Advance estimates by the Commerce Department for gross domestic product (GDP) growth came in at 2.5% for the first quarter of the year. This shows a marked increase from the fourth quarter of 2012, when real GDP growth grew at just a 0.4% annual clip. To be clear, today's numbers aren't final, and a second estimate of first quarter GDP will be announced on May 30. Revised estimates, on average, differ from "advanced" estimates like today's by 0.5%.
First-quarter GDP was aided by an uptick in real personal consumption expenditures, which increased 3.2% in the first quarter. While exports also rose by 2.8%, helping boost GDP, a 5.4% rise in the value of imported goods and services -- imports subtract from GDP -- offset the gains made there.
A few major factors that kept GDP growth at sub-3% levels were decreases in government spending and falling personal income. Since increases in consumer spending and higher government spending are both boons to GDP, the fact that government consumption sank 8.4% and personal income dropped 3.2% weakened growth figures. The Commerce Department notes that a major reason for the drop in personal income stems from the expiration of the payroll tax "holiday," resulting in higher contributions to government social insurance.
10 Best European Stocks To Watch Right Now: CHS Inc (CHSCP)
CHS Inc. (CHS) is an integrated agricultural company. As a cooperative, the Company is owned by farmers and ranchers and their member cooperatives (members) across the United States. The Company buys commodities from and provide products and services to patrons (including its members and other non-member customers), both domestic and international. It provides a variety of products and services, from initial agricultural inputs, such as fuels, farm supplies, crop nutrients and crop protection products, to agricultural outputs, which include grains and oilseeds, grain and oilseed processing and food products. A portion of its operations are conducted through equity investments and joint ventures. The Company has three segments: Energy, Ag Business, and Corporate and Other. In February 2012, the Company acquired Solbar. In May 2012, the Company acquired a 51% interest in CZL Ltd. In August 2012, it acquired Atman. Effective July 28, 2013, CHS Inc, a unit of Hamilton Farm Bureau Co-Operative Inc, acquired a 50% interest in AgFarm Pty Ltd, from Ruralco Holdings Ltd.
During the fiscal year ended August 31, 2011 (fiscal 2011), the Company dissolved its United Harvest joint venture, which operated two grain export facilities in Washington that were leased from the joint venture participants. During fiscal 2011, the Company sold its 45% ownership interest in Multigrain to one of its joint venture partners, Mitsui & Co., Ltd. During fiscal 2011, the Company, through its wholly owned subsidiary, CHS Europe, S.A. acquired Agri Point Ltd.
The Company�� Energy segment derives its revenues through refining, wholesaling and retailing of petroleum products. Its Ag Business segment derives its revenues through the origination and marketing of grain, including service activities conducted at export terminals, through the wholesale sales of crop nutrients, from the sales of soybean meal and soybean refined oil and through the retail sales of petroleum and agronomy products, processed sunflow! ers, feed and farm supplies, and records equity income from investments in its grain export joint ventures and other investments. It includes other business operations in Corporate and Other. These businesses primarily include its financing, insurance, hedging and other service activities related to crop production. In addition, the Company�� wheat milling and packaged food operations are included in Corporate and Other.
Energy
The Company is the nation�� cooperative energy company based on revenues and identifiable assets. The Company�� operations include petroleum refining and pipelines; the supply, marketing (including ethanol and biodiesel) and distribution of refined fuels (gasoline, diesel fuel and other energy products); the blending, sale and distribution of lubricants; and the wholesale supply of propane. The Energy segment processes crude oil into refined petroleum products at refineries in Laurel, Montana (wholly owned) and McPherson, Kansas (an entity in which the Company has an approximate 74.5% ownership interest) and sells those products under the Cenex brand to member cooperatives and others through a network of approximately 1,400 independent retail sites, of which 57% are convenience stores marketing Cenex branded fuels.
The Company�� Laurel, Montana refinery processes medium and high sulfur crude oil into refined petroleum products that primarily include gasoline, diesel fuel, petroleum coke and asphalt. Its Laurel refinery sources approximately 85% of its crude oil supply from Canada, with the balance obtained from domestic sources, and the Company has access to Canadian and northwest Montana crude through its wholly owned Front Range Pipeline, LLC and other common carrier pipelines. Its Laurel refinery also has access to Wyoming crude via common carrier pipelines from the south. The Laurel facility processes approximately 55,000 barrels of crude oil per day to produce refined products that consist of approximately 43% gasoline, 37% die! sel fuel ! and other distillates, 5% petroleum coke, and 15% asphalt and other products. Refined fuels produced at Laurel are available via the Yellowstone Pipeline to western Montana terminals and to Spokane and Moses Lake, Washington, south via common carrier pipelines to Wyoming terminals and Denver, Colorado, and east via its wholly owned Cenex Pipeline, LLC to Glendive, Montana, and Minot and Fargo, North Dakota.
