Banks.com, Inc. (AMEX:BNX),
a leading financial services focused web property, announced today its
results for the third quarter of 2008.
Financial Highlights
For the quarter ended September 30, 2008, Banks.com reported revenue of
$1.4 million. This compares to revenue of $5.1 million reported in the
third quarter a year ago. GAAP1 net loss was
$956 thousand or $0.04 per basic and diluted share versus a loss of $533
thousand or $0.02 per basic and diluted share reported in the prior year
quarter. Adjusted EBITDA2 was negative $579
thousand, compared to adjusted EBITDA of $64 thousand reported in the
third quarter 2007.
“While our third quarter results were
negatively impacted by the challenges we face in our business and a
difficult environment for financial services advertising, we continue to
be pleased with the results of our ongoing business transition,”
said Dan O’Donnell, President and CEO of
Banks.com. “We believe that our recent
partnership agreements, particularly our partnership with InfoSpace,
will improve the relevancy of the search advertising on our sites,
allowing us to more effectively monetize the highly targeted traffic to
the Banks.com website. At the same time, we also continue to take
measures to reduce our expenses to reflect the current environment for
our business.”
Select Business Highlights to Date
-
Signed search advertising partnership with InfoSpace
-
Signed promotional partnership agreements with PrecisionIR,
MyRetirementRewards.com and IClubCentral
-
Completed sale of a number of non-core assets and are using the
proceeds to pay down debt principal
-
Appointed Daniel M. O’Donnell, current
President and CEO, to serve as interim principal financial officer
Conference Call
Banks.com will host a conference call at 2:00 PM PST / 5:00 PM EST to
discuss its third quarter 2008 results. To listen to the call and have
the opportunity to ask questions, please dial 866-831-6162 (domestic) or
617-213-8852 (International) five to ten minutes before the call and
reference the passcode 55031885. A replay of the call will be available
by dialing 888-286-8010 (domestic) or 617-801-6888 (international) and
referencing passcode 51396521. Investors will also have the opportunity
to listen to the conference call and the replay on the Investor
Relations section of the Banks.com website at: http://www.banks.com.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward looking statements within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that
involve substantial risks and uncertainties. Forward looking statements,
which are based on management’s current
expectations, are generally identifiable by the use of terms, such as “anticipates,”
“believes,” “could,”
“estimates,” “expects,”
“intends,” “may,”
“plans,” “possible,”
“potential,” “predicts,”
“projects,” “should,”
“would” and
similar expressions. The forward looking statements in this press
release include statements regarding: management’s
expectations regarding our strategy, our focus on higher-quality content
and traffic in the financial services vertical; our commitment to
becoming the premier source of targeted financial traffic; and the
outlook for our business. The potential risks and uncertainties that
could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or
implied herein include, among others, unanticipated slowdown in the
financial services vertical; market acceptance of the enhanced version
of the Banks.com website; introduction of additional competitors in the
Internet search services space; unexpected diversion of advertising
dollars away from the Internet; slower than anticipated growth rate of
our advertising base; dependence on our search providers; market
development of Internet advertising and paid search services; and the
stability of our infrastructure. Further information on the factors that
could affect our financial results is included in our filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form
10-KSB for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007, our quarterly
reports on Form 10-Q and our Current Reports on Form 8-K. Except as
required by law, we assume no responsibility to update these forward
looking statements publicly, even if new information becomes available
in the future.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
This press release includes the following financial measure defined
as a non-GAAP financial measure by the Securities and Exchange
Commission: Adjusted EBITDA. This supplemental financial measure
is not required by GAAP, nor is the presentation of this financial
information intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute
for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with
GAAP. Management recognizes that non-GAAP financial measures have
limitations in that they do not reflect all of the items associated with
Banks.com’s earnings results as determined in
accordance with GAAP. However, for the reasons described below,
management uses this non-GAAP measure to evaluate the performance of
Banks.com’s business. Banks.com’s
management believes that it is important to provide investors with these
same tools, together with a reconciliation to GAAP, for evaluating the
performance of Banks.com’s business, as it
may provide additional insight into Banks.com’s
financial results. See the “Reconciliation
of GAAP Net Earnings to Adjusted Earnings Before Interest, Taxes,
Depreciation, Amortization and Stock Compensation Expense (Adjusted
EBITDA)” table included in this press release
for further information regarding these non-GAAP financial measures. In
addition, Adjusted EBITDA is presented because management believes it is
frequently used by securities analysts, investors and others in the
evaluation of companies.
