Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 to Form S-4 on Form S-3
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As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 11, 2011

Registration No. 333- 171324

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

POST-EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT NO. 1

TO FORM S-4 ON FORM S-3

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

 

VeriFone Systems, Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

 

 

 

Delaware   04-3692546

(State or Other Jurisdiction of

Incorporation or Organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification Number)

 

 

2099 Gateway Place, Suite 600

San Jose, California 95110

(408) 232-7800

(Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including

Area Code, of Registrant’s Principal Executive Offices)

 

 

Albert Y. Liu

Executive Vice President, Corporate Development and General Counsel

VeriFone Systems, Inc.

2099 Gateway Place, Suite 600

San Jose, California 95110

(408) 232-7800

(Name, Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including

Area Code, of Agent for Service)

 

 

Copies to:

Scott D. Miller

Sarah P. Payne

Sullivan & Cromwell LLP

1870 Embarcadero Road

Palo Alto, California 94303

(650) 461-5600

 

 

 


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APPROXIMATE DATE OF COMMENCEMENT OF PROPOSED SALE TO THE PUBLIC: From time to time after the Registration Statement becomes effective.

If the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box.  ¨

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box.  x

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  ¨

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  ¨

If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box.  x

If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box.  ¨

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 definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

 

Large Accelerated filer   x    Accelerated filer   ¨
Non-accelerated filer   ¨  (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)    Smaller reporting company   ¨

 

 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

Title of Securities
to be Registered
  Amount
to be
Registered (2)
 

Proposed

Maximum
Offering Price
Per Share (3)

 

Proposed

Maximum
Aggregate
Offering Price (3)

  Amount of
Registration
Fee

Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share (1)

  475,412 shares   (3)   (3)   (3)

 

 

 

(1) This Registration Statement registers the issuance of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of certain outstanding equity awards held by former employees or directors of Hypercom Corporation, which became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the registrant on August 4, 2011.
(2) The shares of Common Stock set forth in the Calculation of Registration Fee table and which may be offered pursuant to this Registration Statement include, pursuant to Rule 416 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), such additional number of shares of the registrant’s common stock as may be issuable as a result of any stock splits, stock dividends or similar events.
(3) All filing fees payable in connection with the registration of these securities were paid in connection with the filing of the registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-4 (No. 333–171324), which registered a total of 16,593,522 shares of the registrant’s common stock, par value $0.01 per share, including the 475,412 shares being registered hereby.

 

 

 


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EXPLANATORY NOTE

The registrant hereby amends its Registration Statement on Form S-4 (No. 333-171324) by filing this Post–Effective Amendment No. 1 to Form S-4 on Form S–3 (the “Form S-3”) containing an updated prospectus relating to the offer and sale of 475,412 shares of the registrant’s common stock issuable upon the exercise of certain outstanding equity awards held by former employees or directors of Hypercom Corporation, which became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the registrant on August 4, 2011. These securities were initially registered by the registrant on the Registration Statement on Form S–4 (No. 333–171324) which became effective on January 12, 2011 (the “Form S-4”). The Form S–3 is being filed to convert 475,412 shares of the registrant’s common stock covered by the Form S-4 to be covered by the Form S–3.

All filing fees payable in connection with the registration of the shares of the registrant’s common stock covered by the Form S-4 were paid by the registrant at the time of the initial filing of the Form S-4.


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VeriFone Systems, Inc.

475,412 Shares

Common Stock

 

 

This prospectus covers the offer and sale by us of up to 475,412 shares of our common stock, issued or to be issued upon the vesting or exercise of certain outstanding equity awards held by certain individuals who qualify as former employees or directors of Hypercom Corporation, or Hypercom, or its subsidiaries immediately prior to the completion of our acquisition of Hypercom pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated November 17, 2010. We will receive the exercise price of equity awards consisting of stock options under the plans pursuant to which such awards were granted if and when such awards are exercised.

If all of the equity awards fully vest and are exercised for cash, we would receive approximately $9.9 million of net proceeds from the exercise of equity awards consisting of stock options, after deducting estimated offering expenses payable by us. We are paying all expenses of registration incurred in connection with this offering. No broker, dealer or underwriter has been engaged in connection with this offering.

Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “PAY.” On August 10, 2011, the last reported sale price of our common stock was $34.73 per share.

 

 

Investing in our common stock involves risks and uncertainties. You should review carefully the risks and uncertainties described under the heading “Risk Factors” beginning on page 4 of this prospectus and the other documents that are incorporated in this prospectus by reference.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

 

This prospectus is dated August 11, 2011.


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

     Page  

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

     1   

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

     1   

PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

     2   

RISK FACTORS

     4   

USE OF PROCEEDS

     26   

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

     27   

VALIDITY OF THE SECURITIES

     27   

EXPERTS

     27   

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

     27   

INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE

     28   

 

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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, and on the information contained in any prospectus supplements. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with information different from that contained in this prospectus or such supplements. We are offering to sell, and seeking offers to buy, shares of our common stock only in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. The information in this prospectus is accurate only as of the date of this prospectus, and the information in any prospectus supplement is accurate only as of the date of such supplement, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or any such supplement or any sale of our common stock.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus, any supplements to this prospectus and other documents that are and will be incorporated into this prospectus contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These statements relate to future events or the future financial performance of VeriFone. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” or “continue,” the negative of such terms, or comparable terminology.

Actual events or results may differ materially. In evaluating these statements, you should specifically consider various factors, including the risks discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” below and in documents incorporated herein by reference, including our consolidated financial statements, related notes and other financial information appearing in our other filings and documents incorporated herein by reference, and the other cautionary statements made in this prospectus. These factors may cause our actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statement.

Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, events, levels of activity, performance, or achievements. Moreover, neither we nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the forward-looking statements.

These statements relate to future events or our future financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and other factors include those discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” below and in documents incorporated herein by reference, including our consolidated financial statements, related notes and other financial information appearing in our other filings and documents incorporated herein by reference, and elsewhere in this prospectus. We are under no duty to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this prospectus to conform such statements to actual results or to changes in expectations.


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PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

This summary highlights information contained elsewhere or incorporated by reference into this prospectus. Because it is a summary, it does not contain all of the information that you should consider before investing in our securities. You should read this entire prospectus and any supplements to this prospectus carefully, including the section entitled “Risk Factors” and the documents that we incorporate by reference into this prospectus or any such supplements, before making an investment decision.

VeriFone Systems, Inc.

VeriFone is a global leader in secure electronic payment solutions. VeriFone provides expertise, solutions, and services that add value to the point of sale with merchant-operated, consumer-facing, and self-service payment systems for the financial, retail, hospitality, petroleum, transportation, government, and healthcare vertical markets. Since 1981, VeriFone has designed and marketed system solutions that facilitate the long-term shift toward electronic payment transactions and away from cash and checks. VeriFone’s principal executive offices are located at 2099 Gateway Place, Suite 600, San Jose, California 95110, and its telephone number is (408) 232-7800. Unless otherwise specified or unless the context requires otherwise, all references in this prospectus to “VeriFone,” “we,” “us,” “our” or similar references mean VeriFone Systems, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.

VeriFone, Inc., our principal operating subsidiary, was incorporated in 1981. Shortly afterward, we introduced the first check verification and credit authorization device ever utilized by merchants in a commercial setting. In 1984, we introduced the first mass market electronic payment system intended to replace manual credit card authorization devices for small merchants. VeriFone, Inc. became a publicly traded company in 1990 and was acquired by Hewlett-Packard Company, or HP, in 1997. HP operated VeriFone, Inc. as a division until July 2001, when it sold VeriFone, Inc. to Gores Technology Group, LLC, a privately held acquisition and investment management firm, in a transaction led by our Chief Executive Officer, Douglas G. Bergeron. In July 2002, Mr. Bergeron and certain investment funds affiliated with GTCR Golder Rauner, LLC, or GTCR, a private equity firm, led a recapitalization in which VeriFone Systems, Inc. was organized as a holding company for VeriFone, Inc., and GTCR-affiliated funds became our majority stockholders. We completed our initial public offering on May 4, 2005. In June 2009, the GTCR-affiliated funds ceased to be beneficial owners of 5% or more of our outstanding common stock.

On November 1, 2006, we acquired Lipman Electronic Engineering Ltd., or Lipman. Prior to the acquisition, Lipman, a provider of electronic payment systems headquartered in Israel, developed, manufactured and marketed a variety of handheld, wireless and landline POS terminals, electronic cash registers, retail ATM units, PIN pads and smart card readers, as well as integrated PIN and smart card solutions.

In November 2010, we announced that we had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Hypercom Corporation, or Hypercom, in a merger transaction. Hypercom is a global payment technology provider that delivers high security, end-to-end electronic payment products, software solutions, and services. The merger was completed on August 4, 2011.

 

 

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The Offering

In connection with the acquisition of Hypercom, we assumed the Hypercom Corporation Long-Term Incentive Plan, the Hypercom Corporation 2000 Broad-Based Stock Incentive Plan, the Hypercom Corporation 2010 Equity Incentive Plan and the Hypercom Corporation Nonemployee Directors’ Stock Option Plan, or the Plans. This prospectus relates to the resale of up to 475,412 shares of our common stock, issued or to be issued upon the exercise of certain outstanding equity awards granted pursuant to the Plans to certain individuals who qualify as former employees or directors of Hypercom immediately prior to the completion of the acquisition.

 

Common stock to be offered by VeriFone

475,412 shares

 

Use of proceeds

If all of the equity awards fully vest and are exercised for cash, we would receive approximately $9.9 million of net proceeds from the exercise of equity awards consisting of stock options, after deducting estimated offering expenses payable by us. We expect to use any such net proceeds of the offering for general corporate purposes.

 

 

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RISK FACTORS

Investing in our common stock involves risks and uncertainties. You should review carefully the risks and uncertainties described below and under similar headings in each prospectus supplement and the other documents that are incorporated in this prospectus by reference, including in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and the other information contained in this prospectus, as updated by our subsequent filings under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act.

