Priority Technology Holdings Inc
For the period ended Dec 31, 2024. Filed Mar 6, 2025.
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FY2024 · Filed Mar 6, 2025
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1. Nature of Business and Significant Accounting Policies
- Nature of Business and Significant Accounting Policies
The Business
Priority is a paymentsand banking fintech that streamlines collecting, storing, lending and sending money through its innovative commerce engine (the “Priority Commerce Engine” or “PCE”) to unlock revenue opportunities and generate operational success for businesses. Our mission is to provide a personalized financial toolset to accelerate cashflow and optimize working capital for our customers by providing merchant services, payables and banking & treasury solutions.
The Company operates from a purpose-built business platform that includes tailored customer service offerings and bespoke technology development, allowing the Company to provide end-to-end solutions for payment and payment-adjacent needs.
The Company provides its services through the following reportable segments:
SMB Payments: Provides full-service acquiring and payment-enabled solutions for B2C transactions, leveraging Priority's proprietary software platform, distributed through ISO, direct sales and vertically focused ISV channels.
B2B Payments: Provides market-leading AP automation solutions to corporations, software partners and industry leading FIs (including Citibank, Visa and Mastercard) in addition to improving cash flows by providing instant access to working capital.
For additional information about our reportable segments, see Note 19. Segment Information.
To provide many of its services, the Company enters into agreements with payment processors which in turn, have agreements with multiple card associations. These card associations comprise an alliance aligned with insured FIs ("member banks") that work in conjunction with various local, state, territory and federal government agencies to make the rules and guidelines regarding the use and acceptance of credit and the card associations. The Company has multiple sponsorship bank agreements and is itself a registered ISO with Visa. The Company is also a registered member service provider with Mastercard. The Company's sponsorship agreements allow the capture and processing of electronic data in a format to allow such data to flow through networks for clearing and fund settlement of merchant transactions. The Company also offers money transmission services inforty six U.S. states, the District of Columbia andtwo U.S. territories.
Basis of Presentation and Consolidation
The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of the Company and its majority-owned subsidiaries. The Company generally utilizes the equity method of accounting when it has an ownership interest of between 20% and 50% in an entity, provided the Company is able to exercise significant influence over the investee's operations. All material intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
NCI represents the equity interest not owned by the Company and are recorded for consolidated entities in which the Company owns less than 100% of the interests. Changes in the Company's ownership interest while the Company retains its controlling interest are accounted for as equity transactions, and upon loss of control, retained ownership interests are remeasured at fair value, with any gain or loss recognized in earnings. There was no income or loss attributable to NCI in accordance with the applicable operating agreements for any years presented.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the Consolidated Financial Statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reported period. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates.
Significant Accounting Policies
Revenue Recognition
The Company applies the five-step model to assess its contracts with customers. At contract inception, the Company assesses the services and goods promised in its contracts with customers and identifies the performance obligation for each promise to transfer a distinct good or service to the customer. The Company recognizes revenue when it satisfies a performance obligation by transferring a service or good to the customer in an amount to which the Company expects to be entitled (i.e., transaction price) allocated to the distinct services or goods.
The Company has elected the permitted practical expedient that allows it to use the portfolio approach for many of its contracts since this approach's impact on the financial statements, when applied to a group of contracts (or performance obligations) with similar characteristics, is not materially different from the impact of applying the revenue standard on an individual contract basis. Under the portfolio practical expedient, collectability is still assessed at the individual contract level when determining if a contract exists. The Company has elected to exclude any contracts with an original duration of one year or less and any variable consideration that meets specified criteria from its disclosure of the aggregate amount of the transaction price allocated to unsatisfied performance.
In delivering payment services to the customer, the Company also provides a limited license agreement to the customer for the use of one or more of the Company's proprietary cloud-based software applications. The Company grants a right to use its software applications only when the customer has contracted with the Company to receive related payment services. When combined with the underlying payment services, the license and the payment services provided to the customer are a single stand-ready obligation and the Company's performance obligation is defined by each time increment, rather than by the underlying activities, (quantity and timing of which is not determinable), satisfied over time based on days elapsed.
In order to provide our payment services, we obtain authorization for the transaction and request funds settlement from the card issuing financial institution through the payment network. When third parties are involved in the transfer of services or goods to the customer, the Company considers the nature of each specific promised service or good and applies judgment to determine whether the Company controls the service or good before it is transferred to the customer or whether the Company is acting as an agent of the third party or principal to the customer. To determine whether the Company controls the service or good, it assesses indicators including: 1) which party is primarily responsible for fulfillment; 2) which party has discretion in determining pricing for the service or good; and 3) other considerations deemed to be applicable to the specific situation. Based on our assessment of these indicators, we have concluded that the promise to our customers to provide payment services is distinct from the services provided by the card issuing FIs and payment networks in connection with payment transactions. We do not have the ability to direct the use of and obtain substantially all of the benefits of the services provided by the card issuing FIs and payment networks before those services are transferred to our customer, and on that basis, we do not control those services prior to being transferred to our customer. As a result, we present our revenues net of the interchange fees retained by the card issuing FIs and the fees charged by the payment networks except for our Plastiq (B2B Payments) business where the Company is considered a merchant of record and therefore, revenue is presented on gross basis.
