PRAA · Read the filing

praa-20241231

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

☒Annual Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024

☐Transition Report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For the transition period from ________ to ________

Commission File Number: 000-50058

PRA Group, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

120 Corporate Boulevard, Norfolk, Virginia23502

(888) 772-7326

(Address of principal executive offices, zip code, telephone number)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class Trading Symbol(s) Name of each exchange on which registered

Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share PRAA NASDAQ Global Select Market

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes☑ No ☐

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15 (d) of the Act. Yes ☐No☑

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes☑ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes☑ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company or emerging growth company. See the definitions of "large accelerated filer", "accelerated filer", "smaller reporting company" and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one): Large accelerated filer☑ Accelerated filer ☐ Non-accelerated filer ☐ Smaller reporting company ☐Emerging growth company ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☑

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☑

The aggregate market value of the common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of June 30, 2024 was $764,441,903 based on the $19.66 closing price as reported on the NASDAQ Global Select Market.

The number of shares of the registrant's Common Stock outstanding as of February 20, 2025 was 39,509,560.

Documents incorporated by reference

Portions of the Registrant's definitive Proxy Statement for its 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Form 10-K.

Table of Contents

Part I

Item 1. Business 4

Item 1A. Risk Factors 8

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 16

Item 1C. Cybersecurity 16

Item 2. Properties 18

Item 3. Legal Proceedings 18

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 18

Part II

Item 6. [Reserved] 20

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk 40

Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 41

Item 9A. Controls and Procedures 75

Item 9B. Other Information 77

Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections 77

Part III

Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 77

Item 11. Executive Compensation 77

Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services 77

Part IV

Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules 77

Signatures 80

All references in this Annual Report on Form 10-K ("Form 10-K") to "PRA Group," "our," "we," "us," the "Company" or similar terms are to PRA Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This report contains forward-looking statements as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, including statements regarding cash collection trends, operating cost trends, liquidity and capital needs and other statements of expectations, beliefs, future plans, strategies and anticipated events or trends. Our results could differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, or our forward-looking statements could be wrong as a result of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including the following:

•volatility and uncertainty in general business and economic conditions or financial markets;

•our ability to purchase a sufficient volume of nonperforming loans at favorable pricing;

•our ability to collect sufficient amounts on our nonperforming loans to fund our operations;

•a disruption or failure by any of our outsourcing, offshoring or other third-party service providers to meet their obligations and our service level expectations;

•our ability to achieve the expected benefits of offshoring a portion of our collection and related support activities;

•our ability to successfully implement our cash-generating and cost savings initiatives in our United States ("U.S.") business;

•disruptions of business operations caused by cybersecurity incidents or the failure of information technology infrastructure, networks or communication systems;

•our ability to effectively utilize artificial intelligence ("AI");

•changes in accounting standards and their interpretations;

•the occurrence of goodwill impairment charges;

•loss contingency accruals that are inadequate to cover actual losses;

•our ability to manage risks associated with our international operations;

•our assumptions related to the expected timing and estimated financial effect of exercising our right to sell our remaining 11.7% interest in RCB Investimentos S.A. ("RCB");

•changes in local, state, federal or international laws or the interpretation of these laws, including tax, bankruptcy and collection laws;

•our ability to comply with existing and new regulations of the collection industry;

•changes in tax provisions or exposure to additional tax liabilities;

•investigations, reviews, or enforcement actions by governmental authorities, including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ("CFPB");

•our ability to comply with data privacy regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR");

•adverse outcomes in pending litigation or administrative proceedings;

•our ability to retain, expand, renegotiate or replace our credit facilities and our ability to comply with the covenants under our financing arrangements;

•our ability to manage our capital and liquidity needs effectively, including as a result of changes in credit or capital markets or adverse changes in our credit ratings, whether due to concerns about our industry in general, the financial condition of our competitors, or other factors;

•changes in interest or exchange rates;

•default by, or failure of, one or more of our counterparty financial institutions; and

•the "Risk Factors" in Item 1A of this Form 10-K and in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC").

You should assume that the information appearing in this Form 10-K is accurate only as of the date it was issued. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since that date. The future events, developments or results described in, or implied by, this Form 10-K could turn out to be materially different. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to publicly update or revise our forward-looking statements after the date of this Form 10-K, and you should not expect us to do so.

PART I

Item 1. Business.

OVERVIEW

PRA Group Inc. is a global financial services company with operations in the Americas, Europe and Australia. Our primary business is the purchase, collection and management of portfolios of nonperforming loans. The accounts we purchase are primarily the unpaid obligations of individuals owed to credit originators. We purchase nonperforming loans at a discount to face value for both our Core and Insolvency portfolios. Our Core operation specializes in purchasing and collecting nonperforming loans, which are sold by credit originators when they choose not to pursue, or have been unsuccessful in, collecting the full balance owed. Our Insolvency operation consists primarily of purchasing and collecting on nonperforming loans where the customer is involved in a bankruptcy or similar proceeding. We also purchase and provide fee-based services for class action claims recoveries in the U.S.

PORTFOLIO PURCHASING

To identify purchasing opportunities, our global investment team continuously engages with known and potential sellers, including major banks, consumer finance companies, auto finance providers and other creditors. The types of Core and Insolvency nonperforming loans we purchase include general purpose and private label credit cards, consumer loans, auto loans, overdrafts and small business loans. In valuing these loans, we consider several factors, including the type of asset, the age since charge-off, the geographic region, the sellers' selection criteria and collections activity up to the time of sale. We leverage our extensive data set and modeling experience to determine the price we bid for a portfolio, which considers projected future cash collections, the estimated cost to collect, financing costs and the current market environment. All purchases are subject to approval by the applicable investment committee(s).

Credit originators sell nonperforming loans in either single portfolio transactions, referred to as spot sales, or through pre-arranged sales of multiple portfolios over time, referred to as forward flow sales. Under forward flows, portfolios are purchased on a periodic basis at a negotiated price over a specified term, typically ranging from six to 12 months. In addition, forward flow agreements contain provisions establishing specific criteria for the loans to be purchased, and many allow for termination and/or price renegotiation should the underlying quality of the portfolio deteriorate over time.

Nonperforming loan portfolios are sold through formal sales processes. Typically, the sellers assemble a portfolio and request prices from specific bidders. The bidders form part of a panel of potential buyers that have qualified to participate through a process that includes review of any or all of the following: experience, reputation, financial standing, operating procedures, business practices, customer treatment and compliance oversight. Portfolios can also be sold on an exclusive basis directly to a seller's preferred buyer.

PORTFOLIO COLLECTIONS

Core operation

Our collection efforts are driven by a combination of internally staffed call centers and external vendors. As part of recent initiatives to enhance the performance of our U.S. business, we expanded our use of offshore collectors and conducted a successful work-from-home pilot program for a portion of our collections operations, which led to a planned reduction in the number of collection sites in the U.S. from six to three. Whether accounts are being serviced by internal staff or external vendors, except for accounts placed with a third-party debt collection agency, we utilize our proprietary models to proportionally direct work efforts to those customers most able and willing to pay, and ultimately, to achieve the highest correlation to profitable collections from our call activities.

Another important component of our collection efforts involves legal recovery and the judicial collection of balances from customers who we generally believe have the ability to settle their obligations, but who are unwilling to pay. There are some markets, especially in the Nordic countries, where the collection process follows a prescribed and time-sensitive set of legal actions, but in the majority of instances, we are able to use models and analysis to identify accounts with a higher propensity to pay. We do not begin our collections activity with the legal collections channel, but consider using it if and when our customers do not engage with us voluntarily, and we determine whether to commence legal action to judicially collect based on the characteristics of an account and the applicable local collection laws. The legal process can take an extended period of time and requires an upfront investment in court filing costs, but usually generates net cash collections that likely would not have been realized otherwise. We utilize a combination of internal resources (attorneys and supporting staff), external law firms and other third-party vendors to perform legal recovery and judicial collections.

Insolvency operation

Accounts that are in an insolvent or bankrupt status are managed by our Insolvency operations team. These accounts fall under insolvency plans such as Individual Voluntary Arrangements ("IVAs") and Trust Deeds in the United Kingdom ("UK"), Consumer Proposals in Canada and various forms of bankruptcy plans in the U.S., Canada, Germany and the UK. We file claims or claim transfers securing our creditor rights under these plans, and we actively manage these accounts through the entire life cycle of the insolvency proceeding to ensure that we participate in any distributions to creditors. The accounts we manage are derived from two sources: (1) purchased portfolios of insolvent nonperforming loans and (2) Core nonperforming loans when our customers file for protection under insolvency or bankruptcy laws after we purchase the accounts.

These accounts are managed under the relevant country's insolvency or bankruptcy codes and may have an associated payment plan that generally ranges from three to seven years. Accounts that are purchased while insolvent can be purchased at any stage of the insolvency or bankruptcy plan life cycle. Accounts sold close to the filing of the insolvency or bankruptcy plan may take months to generate cash flows, while accounts sold years after the filing of the insolvency or bankruptcy plan typically generate cash flows immediately.

Digital channels

We utilize digital platforms to support our inbound collection efforts, and where permitted by local regulations, our outbound communications. Our digital channels allow us to serve our customers in a way that many of them prefer, providing convenient, user-friendly platforms for receiving information, making payments, accessing account information, viewing documents and contacting account representatives.

Seasonality

In all of the countries in which we operate, customer payment patterns can be impacted by multiple factors, including seasonal employment trends, income tax refunds and holiday spending habits.

COMPETITION

Competition is derived primarily from other debt purchasers that either manage their own nonperforming loans or outsource such services. In the U.S., regulatory complexity and burdens, combined with seller preferences for experienced portfolio purchasers, create barriers to successful entry for new competitors, resulting in a fairly stable competitive landscape. In Europe, diverse regulatory environments create varying levels of competition, with some markets being more competitive than others. In Brazil, there are a small number of large purchasers of nonperforming loans, whose experience and access to capital creates barriers to entry for new competitors. We compete with other debt purchasers on a number of individual factors, including price, reputation, industry experience and long-term performance. We believe that our competitive strengths include our:

•diverse global presence, with portfolios in 18 countries;

•strong and longstanding relationships with credit originators globally;

•strong capital position;

•extensive data set informing our proprietary underwriting process and disciplined approach to bidding;

•comprehensive compliance program;

•reputation from previous portfolio purchase transactions;

•customer service; and

•ability to efficiently and effectively collect on various asset types.

GOVERNMENT REGULATION

We are subject to a variety of federal, state, local and international laws, some of which establish specific guidelines and procedures for the collection, use, retention, security and transfer of personal information that debt collectors must follow when collecting on customer accounts. The most significant government regulations that impact our business are discussed below. For further discussion about how these regulations may impact our business, refer to Item 1A. Risk Factors.

United States

We are subject to supervision by the CFPB, which has primary regulatory authority over consumer debt collection in the U.S and is responsible for enforcing numerous financial statutes and regulations. After the recent change in presidential administration, there have been some indications that the regulatory and enforcement activities of the CFPB may change, but the extent to which these or other future developments may impact our business remains uncertain.

Significant laws and regulations applicable to our U.S. business include the following:

•Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, which imposes certain obligations and restrictions on the practices of debt collectors, including specific restrictions regarding the time, place and manner of communications.

•Fair Credit Reporting Act, which obligates credit information providers to verify the accuracy of information provided to credit reporting agencies and investigate consumer disputes concerning the accuracy of such information.

•Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act ("GLBA"), which requires that certain financial institutions, including collection companies, develop policies to protect the privacy of consumers' private financial information and provide notices to consumers advising them of their privacy policies.

•Electronic Funds Transfer Act, which regulates electronic fund transfer transactions, including a consumer’s right to stop payments on a pre-approved fund transfer and to receive certain documentation of the transaction.

•Telephone Consumer Protection Act, which, along with similar state laws, places certain restrictions on the use of pre-recorded messages and certain automated dialing equipment that places telephone calls to consumers.

•Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, which gives U.S. military service personnel relief from credit obligations they may have incurred prior to entering military service and may also apply in certain circumstances to obligations and liabilities incurred by a servicemember while serving on active duty.

•Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which provides standards to protect the confidentiality of patients' personal healthcare and financial information in the U.S.

•U.S. Bankruptcy Code, which prohibits certain contacts with consumers after the filing of bankruptcy petitions and dictates what types of claims will or will not be allowed in a bankruptcy proceeding, including how such claims may be discharged.

•Americans with Disabilities Act, which requires that telecommunications companies operating in the U.S. take steps to ensure functionally equivalent services are available for their consumers with disabilities and to accommodate consumers with disabilities through, for example, implementation of telecommunications relay services.

•Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the "Dodd Frank Act"), which restructured the regulation and supervision of the financial services industry in the U.S. and created the CFPB.

At the state and local levels, we are subject to a variety of statutes and regulations. These state and local rules regulate, among other things, collection activity, data collection and use, legal recovery and post-judgment processes, and licensing and bonding.

International

Our non-U.S. businesses are also subject to regulation by various regulators, including central banks and other regulatory bodies such as the UK Financial Conduct Authority, Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority, German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority, Bank of Italy, Polish Financial Supervision Authority and Australian Securities & Investments Commission.

Significant laws and regulations applicable to our international businesses include the following:

•U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act ("FCPA"), UK Bribery Act and Similar Laws, which prohibit certain payments to governmental officials and other individuals.

•International data protection and privacy laws, which include relevant country specific legislation in the UK and other European countries where we operate that regulate the processing of information related to individuals, including the obtaining, holding, use, or disclosure of such information; the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, which aims to protect personal information that is collected, used, or disclosed in certain circumstances for purposes of electronic commerce in Canada; the GDPR, which regulates the processing and free movement of personal data within the European Union ("EU") and the transfer of such data outside the EU; and in the UK, the Data Protection Act 2018, which implements the EU General Data Protection Regulation in the UK.

•EU Directive 2021/2167 (the "Directive"), which creates a regulatory framework for the sale, purchase, and servicing of EU nonperforming loans and requires "credit servicing" to be subject to authorization and oversight processes. EU member states are required to establish regulatory frameworks for authorizations and registrations of all credit servicers and to set standards for consumer protection and fitness and propriety standards for business owners, among other things.

•Consumer Credit Act 1974 (and its related regulations); Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations of 1999; and the Financial Conduct Authority's Handbook of rules and guidance, which include the:

•Consumer Credit Sourcebook, which governs regulated and consumer credit agreements and collection activities in the UK;

•Consumer Duty, which sets higher and clearer standards of consumer protection across financial services in the UK and requires firms to act to deliver good outcomes for customers; and

•Senior Managers and Certification Regime, which aims to reduce harm to consumers and strengthen market integrity in the UK by imposing additional obligations on certain individuals who have significant control or influence over the management of UK businesses to ensure accountability for their conduct and competence.

Our non-US businesses are subject to the tax laws and regulations of the countries in which they are organized and operate. Foreign governments from time-to-time consider legislation that could impact our business activities or the amount of taxes that we pay. For example, in 2021, as part of its Global Anti-Base Erosion Model Rules (Pillar Two), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (“OECD”) recommended a minimum 15% tax on the income of large multinational enterprises in each jurisdiction in which they operate. Many of the jurisdictions in which we have operations, including the UK, EU, Canada and Australia, have enacted legislation to begin implementing Pillar Two for tax years beginning in 2024. Other jurisdictions, including Brazil, are taking steps to adopt Pillar Two for tax years beginning in 2025. In addition, certain of our EU and UK subsidiaries are subject to capital adequacy, liquidity, and other requirements imposed by regulators.

HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT

Our Company’s values and culture are central to our ability to attract, hire and retain talented employees. Our human capital management objectives are grounded in our commitment to these values and ethics and are focused on supporting employee health, safety and wellness and furthering talent development, performance management and engagement.

Commitment to values and ethics

We strive to foster a culture of respect and responsibility through a common set of values and commitments among all our employees referred to as "C.A.R.E.S", which stands for Committed, Accountable, Respectful, Ethical and Successful. Our C.A.R.E.S values guide how we treat each other, how we relate to our customers and the responsibilities we have to other key stakeholders such as our stockholders, sellers and regulators. These values are also reflected in our Code of Conduct.

Total rewards and safety

We are committed to creating a workplace that promotes the health, safety and wellness of our employees. We offer a comprehensive total rewards program, which includes competitive pay and bonus structures, health and wellness benefits, retirement plans and an employee assistance program. In 2024, our U.S. business received the “Safe Workplace Certification” from the Center of Personal Protection and Safety, which demonstrates our commitment to the physical safety of our employees.

Talent development and engagement

We believe that talent development, performance management and engagement of our employees are key to our future success. We offer tuition reimbursement assistance and have a robust suite of training and development offerings for employees across the globe, many available in multiple languages. Our performance management framework is designed to foster accountability, encourage interactive discussions about performance and expand the skills and capabilities of our employees. We conduct an annual employee survey to measure engagement and inform action plans to address employee concerns and

celebrate accomplishments. We believe that our employees are one of our greatest assets and encourage them to be their best and to be themselves, which fosters an inclusive workplace that values diverse experiences, perspectives and abilities.

Our workforce

As of December 31, 2024, we employed 3,115 full-time equivalents globally, with approximately 71% of our workforce located in the Americas and Australia and 29% in Europe. None of our employees in North America are represented by a union or covered by a collective bargaining agreement. In Europe, we work closely with works councils, and in countries where it is the customary local practice, such as Finland and Spain, we have collective bargaining agreements.

Available Information

We make available on or through our website, www.pragroup.com, certain reports that we file with or furnish to the SEC in accordance with the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"). These include our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, our Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act ("SEC Filings"). We make this information available on our website free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file the information with, or furnish it to, the SEC. The SEC maintains a website that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC at: www.sec.gov.

The information contained on, or that can be accessed through our website, is not, and shall not be deemed to be a part of this Form 10-K or incorporated into any of our other SEC Filings.

Reports filed with, or furnished to, the SEC are also available free of charge upon request by contacting our corporate office at:

PRA Group, Inc.

Attn: Investor Relations

120 Corporate Boulevard, Suite 100

Norfolk, Virginia 23502

Item 1A. Risk Factors.

You should carefully read the following discussion of material factors, events and uncertainties when evaluating our business and the forward-looking information contained in this Form 10-K. The events and consequences discussed in these risk factors could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, liquidity, cash flow and financial condition. While we believe we have identified and discussed below the material risk factors affecting our business, these risk factors do not identify all of the risks we face, and there could be additional risks and uncertainties that we do not presently know or that we do not currently believe to be material that could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations, liquidity, cash flow or financial condition in the future.

OPERATIONAL AND INDUSTRY RISKS

Volatility and uncertainty in general business and economic conditions or financial markets could adversely impact our business, financial performance, results of operations and cash flow.

Our business has been sensitive to, and our financial performance is in part dependent on, the general business and economic conditions in the markets in which we operate. Our financial performance may be adversely affected by an economic recession, a significant rise in inflation including sustained high inflation, interest rate uncertainty, and the effects of governmental fiscal and monetary policies in the markets in which we operate. Any prolonged economic downturn or volatility in the financial or credit markets could place financial pressure on and negatively affect the ability of consumers to pay their debts, which could adversely affect collections and the value of our receivable portfolios. In addition, levels of consumer or commercial lending and financing could decline, thus reducing the volume of nonperforming loans available for purchase, which could adversely affect our business and financial results in the markets in which we operate.

We may not be able to purchase a sufficient volume of nonperforming loans at favorable pricing, which could adversely impact our profitability.

Our ability to operate profitably is dependent on our ability to purchase and service a sufficient volume of nonperforming loans to generate revenue that exceeds our expenses. The cadence for the purchase of nonperforming loans by quarter, and by year, has been and may continue to be varied and periodic due in large part to the available supply of portfolios in the markets in which we operate and pricing that meets our return thresholds. The availability of nonperforming loan portfolios at prices that generate an appropriate return on our investment depends on a number of factors, including:

•consumer debt levels;

•sales of nonperforming loan portfolios by credit originators;

•competitive factors affecting potential purchasers and credit originators of nonperforming loans;

•our ability to obtain and analyze portfolio data efficiently and to accurately predict collectability; and

•changes in credit and financial lending laws and regulations.

Changes in the financial or credit markets may cause a forward flow agreement to fail to meet our return thresholds, since we have agreed to purchase portfolios at a negotiated price for a specified term, and may end up paying higher prices for portfolios than we would have otherwise agreed to pay for a spot purchase.

Moreover, there can be no assurance that credit originators will continue to sell their nonperforming loans consistent with historical levels, or at all, or that we will be able to bid competitively for those portfolios. Because of the length of time involved in collecting on acquired portfolios and the variability in the timing of our collections, we may not be able to identify trends and make changes in our purchasing strategies in a timely manner. If we are unable to maintain our business or adapt to changing market needs as well as our current or future competitors, we may experience reduced access to nonperforming loan portfolios at appropriate prices, which could adversely impact our business, liquidity, results of operations and cash flow.

We may not be able to collect sufficient amounts to fund our operations due to the purchase of nonperforming loans that ultimately prove to be unprofitable.

Our principal business consists of purchasing and collecting on nonperforming loans from credit originators that consumers or others have failed to pay. The credit originators have typically made numerous attempts to recover on these accounts, often using a combination of in-house recovery efforts and third-party collection agencies. These nonperforming loans are difficult to collect, and we may not collect a sufficient amount to cover our investment and the costs of operating our business. We use statistical models to make cash flow projections as part of our underwriting process, and if they prove to be inaccurate, we may acquire nonperforming loan portfolios that ultimately prove to be below our return thresholds or unprofitable. Moreover, if we experience operational challenges in our collections processes, we may incur losses on portfolios that would have otherwise been profitable, which could adversely impact our business, financial performance, results of operations and cash flow.

We outsource and offshore certain activities related to our business to third parties. Any disruption or failure of these third parties to provide these services could adversely affect our business operations, financial condition and reputation.

We rely on third-party service providers to conduct collection and other activities on our behalf through both outsourcing and offshoring arrangements. These third parties include law firms, collection agencies, data providers, tracing service providers, business process outsourcing companies and information technology firms. If our third-party service providers fail to perform their service obligations in a timely manner or at a satisfactory quality level, or fail to handle the case volume assigned, the quality of our services and operations, as well as our reputation could be adversely impacted. Furthermore, we may not be able to find alternative third parties in a timely manner on terms that are acceptable to us, or because of contractual restrictions that limit our flexibility in responding to disruptions from these third parties. If any of these third-party service providers fail to implement proper controls to meet our industry’s regulatory requirements, violate laws, do not fulfill their contractual obligations, or act inappropriately in conducting their services on our behalf, our operations and reputation could be negatively impacted and result in regulatory fines and penalties.

