Correspondence 0001628280-24-031835 from TWFG, Inc. (TWFG)
TWFG, Inc.
Date: July 12, 2024 · CIK: 0002007596 · Accession: 0001628280-24-031835
AI Filing Summary & Sentiment
File numbers found in text: 333-280439
Referenced dates: July 12, 2024
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CORRESP 1 filename1.htm Document Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP 1111 Louisiana Street 44th Floor Houston, TX 77002 T +1 713.220.5800 F +1 713.236.0822 akingump.com W. Robert Shearer +1 713.220.5812/fax: +1 713.236.0822 rshearer@akingump.com July 12, 2024 VIA EDGAR U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Division of Corporation Finance Office of Finance 100 F Street, N.E. Washington, D.C. 20549 Attention: Madeleine Joy Mateo Re: TWFG, Inc. Amendment No. 1 to Registration Statement on Form S-1 Filed July 9, 2024 File No. 333-280439 Ladies and Gentlemen: On behalf of TWFG, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), reference is made to the letter dated July 12, 2024 (the “Comment Letter”) from the staff of the Division of Corporation Finance (the “Staff”) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) regarding the above-referenced Amendment No. 1 to Registration Statement on Form S-1, File No. 333-280439 ( “Amendment No. 1”). For your convenience, we have set forth below the Staff’s comments as set forth in the Comment Letter, followed by the Company’s responses thereto. As previewed telephonically with the Staff, we have attached revised disclosure proposed to be included in Amendment No. 2 to the Registration Statement (“Amendment No. 2”) (in redline form, marked against Amendment No. 1, with deletions indicated by strike-outs and in red font and additions indicated by underlining and in blue font) as exhibits to this letter. Terms used but not otherwise defined herein have the meanings ascribed to such terms in Amendment No. 1. The Company has reviewed this letter and authorized us to make the representations to you on their behalf. Amendment No. 2 to Registration Statement on Form S-1 Unaudited Pro Forma Financial Information, page 89 1.We note the presentation of columns for both transaction accounting adjustments and for offering adjustments. The information presented as “offering adjustments” would appear to be representative of “transaction accounting adjustments” pursuant to Article 11 of Regulation S-X. Please revise the disclosures to adequately reflect and label the pro forma adjustments within an individual column in accordance with Article 11 of Regulation S-X. In response to the Staff’s comment, the Company proposes to revise the disclosure on pages 91, 92, 95, and 96 of Amendment No. 2 as set forth on Exhibit A attached hereto. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission July 12, 2024 Page 2 Notes to Unaudited Pro Forma Consolidated and Combined Statements of Operations, page 93 2.Please tell us and revise the disclosures to address how the effective income tax rate of 3.5%, which is reflective of U.S. federal, state and local income taxes, was determined. In response to the Staff’s comment, the Company proposes to add the tabular disclosure to footnote 4 on page 93 of Amendment No. 2 to explain how the effective income tax rate of 3.5% was determined as set forth on Exhibit B attached hereto. Principal Stockholders, page 165 3.Please identify the natural persons who have voting or dispositive power with respect to GHC Woodlands Holdings, Inc. In response to the Staff’s comment, the Company proposes to revise the disclosure on pages 166 and 167 of Amendment No. 2 as set forth on Exhibit C attached hereto. * * * * * If you have any questions or require additional information in the course of your review of the foregoing, please call me at (713) 220-5812 or, in my absence, John Goodgame at (713) 220-8144 or Shar Ahmed at (713) 220-8126. Sincerely, /s/ W. Robert Shearer W. Robert Shearer cc: TWFG, Inc. Richard F. (“Gordy”) Bunch III Katherine C. Nolan Janice E. Zwinggi Julie E. Benes Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP John Goodgame Shar Ahmed Exhibit A The pro forma adjustments related to the Transactions, are described in the notes to the unaudited pro forma consolidated and combined financial information, and principally include the reorganization transactions described under “Organizational structure.” The pro forma adjustments related to this offering, which we refer to as the offering adjustments, are described in the notes to the unaudited pro forma consolidated and combined financial information, and principally include the following: •the issuance of shares of our Class A common stock to the purchasers in this offering in exchange for net proceeds of approximately $154.3 million, assuming that the shares are offered at $15.00 per share (the midpoint of the price range listed on the cover page of this prospectus), after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions but before offering expenses; •provision for U.S. federal and state income taxes of TWFG, Inc. as a taxable corporation at an effective rate of 3.5% for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 4.3% for the year ended December 31, 2023 (the effective rate was calculated