Item 2.03. Creation of a Direct Financial Obligation
On September 30, 2008, the Registrant obtained loans in the aggregate amount
of approximately $31.0 million from Hampton Roads Bankshares, Inc. (Nasdaq:
HMPR) ("HRB") and its subsidiaries, the Bank of Hampton Roads and Shore Bank
(the "Loans"). The Loans are payable on demand and secured by a first priority
lien on all of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock of Gateway
Bank, the principal subsidiary of the Registrant. The proceeds from the Loans
were used to terminate the Registrant's credit agreement with JPMorgan Chase
Bank, N.A. ("JPMorgan") dated May 30, 2008 (the "Credit Agreement"). See
Item 8.01 below for further details on the Credit Agreement. As was previously
announced on September 24, 2008, the Registrant entered into a definitive
agreement with HRB, whereby Registrant will be merged with HRB. Origination of
the Loans and termination of the Credit Agreement are terms of the definitive
agreement with HRB. The merger transaction is subject to shareholder and
regulatory approval. The Registrant expects to consummate the merger in the
fourth quarter 2008.
Item 2.06. Material Impairments
On October 1, 2008, the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of Gateway
Financial Holdings, Inc. (the "Registrant") concluded that the Registrant must
record as of September 30, 2008 an other-than-temporary impairment in the amount
of $37.4 million on its investments in perpetual preferred securities issued by
the Federal National Mortgage Association ("Fannie Mae") and the Federal Home
Loan Mortgage Corporation ("Freddie Mac"). This determination was made as a
result of the action taken by the United States Treasury Department and the
Federal Housing Finance Agency on September 7, 2008, which placed Fannie Mae and
Freddie Mac into conservatorship. The Registrant's preferred investments in
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are included in securities available for sale at a
cost of $20.2 million and $20.2 million, respectively. The Registrant does not
hold any common stock or any other equity securities issued by Fannie Mae or
Freddie Mac. As of the market close on September 30, 2008, the total market
value of the Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae preferred stock was $3.0 million. The
other than temporary impairment with respect to the Registrant's investments in
the Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae preferred stock will result in a non-cash charge
to earnings. As a result of favorable tax provisions included in the Emergency
Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 that converted any loss on the preferred
investments from a capital loss to an ordinary loss, the Registrant expects to
realize a Federal tax benefit from the loss of approximately $12.7 million. The
Registrant further expects to receive favorable state tax benefits. However, the
amounts of the state tax benefits have not been determined at this time. The
bank expects to maintain its status as "well-capitalized" at September 30, 2008
after recognition of the impairment.
Item 8.01. Other Events
On September 30, 2008, the Registrant terminated its credit agreement with
JPMorgan dated May 30, 2008 in accordance with its terms. The Credit Agreement
provided Registrant with: (a) a term loan in the principal amount of Five
Hundred Thousand Dollars ($500,000) (the "Term Loan"); (b) a revolving line of
credit in the maximum principal amount of Twenty Million Dollars ($20,000,000)
(the "Senior Revolving Loan"); and (c) a subordinated debt
facility in the aggregate principal amount of Twenty Million Dollars
($20,000,000) (the "Subordinated Debt"). The aggregate amount of approximately
$31.0 million paid to JPMorgan represented the principal amount borrowed and
outstanding under the Term Loan, Senior Revolving Loan and Subordinated Debt,
plus accrued and unpaid interest and other facility fees and expenses, including
a 0.50% prepayment penalty on the Subordinated Debt.
About the Company
The Registrant is the holding company for Gateway Bank & Trust Co., a
regional community bank with a total of thirty-seven full-service financial
centers - twenty-one in Virginia: Virginia Beach (7), Richmond (6), Chesapeake
(3), Emporia (2), Suffolk, Norfolk, and Charlottesville; and sixteen in North
Carolina: Chapel Hill, Elizabeth City (3), Edenton, Kitty Hawk (2), Raleigh (3),
Moyock, Nags Head, Plymouth, Roper, Wake Forest and Wilmington. The Bank
provides insurance through its Gateway Insurance Services, Inc. subsidiary,
brokerage services through its Gateway Investment Services, Inc. subsidiary, and
mortgage banking services through its Gateway Bank Mortgage, Inc. subsidiary.
Visit the Bank's web site at www.gatewaybankandtrust.com.
The Common Stock of the Registrant is traded on the Nasdaq Global Select
Market under the symbol GBTS.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements contained in this release, which are not historical facts, are
forward-looking statements, as that term is defined in the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Amounts herein could vary as a result of market
and other factors. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and
uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those
currently anticipated due to a number of factors, which include, but are not
limited to, factors discussed in documents filed by the Company with the
Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. Such forward-looking
statements may be identified by the use of such words as "believe," "expect,"
anticipate," "should," "planned," "estimated," and "potential." Examples of
forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, estimates with
respect to the tax treatment of the loss on certain investments, the financial
results, expected or anticipated revenue, results of operations and business of
the Company that are subject to various factors which could cause actual results
to differ materially from these estimates. These factors include, but are not
limited to, changes in legislation or regulation; general economic conditions;
changes in interest rates, deposit flows, loan demand, real estate values, and
competition; changes in accounting principles, policies, or guidelines; and
other economic, competitive, governmental, regulatory, and technological factors
affecting the Company's operations, pricing, products, and services. The Company
undertakes no obligation to update or clarify forward-looking statements,
whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.