Item 1A. Risk Factors
Forward-Looking Statements
This annual report contains various “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that are based on management’s beliefs and assumptions, as well as information currently available to management. Statements other than those of historical fact, as well as those identified by the use of words such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “expect,” “believe,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “would,” “could,” and any variations of the foregoing and similar expressions, are forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in any such forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Any such statements are subject to certain risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, our actual financial results, performance or financial condition may vary materially from those anticipated, estimated, expected or implied by any forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements.
Investors should consider the risk factors described in this annual report, in addition to the other information presented in this annual report and the other reports and registration statements the Company files with or furnishes to the SEC from time to time, in evaluating us, our business, and an investment in our securities. Any of the risk factors described in this annual report, as well as other risks, uncertainties, and possibly inaccurate assumptions underlying our plans and expectations, could result in harm to our business, results of operations and financial condition and cause the value of our securities to decline, which in turn could cause investors to lose all or part of their investment in our Company. These factors, among others, could also cause actual results to differ materially from those we have experienced in the past or those we may express or imply from time to time in any forward-looking statements we make. Investors are advised that it is impossible to identify or predict all risks, and those risks not currently known to us or those we currently deem immaterial also could affect us in the future. The following risks should not be construed as exclusive and should be read with the other cautionary statements that are in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements, except as may be required by law, whether as a result of new information, future developments, or otherwise.
Risks Related to Our Business
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has and is expected to continue adversely affecting our business, liquidity, results of operations and financial position.
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in widespread volatility and deterioration in household, business, economic, and market conditions. The ultimate extent of the impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic on our capital, liquidity, and other financial positions and on our business, results of operations, and prospects will depend on a number of evolving factors, including the duration, response, effect on customers, employees and service providers, and the effect on markets and economies.
We are unable to estimate the full impact of COVID-19 on our business and operations at this time. However, we experienced and may continue to experience reduced demand for our products and services.We expect to continue experiencing adverse effects related to the pandemic, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations, and prospects. Sustained adverse effects may also prevent us from satisfying our minimum capital ratios and other requirements under our revolving credit facility.
Given the unprecedented nature of the crisis, our financial and economic models may be unable to accurately predict and respond to the impact of the economic contraction or lasting changes to customer behaviors, which in turn may limit our ability to manage credit risk and avoid higher charge-off rates. Additionally, our credit and economic models may not be able to adequately predict or forecast credit losses, loan receivables or other financial metrics during and after the crisis, which could result in our reserves being too large or insufficient. We do not yet know the full extent of the impacts on our business, our operations or the global economy as a whole. Additionally, many of the other risk factors described herein are heightened by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and related economic conditions, which in turn could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, access to financing and liquidity.
Media and public characterization of consumer installment loans as being predatory or abusive could have a materially adverse effect on our business, prospects, results of operations and financial condition.
Consumer activist groups and various other media sources continue to advocate for governmental and regulatory action to prohibit or severely restrict our products and services. These critics frequently characterize our products and services as
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predatory or abusive toward consumers. If this negative characterization of the consumer installment loans we make and/or ancillary services we provide becomes widely accepted by government policy makers or is embodied in legislative, regulatory, policy or litigation developments that adversely affect our ability to continue offering our products and services or the profitability of these products and services, our business, results of operations and financial condition would be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, our industry is highly regulated, and announcements regarding new or expected governmental and regulatory action regarding consumer lending may adversely impact perceptions of our business even if such actions are not targeted at our operations and do not directly impact us.
Employee misconduct or misconduct by third parties acting on our behalf could harm us by subjecting us to monetary loss, significant legal liability, regulatory scrutiny, and reputational harm.
There is a risk that our employees or third-party contractors could engage in misconduct that adversely affects our business. For example, if an employee or a third-party contractor were to engage in, or be accused of engaging in, illegal or suspicious activities including fraud or theft, we could suffer direct losses from the activity. Additionally, we could be subject to regulatory sanctions and suffer serious harm to our reputation, financial condition, customer relationships and ability to attract future customers. Employee or third-party misconduct could prompt regulators to allege or to determine based upon such misconduct that we have not established adequate supervisory systems and procedures to inform employees of applicable rules or to detect violations of such rules. Our branches have experienced employee fraud from time to time, and it is not always possible to deter employee or third-party misconduct. The precautions that we take to detect and prevent misconduct may not be effective in all cases. Misconduct by our employees or third-party contractors, or even unsubstantiated allegations of misconduct, could result in a material adverse effect on our reputation and our business.
Our risk management efforts may not be effective.
We could incur substantial losses and our business operations could be disrupted if we are unable to effectively identify, manage, monitor, and mitigate financial risks, such as credit risk, interest rate risk, prepayment risk, liquidity risk, and other market-related risks, as well as regulatory and operational risks related to our business, assets, and liabilities. Our risk management policies, procedures, and techniques may not be sufficient to identify all of the risks we are exposed to, mitigate the risks we have identified, or identify additional risks to which we may become subject in the future.
Interest rate fluctuations may adversely affect our borrowing costs, profitability and liquidity.
Our profitability may be directly affected by the level of and fluctuations in interest rates, whether caused by changes in economic conditions or other factors that affect our borrowing costs. Interest rates are highly sensitive to many factors that are beyond our control, including general economic conditions and policies of various governmental and regulatory agencies and, in particular, the Federal Reserve Board. Changes in monetary policy, including changes in interest rates, could influence the amount of interest we pay on our revolving credit facility or any other floating interest rate obligations we may incur. Our profitability and liquidity could be materially adversely affected during any period of higher interest rates. See Part II, Item 7A, “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure About Market Risk” for additional information regarding our interest rate risk.
We are exposed to credit risk in our lending activities.
Our ability to collect on loans to individuals, our single largest asset group, depends on the ability and willingness of our borrowers to repay such loans. Any material adverse change in the ability or willingness of a significant portion of our borrowers to meet their obligations to us, whether due to changes in economic conditions, unemployment rates, the cost of consumer goods (particularly, but not limited to, food and energy costs), disposable income, interest rates, health crises, natural disasters, acts of war or terrorism, political or social conditions, divorce, death, or other causes over which we have no control, would have a material adverse impact on our earnings and financial condition. Although new customers are required to submit a listing of personal property that will serve as collateral to secure their loans, the Company does not rely on the value of such collateral in the loan approval process and generally does not perfect its security interest in that collateral. Additional information regarding our credit risk is included in Part II, Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation-Credit Quality.”
Our insurance operations are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including claims, catastrophic events, underwriting risks and dependence on a primary distribution channel.
Insurance claims and policyholder liabilities are difficult to predict and may exceed the related reserves set aside for claims (losses) and associated expenses for claims adjudication (loss adjustment expenses). Additionally, events such as cyber security
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breaches and other types of catastrophes, and prolonged economic downturns, could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. Other risks relating to our insurance operations include changes to laws and regulations applicable to us, as well as changes to the regulatory environment, such as: changes to laws or regulations affecting capital and reserve requirements; frequency and type of regulatory monitoring and reporting; consumer privacy, use of customer data and data security; benefits or loss ratio requirements; insurance producer licensing or appointment requirements; required disclosures to consumers; and collateral protection insurance (i.e., insurance some of our lender companies purchase, at the customer’s expense, on that customer’s loan collateral for the periods of time the customer fails to adequately, as required by his loan, insure his collateral).
If our estimates of credit losses are not adequate to absorb actual losses, our provision for credit losses would increase, which would adversely affect our results of operations.
To estimate the appropriate level of allowance for credit losses, we consider known and relevant internal and external factors that affect loan collectability, including the total amount of loan receivables outstanding, historical loan receivable charge-offs, our current collection patterns, and economic trends. Our methodology for establishing our allowance for credit losses is based on the guidance in ASC 326, and, in part, on our historic loss experience. If customer behavior changes as a result of economic, political, social, or other conditions, or if we are unable to predict how these conditions may affect our allowance for credit losses, our allowance for credit losses may be inadequate. Our allowance for credit losses is an estimate, and if actual credit losses are materially greater than our allowance for credit losses, our provision for credit losses would increase, which would result in a decline in our future earnings, and thus our results of operations could be adversely affected. Neither state regulators nor federal regulators regulate our allowance for credit losses. Additional information regarding our allowance for credit losses is included in Part II, Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations-Credit Quality.”
In June of 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (CECL). This ASU significantly changed the way that entities are required to measure credit losses. This standard requires that the estimated credit loss be based upon an “expected credit loss” approach rather than the “incurred loss” approach previously required. The new approach requires entities to measure all expected credit losses for financial assets based on historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable forecasts of collectability. As such, the expected credit loss model requires earlier recognition of credit losses than the incurred loss approach. CECL became effective for the Company April 1, 2020. Our financial results may be negatively affected as weak or deteriorating economic conditions are forecasted and alter our expectations for credit losses. In addition, due to the expansion of the time horizon over which we are required to estimate future credit losses under CECL, we may experience increased volatility in our future provisions for credit losses.
The concentration of our revenues in certain states could adversely affect us.
We currently operate consumer installment loan branches in sixteen states in the United States. Any adverse legislative or regulatory change in any one of our states, but particularly in any of our larger states could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, and results of operation or financial condition. See Part I, Item 1, “Description of Business” for information regarding the size of our business in the various states in which we operate.
We may be unable to execute our business strategy due to economic conditions.
Our financial position, liquidity, and results of operations depend on management’s ability to execute our business strategy. Key factors involved in the execution of our business strategy include achieving our desired loan volume and pricing strategies, the use of effective credit risk management techniques, marketing and servicing strategies, continued investment in technology to support operating efficiency, and continued access to funding and liquidity sources. Although our pricing strategy is intended to maximize the amount of economic profit we generate, within the confines of capital and infrastructure constraints, there can be no assurance that this strategy will have its intended effect. Our failure or inability to execute any element of our business strategy could materially adversely affect our financial position, liquidity, and results of operations.
Our ability to execute our growth strategy may be adversely affected.
Our growth strategy includes opening and acquiring branches in existing and new markets and is subject to significant risks, some of which are beyond our control, including:
•the prevailing laws and regulatory environment of each state in which we operate or seek to operate, and, to the extent applicable, federal laws and regulations, which are subject to change at any time;
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•our ability to obtain and maintain any regulatory approvals, government permits, or licenses that may be required;
•the degree of competition in new markets and its effect on our ability to attract new customers;
•our ability to obtain adequate financing for our expansion plans; and
•our ability to attract, train, and retain qualified personnel to staff our new operations.
We currently lack product and business diversification; as a result, our revenues and earnings may be disproportionately negatively impacted by external factors and may be more susceptible to fluctuations than more diversified companies.
Our primary business activity is offering small consumer installment loans together with, in some states in which we operate, related ancillary products. Thus, any developments, whether regulatory, economic or otherwise, that would hinder, reduce the profitability of, or limit our ability to operate our small consumer installment loan business on the terms currently conducted would have a direct and adverse impact on our business, profitability, and perhaps even our viability. Our current lack of product and business diversification could inhibit our opportunities for growth, reduce our revenues and profits, and make us more susceptible to earnings fluctuations than many other financial institutions whose operations are more diversified.
A reduction in demand for our products and a failure by us to adapt to such reduction could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
The demand for the products we offer may be reduced due to a variety of factors, such as demographic patterns, changes in customer preferences or financial condition, regulatory restrictions that decrease customer access to particular products, or the availability of competing products, including through alternative or competing marketing channels. For example, we are highly dependent upon selecting and maintaining attractive branch locations. These locations are subject to local market conditions, including the employment available in the area, housing costs, traffic patterns, crime, and other demographic influences, any of which may quickly change, thereby negatively impacting demand for our products in the area. Should we fail to adapt to significant changes in our customers’ demand for, or access to, our products, our revenues could decrease significantly and our operations could be harmed. Even if we do make changes to existing products or introduce new products and channels to fulfill customer demand, customers may resist or may reject such products. Moreover, the effect of any product change on the results of our business may not be fully ascertainable until the change has been in effect for some time, and by that time it may be too late to make further modifications to such product without causing further harm to our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
We operate in a highly competitive market, and we cannot ensure that the competitive pressures we face will not have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.
The consumer lending industry is highly competitive. We compete with other consumer finance companies as well as other types of financial institutions that offer similar consumer financial products and services. Some of these competitors may have greater financial, technical, and marketing resources than we possess. Some competitors may also have a lower cost of funds and access to funding sources that may not be available to us. While banks and credit card companies have decreased their lending to non-prime customers in recent years, there is no assurance that such lenders will not resume those lending activities. Further, because of increased regulatory pressure on payday lenders, many of those lenders are starting to make more traditional installment consumer loans in order to reduce regulatory scrutiny of their practices, which could increase competition in markets in which we operate. We cannot be sure that the competitive pressures we face will not have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition, and liquidity.
