<SUBMISSION>
<ACCESSION-NUMBER>0001084961-04-000117
<TYPE>8-K
<PUBLIC-DOCUMENT-COUNT>3
<PERIOD>20041206
<ITEMS>7.01
<ITEMS>9.01
<FILING-DATE>20041206
<DATE-OF-FILING-DATE-CHANGE>20041206
<FILER>
<COMPANY-DATA>
<CONFORMED-NAME>ENCORE CAPITAL GROUP INC
<CIK>0001084961
<ASSIGNED-SIC>6153
<IRS-NUMBER>481090909
<STATE-OF-INCORPORATION>DE
<FISCAL-YEAR-END>1231
</COMPANY-DATA>
<FILING-VALUES>
<FORM-TYPE>8-K
<ACT>34
<FILE-NUMBER>000-26489
<FILM-NUMBER>041185572
</FILING-VALUES>
<BUSINESS-ADDRESS>
<STREET1>5775 ROSECOE COURT
<CITY>SAN DIEGO
<STATE>CA
<ZIP>92123
<PHONE>8007590327
</BUSINESS-ADDRESS>
<MAIL-ADDRESS>
<STREET1>5775 ROSCOE COURT
<CITY>SAN DIEGO
<STATE>CA
<ZIP>92123
</MAIL-ADDRESS>
<FORMER-COMPANY>
<FORMER-CONFORMED-NAME>MCM CAPITAL GROUP INC
<DATE-CHANGED>19990430
</FORMER-COMPANY>
<FORMER-COMPANY>
<FORMER-CONFORMED-NAME>MIDLAND CORP OF KANSAS
<DATE-CHANGED>19990423
</FORMER-COMPANY>
</FILER>
<DOCUMENT>
<TYPE>8-K
<SEQUENCE>1
<FILENAME>form8k_maindocument.htm
<DESCRIPTION>NEW PORFOLIO PURCHASES AND SOX 404
<TEXT>

<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>Form 8K - December 6, 2004</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>








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<H1 ALIGN=CENTER><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=3>SECURITIES AND
EXCHANGE COMMISSION </FONT><BR><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2>WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549 </FONT></H1>
<HR SIZE=3 width=30% align=center NOSHADE color=black>

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<H1 ALIGN=CENTER><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=3>FORM 8-K </FONT></H1>
<HR SIZE=3 width=30% align=center NOSHADE color=black>

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<H1 ALIGN=CENTER><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=3>CURRENT REPORT </FONT><BR>
<FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2>Pursuant to Section 13
or 15(d) </FONT><BR><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2>of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 </FONT></H1>

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<P ALIGN=CENTER><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2>Date of Report (Date of
earliest event reported):&nbsp;&nbsp;December 6, 2004  </FONT></P>

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<H1 ALIGN=CENTER><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=3>Encore Capital Group,
Inc. </FONT></H1>

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<P ALIGN=CENTER><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2>(Exact Name of
Registrant as Specified in its Charter) </FONT></P>



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     <TH ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE="2">Delaware</FONT></TH>
     <TH ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE="2"></FONT></TH>
     <TH ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE="2">000-26489</FONT></TH>
     <TH ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE="2"></FONT></TH>
     <TH ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT SIZE="2">48-1090909</FONT></TH></TR>
<TR VALIGN="TOP">
     <TD WIDTH="32%" ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE="2">(State or other jurisdiction of<BR>
incorporation or organization)</FONT></TD>
     <TD WIDTH="2%" ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE="2"></FONT></TD>
     <TD WIDTH="32%" ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE="2">(Commission File Number)</FONT></TD>
     <TD WIDTH="2%" ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE="2"></FONT></TD>
     <TD WIDTH="32%" ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE="2">(I.R.S Employer<BR>
Identification No.)</FONT></TD></TR>
<TR VALIGN="TOP">
     <TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE="2"></FONT></TD>
     <TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE="2"></FONT></TD>
     <TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE="2"></FONT></TD>
     <TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE="2"></FONT></TD>
     <TD ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE="2"></FONT></TD></TR>
</TABLE>


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<P ALIGN=CENTER><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE="2"><B>8875 Aero Drive</B> </FONT> <BR>
<FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE="2"><B>San Diego, California
92123</B> </FONT> <BR><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE="1">(Address of Principal
Executive Offices) (Zip Code) </FONT> </P>

