Table of Contents
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-Q
(Mark One)
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x
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QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR
15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
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FOR THE QUARTERLY PERIOD ENDED
March 31, 2009
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o
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TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR
15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
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FOR THE TRANSITION PERIOD
FROM TO
COMMISSION FILE NUMBER: 000-26781
INSURE.COM, INC.
(EXACT NAME OF REGISTRANT
AS SPECIFIED IN ITS CHARTER)
DELAWARE
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36-3299423
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(State of
Incorporation)
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(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)
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8205 South Cass Avenue, Suite 102
Darien, Illinois 60561
(Address of principal
executive offices)(Zip Code)
(630) 515-0170
(Registrants telephone
number, including area code)
(Former name, former
address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has
filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such
shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has
been subject to the filing requirements for at least the past 90 days. Yes
x
No
o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has
submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every
Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405
of Regulation S-T (Section 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding
12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to
submit and post such files). Yes
o
No
o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a
large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a
smaller reporting company. See the
definition of large accelerated filer, accelerated filer and smaller
reporting company in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
Large accelerated filer
o
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Accelerated filer
o
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Non-accelerated filer
o
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Smaller reporting
company
x
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(Do not check if a
smaller reporting company)
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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a
shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes
o
No
x
APPLICABLE ONLY TO
CORPORATE ISSUERS:
Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of
the issuers classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date. 6,764,358
shares of the registrants common stock, net of treasury shares, were
outstanding as of April 30, 2009.
Table of Contents
PART 1.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
ITEM 1. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
INSURE.COM,
INC.
BALANCE SHEETS
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March 31, 2009
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December 31, 2008
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(unaudited)
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ASSETS
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Cash and
equivalents
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$
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1,454,995
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$
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927,308
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Certificates of
deposit
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2,985,000
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3,446,000
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Fixed maturity
investments-available for sale at fair value
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2,754,741
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2,159,985
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Commissions
receivable, less allowances (2009-$693,000; 2008-$605,000)
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3,234,507
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2,902,394
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Other assets
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513,888
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484,860
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Total current
assets
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10,943,131
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9,920,547
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Fixed maturity
investments-available for sale at fair value
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2,023,630
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2,448,155
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Furniture,
equipment and computer software at cost, less accumulated
depreciation
(2009-$4,125,000; 2007-$4,049,000)
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1,243,854
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1,270,225
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Intangible
assets at cost, less accumulated amortization (2009-$2,677,000;
2008-$2,563,000)
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1,449,467
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1,563,093
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Goodwill
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3,117,470
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3,117,470
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Total Assets
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$
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18,777,552
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$
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18,319,490
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LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY
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Accounts payable
and accrued liabilities-current
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$
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2,298,501
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$
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1,957,437
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Total
Liabilities
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2,298,501
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1,957,437
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Stockholders
equity
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Preferred stock,
$.001 par value; shares authorized: 5,000,000;
shares issued and
outstanding: 0
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Common stock,
$.003 par value; shares authorized: 60,000,000; shares issued:
9,691,276; shares
outstanding: 2009-6,764,358, 2008-6,773,058
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29,074
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29,074
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Additional paid
in capital
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77,155,380
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77,154,879
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Retained
earnings deficit
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(54,785,260
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)
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(54,977,694
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)
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Treasury stock
at cost: 2009-2,926,918 shares; 2008-2,918,218 shares
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(5,813,608
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)
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(5,792,972
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)
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Accumulated
other comprehensive income (loss)
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(106,535
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)
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(51,234
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)
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Total
stockholders equity
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16,479,051
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16,362,053
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Total
liabilities and stockholders equity
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$
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18,777,552
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$
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18,319,490
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See accompanying notes.
3
Table of Contents
INSURE.COM, INC.
STATEMENTS
OF OPERATIONS
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Quarter ended
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March 31,
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2009
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2008
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(unaudited)
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Revenues:
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Commissions and
fees
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$
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4,023,094
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$
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3,967,665
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Total revenues
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4,023,094
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3,967,665
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Expenses:
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Selling and
marketing
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593,186
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1,280,628
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Operations
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2,296,337
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2,234,849
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General and
administrative
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819,648
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871,683
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Depreciation and
amortization
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189,309
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207,526
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Total expenses
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3,898,480
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4,594,686
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Operating income
(loss)
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124,614
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(627,021
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)
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Investment
income
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67,820
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114,589
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Net income
(loss)
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$
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192,434
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$
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(512,432
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)
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Net income
(loss) per common share, basic and diluted
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$
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0.03
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$
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(0.07
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)
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Weighted average
common shares and equivalents
outstanding, basic
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6,770,317
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7,281,259
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diluted
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6,780,317
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7,281,259
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See accompanying notes.
4
Table of Contents
INSURE.COM, INC.
STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY
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Common Stock
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Accumulated
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Number of
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Additional
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Retained-
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Other
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Total
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Shares
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Par
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Paid-in
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Earnings
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Treasury
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Comprehensive
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Stockholders
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Issued
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Value
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Capital
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Deficit
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Stock
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Income (Loss)
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Equity
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2008:
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Balance at
January 1
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9,691,276
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$
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29,074
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$
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77,145,919
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$
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(53,979,154
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)
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$
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(3,954,997
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)
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$
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3,014
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$
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19,243,856
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Net loss
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(998,540
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)
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(998,540
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)
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Other
comprehensive loss-net
unrealized loss on investments
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(54,248
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)
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(54,248
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Total
comprehensive loss
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(1,052,788
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)
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Stock option
compensation
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8,960
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8,960
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Purchase of
510,052 shares of treasury stock
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(1,837,975
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)
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(1,837,975
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)
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Balance at
December 31
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9,691,276
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29,074
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77,154,879
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|
(54,977,694
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)
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(5,792,972
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)
|
(51,234
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)
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16,362,053
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|
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2009:
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Three months
ended March 31, 2009
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Net income
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192,434
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192,434
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Other
comprehensive loss-net
unrealized loss on investments
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|
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(55,301
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)
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(55,301
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)
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Total
comprehensive income
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|
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137,133
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Stock option
compensation
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501
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|
501
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Purchase of
8,700 shares of treasury stock
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|
|
|
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(20,636
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)
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|
|
(20,636
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)
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Balance at
March 31 (unaudited)
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|
9,691,276
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|
29,074
|
|
77,155,380
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|
(54,785,260
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)
|
(5,813,608
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)
|
(106,535
|
)
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16,479,051
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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|
|
|
|
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See accompanying notes.
5
Table of Contents
INSURE.COM,
INC.