Risks Related to Our Business

The risks set forth below may adversely affect our business, financial condition, and operating results. In addition to the risks set forth below and the factors affecting specific business operations identified with the description of these operations elsewhere in this report, there may also be risks of which we are currently not aware, or that we currently regard as immaterial based on the information available to us, that later prove to be material.

We may not realize the expected benefits of our combination with Hypercom.

Achieving the expected benefits of the merger with Hypercom will depend in large part on the successful integration of our and Hypercom’s technology, operations, and personnel in a timely and efficient manner. We cannot assure you, however, that the integration will be completed as quickly as expected or that the merger will achieve the expected benefits, and delays in completing the merger will exacerbate these risks. The challenges involved in this integration include:

 

   

incorporating Hypercom’s technology and products into our next generation of products;

 

   

integrating Hypercom’s products into VeriFone’s business because we do not currently sell Hypercom products and our sales personnel have no experience selling Hypercom’s products;

 

   

coordinating research and development activities to enhance introduction of new products, services, and technologies;

 

   

inability to migrate both companies to a common enterprise resource planning information system to integrate all operations, sales, accounting, and administrative activities for the combined company in a timely and cost effective way;

 

   

integrating Hypercom’s international operations with those of VeriFone;

 

   

coordinating the efforts of the Hypercom sales organization with our sales organization;

 

   

demonstrating to Hypercom customers that the merger will not result in adverse changes in client service standards or product support;

 

   

integrating Hypercom’s and our information technology systems and resources;

 

   

integrating the supply chain of both companies while ensuring that products continue to be manufactured and delivered on a timely basis, with superior quality to customers and at a cost acceptable to us;

 

   

persuading the employees in various jurisdictions that the two companies’ business cultures are compatible, maintaining employee morale, and retaining key employees;

 

   

any unforeseen expenses or delays associated with the transaction; and

 

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timely release of products to market.

The integration of the two companies will be international in scope, complex, time-consuming, and expensive, and may disrupt our business or result in the loss of customers or key employees or the diversion of the attention of management. Some of Hypercom’s suppliers, distributors, customers, and licensors are VeriFone’s competitors or work with VeriFone’s competitors and may terminate their business relationships with Hypercom as a result of the merger. In addition, the integration process may strain the combined company’s financial and managerial controls and reporting systems and procedures. This may result in the diversion of management and financial resources from the combined company’s core business objectives. There can be no assurance that we will successfully integrate our businesses or that the combined company will realize any of the anticipated benefits of the merger.

Costs associated with the merger are difficult to estimate, may be higher than expected, and may harm the financial results of the combined company. We will incur substantial direct transaction costs associated with the merger, and additional costs associated with consolidation and integration of operations. We will also incur costs and devote resources related to Hypercom’s divestiture of its U.S., Spain and United Kingdom payment terminal businesses prior to the closing of the merger. For example, as part of the divestitures the buyers are entitled to certain post-closing administrative and operating support services for various periods following the closing date of the merger and indemnification for certain liabilities associated with the divested businesses. In addition, although we believe that the merger was not subject to regulatory approval requirements in Spain because Hypercom divested its business in Spain before the merger was completed, the Spanish regulatory authorities may not agree with this position. If the total costs of the merger and integration efforts exceed estimates or the benefits of the merger do not exceed the total costs of the merger, our financial results could be adversely affected.

We intend to pursue additional acquisitions and strategic investments, which will involve numerous risks. We may not be able to address these risks without substantial expense, delay or other operational or financial problems.

We expect to seek to acquire or make investments in related businesses, technologies, or products in the future. Acquisitions or investments involve various risks, such as:

 

   

the difficulty of integrating the technologies, operations, and personnel of the acquired business, technology or product;

 

   

the potential disruption of our ongoing business, including the diversion of management attention to issues related to integration and administration, particularly given the number, size and varying scope of our recent acquisitions;

 

   

in the case of foreign acquisitions, the need to integrate operations across different cultures and languages and to address the particular economic, currency, political, and regulatory risks associated with specific countries;

 

   

the possible inability to obtain the desired financial and strategic benefits from the acquisition or investment;

 

   

the loss of all or part of our investment;

 

   

loss of customers;

 

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the need to integrate each company’s accounting, management, information, human resource and other administrative systems to permit effective management, and the lack of control if such integration is delayed or not implemented;

 

   

the need to implement controls, procedures and policies appropriate for a larger public company at companies that prior to acquisition had lacked such controls, procedures and policies;

 

   

the risk that increasing complexity inherent in operating a larger business may impact the effectiveness of our internal controls and adversely affect our financial reporting processes;

 

   

assumption of unanticipated liabilities and the incurrence of unforeseen expenditures;

 

   

the loss of key employees of an acquired business; and

 

   

the possibility of our entering markets in which we have limited prior experience.

Future acquisitions and investments could also result in substantial cash expenditures, potentially dilutive issuances of our equity securities and incurrence of additional debt, contingent liabilities and amortization expenses related to other intangible assets that could adversely affect our business, operating results, and financial condition. Moreover, we may not realize the anticipated benefits of any or all of our acquisitions, or may not realize them in the timeframe expected. We will depend on the retention and performance of existing management and employees of acquired businesses for the day-to-day management and future operating results of these businesses.

We have experienced rapid growth in our operations, and if we cannot adequately manage our growth, our results of operations will suffer.

We have experienced rapid growth in our operations in certain periods, both organically and from acquisitions. We cannot be sure that we have made adequate allowances for the costs and risks associated with our expansion, or that our systems, procedures, and managerial controls will be adequate to support the rapid expansion in our operations. Any delay in implementing, or transitioning to, new or enhanced systems, procedures, or controls to accommodate the requirements of our business and operations and to effectively and efficiently integrate acquired operations may adversely affect our ability to meet customer requirements, manage our product inventory, and record and report financial and management information on a timely and accurate basis. If we are unable to successfully manage expansion, our results of operations may be adversely affected.

Our internal processes and control over financial reporting have in prior periods been deemed inadequate.

As described under Item 9A. Controls and Procedures in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2010, we have remedied the material weakness in control activities related to income taxes. This material weakness and other material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting contributed to our need to restate previously reported interim financial information for each of the first three quarters of our fiscal year ended October 31, 2007, and to the delays in the filing of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal year 2007. We also were unable to file our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q for our fiscal quarters ended January 31, 2008 and April 30, 2008 on a timely basis. We have implemented a number of additional and enhanced processes and controls to improve our internal control over financial reporting.

Although we have implemented improved controls that have remedied these material weaknesses, these controls may not be sufficient to detect or prevent errors in financial reporting in future periods and will require continued enhancement to accommodate our growth in operations both organically and from acquisitions. We have devoted additional resources to our financial control and reporting requirements, including hiring additional qualified employees in these areas. We may hire additional employees and may also engage additional consultants in these and other key areas. Competition for qualified financial control and accounting professionals in the geographic areas in which we operate is intense and there can be no assurance that we will be able to hire and retain these individuals.

 

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A majority of our net revenues is generated outside of the United States and we intend to continue to expand our operations internationally including through acquisitions and strategic partnerships. Our results of operations could suffer if we are unable to manage our international expansion and operations effectively.

During the six months ended April 30, 2011, approximately 60.1% of our net revenues were generated outside of the United States. During the twelve months ended October 31, 2010, approximately 60.0% of our net revenues were generated outside of the United States. We expect our percentage of net revenues generated outside of the United States to increase over time. In particular we expect our planned acquisition of Hypercom would significantly increase our business in Africa, Europe and Asia. Part of our strategy is to expand our penetration in existing foreign markets and to enter new foreign markets and in particular to enter new emerging markets where we expect to see growth in electronic payments. Our ability to penetrate some international markets may be limited due to different technical standards, protocols or product requirements. Expansion of our international business will require significant management attention and financial resources. Our international net revenues will depend on our continued success in the following areas:

 

   

securing commercial relationships to help establish or increase our presence in new and existing international markets;

 

   

hiring and training personnel capable of marketing, installing and integrating our solutions, supporting customers, and effectively managing operations in foreign countries;

 

   

localizing our solutions to meet local requirements and to target the specific needs and preferences of foreign customers, which may differ from our traditional customer base in the markets we currently serve;

 

   

building our brand name and awareness of our services among foreign customers in new and existing international markets; and

 

   

implementing new systems, procedures, and controls to monitor our operations in new international markets.

In addition, we are subject to risks and costs associated with operating in foreign countries, including:

 

   

multiple, changing, and often inconsistent enforcement of laws and regulations;

 

   

satisfying local regulatory or industry imposed requirements, including security or other certification requirements;

 

   

competition from existing market participants, including strong local competitors, that may have a longer history in and greater familiarity with the international markets we enter;

 

   

tariffs and trade barriers;

 

   

laws and business practices that may favor local competitors;

 

   

restrictions on the repatriation of funds, foreign currency exchange restrictions, and currency exchange rate fluctuations;

 

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extended payment terms and the ability to collect accounts receivable;

 

   

different and/or more stringent labor laws and practices such as the use of workers’ councils and labor unions;

 

   

different and more stringent data protection, privacy and other laws;

 

   

economic and political instability in certain foreign countries;

 

   

imposition of limitations on conversion of foreign currencies into U.S. dollars or remittance of dividends and other payments by foreign subsidiaries;

 

   

changes in a specific country’s or region’s political or economic conditions; and

 

   

greater difficulty in safeguarding intellectual property in areas such as China, India, Russia, and Latin America.

