We are subject to various specific regulatory regimes and requirements that could result in significant compliance costs and liabilities. As a public company, we are subject to various corporate governance and financial reporting requirements, including requirements for management to report on our internal controls over financial reporting and for our independent registered public accounting firm to express an opinion on the operating effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2023; however, there can be no assurance that our internal control over financial reporting will be determined to be effective in future years. Failure to maintain effective internal controls, including the identification and remediation of significant internal control deficiencies in acquired businesses (both prior acquisitions and future acquisitions), could result in a decrease in the market value of our publicly traded securities, a reduced ability to obtain debt and equity financing, a loss of customers, fines or penalties, and/or additional expenditures to meet the requirements or remedy any deficiencies.
Additionally, one of our subsidiaries has registered as an investment adviser with the SEC under the U.S. Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the Advisers Act), which imposes substantive and material restrictions and requirements on the operations of this subsidiary, including certain fiduciary duties that apply to its relationships with its advisory clients. The SEC has broad administrative powers to institute proceedings and impose sanctions for violations of the Advisers Act, ranging from fines and censures to termination of an adviser’s registration. This subsidiary is also subject to periodic SEC examinations and other requirements, including, among other things, maintaining an effective compliance program, recordkeeping and reporting requirements, disclosure requirements and complying with anti-fraud prohibitions. The failure of our subsidiary to comply with the requirements of the Advisers Act could result in fines, suspensions of individual employees or other sanctions against our subsidiary that could have a material adverse effect on us. Even if an investigation or proceeding does not result in a fine or sanction or if a fine or sanction imposed against our subsidiary or its employees were small in monetary amount, the adverse publicity relating to an investigation, proceeding or imposition of these fines or sanctions could harm our reputation and have a material adverse effect on us.
Furthermore, our wholly-owned captive insurance company is a registered insurance company with the Texas Department of Insurance, and therefore is subject to various rules and regulations and required to meet certain capital requirements, which can result in additional use of our resources.
We also collect and retain information about our customers, stockholders, vendors and employees. Legislation and regulatory requirements, as well as contractual commitments, affect how we must store, use, transfer and process the confidential information of our customers, stockholders, vendors and employees. These laws, as well as other new or changing legislative, regulatory or contractual requirements concerning data privacy and protection, could require us to expend significant additional compliance costs, and any failure to comply with such requirements can result in significant liability or harm to our reputation.