Our reliance on these third parties to collect, store, process and transmit confidential and sensitive customer and employee data increases our cybersecurity threat profile. A third-party cybersecurity incident could compromise the security, integrity or availability of data, or result in theft, unauthorized access or processing, or disruption of access to data, which could negatively impact our operations. We rely on these third parties to maintain the security of all software code, information technology ("IT") systems and data provided to them and used while providing their services to us. Cybersecurity incidents

involving third parties on which we rely, as further discussed below, could negatively affect our reputation, our competitive position and our financial performance, and we could face regulatory scrutiny, investigations, lawsuits and potential liability.

We may not achieve the expected benefits of offshoring a portion of our collection activities, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

To improve our operational and labor efficiencies, we have offshored a portion of our collection and related support activities to third-party service providers located in Asia. As a result of offshoring some of these activities, we may experience a loss of continuity, loss of accumulated knowledge and/or inefficiency. We also cannot predict the availability of qualified workers, interruptions in collections or the impact of macroeconomic drivers in the countries we utilize for these activities. There is inherent risk beyond our control, including exposure to political uncertainty and foreign regulatory restrictions. One or more of these factors, or any other factors not yet identified related to our offshoring activities, could result in unexpected increases in operating expenses and make it more difficult for us to manage our costs and operations, which could cause our profitability to decline. Additional risks related to offshoring are further discussed within this section under International Operations Risks.

We may not be successful in implementing or realizing the expected benefits from our cash generating and cost savings initiatives in our U.S. business, which could have an adverse impact on our business and results of operations.

Our ability to successfully compete depends, in part, on our ability to optimize cash collections at lower marginal costs through effective execution. In our U.S. business, we continue to identify and implement initiatives that we believe will position our business for long-term sustainable growth and profitability by allowing us to achieve a lower marginal cost structure and to execute effectively, particularly in the areas of customer contact strategies and post-judgment legal collections. It is possible that the implementation of some of these initiatives could be altered or delayed or result in unintended consequences, such as business disruptions, distraction of management and employees, reduced productivity, unexpected employee attrition or an inability to attract or retain key personnel. If we are unable to successfully implement some or all of our operational initiatives as planned, or we do not achieve the anticipated cash generating or cost savings improvements as a result of these initiatives, our profitability and cash flows could be adversely impacted.

A cybersecurity incident could damage our reputation and adversely impact our business and financial results.

Our business is highly dependent on our ability to process and monitor a large number of transactions across markets and in multiple currencies. We rely on IT systems to conduct our business, including IT systems developed and administered by third parties. Many of these IT systems contain sensitive and confidential information, including personal data, our trade secrets and proprietary business information, and information and materials owned by or pertaining to our customers, vendors and business partners. The secure maintenance of this information, and the IT systems on which they reside, is critical to our business strategy and our operations and financial performance. As our reliance on IT systems increases, maintaining the security of such IT systems and our data becomes more challenging.

Our IT systems and infrastructure may be vulnerable to computer viruses, cyber-attacks, security breaches caused by employee error or malfeasance, or other disruptions. Although we take a number of steps to protect our IT systems, the attacks that companies have experienced have increased in number, sophistication and complexity in recent years, including threats from the malicious use of AI. Additionally, as we shift more employees to work-from-home arrangements, remote access to our systems has increased significantly, which exposes us to additional cybersecurity risks.

As a result of our reliance on IT systems, we may suffer data security incidents or other cybersecurity incidents, which could compromise our IT systems and networks, creating disruptions and exploiting vulnerabilities in our services. Any such breach or other incident could result in the personal data or other confidential or proprietary information stored on our systems and networks, or our vendors’ systems and networks, being improperly accessed, acquired or modified, publicly disclosed, lost, or stolen, which could subject us to liability to our customers, vendors, business partners and others. We seek to detect and investigate such incidents and to prevent their occurrence where practicable through preventive and remedial measures, but such measures may not be successful.

Should a cybersecurity incident occur, we may be required to expend significant resources to notify affected parties, modify our protective measures, or investigate and remediate vulnerabilities or other exposures. Additionally, such cybersecurity events could cause reputational damage and subject us to fines, penalties, litigation costs and settlements, and financial losses that may not be fully covered by our cybersecurity insurance. To date, disruptions to our IT systems, due to outages, security breaches or other causes, including cybersecurity incidents, have not had a material impact on our business, results of operations or financial condition.

The failure of our IT or telecommunication systems could result in a loss in productivity, loss of competitive advantage or business disruption.

We depend on continuous and uninterrupted IT and telecommunication systems to operate our business, and significant resources are required to maintain and upgrade our existing systems. We continue to streamline and integrate our global IT and telecommunication systems, infrastructure, network and other core applications, with a focus on optimizing our systems to meet our changing business demands and to mitigate the risks of a changing cybersecurity threat landscape. Although we have invested in strategies to prevent failures, our IT and telecommunication systems are vulnerable to outages due to natural disasters, power loss, computer viruses, security breaches, hardware or software vulnerabilities, disruptions, and similar events. We may not be able to successfully implement certain updates or upgrades to our systems without experiencing difficulties, which could cause us to lose our competitive advantage, divert management’s time, result in a loss of productivity or disrupt business operations, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We use our IT and telecommunications systems to contact consumers to collect on their debts. Over recent years, consumers, telecommunication carriers and email platforms have adopted and implemented filtering and blocking of spam communications. If our calls, texts, emails or other communications are blocked through a spam filter, or we are otherwise not able to contact our customers, our ability to collect on their debt through our call center and digital channels may be impacted, and we would need to pursue collections through another channel or not at all, which could impact our results of operations and financial condition.

We may not effectively utilize AI, or effectively work with other companies that use AI, which could adversely impact our results of operations and result in a loss of competitive advantage or business disruption.

In a rapidly evolving landscape, AI technologies are playing an increasing role within many facets of business. Some of our systems, tools and resources use, integrate or could integrate some form of AI, which has the potential to result in bias, miscalculations, data errors and other unintended consequences. As AI technologies become integral to improving operational efficiency, customer engagement and decision-making processes, and are potentially deployed by sellers and service providers, our results of operations, competitiveness and reputation could be harmed if we are unable to adopt, utilize and control these technologies as quickly, efficiently and effectively as our competition, or we were to enter into business relationships with other companies that experience similar challenges.

We have a significant amount of goodwill which, if impaired in the future, would adversely impact our results of operations.

We have recorded a significant amount of goodwill as a result of our business acquisitions. Goodwill is not amortized, but rather, is tested for impairment at the reporting unit level. Goodwill is required to be tested for impairment annually, or more frequently if events or circumstances indicate that it is more-likely-than-not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. There are numerous risks that may cause the fair value of a reporting unit to fall below its carrying amount, which could lead to the recognition of a goodwill impairment charge, including:

•adverse changes in macroeconomic conditions, the business climate or the market for the entity's services;

•significant variances between actual and expected financial results;

•negative or declining cash flows;

•lowered expectations of future results;

•significant expense increases;

•an adverse action or assessment by a regulator;

•a significant increase in discount rates; or

•a sustained decrease in the price per share of our common stock.

Our goodwill impairment testing involves the use of estimates and the exercise of judgment, including judgments regarding expected future business performance and market conditions.

Based on our October 1, 2024, impairment test, we concluded that the goodwill of our reporting units was not impaired. Under the prior year impairment test, the excess of our Debt Buying and Collection ("DBC") reporting unit’s fair value over its carrying value was 6%, and although the excess increased to 11% under our most recent test, if our cash flow projections are not met or if market factors utilized in the impairment test deteriorate, including adverse changes in the debt sales market and an increase in the discount rate, the reporting unit may be at-risk for future impairment.

Our loss contingency accruals may not be adequate to cover actual losses.

From time-to-time, we are involved in judicial, regulatory and arbitration proceedings or investigations concerning matters arising from our business activities. We establish accruals for potential liability arising from legal proceedings when both the loss is probable and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. We do not have accruals for all legal proceedings where we face a risk of loss, however, we may still incur legal costs for a matter even if we have not accrued a liability. Due to the inherent subjectivity of the assessments and unpredictability of the outcome of legal and regulatory proceedings, amounts accrued may not represent the ultimate loss to us from the legal and regulatory proceedings in question. As a result, our ultimate losses may be significantly higher than the amounts we have accrued. An unfavorable resolution of a legal proceeding or claim could adversely impact our business, financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS RISKS

Our international operations expose us to risks, which could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We are a global business with operations in 18 countries. In 2024, our international operations represented 46% of our total portfolio income. Managing a global business is complex, and our international operations are subject to additional risks that may not exist in the U.S., or may be more significant compared to the U.S. This could expose us to adverse economic, industry and political conditions that may have a negative impact on our ability to manage our international operations, which could have a negative impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The global nature of our operations expands the risks and uncertainties described elsewhere in this section, including the following:

•changes in geopolitical conditions and the political, economic, social and labor conditions in the markets in which we operate;

•foreign exchange controls on currency conversion and the transfer of funds that might prevent us from repatriating cash earned in countries outside the U.S. in a tax-efficient manner;

•currency exchange rate fluctuations, currency restructurings, inflation or deflation and our ability to manage these fluctuations through a foreign exchange risk management program;

•different employee/employer relationships, laws and regulations, union recognition and the existence of employment tribunals and works councils;

•laws and regulations imposed by international governments, including those governing data security, sharing and transfer;

•potentially adverse tax consequences resulting from changes in tax laws in the jurisdictions in which we operate, or challenges to our interpretation and application of complex international tax laws;

•logistical, communication and other challenges caused by distance and cultural and language differences, each making it harder to do business in certain jurisdictions;

•volatility of global credit markets and the availability of consumer credit and financing in our international markets;

•uncertainty as to the enforceability of contract rights under local laws;

•the potential of forced nationalization of certain industries, or the impact on creditors' rights, consumer disposable income levels, flexibility and availability of consumer credit and the ability to enforce and collect aged or charged-off debts stemming from international governmental actions, whether through austerity or stimulus measures or initiatives, intended to control or influence macroeconomic factors such as wages, unemployment, national output or consumption, inflation, investment, credit, finance, taxation or other economic drivers;

•the potential for widening military conflicts;

•the potential damage to our reputation due to non-compliance with international and local laws; and

•the complexity and necessity of using non-U.S. representatives, consultants and other third-party vendors.

Any one of these factors could adversely affect our business, results of operations, liquidity, cash flow and financial condition.

Compliance with complex and evolving international and U.S. laws and regulations governing our international operations could increase our cost of doing business in international jurisdictions.

We operate on a global basis with offices and activities in a number of jurisdictions in the Americas, Europe and Australia. We face increased exposure to risks inherent in conducting business internationally, including compliance with complex international and U.S. laws and regulations that apply to our international operations, which could increase our cost of doing business in international jurisdictions. These laws and regulations include those related to consumer debt, taxation, and anti-corruption laws such as EU Directive 2021/2167, the FCPA, and the UK Bribery Act. Given the complexity of these laws, there is a risk that we may inadvertently breach certain provisions of these laws, such as through the negligent behavior of an employee, or our failure to comply with certain formal documentation requirements. Violations of these laws and regulations by us, any of our employees, or our third-party vendors, either inadvertently or intentionally, could result in fines and penalties, criminal sanctions, restrictions on our operations and the inability to offer our services in one or more countries. Violations of these laws could also adversely affect our business, brand, international expansion efforts, ability to attract and retain employees and our results of operations.

