Company Overview  

Conn's, Inc., a Delaware corporation, is a holding company with no independent assets or operations other than its investments in its subsidiaries. Conn's is a leading specialty retailer that offers a broad selection of quality, branded durable consumer goods and related services in addition to credit solutions for a broad range of consumers. We operate an integrated and scalable business through our retail stores and website. Our complementary product offerings include furniture and mattresses, home appliances, consumer electronics and home office products from leading global brands across a wide range of price points. Our credit offering provides financing solutions to a large, under-served population of credit-constrained consumers who typically have limited credit alternatives. We provide customers the opportunity to comparison shop across brands with confidence in our competitive prices as well as affordable monthly payment options, next day delivery and installation in the majority of our markets and product repair service. We believe our large, attractively merchandised stores and credit solutions offer a distinctive value proposition compared to other retailers that target our core customer demographic.

Our fiscal year ends on January 31. References to a fiscal year refer to the calendar year in which the fiscal year ends. 

Operating Segments

We operate two reportable segments: retail and credit. Information regarding segment performance is included in Part II, Item 7., Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations , and Part II, Item 8. in Note 16, Segment Information , of the Consolidated Financial Statements of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.  

Retail Segment.  We began as a small plumbing and heating business in 1890 and started selling home appliances to the retail market in 1937 through one store located in Beaumont, Texas. As of January 31, 2017 , we operated 113 retail stores located in 13 states. Our stores typically range in size from 25,000 to 50,000 square feet and are predominantly located in areas densely populated by our core customers.

We utilize a merchandising strategy that offers approximately 2,900 quality, branded products across a wide range of price points. This wide selection allows us to offer products and price points that appeal to the majority of our core consumers. Our primary retail product categories include: 

We strive to ensure that our customers' shopping experience at Conn's is equal to, or exceeds, their experience with other providers of durable consumer goods targeting our core customer demographic. We offer a high level of customer service through our commissioned and trained sales force as well as next day delivery and installation in the majority of our markets, and product repair or replacement services for most items sold in our stores. Flexible payment alternatives offered through our proprietary in-house credit programs and third-party financing alternatives provide our customers the ability to make aspirational purchases. We believe our extensive brand and product selection, competitive pricing, financing alternatives and supporting services, combined with our customer service-focused store, delivery and service associates make us an attractive alternative to appliance and electronics superstores, department stores and other national, regional, local and internet retailers. We believe our attractive credit program generates strong customer loyalty and repeat business.

Credit Segment.  Our in-house consumer credit programs are an integral part of our business and are a major driver of customer loyalty. We believe our in-house credit programs are a significant competitive advantage that we have developed over our 50-plus years in providing credit. We have developed a proprietary underwriting model that provides standardized credit decisions, including down payment, limit amounts and credit terms, based on customer risk and income level. We use our proprietary auto-decision algorithm and in-depth evaluations of creditworthiness performed by qualified in-house credit underwriters to complete all credit decisions. In order to improve the speed and consistency of underwriting decisions, we continually review our auto-decision algorithm. Additionally, we provide access to monthly payment options to a wider range of consumers through our relationship with third-party payment solution providers such as Synchrony Bank and, historically, AcceptanceNow. These third parties manage their own respective underwriting decisions and are responsible for their own collections. Our in-house credit programs and access to third-party payment solutions allows us to provide credit to a large and under-served customer base and differentiates us from our competitors that do not offer similar programs.

Our goal is to provide every customer that enters our stores or applies for credit on our website an affordable monthly payment option. Currently, we make the following payment options available to our customers based on a review of their credit worthiness:

We continue to evaluate alternative financing programs that may give us the ability to provide more customers with the ability to purchase the products and services we offer.

Our retail business and credit business operate independently from each other. The retail segment is not involved in credit approval decisions or collections. Decisions to extend consumer credit to our retail customers under our in-house programs are made by our internal credit underwriting department. In addition to underwriting, we manage the collection process of our in-house consumer credit portfolio. Sales financed through our in-house credit programs are secured by the products purchased, which we believe gives us a distinct advantage over other creditors when pursuing collections. Also, the products we sell and finance are typically necessities for the home. 

We mitigate credit risk by originating to customers who have purchased from us in the past. These repeat customers have historically exhibited a lower probability of default than new customers.  For fiscal year 2017, 2016 and 2015, 50%, 49% and 45%, respectively, of our originations were to customers who financed a purchase through our in-house credit programs more than five months after financing an initial purchase through our in-house credit programs.  As of January 31, 2017 and 2016, 51% and 48%, respectively, of balances due under our in-house credit programs were from customers who have previously financed with us.

Industry and Market Overview  

The products we sell are typically considered home necessities, used by our customers in their everyday lives. Many factors influence sales, including consumer confidence, economic conditions, and household formations. We also benefit from the introduction of new products and technologies driving consumers to upgrade existing appliances and electronics.

With 55 of our 113 stores in Texas, we continue to benefit from strong demographic trends. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Texas was the second largest state by nominal GDP in 2016 . In addition, from calendar year 2012 to 2016 Texas experienced population growth of 6.9% compared to the United States ("U.S.") population growth of 2.9% over the same period. Moreover, the unemployment rate in Texas was 4.8% , as of January 2017 .

Furniture and Mattress.   According to the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Economic Analysis, personal consumption expenditures for household furniture were $108.5 billion for calendar year 2016 , compared to $105.2 billion in 2015 . The household furniture and mattress market is highly fragmented with sales coming from manufacturer-owned stores, independent dealers, furniture centers, specialty sleep product stores, national and local chains, mass market retailers, department stores and, to a lesser extent, home improvement centers, decorator showrooms, wholesale clubs, catalog retailers and the internet. For fiscal year 2017 , we generated 35.5% of total product sales from the sale of furniture and mattresses. The furniture and mattress category generated our highest individual product category gross margin. Given our ability to provide customer financing and next day delivery, we believe that we have strong competitive advantages and significant growth opportunities in this market and expect to continue to expand our offering of furniture and the floor space in our stores dedicated to this category. 

Product design and innovation has been a key driver of sales in this market. Products introduced include specialty mattresses and motion furniture products, and variations on these products, including new features.

Home Appliance.   According to the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Economic Analysis, personal consumption expenditures for home appliances were $48.6 billion for calendar year 2016 , compared to $48.0 billion in 2015 . Major household appliances, such as refrigerators and washer/dryers, accounted for 85.8% of this total at $41.7 billion in 2016 . For fiscal year 2017 , we generated 30.2% of total product sales from the sale of home appliances. The retail appliance market is large and concentrated among a few major dealers, with sales coming primarily from department stores, home improvement centers, large appliance and electronics superstores, national chains, small regional chains, and internet retailers. 

Key drivers of sales in the appliance market include product design and innovation. Examples of products introduced include large-capacity, high-efficiency laundry appliances and refrigerator design innovation, and variations on these products, including new features. 

Consumer Electronics and Home Office.   According to the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Economic Analysis, electronics spending was $230.6 billion for calendar year 2016 , a 4.1% increase from 2015 . Televisions accounted for $37.5 billion of the overall personal consumption expenditures, versus $37.1 billion in the prior year. Personal computers and peripheral equipment accounted for $61.2 billion of the overall expenditures, compared to $56.9 billion in the prior year. For fiscal year 2017 , we generated 24.8% of total product sales from the sale of consumer electronics and 7.8% of total product sales from the sale of home office products. The electronics market is highly fragmented with sales coming from large appliance and electronics superstores, national chains, small regional chains, single-store operators, consumer electronics departments of selected department and discount stores and internet retailers.

Technological advancements and the introduction of new products largely drive demand in the electronics market. Historically, industry growth has been fueled primarily by the introduction of products that incorporate new technologies, including LED, OLED, Ultra HD, internet-ready televisions, Blu-ray players, home theater and touch-screen computers. New technologies offer significant advantages, including better clarity and quality of video and audio, durability of recording and compatibility with computers and tablets.

Consumer Credit.   Based on data from the Federal Reserve System, estimated total consumer credit outstanding, which excludes primarily loans secured by real estate, was $3.8 trillion as of December 31, 2016 , an increase of 8.6% from $3.5 trillion at December 31, 2015 . Consumers obtain credit from banks, credit unions, finance companies and non-financial businesses that offer credit, including retailers. The credit obtained takes many forms, including revolving (e.g., credit cards) and fixed-term (e.g., automobile loans), and at times is secured by the products being purchased. 

Competition. Our competitive strength is based on enhanced customer service and customer shopping experience through our unique sales force training and product knowledge, next day delivery capabilities, financing options for most customers, including our proprietary in-house credit programs, low price guarantee and product repair service. Currently, we compete against a diverse group of retailers, including national mass merchants such as Sears, Wal-Mart, Target, Sam's Club and Costco, specialized national retailers such as Best Buy, Rooms To Go, hhgregg and Mattress Firm, home improvement stores such as Lowe's and Home Depot, and locally-owned regional or independent retail specialty stores that sell furniture and mattresses, home appliances, and consumer electronics similar, and often identical, to those items we sell. We also compete with retailers that market products through store catalogs and the internet. In addition, there are few barriers to entry into our current and contemplated markets, and new competitors may enter our current or future markets at any time. However, these competitors typically do not provide a credit offering similar to our proprietary in-house credit programs for credit constrained consumers. We also compete, to some extent, against companies offering credit constrained consumers products for the home similar to those offered by us under weekly or monthly lease-to-own payment options. Competitors include Aaron's and Rent-A-Center, as well as many smaller, independent companies.

Customers

We have a well-defined core consumer base that is comprised of working individuals who typically earn between $25,000 to $60,000 in annual income, live in densely populated and mature neighborhoods, and typically shop our stores to replace older household goods with newer items. Our product line is comprised of durable home necessities which enables us to appeal to a diverse range of cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds and to operate stores in diverse markets. No single customer accounts for more than 10% of our total revenues and we do not have a significant concentration of sales with any individual customer and, therefore, the loss of any one customer would not have a material impact on our business.

Seasonality  

Our business is seasonal with a higher portion of sales and operating profit realized during the fourth quarter due primarily to the holiday selling season. In addition, during the first quarter, our portfolio performance benefits from the timing of personal income tax refunds received by our customers.

Merchandising

Vendors.   We purchase products from approximately 130 manufacturers and distributors. Our agreements with these manufacturers and distributors typically cover a one-year time period, are renewable at the option of the parties and are terminable upon 30 days written notice by either party. Similar to other specialty retailers, we purchase a significant portion of our total inventory from a limited number of vendors. During fiscal year 2017 , 63.0% of our total inventory purchases were from six vendors, including 26.5% , 17.6% and 5.8% of our total inventory purchases from Samsung, LG, and New Age, respectively. The loss of any one or more of these key vendors or our failure to establish and maintain relationships with these and other vendors could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. Other than industry-wide shortages that occur from time to time, we have not experienced significant difficulty in maintaining adequate sources of merchandise and we generally expect that adequate sources of merchandise will continue to exist for the types of products we sell. 

Merchandise.   We focus on providing a comprehensive selection of quality merchandise at a wide range of price points to appeal to a broad range of potential customers. We primarily sell brand name warranted merchandise. Our established relationships with furniture and mattress, home appliance and consumer electronics vendors give us purchasing power that allows us to offer custom-featured appliances and electronics at prices that are comparable with national retailers and provides us a competitive selling advantage over other independent retailers. Additionally, we are able to purchase furniture inventory in volumes that allow us to provide next-day delivery and at competitive prices, giving us a competitive advantage over smaller furniture retailers in the marketplace today. 

