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Filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)
Registration No. 333-177965

 

This preliminary prospectus supplement relates to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, but is not complete and may be changed. This preliminary prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are not an offer to sell these securities and we are not soliciting offers to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED JUNE 24, 2013

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

(to Prospectus dated March 12, 2012)

             Shares

 

Common Stock

 

 

We are offering                  shares of our common stock pursuant to this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus.

 

 

Our common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol “MITK”. On June 21, 2013, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the NASDAQ Capital Market was $6.75 per share.

 

 

Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. Before buying any shares, you should review carefully the risks and uncertainties described under the heading “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-7 of this prospectus supplement, on page 3 of the accompanying prospectus and under similar headings in the other documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement.

 

 

 

 

		PER SHARE				TOTAL
Public offering price		$				$
Underwriting discounts and commissions		$				$
Offering proceeds to Mitek Systems, Inc. before expenses		$				$

 

 

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

We have granted the underwriter an option for a period of 30 days to purchase up to an additional      shares of our common stock solely to cover over-allotments, if any. If the underwriter exercises the option in full, the total public offering price will be $    , the total underwriting discounts and commissions payable by us will be $    , and our total proceeds, before expenses, will be $    .

Delivery of the shares of common stock is expected to be made on or about June     , 2013

William Blair

The date of this prospectus is June     , 2013

 

 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

		Page
Prospectus Supplement
Prospectus Supplement Summary			S-2
Risk Factors.			S-7
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-looking Statements			S-18
Market Price Data And Dividend Information			S-19
Use Of Proceeds			S-20
Capitalization			S-21
Dilution			S-22
Material United States Federal Income Tax Considerations For Non-U.S. Holders			S-24
Underwriting			S-27
Legal Matters			S-30
Experts			S-30
Where You Can Find Additional Information			S-30
Prospectus
About This Prospectus			1
Mitek Systems, Inc.			2
Risk Factors			3
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-looking Statements			4
The Securities We May Offer			5
Use Of Proceeds			8
Dilution			8
Selling Stockholders			9
Description Of Capital Stock			10
Description Of Debt Securities			13
Description Of Warrants			20
Description Of Units			22
Legal Ownership Of Securities			23
Plan Of Distribution			26
Legal Matters			28
Experts			28
Where You Can Find Additional Information			28

 

 

 

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RISK FACTORS

An investment in our common stock involves a substantial risk of loss. You should carefully consider these risk factors, together with all of the other information included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, as modified and superseded pursuant to Rule 412 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), before you decide to invest in our common stock. The occurrence of any of the following risks could harm our business. In that case, the trading price of our common stock could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also impair our operations. You should also refer to the other information contained in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus or incorporated by reference herein or therein, including our financial statements and the notes to those statements and the information set forth under the heading “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”

Risks Associated With Our Business

We have a history of losses and we may not achieve profitability in the future.

Our operations resulted in a net loss of $7,839,996 and $125,057 for the years ended September 30, 2012 and 2011, respectively. We have a history of losses and may continue to incur significant losses for the foreseeable future. As of September 30, 2012, we had an accumulated deficit of $23,459,391. Our future profitability depends upon many factors, including several that are beyond our control. These factors include, without limitation:

 

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changes in the demand for our products and services;

 

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loss of key customers or contracts;

 

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the introduction of competitive software;

 

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the failure to gain market acceptance of our new and existing products;

 

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the failure to successfully and cost effectively develop, introduce and market new products, services and product enhancements in a timely manner; and

 

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the timing of recognition of revenue.

In addition, we incur significant legal, accounting, and other expenses related to being a public company. As a result of these expenditures, we will have to generate and sustain increased revenue to achieve and maintain future profitability.

We may need to raise additional capital to fund continuing operations and an inability to raise the necessary capital or to do so on acceptable terms could threaten the success of our business.

We currently anticipate that our available capital resources, including our credit facility and operating cash flow, will be sufficient to meet our expected working capital and capital expenditure requirements for at least the next 12 months. However, such resources may not be sufficient to fund the long-term growth of our business. If we determine that it is necessary to raise additional funds, we may choose to do so through strategic collaborations, licensing arrangements, public or private equity or debt financing, a bank line of credit, or other arrangements. We cannot be sure that any additional funding, if needed, will be available on terms favorable to us or at all. Furthermore, any additional equity or equity-related financing may be dilutive to our stockholders, new equity securities may have rights, preferences or privileges senior to those of existing holders of our shares of common stock, and debt or equity financing, if available, may subject us to restrictive covenants and

 

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significant interest costs. If we obtain funding through a strategic collaboration or licensing arrangement, we may be required to relinquish our rights to certain of our technologies, products or marketing territories. If we are unable to obtain the financing necessary to support our operations, we may be required to defer, reduce or eliminate certain planned expenditures or significantly curtail our operations.

Our ability to utilize our net operating loss carryforwards and certain other tax attributes may be limited.

Federal and state tax laws impose restrictions on the utilization of net operating loss (“NOL”) and tax credit carryforwards in the event of an “ownership change” as defined by Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Section 382”). Generally, an ownership change occurs if the percentage of the value of the stock that is owned by one or more direct or indirect “five percent shareholders” increases by more than 50 percentage points over their lowest ownership percentage at any time during the applicable testing period (typically, three years). Under Section 382, if a corporation undergoes an “ownership change,” the corporation’s ability to use its pre-change NOL carryforwards and other pre-change tax attributes to offset its post-change income may be limited. The Company has not completed a study to assess whether an “ownership change” has occurred or whether there have been multiple ownership changes since the Company became a “loss corporation” as defined in Section 382. Future changes in our stock ownership, which may be outside of our control, may trigger an “ownership change.” In addition, future equity offerings or acquisitions that have equity as a component of the purchase price could result in an “ownership change.” If an “ownership change” has occurred or does occur in the future, utilization of the NOL carryforwards or other tax attributes may be limited, which could potentially result in an increased future tax liability to us.

We currently derive substantially all of our revenue from a single type of technology. If this technology and the related products do not achieve or continue to achieve market acceptance, our business, financial condition and results of operations would be adversely affected.

We currently derive substantially all of our product revenues from licenses and sales of software products to customers incorporating our intelligent mobile imaging technology and software products. If we are unable to achieve or continue to achieve market acceptance of our core technology or products incorporating such technology, we will not generate significant revenue growth from the sale of our products.

Additionally, factors adversely affecting the pricing of or demand for our products and services, such as competition from other products or technologies, any decline in the demand for mobile image processing, negative publicity or obsolescence of the software environments in which our products operate could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If economic or other factors negatively affect the small and medium-sized business sector, our customers may become unwilling or unable to purchase our products and services, which could cause our revenue to decline.

Many of our existing and target customers are in the small and medium-sized business sector. These businesses are more likely to be significantly affected by economic downturns than larger, more established businesses. Additionally, these customers often have limited discretionary funds, which they may choose to spend on items other than our products and services. If small and medium-sized businesses experience economic hardship, it could negatively affect the overall demand for our products and services, and could cause our revenue to decline.

We face competition from several companies that may have greater resources than we do, which could result in price reductions, reduced margins or loss of market share.

We compete against numerous companies in the mobile imaging software market. Competition in this market may increase as a result of a number of factors, such as the entrance of new or larger competitors or

 

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alternative technologies. These competitors may have greater financial, technical, marketing and public relations resources, larger client bases and greater brand or name recognition than we do. These competitors could, among other things:

 

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announce new products or technologies that have the potential to replace our existing product offerings;

 

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force us to charge lower prices; or

 

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adversely affect our relationships with current clients.

We may be unable to compete successfully against our current and potential competitors and if we lose business to our competitors or are forced to lower our prices, our revenue, operating margins and market share could decline.

We must continue to engage in extensive research and development in order to remain competitive.

Our ability to compete effectively with our mobile imaging software products depends upon our ability to meet changing market conditions and develop enhancements to our products on a timely basis in order to maintain our competitive advantage. Rapidly advancing technology and rapidly changing user preferences characterize the markets for products incorporating mobile imaging software technology and products. Our continued growth will ultimately depend upon our ability to develop additional technologies and attract strategic alliances for related or separate products. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in developing and marketing product enhancements and additional technologies, that we will not experience difficulties that could delay or prevent the successful development, introduction and marketing of these products, or that our new products and product enhancements will adequately meet the requirements of the marketplace, will be of acceptable quality, or will achieve market acceptance.

Our annual and quarterly results have fluctuated greatly in the past and will likely continue to do so, which may cause substantial fluctuations in our common stock price.

Our annual and quarterly operating results have in the past and may in the future fluctuate significantly depending on factors including the timing of customer projects and purchase orders, new product announcements and releases by us and other companies, gain or loss of significant customers, price discounting of our products, the timing of expenditures, customer product delivery requirements, availability and cost of components or labor and economic conditions, generally, and in the information technology market, specifically. Revenues related to our licenses for mobile imaging software products are required to be recognized upon satisfaction of all applicable revenue recognition criteria. The recognition of future revenues from these licenses is dependent on a number of factors, including, but not limited to, the term of our license agreements, the timing of implementation of our products by our channel partners and customers and the timing of any re-orders of additional licenses and/or license renewals by our channel partners and customers.

In fiscal years 2012 and 2011, sales of licenses to channel partners has comprised a significant part of our revenue. This is attributable to the timing of the purchase or renewal of licenses and does not represent a dependence on any channel partner. If we were to lose a channel partner relationship, we do not believe such a loss would adversely affect our operations because either we or another channel partner could sell the previously purchased products to customers. However, such a relationship could take time to develop, if it develops at all.

Any unfavorable change in these or other factors could have a material adverse effect on our operating results for a particular quarter or year, which may cause downward pressure on our common stock price. We expect quarterly and annual fluctuations to continue for the foreseeable future.

 

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Our historical order flow patterns, which we expect to continue, have caused forecasting difficulties for us. If we do not meet our forecasts or analysts’ forecasts for us, the price of our common stock may decline.

Historically, a significant portion of our sales have resulted from shipments during the last few weeks of the quarter from orders received in the final month of the applicable quarter. We do, however, base our expense levels, in significant part, on our expectations of future revenue. As a result, we expect our expense levels to be relatively fixed in the short term. Any concentration of sales at the end of the quarter may limit our ability to plan or adjust operating expenses. Therefore, if anticipated shipments in any quarter do not occur or are delayed, expenditure levels could be disproportionately high as a percentage of sales, and our operating results for that quarter would be adversely affected. As a result, we believe that period-to-period comparisons of our results of operations are not and will not necessarily be meaningful, and you should not rely upon them as an indication of future performance. If our operating results for a quarter are below the expectations of public market analysts and investors, the price of our common stock may be materially adversely affected.

Defects or malfunctions in our products could hurt our reputation, sales and profitability.

Our business and the level of customer acceptance of our products depend upon the continuous, effective and reliable operation of our products. Our products are extremely complex and are continually being modified and improved, and as such may contain undetected defects or errors when first introduced or as new versions are released. To the extent that defects or errors cause our products to malfunction and our customers’ use of our products is interrupted, our reputation could suffer and our revenue could decline or be delayed while such defects are remedied. We may also be subject to liability for the defects and malfunctions of third party technology partners and others with whom our products and services are integrated.

In addition, our products are typically intended for use in applications that are critical to a customer’s business. As a result, we believe that our customers and potential customers have a greater sensitivity to product defects than the market for software products in general. There can be no assurance that, despite our testing, errors will not be found in new products or releases after commencement of commercial shipments, resulting in loss of revenues or delay in market acceptance, diversion of development resources, damage to our reputation, adverse litigation, or increased service and warranty costs, any of which would have a material adverse effect upon our business, operating results and financial condition.

Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property

If the patents we own or license, or our other intellectual property rights, do not adequately protect our technologies, we may lose market share to our competitors and be unable to operate our business profitably.

Our success depends significantly on our ability to protect our rights to the technologies used in our products, including Mobile Deposit^®. We rely on trademark, trade secret, copyright and patent law, as well as a combination of non-disclosure, confidentiality and other contractual arrangements to protect our technology and rights. However, these legal means afford only limited protection and may not adequately protect our rights or permit us to gain or maintain any competitive advantage. In addition, we cannot be assured that any of our pending patent applications will result in the issuance of a patent to us. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (the “PTO”) may deny or require significant narrowing of claims in our pending patent applications, and patents issued as a result of the pending patent applications, if any, may not provide us with significant commercial protection or be issued in a form that is advantageous to us. We could also incur substantial costs in proceedings before the PTO. Our issued and licensed patents and those that may be issued or licensed in the future may expire or may be challenged, invalidated or circumvented, which could limit our ability to stop competitors from marketing related technologies. Additionally, upon expiration of our issued or licensed patents, we may lose some of our rights to exclude others from making, using, selling or importing products using the technology based on the expired patents. We also must rely on contractual provisions with the third parties that license technology to us and that obligate these third parties to protect our rights in the technology licensed to us. There

 

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is no guarantee that these third parties would be successful in attempting to protect our rights in any such licensed technology. There is no assurance that competitors will not be able to design around our patents or other intellectual property or any intellectual property or technology licensed to us. We also rely on unpatented proprietary technology. We cannot assure you that we can meaningfully protect all our rights in our unpatented proprietary technology or that others will not independently develop substantially equivalent proprietary products or processes or otherwise gain access to our unpatented proprietary technology.

We seek to protect our know-how and other unpatented proprietary technology with confidentiality agreements and intellectual property assignment agreements with our employees, consultants, partners, and customers. However, such agreements may not be enforceable or may not provide meaningful protection for our proprietary information in the event of unauthorized use or disclosure or other breaches of the agreements or in the event that our competitors discover or independently develop similar or identical designs or other proprietary information. In addition, we rely on the use of registered and common law trademarks with respect to the brand names of some of our products. Common law trademarks provide less protection than registered trademarks. Loss of rights in our trademarks could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Furthermore, the laws of foreign countries may not protect our intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws of the U.S. If we fail to apply for intellectual property protection or if we cannot adequately protect our intellectual property rights in these foreign countries, our competitors may be able to compete more effectively against us, which could adversely affect our competitive position, as well as our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Claims that we infringe upon the rights, or have otherwise utilized proprietary information, of third parties may give rise to costly and lengthy litigation, and we could be prevented from selling products, forced to pay damages, and defend against litigation.

In the past, third parties have asserted claims that certain technologies incorporated in our products infringe on their patent rights. Although we have resolved past claims, there is currently a claim pending against us by United Services Automobile Association (“USAA”) that we have utilized their proprietary information in our patents and Mobile Deposit product and that they may have co-inventorship rights to such patents, and there can be no assurance that we will not receive notices in the future from parties asserting, directly or indirectly through our customers, that our products infringe, or may infringe, on their intellectual property rights, or otherwise utilize their proprietary information. If our technology and products are found to infringe upon or otherwise utilize the proprietary rights of other parties, we could incur substantial costs and we may have to:

 

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obtain licenses, which may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, if at all, and may be non-exclusive, thereby giving our competitors access to the same intellectual property licensed to us;

 

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expend significant resources to redesign our products or technology to avoid infringement;

 

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discontinue the use and sale of infringing products;

 

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pay substantial damages; and

 

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defend litigation or administrative proceedings which may be costly whether we win or lose, and which could result in a substantial diversion of our valuable management resources and limit our exclusive rights to the technology we have developed.