We are monitoring the enactment and implementation of Pillar Two legislation to determine the potential impact on our financial results, as well as monitoring U.S. amendments to the U.S. global intangible low-tax income ("GILTI"), if any. While we currently do not expect that implementation of Pillar Two and any amendments to GILTI will significantly increase our U.S. and international income taxes, there is a risk that the final enactment and implementation throughout our global operations could cause a material increase in our income tax expense.

LEGAL AND REGULATORY RISKS

Our ability to collect and enforce our nonperforming loans may be limited under federal, state and international laws, regulations and policies.

Our operations are subject to licensing and regulation by governmental and regulatory bodies in many of the jurisdictions in which we operate. U.S. federal and state laws, and the laws and regulations of the countries in which we operate, may limit our ability to collect on and enforce our rights with respect to our nonperforming loans regardless of any act or omission on our part. Some laws and regulations applicable to credit issuers may preclude us from collecting on nonperforming loans we acquire if the credit issuer previously failed to comply with applicable laws in generating or servicing those accounts. Collection laws and regulations also directly apply to our business, and such laws and regulations are extensive and subject to change. A variety of state, federal and international laws and regulations govern the collection, use, retention, transmission, sharing and security of consumer data. Consumer protection and privacy protection laws, changes in the ways that existing rules or laws are interpreted or enforced, and any procedures that may be implemented as a result of regulatory consent orders, may adversely affect our ability to collect on our nonperforming loans and adversely affect our business. Our failure to comply with laws or regulations could limit our ability to collect on our nonperforming loans, which could reduce our profitability and adversely affect our business.

Failure to comply with government regulation of the collections industry could result in penalties, fines, litigation, damage to our reputation or the suspension or termination of our ability to conduct our business.

The collections industry throughout the markets in which we operate is governed by various laws and regulations, many of which require us to be a licensed debt collector. Our industry is also at times investigated by regulators and offices of state attorneys general, and subpoenas and other requests or demands for information may be issued by governmental authorities who are investigating debt collection activities. These investigations may result in enforcement actions, fines and penalties, or the assertion of private claims and lawsuits. If any such investigations result in findings that we or our vendors have failed to comply with applicable laws and regulations, we could be subject to penalties, litigation losses and expenses, damage to our reputation, or the suspension or termination of, or required modification to, our ability to conduct collections, which would adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

In a number of jurisdictions, we must maintain licenses to purchase or own debt and/or to perform debt recovery services, and must satisfy related bonding requirements. Our failure to comply with existing licensing requirements, changing interpretations of existing requirements, or the adoption of new licensing requirements, could restrict our ability to collect in certain jurisdictions, subject us to increased regulation, increase our costs, or adversely affect our ability to purchase, own and/or collect on our nonperforming loans.

Some laws, among other things, may limit the interest rates and fees we can impose on our customers, limit the amount of time we have to file legal actions to enforce customer accounts and require specific account information for certain collection activities. In addition, local requirements and court rulings in various jurisdictions may affect our ability to collect.

Regulations and statutes applicable to our industry further provide that, in some cases, consumers cannot be held liable for, or their liability may be limited with respect to, charges to their debit or credit card accounts that resulted from unauthorized use. These laws, among others, may limit our ability to recover amounts owed with respect to our nonperforming loans, whether or not we committed any wrongful act or omission in connection with the account.

If we fail to comply with any applicable laws and regulations, including those discussed above, such failure could result in penalties, litigation losses and expenses, damage to our reputation, or otherwise impact our ability to conduct collections efforts, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Investigations, reviews or enforcement actions by governmental authorities may result in changes to our business practices, negatively impact our nonperforming loan portfolio purchasing volume, make collection of nonperforming loans more difficult or expose us to the risk of fines, penalties, restitution payments and litigation.

Our debt collection activities and business practices are subject to review by various governmental authorities and regulators, including the CFPB, which may commence investigations, reviews or enforcement actions targeted at businesses in the financial services industry. These investigations or reviews may involve individual consumer complaints or our debt collection policies and practices generally. Such investigations or reviews could lead to assertions by governmental authorities that we are not complying with applicable laws or regulations. In such circumstances, authorities may request or seek to impose a range of remedies that could involve potential compensatory or punitive damage claims, fines, restitution payments, sanctions or injunctive relief, that if agreed to or granted, could require us to make payments or incur other expenditures.

The CFPB has the authority to obtain cease and desist orders (which can include orders for restitution or rescission of contracts, as well as other kinds of affirmative relief), recover costs, and impose monetary penalties (ranging from $5,000 per day to over $1.0 million per day, depending on the nature and gravity of the violation). In addition, where a company has violated Title X of the Dodd-Frank Act or CFPB regulations implemented thereunder, the Dodd-Frank Act empowers state attorneys general and other state regulators to bring civil actions to remedy violations under state law. Governmental authorities could also request or seek to require us to cease certain practices or institute new practices. Negative publicity relating to investigations or proceedings brought by governmental authorities could have an adverse impact on our reputation, harm our ability to conduct business with industry participants and result in financial institutions reducing or eliminating sales of nonperforming loan portfolios to us. Moreover, changing or modifying our internal policies or procedures, responding to governmental inquiries and investigations and defending lawsuits or other proceedings could require significant efforts on the part of management and result in increased costs to our business. In addition, such efforts could divert management's full attention from our business operations. All of these factors could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The CFPB has issued civil investigative demands ("CIDs") to many companies that it regulates, including PRA Group, and periodically examines practices regarding the collection of consumer debt. In April 2023, Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC, our wholly owned subsidiary, entered into an order with the CFPB settling a previously disclosed investigation of certain debt collection practices (the "2023 Order"). We are currently executing both our redress plan and our compliance plan as required by the 2023 Order. There can be no assurance we will implement each requirement to the satisfaction of the CFPB or that additional litigation or new industry regulations currently under consideration by the CFPB would not have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

After the recent change in presidential administration, there have been some indications that the regulatory and enforcement activities of the CFPB may change, but the extent to which these or other future developments may impact our business remains uncertain.

The regulation of data privacy in the U.S. and globally, or an inability to effectively manage our data governance structures, could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition by increasing our compliance costs, exposing us to the risk of liability or decreasing our competitiveness.

A variety of jurisdictions in which we operate have laws and regulations concerning privacy, AI, cybersecurity and the protection of personal data, including the EU GDPR, the UK GDPR, the U.S. GLBA, the EU Artificial Intelligence Act, the EU Digital Operational Resilience Act, and the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018. These laws and regulations create certain privacy rights for individuals and impose prescriptive operational requirements for covered businesses relating to the processing and protection of personal data, the use of AI and may also impose substantial penalties for non-compliance.

Laws and regulations relating to privacy, AI, cybersecurity and data protection are rapidly evolving, and any such proposed or new legal frameworks could significantly impact our operations, financial performance and business. The application and enforcement of these evolving legal requirements is uncertain and may require us to further change or update

our information practices, and could impose additional compliance costs and regulatory scrutiny. If we fail to effectively implement and maintain data governance structures across our business, or to effectively interpret and utilize such data, our operations could be exposed to additional adverse impacts, and we could be at a competitive disadvantage.

In addition, we rely on data provided to us by credit reference agencies and servicing providers. If these agencies and service providers were to stop providing us with data for any reason; for example, due to a change in governmental regulation, there could be a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We may incur significant costs complying with legal obligations and inquiries, investigations or any other government actions related to privacy, cybersecurity, and data protection. Such legal requirements and government actions also may impede the development of our business, make existing services or businesses unprofitable, increase our operating costs, require substantial management resources, result in adverse publicity and subject us to remedies that harm our business or profitability, including penalties or orders that may change or terminate current business practices. Our insurance policies may be insufficient to insure us against such risks, and future escalations in premiums and deductibles under these policies may render them uneconomical.

Changes in tax provisions or exposures to additional tax liabilities could have an adverse effect on our financial condition.

We record reserves for uncertain tax positions based on our assessment of the probability of being able to successfully sustain the positions taken. Management may be required to exercise significant judgment when making these assessments, in determining whether a tax liability should be recorded and, if so, estimating the amount. Our tax filings are subject to audit by domestic and international tax authorities. If any tax filing positions are successfully challenged, payments could be required that are in excess of the amounts accrued, or we may be required to reduce the carrying amount of our deferred tax assets, either of which could be significant to our financial condition or results of operations. Although we believe our estimates are reasonable, the ultimate tax outcomes may differ from the amounts recorded in our financial statements and may adversely or beneficially affect our financial results in the period(s) in which such outcomes are determined. While we currently do not expect the implementation of Pillar Two will significantly increase our U.S. and international income taxes, there is a risk that final enactment and implementation throughout our global operations could have a material impact on our effective tax rate and our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flow.

FINANCIAL RISKS

We expect to continue to use leverage in executing our business strategy, which may have adverse consequences.

We have and may continue to incur a substantial amount of debt in the future. As of December 31, 2024, we had total consolidated indebtedness of $3.3 billion, of which $2.0 billion was secured indebtedness. Our unsecured indebtedness consisted of the $398.0 million outstanding principal amount of our 8.375% Senior Notes due 2028, $350.0 million outstanding principal amount of our 5.00% Senior Notes due 2029 and $550.0 million outstanding principal amount of our 8.875% Senior Notes due 2030. Total availability under our credit facilities as of December 31, 2024 was $1.0 billion, comprised of $564.3 million based on current ERC and subject to debt covenants, and $462.0 million of additional availability subject to borrowing base and debt covenants, including advance rates. We consider a number of factors when evaluating our level of indebtedness and when making decisions about incurring any new indebtedness, including the purchase price of assets to be acquired with debt financing and the ability of those assets, and the Company as a whole, to generate cash flow to cover the expected debt service.

Incurring a substantial amount of indebtedness could have consequences for our business, including:

•making it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations with respect to our debt and to our trade and other creditors;

•increasing our vulnerability to adverse changes in economic or industry conditions, including higher interest rate environments;

•limiting our ability to obtain additional financing to fund capital expenditures and acquisitions, particularly when the availability of financing in the capital markets is constrained;

•requiring us to use a substantial portion of our cash flows from operations to repay our indebtedness, which reduces our ability to use our cash flows to fund working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions and general corporate requirements;

•increasing the amount of interest expense owed since the indebtedness under our credit facilities bears interest at floating rates, which, if interest rates increase, will result in higher interest expense;

•limiting our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the industry in which we operate; and

•placing us at a competitive disadvantage compared to less leveraged competitors.

Our business may not generate sufficient cash flow from operations, and future borrowings may not be available to us through capital markets financings, under credit facilities or otherwise, in an amount sufficient to enable us to repay our indebtedness, repurchase our senior notes upon a change of control, or fund our other liquidity needs. Furthermore, we may need to refinance all or a portion of our indebtedness at or before its scheduled maturity, but we may not be able to do so on commercially reasonable terms or at all.

We may not be able to generate sufficient cash flow or complete alternative financing plans, including raising additional capital, to meet our debt service obligations.

