UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

x   ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019

OR

¨   TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from _________ to _________

Commission file number 0-19292

BLUEGREEN VACATIONS CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

4960 Conference Way North, Suite 100, Boca Raton, Florida 33431

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (561) 912-8000

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934:

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.     Yes ¨     No x

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.     Yes ¨     No x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.     Yes x     No ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).     Yes x     No ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.     x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).     Yes ¨     No x

The aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of June 28, 2019, the last trading day of the registrants most recently completed second fiscal quarter, was $84.0 million (based on the closing sale price of the common stock on that date on the New York Stock Exchange).

As of February 28, 2020, there were 74,362,693 shares of the registrant’s common stock, $.01 par value, outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the registrant’s definitive proxy statement for its 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.  

BLUEGREEN VACATIONS CORPORATION

FORM 10-K TABLE OF CONTENTS

YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2019

 
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PART I

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”).

Forward-looking statements include all statements that do not relate strictly to historical or current facts and can be identified by the use of words such as “anticipates,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “projects,” “predicts,” “seeks,” “will,” “should,” “would,” “may,” “could,” “outlook,” “potential,” and similar expressions or words and phrases of similar import. Forward-looking statements include, among others, statements relating to our future financial performance, business prospects and strategy, anticipated financial position, liquidity and capital needs and other similar matters. These statements are based on management’s current expectations and assumptions about future events, which are inherently subject to uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Our actual results may differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, among others:

adverse trends or disruptions in economic conditions generally or in the vacation ownership, vacation rental and travel industries;

adverse changes to, expirations or terminations of, or interruptions in, business and strategic relationships, management contracts, exchange networks or other strategic marketing alliances, and the risk that our business relationship with Bass Pro under the revised terms of our marketing agreement may not be as profitable as under the prior terms, or at all, or otherwise result in the benefits anticipated;

the risks of the real estate market and the risks associated with real estate development, including a decline in real estate values and a deterioration of other conditions relating to the real estate market and real estate development;

decreased demand from prospective purchasers of vacation ownership interests (“VOIs”);

our ability to maintain inventory of VOIs for sale;

the availability of financing and our ability to sell, securitize or borrow against our consumer loans;

adverse events or trends in vacation destinations and regions where the resorts in our network are located, including weather-related events;

our indebtedness may impact our financial condition and results of operations, and the terms of our indebtedness may limit, among other things, our activities and ability to pay dividends, and we may not comply with the terms of our indebtedness;

changes in our senior management;

our ability to comply with regulations applicable to the vacation ownership industry or otherwise related to our business and activities, and the costs of compliance efforts or a failure to comply;

our ability to successfully implement our growth strategy and plans and the impact they may have on our results and financial conditions, including that any increased developed VOI sales efforts may not be successful and may impact our cash flows;

our ability to compete effectively in the highly competitive vacation ownership industry and against hotel and other hospitality and lodging alternatives;

our ability to enhance the Vacation Club experience for our Vacation Club owners and risks related to our efforts and expenses in connection therewith, including that expenses may be greater than anticipated;

our customers’ compliance with their payment obligations under financing provided by us, the increased presence and efforts of “timeshare-exit” firms and the success of actions which we may take in connection therewith, and the impact of defaults on our operating results and liquidity position;

the ratings of third-party rating agencies, including the impact of any downgrade on our ability to obtain, renew or extend credit facilities, or otherwise raise funds;

changes in our business model and marketing efforts, plans or strategies, which may cause marketing expenses to increase or adversely impact our revenue, operating results and financial condition, and such expenses as well as our investments, including investments in new and expanded sales offices, and other sales and marketing initiatives, including screening methods and data driven analysis, may not achieve the desired results;

technology and other changes and factors which may impact our telemarketing efforts, including new cell phone technologies that identify or block marketing vendor calls;

the impact of the resale market for VOIs on our business, operating results and financial condition;

risks associated with our relationships with third-party developers, including that third-party developers who provide VOIs to be sold by us pursuant to fee-based services or just-in-time arrangements may not provide VOIs when planned and that third-party developers may not fulfill their obligations to us or to the homeowners associations that maintain the resorts they developed;

risks associated with legal proceedings and regulatory proceedings, examinations or audits of our operations including claims of noncompliance with applicable regulations or for development related defects, and the impact they may have on our financial condition and operating results, including the costs associated with regulatory compliance;

audits of our or our subsidiaries’ tax returns, including that they may result in the imposition of additional taxes;

environmental liabilities, including claims with respect to mold or hazardous or toxic substances, and their impact on our financial condition and operating results;

risks that public health issues, such as the recent coronavirus outbreak, and natural disasters, including hurricanes, may adversely impact the Company’s financial condition and operating results;

any damage to physical assets or interruption of access to physical assets or operations resulting from public health issues, such as the recent coronavirus outbreak, or from hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, floods, windstorms or other natural disasters, which may increase in frequency or severity due to climate change or other factors;

our ability to maintain the integrity of internal or customer data, the failure of which could result in damage to our reputation and/or subject us to costs, fines or lawsuits;

risks related to potential business expansion or other opportunities that we may pursue, including that they may involve significant costs and the incurrence of significant indebtedness and may not be successful;

the updating of, and developments with respect to, technology, including the cost involved in updating our technology and the impact that any failure to keep pace with developments in technology could have on our operations or competitive position, and our information technology expenditures may not result in the expected benefits;

the impact on our consolidated financial statements and internal control over financial reporting of the adoption of new accounting standards; and

other risks and uncertainties inherent to our business, the vacation ownership industry and the ownership of our common stock, including those discussed in the “Risk Factors” section of, and elsewhere in, this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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These and other risks and uncertainties disclosed in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are not necessarily all of the important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any of the forward-looking statements. Other unknown or unpredictable factors could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any of the forward-looking statements. In addition, past performance may not be indicative of future results, and comparisons of results for current and any prior periods are not intended to express any future trends or indications of future performance, and all such information should only be viewed as historical data.

Given these uncertainties, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and you should read this Annual Report on Form 10-K with the understanding that actual future results, levels of activity, performance, and events and circumstances may be materially different from what we expect. We qualify all forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.

Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Terms Used in this Annual Report on Form 10-K

Except as otherwise noted or where the context requires otherwise, references in this Annual Report on Form 10-K to “Bluegreen Vacations,” “Bluegreen,” “the Company,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to Bluegreen Vacations Corporation, together with its consolidated subsidiaries.

References to “Adjusted EBITDA” means earnings, or net income, before taking into account interest income (excluding interest earned on VOI notes receivable), interest expense (excluding interest expense incurred on debt secured by our VOI notes receivable), income and franchise taxes, loss (gain) on assets held for sale, depreciation and amortization, amounts attributable to the non-controlling interest in Bluegreen/Big Cedar Vacations, LLC (“Bluegreen/Big Cedar”) (in which we own a 51% interest), and items that we believe are not representative of ongoing operating results. Accordingly, amounts paid, accrued or incurred in connection with the Bass Pro Settlement in June 2019 as described herein were excluded in the computation of Adjusted EBITDA for the year ended December 31, 2019. For purposes of the Adjusted EBITDA calculation for any period, no adjustments were made for interest income earned on our VOI notes receivable or the interest expense incurred on debt that is secured by such notes receivable because they are both considered to be part of the operations of our business. Refer to “Part II—Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Key Business and Financial Metrics Used by Management” for further discussion of Adjusted EBITDA and certain other financial metrics which we believe represent important operating measures.

Market and Industry Data

Market and industry data used in this Annual Report on Form 10-K have been obtained from our internal surveys, industry publications, unpublished industry data and estimates, discussions with industry sources and other currently available information. The sources for this data include, without limitation, the American Resort Development Association. Industry publications generally state that the information contained therein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but there can be no assurance as to the accuracy or completeness of such information. We have not independently verified such data. Similarly, our internal surveys, while believed by us to be reliable, have not been verified by any independent sources. Accordingly, such data may not prove to be accurate.

Forecasts and other forward-looking information obtained from these sources are subject to the same qualifications and uncertainties as the other forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, as described above.

Trademarks, Service Marks and Trade Names

We own or have rights to use a number of registered and common law trademarks, trade names and service marks in connection with our business, including, but not limited to, Bluegreen, Bluegreen Resorts, Bluegreen Vacations, Bluegreen Traveler Plus, Bluegreen Vacation Club, Bluegreen Wilderness Club at Big Cedar and the Bluegreen Logo. This Annual Report on Form 10-K also refers to trademarks, trade names and service marks of other organizations. Without limiting the generality of the preceding sentence, World Golf Village is registered by World Golf Foundation, Inc.; Big Cedar, Cabela’s and Bass Pro Shops are registered by Bass Pro Trademarks, LP; Ascend, Ascend Hotel Collection, Ascend Resort Collection, Choice Privileges, Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria, MainStay Suites, Econo Lodge and Rodeway Inn are registered by Choice Hotels International, Inc.; and Suburban Extended Stay Hotel is registered by Suburban Franchise Systems, Inc. All trademarks, service marks or trade names referred to in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are the property of their respective holders. Solely for convenience, the trademarks, trade names and service marks referred to in this Annual Report on Form 10-K appear without the ® and ™ symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate in any way that we or the owner will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, all rights to such trademarks, trade names and service marks.

Item 1. Business.

Our Business

We are a leading vacation ownership company that markets and sells VOIs and manages resorts in popular leisure and urban destinations. Our resort network includes 45 Club Resorts (resorts in which owners in the Bluegreen Vacation Club (“Vacation Club”) have the right to use most of the units in connection with their VOI ownership) and 23 Club Associate Resorts (resorts in which owners in our Vacation Club have the right to use a limited number of units in connection with their VOI ownership). Our Club Resorts and Club Associate Resorts are primarily located in high-volume, “drive-to” vacation locations, including Orlando, Las Vegas, Myrtle Beach and Charleston, among others. Through our points-based system, the approximately 220,000 owners in our Vacation Club have the flexibility to stay at units available at any of our resorts and have access to over 11,350 other hotels and resorts through partnerships and exchange networks. We have a robust sales and marketing platform supported by exclusive marketing relationships with nationally-recognized consumer brands, such as Bass Pro and Choice Hotels. These marketing relationships drive sales within our core demographic, which is described below.

Prior to 2009, our vacation ownership business consisted solely of the sale of VOIs in resorts that we had developed or acquired (“developed VOI sales”). While we continue to conduct such sales and development activities, we also derive a significant portion of our revenue from our capital-light business model, with the goal of utilizing our expertise and infrastructure to generate both VOI sales and recurring revenue from third parties without the significant capital investment generally associated with the development and acquisition of resorts. Our capital-light business activities include sales of VOIs owned by third-party developers pursuant to which we are paid a commission (“fee-based sales”) and sales of VOIs that we purchase under just-in-time (“JIT”) arrangements with third-party developers or from secondary market sources. In addition, we provide resorts and resort developers with other fee-based services, including resort management, mortgage servicing, title services and construction management. We also offer financing to qualified VOI purchasers, which generates significant interest income.

(1)Excludes “Other Income, Net” which primarily consists of business interruption insurance proceeds during 2019.

Our Vacation Club has grown from approximately 170,000 owners as of December 31, 2012 to approximately 220,000 owners as of December 31, 2019. We primarily serve a demographic we consider generally underpenetrated within the vacation ownership industry, as the typical Vacation Club owner has an average annual household income of approximately $79,000 as compared to an industry average of $86,000. According to U.S. census data, households with an annual income of $50,000 to $100,000 represents approximately 30% of the total population. We believe our ability to effectively scale our transaction size to suit our customer, as well as our high-quality, conveniently-located, “drive-to” resorts are key to attracting our core target demographic.

Our History

We were organized in 1985 as a Massachusetts corporation named Patten Corporation, primarily focused on retail land sales to consumers. In 1994, we entered into the vacation ownership industry. In 1996, we changed our name to Bluegreen Corporation. From 1986 through April 2, 2013, our common stock was publicly listed and traded on the NYSE. On April 2, 2013, Woodbridge Holdings Corporation (“Woodbridge”), a wholly owned subsidiary of BBX Capital Corporation (NYSE: BBX) (“BBX Capital”), acquired all of the shares of our common stock not previously owned by it, and we became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Woodbridge. BBX Capital is a Florida-based publicly traded diversified holding company. On March 10, 2014, we were redomiciled from a Massachusetts corporation to a Florida corporation. On September 25, 2017, we changed our name to Bluegreen Vacations Corporation. On November 17, 2017, we consummated the initial public offering of our common stock. BBX Capital continues to own approximately 90% of our outstanding common stock through its wholly owned subsidiary. Our common stock trades on the NYSE under the symbol “BXG.”

Our Reportable Segments

We report our results of operations through two reportable segments: (i) Sales of VOIs and financing; and (ii) resort operations and club management.

Our sales of VOIs and financing segment includes our marketing and sales activities related to the VOIs that we own, sales of VOIs through fee-based arrangements with third-party developers, consumer financing activities in connection with sales of VOIs that we own, and our provision of title services through a wholly-owned subsidiary.

Our resort operations and club management segment includes our provision of management services to our Vacation Club and to a majority of the homeowners associations (“HOAs”) of the resorts within our Vacation Club. In connection with those services, we also provide club reservation services, services to owners and billing and collections services to our Vacation Club and certain HOAs. Additionally, we generate revenue within our resort operations and club management segment from our Traveler Plus program, food and beverage and other retail operations, the provision of rental services to third parties, and the management of construction activities of certain of our fee-based clients.

See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and Note 17: Segment Reporting to our audited consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information regarding our reportable segments.

