging from 2015 through 2017. The Company had neither notes in non-accrual status nor impaired notes at both December 31, 2014 and 2013.
As of December 31, 2014, the minimum future payments receivable are as follows (in thousands):
ATEL 12, LLC
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 4. Notes receivable, net: - (continued) IDC amortization expense related to notes receivable and the Company’s operating and direct financing leases for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 are as follows (in thousands):
5. Allowance for credit losses: The Company’s allowance for credit losses are as follows (in thousands):
Accounts Receivable Accounts receivable represent the amounts billed under operating and direct financing lease contracts, and notes receivable which are currently due to the Company.
Allowances for doubtful accounts are typically established based upon their aging and historical charge off and collection experience and the creditworthiness of specifically identified lessees and borrowers, and invoiced amounts. Accounts receivable deemed uncollectible are generally charged off against the allowance on a specific identification basis. Recoveries of amounts that were previously written-off are recorded as other income in the period received.
Accounts receivable are generally placed in a non-accrual status (i.e., no revenue is recognized) when payments are more than 90 days past due. Additionally, management periodically reviews the creditworthiness of companies with lease or note payments outstanding less than 90 days. Based upon management’s judgment, such leases or notes may be placed in non-accrual status. Leases or notes placed on non-accrual status are only returned to an accrual status when the account has been brought current and management believes recovery of the remaining unpaid receivable is probable. Until such time, revenues on operating leases are recognized on a cash basis. All payments received on amounts billed under direct financing leases contracts and notes receivable are applied only against outstanding principal balances.
Financing Receivables In addition to the allowance established for delinquent accounts receivable, the total allowance related solely to financing receivables also includes anticipated impairment charges on notes receivable and direct financing leases.
Notes are considered impaired when, based on current information and events, it is probable that the Company will be unable to collect the scheduled payments of principal and/or interest when due according to the contractual terms of the note agreement. Factors considered by management in determining impairment include payment status, collateral value, and the probability of collecting scheduled principal and interest when due. If it is determined that a loan is impaired with regard to scheduled payments, the Company will perform an analysis of the note to determine if an
ATEL 12, LLC
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 5. Allowance for credit losses: - (continued) impairment valuation reserve is necessary. This analysis considers the estimated cash flows from the note, or the collateral value of the property underlying the note when note repayment is collateral dependent. Any required valuation reserve is charged to earnings when determined; and notes are charged off to the allowance as they are deemed uncollectible.
The asset underlying a direct financing lease contract is considered impaired if the estimated undiscounted future cash flows of the asset are less than its net book value. The estimated undiscounted future cash flows are the sum of the estimated residual value of the asset at the end of the asset’s expected holding period and estimates of undiscounted future rents. The residual value assumes, among other things, that the asset is utilized normally in an open, unrestricted and stable market. Short-term fluctuations in the market place are disregarded and it is assumed that there is no necessity either to dispose of a significant number of the assets, if held in quantity, simultaneously or to dispose of the asset quickly. Impairment is measured as the difference between the fair value (as determined by a valuation method using discounted estimated future cash flows, third party appraisals or comparable sales of similar assets as applicable based on asset type) of the asset and its carrying value on the measurement date.
The Company’s allowance for credit losses (related solely to financing receivables) and its recorded investment in financing receivables as of December 31, 2014 and 2013 were as follows (in thousands):
Includes $4 of unamortized initial direct costs.
Includes $5 of unamortized initial direct costs.
The Company evaluates the credit quality of its financing receivables on a scale equivalent to the following quality indicators related to corporate risk profiles:
ATEL 12, LLC
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 5. Allowance for credit losses: - (continued) Pass - Any account whose lessee/debtor, co-lessee/debtor or any guarantor has a credit rating on publicly traded or privately placed debt issues as rated by Moody’s or S&P for either Senior Unsecured debt, Long Term Issuer rating or Issuer rating that are in the tiers of ratings generally recognized by the investment community as constituting an Investment Grade credit rating; or, has been determined by the Manager to be an Investment Grade Equivalent or High Quality Corporate Credit per its Credit Policy or has a Not Rated internal rating by the Manager and the account is not considered by the Chief Credit Officer of the manager to fall into one of the three risk profiles below.
Special Mention - Any traditional corporate type account with potential weaknesses (e.g. large net losses or major industry downturns) or, any growth capital account that has less than three months of cash as of the end of the calendar quarter to fund their continuing operations. These accounts deserve management’s close attention. If left uncorrected, those potential weaknesses may result in deterioration of the Fund’s receivable at some future date.
Substandard - Any account that is inadequately protected by the current worth and paying capacity of the borrower or of the collateral pledged, if any. Accounts that are so classified have a well-defined weakness or weaknesses that jeopardize the liquidation of the debt. They are characterized by the distinct possibility that the Fund will sustain some loss as the likelihood of fully collecting all receivables may be questionable if the deficiencies are not corrected. Such accounts are on the Manager’s Credit Watch List.
Doubtful - Any account where the weaknesses make collection or liquidation in full, on the basis of currently existing facts, conditions, and values, highly questionable and improbable. Accordingly, an account that is so classified is on the Manager’s Credit Watch List, and has been declared in default and the Manager has repossessed, or is attempting to repossess, the equipment it financed. This category includes impaired notes and leases as applicable.