SMB Payments – The Company's SMB Payments segment enables the Company's customers to accept card, electronic and digital-based payments at the point of sale by providing a suite of services including authorization, settlement and funding, customer support and help-desk functions, chargeback resolution, payment security, consolidated billing and statements, and online reporting. Additionally, the Company enables customers to accept card, electronic and digital-based payments at the point of sale by providing a suite of services. The Company also earns revenue and commissions from resale of electronic POS equipment and certain subscription coupons.
Typically, revenues generated from these transactions are based on a variable percentage of the dollar amount of each transaction, and in some instances, additional fees (e.g., statement fees, annual fees and monthly minimum fees, fees for handling chargebacks, gateway fees and fees for other miscellaneous services) are charged for each transaction. The Company's sponsoring banks collect the gross merchant discount from the card holder's issuing bank, pay the interchange fees and assessments to the payment networks and credit card associations, retain their fees, and pay to the Company the net amount which represents the Company's revenue.
B2B Payments – The Company's B2B Payments segment enables the Company's customers to automate their accounts payable and other commercial payments functions with the Company's payment services that utilize physical and virtual payment cards as well as ACH transactions. The Company also provides cost-plus-fee turn-key business process outsourcing and assists commercial customers with programs that are designed to increase acceptance of Electronic Payments. Revenues are generally earned on a per-transaction basis and are recognized by the Company over time, net of certain third-party costs for interchange fees, assessments to the payment networks, credit card associations fees, sponsor bank fees and rebates to customers.
The Company's payables management software helps businesses improve cash flow with instant access to working capital, while automating and enabling control over all aspects of accounts receivable and payable. For these transactions, the Company acts as a merchant of record, therefore, considered as the principal and accordingly presents its revenue on a gross basis. The Company also offers volume rebates as an incentive to increase business and customer engagement. These rebates are presented as net of revenue.
Enterprise Payments – The Company's Enterprise Payments segment uses payment-adjacent technologies to facilitate the acceptance of Electronic Payments from customers.
Revenue from the Enterprise Payments segment consists of the following:
Enrollment fees: The revenue associated with enrollment fees is recognized at a point in time upon the receipt of a fully executed enrollment application, completion of the customer account setup, data verification and the constructive receipt of the applicable non-refundable fee.
Subscription fees: The Company recognizes monthly subscription fees as recurring maintenance fees each month during the term of the client's enrollment. Revenue from transaction-based fees is recognized over time upon constructive receipt of transaction fees for payments to creditors issued via ACH payments, paper checks or wire transfers. These fees are transferred to the Company from the customer account balances, which may be maintained by the Company in money transmission license trust accounts or by partner banks.
Interest revenue: Interest revenue is derived from certain customer balances maintained in interest bearing accounts with select partner banks.
CRM and consulting fees: CRM license fees are recognized on a monthly basis and consulting fees are recognized over time when services are performed.
A substantial portion of this segment's revenues are earned as an agent of a third party, and therefore this earned revenue is reported as a net amount within revenue.
Interest income
Interest income generated by the Company's ordinary activities (i.e. from reserves and customer deposits) are presented within outsourced services and other services revenue. See Note 3. Revenues.
Interest income from the Company's surplus cash balances, notes receivable and other investments are included within other income. Interest on notes receivable is recognized on a monthly basis and is included in other income, net.
Transaction Price Allocated to Future Performance Obligations
ASC 606 requires disclosure of the aggregate amount of the transaction price allocated to unsatisfied performance obligations. However, as allowed by ASC 606, the Company has elected to exclude from this disclosure any contracts with an original duration of one year or less and any variable consideration that meets specified criteria. As described above, the Company's most significant performance obligations consist of variable consideration under a stand-ready series of distinct days of service.
Such variable consideration meets the specified criteria for the disclosure exclusion. Therefore, the majority of the aggregate amount of transaction price that is allocated to performance obligations that have not yet been satisfied is variable consideration that is not required for this disclosure. The aggregate fixed consideration portion of customer contracts with an initial contract duration greater than one year is not material.