Our Products

Vacation Ownership Interests

Since entering the vacation ownership industry in 1994, we have generated over 711,000 VOI sales transactions, including over 167,000 fee-based sales transactions. Our Vacation Club owners receive an annual or biennial allotment of “points” in perpetuity (supported by an underlying deeded VOI held in trust for the owner) that may be used to stay at any of our 45 Club Resorts and 23 Club Associate Resorts. Vacation Club owners can use their points to stay in resorts for varying lengths of time, starting at a minimum of two nights. The number of points required for a stay at a resort depends on a variety of factors, including resort location, size of the unit, vacation season and the days of the week. Under this system, Vacation Club owners can select vacations according to their schedules, space needs and available points. Subject to certain restrictions and fees, Vacation Club owners are typically allowed to carry over any unused points for one year and to “borrow” points from the next year. Vacation Club owners may also take advantage of various other lodging and vacation opportunities available to them as described under “Value Proposition” below.

Each of our Club Resorts and Club Associate Resorts is managed by an HOA, which is governed by a board of directors or trustees. The board hires a management company to which it delegates many of the rights and responsibilities of the HOA, including landscaping, security, housekeeping, garbage collection, utilities, insurance procurement, laundry and repairs and maintenance. Vacation Club owners pay annual maintenance fees which cover the costs of operating all of the resorts in the Vacation Club system, including fees for real estate taxes and reserves for capital improvements. If a Vacation Club owner does not pay such charges, his or her use rights may be suspended and ultimately terminated, subject to the applicable lender’s first mortgage lien, if any, on such owner’s VOI. We provide management services to 49 resorts and the Vacation Club through contractual arrangements with HOAs. We have a 100% renewal rate on management contracts from our Club Resorts.

Value Proposition

Our Vacation Club’s points-based platform offers owners significant flexibility. As reflected in the chart below, basic Vacation Club ownership entitles owners to use their points to stay at any of our 45 Club Resorts and 23 Club Associate Resorts, as well as to access more than 4,300 resorts available through the Resort Condominiums International, LLC (“RCI”) exchange network. For a nominal annual fee and transaction fees, Vacation Club owners can join and utilize our Traveler Plus program, which enables them to use their points to access an additional 46 direct exchange resorts, and other vacation experiences, such as cruises. Vacation Club owners can convert their Vacation Club points into Choice Privileges points, which can be used for stays in Choice Hotels’ properties. In addition, Traveler Plus members can directly use their Vacation Club points for stays in Choice Hotels’ Ascend Hotel Collection properties, a network of historic and boutique hotels located in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia and Latin America. Overall, there are more than 7,000 hotels in the Choice Hotels network, located in over 40 countries and territories, and Choice Hotels’ brands include the Ascend Hotel Collection, Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Hotels and Suites, MainStay Suites, Suburban Extended Stay Hotel, Econo Lodge and Rodeway Inn. We continuously seek new ways to provide value to our Vacation Club owners, including enhanced product offerings, new resort locations, broader vacation experiences and further technological innovation, all of which are designed to increase guest satisfaction.

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Approximately 67% of Vacation Club owners are enrolled in Traveler Plus. During the year ended December 31, 2019, approximately 7% of Vacation Club owners utilized the RCI exchange network.

Vacation Club Resort Locations and Amenities

As shown in the map below, our Vacation Club resorts are primarily located on the U.S. East Coast and Midwest. The 46 direct-exchange resorts available to Traveler Plus members are concentrated along the West Coast and Hawaii. We believe that, together, this provides a broad geographic offering of resorts available to our Vacation Club owners.

Vacation Club resorts are primarily “drive-to” resort destinations as approximately 88% of our Vacation Club owners live within a four-hour drive of at least one of our resorts. Our resorts are generally located in popular vacation destinations, such as Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Texas, Louisiana, and Nevada, and represent a diverse mix of resort and urban destinations, allowing Vacation Club owners the ability to customize their vacation experience. In addition, we offer our Vacation Club owners access to Aruba.

Our resort network also offers a diverse mix of experiences and accommodations. Unlike some of our competitors that maintain static brand design standards across resorts and geographies, we seek to design resorts that capture the uniqueness of a particular location. Our distinctive resorts are designed to create an authentic experience and connection to their unique and varied locations.

Our resorts typically feature condominium-style accommodations with amenities such as fully equipped kitchens, entertainment centers and in-room laundry appliances. Many resorts feature a clubhouse (including a pool, game room, lounge), hotel-type staff and concierge services.

We also own a 51% interest in Bluegreen/Big Cedar Vacations, which develops, markets and sells VOIs at three premier wilderness-themed resorts adjacent to Table Rock Lake near Branson, Missouri: The Bluegreen Wilderness Club at Big Cedar, The Cliffs at Long Creek and Paradise Point. The remaining 49% interest in Bluegreen/Big Cedar Vacations is held by Big Cedar, LLC (“BC LLC”), an affiliate of Bass Pro. As a result of our controlling interest in Bluegreen/Big Cedar Vacations, our consolidated financial statements include the results of operations and financial condition of Bluegreen/Big Cedar Vacations.

Located next to Big Cedar Lodge, The Bluegreen Wilderness Club is a 40-acre resort overlooking Table Rock Lake with sprawling views of the surrounding Ozarks. Vacation Club owners enjoy a variety of amenities, including a 9,000 square foot clubhouse, lazy river and rock-climbing wall, in addition to full access to the amenities and activities of Big Cedar Lodge. The Cliffs at Long Creek offers fully furnished homes that can accommodate up to 13 people and other vacation villas while providing access to a clubhouse and amenities at The Bluegreen Wilderness Club. Paradise Point offers spacious vacation villas with direct access to Table Rock Lake and the Bass Pro Long Creek Marina.

Vacation Club Resorts

(1)Represents the total number of units at the Club Resort. Owners in the Vacation Club have the right to use most of the units at each Club Resort in connection with their VOI ownership.

(2)Resorts managed by Bluegreen Resorts Management, Inc., our wholly-owned subsidiary (“Bluegreen Resorts Management”).

(3)These resorts, or a portion thereof, were developed by third-parties, and we have sold VOIs on their behalf or have arrangements to acquire such VOIs as part of our capital-light business strategy.

(4)This resort is managed by Casa Grande Cooperative Association I, which has contracted with Bluegreen Resorts Management to provide management consulting services to the resort. The services provided by Bluegreen Resorts Management to this resort pursuant to such agreement are similar in nature to, but less extensive than, the services provided by us or our subsidiaries to the other resorts listed in the table as “Managed by Us.”

(5)This resort is developed, marketed and sold by Bluegreen/Big Cedar Vacations.

(6)In addition to the sales centers identified in the table, we also operate a sales center in Memphis, Tennessee.

Marketing and Sale of Inventory

VOI sales are typically generated by attracting prospective customers to tour a resort and attend a sales presentation. Our sales and marketing platform utilizes a variety of methods to attract prospective customers, drive tour flow and sell VOIs in our Vacation Club. We primarily utilize marketing alliances with nationally-recognized brands, which provide access to venues which target consumers generally matching our core demographic. In addition, we source sales prospects through programs which generate leads at high-traffic venues and in high-density tourist locations and events, as well as from telemarketing and referrals from existing owners and other guests at our properties.

Many of our marketing programs involve the sale of a discounted vacation package that typically includes a two to three night stay in close proximity to one of our resort sales offices and requires participation in a sales presentation (a sales tour). Vacation packages are typically sold either in retail establishments, such as Bass Pro stores and outlet malls, or via telemarketing. During the year ended December 31, 2019, we sold over 243,000 vacation packages and 44% of our VOI sales were derived from vacation packages. As of December 31, 2019, we had a pipeline of over 190,000 vacation packages sold, which have generally converted to tours at a rate of 55%.

Bluegreen Vacations Unlimited (“BVU”), our wholly-owned subsidiary, has an exclusive marketing agreement with Bass Pro, a nationally-recognized retailer of fishing, marine, hunting, camping and sports gear, that provides us with the right to market and sell vacation packages at kiosks in each of Bass Pro’s retail locations and through other means. We believe that Bass Pro has a loyal customer base that strongly matches our core demographic.

On May 24, 2019, we received notice from Bass Pro and its affiliates that it was terminating the marketing agreement based on the failure to cure the alleged breaches and we were removed from all Bass Pro retail stores. BVU subsequently filed a counter claim against Bass Pro and Big Cedar LLC. On June 13, 2019, we entered into a settlement agreement which resolved the litigation and reinstated and amended the marketing agreement. Pursuant to the terms of the settlement agreement, Bass Pro agreed to reinstate BVU’s access to Bass Pro’s marketing channels, including Bass Pro and Cabela’s retail stores. Additionally, with no admission of any wrongdoing, we paid Bass Pro $20.0 million and agreed to pay Bass Pro $4.0 million on each January 1 from 2020 through 2024; and we also agreed that Bass Pro would retain $1.5 million of an amount prepaid to them earlier in 2019 under the marketing agreement. Additionally, our agreement was amended to pay Bass Pro a fixed annual fee of $70,000 for each Bass Pro and Cabela’s retail store that BVU accesses (excluding retail stores which are designated to provide tours to Bluegreen/Big Cedar Vacations, or “Bluegreen/Big Cedar Feeder Stores”) plus $32 per net vacation package sold (less cancellations and refunds within 45 days of sale) in lieu of our previous commission based fees. We also agreed to contribute to the Wonders of Wildlife Foundation $5.00 per net package sold (less cancellations and refunds within 45 days of sale), subject to an annual minimum of $700,000. The fixed annual fee was prorated for 2019. Subject to the terms and conditions of our agreement, we will generally be required to pay the fixed annual fee with respect to at least 59 Bass Pro retail stores and a minimum number of Cabela’s retail stores that increases over time to a total of at least 60 Cabela’s retail stores by the end of 2021. However, the minimum number of Bass Pro and Cabela’s retail stores on which we pay the fixed annual fee may be reduced under certain circumstances, including as a result of a reduction of traffic in the stores in excess of 25% year-over-year. The parties also executed mutual waivers and releases and agreed to the dismissal of the litigation.

As of December 31, 2019, we sold vacation packages in 68 of Bass Pro’s stores and 15 Cabela’s retail stores. During the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, VOI sales to prospects and leads generated by the agreement with Bass Pro accounted for approximately 13%, 14% and 15%, respectively, of our VOI sales volume. Our marketing alliance with Bass Pro currently runs through 2025.

We also have an exclusive strategic relationship with Choice Hotels that involves several areas of our business, including a sales and marketing alliance that enables us to leverage Choice Hotels’ brands, customer relationships and marketing channels to sell vacation packages. Vacation packages are sold through customer reservation calls transferred to us from Choice and through outbound telemarketing methods utilizing Choice’s customer database. In addition, 38 of our resorts are part of Choice’s Ascend Hotel Collection, which provides us with the opportunity to market to Choice Hotel guests staying at our resorts. Our strategic relationship with Choice Hotels began in 2013 and was extended in August 2017 for a 15 year term, with an additional 15-year renewal term thereafter unless either party elects not to renew the arrangement.

In addition, we generate leads and sell vacation packages through our relationships with various other retail operators and entertainment providers. As of December 31, 2019, we had kiosks in 16 outlet malls, strategically selected based on proximity to major vacation destinations and strong foot traffic of consumers matching our core target demographic. We generate vacation package sales from these kiosks. We also generate leads at other malls and outlets and high-density locations or events, where contact information for sales prospects is obtained through raffles, giveaways and other attractions. We then seek to sell vacation packages to those prospects, including through telemarketing efforts by us or third-party vendors. As of December 31, 2019, we had lead generation operations in over 452 locations.

We believe that this diverse strategic marketing alliances (including those with Bass Pro, Choice Hotels and other retail operators and entertainment providers) provides a potential strategic advantage over certain of our competitors that rely primarily on relationships with their affiliated hotel brands to drive lead generation and new owner growth. Our goal is to identify marketing partners with brands that attract our targeted owner demographic and to build successful marketing relationships with those partners. In addition to the programs described above, we may also engage in other local and national marketing programs from time to time with respect to attracting new customers. We believe that the variety in our marketing relationships has historically facilitated a healthy mix of new owner sales vs. existing owner sales that compare favorably to our competitors. During the year ended December 31, 2019, approximately 45% of our VOI sales were to new owners.

In addition to sales to new customers, we also seek to sell additional VOI points to our existing Vacation Club owners. These sales generally have lower marketing costs and result in higher operating margins than sales generated through other marketing channels. During the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, sales to existing Vacation Club owners accounted for 55%, 52% and 49%, respectively, of our system-wide sales of VOIs. We target a balanced mix of new customer and existing Vacation Club owner sales to drive sustainable long-term growth. The number of owners in our Vacation Club increased at a 5% CAGR between 2012 and 2019, from approximately 170,000 owners as of December 31, 2012 to approximately 220,000 owners as of December 31, 2019.

We operate 26 sales offices, typically located adjacent to our resorts and staffed with sales representatives and sales managers. As of December 31, 2019, we had over 3,200 employees dedicated to VOI sales and marketing. We utilize a uniform sales process and offer ongoing training for our sales personnel with the goal of maintaining strict quality control policies. During the year ended December 31, 2019, 94% of our sales were generated from 20 of our sales offices which focus on both new customer and existing Vacation Club owner sales. Our remaining 6 sales offices are primarily focused on sales to existing Vacation Club owners staying at the respective resort. We also utilize our telesales operations to sell additional VOIs to Vacation Club owners.