<!-- MARKER FORMAT-SHEET="Head Minor Center-TNR" FSL="Project" -->
<P ALIGN=CENTER><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2><B>(877) 445-4581</B> </FONT><BR>
<FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=1>(Registrant&#146;s
Telephone Number, Including Area Code) </FONT></P>
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<BR><BR><BR><BR>
<HR SIZE=3 NOSHADE>



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<H1 ALIGN=LEFT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2>Item 7.01.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Regulation FD
Disclosure </FONT></H1>

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<P><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;On
December 6, 2004 the Company issued a press release announcing that it had purchased two
large portfolios of credit card receivables, which were financed under the revised Credit
Agreement terms referred to in Item 1.01 of the Company&#146;s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 3, 2004. A copy of the
press release is attached to this Current Report on Form 8-K as Exhibit 99.1 and is
incorporated herein solely for purposes of this Item 7.01. </FONT></P>

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<P><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Also
on December 6, 2004 the Company issued a press release regarding the status of its efforts
to comply with the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. A copy of the
press release is attached to this Current Report on Form 8-K as Exhibit 99.2 and is
incorporated herein solely for purposes of this Item 7.01. </FONT></P>

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<P><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
The information provided in this Current Report on Form 8-K pursuant to Item 7.01,
including Exhibits 99.1 and 99.2, shall not be deemed &#147;filed&#148; for the purposes
of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or otherwise subject to the
liabilities under that Section. Furthermore, the information provided in this Current
Report on Form 8-K pursuant to Item 7.01, including Exhibits 99.1 and 99.2, shall not be
deemed to be incorporated by reference into the filings of Encore Capital Group, Inc.
under the Securities Act of 1933. </FONT></P>

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<H1 ALIGN=LEFT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2>Item 9.01&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Financial
Statements and Exhibits </FONT></H1>

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<P ALIGN=LEFT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2>(c) Exhibits </FONT></P>





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<TD WIDTH=9%><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2>99.1 </FONT></TD>
<TD WIDTH=3%><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2></FONT></TD>
<TD WIDTH=88%><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2> Press release dated December 6, 2004 regarding portfolio purchases and credit terms. </FONT></TD>

</TR>
</TABLE>
<BR>


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<TD WIDTH=9%><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2>99.2 </FONT></TD>
<TD WIDTH=3%><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2></FONT></TD>
<TD WIDTH=88%><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2> Press release dated December 6, 2004 regarding Sarbanes-Oxley Section  404. </FONT></TD></TR>



</TABLE>
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<P ALIGN=CENTER><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2>2 </FONT></P>




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<P ALIGN=CENTER><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2>SIGNATURES </FONT></P>

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<P><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused
this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized. </FONT></P>


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     <TD><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE="2"></FONT></TD>
     <TD><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE="2"><B>ENCORE CAPITAL GROUP, INC.</B></FONT></TD>
     <TD><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE="2"></FONT></TD></TR>
<TR VALIGN="BOTTOM">
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<TR VALIGN="BOTTOM">
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<TR VALIGN="BOTTOM">
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<TR VALIGN="BOTTOM">
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<TR VALIGN="TOP">
     <TD WIDTH="34%"><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE="2">Date: December 6, 2004</FONT></TD>
     <TD WIDTH="33%"><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE="2">By&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; /s/ Barry R. Barkley<BR>
&#151;&#151;&#151;&#151;&#151;&#151;&#151;&#151;&#151;&#151;&#151;&#151;&#151;&#151;
<BR>
Barry R. Barkley<BR>
Executive Vice President,<BR>
Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer</FONT></TD>
     <TD WIDTH="33%"><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE="2"></FONT></TD></TR>

</TABLE>
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<P ALIGN=CENTER><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2>3 </FONT></P>

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<H1 ALIGN=CENTER><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2>EXHIBIT INDEX </FONT></H1>




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<TD WIDTH=9%><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2>Exhibit </FONT></TD>
<TD WIDTH=3%><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2></FONT></TD>
<TD WIDTH=88%><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2>Description </FONT></TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
<BR>