Cost of Services
Costs of merchant card fees primarily consist of residual payments to agents and ISOs and other third-party costs directly attributable to payment processing. The residual payments represent commissions paid to agents and ISOs based upon a percentage of the net revenues generated from merchant transactions. Costs of outsourced services and other revenue consist of salaries directly related to outsourced services revenue, the cost of equipment (point of sale terminals) sold, and third-party fees and commissions related to the Company's ACH processing activities.
For the Plastiq (B2B Payments) business, the Company acts as merchant of record and therefore transaction processing costs, including interchange fees, are presented as costs of services.
Contracts with Customers and Contract Costs
The Company accrues and pays commission expense based on variable merchant payment volumes and for certain customer service and other services provided by its ISOs. Since commission expenses are accrued and paid to ISOs on a monthly basis after the merchant enters into a new or renewed contract, these are not deemed to be a cost to acquire a new contract but they are reported within costs of services on our Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss. The ISO is typically an independent contractor or agent of the Company.
The Company may occasionally elect to buy out all or a portion of an ISO's rights to receive future commission payments related to certain merchants. Amounts paid to the ISO for these residual buyouts are capitalized and amortized over the useful life on a straight-line basis under the accounting guidance for intangible assets and included in intangible assets, net on our Consolidated Balance Sheets.
A contract with a customer creates a legal right and obligation. As the Company performs under customer contracts, its right to consideration that is unconditional is considered to be accounts receivable. If the Company's right to consideration for such performance is contingent upon a future event or satisfaction of additional performance obligations, the amount of revenues recognized in excess of the amount billed to the customer is recognized as a contract asset. Contract liabilities represent consideration received from customers in excess of revenues recognized. Material contract assets and liabilities are presented net at the individual contract level in the Consolidated Balance Sheets and are classified as current or noncurrent based on the nature of the underlying contractual rights and obligations.
Contract Acquisition Costs
The Company pays certain bonuses to its ISOs for boarding incremental merchants which the Company expects to obtain benefit from in future periods. These bonuses are recorded as contract acquisition costs and are amortized over three orfive years. Net contract acquisition costs were $8.7 million and $6.6 million at December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively. Amortization expense for contract acquisition costs for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 was $2.0 million and $1.0 million, respectively. Amortization expense for the year ended December 31, 2022, wasimmaterial.
Cash and Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash
Cash and cash equivalents includes highly liquid instruments with an original maturity of three months or less, and cash owned by the Company that is held in financial institutions. Restricted cash is held by the Company in financial institutions for the purpose of in-process customer settlements or reserves held per contact terms.
Accounts Receivable, net
Accounts receivable is stated net of allowance for current period credit losses for any uncollectible amounts and are amounts primarily due from the Company's sponsor banks for revenues earned, net of related interchange and processing fees, and do not bear interest. Other types of accounts receivable are from agents, merchants, card networks and other customers. Amounts due from sponsor banks are typically paid within 30 days following the end of each month.
Inventory
Inventory consists primarily of POS terminals and certain subscription coupons which is carried at the lower of cost or net realizable value. Cost is equal to the purchase price and other expenses incurred with acquiring the inventory and is substantially valued using the weighted average cost method. The carrying amount is reduced when items are determined to be obsolete/expired. For the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company had a write-off for obsolete inventory for $3.5 million. The Company hadno obsolete or expired inventory for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022.
For the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company had inventory in transit of $7.1 million.
Notes Receivable
Notes receivable are primarily comprised of notes receivable from ISOs under the terms of the agreements the Company preserves the right to hold back residual payments due to the ISOs and to apply such residuals against future payments due to the Company. Notes receivable are recorded at the unpaid principal balance.
Allowance for Expected Losses
The Company utilizes a combination of aging and loss-rate methodologies to develop an estimate of current expected credit losses based on the nature and risks associated with the underlying asset pool. A broad range of factors are considered during the estimation of the allowance including historical losses, adjustments for current conditions and future trends. The Company may also utilize a mix of qualitative and quantitative risk factors within its estimation. The allowance for expected loss from accounts receivable was $3.0 million and $5.3 million at December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively. As of December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, there wasno allowance for expected loss on notes receivable. See Note 5. Notes Receivable. As of December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, the allowance for expected losses on settlement assets was $7.9 million and $6.6 million, respectively. See Note 4. Settlement Assets and Customer/Subscriber Account Balances and Related Obligations. A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of allowance for expected losses is as follows for the year ended December 31, 2024:
| (in thousands) | Trade Receivables | Settlement assets |
|---|---|---|
| Balance at January 1, 2024 | $(5,289) | $(6,558) |
| Charge-offs (recoveries), net | 6,152 | 11,707 |
| Provision | (3,908) | (13,085) |
| Balance at December 31, 2024 | $(3,045) | $(7,936) |
The Company has elected not to measure expected losses for accrued interest on notes receivable but instead recognize losses for accrued interest within the period losses are incurred.
