UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017

OR

For the transition period from                  to                 

Commission File Number: 001-35477

Regional Management Corp.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

(864) 448-7000

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

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

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

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

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

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

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    Yes  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§ 229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to the Form 10-K.  ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

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

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

As of June 30, 2017 (the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter), the aggregate market value of the common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was $220,711,714 based upon the closing sale price as reported on the New York Stock Exchange. See Part II, Item 5 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information.

As of February 22, 2018, there were 11,690,291 shares of the registrant’s common stock outstanding.

Documents Incorporated by Reference

Certain information required by Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K is incorporated herein by reference to the Proxy Statement for the registrant’s 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which is expected to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A within 120 days after the end of the registrant’s fiscal year ended December 31, 2017.

REGIONAL MANAGEMENT CORP.

ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K

Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2017

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, certain statements and disclosures contained in Item 1, “Business,” Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” and Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about our strategies, future operations, future financial position, future revenues, projected costs, expectations regarding demand and acceptance for our financial products, growth opportunities and trends in the market in which we operate, prospects, plans and objectives of management, representations, and contentions, and are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements typically are identified by the use of terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “continue,” and similar words, although some forward-looking statements are expressed differently. We may not actually achieve the plans, intentions, or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included herein reflect and contain management’s current judgment, and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, events, and performance to differ materially from the plans, intentions, and expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, the risks set forth in Item 1A, “Risk Factors” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We do not intend to update any of these forward-looking statements or publicly announce the results of or any revisions to these forward-looking statements, other than as is required under the federal securities laws.

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with, and is qualified in its entirety by reference to, our audited consolidated financial statements, including the notes thereto.

PART I

Overview

Regional Management Corp. (together with its subsidiaries, “Regional,” the “Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our”) was incorporated in South Carolina on March 25, 1987, and converted into a Delaware corporation on August 23, 2011. We are a diversified consumer finance company providing a broad array of loan products primarily to customers with limited access to consumer credit from banks, thrifts, credit card companies, and other traditional lenders. We began operations in 1987 with four branches in South Carolina and have expanded our branch network to 342 locations with approximately 371,600 active accounts primarily across Alabama, Georgia, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia as of December 31, 2017. Most of our loan products are secured, and each is structured on a fixed rate, fixed term basis with fully amortizing equal monthly installment payments, repayable at any time without penalty. Our loans are sourced through our multiple channel platform, which includes our branches, direct mail campaigns, retailers, digital partners, and our consumer website. We operate an integrated branch model in which nearly all loans, regardless of origination channel, are serviced through our branch network, providing us with frequent in-person contact with our customers, which we believe improves our credit performance and customer loyalty. Our goal is to consistently and soundly grow our finance receivables and manage our portfolio risk, while providing our customers with attractive and easy-to-understand loan products that serve their varied financial needs.

Our diversified product offerings include:

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We have one reportable segment, which is the consumer finance segment. Our other revenue generating activities, including insurance operations, are performed in the existing branch network in conjunction with or as a complement to the lending operations. For financial information regarding the results of our only reportable segment, the consumer finance segment, for each of the last three fiscal years, refer to Item 6, “Selected Financial Data” and Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Our Industry

We operate in the consumer finance industry, which generally serves the large population of non-prime and underbanked consumers who have limited access to credit from banks, thrifts, credit card companies, and other traditional lenders. According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, there were approximately 51 million adults living in underbanked households in the United States in 2015, up from 43 million in 2009. While the number of non-prime consumers in the United States has grown, we believe that the supply of consumer credit to

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this demographic by traditional lenders has contracted. Following deregulation of the U.S. banking industry in the 1980s, many banks and finance companies that traditionally provided small denomination consumer credit refocused their businesses on larger loans with lower comparative origination costs and lower credit loss rates. We believe that the large number of potential customers in our target market provides an attractive market opportunity for our diversified product offerings.

Installment Lending. Installment lending to non-prime and underbanked consumers is one of the most highly fragmented sectors of the consumer finance industry. Providers of installment loans, such as Regional, generally offer loans with longer terms and lower interest rates than other alternatives available to underbanked consumers, such as title, payday, and pawn lenders.

Automobile Lending. Automobile finance comprises one of the largest consumer finance markets in the United States. The automobile loan sector is generally segmented by the credit characteristics of the borrower. Automobile loans are typically initiated or arranged through automobile dealers nationwide that rely on financing to drive their automobile sales. We ceased originating automobile loans in November 2017.

Retail Lending. The retail industry represents a large consumer market in which retailers often do not provide their own financing, but instead partner with large banks and credit card companies that generally limit their lending activities to prime borrowers. As a result, non-prime customers often do not qualify for financing from these lenders.

Our Business Model and Operations

Integrated Branch Model. Our branch network, with 342 locations across 9 states as of December 31, 2017, serves as the foundation of our multiple channel platform and the primary point of contact with our approximately 371,600 active accounts. By integrating loan origination and loan servicing at the branch level, our employees are able to maintain a relationship with our customers throughout the life of a loan. For loans originated at a branch, underwriting is typically done by our local branch manager, subject to our established underwriting guidelines. Our branch managers apply our company-wide underwriting standards to each customer’s unique circumstances, and where a branch manager believes that an underwriting exception may be warranted, our policies allow for further review of a customer’s credit application by a centralized underwriting team member. This tailored branch-level underwriting approach allows us to both reject certain marginal loans that would otherwise be approved solely based on a credit report or automated loan approval system, as well as to selectively extend loans to customers with prior credit challenges who might otherwise be denied credit. In addition, nearly all loans, regardless of origination channel, are serviced through our branches, which allows us to maintain frequent, in-person contact with our customers. We believe this frequent-contact, relationship-driven lending model provides greater insight into potential payment difficulties and allows us to assess the borrowing needs of our customers and offer new loan products as their credit profiles evolve.

Multiple Channel Platform. We offer a diversified range of loan products through our multiple channel platform, which enables us to reach existing and new customers throughout our markets. We began building our branch network nearly 30 years ago and have expanded to 342 branches as of December 31, 2017. We have relationships with retailers that offer our retail loans in their stores at the point of sale. Our direct mail campaigns include pre-screened convenience check mailings and mailings of preapproved offers, prequalified offers, and invitations to apply, which enable us to market our products to millions of potential customers in a cost-effective manner. Finally, we have developed our consumer website and partnered with digital lead sources to promote our products and facilitate loan applications and originations via the internet. We believe that our multiple channel platform provides us with a competitive advantage by giving us broad access to our existing customers and multiple avenues to attract new customers.

Attractive Products for Customers with Limited Access to Credit. Our flexible loan products, ranging from $500 to $20,000 with terms of up to 60 months, are competitively priced, easy to understand, and

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incorporate features designed to meet the varied financial needs and credit profiles of a broad array of consumers. This product diversity distinguishes us from monoline competitors and provides us with the ability to offer our customers new loan products as their credit profiles evolve, building customer loyalty and increasing the overall value of customer relationships.

We believe that the rates on our products are significantly more attractive than many other credit options available to our customers, such as payday, pawn, or title loans. We also differentiate ourselves from such alternative financial service providers by reporting our customers’ payment performance to credit bureaus. This practice provides our customers with the opportunity to improve their credit profile by establishing a responsible payment history with us and, ultimately, to gain access to a wider range of credit options, including our own. We believe this opportunity for our customers to improve their credit history, combined with our diversity of products with competitive pricing and terms, distinguishes us in the consumer finance market and provides us with a competitive advantage.

Demonstrated Organic Growth. We have grown our finance receivables by 50.1%, from $544.7 million at December 31, 2013 to $817.5 million at December 31, 2017, a compound annual growth rate (“CAGR”) of 10.7%. Our growth has come from expanding our branch network, growing the finance receivable portfolios within existing branches, and developing new products and channels, including through digital lead generation. From 2013 to 2017, we grew our year-end branch count from 264 branches to 342 branches, a CAGR of 6.7%. We opened a net 3 new branches in 2017, and we have also grown our existing branch revenues. Historically, our branches have rapidly increased their outstanding finance receivables during the early years of operations and generally have quickly achieved profitability.

Established Portfolio Performance. Historically, we have managed our annual net credit loss rates in a relatively narrow band. During the post-financial crisis period from 2008 to 2013, our annual net credit loss rates remained consistent, ranging from 6.3% to 8.6% of our average finance receivables. In 2014, due to a combination of factors, we experienced an uncharacteristically high annual net credit loss rate of 11.1%. Since 2014, we have taken steps to expand our focus on credit quality by investing in highly-qualified personnel, refining our underwriting policies, and streamlining procedures that better allow us to control our credit quality across our multiple channel platform, to maintain compliance with evolving state and federal law, and to react quickly whenever market dynamics may change. These initiatives and others contributed to a reduction in our annual net credit loss rate to 9.0% and 9.4% in 2016 and 2017, respectively. We plan to continue to carefully manage our credit exposure as we grow our business, offer new products, and enter new markets.

We consider numerous factors in evaluating a potential customer’s creditworthiness, such as unencumbered income, debt-to-income ratios, and a credit report detailing the applicant’s credit history. Our underwriting standards focus on our customers’ ability to affordably make loan payments out of their discretionary income, with the value of pledged collateral serving as a credit enhancement rather than the primary underwriting criterion. Portfolio performance is improved by our regular in-person contact with customers at our branches, which helps us to anticipate repayment problems before they occur and allows us to work with customers to develop solutions prior to default, using repossession only as a last option. In addition, our centralized management information system enables regular monitoring of branch portfolio metrics. Our state operations vice presidents and district supervisors monitor loan underwriting, delinquencies, and credit losses of each branch in their respective regions. In addition, the compensation received by our branch managers and assistant managers has a significant performance component and is closely tied to credit quality, among other defined performance targets. We believe our frequent-contact, relationship-driven lending model, combined with regular monitoring and alignment of employee incentives, improves our overall credit performance.

Experienced Management Team. Our executive and senior operations management teams consist of individuals experienced in installment lending and other consumer finance services. Both our President and Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Operating Officer have nearly 30 years of experience in consumer financial services, and our Chief Risk Officer has over 20 years of financial and consumer lending experience, including

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expertise in credit risk management. As of December 31, 2017, our state operations vice presidents averaged more than 25 years of industry experience and more than 6 years of service at Regional, while our district supervisors averaged nearly 23 years of industry experience and 7 years of service with Regional. Our executive and senior operations management team members intend to leverage their experience and expertise in consumer lending to grow our business, deliver high-quality service to our customers, and carefully manage our credit risk.

Our Strategies

Grow Our Branch Network. We intend to continue to grow the loan volume, revenue, and profitability of our existing branches, to open new branches within our existing geographic footprint, and to expand our operations into new states. Establishing local contact with our customers through the expansion of our branch network is key to our frequent-contact, relationship-driven lending model and is embodied in our marketing tagline: “Your Hometown Credit Source.”

We also believe that the highly fragmented nature of the consumer finance industry and the evolving competitive, regulatory, and economic environment provide attractive opportunities for growth through acquisition.

Expand and Capitalize on Our Diverse Channels and Products. We intend to continue to expand and capitalize on our multiple channel platform and broad array of offerings as follows:

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We believe that the expansion of our channels and products, supported by the growth of our branch network, will provide us with opportunities to reach new customers as well as to offer new loan products to our existing customers as their credit profiles evolve. We plan to continue to develop and introduce new products that are responsive to the needs of our customers in the future.

Focus on Sound Underwriting and Credit Control. Since 2014, we have taken steps to expand our focus on credit quality by investing in highly-qualified personnel, refining our underwriting policies, and streamlining procedures that better allow us to control our credit quality across our multiple channel platform, to maintain compliance with evolving state and federal law, and to react quickly whenever market dynamics may change. These initiatives and others contributed to a reduction in our annual net credit loss rate to 9.0% and 9.4% in 2016 and 2017, respectively. We plan to continue to carefully manage our credit exposure as we grow our business, offer new products, and enter new markets.