Credit Operations  

General.   We sell our products by offering our customers financing through our proprietary in-house credit programs, the use of third-party financing, and by taking cash or credit card payments. For the fiscal year 2017, approximately 72% of purchases were financed though our proprietary in-house credit programs, approximately 22% of purchases were financed through the use of third-party financing, and approximately 6% of purchases were made with cash or credit card.

Underwriting.  Decisions to extend credit to our retail customers are made by our internal credit underwriting department, which is separate and distinct from our other operations, including credit monitoring and collections and retail sales. In addition to an auto-decision algorithm, we employ a team of credit underwriting personnel of approximately 45 individuals to make credit granting decisions using our proprietary underwriting process and oversee our credit underwriting process. Our underwriting process considers one or more of the following elements: credit bureau information; income and address verification; current income and debt levels; a review of the customer's previous credit history with us; and the particular products being purchased. Our underwriting model determines the finance terms, including down payment, limit amounts and credit terms. During fiscal year 2017 , for the credit applications that were approved and utilized, 72.4% were approved automatically. The remaining credit decisions were based on the evaluation of the customer's creditworthiness by a qualified in-house credit underwriter or required additional documentation from the applicant. For certain credit applicants that may have past credit problems or lack credit history, we use stricter underwriting criteria. The additional requirements include verification of employment and recent work history, reference checks and minimum down payment levels. Our underwriting employees are trained to follow our methodology in approving credit and are required to complete regular refresher training. 

Part of our ability to control delinquency and net charge-off is based on the total approval amount, the level of down payment that we require, the maximum contract terms we allow and the purchase money security interest that we obtain in the product financed, which reduce our credit risk and increase our customers' ability and willingness to meet their future obligations. We require the customer to provide proof of property insurance coverage on all purchases financed through our credit offerings to offset potential losses relating to theft or damage of the product financed. We do not require customers to purchase property insurance from us if they have or acquire such insurance from another third-party.  

Credit monitoring and collections.  Our collection activities involve a combination of efforts that take place primarily in our Beaumont and San Antonio, Texas, collection centers. We employed approximately 570 full time and part time individual collectors and support personnel who service our active customer credit portfolio. We also utilize collection agencies to service portions of our active and charged-off portfolio, which provide approximately 270 additional agents. Our in-house, credit-financed sales are secured by the products purchased, which we believe gives us a distinct advantage over other creditors when pursuing collections, especially given that many of the products we finance are generally necessities for the home. We employ a credit collection strategy that includes dialer-based calls, virtual calling and messaging systems, inside collectors that contact borrowers, collection letters, e-mails, and text messages, a legal staff that processes claims and attends bankruptcy hearings, and voluntary repossession. We also utilize current technologies that assist us in locating contact information for customers who have moved and left no contact information. Our employees are trained to follow our methodology in collecting our accounts and charging off any uncollectible accounts based on pre-determined aging criteria, depending on their area of responsibility. All collection personnel are required to complete classroom training, which includes negotiation techniques and credit policy training to ensure customer retention and compliance with debt collection regulations. Post-graduation, the collection trainees undergo skill assessment training, coaching and call monitoring within their respective departments. Our personnel are required to complete regular refresher training and testing.

We closely monitor the credit portfolio to identify delinquent accounts early and dedicate resources to contacting customers concerning past due accounts. We believe that our unique underwriting model, secured interest in the products financed, required down payments and credit limits, local presence, ability to work with customers relative to their product and service needs, and the flexible financing alternatives we offer help mitigate the loss experience on our portfolio.

Customers can make payments through our web portal, over the phone, by ACH, third-party bill pay arrangements, or lock box, or in-person at our store locations. During fiscal year 2017 , 93.9% of customers made at least one payment in a form other than cash. Also during fiscal year 2017 , we received 35.2% of the payments on credit accounts in our store locations, which helps us maintain a relationship with the customer that keeps losses lower while encouraging repeat purchases.

We regularly extend or "re-age" a portion of our delinquent customer accounts as a part of our normal collection procedures to

protect our investment. Generally, extensions are granted to customers who have experienced a financial difficulty (such as the temporary loss of employment), which is subsequently resolved and when the customer indicates a willingness and ability to resume making monthly payments. Re-ages are not granted to debtors who demonstrate a lack of intent or ability to service the

obligation or have reached our limits for account re-aging. These re-ages involve modifying the payment terms to defer a portion of the cash payments currently required of the debtor to help the debtor improve his or her financial condition and eventually be able to pay us. Our re-aging of customer accounts does not change the interest rate or the total amount due from the customer and typically does not reduce the monthly contractual payments. We may also charge the customer an extension fee, which approximates the interest owed for the time period the contract was past due. To a much lesser extent, we may provide the customer the ability to re-age their obligation by refinancing the account, which does not change the interest rate or the total amount due from the customer but does reduce the monthly contractual payments and extends the term. Under these options, as with extensions, the customer must resolve the reason for delinquency and show a willingness and ability to resume making contractual monthly payments.

We deem an account to be uncollectible and charge it off when the account is more than 209 days past due at the end of a month. Our credit and accounting staff consistently monitor trends in charge-offs by examining the various characteristics of the charge-offs, including by market, product type, customer credit and income information, down payment amounts and other identifying information. We track our charge-offs both gross, before recoveries, and net, after recoveries. We periodically adjust our credit granting, collection and charge-off policies based on this information. It is to our advantage to manage the portfolio to balance the combined servicing costs and net losses on the credit portfolio with the benefit of repeat retail sales. We may incur higher servicing costs in order to build customer relationships that may result in future retail sales.

Our stores have an average selling space of approximately 35,000 square feet, plus a storage area for fast-moving and smaller products that customers prefer to carry out rather than wait for in-home delivery. Cross-dock facilities are located within 20 of our retail stores.

We continuously evaluate our existing and potential sites to position our stores in desirable locations and relocate stores that are not properly positioned. We typically lease rather than purchase our stores, distribution centers and cross-dock facilities to retain the flexibility of managing our financial commitment to a location if we later decide that a store or market is performing below our standards or the market would be better served by a relocation. As of January 31, 2017 ,   we leased the majority of our store, distribution center and cross-dock locations.

Personnel and compensation.  We staff a typical store with a store manager, an assistant manager, an average of 20 sales personnel and other support staff, including cashiers and porters based on store size and location. Managers have an average tenure with us of approximately 5 years and typically have prior sales floor experience. In addition to store managers, we have 13 district managers.

We compensate the majority of our sales associates on a straight commission arrangement. Assistant store managers receive earned commissions plus base salary, while store managers are compensated on a salary plus bonus basis. We believe that because our store compensation plans are primarily tied to sales, they generally provide us an advantage in attracting and retaining highly motivated employees.

Training.  New sales personnel complete an intensive classroom training program in the markets where they will be assigned, under the direction of sales management personnel in those markets. In addition, our employees benefit from on-site training conducted by many of our vendors.

We attempt to identify store manager candidates early in their careers with us and place them in a training program. They attend our in-house training program, which provides guidance and direction for the development of managerial and supervisory skills. After completion of the training program, manager candidates work as assistant managers for six to 12 months and are then allowed to manage one of our smaller stores, where they are supervised closely by the store's district manager. We give new managers an opportunity to operate larger stores as they become more proficient in their management skills. Each store manager attends mandatory training sessions on a regular basis and also attends sales training meetings where participants receive and discuss new product information.

Advertising

We design our marketing programs to increase awareness of our brands, which we expect will create and maintain customer loyalty, increase the number of customers that shop our stores and increase our sales. We utilize a multi-touch point approach utilizing direct mail, television, newspaper, digital, radio and out-of-home targeted advertising. Our promotional programs include the use of free delivery and free product promotions, in conjunction with various no-interest option financing offers.

Our website provides customers the ability to apply for credit on-line for in-store purchases. Customers also have the ability to purchase some of our products directly through our website. Our website averaged approximately 53,000 credit applications per month during fiscal year 2017 . This compares to average monthly website applications of approximately 41,000 and 36,000 during fiscal year 2016 and 2015 , respectively. The website is linked to a call center, allowing us to better assist customers with their credit and product needs.

Distribution and Inventory Management

We currently operate ten regional distribution centers, which are located in Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Beaumont, El Paso, and McAllen, Texas; Phoenix, Arizona; Denver, Colorado; Charlotte, North Carolina and Nashville, Tennessee, 13 smaller cross-dock facilities, and 20 stores with cross-dock facilities. This enables us to deliver products to our customers quickly, reduces inventory requirements at the individual stores and facilitates regional inventory and accounting controls.

In our retail stores, we maintain an inventory of certain fast-moving items and products that the customer is likely to carry out of the store. Our computer system and the use of scanning technology in our distribution centers allow us to determine, on a real-time basis, the location of any product we sell. If we do not have a product at the desired retail store at the time of sale, we can typically provide it through one of our distribution centers on a next day basis.

We primarily use third-party providers to move products from distribution centers to stores and between markets to meet customer needs. We outsource the majority of our in-home deliveries to third-party providers, and for many purchases, we offer next day delivery to our customers. These third-parties are subject to risks that are beyond our control and, if they fail to timely or satisfactorily deliver our products, we may lose business from customers in the future and could suffer damage to our reputation. We use a fleet of home delivery vehicles that enables a highly-trained staff of delivery and installation specialists to quickly complete the sales process and enhance customer service. We also may receive a delivery fee based on the products sold and the services needed to complete the delivery.

Product Support Services

Next-day delivery and installation.  We provide next-day delivery and installation services in most of the markets in which we operate. We believe next-day delivery of our goods is a highly valued service to our customers.

Credit insurance.  Acting as licensed agents for third-party insurance companies, we offer property, life, disability and involuntary unemployment credit insurance, which we collectively refer to as credit insurance, at all of our stores on sales financed through our in-house credit programs. These insurance products protect the customer's purchase by covering their payments on their credit account if covered events occur, and can be canceled at any time. We receive sales commissions from the third-party insurance companies at the time we sell the coverage, and we may receive retrospective commissions, which are additional commissions paid by the insurance carrier if insurance claims are less than earned premiums.

We require proof of property insurance on all purchases financed through our credit offerings; however, we do not require that customers purchase this insurance from us if they have or acquire such insurance from another third-party provider. Premiums charged on the credit products we sell are regulated and vary by state.

Product repair service.  We believe that providing product repair and replacement services is an important differentiation and reinforces customer loyalty. We provide service for most of the products we sell and only for the products we sell.

Repair service agreements.  Customers may purchase repair service agreements that we sell for third-party insurers at the time a product is purchased. These agreements broaden and extend the period of covered manufacturer warranty service for up to four years from the date of purchase, depending on the product, and protect the customer against repair costs. Customers may finance the cost of the agreements along with the purchase price of the associated product. Through a third-party insurer, customers are contacted to provide them the opportunity to purchase an extended period of coverage after the manufacturer warranty and repair service agreement expire and we receive a commission on each sale.  

We have contracts with third-party insurers that issue the initial repair service agreements to cover the costs of repairs performed under these agreements. The initial service agreement is between the customer and the third-party insurance company, and, through our agreements with the third-party insurance company, we provide service when it is needed under each agreement sold. We receive a commission on the sale of the contract and we may receive retrospective commissions, which are additional commissions paid by the insurance carrier over time if the cost of repair claims are less than earned premiums. Additionally, we bill the insurance company for the cost of the service work that we perform.