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
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Three Months Ended
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March 31,
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2009
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2008
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(unaudited)
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|
|
Cash
flows from operating activities:
|
|
|
|
|
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Net income
(loss)
|
|
$
|
192,434
|
|
$
|
(512,432
|
)
|
Adjustments to
reconcile to net cash provided
(used) by operating activities:
|
|
|
|
|
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Depreciation
expense
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75,683
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84,001
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Stock option
expense
|
|
501
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4,556
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|
Commissions
receivable
|
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(332,113
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)
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175,648
|
|
Amortization of
investments
|
|
5,079
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(64,744
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)
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Amortization of
intangible assets
|
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113,626
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123,525
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Accounts payable
and accrued liabilities
|
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341,063
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(30,399
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)
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Other
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(29,028
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)
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(153,466
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)
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Net cash
provided (used) by operating activities
|
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367,245
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(373,311
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)
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Cash
flows from investing activities:
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Purchase of
investments
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(1,058,610
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)
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(1,045,081
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)
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Purchase of
certificates of deposit
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(489,000
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)
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(1,435,000
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)
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Proceeds of
investment maturities
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828,000
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3,800,000
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Proceeds of
certificate of deposit maturities
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950,000
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Purchase of
furniture, equipment and
computer software
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|
(49,312
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)
|
(35,958
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)
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Net cash
provided by investing activities
|
|
181,078
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|
1,283,961
|
|
|
|
|
|
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Cash
flows from financing activities:
|
|
|
|
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Purchase of
treasury stock
|
|
(20,636
|
)
|
(30,309
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)
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Net cash
provided (used) by financing activities
|
|
(20,636
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)
|
(30,309
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)
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Net
increase in cash and cash equivalents
|
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527,687
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|
880,341
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Cash
and equivalents at beginning of period
|
|
927,308
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2,072,117
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Cash
and equivalents at end of period
|
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$
|
1,454,995
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$
|
2,952,458
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|
See accompanying
notes.
6
Table of
Contents
INSURE.COM, INC.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMETS
(Unaudited)
1. Description of Business
Insure.com, Inc., formerly known as
Quotesmith.com, Inc., (the Company) is an insurance agency and
brokerage. Since its inception in 1984,
the Company has been continuously developing a proprietary and comprehensive
insurance price comparison and order-entry system that provides instant quotes
for numerous life insurance products.
The Company uses this database to provide customers with a large array
of comparative life insurance quotes online, over the phone or by mail, and
allows the customer to purchase insurance from the insurance company of their
choice either online or over the phone with the Companys licensed insurance
customer service staff. The Companys
website also provides insurance information and decision-making tools, along
with access to other forms of personal insurance, such as auto, homeowners,
health, renters, long-term care and travel insurance through various
partners. The Company generates revenues
from the receipt of commissions and fees paid by various sources, that are tied
directly to the volume of insurance sales or traffic that is produced, including
industry-standard volume based bonus commissions paid by participating life
insurance companies. The Company
conducts its insurance agency and brokerage operations using salaried personnel
and generates prospective customer interest using traditional direct response
advertising methods conducted primarily offline.
2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying unaudited
financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally
accepted accounting principles (GAAP) for interim financial information. Accordingly, they do not include all of the
information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial
statements. In the opinion of
management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals)
considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the three months ended March 31,
2009 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the
year ending December 31, 2009.
The balance sheet at December 31, 2008 has been
derived from the audited financial statements at that date, but does not
include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete
financial statements.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In September 2006,
the FASB issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 157,
Fair Value Measurements.
SFAS No. 157
defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value, and
expands disclosures about fair value measurements. SFAS No. 157 was
effective for financial statements issued for fiscal years beginning after November 15,
2007. In February of 2008, the FASB issued FASB Staff position 157-2 which
delayed the effective date of SFAS 157 for non-financial assets and liabilities
which are not measured at fair value on a recurring basis (at least annually)
until fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2008. In October 2008, FASB issued Staff
Position No. SFAS 157-3, which clarifies the application of FASB SFAS No. 157
Fair Value Measurements. Staff Position No. SFAS. 157-3
provides guidance in determining the fair value of a financial asset when the
market for that financial asset is not active. The adoption of SFAS 157 did not
have a material effect on the financial statements.
In December 2007, the FASB
issued SFAS No. 141(R), Business Combinations. SFAS 141(R) establishes
principles and requirements for how the acquirer (a) recognizes and
measures in its financial statements the identifiable assets acquired, the
liabilities assumed, and any noncontrolling interest in the acquiree, (b) recognizes
and measures the goodwill acquired in the business combination or a gain from a
bargain purchase, and (c) determines what information to disclose to
enable users of the financial statements to evaluate the nature and financial
effects of the business combination.
This Statement supersedes SFAS 141, Business Combinations, and applies
prospectively to business combinations for which the acquisition
7
Table
of Contents
date is on or after the beginning of the first
annual reporting period beginning on or after December 15, 2008. An entity
may not apply it before that date. The
adoption of SFAS 141(e) has not had a material impact on the consolidated
financial statements.
In December 2007, the FASB issued SFAS No. 160,
Non-Controlling Interests in Consolidated Financial Statements an amendment of
ARB No. 51 (SFAS 160). SFAS 160 establishes new standards for the
accounting for and reporting of non-controlling interests (formerly minority
interests) and for the loss of control of partially owned and consolidated
subsidiaries. SFAS 160 does not change the criteria for consolidating a
partially owned entity. SFAS 160 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15,
2008. The provisions of SFAS 160 will be applied prospectively upon adoption
except for the presentation and disclosure requirements which will be applied
retrospectively. The adoption of SFAS 160 did not have a material impact on its
consolidated financial statements.
3. Investments
The Companys assets and
liabilities recorded at fair value are categorized based upon a fair value
hierarchy in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS)
No. 157,
Fair Value Measurements
(SFAS 157). The fair value hierarchy ranks the quality and reliability of the
information used to determine fair value.
The levels of the fair
value hierarchy are described below:
Level
1: Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets that are accessible at the
measurement date for identical, unrestricted assets or liabilities.
Level
2: Inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable
for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly, including quoted
prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets; quoted prices for
identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active;
inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability
(
e.g.
, interest rates); and
inputs that are derived principally from or corroborated by observable market
data by correlation or other means.
Level
3: Inputs that are both significant to the fair value measurement and
unobservable.
Assets and liabilities
measured at fair value are based on one or more of the valuation techniques
noted in SFAS 157. The valuation techniques are described below.
Market approach
: The market approach uses
prices and other relevant information generated by market transactions
involving identical or comparable assets or liabilities.
Cost approach:
The cost approach is based
on the amount that currently would be required to replace the service capacity
of an asset (current replacement cost).
Income approach:
The income approach uses
valuation techniques to convert future amounts to a single present amount.
The fair value of certain
of the Companys financial instruments, including Cash and cash equivalents,
Certificates of deposit, Accounts receivable, and Accounts payable,
approximates the carrying value due to the relatively short maturity of such
instruments. The following table
presents information about the Companys assets measured at fair value on a
recurring basis as of December 31, 2008, and indicate the fair value
hierarchy of the valuation techniques utilized by the Company to determine such
fair value.