Flexible Business Model

Our business model is designed to give us potential flexibility to capitalize on opportunities and adapt to changing market environments. We have the ability to adjust our targeted mix of capital-light vs. developed VOI sales, sales to new customers vs. existing Vacation Club owners, and cash vs. financed sales. While we may pursue opportunities that impact our short-term results, our long-term goal is to achieve sustained growth while maximizing earnings and cash flow.

Note: Cash sales represent the portion of our system-wide sales of VOIs that is received from the customer in cash within 30 days of purchase.

VOI Sales Mix

Our VOI sales include:

Fee-based sales of VOIs owned by third-party developers pursuant to which we are paid a commission;

JIT sales of VOIs we acquire from third-party developers in close proximity to when we intend to sell such VOIs;

Secondary market sales of VOIs we acquire from HOAs or other owners; and

Developed VOI sales, or sales of VOIs in resorts that we develop or acquire (excluding inventory acquired pursuant to JIT and secondary market arrangements).

As of December 31, 2019, sales of VOIs were comprised of the following:

Fee-Based Sales

We offer sales and marketing services to third-party developers for a commission. Under these fee-based sales arrangements, which are typically entered into on a non-committed basis, we sell the third-party developers’ VOIs as Vacation Club interests through our sales and marketing platform. We also provide third-party developers with administrative services, periodic reporting and analytics through our proprietary software platform. We seek to structure the fee for these services to cover selling and marketing costs, plus an operating profit. Historically we have targeted a commission rate of 65% to 75% of the VOI sales price. Fee-Based Sales comprised 50% of system-wide sales of VOIs during the year ended December 31, 2019. Notes receivable originated in connection with fee-based sales are held by the third-party developer and, in certain cases, are serviced by us for an additional fee. In connection with fee-based sales, we are not at risk for development financing and have no capital requirements, thereby increasing return on invested capital, or ROIC. We also typically hold the HOA management contract associated with these resorts.

Just-In-Time (JIT) VOI Sales

We enter into JIT inventory acquisition agreements with third-party developers that allow us to buy VOI inventory in close proximity to when we intend to sell such VOIs. While we typically enter into such arrangements on a non-committed basis, we may engage in committed arrangements under certain circumstances. Similar to fee-based sales, JIT sales do not expose us to risk for development financing. However, unlike fee-based sales, we hold the consumer finance receivables originated in connection with JIT sales. While JIT sales accounted for only 1% of system-wide sales of VOIs for the year ended December 31, 2019, JIT arrangements are often entered into in connection with fee-based sales arrangements. We also typically hold the HOA management contract associated with these resorts.

Secondary Market VOI Sales

We acquire VOI inventory from HOAs and other owners generally on a non-committed basis. These VOIs are typically obtained by the applicable HOA through foreclosure or termination in connection with HOA maintenance fee defaults. Accordingly, we generally purchase VOIs from secondary market sources at a greater discount to retail price compared to developed VOI sales and JIT sales. During the year ended December 31, 2019, secondary market sales accounted for 20% of our system-wide sales of VOIs.

Developed VOI Sales

Developed VOI sales are sales of VOIs in resorts that we have developed or acquired (excluding inventory acquired pursuant to JIT and secondary market arrangements). During the year ended December 31, 2019, developed VOI sales accounted for 29% of our system-wide sales of VOIs. We hold the notes receivable originated in connection with developed VOI sales. We also typically hold the HOA management contract associated with these resorts.

Future VOI Sales

The retail value of our completed VOI inventory increases or decreases from period to period due to the acquisition of inventory through JIT and secondary market arrangements, development of new VOI units, reacquisition of VOIs through notes receivable defaults and changes to sales prices and completed sales. As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, we owned completed VOI inventory (excluding units not currently being marketed as VOIs, such as model units) and had access to additional completed VOI inventory through fee-based and JIT arrangements having a retail sales value as follows (dollars are in thousands and represent the then-estimated retail sales value):

Based on current estimates and expectations, we believe this inventory, combined with inventory being developed by us or our third-party developer clients, and inventory that we may reacquire in connection with mortgage and maintenance fee defaults, can support our VOI sales at our current levels for over four years. We maintain relationships with numerous third-party developers and expect additional fee-based and JIT relationships to continue to provide high-quality VOI inventory to support our sales efforts. In addition, we are focused on strategically expanding our inventory through development at five of our resorts over the next several years. We intend to continue to strategically evaluate opportunities to develop or acquire VOI inventory in key strategic markets where we identify growing demand and have already established marketing and sales networks.

During the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, the estimated retail sales value and cash purchase price of the VOIs we acquired through secondary market arrangements were as follows (dollars in thousands):

Development activities currently consist primarily of additional VOI units being developed at The Cliffs at Long Creek and The Bluegreen Wilderness Club at Big Cedar in Ridgedale, Missouri.

Management and Other Fee-Based Services

We earn recurring management fees for providing services to HOAs. These management services include oversight of housekeeping services, maintenance and certain accounting and administrative functions. We believe our management contracts yield highly predictable cash flows that do not have the traditional risks associated with hotel management contracts that are linked to daily rate or occupancy. Our management contracts are typically structured as “cost-plus” management fees, which means we generally earn fees equal to 10% to 12% of the costs to operate the applicable resort. These agreements generally have an initial term of three years with automatic one year renewals. As of December 31, 2019, we provided management services to 49 resorts. We also earn recurring management fees for providing services to the Vacation Club. These services include managing the reservation system and providing owner billing and collection services. Our management contract with the Vacation Club currently provides for reimbursement of our costs plus a fee equal to $10 per VOI owner. We may seek to expand our management services business, including to provide hospitality management services to hotels for third parties.

In addition to HOA and club management services, we also provide other fee-based services that produce revenue without the significant capital investment generally associated with the development and acquisition of resorts. These services include title and escrow services for fees in connection with the closing of VOI sales, servicing notes receivable held by third parties (typically a fee equal to 1.5% to 2.5% of the principal balance of the serviced portfolio), and construction management services for third-party developers (typically fees equal to 4% of the cost of construction of the project). We also receive revenue from retail and food and beverage operations at certain resorts.

Customer Financing

We generally offer qualified purchasers financing for up to 90% of the purchase price of VOIs. The typical financing provides for a term of ten years, a fixed interest rate that is determined by the FICO score of the borrower and the amount of the down payment and existing ownership, is fully amortizing in equal installments, and may be prepaid without penalty. Purchasers may receive an additional 1% discount on the interest rate by participating in our pre-authorized payment plan. As of December 31, 2019, approximately 95% of our serviced VOI notes receivable participated in our pre-authorized payment plan. During the year ended December 31, 2019, the weighted-average interest rate on our VOI notes receivable was 14.9%.

VOI purchasers are generally required to make a down payment of at least 10% of the sales price. As part of our efforts to manage operating cash flows, we currently incentivize our sales associates to encourage cash sales and higher down payments on financed sales, with a target of 40-45% of the VOI sales price collected in cash. We also promote a point-of-sale credit card program sponsored by a third-party financial institution. As a result of these efforts, we have increased both the percentage of sales that are fully paid in cash and the average down payment on financed sales as compared to historical levels. Including down payments received on financed sales, approximately 42% of our system-wide sales of VOIs during the year ended December 31, 2019 were paid in cash within approximately 30 days from the contract date.

See “Sales/Financing of Receivables” below for additional information regarding our receivable financing activities.

Loan Underwriting

We generally do not originate financing to customers with FICO scores below 575. However, we may provide financing to customers with no FICO score if the customer makes a minimum down payment of 20%. For loans made during 2019, the borrowers’ weighted-average FICO score after a 30-day, “same as cash” period from the point of sale was 731. Further information is set forth in the following table:

(1)Excludes loans for which the obligor did not have a FICO score. For 2019, approximately 1% of our VOI notes receivable related to financing provided to borrowers with no FICO score.

Collection Policies

Financed VOI sales originated by us typically utilize a note and mortgage. Collection efforts related to these VOI loans are managed by us. Collectors are incentivized through a performance-based compensation program.

We generally pursue collection efforts with respect to Vacation Club owners with outstanding loans secured by their VOI by mail, telephone and email (as early as 10 days past due). At 30 days past due, we mail a collection letter to the owner if a U.S. resident advising that if the loan is not brought current, the delinquency will be reported to a credit reporting agency. At 60 days past due, we mail a letter to the owner advising that he or she may be prohibited from making future reservations for lodging at a resort. At 90 days past due, we stop the accrual of, and reverse previously accrued but unpaid, interest on the note receivable and typically mail a notice informing the owner that unless the delinquency is cured within 30 days, we may terminate the underlying VOI ownership. If an owner fails to bring the account current within the given timeframe, the loan is typically defaulted and the owner’s VOI is terminated. In that case, we mail a final letter, typically at approximately 127 days past due, notifying the owner of the loan default and the termination of his or her beneficial interest in the VOI property. Thereafter, we may seek to resell the VOI to a new purchaser. In certain cases, at our discretion, we may not default the loan and terminate the underlying VOI, in which case the loan would remain delinquent.

Allowance for Loan Losses

Under vacation ownership accounting rules, we estimate uncollectible VOI notes receivable based on historical amounts for similar VOI notes receivable and do not consider the value of the underlying collateral. We hold large pools of homogeneous VOI notes receivable and assess uncollectibility based on pools of receivables. In estimating future loan losses, management does not use a single primary indicator of credit quality, but instead evaluates our VOI notes receivable based upon a combination of factors, including a static pool analysis that incorporates the aging of the respective receivables, default trends, and prepayment rates by origination year, as well as the FICO scores of borrowers.

Substantially all defaulted VOI notes receivable result in the holder of such receivable acquiring the related VOI that secured such receivable, typically soon after default and at little or no cost. The reacquired VOI is then available for resale in the normal course of business.

See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” for additional information about the performance of our notes receivable portfolio.

Sales/Financing of Receivables

Our ability to sell or borrow against our VOI notes receivable has historically been an important factor in meeting our liquidity requirements. The vacation ownership business generally involves sales where a buyer is only required to pay 10% of the purchase price up front, while at the same time selling and marketing expenses related to such sales are primarily cash expenses that exceed the down payment amount. For the year ended December 31, 2019, our sales and marketing expenses totaled approximately 51% of system-wide sales of VOIs. Accordingly, having facilities for the sale or hypothecation of VOI notes receivable, along with periodic term securitization transactions, has been a critical factor in meeting our short and long-term cash needs. There are no assurances that sales, hypothecation or securitization of VOIs will be available to us in the future at acceptable terms or at all. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” for additional information about our VOI notes receivable purchase facilities and term securitizations.

Receivables Servicing

Receivables servicing includes collecting payments from borrowers and remitting the funds to the owners, lenders or investors in such receivables, accounting for principal and interest on such receivables, making advances when required, contacting delinquent borrowers, terminating a Vacation Club ownership in the event that defaults are not timely remedied and performing other administrative duties.

We receive fees for servicing our securitized notes receivable. These fees are included as a component of interest income. Additionally, we earn servicing fee income from third-party developers in connection with our servicing of their loan portfolios under certain fee-based services arrangements, which is netted against the cost of our mortgage servicing operations.

Our Core Operating and Growth Strategies

Grow VOI sales

Our goal is to utilize our sales and marketing platform to achieve VOI sales growth through the expansion of existing alliances, continued development of new marketing programs and additional VOI sales to our existing Vacation Club owners. We believe there are a number of opportunities within our existing marketing alliances to drive future growth, including the potential expansion of our marketing efforts with Bass Pro. In addition, through our agreement with Choice Hotels, we plan to enhance our marketing program through Choice Hotels’ call-transfer programs. In addition to existing programs, we hope to utilize our sales and marketing expertise to identify unique marketing relationships with nationally-recognized brands that resonate with our core demographic. We will also continue to actively seek to sell additional VOI points to our existing Vacation Club owners, which typically involve significantly lower marketing costs and have higher conversion rates compared to sales to new customers. Our goal continues to be to expand and update our sales offices to more effectively convert tours generated by our marketing programs into sales. To this end, we have focused on identifying high traffic resorts where we believe increased investment in sales office infrastructure will yield strong sales results.

Continue to enhance our Vacation Club experience

We believe our Vacation Club offers owners exceptional value. Our Vacation Club offers owners access to our 45 Club Resorts and 23 Club Associate Resorts in premier vacation destinations, as well as access to over 11,350 other hotels and resorts and other vacation experiences, such as cruises, through partnerships and exchange networks. We continue to seek to add value and flexibility to our Vacation Club membership and enhance the vacation experience of our Vacation Club owners, including through the addition of new destinations, the expansion of our exchange programs and the addition of new partnerships offering increased vacation options. We also continuously seek to improve our technology, including websites and applications, to enhance our Vacation Club owners’ experiences. We believe our focus, combined with our high-quality customer service, will continue to enhance the Vacation Club experience, driving sales to new owners and additional sales to existing Vacation Club owners.

Grow our higher-margin, cash generating businesses

We seek to continue to grow our ancillary businesses, including resort management, title services and loan servicing. We believe these businesses can grow with little additional investment in infrastructure and potentially produce higher-margin revenue.

Increase sales and operating efficiencies across all customer touch-points

We actively seek to improve our operational execution across all aspects of our business. In our sales and marketing platform, we utilize a variety of screening methods and data-driven analyses intended to identify and attract high-quality prospects to our sales offices in an effort to increase Volume Per Guest (“VPG”), an important measure of sales efficiency. We also continue to test new and innovative methods to generate sales prospects with a focus on increasing cost efficiency. In connection with our management services and consumer financing activities, we will continue to seek to leverage our size, infrastructure and expertise to increase operating efficiency and profitability. In addition, as we expand, we expect to gain further operational efficiencies by streamlining our support operations, such as call centers, customer service, administration and information technology.