We depend on secure information technology, and a breach of those systems or those of third-party vendors could result in significant losses, unauthorized disclosure of confidential customer information, and reputational damage, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and/or results of operations, and could lead to significant financial and legal exposure.
Our operations rely heavily on the secure collection, processing, storage, and transmission of personal, confidential, and other information about us, our customers and third parties with which we do business. We process a significant number of customer transactions on a continuous basis through our computer systems and networks and are subject to increasingly more risk related to security systems as we enhance our mobile payment technologies and otherwise attempt to keep pace with rapid technological changes in the financial services industry.
While we commit resources to the design, implementation, maintenance, and monitoring of our networks and systems, we may be required to expend significant additional resources in the future to modify and enhance our security controls in response to new or more sophisticated threats, new regulations related to cybersecurity and other developments. Additionally, there is no guarantee that our security controls can provide absolute security.
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Despite the measures we implement to protect our systems and data, we may not be able to anticipate, identify, prevent or detect cyber-attacks, particularly because the techniques used by attackers change frequently or are not recognized until launched, and because cyber-attacks can originate from a wide variety of sources, including third parties who are or may be involved in organized crime or linked to terrorist organizations or hostile foreign governments. Such third parties may seek to gain unauthorized access to our systems directly, by fraudulently inducing employees, customers, or other users of our systems, or by using equipment or security passwords belonging to employees, customers, third-party service providers, or other users of our systems. Or, they may seek to disrupt or disable our services through attacks such as denial-of-service attacks and ransomware attacks. In addition, we may be unable to identify, or may be significantly delayed in identifying, cyber-attacks and incidents due to the increasing use of techniques and tools that are designed to circumvent controls, to avoid detection, and to remove or obfuscate forensic artifacts. As a result, our computer systems, software and networks, as well as those of third-party vendors we utilize, may be vulnerable to unauthorized access, computer viruses, malicious attacks and other events that could have a security impact beyond our control. Our staff, technologies, systems, networks, and those of third-parties we utilize also may become the target of cyber-attacks, unauthorized access, malicious code, computer viruses, denial of service attacks, ransomware, and physical attacks that could result in information security breaches, the unauthorized release, gathering, monitoring, misuse, loss or destruction of our or our customers’ confidential, proprietary and other information, or otherwise disrupt our or our customers’ operations. We also routinely transmit and receive personal, confidential and proprietary information through third parties, which may be vulnerable to interception, misuse, or mishandling.
If one or more of such events occur, personal, confidential, and other information processed and stored in, and transmitted through our computer systems and networks, or those of third-party vendors, could be compromised or could cause interruptions or malfunctions in our operations that could result in significant losses, loss of confidence by and business from customers, customer dissatisfaction, significant litigation, regulatory exposures, and harm to our reputation and brand.
In the event personal, confidential, or other information is threatened, intercepted, misused, mishandled, or compromised, we may be required to expend significant additional resources to modify our protective measures, to investigate the circumstances surrounding the event, and implement mitigation and remediation measures. We also may be subject to fines, penalties, litigation (including securities fraud class action lawsuits), and regulatory investigation costs and settlements and financial losses that are either not insured against or not fully covered through any insurance maintained by us. If one or more of such events occur, our business, financial condition and/or results of operations could be significantly and adversely affected.
Any interruption of our information systems could adversely affect us.
Our business and reputation may be materially impacted by information system failures or network disruptions. We rely heavily on communications and information systems to conduct our business. Each branch is part of an information network that is designed to permit us to maintain adequate cash inventory, reconcile cash balances on a daily basis, and report revenues and expenses to our headquarters. Any failure or interruption of these systems, including any failure of our back-up systems, network outages, slow performance, breaches, unauthorized access, misuse, computer viruses, or other failures or disruptions could result in disruption to our business or the loss or theft of confidential information, including customer information. A disruption could impair our ability to offer and process our loans, provide customer service, perform collections or other necessary business activities, which could result in a loss of customer confidence or business, subject us to additional regulatory scrutiny or negative publicity, or expose us to civil litigation and possible financial liability, or otherwise materially adversely affect our financial condition and operating results. Furthermore, we may not be able to detect immediately any such breach, which may increase the losses that we would suffer. In addition, our existing insurance policies may not reimburse us for all of the damages that we might incur as a result of a breach or other information system failure or network disruption.
We may not be able to make technological improvements as quickly as some of our competitors, which could harm our ability to compete with our competitors and adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition, and liquidity.
The financial services industry is undergoing rapid technological changes, with frequent introductions of new technology-driven products and services. The effective use of technology increases efficiency and enables financial and lending institutions to better serve customers and reduce costs. Our future success and, in particular, the success of our centralized operations, will depend, in part, upon our ability to address the needs of our customers by using technology to provide products and services that will satisfy customer demands for convenience, as well as to create additional efficiencies in our operations. We may not be able to effectively implement new technology-driven products and services as quickly as some of our competitors or be successful in marketing these products and services to our existing and new customers. Failure to successfully keep pace with technological change affecting the financial services industry could harm our ability to compete with our competitors and adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition, and liquidity.
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We are subject to data privacy laws, which may significantly increase our compliance and technology costs resulting in a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
We are subject to various federal and state privacy, data protection, and information security laws and regulations, including requirements concerning security breach notification. Moreover, various federal and state regulatory agencies require us to notify customers in the event of a security breach. Federal and state legislators are increasingly considering and implementing new guidance, laws, and regulations. Compliance with current or future privacy, data protection and information security laws affecting customer or employee data to which we are subject could result in higher compliance and technology costs and could materially and adversely affect our profitability. Our failure to comply with privacy, data protection and information security laws may require us to change our business practices or operational structure, and could subject us to potentially significant regulatory and/or governmental investigations and/or actions, litigation, fines, sanctions, and damage to our reputation.
We are also subject to the theft or misuse of physical customer and employee records at our facilities.
Our branch offices and centralized headquarters have physical and electronic customer records necessary for day-to-day operations that contain extensive confidential information about our customers. We also retain physical records in various storage locations. The loss or theft of customer information and data from our branch offices, headquarters, or other storage locations could subject us to additional regulatory scrutiny and penalties and could expose us to civil litigation and possible financial liability, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity. In addition, if we cannot locate original documents (or copies, in some cases) for certain finance receivables, we may not be able to collect on those finance receivables.
Our off-site data center and centralized IT functions are susceptible to disruption by catastrophic events, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
Our information systems, and administrative and management processes could be disrupted if a catastrophic event, such as severe weather, natural disaster, power outage, act of terror or similar event, destroyed or severely damaged our infrastructure. Any such catastrophic event or other unexpected disruption of our headquarters functions or off-site data center could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
A small number of our shareholders have the ability to significantly influence matters requiring shareholder approval and such shareholders have interests which may conflict with the interests of our other security holders.
As of March 31, 2021, based on filings made with the SEC and other information made available to us, Prescott General Partners, LLC and its affiliates beneficially owned approximately 40.1% of our common stock. As a result, these shareholders are able to significantly influence matters presented to shareholders, including the election and removal of directors, the approval of significant corporate transactions, such as any reclassification, reorganization, merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets, and the control of our management and affairs, including executive compensation arrangements. Their interests may conflict with the interests of our other security holders.
Initiating and processing potential acquisitions may be unsuccessful or difficult, leading to losses and increased delinquencies, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
We have previously acquired, and in the future may acquire, assets or businesses, including large portfolios of finance receivables, either through the direct purchase of such assets or the purchase of the equity of a company with such a portfolio. Since we will not have originated or serviced the loans we acquire, we may not be aware of legal or other deficiencies related to origination or servicing, and our due diligence efforts of the acquisition prior to purchase may not uncover those deficiencies. Further, we may have limited recourse against the seller of the portfolio.
In pursuing these transactions, we may experience, among other things:
•overvaluing potential targets;
•difficulties in integrating any acquired companies or branches into our existing business, including integration of account data into our information systems;
•inability to realize the benefits we anticipate in a timely fashion, or at all;
•unexpected losses due to the acquisition of loan portfolios with loans originated using less stringent underwriting criteria;
•significant costs, charges, or write-downs; or
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•unforeseen operating difficulties that require significant financial and managerial resources that would otherwise be available for the ongoing development and expansion of our existing operations.
Risks Related to our Indebtedness
We depend to a substantial extent on borrowings under our revolving credit agreement to fund our liquidity needs.
Our revolving credit agreement allows us to borrow up to $685.0 million through June 7, 2024. Pursuant to the terms of our revolving credit agreement, we are required to comply with a number of covenants and conditions, including a minimum borrowing base calculation. If our existing sources of liquidity become insufficient to satisfy our financial needs or our access to these sources becomes unexpectedly restricted, we may need to try to raise additional capital in the future. If such an event were to occur, we can give no assurance that such alternate sources of liquidity would be available to us at all or on favorable terms. Additional information regarding our liquidity risk is included in Part II, Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations-Liquidity and Capital Resources.”
Our current debt and any additional debt we may incur in the future could negatively impact our business, prevent us from satisfying our debt obligations and adversely affect our financial condition.
We may incur a substantial amount of debt in the future. As of March 31, 2021, we had approximately $405.0 million of total debt outstanding and a total debt-to-equity ratio of approximately 1.0 to 1. The amount of debt we may incur in the future could have important consequences, including the following:
•our ability to obtain additional financing for working capital, debt refinancing, share repurchases or other purposes could be impaired;
•a substantial portion of our cash flows from operations will be dedicated to paying principal and interest on our debt, reducing funds available for other purposes;
•we may be vulnerable to interest rate increases, as borrowings under our revolving credit agreement bear interest at variable rates, as may any future debt that we incur;
•we may be at a competitive disadvantage to competitors that are not as highly leveraged;
•we could be more vulnerable to adverse developments in our industry or in general economic conditions;
•we may be restricted from taking advantage of business opportunities or making strategic acquisitions;
•we may be limited in our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the industry in which we operate;
•we may have difficulty satisfying our obligations under the debt if accelerated upon the occurrence of an event of default; and
•we may be more vulnerable to periods of negative or slow growth in the general economy or in our business.
In addition, meeting our anticipated liquidity requirements is contingent upon our continued compliance with our revolving credit agreement. An acceleration of our debt would have a material adverse effect on our liquidity and our ability to continue as a going concern. If our debt obligations increase, whether due to the increased cost of existing indebtedness or the incurrence of additional indebtedness, the consequences described above could be magnified.
Although the terms of our revolving credit agreement contain restrictions on our ability to incur additional debt, as well as any future debt that we incur, these restrictions are subject, or likely to be subject, in the case of any future debt, to exceptions that could permit us to incur a substantial amount of additional debt. In addition, our existing and future debt agreements will not prevent us from incurring certain liabilities that do not constitute indebtedness as defined for purposes of those debt agreements. If new debt or other liabilities are added to our current debt levels, the risks associated with our having substantial debt could intensify. As of March 31, 2021, we had $181.4 million available for borrowing under our revolving credit agreement, subject to borrowing base limitations and other specified terms and conditions.
We may not be able to generate sufficient cash flows to service our outstanding debt and fund operations and may be forced to take other actions to satisfy our obligations under such debt.
Our ability to make scheduled payments on the principal of, to pay interest on, or to refinance our indebtedness will depend in part on our cash flows from operations, which are subject to regulatory, economic, financial, competitive, and other factors beyond our control. We may not generate a level of cash flows from operations sufficient to permit us to meet our debt service obligations. If we are unable to generate sufficient cash flows from operations to service our debt, we may be required to sell assets, refinance all or a portion of our existing debt, obtain additional financing, or obtain additional equity capital on terms
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that may be onerous or highly dilutive. There can be no assurance that any refinancing will be possible or that any asset sales or additional financing can be completed on acceptable terms or at all.
The terms of our debt limit how we conduct our business.
Our revolving credit agreement contains covenants that restrict our ability to, among other things:
•incur and guarantee debt;
•pay dividends or make other distributions on or redeem or repurchase our stock;
•make investments or acquisitions;
•create liens on our assets;
•sell assets;
•merge with or into other companies;
•enter into transactions with shareholders and other affiliates; and
•make capital expenditures.
Our revolving credit agreement also imposes requirements that we maintain specified financial measures not in excess of, or not below, specified levels. In particular, our revolving credit agreement requires, among other things, that we maintain (i) at all times a specified minimum consolidated net worth, (ii) as of the end of each fiscal quarter, a minimum ratio of consolidated net income available for fixed charges for the period of four consecutive fiscal quarters most recently ended to consolidated fixed charges for that period of not less than a specified minimum, (iii) at all times a specified maximum ratio of total debt to consolidated adjusted net worth and (iv) at all times a specified ratio of subordinated debt to consolidated adjusted net worth. These covenants limit the manner in which we can conduct our business and could prevent us from engaging in favorable business activities or financing future operations and capital needs and impair our ability to successfully execute our strategy and operate our business.