Our philosophy is to emphasize sound underwriting standards focused on a customer’s prior credit history and ability to affordably make loan payments, to work with customers experiencing payment difficulties, and to use repossession only as a last resort once other options have been exhausted. For example, we permit customers to defer payments or refinance delinquent loans under limited circumstances. Only on an exception basis do we offer customers experiencing payment difficulties the opportunity to change their loan terms to help them reduce the monthly payment that they owe. A deferral extends the due date of the loan by one to two months and allows the customer to maintain his or her credit rating in good standing. In addition to deferrals, we also allow customers to refinance loans. We limit the refinancing of delinquent loans to those customers who have made recent payments and for whom we have verified current employment. We believe that refinancing delinquent loans for certain deserving customers who have made periodic payments allows us to help customers resolve temporary financial setbacks and repair or sustain their credit. During 2017, we refinanced $6.1 million of loans that were 60 days or more contractually past due, representing approximately 0.6% of our total loan volume for fiscal 2017. As of December 31, 2017, the outstanding balance of such refinancings was $6.0 million, or 0.7% of finance receivables as of such date.

For loans made through our branch network, we carefully evaluate each potential customer’s creditworthiness by examining the individual’s unencumbered income or debt-to-income credit ratio, length of current employment, duration of residence, and a credit report detailing the applicant’s credit history. Our loan approval process is based on the customer’s creditworthiness and ability to repay the loan, rather than the value of collateral pledged. Loan amounts are established based on underwriting standards designed to allow customers

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to affordably make their loan payments out of their discretionary income. Each of our branches is equipped to perform immediate employment and credit checks, and approve loan applications promptly while the customer waits. Our employees can verify the applicant’s employment and credit history through telephone checks with employers, other employment references, supporting documentation such as paychecks and earnings summaries, or a variety of third-party credit reporting agencies.

Each individual we solicit for a convenience check loan has been pre-screened through a major credit bureau or data aggregator against our underwriting criteria. In addition to screening each potential convenience check recipient’s credit score and bankruptcy history, we also use a proprietary model that assesses approximately 25 to 30 different attributes of potential recipients.

Our branch employees will perform an in-person appraisal of any vehicle collateral pledged for a direct loan using our multipoint checklist and will use one or more third-party valuation sources, such as the National Automobile Dealers Association Appraisal Guides, to determine an estimate of the collateral’s value. Regardless of the value of the vehicle or other collateral, our policies are designed not to lend in excess of our assessment of the borrower’s ability to repay. We perfect all security interests in each pledged vehicle by retaining the title to the collateral until the loan is fully repaid or by recording our lien on the title, in each case as required by state law.

We work with customers experiencing payment difficulties to help them find a solution and view repossession of the collateral only as a last option. In the event we do elect to repossess a vehicle, we use a national, third-party vendor in the vast majority of circumstances. We then sell our repossessed vehicle inventory through sales conducted by independent automobile auction organizations or, to a lesser extent, private sales after the required post-repossession waiting period. Any excess proceeds from the sale of the collateral are returned to the customer.

In accordance with our philosophy, we intend to continue to refine our underwriting standards to assess an individual’s creditworthiness and ability to repay a loan. In recent years, we have implemented several new programs to continue to improve our underwriting standards and loan collection rates, including those initiatives described above. Additionally, our management information system enables us to regularly review loan volumes, collections, and delinquencies. We believe this central oversight, combined with our branch-level servicing, improves credit performance. We plan to continue to develop strategies and custom credit models utilizing our historical loan performance data and credit bureau attributes to further improve our underwriting standards and loan collection rates as we expand.

Our Products

Small Loans. We originate small loans ranging from $500 to $2,500 through our branches, which we refer to as our branch small loans, and through our convenience check program, which we refer to as our convenience checks. Our small loans are standardized to reduce documentation and related processing costs, as well as to comply with federal and state lending laws. They are payable in fixed rate, fully amortizing equal monthly installments with terms of up to 48 months, and are repayable at any time without penalty. In 2017, the average originated net loan size and term for our small loans were $1,669 and 19 months, respectively. The average yield we earned on our portfolio of small loans was 42.2% in 2017. The interest rates, fees and other charges, maximum principal amounts, and maturities for our small loans vary from state to state, depending upon the competitive environment and relevant laws and regulations.

Branch Small Loans. Our branch small loans are made to customers who visit one of our branches and complete a standardized credit application. Customers may also complete and submit a loan application by phone or on our consumer website before closing the loan in one of our branches. We require our customers to submit a list of non-essential household goods and pledge these goods as collateral. We do not perfect our security interests by filing UCC financing statements with respect to these goods and instead typically collect a

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non-filing insurance fee and obtain non-filing insurance. We also accept, but do not require, vehicles as collateral on small loans.

Convenience Checks. Our convenience check loans are originated through direct mail campaigns to pre-screened individuals. These campaigns are launched throughout the year, but are weighted to coincide with seasonal demand for loans to finance vacations, back-to-school needs, and holiday spending. We also launch convenience check campaigns in conjunction with opening new branches to help build an initial customer base. Customers can cash or deposit convenience checks as needed, thereby agreeing to the terms of the loan as prominently set forth on the check and accompanying disclosures. When a customer enters into a loan by cashing or depositing the convenience check, our personnel gather additional information on the borrower to assist us in servicing the loan and offering other products to meet the customer’s financing needs.

The following table sets forth the composition of our finance receivables for small loans by state as of the dates indicated:

The following table sets forth the total number, finance receivables, and average per loan for our small loans by state at December 31, 2017:

Large Loans. We also offer large loans through our branches and, to a lesser extent, through our convenience check program, in amounts ranging from $2,501 to $20,000. A consumer may apply for a large loan by visiting one of our branches, where he or she is interviewed by one of our employees who evaluates the applicant’s creditworthiness, including a review of a credit bureau report, before extending a loan. Our large loans are payable in fixed rate, fully amortizing equal monthly installments with terms of 18 to 60 months, and

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are repayable at any time without penalty. For any large loan originated in a branch, we require the loan to be secured by non-essential household goods or a vehicle, which may be an automobile, motorcycle, boat, or all-terrain vehicle. In 2017, our average originated net loan size and term for large loans were $4,946 and 41 months, respectively. The average yield we earned on our portfolio of large loans was 28.8% for 2017.

The following table sets forth the composition of our finance receivables for large loans by state as of the dates indicated:

The following table sets forth the total number, finance receivables, and average per loan for our large loans by state at December 31, 2017:

Automobile Loans. We ceased originating automobile loans in November 2017. Our existing automobile loans were offered through a network of dealers in our geographic footprint. These loans were offered in amounts up to $27,500 and are secured by the purchased vehicle. They are payable in fixed rate, fully amortizing equal monthly installments with terms generally of 36 to 72 months, and are repayable at any time without penalty. In 2017, our average originated net loan size and term for automobile loans were $14,784 and 61 months, respectively. The average yield we earned on our portfolio of automobile loans was 16.3% for 2017.

Indirect Automobile Loans. Our indirect automobile loans allowed customers and dealers to complete a loan at the dealership without the need to visit one of our branches. We typically offered indirect loans through larger franchise and independent dealers within our geographic footprint. These larger dealers collected credit applications from their customers and either forwarded the applications to us specifically or, more commonly, submitted the applications to numerous potential lenders through online credit application

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networks, such as DealerTrack and RouteOne. After receiving an indirect automobile loan application, it was processed by our centralized underwriting department or, to a lesser extent, our branches and supervisors. Once the loan was approved, the dealer closed the loan on a standardized retail installment sales contract at the point of sale. Subsequently, we purchased the loan and service it locally through our branch network.

Direct Automobile Loans. We also offered direct automobile loans to our customers through our relationships with dealerships throughout our geographic footprint. These dealers would contact one of our local branches to initiate a loan application when they had identified a customer who met our written underwriting standards. Applications for direct automobile loans may also have been received through one of the online credit application networks in which we participate, such as DealerTrack and RouteOne. We reviewed the application and requested loan terms and proposed modifications, if necessary, before providing initial approval and inviting the dealer and the customer to come to a local branch to close the loan. Our branch employees interviewed the customer to verify information in the dealer’s credit application, obtained a credit bureau report on the customer, and inspected the vehicle to confirm that the customer’s order accurately described the vehicle before closing the loan.

The following table sets forth the composition of our finance receivables for automobile loans by state as of the dates indicated:

The following table sets forth the total number, finance receivables, and average per loan for our automobile loans by state at December 31, 2017:

Retail Loans. Our retail loans are indirect loans made through a retailer at the point of sale without the need for the customer to visit one of our branches. Our customers use our retail loans to finance the purchase of

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furniture, appliances, and other retail products. These loans are indirect installment loans structured as retail installment sales contracts that are offered in amounts of up to $7,500. They are payable in fixed rate, fully amortizing equal monthly installments with terms of between six and 60 months, and are repayable at any time without penalty. In 2017, our average originated net loan size and term for retail loans were $1,901 and 27 months, respectively. The average yield we earned on our portfolio of retail loans was 18.8% for 2017.

Our retail loans provide financing to customers who may not qualify for prime financing from traditional lenders. As compared to other sources of non-prime financing, including rent-to-own and leasing, our retail loans often offer more attractive interest rates and terms to customers. In recent years, in an effort to expand our relationship with existing retailer partners, we began offering retail loans in states outside of our nine-state brick-and-mortar footprint that are serviced centrally from our headquarters in South Carolina. By providing a source of non-prime financing, we are often able to help our retail partners complete sales to customers who otherwise may not have been able to finance their purchase.

Our retail partners typically submit applications to us online while the customer waits. If a customer is not accepted by a retailer’s prime financing provider, we will evaluate the customer’s credit based on the same application data, without the need for the customer to complete an additional application. Underwriting for our retail loans is conducted through RMC Retail, a centralized underwriting team.

We individually evaluate the creditworthiness of potential retail loan customers using the same information and resources used for our other loan products, including a credit bureau report, before providing a credit decision to the retailer, generally within ten minutes. If we approve the loan, the retailer completes our standardized retail installment sales contract, which includes a security interest in the purchased item. The servicing of nearly all such loans are performed within our branches, with only out-of-footprint retail loans being serviced centrally from our headquarters in South Carolina.

The following table sets forth the composition of our finance receivables for retail loans by state as of the dates indicated:

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The following table sets forth the total number, finance receivables, and average per loan for our retail loans by state at December 31, 2017:

Optional Payment and Collateral Protection Insurance Products. We offer our customers a number of optional payment and collateral protection insurance products in connection with our loans. We do not sell insurance to non-borrowers. The insurance products we offer customers are voluntary and not a condition of the loan. Our insurance products, including the types of products offered and their terms and conditions, vary from state to state in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Premiums and other charges for insurance products are set at, or below, authorized statutory rates and are stated separately in our disclosure to customers, as required by the federal Truth in Lending Act and by various applicable state laws. In 2017, insurance income, net, was $13.1 million, or 4.8% of our total revenue.

We market and sell insurance policies as an agent for an unaffiliated third-party insurance company. The policies are then ceded to our wholly-owned reinsurance subsidiary, RMC Reinsurance, Ltd., which then bears the full risk of the policy. For the sale of insurance policies, we, as agent, write policies only within the limitations established by our agency contracts with the unaffiliated third-party insurance company.

Credit Life Insurance, Credit Accident and Health Insurance, and Involuntary Unemployment Insurance. We market and sell optional credit life insurance, credit accident and health insurance, and involuntary unemployment insurance in connection with our loans in selected markets. Credit life insurance provides for the payment in full of the borrower’s credit obligation to the lender in the event of the borrower’s death and, in some states, may provide a payment to a secondary beneficiary listed by our borrower. Credit accident and health insurance provides for the repayment of certain loan installments to the lender that come due during an insured’s period of income interruption resulting from disability from illness or injury. Involuntary unemployment insurance provides for repayment of certain loan installments in the event the borrower is no longer employed as the result of a qualifying event, such as a layoff or reduction in workforce. All customers purchasing these types of insurance from us sign multiple statements affirming that they understand that their purchase of insurance is optional and not a condition of our granting the loan. In addition, customers may cancel purchased insurance at any time during the life of the loan, including in connection with an early payoff or loan refinancing. Customers who cancel within 30 days of the date of purchase receive a full refund of the insurance premium, and customers who cancel thereafter receive a refund of the unearned portion of the insurance premium.