Customer Deposits and Advance Payments
The Company may receive cash payments from certain customers and vendors that require future performance obligations by the Company. Amounts associated with obligations expected to be satisfied within one year are reported in customer deposits and advance payments on the Company's Consolidated Balance Sheets and amounts associated with obligations expected to be satisfied after one year are reported as a component of other noncurrent liabilities on the Company's Consolidated Balance Sheets. These payments are subsequently recognized in the Company's Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss when the Company satisfies the performance obligations required to retain and earn these deposits and advance payments.
A vendor may make an upfront payment to the Company to offset costs that the Company incurs to integrate the vendor into the Company's operations. These upfront payments are deferred by the Company and are subsequently amortized against expense in its Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss as the related costs are incurred by the Company in accordance with the agreement with the vendor.
Investments
During the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company made an investment in an equity security, carried at the cost of $4.8 million within other noncurrent assets. The fair value of this security is not readily determinable.
Property and Equipment
Property and equipment are stated at cost, except for property and equipment acquired in a business combination, which is recorded at fair value at the time of the transaction. Depreciation is primarily calculated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets.
Expenditures for repairs and maintenance which do not extend the useful life of the respective assets are charged to expense as incurred. Expenditures that increase the value or productive capacity of assets are capitalized. At the time of retirements, sales or other dispositions of property and equipment, the original cost and related accumulated depreciation are removed from the respective accounts and the gains or losses are presented as a component of income or loss from operations.
| Property, equipment and software | Estimated Useful Life |
|---|---|
| Furniture and fixtures | 5 - 10 years |
| Equipment | 3 - 8 years |
| Computer software | 2 - 5 years |
| Leasehold improvements | 3 - 10 years |
See Note 6. Property, Equipment and Software.
Costs Incurred to Develop Software for Internal Use
Costs incurred to develop or obtain internal-use software and implementation costs are accounted for in accordance with ASC 350-40, Internal-Use Software. The Company uses an agile development methodology in which feature-by-feature updates are made to its software. The costs incurred in the preliminary stages of development are expensed as incurred. Once an application has reached the development stage, internal and external costs incurred to develop internal-use software are capitalized and amortized using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of the software, which generally range fromtwo tofive years. Maintenance costs including those in the post-implementation stages, are typically expensed as incurred, unless such costs relate to substantial upgrades and enhancements to the software that result in added functionality, in which case such costs are capitalized and amortized using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of the software.
Software development costs may become impaired in situations where development efforts are abandoned due to the viability of the planned project becoming doubtful or due to technological obsolescence of the planned software product. There wereno impairment charges associated with internal-use software for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022.
For the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, the Company capitalized software development costs of $26.1 million, $21.3 million and $16.8 million, respectively. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, capitalized software development costs, net of accumulated amortization, totaled $48.1 million and $40.6 million, respectively, and are included in property, equipment and software, net on the Consolidated Balance Sheets.
Amortization expense for capitalized software development costs for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022 was $11.8 million, $9.4 million and $6.9 million, respectively, and are included in depreciation and amortization on the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss.
Intangible Assets
Intangible assets are initially recorded at cost or fair value when acquired in connection with a business combination. The carrying value of an intangible asset acquired in an asset acquisition may subsequently be increased for contingent consideration when due to the seller and such amounts can be estimated. The portion of any unpaid purchase price that is contingent on future activities is not initially recorded by the Company on the date of acquisition. Rather, the Company recognizes contingent consideration when it becomes probable and estimable. All of the Company's intangible assets, except goodwill and money transmission licenses, have finite lives and are subject to amortization. Intangible assets consist of acquired merchant portfolios, customer relationships, ISO and referral partner relationships, residual buyouts, trade names, technology, non-compete agreements and money transmission licenses.
| Intangible Asset | Nature | Estimated Useful Life |
|---|---|---|
| ISO and Referral Partner Relationships | Acquired relationships with ISOs and referral partners | 11 – 25 years |
| Residual Buyouts | Surrender of rights to receive commissions by ISOs | 3 – 9 years |
| Customer Relationships | Acquired customer relationships | 2 – 10 years |
| Merchant Portfolios | Acquired rights to a portfolio of merchants | 5 – 10 years |
| Technology | Acquired proprietary software and website domains | 6 – 10 years |
| Trade Names and Non-compete Agreements | Acquired trade names and non-compete agreements | 3 – 10 years |
| Money Transmission Licenses | Acquired licenses to collect, store, lend and send money in forty six U.S. states, the District of Columbia and two U.S. territories. | indefinite |
Impairment of Long-lived Assets
The Company reviews its long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable. For long-lived assets, except goodwill and indefinite-lived intangibles, an impairment loss is indicated when the undiscounted future cash flows estimated to be generated by the asset group are not sufficient to recover the carrying value of the asset group. If indicated, the loss is measured as the excess of carrying value over the asset groups' fair value, as determined based on discounted future cash flows. The Company concluded there were no indications of impairment for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022. See Note 7. Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets.
