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Note 1—The Company and Basis of Presentation
Corinthian Colleges, Inc. (the “Company”) is one of the largest post-secondary career education companies in North America. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had 94,860 students and operated 107 schools in 26 states and 16 colleges in the province of Ontario, Canada. The Company offers a variety of diploma programs and associate’s, bachelor’s and master’s degrees, concentrating on programs in allied health, business, technology, and criminal justice. The Company also offers exclusively online degrees, primarily in business and criminal justice.
Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation.
The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared by the Company pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in annual financial statements have been omitted or condensed pursuant to such regulations. The Company believes the disclosures included in the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, when read in conjunction with the June 30, 2011 consolidated financial statements of the Company included in the Company’s 2011 Annual Report on Form 10-K and notes thereto, are adequate to make the information presented not misleading. In management’s opinion, the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments, consisting solely of normal recurring adjustments, necessary to summarize fairly the consolidated financial position, results of operations, and cash flows for such periods. The results of operations for the three and six months ended December 31, 2011 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the full fiscal year ending June 30, 2012.
The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2011 and for the three and six months ended December 31, 2011 and 2010 and the audited condensed consolidated financial statements as of June 30, 2011 include the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries that it directly or indirectly controls through majority ownership. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
The financial position and results of operations of the Company’s Canadian subsidiaries are measured using the local currency as the functional currency. Assets and liabilities of the Canadian subsidiaries are translated to U.S. dollars using exchange rates in effect at the balance sheet dates. Income and expense items are translated at monthly average rates of exchange. The resultant translation adjustments are included as a component of Stockholders’ Equity designated as accumulated other comprehensive income. Exchange gains and losses arising from transactions denominated in a currency other than the functional currency are immediately included in earnings.
The Company estimates fair value using a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value into three broad levels. The fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority to quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3).
The carrying value of cash and cash equivalents, receivables and accounts payable approximates their fair value at December 31, 2011. In addition, the carrying value of all borrowings approximates fair value at December 31, 2011. The student notes receivable, net balances are presented within current and non-current assets on the consolidated balance sheets. It is not practicable to estimate the fair value of these financial instruments, since observable market data is not readily available, and no reasonable estimation methodology exists.
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Note 2—Impairment and Severance Charges
During the first quarter of fiscal 2012, the Company considered whether any indicators of impairment existed at the balance sheet date. Consequently, the Company performed an interim impairment test on goodwill and other indefinite lived intangible assets. The Company believes that continued regulatory uncertainties, and the potential impact of new regulations, particularly regulations regarding gainful employment, have had a sustained negative impact on Company’s stock price and current fair value. While the results of the interim impairment test did not indicate an impairment of goodwill, it did indicate that the fair value of certain intangible assets related to the WyoTech schools were impaired. The estimated fair values of WyoTech’s trade names and accreditation fell below their carrying values of $14.0 million and $3.3 million, respectively, primarily due to the decline in market capitalization and the associated increase in the discount rate assumption compared to June 30, 2011. As a result, the Company recorded an impairment charge of $7.7 million, which reduced the carrying value of WyoTech’s trade names to $8.6 million and accreditation to $1.0 million.
The Company used the relief from royalty method to estimate the fair value of trade names. Under the relief from royalty method, estimated royalty rates were selected and applied to the revenue stream generated by trade names in order to estimate the potential value of the asset, assuming that trade names would be licenses to a third-party. For WyoTech, the Company assumes a royalty rate of 2.25% based upon comparable licensing transactions, a discount rate of 35.7%, a tax rate of 39% and a terminal growth rate value of 1.5%.
The Company used the Greenfield method in valuing WyoTech’s accreditation. The Greenfield method estimates fair value as the difference between the present value of cash flows generated under a current “as is” scenario and the present value of cash flows generated under a Greenfield scenario. The current “as is” scenario derives value from cash flows projected from 2012 to 2014, with revenue growth rates ranging from 4.8% to 7.4% and stabilizing at 1.5% in 2015 and a discount rate of 35.7%. The Greenfield scenario derives value from projected cash flows based on a theoretical “re-building” of the total locations attributed to WyoTech’s accreditation. The significant assumptions for the Greenfield scenario include estimated revenue growth ranging from 26.9% to 114.8% from 2012 to 2015 and a discount rate of 35.7%. The present value associated with the Greenfield scenario was subtracted from the present value of the current “as is” scenario.
At December 31, 2011, the remaining goodwill of $197.9 million relates to the Heald reporting unit, which was acquired in January 2010. Since the acquisition, Heald has continued to meet or exceed all operating projections including but not limited to revenues and cash flow targets. However, the September 30, 2011 fair value of Heald exceeded carrying value by less than 5%. Accordingly, any adverse change to the Heald operating results or projections or negative changes to the Company’s WACC or other assumptions used to estimate fair value could result in impairment during future periods.
At December 31, 2011 the Company considered if there were indicators of impairment that would require an interim impairment test for goodwill and other non amortizable intangible assets at that date and concluded that no such test was necessary. The Company will perform its required annual impairment test for goodwill and other non amortizable intangible assets as of June 30, 2012.
Should the Company’s stock price remain depressed or decline further, the Company could incur additional impairment charges to write-down all or a portion of its goodwill and other intangible assets. Additionally, the fair value measure of accounting for financial instruments establishes a three-tier fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value. Level 3 is defined as unobservable inputs in which little or no market data exists, therefore requiring an entity to develop its own assumptions. The implied fair value of goodwill and other intangible assets was determined using Level 3 inputs included in the Company’s discounted cash flow valuation method.