using the new U.S. federal income tax rate of 21%); •the application by TWFG, Inc. of the proceeds of this offering to purchase 11,000,000 LLC Units from TWFG Holding Company, LLC and the application of such proceeds by TWFG Holding Company, LLC to pay fees and expenses of approximately $5.6 million in connection with this offering and the reorganization transactions and to repay in full outstanding debt under our Revolving Credit Agreement; and •the grant of restricted stock units (“RSUs”) of Class A common stock under our 2024 Incentive Plan in connection with this offering. As a public company, we will be implementing additional procedures and processes for the purpose of addressing the standards and requirements applicable to public companies. We expect to incur additional annual expenses related to these steps and, among other things, additional directors’ and officers’ liability insurance, director fees, reporting requirements of the SEC, transfer agent fees, hiring additional accounting, legal and administrative personnel, increased auditing and legal fees and similar expenses. We have not included any pro forma adjustments relating to these costs. 90 Unaudited Pro Forma Consolidated and Combined Statement of Operations (amounts in thousands, except share data) Three Months Ended March 31, 2024 Column(s) have been hidden from this table Historical TWFG Holding Company LLC(1) Offering adjustmentsTra nsaction Accounting Adjustments Pro forma TWFG, Inc. Revenues Commission income $ 42,545 $ — $ 42,545 Contingent income 1,076 — 1,076 Fee income 2,232 — 2,232 Other income 460 — 460 Total revenues 46,313 — 46,313 Expenses Commission expense 26,443 — 26,443 Salaries and employee benefits 6,254 983 (2)(3) 7,237 Other administrative expenses 3,130 — 3,130 Depreciation and amortization 3,013 — 3,013 Total operating expenses 38,840 983 39,823 Operating income 7,473 (983) 6,490 Interest expense (842) — (842) Other non-operating income (expense), net (2) — (2) Income before tax 6,629 (983) 5,646 Income tax expense — 199 (4) 199 Net income from continuing operations 6,629 (1,182) 5,447 Net income attributable to non-controlling interests — 4,127 (5) 4,127 Net income attributable to TWFG, Inc. $ 6,629 $ (5,309) $ 1,320 Pro forma net income per share data: (6) Pro forma weighted average shares of Class A common stock outstanding Basic 13,161,873 Diluted 13,161,873 Net income available to Class A common stock per share Basic 0.10 Diluted 0.10 See accompanying notes to unaudited pro forma financial information. 91 Unaudited Pro Forma Consolidated and Combined Statement of Operations (amounts in thousands, except share data) Year ended December 31, 2023 Column(s) have been hidden from this table Historical TWFG Holding Company, LLC(1) Offering adjustmentsTra nsaction Accounting Adjustments Pro forma TWFG, Inc. Revenues Commission income $ 158,679 $ — $ 158,679 Contingent income 4,085 — 4,085 Fee income 8,311 — 8,311 Other income 1,859 — 1,859 Total revenues 172,934 172,934 Expenses Commission expense 116,847 — 116,847 Salaries and employee benefits 13,970 4,667 (2)(3) 18,637 Other administrative expenses 10,973 — 10,973 Depreciation and amortization 4,862 — 4,862 Total operating expenses 146,652 4,667 151,319 Operating income 26,282 (4,667) 21,615 Interest expense (1,003) — (1,003) Other non-operating income (expense), net (17) — (17) Income before tax 25,262 (4,667) 20,595 Income tax expense — 878 (4) 878 Net income from continuing operations 25,262 (5,545) 19,717 Net income attributable to non-controlling interests (a) — 14,941 (5) 14,941 Net income attributable to TWFG, Inc.(a) $ 26,096 $ (21,129) (b) $ 4,133 Pro forma net income per share data: (6) Pro forma weighted average shares of Class A common stock outstanding Basic 13,161,873 Diluted 13,161,873 Net income available to Class A common stock per share Basic $ 0.31 Diluted $ 0.31 (a)Includes the impact of $0.834 million of net income from discontinued operation, net of tax. (b)Excludes the impact of $0.643 million income from discontinued operation, net of tax. See accompanying notes to unaudited pro forma financial information. 92 Notes to Unaudited Pro Forma Consolidated and Combined Statements of Operations (1)TWFG, Inc. was incorporated as a Delaware corporation on January 8, 2024 and has no material assets or results of operations until the completion of this offering and therefore its historical statement of operations is not shown in a separate column in this unaudited pro forma consolidated and combined statement of operations. This column represents the historical consolidated financial statements of TWFG Holding Company, LLC, the predecessor for accounting purposes. (2)This adjustment represents the increase in compensation expense we expect to incur following the completion of this offering. We expect to grant RSUs to certain employees and non-employee directors in connection with this offering. This amount was calculated assuming a grant date fair value based on the midpoint of the estimated offering price set forth on the cover of this prospectus. (3)This adjustment represents the increase in compensation expense we expect to incur following the completion of this offering. As discussed below, we