Goodwill and Indefinite-lived Intangibles
The Company tests goodwill and indefinite-lived intangibles for impairment on an annual basis, or when events occur or circumstances indicate the fair value of a reporting unit is below its carrying value. The test for impairment may be a qualitative or a quantitative analysis depending on the facts and circumstances associated with the reporting unit. If the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value, an impairment loss is recorded to the extent that implied fair value of the indefinite- lived intangibles or goodwill within the reporting unit is less than its carrying value. See Note 7. Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets for further information.
Leases
The Company evaluates lease and service arrangements at lease inception to determine if the arrangement is a lease or contains a lease. Lease arrangements are evaluated at their commencement date to determine classification as operating or finance. Operating leases are reported as part of other noncurrent assets, accounts payable and accrued expenses and other noncurrent liabilities on the Company's Consolidated Balance Sheets. Finance leases, if applicable, are reported as part of property, equipment and software, net, and debt on the Company's Consolidated Balance Sheets. Leases with a term of twelve months or less ("short-term leases") are generally not included on the Company's Balance Sheets. The Company does not separate lease and non-lease components. Certain estimates and assumptions are made when determining the value of ROU Assets and the related liabilities, including when establishing the lease term and discount rates and variable lease payments (e.g., rent escalations tied to changes in the Producer Price Index). The lease term for all of the Company's leases includes the non-cancelable period of the lease adjusted for any renewal or termination options the Company is reasonably certain to exercise. The lease payment stream includes any rent escalation that is required under certain lease agreements. The Company's leases generally do not provide an implicit rate of interest, nor is it readily determinable by the Company, and as such the Company uses its incremental borrowing rate in determining the discounted value of the lease payments. Lease expense and depreciation expense, if applicable, are recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease.
Settlement Assets and Customer/Subscriber Account Balances and Related Obligations
Settlement assets and customer/subscriber account balances and the related obligations recognized on the Company's Consolidated Balance Sheets represent intermediary balances arising in the Company's settlement process for merchants and other customers. See Note 4. Settlement Assets and Customer/Subscriber Account Balances and Related Obligations.
Debt Issuance and Modification Costs
Eligible debt issuance costs associated with the Company's credit facilities are deferred and amortized to interest expense over the term of the related debt using the effective interest method. Debt issuance costs associated with Company's term debt are presented on the Company's Consolidated Balance Sheets as a direct reduction in the carrying value of the associated debt liability.
Restructuring Costs
The Company's Management approved a plan to restructure the business of its wholly owned subsidiary, PayRight. PayRight's business activity included advancing funds to customers, which did not generate the desired financial results due to changes in the economic environment, particularly the cost of capital. The restructuring plan included termination of the advancing business effective June 30, 2024. The Company included costs related to this restructuring within selling, general and administrative operating expenses and depreciation and amortization within its Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Loss for the year ended December 31, 2023. The costs include allowance for certain advances whose recoverability was impacted by the restructuring of $3.5 million and $0.3 million for accelerated depreciation and amortization of assets of the restructured business.
Acquisitions
Business Combinations and Asset Acquisitions
The Company uses the acquisition method of accounting for business combinations which requires assets acquired and liabilities assumed to be recognized at their fair values on the acquisition date. Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of the net assets acquired. The fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed are determined based upon the valuation of the acquired business and involves making significant estimates and assumptions based on facts and circumstances that existed as of the acquisition date. The Company uses a measurement period following the acquisition date to gather information that existed as of the acquisition date that is needed to determine the fair value of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed. The measurement period ends once all information is obtained, but no later than one year from the acquisition date.
The Company accounts for a transaction as an asset acquisition when substantially all of the fair value of the gross assets acquired is concentrated in a single identifiable asset or group of similar identifiable assets, or otherwise does not meet the definition of a business. Asset acquisition-related costs are capitalized as part of the asset or assets acquired.
Contingent Consideration
Contingent consideration related to the Company's business combinations are estimated based on the present value of a weighted payout probability at the measurement date using a Monte Carlo simulation model. This valuation falls within Level 3 on the fair value hierarchy. A change in inputs in the valuation techniques used might result in a significantly higher or lower fair value measurement than what is reported. The current portion of contingent consideration is included in accounts payable and accrued expenses on the Company's Consolidated Balance Sheets and the noncurrent portion of contingent consideration is included in other noncurrent liabilities on the Company's Consolidated Balance Sheets.