Maintain operational flexibility while growing our business

We believe we have built a flexible business model that allows us to capitalize on opportunities and quickly adapt to changing market environments. We intend to continue to pursue growth through what we believe to be an appropriate mix of capital-light sales vs. developed VOI sales, sales to new customers vs. sales to existing Vacation Club owners and cash sales vs. financed sales, all based on market factors, our financial condition and operating needs, and other factors that our management may deem relevant. While we may from time to time pursue opportunities that impact our short-term results, our long-term goal is to achieve sustained growth.

Pursue strategic transactions

As part of our growth strategy, we may seek acquisitions of other VOI companies, resort assets, sales and marketing platforms, management companies and contracts, and other assets, properties and businesses, including where we believe significant synergies and cost savings may be available. We may choose to pursue these acquisitions directly or in partnership with third-party developers or others, including pursuant to arrangements where third-party developers purchase the resort assets and we sell the VOIs in the acquired resort on a commission basis. We have a history of successfully identifying, acquiring and integrating complementary businesses, and we believe our flexible sales and marketing platform enables us to complete these transactions in a variety of economic conditions.

Industry Overview

The vacation ownership, or timeshare, industry is a fast growing segment of the global travel and tourism sector. By purchasing a VOI, the purchaser typically acquires either (i) a fee simple interest in a property (or collection of properties) providing annual usage rights at the owner’s home resort (where the owner’s VOI is deeded), or (ii) an annual or biennial allotment of points that can be redeemed for stays at properties included in the vacation ownership company’s resort network or for other vacation options available through exchange programs. Compared to hotel rooms, vacation ownership units typically offer more spacious floor plans and residential features, such as living rooms, fully equipped kitchens, laundry appliances and dining areas. Compared to owning a vacation home in its entirety, the key advantages of vacation ownership products typically include a lower up-front acquisition cost and annual expenses, resort-style features and services and, often, an established infrastructure to exchange usage rights for stays across multiple locations.

The vacation ownership industry was historically highly fragmented, with a large number of local and regional resort developers and operators having small resort portfolios of varying quality. We believe that growth in the vacation ownership industry has been driven by increased interest from resort developers and globally-recognized lodging and entertainment brands, increased interest from consumers seeking flexible vacation options, continued product evolution and geographic expansion. Approximately 9.6 million families (approximately 7.1% of U.S. households) own at least one VOI.

The average VOI owner is 40 years old, married, and 79% have either graduated from college or have attended some college.  VOI owners have an average household income of over $86,000.

Regulation

The vacation ownership and real estate industries are subject to extensive and complex governmental regulation. We are subject to various federal, state, local, foreign, environmental, zoning, consumer protection and other laws, rules and regulations, including those regarding the acquisition, marketing and sale of VOIs, as well as various aspects of our financing operations. At the federal level, the Federal Trade Commission has taken an active regulatory role through the Federal Trade Commission Act, which prohibits unfair or deceptive acts or unfair competition in interstate commerce. In addition, many states have what are known as “Little FTC Acts” that apply to intrastate activity.

In addition to the laws applicable to our customer financing and other operations discussed below, we are or may be subject to the Fair Housing Act and various other federal laws, rules and regulations. We are also subject to various foreign laws with respect to La Cabana Beach Resort and Casino in Oranjestad, Aruba and Blue Water Resort at Cable Beach in Nassau, Bahamas. The cost of complying with applicable laws and regulations may be significant and while we strive to be in compliance, we may not at all times be successful. Any failure to comply with current or future applicable laws or regulations could have a material adverse effect on our results and operations.

Our vacation ownership product is subject to various regulatory requirements, including state and local approvals. In most states we are required to file with the jurisdictions a detailed offering statement describing our business and all material aspects of the project and sale of VOIs with the designated state authority. In addition, when required by state law, we provide our VOI purchasers with a public offering disclosure statement that contains, among other items, detailed information about the VOI product and the purchaser’s rights and obligations as a VOI owner. Laws in each state where we sell VOIs generally grant the purchaser of a VOI the right to cancel a purchase contract at any time within a specified rescission period following the earlier of the date the contract was signed or the date the purchaser received the last of the documents required to be provided by us. Most states have other laws that regulate our activities, which may include real estate licensure requirements, sellers of travel licensure requirements, anti-fraud laws, telemarketing laws, prize, gift and sweepstakes laws, and labor laws.

Under various federal, state and local laws, ordinances and regulations, the owner of real property is generally liable for the costs of removal or remediation of certain hazardous or toxic substances located on or in, or emanating from, the property, as well as related costs of investigation and property damage. These laws often impose liability without regard to whether the property owner knew of the presence of such hazardous or toxic substances. The presence of these substances, or the failure to properly remediate these substances, may adversely affect a property owner’s ability to sell or lease a property or to borrow using the real property as collateral. Other federal and state laws require the removal or encapsulation of asbestos-containing material when such material is in poor condition or in the event of construction, demolition, remodeling or renovation. Other statutes may require the removal of underground storage tanks. Noncompliance with any of these and other environmental, health or safety requirements may result in the need to cease or alter operations or development at a property. In addition, certain state and local laws may impose liability on property developers with respect to construction defects discovered on the property or repairs made by future owners of such property. Under these laws, we may be required to pay for repairs to the developed property. The development, management and operation of our resorts are also subject to the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Our marketing, sales and customer financing activities are also subject to extensive regulation, which can include, but is not limited to: the Truth-in-Lending Act and Regulation Z; the Fair Housing Act; the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act; the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and Regulation B; the Electronic Funds Transfer Act and Regulation E; the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act and Regulation C; the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (the “Dodd-Frank Act”); Unfair or Deceptive Acts or Practices and Regulation AA; the Patriot Act; the Right to Financial Privacy Act; the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act; the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act; and anti-money laundering laws. The Dodd-Frank Act contains significant changes to the regulation of financial institutions and related entities, including the creation of new federal regulatory agencies, and the granting of additional authorities and responsibilities to existing regulatory agencies to identify and address emerging systemic risks posed by the activities of financial services firms. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (the “CFPB”) is one such regulatory agency created pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Act.

The CFPB’s mandate is to protect consumers by carrying out federal consumer financial laws and to publish rules and forms that facilitate understanding of the financial implications of the transactions consumers enter into. Consistent with this mission, the CFPB amended Regulations X and Z to establish new disclosure requirements and forms pursuant to Regulation Z for most closed-end consumer credit transactions secured by real property. The practical impact upon us is the requirement to use a new Integrated Mortgage Disclosure Statement in lieu of the separate Good Faith Estimate and Closing Statement. In addition, our term securitization transactions must comply with certain requirements of the Dodd-Frank Act, including risk retention rules.

Our management of, and dealings with, HOAs, including our purchase of defaulted inventory from HOAs in connection with our secondary market arrangements, is subject to state laws and resort rules and regulations, including those with respect to the establishment of budgets and expenditures, rule-making and the imposition of maintenance assessments.

During the year ended December 31, 2019, approximately 7% of our VOI sales were generated by marketing to prospective purchasers obtained through internal and third-party vendors’ outbound telemarketing efforts. We attempt to monitor the actions and legal and regulatory compliance of these third parties, but there are risks associated with our and such third parties’ telemarketing efforts. In recent years, state and federal regulators have increased regulations and enforcement actions related to telemarketing operations, including requiring the adherence to state “do not call” laws. In addition, the Federal Trade Commission and Federal Communications Commission have implemented national “do not call” legislation. These measures have significantly increased the costs associated with telemarketing. While we continue to be subject to telemarketing risks and potential liability, we believe our exposure to adverse impacts from this heightened telemarketing legislation and enforcement may be partially mitigated by the use of  “permission based marketing,” whereby we obtain the permission of prospective purchasers to contact them in the future, thereby exempting such calls from the various “do not call” laws. We have also implemented policies and procedures that we believe will help reduce the possibility that individuals who have requested to be placed on a “do not call” list are not contacted, but such policies and procedures may not be effective in ensuring strict regulatory compliance.

To date, no material fines or penalties have been imposed on us as a result of our telemarketing operations. However, from time to time, we have been the subject of proceedings for violation of the telemarketing laws and other laws applicable to the marketing and sale of VOIs. See “Item 3. Legal Proceedings.”

See “Risk Factors” for a description of additional risks with respect to regulatory compliance.

Competition

We compete with various high profile and well-established companies, many of which have greater liquidity and financial resources than we do. Many of the world’s most recognized lodging, hospitality and entertainment companies develop and sell VOIs in resort properties. Major companies that now operate vacation ownership resorts directly, through subsidiaries or through strategic relationships include Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation, the Walt Disney Company, Hilton Grand Vacations, Wyndham Destinations, and Diamond Resorts International. We also compete with numerous smaller owners and operators of vacation ownership resorts and from alternative lodging options available to consumers through both traditional methods of delivery as well as new web portals and applications, including private rentals of homes, apartments or condominium units, which have increased in popularity in recent years. Our ability to remain competitive and to attract and retain customers depends on our customers’ satisfaction with our products and services as well as on distinguishing the quality, value, and efficiency of our products and services from those offered by our competitors. In our fee-based services business, we typically compete with Hilton Grand Vacations and Wyndham Destinations. In addition to competing for sales leads, prospects and fee-based service clients, we compete with other VOI developers for marketing, sales and resort management personnel.

Seasonality

We have historically experienced, and expect to continue to experience, seasonal fluctuations in our revenue and results of operations. This seasonality has resulted, and may continue to result, in fluctuations in our quarterly operating results. Due to consumer travel patterns, we typically see more tours and experience higher VOI sales during the second and third quarters.

Employees

As of December 31, 2019, we had 5,873 employees, 520 of whom were located at our headquarters in Boca Raton, Florida, and 5,353 of whom were located in regional field offices throughout the United States and Aruba. As of December 31, 2019, approximately 27 of our employees were covered by two collective bargaining agreements, which address the terms and conditions of their employment, including pay rates, working hours, certain employee benefits and procedures for settlement of labor disputes. We believe that our relations with our employees are good.

Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company

We qualify as an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”). As an emerging growth company, we may take advantage of specified reduced disclosure and other requirements that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies, including reduced financial disclosure, reduced disclosure about our executive compensation arrangements, exemption from the requirements to hold non-binding advisory votes on executive compensation or shareholder approval of golden parachute payments, and exemption from the auditor attestation requirement in the assessment of our internal control over financial reporting.

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We have taken advantage of certain of the exemptions available to emerging growth companies and may continue to do so until December 31, 2022 (the end of the fifth fiscal year following the completion of the initial public offering of our common stock) or such earlier time that we no longer qualify as an emerging growth company. We would cease to be an emerging growth company if we have more than $1.07 billion in annual revenue, more than $700.0 million in market value of our stock is held by non-affiliates, or we issue more than $1.0 billion of non-convertible debt securities over a three-year period.

Where You Can Find More Information

Our website address is www.bluegreenvacations.com. Information on, or that may be accessed through, our website is not incorporated by reference herein. We file reports with the SEC, including annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K, and, in certain cases, amendments to these reports. Copies of these reports are available free of charge on our website as soon as reasonably practicable after we file the reports with the SEC. The SEC also maintains a website at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC.

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Item 1A. Risk Factors

Our business, financial condition and results of operations are subject to various risks, including those described below, which in turn may affect the value of our common stock. The risks described below are not the only risks we face. Other risks not presently known to us or that we currently believe to be immaterial may also adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations, or the value of our common stock. The risks discussed below also include forward-looking statements, and actual results and events may differ substantially from those expressed in, or implied by, the forward-looking statements. See “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

We are subject to the business, financial and operating risks inherent to the vacation ownership industry, any of which could adversely impact our business, prospects and results.

We are subject to a number of business, financial and operating risks inherent to the vacation ownership industry, including, without limitation:

significant competition from other vacation ownership businesses and hospitality and alternative lodging providers;

market and/or consumer perception of vacation ownership companies and the industry in general;

increases in operating and other costs (as a result of inflation or otherwise), including marketing costs, employee compensation and benefits, interest expense and insurance, which may not be offset by price or fee increases in our business;

our ability to maintain, enhance or expand, or achieve the benefits achieved from, our marketing arrangements and relationships;

changes in taxes and governmental regulations, including those that influence or set wages, prices, interest rates or construction and maintenance procedures and costs;

the costs and efforts associated with complying with applicable laws and regulations, and the costs and consequences of non-compliance;

risks related to the development or acquisition of resorts and inventory, including delays in, or cancellations of, planned or future resort development or inventory acquisition activities;

shortages of labor or labor disruptions;

the availability and cost of capital necessary for us and third-party developers with whom we do business to fund investments, capital expenditures and service debt obligations;

our ability to securitize the receivables that we originate in connection with VOI sales;

relationships with and the performance and the financial condition of third-party developers with whom we do business;

relationships with the Vacation Club owners and HOAs;

changes in the supply and demand for our products and services;

lack of security over, or unauthorized access to, customer or Company records;

private resales of VOIs and the sale of VOIs in the secondary market; and

the increased presence and effort of “timeshare-exit” firms and their impact on borrower default rates;

unlawful or deceptive third-party VOI resale, cease and desist, or vacation package sales schemes, and reputational risk associated therewith.

Any of these factors could increase our costs, limit or reduce the prices we are able to charge for our products and services or adversely affect our ability to develop or acquire new resorts, or otherwise adversely impact our business, prospects or results.