Furthermore, we may, as we have with the aforementioned USAA claims and other current claims against Top Image Systems Ltd., initiate claims or litigation against parties for infringement of our proprietary rights or to establish the validity of our proprietary rights. Litigation, either as plaintiff or defendant, could result in significant expense to us, whether or not such litigation is resolved in our favor. Even if we were to prevail, any litigation could be costly and time-consuming and would divert the attention of our management and key personnel from our business operations. As a result of a patent infringement or other intellectual property suit

 

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brought against us or our channel partners or licensees, we or our channel partners or licensees may be forced to stop or delay developing, manufacturing or selling technologies or potential products that are claimed to infringe on a third party’s intellectual property rights unless that party grants us or our channel partners or licensees rights to use its intellectual property. Ultimately, we may be unable to develop some of our technologies or potential products or may have to discontinue development of a product candidate or cease some of our business operations as a result of patent infringement or other intellectual property claims, which could severely harm our business.

Risks Related to our Operations

If we are unable to retain and recruit qualified personnel, or if any of our key executives or key employees discontinues his or her employment with us, it may have a material adverse effect on our business.

We are highly dependent on the key members of our management team and other key technical personnel. If we were to lose the services of one or more of our key personnel, or if we failed to attract and retain additional qualified personnel, it could materially and adversely affect our customer relationships, competitive position and revenues. Furthermore, recruiting and retaining qualified highly skilled engineers involved in the ongoing developments required to refine our technologies and to introduce future applications is critical to our success. We may be unable to attract, assimilate and retain qualified personnel on acceptable terms given the competition within the high technology industry. We do not have any employment agreements providing for a specific term of employment with any member of our senior management. We do not maintain “key man” insurance policies on any of our officers or employees.

We plan to grant stock options or other forms of equity awards in the future as a method of attracting and retaining employees, motivating performance and aligning the interests of employees with those of our stockholders. As of June 7, 2013, we had 980,529 shares of common stock available for issuance pursuant to future grants of equity awards under our existing equity compensation plans, which will limit our ability to provide equity incentive awards to existing and future employees. If we are unable to adopt, implement and maintain equity compensation arrangements that provide sufficient incentives, we may be unable to retain our existing employees and attract additional qualified candidates. If we are unable to retain our existing employees, including qualified technical personnel, and attract additional qualified candidates, our business and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Legislation and governmental regulations enacted in the U.S. and other countries that apply to us or to our customers may require us to change our current products and services and/or result in additional expenses, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Legislation and governmental regulations affect how our business is conducted, including changes in legislation and governmental regulations impacting financial institutions, insurance companies and mobile device companies. Globally, legislation and governmental regulations also influence our current and prospective customers’ activities, as well as their expectations and needs in relation to our products and services. Compliance with these laws and regulations may be onerous and expensive, and may be inconsistent from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, further increasing the cost of compliance. Any such increase in costs as a result of changes in these laws and regulations or in their interpretation could individually or in the aggregate make our products and services less attractive to our customers, delay the introduction of new products in one or more regions, cause us to change or limit our business practices or affect our financial condition and operating results.

Compliance with changing regulations concerning corporate governance and public disclosure may result in additional expenses.

In recent years, there have been several changes in laws, rules, regulations and standards relating to corporate governance and public disclosure, including the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”), the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“Sarbanes-Oxley”) and various other new regulations promulgated by the SEC and rules promulgated by the national securities exchanges.

 

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The Dodd-Frank Act, enacted in July 2010, expands federal regulation of corporate governance matters and imposes requirements on publicly-held companies, including us, to, among other things, provide stockholders with a periodic advisory vote on executive compensation and also adds compensation committee reforms and enhanced pay-for-performance disclosures. While some provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act are effective upon enactment, others will be implemented upon the SEC’s adoption of related rules and regulations. The scope and timing of the adoption of such rules and regulations is uncertain and accordingly, the cost of compliance with the Dodd-Frank Act is also uncertain.

In addition, Sarbanes-Oxley specifically requires, among other things, that we maintain effective internal control over financial reporting and disclosure of controls and procedures. In particular, we must perform system and process evaluation and testing of our internal control over financial reporting to allow management to report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, as required by Section 404 of Sarbanes-Oxley Act (“Section 404”), and our independent registered public accounting firm is required to attest to our internal control over financial reporting. Our testing, or the subsequent testing by our independent registered public accounting firm may reveal deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting that are deemed to be material weaknesses. Our compliance with Section 404 will require that we incur substantial accounting expense and expend significant management efforts. We currently have limited internal audit capabilities and will need to hire additional accounting and financial staff with appropriate public company experience and technical accounting knowledge. Moreover, if we are not able to comply with the requirements of Section 404 in a timely manner, or if we or our independent registered public accounting firm identifies deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting that are deemed to be material weaknesses, the market price of our stock could decline, and we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by the SEC or other regulatory authorities, which would require additional financial and management resources.

These and other new or changed laws, rules, regulations and standards are, or will be, subject to varying interpretations in many cases due to their lack of specificity. As a result, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance is provided by regulatory and governing bodies, which could result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and higher costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to disclosure and governance practices. Our efforts to comply with evolving laws, regulations and standards are likely to continue to result in increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management time and attention from revenue-generating activities to compliance activities. Further, compliance with new and existing laws, rules, regulations and standards may make it more difficult and expensive for us to maintain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to accept reduced coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain coverage. Members of our board of directors and our principal executive officer and principal financial officer could face an increased risk of personal liability in connection with the performance of their duties. As a result, we may have difficulty attracting and retaining qualified directors and executive officers, which could harm our business. We continually evaluate and monitor regulatory developments and cannot estimate the timing or magnitude of additional costs we may incur as a result.

Our restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws provide for indemnification of officers and directors at our expense and limits their liability, which may result in a major cost to us and hurt the interests of our stockholders because corporate resources may be expended for the benefit of officers and/or directors.

Pursuant to our restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws and as authorized under applicable Delaware law, our directors and officers are not liable for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty, except for liability (i) for any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the corporation or its stockholders; (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or that involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law; (iii) under Section 174 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”); or (iv) for any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit.

We have entered into a separate Indemnification Agreement (the “Indemnification Agreement”) with each of our directors. Under the Indemnification Agreement, each director is entitled to be indemnified against all expenses, judgments, penalties, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by or

 

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on behalf of such director in connection with any claims, proceedings or other actions brought against such director as a result of the director’s service to us, provided that the director (i) acted in good faith; (ii) reasonably believed the action was in our best interest; and (iii) in criminal proceedings, reasonably believed the conduct was not unlawful. Additionally, the Indemnification Agreement entitles each director to contribution of expenses from us in any proceeding in which we are jointly liable with such director, but for which indemnification is not otherwise available. The Indemnification Agreement also entitles each director to advancement of expenses incurred by such director in connection with any claim, proceeding or other action in advance of the final adjudication of any such claim, proceeding or other action, provided the director agrees to reimburse us for all such advances if it shall ultimately be determined that the director is not entitled to indemnification.

The foregoing limitations of liability and provisions for expenses may result in a major cost to us and hurt the interests of our stockholders because corporate resources may be expended for the benefit of officers and/or directors.

From time-to-time our board of directors explores and considers strategic alternatives, including financings, strategic alliances, acquisitions, or the possible sale of the Company. Our board of directors may not be able to identify or complete any suitable strategic alternatives and any such alternatives that are completed could have an impact on our operations or stock price.

From time-to-time our board of directors explores and considers potential strategic alternatives that may be available to us, including financings, strategic alliances, acquisitions, or the possible sale of the Company. We currently have no agreements or commitments to engage in any specific strategic transactions, and we cannot assure you that our exploration of various strategic alternatives will result in any specific action or transaction. If we determine to engage in a strategic transaction, we cannot predict the impact that such strategic transaction might have on our operations or stock price. We do not intend to provide updates or make further comments regarding the evaluation of strategic alternatives, unless otherwise required by law.

Risks Related to Investments in Our Common Stock

We may allocate the net proceeds from this offering in ways that you and other stockholders may not approve.

We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering for general corporate purposes, including, among other things, working capital requirements. In general, our management will have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds from this offering and could spend the net proceeds in ways that do not necessarily improve our operating results or enhance the value of our common stock.

Concentration of ownership among our existing directors and executive officers may limit an investor’s ability to influence significant corporate decisions.

As of June 7, 2013: (i) the Chairman of our board of directors and his spouse, who is also a member of our board of directors, beneficially owned approximately 9% of our outstanding common stock; and (ii) our directors and executive officers as a group beneficially owned approximately 16% of our outstanding common stock. Subject to any fiduciary duties owed to our other stockholders under Delaware law, these stockholders may be able to exercise significant influence over matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors and approval of significant corporate transactions, and will have some control over our management and policies. Some of these persons may have interests that are different from yours. For example, these stockholders may support proposals and actions with which you may disagree. The concentration of ownership could delay or prevent a change in control of the Company or otherwise discourage a potential acquirer from attempting to obtain control of the Company, which in turn could reduce the price of our stock. In addition, these stockholders could use their voting influence to maintain our existing management and directors in office, delay or prevent changes in control of the Company, or support or reject other management and board proposals that are subject to stockholder approval, such as amendments to our employee stock plans and approvals of significant financing transactions.

 

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Future sales of our stock, including those by our insiders, may cause our stock price to decline.

A significant portion of our outstanding shares are held by directors and executive officers. Resales of a substantial number of shares of our stock by these stockholders, announcements of the proposed resale of substantial amounts of our stock or the perception that substantial resales may be made by such stockholders, could adversely impact the market price of our stock. Some of our directors and executive officers have entered into Rule 10b5-1 trading plans pursuant to which they have arranged to sell shares of our stock from time to time in the future. Actual or potential sales by these insiders, including those under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan, could be interpreted by the market as an indication that the insider has lost confidence in our stock and adversely impact the market price of our stock.

We have registered and expect to continue to register shares reserved under our equity plans under a registration statement on Form S-8. All shares issued pursuant to a registration statement on Form S-8 can be freely sold in the public market upon issuance, subject to restrictions on our affiliates under Rule 144 of the Securities Act. If a large number of these shares are sold in the public market, the sales could adversely impact the trading price of our stock.

Future sales of our common stock could cause the market price for our common stock to decline.

We cannot predict the effect, if any, that market sales of shares of our common stock or the availability of shares of our common stock for sale will have on the market price of our common stock prevailing from time to time. The registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-177965), of which this prospectus supplement is a part, provides for the potential issuance of shares of our common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, warrants and units up to an aggregate amount of $100,000,000 and the resale of shares of our common stock up to an aggregate amount of 800,000 shares. Following this offering we can potentially issue up to $     (and if the underwriter exercises its option to purchase additional shares in full, $    ) in equity and debt securities pursuant to such registration statement. Sales of substantial amounts of shares of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that those sales will occur, could cause the market price of our common stock to decline or be depressed.

The shares of common stock issued in connection with this offering will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act.

We and certain of our directors and officers have agreed to a “lock-up”, pursuant to which neither we nor they will sell any shares without the prior consent of the underwriter for 90 days after the date of this prospectus supplement, subject to certain exceptions and extensions under certain circumstances. Following the expiration of the applicable lock-up period, all of these shares of our common stock will also be eligible for future sale.

Our corporate documents and Delaware law contain provisions that could discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company, prevent attempts to replace or remove current management and reduce the market price of our stock.

Provisions in our restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws may discourage, delay or prevent a merger or acquisition involving us that our stockholders may consider favorable. For example, our restated certificate of incorporation authorizes our board of directors to issue up to one million shares of “blank check” preferred stock. As a result, without further stockholder approval, the board of directors has the authority to attach special rights, including voting and dividend rights, to this preferred stock. With these rights, preferred stockholders could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us.

We are also subject to the anti-takeover provisions of the DGCL. Under these provisions, if anyone becomes an “interested stockholder,” we may not enter into a “business combination” with that person for three years without special approval, which could discourage a third party from making a takeover offer and could

 

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delay or prevent a change in control of us. An “interested stockholder” is, generally, a stockholder who owns 15% or more of our outstanding voting stock or an affiliate of ours who has owned 15% or more of our outstanding voting stock during the past three years, subject to certain exceptions as described in the DGCL.

The market price of our common stock has been volatile and your investment in our stock could suffer a decline in value.

The market price of our common stock has been, and is likely to continue to be, highly volatile. During the twelve months ended March 31, 2013, the closing price of our common stock ranged from $1.98 to $9.37. In addition, the stock market has from time to time experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that have particularly affected the market prices for the common stock of technology companies and that have often been unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. These broad market fluctuations may adversely affect the market price of our common stock. You may not be able to resell your shares at or above the price you paid for them due to fluctuations in the market price of our stock caused by changes in our operating performance or prospects and other factors.

Some specific factors, in addition to the other risk factors identified above, that may have a significant effect on the price of our stock, many of which we cannot control, include but are not limited to:

 

•

our announcements or our competitors’ announcements of technological innovations;

 

•

quarterly variations in operating results;

 

•

changes in our product pricing policies or those of our competitors;

 

•

claims of infringement of intellectual property rights or other litigation;

 

•

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

 

•

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

 

•

changes in our growth rate or our competitors’ growth rates;

 

•

developments regarding our patents or proprietary rights or those of our competitors;

 

•

our inability to raise additional capital as needed;

 

•

changes in financial markets or general economic conditions;

 

•

sales of stock by us or members of our management team or board of directors; and

 

•

changes in stock market analyst recommendations or earnings estimates regarding our stock, other comparable companies or our industry generally.

Because we do not intend to pay dividends, our stockholders will benefit from an investment in our common stock only if our stock price appreciates in value.

We have never declared or paid a dividend on our common stock. We currently intend to retain our future earnings, if any, for use in the operation and expansion of our business and do not expect to pay any dividends in the foreseeable future. As a result, the success of an investment in our common stock will depend entirely upon any future appreciation in its value. There is no guarantee that our common stock will appreciate in value or even maintain the price at which it was purchased.

 

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We face risks related to the storage of our customers’ and their end users’ confidential and proprietary information.

Our products are designed to maintain the confidentiality and security of our customers’ and their end users’ confidential and proprietary information that is stored on our systems, which may include sensitive financial data. However, any accidental or willful security breaches or other unauthorized access to this data could expose us to liability for the loss of such information, time-consuming and expensive litigation and other possible liabilities as well as negative publicity. Techniques used to obtain unauthorized access or to sabotage systems change frequently and generally are difficult to recognize and react to. We may be unable to anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate preventative or reactionary measures.