Many of these factors typically become more prevalent during periods of economic stress or disruptive events such as military or terrorist actions. The persistence or occurrence of weakened global economic conditions in one or more regions where we do business may exacerbate certain of these risks. For example, we are subject to foreign currency risk and economic and political instability which can lead to significant and unpredictable volatility in currency rates, including significant currency devaluations, which may negatively impact our revenues, gross margins, results of operations and financial position. Although we engage in some hedging of our foreign currency exposures, we do not hedge all such exposures and our hedging arrangements may not always be effective. In addition, compliance with foreign and U.S. laws and regulations that are applicable to our international operations is complex and may increase our cost of doing business in international jurisdictions and our international operations could expose us to fines and penalties if we fail to comply with these regulations. These laws and regulations include import and export requirements, exchange control regulations, U.S. laws such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and local laws prohibiting corrupt payments to governmental officials and other improper payments or inducements, such as the UK Bribery Act. Although we have implemented policies, procedures and training designed to ensure compliance with these laws, there can be no assurance that our employees, contractors, and agents will not take actions in violation of our policies, particularly as we expand our operations through organic growth and acquisitions. For example, two of our Brazilian subsidiaries that were acquired as a part of the Lipman acquisition have been notified of a number of assessments regarding Brazilian customs penalties that relate to alleged infractions in the importation of goods as well as certain tax assessments and penalties. Defending such assessments can be costly and divert management time. Any such violations could subject us to civil or criminal penalties, including the imposition of substantial fines and interest or prohibitions on our ability to offer our products and services to one or more countries, and could also materially damage our reputation, our brand, our international expansion efforts, our business, and negatively impact our operating results. In addition, if we fail to address the challenges and risks associated with international expansion and acquisition strategy, we may encounter difficulties implementing our strategy, which could impede our growth or harm our operating results.

Macroeconomic conditions and economic volatility could materially adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Our operations and performance depend significantly on worldwide economic conditions. For example, the significant slowdown and volatility in the U.S. and international economy and financial markets which began in the latter half of 2008 resulted in reduced demand for our products, which in turn adversely impacted our revenues, business, financial condition and results of operations. In particular, the slowdown and volatility in the global markets resulted in softer demand in the financial and retail sectors, pricing pressures and more conservative purchasing decisions by customers, including a tendency toward lower-priced products and lower volume of purchases during the economic downturn. In some countries where we do business the weakened economy resulted in economic instability which had negative effects, including a decrease in purchasing power due to currency devaluations.

 

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While we have experienced sequential growth in revenues and earnings and stronger demand in recent quarters, certain markets such as parts of southern Europe continue to experience weakened or uncertain economic conditions and some of our customers, suppliers and partners may continue to be negatively impacted by the global slowdown. We cannot predict whether such improvements or growth will continue, or whether they will be negatively impacted by the recent renewed global market turmoil, including in Europe and the United States, or any other future decline or volatility in global conditions could negatively impact our business, operating results and financial condition. Further, conditions such as political unrest or terrorist actions in other parts of the world and reports of continued high unemployment rates in the U.S. and elsewhere may negatively impact global economic conditions, including corporate spending and liquidity of capital markets. Continued volatility in market conditions make it difficult to forecast earnings and if we fail to meet our financial guidance or the expectations of investment analysts or investors in any period, the market price of our common stock could decline.

We depend on a limited number of customers, including distributors and resellers, for a large percentage of our System Solutions sales. If we do not effectively manage our relationships with them, our net revenues and operating results will suffer.

A significant percentage of our net revenues are attributable to a limited number of customers, including distributors and independent sales organizations (“ISOs”). For the six months ended April 30, 2011, our ten largest customers accounted for approximately 25% of our net revenues. For the twelve months ended October 31, 2010, our ten largest customers accounted for approximately 27% of our net revenues. Although no individual customer accounted for more than 10% of net revenues, in the six months ended April 30, 2011 three customers accounted for approximately 13% of our net revenues and in the twelve months ended October 31, 2010, three customers accounted for approximately 15% of our net revenues. If any of our large customers significantly reduces or delays purchases from us or if we are required to sell products to them at reduced prices or on other terms less favorable to us, our revenues and income could be materially adversely affected.

We sell a significant portion of our solutions through third-party resellers such as independent distributors, ISOs, value-added resellers, and payment processors. We depend on their active marketing and sales efforts. These resellers also provide after-sales support and related services to end user customers. When we introduce new applications and solutions, these resellers also provide critical support for developing and supporting the custom software applications to run on our various electronic payment systems and, internationally, in obtaining requisite certifications in the markets in which they are active. Accordingly, the pace at which we are able to introduce new solutions in markets in which these resellers are active depends on the resources they dedicate to these tasks. Moreover, our arrangements with these resellers typically do not prevent them from selling products of other companies, including our competitors, and such resellers may elect to market our competitors’ products and services in preference to our system solutions. If one or more of our major resellers terminates or otherwise adversely changes its relationship with us, we may be unsuccessful in replacing such relationship. The loss of one of our major resellers could impair our ability to sell our solutions and result in lower revenues and income. It could also be time-consuming and expensive to replicate, either directly or through other resellers, the certifications and the custom applications owned by these resellers.

In addition, orders from our distributors and resellers depend on their sales volumes and inventory management decisions. In response to the global economic downturn a number of distributors and resellers experienced weakened demand and slower sales, which in turn had resulted in declines in order volume and deferrals of orders for our products. Declines or deferral of orders could materially adversely affect our revenues, operating results and cash flows.

 

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Our solutions may have defects or experience field failures that could delay sales, harm our brand, increase costs and result in product recalls and additional warranty expense.

We offer complex solutions that are susceptible to undetected hardware and software errors or failures. Solutions may experience failures when first introduced, as new versions are released, or at any time during their lifecycle. Field failure may result from usage with third-party issued payment cards, for example, if such usage generates excess electrostatic discharge. Defects may also arise from third-party components that we incorporate into our products, such as hardware modules, chipsets or battery cells. Any product recalls as a result of errors or failures could result in the loss of or delays in market acceptance of our solutions, adversely affect our business and reputation and increase our product costs which could negatively impact our margins, profitability and results of operations. Any significant returns or warranty claims for any of our products could result in significant additional costs to us and could adversely affect our results of operations. Our customers may also run third-party software applications on our electronic payment systems. Errors in third-party applications could adversely affect the performance of our solutions.

The existence of defects and delays in correcting them could result in negative consequences, including the following: harm to our brand; delays in shipping system solutions; loss of market acceptance for our system solutions; additional warranty expenses; diversion of resources from product development; and loss of credibility with distributors, customers and partners. Identifying and correcting defects can be time consuming, costly and in some circumstances extremely difficult. Software errors may take several months to correct, and hardware defects may take even longer to correct.

Security is vital to our customers and end users and therefore breaches in the security of our solutions could adversely affect our reputation and results of operations.

Protection against fraud is of key importance to the purchasers and end users of our solutions. We incorporate security features, such as encryption software and secure hardware, into our solutions to protect against fraud in electronic payment transactions and to ensure the privacy and integrity of consumer data. Our solutions may be vulnerable to breaches in security due to defects in the security mechanisms, the operating system and applications, or the hardware platform. Security vulnerabilities could jeopardize the security of information transmitted or stored using our solutions. We also provide our customers with repair, encryption key loading and helpdesk services, and have in the past and may in the future also experience security breaches or fraudulent activities related to unauthorized access to sensitive customer information. If the security of our solutions is compromised, our reputation and marketplace acceptance of our solutions will be adversely affected, which would cause our business to suffer, and we may become subject to damages claims.

We are party to a number of lawsuits and we may be named in additional litigation, all of which are likely to require significant management time and attention and expenses and may result in unfavorable outcomes that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We are currently a party in several litigation proceedings. For example, in connection with the restatement of our historical interim financial statements during fiscal year 2007, a number of securities class action complaints were filed against us and certain of our officers, and purported derivative actions have also been filed against certain of our current and former directors and officers.

The amount of time and resources required to resolve these lawsuits is unpredictable, and defending ourselves is likely to divert management’s attention from the day-to-day operations of our business, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. In addition, an unfavorable outcome in such litigation or a decision by us to settle such lawsuits to avoid the distraction and expense of continued litigation even if we deem the claims to be without merit could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

 

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Our insurance may not be sufficient to cover our costs for defending these actions or paying any damages in the event of an unfavorable outcome. In addition, we may be obligated to indemnify (and advance legal expenses to) both current and former officers, employees and directors in connection with the securities class action and derivative action matters. We currently hold insurance policies for the benefit of our directors and officers, although our insurance coverage may not be sufficient in some or all of these matters. Furthermore, our insurance carriers may seek to deny coverage in some or all of these matters, in which case we may have to fund the indemnification amounts owed to such directors and officers ourselves.

We are subject to the risk of additional litigation and regulatory proceedings or actions in connection with the restatement of our financial statements. We have responded to inquiries and provided information and documents related to the restatement to the SEC, the U.S. Department of Justice, the New York Stock Exchange, and the Chicago Board Options Exchange. We were the subject of a Wells Notice from the SEC stating that the staff of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement (the “Staff”) intends to recommend that the SEC bring a civil injunctive action against us, alleging violations of the federal securities laws arising from the restatement, which we settled in November 2009. Although we have settled this matter with the SEC, additional regulatory inquiries may also be commenced by other U.S. federal, state or foreign regulatory agencies. In addition, we may in the future be subject to additional litigation or other proceedings or actions arising in relation to the restatement of our historical interim financial statements. Litigation and any regulatory proceeding or action may be time consuming, expensive and distracting from the conduct of our business. The adverse resolution of any specific lawsuit or any potential regulatory proceeding or action could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

These litigation proceedings could result in substantial additional costs and expenses and adversely affect our cash flows, and may adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. We have in the past incurred and expect to continue to incur significant expenses in connection with these matters. Many members of our senior management team and our Board of Directors have been and will be required to devote a significant amount of time to the litigation related to the restatement. In addition, certain of these individuals are named defendants in the litigation related to the restatement. If our senior management is unable to devote sufficient time in the future developing and pursuing our strategic business initiatives and running ongoing business operations, there may be a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We face litigation and tax assessment risks that could force us to incur substantial defense costs and could result in damages awards against us that would negatively impact our business.