Adjusted EBITDA is calculated by adding income taxes, interest
expense, depreciation and amortization to net earnings, adjusted for
certain items management believes should be excluded in order to reflect
a more meaningful representation of Banks.com’s
financial performance, including stock compensation expense. Banks.com’s
management excludes the impact of equity-based compensation to eliminate
the effects of this non-cash item, which, because it is based upon
estimates on the grant dates, may bear little resemblance to the actual
values realized upon the future exercise, expiration, termination or
forfeiture of the stock-based compensation. Adjusted EBITDA is
not defined under GAAP and should not be considered in isolation or as a
substitute for net earnings and other consolidated earnings data
prepared in accordance with GAAP or as a measure of Banks.com’s
profitability.
About Banks.com
Banks.com is a leading Financial Services portal containing a unique
breadth and depth of products and services. Our mission is to bring our
users and subscribers the most relevant financial information on the
web. Banks.com provides access to thousands of pages of current
financial content, including: articles, stock quotes, audio, video,
blogs and much more. In addition, Banks.com provides free tools to
assist visitors with their financial decision-making including stock
tracking and financial calculators. Our site contains information and
products on a variety of topics such as Banking, Stocks & Bonds, Taxes,
Mortgages, Personal Finance, Credit Cards, Insurance and Retirement
Planning. Banks.com, Inc. is headquartered in San Francisco, California
at 222 Kearny Street, Suite 550 and can be reached at 415.962.9700. More
information about Banks.com, Inc. can be found at: www.Banks.com.
|
BANKS.COM, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
|
|
Consolidated Statements of Earnings
|
|
(In thousands, except share and per share data)
|
|
(Unaudited)
|
|
|
|
|
Three Months Ended
|
|
|
|
|
September 30,
|
|
|
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Revenues
|
|
|
$
|
1,363
|
|
|
$
|
5,102
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cost of revenues
|
|
|
548
|
|
|
|
2,489
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gross profit
|
|
|
815
|
|
|
|
2,613
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating expenses:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sales and marketing expense
|
|
|
233
|
|
|
|
629
|
|
|
|
General and administrative expense
|
|
|
1,749
|
|
|
|
2,491
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total operating expenses
|
|
|
1,982
|
|
|
|
3,120
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Loss) earnings from operations
|
|
|
(1,167
|
)
|
|
|
(507
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest expense
|
|
|
282
|
|
|
|
296
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Loss) earnings before income taxes (benefit)
|
|
|
(1,449
|
)
|
|
|
(803
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Income taxes (benefit)
|
|
|
(493
|
)
|
|
|
(270
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net (loss) earnings
|
|
$
|
(956
|
)
|
|
$
|
(533
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic (loss) earnings per share
|
|
$
|
(0.04
|
)
|
|
$
|
(0.02
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Diluted (loss) earnings per share
|
|
$
|
(0.04
|
)
|
|
$
|
(0.02
|
)
|
|
BANKS.COM, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
|
|
Consolidated Statements of Earnings
|
|
(In thousands, except share and per share data)
|
|
(Unaudited)
|
|
|
|
|
Nine Months Ended
|
|
|
|
|
September 30,
|
|
|
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Revenues
|
|
|
$
|
9,542
|
|
|
$
|
23,110
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cost of revenues
|
|
|
4,487
|
|
|
|
9,101
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gross profit
|
|
|
5,055
|
|
|
|
14,009
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating expenses:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sales and marketing expense
|
|
|
884
|
|
|
|
1,121
|
|
|
General and administrative expense
|
|
|
6,227
|
|
|
|
7,818
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total operating expenses
|
|
|
7,111
|
|
|
|
8,939
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Loss) earnings from operations
|
|
|
(2,056
|
)
|
|
|
5,070
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest expense
|
|
|
878
|
|
|
|
890
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Loss) earnings before income taxes (benefit)
|
|
|
(2,934
|
)
|
|
|
4,180
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Income taxes (benefit)
|
|
|
(934
|
)
|
|
|
1,742
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net (loss) earnings
|
|
$
|
(2,000
|
)
|
|
$
|
2,438
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic (loss) earnings per share
|
|
$
|
(0.08
|
)
|
|
$
|
0.10
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Diluted (loss) earnings per share
|
|
$
|
(0.08
|
)
|
|
$
|
0.09
|
|
BANKS.COM, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
|
|
Consolidated Balance Sheets
|
|
(In thousands, except share and per share data)
|
|
(Unaudited)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
September 30,
|
|
December 31,
|
|
|
2008
|
|
2007
|
|
Assets
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Current assets:
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