 

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CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated herein and therein by reference contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements relating to our outlook or expectations for earnings, revenues, expenses, asset quality or other future financial or business performance, strategies or expectations, or the impact of legal, regulatory or supervisory matters on our business, results of operations or financial condition. Specifically, forward-looking statements may include statements relating to our future business prospects, revenue, income and financial condition, as well as statements regarding our intended uses of the proceeds from the sale of the securities offered by us under this prospectus. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as “estimate,” “plan,” “project,” “forecast,” “intend,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “seek,” “target” or similar expressions.

Forward-looking statements reflect our judgment based on currently available information and involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. In addition to those factors discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” contained in this prospectus supplement and under similar headings in the other documents we file with the SEC, as updated by our subsequent filings under the Exchange Act, important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations. These factors include, but are not limited to:

 

•

adverse economic conditions;

 

•

general decreases in demand for our products and services;

 

•

changes in timing of introducing new products into the market;

 

•

intense competition (including entry of new competitors), including among competitors with substantially greater resources than us;

 

•

increased or adverse federal, state and local government regulation;

 

•

inadequate capital;

 

•

unexpected costs;

 

•

revenues and net income lower than forecasted;

 

•

the risk of litigation;

 

•

the possible fluctuation and volatility of operating results and financial conditions;

 

•

inability to carry our marketing and sales plans; and

 

•

the loss of key employees and executives.

All forward-looking statements included in this prospectus supplement or in any document incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement speak only as of the date of this prospectus supplement or the documents incorporated by reference, as the case may be, and you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or release any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect any events or circumstances after the date of this prospectus supplement or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. The above list is not intended to be exhaustive and there may be other factors that would preclude us from realizing the predictions made in the forward-looking statements. We operate in a continually changing business environment and new factors emerge from time to time. We cannot predict such factors or assess the impact, if any, of such factors on our financial position or results of operations. You should carefully read both this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, together with the information incorporated herein and therein by reference completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect.

 

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MARKET PRICE DATA AND DIVIDEND INFORMATION

Market Information

The following table sets forth, for the fiscal years indicated, the reported high and low sale prices per share of our common stock, which trades on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the ticker symbol “MITK”.

Our fiscal year ends on September 30th.

 

		High				Low
Fiscal Year 2013
First Quarter		$	3.73			$	2.05
Second Quarter		$	5.01			$	3.12
Fiscal Year 2012
First Quarter		$	12.50			$	6.54
Second Quarter		$	12.97			$	6.96
Third Quarter		$	11.98			$	1.90
Fourth Quarter		$	5.10			$	2.72
Fiscal Year 2011
First Quarter		$	6.09			$	1.72
Second Quarter		$	6.75			$	3.31
Third Quarter		$	7.45			$	4.08
Fourth Quarter		$	13.11			$	6.50

The closing sales price of our common stock on NASDAQ on June 21, 2013, the most recent practicable date before the filing of this prospectus supplement, was $6.75 per share.

Dividends

We have not declared or paid any dividends on our capital stock since our inception. The Company currently anticipates that it will retain future earnings for use in the operation and expansion of its business.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

We expect the net proceeds from this offering to be approximately $     million (or $     million if the underwriter exercises its option to purchase additional shares in full), after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions, as described in “Underwriting,” and estimated offering expenses payable by us. We currently intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of the securities offered by us pursuant to this prospectus supplement for general corporate purposes, including, among other things, working capital requirements. As of the date of this prospectus supplement, we cannot specify with certainty all of the particular uses of the proceeds from this offering. Accordingly, we will retain broad discretion over the use of such proceeds. Pending the uses described herein, we expect to invest the net proceeds in short-term, investment-grade securities.

 

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CAPITALIZATION

The following table sets forth our cash and cash equivalents and capitalization as of March 31, 2012:

 

•

on an actual basis; and

 

•

as adjusted to give effect to the receipt of estimated net proceeds of $     from this offering at a public offering price of $     per share, after deducting estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, and the application of the net proceeds therefrom as described under the heading “Use of Proceeds”.

The following table should be read in conjunction with our financial statements and related notes, which are incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement.

 

		Actual				As Adjusted
Cash, cash equivalents and investments		$	15,311,000			$
Debt		$	—			$	—
Stockholders’ equity:
Preferred stock, $0.001 par value, 1,000,000 shares authorized, none issued and outstanding, actual; none issued and outstanding, as adjusted		$	—			$	—
Common stock, $0.001 par value, 60,000,000 shares authorized, 27,044,039 issued and outstanding, actual;             issued and outstanding, as adjusted		$	27,000			$
Additional paid-in capital		$	39,095,000			$
Accumulated other comprehensive income		$	2,000			$	2,000
Accumulated deficit		$	(27,212,000	)		$	(27,212,000	)
Total stockholders’ equity		$	11,912,000			$
Total capitalization		$	11,912,000			$

The number of shares of our common stock to be outstanding immediately after the closing of this offering is based on 27,047,696 shares of common stock outstanding as of June 7, 2013 and excludes, as of that date:

 

•

2,668,393 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of outstanding stock options at a weighted average exercise price of $3.99 per share;

 

•

677,504 shares of common stock issuable upon the vesting and settlement of outstanding restricted stock units;

 

•

6,667 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding warrants to purchase common stock;

 

•

980,529 shares of common stock available for future grant under our 2012 Plan; and

 

•

525,000 shares of common stock available for future grant under our Director Plan.

 

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DILUTION

Our net tangible book value on March 31, 2013 was approximately $11,912,000, or approximately $0.44 per share of common stock. Net tangible book value per share is determined by dividing our net tangible book value, which consists of tangible assets less total liabilities, by the number of shares of common stock outstanding on that date. Without taking into account any other changes in the net tangible book value after March 31, 2013, other than to give effect to our receipt of the estimated net proceeds from the sale of      shares of our common stock at an offering price of $     per share of common stock, less the underwriting fees and our estimated offering expenses, our net tangible book value as of March 31, 2013, after giving effect to the items above, would have been approximately $    , or $     per share of common stock. This represents an immediate decrease in the net tangible book value of $     per share of common stock to existing stockholders and an immediate dilution of $     per share of common stock to new investors. The following table illustrates this per share dilution:

 

Offering price per share of common stock		$
Net tangible book value per share as of March 31, 2013		$	0.44
Decrease in net tangible book value per share attributable to the offering		$
Pro forma net tangible book value per share as of March 31, 2013, after giving effect to the offering		$
Dilution per share to new investors in the offering		$

The above table is based on 27,044,039 shares of common stock outstanding as of March 31, 2013 and excludes, as of March 31, 2013:

 

•

2,672,758 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of outstanding stock options with a weighted average exercise price of $4.03 per share;

 

•

680,004 shares of common stock issuable upon the vesting and settlement of outstanding restricted stock units;

 

•

6,667 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding warrants to purchase common stock;

 

•

977,983 shares of common stock available for future grant under the 2012 Plan; and

 

•

475,000 shares of common stock available for future grant under the Director Plan.

To the extent that any of these options or warrants are exercised, restricted stock units are settled, new options or restricted stock units are issued under our equity incentive plans or we issue additional shares of common stock in the future, there will be further dilution to new investors.

As a percentage of ownership, following the offering (based on      shares of common stock outstanding, comprised of 27,044,039 shares of common stock outstanding as of March 31, 2013 and assuming our existing stockholders do not purchase any shares in this offering):

 

•

the number of shares of our common stock held by existing stockholders would decrease from 100% to     % of the total number of shares of our common stock outstanding after this offering; and

 

•

the number of shares of our common stock held by new investors would be approximately      % of the total number of shares of our common stock outstanding after this offering.

 

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Additionally, if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full, as described below in the section entitled “Underwriting,” the following will occur:

 

•

the number of shares of our common stock held by existing stockholders would decrease to     % of the total number of shares of our common stock outstanding after this offering; and

 

•

the number of shares of our common stock held by new investors would increase to approximately     % of the total number of shares of our common stock outstanding after this offering.

 

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MATERIAL UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS FOR NON-U.S. HOLDERS

The following is a summary of the material U.S. federal income tax considerations relevant to the purchase, ownership and disposition of our common stock by a non-U.S. holder (as defined below) as of the date hereof. This summary deals only with non-U.S. holders that acquire our common stock in this offering and hold the common stock as a capital asset (generally, property held for investment) within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”).

For purposes of this summary, a “non-U.S. holder” means a beneficial owner of our common stock that is an individual, corporation, estate or trust for U.S. federal income tax purposes that is not any of the following: (i) an individual citizen or resident of the U.S., (ii) a corporation (or other entity taxable as a corporation) created or organized in or under the laws of the U.S., any state thereof, or the District of Columbia, (iii) an estate the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source, or (iv) a trust if (1) its administration is subject to the primary supervision of a court within the U.S. and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all of its substantial decisions, or (2) it has a valid election in effect under applicable U.S. Treasury regulations to be treated as a U.S. person.

If an entity classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes holds our common stock, the tax treatment of a partner will generally depend on the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. If you are a partnership holding our common stock, or a partner in such a partnership, you should consult your tax advisors.

This summary is based upon provisions of the Code, U.S. Treasury regulations, rulings, and judicial decisions as of the date hereof. Those authorities may be changed, perhaps retroactively, or be subject to differing interpretations, so as to result in U.S. federal tax considerations different from those summarized below. This summary is not a detailed description of all U.S. federal tax considerations that may be relevant to you in light of your particular circumstances. In addition, it does not address the U.S. federal tax considerations to you if you are subject to special treatment under the U.S. federal tax laws (including if you are a bank or other financial institution, insurance company, broker or dealer in securities, tax-exempt organization, foreign government or agency, U.S. expatriate, “controlled foreign corporation,” “passive foreign investment company,” or a person who holds our common stock in a straddle or as part of a hedging, conversion or constructive sale transaction). Except where noted, this summary does not address any taxes other than U.S. federal income tax, including local, state, foreign, or estate tax. We cannot assure you that a change in law will not alter significantly the tax considerations that we describe in this summary.

If you are considering the purchase of our common stock, you should consult your own tax advisors concerning the particular U.S. federal tax consequences to you of the purchase, ownership and disposition of the common stock, as well as the consequences to you arising under the laws of any other taxing jurisdiction, including any state, local or foreign tax consequences.

Distributions on Common Stock

We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock and do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. If we were to pay cash dividends in the future on our common stock, they would be subject to U.S. federal income tax in the manner described below.

Cash distributions on our common stock generally will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent paid out of our current and accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles. Distributions in excess of current and accumulated earnings and profits will be applied against and reduce a non-U.S. holder’s tax basis in our common stock, to the extent thereof, and any excess will be treated as capital gain realized on the sale or other disposition of the common stock and subject to tax in the manner described below under “—Gain on Disposition of Common Stock.”

 

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Distributions paid to a non-U.S. holder of our common stock that constitute dividends under the rules described above generally will be subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax at a 30% rate or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty. However, dividends that are effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business by a non-U.S. holder within the U.S. and, where an income tax treaty applies, are attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment of the non-U.S. holder, are not subject to this withholding tax, but instead are subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net income basis at applicable individual or corporate rates. A non-U.S. holder generally must deliver an IRS Form W-8ECI certifying under penalties of perjury that such dividends are effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business of the holder in order for effectively connected dividends to be exempt from this withholding tax. Any such effectively connected dividends received by a non-U.S. holder that is a corporation generally will be included in the effectively connected earnings and profits of the foreign corporation, which may be subject to an additional “branch profits tax” at a 30% rate or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty.

A non-U.S. holder of our common stock who is entitled to and wishes to claim the benefits of an applicable treaty rate (and avoid backup withholding as discussed below) with respect to dividends received on our common stock, generally will be required to (i) complete IRS Form W-8BEN (or an acceptable substitute form) and make certain certifications, under penalty of perjury, to establish its status as a non-U.S. person and its entitlement to treaty benefits or (ii) if the common stock is held through certain foreign intermediaries, satisfy the relevant certification requirements of applicable U.S. Treasury regulations. Special certification and other requirements apply to certain non-U.S. holders that are entities rather than individuals. These certification requirements may require a non-U.S. holder to obtain and provide a U.S. taxpayer identification number.

The certification requirements described above must be satisfied prior to the payment of dividends and may be required to be updated periodically. A non-U.S. holder of our common stock eligible for a reduced rate of U.S. federal withholding tax pursuant to an income tax treaty may obtain a refund of any excess amounts withheld by timely filing an appropriate claim for refund with the IRS.

Gain on Disposition of Common Stock

A non-U.S. holder generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax with respect to gain recognized on a sale or other disposition of our common stock unless:

 

•

the gain is effectively connected with a trade or business of the non-U.S. holder in the U.S. and, where a tax treaty applies, is attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment of the non-U.S. holder;

 

•

in the case of a non-U.S. holder who is an individual, such holder is present in the U.S. for 183 or more days in the taxable year of the sale or other disposition and certain other conditions are met; or

 

•

subject to certain exceptions, we are or have been a “U.S. real property holding corporation,” as such term is defined in Section 897(c) of the Code, during the shorter of the five-year period ending on the date of disposition or the non-U.S. holder’s holding period of our common stock.

Gain described in the first bullet point immediately above will be subject to tax on a net basis at regular graduated U.S. federal income tax rates. A non-U.S. holder that is a corporation may also be subject to a branch profits tax equal to 30%, or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty, of its effectively connected earnings and profits attributable to such gain for the taxable year, as adjusted for certain items. An individual non-U.S. holder described in the second bullet point immediately above will be required to pay (subject to applicable income tax treaties) a flat 30% tax on the gain derived from the sale, which may be offset by U.S. source capital losses, even though the individual is not considered a resident of the U.S. As long as our common stock is regularly traded on an established securities market, within the meaning of Section 897(c)(3) of the Code, the rules described in the third bullet point above will apply to you only if you actually or constructively hold more than five percent of such regularly traded common stock at any time during the applicable

 

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period that is specified in the Code (the “regularly traded stock exception”). A corporation generally will be considered a “U.S. real property holding corporation” only if the fair market value of its U.S. real property interests (as defined in the Code) equals or exceeds 50% of the sum of the fair market value of its worldwide real property interests plus its other assets used or held for use in a trade or business. We believe we currently are not, and do not anticipate becoming, a “U.S. real property holding corporation” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. If, however, it turns out that we are or become a “U.S. real property holding corporation,” a non-U.S. holder for whom the regularly traded stock exception is not applicable or who is not otherwise exempt will be required to pay U.S. federal income tax at regular graduated U.S. federal income tax rates with respect to the gain recognized.

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding

We must report annually to the IRS and to each non-U.S. holder the amount of dividends paid to such holder and the tax withheld (if any) with respect to such dividends, regardless of whether withholding was required. Copies of the information returns reporting such dividends and any withholding may also be made available to the tax authorities in the country in which the non-U.S. holder resides under the provisions of an applicable income tax treaty. In addition, dividends paid to a non-U.S. holder may be subject to backup withholding unless applicable certification requirements are met establishing that the holder is not a U.S. person.