As described in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended April 30, 2011, there are a number of pending litigation and tax assessment matters each of which may be time-consuming to resolve, expensive to defend, and disruptive to normal business operations. The outcome of litigation and tax assessments is inherently difficult to predict. An unfavorable resolution of any lawsuit or tax assessment could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Our North American and international operations are not equally profitable, which may promote volatility in our earnings and may adversely impact future growth in our earnings.

Our international sales of System Solutions have tended to carry lower average selling prices and therefore have lower gross margins than our sales in North America. We also face increased downward pressure on prices in international markets such as China where local competition has intensified and in India where we continue to expand our business. As a result, any improvement in our results of operations from our expansion internationally will likely not be as favorable or profitable as an expansion of similar magnitude in the United States and Canada. In addition, we are unable to predict for any future period our proportion of revenues that will result from international sales versus sales in North America. Variations in this proportion from period to period may lead to volatility in our results of operations which, in turn, may depress the trading price of our common stock.

 

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We have experienced some fiscal quarters in which a significant percentage of the business for the quarter is executed towards the end of the fiscal quarter. This could negatively impact our business and results of operations.

Revenues recognized in our fiscal quarters can be back-end loaded meaning that during a particular fiscal quarter the timing of orders could be such that a substantial portion of sales orders are received, product is shipped, and revenue is recognized towards the end of the fiscal quarter, for various reasons. The occurrence of such back-end loading could adversely affect our business and results of operations due to a number of factors including the following:

 

   

the manufacturing processes at our third-party contract manufacturers could become concentrated in a shorter time period. This concentration of manufacturing could increase manufacturing costs, such as costs associated with the expediting of orders, and negatively impact gross margins. The risk of higher levels of obsolete or excess inventory write-offs would also increase if we were to hold higher inventory levels to counteract this effect;

 

   

the higher concentration of orders may make it difficult to accurately forecast component requirements and, as a result, we could experience a shortage of the components needed for production, possibly delaying shipments and causing lost orders;

 

   

if we are unable to fill orders at the end of a quarter, shipments may be delayed. This could cause us to fail to meet our revenue and operating profit expectations for a particular quarter and could increase the fluctuation of quarterly results if shipments are delayed from one fiscal quarter to the next or orders are cancelled by customers; and

 

   

in order to fulfill orders at the end of a quarter, we may be forced to deliver our products using air freight which results in increased distribution costs.

We are exposed to credit risk with some of our customers and to credit exposures and currency controls in certain markets, which could result in material losses.

A significant portion of our sales are on an open credit basis, with typical payment terms of up to 60 days in the United States and, because of local customs or conditions, longer in some international markets. In the past, there have been bankruptcies among our customer base. Although credit losses have not been material to date, future losses, if incurred, could harm our business and have a materially adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition. Also, certain customers who are invoiced in U.S. dollars, such as those based in Venezuela, have experienced and may continue to experience difficulties in obtaining U.S. dollar currency due to local currency controls, and therefore may not be able to remit timely payment to us. Additionally, to the degree that the recent turmoil in the credit markets continues to make it more difficult for some customers to obtain financing or access U.S. dollar currency, our customers’ ability to pay could be adversely impacted, which in turn could have a material adverse impact on our business, cash flows, operating results and financial condition.

Fluctuations in currency exchange rates may adversely affect our results of operations.

 

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A substantial portion of our business consists of sales made to customers outside the United States. A portion of the net revenues we receive from such sales is denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. Additionally, portions of our cost of net revenues and our other operating expenses are incurred by our International operations and denominated in local currencies. Fluctuations in the value of these net revenues, costs and expenses as measured in U.S. dollars have historically affected our results of operations, and adverse currency exchange rate fluctuations may have a material impact in the future. Further, changes in exchange rates that strengthen the U.S. dollar could increase the price of our products in the local currencies of the foreign markets we serve. This would result in making our products relatively more expensive than products that are denominated in local currencies, leading to a reduction in sales and profitability in those foreign markets. In addition, our balance sheet contains monetary assets and liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar, such as cash, intercompany balances, trade receivables and payables, and fluctuations in the exchange rates for these currencies could adversely affect our results of operations. We have entered into foreign exchange forward contracts intended to hedge our balance sheet exposure to adverse fluctuations in exchange rates. We have also effectively priced our System Solutions in U.S. dollars in certain countries. Nevertheless, these hedging arrangements may not always be effective, particularly in the event of imprecise forecasts of non-U.S. denominated assets and liabilities. Additionally, our efforts to effectively price products in U.S. dollars may have disadvantages as they may affect demand for our products if the local currency strengthens relative to the U.S. dollar. We could be adversely affected when the U.S. dollar strengthens relative to the local currency between the time of a sale and the time we receive payment, which would be collected in the devalued local currency. Accordingly, if there is an adverse movement in one or more exchange rates, we might suffer significant losses and our results of operations may otherwise be adversely affected. Uncertainty in the global market conditions have resulted in and may continue to cause significant volatility in foreign currency exchange rates which could increase these risks. As our international operations expand, our exposure to these risks also increases. Additionally, hedging programs expose us to risks that could adversely affect our operating results, including the following:

 

   

we may be unable to hedge currency risk for some transactions because of a high level of uncertainty or the inability to reasonably estimate our foreign exchange exposures; and

 

   

we may be unable to acquire foreign exchange hedging instruments in some of the geographic areas where we do business, or, where these derivatives are available, we may choose not to hedge because of the high cost of the derivatives.

We depend upon third parties to manufacture our systems and to supply the components necessary to manufacture our products.

We utilize a limited number of third parties to manufacture our hardware products pursuant to our specifications and rely upon these contract manufacturers to produce and deliver products to our customers on a timely basis and at an acceptable cost or to otherwise meet our product demands. Further, a majority of these third party manufacturing activities are concentrated in China. Disruptions to the business or operations of these contract manufacturers, or to their ability to produce the products we require in accordance with our and our customers’ requirements, and particularly disruptions to the manufacturing operations in China including due to geological disruptions such as earthquakes, could significantly affect our ability to fulfill customer demand on a timely basis which could materially harm our revenues and results of operations. We also rely on our contract manufacturer’s facility in Israel for certain of our product lines and therefore are subject to the political disruptions or economic instability in that region. Substantially all of our manufacturing is currently handled by our third party contract manufacturers and our dependency on our third party contract manufacturers could exacerbate these risks.

 

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Components such as application specific integrated circuits, or ASICs, microprocessors, wireless modules, modems and printer mechanisms that are necessary to manufacture and assemble our systems are sourced either directly by us or on our behalf by our contract manufacturers from a variety of component suppliers selected by us. Certain of the components are specifically customized for use in our products and are obtained from sole source suppliers on a purchase order basis. In recent periods, we have experienced a tightening in availability of certain semiconductor commodities that are necessary for the manufacture of our products. In addition, we recently experienced component shortages due to the severe earthquake and tsunami in Japan in March 2011 which together with resulting damage to certain nuclear power plants, has resulted in widespread destruction and economic uncertainty in that region. Although we have to date been able to manage component supply adequate to meet our product demands, we are continuing to monitor the impact of the crisis in Japan on our supply chain and there can be no assurance that our results of operations will not be materially affected by the events in Japan. Any prolonged component shortage as a result of these events could materially adversely affect our business and results of operations. Component shortages have resulted in increased costs for certain components and continued cost increases, particularly for critical components, could negatively impact our gross margins and profitability. If our suppliers are unable or unwilling to deliver the quantities that we require within the timeframe that we require, including as a result of the crisis in Japan, we would be faced with a shortage of critical components. We also experience from time to time an increase in the lead time for delivery of some of our key components. We may not be able to find alternative sources in a timely manner if suppliers of our key components become unwilling or unable to provide us with adequate supplies of these key components when we need them or if they increase their prices. If we are unable to obtain sufficient key required components, or to develop alternative sources if and as required in the future, or to replace our component and factory tooling for our products in a timely manner if they are damaged or destroyed, we could experience delays or reductions in product shipments. This could harm our relationships with our customers and cause our revenues to decline. Even if we are able to secure alternative sources or replace our tooling in a timely manner, our costs could increase. Any of these events could adversely affect our results of operations.

The government tax benefits that our subsidiaries have previously received or currently receive require them to meet several conditions and may be terminated or reduced in the future, which could require us to pay increased taxes or refund tax benefits received in the past.

Israel

Our subsidiary in Israel (formerly Lipman) previously received tax benefits under Israeli law for capital investments that are designated as “Approved Enterprises.” We received such tax benefits of approximately $0.4 million during the twelve months ended October 31, 2009. Due to our restructuring and contract manufacturing arrangements entered into during the twelve months ended October 31, 2010 we will no longer meet the requirements necessary to maintain the tax benefit status in Israel. As of November 1, 2009, we have been taxed at the full statutory rate in Israel and no future tax benefit has been recorded. This Israel subsidiary has undistributed earnings of approximately $181 million, the vast majority of which are attributable to Lipman’s historic Approved Enterprise programs. As such, these earnings were not subject to Israeli statutory corporate tax at the time they were generated. Distribution or use of these funds outside Israel would subject us to payment of corporate and withholding taxes. For example, to the extent that these earnings are distributed to the United States in the future, our Israeli subsidiary would be required to pay corporate tax at the rate ordinarily applicable to such earnings, currently between 12.5% and 36.25%, which includes the withholding tax between the United States and Israel. We have accrued approximately $50 million for taxes associated with potential future distributions of our Israeli subsidiary’s approximately $181 million in earnings.

