Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Financing Agreements

v3.20.2
Financing Agreements
3 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2020
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]  
Financing Agreements

14.

FINANCING AGREEMENTS

Lines of Credit

Effective March 27, 2020, through an amendment and restatement of the applicable credit documents, A-Mark renewed its uncommitted demand borrowing facility ("Trading Credit Facility") with a syndicate of banks. Under the agreements, Coöperatieve Rabobank U.A. acts as joint lead lender and administrative agent and Natixis acts as joint lead arranger and syndication agent for the syndicate. The Trading Credit Facility is secured by substantially all of the Company’s assets on a first priority basis.

As of September 30, 2020, and as a result of various amendments, the Trading Credit Facility provided the Company with access up to $270.0 million, featuring a $257.5 million base, with a $12.5 million accordion option.  The Trading Credit Facility is scheduled to terminate on March 26, 2021.  Since commencement of the Trading Credit Facility (i.e., March 31, 2016), the Company has incurred $4.5 million of accumulated loan costs.   These loan costs have been capitalized when incurred and are amortized over the term of the Trading Credit Facility.  As of September 30, 2020 and June 30, 2020, the remaining unamortized balance was approximately $0.7 million and $0.5 million, respectively.

The Company routinely uses the Trading Credit Facility to purchase and finance precious metals and for operating cash flow purposes. Amounts under the Trading Credit Facility bear interest based on London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) plus a 2.50% margin for revolving credit line loans and a 4.50% margin for bridge loans (that is, for loans that exceed the available revolving credit line).  The one-month LIBOR rate was approximately 0.15% and 0.16% as of September 30, 2020 and June 30, 2020, respectively. Borrowings are due on demand and totaled $214.0 million and $135.0 million at September 30, 2020 and June 30, 2020, respectively. The amounts available under the respective borrowing facilities are determined at the end of each week and at each month end following a specified borrowing base formula.  The Company is able to access additional credit as needed to finance operations, subject to the overall limits of the borrowing facilities and lender approval of the borrowing base calculation. Based on the month end borrowing bases in effect, the availability under the Trading Credit Facility, after taking into account current borrowings, totaled $86.1 million and $76.3 million as determined on September 30, 2020 and June 30, 2020, respectively.

The Trading Credit Facility has certain restrictive financial covenants, including one requiring the Company to maintain a minimum tangible net worth. As of September 30, 2020 the minimum tangible net worth financial covenant under the Trading Credit Facility was $55.7 million. The Company is in compliance with all restrictive financial covenants as of September 30, 2020.

For the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 interest expense related to the Company’s lines of credit totaled $1.4 million and $2.1 million, which represents 31.8% and 41.6% of the total interest expense recognized, respectively. For the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, our lines of credit carried a daily weighted average effective interest rate of 2.95% and 4.75%, respectively.

Notes Payable

In September 2018, AM Capital Funding, LLC. (“AMCF”), a wholly owned subsidiary of CFC, completed an issuance of Secured Senior Term Notes (collectively, the "Notes"): Series 2018-1, Class A (the “Class A Notes”) in the aggregate principal amount of $72.0 million and Secured Subordinated Term Notes, Series 2018-1, Class B (the “Class B Notes” and together with the Class A Notes, the “Notes”) in the aggregate principal amount of $28.0 million.  The Class A Notes bear interest at a rate of 4.98% and the Class B Notes bear interest at a rate of 5.98%.  The Notes have a maturity date of December 15, 2023. The Notes were issued under a Master Indenture and the Series 2018-1 Supplement thereto between AMCF and Citibank, N.A., as trustee.  The Company holds $5.0 million of the Class B Notes in order to comply with the Credit Risk Retention Rules of Section 15G of the Exchange Act.  The $5.0 million portion of the Class B Notes retained by the Company is eliminated in consolidation.

AMCF applied the net proceeds from the sale of the Notes to purchase loans and precious metals inventory, and to pay certain costs and expenses. CFC and A-Mark may from time to time also contribute cash or sell precious metals to AMCF in exchange for cash or subordinated, deferred payment obligations from AMCF.  In addition, AMCF may from time to time sell precious metals to A-Mark for cash.

As of September 30, 2020, the consolidated carrying balance of the Notes was $92.7 million (which excludes the $5.0 million note that the Company retained), and the remaining unamortized loan cost balance was approximately $2.3 million, which is amortized using the effective interest method through the maturity date.  As of September 30, 2020, the balance of the interest payable was $234,000.  Interest on the Notes is payable monthly in arrears at the aggregate rate of 5.26% per annum.

For the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, the interest expense related to the Notes (including loan amortization costs) totaled $1.4 million and $1.5 million, which represents 33.0% and 28.6% of the total interest expense recognized by the Company, respectively.  For the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, the Notes' weighted average effective interest rate was 5.88% and 5.88%, respectively.

Liabilities on Borrowed Metals

The Company recorded liabilities on borrowed precious metals with market values totaling $153.8 million as of September 30, 2020, with corresponding metals totaling $135.0 million and $18.8 million included in precious metals held under financing arrangements and inventories, respectively, on the condensed consolidated September 30, 2020 balance sheet.  The Company recorded liabilities on borrowed metals with market values totaling $168.2 million as of June 30, 2020 with corresponding metals totaling $148.9 million and $19.3 million included in precious metals held under financing arrangements and inventories, respectively, on the condensed consolidated June 30, 2020 balance sheet.

Advanced pool metals

The Company borrows precious metals from its suppliers and customers under short-term agreements using other precious metals from its inventory as collateral. The Company has the ability to sell the metals advanced. These arrangements can be settled by repayment in similar metals or in cash.  Once the obligation is settled, the metals held as collateral are released back to the Company.

Liabilities on borrowed metals — Other

Liabilities may also arise from: (i) unallocated metal positions held by customers in the Company’s inventory, (ii) amounts due to suppliers for the use of their consigned inventory, and (iii) shortages in unallocated metal positions held by the Company in the supplier’s inventory.  Unallocated or pool metal represent an unsegregated inventory position that is due on demand, is a specified physical form, based on the total ounces of metal held in the position.  Amounts due under these arrangements require delivery either in the form of precious metals, or in cash.

Product Financing Arrangements

The Company has agreements with third party financial institutions which allow the Company to transfer its gold and silver inventory at an agreed-upon price, which is based on the spot price. Such agreements allow the Company to repurchase this inventory at an agreed-upon price based on the spot price on the repurchase date. The third party charges a monthly fee as a percentage of the market value of the outstanding obligation; such monthly charges are classified in interest expense. These transactions do not qualify as sales, and therefore have been accounted for as financing arrangements and are reflected in the condensed consolidated balance sheet as product financing arrangements. The obligation is stated at the amount required to repurchase the outstanding inventory. Both the product financing obligation and the underlying inventory (which is entirely restricted) are carried at fair value, with changes in fair value recorded as a component of cost of sales in the condensed consolidated statements of income. Such obligation totaled $101.6 million and $74.7 million as of September 30, 2020 and June 30, 2020, respectively.