Our business and operations, including our ability to market VOIs, may be adversely affected by general economic conditions and, conditions affecting the vacation ownership industry and the availability of financing.

Our business is subject to risks related to general economic and industry conditions and trends. Our results, operations and financial condition may be adversely affected by unfavorable general economic and industry conditions, such as high unemployment rates and job insecurity, declines in discretionary spending, declines in real estate values and the occurrence of adverse weather or geopolitical conflicts, including if these or other factors adversely impact the availability of financing for us or our customers or the ability of our customers’ to otherwise pay amounts owed under notes receivable. Further, adverse changes affecting the vacation ownership industry, such as an oversupply of vacation ownership units, a reduction in demand for such units, changes in travel and other consumer preferences, demographic and vacation patterns, changes in governmental regulation of the industry, imposition of increased taxes by governmental authorities, the declaration of bankruptcy and/or credit defaults by other vacation ownership companies and negative publicity for the industry, could also have a material adverse effect on our business. This includes risks relating to conditions that negatively shape public perception of our resorts or of travel or the vacation ownership or hospitality industry generally, including travel-related accidents, disease outbreaks, whether in regions generally, at third party properties or at our resorts (including reputational damage, remediation costs and other potential liability and adverse impact of any such outbreak at our resorts).  Our operations and results may be negatively impacted if we are unable to update our business strategy over time and from time to time in response to changing economic and industry conditions.

Changes to and replacement of the LIBOR benchmark interest rate could adversely affect our results of operations and liquidity.

In July 2017, the Financial Conduct Authority (the regulatory authority over LIBOR) stated they will plan for a phase out of regulatory oversight of LIBOR interest rate indices after 2021 to allow for an orderly transition to an alternate reference rate. The Alternative Reference Rates Committee (ARRC) has proposed that the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) is the rate that represents best practice as the alternative to LIBOR for promissory notes or other contracts that are currently indexed to LIBOR. The ARRC has proposed a market transition plan to SOFR from LIBOR and organizations are currently working on transition plans as it relates to derivatives and cash markets exposed to LIBOR. Although our VOIs notes receivable are not indexed to LIBOR, we currently have $110.8 million of LIBOR indexed junior subordinated debentures, $78.6 million of LIBOR indexed receivable-backed notes payable and lines of credit, and $147.6 million of LIBOR indexed Lines of credit and notes payable that mature after 2021.  We are evaluating the potential impact that the eventual replacement of the LIBOR benchmark interest rate could have on our results of operations and liquidity.

Our business and properties are subject to extensive federal, state and local laws, regulations and policies. Changes in these laws, regulations and policies, as well as the cost of maintaining compliance with new or existing laws, regulations and policies and the imposition of additional taxes on operations, as well as new cell phone technologies that automatically identify or block marketing vendor calls, could adversely affect our business. Further, jurisdictions are increasingly seeking to identify additional sources of tax revenue and results of audits of our tax returns or those of our subsidiaries may also have a material adverse impact on our financial condition.

The federal government and the state and local jurisdictions in which we operate have enacted extensive regulations that affect the manner in which we market and sell VOIs and conduct our other business operations. In addition, federal, state and local regulators may enact new laws and regulations that may adversely affect our results or require us to modify our business practices substantially. Many states have adopted specific laws and regulations regarding the sale of VOIs, including Florida and South Carolina, where certain of our resorts are located, extensively regulate VOI and timeshare-related activities, including the creation and management of resorts, the marketing and sale of properties, the escrow of purchaser funds prior to the completion of construction and closing, the content and use of advertising materials and promotional offers, the delivery of an offering memorandum and the creation and operation of exchange programs and multi-site timeshare plan reservation systems. Moreover, with regard to sales conducted in South Carolina, the closing of real estate and mortgage loan transactions must be conducted under the supervision of an attorney licensed in South Carolina and otherwise in accordance with South Carolina’s Timesharing Transaction Procedures Act.

Most states also have other laws that are applicable to our activities, such as timeshare project registration laws, real estate licensure laws, mortgage licensure laws, sellers of travel licensure laws, anti-fraud laws, consumer protection laws, telemarketing laws, prize, gift and sweepstakes laws, and consumer credit laws. Our management of, and dealings with, HOAs, including our purchase of defaulted inventory from HOAs in connection with our secondary market sales, are also subject to state laws and resort rules and regulations, including those with respect to the establishment of budgets and expenditures, rule-making, and the imposition of maintenance assessments.

We are authorized to market and sell VOIs in all locations at which our marketing and sales activities are conducted. If our agents or employees violate applicable regulations or licensing requirements, their acts or omissions could cause the states where the violations occurred to revoke or refuse to renew our licenses, render our sales contracts void or voidable, or impose fines on us based on past activities.

In addition, the federal government and the state and local jurisdictions in which we conduct business have generally enacted extensive regulations relating to direct marketing and telemarketing, including the federal government’s national “do not call” list, the making of marketing and related calls to cell phone users, a significant development in light of cell phone usage becoming the primary method of communication, the Telemarketing Sales Rule, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act and the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003. These regulations, as well as international data protection laws, have impacted our marketing of VOIs. While we have taken steps designed to ensure compliance with applicable regulations, these steps have increased and are expected to continue to increase our marketing costs and may not prevent failures in compliance. Additionally, adoption of new state or federal laws regulating marketing and solicitation, and changes to existing laws, could adversely affect current or planned marketing activities and cause us to change our marketing strategy. If this occurs, we may not be able to develop adequate alternative marketing strategies, which could affect the amount and timing of our VOI sales. We cannot predict the impact that these legislative initiatives or any other legislative measures that may be proposed or enacted in the future may have on our marketing strategies and results. Further, from time to time, complaints are filed against us by individuals claiming that they received calls in violation of applicable regulations. See “Item 3. Legal Proceedings”. Technology advances, including new cellphone technologies that automatically identify or block marketing vendor calls, may also adversely impact our telemarketing efforts or otherwise cause us to change our marketing strategy.

Most states have taxed VOIs as real estate, imposing property taxes that are billed to the respective HOAs that maintain the related resorts, and have not sought to impose sales tax upon the sale of the VOI or accommodations tax upon the use of the VOI. From time to time, however, various states have attempted to promulgate new laws or apply existing laws impacting the taxation of VOIs to require that sales or accommodations taxes be collected. Should new state or local laws be implemented or interpreted to impose sales or accommodations taxes on VOIs, our business could be materially adversely affected.

From time to time in the ordinary course of our business, consumers file complaints against us. We may be required to incur significant costs to resolve these complaints or enter into consents with regulators regarding our activities, including requiring the refund of all or a portion of the purchase price paid by the customer for the VOI. If we are found to have not complied with applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations, such violations may have adverse implications on us, including rendering our VOI sales contracts void or voidable, negative publicity, potential litigation and regulatory fines or other sanctions. The expense, negative publicity and potential sanctions associated with any failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial position.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Accessibility Guidelines promulgated thereunder (collectively, the “ADA”), all public accommodations, including our properties, must meet various federal requirements related to access and use by disabled persons. Compliance with the ADA’s requirements could require removal of access barriers or other renovations, and non-compliance could result in the imposition of fines or penalties, or awards of damages, against us. Our properties are also subject to various federal, state and local regulatory requirements, such as state and local fire and life safety requirements. Further, various laws govern our resort management activities, including laws and regulations regarding community association management, public lodging, food and beverage services, liquor licensing, labor, employment, health care, health and safety, accessibility, discrimination, immigration, and the environment (including climate change).

Our lending activities are also subject to a number of laws and regulations, including laws and regulations related to consumer loans, retail installment contracts, mortgage lending, fair debt collection and credit reporting practices, consumer collection practices, contacting debtors by telephone, mortgage disclosure, lender licenses and money laundering. The Consumer Finance Protection Bureau, created under the Dodd-Frank Act, has emphasized new regulatory focus on areas of our business such as consumer mortgage servicing and debt collection, credit reporting and consumer financial disclosures, all of which affect the manner in which we may provide financing to the purchasers of our VOIs and conduct our lending and loan servicing operations.

The vacation ownership and hospitality industries are highly competitive, and we may not be able to compete successfully.

We compete with various high profile and well-established operators, many of which have greater liquidity and financial resources than us. Many of the world’s most recognized lodging, hospitality and entertainment companies develop and sell timeshare units or VOIs in resort properties. We also compete with numerous smaller owners and operators of vacation ownership resorts and also face competition from alternative lodging options available to consumers through both traditional methods of delivery as well as new web portals and applications, including private rentals of homes, apartments or condominium units, which have increased in popularity in recent years. Our ability to remain competitive and to attract and retain customers depends on our customers’ satisfaction with our products and services as well as on distinguishing the quality, value, and efficiency of our products and services from those offered by our competitors. Customer dissatisfaction with experiences at our resorts or otherwise as a Vacation Club owner, including due to an inability to use points for desired stays, could result in negative publicity and/or a decrease in sales, or otherwise adversely impact our ability to successfully compete in the vacation ownership and hospitality industries. We may not be able to timely and sufficiently identify and remediate the cause of customer dissatisfaction. Any of these events could materially and adversely impact our operating results and financial condition.

Our business and profitability may be impacted if financing is not available on favorable terms, or at all.

In connection with VOI sales, we generally offer financing to the purchaser of up to 90% of the purchase price of the VOI. However, we incur selling, marketing and administrative cash expenses prior to and concurrent with the sale. These costs, along with the cost of the underlying VOI, generally exceed the down payment we receive at the time of the sale. Accordingly, our ability to borrow against or sell our notes receivable has historically been a critical factor in our continued liquidity, and we therefore have depended on funds from our credit facilities and securitization transactions to finance our operations. If our pledged receivables facilities terminate or expire and we are unable to extend them or replace them with comparable facilities, or if we are unable to continue to participate in securitization-type transactions and “warehouse” facilities on acceptable terms, our liquidity, cash flow and profitability would be materially and adversely affected. Credit market disruptions have in the past adversely impacted the willingness of banks and other finance companies to provide “warehouse” lines of credit for VOI notes receivable and resulted from time to time in the term securitization market being unavailable. Future credit market disruptions, including those associated with the coronavirus outbreak in the United States, may have similar effects or otherwise make obtaining additional and replacement external sources of liquidity more difficult and more costly, if available at all.

In addition, financing for real estate acquisition and development and the capital markets for corporate debt is cyclical. While we have increased our focus on expanding our fee-based service business and encouraging higher down payments in connection with sales, there is no assurance that these initiatives will enhance our financial position or otherwise be successful in the long-term.

We anticipate that we will continue to seek and use external sources of liquidity, including borrowings under our existing credit facilities, under credit facilities that we may obtain in the future, under securitizations in which we may participate in the future or pursuant to other borrowing arrangements, to:

support our operations and, subject to declaration by our board of directors and contractual limitations, including limitations contained in our credit facilities, pay dividends;

finance the acquisition and development of VOI inventory or property and equipment; 

finance a substantial percentage of our sales; and

satisfy our debt and other obligations.

Our ability to service or refinance our indebtedness or to obtain additional financing (including our ability to consummate future term securitizations) depends on the credit markets and on our future performance, which is subject to a number of factors, including the success of our business, our results of operations, leverage, financial condition and business prospects, prevailing interest rates, general economic conditions, the performance of our receivables portfolio, and perceptions about the vacation ownership and real estate industries.

As of December 31, 2019, we had $10.3 million of indebtedness scheduled to become due during 2020. Historically, much of our debt has been renewed or refinanced in the ordinary course of business. However, there is no assurance that we will be able to renew, extend or refinance all or any portion of our outstanding debt or otherwise obtain sufficient external sources of liquidity, in each case, on attractive terms, or at all. If we are unable to do so, our liquidity and financial condition may be materially, adversely impacted.

In addition, we have and intend to continue to enter into arrangements with third-party developers pursuant to which we sell their VOI inventory for a fee. These arrangements enable us to generate fees from the marketing and sales services we provide, and in certain cases from our provision of management services, without requiring us to fund development and acquisition costs. If these third-party developers are not able to obtain or maintain financing necessary for their development activities or other operations, we may not be able to enter into these fee-based arrangements or have access to their VOI inventory when anticipated, which would adversely impact our results.

We would suffer substantial losses and our liquidity position could be adversely impacted if an increasing number of customers to whom we provide financing default on their obligations.

Adverse conditions in the mortgage industry, including credit availability, borrowers’ financial profiles, prepayment rates and other factors, including those outside of our control may increase the default rates we experience or otherwise negatively impact the performance of our notes receivable. In addition, in recent years, third parties have been discouraging certain borrowers from staying current on their note payments. Although in many cases we may have recourse against a buyer for the unpaid purchase price, certain states have laws that limit our ability to recover personal judgments against customers who have defaulted on their loans or we may determine that the cost of doing so may not be justified. Historically, we have generally not pursued such recourse against our customers. In the case of our notes receivable secured by VOIs, if we are unable to collect the defaulted amount due, we traditionally have terminated the customer’s interest in the Vacation Club and then remarketed the recovered VOI. Irrespective of our remedy in the event of a default, we cannot recover the marketing, selling and administrative costs associated with the original sale and such costs generally exceed the cash received by us from the buyer at the time of the sale. In addition, we will need to incur such costs again in order to resell the VOI. We update our estimates of such future losses each quarter, and consequently, the charge against sales in a particular period may be impacted, favorably or unfavorably, by a change in expected losses related to notes originated in prior periods. In addition, defaults may cause buyers of, or lenders whose loans are secured by, our VOI notes receivable to reduce the amount of availability or advance rates under receivables purchase and credit facilities, or result in an increase in the interest costs associated with such facilities. In such an event, the cost of financing may increase and we may not be able to secure replacement or alternative financing on terms acceptable to us, if at all, which would adversely affect our earnings, financial position and liquidity.