Singapore

Our principal subsidiary in Singapore has received tax benefits under the Singapore Pioneer Tax Holiday provision. We received tax benefits of approximately $8.3 million during the twelve months ended October 31, 2010 and $4.1 million during the twelve months ended October 31, 2009. To maintain our eligibility for these benefits, we must meet certain agreed conditions, including maintaining agreed levels of Singapore employees and incurring and documenting total local business spend levels as agreed with the Singapore Economic Development Board. We recently renegotiated the terms and conditions of the Tax Holiday, including an extension of our Tax Holiday through 2012. Although we expect to be able to meet the terms and conditions to maintain our Tax Holiday, if we are not able to achieve or maintain the required conditions, we may lose our eligibility for such benefits or may not be able to renew such Tax Holiday beyond the current expiration date which could result in our income in Singapore being taxed at the statutory rate of 17% instead of the agreed Pioneer Tax Holiday rate of 0%. A loss of all or part of these tax benefits would adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows.

 

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Changes in our effective tax rate could adversely affect results of operations.

Our effective tax rate could be adversely affected by a number of factors, including shifts in the mix of pretax profits and losses by tax jurisdiction, our ability to use tax credits, changes in tax laws or related interpretations in the jurisdictions in which we operate, and tax assessments and related interest and penalties resulting from income tax audits. We are subject to ongoing tax audits in various jurisdictions. Although we regularly assess the likely outcomes of such audits in order to determine the appropriateness of our tax provision, there can be no assurance that we will accurately predict the outcomes of these audits, and the actual outcomes of these audits could have a material impact on our net income or financial condition. We have not provided for U.S. federal and state income taxes or foreign withholding taxes that may result from future remittances of undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries. Recently, there have been proposals to reform U.S. tax rules including proposals which may result in a reduction or elimination of the deferral of U.S. income tax on our foreign earnings, in which case our effective tax rate could be adversely affected. Any of these changes could have an adverse effect on our results of operations.

Our quarterly operating results may fluctuate significantly as a result of factors outside of our control, which could cause the market price of our common stock to decline.

We expect our revenues and operating results to vary from quarter to quarter. As a consequence, our operating results in any single quarter may not meet the expectations of securities analysts and investors, which could cause the price of our common stock to decline. Factors that may affect our operating results include:

 

   

the type, timing, and size of orders and shipments;

 

   

demand for and acceptance of our new product offerings;

 

   

customers’ willingness to maintain inventories and/or increased overall channel inventories held by customers in a particular quarter;

 

   

delays in the implementation and delivery of our products and services, which may impact the timing of our recognition of revenues;

 

   

variations in product mix and cost during any period;

 

   

development of new relationships, penetration of new markets and maintenance and enhancement of existing relationships with customers and strategic partners;

 

   

component supply, manufacturing, or distribution difficulties;

 

   

deferral of customer contracts in anticipation of product or service enhancements;

 

   

timing of commencement, implementation, or completion of major implementation projects;

 

   

timing of governmental, statutory and industry association requirements;

 

   

the relative geographic mix of net revenues;

 

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fluctuations in currency exchange rates;

 

   

the fixed nature of many of our expenses; and

 

   

industry and economic conditions, including competitive pressures and inventory obsolescence.

In particular, differences in relative growth rates between our businesses in North America and internationally may have a significant effect on our operating results, particularly our reported gross profit percentage, in any individual quarter, with International sales carrying lower margins.

In addition, we have in the past and may continue to experience periodic variations in sales to our key vertical and international markets. These periodic variations occur throughout the year and may lead to fluctuations in our quarterly operating results depending on the impact of any given market during that quarter and could lead to volatility in our stock price.

We may accumulate excess or obsolete inventory that could result in unanticipated price reductions and write-downs and adversely affect our financial condition.

In formulating our solutions, we have focused our efforts on providing our customers with solutions that have high levels of functionality, which requires us to develop and incorporate cutting edge and evolving technologies. This approach tends to increase the risk of obsolescence for products and components we hold in inventory and may compound the difficulties posed by other factors that affect our inventory levels, including the following:

 

   

the need to maintain significant inventory of components that are in limited supply;

 

   

buying components in bulk for the best pricing;

 

   

responding to the unpredictable demand for products;

 

   

cancellation of customer orders;

 

   

responding to customer requests for quick delivery schedules; and

 

   

timing of end-of-life decisions regarding products.

The accumulation of excess or obsolete inventory has in the past resulted in and may in future periods result in price reductions and inventory write-downs and scrap, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. As an example, for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2009, we incurred costs for obsolete inventory, scrap, and purchase commitments for excess components at contract manufacturers of $23.0 million due to changing demand we experienced in fiscal year 2009 as a result of the severe deterioration in the macroeconomic environment.

If we do not accurately forecast customer demand and effectively manage our product mix and inventory levels, we may lose sales from having too few or the wrong mix of products or incur costs associated with excess inventory.

 

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If we improperly forecast demand for our products we could end up with too many products and be unable to sell the excess inventory in a timely manner, if at all, or, alternatively we could end up with too few products and not be able to satisfy demand. This problem is exacerbated because our attempt to closely match inventory levels with product demand leaves limited margin for error, and we generally receive a significant volume of customer orders towards the end of each fiscal quarter which leaves us little room to adjust inventory mix to match demand. The recent shortages of certain components due to the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan have exacerbated our ability to match inventory to customer demand. Also, during the transition from an existing product to a new replacement product, we must accurately predict the demand for the existing and the new product. Our inability to properly manage our inventory levels could cause us to incur increased expenses associated with writing off excessive or obsolete inventory or lose sales or have to ship products by air freight to meet immediate demand incurring incremental freight costs above sea freight costs, a preferred method, and suffering a corresponding decline in gross margins. If we do not accurately predict demand, we could also incur increased expenses associated with binding commitments to certain third-party contract manufacturers and suppliers which would negatively impact our gross margins and operating results. During times of economic uncertainty, such as that of the recent global economic recession, it becomes more difficult to accurately forecast demand and manage our inventory levels. Deteriorating market conditions have in the past and can in future periods cause us to incur additional costs associated with excess and obsolete inventory, scrap and excess inventory held by our contract manufacturers.

We may be subject to additional impairment charges due to potential declines in the fair value of our assets.

As a result of our acquisitions, particularly that of Lipman in November 2006, we have recorded significant goodwill and intangible assets on our balance sheet. We test goodwill and intangible assets for impairment on a periodic basis as required, and whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. The events or changes that could require us to test our goodwill and intangible assets for impairment include a reduction in our stock price and market capitalization and changes in our estimated future cash flows, as well as changes in rates of growth in our industry or in any of our reporting units. In the fourth fiscal quarter of 2008, we recorded an impairment charge of $289.1 million for goodwill and developed technology intangible assets due to lower revenue expectations in light of current operating performance and future operating expectations. During the first fiscal quarter of 2009, we concluded that the carrying amount of the North America and Asia reporting units exceeded their implied fair values and recorded an estimated impairment charge of $178.2 million. We finalized the goodwill evaluation process and recorded a $2.7 million reduction of impairment charge during the second quarter of fiscal year 2009. The final goodwill impairment charge was $175.5 million as of April 30, 2009. We have not recorded any further impairment charges since the fiscal quarter ended April 30, 2009.

We will continue to evaluate the carrying value of our goodwill and intangible assets and if we determine in the future that there is a potential further impairment in any of our reporting units, we may be required to record additional charges to earnings which could materially adversely affect our financial results and could also materially adversely affect our business. The process of evaluating the potential impairment of goodwill and intangible assets is subjective and requires significant judgment at many points during the analysis and includes estimates of our future cash flows attributable to a reporting unit or asset over its estimated remaining useful life. Any changes in our estimates, such as our estimates of the future cash flows attributable to a reporting unit or asset, or a longer or more significant decline in our market capitalization or the macroeconomic environment, could require us to record additional impairment charges which could materially adversely affect our financial results.

Our proprietary technology is difficult to protect and unauthorized use of our proprietary technology by third parties may impair our ability to compete effectively.

We may not be able to protect our proprietary technology, which could enable competitors to develop services that compete with our own. We rely on patent, copyright, trademark, and trade secret laws, as well as confidentiality, licensing and other contractual arrangements to establish and protect the proprietary aspects of our solutions. Institution of legal proceedings to enforce our intellectual property rights could be costly and divert the efforts and attention of our management and technical personnel from other business operations. In addition, there can be no assurance that such proceedings would be determined in our favor. We do not have patent protection for certain important aspects of our current solutions. The laws of some countries in which we sell our solutions and services may not protect software and intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws in the United States. If we are unable to prevent misappropriation of our technology, competitors may be able to use and adapt our technology. Our failure to protect our technology could diminish our competitive advantage and cause us to lose customers to competitors.

 

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Our business may suffer if we are sued for infringing the intellectual property rights of third parties, or if we are unable to obtain rights to third-party intellectual property on which we depend.

Third parties have in the past asserted and may in the future assert claims that our system solutions infringe their proprietary rights. Such infringement claims, even if meritless, may cause us to incur significant costs in defending those claims. We may be required to discontinue using and selling any infringing technology and services, to expend resources to develop non-infringing technology or to purchase licenses or pay royalties for other technology. Similarly, we depend on our ability to license intellectual property from third parties. These or other third parties may become unwilling to license to us on acceptable terms intellectual property that is necessary to our business. In either case, we may be unable to acquire licenses for other technology on reasonable commercial terms or at all. As a result, we may find that we are unable to continue to offer the solutions and services upon which our business depends.

We have received, and have currently pending, third-party infringement claims and may receive additional notices of claims of infringement in the future. Infringement claims may cause us to incur significant costs in defending those claims or to settle claims to avoid costly or protracted litigation even if we deem those claims to be without merit. For example, in March 2008, Cardsoft, Inc. and Cardsoft (Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors), LLC commenced an infringement action against us and others, for which a trial is currently set for November 2011. Infringement claims are expensive and time consuming to defend, regardless of the merits or ultimate outcome. Similar claims may result in additional protracted and costly litigation. There can be no assurance that we will prevail in any such actions or that any license required under any such patent or other intellectual property would be made available on commercially acceptable terms, if at all.

We have significant operations in Israel and therefore our results of operations may be adversely affected by political or economic instability or military operations in or around Israel.

