SEC Company Response from MCF CORP (CIK 0000826683) — Dec 2, 2005
MCF CORP (CIK 0000826683)
Date: Dec. 2, 2005 · CIK: 0000826683 · Accession: 0001144204-05-038629
AI Filing Summary & Sentiment
Referenced dates: November 18, 2005
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CORRESP
1
filename1.htm
Unassociated Document
MCF
CORPORATION
December
2, 2005
Securities
and Exchange Commission
Accounting
Branch
450
Fifth
Street, N.W.
Washington
D.C. 20549-1004
Attn:
John
P. Nolan, Accounting Branch Chief
Mail
Stop
4561
Re:
SEC
Letter of November 18, 2005
Ladies
and Gentlemen,
This
letter is being furnished to you in response to the comments contained in
the
letter on behalf of the staff of the Accounting Branch (the “Staff”) dated
November 18, 2005 (the “Letter”) regarding the Report on Form 10-K for the year
ended December 31, 2004 (the “Form 10-K”) and the Report on Form 10-Q for the
quarter ended September 30, 2005 (the “Form 10-Q”) filed on behalf of MCF
Corporation (the “Company”). The Staff’s comments are reproduced below in bold
type for your convenience, followed by the Company’s response to each comment.
The original numbering of the Letter has been retained.
Form
10-K for the period ended December 31, 2004
Selected
Consolidated Financial Data, page 11
1.
As
required by Instruction 2 to Item 301 of Regulation S -K, please
include
in future filings the following disclosure to enhance comparability
of
operating results included in the selected financial data and to
highlight
trends in results of
operations:
·
Provide
a footnote to Income
from continuing operations
of $2.971 million for the year ended December 31, 2003 that describes
the
nonrecurring gain on retirement of the convertible note for $3.088
million
in 2003.
·
Provide
a footnote to Income
from continuing operations
for the year ended December 31, 2004 to: (I) describe the reasons
for the
significant decrease of $1.385 million in interest expense in 2004
as
compared to 2003 and (2) to state if the decrease is indicative
of a trend
that will affect future results of
operations.
600
California Street, 9th
Floor n
San
Francisco, CA 94108
(415)
274-5650 Main n (415)
274-5669 Fax
AMEX:
MEM
NASD/SIPC
MEMBER
We
will
include the requested disclosures in future filings.
Note
2, “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies”, page
36
Commission
and Principal Transaction Revenue, page 37
2.
We
refer to the statement that revenue from trading activities and
related
expenses are recorded on a trade date basis and to the “Revenue
Recognition” part of the “Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates”
section of MD&A on page 18 that states brokerage revenue is recognized
once the trade is consummated and the earnings
process is complete.
In this regard provide us with the following
information:
·
Tell
us and provide any proposed MD&A and footnote disclosure to be
included in future filings that describe the basis for determining
when
the earnings process is considered complete for brokerage revenues
earned
with respect to proprietary and agency transactions. Refer to paragraphs
7.15 to 7.23 of Chapter 7, “Accounting Standards” of the
AICPA
Audit and Accounting Guide for Brokers and Dealers in
Securities.
We
account for revenue and related expenses for agency and proprietary transactions
on a trade-date basis in accordance with paragraphs 7.15 to 7.23 of Chapter
7 of
the AICPA Audit and Accounting Guide for Brokers and Dealers in Securities
(“the
Guide”).
The
basis
for our determining when the earnings process is considered complete for
brokerage revenue earned with respect to proprietary and agency transactions
is
described in paragraphs 7.18 and 7.23 of the Guide, respectively. For
proprietary transactions, the risks, benefits, and economic potentials are
created and conveyed at the trade date, which is when the major terms have
been
agreed to by the parties. For agency transactions, the commission income
and
related expenses are accrued by the broker-dealer on the trade date, because
substantially all the efforts in generating the commissions have been completed.
In
future
filings, we will change the revenue recognition disclosures to read as
follows:
“Commissions
and related clearing expenses are recorded on a trade-date basis as security
transactions occur. Proprietary securities transactions in regular-way trades
are recorded on the trade date, as if they had settled. Profit and loss arising
from all securities and commodities transactions entered into for the account
and risk of the Company are recorded on a trade-date basis.”
·
Reconcile
the statement that you recognized revenues from trading activities
and
related expenses on a trade
date basis
with the “Securities Transactions” footnote in Exhibit 4-B on page 109 of
the AICPA
Audit and Accounting Guide for Brokers and Dealers in
Securities
that states customer securities and commodities transactions are
reported
on a settlement date basis and related commission income and expenses
are
recorded on a trade date
basis.
Page
2
We
believe that the disclosure found in Exhibit 4-8 (page 108) of the Guide
stating, “Customers’ securities and commodities transactions are reported on a
settlement date basis with related commission income and expenses reported
on a
trade date basis”, is applicable to clearing brokers but does not apply to
introducing brokers. Merriman Curhan Ford & Co., as an introducing broker,
does not carry customer accounts, hold customer securities or hold customer
cash. We note that this is disclosed in Note 14 to the Consolidated Financial
Statements on page 52 of the Form 10-K. As a result, principal transactions
with
customers can be accounted for on a trade-date basis for income and expenses,
as
well as the cash and securities on the balance sheet, in accordance with
paragraph 7.18 of the Guide.