Property Insurance. We also require that our customers provide proof of acceptable insurance for any personal property securing a loan. Customers can provide proof of such insurance purchased from a third party (such as homeowners or renters insurance) or can purchase the property insurance that we offer. We also

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collect a state-allowed fee for collateral protection and purchase non-filing insurance in lieu of recording and perfecting our security interest in the assets pledged on certain loans. In addition to offering property insurance on the household goods used as collateral for our loan products, we also offer, in select markets, vehicle single interest insurance that provides coverage on automobiles used as collateral on small and large loans. This affords the borrower flexibility with regards to the requirement to maintain full coverage on the vehicle while also protecting the collateral used to secure the loan.

Reinsurance. The optional payment and collateral protection insurance risks are ceded by the non-affiliated insurance company that issues the policies to RMC Reinsurance, Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Regional Management Corp.

Insurance policy premiums, claims, and expenses are included in the company’s results of operations as insurance income, net in the consolidated statements of income.

Our Branches

Our branches are generally located in visible, high-traffic locations, such as shopping centers. We do not need to keep large amounts of cash at our branches because we disburse loan proceeds by check and we receive many loan payments by check or electronic means. As a result, our branches have an open, welcoming, and hospitable layout.

The following table sets forth the number of branches as of the dates indicated:

During the period presented in the table above, we grew by a net 78 branches. In 2017, we opened a net 3 new branches. In evaluating whether to locate a branch in a particular community, we examine several factors, including the demographic profile of the community, demonstrated demand for consumer finance, the regulatory and political climate, and the availability of suitable employees to staff, manage, and supervise the new branch. We also look for a concentration of retailers to build our sales finance business.

The following table sets forth the average finance receivables per branch based on maturity, excluding acquired branches:

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The average contribution to operating income from our branches has historically increased as our branches mature. The following table sets forth the average operating income contribution per branch for the year ended December 31, 2017, based on maturity of the branch, excluding acquired branches.

We calculate the average branch contribution as total revenues generated by the branch less the expenses directly attributable to the branch, including the provision for losses and operating expenses, such as personnel, lease, and interest expenses. General corporate overhead, including management salaries, is not attributed to any individual branch. Accordingly, the sum of branch contributions from all of our branches is greater than our income before taxes.

Payment and Loan Servicing

We have implemented company-wide payment and loan servicing policies and practices, which are designed to maintain consistent portfolio performance and to facilitate regulatory compliance. Our district supervisors and state vice presidents, with assistance from centralized training personnel, oversee the training of each branch employee in these policies and practices, which include standard procedures for communicating with customers in our branches, over the telephone, and by mail. Our corporate procedures require the maintenance of a log of servicing activity for each account. Our state vice presidents, district supervisors, and internal audit teams regularly review these records to ensure compliance with our company procedures, which are designed to comply with applicable regulatory requirements.

Our corporate practices also include encouraging customers to visit our branches to make payments. Encouraging payment at the branch allows us to maintain regular contact with our customers and further develop our overall relationship with them. We believe that the development and continual cultivation of personal relationships with customers improves our ability to monitor their creditworthiness, reduces credit risk, and generates opportunities to offer them new loan products as their credit profiles evolve. To reduce late payment risk, branch employees encourage customers to inform us in advance of expected payment problems.

Branch employees also promptly contact customers following the first missed payment and thereafter remain in close contact with such customers, including through phone calls and letters. We use third-party skip tracing services to locate delinquent customers in the event that our branch employees are unable to do so. In certain cases, we seek legal judgments against delinquent customers.

We obtain security interests for most of our loans, and we perfect the security interests in vehicles securing our loans. Our district supervisors and internal audit teams regularly review collateral documentation to confirm compliance with our guidelines. We perfect all security interests in each pledged vehicle by retaining the title to the collateral until the loan is fully repaid or by recording our lien on the title. We only initiate repossession efforts when an account is seriously delinquent, we have exhausted other means of collection, and in the opinion of management, the customer is unlikely to make further payments. We sell substantially all repossessed vehicles through sales conducted by independent automobile auction organizations, after the required post-repossession waiting period. Losses on the sale of repossessed collateral are charged to the allowance for credit losses.

In certain cases, we permit our existing customers to refinance their loans. Our refinancings of existing loans are divided into three categories: refinancings of loans in an amount greater than the original loan amount, renewals of existing loans at or below the original loan amount, and renewals of existing loans that are 60 or

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more days contractually past due, which represented 54%, 12%, and 0.6%, respectively, of our loan originations in 2017. Any refinancing of a loan in an amount greater than the original amount generally requires an underwriting review to determine a customer’s qualification for the increased loan amount. Furthermore, we obtain a new credit report and may complete a new application on renewals of existing loans if they have not completed one within the prior year. We limit the refinancing of delinquent loans to those customers who have made recent payments and for whom we have verified current employment. We believe that refinancing delinquent loans for certain deserving customers who have made periodic payments allows us to help customers resolve temporary financial setbacks and repair or sustain their credit. During 2017, we refinanced $6.1 million of loans that were 60 or more days contractually past due, and as of December 31, 2017, the outstanding balance of such refinancings was $6.0 million, or 0.7% of finance receivables as of such date.

Generally, we charge off loans during the month the loan becomes 180 days contractually delinquent. Non-titled accounts in a confirmed Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy are charged off at 60 days contractually delinquent, subject to certain exceptions. Deceased borrower accounts are charged off in the month following the proper notification of passing, with the exception of borrowers with credit life insurance. Losses on the sale of repossessed collateral are charged to the allowance for credit losses. In December 2015, we executed our first bulk sale of existing charged-off accounts to a third party. Since that time, we have committed to sell the flow of loans charged-off on a regular basis. In 2017, we executed an additional bulk sale of accounts that had entered into bankruptcy proceedings to a third party and, in connection with this transaction, we committed to sell the flow of similar accounts in the future. We anticipate that we will continue to sell our flow of charged-off loans in the future.

Information Technology

In 2016, we entered into an agreement with Nortridge Software, LLC (“Nortridge”) to transition to the Nortridge loan origination and servicing platform. As of February 2018, we operate substantially all of our business using the Nortridge platform in our nine states of operation. We have invested in customizing the Nortridge platform to meet our needs based upon our specific products, processes, and reporting requirements. We intend to continue to enhance the Nortridge platform to further leverage its capabilities and to meet our evolving needs. In addition, we rely on Teledata Communications Inc. and other third-party software vendors to provide access to credit applications.

Competition

The consumer finance industry is highly fragmented, with numerous competitors. The competition we face for each of our loan products is distinct.

Small and Large Loans. We compete with several national companies operating greater than 800 branch locations each, as well as a handful of smaller, regionally-focused companies with between 100 and 300 branches in certain of the states in which we operate. We believe that the majority of our competitors are independent operators with generally less than 100 branches. We believe that competition between installment consumer loan companies occurs primarily on the basis of price, breadth of loan product offerings, flexibility of loan terms offered, and the quality of customer service provided. While underbanked customers may also use alternative financial services providers, such as title lenders, payday lenders, and pawn shops, their products offer different terms and typically carry substantially higher interest rates and fees than our installment loans. Accordingly, we believe alternative financial services providers are not an attractive option for customers who meet our underwriting standards, which are generally stricter than the underwriting standards of alternative financial services providers. Our small and large loans also compete with pure online lenders, peer-to-peer lenders, and issuers of non-prime credit cards.

Retail Loans. In recent years, the retail loan industry has seen an increasing number of lenders enter the market that are dedicated to originating non-prime retail loans. We also face competition from rent-to-own

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financing providers and credit card companies. Our retail loans are typically made at competitive rates, and competition is largely on the basis of interest rates charged, the quality of credit accepted, the flexibility of loan terms offered, the speed of approval, and the quality of customer service provided. Point-of-sale financing decisions must be made rapidly while the customer is on the sales floor. We endeavor to provide responses to customers in less than ten minutes, and we staff RMC Retail, our centralized retail loan underwriting team, with multiple shifts seven days per week during peak retail shopping hours to ensure rapid response times.

Seasonality

Our loan volume and contractual delinquency follow seasonal trends. Demand for our small and large loans is typically highest during the second, third, and fourth quarters, which we believe is largely due to customers borrowing money for vacation, back-to-school, and holiday spending. With the exception of retail loans, loan demand has generally been the lowest during the first quarter, which we believe is largely due to the timing of income tax refunds. Delinquencies generally reach their lowest point in the first quarter of the year and rise throughout the remainder of the fiscal year. Consequently, we experience seasonal fluctuations in our operating results and cash needs.

Employees

As of December 31, 2017, we had 1,448 employees, none of whom were represented by labor unions. We consider our relations with our personnel to be good. We experience a high level of turnover among our branch employees, which we believe is typical of the consumer finance industry.

Staff and Training. Local branches are generally staffed with two to six employees. The branch manager oversees operations of the branch and is responsible for approving loan applications within our defined guidelines. Each branch has one or two assistant managers who contact delinquent customers, review loan applications, and prepare operational reports. Generally, each branch also has a customer service representative who takes loan applications, processes loan applications, processes payments, and assists in the preparation of operational reports, collection efforts, and marketing activities. Larger volume branches may employ additional assistant managers and customer service representatives. New employees must complete a comprehensive training curriculum that focuses on the company- and position-specific competencies needed to be successful. The training includes a blended approach utilizing eLearning modules, hands-on exercises, webinars, and assessments. Training content is focused on our operating policies and procedures, as well as several key compliance areas. Incentive compensation for new employees is contingent upon the successful and timely completion of the required new hire training curriculum. All current employees also are required to complete annual compliance training and re-certification. Additional management and developmental training is provided for those employees looking to advance within our company.

Monitoring and Supervision. We have oversight structures and procedures in place to ensure compliance with our operational standards and policies and the applicable regulatory requirements in each state. All of our loans, other than retail loans, are prepared using our loan management software, which is programmed to compute fees, interest rates, and other loan terms in compliance with our underwriting standards and applicable regulations. We work with our regulatory counsel to develop standardized forms and agreements for each state, ensuring consistency and compliance.

Our loan operations are organized by geography. We have six state vice presidents to oversee branch operations in our nine-state footprint. Several levels of management monitor and supervise the operations of each of our branches. Each branch manager is directly responsible for the performance of his or her branch. Our district supervisors are generally responsible for the performance of between six and ten branches in their districts. Each state vice president is responsible for the performance of all of the branches in his or her state or region. Our information technology platform enables each layer of management to monitor our portfolio in real time, which we believe improves our credit performance.

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The majority of our branches undergo an internal audit every year, and every branch undergoes an internal audit at least every two years. These audits, conducted by dedicated internal audit staff, include a review of compliance with state and federal laws and regulations, as well as a review of operations. The review of operations includes a review of adherence to policies and procedures concerning cash management, loan approval processes, and all other policies and procedures concerning branch operations, such as servicing procedures. Branches are rated at four different levels, and the timing and frequency of audits is impacted by the rating received. Other factors impacting the timing of branch audits include, but are not limited to, the date the branch opened, the timing of new managers commencing employment at the branch, and the results of branch examinations conducted by state regulators. Our branch employees’ compensation is directly impacted by the internal audit rating assigned to the branch.

We systematically monitor a range of operating metrics at each branch on a monthly basis. Our system currently tracks different dimensions of operations, including the performance of each branch on a series of credit metrics. Management receives daily statistical reports to monitor key metrics at the branch, district, state, and enterprise levels. At least two times each year, district supervisors audit the operations of each branch in their district and submit standardized reports detailing their findings to senior management. State vice presidents meet with the executive management team to review branch scorecard results and to discuss other operational and financial performance results against our targets.

Government Regulation

Consumer finance companies are subject to extensive regulation, supervision, and licensing under various federal, state, and local statutes, regulations, and ordinances. Many of these laws impose detailed constraints on the terms of our loans and the retail installment sales contracts that we purchase, the lending forms that we utilize, and our operations. The software that we use to originate loans is designed in part to aid in compliance with all applicable lending regulations.

