S-3/A 1 v176161_s3a.htm
As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on  March 4, 2010
 
Registration No. 333-164269
 
 
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
 

 
AMENDMENT NO. 3
 
FORM S-3

REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
 
LIHUA INTERNATIONAL, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware
14-1961536
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)
 

 
Houxiang Five Star Industry District
Danyang City, Jiangsu Province, PR China 212312
+86 51 86317399
 
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)
 


Jianhua Zhu
Chief Executive Officer
Lihua International, Inc.
c/o Lihua Holdings Limited
Houxiang Five Star Industry District
Danyang City, Jiangsu Province, PRC 212312
+86 51 86317399
 
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
 
Copies to:
Mitchell S. Nussbaum, Esq.
Loeb & Loeb LLP
345 Park Avenue
New York, New York 10154
Telephone: (212) 407-4000
Facsimile: (212) 407-4990
 
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: From time to time after the effective date of this registration statement as determined by the Registrant.
 

 
If the only securities being registered on this form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box. ¨
 
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 of the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box. x
 
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and lit the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨
 
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨
 
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨
 
If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, please check the following box. ¨
 
If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box. ¨
 
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
 
Large accelerated filer ¨ Accelerated filer ¨    Non-accelerated filer x       Smaller reporting company ¨
 
(Do not check if a smaller reporting company)
 

 
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
 
Title of each Class of Security being Registered
 
Amount being
Registered (1)
   
Proposed
Maximum Offering
Price Per Security
   
Proposed Maximum
Aggregate Offering
Price
   
Amount of
Registration
Fee
 
Common Stock, $0.0001 par value per share(2)
      (3)(4)       (3)       (3)       (3)
Preferred Stock, $0.0001 par value per share (2)
      (3)(4)       (3)       (3)       (3)
Warrants (2)
      (3)(4)       (3)       (3)       (3)
Debt securities
      (3)(4)       (3)       (3)       (3)
Units
      (3)(4)       (3)       (3)       (3)
Total
  $ 100,000,000       100 %   $ 100,000,000 (2)   $ 7,130 (5)
 
(1) This registration statement includes $100,000,000 of securities which may be issued by the registrant from time to time in indeterminate amounts and at indeterminate times. Securities registered hereunder may be sold separately, together or as units with other securities registered hereunder.
 
(2) Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the amount of the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(o) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).
 
(3) Not required to be included in accordance with General Instruction II.D. of Form S-3 under the Securities Act.
 
(4) Subject to footnote (1), pursuant to Rule 416 there is also being registered hereunder such indeterminate amount of securities that may become issuable pursuant to stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions.
 
(5) Previously paid .
 
The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment that specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act or until this Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

 

 
 
THE INFORMATION IN THIS PROSPECTUS IS NOT COMPLETE AND MAY BE CHANGED. WE MAY NOT SELL THESE SECURITIES UNTIL THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION IS EFFECTIVE. THIS PROSPECTUS IS NOT AN OFFER TO SELL THESE SECURITIES AND IS NOT SOLICITING AN OFFER TO BUY THESE SECURITIES IN ANY JURISDICTION WHERE THE OFFER OR SALE IS NOT PERMITTED.

Prospectus
Subject to Completion, Dated March 4, 2010
 
LIHUA INTERNATIONAL, INC.
 
$100,000,000
 
Common Stock
Preferred Stock
Debt Securities
Warrants
Units
 
We may offer and sell, from time to time in one or more offerings, any combination of common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, warrants, or units having a maximum aggregate offering price of $100,000,000. When we decide to sell a particular class or series of securities, we will provide specific terms of the offered securities in a prospectus supplement.
 
The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus. However, no prospectus supplement shall offer a security that is not registered and described in this prospectus at the time of its effectiveness.  You should read this prospectus and any prospectus supplement, as well as the documents incorporated by reference or deemed to be incorporated by reference into this prospectus, carefully before you invest.
 
This prospectus may not be used to offer or sell our securities unless accompanied by a prospectus supplement relating to the offered securities.
 
Our common stock is traded on The NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol “LIWA.”  Each prospectus supplement will contain information, where applicable, as to our listing on The NASDAQ Capital Market or any other securities exchange of the securities covered by the prospectus supplement.
 
These securities may be sold directly by us, through dealers or agents designated from time to time, to or through underwriters or through a combination of these methods. See “Plan of Distribution” in this prospectus. We may also describe the plan of distribution for any particular offering of our securities in a prospectus supplement. If any agents, underwriters or dealers are involved in the sale of any securities in respect of which this prospectus is being delivered, we will disclose their names and the nature of our arrangements with them in a prospectus supplement. The net proceeds we expect to receive from any such sale will also be included in a prospectus supplement.
 
Investing in our securities involves various risks. See “Risk Factors” on page 5 for more information on these risks. Additional risks, if any, will be described in the prospectus supplement related to a potential offering under the heading “Risk Factors”. You should review that section of the related prospectus supplement for a discussion of matters that investors in such securities should consider.
 
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities, or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
 
The date of this Prospectus is                     , 2009

 

 
 
ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS
 
This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) using a “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf registration process, we may offer from time to time securities having a maximum aggregate offering price of $100,000,000. Each time we offer securities, we will prepare and file with the SEC a prospectus supplement that describes the specific amounts, prices and terms of the securities we offer. The prospectus supplement also may add, update or change information contained in this prospectus or the documents incorporated herein by reference. You should read carefully both this prospectus and any prospectus supplement together with additional information described below under the caption “Where You Can Find More Information.”
 
This prospectus does not contain all the information provided in the registration statement we filed with the SEC. For further information about us or our securities offered hereby, you should refer to that registration statement, which you can obtain from the SEC as described below under “Where You Can Find More Information.”
 
You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or a prospectus supplement. We have not authorized any other person to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. This prospectus is not an offer to sell securities, and it is not soliciting an offer to buy securities, in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement, as well as information we have previously filed with the SEC and incorporated by reference, is accurate as of the date of those documents only. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.
 
We may sell securities through underwriters or dealers, through agents, directly to purchasers or through a combination of these methods. We and our agents reserve the sole right to accept or reject in whole or in part any proposed purchase of securities. The prospectus supplement, which we will prepare and file with the SEC each time we offer securities, will set forth the names of any underwriters, agents or others involved in the sale of securities, and any applicable fee, commission or discount arrangements with them. See “Plan of Distribution.”
 
Unless otherwise mentioned or unless the context requires otherwise, when used in this prospectus, the terms “Lihua”, “Company”, “we”, “us”, and “our” refer to Lihua International, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. “China” and the “PRC” refer to the People’s Republic of China.
 
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY
 
The following summary, because it is a summary, may not contain all the information that may be important to you. This prospectus incorporates important business and financial information about the Company that is not included in, or delivered with this prospectus.  Before making an investment, you should read the entire prospectus carefully. You should also carefully read the risks of investing discussed under “Risk Factors” and the financial statements included in our other filings with the SEC, including in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, which we filed with the SEC on April 2, 2009, and in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q which we filed with the SEC on May 14, 2009, July 29, 2009, and November 16, 2009, respectively. This information is incorporated by reference into this prospectus, and you can obtain it from the SEC as described below under the headings “Where You Can Find Additional Information About Us” and “Incorporation of Certain Documents by Reference.”
 
We will provide to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom a prospectus is delivered, a copy of any or all of the information that has been incorporated by reference in the prospectus but not delivered with the prospectus. You may request a copy of these filings, excluding the exhibits to such  filings which we have not specifically incorporated by reference in such filings, at no cost, by writing us at the following address: Lihua International, Inc., Houxiang Five-Star Industry District Danyang City, Jiangsu Province, People’s Republic of China 212312. Our telephone number is +86 511-86317399.

 
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The Offering
 
This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) utilizing a shelf registration process. Under this shelf registration process, we may sell any combination of:
 
 
·
common stock;
 
 
·
preferred stock;
 
 
·
debt securities, in one or more series;
 
 
·
warrants to purchase any of the securities listed above; and/or
 
 
·
units consisting of one or more of the foregoing.
 
in one or more offerings up to a total dollar amount of $100,000,000. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer.  Each time we sell securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain specific information about the terms of that specific offering and include a discussion of any risk factors or other special considerations that apply to those securities. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. You should read both this prospectus and any prospectus supplement together with the additional information described under the heading “Where You Can Find Additional Information About Us.”
 
Our Company
 
We were one of the first vertically integrated companies in China to develop, design, manufacture, market and distribute low cost, high quality, alternatives to pure copper wire, which include copper-clad aluminum wire (“CCA”) and recycled scrap copper wire. Primarily because of its high electrical conductivity, pure copper wire is one of the fundamental building blocks in many components in a wide variety of motorized and electrical appliances such as dishwashers, microwaves and automobiles. In most instances, our CCA wire and recycled scrap copper rod and wire products are an excellent, less costly substitute for pure copper wire products.
 