A breach of any of the covenants in our revolving credit agreement would result in an event of default thereunder. Any event of default would permit the creditors to accelerate the related debt, which could also result in the acceleration of any other or future debt containing a cross-acceleration or cross-default provision. In addition, an event of default under our revolving credit agreement would permit the lenders thereunder to terminate all commitments to extend further credit under the revolving credit agreement. Furthermore, if we were unable to repay the amounts due and payable under the revolving credit agreement or any other secured debt we may incur, the lenders thereunder could cause the collateral agent to proceed against the collateral securing that debt. In the event our creditors accelerate the repayment of our debt, there can be no assurance that we would have sufficient assets to repay that debt, and our financial condition, liquidity and results of operations would suffer. Additional information regarding our revolving credit facility is included in Part II, Item 7 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations-Liquidity and Capital Resources.”
The conditions of the U.S. and international capital markets may adversely affect lenders with which we have relationships, causing us to incur additional costs and reducing our sources of liquidity, which may adversely affect our financial position, liquidity and results of operations.
Turbulence in the global capital markets can result in disruptions in the financial sector and affect lenders with which we have relationships, including members of the syndicate of banks that are lenders under our revolving credit agreement. Disruptions in the financial sector may increase our exposure to credit risk and adversely affect the ability of lenders to perform under the terms of their lending arrangements with us. Failure by our lenders to perform under the terms of our lending arrangements could cause us to incur additional costs that may adversely affect our liquidity, financial condition, and results of operations.There can be no assurance that future disruptions in the financial sector will not occur that could haveadverse effects on our business. Additional information regarding our liquidity and related risks is included in Part II, Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations-Liquidity and Capital Resources.”
Risks Related to Legal Proceedings and Regulation
Federal legislative or regulatory proposals, initiatives, actions, or changes that are adverse to our operations or result in adverse regulatory proceedings, or our failure to comply with existing or future federal laws and regulations, could force us to modify, suspend, or cease part or all of our nationwide operations.
We are subject to numerous federal laws and regulations that affect our lending operations. Although these laws and regulations have remained substantially unchanged for many years, the laws and regulations directly affecting our lending activities have
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been under review and subject to change in recent years as a result of various developments and changes in economic conditions, the make-up of the executive and legislative branches of government, and the political and media focus on issues of consumer and borrower protection. Any changes in such laws and regulations could force us to modify, suspend, or cease part or, in the worst case, all of our existing operations. It is also possible that the scope of federal regulations could change or expand in such a way as to preempt what has traditionally been state law regulation of our business activities.
In July 2010 the Dodd-Frank Act was enacted. The Dodd-Frank Act restructured and enhanced the regulation and supervision of the financial services industry and created the CFPB, an agency with sweeping regulatory and enforcement authority over consumer financial transactions. The CFPB’s rulemaking and enforcement authority extends to certain non-depository institutions, including us. The CFPB is specifically authorized, among other things, to take actions to prevent companies providing consumer financial products or services and their service providers from engaging in unfair, deceptive or abusive acts or practices in connection with consumer financial products and services, and to issue rules requiring enhanced disclosures for consumer financial products or services. The CFPB also has authority to interpret, enforce, and issue regulations implementing enumerated consumer laws, including certain laws that apply to our business. Further, the CFPB has authority to designate non-depository “larger participants” in certain markets for consumer financial services and products for purposes of the CFPB’s supervisory authority under the Dodd-Frank Act. Such designated “larger participants” are subject to reporting and on-site compliance examinations by the CFPB, which may result in increased compliance costs and potentially greater enforcement risks based on these supervisory activities. Although the CFPB has not yet developed a “larger participant” rule that directly covers the Company’s installment lending business, in June 2016 the CFPB stated that it expects to conduct separate rulemaking to identify larger participants in the installment lending market for purposes of its supervision program. Though the timing of any such rulemaking is uncertain, the Company believes that the implementation of such rules would likely bring the Company’s business under the CFPB’s direct supervisory authority.
Although the Dodd-Frank Act prohibits the CFPB from setting interest rates on consumer loans, efforts to create a federal usury cap, applicable to all consumer credit transactions and substantially below rates at which the Company could continue to operate profitably, are still ongoing. Any federal legislative or regulatory action that severely restricts or prohibits the provision of small-loan consumer credit and similar services on terms substantially similar to those we currently provide would, if enacted, have a material adverse impact on our business, prospects, results of operations, and financial condition. Any federal law that would impose a maximum annualized credit rate cap in the range of 36% on our products would, if enacted, almost certainly eliminate our ability to continue our current operations. Given the uncertainty associated with the manner in which various expected provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act have been and are expected to continue to be implemented by the various regulatory agencies and through regulations, the full extent of the impact such requirements will have on our operations remains unclear; however, these regulations have increased and are expected to further increase our cost of doing business and time spent by management on regulatory matters, which may have a material adverse effect on the Company’s operations and results.
In 2017, the CFPB issued a final rule under its unfair, deceptive and abusive acts and practices rulemaking authority relating to payday, vehicle title, and similar loans. The final rule requires lenders originating short-term loans and longer-term balloon payment loans to first make a good-faith reasonable determination that the consumer has the ability to repay the covered loan along with current obligations and expenses (“ability to repay requirements”). The final rule also curtails repeated unsuccessful attempts to debit consumers’ accounts for short-term loans, balloon payment loans, and installment loans that involve a payment authorization and an Annual Percentage Rate over 36% (“payment requirements”). Although the Company does not make loans with terms of 45 days or less or obtain access to a customer’s bank account or paycheck for repayment of any of its loans, it does make some vehicle-secured loans with an Annual Percentage Rate within the scope of the final rule. The final rule has significant differences from the CFPB’s proposed rules announced on June 2, 2016. Any regulatory changes could have effects beyond those currently contemplated that could further materially and adversely impact our business and operations.
In addition to the specific matters described above, other aspects of our business may be the subject of future CFPB rule-making. The enactment of one or more of such regulatory changes, or the exercise of broad regulatory authority by regulators, including but not limited to, the CFPB, having jurisdiction over the Company’s business or discretionary consumer financial transactions generically, could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and prospects. See Part I, Item 1, “Business-Government Regulation” for more information regarding legislation we are subject to and related risks.
Litigation and regulatory actions, including challenges to the arbitration clauses in our customer agreements, could subject us to significant class actions, fines, penalties, judgments and requirements resulting in increased expenses and potential material adverse effects on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
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In the normal course of business, from time to time, we have been involved in various legal actions, including arbitration, class actions and other litigation, arising in connection with our business activities. All such legal proceedings are inherently unpredictable and, regardless or the merits of the claims, litigation is often expensive, time consuming, disruptive to our operations and resources, and distracting to management. If resolved against us, such legal proceedings could result in excessive verdicts and judgments, injunctive relief, equitable relief, and other adverse consequences that may affect our financial condition and how we operate our business. Similarly, if we settle such legal proceedings, it may affect our financial condition and how we operate our business. Future court decisions, alternative dispute resolution awards, business expansion or legislative activity may increase our exposure to litigation and regulatory investigations. In some cases, substantial non-economic remedies or punitive damages may be sought.
Although we maintain liability insurance coverage, there can be no assurance that such coverage will cover any particular verdict, judgment, or settlement that may be entered against us, that such coverage will prove to be adequate, or that such coverage will continue to remain available on acceptable terms, if at all. If in any legal proceeding we incur liability or defense costs that exceed our insurance coverage or that are not within the scope of our insurance coverage, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operation.
Certain legal actions include claims for substantial compensatory and punitive damages, or claims for indeterminate amounts of damages. While the arbitration provisions in our customer agreements historically have limited our exposure to consumer class action litigation, there can be no assurance that we will be successful in enforcing our arbitration clause in the future. There may also be legislative, administrative or regulatory efforts to directly or indirectly prohibit the use of pre-dispute arbitration clauses, or we may be compelled as a result of competitive pressure or reputational concerns to voluntarily eliminate pre-dispute arbitration clauses.
Unfavorable state legislation, executive orders, or regulatory actions, adverse outcomes in litigation or regulatory proceedings or failure to comply with existing laws and regulations could force us to cease, suspend or modify our operations in a state, potentially resulting in a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
In addition to federal laws and regulations, we are subject to numerous state laws and regulations that affect our lending activities. Many of these regulations impose detailed and complex constraints on the terms of our loans, lending forms and operations. Failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations could subject us to regulatory enforcement action that could result in the assessment against us of civil, monetary, or other penalties, including the suspension or revocation of our licenses to lend in one or more jurisdictions.
As discussed elsewhere in this report, the Company’s operations are subject to extensive state and federal laws and regulations, and changes in those laws or regulations or their application could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, results of operations, prospects or ability to continue operations in the jurisdictions affected by these changes. See Part I, Item 1, “Business-Government Regulation-State Legislation” and “Federal Legislation,” for more information regarding this legislation and related risks.
Passage of adverse legislation, such as rate caps on financial lending products or similar initiatives, in any of the states in which we operate could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, results of operations, prospects, or ability to continue operations in the jurisdictions affected by such changes. We can give no assurance that the laws and regulations that govern our business, or the interpretation or administration of those laws and regulations, will remain unchanged or that any such future changes will not materially and adversely affect or in the worst case, eliminate the Company’s lending practices, operations, profitability, or prospects.
In addition, any adverse change in existing laws or regulations, or any adverse interpretation or litigation relating to existing laws and regulations in any state in which we operate, could subject us to liability for prior operating activities or could lower or eliminate the profitability of our operations going forward by, among other things, reducing the amount of interest and fees we can charge in connection with our loans. If these or other factors lead us to close our branches in a state, then in addition to the loss of net revenues attributable to that closing, we would also incur closing costs such as lease cancellation payments and we would have to write off assets that we could no longer use. If we were to suspend rather than permanently cease our operations in a state, we may also have continuing costs associated with maintaining our branches and our employees in that state, with little or no revenues to offset those costs.
Changes in local laws and regulations or interpretations of local laws and regulations could negatively impact our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
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In addition to state and federal laws and regulations, our business is subject to various local laws and regulations, such as local zoning regulations. Local zoning boards and other local governing bodies have been increasingly restricting the permitted locations of consumer finance companies. Any future actions taken to require special use permits for or impose other restrictions on our ability to provide products could adversely affect our ability to expand our operations or force us to attempt to relocate existing branches. If we were forced to relocate any of our branches, in addition to the costs associated with the relocation, we may be required to hire new employees in the new areas, which may adversely impact the operations of those branches. Relocation of an existing branch may also hinder our collection abilities, as our business model relies in part on the locations of our branches being close to where our customers live in order to successfully collect on outstanding loans.
We may be exposed to liabilities under the FCPA, and any determination that the Company or any of its subsidiaries has violated the FCPA could have a material adverse effect on our business and liquidity.
We are subject to the FCPA and various other anti-corruption and anti-bribery laws. We face significant risks and liability if we fail to comply with these laws, which generally prohibit companies and their employees and third-party intermediaries from authorizing, offering, or providing, directly or indirectly, improper payments or benefits to foreign government officials, political parties or candidates, employees of public international organizations, or private-sector recipients for the corrupt purpose of obtaining or retaining business, directing business to any person, or securing any advantage. As previously disclosed, we retained outside counsel and forensic accountants to conduct an investigation of certain transactions and payments in Mexico that potentially implicate the Company in violations of the FCPA, including the books and records provisions of the FCPA. In addition, we voluntarily contacted the SEC and the DOJ in June 2017 to advise both agencies that an internal investigation was underway and that the Company intended to cooperate with both agencies. On August 6, 2020, the Company announced that it has reached resolution with both the SEC and the DOJ with respect to the matter. Pursuant to the terms of the SEC Order, the Company consented to 1) cease and desist from committing or causing any violations and any future violations of Sections 30A, 13(b)(2)(A) and 13(b)(2)(B) of the Exchange Act of 1934, and 2) pay disgorgement, prejudgment interest and civil penalties totaling $21,726,000 to the SEC. The Company also agreed to the terms contained in a Declination Letter with the DOJ, dated August 5, 2020.
The Company could be subject to fines, civil and criminal penalties, equitable remedies, including profit disgorgement and related interest, and injunctive relief for any violations of the FCPA. In addition, any disposition of these matters could adversely impact the Company’s access to debt financing and capital funding and result in further modifications to our business practices and compliance programs. Any disposition of any future violations could also potentially require that a monitor be appointed to review future business practices with the goal of ensuring compliance with the FCPA and other applicable laws. The Company is currently facing a shareholder derivative complaint that was filed on behalf of the Company against certain of its current and former directors in relation to WAC de Mexico, which the Company is contesting, and could also face additional third-party claims by shareholders and/or other stakeholders of the Company. In addition, disclosure of the investigation or its ultimate disposition could adversely affect the Company’s reputation and its ability to obtain new business or retain existing business from its current customers and potential customers, to attract and retain employees, and to access the capital markets.