Regulation

The extension of credit to consumers is a highly regulated area of our business. Numerous federal and state laws impose disclosure and other requirements and limitations on the origination, servicing and enforcement of retail installment sale accounts and consumer loans as well as our acts and practices in connection with these activities. Applicable federal laws include, but are not limited to, the Truth in Lending Act (“TILA”), the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (“ECOA”), the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”), the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“FDCPA”), the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (“GLB”), the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (“EFTA”) and the implementing regulations of the foregoing statutes. The Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) has broad consumer protection enforcement authority under Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act (“FTCA”), which prohibits “unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce.” The FTC also can enforce specific consumer protection statutes, such as the ECOA, FCRA, and TILA, and issue regulations in respect thereof. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) was created in 2010 upon the enactment of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act ("Dodd-Frank Act"). The CFPB has rulemaking and enforcement authority over nonbanks engaging in offering or providing a consumer financial product or service (such as extending credit and servicing loans) as well as any affiliate of such “covered person” that acts as a “service provider” to such covered person. The federal consumer financial laws over which the CFPB has enforcement and rulemaking authority include TILA, ECOA, FCRA, FDCPA, and GLB as well as authority under Title X of the Dodd-Frank Act to prohibit “unfair, deceptive or abusive acts or practices” (“UDAAP”) in connection with consumer financial products and services. The scope of UDAAP is broad and often uncertain, but the CFPB has been active in enforcing UDAAP claims. The CFPB has broad power to impose civil money penalties, restitution, and other corrective action under the various laws described above and, for this reason, poses a significant regulatory risk to the origination, servicing, and collection of our retail installment contracts and consumer loans.

In addition to its rulemaking and enforcement authority described in the preceding paragraph, the CFPB also has supervisory and examination authority over mortgage lending, payday lending, and private student lending, as well as “larger participants” in other markets for consumer financial products or services (including debt collection), and any covered person if the CFPB has “reasonable cause to determine” that such covered person is engaging, or has engaged, in conduct that poses risks to consumers with regard to the offering or provision of consumer financial products or services, whether based on consumer complaints or “information from other sources.” Although we are not automatically subject to CFPB supervisory or examination authority based on the foregoing categories, the CFPB has authority to investigate and take enforcement action against us with respect to any alleged violation by us of a federal consumer financial law over which the CFPB has jurisdiction, including the prohibition on UDAAP. The mere receipt by us of a “civil investigative demand” from the CFPB requiring production of documents, written responses, reports or oral testimony could result in required public disclosure, adverse publicity, and substantial cost to us regardless of the outcome.

Regulatory rulemaking by the CFPB could adversely affect origination, servicing, and collection of our retail installment sale and consumer loan products by making it more difficult and costly for us to offer, service or collect these products. In addition, CFPB rulemaking could make it possible, or easier for our customers to bring class action claims against us. For example, the CFPB has regulatory authority to prohibit or limit the use of arbitration clauses and class action waivers, both of which we include in our installment contracts and loan agreements.

Prior to August 2016, our proprietary financing product consisted of a retail installment sale contract entered into between Conn Appliances, Inc. and our customer. Commencing in August 2016, the Conn Appliances, Inc. retail installment sale contract offer for Texas store customers was phased out, and Conn Credit Corporation, Inc., an affiliate of Conn Appliances, Inc., began offering a consumer loan product to our customers. Similar to the procedure employed with retail installment sale contracts, the loan contracts are assigned to an affiliate to service the contracts. In conjunction with this Texas direct loan program, Texas consumer lender licenses were obtained by Conn Credit Corporation, Inc., Conn Appliances, Inc., and the affiliate entity Conn Credit I, LP holding the loan contracts. For customers of most stores located outside of Texas, Conn Appliances, Inc. continues to offer a retail installment sale contract. We are planning a similar transition from retail installment sale contracts to consumer loan products for customers in other states.

State laws impose disclosure and other requirements and limitations on retail installment sale contracts and loan agreements and impose maximum amounts of finance charges and interest, as well as regulation of other fees and charges, together with restrictions on credit terms, collection and enforcement and other aspects of extending and collecting consumer credit. State consumer finance laws vary from state to state. The making and servicing of consumer loans typically requires state licensing which entails heightened supervision, examination, and other requirements which may not be applicable to retail sellers extending credit under retail installment sale contracts. Pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Act, state attorneys general and designated state consumer finance regulatory agencies may enforce specified federal consumer finance laws and impose penalties and remedies for their violation. We routinely review our contracts and procedures to ensure compliance with applicable consumer credit laws. Failure on our part to comply with applicable laws could expose us to consumer litigation and government enforcement action, possibly resulting in substantial penalties and claims for damages and, in certain circumstances, may subject us to injunctions, require us to refund finance charges already paid, forgo finance charges not yet paid under credit accounts, change our credit extension, servicing, collection, and

marketing practices or a combination of the foregoing. We believe that we are in substantial compliance with all applicable federal and state consumer credit and collection laws.

The sale of credit insurance products by us and insured by an unaffiliated insurance provider include property, life, disability and involuntary unemployment credit insurance products is also highly regulated. These products are only offered with a retail installment sales or loan contract agreement purchase. State laws currently impose disclosure obligations and other restrictions with respect to our sales of these products, impose limitations on the amount of premiums that we may charge and require licensing of certain of our employees and operating entities. State laws with respect to these products vary from state to state. Failure to comply with these laws could expose us to consumer litigation and government enforcement action, possibly resulting in substantial penalties and claims for damages, and in certain circumstances, may subject us to injunctions or require us to refund premiums or change our policies and procedures with respect to these products and the marketing of these products or a combination of the foregoing. We believe we are in substantial compliance with all applicable laws and regulations relating to our credit insurance business.

In conjunction with the sale of merchandise, we offer our customers the opportunity to purchase repair service agreements on specified products. These contracts are entered into between the customer and an unaffiliated service provider. The contracts enable the customer to obtain repair and/or replacement of certain eligible products in the event of specified failures as described in the terms and conditions of the contract. The service provider, which is financially and legally obligated to perform under these contracts, has entered into a contract with our affiliate to administer the contracts. We post descriptions of these contracts and links to the contract terms on our website. Service contracts require payment of a segregated fee which may be purchased by cash, check or financed by customers entering into retail installment sale contracts with Conn Appliances, Inc. or loan agreements with Conn Credit Corporation. The federal Magnusson-Moss Warranty Act governs written warranties and service contracts. For service contracts entered into with Texas customers, state law requires registration of the service provider and Conn Appliances, Inc. as an administrator, a reimbursement insurance policy and other requirements on the service provider, responsibilities on service contract sellers, record-keeping requirements, restrictions on the sale or marketing of service contracts, required contract terms and disclosures, and cancellation requirements, among other requirements and prohibitions. Other states vary in their regulation of these contracts. Violation of these laws can result in injunctive relief, civil penalties, and/or other remedies. We believe we are in substantial compliance with all applicable laws and regulations relating to the offering and administration of service contracts.

Employees

As of January 31, 2017 , we had approximately 4,000 full-time employees and 200 part-time employees. We offer a comprehensive benefits package for eligible employees, including health, life, short- and long-term disability, and dental insurance coverage as well as a 401(k) plan, employee stock purchase plan, paid vacation and holiday pay. None of our employees are subject to collective bargaining agreements governing their employment with us, and we believe that our employee relations are good. We have a formal dispute resolution plan that requires mandatory arbitration for employment-related issues.

Tradenames and Trademarks

We have registered the trademarks "Conn's," "Conn's HomePlus," "YES Money," "YE$ Money," “YE$ Lease,” and our logos, which are protected under applicable intellectual property laws and are the property of Conn's, Inc. Our trademark registrations generally last for ten-year periods and are renewed prior to expiration for additional ten-year periods.

Available Information

We are subject to reporting requirements of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended ("Exchange Act"), and its rules and regulations. The Exchange Act requires us to file reports, proxy and other information statements and other information with the SEC. Copies of these materials can be inspected and copied at the SEC's Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, D.C. 20549. You may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. You may also obtain these materials electronically by accessing the SEC's website at www.sec.gov .

The Board of Directors of the Company ("Board of Directors") has adopted a code of business conduct and ethics for our employees, code of ethics for our Chief Executive Officer and senior financial professionals and a code of business conduct and ethics for our Board of Directors. A copy of these codes are published on our website at www.conns.com under "Investor Relations — Corporate Governance." We intend to make all required disclosures concerning any amendments to, or waivers from, these codes on our website. In addition, we make available, free of charge on our website, our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to these reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file this material with, or furnish it to, the SEC. You may review these documents, under the heading "Investor Relations — SEC Filings," by accessing our website at www.conns.com .

We make available on our website at www.conns.com under "Investor Relations — Asset Backed Securities" updated monthly reports to the holders of our asset-backed notes. This information reflects the performance of the securitized portfolio only, in contrast to the financial statements contained herein, which reflect the performance of all of the Company's outstanding receivables, including those originated subsequent to those included in the securitized portfolio.

Our website and the information contained on our website is not incorporated in this Annual Report on Form 10-K or any other document filed with the SEC.

You should consider carefully the risks described below and other information presented in this Form 10-K, including Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and the consolidated financial statements and related notes included in this Form 10-K, as well as information provided in other reports, registration statements and materials that we file with the SEC and the other information incorporated by reference in this Form 10-K. If any of the risks described below or elsewhere in this Form 10-K were to materialize, our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows or prospects could be materially adversely affected. In such case, the trading price of our common stock could decline and you could lose part or all of your investment. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, prospects or stock price, which we refer to collectively as a material adverse effect on us (or comparable phrases).

We may not be able to open or profitably operate new stores in existing, adjacent or new geographic markets. There are a number of factors that could affect our ability to successfully execute our store growth strategy, including:

These and other similar factors may also limit the ability of any newly opened stores to achieve sales and profitability levels consistent with our projections or comparable with our existing stores or to become profitable at all. As a result, we may determine that we need to close or reduce the hours of operation of certain stores, which could have a material adverse effect on us.

If we are unable to effectively manage the growth of our business, our revenues may not increase, our cost of operations may rise and our results of operations may decline.  As we implement a growth plan and expand our store base, we will face various business risks associated with growth, including the risk that our management, financial controls and information systems will be inadequate to support our expansion. Our growth will require management to expend significant time, effort, and additional resources to ensure the continuing adequacy of our financial controls, operating procedures, information systems, product purchasing, warehousing and distribution systems and employee training programs. While we have always engaged in and focused on these elements, we cannot predict whether we will be able to effectively manage the increased demand resulting from expansion into additional or new markets, or respond on a timely basis to the changing demands that our expansion will impose on our management, financial controls and information systems. If we fail to successfully manage the challenges of growth, do not continue to improve our systems and controls or encounter unexpected difficulties during expansion, a growth plan may not yield the results we currently anticipate and we could be materially adversely affected.

We may expand our retail or credit offerings and become subject to different operating or legal requirements.  In addition to the retail and consumer finance products we currently offer, we may offer other products and services in the future, including new financing products and services. These products and services may require additional or different operating and compliance systems or have additional or different legal or regulatory requirements than the products and services we currently offer. In the event we undertake such an expansion and do not have the proper infrastructure or personnel or otherwise do not successfully execute such an expansion, or our customers do not positively respond to such an expansion, it could have a material adverse effect on us.

We have plans for significant future capital needs and the inability to access the capital markets on favorable terms or at all may have a materially adverse effect on us. We generally finance our operations primarily through a combination of cash flow generated from operations, borrowings under our revolving credit facility, and securitizations of customer receivables through the capital markets. Our ability to raise additional capital by expanding our revolving credit facility, or undertaking future securitization or other debt or equity transactions on economically favorable terms or at all, depends in large part on factors that are beyond our control, including:

The amount of capital expenditures we need will be dependent on, among other factors, the availability of capital to fund new store openings and customer receivable portfolio growth. If adequate capital is not available at the time we need it, we may have to curtail future growth or change our expansion plans, which could have a material adverse effect on us.