State Lending Regulation. In general, state statutes establish maximum loan amounts and interest rates, as well as the types and maximum amounts of fees and insurance premiums that we may charge for both direct and indirect lending. Specific allowable charges vary by state. For example, statutes in Texas allow for indexing the maximum small loan amounts to the Consumer Price Index. In most of our states of operation, our direct loan products are pre-computed loans in which the finance charge is determined at the time of the loan origination and is a combination of origination or acquisition fees, account maintenance fees, monthly account handling fees, pre-computed interest, and/or other charges permitted by the relevant state laws. Direct loans in Georgia (with respect to a limited subset of loans), North Carolina, New Mexico, and Virginia are structured as simple interest loans, as prescribed by state law.

In addition, state laws regulate the keeping of books and records and other aspects of the operation of consumer finance companies, and state and federal laws regulate account collection practices. Generally, state regulations also establish minimum capital requirements for each local branch. State agency approval is required to open new branches, and each of our branches is separately licensed under the laws of the state in which the branch is located. Licenses granted by the regulatory agencies in these states are subject to renewal every year and may be revoked for failure to comply with applicable state and federal laws and regulations. In the states in which we currently operate, licenses may be revoked only after an administrative hearing. We believe we are in compliance with state laws and regulations applicable to our lending operations in each state.

We and our operations are regulated by several state agencies, including the Consumer Finance Division of the South Carolina State Board of Financial Institutions, the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs, the North Carolina Office of the Commissioner of Banks, the Texas Office of the Consumer Credit Commissioner, the Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions, the Alabama State Banking Department, the Oklahoma Department of Consumer Credit, the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department, Financial Institutions Division, the Georgia Industrial Loan Division of the Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner, and the

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Virginia Bureau of Financial Institutions of the State Corporation Commission. These state regulatory agencies regularly audit our branches and operations.

Insurance Regulation. Premiums and charges for optional payment and collateral protection insurance products are set at or below authorized statutory rates and are stated separately in our disclosures to customers, as required by the federal Truth in Lending Act and by various applicable state laws.

We are also subject to state regulations governing insurance agents in the states in which we sell insurance. State insurance regulations require that insurance agents be licensed and limit the premium amount charged for such insurance. Our captive insurance subsidiary is regulated by the insurance authorities of the Turks and Caicos Islands of the British West Indies, where the subsidiary is organized and domiciled.

Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (the “Dodd-Frank Act”). At the federal level, Congress enacted comprehensive financial regulatory reform legislation in 2010. A significant focus of the law, known as the Dodd-Frank Act, is heightened consumer protection. The Dodd-Frank Act established the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (the “CFPB”), which has regulatory, supervisory, and enforcement powers over providers of consumer financial products and services, including explicit supervisory authority to examine and require registration of non-depository lenders and to promulgate rules that can affect the practices and activities of lenders.

The Dodd-Frank Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder may affect our operations through increased oversight of financial services products by the CFPB and the imposition of restrictions on the terms of certain loans. The CFPB has significant authority to implement and enforce federal consumer finance laws, including the protections established in the Dodd-Frank Act, as well as the authority to identify and prohibit unfair, deceptive, and abusive acts and practices.

The Dodd-Frank Act also gives the CFPB the authority to examine and regulate large non-depository financial companies and gives the CFPB authority over anyone deemed by rule to be a “larger participant of a market for other consumer financial products or services.” The CFPB contemplates regulating the installment lending industry as part of the “consumer credit and related activities” market. However, this so-called “larger participant rule” will not impose substantive consumer protection requirements, but rather will provide to the CFPB the authority to supervise larger participants in certain markets, including by requiring reports and conducting examinations to ensure, among other things, that they are complying with existing federal consumer financial law. While the CFPB has defined a “larger participant” standard for certain markets, such as the debt collection, automobile finance, and consumer reporting markets, it has not yet acted to define “larger participant” in the traditional installment lending market. The rule will likely cover only the largest installment lenders, and we do not yet know whether the definition of larger participant will cover us.

In addition to the grant of certain regulatory powers to the CFPB, the Dodd-Frank Act gives the CFPB authority to pursue administrative proceedings or litigation for violations of federal consumer financial laws. In these proceedings, the CFPB can obtain cease and desist orders (which can include orders for restitution or rescission of contracts, as well as other kinds of affirmative relief) and monetary penalties. Also, where a company has violated Title X of the Dodd-Frank Act or CFPB regulations thereunder, the Dodd-Frank Act empowers state attorneys general and state regulators to bring civil actions to remedy violations of state law.

If the CFPB or one or more state attorneys general or state regulators believe that we have violated any of the applicable laws or regulations, they could exercise their enforcement powers in ways that could have a material adverse effect on us or our business. In the past, the CFPB has actively utilized this enforcement authority against financial institutions and financial services providers by imposing significant monetary penalties, and ordering (i) restitution, (ii) mandatory changes to compliance policies and procedures, (iii) enhanced oversight and control over affiliate and third-party vendor agreements and services, and (iv) mandatory review of business practices, policies, and procedures by third-party auditors and consultants. If

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the CFPB or one or more state attorneys general or state regulators were to conclude that our loan origination or servicing activities violate applicable laws or regulations, we could be subject to a formal or informal inquiry, investigation, and/or enforcement action. Formal enforcement actions are generally made public, which carries reputational risk.

Although many of the regulations implementing portions of the Dodd-Frank Act have been promulgated, we are still unable to fully predict how this significant legislation may be interpreted and enforced or the full extent to which implementing regulations and supervisory policies may affect us. The current CFPB Acting Director has indicated that the CFPB will closely review its rulemaking and enforcement practices. Finally, President Donald Trump and the Congressional majority have indicated that the Dodd-Frank Act will be under further scrutiny and some of the provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act and rules promulgated thereunder, including those provisions establishing the CFPB and the rules and regulations proposed and enacted by the CFPB, may be revised, repealed, or amended.

Other Federal Laws and Regulations. In addition to the Dodd-Frank Act and state and local laws, regulations, and ordinances, numerous other federal laws and regulations affect our lending operations. These laws include the Truth in Lending Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, the Military Lending Act, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, and in each case the regulations thereunder, and the Federal Trade Commission’s Credit Practices Rule. These laws require us to provide complete disclosure of the principal terms of each loan to the borrower prior to the consummation of the loan transaction, prohibit misleading advertising, protect against discriminatory lending practices, govern the manner in which we report customer information to consumer reporting agencies, govern the terms of loans to servicemembers, and proscribe unfair credit practices.

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Violations of these statutes and regulations may result in actions for damages, claims for refund of payments made, certain fines and penalties, injunctions against certain practices, and the potential forfeiture of rights to repayment of loans. For a discussion regarding how risks and uncertainties associated with the current regulatory environment may impact our future expenses, net income, and overall financial condition, see Item 1A, “Risk Factors”.

Additional Information

The Company’s principal internet address is www.regionalmanagement.com. The information contained on, or that can be accessed through, the Company’s website is not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The Company has included its website address as a factual reference and does not intend it as an active link to its website. The Company provides its Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K, and all amendments to those reports, free of charge on www.regionalmanagement.com, as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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We operate in a rapidly changing environment that involves a number of risks, some of which are beyond our control. The following discussion highlights some of the risks that may affect our future operating results. These are the risks and uncertainties that we believe are most important for you to consider, but the risks described below are not the only risks facing our company. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us, which we currently deem immaterial, or which are similar to those faced by other companies in our industry or in business in general, may also impair our business operations. If any of the following risks or uncertainties occurs, continues, or worsens, our business, financial condition, and operating results would likely suffer. You should carefully consider the risks described below together with the other information set forth in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Risks Related to Our Business

We have grown significantly in recent years, and our delinquency, credit loss rates, and overall results of operations may be adversely affected if we do not manage our growth effectively.

We have experienced substantial growth in recent years, opening 31 branches in 2015, a net 8 branches in 2016, and a net 3 branches in 2017, and increasing the size of our finance receivables portfolio from $546.2 million at the beginning of 2015 to $817.5 million at the end of 2017, a compound annual growth rate of 14.4%. We intend to continue our growth strategy in the future. As we increase the number of branches we operate, we will be required to find new, or relocate existing, employees to operate our branches and allocate resources to train and supervise those employees. The success of a branch depends significantly on the manager overseeing its operations and on our ability to enforce our underwriting standards and implement controls over branch operations. Recruiting suitable managers for new branches can be challenging, particularly in remote areas and in areas where we face significant competition. Furthermore, the annual turnover rate among our branch managers was approximately 24% in 2016 and 21% in 2017, and turnover rates of managers in our new branches may be similar or higher. Increasing the number of branches that we operate may divide the attention of our senior management or strain our ability to adapt our infrastructure and systems to accommodate our growth. If we are unable to promote, relocate, or recruit suitable managers, oversee their activities effectively, and otherwise appropriately and effectively staff our branches, our delinquency and credit loss rates may increase and our overall results of operations may be adversely impacted.

We face significant risks in implementing our growth strategy, some of which are outside of our control.

We intend to continue our growth strategy, which is based on opening and acquiring branches in existing and new markets, introducing new products and channels, and increasing the finance receivables portfolios of our existing branches. Our ability to execute this growth strategy is subject to significant risks, some of which are beyond our control, including:

For example, certain states into which we may expand limit the number of lending licenses granted. For instance, Georgia requires a “convenience and advantage” assessment of a new lending license and location prior

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to the granting of the license. This assessment adds time and expense to opening new locations and creates risk that our state regulator will deny an application for a new lending license due to a perceived oversaturation of existing licensed lenders in the area in which we seek to expand and operate. There can be no assurance that if we apply for a license for a new branch, whether in one of the states where we currently operate or in a state into which we would like to expand, we will be granted a license to operate. We also cannot be certain that any such license, even if granted, would be obtained in a timely manner or without burdensome conditions or limitations. In addition, we may not be able to obtain and maintain the regulatory approvals, government permits, or licenses that may be required to operate.

We are exposed to credit risk in our lending activities.

Our ability to collect on loans depends on the willingness and repayment ability of our borrowers. 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 general economic, political, or social conditions, the cost of consumer goods, interest rates, natural disasters, acts of war or terrorism, or other causes over which we have no control, or to changes or events affecting our borrowers such as unemployment, major medical expenses, divorce, or death, would have a material adverse impact on our earnings and financial condition. Further, a substantial majority of our borrowers are non-prime borrowers, who are more likely to be affected, and more severely affected, by adverse macroeconomic conditions. We cannot be certain that our credit administration personnel, policies, and procedures will adequately adapt to changes in economic or any other conditions affecting customers and the quality of the loan portfolio.

Our convenience check strategy exposes us to certain risks.

A significant portion of the growth in our installment loans has been achieved through direct mail campaigns. One aspect of our direct mail campaigns involves mailing “convenience checks” to pre-screened recipients, which customers can sign and cash or deposit, thereby agreeing to the terms of the loan, which are disclosed on the front and back of the check and in the accompanying disclosures. We use convenience checks to seed new branch openings and to attract new customers to existing branches in our geographic footprint. In 2016 and 2017, loans initiated through convenience checks represented 16.3% and 16.6%, respectively, of the value of our originated loans. We expect that convenience checks will continue to represent a meaningful portion of our installment loan originations in the future. There are several risks associated with the use of convenience checks, including the following:

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For example, in 2014, we experienced a convenience check credit quality deterioration in our direct mail campaigns. We responded to these issues by hiring a Chief Risk Officer and other personnel focused on credit risk management, establishing a Credit Committee to oversee direct mail campaign underwriting and origination processes, implementing additional policies and internal control procedures related to the audit of direct mail campaign files, and improving upon early-stage delinquency reporting and communication. Despite these efforts, we may experience future issues relating to our credit inquiries and other processes associated with our direct mail strategy. Our expected increase in the use of convenience checks will further increase our exposure to, and the magnitude of, these risks.

Our policies and procedures for underwriting, processing, and servicing loans are subject to potential failure or circumvention, which may adversely affect our results of operations.