Detecting, investigating, and resolving these matters is expensive and consumes significant time and attention of the Company’s senior management. We may incur substantial expenses responding to such actions. Any future FCPA violation, or a settlement thereof, may give rise to an event of default under the agreement governing our revolving credit facility, which could have a material adverse effect on our liquidity. See Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors- We depend to a substantial extent on borrowings under our revolving credit agreement to fund our liquidity needs” and “-The terms of our debt limit how we conduct our business.”
Our use of third-party vendors is subject to regulatory review.
The CFPB and other regulators have issued regulatory guidance focusing on the need for financial institutions to perform due diligence and ongoing monitoring of third-party vendor relationships, which increases the scope of management involvement and decreases the benefit that we receive from using third-party vendors. Moreover, if our regulators conclude that we have not met the standards for oversight of our third-party vendors, we could be subject to enforcement actions, civil monetary penalties, supervisory orders to cease and desist or other remedial actions, which could have a materially adverse effect on our business, reputation, financial condition and operating results. Further, federal and state regulators have been scrutinizing the practices of lead aggregators and providers recently. If regulators place restrictions on certain practices by lead aggregators or providers, our ability to use them as a source for applicants could be affected.
General Risk Factors
We may experience significant turnover in our senior management, and our business may be adversely affected by the transitions in our senior management team.
Executive leadership transitions can be inherently difficult to manage and may cause disruption to our business. In addition, management transition inherently causes some loss of institutional knowledge, which can negatively affect strategy and
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execution, and our results of operations and financial condition could be negative impacted as a result. The loss of services of one or more other members of senior management, or the inability to attract qualified permanent replacements, could have a material adverse effect on our business. If we fail to successfully attract and appoint permanent replacements with the appropriate expertise, we could experience increased employee turnover and harm to our business, results of operations, cash flow and financial condition. The search for permanent replacements could also result in significant recruiting and relocation costs.
The departure, transition, or replacement of key personnel could significantly impact the results of our operations. If we cannot continue to hire and retain high-quality employees, our business and financial results may be negatively affected.
Our future success significantly depends on the continued service and performance of our key management personnel. Competition for these employees is intense. Our operating results could be adversely affected by higher employee turnover or increased salary and benefit costs. Like most businesses, our employees are important to our success and we are dependent in part on our ability to retain the services of our key management, operational, compliance, finance, and administrative personnel. We have built our business on a set of core values, and we attempt to hire employees who are committed to these values. We want to hire and retain employees who will fit our culture of compliance and of providing exceptional service to our customers. In order to compete and to continue to grow, we must attract, retain, and motivate employees, including those in executive, senior management, and operational positions. As our employees gain experience and develop their knowledge and skills, they become highly desired by other businesses. Therefore, to retain our employees, we must provide a satisfying work environment and competitive compensation and benefits. If costs to retain our skilled employees increase, then our business and financial results may be negatively affected.
Changes in federal, state and local tax law, interpretations of existing tax law, or adverse determinations by tax authorities, could increase our tax burden or otherwise adversely affect our financial condition or results of operations.
We are subject to taxation at the federal, state and local levels. Furthermore, we are subject to regular review and audit by tax authorities. While we believe our tax positions will be sustained, the final outcome of tax audits and related litigation may differ materially from the tax amounts recorded in our Consolidated Financial Statements, which could adversely impact our cash flows and financial results.
Damage to our reputation could negatively impact our business.
Maintaining a strong reputation is critical to our ability to attract and retain customers, investors, and employees. Harm to our reputation can arise from many sources, including employee misconduct, misconduct by third-party service providers or other vendors, litigation or regulatory actions, failure by us to meet minimum standards of service and quality, inadequate protection of customer information, and compliance failures. Negative publicity regarding our Company (or others engaged in a similar business or similar activities), whether or not accurate, may damage our reputation, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
We have goodwill, which is subject to periodic review and testing for impairment.
At March 31, 2021 our total assets contained $7.4 million of goodwill. Under GAAP, goodwill is subject to periodic review and testing to determine if it is impaired. Unfavorable trends in our industry and unfavorable events or disruptions to our operations resulting from adverse legislative or regulatory actions or from other unpredictable causes could result in goodwill impairment charges.
If we fail to maintain appropriate controls and procedures, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results, which could have a material adverse effect on our operations, financial condition, and the trading price of our common stock.
We are required to maintain disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting. Section 404(a) of the Sarbanes Oxley Act requires us to include in our annual reports on Form 10-K an assessment by management of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes Oxley Act requires us to engage our independent registered public accounting firm to attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. We expect to incur significant expenses and to devote resources to Section 404 compliance on an ongoing basis. It is difficult for us to predict how long it will take or costly it will be to complete the assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting for each year and to remediate any deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting.
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If we identify a material weakness in our controls and procedures, our ability to record, process, summarize, and report financial information accurately and within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the SEC could be adversely affected. In addition, remediation of a material weakness would require our management to devote significant time and incur significant expense. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. If we are unable to maintain effective controls and procedures we could lose investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, and we may be subject to investigation or sanctions by the SEC. Any such consequence or other negative effect could adversely affect our operations, financial condition, and the trading price of our common stock.
Regular turnover among our managers and other employees at our branches makes it more difficult for us to operate our branches and increases our costs of operations, which could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
The annual turnover as of March 31, 2021 among our branch employees was approximately 32.2%. This turnover increases our cost of operations and makes it more difficult to operate our branches. If we are unable to keep our employee turnover rates consistent with historical levels or if unanticipated problems arise from our high employee turnover, our business, results of operations, and financial condition could be adversely affected.
Absence of dividends could reduce our attractiveness to investors.
Since 1989, we have not declared or paid cash dividends on our common stock and may not pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future. As a result, our common stock may be less attractive to certain investors than the stock of dividend-paying companies. Investors may need to rely on sales of their common stock after price appreciation, which may not occur, as the only way to realize future gains on their investment.
Various provisions of our charter documents and applicable laws could delay or prevent a change of control that shareholders may favor.
Provisions of our articles of incorporation, South Carolina law, and the laws in several of the states in which our operating subsidiaries are incorporated could delay or prevent a change of control that the holders of our common stock may favor or may impede the ability of our shareholders to change our management. In particular, our articles of incorporation and South Carolina law, among other things, authorize our board of directors to issue preferred stock in one or more series, without shareholder approval, and will require the affirmative vote of holders of two-thirds of our outstanding shares of voting stock, to approve our merger or consolidation with another corporation. Additional information regarding the similar effect of laws in certain states in which we operate is described in Part 1, Item 1, “Description of Business - Government Regulation.”
Overall stock market volatility may materially and adversely affect the market price of our common stock.
The Company’s common stock price has been and is likely to continue to be subject to significant volatility. Securities markets worldwide experience significant price and volume fluctuations. This market volatility, as well as general economic, market, or political conditions, could reduce the market price of shares of our common stock in spite of our operating performance. Additionally, a variety of factors could cause the price of the common stock to fluctuate, perhaps substantially, including: general market fluctuations resulting from factors not directly related to the Company’s operations or the inherent value of its common stock; state or federal legislative or regulatory proposals, initiatives, actions or changes that are, or are perceived to be, adverse to our operations or the broader consumer finance industry in general; announcements of developments related to our business; fluctuations in our operating results and the provision for loan losses; low trading volume in our common stock; decreased availability of our common stock resulting from stock repurchases and concentrations of ownership by large or institutional investors; general conditions in the financial service industry, the domestic or global economy or the domestic or global credit or capital markets; changes in financial estimates by securities analysts; our failure to meet the expectations of securities analysts or investors; negative commentary regarding our Company and corresponding short-selling market behavior; adverse developments in our relationships with our customers; investigations or legal proceedings brought against the Company or its officers; or significant changes in our senior management team.
Changes to accounting rules, regulations or interpretations could significantly affect our financial results.
New accounting rules or regulations, changes to existing accounting rules or regulations, and changing interpretations of existing rules and regulations have been issued or occurred and may continue to be issued or occur in the future. Our methodology for valuing our receivables and otherwise accounting for our business is subject to change depending upon the
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changes in, and interpretation of, accounting rules, regulations, or interpretations. Any such changes to accounting rules, regulations, or interpretations could negatively affect our reported results of operations and could negatively affect our financial condition through increased cost of compliance.
If assumptions or estimates we use in preparing our financial statements are incorrect or are required to change, our reported results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected.
We are required to use certain assumptions and estimates in preparing our financial statements under GAAP, including in determining allowances for credit losses, the fair value of financial instruments, asset impairment, reserves related to litigation and other legal matters, the fair value of share-based compensation, valuation of income, and other taxes and regulatory exposures. In addition, significant assumptions and estimates are involved in determining certain disclosures required under GAAP, including those involving the fair value of our financial instruments. If the assumptions or estimates underlying our financial statements are incorrect, the actual amounts realized on transactions and balances subject to those estimates will be different, and this could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
In addition, the FASB is currently reviewing or proposing changes to several financial accounting and reporting standards that govern key aspects of our financial statements, including areas where assumptions or estimates are required. As a result of changes to financial accounting or reporting standards, whether promulgated or required by the FASB or other regulators, we could be required to change certain of the assumptions or estimates we previously used in preparing our financial statements, which could negatively impact how we record and report our results of operations and financial condition generally.
The future issuance of additional shares of our common stock in connection with potential acquisitions or otherwise will dilute all other shareholders.
Except in certain circumstances, we are not restricted from issuing additional shares of common stock, including any securities that are convertible into or exchangeable for, or that represent the right to receive, common stock. The market price of shares of our common stock could decline as a result of sales of a large number of shares of common stock in the market or the perception that such sales could occur. We intend to continue to evaluate acquisition opportunities and may issue shares of common stock in connection with these acquisitions. Any shares of common stock issued in connection with acquisitions, the exercise of outstanding stock options, or otherwise would dilute the percentage ownership held by our existing shareholders.
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
None.
Item 2. Properties
In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020 the Company moved its corporate headquarters from properties it owned outright in Greenville, South Carolina to leased office space in downtown Greenville, South Carolina. The Company leases approximately 45,000 square feet at this location. This lease expires on November 30, 2029 and includes two five-year options. The Company’s previous corporate headquarters, which consisted of approximately 42,000 square feet in Greenville, South Carolina, was classified as held for sale as of March 31, 2020. During the second quarter of fiscal 2021 the Company completed the sale of two of the three buildings. The third building remains held for sale as of March 31, 2021.
The Company owns all of the furniture, fixtures and computer terminals located in each of its branches. As of March 31, 2021, the Company had 1,205 branches, all of which are leased and most of which are leased pursuant to three- to five-year operating leases. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021, total lease expense was approximately $27.7 million, or an average of approximately $22.5 thousand per branch. The Company's leases generally provide for an initial three- to five-year term with renewal options. The Company's branches are typically located in shopping centers, malls and the first floors of downtown buildings. Branches have an average size of 1,600 square feet.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings
Mexico Investigation
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As previously disclosed, World Acceptance Corporation (the "Company") voluntarily contacted the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) in June 2017 to advise both agencies that an internal investigation of its operations in Mexico was underway. The Company has fully cooperated with both agencies.
On August 6, 2020, the Company announced that it reached resolution with both the SEC and the DOJ regarding allegations primarily involving the Company’s former subsidiary in Mexico.
In connection with the resolution of the investigations, the Company agreed to the terms contained in a Declination Letter with the DOJ, dated August 5, 2020 (the “Declination Letter”). Pursuant to the terms of the Declination Letter, the DOJ declined to prosecute the Company and closed its investigation into the Company citing as the bases for this decision, among other things, the following: prompt, voluntary self-disclosure of the misconduct; full and proactive cooperation in this matter (including its provision of all known relevant facts about the misconduct); and full remediation, including the additional FCPA training added to the Company’s compliance program, separation from executives under whom the misconduct took place; and discontinuing relationships with third parties in Mexico involved in the misconduct.
The SEC approved the Offer of Settlement on August 6, 2020 and issued an Order Instituting Cease-and-Desist Proceedings Pursuant to Section 21C of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Making Findings, and Imposing a Cease-and-Desist Order (the “SEC Order”). Pursuant to the terms of the SEC Order, the Company consented to 1) cease and desist from committing or causing any violations and any future violations of Sections 30A, 13(b)(2)(A) and 13(b)(2)(B) of the Exchange Act of 1934, and 2) pay disgorgement, prejudgment interest and civil penalties totaling $21,726,000 to the SEC.
General
In addition, from time to time the Company is involved in litigation matters relating to claims arising out of its operations in the normal course of business.