For asset acquisitions that do not meet the definition of a business, the portion of the unpaid purchase price that is contingent on future activities is not recorded by the Company on the date of acquisition, but when it becomes probable and can be estimated.
Non-controlling Interests
Occasionally, the Company issues common equity and non-voting incentive units within its subsidiaries. The Company is the majority owner of these subsidiaries and, therefore, the common equity and incentive units are deemed to be NCI. NCI is valued based on the events and methodologies including the acquisition-date fair value or the option pricing method.
To estimate the initial fair value of the incentive units, the Company utilizes future cash flow scenarios with focus on those cash flow scenarios which could result in future distributions to the NCIs. In subsequent periods, income or loss will be attributed to an NCI based on the hypothetical liquidation at book value method utilizing the terms of the operating agreement between the Company and the NCI.
As the majority owner, the Company has call rights on the incentive units issued to the NCIs. These call rights can only be executed under certain circumstances and execution is always optional at the Company's discretion. The call rights do not meet the definition of a free-standing financial instrument or derivative; thus no separate accounting is required for these call rights.
Accrued Residual Commissions
Accrued residual commissions consist of amounts due to ISOs and independent sales agents based on a percentage of the net revenues generated from the Company's merchant customers referred by the respective ISO and independent sales agent. Percentages vary based on the program type and transaction volume of each merchant. Residual commission expenses were $426.6 million, $415.1 million and $396.2 million, respectively, for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, and are included in costs of services in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss.
ISO Deposit and Loss Reserve
ISOs may partner with the Company in an exclusive partner program in which ISOs are given negotiated pricing in exchange for bearing the risk of loss. Through the arrangement, the Company accepts deposits on behalf of the ISO and a reserve account is established by the Company. All amounts maintained by the Company are included in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets as other noncurrent liabilities, which are directly offset by restricted cash accounts owned by the Company of $5.2 million and $6.4 million as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
Stock-based Compensation
The Company recognizes the cost resulting from all stock-based payment transactions in the financial statements at grant date fair value. Stock-based compensation expense is recognized over the requisite service period and is reflected in salary and employee benefits expense on the Company's Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss. Awards generally vest over three orfour years and may not vest evenly over the vesting period. The effects of forfeitures are recognized as they occur. All shares issued from option exercises or vesting of PSU and RSU awards are original issuance shares and any shares withheld for taxes are repurchased by the Company.
The Company measures a liability award under a stock-based compensation payment arrangement based on the award's fair value remeasured at each reporting date until the date of settlement. Compensation cost for each period until settlement is based on the change (or a portion of the change, depending on the percentage of the requisite service that has been rendered at the reporting date) in the fair value of the instrument for each reporting period. The Company had no liability classified awards for the year ended December 31, 2024, 2023, and 2022.
Stock Options
Under the Company's 2018 Plan, the Company determines the fair value of stock options using the Black-Scholes option pricing model, which requires the use of the following subjective assumptions:
Expected volatility – Measure of the amount by which a stock price has fluctuated or is expected to fluctuate. In 2018, when the Company's outstanding stock options were granted, there was a relatively short amount of time that the Company's Common Stock (Nasdaq: PRTH) were traded on a public market, the Company utilized volatility data for the Common Stock of a peer group of comparable public companies. An increase in the expected volatility would increase the fair value of the stock option and related compensation expense.
Risk-free interest rate – U.S. Treasury rate for a stripped-principal treasury note as of the grant date having a term equal to the expected term of the stock option. An increase in the risk-free interest rate will increase the fair value of the stock option and related compensation expense.
Expected term – Period of time over which the stock options granted are expected to remain outstanding. In 2018, when the Company's outstanding stock options were granted, the Company lacked sufficient exercise information for its stock option plan since it was a newly public company. Accordingly, the Company used a method permitted by the SEC whereby the expected term was estimated to be the mid-point between the vesting dates and the expiration dates of the stock option grants. An increase in the expected term will increase the fair value of the stock option and the related compensation expense.
Dividend yield – The Company uses an amount of zero as the Company has paid no cash or stock dividends and does not anticipate doing so in the foreseeable future. An increase in the dividend yield will decrease the fair value of the stock option and the related compensation expenses.
If a participant terminates employment with the Company, vested options may be exercised for a short period of time while unvested options are forfeited. However, in any event, a stock option will expireten years from the date of the grant.
Service-based restricted stock awards
The fair value of time-based restricted stock awards is determined based on the quoted closing price of the Company's Common Stock on the business day prior to the grant date and is recognized as compensation expense over the vesting term of the awards.