We sell our wire products directly to manufacturers in the consumer electronics, white goods, automotive, utility, telecommunications and specialty cable industries and to distributors in the wire and cable industries. Our track record and reputation for producing high quality products in large quantities has paved the way for rapid expansion of our customer base. We have approximately 300 customers and no one customer accounts for more than 7% of our sales. The copper wire industry in China is large and growing, and essentially all of our product sales are made to domestic customers in China.
 
Prior to 2009, our business focused primarily on CCA. Our CCA business consists of acquiring CCA with a line diameter of 2.05 mm from our suppliers as a raw material, reducing the diameter of the CCA by drawing it and then annealing and coating it. Our final CCA product typically has diameters from 0.03 mm to 0.18 mm, depending on customer specifications. To meet strong customer demand, we substantially increased our CCA production capacity from 2,200 tons per annum as of the end of 2006 to 7,500 tons per annum as of December 31, 2009. In each of the following periods, our sales of CCA were as follows: 2006 – 2,009 tons, 2007 – 4,065 tons, 2008 – 5,966 tons and nine months ended September 30, 2009 – 4,376 tons.
 
In addition to our CCA business, in the first quarter of 2009, we began to produce copper rod from recycled scrap copper. As of December 31, 2009, our scrap copper refinery capacity was approximately 25,000 tons per annum. To the extent our downstream wire-drawing capacity permits, we process our copper rod into copper wire. Because our output of copper rod exceeds our capacity to process it into copper wire, we sell our excess copper rod to other wire manufacturers for further processing. During the nine months ended September 30, 2009, we sold 5,761 tons of copper magnet wire and 8,032 tons of copper rod. We currently are working to expand our wire drawing capacity so that we can use a greater proportion of our copper rod rather than selling it to other manufacturers, thereby increasing our profit margins and overall profitability. We are exploiting a range of marketing strategies for the copper wire business, including cross-selling our copper wire to our existing CCA customers.
 
Our markets for our three main product categories overlap to a degree, and are characterized by their breadth and depth, with a very large number of current and potential customers for each product category.  Copper rod is a raw material used in wire and cable production.  Our copper rod, which is manufactured from recycled scrap copper, competes directly with copper rod made from “virgin” (e.g. newly mined) copper.  To date, our raw material costs for bulk scrap copper have been lower than prices for virgin copper, which provides us with a pricing advantage in the market.  During 2009, we sold copper rod to approximately 100 customers, most of which are producers of smaller diameter copper wire used in power cables ranging in size from high voltage power transmission cables to white good applications such as internal wiring in household appliances and consumer electronics.  Our copper wire, which is sold in a variety of diameters and may have undergone further in-line processing such as coating with plastic, is sold to many of the same types of end-use customers who purchase copper wire from our copper rod customers.  These include manufacturers of a wide range of power cables and products that incorporate wiring, such as household appliances, automobiles, consumer electronics and telecommunications equipment.  Our CCA wire is sold to many of these manufacturers also.  CCA wire sells at a lower cost per unit of weight than pure copper wire, due to the relatively lower density of the aluminum core which makes up most of the volume of CCA wire.  Our CCA wire offers conductivity performance characteristics that are only marginally below those of pure copper wire, which means they are attractive in a wide variety of product applications where a slight reduction in conductivity standards is tolerable (such as most household appliance, automotive, consumer electronic and telecommunications applications).  Examples of relatively high tolerance product applications where our CCA wire would not provide an acceptable replacement option for pure copper wire would be military/space equipment and wiring in nuclear power plants.  One low tolerance product category that requires pure copper wire rather than our less costly CCA wire is electric motors, which require on pure copper wire windings.  The markets for each of our three product lines are growing rapidly, due both to growing demand in China for all types of basic wire raw materials and the relative cost advantages our product lines carry over “virgin” pure copper competitor products.

 
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We believe that we are well positioned to continue to capture further market share in the wire industry. CCA and copper wire are increasingly being accepted as alternatives to pure copper wire. As a result, our sales and net income have grown substantially over the last three years. We generated sales of $15.7 million in 2006, $32.7 million in 2007 and $50.0 million in 2008, representing a Compound Annual Growth Rate (“CAGR”) of 78.2%. We achieved net income of $4.5 million in 2006, $7.7 million in 2007 and $11.7 million in 2008, representing a CAGR of 61.3%. Adoption of CCA and recycled copper wire as alternatives to pure copper wire will likely increase, and we expect that our sales and net income should continue to grow as a result. During the nine months ended September 30, 2009, we generated sales of $110.3 million and net income of $9.5 million, up 182.5% and down 2%, respectively, from the same nine-month period in 2008.
 
Our capacity to sell our copper rod, recycled copper wire products (drawn from copper rod) and CCA wire products (drawn from larger diameter CCA wire) is limited by the equipment we have installed to produce these products.  Our copper rod is made from bulk scrap copper, which is cleaned, purified and smelted in large capacity smelter units.  At the present time we have a single horizontal copper rod extrusion production line, fed by two smelters, which is capable of producing 25,000 tons of copper rod per year in total.  As noted above, in the nine months ended September 30, 2009 we sold 8,032 tons of copper rod, all of which was produced on this smelter/extrusion line.  As of December 31, 2009, we operated approximately 80 high speed wire drawing machines, which draw larger diameter copper rod or CCA rod into much finer diameter wires, with a total capacity of approximately 7,500 tons per annum of CCA wire and approximately 18,000 tons per annum of copper wire.  Certain of these drawing machines incorporate additional production steps such as coating, annealing or magnetizing the fine wire produced.  These drawing machines are manufactured to our design and specifications by custom equipment manufacturers located in China.  We are not dependent on any single custom equipment manufacturer for the fabrication of our drawing lines.  We anticipate that we will add six additional high-capacity drawing machines in the first two quarters of 2010, all of which will be used to draw copper wire from our copper rod, and which will increase our annual capacity to 25,000 tons of copper wire.  We further anticipate that we will continue to add drawing machines in the second half of 2010.  We may also add to our smelter/extrusion capacity in the second half of 2010 or the first half of 2011, so that we can increase our production volumes of copper rod.  Accordingly, we do not anticipate that our sales will be capacity-constrained in the near future, even if we continue to experience rapid sales growth.
 
We continually pursue technological innovations and improvements in our manufacturing processes. We have obtained one utility model patent in China and have three pending invention patent applications in China related to our production process. In addition, we have entered into a technology cooperation agreement with a university in China. We believe that our emphasis on technological innovations and production efficiency has contributed significantly to our leading industry position in China and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
 
Further, significant barriers to entry make it difficult for newcomers to successfully compete with our CCA and copper wire businesses. For example, with respect to CCA, it is challenging to maintain high quality during the process of drawing, annealing and coating CCA, especially finer diameter wires. Our knowledge and experience in successfully generating high quality CCA give us a strong advantage over would-be competitors. With respect to copper wire, our proprietary recycling technology offers us a unique ability to produce wire of a high enough quality to serve as a substitute to pure copper wire. Our experience and technology allow us to offer products that are, in most instances, superior and more cost-effective to those potential competitors can produce. Because we are already an approved vendor for many of our customers and qualifying new vendors can be time-consuming, we believe we are further advantaged vis-à-vis potential competitors.
 
To avoid copper commodity risk exposure, we maintain minimal raw material inventory. We confirm raw material purchase orders for scrap copper or CCA with suppliers for each sales order only when the applicable sales order has been received. On the other hand, our principal CCA and scrap copper suppliers usually dedicate portions of their inventories as reserves to meet our manufacturing requirements. Our most significant supplier of CCA provides approximately 30% of our CCA raw material needs, but we have built a large network of reliable suppliers that deliver high quality raw materials, and accordingly, are not dependent upon any one supplier for our success.
 
We believe that our experienced management team will continue to leverage our leading technologies and increasing capacity to manufacture, produce, market and distribute cost-effective, high quality, CCA, recycled copper wire and other alternatives to pure copper wire. If, as anticipated, worldwide demand for alternatives to pure copper wire grow and we continue to innovate and improve in our processes, we will be well positioned to compete in the copper wire market on a global scale.
 
Our executive offices are located in China at Houxiang Five-Star Industry District Danyang City, Jiangsu Province, People’s Republic of China 212312. Our telephone number is +86 511-86317399. Our website address is www.lihuaintl.com

 
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RISK FACTORS
 
Investing in our securities involves risk. The prospectus supplement applicable to a particular offering of securities will contain a discussion of the risks applicable to an investment in Lihua International and to the particular types of securities that we are offering under that prospectus supplement. Before making an investment decision, you should carefully consider the risks described under “Risk Factors” in the applicable prospectus supplement and the risks described below, in our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, or any updates to our risk factors in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, together with all of the other information appearing in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement, in light of your particular investment objectives and financial circumstances. Our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely affected by any of these risks. The trading price of our securities could decline due to any of these risks, and you may lose all or part of your investment.
 
Risks Related to Our Business
 
Due to increased volatility of raw material prices, the timing lag between the raw material purchase and product pricing can negatively impact our profitability.
 