The McPherson, Kansas refinery is owned and operated by National Cooperative Refinery Association (NCRA), of which the Company owns approximately 74.5%. The McPherson refinery processes approximately 85% low and medium sulfur crude oil and 15% heavy sulfur crude oil into gasoline, diesel fuel and other distillates, propane and other products. NCRA sources its crude oil through its own pipelines as well as common carrier pipelines. The low and medium sulfur crude oil is sourced from Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, and the heavy sulfur crude oil is sourced from Canada. The McPherson refinery processes approximately 85,000 barrels of crude oil per day to produce refined products that consist of approximately 49% gasoline, 45% diesel fuel and other distillates, and 6% propane and other products. Approximately 32% of the refined fuels are loaded into trucks at the McPherson refinery or shipped via NCRA�� products pipeline to its terminal in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The remaining refined fuel products are shipped to other markets via common carrier pipelines.
The Company�� renewable fuels marketing business markets and distributes ethanol and biodiesel products throughout the United States and overseas by contracting with ethanol and biodiesel production plants to market and distribute their finished products. It owns and operates a propane terminal, four asphalt terminals, seven refined product terminals and three lubricants blending and packaging facilities. The Company also owns and leases a fleet of liquid and pressure trailers and tractors, which are used to transport refined fu! els, prop! ane, anhydrous ammonia and other products.
The Company�� Energy segment produces and sells (primarily wholesale) gasoline, diesel fuel, propane, asphalt, lubricants and other related products and provides transportation services. It obtains the petroleum products that it sells from its Laurel and McPherson refineries, and from third parties. In fiscal 2011, the Company obtained approximately 55% of the refined products it sold from its Laurel and McPherson refineries, and approximately 45% from third parties.
Ag Business
The Company�� Ag Business segment includes crop nutrients, country operations, grain marketing and oilseed processing. The revenues in its Ag Business segment primarily include grain sales. Its wholesale crop nutrients business sells approximately 5.6 million tons of fertilizer annually. Primary suppliers for the Company�� wholesale crop nutrients business include CF Industries, Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan, Mosaic Company, Koch Industries, Petrochemical Industries Company (PIC) in Kuwait and Belrusian Potash Company. The Company�� wholesale crop nutrients business sells nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and sulfate based products. During fiscal 2011, the primary crop nutrients products the Company purchased were urea, potash, UAN, phosphates and ammonia. The wholesale crop nutrients business sells product to approximately 2,000 local retailers from New York to the west coast and from the Canadian border to Texas. Its largest customer is its own country operations business, which is also included in its Ag Business segment.
The Company�� country operations business purchases a variety of grains from its producer members and other third parties, and provides cooperative members and customers with access to a range of products, programs and services for production agriculture. Country operations operates 401 locations through 67 business units, the majority of which have local producer boards dispersed throughout Colorado, ! Idaho, Il! linois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas and Washington. Most of these locations purchase grain from farmers and sell agronomy, energy, feed and seed products to those same producers and others, although not all locations provide every product and service.
The Company is one of the country elevator operators in North America based on revenues. Through a majority of the Company�� locations, its country operations business units purchase grain from member and non-member producers and other elevators and grain dealers. Most of the grain purchased is sold through its grain marketing operations, used for livestock feed production or sold to other processing companies. For the year ended August 31, 2011, country operations purchased approximately 582 million bushels of grain, primarily wheat, corn and soybeans. Of these bushels, 558 million were purchased from members and 417 million were sold through its grain marketing operations. Its country operations business units manufacture and sell other products, both directly and through ownership interests in other entities. These include seed, crop nutrients, crop protection products, energy products, animal feed, animal health products and processed sunflower products.