Our ability to generate sufficient cash flow from operations to make scheduled payments on our debt obligations will depend on our current and future financial performance, which in part depends on general economic, financial, competitive, legislative, regulatory and other factors that are beyond our control. If we do not generate sufficient cash flow from operations to satisfy our debt obligations, including interest payments and the payment of principal at maturity, we may have to undertake alternative financing plans, such as refinancing or restructuring our debt, selling assets or seeking additional debt or equity, or reducing or delaying capital expenditures, strategic acquisitions, investments and alliances. We cannot provide assurance that any refinancing would be possible, that any assets could be sold, or, if sold, of the timeliness and amount of proceeds that would be realized from those sales, that additional financing could be obtained on acceptable terms, if at all, or that additional financing would be permitted under the terms of our various debt instruments then outstanding. Furthermore, our ability to refinance depends upon the condition of the finance and credit markets. Our inability to generate sufficient cash flow to satisfy our debt obligations, or to refinance our obligations on commercially reasonable terms or on a timely basis, could materially affect our business, financial condition and results of operations, and may delay or prevent the expansion of our business.

The agreements governing our indebtedness include provisions that may restrict our financial and business operations.

Our credit facilities and the indentures that govern our Senior Notes contain financial and other restrictive covenants, including restrictions on certain types of transactions and our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders. These restrictions may interfere with our ability to engage in other necessary or desirable business activities, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The failure to satisfy any of these covenants could have negative consequences, including the following:

•acceleration of outstanding indebtedness;

•exercise by our lenders of rights with respect to the collateral pledged under certain of our outstanding indebtedness;

•our inability to continue to purchase nonperforming loans; or

•our inability to secure alternative financing on favorable terms, if at all.

Adverse changes in our credit ratings could have a negative impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Our ability to access capital markets is important to our ability to operate our business. Increased scrutiny of our industry and the impact of regulation, as well as changes in our financial performance and unfavorable conditions in the capital markets, could result in credit agencies reexamining and downgrading our credit ratings. A downgrade in our credit ratings may restrict or discontinue our ability to access capital markets at attractive rates and increase our borrowing costs, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.

None.

Item 1C. Cybersecurity.

We rely heavily on IT systems to operate our business, including processing and monitoring a large number of transactions across different markets and multiple currencies. To date, we have not experienced a cybersecurity incident that we deemed to be material. For a discussion of whether and how risks from cybersecurity threats could materially and adversely affect us, including our business, results of operations or financial condition, refer to Item 1A. Risk Factors – "Operational and Industry Risks," which is incorporated by reference into this Item 1C.

Risk Management and Strategy

We have developed and implemented an information security program predicated on industry practices, frameworks and applicable regulations that are reinforced by policies, processes, procedures, standards, technologies and training designed to protect our IT systems, operations and sensitive business information with administrative, physical and technical safeguards. Through our information security program, we seek to assess, identify, monitor, mitigate and manage cybersecurity incidents and threats, and to prevent the occurrence of a cybersecurity incident through protective and detective technologies that measure and monitor our critical IT systems, which include among others, intrusion detection and protection, email security, endpoint security, third-party security monitoring and proactive security testing. Our information security program is integrated as part of our enterprise risk management framework.

We regularly conduct internal risk assessments to identify reasonably foreseeable security risks or threats and to evaluate and categorize those risks or threats based on the likelihood and potential impact to the security, confidentiality and integrity of our IT systems and sensitive business information. Our risk assessments are developed from industry best practices and frameworks, including external third-party maturity assessments. As part of our information security program, we regularly assess the sufficiency of our safeguards to control potential risks. As part of our risk assessment process, we regularly measure, analyze and report security and risk metrics and share those findings with the Board and senior management. We have invested and continue to invest in risk management measures in order to protect our IT systems, operations and sensitive business information.

To strengthen our cybersecurity readiness, we have developed a cybersecurity incident management process that incorporates the use of third-party IT resources. Our cybersecurity incident response plan is intended to promptly identify, evaluate, respond, remediate and recover from cybersecurity incidents through the preparation, detection, analysis, communication, eradication and containment of such incidents, including those associated with third-party service providers. The identification, assessment and response functions related to information security are managed by an internal incident response team, which is responsible for maintaining and operationalizing our incident response plan. Key components of our cybersecurity incident management process and response plan include root cause analysis when incidents occur, tabletop exercises and implementation of business continuity and disaster recovery plans.

To protect against the risk of cybersecurity threats, we evaluate new and existing third-party service providers through a risk assessment process designed to assess their capabilities for maintaining appropriate safeguards over the information provided to them.Where applicable, we require our third-party service providers, by contract, to implement and maintain such safeguards and periodically evaluate these providers and the continued adequacy of their safeguards based on the risk they present. In addition, we may engage third-party service providers to perform functions associated with our information security program and the assessment of security threats. The third-party risk assessments and reports are shared with internal teams and IT leadership to assist with ongoing risk mitigation actions.

We regularly evaluate and adjust our information security procedures by integrating emerging technologies, revised frameworks and industry best practices. We require employees to participate in periodic training covering information security-related topics, maintain informational content on our internal portals and conduct ongoing simulated phishing exercises.

Governance

Role of our Board of Directors

Our Board of Directors oversees the Company’s enterprise risk management framework, which includes information security. The Board has delegated responsibility for overseeing enterprise risk to its Risk Committee, which is governed by a formal charter. Consistent with the Risk Committee Charter, management reports regularly to the Risk Committee on key risks to the Company, including cybersecurity risks. Our Chief Information Officer (“CIO”) and Chief Information Security Officer (“CISO”) report regularly to the Risk Committee on the overall status of, and any recommended changes to, the information security program, compliance with applicable regulations and material matters related to the program. The Risk Committee Chair reports to the Board of Directors on matters discussed during Risk Committee meetings.

Role of management

Led by our CIO and CISO, our information security management team oversees the design, implementation and evolution of our security practices to protect critical business processes, information systems and IT assets across our business. The information security management team is primarily responsible and accountable for the awareness, oversight and control of enterprise information security and the implementation of cybersecurity policies, procedures and strategies. Our information security management and risk assessment teams regularly communicate to senior management about the effectiveness and efficiency of our information security program’s risk management processes. Senior management reviews such assessments, reports any potential threats and vulnerabilities and responds accordingly, including by providing regularly scheduled reports and escalating items, as necessary, to our Disclosure Committee and Risk Committee.

Our information security management team is led by a global CIO to whom the CISO reports. The CIO, who reports directly to the Chief Executive Officer ("CEO"), has more than 30 years of related experience and is responsible for IT, information security and business applications at a strategic level across our global platforms. Moreover, the CIO is also responsible for reporting any information security matters to our Disclosure Committee to support compliance with applicable disclosure obligations. Our CISO has held various positions in the information security field over the past 18 years, including senior level positions across multiple industries with a focus on establishing and executing systems and security strategies to protect corporate data and improve regulatory compliance. The experience of our information security management spans various job practice analysis areas and is underpinned by relevant education and certifications as well as decades of in-field experience in areas such as information security program development, information security governance, risk management and information security incident management.

Item 2. Properties.

Our corporate headquarters are located in Norfolk, Virginia. In addition, as of December 31, 2024, we had 10 operational sites in the Americas (eight leased and two owned), eight in Europe (all leased) and one in Australia (leased).

Item 3. Legal Proceedings.

We and our subsidiaries are from time-to-time subject to a variety of legal and regulatory claims, inquiries and proceedings, most of which are incidental to the ordinary course of our business. We initiate lawsuits against customers and are occasionally countersued by them in such actions. Also, customers, either individually, as members of a class action, or through a governmental entity on behalf of customers, may initiate litigation against us in which they allege that we have violated a state or federal law in the process of collecting on an account. From time-to-time, other types of lawsuits are brought against us.

Refer to the "Litigation and Regulatory Matters" section of Note 14 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K for information regarding legal proceedings in which we are involved.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.

Not applicable.

PART II

Item 5. Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.

Common Stock

Our common stock is traded on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol "PRAA". Based on information provided by our transfer agent and registrar, as of February 19, 2025, there were 44 holders of record.

Stock Performance

The following graph and subsequent table compare, from December 31, 2019 to December 31, 2024, cumulative stockholder returns assuming an initial investment of $100 in our common stock (PRAA), the stocks comprising the Nasdaq Financial 100 (IXF) and the stocks comprising the Nasdaq Global Market Composite Index (NQGM) at the beginning of the period. Any dividends paid during the five-year period are assumed to be reinvested.

The comparisons of stock performance shown above are not intended to forecast or be indicative of possible future performance of our common stock. We do not make or endorse any predictions as to our future stock performance.

Dividend Policy

Our Board of Directors sets our dividend policy. We do not currently pay regular dividends on our common stock and did not pay dividends during the three years ended December 31, 2024; however, our Board of Directors may determine in the future to declare or pay dividends on our common stock. Our credit facilities and the indentures that govern our senior notes contain financial and other restrictive covenants, including restrictions on certain types of transactions and our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders. Any future determination as to the declaration and payment of dividends will be at the discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend on conditions then existing, including our results of operations, financial condition, contractual restrictions, capital requirements, business prospects and other factors that our Board of Directors may consider relevant.

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

None.

Share Repurchase Programs

On February 25, 2022, our Board of Directors approved a share repurchase program under which we are authorized to repurchase up to $150.0 million of our outstanding common stock. For more information, refer to Item 7 "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Liquidity and Capital Resources" of this Form 10-K.

We did not repurchase any common stock during the fourth quarter of the year ended December 31, 2024.

Item 6. [Reserved]

Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our audited financial statements and accompanying notes thereto included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K (see Frequently Used Terms at the end of this Item 7 for certain definitions that may be used throughout this Form 10-K).

Unless otherwise specified, references to 2024, 2023 and 2022 are for the years ended December 31, 2024, December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively.

Executive Summary

We are a global financial services company with operations in the Americas, Europe and Australia. Our primary business is the purchase, collection and management of portfolios of nonperforming loans.

2024 highlights

•Portfolio purchases of $1.4 billion, an increase of 22.0%.

•ERC of $7.5 billion at year-end, an increase of 16.6%.

•Cash collections of $1.9 billion, an increase of 12.5%.

•Net income attributable to PRA Group, Inc. of $70.6 million.

•Diluted earnings per share of $1.79.

The past year was one of the most transformational years in our nearly three-decade long history. In 2024, we expanded our senior leadership team, further differentiated our European business, strengthened our capital structure and delivered on our cash-generating and operational initiatives in the U.S, where improvements in our legal collections process helped drive 2024 U.S. legal collections of $376.0 million, an increase of 42.4% compared to the prior year. Additionally, we initiated the consolidation of our U.S. collection sites from six to three and expanded our use of third-party offshore collection agencies, resulting in offshore collectors representing more than 30.0% of our overall U.S. collector base as of December 31, 2024.

We continued to strengthen and expand our seller relationships globally in 2024, leveraging the diversification provided by our global portfolio. With strong execution, and by maintaining focus on our strategic pillars of optimizing investments, driving operational execution and managing expenses, we believe we are well positioned to sustain the momentum in 2025.

U.S.

Portfolio purchases were $795.8 million in the U.S. in 2024, an increase of 40.2% compared to 2023, and the second highest annual total in our history. We continued to capitalize on the strong levels of portfolio supply, driven by the growth in industry credit card balances, as well as elevated delinquency and charge-off rates, and pricing discipline has resulted in an expectation for improved returns on our investments.

During 2024, we implemented a wide range of enhancements in our U.S. call center operations. Within our legal collections channel, we focused on refining our processes, reducing cycle times and optimizing our post-judgment activities. Additionally, we launched a second offshore call center in Asia in 2024 and anticipate adding additional offshore collectors in 2025. Looking ahead, we expect overall strong U.S. portfolio supply in 2025, driven by rising credit card balances and elevated charge-off rates.