Additionally, the Company incurred and paid severance in the three and six months ending December 31, 2011 of $2.7 million and $4.9 million, respectively.
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Note 3—Discontinued Operations
During fiscal year 2011, the Company completed the teach-out of its Fife, WA and Toronto (Central), Ontario campuses. Accordingly, the results of operations of the campuses are reflected as discontinued operations in the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of operations for all prior periods presented. All amounts related to discontinued operations are not material to the consolidated financial statements. There were no discontinued operations for the three and six months ended December 31, 2011.
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Note 4—Student Receivables
Historically, the Company had developed several loan programs with origination and servicing providers such as Sallie Mae for students with low credit scores who otherwise would not qualify for loans. These loan programs required that the Company pay a discount fee to the origination and servicing providers of the loans as a reserve against future defaults on these loans. The Company has historically referred to these types of loans as “discount loans,” since the Company incurred a portion of the default risk related to these student loans by taking a discount on the disbursement. By accepting a reduced payment for these discounted loans from the servicing providers, the Company was not at risk for the amounts agreed to by the service providers and was not entitled to any proceeds collected by the service providers in excess of this amount. Therefore the Company had recorded this discount as a reduction to revenue.
In fiscal 2008, the Company was informed by Sallie Mae and two other origination and servicing providers that they would no longer make private loans available for students who present higher credit risks (i.e. subprime borrowers). In the face of this change in policy, the Company created a new lending program in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2008 with a different origination and servicing provider, Genesis Lending Services, Inc. (“Genesis”), which specializes in subprime credit. Under this Genesis program the Company paid a discount to the origination and servicing provider for any loans purchased by Genesis and recorded the discount as a reduction to revenue. Under this program the Company then had both the right and an obligation to acquire the related loan, except in certain limited circumstances where Genesis did not comply with the terms of the agreement. Since the Company initiated the Genesis program, the Company acquired all of the loans that were originated. Therefore, the Company is exposed to any credit defaults by students but retains all amounts collected from the students under this program.
On June 29, 2011, the Company entered into a loan origination agreement with ASFG, LLC (“ASFG”) for the purpose of creating a new private education discount loan program for the Company’s students. Under the loan origination agreement, ASFG has agreed to fund new student loans through June 2013. Under this agreement, Genesis will make private education loans to eligible students and, subsequently, sell those loans to ASFG or its designee. During the second quarter of fiscal 2012 the Company completed the transition from the Genesis discount loan program to the ASFG discount loan program. The Company estimates loans funded under the Genesis discount loan program, net of refunds, have been approximately $7.0 million and $48.4 million for the three and six months ended December 31, 2011, respectively. The Company estimates loans funded under the ASFG program, net of estimated refunds, have been approximately $36.7 million and $37.4 million for the three and six months ended December 31, 2011, respectively.
This ASFG loan program has characteristics similar to the Company’s previous “discount loan” programs. As with the Company’s previous discount loan program, under this ASFG program the Company will pay a discount to ASFG for any loans purchased by ASFG and record the discount as a reduction to revenue over the period of instruction. However, unlike the Genesis discount loan program, under this ASFG discount program the Company has no right or obligation to acquire the related loan upon origination. Pursuant to a backup loan purchase agreement entered into in connection with the loan origination agreement, the Company will be obligated to purchase any student loans for which no payment has been made for over 90 days. The Company applies historical loan performance experience to estimate and record this loan recourse obligation on a gross basis by recording both an asset and liability equal to the estimated risk upon funding. The asset is recorded within prepaid expenses and will be recognized as a reduction to revenue over the period of instruction. The recourse liability is recorded within accrued expenses. Upon recourse the Company will repurchase any loans at the amount advanced by ASFG net of any discount paid to ASFG, less any principal payments collected by ASFG. The purchase price will be recorded as an increase to notes and a reduction to the recourse liability. The recourse liability related to the notes at December 31, 2011 was $6.0 million. Under this backup loan purchase agreement, the Company’s maximum obligation (including the initial discount payment) could be equal to the face amount of loans originated under this loan program, although the Company expects its ultimate risk under this loan program to be substantially similar to the risks it faces under its Genesis discount loan program.
During the first quarter of fiscal 2012, the Company sold student loans with a face value of $16.8 million to ASFG, on a recourse basis. The recourse provisions of this sale prevent the Company from derecognizing the underlying student loans sold. As of December 31, 2011, the Company received an advance of $10.1 million related to the sale, which has been recorded as a long-term other liability on the Consolidated Condensed Balance Sheet and presented as proceeds from borrowings under student notes receivable sale within financing activities in the Statement of Cash Flow. The remaining $6.7 million of purchase price will be paid to the Company as ASFG receives student principal payments in excess of the advance. The long-term other liability and underlying student loans sold will be derecognized as ASFG receives principal payments. As of December 31, 2011 ASFG had collected approximately $0.7 million of principal payments related to the $16.8 million of notes sold. As of December 31, 2011, the remaining obligation is approximately $9.4 million.
Student notes receivable represent loans that have maturity dates that generally range between 12 to 60 months from the loan origination date but can have terms as long as 15 years depending on amounts borrowed. The interest rate charged on the Genesis notes purchased by the Company was at a fixed rate of 6.8% with an origination fee of 1%. Notes purchased by ASFG from Genesis have market driven interest rates. Included in the consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2011 and June 30, 2011 is $97.5 million and $77.1 million of notes receivable, respectively.