We have offices and personnel in Israel. In addition, a number of our products are manufactured by our contract manufacturer in facilities located in Israel and many of our suppliers are located in Israel. Therefore, political, economic, and military conditions in Israel directly affect our operations. The future of peace efforts between Israel and its Arab neighbors remains uncertain. Any armed conflicts or further political instability in the region is likely to negatively affect business conditions and materially harm our results of operations. Furthermore, several countries continue to restrict or ban business with Israel and Israeli companies. These restrictive laws and policies may seriously limit our ability to make sales in those countries.

In addition, many employees in Israel are obligated to perform at least 30 days and up to 40 days, depending on rank and position, of military reserve duty annually and are subject to being called for active duty under emergency circumstances. If a military conflict or war arises, these individuals could be required to serve in the military for extended periods of time. Our operations in Israel could be disrupted by the absence for a significant period of one or more key employees or a significant number of other employees due to military service. Any disruption in our operations in Israel could materially adversely affect our business.

In early 2010 we completed the transfer of the manufacture of our NURIT products from an in-house facility to a contract manufacturer with operations in Israel, which manufactures products and warehouses components and finished goods inventories. Disruption of the manufacturing process of our contract manufacturer or damage to its facility, whether as a result of fire, natural disaster, act of war, terrorist attack, or otherwise, could materially affect our ability to deliver products on a timely basis and could materially adversely affect our results of operations.

 

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We may not be able to attract, integrate, manage, and retain qualified personnel.

Our success depends to a significant degree upon the continued contributions of our key senior management, engineering, sales and marketing, and manufacturing personnel, many of whom would be difficult to replace. In addition, our future success also depends on our ability to attract, integrate, manage, and retain highly skilled employees throughout our business. Competition for some of these personnel is intense, and in the past, we have had difficulty hiring employees in our desired time frame, particularly qualified finance and accounting professionals. We may be unsuccessful in attracting and retaining personnel. The loss of the services of any of our key personnel, the inability to attract or retain qualified personnel in the future, or delays in hiring required personnel, particularly engineers and sales personnel, could make it difficult for us to manage our business and meet key objectives, such as timely product introductions.

During the last several fiscal years, we implemented work force reduction plans reducing the number of employees and contractors in certain areas due to redundancies and shifting business needs. These reductions have also required that we reassign certain employee duties. Workforce reductions and job reassignments could negatively affect employee morale, and make it difficult to motivate and retain our remaining employees and contractors, which would affect our ability to deliver our products in a timely fashion and otherwise negatively affect our business.

Shipments of electronic payment systems may be delayed by factors outside of our control, which can harm our reputation and our relationships with our customers.

The shipment of payment systems requires us or our manufacturers, distributors, or other agents to obtain customs or other government certifications and approvals, and, on occasion, to submit to physical inspection of our systems in transit. Failure to satisfy these requirements, and the very process of trying to satisfy them, can lead to lengthy delays in the delivery of our solutions to our direct or indirect customers. Because we depend upon third-party carriers for the timely delivery of our products we may face delays in delivery due to reasons outside our control. Delays and unreliable delivery by us may harm our reputation in the industry and our relationships with our customers.

Force majeure events, such as terrorist attacks, other acts of violence or war and political instability may adversely affect us.

Terrorist attacks, war and international political instability may disrupt our ability to generate revenues. Such events may negatively affect our ability to maintain sales revenues and to develop new business relationships. Because a substantial and growing part of our revenues is derived from sales and services to customers outside of the United States and we have our electronic payment systems manufactured outside the United States, terrorist attacks, war and international political instability anywhere may decrease international demand for our products and inhibit customer development opportunities abroad, disrupt our supply chain and impair our ability to deliver our electronic payment systems, which could materially adversely affect our net revenues or results of operations. Economic and political instability, particularly in the Middle East or OPEC member countries, may also disrupt the cost or supply of fuel which could increase our costs related to shipment and distribution of our products. Any of these events may also disrupt global financial markets and precipitate a decline in the price of our common stock.

Natural or man-made disasters, business interruptions and health epidemics could delay our ability to receive or ship our products, or otherwise disrupt our business.

 

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Our worldwide operations could be subject to earthquakes, power shortages, telecommunications failures, water shortages, tsunamis, floods, hurricanes, typhoons, fires, extreme weather conditions, health epidemics and other natural or man-made disasters or business interruptions. For example, the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan had a material negative impact in our components supply which resulted in some order fulfillment delays in the current quarter. The occurrence of any of these business disruptions could seriously harm our revenue and financial condition and increase our costs and expenses. If our manufacturers’ or warehousing facilities are damaged or destroyed, we would be unable to distribute our products on a timely basis, which could harm our business. Our corporate headquarters, and a portion of our research and development activities, are located in California, and other critical business operations and some of our suppliers are located in California and Asia, near major earthquake faults. Certain key servers and information systems are located in Florida, which has in the past experienced major hurricanes and similar extreme weather. Although our office facilities have not been impacted by the flooding, power outages or other effects of such storm systems, any disruption of our Florida operations could materially affect our operations and harm our business. Moreover, if our computer information systems or communication systems, or those of our vendors or customers, are subject to hacker attacks or other disruptions, our business could suffer. We have not established a comprehensive disaster recovery plan. Our back-up operations may be inadequate and our business interruption insurance may not be enough to compensate us for any losses that may occur. A significant business interruption could result in losses or damages and harm our business since much of our order fulfillment process is automated and the order information is stored on our servers. If our computer systems and servers go down even for a short period at the end of a fiscal quarter, our ability to recognize revenue would be delayed until we were again able to process and ship our orders, which could harm our revenues for that quarter and cause our stock price to decline significantly.

While we believe we comply with environmental laws and regulations, we are still exposed to potential risks associated with environmental laws and regulations.

We are subject to other legal and regulatory requirements, including a European Union directive that places restrictions on the use of hazardous substances (RoHS) in electronic equipment, a European Union (EU) directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), the EU’s Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), and the environmental regulations promulgated by China’s Ministry of Information Industry (China RoHS). RoHS sets a framework for producers’ obligations in relation to manufacturing (including the amounts of named hazardous substances contained in products sold) and WEEE sets a framework for treatment, labeling, recovery, and recycling of electronic products in the European Union which may require us to alter the manufacturing of the physical devices that include our solutions and/or require active steps to promote recycling of materials and components. REACH imposes chemicals regulation and controls including requirements for registration of chemicals on the EU market. In addition, similar legislation could be enacted in other jurisdictions, including in the United States. Many states in the United States have enacted state-level programs and requirements for recycling of certain electronic goods. In addition, climate change legislation in the United States is a significant topic of discussion and may generate federal or other regulatory responses in the near future. If we do not comply with environmental law and regulations, we may suffer a loss of revenue, be unable to sell in certain markets or countries, be subject to penalties and enforced fees, and/or suffer a competitive disadvantage. Customers may impose certain requirements or levels of compliance due to these regulations and programs that may increase our costs of doing business with such customers. Furthermore, the costs to comply with RoHS, WEEE, REACH and China RoHS, or with current and future environmental and worker health and safety laws may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Risks Related to Our Industry

Our markets are highly competitive and subject to price erosion.

 

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The markets for our system solutions and services are highly competitive, and we have been subject to price pressures. Competition from manufacturers, distributors, or providers of products similar to or competitive with our system solutions or services could result in price reductions, reduced margins, and a loss of market share or could render our solutions obsolete. For example, First Data Corporation, a leading provider of payments processing services, and our largest customer, has developed and continues to develop a series of proprietary electronic payment systems for the U.S. market. Internationally, we face significant downward pressures on prices in China, India and other regions where competition is increasingly fierce in the point-of-sale hardware market including aggressive pricing by some local competitors. Any decrease in our selling prices in order to compete in these markets will negatively impact our revenues, gross margins and results of operations.

We expect to continue to experience significant and increasing levels of competition in the future. We compete with suppliers of cash registers that provide built-in electronic payment capabilities and producers of software that facilitates electronic payment over the internet, as well as other manufacturers or distributors of electronic payment systems. We must also compete with smaller companies that have been able to develop strong local or regional customer bases. In certain foreign countries, some competitors are more established, benefit from greater name recognition and have greater resources within those countries than we do. Further, in certain international markets, such as Brazil, we may face competition from refurbished units which could result in reduced demand and pricing pressures.

We must adhere to industry and government regulations and standards and therefore sales will suffer if we cannot comply with them.

Our system solutions must meet industry standards imposed by payment systems standards setting organizations such as EMVCo LLC, credit card associations such as Visa, MasterCard, and other credit card associations and standard setting organizations such as PCI SSC, Intermec and the UK Cards Association and other local organizations. New standards are continually being adopted or proposed as a result of worldwide anti-fraud initiatives, the increasing need for system compatibility and technology developments such as wireless and wireline IP communication. Our solutions also must comply with government regulations, including those imposed by telecommunications authorities and independent standards groups worldwide regarding emissions, radiation, and connections with telecommunications and radio networks, as well as data privacy laws which regulate the collection, compilation, aggregation, sharing or use of consumer information. We cannot be sure that we will be able to design our solutions to comply with future standards or regulations on a timely basis, if at all. Compliance with these standards could increase the cost of developing or producing our solutions. New products designed to meet any new standards need to be introduced to the market and ordinarily need to be certified by the credit card associations and our customers before being purchased. The certification process is costly and time consuming and increases the amount of time it takes to sell our products. Moreover, certain uses of our products may subject us to additional regulations and licensing requirements. For example, use of our products in taxis requires additional licensing and may subject us to certain taxi business regulations. Our business, revenues and financial condition could be adversely affected if we cannot comply with new or existing industry standards, or obtain or retain necessary regulatory approval or certifications in a timely fashion, or if compliance results in increasing the cost of our products. Selling products that are non-compliant may result in fines against us or our customers, which we may be liable to pay. In addition, even if our products are designed to be compliant, compliance with certain security standards is determined based on the merchant’s or service provider’s network environment in which our systems are installed and, therefore, is dependent upon a number of additional factors such as proper installation of the components of the environment including our systems, compliance of software and system components provided by other vendors, implementation of compliant security processes and business practices and adherence to such processes and practices. Our business and financial condition could be adversely affected if we do not comply with new or existing industry standards and regulations, or obtain or retain necessary regulatory approval or certifications in a timely fashion, or if compliance results in increasing the cost of our products.