Estimating an amount or range of possible losses resulting from litigation, government actions, and other legal proceedings is inherently difficult and requires an extensive degree of judgment, particularly where the matters involve indeterminate claims for monetary damages, may involve fines, penalties, or damages that are discretionary in amount, involve a large number of claimants or significant discretion by regulatory authorities, represent a change in regulatory policy or interpretation, present novel legal theories, are in the early stages of the proceedings, are subject to appeal or could result in a change in business practices. In addition, because most legal proceedings are resolved over extended periods of time, potential losses are subject to change due to, among other things, new developments, changes in legal strategy, the outcome of intermediate procedural and substantive rulings and other parties’ settlement posture and their evaluation of the strength or weakness of their case against us. For these reasons, we are currently unable to predict the ultimate timing or outcome of, or reasonably estimate the possible losses or a range of possible losses resulting from, the matters described above. Based on information currently available, the Company does not believe that any reasonably possible losses arising from currently pending legal matters will be material to the Company’s results of operations or financial conditions. However, in light of the inherent uncertainties involved in such matters, an adverse outcome in one or more of these matters could materially and adversely affect the Company’s financial condition, results of operations or cash flows in any particular reporting period.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
None.
PART II.
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Market Information
Since November 26, 1991, the Company’s common stock has traded on NASDAQ and is currently listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market (“NASDAQ”) under the symbol WRLD.
Holders
As of May 20, 2021, there were 25 holders of record of our common stock and a significant number of persons or entities who hold their stock in nominee or “street” names through various brokerage firms.
Dividends
Since April 1989, the Company has not declared or paid any cash dividends on its common stock. Its policy has been to retain earnings for use in its business and selectively use cash to repurchase its common stock on the open market. In addition, the Company’s credit agreements contain certain restrictions on the payment of cash dividends on its capital stock. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations-Liquidity and Capital Resources.” In the future, the Company’s Board of Directors may determine whether to pay cash dividends based on conditions then existing, including the Company’s earnings, financial condition, capital requirements and other relevant factors.
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
On January 26, 2021, the Board of Directors authorized the Company to repurchase up to $25.0 million of the Company’s outstanding common stock, inclusive of the amount that remains available for repurchase under prior repurchase authorizations. As of March 31, 2021, the Company had $21.4 million in aggregate remaining repurchase capacity. The timing and actual number of shares repurchased will depend on a variety of factors, including the stock price, corporate and regulatory requirements, available funds, alternative uses of capital, restrictions under the revolving credit agreement, and other market and economic conditions. The Company’s stock repurchase program may be suspended or discontinued at any time.
The repurchase authorization does not have a stated expiration date. The following table details purchases of the Company's common stock, if any, made by the Company during the three months ended March 31, 2021:
Stock Performance Graph
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Item 6. Selected Financial Data
None.
General
The Company's financial performance continues to be dependent in large part upon the growth in its outstanding loans receivable, the maintenance of loan quality and acceptable levels of operating expenses. Since March 31, 2017, gross loans receivable have increased at a 4.03% annual compounded rate from $943.3 million to $1.10 billion at March 31, 2021. We believe we were able to improve our gross loans receivable growth rates through acquisitions, improved marketing processes, and analytics. During the four-year period beginning March 31, 2017, the Company has expanded in size from 1,169 branches to 1,205 branches as of March 31, 2021. The Company plans to enter into new markets through opening new branches and acquisitions as opportunities arise.
The Company offers an income tax return preparation and electronic filing program in all but a few of its branches. The Company prepared approximately 77,000, 84,000, and 91,000 returns in each of the fiscal years 2021, 2020, and 2019, respectively. Revenues from the Company’s tax preparation business amounted to approximately $18.1 million, a 13.6% decrease over the $20.9 million earned during fiscal 2020.
The following table sets forth certain information derived from the Company's consolidated statements of operations and balance sheets, as well as operating data and ratios, for the periods indicated:
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Years Ended March 31,
(Dollars in thousands)
Expenses as a percentage of total revenue:
Provision for credit losses 16.4 % 30.8 % 27.3 %
General and administrative 57.5 % 58.9 % 52.9 %
Interest expense 4.9 % 4.4 % 3.3 %
Operating income as a % of total revenue (4) 26.1 % 10.3 % 19.8 %
Net charge-offs as percent of average net loans receivable 14.1 % 18.0 % 16.1 %
Return on average assets (trailing 12 months) 9.1 % 2.7 % 8.8 %
Return on average equity (trailing 12 months) 22.8 % 6.1 % 13.6 %
Branches opened or acquired (merged or closed), net (38) 50 16
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(1) Average gross loans receivable have been determined by averaging month-end gross loans receivable over the indicated period, excluding tax advances.
(2) Net loans receivable is defined as gross loans receivable less unearned interest and deferred fees.
(3) Average net loans receivable have been determined by averaging month-end gross loans receivable less unearned interest and deferred fees over the indicated period, excluding tax advances.
(4) Operating income is computed as total revenue less provision for credit losses and general and administrative expenses.
COVID-19 Pandemic Response and Impact
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant economic disruption in the United States as many state and local governments, including all of the states in which the Company operates, have ordered non-essential businesses to close and residents to shelter in place at home at one point in time or another. For the majority of states in which we operate, we have been considered an essential business and thus nearly all of our branches have remained open to date.However, the impact of COVID-19 is rapidly evolving, its future effects are uncertain, and it may be difficult to assess or predict the extent of the impacts of the pandemic on us as many factors are beyond our control and knowledge.
In response to the spread of COVID-19, we have modified our business practices in order to reduce personal interactions and provide additional support to our associates and customers.Some of these measures include reducing branch hours, limiting employee travel, implementing work-from-home initiatives for employees when possible, cancelling physical participation in meetings and training sessions, providing additional leave for those directly impacted, closing lobbies and offering curbside service, and encouraging customers to service accounts digitally rather than in person. As a result, the Company has seen significant increases in online and phone activity related to account access, payments, and refinances. The Company has expedited projects related to its digital presence and online lending and is currently piloting remote applications, signatures, and funding for select customers.
As non-essential businesses and schools began to close, we proactively halted marketing efforts and updated our underwriting criteria in light of the tremendous uncertainty, rapid increases in unemployment, and federal stimulus packages. The Company is experiencing expected declines in customer demand due to a combination of reduced marketing and stay-at-home orders reducing customer mobility. To assist customers impacted by COVID-19, the Company’s typical 30-day wait period for unemployment insurance claims has been waived and payment deferrals are being offered to impacted customers.
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We believe we have sufficient liquidity to support the fundamental operations of our business throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. However, we are unable to estimate the long-term impact of COVID-19 on our business and will continue to assess our liquidity needs as the situation evolves.If we experience sustained adverse effects, we may fail to satisfy our minimum capital ratios and other requirements under our revolving credit facility.
The extent to which the pandemic will ultimately impact our business and financial condition will depend on future events that are impossible to predict, including, but not limited to, the duration and severity of the pandemic, the success of actions taken to contain, treat, and prevent the spread of the virus, the effectiveness of our borrower assistance initiatives and government economic stimulus measures, and the speed at which normal economic and operating conditions return.
See Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” for additional information.
Comparison of Fiscal 2021 Versus Fiscal 2020
Net income for fiscal 2021 was $88.3 million, a 213.5% increase from the $28.2 million earned during fiscal 2020. The increase in net income from continuing operations was primarily due to a $95.5 million decrease in the provision for credit losses partially offset by a $64.5 million decrease in revenue and a $21.7 million accrual in the prior year related to the investigation into our former Mexican business.
Operating income (revenues less provision for credit losses and general and administrative expenses) from continuing operations increased $76.3 million.
Total revenues from continuing operations decreased $64.5 million, or 10.9%, to $525.5 million in fiscal 2021, from $590.0 million in fiscal 2020. Revenues from continuing operations from the 1,152 branches open throughout both fiscal years decreased by 13.1%. At March 31, 2021, the Company had 1,205 branches in operation, an decrease of 38 branches from March 31, 2020.
Interest and fee income from continuing operations during fiscal 2021 decreased by $57.2 million, or 11.3%, from fiscal 2020. The decrease was primarily due to a corresponding decrease in average earning loans. Net loans receivable outstanding at March 31, 2021 decreased 8.4% compared to March 31, 2020, and average net loans receivable outstanding decreased 8.6% during fiscal 2021 compared to fiscal 2020. Interest and fee income was also impacted by decreasing yields as the portfolio mix shifted to larger lower rate loans during the year. We expect the portfolio to continue to shift towards larger lower rate loans in the near term which should continue to decrease interest and fee yields in the future.
Insurance commissions and other income from continuing operations decreased by $7.3 million, or 8.9%, from fiscal 2020 to fiscal 2021. Insurance commissions from continuing operations decreased by $6.1 million, or 12.2%, from fiscal 2020 to fiscal 2021 due to a decrease in loan volume in states where we offer our insurance products. Other income from continuing operations decreased by $1.1 million, or 3.6%, from fiscal 2020 to fiscal 2021 primarily due to a reduction in tax preparation income of $2.8 million, partially off-set by an increase in revenue from in the Company's motor club product of $1.6 million.
The provision for losses from continuing operations during fiscal 2021 decreased by $95.5 million, or 52.5%, from the previous year. This increase can mostly be attributed to a decrease in charge-off and delinquency rates during the year. Accounts that were 91 days or more past due represented 3.1% and 4.2% of our loan portfolio on a recency basis at March 31, 2021 and March 31, 2020, respectively. The Company's year-over-year charge-off ratio (net charge-offs as a percentage of average net loans receivable) decreased from 18.0% for the year ended March 31, 2020 to 14.1% for the year ended March 31, 2021.
Customers who are new borrowers to the Company (less than two years since their first origination at the time of their current loan) as a percentage of the year-end portfolio have decreased a relative 10.2% year over year. These "new to World" customers now account for 31.0% of the portfolio, a decrease from 34.5% last year, however still an increase from an average of 29.2% in the prior four fiscal years (2016-2019). This decreased weighting of new borrowers, our riskiest customer type, in the portfolio contributed to the decrease in delinquency and charge-off rates of the overall portfolio. In addition to the decrease in portfolio weighting towards less tenured customers during the last 12 months, we have also seen a decrease in charge-off rates when comparing the less tenured customer segment to prior years, largely driven by stronger performance from COVID-19 stimulus and unemployment benefits, as well as improved underwriting practices on new borrowers.
Charge-off ratios for the past ten fiscal years averaged 14.9%, with a high of 18.0% (fiscal 2020) and a low of 12.8% (fiscal 2015). In fiscal 2021 the charge-off ratio was 14.1%. The following table presents the Company's charge-off ratios since 2011.
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_______________________________________________________
2015 In fiscal 2015 the Company's net charge-off rate decreased to 12.8%. The net charge-off rate benefited from a change in branch level incentives during the year, which allows managers to continue collection efforts on accounts that are 91 days or more past due without having their monthly bonus negatively impacted. As expected, the change resulted in an increase in accounts 91 days or more past due and fewer charge-offs during fiscal 2015. We estimate the net charge-off rate would have been approximately 14.0% for fiscal 2015 excluding the impact of the change.
General and administrative expenses from continuing operations during fiscal 2021 decreased by $45.3 million, or 13.0%, over the previous fiscal year. General and administrative expenses from continuing operations, when divided by average open branches, decreased 13.4% from fiscal 2020 to fiscal 2021 and, overall, general and administrative expenses from continuing operations as a percent of total revenues from continuing operations decreased to 57.5% in fiscal 2021 from 58.9% in fiscal 2020. The change in general and administrative expense from continuing operations is explained in greater detail below.
Personnel expense from continuing operations totaled $184.6 million for fiscal 2021, a $19.2 million, or (9.4)%, decrease over fiscal 2020. The decrease was largely due to a $9.7 million decrease in share-based compensation driven by the long-term incentive plan and director equity awards granted during the FY2019. Regular payroll expense decreased $7.5 million year over year primarily due to decreases in headcount and benefit expense decreased $4.1 million, mostly due to decrease in insurance claims. The Company deferred $5.7 million less in payroll related origination costs under ASC 310, when comparing period over period, due to lower originations during the year, which partially offset the decrease in personnel expense.
Occupancy and equipment expense from continuing operations totaled $56.2 million for fiscal 2021, a $1.9 million, or 3.5%, increase over fiscal 2020. Occupancy and equipment expense is generally a function of the number of branches the Company has open throughout the year. In fiscal 2021 the expense per average open branch increased to $45.5 thousand, up from $44.2 thousand in fiscal 2020. Occupancy and equipment expense was negatively impacted by a $2.9 million write down of signage as a result of rebranding our branch offices during fiscal 2021.
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Advertising expense from continuing operations totaled $17.2 million for fiscal 2021, a $7.1 million, or (29.3)%, decrease over fiscal 2020. The decrease was primarily due to decreased spending in our direct mail and digital campaigns.
Amortization of intangible assets from continuing operations totaled $5.5 million for fiscal 2021, a $0.5 million, or 9.3%, increase over fiscal 2020, which primarily relates to a corresponding increase in total intangible assets during the comparative periods due to acquisition activity during the current and prior year.
Other expense from continuing operations totaled $38.7 million for fiscal 2021, a $21.4 million, or 35.6%, decrease over fiscal 2020. The decrease was primarily due to a $21.7 million reduction in non deductible penalties related to the Company's Mexico investigation in the prior year.