Our VOI notes receivable financing facilities could be adversely affected if a particular VOI note receivable pool fails to meet certain performance ratios, which could occur if the default rate or other credit metrics of the underlying VOI notes receivable deteriorate. In addition, if we offer financing to purchasers of VOIs with terms longer than those generally offered in the industry, we may not be able to securitize those VOI financing receivables. Our ability to sell securities backed by our VOI notes receivable depends on the continued ability and willingness of capital market participants to invest in such securities. Asset-backed securities issued in our term securitization transactions could be downgraded by credit agencies in the future. If a downgrade occurs, our ability to complete other securitization transactions on acceptable terms or at all could be jeopardized, and we could be forced to rely on other potentially more expensive and less attractive funding sources, to the extent available. Similarly, if other operators of vacation ownership products were to experience significant financial difficulties, or if the vacation ownership industry as a whole were to contract, we could experience difficulty in securing funding on acceptable terms. The occurrence of any of the foregoing could adversely impact our business and results, including, without limitation, by reducing the amount of financing we are able to provide to VOI purchasers, which in turn may result in a reduction in VOI sales.

In addition, under the terms of our pledged and receivable sale facilities, we may be required, under certain circumstances, to replace receivables or to pay down the loan to within permitted loan-to-value ratios. Additionally, the terms of our securitization transactions require us to repurchase or replace loans if we breach any of the representations and warranties we made at the time we sold the receivables. These agreements also often include terms providing for substantially all of our cash flow from our retained interest in the receivable portfolios sold to be paid to the parties who purchased the receivables from us in the event of defaults or delinquencies by customers in excess of stated thresholds, or if other performance thresholds are not met.

Our existing indebtedness, or indebtedness that we may incur in the future, could adversely impact our financial condition and results of operations, and the terms of our indebtedness may limit our activities.

Our level of debt and debt service requirements have several important effects on our operations. Significant debt service cash requirements reduce the funds available for operations and future business opportunities and increase our vulnerability to adverse economic and industry conditions, as well as conditions in the credit markets generally. In addition, our leverage position increases our vulnerability to economic and competitive pressures and may limit funds available for acquisitions, working capital, capital expenditures, dividends, and other general corporate purposes. Further, the financial covenants and other restrictions contained in indentures, credit agreements and other agreements relating to our indebtedness require us to meet certain financial tests and may limit our ability to, among other things, pay dividends, borrow additional funds, dispose of assets or make investments. If we fail to comply with the terms of our debt instruments, such debt may become due and payable immediately, which would have a material adverse impact on our cash position and financial condition. Significant resources may be required to monitor our compliance with our debt instruments (from a quantitative and qualitative perspective), and such monitoring efforts may not be effective in all cases. We may also incur substantial additional indebtedness in the future. If new debt or other liabilities are added to our current debt levels, the related risks that we face could intensify.

To the extent inflationary trends, tightened credit markets or other factors affect interest rates, our debt service costs may increase. If interest rates increased one percentage point, the effect on interest expense related to our variable-rate debt would be an annual increase of $3.4 million, based on balances as of December 31, 2019.

The ratings of third-party rating agencies could adversely impact our ability to obtain, renew or extend credit facilities, or otherwise raise funds.

Rating agencies from time to time review prior corporate and specific transaction ratings in light of tightened ratings criteria. We suspended our corporate credit rating with Standard & Poor’s rating services during 2019 as we no longer used the corporate rating for any financings. However, specific securitization transactions continue to be reviewed by third- party rating agencies. If rating agencies were to downgrade their original ratings on certain bond classes in our securitizations, holders of such bonds may be required to sell bonds in the marketplace, and such sales could occur at a discount, which could impact the perceived value of the bonds and our ability to sell future bonds on favorable terms or at all. While we are not aware of any reasonably likely downgrades to the ratings of bond classes in our securitizations, such ratings changes can occur without advance notice.

There are risks associated with Bluegreen’s strategic partnerships and arrangements.

We generate a significant portion of our new sales prospects and leads through our arrangements with various third parties, including Bass Pro and Choice Hotels, and are dependent upon these relationships in order to acquire new customers. VOI sales to prospects and leads generated by our marketing arrangement with Bass Pro accounted for approximately 13% and 14% of our VOI sales volume during the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. If our agreement with Bass Pro, or any other significant marketing arrangement, does not generate a sufficient number of prospects and leads or is terminated or limited and not replaced by another source of sales prospects and leads, we may not be able to successfully market and sell our products and services at current sales levels, at anticipated levels or at levels required in order to offset the costs associated with our marketing efforts. In addition, our business relationship with Bass Pro under the revised terms of our marketing agreement may not be as profitable as under the prior terms, or at all, or otherwise result in the benefits anticipated.

Our future success depends on our ability to market our products and services successfully and efficiently and our marketing expenses have increased and may continue to increase in the future.

As previously described, we compete for customers with hotel and resort properties, other vacation ownership resorts and alternative lodging options, including private rentals of homes, apartments or condominium units. The identification of sales prospects and leads, and the marketing of our products and services to them are essential to our success. We incur expenses associated with marketing programs in advance of the closing of sales. If our lead identification and marketing efforts do not yield enough leads or we are unable to successfully convert sales leads to sales, we may be unable to recover the expense of our marketing programs and systems and our business, operating results and financial condition would be adversely affected. In addition, while sales to existing owners have increased recently, we also continue to focus our marketing efforts on selling to new customers, which typically involves a relatively higher marketing cost compared to sales to existing owners. These efforts may result in increases in our sales and marketing expenses. If we are not successful in offsetting the cost increase with greater sales revenue, our operating results and financial condition would be adversely impacted. In addition, our marketing efforts are subject to the risk of changing consumer behavior. Changes in consumer behavior may adversely impact the effectiveness of marketing efforts and strategies which we have in place and we may not be able to timely and effectively respond to such changes. In addition, we may not be able to continue to increase or maintain our level of sales to existing owners.

If we are unable to develop or acquire VOI inventory or enter into and maintain fee-based service agreements or other arrangements to source VOI inventory, our business and results would be adversely impacted.

In addition to developed VOI sales, we source VOIs as part of our capital-light business strategy through fee-based service agreements with third-party developers and through JIT and secondary market arrangements. If we are unable to develop or acquire resorts at the levels or in the time frames anticipated, or are unsuccessful in entering into agreements with third-party developers or others to source VOI inventory in connection with our capital-light business strategy, we may experience a decline in VOI supply or an increase in VOI cost, which could have a negative impact on our results and operations and/or a decrease in sales. In addition, a decline in VOI supply and sales could result in a decrease in financing revenue that is generated by VOI sales and fee and rental revenue that is generated by our management services.

We may not be successful in maintaining or expanding our capital-light business relationships, or our capital-light activities, including fee-based sales and marketing arrangements, and JIT and secondary market sales activities, and such activities may not be successful or profitable, which would have an adverse impact on our results of operations and financial condition.

We offer fee-based marketing, sales, resort management and other services to third-party developers. We have over the last several years continued to expand our capital-light business strategy, which we believe enables us to leverage our expertise in sales and marketing, resort management, mortgage servicing, construction management and title services. We intend to continue our focus on our capital-light business activities as such activities generally produce positive cash flow and typically require less capital investment than our traditional vacation ownership business while we are considering increasing our development activities with the objective of increasing our margins and holding the notes receivable generated by those sales of VOIs. We have attempted to structure these activities to cover our costs and generate a profit. Sales of third-party developers’ VOIs must generate sufficient cash to comply with the terms of their financing obligations as well as to pay the fees or commissions due to us. The third-party developers may not be able to obtain or maintain financing necessary to meet their requirements, which could impact our ability to sell the developers’ inventory. While we could attempt to utilize other arrangements, including JIT arrangements, where we would utilize our receivable credit facilities in order to provide fee-based marketing and sales services, this would reduce the credit otherwise available to us and impact profitability. We commenced our capital-light activities largely during the “Great Recession” in response to poor economic conditions and our fee-based and other capital-light business activities in the future may be adversely impacted by changes in economic conditions. When we perform fee-based sales and marketing services, we sell VOIs in resorts developed by third parties as an interest in the Vacation Club. This subjects us to a number of risks typically associated with selling products developed by others under our own brand name, including litigation risks. Further, these arrangements may expose us to additional risk as we will not control development activities or timing of development completion. If third parties with whom we enter into agreements are not able to fulfill their obligations to us, the inventory we expect to acquire or market and sell on their

behalf may not be available when expected or at all, or may not otherwise meet agreed-upon specifications. Further, if these third parties do not perform as expected and we do not have access to the expected inventory or obtain access to inventory from alternative sources on a timely basis, our ability to maintain or increase sales levels would be adversely impacted.

We also sell VOI inventory through secondary market arrangements which require low levels of capital deployment. In connection with secondary market sales, we acquire VOI inventory from our resorts’ HOAs, generally on a non-committed basis, in close proximity to the timing of when we intend to sell such VOIs. VOIs purchased from HOAs are typically obtained by the HOAs through foreclosure in connection with maintenance fee defaults and are generally acquired by us at a discount. While we intend to increase our secondary market sales efforts in the future, we may not be successful in doing so, and these efforts may not result in our achieving anticipated results. Further our secondary market sales activities may subject us to negative publicity, which could adversely impact our reputation and business.

We are subject to certain risks associated with our management of resort properties.

Through our management of resorts and ownership of VOIs, we are subject to certain risks related to the physical condition and operation of the managed resort properties in our network, including:

the presence of construction or repair defects or other structural or building damage at any of these resorts, or resorts we may develop in the future;

any noncompliance with or liabilities under applicable environmental, health or safety regulations or requirements or building permit requirements relating to these resorts;

any costs or damage to physical assets or interruption of access to physical assets or operations resulting from an outbreak of contagious diseases, such as the recent coronavirus outbreak, or from natural disasters, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, floods and windstorms, which may increase in frequency or severity due to climate change or other factors; and

claims by employees, members and their guests for injuries sustained on these resort properties.

Some of these risks may be more significant in connection with the properties for which we recently acquired management agreements, particularly any management agreements which were acquired from operators in financial distress. If an uninsured loss or a loss in excess of insured limits occurs as a result of any of the foregoing, we may be forced to incur significant costs.

Additionally, a number of U.S. federal, state and local laws, including the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988 and the ADA, impose requirements related to access to and use by disabled persons of a variety of public accommodations and facilities. A determination that our managed resorts are subject to, and that they are not in compliance with, these accessibility laws could result in a judicial order requiring compliance, imposition of fines or an award of damages to private litigants. If one of our managed resorts was required to make significant improvements as a result of non-compliance with these accessibility laws, assessments might be needed to fund such improvements, which additional costs may cause our VOI owners to default on their consumer loans from us or cease making required maintenance fee or assessment payments. Also, to the extent that we hold interests in a particular resort, we would be responsible for our pro rata share of the costs of such improvements. In addition, any new legislation may impose further burdens or restrictions on property owners with respect to access by disabled persons.

The resort properties that we manage are subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the protection of the environment, natural resources and worker health and safety, including laws and regulations governing and creating liability relating to the management, storage and disposal of hazardous substances and other regulated materials and the cleanup of contaminated sites. The resorts are also subject to various environmental laws and regulations that govern certain aspects of their ongoing operations. These laws and regulations control such things as the nature and volume of wastewater discharges, quality of water supply and waste management practices. To the extent that we hold interests in a particular resort, we would be responsible for our pro rata share of losses sustained by such resort as a result of a violation of any such laws and regulations.

In addition, we may from time to time have disagreements with VOI owners and HOAs relating to the management services we provide. Failure to resolve such disagreements may result in litigation and additional costs. Further, disagreements with HOAs could also result in the loss of management contracts, which would negatively affect our revenue and results, and may also have an adverse impact on our ability to generate sales from existing VOI owners.

Our management contracts are typically structured as “cost-plus,” with an initial term of three years and automatic one year renewals. If a management contract is terminated or not renewed on favorable terms or is renegotiated in a manner adverse to us, our revenue and cash flows would be adversely affected.

Public health risks such as the recent coronavirus outbreak could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and operating results.

Our business could be materially and adversely affected by widespread public health risks, including the recent outbreak of the coronavirus.  A widespread coronavirus outbreak in the United States could cause a decline in the level of leisure travel and our liquidity will be adversely impacted if there is a tightening of credit or instability in the financial markets which may adversely affect the number of marketing guests at Bluegreen resorts resulting in a significant decline in revenues or result in the closure of resorts.  While it is too early to gauge the likely duration or ultimate impact, package sales have declined and trip cancelations have increased since the coronavirus outbreak in the United States. There is no assurance that Bluegreen will be able to finance or sell receivables in the term securitization market on acceptable terms or at all. The extent to which the coronavirus or any public health issue may impact our results of operations and financial condition will depend on future developments and conditions, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of the coronavirus and actions taken to contain the coronavirus by governmental authorities.

Our results of operations and financial condition may be materially and adversely impacted if we do not continue to participate in exchange networks and other strategic alliances with third parties or if our customers are not satisfied with the networks in which we participate or our strategic alliances.