 

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If we do not continually enhance our existing solutions and develop and market new solutions and enhancements, our net revenues and income will be adversely affected.

The market for electronic payment systems is characterized by:

 

   

rapid technological change;

 

   

frequent product introductions and enhancements;

 

   

evolving industry and government performance and security standards; and

 

   

changes in customer and end-user preferences or requirements.

Because of these factors, we must continually enhance our existing solutions and develop and market new solutions. These efforts require significant investment in research and development as well as increased costs of manufacturing and distributing our system solutions, and we may not necessarily be able to increase or maintain prices to account for these costs.

We cannot be sure that we will successfully complete the development and introduction of new solutions or enhancements or that our new solutions will be accepted in the marketplace. We may also fail to develop and deploy new solutions and enhancements on a timely basis. In either case, we may lose market share to our competitors, and our net revenues and results of operations could suffer.

Risks Related to Our Capital Structure

Our secured credit facility contains restrictive and financial covenants and, if we are unable to comply with these covenants, we will be in default. A default could result in the acceleration of our outstanding indebtedness, which would have an adverse effect on our business and stock price.

On October 31, 2006, our principal subsidiary, VeriFone, Inc., entered into a secured credit agreement consisting of a Term B Loan facility of $500.0 million and a revolving credit facility permitting borrowings of up to $40.0 million (the “Credit Facility”). The proceeds from the Term B loan were used to repay all outstanding amounts relating to an existing senior secured credit agreement, pay certain transaction costs, and partially fund the cash consideration in connection with the acquisition of Lipman on November 1, 2006. Through April 30, 2011, we had repaid an aggregate of $281.2 million, leaving a Term B Loan balance of $218.8 million at April 30, 2011. The Term B Loan matures October 31, 2013.

Our Credit Facility contains customary covenants that require our subsidiaries to maintain certain specified financial ratios and restrict their ability to make certain distributions with respect to their capital stock, prepay other debt, encumber their assets, incur additional indebtedness, make capital expenditures above specified levels, engage in certain business combinations, or undertake various other corporate activities. Therefore, as a practical matter, these covenants restrict our ability to engage in or benefit from such activities. In addition, we have, in order to secure repayment of our Credit Facility, pledged substantially all of our assets and properties. This pledge may reduce our operating flexibility because it restricts our ability to dispose of these assets or engage in other transactions that may be beneficial to us.

 

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If we are unable to comply with the covenants in our Credit Facility, we will be in default, which could result in the acceleration of our outstanding indebtedness. In addition, if our leverage exceeds a certain level set out in our Credit Facility, a portion of our excess cash flows must be used to pay down our outstanding debt. If acceleration occurs, we may not be able to repay our debt and we may not be able to borrow sufficient additional funds to refinance our debt. Further, the Term B loan matures October 31, 2013 and any refinancing of the Credit Facility or replacement financing is dependent upon the liquidity of the credit markets. The U.S. credit markets have contracted significantly and as a result we may not be able to obtain additional financing on acceptable terms, or at all. If we were to default in performance under the Credit Facility, we may pursue an amendment or waiver of the Credit Facility with our existing lenders, but there can be no assurance that the lenders would grant such an amendment or waiver and, in light of current credit market conditions, any such amendment or waiver requested is likely to be on terms, including additional fees, as well as increased interest rates and other more stringent terms and conditions that would be materially disadvantageous to us. For example, as a result of the delay in our financial reports for the 2007 fiscal year and the first two fiscal quarters of 2008, we were required to obtain amendments to our Credit Facility that resulted in an increase in the interest rate payable on our term loan and revolving commitments, as well as increases in the commitment fee for unused revolving commitments and letter of credit fees. We also paid the consenting lenders amendment fees in connection with the amendments. We expect that in light of recent market conditions any lender’s fees or other terms and conditions for a covenant waiver or amendment would be substantially more costly to us today than the cost we incurred for credit agreement amendments in 2008.

The conditions of the U.S. and international capital markets may adversely affect our ability to draw on our revolving credit facility as well as have an adverse effect on other financial transactions.

Lehman Commercial Paper, Inc. (“Lehman CP”) was a lender under our revolving credit facility with a commitment of $15 million out of the $40 million facility. As a result of Lehman CP’s filing of a voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition in October 2008, we reduced the revolving credit facility by its commitment.

In addition, the filing by Lehman Brothers of a voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition in September 2008 constituted an “event of default” under the note hedge transaction with Lehman Derivatives (which has also filed a voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition) and the related guaranty by Lehman Brothers. Because we have not replaced this hedge transaction, we are subject to potential dilution on the portion of our convertible notes that is intended to be covered by the hedge transaction with Lehman Derivatives upon conversion if on the date of conversion the per share market price of our common stock exceeds the conversion price of approximately $44.02 per share. For example, we experienced dilution of 0.8 million shares to diluted earnings per share for the fiscal quarter ended April 30, 2011 because the average price of our common stock during the period exceeded $44.02 per share. Further, if we decided to replace the hedge we could incur significant costs to do so.

If other financial institutions that have extended credit commitments to us or have entered into hedge, insurance or similar transactions with us are adversely affected by the conditions of the U.S. and international capital markets, they may become unable to fund borrowings under their credit commitments to us or otherwise fulfill their obligations under the relevant transactions, which could have a material and adverse impact on our financial condition and our ability to borrow additional funds, if needed, for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other corporate purposes.

Our indebtedness and debt service obligations under our Credit Facility may adversely affect our cash flow, cash position, and stock price.

Principal payments on the Term B Loan are due in equal quarterly installments of $1.25 million over the term of the loan with the remaining balance due October 31, 2013. We intend to fulfill our debt service obligations under our Credit Facility from existing cash, investments and operations. A substantial portion of our cash balances and cash generated from operations are held by our foreign subsidiaries. If we decide to distribute or use such cash and cash equivalents outside those foreign jurisdictions, including a distribution to the United States we may be subject to additional taxes or costs. In the future, if we are unable to generate or raise additional cash sufficient to meet our debt service obligations and need to use more of our existing cash than planned or to liquidate investments in order to fund these obligations, we may have to delay or curtail the development and/or the sales and marketing of new payment systems. The Term B Loan bears interest at 2.75% over the applicable LIBOR rate. As a result of the recent global recession and downturn in financial markets, LIBOR has declined significantly, which has resulted in a lower effective interest rate on our Term B Loan. LIBOR fluctuates based on economic and market factors that are beyond our control. Any significant increase in LIBOR would result in a significant increase in interest expense on our Term B Loan, which could negatively impact our net income and cash flows.

 

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Our indebtedness could have significant additional negative consequences, including, without limitation:

 

   

requiring the dedication of a significant portion of our expected cash flow to service the indebtedness, thereby reducing the amount of expected cash flow available for other purposes, including capital expenditures;

 

   

increasing our vulnerability to general adverse economic conditions;

 

   

limiting our ability to obtain additional financing; and

 

   

placing us at a possible competitive disadvantage to less leveraged competitors and competitors that have better access to capital resources.

Additionally, if we are required to refinance or raise additional cash to settle our existing indebtedness on or prior to its maturity, our ability to successfully achieve such objective is dependent on a number of factors, including but not limited to our business outlook, projected financial performance, general availability of corporate credit, and market demand for our securities offerings. We believe that in the event additional funding is required, we will be able to access the capital markets on terms and in amounts adequate to meet our objectives. However, given the possibility of changes in market conditions or other occurrences, we cannot assure that such funding will be available on terms favorable to us or at all.

Some provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws may delay or prevent transactions that many stockholders may favor.

Some provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws may have the effect of delaying, discouraging or preventing a merger or acquisition that our stockholders may consider favorable, including transactions in which stockholders might receive a premium for their shares. These provisions include:

 

   

authorization of the issuance of “blank check” preferred stock without the need for action by stockholders;

 

   

the amendment of our organizational documents only by the affirmative vote of the holders of two-thirds of the shares of our capital stock entitled to vote;

 

   

provision that any vacancy on the board of directors, however occurring, including a vacancy resulting from an enlargement of the board, may only be filled by vote of the directors then in office;

 

   

inability of stockholders to call special meetings of stockholders, although stockholders are permitted to act by written consent; and

 

   

advance notice requirements for board nominations and proposing matters to be acted on by stockholders at stockholder meetings.

Our share price has been volatile and we expect that the price of our common stock may continue to fluctuate substantially.

 

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Our stock price has fluctuated substantially since our initial public offering in 2005, for example, due to the announcement of our restatement in December 2007 and during the recent turmoil in the worldwide financial markets. In addition to fluctuations related to VeriFone-specific factors, broad market and industry factors may adversely affect the market price of our common stock, regardless of our actual operating performance. Factors that could cause fluctuations in our stock price may include, among other things:

 

   

actual or anticipated variations in quarterly operating results;

 

   

changes in financial estimates by us or by any securities analysts who might cover our stock, or our failure to meet the estimates made by securities analysts;

 

   

uncertainty about current global economic conditions;

 

   

changes in the market valuations of other companies operating in our industry;

 

   

announcements by us or our competitors related to significant acquisitions, strategic partnerships or divestitures;

 

   

additions or departures of key personnel;

 

   

sales or purchases of our common stock, including sales or purchases of our common stock by our directors and officers or by our principal stockholders; and

 

   

our share price may also be affected by any issuance of our common stock in connection with any conversion of our 1.375% Senior Convertible Notes due 2012.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

We will receive proceeds from the sale of shares of common stock offered by this prospectus only to the extent that equity awards consisting of stock options issued under the Plans are exercised for shares of common stock covered by this prospectus and are paid for in cash. If all of the equity awards fully vest and are exercised for cash, we would receive approximately $9.9 million of net proceeds from the exercise of equity awards consisting of stock options, after deducting estimated offering expenses payable by us. We expect to use any such net proceeds of the offering for general corporate purposes.