The decrease in accounts receivable at December 31, 2011 compared to June 30, 2011 was primarily due to the Company not collecting approximately $87.0 million of Title IV funds as of June 30, 2011 (which was subsequently collected in July 2011).
The Company monitors the credit quality of its portfolio using proprietary forecasting, which relies heavily on credit information and credit scores provided by third-party credit bureaus. These proprietary forecasting models are also based on impairment trending, delinquency trending, and population trending. The loan reserve model is reviewed annually during the fourth quarter or earlier in the year upon the occurrence of certain events or substantive changes in circumstances that indicate a refinement of the model is warranted. Delinquency is the main factor of determining if a loan is impaired, as loans are charged off after 270 days delinquency. Once a loan is impaired, interest no longer accrues. The income and fees earned on impaired loans was immaterial during the three months and six months ended December 31, 2011 and 2010. In the six months ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, the Company has charged-off $38.0 million and $28.4 million, respectively, of Genesis notes net of recoveries. The charge-off is recorded as a reduction to notes receivable and a reduction to the corresponding notes receivable allowance.
The effect of an increase in the student notes receivable allowance of 3% of the Company’s outstanding earned notes receivable from 46.5% to 49.5% or $84.7 million to $90.2 million would result in a decrease in pre-tax income of $5.5 million as of December 31, 2011. Recoveries for all periods presented are not material.
Although the Company analyzes past due receivables, it is not practical to provide an aging of non-current student receivable balances as a result of the methodology utilized in determining the earned student receivable balances. Student receivables are recognized on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets as they are earned over the course of a student’s program and/or term, and therefore cash collections are not applied against specifically dated transactions.
Generally, a student accounts receivable balance is written off once it reaches greater than 180 days past due.
Included within the Consolidated Statement of Operations, under the caption “Other expense (income),” for the three months and six months ended December 31, 2011, there was net other expense of $2.4 million and $2.7 million, associated with the student notes programs, respectively. For the three and six months ended December 31, 2010, there was net other income of $1.2 million and $1.8 million, associated with the Genesis notes program, respectively.
Genesis Program
The net other expense (income) primarily reflects the interest income, loan origination fees, and costs related to servicing loans. The Company defers and recognizes both the loan origination income and direct loan origination costs as an adjustment to the yield over the life of the related loan. All other lending-related costs, including costs related to servicing fees are charged to expense as incurred.
ASFG Program
The net other expense (income) primarily reflects the program structuring fees, management fees, and other fees charged by ASFG. The Company defers and recognizes program structuring and management fees over the program length. All other fees are charged to expense as incurred.
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Note 5—Debt and Capital Lease Obligations
As of December 31, 2011, long-term debt and capital lease obligations consisted of the following:
On September 30, 2009, the Company entered into a Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (the “Credit Facility”) with aggregate borrowing capacity of $280 million, of which $260 million was a domestic facility and $20 million, was a Canadian facility. On February 22, 2010, the Company increased by $35 million the aggregate capacity under the Credit Facility. The aggregate borrowing capacity under the Credit Facility is now $315 million, of which $295 million is a domestic facility and $20 million, is a Canadian facility. The Credit Facility expires on October 1, 2012.The Credit Facility expires on October 1, 2012, as such the borrowings have been classified as short-term. The Company intends to renew before expiration. The Credit Facility has been established to provide available funds for acquisitions, to fund general corporate purposes, and to provide for letters of credit issuances of up to $50 million for domestic letters of credit and $15 million for Canadian letters of credit. Borrowings under the agreement bear interest at several pricing alternatives available to us, including Eurodollar and adjusted reference or base rates. The domestic base rate is defined as the higher of (a) the Federal Funds Rate plus 1/2 of 1%, (b) the Bank of America prime rate, or (c) the one-month Eurodollar Rate plus 1.00%. The Canadian base rate is defined as the higher of (a) the average rate for 30 day Canadian Dollar bankers’ acceptances plus 3/4 of 1%, (b) the Bank of America Canada prime rate or (c) the one-month Eurodollar Rate plus 1.00%. The agreement contains customary affirmative and negative covenants including financial covenants requiring the maintenance of consolidated net worth, fixed charge coverage ratios, leverage ratios, and a U.S. Department of Education (“ED”) financial responsibility composite score ratio. As of December 31, 2011, the Company was in compliance with all of the covenants. As of December 31, 2011, the credit facility had borrowings outstanding of $107.3 million and approximately $21.4 million to support standby letters of credit. The third amended and restated credit agreement is secured by the stock of the Company’s significant operating subsidiaries and it is guaranteed by the Company’s present and future significant operating subsidiaries.