We use our customer receivables as collateral to support our capital needs. As the aggregate amount of our customer receivables has fluctuated, from time to time we have required amendments to our credit facilities in order to stay in compliance with our obligations thereunder. If we require such amendments in the future and are unable to obtain them, or if we are unable to arrange substitute financing facilities or other sources of capital, then we may be unable to continue drawing funds under our revolving credit facility, which would force us to limit or cease offering credit through our finance programs. Likewise, if the borrowing base under our revolving credit facility is reduced, or otherwise becomes unavailable, or we are unable to arrange substitute financing facilities or other sources of capital, we may have to limit the amount of credit that we make available through our customer credit programs. A reduction in our ability to offer customer credit could have a material adverse effect on us. Further, our inability, or limitations on our ability, to obtain funding through securitization facilities or other sources may materially adversely affect our ability to provide additional credit to existing customers, which could have a material adverse effect on our profitability under our credit programs if such existing customers fail to repay outstanding credit. Additionally, the inability of any of the financial institutions providing our financing facilities to fund their respective commitments could materially adversely affect our ability to fund our credit programs, capital expenditures and other general corporate needs.

The Company’s existing and future levels of indebtedness could adversely affect its financial health, its ability to obtain financing in the future, its ability to react to changes in its business and its ability to fulfill its obligations under such indebtedness. As of January 31, 2017, the Company had aggregate outstanding indebtedness, including under its revolving credit facility, its senior notes, and its various classes of asset-backed notes, of $1.2 billion. This level of indebtedness could:

Any of the foregoing impacts of the Company's level of indebtedness could have a material adverse effect on it.

Our debt securities may receive ratings that may increase our borrowing costs. In addition, we may elect to issue securities for which we may seek to obtain a rating from a rating agency. It is possible, however, that one or more rating agencies may independently determine to assign a rating to any of our issued debt securities. If any ratings are assigned to any of our debt, or the asset-backed notes or other securities with a rating, such ratings, if they are lower than market expectations or are subsequently lowered or withdrawn, whether as a result of our actions or factors which are beyond our control, could increase our future borrowing costs and impair our ability to access capital and credit markets on terms commercially acceptable to us, or at all. Inability to access the credit markets on acceptable terms, if at all, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition.

Securitization markets have undergone periods of significant dislocation in the past, and we might not be able to access the securitization market for capital from time to time in the future. The significant recession that began in 2009 and events in the securitization markets, as well as the debt markets and the economy generally, caused significant dislocations, lack of liquidity in the market for asset-backed securities, and a severe disruption in the wider global financial markets, including a significant reduction of investor demand for, and purchases of, asset-backed securities and structured financial products. While the securitization markets have recovered in many respects, and we have successfully consummated several securitization transactions, additional or prolonged disruptions on the securitization market could preclude our ability to use securitization as a financing source, or could render it an inefficient source of financing making us more dependent on alternative sourcing of financing that might not be as favorable as securitizations or might be otherwise unfavorable or unavailable altogether.

Securitization structures are subject to an evolving regulatory environment that may affect the availability and attractiveness of securitization as a financing option. In the United States, following the economic recession that began in 2009, there has been increased political and regulatory scrutiny of the asset-backed securities industry. This has resulted in increased regulation that is currently at various stages of implementation. The impact of such regulations on investors in securitization markets and the incentives for certain investors to hold asset-backed securities remain unclear, and may have a material adverse effect on the liquidity of such securities, which could have a material adverse effect on our liquidity. Additionally, rules from various agencies now require sponsors of asset-backed securities to retain an ownership stake in securitization transactions. Any adverse changes to these regulations could effectively limit our access to securitization as a source of financing or alter the structure of securitizations, which could pose risks to our participation in any securitizations or could reduce or eliminate the economic incentives to us of participating in securitizations.

An increase in interest rates, a decrease in our credit sales, a decline in credit quality of our customers or other factors outside of our control could lead to a decrease in our product sales and profitability. A large portion of our credit portfolio is comprised of credit provided to customers considered to be sub-prime borrowers who have limited credit history, low income or past credit problems. Entering into credit arrangements with such customers entails a higher risk of customer default, higher delinquency rates and higher losses than extending credit to more creditworthy customers. While we believe that our pricing and the underwriting criteria and collection methods we employ enable us to effectively and appropriately manage the higher risks inherent in issuing credit to sub-prime customers, no assurance can be given that such pricing, criteria and methods will afford adequate protection against such risks. We have experienced volatility in delinquency and charge-off rates on our customer receivables, each of which has the effect of decreasing our profitability. Some of our customer receivables become delinquent from time to time. Some accounts end up in default, due to various factors, such as general and local economic conditions, including the impact of rising interest rates and unemployment rates. As we continue to expand into new markets, we will obtain new customer receivables that may present a higher risk than our existing customer receivables since new customer receivables do not have an established credit history with us.

If we are required to reduce the amount of credit we grant to our customers (whether due to financial or regulatory constraints), or if our customers curtail entering into credit arrangements with us, whether as a result of prolonged economic uncertainty in the United States, increases in unemployment or other factors, we likely would sell fewer products, which could result in a material

adverse effect on us. Further, because a significant number of payments we receive on credit accounts are made in person by customers in one of our store locations, any decrease in credit sales could reduce traffic in our stores and result in lower revenues. A decline in the credit quality of our credit accounts could also cause an increase in our credit losses, which would result in an adverse effect on our earnings. A decline in credit quality could also lead to stricter underwriting criteria which could have a negative impact on net sales.

We maintain an allowance for doubtful accounts on our customer accounts receivable for a 12 month period. If the allowance for doubtful accounts is inadequate, we would recognize losses in excess of the allowance, which could have a material adverse effect on us.

Covenants in our debt agreements impose various operating and financial restrictions on us, and if we are not able to comply with such covenants, our lenders could accelerate our indebtedness, proceed against certain collateral we have provided or exercise other remedies, which could have a material adverse effect on us. The covenants in our credit facility and the indenture governing our senior notes contain a number of restrictions that impose operating and financial restrictions on us and may limit our ability to execute our growth strategy or engage in acts that may be in our long-term best interest, including restrictions on our ability to incur additional indebtedness, grant liens on assets, make distributions on equity interests, dispose of assets, make loans, pay other indebtedness, engage in mergers, and other matters. In addition, we must maintain compliance with certain financial covenants. Our ability to meet those financial covenants can be affected by events beyond our control, and we may be unable to meet them.

A breach of the covenants could result in an event of default under our credit facility or the indenture governing our senior notes. Such a default may allow the applicable creditors to accelerate the related debt and may result in the acceleration of any other debt to which a cross-default provision applies. Furthermore, if we are unable to repay the amounts due and payable under our revolving credit facility, the lenders thereunder could proceed against the collateral granted to them to secure that indebtedness, which could have a material adverse effect on us. In the event our lenders accelerate the repayment of our borrowings, we may not have sufficient funds to repay that indebtedness.

Increased borrowing costs will negatively impact our results of operations.  Because most of our consumer credit programs have interest rates equal to the highest rate allowable under applicable state law, we would generally not be able to pass higher borrowing costs along to future consumer credit customers and our results of operations could be negatively impacted. The interest rates on our revolving credit facility are variable based upon an applicable margin determined by a pricing grid plus a London Interbank Offered Rate ("LIBOR") or alternate base rate, and increases in such rates would reduce our margins. The level of interest rates in the market in general will impact the interest rate on any debt instruments we issue in the future. Additionally, we may issue debt securities or enter into credit facilities under which we pay interest at a higher rate than we have historically paid, which would further reduce our margins and negatively impact our results of operations.

Deterioration in the performance of our customer receivables portfolio could materially adversely affect our liquidity position and profitability.  Our liquidity position and profitability are heavily dependent on our ability to collect our customer receivables. If our customer receivables portfolio were to substantially deteriorate, that could have a material adverse effect on the liquidity available to us and our ability to comply with the covenants and borrowing base calculations under our revolving credit facility, and our earnings may decline due to higher provisions for bad debt expense, higher servicing costs, higher net charge-off rates and lower interest and fee income.

Our ability to collect from credit customers may be impaired by store closings.   In the event of store closings, credit customers may not pay balances in a timely fashion, or may not pay at all, since a large number of our customers remit payments in store and have not traditionally made payments to a central location.

In deciding whether to extend credit to customers, we rely on the accuracy and completeness of information furnished to us by or on behalf of our credit customers, and we assume certain behavior and attributes on the basis of prior customers. If we and our systems are unable to detect any misrepresentations in this information, or if our assumptions prove inaccurate, it may have a material adverse effect on us.  In deciding whether to extend credit to customers, we rely heavily on information furnished to us by or on behalf of our credit customers and our ability to validate such information through third-party services, including employment and personal financial information, and we assume certain behavior and attributes observed for prior customers. Our ability to effectively manage our credit risk could be impaired, and could have a material adverse effect on us, if a significant percentage of our credit customers intentionally or negligently misrepresent any of this information, and our systems do not detect such misrepresentations, or if unexpected changes in behavior caused by macroeconomic conditions, changes in consumer preferences, availability of alternative products or other factors cause our assumptions to be inaccurate.

Our policy of re-aging certain delinquent borrowers affects our delinquency statistics and the timing and amount of our write-offs, and may lead to higher delinquency statistics in the future.  Re-aging is offered to certain of our past-due customers if they meet the conditions of our re-age policy. Our decision to offer a delinquent customer a re-age program is based on that borrower's specific condition, our history with the borrower, the amount of the loan and various other factors. When we re-age a customer's account, we move the account from a delinquent status to a current status. Management exercises a considerable amount of

discretion over the re-aging process and has the ability to re-age an account multiple times during its life. Treating an otherwise uncollectible account as current affects our delinquency statistics, as well as impacting the timing and amount of charge-offs. If these accounts had been charged off sooner, our net loss rates for earlier periods might have been higher. If the customer defaults on the re-aged account, our re-aging may have simply postponed a delinquency, and our future delinquency statistics will be correspondingly higher.

If we fail to properly staff and train our collections personnel or timely contact delinquent borrowers, the number of delinquent customer receivables eventually being charged off could increase.  We contact customers with delinquent credit account balances soon after the account becomes delinquent. During periods of increased delinquencies, it is important that we are proactive in dealing with customers rather than simply allowing customer receivables to go to charge-off. Historically, when our servicing becomes involved at an earlier stage of delinquency with credit counseling and workout programs, there is a greater likelihood that the customer receivable will not be charged off.

The success of our collection efforts depends on being properly staffed and trained to assist borrowers in bringing delinquent balances current and ultimately avoiding charge-off. If we do not properly staff and train our collections personnel, or if we incur any downtime or other issues with our information systems that assist us with our collection efforts, then the number of accounts in a delinquent status or charged-off could increase. In addition, managing a substantially higher volume of delinquent customer receivables typically increases our operational costs. A rise in delinquencies or charge-offs could result in a material adverse effect on us.

We rely on internal models to manage risk and to provide accounting estimates. We could suffer a material adverse effect if those models do not provide reliable accounting estimates or predictions of future activity.  We make significant use of business and financial models in connection with our efforts to measure and monitor our risk exposures and to manage our credit portfolio. For example, we use models as a basis for credit underwriting decisions, portfolio delinquency, charge-off and collection expectations and other market risks, based on economic factors and our experience. The information provided by these models is used in making business decisions relating to strategies, initiatives, transactions and pricing, as well as the size of our allowance for doubtful accounts, among other accounting estimates.

Models are inherently imperfect predictors of actual results because they are based on current and historical data available to us and our assumptions about factors such as credit demand, payment rates, default rates, delinquency rates and other factors that may overstate or understate future experience. Our models could produce unreliable results for a number of reasons, including the limitations of historical data to predict results due to unprecedented or unforeseen events or circumstances, invalid or incorrect assumptions underlying the models, the need for manual adjustments in response to rapid changes in economic conditions, changes in credit policies, incorrect coding of the models, incorrect data being used by the models or inappropriate application of a model to products or events outside of the model's intended use. In particular, models are less dependable when the prevailing economic environment is different than historical experience.

