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October 1, 2012
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National Chain DriveTime Sells Out to PE Firm
Rush - Dated Material
One of the nation’s largest buy-here, pay-here chains is selling itself to a private equity group. DriveTime Automotive Group, Inc., and DriveTime Acceptance Corp and DriveTime Credit Co., entered an agreement on Sept. 14 to sell DriveTime in separate transactions. According to a filing with the Security and Exchange Commission, a new entity owned by third-party investors will purchase all of the outstanding stock of DT Acceptance Corp. and DriveTime Automotive Group. This entity will acquire the companies’ used-vehicle dealership operations, including 91 owned and leased stores and 16 reconditioning and other facilities. Phoenix-based DriveTime will sell its finance receivable portfolio, consisting of vehicle-related installment sales contracts, certificates
representing its residual interests in securitizations of finance receivables, and certain other assets to Santander Consumer USA Inc. Santander has purchased a number of other subprime auto portfolios in the past few years, including CitiFinancial Auto. Shareholders of DriveTime Automotive Group and DriveTime Acceptance Corp., will receive “aggregate proceeds of approximately $700 million, while the purchasers will assume, refinance or repay certain items of existing indebtedness of DriveTime,” according to the filing. The transactions are subjected to closing conditions “including the receipt of required regulatory approvals and, with respect to the obligations of the purchasers to consummate (the deal), the successful completion of an offer to repurchase DriveTime’s $200 million publicly traded senior notes.” For several years, DriveTime was a publicly traded company. The chain was called Ugly Duckling for part of that time. The company’s founders took the chain private in 2002. DriveTime is one of the large participants in the buy-here, pay-here business being looked at by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as the regulator evaluates the industry.
Photo by Jeff Kowalsky BLOOMING: Outgoing NAAA President Charlotte Pyle, right, prepares to hand off the reins of the association to incoming president Paul Lips.
Auction Staff Attend Disney Institute
The National Auto Auction Association meets for its annual convention this month in Orlando. For outgoing president Charlotte Pyle, there will always be an extra connection with this city. Pyle worked with The Disney Institute to create a training program for auction staff. “We were able to reach people at auctions who don’t get a chance to come to the conventions,” she said. “They’re the ones who help us with the day-to-day work. “They’re extremely critical to our business. This gave them leadership skills. On the first day, they were really nervous spending time with auction general managers and owners. They grew so much in that two-day span.” Interviews with the incoming and outgoing presidents on page 8
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