|
$
|
1,296
|
|
$
|
2,300
|
|
Accounts receivable, net of allowances
|
|
783
|
|
|
2,703
|
|
Prepaid expenses and other
|
|
266
|
|
|
198
|
|
Refundable income taxes
|
|
878
|
|
|
283
|
|
Deferred income taxes
|
|
-
|
|
|
40
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total current assets
|
|
3,223
|
|
|
5,524
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Office equipment and leasehold improvements, net
|
|
1,180
|
|
|
1,323
|
|
Debt issuance costs, net
|
|
456
|
|
|
579
|
|
Patents and trademarks, net
|
|
66
|
|
|
73
|
|
Domains, net
|
|
12,346
|
|
|
13,165
|
|
Goodwill
|
|
573
|
|
|
573
|
|
Other intangible assets, net
|
|
1,059
|
|
|
-
|
|
Other assets
|
|
125
|
|
|
279
|
|
Deferred income taxes
|
|
840
|
|
|
363
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total Assets
|
$
|
19,868
|
|
$
|
21,879
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Current liabilities:
|
|
|
|
|
Accrued liabilities
|
|
700
|
|
|
918
|
|
Accounts payable
|
|
555
|
|
|
655
|
|
Deferred revenue
|
|
7
|
|
|
2
|
|
Deferred income taxes
|
|
5
|
|
|
-
|
|
Notes payable, net of discount
|
|
6,147
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total current liabilities
|
|
7,414
|
|
|
1,575
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Notes payable, net of discount
|
|
-
|
|
|
6,658
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total liabilities
|
|
7,414
|
|
|
8,233
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stockholders' equity:
|
|
|
|
|
Common stock
|
|
25
|
|
|
25
|
|
Additional paid-in capital
|
|
10,270
|
|
|
9,462
|
|
Retained earnings
|
|
2,159
|
|
|
4,159
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total stockholders' equity
|
|
12,454
|
|
|
13,646
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity
|
$
|
19,868
|
|
$
|
21,879
|
|
BANKS.COM, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
|
|
Reconciliation of GAAP Net Earnings to Earnings Before
|
|
Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, Amortization, and Stock Compensation
Expense (Adjusted EBITDA)
|
|
(In thousands)
|
|
(Unaudited)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Three Months Ended
|
|
|
|
|
|
September 30,
|
|
|
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
2007
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net (loss) earnings
|
|
$
|
(956
|
)
|
|
|
|
$
|
(533
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Income taxes (benefit)
|
|
|
(493
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
(270
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Loss) earnings before income taxes
|
|
|
(1,449
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
(803
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest expense
|
|
|
282
|
|
|
|
|
|
296
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Loss) earnings from operations
|
|
|
(1,167
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
(507
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Depreciation
|
|
|
123
|
|
|
|
|
|
109
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Amortization
|
|
|
338
|
|
|
|
|
|
275
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stock compensation expense
|
|
|
127
|
|
|
|
|
|
187
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation,
amortization, and stock compensation expense (Adjusted EBITDA)
|
|
$
|
(579
|
)
|
|
|
|
$
|
64
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nine Months Ended
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
September 30,
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
2007
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net (loss) earnings
|
|
|
|
$
|
(2,000
|
)
|
|
|
$
|
2,438
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Income taxes (benefit)
|
|
|
|
|
(934
|
)
|
|
|
|
1,742
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Loss) earnings before income taxes
|
|
|
|
|
(2,934
|
)
|
|
|
|
4,180
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest expense
|
|
|
|
|
878
|
|
|
|
|
890
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Loss) earnings from operations
|
|
|
|
|
(2,056
|
)
|
|
|
|
5,070
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Depreciation
|
|
|
|
|
353
|
|
|
|
|
319
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Amortization
|
|
|
|
|
1,005
|
|
|
|
|
785
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stock compensation expense
|
|
|
|
|
387
|
|
|
|
|
583
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation,
amortization, and stock compensation expense (Adjusted EBITDA)
|
|
|
|
$
|
(311
|
)
|
|
|
$
|
6,757
|
1 Generally accepted accounting principles in
the United States of America.
2 Adjusted EBITDA is calculated by adding
income taxes, interest expense, depreciation and amortization to net
earnings, adjusted for certain items management believes should be
excluded in order to reflect a more meaningful representation of our
financial performance, including stock compensation expense. Adjusted
EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure. This measure may be different
from non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies. We encourage
investors to review the section below entitled “Non-GAAP
Financial Measures” and to review the
reconciling adjustments between the GAAP and non-GAAP measures attached
to this press release.
Banks.com, Inc.
Daniel O'Donnell, 415-962-9700
President and
Chief Executive Officer