A substantial portion of our underwriting activities and our credit extension decisions are made at our local branches. We train our employees individually onsite in the branch and through online training modules to make loans that conform to our underwriting standards. Such training includes critical aspects of state and federal regulatory compliance, cash handling, account management, and customer relations. Although we have standardized employee manuals and online training modules, we primarily rely on our district supervisors, with oversight by our state vice presidents, branch auditors, and headquarters personnel, to train and supervise our branch employees, rather than centralized training programs. Therefore, the quality of training and supervision may vary from district to district and branch to branch depending upon the amount of time apportioned to training and supervision and individual interpretations of our operations policies and procedures. In addition, we rely on certain third-party service providers in connection with loan underwriting and origination. Any error or failure by a third-party service provider in providing loan underwriting and origination services may cause us to originate loans to borrowers that do not meet our underwriting standards. We cannot be certain that every loan is made in accordance with our underwriting standards and rules. We have experienced instances of loans extended that varied from our underwriting standards. Variances in underwriting standards and lack of supervision could expose us to greater delinquencies and credit losses than we have historically experienced.

In addition, underwriting decisions are based on information provided by customers, counterparties, and other third parties, including credit bureaus and data aggregators, the inaccuracy or incompleteness of which may adversely affect our results of operations. In deciding whether to extend credit or enter into other transactions with customers and counterparties, we rely on such information furnished to us by or on behalf of customers, counterparties, and other third parties, including financial information. We also rely on representations of customers and counterparties as to the accuracy and completeness of that information. Our earnings and our financial condition could be negatively impacted to the extent the information furnished to us by and on behalf of customers, counterparties, and other third parties is not correct or complete.

We may be limited in our ability to collect on our loan portfolio, and the security interests securing a significant portion of our loan portfolio are not perfected, which may increase our credit losses.

Legal and practical limitations may limit our ability to collect on our loan portfolio, resulting in increased credit losses, decreased revenues, and decreased earnings. State and federal laws and regulations restrict our collection efforts. Most of our loan portfolio is secured, but a significant portion of such security interests have not been and will not be perfected, which means that we cannot be certain that such security interests will be given first priority over other creditors. The amounts that we are able to recover from the repossession and sale of collateral typically do not cover the outstanding loan balance and costs of recovery. In cases where we repossess a vehicle securing a loan, we generally sell our repossessed automobile inventory through sales conducted by independent automobile auction organizations after the required post-repossession waiting period. In certain

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instances, we may sell repossessed collateral other than vehicles through our branches after the required post-repossession waiting period and appropriate receipt of valid bids. The proceeds we receive from such sales depend upon various factors, including the supply of, and demand for, used vehicles and other property at the time of sale. During periods of economic slowdown or recession, there may be less demand for used vehicles and other property that we desire to resell.

Further, a significant portion of our loan portfolio is not secured by perfected security interests, including small installment loans. The lack of perfected security interests is one of several factors that may make it more difficult for us to collect on our loan portfolio. Additionally, for those of our loans which are unsecured, borrowers may choose to repay obligations under other indebtedness before repaying loans to us because such borrowers may feel that they have no collateral at risk. In addition, given the relatively small size of our loans, the costs of collecting loans may be high relative to the amount of the loan. As a result, many collection practices that are legally available, such as litigation, may be financially impracticable. Lastly, there is an inherent risk that a portion of the retail installment contracts that we hold will be subject to certain claims or defenses that the borrower may assert against the originator of the contract and, by extension, us as the holder of the contract. These factors may increase our credit losses, which would have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

Our insurance operations are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including claims.

We market and sell optional credit life, credit accident and health, credit personal property, credit involuntary unemployment, and vehicle single interest insurance in connection with our loans in selected markets as an agent for an unaffiliated third-party insurance company. The policies are then ceded to our wholly-owned reinsurance subsidiary, RMC Reinsurance, Ltd., which then bears the full risk of the policies. Insurance claims and policyholder liabilities are difficult to predict and may exceed the related reserves set aside for claims and associated expenses for claims adjudication.

Other risks relating to our insurance operations include changes to laws and regulations applicable to us, as well as changes to the regulatory environment. Examples include changes to laws or regulations affecting our ability to offer one or more of our insurance products or the way in which such products are offered; 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 purchased at the borrower’s expense on the borrower’s automobile collateral for the periods of time the borrower fails to adequately, as required by his or her loan, insure that collateral). Moreover, our insurance operation is dependent on our lending operation for its sole source of business and product distribution. If our lending operations discontinue offering insurance products, our insurance operations would have no method of distribution, and our business, results of operations, and financial condition may be adversely affected.

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 conditions, regulatory restrictions that decrease customer access to particular products, or the availability of competing products. 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. 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 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.

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We face strong direct and indirect competition.

The consumer finance industry is highly competitive, and the barriers to entry for new competitors are relatively low in the markets in which we operate. We compete for customers, locations, employees, and other important aspects of our business with many other local, regional, national, and international financial institutions, many of which have greater financial resources than we do.

Our installment loan operations compete with other installment lenders, as well as with alternative financial services providers (such as payday and title lenders, check advance companies, and pawnshops), online or peer-to-peer lenders, issuers of non-prime credit cards, and other competitors. We believe that future regulatory developments in the consumer finance industry may cause lenders that currently focus on alternative financial services to begin to offer installment loans. In addition, if companies in the installment loan business attempt to provide more attractive loan terms than is standard across the industry, we may lose customers to those competitors. With respect to installment loans, we compete primarily on the basis of price, breadth of loan product offerings, flexibility of loan terms offered, and the quality of customer service provided.

Our retail purchase loan operations compete with non-prime retail lenders, store and third-party credit cards, prime lending sources, rent-to-own finance providers, and other competitors. We compete primarily on the basis of interest rates charged, the quality of credit accepted, the flexibility of loan terms offered, the speed of approval, and the quality of customer service provided.

If we fail to compete successfully, we could face lower sales and may decide or be compelled to materially alter our lending terms to our customers, which could result in decreased profitability.

We may attempt to pursue acquisitions or strategic alliances that may be unsuccessful.

We may attempt to achieve our business objectives through acquisitions and strategic alliances. We compete with other companies for these opportunities, including companies with greater financial resources, and we cannot be certain that we will be able to effect acquisitions or strategic alliances on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. Furthermore, most acquisition targets that we have pursued previously have been significantly smaller than us. We do not have extensive experience with integrating larger acquisitions. In pursuing these transactions, we may experience, among other things:

A substantial majority of our revenue is generated by our branches in South Carolina, Texas, and North Carolina.

Our branches in South Carolina, Texas, and North Carolina accounted for 24%, 30%, and 14%, respectively, of our revenue in 2017. Furthermore, all of our operations are in five Southeastern, one mid-Atlantic, and three Southwestern states. As a result, we are highly susceptible to adverse economic

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conditions in those areas. The unemployment and bankruptcy rates in some states in our footprint are among the highest in the country. High unemployment rates may reduce the number of qualified borrowers to whom we will extend loans, which would result in reduced loan originations. Adverse economic conditions and elevated bankruptcy filings may increase delinquencies and credit losses and decrease our overall loan portfolio quality. The occurrence of any of the adverse regulatory or legislative events described in this “Risk Factors” section in South Carolina, Texas, or North Carolina could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition. For example, if interest rates in South Carolina, which currently are not capped, were to be capped, our business, results of operations, and financial condition would be materially and adversely affected.

Failure of third-party service providers upon which we rely could adversely affect our business.

We rely on certain third-party service providers. In particular, we currently rely on one key vendor to print and mail our convenience check and other offers for our direct mail marketing campaigns, and on certain other third-party service providers in connection with loan underwriting, origination, and servicing. Our reliance on these and other third parties can expose us to risks. For example, an error by our current convenience check vendor during 2015 resulted in check offers being misdirected, requiring us in some cases to notify state regulators and to refund certain interest and fee amounts, and exposing us to increased credit risk. If any of our third-party service providers, including our direct mail vendor and those third parties providing services in connection with loan underwriting, origination, and servicing, are unable to provide their services timely, accurately, and effectively, or at all, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations and cash flows.

We rely on information technology products developed, owned, and supported by third parties. Our ability to manage our business and monitor results is highly dependent upon these information technology products. A failure of these products and systems or of the implementation of new information technology products and systems could disrupt our business.

In the operation of our business, we are highly dependent upon a variety of information technology products, including our loan management system, which allows us to record, document, and manage our loan portfolio. In April 2016, we entered into an agreement with Nortridge Software, LLC (“Nortridge”) pursuant to which Nortridge provides us with loan management software and related services. We have recently completed our transition to the Nortridge loan management software in all nine of the states in which we operate.

Since we began transitioning to the Nortridge platform, we have tailored it to meet our specific needs. To a certain extent, we depend on the willingness and ability of Nortridge to continue to provide customized solutions and to support our evolving products and business model. In the future, Nortridge may not be willing or able to provide the services necessary to meet our loan management system needs. If this occurs, we may be forced to migrate to an alternative software package, which could materially affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Further, the Nortridge platform may in the future fail to perform in a manner consistent with our current expectations and may be inadequate for our needs. As we are dependent upon our ability to gather and promptly transmit accurate information to key decision makers, our business, results of operations, and financial condition may be adversely affected if our loan management system does not allow us to transmit accurate information, even for a short period of time. Failure to properly or adequately address these issues could impact our ability to perform necessary business operations, which could adversely affect our competitive position, business, results of operations, and financial condition.

We also rely on Teledata Communications Inc. and other third-party software vendors to provide access to loan applications and/or screen applications. There can be no assurance that these third party providers will continue to provide us information in accordance with our lending guidelines or that they will continue to

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provide us lending leads at all. If this occurs, our credit losses, business, results of operations, and financial condition may be adversely affected.

We may not be able to make technological improvements as quickly as some of our competitors, which could harm our competitive ability and adversely affect our business, prospects, results of operations, and financial condition.

The financial services industry is undergoing rapid technological changes, with frequent introductions of new technology-driven products and services. We rely on our integrated branch network as the foundation of our multiple channel platform and the primary point of contact with our active accounts. However, to serve customers who want to reach us over the internet, we developed a new channel in late 2008 by making an online loan application available on our consumer website, and in 2017, we rolled out an online customer portal, which provides customers in some of our states with online access to their account information and an electronic payment option. Our future success will depend, in part, on our ability to address the needs of our customers by using technology to provide products and services that will satisfy customer demand for convenience, as well as to create additional efficiencies in our operations. If we fail to effectively implement new technology-driven products and services as quickly as some of our competitors or if we fail to be successful in marketing these products to our customers, our business, prospects, results of operations, and financial condition may be harmed.

Security breaches, cyber-attacks, failures in our information systems, or fraudulent activity could result in damage to our operations or lead to reputational damage.

We also 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, interruption, or breach in security of these systems, including any failure of our back-up systems, hardware failures, or an inability to access data maintained offsite, could result in failures or disruptions in our customer relationship management, general ledger, loan, and other systems and could result in a loss of data (including loan portfolio data), a loss of customer business, subject us to additional regulatory scrutiny, or expose us to civil litigation, possible financial liability, and other adverse consequences, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. 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 would not reimburse us for all of the damages that we might incur as a result of a breach.

A security breach or cyber-attack on our computer systems could interrupt or damage our operations or harm our reputation. Despite the implementation of security measures, our systems may still be vulnerable to data theft, computer viruses, programming errors, attacks by third parties, or similar disruptive problems. If we were to experience a security breach or cyber-attack, we could be required to incur substantial costs and liabilities, including, among other things, the following:

In addition, any compromise of security or cyber-attack could deter consumers from entering into transactions that require them to provide confidential information to us. Further, if confidential customer

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information or information belonging to our business partners is misappropriated from our computer systems, we could be sued by those who assert that we did not take adequate precautions to safeguard our systems and confidential data belonging to our customers or business partners, which could subject us to liability and result in significant legal fees and expenses in defending these claims. As a result, any compromise of security of our computer systems or cyber-attack could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, results of operations, and financial condition.

Our centralized headquarters’ functions and branch operations are susceptible to disruption by catastrophic events, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Our headquarters are in an office building located in Greer, South Carolina, a town located outside of Greenville, South Carolina. Our information systems and administrative and management processes are primarily provided to our branches from this centralized location, and our separate data management facility is located in Greenville, South Carolina. These processes could be disrupted if a catastrophic event, such as a tornado, power outage, or act of terror, affected Greenville, Greer, or the nearby areas. Any such catastrophic event(s) or other unexpected disruption of our headquarters or data management facility could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Our business could suffer if we are unsuccessful in making, continuing, and growing relationships with retailers, or if the retailers with whom we have relationships experience a decline or disruption in their sales volumes.