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<TD WIDTH=9%><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2>99.1 </FONT></TD>
<TD WIDTH=3%><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2></FONT></TD>
<TD WIDTH=88%><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2>Press release dated December 6, 2004 regarding portfolio purchases and credit terms.</FONT></TD>


</TR>
</TABLE>
<BR>

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<TD WIDTH=9%><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2>99.2 </FONT></TD>
<TD WIDTH=3%><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2></FONT></TD>
<TD WIDTH=88%><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2>Press release dated December 6, 2004 regarding Sarbanes-Oxley Section  404. </FONT></TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
<BR>

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<P ALIGN=CENTER><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2>4 </FONT></P>

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</TEXT>
</DOCUMENT>
<DOCUMENT>
<TYPE>EX-99.1
<SEQUENCE>2
<FILENAME>form8k_exhibit991.htm
<DESCRIPTION>NEW PORTFOLIO PURCHASES AND REVISED CREDIT TERMS
<TEXT>
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<!-- MARKER FORMAT-SHEET="Head Right-TNR" FSL="Project" -->
<P ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2>Exhibit 99.1 </FONT></P>

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<H1 ALIGN=CENTER><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=3>Encore Announces
Portfolio Purchases and Revised Credit Terms  </FONT></H1>

<!-- MARKER FORMAT-SHEET="Para Flush Lv 0-TNR" FSL="Project" -->
<P><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE="2"><B>San Diego &#150; (Business Wire)
&#150; December 6, 2004 &#150; </B>Encore Capital Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: ECPG), a leading
accounts receivable management firm, today reported that it invested $44.8 million during
October and November in portfolio purchases with an average price of 3.8% of face value.
Included in this were two large purchases totaling $34.3 million with an average price of 3.8%. This brings the year to date cost of total spending on portfolio purchases through November
2004 to $102.0 million &#151; a 14.7% increase when compared to the $88.9 million of
portfolios purchased during all of 2003. </FONT> </P>

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<P><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2>Several of these portfolios were
financed under an amendment to the Company&#146;s longstanding Secured Financing Facility.
Previously under this facility, the Company shared the profits of the receivables financed
with the lender without a limit on the effective interest rate paid. Under this
arrangement, the Company incurred an effective interest rate of 118.4% and 58.3% for the
nine months ended September 30, 2004 and the year ended December 31, 2003, respectively.
The newly amended agreement caps the total amount owed the lender for most portfolios
financed under this facility between October 15, 2004 and the facility&#146;s termination
date, December 31, 2004. This modification has allowed the Company to purchase portfolios
at a lower multiple of gross collections to purchase cost, thus somewhat mitigating the
increasing prices found in the recent purchase market. </FONT></P>

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<P><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2>Carl C. Gregory, III, the
Company&#146;s Chief Executive Officer, stated, &#147;Over the past 12 months prices have
risen steadily, making it increasingly difficult to purchase portfolios on attractive
terms. Although the purchases we&#146;ve made this quarter are at higher prices, and
consequently lower collection multiples, than we would have paid for similar portfolios a
year ago, we&#146;re pleased we were able to identify, negotiate and close on several high
quality portfolios which meet our needs at this time. While we will benefit from the
amended credit agreement terms, the positive earnings impact will be offset by the lower
revenue recognition rates resulting from the lower collections multiples on portfolios
purchased in this market environment.&#148; </FONT></P>

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<H1 ALIGN=LEFT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=3><I>About Encore Capital
Group, Inc.</I>  </FONT></H1>

<!-- MARKER FORMAT-SHEET="Para Flush Lv 0-TNR" FSL="Default" -->
<P><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE="2">Encore Capital Group, Inc. is an
accounts receivable management firm that specializes in purchasing charged-off and
defaulted consumer debt. More information on the company can be found at
<U>www.encorecapitalgroup.com.</U> </FONT> </P>


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<H1 ALIGN=LEFT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=3><I>Forward Looking
Statements</I>  </FONT></H1>