In addition, we continually receive new economic data. Our critical accounting estimates, such as the size of our allowance for doubtful accounts, are subject to change, often significantly, due to the nature and magnitude of changes in economic conditions. However, there is generally a lag between the availability of this economic information and the preparation of corresponding internal models. When economic conditions change quickly or in unforeseen ways, there is increased risk that the assumptions and inputs reflected in our models are not representative of current economic conditions.

Changes in the economy, credit policies and practices, and the credit and capital markets have required frequent adjustments to our models and the application of greater management judgment in the interpretation and adjustment of the results produced by our models. The application of greater management judgment reflects the need to take into account updated information while continuing to maintain controlled processes for model updates, including model development, testing, independent validation and implementation. As a result of the time and resources, including technical and staffing resources, that are required to perform these processes effectively, it may not be possible to replace existing models quickly enough to ensure that they will always properly account for the impacts of recent information and actions.

If circumstances prove our models to be undependable or not representative of our results, then we may deem it necessary to increase our allowance for doubtful accounts in the future. If our actual charge-offs exceed the assumption used to establish the allowance, our provision for losses would increase and could result in a material adverse effect on us.

We could lose our access to customer and credit data sources, which could cause us competitive harm and have a material adverse effect on us.  We are heavily dependent on customer and credit data provided by third party providers. Our data providers could stop providing data, provide untimely, incorrect or incomplete data, or increase the costs for their data for a variety of reasons, including a perception that our systems are insecure as a result of a data security breach, regulatory concerns or for competitive reasons. We could also become subject to increased legislative, regulatory or judicial restrictions or mandates on the collection, disclosure or use of such data, in particular if such data is not collected by our providers in a way that allows us to legally use the data. If we were to lose access to this external data or if our access or use were restricted or were to become less economical or desirable, our business would be negatively impacted, which would adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.

We cannot provide assurance that we will be successful in maintaining our relationships with these external data source providers or that we will be able to continue to obtain data from them on acceptable terms or at all. Furthermore, we cannot provide assurance that we will be able to obtain comparable data from alternative sources on favorable terms or at all if our current sources become unavailable.

The Company’s reported results require the judgment of management, and the Company could be subject to risks associated with these judgments or could be adversely affected by the implementation of new, or changes in the interpretation of existing, accounting principles or financial reporting requirements.  The preparation of the Company’s financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities, at the dates of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting periods. In addition, the Company prepares its financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), and GAAP and its interpretations are subject to change over time. If new rules, different judgments, or interpretations of existing rules require the Company to change its financial reporting, the Company’s results of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected, and the Company could be required to restate historical financial reporting.

An economic downturn or other events may affect consumer purchases from us as well as their ability to repay their credit obligations to us, which could result in a material adverse effect on us.  Many factors affect consumer spending, including regional or world events, war, conditions in financial markets, general business conditions, interest rates, inflation, energy and gasoline prices, consumer debt levels, the availability of consumer credit, taxation, unemployment trends and other matters that influence consumer confidence. Consumer purchases of our products and customers making payments to us decline during periods when disposable income is lower or periods of actual or perceived unfavorable economic conditions. Recent instability in financial markets, turmoil in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, and decreases in consumer confidence and volatile oil prices have negatively impacted our markets and may present significant challenges to our operations in the future. If this occurs, our net sales and results of operations could decline.

Some of our customers may be recent immigrants and some may not be US citizens.   We follow customer identification procedures including accepting government-issued picture identification, but we do not verify immigration status of our customers.  If we or the retail credit offering sector receive negative publicity around making loans to potentially undocumented immigrants, it may draw additional attention from regulatory agencies or advocacy groups, which may harm our sales and collections results. While our credit models look to approve customers who have stability of residency and employment, it is possible that a significant change in immigration patterns, policies or enforcement could cause our customers to reduce their business with us, or not engage in business transactions with us, and cause a reduction in sales or an increase in account delinquencies. There is no assurance that a significant change in US immigration patterns, laws, regulations or enforcement will not occur, and any such significant change could have a material adverse impact on us.

If we lose key management or are unable to attract and retain the qualified sales and credit granting and collection personnel required for our business, our operating results could suffer.  Our success depends to a significant degree on the skills, experience and continued service of our key executives and the identification of suitable successors for them. While our key executives are subject to noncompetition restrictions and other negative contractual covenants, if we lose the services of any of these individuals, or if one or more of them or other key personnel decide to join a competitor or otherwise compete directly or indirectly with us, and we are unable to identify a suitable successor, our business and operations could be harmed, and we could have difficulty in implementing our strategy. In addition, our sales and credit operations are largely dependent upon our labor force. As our business grows, and as we incur turnover in current positions, we will need to locate, hire and retain additional qualified sales personnel in a timely manner and develop, train and manage an increasing number of management level sales associates and other employees. Additionally, if we are unable to attract and retain qualified credit granting and collection personnel, our ability to perform quality underwriting of new credit transactions and maintain workloads for our collections personnel at a manageable level could be materially adversely affected, and our operations could be materially adversely impacted, resulting in higher delinquency and net charge-offs on our credit portfolio. Competition for qualified employees could require us to pay higher wages, and increases in the federal minimum wage or other employee benefits costs could increase our operating expenses. If we are unable to attract and retain personnel as needed in the future, our net sales and operating results could suffer.

We depend on hiring an adequate number of hourly employees to run our business and are subject to government regulations concerning these and our other employees, including wage and hour regulations.  Our workforce is comprised primarily of employees who work on an hourly basis. In certain markets where we operate, there is significant competition for hourly employees. The lack of availability of an adequate number of hourly employees or an increase in wages and benefits to current employees could have a material adverse effect on us. We are subject to applicable rules and regulations relating to our relationship with our employees, including wage and hour regulations, health and workers' compensation benefits, unemployment taxes, overtime and working conditions and immigration status. Accordingly, legislated increases in the federal minimum wage, as well as increases in additional labor cost components such as employee benefit costs, workers’ compensation insurance rates, compliance costs and fines, would increase our labor costs, which could have a material adverse effect on us.

We face significant competition from national, regional, local and internet retailers of furniture and mattresses, home appliances, and consumer electronics.  The retail market for consumer electronics, furniture and mattresses is highly fragmented and intensely competitive and the market for home appliances is concentrated among a few major dealers. We currently compete against a diverse group of retailers, including national mass merchants, specialized national retailers, home improvement stores, and locally-owned regional or independent retail specialty stores that sell furniture and mattresses, home appliances, consumer and electronics, similar, and often identical, to those items we sell. We also compete with retailers that market products using store catalogs and the internet. In addition, there are few barriers to entry into our current and contemplated markets, and new competitors may enter our current or future markets at any time. Additionally, we compete to some extent against companies offering weekly or monthly rent-to-own payment options to credit constrained consumers for products for the home similar to those offered by us.

We may not be able to compete successfully against existing and future competitors. Some of our competitors have financial resources that may be substantially greater than ours and they may be able to purchase inventory at lower costs and better endure economic downturns. If we cannot offer competitive prices to our customers, our sales may decline or we may be required to accept lower profit margins. Our competitors may respond more quickly to new or emerging technologies and may have greater resources to devote to promotion and sale of products and services. If two or more competitors consolidate their businesses or enter into strategic partnerships, they may be able to compete more effectively against us.

Our existing competitors or new entrants into our industry may use a number of different strategies to compete against us, including:

Competition from any of these sources could cause us to lose market share, sales and customers, limit our ability to attract new customers, increase expenditures or reduce prices, any of which could have a material adverse effect on us.

Changes in customer demand and product mix could materially adversely affect our business.  Our products must appeal to a broad range of consumers whose preferences cannot be predicted with certainty and are subject to change. Our ability to maintain and increase sales depends to a large extent on the introduction and availability of new products and technologies and our ability to respond timely to customer demands and preferences for such new products. It is possible that the introduction of new products will never achieve widespread consumer acceptance or will be supplanted by alternative products and technologies that do not offer us a similar sales opportunity or are sold at lower price points or margins. We may be unable to anticipate these buying patterns which could result in a material adverse effect on us. In addition, we often make commitments to purchase products from our vendors several months in advance of proposed delivery dates. Significant deviation from the projected demand for products that we sell could affect our inventory strategies which may have an adverse effect on us, either from lost sales or lower margins due to the need to reduce prices to dispose of excess inventory.

Furthermore, due to our increasing emphasis on furniture and mattress offerings, we are building larger new stores and investing additional capital to expand existing stores to accommodate those offerings. If we are unable to execute on our furniture and mattress offering strategy, it could have a material adverse effect on us.

We may experience significant price pressures over the life cycle of our products from competing technologies and our competitors.  Prices for many of our products decrease over their life cycle. Such decreases often result in decreased gross profit margins. Suppliers may also take various steps, including manufacturing lower-cost inventory in higher volumes, to increase their own profitability, which may negatively impact our margins and, as a result, our profitability. Typically, new products, such as LED, OLED, Ultra HD, and internet-ready televisions and Blu-ray players are introduced at relatively high price points that are then gradually reduced as the product becomes mainstream. To sustain same store sales growth, unit sales must increase at a rate greater than the decline in product prices. The affordability of products helps drive unit sales growth. However, as a result of relatively short product life cycles in the consumer electronics industry, which limit the amount of time available for sales volume to increase, combined with rapid price erosion in the industry, retailers are challenged to maintain overall gross margin levels and positive same store sales. We continue to adjust our marketing strategies to address this challenge through the introduction of new product categories and new products within our existing categories. If we fail to accurately anticipate the introduction of new technologies, we may possess significant amounts of obsolete inventory that can only be sold at substantially lower prices than we anticipated. In addition, we may not be able to maintain our historical margin levels in the future due to increased sales of lower margin products, such as personal electronics products, and declines in average selling prices of key products, such as consumer electronics and home appliances. If sales of lower margin items continue to increase and replace sales of higher margin

items, or if our consumer electronics products average selling prices decrease due to the maturity of their life cycle, our gross margin and overall gross profit levels may be materially adversely affected.

A disruption in our relationships with, the operations of, or the supply of product from any of our key suppliers could have a material adverse effect on us.  The success of our business and growth strategies depends to a significant degree on our relationships with our suppliers, particularly our brand name suppliers. We do not have long-term supply agreements or exclusive arrangements with the majority of our vendors. We typically order our inventory through the issuance of individual purchase orders to vendors. We have no contractual assurance of the continued supply of merchandise we currently, or would like to, offer our customers. We also rely on our suppliers for funds in the form of vendor allowances. We may be subject to rationing by suppliers with respect to a number of limited distribution items. In addition, while we purchase products from approximately 130 manufacturers and distributors, we rely heavily on a relatively small number of suppliers. For example, during fiscal year 2017, 63.0% of our total inventory purchases were from six vendors. The loss of any one or more of our key suppliers or failure to establish and maintain relationships with these and other vendors, and limitations on the availability of inventory or repair parts, could have a material adverse effect on our supply and assortment of products, as we may not be able to find suitable replacements to supply products at competitive prices, and on our results of operations and financial condition.