Our retail purchase loans are reliant on our relationships with retailers. Our retail purchase loan business model is based on our ability to enter into agreements with individual retailers to provide financing to customers in their stores. If a competitor were to offer better service or more attractive loan products to our retail partners, it is possible that our retail partners would terminate their relationships with us. If we are unable to continue to grow our existing relationships and develop new relationships, our results of operations, financial condition, and ability to continue to expand could be adversely affected.

Even with good relationships with retailers, our ability to originate retail purchase loans is dependent, in large part, on the underlying consumer demand for retail goods. Retail sales are subject to fluctuation as a result of general economic trends and other factors. If sales volumes at the retailers with whom we have relationships decrease in the future as a result of general economic trends or due to any other factors, we may experience a corresponding decrease in the volume of such loans that we originate. In such circumstances, we may experience an adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Interest rates on retail purchase loans are determined at competitive market interest rates, and we may fail to adequately set interest rates, which may adversely affect our business.

Unlike installment loans, particularly small installment loans, which in certain states are typically made at or near the maximum interest rates permitted by law, retail purchase loans are often made at competitive market interest rates, which are governed by laws for installment sales contracts. If we fail to set interest rates at a level that adequately reflects market rates or the credit risks of our customers, or if we set interest rates at a level too low to sustain our profitability, our business, results of operations, and financial condition could be adversely affected.

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.

Our workforce is comprised primarily of employees who work on an hourly basis. In certain areas where we operate, there is significant competition for employees. In the past, we have lost employees and candidates to

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competitors who have been willing to pay higher compensation. Our ability to continue to expand our operations depends on our ability to attract, train, and retain a large and growing number of qualified employees. The turnover among all of our branch employees was approximately 44% in 2015, 42% in 2016, and 40% in 2017. This turnover increases our cost of operations and makes it more difficult to operate our branches. Our customer service representative and assistant manager roles have historically experienced high turnover. We may not be able to retain and cultivate personnel at these ranks for future promotion to branch manager. If our employee turnover rates increase above historical levels or if unanticipated problems arise from our high employee turnover and we are unable to readily replace such employees, our business, results of operations, financial condition, and ability to continue to expand could be adversely affected.

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, 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.

Our continued growth is also dependent, in part, on the skills, experience, and efforts of our executive officers and senior management. We may not be successful in retaining the members of our executive or senior management team or our other key employees. The loss of the services of any of our executive officers, senior management, or key team members, including state vice presidents, or the inability to attract additional qualified personnel as needed, could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. We also depend on our district supervisors to supervise, train, and motivate our branch employees. These supervisors have significant experience with our company and within our industry, and would be difficult to replace. If we lose a district supervisor to a competitor, we could also be at risk of losing other employees and customers. In addition, the process of identifying management successors creates uncertainty and could become a distraction to our senior management and our Board of Directors, and we may not be successful in attracting qualified candidates to replace key positions when necessary. The identification and recruitment of candidates to fill senior management positions, when necessary, and the resulting transition process may be disruptive to our business and operations.

Employee misconduct or misconduct by third-parties acting on our behalf could harm us by subjecting us to significant legal liability, regulatory scrutiny, and reputational harm.

Our reputation is critical to maintaining and developing relationships with our existing and potential customers and third parties with whom we do business. 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 third-party contractor were to engage – or be accused of engaging – in illegal or suspicious activities, 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 and deter violations of such rules. It

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is not always possible to deter employee or third-party misconduct, and the precautions 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, could result in a material adverse effect on our reputation and our business.

Security breaches in our branches or acts of theft, fraud, or violence could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

A substantial amount of our account payments occur at our branches, either in person or by mail, and frequently consist of cash payments, which we deposit at local banks throughout the day. This business practice exposes us daily to the potential for employee theft of funds or, alternatively, to theft and burglary due to the cash we maintain in our branches. Despite controls and procedures to prevent such losses, we have sustained losses due to employee fraud (including collusion) and theft. We are also susceptible to break-ins at our branches, where money and/or customer records could be taken. A breach in the security of our branches or in the safety of our employees could result in employee injury, loss of funds or records, and adverse publicity, and could result in a loss of customer business or expose us to civil litigation and possible financial liability, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

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.

We may be unsuccessful in maintaining effective internal controls over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures.

Controls and procedures are particularly important for consumer finance companies. Effective internal controls over financial reporting are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and, together with adequate disclosure controls and procedures, are designed to prevent fraud or material error. Any system of controls, however well-designed and operated, is based in part on certain assumptions and can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the system are met. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”) requires management of public companies to develop and implement internal controls over financial reporting and evaluate the effectiveness thereof. Under standards established by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, a material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. A significant deficiency is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting that is less severe than a material weakness, yet important enough to merit attention by those responsible for oversight of our financial reporting. Any failure to implement current internal controls or required new or improved controls, or difficulties encountered in their implementation, could cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations.

If material weaknesses or significant deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting are discovered or occur in the future or if our controls and procedures fail or are circumvented, our consolidated financial statements may contain material misstatements, we could be required to restate our financial results, we may be unable to produce accurate and timely financial statements, and we may be unable to maintain compliance with applicable stock exchange listing requirements, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, and stock price. The discovery of a material weakness and the disclosure of that fact, even if quickly remediated, could reduce the market value of shares of our common stock. Additionally, the existence of any material weakness or significant deficiency requires

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management to devote significant time and incur significant expense to remediate any such material weaknesses or significant deficiency, and management may not be able to remediate any such material weaknesses or significant deficiency in a timely manner. Undetected material weaknesses in our internal controls could lead to financial statement restatements, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operation.

If our estimates of reserves for credit losses are not adequate to absorb actual losses, our provision for credit losses would increase, which would adversely affect our results of operations.

We maintain an allowance for credit losses for all loans we make. To estimate the appropriate level of credit loss reserves, we consider known and relevant internal and external factors that affect loan collectability, including the total amount of loans outstanding; delinquency levels, roll rates, and trends; historical credit losses; our current collection patterns; and economic trends. Our methodology for establishing our reserves for credit losses is based in large part on our delinquency roll rates and our historic loss experience. If customer behavior changes as a result of economic, political, social, or other conditions and if we are unable to predict how the unemployment rate and general economic uncertainty may affect our credit loss reserves, our provision may be inadequate. During fiscal 2017, our provision for credit losses was $77.3 million, and we had net credit losses of $69.7 million related to losses on our loans. As of December 31, 2017, our finance receivables were $817.5 million. Maintaining the adequacy of our allowance for credit losses may require that we make significant and unanticipated increases in our provisions for credit losses, which would materially affect our results of operations. Our credit loss reserves, however, are estimates, and if actual credit losses are materially greater than our credit loss reserves, our financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected. Neither state regulators nor federal regulators regulate our allowance for credit losses.

In June 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standard Update ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments. This ASU significantly changes the way that entities will be required to measure credit losses. The new standard requires that the estimated credit loss be based upon an “expected credit loss” approach rather than the “incurred loss” approach currently required. The new approach will require entities to measure all expected credit losses for financial assets based on historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable forecasts of collectability. It is anticipated that the expected credit loss model may require earlier recognition of credit losses than the incurred loss approach. This ASU will become effective for us for fiscal years beginning January 1, 2020. Early adoption is permitted for fiscal years beginning January 1, 2019. We believe the adoption of this ASU will have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial statements. See Note 2, “Significant Accounting Policies,” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” for more information on this new accounting standard.

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 U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”), including in determining allowances for credit losses, fair value of financial instruments, asset impairment, reserves related to litigation and other legal matters, 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 Financial Accounting Standards Board (“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

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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. For additional information on the key areas for which assumptions and estimates are used in preparing our financial statements, see Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Critical Accounting Policies” and Note 2 (Significant Accounting Policies) of our audited consolidated financial statements.

We depend to a substantial extent on borrowings under our senior revolving credit facility to fund our liquidity needs.

We have a senior revolving credit facility committed through June 2020 that allows us to borrow up to $638.0 million, assuming we are in compliance with a number of covenants and conditions. The credit facility also has an accordion provision that allows for the expansion of the facility up to $700.0 million. The senior revolving credit facility is collateralized by certain of our assets, including substantially all of our finance receivables (other than those held by certain special purpose entities, as described below) and equity interests of the majority of our subsidiaries. As of December 31, 2017, the amount outstanding under our senior revolving credit facility was $452.1 million and we had $46.8 million of unused capacity on the credit facility (subject to certain covenants and conditions). During fiscal 2017, the maximum amount of borrowings outstanding under the facility at any one time was $474.2 million. We use our senior revolving credit facility as a source of liquidity, including for working capital and to fund the loans we make to our customers. 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 on favorable terms or at all. In addition, we cannot be certain that we will be able to replace the amended and restated senior revolving credit facility when it matures on favorable terms or at all. If any of these events occur, our business, results of operations, and financial condition could be adversely affected.

The credit agreements governing our long-term debt contain restrictions and limitations that could affect our ability to operate our business.

The credit agreements governing our senior revolving credit facility, revolving warehouse credit facility, and amortizing loan contain a number of covenants that could adversely affect our business and our flexibility to respond to changing business and economic conditions or opportunities. Among other things, these covenants limit our ability to:

The credit agreements also impose certain obligations on us relating to our underwriting standards, recordkeeping and servicing of our loans, and our loss reserves and charge-off policies, and they require us to maintain certain financial ratios, including an interest coverage ratio and a borrowing base ratio. If we were to breach any covenants or obligations under our credit agreements and such breaches were to result in an event of default, our lenders could cause all amounts outstanding to become due and payable, subject to applicable grace

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periods. An event of default in any one credit agreement could also trigger cross-defaults under other existing and future credit agreements and other debt instruments, and materially and adversely affect our financial condition and ability to continue operating our business as a going concern.

We may be required to repurchase certain finance receivables if these finance receivables fail to meet certain criteria or characteristics or under other circumstances, which could adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition, and liquidity.

We have entered into certain financing arrangements, including an amortizing loan and a revolving warehouse credit facility, that are secured by certain retail installment contracts and promissory notes (the “Receivables”). Our operating subsidiaries originated the Receivables and subsequently transferred the Receivables to certain of our wholly-owned subsidiaries that were established for the special purpose of entering into the financing arrangements. On the closing date of the transactions, the special purpose entities made certain representations and warranties about the quality and nature of the Receivables. The special purpose entities are required to pay a release fee for the release of certain Receivables as collateral under certain circumstances, including circumstances in which the representations and warranties made by the special purpose entities concerning the quality and characteristics of the Receivables are inaccurate.

We believe that many purchasers of loans and other counterparties to transactions like those provided for in the revolving warehouse credit facility, the amortizing loan, and other similar transactions are particularly aware of the conditions under which originators must indemnify for or repurchase finance receivables, and may benefit from enforcing any available repurchase remedies. If we are required to repurchase Receivables that we have sold or pledged, this could adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition, and liquidity.

We are subject to interest rate risk resulting from general economic conditions and policies of various governmental and regulatory agencies.

Interest rate risk arises from the possibility that changes in interest rates will affect our results of operations and financial condition. 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, in particular, the Federal Reserve Board. Furthermore, market conditions or regulatory restrictions on interest rates we charge may prevent us from passing any increases in interest rates along to our customers. We originate finance receivables at either prevailing market rates or at statutory limits. Subject to statutory limits, our ability to react to changes in prevailing market rates is dependent upon the speed at which our customers pay off or renew loans in our existing loan portfolio, which allows us to originate new loans at prevailing market rates. Our loan portfolio turns over approximately 1.3 times per year from cash payments, renewals, and charged-off loans. Because our automobile loans have longer maturities and typically are not refinanced prior to maturity, the rate of turnover of the loan portfolio may change as these loans change as a percentage of our portfolio.

In addition, rising interest rates will increase our cost of capital by influencing the amount of interest we pay on our senior revolving credit facility, our revolving warehouse credit facility, or any other floating interest rate obligations that we may incur, which would increase our operating costs and decrease our operating margins. Interest payable on our senior revolving credit facility and our revolving warehouse credit facility is variable and could increase in the future.

For additional information, see Item 7A, “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.”

Our use of derivatives exposes us to credit and market risk.