<!-- MARKER FORMAT-SHEET="Para Flush Lv 0-TNR" FSL="Project" -->
<P><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2><I>The statements in this press release
that are not historical facts, including, most importantly, those statements preceded by,
or that include, the words &#147;may,&#148; &#147;believes,&#148; &#147;projects,&#148;
&#147;expects,&#148; &#147;anticipates,&#148; &#147;will&#148; or the negation thereof, or
similar expressions, constitute &#147;forward-looking statements&#148; within the meaning
of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the &#147;Reform Act&#148;).
These statements may include, but are not limited to, projections of cash collections,
revenues, income or loss; estimates of capital expenditures; plans for future operations,
products or services; our assessment of current market conditions for purchases of
receivable portfolios; and financing needs or plans, as well as assumptions relating to
those matters. For all &#147;forward-looking statements,&#148; the Company claims the
protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Reform Act.
Such forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors which may
cause actual results, performance or achievements of the Company and our subsidiaries to
be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or
implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could affect the Company&#146;s
results and cause them to materially differ from those contained in the forward-looking
statements include: the Company&#146;s ability to purchase receivables portfolios on
acceptable terms and in sufficient quantities, particularly in challenging market
conditions that drive down margins on new portfolios and may cause us to reduce the volume
of purchases we make in a given period when higher prices prevail; the availability and
cost of financing; the Company&#146;s ability to recover sufficient amounts on or with
respect to receivables to fund operations; the Company&#146;s continued servicing of
receivables in its third party financing transactions; the Company&#146;s ability to hire
and retain qualified personnel to recover on its receivables efficiently; changes in, or
failure to comply with, government regulations; the costs, uncertainties and other effects
of legal and administrative proceedings; the costs associated with, and the potential
inability of the Company to comply with the internal control requirements of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act as well as risk factors and cautionary statements made in the
Company&#146;s Annual Report on Form 10-K as of and for the year ended December 31, 2003.</I> </FONT></P>

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<P><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2><I>Forward-looking statements speak only
as of the date the statement was made. They are inherently subject to risks and
uncertainties, some of which the Company cannot predict or quantify. Future events and
actual results could differ materially from the forward-looking statements. The Company
will not undertake and specifically declines any obligation to publicly release the result
of any revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances
after the date of such statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or
unanticipated events, whether as the result of new information, future events or for any
other reason. In addition, it is the Company&#146;s policy generally not to make any
specific projections as to future earnings, and the Company does not endorse any
projections regarding future performance that may be made by third parties.</I> </FONT></P>

<P><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE="2"><B><I>CONTACT:</I></B>

<B><BR>Encore Capital Group,
Inc. (Shareholders/Analysts) </B><BR>Carl C. Gregory, III, 858-309-6961<BR>carl.gregory@encorecapitalgroup.com<BR> or<BR><B>Financial Relations Board
(Press)</B><BR>Tony Rossi, 310-854-8317 (Investor Relations)<BR>trossi@financialrelationsboard.com </FONT> </P>

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<P ALIGN=LEFT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE="2"><B>SOURCE: Encore Capital
Group, Inc.</B> </FONT> </P>

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     <P ALIGN=CENTER>#&nbsp;#&nbsp;#&nbsp;#&nbsp;#&nbsp;#&nbsp;#&nbsp;</P>


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</DOCUMENT>
<DOCUMENT>
<TYPE>EX-99.2
<SEQUENCE>3
<FILENAME>form8k_exhibit992.htm
<DESCRIPTION>SOX 404 UPDATE
<TEXT>
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<!-- MARKER FORMAT-SHEET="Head Right-TNR" FSL="Project" -->
<P ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=3>Exhibit 99.2 </FONT></P>





<!-- MARKER FORMAT-SHEET="Head Major Center Bold 1-TNR" FSL="Project" -->
<H1 ALIGN=CENTER><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2>Encore Provides SOX
404 Update </FONT></H1>

<!-- MARKER FORMAT-SHEET="Para Flush Lv 0-TNR" FSL="Project" -->
<P><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2><B>SAN DIEGO &#151; (BUSINESS
WIRE)&#151;December 6, 2004 &#151; Encore Capital Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: ECPG), </B>a
leading accounts receivable management firm, today provided an update of the status of its
efforts to comply with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, commonly referred to as
&#147;SOX,&#148; which requires companies to satisfy certain internal controls
requirements. In substance, Section 404 requires annual management assessments of the
effectiveness of the company&#146;s internal controls over financial reporting, and a
report by its independent auditors addressing these assessments. </FONT></P>

