Revenues up 43.1 percent, Record cash collections mark first quarter
WARREN, Mich., April 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Asset Acceptance Capital
Corp. (Nasdaq: AACC), a leading purchaser and collector of charged-off
consumer receivables, today announced results for the first quarter ended
March 31, 2004, highlighted by a 48.1 percent increase in cash collections to
$65.2 million and a 43.1 percent increase in total revenues to $49.7 million.
Asset Acceptance Capital's net loss was $36.2 million, or $1.07 per
diluted share for the first quarter, which included a previously announced
one-time compensation charge of $45.0 million due to the vesting of share
appreciation rights, together with $0.7 million of related payroll taxes which
occurred upon the initial public offering and the deferred income tax charge
of $19.3 million as a result of the reorganization in anticipation of the
initial public offering. Prior to the reorganization, a portion of the
consolidated company was taxed as an S corporation. The Company had adjusted
net income, as defined below, for the first quarter of 2004 of $10.9 million,
a 73.0 percent increase compared to 6.3 million for the same period last year.
The Company said its first quarter results include operations prior to its
reorganization into Asset Acceptance Capital Corp. on February 4, 2004.
First Quarter 2004 Highlights
* Total revenues in the quarter were $49.7 million compared to $34.8
million in the first quarter of 2003, an increase of 43.1 percent.
* During the first quarter, cash collections rose to a record $65.2
million, an increase of 48.1 percent compared to $44.0 million for the same
period last year.
* Total operating expenses for the first quarter of 2004 were $77.2
million or 118.3 percent of cash collections, including a one-time
compensation charge of $45.0 million due to the vesting of share appreciation
rights which occurred upon the initial public offering of the Company.
Payroll taxes related to this charge totaled $0.7 million. Factoring out
these one-time charges for compensation related to share appreciation rights
and related payroll taxes, operating expenses were $31.5 million or 48.3
percent of cash collections. This compares with operating expenses of 52.2
percent of cash collections during the same period last year.
* Losses per diluted share for the quarter were $1.07, compared to
earnings of $0.28 per diluted share for the same period last year. On an
adjusted basis, as further discussed below, the Company earned $0.31 per
diluted share for the quarter and $0.22 for the same quarter last year.
* Traditional call center collections for the first quarter were $40.7
million, or 62.4 percent of cash collections, up 40.1 percent from the same
period last year.
* Legal collections for the first quarter were $17.2 million, or 26.3
percent of cash collections, up 65.6 percent from the same period last year.
* Agency forwarding, bankruptcy and probate collections account for the
remaining 11.3 percent of cash collections.
* During the first quarter, the Company relocated its Florida office,
doubling the size of its collection facility to support growth and taking
advantage of favorable leasing conditions.
"We are focused on prudent growth, disciplined and diverse portfolio
purchasing and strong cash collections," said Brad Bradley, president and CEO
of Asset Acceptance Capital Corp. "We anticipate that 2004 will be another
record year for cash collections.
"Perhaps the biggest accomplishment in the first quarter was our initial
public offering. We are motivated by the confidence of our shareholders, and
we're driven to deliver value to them. We continue to believe that our IPO
was not the pinnacle for the Company, but is just the beginning."
The Company provided the following reconciliation of reported GAAP net
income (loss) to adjusted net income. Operating expenses in the first quarter
of 2004 were adjusted to exclude the one-time compensation and related payroll
tax charges. Additionally, income taxes were adjusted to assume the Company
had always been a C corporation and its subsidiaries were all 100 percent
owned. Adjusted income taxes in this reconciliation are computed based upon
an estimated effective income tax rate of approximately 37.2 percent of the
adjusted net income before adjusted income taxes.
(In thousands except earnings per share amounts) Three months ended
March 31,
2004 2003
GAAP net income (loss) $(36,159) $7,976
Add income tax expense 7,782 2,024
Net income (loss) before income taxes (28,377) 10,000
Add one-time compensation and related
payroll tax charge 45,673 -
Adjusted net income before
adjusted income taxes 17,296 10,000
Adjusted income taxes 6,434 3,720
Adjusted net income $10,862 $6,280
Weighted average number of shares outstanding:
Basic 33,850 28,448
Diluted 33,850 28,448
Earnings (loss) per common share outstanding
Basic $(1.07) $0.28
Diluted $(1.07) $0.28
Adjusted weighted average number of shares outstanding:
Basic 33,850 28,448
Diluted 34,537 28,448
Adjusted earnings per common share outstanding
Basic $0.32 $0.22
Diluted $0.31 $0.22
"We had a strong first quarter, highlighted by our successful initial
public offering," said Bradley. "Absent one-time charges related to our IPO,
adjusted net income climbed 73 percent and cash collections posted their best
quarterly results ever, increasing 48 percent to $65.2 million when compared
to last year. We continued to execute well on our disciplined portfolio
acquisition and collection strategies."
Mark Redman, CFO of Asset Acceptance Capital Corp., added: "The one-time
charges in the first quarter should not mask what was a strong quarter by
operational measures. We posted strong adjusted net income gains and
continued revenue growth."
During the first quarter of 2004, the Company said it paid $12.4 million
to purchase consumer debt portfolios with a face value of $514.1 million, for
a blended rate of 2.42 percent of face value. Purchases during the first
quarter consisted of 17 portfolio pools from 14 sellers. This compares to the
first quarter of 2003, when the Company purchased consumer debt portfolios
with a face value of $897.9 million for $23.1 million for a blended rate of
2.57 percent of face value. The Company said all purchase data is adjusted
for buybacks.