The Company is the cooperative marketer of grain and oilseed based on grain storage capacity and grain sales, handling over 2.1 billion bushels annually. During fiscal 2011, it purchased approximately 60% of its total grain volumes from individual and cooperative association members and its country operations business, with the balance purchased from third parties. The Company arranges for the transportation of the grains either directly to customers or to its owned or leased grain terminals and elevators awaiting delivery to domestic and foreign purchasers. It primarily conducts its grain marketing operations directly, but do conduct some of its business through joint ventures.
The Company��! grain ma! rketing operations purchases grain directly and indirectly from agricultural producers primarily in the midwestern and western United States. The purchased grain is contracted for sale for future delivery at a specified location, and it is responsible for handling the grain and arranging for its transportation to that location. The Company owns and operates export terminals, river terminals and elevators involved in the handling and transport of grain. Its river terminals are used to load grain onto barges for shipment to both domestic and export customers via the Mississippi River system. These river terminals are located at Savage and Winona, Minnesota and Davenport, Iowa, as well as terminals in which it has put-through agreements located at St. Louis, Missouri and Beardstown and Havana, Illinois.
The Company�� export terminal at Superior, Wisconsin provides access to the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway, and its export terminal at Myrtle Grove, Louisiana serves the Gulf of Mexico market. In the Pacific Northwest, it conducts its grain marketing operations through TEMCO, LLC (a 50% joint venture with Cargill) which operates an export terminal in Tacoma, Washington, and primarily exports corn and soybeans. The Company owns two 110-car shuttle-receiving elevator facilities in Friona, Texas and Collins, Mississippi that serve large-scale feeder cattle, dairy and poultry producers in those regions.
For sourcing and marketing grains and oilseeds through the Black Sea and Mediterranean Basin regions to customers worldwide it has offices in Geneva, Switzerland; Barcelona, Spain; Kiev, Ukraine; and Vostok, Russia. In addition, it opened grain merchandising offices in fiscal 2011 in Budapest, Hungary; Novi Sad, Serbia; Bucharest, Romania; Sofia, Bulgaria; and a marketing office in Amman, Jordan. The Company has a deep water port in Constanta, Romania, a barge loading facility on the Danube River in Giurgiu, Romania, and an inland grain terminal at Oroshaza, Hungary. In addition! , it has ! an investment in a port facility in Odessa, Ukraine. In the Pacific Rim area, it has offices in Hong Kong and Shanghai, China that serve customers receiving grains and oilseeds from its origination points in North and South America. In South America, the Company has a grain merchandising offices to source grains in Sao Paulo, Brazil and Buenos Aires, Argentina. It sells and markets crop nutrients from its Geneva, Switzerland; Sao Paulo, Brazil; and Buenos Aires, Argentina offices.
The Company�� grain marketing operations purchased approximately 2.1 billion bushels of grain during fiscal 2011, which primarily included corn, soybeans, wheat and distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS). Of the total grains purchased by its grain marketing operations, 866 million bushels were from its individual and cooperative association members, 417 million bushels were from its country operations business and the remainder was from third parties. The Company�� oilseed processing operations convert soybeans into soybean meal, soyflour, crude soybean oil, refined soybean oil and associated by-products. These operations are conducted at a facility in Mankato, Minnesota that can crush approximately 40 million bushels of soybeans on an annual basis, producing approximately 960 thousand short tons of soybean meal and 460 million pounds of crude soybean oil. The same facility is able to process approximately 1.1 billion pounds of refined soybean oil annually. Another crushing facility in Fairmont, Minnesota has a crushing capacity of over 50 million bushels of soybeans on an annual basis, producing approximately 1.2 million short tons of soybean meal and 575 million pounds of crude soybean oil.
The Company�� oilseed processing operations produce three primary products: refined oils, soybean meal and soyflour. Refined oils are used in processed foods, such as margarine, shortening, salad dressings and baked goods, as well as methyl ester/biodiesel production, and for certain industrial uses, ! such as p! lastics, inks and paints. Soybean meal has high protein content and is used for feeding livestock. Soyflour is used in the baking industry, as a milk replacement in animal feed and in industrial applications. It produces approximately 60 thousand tons of soyflour annually, and approximately 20% is further processed at its manufacturing facility in Hutchinson, Kansas. This facility manufactures unflavored and flavored textured soy proteins used in human and pet food products, and accounted for approximately 2% of its oilseed processing annual sales in fiscal 2011.