Volatility in the prices of raw materials, among other factors, may adversely impact our ability to accurately forecast demand and may have a material adverse impact on our results of operations. We mitigate the impact of changing raw material prices by passing changes in prices to our customers by adjusting prices daily to reflect changes in raw material prices, as is customary in the industry. We may not be able to adjust our product prices rapidly enough in the short-term to recover the costs of increases in raw materials. Our future profitability may be adversely affected to the extent we are unable to pass on higher raw material costs to our customers.
 
Key employees are essential to growing our business.
 
Mr. Jianhua Zhu, Ms. Yaying Wang and Mr. Roy Yu, along with Ms. Zhu Junying, Mr. Yin Falong and Mr. Yu Niu are essential to our ability to continue to grow our business. Each of these key employees have established relationships within the industries in which we operate. Each of these employees have agreed to non-solicitation and non-compete restrictions during the course of their employment with us, however, these restrictions only extend for a one year period from termination. Further, we do not maintain, or intend to maintain, key person life insurance for any of our officers or key employees. If any of them were to leave us, our growth strategy might be hindered, which could limit our ability to increase revenue. In addition, we face competition for attracting skilled personnel. If we fail to attract and retain qualified personnel to meet current and future needs, this could slow our ability to grow our business, which could result in a decrease in market share.
 
In the past several years we have derived a significant portion of our revenues from a small group of customers. If we were to become dependent again upon a few customers, such dependency could negatively impact our business, operating results and financial condition.
 
Previously, our customer base has been highly concentrated. For the three months ended September 30, 2009 and each of the fiscal years ended December 31, 2006, 2007 and 2008, our five largest customers accounted for 11.0%, 22.5%, 14.5% and 20.2% of our total sales, respectively, and the single largest customer accounted for 3.0%, 5.0%, 3.0% and 6.6% of our total sales, respectively. As our customer base may change from year-to-year, during such years that the customer base is highly concentrated, the loss of, or reduction of our sales to, any of such major customers could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.
 
One shareholder owns a large percentage of our outstanding stock and could significantly influence the outcome of our corporate matters.
 
Currently, Magnify Wealth beneficially owns approximately 89.4% of our outstanding Common Stock and immediately after the consummation of this Offering, Magnify Wealth will own 59.1% of our outstanding Common Stock. Mr. Zhu, our Chairman and CEO, is the sole director of Magnify Wealth. As the sole director of Magnify Wealth, Mr. Zhu has the sole power to vote the shares of our Common Stock owned by Magnify Wealth, and as a result, is able to exercise significant influence over all matters that require us to obtain shareholder approval, including the election of directors to our board and approval of significant corporate transactions that we may consider, such as a merger or other sale of our company or its assets. Additionally, pursuant to the Share Transfer Agreement, Mr. Zhu has an option that vests over time, the conditions of which have been met as of the date herewith, allowing Mr. Zhu to purchase up to 3,000 shares of Magnify Wealth from Mr. Chu (the “Option Shares”). At such time as Mr. Zhu exercises and acquires, all of the Option Shares, he will own shares representing 81.9% of Magnify Wealth’s issued and outstanding shares. As of February 14, 2009, Mr. Zhu was entitled to acquire 25% of the Option Shares, which equals 750 shares. Once the Option Shares are exercised, Mr. Zhu will then also have a controlling equity interest in Magnify Wealth. This concentration of ownership in our shares by Magnify Wealth will limit your ability to influence corporate matters and may have the effect of delaying or preventing a third party from acquiring control over us.
 
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Risks Associated With Doing Business In China
 
There are substantial risks associated with doing business in China, as set forth in the following risk factors.
 
The application of PRC regulations relating to the overseas listing of PRC domestic companies is uncertain, and we may be subject to penalties for failing to request approval of the PRC authorities prior to listing our shares in the U.S.
 
On August 8, 2006, six PRC government agencies, namely, MOFCOM, SAIC, CSRC, SAFE, the State Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, and the State Administration for Taxation, jointly issued the Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors (the “New M&A Rules”), which became effective on September 8, 2006. The New M&A Rules purport, among other things, to require offshore “special purpose vehicles”, that are (1) formed for the purpose of overseas listing of the equity interests of PRC companies via acquisition and (2) are controlled directly or indirectly by PRC companies and/or PRC individuals, to obtain the approval of the CSRC prior to the listing and trading of their securities on overseas stock exchanges. On September 21, 2006, pursuant to the New M&A Rules and other PRC Laws, the CSRC published on its official website relevant guidance with respect to the listing and trading of PRC domestic enterprises’ securities on overseas stock exchanges (the “Related Clarifications”), including a list of application materials regarding the listing on overseas stock exchange by special purpose vehicles. Based on our understanding of current PRC Laws and as advised by our PRC counsel, because (i) the CSRC currently has not issued any definitive rule or official interpretation concerning whether our offering is subject to the New M&A Rules and Related Clarifications; (ii) we were and are not a special purpose vehicle formed or controlled by PRC individuals; and (iii) conversion of Lihua Electron and Lihua Copper from a joint venture to a wholly foreign owned enterprise was and is not subject to the New M&A Rules in accordance with Rule 55 of the New M&A Rules and Guidance Manual on Administration of Entry of Foreign Investment issued by the Department of Foreign Investment Administration of the MOFCOM in December 2008, we were and are not required to obtain the approval of CSRC under the New M&A Rules in connection with this offering.
 
However, there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation, application and enforcement of these rules, and CSRC has yet to promulgate any written provisions or formally to declare or state whether the overseas listing of a PRC-related company structured similar to ours is subject to the approval of CSRC. Any violation of these rules could result in fines and other penalties on our operations in China, restrictions or limitations on remitting dividends outside of China, and other forms of sanctions that may cause a material and adverse effect to our business, operations and financial conditions.
 
The new mergers and acquisitions regulations also established additional procedures and requirements that are expected to make merger and acquisition activities by foreign investors more time-consuming and complex, including requirements in some instances that the Ministry of Commerce be notified in advance of any change-of-control transaction in which a foreign investor takes control of a PRC domestic enterprise that owns well-known trademarks or China’s traditional brands. We may grow our business in part by acquiring other businesses. Complying with the requirements of the new mergers and acquisitions regulations in completing this type of transactions could be time-consuming, and any required approval processes, including CSRC approval, may delay or inhibit our ability to complete such transactions, which could affect our ability to expand our business or maintain our market share.
 
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We have granted stock options to one of our directors who is a PRC citizen and, our CEO, Mr. Zhu, has options to purchase shares in our majority shareholder, Magnify Wealth, which may require registration with SAFE. We may also face regulatory uncertainties that could restrict our ability to issue equity compensation to our directors and employees and other parties who are PRC citizens or residents under PRC law.
 
On April 6, 2007, SAFE issued the “Operating Procedures for Administration of Domestic Individuals Participating in the Employee Stock Ownership Plan or Stock Option Plan of An Overseas Listed Company, also know as “Circular 78.” It is not clear whether Circular 78 covers all forms of equity compensation plans or only those which provide for the granting of stock options. Further, it is also not clear whether Circular 78 would require SAFE approval for stock options in Magnify Wealth that are granted to Mr. Zhu. For any equity compensation plan which is so covered and is adopted by a non-PRC listed company after April 6, 2007, Circular 78 requires all participants who are PRC citizens to register with and obtain approvals from SAFE prior to their participation in the plan. In addition, Circular 78 also requires PRC citizens to register with SAFE and make the necessary applications and filings if they participated in an overseas listed company’s covered equity compensation plan prior to April 6, 2007. We have adopted an equity compensation plan and have begun to make option grants to some of our directors, one of which is a PRC citizen. Circular 78 may require PRC citizens who receive option grants to register with SAFE. We believe that the registration and approval requirements contemplated in Circular 78 will be burdensome and time consuming. If it is determined that any of our equity compensation plans, or the option grant from Magnify Wealth to Mr. Zhu are subject to Circular 78, failure to comply with such provisions may subject us and recipients of such options to fines and legal sanctions and prevent us from being able to grant equity compensation to our PRC employees. In that case, our ability to compensate our employees and directors through equity compensation would be hindered and our business operations may be adversely affected.
 
Because our principal assets are located outside of the United States and with the exception of one director, our directors and all our officers reside outside of the United States, it may be difficult for you to enforce your rights based on the United States Federal securities laws against us and our officers and directors in the United States or to enforce judgments of United States courts against us or them in the PRC.
 
With the exception of one director, all of our officers and directors reside outside of the United States. In addition, our operating subsidiaries are located in the PRC and all of their assets are located outside of the United States. China does not have a treaty with United States providing for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgments of courts. It may therefore be difficult for investors in the United States to enforce their legal rights based on the civil liability provisions of the United States Federal securities laws against us in the courts of either the United States or the PRC and, even if civil judgments are obtained in courts of the United States, to enforce such judgments in PRC courts. Further, it is unclear if extradition treaties now in effect between the United States and the PRC would permit effective enforcement against us or our officers and directors of criminal penalties, under the United States Federal securities laws or otherwise.
 
7

 
Because we may not be able to obtain business insurance in the PRC, we may not be protected from risks that are customarily covered by insurance in the United States.
 
Business insurance is not readily available in the PRC. To the extent that we suffer a loss of a type which would normally be covered by insurance in the United States, such as product liability and general liability insurance, we would incur significant expenses in both defending any action and in paying any claims that result from a settlement or judgment.
 