Short-term debt also includes a term loan credit facility (the “Mortgage Facility”) dated March 24, 2010 between the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Heald Real Estate, LLC (“Heald Real Estate”), and Bank of America, N.A. (“B of A”) that is secured by real estate of Heald Real Estate and guaranteed by Heald Capital, LLC and Heald Education, LLC (the “Heald Guarantors”). On January 4, 2010, Heald Real Estate, the Heald Guarantors and B of A entered into an amendment and waiver to the Mortgage Facility (the “1st Amendment and Waiver”), pursuant to which B of A waived compliance with all covenants and defaults under the Mortgage Facility except for the requirement that Heald Real Estate continue making regularly scheduled payments under the Mortgage Facility. Also on January 4, 2010, Corinthian entered into a Continuing and Unconditional Guaranty to guarantee the obligations of Heald Real Estate under the Mortgage Facility. The parties also agreed that any defaults under Corinthian’s syndicated Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (the “Credit Facility”) will constitute a default under the Mortgage Facility. On March 31, 2010, Heald Real Estate entered into an Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (the “Amended Heald Credit Agreement”) with B of A as administrative agent for the lenders, and each lender from time to time party thereto. Pursuant to the terms of the Amended Heald Credit Agreement, the parties amended and restated the covenants and default provisions under the Mortgage Facility to substantially parallel those provisions in the Company’s Credit Facility. All other material provisions of the Mortgage Facility remained substantially unchanged. As a condition precedent to the effectiveness of the Amended Heald Credit Agreement, Bank of the West agreed to assume approximately $8 million, and Heald Real Estate prepaid approximately $7 million, of the loans outstanding under the Mortgage Facility. The total outstanding principal and interest under the Amended Heald Credit Agreement as of December 31, 2011 was approximately $14.7 million. The outstanding term loans under the Amended Heald Credit Agreement bear interest, at Heald Real Estate’s option, either (a) at the Base Rate (as defined in the Amended Heald Credit Agreement) or (b) at the Eurodollar Rate (as defined in the Amended Heald Credit Agreement) for the applicable interest period plus 3.00% per annum. The minimum interest rate is 4.00% per annum. The Amended Heald Credit Agreement matures on March 24, 2012. The Amended Heald Credit Agreement has a related fixed interest rate swap agreement with B of A that is guaranteed by the Heald Guarantors and secured by the same collateral that secures the Amended Heald Credit Agreement. The fair value of the fixed interest rate swap is not material at December 31, 2011. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Note 6—Comprehensive Income (Loss)
Comprehensive income (loss) is defined as the total of net income (loss) and all changes that impact stockholders’ equity other than transactions involving stockholders’ ownership interests. The following table details the components of comprehensive income (loss) for the three and six months ended December 31, 2011 and 2010 (in thousands, unaudited):
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Note 8—Segment Information
The Company’s operations are aggregated into a single reportable operating segment based upon similar economic and operating characteristics as well as similar markets. The Company’s operations are also subject to similar regulatory environments. The Company conducts its operations in the U.S. and Canada. Revenues and long-lived assets by geographic area are as follows (in thousands):
No one customer accounted for more than 10% of the Company’s consolidated revenues. Revenues are attributed to regions based on the location of customers.
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Note 9—Commitments and Contingencies
In the ordinary conduct of its business, the Company and its subsidiaries are subject to lawsuits, demands in arbitration, investigations and other claims, including, but not limited to, lawsuits and claims involving current and former students, employment-related matters, business disputes and regulatory demands. In some of the lawsuits and arbitrations pending against the Company, including matters not disclosed below, the plaintiffs seek certification of the matter as a class action or collective action in order to represent other similarly-situated persons. Except as disclosed below, none of the matters currently pending against the Company in which plaintiffs seek class certification has yet been certified as a class action or collective action. When the Company is aware of a claim or potential claim, it assesses the likelihood of any loss or exposure. Information is provided below regarding the nature of each potentially material claim where the likelihood of loss is probable or reasonably possible. If it is probable that a loss will result and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated, the Company has accrued a liability for the loss. When a loss is not both probable and estimable, the Company does not accrue a liability. Where a loss is not probable but is reasonably possible, including if a loss in excess of an accrued liability is reasonably possible, the Company determines whether it is possible to provide an estimate of the amount of the loss or range of possible losses for the claim. For the matters described below, the Company has either established an accrual that is immaterial, or has determined that a loss is reasonably possible but that it is not possible to provide a reasonable estimate of the amount of loss or the range of possible losses with respect to the matter. There can be no assurance that the ultimate outcome of any of the matters threatened or pending against the Company, including those disclosed below, will not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition or results of operations.
False Claims Act Qui Tams
On October 3, 2007, the Company was notified that a qui tam action had been filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California by a former employee (the “relator”) on behalf of himself and the federal government. The case is captioned United States of America, ex rel. Steven Fuhr v. Corinthian Colleges, Inc. The Company subsequently learned of two other qui tam actions filed against the Company captioned United States of America, ex rel. Nyoka Lee and Talala Mshuja v. Corinthian Colleges, Inc., et al., and United States of America, ex rel. Stephen Backhus v. Corinthian Colleges, Inc., et al., filed in the United States District Courts for the Central District of California and the Middle District of Florida, respectively. These qui tam actions allege violations of the False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. § 3729-33, by the Company for allegedly causing false claims to be paid, or allegedly using false statements to get claims paid or approved by the federal government, because of alleged Company violations of the Higher Education Act (the “HEA”) regarding the manner in which admissions personnel are compensated. The Lee complaint also alleges causes of action for common law fraud, unjust enrichment and payment under mistake of fact against the Company, Ernst & Young LLP (the Company’s Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm), and David Moore, Jack Massimino, Paul St. Pierre, Alice Kane, Linda Skladany, Hank Adler and Terry Hartshorn (all of whom are current or former directors of the Company). On March 4, 2009, the Company received written notices that the U.S. Department of Justice had declined to intervene in, or take over, these qui tam actions, and the United States District Courts in which the cases were filed unsealed the complaints. Although the government declined to intervene in these actions, the relators may continue to pursue the litigation on behalf of the federal government and, if successful, receive a portion of the federal government’s recovery. Additionally, upon a showing of good cause, the government has the right to intervene in the actions at a later time. The Backhus complaint has since been voluntarily dismissed and, on August 3, 2009, the U.S. District Court issued an order dismissing the Fuhr complaint with prejudice. That dismissal was appealed, but has since been voluntarily abandoned and dismissed by the relator in that case. The Lee complaint was dismissed with prejudice by the U.S. District Court on December 4, 2009. The Lee dismissal was also appealed, and the Company opposed that appeal. On August 12, 2011, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal reversed the district court’s dismissal, and remanded with instructions to permit the relator to amend the complaint. On December 15, 2011, the first amended Lee complaint was filed alleging only violations of the False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. § 3729, against the original defendants. The Company believes these complaints are without merit and intends to defend itself and its current and former directors vigorously.