Europe

Portfolio purchases were $508.3 million in Europe in 2024, an increase of 14.4% compared to 2023, with stronger market supply in the fourth quarter of 2024 and broad geographic diversity of our portfolio purchases. During 2024, our deep seller relationships helped us expand on our track record of disciplined growth and profitability in the region, and for 2025, we are expecting portfolio supply to remain relatively stable.

Brazil

Through our strategic partnerships, we have been able to consistently generate cash collections growth and profitability in Brazil. On January 2, 2025, we exercised our right to sell our remaining 11.7% interest in RCB Investimentos S.A. ("RCB"), a servicing company for nonperforming loans in Brazil, and expect to record an estimated net after-tax gain of approximately $25.0 million prior to June 30, 2025 (refer to Note 17 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K for additional information). This transaction will not impact our majority ownership interests in our Brazilian investment funds, and we do not expect it will impact our existing operations or future portfolio investment opportunities in Brazil.

Summary of Selected Financial Data

Income statement

Performance data and ratios

Return on average Total stockholders' equity - PRA Group (3) 6.1 (7.2) 9.5

Return on average tangible equity (4) 9.5 (11.3) 15.0

Common share data

Diluted earnings per share $ 1.79 $ (2.13) $ 2.94

Portfolio volumes

Balance sheet (year-end)

Credit facility availability (year-end)

Headcount (year-end)

(1)Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("Adjusted EBITDA") is a non-GAAP financial measure. Refer to section "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" for a reconciliation of Net income/(loss) attributable to PRA Group, the most directly comparable financial measure calculated and reported in accordance with GAAP, to Adjusted EBITDA.

(2)Calculated by dividing cash receipts less operating expenses by cash receipts.

(3)Calculated by dividing Net income income/(loss) attributable to PRA Group by average Total stockholders' equity - PRA Group for the year.

(4)Return on average tangible equity ("ROATE") is a non-GAAP financial measure. Average tangible equity is also a non-GAAP financial measure. Refer to section "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" for a reconciliation of Total stockholders' equity - PRA Group, the most directly comparable financial measure calculated and reported in accordance with GAAP, to average tangible equity.

2024 vs. 2023

Portfolio purchases

Portfolio purchases for 2024 and 2023 were as follows (amounts in thousands):

Total portfolio purchases were $1.4 billion in 2024, an increase of $253.8 million, or 22.0%, compared to $1.2 billion in 2023. The increase was primarily due to an increase in Americas and Australia Core purchases of $212.2 million, driven by increases in market supply. Additionally, Europe Core purchases, which were spread broadly across our markets, increased $65.7 million due to higher volumes in certain markets and the addition of new sellers.

Cash collections

Cash collections for 2024 and 2023 were as follows (amounts in thousands):

Total cash collections were $1.9 billion in 2024, an increase of $208.1 million, or 12.5%, compared to $1.7 billion in 2023. The increase was primarily due to an increase in U.S. Core cash collections of $153.5 million, driven by higher recent purchasing levels and our cash-generating initiatives, particularly in the legal collections channel, which increased by $112.0 million. Cash collections in Europe increased $57.4 million, where higher recent purchasing levels helped drive increased collections in most of our markets.

Portfolio revenue

Total portfolio revenue for 2024 and 2023 was as follows (amounts in thousands):

Total portfolio revenue was $1.1 billion in 2024, an increase of $311.8 million, or 39.7%, compared to $786.3 million in 2023. Portfolio income increased $100.1 million, or 13.2%, due in large part to the impact of higher purchasing and improved pricing in the U.S. beginning in 2023, while changes in expected recoveries increased $211.7 million. Recoveries collected in excess of forecast increased $91.0 million, or 139.7%, due in large part to overperformance on our pre-2021 U.S. Core pools, which benefited from our cash-generating initiatives. Changes in expected future recoveries increased $120.7 million, or 335.4%, from a net negative adjustment of $36.0 million in 2023 to a net positive adjustment of $84.7 million in 2024. The increase in 2024 was largely driven by increases to the collections forecasts on our pre-2021 U.S. Core pools and certain pools in Europe. In 2023, the net negative adjustment was largely due to the impact of a softer than expected tax refund season in the U.S., with nearly half of the negative adjustment related to our 2021 U.S. Core pool.

Operating expenses

Operating expenses for 2024 and 2023 were as follows (amounts in thousands):

Compensation and benefits

Compensation and benefits expense increased $10.1 million, or 3.5%, due largely to higher wage costs and compensation accruals in the current year, offset by a decrease of $7.3 million in severance related expenses. The costs associated with an increase in headcount to service our recent purchasing volumes were partially offset by leveraging third parties and offshore call centers to reduce collection costs.

Legal collection costs

Legal collection costs consist primarily of costs paid to courts where a lawsuit is filed for the purpose of attempting to collect on an account. The increase of $35.7 million, or 40.0%, was primarily due to higher account volumes in both our U.S. and Europe legal collections channels.

Legal collection fees

Legal collection fees represent contingent fees incurred for cash collections generated by our third-party attorney network. The increase of $18.6 million, or 48.7%, mainly reflected higher external legal collections within our U.S. Core portfolio.

Agency fees

Agency fees primarily represent third-party collection fees. The increase of $8.6 million, or 11.6%, was primarily due to higher collection fees in Brazil.

Communication

Communication expense relates mainly to correspondence, network and calling costs associated with our collection efforts. The increase of $3.0 million, or 7.4%, was primarily due to an expansion in account volumes associated with higher levels of portfolio purchases.

Depreciation, amortization and impairment

Depreciation, amortization and impairment decreased $7.8 million, or 42.0%, due mainly to a $5.2 million impairment charge taken in 2023 associated with our decision to cease call center operations at one of our owned regional offices in the U.S.

Interest expense, net

Interest expense, net for 2024 and 2023 was as follows (amounts in thousands):

Interest expense, net was $229.3 million in 2024, an increase of $47.6 million, or 26.2%, compared to $181.7 million in 2023. The increase was primarily due to a higher average debt balance in 2024 to support increased levels of portfolio investments, and to a lesser extent, higher interest rates.

Income tax expense/(benefit)

Income tax expense/(benefit) and our effective tax rate for 2024 and 2023 were as follows (amounts in thousands):

Effective tax rate 19.2 % 19.5 %

Income tax expense was $21.0 million in 2024, an increase of $37.1 million, or 230.4%, compared to an income tax benefit of $16.1 million in 2023. The increase was primarily due to higher income before taxes in 2024. The effective tax rate decreased marginally and was impacted by changes in the mix of income from different taxing jurisdictions and the timing and amount of discrete items.

Noncontrolling interests

In Brazil, we purchase nonperforming loan portfolios through investment funds in which we hold a majority interest. The portion of our Net income/(loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests is reflected in Adjustment for net income attributable to noncontrolling interests in our Consolidated Income Statements, which totaled $18.0 million in 2024 compared to $16.7 million in 2023.

Balance sheet

Finance receivables, net

Finance receivables, net were $4.1 billion as of December 31, 2024, an increase of $484.1 million, or 13.2%, compared to $3.7 billion as of December 31, 2023, driven largely by portfolio purchases of $1.4 billion and changes in expected recoveries of $240.9 million, partially offset by recoveries collected and applied to Finance receivables, net of $1.0 billion.

Goodwill

Goodwill was $396.4 million as of December 31, 2024, a decrease of $35.2 million, or 8.2%, compared to $431.6 million as of December 31, 2023. The decrease was due to foreign currency translation adjustments.

Borrowings

Borrowings were $3.3 billion as of December 31, 2024, an increase of $412.4 million, or 14.1%, compared to $2.9 billion as of December 31, 2023. The increase was primarily due to net borrowings under senior notes of $252.0 million and incremental net borrowings under our North American revolving credit facility of $127.7 million associated with the increase in purchasing levels during the year.

On May 20, 2024, we issued $400.0 million in aggregate principal amount of 8.875% Senior Notes due January 31, 2030 (the "2030 Notes"). On September 3, 2024, using funds obtained primarily from our North American revolving credit facility, we repaid our 7.375% Senior Notes due 2025 (the "2025 Notes") in full. On November 25, 2024, we issued an additional $150.0 million in aggregate principal amount of the 2030 Notes at a price of 103.625%.

Interest-bearing deposits

Interest-bearing deposits were $163.4 million as of December 31, 2024, an increase of $47.8 million, or 41.4%, compared to $115.6 million as of December 31, 2023. The increase was primarily driven by increased deposits from customers.

2023 vs. 2022

Refer to Item 7 "Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" of our 2023 Form 10-K for a discussion of our 2023 results compared to our 2022 results.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

We report our financial results in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP"). However, our management also uses certain non-GAAP financial measures, including:

•Adjusted EBITDA, to evaluate our performance and to set performance goals; and

•ROATE, as a measure to monitor and evaluate operating performance relative to our equity.

Adjusted EBITDA

We present Adjusted EBITDA because we consider it an important supplemental measure of our operational and financial performance. Our management believes Adjusted EBITDA helps provide enhanced period-to-period comparability of our operational and financial performance, as it excludes certain items whose fluctuations from period-to-period do not necessarily correspond to changes in the operations of our business, and is useful to investors as other companies in the industry report similar financial measures. Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered as an alternative to net income determined in accordance with GAAP. In addition, our calculation of Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to the calculation of similarly titled measures presented by other companies. Adjusted EBITDA is calculated starting with our GAAP financial measure, Net income/(loss) attributable to PRA Group, Inc. and is adjusted for:

•income tax expense (or less income tax benefit);

•foreign exchange loss (or less foreign exchange gain);

•interest expense, net (or less interest income, net);

•other expense (or less other income);

•depreciation and amortization;

•impairment of real estate;

•net income attributable to noncontrolling interests; and

•recoveries collected and applied to Finance receivables, net less changes in expected recoveries.

The following table provides a reconciliation of Net income/(loss) attributable to PRA Group, Inc. as reported in accordance with GAAP to Adjusted EBITDA for the years indicated (amounts in thousands):

Adjusted EBITDA

Adjustments:

Foreign exchange (gain)/loss 9 (289) (985)

Impairment of real estate — 5,239 —

Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests 17,972 16,723 851

(1)Other expense reflects non-operating activities.

Return on average tangible equity

We use ROATE, which is a supplemental measure of performance that is not required by, or presented in accordance with, GAAP, to monitor and evaluate operating performance relative to our equity. Management believes ROATE is a useful financial measure for investors in evaluating the effective use of equity, and is an important component of our long-term shareholder return. Average tangible equity is defined as average Total stockholders' equity - PRA Group, Inc. less average goodwill and average other intangible assets. ROATE is calculated by dividing Net income/(loss) attributable to PRA Group, Inc. by average tangible equity.

The following table displays our ROATE and provides a reconciliation of Total stockholders' equity - PRA Group, Inc. as reported in accordance with GAAP to average tangible equity for the years indicated (amounts in thousands, except for ratio data):

Balance as of Year End Average Balance

Return on average tangible equity 9.5 % (11.3) % 15.0 %

Supplemental Performance Data

The tables in this section provide supplemental performance data about our:

•ERC by geography, portfolio type and expected year of collection;

•Core cash collections separated between call center and other collections and legal collections, and constant currency adjusted cash collections;

•nonperforming loan portfolios and collections by geography, portfolio type and year of purchase; and

•U.S. portfolio purchases by major asset type and delinquency category.