The Company�� soy processing facilities are located in areas with a strong production base of soybeans and end-user market for the meal and soyflour. It purchases virtually all of its soybeans from members. The Company�� oilseed crushing operations produce approximately 95% of the crude soybean oil that it refines, and purchases the balance from outside suppliers. Its customers for refined oil are principally large food product companies located throughout the United States. However, over 50% of its customers are located in the midwest. Its largest customer for refined oil products is Ventura Foods, LLC (Ventura Foods), in which it holds a 50% ownership interest. The Company�� sales to Ventura Foods accounted for 27% of its soybean oil sold during fiscal 2011. The Company also sells soymeal to approximately 325 customers, primarily feed lots and feed mills in southern Minnesota. In fiscal 2011, Interstate Commodities accounted for 12% of its soymeal sold. It sells soyflour to customers in the baking industry both domestically and for export.
Corporate and Other
The Company has provided open account financing to approximately 100 of its members that are cooperatives (cooperative association members). These arrangements involve the discretionary extension of credit in the form of a clearing account for settlement of grain purchases and as a cash management tool. CHS Capital, LLC makes seasonal and term! loans to! member cooperatives and individual producers. The Company�� wholly owned subsidiary, Country Hedging, Inc., is a registered Futures Commission Merchant and a clearing member of both the Minneapolis Grain Exchange and the Kansas City Board of Trade. Country Hedging provides full-service commodity risk management brokerage and consulting services to its customers, primarily in the areas of agriculture and energy.
The Company�� wholly owned subsidiary, Ag States Agency, LLC, is a full-service independent insurance agency. It sells insurance, including all lines of insurance including property and casualty, group benefits and surety bonds. Its approximately 2,000 customers are primarily agribusinesses, including cooperatives and independent elevators, energy, agronomy, feed and seed plants, implement dealers and food processors. Impact Risk Solutions, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ag States Agency, LLC, conducts the insurance brokerage business of Ag States Group.
The Company�� primary focus in the foods area is Ventura Foods, LLC (Ventura Foods) which produces and distributes vegetable oil-based products, such as margarine, salad dressing and other food products. Ventura Foods is 50% owned by the Company. Ventura Foods manufactures, packages, distributes and markets bulk margarine, salad dressings, mayonnaise, salad oils, syrups, soup bases and sauces, many of which utilize soybean oil as a primary ingredient. Ventura Foods has 11 manufacturing and distribution locations across the United States. Ventura Foods sources its raw materials, which consist primarily of soybean oil, canola oil, cottonseed oil, peanut oil and other ingredients and supplies, from various national suppliers, including its oilseed processing operations. Agriliance LLC (Agriliance) is owned and governed by CHS (50%) and Land O��akes, Inc. (50%).
The Company competes with ConocoPhillips, Valero, BP Amoco, Flint Hills Resources, CVR Energy, Western Petroleum Company, Marathon, ExxonMo! bil, Citg! o, Flint Hills Resources, U.S. Oil, Delek US Holdings, HollyFrontier Corporation, Sinclair Oil Corporation, Tesoro, Chevron, Koch Industries, Agrium, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Cargill, Incorporated (Cargill), Simplot, Helena, Wilbur Ellis, Land O��akes Purina Feed, Hubbard Milling, Columbia Grain, Gavilon, Bunge, Louis Dreyfus, Ag Processing Inc., Unilever, ConAgra, ACH Food Companies, Smuckers, Kraft and CF Sauer, Ken��, Marzetti and Nestle.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Paul Ausick]
ConAgra said on Wednesday that it will close two plants in New York by early 2015, cutting more than 400 employees. The company also expects to close its $4 billion flour mill merger in the second calendar quarter of 2014. Privately held Cargill and CHS Inc. (NASDAQ: CHSCP) will hold 44% and 12%, respectively, of Ardent Mills, while ConAgra will hold the other 44%. Combined sales of what will be the country’s largest milling operation total $4.3 billion.