Securities and Derivative Litigation
On August 31, 2010, a putative class action complaint captioned Jimmy Elias Karam v. Corinthian Colleges, Inc., et al. was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The complaint is purportedly brought on behalf of all persons who acquired shares of the Company’s common stock from October 30, 2007 through August 19, 2010, against the Company and Jack Massimino, Peter Waller, Matthew Ouimet and Kenneth Ord, all of whom are current or former officers of the Company. The complaint alleges that, in violation of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Act”) and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the defendants made certain material misrepresentations and failed to disclose certain material facts about the condition of the Company’s business and prospects during the putative class period, causing the plaintiffs to purchase the Company’s common stock at artificially inflated prices. The plaintiffs further claim that Messrs. Massimino, Waller, Ouimet and Ord are liable under Section 20(a) of the Act. The plaintiffs seek unspecified amounts in damages, interest, attorneys’ fees and costs, as well as other relief. On October 29, 2010, another putative class action complaint captioned Neal J. Totten v. Corinthian Colleges, Inc., et al. was filed by the same law firm that filed the Karam matter described above in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The Totten complaint is substantively identical to the Karam complaint. Several other plaintiffs intervened in the lawsuit and petitioned the Court to appoint them to be the lead plaintiffs. On March 30, 2011, the Court appointed the Wyoming Retirement System and Stichting Pensioenfonds Metaal en Technieklead as lead plaintiffs, and Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP as counsel for lead plaintiffs, in the consolidated action. Lead plaintiffs have filed an amended consolidated complaint, and the Company filed a motion to dismiss the consolidated action. On January 30, 2012, the U.S. District Court granted the Company’s motion to dismiss, and gave the plaintiffs thirty days to file an amended complaint. The Company believes the complaints are without merit and intends to defend itself and its current and former officers vigorously.
On October 19, 2010, a shareholder derivative complaint captioned David Realty Company, derivatively on behalf of Corinthian Colleges, Inc., v. Jack Massimino, et al., was filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California against all of the then-current members of the Company’s Board of Directors, plus Ken Ord and Matt Ouimet, both of whom are current or former officers of the Company, and against the Company as a nominal defendant. On October 22, 2010, a second shareholder derivative complaint captioned Jake Vale, derivatively on behalf of Corinthian Colleges, Inc., v. Paul St. Pierre, et al., was filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California against all of the current members of the Company’s Board of Directors, plus Ken Ord, and against the Company as a nominal defendant. Both derivative complaints are based on factual allegations similar to those alleged in the Karam federal securities complaint identified above. The David Realty Company complaint asserts causes of action for breach of fiduciary duty, unjust enrichment, and breach of fiduciary duty for insider selling and misappropriation of information; the Vale complaint asserts causes of action for violation of Section 14(a) of the 1934 Exchange Act, breach of fiduciary duty, unjust enrichment, and indemnification and contribution. These matters have now been consolidated in the United States District Court for the Central District of California in a matter captioned In re: Corinthian Colleges, Inc. Shareholder Derivative Litigation, and the Company and the individual defendants filed a motion to dismiss the consolidated action. On January 30, 2012, the U.S. District Court granted the Company’s motion to dismiss, and gave the plaintiffs thirty days to file an amended complaint. On November 18, 2011, David Realty Company, a putative shareholder of the Company and a plaintiff in the matter captioned In re: Corinthian Colleges, Inc. Shareholder Derivative Litigation, filed a Petition for Writ of Mandate in California Superior Court seeking to compel the Company to produce books and records under California common law and California Corporations Code Section 1600, et seq. The Company has filed an answer and a memorandum of points and authorities in opposition to the petition for writ of mandate. The Company and the individual defendants believe these matters are without merit, and the Company intends to defend these matters vigorously.
Former Student Litigation
On May 28, 2008, a putative class action demand in arbitration captioned Rivera v. Sequoia Education, Inc. and Corinthian Colleges, Inc. was filed with the American Arbitration Association. The plaintiffs are nine current or former HVAC students from the Company’s WyoTech Fremont campus. The arbitration demand alleges violations of California’s Business and Professions Code Sections 17200 and 17500, fraud and intentional deceit, negligent misrepresentation, breach of contract and unjust enrichment/restitution, all related to alleged deficiencies and misrepresentations regarding the HVAC program at these campuses. The plaintiffs seek to certify a class composed of all HVAC students in the Company’s WyoTech Fremont and WyoTech Oakland campuses over the prior four years, and seek recovery of compensatory and punitive damages, interest, restitution and attorneys’ fees and costs. The Company never operated any HVAC programs at the Company’s WyoTech Oakland campus during its ownership of that campus. The arbitrator ruled that the arbitration provision in the former students’ enrollment agreement is not susceptible to class-wide resolution. On November 22, 2011, a California state court judge refused to confirm the arbitrator’s clause construction decision and remanded the matter to the arbitrator for further consideration. The Company believes the complaint is without merit and intends to vigorously defend itself against these allegations.