From time to time, we enter into derivative transactions for economic hedging purposes, such as managing our exposure to interest rate risk. By using derivative instruments, we are exposed to credit and market risk, including the risk of loss associated with variations in the spread between the asset yield and the funding and/or hedge cost, default risk, and the risk of insolvency or other inability of the counterparty to a particular derivative transaction to perform its obligations. For additional information, see Item 7A, “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.”

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We have incurred and will continue to incur increased costs as a result of operating as a public company, and our management is required to devote substantial time to compliance initiatives and corporate governance practices.

As a public company, we incur significant legal, accounting, insurance, and other expenses, and our management and other personnel devote a substantial amount of time to compliance initiatives resulting from operating as a public company. We anticipate that these costs and compliance initiatives will increase as a result of the Company having ceased to be an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), as of December 31, 2017. In particular, because we no longer qualify as an “emerging growth company,” we are required to include in this Annual Report on Form 10-K an attestation report from our independent registered public accounting firm as to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. In addition, we have previously taken advantage of the JOBS Act’s reduced disclosure requirements applicable to “emerging growth companies” regarding executive compensation and exemptions from the requirements of holding advisory “say-on-pay” votes on executive compensation. We are no longer eligible for such reduced disclosure requirements and exemptions.

Macroeconomic conditions could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations, and cash flows, and may increase loan defaults and affect the value and liquidity of your investment.

We are not insulated from the pressures and potentially negative consequences of financial crises and similar risks beyond our control that have in the past and may in the future affect the capital and credit markets, the broader economy, the financial services industry, or the segment of that industry in which we operate. Our financial performance generally, and in particular the ability of our borrowers to make payments on outstanding loans, is highly dependent upon the business and economic environments in the markets where we operate and in the United States as a whole.

During an economic downturn or recession, credit losses in the financial services industry generally increase and demand for credit products often decreases. Declining asset values, defaults on consumer loans, and the lack of market and investor confidence, as well as other factors, all combine to decrease liquidity during an economic downturn. As a result of these factors, some banks and other lenders have suffered significant losses during economic downturns, and the strength and liquidity of many financial institutions worldwide has weakened due to the most recent economic crisis. Additionally, during an economic downturn, our loan servicing costs and collection costs may increase as we may have to expend greater time and resources on these activities. Our underwriting criteria, policies and procedures, and product offerings may not sufficiently protect our growth and profitability during a sustained period of economic downturn or recession. Any renewed economic downturn will adversely affect the financial resources of our customers and may result in the inability of our customers to make principal and interest payments on, or refinance, the outstanding debt when due.

In addition, periods of economic slowdown or recession are typically accompanied by decreased consumer demand for retail goods. Our ability to originate retail purchase loans depends, in large part, on the underlying demand for such products. Further, our business is focused on customers who generally do not qualify for conventional retail financing, and customers in this demographic are more likely to be affected, and more severely affected, by an economic downturn. Accordingly, our business, financial position, results of operations, and cash flows may be adversely impacted during any economic downturn or recession.

Should economic conditions worsen, they may adversely affect the credit quality of our loans. In the event of increased default by borrowers under the loans, and/or a decrease in the volume of the loans we originate, our business, results of operations, and financial condition could be adversely affected.

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Risks Related to Regulation and Legal Proceedings

Our business products and activities are strictly and comprehensively regulated at the local, state, and federal levels.

Our business is subject to numerous local, state, and federal laws and regulations. These regulations impose significant costs and limitations on the way we conduct and expand our business, and these costs and limitations may increase in the future if such laws and regulations are changed. These laws and regulations govern or affect, among other things:

Due to the highly regulated nature of the consumer finance industry, we are required to comply with a wide array of federal, state, and local laws and regulations that affect, among other things, the manner in which we conduct our origination and servicing operations. These regulations directly impact our business and require constant compliance, monitoring, and internal and external audits. Although we have an enterprise-wide compliance framework structured to continuously evaluate our activities, compliance with applicable law is costly and may create operational constraints.

At a federal level, these laws and their implementing regulations include, among others, usury laws, ECOA, GLBA, EFTA, SCRA, TCPA, TILA, Reg Z, FCC, FCRA, and the Dodd-Frank Act and requirements related to unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices. Many states and local jurisdictions have consumer protection laws analogous to, or in addition to, those listed above, such as state debt collection practices laws that apply to first-party lenders. These federal, state, and local laws regulate the manner in which consumer finance companies deal with customers when making loans or conducting other types of financial transactions.

Changes to statutes, regulations, or regulatory policies, including the interpretation, implementation, and enforcement of statutes, regulations, or policies, could affect us in substantial and unpredictable ways, including limiting the types of financial services and products that we may offer and increasing the ability of competitors to offer competing financial services and products. Compliance with laws and regulations requires us to invest increasingly significant portions of our resources in compliance planning and training, monitoring tools, and personnel, and requires the time and attention of management. These costs divert capital and focus away from efforts intended to grow our business. Because these laws and regulations are complex and often subject to interpretation, or because of a result of unintended errors, we may, from time to time, inadvertently violate these laws, regulations, and policies, as each is interpreted by our regulators. If we do not successfully comply with laws, regulations, or policies, we could be subject to fines, penalties, lawsuits, or judgments, our compliance costs could increase, our operations could be limited, and we may suffer damage to our reputation. If more restrictive laws, rules, and regulations are enacted or more restrictive judicial and administrative interpretations of current laws are issued, compliance with the laws could become more expensive or difficult. Furthermore, changes in these laws and regulations could require changes in the way we conduct our business, and we cannot predict the impact such changes would have on our profitability.

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Our primary regulators are the state regulators for the states in which we operate: Alabama, Georgia, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. We operate each of our branches under licenses granted to us by these state regulators. State regulators may enter our branches and conduct audits of our records and practices at any time, with or without notice. If we fail to observe, or are not able to comply with, applicable legal requirements, we may be forced to discontinue certain product offerings, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition. In addition, violation of these laws and regulations could result in fines and other civil and/or criminal penalties, including the suspension or revocation of our branch licenses, rendering us unable to operate in one or more locations. All of the states in which we operate have laws governing the interest rates and fees that we can charge and required disclosure statements, among other restrictions. Violation of these laws could involve penalties requiring the forfeiture of principal and/or interest and fees that we have charged. Depending on the nature and scope of a violation, fines and other penalties for noncompliance of applicable requirements could be significant and could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operation, and financial condition.

We believe that we maintain all material licenses and permits required for our current operations and are in substantial compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local regulations. However, we may not be able to maintain all requisite licenses and permits, and the failure to satisfy those and other regulatory requirements could have a material adverse effect on our operations. In addition, changes in laws or regulations applicable to us could subject us to additional licensing, registration, and other regulatory requirements in the future or could adversely affect our ability to operate or the manner in which we conduct business. Licenses to open new branches are granted in the discretion of state regulators. Accordingly, licenses may be denied unexpectedly or for reasons outside of our control. This could hinder our ability to implement our business plans in a timely manner or at all.

As we enter new markets and develop new products, we may become subject to additional state and federal regulations. For example, although we intend to expand into new states, we may encounter unexpected regulatory or other difficulties in these new states or markets, which may prevent us from growing in new states or markets. As a result, we may not be able to successfully execute our strategies to grow our revenue and earnings.

We may become involved in investigations, examinations, and proceedings by government and self-regulatory agencies, which may result in material adverse consequences to our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

From time to time, we may become involved in formal and informal reviews, investigations, examinations, proceedings, and information-gathering requests by federal and state government and self-regulatory agencies. Should we become subject to such an investigation, examination, or proceeding, the matter could result in material adverse consequences to us, including, but not limited to, increased compliance costs, adverse judgments, significant settlements, fines, penalties, injunction, or other actions.

Changes in laws and regulations or interpretations of laws and regulations could negatively impact our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

The laws and regulations directly affecting our lending activities are constantly under review and are subject to change. In addition, consumer advocacy groups and various other media sources continue to advocate for governmental and regulatory action to prohibit or severely restrict various financial products, including the loan products we offer. Any changes in such laws and regulations, or the implementation, interpretation, or enforcement of 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. The enactment of one or more of such regulatory changes could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, and prospects.

State and federal legislatures and regulators may also seek to impose new requirements or interpret or enforce existing requirements in new ways. Changes in current laws or regulations or the implementation of new laws or regulations in the future may restrict our ability to continue our current methods of operation or expand

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our operations. Additionally, these laws and regulations could subject us to liability for prior operating activities or lower or eliminate the profitability of operations going forward by, among other things, reducing the amount of interest and fees we charge in connection with our loans or limiting the types of insurance and other ancillary products that we may offer to our customers. If these or other factors lead us to close our branches in a state, in addition to the loss of net revenues attributable to that closing, we would 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 would also have continuing costs associated with maintaining our branches and our employees in that state, with little or no revenues to offset those costs.

In addition to state and federal laws and regulations, our business is subject to various local rules 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 location of our branches being close to where our customers live in order to successfully collect on outstanding loans.

Changes in laws or regulations may have a material adverse effect on all aspects of our business in a particular state and on our overall business, results of operations, and financial condition.

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) authorizes the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (the “CFPB”) to adopt rules and undertake supervisory and enforcement activity that could potentially have a serious impact on our ability to offer installment loans or otherwise materially and adversely affect our operations and financial performance.

Title X of the Dodd-Frank Act establishes the CFPB, which became operational on July 21, 2011. Under the Dodd-Frank Act, the CFPB has regulatory, supervisory, and enforcement powers over providers of consumer financial products that we offer, including explicit supervisory authority to examine and require registration of installment lenders such as ourselves. Included in the powers afforded to the CFPB is the authority to adopt rules describing specified acts and practices as being “unfair,” “deceptive,” or “abusive,” and hence unlawful. Specifically, the CFPB has the authority to declare an act or practice abusive if it, among other things, materially interferes with the ability of a consumer to understand a term or condition of a consumer financial product or service or takes unreasonable advantage of a lack of understanding on the part of the consumer of the product or service.

Although the Dodd-Frank Act expressly provides that the CFPB has no authority to establish usury limits, some consumer advocacy groups have suggested that certain forms of alternative consumer finance products, such as traditional installment loans, should be a regulatory priority, and it is possible that the CFPB could propose and adopt rules making the products that we offer materially less profitable or impractical. Further, the CFPB may target specific features of loans or loan practices, such as refinancings, by rulemaking that could cause us to cease offering certain products or cease engaging in certain practices. The CFPB could also adopt rules imposing new and potentially burdensome requirements and limitations with respect to any of our current or future products or lines of business or on our methods of servicing our loans. For example, the CFPB has indicated that it is considering issuing proposed rules covering debt collection activities by first-party lenders. Any such rules could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operation, and financial condition.

The Dodd-Frank Act also gives the CFPB the authority to examine and regulate entities it classifies as a “larger participant of a market for other consumer financial products or services.” The CFPB has indicated that it may in the future issue a proposed rule defining larger participants in the installment lending market. The rule will likely cover only the largest installment lenders, and we do not yet know whether the definition will cover us. If we are covered by the final larger participant rule for the installment lending market, we will be subject to CFPB supervisory examinations.

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In addition to the Dodd-Frank Act’s grant of regulatory powers to the CFPB, the Dodd-Frank Act gives the CFPB authority to pursue administrative proceedings or litigation for violations of federal consumer financial laws. In these proceedings, the CFPB can obtain cease and desist orders (which can include orders for restitution or rescission of contracts, as well as other kinds of affirmative relief) and monetary penalties ranging from a maximum of $5,000 per day for minor violations of federal consumer financial laws (including the CFPB’s own rules) to $25,000 per day for reckless violations and $1 million per day for knowing violations. If we are subject to such administrative proceedings, litigation, orders, or monetary penalties in the future, this could have a material adverse effect on our operations and financial performance. Also, where a company has violated Title X of the Dodd-Frank Act or CFPB regulations under Title X, the Dodd-Frank Act empowers state attorneys general and state regulators to bring civil actions for the kind of cease and desist orders available to the CFPB (but not for civil penalties). If the CFPB or one or more state officials find that we have violated the foregoing laws, they could exercise their enforcement powers in ways that would have a material adverse effect on us.