Payment of the proceeds of a sale of our common stock within the U.S. or conducted through certain U.S. related financial intermediaries is subject to information reporting and, depending upon the circumstances, backup withholding unless the non-U.S. holder certifies under penalties of perjury that it is not a U.S. person (and the payor does not have actual knowledge or reason to know that the holder is a U.S. person) or the holder otherwise establishes an exemption.

Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules may be allowed as a refund or a credit against such holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability provided the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.

Additional Withholding on Payments to Certain Foreign Entities

Recent legislation, commonly referred to as “FATCA,” may impose a withholding tax on certain payments to foreign entities. FATCA generally imposes a 30% withholding tax on dividends on, or gross proceeds from the sale or other disposition of, our common stock paid to (i) a “foreign financial institution” unless such institution enters into an agreement with the U.S. Treasury, or complies with its obligations pursuant to an intergovernmental agreement between the U.S. and the jurisdiction in which the institution is resident, to among other things, undertake to identify accounts held by certain U.S. persons or U.S.-owned foreign entities, annually report certain information about such accounts, and to the extent required, withhold 30% on payments to account holders whose actions prevent it from complying with these reporting and other requirements, and (ii) a non-financial foreign entity unless such entity provides the withholding agent with a certification that it does not have any substantial U.S. owners or a certification identifying the direct and indirect substantial U.S. owners of the entity. Under recently issued U.S. Treasury regulations, FATCA withholding generally would apply to payments of dividends made after December 31, 2013, and payments of gross proceeds from the disposition of stock made after December 31, 2016. Under certain circumstances, a holder may be eligible for refunds or credits of such withholding taxes. Investors are urged to consult with their own tax advisors regarding the possible application of these rules to their investment in our common stock.

 

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UNDERWRITING

Under the terms and subject to the conditions to be set forth in an underwriting agreement, dated as of June     , 2013, by and between us and William Blair & Company, L.L.C., as the sole underwriter, we have agreed to sell to the underwriter, and the underwriter has agreed to purchase from us, all of the      shares offered hereby.

The underwriting agreement provides that the obligations of the underwriter are subject to certain conditions precedent such as the receipt by the underwriter of officers’ certificates and legal opinions. The underwriting agreement provides that the underwriter will purchase all of the shares if any of them are purchased. We have agreed to indemnify the underwriter and certain of its controlling persons against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, and to contribute to payments that the underwriter may be required to make in respect of those liabilities.

The underwriter is offering the shares subject to its acceptance of the shares from us and subject to prior sale. The underwriter reserves the right to withdraw, cancel or modify offers to the public and to reject orders in whole or in part.

Option to Purchase Additional Shares

We have granted the underwriter an option, exercisable no later than 30 calendar days after the date of the underwriting agreement, to purchase up to an aggregate of      additional shares of our common stock at the public offering price, less the underwriting discounts and commissions set forth on the cover page of this prospectus supplement and as indicated below. We will be obligated to sell these shares of our common stock to the underwriter to the extent the over-allotment option is exercised. The underwriter may exercise this option only to cover over-allotments, if any, made in connection with the sale of our common stock offered by this prospectus supplement.

Commission and Expenses

The underwriter has advised us that it proposes to offer our common stock directly to the public at the offering price set forth on the cover page of this prospectus supplement and to certain dealers at that price less a concession not in excess of $     per share. After the offering, the public offering price and the concession to dealers may be reduced by the underwriter. No such reduction will change the amount of proceeds to be received by the offering as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus supplement.

The following table shows the per share and total underwriting discounts and commissions that we will pay to the underwriter and the proceeds we will receive before expenses. These amounts are shown assuming both no exercise and full exercise of the underwriter’s option to purchase additional shares of our common stock.

 

		PER SHARE		TOTAL WITHOUT OVER-ALLOTMENT EXERCISE		TOTAL WITH OVER-ALLOTMENT EXERCISE
Public offering price		$		$		$
Underwriting discounts and commissions		$		$		$
Proceeds to Mitek Systems, Inc., before expenses		$		$		$

We have also agreed to reimburse the underwriter for certain reasonable travel, legal and other out-of-pocket expenses in an amount not to exceed $75,000. We estimate the total offering expenses of this offering that will be payable by us, excluding the underwriting discounts and commissions, will be approximately $        , which includes legal costs, various other fees and reimbursement of certain of the underwriter’s expenses.

 

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No Sales of Similar Securities

We have agreed with the underwriter, subject to specified exceptions, not to (i) directly or indirectly offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant an option, right or warrant to purchase or otherwise transfer or dispose of, any shares of our common stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for our common stock or file any registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to any of the foregoing or (ii) enter into any swap or any other agreement or any transaction that transfers, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, the economic consequence of ownership of the common stock, whether any such swap or transaction is to be settled by delivery of common stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise.

Our executive officers and directors have agreed with the underwriter, subject to specified exceptions, not to directly or indirectly (i) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant for the sale of, or otherwise dispose of or transfer any shares of our common stock or any securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for our common stock, whether owned or hereafter acquired by such officer or director or with respect to which such officer or director has or hereafter acquires the power of disposition, or file, make any demand with respect to, cause to be filed, or exercise any right with respect to any registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to any of the foregoing or (ii) enter into any swap or any other agreement or any transaction that transfers, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, the economic consequence of ownership of the common stock, whether any such swap or transaction is to be settled by delivery of common stock or other securities, in cash or otherwise.

These restrictions will apply through and including the date that is 90 days after the date of this prospectus supplement.

However, subject to certain exceptions, in the event that either:

 

•

during the last 17 days of the 90-day restricted period, we issue an earnings release or material news or a material event relating to us occurs; or

 

•

prior to the expiration of the 90-day restricted period, we announce that we will release earnings results or become aware that material news or a material event will occur during the 16-day period beginning on the last day of the 90-day restricted period;

then in either case the expiration of the 90-day restricted period will be extended until the expiration of the 18-day period beginning on the date of the issuance of an earnings release or the occurrence of the material news or event, as applicable, unless William Blair & Company, L.L.C. waives, in writing, such extension.

William Blair & Company, L.L.C. may, in its sole discretion and at any time or from time to time before the termination of the 90-day restricted period, without public notice, release all or any portion of the securities subject to lock up agreements. There are no existing agreements between the underwriter and us, providing consent to the sale of shares prior to the expiration of the lock up period.

Listing

Our common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol “MITK”.

Price Stabilization and Short Positions

Until the distribution of the shares of common stock is completed, SEC rules may limit the underwriter from bidding for and purchasing shares of our common stock.

 

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In connection with this offering, the underwriter may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise make short sales of our common stock and may purchase our common stock in the open market to cover positions created by short sales. Short sales involve the sale by the underwriter of a greater number of shares than it is required to purchase in this offering. The underwriter may close out any short position by purchasing shares in the open market or exercising its over-allotment option. A short position is more likely to be created if the underwriter is concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of the shares in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in this offering. The underwriter may also engage in “stabilizing bids,” which are bids for or the purchase of our common stock on behalf of the underwriter in the open market prior to the completion of this offering for the purpose of fixing or maintaining the price of the shares of our common stock.

The underwriter’s purchases to cover short sales, as well as other purchases by the underwriter for its own account, and stabilizing bids may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of our shares or preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of our shares. As a result, the price of our shares may be higher than the price that might otherwise exist in the open market.

In connection with this offering, the underwriter may also engage in passive market making transactions in our common stock on the NASDAQ Capital Market in accordance with Rule 103 of Regulation M during a period before the commencement of offers or sales of shares of our common stock in this offering and extending through the completion of distribution. A passive market maker must display its bid at a price not in excess of the highest independent bid of that security. However, if all independent bids are lowered below the passive market maker’s bid, that bid must then be lowered when specified purchase limits are exceeded.

Neither we, nor the underwriter, make any representation or prediction as to the direction or magnitude of any effect that the transactions described above may have on the price of our common stock. In addition, neither we nor the underwriter makes any representation that the underwriter will engage in these transactions or that any transaction, if commenced, will not be discontinued without notice.

Affiliations

The underwriter and its affiliates are full service financial institutions engaged in various activities, which may include securities trading, commercial and investment banking, financial advisory, investment management, investment research, principal investment, hedging, financing and brokerage activities. The underwriter and its affiliates have, from time to time, performed, and may in the future perform, various financial advisory and investment banking services for us, for which they received or will receive customary fees and expenses.

In the ordinary course of their various business activities, the underwriter and its affiliates may make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and financial instruments (including bank loans) for their own account and for the accounts of their customers, and such investment and securities activities may involve securities and/or instruments of ours. The underwriter and its affiliates may also make investment recommendations and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such securities or instruments and may at any time hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short position in such securities and instruments.

 

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LEGAL MATTERS

The validity of the securities being offered by this prospectus supplement will be passed upon by Paul Hastings LLP, San Diego, California. The underwriter is being represented in connection with this offering by Latham & Watkins LLP, Chicago, Illinois.

EXPERTS

The financial statements of Mitek Systems, Inc. as of September 30, 2011 and September 30, 2012 and for each of the two years in the period ended September 30, 2012, included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on December 7, 2012, are incorporated herein by reference. Such financial statements have been so incorporated by reference in reliance upon the reports of Mayer Hoffman McCann P.C., independent registered public accountants, upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Available Information

We file annual, quarterly and special reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You may read and copy any document we file at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for more information about the operation of the public reference room. The SEC maintains an internet website at http://www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC, including Mitek Systems, Inc. You may also access our reports and proxy statements free of charge at our website, http://www.miteksystems.com.

The accompanying prospectus is part of a registration statement that we have filed with the SEC relating to the securities to be offered. This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus do not contain all of the information we have included in the registration statement and the accompanying exhibits and schedules in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC, and we refer you to the omitted information. The statements in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus make pertaining to the content of any contract, agreement or other document that is an exhibit to the registration statement necessarily are summaries of their material provisions and do not describe all exceptions and qualifications contained in those contracts, agreements or documents. You should read those contracts, agreements or documents for information that may be important to you. The registration statement, exhibits and schedules are available at the SEC’s Public Reference Room or through its internet website.

Incorporation by Reference

The rules of the SEC allow us to incorporate by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus the information in other documents that we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents that we have filed separately with the SEC. You should read the information incorporated by reference because it is an important part of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. We hereby incorporate by reference the following information or documents into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus:

 

•

our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2012 filed with the SEC on December 7, 2012;

 

•

our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on February 6, 2013 and May 8, 2013;

 

•

our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 9, 2012 and February 14, 2013; and

 

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•

the description of our common stock, par value $0.001 per share, contained in the section entitled “Description of Capital Stock” in the prospectus included in the our Registration Statement on Form SB-2 (File No. 333-07787), initially filed with the SEC on July 9, 1996, including any subsequent amendment or report filed for the purpose of amending such description.

Any information in any of the foregoing documents will automatically be deemed to be modified or superseded to the extent that information in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus or in a later filed document that is incorporated or deemed to be incorporated herein by reference modifies or replaces such information.

We also incorporate by reference any future filings (other than current reports furnished under Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of Form 8-K and exhibits filed on such form that are related to such items) made with the SEC pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, until we file a post-effective amendment to the registration statement which indicates that all securities offered hereby have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold. Information in such future filings updates and supplements the information provided in this prospectus supplement. Any statements in any such future filings will automatically be deemed to modify and supersede any information in any document we previously filed with the SEC that is incorporated or deemed to be incorporated herein by reference to the extent that statements in the later filed document modify or replace such earlier statements.

Upon written or oral request, we will provide to you, without charge, a copy of any or all of the documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus but not delivered herewith or therewith, including exhibits which are specifically incorporated by reference into such documents. Requests should be directed to: Mitek Systems, Inc., Attention: Investor Relations, 8911 Balboa Ave., Suite B, San Diego, California, 92123, telephone (858) 309-1700.

 

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PROSPECTUS

 

$100,000,000

Common Stock

Preferred Stock

Debt Securities

Warrants

Units

 

 

800,000 Shares of Common Stock

Offered by Selling Stockholders

 

 

From time to time, we may offer up to $100,000,000 of any combination of the securities described in this prospectus, either individually or in units. We may also offer common stock or preferred stock upon conversion of debt securities, common stock upon conversion of preferred stock, or common stock, preferred stock or debt securities upon the exercise of warrants. In addition, the selling stockholders may offer and sell, from time to time, up to an aggregate of 800,000 shares of common stock under this prospectus. We will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of shares of our common stock by the selling stockholders.

We will provide the specific terms of these offerings and securities in one or more supplements to this prospectus. We may also authorize one or more free writing prospectuses to be provided to you in connection with these offerings. The prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. You should carefully read this prospectus, the applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus, as well as any documents incorporated by reference, before buying any of the securities being offered.

Our common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol “MITK”. On March 5, 2012, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the NASDAQ Capital Market was $11.36. The applicable prospectus supplement will contain information, where applicable, as to any other listing, if any, on the NASDAQ Capital Market or any securities market or other exchange of the securities covered by the applicable prospectus supplement.

 

 

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should review carefully the risks and uncertainties described under the heading “Risk Factors” contained in the applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus, and under similar headings in the other documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus.

This prospectus may not be used to consummate a sale of any securities unless accompanied by a prospectus supplement.

The securities offered by this prospectus may be sold directly by us or the selling stockholders to investors, through agents designated from time to time or to or through underwriters or dealers, on a continuous or delayed basis. For additional information on the methods of sale, you should refer to the section entitled “Plan of Distribution” in this prospectus. If any agents or underwriters are involved in the sale of any securities with respect to which this prospectus is being delivered, the names of such agents or underwriters and any applicable fees, commissions, discounts and over-allotment options will be set forth in a prospectus supplement. The price to the public of such securities and the net proceeds that we expect to receive from such sale will also be set forth in a prospectus supplement.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The date of this prospectus is March 12, 2012.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

		Page
ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS			1
MITEK SYSTEMS, INC			2
RISK FACTORS			3
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS			4
THE SECURITIES WE MAY OFFER			5
USE OF PROCEEDS			8
DILUTION			8
SELLING STOCKHOLDERS			9
DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK			10
DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES			13
DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS			20
DESCRIPTION OF UNITS			22
LEGAL OWNERSHIP OF SECURITIES			23
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION			26
LEGAL MATTERS			28
EXPERTS			28
WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION			28

 

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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is part of a registration statement on Form S-3 that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) utilizing a “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf registration process, we may offer shares of our common stock and preferred stock, various series of debt securities and/or warrants to purchase any of such securities, either individually or in units, in one or more offerings, up to a total dollar amount of $100,000,000. In addition, the selling stockholders described in this prospectus may offer and sell, at any time and from time to time, in one or more offerings, up to an aggregate of 800,000 shares of common stock. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we or the selling stockholders offer a type or series of securities under this prospectus, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain more specific information about the terms of those securities. We and the selling stockholders may also authorize one or more free writing prospectuses to be provided to you that may contain material information relating to these offerings. We may also add, update or change in the prospectus supplement (and in any related free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you) any of the information contained in this prospectus or in the documents that we have incorporated by reference into this prospectus. We urge you to carefully read this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus, together with the information incorporated herein by reference as described under the heading “Where You Can Find Additional Information,” before buying any of the securities being offered. THIS PROSPECTUS MAY NOT BE USED TO CONSUMMATE A SALE OF SECURITIES UNLESS IT IS ACCOMPANIED BY A PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT.

