14 Apr 2016 07:00
14 April 2016
Private & Commercial Finance Group plc
("PCFG", the "Company" or the "Group")
Trading and Pre-close Statement
Portfolio Performance Beats Market Expectations
PCFG, the AIM quoted finance house, advises that portfolio performance and profitability in the period has continued to outperform management objectives. As a result, the Group's 12 month Interim Results for the period ended 31 March 2016 are expected to be modestly ahead of market expectations. The Group's Interim Results will be announced on 9 June 20161.
Trading highlights include:
· New business originations for the period were up by 13% to £63m (2015: £56.0m)
· The portfolio of finance receivables grew by 12% to £112m
· The loan loss provisioning charge has continued to reduce
· The Group has exceeded its target 2.5% Return on Average Assets and will establish a new target at the Interim Results announcement in June
· The banking licence application is progressing well and we will be able to give a full update in our Interim Report in June
· The Group currently has £28m of committed facility headroom, which is sufficient for the projected growth plans
The Interim Results will include a review of Interim Financial Information by the Group's auditors.
Scott Maybury, CEO, commented: "The growth and excellent performance of our portfolio has delivered results slightly ahead of market expectations when compared to the upgraded analysts expectations released in December and the banking licence application is progressing steadily, and is in line with our expected project timing. The Group's prudent underwriting standards continue to deliver positive results and are increasingly appropriate to an environment with some economic uncertainty. We expect to report further progress when we release these Interims on 9 June 2016."
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1 Following a previously advised change in accounting reference date to 30 September (announced on 21 March 2016); these Interim Results constitute the second interim period in the 18 month accounting period to 30 September 2016.
For further information please contact:
Private & Commercial Finance Group Scott Maybury, Chief Executive Robert Murray, Managing Director David Bull, Finance Director
| Tel: +44 (0) 20 7222 2426 |
Tavistock Communications Niall Walsh / Jos Simson
| Tel: +44 (0) 20 7920 3150 |
Panmure Gordon (UK) Limited Fred Walsh / Peter Steel / Atholl Tweedie
| Tel: +44 (0) 20 7886 2500 |
Stockdale Securities Limited Henry Willcocks
| Tel: +44 (0) 20 7601 6100 |
About Private & Commercial Finance Group plc (www.pcfg.co.uk)
Established in 1994, Private & Commercial Finance Group plc is an AIM-quoted finance house which has two main operating divisions:
• Consumer Finance which provides finance for motor vehicles to consumers; and
• Business Finance which provides finance for vehicles, plant and equipment to SMEs.
The Group has a highly efficient and scalable business model, utilising its specially developed internet-based proposal system to service national networks of brokers and suppliers.