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Green Dot Corporation
Annual Report 2017

GDOT · NYSE Financial Services
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Employees 1150
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FY2017 Annual Report · Green Dot Corporation
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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
__________________________________________________

FORM 10-K

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

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017
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 001-34819

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)

3465 E. Foothill Blvd.
Pasadena, California 91107
(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)

95-4766827
(IRS Employer Identification No.)

(626) 765-2000
(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

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

Class A Common Stock, $0.001 par value
(Title of each class)

New York Stock Exchange
(Name of each exchange on which registered)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes 

 No 

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 

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 

 No 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required 
to be submitted and posted 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 and post such files). Yes 

 No 

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§ 229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will 
not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K 
or any amendment to this Form 10-K. 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a 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. (Check one):

Large accelerated filer 

Accelerated filer 

Non-accelerated filer 

Smaller reporting company 

Emerging growth company 

(Do not check if a smaller reporting company)

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. 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes 

 No 

The aggregate market value of the common equity held by non-affiliates of the registrant (assuming for these purposes, but without conceding, that all 
executive officers, directors and 10% or greater stockholders are "affiliates" of the registrant) as of June 30, 2017, the last business day of the registrant's 
most recently completed second fiscal quarter, was approximately $1.5 billion (based on the closing sale price of the registrant's common stock on that 
date as reported on the New York Stock Exchange).

There were 51,283,678 shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.001 per share as of January 31, 2018.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Portions of the registrant’s proxy statement relating to the registrant’s 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated by reference into Part III of 
this Annual Report on Form 10-K where indicated.

THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK 

GREEN DOT CORPORATION
TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I.

Item 1.

Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Item 1A. Risk Factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Item 2.

Item 3.

Item 4.

Item 5.

Item 6.

Item 7.

Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Legal Proceedings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Mine Safety Disclosures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

PART II.

Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases 
of Equity Securities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Selected Financial Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations . .

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Item 8.

Item 9.

Financial Statements and Supplementary Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure . .

Item 9A. Controls and Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Item 9B. Other Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

PART III.

Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Item 11.

Executive Compensation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Item 12.

Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related 
Stockholder Matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence . . . . . . . . . . . .

Item 14.

Principal Accounting Fees and Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Item 15.

Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Item 16.

Form 10-K Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Signature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

PART IV.

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This report contains forward-looking statements regarding future events and our future results that are subject to 
the safe harbors created under the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”) and the Securities Exchange Act of 
1934 (the “Exchange Act”). All statements other than statements of historical facts are statements that could be deemed 
to  be  forward-looking  statements. These  statements  are  based  on  current  expectations,  estimates,  forecasts  and 
projections about the industries in which we operate and the beliefs and assumptions of our management. Words such 
as “expects,” “anticipates,” “targets,” “goals,” “projects,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “continues,” 
“endeavors,” “strives,” “may” and “assumes,” variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify 
forward-looking statements. In addition, any statements that refer to projections of our future financial performance, 
our anticipated growth and trends in our businesses, and other characterizations of future events or circumstances 
are forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are subject to risks, 
uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult to predict, including those identified below, under “Part I, Item 1A. Risk 
Factors,” and elsewhere herein. Therefore, actual results may differ materially and adversely from those expressed 
in any forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements for 
any reason.

In this report, unless otherwise specified or the context otherwise requires, “Green Dot,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer 
to Green Dot Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries, the term “GPR cards” refers to general purpose reloadable 
prepaid debit cards, the term “prepaid cards” refers to prepaid debit cards and the term “our cards” refers to our Green 
Dot-branded and co-branded GPR cards. In addition, “prepaid financial services” refers to GPR cards and associated 
reload services, a segment of the prepaid card industry.

ITEM 1. Business

Overview

PART I

Green Dot Corporation is a pro-consumer bank holding company and financial technology innovator with a mission 
to reinvent personal banking for the masses. We employ a unique “products and platform” operating model whereby 
we use our banking and technology assets to design, build and distribute our branded financial services products 
directly to consumers through a large-scale omni-channel national distribution platform, while also allowing qualified 
third party partners to access those same banking and technology assets to design, build and distribute their own 
bespoke financial services directly to their consumers through their own distribution platforms. Through our six revenue 
divisions and our subsidiary bank, Green Dot Bank, we are a leading provider of prepaid cards, debit cards, checking 
accounts, secured credit cards, payroll debit cards, consumer cash processing services, wage disbursements and tax 
refund processing services. With approximately 100,000 major name U.S. retail stores selling our products, several 
leading direct-to-consumer websites, thousands of tax preparation offices, several apps available in the two leading 
app stores and distribution through several enterprise-scale “Banking as a Service,” or "BaaS," partnerships, we are 
one  of  the  most  broadly  distributed  banking  franchises  in  the  United  States.  We  are  headquartered  in  Pasadena, 
California, with additional facilities throughout the United States and in Shanghai, China.

As the regulated entity and issuing bank for substantially all products and services we provide, whether our own 
or on behalf of a BaaS platform partner, we are directly accountable for all aspects of each program’s integrity, inclusive 
of ensuring the program’s compliance with all applicable banking regulations, applicable state and federal law and our 
various internal governance policies and procedures related to all areas of risk and compliance, in addition to deploying 
enterprise-class risk management practices and procedures to ensure each program’s initial and ongoing safety and 
soundness.

Acquisitions

In February 2017, we completed our acquisition of all the membership interests of UniRush, LLC to expand our 
online  direct-to-consumer  channel  and  our  emergent  corporate  payroll  card  business.  The  fair  value  of  the  total 
consideration in connection with the acquisition was approximately $163.7 million, which included cash and contingent 
consideration in the form of an earn-out. Additional information regarding the acquisition is included in the information 
set  forth  in  Note  3  -  Business Acquisitions  of  the  consolidated  financial  statements  contained  in  Item  8.  Financial 
Statements and Supplementary Data.

Our products and services

We offer consumers a broad collection of financial products and services managed through several diverse business 
lines which are then made available to consumers through a widely-available “branchless" distribution network in the 
United States. Many of the products and services we internally create and distribute are marketed under the Green 
Dot brand name, which we believe is both a well-known and highly trusted brand name for millions of consumers. Our 
branchless network consists of:

• 

• 

• 

distribution arrangements with approximately 100,000 mostly major chain retail locations, which we refer to 
as “retail distributors” and thousands of neighborhood Financial Service Center locations;

several differently branded, Green Dot-owned and operated direct-to-consumer online and direct mail customer 
acquisition platforms;

corporate distribution partnerships with businesses that provide payroll cards to their employees to receive 
wage disbursements;

•  more than 25,000 small and large tax preparation companies and individual tax preparers, which are sometimes 
referred to as electronic return originators, or “EROs”, who are able to offer our products and services to their 
customers through the use of various tax preparation industry software packages with which our products are 
integrated; 

• 

• 

apps compatible with the iOS and Android operating systems downloaded through the corresponding app 
store; and 

platform partners’ distribution channels that those partners use to acquire customers for their bespoke products 
and services that are powered by our BaaS Platform. 

Our products and services include several deposit account programs, such as network-branded reloadable prepaid 
debit cards marketed under several leading consumer brand names, which we collectively refer to as "GPR cards," 
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consumer checking accounts, small business checking accounts, network-branded gift cards (known as open-loop), 
secured credit cards and other financial services.

We  also  offer  several  products  and  services  that  specialize  in  facilitating  the  movement  of  cash  on  behalf  of 
consumers and businesses. These products and services include: our proprietary swipe reload system for crediting 
cash  onto  an  enabled  payment  card  by  swiping  the  payment  card  at  the  point-of-sale  at  any  Green  Dot  Network 
participating retailer; MoneyPak, a product that allows a consumer to add funds to accounts we issue or accounts 
issued by other United States chartered and regulated third party banks; and e-cash remittance services, a service 
that allows a consumer to transfer funds to a smartphone for fulfillment at a Green Dot participating retailer. We refer 
to these services collectively as our cash transfer products. We also provide disbursement services through our Simply 
Paid platform that enables a payment solution for companies to pay their workforce and customers in the time and 
manner they desire and provide tax refund transfers that provide the processing technology to facilitate receipt of a 
taxpayers' refund proceeds.

Our BaaS Platform

Through our BaaS Platform, we currently power the following types of products and services on behalf of several 

of America’s largest retail, consumer, technology and financial services companies: 

•  Mobile banking;

• 

Loan disbursement accounts;

•  Spend-based Mobile P2P services, such as Apple Pay Cash;

•  Money transfer services;

•  GPR cards;

•  Network branded "open loop" gift cards;

• 

Instant payment and wage disbursements;

•  Small business checking accounts and debit cards; and

•  Consumer checking accounts.

Our Segments and Distribution Channels

Our products and services and BaaS Platform are divided among our two reportable segments: Account Services 
and Processing and Settlement Services. Each segment is comprised of multiple “revenue divisions” that each focus 
on a distinct set of products or distribution channels, as follows:

Account Services 

Consumer Accounts

We offer several deposit account programs that can be acquired through our omni-channel distribution platform. 

These products include:

•  Network-branded reloadable prepaid debit cards marketed under several leading consumer brand names, 

collectively referred to as GPR cards;

• 

Innovative consumer and small business checking account products, such as our GoBank product, that allow 
customers to acquire and manage their checking account entirely through a mobile application available on 
smartphone devices; and

•  Network-branded gift cards (known as open-loop) that are sold at participating retail stores.

Green Dot Direct

We also offer GPR cards, checking accounts products and secured credit cards directly to consumers through 
several  different  online  direct-to-consumer  websites.  Our  direct-to-consumer  websites  include:  greendot.com; 
walmartmoneycard.com; rushcard.com; accountnow.com; achievecard.com; gobank.com; and ReadyDebit.com. 

Consumer Credit Card

We  offer  a  secured  credit  card  nationwide  on  a  direct-to-consumer  basis  via  both  greendot.com/platinum  and 
securedcardchoice.com. Our fairly-price secured credit cards are designed to help people establish or rehabilitate their 
national credit bureau score. The credit line offered to the customer is backed by the customer's own security deposit 

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held on deposit at Green Dot Bank or other banks in accounts held under our control. As such, we have no risk of 
material loss resulting from the customer's non-payment of their obligation. As the customer successfully uses their 
credit card and repays their obligations in accordance with the card’s terms and conditions, that successful repayment 
history is reported to the national credit bureaus which, in turn, can help improve the customer’s overall credit score. 
Customers have the option of funding their security deposits with cash and making monthly payments at Green Dot 
Network retail locations.

PayCard and Corporate Disbursement

We offer payroll cards and other wage disbursement services to over 2,500 corporate customers, such as Einstein 

Bagels, Nordstrom and Rite Aid. Our solutions address both the W-2 and 1099 work force.

Green Dot Bank

Through our subsidiary bank, Green Dot Bank, we offer issuing, settlement and capital management services 
principally to support those applicable products across all six revenue divisions in both reporting segments. Our banking 
services include:

• 

Issuing services as the payment network member bank and settlement bank for our GPR card, spend-based 
P2P programs, gift card and checking account products;

•  Credit card issuing and capital lending services for our Green Dot Platinum Visa Secured Credit Card; and

•  Settlement bank for our reload and tax refund services within our Processing and Settlement Services segment.

Green Dot Bank also generates interest income through management of its capital and the increasing deposits it 
receives in respect of our products and services as well as the products and services we enable for BaaS platform 
partners.

Products within our Account Services segment are generally issued by Green Dot Bank. As a result of acquisitions 

over the past few years, we also manage programs issued by third-party issuing banks.

Processing and Settlement Services 

Money Processing

We  offer  several  products  and  services  that  all  specialize  in  facilitating  the  movement  of  funds  on  behalf  of 

consumers and businesses. These products and services include:

•  Our “Reload@TheRegister” swipe reload service allows consumers to add funds to accounts we issue or 
manage  and  accounts  issued  by  any  third  party  bank  or  program  manager,  which  we  refer  to  as  network 
acceptance members, that has enabled its cards to accept funds through our processing system. 

•  Our MoneyPak PIN product provides consumers the ability to add funds to accounts we issue or manage and 
accounts issued by any third party bank or program manager that has enabled its cards to accept funds through 
our processing system. 

•  Our e-cash remittance service enables consumers to add funds to accounts we issue or manage and accounts 
issued by any third party bank or program manager that has enabled its accounts to accept funds through our 
processing system. Consumers can also cash-out money sent to them by a business through the use of our 
e-cash remittance service when Green Dot sends a unique barcode to the customer’s smartphone, which is 
then presented to a cashier at a participating retailer who then scans the barcode to fulfill the transfer. 

•  Our Simply Paid Disbursement service that enables wages and any type of authorized funds disbursement to 
be sent to accounts we issue or manage and accounts issued by any third party bank or program manager 
that has enabled its cards to accept funds through our processing system.

Tax Processing

We offer several services designed for participants in the tax industry. Those services include:

•  Tax refund transfers that provide the processing technology to facilitate receipt of a taxpayers' refund proceeds. 
When a customer of a third party tax preparation provider chooses to pay their tax preparation fees using our 
processing  services,  we  deduct  the  tax  preparation  service  fee  and  our  processing  service  fee  from  the 
customer's refund, and remit the remaining balance to the customer's account;

•  Small business lending to independent tax preparation providers that seek small loans in order to help provide 

working capital in advance of generating income during the tax filing season;

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•  GPR card offerings that are integrated into the tax preparation software that enables a tax preparation provider 
to offer its customers a Green Dot Bank-issued GPR card for the purpose of receiving tax refunds more rapidly 
and securely than check disbursements; and

•  Fast Cash Advance, a consumer-friendly loan that enables tax refund recipients utilizing our tax processing 
services the opportunity to receive a portion of their expected tax refund amount in advance of receiving their 
actual tax refund. 

Financial  information  regarding  our  segments  and  the  products  and  services  thereunder  are  included  in  the 
information set forth in Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations 
and Note 23 - Segment Information of the consolidated financial statements contained in Item 8. Financial Statements 
and Supplementary Data. 

Our Relationship with Walmart

Walmart is our largest retail distributor. Green Dot Corporation has been the provider of Walmart-branded GPR 
cards sold at Walmart since the initiation of the Walmart MoneyCard program in 2007, and Green Dot Bank has been 
the issuer of those card accounts since early 2014. Pursuant to our agreement with Walmart, Green Dot designs and 
delivers the Walmart MoneyCard product and provides all ongoing program support, including network IT, regulatory 
and legal compliance, website functionality, customer service and loss management. Walmart provides us with shelf 
space to display and offer the card accounts to consumers. As the issuing bank, Green Dot Bank holds the associated 
FDIC-insured deposits. All Walmart MoneyCard products are reloadable exclusively on the Green Dot Network. In 
addition to Walmart MoneyCards, we offer our Green Dot-branded cards and our GoBank checking account product 
at Walmart, providing consumers the choice to purchase either Green Dot-branded products or Walmart MoneyCard 
products. Our operating revenues derived from the several products and services we offer through Walmart stores and 
other Walmart distribution avenues in aggregate represented approximately 40%, 45%, and 46% of our total operating 
revenues for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015, respectively. 

Seasonality

In  the  industries  for  prepaid  financial  services  and  tax  refund  processing,  companies  commonly  experience 
seasonal fluctuations in revenue. For example, in recent years, our results of operations for the first half of each year 
have been favorably affected by large numbers of taxpayers electing to receive their tax refunds via direct deposit on 
our cards, which caused our operating revenues to be typically higher in the first halves of those years than they were 
in the corresponding second halves of those years. Additionally, our tax refund processing services business is highly 
seasonal as it generates the substantial majority of its revenue in the first quarter, and substantially all of its revenue 
in the first half of each calendar year. We expect our revenue to continue to fluctuate based on seasonal factors that 
affect the prepaid financial services and tax refund processing industries as a whole.

Competition

Our core businesses include the offering of prepaid cards of various types and for various purposes, checking 
accounts and debit cards and various types of financial technology and transaction processing services to a wide range 
of  consumers  through  broad-based,  national  distribution  platform.  Consequently,  we  compete  against  companies 
across the retail banking, financial services, transaction processing, consumer technology and financial technology 
services industries. In addition to the direct competitors described below, we compete for access to retail distribution 
channels, allocation of shelf space within those retail distributors, and for the attention of consumers at the retail level 
and online.  Furthermore, many of our competitors are entities substantially larger in size, more highly diversified in 
revenue and substantially more established in age with significantly more broadly known brand awareness than ours.  
As such, many of our competitors can leverage their size, financial wherewithal, brand awareness, pricing power and 
technological assets to compete with us.

Prepaid Card Issuance and Program Management

We offer deposit account card programs that directly compete with other banks that issue prepaid cards and other 
program managers that provide turn-key services for prepaid card programs. Primary competitors in this business 
include traditional credit, debit and prepaid card account issuers and prepaid card program managers like Chase, 
USBank, American  Express,  First  Data,  NetSpend/TSYS,  InComm,  Western  Union,  MoneyGram,  and  Blackhawk 
Network Inc. In addition, from time to time, new entrants introduce prepaid card products or other products that seek 
to target similar customers that could increase competition in this market. We also provide program management and 
other capabilities to our platform partners utilizing our BaaS platform and may compete with others in the market who 
may now provide or may in the future provide a similar offering.

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Money Processing

We offer our POS swipe reload proprietary products, which enable cash loading and transfer services through our 
Green Dot Network. We also offer wage and other disbursement services through our Simply Paid platform. A growing 
number of companies are attempting to establish and grow their own money processing networks. In this market, new 
companies, or alliances among existing companies, may be formed that rapidly achieve a significant market position. 
Many of these companies are substantially larger than we are and have greater resources, larger and more diversified 
customer bases and greater name recognition than we do. Our primary competitors in the reload network services 
market  are:  Visa,  Western  Union,  MoneyGram,  Blackhawk  Network,  Inc.,  and  InComm.  Visa  has  broad  brand 
recognition and a large base of merchant acquiring and card issuing banks. Western Union, MoneyGram, Blackhawk 
Network, Inc., and InComm each have a national network of retail and/or agent locations. In addition, we compete for 
consumers  and  billers  with  financial  institutions  that  provide  their  retail  customers  with  billing,  payment  and  funds 
transfer  services.  Many  of  these  institutions  are  substantially  larger  and  have  greater  resources,  larger  and  more 
diversified customer bases and greater brand recognition than we do.

Tax Refund Processing

Our tax refund processing services compete directly with similar processing technologies and settlement capabilities 
offered by companies such as Refundo, Refund Advantage, Republic Bank and others. Furthermore, other entities, 
like  Jackson  Hewitt  and  H&R  Block,  have  either  fully  or  partially  internally-developed  processing  and  settlement 
capabilities to self-provide services similar to ours.  It is possible that our current or potentially new distribution partners 
may seek to develop their own internal capabilities that compete with our tax refund processing services.

Consumer Banking Services

With our GoBank and 5% Cash-Back Visa Debit Card products, we have expanded into the market for consumer 
checking  accounts.  In  this  market  we  compete  against  a  wide  range  of  both  traditional  and  non-traditional  banks, 
including the largest banks. Many of these banks have greater resources, larger and more diversified customer bases 
and  greater  brand  recognition  than  we  do.  Many  of  these  banks  also  have  other  assets  that  could  give  them  an 
advantage, including broader ranges of product offerings and/or retail branch networks. We believe that our consumer 
checking account products are differentiated by their innovative technological features, innovative distribution model, 
consumer-friendly pricing, and branding.

Intellectual Property

We rely on a combination of patent, trademark and copyright laws and trade secret protections in the United States, 
as well as confidentiality procedures and contractual provisions, to protect the intellectual property rights related to our 
products and services.

We own several trademarks, including Green Dot and GoBank. Through agreements with our network acceptance 
members, retail distributors and customers, we authorize and monitor the use of our trademarks in connection with 
their activities with us.

Our patent portfolio currently consists of 11 issued patents and 14 patent applications pending. The term of the 
patents we hold is, on average, twenty years. We feel our patents and applications are important to our business and 
help to differentiate our products and services from those of our competitors.

The industries in which we compete are characterized by rapidly changing technology, a large number of patents, 
and  frequent  claims  and  related  litigation  regarding  patent  and  other  intellectual  property  rights. There  can  be  no 
assurance that our patents and other proprietary rights will not be challenged, invalidated, or circumvented; that others 
will not assert intellectual property rights to technologies that are relevant to us; or that our rights will give us a competitive 
advantage. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries may not protect our proprietary rights to the same extent 
as the laws of the United States. The risks associated with patents and intellectual property are more fully discussed 
in “Item 1A. Risk Factors,” including the risk factors entitled “We must adequately protect our brand and our intellectual 
property rights related to our products and services and avoid infringing on the proprietary rights of others,” and “We 
must be able to operate and scale our technology effectively.”

Regulation

Compliance  with  legal  and  regulatory  requirements  is  a  highly  complex  and  integral  part  of  our  day-to-day 
operations. Our products and services are generally subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations, including:

• 

anti-money laundering laws;

•  money transfer and payment instrument licensing regulations;

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• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

escheatment laws;

privacy and information safeguard laws;

banking regulations; 

stored value and credit card laws; and

consumer protection laws.

These laws are often evolving and the extent to which they apply to us, our subsidiary bank or the banks that issue 
our cards, our retail distributors, our tax preparation partners, our network acceptance members or our third-party 
processors is at times unclear. Any failure to comply with applicable law - either by us or by the card issuing banks, 
retail distributors, tax preparation partners, network acceptance members or third-party processors, over which we 
have limited legal and practical control - could result in restrictions on our ability to provide our products and services, 
as well as the imposition of civil fines and criminal penalties and the suspension or revocation of a license or registration 
required to sell our products and services.

We  continually  monitor  and  enhance  our  compliance  program  to  stay  current  with  the  most  recent  legal  and 
regulatory changes. We also continue to implement policies and programs and to adapt our business practices and 
strategies to help us comply with current legal standards, as well as with new and changing legal requirements affecting 
particular services or the conduct of our business generally. These programs include dedicated compliance personnel 
and training and monitoring programs, as well as support and guidance to our business partners on matters of regulatory 
compliance programs and best practices.

Anti-Money Laundering Laws

Our products and services are generally subject to federal anti-money laundering laws, including the Bank Secrecy 
Act, as amended by the USA PATRIOT Act, and similar state laws. On an ongoing basis, these laws require us, among 
other things, to:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

report large cash transactions and suspicious activity;

screen transactions against the U.S. government’s watch-lists, such as the Specially Designated Nationals 
and Blocked Persons List maintained by the Office of Foreign Assets Control;

prevent the processing of transactions to or from certain countries, individuals, nationals and entities;

identify  the  dollar  amounts  loaded  or  transferred  at  any  one  time  or  over  specified  periods  of  time,  which 
requires the aggregation of information over multiple transactions;

gather and, in certain circumstances, report customer information;

comply with consumer disclosure requirements; and

register or obtain licenses with state and federal agencies in the United States and seek registration of our 
retail distributors and network acceptance members when necessary.

Anti-money laundering regulations are constantly evolving. We continuously monitor our compliance with anti-
money laundering regulations and implement policies and procedures in order to comply with the most current legal 
requirements. We cannot predict how these future regulations might affect us. Complying with future regulation could 
be expensive or require us to change the way we operate our business.

We are registered with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN, as a money services business. As 
a  result  of  being  so  registered,  we  have  established  anti-money  laundering  compliance  programs  that  include:  (i) 
internal  policies  and  controls;  (ii)  designation  of  a  compliance  officer;  (iii)  ongoing  employee  training  and  (iv)  an 
independent  review  function.  We  have  developed  and  implemented  compliance  programs  comprised  of  policies, 
procedures, systems and internal controls to monitor and address various legal requirements and developments. To 
assist  in  managing  and  monitoring  money  laundering  risks,  we  continue  to  enhance  our  anti-money  laundering 
compliance  program.  We  offer  our  services  largely  through  our  retail  distributor  and  network  acceptance  member 
relationships. We have developed an anti-money laundering training manual and a program to assist in educating our 
retail distributors on applicable anti-money laundering laws and regulations.

Money Transmitter Licensing Regulations

We are subject to money transmitter licensing regulations. We have obtained licenses to operate as a money 
transmitter in 41 states, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.. The remaining U.S. jurisdictions either do not currently 
regulate money transmitters or the money transmitter laws of those jurisdictions do not require us to obtain a license 

6

in connection with the conduct of our business. As a licensee, we are subject to certain restrictions and requirements, 
including reporting, net worth and surety bonding requirements and requirements for regulatory approval of controlling 
stockholders, agent locations and consumer forms and disclosures. Many states require that we must at all times 
maintain cash and highly rated investment securities in an amount equivalent to all outstanding settlement obligations. 
We are also subject to inspection by the regulators in the jurisdictions in which we are licensed, many of which conduct 
regular examinations.

Escheatment Laws

Unclaimed property laws of every U.S. jurisdiction require that we track certain information on our card products 
and services and that, if customer funds are unclaimed at the end of an applicable statutory abandonment period, the 
proceeds of the unclaimed property be remitted to the appropriate jurisdiction. We manage escheatment law compliance 
with respect to our card products and services and have an ongoing program to comply with those laws. Statutory 
abandonment periods applicable to our card products and services typically range from three to seven years.

Privacy and Information Safeguard Laws

In the ordinary course of our business, we collect certain types of data, which subjects us to certain privacy and 
information security laws in the United States, including, for example, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999, or the GLB 
Act, and other laws or rules designed to regulate consumer information and mitigate identity theft. We are also subject 
to  privacy  laws  of  various  states.  These  state  and  federal  laws  impose  obligations  with  respect  to  the  collection, 
processing, storage, disposal, use and disclosure of personal information, and require that financial institutions have 
in place policies regarding information privacy and security. In addition, under federal and certain state financial privacy 
laws, we must provide notice to consumers of our policies and practices for sharing nonpublic information with third 
parties, provide advance notice of any changes to our policies and, with limited exceptions, give consumers the right 
to prevent use of their nonpublic personal information and disclosure of it to unaffiliated third parties. Certain state laws 
may, in some circumstances, require us to notify affected individuals of security breaches of computer databases that 
contain  their  personal  information. These  laws  may  also  require  us  to  notify  state  law  enforcement,  regulators  or 
consumer reporting agencies in the event of a data breach, as well as businesses and governmental agencies that 
own  data.  In  order  to  comply  with  the  privacy  and  information  safeguard  laws,  we  have  confidentiality/information 
security standards and procedures in place for our business activities and with network acceptance members and our 
third-party vendors and service providers. Privacy and information security laws evolve regularly, requiring us to adjust 
our compliance program on an ongoing basis and presenting compliance challenges.

Banking Regulations

We became a bank holding company in December 2011, as a result of our acquisition of Bonneville Bancorp, the 
holding company of Bonneville Bank, a state-chartered Utah bank, which was renamed Green Dot Bank after the 
acquisition. We and our subsidiary bank are extensively regulated under federal and state laws, which, in general, 
results in increased compliance costs and other expenses, as we and our subsidiary bank are required to undergo 
regular on-site examinations and to comply with additional reporting requirements. As a bank holding company, we 
are subject to the supervision of, and inspection by, the Federal Reserve Board and the State of Utah Department of 
Financial Institutions and are subject to certain regulations which, among other things, restrict our business and the 
activities in which we may engage. 

Activities. Federal laws restrict the types of activities in which bank holding companies may engage, and subject 
them to a range of supervisory requirements, including regulatory enforcement actions for violations of laws and policies. 
Bank holding companies may engage in the business of banking and managing and controlling banks, as well as 
closely related activities. In addition, financial holding companies may engage in a wider set of activities, including with 
respect to securities activities and investments in companies engaged in nonbanking activities. The business activities 
that we currently conduct are permissible activities for bank holding companies under U.S. law, and we do not expect 
the limitations described above will adversely affect our current operations or materially restrict us from engaging in 
activities that are currently contemplated by our business strategies. It is possible, however, that these restrictions 
could limit our ability to enter other businesses in which we may wish to engage at some time in the future. It is also 
possible that in the future these laws may be amended in ways, or new laws or regulations may be adopted, that 
adversely affect our ability to engage in our current or additional businesses.

Even if our activities are permissible for a bank holding company, as discussed under “— Capital Adequacy” below, 
the Federal Reserve Board has the authority to order a bank holding company or its subsidiaries to terminate any 
activity or to require divestiture of ownership or control of a subsidiary in the event that it has reasonable cause to 
believe that the activity or continued ownership or control poses a serious risk to the financial safety, soundness or 
stability of the bank holding company or any of its bank subsidiaries.

7

Dividend Restrictions. Bank holding companies are subject to various restrictions that may affect their ability to 
pay dividends. Federal and state banking regulations applicable to bank holding companies and banks generally require 
that dividends be paid from earnings and, as described under “— Capital Adequacy” below, require minimum levels 
of capital, which limits the funds available for payment of dividends. Other restrictions include the Federal Reserve 
Board’s general policy that bank holding companies should pay cash dividends on common stock only out of net income 
available to stockholders for the preceding year or four quarters and only if the prospective rate of earnings retention 
is consistent with the organization’s expected future needs and financial condition, including the needs of each of its 
bank subsidiaries. In the current financial and economic environment, the Federal Reserve Board has indicated that 
bank holding companies should carefully review their dividend policies and has discouraged dividend pay-out ratios 
that are at the 100% level unless both their asset quality and capital are very strong. A bank holding company also 
should not maintain a dividend level that places undue pressure on the capital of its bank subsidiaries, or that may 
undermine the bank holding company’s ability to serve as a source of strength for its bank subsidiaries. See “— Source 
of Strength” below.

Capital Adequacy.  Bank  holding  companies  and  banks  are  subject  to  various  requirements  relating  to  capital 
adequacy, including limitations on leverage. As a bank holding company that is a financial holding company, we are 
required to be “well-capitalized,” meaning we must maintain certain capital and leverage requirements. Our subsidiary 
bank is also subject to separate liquidity requirements that we have committed to with the Federal Reserve Board and 
Utah  Department  of  Financial  Institutions. As  of  December 31,  2017,  we  and  our  subsidiary  bank  are  each  “well-
capitalized” under the above standards and presently exceed our respective capital and leverage commitments. 

Under the regulatory framework that Congress has established and bank regulators have implemented, banks are 
either  “well-capitalized,”  “adequately  capitalized,”  “undercapitalized,”  “significantly  undercapitalized”  or  “critically 
undercapitalized.” Banks are generally subject to greater restrictions and supervision than bank holding companies, 
and these restrictions increase as the financial condition of the bank worsens. For instance, a bank that is not well-
capitalized may not accept, renew or roll over brokered deposits without the consent of the FDIC. If our subsidiary 
bank were to become less than adequately capitalized, the bank would need to submit to bank regulators a capital 
restoration plan that was guaranteed by us, as its bank holding company. The bank would also likely become subject 
to further restrictions on activities, such as entering into new lines of business, or would be required to conduct activities 
that have the effect of limiting asset growth or preventing acquisitions. A bank that is undercapitalized would also be 
prohibited from making capital distributions, including dividends, and from paying management fees to its bank holding 
company  if  the  institution  would  be  undercapitalized  after  any  such  distribution  or  payment.  A  significantly 
undercapitalized institution would be subject to mandatory capital raising activities, restrictions on interest rates paid 
and transactions with affiliates, removal of management and other restrictions. The FDIC has only very limited discretion 
in dealing with a critically undercapitalized institution and is virtually required to appoint a receiver or conservator. 

For  more  information  on  regulatory  capital  rules  and  capital  composition,  see “Management's  Discussion  and 
Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations--Capital Management" below and Note 21 — Regulatory 
Requirements to the Consolidated Financial Statements included herein, which are incorporated by reference in this 
Item 1.

Source of Strength. Under Federal Reserve Board policy, bank holding companies are expected to act as a source 
of strength to their bank subsidiaries and to commit resources to support each such subsidiary. This support may 
theoretically be required by the Federal Reserve Board at times when the bank holding company might otherwise 
determine not to provide it. As noted above, if a bank becomes less than adequately capitalized, it would need to submit 
an acceptable capital restoration plan that, in order to be acceptable, would need to be guaranteed by the parent 
holding company. In the event of a bank holding company’s bankruptcy, any commitment by the bank holding company 
to a federal bank regulator to maintain the capital of a subsidiary bank would be assumed by the bankruptcy trustee 
and entitled to a priority of payment. In addition, under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection 
Act of 2010, or the Dodd-Frank Act, the Federal Reserve Board is required to adopt new regulations formally requiring 
bank holding companies to serve as a source of strength to their subsidiary depository institutions. The Federal Reserve 
Board has not yet proposed rules to implement this requirement.

Acquisitions of Bank Holding Companies. Under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (the "BHC 
Act") and the Change in Bank Control Act, and their respective implementing regulations, Federal Reserve Board 
approval is necessary prior to any person or company acquiring control of a bank or bank holding company, subject 
to certain exceptions. Control is conclusively presumed to exist if an individual or company acquires 25% or more of 
any class of voting securities, and may be presumed to exist if a person acquires 10% or more of any class of voting 
securities. These restrictions could affect the willingness or ability of a third party to acquire control of us for so long 
as we are a bank holding company particularly if the third party was not also a bank holding company.

8

Deposit Insurance and Deposit Insurance Assessments. Deposits accepted by banks, such as our subsidiary bank, 
have  the  benefit  of  FDIC  insurance  up  to  the  applicable  limits. The  FDIC’s  Deposit  Insurance  Fund  is  funded  by 
assessments on insured depository institutions, the level of which depends on the risk category of an institution and 
the amount of insured deposits that it holds. These rates currently range from 1.5 to 40 basis points on deposits. The 
FDIC may increase or decrease the assessment rate schedule, and has in the past required and may in the future 
require banks to prepay their estimated assessments for future periods. The Dodd-Frank Act changes the method of 
calculating  deposit  assessments,  requiring  the  FDIC  to  assess  premiums  on  the  basis  of  assets  less  tangible 
stockholders’ equity. The FDIC has indicated that this change will likely result in a lower assessment rate because of 
the larger assessment base. 

Community Reinvestment Act. The Community Reinvestment Act of 1977, or CRA, and the regulations promulgated 
by the FDIC to implement the CRA are intended to ensure that banks meet the credit needs of their respective service 
areas,  including  low  and  moderate  income  communities  and  individuals,  consistent  with  safe  and  sound  banking 
practices. The CRA regulations also require the banking regulatory authorities to evaluate a bank’s record in meeting 
the needs of its service area when considering applications to establish new offices or consummate any merger or 
acquisition transaction. The federal banking agencies are required to rate each insured institution’s performance under 
the CRA and to make that information publicly available. Our subsidiary bank currently complies with the CRA through 
investments and other activities that are designed to benefit the needs of low and moderate income communities.

Restrictions on Transactions with Affiliates and Insiders. Transactions between a bank and its nonbanking affiliates 
are regulated by the Federal Reserve Board. These regulations limit the types and amount of these transactions, 
require certain levels of collateral for loans to affiliated parties and generally require those transactions to be on an 
arm’s-length basis. As a bank holding company, transactions between Green Dot Bank and us, including our nonbanking 
subsidiaries, are limited by these regulations, although we do not anticipate that these restrictions will adversely affect 
our  ability  to  conduct  our  current  operations  or  materially  prohibit  us  from  engaging  in  activities  that  are  currently 
contemplated by our business strategies.

Issuing Banks. All of the GPR cards that we provide and the Walmart gift cards we service are issued by Green 
Dot Bank or either a federally- or state-chartered third-party bank. Thus, we are subject to the oversight of the regulators 
for, and certain laws applicable to, these card issuing banks. These banking laws require us, as a servicer to the banks 
that issue our cards, to among other things, undertake compliance actions similar to those described under “Anti-
Money Laundering Laws” above and comply with the privacy regulations promulgated under the GLB Act as discussed 
under “Privacy and Information Safeguard Laws” above. Our subsidiary bank is subject to the additional regulatory 
oversight and legal obligations described above, in its capacity as issuing bank of our GPR cards.

Other. The policies of regulatory authorities, including the monetary policy of the Federal Reserve Board, have a 
significant  effect  on  the  operating  results  of  bank  holding  companies  and  their  subsidiaries.  Moreover,  additional 
changes to banking laws and regulations are possible in the near future. 

Consumer Protection Laws

We are subject to state and federal consumer protection laws, including laws prohibiting unfair and deceptive 
practices, regulating electronic fund transfers and protecting consumer nonpublic information. We believe that we have 
appropriate procedures in place for compliance with these consumer protection laws, but many issues regarding our 
service have not yet been addressed by the federal and state agencies charged with interpreting the applicable laws.