"We have found over our history that the volume of purchased portfolios
can swing fairly dramatically from quarter to quarter," said Bradley. "In the
first quarter of 2003, we had one significant acquisition which accounted for
a large portion of our purchases. In the second quarter of 2004, we are
seeing significant market activity. In fact, just three weeks into the second
quarter, we have already invested more in consumer debt than we did during the
entire first quarter of this year, and we will continue to be opportunistic
when we see the potential for our return targets."
First Quarter 2004 Conference Call
Asset Acceptance Capital Corp. will host a conference call at 10 a.m.
Eastern today to discuss these results and current business trends. To listen
to a live web cast of the call, please go to the investor section of the
Company's web site at www.assetacceptance.com . A replay of the call will be
available until 5 p.m. Eastern, Thursday, May 13, 2004.
About Asset Acceptance Capital Corp.
For more than 40 years, Asset Acceptance Capital Corp. and its
predecessors have provided credit originators, such as credit card issuers,
consumer finance companies, retail merchants, utilities and others an
efficient alternative in recovering defaulted consumer debt. For more
information, please visit www.assetacceptance.com .
Asset Acceptance Capital Corp. Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains certain statements, including the Company's
plans and expectations regarding its operating strategies, charged-off
receivables and costs, which are forward-looking statements and are made
pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995. These forward-looking statements reflect the Company's views, at the
time such statements were made, with respect to the Company's future plans,
objectives, events and financial results such as revenues, expenses, income,
earnings per share, capital expenditures, and other financial items. Forward-
looking statements are not guarantees of future performance; they are subject
to risks and uncertainties. In addition, words such as "anticipates",
"estimates," "expects," "intends," "should," "could", "will," variations of
such words and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking
statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and
involve certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions ("Risk Factors") that are
difficult to predict with regard to timing, extent, likelihood and degree of
occurrence. There are a number of factors, many of which are beyond the
Company's control, which could cause actual results and outcomes to differ
materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. Risk
Factors include, among others: ability to purchase charged-off consumer
receivables at appropriate prices, ability to continue to acquire charged-off
receivables in sufficient amounts to operate efficiently and profitably,
employee turnover, ability to compete in the marketplace, acquiring charged-
off receivables in industries that the Company has little or no experience,
integration and operations of newly acquired businesses, and additional
factors discussed in the Company's reports filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission and exhibits thereto. Other Risk Factors exist, and new
Risk Factors emerge from time to time that may cause actual results to differ
materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Given
these risks and uncertainties, investors should not place undue reliance on
forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. Furthermore,
the Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update, amend or clarify
forward-looking statements.
Asset Acceptance Capital Corp.
Consolidated Statements of Income
Three Months ended March 31,
(in thousands, except per-share data) 2004 2003
Revenues
Purchased receivable revenues $49,587 $34,614
Finance contract revenues 161 141
Total revenues 49,748 34,755
Expenses
Salaries and benefits 61,418 11,360
Collections expense 12,306 9,155
Occupancy 1,398 953
Administrative 1,280 882
Depreciation 727 643
Loss on disposal of equipment 26 -
Total operating expense 77,155 22,993
Income (loss) from operations (27,407) 11,762
Net interest expenses 994 1,832
Other expenses (income) (24) (70)
Income (loss) before income taxes (28,377) 10,000
Income taxes 7,782 2,024
Net income (loss) $(36,159) $7,976
Pro forma income tax expense (benefit) $(10,556) $3,720
Pro forma net income (loss) $(17,821) $6,280
Weighted average number of shares:
Basic 33,850 28,448
Diluted 33,850 28,448
Earnings per common share outstanding:
Basic (1.07) 0.28
Diluted (1.07) 0.28
Proforma earnings per common share outstanding:
Basic (0.53) 0.22
Diluted (0.53) 0.22
Asset Acceptance Capital Corp.
Consolidated Statements of Financial Position
(in thousands) March 31, 2004 December 31, 2003
Assets
Cash $8,166 $5,499
Purchased receivables 180,236 183,720
Finance contract receivables, net 637 642
Property and equipment, net 7,851 7,970
Goodwill 6,340 6,340
Other assets 3,311 2,939
Total assets $206,541 $207,110
Liabilities
Line of credit $15,400 $72,950
Notes payable - related party - 39,560
Deferred tax liability 19,676 11,906
Accounts payable and other liabilities 11,145 8,093
Capital lease obligations 293 218
Total liabilities 46,514 132,727
Stockholders' equity:
Preferred stock, $0.01 par value,
10,000,000 shares authorized,
no shares issued and outstanding - -
Common stock, $0.01 par value,
100,000,000 shares authorized;
Issued and outstanding shares -
37,225,275 at March 31, 2004 and
28,448,449 at December 31, 2003 372 284
Additional paid in capital 159,101 36,385
Retained earnings 554 37,714
Total equity 160,027 74,383
Total liabilities and equity $206,541 $207,110
SOURCE Asset Acceptance Capital Corp.
-0- 04/29/2004
/CONTACT: Jeff Lambert or Tim Hanson of Lambert, Edwards & Associates,
Inc., +1-616-233-0500, aacc@lambert-edwards.com , for Asset Acceptance Capital
Corp./
/Web site: http://www.assetacceptance.com /
(AACC)
CO: Asset Acceptance Capital Corp.
ST: Michigan
IN: FIN
SU: ERN CCA MAV
TM-TH
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8636 04/29/2004 07:04 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com