Interest expense from continuing operations decreased by $0.2 million, or 0.8%, during fiscal 2021 when compared to the previous fiscal year as a result of an decrease in average debt outstanding of 1.0%. For fiscal 2020 and 2021 the effective interest rate stayed the same at 5.8%.
Income tax expense from continuing operations increased $16.4 million, or 242.4% for fiscal 2021 compared to the prior fiscal year. The effective tax rate increased to 20.8% for fiscal 2021 compared to 19.3% for fiscal 2020. The increase was primarily due to the recognition of net Federal and state tax credits of $8.1 million in fiscal year 2020 compared to $1.2 million in the current fiscal year which was partially offset by the recognition of non-deductible penalties totaling $21.7 million in the prior fiscal year.
Comparison of Fiscal 2020 Versus Fiscal 2019
For a comparison of our results of operations for the years ended March 31, 2019 and March 31, 2020, see Part II, Item 7, "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020 (which was filed with the SEC on May 29, 2020), which comparison is incorporated herein by reference.
Mexico Exit
As previously disclosed, the Company sold all of the issued and outstanding capital stock and equity interest of its two Mexico subsidiaries, WAC de Mexico and SWAC, for a purchase price of MXN $826,795,050, effective as of July 1, 2018. The Company subsequently converted the purchase price into approximately USD $44.36 million using applicable exchange rates. The Company and its subsidiaries no longer operate in Mexico. Thus, the Company expects its revenues and gross loans receivables to be negatively impacted in future years compared to historical levels.
Regulatory Matters
Mexico Investigation
As previously disclosed, the Company voluntarily contacted the SEC and DOJ in June 2017 to advise both agencies that an internal investigation of its operations in Mexico was underway. The Company has fully cooperated with both agencies.
On August 6, 2020, the Company announced that it reached resolution with both the SEC and the DOJ regarding allegations primarily involving the Company’s former subsidiary in Mexico.
In connection with the resolution of the investigations, the Company agreed to the terms contained in a Declination Letter with the DOJ, dated August 5, 2020 (the “Declination Letter”). Pursuant to the terms of the Declination Letter, the DOJ declined to prosecute the Company and closed its investigation into the Company citing as the bases for this decision, among other things, the following: prompt, voluntary self-disclosure of the misconduct; full and proactive cooperation in this matter (including its provision of all known relevant facts about the misconduct); and full remediation, including the additional FCPA training added to the Company’s compliance program, separation from executives under whom the misconduct took place; and discontinuing relationships with third parties in Mexico involved in the misconduct.
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The SEC approved the Offer of Settlement on August 6, 2020 and issued an Order Instituting Cease-and-Desist Proceedings Pursuant to Section 21C of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Making Findings, and Imposing a Cease-and-Desist Order (the “SEC Order”). Pursuant to the terms of the SEC Order, the Company consented to 1) cease and desist from committing or causing any violations and any future violations of Sections 30A, 13(b)(2)(A) and 13(b)(2)(B) of the Exchange Act of 1934, and 2) pay disgorgement, prejudgment interest and civil penalties totaling $21,726,000 to the SEC.
CFPB Rulemaking Initiative
On October 5, 2017, the CFPB issued a final rule (the "Rule") imposing limitations on (i) short-term consumer loans, (ii) longer-term consumer installment loans with balloon payments, and (iii) higher-rate consumer installment loans repayable by a payment authorization. The Rule requires lenders originating short-term loans and longer-term balloon payment loans to evaluate whether each consumer has the ability to repay the loan along with current obligations and expenses (“ability to repay requirements”). The Rule also curtails repeated unsuccessful attempts to debit consumers’ accounts for short-term loans, balloon payment loans, and installment loans that involve a payment authorization and an Annual Percentage Rate over 36% (“payment requirements”). The Company does not believe that the Rule will have a material impact on the Company’s existing lending procedures, because the Company currently does not make short-term consumer loans or longer-term consumer installment loans with balloon payments that would subject the Company to the Rule’s ability to repay requirements. The Company also currently underwrites all its loans (including those secured by a vehicle title that would fall within the scope of these proposals) by reviewing the customer’s ability to repay based on the Company’s standards. However, implementation of the Rule’s payment requirements may require changes to the Company’s practices and procedures for such loans, which could materially and adversely affect the Company’s ability to make such loans, the cost of making such loans, the Company’s ability to, or frequency with which it could, refinance any such loans, and the profitability of such loans.
Further, on June 6, 2019, the CFPB amended the Rule to delay the August 19, 2019 compliance date for part of the Rule’s provisions, including the ability to repay requirements. The new compliance date for the ability to repay requirements is November 19, 2020. In addition, on February 6, 2019, the CFPB issued a notice of proposed rulemaking proposing to rescind provisions of the Rule governing the ability to repay requirements. The comment period for this proposed rulemaking closed in May 2019. According to the CFPB’s Fall 2019 rulemaking agenda, the CFPB is reviewing the approximately 190,000 comments it received and expected to take final action in April 2020 with respect to this proposal. However, no final action has been taken as of yet. Any regulatory changes could have effects beyond those currently contemplated that could further materially and adversely impact our business and operations. Unless rescinded or otherwise amended, the Company will have to comply with the Rule’s payment requirements if it continues to allow consumers to set up future recurring payments online for certain covered loans such that it meets the definition of having a “leveraged payment mechanism” under the Rule. If the payment provisions of the Rule apply, the Company will have to modify its loan payment procedures to comply with the required notices and mandated timeframes set forth in the final rule.
The CFPB also has stated that it expects to conduct separate rulemaking to identify larger participants in the installment lending market for purposes of its supervision program. This initiative was classified as “inactive” on the CFPB’s Spring 2018 rulemaking agenda and has remained inactive since, but the CFPB indicated that such action was not a decision on the merits. Though the likelihood and timing of any such rulemaking is uncertain, the Company believes that the implementation of such rules would likely bring the Company’s business under the CFPB’s supervisory authority which, among other things, would subject the Company to reporting obligations to, and on-site compliance examinations by, the CFPB. See Part I, Item 1, “Business - Government Regulation - Federal legislation,” for a further discussion of these matters and the federal regulations to which the Company’s operations are subject and Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” for more information regarding these regulatory and related risks.
Critical Accounting Policies
The Company’s accounting and reporting policies are in accordance with GAAP and conform to general practices within the finance company industry. The significant accounting policies used in the preparation of the Consolidated Financial Statements are discussed in Note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements. Certain critical accounting policies involve significant judgment by the Company’s management, including the use of estimates and assumptions which affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, and expenses. As a result, changes in these estimates and assumptions could significantly affect the Company’s financial position and results of operations. The Company considers its policies regarding the allowance for credit losses, share-based compensation, and income taxes to be its most critical accounting policies due to the significant degree of management judgment involved.
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Allowance for Credit Losses
Accounting policies related to the allowance for credit losses are considered to be critical as these policies involve considerable subjective judgement and estimation by management. As discussed in Note 5 – Summary of Significant Policies, to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in this report, our policies related to the allowances for credit losses changed on April 1, 2020 in connection with the adoption of a new accounting standard update as codified in ASC 326. In the case of loans, the allowance for credit losses is a contra-asset valuation account, calculated in accordance with ASC 326 that is deducted from the amortized cost basis of loans to present the net amount expected to be collected. The amount of the allowance account represents management’s best estimate of current expected credit losses on these financial instruments considering available information, from internal and external sources, relevant to assessing exposure to credit loss over the contractual term of the instrument. Relevant available information includes historical credit loss experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts.
Share-Based Compensation
The Company measures compensation cost for share-based awards at fair value and recognizes compensation over the service period for awards expected to vest. The fair value of restricted stock is based on the number of shares granted and the quoted price of our common stock at the time of grant, and the fair value of stock options is determined using the Black-Scholes valuation model. The Black-Scholes model requires the input of highly subjective assumptions, including expected volatility, risk-free interest rate and expected life, changes to which can materially affect the fair value estimate. Actual results, and future changes in estimates, may differ substantially from our current estimates.
Income Taxes
Management uses certain assumptions and estimates in determining income taxes payable or refundable, deferred income tax liabilities and assets for events recognized differently in its financial statements and income tax returns, and income tax expense. Determining these amounts requires analysis of certain transactions and interpretation of tax laws and regulations. Management exercises considerable judgment in evaluating the amount and timing of recognition of the resulting income tax liabilities and assets. These judgments and estimates are re-evaluated on a periodic basis as regulatory and business factors change.
No assurance can be given that either the tax returns submitted by management or the income tax reported on the Consolidated Financial Statements will not be adjusted by either adverse rulings, changes in the tax code, or assessments made by the Internal Revenue Service or by state or foreign taxing authorities. The Company is subject to potential adverse adjustments including, but not limited to: an increase in the statutory federal or state income tax rates, the permanent non-deductibility of amounts currently considered deductible either now or in future periods, and the dependency on the generation of future taxable income in order to ultimately realize deferred income tax assets.
Under FASB ASC 740, the Company includes the current and deferred tax impact of its tax positions in the financial statements when it is more likely than not (likelihood of greater than 50%) that such positions will be sustained by taxing authorities, with full knowledge of relevant information, based on the technical merits of the tax position. While the Company supports its tax positions by unambiguous tax law, prior experience with the taxing authority, and analysis that considers all relevant facts, circumstances and regulations, management must still rely on assumptions and estimates to determine the overall likelihood of success and proper quantification of a given tax position.
Quarterly Information and Seasonality
The Company's loan volume and corresponding loans receivable follow seasonal trends. The Company's highest loan demand typically occurs from October through December, its third fiscal quarter. Loan demand has generally been the lowest and loan repayment highest from January to March, its fourth fiscal quarter. Loan volume and average balances typically remain relatively level during the remainder of the year. This seasonal trend affects quarterly operating performance through corresponding fluctuations in interest and fee income and insurance commissions earned and the provision for loan losses recorded, as well as fluctuations in the Company's cash needs. Consequently, operating results for the Company's third fiscal quarter generally are significantly lower than in other quarters and operating results for its fourth fiscal quarter are significantly higher than in other quarters. However, the effects of COVID-19 and related economic stimulus has reduced demand and impacted our typical seasonal trends.
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The following table sets forth, on a quarterly basis, certain items included in the Company's unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements and shows the number of branches open during fiscal years 2021 and 2020.
At or for the Three Months Ended
(Dollars in thousands)
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements
See Part II, Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data and Note 1—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies in the Consolidated Financial Statements for the impact of new accounting pronouncements.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
The Company has financed and continues to finance its operations, acquisitions and branch expansion through a combination of cash flows from operations and borrowings from its institutional lenders. The Company has generally applied its cash flows from operations to fund its loan volume, fund acquisitions, repay long-term indebtedness and repurchase its common stock. As the Company's gross loans receivable increased from $1,004.2 million at March 31, 2018 to $1,104.7 million at March 31, 2021, net cash provided by operating activities for fiscal years 2021, 2020, and 2019 was $199.6 million, $257.4 million, and $244.7 million, respectively.
The Company continues to believe stock repurchases are a viable component of the Company’s long-term financial strategy and an excellent use of excess cash when the opportunity arises. However, our revolving credit facility limits share repurchases to 50% of consolidated adjusted net income in any fiscal year commencing with the fiscal year ending March 31, 2017. The Company can repurchase additional amounts of shares with prior written consent from lenders.
The Company did not acquire any branches during fiscal 2021. The Company believes that attractive opportunities to acquire new branches or receivables from its competitors or to acquire branches in communities not currently served by the Company will continue to become available as conditions in local economies and the financial circumstances of owners change.
The Company has a revolving credit facility with a syndicate of banks. The revolving credit facility provides for revolving borrowings of up to the lesser of (a) the aggregate commitments under the facility and (b) a borrowing base, and it includes a $300,000 letter of credit under a $1.5 million subfacility. In March of 2021, the credit facility was amended and restated to, among other things, (i) reduced the Applicable Margin to 3.50% rather than adjusting it from 3.50% to 4.50% based on the Company's EBITDA ratio; (ii) permit the Company to purchase its equity securities or make other distributions in respect of its equity securities in the amount of $90 million through June 30, 2022 plus up to 50% of consolidated adjusted net income for the period commencing on January 1, 2019, subject to certain restrictions; and (iii) extend the maturity date of the amended and restated revolving credit agreement to June 7, 2024.
