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SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION
PROXY STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 14(a) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
(AMENDMENT NO.___)
Filed by the Registrant
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Preliminary Proxy Statement |
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Definitive Proxy Statement |
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Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2)) |
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Soliciting Material Pursuant to §240.14a-12 |
FIDELITY NATIONAL FINANCIAL, INC.
(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)
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computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(4) and 0-11. |
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filing for which the offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the previous filing by registration
statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing. |
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The following press releases were issued on June 27, 2006 concerning the proposed contribution of
assets by Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (FNF) to Fidelity National Title Group, Inc. (FNT)
in exchange for shares of the Class A common stock of FNT, the distribution of all shares of Class
A common stock of FNT held by FNF to its stockholders, and the subsequent merger of FNF with and
into Fidelity National Information Services, Inc.
Fidelity National Financial, Inc. and Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. Announce
the Signing of a Merger Agreement
Jacksonville, Fla. (June 26, 2006) Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF) and
Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. (NYSE:FIS) today announced that they have signed an
Agreement and Plan of Merger (Merger Agreement) under which FNF will be merged with and into
FIS. Upon the consummation of the merger, FNFs separate corporate existence will cease and FIS
will continue as the surviving corporation. Closing of the merger is expected early in the
fourth quarter of 2006.
The previously announced merger will be consummated immediately after the closing under the
Securities Exchange and Distribution Agreement entered into today by FNF and Fidelity National
Title Group, Inc. (NYSE:FNT), which contemplates the contribution of substantially all of FNFs
assets and liabilities, other than its ownership interest in FIS, to FNT in exchange for shares
of FNTs Class A Common Stock. Immediately following that transaction, FNF will convert its
Class B Common Stock of FNT into shares of FNT Class A Common Stock and then distribute all of
the shares of FNT Class A Common Stock it holds as a dividend to FNF stockholders. This spin-off
dividend is subject to, among other things, receipt of an IRS private letter ruling with respect
to the tax-free treatment for both FNF and its stockholders. These transactions will leave FNF
with an approximately 51% ownership position in FIS as its only asset prior to the merger with
FIS.
Under the terms of the Merger Agreement, each share of FNF common stock issued and
outstanding immediately prior to the merger will be converted into the right to receive that
number of shares of FIS common stock equal to the 96,214,500 shares of FIS that FNF currently
owns divided by the aggregate number of shares of FNF common stock issued and outstanding
immediately prior to the merger (Conversion Number). There is no premium or discount
associated with the Conversion Number.
In connection with the proposed transaction, William P. Foley, II will become Executive
Chairman of FIS, Alan L. Stinson will become its Executive Vice President of Finance and Brent B.
Bickett will become Executive Vice President Strategic Planning. Approximately 2.8 million
options to purchase FNF common stock that are held by persons who will become FIS employees will
be replaced at their intrinsic value by FIS options having the same terms and vesting provisions.
The Boards of Directors of FNF and FIS each approved the transaction contemplated by the
Merger Agreement after receiving the recommendation of a special committee of independent members
of their respective boards.
The merger of FNF and FIS will require FNF shareholder approval and the issuance of FIS
stock in connection with the merger and certain other items related to the transaction will
require FIS shareholder approval. Accordingly, as soon as practicable, both FNF and FIS will
prepare and file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) a Proxy/Information
Statement relating to required shareholder approvals and will prepare and file a Registration
Statement on Form S-4, with the Proxy/Information Statement included as a prospectus, relating
to the issuance of FIS stock in the merger. Once the Proxy/Information Statement is cleared and
the FIS Form S-4 is declared effective by the SEC, FNF and FIS will schedule shareholder votes
and mail the Proxy/Information Statement to their shareholders.
Completion of the transaction will be subject to a number of conditions, including:
approval of the shareholders of each of FNF, FNT (as to its issuance of shares to FNF) and FIS;
the receipt of a private letter ruling from the Internal Revenue Service and opinions from FNFs
and FIS tax advisors; the clearance of proxy statements by the SEC and effectiveness of
registration statements; the receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals for the merger; the
receipt of any necessary approvals under credit agreements of FNF, FNT and FIS and any other
material agreements; the occurrence of the spin-off dividend in accordance with the Securities
Exchange and Distribution Agreement; and the other conditions set forth in the Merger
Agreement. There can be no assurance that any or all of these conditions will be satisfied or
that the transactions will be completed.
Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF), number 248 on the Fortune 500, is a provider
of outsourced products and services to a variety of industries. Through its majority-owned,
publicly-traded subsidiary, Fidelity National Title Group, Inc. (NYSE:FNT), FNF is one of the
nations largest title insurance companies, with nearly 29 percent national market share.