will make grants of RSUs under the 2024 Incentive Plan to certain of our named executive officers. See “Executive compensation—Actions Taken Following Fiscal Year-End—2024 IPO Equity Grants.” (4)TWFG Holding Company, LLC has been, and will continue to be, treated as a partnership for U.S. federal and state income tax purposes. As such, income generated by TWFG Holding Company, LLC will flow through to its partners, including us, and is generally not subject to tax at the TWFG Holding Company, LLC level. Following the Transactions, we will be subject to U.S. federal income taxes, in addition to state and local income taxes with respect to our allocable share of any taxable income of TWFG Holding Company, LLC. As a result, the unaudited pro forma consolidated and combined statement of operations reflects adjustments to our income tax expense to reflect an effective income tax rate of 3.5%, which was calculated assuming the U.S. federal rates currently in effect and the highest statutory rates apportioned to each applicable state and local jurisdiction. A reconciliation of the differences between effective income tax rate and the U.S. federal statutory tax rate are as follows: Income at U.S. statutory rate 21.0 % State taxes, net of federal benefit 1.1 Nontaxable partnership income (18.5) Other (0.1) Effective income tax rate 3.5 % (5)Upon completion of the Transactions, TWFG, Inc. will become the sole managing member of TWFG Holding Company, LLC. Although we will have a minority economic interest in TWFG Holding Company, LLC, we will have the sole voting interest in, and control the management of, TWFG Holding Company, LLC. As a result, we will consolidate the financial results of TWFG Holding Company, LLC and will report a non-controlling interest related to the LLC Units held by the Pre-IPO LLC Members on our consolidated statements of operations. Following this offering, assuming the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase additional shares of Class A common stock, TWFG, Inc. will own 24.2% of the economic interest of TWFG Holding Company, LLC and the Pre-IPO LLC Members will own the remaining 75.8% of the economic interest of TWFG Holding Company, LLC. Net income attributable to non-controlling interests will represent 75.8% of the income before income taxes of TWFG, Inc. If the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares of our Class A common stock in full, TWFG, Inc. will own 26.5% of the economic interest of TWFG Holding Company, LLC and the Pre-IPO LLC Members will own the remaining 73.5% of the economic interest of TWFG Holding Company, LLC and net income attributable to non-controlling interests would represent 73.5% of the income before income taxes of TWFG Holding Company, LLC. Shares of non-economic Class B common stock and non-economic Class C common stock are not participating securities and therefore are not included in the per share calculations. (6)The weighted average number of shares underlying the basic earnings per share calculation reflects 13,161,873 shares of Class A common stock outstanding. Shares of Class A common stock outstanding after the offering 93 are included within the weighted average number of shares as they are the only outstanding securities which participate in distributions or dividends by the Company. All of the proceeds from the sale of Class A common stock will be used to purchase LLC Units, and we will cause TWFG Holding Company, LLC to use the proceeds it receives from the sale of LLC Units to TWFG, Inc. to pay fees and expenses in connection with this offering and the reorganization transactions, to repay in full outstanding debt under our Revolving Credit Agreement and for potential strategic acquisitions of, or investments in, other businesses or technologies that we believe will complement our current business and expansion strategies and for general corporate purposes. Pro forma diluted income per share is computed by adjusting pro forma net income attributable to the Company and the weighted average shares of Class A common stock outstanding to give effect to potentially dilutive securities that qualify as participating securities using the treasury stock method, as applicable. Shares of non-economic Class B common stock and non-economic Class C common stock are not participating securities and therefore are not included in the calculation of pro forma basic income per share. 94 Unaudited Pro Forma Consolidated and Combined Statement of Financial Position (amounts in thousands) As of March 31, 2024 Column(s) have been hidden from this table Historical TWFG Holding Company, LLC(1) Offering adjustmentsTrans action Accounting Adjustments Pro forma TWFG, Inc. Assets Current assets Cash and cash equivalents $ 22,555 $ 110,368 (2) $ 132,923 Restricted cash 8,863 — 8,863 Commissions receivable, net 19,735 — 19,735 Accounts receivable 6,075 — 6,075 Deferred offering costs 2,733 (2,733) — Other current assets, net 1,292 — 1,292 Total current assets 61,253 107,635 168,888 Non-current assets Intangible assets - net 80,420 — 80,420 Property and equipment - net 539 — 539 Lease right-of-use assets - net 2,977 — 2,977 Other non-current assets 853 — 853 Total assets $ 146,042 $ 107,635 $ 25