The collections data presented reflects gross cash collections and does not reflect any costs to collect; therefore, it may not present relative profitability. The past performance of pools within certain geographies and portfolio types may not be comparable with other locations and portfolio types or indicative of future results.

Purchasing

We purchase portfolios of nonperforming loans from a variety of creditors, or acquire portfolios through strategic acquisitions, and segregate them into our Core or Insolvency portfolios, based on the status of the account upon acquisition. In addition, the accounts are segregated into geographical regions based upon where the account was acquired and, as applicable, foreign currency exchange rates are fixed for purposes of comparability in future periods. Ultimately, accounts are aggregated into annual pools based on portfolio type, geography and year of acquisition. Portfolios of accounts that were in an insolvency status at the time of acquisition are represented under Insolvency headings in the tables below. All other acquisitions of portfolios of accounts are included under Core headings. Once an account is initially segregated, it is not later transferred from an Insolvency pool to a Core pool, or vice versa.

Purchase price multiple

The purchase price multiple represents our estimate of total cash collections over the original purchase price of the portfolio. Purchase price multiples can vary over time due to a variety of factors, including pricing competition, supply levels, age of the accounts acquired, type and mix of portfolios purchased, expected costs to collect and returns, and changes in operational efficiency and effectiveness. When we pay more for a portfolio, the purchase price multiple and effective interest rate are generally lower. Certain types of accounts, such as Insolvency accounts, have lower collection costs, and we generally pay more for those types of accounts, which results in lower purchase price multiples but similar net income margins compared to other portfolio purchases.

ERC and TEC

Depending on the level of performance and expected future impacts from our operations, we may update ERC and TEC levels based on the results of our cash forecasting with a correlating adjustment to the purchase price multiple. We follow an established process to evaluate ERC, and we typically do not adjust our ERC and TEC until we gain sufficient collection experience with a pool of accounts. Over time, our TEC has often increased as pools have aged resulting in the ratio of TEC to purchase price for any given year of buying to gradually increase.

For additional information about our nonperforming loan portfolios, refer to Note 1 and Note 2 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K.

Estimated remaining collections

The following table displays our ERC by geography, year and portfolio for the 12 months ending December 31, 2024 (amounts in thousands):

ERC By Geography, Year and Portfolio

(1)Reflects ERC of $3.3 billion for the U.S. and $484.7 million for other Americas and Australia.

(2)Reflects ERC of $1.6 billion for the UK, $931.1 million for Central Europe, $826.0 million for Northern Europe and $285.3 million for Southern Europe.

Cash collections

The following table displays our cash collections by geography and portfolio, Core cash collections separated between call center and other collections and legal collections, and constant currency adjusted cash collections, for the years indicated (amounts in thousands):

Cash Collections by Geography and Portfolio

Americas and Australia

Europe

Total

(1)Total cash collections adjusted refers to prior year foreign currency cash collections remeasured at average U.S. dollar exchange rates for the current year.

Portfolio purchases by major asset type and delinquency category (U.S. only)

The following tables categorize our U.S. portfolio purchases by major asset type and delinquency category for the years indicated (amounts in thousands):

U.S. Portfolio Purchases by Major Asset Type

U.S. Portfolio Purchases by Delinquency Category

(1)Fresh accounts are typically past due 120 to 270 days, charged-off by the credit originator and sold prior to any post-charge-off collection activity.

(2)Primary accounts are typically 240 to 450 days past due, charged-off and have been previously placed with one contingent fee servicer.

(3)Secondary accounts are typically 360 to 630 days past due, charged-off and have been previously placed with two contingent fee servicers.

(4)Other accounts are 480 days or more past due, charged-off and have previously been worked by three or more contingent fee servicers.

Purchase Price Multiplesas of December 31, 2024Amounts in thousands

Americas and Australia Core

Americas Insolvency

Europe Core

Europe Insolvency

(1)Includes the acquisition date finance receivables portfolios that were acquired through our business acquisitions.

(2)Non-U.S. amounts are presented at the exchange rate at the end of the year in which the portfolio was purchased. In addition, any purchase price adjustments that occur throughout the life of the portfolio are presented at the year-end exchange rate for the respective year of purchase.

(3)Non-U.S. amounts are presented at the year-end exchange rate for the respective year of purchase.

(4)Non-U.S. amounts are presented at the December 31, 2024 exchange rate.

(5)The original purchase price multiple represents the purchase price multiple at the end of the year of acquisition.

Portfolio Financial Information (1)

Amounts in thousands

Americas and Australia Core

Americas Insolvency

Europe Core

Europe Insolvency

(1)Includes the nonperforming loan portfolios that were acquired through our business acquisitions.

(2)Non-U.S. amounts are presented using the average exchange rates during the current year.

(3)Non-U.S. amounts are presented at the December 31, 2024 exchange rate.

Cash Collections

Americas and Australia Core

Americas Insolvency

Europe Core

Europe Insolvency

(1)Non-U.S. amounts are presented using the average exchange rates during the respective year.

(2)Includes the acquisition date finance receivables portfolios acquired through our business acquisitions.

(3)Non-U.S. amounts are presented at the exchange rate at the end of the year in which the portfolio was purchased. In addition, any purchase price adjustments that occur throughout the life of the pool are presented at the year-end exchange rate for the respective year of purchase.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

We actively manage our liquidity to meet our business needs and financial obligations.

Sources of liquidity

Cash and cash equivalents

As of December 31, 2024, cash and cash equivalents totaled $105.9 million, of which $91.1 million consisted of cash related to international operations with indefinitely reinvested earnings. For additional information about the unremitted earnings of our international subsidiaries, refer to Note 13 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K.

Borrowings

As of December 31, 2024, we had the following committed amounts, borrowings and availability under our financing arrangements (amounts in thousands):

Availability

Debt premium and issuance costs, net — (10,920) — — —

(1)Available borrowings after calculation of borrowing base, subject to the committed amounts and debt covenants, which may be used for general corporate purposes, including portfolio purchases.

(2)Subject to borrowing base and debt covenants, including advance rates ranging from 35-55% of applicable ERC.

Interest-bearing deposits

As of December 31, 2024, interest-bearing deposits totaled $163.4 million. Under our European revolving credit facility, our interest-bearing deposit funding is limited to SEK 2.2 billion (the equivalent of $199.0 million U.S. dollars as of December 31, 2024).

Uses of liquidity and material cash requirements

We believe that funds generated from our business activities, together with existing cash, available borrowings under our revolving credit facilities and access to the capital markets, will be sufficient to finance our operations, planned capital expenditures, forward flow purchase commitments, debt maturities and additional portfolio purchases for at least the next 12 months.

Our long-term capital requirements will depend in large part on the level of nonperforming loan portfolios that we purchase. We have the ability to slow the purchase of nonperforming loans without significantly impacting current year collections. For example, in 2024, we purchased $1.4 billion in nonperforming loan portfolios, which generated $213.6 million of cash collections, representing 11.4% of our total cash collections.

Market conditions permitting, as we deem appropriate, we may seek to access the debt or equity capital markets or other sources of funding, and it may be necessary to raise additional funds to achieve our business objectives. Business acquisitions or higher than expected levels of portfolio purchasing could require additional financing. We may also from time-to-time repurchase senior notes in the open market or otherwise.

Forward flows

We enter into forward flow agreements for the purchase of nonperforming loans. These agreements typically have terms ranging from six to 12 months, or they can be open-ended, and establish purchase prices and specific criteria for the accounts to be purchased. Some of the agreements establish a volume reference for the contract term in the form of a target or maximum,

however, very few agreements establish a minimum contractual obligation, and many of the contracts contain early termination provisions allowing either party to cancel the agreements in accordance with a specified notice period.

As of December 31, 2024, we had forward flow agreements in place with an estimated purchase price of approximately $498.9 million over the next 12 months. This total can vary significantly based on the remaining terms and renewal dates of the agreements and is comprised of $403.1 million for the Americas and Australia and $95.8 million for Europe. These amounts represent our estimated forward flow purchases over the next 12 months under the agreements in place based on projections and other factors, including sellers' estimates of future forward flow sales, and are dependent on actual delivery by the sellers and, in some cases, the impact of foreign exchange rate fluctuations. Accordingly, amounts purchased under these agreements may vary significantly. In addition to these agreements, we may also enter into new or renewed forward flow commitments and/or close on spot purchase transactions.

Borrowings

As of December 31, 2024, we had$3.3 billion in outstanding borrowings. The estimated interest, unused fees and principal payments for the next 12 months are$236.0 million, of which $10.0 million relates to principal on our term loan. After 12 months, principal payments on our debt are due from between one and five years. Many of our financing arrangements include covenants with which we must comply, and as of December 31, 2024, we were in compliance with these covenants.

On May 20, 2024, we issued $400.0 million in aggregate principal amount of our 2030 Notes. On September 3, 2024, using funds obtained primarily from our North American revolving credit facility, we repaid our 2025 Notes in full. On November 25, 2024, we issued an additional $150.0 million in aggregate principal amount of our 2030 Notes at a price of 103.625%.

For additional information about our credit facilities, term loan and senior notes, refer to Note 7 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K.

Share repurchases

On February 25, 2022, our Board of Directors approved a share repurchase program under which we are authorized to repurchase up to $150.0 million of our outstanding common stock. The share repurchase program has no stated expiration date and does not obligate us to repurchase any specified amount of shares, remains subject to the discretion of our Board of Directors and, subject to compliance with applicable laws, may be modified, suspended or discontinued at any time.

Repurchases may be made from time-to-time in open market transactions, through privately negotiated transactions, in block transactions, through purchases made in accordance with trading plans adopted under Rule 10b5-1 of the Exchange Act, or other methods, subject to market and/or other conditions and applicable regulatory requirements. Repurchases are also subject to restrictive covenants contained in our credit facilities and the indentures that govern our senior notes. There were no repurchases during 2024, and as of December 31, 2024, we had $67.7 million remaining for share repurchases under the program.

Leases

Our leases have remaining terms from one to 11 years. As of December 31, 2024, we had $36.4 million in lease liabilities, of which $9.2 million is due within the next 12 months. For additional information, refer to Note 5 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K.

Derivatives

We enter into derivative financial instruments to reduce our exposure to fluctuations in interest rates on variable rate debt and foreign currency exchange rates. As of December 31, 2024, we had $5.0 million of derivative liabilities, of which $0.2 million matures within the next 12 months. The remaining $4.8 million matures in 2028. For additional information, refer to Note 8 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K.

Investments

As of December 31, 2024, we held $55.8 million in Swedish treasury securities to meet the liquidity requirements of the Swedish Financial Services Authority for our banking subsidiary, AK Nordic AB.

Cash flow analysis

The following table summarizes our cash flow activity for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 (amounts in thousands):

Net cash provided by/(used in):

Operating activities

Net cash used in operating activities mainly reflects the portion of our cash collections recognized as revenue and cash paid for operating expenses, interest and income taxes. It does not include cash collections applied to the negative allowance, which are classified as cash flows provided by investing activities. To calculate net cash used in operating activities, net income/(loss) was adjusted for (i) non-cash items included in net income/(loss), such as unrealized foreign currency transaction gains/(losses), changes in expected recoveries, depreciation, amortization and impairment, deferred income taxes, fair value changes in equity securities, and share-based compensation, as well as (ii) changes in the balances of operating assets and liabilities, which can vary significantly in the normal course of business due to the amount and timing of payments.