Through its majority-owned, publicly-traded subsidiary, Fidelity National Information Services,
Inc. (NYSE:FIS), FNF provides an industry leading suite of data processing, payment and risk
management services to financial institutions and retailers. Through its wholly-owned
subsidiaries, FNF is also a leading provider of specialty insurance products, including flood
insurance, homeowners insurance and home warranty insurance. Through its minority-owned
subsidiary, Sedgwick CMS, FNF is a leading provider of outsourced insurance claims management
services to large corporate and public sector entities. More information about the FNF family of
companies can be found at www.fnf.com, www.fntg.com, www.fidelityinfoservices.com and
www.sedgwickcms.com.
Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. is a leading provider of core processing for
financial institutions; card issuer and transaction processing services; mortgage loan processing
and mortgage-related information products; and outsourcing services to financial institutions,
retailers, mortgage lenders and real estate professionals. FIS has processing and technology
relationships with 35 of the top 50 global banks, including nine of the top ten. Nearly 50 percent
of all U.S. residential mortgages are processed using FIS software. Headquartered in Jacksonville,
Florida, FIS maintains a strong global presence, serving over 7,800 financial institutions in more
than 60 countries worldwide. For more information on Fidelity National Information Services, please
visit www.fidelityinfoservices.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and
uncertainties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about our beliefs
and
expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on FNF
and FIS managements beliefs, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently
available to, management. Because such statements are based on expectations as to future economic
performance and are not statements of fact, actual results may differ materially from those
projected. FNF and FIS undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether
as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The risks and uncertainties which
forward-looking statements are subject to include, but are not limited to: the possibility that
the transactions described in this press release will not be completed, or will be completed in a
different form or with different effects on holders of the stock of FNF, FNT or FIS than
described , or will not be successful in achieving the goals targeted; changes in general
economic, business and political conditions, including changes in the financial markets; adverse
changes in the level of real estate activity, which may be caused by, among other things, high or
increasing interest rates, a limited supply of mortgage funding or a weak U. S. economy; FNFs
potential inability to find suitable acquisition candidates, acquisitions in lines of business
that will not necessarily be limited to FNFs traditional areas of focus, or difficulties in
integrating acquisitions; FNFs dependence on operating subsidiaries as a source of cash flow;
significant competition that FNFs operating subsidiaries face; compliance with extensive
government regulation of FNFs operating subsidiaries; regulatory investigations of the title
insurance industry; the risk that FIS recent merger with a subsidiary of FNF may fail to achieve
beneficial synergies or that it may take longer than expected to do so; the effects of FIS
substantial leverage, which may limit the funds available to make acquisitions and invest in its
business; the risks of reduction in FIS revenue from the elimination of existing and potential
customers due to consolidation in the banking, retail and financial services industries; failures
by FIS to adapt its services to changes in technology or in the marketplace; FIS potential
inability to find suitable acquisition candidates or difficulties in integrating acquisitions;
significant competition that FIS operating subsidiaries face; and other risks detailed in the
Statement Regarding Forward-
Looking Information, Risk Factors and other sections of the FNF and FIS Form 10-Ks and
other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
This press release does not constitute an offer of any securities for sale. In connection
with the proposed transaction, FNF and FIS will file with the SEC a proxy statement and a
registration statement in which the proxy statement will be included as a prospectus. In
addition, FNT will file an information statement and may file a registration statement and
prospectus with the SEC in connection with the Securities Exchange and Distribution Agreement.
INVESTORS ARE ADVISED TO READ THESE AND ALL RELATED DOCUMENTS WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE
THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Investors may obtain a free copy of these materials
when they become available from the SECs web site at http://www.sec.gov. Free copies of
these documents may also be obtained from FNF or FIS by directing a request to either of the
companies at 601 Riverside Drive, Jacksonville, FL 32204, Attention: Corporate Secretary.
FNF, FIS and their respective officers and directors may be deemed, under SEC rules, to be
participants in the solicitation of proxies from FNFs stockholders with respect to the merger.
A description of any interests that any such participant may have in the merger will be available
in the proxy statement. Information concerning FNFs directors and executive officers is set
forth in FNFs annual report on Form 10-K/A filed with the SEC on May 1, 2006. Information
concerning FIS directors and executive officers is set forth in FIS annual report on Form
10-K/A filed with the SEC on May 1, 2006. These documents are available free of charge at the
SECs web site www.sec.gov or by going to FNFs Investor Relations page on its corporate
website at www.fnf.com or to FIS Investor Relations page on its corporate website at
www.fidelityinfoservices.com.