If one of our vendors were to go out of business or were to be unable to fund amounts due to us, including payments due for returns of product and warranty claims, it could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. Catastrophic or other unforeseen events could materially adversely impact the supply and delivery to us of products manufactured far from our sales facilities, which could materially adversely impact our results of operations. In addition, because many of the products we sell are manufactured outside of the United States, we may experience labor unrest or an increase in the cost of imported vendor products, including border taxes, at any time for reasons beyond our control. Any slow-downs, disruptions or strikes at any of the ports may have a material adverse effect on our relationships with our customers and our business, potentially resulting in canceled orders by customers and reduced revenues and earnings. If imported merchandise becomes more expensive, unavailable or difficult to obtain, we may not be able to meet the demands of our customers. Products from alternative sources may also be more expensive than those our vendors currently import.

Our ability to enter new markets successfully depends, to a significant extent, on the willingness and ability of our vendors to supply merchandise to additional distribution centers and stores. If vendors are unwilling or unable to supply some or all of their products to us at acceptable prices in one or more markets, we could be materially adversely affected.

Furthermore, we rely on credit from vendors to purchase our products. A substantial change in credit terms from vendors or vendors' willingness to extend credit to us, including providing inventory under consignment arrangements, would reduce our ability to obtain the merchandise that we sell, which could have a material adverse effect on us. In addition, if our vendors fail to continue to offer vendor allowances, or we are restricted in our ability to earn such funds, our results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

Turmoil in financial markets and economic disruptions in other parts of the world may also negatively impact our suppliers' access to capital and liquidity with which to maintain their inventory, production levels, and product quality, and operate their businesses, all of which could materially adversely affect our supply chain. It may also cause them to change their pricing policies, which could adversely impact demand for their products. Economic disruptions and market instability may make it difficult for us and our suppliers to accurately forecast future product demand trends, which could cause us to carry too much or too little merchandise in various product categories. In addition, to the extent that any manufacturer utilizes labor practices that are not commonly accepted in the United States, we could be materially adversely affected by any resulting negative publicity.

Our changes in same store sales fluctuate significantly.  Our historical changes in same store sales have fluctuated significantly from quarter to quarter. A number of factors have historically affected, and are likely to continue to affect, our same store sales, including:

Our business could be materially adversely affected by changes in consumer protection laws and regulations. Federal and state consumer protection laws, regulations and agencies, such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”), heavily regulate the way we conduct business and could limit the manner in which we may offer and extend credit and collect on our accounts. Because a substantial portion of our sales are financed through our credit offerings any adverse change in the regulation of consumer credit could have a material adverse effect on us.

New laws or regulations, or new interpretations of existing laws or regulations, could limit the amount of interest or fees that may be charged on consumer credit accounts, including by reducing the maximum interest rate that can be charged in the states in which we operate, or impose limitations on our ability to collect on account balances, which could have a material adverse effect on us. Compliance with existing and future laws or regulations, including regulations that may be applicable to us under the Dodd-Frank Act, could require the expenditure of substantial resources. Failure to comply with these laws or regulations, even if inadvertent, could result in negative publicity, fines or additional licensing expenses, any of which could result in a material adverse effect on us.

We have procedures and controls in place that we believe are reasonable to monitor compliance with the numerous federal and state laws and regulations and believe we are in compliance with such laws and regulations. However, these laws and regulations are complex, differ between jurisdictions and are often subject to interpretation. As we expand into additional jurisdictions and offer new credit products such as our direct consumer loans, the complexities grow. Compliance with these laws and regulations is expensive and requires the time and attention of management. If we do not successfully comply with laws, regulations, or policies, we could incur fines or penalties, lose existing or new customers, or suffer damage to our reputation. Changes in these laws and regulations can significantly alter our business environment, limit business operations, and increase costs of doing business, and we may not be able predict the impact such changes would have on our profitability.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau may reshape the consumer financial laws and there continues to be uncertainty as to how the agency's actions will impact our business. The Dodd-Frank Act comprehensively overhauled the financial services industry within the United States and established the CFPB. The CFPB has enforcement and rulemaking authority under certain federal consumer financial laws, including the TILA, ECOA, FCRA, FDCPA, and GLB. This means, for example, that the CFPB has the ability to adopt rules that interpret provisions of the FDCPA, potentially affecting all facets of debt collection. In addition, the CFPB has issued guidance in the form of Bulletins on debt collection and credit furnishing activities generally, including Bulletins that address furnisher requirements and the application of the CFPB’s prohibition on “unfair, deceptive, or abusive” acts or practices with respect to debt collection.

On June 2, 2016, the CFPB proposed a rule to require certain consumer installment lenders to take steps to make sure consumers can repay their loans. The CFPB proposal, among other things, requires lenders to use credit reporting systems to report and obtain information on certain loans and borrowers. Some of our consumer loan products may be affected by these rules if or when they are finalized and adopted. We do not currently know the nature and extent of the final rules the CFPB may adopt, but they could have the effect of reducing revenue to us from certain loans, reducing the likelihood of collections, or make continuance of those loans impractical or unprofitable.

In addition, the CFPB maintains an online complaint system that allows consumers to log complaints with respect to the products we offer. The system could inform future agency decisions with respect to regulatory, enforcement, or examination focus. The CFPB is authorized to collect fines and provide consumer restitution in the event of violations of certain consumer financial service laws, engage in consumer financial education, request data, and promote the availability of financial services to under-served consumers and communities. There continues to be uncertainty as to how, or if, the CFPB and its strategies and priorities will impact our businesses and our results of operations going forward and could result in new regulatory requirements and regulatory costs for us.

Although we have committed substantial resources to enhancing our compliance programs, changes in regulatory expectations, interpretations or practices could increase the risk of enforcement actions, fines and penalties. Actions by the CFPB, FTC and various state agencies could result in requirements to alter our products and services that would make our products less attractive to consumers or impair our ability to offer them profitably. Future actions by regulators that discourage the use of products we offer or steer consumers to other products or services could result in reputational harm and a loss of customers. Should the CFPB, FTC and various state agencies change regulations adopted in the past by other regulators, or modify past regulatory guidance, our compliance costs and litigation exposure could increase. Our litigation exposure could also increase if the CFPB exercises its authority to limit or ban arbitration clauses. This additional focus and regulatory oversight could significantly increase operating costs.

We are required to comply with laws and regulations regulating credit extensions and other dealings with customers and our failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations, or any adverse change in those laws or regulations, could have a negative impact on our business. A substantial portion of our customers finance purchases through our credit offerings. The extension of credit to consumers and related collection efforts is a highly regulated area of our business. Numerous federal and state laws impose disclosure and other requirements on the origination, servicing and enforcement of credit accounts. These laws include, but are not limited to, TILA, ECOA, the Dodd-Frank Act, FCRA, GLB, FTCA and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. Our business practices, marketing and advertising terms, procedures and practices for credit applications and underwriting, terms of credit extensions and related disclosures, data privacy and protection practices, and collection practices, may be subject to periodic or special reviews by regulatory and enforcement authorities under the foregoing laws. These reviews could range from investigations of specific consumer complaints or concerns to broader inquiries into our practices generally. If, as part of these reviews, the regulatory authorities conclude that we are not complying with applicable laws or regulations, they could request or impose a wide range of sanctions and remedies including requiring changes in advertising and collection practices, changes in our credit application and underwriting practices, changes in our data privacy or protection practices, changes in the terms of our credit or other financial products (such as decreases in interest rates or fees), the imposition of fines or penalties, or the paying of restitution or the taking of other remedial action with respect to affected customers. They also could require us to stop offering some of our credit or other financial products within one or more states, or nationwide.

Negative publicity relating to any specific inquiry or investigation, regardless of whether we have violated any applicable law or regulation or the extent of any such violation, could negatively affect our reputation, our brand and our stock price, which could have a material adverse effect on us. If any deficiencies or violations of law or regulations are identified by us or asserted by any regulator or other person, or if any regulatory or enforcement authority or court requires us to change any of our practices, the correction of such deficiencies or violations, or the making of such changes, could have a material adverse effect on us. We face the risk that restrictions or limitations resulting from the enactment, change, or interpretation of federal or state laws and regulations, such as the Dodd-Frank Act, could negatively affect our business activities, require us to make significant expenditures or effectively eliminate credit products or other financial products currently offered to customers.

Any failure on our part to comply with legal requirements in connection with credit or other financial products, or in connection with servicing or collecting our accounts or otherwise dealing with consumers, could significantly impair our ability to collect the full amount of the account balances and could subject us to substantial liability for damages or penalties. The institution of any litigation of this nature, or the rendering of any judgment against us in any litigation of this nature, could have a material adverse effect on us.

We may also expand into additional jurisdictions or offer new credit products in existing jurisdictions. We must comply with the laws of each jurisdiction we operate in, which are not uniform. New or different laws in new jurisdictions into which we expand, or changes to the laws in those jurisdictions or the ones in which we currently operate, could increase our compliance costs, expose us to litigation risk or otherwise have a material adverse effect on us.

We have been named as a defendant in multiple securities class action lawsuits and shareholder derivative lawsuits, and are also subject to an ongoing SEC investigation. Potential similar or related litigation or investigations could result in substantial damages and may divert management's time and attention from our business. We and certain of our current and former officers and directors are named as defendants in securities class action lawsuits and in related shareholder derivative lawsuits. We are also subject to an ongoing SEC investigation. Each of these matters is described in more detail in Part II, Item 8., in Note 14, Contingencies , of the Consolidated Financial Statements of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

We are unable to predict the timing or outcome of the SEC investigation or estimate the nature or amount of any possible sanction or enforcement action the SEC could seek to impose, which could include fines, penalties, damages, sanctions, administrative remedies and modifications to our disclosure, accounting and business practices, including a prohibition on specific conduct or a potential restatement of our financial statements, any of which could be material.

The lawsuits and SEC investigation could result in the diversion of management's time and attention away from business operations, which could harm our business and also harm our relationships with existing customers and vendors. They may also materially damage our reputation and the value of our brand. Our legal expenses incurred in defending the lawsuits and responding to the

SEC investigation could be significant, and a ruling against us, or a settlement of any of these matters, could have a material adverse effect on us.

There can be no assurance that any litigation to which we are, or in the future may become, a party will be resolved in our favor. These lawsuits and any other lawsuits that we may become party to are subject to inherent uncertainties, and the costs to us of defending litigation matters will depend upon many unknown factors. Any claim that is successfully decided against us may require us to pay substantial damages, including punitive damages, and other related fees, or prevent us from selling certain of our products. Regardless of whether lawsuits are resolved in our favor or if we are the plaintiff or the defendant in the litigation, any lawsuits to which we are or may become a party will likely be expensive and time consuming to defend or resolve.

Judicial or administrative decisions, CFPB rule-making or amendments to the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”) could render the arbitration agreements the Company uses illegal or unenforceable. Dispute arbitration provisions are commonplace in our customer credit arrangements. These provisions are designed to allow the Company to resolve customer disputes through individual arbitration rather than in court. The Company’s arbitration provisions explicitly provide that all arbitrations will be conducted on an individual and not on a class basis. Thus, the Company’s arbitration arrangements, if enforced, have the effect of mitigating class and collective action exposure. In the past, various courts and administrative authorities have concluded that arbitration agreements with class action waivers are unenforceable, particularly where a small dollar amount is in controversy on an individual basis. Moreover, on May 5, 2016, the CFPB proposed rules that would prohibit consumer financial services companies from using class action waivers in consumer arbitration clauses. Any judicial or administrative decisions, federal legislation or final CFPB or other administrative rule that would impair the Company’s ability to enter into and enforce consumer dispute arbitration agreements with class action waivers could significantly increase the Company’s exposure to class action litigation as well as litigation in plaintiff-friendly jurisdictions. Such litigation could have a material adverse effect on us.