Top 5 Consumer Stocks To Own For 2015: Commercial Vehicle Group Inc. (CVGI)
Commercial Vehicle Group, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in supplying various cab related products and systems for the commercial vehicle markets in the United States, the United Kingdom, and other countries. The company provides seats and seating systems, including heavy truck seats, construction and other commercial vehicle seats, and office seating products. It also offers electronic wire harness assemblies that function as current carrying devices used to provide electrical interconnections for gauges, lights, control functions, power circuits, powertrain and transmission sensors, emissions systems, and other electronic applications on a commercial vehicle; and panel assemblies and cabinets. In addition, the company offers trim systems and components for the interior cabs of commercial vehicles comprising A-pillars, B-pillars, door panels, and interior trim panels; instrument panels; body panels; storage systems; floor covering systems; sleeper bunks; gr ab handles and armrests; privacy curtains; and plastics decorating and finishing products. Further, it provides cab structures, sleeper boxes, bumper fascias and fender liners, and structural components; mirrors and related hardware products; windshield wiper systems and components; and controls and control systems for window lifts, door locks, and electric switch products. The company offers its products for original equipment manufacturers for various end market vehicle applications, such as local and long-haul commercial trucking, bus, construction, mining, agricultural, military, general industrial, marine, municipal, recreational, and specialty vehicles. Commercial Vehicle Group, Inc. was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in New Albany, Ohio.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Lisa Levin]
Auto Parts Wholesale: This industry moved up 1.46% by 10:40 am. The top performer in this industry was Commercial Vehicle Group (NASDAQ: CVGI), which gained 2.3%. Commercial Vehicle Group shares have jumped 39.58% over the past 52 weeks, while the S&P 500 index has gained 22.24% in the same period.
Top 5 Consumer Stocks To Own For 2015: Outerwall Inc (OUTR)
Outerwall Inc, formerly Coinstar, Inc., incorporated on October 12, 1993, is a provider of automated retail solutions, which offers convenient products and services. the Company's offerings in automated retail include its Redbox business, where consumers can rent or purchase movies and video games from self-service kiosks (Redbox segment), and its Coin business, where consumers can convert their coin to cash or stored value products at self-service coin counting kiosks (Coin segment). Its New Ventures business (New Ventures segment) is focused on identifying, evaluating, building, and developing self-service concepts in the marketplace. On June 9, 2011, the Company completed the sale transaction of the Money Transfer Business to Sigue Corporation (Sigue). In June 2012, the Company�� wholly owned subsidiary, Redbox Automated Retail, LLC, acquired certain assets of NCR Corp's self-service entertainment DVD kiosk business. In October 2013, Jana Partners LLC acquired a 13.5% stake in Outerwall Inc.
Redbox
Within the Company�� Redbox segment, it operates 35,400 Redbox kiosks, in 29,300 locations, where consumers can rent or purchase movies and video games. Its Redbox kiosks are available in every state, as well as Puerto Rico and are installed at grocery stores, mass retailers, drug stores, restaurants and convenience stores, including Walgreens, Walmart and McDonalds. Its Redbox kiosks supply the functionality of a traditional video rental store, which occupy an area of less than 10 square feet. Consumers use a touch screen to select their titles, swipe a valid credit or debit card, and receive their movie or video game. The daily rental fee at a Redbox kiosk is a flat fee plus tax for one daily rental and, if the consumer chooses to keep the movie or video game for additional days, the consumer is charged for each additional day at the same daily rental fee. Its consumers can rent a movie or video game from one location and return their rental to any of its Redbox locations.! In addition, its consumers may reserve a movie or video game online or through a smart phone application and pick it up at the selected Redbox location.
The Company generates revenue through fees charged to rent or purchase a movie or video game, and it pays retailers a percentage of its revenue. Its content library consists of movies and video games available for rent or purchase. It obtains its movie and video game content through revenue sharing agreements and license agreements with studios and game publishers, as well as through distributors and other suppliers.
Coin
As of December 31, 2011, within the Company�� Coin segment, it owned and operated approximately 20,200 coin-counting kiosks (approximately 17,200, of which offer a range of stored value products to consumers) in 19,900 locations, where consumers feed loose change into the kiosks, which count the change and then dispense vouchers or, in some cases, issue stored value products, at the consumer�� election. Its Coin kiosks are available across the United States, where they provide service to retailers, such as Kroger and Walmart, and in Canada, Puerto Rico, Ireland and the United Kingdom. It generates revenue through transaction fees from its consumers and product partners. Each voucher lists the dollar value of coins counted, less its transaction fee. When consumers elect to have a stored value product issued, the transaction fee normally charged to the consumer is charged instead to the card issuers for the coin-counting services.