 

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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

We will issue the shares of our common stock covered by this prospectus only upon the vesting and exercise of certain equity awards granted under the Plans. No broker, dealer or underwriter has been engaged in connection with these matters.

Pursuant to the terms of the merger agreement, upon closing of the merger, Hypercom became our wholly-owned subsidiary and we assumed the Plans. Each outstanding stock option under the Plans was converted into an option to purchase a number of shares of our common stock equal to the product of (i) the number of shares of Hypercom’s common stock subject to such option immediately prior to the effective time of the merger and (ii) 0.23, subject to certain adjustments that may be required to comply with U.S. tax law. The exercise price of each option equals the exercise price prior to the merger, divided by 0.23. Each option otherwise continues to be governed by the same terms and conditions as applicable under the Plans. Holders of restricted stock will receive the same merger consideration as other holders of Hypercom’s common stock: 0.23 shares of our common stock for each share of Hypercom’s common stock, with any unvested stock issued after November 17, 2010 and not subject to acceleration by the terms of the applicable award or under the Hypercom Change of Control Plan continuing to be subject to vesting restrictions.

VALIDITY OF THE SECURITIES

The validity of the common stock covered by this registration statement is being passed upon by Albert Y. Liu, Executive Vice President, Corporate Development and General Counsel of VeriFone. As of the date of this registration statement, Mr. Liu beneficially owns approximately 21,875 shares of our common stock including options exercisable within sixty (60) days of the date of this registration statement.

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements of VeriFone Systems, Inc. appearing in VeriFone Systems, Inc.’s Annual Report (Form 10-K) for the year ended October 31, 2010, and the effectiveness of VeriFone Systems, Inc.’s internal control over financial reporting as of October 31, 2010 have been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their reports thereon, included therein, and incorporated herein by reference. Such consolidated financial statements and VeriFone Systems, Inc. management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of October 31, 2010 are incorporated herein by reference in reliance upon such reports given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

The consolidated financial statements of Hypercom Corporation as of December 31, 2010 and 2009, and for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2010, appearing in VeriFone Systems, Inc.’s Current Report on Form 8-K/A filed on August 10, 2011, have been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report thereon, included therein, and incorporated herein by reference. Such consolidated financial statements are incorporated herein by reference in reliance upon such report given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

VeriFone files annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You may read and copy materials that VeriFone has filed with the SEC at the following SEC public reference room:

100 F Street, N.E.

Washington, D.C. 20549

Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the operation of the public reference room.

 

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VeriFone’s SEC filings are also available for free to the public on the SEC’s Internet website at www.sec.gov, which contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding companies that file electronically with the SEC. In addition, VeriFone’s SEC filings are also available for free to the public on VeriFone’s website, www.verifone.com. Information contained on VeriFone’s website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus, and you should not consider information contained on this website as part of this prospectus.

INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE

VeriFone incorporates by reference into this prospectus the documents listed below, and any filings VeriFone makes with the SEC under Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date of this prospectus until the offering is completed shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference into this prospectus and is considered part of this prospectus from the date VeriFone files that document. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus. Any statement in a document incorporated by reference into this prospectus will be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus to the extent a statement contained in this or any other subsequently filed document that is incorporated by reference into this prospectus modifies or supersedes such statement. Any statement so modified or superseded will be not deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this prospectus.

SEC Filings

 

Commission file number 1-32465

  

Period

Annual Report on Form 10-K    Year Ended October 31, 2010 (filed on December 21, 2010)
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q    Quarter ended January 31, 2011 (filed on March 11, 2011) and Quarter ended April 30, 2011 (filed on June 8, 2011)
Current Report on Form 8-K    Filed on November 19, 2010, March 8, 2011, May 19, 2011, July 1, 2011, August 5, 2011 and August 10, 2011
The description of VeriFone common stock set forth in a registration statement filed pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act and any amendment or report filed for the purpose of updating those descriptions.   

You can obtain a copy of any document incorporated by reference into this prospectus except for the exhibits to those documents from VeriFone. You may also obtain these documents from the SEC or through the SEC’s website described above. Documents incorporated by reference are available from VeriFone without charge, excluding all exhibits unless specifically incorporated by reference as an exhibit into this prospectus. You may obtain documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus by requesting them in writing or by telephone from VeriFone at the following address and telephone number:

VeriFone Systems, Inc.

2099 Gateway Place, Suite 600

San Jose, California 95110

Attention: Investor Relations

ir@verifone.com

Telephone: (408) 232-7979

 

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PART II

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN THE PROSPECTUS

 

Item 14. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.

The following table sets forth the estimated costs and expenses payable by the registrant in connection with the common stock being registered. All the amounts shown are estimates, except the SEC registration fee.

 

SEC registration fee

   $ 0   

Accounting fees and expenses

     15,000   

Legal fees and expenses

     15,000   

Transfer agent fees and expenses

     5,000   

Printing and miscellaneous expenses

     5,000   
  

 

 

 

Total

   $ 40,000   
  

 

 

 

 

Item 15. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

As permitted by Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, the bylaws of the registrant provide that (i) the registrant is required to indemnify its directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law, (ii) the registrant may, in its discretion, indemnify other persons as set forth in the Delaware General Corporation Law, (iii) to the fullest extent permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law, the registrant is required to advance all expenses incurred by its directors and officers in connection with a legal proceeding (subject to certain exceptions), (iv) the rights conferred in the bylaws are not exclusive, (v) the registrant is authorized to enter into indemnification agreements with its directors, officers, employees and agents and (vi) the registrant may not retroactively amend the bylaws provisions relating to indemnity.

The registrant has entered into agreements with its directors and executive officers that require the registrant to indemnify such persons against expenses, judgments, fines, settlements and other amounts that such person might become legally obligated to pay (including expenses of a derivative action) in connection with any proceeding, whether actual or threatened, to which any such person may be made a party by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director or officer of the registrant or any of its affiliated enterprises, provided such person acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the registrant. The indemnification agreements also set forth certain procedures that will apply in the event of a claim for indemnification thereunder.

 

Item 16. Exhibits.

 

Exhibit
Number

  

Description of the Document

  4.1    Specimen Stock Certificate (1)
  4.2    Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended (2)
  4.3    Form of Amended and Restated Bylaws (3)
  4.4    Amendment No. 1 to the Bylaws of VeriFone Holdings, Inc. (4)
  5.1    Opinion of Albert Y. Liu
23.1    Consent of Ernst & Young LLP relating to the consolidated financial statements of VeriFone Systems, Inc.

 

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Exhibit
Number

  

Description of the Document

23.2    Consent of Ernst & Young LLP relating to the consolidated financial statements of Hypercom Corporation
23.3    Consent of Albert Y. Liu (included in Exhibit 5.1)
24.1*    Power of Attorney

 

* Previously filed.
(1) Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to Amendment No. 3 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-121947), filed on April 18, 2005.
(2) Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed on December 21, 2010.
(3) Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to Amendment No. 5 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-121947), filed on April 29, 2005.
(4) Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.3 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on April 3, 2008.

 

Item 17. Undertakings.

(a) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

(i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;

(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement; and

(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement;

Provided, however, that paragraphs (1)(i), (1)(ii) and (1)(iii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to section 13 or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is part of the registration statement.

(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

 

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(4) That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser:

(A) Each prospectus filed by a registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and

(B) Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5) or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii) or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by Section 10(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which the prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date.

(5) That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:

(i) Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;

(ii) Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant;

(iii) The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and

(iv) Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.

(b) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to section 13(a) or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

 

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(c) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of San Jose, State of California, on August 11, 2011.

 

VERIFONE SYSTEMS, INC.
By   /s/    DOUGLAS G. BERGERON        
  Douglas G. Bergeron,
  Chief Executive Officer

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated:

 

Signature

  

Title

 

Date

/s/    DOUGLAS G. BERGERON        

Douglas G. Bergeron

  

Chief Executive Officer

(principal executive officer)

  August 11, 2011

*

Robert Dykes

  

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

(principal financial and accounting officer)

  August 11, 2011

*

Robert W. Alspaugh

  

Director

  August 11, 2011

*

Leslie G. Denend

  

Director

  August 11, 2011

*

Alex W. Hart

  

Director

  August 11, 2011

*

Robert B. Henske

  

Director

  August 11, 2011

*

Richard McGinn

  

Director

  August 11, 2011

*

Eitan Raff

  

Director

  August 11, 2011

*

Jeffrey E. Stiefler

  

Director

  August 11, 2011

*

Charles R. Rinehart

  

Charles R. Rinehart

Chairman of the Board of Directors

  August 11, 2011

 

*By:   /s/    DOUGLAS G. BERGERON        
  Douglas G. Bergeron
  Attorney-in-Fact


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EXHIBITS INDEX

 

Exhibit
Number

  

Description of the Document

  4.1    Specimen Stock Certificate (1)
  4.2    Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended (2)
  4.3    Form of Amended and Restated Bylaws (3)
  4.4    Amendment No. 1 to the Bylaws of VeriFone Holdings, Inc. (4)
  5.1    Opinion of Albert Y. Liu
23.1    Consent of Ernst & Young LLP relating to the consolidated financial statements of VeriFone Systems, Inc.
23.2    Consent of Ernst & Young LLP relating to the consolidated financial statements of Hypercom Corporation
23.3    Consent of Albert Y. Liu (included in Exhibit 5.1)
24.1*    Power of Attorney

 

* Previously filed
(1) Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to Amendment No. 3 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-121947), filed on April 18, 2005.
(2) Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed on December 21, 2010.
(3) Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to Amendment No. 5 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-121947), filed on April 29, 2005.
(4) Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.3 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on April 3, 2008.