In order to permit the direct deposit of Federal benefits and other Federal funds to our products, we comply with 
the requirements of the Electronic Fund Transfer Act of the Federal Reserve Board, or Regulation E, as they relate to 
payroll cards, including disclosure of the terms of our electronic fund transfer services to consumers prior to their use 
of the service, 21 days' advance notice of material changes, specific error resolution procedures and timetables, and 
limits on customer liability for transactions that are not authorized by the consumer.

State and federal legislators and regulatory authorities are increasingly focused on the banking and consumer 
financial services industries, and may propose and adopt new legislation that could result in significant adverse changes 
in the regulatory landscape for financial institutions and financial services companies. If new regulations or laws result 
in changes in the way we are regulated, these regulations could expose us to increased regulatory oversight, more 
burdensome  regulation  of  our  business,  and  increased  litigation  risk,  each  of  which  could  increase  our  costs  and 
decrease our operating revenues. Furthermore, limitations placed on fees we charge or the disclosures that must be 
provided with respect to our products and services could increase our costs and decrease our operating revenues.

Payment Networks

In order to provide our products and services, we, as well as our subsidiary bank, Green Dot Bank, are contracted 
members with Visa and MasterCard and, as a result, are subject to payment network rules that could subject us to a 
9

variety  of  fines  or  penalties  that  may  be  levied  by  the  payment  networks  for  certain  acts  or  omissions.  Visa  and 
MasterCard set the standards with which we and the card issuing banks must comply.

Employees

As of December 31, 2017, we had 1,152 employees, including 587 in general and administrative, 53 in sales and 
marketing, and 512 in research and product development. None of our employees is represented by a labor union or 
is covered by a collective bargaining agreement. We have never experienced any employment-related work stoppages 
and consider relations with our employees to be good. 

Other Information

We were incorporated in Delaware in 1999 and became a bank holding company under the BHC Act and a member 

bank of the Federal Reserve System in December 2011. 

Our principal executive offices are located at 3465 East Foothill Boulevard, Pasadena, California 91107, and our 

telephone number is (626) 765-2000. 

We maintain a website at www.greendot.com. We make available free of charge, on or through our website via 
the Investor Relations section at ir.greendot.com, our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, 
current reports on Form 8-K, and all amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) 
of the Exchange Act as soon as reasonably practicable after filing such material electronically or otherwise furnishing 
it to the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC. References to website addresses in this report are intended 
to be inactive textual references only, and none of the information contained on our website is part of this report or 
incorporated in this report by reference.

10

ITEM 1A. Risk Factors

Risks Related to Our Business

Our operating results may fluctuate in the future, which could cause our stock price to decline.

Our quarterly and annual results of operations may fluctuate in the future as a result of a variety of factors, many 
of which are outside of our control. If our results of operations fall below the expectations of investors or any securities 
analysts  who  follow  our  Class A  common  stock,  the  trading  price  of  our  Class A  common  stock  could  decline 
substantially. Fluctuations in our quarterly or annual results of operations might result from a number of factors, including, 
but not limited to:

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• 

• 

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• 

the timing and volume of purchases, use and reloads of our prepaid cards and other products and services;

the timing and volume of tax refunds processed by us, including the impact of any general delays in tax refund 
disbursements from the U.S. and State Treasuries;

the timing and success of new product or service introductions by us or our competitors;

seasonality in the purchase or use of our products and services;

changes in the level of interchange rates that can be charged;

fluctuations in customer retention rates;

changes in the mix of products and services that we sell;

changes in the mix of retail distributors through which we sell our products and services;

the timing of commencement, renegotiation or termination of relationships with significant retail distributors 
and network acceptance members;

the timing of commencement of new product development and initiatives, the timing of costs of existing product 
roll-outs to new retail distributors and the length of time we must invest in those new products, channels or 
retail distributors before they generate material operating revenues;

our ability to effectively sell our products through online and direct mail marketing initiatives;

changes in our or our competitors’ pricing policies or sales terms;

significant changes in our risk policies and controls;

the amount and timing of costs related to fraud losses;

the  amount  and  timing  of  commencement  and  termination  of  major  advertising  campaigns,  including 
sponsorships;

the amount and timing of costs related to the development or acquisition of complementary businesses;

the amount and timing of costs of any major litigation to which we are a party;

disruptions in the performance of our products and services, including interruptions in the services we 

provide to other businesses, and the associated financial impact thereof;

the amount and timing of capital expenditures and operating costs related to the maintenance and expansion 
of our business, operations and infrastructure;

accounting charges related to impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets;

our ability to control costs, including third-party service provider costs and sales and marketing expenses in 
an increasingly competitive market;

volatility in the trading price of our Class A common stock, which may lead to higher or lower stock-based 
compensation expenses; and

changes  in  the  political  or  regulatory  environment  affecting  the  banking  or  electronic  payments  industries 
generally or the industries for prepaid financial services and tax refund processing specifically.

11

The loss of operating revenues from Walmart or any of our largest retail distributors would adversely affect 

our business.

Most of our operating revenues are derived from prepaid financial services sold at our four largest retail distributors. 
As a percentage of total operating revenues, operating revenues derived from products and services sold at the store 
locations of Walmart was approximately 40% for the year ended December 31, 2017. We expect that Walmart will 
continue to have a significant impact on our operating revenues in future periods, particularly in our Account Services 
segment. It would be difficult to replace Walmart and the operating revenues derived from products and services sold 
at their stores. Accordingly, the loss of Walmart would have a material adverse effect on our business and results of 
operations. In addition, any publicity associated with the loss of any of our large retail distributors could harm our 
reputation, making it more difficult to attract and retain consumers and other retail distributors, and could lessen our 
negotiating power with our remaining and prospective retail distributors. 

The term of our Walmart Money Card agreement (which governs the MoneyCard program) expires on May 1, 
2020, unless renewed under its automatic renewal provision which provide for a two-year extension. Our contracts 
with our three other largest retail distributors have terms that expire at various dates through 2021. Our contracts with 
Walmart and our three other largest retail distributors can in limited circumstances, such as our material breach or 
insolvency or, in the case of Walmart, our failure to meet agreed-upon service levels, certain changes in control, and 
our inability or unwillingness to agree to requested pricing changes, be terminated by these retail distributors on relatively 
short  notice.  There  can  be  no  assurance  that  we  will  be  able  to  continue  our  relationships  with  our  largest  retail 
distributors on the same or more favorable terms in future periods or that our relationships will continue beyond the 
terms of our existing contracts with them. Our operating revenues and results of operations could suffer if, among other 
things, any of our retail distributors renegotiates, terminates or fails to renew, or to renew on similar or favorable terms, 
its agreement with us or otherwise chooses to modify the level of support it provides for our products.

Our base of tax preparation partners is concentrated and the performance of our Processing and Settlement 

Services segment depends in part on our ability to retain existing partners. 

If one or more of our major tax preparation partners were to substantially reduce or stop offering our services to 
their customers, our tax refund processing services business, a component of our Processing and Settlement Services 
segment, results of operations and financial condition would be harmed. Substantially all the revenues we generate 
from  our  tax  refund  processing  services  business  have  come  from  sales  through  a  relatively  small  number  of  tax 
preparation firms.  We do not have long-term contractual commitments from any of our current tax preparation partners 
and our tax preparation partners may elect to not renew their contracts with us with little or no advance notice. As a 
result, we cannot be assured that any of our current tax preparation partners will continue to partner with us past the 
terms in their current agreements. A termination of our relationships with certain tax preparation partners that provide 
commercial tax preparation software would result in lost revenue and the loss of the ability to secure future relationships 
with new or existing tax preparation firms that use such tax software.

Our future success depends upon the active and effective promotion of our products and services by retail 
distributors and tax preparation partners, but their interests and operational decisions might not always align 
with our interests.

Most of our operating revenues are derived from our products and services sold at the stores of our retail distributors. 
In addition, a large portion of our Processing and Settlement Services revenues are dependent on tax preparation 
partners as the revenues we generate from our tax refund processing services are largely derived from products and 
services sold through retail tax preparation businesses and income tax software providers. Revenues from our retail 
distributors and tax preparation partners depend on a number of factors outside our control and may vary from period 
to period. Because we compete with many other providers of products and services, including competing prepaid cards 
and tax refund processing services, for placement and promotion of products in the stores of our retail distributors or 
in conjunction with the delivery of tax preparation services by our tax preparation providers, our success depends on 
our  retail  distributors  and  tax  preparation  partners  and  their  willingness  to  promote  our  products  and  services 
successfully. In general, our contracts with these third parties allow them to exercise significant discretion over the 
placement and promotion of our products and services; they could give higher priority to the products and services of 
other companies for a variety of reasons.  Accordingly, losing the support of our retail distributors and tax preparation 
partners might limit or reduce the sales of our products and services. Our operating revenues and operating expenses 
may also be negatively affected by operational decisions by our retail distributors and tax preparation partners. For 
example, if a retail distributor reduces shelf space for our products or implements changes in its systems that disrupt 
the integration between its systems and ours, our product sales could be reduced or decline and we may incur additional 
merchandising costs to ensure our products are appropriately stocked. Similarly, for a variety of reasons, many of our 
tax preparation partners that provide commercial income tax preparation software offer their customers several types 
for tax refund processing services, including those of our competitors. Even if our retail distributors and tax preparation 

12

partners actively and effectively promote our products and services, there can be no assurance that their efforts will 
maintain or result in growth of our operating revenues.

We make significant investments in products and services that may not be successful.

Our prospects for growth depend on our ability to innovate by offering new, and adding value to our existing, product 
and  service  offerings  and  on  our  ability  to  effectively  commercialize  such  innovations.  We  will  continue  to  make 
investments  in  research,  development,  and  marketing  for  new  products  and  services,  such  as  these  or  others. 
Investments in new products and services are speculative. Commercial success depends on many factors, including 
innovativeness, price, the competitive environment and effective distribution and marketing. If customers do not perceive 
our new offerings as providing significant value, they may fail to accept our new products and services, which would 
negatively impact our operating revenues. We may not achieve significant operating revenues from new product and 
service investments for a number of years, if at all. Moreover, new products and services may not be profitable, and 
even if they are profitable, operating margins for new products and services may not be as high as the margins we 
have experienced in the past.

Our  operating  revenues  for  a  particular  period  are  difficult  to  predict,  and  a  shortfall  in  our  operating 

revenues may harm our results of operations.

Our operating revenues for a particular period are difficult to predict. Our total operating revenues may decline or 
grow at a slower rate than in prior periods.  Our ability to meet financial expectations could be adversely affected by 
various factors, such as delays in implementing or realizing expected benefits from revenue growth activities and BaaS 
programs, increased competition within the store locations of many of our largest retail distributors and reputational 
damage and unreimbursed losses associated with disruption in the performance of our products and services.

Our ability to increase card usage and cardholder retention and to attract new long-term users of our products can 
also have a significant effect on our operating revenues. We may be unable to generate increases in card usage, 
cardholder retention or attract new long-term users of our products for a number of reasons, including our inability to 
maintain our existing distribution channels, the failure of our cardholder retention and usage incentives to influence 
cardholder behavior, our inability to predict accurately consumer preferences or industry changes and to modify our 
products and services on a timely basis in response thereto, and our inability to produce new features and services 
that appeal to existing and prospective customers. As a result, our results of operations could vary materially from 
period to period based on the degree to which we are successful in increasing card usage and cardholder retention 
and attracting long-term users of our products.

Either of the above factors could have a material adverse impact on our business, operating results and financial 

condition.

Seasonal fluctuations in the use of our products and services impact our results of operations and cash 

flows.

Our results of operations and cash flows vary from quarter to quarter, and periodically decline, due to the seasonal 
nature of the use of our products and services. For example, in recent years, our results of operations for the first half 
of each year have been favorably affected by large numbers of taxpayers electing to receive their tax refunds via direct 
deposit on our cards, which caused our operating revenues to be typically higher in the first halves of those years than 
they were in the corresponding second halves of those years. Our tax refund processing services business is also 
highly seasonal as it generates the substantial majority of its revenue in the first quarter, and substantially all of its 
revenue in the first half of each calendar year. Additionally, beginning in the first quarter of 2018, we expect our new 
business relationship with Intuit’s TurboTax software to be an incremental driver of active cards and revenue for our 
Account  Services  segment,  particularly  during  tax  season. To  the  extent  that  seasonal  fluctuations  become  more 
pronounced, or are not offset by other factors, our results of operations and cash flows from operating activities could 
fluctuate materially from period to period.

The industries in which we compete are highly competitive, which could adversely affect our results of 

operations.

The prepaid financial services and tax refund services industries are highly competitive and include a variety of 
financial and non-financial services vendors. We expect conditions in the markets in which we compete will remain 
highly competitive. For example, Walmart, CVS and other retail distributors have been selling competitive products at 
their store locations for the past several years. Competition is expected to negatively impact our operating revenues, 
and could cause us to compete on the basis of price or increase our sales and marketing expenses, any of which 
would  likely  seriously  harm  our  business,  results  of  operations  and  financial  condition.  Our  current  and  potential 
competitors include:

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prepaid card program managers, such as American Express, First Data, Total Systems Services, and traditional 
banks, such as J.P. Morgan Chase;

reload network providers, such as Visa, Western Union and MoneyGram; 

prepaid card distributors, such as InComm and Blackhawk Network; and

providers of tax refund processing services, including tax preparation businesses with their own internally-
developed products and services and independent providers, such as Republic Bank & Trust Company.

Some of these vendors compete with us in more than one of the vendor categories described above, while others 
are primarily focused in a single category. In addition, competitors in one category have worked or are working with 
competitors in other categories to compete with us. We also face actual and potential competition from retail distributors 
or from other companies that have decided or may in the future decide to compete, or compete more aggressively, in 
the prepaid financial services industry.  Similarly, some of our tax preparation partners have developed or may seek 
to develop their own products and services that compete with our tax refund processing services.

We also compete with businesses outside of the prepaid financial services industry, including traditional providers 
of financial services, such as banks that offer demand deposit accounts and card issuers that offer credit cards, private 
label retail cards and gift cards. In particular, our GoBank and secured card products are designed to compete directly 
with traditional service providers, such as banks and credit card companies, by providing products and services that 
they have traditionally provided. These and other competitors in the larger electronic payments industry are introducing 
innovative products and services that may compete with ours. We expect that this competition will continue as the 
prepaid financial services industry and the larger banking and electronic payments industry continues to evolve.  We 
also expect to compete with businesses outside the traditional tax refund processing services industry in the future as 
new entrants seek to develop software solutions that may replace the need for our tax refund processing services.

Many existing and potential competitors have longer operating histories and greater name recognition than we do. 
In addition, many of our existing and potential competitors are substantially larger than we are, may already have or 
could develop substantially greater financial and other resources than we have, may offer, develop or introduce a wider 
range of programs and services than we offer or may use more effective advertising and marketing strategies than we 
do  to  achieve  broader  brand  recognition,  customer  awareness  and  retail  penetration.  We  could  also  experience 
increased price competition. If this happens, we expect that the purchase and use of our products and services would 
decline. If price competition materially intensifies, we may have to increase the incentives that we offer to our retail 
distributors and our tax preparation partners and decrease the prices of our products and services, any of which would 
likely adversely affect our results of operations.

Our long-term success depends on our ability to compete effectively against existing and potential competitors 
that seek to provide prepaid cards or other electronic payment products and services or tax refund processing services. 
If we fail to compete effectively against these competitors, our revenues, results of operations, prospects for future 
growth and overall business could be materially and adversely affected.

Acquisitions or investments could disrupt our business and harm our financial condition.

We have in the past acquired, and we expect to acquire in the future, other businesses and technologies. The 
process of integrating an acquired business, product, service or technology can involve a number of special risks and 
challenges, including:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

increased regulatory and compliance requirements;

implementation or remediation of controls, procedures and policies at the acquired company;

diversion of management time and focus from operation of our then-existing business;

integration and coordination of product, sales, marketing, program and systems management functions;

transition of the acquired company’s users and customers onto our systems;

integration  of  the  acquired  company’s  accounting,  information  management,  human  resource  and  other 
administrative systems and operations generally with ours;

integration of employees from the acquired company into our organization;

loss  or  termination  of  employees,  including  costs  associated  with  the  termination  or  replacement  of  those 
employees;

liability for activities of the acquired company prior to the acquisition, including violations of law, commercial 
disputes, and tax and other known and unknown liabilities; and

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• 

increased  litigation  or  other  claims  in  connection  with  the  acquired  company,  including  claims  brought  by 
terminated employees, customers, former stockholders or other third parties.

If we are unable to successfully integrate an acquired business or technology or otherwise address these special 
risks  and  challenges  or  other  problems  encountered  in  connection  with  an  acquisition,  we  might  not  realize  the 
anticipated benefits of that acquisition, we might incur unanticipated liabilities or we might otherwise suffer harm to our 
business generally. Unanticipated costs, delays or other operational or financial problems related to integrating the 
acquired company and business with our company may result in the diversion of our management's attention from 
other business issues and opportunities. To integrate acquired businesses, we must implement our technology systems 
in the acquired operations and integrate and manage the personnel of the acquired operations. We also must effectively 
integrate the different cultures of acquired business organizations into our own in a way that aligns various interests, 
and may need to enter new markets in which we have no or limited experience and where competitors in such markets 
have stronger market positions.  Failures or difficulties in integrating the operations of the businesses that we acquire, 
including their personnel, technology, compliance programs, risk management systems, financial systems, distribution 
and general business operations and procedures, marketing, promotion and other relationships, may affect our ability 
to  grow  and  may  result  in  us  incurring  asset  impairment  or  restructuring  charges.  Furthermore,  acquisitions  and 
investments are often speculative in nature and the actual benefits we derive from them could be lower or take longer 
to materialize than we expect.

To the extent we pay the consideration for any future acquisitions or investments in cash, it would reduce the 
amount  of  cash  available  to  us  for  other  purposes.  Future  acquisitions  or  investments  could  also  result  in  dilutive 
issuances of our equity securities or the incurrence of debt, contingent liabilities, amortization expenses, or goodwill 
impairment charges, any of which could harm our financial condition and negatively impact our stockholders.

Fraudulent and other illegal activity involving our products and services could lead to reputational damage 
to  us,  reduce  the  use  and  acceptance  of  our  cards  and  reload  network,  reduce  the  use  of  our  tax  refund 
processing services, and may adversely affect our financial position and results of operations.

Criminals are using increasingly sophisticated methods to engage in illegal activities involving prepaid cards, reload 
products, checking accounts or customer information. Illegal activities involving our products and services often include 
malicious social engineering schemes, where people are asked to provide a prepaid card or reload product in order 
to obtain a loan or purchase goods or services. Illegal activities may also include fraudulent payment or refund schemes 
and identity theft. We rely upon third parties for transaction processing services, which subjects us and our customers 
to risks related to the vulnerabilities of those third parties. A single significant incident of fraud, or increases in the 
overall level of fraud, involving our cards and other products and services, have in the past and could in the future 
result in reputational damage to us. Such damage could reduce the use and acceptance of our cards and other products 
and services, cause retail distributors or network acceptance members to cease doing business with us or lead to 
greater regulation that would increase our compliance costs. Fraudulent activity could also result in the imposition of 
regulatory  sanctions,  including  significant  monetary  fines,  which  could  adversely  affect  our  business,  results  of 
operations and financial condition. 

In addition, to address the challenges we face with respect to fraudulent activity, we have implemented risk control 
mechanisms that have made it more difficult for all customers, including legitimate customers, to obtain and use our 
products and services. We believe it is likely that our risk control mechanisms may continue to adversely affect our 
new card activations from legitimate customers for the foreseeable future and that our operating revenues will be 
negatively impacted as a result. 

As a bank holding company, we are subject to extensive and potentially changing regulation and may be 
required to serve as a source of strength for Green Dot Bank, which may adversely affect our business, financial 
position and results of operations.

As a bank holding company, we are subject to comprehensive supervision and examination by the Federal Reserve 
Board and the State of Utah Department of Financial Institutions and must comply with applicable regulations and 
other commitments we have agreed to, including financial commitments in respect to minimum capital and leverage 
requirements.  If  we  fail  to  comply  with  any  of  these  requirements,  we  may  become  subject  to  formal  or  informal 
enforcement actions, proceedings, or investigations, which could result in regulatory orders, restrictions on our business 
operations or requirements to take corrective actions, which may, individually or in the aggregate, affect our results of 
operations and restrict our ability to grow. If we fail to comply with the applicable capital and leverage requirements, 
or if our subsidiary bank fails to comply with its applicable capital and leverage commitments, the Federal Reserve 
Board may limit our ability to pay dividends or fund stock repurchases, or if we become less than adequately capitalized, 
require us to raise additional capital. In addition, as a bank holding company and a financial holding company, we are 
generally prohibited from engaging, directly or indirectly, in any activities other than those permissible for bank holding 

15

companies and financial holding companies. This restriction might limit our ability to pursue future business opportunities 
which we might otherwise consider but which might fall outside the scope of permissible activities.

A substantial portion of Green Dot Bank’s deposit liabilities are currently classified as brokered deposits, 
and the failure by Green Dot Bank to maintain its status as a "well-capitalized" institution could have a serious 
adverse effect on Green Dot Bank’s ability to conduct key portions of its current deposit-taking activity.

On January 5, 2015, the FDIC published industry guidance in the form of Frequently Asked Questions (“FAQs”) 
with respect to, among other things, the categorization of deposit liabilities as “brokered” deposits.  This guidance was 
later supplemented on November 13, 2015, and June 30, 2016. Based on this guidance, a vast majority of Green Dot 
Bank’s deposits are currently classified as brokered. If Green Dot Bank ceases to be categorized as “well capitalized” 
under banking regulations, it could be prohibited from accepting, renewing or rolling over brokered deposits without 
the consent of the FDIC. In such a case, the FDIC’s refusal to grant consent to our accepting, renewing or rolling over 
brokered deposits could materially adversely effect the financial condition and operations of Green Dot Bank and the 
Company and could effectively restrict the ability of Green Dot Bank to operate its business lines as presently conducted.

Changes in laws and regulations to which we are subject, or to which we may become subject, may increase 

our costs of operation, decrease our operating revenues and disrupt our business.

The provision of banking services, prepaid financial services and tax refund processing services is highly regulated 
and, from time to time, the laws and regulations affecting these industries, and the manner in which they are interpreted, 
are subject to change and legal action.  Accordingly, changes in laws and regulations or the interpretation or enforcement 
thereof may occur that could increase our compliance and other costs of doing business, require significant systems 
redevelopment, or render our products or services less profitable or obsolete, any of which could have an adverse 
effect  on  our  results  of  operations.  For  example,  we  could  face  more  stringent  anti-money  laundering  rules  and 
regulations, as well as more stringent licensing rules and regulations, compliance with which could be expensive and 
time consuming. In addition, adverse rulings relating to the industries in which we participate could cause our products 
and services to be subject to additional laws and regulations, which could make our products and services less profitable.

If additional regulatory requirements were imposed on the sale of our products and services and our bank, the 
requirements could lead to a loss of retail distributors, tax preparation partners or other business partners, which, in 
turn, could materially and adversely impact our operations. Moreover, if our products are adversely impacted by the 
interpretation or enforcement of these regulations or we or any of our retail distributors or tax preparation partners 
were  unwilling  or  unable  to  make  any  such  operational  changes  to  comply  with  the  interpretation  or  enforcement 
thereof, we would no longer be able to sell our products and services through that noncompliant retail distributor or 
tax preparation partner, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position and results of 
operations.

State and federal legislators and regulatory authorities are increasingly focused on the banking and consumer 
financial services industries, and may propose and adopt new legislation that could result in significant adverse changes 
in the regulatory landscape for financial institutions and financial services companies. 

If new regulations or laws result in changes in the way we are regulated, these regulations could expose us to 
increased regulatory oversight, more burdensome regulation of our business, and increased litigation risk, each of 
which could increase our costs and decrease our operating revenues. Furthermore, limitations placed on fees we 
charge or the disclosures that must be provided with respect to our products and services could increase our costs 
and decrease our operating revenues. 

Changes in laws and regulations, or our failure to comply with existing laws and regulations, applicable 
to our tax refund-related services could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, results of 
operations, and financial condition.

We  derive  a  significant  portion  of  our  total  operating  revenues  and earnings from  tax  refund  processing  and 
settlement services. The tax preparation industry is regulated under a variety of statutes in addition to those regulations 
currently applicable to our prepaid products and services, all of which are subject to change and which may impose 
significant  costs,  limitations  or  prohibitions  on  the  way  we  conduct  or  expand  our  tax  refund  processing  and 
related services.  In recent years, state legislators, state attorneys general, and regulators have increased their focus 
on the tax preparation industry including tax refund processing services and the use thereof by tax preparation firms.  
Laws making such services less profitable, or even unprofitable, could be passed in any state at any time or existing 
laws could expire or be amended, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, results 
of  operations,  and  financial  condition. State  regulators  have  broad  discretionary  power  and  may  impose  new 
requirements, interpret or enforce existing regulatory requirements in different ways or issue new administrative rules, 
even if not contained in state statutes, and state attorneys general could take actions, that affect the way we offer our 

16

tax refund-related services and may force us to terminate, modify, or cease our operations in particular states. State 
or federal regulators could also impose rules that are generally adverse to our tax refund-related services. Any new 
requirements or rules, or new interpretations of existing requirements or rules, or failure to follow requirements or rules, 
or future lawsuits or rulings, could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, results of operations, 
and financial condition.

We  operate  in  a  highly  regulated  environment,  and  failure  by  us,  the  banks  that  issue  our  cards,  the 
businesses that participate in our reload network, the banks that assist with our tax refund processing services, 
and our tax preparation partners to comply with applicable laws and regulations could have an adverse effect 
on our business, financial position and results of operations.

We operate in a highly regulated environment, and failure by us, the banks that issue our cards or the businesses 
that participate in our reload network or other business partners to comply with the laws and regulations to which we 
are subject could negatively impact our business. We are subject to state money transmission licensing requirements 
and a wide range of federal and other state laws and regulations. In particular, our products and services are subject 
to an increasingly strict set of legal and regulatory requirements intended to protect consumers and to help detect and 
prevent money laundering, terrorist financing and other illicit activities.

Many of these laws and regulations are evolving, unclear and inconsistent across various jurisdictions, and ensuring 
compliance with them is difficult and costly. For example, with increasing frequency, federal and state regulators are 
holding  businesses  like  ours  to  higher  standards  of  training,  monitoring  and  compliance,  including  monitoring  for 
possible violations of laws by the businesses that participate in our reload network. Failure by us or those businesses 
to comply with the laws and regulations to which we are or may become subject could result in fines, penalties or 
limitations on our ability to conduct our business, or federal or state actions, any of which could significantly harm our 
reputation  with  consumers  and  other  network  participants,  banks  that  issue  our  cards  and  regulators,  and  could 
materially and adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.

Changes in rules or standards set by the payment networks, such as Visa and MasterCard, or changes in 
debit network fees or products or interchange rates, could adversely affect our business, financial position 
and results of operations.

We are subject to association rules that could subject us to a variety of fines or penalties that may be levied by 
the card associations or networks for acts or omissions by us or businesses that work with us, including card processors, 
such as MasterCard PTS. The termination of the card association registrations held by us or any changes in card 
association or other debit network rules or standards, including interpretation and implementation of existing rules or 
standards, that increase the cost of doing business or limit our ability to provide our products and services could have 
an  adverse  effect  on  our  business,  operating  results  and  financial  condition.  In  addition,  from  time  to  time,  card 
associations may increase the fees that they charge, which could increase our operating expenses, reduce our profit 
margin and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Furthermore, a substantial portion of our operating revenues is derived from interchange fees. For the year ended  
December 31,  2017,  interchange  revenues  represented  29.0%  of  our  total  operating  revenues,  and  we  expect 
interchange revenues to continue to represent a significant percentage of our total operating revenues. The amount 
of interchange revenues that we earn is highly dependent on the interchange rates that the payment networks set and 
adjust from time to time. 

The enactment of the Dodd-Frank Act required the Federal Reserve Board to implement regulations that have 
substantially limited interchange fees for many issuers. While the interchange rates that may be earned by us and our 
subsidiary bank are exempt from the limitations imposed by the Dodd-Frank Act, there can be no assurance that future 
regulation or changes by the payment networks will not impact our interchange revenues substantially. If interchange 
rates decline, whether due to actions by the payment networks or future regulation, we would likely need to change 
our fee structure to offset the loss of interchange revenues. However, our ability to make these changes is limited by 
the terms of our contracts and other commercial factors, such as price competition. To the extent we increase the 
pricing of our products and services, we might find it more difficult to acquire consumers and to maintain or grow card 
usage and customer retention, and we could suffer reputational damage and become subject to greater regulatory 
scrutiny. We also might have to discontinue certain products or services. As a result, our total operating revenues, 
operating results, prospects for future growth and overall business could be materially and adversely affected.

17

Our actual operating results may differ significantly from our guidance.

From time to time, we issue guidance in our quarterly earnings conference calls, or otherwise, regarding our future 
performance that represents our management’s estimates as of the date of release. This guidance, which constitutes 
forward-looking statements, is based upon a number of management's assumptions and estimates that, while presented 
with numerical specificity, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and 
contingencies, many of which are beyond our control, and are based upon specific assumptions with respect to future 
business decisions, some of which will change. While we have stated and we intend to continue to state possible 
outcomes as high and low ranges that are intended to provide a sensitivity analysis as variables are changed, we can 
provide no assurances that actual results will not fall outside of the suggested ranges.

The principal reason that we release guidance is to provide a basis for our management to discuss our business 
outlook with analysts and investors. We do not accept any responsibility for any projections or reports published by 
any of these persons.

Guidance is necessarily speculative in nature, and it can be expected that some or all of the assumptions underlying 
the guidance furnished by us will prove to be incorrect or will vary significantly from actual results. For example, on a 
number of occasions over the last several years we adjusted our revenue guidance when actual results varied from 
our assumptions. Accordingly, our guidance is only an estimate of what management believes is realizable as of the 
date of release. Actual results will vary from our guidance and the variations may be material. 

Any failure to implement our operating strategy successfully or the occurrence of any of the events or circumstances 
set forth in this Item 1A could result in our actual operating results being different from our guidance, and such differences 
may be adverse and material.

We receive important services from third-party vendors. Replacing them would be difficult and disruptive 

to our business.

Some services relating to our business, including fraud management and other customer verification services, 
transaction processing and settlement, card production, and customer service, are outsourced to third-party vendors.  
We also depend on third-party banks to assist with our tax refund processing services.  It would be difficult to replace 
some of our third-party vendors in a timely manner if they were unwilling or unable to provide us with these services 
during the term of their agreements with us and our business and operations could be adversely affected.  In particular, 
due to the seasonality in our business, any material service interruptions or service delays with key vendors during 
the tax season could result in losses that have an even greater adverse effect on that business than would be the case 
with our overall business.

Our business could suffer if there is a decline in the use of prepaid cards as a payment mechanism or 

there are adverse developments with respect to the prepaid financial services industry in general.

As the prepaid financial services industry evolves, consumers may find prepaid financial services to be less attractive 
than traditional or other financial services. Consumers might not use prepaid financial services for any number of 
reasons, including the general perception of our industry. If consumers do not continue or increase their usage of 
prepaid cards, including making changes in the way prepaid cards are loaded, our operating revenues may remain at 
current levels or decline. Any projected growth for the industry may not occur or may occur more slowly than estimated. 
If  consumer  acceptance  of  prepaid  financial  services  does  not  continue  to  develop  or  develops  more  slowly  than 
expected or if there is a shift in the mix of payment forms, such as cash, credit cards, traditional debit cards and prepaid 
cards, away from our products and services, it could have a material adverse effect on our financial position and results 
of operations.

Our business is dependent on the efficient and uninterrupted operation of computer network systems and 

data centers.

Our ability to provide reliable service to customers and other network participants depends on the efficient and 
uninterrupted operation of our computer network systems and data centers as well as those of our retail distributors, 
network acceptance members and third-party processors. Our business involves movement of large sums of money, 
processing of large numbers of transactions and management of the data necessary to do both. Our success in our 
account programs, including our BaaS programs, as well as our processing and settlement services, depends upon 
the efficient and error-free handling of the money that is collected, remitted or deposited in connection with the provision 
of our products and services. We rely on the ability of our employees, systems and processes and those of the banks 
that issue our cards, our retail distributors, tax refund preparation partners, our network acceptance members, other 
business partners and third-party processors to process and facilitate these transactions in an efficient, uninterrupted 
and error-free manner. Their failure to do so could materially and adversely impact our operating revenues and results 

18

of operations, particularly during the tax season, when we derive substantially all of operating revenues for our tax 
refund processing services and a significant portion of our other operating revenues.

Our  systems  are  susceptible  to  outages  and  interruptions  due  to  fire,  natural  disaster,  power  loss, 
telecommunications  failures,  software  or  hardware  defects,  terrorist  attacks  and  similar  events.  Furthermore,  we 
currently ultilize third-party data center hosting facilities located in the United States and other countries.  Interruptions 
in our service may result for a number of reasons. For example, the data center hosting facilities that we use could be 
closed  without  adequate  notice  or  suffer  unanticipated  problems  resulting  in  lengthy  interruptions  in  our  service.  
Moreover, as we continue to add data centers and add capacity in our existing data centers, we could experience 
problems transferring customer accounts and data, impairing the delivery of our service. Any damage to, or failure of, 
our processes or systems generally, or those of our vendors (including as a result of disruptions at our third-party data 
center  hosting  facilities),  or  an  improper  action  by  our  employees,  agents  or  third-party  vendors,  could  result  in 
interruptions in our service, causing customers, retail distributors and other partners to become dissatisfied with our 
products and services or obligate us to issue credits or pay fines or other penalties to them. Sustained or repeated 
process or system failures could reduce the attractiveness of our products and services, including our BaaS platform, 
and result in contract terminations, thereby reducing operating revenue and harming our results of operations. Further, 
negative publicity arising from these types of disruptions could be damaging to our reputation and may adversely 
impact use of our products and services, including our BaaS platform, and adversely affect our ability to attract new 
customers and business partners.  Some of our contracts with retail distributors, including our contract with Walmart, 
contain service level standards pertaining to the operation of our systems, and provide the retail distributor with the 
right to collect damages and potentially to terminate its contract with us for system downtime exceeding stated limits. 
If we face system interruptions or failures, our business interruption insurance may not be adequate to cover the losses 
or damages that we incur.

A data security breach could expose us to liability and protracted and costly litigation, and could adversely 

affect our reputation and operating revenues.

We and our retail distributors, tax preparation partners, network acceptance members, third-party processors and 
the  merchants  that  accept  our  cards  receive,  transmit  and  store  confidential  customer  and  other  information  in 
connection with the sale and use of our products and services. Our encryption software and the other technologies 
we use to provide security for storage, processing and transmission of confidential customer and other information 
may not be effective to protect against data security breaches by third parties. The risk of unauthorized circumvention 
of our security measures has been heightened by advances in computer capabilities and the increasing sophistication 
of hackers. Our retail distributors, tax preparation partners, network acceptance members, other business partners, 
third-party processors and the merchants that accept our cards also may experience similar security breaches involving 
the receipt, transmission and storage of our confidential customer and other information. Improper access to our or 
these third parties’ systems or databases could result in the theft, publication, deletion or modification of confidential 
customer and other information.

A data security breach of the systems on which sensitive cardholder or other customer or end-customer data and 
account information are stored could lead to fraudulent activity involving our products and services, reputational damage 
and claims or regulatory actions against us. If we are sued in connection with any data security breach, we could be 
involved in protracted and costly litigation. If unsuccessful in defending that litigation, we might be forced to pay damages 
and/or change our business practices, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our operating revenues 
and profitability. We would also likely have to pay (or indemnify the banks that issue our cards for) fines, penalties and/
or other assessments imposed by Visa or MasterCard as a result of any data security breach. Further, a significant 
data security breach could lead to additional regulation, which could impose new and costly compliance obligations. 
In addition, a data security breach at one of the third-party banks that issue our cards or at our retail distributors, tax 
preparation partners, network acceptance members, other business partners, third-party processors or the merchants 
that accept our cards could result in significant reputational harm to us and cause the use and acceptance of our cards 
or other products and services to decline, either of which could have a significant adverse impact on our operating 
revenues  and  future  growth  prospects.  Moreover,  it  may  require  substantial  financial  resources  to  address  and 
remediate any such breach, including additional costs for replacement cards, manufacturing, distribution, re-stocking 
fees, fraud monitoring and other added security measures, amongst others, which could have a significant adverse 
impact on our operating results.

Litigation or investigations could result in significant settlements, fines or penalties.