You should rely only on the information that we have provided or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus that we or the selling stockholders may authorize to be provided to you. We and the selling stockholders have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information. No dealer, salesperson or other person is authorized to give any information or to represent anything not contained in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you. You must not rely on any unauthorized information or representation. This prospectus is an offer to sell only the securities offered hereby, but only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. You should assume that the information in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus is accurate only as of the date on the front of the document and that any information we have incorporated by reference is accurate only as of the date of the document incorporated by reference, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus, or any sale of a security.

This prospectus contains summaries of certain provisions contained in some of the documents described herein, but reference is made to the actual documents for complete information. All of the summaries are qualified in their entirety by the actual documents. Copies of some of the documents referred to herein have been filed, will be filed or will be incorporated by reference as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and you may obtain copies of those documents as described below under the heading “Where You Can Find Additional Information.”

 

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MITEK SYSTEMS, INC

Mitek Systems, Inc. is engaged in the development, sale and service of its proprietary software solutions related to mobile imaging solutions and intelligent character recognition software.

We have historically provided financial institutions with advanced imaging and analytics software to authenticate and extract data from imaged checks and other documents. Currently, we are applying our patented technology in image correction and intelligent data extraction to enter the market for mobile financial and business applications. Our technology for extracting data from any photo taken using camera-equipped smartphones and tablets enables the development of consumer friendly applications that use the camera as a keyboard to enter data and complete transactions. Users take a picture of the document and our products do the rest—correcting image distortion, extracting relevant data, routing images to their desired location and processing transactions through users’ financial institutions.

Our Mobile Deposit^® product is a software application that allows users to remotely deposit a check using their camera-equipped smartphone or tablet. Currently, 250 financial institutions, including eight of the top ten banks, have signed agreements to deploy Mobile Deposit. Other mobile applications we offer include Mobile Photo Bill Pay™, a mobile bill paying application that allows users to pay their bills using their camera-equipped smartphone or tablet, Mobile ACH Enrollment™, an application that enables consumers to enroll their checking accounts as funding sources for mobile payments by taking photos of blank checks with their camera-equipped smartphone or tablet, Mobile Balance Transfer^™, a credit card shopping application that allows a user to transfer an existing balance by capturing an image of their current statement, Mobile Imaging Cloud^™, our mobile imaging platform that allows users to capture, extract and route information contained in documents and can be used to create camera-based mobile solutions, Mobile Receipt^®, a receipt archival and expense report application, and Mobile Phax^®, a mobile document faxing application using our proprietary technology. Our mobile applications support all major smartphone operating systems, including the iPhone^®, Android^® and Blackberry^®.

We market and sell our mobile solutions through channel partners or directly to enterprise customers and end-users who typically purchase term licenses based on the number of transactions or subscribers that use our mobile applications. Our mobile solutions are often embedded in other mobile banking or enterprise applications developed by banks or their partners, and marketed under their own proprietary brands. During the past year, we began developing new solutions for the insurance market and leveraged our platform to create custom mobile imaging solutions. All of our mobile imaging solutions use our proprietary technology to capture and read data from photos of documents taken using camera-equipped smartphones or tablets.

We were incorporated in the state of Delaware on May 29, 1986. Our executive offices are located at 8911 Balboa Ave., Suite B, San Diego, California 92123, and our telephone number is (858) 309-1700. We maintain an Internet website at www.miteksystems.com. Information contained in or accessible through our website does not constitute part of this prospectus.

Unless otherwise mentioned or unless the context requires otherwise, all references in this prospectus to “we,” “us,” “our” and “Mitek” refer to Mitek Systems, Inc., a Delaware corporation.

 

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RISK FACTORS

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully review the risks and uncertainties described under the heading “Risk Factors” contained in the applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus, and under similar headings in the other documents, including our most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and the other information contained in this prospectus, as updated by our subsequent filings under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), each of which is incorporated by reference into this prospectus. The occurrence of any of these risks might cause you to lose all or part of your investment in the offered securities. Additional risks not presently known to us or that we currently believe are immaterial may also significantly impair our business operations and financial condition.

 

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CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus and the documents incorporated herein by reference contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. Forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements relating to our outlook or expectations for earnings, revenues, expenses, asset quality or other future financial or business performance, strategies or expectations, or the impact of legal, regulatory or supervisory matters on our business, results of operations or financial condition. Specifically, forward-looking statements may include statements relating to our future business prospects, revenue, income and financial condition, as well as statements regarding our intended uses of the proceeds from the sale of the securities offered by us under this prospectus. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as “estimate,” “plan,” “project,” “forecast,” “intend,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “seek,” “target” or similar expressions.

Forward-looking statements reflect our judgment based on currently available information and involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. In addition to those factors discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” contained in the applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus, and under similar headings in the other documents we file with the SEC, including our most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, as updated by our subsequent filings under the Exchange Act, important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations. These factors include, but are not limited to:

 

•

adverse economic conditions;

 

•

general decreases in demand for our products and services;

 

•

changes in timing of introducing new products into the market;

 

•

intense competition (including entry of new competitors), including among competitors with substantially greater resources than us;

 

•

increased or adverse federal, state and local government regulation;

 

•

inadequate capital;

 

•

unexpected costs;

 

•

revenues and net income lower than forecasted;

 

•

the risk of litigation;

 

•

the possible fluctuation and volatility of operating results and financial conditions;

 

•

inability to carry our marketing and sales plans; and

 

•

the loss of key employees and executives.

All forward-looking statements included in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement or in any document incorporated by reference into this prospectus speak, speak only as of the date of this prospectus, the prospectus supplement or the document incorporated by reference, as the case may be, and you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or release any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect any events or circumstances after the date of this prospectus or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. The above list is not intended to be exhaustive and there may be other factors that would preclude us from realizing the predictions made in the forward-looking statements. We operate in a continually changing business environment and new factors emerge from time to time. We cannot predict such factors or assess the impact, if any, of such factors on our financial position or results of operations. You should carefully read both this prospectus, the applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus, together with the information incorporated herein by reference as described under the heading “Where You Can Find Additional Information,” completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect.

 

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THE SECURITIES WE MAY OFFER

We may offer shares of our common stock and preferred stock, various series of debt securities and/or warrants to purchase any of such securities, either individually or in units, with a total value of up to $100,000,000, from time to time under this prospectus at prices and on terms to be determined by market conditions at the time of any offering. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we offer a type or series of securities under this prospectus, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will describe the specific amounts, prices and other important terms of the securities, including, to the extent applicable:

 

•

designation or classification;

 

•

aggregate principal amount or aggregate offering price;

 

•

maturity, if applicable;

 

•

original issue discount, if any;

 

•

rates and times of payment of interest or dividends, if any;

 

•

redemption, conversion, exercise, exchange or sinking fund terms, if any;

 

•

ranking;

 

•

restrictive covenants, if any;

 

•

voting or other rights, if any;

 

•

conversion prices, if any; and

 

•

important U.S. federal income tax considerations.

The prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you may also add or update information contained in this prospectus or in documents we have incorporated by reference. However, no prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus will offer a security that is not registered and described in this prospectus at the time of the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.

THIS PROSPECTUS MAY NOT BE USED TO CONSUMMATE A SALE OF SECURITIES UNLESS IT IS ACCOMPANIED BY A PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT.

We may sell the securities directly to investors or to or through agents, underwriters or dealers. We, and our agents or underwriters, reserve the right to accept or reject all or part of any proposed purchase of securities. If we do offer securities to or through agents or underwriters, we will include in the applicable prospectus supplement:

 

•

the names of those agents or underwriters;

 

•

applicable fees, discounts and commissions to be paid to them;

 

•

details regarding over-allotment options, if any; and

 

•

the net proceeds to us.

Common Stock. We may issue shares of our common stock from time to time. The holders of common stock are entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders and do not have cumulative voting rights. Shares of common stock are entitled to participate equally in dividends when and as dividends may be declared by our board of directors out of funds legally available for the payment of dividends. In the event of our voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up, the prior rights of our creditors and the liquidation preference of any preferred stock then outstanding must first be satisfied. The

 

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holders of common stock will then be entitled to receive $0.46 per share of common stock outstanding, as adjusted for any stock splits, dividends or combinations, or if the remaining assets available for distribution are insufficient to satisfy such payment, such remaining assets are distributed ratably among the holders of common stock in proportion to the amount of common stock held by each such holder. After initial distribution is made to the holders of preferred stock and common stock as described above, the remaining assets available for distribution are distributed among the holders of Class A Preferred Stock and common stock on a pro rata basis, assuming conversion of all Class A Preferred Stock to shares of common stock at the then effective conversion rate.

Preferred Stock. We may issue shares of our preferred stock from time to time, in one or more series. Under our restated certificate of incorporation, our board of directors has the authority, without further action by stockholders, to designate up to 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock in one or more series and to fix the rights, preferences, privileges, qualifications and restrictions granted to or imposed upon the preferred stock, including dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, rights and terms of redemption, liquidation preferences and sinking fund terms, any or all of which may be greater than the rights of our common stock.

If we sell any series of preferred stock under this prospectus, we will fix the designations, powers, preferences and rights of such series of preferred stock, as well as the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereon, in the certificate of designation relating to that series. We will file as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from reports that we file with the SEC, the form of any certificate of designation that describes the terms of the series of preferred stock we are offering before the issuance of the related series of preferred stock. We urge you to read the applicable prospectus supplement (and any free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you) related to the series of preferred stock being offered, as well as the complete certificate of designation that contains the terms of the applicable series of preferred stock.

Debt Securities. We may issue debt securities from time to time, in one or more series, as either senior secured, senior unsecured or subordinated debt or as senior secured, senior unsecured or subordinated convertible debt. The subordinated debt securities will be subordinate and junior in right of payment, to the extent and in the manner described in the instrument governing the debt, to all of our senior debt. Convertible debt securities will be convertible into or exchangeable for our common stock or our other securities. Conversion may be mandatory or at your option and would be at prescribed conversion rates.

The debt securities will be issued under one or more indentures, which are contracts between us and a national banking association or other eligible party, as trustee. In this prospectus, we have summarized certain general features of the debt securities. We urge you, however, to read the applicable prospectus supplement (and any free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you) related to the series of debt securities being offered, as well as the complete indentures that contain the terms of the debt securities. Forms of indentures have been filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and supplemental indentures and forms of debt securities containing the terms of the debt securities being offered will be filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part or will be incorporated by reference from reports that we file with the SEC.

Warrants. We may issue warrants for the purchase of common stock, preferred stock and/or debt securities in one or more series. We may issue warrants independently or together with common stock, preferred stock and/or debt securities, and the warrants may be attached to or separate from these securities. In this prospectus, we have summarized certain general features of the warrants. We urge you, however, to read the applicable prospectus supplement (and any free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you) related to the particular series of warrants being offered, as well as the complete warrant agreements and warrant certificates that contain the terms of the warrants. We will file as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from reports that we file with the SEC, forms of the warrant agreements and forms of warrant certificates containing the terms of the warrants being offered.

 

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We will evidence each series of warrants by warrant certificates that we will issue. Warrants may be issued under an applicable warrant agreement that we enter into with a warrant agent. We will indicate the name and address of the warrant agent, if applicable, in the prospectus supplement relating to the particular series of warrants being offered.

Units. We may issue, in one or more series, units consisting of common stock, preferred stock, debt securities and/or warrants for the purchase of common stock, preferred stock and/or debt securities in any combination. In this prospectus, we have summarized certain general features of the units. We urge you, however, to read the applicable prospectus supplement (and any free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you) related to the particular series of units being offered, as well as the complete unit agreements that contain the terms of the units. We will file as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from reports that we file with the SEC, the form of unit agreement and any supplemental agreements that describe the terms of the series of units we are offering before the issuance of the related series of units.

We will evidence each series of units by unit certificates that we will issue. Units may be issued under an applicable unit agreement that we enter into with a unit agent. We will indicate the name and address of the unit agent, if applicable, in the prospectus supplement relating to the particular series of units being offered.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

Except as described in any prospectus supplement or in any related free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you, we currently intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of the securities offered by us pursuant to this prospectus for general corporate purposes, including, among other things, working capital requirements and potential repayment of indebtedness that may be outstanding at the time of any offering under this prospectus. We may also use a portion of the net proceeds to acquire or invest in businesses, services, technologies, product candidates or other intellectual property that are complementary to our own, although we have no present commitments or agreements to do so. Pending the uses described herein, we expect to invest the net proceeds in short-term, investment-grade securities.

The selling stockholders will receive all of the net proceeds from the resale of their shares of our common stock pursuant to this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement.

DILUTION

If required by SEC rules, we will set forth in a prospectus supplement the following information regarding any material dilution of the equity interests of investors purchasing securities in an offering under this prospectus:

 

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the net tangible book value per share of our equity securities before and after the offering;

 

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the amount of the increase in such net tangible book value per share attributable to the cash payments made by purchases in the offering; and

 

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the amount of the immediate dilution from the public offering price which will be absorbed by such purchasers.

 

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SELLING STOCKHOLDERS

This prospectus also relates to the possible resale by certain of our stockholders, whom we refer to as the “selling stockholders” in this prospectus, of up to 800,000 shares of our common stock (i) issued by us in a private placement of shares of our Class A Preferred Stock in 1987, which shares were subsequently converted into shares of our common stock, and/or (ii) issuable upon exercise of options to purchase shares of our common stock.

Information about the selling stockholders, where applicable, who offer securities under the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part will be set forth in the prospectus supplements, post-effective amendments and/or filings we make with the SEC under the Exchange Act that are incorporated herein by reference. The prospectus supplement for any offering by the selling stockholders of shares of common stock will include the following information:

 

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the name of each participating selling stockholder;

 

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the nature of any position, office or other material relationship which each selling stockholder has had within the past three years with us or any of our predecessors or affiliates;

 

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the number of shares of common stock held by each selling stockholder prior to the offering;

 

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the number of shares of common stock to be offered for each selling stockholder’s account; and

 

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the number and, if applicable, the percentage of shares of common stock held by each of the selling stockholders after the offering.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

Authorized and Outstanding Capital Stock

Our authorized capital stock consists of 40,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share, issuable in one or more series designated by Mitek’s board of directors, of which 327,025 shares have been designated Class A Preferred Stock. As of March 5, 2012, there were 25,445,563 shares of common stock and no shares of Class A Preferred Stock outstanding.