8
Table
of Contents
Assets at Fair
Value as of March 31, 2009
|
|
Level 1
|
|
Level 2
|
|
Level 3
|
|
Total
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
U.S. Government
agency bonds
|
|
$
|
825,056
|
|
$
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
$
|
825,056
|
|
Corporate bonds
and commercial paper
|
|
$
|
3,953,315
|
|
$
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
$
|
3,953,315
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
4,778,371
|
|
$
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
$
|
4,778,371
|
|
4. Income Per
Share
Income per share is
calculated as follows:
|
|
Quarter Ended March 31,
|
|
|
|
2009
|
|
2008
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net income
(loss)
|
|
$
|
192,434
|
|
$
|
(512,432
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic shares
outstanding
|
|
6,770,317
|
|
7,281,259
|
|
Diluted shares
outstanding
|
|
6,780,317
|
|
7,281,259
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Earnings per
share, basic and diluted
|
|
$
|
0.03
|
|
$
|
(0.07
|
)
|
Basic and diluted net loss per share reflects net
income (loss) divided by the weighted
average number of common shares outstanding.
Diluted net loss per share does not include the effect of common share
equivalents where the effect would be antidilutive. At March 31, 2009, there were a total of
393,933 common share equivalents outstanding.
5. Commitments and Contingencies
The Company is subject to legal
proceedings and claims in the ordinary course of business. The Company is not aware of any legal
proceedings or claims that are believed to have a material effect on the
Companys financial position.
9
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ITEM 2: MANAGEMENTS DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Because we want to
provide you with more meaningful and useful information, this Quarterly Report
on Form 10-Q includes forward-looking statements that reflect our current
expectations and projections about our future results, performance, prospects,
and opportunities. We have attempted to
identify these forward-looking statements by using words such as may, will,
expects, anticipates, believes, intends, estimates, could, or
similar expressions. These
forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to us
and are subject to a number of risks in 2009 and beyond. Actual results may differ materially from
those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties, and other factors
include, without limitation: our ability
to achieve and sustain profitability; realization of sufficient revenue from
contract renewals previously acquired to prevent impairment of the acquired
asset; demand for life insurance; significant fluctuations in our quarterly
results; our ability to develop our brand recognition; our number of agency
contracts; our ability to generate revenue from the sale of non-life insurance
leads; our ability to manage our growth; providing accurate insurance quotes;
our ability to manage our expenses, quickly respond to changes in our
marketplace, and meet consumer expectations; the complexity of our technology
and our use of new technology; our ability to hire and retain senior management
and other qualified personnel; intense competition in the insurance industry;
our ability to keep pace with technological changes and future regulations
affecting our business; constraints of the systems we employ; and our ability
to raise additional capital if necessary.
See the section of this quarterly report entitled Risk Factors for a
description of these and other risks, uncertainties, and factors that may cause
actual results to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by,
these forward-looking statements.
You should not
place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Except as required by the federal securities
laws, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future
events, changed circumstances, or any other reason after the date of this
quarterly report. All references to we,
us, our, and the Company refer to Insure.com, Inc. and its
subsidiaries.
Overview and Critical Accounting
Policies
We generate revenues primarily from the receipt of
commissions paid to us by insurance companies based upon the policies sold to
consumers through our service. These revenues come in the form of first year,
bonus and renewal commissions that vary by company and product. We recognize
the full first year commission revenues on term life insurance after the
insurance company approves the policy and accepts the initial premium payment.
At the time revenue is recognized, an allowance is recorded based on historical
information for estimated commissions that will not be received due to the
non-payment of installment first year premiums and any premium refunds made by
the insurance carriers. We recognize commissions on all other lines of business
after we receive notice that the insurance company has received payment of the
related premium. First year commission
revenues per policy can fluctuate due to changing premiums, commission rates,
and types or amount of insurance sold. We receive bonuses based upon individual
criteria set by insurance companies. We recognize bonus revenue in the period
in which it is earned. Bonus revenues are typically higher in the fourth
quarter of our fiscal year due to the bonus system used by many life insurance
companies, which pay greater amounts upon the achievement of certain levels of
annual production. Revenues for renewal
commissions are recognized after we receive notice that the insurance company
has received payment for a renewal premium. Renewal commission rates are
significantly less than first year commission rates and may not be offered by
every insurance company. We also generate revenues from the receipt of fees
paid by various sources that are tied directly to the volume of insurance sales
or traffic that we produce for such third-party entities. Our revenue recognition accounting policy has
been applied consistently to all periods presented in this report.
The timing between when we submit a consumers
application for insurance to the insurance company and when we generate
revenues has varied over time. The type of insurance product and the insurance
companys backlog are the primary factors that impact the length of time
between submitted applications and revenue recognition. Over the past three
years, the time between application submission and revenue recognition has
averaged over three months. Any changes in the amount of time between submitted
application and revenue recognition, a significant portion of which is not
under our control, will create fluctuations in our operating results and could
harm our business, operating results and financial condition.
Operations expenses are comprised of both variable and
semi-variable expenses, including wages, benefits, and expenses associated with
processing insurance applications and maintaining our database and web site.
The historical lag between
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the time an application is submitted to the insurance companies and
when we recognize revenues significantly impacts our operating results as most
of our variable expenses are incurred prior to application submission.
Selling and marketing expenses consist primarily of
direct advertising costs. These costs
are expensed in the period the advertising is communicated.
Intangible assets consist of the following:
|
|
Intangible Asset
|
|
Accumulated
|
|
Estimated
|
|
Amortization
|
|
|
|
Cost
|
|
Amortization
|
|
Useful Life
|
|
Method
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Insurance
contract renewals
|
|
$
|
3,538,000
|
|
$
|
2,195,000
|
|
10 years
|
|
Accelerated
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Non-compete
agreement
|
|
589,000
|
|
482,000
|
|
6 years
|
|
Straight line
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
4,127,000
|
|
$
|
2,677,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
The fair value of insurance contract renewals was
estimated based on the actual policies in force as of the acquisition date, and
the renewal commission rates paid by each insurance carrier. These commissions were estimated to have a
maximum useful life of ten years, based on the terms of the contracts with the
insurance carriers, and an annual lapse rate was applied to the expected
renewals for each carrier based on historical trends. Amortization is on an accelerated basis, as
renewal commissions will decline each year due to lapses. The ultimate realization of the value of the
contract renewals is dependant on a number of factors, including actual lapse
ratios, which can be affected by factors not under our control, such as death
rates and the pricing level of insurance policies that could be purchased to
replace the policies in the renewal stream. As a result, the actual amount
realized from the contract renewals acquired may differ significantly from the
amount recorded in the financial statements, causing impairment.
The Companys assets and
liabilities recorded at fair value are categorized based upon a fair value
hierarchy in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS)
No. 157,
Fair Value Measurements
(SFAS 157). The fair value hierarchy ranks the quality and reliability of the
information used to determine fair value.
The fair value of certain of the Companys financial instruments,
including Cash and cash equivalents, Certificates of deposit, Accounts
receivable, and Accounts payable, approximates the carrying value due to the
relatively short maturity of such instruments.
We classify our fixed maturity investments as available-for-sale and,
accordingly, such investments are carried at fair value. The cost of fixed maturity investments is
adjusted for amortization of premiums and discounts and for declines in value
that are other than temporary. Temporary
changes in the fair values of investments are reflected directly in
stockholders equity as accumulated other comprehensive income or loss net of
income taxes with no effect on net income or loss. Realized gains or losses are calculated using
the specific identification method
Goodwill is not subject to amortization. Allocation of intangible assets between
goodwill and other intangible assets and the determination of estimated useful
lives are based on valuations. The calculations
of these amounts are based on estimates and assumptions using historical and
pro forma data and recognized valuation methods. The use of different estimates or assumptions
could produce different results.