We are subject to regulatory oversight in the normal course of our business, and have been and from time to time 
may be subject to securities class actions and other litigation or regulatory or judicial proceedings or investigations.  
The  outcome  of  litigation  and  regulatory  or  judicial  proceedings  or  investigations  is  difficult  to  predict.  Plaintiffs  or 
regulatory agencies or authorities in these matters may seek recovery of very large or indeterminate amounts, seek 

19

to have aspects of our business suspended or modified or seek to impose sanctions, including significant monetary 
fines. The monetary and other impact of these actions, litigations, proceedings or investigations may remain unknown 
for substantial periods of time. The cost to defend, settle or otherwise resolve these matters may be significant. Further, 
an unfavorable resolution of litigation, proceedings or investigations against us could have a material adverse effect 
on our business, operating results, or financial condition. In this regard, such costs could make it more difficult to 
maintain the capital, leverage and other financial commitments at levels we have agreed to with the Federal Reserve 
Board and the Utah Department of Financial Institutions.  If regulatory or judicial proceedings or investigations were 
to be initiated against us by private or governmental entities, adverse publicity that may be associated with these 
proceedings or investigations could negatively impact our relationships with retail distributors, tax preparation partners, 
network acceptance members, other business partners and card processors and decrease acceptance and use of, 
and loyalty to, our products and related services, and could impact the price of our Class A common stock. In addition, 
such proceedings or investigations could increase the risk that we will be involved in litigation. The outcome of any 
such litigation is difficult to predict and the cost to defend, settle or otherwise resolve these matters may be significant. 
For the foregoing reasons, if regulatory or judicial proceedings or investigations were to be initiated against us by 
private or governmental entities, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected 
or our stock price could decline.

We must adequately protect our brand and our intellectual property rights related to our products and 

services and avoid infringing on the proprietary rights of others.

The Green Dot, GoBank, MoneyPak, TPG and other brands and marks are important to our business, and we 
utilize trademark registrations and other means to protect them. Our business would be harmed if we were unable to 
protect our brand against infringement and its value was to decrease as a result.

We rely on a combination of patent, trademark and copyright laws, trade secret protection and confidentiality and 
license agreements to protect the intellectual property rights related to our products and services. We currently have 
11 issued patents and 14 patent applications pending. Although we generally seek patent protection for inventions and 
improvements that we anticipate will be incorporated into our products and services, there is always a chance that our 
patents  or  patent  applications  could  be  challenged,  invalidated  or  circumvented,  or  that  an  issued  patent  will  not 
adequately cover the scope of our inventions or improvements incorporated into our products or services. Additionally, 
our patents could be circumvented by third-parties.

We may unknowingly violate the intellectual property or other proprietary rights of others and, thus, may be subject 
to claims by third parties. These assertions may increase over time as a result of our growth and the general increase 
in the pace of patent claims assertions, particularly in the United States. Because of the existence of a large number 
of patents in the mobile technology field, the secrecy of some pending patents, and the rapid rate of issuance of new 
patents,  it  is  not  economically  practical  or  even  possible  to  determine  in  advance  whether  a  product  or  any  of  its 
elements infringes or will infringe on the patent rights of others. Regardless of the merit of these claims, we may be 
required to devote significant time and resources to defending against these claims or to protecting and enforcing our 
own rights. We might also be required to develop a non-infringing technology or enter into license agreements and 
there can be no assurance that licenses will be available on acceptable terms and conditions, if at all. Some of our 
intellectual property rights may not be protected by intellectual property laws, particularly in foreign jurisdictions. The 
loss of our intellectual property or the inability to secure or enforce our intellectual property rights or to defend successfully 
against an infringement action could harm our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects.

We are exposed to losses from customer accounts.

Fraudulent activity involving our products may lead to customer disputed transactions, for which we may be liable 
under  banking  regulations  and  payment  network  rules.  Our  fraud  detection  and  risk  control  mechanisms  may  not 
prevent all fraudulent or illegal activity. To the extent we incur losses from disputed transactions, our business, results 
of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.

Additionally, our cardholders can incur charges in excess of the funds available in their accounts, and we may 
become liable for these overdrafts. While we decline authorization attempts for amounts that exceed the available 
balance in a cardholder’s account, the application of card association rules, the timing of the settlement of transactions 
and the assessment of the card’s monthly maintenance fee, among other things, can result in overdrawn accounts.

Maintenance fee assessment overdrafts occur as a result of our charging a cardholder, pursuant to the card’s 
terms and conditions, the monthly maintenance fee at a time when he or she does not have sufficient funds in his or 
her account. Our remaining overdraft exposure arises primarily from late-posting. A late-post occurs when a merchant 
posts a transaction within a payment network-permitted timeframe but subsequent to our release of the authorization 
for that transaction, as permitted by card association rules. Under card association rules, we may be liable for the 

20

amount of the transaction even if the cardholder has made additional purchases in the intervening period and funds 
are no longer available on the card at the time the transaction is posted.

We consider overdrawn account balances to be our receivables due from cardholders. We maintain reserves to 
cover the risk that we may not recover these receivables due from our cardholders, but our exposure may increase 
above these reserves for a variety of reasons, including our failure to predict the actual recovery rate accurately. To 
the extent we incur losses from overdrafts above our reserves or we determine that it is necessary to increase our 
reserves substantially, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely 
affected.

An impairment charge of goodwill or other intangible assets could have a material adverse impact on our 

financial condition and results of operations.

Because we have grown in part through acquisitions, our net goodwill and intangible assets represent a significant 
portion of our consolidated assets. Our net goodwill and intangible assets were $582.4 million as of December 31, 
2017. Under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, or U.S. GAAP, we are required to test the 
carrying value of goodwill and intangible assets at least annually or sooner if events occur that indicate impairment 
could exist. These events or circumstances could include a significant change in the business climate, including a 
significant  sustained  decline  in  a  reporting  unit’s  fair  value,  legal  and  regulatory  factors,  operating  performance 
indicators, competition and other factors.  

U.S. GAAP requires us to assign and then test goodwill at the reporting unit level.  If over a sustained period of 
time we experience a decrease in our stock price and market capitalization, which may serve as an estimate of the 
fair value of our reporting unit, this may be an indication of impairment.  If the fair value of our reporting unit is less 
than its net book value, we may be required to record goodwill impairment charges in the future.  In addition, if the 
revenue and cash flows generated from any of our other intangible assets is not sufficient to support its net book value, 
we may be required to record an impairment charge.  The amount of any impairment charge could be significant and 
could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations for the period in which the 
charge is taken.

If we are unable to keep pace with the rapid technological developments in our industry and the larger 
electronic  payments  industry  necessary  to  continue  providing  our  network  acceptance  members  and 
cardholders with new and innovative products and services, the use of our cards and other products and 
services could decline.

The electronic payments industry is subject to rapid and significant technological changes. We cannot predict the 
effect of technological changes on our business. We rely in part on third parties, including some of our competitors 
and potential competitors, for the development of, and access to, new technologies. We expect that new services and 
technologies applicable to our industry will continue to emerge, and these new services and technologies may be 
superior to, or render obsolete, the technologies we currently utilize in our products and services. Additionally, we may 
make future investments in, or enter into strategic alliances to develop, new technologies and services or to implement 
infrastructure change to further our strategic objectives, strengthen our existing businesses and remain competitive. 
However,  our  ability  to  transition  to  new  services  and  technologies  that  we  develop  may  be  inhibited  by  a  lack  of 
industry-wide standards, by resistance from our retail distributors, network acceptance members, third-party processors 
or consumers to these changes, or by the intellectual property rights of third parties. Our future success will depend, 
in part, on our ability to develop new technologies and adapt to technological changes and evolving industry standards. 
These initiatives are inherently risky, and they may not be successful or may have an adverse effect on our business, 
financial condition and results of operations.

We  face  settlement  risks  from  our  distributors  and  banking  partners,  which  may  increase  during  an 

economic downturn.

The majority of our business is conducted through retail distributors that sell our products and services to consumers 
at their store locations. Our retail distributors collect funds from the consumers who purchase our products and services 
and then must remit these funds directly to accounts established for the benefit of these consumers at the banks that 
issue our cards. The remittance of these funds by the retail distributor takes on average two business days. If a retail 
distributor becomes insolvent, files for bankruptcy, commits fraud or otherwise fails to remit proceeds to our card issuing 
bank  from  the  sales  of  our  products  and  services,  we  are  liable  for  any  amounts  owed  to  our  customers. As  of 
December 31, 2017, we had assets subject to settlement risk of $209.4 million. Given the possibility of recurring volatility 
in global financial markets, the approaches we use to assess and monitor the creditworthiness of our retail distributors 
may be inadequate, and we may be unable to detect and take steps to mitigate an increased credit risk in a timely 
manner.

21

Economic downturns could result in settlement losses, whether or not directly related to our business. We are not 
insured against these risks. Significant settlement losses could have a material adverse effect on our business, results 
of operations and financial condition.

Economic, political and other conditions may adversely affect trends in consumer spending.

The electronic payments industry, including the prepaid financial services segment within that industry, depends 
heavily upon the overall level of consumer spending. If conditions in the United States become uncertain or deteriorate, 
we may experience a reduction in the number of our cards that are purchased or reloaded, the number of transactions 
involving our cards and the use of our reload network and related services. A sustained reduction in the use of our 
products  and  related  services,  either  as  a  result  of  a  general  reduction  in  consumer  spending  or  as  a  result  of  a 
disproportionate reduction in the use of card-based payment systems, would materially harm our business, results of 
operations and financial condition.

We must be able to operate and scale our technology effectively.

Our ability to continue to provide our products and services to network participants, as well as to enhance our 
existing  products  and  services  and  offer  new  products  and  services,  is  dependent  on  our  information  technology 
systems. If we are unable to manage and scale the technology associated with our business effectively, we could 
experience increased costs, reductions in system availability and losses of our network participants. Any failure of our 
systems  in  scalability  and  functionality  would  adversely  impact  our  business,  financial  condition  and  results  of 
operations.

Our future success depends on our ability to attract, integrate, retain and incentivize key personnel.

Our future success will depend, to a significant extent, on our ability to attract, integrate, retain and recognize key 
personnel, namely our management team and experienced sales, marketing and program and technology development 
personnel. Replacing departing key personnel can involve organizational disruption and uncertainty. We experience 
transitions among our executive officers from time to time. If we fail to manage these transitions successfully, we could 
experience  significant  delays  or  difficulty  in  the  achievement  of  our  development  and  strategic  objectives  and  our 
business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely harmed. We must retain and 
motivate existing personnel, and we must also attract, assimilate and motivate additional highly-qualified employees. 
We may experience difficulty in managing transitions and assimilating our newly-hired personnel, which may adversely 
affect our business. Additionally, continued activist shareholder activities involving our company could make it more 
difficult to attract and retain qualified personnel. Competition for qualified management, sales, marketing and program 
and technology development personnel can be intense. Competitors have in the past and may in the future attempt 
to recruit our top management and employees. If we fail to attract, integrate, retain and incentivize key personnel, our 
ability to manage and grow our business could be harmed.

We might require additional capital to support our business in the future, and this capital might not be 

available on acceptable terms, or at all.

If our unrestricted cash and cash equivalents balances and any cash generated from operations are not sufficient 
to meet our future cash requirements, we will need to access additional capital to fund our operations. We may also 
need to raise additional capital to take advantage of new business or acquisition opportunities. We may seek to raise 
capital by, among other things:

• 

• 

• 

issuing additional shares of our Class A common stock or other equity securities;

issuing convertible or other debt securities; and

borrowing funds under a credit facility.

We may not be able to raise needed cash in a timely basis on terms acceptable to us or at all. Financings, if 
available, may be on terms that are dilutive or potentially dilutive to our stockholders. The holders of new securities 
may also receive rights, preferences or privileges that are senior to those of existing holders of our Class A common 
stock. In addition, if we were to raise cash through a debt financing, the terms of the financing might impose additional 
conditions or restrictions on our operations that could adversely affect our business. If we require new sources of 
financing but they are insufficient or unavailable, we would be required to modify our operating plans to take into account 
the limitations of available funding, which would harm our ability to maintain or grow our business.

Our business could be negatively affected as a result of actions of stockholders.

The actions of stockholders could adversely affect our business. Specifically, certain actions of certain types of 
stockholders,  including  without  limitation  public  proposals,  requests  to  pursue  a  strategic  combination  or  other 
transaction or special demands or requests, could disrupt our operations, be costly and time-consuming or divert the 

22

attention of our management and employees and increase the volatility of our stock. In addition, perceived uncertainties 
as to our future direction in relation to the actions of our stockholders may result in the loss of potential business 
opportunities  or  the  perception  that  we  are  unstable  and  need  to  make  changes,  which  may  be  exploited  by  our 
competitors and make it more difficult to attract and retain personnel as well as customers, service providers and 
partners. Actions by our stockholders may also cause fluctuations in our stock price based on speculative market 
perceptions or other factors that do not necessarily reflect the underlying fundamentals and prospects of our business.

The occurrence of catastrophic events could damage our facilities or the facilities of third parties on which 

we depend, which could force us to curtail our operations.

We  and  some  of  the  third-party  service  providers  on  which  we  depend  for  various  support  functions,  such  as 
customer service and card processing, are vulnerable to damage from catastrophic events, such as power loss, natural 
disasters, terrorism and similar unforeseen events beyond our control. Our principal offices, for example, are situated 
in southern California near known earthquake fault zones. If any catastrophic event were to occur, our ability to operate 
our business could be seriously impaired. In addition, we might not have adequate insurance to cover our losses 
resulting  from  catastrophic  events  or  other  significant  business  interruptions. Any  significant  losses  that  are  not 
recoverable under our insurance policies, as well as the damage to, or interruption of, our infrastructure and processes, 
could seriously impair our business and financial condition.

If  we  fail  to  maintain  proper  and  effective  internal  controls,  our  ability  to  produce  accurate  financial 
statements on a timely basis could be impaired, which could result in a loss of investor confidence in our 
financial reports and have an adverse effect on our stock price.

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting 
to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of our financial reporting and the preparation of financial 
statements for external purposes in accordance with U.S. GAAP. If we are unable to maintain adequate internal control 
over financial reporting, we might be unable to report our financial information on a timely basis and might suffer adverse 
regulatory consequences or violate NYSE listing standards. There could also be a negative reaction in the financial 
markets due to a loss of investor confidence in us and the reliability of our financial statements. We have in the past 
and  may  in  the  future  discover  areas  of  our  internal  financial  and  accounting  controls  and  procedures  that  need 
improvement. Our internal control over financial reporting will not prevent or detect all error and all fraud. A control 
system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the 
objectives of the control system will be met. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation 
of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within our company 
will be detected. If we are unable to maintain proper and effective internal controls, we may not be able to produce 
accurate financial statements on a timely basis, which could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and 
could result in regulatory action, and could require us to restate, our financial statements. Any such restatement could 
result in a loss of public confidence in the reliability of our financial statements and sanctions imposed on us by the 
SEC.

Changes in accounting standards or inaccurate estimates or assumptions in the application of accounting 

policies could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

Our accounting policies and methods are fundamental to how we record and report our financial condition and 
results of operations. Some of these policies require use of estimates and assumptions that may affect the reported 
value of our assets or liabilities and results of operations and are critical because they require management to make 
difficult, subjective and complex judgments about matters that are inherently uncertain. If those assumptions, estimates 
or judgments were incorrectly made, we could be required to correct and restate prior period financial statements. 
Accounting  standard-setters  and  those  who  interpret  the  accounting  standards  (such  as  the  Financial Accounting 
Standards Board, the SEC and banking regulators) may also amend or even reverse their previous interpretations or 
positions on how various standards should be applied. These changes can be difficult to predict and can materially 
impact how we record and report our financial condition and results of operations. In some cases, we could be required 
to apply a new or revised standard retroactively, resulting in the need to revise and republish prior period financial 
statements.

Our debt agreements contain restrictive covenants and financial ratio tests that restrict or prohibit our 
ability to engage in or enter into a variety of transactions. If we fail to comply with these covenants or tests, 
our indebtedness under these agreements could become accelerated, which could adversely affect us.

In  October  2014  we  entered  into  a  $225.0  million  term  credit  agreement  with  Bank  of America,  N.A.,  as  an 
administrative agent, Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, and other lenders. This agreement contains various 
covenants that may have the effect of limiting, among other things, our ability and the ability of certain of our subsidiaries 
to: merge with other entities, enter into a transaction resulting in a change in control, create new liens, incur additional 

23

indebtedness, sell assets outside of the ordinary course of business, enter into transactions with affiliates (other than 
subsidiaries) or substantially change the general nature of our and our subsidiaries’ business, taken as a whole, make 
certain investments, enter into restrictive agreements, or make certain dividends or other distributions. These restrictions 
could limit our ability to take advantage of financing, merger, acquisition or other opportunities, to fund our business 
operations or to fully implement our current and future operating strategies.

Under the agreement, we have agreed to maintain compliance with a maximum consolidated leverage ratio and 
a minimum consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio of 1.75 and 1.25, respectively, at the end of any fiscal quarter.  
Our ability to meet these financial ratios and tests will be dependent upon our future performance and may be affected 
by events beyond our control (including factors discussed in this “Risk Factors" section). If we fail to satisfy these 
requirements, our indebtedness under these agreements could become accelerated and payable at a time when we 
are unable to pay them. This would adversely affect our ability to implement our operating strategies and would have 
a material adverse effect on our financial condition.

Risks Related to Ownership of Our Class A Common Stock

The price of our Class A common stock may be volatile.

In the recent past, stocks generally, and financial services company stocks in particular, have experienced high 
levels of volatility. The trading price of our Class A common stock has been highly volatile since our initial public offering 
and may continue to be subject to wide fluctuations. The trading price of our Class A common stock depends on a 
number of factors, including those described in this “Risk Factors” section, many of which are beyond our control and 
may not be related to our operating performance. Factors that could cause fluctuations in the trading price of our 
Class A common stock include the following:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

price and volume fluctuations in the overall stock market from time to time;

significant volatility in the market prices and trading volumes of financial services company stocks;

actual or anticipated changes in our results of operations or fluctuations in our operating results;

actual or anticipated changes in the expectations of investors or the recommendations of any securities analysts 
who follow our Class A common stock;

actual or anticipated developments in our business or our competitors’ businesses or the competitive landscape 
generally;

the public’s reaction to our press releases, other public announcements and filings with the SEC;

business disruptions and costs related to shareholder activism;

litigation and investigations or proceedings involving us, our industry or both or investigations by regulators 
into our operations or those of our competitors;

new laws or regulations or new interpretations of existing laws or regulations applicable to our business;

changes in accounting standards, policies, guidelines, interpretations or principles;

general economic conditions; 

changes to the indices in which our Class A common stock is included; and

sales of shares of our Class A common stock by us or our stockholders.

In the past, many companies that have experienced volatility in the market price of their stock have become subject 
to securities class action litigation. We may be the target of this type of litigation in the future. Securities litigation against 
us could result in substantial costs and divert our management’s attention from other business concerns, which could 
seriously harm our business.

Our charter documents, Delaware law and our status as bank holding company could discourage, delay 
or prevent a takeover that stockholders consider favorable and could also reduce the market price of our 
stock.

Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws contain provisions that could delay or prevent a change in control of 
our company. These provisions could also make it more difficult for stockholders to nominate directors for election to 
our board of directors and take other corporate actions. These provisions, among other things:

• 

• 

provide for non-cumulative voting in the election of directors;

provide for a classified board of directors;

24

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

authorize our board of directors, without stockholder approval, to issue preferred stock with terms determined 
by our board of directors and to issue additional shares of our Class A common stock;

limit the voting power of a holder, or group of affiliated holders, of more than 24.9% of our common stock to 
14.9%;

provide that only our board of directors may set the number of directors constituting our board of directors or 
fill vacant directorships;

prohibit stockholder action by written consent and limit who may call a special meeting of stockholders; and

require advance notification of stockholder nominations for election to our board of directors and of stockholder 
proposals.

These and other provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, as well as provisions under Delaware 
law, could discourage potential takeover attempts, reduce the price that investors might be willing to pay in the future 
for shares of our Class A common stock and result in the trading price of our Class A common stock being lower than 
it otherwise would be.

In  addition  to  the  foregoing,  under  the  BHC Act  and  the  Change  in  Bank  Control Act,  and  their  respective 
implementing regulations, Federal Reserve Board approval is necessary prior to any person or company acquiring 
control of a bank or bank holding company, subject to certain exceptions. Control, among other considerations, exists 
if an individual or company acquires 25% or more of any class of voting securities, and may be presumed to exist if a 
person acquires 10% or more of any class of voting securities. These restrictions could affect the willingness or ability 
of a third party to acquire control of us for so long as we are a bank holding company.

If securities analysts do not continue to publish research or reports about our business or if they publish 
negative evaluations of our Class A common stock, the trading price of our Class A common stock could 
decline.

We expect that the trading price for our Class A common stock will be affected by any research or reports that 
securities analysts publish about us or our business. If one or more of the analysts who currently cover us or our 
business downgrade their evaluations of our Class A common stock, the price of our Class A common stock would 
likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our company, we could lose visibility in the market 
for our Class A common stock, which in turn could cause our stock price to decline.

25

ITEM 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments

None.

ITEM 2. Properties

Our headquarters is located in Pasadena, California where we lease approximately 140,000 square feet. We own 
the  real  property  where  our  subsidiary  bank's  only  office  is  located  in  Provo,  Utah.  Through  our  wholly  owned 
subsidiaries, we lease office facilities in Birmingham, Alabama; San Diego, California; San Ramon, California; New 
York, New York; Cincinnati, Ohio; Sandy, Utah; and Shanghai, China.  We also lease additional technology development 
and sale and support offices in Tampa, Florida; Rogers, Arkansas; Westlake Village, California; and Manila, Philippines. 
We believe that our existing and planned facilities are adequate to support our existing operations and that, as needed, 
we will be able to obtain suitable additional facilities on commercially reasonable terms.

ITEM 3. Legal Proceedings

Information with respect to this item may be found under the caption "Litigation and Claims" in Note 19 — Commitments 
and Contingencies to the Consolidated Financial Statements included herein, which information is incorporated into 
this Item 3 by reference.

ITEM 4. Mine Safety Disclosures

Not applicable.

26

PART II

ITEM 5. Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity 
Securities

Market Information

Our Class A common stock is listed on the NYSE under the symbol “GDOT.” The following table sets forth for the 

periods indicated the high and low sales prices per share of our Class A common stock as reported on the NYSE. 

Year ended December 31, 2017

Fourth Quarter

Third Quarter

Second Quarter

First Quarter

Year ended December 31, 2016

Fourth Quarter

Third Quarter

Second Quarter

First Quarter

Holders of Record

Low

High

$

49.25

$

37.95

32.04

23.40

$

21.45

$

22.44

20.79

15.28

65.88

50.25

40.20

33.64

25.42

24.41

23.67

23.50

As  of  January 31,  2018,  we  had  82  holders  of  record  of  our  Class A  common  stock.  The  actual  number  of 
stockholders is greater than this number of record holders, and includes stockholders who are beneficial owners, but 
whose shares are held in street name by brokers and other nominees. This number of holders of record also does not 
include stockholders whose shares may be held in trust by other entities.

Dividends

We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our capital stock, and we do not currently intend to pay 
any cash dividends on our Class A common stock for the foreseeable future. As a bank holding company, the Federal 
Reserve Board’s risk-based and leverage capital requirements, as well as other federal laws applicable to banks and 
bank holding companies, could limit our ability to pay dividends. We expect to retain future earnings, if any, to fund 
the development and future growth of our business. Additionally, our ability to pay dividends on our Class A common 
stock is limited by restrictions on our ability to pay dividends or make distributions under the terms of our existing credit 
facility.  Any future determination to pay dividends on our Class A common stock, if permissible, will be at the discretion 
of our board of directors and will depend upon, among other factors, our financial condition, operating results, current 
and anticipated cash needs, plans for expansion and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant.

27

Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers

There was no repurchase activity during the three months ended December 31, 2017.

Period

October 1, 2017 to October 31, 2017

November 1, 2017 to November 30, 2017

December 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017

Total

Total Number of
Shares Purchased

Average Price Paid
Per Share

Total Number of
Shares Purchased
as Part of Publicly
Announced Plans
or Programs

Approximate Dollar 
Value of Shares 
That May Yet Be 
Purchased Under 
the Plans or 
Programs (1)(2)

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

— $

—

—

— $

—

—

—

—

(1) In June 2015, our Board of Directors announced that it had authorized a repurchase of shares of our Class A Common Stock 
in an amount up to $150 million under a stock repurchase program with no expiration date. After giving effect to our share 
repurchases completed to date, we have completed all share repurchases under this authorization and the share repurchase 
program under this authorization expired upon its completion in November 2017, when we elected to cash settle approximately 
$2.0 million worth of shares owed back to the counterparty under our March 2017 accelerated share repurchase agreement.  
See Note 11- Stockholder's Equity to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

(2) In May 2017, our Board of Directors announced it had authorized, subject to regulatory approval, expansion of our then-
existing stock repurchase program by an additional $150 million. In light of the number of new enterprise-level programs now 
planned to launch in early 2018 that may require additional capital to support our internal and regulatory capital and liquidity 
requirements, management and our Board of Directors do not intend to seek regulatory approval until such time we believe 
capital levels are ample to support a repurchase program, which we believe would be, at the earliest, in the latter part of 2018.

28

Stock Performance Graph

This performance graph shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of section 18 of the Exchange Act, or otherwise 
subject to the liabilities under that section and shall not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing of 
Green Dot Corporation under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act.

The graph and table below compare the cumulative total stockholder return of Green Dot Corporation Class A 
common stock, the Russell 2000 Index, the S&P Small Cap 600 Index and the S&P 500 Financials Index for the period 
beginning on the close of trading on the NYSE on December 31, 2012 and ending on the close of trading on the NYSE 
on December 31, 2017. The graph assumes a $100 investment in our Class A common stock and each of the indices, 
and the reinvestment of dividends. 

The comparisons in the graph and table below are based on historical data and are not intended to forecast the 

possible future performance of our Class A common stock.

COMPARISON OF 5 YEAR CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN*
Among Green Dot Corporation, the Russell 2000 Index, 
the S&P Smallcap 600 Index and the S&P Financials Index

$600

$500

$400

$300

$200

$100

$0

12/12

12/13

12/14

12/15

12/16

12/17

Green Dot Corporation

Russell 2000

S&P Smallcap 600

S&P Financials

*$100 invested on 12/31/12 in stock or index, including reinvestment of dividends.
Fiscal year ending December 31.

Copyright© 2018 Standard & Poor's, a division of S&P Global. All rights reserved.
Copyright© 2018 Russell Investment Group. All rights reserved.

Total Return to Shareholders (Includes reinvestment of dividends)

Company/ Index

Green Dot Corporation

Russell 2000

S&P Smallcap 600

S&P Financials

Base Period
12/31/12

$

$

$

$

100

100

100

100

$

$

$

$

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

168

146

149

156

$

$

$

$

135

139

147

154

$

$

$

$

193

169

185

189

$

$

$

$

494

194

210

231

206

139

141

136

$

$

$

$

29

ITEM 6. Selected Financial Data

The following tables present selected historical financial data for our business. This information should be read in 
conjunction with Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and 
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data of this report. The selected consolidated financial data in this 
section is not intended to replace the financial statements and is qualified in its entirety by the consolidated financial 
statements and related notes.

We  derived  the  statements  of  operations  data  for  the  years  ended  December 31,  2017,  2016,  and  2015, 
respectively, and the balance sheet data as of December 31, 2017 and 2016 from our audited consolidated financial 
statements  included  in  Item  8  of  this  report.  We  derived  the  statements  of  operations  data  for  the  years  ended 
December 31, 2014 and 2013, and balance sheet data as of December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, from our audited 
consolidated financial statements not included in this report. Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of our 
results to be expected in any future period.

Consolidated Statements of Operations Data:

Operating revenues:

Card revenues and other fees

Processing and settlement service revenues

Interchange revenues

Stock-based retailer incentive compensation(1)

Total operating revenues

Operating expenses:

Sales and marketing expenses

Compensation and benefits expenses(2)

Processing expenses

Other general and administrative expenses

Total operating expenses

Operating income

Interest income

Interest expense

Other income

Income before income taxes

Income tax expense

Net income

Income attributable to preferred stock

Net income allocated to common stockholders

Basic earnings per common share:

Class A common stock

Basic weighted-average common shares issued and
outstanding:

Class A common stock

Diluted earnings per common share:

Class A common stock

Diluted weighted-average common shares issued and
outstanding:

Year Ended December 31,

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

(In thousands, except per share data)

$

414,775

$

337,821

$

318,083

$

253,155

$

227,227

217,454

257,922

—

184,342

196,611

182,614

196,523

179,289

178,040

183,359

171,757

—

(2,520)

(8,932)

(8,722)

890,151

718,774

694,700

601,552

573,621

280,561

194,654

161,011

155,601

791,827

98,324

11,243

(6,109)

—

103,458

17,571

85,887

—

249,096

159,456

107,556

139,350

655,458

63,316

7,367

(9,122)

—

61,561

19,961

41,600

(802)

230,441

168,226

102,144

134,560

635,371

59,329

4,737

(5,944)

—

58,122

19,707

38,415

(1,102)

235,227

123,083

79,053

105,200

542,563

58,989

4,064

(1,276)

7,129

68,906

26,213

42,693

(4,842)

218,370

127,287

89,856

88,976

524,489

49,132

3,440

(72)

—

52,500

18,460

34,040

(5,360)

85,887

$

40,798

$

37,313

$

37,851

$

28,680

1.70

$

0.82

$

0.73

$

0.92

$

0.78

$

$

50,482

49,535

51,332

40,907

35,875

$

1.61

$

0.80

$

0.72

$

0.90

$

0.76

Class A common stock

53,198

50,797

51,875

41,770

37,156

For the periods presented above, as applicable, we grouped the components of Class B common stock basic 
earnings per common share, or EPS, and diluted EPS with Class A common stock, as if they were one class, to conform 
to the current period presentation. 

30

Consolidated Balance Sheet Data:

Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash(3)

$ 1,010,095

$

744,761

$

777,922

$

728,805

$

426,591

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

As of December 31,

(In thousands)

Investment securities, available-for-sale

Settlement assets(4)

Loans to bank customers

Total assets

Deposits

Obligations to customers(4)

Settlement obligations(4)

Long-term debt

Total liabilities

Total stockholders' equity

___________

153,509

209,399

18,570

208,426

137,083

6,059

181,539

69,165

6,279

120,431

148,694

6,550

2,197,531

1,740,344

1,691,448

1,614,288

1,022,180

737,414

652,145

565,401

95,354

6,956

58,705

46,043

4,877

79,720

61,300

5,074

100,686

1,432,981

1,056,611

1,028,126

764,550

683,733

663,322

98,052

4,484

121,651

985,298

628,990

198,744

37,004

6,902

875,474

219,580

65,449

4,839

—

473,225

402,249

(1)  Represents the recorded fair value of the shares for which our right to repurchase lapsed during the specified period pursuant 
to the terms of the agreement under which we issued 2,208,552 shares of our Class A common stock to Walmart. Our right to 
repurchase these shares fully lapsed in May 2015. See Note 12- Employee Stock-Based Compensation-- Stock-Based Retailer 
Incentive Compensation for more information. 

(2)  Includes stock-based compensation expense of $40.7 million, $28.3 million, $27.0 million, $20.3 million, and $14.7 million for 

the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

(3)  Includes $90.9 million, $12.1 million, $5.8 million, $4.2 million, and $3.0 million of restricted cash as of December 31, 2017, 
2016, 2015, 2014, and 2013, respectively. Also includes $0.5 million and $0.1 million of federal funds sold as of December 31, 
2014 and 2013, respectively. There were no federal funds sold as of December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015.

(4)  Our retail distributors collect customer funds for purchases of new cards and reloads at the point of sale and then remit these 
funds directly to bank accounts established for the benefit of these customers by the banks that issue our cards. During the 
third quarter of 2012, our retail distributors began remitting these funds to our subsidiary bank as we transitioned our card 
issuing program with Synovus Bank to our subsidiary bank. During the first quarter of 2014, we transitioned our card issuing 
program with GE Capital Bank to our subsidiary bank. Our retail distributors’ remittance of these funds takes an average of 
two business days. Settlement assets represent the amounts due from our retail distributors for customer funds collected at 
the point of sale that have not yet been received by our subsidiary bank. Also included in this balance are payroll amounts 
funded  in  advance  (up  to  two  days  early)  to  certain  cardholders  who  are  eligible  to  participate  in  our  early  direct  deposit 
programs. Obligations to customers represent customer funds collected from or to be remitted by our retail distributors for 
which the underlying products have not been activated. Settlement obligations represent the customer funds received by our 
subsidiary bank that are due to third-party card issuing banks upon activation.

31

ITEM 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

This Annual Report on Form 10-K, including this Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition 
and Results of Operations, contains forward-looking statements regarding future events and our future results that are 
subject to the safe harbors created under the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the 
“Exchange Act”). All statements other than statements of historical facts are statements that could be deemed to be 
forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections 
about the industries in which we operate and the beliefs and assumptions of our management. Words such as “expects,” 
“anticipates,” “targets,” “goals,” “projects,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “continues,” “endeavors,” 
“strives,” “may” and “assumes,” variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-
looking  statements.  In  addition,  any  statements  that  refer  to  projections  of  our  future  financial  performance,  our 
anticipated growth and trends in our businesses, and other characterizations of future events or circumstances are 
forward-looking  statements.  Readers  are  cautioned  that  these  forward-looking  statements  are  subject  to  risks, 
uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult to predict, including those identified below, under “Part I, Item 1A. Risk 
Factors,” and elsewhere herein. Therefore, actual results may differ materially and adversely from those expressed in 
any forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements for 
any reason.

In this Annual Report, unless otherwise specified or the context otherwise requires, “Green Dot,” “we,” “us,” and 

“our” refer to Green Dot Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries.

Overview

Green Dot Corporation is a pro-consumer bank holding company and financial technology innovator with a mission 
to reinvent personal banking for the masses. We employ a unique “products and platform” operating model whereby 
we use our banking and technology assets to design, build and distribute our branded financial services products 
directly to consumers through a large-scale omni-channel national distribution platform; while also allowing qualified 
third party partners to access those same banking and technology assets to design, build and distribute their own 
bespoke financial services directly to their consumers through their own distribution platforms. Through our six revenue 
divisions and our subsidiary bank, Green Dot Bank, we are a leading provider of prepaid cards, debit cards, checking 
accounts, secured credit cards, payroll debit cards, consumer cash processing services, wage disbursements and tax 
refund processing services. With approximately 100,000 major name U.S. retail stores selling our products, several 
leading direct-to-consumer websites, thousands of tax preparation offices, several apps available in the two leading 
app stores and distribution through several enterprise-scale “Banking as a Service,”or "BaaS," partnerships, we are 
one  of  the  most  broadly  distributed  banking  franchises  in  the  United  States.  We  are  headquartered  in  Pasadena, 
California, with additional facilities throughout the United States and in Shanghai, China.

As the regulated entity and issuing bank for substantially all products and services we provide, whether our own 
or on behalf of a BaaS platform partner, we are directly accountable for all aspects of each program’s integrity, inclusive 
of ensuring the program’s compliance with all applicable banking regulations, applicable state and federal law and our 
various internal governance policies and procedures related to all areas of risk and compliance, in addition to deploying 
enterprise-class risk management practices and procedures to ensure each program’s initial and ongoing safety and 
soundness.

2017 Six Step Plan 

In February 2017, we announced our 2017 Six Step Plan (the "2017 Plan") outlining our strategy to grow revenue, 
reduce expenses and appropriately allocate capital, all with the objective of driving EPS growth. The following describes 
each of the six steps within the 2017 Plan.

Step 1: Deploy new acquisition and retention strategies to reduce the year-over-year sequential quarterly loss in 

active cards and return to active card growth in 2018.

Step 2: Secure additional shelf space for the new MoneyPak and launch at least one unique and compelling new 

MoneyPak use case to expand the total available market.

Step  3: Make  investments  in  growing  the  successful  new  initiatives  launched  in  2016,  while  making  modest 

investments in a new crop of high-potential initiatives that can drive future growth.

Step 4: Drive incremental platform savings across the enterprise and achieve savings from integrating the UniRush 

acquisition over the course of 2017.

Step 5: Continue to look for new acquisitions that are strategic, synergistic and accretive.

Step 6: Return capital to shareholders through share buy-backs.

32

We successfully completed and exceeded our expectations for each of the six steps by the end of 2017.