We believe that our participation in exchange networks and other strategic alliances and our Traveler Plus program make ownership of our VOIs more attractive by providing owners with the ability to take advantage of vacation experiences in addition to stays at our resorts. Our participation in the RCI exchange network allows Vacation Club owners to use their points to stay at over 4,300 participating resorts, based upon availability and the payment of a variable exchange fee. During the year ended December 31, 2019, approximately 7% of Vacation Club owners utilized the RCI exchange network for a stay of two or more nights. We also have an exclusive strategic arrangement with Choice Hotels pursuant to which, subject to payments and conditions, certain of our resorts have been branded as part of Choice Hotels’ Ascend Hotel Collection. Vacation Club owners can convert their Vacation Club points into Choice Privileges points. Choice Privileges points can be used for stays at Choice Hotels’ properties. For a nominal annual fee and transactional fees, Vacation Club owners may also participate in our Traveler Plus program, which enables them to use points to access an additional 46 direct exchange resorts and for other vacation experiences such as cruises. In addition, Traveler Plus members can directly use their Vacation Club points for stays at Choice Hotels’ Ascend Hotel Collection properties, a network of historic and boutique hotels in the United States, Canada, Scandinavia and Latin America. We may not be able to or desire to continue to participate in the RCI or direct exchange networks in the future or maintain or extend our other marketing and strategic networks, alliances and relationships. In addition, these networks, alliances and relationships, and our Traveler Plus program, may not continue to operate effectively, and our customers may not be satisfied with them. In addition, we may not be successful in identifying or entering into new strategic relationships in the future. If any of these events should occur, our results of operations and financial condition may be materially and adversely impacted.

If maintenance fees at our resorts and/or Vacation Club dues are required to be increased, our product could become less attractive, defaults could increase and our business could be harmed.

The maintenance fees, special assessments and Vacation Club dues that are levied by HOAs and the Vacation Club on VOI owners may increase as the costs to maintain and refurbish properties, and to keep properties in compliance with our standards and applicable regulations, increase. Increases in such fees, assessments or dues could negatively affect customer satisfaction with our Vacation Club or otherwise adversely impact VOI sales to both new customers and existing VOI owners or could contribute to additional defaults.

Our strategic transactions and relationships may not be successful and may divert our management’s attention and consume significant resources.

We intend to continue our strategy of selectively pursuing complementary strategic transactions and relationships. We may also purchase management contracts, including from resort operators facing financial distress, and purchase VOI inventory at resorts that we do not manage, with the goal of acquiring sufficient VOI ownership at such a resort to become the manager of that resort. The successful execution of this strategy will depend on our ability to identify and enter into the agreements necessary to take advantage of these potential opportunities, and to obtain any necessary financing. We may not be able to do so successfully. In addition, our management may be required to devote substantial time and resources to pursue these opportunities, which may impact their ability to manage other operations effectively.

Acquisitions and new strategic relationships involve numerous additional risks, including: (i) difficulty in integrating the operations and personnel of the acquired business or assets; (ii) potential disruption of our ongoing business and the distraction of management from our day-to-day operations; (iii) difficulty entering markets and relationships in which we have limited or no prior experience and in which competitors have a stronger market position; (iv) difficulty maintaining the quality of services that we have historically provided across new acquisitions; (v) potential legal and financial responsibility for liabilities of the acquired business or assets; (vi) potential overpayment in connection with transactions; (vii) increased expenses associated with transactions or an acquisition and amortizing any acquired intangible assets; (viii) risks associated with any debt incurred in connection with the financing of transaction; and (ix) challenges in implementing uniform standards, controls, procedures and policies throughout an acquired business.

We are dependent on the managers of resorts not managed, owned or operated by us to ensure that those properties meet our customers’ expectations.

In addition to stays at our resorts, Vacation Club owners have access to other resorts and hotels as a result of our participation in exchange programs and our other strategic alliances. Accordingly, Vacation Club owners have access to resorts that we do not manage, own or operate. If those resorts are not maintained in a manner consistent with our standards of quality or our Vacation Club owners are otherwise dissatisfied with those resorts, we may be subject to customer complaints and our reputation and brand could be damaged. In addition, our agreements with these resorts or their owners may expire, be terminated or not be renewed, or may be renegotiated in a manner adverse to us, and we may be unable to enter into new agreements that provide Vacation Club owners with equivalent access to additional resorts, any or all of which could materially adversely impact our business, operating results and financial condition.

The resale market for VOIs could adversely affect our business.

We believe that resales of VOIs in the secondary market generally are made at net sales prices below the original customer purchase prices. The relatively lower sales prices are partly attributable to the high marketing and sales costs associated with the initial sales of such VOIs. Accordingly, the initial purchase price of a VOI may be less attractive to prospective buyers and we may compete with buyers who seek to resell their VOIs. While VOI resale clearing houses or brokers currently do not have a material impact on our business, the availability of resale VOIs at lower prices, particularly if an organized and liquid secondary market develops, could adversely affect our level of sales and sales prices, which in turn would adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We are subject to the risks of the real estate market and the risks associated with real estate development, including a decline in real estate values and a deterioration of other conditions relating to the real estate market and real estate development.

Real estate markets are cyclical in nature and highly sensitive to changes in national and regional economic conditions, including:

levels of unemployment;

levels of discretionary disposable income;

levels of consumer confidence;

the availability of financing;

overbuilding or decreases in demand;

interest rates; and

federal, state and local taxation methods.

A deterioration in general economic conditions or in the real estate market would have a material adverse effect on our business.

We expect to seek to acquire more real estate inventory in the future. The availability of land for development of resort properties at favorable prices will be critical to our profitability and the ability to cover our significant selling, general and administrative expenses, cost of capital and other expenses. If we are unable to acquire such land or resort properties at a favorable cost, our results of operations may be materially, adversely impacted. The profitability of our real estate development activities is also impacted by the cost of construction, including the costs of materials and labor and other services. Should the cost of construction materials and services rise, the ultimate cost of our future resorts inventory when developed could increase and have a material, adverse impact on our results of operations. We are also exposed to other risks associated with development activities, including, without limitation:

adverse conditions in the capital markets may limit our ability to raise capital for completion of projects or for development of future properties;

construction delays, zoning and other local, state or federal governmental approvals, cost overruns, lender financial defaults, or natural disasters, such as earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, fires, volcanic eruptions and oil spills, increasing overall construction costs, affecting timing of project completion or resulting in project cancellations;

any liability or alleged liability or resulting delays associated with latent defects in design or construction of projects we have developed or that we construct in the future adversely affecting our business, financial condition and reputation;

failure by third-party contractors to perform for any reason, exposing us to operational, reputational and financial harm; and

the existence of any title defects in properties we acquire.

In addition, the third-party developers from whom we source VOI inventory as part of our capital-light business strategy are exposed to such development-related risks and, therefore, the occurrence of such risks may adversely impact our ability to acquire VOI inventory from them when expected or at all.

Environmental liabilities, including claims with respect to mold or hazardous or toxic substances, could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and operating results.

Under various federal, state and local laws, ordinances and regulations, as well as common law, we may be liable for the costs of removal or remediation of certain hazardous or toxic substances, including mold, located on, in or emanating from property that we own, lease or operate, as well as related costs of investigation and property damage at such property. These laws often impose liability without regard to whether we knew of, or were responsible for, the presence of the hazardous or toxic substances. The presence of such substances, or the failure to properly remediate such substances, may adversely affect our ability to sell or lease our property or to borrow money using such property or receivables generated from the sale of such property as collateral. Noncompliance with environmental, health or

safety requirements may require us to cease or alter operations at one or more of our properties. Further, we may be subject to common law claims by third parties based on damages and costs resulting from violations of environmental regulations or from contamination associated with one or more of our properties.

Our insurance policies may not cover all potential losses.

We maintain insurance coverage for liability, property and other risks with respect to our operations and activities. While we have comprehensive property and liability insurance policies with coverage features and insured limits that we believe are customary, market forces beyond our control may limit the scope of the insurance coverage we can obtain or our ability to obtain coverage at reasonable rates. The cost of insurance may increase and our coverage levels may decrease, which may affect our ability to maintain customary insurance coverage and deductibles at acceptable costs.

There is a limit as well as various sub-limits on the amount of insurance proceeds we will receive in excess of applicable deductibles. If an insurable event occurs that affects more than one of our properties, the claims from each affected property may be considered together to determine whether the individual occurrence limit, annual aggregate limit or sub-limits, depending on the type of claim, have been reached. If the limits or sub-limits are exceeded, each affected property may only receive a proportional share of the amount of insurance proceeds provided for under the policy. Further, certain types of losses, generally of a catastrophic nature, such as earthquakes, hurricanes and floods, terrorist acts, and certain environmental matters, may be outside the general coverage limits of our policies, subject to large deductibles, deemed uninsurable or too cost-prohibitive to justify insuring against. In addition, in the event of a substantial loss, the insurance coverage we carry may not be sufficient to pay the full market value or replacement cost of the affected resort or in some cases may not provide a recovery for any part of a loss. As a result, we could lose some or all of the capital we have invested in a property, as well as the anticipated future marketing, sales or revenue opportunities from the property. Further, we could remain obligated under guarantees or other financial obligations related to the property despite the loss of product inventory, and our VOI owners could be required to contribute toward deductibles to help cover losses.

Adverse outcomes in legal or other regulatory proceedings, including claims of non-compliance with applicable regulations or development-related defects, could adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.

In the ordinary course of business, we are subject to litigation and other legal and regulatory proceedings, which result in significant expenses and devotion of time and we may agree to indemnify third parties or our strategic partners from damages or losses associated with such risks. In addition, litigation is inherently uncertain and adverse outcomes in the litigation and other proceedings to which we are or may be subject could adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.

We engage third-party contractors to construct our resorts. However, customers may assert claims against us for construction defects or other perceived development defects, including, without limitation, structural integrity, the presence of mold as a result of leaks or other defects, water intrusion, asbestos, electrical issues, plumbing issues, road construction, water and sewer defects and defects in the engineering of amenities. In addition, certain state and local laws may impose liability on property developers with respect to development defects discovered in the future. We could have to accrue a significant portion of the cost to repair such defects in the quarter when such defects arise or when the repair costs are reasonably estimable.

Costs associated with litigation, including claims for development-related defects, and the outcomes thereof could adversely affect our liquidity, financial condition and operating results.

Failure to maintain the integrity of internal or customer data could result in faulty business decisions or operational inefficiencies, damage our reputation and/or subject us to costs, fines or lawsuits.

We collect and retain large volumes of internal and customer data, including social security numbers, credit card numbers and other personally identifiable information of our customers in various internal information systems and information systems of our service providers. We also maintain personally identifiable information about our employees. The integrity and protection of that customer, employee and company data is critical to us. We could make faulty decisions if that data is inaccurate or incomplete. Our customers and employees also have a high expectation that we and our service providers will adequately protect their personal information. The regulatory environment as

well as the requirements imposed on us by the payment card industry surrounding information, security and privacy is also increasingly demanding, in both the United States and other jurisdictions in which we operate. Our systems may be unable to satisfy changing regulatory and payment card industry requirements and employee and customer expectations, or may require significant additional investments or time in order to do so.

Our information systems and records, including those we maintain with our service providers, may be subject to security breaches, cyber attacks, system failures, viruses, operator error or inadvertent releases of data. A significant theft, loss, or fraudulent use of customer, employee or company data maintained by us or by a service provider could adversely impact our reputation and could result in remedial and other expenses, fines or litigation. A breach in the security of our information systems or those of our service providers could lead to an interruption in the operation of our systems, resulting in operational inefficiencies and a loss of profits.

Our business may be adversely impacted by negative publicity, including information spread through social media. 

The proliferation and global reach of social media continues to expand rapidly and could cause us to suffer reputational harm. The continuing evolution of social media presents new challenges and requires us to keep pace with new developments, technology and trends. Negative posts or comments about us, the properties we manage or our brands on any social networking or user-generated review website, including travel and vacation property websites, could affect consumer opinions of us and our products, and we cannot guarantee that we will timely or adequately redress such instances. 

Our technology requires updating, the cost involved in updating the technology may be significant, and the failure to keep pace with developments in technology could impair our operations or competitive position.

The vacation ownership and hospitality industries require the utilization of technology and systems, including technology utilized for sales and marketing, mortgage servicing, property management, brand assurance and compliance, and reservation systems. This technology requires continuous updating and refinements, including technology required to remain competitive and to comply with the legal requirements such as privacy regulations and requirements established by third parties. We are taking steps to update our information technology platform, which has required, and is likely to continue to require, significant capital expenditures. Older systems which have not yet been updated may increase the risk of operational inefficiencies, financial loss and non-compliance with applicable legal and regulatory requirements and we may not be successful in updating such systems in the time frame or at the cost anticipated. Further, as a result of the rapidly changing technological environment, systems which we have put in place or expect to put in place in the near term may become outdated requiring new technology, and we may not be able to replace those systems as quickly as our competition or within budgeted costs and time frames. Further, we may not achieve the benefits that may have been anticipated from any new technology or system.

In addition, conversions to new information technology systems require effective change management processes and may result in cost overruns, delays or business interruptions. If our information technology systems are disrupted, become obsolete or do not adequately support our strategic, operational or compliance needs, our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows may be adversely affected.

Our intellectual property rights, and the intellectual property rights of our business partners, are valuable, and the failure to protect those rights could adversely affect our business.

Our intellectual property rights, including existing and future trademarks, trade secrets and copyrights, are and will continue to be valuable and important assets of our business. We believe that our proprietary technology, as well as our other technologies and business practices, are competitive advantages and that any duplication by competitors would harm our business. The measures we have taken to protect our intellectual property may not be sufficient or effective. Additionally, intellectual property laws and contractual restrictions may not prevent misappropriation of our intellectual property. Finally, even if we are able to successfully protect our intellectual property, others may develop technologies that are similar or superior to our technology. We also generate a significant portion of our new sales prospects and leads through arrangements with third parties, including Bass Pro. The failure by these third parties to protect their intellectual property rights could also harm our business.