Subject to a borrowing base formula, the Company may borrow at the rate of LIBOR plus 3.5% with a minimum rate of 4.5%. The Company’s amended and restated revolving credit agreement provides procedures for determining a replacement or
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alternative rate in the event LIBOR is unavailable or discontinued or if the administrative agent elects to replace LIBOR prior to its discontinuation. There can be no assurances as to whether such replacement or alternative rate will be more or less favorable than LIBOR. We intend to monitor the developments with respect to the potential phasing out of LIBOR and will work to limit any negative impacts that could result during any transition away from LIBOR. At March 31, 2021, the aggregate commitments under the revolving credit facility were $685.0 million. The $300,000 letter of credit outstanding under the subfacility expires on December 31, 2021; however, it automatically extends for one year on the expiration date. The borrowing base limitation is equal to the product of (a) the Company’s eligible finance receivables, less unearned finance charges, insurance premiums and insurance commissions, and (b) an advance rate percentage that ranges from 74% to 80% based on a collateral performance indicator, as more completely described below. Further, under the amended and restated revolving credit agreement, the administrative agent has the right to set aside reasonable reserves against the available borrowing base in such amounts as it may deem appropriate, including, without limitation, reserves with respect to certain regulatory events or any increased operational, legal, or regulatory risk of the Company and its subsidiaries.
For the year ended March 31, 2021, the effective interest rate, including the commitment fee, on borrowings under the revolving credit facility was 5.8%. The Company pays a commitment fee equal to 0.50% per annum of the daily unused portion of the commitments. On March 31, 2021 $405.0 million was outstanding under this facility, and there was $181.4 million of unused borrowing availability under the borrowing base limitations.
The Company’s obligations under the revolving credit facility, together with treasury management and hedging obligations owing to any lender under the revolving credit facility or any affiliate of any such lender, are required to be guaranteed by each of the Company’s wholly-owned domestic subsidiaries. The obligations of the Company and the subsidiary guarantors under the revolving credit facility, together with such treasury management and hedging obligations, are secured by a first-priority security interest in substantially all assets of the Company and the subsidiary guarantors.
The agreement governing the Company’s revolving credit facility contains affirmative and negative covenants, including covenants that restrict the ability of the Company and its subsidiaries to, among other things, incur or guarantee indebtedness, incur liens, pay dividends and repurchase or redeem capital stock, dispose of assets, engage in mergers and consolidations, make acquisitions or other investments, redeem or prepay subordinated debt, amend subordinated debt documents, make changes in the nature of its business, and engage in transactions with affiliates. The agreement also contains financial covenants, including (i) a minimum consolidated net worth of $325.0 million on and after December 31, 2020; (ii) a minimum fixed charge coverage ratio of (a) 2.25 to 1.0 for the fiscal quarters ending March 31, 2020, June 30, 2020 and September 30, 2020 and (b) 2.75 to 1.0 for each fiscal quarter thereafter; (iii) a maximum ratio of total debt to consolidated adjusted net worth of 2.0 to 1.0; and (iv) a maximum collateral performance indicator of 24% as of the end of each calendar month. The agreement allows the Company to incur subordinated debt that matures after the termination date for the revolving credit facility and that contains specified subordination terms, subject to limitations on amount imposed by the financial covenants under the agreement.
The collateral performance indicator is equal to the sum of (a) a three-month rolling average rate of receivables at least sixty days past due and (b) an eight-month rolling average net charge-off rate. The Company was in compliance with these covenants at March 31, 2021 and does not believe that these covenants will materially limit its business and expansion strategy.
The agreement contains events of default including, without limitation, nonpayment of principal, interest or other obligations, violation of covenants, misrepresentation, cross-default to other debt, bankruptcy and other insolvency events, judgments, certain ERISA events, actual or asserted invalidity of loan documentation, invalidity of subordination provisions of subordinated debt, certain changes of control of the Company, and the occurrence of certain regulatory events (including the entry of any stay, order, judgment, ruling or similar event related to the Company’s or any of its subsidiaries’ originating, holding, pledging, collecting or enforcing its eligible finance receivables that is material to the Company or any subsidiary) which remains unvacated, undischarged, unbonded or unstayed by appeal or otherwise for a period of 60 days from the date of its entry and is reasonably likely to cause a material adverse change.
The Company believes that cash flow from operations and borrowings under its revolving credit facility or other sources will be adequate to fund the expected cost of opening or acquiring new branches, including funding initial operating losses of new branches and funding loans receivable originated by those branches and the Company's other branches (for the next 12 months and for the foreseeable future beyond that). Except as otherwise discussed in this report including, but not limited to, any discussions in Part 1, Item 1A, "Risk Factors" (as supplemented by any subsequent disclosures in information the Company files with or furnishes to the SEC from time to time), management is not currently aware of any trends, demands, commitments, events or uncertainties that it believes will or could result in, or are or could be reasonably likely to result in, any material adverse effect on the Company’s liquidity.
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The following table summarizes the Company’s contractual obligations by period:
Contractual Obligations Payments Due by Period
Total Less than 1 Year 1-3 Years 3-5 Years More than 5 Years
Capital lease obligations — — — — —
Purchase obligations — — — — —
Other long-term liabilities reflected on the balance sheet under GAAP — — — — —
Share Repurchase Program
On January 26, 2021, the Board of Directors authorized the Company to repurchase up to $25.0 million of the Company’s outstanding common stock, inclusive of the amount that remains available for repurchase under prior repurchase authorizations. As of March 31, 2021, the Company had $21.4 million in aggregate remaining repurchase capacity. The timing and actual number of shares of common stock repurchased will depend on a variety of factors, including the stock price, corporate and regulatory requirements, restrictions under the revolving credit facility and other market and economic conditions.
The Company continues to believe stock repurchases are a viable component of the Company’s long-term financial strategy and an excellent use of excess cash when the opportunity arises. However, our revolving credit facility limits share repurchases to $90 million through June 30, 2022 plus up to 50% of consolidated adjusted net income for the period commencing on January 1, 2019, subject to certain restrictions. Our first priority is to ensure we have enough capital to fund loan growth. To the extent we have excess capital, we may repurchase stock, if appropriate and as authorized by our Board of Directors. As of March 31, 2021, the Company's debt outstanding was $405.0 million and its shareholders' equity was $404.9 million resulting in a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.0:1.0. Management will continue to monitor the Company's debt-to-equity ratio and is committed to maintaining a debt level that will allow the Company to continue to execute its business objectives, while not putting undue stress on its consolidated balance sheet.
Inflation
The Company does not believe that inflation, within reasonably anticipated rates, will have a materially adverse effect on its financial condition. Although inflation would increase the Company’s operating costs in absolute terms, the Company expects that the same decrease in the value of money would result in an increase in the size of loans demanded by its customer base. It is reasonable to anticipate that such a change in customer preference would result in an increase in total loan receivables and an increase in absolute revenues to be generated from that larger amount of loans receivable. The Company believes that this increase in absolute revenues should offset any increase in operating costs. In addition, because the Company’s loans have a relatively short contractual term and average life, it is unlikely that loans made at any given point in time will be repaid with significantly inflated dollars.
Legal Matters
From time to time the Company is involved in litigation relating to claims arising out of its operations in the normal course of business. See Part I, Item 3, “Legal Proceedings” and Note 16 to our audited Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion of legal matters.
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Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Interest Rate Risk
As of March 31, 2021, the Company’s financial instruments consisted of the following: cash and cash equivalents, loans receivable, and senior notes payable. Fair value approximates carrying value for all of these instruments. Loans receivable are originated at prevailing market rates and have an average life of approximately 8 months. Given the short-term nature of these loans, they are continually repriced at current market rates. The Company’s outstanding debt under its revolving credit facility was $405.0 million at March 31, 2021. Interest on borrowings under this facility is based on the rate of LIBOR plus an applicable margin of 3.5%.
Based on the outstanding balance under the Company's revolving credit facility at March 31, 2021, a change of 1% in the LIBOR interest rate would cause a change in interest expense of approximately $4.1 million on an annual basis.
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Part II
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
ASSETS
Less:
LIABILITIES & SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY
Liabilities:
Commitments and contingencies (Notes 9 and 16)
Shareholders' equity:
See accompanying notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
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CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
Years Ended March 31,
Continuing operations
Revenues:
Expenses:
General and administrative expenses:
Discontinued operations (Note 18)
Loss on disposal of discontinued operations — — (38,377,623)
Income taxes (benefit) — — 626,583
Income (loss) from discontinued operations — — (36,662,381)
Net income per common share from continuing operations:
Net income (loss) per common share from discontinued operations:
Basic $ — $ — $ (4.08)
Diluted $ — $ — $ (3.98)
Net income per common share:
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Weighted average common shares outstanding:
See accompanying notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
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CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
Years Ended March 31,
Foreign currency translation adjustments — — (5,235,838)
See accompanying notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
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CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY
Common Stock
Common Stock
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Common Stock
See accompanying notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
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CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
Years Ended March 31,
Cash flow from operating activities:
Loss on sale of discontinued operations — — 38,377,623
Gain on sale of finance receivables (24,667) — —
Gain on company-owned life insurance (1,064,897) — —
Change in accounts:
Cash flows from investing activities:
Proceeds from the sale of assets held for sale 2,810,391 — —
Proceeds from the sale of finance receivables 449,327 — —
Proceeds from sale of discontinued operations — — 37,494,505
Proceeds from company-owned life insurance 1,997,279 — —
Cash flow from financing activities:
Excess tax expense from exercise of stock options — — —
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Supplemental Disclosures:
See accompanying notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
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(1)Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
The Company's accounting and reporting policies are in accordance with GAAP and conform to general practices within the finance company industry. The following is a description of the more significant of these policies used in preparing the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Nature of Operations
The Company is a small-dollar consumer finance (installment loan) company headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina that offers short-term small loans, medium-term larger loans, related credit insurance products and ancillary products and services to individuals who have limited access to other sources of consumer credit. It also offers income tax return preparation services to its customer base and to others.
As of March 31, 2021, the Company operated 1,205 branches in Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin. Branches in the aforementioned states operate under one of the following names: Amicable Finance, Colonial Finance, Freeman Finance, General Credit, Midwestern Loans, World Acceptance, or World Finance. On August 3, 2018 the Company and its affiliates completed the sale of the Company's Mexico operating segment in its entirety, effective as of July 1, 2018. Thus, the Company operated no branches in Mexico as of March 31, 2021 or 2020. During the first quarter of fiscal 2019, branches in Mexico operated under the name Préstamos Avance or Préstamos Viva. The Company is subject to numerous lending regulations that vary by jurisdiction.
Principles of Consolidation
The Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of World Acceptance Corporation and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (the “Company”). Subsidiaries consist of operating entities in various states, ParaData Financial Systems (a software company acquired during fiscal 1994), and WAC Insurance Company, Ltd. (a captive reinsurance company established in fiscal 1994). All significant inter-company balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
The financial statements of the Company’s former foreign subsidiaries in Mexico were prepared using the local currency as the functional currency. Assets and liabilities of these subsidiaries were translated into U.S. dollars at the then-current exchange rate while income and expense are translated at an average exchange rate for the applicable period. The resulting translation gains and losses were recognized as a component of equity in “Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss, net.”
Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Consolidated Financial Statements
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amount of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The most significant item subject to such estimates and assumptions that could materially change in the near term is the allowance for credit losses.
Reclassification
Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current presentation. Such reclassifications had no impact on previously reported net income or shareholders' equity.
Business Segments
The Company reports operating segments in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 280. Operating segments are components of an enterprise about which separate financial information is available that is evaluated regularly by the chief operating decision maker in deciding how to allocate resources and assess performance. FASB ASC Topic 280 requires that a public enterprise report a measure of segment profit or loss, certain specific revenue and expense items, segment assets, information about the way that the operating segments were determined and other items.
The Company has one reportable segment. The other revenue generating activities of the Company, including the sale of insurance products, income tax preparation, and the automobile club, are done within the existing branch
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network in conjunction with or as a complement to the lending operations. There is no discrete financial information available for these activities, and they do not meet the criteria under FASB ASC Topic 280 to be considered operating segments.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
For purposes of the statement of cash flows, the Company considers all highly liquid investments with a maturity of three months or less from the date of original issuance to be cash equivalents. As of March 31, 2021 and 2020 the Company had $7.0 million and $5.4 million, respectively, in restricted cash associated with its captive insurance subsidiary that reinsures a portion of the credit insurance sold in connection with loans made by the Company.
Loans and Interest and Fee Income
The Company is licensed to originate consumer loans in the states of Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Utah, and Wisconsin. During fiscal 2021, 2020, and 2019 the Company originated loans generally ranging up to $3,500, with terms of 48 months or fewer. Experience indicates that a majority of the consumer loans are refinanced, and the Company accounts for the majority of the refinancings as new loans. Generally a customer must make multiple payments in order to qualify for refinancing. Furthermore, the Company's lending policy has predetermined lending amounts so that in most cases a refinancing will result in advancing additional funds. The Company believes that the advancement of additional funds constitutes more than a minor modification to the terms of the existing loan if the present value of the cash flows under the terms of the new loan will be 10% or more of the present value of the remaining cash flows under the terms of the original loan.
The following table sets forth information about our loan products for fiscal 2021:
Gross loans receivable at March 31, 2021 and 2020 consisted of the following:
Fees received and direct costs incurred for the origination of loans are deferred and amortized to interest income over the contractual lives of the loans using the interest method. Unamortized amounts are recognized in income at the time that loans are refinanced or paid in full except for those refinancings that do not constitute a more than minor modification.