While goodwill is not amortized, it is subject to
periodic reviews for impairment (at least annually, or more frequently if
impairment indicators arise). We review
goodwill for impairment periodically and whenever events or changes in business
circumstances indicate that the carrying value of the assets may not be
recoverable. Such impairment reviews are
performed at the entity level with respect to goodwill, as we have one
reporting unit. Under those
circumstances, if the fair value were less than the carrying amount of the
entity, further analysis would be required to determine whether or not a loss
would need to be charged against current period earnings. No indicators of impairment were noticed in
our December 31, 2008 impairment review and no impairment indicators have
arisen since December 31, 2008. The
determination of fair value and the impairment are based on a
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combination of a market valuation based on a comparison with similar
public companies (guideline company method) and a discounted cash flow
analysis, which includes making various judgmental assumptions, including
assumptions about future cash flows, growth rates and discount rates. The use of different estimates or assumptions
could produce different results.
No income tax credits have been recognized relating to
our tax loss carryforwards due to uncertainties relating to future taxable
income.
Results of Operations
Comparison of the Quarters Ended March 31,
2009 and March 31, 2008
Revenues
Revenues increased $55,000, or
1.4%, in the quarter ended March 31, 2009 when compared to revenue in the
same quarter of 2008. The components of
revenue are as follows:
|
|
Quarter ended
|
|
|
|
March 31,
|
|
|
|
2009
|
|
2008
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Revenues:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Life insurance
commissions
|
|
$
|
3,461,515
|
|
$
|
2,981,137
|
|
Click revenue
|
|
478,627
|
|
872,829
|
|
Other
|
|
82,952
|
|
113,699
|
|
Total revenue
|
|
4,023,094
|
|
3,967,665
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Life insurance commission revenue increased $480,000,
or 16%, for the first quarter of 2009, when compared with the same quarter in
2008. Total policies sold in the first
quarter increased 34% from 3,529 to 4,720, accounting for the increase in
quarterly revenue. The increase in paid
policies can be directly attributed to a larger staff of agents in our call
center. Fees from the sale of insurance
leads, also referred to as click revenue decreased $394,000, or 45%, during
the first quarter when compared with the revenue generated in the comparable
period in 2008. We reduced our advertising expenditures in 2008, which may have
negatively impacted our revenue from the sale of insurance leads. We have also reduced the sale of excess life
insurance leads, further negatively impacting revenue.
Expenses
Expenses decreased
$696,000, or 15%,
in the quarter ended March 31, 2009 when compared
to expenses in the same quarter of 2008.
The components of expenses are as follows:
|
|
Quarter ended
|
|
|
|
March 31,
|
|
|
|
2009
|
|
2008
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Expenses:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Selling and
marketing
|
|
$
|
593,186
|
|
$
|
1,280,628
|
|
Operations
|
|
2,296,337
|
|
2,234,849
|
|
General and
administrative
|
|
819,648
|
|
871,683
|
|
Depreciation and
amortization
|
|
189,309
|
|
207,526
|
|
Total expenses
|
|
3,898,480
|
|
4,594,686
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
12
Table of Contents
Selling and Marketing.
Selling and marketing expenses decreased $687,000, or 54%, for the
first quarter of 2009, when compared to the same quarter in 2008. We intentionally decreased ad spending, as we
were generating more leads for life insurance than our growing call center
could effectively handle. We also
discontinued certain advertising programs that were not providing leads as
cost-efficiently as desired.
Operations.
Operations expenses increased $61,000, or 3%,
in the first quarter of 2009 compared to the same quarter last year. Higher wage costs associated primarily with a
larger staff of agents were offset by lower costs in a number of categories.
General and Administrative.
General and administrative costs decreased $52,000, or 6%, in the first
quarter of 2009. Lower compensation
expense was the primary cause of this reduction.
Depreciation and Amortization.
Depreciation and amortization charges decreased $18,000, or 9%, in the
first quarter of 2009 when compared to the results in the comparable period in
2008. Amortization expense related to
the insurance contract renewals acquired in 2004 declines each year, as
described above.
Investment Income
Investment income decreased
$43,000 in the first quarter of 2009, as compared to the first quarter of 2008,
due to a smaller bond portfolio, caused by the repurchase of our stock, and
lower interest rates.
Income Taxes (Credit)
We had no income tax expense for 2009 due to loss
carryforwards, and no income tax credit in 2009 due to valuation allowances
provided against net deferred tax assets.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
We currently expect that the cash
and fixed maturity investments we now hold will be sufficient to meet our
anticipated cash requirements for at least the next 12 months.
On
July 24, 2008, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to
600,000 shares of common stock, representing up to 8.5% of the total 7.0
million shares outstanding as of that date.
The Board approved immediate commencement of the repurchase program as
conditions warrant. Future purchases may
occur from time to time in open market, block purchases or in negotiated
transactions using available cash. No
date was established for the completion of the program. As of April 30,
2009, we had repurchased a total of 8,700 shares during 2009, and an additional
478,310 shares can be repurchased under the July 24, 2008 authorization.
The timing and amounts of our
working capital expenditures are difficult to predict, and should we decide to
purchase more shares of our common stock, engage in acquisitions of companies
or their assets, or begin new projects requiring additional resources, we may
require additional financing. If we
require additional equity financing for operations, it may be dilutive to our
stockholders and the equity securities issued in a subsequent offering may have
rights or privileges senior to the holders of our common stock. If debt financing is available, it may
require restrictive covenants with respect to dividends, raising capital, and
other financial and operational matters, which could impact or restrict our
operations. If we cannot obtain adequate
financing on acceptable terms, we may be required to reduce the scope of our
marketing or operations, which could harm our business, results of operations,
and our financial condition.
Our sources of funds will consist primarily of
commissions and fee revenue generated from the sale of insurance products and
leads, investment income, and sales and maturity proceeds from our fixed income
portfolio. The principal uses of funds
are selling and marketing expenses, operations, general and administrative expenses
and purchases of furniture, equipment and software.
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Table of Contents
Cash provided by operating activities was
approximately $367,000 for the first three months of 2009, compared with cash
used by operating activities of $373,000 for the same period in 2008. During
the first three months of 2009, the net profit plus non-cash expenses for
depreciation, amortization and stock option expense plus the net increase in
liabilities was more than enough to offset an increase in accounts
receivable. As discussed above, net
income for the first quarter of 2009 showed an improvement of over $700,000
from the loss shown in the first quarter of 2008, as revenue increased slightly
while expenses decreased by almost $700,000.
During the first quarter of 2009, commissions receivable increased
$332,000 as a result of an increase in revenue over the prior quarter. Accounts payable and accrued liabilities
increased $341,000 in the same period primarily due to the timing of payments
being made. In 2008, non-cash expenses
for depreciation, amortization and stock option compensation were not enough to
offset the net loss for the period.