Financial Results and Trends

Our results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 were as follows:

Total operating revenues

Total operating expenses

Net income

Total operating revenues

Year Ended December 31,

2017

2016

Change

%

(In thousands, except percentages)

890,151

791,827

85,887

718,774

655,458

41,600

171,377

136,369

44,287

23.8%

20.8%

106.5%

Total operating revenues for the year ended December 31, 2017 increased 23.8% over the prior year. This is a 
result of double digit organic revenue growth for the year ended December 31, 2017 and our acquisition of UniRush, 
which closed on February 28, 2017. In our Account Services segment, organic revenue growth was driven in part by 
the continued trend of an improving mix in our active card portfolio toward higher revenue generating customers as 
compared to the prior year, improved unit economics on our new suite of prepaid card products, a higher proportion 
of cards that are loaded by direct deposit, and a return to year-over-year growth in the number of active cards in our 
organic portfolio during the second half of 2017. These factors contributed to an improvement in the quality of our 
active  card  portfolio,  as  evidenced  by  greater  customer  engagement  through  increased  gross  dollar  volume  and 
purchase volume on a year-over-year basis. In our Processing and Settlement Services segment, organic revenues 
also increased due to a) increased transactions and higher revenue per transaction in our Tax Processing revenue 
division, b) increased transactions and higher revenue per transaction in our Money Processing revenue division and 
c) substantially increased transaction volume from our Simply Paid product line. 

Total operating expenses

Total operating expenses for the year ended December 31, 2017 increased 20.8% over the prior year. This is 
principally a result of the acquisition of UniRush and higher sales and marketing expenses attributable to the year-
over-year increase in organic operating revenues generated from products that are subject to revenue share payments 
to our distributors. Additionally, processing expenses increased as a result of higher transactional usage per active 
card within our organic portfolio, as processing fees are generally charged on a per transaction basis. 

During the year ended December 31, 2017, we incurred approximately $9.4 million of processing expenses related 
to the processor conversion challenges encountered in 2016 that resulted in incremental processing charges in excess 
of our normalized rate. We resolved this matter during the first half of 2017 and did not incur material incremental 
processing expenses in excess of our normalized rate after June 30, 2017. During the year ended December 31, 2017, 
we received approximately $6.5 million as a partial recovery of these costs, which has been recorded as an offset to 
processing expenses on our consolidated statement of operations. 

During the year ended December 31, 2017, we recorded a $7.5 million reduction to our contingent consideration 
liability associated with an earn-out provision contained in the definitive merger agreement for the acquisition of our 
tax refund processing business. We recorded the change in fair value as a component of other general and administrative 
expenses on our consolidated statements of operations. The third and final performance period under the earn-out 
provision ended on June 30, 2017. The reduction represents our firm belief that our tax refund processing business 
did not achieve its earn-out performance target for the fiscal period ending June 30, 2017, and therefore the total 
potential payout of $26 million has not been accrued on our balance sheet as of December 31, 2017. The parties to 
the acquisition are attempting to resolve the final earn-out calculation according to the process provided for in the 
definitive merger agreement, and will likely require a neutral third party to make a final determination. To the extent 
there is an unfavorable resolution for the earn-out payment, we may be required to make a final earn-out payment of 
up to $26 million.

Income taxes

Income tax expense for the year ended December 31, 2017 decreased $2.4 million from the prior year as a result 
of a lower effective tax rate. The decline in our rate was primarily due to excess tax benefits as a result of our adoption 
of ASU 2016-09 and one-time favorable adjustments to our deferred taxes assets and liabilities, including $6.3 million 
due to the remeasurement of our deferred tax assets and liabilities associated with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the 
"Tax Act").

33

On December 22, 2017, the Tax Act was signed into law and introduces significant changes to U.S. income tax 
law. Effective in 2018, the Tax Act reduces the US federal corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%, creates new taxes on 
certain foreign-sourced earnings and certain related-party payments, eliminates certain deductions and enhances and 
extends through 2026 the option to claim accelerated depreciation deductions on qualified property. Although we have 
not completed our analysis of the tax effects of the Tax Act, we expect our annual effective tax rate will be lower in 
2018 as a result of the Tax Act. Our annual effective rate for 2018 is difficult to predict due to a number of factors, 
including excess tax benefits related to stock-based compensation, which will vary from quarter to quarter depending 
on fluctuations in our stock price in each period.

Refer  to Note  13  —  Income  Taxes to  the  Consolidated  Financial  Statements  included  herein  for  additional 

information about our adoption of ASU 2016-09 and the impact of the Tax Act.

Key Metrics

We review a number of metrics to help us monitor the performance of, and identify trends affecting, our business. 

We believe the following measures are the primary indicators of our quarterly and annual revenues.

Number of Active Cards — represents the total number of GPR cards and checking accounts in our portfolio that 
had a purchase, reload or ATM withdrawal transaction during the previous 90-day period. We had 5.26 million, 4.13 
million, and 4.50 million active cards outstanding as of December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015, respectively. We review 
this metric as a measure of the overall size and scale of our GPR card portfolio and an indicator of customer engagement 
and usage of our products and services. The increase in the number of active cards of 27% was driven by our acquisition 
of UniRush, as well as a 4% year-over-year increase in the number of active cards in our organic portfolio. The fourth 
quarter of 2017 marks the second consecutive quarter in which we have achieved year-over-year growth in organic 
active cards since the discontinuation of the original MoneyPak PIN product in the first quarter of 2015.

Gross Dollar Volume — represents the total dollar volume of funds processed and settled by our consolidated 
enterprise, excluding tax refunds processed. Our gross dollar volume was $31.8 billion, $23.0 billion, and $22.0 billion
for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015, respectively. We review this metric as a measure of the size 
and scale of our processing infrastructure and as an indicator of customer engagement and usage of our products and 
services. The increase in gross dollar volume of 39% during the year ended December 31, 2017 from the comparable 
prior year period was principally driven by our acquisition of UniRush and higher average gross dollar volume per 
organic actives during the periods.

Purchase Volume — represents the total dollar volume of purchase transactions made by customers using our 
GPR, checking account and gift card products. This metric excludes the dollar volume of ATM withdrawals. Our purchase 
volume was $21.6 billion, $16.3 billion, and $16.1 billion for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015, 
respectively. We use this metric to analyze interchange revenue, which is a key component of our financial performance.  
The increase in purchase volume of 32% during the year ended December 31, 2017, from the comparable prior year 
period was driven by an increase in gross dollar volume, as described above, our acquisition of UniRush and higher 
purchase volume per number of active cards as a result of the increasing quality of customers within our active card 
base.

Number of Cash Transfers — represents the total number of reload transactions that we conducted through our 
retail distributors in a specified period. We processed 38.60 million, 37.79 million, and 38.88 million reload transactions 
for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively. We review this metric as a measure of the size 
and scale of our retail cash reload network, as an indicator of customer engagement and usage of our products and 
services, and to analyze cash transfer revenue, which is a key component of our financial performance. Our cash 
transfers increased 2% during the year ended December 31, 2017 over the prior year primarily due to year-over-year 
growth in our updated MoneyPak PIN product we began selling in Q2 2016 and our swipe reload service which was 
driven by the increase in active cards, partially offset by an increase in direct deposit penetration in our active card 
portfolio as direct deposit customers, on average, perform fewer cash reloads.

Number of Tax Refunds Processed — represents the total number of tax refunds processed in a specified period. 
We processed 11.17 million, 10.52 million and 10.68 million tax refund transactions for the years ended December 31, 
2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively. We review this metric as a measure of the size and scale of our tax refund processing 
platform and as an indicator of customer engagement and usage of our products and services. 

34

Key components of our results of operations

Operating Revenues

We classify our operating revenues into the following three categories:

Card Revenues and Other Fees — Card revenues consist of monthly maintenance fees, ATM fees, new card fees 
and other revenues. We charge maintenance fees on GPR cards, checking accounts and certain cash transfer products, 
such  as  MoneyPak,  pursuant  to  the  terms  and  conditions  in  our  customer  agreements.  We  charge ATM  fees  to 
cardholders when they withdraw money at certain ATMs in accordance with the terms and conditions in our cardholder 
agreements. We charge new card fees, if applicable, when a consumer purchases a GPR card, gift card, or a checking 
account  product.  Other  revenues  consist  primarily  of  revenue  associated  with  our  gift  card  program,  annual  fees 
associated with our secured credit card portfolio, transaction-based fees and fees associated with optional products 
or services, which we offer to cardholders from time to time. 

Our aggregate monthly maintenance fee revenues vary primarily based upon the number of active cards in our 
portfolio and the average fee assessed per account. Our average monthly maintenance fee per active card depends 
upon the mix of products in our portfolio at any given point in time and upon the extent to which fees are waived based 
on various incentives provided to customers in an effort to encourage higher usage and retention. Our aggregate ATM 
fee revenues vary based upon the number of cardholder ATM transactions and the average fee per ATM transaction. 
The average fee per ATM transaction depends upon the mix of products in our portfolio at any given point in time and 
the extent to which cardholders use ATMs within our free network that carry no fee for cash withdrawal transactions. 
Our aggregate new card fee revenues vary based upon the number of GPR cards and checking accounts activated 
and the average new card fee. The average new card fee depends primarily upon the mix of products that we sell 
since there are variations in new account fees based on the product and/or the location or source where our products 
are purchased. Our aggregate other fees vary primarily based upon account sales of all types, gift card sales, purchase 
transactions and the number of active accounts in our portfolio.

Processing and Settlement Service Revenues — Processing and settlement service revenues consist of cash 
transfer revenues, tax refund processing service revenues and Simply Paid disbursement revenues. We earn cash 
transfer revenues when consumers fund their cards through a reload transaction at a Green Dot Network retail location. 
Our aggregate cash transfer revenues vary based upon the mix of locations where reload transactions occur, since 
reload fees vary by location. We earn tax refund processing service revenues when a customer of a third party tax 
preparation company chooses to pay their tax preparation fee through the use of our tax refund processing services.  
We earn Simply Paid disbursement fees from our business partners as payment disbursements are made. 

Interchange Revenues — We earn interchange revenues from fees remitted by the merchant’s bank, which are 
based on rates established by the payment networks, when customers make purchase transactions using our products. 
Our aggregate interchange revenues vary based primarily on the number of active cards in our portfolio, the average 
transactional volume of the active cards in our portfolio and on the mix of cardholder purchases between those using 
signature identification technologies and those using personal identification numbers and the corresponding rates.

Operating Expenses

We classify our operating expenses into the following four categories:

Sales and Marketing Expenses — Sales and marketing expenses consist primarily of the commissions we pay to 
our  retail  distributors,  brokers  and  platform  partners,  advertising  and  marketing  expenses,  and  the  costs  of 
manufacturing  and  distributing  card  packages,  placards  and  promotional  materials  to  our  retail  distributors  and 
personalized GPR and GoBank cards to consumers who have activated their cards. We generally establish commission 
percentages  in  long-term  distribution  agreements  with  our  retail  distributors  and  platform  partners.  Aggregate  
commissions with our retail distributors are determined by the number of prepaid cards, checking account products 
and cash transfers sold at their respective retail stores. Commissions with our platform partners and, in certain cases, 
our retail distributors are determined by the revenue generated from the ongoing use of the associated card programs. 
We incur advertising and marketing expenses for television, sponsorships, online and in-store promotions. Advertising 
and marketing expenses are recognized as incurred and typically deliver a benefit over an extended period of time. 
For  this  reason,  these  expenses  do  not  always  track  changes  in  our  operating  revenues.  Our  manufacturing  and 
distribution costs vary primarily based on the number of GPR and GoBank accounts activated by consumers.

35

Compensation and Benefits Expenses —  Compensation and benefits expenses represent the compensation and 
benefits that we provide to our employees and the payments we make to third-party contractors. While we have an in-
house customer service function, we employ third-party contractors to conduct call center operations, handle routine 
customer service inquiries and provide consulting support in the area of IT operations and elsewhere. Compensation 
and benefits expenses associated with our customer service and loss management functions generally vary in line 
with the size of our active card portfolio, while the expenses associated with other functions do not.

Processing Expenses — Processing expenses consist primarily of the fees charged to us by the payment networks, 
which process transactions for us, the third-party card processors that maintains the records of our customers' accounts 
and processes transaction authorizations and postings for us and the third-party banks that issue our accounts. These 
costs generally vary based on the total number of active accounts in our portfolio and gross dollar volume transacted 
by those accounts. Also included in processing expenses are bank fees associated with our tax refund processing 
services and gateway and network fees associated with our Simply Paid disbursement services. Bank fees generally 
vary based on the total number of tax refund transfers processed and gateway and network fees vary based on the 
numbers of disbursements made.

Other General and Administrative Expenses — Other general and administrative expenses consist primarily of 
professional  service  fees,  telephone  and  communication  costs,  depreciation  and  amortization  of  our  property  and 
equipment  and  intangible  assets,  changes  in  contingent  consideration,  transaction  losses  (losses  from  customer 
disputed  transactions,  unrecovered  customer  purchase  transaction  overdrafts  and  fraud),  rent  and  utilities,  and 
insurance. We incur telephone and communication costs primarily from customers contacting us through our toll-free 
telephone numbers. These costs vary with the total number of active cards in our portfolio, as do losses from customer 
disputed  transactions,  unrecovered  customer  purchase  transaction  overdrafts  and  fraud.  Costs  associated  with 
professional  services,  depreciation  and  amortization  of  our  property  and  equipment,  amortization  of  our  acquired 
intangible  assets,  rent  and  utilities  vary  based  upon  our  investment  in  infrastructure,  business  development,  risk 
management and internal controls and are generally not correlated with our operating revenues or other transaction 
metrics.    

Income Tax Expense

Our income tax expense consists of the federal and state corporate income taxes accrued on income resulting 

from the sale of our products and services.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

We prepare our consolidated financial statements in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of our consolidated 
financial statements requires our management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts 
of  assets,  liabilities,  revenues,  costs  and  expenses  and  related  disclosures.  We  base  our  estimates  on  historical 
experience, current circumstances and various other assumptions that our management believes to be reasonable 
under the circumstances. In many instances, we could reasonably use different accounting estimates, and in some 
instances changes in the accounting estimates are reasonably likely to occur from period to period. Accordingly, actual 
results could differ significantly from the estimates made by our management. To the extent that there are differences 
between our estimates and actual results, our future financial statement presentation, financial condition, results of 
operations and cash flows will be affected. We believe that the accounting policies discussed below are critical to 
understanding our historical and future performance, as these policies relate to the more significant areas involving 
management’s judgments and estimates.

Revenue Recognition

We recognize revenue when the price is fixed or determinable, persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, the 

product is sold or the service is performed, and collectibility of the resulting receivable is reasonably assured.

We defer and recognize new card fee revenues on a straight-line basis over the period commensurate with our 
service obligation to our customers. We consider the service obligation period to be the average card lifetime. We 
determine the average card lifetime for each pool of homogeneous products (e.g., products that exhibit the same 
characteristics such as nature of service and terms and conditions) based on company-specific historical data. Currently, 
we determine the average card lifetime separately for our GPR cards and gift cards. For our GPR cards, we measure 
the card lifetime as the period of time, inclusive of reload activity, between sale (or activation) of a card and the date 
of the last positive balance on that card. We analyze GPR cards activated between six and thirty months prior to each 
balance sheet date. We use this historical look-back period as a basis for determining our average card lifetime because 
it provides sufficient time for meaningful behavioral trends to develop. Currently, our GPR cards have an average card 
lifetime of five months. The usage of gift cards is limited to the initial funds loaded to the card. Therefore, we measure 
these  gift  cards’  lifetime  as  the  redemption  period  over  which  cardholders  initiate  the  substantial  majority  of  their 

36

transactions. Currently, gift cards have an average lifetime of six months. We reassess average card lifetime quarterly. 
Average card lifetimes may vary in the future as cardholder behavior changes relative to historical experience because 
customers are influenced by changes in the pricing of our services, the availability of substitute products, and other 
factors.

We  also  defer  and  expense  commissions  paid  to  retail  distributors  related  to  new  card  sales  ratably  over  the 

average card lifetime, which is currently five months for our GPR cards and six months for gift cards.

We report our different types of revenues on a gross or net basis based on our assessment of whether we act as 
a principal or an agent in the transaction. To the extent we act as a principal in the transaction, we report revenues on 
a  gross  basis.  In  concluding  whether  or  not  we  act  as  a  principal  or  an  agent,  we  evaluate  whether  we  have  the 
substantial risks and rewards under the terms of the revenue-generating arrangements, whether we are the party 
responsible for fulfillment of the services purchased by the cardholders, and other factors. For most of our significant 
revenue-generating arrangements, including GPR and gift cards, we recognize revenues on a gross basis. As it relates 
to our tax refund processing services, we act as an agent in these transactions and record revenues on a net basis.

Generally, customers have limited rights to a refund of the new card fee or a cash transfer fee. We have elected 
to recognize revenues prior to the expiration of the refund period, but reduce revenues by the amount of expected 
refunds, which we estimate based on actual historical refunds.

On occasion, we enter into incentive agreements with our retail distributors with the goal of increasing unit sales 
of our products to consumers.  Additionally, we offer various cash-back programs to consumers on select debit and 
prepaid card programs with the goal of encouraging longer retention and high utilization of those products. We record 
these incentives, including the issuance of equity instruments, as a reduction of revenues and recognize them over 
the period the related revenues are recognized or as services are rendered, as applicable.

Stock-Based Compensation

We record employee stock-based compensation expense based on the grant-date fair value. For stock options 
and stock purchases under our employee stock purchase plan, we base compensation expense on fair values estimated 
at the grant date using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. For stock awards, including restricted stock units, we 
base  compensation  expense  on  the  fair  value  of  our  Class  A  common  stock  at  the  grant  date.  We  recognize 
compensation expense for awards with only service conditions that have graded vesting schedules on a straight-line 
basis over the vesting period of the award. Vesting is based upon continued service to our company. 

For performance based awards, we recognize compensation cost for the restricted stock units if and when we 
conclude it is probable that the performance will be satisfied, over the requisite service period based on the grant-date 
fair value of the stock. We reassess the probability of vesting at each reporting period and adjust compensation expense 
based on the probability assessment.  For market based restricted stock units, we base compensation expense on 
the fair value estimated at the date of grant using a Monte Carlo simulation or similar lattice model. We recognize 
compensation expense over the requisite service period regardless of the market condition being satisfied, provided 
that the requisite service has been provided, since the estimated grant date fair value already incorporates the probability 
of outcomes that the market condition will be achieved.

We measure the fair value of equity instruments issued to non-employees as of the earlier of the date a performance 
commitment has been reached by the counterparty or the date performance is completed by the counterparty. We 
determine the fair value using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model or the fair value of our Class A common stock, 
as applicable, and recognize related expense in the same periods that the goods or services are received.

Reserve for Uncollectible Overdrawn Accounts

Our cardholder accounts may become overdrawn as a result of maintenance fee assessments or from purchase 
transactions  that  we  honor,  in  each  case  in  excess  of  the  funds  in  the  cardholder’s  account.  While  we  decline 
authorization attempts for amounts that exceed the available balance in a cardholder’s account, the application of card 
association rules, the timing of the settlement of transactions and the assessment of the card’s monthly maintenance 
fee,  among  other  things,  can  result  in  overdrawn  accounts.  Overdrawn  account  balances  are  deemed  to  be  our 
receivables due from cardholders, and we include them as a component of accounts receivable, net, on our consolidated 
balance  sheets.  We  generally  recover  overdrawn  account  balances  from  those  cardholders  that  perform  a  reload 
transaction.  In  addition,  we  recover  some  overdrawn  account  balances  related  to  purchase  transaction  through 
enforcement of payment network rules, which allow us to recover the amounts from the merchant where the purchase 
transaction was conducted. However, we are exposed to losses from any unrecovered overdrawn account balances. 
The probability of recovering these amounts is primarily related to the number of days that have elapsed since an 
account  had  activity,  such  as  a  purchase, ATM  transaction  or  fee  assessment.  Generally,  we  recover  50-60%  of 

37

overdrawn account balances in accounts that have had activity in the last 30 days, less than 15% in accounts that 
have had activity in the last 30 to 60 days, and less than 10% when more than 60 days have elapsed.

We establish a reserve for uncollectible overdrawn accounts. We classify overdrawn accounts into age groups 
based on the number of days since the account last had activity. We then calculate a reserve factor for each age group 
based on the average recovery rate for the most recent six months. These factors are applied to these age groups to 
estimate our overall reserve. We rely on these historical rates because they have remained relatively consistent for 
several years. When more than 90 days have passed without any activity in an account, we consider recovery to be 
remote and charge off the full amount of the overdrawn account balance against the reserve for uncollectible overdrawn 
accounts. Our actual recovery rates and related estimates thereof may change in the future in response to factors such 
as customer behavior, product pricing and features that impact the frequency and velocity of reloads and other deposits 
to such accounts.

We  include  our  provision  for  uncollectible  overdrawn  accounts  related  to  maintenance  fees  and  purchase 
transactions as an offset to card revenues and other fees and in other general and administrative expenses, respectively, 
in our consolidated statements of operations.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets

We review the recoverability of goodwill at least annually or whenever significant events or changes occur, which 
might impair the recovery of recorded costs. Factors that may be considered a change in circumstances indicating 
that  the  carrying  value  of  our  goodwill  may  not  be  recoverable,  include  a  decline  in  our  stock  price  and  market 
capitalization, declines in the market conditions of our products, reductions in our future cash flow estimates, and 
significant adverse industry or economic market trends, amongst others. We test for impairment of goodwill by assessing 
various qualitative factors with respect to developments in our business and the overall economy and calculating the 
fair value of a reporting unit using the discounted cash flow method, as necessary. In the event that the carrying value 
of assets is determined to be unrecoverable, we would estimate the fair value of the reporting unit and record an 
impairment  charge  for  the  excess  of  the  carrying  value  over  the  fair  value.  The  estimate  of  fair  value  requires 
management to make a number of assumptions and projections, which could include, but would not be limited to, future 
revenues, earnings and the probability of certain outcomes.

Intangible and other long lived-assets subject to amortization are reviewed for impairment whenever events or 
changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. Certain factors which may occur 
and indicate that an impairment exists include, but are not limited to the following: significant underperformance relative 
to expected historical or projected future operating results; significant changes in the manner of use of the underlying 
assets;  and  significant  adverse  industry  or  market  economic  trends.  In  reviewing  for  impairment,  we  compare  the 
carrying value of such assets to the estimated undiscounted future net cash flows expected from the use of the assets 
and their eventual disposition. In the event that the carrying value of assets is determined to be unrecoverable, we 
would estimate the fair value of the assets and record an impairment charge for the excess of the carrying value over 
the fair value. The estimate of fair value requires management to make a number of assumptions and projections, 
which could include, but would not be limited to, future revenues, earnings and the probability of certain outcomes. 
We completed our annual goodwill impairment test as of September 30, 2017. Based on the results of step one of the 
annual goodwill impairment test, we determined that step two was not required for each of our reporting units as their 
fair values exceeded their carrying values indicating there was no impairment. No impairment charges were recognized 
related to goodwill or intangible assets for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015.

38

Comparison of Consolidated Results for the Years Ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 

Operating Revenues

The  following  table  presents  a  breakdown  of  our  operating  revenues  among  card  revenues  and  other  fees, 

processing and settlement service revenues and interchange revenues:

Year Ended December 31,

2017

2016

Amount

% of Total
Operating Revenues

Amount

% of Total
Operating Revenues

(In thousands, except percentages)

Operating revenues:

Card revenues and other fees

Processing and settlement service revenues

Interchange revenues

Total operating revenues

$

$

414,775

217,454

257,922

890,151

46.6% $

24.4

29.0

100.0% $

337,821

184,342

196,611

718,774

47.0%

25.6

27.4

100.0%

Card  Revenues  and  Other  Fees  —  Card  revenues  and  other  fees  totaled  $414.8  million  for  the  year  ended 
December 31, 2017, an increase of $77.0 million, or 23%, from the comparable prior year period. We believe this 
increase in revenue reflects the increasing quality of customers within our active card base and improved unit economics 
on our suite of prepaid card products, which increased monthly maintenance fees and ATM fees earned within our 
Account Services segment, as well as our acquisition of UniRush on February 28, 2017.

Processing  and  Settlement  Service  Revenues  —  Processing  and  settlement  service  revenues  totaled  $217.5 
million for the year ended December 31, 2017, an increase of $33.2 million, or 18%, from the comparable prior year 
period. The increase was driven primarily by a higher volume and revenues earned per cash transfer and tax refund 
processed, as well as a year-over-year increase in disbursement revenues associated with our Simply Paid Uber 
program.

Interchange Revenues — Interchange revenues totaled $257.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2017, 
an increase of $61.3 million or 31%, from the comparable prior year period. The increase was primarily due to year-
over-year growth in purchase volume, driven by our acquisition of UniRush and higher purchase volume per number 
of active cards as a result of the increasing quality of customers within our active card base.

Operating Expenses

The following table presents a breakdown of our operating expenses among sales and marketing, compensation 

and benefits, processing, and other general and administrative expenses:

Year Ended December 31,

2017

2016

Amount

% of Total
Operating Revenues

Amount

% of Total
Operating Revenues

(In thousands, except percentages)

Operating expenses:

Sales and marketing expenses

Compensation and benefits expenses

Processing expenses

Other general and administrative expenses

Total operating expenses

$

$

280,561

194,654

161,011

155,601

791,827

31.5% $

21.9

18.1

17.5

89.0% $

249,096

159,456

107,556

139,350

655,458

34.7%

22.2

15.0

19.3

91.2%

Sales  and  Marketing  Expenses  —  Sales  and  marketing  expenses  totaled  $280.6  million  for  the  year  ended 
December 31,  2017,  an  increase  of  $31.5  million,  or  13%  compared  to  the  year  ended  December 31,  2016. This 
increase was the result of an increase of $26.1 million in sales commissions principally associated with higher organic 
revenues year-over-year generated from products that are subject to revenue-sharing agreements and an increase 
of $13.2 million in marketing expenses primarily driven by the acquisition of UniRush, partially offset by a decrease of 
$7.9 million in cost of materials. The decline in costs of materials relates to our 2016 roll out of our new suite of Green 
Dot branded prepaid and gift card products at our retailer distributors resulting in incremental costs of manufacturing 
and distributing card packages; there were no such roll out expenses in 2017.

39

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Compensation and Benefits Expenses — Compensation and benefits expenses totaled $194.7 million for the year 
ended December 31, 2017, an increase of $35.2 million or 22%, compared to the year ended December 31, 2016. 
The increase was primarily the result of higher salaries and wages and third-party contractor expenses of $16.2 million 
and  $3.7  million,  respectively,  driven  by  our  acquisition  of  UniRush,  and  a  $12.4  million  increase  in  stock-based 
compensation expense. 

Processing Expenses — Processing expenses totaled $161.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2017, an 
increase of $53.4 million, or 50%, compared to the year ended December 31, 2016. This increase was principally the 
result of our acquisition of UniRush, a higher volume of purchase and ATM transactions initiated by our cardholders 
and a higher volume of disbursement services, partially offset by a $6.5 million repayment of incremental processing 
expenses incurred during the first half of 2017 associated with our need to continue to support customer accounts on 
our legacy third-party card processor as discussed above. 

Other General and Administrative Expenses — Other general and administrative expenses totaled $155.6 million
for the year ended December 31, 2017, an increase of $16.2 million, or 12%, from the comparable prior year period, 
primarily due to increases of $8.3 million of professional fees, $8.1 million in amortization of acquired intangible assets 
driven by the acquisition of UniRush, $5.8 million in transaction losses correlated with the increase in purchase volume,   
a $3.5 million expense in connection with the settlement of a lawsuit, $2.3 million of telecommunication expenses and 
$1.2 million of impairment charges related to internal-use software. These increases were partially offset by a year-
over-year increase of $7.2 million in gains associated with the change in fair value of contingent consideration, principally 
related  to  acquisition  of  our  tax  refund  processing  business, and  a  decrease  of  $6.0  million  in  depreciation  and 
amortization of property and equipment.

Income Tax Expense

The following table presents a breakdown of our effective tax rate among federal, state and other:

U.S. federal statutory tax rate

State income taxes, net of federal tax benefit

General business credits

Employee stock-based compensation

Tax Cuts and Jobs Act remeasurement

Other

Effective tax rate

Year Ended December 31,

2017

2016

35.0%

(2.3)

(2.8)

(12.4)

(5.0)

4.5

17.0%

35.0%

0.4

(3.4)

0.3

—

0.1

32.4%

Our income tax expense decreased by $2.4 million to $17.6 million in the year ended December 31, 2017 from 
the prior year due to a decrease in our effective tax rate from 32.4% to 17.0%. This decrease is primarily due to the 
impact of our adoption of ASU 2016-09, the remeasurement of our deferred tax assets and liabilities associated with 
the Tax Act, and the release of reserves for uncertain tax positions upon the completion of tax examinations and the 
expiration of the statute of limitations with certain taxing jurisdictions. Under ASU 2016-09, all excess tax benefits and 
tax deficiencies related to stock compensation are now recognized as income tax benefit or expense, respectively, in 
the income state instead of additional paid-in capital on the consolidated balance sheets. Refer to Note 13 — Income 
Taxes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included herein for additional information about our adoption of ASU 
2016-09 and the impact of the Tax Act.

The "Other" category in our effective tax rate consists of a variety of permanent differences, none of which were 

individually significant.

Results of Operations by Segment 

Information with respect to the results of operations for each of our reportable segments may be found under Note 
23 — Segment Information to the Consolidated Financial Statements included herein, which information is incorporated 
herein by reference.

40

 
 
Comparison of Consolidated Results for the Years Ended December 31, 2016 and 2015 

Operating Revenues

The  following  table  presents  a  breakdown  of  our  operating  revenues  among  card  revenues  and  other  fees, 

processing and settlement service revenues and interchange revenues, as well as contra-revenue items:

Year Ended December 31,

2016

2015

Amount

% of Total
Operating Revenues

Amount

% of Total
Operating Revenues

(In thousands, except percentages)

Operating revenues:

Card revenues and other fees

Processing and settlement service revenues

Interchange revenues

Stock-based retailer incentive compensation

Total operating revenues

$

$

337,821

184,342

196,611

—

718,774

47.0% $

25.6

27.4

—

100.0% $

318,083

182,614

196,523

(2,520)

694,700

45.8%

26.3

28.3

(0.4)

100.0%

Card  Revenues  and  Other  Fees  —  Card  revenues  and  other  fees  totaled  $337.8  million  for  the  year  ended 
December 31, 2016, an increase of $19.7 million, or 6%, compared to the year ended December 31, 2015. The increase 
was driven by a shift in the mix of our active card portfolio toward higher revenue generating customers as compared 
to 2015 and improved unit economics on our new suite of prepaid card products, which increased monthly maintenance 
fees and ATM fees earned, partially offset by lower new card fees for the comparable periods. These factors have 
contributed to the year-over-year growth in revenue per active card, which we define as operating revenues for our 
Account Services segment divided by the number of active cards in each case for or as of the applicable period end, 
despite  a 8% decline  in  the  number  of  active  cards  from  the  year  ended  December 31,  2015  to  the  year  ended 
December 31, 2016.

Processing  and  Settlement  Service  Revenues  —  Processing  and  settlement  service  revenues  totaled  $184.3 
million  for  the  year  ended  December 31,  2016,  an  increase  of  $1.7  million,  or  1%,  compared  to  the  year  ended 
December 31, 2015. The number of cash transfers sold and tax refund transfers processed each decreased year-
over-year. In each case, the decline in transactions was partially offset by higher revenue per transaction. The number 
of cash transfers sold decreased year-over-year due to the suspension of our MoneyPak PIN product, which was 
discontinued in the first quarter of 2015 and reintroduced in a different format in April 2016.

Interchange Revenues — Interchange revenues totaled $196.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2016, an 
increase of $0.1 million compared to the year ended December 31, 2015. Despite year-over-year growth of 2% in 
purchase volume, we earned a lower effective interchange rate on purchase volume due to a mix shift of purchase 
volume routed by certain merchants to lower revenue generating payment networks than in the prior year.

Stock-based Retailer Incentive Compensation — As a result of our repurchase right lapsing in May 2015, we had 
no stock-based retailer incentive compensation for the year ended December 31, 2016, a decrease of $2.5 million
compared to the year ended December 31, 2015.

In May 2010, we issued to Walmart 2,208,552 shares of our Class A common stock, subject to our right to repurchase 
them at $0.01 per share upon a qualifying termination of our prepaid card program agreement with Walmart. Prior to 
May 2015, we recognized each month the fair value of the 36,810 shares issued to Walmart as to which our right to 
repurchase lapsed using the then-current fair market value of our Class A common stock. We recorded the fair value 
recognized  as  stock-based  retailer  incentive  compensation,  a  contra-revenue  component  of  our  total  operating 
revenues. Beginning in May 2015, we no longer record stock-based retailer compensation as a result of our repurchase 
right lapsing completely.  

41

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Operating Expenses

The following table presents a breakdown of our operating expenses among sales and marketing, compensation 

and benefits, processing, and other general and administrative expenses:

Year Ended December 31,

2016

2015

Amount

% of Total
Operating Revenues

Amount

% of Total
Operating Revenues

(In thousands, except percentages)

Operating expenses:

Sales and marketing expenses

Compensation and benefits expenses

Processing expenses

Other general and administrative expenses

Total operating expenses

$

$

249,096

159,456

107,556

139,350

655,458

34.7% $

22.2

15.0

19.3

91.2% $

230,441

168,226

102,144

134,560

635,371

33.2%

24.2

14.7

19.4

91.5%

Sales  and  Marketing  Expenses  —  Sales  and  marketing  expenses  totaled  $249.1  million  for  the  year  ended 
December 31,  2016,  an  increase  of  $18.7  million,  or  8%  compared  to  the  year  ended  December 31,  2015. 
The increase was  primarily  the  result  of $11.4  million of  incremental  costs  of  manufacturing  and  distributing  card 
packages as a result of the continued introduction of our new suite of prepaid card products with improved unit economics 
at our retail distributors. Sales and marketing expenses also increased due to an increase in sales commission expenses 
due in part to the impact of the increased sales commission rate we pay Walmart under the new agreement executed 
in May 2015 being applied to sales for the entire year ended December 31, 2016 compared to eight months of the 
year ended December 31, 2015.

Compensation and Benefits Expenses — Compensation and benefits expenses totaled $159.5 million for the year 
ended December 31, 2016, a decrease of $8.7 million or 5%, compared to the year ended December 31, 2015. Salaries 
and wages decreased by approximately $5.4 million and third party contractor expenses decreased by approximately 
$3.8 million, partially offset by an increase of $1.3 million in stock-based compensation expense. 

Processing Expenses — Processing expenses totaled $107.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2016, an 
increase of $5.5 million, or 5%, compared to the year ended December 31, 2015. This increase was due to our growth 
in period-over-period purchase volume of 2%, higher fees charged to us by our payment networks for ATM and purchase 
transactions and lower bonus incentives received from our payment networks compared to the prior year. As discussed 
under "Financial Results and Trends," we incurred additional processing expenses during the second half of the year 
ended December 31, 2016 due to delays in the planned migration schedule to our new third party processor.

Other General and Administrative Expenses — Other general and administrative expenses totaled $139.4 million
for the year ended December 31, 2016, an increase of $4.8 million, or 4%, compared to the year ended December 31, 
2015. Other general and administrative expenses increased primarily due to year-over-year increases in cardholder 
transaction losses of $3.6 million, and a year-over-year decrease of $5.7 million in gains associated with the change 
in fair value of contingent consideration. These increases were offset by an absence in impairment charges during the 
year ended December 31, 2016, as we recorded $5.7 million associated with the write down of certain internal-use 
software during the year ended December 31, 2015.

42

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Income Tax Expense

The following table presents a breakdown of our effective tax rate among federal, state and other:

U.S. federal statutory tax rate

State income taxes, net of federal tax benefit

General business credits

Employee stock-based compensation

Transaction costs

Other

Effective tax rate

Year Ended December 31,

2016

2015

35.0%

0.4

(3.4)

0.3

—

0.1

35.0%

0.4

(0.9)

0.8

(2.1)

0.7

32.4%

33.9%

Our income tax expense increased by $0.3 million to $20.0 million in the year ended December 31, 2016 compared 
to the year ended December 31, 2015 due to an increase in income before income taxes. The decrease in our effective 
tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2016 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2015 from 33.9% to 
32.4% is primarily attributable to the reversal of previously accrued tax positions on uncertain tax positions that were 
no longer necessary due to the expiration of statute of limitations and settlement with certain taxing jurisdictions.