At December 31, 2014 and 2013, the Company’s financing receivables by credit quality indicator and by class of financing receivables are as follows (excludes initial direct costs) (in thousands):
At December 31, 2014 and 2013, investment in financing receivables is aged as follows (in thousands):
ATEL 12, LLC
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 5. Allowance for credit losses: - (continued) The Company had neither financing receivables in non-accrual status nor impaired financing receivables at both December 31, 2014 and 2013. As of December 31, 2014, certain investments in financing receivables with related accounts receivable past due more than 90 days were still on an accrual basis based on management’s assessment of the collectability of such receivables. However, these accounts receivable were fully reserved and included in the allowance for doubtful accounts presented above. As of December 31, 2013, there were no investments in financing receivables with related accounts receivable past due more than 90 days which were still on an accrual basis.
6. Investments in equipment and leases, net: The Company’s investment in leases consists of the following (in thousands):
Impairment of investments in leases: Recorded values of the Company’s leased asset portfolio are reviewed each quarter to confirm the reasonableness of established residual values and to determine whether there is indication that an asset impairment might have taken place. The Company uses a variety of sources and considers many factors in evaluating whether the respective book values of its assets are appropriate. In addition, the company may direct a residual value review at any time if it becomes aware of issues regarding the ability of a lessee to continue to make payments on its lease contract. An impairment loss is measured and recognized only if the estimated undiscounted future cash flows of the asset are less than their net book value. The estimated undiscounted future cash flows are the sum of the residual value of the asset at the end of the asset’s lease contract and undiscounted future rents from the existing lease contract. The residual value assumes, among other things, that the asset is utilized normally in an open, unrestricted and stable market. Short-term fluctuations in the marketplace are disregarded and it is assumed that there is no necessity either to dispose of a significant number of the assets, if held in quantity, simultaneously or to dispose of the asset quickly. Impairment is measured as the difference between the fair value (as determined by a valuation method using discounted estimated future cash flows, third party appraisals or comparable sales of similar assets as applicable based on asset type) of the asset and its carrying value on the measurement date. Upward adjustments for impairments recognized in prior periods are not made in any circumstances.
As a result of these reviews, the Company recorded fair value adjustments of $226 thousand during 2014 to reduce the cost basis of certain impaired off-lease equipment. There were no such adjustments during the prior year.
The Company utilizes a straight line depreciation method for equipment in all of the categories currently in its portfolio of lease transactions. Depreciation expense on the Company’s equipment totaled $2.3 million and $2.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.
As shown in Note 4, IDC amortization expense related to the Company’s operating and direct financing leases totaled $18 thousand and $27 thousand for the respective years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013.
All of the Company’s leased property was acquired during the period from 2008 to 2013.
ATEL 12, LLC
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 6. Investments in equipment and leases, net: - (continued) Operating leases: Property on operating leases consists of the following (in thousands):
The average estimated residual value for assets on operating leases was 24% and 29% of the assets’ original cost at December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. There were no operating leases in non-accrual status at December 31, 2014 and 2013.
Direct financing leases: As of December 31, 2014, investment in direct financing leases consisted of materials handling equipment. Such investment consists of manufacturing and materials handling equipment at December 31, 2013. The components of the Company’s investment in direct financing leases as of December 31, 2014 and 2013 are as follows (in thousands):
There were no investments in direct financing leases in non-accrual status at December 31, 2014 and 2013.
At December 31, 2014, the aggregate amounts of future minimum lease payments receivable are as follows (in thousands):
ATEL 12, LLC
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 6. Investments in equipment and leases, net: - (continued) The useful lives for each category of leases is reviewed at a minimum of once per quarter. As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, the respective useful lives of each category of lease assets in the Company’s portfolio are as follows (in years):
7. Related party transactions: The terms of the Operating Agreement provide that the Managing Member and/or affiliates are entitled to receive certain fees for equipment management and resale and for management of the Company.
The Operating Agreement allows for the reimbursement of costs incurred by Managing Member and/or affiliates for providing administrative services to the Company. Administrative services provided include Company accounting, investor relations, legal counsel and lease and equipment documentation. The Managing Member is not reimbursed for services whereby it is entitled to receive a separate fee as compensation for such services, such as management of investments. The Company would be liable for certain future costs to be incurred by the Managing Member to manage the administrative services provided to the Company.
Each of AFS and ATEL Leasing Corporation (“ALC”) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of ATEL Capital Group and performs services for the Company on behalf of the Managing Member. Acquisition services, equipment management, lease administration and asset disposition services are performed by ALC; investor relations, communications and general administrative services are performed by AFS.
Cost reimbursements to the Managing Member or its affiliates are based on its costs incurred in performing administrative services for the Company. These costs are allocated to each managed entity based on certain criteria such as managed assets, number of investors or contributed capital based upon the type of cost incurred. The Managing Member believes that the costs reimbursed are the lower of (i) actual costs incurred on behalf of the Company or (ii) the amount the Company would be required to pay independent parties for comparable administrative services in the same geographic location.
During the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, the Managing Member and/or affiliates earned fees and billed for reimbursements, pursuant to the Operating Agreement as follows (in thousands):
8. Non-recourse debt: At December 31, 2014, non-recourse debt consists of notes payable to financial institutions. The notes are due in monthly installments. Interest on the notes is at fixed rates ranging from 1.41% to 2.75% per annum. The notes are secured by assignments of lease payments and pledges of assets. At December 31, 2014, gross lease rentals totaled approximately $1.9 million over the remaining lease terms; and the carrying value of the pledged assets is approximately $3.6 million. The notes mature at various dates from 2015 through 2018.