Cash was provided by investing activities during the
first three months of 2009 in the amount of $181,000, as investment maturities
exceeded the reinvestment of funds and the purchase of fixed assets. Cash provided by investing activities was
$1.3 million in the first three months of 2008, as funds reinvested in bonds
and used to purchase fixed assets were exceeded by the proceeds from maturities
in our bond portfolio.
Cash of $21,000 was used to repurchase the Companys
common stock during the first three months of 2009, accounting for the cash
used by financing activities. Cash of
$30,000 was used by financing activities in the first three months of 2008 to
repurchase our stock.
ITEM
3. Quantitative and Qualitative
Disclosures About Market Risk
The primary objective of our investment
activities is to preserve principal while at the same time maximizing yields
without significantly increasing risk.
To achieve this objective, we maintain a portfolio of cash and
equivalents and investments in a variety of securities including both
government and corporate obligations and money market funds.
Substantially all of our investments are subject to
interest rate risk. We consider all
investments as available-for-sale, and accumulated unrealized losses on those
investments totaled $107,000 at March 31, 2009. There was an unrealized
loss of $51,000 at December 31, 2008.
We did not hold any derivative financial instruments
as of March 31, 2009, and have never held such instruments in the
past. Additionally, all our transactions
have been denoted in U.S. currency, and we do not have any risk associated with
foreign currency transactions.
Due to the short-term nature of our
investments, a 1% increase in interest rates would decrease the fair value of
our investments by an immaterial amount.
ITEM 4. Controls and Procedures
We completed an evaluation as of
the end of the period covered by this quarterly report under the supervision
and with the participation of management, including our principal executive
officer and principal financial officer, of the effectiveness of the design and
operation of our disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to Rule 13a-15
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Based upon that evaluation, the
principal executive officer and principal financial officer concluded that our
disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of March 31, 2009 in
ensuring that all material information required to be filed in this quarterly
report has been made known to them in a timely fashion. There have been no changes in our internal
control over financial reporting during the quarter ended March 31, 2009
that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect,
our internal control over financial reporting.
14
Table
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PART II. OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1.
Legal Proceedings
The Company is subject to legal proceedings in the
ordinary course of business, none of which are considered to be material.
Item
1A. Risk Factors
Risks Related to Our Business
Our insurance brokerage business has been profitable periodically and
may not be profitable in the future
Our first complete year of focusing
on our Internet based insurance service was 1997. We incurred operating losses each year
subsequent to 1997 through the year ended December 31, 2008. Because of our overhead structure, including
the ongoing costs of employing highly-skilled technical personnel, we will need
to generate higher revenues than we did in 2008 in order to achieve
profitability. Even though we achieved
profitability in the second and third quarters of 2008 and the first quarter of
2009, we may not be able to maintain profitability in the future.
If the term life insurance
industry declines, our business will suffer because approximately 81% of our
2008 revenues, and 86% of our revenues for the first three months of 2009, were
derived from the sale of term life insurance
For the year ended December 31,
2008, approximately 81% of our revenue was derived from the sale of individual
term life insurance. For the first three
months of 2009, 86% of our revenue was derived from the sale of individual term
life insurance. Because of this high
concentration of revenue from one line of insurance, our current financial
condition is largely dependent on the economic health of the term life
insurance industry. If sales of term
life insurance decline, for any reason, our business would be substantially
harmed. In addition, in recent years,
term life insurance premiums have been declining. If term life insurance premiums continue to
decline, it will become even more difficult for us to become profitable.
The current economic situation may
lead to reduced demand for life insurance
Our country is currently
going through an economic downturn, which has resulted in rising levels of
unemployment. If these economic
conditions result in a decreased demand for life insurance, as consumers use
their economic resources for other needs, our business could be harmed.
We expect to continue to
experience significant fluctuations in our quarterly results, which makes it
difficult for investors to make reliable period-to-period comparisons and may
contribute to volatility in our stock price
Our quarterly revenues and operating results have
fluctuated widely in the past and may continue to fluctuate widely in the
future. Causes of these fluctuations
could or have included, among other factors:
·
changes
in selling and marketing expenses, as well as other operating expenses;
·
the
length of time it takes for an insurance company to verify that an applicant
meets the specified underwriting criteriathis process can be lengthy,
unpredictable and subject to delays over which we have little or no control,
including underwriting backlogs of the insurance company and the accuracy of
information provided by the applicant; we tend to place a significant number of
policies with the most price-competitive insurance companies, who, due to
volume, have longer and more unpredictable underwriting time frames;
·
volatility
in bonus commissions paid to us by insurance companies which typically are
highest in the fourth quarter;
15
Table of Contents
·
the
conversion and fulfillment rates of consumers applications;
·
new
Web sites, services and products by our competitors;
·
impairment
charges against goodwill;
·
impairment
charges against the land and building;
·
price
competition by insurance companies in the sale of insurance policies; and
·
the
level of Internet usage for insurance products and services.
In addition, we have a very long revenue cycle for
term life insurance. The time from the
date the application is requested by the customer until revenue is recorded
averages approximately three months. As
a result, substantial portions of our expenses, including selling and marketing
expenses, are incurred and recorded in the financial statements well in advance
of potential matching revenue generation.
If revenues do not meet our expectations as a result of these selling
and marketing expenses, our results of operations will be negatively affected.
Any one or more of the above-mentioned factors could
harm our business and results of operations, which makes quarterly predictions
difficult and often unreliable. As a
result, we believe that quarter-to-quarter comparisons of our operating results
are not necessarily meaningful and not good indicators of our future
performance. Due to the above-mentioned
and other factors, it is possible that in one or more future quarters our
operating results will fall below the expectations of securities analysts and
investors. If this happens, the trading
price of our common stock would likely decrease.
We must
further develop our brand recognition in order to remain competitive
There are many other insurance
brokers, insurance carriers and Web sites that offer services that are
competitive with our services.
Therefore, we believe that broader recognition and a favorable consumer
perception of the Insure.com brand is essential to our future success. Accordingly, we intend to continue to pursue
an aggressive brand-enhancement strategy consisting of advertising, online
marketing, and promotional efforts. If
these expenditures do not result in a sufficient increase in revenues to cover
these additional selling and marketing expenses, our business, results of
operations and financial condition would be harmed.
The sale of internet leads for lines
of insurance other than life insurance may not generate a material amount of
revenues for us
As part of our marketing strategy, we sell internet
traffic that comes to our Web site and indicates an interest in an insurance
product other than life insurance to third party Web sites and others in order
to increase the realized revenue from visitors to our Web site, and at times
have sold excess life insurance leads.
We generated fee revenues totaling approximately $479,000 during the
three months ended March 31, 2009, and approximately $2.6 million from
these sources during the year ended December 31, 2008. Most of the agreements with these third
parties permit either party to terminate the agreement with short notice. As a result, we cannot assure you that any of
these relationships or agreements will be profitable or generate any material
amount of revenues in the future or not be renegotiated. If our sales of non-life insurance traffic do
not meet our expectations regarding revenues and earnings, our business could
be harmed.
If we lose any of our key executive
officers our business may suffer because we rely on their knowledge of our
business
We believe that our success is significantly dependent
upon the continued employment and collective skills of our executive officers,
including founder and Chief Executive Officer, Robert S. Bland, and Executive
Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, William V. Thoms. We maintain key man life insurance policies
on Messrs. Bland and Thoms and both of these officers have entered into
employment contracts with us. The loss
of either of these two executives or any of our other key executive officers
could harm us.