Investment
Banking Revenue, page 37
3.
We
refer to the statement that investment banking fees are recorded
as
revenue when the related service has been rendered, the client
is
contractually obligated to pay and collection is probable. In this
regard,
please tell us and disclose in future filings your accounting policies
regarding the timing for revenue recognition of investment banking
fees,
sales concessions and underwriting fees. Refer to the “Investment Banking”
footnote in Exhibit 4-B on page 109 of the AICPA
Audit and Accounting Guide for Brokers and Dealers in
Securities
which states:
·
investment
banking fees are recorded on
the offering date;
·
sales
concessions are recorded on the settlement
date;
and
·
underwriting
fees are recorded when the underwriting is
completed and the income is readily determinable.
We
account for investment banking revenue in accordance with paragraphs 7.47
to
7.52 of Chapter 7 of the Guide, except that we have recorded investment banking
revenue for the sales concessions on offering date. We will account for revenue
from the sales concessions on settlement date prospectively. This change
in
accounting policy to delay revenue recognition from the sales concessions
for
three days would not have resulted in a material change in our historical
financial statements.
In
future
filings, we will revise the revenue recognition disclosures to read as
follows:
“Investment
banking revenue includes gains, losses, and fees, net of syndicate expenses,
arising from securities offerings in which the Company acts as an underwriter
or
agent. Investment banking revenue also includes fees earned from providing
merger-and-acquisition and financial restructuring advisory services. Investment
banking management fees are recorded on offering date, sales concessions
on
settlement date, and underwriting fees at the time the underwriting is complete
and the income is reasonably determinable. As co-manager for registered equity
underwriting transactions, management must estimate the Company’s share of
transaction related expenses incurred by the lead manager in order to recognize
revenue. Transaction related expenses are deducted from the underwriting
fee and
therefore reduces the revenue that is recognized as co-manager. Such amounts
are
adjusted to reflect actual expenses in the period in which the Company receives
the final settlement, typically 90 days following the closing of the
transaction.”
Page
3
Note
6, “Stockholders” Equity, Common Stock”, page 44
4.
We
refer to the strategic
alliance
entered into with London Merchant Securities (“LMS”) in August 2004. In
this regard, please tell us and provide in future filings the following
information:
·
Describe
the nature and terms of the strategic
alliance
including:
o
the
rights and responsibilities of the Company as part of this
alliance;
o
the
terms, including the dollar amount, of any funding agreements or
other
obligations incurred by the Company as a result of the alliance;
and
o
how
this business relationship will be accounted for under generally
accepted
accounting principles.
The
nature and terms of the relationship between our company and LMS is as
follows:
(a) LMS
invested $6 million in MCF Corporation in exchange for 4,615,385 shares of
common stock and an immediately exercisable stock warrant to purchase an
additional 1,384,616 shares of common stock at a price of $1.48 per share.
LMS
obtained the right to seek the election of a member of their choice to fill
a
vacant seat on our Board of Directors, and to allow LMS to designate an observer
to attend our Board meetings if at any time LMS did not have a representative
on
our Board. In August 2004, Scott Potter of LMS joined our Board of Directors.
We
were responsible for registering the common stock underlying the LMS investment
within 135 days from the closing of the financing transaction. The shares
were
registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission in October 2004.
(b) MCF
Corporation and LMS do not have any further rights or responsibilities as
part
of this relationship among our companies. There is no funding agreements
or
other obligations incurred by us as a result of the relationship. The business
relationship, as described above, was accounted for in accordance with GAAP
during 2004. We will remove the reference to our “strategic alliance” with LMS
in future filings.
·
State
how the $1.30 value attributed to the 4.615 million shares issued
to LMS
was determined.
The
$1.30
value attributed to the 4,615,385 shares of common stock issued to LMS was
based
upon a negotiated discount to the fair market value of MCF Corporation’s quoted
stock price over a specified time period. The discount was allowed in order
induce LMS to purchase the unregistered shares in view of their lack of
liquidity.
·
Disclose
the value attributed to the warrants issued to acquire 1.385 million
shares at $1.85 per share, their exercise period and how the value
allocated to the warrants was
determined.
Page
4
The
value
attributed to the stock warrant to purchase 1,384,616 shares of common stock
at
$1.48 was $1,212,399. The stock warrants are immediately exercisable from
the
issue date and have a four year exercise period. The value of the stock warrants
was derived by allocating the investment proceeds on a relative fair value
basis
between the common stock issued and the fair value of the stock warrant in
accordance with EITF Issue No. 00-27. The fair value of the stock warrant
was
determined by using the Black-Scholes option pricing model.
Note
11, “Commitments and Contingencies”, page 50
5.
We
refer to the Glen, Lukrich, Reichard court complaint filed in court
on
April 2004 seeking unspecified damages. Considering the Company
signed in
November 2004 a binding settlement agreement for the issuance to
the
plaintiff of 130,000 shares of MCF Corporation common stock related
to
compensation agreements, please tell us and disclose in future
filings,
the total amount of compensation expense recorded in 2004 related
to this
sett