Net cash used in operating activities was $94.6 million in 2024 compared to $97.5 million in 2023. The change was primarily due to higher cash collections recognized as income, which was offset by higher cash paid for interest.

Investing activities

Net cash used in investing activities increased $147.6 million in 2024, primarily driven by an increase of $246.8 million in purchases of nonperforming loan portfolios, offset by an increase of $110.9 million in recoveries collected and applied to Finance receivables, net.

Financing activities

Net cash provided by financing activities increased $135.5 million in 2024, primarily driven by $202.4 million in net proceeds from issuances and repayments of senior notes, and in 2023, the retirement of our convertible senior notes, a $61.3 million increase in interest-bearing deposits and a $35.1 million increase in net proceeds obtained under our term loan, offset by a decrease of $153.7 million in net proceeds from our lines of credit.

During 2024, we issued and repaid senior notes (refer to "Borrowings" above for details). On October 28, 2024, we amended our North American revolving credit facility and term loan to, among other things, extend the maturity date from July 30, 2026 to October 28, 2029, increase the aggregate revolving and term loan commitments by $40.1 million to $1.548 billion, reduce the U.S. domestic revolving credit facility from $1.0 billion to $950.0 million, increase the Canadian revolving credit facility from $75.0 million to $125.0 million, increase the term loan from $432.5 million to $472.6 million and modify certain financial covenants. On October 30, 2024, we amended our UK revolving credit facility to, among other things, extend the maturity date from July 30, 2026 to October 30, 2029, decrease the revolving credit facility from $800.0 million to $725.0 million and modify certain financial covenants to more closely conform to our North American revolving credit facility. On October 28, 2024, we amended our European revolving credit facility to modify certain financial covenants to more closely conform to our North American and UK revolving credit facilities.

On June 1, 2023, we used substantially all of the net proceeds from the issuance of our Senior Notes due 2028 to retire our 3.50% Convertible Senior Notes due 2023 at their maturity.

For additional information about our credit facilities, term loan and senior notes, refer to Note 7 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K.

Effect of exchange rates on cash

The net effect of exchange rates on cash decreased by $26.1 million in 2024, primarily due to the impact of the valuation of the U.S. dollar on foreign currency denominated borrowings and intercompany balances.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

For discussion of recent accounting pronouncements and the anticipated effects on our Consolidated Financial Statements, refer to Note 1 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K.

Critical Accounting Estimates

Our Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with GAAP. Some of our significant accounting policies require that we use estimates, assumptions and judgments that affect the reported amounts of revenues, expenses, assets and liabilities. For discussion of our significant accounting policies, refer to Note 1 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K.

We consider accounting estimates to be critical if they (1) involve a significant level of estimation uncertainty and (2) have had, or are reasonably likely to have, a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations.We base our estimates on historical experience, current trends and various other assumptions that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. If these estimates differ significantly from actual results, the impact on our Consolidated Financial Statements may be material. We have determined that the following accounting policies involve critical estimates:

Revenue recognition - finance receivables

Revenue recognition for finance receivables involves the use of estimates and the exercise of judgment on the part of management. These estimates include projections of the amount and timing of cash collections we expect to receive from our pools of accounts. We review individual pools for trends, actual performance versus projections and curve shape (a graphical depiction of the amount and timing of cash collections). We then project ERC and apply a discounted cash flow methodology to our ERC. Adjustments to ERC may include adjustments reflecting recent collection trends, our view of current and future economic conditions, changes in collection assumptions or other timing related adjustments.

Significant changes in our cash flow estimates could result in increased or decreased revenue as we immediately recognize the discounted value of such changes using the constant effective interest rate of the pool. Generally, adjustments to cash forecasts result in an adjustment to revenue at an amount less than the impact of the performance in the period due to the effects of discounting. Additionally, cash collection forecast increases result in more revenue being recognized, and cash collection forecast decreases in less revenue being recognized, over the life of the pool.

Goodwill

In accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") ASC Topic 350, "Intangibles-Goodwill and Other" ("ASC 350"), we evaluate goodwill for impairment annually as of October 1, and more frequently if circumstances indicate that it is more-likely-than-not that the fair value of a reporting unit is below its carrying value.

We determine the fair value of a reporting unit by applying the income approach and market approach, which are prescribed under ASC Topic 820 "Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures". Under the income approach, we estimate the fair value of a reporting unit based on the present value of estimated future cash flows and a residual terminal value. Cash flow projections are based on management's estimates of a variety of factors, including growth rates and operating margins, which take into consideration industry and market conditions. Under the market approach, we estimate fair value based on market trading multiples and other relevant market transactions involving comparable publicly traded companies with operating and investment characteristics similar to the reporting unit. Depending on the availability of public data and suitable comparable transaction data, we may give more weight to the income approach than the market approach. We also assess the reasonableness of the aggregate estimated fair value of our reporting units by comparison to our market capitalization over a reasonable period, considering historic control premiums in the financial services industry and the current market environment.

As of December 31, 2024, we had goodwill of $396.4 million, consisting primarily of $369.5 million in our Debt Buying and Collection ("DBC") reporting unit. We performed our most recent annual impairment review as of October 1, 2024, using a quantitative assessment, and concluded that goodwill was not impaired. Under the prior year impairment test, the excess of our DBC reporting unit’s fair value over its carrying value was approximately 6.0%, and although the excess increased to approximately 11.0% under our most recent test, if our cash flow projections are not met or if market factors utilized in the impairment test were to deteriorate, including adverse changes in the debt sales market that impact our estimated purchasing volumes and purchase price multiples, an increase in the discount rate, or a sustained decline in our stock price, the reporting unit may be at-risk for future impairment.

We estimate the fair value of the DBC reporting unit based on the income approach, and as an assessment for reasonableness, also apply the market approach. Key inputs to the DBC reporting unit’s fair value under the income approach included our forecasted financial results and the discount rate. Forecasted financial results were developed considering several inputs and assumptions, including portfolio purchasing volume, purchase price multiples, ERC growth rate, terminal value multiple, operating expenses and the projected impact of certain strategic and operational initiatives. Purchase price multiples related to our existing portfolios were based on historical growth rates, while purchase price multiples on future portfolio purchases were based on recent and expected future purchasing metrics.

We have implemented a number of strategic and operational initiatives in our U.S. business designed to increase cash collections while reducing our marginal costs and continue to implement additional initiatives. The estimated net cash flows from certain of these initiatives were incorporated in our goodwill evaluation, reflecting an assessment of our ability to execute such initiatives. The discount rate of 8.3% utilized for the DBC reporting unit as of October 1, 2024 was based on the weighted-average cost of capital adjusted for the relevant risk associated with business-specific characteristics, including assumptions related to the reporting unit's ability to execute on the projected cash flows.

Our goodwill evaluation is dependent on a number of factors, both internal and external. The assumptions used in estimating the DBC reporting unit’s fair value were based on currently available data and involved the exercise of judgment. There are inherent uncertainties related to the assumptions used in our evaluation and to our application of those assumptions. If market factors deteriorate, or if estimates used in our quantitative assessment prove to be inaccurate, we may have to record impairment charges in future periods.

Income taxes

We are subject to income taxes in the U.S. and in numerous international jurisdictions. These tax laws are complex and subject to different interpretations by the taxpayer and the relevant government taxing authorities. When determining our domestic and non-U.S. income tax expense, we make judgments about the application of these inherently complex laws.

We record a tax provision for the anticipated tax consequences of the reported results of operations. The provision for income taxes is estimated using the asset and liability method, under which deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the financial reporting and tax basis of assets and liabilities, and for operating losses and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using the currently enacted tax rates that apply to taxable income in effect for the years in which those tax assets are expected to be realized or settled.

We exercise significant judgment in estimating the potential exposure to unresolved tax matters and apply a more likely than not standard for recording tax benefits related to uncertain tax positions in the application of complex tax laws. While actual results could vary, we believe we have adequate tax accruals with respect to the ultimate outcome of such unresolved tax matters. We record interest and penalties related to unresolved tax matters as a component of income tax expense when the more likely than not standards are not met.

If all or part of the deferred tax assets are determined not to be realizable in the future, we would establish a valuation allowance and charge the impact to earnings in the period such a determination is made. If we subsequently realize deferred tax assets that were previously determined to be unrealizable, the respective valuation allowance would be reversed, resulting in a positive adjustment to earnings. The establishment or release of a valuation allowance does not have an impact on cash, nor does such an allowance preclude the use of loss carryforwards or other deferred tax assets in future periods. The calculation of tax liabilities involves significant judgment in estimating the impact of uncertainties in the application of complex tax laws. Resolution of these uncertainties in a manner inconsistent with our expectations could have a material impact on our results of operations and financial position. For further information regarding our uncertain tax positions, refer to Note 13 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Form 10-K.

Frequently Used Terms

We may use the following terminology throughout this Form 10-K:

•"Buybacks" refers to purchase price refunded by the seller due to the return of ineligible nonperforming loan accounts.

•"Cash collections" refers to collections on our nonperforming loan portfolios.

•"Cash receipts" refers to cash collections on our nonperforming loan portfolios, fees and revenue recognized from our class action claims recovery services.

•"Changes in expected recoveries" refers to the differences of actual recoveries received when compared to expected recoveries and the net present value of changes in estimated remaining collections.

•"Core" accounts or portfolios refer to accounts or portfolios that are nonperforming loans and are not in an insolvent status upon acquisition. These accounts are aggregated separately from insolvency accounts.

•"Estimated remaining collections" or "ERC" refers to the sum of all future projected cash collections on our nonperforming loan portfolios.

•"Finance receivables" or "receivables" refers to the negative allowance for expected recoveries recorded on our balance sheet as an asset.

•"Insolvency" accounts or portfolios refer to accounts or portfolios of nonperforming loans that are in an insolvent status when we purchase them and, as such, are purchased as a pool of insolvent accounts. These accounts include IVAs, Trust Deeds in the UK, Consumer Proposals in Canada and bankruptcy accounts in the U.S., Canada, Germany and the UK.

•"Negative allowance" refers to the present value of cash flows expected to be collected on our finance receivables.

•"Portfolio acquisitions" refers to all nonperforming loan portfolios acquired as a result of a purchase or added as a result of a business acquisition.

•"Portfolio purchases" refers to all nonperforming loan portfolios purchased in the normal course of business and excludes those added as a result of business acquisitions.

•"Portfolio income" reflects revenue recorded due to the passage of time using the effective interest rate calculated based on the purchase price of nonperforming loan portfolios and estimated remaining collections.

•"Purchase price" refers to the cash paid to a seller to acquire nonperforming loans.

•"Purchase price multiple" refers to the total estimated collections on our nonperforming loan portfolios divided by purchase price.

•"Recoveries collected" refers to cash collections plus buybacks and other adjustments.

PRAA US Equity

PRAA · 10-K · period ended 2024-12-31

Item 1. Business.

Item 1A. Risk Factors.

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.

Item 1C. Cybersecurity.

Item 2. Properties.

Item 3. Legal Proceedings.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.

Item 5. Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.

Item 6. [Reserved]

Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

PRAA US Equity☆

PRAA · 10-K · period ended 2024-12-31

Item 1. Business.

Item 1A. Risk Factors.

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.

Item 1C. Cybersecurity.

Item 2. Properties.

Item 3. Legal Proceedings.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.

Item 5. Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.

Item 6. [Reserved]

Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

PRAA US Equity