The former owner of Life Quotes has a limited non-competition agreement
with us.
16
Table
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Kenneth Manley, the former owner of Life Quotes, has a
non-competition agreement with us that prevents him from competing with us for
up to six years. However, the agreement
allows Manley to form a life insurance agency with members of his family
provided that he acts only as a general agent placing business through
Insure.com as managing general agent. He
is limited to being able to produce a maximum of $2 million per year in
commissionable premium, subject to annual inflationary adjustments. This arrangement could result in Manley
obtaining business that we might otherwise have obtained directly.
Risks Related to the Insurance Industry
The current economic crisis could
lead to reduced capacity in the life insurance industry
During recent months, concerns have
been raised regarding the economic viability of the parent holding companies of
some large US life insurance companies.
The most notable example is AIG, the parent company of American General
Life Insurance Company and Unites States Life Insurance Company. AIG received billions of dollars of federal
bail-out assistance, including direct U.S. Government investment and provision
of a multi-billion dollar credit facility.
While assurances have been given regarding the viability of the life
insurance subsidiaries of these affected holding companies, a continued
deterioration of the credit markets could lead to a reduction in the capacity
of life insurers to accept new business.
Life insurance capacity could also be constrained by a deterioration in
the financial viability of foreign and domestic life reinsurance companies. Should there be a reduction in life insurance
capacity, life insurance premiums will likely increase and underwriting
guidelines could be tightened, and our business could be harmed.
Our bonus
commission revenues are highly unpredictable and may cause fluctuations in our
operating results
Our bonus commission revenues
relate to the amount of premiums paid for new insurance policies to a single
insurance company. In other words, if
consumers purchase policies from a fewer number of insurance companies our
bonus commissions may be higher than if the same policies were purchased from a
larger number of insurance companies.
The decision to purchase a policy from a particular insurance company
typically relates to, among other factors, price of the policy and rating of
the insurance company, both of which are factors over which we have no
control. Insurance companies often
change their prices in the middle of the year for competitive reasons. This may reduce the number of policies placed
with that insurance company which may then reduce our potential bonus
commissions. In addition, we have no
control over the bonus commission rates that are set by each individual
insurance company. As a result of these
factors, we are unable to control the amount and timing of bonus commission
revenues we receive in any particular quarter or year and these amounts may
fluctuate significantly. Bonus
commission revenues were $710,000 for the three months ended March 31,
2009 and $2.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2008.
The insurance sales industry is
intensely competitive, and if we fail to successfully compete in this industry
our market share and business will be harmed
The markets for the products and
services we offer are intensely competitive and characterized by rapidly
changing technology, evolving regulatory requirements and changing consumer
demands. We compete with traditional
insurance distribution channels, including insurance agents and brokers, new
non-traditional channels such as commercial banks and savings and loan
associations, and a growing number of direct distributors including other
online services, such as IntelliQuote and SelectQuote.
We also potentially face competition from a number of
large online services that have expertise in developing online commerce and in
facilitating a high volume of Internet traffic for or on behalf of our
competitors. For instance, some of our
competitors have relationships with major electronic commerce companies. Other large companies with strong brand
recognition, technical expertise and experience in online commerce and direct
marketing could also seek to compete in the online insurance market.
There can be no assurance that we will be able to
successfully compete with any of these current or potential insurance
providers.
17
Table
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Insurance companies that have appointed us as
agents may cancel those appointments
Most of our agency contracts allow
the insurance company to cancel our agency appointment at any time. Should any of the companies with which we
place significant amounts of business decide to cancel our appointments, our
business could be harmed.
Risks Related to Regulation
Our compliance with the strict regulatory
environment applicable to the insurance industry is costly, and if we fail to
comply with the numerous laws and regulations that govern the industry we could
be subject to penalties
We must comply with the complex rules and
regulations of each jurisdictions insurance department which impose strict and
burdensome guidelines on us regarding our operations. Compliance with these rules and
regulations imposes significant costs on our business. Each jurisdictions insurance department
typically has the power, among other things, to:
·
authorize
how, by which personnel and under what circumstances an insurance premium can
be quoted and published;
·
approve
which entities can be paid commissions from insurance companies;
·
license
insurance agents and brokers;
·
monitor
the activity of our non-licensed customer service representatives; and
·
approve
policy forms and regulate some premium rates.
Due to the complexity, periodic modification and
differing statutory interpretations of these laws, we may not have always been
and we may not always be in compliance with all these laws. In addition, we have at times been subject to
regulatory action for failing to comply with these laws. Failure to comply with these numerous laws in
the future could result in fines, additional licensing requirements or the
revocation of our license in the particular jurisdiction. These penalties could significantly increase
our general operating expenses and harm our business. In addition, even if the allegations in any
regulatory action against us turn out to be false, negative publicity relating
to any allegations could result in a loss of consumer confidence and
significant damage to our brand. We
believe that because many consumers and insurance companies are not yet
comfortable with the concept of purchasing insurance online, the publicity
relating to any such regulatory or legal issues could harm our business.
If we
become subject to legal liability for the information we distribute on our Web
site or communicate to our customers, our business could be harmed
Our customers rely upon information we provide
regarding insurance quotes, coverage, exclusions, limitations and ratings. To the extent that the information we provide
is not accurate, we could be liable for damages from both consumers and
insurance companies. These types of
claims have been brought, sometimes successfully, against agents, online
services and print publications in the past.
These types of claims could be time-consuming and expensive to defend,
divert managements attention, and could cause consumers to lose confidence in
our service. As a result, these types of
claims, whether or not successful, could harm our business, financial condition
and results of operations.
In addition, because we have not been appointed as an
agent for all of the life insurance companies quoted on our Web site, we do not
have contractual authorization to publish information regarding the policies
from insurance companies for whom we are not appointed. Several of these insurance companies have in
the past demanded that we cease publishing their policy information and others
may do so in the future. In some cases
we have published information despite these demands. If we are required to stop publishing
information regarding some of the insurance policies that we track in our
database, it could harm us.
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Table of Contents
Risks Related to the Internet and Electronic
Commerce
Any failures of, or capacity
constraints in, our systems or the systems of third parties on which we rely
could reduce or limit visitors to our Web site and harm our ability to generate
revenue
We use both internally developed and third-party
systems to operate our service. If the
number of users of our service increases substantially, we will need to
significantly expand and upgrade our technology, transaction processing systems
and network infrastructure. We do not know
whether we will be able to accurately project the rate or timing of any of
these increases, or expand and upgrade our systems and infrastructure to
accommodate these increases in a timely manner.
Our ability to facilitate transactions successfully and provide high
quality customer service also depends on the efficient and uninterrupted
operation of our computer and communications hardware systems. Our service has experienced periodic system
interruptions, and it is likely that these interruptions will continue to occur
from time to time. Additionally, our
systems and operations are vulnerable to damage or interruption from human
error, natural disasters, power loss, telecommunication failures, break-ins,
sabotage, computer viruses, acts of vandalism and similar events. We may not carry sufficient business
interruption insurance to compensate for losses that could occur. Any system failure that causes an
interruption in service or decreases the responsiveness of our service would
impair our revenue-generating capabilities, and could damage our reputation and
our brand name.