ATEL 12, LLC
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 8. Non-recourse debt: - (continued) The non-recourse debt does not contain any material financial covenants. The debt is secured by liens granted by the Company to the non-recourse lenders on (and only on) the discounted lease transactions. The lenders have recourse only to the following collateral: the specific leased equipment; the related lease chattel paper; the lease receivables; and proceeds of the foregoing items. The non-recourse obligation is payable solely out of the respective specific security and the Company does not guarantee (nor is the Company otherwise contractually responsible for) the payment of the non-recourse debt as a general obligation or liability of the Company. Although the Company does not have any direct or general liability in connection with the non-recourse debt apart from the security granted, the Company is directly and generally liable and responsible for certain representations, warranties, and covenants made to the lenders, such as warranties as to genuineness of the transaction parties’ signatures, as to the genuineness of the respective lease chattel paper or the transaction as a whole, or as to the Company’s good title to or perfected interest in the secured collateral, as well as similar representations, warranties and covenants typically provided by non-recourse borrowers and customary in the equipment finance industry, and are viewed by such industry as being consistent with non-recourse discount financing obligations. Accordingly, as there are no financial covenants or ratios imposed on the Company in connection with the non-recourse debt, the Company has determined that there are no material covenants with respect to the non-recourse debt that warrant footnote disclosure.
Future minimum payments of non-recourse debt are as follows (in thousands):
9. Borrowing facilities: The Company participates with AFS and certain of its affiliates in a revolving credit facility (the “Credit Facility”) with a syndicate of financial institutions. The Credit Facility is comprised of a working capital facility to AFS, an acquisition facility (the “Acquisition Facility”) and a warehouse facility (the “Warehouse Facility”) to AFS, the Company and affiliates, and a venture facility available to an affiliate. The Credit Facility was for an amount up to $60 million and set to expire in June 2014. During January 2014, the line was increased to $75 million, an affiliated participant added, and the expiration extended to June 2015. The lending syndicate providing the Credit Facility has a blanket lien on all of the Company’s assets as collateral for any and all borrowings under the Acquisition Facility, and on a pro-rata basis under the Warehouse Facility. Such Credit Facility includes certain financial covenants. During the first quarter of 2015, the Company was removed as a participant of the Credit Facility.
As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, borrowings under the facility were as follows (in thousands):
The Company and its affiliates pay an annual commitment fee to have access to this line of credit. As of December 31, 2014, the aggregate amount of the Credit Facility is potentially available to the Company, subject to certain sub-facility and borrowing-base limitations. However, as amounts are drawn on the Credit Facility by each of the Company and the affiliates who are borrowers under the Credit Facility, the amount remaining available to all borrowers to draw under the Credit Facility is reduced. As the Warehousing Facility is a short term bridge facility, any amounts borrowed under the Warehousing Facility, and then repaid by the affiliated borrowers (including the Company) upon allocation of an acquisition to a specific purchaser, become available under the Warehouse Facility for further short term borrowing.
ATEL 12, LLC
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 9. Borrowing facilities: - (continued) As of December 31, 2014, the Company’s Tangible Net Worth requirement under the Credit Facility was $7.5 million, the permitted maximum leverage ratio was not to exceed 1.25 to 1, and the required minimum interest coverage ratio was not to be less than 2 to 1. The Company was in compliance with these financial covenants under the Credit Facility with a minimum Tangible Net Worth, leverage ratio and interest coverage ratio, as calculated per the Credit Facility agreement of $7.6 million, 0.25 to 1, and 67.86 to 1, respectively, as of December 31, 2014. As such, as of December 31, 2014, the Company was in compliance with all material financial covenants, and with all other material conditions of the Credit Facility. The Company does not anticipate any covenant violations nor does it anticipate that any of these covenants will restrict its operations or its ability to procure additional financing.
Fee and interest terms The interest rate on the Credit Facility is based on either the LIBOR/Eurocurrency rate of 1-, 2-, 3- or 6-month maturity plus a lender designated spread, or the bank’s Prime rate, which re-prices daily. Principal amounts of loans made under the Credit Facility that are prepaid may be re-borrowed on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth under the Credit Facility. There were no borrowings outstanding as of December 31, 2014 and 2013.
Warehouse facility To hold the assets under the Warehousing Facility prior to allocation to specific investor programs, a Warehousing Trust has been entered into by the Company, AFS, ALC, and certain of the affiliated partnerships and limited liability companies. The Warehousing Trust is used by the Warehouse Facility borrowers to acquire and hold, on a short-term basis, certain lease transactions that meet the investment objectives of each of such entities. Each of the leasing programs sponsored by AFS and ALC is a pro rata participant in the Warehousing Trust, as described below. When a program no longer has a need for short-term financing provided by the Warehousing Facility, it is removed from participation, and as new leasing investment entities are formed by AFS and ALC and commence their acquisition stages, these new entities are added.
As of December 31, 2014, the investment program participants were the Company, ATEL 14, LLC, ATEL 15, LLC and ATEL 16, LLC. As previously noted, the Company was removed as a participant of the Credit Facility during the first quarter of 2015. Pursuant to the Warehousing Trust, the benefit of the lease transaction assets, and the corresponding liabilities under the Warehouse Facility, inure to each of such entities based upon each entity’s pro-rata share in the Warehousing Trust estate. The “pro-rata share” is calculated as a ratio of the net worth of each entity over the aggregate net worth of all entities benefiting from the Warehousing Trust estate, excepting that the trustees, AFS and ALC, are both jointly and severally liable for the pro-rata portion of the obligations of each of the affiliated limited liability companies participating under the Warehouse Facility. Transactions are financed through this Warehouse Facility only until the transactions are allocated to a specific program for purchase or are otherwise disposed by AFS and ALC. When a determination is made to allocate the transaction to a specific program for purchase by the program, the purchaser repays the debt associated with the asset, either with cash or by means of proceeds of a draw under the Acquisition Facility, and the asset is removed from the Warehouse Facility collateral, and ownership of the asset and any debt obligation associated with the asset are assumed solely by the purchasing entity.