Risks Related to our Securities
 
We may need additional capital and may sell additional securities or other equity securities or incur indebtedness, which could result in additional dilution to our shareholders or increase our debt service obligations.
 
We may require additional cash resources due to changed business conditions or other future developments, including any investments or acquisitions we may decide to pursue. If our cash resources are insufficient to satisfy our cash requirements, we may seek to sell additional equity or debt securities or obtain a credit facility. The sale of additional equity securities or equity-linked debt securities could result in additional dilution to our shareholders. The incurrence of indebtedness would result in increased debt service obligations and could result in operating and financing covenants that would restrict our operations. We cannot assure you that financing will be available in amounts or on terms acceptable to us, if at all.
 
8

 
NASDAQ may delist our securities from quotation on its exchange which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
 
Our Common Stock is traded on NASDAQ, a national securities exchange. We cannot assure you that our securities will meet the continued listing requirements be listed on NASDAQ in the future.
 
If NASDAQ delists our Common Stock from trading on its exchange, we could face significant material adverse consequences including:
 
 
a limited availability of market quotations for our securities;
 
 
a determination that our Common Stock is a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our Common Stock to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly resulting in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our Common Stock;
 
 
a limited amount of news and analyst coverage for our company; and
 
 
a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future.
 
If our shares of Common Stock become subject to the SEC’s penny stock rules, broker-dealers may experience difficulty in completing customer transactions and trading activity in our securities may be adversely affected.
 
If at any time we have net tangible assets of $5,000,000 or less and our shares of Common Stock have a market price per share of less than $5.00, transactions in our Common Stock may be subject to the “penny stock” rules promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Under these rules, broker-dealers who recommend such securities to persons other than institutional accredited investors must:
 
 
make a special written suitability determination for the purchaser;
 
 
receive the purchaser’s written agreement to the transaction prior to sale;
 
 
provide the purchaser with risk disclosure documents which identify certain risks associated with investing in “penny stocks” and which describe the market for these “penny stocks” as well as a purchaser’s legal remedies; and
 
 
obtain a signed and dated acknowledgment from the purchaser demonstrating that the purchaser has actually received the required risk disclosure document before a transaction in a “penny stock” can be completed.
 
If our Common Stock become subject to these rules, broker-dealers may find it difficult to effectuate customer transactions and trading activity in our securities may be adversely affected. As a result, the market price of our securities may be depressed, and you may find it more difficult to sell our securities.
 
9

 
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
 
This prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement, including the documents that we incorporate by reference, may 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 Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Forward-looking statements include those that express plans, anticipation, intent, contingency, goals, targets or future development and/or otherwise are not statements of historical fact. Any forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and projections about future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties known and unknown that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements.
 
In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology, such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “estimates,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “may,” “should”, “could” or the negative of such terms or other similar expressions. Accordingly, these statements involve estimates, assumptions and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in them. Any forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the risk factors described herein and those included in any accompanying prospectus supplement or in any document incorporated by reference into this prospectus.
 
You should read this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement and the documents that we reference herein and therein and have filed as exhibits to the registration statement, of which this prospectus is part, completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we concurrently expect. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus, any accompanying prospectus supplement and any document incorporated herein by reference is accurate as of its date only. Because the risk factors referred to above could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements made by us or on our behalf, you should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict which factors will arise. In addition, we cannot assess the impact of each factor on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. We qualify all of the information presented in this prospectus, any accompanying prospectus supplement and any document incorporated herein by reference, and particularly our forward-looking statements, by these cautionary statements.
 
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

Selected Preliminary Results of Operations for the Full Year 2009
 
The following is an estimate of selected preliminary results of operations for the full year ending December 31, 2009.  The audit of the results of operations for 2009 has not yet been completed and therefore actual results may differ from estimated preliminary results. For additional information regarding the various risks and uncertainties inherent in estimates of this type, see “Forward-Looking Statements.”
 
For the full-year ending December 31, 2009, we estimate revenue of approximately $161.5 million, gross profit of approximately $36 million and non-GAAP net income of approximately $25.5 million, excluding non-cash charges of $9 million. This represents expected year-over-year growth of 223%, 114% and 118%, respectively.  Preliminary un-audited GAAP net income for fiscal year 2009 is expected to be approximately $16.5 million.  The non-cash charges relate to the change in fair value of warrants issued to investors in conjunction with the Company’s private placement of convertible preferred stock in October 2008.  According to FASB Accounting Standards Update No. 2010-05 (Topic 718) regarding Stock Compensation,  Lihua will no longer need to report a non-cash charge of $15.4 million relating to the realization of management earn outs at the end of 2009, which was initially anticipated and disclosed in previous filings.  Lihua previously reported guidance of 110%-115% gross profit growth and 115%-120% non-GAAP net income growth, excluding non-cash charges, over 2008.

The strong year-over-year growth was driven by four primary factors: 1) a significant increase in domestic demand for our copper-clad aluminum (CCA) wire and copper products; 2) the commencement of our new scrap copper recycling and cleaning facility in March 2009, which contributed to the growth of our main product lines: copper rod and copper wire; 3) an increase in manufacturing capacity following the launch of four new high-speed manufacturing lines in the 2009 third quarter, which increased CCA and copper wire capacity by approximately 40% to 25,200 tons; and, 4) a 50% increase in our customer base over 2008, from 200 to approximately 300 customers as of December 31, 2009.
 
Although final audited results for the year ending December 31, 2009 are not yet available, based upon our management accounts and the information available to us, including our assessment of the operating conditions prevailing during the period, and except as otherwise described in this prospectus, we do not anticipate that our results for the year ending December 31, 2009 will be adversely impacted, in the aggregate, by any material or unusual adverse events. However, our actual results may differ from our current estimates as indicated above.
 
Regulation G
 
To supplement our consolidated financial statements presented in accordance with GAAP, we use non-GAAP measures, such as non-GAAP Net Income, which excludes certain non-cash charges. This non-GAAP adjustment is provided to enhance the user's overall understanding of our historical and current financial performance and our prospects for the future. We believe the non-GAAP results provide useful information to both management and investors by excluding certain expenses we believe are not indicative of our core operating results. We have provided above Net Income for the period discussed, which is the most directly comparable GAAP measure to non-GAAP Net Income.

 
10

 
 
USE OF PROCEEDS
 
Except as otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, we intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of the securities covered by this prospectus for general corporate purposes, which may include, but is not limited to, working capital, capital expenditures, research and development expenditures and acquisitions of new technologies or businesses.  The precise amount, use and timing of the application of such proceeds will depend upon our funding requirements and the availability and cost of other capital. Additional information on the use of net proceeds from an offering of securities covered by this prospectus may be set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to the specific offering.
 
RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES

   
YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31,
     
NINE MONTHS
ENDED SEPTEMBER 30,
  
     
2004
     
2005
     
2006
     
2007
     
2008
     
2009
  
Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges
   
-
     
-
     
-
     
92.29
     
27.21
     
77.87
 
 
DESCRIPTIONS OF THE SECURITIES WE MAY OFFER
 
The descriptions of the securities contained in this prospectus, together with any applicable prospectus supplement, summarize all the material terms and provisions of the various types of securities that we may offer. We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to a particular offering the specific terms of the securities offered by that prospectus supplement. We will indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement if the terms of the securities differ from the terms we have summarized below. We will also include in the prospectus supplement information, where applicable, material United States federal income tax considerations relating to the securities.
 
We may sell from time to time, in one or more offerings:
 
 
·
shares of our common stock;
 
 
·
shares of our preferred stock;
 
 
·
debt securities, in one or more series;
 
 
·
warrants to purchase any of the securities listed above; and/or
 
 
·
units consisting of one or more of the foregoing.
 
This prospectus may not be used to consummate a sale of securities unless it is accompanied by a prospectus supplement.
 
Capital Stock
 
General
 
The following description of common stock and preferred stock, together with the additional information we include in any applicable prospectus supplement, summarizes the material terms and provisions of the common stock and preferred stock that we may offer under this prospectus. For the complete terms of our common stock and preferred stock, please refer to our certificate of incorporation, as may be amended from time to time, any certificates of designation for our preferred stock, and our bylaws, as amended from time to time. The Delaware General Corporation Law may also affect the terms of these securities. While the terms we have summarized below will apply generally to any future common stock or preferred stock that we may offer, we will describe the specific terms of any series of these securities in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement. If we so indicate in a prospectus supplement, the terms of any common stock or preferred stock we offer under that prospectus supplement may differ from the terms we describe below.

 
11

 
 
As of February 23, 2010, our authorized capital stock consists of 75,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of which 24,118,183 shares are issued and outstanding, and 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of which none of which are outstanding.  The authorized and unissued shares of common stock and the authorized and undesignated shares of preferred stock are available for issuance without further action by our stockholders, unless such action is required by applicable law or the rules of any stock exchange on which our securities may be listed. Unless approval of our stockholders is so required, our board of directors will not seek stockholder approval for the issuance and sale of our common stock or preferred stock .
 
