Asset Acceptance Reports Net Loss in Third Quarter 2009

WARREN, Mich.-- Asset Acceptance Capital Corp. (NASDAQ: AACC), a leading purchaser and collector of charged-off consumer debt, today announced results for the quarter ended September 30, 2009.

Highlights from the third quarter include:

• Acquired $37.2 million (net of buybacks) in charged-off consumer receivable portfolios, with an aggregate value of $1.6 billion, or 2.32% of face value;
• Cash Collections of $77.8 million;
• Operating expenses of 61.8 percent of Cash Collections; and
• Expanded borrowing capacity to $84 million with amended credit agreement financial covenants.
  

Rion Needs, President and CEO, commented: “Our cash collections during the quarter, particularly on older vintage portfolios, were unfavorably impacted by the ongoing macro-economic landscape that continues to hinder consumers’ ability to repay their obligations. We began to execute on our strategy to leverage the attractive pricing conditions for our paper, increasing our purchasing by roughly 80% during the third quarter versus the second quarter of 2009. In addition, we believe that our now expanded capacity under the amended credit facility coupled with the more advantageous pricing environment positions us well to execute on our strategy in the remainder of 2009 and into 2010.”

Needs continued, “While the current macro backdrop remains challenging, we are in a position to increase both our operational efficiency, as well as our capacity to positively impact liquidation rates going forward. In the coming months we will be unveiling new technology that will automate several of the key functions of our call center representatives, increasing their efficiency substantially and allowing them to focus their time on accounts that they are most likely to liquidate. Additionally, we have made solid progress in achieving our goal of increasing collection account representative headcount, and signed a third-party agreement with an offshore firm on a per seat basis to expand capacity by 20% by year-end. While the last several quarters have been difficult, we have implemented a number of initiatives and strategies to make us more successful as market conditions improve.”

Third Quarter 2009 Review

Asset Acceptance reported cash collections of $77.8 million in the third quarter ended September 30, 2009, versus cash collections of $90.8 million in the year-ago period.

Total revenues were $47.7 million in the third quarter of 2009, compared to total revenues of $58.4 million in the third quarter of 2008. Amortization of purchased receivables in the third quarter of 2009 was 39.0% of total cash collections versus 36.0% of total cash collections in the third quarter of 2008. The Company reported a third quarter of 2009 net impairment charge of $6.8 million on purchased receivables, versus a net impairment charge of $3.1 million in the prior year quarter.

The net loss for the quarter was $1.6 million, or $0.05 per fully diluted share, compared to net income of $3.0 million, or $0.10 per fully diluted share, in the third quarter of 2008. Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization, including purchased receivable amortization (“Adjusted EBITDA”), decreased to $32.6 million in the third quarter of 2009, down 22.8% compared to the year-ago period. Please refer to the table on page four, which reconciles net income according to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”) to Adjusted EBITDA.

During the third quarter of 2009, the Company invested $37.2 million to purchase charged-off consumer debt portfolios with a face value of $1.6 billion, for a blended rate of 2.32% of face value. This compares to the prior-year third quarter, when the Company invested $35.6 million to purchase consumer debt portfolios with a face value of $718.8 million, representing a blended rate of 4.95% of face value. All purchase data is adjusted for buybacks.

In addition to lower cash collections in the quarter, the Company reported lower operating expenses compared to the prior year. Total operating expenses in the quarter were reduced 4.0% to $48.1 million, from $50.1 million in the third quarter of 2008. For the 2009 third quarter, Asset Acceptance reported operating expenses of 61.8% of cash collections, up from 55.2% of cash collections in the prior year quarter.

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2009

For the nine-month period ended September 30, 2009, the Company reported cash collections of $259.2 million compared to cash collections of $286.2 million in the first nine months of 2008.

Total revenues in the first nine months of 2009 were $153.7 million versus $179.2 million in the first nine months of 2008. For the first nine months of 2009, amortization of purchased receivables was 41.0% of total cash collections versus 37.8% of total cash collections in the same period of last year. Net impairments for the first nine months of 2009 totaled $17.1 million, versus $8.4 million for the first nine months of 2008.

Net income in the first nine months of 2009 was $3.8 million, or $0.12 per fully diluted share, compared to net income of $11.9 million, or $0.39 per fully diluted share, in the same period of 2008. For the nine-month period ended September 30, 2009, Adjusted EBITDA declined to $125.1 million, a decrease of 11.8% when compared to the same nine-month period in 2008.

The Company invested $79.1 million to purchase charged-off consumer debt portfolios with a face value of $3.1 billion, for a blended rate of 2.57% during the first nine months of 2009, compared to $122.3 million with a face value of $3.2 billion, for a blended rate of 3.85% in the same period of 2008. All purchase data is adjusted for buybacks.

Amended Credit Agreement

Asset Acceptance also announced the signing of an amendment to its credit facility led by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Under the terms of the Credit Agreement, the Company has a five-year $100.0 million revolving credit facility expiring in June 2012 and a six-year $150.0 million term loan facility expiring in June 2013. The amendment loosened two of the more restrictive financial covenants within the agreement and made other changes:

• The Leverage ratio has been loosened to 1.5 to 1.0, from 1.125 to 1.0, for approximately 2 years. At December 31, 2011, the leverage ratio will step down to 1.25 to 1.0 through expiration.
• The planned step down of the Total Liabilities to Tangible Net Worth ratio on December 31, 2009 from 2.5 to 1.0 to 2.25 to 1.0 has been deferred until December 31, 2011.
• The Minimum Tangible Net Worth requirement was increased by $5.0 million.
• The LIBOR spread was increased by 100 basis points.
• The Company paid fees and other costs of approximately $1.9 million in connection with the amendment.
  

“We are very pleased to announce the amended credit agreement with JPMorgan Chase. Under the amended agreement, our borrowing capacity has more than doubled to $84 million, creating additional flexibility to take advantage of the improved pricing conditions in the remainder of 2009 and into 2010,” commented Mark Redman, Senior Vice President and CFO of Asset Acceptance Capital Corp. “We have also made progress with Project Grow and our planned ramp up in paper purchases. We expect to see these initiatives begin to bear fruit, in terms of both productivity and our cost to convert accounts, as we move through the next twelve months.”

Third Quarter 2009 Earnings Conference Call

Asset Acceptance Capital Corp. will host a conference call at 5 p.m. Eastern today to discuss these results and current business trends. To listen to a live webcast of the call, please go to the investor section of the Company’s web site at www.AssetAcceptance.com. A replay of the webcast will be available until November 2, 2010.

About Asset Acceptance Capital Corp.
For more than 45 years, Asset Acceptance has provided credit originators, such as credit card issuers, consumer finance companies, retail merchants, utilities and others an efficient alternative in recovering defaulted consumer debt. For more information, please visit www.AssetAcceptance.com.

 <<< Return to Newsletter