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8-K - 8-K - SquareTwo Financial Corpq12012er8-k.htm


SquareTwo Financial Reports Strong First Quarter 2012 Results

DENVER, May 10, 2012 - SquareTwo Financial Corporation, a leader in the $100 billion asset recovery and management industry, today reported consolidated financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2012.

"The first quarter of 2012 was our seventh straight quarter of increasingly strong financial performance.  January, February, and March each set a new monthly benchmark for collections, resulting in a 40% improvement over the first quarter of 2011," said president and CEO, Paul A. Larkins. "We believe this trend of record-breaking performance is the result of successful operational initiatives and a strong company culture that rewards ethics, excellence, and consistent effort to improve."


For the quarter ended March 31, 2012:
Cash proceeds on purchased debt were $153.4 million, a 41.6% increase over the $108.3 million in the first quarter of 2011.
Investment in purchased debt was $72.5 million, to purchase $0.9 billion in face value of debt, compared to $63.6 million to purchase $0.9 billion in face value of debt in the first quarter of 2011. The total investment in purchased debt was a 14.0% increase from the first quarter of 2011.
Revenue recognized on purchased debt, net was $77.9 million, an increase of $23.2 million from the $54.7 million recognized in the first quarter of 2011.
Total purchased debt operating expenses were $56.1 million, a 49.3% increase over the $37.6 million in the first quarter of 2011. Total purchased debt operating expenses per dollar of total purchased debt collections in the first quarter of 2012 increased 238 basis points from the first quarter of 2011.
EBITDA was $13.0 million, compared to $8.7 million in the first quarter of 2011.
Net loss was $2.1 million, compared to net loss of $5.2 million in the first quarter of 2011.
Adjusted EBITDA, defined as net income before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, valuation allowances and amortization of purchased debt, and certain adjustments, was $91.7 million, a 44.5% increase over the $63.4 million in the first quarter of 2011.

The following table summarizes our results of operations for the quarter ended March 31, 2012:
 
 
Quarter Ended
 
 
March 31,
 
 
2012
Total revenues
 
$
78,066

Total expenses
 
66,465

Operating income
 
11,601

Total other expense
 
12,294

Loss before income taxes
 
(693
)
Income tax expense
 
(1,418
)
Net loss
 
$
(2,111
)









Supplemental Information to reconcile Net Loss to Adjusted EBITDA
 
 
Quarter Ended
 
 
March 31,
Reconciliation of Net Loss to Adjusted EBITDA ($ in thousands)
 
2012
Net loss
 
$
(2,111
)
Interest expense
 
12,202

Interest income
 
(26
)
Income tax expense
 
1,418

Depreciation and amortization
 
1,522

EBITDA
 
13,005

Adjustments related to purchased debt accounting
 
 

Proceeds recorded as reduction of carrying value(1)
 
75,683

Amortization of step-up of carrying value(2)
 
46

Change in valuation allowance(3)
 
2,590

Certain other or non-cash expenses
 
 

Stock option expense(4)
 
78

Other(5)
 
284

Adjusted EBITDA
 
$
91,686


(1)
Cash proceeds applied to the carrying value of purchased debt rather than recorded as revenue.
(2)
Non-cash amortization of a step-up in the carrying value of certain purchased debt assets related to purchase accounting adjustments resulting from the 2005 acquisition of us by CA Holding.
(3)
Represents changes in non-cash valuation allowances on purchased debt.
(4)
Represents the non-cash expense related to option grants of CA Holding's equity granted to our employees and franchisees.
(5)
Consistent with the covenant calculations within our revolving credit facility, other includes franchise note reserves, lease breakup costs, certain consulting fees, management fees paid to KRG Capital Management L.P., certain transaction expenses, executive recruitment, and severance expense.