Performance-based restricted stock awards
The Company accounts for its performance-based restricted stock awards based on the quoted closing price of the Company's Common Stock on the business day prior to the grant date, adjusted for any market-based vesting criteria, and records stock-based compensation expense over the vesting term of the awards based on the probability that the performance criteria will be achieved. The performance goals may be work-related goals for the individual recipient and/or based on certain corporate performance goals. The Company reassesses the probability of vesting at each reporting period and prospectively adjusts stock-based compensation expense based on its probability assessment. Additionally, if performance goals are set or reset on an annual basis, compensation cost is recognized in any reporting period only for performance-based restricted stock awards in which the performance goals have been established and communicated to the award recipient.
Non-voting Incentive Units
The Company issued non-voting incentive units to certain employees and partners inseven subsidiaries. These non-voting incentive units were determined to be equity and are accounted for under ASC 718 Stock Compensation. The non-voting incentive units are either fully vested when granted, or vest according to the service period and/or performance measure noted in the grant agreement. As the non-voting incentive units are vested, they are recognized as NCI to the Company, who is the majority owner of the subsidiaries.
Employee Stock Purchase Program
The 2021 Employee Stock Purchase plan authorizes the issuance of shares of the Company’s Common Stock pursuant to purchase rights granted to employees. The fair value of purchase rights issued under the Employee Stock purchase Plan is estimated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The model requires management to make a number of assumptions, including the fair value of the Company’s Common Stock, expected volatility, expected term, risk-free interest rate, and expected dividends. The Company records the resulting compensation expense in the Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss over each three-month offering period. See Note 14. Stock-based Compensation.
Repurchased Stock
Pursuant to the provisions of ASC 505-30, Treasury Stock, the Company has elected to apply the cost method when accounting for treasury stock resulting from the repurchase of its Common Stock. Under the cost method, the gross cost of the shares reacquired is charged to a contra equity account, treasury stock. The equity accounts that were originally credited for the original share issuance, Common Stock and additional paid-in capital, remain intact. See Note 13. Shareholders' Deficit.
If the treasury shares are ever reissued in the future, proceeds in excess of repurchased cost will be credited to additional paid-in capital. Any deficiency will be charged to retained earnings (accumulated deficit), unless additional paid-in capital from previous treasury stock transactions exists, in which case the deficiency will be charged to that account, with any excess charged to retained earnings (accumulated deficit). If treasury stock is reissued in the future, a cost flow assumption (e.g., FIFO, LIFO or specific identification) will be adopted to compute excesses and deficiencies upon subsequent share reissuance.
Earnings (Loss) per Share
Basic EPS is computed by dividing net income (loss) available to Common Shareholders by the weighted-average number of shares of Common Stock outstanding during the period, excluding the effects of any potentially dilutive securities. Diluted EPS gives effect to the potential dilution, if any, that could occur if securities or other contracts to issue Common Stock were exercised or converted into Common Stock, using the more dilutive of the two-class method or if-converted method. Diluted EPS excludes potential shares of Common Stock if their effect is anti-dilutive. If there is a net loss in any period, basic and diluted EPS are computed in the same manner. See Note 13. Shareholders' Deficit.
Income Taxes
The Company accounts for income taxes under the asset and liability method. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on differences between financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities and are measured using enacted tax rates and laws that are expected to be in effect when the differences are expected to be recovered or settled. Realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon future taxable income. A valuation allowance is recognized if it is more likely than not that some portion or all of a deferred tax asset will not be realized based on the weight of available evidence, including expected future earnings.
The Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, Staff has provided additional guidance to address the accounting for the effects of the provisions related to the taxation of Global Intangible Low-Tax Income noting that companies should make an accounting policy election to recognize deferred taxes for temporary basis differences expected to reverse in future years or to include the tax expense in the year it is incurred. The Company has made a policy election to recognize such taxes as current period expenses when incurred.
The Company recognizes an uncertain tax position in its financial statements when it concludes that a tax position is more likely than not to be sustained upon examination based solely on its technical merits. Only after a tax position passes the first step of recognition will measurement be required. Under the measurement step, the tax benefit is measured as the largest amount of benefit that is more likely than not to be realized upon effective settlement. This is determined on a cumulative probability basis. The full impact of any change in recognition or measurement is reflected in the period in which such change occurs. The Company recognized interest and penalties associated with uncertain tax positions as a component of income tax expense. See Note 12. Income Taxes.
Fair Value Measurements
The Company measures certain assets and liabilities at fair value. Fair value is defined as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The Company uses a three-level fair value hierarchy to prioritize the inputs used to measure fair value and maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs. The three levels of inputs used to measure fair value are as follows:
Level 1 – Quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities as of the reporting date.
Level 2 – Observable market-based inputs or unobservable inputs that are corroborated by market data.
Level 3 – Unobservable inputs that are not corroborated by market data.