Common Stock

The holders of our common stock have one vote per share. Holders of common stock are not entitled to vote cumulatively for the election of directors. Generally, all matters to be voted on by stockholders must be approved by a majority, or, in the case of election of directors, by a plurality, of the votes cast at a meeting at which a quorum is present, voting together as a single class, subject to any voting rights granted to holders of any then outstanding preferred stock. Shares of common stock are entitled to participate equally in dividends when and as dividends may be declared by our board of directors out of funds legally available for the payment of dividends. In the event of our voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up, the prior rights of our creditors and the liquidation preference of any preferred stock then outstanding must first be satisfied. The holders of common stock will then be entitled to receive $0.46 per share of common stock outstanding, as adjusted for any stock splits, dividends or combinations, or if the remaining assets available for distribution are insufficient to satisfy such payment, such remaining assets are distributed ratably among the holders of common stock in proportion to the amount of common stock held by each such holder. After initial distribution is made to the holders of preferred stock and common stock as described above, the remaining assets available for distribution are distributed among the holders of Class A Preferred Stock and common stock on a pro rata basis, assuming conversion of all Class A Preferred Stock to shares of common stock at the then effective conversion rate. No shares of common stock are subject to redemption or have redemptive rights to purchase additional shares of common stock.

Our common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol “MITK”.

Preferred Stock

Our restated certificate of incorporation provides that we may issue shares of preferred stock from time to time in one or more series. Our board of directors is authorized to fix the voting rights, if any, designations, powers, preferences, qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof, applicable to the shares of each series of preferred stock. The board of directors may, without stockholder approval, issue preferred stock with voting and other rights that could adversely affect the voting power and other rights of the holders of our common stock and could have anti-takeover effects, including preferred stock or rights to acquire preferred stock in connection with implementing a stockholder rights plan. The ability of the board of directors to issue preferred stock without stockholder approval could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change of control or the removal of our existing management.

Class A Preferred Stock

There are currently no shares of Class A Preferred Stock issued and outstanding.

Anti-Takeover Provisions

The provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”), our restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws contain provisions that could discourage or make more difficult a change in control of Mitek, including an acquisition of Mitek by means of a tender offer, a proxy contest and removal of our incumbent officers and directors, without the support of our board of directors. A summary of these provisions follows.

 

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Statutory Business Combination Provision

We are subject to Section 203 of the DGCL, which, subject to certain exceptions, prohibits a Delaware corporation from engaging in any “business combination” with an “interested stockholder” for a period of three years following the time that such stockholder became an interested stockholder, unless:

 

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the board of directors of the corporation approves either the business combination or the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, prior to the time the interested stockholder attained that status;

 

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upon the closing of the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding, for purposes of determining the number of shares outstanding, those shares owned by persons who are directors and also officers and by employee stock plans in which employee participants do not have the right to determine confidentially whether shares held subject to the plan will be tendered in a tender or exchange offer; or

 

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at or subsequent to such time, the business combination is approved by the board of directors and authorized at an annual or special meeting of stockholders, and not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of at least 66 2/3% of the outstanding voting stock that is not owned by the interested stockholder.

With certain exceptions, an “interested stockholder” is a person or group who or which owns 15% or more of the corporation’s outstanding voting stock (including any rights to acquire stock pursuant to an option, warrant, agreement, arrangement or understanding, or upon the exercise of conversion or exchange rights, and stock with respect to which the person has voting rights only), or is an affiliate or associate of the corporation and was the owner of 15% or more of such voting stock at any time within the previous three years.

In general, Section 203 defines a business combination to include:

 

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any merger or consolidation involving the corporation and the interested stockholder;

 

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any sale, transfer, pledge or other disposition of 10% or more of the assets of the corporation involving the interested stockholder;

 

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subject to certain exceptions, any transaction that results in the issuance or transfer by the corporation of any stock of the corporation to the interested stockholder;

 

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any transaction involving the corporation that has the effect of increasing the proportionate share of the stock or any class or series of the corporation beneficially owned by the interested stockholder; or

 

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the receipt by the interested stockholder of the benefit of any loans, advances, guarantees, pledges or other financial benefits provided by or through the corporation.

A Delaware corporation may “opt out” of this provision with an express provision in its original certificate of incorporation or an express provision in its amended and restated certificate of incorporation or bylaws resulting from a stockholders’ amendment approved by at least a majority of the outstanding voting shares. However, Mitek has not “opted out” of this provision. Section 203 could prohibit or delay mergers or other takeover or change-in-control attempts and, accordingly, may discourage attempts to acquire Mitek.

Size of the Board and Vacancies

Our amended and restated bylaws provide that the number of directors shall be not less than three (3) nor more than nine (9). Within the limits specified in our amended and restated bylaws, the exact number of directors is determined by resolution of the board of directors or by the stockholders at the annual meeting. Our board of directors has the right to fill any vacancies resulting from death, resignation, disqualification or removal, as well as any newly created directorships arising from an increase in the size of the board; provided, however, that if at the time of filling any vacancy or any newly created directorship, the directors then in office constitute less than a

 

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majority of the whole board of directors (as constituted immediately prior to any such increase), the Court of Chancery may, upon application of any stockholder or stockholders holding at least ten percent (10%) of the total number of then outstanding shares having the right to vote for such directors, summarily order an election to be held to fill any such vacancies or newly created directorships or to replace the directors chosen by the directors then in office.

Amendment of Charter Provisions

The affirmative vote of the holders of at least a majority of the voting power of all then outstanding shares of our voting stock, voting together as a single class, is required to, among other things, amend, alter, change or repeal certain provisions of our restated certificate of incorporation; provided, however, that in addition to the foregoing vote, the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 66 2/3% of the shares of Class A Preferred Stock then outstanding is required to (i) reduce the number of authorized shares of the preferred stock below the number of shares then outstanding or increase the number of shares of the Class A Preferred Stock or (ii) create any new class or series of stock (A) having a preference over or being in parity with such series of Class A Preferred Stock with respect to dividends or upon liquidation or (B) having rights similar to any of the rights of such series of Class A Preferred Stock under Section 8 of the Certificate of Designation of Preferences of Preferred Stock. There are currently no shares of Class A Preferred Stock issued and outstanding.

Our amended and restated bylaws may only be amended (or new bylaws adopted) by the board of directors or the affirmative vote of the holders of at least a majority of the voting power of all then outstanding shares of our voting stock.

Transfer Agent and Registrar

The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Computershare. Its address is 480 Washington Blvd., Jersey City, NJ 07310 and its telephone number is (877) 290-2245. The transfer agent for any series of preferred stock that we may offer under this prospectus will be named and described in the prospectus supplement for that series.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES

We may issue debt securities, in one or more series, as either senior or subordinated debt or as senior or subordinated convertible debt. While the terms we have summarized below will apply generally to any debt securities that we may offer under this prospectus, we will describe the particular terms of any debt securities that we may offer in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement. The terms of any debt securities offered under a prospectus supplement may differ from the terms described below. Unless the context requires otherwise, whenever we refer to the indentures, we also are referring to any supplemental indentures that specify the terms of a particular series of debt securities.

We will issue the senior debt securities under the senior indenture that we will enter into with the trustee named in the senior indenture. We will issue the subordinated debt securities under the subordinated indenture that we will enter into with the trustee named in the subordinated indenture. The indentures will be qualified under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939. We use the term “debenture trustee” to refer to either the trustee under the senior indenture or the trustee under the subordinated indenture, as applicable. We have filed forms of indentures as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and supplemental indentures and forms of debt securities containing the terms of the debt securities being offered will be filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part or will be incorporated by reference from reports that we file with the SEC.

The following summaries of material provisions of the senior debt securities, the subordinated debt securities and the indentures are subject to, and qualified in their entirety by reference to, all of the provisions of the indenture applicable to a particular series of debt securities. We urge you to read the applicable prospectus supplements and any related free writing prospectuses related to the debt securities that we may offer under this prospectus, as well as the complete indentures that contain the terms of the debt securities. Except as we may otherwise indicate, the terms of the senior indenture and the subordinated indenture are identical.

General

We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement the terms of the series of debt securities being offered, including:

 

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the title;

 

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the principal amount being offered, and if a series, the total amount authorized and the total amount outstanding;

 

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any limit on the amount that may be issued;

 

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whether or not we will issue the series of debt securities in global form, the terms and who the depositary will be;

 

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the maturity date;

 

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whether and under what circumstances, if any, we will pay additional amounts on any debt securities held by a person who is not a U.S. person for tax purposes, and whether we can redeem the debt securities if we have to pay such additional amounts;

 

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the annual interest rate, which may be fixed or variable, or the method for determining the rate and the date interest will begin to accrue, the dates interest will be payable and the regular record dates for interest payment dates or the method for determining such dates;

 

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whether or not the debt securities will be secured or unsecured, and the terms of any secured debt;

 

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the terms of the subordination of any series of subordinated debt;

 

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the place where payments will be payable;

 

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restrictions on transfer, sale or other assignment, if any;

 

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our right, if any, to defer payment of interest and the maximum length of any such deferral period;

 

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the date, if any, after which, and the price at which, we may, at our option, redeem the series of debt securities pursuant to any optional or provisional redemption provisions and the terms of those redemption provisions;

 

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the date, if any, on which, and the price at which we are obligated, pursuant to any mandatory sinking fund or analogous fund provisions or otherwise, to redeem, or at the holder’s option to purchase, the series of debt securities and the currency or currency unit in which the debt securities are payable;

 

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whether the indenture will restrict our ability and/or the ability of our subsidiaries to:

 

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incur additional indebtedness;

 

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issue additional securities;

 

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create liens;

 

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pay dividends and make distributions in respect of our capital stock and/or the capital stock of our subsidiaries;

 

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redeem capital stock;

 

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make investments or other restricted payments;

 

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sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of assets;

 

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enter into sale-leaseback transactions;

 

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engage in transactions with stockholders and affiliates;

 

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issue or sell stock of our subsidiaries; or

 

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effect a consolidation or merger;

 

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whether the indenture will require us to maintain any interest coverage, fixed charge, cash flow-based, asset-based or other financial ratios;

 

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information describing any book-entry features;

 

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provisions for a sinking fund purchase or other analogous fund, if any;

 

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the applicability of the provisions in the indenture on discharge;

 

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whether the debt securities are to be offered at a price such that they will be deemed to be offered at an “original issue discount” as defined in paragraph (a) of Section 1273 of the Internal Revenue Code;

 

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the denominations in which we will issue the series of debt securities, if other than denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof;

 

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the currency of payment of debt securities if other than U.S. dollars and the manner of determining the equivalent amount in U.S. dollars;

 

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any other specific terms, preferences, rights or limitations of, or restrictions on, the debt securities, including any additional events of default or covenants provided with respect to the debt securities, and any terms that may be required by us or advisable under applicable laws or regulations; and

 

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any other terms which shall not be inconsistent with the indentures.

The notes may be issued as original issue discount securities. An original issue discount security is a note, including any zero-coupon note, which:

 

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is issued at a price lower than the amount payable upon its stated maturity; and

 

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provides that upon redemption or acceleration of the maturity, an amount less than the amount payable upon the stated maturity shall become due and payable.

 

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U.S. federal income tax consequences applicable to notes sold at an original issue discount will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement. In addition, U.S. federal income tax or other consequences applicable to any notes which are denominated in a currency or currency unit other than U.S. dollars may be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Under the indentures, we will have the ability, in addition to the ability to issue notes with terms different from those of notes previously issued, without the consent of the holders, to reopen a previous issue of a series of notes and issue additional notes of that series, unless the reopening was restricted when the series was created, in an aggregate principal amount determined by us.

Conversion or Exchange Rights

We will set forth in the prospectus supplement the terms on which a series of debt securities may be convertible into or exchangeable for our common stock or our other securities. We will include provisions as to whether conversion or exchange is mandatory, at the option of the holder or at our option. We may include provisions pursuant to which the number of shares of our common stock or our other securities that the holders of the series of debt securities receive would be subject to adjustment.

Consolidation, Merger or Sale

Unless we provide otherwise in the prospectus supplement applicable to a particular series of debt securities, the indentures will not contain any covenant that restricts our ability to merge or consolidate, or sell, convey, transfer or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of our assets. However, any successor to or acquirer of such assets must assume all of our obligations under the indentures or the debt securities, as appropriate. If the debt securities are convertible into or exchangeable for our other securities or securities of other entities, the person with whom we consolidate or merge or to whom we sell all or substantially all of our property must make provisions for the conversion of the debt securities into securities that the holders of the debt securities would have received if they had converted the debt securities before the consolidation, merger or sale.

Events of Default Under the Indentures

Unless we provide otherwise in the prospectus supplement applicable to a particular series of debt securities, the following are events of default under the indentures with respect to any series of debt securities that we may issue:

 

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if we fail to pay interest when due and payable and our failure continues for 90 days and the time for payment has not been extended or deferred;

 

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if we fail to pay the principal, premium or sinking fund payment, if any, when due and payable and the time for payment has not been extended or delayed;

 

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if we fail to observe or perform any other covenant contained in the debt securities or the indentures, other than a covenant specifically relating to another series of debt securities, and our failure continues for 90 days after we receive notice from the debenture trustee or holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of the applicable series;

 

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if specified events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization occur; and

 

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any other event of default described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

If an event of default with respect to debt securities of any series occurs and is continuing, other than an event of default specified in the last bullet point above, the debenture trustee or the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series, by notice to us in writing, and to the debenture trustee if notice is given by such holders, may declare the unpaid principal of, premium, if any, and

accrued interest, if any, due and payable immediately. If an event of default specified in the last bullet point

 

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above occurs with respect to us, the principal amount of and accrued interest, if any, of each issue of debt securities then outstanding shall be due and payable without any notice or other action on the part of the debenture trustee or any holder.

The holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of an affected series may waive any default or event of default with respect to the series and its consequences, except defaults or events of default regarding payment of principal, premium, if any, or interest, unless we have cured the default or event of default in accordance with the indenture. Any such waiver shall cure the default or event of default.

Subject to the terms of the applicable indenture, if an event of default under an indenture shall occur and be continuing, the debenture trustee will be under no obligation to exercise any of its rights or powers under such indenture at the request or direction of any of the holders of the applicable series of debt securities, unless such holders have offered the debenture trustee reasonable indemnity. The holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series will have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the debenture trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred on the debenture trustee, with respect to the debt securities of that series, provided that:

 

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the direction so given by the holders is not in conflict with any law or the applicable indenture; and

 

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subject to its duties under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, the debenture trustee need not take any action that might involve it in personal liability or might be unduly prejudicial to the holders not involved in the proceeding.

A holder of the debt securities of any series will have the right to institute a proceeding under an indenture or to appoint a receiver or trustee, or to seek other remedies only if:

 

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the holder has given written notice to the debenture trustee of a continuing event of default with respect to that series;

 

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the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series have made written request, and such holders have offered reasonable indemnity to the debenture trustee to institute the proceeding as trustee; and

 

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the debenture trustee does not institute the proceeding, and does not receive from the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series other conflicting directions within 60 days after the notice, request and offer.

