Enova International (ENVA) Risk Factors

The business of providing products and services such as ours over the internet is dynamic and relatively new. We must keep pace with rapid technological change, consumer and small business use habits, internet security risks, risks of system failure or inadequacy, and governmental regulation and taxation, and each of these factors could adversely impact our business. In addition, concerns about fraud, computer security and privacy and/or other problems may discourage additional consumers and small businesses from adopting or continuing to use the internet as a medium of commerce. In countries such as the United States, where e-commerce generally has been available for some time and the level of market penetration of our online financial services is relatively high, acquiring new customers for our services may be more difficult and costly than it has been in the past. In order to expand our customer base, we must appeal to and acquire customers who historically have used traditional means of commerce to conduct their financial services transactions. If these customers prove to be less profitable than our previous customers, and we are unable to gain efficiencies in our operating costs, including our cost of acquiring new customers, our business could be adversely impacted.

Anticorruption Laws. We are subject to the FCPA, which generally prohibits companies and their agents or intermediaries from making improper payments to foreign officials for the purpose of obtaining or keeping business and/or other benefits. Although we have policies and procedures designed to ensure that we, our employees, agents and intermediaries comply with the FCPA and other anticorruption laws, such policies or procedures may not work effectively all of the time or protect us against liability for actions taken by our employees, agents and intermediaries with respect to our business or any businesses that we may acquire. In the event that we believe, or have reason to believe, that our employees, agents or intermediaries have or may have violated applicable anti-corruption laws, including the FCPA, we may be required to investigate or have a third party investigate the relevant facts and circumstances, which can be expensive and require significant time and attention from senior management. Our continued operation and expansion outside the United States could increase the risk of such violations in the future. Other countries in which we operate or have operated, including Brazil, Australia, Canada and other countries where we intend to operate also have anticorruption laws, which we are, have been or will be subject to. If we are not in compliance with the FCPA and other laws governing the conduct of business with government entities (including local laws), we may be subject to criminal and civil penalties and other remedial measures, which could have an adverse effect on our business, reputation, results of operations and financial condition. Any investigation of any potential violations of the FCPA or other anticorruption laws by U.S. or foreign authorities could harm our reputation and could have a material adverse effect on our business, reputation, prospects, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. Anti–Money Laundering Laws. We are also subject to anti-money laundering laws and related compliance obligations in the United States and other jurisdictions in which we do business. In the United States, the USA PATRIOT Act and the Bank Secrecy Act require us to maintain an anti-money laundering compliance program covering certain of our business activities. The program must include: (1) the development of internal policies, procedures and controls; (2) designation of a compliance officer; (3) an ongoing employee training program; and (4) an independent audit function to test the program. If we are not in compliance with U.S. or other anti-money laundering laws, we may be subject to criminal and civil penalties and other remedial measures, which could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. Any investigation of any potential violations of anti-money laundering laws by U.S. or international authorities could harm our reputation and could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. Economic Sanctions Laws. The United States has imposed economic sanctions that affect transactions with designated foreign countries, nationals and others. In particular, the United States prohibits U.S. persons from engaging with individuals and entities identified as "Specially Designated Nationals," such as terrorists and narcotics traffickers. These prohibitions are administered by the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control ("OFAC"). OFAC rules prohibit U.S. persons from engaging in financial transactions with or relating to the prohibited individual, entity or country, require the blocking of assets in which the individual, entity or country has an interest. Blocked assets (e.g., property or bank deposits) cannot be paid out, withdrawn, set off or transferred in any manner without a license from OFAC. Other countries in which we operate also maintain economic and financial sanctions regimes. In the event that we believe, or have reason to believe, that our employees, agents or intermediaries have or may have violated applicable laws or regulations, we may be required to investigate or have a third party investigate the relevant facts and circumstances, which can be expensive and require significant time and attention from senior management. If we are not in compliance with OFAC regulations and other economic and financial sanctions regulations, we may be subject to criminal and civil penalties and other remedial measures, which could have an adverse effect on our business, prospects, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. Any investigation of any potential violations of OFAC regulations or other economic sanctions by U.S. or foreign authorities could harm our reputation and could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. Any continued international expansion could increase the risk of violations of FCPA, anti-money laundering laws, OFAC regulations, or similar applicable laws and regulations in the future.

Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics prohibits us and our employees from engaging in unethical business practices. In addition, our ISOs are required to comply with a code of conduct, or the ISO Code, tailored to their brokering services. We refer to our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and the ISO Code collectively as the "Code." However, there can be no assurance that all of our employees, agents, or contractors will refrain from acting in violation of our Code, or that we will be able to detect any such violations. The investigation into potential violations of our Code, or even allegations of such violations, could disrupt our operations, involve significant management distraction, and lead to significant costs and expenses, and such expenses may have a material adverse effect on our financial results. If we, or our employees, agents or contractors, are found to have engaged in practices that violate our Code, we could suffer severe fines, penalties or other consequences that may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. In addition, negative public opinion could result from actual or alleged conduct by us, or our employees, agents or contractors acting on our behalf, in any number of activities or circumstances in violation of our Code, including employment related offenses, such as harassment (sexual or otherwise) and discrimination, regulatory compliance and the use and protection of data and systems, or from actions taken by regulators or others in response to such conduct.

In the past we have ceased business in, restricted our operations in, or chosen not to begin business in, certain jurisdictions due to regulatory restrictions which render our operations impermissible, unprofitable or impractical. In addition, because we are in some cases subject to state/provincial and local regulation in addition to federal/national regulation, we may restrict or discontinue business in certain jurisdictions within countries where we are otherwise active. For example, as of December 31, 2023, we did not offer or arrange consumer loans in 13 U.S. states because we do not believe it is economically feasible to operate in those jurisdictions due to specific statutory or regulatory restrictions, such as interest rate ceilings or caps on the fees that may be charged. The adoption of state regulatory measures cannot be predicted, but we expect that other states may propose or enact similar restrictions impacting our consumer or small business loan or financing products in the future, which could affect our operations in such states. Legislation or regulations targeting or otherwise directly affecting our products and services have been introduced or adopted in a number of states over the last few years, and we regularly monitor proposed legislation or regulations that could affect our business. For more information, see "Regulation and Legal Proceedings-U.S. State Regulation." If we are forced to exit key jurisdictions due to such concerns, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to find suitably attractive additional business opportunities elsewhere, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

In the jurisdictions where we operate, our advertising and marketing activities and disclosures are subject to regulation under various industry standards, consumer protection laws, and other applicable laws and regulations. Consistent with the lending industry as a whole, our advertising and marketing materials have come under increased scrutiny. Any inability to continue to advertise and market our business in a manner we consider effective as a result of regulatory review or new restrictions could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

On October 6, 2017, the CFPB issued a rule on payday and certain high-cost installment loans, also known as the "Small Dollar Rule," which would cover some of the loans we offer. The Small Dollar Rule initially required that lenders who make short-term loans and longer-term loans with balloon payments reasonably determine consumers' ability to repay the loans according to their terms before issuing the loans. The Small Dollar Rule also introduced new limitations on repayment processes for those lenders as well as lenders of other longer-term loans with an annual percentage rate greater than 36 percent that include an ACH authorization or similar payment provision. If a consumer has two consecutive failed payment attempts, the lender must obtain the consumer's new and specific authorization to make further withdrawals from the consumer's bank account. For loans covered by the Small Dollar Rule, lenders must provide certain notices to consumers before attempting a first payment withdrawal or an unusual withdrawal and after two consecutive failed payment attempts. In April 2018, an action in federal court in Texas was filed against the CFPB making a constitutional challenge to the Small Dollar Rule. On July 7, 2020, the CFPB issued the final Small Dollar Rule, rescinding the ability to repay ("ATR") and related provisions, such as the establishment of registered information systems for checking ATR and reporting loan activity. The payment provisions of the Small Dollar Rule remain in place. On October 19, 2022, a three-judge panel of the Fifth Circuit U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in the federal case out of Texas that the funding structure of the CFPB is unconstitutional and vacated the Small Dollar Rule. On November 14, 2022, the CFPB filed a Petition for Writ of Certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court to review the Fifth Circuit ruling. The Supreme Court granted the Petition on February 27, 2023 and heard oral arguments on October 3, 2023. The Supreme Court is expected to rule on the matter in Spring of 2024. If the Small Dollar Rule does become effective in its current proposed form, we will need to make certain changes to our payment processes and customer notifications in our U.S. consumer lending business. If we are not able to execute these changes effectively because of unexpected complexities, costs or otherwise, we cannot guarantee that the Small Dollar Rule will not have a material adverse impact on our business, prospects, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