There were no borrowings under the Warehouse Facility as of December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013.
10. Commitments: At December 31, 2014, the Company had no commitments to purchase lease assets or fund investments in notes receivable.
11. Guarantees: The Company enters into contracts that contain a variety of indemnifications. The Company’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown. However, the Company has not had prior claims or losses pursuant to these contracts and expects the risk of loss to be remote.
ATEL 12, LLC
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 11. Guarantees: - (continued) The Managing Member knows of no facts or circumstances that would make the Company’s contractual commitments outside standard mutual covenants applicable to commercial transactions between businesses. Accordingly, the Company believes that these indemnification obligations are made in the ordinary course of business as part of standard commercial and industry practice, and that any potential liability under the Company’s similar commitments is remote. Should any such indemnification obligation become payable, the Company would separately record and/or disclose such liability in accordance with GAAP.
12. Members’ capital: A total of 2,992,482 and 2,993,482 Units were issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. The Fund was authorized to issue up to 20,000,000 total Units.
The Company has the right, exercisable in the Manager’s discretion, but not the obligation, to repurchase Units of a Unitholder who ceases to be a U.S. Citizen, for a price equal to 100% of the holder’s capital account. The Company is otherwise permitted, but not required, to repurchase Units upon a holder’s request. The repurchase of Fund Units is made in accordance with Section 13 of the Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Operating Agreement. The repurchase would be at the discretion of the Manager on terms it determines to be appropriate under given circumstances, in the event that the Manager deems such repurchase to be in the best interest of the Company; provided, the Company is never required to repurchase any Units. Upon the repurchase of any Units by the Fund, the tendered Units are cancelled. Units repurchased in prior periods were repurchased at amounts representing the original investment less cumulative distributions made to the Unitholder with respect to the Units. All Units repurchased during a quarter are deemed to be repurchased effective the last day of the preceding quarter, and are not deemed to be outstanding during, or entitled to allocations of net income, net loss or distributions for the quarter in which such repurchase occurs.
The Fund’s net income or net losses are to be allocated 100% to the Members. From the commencement of the Fund until the initial closing date, as defined in the Company’s Operating Agreement, net income and net loss shall be allocated 99% to the Managing Member and 1% to the initial Other Members. Commencing with the initial closing date, net income and net loss shall be allocated 92.5% to the Other Members and 7.5% to the Managing Member.
Fund distributions are to be allocated 7.5% to the Managing Member and 92.5% to the Other Members. Distributions to the Other Members for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 were as follows (in thousands, except as to Units and per Unit data):
13. Fair value measurements: Fair value measurements and disclosures are based on a fair value hierarchy as determined by significant inputs used to measure fair value. The three levels of inputs within the fair value hierarchy are defined as follows:
Level 1 - Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. An active market for the asset or liability is a market in which transactions for the asset or liability occur with sufficient frequency and volume to provide pricing information on an ongoing basis, generally on a national exchange.
Level 2 - Quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active, and model-based valuations in which all significant inputs are observable in the market.
Level 3 - Valuation is modeled using significant inputs that are unobservable in the market. These unobservable inputs reflect the Company’s own estimates of assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability.
ATEL 12, LLC
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 13. Fair value measurements: - (continued) At December 31, 2014 and 2013, only the Company’s warrants were measured on a recurring basis. In addition, during 2014, the Company recorded non-recurring adjustments to reflect the fair values of certain impaired off-leased assets. There were no such adjustments recorded during 2013. Amounts at December 31, 2014 reflect the fair value of the then existing impaired assets.
The Company’s valuation policy is determined by members of the Asset Management, Credit and Accounting departments. Whenever possible, the policy is to obtain quoted market prices in active markets to estimate fair values for recognition and disclosure purposes. Where quoted market prices in active markets are not available, fair values are estimated using discounted cash flow analyses, broker quotes, information from third party remarketing agents, third party appraisals of collateral and/or other valuation techniques. These techniques are significantly affected by certain of the Company’s assumptions, including discount rates and estimates of future cash flows. Potential taxes and other transaction costs are not considered in estimating fair values. As the Company is responsible for determining fair value, an analysis is performed on prices obtained from third parties. Such analysis is performed by asset management and credit department personnel who are familiar with the Company’s investments in equipment, notes receivable and equity securities of venture companies. The analysis may include a periodic review of price fluctuations and validation of numbers obtained from a specific third party by reference to multiple representative sources.
The fair value adjustments utilized the following methodology:
Warrants (recurring) Warrants owned by the Company are not registered for public sale, but are considered derivatives and are carried on the balance sheet at an estimated fair value at the end of the period. The valuation of the warrants was determined using a Black-Scholes formulation of value based upon the stock price(s), the exercise price(s), the volatility of comparable venture companies, and a risk free interest rate for the term(s) of the warrant exercise(s). As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, the calculated fair value of the Fund’s warrant portfolio approximated $393 thousand and $555 thousand, respectively. Such valuation is classified within Level 3 of the valuation hierarchy.