These limitations do not apply to a suit instituted by a holder of debt securities if we default in the payment of the principal, premium, if any, or accrued interest on, the debt securities.

We will periodically file statements with the debenture trustee regarding our compliance with specified covenants in the indentures.

Modification of Indenture; Waiver

We and the debenture trustee may change an indenture without the consent of any holders with respect to specific matters:

 

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to fix any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency in the indenture;

 

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to comply with the provisions described above under “Description of Debt Securities—Consolidation, Merger or Sale;”

 

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to comply with any requirements of the SEC in connection with the qualification of any indenture under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939;

 

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to add to, delete from or revise the conditions, limitations, and restrictions on the authorized amount, terms, or purposes of issue, authentication and delivery of debt securities, as set forth in such indenture;

 

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to provide for the issuance of and establish the form and terms and conditions of the debt securities of any series as provided under “Description of Debt Securities—General” to establish the form of any certifications required to be furnished pursuant to the terms of an indenture or any series of debt securities, or to add to the rights of the holders of any series of debt securities;

 

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to evidence and provide for the acceptance of appointment hereunder by a successor trustee;

 

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to provide for uncertificated debt securities in addition to or in place of certificated debt securities and to make all appropriate changes for such purpose;

 

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to add to our covenants such new covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions for the protection of the holders, and to make the occurrence, or the occurrence and the continuance, of a default in any such additional covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions an event of default; or

 

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to change anything that does not materially adversely affect the interests of any holder of debt securities of any series.

In addition, under the indentures, the rights of holders of a series of debt securities may be changed by us and the debenture trustee with the written consent of the holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of each series that is affected. However, unless we provide otherwise in the prospectus supplement applicable to a particular series of debt securities, we and the debenture trustee may make the following changes only with the consent of each holder of any outstanding debt securities affected:

 

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extending the fixed maturity of the series of debt securities;

 

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reducing the principal amount, reducing the rate of or extending the time of payment of interest, or reducing any premium payable upon the redemption of any debt securities; or

 

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reducing the percentage of debt securities, the holders of which are required to consent to any amendment, supplement, modification or waiver of the applicable indenture or notes or for waiver of compliance with certain provisions of the applicable indenture or for waiver of certain defaults;

 

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changing any of our obligations to pay additional amounts;

 

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reducing the amount of principal of an original issue discount security or any other note payable upon acceleration of the maturity thereof;

 

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changing currency in which any note or any premium or interest is payable;

 

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impairing the right to enforce any payment on or with respect to any note;

 

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adversely changing the right to convert or exchange, including decreasing the conversion rate or increasing the conversion price of, such note, if applicable;

 

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in the case of the subordinated indenture, modifying the subordination provisions in a manner adverse to the holders of the subordinated notes;

 

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if the notes are secured, changing the terms and conditions pursuant to which the notes are secured in a manner adverse to the holders of the secured notes;

 

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reducing the requirements contained in the applicable indenture for quorum or voting;

 

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changing any of our obligations to maintain an office or agency in the places and for the purposes required by the indentures; or

 

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modifying any of the above provisions set forth in this paragraph.

 

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Discharge

Each indenture provides that we can elect to be discharged from our obligations with respect to one or more series of debt securities, except for specified obligations, including obligations to:

 

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register the transfer or exchange of debt securities of the series;

 

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replace stolen, lost or mutilated debt securities of the series;

 

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maintain paying agencies;

 

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hold monies for payment in trust;

 

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recover excess money held by the debenture trustee;

 

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compensate and indemnify the debenture trustee; and

 

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appoint any successor trustee.

In order to exercise our rights to be discharged, we must deposit with the debenture trustee money or government obligations sufficient to pay all the principal of, the premium, if any, and interest on, the debt securities of the series on the dates payments are due.

Form, Exchange and Transfer

We will issue the debt securities of each series only in fully registered form without coupons and, unless we provide otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, in denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof. The indentures provide that we may issue debt securities of a series in temporary or permanent global form and as book-entry securities that will be deposited with, or on behalf of, The Depository Trust Company or another depositary named by us and identified in a prospectus supplement with respect to that series. See “Legal Ownership of Securities” for a further description of the terms relating to any book-entry securities.

At the option of the holder, subject to the terms of the indentures and the limitations applicable to global securities described in the applicable prospectus supplement, the holder of the debt securities of any series can exchange the debt securities for other debt securities of the same series, in any authorized denomination and of like tenor and aggregate principal amount.

Subject to the terms of the indentures and the limitations applicable to global securities set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement, holders of the debt securities may present the debt securities for exchange or for registration of transfer, duly endorsed or with the form of transfer endorsed thereon duly executed if so required by us or the security registrar, at the office of the security registrar or at the office of any transfer agent designated by us for this purpose. Unless otherwise provided in the debt securities that the holder presents for transfer or exchange, we will impose no service charge for any registration of transfer or exchange, but we may require payment of any taxes or other governmental charges.

We will name in the applicable prospectus supplement the security registrar, and any transfer agent in addition to the security registrar, that we initially designate for any debt securities. We may at any time designate additional transfer agents or rescind the designation of any transfer agent or approve a change in the office through which any transfer agent acts, except that we will be required to maintain a transfer agent in each place of payment for the debt securities of each series.

If we elect to redeem the debt securities of any series, we will not be required to:

 

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issue, register the transfer of, or exchange any debt securities of that series during a period beginning at the opening of business 15 days before the day of mailing of a notice of redemption of any debt securities that may be selected for redemption and ending at the close of business on the day of the mailing; or

 

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register the transfer of or exchange any debt securities so selected for redemption, in whole or in part, except the unredeemed portion of any debt securities we are redeeming in part.

 

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Information Concerning the Debenture Trustee

The debenture trustee, other than during the occurrence and continuance of an event of default under an indenture, undertakes to perform only those duties as are specifically set forth in the applicable indenture. Upon an event of default under an indenture, the debenture trustee must use the same degree of care as a prudent person would exercise or use in the conduct of his or her own affairs. Subject to this provision, the debenture trustee is under no obligation to exercise any of the powers given it by the indentures at the request of any holder of debt securities unless it is offered reasonable security and indemnity against the costs, expenses and liabilities that it might incur.

Payment and Paying Agents

Unless we otherwise indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will make payment of the interest on any debt securities on any interest payment date to the person in whose name the debt securities, or one or more predecessor securities, are registered at the close of business on the regular record date for the interest.

We will pay principal of, and any premium and interest on, the debt securities of a particular series at the office of the paying agents designated by us, except that unless we otherwise indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will make interest payments by check that we will mail to the holder or by wire transfer to certain holders. Unless we otherwise indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will designate the corporate trust office of the debenture trustee in the City of New York as our sole paying agent for payments with respect to debt securities of each series. We will name in the applicable prospectus supplement any other paying agents that we initially designate for the debt securities of a particular series. We will maintain a paying agent in each place of payment for the debt securities of a particular series.

All money we pay to a paying agent or the debenture trustee for the payment of the principal of, or any premium or interest on, any debt securities that remains unclaimed at the end of two years after such principal, premium or interest has become due and payable will be repaid to us, and the holder of the debt security thereafter may look only to us for payment thereof.

Governing Law

The indentures and the debt securities will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the state of New York, except to the extent that the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 is applicable.

Subordination of Subordinated Debt Securities

The subordinated debt securities will be unsecured and will be subordinate and junior in priority of payment to certain of our other indebtedness to the extent described in a prospectus supplement. The subordinated indenture does not limit the amount of subordinated debt securities that we may issue, nor does it limit us from issuing any other secured or unsecured debt.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS

We may issue warrants for the purchase of common stock, preferred stock and/or debt securities in one or more series. We may issue warrants independently or together with common stock, preferred stock and/or debt securities, and the warrants may be attached to or separate from these securities. While the terms summarized below will apply generally to any warrants that we may offer, we will describe the particular terms of any series of warrants in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement. The terms of any warrants offered under a prospectus supplement may differ from the terms described below.

We will file as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from reports that we file with the SEC, the form of warrant agreement, including a form of warrant certificate, that describes the terms of the particular series of warrants we are offering before the issuance of the related series of warrants. The following summaries of material provisions of the warrants and the warrant agreements are subject to, and qualified in their entirety by reference to, all the provisions of the warrant agreement and warrant certificate applicable to the particular series of warrants that we may offer under this prospectus. We urge you to read the applicable prospectus supplements related to the particular series of warrants that we may offer under this prospectus, as well as any related free writing prospectuses, and the complete warrant agreements and warrant certificates that contain the terms of the warrants.

General

We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement the terms of the series of warrants being offered, including:

 

•

the offering price and aggregate number of warrants offered;

 

•

the currency for which the warrants may be purchased;

 

•

if applicable, the designation and terms of the securities with which the warrants are issued and the number of warrants issued with each such security or each principal amount of such security;

 

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if applicable, the date on and after which the warrants and the related securities will be separately transferable;

 

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in the case of warrants to purchase debt securities, the principal amount of debt securities purchasable upon exercise of one warrant and the price at which, and currency in which, this principal amount of debt securities may be purchased upon such exercise;

 

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in the case of warrants to purchase common stock or preferred stock, the number of shares of common stock or preferred stock, as the case may be, purchasable upon the exercise of one warrant and the price at which these shares may be purchased upon such exercise;

 

•

the effect of any merger, consolidation, sale or other disposition of our business on the warrant agreements and the warrants;

 

•

the terms of any rights to redeem or call the warrants;

 

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any provisions for changes to or adjustments in the exercise price or number of securities issuable upon exercise of the warrants;

 

•

the dates on which the right to exercise the warrants will commence and expire;

 

•

the manner in which the warrant agreements and warrants may be modified;

 

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a discussion of any material or special U.S. federal income tax consequences of holding or exercising the warrants;

 

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the terms of the securities issuable upon exercise of the warrants; and

 

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any other specific terms, preferences, rights or limitations of or restrictions on the warrants.

 

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Before exercising their warrants, holders of warrants will not have any of the rights of holders of the securities purchasable upon such exercise, including:

 

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in the case of warrants to purchase debt securities, the right to receive payments of principal of, or premium, if any, or interest on the debt securities purchasable upon exercise or to enforce covenants in the applicable indenture; or

 

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in the case of warrants to purchase common stock or preferred stock, the right to receive dividends, if any, or payments upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up or to exercise voting rights, if any.

Exercise of Warrants

Each warrant will entitle the holder to purchase the securities that we specify in the applicable prospectus supplement at the exercise price that we describe in the applicable prospectus supplement. Holders of the warrants may exercise the warrants at any time up to the specified time on the expiration date that we set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. After the specified time on the expiration date, unexercised warrants will become void.

Holders of the warrants may exercise the warrants by delivering the warrant certificate representing the warrants to be exercised together with specified information, and paying the required amount to the warrant agent in immediately available funds, as provided in the applicable prospectus supplement. We will set forth on the reverse side of the warrant certificate and in the applicable prospectus supplement the information that the holder of the warrant will be required to deliver to the warrant agent upon exercise.

Upon receipt of the required payment and the warrant certificate properly completed and duly executed at the corporate trust office of the warrant agent or any other office indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will issue and deliver the securities purchasable upon such exercise. If fewer than all of the warrants represented by the warrant certificate are exercised, then we will issue a new warrant certificate for the remaining amount of warrants. If we so indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement, holders of the warrants may surrender securities as all or part of the exercise price for warrants.

Enforceability of Rights by Holders of Warrants

Each warrant agent will act solely as our agent under the applicable warrant agreement and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust with any holder of any warrant. A single bank or trust company may act as warrant agent for more than one issue of warrants. A warrant agent will have no duty or responsibility in case of any default by us under the applicable warrant agreement or warrant, including any duty or responsibility to initiate any proceedings at law or otherwise, or to make any demand upon us. Any holder of a warrant may, without the consent of the related warrant agent or the holder of any other warrant, enforce by appropriate legal action its right to exercise, and receive the securities purchasable upon exercise of, its warrants.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF UNITS

We may issue, in one more series, units consisting of common stock, preferred stock, debt securities and/or warrants for the purchase of common stock, preferred stock and/or debt securities in any combination. While the terms we have summarized below will apply generally to any units that we may offer under this prospectus, we will describe the particular terms of any series of units in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement. The terms of any units offered under a prospectus supplement may differ from the terms described below.

We will file as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from reports that we file with the SEC, the form of unit agreement that describes the terms of the series of units we are offering, and any supplemental agreements, before the issuance of the related series of units. The following summaries of material terms and provisions of the units are subject to, and qualified in their entirety by reference to, all the provisions of the unit agreement and any supplemental agreements applicable to a particular series of units. We urge you to read the applicable prospectus supplements related to the particular series of units that we may offer under this prospectus, as well as any related free writing prospectuses and the complete unit agreement and any supplemental agreements that contain the terms of the units.

General

Each unit will be issued so that the holder of the unit is also the holder of each security included in the unit. Thus, the holder of a unit will have the rights and obligations of a holder of each included security. The unit agreement under which a unit is issued may provide that the securities included in the unit may not be held or transferred separately, at any time or at any time before a specified date.

We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement the terms of the series of units being offered, including:

 

•

the designation and terms of the units and of the securities comprising the units, including whether and under what circumstances those securities may be held or transferred separately;

 

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any provisions of the governing unit agreement that differ from those described below; and

 

•

any provisions for the issuance, payment, settlement, transfer or exchange of the units or of the securities comprising the units.

The provisions described in this section, as well as those described under “Description of Capital Stock,” “Description of Debt Securities” and “Description of Warrants” will apply to each unit and to any common stock, preferred stock, debt security or warrant included in each unit, respectively.

Issuance in Series

We may issue units in such amounts and in such numerous distinct series as we determine.

Enforceability of Rights by Holders of Units

Each unit agent will act solely as our agent under the applicable unit agreement and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust with any holder of any unit. A single bank or trust company may act as unit agent for more than one series of units. A unit agent will have no duty or responsibility in case of any default by us under the applicable unit agreement or unit, including any duty or responsibility to initiate any proceedings at law or otherwise, or to make any demand upon us. Any holder of a unit may, without the consent of the related unit agent or the holder of any other unit, enforce by appropriate legal action its rights as a holder under any security included in the unit.

Title

We, and any unit agent and any of their agents, may treat the registered holder of any unit certificate as an absolute owner of the units evidenced by that certificate for any purpose and as the person entitled to exercise the rights attaching to the units so requested, despite any notice to the contrary. See “Legal Ownership of Securities” below.

 

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LEGAL OWNERSHIP OF SECURITIES

We can issue securities in registered form or in the form of one or more global securities. We describe global securities in greater detail below. We refer to those persons who have securities registered in their own names on the books that we or any applicable trustee, depositary or warrant agent maintain for this purpose as the “holders” of those securities. These persons are the legal holders of the securities. We refer to those persons who, indirectly through others, own beneficial interests in securities that are not registered in their own names, as “indirect holders” of those securities. As we discuss below, indirect holders are not legal holders, and investors in securities issued in book-entry form or in street name will be indirect holders.