Results of Operations by Segment

Information with respect to the results of operations for each of our reportable segments may be found under Note 
23 — Segment Information to the Consolidated Financial Statements included herein, which information is incorporated 
herein by reference.

43

 
 
Capital Requirements for Bank Holding Companies

Our subsidiary bank, Green Dot Bank, is a member bank of the Federal Reserve System and our primary regulators 
are the Federal Reserve Board and the Utah Department of Financial Institutions. We are subject to various regulatory 
capital requirements administered by the banking agencies. Failure to meet minimum capital requirements can initiate 
certain  mandatory  actions  by  regulators  that,  if  undertaken,  could  have  a  direct  material  effect  on  our  financial 
statements.  Under  capital  adequacy  guidelines,  we  must  meet  specific  capital  guidelines  that  involve  quantitative 
measures  of  the  assets,  liabilities  and  certain  off-balance  sheet  items  as  calculated  under  regulatory  accounting 
practices. The capital amounts and classification are also subject to qualitative judgments by the regulators about 
components, risk weightings and other factors.

In July 2013, the Federal Reserve and other U.S. banking regulators approved final rules regarding new risk-based 
capital, leverage and liquidity standards, known as “Basel III.” The Basel III rules, which became effective for us and 
our bank on January 1, 2015, are subject to certain phase-in periods that occur over several years. The U.S. Basel III 
rules  contain  new  capital  standards  that  change  the  composition  of  capital,  increase  minimum  capital  ratios  and 
strengthen counter-party credit risk capital requirements. The Basel III rules also include a new definition of common 
equity Tier 1 capital and require that certain levels of such common equity Tier 1 capital be maintained. The rules also 
include a new capital conservation buffer, which impose a common equity requirement above the new minimum that 
can be depleted under stress, and could result in restrictions on capital distributions and discretionary bonuses under 
certain circumstances, as well as a new standardized approach for calculating risk-weighted assets. Under the Basel 
III rules, we must maintain a ratio of common equity Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 4.5%, a ratio of 
Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 6%, a ratio of total capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 8% and 
a minimum Tier 1 leverage ratio of 4.0%.

As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, we were categorized as "well capitalized" under the regulatory framework for 
prompt corrective action. To be categorized as "well capitalized," we must maintain specific total risk-based, Tier 1 risk-
based and Tier 1 leverage ratios as set forth in the table below. There were no conditions or events since December 31, 
2017 which management believes would have changed our category as "well capitalized." 

The definitions associated with the amounts and ratios below are as follows:

Ratio

Tier 1 leverage ratio

Definition

Tier 1 capital divided by average total assets

Common equity Tier 1 capital ratio

Common equity Tier 1 capital divided by risk-weighted assets

Tier 1 capital ratio

Tier 1 capital divided by risk-weighted assets

Total risk-based capital ratio

Total capital divided by risk-weighted assets

Terms

Definition

Tier 1 capital and
Common equity Tier 1 capital

Total capital

Average total assets

Risk-weighted assets

Primarily includes common stock, retained earnings and accumulated OCI, net of deductions
and adjustments primarily related to goodwill, deferred tax assets and intangibles. Under the
regulatory capital rules, certain deductions and adjustments to these capital figures are phased
in through January 1, 2018.

Tier 1 capital plus supplemental capital items such as the allowance for loan losses, subject to
certain limits

Average total consolidated assets during the period less deductions and adjustments primarily
related to goodwill, deferred tax assets and intangibles assets

Represents the amount of assets or exposure multiplied by the standardized risk weight (%)
associated with that type of asset or exposure. The standardized risk weights are prescribed in
the bank capital rules and reflect regulatory judgment regarding the riskiness of a type of asset
or exposure

44

The actual amounts and ratios, and required "well capitalized" minimum capital amounts and ratios at December 31, 
2017 and 2016, were as follows:

Green Dot Corporation:

Tier 1 leverage

Common equity Tier 1 capital

Tier 1 capital

Total risk-based capital

Green Dot Bank:

Tier 1 leverage

Common equity Tier 1 capital

Tier 1 capital

Total risk-based capital

Green Dot Corporation:

Tier 1 leverage

Common equity Tier 1 capital

Tier 1 capital

Total risk-based capital

Green Dot Bank:

Tier 1 leverage

Common equity Tier 1 capital

Tier 1 capital

Total risk-based capital

December 31, 2017

Amount

Ratio

Regulatory
Minimum

"Well-capitalized"
Minimum

(In thousands, except ratios)

236,885

236,885

236,885

240,509

95,461

95,461

95,461

95,752

15.6%

45.3%

45.3%

46.0%

10.2%

37.5%

37.5%

37.6%

4.0%

4.5%

6.0%

8.0%

4.0%

4.5%

6.0%

8.0%

n/a

n/a

6.0%

10.0%

5.0%

6.5%

8.0%

10.0%

December 31, 2016

Amount

Ratio

Regulatory
Minimum

"Well-capitalized"
Minimum

(In thousands, except ratios)

332,101

332,101

332,101

333,288

139,491

139,491

139,491

139,768

24.3%

61.0%

61.0%

61.2%

17.0%

54.8%

54.8%

54.9%

4.0%

4.5%

6.0%

8.0%

4.0%

4.5%

6.0%

8.0%

n/a

n/a

6.0%

10.0%

5.0%

6.5%

8.0%

10.0%

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

The year-over-year decline in the capital ratios of Green Dot Corporation was primarily driven by the acquisition 
of UniRush in February 2017 as goodwill and intangible assets acquired reduce common equity Tier 1 capital, Tier  1 
capital and total capital. Additionally, our regulatory capital decreased as a result of our $50 million ASR completed in 
2017.

45

Liquidity and Capital Resources

The following table summarizes our major sources and uses of cash for the periods presented:

Total cash provided by (used in)

Operating activities

Investing activities

Financing activities

Increase (decrease) in unrestricted cash and cash equivalents

Year Ended December 31,

2017

2016

2015

(In thousands)

$

$

218,310

$

114,515

$

(223,930)

192,187

(78,291)

(75,677)

186,567

$

(39,453) $

156,942

(175,718)

66,267

47,491

During the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015 we financed our operations primarily through our 
cash flows provided by operating activities.  Additionally, during the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, 
we financed certain investing activities through our borrowings under our Senior Credit Facility.  At December 31, 2017, 
our primary source of liquidity was unrestricted cash and cash equivalents totaling $919.2 million. We also consider 
our $153.5 million of investment securities available-for-sale to be highly-liquid instruments. 

We use trend and variance analysis as well as our detailed budgets and forecasts to project future cash needs, 
making adjustments to the projections when needed. We believe that our current unrestricted cash and cash equivalents, 
cash flows from operations and borrowing capacity under our senior credit facility will be sufficient to meet our working 
capital, capital expenditure, debt service requirements and any other capital needs for at least the next 12 months.

Cash Flows from Operating Activities

Our $218.3 million of net cash provided by operating activities in the year ended December 31, 2017 principally 
resulted from $85.9 million of net income, adjusted for certain non-cash operating expenses of $102.8 million and an 
increase in our net changes in working capital assets and liabilities of $29.6 million, driven principally by the timing of 
payments of our accounts payable and accrued liabilities. Our $114.5 million of net cash provided by operating activities 
in the year ended December 31, 2016 principally resulted from $41.6 million of net income, adjusted for certain non-
cash operating expenses of $92.6 million, offset by a decrease in our net changes in our operating assets and liabilities 
of $19.7 million, driven primarily by a decrease in our accounts payable and accrued liabilities and an increase in tax 
payments made during the year. Our $156.9 million of net cash provided by operating activities in the year ended 
December 31,  2015  principally  resulted  from  $38.4  million  of  net  income,  adjusted  for  certain  non-cash  operating 
expenses of $91.2 million, and an increase in our net changes in our operating assets and liabilities of $27.3 million, 
driven primarily by an increase in our accounts payable and accrued liabilities, and income taxes receivable.

Cash Flows from Investing Activities

Our $223.9 million of net cash used in investing activities in the year ended December 31, 2017 primarily reflects 
payment for our acquisition of UniRush, LLC of $141.5 million, net of cash acquired, and an increase of $78.8 million in 
our restricted cash balances associated with the timing of funds required at year end to collateralize a prefunding 
obligation with a business partner and payments for acquisition of property and equipment of $44.1 million, offset by 
proceeds from  sales and maturities of available-for-sale investment securities, net of purchases, of $53.0 million. Our 
$78.3 million of net cash used in investing activities in the year ended December 31, 2016 primarily reflects payments 
for acquisition of property and equipment of $43.3 million, and purchases of available-for-sale investment securities, 
net of proceeds from sales and maturities, of $28.9 million. Our $175.7 million of net cash used in investing activities 
in the year ended December 31, 2015 reflects payments for business acquisitions of $65.2 million, net of cash acquired, 
payments for acquisition of property and equipment of $47.8 million, and purchases of available-for-sale investment 
securities, net of proceeds from sales and maturities of $62.7 million.

Cash Flows from Financing Activities

Our $192.2 million of net cash provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2017 was primarily 
the result of a $284.8 million net increase in deposits associated with our card programs and $24.2 million from stock 
option exercise and employee stock purchase plan proceeds, offset by $52.0 million used for our stock repurchase 
program, $22.5 million in repayments of our note payable, $18.1 million in taxes paid from net settled equity awards, 
and a $20.9 million decrease in obligations to our customers. Our $75.7 million of net cash used in financing activities 
in the year ended December 31, 2016 was primarily the result of an $83.4 million decrease in obligations to customers, 
$59.0 million used for our stock repurchase program, $22.5 million in repayments of our note payable, and $8.2 million
in taxes paid from net settled equity awards, offset by increases of $85.3 million in deposits to customers associated 

46

 
 
 
with our GPR card program and $14.9 million from stock option exercise and employee stock purchase plan proceeds. 
Our $66.3 million of net cash provided by financing activities in the year ended December 31, 2015 was primarily the 
result of increases of $86.7 million of deposits to customers associated with our GPR card program and $45.4 million 
in obligations to customers, offset by $22.5 million in repayments of our note payable and $41.0 million used for our 
stock repurchase program.

Commitments

We anticipate that we will continue to purchase property and equipment as necessary in the normal course of our 
business. The amount and timing of these purchases and the related cash outflows in future periods is difficult to predict 
and is dependent on a number of factors including the hiring of employees, the rate of change of computer hardware 
and software used in our business and our business outlook. During 2018, we intend to continue to invest in new 
products and programs, new features for our existing products and IT infrastructure to scale and operate effectively 
to meet our strategic objectives. We expect these capital expenditures will exceed the amount of our capital expenditures 
in 2017 as we reinvest a portion of the incremental cash flow we expect to generate as a result of the Tax Act and the 
expected lower effective tax rate.

We have used cash to acquire businesses and technologies and we anticipate that we may continue to do so in 
the future. The nature of these transactions makes it difficult to predict the amount and timing of such cash requirements. 
We may also be required to raise additional financing to complete future acquisitions. As discussed above in Note 3
—Business Acquisitions to the Consolidated Financial Statements included herein, on February 28, 2017, we completed 
our acquisition of all the membership interests of UniRush for $142.2 million plus a minimum $4 million annual earn-
out payment for five years following the closing. The earn-out payments will be made each year, with the minimum 
payment potentially becoming greater if certain revenue growth targets for the RushCard GPR card program are met 
in a given year, although any potential increase is not expected to be material to the overall purchase price.

Additionally, we may make periodic cash contributions to our subsidiary bank, Green Dot Bank, to maintain its 

capital, leverage and other financial commitments at levels we have agreed to with our regulators.

Senior Credit Facility

In October 2014, we entered into a $225 million credit agreement with Bank of America, N.A., as administrative 
agent, Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, and other lenders party thereto. The agreement provides for (i) a $75 
million five-year revolving facility (the “Revolving Facility”) and (ii) a five-year $150 million term loan facility (the “Term 
Facility” and, together with the Revolving Facility, the “Senior Credit Facility”).  At our election, loans made under the 
credit agreement bear interest at (1) a LIBOR rate or (2) a base rate as defined in the agreement, plus an applicable 
margin  (4.32%  as  of  December 31,  2017).  The  balance  outstanding  on  the  Term  Facility  was  $79.6  million  at 
December 31, 2017, net of deferred financing fees.  Quarterly principal payments of $5.6 million are payable on the 
loans  under  the  Term  Facility.  The  loans  made  under  the  Term  Facility  mature  and  all  amounts  then  outstanding 
thereunder are payable on October 23, 2019. There were no borrowings on the Revolving Facility at December 31, 
2017.  We are also subject to certain financial covenants, which include maintaining a minimum fixed charge coverage 
ratio and a maximum consolidated leverage ratio at the end of each fiscal quarter, as defined in the agreement, as 
amended. At December 31, 2017, we were in compliance with all such covenants.

Share Repurchase Program

In  June  2015,  we  announced  that  our  Board  of  Directors  had  authorized  a  stock  repurchase  program  for  the 
repurchase of up to $150 million of common stock. As of December 31, 2017, we have completed our commitment to 
repurchase shares under this repurchase program authorization.

During the year ended December 31, 2015, we entered into an accelerated share repurchase agreement ("ASR") 
with a financial institution to repurchase shares of our common stock as part of our repurchase program. Under the 
ASR agreement, we purchased $40 million of our Class A common stock at an average price of $17.08 per share, 
resulting in approximately 2.4 million shares. We also entered into a $10 million agreement to repurchase shares under 
a Rule10b5-1 plan during the year ended December 31, 2015.  Under this agreement, we received approximately 0.6 
million shares at an average price of $16.15.

During the year ended December 31, 2016, we entered into an ASR agreement with a financial institution for the 
purchase  of  an  additional  $50  million  of  our  Class A  common  stock.  Under  this ASR  agreement,  we  repurchased 
approximately 2.2 million shares at an average price of $22.54 per share.

During the year ended December 31, 2017, we entered into an ASR agreement with a financial institution for the 
remaining  $50  million  of  our  Class A  common  stock  authorized  for  repurchase.  Under  this ASR  agreement,  we 
repurchased approximately 1.3 million shares at an average price of $38.64.

47

In May 2017, our Board of Directors authorized, subject to regulatory approval, expansion of our stock repurchase 
program by an additional $150 million. In light of the number of new enterprise-level programs now planned to launch 
in early 2018 that may require additional capital to support our internal and regulatory capital and liquidity requirements, 
management and our Board of Directors do not intend to seek regulatory approval until such time we believe capital 
levels are ample to support a repurchase program, which we believe would be, at the earliest, in the latter part of 2018.

Contractual Obligations

Our  contractual  commitments  will  have  an  impact  on  our  future  liquidity.  The  following  table  summarizes  our 
contractual  obligations,  including  both  on  and  off-balance  sheet  transactions  that  represent  material  expected  or 
contractually  committed  future  obligations,  at  December 31,  2017.  We  believe  that  we  will  be  able  to  fund  these 
obligations through cash generated from operations and from our existing cash balances. 

Long-term debt obligations

Operating lease obligations

Purchase obligations(1)

Total

___________

Payments Due by Period

Total

Less than 1
Year

1-3 Years

3-5 Years

(In thousands)

More than 5
Years

$

82,500

$

22,500

$

60,000

$

— $

32,233

42,396

7,483

26,260

13,413

16,123

11,337

13

$

157,129

$

56,243

$

89,536

$

11,350

$

—

—

—

—

(1)  Primarily future minimum payments under agreements with vendors and our retail distributors. See Note 19 – Commitments 

and Contingencies of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements.

In addition to the above contractual obligations, our definitive agreement to acquire all of the equity interests of 

UniRush provides for a minimum $4 million annual earn-out payment for five years following the closing.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

During the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015 we did not have any relationships with unconsolidated 
organizations or financial partnerships, such as structured finance or special purpose entities that would have been 
established  for  the  purpose  of  facilitating  off-balance  sheet  arrangements  or  other  contractually  narrow  or  limited 
purposes.

48

Statistical Disclosure by Bank Holding Companies

As discussed in Part I, Item 1. Business, we became a bank holding company in December 2011. This section 
presents information required by the SEC’s Industry Guide 3, “Statistical Disclosure by Bank Holding Companies.” 
The tables in this section include Green Dot Bank information only. 

Distribution of Assets, Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity

The  following  table  presents  average  balance  data  and  interest  income  and  expense  data  for  our  banking 
operations, as well as the related interest yields and rates for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 and 
average balance data for the period ended December 31, 2015:

2017

Interest 
income/
interest 
expense

Average
balance

Year ended December 31,

Yield/
rate

Average
balance

2016

Interest
income/
interest
expense

(In thousands, except percentages)

Period ended
December 31,

2015

Yield/
rate

Average
balance

Assets

Interest-bearing assets

Loans (1)

$

11,835

$

1,420

12.0% $

6,806

$

872

12.8% $

7,014

153,276

2,464

152,941

2,135

Taxable investment
securities

Non-taxable investment
securities

Federal reserve stock

Fee advances

Federal funds sold

Cash

Total interest-bearing assets

Non-interest bearing assets

Total assets

$

Liabilities

Interest-bearing liabilities

296

3,512

689

—

590,203

759,811

147,530

907,341

Checking accounts

$

21,645

$

Savings deposits

Time deposits,
denominations greater than
or equal to $100

Time deposits,
denominations less than
$100

Total interest-bearing liabilities

Non-interest bearing liabilities

Total liabilities

Total stockholders' equity

9,983

4,946

1,489

38,063

760,922

798,985

108,356

2

212

291

—

6,522

10,911

19

23

37

9

88

1.6

0.7

6.0

42.2

—

1.1

1.4%

$

677

3,953

—

—

585,701

750,078

127,809

877,887

0.1% $

1,107

$

0.2

0.7

0.6

0.2%

11,926

6,217

1,834

21,084

696,747

717,831

160,056

12

238

—

—

3,160

6,417

1

15

52

13

81

1.4

1.8

6.0

—

—

0.5

0.9%

$

0.1% $

0.1

0.8

0.7

0.4%

108,122

903

3,855

—

468

676,400

796,762

66,828

863,590

1,025

8,181

5,576

1,874

16,656

696,176

712,832

150,758

Total liabilities and stockholders'
equity

$

907,341

$

877,887

$

863,590

Net interest income/yield on
earning assets

___________

$

10,823

1.2%

$

6,336

0.5%

(1)  Non-performing loans and leases are included in the respective average loan and lease balances. Income, if any, on such 

loans and leases is recognized on a cash basis.

49

The following table presents the rate/volume variance in interest income and expense for the year ended 

December 31, 2017:

Loans

Taxable investment securities

Non-taxable investment securities

Federal reserve stock

Fee advances

Federal funds sold

Cash

Checking accounts

Savings deposits

Time deposits, denominations greater than or equal to $100

Time deposits, denominations less than $100

___________

Total Change in
Interest Income/
Expense

December 31, 2017

Change Due to
Rate (1)

(In thousands)

Change Due to
Volume (1)

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

548

329

(10)

(26)

291

—

3,362

4,494

18

8

(15)

(4)

(55) $

324

(8)

—

—

—

3,312

3,573

$

— $

12

(5)

(2)

7

$

5

$

603

5

(2)

(26)

291

—

50

921

18

(4)

(10)

(2)

2

(1)  The change in interest income and expense not solely due to changes in volume or rate has been allocated on a pro-rata basis 

to the volume and rate columns.

Investment Portfolio

The  following  table  presents  the  amortized  cost  and  fair  value  of  Green  Dot  Bank’s  investment  portfolio  at 

December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015:

December 31, 2017

December 31, 2016

December 31, 2015

Amortized
Cost

Fair Value

Amortized
Cost

Fair Value

Amortized
Cost

Fair Value

(In thousands)

Corporate bonds

$

1,000

$

999

$

15,952

$

15,958

$

30,186

$

30,147

Agency mortgage-backed
securities

Municipal bonds

Asset-backed securities

121,036

742

20,952

120,034

739

20,861

117,990

1,460

26,614

117,490

1,430

26,458

100,206

99,781

854

—

865

—

Total fixed-income securities

$

143,730

$

142,633

$

162,016

$

161,336

$

131,246

$

130,793

The following table shows the scheduled maturities, by amortized cost, and average yields for Green Dot Bank’s 

investment portfolio at December 31, 2017:

Due in one year
or less

Due after one
year through
five years

Due after five
years through
ten years

Due after ten
years

Total

Corporate bonds

Agency mortgage-backed securities

Municipal bonds

Asset-backed securities

Total fixed-income securities

Weighted-average yield

$

$

(In thousands, except percentages)

1,000

$

— $

— $

— $

—

14

—

—

—

20,952

28,627

—

—

92,409

728

—

1,014

$

20,952

$

28,627

$

93,137

$

1,000

121,036

742

20,952

143,730

1.55%

1.85%

1.55%

1.76%

1.73%

50

Deposits

The following table shows Green Dot Bank’s average deposits and the annualized average rate paid on those 

deposits for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015:

December 31, 2017

December 31, 2016

December 31, 2015

Average
Balance

Weighted-
Average
Rate

Average
Balance

Weighted-
Average
Rate

Average
Balance

Weighted-
Average
Rate

(In thousands, except percentages)

Interest-bearing deposit accounts

Checking accounts

Savings deposits

$

Time deposits, denominations greater
than or equal to $100

Time deposits, denominations less than
$100

Total interest-bearing deposit accounts

Non-interest bearing deposit accounts

21,645

9,983

4,946

1,489

38,063

527,202

0.1% $

0.2

0.7

0.6

0.2%

1,107

11,926

6,217

1,834

21,084

509,777

0.1% $

0.1

0.8

0.7

0.4%

1,025

8,181

5,576

1,874

16,656

589,601

0.1%

0.1

0.9

1.0

0.5%

Total deposits

$

565,265

$

530,861

$

606,257

The  following  table  shows  the  scheduled  maturities  for  Green  Dot  Bank’s  time  deposits  portfolio  greater  than 

$100,000 at December 31, 2017:

Less than 3 months

3 through 6 months

6 through 12 months

Greater than 12 months

Key Financial Ratios

December 31, 2017

(In thousands)

$

$

374

658

604

3,116

4,752

The following table shows certain of Green Dot Bank’s key financial ratios for the years ended December 31, 2017, 

2016, and 2015:

Net return on assets

Net return on equity

Equity to assets ratio

December 31, 2017

December 31, 2016

December 31, 2015

1.7%

14.0

11.9

1.3%

7.2

18.2

1.2%

6.9

17.5

ITEM 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

Market risk is the potential for economic losses from changes in market factors such as foreign currency exchange 
rates, credit, interest rates and equity prices. We believe that we have limited exposure to risks associated with changes 
in foreign currency exchange rates, interest rates and equity prices. We have no significant foreign operations. We do 
not hold or enter into derivatives or other financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes.

Interest rates

We do not consider our cash and cash equivalents or our investment securities to be subject to significant interest 

rate risk due to their short duration.

As of December 31, 2017, we had a $79.6 million term loan outstanding under our $225.0 million credit agreement.  
Refer to Note 10 — Note Payable to the Consolidated Financial Statements included herein for additional information. 
Our term loan and revolving credit facility are, and are expected to be, at variable rates of interest and expose us to 
interest rate risk. If interest rates increase, our debt service obligations on the variable rate indebtedness would increase 
even though the amount borrowed remained the same, and our net income would decrease. Although any short-term 
borrowings under our revolving credit facility would likely be insensitive to interest rate changes, interest expense on 
short-term borrowings will increase and decrease with changes in the underlying short-term interest rates. Assuming 
our credit agreement is drawn up to its maximum borrowing capacity of $225.0 million, based on the applicable LIBOR 
and margin in effect as of December 31, 2017, each quarter point of change in interest rates would result in a $0.6 

51

million change in our annual interest expense. We actively monitor our interest rate exposure and our objective is to 
reduce, where we deem appropriate to do so, fluctuations in earnings and cash flows associated with changes in 
interest rates. In order to accomplish this objective, we may enter into derivative financial instruments, such as forward 
contracts and interest rate hedge contracts only to the extent necessary to manage our exposure. We do not hold or 
enter into derivatives or other financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes.

Credit and liquidity risk

We do have exposure to credit and liquidity risk associated with the financial institutions that hold our cash and 
cash equivalents, restricted cash, available-for-sale investment securities, settlement assets due from our Simply Paid 
distribution partners and retail distributors that collect funds and fees from our customers, and amounts due from our 
issuing banks for fees collected on our behalf.

We manage the credit and liquidity risk associated with our cash and cash equivalents, available-for-sale investment 
securities and amounts due from issuing banks by maintaining an investment policy that restricts our correspondent 
banking relationships to approved, well capitalized institutions and restricts investments to highly liquid, low credit risk 
assets. Our policy has limits related to liquidity ratios, the concentration that we may have with a single institution or 
issuer and effective maturity dates as well as restrictions on the type of assets that we may invest in. The management 
Asset Liability Committee is responsible for monitoring compliance with our Capital Asset Liability Management policy 
and related limits on an ongoing basis, and reports regularly to the audit committee of our board of directors.

Our exposure to credit risk associated with our retail distributors and Simply Paid distribution partners is mitigated 
due to the short time period, currently an average of two days that retailer settlement assets are outstanding. We 
perform an initial credit review and assign a credit limit to each new retail distributor and Simply Paid distribution partner. 
We monitor each retail distributor’s and Simply Paid distribution partner's settlement asset exposure and its compliance 
with its specified contractual settlement terms on a daily basis and assess their credit limit and financial condition on 
a periodic basis. Our management's Enterprise Risk Management Committee is responsible for monitoring our retail 
distributor and Simply Paid distribution partner exposure and assigning credit limits and reports regularly to the audit 
committee of our board of directors.

52

ITEM 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

Index to Consolidated Financial Statements

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2017 and 2016  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Consolidated Statements of Operations for the Years Ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015 . . . . .
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income for the Years Ended December 31, 2017, 2016 
and 2015  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders' Equity for the Years Ended December 31, 2017, 
2016 and 2015  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Years Ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015  . . . .

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Page

54

55

56

57

58

59

60

61

All financial statement schedules have been omitted, since the required information is not applicable or is not 
present in amounts sufficient to require submission of the schedule, or because the information required is included 
in the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto.

53

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Stockholders and the Board of Directors of Green Dot Corporation

Opinion on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

We have audited Green Dot Corporation’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017, based 
on criteria established in Internal Control- Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations 
of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework) (the "COSO criteria"). In our opinion, Green Dot Corporation (the 
"Company") maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 
2017, based on the COSO criteria.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United 
States) ("PCAOB"), the 2017 consolidated financial statements of the Company and our report dated February 27, 
2018 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.

Basis for Opinion

The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for 
its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting included in the accompanying report of 
management on internal control over financial reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s 
internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB 
and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws 
and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and 
perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was 
maintained in all material respects.

Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a 
material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on 
the  assessed  risk,  and  performing  such  other  procedures  as  we  considered  necessary  in  the  circumstances.  We 
believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Definition and Limitations of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding 
the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with 
generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies 
and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect 
the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions 
are  recorded  as  necessary  to  permit  preparation  of  financial  statements  in  accordance  with  generally  accepted 
accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with 
authorizations  of  management  and  directors  of  the  company;  and  (3)  provide  reasonable  assurance  regarding 
prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have 
a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. 
Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become 
inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may 
deteriorate.

/s/ Ernst & Young LLP

Los Angeles, California
February 27, 2018

54

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm 

To the Stockholders and the Board of Directors of Green Dot Corporation

Opinion on the Financial Statements  

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Green Dot Corporation (the "Company") as of 
December 31, 2017 and 2016, the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income, changes 
in stockholders’ equity and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2017, and the 
related  notes  (collectively  referred  to  as  the  “consolidated  financial  statements”).  In  our  opinion,  the  consolidated 
financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company at December 31, 2017
and 2016, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 
2017, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United 
States) ("PCAOB"), the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017, based on criteria 
established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the 
Treadway Commission (2013 framework) and our report dated February 27, 2018 expressed an unqualified opinion 
thereon.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an 
opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with 
the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal 
securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and 
perform  the  audit  to  obtain  reasonable  assurance  about  whether  the  financial  statements  are  free  of  material 
misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material 
misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to 
those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures 
in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates 
made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our 
audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

/s/ Ernst & Young LLP

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2005.

Los Angeles, California
February 27, 2018 

55

GREEN DOT CORPORATION
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

Assets

Current assets:

Unrestricted cash and cash equivalents

Restricted cash

Investment securities available-for-sale, at fair value

Settlement assets

Accounts receivable, net

Prepaid expenses and other assets

Income tax receivable

Total current assets

Investment securities available-for-sale, at fair value

Loans to bank customers, net of allowance for loan losses of $291 and $277 as of December 31, 2017 and
2016, respectively

Prepaid expenses and other assets

Property and equipment, net

Deferred expenses

Net deferred tax assets

Goodwill and intangible assets

Total assets

Current liabilities:

Accounts payable

Deposits

Obligations to customers

Settlement obligations

Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity

$

$

Amounts due to card issuing banks for overdrawn accounts

Other accrued liabilities

Deferred revenue

Note payable

Income tax payable

Total current liabilities

Other accrued liabilities

Note payable

Net deferred tax liabilities

Total liabilities

Commitments and contingencies (Note 19)

Stockholders’ equity:

Class A common stock, $0.001 par value; 100,000 shares authorized as of December 31, 2017 and 2016;
51,136 and 50,513 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively

Additional paid-in capital

Retained earnings

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

Total stockholders’ equity

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

December 31,

2017

2016

(In thousands, except par value)

$

919,243

$

90,852

11,889

209,399

35,277

47,086

7,459

1,321,205

141,620

18,570

8,179

97,282

21,791

6,507

582,377

2,197,531

$

34,863

$

1,022,180

95,354

6,956

1,371

123,397

30,875

20,906

74

1,335,976

30,520

58,705

7,780

732,676

12,085

46,686

137,083

40,150

32,186

12,570

1,013,436

161,740

6,059

4,142

82,621

16,647

4,648

451,051

1,740,344

22,856

737,414

46,043

4,877

1,211

102,426

25,005

20,966

—

960,798

12,330

79,720

3,763

1,432,981

1,056,611

51

354,789

410,440

(730)

764,550

$

2,197,531

$

51

358,155

325,708

(181)

683,733

1,740,344

See notes to consolidated financial statements

56

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
GREEN DOT CORPORATION
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

Operating revenues:

Card revenues and other fees

Processing and settlement service revenues

Interchange revenues

Stock-based retailer incentive compensation

Total operating revenues

Operating expenses:

Sales and marketing expenses

Compensation and benefits expenses

Processing expenses

Other general and administrative expenses

Total operating expenses

Operating income

Interest income

Interest expense

Income before income taxes

Income tax expense

Net income

Income attributable to preferred stock

Net income available to common stockholders

Basic earnings per common share:

Diluted earnings per common share:

Basic weighted-average common shares issued and outstanding:

Diluted weighted-average common shares issued and outstanding:

Year Ended December 31,

2017

2016

2015

(In thousands, except per share data)

$

414,775

$

337,821

$

217,454

257,922

—

890,151

280,561

194,654

161,011

155,601

791,827

98,324

11,243

(6,109)

103,458

17,571

85,887

—

184,342

196,611

—

718,774

249,096

159,456

107,556

139,350

655,458

63,316

7,367

(9,122)

61,561

19,961

41,600

(802)

$

$

$

85,887

$

40,798

$

1.70

1.61

$

$

50,482

53,198

0.82

0.80

$

$

49,535

50,797

318,083

182,614

196,523

(2,520)

694,700

230,441

168,226

102,144

134,560

635,371

59,329

4,737

(5,944)

58,122

19,707

38,415

(1,102)

37,313

0.73

0.72

51,332

51,875

See notes to consolidated financial statements

57

 
 
GREEN DOT CORPORATION
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

Net income

Other comprehensive (loss) income

Unrealized holding (losses) gains, net of tax

Comprehensive income

2017

Year Ended December 31,

2016

(In thousands)

2015

85,887

$

41,600

$

38,415

(549)

85,338

$

34

41,634

$

(163)

38,252

$

$

See notes to consolidated financial statements

58

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t

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
GREEN DOT CORPORATION
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

Year Ended December 31,

2017

2016

(In thousands)

2015

$

85,887

$

41,600

$

38,415

Operating activities

Net income

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:

Depreciation and amortization of property and equipment

Amortization of intangible assets

Provision for uncollectible overdrawn accounts

Employee stock-based compensation

Stock-based retailer incentive compensation

Amortization of premium on available-for-sale investment securities

Change in fair value of contingent consideration

Amortization of deferred financing costs

Impairment of capitalized software

Deferred income tax expense (benefit)

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

Accounts receivable, net

Prepaid expenses and other assets

Deferred expenses

Accounts payable and other accrued liabilities

Deferred revenue

Income tax receivable/payable

Other, net

Net cash provided by operating activities

Investing activities

Purchases of available-for-sale investment securities

Proceeds from maturities of available-for-sale securities

Proceeds from sales of available-for-sale securities

Increase in restricted cash

Payments for acquisition of property and equipment

Net (increase) decrease in loans

Acquisition, net of cash acquired

Net cash used in investing activities

Financing activities

Borrowings from notes payable

Repayments of borrowings from notes payable

Borrowings on revolving line of credit

Repayments on revolving line of credit

Proceeds from exercise of options

Taxes paid related to net share settlement of equity awards

Net increase in deposits

Net (decrease) increase in obligations to customers

Contingent consideration payments

Repurchase of Class A common stock

Deferred financing costs

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

33,470

31,110

77,145

40,734

—

1,510

(9,672)

1,589

1,326

2,780

(68,368)

(16,841)

(2,098)

27,982

4,689

5,067

2,000

218,310

(58,665)

71,338

40,310

(78,762)

(44,142)

(12,511)

(141,498)

(223,930)

20,000

(42,500)

335,000

(335,000)

24,161

(18,077)

284,766

(20,926)

(3,104)

(51,969)

(164)

192,187

39,460

23,021

74,841

28,321

—

1,357

(2,500)

1,534

142

1,270

(74,851)

1,131

(2,138)

(19,156)

2,004

(3,662)

2,141

114,515

(135,920)

105,544

1,430

(6,292)

(43,273)

220

—

(78,291)

—

(22,500)

145,000

(145,000)

14,917

(8,223)

85,269

(83,372)

(2,755)

(59,013)

—

(75,677)

38,509

23,205

63,294

27,011

2,520

1,167

(8,200)

1,535

5,881

(406)

(54,450)

(5,766)

2,817

13,179

(1,617)

10,217

(369)

156,942

(195,132)

84,435

47,953

(199)

(47,837)

271

(65,209)

(175,718)

—

(22,500)

30,001

(30,001)

3,832

(5,124)

86,744

45,372

(1,071)

(40,986)

—

66,267

47,491

724,638

772,129

4,410

9,892

Net increase (decrease) in unrestricted cash and cash equivalents

Unrestricted cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year

Unrestricted cash and cash equivalents, end of year

Cash paid for interest

Cash paid for income taxes

186,567

732,676

919,243

4,520

9,603

$

$

$

(39,453)

772,129

732,676

7,586

22,316

$

$

$

$

$

$

See notes to consolidated financial statements

60

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
GREEN DOT CORPORATION
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 1—Organization

Green Dot Corporation (“we,” “our,” or “us” refer to Green Dot Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries) is a 
pro-consumer bank holding company and financial technology innovator with a mission to reinvent personal banking 
for  the  masses.  We  employ  a  unique  “products  and  platform”  operating  model  whereby  we  use  our  banking  and 
technology assets to design, build and distribute our branded financial services products directly to consumers through 
a large-scale omni-channel national distribution platform, while also allowing qualified third party partners to access 
those same banking and technology assets to design, build and distribute their own bespoke financial services directly 
to their consumers through their own distribution platforms. Through our six revenue divisions and our subsidiary bank, 
Green Dot Bank, we are a leading provider of prepaid cards, debit cards, checking accounts, secured credit cards, 
payroll debit cards, consumer cash processing services, wage disbursements and tax refund processing services. 
With approximately 100,000 major name U.S. retail stores selling our products, several leading direct-to-consumer 
websites, thousands of tax preparation offices, several apps available in the two leading app stores and distribution 
through several enterprise-scale “Banking as a Service,” or "BaaS," partnerships, we are one of the most broadly 
distributed banking franchises in the United States. We are headquartered in Pasadena, California, with additional 
facilities throughout the United States and in Shanghai, China.

