10-Q 1 f67172de10-q.txt 10-Q 1 SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549 FORM 10-Q [X] QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 FOR THE QUARTERLY PERIOD ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2000 OR [ ] TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 FOR THE TRANSITION PERIOD FROM ________ TO ________ Commission file number 0-18169 IEA INCOME FUND IX, L.P. (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) California 94-3069954 (State or other jurisdiction of (I.R.S. Employer incorporation or organization) Identification No.) One Front Street, 15th Floor, San Francisco, California 94111 (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code) (415) 677-8990 (Registrant's telephone number, including area code) Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes [X]. No [ ]. 2 IEA INCOME FUND IX, L.P. REPORT ON FORM 10-Q FOR THE QUARTERLY PERIOD ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2000 TABLE OF CONTENTS

2 3 PART I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION Item 1. Financial Statements Presented herein are the Registrant's condensed balance sheets as of September 30, 2000 and December 31, 1999, condensed statements of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2000 and 1999, and condensed statements of cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2000 and 1999. 3 4 IEA INCOME FUND IX, L.P. CONDENSED BALANCE SHEETS (UNAUDITED)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed financial statements. 4 5 IEA INCOME FUND IX, L.P. CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (UNAUDITED)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed financial statements. 5 6 IEA INCOME FUND IX, L.P. CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (UNAUDITED)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed financial statements. 6 7 IEA INCOME FUND IX, L.P. NOTES TO CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED) (1) Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (a) Nature of Operations IEA Income Fund IX, L.P. (the "Partnership") is a limited partnership organized under the laws of the State of California on June 8, 1988 for the purpose of owning and leasing marine cargo containers worldwide to ocean carriers. To this extent, the Partnership's operations are subject to the fluctuations of world economic and political conditions. Such factors may affect the pattern and levels of world trade. The Partnership believes that the profitability of, and risks associated with, leases to foreign customers is generally the same as those of leases to domestic customers. The Partnership's leases generally require all payments to be made in United States currency. Cronos Capital Corp. ("CCC") is the general partner and, with its affiliate Cronos Containers Limited (the "Leasing Company"), manages the business of the Partnership. CCC and the Leasing Company also manage the container leasing business for other partnerships affiliated with the general partner. The Partnership shall continue until December 31, 2009, unless sooner terminated upon the occurrence of certain events. The Partnership commenced operations on December 5, 1988, when the minimum subscription proceeds of $1,000,000 were obtained. The Partnership offered 40,000 units of limited partnership interest at $500 per unit, or $20,000,000. The offering terminated on September 11, 1989, at which time 33,992 limited partnership units had been purchased. (b) Leasing Company and Leasing Agent Agreement Pursuant to the Limited Partnership Agreement of the Partnership, all authority to administer the business of the Partnership is vested in CCC. CCC has entered into a Leasing Agent Agreement whereby the Leasing Company has the responsibility to manage the leasing operations of all equipment owned by the Partnership. Pursuant to the Agreement, the Leasing Company is responsible for leasing, managing and re-leasing the Partnership's containers to ocean carriers, and has full discretion over which ocean carriers and suppliers of goods and services it may deal with. The Leasing Agent Agreement permits the Leasing Company to use the containers owned by the Partnership, together with other containers owned or managed by the Leasing Company and its affiliates, as part of a single fleet operated without regard to ownership. Since the Leasing Agent Agreement meets the definition of an operating lease in Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 13, it is accounted for as a lease under which the Partnership is lessor and the Leasing Company is lessee. The Leasing Agent Agreement generally provides that the Leasing Company will make payments to the Partnership based upon rentals collected from ocean carriers after deducting direct operating expenses and management fees to CCC. The Leasing Company leases containers to ocean carriers, generally under operating leases which are either master leases or term leases (mostly one to five years). Master leases do not specify the exact number of containers to be leased or the term that each container will remain on hire but allow the ocean carrier to pick up and drop off containers at various locations; rentals are based upon the number of containers used and the applicable per-diem rate. Accordingly, rentals under master leases are all variable and contingent upon the number of containers used. Most containers are leased to ocean carriers under master leases; leasing agreements with fixed payment terms are not material to the financial statements. Since there are no material minimum lease rentals, no disclosure of minimum lease rentals is provided in these condensed financial statements. (Continued) 7 8 IEA INCOME FUND IX, L.P. NOTES TO CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED) (c) Basis of Accounting The Partnership utilizes the accrual method of accounting. Net lease revenue is recorded by the Partnership in each period based upon its leasing agent agreement with the Leasing Company. Net lease revenue is generally dependent upon operating lease rentals from operating lease agreements between the Leasing Company and its various lessees, less direct operating expenses and management fees due in respect of the containers specified in each operating lease agreement. (d) Financial Statement Presentation These condensed financial statements have been prepared without audit. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in The United States of America ("GAAP") have been omitted. It is suggested that these condensed financial statements be read in conjunction with the financial statements and accompanying notes in the Partnership's latest annual report on Form 10-K. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires the Partnership to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reported period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The interim financial statements presented herewith reflect all adjustments of a normal recurring nature which are, in the opinion of management, necessary to a fair statement of the financial condition and results of operations for the interim periods presented. The results of operations for such interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year. (2) Net Lease Receivables Due from Leasing Company Net lease receivables due from the Leasing Company are determined by deducting direct operating payables and accrued expenses, base management fees payable, and reimbursed administrative expenses payable to CCC and its affiliates from the rental billings payable by the Leasing Company to the Partnership under operating leases to ocean carriers for the containers owned by the Partnership. Net lease receivables at September 30, 2000 and December 31, 1999 were as follows:

(Continued) 8 9 IEA INCOME FUND IX, L.P. NOTES TO CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED) (3) Net Lease Revenue Net lease revenue is determined by deducting direct operating expenses, base management fees and reimbursed administrative expenses to CCC from the rental revenue billed by the Leasing Company under operating leases to ocean carriers for the containers owned by the Partnership. Net lease revenue for the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2000 and 1999 was as follows:

(4) Operating Segment The Financial Accounting Standards Board has issued SFAS No. 131, "Disclosures about Segments of an Enterprise and Related Information," which changes the way public business enterprises report financial and descriptive information about reportable operating segments. An operating segment is a component of an enterprise that engages in business activities from which it may earn revenues and incur expenses, whose operating results are regularly reviewed by the enterprise's chief operating decision maker to make decisions about resources to be allocated to the segment and assess its performance, and about which separate financial information is available. Management operates the Partnership's container fleet as a homogenous unit and has determined, after considering the requirements of SFAS No. 131, that as such it has a single reportable operating segment. The Partnership derives its revenues from dry cargo marine containers. As of September 30, 2000, the Partnership operated 1,491 twenty-foot, 541 forty-foot and 1,971 forty-foot high-cube dry cargo marine containers. Due to the Partnership's lack of information regarding the physical location of its fleet of containers when on lease in the global shipping trade, it is impracticable to provide the geographic area information required by SFAS No. 131. ****** 9 10 Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations It is suggested that the following discussion be read in conjunction with the Registrant's most recent annual report on Form 10-K. 1) Material changes in financial condition between September 30, 2000 and December 31, 1999. During the first nine months of 2000, the Registrant disposed of 460 containers as part of its ongoing container operations. At September 30, 2000, 63% of the original equipment remained in the Registrant's fleet, as compared to 72% at December 31, 1999, and was comprised of the following:

The Registrant disposed of 106 twenty-foot and 24 forty-foot dry cargo marine containers, as well as 56 forty-foot high cube dry cargo marine container during the third quarter of 2000, as compared to 102 twenty-foot and 17 forty-foot dry cargo marine containers, as well as 15 forty-foot high cube dry cargo marine containers during the same period in the prior year. These disposals resulted in a loss of $114,935 for the third quarter of 2000, as compared to a loss of $172,479 for the same period in the prior year. The Registrant does not believe that the carrying amount of its containers has been permanently impaired or that events or changes in circumstances have indicated that the carrying amount of its containers may not be fully recoverable. The Registrant believes that the loss on container disposals was a result of various factors including the age, condition, suitability for continued leasing, as well as the geographical location of the containers when disposed. These factors will continue to influence the amount of sales proceeds received and the related gain or loss on container disposals, which may fluctuate in subsequent periods. The Registrant's allowance for doubtful accounts increased from $68,400 at December 31, 1999 to $102,222 at September 30, 2000. This increase was attributable to the delinquent account receivable balances of approximately 17 lessees. The Leasing Company has either negotiated specific payment terms with these lessees or is pursuing other alternatives to collect the outstanding balances. In each instance, the Registrant believes it has recorded appropriate allowance. During the third quarter of 2000, distributions issued from operations and sales proceeds amounted to $384,581, reflecting distributions due to the general and limited partners for the second quarter of 2000. This represents a decrease from the $398,021 issued during the second quarter of 2000, reflecting distributions due for the first quarter of 2000. The Registrant's continuing disposal of containers should produce lower operating results and, consequently, lower distributions to its partners in subsequent periods. Sales proceeds distributed to its partners may fluctuate in subsequent periods, reflecting the level of container disposals. (Continued) 10 11 During the third quarter of 2000, growth in the volume of containerized trade continued to improve. As a result, demand for leased equipment strengthened in many locations, but most significantly throughout Asia. With the growth in the volume of world trade, ocean carriers are committing their capital to the purchase of additional containerships and turning to leasing companies to supply them with the containers they need to meet their growing freight requirements. The container leasing market has rebounded and prospects have somewhat improved, but lease rates have remained at generally the same low level as at the beginning of this year. At the same time, inventories of idle equipment have been reduced in Europe, but there has been no appreciable reduction in the U.S. The strong U.S. economy continued to import more than it exported. This imbalance has had the effect of further increasing idle container inventories, particularly on the U.S. East Coast. 2) Material changes in the results of operations between the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2000 and the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 1999. Net lease revenue for the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2000 was $269,581 and $720,181, respectively, a decline of approximately 6% and 19% from the same three and nine-month periods in the prior year. Gross rental revenue (a component of net lease revenue) for the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2000 was $360,147 and $1,121,431, respectively, a decline of 13% and 15% from the same three and nine-month periods in 1999. Gross rental revenue was primarily impacted by a smaller fleet size and lower per-diem rental rates. Average per-diem rental rates for the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2000 declined 4% and 10%, respectively, when compared to the same three and nine-month periods in the prior year. The Registrant's average fleet size and utilization rates for the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2000 and 1999 were as follows:

The Registrant's declining fleet size contributed to a decline of 14% and 13%, respectively, in depreciation expense when compared to the same three and nine-month periods in the prior year. Rental equipment operating expenses were 15% and 24%, respectively, of the Registrant's gross lease revenue during the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2000, as compared to 19% and 20%, respectively, during the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 1999. The large decrease for the three-month period ended September 30, 2000 was attributable to the recovery of doubtful accounts. Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk Not applicable. 11 12 PART II - OTHER INFORMATION Item 1. Legal Proceedings On March 20, 2000, KM Investments, LLC, a California limited liability company ("KM") filed its complaint (the "Complaint") in the Superior Court for the County of Los Angeles against CCC, as general partner of the Partnership, alleging violation of the California Revised Limited Partnership Act, breach of fiduciary duty, and unfair competition. KM claims to be an assignee of units of limited partnership interests in the Partnership and six other California limited partnerships (collectively, the "Cronos Partnerships") managed by CCC as general partner. KM, which is in the business of making unregistered tender offers for up to 4.9% of the outstanding interests in limited partnerships, claims that CCC has wrongfully refused to provide KM with lists of the limited partners of the Cronos Partnerships to enable KM to make unregistered tender offers to the limited partners of the Cronos Partnerships. KM asks for declaratory relief, damages according to proof, attorneys' fees, costs, interest, a temporary restraining order and/or a preliminary injunction barring CCC from giving limited partner lists to any other party before delivering such lists to KM, punitive damages, and an order prohibiting CCC from receiving reimbursement of its legal fees incurred in defending the action from the Cronos Partnerships. On April 24, 2000, CCC filed its demurrer to the Complaint and its motion to strike those portions of the Complaint seeking punitive damages. By its demurrer, CCC asserted that KM, as an assignee of units of the Cronos Partnerships, is not entitled to review or receive a copy of the lists of the limited partners of the Cronos Partnerships; that CCC has not breached any fiduciary duty to KM; and that CCC has not engaged in unfair competition as alleged by KM. CCC requested that the Court dismiss KM's Complaint. On June 8, 2000, the Court heard CCC's demurrer, and sustained (i.e., granted) it in its entirety, allowing KM thirty days to file an amended complaint. KM did so on or about July 10, 2000, asserting the same causes of action as set forth in its original complaint. On August 25, 2000, CCC filed its demurrer to KM's First Amended Complaint and its motion to strike those portions of the First Amended Complaint seeking punitive damages. On October 11, 2000, the Court heard CCC's motions. It sustained CCC's demurrer to KM's fourth cause of action seeking declaratory relief, but overruled (i.e., denied) CCC's demurrer to KM's first three causes of action, on the ground that the evidence submitted by CCC was not properly before the Court on CCC's demurrer to KM's First Amended Complaint. At the same time, the Court granted CCC's motion to strike those portions of KM's First Amended Complaint seeking punitive damages. On October 20, 2000, CCC filed its answer to KM's First Amended Complaint, denying the allegations thereof, denying that plaintiff is entitled to any damages, and asserting various affirmative defenses. CCC believes that KM does not have standing to inspect or receive lists of the limited partners of the limited partnerships managed by CCC, and that CCC has meritorious defenses to KM's First Amended Complaint. 12 13 PART II - OTHER INFORMATION (CONT.) Item 6. Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K (a) Exhibits

(b) Reports on Form 8-K No reports on Form 8-K were filed by the Registrant during the quarter ended September 30, 2000. ------------- * Incorporated by reference to Exhibit "A" to the Prospectus of the Registrant dated September 12, 1988, included as part of Registration Statement on Form S-1 (No. 33-23321) ** Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.4 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 (No. 33-23321) 13 14 SIGNATURES Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this Report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized. IEA INCOME FUND IX, L.P. By Cronos Capital Corp. The General Partner By /s/ Dennis J. Tietz ---------------------------------- Dennis J. Tietz President and Director of Cronos Capital Corp. ("CCC") Principal Executive Officer of CCC Date: November 14, 2000 14 15 EXHIBIT INDEX

------------- * Incorporated by reference to Exhibit "A" to the Prospectus of the Registrant dated September 12, 1988, included as part of Registration Statement on Form S-1 (No. 33-23321) ** Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.4 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 (No. 33-23321)

IEA INCOME FUND IX L P 10-Q