On November 15, 2023, we consented to the issuance of a Consent Order by the CFPB (the "2023 Consent Order") pursuant to which we agreed, without admitting or denying any of the facts or conclusions, to pay a civil money penalty of $15 million. The 2023 Consent Order supersedes a prior January 2019 CFPB consent order in which we agreed, without admitting or denying any of the facts or conclusions, to pay a civil money penalty of $3.2 million. The 2023 Consent Order relates to issues, the majority of which were self-disclosed, including payment processing and debiting errors. We will remain subject to the restrictions and obligations of the 2023 Consent Order, including prohibitions from engaging in certain conduct, for a period of seven years from the date of the 2023 Consent Order. Any noncompliance with the 2023 Consent Order or similar orders or agreements from other regulators could lead to further regulatory penalties and could have a material adverse impact on our business, prospects, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows and could prohibit or directly or indirectly impair our ability to continue current operations.

The CFPB, which regulates U.S. consumer financial products and services, has broad regulatory, supervisory and enforcement powers over providers of consumer financial products and services, such as us, including explicit supervisory authority to examine and require registration of such providers. The CFPB has examined our lending products, services and practices, and we expect to continue to be examined on a regular basis by the CFPB. The CFPB's examination authority permits CFPB examiners to inspect the books and records and ask questions about business practices. The examination procedures include specific modules for examining marketing activities; loan application and origination activities; payment processing activities and sustained use by consumers; collections, accounts in default, and consumer reporting activities as well as third-party relationships. As a result of these examinations, we have been in the past and could be required in the future to change our products, services or practices, whether as a result of another party being examined or as a result of an examination of us, or we could be subject to monetary penalties, which could materially adversely affect us. The CFPB also has broad authority to prohibit unfair, deceptive and abusive acts and practices and to investigate and penalize financial institutions that violate this prohibition. In addition to having the authority to obtain monetary penalties for violations of applicable federal consumer financial laws (including the CFPB's own rules), the CFPB can require remediation of practices, pursue administrative proceedings or litigation and obtain cease and desist orders (which can include orders for restitution or rescission of contracts, as well as other kinds of affirmative relief). Also, where a company has violated Title X of the Dodd-Frank Act or CFPB regulations implemented thereunder, the Dodd-Frank Act empowers state attorneys general and state regulators to bring civil actions to remedy violations of state law. If the CFPB or one or more state attorneys general or state regulators believe that we have violated any of the applicable laws or regulations, they could exercise their enforcement powers in ways that could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

Governments at the national, state and local levels, as well as international governments, may seek to impose new laws, regulatory restrictions or licensing requirements that affect the products or services we offer, the terms on which we may offer them, and the disclosure, compliance and reporting obligations we must fulfill in connection with our lending and financing business. They may also interpret or enforce existing requirements in new ways that could restrict our ability to continue our current methods of operation or to expand operations, impose significant additional compliance costs, and may have a negative effect on our business, prospects, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. In some cases, these measures could even directly prohibit some or all of our current business activities in certain jurisdictions or render them unprofitable and/or impractical to continue. In recent years, consumer loans have come under increased regulatory scrutiny that has resulted in increasingly restrictive regulations and legislation that makes offering such loans in certain states in the United States or the international countries where we operate (as further described below) less profitable or unattractive. Laws or regulations in some states in the United States require that all borrowers of certain consumer loan products be reported to a centralized database and limit the number of loans a borrower may receive or have outstanding. Other laws prohibit us from providing some of our consumer loan products in the United States to active duty military personnel, active members of the National Guard or members on active reserve duty and their spouses and covered dependents. Certain consumer advocacy groups and federal and state legislators and regulators have advocated that laws and regulations should be tightened so as to severely limit, if not eliminate, the type of loan products and services we offer to consumers, and this has resulted in both the executive and legislative branches of the U.S. federal government and state governmental bodies exhibiting an interest in debating legislation that could further regulate consumer and/or small business loan products and services such as those that we offer. The U.S. Congress, as well as other similar federal, state and local bodies and similar international governmental authorities, have debated, and may in the future adopt, legislation or regulations that could, among other things, place a cap (or decrease a current cap) on the interest or fees that we can charge or a cap on the effective annual percentage rate that limits the amount of interest or fees that may be charged, limit origination fees for loans, require changes to our underwriting or collections practices, require lenders to be bonded or to report consumer loan activity to databases designed to monitor or restrict consumer borrowing activity, impose "cooling off" periods between the time a loan is paid off and another loan is obtained or prohibit us from providing any of our consumer loan products in the United States to active duty members of the U.S. military, reservists and members of the National Guard and their immediate families. Furthermore, legislative or regulatory actions may be influenced by negative perceptions of us and our industry, even if such negative perceptions are inaccurate, attributable to conduct by third parties not affiliated with us (such as other industry members), or attributable to matters not specific to our industry. We cannot currently assess the likelihood of any future unfavorable federal, state, local or international legislation or regulations being proposed or enacted that could affect our products and services. We closely monitor proposed legislation in jurisdictions where we offer our loan products. Additional legislative or regulatory provisions could be enacted that could severely restrict, prohibit or eliminate our ability to offer a consumer or small business loan or financing product. In addition, under statutory authority, U.S. state regulators have broad discretionary power and may impose new licensing requirements, interpret or enforce existing regulatory requirements in different ways or issue new administrative rules, even if not contained in state statutes, that could adversely affect the way we do business and may force us to terminate or modify our operations in particular states or affect our ability to obtain new licenses or renew the licenses we hold. Any of these or other legislative or regulatory actions that affect our lending and financing business at the national, state, international and local level could, if enacted or interpreted differently, have a material adverse impact on our business, prospects, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows and could prohibit or directly or indirectly impair our ability to continue current operations.