Common Stock
 
The holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote for each share held of record. The affirmative vote of a majority of shares present in person or represented by proxy at a meeting of stockholders that commences with a lawful quorum is sufficient for approval of matters upon which stockholders may vote, including questions presented for approval or ratification at the annual meeting. Our common stock does not carry cumulative voting rights, and holders of more than 50% of our common stock have the power to elect all directors and, as a practical matter, to control our company. Holders of our common stock are not entitled to preemptive rights. Any action other than the election of directors shall be authorized by a majority of the votes cast, except where the Delaware General Corporation Law prescribes a different percentage of votes and/or exercise of voting power.
 
After the satisfaction of requirements with respect to preferential dividends, if any, holders of our common stock are entitled to receive, pro rata, dividends when and as declared by our board of directors out of funds legally available therefore. Upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding-up, after distribution in full of the preferential amount, if any, to be distributed to holders of the preferred stock, holders of our common stock are entitled to share ratably in our assets legally available for distribution to our stockholders. All outstanding shares of common stock are fully paid and non-assessable.
 
Our common stock is listed on The NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol “LIWA.” The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Corporate Stock Transfer, Inc.

 
12

 
 
Preferred Stock
 
Our board of directors is authorized to issue up to the total of 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock, without any further action by the stockholders. As of February 23, 2010, no shares of our preferred stock were outstanding.  In October 2008 we filed a Certificate of Designations, Preferences, Rights and Limitations to establish our Series A preferred stock.  All of the shares of Series A preferred stock issued and outstanding were converted to common stock on September 10, 2009.  Our board of directors may also divide the shares of preferred stock into series and fix and determine the relative rights and preferences of the preferred stock, such as the designation of series and the number of shares constituting such series, dividend rights, redemption and sinking fund provisions, liquidation and dissolution preferences, conversion or exchange rights and voting rights, if any. Issuance of preferred stock by our board of directors will result in such shares having dividend and/or liquidation preferences senior to the rights of the holders of our common stock and could dilute the voting rights of the holders of our common stock.  Once designated by our board of directors, each series of preferred stock will have specific financial and other terms that will be described in a prospectus supplement. The description of the preferred stock that is set forth in any prospectus supplement is not complete without reference to the documents that govern the preferred stock. These include our certificate of incorporation, as amended, and any certificates of designation that our board of directors may adopt. Prior to the issuance of shares of each series of preferred stock, the board of directors is required by the Delaware General Corporation Law and our certificate of incorporation to adopt resolutions and file a certificate of designations with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware. The certificate of designations fixes for each class or series the designations, powers, preferences, rights, qualifications, limitations and restrictions, including, but not limited to, some or all of the following :
 
 
·
the number of shares constituting that series and the distinctive designation of that series, which number may be increased or decreased (but not below the number of shares then outstanding) from time to time by action of the board of directors;
 
 
·
the dividend rate and the manner and frequency of payment of dividends on the shares of that series, whether dividends will be cumulative, and, if so, from which date;
 
 
·
whether that series will have voting rights, in addition to any voting rights provided by law, and, if so, the terms of such voting rights;
 
 
·
whether that series will have conversion privileges, and, if so, the terms and conditions of such conversion, including provision for adjustment of the conversion rate in such events as the board of directors may determine;
 
 
·
whether or not the shares of that series will be redeemable, and, if so, the terms and conditions of such redemption;
 
 
·
whether that series will have a sinking fund for the redemption or purchase of shares of that series, and, if so, the terms and amount of such sinking fund;
 
 
·
whether or not the shares of the series will have priority over or be on a parity with or be junior to the shares of any other series or class in any respect;
 
 
·
the rights of the shares of that series in the event of voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the corporation, and the relative rights or priority, if any, of payment of shares of that series; and
 
 
·
any other relative rights, preferences and limitations of that series.
 
All shares of preferred stock offered hereby will, when issued, be fully paid and nonassessable, including shares of preferred stock issued upon the exercise of preferred stock warrants or subscription rights, if any.
 
Although our board of directors has no intention at the present time of doing so, it could authorize the issuance of a series of preferred stock that could, depending on the terms of such series, impede the completion of a merger, tender offer or other takeover attempt.

 
13

 
 
Options/Warrants
 
As of February 23, 2010,  we had outstanding options to purchase a total of 75,000 shares of our Common Stock, and outstanding warrants to purchase a total of 1,300,000 shares of our Common Stock .
 
 
·
On October 20, 2009 we awarded one independent director a 10-year option to purchase 20,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $8.24 per share, of which no options are vested.
 
 
·
On April 14, 2009 we awarded 10-year options to purchase 20,000 shares of common stock to each of three independent directors at an exercise price of $2.20 per share, of which options to purchase 25,00 shares of common stock, in the aggregate, are vested.
 
 
·
On October 31, 2008 we issued Series A Warrants to purchase up to 1,500,000 shares of our Common Stock at an exercise price of $3.50 per share, of which 700,000 were exercised.  The Series A Warrants expire on October 31, 2013.
 
 
·
On October 31, 2008 we issued Series B Warrants to purchase up to 500,000 shares of our Common Stock at an exercise price of $3.50 per share. The Series B Warrants expire on October 30, 2013.
 
Warrants
 
The following description, together with the additional information we may include in any applicable prospectus supplement, summarizes the material terms and provisions of the warrants that we may offer under this prospectus and any related warrant agreement and warrant certificate. While the terms summarized below will apply generally to any warrants that we may offer, we will describe the specific terms of any series of warrants in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement. If we indicate in the prospectus supplement, the terms of any warrants offered under that prospectus supplement may differ from the terms described below. Specific warrant agreements will contain additional important terms and provisions and will be incorporated by reference as an exhibit to the registration statement which includes this prospectus.
 
General
 
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.
 
We will evidence each series of warrants by warrant certificates that we may issue under a separate agreement. We may enter into a warrant agreement with a warrant agent. Each warrant agent may be a bank that we select which has its principal office in the United States. We may also choose to act as our own warrant agent. We will indicate the name and address of any such warrant agent in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to a particular series of warrants.
 
We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement the terms of the series of warrants, including:
 
 
·
the offering price and aggregate number of warrants offered;
 
 
·
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;
 
 
·
if applicable, the date on and after which the warrants and the related securities will be separately transferable;
 
 
·
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, and currency in which, this principal amount of debt securities may be purchased upon such exercise;
 
 
·
in the case of warrants to purchase common stock or preferred stock, the number or amount 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 and currency in which these shares may be purchased upon such exercise;

 
14

 
 
 
·
the manner of exercise of the warrants, including any cashless exercise rights;
 
 
·
the warrant agreement under which the warrants will be issued;
 
 
·
the effect of any merger, consolidation, sale or other disposition of our business on the warrant agreement and the warrants;
 
 
·
anti-dilution provisions of the warrants, if any;
 
 
·
the terms of any rights to redeem or call the warrants;
 
 
·
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 or, if the warrants are not continuously exercisable during that period, the specific date or dates on which the warrants will be exercisable;
 
 
·
the manner in which the warrant agreement and warrants may be modified;
 
 
·
the identities of the warrant agent and any calculation or other agent for the warrants;
 
 
·
federal income tax consequences of holding or exercising the warrants;
 
 
·
the terms of the securities issuable upon exercise of the warrants;
 
 
·
any securities exchange or quotation system on which the warrants or any securities deliverable upon exercise of the warrants may be listed or quoted; and
 
 
·
any other specific terms, preferences, rights or limitations of or restrictions on the warrants.
 
Before exercising their warrants, holders of warrants will not have any of the rights of holders of the securities purchasable upon such exercise, including:
 
 
·
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
 
 
·
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. Unless we otherwise specify in the applicable prospectus supplement, holders of the warrants may exercise the warrants at any time up to 5:00 P.M. eastern time on the expiration date that we set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. After the close of business 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 exercise price by the methods 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 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.

 
15

 
 
Enforceability of Rights By Holders of Warrants
 
Any 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 the holder’s right to exercise, and receive the securities purchasable upon exercise of, its warrants in accordance with their terms.
 
Warrant Agreement Will Not Be Qualified Under Trust Indenture Act
 
No warrant agreement will be qualified as an indenture, and no warrant agent will be required to qualify as a trustee, under the Trust Indenture Act. Therefore, holders of warrants issued under a warrant agreement will not have the protection of the Trust Indenture Act with respect to their warrants.
 
Governing Law
 
Each warrant agreement and any warrants issued under the warrant agreements will be governed by New York law.
 
Calculation Agent
 
Any calculations relating to warrants may be made by a calculation agent, an institution that we appoint as our agent for this purpose. The prospectus supplement for a particular warrant will name the institution that we have appointed to act as the calculation agent for that warrant as of the original issue date for that warrant, if any. We may appoint a different institution to serve as calculation agent from time to time after the original issue date without the consent or notification of the holders. The calculation agent’s determination of any amount of money payable or securities deliverable with respect to a warrant will be final and binding in the absence of manifest error.
 