On September 4, 2009, the Company was served with a petition filed in Dallas County District Court entitled Miesha Daniels, et al. v. Rhodes Colleges, Inc., Rhodes Business Group, Inc., and Corinthian Colleges, Inc. The petition named thirteen former students of three Dallas-area Everest campuses as plaintiffs and did not seek certification as a class action. The plaintiffs alleged violations of Texas’ Deceptive Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Act, breach of contract and fraud related to alleged pre-enrollment representations regarding credit transfer, quality of education and outcomes. The plaintiffs sought recovery of compensatory and exemplary damages and attorneys’ fees. The action in Dallas County District Court has been ordered to arbitration, where individual arbitration demands have been filed. Following losses on ten arbitration awards, the plaintiffs’ attorneys have recently informed us they no longer represent a total of approximately one-hundred-and-fifty current or former students, but have now reduced their total current client count to thirteen students, upon whose behalf they have filed arbitration demands, bringing the total demands filed to those of the original thirteen plaintiffs, plus an additional eleven individual students (other previously filed arbitration demands have been administratively dismissed) . Of the first eleven cases in which arbitration awards have been returned, the Company received a complete defense verdict in ten cases and the plaintiff received an immaterial arbitration award in the other case. The Company believes these arbitration claims are without merit and intends to continue vigorously defending itself.
On April 20, 2010, a putative class action complaint captioned Reed, an individual, on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated v. Florida Metropolitan University, Inc. and Corinthian Colleges, Inc. was filed in the District Court of Travis County, Texas. Florida Metropolitan University, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. Plaintiff purports to be a former student in the Company’s Everest University Online operations. The complaint claims violations of Texas Education Code Sections 132.051(a) and 132.059(a) for alleged failure of Everest University Online to receive a Certificate of Approval or an exemption from the appropriate Texas state licensing bodies to offer online courses in the State of Texas and to register its admissions representatives with the State of Texas. The plaintiff seeks to certify a class composed of all persons who contracted to receive distance education from Everest University Online while residing in Texas, and seeks damages on behalf of such persons, pre- and post-judgment interest, declaratory and injunctive relief, cost of suit, and such other relief as the court deems proper. On July 26, 2010, the Court ordered the matter to binding arbitration, and the plaintiff has filed a putative class action demand in arbitration. The arbitrator has ruled that the arbitration provision in the former student’s enrollment agreement is susceptible to class-wide resolution, but has not yet addressed whether a class should be certified. The Company has appealed the clause-construction decision and the case has been stayed pending the appeal. The Company believes the complaint is without merit and intends to defend itself and its subsidiary vigorously.
On November 23, 2010, a putative class action complaint captioned Alisha Montgomery, et al., on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated, v. Corinthian Colleges, Inc. and Corinthian Schools, Inc. d/b/a Everest College and Olympia College, was filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois. Corinthian Schools, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. Plaintiffs were thirty-three individuals who purported to be current and/or former students of the Company’s Medical Assistant Program at the Everest College campus in Merrionette Park, Illinois. The complaint alleged breach of contract, violation of the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act and unjust enrichment, all related to alleged deficiencies and misrepresentations regarding the Company’s medical assisting program at the Merrionette Park campus. The plaintiffs sought to certify a class composed of all persons who enrolled in the Company’s Medical Assisting program at the Everest College Merrionette Park campus during the four years preceding the filing of the lawsuit, and sought actual and compensatory damages on behalf of such persons, costs and attorneys’ fees, punitive damages, disgorgement and restitution of wrongful profits, revenue and benefits to the extent deemed appropriate by the court, and such other relief as the court deemed proper. The Company removed the case to federal court and moved to compel individual arbitrations, which the court granted. Thirty-one plaintiffs have now filed individual demands in arbitration. The Company believes these matters are without merit and intends to defend itself and its subsidiary vigorously.
During fiscal 2011, the Company experienced an unprecedented increase in putative class action lawsuits by former students. In all of these cases, the plaintiffs and their counsel seek to represent a class of “similarly situated” people as defined in the complaint. The Company believes these lawsuits are largely the result of negative publicity—and aggressive lawyer recruitment of potential clients—surrounding the Department of Education’s (“ED’s”) rulemaking efforts, the Senate HELP Committee hearings, the Government Accountability Office (“GAO”) report, and other related matters. In virtually all of the following cases, the plaintiffs cite testimony from the HELP Committee hearings, the GAO report, public statements by elected officials and/or other negative media coverage in their complaints, although the locations of the students, the specific allegations, and the nature of their claims differ. The Company believes all of the following complaints are contractually required to be resolved in individual arbitrations between the named students and the Company, and the Company has moved, or will move, to compel these cases to arbitration. The following is a brief summary of such matters:
The Company intends to defend itself and its subsidiaries vigorously in all of these matters.
