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Note 1 - Description of Our Business

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2023

Notes to Financial Statements

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements Disclosure [Text Block]

1.	Description of Our Business

Our accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Atlanticus Holdings Corporation (the “Company”) and those entities we control. We are a purpose driven financial technology company. We are primarily focused on facilitating consumer credit through the use of our financial technology and related services. Through our subsidiaries, we provide technology and other support services to lenders who offer an array of financial products and services to consumers who may have been declined by other providers of credit.

We are principally engaged in providing products and services to lenders in the U.S. and, in most cases, we invest in the receivables originated by lenders who utilize our technology platform and other related services. From time to time, we also purchase receivables portfolios from third parties. In these Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, “receivables” or “loans” typically refer to receivables we have purchased from our bank partners or from third parties.

Within our Credit as a Service (“CaaS”) segment, we apply our technology solutions, in combination with the experiences gained, and infrastructure built from servicing over $37 billion in consumer loans over more than 25 years of operating history, to support lenders in offering more inclusive financial services. These products include private label credit and general purpose credit cards originated by lenders through multiple channels, including retailers and healthcare providers, direct mail solicitation, digital marketing and partnerships with third parties. The services of our bank partners are often extended to consumers who may not have access to financing options with larger financial institutions. Our flexible technology solutions allow our bank partners to integrate our paperless process and instant decisioning platform with the existing infrastructure of participating retailers, healthcare providers and other service providers. Using our technology and proprietary predictive analytics, lenders can make instant credit decisions utilizing hundreds of inputs from multiple sources and thereby offer credit to consumers overlooked by many providers of financing who focus exclusively on consumers with higher FICO scores. Atlanticus’ underwriting process is enhanced by artificial intelligence and machine learning, enabling fast, sound decision-making when it matters most.

We also report within our CaaS segment: 1) servicing income; and 2) gains or losses associated with investments previously made in consumer finance technology platforms. These include investments in companies engaged in mobile technologies, marketplace lending and other financial technologies. None of these companies are publicly-traded and the carrying values of our investments in these companies are not material.

Within our Auto Finance segment, our CAR subsidiary operations principally purchase and/or service loans secured by automobiles from or for, and also provide floor plan financing for, a pre-qualified network of independent automotive dealers and automotive finance companies in the buy-here, pay-here, used car business. We purchase auto loans at a discount and with dealer retentions or holdbacks that provide risk protection. Also within our Auto Finance segment, we are providing certain installment lending products in addition to our traditional loans secured by automobiles.

In March 2020, a national emergency was declared under the National Emergencies Act due to a new strain of coronavirus ("COVID-19"). The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted global supply chains and business operations. In addition, rising inflation in 2021 and 2022 resulted in increased costs for many goods and services. As a result of persistently high inflation, interest rates have been on the rise. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has intensified supply chain disruptions and heightened uncertainty surrounding the near-term outlook for the broader economy. The impacts of responses to the COVID-19 pandemic by both consumers and governments, rising energy costs, inflation, rising interest rates, and the unresolved geopolitical tensions relating to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could significantly affect the economic outlook. The duration and severity of the effects of these impacts on our financial condition, results of operations and liquidity remain uncertain.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent declaration of a national emergency and the associated government policy responses and corresponding inflation, certain consumers were previously offered the ability to defer their payment without penalty during the national emergency period. In March 2020, the federal bank regulatory agencies issued an “Interagency Statement on Loan Modifications and Reporting for Financial Institutions Working with Customers Affected by the Coronavirus” ("COVID-19 Guidance"). The COVID-19 Guidance encouraged financial institutions to work prudently with borrowers that were unable to meet their contractual obligations because of the effects of COVID-19. In accordance with the COVID-19 Guidance, certain consumers negatively impacted by COVID-19 were provided short-term payment deferrals and fee waivers. Receivables enrolled in these short-term payment deferrals continued to accrue interest and their delinquency status was not changed through the deferment period. The Biden administration ended the COVID-19 national and public health emergencies on May 11, 2023. This action ended the flexibility provided under the COVID-19 Guidance. The long-term impact that the cessation of certain benefits provided under emergency relief programs will have on our consumers is uncertain although the remaining financial statement impact for those customers previously provided the aforementioned short-term payment deferrals and fee waivers is not material.