As the regulated entity and issuing bank for substantially all products and services we provide, whether our own 
or on behalf of a BaaS platform partner, we are directly accountable for all aspects of each program’s integrity, inclusive 
of ensuring the program’s compliance with all applicable banking regulations, applicable state and federal law and our 
various internal governance policies and procedures related to all areas of risk and compliance, in addition to deploying 
enterprise-class risk management practices and procedures to ensure each program’s initial and ongoing safety and 
soundness.

Our products and services:

We offer consumers a broad collection of financial products and services managed through several diverse business 
lines which are then made available to consumers through a widely-available “branchless" distribution network in the 
United States. Many of the products and services we internally create and distribute are marketed under the Green 
Dot brand name, which we believe is both a well-known and highly trusted brand name for millions of consumers. Our 
branchless network consists of:

• 

• 

• 

distribution arrangements with approximately 100,000 mostly major chain retail locations, which we refer to 
as “retail distributors” and thousands of neighborhood Financial Service Center locations;

several differently branded, Green Dot-owned and operated direct-to-consumer online and direct mail customer 
acquisition platforms;

corporate distribution partnerships with businesses that provide payroll cards to their employees to receive 
wage disbursements;

•  more than 25,000 small and large tax preparation companies and individual tax preparers, which are sometimes 
referred to as electronic return originators, or “EROs”, who are able to offer our products and services to their 
customers through the use of various tax preparation industry software packages with which our products are 
integrated; 

• 

• 

apps compatible with the iOS and Android operating systems downloaded through the corresponding app 
store; and 

platform partners’ distribution channels that those partners use to acquire customers for their bespoke products 
and services that are powered by our BaaS Platform. 

Our products and services include several deposit account programs, such as network-branded reloadable prepaid 
debit cards marketed under several leading consumer brand names, which we collectively refer to as "GPR cards," 
consumer checking accounts, small business checking accounts, network-branded gift cards (known as open-loop), 
secured credit cards and other financial services.

We also offer several products and services that specialize in facilitating the movement cash on behalf of consumers 
and businesses. These products and services include: our proprietary swipe reload system for crediting cash onto an 
enabled payment card by swiping the payment card at the point of sale at any Green Dot Network participating retailer; 
MoneyPak, a product that allows a consumer to add funds to accounts we issue or accounts issued by affiliated United 
States chartered and regulated third party banks; and e-cash remittance services, a service that allows a consumer 

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GREEN DOT CORPORATION
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 1—Organization (continued)

to  transfer  money  to  a  smartphone  for  fulfillment  at  a  Green  Dot  participating  retailer.  We  refer  to  these  services 
collectively as our cash transfer products. We also provide disbursement services through our Simply Paid platform 
that enables a payment solution for companies to pay their workforce and customers in the time and manner they 
desire and provide tax refund transfers that provide the processing technology to facilitate receipt of a taxpayers' refund 
proceeds.

Our BaaS Platform: 

Through our BaaS Platform, we currently power the following types of products and services on behalf of several 

of America’s largest retail, consumer, technology and financial services companies: 

•  Mobile banking;

• 

Loan disbursement accounts;

•  Spend-based Mobile P2P services,

•  Money transfer services;

•  GPR cards;

•  Network branded "open loop" gift cards;

• 

Instant payment and wage disbursements;

•  Small business checking accounts and debit cards; and

•  Consumer checking accounts.

Note 2—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Principles of Consolidation and Basis of Presentation

Our  consolidated  financial  statements  include  the  results  of  Green  Dot  Corporation  and  our  wholly-owned 
subsidiaries. We prepared the accompanying consolidated financial statements in accordance with generally accepted 
accounting principles in the United States of America, or GAAP. We eliminate all significant intercompany balances 
and  transactions  in  consolidation.  We  include  the  results  of  operations  of  acquired  companies  from  the  date  of 
acquisition.

Use of Estimates and Assumptions

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires us to make estimates and assumptions 
that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements, including the accompanying notes. We base 
our  estimates  and  assumptions  on  historical  factors,  current  circumstances,  and  the  experience  and  judgment  of 
management. We evaluate our estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis. Actual results could differ from those 
estimates.

Unrestricted Cash and Cash Equivalents 

We  consider  all  unrestricted  highly  liquid  investments  with  an  original  maturity  of  three  months  or  less  to  be 

unrestricted cash and cash equivalents. 

Investment Securities

Our investment portfolio is primarily comprised of fixed income securities. We classify these securities as available-
for-sale and report them at fair value with the related unrealized gains and losses, net of tax, included in accumulated 
other comprehensive income, a component of stockholders’ equity. We classify investment securities with maturities 
less than or equal to 365 days as current assets.

We regularly evaluate each fixed income security where the value has declined below amortized cost to assess 
whether the decline in fair value is other-than-temporary. In determining whether an impairment is other-than-temporary, 
we consider the severity and duration of the decline in fair value, the length of time expected for recovery, the financial 
condition of the issuer, and other qualitative factors, as well as whether we either plan to sell the security or it is more 
likely-than-not that we will be required to sell the security before recovery of its amortized cost. If the impairment of 
the investment security is credit-related, an other-than-temporary impairment is recorded in earnings. We recognize 
non-credit-related impairment in accumulated other comprehensive income. If we intend to sell an investment security 

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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (CONTINUED)

Note 2—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (continued)

or believe we will more-likely-than-not be required to sell a security, we record the full amount of the impairment as an 
other-than-temporary impairment.

Interest on fixed income securities, including amortization of premiums and accretion of discounts, is included in 

interest income.

Obligations to Customers and Settlement Assets and Obligations

At the point of sale, our retail distributors collect customer funds for purchases of new cards and balance reloads 
and then remit these funds directly to the banks that issue our cards. Our retail distributors’ remittance of these funds 
takes an average of two business days.

Settlement assets represent the amounts due from our retail distributors for customer funds collected at the point 
of sale that have not yet been received by our subsidiary bank. Also included in this balance are payroll amounts funded 
in  advance  (up  to  two  days  early)  to  certain  cardholders  who  are  eligible  to  participate  in  our  early  direct  deposit 
programs. Obligations to customers represent customer funds collected from (or to be remitted by) our retail distributors 
for which the underlying products have not been activated. Once the underlying products have been activated, the 
customer funds are reclassified as deposits in a bank account established for the benefit of the customer. Settlement 
obligations represent the customer funds received by our subsidiary bank that are due to third-party card issuing banks 
upon activation.

Accounts Receivable, net

Accounts  receivable  is  comprised  principally  of  receivables  due  from  card  issuing  banks,  overdrawn  account 
balances due from cardholders, trade accounts receivable, fee advances and other receivables. We record accounts 
receivable net of reserves for estimated uncollectible accounts. Receivables due from card issuing banks primarily 
represent revenue-related funds held at the third-party card issuing banks related to our gift card program that have 
yet to be remitted to us. These receivables are generally collected within a short period of time based on the remittance 
terms in our agreements with the third-party card issuing banks. Fee advances represent short-term advances to in-
person tax return preparation companies made prior to and during tax season. These advances are collateralized by 
their clients' tax preparation fees and are generally collected within a short period of time as the in-person tax preparation 
companies begin preparing and processing their clients' tax refunds.

Overdrawn Account Balances Due from Cardholders and Reserve for Uncollectible Overdrawn Accounts

Our cardholder accounts may become overdrawn as a result of maintenance fee assessments or from purchase 
transactions that we honor, in excess of the funds in a cardholder’s account. We are exposed to losses from any 
unrecovered overdrawn account balances. We establish a reserve for uncollectible overdrawn accounts. We classify 
overdrawn accounts into age groups based on the number of days that have elapsed since an account last had activity, 
such as a purchase, ATM transaction or maintenance fee assessment. We calculate a reserve factor for each age 
group based on the average recovery rate for the most recent six months. These factors are applied to these age 
groups to estimate our overall reserve. When more than 90 days have passed without activity in an account, we write 
off the full amount of the overdrawn account balance. We include our provision for uncollectible overdrawn accounts 
related to maintenance fees and purchase transactions as an offset to card revenues and other fees and in other 
general and administrative expenses, respectively, in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.

Restricted Cash

At  December 31,  2017  and  2016,  restricted  cash  amounted  to  $90.9  million  and  $12.1  million,  respectively.  
Restricted cash as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, primarily consists of funds required to collateralize a pre-funding 
obligation with a counter-party. 

Loans to Bank Customers

We report loans measured at historical cost at their outstanding principal balances, net of any charge-offs, and for 

purchased loans, net of any unaccreted discounts. We recognize interest income as it is earned.

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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (CONTINUED)

Note 2—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (continued)

Nonperforming Loans

Nonperforming loans generally include loans that have been placed on nonaccrual status. We generally place 
loans on nonaccrual status when they are past due 90 days or more. We reverse the related accrued interest receivable 
and apply interest collections on nonaccrual loans as principal reductions; otherwise, we credit such collections to 
interest income when received. These loans may be restored to accrual status when all principal and interest is current 
and full repayment of the remaining contractual principal and interest is expected.

We consider a loan to be impaired when it is probable that we will be unable to collect all amounts due according 
to the contractual terms of the loan agreement. Once we determine a loan to be impaired, we measure the impairment 
based on the present value of the expected future cash flows discounted at the loan's effective interest rate. We may 
also measure impairment based on observable market prices, or for loans that are solely dependent on the collateral 
for  repayment,  the  estimated  fair  value  of  the  collateral  less  estimated  costs  to  sell.  If  the  recorded  investment  in 
impaired loans exceeds this amount, we establish a specific allowance as a component of the allowance for loan losses 
or by adjusting an existing valuation allowance for the impaired loan.

Allowance for Loan Losses 

We establish an allowance for loan losses to account for estimated credit losses inherent in our loan portfolio. For 
the portfolio of loans, our estimate of inherent losses is separately calculated on an aggregate basis for groups of loans 
that are considered to have similar credit characteristics and risk of loss. We analyze historical loss rates for these 
groups and then adjust the rates for qualitative factors which in our judgment affect the expected inherent losses. 
Qualitative considerations include, but are not limited to, prevailing economic or market conditions, changes in the loan 
grading and underwriting process, changes in the estimated value of the underlying collateral for collateral dependent 
loans,  delinquency  and  nonaccrual  status,  problem  loan  trends,  and  geographic  concentrations.  We  separately 
establish specific allowances for impaired loans based on the present value of changes in cash flows expected to be 
collected, or for impaired loans that are considered collateral dependent, the estimated fair value of the collateral. 

Property and Equipment

We  carry  our  property  and  equipment  at  cost  less  accumulated  depreciation  and  amortization.  We  generally 
compute depreciation on property and equipment using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the 
assets, except for land, which is not depreciated. We generally compute amortization on tenant improvements using 
the straight-line method over the shorter of the related lease term or estimated useful lives of the improvements. We 
expense expenditures for maintenance and repairs as incurred.

We capitalize certain internal and external costs incurred to develop internal-use software during the application 
development stage. We also capitalize the cost of specified upgrades and enhancements to internal-use software that 
result in additional functionality. Once a development project is substantially complete and the software is ready for its 
intended use, we begin depreciating these costs on a straight-line basis over the internal-use software’s estimated 
useful life.

The estimated useful lives of the respective classes of assets are as follows:

Land

Building

Computer equipment, furniture and office equipment

Computer software purchased

Capitalized internal-use software

Tenant improvements

N/A

30 years

3-10 years

3 years

2-7 years

Shorter of the useful life or the lease term

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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (CONTINUED)

Note 2—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (continued)

Impairment of Long Lived Assets

We  evaluate  long-lived  assets  for  impairment  whenever  events  or  changes  in  circumstances  indicate  that  the 
carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. If the sum of expected undiscounted future cash flows from an 
asset is less than the carrying amount of the asset, we estimate the fair value of the assets. We measure the loss as 
the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds its fair value calculated using the present value of estimated net 
future cash flows. We recorded impairment charges of $1.3 million, $0.1 million and $5.9 million for the years ended 
December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively, associated with capitalized internal-use software we determined to 
no longer be utilized and any remaining carrying value was written off. These impairment charges are included in other 
general and administrative expenses in our consolidated statements of operations. 

Business Acquisitions

We allocate the purchase price of business acquisitions to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on 
their estimated fair value. The excess of the purchase price over estimated fair value of the net identifiable assets is 
allocated to goodwill. Determining the fair value of assets and liabilities requires various assumptions and estimates. 
These estimates and assumptions are refined with adjustments recorded to goodwill as information is gathered and 
final  valuations  are  completed  over  a  one-year  measurement  period. The  changes  in  these  estimates  or  different 
assumptions used in determining these estimates could impact the amount of assets, including goodwill, and liabilities 
recorded on our consolidated balance sheet and could impact our operating results subsequent to such acquisition.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets

Goodwill is the purchase premium after adjusting for the fair value of net assets acquired. Goodwill is not amortized 
but is reviewed for potential impairment on an annual basis, or when events or circumstances indicate a potential 
impairment, at the reporting unit level.  A reporting unit, as defined under applicable accounting guidance, is an operating 
segment or one level below an operating segment, referred to as a component. We may in any given period bypass 
the  qualitative  assessment  and  proceed  directly  to  a  two-step  method  to  assess  and  measure  impairment  of  the 
reporting  unit's  goodwill.  We  first  assess  qualitative  factors  to  determine  whether  it  is  more  likely-than-not  (i.e.,  a 
likelihood of more than 50 percent) that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value. This step serves 
as the basis for determining whether it is necessary to perform the two-step quantitative impairment test. The first step 
of the quantitative impairment test involves a comparison of the estimated fair value of each reporting unit to its carrying 
amount, including goodwill. If the estimated fair value of the reporting unit exceeds its carrying amount, goodwill of the 
reporting unit is not impaired; however, if the carrying amount of the reporting unit exceeds its estimated fair value, 
then the second step of the quantitative impairment test must be performed. The second step compares the implied 
fair value of the reporting unit’s goodwill with its carrying amount to measure the amount of impairment loss, if any. 

The implied fair value of goodwill is determined in the same manner as the amount of goodwill recognized in a 
business combination. If the carrying amount of the reporting unit’s goodwill exceeds the implied fair value of that 
goodwill, an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to that excess.

For  intangible  assets  subject  to  amortization,  we  recognize  an  impairment  loss  if  the  carrying  amount  of  the 
intangible asset is not recoverable and exceeds its estimated fair value. The carrying amount of the intangible asset 
is considered not recoverable if it exceeds the sum of the undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use of 
the asset.

No impairment charges were recognized related to goodwill or intangible assets for the years ended December 31, 

2017, 2016 and 2015.

Intangible assets with finite lives are amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives, which is 
our best estimate of the pattern of economic benefit, based on legal, contractual, and other provisions. The estimated 
useful lives of the intangible assets, which consist primarily of customer relationships and trade names, range from 
5-15 years.

Amounts Due to Card Issuing Banks for Overdrawn Accounts

Third-party card issuing banks fund overdrawn cardholder account balances on our behalf. Amounts funded are 
due from us to the card issuing banks based on terms specified in the agreements with the card issuing banks. Generally, 
we expect to settle these obligations within two months. 

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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (CONTINUED)

Note 2—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (continued)

Fair Value

Under applicable accounting guidance, fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or 
paid to transfer a liability. As such, fair value reflects an exit price in an orderly transaction between market participants 
on the measurement date.

We  determine  the  fair  values  of  our  financial  instruments  based  on  the  fair  value  hierarchy  established  under 
applicable accounting guidance, which requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the 
use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value. The following describes the three-level hierarchy:

Level 1 – Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. Level 1 assets and liabilities 
include debt and equity securities and derivative contracts that are traded in an active exchange market, as well as 
certain U.S. Treasury securities that are highly liquid and are actively traded in over-the-counter markets.

Level 2 – Observable inputs other than Level 1 prices, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities, quoted 
prices in markets that are not active, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market 
data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities. Level 2 assets and liabilities include fixed income securities 
with quoted prices that are traded less frequently than exchange-traded instruments. This category generally includes 
U.S. government and agency mortgage-backed fixed income securities and corporate fixed income securities.

Level 3 – Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the overall 
fair value of the assets or liabilities. Level 3 assets and liabilities include financial instruments for which the determination 
of fair value requires significant management judgment or estimation. The fair value for such assets and liabilities is 
generally  determined  using  pricing  models,  market  comparables,  discounted  cash  flow  methodologies  or  similar 
techniques that incorporate the assumptions a market participant would use in pricing the asset or liability. This category 
generally includes certain private equity investments and certain asset-backed securities.

Revenue Recognition

Our operating revenues consist of card revenues and other fees, processing and settlement service revenues and 
interchange  revenues.  We  recognize  revenue  when  the  price  is  fixed  or  determinable,  persuasive  evidence  of  an 
arrangement exists, the product is sold or the service is performed, and collectability of the resulting receivable is 
reasonably assured.

Card revenues and other fees consist of monthly maintenance fees, ATM fees, new card fees and other revenues. 
We charge maintenance fees on a monthly basis pursuant to the terms and conditions in the applicable cardholder 
agreements. We recognize monthly maintenance fees ratably over the month for which they are assessed. We charge 
ATM fees to cardholders when they withdraw money at certain ATMs in accordance with the terms and conditions in 
our cardholder agreements. We recognize ATM fees when the withdrawal is made by the cardholder, which is the same 
time our service is completed and the fees are assessed. We charge new card fees when a consumer purchases a 
new card in a retail store. We defer and recognize new card fee revenues on a straight-line basis over our average 
card lifetime, which is currently five months for our GPR cards and six months our gift cards. We determine the average 
card lifetime based on our recent historical data for comparable products. We measure card lifetime for our GPR cards 
as the period of time, inclusive of reload activity, between sale (or activation) of the card and the date of the last positive 
balance. We measure the card lifetime for our gift cards as the redemption period during which cardholders initiate the 
substantial majority of their transactions. We reassess average card lifetime quarterly. We report the unearned portion 
of new card fees as a component of deferred revenue in our consolidated balance sheets. Other revenues consist 
primarily of revenue associated with our gift card program, transaction-based fees and fees associated with optional 
products  or  services,  which  we  offer  to  cardholders  from  time-to-time.  We  generally  recognize  these  revenues  as 
purchase transactions occur or when the underlying services are completed.

Our processing and settlement services consist of cash transfer revenues, tax refund processing service revenues 
and Simply Paid disbursement revenues. We generate cash transfer revenues when consumers purchase our cash 
transfer products (reload services) in a retail store. We recognize these revenues when the cash transfer transactions 
are completed, generally within two business days from the time of sale of these products. We earn tax refund processing 
service revenues when a customer of a third party tax preparation company chooses to pay their tax preparation fee 
through the use of our tax refund processing services. We recognize tax refund processing service revenues as we 
remit tax return proceeds to the taxpayer. We earn Simply Paid disbursement fees from our business partners as 
payment disbursements are made. 

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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (CONTINUED)

Note 2—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (continued)

We earn interchange revenues from fees remitted by the merchant’s bank, which are based on rates established 
by the payment networks, such as Visa and MasterCard, when cardholders make purchase transactions using our 
cards. We recognize interchange revenues as these transactions occur.

We report our different types of revenues on a gross or net basis based on our assessment of whether we act as 
a principal or an agent in the transaction. To the extent we act as a principal in the transaction, we report revenues on 
a  gross  basis.  In  concluding  whether  or  not  we  act  as  a  principal  or  an  agent,  we  evaluate  whether  we  have  the 
substantial risks and rewards under the terms of the revenue-generating arrangements, whether we are the party 
responsible for fulfillment of the services purchased by the cardholders, among other factors. For all of our significant 
revenue-generating  arrangements,  including  GPR  and  gift  cards,  we  record  revenues  on  a  gross  basis  with  the 
exception of our tax refund processing service revenues which are recorded on a net basis.

Generally, customers have limited rights to a refund of a new card fee or a cash transfer fee. We have elected to 
recognize revenues prior to the expiration of the refund period, but reduce revenues by the amount of expected refunds, 
which we estimate based on actual historical refunds.

On  occasion,  we  enter  into  incentive  agreements  with  our  retail  distributors  and  offer  incentives  to  customers 
designed to increase product acceptance and sales volume. We record incentive payments, including the issuance of 
equity instruments, as a reduction of revenues and recognize them over the period the related revenues are recognized 
or as services are rendered, as applicable.

Sales and Marketing Expenses

Sales and marketing expenses primarily consist of sales commissions, advertising and marketing expenses, and 
the costs of manufacturing and distributing card packages, placards, promotional materials to our retail distributors’ 
locations and personalized GPR cards to consumers who have activated their cards.

We pay our retail distributors and brokers commissions based on sales of our prepaid debit cards and cash transfer 
products in their stores. We defer and expense commissions related to new cards sales ratably over the average card 
lifetime, which is currently five months for our GPR cards and six months for our gift cards. Absent a new card fee, we 
expense the related commissions immediately. We expense commissions related to cash transfer products when the 
cash transfer transactions are completed. We expense costs for the production of advertising as incurred. The cost of 
media advertising is expensed when the advertising first takes place. We record the costs associated with card packages 
and placards as prepaid expenses, and we record the costs associated with personalized GPR cards as deferred 
expenses. We recognize the prepaid cost of card packages and placards over the related sales period, and we amortize 
the deferred cost of personalized GPR cards, when activated, over the average card lifetime.

Included in sales and marketing expenses are advertising and marketing expenses of $25.1 million, $11.9 million
and $10.1 million and shipping and handling costs of $3.0 million, $3.7 million and $2.8 million for the years ended 
December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively. Also included in sales and marketing expenses were liabilities that 
we incurred for use tax to various states related to purchases of materials since we do not charge sales tax to customers 
when new cards or cash transfer transactions are purchased.

Employee Stock-Based Compensation

We record employee stock-based compensation expense based on the grant-date fair value of the award. For 
stock options and stock purchases under our employee stock purchase plan, or ESPP, we base compensation expense 
on fair values estimated at the grant date using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. For stock awards, including 
restricted stock units, we base compensation expense on the fair value of our common stock at the grant date. We 
recognize compensation expense for awards with only service conditions that have graded vesting schedules on a 
straight-line basis over the vesting period of the award. Vesting is based upon continued service to our company.

We  have  issued  performance  based  and  market  based  restricted  stock  units  to  our  executive  officers  and 
employees. For performance based awards, we recognize compensation cost for the restricted stock units if and when 
we conclude it is probable that the performance will be satisfied, over the requisite service period based on the grant-
date fair value of the stock. We reassess the probability of vesting at each reporting period and adjust compensation 
expense based on the probability assessment.  For market based restricted stock units, we base compensation expense 
on the fair value estimated at the date of grant using a Monte Carlo simulation or similar lattice model. We recognize 
compensation expense over the requisite service period regardless of the market condition being satisfied, provided 

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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (CONTINUED)

Note 2—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (continued)

that the requisite service has been provided, since the estimated grant date fair value already incorporates the probability 
of outcomes that the market condition will be achieved.      

Income Taxes

Our income tax expense is comprised of current and deferred income tax expense. Current income tax expense 
approximates taxes to be paid or refunded for the current period. Deferred income tax expense results from the changes 
in  deferred  tax  assets  and  liabilities  during  the  periods.  These  gross  deferred  tax  assets  and  liabilities  represent 
decreases or increases in taxes expected to be paid in the future because of future reversals of temporary differences 
between the basis of assets and liabilities as measured by tax laws and their basis as reported in our consolidated 
financial statements. We also recognize deferred tax assets for tax attributes such as net operating loss carryforwards 
and tax credit carryforwards. We record valuation allowances to reduce deferred tax assets to the amounts we conclude 
are more likely-than-not to be realized in the foreseeable future. 

We recognize and measure income tax benefits based upon a two-step model: 1) a tax position must be more 
likely-than-not to be sustained based solely on its technical merits in order to be recognized, and 2) the benefit is 
measured as the largest dollar amount of that position that is more likely-than-not to be sustained upon settlement. 
The difference between the benefit recognized for a position and the tax benefit claimed on a tax return is referred to 
as an unrecognized tax benefit. We accrue income tax related interest and penalties, if applicable, within income tax 
expense.

On December 22, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was signed into law and introduces significant changes to U.S. 
income tax law. Effective in 2018, the legislation reduces the US federal corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%, creates 
new taxes on certain foreign-sourced earnings and certain related-party payments, eliminates certain deductions and 
enhances and extends through 2026 the option to claim accelerated depreciation deductions on qualified property. 
Refer to Note 13 — Income Taxes for additional information.

Earnings Per Common Share

For the periods applicable, we apply the two-class method in calculating earnings per common share, or EPS, 
because our preferred stockholders are entitled to participate with our common stockholders in the distributions of 
earnings through dividends. The two-class method requires net income, after deduction of any preferred stock dividends, 
deemed  dividends  on  preferred  stock  redemptions,  and  accretions  in  the  carrying  value  on  preferred  stock,  to  be 
allocated between each class or series of common and preferred stockholders based on their respective rights to 
receive dividends, whether or not declared. Basic EPS is then calculated by dividing net income allocated to each 
class of common stockholders by the respective weighted-average common shares issued and outstanding.

We divide adjusted net income for each class of common stock by the respective weighted-average number of 
the common shares issued and outstanding for each period plus amounts representing the dilutive effect of outstanding 
stock options, restricted stock units, shares to be purchased under our employee stock purchase plan and the dilution 
resulting from the conversion of convertible securities, if applicable. We exclude the effects of convertible securities, 
restricted stock units and stock options from the computation of diluted EPS in periods in which the effect would be 
anti-dilutive. We calculate dilutive potential common shares using the treasury stock method, if-converted method and 
the two-class method, as applicable.

Regulatory Matters and Capital Adequacy

As a bank holding company, we are subject to comprehensive supervision and examination by the Federal Reserve 
Board and must comply with applicable regulations, including minimum capital and leverage requirements. If we fail 
to  comply  with  any  of  these  requirements,  we  may  become  subject  to  formal  or  informal  enforcement  actions, 
proceedings,  or  investigations,  which  could  result  in  regulatory  orders,  restrictions  on  our  business  operations  or 
requirements to take corrective actions, which may, individually or in the aggregate, affect our results of operations 
and restrict our ability to grow. If we fail to comply with the applicable capital and leverage requirements, or if our 
subsidiary bank fails to comply with its applicable capital and leverage requirements, the Federal Reserve Board may 
limit our or Green Dot Bank's ability to pay dividends. In addition, as a bank holding company and a financial holding 
company, we are generally prohibited from engaging, directly or indirectly, in any activities other than those permissible 
for bank holding companies and financial holding companies. This restriction might limit our ability to pursue future 
business opportunities which we might otherwise consider but which might fall outside the scope of permissible activities. 
We may also be required to serve as a “source of strength” to Green Dot Bank if it becomes less than adequately 
capitalized.

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GREEN DOT CORPORATION
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (CONTINUED)

Note 2—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (continued)

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Recently issued accounting pronouncements not yet adopted

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) ("ASU 
2014-09"),  and  has  since  been  modified  through  additional  technical  corrections  since  its  original  issuance.   ASU 
2014-09 supersedes nearly all existing revenue recognition guidance under current GAAP. The core principle of ASU 
2014-09, is to recognize revenues when promised goods or services are transferred to customers in an amount that 
reflects the consideration to which an entity expects to be entitled for those goods or services. The standard defines 
a five step process to achieve this core principle and, in doing so, more judgment and estimates may be required within 
the revenue recognition process than are required under existing GAAP. The standard allows companies to apply either 
a full retrospective approach, which requires applying the standard to each prior year reporting period presented, or 
a modified retrospective approach with a cumulative effect adjustment recognized upon adoption. The standard is 
effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted. We will 
adopt the standard on January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective approach.

We have completed our assessment of the impact under the new revenue standard on our consolidated financial 
statements. Based on our assessment, we have concluded that our financial statements will not be materially impacted 
upon adoption; however, we will expand certain disclosures as required beginning in the first quarter of 2018. Additional 
changes identified under the new standard relate to the presentation of certain incentive payments made to our retail 
distributors and other partners. Under our current policy, these payments have generally been recorded as a reduction 
to revenues, however, upon adoption of the new guidance, such payments will be classified as sales and marketing 
expenses since these contractual arrangements have been determined to be outside the scope of ASU 2014-09. We 
have not identified any adjustments related to the timing or pattern under our current revenue recognition policies and 
therefore, no adjustment to retained earnings is expected upon adoption.

In  January  2016,  the  FASB  issued  ASU  No.  2016-01,  Financial  Instruments  –  Overall  (Subtopic  825-10): 
Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities ("ASU 2016-01"). ASU 2016-01 revises the 
classification and measurement of investments in certain equity investments and the presentation of certain fair value 
changes for certain financial liabilities measured at fair value. ASU 2016-01 requires the change in fair value of many 
equity investments to be recognized in net income.  The standard is effective for interim and annual periods beginning 
after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted. The adoption of ASU 2016-01 may result in a cumulative 
adjustment to retained earnings as of the beginning of the year of adoption. We will adopt ASU 2016-01 on January 
1, 2018, the effect of which will not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements as we do not 
currently hold any financial instruments in the scope of the updated standard. 

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) ("ASU 2016-02") in order to increase 
transparency and comparability among organizations by recognizing lease assets and lease liabilities on the balance 
sheet for those leases classified as operating leases under previous GAAP. ASU 2016-02 requires that a lessee should 
recognize a liability to make lease payments and a right-of-use asset representing its right to use the underlying asset 
for leases with a term greater than 12 months. ASU 2016-02 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 
2018 (including interim periods within those periods) using a modified retrospective approach and early adoption is 
permitted. We are currently in the process of evaluating the impact of adoption of ASU 2016-02 on our consolidated 
financial statements.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement 
of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments ("ASU 2016-13") that requires financial assets measured at amortized cost 
be presented at the net amount expected to be collected. Credit losses on available-for-sale debt securities should be 
recorded through an allowance for credit losses limited by the amount that the fair value is less than amortized cost. 
ASU 2016-13 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those 
fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact of ASU 2016-13 on our consolidated 
financial statements.

69

GREEN DOT CORPORATION
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (CONTINUED)

Note 2—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (continued)

In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-18, Restricted Cash ("ASU 2016-18"), to require that restricted 
cash and restricted cash equivalents be included with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the beginning-of-
period and end-of-period total cash amounts shown on the statement of cash flows. Consequently, transfers between 
cash and restricted cash will not be presented as a separate line item in the operating, investing or financing sections 
of the cash flow statement. The amendments are effective for public business entities for fiscal years beginning after 
December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years. The amendments should be applied retrospectively 
to each period presented. We will adopt ASU 2016-18 on January 1, 2018, the effect of which will result in a change 
in presentation on our statement of cash flows, but not on our consolidated financial results.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-04, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other ("ASU 2017-04"): Simplifying 
the Test for Goodwill Impairment, which simplifies the existing two-step guidance for goodwill impairment testing by 
eliminating the second step resulting in a write-down to goodwill equal to the initial amount of impairment determined 
in step one. The ASU is to be applied prospectively for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019. Early 
adoption is permitted for interim or annual goodwill impairment tests performed after January 1, 2017. We are currently 
evaluating the impact of the provisions of ASU 2017-04 on our consolidated financial statements, however, we do not 
anticipate it will have a material impact upon adoption.

Recently adopted accounting pronouncements

the  FASB 

In  March  2016, 

issued  ASU  No.  2016-09, Compensation  –  Stock  Compensation  (Topic 
718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting ("ASU 2016-09") that simplifies how companies 
account for certain aspects of share-based payments to employees, including the accounting for income taxes upon 
vesting or exercise of share-based payments, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities with respect to 
statutory tax withholding thresholds, accounting for forfeitures, as well as certain classifications on the statement of 
cash flows. We adopted the provisions of ASU 2016-09 effective January 1, 2017.

Under ASU 2016-09, all excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies related to stock compensation are now recognized 
as income tax expense or benefit in the income statement instead of additional paid-in capital on the consolidated 
balance  sheets.  Since  we  did  not  have  any  previously  unrecognized  excess  tax  benefits,  no  cumulative-effect 
adjustment to retained earnings was required upon adoption pertaining to unrecognized excess tax benefits. Excess 
tax benefits are also now classified as operating activities in the consolidated statements of cash flows instead of in 
financing activities. The presentation of excess tax benefits on our consolidated statements of cash flows was adopted 
retrospectively, and accordingly, we reclassified $3.0 million and $0.2 million of excess tax benefits under financing 
activities  to  operating  activities  for  years  ended  December  31,  2016  and  2015,  respectively, on  our  consolidated 
statements of cash flows to conform to the current year presentation. Additionally, upon adoption of ASU 2016-09, we 
elected to account for forfeitures on stock-based compensation as they occur, rather than estimate future expected 
forfeitures. As a result of this accounting change, we recognized a net cumulative effect adjustment to reduce retained 
earnings as of January 1, 2017 for approximately $1.8 million ($1.2 million, net of tax).

See Note 13 — Income Taxes for additional information on the impact of the adoption on our consolidated financial 

statements.

Note 3—Business Acquisitions

On February 28, 2017, we completed our acquisition of all the membership interests of UniRush, LLC ("UniRush"), 
an online direct-to-consumer GPR card and corporate payroll card provider. The fair value of the total consideration 
in connection with the acquisition was approximately $163.7 million, which included cash and contingent consideration 
in the form of an earn-out. We paid for the transaction with $142.2 million in cash, of which $95 million was raised from 
a combination of our Revolving Facility, as discussed in Note 10 — Note Payable, and subordinated notes payable of 
$20  million  to  the  selling  shareholders  of  UniRush. The  subordinated  notes  were  repaid  shortly  after  close  of  the 
acquisition during the three months ended March 31, 2017. The transaction terms include an earn-out equal to the 
greater of (i) a specified percentage of the revenue generated by the online direct-to-consumer GPR card portfolio for 
the five-year period following the closing or (ii) $20 million, payable quarterly over the five years.

70

GREEN DOT CORPORATION
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (CONTINUED)

Note 3—Business Acquisitions (continued)

The following table summarizes the fair value of consideration transferred: 

Cash, including proceeds from notes payable

Fair value of contingent consideration

Total consideration

The allocation of the purchase price is as follows:

Assets:

Cash and cash equivalents

Accounts receivable, net

Prepaid expenses and other assets

Property and equipment, net

Intangible assets

Goodwill

Total assets:

Liabilities:

Accounts payable 

Other liabilities

Total liabilities:

Net assets acquired

Consideration

(In thousands)

$

$

142,154

21,500

163,654

February 28, 2017

(In thousands)

$

656

5,745

5,146

4,233

69,000

93,435

178,215

10,861

3,700

14,561

$

163,654

Goodwill of approximately $93.4 million represents the excess of the purchase price over the estimated fair value 
of the underlying identifiable tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed. The goodwill arises from 
the opportunity for synergies and economies of scale from the combined companies, and expanding our reach into 
the online direct-to-consumer and corporate payroll distribution channels. Although the goodwill will not be amortized 
for financial reporting purposes, it is anticipated that substantially all of the goodwill will be deductible for federal tax 
purposes over the statutory period of 15 years.

Intangible assets consist primarily of customer relationships and trade name of approximately $58.5 million and 
$5.5 million, respectively. The customer relationships will be amortized over its estimated useful life of 5-10 years and 
the trade name will be amortized over a period of 15 years.

Our acquisition of UniRush was accounted for under the acquisition method of accounting, with the operating 
results of UniRush included in our consolidated statements of operations from March 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017. 
Transaction costs incurred in connection with the acquisition were not material.

Unaudited pro forma financial information

The following unaudited pro forma summary financial results present the consolidated results of operations as if 
the acquisition of UniRush had occurred as of January 1, 2016, after the effect of certain adjustments, including interest 
expense on the debt used to fund the purchase, amortization of certain identifiable intangible assets, income and 
expense items not attributable to ongoing operations and related tax effects. The unaudited pro forma condensed 
consolidated  statements  of  operations  does  not  include  any  adjustments  for  any  restructuring  activities,  operating 
efficiencies or cost savings.  The pro forma results have been presented for comparative purposes only and are not 
indicative of what would have occurred had the UniRush acquisition been made as of January 1, 2016, or of any 
potential results which may occur in the future.

