Note 3 - Investments

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2019

Notes to Financial Statements

Equity Method Investments and Joint Ventures Disclosure [Text Block]

3. INVESTMENT s

Beginning in the quarter ended

September 30, 2017,

and in subsequent periods we entered into a Loan Agreement and various Promissory Notes, as discussed in more detail in Note

4,

with a privately-held identity and professional services company with ties to the FinTech industry. In

June 2019,

we converted the Loan Agreement and all Promissory Notes into equity resulting in ownership of

40

percent of the company. We also entered into a new Loan Agreement with a principal balance of

$1,000,000

that bears interest at the rate of

6.0

percent annually with a maturity date of

June 2021.

We account for our investment using the equity method of accounting. The carrying value is included in long-term investments.

In the quarter ended

June 30, 2018,

we recorded an impairment charge of

$250,000

to reduce the carrying value of our minority equity ownership in

one

of our investee companies, a privately held technology company and program manager in the FinTech industry.