The following table summarizes our Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter ended March 31, 2012:
 
 
Quarter Ended
 
 
March 31,
 
 
2012
Non-legal collections
 
$
100,158

Legal collections
 
37,570

Other collections(1)
 
7,421

Sales & recourse
 
8,224

Contribution of other business activities(2)
 
3,625

Total inflows
 
156,998

 
 
 
Purchased debt expense
 
54,243

Contingent debt expense
 
14

Other direct operating expense
 
1,823

General and administrative expense
 
8,863

Other(3)
 
731

Total outflows
 
65,674

Adjustments(4)
 
362

Adjusted EBITDA
 
$
91,686







(1)
Other collections includes Canadian collections, medical collections, and court cost recoveries.
(2)
Includes royalties on purchased debt, revenues on contingent debt, and other revenue.
(3)
Represents certain other items consistent with our covenant calculation.
(4)
Consistent with the covenant calculations within our revolving credit facility, adjustments include the non-cash expense related to option grants of Parent’s equity granted to our employees and franchisees, franchise note reserves, lease breakup costs, certain consulting fees, management fees paid to KRG Capital Management L.P., certain transaction expenses, executive recruitment, and severance expense.

Additional Financial Information:

In the quarter ended March 31, 2012 the Company recorded non-cash purchased debt allowance charges of $2.6 million, compared to $5.9 million in the first quarter of 2011.









Conference Call

The Company will hold a conference call today at 8:30 AM Mountain time/ 10:30 AM Eastern time to discuss our first quarter 2012 results. Please download our Q1 2012 Financial Results Presentation which is located under the “About Us” header within the “Investor Relations” section of our website, www.squaretwofinancial.com.

Members of the public are invited to listen to the event. To access the live telephone conference line, please dial 877-522-6079 for domestic access, and 706-643-9734 for international access. Please reference confirmation code #72999404 for the call.

For those who cannot listen to the live broadcast, a replay will be available shortly thereafter within the Investor Relations section of the Company's website.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Adjusted EBITDA, as presented in this report, is a supplemental measure of our performance that is not required by, or presented in accordance with, accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. (“GAAP”). This is not a measurement of our financial performance under GAAP and should not be considered as alternatives to net income or any other performance measures derived in accordance with GAAP, or as alternatives to cash flows from operating activities or a measure of our liquidity.
Adjusted EBITDA is calculated as net income before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (including amortization of the carrying value on our purchased debt), as adjusted by several items discussed more fully in “Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q as of March 31, 2012. Adjusted EBITDA generally represents cash proceeds on our owned charged-off receivables plus the contribution of our other business activities less operating expenses (other than non-cash expenses, such as depreciation and amortization) as adjusted. Adjusted EBITDA, which is a non-GAAP financial measure, should not be considered an alternative to, or more meaningful than, net income prepared on a GAAP basis.
We present Adjusted EBITDA because we consider it to be an important supplemental measure of our performance. We believe Adjusted EBITDA is representative of our cash flow generation that can be used to purchase charged-off receivables, pay down or service debt, pay income taxes, and for other uses. We believe that Adjusted EBITDA is frequently used by investors and other interested parties in the evaluation of companies in our industry. In addition, the instruments governing our indebtedness use Adjusted EBITDA to measure our compliance with certain covenants and, in certain circumstances, our ability to make certain borrowings. Our board of directors and management use Adjusted EBITDA to measure our performance, and our current management incentive compensation plans are based largely on Adjusted EBITDA. Adjusted EBITDA, as computed by us, may not be comparable to similar metrics used by other companies in our industry.
The SEC has adopted rules to regulate the use in filings with the SEC and public disclosures and press releases of non-GAAP financial measures, such as Adjusted EBITDA, that are derived on the basis of methodologies other than in accordance with GAAP. The non-GAAP financial measures presented in this report may not comply with these rules. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on Adjusted EBITDA and ERP.
The information in this subsection is a summary and should be read in conjunction with “Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our consolidated financial statements and footnotes in our 10-Q as of March 31, 2012.