<!-- MARKER FORMAT-SHEET="Para Flush Lv 0-TNR" FSL="Project" -->
<P><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2>The rules implementing SOX require
that &#147;accelerated filers&#148; comply with the new Item 404 requirements for the
fiscal year ending December 31, 2004. Non-accelerated filers have until the end of 2005 to
comply with these new rules. Effective June 30 of this year, Encore became an
&#147;accelerated filer&#148; under the SEC&#146;s guidelines because of its significant
share price appreciation, as well as the increased float resulting from the Company&#146;s
October 2003 public offering. </FONT></P>

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<P><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2>Encore reported that it has a plan to
satisfy SOX 404 requirements for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2004 which it is
aggressively pursuing, and recently added additional resources dedicated to this task. The
Company also noted, however, that it may not be able to timely achieve all of the
objectives of the rule for this fiscal year. </FONT></P>

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<P><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2>Barry Barkley, the Company&#146;s
Chief Financial Officer, stated, &#147;Our compliance plan encompasses the identification,
documentation and testing of a sweeping set of controls. To date, we have invested
approximately $1 million in this process and have spared no effort to meet these
requirements. Notwithstanding all of this, at this point, we believe there is more than a
remote chance that we will not complete all of 404&#146;s requirements by the dates due.
We do not anticipate that an inability to satisfy all of the requirements of SOX 404 would affect our ability to complete our financial audit.&#148; </FONT></P>


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<H1 ALIGN=LEFT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2>About Encore Capital
Group, Inc. </FONT></H1>

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<P><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2>Encore Capital Group, Inc. is an
accounts receivable management firm that specializes in purchasing charged-off and
defaulted consumer debt. More information on the company can be found at
www.encorecapitalgroup.com. </FONT></P>

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<H1 ALIGN=LEFT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2>Forward Looking
Statements </FONT></H1>

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<P><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2>The statements in this press release
that are not historical facts, including, most importantly, those statements preceded by,
or that include, the words &#147;may,&#148; &#147;believes,&#148; &#147;projects,&#148;
&#147;expects,&#148; &#147;anticipates,&#148; &#147;will&#148; or the negation thereof, or
similar expressions, constitute &#147;forward-looking statements&#148; within the meaning
of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the &#147;Reform Act&#148;).
These statements may include, but are not limited to, our efforts to comply with the
internal controls requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and our ability to complete our financial audit and obtain an
unqualified audit opinion on our financial statements. For all &#147;forward-looking
statements,&#148; the Company claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking
statements contained in the Reform Act. Such forward-looking statements involve risks,
uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or
achievements of the Company and our subsidiaries to be materially different from any
future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking
statements. In this regard, failure to comply with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
or to obtain an unqualified opinion on its financial statements could subject the Company
to fines and other regulatory penalties, as well as investor lawsuits and related costs
and damages, and could adversely affect the Company&#146;s stock price. </FONT></P>

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<P><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2>Forward-looking statements speak only
as of the date the statements were made. They are inherently subject to risks and
uncertainties, some of which the Company cannot predict or quantify. Future events and
actual results could differ materially from the forward-looking statements. The Company
will not undertake and specifically declines any obligation to publicly release the result
of any revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances
after the date of such statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or
unanticipated events, whether as the result of new information, future events or for any
other reason. In addition, it is the Company&#146;s policy generally not to make any
specific projections as to future earnings, and the Company does not endorse any
projections regarding future performance that may be made by third parties. </FONT></P>

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<H1 ALIGN=LEFT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2>CONTACT: </FONT></H1>

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<P ALIGN=LEFT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2>Encore Capital Group,
Inc. (Shareholders/Analysts)Carl <BR>C. Gregory, III, 858-309-6961<BR>carl.gregory@encorecapitalgroup.com<BR> or<BR>
Financial Relations Board
(Press)<BR>Tony Rossi, 310-854-8317 (Investor Relations)<BR>trossi@financialrelationsboard.com </FONT></P>

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<P ALIGN=LEFT><FONT FACE="Times New Roman, Times, Serif" SIZE=2>SOURCE: Encore Capital
Group, Inc. </FONT></P>


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