The following table reconciles the beginning and ending balances of the Company’s Level 3 recurring assets (in thousands):
Impaired off-lease equipment (non-recurring) During 2014, the Company deemed certain off-lease equipment to be impaired and recorded fair value adjustments of $226 thousand to reduce the cost basis of the impaired equipment. No such adjustments were recorded during the prior year.
The fair value adjustments recorded during the year of 2014 were non-recurring. Under the Fair Value Measurements Topic of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification, the fair value of impaired lease assets were classified within Level 3 of the valuation hierarchy as the data sources utilized for the valuation of such assets reflect significant inputs that are unobservable in the market. Such valuation utilizes a market approach technique and uses inputs that reflect the sales price of similar assets sold by affiliates and/or information from third party remarketing agents not readily available in the market.
ATEL 12, LLC
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 13. Fair value measurements: - (continued) The following table presents the fair value measurement of assets measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis and the level within the hierarchy in which the fair value measurements fall at December 31, 2014 (in thousands):
The following table summarizes the valuation techniques and significant unobservable inputs used for the Company’s recurring fair value calculation categorized as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy at December 31, 2014 and 2013:
The following disclosure of the estimated fair value of financial instruments is made in accordance with the guidance provided by the Financial Instruments Topic of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification. Fair value estimates, methods and assumptions, set forth below for the Company’s financial instruments, are made solely to comply with the requirements of the Financial Instruments Topic and should be read in conjunction with the Company’s financial statements and related notes.
The Company has determined the estimated fair value amounts by using market information and valuation methodologies that it considers appropriate and consistent with the fair value accounting guidance. Considerable judgment is required to interpret market data to develop the estimates of fair value. Accordingly, the estimates presented herein are not necessarily indicative of the amounts the Company could realize or has realized in a current market exchange. The use of different market assumptions and/or estimation methodologies may have a material effect on the estimated fair value amounts.
Cash and cash equivalents The recorded amounts of the Company’s cash and cash equivalents approximate fair value because of the liquidity and short-term maturity of these instruments.
Notes receivable The fair value of the Company’s notes receivable is generally estimated based upon various methodologies deployed by financial and credit management including, but not limited to, credit analysis, third party appraisal and/or discounted cash flow analysis based upon current market valuation techniques and market rates for similar types of lending arrangements, which may consider adjustments for impaired loans as deemed necessary.
ATEL 12, LLC
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 13. Fair value measurements: - (continued) Investment in securities The Company’s investment securities are not registered for public sale and are carried at cost which management believes approximates fair value, as appropriately adjusted for impairment.
Non-recourse debt The fair value of the Company’s non-recourse debt is estimated using discounted cash flow analyses, based upon current market borrowing rates for similar types of borrowing arrangements.
Commitments and Contingencies Management has determined that no recognition for the fair value of the Company’s loan commitments is necessary because their terms are made on a market rate basis and require borrowers to be in compliance with the Company’s credit requirements at the time of funding.
The fair value of contingent liabilities (or guarantees) is not considered material because management believes there has been no event that has occurred wherein a guarantee liability has been incurred or will likely be incurred.
The following tables present estimated fair values of the Company’s financial instruments in accordance with the guidance provided by the Financial Instruments Topic of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification at December 31, 2014 and 2013 (in thousands):
Item 9.
Item 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES
None.
Item 9A.
Item 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES Evaluation of disclosure controls and procedures The Company’s Managing Member’s President and Chief Executive Officer, and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer (“Management”), evaluated the effectiveness of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(e)) as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based on the evaluation of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures, Management concluded that as of the end of the period covered by this report, the design and operation of these disclosure controls and procedures were effective.
The Company does not control the financial reporting process, and is solely dependent on the Management of the Managing Member, who is responsible for providing the Company with financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States. The Managing Member’s disclosure controls and procedures, as they are applicable to the Company, 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 Act (15 U.S.C. 78a et seq.) 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 Act is accumulated and communicated to the issuer’s management, including its principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting The Management of the Managing Member is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as that term is defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(f) for the Company, and for performing an assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2014. The internal control process of the Managing Member, as it is applicable to the Company, was designed to provide reasonable assurance to Management regarding the preparation and fair presentation of published financial statements, and includes those policies and procedures that:
(1) Provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, and that the Company’s receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorization of the Management of the Managing Member; and
(2) Provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of the Company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
All internal control processes, no matter how well designed, have inherent limitations. Therefore, even those processes determined to be effective can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to the reliability of financial statement preparation and presentation. Further, 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.
Management of the Managing Member assessed the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting, as it is applicable to the Company, as of December 31, 2014. In making this assessment, it used the criteria set forth in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (1992) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). Based on its assessment, Management of the Managing Member concluded that the Managing Member’s internal control over financial reporting, as it is applicable to the Company, was effective as of December 31, 2014.
This annual report does not include an attestation report of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting. Management’s report was not subject to attestation by the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm pursuant to Section 989G of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which exempts non-accelerated filers from Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
Changes in internal control There were no changes in the Managing Member’s internal control over financial reporting, as it is applicable to the Company, during the quarter ended December 31, 2014 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Managing Member’s internal control over financial reporting, as it is applicable to the Company.
PART III
Item 10.
Item 10. DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS, PROMOTERS AND CONTROL PERSONS; COMPLIANCE WITH SECTION 16(A) OF THE EXCHANGE ACT
The registrant is a Limited Liability Company and has no officers or directors.