The fair values of the Company's merchant portfolios, assets and liabilities acquired in mergers and business combinations, and contingent consideration are primarily based on Level 3 inputs and are generally estimated based upon valuation techniques that include discounted cash flow analysis based on cash flow projections or Monte Carlo simulations and, for years beyond the projection period, estimates based on assumed growth rates. Assumptions are also made regarding appropriate discount rates, perpetual growth rates, and capital expenditures, among others. In certain circumstances, the discounted cash flow analysis or Monte Carlo simulation is corroborated by a market-based approach that utilizes comparable company public trading values and, where available, values observed in public market transactions.
The carrying values of accounts and notes receivable, accounts payable and accrued expenses, long-term debt, restricted cash and cash and cash equivalents, including settlement assets and the associated deposit liabilities, approximate their fair values due to either the short-term nature of such instruments or the fact that the interest rate of the debt is based upon current market rates. See Note 18. Fair Value.
Foreign Currency
The Company's reporting currency is the U.S. dollar. The functional currency of the Indian subsidiary of the Company is Indian Rupee (i.e. local currency of Republic of India). The functional currency of the Canadian subsidiary of the Company is the Canadian Dollar. Accordingly, assets and liabilities denominated in a foreign currency are translated into U.S. dollars at the current exchange rate on the last day of the reporting period. Revenues and expenses are translated using the average exchange rate in effect during the reporting period. Translation adjustments are reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss).
Concentration of Risk
A substantial portion of the Company's revenues and receivables are attributable to merchants. For the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, no individual merchant customer accounted for 10% or more of the Company's consolidated revenues. Most of the Company's merchant customers were referred to the Company by an ISO or other reseller partners. If the Company's agreement with an ISO allows the ISO to have merchant portability rights, the ISO can move the underlying merchant relationships to another merchant acquirer upon notice to the Company and completion of a "wind down"
period. For the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, merchants referred by one ISO organization with merchant portability rights generated revenue within the Company's SMB Payments reportable segment that represented approximately 6%,15% and 21%, respectively, of the Company's consolidated revenues.
As of December 31, 2024, the Company's settlement assets and customer /subscriber account balances of $940.8 million includes cash and cash equivalents of $924.2 million related to customer account balances which are maintained in FDIC insured accounts with certain FIs. See Note 4. Settlement Assets and Customer/Subscriber Account Balances and Related Obligations.
A majority of the Company's cash and restricted cash (including subscriber account balances) is held in certain FIs, substantially all of which is in excess of FDIC limits. On at least an annual basis, the Company reviews qualitative and quantitative factors including earnings (with emphasis on return on equity and net interest margin), capitalization (with emphasis on Tier 1 and Capital ratios), asset quality (emphasis on Net charge-offs ratios), and liquidity, evaluating the performance of these FIs with their peers. The Company may shift funds as a response to risks noted and to optimize returns and costs. The Company does not believe it is exposed to any significant credit risk from these transactions.
Recently Adopted Accounting Standards
Segment Reporting
In November 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-07, Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures, which requires incremental reportable segment disclosures, primarily about significant segment expenses. The amendments also require entities with a single reportable segment to provide all disclosures required by these amendments, and all existing segment disclosures. This guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and interim periods after December 15, 2024. The Company has adopted this guidance for the year ended December 31, 2024. This guidance only impacts the disclosures with no impact on the results of operations, financial position or cash flows.
Recently Issued Accounting Standards Pending Adoption
Income Taxes ASU 2023-09
In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvement to Income Tax Disclosures, to enhance the transparency and decision usefulness of income tax disclosures. The guidance includes improvements to income tax disclosures primarily related to the rate reconciliation and income taxes paid. This guidance is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2024, with early adoption permitted.
Profit Interest ASU 2024-01
In March 2024, the FASB issued ASU 2024-01, Profit Interest and Similar Awards ("ASU 2024-01"), to improve GAAP by adding an illustrative example to demonstrate how an entity should apply the scope in paragraph 718-10-15-3 to determine whether profit interest and similar awards should be accounted for in accordance with Topic 718, Compensation- Stock Compensation. This guidance is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2024, with early adoption permitted. The Company is in the process of evaluating the potential effects this guidance will have.
Disaggregation of Income Statement Expenses ASU 2024-03
In November 2024, the FASB issued ASU 2024-03, Income Statement-Reporting Comprehensive Income-Expense Disaggregation Disclosures (Subtopic 220-40) ("ASU 2024-03") requiring additional disaggregated disclosures in the notes to financial statements for certain categories of expenses that are included on the face of the income statement. The ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2026 and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2027. Early adoption is permitted. The Company will adopt this guidance for the year ended December 31, 2026. This guidance is expected to only impact the disclosures with no impact on the results of operations, financial position or cash flows.
The text of this filing, as the company filed it with the SEC, without its images or exhibits. This is not investment advice.