Our
success depends, in part, on our ability to protect our proprietary technology
We believe that our success depends, in part, on
protecting our intellectual property.
Other than our trademarks, most of our intellectual property consists of
proprietary or confidential information that is not subject to patent or
similar protection. Competitors may
independently develop similar or superior products, software or business
models.
We cannot guarantee that we will be able to protect
our intellectual property. Unauthorized
third parties may try to copy our products or business model or use our
confidential information to develop competing products. Legal standards relating to the validity,
enforceability and scope of protection of proprietary rights in
Internet-related businesses are uncertain and still evolving. As a result, we cannot predict the future
viability or value of our proprietary rights and those of other companies within
the industry.
We may be
subject to claims of infringement that may be costly to resolve and, if
successful, could harm our business
Our business activities and
products may infringe upon the proprietary rights of others. Parties may assert valid or invalid
infringement claims against us. Any
infringement claims and resulting litigation, should it occur, could subject us
to significant liability for damages and could result in invalidation of our
proprietary rights. Even if we
eventually won, any resulting litigation could be time-consuming and expensive
to defend and could divert our managements attention.
If we are unable to adapt to the
rapid technological change in our industry, we will not remain competitive and
our business will suffer
Our market is characterized by rapidly changing
technologies, frequent new product and service introductions, and evolving
industry standards. The recent growth of
the Internet and intense competition in our industry exacerbate these market
characteristics. Our future success will
depend on our ability to adapt to rapidly changing technologies by continually
improving the features and reliability of our database and service. We may experience difficulties that could delay
or prevent the successful introduction or marketing of new products and
services. In addition, new enhancements
must meet the requirements of our current and prospective customers and must
achieve significant market acceptance.
We could also incur substantial costs if we need to modify our service
or infrastructures or adapt our technology to respond to these changes.
Demand for our services may be
reduced if we are unable to safeguard the security and privacy of our customers
information
A significant barrier to electronic commerce and online
communications has been the need for secure transmission of confidential
information over the Internet. Our
ability to secure the transmission of confidential information over the
Internet is essential in maintaining consumer and insurance company confidence
in our service. In addition, because we
handle confidential and sensitive information about our customers, any security
breaches would damage our reputation and could expose us to litigation and
liability. We cannot guarantee that our
systems will prevent security breaches.
19
Table
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Risks Related to the Ownership of
Our Common Stock
Zions Bancorporation, together
with two of our officers and directors, own a significant portion of our stock
and control Insure.com and their interests may not be the same as our public
stockholders
As of April 30, 2009, Robert Bland, our chairman,
President and Chief Executive Officer, directly or indirectly controlled
approximately 31% of our outstanding common stock, William Thoms, our Executive
Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, directly controlled approximately
8% of our outstanding common stock, and Zions Bancorporation controlled
approximately 35% of our common stock. As a result, if Zions and Messrs. Bland
and Thoms act together, or if Zions and Mr. Bland act together, they will
be able to take any of the following actions without the approval of additional
public stockholders:
·
elect
our directors;
·
amend
certain provisions of our certificate of incorporation,
·
approve
a merger, sale of assets or other major corporate transaction;
·
defeat
any takeover attempt, even if it would be beneficial to our public
stockholders; and
·
otherwise
control the outcome of all matters submitted for a stockholder vote.
If these persons act
together and take any of the actions described above, the interests of our
other stockholders may be harmed. For
example, these persons could discourage or prevent potential mergers, takeovers
or other change of control transactions that could be beneficial to our public
stockholders, which could adversely affect the market price of our common
stock. They may also be able to prevent
or frustrate attempts to replace or remove incumbent management through their
ability to elect directors. Furthermore,
they may choose to advance their own interests at the expense of other
stockholders, such as by acting to entrench themselves in a management position
or electing themselves as directors.
The investor rights agreement we signed with
Zions contains supermajority board voting provisions that could make it more
difficult for stockholders to change the policies of our Board of Directors and
elect new members to our Board of Directors
So long as Zions holds 40% of the shares issued to
them, the investor rights agreement we signed with Zions gives Zions the right
to nominate or appoint one member of our Board of Directors. We must also receive a vote of 75% of our
directors for us to:
·
authorize, issue
or sell any equity security (including options), other than certain specified
options or pursuant to our employee stock purchase plan (of which there are
presently 321,197 options available for grant under our stock option plans and
63,929 shares available for purchase under our employee stock purchase plan):
·
increase the
authorized number of shares of our stock;
·
enter into any
registration rights agreement;
·
repurchase or
redeem any of our securities other than on a pro rata basis;
·
(i) merge,
combine or consolidate with, or agree to merge, combine or consolidate with any
entity, (ii) purchase, or agree to purchase all or substantially all of
the securities of, any entity, or (iii) purchase, or agree to purchase,
all or substantially all of the assets and properties of, or otherwise acquire,
or agree to acquire, all or any portion of, any entity, in each case, for
consideration in an amount, which when combined with all other such
transactions in a fiscal year, exceeds $5,000,000;
·
(i) merge,
combine or consolidate with, or agree to merge, combine or consolidate with any
entity in which it is not the surviving entity or (ii) sell, assign,
convey, transfer, lease or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of its
assets;
20
Table
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·
sell or dispose
of business or assets in excess of $1,000,000;
·
alter or change
materially and adversely the rights of holders of our common stock;
·
incur
indebtedness or guarantees in excess of $2,500,000 individually or $5,000,000
in the aggregate;
·
amend or propose
to amend our charter or bylaws
·
liquidate,
dissolve, recapitalize, or effect a stock split or reverse stock split, or
obligate ourselves to do so;
·
engage in any
other business other than the business we are currently engaged in; or
·
declare any
dividends or distributions.
The supermajority
provision, combined with Zions right to nominate or appoint one member of our
Board of Directors, could discourage others from initiating a potential merger,
takeover or another change of control transaction that could be beneficial to
our public stockholders. In addition
this supermajority provision could make it more difficult for stockholders to
change the members and policies of the Board of Directors because any of the
actions described above would require the approval of six of our seven
directors. As a result, the market price
of our stock could be harmed.
If Zions
chooses to sell its stock, the market price of our common stock could decrease
and our ability to raise capital in the public markets may be adversely
affected
Zions currently owns
2,363,636 shares of our common stock.
Sales of significant amounts of these shares, or the perception that
such sales will occur, could adversely affect the market price of our common
stock or our future ability to raise capital through an offering of equity
securities or debt securities convertible into equity securities.
