History
WestMountain Gold turned from index advisory to Alaskan gold exploration in 2011, funded largely by BOCO Investments, and ended in Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2017.
2011: A new business in Alaska
In February 2011 the company, then filing as WestMountain Index Advisor, closed its purchase of Terra Mining Corporation and its subsidiary Terra Gold Corporation. It issued 1,500,000 restricted shares for Terra Mining and took on $500,000 of debt owed to BOCO Investments. Terra Mining held 240 Alaska state mining claims, about 130 square kilometres, with 168,000 ounces of inferred gold (an estimate with lower confidence). The deal moved the company out of index advisory and into gold exploration.
It also issued 5,000,000 shares for further Alaska claims. BOCO's $500,000 of notes were converted into 1,000,000 shares plus a warrant, and the company agreed private placements of $630,000 and $370,000 at about $0.50 a share. Shares on issue rose from 8,828,313 at the end of 2010 to 18,765,664 a year later. Gregory Schifrin, the CEO, and James Baughman, the COO, held over 51% of the 11,852,313 shares then outstanding, and they were to replace sole director Brian Klemsz on the board. In November 2011 BOCO lent another $300,000, with a warrant for 200,000 shares.
2012-2014: Building the Terra Project and buying it out
BOCO kept funding the company. In August 2012 it received a $1,831,538 secured note at 15%, due July 31, 2013, which rolled in earlier smaller notes. In October 2012 that was replaced by an amended $1,853,965 note with more warrants. Shares on issue reached 21,382,776 at the end of 2012.
In February 2013 the company signed a non-final letter of intent to buy the rest of the Terra Project from its joint venture partner, for $6.0 million in cash and 750,000 shares. A new technical report the next day gave 419,604 ounces of gold, 49,809 indicated and 369,795 inferred, up from the 2010 report, and the company cited a $4.2 million 2013 field budget. BOCO lent $500,000 in May 2013 and another $500,000 in June. In November 2013 a Lincoln Park Capital agreement let the company sell up to $10 million of stock over 24 months.
In February 2014 the company said it had acquired 100% of the project from Corvus Gold's Alaskan subsidiary for $1.8 million and 200,000 shares, different from the letter of intent terms, with Corvus giving up royalties. The company also received a $1,000,000 bridge loan that month, though the filing does not detail how the purchase was funded. Trouble followed in April 2014: the company defaulted on a $100,000 annual royalty owed to Ben Porterfield under its lease, and URenergy LLC won a $204,143 judgment over a defaulted loan. BOCO modified three defaulted loans, extending maturity to December 31, 2015.
2015: The restructuring
The company said it had missed the conditions of the 2014 modifications, so the BOCO loans had been in default since October 2013. In May 2015 a new agreement set repayments from October 2015 through November 2017. BOCO converted $2,221,159 of unpaid interest and $300,000 of principal into 21,009,658 shares at $0.12, and Minex and Silver Verde May Mining also converted debts at $0.12. BOCO exercised 6,886,615 warrants for $264,331 and gained a board seat and oversight rights. Shares on issue rose from 27,296,403 at the end of 2014 to 61,650,537 at the end of 2015, a heavy dilution for existing holders.
2016-2017: Default and bankruptcy
The relief did not last. By January 2016 the notes due in October and November 2015 were in default, with BOCO owed $4,493,159. BOCO lent $125,000 in March 2016, used to pay Porterfield to keep rights to claims, and set up a credit line of up to $640,000 in April. On May 25, 2016 BOCO demanded immediate payment of all ten notes, about $5,714,841. In August the line rose to $1,000,000 and three directors lent $80,000, with the company blaming problems at the Terra camp. It warned that restructuring its debts could heavily dilute shareholders. Shares on issue were 76,221,319 at the end of 2017.
On March 1, 2017 WestMountain Gold and Terra Gold Corporation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Colorado, saying they would keep operating. The filing defaulted all BOCO, Andres and Dessi notes, and BOCO's right to foreclose was paused by the bankruptcy stay. The filing did not say what would happen to existing shares. On May 19, 2017 the company deregistered its securities, ending its duty to file reports with the SEC.
Written from the 21 story beats below (2011 to 19 May 2017), which come from the company's own announcements and filings.