Loans are carried at the gross amount outstanding, reduced by unearned interest and insurance income, net of deferred origination fees and direct costs and an allowance for credit losses. The Company recognizes interest and fee income using the interest method. Charges for late payments are credited to income when collected.
With the exception of tax advance loans, which are interest free, the Company offers its loans at the prevailing statutory rates for terms not to exceed 48 months. Management believes that the carrying value approximates the fair value of its loan portfolio.
Nonaccrual Policy
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The accrual of interest is discontinued when a loan is 61 days or more past the contractual due date. When the interest accrual is discontinued, all unpaid accrued interest is reversed against interest income. While a loan is on nonaccrual status, interest revenue is recognized only when a payment is received. Once a loan moves to nonaccrual status, it remains in nonaccrual status until it is paid out, charged off or refinanced.
Allowance for Credit Losses
Refer to Note 2, “Allowance for Credit Losses and Credit Quality Indicators,” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for information regarding the Company's adoption of the CECL allowance model on April 1, 2020 and a description of the methodology it utilizes.
Impaired Loans
The Company defines impaired loans as bankrupt accounts and accounts 91 days or more past due on a recency basis. In accordance with the Company’s charge-off policy, once a loan is deemed uncollectible, 100% of the net investment is charged off, except in the case of a borrower who has filed for bankruptcy. As of March 31, 2021, bankrupt accounts that had not been charged off were approximately $3.2 million. Bankrupt accounts 91 days or more past due on a recency basis are reserved at 100% of the gross loan balance. The Company also considers any accounts 91 days or more past due on a recency basis to be impaired, and such accounts are reserved at 100% of the gross loan balance.
Property and Equipment
Property and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation is recorded using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of the related asset as follows: buildings, 25 to 40 years; furniture and fixtures, 5 to 10 years; equipment, 3 to 7 years; and vehicles, 3 years. Amortization of leasehold improvements is recorded using the straight-line method over the lesser of the estimated useful life of the asset or the term of the lease. Additions to premises and equipment and major replacements or improvements are added at cost. Maintenance, repairs, and minor replacements are charged to operating expense as incurred. When assets are retired or otherwise disposed of, the cost and accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and any gain or loss is reflected in the consolidated statement of operations.
Operating Leases
The Company’s branch leases typically have a lease term of three to five years and contain lessee renewal options and cancellation clauses in the event of regulatory changes. The Company typically renews its leases for one or more option periods. Accordingly, the Company amortizes its leasehold improvements over the shorter of their economic lives, which are generally five years, or the lease term that considers renewal periods that are reasonably assured.
Other Assets
Other assets include cash surrender value of life insurance policies, prepaid expenses, debt issuance costs, and other deposits.
Intangible Assets and Goodwill
Intangible assets include the cost of acquiring existing customers ("customer lists"), and the fair value assigned to non-compete agreements. Customer lists are amortized on a straight line or accelerated basis over their estimated period of benefit, ranging from 8 to 23 years with a weighted average of approximately 9.5 years. Non-compete agreements are amortized on a straight line basis over the term of the agreement, ranging from 3 to 5.3 years with a weighted average of approximately 5.0 years.
Customer lists are allocated at a branch level and are evaluated for impairment at a branch level when a triggering event occurs, in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 360-10-05. If a triggering event occurs, the impairment loss to the customer list is generally the remaining unamortized customer list balance. In most acquisitions, the original fair value of the customer list allocated to a branch is less than $100,000, and management believes that in the event a triggering event were to occur, the impairment loss to an unamortized customer list would be immaterial.
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Non-compete agreements are valued at the stated amount paid to the other party for these agreements, which the Company believes approximates the fair value. The fair value of the customer lists is based on a valuation model that utilizes the Company’s historical data to estimate the value of any acquired customer lists. In a business combination, the remaining excess of the purchase price over the fair value of the tangible assets, customer list, and non-compete agreements is allocated to goodwill. The branches the Company acquires are small, privately-owned branches, which do not have sufficient historical data to determine customer attrition. The Company believes that the customers acquired have the same characteristics and perform similarly to its customers. Therefore, the Company utilized the attrition patterns of its customers when developing the estimate of attrition for acquired customers. This estimation method is re-evaluated periodically.
The Company evaluates goodwill annually for impairment in the fourth quarter of the fiscal year using the market value-based approach. The Company has one reporting unit, and the Company has multiple components, the lowest level of which is individual branches. The Company’s components are aggregated for impairment testing because they have similar economic characteristics.
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
The Company assesses impairment of long-lived assets, including property and equipment and intangible assets, whenever changes or events indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. The Company assesses impairment of these assets generally at the branch level based on the operating cash flows of the branch and the Company’s plans for branch closings. The Company will write down such assets to fair value if, based on an analysis, the sum of the expected future undiscounted cash flows is less than the carrying amount of the assets. The Company did not record any impairment charges for the fiscal year ended 2021, 2020, or 2019.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
FASB ASC Topic 825 requires disclosures about the fair value of all financial instruments, regardless of whether the financial instrument is recognized on the balance sheet, for which it is practicable to estimate that value. In cases where quoted market prices are not available, fair values are based on estimates using present value or other valuation techniques. The Company’s financial instruments for the periods reported consist of the following: cash and cash equivalents, loans receivable and senior notes payable. Fair value approximates carrying value for all of these instruments.
Loans receivable are originated at prevailing market rates and have an average life of approximately 8 months. Given the short-term nature of these loans, they are continually repriced at current market rates. The Company’s revolving credit facility has a variable rate based on a margin over LIBOR and reprices with any changes in LIBOR.
Insurance Premiums and Commissions
Insurance premiums for credit life, accident and health, property and unemployment insurance written in connection with certain loans, net of refunds and applicable advance insurance commissions retained by the Company, are remitted monthly to an insurance company. All commissions are credited to unearned insurance commissions and recognized as income over the life of the related insurance contracts. The Company recognizes insurance income using the Rule of 78s method for credit life (decreasing term), credit accident and health, unemployment insurance and the Pro Rata method for credit life (level term) and credit property.
Non-filing Insurance
Non-filing insurance premiums are charged on certain loans in lieu of recording and perfecting the Company's security interest in the assets pledged. The premiums and recoveries are remitted to a third party insurance company and are not reflected in the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements (see Note 8).
Claims paid by the third party insurance company result in a reduction to loan losses. Certain losses related to such loans, which are not recoverable through life, accident and health, property, or unemployment insurance claims are reimbursed through non-filing insurance claims subject to policy limitations. Any remaining losses are charged to the allowance for credit losses.
Income Taxes
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Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases and operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date.
The Company recognizes the effect of income tax positions only if those positions are more likely than not of being sustained. Recognized income tax positions are measured at the largest amount that is greater than 50% likely of being realized. Changes in recognition or measurement are reflected in the period in which the change in judgment related to additional facts and circumstances occurs.
Earnings Per Share
Earnings per share (“EPS”) is computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 260. Basic EPS includes no dilution and is computed by dividing net income by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted EPS reflects the potential dilution of securities that could share in the earnings of the Company. Potential common stock included in the diluted EPS computation consists of stock options and restricted stock, which are computed using the treasury stock method. See Note 11 for the reconciliation of the numerators and denominators for basic and dilutive EPS calculations.
Stock-Based Compensation
FASB ASC Topic 718-10 requires companies to recognize in the income statement the grant-date fair value of stock options and other equity-based compensation issued to employees. FASB ASC Topic 718-10 does not change the accounting guidance for share-based payment transactions with parties other than employees provided in FASB ASC Topic 718-10. Under FASB ASC Topic 718-10, the way an award is classified will affect the measurement of compensation cost. Liability-classified awards are remeasured to fair value at each balance-sheet date until the award is settled. Equity-classified awards are measured at grant-date fair value, amortized over the subsequent vesting period, and are not subsequently remeasured. The fair value of non-vested stock awards for the purposes of recognizing stock-based compensation expense is the market price of the stock on the grant date. The fair value of options is estimated on the grant date using the Black-Scholes option pricing model (see Note 12). At March 31, 2021, the Company had several share-based employee compensation plans, which are described more fully in Note 12.
Share Repurchases
On March 12, 2020, the Board of Directors authorized the Company to repurchase up to $30.0 million of the Company’s outstanding common stock, inclusive of the amount that remains available for repurchase under prior repurchase authorizations. As of March 31, 2021, the Company had $21.4 million in aggregate remaining repurchase capacity. The timing and actual number of shares of common stock repurchased will depend on a variety of factors, including the stock price, corporate and regulatory requirements, restrictions under the revolving credit facility and other market and economic conditions.
The Company continues to believe stock repurchases are a viable component of the Company’s long-term financial strategy and an excellent use of excess cash when the opportunity arises. However, our revolving credit agreement limits share repurchases to 50% of consolidated adjusted net income in any fiscal year commencing with the fiscal year ending March 31, 2017 without prior written consent of the lenders. As of March 31, 2021 our debt outstanding was $405.0 million and our shareholders' equity was $404.9 million resulting in a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.0:1.0.
Comprehensive Income
Total comprehensive income consists of net income and other comprehensive income (loss). The Company’s other comprehensive income (loss) and accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) are composed of foreign currency translation adjustments.
Concentration of Risk
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The Company generally serves individuals with limited access to other sources of consumer credit such as banks, credit unions, other consumer finance businesses and credit card lenders. During the year ended March 31, 2021, the Company operated in sixteen states in the United States. For the years ended March 31, 2021, 2020, and 2019, total revenue within the Company's four largest states (Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, and South Carolina) accounted for approximately 53%, 56% and 57%, respectively, of the Company's total revenues.
The Company maintains amounts in bank accounts which, at times, may exceed federally insured limits. The Company has not experienced losses in such accounts, which are maintained with large domestic banks. Management believes the Company’s exposure to credit risk is minimal for these accounts.
Advertising Costs
Advertising costs are expensed when incurred. Advertising costs were approximately $17.2 million, $24.3 million, and $22.5 million for fiscal years 2021, 2020, and 2019, respectively.
Recently Adopted Accounting Standards
Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments
ASU 2016-13 (and all subsequent ASUs on this topic) introduce the CECL model, a new credit loss methodology, replacing multiple existing impairment methods in current GAAP, which generally require that a loss be incurred before it is recognized. The amendments in this ASU require loss estimates be determined over the lifetime of the asset and broaden the information that an entity must consider in developing its expected credit losses. The ASU does not specify a method for measuring expected credit losses and allows an entity to apply methods that reasonably reflect its expectations of the credit loss estimate based on the entity’s size, complexity, and risk profile. In addition, the disclosures of credit quality indicators in relation to the amortized cost of financing receivables, a current disclosure requirement, are further disaggregated by year of origination.
The Company adopted this ASU (and all subsequent ASUs on this topic) as of April 1, 2020 using the modified retrospective approach. The adoption of this pronouncement resulted in the recognition of a $28.6 million increase in the allowance for credit losses on our opening balance sheet as of April 1, 2020, with a corresponding net-of-tax $21.2 million reduction in retained earnings and a $7.4 million increase to deferred income taxes, net.
Recently Issued Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted
We reviewed all newly issued accounting pronouncements and concluded that they are either not applicable to our business or are not expected to have a material effect on the consolidated financial statements as a result of future adoption.
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(2)Allowance for Credit Losses and Credit Quality Information
The following is a summary of gross loans receivable by Customer Tenure as of:
During the first quarter of fiscal 2021, we adopted ASU 2016-13, which replaces the incurred loss methodology for determining our provision for credit losses and allowance for credit losses with an expected loss methodology that is referred to as the CECL model, using the modified retrospective approach. Upon adoption, the total allowance for credit losses increased by $28.6 million, with no impact to the consolidated statement of operations.
Based on the Company’s loan products, the purpose and the term, current payment performance is used to assess the capability of the borrower to repay contractual obligations of the loan agreements as scheduled. Current payment performance is monitored by management on a daily basis. On an as needed basis, qualitative information may be taken into consideration if new information arises related to the customer’s ability to repay the loan. The Company’s payment performance buckets are as follows: current, 30-60 days past due, 61-90 days past due, 91 days or more past due.
The following tables provide a breakdown of the Company’s gross loans receivable by current payment performance on a recency basis and year of origination at March 31, 2021:
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Term Loans By Origination
Term Loans By Origination
The following tables provide a breakdown of the Company’s gross loans receivable by current payment performance on a contractual basis and year of origination at March 31, 2021:
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Term Loans By Origination
Term Loans By Origination
61 - 90 days past due — — — — — — —
The allowance for credit losses is applied to amortized cost, which is defined as the amount at which a financing receivable is originated, and net of deferred fees and costs, collection of cash, and charge-offs. Amortized cost also includes interest earned but not collected.