Debt Securities
 
The following description, together with the additional information we include in any applicable prospectus supplements, summarizes the material terms and provisions of the debt securities that we may offer under this prospectus.  While the terms we have summarized below will generally apply to any future debt securities 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 we offer under a prospectus supplement may differ from the terms we describe below.    As of the date of this prospectus, we have no outstanding registered debt securities.
 
We will issue senior notes under a senior indenture, which we will enter into with the trustee to be named in the senior indenture.  We will issue subordinated notes under a subordinated indenture, which we will enter into with the trustee to be named in the subordinated indenture.  We have filed forms of these documents as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.  We use the term “indentures” to refer to both the senior indenture and 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 senior trustee or the subordinated trustee, as applicable.
 
The following summaries of material provisions of the senior notes, the subordinated notes and the indentures are subject to, and qualified in their entirety by reference to, all the provisions of the indenture applicable to a particular series of debt securities.  We urge you to read the applicable prospectus supplements related to the debt securities that we sell 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 and the subordinated indentures are identical.

 
16

 
 
General
 
The terms of each series of debt securities will be established by or pursuant to a resolution of our board of directors and set forth or determined in the manner provided in an officers’ certificate or by a supplemental indenture. Debt securities may be issued in separate series without limitation as to aggregate principal amount. We may specify a maximum aggregate principal amount for the debt securities of any series. The particular terms of each series of debt securities will be described in a prospectus supplement relating to such series, including any pricing supplement. The prospectus supplement will set forth:
 
 
·
the title;
 
 
·
the principal amount being offered, and, if a series, the total amount authorized and the total amount outstanding;
 
 
·
any limit on the amount that may be issued;
 
 
·
whether or not we will issue the series of debt securities in global form and, if so, the terms and who the depositary will be;
 
 
·
the maturity date;
 
 
·
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;
 
 
·
the annual interest rate, which may be fixed or variable, or the method for determining the rate, 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;
 
 
·
whether or not the debt securities will be secured or unsecured, and the terms of any secured debt;
 
 
·
the terms of the subordination of any series of subordinated debt;
 
 
·
the place where payments will be payable;
 
 
·
restrictions on transfer, sale or other assignment, if any;
 
 
·
our right, if any, to defer payment of interest and the maximum length of any such deferral period;
 
 
·
the date, if any, after which, the conditions upon 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 any other applicable terms of those redemption provisions;
 
 
·
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;
 
 
·
whether the indenture will restrict our ability and/or the ability of our subsidiaries to, among other things,:
 
 
·
incur additional indebtedness;
 
 
·
issue additional securities;
 
 
·
create liens;
 
 
·
pay dividends and make distributions in respect of our capital stock and the capital stock of our subsidiaries;
 
 
·
redeem capital stock;
 
 
·
place restrictions on our subsidiaries’ ability to pay dividends, make distributions or transfer assets;
 
 
·
make investments or other restricted payments;
 
 
·
sell or otherwise dispose of assets;
 
 
·
enter into sale-leaseback transactions;

 
17

 
 
 
·
engage in transactions with stockholders and affiliates;
 
 
·
issue or sell stock of our subsidiaries; or
 
 
·
effect a consolidation or merger;
 
 
·
whether the indenture will require us to maintain any interest coverage, fixed charge, cash flow-based, asset-based or other financial ratios;
 
 
·
a discussion of any material or special U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to the debt securities;
 
 
·
information describing any book-entry features;
 
 
·
provisions for a sinking fund purchase or other analogous fund, if any;
 
 
·
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;
 
 
·
the procedures for any auction and remarketing, if any;
 
 
·
the denominations in which we will issue the series of debt securities, if other than denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof;
 
 
·
if other than dollars, the currency in which the series of debt securities will be denominated; and
 
 
·
any other specific terms, preferences, rights or limitations of, or restrictions on, the debt securities, including any events of default that are in addition to those described in this prospectus or any covenants provided with respect to the debt securities that are in addition to those described above, and any terms that may be required by us or advisable under applicable laws or regulations or advisable in connection with the marketing of the debt securities.
 
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 common stock or other securities of ours or a third party, including the conversion or exchange rate, as applicable, or how it will be calculated, and the applicable conversion or exchange period.  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 our securities or the securities of a third party that the holders of the series of debt securities receive upon conversion or exchange would, under the circumstances described in those provisions, be subject to adjustment, or pursuant to which those holders would, under those circumstances, receive other property upon conversion or exchange, for example in the event of our merger or consolidation with another entity.
 
Consolidation, Merger or Sale
 
The indentures in the forms initially filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part do 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 of ours or the acquirer of such assets must assume all of our obligations under the indentures and the debt securities.
 
If the debt securities are convertible for our other securities, the person with whom we consolidate or merge or to whom we sell 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 Indenture
 
The following are events of default under the indentures in the forms initially filed as exhibits to the registration statement with respect to any series of debt securities that we may issue:

 
18

 
 
 
·
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;
 
 
·
if we fail to pay the principal, sinking fund payment or premium, if any, when due and payable and the time for payment has not been extended or delayed;
 
 
·
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; and
 
 
·
if specified events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization occur.
 
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 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 waiver shall cure the default or event of default.
 
Subject to the terms of the indentures, 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:
 
 
·
the direction so given by the holder is not in conflict with any law or the applicable indenture; and
 
 
·
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 only have the right to institute a proceeding under the indentures or to appoint a receiver or trustee, or to seek other remedies if:
 
 
·
the holder has given written notice to the debenture trustee of a continuing event of default with respect to that series;
 
 
·
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
 
 
·
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 90 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 interest on, the debt securities.
 
We will periodically file statements with the debenture trustee regarding our compliance with specified covenants in the indentures.

 
19

 
 
Modification of Indenture; Waiver
 
We and the debenture trustee may change an indenture without the consent of any holders with respect to specific matters, including:
 
 
·
to fix any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency in the indenture;
 
 
·
to comply with the provisions described above under “Consolidation, Merger or Sale”;
 
 
·
to comply with any requirements of the SEC in connection with the qualification of any indenture under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939;
 
 
·
to evidence and provide for the acceptance of appointment hereunder by a successor trustee;
 
 
·
to provide for uncertificated debt securities and to make all appropriate changes for such purpose;
 
 
·
to add to, delete from, or revise the conditions, limitations and restrictions on the authorized amount, terms or purposes of issuance, authorization and delivery of debt securities or any series, as set forth in the indenture;
 
 
·
to provide for the issuance of and establish the form and terms and conditions of the debt securities of any series as provided under “General” to establish the form of any certifications required to be furnished pursuant to the terms of the indenture or any series of debt securities, or to add to the rights of the holders of any series of debt securities;
 
 
·
to add to our covenants such new covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions for the protection of the holders, 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 to surrender any of our rights or powers under the indenture; or
 
 
·
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, we and the debenture trustee may only make the following changes with the consent of each holder of any outstanding debt securities affected:
 
 
·
extending the fixed maturity of the series of debt securities;
 
 
·
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
 
 
·
reducing the percentage of debt securities, the holders of which are required to consent to any amendment, supplement, modification or waiver.
 
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 that the following obligations survive until the maturity date or the redemption date:
 
 
·
register the transfer or exchange of debt securities of the series;
 
 
·
replace stolen, lost or mutilated debt securities of the series;
 
 
·
maintain paying agencies;
 
 
·
hold monies for payment in trust; and
 
 
·
appoint any successor trustee;
 
and the following obligations survive the maturity date or the redemption date:
 
 
·
recover excess money held by the debenture trustee; and

 
20

 
 
 
·
compensate and indemnify the debenture 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, any 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 otherwise specify 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, New York, New York, known as DTC, 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 make 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:
 
 
·
issue, register the transfer of, or exchange any debt securities of any series being redeemed in part 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
 
 
·
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.
 
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.

 
21

 
 
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 may make interest payments by check that we will mail to the holder or by wire transfer to certain holders.  Unless we otherwise indicate in a prospectus supplement, we will designate the corporate 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 subordinate and junior in priority of payment to certain of our other indebtedness to the extent described in a prospectus supplement.  The indentures in the forms initially filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part do not limit the amount of indebtedness that we may incur, including senior indebtedness or subordinated indebtedness, and do not limit us from issuing any other debt, including secured debt or unsecured debt.
 
Units
 
We may issue units comprised of one or more of the other securities described in this prospectus or in any prospectus supplement in any combination. Each unit will be issued so that the holder of the unit is also the holder, with the rights and obligations of a holder, of each security included in the unit. 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 or upon the occurrence of a specified event or occurrence.
 
The applicable prospectus supplement will describe:
 
 
·
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;
 
 
·
any unit agreement under which the units will be issued;
 
 
·
any provisions for the issuance, payment, settlement, transfer or exchange of the units or of the securities comprising the units; and
 
 
·
whether the units will be issued in fully registered or global form.

 
22

 
 
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
 
We may sell the securities being offered pursuant to this prospectus to or through underwriters, through dealers, through agents, or directly to one or more purchasers or through a combination of these methods. The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the terms of the offering of the securities, including:
 
 
·
the name or names of any underwriters, if, and if required, any dealers or agents;
 
 
·
the purchase price of the securities and the proceeds we will receive from the sale;
 
 
·
any underwriting discounts and other items constituting underwriters’ compensation;
 
 
·
any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers; and
 
 
·
any securities exchange or market on which the securities may be listed or traded.
 
