LITIGATION
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9 Months Ended |
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Dec. 31, 2014
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Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] | |
LITIGATION | See Part 1, Item 2, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations-Regulatory Matters-CFPB Investigation,” for information regarding the Company’s previously disclosed receipt of a Civil Investigative Demand (“CID”) from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) on March 12, 2014 and the Company’s response thereto. As previously disclosed, on April 22, 2014, a shareholder filed a putative class action complaint, Edna Selan Epstein v. World Acceptance Corporation et al., in the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina (case number 6:14-cv-01606), against the Company and certain of its current and former officers on behalf of all persons who purchased or otherwise acquired the Company’s common stock between April 25, 2013 and March 12, 2014. The complaint alleges that the Company made false and misleading statements in various SEC reports and other public statements in violation of federal securities laws preceding the Company’s disclosure in a Form 8-K filed March 13, 2014 that it had received above-referenced CID from the CFPB. The complaint seeks class certification, unspecified monetary damages, costs and attorneys’ fees. The Company believes the complaint is without merit and intends to vigorously defend itself in the matter. On June 25, 2014, the Company filed a motion to dismiss the complaint. On August 12, 2014, lead plaintiff Operating Engineers Construction Industry and Miscellaneous Pension Fund filed an amended complaint. The amended complaint contains similar allegations to the original complaint, but expands the class period and includes additional allegations that the Company’s loan growth and volume figures were inflated because of a weakness in the Company’s internal controls relating to its accounting treatment of certain small-dollar loan re-financings. The Company filed a motion to dismiss the amended complaint on September 16, 2014. On October 21, 2014, the Plaintiff filed a response in opposition to the Company’s motion to dismiss the amended complaint. The Company filed a reply brief in support of its motion to dismiss on November 17, 2014 and is awaiting a decisions from the Court on its motion to dismiss. In addition, from time to time the Company is involved in routine litigation matters relating to claims arising out of its operations in the normal course of business, including matters in which damages in various amounts are claimed. Estimating an amount or range of possible losses resulting from litigation, government actions and other legal proceedings is inherently difficult and requires an extensive degree of judgment, particularly where the matters involve indeterminate claims for monetary damages, may involve fines, penalties or damages that are discretionary in amount, involve a large number of claimants or significant discretion by regulatory authorities, represent a change in regulatory policy or interpretation, present novel legal theories, are in the early stages of the proceedings, are subject to appeal or could result in a change in business practices. In addition, because most legal proceedings are resolved over extended periods of time, potential losses are subject to change due to, among other things, new developments, changes in legal strategy, the outcome of intermediate procedural and substantive rulings and other parties’ settlement posture and their evaluation of the strength or weakness of their case against us. For these reasons, we are currently unable to predict the ultimate timing or outcome of, or reasonably estimate the possible losses or a range of possible losses resulting from, the matters described above. Based on information currently available, the Company does not believe that any reasonably possible losses arising from currently pending legal matters will be material to the Company’s results of operations or financial condition. However, in light of the inherent uncertainties involved in such matters, an adverse outcome in one or more of these matters could materially and adversely affect the Company’s financial condition, results of operations or cash flows in any particular reporting period. |