New Ventures
Within the Company�� New Ventures segment, it identifies, evaluates, builds and develops self-service concepts in the automated retail space. Its New Ventures segment consists of its coffee, refurbished electronics and photo self-service concepts. It generates revenue through fees charged for products and services offered to consumers in select test markets where it is testing business concepts.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Rich Smith]
Outerwall (NASDAQ: OUTR ) , formerly Coinstar, began trading under its new ticker symbol today, with Outerwall's management team ringing the morning bell on Nasdaq. The company also announced an acquisition of a company that created automated self-serve kiosk system to purchase used mobile phones, tablets and MP3 players for cash.
- [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]
John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images Don't be surprised if you're walking into a store and see an empty space where a Redbox machine used to be. Outerwall (OUTR) -- the parent company behind the once popular disc-renting kiosks -- is starting to scale back its operations after years of growth. It was a rough second quarter for Redbox with just 169.3 million rentals of DVDs, Blu-rays, and video games. That may seem like a big number, but it was 9.3 percent lower than the tally a year earlier. Outerwall blames Hollywood for supplying them with weak films. The new movies hitting the DVD and Blu-ray market during the period rang up 37.5 percent fewer ticket sales in North America during their theatrical runs than those released in the second quarter of 2013, and box office is a big driver for Redbox rentals. Nobody wants to rent what nobody wanted to see at the multiplex. Things were particularly hard for the month of June when just four major releases hit the video market. There could also be a bigger trend in play here. Redbox was the welcome beneficiary of Blockbuster's demise and Netflix's (NFLX) move to shift emphasis to its popular streaming platform. Former Blockbuster fans, or those who were upset by Netflix's choice to sell its DVD and streaming offerings separately fell into the waiting arms of Redbox's automated kiosks. However, now that the post-Blockbuster gains have been absorbed, and the period of Netflix defection has subsided (the number of Netflix disc subscribers has fallen by more than half to 6.3 million) there's no more easy growth to be had for Outerwall's fleet of Redbox machines. Another sign that the issue isn't just a bad few months of movies is that Outerwall now expects to close out the year with as many as 700 fewer Redbox kiosks in operation in the U.S. market. The net reduction of 500 to 700 machines may not seem like a lot for a company with more than 42,000 kiosks in operation. That's less than 2 percent of its stateside emp
Top 5 Consumer Stocks To Own For 2015: Regional Management Corp (RM)
Regional Management Corp. (Regional), incorporated on March 25, 1987, is a diversified specialty consumer finance company providing a range of loan products primarily to customers with limited access to consumer credit from banks, thrifts, credit card companies and other traditional lenders. The Company has a branch network throughout the Southeast and Southwestern United States. Each of its loan products is secured, structured on a fixed rate, fixed term basis with fully amortizing equal monthly installment payments and is repayable at any time without penalty. Regional�� loans are sourced through its multiple channel platform, including in its branches, through direct mail campaigns, independent and franchise automobile dealerships, online credit application networks, furniture and appliance retailers and its consumer Website. On January 20, 2012, it purchased 23 branches in Alabama.
The Company is offering small installment loans, large installment loans, automobile purchase loans, furniture and appliance purchase loans, related credit insurance, and ancillary products and services. As of December 31, 2011, the Company operated offices in 170 locations in the states of Alabama (14 offices), North Carolina (24 offices), Oklahoma (one office), South Carolina (69 offices), Tennessee (18 offices), and Texas (44 offices) under the brand names Regional Finance, RMC Financial Services, Anchor Finance, and Sun Finance. The Company opened 36 offices during the years ended December 31, 2011.
Small Installment Loans
The Company offers small installment loans ranging from $300 to $2,500, with terms of up to 36 months, which are secured by non-essential household goods. The Company also source small installment loans through its live check mailing campaigns to pre-screened individuals. In 2011, the average originated net loan size and term for its small installment loans were $1,022 and 15 months, respectively. Its small installment loans include loans originated throug! h its live check campaigns, which had an average originated net loan size and term of $1,216 and 16 months for 2011. The weighted average yield it earned on its portfolio of small installment loans was 49.3% in 2011. As of December 31, 2011, it had approximately 137,000 small installment loans outstanding representing $130.3 million in finance receivables.