In conducting an investigation, the CFPB may issue a civil investigative demand (a “CID”) requiring a target company to prepare and submit, among other items, documents, written reports, answers to interrogatories, and deposition testimony. If the CFPB issues a CID to us or otherwise commences an investigation of our company, the required response could result in substantial costs and a diversion of our management’s attention and resources. In addition, the market price of our common stock could decline as a result of the initiation of a CFPB investigation of our company or even the perception that such an investigation could occur, even in the absence of any finding by the CFPB that we have violated any state or federal law.

Although many of the regulations implementing portions of the Dodd-Frank Act have been promulgated, we are still unable to predict how this significant legislation may be interpreted and enforced or the full extent to which implementing regulations and supervisory policies may affect us. Finally, President Donald Trump and the Congressional majority have indicated that the Dodd-Frank Act will be under further scrutiny and some of the provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act and rules promulgated thereunder, including those provisions establishing the CFPB and the rules and regulations proposed and enacted by the CFPB, may be revised, repealed, or amended, but there can be no assurance that future reforms will not significantly and adversely impact our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We sell certain of our loans, including, in some instances, charged-off loans and loans where the borrower is in default. This practice could subject us to heightened regulatory scrutiny, expose us to legal action, cause us to incur losses, and/or limit or impede our collection activity.

In December 2015, we began selling a portion of our charged-off loan portfolio. We expect to continue to sell our forward flow of charged-off accounts to one or more buyers indefinitely into the future. As part of our business model, we may purchase and sell other finance receivables in the future, including loans that have been charged-off and loans where the borrower is in default. The CFPB and other regulators recently have significantly increased their scrutiny of debt sales, especially delinquent and charged-off debt. The CFPB has criticized sellers of debt for insufficient documentation to support and verify the validity or amount of the debt. It has also criticized debt collectors for, among other things, collection tactics, attempting to collect debts that are no longer valid, misrepresenting the amount of the debt, and not having sufficient documentation to verify the validity or amount of the debt. Accordingly, our sales of loans could expose us to lawsuits or fines by regulators if we do not have sufficient documentation to support and verify the validity and amount of the loans underlying the transactions, or if we or purchasers of our loans use collection methods that are viewed as unfair, deceptive, or abusive. In addition, our collections could suffer and we may incur additional expenses if we are required to change collection practices or stop collecting on certain debts as a result of a lawsuit or action on the part of regulators.

Our use of third-party vendors is subject to increasing regulatory attention.

Recently, the CFPB and other regulators have issued regulatory guidance that has focused on the need for financial institutions to perform increased due diligence and ongoing monitoring of third-party vendor relationships, thus increasing the scope of management involvement and decreasing the benefit that we receive

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from using third-party vendors. Moreover, if regulators conclude that we have not met the heightened 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 an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and operating results

We are subject to government regulations concerning our hourly and our other employees, including minimum wage, overtime, and health care laws.

We are subject to applicable rules and regulations relating to our relationship with our employees, including minimum wage and break requirements, health benefits, unemployment and sales taxes, overtime, and working conditions and immigration status. Legislated increases in the federal minimum wage and increases in additional labor cost components, such as employee benefit costs, workers’ compensation insurance rates, compliance costs and fines, as well as the cost of litigation in connection with these regulations, would increase our labor costs. Unionizing and collective bargaining efforts have received increased attention nationwide in recent periods. Should our employees become represented by unions, we would be obligated to bargain with those unions with respect to wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment, which is likely to increase our labor costs. Moreover, as part of the process of union organizing and collective bargaining, strikes and other work stoppages may occur, which would cause disruption to our business. Similarly, many employers nationally in similar retail environments have been subject to actions brought by governmental agencies and private individuals under wage-hour laws on a variety of claims, such as improper classification of workers as exempt from overtime pay requirements and failure to pay overtime wages properly, with such actions sometimes brought as class actions. These actions can result in material liabilities and expenses. Should we be subject to employment litigation, such as actions involving wage-hour, overtime, break, and working time, it may distract our management from business matters and result in increased labor costs. In addition, we currently sponsor employer-subsidized premiums for major medical programs for eligible personnel who elect health care coverage through our insurance programs. As a result of regulatory changes, we may not be able to continue to offer health care coverage to our employees on affordable terms or at all and subsequently may face increased difficulty in hiring and retaining employees. If we are unable to locate, attract, train, or retain qualified personnel, or if our costs of labor increase significantly, our business, results of operations, and financial condition may be adversely affected.

Our stock price or results of operations could be adversely affected by media and public perception of installment loans and of legislative and regulatory developments affecting activities within the installment lending sector.

Consumer advocacy groups and various media sources continue to criticize alternative financial services providers (such as payday and title lenders, check advance companies, and pawnshops). These critics frequently characterize such alternative financial services providers as predatory or abusive toward consumers. If these persons were to criticize the products that we offer, it could result in further regulation of our business and could negatively impact our relationships with existing borrowers and efforts to attract new borrowers. Furthermore, our industry is highly regulated, and announcements regarding new or expected governmental and regulatory action in the alternative financial services sector may adversely impact our stock price and perceptions of our business even if such actions are not targeted at our operations and do not directly impact us.

Legal proceedings to which we are subject or may become subject may have a material adverse impact on our financial position and results of operations.

Like many companies in our industry, we are from time to time involved in various legal proceedings and subject to claims and other actions related to our business activities brought by borrowers and others, including, for example, the securities class action lawsuit described in Item 3, “Legal Proceedings” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. All such legal proceedings are inherently unpredictable and, regardless of the merits of the

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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. For example, we and our primary insurance carrier may in the future be required to negotiate an allocation between denied and acknowledged claims in the securities class action lawsuit. If in the securities class action lawsuit or any other legal proceeding we incur liability that exceeds our insurance coverage or that is not within the scope of the coverage in legal proceedings brought against us, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Current and proposed regulation related to consumer privacy, data protection, and information security could increase our costs.

We are subject to a number of federal and state consumer privacy, data protection, and information security laws and regulations. Moreover, various federal and state regulatory agencies require us to notify customers in the event of a security breach. Federal and state legislators and regulators are increasingly pursuing new guidance, laws, and regulations. Compliance with current or future customer privacy, data protection, and information security laws and regulations could result in higher compliance, technology, or other operating costs. Any violations of these laws and regulations may require us to change our business practices or operational structure, and could subject us to legal claims, monetary penalties, sanctions, and the obligation to indemnify and/or notify customers or take other remedial actions.

U.S. federal income tax reform may impact our financial results in unexpected ways or may otherwise have a material adverse impact on our financial position, results of operations, and cash flows.

On December 22, 2017, President Trump signed into law the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”) that significantly reforms the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. The Tax Act contains significant changes to corporate taxation, including a reduction of the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%, a limitation on the tax deduction for interest expense to 30% of earnings (except for certain small businesses), a limitation on the deduction for net operating losses to 80% of current year taxable income and elimination of net operating loss carrybacks, immediate deductions for certain new investments instead of deductions for depreciation expense over time, and modifying or repealing many business deductions and credits. Notwithstanding the reduction in the corporate income tax rate and our expectations regarding our overall tax rate in 2018 and beyond, the overall impact of the Tax Act is uncertain and the ultimate impact may prove to be inconsistent with our current expectations. As a result, the Company’s financial position, results of operations, and cash flows could be adversely affected by the Tax Act, the interpretation and administration of the Tax Act, and/or any future tax reform legislation.

Risks Related to the Ownership of Our Common Stock

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or if they downgrade their recommendations regarding our common stock, our stock price and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our common stock is influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts publish about us or our business. If any of the analysts who cover us downgrades our common stock or publishes inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our common stock price may decline. If

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analysts cease coverage of us or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause our common stock price or trading volume to decline and our common stock to be less liquid.

The market price of shares of our common stock may continue to be volatile, which could cause the value of your investment to decline.

The market price of our common stock has been highly volatile and could be subject to wide fluctuations. 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. In addition, our operating results could be below the expectations of public market analysts and investors due to a number of potential factors, including variations in our quarterly operating results, additions or departures of key management personnel, failure to meet analysts’ earnings estimates, publication of research reports about our industry, litigation and government investigations, changes or proposed changes in laws or regulations or differing interpretations or enforcement thereof affecting our business, adverse market reaction to any indebtedness we may incur or securities we may issue in the future, changes in market valuations of similar companies, speculation in the press or investment community, announcements by our competitors of significant contracts, acquisitions, dispositions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures, or capital commitments, adverse publicity about the industries we participate in, or individual scandals, and in response the market price of shares of our common stock could decrease significantly.

In the past several years, stock markets have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations. In the past, following periods of volatility in the overall market and the market price of a company’s securities, Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) investigations and securities class action litigation have sometimes been instituted against these companies. We currently are subject to a securities class action lawsuit described in Item 3, “Legal Proceedings” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The securities class action lawsuit and any further legal proceedings of this nature that may be instituted against us could result in substantial costs and a diversion of our management’s attention and resources.

We have no current plans to pay cash dividends on our common stock for the foreseeable future.

We do not expect to pay cash dividends for the foreseeable future. Instead, we intend to retain future earnings, if any, for future operation, expansion, and debt repayment. The declaration, amount, and payment of any future cash dividends on shares of common stock will be at the discretion of our Board of Directors. Our Board of Directors may take into account general and economic conditions, our financial condition and results of operations, our available cash and current and anticipated cash needs, capital requirements, contractual, legal, tax, and regulatory restrictions and implications on the payment of cash dividends by us to our stockholders or by our subsidiaries to us, and such other factors as our Board of Directors may deem relevant. In addition, our ability to pay cash dividends may be limited by covenants of any existing and future outstanding indebtedness we or our subsidiaries incur, including our senior revolving credit facility. As a result, 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.

Your stock ownership may be diluted by the future issuance of additional common stock in connection with our incentive plans, acquisitions, or otherwise.

We have approximately 987 million shares of common stock authorized but unissued, as of February 22, 2018. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes us to issue these shares of common stock and options, rights, warrants, and appreciation rights relating to common stock for the consideration and on the terms and conditions established by our Board of Directors in its discretion, whether in connection with acquisitions or otherwise. Our stockholders previously approved the Regional Management Corp. 2015 Long-

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Term Incentive Plan (as amended and/or restated, the “2015 Plan”). Subject to adjustments as provided in the 2015 Plan, the maximum aggregate number of shares of our common stock that may be issued under the 2015 Plan may not exceed the sum of (a) 1,550,000 shares plus (b) any shares (i) remaining available for the grant of awards as of the effective date under the 2007 Management Incentive Plan (the “2007 Plan”) or the 2011 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2011 Plan”), and/or (ii) subject to an award granted under the 2007 Plan or the 2011 Plan, which award is forfeited, cancelled, terminated, expires or lapses. We have 1,189,065 shares available for issuance under the 2015 Plan, as of February 22, 2018. In addition, our Board may recommend in the future that our stockholders approve new stock plans. Any common stock that we issue, including under our 2015 Plan or other equity incentive plans that we may adopt in the future, would dilute the percentage ownership held by our stockholders. In addition, the market price 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. These sales, or the possibility that these sales may occur, also might make it more difficult for us to issue equity securities in the future at a time and at a price that we deem appropriate.

The requirements of being a public company may strain our resources and distract our management.

As a public company, we are subject to the reporting requirements of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. These requirements may place a strain on our systems and resources. The Exchange Act requires that we file annual, quarterly, and current reports with respect to our business and financial condition. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal controls over financial reporting. To maintain and improve the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures and internal controls over financial reporting, we will need to commit significant resources. In addition, sustaining our growth also will require us to commit additional management, operational, and financial resources to identify new professionals to join our company and to maintain appropriate operational and financial systems to adequately support expansion. These activities may divert management’s attention from other business concerns, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

Anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents and applicable state law might discourage or delay acquisition attempts for us that you might consider favorable.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws contain provisions that may make the acquisition of our company more difficult without the approval of our Board of Directors. Among other things, these provisions:

In addition, certain states require the approval of a state regulator for the acquisition, directly or indirectly, of more than a certain amount of the voting or common stock of a consumer finance company. The overall effect of these laws is to make it more difficult to acquire a consumer finance company than it might be to acquire control of a nonregulated corporation.

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