If our remaining goodwill becomes
impaired, we will be required to write off some or all of it against earnings,
which may negatively impact the price of our common stock
Our balance sheet contains goodwill in the amount of
$3.1 million as a result of our 2004 purchase of certain of the assets of Life
Quotes, Inc. While goodwill is not
amortized, it is subject to periodic reviews for impairment (at least annually,
or more frequently if impairment indicators arise). We review goodwill for impairment
periodically and whenever events or changes in business circumstances indicate
that the carrying value of the assets may not be recoverable. Such impairment reviews are performed at the
entity level with respect to goodwill, as we have one reporting unit. Under those circumstances, if the fair value
were less than the carrying amount of the entity, an indicator of impairment
would exist and further analysis would be required to determine whether or not
a loss would need to be charged against current period earnings. No indicators of impairment were noticed in
our December 31, 2008 impairment review.
The determination of fair value and the impairment are based on a
combination of a market valuation based on a comparison with similar public
companies (guideline company method) and a discounted cash flow analysis, which
includes making various judgmental assumptions, including assumptions about
future cash flows, growth rates and discount rates. The use of different estimates or assumptions
could produce different results.
During 2009, and for as long as we have goodwill on
our balance sheet, we will continue to review for indicators of goodwill
impairment. If it were determined that
the fair value of the entity were less than the carrying amount of the entity,
an additional impairment charge could be recorded. Recording such a charge would decrease
earnings and could lead to a decline in the price of our common stock.
As a relatively small company
with a history of operating losses, the future trading market for our stock may
not be active on a consistent basis, which may make it difficult for you to
sell your shares
The
trading volume of our stock depends in part on our ability to increase our
revenue and reduce or eliminate our operating losses, which may increase the
attractiveness of our stock as an investment, thereby leading to a more liquid
market for our stock on a consistent basis.
If we are unable to achieve these goals, or an active market does not develop,
the trading market for our stock may be negatively affected, which may make it
difficult for you to sell your shares.
If an active and liquid trading market does not exist for our common
stock, you may have difficulty selling your shares.
21
Table
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Our common stock is currently
trading at low prices, which could further reduce the liquidity of the market
for, and the price of, our common stock
We believe that the
current per share price level of our common stock has reduced the effective
marketability of our shares of common stock because of the reluctance of many
leading brokerage firms to recommend low-priced stock to their clients. Certain investors view low-priced stock as
speculative and unattractive, although certain other investors may be attracted
to low-priced stock because of the greater trading volatility sometimes
associated with such securities. In addition,
a variety of brokerage house policies and practices tend to discourage
individual brokers within those firms from dealing in low-priced stock. Such policies and practices pertain to the
payment of brokers commissions and to time-consuming procedures that function
to make the handling of low-priced stocks unattractive to brokers from an
economic standpoint.
In addition, because
brokerage commissions on low-priced stock generally represent a higher
percentage of the stock price than commissions on higher-priced stock, the
current share price of the common stock can result in individual stockholders
paying transaction costs (commissions, markups or markdowns) that represent a
higher percentage of their total share value than would be the case if the
share price were substantially higher. This factor also may limit the willingness of
institutions to purchase the common stock at its current low share price.
We believe that the
current price of our common stock may have a negative impact on the liquidity
and price of our common stock and investors may find it more difficult to
purchase or dispose of, or to obtain accurate quotations as to the market value
of, our common stock.
Certain provisions in our charter
documents and Delaware law, together with our concentration of stock ownership
in a few persons, could discourage takeover attempts and lead to management
entrenchment
Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws and
Delaware law contain anti-takeover provisions that could have the effect of
delaying or preventing changes in control that a stockholder may consider
favorable. The provisions in our charter
documents include the following:
·
we have a
classified Board of Directors with three-year staggered terms that will delay
the ability of stockholders to change the membership on the Board of Directors;
·
our Board of
Directors has the ability to issue shares of preferred stock and to determine
the price and other terms, including preferences and voting rights, of those
shares without stockholder approval;
·
stockholder
action may be taken only at a special or regular meeting; and
·
we have advance
notice procedures that must be complied with by stockholders for them to
nominate candidates to our Board of Directors.
Our preferred stock purchase rights could cause
substantial dilution to any person or group who attempts to acquire a
significant interest in Insure.com without advance approval of our Board of
Directors. We have amended our rights
plan to exempt acquisitions of shares of our common stock by Zions from the
operation of the rights plan. In
addition, certain of our executive officers have employment agreements that may
entitle them to substantial payments in the event of a change of control. We entered into amendments to our employment
agreements with Messrs. Bland and Thoms that exempted the issuance of
stock to Zions from constituting a change of control under these employment
agreements.
Furthermore, as of April 30, 2009, Messrs. Bland
and Thoms, together with Zions, directly or indirectly controlled approximately
74% of our outstanding common stock.
This high concentration of stock ownership, together with the
anti-takeover measures described above, could prevent or frustrate attempts to
remove or replace incumbent management, including Messrs. Bland and
Thoms. These persons may act to further
their interests as management rather than the interests of the public
stockholders.
The foregoing could have the effect of delaying,
deferring or preventing a change in control of Insure.com, discourage bids for
our common stock at a premium over the market price, or harm the market price
of, and the voting and other rights of the holders of, our common stock. We also are subject to Delaware laws that
could have similar effects. One of these
laws prohibits
22
Table
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us from engaging in a business combination with any significant
stockholder for a period of three years from the date the person became a
significant stockholder unless specific conditions are met.
Item
2.
Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of
Proceeds
c.
Issuer purchases of
equity securities. On July 24,
2008, the Companys Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to
600,000 shares of its common stock.
Following is information concerning the results of those programs during
the quarter ended March 31, 2009:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total Number of
|
|
Maximum Number of
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
Average
|
|
Shares Purchased as Part
|
|
Shares that May Yet Be
|
|
|
|
Number of
|
|
Price Paid
|
|
of Publicly Announced
|
|
Purchased Under the
|
|
Period
|
|
Shares
|
|
Per Share
|
|
Plans or Programs
|
|
Plans or Programs
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
January 1
through
January 31, 2009
|
|
200
|
|
$
|
3.14
|
|
200
|
|
486,810
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
February 1
through
February 28, 2009
|
|
800
|
|
$
|
3.34
|
|
1,000
|
|
486,010
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
March 1
through
March 31, 2009
|
|
7700
|
|
$
|
2.25
|
|
8,700
|
|
478,310
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
8,700
|
|
$
|
2.37
|
|
8,700
|
|
478,310
|
|
Item 3. Defaults
Upon Senior Securities
Not applicable.
Item
4. Submission of Matters To a Vote of
Security Holders
None.
Item 5. Other
Information
Not applicable.
Item 6. Exhibits
Exhibit Number
|
|
Description
|
3.1
|
|
Restated Certificate of Incorporation*
|
3.2
|
|
Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Company*
|
23
Table of Contents
31.1
|
|
Statement of Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to
Section 302
|
31.2
|
|
Statement of Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to
Section 302
|
32.1
|
|
Statement of Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to
Section 1350
|
32.2
|
|
Statement of Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to
Section 1350
|
* Incorporated
by reference to the Companys Registration statement on Form S-1 (Registration
no. 333-7935), initially filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 26,
1999, as amended.
24
Table of Contents
Signature
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the Registrant has caused this report to be
signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
|
INSURE.COM,
INC.
|
|
|
Date: May 8, 2009
|
|
|
By: /s/ PHILLIP A.
PERILLO
|
|
Phillip A. Perillo
|
|
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
|
|
(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)
|
25
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