Pending litigation relating to the sale of credit insurance and the sale of repair service agreements in the retail industry could have a material adverse effect on us.  State attorneys generals and private plaintiffs have filed lawsuits against other retailers relating to improper practices in connection with the sale of credit insurance and repair service agreements in several jurisdictions around the country. We offer credit insurance in our stores on sales financed under our credit programs and require customers to purchase credit insurance from us, or provide evidence from a third-party insurance provider, at their election, in connection with sales of merchandise on credit. Therefore, similar litigation could be brought against us. While we believe we are in full compliance with applicable laws and regulations, if we are found liable in any future lawsuit regarding credit insurance or repair service agreements, we could be required to pay substantial damages or incur substantial costs as part of an out-of-court settlement or require us to modify or suspend certain operations, any of which could have a material adverse effect on us. An adverse judgment or any negative publicity associated with our repair service agreements or any potential credit insurance litigation could also affect our reputation, which could have a negative impact on our cash flow and results of operations.

Pending and potential litigation regarding alleged patent infringements could result in significant costs to us to defend what we consider to be spurious claims.  In recent years many participants in the manufacturing, retail and software industries have been the target of patent litigation claimants making demands or filing claims based upon alleged patent infringement through the manufacturing and selling, either in merchandise or through software and internet websites, of product or merely providing access through website portals. We, in conjunction with multiple other parties, have been (and remain) the targets of such claims. While we believe that we have not violated or infringed any third-party alleged patent rights, and intend to defend vigorously any such claims, the cost to defend, settle or pay any such claims could be substantial and could have a material adverse effect on us.

Our governance documents and state law provide certain anti-takeover measures which could prevent or delay a change in control of the Company, even if such changes would be beneficial to our stockholders. Provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws, as well as provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”) could discourage, delay or prevent a merger, acquisition or other change in control of the Company, even if such change in control would be beneficial to our stockholders. These provisions include:

Further, we are subject to Section 203 of the DGCL, which limits certain transactions and business combinations between a corporation and a stockholder owning 15% or more of the corporation's outstanding voting stock for a period of three years from the date the stockholder becomes a 15% stockholder. These provisions and our stockholders' rights plan, either alone or in

combination with each other, could delay, deter or prevent a change of control, whether or not it is desired by, or beneficial to, our stockholders.

Our corporate actions may be substantially controlled by our principal stockholders and affiliated entities. A large proportion of our outstanding common stock is beneficially owned by a small group of principal stockholders and their affiliates, including Luxor Capital Group, L.P., Stephens Inc., Stephens Group, PAR Capital Management, Inc., and Anchorage Capital Group ("Anchorage"), LLC. Large holders, such as these, may be able to affect matters requiring approval by Company stockholders, including the election of directors and the approval of mergers or other business combination transactions. Additionally, we have granted a waiver of the applicability of the provisions of Section 203 of the DGCL to Anchorage such that Anchorage may increase its position in our common stock up to 7,870,657 shares of our common stock without being subject to Section 203's restrictions on business combinations. The concentration of ownership of our shares of common stock by the relatively small number of hedge funds and investors may:

The interests of these investors and their respective affiliates may differ from or be adverse to the interests of our other stockholders. If any of these investors sells a substantial number of shares in the public market, the market price of our shares could fall. The perception among the public that these sales will occur could also contribute to a decline in the market price of the shares.

Failure to effectively manage our costs could have a material adverse effect on our profitability.  Certain elements of our cost structure are largely fixed in nature. Consumer spending remains uncertain, which makes it more challenging for us to maintain or increase our operating income. The competitiveness in our industry and increasing price transparency means that the focus on achieving efficient operations is greater than ever. As a result, we must continuously focus on managing our cost structure. Failure to manage our labor and benefit rates, advertising and marketing expenses, operating leases, charge-offs, other store expenses or indirect spending could materially adversely affect us.

If we cannot continue to offer third party payment solutions for customers who do not qualify for our proprietary credit offerings, our business may be impaired.   Currently, if a customer does not qualify for our credit offering for a particular purchase in our stores, but qualifies with AcceptanceNow, a payment solutions provider not affiliated with us, then we sell the applicable merchandise to AcceptanceNow, which leases the merchandise to the customer under a lease-to-own arrangement, and we record a cash sale from this arrangement. In fiscal year 2017, AcceptanceNow represented approximately 6.2% of our retail revenue. As described in Note 19. Subsequent Events in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this annual report, our relationship with AcceptanceNow is expected to terminate on June 6, 2017. We have been in discussions with Progressive, a subsidiary of Aaron’s, Inc., which could provide similar lease-to-own payment solutions to our customers who do not qualify for our proprietary credit offerings, and we believe that we will be able to partner with Progressive or another similar payment solution provider. Nevertheless, we may be unable to establish and leverage such a relationship on favorable terms or at all. Moreover, even if we are able to establish and leverage such a relationship with Progressive or another similar payment solution provider, such business partner’s business model will be subject to various risks that are outside of our control. If, as a result of any of these risks, our business partner becomes unable to, or otherwise determines not to continue operating with us at a level similar to the level we have historically operated with AcceptanceNow, or if we are unable to establish such a partnership on favorable terms or at all, then we could lose sales or revenue, our financial results could be adversely affected, our ability to execute our growth plan could be impeded and we could otherwise suffer a material adverse effect.

Our costs of doing business could increase as a result of changes in federal, state or local regulations.  Changes in federal, state or local minimum wage requirements or changes in other wage or workplace regulations could increase our cost of doing business. In addition, changes in federal, state or local regulations governing the sale of some of our products or tax regulations could increase our cost of doing business. Also, passage of the Employer Free Choice Act or similar laws in Congress could lead to higher labor costs by encouraging unionization efforts among our employees and disruption of store operations.

Our stores are concentrated in the southern region of the United States, especially Texas, which subjects us to regional risks, such as the economy, weather conditions, hurricanes and other natural or man-made disasters. If the southern region of the United States suffers a continued or another economic downturn or any other adverse regional event, such as inclement weather, it could have a material adverse effect on us. Several of our competitors operate stores in various regions across the United States and thus may not be as vulnerable to the risks associated with operating in a concentrated region. The states and the local economies where many of our stores are located are dependent, to a degree, on the oil and gas industries, which can be very volatile due to fluctuations of commodities prices or other causes. Because of fears of climate change and adverse effects of drilling explosions

and oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico, legislation has been considered, and governmental regulations and orders have been issued, which, combined with the local economic and employment conditions caused by both, could materially adversely impact the oil and gas industries and the economic health of areas in which a significant number of our stores are located. In addition, the legislative, regulatory and general business environment in Texas, where a large number of our stores are located, has been relatively favorable for our business, but negative or unexpected legislative or regulatory changes in Texas could have a material adverse effect on us.

Our information technology infrastructure is vulnerable to damage that could harm our business.  Our ability to operate our business, including our ability to manage our credit and collections, operations and inventory levels, largely depends on the efficient operation of our computer hardware and software systems. We use management information systems, including our credit underwriting, loan management, inventory management and collections systems, to track inventory information at the store level, communicate customer information, aggregate daily sales and expense information and manage our credit portfolio, including processing credit applications and managing collections. In addition, we license these systems from third parties. These systems and our operations are subject to damage or interruption from:

In addition, the software that we have developed internally to use in our daily operations may contain undetected errors that could cause our network to fail or our expenses to increase. Any failure of our owned or licensed systems due to any of these causes could cause an interruption in our operations and result in reduced net sales and results of operations. Though we have implemented contingency and disaster recovery processes in the event of one or several technology failures, any unforeseen failure, interruption or compromise of our systems or our security measures could adversely affect our business and harm our reputation. The risk of possible failures or interruptions may not be adequately addressed by us or the third-parties on which we rely, and such failures or interruptions could occur. The occurrence of any failures or interruptions could have a material adverse effect on us.

Our management information systems may not be adequate to meet our evolving business and emerging regulatory needs and the failure to successfully implement new systems could negatively impact our business and financial results. We are investing capital in new information technology systems and implementing modifications and upgrades to existing systems to support our growth plan. These investments include replacing legacy systems, making changes to existing systems, building redundancies, and acquiring new systems and hardware with updated functionality. We are taking actions to ensure the successful implementation of these initiatives, including the testing of new systems and the transfer of existing data, with minimal disruptions to our business. These efforts may take longer and may require greater financial and other resources than anticipated, may cause distraction of key personnel, may cause disruptions to our existing systems and our business, and may not provide the anticipated benefits. Any disruption in our information technology systems, or our inability to improve, upgrade, integrate or expand our systems to meet our evolving business and emerging regulatory requirements, could impair our ability to achieve critical strategic initiatives and could have a material adverse effect on us.

Changes in premium and commission rates on the insurance products we sell or our inability to maintain our insurance licenses requirements in the states in which we operate could have a material adverse effect on us.  We derive a significant portion of our revenues and operating income from the commissions we earn from the sale of various insurance products of third-party insurers to our customers. These products include credit insurance, repair service agreements and product replacement policies. Most states and many local jurisdictions in which we operate require registration and licenses to sell these products or otherwise conduct our business. These states and local jurisdictions have, in many cases, established criteria the Company must satisfy in order to obtain, maintain and renew these licenses. For example, certain states or other jurisdictions require the Company to meet or exceed certain operational, advertising, disclosure, collection and recordkeeping requirements and to maintain a minimum amount of net worth or equity. From time to time, the Company is subject to audits in these jurisdictions to ensure it is satisfying the applicable requirements in order to maintain these necessary licenses. If, for any reason, we are unable to satisfy these requirements, we might be unable to maintain our insurance licenses in the states and other jurisdictions in which we operate, we might be subject to various fines and penalties or store closures, or our requests for new or renewed licenses may be denied, any of which consequences could have a material adverse effect on us. In addition, any material claims or future material litigation

involving our repair service agreements or product replacement policies, or any decline in the commissions we retain from our sales of the insurance products declines, it may have a material adverse effect on us.

If we are unable to continue to offer third-party repair service agreements to our customers, we could incur additional costs or repair expenses, which could materially adversely affect us.  There are a limited number of insurance carriers that provide repair service agreement programs. If repair service agreement programs become unavailable from our current providers for any reason, we may be unable to provide repair service agreements to our customers on the same or similar terms, or at all. Even if we are able to obtain a substitute provider, higher premiums may be required, which could have a material adverse effect on our profitability if we are unable to pass along the increased cost of such coverage to our customers. Inability to maintain the repair service agreement program could cause fluctuations in our repair expenses, impact our credit portfolio losses, and cause greater volatility of earnings and could require us to become the obligor under new contracts we sell.

If we are unable to maintain group credit insurance policies from insurance carriers, which allow us to offer their credit insurance products to our customers purchasing our merchandise on credit, our revenues may be reduced or our credit losses may increase.  There are a limited number of insurance carriers that provide credit insurance coverage for sale to our customers. If credit insurance becomes unavailable for any reason we may be unable to offer substitute coverage on the same or similar terms, or at all. Even if we are able to obtain substitute coverage, it may be at higher rates or reduced coverage, which could affect customer acceptance of these products, reduce our revenues or increase our credit losses.

Changes in trade regulations, currency exchange rate fluctuations and other factors beyond our control could adversely affect our business. A significant portion of our inventory is manufactured or assembled overseas and in Mexico. Changes in trade regulations, currency fluctuations, border taxes, or other factors beyond our control may increase the cost of items we purchase or create shortages of these items, which in turn could have a material adverse effect on us. Conversely, significant reductions in the cost of these items in U.S. dollars may cause a significant reduction in the retail prices of those products, resulting in a material adverse effect on us. In addition, commissions earned on our credit insurance, repair service agreement or product replacement agreement products could be materially adversely affected by changes in statutory premium rates, commission rates, adverse claims experience and other factors.