Our products and services are subject to extensive regulation, supervision and licensing under various federal, state, local and international statutes, ordinances, regulations, rules and guidance. For example, our loan products may be subject to requirements that generally mandate licensing or authorization as a lender or as a credit services organization or credit access business (collectively, "CSO"), establish limits on the amount, duration, renewals or extensions of and charges for (including interest rates and fees) various categories of loans, direct the form and content of our loan contracts and other documentation, restrict collection practices, outline underwriting requirements and subject us to periodic examination and ongoing supervision by regulatory authorities, among other things. We must comply with federal laws, such as TILA, ECOA, FCRA, EFTA, GLBA and Title X of the Dodd-Frank Act, among others, as well as regulations adopted to implement those laws. In addition, our marketing and disclosure efforts and the representations made about our products and services are subject to unfair and deceptive practice statutes, including the FTC Act, the TCPA and the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 in the United States and analogous state statutes under which the FTC, the CFPB, state attorneys general or private plaintiffs may bring legal actions. Additionally, changes in laws or regulations or changes to the application or interpretation of the laws and regulations applicable to small business lenders could adversely affect the Company's ability to operate in the manner in which the Company currently conducts business or make it more difficult or costly for the Company to originate or otherwise acquire additional small business loans, or for the Company to collect payments on the small business loans. Such changes could subject the Company to additional licensing, registration and other legal or regulatory requirements in the future or otherwise that could, individually or in the aggregate, adversely affect the Company's ability to conduct its business. We are also subject to various international laws, licensing or authorization requirements in connection with the products or services we offer in Brazil. Compliance with applicable laws, regulations, rules and guidance requires forms, processes, procedures, training, controls and the infrastructure to support these requirements. Compliance may also create operational constraints, be costly or adversely affect operating results. See "Business-Regulation" of Part I, Item 1 of this report for further discussion of the laws applicable to us. The regulatory environment in which we conduct our business is extensive and complex. From time to time we become aware of instances where our products and services have not fully complied with requirements under applicable laws and regulations or applicable contracts. Determinations of compliance with applicable requirements or contracts, such as those discussed above, can be highly technical and subject to varying interpretations. When we become aware of such an instance, products or services that may not be in compliance with applicable laws, whether as a result of our compliance reviews, regulatory inquiry, customer complaint or otherwise, we generally conduct a review of the activity in question and determine how to address it, such as modifying the product, making customer refunds or providing additional disclosure. We also evaluate whether reports or other notices to regulators are required and provide notice to regulators whenever required. In some cases, we have decided and will decide to take corrective action even after applicable statutory or regulatory cure periods have expired, and in other cases we have notified regulators even where such notification may not have been required. Regulators or customers reviewing such incidents or remedial activities may interpret the laws, regulations and customer contracts differently than we have, or may choose to take regulatory action against us or bring private litigation against us notwithstanding the corrective measures we have taken. This may be the case even if we no longer offer the product or service in question. State, federal and international regulators, as well as the plaintiffs' bars, subject our industry to intense scrutiny. In addition, our contracts for certain products and services may be governed by the law applicable in a state other than the state in which the customer resides. If a court were to reject our choice of law and determine that a contract was governed by the laws of another state, the contract may be unenforceable. A judgment that the choice of law provisions in our loan agreements is unenforceable also could result in costly and time-consuming litigation, penalties, damage to our reputation, trigger repurchase obligations, negatively impact the terms of our future loans and harm our operating results. Likewise, a judgment that the choice of law provision in other commercial loan agreements is unenforceable could result in challenges to our choice of law provision and that could result in costly and time-consuming litigation. Failure to comply with applicable laws, regulations, rules and guidance, or any finding that our past forms, practices, processes, procedures, controls or infrastructure were insufficient or not in compliance, could subject us to regulatory enforcement actions, result in the assessment against us of civil, monetary, criminal or other penalties (some of which could be significant in the case of knowing or reckless violations), result in the issuance of cease and desist orders (which can include orders for restitution, as well as other kinds of affirmative relief), require us to refund payments, interest or fees, result in a determination that certain financial products are not collectible, result in a suspension or revocation of licenses or authorization to transact business, result in a finding that we have engaged in unfair and deceptive practices, limit our access to services provided by third-party financial institutions or cause damage to our reputation, brands and valued customer relationships. We may also incur additional, substantial expenses to bring those products and services into compliance with the laws of various jurisdictions or stop offering certain products and services in certain jurisdictions. Our failure to comply with any regulations, rules or guidance applicable to our business could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows and could prohibit or directly or indirectly impair our ability to continue current operations.