Book-Entry Holders

We may issue securities in book-entry form only, as we will specify in the applicable prospectus supplement. This means securities may be represented by one or more global securities registered in the name of a financial institution that holds them as depositary on behalf of other financial institutions that participate in the depositary’s book-entry system. These participating institutions, which are referred to as participants, in turn, hold beneficial interests in the securities on behalf of themselves or their customers.

Only the person in whose name a security is registered is recognized as the holder of that security. Securities issued in global form will be registered in the name of the depositary or its participants. Consequently, for securities issued in global form, we will recognize only the depositary as the holder of the securities, and we will make all payments on the securities to the depositary. The depositary passes along the payments it receives to its participants, which in turn pass the payments along to their customers who are the beneficial owners. The depositary and its participants do so under agreements they have made with one another or with their customers; they are not obligated to do so under the terms of the securities.

As a result, investors in a book-entry security will not own securities directly. Instead, they will own beneficial interests in a global security, through a bank, broker or other financial institution that participates in the depositary’s book-entry system or holds an interest through a participant. As long as the securities are issued in global form, investors will be indirect holders, and not holders, of the securities.

Street Name Holders

We may terminate a global security or issue securities in non-global form. In these cases, investors may choose to hold their securities in their own names or in “street name.” Securities held by an investor in street name would be registered in the name of a bank, broker or other financial institution that the investor chooses, and the investor would hold only a beneficial interest in those securities through an account he or she maintains at that institution.

For securities held in street name, we will recognize only the intermediary banks, brokers and other financial institutions in whose names the securities are registered as the holders of those securities, and we will make all payments on those securities to them. These institutions pass along the payments they receive to their customers who are the beneficial owners, but only because they agree to do so in their customer agreements or because they are legally required to do so. Investors who hold securities in street name will be indirect holders, not holders, of those securities.

Legal Holders

Our obligations, as well as the obligations of any applicable trustee and of any third parties employed by us or a trustee, run only to the legal holders of the securities. We do not have obligations to investors who hold beneficial interests in global securities, in street name or by any other indirect means. This will be the case whether an investor chooses to be an indirect holder of a security or has no choice because we are issuing the securities only in global form.

 

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For example, once we make a payment or give a notice to the holder, we have no further responsibility for the payment or notice even if that holder is required, under agreements with depositary participants or customers or by law, to pass it along to the indirect holders but does not do so. Similarly, we may want to obtain the approval of the holders to amend an indenture, to relieve us of the consequences of a default or of our obligation to comply with a particular provision of the indenture or for other purposes. In such an event, we would seek approval only from the holders, and not the indirect holders, of the securities. Whether and how the holders contact the indirect holders is up to the holders.

Special Considerations For Indirect Holders

If you hold securities through a bank, broker or other financial institution, either in book-entry form or in street name, you should check with your own institution to find out:

 

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how it handles securities payments and notices;

 

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whether it imposes fees or charges;

 

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how it would handle a request for the holders’ consent, if ever required;

 

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whether and how you can instruct it to send you securities registered in your own name so you can be a holder, if that is permitted in the future;

 

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how it would exercise rights under the securities if there were a default or other event triggering the need for holders to act to protect their interests; and

 

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if the securities are in book-entry form, how the depositary’s rules and procedures will affect these matters.

Global Securities

A global security is a security that represents one or any other number of individual securities held by a depositary. Generally, all securities represented by the same global securities will have the same terms.

Each security issued in book-entry form will be represented by a global security that we deposit with and register in the name of a financial institution or its nominee that we select. The financial institution that we select for this purpose is called the depositary. Unless we specify otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”), New York, New York, will be the depositary for all securities issued in book-entry form.

A global security may not be transferred to or registered in the name of anyone other than the depositary, its nominee or a successor depositary, unless special termination situations arise. We describe those situations below under “Special Situations When a Global Security Will Be Terminated.” As a result of these arrangements, the depositary, or its nominee, will be the sole registered owner and holder of all securities represented by a global security, and investors will be permitted to own only beneficial interests in a global security. Beneficial interests must be held by means of an account with a broker, bank or other financial institution that in turn has an account with the depositary or with another institution that does. Thus, an investor whose security is represented by a global security will not be a holder of the security, but only an indirect holder of a beneficial interest in the global security.

If the prospectus supplement for a particular security indicates that the security will be issued in global form only, then the security will be represented by a global security at all times unless and until the global security is terminated. If termination occurs, we may issue the securities through another book-entry clearing system or decide that the securities may no longer be held through any book-entry clearing system.

 

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Special Considerations For Global Securities

The rights of an indirect holder relating to a global security will be governed by the account rules of the investor’s financial institution and of the depositary, as well as general laws relating to securities transfers. We do not recognize an indirect holder as a holder of securities and instead deal only with the depositary that holds the global security.

If securities are issued only in the form of a global security, an investor should be aware of the following:

 

•

an investor cannot cause the securities to be registered in his or her name, and cannot obtain non-global certificates for his or her interest in the securities, except in the special situations we describe below;

 

•

an investor will be an indirect holder and must look to his or her own bank or broker for payments on the securities and protection of his or her legal rights relating to the securities, as we describe above;

 

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an investor may not be able to sell interests in the securities to some insurance companies and to other institutions that are required by law to own their securities in non-book-entry form;

 

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an investor may not be able to pledge his or her interest in a global security in circumstances where certificates representing the securities must be delivered to the lender or other beneficiary of the pledge in order for the pledge to be effective;

 

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the depositary’s policies, which may change from time to time, will govern payments, transfers, exchanges and other matters relating to an investor’s interest in a global security;

 

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we and any applicable trustee have no responsibility for any aspect of the depositary’s actions or for its records of ownership interests in a global security, nor do we or any applicable trustee supervise the depositary in any way;

 

•

the depositary may, and we understand that DTC will, require that those who purchase and sell interests in a global security within its book-entry system use immediately available funds, and your broker or bank may require you to do so as well; and

 

•

financial institutions that participate in the depositary’s book-entry system, and through which an investor holds its interest in a global security, may also have their own policies affecting payments, notices and other matters relating to the securities.

There may be more than one financial intermediary in the chain of ownership for an investor. We do not monitor and are not responsible for the actions of any of those intermediaries.

Special Situations When a Global Security Will Be Terminated

In a few special situations described below, the global security will terminate and interests in it will be exchanged for physical certificates representing those interests. After that exchange, the choice of whether to hold securities directly or in street name will be up to the investor. Investors must consult their own banks or brokers to find out how to have their interests in securities transferred to their own name, so that they will be direct holders. We have described the rights of holders and street name investors above.

Unless we provide otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, the global security will terminate when the following special situations occur:

 

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if the depositary notifies us that it is unwilling, unable or no longer qualified to continue as depositary for that global security and we do not appoint another institution to act as depositary within 90 days;

 

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if we notify any applicable trustee that we wish to terminate that global security; or

 

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if an event of default has occurred with regard to securities represented by that global security and has not been cured or waived.

The prospectus supplement may also list additional situations for terminating a global security that would apply only to the particular series of securities covered by the applicable prospectus supplement. When a global security terminates, the depositary, and not we or any applicable trustee, is responsible for deciding the names of the institutions that will be the initial direct holders.

 

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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

We and the selling stockholders may sell the securities from time to time pursuant to underwritten public offerings, negotiated transactions, block trades or a combination of these methods. We and the selling stockholders may sell the securities to or through underwriters or dealers, through agents or directly to one or more purchasers. We and the selling stockholders may distribute securities from time to time in one or more transactions:

 

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at a fixed price or prices, which may be changed;

 

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at market prices prevailing at the time of sale;

 

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at prices related to such prevailing market prices; or

 

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at negotiated prices.

Each time we or the selling stockholders offer and sell securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will describe the terms of the offering of the securities, including:

 

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the name or names of the underwriters, if any;

 

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the purchase price of the securities and the proceeds we or the selling stockholders will receive from the sale;

 

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any over-allotment options under which underwriters may purchase additional securities from us or the selling stockholders;

 

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any agency fees or underwriting discounts and other items constituting agents’ or underwriters’ compensation;

 

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any public offering price;

 

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any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers; and

 

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any securities exchange or market on which the securities may be listed.

Only underwriters named in the prospectus supplement will be underwriters of the securities offered by the prospectus supplement.

If underwriters are used in the sale, they will acquire the securities for their own account and may resell the securities from time to time in one or more transactions at a fixed public offering price or at varying prices determined at the time of sale. The obligations of the underwriters to purchase the securities will be subject to the conditions set forth in the applicable underwriting agreement. We and the selling stockholders may offer the securities to the public through underwriting syndicates represented by managing underwriters or by underwriters without a syndicate. Subject to certain conditions, the underwriters will be obligated to purchase all of the securities offered by the prospectus supplement, other than securities covered by any over-allotment option. Any public offering price and any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers may change from time to time. We and the selling stockholders may use underwriters with whom we have a material relationship. The prospectus supplement, naming the underwriter, will describe the nature of any such relationship.

We and the selling stockholders may sell securities directly or through agents we designate from time to time. The prospectus supplement will name any agent involved in the offering and sale of securities and describe any commissions payable to them. Unless the prospectus supplement states otherwise, such agent will act on a best-efforts basis for the period of its appointment.

We and the selling stockholders may authorize agents or underwriters to solicit offers by certain types of institutional investors to purchase securities from us or the selling stockholders at the public offering price set forth in the prospectus supplement pursuant to delayed delivery contracts providing for payment and delivery on a specified date in the future. The prospectus supplement will describe the conditions to these contracts and the commissions payable for solicitation of such contracts.

 

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We and the selling stockholders may provide agents and underwriters with indemnification against civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or contribution with respect to payments that the agents or underwriters may make with respect to these liabilities. Agents and underwriters may engage in transactions with, or perform services for, us or the selling stockholders in the ordinary course of business.

All securities we may offer, other than common stock, will be new issues of securities with no established trading market. Any underwriters may make a market in these securities, but will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue any market making at any time without notice. We cannot guarantee the liquidity of the trading markets for any securities.

Any underwriter may engage in over-allotment, stabilizing transactions, short-covering transactions and penalty bids in accordance with Regulation M under the Exchange Act. Over-allotment involves sales in excess of the offering size, which create a short position. Stabilizing transactions permit bids to purchase the underlying security so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum price. Syndicate-covering or other short-covering transactions involve purchases of the securities, either through exercise of the over-allotment option or in the open market after the distribution is completed, to cover short positions. Penalty bids permit the underwriters to reclaim a selling concession from a dealer when the securities originally sold by the dealer are purchased in a stabilizing or covering transaction to cover short positions. Those activities may cause the price of the securities to be higher than it would otherwise be. If commenced, the underwriters may discontinue any of the activities at any time.

Any underwriters that are qualified market makers on the NASDAQ Capital Market may engage in passive market making transactions in the common stock on the NASDAQ Capital Market in accordance with Regulation M under the Exchange Act, during the business day prior to the pricing of the offering, before the commencement of offers or sales of the common stock. Passive market makers must comply with applicable volume and price limitations and must be identified as passive market makers. In general, a passive market maker must display its bid at a price not in excess of the highest independent bid for such security; if all independent bids are lowered below the passive market maker’s bid, however, the passive market maker’s bid must then be lowered when certain purchase limits are exceeded. Passive market making may stabilize the market price of the securities at a level above that which might otherwise prevail in the open market and, if commenced, may be discontinued at any time.

In compliance with guidelines of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”), the maximum consideration or discount to be received by any FINRA member or independent broker dealer may not exceed 8% of the aggregate amount of the securities offered pursuant to this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement.

 

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LEGAL MATTERS

The validity of the securities being offered by this prospectus will be passed upon by Paul Hastings LLP, San Diego, California. If the securities are being distributed in an underwritten offering, certain legal matters will be passed upon for the underwriters by counsel identified in the related prospectus supplement.

EXPERTS

The financial statements of Mitek Systems, Inc. as of September 30, 2010 and September 30, 2011 and for each of the two years in the period ended September 30, 2011, included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on December 15, 2011, incorporated by reference in this prospectus and elsewhere in the registration statement have been so incorporated by reference in reliance upon the report of Mayer Hoffman McCann P.C., independent registered public accountants, upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Available Information

We file annual, quarterly and special reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You may read and copy any document we file at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for more information about the operation of the public reference room. The SEC maintains an internet website at http://www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC, including Mitek Systems, Inc. You may also access our reports and proxy statements free of charge at our website, http://www.miteksystems.com.

This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we have filed with the SEC relating to the securities to be offered. This prospectus does not contain all of the information we have included in the registration statement and the accompanying exhibits and schedules in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC, and we refer you to the omitted information. The statements this prospectus makes pertaining to the content of any contract, agreement or other document that is an exhibit to the registration statement necessarily are summaries of their material provisions and do not describe all exceptions and qualifications contained in those contracts, agreements or documents. You should read those contracts, agreements or documents for information that may be important to you. The registration statement, exhibits and schedules are available at the SEC’s Public Reference Room or through its internet website.

Incorporation by Reference

The rules of the SEC allow us to incorporate by reference in this prospectus the information in other documents that we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents that we have filed separately with the SEC. You should read the information incorporated by reference because it is an important part of this prospectus. We hereby incorporate by reference the following information or documents into this prospectus:

 

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our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2011 filed with the SEC on December 15, 2011;

 

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our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on February 10, 2012;

 

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our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 13, 2011 and February 23, 2012; and

 

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•

the description of our common stock, par value $0.001 per share, contained in the section entitled “Description of Capital Stock” in the prospectus included in the our Registration Statement on Form SB-2 (File No. 333-07787), initially filed with the SEC on July 9, 1996, including any subsequent amendment or report filed for the purpose of amending such description.

Any information in any of the foregoing documents will automatically be deemed to be modified or superseded to the extent that information in this prospectus or in a later filed document that is incorporated or deemed to be incorporated herein by reference modifies or replaces such information.

We also incorporate by reference any future filings (other than current reports furnished under Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of Form 8-K and exhibits filed on such form that are related to such items) made with the SEC pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, including any such documents filed after the date of the initial registration statement and prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement, until we file a post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered hereby have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold. Information in such future filings updates and supplements the information provided in this prospectus. Any statements in any such future filings will automatically be deemed to modify and supersede any information in any document we previously filed with the SEC that is incorporated or deemed to be incorporated herein by reference to the extent that statements in the later filed document modify or replace such earlier statements.

Upon written or oral request, we will provide to you, without charge, a copy of any or all of the documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus but not delivered with the prospectus, including exhibits which are specifically incorporated by reference into such documents. Requests should be directed to: Mitek Systems, Inc., Attention: Investor Relations, 8911 Balboa Ave., Suite B, San Diego, California, 92123, telephone (858) 309-1700.

 

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     Shares

 

Common Stock

 

 

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

 

 

William Blair

June     , 2013