Our costs to protect our intellectual property rights, infringement of which could impair our name and reputation, could be significant. We believe that our success and ability to compete depends in part on consumer identification of the name “Conn's” and we rely on certain trademark registrations and common law rights to protect the distinctiveness of our brand. We intend to protect vigorously our trademarks against infringement, misappropriation or dilution by others. A third-party, however, could attempt to misappropriate our intellectual property or claim that our intellectual property infringes or otherwise violates third-party trademarks in the future. Any litigation or claims relating to our intellectual property brought by or against us, whether with or without merit, or whether successful or not, could result in substantial costs and diversion of our resources, which could have a material adverse effect on us.

Failure to protect the security of our customer's information or failure to comply with data privacy and protection laws could expose us to litigation, compromise the integrity of our products, damage our reputation and materially adversely affect us. Our business regularly captures, collects, handles, processes, transmits and stores significant amounts of sensitive information about our customers, employees and others, including financial records, credit and business information, and certain other personally identifiable or other sensitive personal information. A number of other retailers have experienced security breaches, including a number of highly publicized incidents involving well-known retailers. To our knowledge, we have not suffered a significant security breach. In addition, we rely on the secure operation of our website, the internet and other third-party systems generally to assist us in the collection and transmission of the sensitive data we collect. Our information systems are vulnerable to damage or interruption from power outages, computer and telecommunications failures, computer viruses, security breaches (including credit card information breaches), vandalism, catastrophic events and human error or malfeasance. A compromise of our information security controls or of those businesses with which we interact, which results in confidential information being accessed, obtained, damaged, or used by unauthorized or improper persons, could harm our reputation and expose us to regulatory actions and claims from customers and clients, financial institutions, payment card associations and other persons, any of which could materially adversely affect us. Moreover, a data security breach could require that we expend significant resources related to our information systems and infrastructure, and could distract management and other key personnel from performing their primary operational duties. If our information systems are damaged, fail to work properly or otherwise become unavailable, we may incur substantial costs to repair or replace them, and may experience loss of critical information, customer disruption and interruptions or delays in our ability to perform essential functions and implement new and innovative services. In addition, compliance with changes in privacy and information security laws and standards may result in considerable expense due to increased investment in technology and the development of new operational processes.

We maintain data breach and network security liability insurance, but we cannot be certain that our coverage will be adequate for any liabilities actually incurred or that insurance will continue to be available to us on economically reasonable terms or at all. We may need to devote significant resources to protect against security breaches or to address problems caused by breaches, which would divert resources from the growth and expansion of our business.

We may incur property, casualty or other losses not covered by insurance. We maintain a program of insurance coverage for various types of property, casualty and other risks. The types and amounts of insurance that we obtain vary from time to time, depending on availability, cost and our decisions with respect to risk retention. The policies are subject to deductibles and exclusions that result in our retention of a level of risk on a self-insurance basis. Losses not covered by insurance could be substantial and may increase our expenses, which could harm our results of operations and financial condition.

Our tax liabilities could be materially impacted by any changes in the tax laws of the jurisdictions in which we operate, beginning operations in new states, and assessments as a result of tax audits. Legislation could be introduced at any time that changes our tax liabilities in a way that has a material adverse effect on us. In particular, because of the extent of our operations in Texas, the Texas margin tax, which is based on gross profit rather than earnings, can create significant volatility in our effective tax rate. In addition, our entry into new states in the future could subject us to additional tax rate volatility, dependent upon the tax laws in place in those states. Moreover, d uring fiscal year 2017, we recorded additional sales ta x audit reserve based on a recent assessment of prior year periods and our estimate related to post-audit periods. In the event that actual results differ from our estimate, we may need to adjust our reserve, which could materially impact our financial condition and results of operations.

We are subject to sales, income and other taxes, which can be difficult and complex to calculate due to the nature of our business. A failure to correctly calculate and pay such taxes could result in substantial tax liabilities and have a material adverse effect on us. The application of indirect taxes, such as sales tax, is a complex and evolving issue and we may not have accrued or remitted required amounts to various jurisdictions. Many of the fundamental statutes and regulations that impose these taxes were established before the growth of e-commerce and, therefore, in many cases it is not clear how existing statutes apply to certain aspects of our business and we rely on advice from our third-party tax advisors. In addition, governments are increasingly looking for ways to increase revenues, which has resulted in discussions about tax reform and other legislative action to increase tax revenues, including through indirect taxes. This also could result in other adverse changes in or interpretations of existing sales, income and other tax regulations, the exact nature or effect of which cannot be reasonably calculated, but which could have a material adverse effect on us.

Failure to successfully utilize and manage e-commerce, and to compete effectively with the growing e-commerce sector, could materially adversely affect our business and prospects. Our website provides new and existing customers with the ability to review our product offerings and prices, apply for credit, and access and make payments on their credit accounts. Customers may also purchase certain products on our website using a credit card. Our website is a significant component of our advertising strategy. We believe our website represents a possible source for future sales and growth in our credit collections. In order to promote our products and services, allow our customers to complete credit applications in the privacy of their homes and on their mobile devices and make payments on their accounts, and drive traffic to our stores, we must effectively create, design, publish and distribute content over the internet. There can be no assurance that we will be able to design and publish web content with a high level of effectiveness or grow our e-commerce business in a profitable manner. Certain of our competitors, and a number of e-commerce retailers, have established e-commerce operations against which we compete for customers. It is possible that the increasing competition from the e-commerce sector may reduce our market share, gross margin or operating margin, and may have a material adverse effect on us.

Our reputation, ability to do business and operating results may be impaired by improper conduct by any of our employees, agents or business partners. Our employees, agents or business partners may violate the policies and procedures we have implemented to ensure compliance with applicable laws. Improper actions by any of the foregoing could subject us to civil, criminal or administrative investigations, could lead to substantial civil and criminal, monetary and non-monetary penalties, and related shareholder lawsuits, could cause us to incur significant legal fees, and could damage our reputation.

If we fail to maintain adequate systems and processes to detect and prevent fraudulent activity, our business could be materially adversely impacted. Criminals are using increasingly sophisticated methods to engage in illegal activities such as paper instrument counterfeiting, fraudulent payment or refund schemes and identity theft. As we make more of our services available over the internet and other media, and as we expand into new geographic regions without an established customer base, we subject ourselves to increased consumer fraud risk. While we believe past incidents of fraudulent activity have been relatively isolated, we cannot be certain that our systems and processes will always be adequate in the face of increasingly sophisticated and ever-changing fraud schemes. We use a variety of tools to protect against fraud, but these tools may not always be successful at preventing such fraud. Instances of fraud may result in increased costs, including possible settlement and litigation expenses, and could have a material adverse effect on us.

Because the Company maintains a significant supply of cash and inventories in its stores, the Company may be subject to employee and third-party robberies, burglaries and thefts, and may be subject to liability as a result of crimes at its stores. The Company’s business requires it to maintain a significant supply of cash, loan collateral and inventories in most of its stores. As a result, the Company is subject to the risk of robberies, burglaries and thefts. Although the Company has implemented various programs in an effort to reduce these risks, maintains insurance coverage for robberies, burglaries and thefts and utilizes various security measures at its facilities, there can be no assurance that robberies, burglaries and thefts will not occur. The extent of the Company’s cash, loan collateral and inventory, losses or shortages could increase as it expands the nature and scope of its products

and services. Robberies, burglaries and thefts could lead to losses and shortages and could have a material adverse effect on us. It is also possible that violent crimes such as armed robberies may be committed at the Company’s stores. The Company could experience liability or adverse publicity arising from such crimes. For example, the Company may be liable if an employee, customer, guard or bystander suffers bodily injury or other harm. Any such event may have a material adverse effect on the Company.

We are subject to risks associated with leasing substantial amounts of space, including future increases in occupancy costs.  We lease most of our store locations, our corporate headquarters and our distribution centers. Our continued growth and success depends in part on our ability to locate property for new stores and renew leases for existing locations. There is no assurance that we will be able to locate real estate and negotiate leases for new stores, or renegotiate leases for existing locations on the same or similar terms, or on favorable terms at all, and we could be forced to move or exit a market as a result. Furthermore, a significant rise in real estate prices or real property taxes could result in an increase in store lease expense as we open new locations and renew leases for existing locations, thereby negatively impacting our results of operations. Our inability to renew, extend or replace expiring store leases could have a material adverse effect on us.

We depend primarily on cash flow from operations to pay our lease expenses. If our business does not generate sufficient cash flow from operating activities to fund these expenses, we may not be able to service our lease expenses, which could materially adversely affect us. If an existing or future store is not profitable, and we decide to close it, we may be nonetheless committed to perform our obligations under the applicable lease including, among other things, paying the base rent for the balance of the lease term. Moreover, even if a lease has an early cancellation clause, we might not satisfy the contractual requirements for early cancellation under that lease. Our inability to enter into new leases or renew existing leases on terms acceptable to us, or be released from our obligations under leases for stores that we close, could materially adversely affect us.

Failure to maintain positive brand perception and recognition could have a negative impact on our business. Maintaining a good reputation is critical to the success of our business. The considerable expansion of the use of social media by our customers (including, but not only, as a result of our technological outreach), has increased the risk that our reputation could be negatively impacted in a short amount of time. If we are unable to quickly and effectively respond to criticism of our brand or reputation (on any basis), we may suffer declines in customer loyalty and traffic, vendor relationship issues, and other consequences, all of which could have a material adverse effect on us.

If our third-party delivery services are unable to meet our promised delivery schedule, our net sales may decline due to a decline in customer satisfaction.  For many purchases, we offer next day delivery to our customers that we outsource to third-party delivery services. These third-parties are subject to risks that are beyond our control and, if they fail to timely or satisfactorily deliver our products, we may lose business from customers in the future and could suffer damage to our reputation. The loss of customers or damage to our reputation could have a material adverse effect on us.

Our failure to maintain an effective system of internal controls could result in inaccurate reporting of financial results and harm our business. We are required to comply with a variety of reporting, accounting and other rules and regulations. As such, we maintain a system of internal control over financial reporting, but there are limitations inherent in internal control systems. A control system can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. In addition, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints and the benefit of controls must be appropriate relative to their costs. Furthermore, compliance with existing requirements is expensive and we may need to implement additional finance and accounting and other systems, procedures and controls to satisfy our reporting requirements. If our internal control over financial reporting is determined to be ineffective, such failure could cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, negatively affect the market price of our common stock, subject us to regulatory investigations and penalties, and otherwise materially adversely impact us.

Stock market volatility may materially adversely affect the market price of our common stock. The Company's common stock price has been and is likely to continue to be subject to significant volatility. A variety of factors could cause the price of our common stock to fluctuate substantially, including:

Due to the volatility of our stock price, we are and may be in the future the target of securities litigation. Such lawsuits generally result in the diversion of management's time and attention away from business operations, which could materially adversely affect us. In addition, the costs of defense and any damages resulting from such litigation, a ruling against us, or a settlement of any such litigation could materially adversely affect our financial results.

We face risks with respect to product liability claims and product recalls, which could materially adversely affect our reputation, our business, and our consolidated results of operations. We purchase merchandise from third-parties and offer this merchandise to customers for sale. This merchandise could be subject to recalls and other actions by regulatory authorities. Changes in laws and regulations could also impact the type of merchandise we offer to customers. We have experienced, and may in the future experience, recalls of merchandise. In addition, individuals may in the future assert claims that they have sustained injuries from third-party merchandise offered by us, and we may be subject to future lawsuits relating to these claims. These claims or liabilities may exceed, or fall outside the scope of, our insurance coverage. Any of the issues mentioned above could result in damage to our reputation, diversion of development and management resources, or reduced sales and increased costs, any of which could have a material adverse effect on us.