The loss of the services of our key management and personnel could adversely affect our business.

Our ability to successfully implement our business strategy will depend on our ability to attract and retain experienced and knowledgeable management and other professional staff, and we may not be successful in doing so. If our efforts to retain and attract key management and other personnel are unsuccessful, our business, prospects, results of operations and financial condition may be materially and adversely impacted.

There are inherent uncertainties involved in estimates, judgments and assumptions used in the preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP. Any changes in estimates, judgments and assumptions used could have a material adverse impact on our operating results and financial condition.

Consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP involve making estimates, judgments and assumptions. These estimates, judgments and assumptions include, but are not limited to, those related to future cash flows, which in turn are based upon expectations of future performance given current and projected forecasts of the economy in general and the real estate markets. If any estimates, judgments or assumptions change in the future, including in the event that our performance does not otherwise meet our expectations, we may be required to record impairment charges against our earnings, which could have a material adverse impact on our operating results and financial condition. In addition, GAAP requirements as to how certain estimates are made may result, for example, in asset valuations which ultimately would not be realized if we were to attempt to sell the asset.

Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock

BBX Capital’s controlling position in our common stock limits our shareholders’ ability to influence corporate matters, including the outcome of director elections and other matters requiring shareholder approval and such controlling position and the overlap of management with BBX Capital may result in conflicts of interest and competition for management time or attention.

BBX Capital holds approximately 90% of our outstanding common stock. As a result of such ownership position, BBX Capital is able to exercise control over all matters requiring shareholder approval, including the election of directors, amendments of our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation and approval of significant corporate transactions. This control could have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control or changes in management and will make the approval of certain transactions impossible without the support of BBX Capital. Alan B. Levan, our Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer and the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BBX Capital, and John E. Abdo, our and BBX Capital’s Vice Chairman, may be deemed to control BBX Capital by virtue of their collective ownership of the Class A Common Stock and Class B Common Stock of BBX Capital. The interests of BBX Capital and Mr. Alan Levan and Mr. Abdo may conflict with our interests or the interests of our other shareholders, including that they may have an interest in pursuing acquisitions, divestitures and other transactions that, in their judgment, could enhance BBX Capital’s investment in us or improve BBX Capital’s financial condition, even though such transactions might involve risks to us. In addition, this concentration of ownership could deprive shareholders of an opportunity to receive a premium for their shares of our common stock as part of a sale of our Company and ultimately might affect the market price of our common stock.

In addition to Alan B. Levan and John E. Abdo, Raymond S. Lopez, is also an executive officer of both our Company and BBX Capital.  None of Mr. Levan, Mr. Abdo or Mr. Lopez is obligated to allocate a specific amount of time to the management of our Company, and they may devote more time and attention to the operations of BBX Capital than they devote directly to our operations.

Our stock price may be volatile or may decline regardless of our operating performance.

The market price for our common stock may be volatile, and such volatility may be exacerbated by our relatively small public float. In addition, the market price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly in response to a number of factors, many of which are beyond our control, including those discussed in this “Risk Factors” section and under “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements,” as well as the following:

the failure of securities analysts to cover our common stock or changes in financial estimates by analysts;

the inability to meet the financial estimates of analysts who follow our common stock;

strategic actions by us or our competitors;

risks related to our business and industry, including announcements by us or our competitors of significant issues or significant acquisitions, joint marketing relationships, joint ventures or other transactions;

introduction of new products or services by us or our competitors;

variations in our quarterly operating results and those of our competitors, including seasonal fluctuations;

additions or departures of key personnel;

general economic and stock market conditions;

changes in conditions or trends in our industry, markets or customers;

regulatory and legal proceedings, investigations and developments;

political developments;

changes in accounting principles;

changes in tax legislation and regulations;

terrorist acts;

accumulation of publicly held shares and the timing and amount of future purchase or sales of our common stock or other securities;

defaults under agreements governing our indebtedness; and

investor perceptions with respect to our common stock relative to other investment alternatives.

The stock markets in general have often experienced volatility that has sometimes been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of particular companies. These broad market fluctuations may cause the trading price of our common stock to decline, regardless of our operating performance. In addition, the relatively low amount of our shares traded in the public markets can increase the volatility in our stock price. In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company’s securities, securities class-action litigation has often been brought against that company. We may become involved in this type of litigation in the future. Litigation of this type may be expensive to defend and may divert our management’s attention and resources from the operation of our business.

If we fail to maintain proper and effective internal controls, our ability to produce accurate and timely financial statements could be impaired, which could harm our operating results, our ability to operate our business and our reputation.

As a Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) reporting company, we are required to, among other things, maintain a system of effective internal control over financial reporting and to provide annual management reports on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. In addition, once we cease to qualify as an emerging growth company and provided we are not at that time a non-accelerated filer, our Annual Reports on Form 10-K will be required to include independent registered public accounting firm attestations of our internal control over financial reporting. Ensuring that we have adequate internal financial and accounting controls and procedures in place so that we can produce accurate financial statements on a timely basis is a costly and time-consuming effort that needs to be re-evaluated frequently. We have dedicated a significant amount of time and resources to implement our internal financial and accounting controls and procedures. Substantial work and expenses may continue to be required to implement, document, assess, test and, as necessary, remediate our system of internal controls.

If our internal control over financial reporting is not effective, if we are not able to issue our financial statements in a timely manner or if we are not able to obtain the required audit or review of our financial statements by our independent registered public accounting firm in a timely manner, we will not be able to comply with the periodic reporting requirements of the SEC and the listing requirements of the NYSE. If these events occur, the listing of our common stock on the NYSE could be suspended or terminated and our stock price could materially suffer. In addition, we or members of our management could be subject to investigation and sanction by the SEC and other regulatory authorities and to shareholder lawsuits, which could impose significant additional costs on us and divert management attention.

Our shareholders’ interests may be diluted by future stock issuances.

Pursuant to our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation and our Fourth Amended and Restated Bylaws, our board of directors will have the authority, without any action or vote of our shareholders, to issue all or any part of our authorized but unissued shares of common stock or preferred stock. We may issue such capital stock to meet a number of our business needs, including funding any potential acquisitions or other strategic transactions, or pursuant to any equity compensation plans that we may adopt in the future. Stock issuances would reduce the percentage ownership of our then-current shareholders and, in the case of issuances of preferred stock, may result in the interest of our shareholders being subject to the prior rights of holders of that preferred stock.

We may not pay dividends on our common stock in the amounts anticipated, when anticipated, or at all.

We paid quarterly dividends on our common stock of $0.17 per share during the first, second, and third quarters of 2019, and $0.13 per share during the fourth quarter of 2019. During January 2020, our board of directors declared a cash dividend on our common stock of $0.13 per share. We currently intend to continue to pay quarterly cash dividends on our common stock in an amount equal to $0.13 per share. However, any dividends, including the timing and amount thereof, will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will be subject to applicable law and contractual restrictions, including restrictions contained in our credit facilities, and our financial condition, results of operations, available cash, capital requirements, general business conditions and prospects, and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant. Accordingly, we may not make dividend payments on our common stock in the amount or when anticipated, or at all.

Provisions in our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation and our Fourth Amended and Restated Bylaws, as well as provisions of Florida law, might discourage, delay or prevent a change in control or changes in our management and/or depress the trading price of our common stock.

Our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation and our Fourth Amended and Restated Bylaws contain, and Florida law contains, provisions that may discourage, delay or prevent a merger, acquisition or other change in control that shareholders may consider favorable, including transactions in which shareholders might otherwise receive a premium for their shares of our common stock, and attempts by our shareholders to replace or remove our management. These provisions include those which:

grant our board of directors the authority to issue additional shares of common stock or preferred stock and to fix the relative rights and preferences of the preferred stock (in each case, without any action or vote of our shareholders), which could be used for, among other things, the adoption of a shareholder rights plan if determined to be advisable by our board of directors;

permit our board of directors to establish the number of directors and fill any vacancies and newly-created directorships; and

specify advance notice procedures that must be complied with by shareholders in order to make shareholder proposals or nominate directors.

As a Florida corporation, we are also subject to the provisions of the Florida Business Corporation Act (the “FBCA”), including those limiting the voting rights of “control shares.” Under the FBCA, subject to certain exceptions, including mergers and acquisitions effected in accordance with the FBCA, the holder of  “control shares” of a Florida corporation that has (i) 100 or more shareholders, (ii) its principal place of business, its principal office or substantial assets in Florida and (iii) either more than 10% of its shareholders residing in Florida, more than 10% of its shares owned by Florida residents or 1,000 shareholders residing in Florida, will not have the right to vote those shares unless the acquisition of the shares was approved by a majority of each class of voting securities of the corporation, excluding

those shares held by interested persons. “Control shares” are defined in the FBCA as shares acquired by a person, either directly or indirectly, that when added to all other shares of the issuing corporation owned by that person, would entitle that person to exercise, either directly or indirectly, voting power within any of the following ranges: (i) 20% or more but less than 33% of all voting power of the corporation’s voting securities; (ii) 33% or more but less than a majority of all voting power of the corporation’s voting securities; or (iii) a majority or more of all of the voting power of the corporation’s voting securities.

Any provision of our governance documents or Florida law that has the effect of delaying or deterring a change in control could limit the opportunity for our shareholders to receive a premium for their shares of our common stock, and could also affect the price that some investors are willing to pay for our common stock.

Our Fourth Amended and Restated Bylaws has an exclusive forum provision, which could limit our shareholders’ ability to obtain a different judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, and a fee-shifting provision, which may discourage the initiation of claims against us or our directors, officers or other employees.

Our Fourth Amended and Restated Bylaws has an exclusive forum provision providing that, unless our board of directors consents to the selection of an alternative forum, the Circuit Court located in Palm Beach County, Florida (or, if such Circuit Court does not have jurisdiction, another Circuit Court located within Florida or, if no Circuit Court located within Florida has jurisdiction, the federal district court for the Southern District of Florida) shall be the sole and exclusive forum for: (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of our Company; (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our directors, officers or other employees to us or our shareholders; (iii) any action asserting a claim against us or any of our directors, officers or other employees arising pursuant to any provision of the FBCA, our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation or our Fourth Amended and Restated Bylaws (in each case, as amended or amended and restated from time to time); or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us or any of our directors, officers or other employees governed by the internal affairs doctrine of the State of Florida (each, a “Covered Proceeding”). Further, the exclusive forum provision provides that if any Covered Proceeding is filed in a court other than a court located within Florida in the name of any shareholder, then such shareholder shall be deemed to have consented to (i) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located within Florida in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the exclusive forum provision and (ii) having service of process made upon such shareholder in any such enforcement action by service upon such shareholder’s counsel in the action as agent for such shareholder. Unless waived, the exclusive forum provision may limit our shareholders’ ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that they find favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find the exclusive forum provision to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our Fourth Amended and Restated Bylaws also provide us and our officers, directors and other employees with the right, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law (and unless our board of directors consents to the contrary), to reimbursement of all amounts incurred by us and our officers, directors and other employees, including, without limitation, all attorneys’ fees and other litigation expenses, from any person or entity that initiates or asserts any claim or counterclaim against us or any of our officers, directors or other employees, or joins, offers substantial assistance to or has a direct financial interest in any such claim or counterclaim, if such person or entity does not obtain a judgment on the merits that substantially achieves, in substance and amount, the full remedy sought. This fee-shifting provision is intended to eliminate or decrease nuisance and frivolous litigation. We intend to apply the fee-shifting provision broadly to all claims and counterclaims, including those relating to derivative actions and other Covered Proceedings, and claims under the federal securities laws (collectively, “Claims”). In addition, the fee-shifting provision applies to any person or entity which initiates, asserts, joins in, offers substantial assistance to, or has a direct financial interest in, any Claim, including current and prior shareholders (each, a “Claiming Party”). The court issuing a judgment on the merits of a Claim may determine whether the Claiming Party obtained a judgment on the merits that substantially achieves, in substance and amount, the full remedy sought. We intend to interpret this language as broadly as possible and believe it is a very high standard. Specifically, we believe that this standard would require, and we would argue to a court to interpret this standard to require, the Claiming Party to prevail on virtually everything sought in the Claim in order to avoid its reimbursement obligations. As a result, the fee-shifting provision may

discourage lawsuits against us and our directors, officers and other employees, including those that might otherwise benefit us or our shareholders, or increase the costs thereof to any Claiming Party.

Future sales of our common stock, or the perception in the public markets that these sales may occur, may cause the market price of our common stock to decline.

Due to the limited public float of our common stock as a result of BBX Capital’s approximate 90% interest, there is limited trading volume in our common stock, the market price of our common stock may be volatile and shareholders may not be able to sell their shares in the amounts desired without impacting the market price of our common stock. In addition, we believe that certain shareholders have significant holdings of shares of our common stock within the public float. The market price of our common stock could decline significantly as a result of sales of a large number of shares of our common stock. These sales, or the perception that these sales might occur, could depress the market price of our common stock and make it more difficult for us to sell equity securities in the future at a time and at a price that we deem appropriate.

If our shareholders sell substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, or if the public perceives that such sales could occur, including as any restrictions on resale end, there could be an adverse impact on the market price of our common stock, even if there is no relationship between such sales and the performance of our business.