SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT POLICIES

Nature of Operations

The Company is a small-loan consumer finance company headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina that offers short-term small loans, medium-term larger loans, related credit insurance products and ancillary products and services to individuals who have limited access to other sources of consumer credit. In U.S. branches, the Company offers income tax return preparation services to its loan customers and other individuals.

Seasonality

The Company's loan volume and corresponding loans receivable follow seasonal trends. The Company's highest loan demand generally occurs from October through December, its third fiscal quarter. Loan demand is generally lowest and loan repayment highest from January to March, its fourth fiscal quarter. Loan volume and average balances remain relatively level during the remainder of the year. Consequently, the Company experiences significant seasonal fluctuations in its operating results and cash needs. Operating results for the Company's third fiscal quarter are generally lower than in other quarters and operating results for its fourth fiscal quarter are generally higher than in other quarters.

Recently Adopted Accounting Standards

Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs

In April 2015, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2015-03, which requires an entity to present debt issuance costs on the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the related debt liability as opposed to an asset. Amortization of the costs will continue to be reported as interest expense. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-15, Presentation and Subsequent Measurement of Debt Issuance Costs Associated with Line-of-Credit Arrangements (Amendments to SEC Paragraphs Pursuant to Staff Announcement at June 18, 2015 EITF Meeting). ASU 2015-15 allows debt issuance costs related to line-of-credit agreements to be presented on the balance sheet as an asset. ASU 2015-03 and 2015-15 were adopted April 1, 2016 with no impact on our consolidated financial statements.

Recently Issued Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted

Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other Than Inventory

In October 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2016-16, Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other Than Inventory. Current GAAP prohibits the recognition of current and deferred income taxes for an intra-entity asset transfer until the asset has been sold to an outside party. This prohibition on recognition is an exception to the principle of comprehensive recognition of current and deferred income taxes in GAAP. The amendments in this Update eliminate the exception for an intra-entity transfer of an asset other than inventory. For public business entities the amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted as of the beginning of an annual reporting period for which financial statements (interim or annual) have not been issued or made available for issuance. We are currently evaluating the impact the adoption of this guidance will have on our consolidated financial statements.

Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments

In August 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2016-15, Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments. The amendment addresses the following eight specific cash flow issues with the objective of reducing the existing diversity in practice:


•	Debt Prepayment or Debt Extinguishment Costs


•	Settlement of Zero-Coupon Debt Instruments or Other Debt Instruments with Coupon Interest Rates That Are Insignificant in Relation to the Effective Interest Rate of the Borrowing


•	Contingent Consideration Payments Made after a Business Combination


•	Proceeds from the Settlement of Insurance Claims


•	Proceeds from the Settlement of Corporate-Owned Life Insurance Policies, including Bank-Owned Life Insurance Policies


•	Distributions Received from Equity Method Investees


•	Beneficial Interests in Securitization Transactions


•	Separately Identifiable Cash Flows and Application of the Predominance Principle

For public business entities the amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in an interim period. We are currently evaluating the impact the adoption of this guidance will have on our consolidated financial statements.

Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments

In June 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses. The amendment seeks to provide financial statement users with more decision-useful information about the expected credit losses on financial instruments and other commitments to extend credit held by a reporting entity at

each reporting date. To achieve this objective, the amendments in this ASU replace the incurred loss impairment methodology in current GAAP with a methodology that reflects expected credit losses and requires consideration of a broader range of reasonable and supportable information to inform credit loss estimates. For public business entities the amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. We are currently evaluating the impact the adoption of this guidance will have on our consolidated financial statements.

Revenue from Contracts with Customers

In April 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2016-10, Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing. The amendments clarify the following two aspects of Topic 606: (a) identifying performance obligations; and (b) the licensing implementation guidance. The amendments do not change the core principle of the guidance in Topic 606. The effective date and transition requirements for the amendments are the same as the effective date and transition requirements in Topic 606. Public entities should apply the amendments for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim reporting periods therein. Early application for public entities is permitted only as of annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim reporting periods within that reporting period. We are currently evaluating the impact the adoption of this guidance will have on our consolidated financial statements.

Stock Compensation

In March 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-09, Improvements to Employee Share - Based Payment Accounting, which simplifies the accounting for share-based payment transactions, income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, and classification on the statement of cash flows. The amendment in this ASU becomes effective on a modified retrospective transition for accounting in tax benefits recognized, retrospectively for accounting related to the presentation of employee taxes paid, prospective for accounting related to recognition of excess tax benefits, and either a prospective or retrospective method for accounting related to presentation of excess employee tax benefits for annual periods, and interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2016. We are currently evaluating the impact the adoption of this guidance will have on our consolidated financial statements.

Technical Corrections and Improvements

In March 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-08, Principal versus Agent Considerations, which clarifies the implementation of the guidance on principal versus agent considerations from ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. ASU 2016-08 does not change the core principle of the guidance in ASU 2014-09, but rather clarifies the distinction between principal versus agent considerations when implementing ASU 2014-09. As these are technical corrections and improvements only, the Company does not believe that this ASU will have a material effect on its consolidated financial statements.

Leases

In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842). The ASU will require lessees to recognize assets and liabilities on leases with terms greater than 12 months and to disclose information related to the amount, timing and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases, including various qualitative and quantitative requirements. The amendments of this ASU become effective for annual periods, and interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2018. We are currently evaluating the impact the adoption of this guidance will have on our consolidated financial statements.

Recognition, Measurement, Presentation, and Disclosure of Financial Instruments

In January 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-01, which updates certain aspects of recognition, measurement, presentation and disclosure of financial instruments. ASU 2016-01 will be effective for the Company beginning in its first quarter of 2019 and early adoption is not permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact the adoption of this guidance will have on our consolidated financial statements.

Revenue from Contracts with Customers

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2014-09, which supersedes the revenue recognition requirements Topic 605 (Revenue Recognition), and most industry-specific guidance. ASU No. 2014-09 is based on the principle that revenue is recognized to depict the transfer of goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. ASU No. 2014-09 also requires additional disclosure about the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from customer contracts, including significant judgments and changes in judgments and assets recognized from costs incurred to obtain or fulfill a contract. ASU No. 2014-09, as amended by ASU 2015-14, is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods, beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016. We are currently evaluating the impact the adoption of this guidance will have on our consolidated financial statements.

We reviewed all other newly issued accounting pronouncements and concluded that they are either not applicable to our business or are not expected to have a material effect on the consolidated financial statements as a result of future adoption.