71

GREEN DOT CORPORATION
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (CONTINUED)

Note 3—Business Acquisitions (continued)

Net revenues

Net income (loss) attributable to common stock

Basic earnings (loss) per common share

Diluted earnings (loss) per common share

Basic weighted-average common shares issued and outstanding

Diluted weighted-average common shares issued and outstanding

Three Months Ended
December 31,

Year Ended December 31,

2017

2016

2017

2016

$

$

$

$

(In thousands, except per share data)

$

$

$

$

212,989

12,228

0.24

0.23

50,933

54,198

188,306

$

909,436

(1,864) $

77,471

(0.04) $

(0.04) $

50,513

51,662

1.53

1.46

50,482

53,198

$

$

$

$

821,987

45,871

0.93

0.90

49,535

50,797

Note 4—Investment Securities

Our available-for-sale investment securities were as follows:

December 31, 2017

Corporate bonds

U.S. Treasury notes

Agency mortgage-backed securities

Municipal bonds

Asset-backed securities

Total investment securities

December 31, 2016

Corporate bonds

Commercial paper

U.S. Treasury notes

Agency securities

Agency mortgage-backed securities

Municipal bonds

Asset-backed securities

Total investment securities

Amortized cost

Gross unrealized
gains

Gross unrealized
losses

Fair value

(In thousands)

$

$

$

1,000

$

— $

— $

10,921

121,037

742

20,952

154,652

$

21,533

$

12,427

21,603

4,002

117,990

1,460

30,131

$

$

—

52

4

—

56

9

4

1

—

242

1

1

(46)

(1,055)

(7)

(91)

(1,199) $

(7) $

(1)

(41)

(1)

(741)

(31)

(156)

$

209,146

$

258

$

(978) $

1,000

10,875

120,034

739

20,861

153,509

21,535

12,430

21,563

4,001

117,491

1,430

29,976

208,426

72

 
GREEN DOT CORPORATION
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (CONTINUED)

Note 4—Investment Securities (continued)

As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, the gross unrealized losses and fair values of available-for-sale investment 

securities that were in unrealized loss positions were as follows:

Less than 12 months

12 months or more

Fair value

Unrealized
loss

Fair value

Unrealized
loss

Total
fair value

Total
unrealized loss

(In thousands)

December 31, 2017

U.S. Treasury notes

$

4,588

$

(21) $

6,288

$

(25) $

10,876

$

(46)

Agency mortgage-backed 
securities

Municipal bonds

Asset-backed securities

Total investment securities

December 31, 2016

Corporate bonds

Commercial paper

U.S. Treasury notes

Agency securities

Agency mortgage-backed 
securities

Municipal bonds

Asset-backed securities

$

$

62,683

—

2,134

(453)

—

(2)

44,159

193

18,727

(602)

(7)

(89)

106,842

193

20,861

(1,055)

(7)

(91)

69,405

$

(476) $

69,367

$

(723) $

138,772

$

(1,199)

8,739

$

(7) $

1,999

$

— $

10,738

$

2,672

16,211

4,002

23,300

—

25,501

(1)

(41)

(1)

(236)

—

(156)

—

—

—

61,383

937

—

—

—

—

(505)

(31)

—

2,672

16,211

4,002

84,683

937

25,501

(7)

(1)

(41)

(1)

(741)

(31)

(156)

(978)

Total investment securities

$

80,425

$

(442) $

64,319

$

(536) $

144,744

$

We did not record any other-than-temporary impairment losses during the years ended December 31, 2017 and 
2016 on our available-for-sale investment securities. We do not intend to sell these investments and we have determined 
that it is more likely than not that we will not be required to sell these investments before recovery of their amortized 
cost bases, which may be at maturity.

As of December 31, 2017, the contractual maturities of our available-for-sale investment securities were as follows:

Due in one year or less

Due after one year through five years

Due after five years through ten years

Due after ten years

Mortgage and asset-backed securities

Total investment securities

Amortized cost

Fair value

(In thousands)

11,935

$

11,889

—

—

728

141,989

154,652

$

—

—

725

140,895

153,509

$

$

The expected payments on mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities may not coincide with their contractual 

maturities because the issuers have the right to call or prepay certain obligations.

73

GREEN DOT CORPORATION
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (CONTINUED)

Note 5—Accounts Receivable

Accounts receivable, net consisted of the following:

Overdrawn account balances due from cardholders

Reserve for uncollectible overdrawn accounts

Net overdrawn account balances due from cardholders

Trade receivables

Reserve for uncollectible trade receivables

Net trade receivables

Receivables due from card issuing banks

Fee advances

Other receivables

Accounts receivable, net

December 31, 2017

December 31, 2016

$

(In thousands)

17,856

$

(14,471)

3,385

4,231

(3)

4,228

6,309

16,194

5,161

$

35,277

$

14,773

(11,932)

2,841

1,941

(372)

1,569

8,497

16,708

10,535

40,150

Activity in the reserve for uncollectible overdrawn accounts consisted of the following:

Balance, beginning of period

Provision for uncollectible overdrawn accounts:

Fees

Purchase transactions

Charge-offs

Balance, end of period

Note 6—Loans to Bank Customers

Year Ended December 31,

2017

2016

2015

(In thousands)

11,932

$

7,999

$

11,196

69,912

7,233

(74,606)

67,798

7,043

(70,908)

14,471

$

11,932

$

55,595

7,699

(66,491)

7,999

$

$

The following table presents total outstanding loans, gross of the related allowance for loan losses, and a summary 

of the related payment status:

30-59 Days
Past Due

60-89 Days
Past Due

90 Days or
More Past
Due

Total Past
Due

Total Current or
Less Than 30 Days
Past Due

Total
Outstanding

(In thousands)

— $

— $

— $

— $

3,554

$

December 31, 2017

Residential

Commercial

Installment

Secured credit card

Total loans

Percentage of outstanding

December 31, 2016

Residential

Commercial

Installment

Secured credit card

Total loans

$

$

$

$

—

1

1,223

1,224

$

—

—

593

593

6.5%

3.1%

— $

—

—

—

— $

6

—

—

—

6

$

$

$

—

—

424

424

$

—

1

2,240

2,241

2.3%

11.9%

— $

—

2

—

2

$

6

—

2

—

8

$

$

$

315

1,378

11,373

16,620

$

3,554

315

1,379

13,613

18,861

88.1%

100.0%

3,718

$

366

1,742

502

6,328

$

3,724

366

1,744

502

6,336

Percentage of outstanding

—%

0.1%

—%

0.1%

99.9%

100.0%

74

 
 
 
 
GREEN DOT CORPORATION
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (CONTINUED)

Note 6—Loans to Bank Customers (continued)

Nonperforming Loans

The following table presents the carrying value, gross of the related allowance for loan losses, of our nonperforming 
loans. See Note 2 — Summary of Significant Accounting Policies for further information on the criteria for classification 
as nonperforming.

Residential

Installment

Total loans

Credit Quality Indicators

December 31, 2017

December 31, 2016

$

$

(In thousands)

502

191

693

$

$

368

—

368

We closely monitor and assess the credit quality and credit risk of our loan portfolio on an ongoing basis. We 
continuously review and update loan risk classifications. We evaluate our loans using non-classified or classified as 
the primary credit quality indicator. Classified loans are those loans that have demonstrated credit weakness where 
we  believe  there  is  a  heightened  risk  of  principal  loss,  including  all  impaired  loans.  Classified  loans  are  generally 
internally categorized as substandard, doubtful, or loss, consistent with regulatory guidelines.

The table below presents the carrying value, gross of the related allowance for loan losses, of our loans within the 

primary credit quality indicators related to our loan portfolio:

Residential

Commercial

Installment

Secured credit card

Total loans

December 31, 2017

December 31, 2016

Non-Classified

Classified

Non-Classified

Classified

$

$

(In thousands)

3,038

$

516

$

3,036

$

315

1,059

13,613

—

320

—

366

1,432

502

688

—

312

—

18,025

$

836

$

5,336

$

1,000

Impaired Loans and Troubled Debt Restructurings

When, for economic or legal reasons related to a borrower’s financial difficulties, we grant a concession for other 
than an insignificant period of time to a borrower that we would not otherwise consider, the related loan is classified 
as a Troubled Debt Restructuring, or TDR. Our TDR modifications related to extensions of the maturity dates at a 
stated interest rate lower than the current market rate for new debt with similar risk. The following table presents our 
impaired loans and loans that we modified as TDRs as of December 31, 2017 and 2016:

Residential

Installment

December 31, 2017

December 31, 2016

Unpaid Principal
Balance

Carrying Value

Unpaid Principal
Balance

Carrying Value

$

$

516

262

(In thousands)

$

452

120

$

388

220

316

98

75

GREEN DOT CORPORATION
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (CONTINUED)

Note 6—Loans to Bank Customers (continued)

Allowance for Loan Losses

Activity in the allowance for loan losses consisted of the following:

Balance, beginning of period

Provision (benefit) for loans

Loans charged off

Recoveries of loans previously charged off

Balance, end of period

 Note 7—Property and Equipment

Property and equipment consisted of the following:

Land

Building

Computer equipment, furniture, and office equipment

Computer software purchased

Capitalized internal-use software

Tenant improvements

Less accumulated depreciation and amortization

Property and equipment, net

Year Ended December 31,

2017

2016

2015

$

$

(In thousands)

$

426

$

(151)

(25)

27

277

430

(472)

56

291

$

277

$

444

(38)

(44)

64

426

December 31,

2017

2016

(In thousands)

$

205

$

1,105

52,132

25,579

157,477

10,030

246,528

(149,246)

$

97,282

$

205

1,105

44,789

19,370

139,730

10,101

215,300

(132,679)

82,621

Depreciation and amortization expense was $33.5 million, $39.5 million and $38.5 million for the years ended 
December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively. Included in those amounts are depreciation expense related to 
internal-use software of $20.0 million, $25.6 million and $23.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016
and 2015, respectively. We recorded impairment charges of $1.3 million, $0.1 million and $5.9 million for the years 
ended  December 31,  2017,  2016  and  2015,  respectively,  associated  with  capitalized  internal-use  software  we 
determined to no longer be utilized and any remaining carrying value was written off. The net carrying value of capitalized 
internal-use software was $69.9 million and $58.1 million at December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

Note 8—Goodwill and Intangible Assets

Goodwill and intangible assets on our consolidated balance sheets consisted of the following:

Goodwill

Intangible assets, net

Goodwill and intangible assets

December 31,

2017

2016

(In thousands)

$

$

301,790

$

280,587

582,377

$

208,355

242,696

451,051

76

 
GREEN DOT CORPORATION
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (CONTINUED)

Note 8—Goodwill and Intangible Assets (continued)

Goodwill

Changes in the carrying amount of goodwill were as follows:

Balance, beginning of period

Acquisitions

Adjustments related to final purchase accounting

Balance, end of period

December 31,

2017

2016

(In thousands)

$

$

208,355

$

208,079

93,435

—

—

276

301,790

$

208,355

We completed our annual goodwill impairment test as of September 30, 2017. Based on the results of step one 
of the annual goodwill impairment test, we determined that step two was not required for each of our reporting units 
as their fair values exceeded their carrying values indicating there was no impairment.

Intangible Assets

The gross carrying amounts and accumulated amortization related to intangibles assets were as follows:

December 31, 2017

December 31, 2016

Gross
Carrying
Value

Accumulated
Amortization

Net Book
Value

(In thousands)

Gross
Carrying
Value

Accumulated
Amortization

Net Book
Value

(In thousands)

Weighted
Average
Useful Lives

(Years)

Customer relationships

$

309,773

$

(70,295) $

239,478

$

251,273

$

(43,707) $

207,566

Trade names

Patents

Other

44,086

3,000

5,964

(9,347)

(818)

(1,776)

34,739

2,182

4,188

38,586

3,000

964

(6,192)

(545)

(683)

32,394

2,455

281

Total intangible assets

$

362,823

$

(82,236) $

280,587

$

293,823

$

(51,127) $

242,696

13.2

14.6

11.0

5.0

Amortization expense on finite-lived intangibles, a component of other general and administrative expenses, was 
$31.1 million, $23.0 million, and $23.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015, respectively. 
None of our intangible assets were considered impaired as of December 31, 2017 or 2016. 

The  following  table  shows  our  estimated  amortization  expense  for  intangible  assets  for  each  of  the  next  five 

succeeding years and thereafter :

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

Thereafter

Total

December 31,

(In thousands)

$

$

31,615

31,534

26,828

26,625

26,625

137,360

280,587

77

 
 
GREEN DOT CORPORATION
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (CONTINUED)

Note 9—Deposits

Deposits are categorized as non-interest or interest-bearing deposits as follows:

Non-interest bearing deposit accounts

GPR deposits

Other demand deposits

Total non-interest bearing deposit accounts

Interest-bearing deposit accounts

Checking accounts

Savings

Time deposits, denominations greater than or equal to $100

Time deposits, denominations less than $100

Total interest-bearing deposit accounts

Total deposits

December 31,

2017

2016

(In thousands)

$

803,549

$

61,264

864,813

140,555

10,523

4,752

1,537

157,367

$

1,022,180

$

617,220

103,523

720,743

1,209

8,832

5,132

1,498

16,671

737,414

The scheduled contractual maturities for total time deposits are presented in the table below:

Due in 2018

Due in 2019

Due in 2020

Due in 2021

Due in 2022

Total time deposits

December 31,

(In thousands)

$

$

2,538

766

1,123

818

1,044

6,289

As of December 31, 2017, we had aggregate time deposits of $2.4 million in denominations that met or exceeded 

the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) insurance limit.

Note 10—Note Payable

In October 2014, we entered into a $225.0 million credit agreement with Bank of America, N.A., as an administrative 
agent, Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, and the other lenders party thereto. The credit agreement provides for 
1) a $75.0 million five-year revolving facility (the "Revolving Facility") and 2) a five-year $150.0 million term loan facility 
("Term Facility" and, together with the Revolving Facility, the "Senior Credit Facility"). The credit agreement also includes 
an accordion feature that, subject to securing additional commitments from existing lenders or new lending institutions, 
will allow us to increase the aggregate amount of these facilities by up to an additional $50.0 million. We use the 
proceeds of any borrowings under the Revolving Facility for working capital and other general corporate purposes, 
subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the credit agreement.

As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, our outstanding debt consisted of the following, net of deferred financing 

costs of $2.9 million and $4.3 million, respectively:

Term facility

Revolving facility

Total notes payable

December 31, 2017

December 31, 2016

$

$

(In thousands)

79,611

$

—

79,611

$

100,686

—

100,686

78

GREEN DOT CORPORATION
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (CONTINUED)

Note 10—Note Payable (continued)

Interest and other fees

At our election, loans made under the credit agreement bear interest at 1) a LIBOR rate (the “LIBOR Rate") or 2) 
a base rate determined by reference to the highest of (a) the Bank of America prime rate, (b) the United States federal 
funds rate plus 0.50% and (c) a daily rate equal to one-month LIBOR rate plus 1.0% (the “Base Rate"), plus in either 
case an applicable margin. The applicable margin for borrowings depends on our total leverage ratio and varies from 
2.50% to 3.00% for  LIBOR  Rate  loans  and 1.50% to 2.00% for  Base  Rate  loans.  The  effective  interest  rate  on 
borrowings outstanding as of December 31, 2017 was 4.32%. Interest expense related to our Senior Credit Facility 
was $4.1 million, $4.0 million, and $4.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

We also pay a commitment fee, which varies from 0.30% to 0.40% per annum on the actual daily unused portions 
of the Revolving Facility. Letter of credit fees are payable in respect of outstanding letters of credit at a rate per annum 
equal to the applicable margin for LIBOR Rate loans.

Maturity and payments

The  Revolving  Facility  matures,  the  commitments  thereunder  terminate,  and  all  amounts  then  outstanding 

thereunder are payable on October 23, 2019.

Quarterly principal payments of $5.6 million are payable on the loans under the Term Facility. The loans made 

under the Term Facility mature and all amounts then outstanding thereunder are payable on October 23, 2019.

The following table sets forth future annual contractual principal payment commitments as of December 31, 2017:

2018

2019

Total

December 31,

(In thousands)

$

$

22,500

60,000

82,500

We have the option to prepay the borrowings under the Senior Credit Facility without premium or penalty (other 
than customary breakage costs). The credit agreement requires us to repay certain amounts outstanding thereunder 
with (1) net cash proceeds of certain asset sales or other dispositions that exceed certain thresholds, to the extent 
such  proceeds  are  not  reinvested  or  committed  to  be  reinvested  in  the  business  in  accordance  with  customary 
reinvestment provisions and (2) net cash proceeds of the incurrence of certain indebtedness. Borrowings under the 
Senior Credit Facility are guaranteed by each of our domestic subsidiaries (the "Guarantor"), other than certain excluded 
subsidiaries (including bank subsidiaries) and subject to certain other exceptions set forth in the credit agreement.  
Obligations under the Senior Credit Facility are secured by first priority liens on, and security interests in, substantially 
all of our assets and each Guarantor, subject to certain customary exceptions. 

Covenants and restrictions

The Senior Credit Facility contains customary representations and warranties relating to us and our subsidiaries. 
The Senior Credit Facility also contains certain affirmative and negative covenants including negative covenants that 
limit  or  restrict,  among  other  things,  liens,  indebtedness,  investments  and  acquisitions,  mergers  and  fundamental 
changes, asset sales, restricted payments, changes in the nature of the business, transactions with affiliates and other 
matters customarily restricted in such agreements.  We must maintain a minimum fixed charge coverage ratio and a 
maximum  consolidated  leverage  ratio  at  the  end  of  each  fiscal  quarter,  as  set  forth  in  the  credit  agreement. At 
December 31, 2017, we were in compliance with all such covenants.

If an event of default shall occur and be continuing under the Senior Credit Facility, the commitments may be 
terminated and the principal amounts outstanding under the Senior Credit Facility, together with all accrued unpaid 
interest and other amounts owing in respect thereof, may be declared immediately due and payable. 

79

GREEN DOT CORPORATION
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (CONTINUED)

Note 11—Stockholders’ Equity

Convertible Preferred Stock

In  December  2011,  we  filed  a  restated  Certificate  of  Incorporation  that  authorized  10,085  shares  of  Series A 
Convertible  Junior  Participating  Non-Cumulative  Perpetual  Preferred  Stock,  or  Series A  Preferred  Stock.  We  then 
entered into and completed a share exchange with a significant shareholder, whereby 6,859,000 shares of our Class 
B common stock were exchanged for 6,859 shares of our newly created series of preferred stock.

 As of December 31, 2017, all shares of our Series A Preferred shares have been converted into equivalent shares 

of Class A Common Stock. 

Common Stock

Our  Certificate  of  Incorporation  specifies  the  following  rights,  preferences,  and  privileges  for  our  common 

stockholders.

Voting

Holders of our Class A common stock are entitled to one vote per share.

We have not provided for cumulative voting for the election of directors in our restated Certificate of Incorporation. 
In addition, our Certificate of Incorporation provides that a holder, or group of affiliated holders, of more than 24.9% of 
our  common  stock  may  not  vote  shares  representing  more  than  14.9%  of  the  voting  power  represented  by  the 
outstanding shares of our Class A common stock.

Dividends

Subject to preferences that may apply to any shares of preferred stock outstanding at the time, the holders of 
outstanding shares of our Class A common stock are entitled to receive dividends out of funds legally available at the 
times and in the amounts that our board of directors may determine. In the event a dividend is paid in the form of shares 
of common stock or rights to acquire shares of common stock, the holders of Class A common stock will receive Class 
A common stock, or rights to acquire Class A common stock, as the case may be.

Liquidation

Upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding-up, the assets legally available for distribution to our stockholders 
would be distributable ratably among the holders of our Class A common stock and any participating preferred stock 
outstanding at that time after payment of liquidation preferences, if any, on any outstanding shares of our preferred 
stock and payment of other claims of creditors.

Preemptive or Similar Rights

Our Class A common stock is not entitled to preemptive rights or subject to redemption. 

Non-Employee Stock-Based Payments

Shares Subject to Repurchase

In May 2010, we amended our commercial agreement with Walmart, our largest retail distributor, and GE Money 
Bank. The agreement commenced on May 1, 2010 with a five-year term. As an incentive to amend our prepaid card 
program agreement, we issued Walmart 2,208,552 shares of our Class A common stock. These shares were subject 
to  our  right  to  repurchase  them  at  $0.01  per  share  upon  termination  of  our  agreement  with  Walmart  other  than  a 
termination arising out of our knowing, intentional and material breach of the agreement. Our right to repurchase the 
shares lapsed with respect to 36,810 shares per month over the five-year term of the agreement. Our right to repurchase 
shares lapsed completely during the year ended December 31, 2015, and therefore, there were no shares subject to 
our repurchase right as of December 31, 2017 and 2016. 

80

GREEN DOT CORPORATION
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (CONTINUED)

Note 11—Stockholders’ Equity (continued)

Registration Rights Agreements

We are party to a Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of October 23, 2014, with certain persons listed on 
Exhibit A thereto (the “New Registration Rights Agreement”), which we entered into in connection with our acquisition 
of TPG. The terms of the New Registration Rights Agreement grant the selling stockholders (and their successors and 
permitted assigns who hold shares of our Class A common stock in accordance with the New Registration Rights 
Agreement) certain rights with respect to the registration of their shares under the Securities Act. We were required to 
file a Form S-3 shelf registration statement to register the shares of Class A common stock issued in the acquisition 
of TPG as soon as reasonably practicable after the closing of the acquisition and to cause the registration statement 
to be declared effective within 75 days of the closing of the merger.  We filed the Form S-3 registration statement with 
the SEC on December 12, 2014. Subject to certain exceptions, we must keep the Form S-3 registration statement 
continuously effective until the earlier of (x) the date following the second anniversary of the closing of the acquisition 
on which there remain fewer than 1,840,001 registrable securities (i.e., approximately 30% of the aggregate shares 
of our common stock issued in the acquisition) and (y) the 30 month anniversary of the acquisition closing.

The New Registration Rights Agreement grants holders holding at least $30 million of registrable securities the 
right to cause us to effect up to two underwritten offerings under the Form S-3 registration statement of, in each case, 
registrable securities having an aggregate offering price of at least $30 million. The foregoing registration rights are 
subject to various conditions and limitations, including the right of underwriters of an offering to limit the number of 
registrable securities that may be included in an offering. The registration rights under the New Registration Rights 
Agreement will terminate as to any particular shares on the date on which the holder sells such shares to the public 
in a registered offering or pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act. We will generally pay all expenses, other than 
underwriting discounts and commissions, transfer taxes and the fees and disbursements of more than one counsel 
for the selling stockholders, incurred in connection with the registration described above. 

Comprehensive Income

The tax impact on unrealized losses on investment securities available-for-sale for the years ended December 31, 

2017, 2016 and 2015 was approximately $0.1 million, $0.2 million and $0.3 million, respectively.

Stock Repurchase Program

In June 2015, our Board of Directors authorized, subject to regulatory approval, a repurchase of shares of our 
Class A Common Stock in an amount up to $150 million under a stock repurchase program ("Repurchase Program") 
with no expiration date. As of December 31, 2017 we have repurchased all $150 million of Class A Common Stock 
authorized under the Repurchase Program. 

Accelerated Share Repurchases

We have entered into accelerated share repurchase arrangements (“ASRs”) with a financial institution from time 
to  time  under  the  Repurchase  Program.  The  following  table  summarizes  our ASR  activity  since  inception  of  the 
Repurchase Program:

March 2017 ASR

April 2016 ASR

September 2015 ASR

Purchase Period
End Date

November 2017

October 2016

January 2016

Number of
Shares (In
thousands)

Average
repurchase price
per share

ASR Amount
(In  thousands)

1,326

2,219

2,342

$

$

$

38.64

22.54

17.08

$

$

$

50,000 (1)

50,000

40,000

(1) We elected to cash settle approximately $2.0 million worth of shares owed back to the counterparty under our March 2017 

accelerated share repurchase agreement. 

In exchange for an up-front payment, the financial institution delivers shares of our Class A Common Stock during 
the purchase periods of each ASR. Upon settlement, we either receive additional shares from the financial institution 
or we may be required to deliver additional shares or cash to the financial institution, at our election. The final number 
of shares received upon settlement for the ASR is determined based on the volume-weighted average price of our 
common stock over the term of the agreement less an agreed upon discount and subject to adjustments pursuant to 
the terms and conditions of the ASR. 

81

GREEN DOT CORPORATION
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (CONTINUED)

Note 11—Stockholders’ Equity (continued)

The up-front payments are accounted for as a reduction to shareholders’ equity on our consolidated balance sheets 
in the periods the payments are made.  The ASRs are accounted for in two separate transactions: 1) a treasury stock 
repurchase for the initial shares received and 2) a forward stock purchase contract indexed to our own stock for the 
unsettled portion of the ASR. The par value of the shares received are recorded as a reduction to common stock with 
the remainder recorded as a reduction to additional paid-in capital and retained earnings.  The ASRs meet all of the 
applicable criteria for equity classification, and therefore are not accounted for as derivative instruments. The initial 
repurchase of shares resulted in an immediate reduction of the outstanding shares used to calculate the weighted-
average common shares outstanding for basic and diluted earnings per share. The shares are retired upon repurchase, 
but remain authorized for registration and issuance in the future. 

Other

In  connection  with  the  Repurchase  Program,  we  entered  into  a  repurchase  plan  in  December  2015  under 
Rule 10b5-1 of the Exchange Act for $10 million. The timing, nature and amount of purchases depend on a variety of 
factors, including market conditions and the volume limit defined by Rule 10b-18. We completed all repurchases under 
this plan during the first quarter of 2016 and total repurchases amounted to approximately 0.6 million shares at an 
average price of $16.15. 

Note 12—Employee Stock-Based Compensation

Employee Stock-Based Compensation

In June 2010, our board of directors adopted, and in July 2010 our stockholders approved, the 2010 Equity Incentive 
Plan, which replaced our 2001 Stock Plan, and the 2010 Employee Stock Purchase Plan. The 2010 Equity Incentive 
Plan authorizes the award of stock options, restricted stock awards, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock units, 
performance shares and stock bonuses. Options granted under the 2010 Equity Incentive Plan generally vest over 
four years and expire five years or ten years from the date of grant. The 2010 Employee Stock Purchase Plan enables 
eligible employees to purchase shares of our Class A common stock periodically at a discount. Our 2010 Employee 
Stock Purchase Plan is intended to qualify as an employee stock purchase plan under Section 423 of the Internal 
Revenue Code. At our 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, our stockholders approved amendments to our 2010 
Equity Incentive Plan to increase the number of shares reserved for issuance by 2.8 million. Approximately 3.4 million
shares are available for grant under the 2010 Equity Incentive Plan as of December 31, 2017.

Stock-based compensation for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015 includes expense related to 
awards of stock options, performance and service based restricted stock units and purchases under the 2010 Employee 
Stock Purchase Plan. Total stock-based compensation expense and the related income tax benefit were as follows: 

Total stock-based compensation expense

$

Related income tax benefit

Restricted Stock Units

Year Ended December 31,

2017

2016

2015

(In thousands)

40,734

$

9,440

28,321

$

9,167

27,011

8,602

The following table summarizes restricted stock units with only service conditions granted under our 2010 Equity 

Incentive Plan:

Restricted stock units granted

Weighted-average grant-date fair value

$

656

48.72

$

1,416

22.59

$

1,737

16.40

Year Ended December 31,

2017

2016

2015

(In thousands, except per share data)

82

 
 
GREEN DOT CORPORATION
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (CONTINUED)

Note 12—Employee Stock-Based Compensation (continued)

Restricted stock unit activity for the year ended December 31, 2017 was as follows:

Outstanding at December 31, 2016

Restricted stock units granted

Restricted stock units vested

Restricted stock units canceled

Outstanding at December 31, 2017

Shares

Weighted-Average
Grant-Date Fair
Value

(In thousands, except per share data)

3,047

656

$

$

(1,065) $

(415) $

2,223

$

20.24

48.72

20.80

19.92

28.64

The total fair value of restricted stock vested for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015 was $41.5 
million, $23.2 million and $13.6 million, respectively, based on the price of our Class A common stock on the vesting 
date. 

Performance Based Restricted Stock Units

We grant performance-based restricted stock units to certain employees which are subject to the attainment of 
minimum pre-established annual performance targets. The majority of these awards are tied to the achievement of an 
annual non-GAAP earnings per share target for the grant year. The actual number of shares subject to the award is 
determined at the end of the annual performance period and may range from zero to 150% percent of the target shares 
granted. These awards contain an additional service component after each annual performance period is concluded 
and the unvested balance of the shares determined at the end of the annual performance period will vest over the 
remaining requisite service period. Compensation expense related to these awards is recognized using the accelerated 
attribution method over the four-year vesting period based on the fair value of the closing market price of our Class A 
common stock on the date of the grant and the estimated performance that is expected to be achieved. In the case of 
our Chief Executive Officer, vesting of performance awards is based on the achievement of a total shareholder return 
("TSR") relative to the S&P 600 index over a three-year performance period. Compensation expense related to these 
awards is recognized over the performance period based on the grant date fair value through the use of a Monte Carlo 
simulation and are not subsequently re-measured.

The  following  table  summarizes  the  performance-based  restricted  stock  units  granted  under  our  2010  Equity 

Incentive Plan:

Performance based restricted stock units granted

Weighted-average grant-date fair value

$

616

36.13

$

287

25.24

$

243

14.23

Performance based restricted stock unit activity for the year ended December 31, 2017 was as follows:

Year Ended December 31,

2017

2016

2015

(In thousands, except per share data)

Outstanding at December 31, 2016

Performance restricted stock units granted

Performance restricted stock units vested

Performance restricted stock units canceled

Outstanding at December 31, 2017

Shares

Weighted-Average
Grant-Date Fair
Value

(In thousands, except per share data)

533

616

$

$

(103) $

(122) $

924

$

19.08

36.13

24.05

20.54

30.61

The total fair value of performance based restricted stock vested for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016
and 2015 was $4.4 million, $0 million and $0.4 million, respectively, based on the price of our Class A common stock 
on the vesting date. 

83

 
 
GREEN DOT CORPORATION
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (CONTINUED)

Note 12—Employee Stock-Based Compensation (continued)

Stock Options

Stock option activity for the year ended December 31, 2017 was as follows:

Options

Weighted-Average
Exercise Price

Weighted-Average 
Remaining 
Contractual Life 
(in Years)

Aggregate
Intrinsic Value

(In thousands, except per share data and years)

Outstanding at December 31, 2016

Options granted

Options exercised

Options canceled

Outstanding at December 31, 2017

Exercisable at December 31, 2017

2,147

$

—

(1,088)

(36)

1,023

$

1,023

20.03

—

18.83

27.23

21.05

21.05

3.31

3.30

$

$

40,131

40,106

The total intrinsic value of options exercised was $24.1 million, $6.4 million and $0.5 million for the years ended 

December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015, respectively. 

We have not issued any new stock option awards from our equity plan since the year ended December 31, 2014.  
Accordingly, any additional required disclosures with respect to fair value assumptions of our stock options have been 
omitted for the periods presented on these consolidated financial statements. 

As  of  December 31,  2017,  there  was  $71.1  million  of  aggregate  unrecognized  compensation  cost  related  to 
unvested restricted stock units (including performance based awards) expected to be recognized in compensation 
expense in future periods, with a weighted-average period of 2.66 years. As of December 31, 2017, we had no unvested 
stock options and thus, no remaining unrecognized compensation cost. 

Stock-Based Retailer Incentive Compensation

As discussed in Note 11 — Stockholders’ Equity, we issued Walmart 2,208,552 shares of our Class A common 
stock in May 2010. We recognized the fair value of 36,810 shares each month over the five-year term of the commercial 
agreement. We recorded the fair value recognized as stock-based retailer incentive compensation, a contra-revenue 
component of our total operating revenues. We recognized monthly the fair value of the shares for which our right to 
repurchase has lapsed using the then-current fair market value of our Class A common stock. We recognized $2.5 
million of stock-based retailer incentive compensation for the year ended December 31, 2015. Our repurchase right 
lapsed completely in April 2015, and we no longer recorded stock-based compensation beginning in May 2015.

Note 13—Income Taxes

The components of income tax expense included in our consolidated statements of operations were as follows:

Current:

Federal

State

Foreign

Current income tax expense

Deferred:

Federal

State

Foreign

Deferred income tax expense (benefit)

Income tax expense

Year Ended December 31,

2017

2016

2015

(In thousands)

$

15,545

$

16,540

$

(1,122)

368

14,791

4,596

(1,816)

—

2,780

1,934

217

18,691

2,362

(1,142)

50

1,270

18,988

1,104

21

20,113

(138)

(287)

19

(406)

$

17,571

$

19,961

$

19,707

84

 
 
GREEN DOT CORPORATION
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (CONTINUED)

Note 13—Income Taxes (continued)

Income tax expense differs from the amount computed by applying the statutory federal income tax rate to income 

before income taxes. The sources and tax effects of the differences are as follows:

U.S. federal statutory tax rate

State income taxes, net of federal tax benefit

General business credits

Employee stock-based compensation

Tax Cuts and Jobs Act remeasurement

Transaction costs

Other

Effective tax rate

Year Ended December 31,

2017

2016

2015

35.0%

(2.3)

(2.8)

(12.4)

(5.0)

—

4.5

17.0%

35.0%

0.4

(3.4)

0.3

—

—

0.1

35.0%

0.4

(0.9)

0.8

—

(2.1)

0.7

32.4%

33.9%

On December 22, 2017, H.R. 1, known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the "Tax Act") was signed into law and makes 
significant changes to U.S. income tax law. Effective in 2018, the Tax Act reduces the US federal corporate tax rate 
from 35% to 21%, creates new taxes on certain foreign-sourced earnings and certain related-party payments, eliminates 
certain deductions and enhances and extends through 2026 the option to claim accelerated depreciation deductions 
on qualified property. In addition, in 2017 we were subject to a one-time transition tax on accumulated foreign subsidiary 
earnings not previously subject to U.S. income tax.

Due to the timing of the enactment and the complexity involved in applying the provisions of the Tax Act, we have 
made  reasonable  estimates  of  the  effects  and  recorded  provisional  amounts  in  our  financial  statements  as  of 
December 31, 2017. We remeasured deferred tax assets and liabilities resulting from the permanent reduction in the 
U.S. statutory corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% and recorded a provisional tax benefit of $6.3 million. We also 
analyzed the transition tax on accumulated foreign subsidiary earnings and made a provisional determination that we 
have no additional tax obligation. As we collect and prepare necessary data, and interpret the Tax Act and any additional 
guidance  issued  by  the  U.S.  Treasury  Department,  the  IRS,  and  other  standard-setting  bodies,  we  may  make 
adjustments to the provisional amounts including estimates for certain employment compensation. Those adjustments 
may materially impact our provision for income taxes and effective tax rate in the period in which the adjustments are 
made. The SEC has provided up to a one-year measurement period for companies to finalize the accounting for the 
impacts of this new legislation and we anticipate finalizing our accounting over the coming quarters.

The decrease in the effective tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2017 as compared to the year ended 
December 31, 2016 is primarily due to excess tax benefits related to stock compensation recognized as an income 
tax benefit instead of additional paid-in capital in accordance with ASU 2016-09. Additionally, our rate was favorably 
impacted by the remeasurement of our deferred tax assets and liabilities associated with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.  
Furthermore, our rate was favorably impacted by our release of reserves for uncertain tax positions upon the completion 
of  tax  examinations  and  the  expiration  of  the  statute  of  limitations  with  certain  taxing  jurisdictions.  See Note  2  — 
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies for additional information about our adoption of ASU 2016-09.

The tax effects of temporary difference that give rise to significant portions of our deferred tax assets and liabilities 

were as follows:

85

 
 
GREEN DOT CORPORATION
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (CONTINUED)

Note 13—Income Taxes (continued)

Deferred tax assets:

Net operating loss carryforwards

Stock-based compensation

Reserve for overdrawn accounts

Accrued liabilities

Tax credit carryforwards

Other

Total deferred tax assets

Deferred tax liabilities:

Internal-use software costs

Property and equipment, net

Deferred expenses

Intangible assets

Gift card revenue

Total deferred tax liabilities

Net deferred tax (liabilities) assets

December 31,

2017

2016

(In thousands)

$

$

$

$

7,746

$

9,137

3,516

8,782

5,873

10

35,064

$

16,860

$

1,274

4,418

11,901

1,884

36,337

(1,273) $

12,619

13,221

4,684

6,910

3,590

2,293

43,317

20,415

692

5,881

11,208

4,236

42,432

885

We establish a valuation allowance when we consider it more-likely-than-not that some portion or all of the deferred 
tax assets will not be realized. As of December 31, 2017, we do not have a valuation allowance on any of our deferred 
tax assets as we believe it is more-likely-than-not that we will realize the benefits of our deferred tax assets.

We are subject to examination by the Internal Revenue Service, or IRS, and various state tax authorities. We 
remain subject to examination of our federal income tax returns for the years ended December 31, 2014 through 2016. 
We generally remain subject to examination of our various state income tax returns for a period of four to five years 
from the respective dates the returns were filed.