SOURCES: Fidelity National Financial, Inc. and Fidelity National Information Services, Inc.
CONTACTS: Daniel Kennedy Murphy, Senior Vice President, Finance and Investor Relations, Fidelity
National Financial, Inc., 904-854-8120, dkmurphy@fnf.com; Mary Waggoner, Senior Vice President,
Investor Relations, Fidelity National Information Services, Inc., 904-854-3282,
mary.waggoner@fnf.com
Fidelity National Financial, Inc. and Fidelity National Title Group, Inc. Announce the
Signing of a Securities Exchange and Distribution Agreement
Jacksonville, Fla. (June 26, 2006) Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF) and
Fidelity National Title Group, Inc. (NYSE:FNT) today announced that they have signed a Securities
Exchange and Distribution Agreement which contemplates the contribution of substantially all of
FNFs assets and liabilities, other than its ownership interest in Fidelity National Information
Services, Inc. (NYSE:FIS), to FNT in exchange for shares of FNTs Class A Common Stock.
Immediately following this transaction, FNF will convert its Class B Common Stock of FNT into
shares of FNT Class A Common Stock and then distribute all of the shares of FNT Class A Common
Stock it holds as a dividend to FNF stockholders. This spin-off dividend is subject to, among
other things, receipt of an IRS private letter ruling with respect to the tax-free treatment for
both FNF and its stockholders. Closing of the transactions is expected early in the fourth
quarter of 2006
Under the terms of the Securities Exchange and Distribution Agreement, FNT will obtain FNFs
Specialty Insurance businesses, its interest in Sedgwick CMS, Inc. and related businesses and
other assets currently owned by FNF (the FNF Assets). As consideration, FNT will issue to FNF
a number of shares of FNT Class A Common Stock equal to (i) 34,042,553 plus (ii) the amount of
cash included in the FNF Assets, not to exceed $275 million for the purposes of the calculation,
divided by $23.50. At the anticipated amount of cash of $275 million, FNT will issue 45,744,680
shares of FNT Class A Common Stock to FNF. Combined with FNFs 143,176,041 shares of FNT Class B
Common Stock that will be converted into FNT Class A Common Stock, FNF anticipates distributing a
total of 188,920,721 shares of FNT Class A Common Stock as a dividend to FNF stockholders. Any
future acquisitions in the Specialty Insurance businesses, Sedgwick CMS, Inc. and related
businesses or other acquisitions that are
consummated before the closing of the contribution of the FNF Assets from FNF to FNT will be
included in the FNF Assets to be contributed to FNT. The value of any additional assets acquired
by FNF will not impact the total consideration to be paid by FNT for the FNF Assets as any
additional acquired assets would reduce the cash component of other assets or would be funded
through borrowings at the respective operating subsidiary.
In connection with the proposed transaction, William P. Foley, II will become the Chief
Executive Officer of FNT and Alan L. Stinson will become its Chief Operating Officer.
Approximately 6.5 million options to purchase FNF stock that are held by persons who will become
FNT employees will be replaced at their intrinsic value with FNT options having the same terms
and provisions.
FNF and FIS also announced today that they have agreed to merge, effective immediately after
the completion of FNFs spin-off of FNT. Following this merger, FNT will change its name to
Fidelity National Financial, Inc. and it is expected that its NYSE ticker symbol will change to
FNF.
The Boards of Directors of FNF and FNT each approved the transactions contemplated by the
Securities Exchange and Distribution Agreement after receiving the recommendation of a special
committee of independent members of their respective boards.
The issuance of FNT stock as consideration for the purchase of the FNF Assets, and certain
other items in connection with the transaction, will require FNT shareholder approval.
Accordingly, as soon as practicable, FNT, in consultation with FNF, will prepare and file with
the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) an Information Statement relating to required
shareholder approvals. Once the Information Statement is cleared by the SEC, and the SEC
filings by FNF and FIS for the FIS merger are cleared, FNT will schedule a shareholder vote and
mail the Information Statement to its shareholders.
Completion of the transactions will be subject to a number of conditions, including but not
limited to: approval of the shareholders of each of FNF, FNT and FIS; the receipt of a private
letter ruling from the Internal Revenue Service; the clearance of Proxy and Information
Statements by the SEC; the receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals for the transfer
of FNFs Specialty Insurance operations to FNT and for the spin-off of FNTs insurance
operations; the receipt of necessary approvals under credit agreements of FNF, FNT and FIS and
any other material agreements; and the other conditions set forth in the Securities Exchange and
Distribution Agreement and in the merger agreement for the FIS merger. There can be no
assurance that any or all of these conditions will be satisfied or that the transactions will be
completed.
Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF), number 248 on the Fortune 500, is a provider
of outsourced products and services to a variety of industries. Through its majority-owned,
publicly-traded subsidiary, Fidelity National Title Group, Inc. (NYSE:FNT), FNF is one of the
nations largest title insurance companies, with nearly 29 percent national market share.
Through its majority-owned, publicly-traded subsidiary, Fidelity National Information Services,
Inc. (NYSE:FIS), FNF provides an industry leading suite of data processing, payment and risk
management services to financial institutions and retailers. Through its wholly-owned
subsidiaries, FNF is also a leading provider of specialty insurance products, including flood
insurance, homeowners insurance and home warranty insurance. Through its minority-owned
subsidiary, Sedgwick CMS, FNF is a leading provider of outsourced insurance claims management
services to large corporate and public sector entities. More information about the FNF family of
companies can be found at www.fnf.com, www.fntg.com, www.fidelityinfoservices.com and
www.sedgwickcms.com.
FNT is one of the nations largest title insurance companies. The Companys title insurance
underwriters Fidelity National Title, Chicago Title, Ticor Title, Security Union Title and
Alamo Title issue approximately 29 percent of all title insurance policies in the United
States. Through its direct operations and agencies, the Company provides title insurance in 49
states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada.
In 2005, FNT also acquired Service Link, a leading provider of title and closing services
to major financial institutions and lenders, including six of the top 10 lending
institutions in the United States ranked by loan origination volume.
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and
uncertainties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about our beliefs
and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on FNF and
FNTs managements beliefs, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available
to, management. Because such statements are based on expectations as to future economic
performance and are not statements of fact, actual results may differ materially from those
projected. FNF and FNT undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether
as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The risks and uncertainties which
forward-looking statements are subject to include, but are not limited to: the possibility that
the transactions described in this press release will not be completed, or will be completed in a
different form or with different effects on holders of the stock of FNF, FNT or FIS than
described, or will not be successful in achieving the goals targeted; changes in general
economic, business and political conditions, including changes in the financial markets; adverse
changes in the level of real estate activity, which may be caused by, among other things, high or
increasing interest rates, a limited supply of mortgage funding or a weak U. S. economy; FNFs
potential inability to find suitable acquisition candidates, acquisitions in lines of business
that will not necessarily be limited to FNFs traditional areas of focus, or difficulties in
integrating acquisitions; FNFs dependence on operating subsidiaries as a source of cash flow;
significant competition that FNFs operating subsidiaries face; compliance with extensive
government regulation of FNFs operating subsidiaries; regulatory investigations of the title
insurance industry; FNTs business concentration in the State of California, the source of over
20% of its title insurance premiums; FNTs dependence on distributions from its title insurance
underwriters as its main source of cash flow; competition from other title insurance companies;
and other risks detailed in the Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information, Risk
Factors and other sections of the FNF and FNT Form 10-Ks and other filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission.
This press release does not constitute an offer of any securities for sale. In connection
with the proposed transaction, FNT will file an information statement and may file a registration
statement and prospectus with the SEC. In addition, FNF will file a proxy statement with the SEC
in connections with its merger with FIS. INVESTORS ARE ADVISED TO READ THESE AND ALL RELATED
DOCUMENTS WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Investors
may obtain a free copy of these materials when they become available from the SECs web site at
www.sec.gov. Free copies of these documents may also be obtained from FNT or FNF by directing a
request to either company at 601 Riverside Avenue, Jacksonville, FL, 32204, Attention: Corporate
Secretary.
FNF and its officers and directors may be deemed, under SEC rules, to be participants in the
solicitation of proxies from FNFs stockholders with respect to the FIS merger. A description of
any interests that any such participant may have in the merger will be available in the proxy
statement. Information concerning FNFs directors and executive officers is set forth in FNFs
annual report on Form 10-K/A filed with the SEC on May 1, 2006. These documents are available
free of charge at the SECs website at www.sec.gov or by going to FNFs Investor Relations page
on its corporate website at www.fnf.com.
SOURCES: Fidelity National Financial, Inc. and Fidelity National Title Group, Inc.
CONTACT: Daniel Kennedy Murphy, Senior Vice President, Finance and Investor Relations, Fidelity
National Financial, Inc., 904-854-8120, dkmurphy@fnf.com