Large Installment Loans
The Company offers large installment loans through its branches ranging from $2,500 to $20,000, with terms of between 18 and 60 months, which are secured by a vehicle in addition to non-essential household goods. Its installment loans are payable in fixed rate, fully amortizing equal monthly installments with terms of 18 to 60 months, and are repayable at any time without penalty. The Company requires its large installment loans to be secured by a vehicle, which may be an automobile, motorcycle, boat or all-terrain vehicle, as well as certain non-essential household goods. In 2011, its average originated net loan size and term for large installment loans were $3,065 and 27 months, respectively. The weighted average yield it earned on its portfolio of large installment loans was 27.6% for 2011. As of December 31, 2011, it had approximately 12,000 large installment loans outstanding representing $36.9 million in finance receivables.
Automobile Purchase Loans
The Company offers automobile purchase loans of up to $30,000, generally with terms of between 36 and 72 months, which are secured by the purchased vehicle. Its automobile purchase loans are offered through a network of dealers in its geographic footprint, including over 2,000 independent and approximately 740 franchise automobile dealerships as of December 31, 2011. Its automobile purchase loans include both direct loans, which are sourced through a dealership and closed at one of its branches, and indirect loans, which are originated and closed at a dealership in its network without the need for the customer to visit o! ne of its! branches. In 2011, it introduced AutoCredit Source branches in the Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas and Charlotte, North Carolina metropolitan areas, which focus solely on originating, underwriting and servicing indirect automobile purchase loans. As of December 31, 2011, it had approximately 15,000 automobile purchase loans outstanding representing $128.7 million in finance receivables. The Company opened two additional AutoCredit Source branches in Texas in January 2012.
Furniture and Appliance Purchase Loans
The Company offers indirect furniture and appliance purchase loans of up to $7,500, with terms of between six and 48 months, which are secured by the purchased furniture or appliance. Its furniture and appliance purchase loans are indirect loans made through a retailer at the point of sale without the need for the customer to visit one of its branches, similar to its indirect automobile purchase loans. The Company partner with furniture and appliance retailers who offer its furniture and appliance purchase loans directly to their customers. As of December 31, 2011, it provided furniture and appliance purchase loans to customers at approximately 250 furniture and appliance retail locations, including 79 franchise store locations of the furniture retailer in the United States.
Insurance Products
The Company offers its customers optional payment protection insurance relating to many of its loan products. The insurance products it offers customers are voluntary and not a condition of the loan. Its insurance products, including the types of products offered and the terms and conditions thereof, vary from state to state in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. The Company markets and sells insurance policies as an agent for an unaffiliated third-party insurance company. The policies are then ceded to its wholly owned reinsurance subsidiary, RMC Reinsurance, Ltd., which then bears the full risk of the policy. For the sale of insurance policies, th! e Company! , as agent, writes policies within the limitations established by its agency contracts with the unaffiliated third-party insurance company.
Credit Life Insurance, Credit Accident and Health Insurance and Involuntary Unemployment Insurance
The Company markets and sells optional credit life insurance, credit accident and health insurance and involuntary unemployment insurance in connection with its loans in selected markets. Credit life insurance provides for the payment in full of the borrower�� credit obligation to the lender in the event of the borrower�� death. Credit accident and health insurance, which is only offered in conjunction with credit life insurance, provides for the repayment of loan installments to the lender that come due during an insured�� period of income interruption resulting from disability from illness or injury. Involuntary unemployment insurance provides for repayment of loan installments in the event the borrower is no longer employed as the result of a layoff or reduction in workforce. All customers purchasing these types of insurance from the Company sign a statement on the loan contract affirming that they understand that their purchase of insurance is not a condition of its granting the loan.
Collateral Protection Collision Insurance
The Company before originate an automobile purchase loan or large installment loan, it require the borrower to provide proof of acceptable liability and collision insurance on the vehicle securing the loan. While the Company do not offer automobile insurance to its customers, it will obtain collateral protection collision insurance (CPI) on behalf of customers who permit their other insurance coverage to lapse. If it obtains CPI for a vehicle, the customer has the opportunity to provide proof of insurance to cancel the CPI and receive a refund of all unearned premiums.
Property Insurance
The Company also requires that its 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 it offers.
The Company competes with World Acceptance Corp. and Security Finance Corporation.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Peter Graham]
Small cap installment loan and consumer finance�stock World Acceptance Corp (NASDAQ: WRLD), a potential peer of small cap Regional Management Corp (NYSE: RM) and�mid cap�Springleaf Holdings Inc (NYSE: LEAF), has elevated short interest of 38.72% according to Highshortinterest.com. However, World Acceptance Corp got on the radar of the shorts when the company disclosed that its being investigated by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau�for its lending practices. ��
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