Employee Litigation
On November 17, 2008, an action captioned Mary Credille and Roger Madden, on behalf of all similarly situated current and former employees, v. Corinthian Colleges et al., was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The two originally-named plaintiffs are former employees of the Company’s Chicago campus, and allege failure to receive proper compensation for all overtime hours allegedly worked in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Plaintiff Credille has voluntarily dismissed her claims against the Company. On December 8, 2009, the Court granted Plaintiff Madden’s motion to conditionally certify a collective action to include those current and former admissions representatives at the Company’s Chicago campus who also satisfy additional requirements. A total of three former employees, including Madden, have elected to participate in the lawsuit. The Company believes the allegations are without merit and intends to vigorously defend itself.
On September 13, 2011, an action captioned Michael Harrington, individually and on behalf of all persons similarly situated, v. Corinthian Schools, Inc., et al., was filed in California’s Alameda Superior Court. A virtually identical action with the same caption was filed by different plaintiff’s counsel on September 15, 2011, in California’s Orange County Superior Court. The plaintiff is a former admissions representative at the Company’s Fremont and Hayward campuses and the two actions allege violations of California’s Business and Professions Code Section 17200 and the California Labor Code for alleged failure to pay for all hours worked, purported denial of meal periods, and alleged failure to pay wages upon termination. The Alameda complaint has since been voluntarily dismissed. While the scope of the putative class is not clear, the remaining Orange County action appears to seek certification of a class to include those current and former admissions representatives over the last four years at the Company’s California campuses. The Company believes the allegations are without merit and intends to vigorously defend itself.
Regulatory Matters
On October 19, 2010, the Company became aware of news stories which reported that the Florida Attorney General’s Office (the “FL AG’s Office”) had begun an investigation into certain private sector education companies in Florida, including the Company, seeking information on potential misrepresentations in financial aid, recruitment and other areas. On October 21, 2010, the Company received a subpoena from the FL AG’s Office seeking a wide range of documents from January 1, 2006 to the present. The Company’s attorneys have met several times with representatives of the FL AG’s Office regarding this matter. While the Company expects to cooperate with reasonable requests in the investigation, it has filed a motion to quash portions of the subpoena and for a protective order with respect to certain confidential and proprietary information.
On March 28, 2011, the Company received a letter from the California Attorney General’s Office (the “CA AG”) ostensibly seeking information pursuant to the Stipulated Judgment agreed to by the Company and the CA AG in July 2007. The letter requests information and documentation related to (i) the discontinuation of certain programs immediately after the Stipulated Judgment, (ii) numbers of new students, graduating students and discontinuing students, by program, (iii) marketing and solicitation materials, (iv) enrollment agreements and disclosures, (v) graduating students’ employment and compensation, (vi) transferability of credit by the Company’s former students, (vii) training provided to employees pursuant to the Stipulated Judgment, and (viii) disciplinary actions against certain categories of employees. The Company has cooperated, and continues to cooperate, with the CA AG’s reasonable requests for information, but has objected to certain overly-broad requests which appear to be unrelated to the 2007 Stipulated Judgment.
On April 29, 2011, the Company’s Everest Institute campuses in Brighton and Chelsea, Massachusetts received civil investigative demands from the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office (the “MA AG”) seeking (i) information about past students who have enrolled in each institution, (ii) the identity of recruiters, (iii) recruiting and enrollment documents, (iv) documentation related to analyses of delinquency, default, drop out, refund, loan forgiveness or reduction, placement, student income, and/or any student’s ability to repay loans, and (v) cohort default and graduation rates. The Company has cooperated, and continues to cooperate, with the MA AG’s reasonable requests for information.
On April 11, 2011 the Company’s Everest Institute in Jonesboro, Georgia was sent a subpoena from the Atlanta office of ED’s Office of Inspector General (the “OIG”) requesting documents related to the Jonesboro campus’s employment and placement rates reported to its accrediting agency, as well as correspondence with the accrediting agency. The Company has become aware that this matter is being supervised by an Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia who focuses primarily on civil false claims act matters, including qui tams. The Company does not know whether a qui tam action has been filed under seal or whether the United States Attorney’s Office has made a determination about whether to file a false claims act lawsuit in this matter. The Company has provided documents to the OIG, met with the OIG and the AUSA supervising this matter, and is continuing to cooperate with the OIG’s requests.
On May 19, 2011, along with other private sector education companies, the Company received a subpoena from the New York Attorney General’s Office (the “NY AG”) seeking information on potential issues related to financial aid, admissions, students, securities and other areas. The Company is cooperating with the NY AG’s reasonable requests for information.
On July 19, 2011, the Company’s attorneys met with representatives of the Oregon Attorney General’s Office (“OR AG”) in anticipation of a written request for information related to the Company’s Everest Institute campus in Tigard, Oregon and the Everest College and Heald College campuses in Portland, Oregon. The Company was informed that the investigation is not the result of student complaints regarding the campuses. On August 11, 2011, the Company received a civil investigative demand from the Oregon Attorney General’s Office requesting information and documents regarding advertising; student recruitment; admissions; licensure and accreditation; compensation, training and evaluations of admissions personnel; job opportunities and placements of graduates; student complaints; and various other matters. The Company has cooperated and continues to cooperate with the OR AG’s reasonable requests for information.
On December 15, 2011, after other private sector education companies had received similar requests, the Company received a civil investigative demand from the Illinois Attorney General’s Office (the “IL AG”) seeking information on potential issues related to financial aid, admissions, students and other areas. The Company is cooperating with the IL AG’s reasonable requests for information.