From its inception into the third quarter of 2013, the Company’s Managing Member was ATEL Associates 12, LLC (“AA12”), a Nevada limited liability corporation. Effective September 30, 2013, AA12 was merged into ATEL Financial Services, LLC (“AFS”) (the “Managing Member” or “Manager”), a California limited liability corporation, which assumed the role of Managing Member of the Company. AFS is a wholly-owned subsidiary of ATEL Capital Group (“ACG” or “ATEL”). The outstanding voting capital stock of ATEL is owned 100% by Dean L. Cash.
Each of AFS and ATEL Leasing Corporation (“ALC”) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of ACG and performs services for the Company on behalf of the Managing Member. Acquisition services, equipment management, lease administration and asset disposition services are performed by ALC; investor relations and communications services, and general administrative services are performed by AFS.
The officers and directors of ACG and its affiliates are as follows:
Dean L. Cash
Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of
ATEL Financial Services, LLC (Managing Member)
Paritosh K. Choksi
Director, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and
Chief Operating Officer of ATEL Financial Services, LLC (Managing Member)
Vasco H. Morais
Executive Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel of
ATEL Financial Services, LLC (Managing Member)
Dean L. Cash, age 64, became chairman, president and chief executive officer of ATEL in April 2001. Mr. Cash joined ATEL as director of marketing in 1980 and served as a vice president since 1981, executive vice president since 1983 and a director since 1984. Prior to joining ATEL, Mr. Cash was a senior marketing representative for Martin Marietta Corporation, data systems division, from 1979 to 1980. From 1977 to 1979, he was employed by General Electric Corporation, where he was an applications specialist in the medical systems division and a marketing representative in the information services division. Mr. Cash was a systems engineer with Electronic Data Systems from 1975 to 1977, and was involved in maintaining and developing software for commercial applications. Mr. Cash received a B.S. degree in psychology and mathematics in 1972 and an M.B.A. degree with a concentration in finance in 1975 from Florida State University. Mr. Cash is an arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association and is qualified as a registered principal with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.
Paritosh K. Choksi, age 61, joined ATEL in 1999 as a director, senior vice president and its chief financial officer. He became its executive vice president and CFO/COO in April 2001. Prior to joining ATEL, Mr. Choksi was chief financial officer at Wink Communications, Inc. from 1997 to 1999. From 1977 to 1997, Mr. Choksi was with Phoenix American Incorporated, a financial services and management company, where he held various positions during his tenure, and was senior vice president, chief financial officer and director when he left the company. Mr. Choksi was involved in all corporate matters at Phoenix and was responsible for Phoenix’s capital market needs. He also served on the credit committee overseeing all corporate investments, including its venture lease portfolio. Mr. Choksi was a part of the executive management team which caused Phoenix’s portfolio to increase from $50 million in assets to over $2 billion. Mr. Choksi is a member of the board of directors of Syntel, Inc. Mr. Choksi received a bachelor of technology degree in mechanical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay; and an M.B.A. degree from the University of California, Berkeley.
Vasco H. Morais, age 56, joined ATEL in 1989 as general counsel. Mr. Morais manages ATEL’s legal department, which provides legal and contractual support in the negotiating, documenting, drafting, reviewing and funding of lease transactions. In addition, Mr. Morais advises on general corporate law matters, and assists on securities law issues. From 1986 to 1989, Mr. Morais was employed by the BankAmeriLease Companies, Bank of America’s equipment leasing subsidiaries, providing in-house legal support on the documentation of tax-oriented and non-tax oriented direct and leveraged lease transactions, vendor leasing programs and general corporate matters. Prior to the BankAmeriLease Companies, Mr. Morais was with the Consolidated Capital Companies in the Corporate and Securities Legal Department involved in drafting and reviewing contracts, advising on corporate law matters and securities law issues. Mr. Morais received a B.A. degree in 1982 from the University of California in Berkeley, a J.D. degree in 1986 from
Golden Gate University Law School; and an M.B.A. (Finance) degree from Golden Gate University in 1997. Mr. Morais, an active member of the State Bar of California since 1986, served as co-chair of the Uniform Business Law Section of the State Bar of California and was inducted as a fellow of the American College of Commercial Finance Lawyers in 2010.
Audit Committee The board of directors of the Managing Member acts as the audit committee of the Company. Dean L. Cash and Paritosh K. Choksi are members of the board of directors of the Managing Member and are deemed to be financial experts. They are not independent of the Company.
Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance Based solely on a review of Forms 3, 4, and 5, the Company is not aware of any failures to file reports of beneficial ownership required to be filed during or for the year ended December 31, 2014.
Code of Ethics A Code of Ethics that is applicable to the Company, including the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of its Manager, ATEL Financial Services, LLC, or persons acting in such capacity on behalf of the Company, is included as Exhibit 14.1 to this report.
Item 11.
Item 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION The registrant has no officers or directors.
Set forth hereinafter is a description of the nature of remuneration paid and to be paid to the Manager and its affiliates. The amount of such remuneration paid for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 is set forth in Item 8 of this report under the caption “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data - Notes to Financial Statements - Related party transactions,” at Note 7 thereof, which information is hereby incorporated by reference.
Selling Commissions The Company paid selling commissions in the amount of 9% of Gross Proceeds, as defined, to ATEL Securities Corporation, an affiliate of the Manager.
Through December 31, 2009, $2.7 million of such commissions had either been accrued or paid to ASC. Of that amount, $2.3 million has been re-allowed to other broker/dealers. The Company did not incur any additional selling commissions subsequent to December 31, 2009.