In January 2021, the Democratic party took control of the Senate and Joseph Biden was inaugurated as President of the United States. In January 2023, the Republican party took control of the House of Representatives. The Biden administration has publicly discussed raising income tax rates, including corporate income taxes. Such legislation would likely lead to an increase in our total tax expense. Further, tax rate changes can also lead to discrete tax expense events at the time of enactment. We are unable to predict at this time the effect of any such new legislation or regulations.

We are dependent on third parties, referred to as lead providers (or lead generators) and marketing affiliates, as a source of new customers. Our marketing affiliates place our advertisements on their websites that direct potential customers to our websites. Generally, lead providers operate, and also work with their own marketing affiliates who operate, separate websites to attract prospective customers and then sell those "leads" to online lenders. As a result, the success of our business depends substantially on the willingness and ability of lead providers or marketing affiliates to provide us customer leads at acceptable prices. If regulatory oversight of lead providers or marketing affiliates is increased, through the implementation of new laws or regulations or the interpretation of existing laws or regulations, our ability to use lead providers or marketing affiliates could be restricted or eliminated. For example, the CFPB has indicated its intention to examine compliance with federal laws and regulations by lead providers and to scrutinize the flow of non-public, private consumer information between lead providers and lead buyers, such as us. Over the past few years, several states have taken actions that have caused us to discontinue the use of lead providers in those states. While these discontinuations did not have a material adverse effect on us, other states may propose or enact similar restrictions on lead providers and potentially on marketing affiliates in the future, and if other states adopt similar restrictions, our ability to use lead providers or marketing affiliates in those states would also be interrupted. Lead providers' or marketing affiliates' failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, or any changes in laws or regulations applicable to lead providers or marketing affiliates' or changes in the interpretation or implementation of such laws or regulations, could have an adverse effect on our business and could increase negative perceptions of our business and industry. Additionally, the use of lead providers and marketing affiliates could subject us to additional regulatory cost and expense. If our ability to use lead generators or marketing affiliates were to be impaired, our business, prospects, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows could be materially adversely affected. In addition, we do business with third parties who are not part of our independent sales organization program, including third parties who may refer potential small business customers to us or to whom we may refer potential customers for their business. In general, if we refer an applicant that takes a loan from one of our strategic partners, that strategic partner pays us a commission based on the amount of the originated loan. The partners determine whether to extend credit to referred applicants using their own credit models and criteria. Certain states require a license to broker commercial loans or apply other restrictions to loan brokering activities. We believe that our strategic referral program for small business products would not be considered loan brokering under those state laws and, as such, would not require us to obtain a license. There is a risk that states could adopt new laws or amend or interpret existing laws to require us to obtain a broker license, impose penalties for noncompliance, or otherwise prevent us from making further referrals and collecting commissions from our referral partners. Challenges to our program could also result in costly and time-consuming litigation, damage to our reputation and harm our operating results.