As of December 31, 2017, we have net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $37.7 million and $33.7 
million for federal and state tax purposes, respectively, which will be available to offset future income. If not used, these 
carryforwards will expire between 2020 and 2035. In addition, we have state business tax credits of approximately 
$9.8 million that can be carried forward indefinitely and other state business tax credits of approximately $1.2 million 
that will expire between 2023 and 2027.

As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, we had a liability of $5.6 million and $7.3 million, respectively, for unrecognized 
tax benefits related to various federal and state income tax matters excluding interest, penalties and related tax benefits. 
The reconciliation of the beginning unrecognized tax benefits balance to the ending balance is as follows:

Beginning balance

Increases related to positions taken during prior years

Increases related to positions taken during the current year

Decreases related to positions settled with tax authorities

Decreases due to a lapse of applicable statute of limitations

Ending balance

The total amount of unrecognized tax benefits that, if
recognized, would affect the effective tax rate

$

$

$

2017

Year Ended December 31,

2016

(In thousands)

7,314

$

7,371

$

2015

404

1,099

(1,865)

(1,392)

134

1,023

(1,105)

(109)

5,560

$

7,314

$

6,189

759

423

—

—

7,371

5,560

$

7,314

$

7,371

We  recognized  accrued  interest  and  penalties  related  to  unrecognized  tax  benefits  for  the  years  ended 

December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, of approximately $0.2 million, $0.6 million and $0.2 million, respectively.

86

GREEN DOT CORPORATION
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (CONTINUED)

Note 14—Earnings per Common Share

The calculation of basic and diluted EPS was as follows:

Basic earnings per Class A common share

Net income

Income attributable to preferred stock

Income attributable to other classes of common stock

Net income allocated to Class A common stockholders

Weighted-average Class A shares issued and outstanding

Basic earnings per Class A common share

Diluted earnings per Class A common share

Net income allocated to Class A common stockholders

Re-allocated earnings

Diluted net income allocated to Class A common stockholders

Weighted-average Class A shares issued and outstanding

Dilutive potential common shares:

Stock options

Service based restricted stock units

Performance based restricted stock units

Employee stock purchase plan

Diluted weighted-average Class A shares issued and outstanding

Year Ended December 31,

2017

2016

2015

(In thousands, except per share data)

$

$

$

$

$

85,887

$

41,600

$

—

—

85,887

$

50,482

1.70

$

(802)

—

40,798

$

49,535

0.82

$

85,887

$

40,798

$

—

85,887

$

50,482

20

40,818

$

49,535

809

1,445

462

—

53,198

507

650

103

2

50,797

0.80

$

38,415

(1,102)

(21)

37,292

51,332

0.73

37,292

11

37,303

51,332

293

124

119

7

51,875

0.72

Diluted earnings per Class A common share

$

1.61

$

For the periods presented, we excluded all shares of convertible preferred stock and certain restricted stock units 
and stock options outstanding, which could potentially dilute basic EPS in the future, from the computation of diluted 
EPS as their effect was anti-dilutive. Additionally, we have excluded any performance based restricted stock units for 
which the performance contingency has not been met as of the end of the period, or whereby the result of including 
such awards was anti-dilutive. The following table shows the weighted-average number of anti-dilutive shares excluded 
from the diluted EPS calculation:

Class A common stock

Options to purchase Class A common stock

Restricted stock units

Performance based restricted stock units

Conversion of convertible preferred stock

Total options, restricted stock units and convertible preferred stock

Year Ended December 31,

2017

2016

2015

(In thousands)

56

20

199

—

275

124

2

67

974

1,167

650

31

—

1,518

2,199

87

 
 
 
 
GREEN DOT CORPORATION
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (CONTINUED)

Note 15—Fair Value Measurements

We  determine  the  fair  values  of  our  financial  instruments  based  on  the  fair  value  hierarchy  established  under 
applicable accounting guidance which requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the 
use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value. There are three levels of inputs used to measure fair value. 

For more information regarding the fair value hierarchy and how we measure fair value, see Note 2 — Summary 

of Significant Accounting Policies.

As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, our assets and liabilities carried at fair value on a recurring basis were as 

follows:

December 31, 2017

Assets

Corporate bonds

U.S. Treasury notes

Agency mortgage-backed securities

Municipal bonds

Asset-backed securities

Total assets

Liabilities

Contingent consideration

December 31, 2016

Assets

Corporate bonds

Commercial paper

U.S. Treasury notes

Agency securities

Agency mortgage-backed securities

Municipal bonds

Asset-backed securities

Total assets

Liabilities

Contingent consideration

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Total Fair Value

(In thousands)

— $

1,000

$

— $

—

—

—

—

10,875

120,034

739

20,861

—

—

—

—

— $

153,509

$

— $

1,000

10,875

120,034

739

20,861

153,509

— $

— $

17,358

$

17,358

— $

21,535

$

— $

—

—

—

—

—

—

12,430

21,563

4,001

117,491

1,430

29,976

—

—

—

—

—

—

— $

208,426

$

— $

21,535

12,430

21,563

4,001

117,491

1,430

29,976

208,426

— $

— $

8,634

$

8,634

$

$

$

$

$

$

We based the fair value of our fixed income securities held as of December 31, 2017 and 2016 on quoted prices 
in active markets for similar assets. We had no transfers between Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3 assets or liabilities during 
the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016.

The following table presents changes in our contingent consideration payable for the years ended December 31, 

2017, 2016 and 2015, which is categorized in Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy:

Balance, beginning of period

Issuance

Payments of contingent consideration

Change in fair value of contingent consideration

Balance, end of period

Year Ended December 31,

2017

2016

2015

(In thousands)

8,634

$

13,889

$

21,500

(3,104)

(9,672)

—

(2,755)

(2,500)

17,358

$

8,634

$

23,160

—

(1,071)

(8,200)

13,889

$

$

88

GREEN DOT CORPORATION
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (CONTINUED)

Note 16—Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The following describes the valuation technique for determining the fair value of financial instruments, whether or 

not such instruments are carried at fair value on our consolidated balance sheets.

Short-term Financial Instruments

Our short-term financial instruments consist principally of unrestricted and restricted cash and cash equivalents, 
settlement assets and obligations, and obligations to customers. These financial instruments are short-term in nature, 
and, accordingly, we believe their carrying amounts approximate their fair values. Under the fair value hierarchy, these 
instruments are classified as Level 1.

Investment Securities

The fair values of investment securities have been derived using methodologies referenced in Note 2 — Summary 

of Significant Accounting Policies. Under the fair value hierarchy, our investment securities are classified as Level 2.

Loans

We determined the fair values of loans by discounting both principal and interest cash flows expected to be collected 
using a discount rate commensurate with the risk that we believe a market participant would consider in determining 
fair value. Under the fair value hierarchy, our loans are classified as Level 3.

Deposits

The fair value of demand and interest checking deposits and savings deposits is the amount payable on demand 
at the reporting date. We determined the fair value of time deposits by discounting expected future cash flows using 
market-derived rates based on our market yields on certificates of deposit, by maturity, at the measurement date. Under 
the fair value hierarchy, our deposits are classified as Level 2.

Contingent Consideration

The fair value of contingent consideration obligations are estimated through valuation models designed to estimate 
the probability of such contingent payments based on various assumptions.  Estimated payments are discounted using 
present value techniques to arrive at an estimated fair value.  Our contingent consideration payable is classified as 
Level  3  because  we  use  unobservable  inputs  to  estimate  fair  value,  including  the  probability  of  achieving  certain 
earnings thresholds and appropriate discount rates. Changes in fair value of contingent consideration are recorded 
through operating expenses.

Note Payable

The  fair  value  of  our  note  payable  is  based  on  borrowing  rates  currently  required  of  loans  with  similar  terms,  
maturity and credit risk.  The carrying amount of our note payable approximates fair value because the base interest 
rate charged varies with market conditions and the credit spread is commensurate with current market spreads for 
issuers of similar risk.  The fair value of the note payable is classified as a Level 2 liability in the fair value hierarchy.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The carrying values and fair values of certain financial instruments that were not carried at fair value, excluding 
short-term  financial  instruments  for  which  the  carrying  value  approximates  fair  value,  at  December 31, 
2017 and 2016 are presented in the table below.

Financial Assets

Loans to bank customers, net of allowance

Financial Liabilities

Deposits

Note payable

$

$

$

December 31, 2017

December 31, 2016

Carrying Value

Fair Value

Carrying Value

Fair Value

(In thousands)

18,570

$

18,102

$

6,059

$

5,421

1,022,180

79,611

$

$

1,022,102

79,611

$

$

737,414

100,686

$

$

737,356

100,686

89

GREEN DOT CORPORATION
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (CONTINUED)

Note 17—Concentrations of Credit Risk

Financial instruments that subject us to concentration of credit risk consist primarily of unrestricted cash and cash 
equivalents, restricted cash, investment securities, accounts receivable, loans and settlement assets. We deposit our 
unrestricted cash and cash equivalents and our restricted cash with regional and national banking institutions that we 
periodically monitor and evaluate for creditworthiness. Credit risk for our investment securities is mitigated by the types 
of investment securities in our portfolio, which must comply with strict investment guidelines that we believe appropriately 
ensures the preservation of invested capital. Credit risk for our accounts receivable is concentrated with card issuing 
banks and our customers, and this risk is mitigated by the relatively short collection period and our large customer 
base. We do not require or maintain collateral for accounts receivable. We maintain reserves for uncollectible overdrawn 
accounts  and  uncollectible  trade  receivables.  With  respect  to  our  loan  portfolio  (excluding  secured  credit  cards), 
approximately  92.9%  of  our  borrowers  reside  in  the  state  of  Utah  and  approximately  41.7%  in  the  city  of  Provo. 
Consequently, this loan portfolio is susceptible to any adverse market or environmental conditions that may impact 
this specific geographic region. Credit risk associated with our secured credit card portfolio is mitigated by collateral 
provided by the borrower in the amount of their credit limit. Credit risk for our settlement assets is concentrated with 
our retail distributors, which we periodically monitor.

Note 18—Defined Contribution Plan

On  January  1,  2004,  we  established  a  defined  contribution  savings  plan  under  Section  401(k)  of  the  Internal 
Revenue Code. Employees who have attained at least 21 years of age are generally eligible to participate in the plan 
on the first day of the calendar month following the month in which they commence service with us. Participants may 
make pre-tax contributions to the plan from their eligible earnings up to the statutorily prescribed annual limit on pre-
tax contributions under the code. We may contribute to the plan at the discretion of our board of directors. Currently, 
employer contributions amount to 25% of the first 5% of a participant's eligible compensation. Our contributions are 
allocated in the same manner as that of the participant’s elective contributions. We made contributions to the plan of 
$1.1 million, $0.8 million, and $0.9 million for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively. 

Note 19—Commitments and Contingencies

In December 2011, we entered into a ten-year office lease for 140,000 square feet of office space in Pasadena, 
California. This facility serves as our corporate headquarters. The initial term of the lease is ten years and is scheduled 
to  expire  on  October  31,  2022. Through  our  wholly  owned  subsidiaries,  we  also  lease  various  office  facilities  and 
maintain smaller administrative or project offices. Our total rental expense for these and former leases amounted to 
$7.2 million, $8.0 million and $8.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

At December 31, 2017, the future minimum aggregate rental commitment under all operating leases and minimum 

annual payments through various agreements with vendors and retail distributors was as follows:

Year ending December 31,

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

Total of future commitments

Operating Leases

Vendor/Retail Distributor
Commitments

(In thousands)

7,483

$

6,784

6,629

6,273

5,064

32,233

$

26,260

11,673

4,450

13

—

42,396

$

$

In the event we terminate our processing services agreement for convenience, we are required to pay a single 
lump sum equal to any minimum payments remaining on the date of termination. These future minimum obligations 
are included in our vendor and retail distributor commitments.

In addition to the above contractual obligations, our definitive agreement to acquire all of the equity interests of 

UniRush provides for a minimum $4 million annual earn-out payment for five years following the closing.

As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, we had $0.5 million outstanding in standby letters of credit related to our 

corporate facility lease. 

90

GREEN DOT CORPORATION
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (CONTINUED)

Note 19—Commitments and Contingencies (continued)

Litigation and Claims

In the ordinary course of business, we are a party to various legal proceedings, including, from time to time, actions 
which are asserted to be maintainable as class action suits. We review these actions on an ongoing basis to determine 
whether it is probable and estimable that a loss has occurred and use that information when making accrual and 
disclosure decisions. We have provided reserves where necessary for all claims and, based on current knowledge 
and in part upon the advice of legal counsel, all matters are believed to be adequately covered by insurance, or, if not 
covered, we do not expect the outcome in any legal proceedings, individually or collectively, to have a material adverse 
impact on our financial condition or results of operations.

During the year ended December 31, 2017, we recorded a $7.5 million reduction to our contingent consideration 
liability associated with an earn-out provision for the acquisition of our tax refund processing business. The third and 
final performance period under the earn-out provision ended on June 30, 2017. The reduction represents our firm belief 
that our tax refund processing business did not achieve its earn-out performance target for the fiscal period ending 
June 30, 2017 and therefore, the total potential payout of $26 million has not been accrued on our balance sheet as 
of December 31, 2017. We are currently in the process of trying to resolve the final earn-out calculation with the selling 
shareholders  based  on  the  provisions  of  the  contract  and  will  likely  require  a  neutral  third  party  to  make  a  final 
determination. To the extent there is an unfavorable resolution for the earn-out payment, we may be required to make 
payment of up to $26 million.   

During the quarter ended June 30, 2016, we continued our planned conversion of customer files from our legacy 
third-party card processor to our new third-party card processor. As part of the conversion process, a small percentage 
of  our  active  cardholders  experienced  limited  disruptions  in  service.  As  a  result  of  this  limited  disruption  in 
service, two putative class action complaints were filed during the second quarter of 2016. Any settlement amount paid 
to resolve the consolidated class actions will be borne equally between us and the third-party card processor. We 
recorded  an  estimated  accrual  of  approximately $2.3  million,  which  represents  our  portion  of  the  estimated  total 
settlement amount, all of which our insurance carrier has agreed to reimburse us. These amounts are recorded in 
other accrued liabilities and account receivable on our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2017.

During the year ended December 31, 2017, we incurred a $3.5 million expense in connection with the settlement 
of  a  lawsuit.  We  recorded  this  settlement  within  other  general  and  administrative  expenses  on  our  consolidated 
statement of operations. 

Other Matters

We monitor the laws of all 50 states to identify state laws or regulations that apply (or may apply) to our products 
and services. We have obtained money transmitter licenses (or similar such licenses) where applicable, based on 
advice of counsel or when we have been requested to do so. If we were found to be in violation of any laws and 
regulations governing banking, money transmitters, electronic fund transfers, or money laundering in the United States 
or abroad, we could be subject to penalties or could be forced to change our business practices.

From time to time we enter into contracts containing provisions that contingently require us to indemnify various 
parties against claims from third parties. These contracts primarily relate to: (i) contracts with our card issuing banks, 
under which we are responsible to them for any unrecovered overdrafts on cardholders’ accounts; (ii) certain real estate 
leases, under which we may be required to indemnify property owners for environmental and other liabilities, and other 
claims arising from our use of the premises; (iii) certain agreements with our officers, directors, and employees, under 
which we may be required to indemnify these persons for liabilities arising out of their relationship with us; and (iv) 
contracts under which we may be required to indemnify our retail distributors, suppliers, vendors and other parties with 
whom  we  have  contracts  against  claims  arising  from  certain  of  our  actions,  omissions,  violations  of  law  and/or 
infringement of patents, trademarks, copyrights and/or other intellectual property rights.

Generally, a maximum obligation under these contracts is not explicitly stated. Because the obligated amounts 
associated with these types of agreements are not explicitly stated, the overall maximum amount of the obligation 
cannot be reasonably estimated. With the exception of overdrafts on cardholders’ accounts, historically, we have not 
been required to make payments under these and similar contingent obligations, and no liabilities have been recorded 
for these obligations in our consolidated balance sheets.

For additional information regarding overdrafts on cardholders’ accounts, refer to Note 5 — Accounts Receivable.

91

GREEN DOT CORPORATION
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (CONTINUED)

Note 20—Significant Customer Concentration

A credit concentration may exist if customers are involved in similar industries, economic sectors, and geographic 
regions. Our retail distributors operate in similar economic sectors but diverse domestic geographic regions. The loss 
of a significant retail distributor could have a material adverse effect upon our card sales, profitability, and revenue 
growth.

Revenue Concentrations

Revenues derived from our products sold at retail distributors constituting greater than 10% of our total operating 

revenues were as follows:

Walmart

Year Ended December 31,

2017

40%

2016

45%

2015

46%

No other retail distributor or partner made up greater than 10% of our total operating revenues for the years ended 

December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015. 

Settlement Asset Concentrations

Settlement  assets  derived  from  our  products  sold  at  at  retail  distributors  constituting  greater  than  10%  of  the 

settlement assets outstanding on our consolidated balance sheets were as follows:

Walmart

Note 21—Regulatory Requirements

December 31, 2017

December 31, 2016

33%

42%

Our subsidiary bank, Green Dot Bank, is a member bank of the Federal Reserve System and our primary regulator 
is the Federal Reserve Board. We are subject to various regulatory capital requirements administered by the federal 
banking agencies. Failure to meet minimum capital requirements can initiate certain mandatory actions by regulators 
that, if undertaken, could have a direct material effect on our financial statements. Under capital adequacy guidelines, 
we must meet specific capital guidelines that involve quantitative measures of the assets, liabilities and certain off-
balance sheet items as calculated under regulatory accounting practices. The capital amounts and classification are 
also subject to qualitative judgments by the regulators about components, risk weightings and other factors.

92

 
 
 
GREEN DOT CORPORATION
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (CONTINUED)

Note 21—Regulatory Requirements (continued)

As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, we were categorized as "well capitalized" under the regulatory framework. 
There were no conditions or events since December 31, 2017 which management believes would have changed our 
category as "well capitalized." Our capital ratios and related regulatory requirements were as follows:

Green Dot Corporation:

Tier 1 leverage

Common equity Tier 1 capital

Tier 1 capital

Total risk-based capital

Green Dot Bank:

Tier 1 leverage

Common equity Tier 1 capital

Tier 1 capital

Total risk-based capital

Green Dot Corporation:

Tier 1 leverage

Common equity Tier 1 capital

Tier 1 capital

Total risk-based capital

Green Dot Bank:

Tier 1 leverage

Common equity Tier 1 capital

Tier 1 capital

Total risk-based capital

December 31, 2017

Amount

Ratio

Regulatory
Minimum

"Well-capitalized"
Minimum

(In thousands, except ratios)

236,885

236,885

236,885

240,509

95,461

95,461

95,461

95,752

15.6%

45.3%

45.3%

46.0%

10.2%

37.5%

37.5%

37.6%

4.0%

4.5%

6.0%

8.0%

4.0%

4.5%

6.0%

8.0%

n/a

n/a

6.0%

10.0%

5.0%

6.5%

8.0%

10.0%

December 31, 2016

Amount

Ratio

Regulatory
Minimum

"Well-capitalized"
Minimum

(In thousands, except ratios)

332,101

332,101

332,101

333,288

139,491

139,491

139,491

139,768

24.3%

61.0%

61.0%

61.2%

17.0%

54.8%

54.8%

54.9%

4.0%

4.5%

6.0%

8.0%

4.0%

4.5%

6.0%

8.0%

n/a

n/a

6.0%

10.0%

5.0%

6.5%

8.0%

10.0%

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

The year-over-year decline in the capital ratios of Green Dot Corporation was primarily driven by the acquisition 
of UniRush in February 2017 as goodwill and intangible assets acquired reduce common equity Tier 1 capital, Tier  1 
capital and total capital. Additionally, our regulatory capital decreased as a result of our $50 million ASR completed in 
2017.

93

GREEN DOT CORPORATION
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (CONTINUED)

Note 22— Selected Unaudited Quarterly Financial Information

The following tables set forth a summary of our quarterly financial information for each of the four quarters in 2017 

and 2016:

Total operating revenues

Total operating expenses

Operating income

Interest income, net

Income before income taxes

Income tax (benefit) expense

Net income

Earnings per common share

Basic

Class A common stock

Diluted

Class A common stock

Total operating revenues

Total operating expenses

Operating (loss) income

Interest income (expense), net

(Loss) income before income taxes

Income tax (benefit) expense

Net (loss) income

(Loss) earnings per common share

Basic

Class A common stock

Diluted

Class A common stock

Note 23—Segment Information

2017

Q4

Q3

Q2

Q1

$

212,989

$

201,613

$

222,548

$

(In thousands, except per share data)

209,284

3,705

1,917

5,622

(6,606)

12,228

$

188,561

13,052

1,238

14,290

651

202,357

20,191

790

20,981

1,715

13,639

$

19,266

$

0.24

$

0.27

$

0.39

$

0.23

$

0.26

$

0.37

$

2016

Q4

Q3

Q2

Q1

(In thousands, except per share data)

162,768

$

154,494

$

173,488

$

166,290

155,011

(3,522)

393

(3,129)

(1,784)

(1,345) $

(517)

207

(310)

(2,347)

2,037

$

160,619

12,869

125

12,994

4,968

8,026

$

(0.03) $

0.04

$

0.16

$

(0.03) $

0.04

$

0.16

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

253,001

191,625

61,376

1,189

62,565

21,811

40,754

0.81

0.78

228,024

173,538

54,486

(2,480)

52,006

19,124

32,882

0.64

0.63

Our operations are comprised of two reportable segments: 1) Account Services and 2) Processing and Settlement 
Services. We identified our reportable segments based on factors such as how we manage our operations and how 
our chief operating decision maker views results. Our chief operating decision maker organizes and manages our 
business primarily on the basis of product and service offerings and uses operating income to assess profitability.

The Account Services segment consists of revenues and expenses derived from our branded and private label 
deposit  account  programs. These  programs  include  Green  Dot-branded  and  affinity-branded  GPR  card  accounts, 
private  label  GPR  card  accounts,  checking  accounts,  payroll  cards  and  open-loop  gift  cards. The  Processing  and 
Settlement Services segment consists principally of revenues and expenses derived from reload services through the 
Green Dot Network, money processing and our tax refund processing services. The Corporate and Other segment 
primarily  consists  of  eliminations  of  intersegment  revenues  and  expenses,  unallocated  corporate  expenses, 
depreciation  and  amortization,  and  other  costs  that  are  not  considered  when  management  evaluates  segment 
performance. We do not evaluate performance or allocate resources based on segment asset data, and therefore such 
information is not presented.

94

GREEN DOT CORPORATION
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS – (CONTINUED)

Note 23—Segment Information (continued)

The following tables present certain financial information for each of our reportable segments for the periods then 

ended:

Operating revenues

Operating expenses

Operating income

Operating revenues

Operating expenses

Operating income

Operating revenues

Operating expenses

Operating income

Account Services

Processing and
Settlement Services

Corporate and Other

Total

Year Ended December 31, 2017

693,103

$

549,375

143,728

$

(In thousands)

228,444

$

166,444

62,000

$

(31,396) $

76,008

(107,404) $

890,151

791,827

98,324

Account Services

Processing and
Settlement Services

Corporate and Other

Total

Year Ended December 31, 2016

544,271

$

454,187

90,084

$

(In thousands)

203,569

$

137,296

66,273

$

(29,066) $

63,975

(93,041) $

718,774

655,458

63,316

Account Services

Processing and
Settlement Services

Corporate and Other

Total

Year Ended December 31, 2015

531,410

$

440,669

90,741

$

(In thousands)

195,000

$

133,539

61,461

$

(31,710) $

61,163

(92,873) $

694,700

635,371

59,329

$

$

$

$

$

$

95

ITEM 9. Changes in and Disagreement With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

None.

ITEM 9A. Controls and Procedures

Disclosure controls and procedures — Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and 
Chief  Financial  Officer,  has  evaluated  the  effectiveness  of  our  disclosure  controls  and  procedures  (as  defined  in 
Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 13d-15(e)), and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange 
Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) at the end of the period covered by this report. Based on such evaluation of our 
disclosure controls and procedures, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that, at 
the end of such period, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective to ensure that information required to 
be disclosed by us in reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and 
reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms and is accumulated and communicated to our 
management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions 
regarding required disclosure.

Report of management on internal control over financial reporting — Our management is responsible for establishing 
and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 
15d-15(f)) for Green Dot Corporation. Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief 
Financial Officer, has conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of 
December 31, 2017, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework by the Committee of 
Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework). 

Our  management  concluded  that,  as  of  December 31,  2017,  our  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  was 

effective based on these criteria. 

Ernst & Young LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, has issued an unqualified opinion on the 
effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017, which is included in Part II, Item 
8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Change in internal control over financial reporting — There was no material change in our internal control over 
financial  reporting  (as  defined  in  Exchange  Act  Rules  13a-15(f)  and  15d-15(f))  during  the  three  months  ended 
December 31, 2017 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over 
financial reporting.

Limitations  on  Effectiveness  of  Controls  —  Our  management,  including  our  Chief  Executive  Officer  and  Chief 
Financial Officer, does not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures or our internal controls will prevent all 
errors and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not 
absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. Further, the design of a control system must 
reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their 
costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance 
that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within our company have been detected.

ITEM 9B. Other Information

None.

96

ITEM 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

PART III

The information required by this Item is incorporated by reference to our proxy statement for our 2018 Annual 
Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after the end of the year ended December 31, 2017.

ITEM 11. Executive Compensation

The information required by this Item is incorporated by reference to our proxy statement for our 2018 Annual 
Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after the end of the year ended December 31, 2017.

ITEM 12. Securities Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder 
Matters

The information required by this Item is incorporated by reference to our proxy statement for our 2018 Annual 
Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after the end of the year ended December 31, 2017.

ITEM 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence

The information required by this Item is incorporated by reference to our proxy statement for our 2018 Annual 
Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after the end of the year ended December 31, 2017.

ITEM 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services

The information required by this Item is incorporated by reference to our proxy statement for our 2018 Annual 
Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the SEC within 120 days after the end of the year ended December 31, 2017.

97

ITEM 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules

(a) The following documents are filed as exhibits to this report:

1. Financial Statements

PART IV

The Index to Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of this report is incorporated herein by reference as the 
list of financial statements required as part of this report.

2. Financial Statement Schedules

All financial statement schedules have been omitted, since the required information is not applicable or is not 
present in amounts sufficient to require submission of the schedule, or because the information required is included 
in the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto.

3. Exhibits: The following exhibits are filed as part of or furnished with this annual report on Form 10-K as applicable:

Exhibit
Number
2.1^

Exhibit Title
Equity Purchase Agreement, dated as of January 25, 
2017, by and among Green Dot Corporation, 
Empowerment Ventures, LLC and UniRush, LLC.

Incorporated by Reference

Form
8-K

Date
January 30, 2017

Number
2.1

Filed
Herewith

3.1

3.2

3.3

3.4

10.1*

10.2*

10.3*

10.4*

10.5

10.6†

Tenth Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation 
of the Registrant.

S-1(A2)

April 26, 2010

3.02

Certificate of Amendment to Tenth Amended and 
Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Green Dot 
Corporation.

Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Registrant.

Certificate of Designations of Series A Convertible Junior 
Participating Non-Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock 
of Green Dot Corporation dated as of December 8, 2011.

Form of Indemnity Agreement.

Second Amended and Restated 2001 Stock Plan and 
forms of notice of stock option grant, stock option 
agreement and stock option exercise letter.

8-K

May 31, 2017

3.1

8-K

8-K

December 19,
2016

December 14,
2011

S-1(A4)

June 29, 2010

S-1(A3)

June 2, 2010

3.1

3.01

10.01

10.02

Green Dot Corporation 2010 Equity Incentive Plan, as 
amended (including related form agreements).

8-K

May 31, 2017

10.1

2010 Employee Stock Purchase Plan.

S-1(A4)

June 29, 2010

10.19

Lease Agreement between the Registrant and Wells REIT 
II - Pasadena Corporate Park L.P., dated December 5, 
2011

Amended and Restated Walmart MoneyCard Program 
Agreement dated as of May 1, 2015 by and among the 
Registrant, Green Dot Bank, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., 
Walmart Stores Texas L.P., Wal-Mart Louisiana, LLC, 
Wal-Mart Stores Arkansas, LLC, Wal-Mart Stores East, 
L.P. and Wal-Mart Puerto Rico, Inc.

10-K

February 29, 2012

10.8

10-Q

August 10, 2015

10.01

10.7††

Amendment No. 1 to Amended and Restated Walmart 
MoneyCard Program Agreement dated as of May 2, 2016 
by and among the Registrant, Green Dot Bank, Wal-Mart 
Stores, Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Texas LLC, Wal-Mart 
Louisiana, LLC, Wal-Mart Stores Arkansas, LLC, Wal-
Mart Stores East, L.P., and Wal-Mart Puerto Rico, Inc.

X

98

Exhibit
Number
10.8††

10.9††

10.10

10.11

10.12

10.13

10.14

10.15

10.16†

10.17*

10.18*

10.19*

10.20*

Exhibit Title

Form

Date

Number

Incorporated by Reference

Amendment No. 2 to Amended and Restated Walmart 
MoneyCard Program Agreement dated as of June 20, 
2016 by and among the Registrant, Green Dot Bank, Wal-
Mart Stores, Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Texas LLC, Wal-Mart 
Louisiana, LLC, Wal-Mart Stores Arkansas, LLC, Wal-
Mart Stores East, L.P., and Wal-Mart Puerto Rico, Inc.

Amendment No. 3 to Amended and Restated Walmart 
MoneyCard Program Agreement dated as of August 1, 
2017 by and among the Registrant, Green Dot Bank, Wal-
Mart Stores, Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Texas LLC, Wal-Mart 
Louisiana, LLC, Wal-Mart Stores Arkansas, LLC, Wal-
Mart Stores East, L.P., and Wal-Mart Puerto Rico, Inc.

Amendment No. 4 to Amended and Restated Walmart 
MoneyCard Program Agreement dated as of September 
15, 2017 by and among the Registrant, Green Dot Bank, 
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Texas LLC, Wal-
Mart Louisiana, LLC, Wal-Mart Stores Arkansas, LLC, 
Wal-Mart Stores East, L.P., and Wal-Mart Puerto Rico, 
Inc.
Credit Agreement, dated as of October 23, 2014, by and 
between the Registrant, Bank of America, N.A., and the 
other lenders party thereto.

First Amendment to Credit Agreement and Consent, 
dated as of February 12, 2015, by and between the 
Registrant, Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, Bank 
of America, N.A., and other lenders party thereto.

Second Amendment to Credit Agreement and Consent, 
dated as of December 11, 2015, by and between the 
Registrant, Bank of America, N.A., and other lenders 
party thereto.

Third Amendment to Credit Agreement and Consent, 
dated as of April 7, 2016, by and between the Registrant, 
Bank of America, N.A., and other lenders party thereto.

Fourth Amendment to Credit Agreement and Consent, 
dated as of February 24, 2017, by and between the 
Registrant, Bank of America, N.A., and other lenders 
party thereto.

Processing Services Agreement dated as of December 
19, 2013 by and among the Registrant and MasterCard 
International Incorporated.

Employment letter agreement, dated September 16, 
2016, between the Registrant and Steven W. Streit.

Employment letter agreement, dated April 13, 2017, 
between the Registrant and Mark L. Shifke.

Employment letter agreement, dated November 3, 2016, 
between the Registrant and Brett Narlinger.

Employment letter agreement, dated September 29, 
2017, between the Registrant and Konrad Alt.

8-K

October 24, 2014

10.1

10-K

February 29, 2016

10.8

10-K

February 29, 2016

10.9

10-K

February 27, 2017

10.10

10-Q/A

June 7, 2017

10.1

8-K

8-K

September 22,
2016

10.01

April 17, 2017

10.01

Filed
Herewith
X

X

X

X

X

X

10.21*

Form of Executive Severance Agreement.

S-1(A2)

April 26, 2010

10.12

Performance-based restricted stock units award 
agreement between the Registrant and Steven W. Streit.

10-Q

May 11, 2015

10.9

10.22*

10.23*

10.24*

Performance-based restricted stock units award 
agreement between the Registrant and Steven W. Streit.

Performance-based restricted stock units award 
agreement between the Registrant and Steven W. Streit.

10.25*

Green Dot Corporation Corporate Transaction Policy

99

8-K

March 31, 2016

10.02

8-K

8-K

April 5, 2017

10.02

April 9, 2015

10.01

Exhibit Title
2017 Executive Officer Incentive Bonus Plan

Form
8-K

Date
April 5, 2017

Number
10.01

Filed
Herewith

Incorporated by Reference

Exhibit
Number
10.26*

21.1

23.1

24.1

31.1

31.2

32.1

32.2

Subsidiaries of Green Dot Corporation

Consent of Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered 
public accounting firm.

Power of Attorney (included on the signature page of this 
Annual Report on Form 10-K).

Certification of Steven W. Streit, Chief Executive Officer, 
pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a), as adopted 
pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 
2002.

Certification of Mark Shifke, Chief Financial Officer, 
pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a), as adopted 
pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 
2002.

Certification of Steven W. Streit, Chief Executive Officer, 
pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant 
to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

Certification of Mark Shifke, Chief Financial Officer, 
pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant 
to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

101.INS

XBRL Instance Document**

101.SCH XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document**

101.CAL

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase
Document**

101.DEF

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase
Document**

101.LAB

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document**

101.PRE XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase

Document**

________________

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

^ 

*  

** 

†  

†† 

Schedules and exhibits have been omitted pursuant to Item 601(b)(2) of Regulation S-K. Green Dot hereby undertakes to furnish 
supplementally copies of any of the omitted schedules and exhibits upon request by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Indicates management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.

Pursuant to Rule 406T of Regulation S-T, the Interactive Data Files on Exhibit 101 hereto are deemed not filed or part of a registration 
statement or prospectus for purposes of Sections 11 or 12 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended ("Securities Act"), are deemed not 
filed for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended ("Exchange Act"), and otherwise are not subject 
to liability under those sections. The Interactive Data File will be filed by amendment to this Form 10-K within 30 days of the filing date 
of this Form 10-K, as permitted by Rule 405(a)(2)(ii) of Regulation S-T.

Registrant has omitted portions of the referenced exhibit and filed such exhibit separately with the Securities and Exchange Commission 
pursuant to a grant of confidential treatment under Rule 406 or Rule 24b-2 promulgated under the Securities Act or Rule 24b-2 promulgated 
under the Exchange Act.

Confidential treatment has been requested with regard to certain portions of this document. Such portions were filed separately with the 
Commission.

100

ITEM 16. Form 10-K Summary

None.

101

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report 

to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

SIGNATURE

Date:

February 27, 2018

Green Dot Corporation

By:
Name:

Title:

/s/ Steven W. Streit

Steven W. Streit
President, Chief Executive Officer, Director

KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS that each individual whose signature appears below constitutes 
and appoints Steven W. Streit, John C. Ricci, and Mark Shifke, and each of them, his or her true and lawful attorneys-
in-fact and agents with full power of substitution, for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all 
capacities, to sign any amendments to this Annual Report on Form 10-K and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto 
and  other  documents  in  connection  therewith,  with  the  Securities  and  Exchange  Commission,  granting  unto  said 
attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and 
thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she 
might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents or any of them, 
or his, her or their substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done or by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the 

following persons on behalf of the registrant in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

Signature

By:

/s/ Steven W. Streit

Name:

Steven W. Streit

By:

/s/ Mark Shifke

Name: Mark Shifke

By:

/s/ Jess Unruh

Name:

Jess Unruh

By:

/s/ William I. Jacobs

Name: William I. Jacobs

By:

/s/ Kenneth C. Aldrich

Name:

Kenneth C. Aldrich

By:

/s/ J. Chris Brewster

Name:

J. Chris Brewster

Title
President, Chief Executive Officer, and
Director (Principal Executive Officer)

Date

February 27, 2018

Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial
Officer)

February 27, 2018

Chief Accounting Officer (Principal
Accounting Officer)

February 27, 2018

Chairman/Presiding Director

February 27, 2018

Director

Director

February 27, 2018

February 27, 2018

By:

  /s/ Glinda Bridgforth Hodges

Director

February 27, 2018

Name: Glinda Bridgforth Hodges

By:

/s/ Rajeev V. Date

Name:

Rajeev V. Date

By:

  /s/ Saturnino Fanlo

Name:

Saturnino Fanlo

By:

/s/ George W. Gresham

Name: George W. Gresham

By:

  /s/ George T. Shaheen

Name: George T. Shaheen

Director

Director

Director

Director

102

February 27, 2018

February 27, 2018

February 27, 2018

February 27, 2018

 
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