We may distribute the securities from time to time in one or more transactions at:
 
 
·
a fixed price or prices, which may be changed;
 
 
·
market prices prevailing at the time of sale;
 
 
·
prices related to such prevailing market prices; or
 
 
·
negotiated prices.
 
Only underwriters named in the prospectus supplement are underwriters of the securities offered by the prospectus supplement.
 
If underwriters are used in an offering, we will execute an underwriting agreement with such underwriters and will specify the name of each underwriter and the terms of the transaction (including any underwriting discounts and other terms constituting compensation of the underwriters and any dealers) in a prospectus supplement. The securities may be offered to the public either through underwriting syndicates represented by managing underwriters or directly by one or more investment banking firms or others, as designated. If an underwriting syndicate is used, the managing underwriter(s) will be specified on the cover of the prospectus supplement. If underwriters are used in the sale, the offered securities will be acquired by the underwriters for their own accounts and may be resold from time to time in one or more transactions, including negotiated transactions, at a fixed public offering price or at varying prices determined at the time of sale. Any public offering price and any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers may be changed from time to time. Unless otherwise set forth in the prospectus supplement, the obligations of the underwriters to purchase the offered securities will be subject to conditions precedent, and the underwriters will be obligated to purchase all of the offered securities, if any are purchased.
 
We may grant to the underwriters options to purchase additional securities to cover over-allotments, if any, at the public offering price, with additional underwriting commissions or discounts, as may be set forth in a related prospectus supplement. The terms of any over-allotment option will be set forth in the prospectus supplement for those securities.
 
If we use a dealer in the sale of the securities being offered pursuant to this prospectus or any prospectus supplement, we will sell the securities to the dealer, as principal. The dealer may then resell the securities to the public at varying prices to be determined by the dealer at the time of resale. The names of the dealers and the terms of the transaction will be specified in a prospectus supplement.
 
We may sell the securities directly or through agents we designate from time to time. We will name any agent involved in the offering and sale of securities and we will describe any commissions we will pay the agent in the prospectus supplement. Unless the prospectus supplement states otherwise, any agent will act on a best-efforts basis for the period of its appointment.

 
23

 
 
We may authorize agents or underwriters to solicit offers by institutional investors to purchase securities from us 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. We will describe the conditions to these contracts and the commissions we must pay for solicitation of these contracts in the prospectus supplement.
 
In connection with the sale of the securities, underwriters, dealers or agents may receive compensation from us or from purchasers of the securities for whom they act as agents, in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions. Underwriters may sell the securities to or through dealers, and those dealers may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from the underwriters or commissions from the purchasers for whom they may act as agents. Underwriters, dealers and agents that participate in the distribution of the securities, and any institutional investors or others that purchase securities directly for the purpose of resale or distribution, may be deemed to be underwriters, and any discounts or commissions received by them from us and any profit on the resale of the common stock by them may be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions under the Securities Act.
 
We may provide agents, underwriters and other purchasers with indemnification against particular civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or contribution with respect to payments that the agents, underwriters or other purchasers may make with respect to such liabilities. Agents and underwriters may engage in transactions with, or perform services for, us in the ordinary course of business.
 
To facilitate the public offering of a series of securities, persons participating in the offering may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain, or otherwise affect the market price of the securities. This may include over-allotments or short sales of the securities, which involves the sale by persons participating in the offering of more securities than have been sold to them by us. In exercising the over-allotment option granted to those persons. In addition, those persons may stabilize or maintain the price of the securities by bidding for or purchasing securities in the open market or by imposing penalty bids, whereby selling concessions allowed to underwriters or dealers participating in any such offering may be reclaimed if securities sold by them are repurchased in connection with stabilization transactions. The effect of these transactions may be to stabilize or maintain the market price of the securities at a level above that which might otherwise prevail in the open market. Such transactions, if commenced, may be discontinued at any time. We make no representation or prediction as to the direction or magnitude of any effect that the transactions described above, if implemented, may have on the price of our securities.
 
Unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, any common stock sold pursuant to a prospectus supplement will be eligible for listing on The NASDAQ Capital Market, subject to official notice of issuance. Any underwriters to whom securities are sold by us for public offering and sale may make a market in the securities, but such underwriters will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue any market making at any time without notice.
 
In order to comply with the securities laws of some states, if applicable, the securities offered pursuant to this prospectus will be sold in those states only through registered or licensed brokers or dealers. In addition, in some states securities may not be sold unless they have been registered or qualified for sale in the applicable state or an exemption from the registration or qualification requirement is available and complied with.
 
LITIGATION
 
From time to time, we may become involved in various lawsuits and legal proceedings which arise in the ordinary course of business. Litigation is subject to inherent uncertainties, and an adverse result in these or other matters may arise from time to time that may harm our business.

 
24

 
 
LEGAL MATTERS
 
Certain legal matters governed by the laws of the State of New York and of Delaware with respect to the validity of the offered securities will be passed upon for us by Loeb & Loeb LLP, New York, New York.
 
EXPERTS
 
The consolidated balance sheets of Lihua International, Inc. and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2008 and 2007 and the related consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for the years then ended are incorporated in this prospectus by reference from the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K have been audited by AGCA Inc., an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report, which is incorporated herein by reference, and have been so incorporated in reliance upon the report of such firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.
 
WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT US
 
We have filed a registration statement on Form S-3 with the SEC for the securities we are offering by this prospectus. This prospectus does not include all of the information contained in the registration statement. You should refer to the registration statement and its exhibits for additional information. We will provide to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom a prospectus is delivered, a copy of any or all of the information that has been incorporated by reference in the prospectus but not delivered with the prospectus.  We will provide this information upon oral or written request, free of charge.  Any requests for this information should be made by calling or sending a letter to the Secretary of the Company, c/o Lihua International, Inc., at the Company’s office located at Houxiang Five-Star Industry District, Danyang City, Jiangsu Province, PRC 212312. The Company’s telephone number is  +86 (511) 86317399.
 
We are required to file annual and quarterly reports, current reports, proxy statements, and other information with the SEC. We make these documents publicly available, free of charge, on our website at www.bioaobo.com as soon as reasonably practicable after filing such documents with the SEC. You can read our SEC filings, including the registration statement, on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. You also may read and copy any document we file with the SEC at its public reference facility at:
 
Public Reference Room
100 F Street N.E.
Washington, DC 20549.
 
Please call the SEC at 1-800-732-0330 for further information on the operation of the public reference facilities.

 
25

 

 
INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE
 
The following documents filed by us with the Securities and Exchange Commission are incorporated by reference in this prospectus:
 
 
·
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008, filed on April 2, 2009;
 
 
·
Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2009, filed on May 14, 2009,  for the fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2009, filed on July 29, 2009 and for the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2009, filed on November 16, 2009; and
 
 
·
Current Reports on Form 8-K, filed on April 17, 2009, September 9, 2009, October 15, 2009, October 23, 2009, November 18, 2009, December 29, 2009 and March 3, 2010; and
 
 
·
The description of our Common Stock set forth in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A (Registration No. 001-34445)  filed with the SEC on August 31, 2009, including any amendments thereto or reports filed for the purpose of updating such description.
 
All documents subsequently filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission by us pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act, after the date of the initial registration statement (other than current reports or portions thereof furnished under Items 2.02 or 7.01 of Form 8-K), prior to the termination of this offering, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference herein and to be part of this prospectus from the respective dates of filing of such documents. Any statement contained herein or in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes hereof or of the related prospectus supplement to the extent that a statement in any other subsequently filed document which is also incorporated or deemed to be incorporated herein modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this prospectus.

 
26

 
 


$100,000,000
 
LIHUA INTERNATIONAL, INC.
 
Common Stock
Preferred Stock
Debt Securities
Warrants
Units
 
PROSPECTUS
 
, 2010
 
We have not authorized any dealer, salesperson or other person to give any information or represent anything not contained in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus. You must not rely on any unauthorized information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. This prospectus does not offer to sell any shares in any jurisdiction where it is unlawful. Neither the delivery of this prospectus, nor any sale made hereunder, shall create any implication that the information in this prospectus is correct after the date hereof.
 


 
27

 

 
PART II INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
 
Item 14. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.
 
The following table sets forth an estimate of the fees and expenses relating to the issuance and distribution of the securities being registered hereby, other than underwriting discounts and commissions, all of which shall be borne by Lihua International.  All of such fees and expenses, except for the SEC Registration Fee, are estimated:

SEC Registration Fee
 
$
7,130
 
Transfer agent’s fees and expenses
   
5,000
*
Printing and engraving expenses
   
15,000
*
Accounting fees and expenses
   
10,000
*
Legal fees and expenses (including blue sky services and expenses)
   
75,000
*
Miscellaneous
   
5,000
*
Total
 
$
117,130
*
 
* Estimated
 

 
Item 15. Indemnification of Officers and Directors
 
Our Certificate of Incorporation provides that all directors, officers, employees and agents of the registrant shall be entitled to be indemnified by us to the fullest extent permitted by under Delaware law.
 
Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law concerning indemnification of officers, directors, employees and agents is set forth below.
 
“Section 145. Indemnification of officers, directors, employees and agents; insurance.
 
(a)    A corporation shall have power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the corporation) by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe the person’s conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not, of itself, create a presumption that the person did not act in good faith and in a manner which the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe that the person’s conduct was unlawful.
 
(b)    A corporation shall have power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation and except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper.

 
28

 

 
(c)    To the extent that a present or former director or officer of a corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to in subsections (a) and (b) of this section, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, such person shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection therewith.
 
(d)    Any indemnification under subsections (a) and (b) of this section (unless ordered by a court) shall be made by the corporation only as authorized in the specific case upon a determination that indemnification of the present or former director, officer, employee or agent is proper in the circumstances because the person has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in subsections (a) and (b) of this section. Such determination shall be made, with respect to a person who is a director or officer at the time of such determination, (1) by a majority vote of the directors who are not parties to such action, suit or proceeding, even though less than a quorum, or (2) by a committee of such directors designated by majority vote of such directors, even though less than a quorum, or (3) if there are no such directors, or if such directors so direct, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion, or (4) by the stockholders.
 
(e)    Expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by an officer or director in defending any civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suit or proceeding may be paid by the corporation in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such director or officer to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined that such person is not entitled to be indemnified by the corporation as authorized in this section. Such expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by former directors and officers or other employees and agents may be so paid upon such terms and conditions, if any, as the corporation deems appropriate.
 
(f)     The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, the other subsections of this section shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which those seeking indemnification or advancement of expenses may be entitled under any bylaw, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise, both as to action in such person’s official capacity and as to action in another capacity while holding such office. A right to indemnification or to advancement of expenses arising under a provision of the certificate of incorporation or a bylaw shall not be eliminated or impaired by an amendment to such provision after the occurrence of the act or omission that is the subject of the civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suit or proceeding for which indemnification or advancement of expenses is sought, unless the provision in effect at the time of such act or omission explicitly authorizes such elimination or impairment after such action or omission has occurred.
 
(g)    A corporation shall have power to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against any liability asserted against such person and incurred by such person in any such capacity, or arising out of such person’s status as such, whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such liability under this section.
 
(h)    For purposes of this section, references to “the corporation” shall include, in addition to the resulting corporation, any constituent corporation (including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in a consolidation or merger which, if its separate existence had continued, would have had power and authority to indemnify its directors, officers, and employees or agents, so that any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of such constituent corporation, or is or was serving at the request of such constituent corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, shall stand in the same position under this section with respect to the resulting or surviving corporation as such person would have with respect to such constituent corporation if its separate existence had continued.

 
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(i)      For purposes of this section, references to “other enterprises” shall include employee benefit plans; references to “fines” shall include any excise taxes assessed on a person with respect to any employee benefit plan; and references to “serving at the request of the corporation” shall include any service as a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation which imposes duties on, or involves services by, such director, officer, employee or agent with respect to an employee benefit plan, its participants or beneficiaries; and a person who acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in the interest of the participants and beneficiaries of an employee benefit plan shall be deemed to have acted in a manner “not opposed to the best interests of the corporation” as referred to in this section.
 
(j)     The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, this section shall, unless otherwise provided when authorized or ratified, continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a person.
 
(k)    The Court of Chancery is hereby vested with exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine all actions for advancement of expenses or indemnification brought under this section or under any bylaw, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors, or otherwise. The Court of Chancery may summarily determine a corporation’s obligation to advance expenses (including attorneys’ fees).”
 
Paragraph 7 of our Certificate of Incorporation provides:
 
“No director shall be personally liable to the Corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for any breach of fiduciary duty by such director as a director. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, a director shall be liable to the extent provided by applicable law, (i) for breach of the director's duty of loyalty to the Corporation or its stockholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL or (iv) for any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit. If the DGCL hereafter is amended to authorize the further elimination or limitation of the liability of directors, then the liability of a director of the Corporation, in addition to the limitation on personal liability provided herein, shall be limited to the fullest extent permitted by the amended DGCL. No amendment to or repeal of this Article 7 shall apply to or have any effect on the liability or alleged liability of any director of the Corporation for or with respect to any acts or omissions of such director occurring prior to such amendment.”
 
The underwriting agreement, if an underwriting agreement is utilized, may provide for indemnification by any underwriters of the company, our directors, our officers who sign the registration statement and our controlling persons (if any) for some liabilities, including liabilities arising under the Securities Act.
 
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to our directors, officers, and controlling persons pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, we have been advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person in a successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, we will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to the court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
 
Item 16. Exhibits
 
Exhibit
Number
 
Description of Document
     
1.1*
 
Form of underwriting agreement with respect to common stock, preferred stock, warrants or debt securities.
     
4.1
 
Form of specimen common stock certificate, if any (1)
     
4.2
 
Form of Underwriter Warrant(2)
 
 
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Exhibit
Number
 
Description of Document
     
4.3*
 
Form of specimen certificate for preferred stock of registrant, if any.
     
4.4*
 
Certificate of designation for preferred stock, if any.
     
4.5
 
Form of indenture with respect to senior debt securities, to be entered into between registrant and a trustee acceptable to the registrant, if any. (3)
     
4.6
 
Form of indenture with respect to subordinated debt securities, to be entered into between registrant and a trustee acceptable to the registrant, if any. (3)
     
4.7*
 
Form of debt securities, if any.
     
4.8*
 
Form of warrant agreement and warrant certificate, if any.
     
4.9*
 
Form of unit agreement and unit certificate, if any.
     
5.1
 
Opinion of Loeb & Loeb LLP as to the legality of certain securities being registered. (3)
     
12.1
 
Statement regarding computation of the ratio of earnings to fixed charges for each of the periods presented. (3)
     
23.1**
 
Consent of AGCA, Inc, an independent registered public accounting firm.
     
23.2
 
Consent of Loeb & Loeb LLP, with respect to certain securities being registered (included in Exhibit 5.1). (3)
     
24.1
 
Power of Attorney (included on signature pages to the registration statement). (3)
     
25.1***
 
Statement of Eligibility on Form T-1 under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, of a trustee acceptable to the registrant, as trustee under the Indenture.
 

 
*
To the extent applicable, to be filed by a post-effective amendment or as an exhibit to a document filed under the Securities Exchange Act, as amended, and incorporated by reference herein.
 
** 
Filed herewith.
 
***
To the extent applicable, to be filed under Form 305B2.
 
(1)
Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1, Amendment No. 1, filed with the SEC on July 13, 2009.
 
(2)
Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1, Amendment No. 2, filed with the SEC on August 17, 2009.
     
 
(3)
Previously filed.
 
Item 17. Undertakings.
 
(a)   The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:
 
(1)   To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

 
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(i)     To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;
 
(ii)    To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement;
 
(iii)   To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement. Provided, however, that the undertakings set forth in paragraphs (a)(1)(i), (a)(1)(ii) and (a)(1)(iii) above do not apply if the registration statement is on Form S-3 or Form F-3 and the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in the registration statements or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is a part of the registration statement
 
(2)    That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
 
(3)    To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.
 
(b)   The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act that is incorporated by reference in this registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
 
(c)   That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser:
 
(1)    Each prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and
 
(2)    Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5), or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii), or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by section 10(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date.

 
32

 
 
(d)    That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser: (i) Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424; (ii) any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant; (iii) the portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and (iv) any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.
 
(e)     If and when applicable, the undersigned registrant, hereby undertakes to file an application for the purpose of determining the eligibility of the trustee to act under subsection (a) of Section 310 of the Trust Indenture Act in accordance with the rules and regulations prescribed by the Commission under Section 305(b)(2) of the Act.
 
(f)    Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933 and is therefore unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933, and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 
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SIGNATURES
 
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this Amendment No. 3 to this Registration Statement on Form S-3 to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Danyang, People’s Republic of China, on the 4th day of March , 2010. 
 

LIHUA INTERNATIONAL, INC.
 
   
By
/s/ Jianhua Zhu
 
 
Name:  Jianhua Zhu
 
 
Title:    Chief Executive Officer
 
 
POWER OF ATTORNEY
 
 
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

Name
 
Position
 
Date
         
/s/ Jianhua Zhu
 
Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive
 
March 4, 2010
Jianhua Zhu
 
Officer), President and Chairman
   
         
/s/ Yang Roy Yu
 
Chief Financial Officer
 
March 4, 2010
Yang “Roy” Yu 
 
(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)
   
         
*
 
Director
 
March 4, 2010
Yaying Wang
       
         
*
 
Director
 
March 4, 2010
Jonathan P. Serbin
       
         
*
 
Director
 
March 4, 2010
Robert C. Bruce
       
         
*
 
Director
 
March 4, 2010
Siu Ki Lau
       
         
*/s/ Jianhua Zhu        
Attorney-in-Fact        
 
 
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