Asset Management Fee and Carried Interest The Company pays the Manager an Asset Management Fee in an amount equal to 4% of Operating Revenues, which includes Gross Lease Revenues and Cash from Sales or Refinancing. The Asset Management Fee is paid on a monthly basis. The amount of the Asset Management Fee payable in any year is reduced for that year to the extent it would otherwise exceed the Asset Management Fee Limit, as described below. The Asset Management Fee is paid for services rendered by the Manager and its affiliates in determining portfolio and investment strategies and generally managing or supervising the management of the investment portfolio.
The Manager also receives, as its Carried Interest, an amount equal to 7.5% of all Company Distributions.
AFS supervises performance of all management activities, including, among other activities: the acquisition and financing of the investment portfolio, collection of lease and loan revenues, monitoring compliance by lessees/borrowers with their contract terms, assuring that investment assets are being used in accordance with all operative contractual arrangements, paying operating expenses and arranging for necessary maintenance and repair of equipment and property in the event a lessee fails to do so, monitoring property, sales and use tax compliance and preparation of operating financial data. AFS intends to delegate all or a portion of its duties and the Asset Management Fee to one or more of its affiliates who are in the business of providing such services.
Limitations on Fees The Fund has adopted a single Asset Management Fee plus the Carried Interest as a means of compensating the Manager for sponsoring the Fund and managing its operations. While this compensation structure is intended to simplify management compensation for purposes of investor’s understanding, state securities administrators use a more complicated compensation structure in their review of equipment program offerings in order to assure that those offerings are fair under the states’ merit review guidelines. The total of all Front End Fees, the Carried Interest and the Asset Management Fee will be subject to the Asset Management Fee Limit in order to assure these state administrators that the Fund will not bear greater fees than permitted under the state merit review guidelines. The North American Securities Administrators Association, Inc. (“NASAA”) is an organization of state securities administrators, those state government agencies responsible for qualifying securities offerings in their respective states. NASAA has established standards for the qualification of a number of different types of securities offerings and investment products, including its Statement of Policy on Equipment Programs (the “NASAA Equipment Leasing Guidelines”). Article IV, Sections C through G of the NASAA Equipment Leasing Guidelines establish the standards for payment of reasonable carried interests, promotional interests and fees for equipment acquisition, management, resale and releasing services to equipment leasing program sponsors. Article IV, Sections C through G of the NASAA Equipment Leasing Guidelines set the maximum compensation payable to the sponsor and its affiliates from an equipment leasing program such as the Fund. The Asset Management Fee Limit will equal the maximum compensation payable under Article IV, Sections C through G of the NASAA Equipment Leasing Guidelines as in effect on the date of the Fund’s prospectus (the “NASAA Fee Limitation”). Under the Asset Management Fee Limit, the Fund will calculate the maximum fees payable under the NASAA Fee Limitation and guarantee that the Asset Management Fee it will pay the Manager and its Affiliates, when added to its Carried Interest, will never exceed the fees and interests payable to a sponsor and its affiliates under the NASAA Fee Limitation.
Asset Management Fee Limit. The Asset Management Fee Limit will be calculated each year during the Fund’s term by calculating the total fees that would be paid to the Manager if the Manager were to be compensated on the basis of the maximum compensation payable under the NASAA Fee Limitation, including the Manager’s Carried Interest, as described below. To the extent that the amount paid as Front End Fees, the Asset Management Fee, and the Carried Interest for any year would cause the total fees to exceed the aggregate amount of fees calculated under the NASAA Fee Limitation for the year, the Asset Management Fee and/or Carried Interest for that year will be reduced to equal the maximum aggregate fees under the NASAA Fee Limitation. To the extent any such fees are reduced, the amount of such reduction will be accrued and deferred, and such accrued and deferred compensation would be paid to the Manager in a subsequent period, but only to the extent that the deferred compensation would be within the Asset Management Fee Limit for that later period. Any deferred fees that cannot be paid under the applicable limitations through the date of liquidation would be forfeited by the Manager at liquidation.
Under the NASAA Equipment Leasing Guidelines, the Fund is required to commit a minimum percentage of the Gross Proceeds to Investment in Equipment, calculated as the greater of: (i) 80% of the Gross Proceeds reduced by 0.0625% for each 1% of indebtedness encumbering the Fund’s equipment; or (ii) 75% of such Gross Proceeds. The Fund intends to incur total indebtedness equal to 50% of the aggregate cost of its equipment. The Operating Agreement requires the Fund to commit at least 85.875% of the Gross Proceeds to Investment in Equipment. Based on the formula in the NASAA Guidelines, the Fund’s minimum Investment in Equipment would equal 76.875% of Gross Proceeds (80% - [50% x .0625%] = 76.875%), and the Fund’s minimum Investment in Equipment would therefore exceed the NASAA Fee Limitation minimum by 9%.
The amount of the Carried Interest permitted the Manager under the NASAA Fee Limitation will be dependent on the amount by which the percentage of Gross Proceeds the Fund ultimately commits to Investment in Equipment exceeds the minimum Investment in Equipment under the NASAA Fee Limitation. The NASAA Fee Limitation permits the Manager and its Affiliates to receive compensation in the form of a carried interest in Fund Net Income, Net Loss and Distributions equal to 1% for the first 2.5% of excess Investment in Equipment over the NASAA Guidelines minimum, 1% for the next 2% of such excess, and 1% for each additional 1% of excess Investment in Equipment. With a minimum Investment in Equipment of 85.875%, the Manager and its Affiliates may receive an additional carried interest equal to 6.5% of Net Profit, Net Loss and Distributions under the foregoing formula (2.5% + 2% + 4.5% = 9%; 1% + 1% + 4.5% = 6.5%). At the lowest permitted level of Investment in Equipment, the NASAA Guidelines would permit the Manager and its Affiliates to receive a promotional interest equal to 5% of Distributions of Cash from Operations and 1% of Distributions of Sale or Refinancing Proceeds until Members have received total Distributions equal to their Original Invested Capital plus an 8% per annum cumulative return on their Adjusted Invested Capital, and, thereafter, the promotional interest may increase to 15% of all Distributions.