ED periodically conducts program reviews of institutions that participate in federal student financial aid programs. Program reviews begin with site visits at the relevant locations. ED then prepares a program review report and the institution has the opportunity to respond. After the institution responds, ED issues a final program review determination, which may be appealed. The Company currently has program reviews at the following stages: (i) the Company has received a program review report with respect to a site visit at the online operations of Everest University in Tampa, FL in September 2010, responded to the findings in that report in June 2011, and, on November 14, 2011, received a final determination letter from ED which required the return of approximately $3.6 million with respect to students in prior enrollment periods who had unofficially withdrawn, but for whom the Company’s institutions had incorrectly calculated the return to Title IV funds, and (ii) the Company’s Everest College Phoenix (“ECP”) has received program review reports and provided written responses regarding the site visits conducted at ECP in 2008 and 2010, but has not yet received final determinations with respect to either site visit. The Company had fully accrued or paid all of the required payments to ED or applicable lenders during the quarter ended December 31, 2011 or prior periods. The Company will continue to cooperate with ED in its ongoing reviews.
ED will review all responses to program review reports and ultimately issue final determination letters setting forth its final findings, as well as the actions it intends to take based on those findings. If ED were to make significant findings of non-compliance against any of the Company’s institutions in any final determination letters regarding ongoing program reviews, it could result in the imposition of significant fines, penalties or other liabilities, including, without limitation, an action on the limitation, suspension or termination of the institution’s participation in Title IV programs, any of which could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, results of operations or financial condition.
Evaluation of Possible Outcomes
In addition to the proceedings and other matters described above, the Company is or may become a party to pending or threatened lawsuits related primarily to services currently or formerly performed by the Company. Such cases and claims raise difficult and complex factual and legal issues and are subject to many uncertainties and complexities, including, but not limited to, class action certification, governmental intervention, regulatory or administrative agency involvement, the facts and circumstances of each particular case or claim, the jurisdiction in which each suit is brought, and differences in applicable statutory and common law.
As of December 31, 2011, the Company had established aggregate reserves for all of the matters disclosed above, as well as for those additional matters where the liabilities are probable and losses estimable but for which the Company does not believe the matters are reasonably likely to have a material impact on the results of operations or financial condition of the Company, which are immaterial to the Company’s financial position. The Company regularly evaluates the reasonableness of its accruals and makes any adjustments considered necessary. Due to the uncertainty of the outcome of litigation and claims, the Company is unable to make a reasonable estimate of the upper end of the range of potential liability for these matters. Upon resolution of any pending legal matters, the Company may incur charges in excess of presently established reserves. While any such charge could have a material adverse impact on the Company’s results of operations and cash flows during the period in which it is recorded or paid, management does not believe that any such charge would have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position or liquidity.
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Note 10—New Accounting Pronouncements
On September 15, 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued guidance titled, “Intangibles-Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Testing Goodwill for Impairment “ (“ASU 2011-08”), which simplifies how an entity tests goodwill for impairment. The amendments permit an entity to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is necessary to perform the two-step quantitative goodwill impairment test. Accordingly, an entity will no longer be required to calculate the fair value of a reporting unit in the step one test unless the entity determines, based on a qualitative assessment, that it is more likely than not that its fair value is less than its carrying amount. This guidance is effective for annual and interim goodwill impairment tests performed for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2011, with early adoption permitted. Although the Company is still evaluating the impact of adopting ASU 2011-08, the Company does not believe it will have material impact on its financial condition, results of operations or disclosures.
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Note 11—Income Taxes
The Company employs a more-likely-than-not threshold for financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return.
The Company has classified uncertain tax positions as non-current income tax liabilities unless expected to be paid in one year. The Company also reports income tax-related interest expense in income tax expense in its Consolidated Statement of Operations. Penalties and tax-related interest expense are now reported as a component of income tax expense. As of December 31, 2011 and June 30, 2011, the total amount of accrued income tax-related interest and penalties included in the Consolidated Statement of Operations was less than $0.1 million and $0.5 million, respectively.
As of December 31, 2011 and June 30, 2011, the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits was $3.0 million. As of December 31, 2011 and June 30, 2011, the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits that would affect the effective tax rate, if recognized, is $2.7 million. The amount of unrecognized tax benefits that are expected to be settled within the next twelve months is approximately $1.5 million.
During the first quarter of fiscal 2012, the Company settled and closed the IRS examination related to fiscal years 2008 and 2009. The result was a tax liability of $0.2 million for 2008 and a refund of taxes for 2009 of $0.3 million.
The Company’s effective tax rate was 40.5% for the three months and six months ended December 31, 2011, respectively compared to a benefit of 5.8% for the quarter and a provision of 9.8% for the first six months of fiscal 2011. The effective tax rate for the three and six months ended December 31, 2010 included the effect of the $203.6 million goodwill impairment charge, the majority of which was non-deductible for income tax purposes. Excluding the effect of this charge, our effective tax rate for the three and six months ended December 31, 2010 was 40.8% and 40.0%, respectively.
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Note 12—Subsequent Events
The company has signed a definitive agreement on January 27, 2012 for the sale-leaseback of five of its properties. The proceeds will be approximately $40 million which will be offset partially by the repayment of $14.6 million of mortgages on these properties. The expected gain of approximately $6 million will be amortized over the 15 year lease term.
The Company has evaluated all other material transactions and events and concluded that no other subsequent events have occurred that require reporting in this Form 10-Q as of the filing date except as disclosed in Note 9—Commitments and Contingencies. |