With the additional carried interest calculated as described above, the maximum aggregate fees payable to the Manager and Affiliates under the NASAA Guidelines as carried interest and promotional interest would equal 11.5% of Distributions of Cash from Operations (6.5% + 5% = 11.5%), and 7.5% of Distributions of Sale or Refinancing Proceeds (6.5% + 1% = 7.5%), before the subordination level was reached, and 21.5% of all Distributions thereafter. The maximum amounts to be paid under the terms of the Operating Agreement are subject to the application of the Asset Management Fee Limit provided in Section 8.3 of the Agreement, which limits the annual amount payable to the Manager and its Affiliates as the Asset Management Fee and the Carried Interest to an aggregate not to exceed the total amount of fees that would be payable to the Manager and its Affiliates under the NASAA Fee Limitation.
Upon completion of the offering of Units, final commitment of offering proceeds to acquisition of equipment and establishment of final levels of permanent portfolio debt, the Manager will calculate the maximum carried interest and promotional interest payable to the Manager and its Affiliates under the NASAA Fee Limitation and compare such total permitted fees to the total of the Asset Management Fee and Manager’s Carried Interest. If and to the extent that the Asset Management Fee and Manager’s Carried Interest would exceed the fees calculated under the NASAA Fee Limitation, the fees payable to the Manager and its Affiliates will be reduced by an amount sufficient to cause the total of such compensation to comply with the NASAA Fee Limitation. The adjusted Asset Management Fee Limit will then be applied to the Asset Management Fee and Carried Interest as described above. A comparison of the Front End Fees actually paid by the Fund and the NASAA Fee Limitation maximums will be repeated, and any required adjustments will be made, at least annually thereafter.
See Note 7 to the financial statements as set forth in Part II, Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, for amounts paid.
Item 12.
Item 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners At December 31, 2014, no investor is known to hold beneficially more than 5% of the issued and outstanding Units.
Security Ownership of Management The parent of AFS is the beneficial owner of Limited Liability Company Units as follows:
Item 13.
Item 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS See Item 8 of this report under the caption “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data - Notes to Financial Statements - Related party transactions” at Note 7 thereof.
Item 14.
Item 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES During the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, the Company incurred audit, audit related and/or other fees with its principal auditors as follows (in thousands):
Audit fees consist of the aggregate fees and expenses billed in connection with the audit of the Company’s annual financial statements and the review of the financial statements included in the Company’s quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.
Other fees represent costs incurred in connection with various Agreed-Upon Procedures engagements.
The board of directors of the Managing Member acts as the audit committee of the registrant. Engagements for audit services, audit related services and tax services are approved in advance by the Chief Financial Officer of the Managing Member acting on behalf of the board of directors of the Managing Member in its role as the audit committee of the Company.
PART IV Item 15.
Item 15. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
(a) Financial Statements and Schedules
1. Financial Statements
2. Financial Statement Schedules
All schedules for which provision is made in the applicable accounting regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission are not required under the related instructions or are inapplicable and, therefore, have been omitted.
(b) Exhibits
(3) and (4) Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Operating Agreement, included as exhibit B to the Prospectus effective September 26, 2007 as filed on October 2, 2007 (File Number 333-142034) is hereby incorporated herein by reference
(14.1) Code of Ethics
(31.1) Certification of Dean L. Cash pursuant to Rules 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a)
(31.2) Certification of Paritosh K. Choksi pursuant to Rules 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a)
(32.1) Certification of Dean L. Cash pursuant to 18 U.S.C. section 1350
(32.2) Certification of Paritosh K. Choksi pursuant to 18 U.S.C. section 1350
(101.INS) XBRL Instance Document
(101.SCH) XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
(101.CAL) XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
(101.LAB) XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document
(101.PRE) XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document
(101.DEF) XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
SIGNATURES Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
Date: March 30, 2015
ATEL 12, LLC
(Registrant)
By:
ATEL Financial Services, LLC
Managing Member of Registrant
By:
/s/ Dean L. Cash
Dean L. Cash,
Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer
of ATEL Financial Services, LLC (Managing Member)
By:
/s/ Paritosh K. Choksi
Paritosh K. Choksi,
Director, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
and Chief Operating Officer of ATEL Financial Services, LLC
(Managing Member)
By:
/s/ Samuel Schussler
Samuel Schussler,
Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer of
ATEL Financial Services, LLC
(Managing Member)
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
SIGNATURE
CAPACITIES
DATE
/s/ Dean L. Cash
Dean L. Cash
Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of ATEL Financial Services, LLC (Managing Member)
March 30, 2015
/s/ Paritosh K. Choksi
Paritosh K. Choksi
Director, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of ATEL Financial Services, LLC (Managing Member)
March 30, 2015
/s/ Samuel Schussler
Samuel Schussler
Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer of ATEL Financial Services, LLC (Managing Member)
March 30, 2015
No proxy materials have been or will be sent to security holders. An annual report will be furnished to security holders subsequent to the filing of this report on Form 10-K, and copies thereof will be furnished supplementally to the Commission when forwarded to the security holders.