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H E A D L I N E S
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07-01-09
$154 Billion Tax Credit Expansion to Benefit RTO
Liquid Tax, an Aggregate Tax Preparer
and leading provider of tax prep solutions today's retailers
need to help increase profits and customer counts with
efficiency and automation, announced today that new tax breaks
will drive fresh customers to it's dealer channel...more
 07-01-09
New Federal Agency May Have Rent-to-Own Industry Oversight
The
Consumer Financial Protection Agency Act of 2009, delivered
to congress yesterday by the Obama administration, would form a
new government agency with broad powers including possible regulatory
oversight of the rent-to-own industry...more
 06-30-09
RTO Supplier Twin-Star
Supports No-Kill Animal Shelter
Twin-Star International, a leading supplier of fireplaces to the rent-to-own
channel, went to the dogs on Friday June 26th for National Take Your Dog to Work
Day...more
 06-30-09
Landrieu Hosts Small Business Outreach Conference
United States Senate Committee
on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Chair Mary Landrieu,
D-La., main sponsor of the
Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act, and Karen Mills,
Administrator of the Small Business Administration, today hosted a Small
Business Outreach Conference in New Orleans...more
 06-30-09
Survey Finds Consumer Confusion Over Netbooks
Netbooks, notebooks – they
sound the same. According to a report from leading market
research company, The NPD Group, many consumers believe the two
have the same functionalities...more
06-30-09
Rent-A-Center Q2 Webcast Scheduled
Rent-A-Center, Inc. will broadcast its quarterly earnings conference call on
Tuesday, July 28...more
 06-29-09
ColorTyme Franchisee Celebrates Son's Lifelong Passion
As head coach of the Princeton
Tigers rowing team, Greg Hughes, son of
ColorTyme franchisee Gary
Hughes, will lead the Tigers to England next month in a quest
for international recognition at the prestigious
Henley Royal
Regatta...more
06-29-09
RTO Banner Company Launches Quick Ship Program
SIGNS4RETAIL announced a new easy-order, quick-ship custom rent-to-own banner
program...more
06-28-09
BluePhone Offers Rent to Own Dealers Remote Tech Support
For the past five years, a
growing number of retail stores have offered technical support
services for consumer electronics purchases such as home
computers. Now that same support is available to
RentDirect
Nationwide members through
BluePhone...more
 06-26-09
Interview with Wayland Russell, Founder of Rainbow Rentals
The Premier Companies wrapped its
2009 Dealer Retreat in Atlanta, GA Thursday. One of the
retreat's highlights was the keynote address by Wayland Russell. Russell founded Rainbow Rentals in 1986 and took the company
public in 1998...more
06-25-09
ColorTyme, RimTyme Announce Franchise Guarantee
ColorTyme and RimTyme rent to own companies offer franchise business
opportunities with a franchise financing guarantee...more
 06-24-09
Premier Franchisees Hit the Ballpark
The Premier Companies franchisees, executives, staff and vendors kicked of the
2009 Dealer Retreat in Atlanta, GA Tuesday with a night at the ballpark.
Attendees were treated to an interleague game between the New York Yankees and
Atlanta Braves at Turner Field...more
 06-23-09
Premier Companies Retreat Kicks Off Today
The Premier
Companies 2009 Dealer Retreat begins today in Atlanta,
Georgia. The Retreat officially kicks-off tonight when attendees
head to Turner Field to watch the Atlanta Braves take on the New
York Yankees...more
06-23-09
Maryland ColorTyme Announces Essay Contest Winners
Scott Brown, Lewis Garcia and Dave McNichol owners of five
ColorTyme franchise stores in Maryland, Epic Ventures LLC
announced the four winners of the 2009 Epic Ventures People
Helping People Senior Essay Competition...more
06-22-09
Missouri Becomes Second State With Full House Support for Rental Purchase Act
The entire Missouri Delegation - 5 Republicans and 4 Democrats - are now
cosponsors of the bill that would define rent-to-own as a lease in all states...more
06-22-09
UPDATE: Report released by Policy Matters Ohio
- Download the report here
Policy Matters Ohio Prepares Rent-to-Own Report
According to a blogger claiming to be an intern for Policy Matters Ohio (PMO),
the consumer advocacy group is preparing a special report on the rent-to-own
industry...more
 06-20-09
Video Interview with ColorTyme CEO Bob Bloom
Interesting times with interesting opportunities - That's how
ColorTyme CEO Bob Bloom describes the current state of the
rent-to-own industry. RTO Online interviewed
Bloom at this week's 2009 ColorTyme Summer Retreat in Jackson Hole,
Wyoming. The Retreat wraps tonight with a farewell dinner...more
 06-19-09
Vendors Light Up ColorTyme Hot Show
Yesterday, as part of the
ColorTyme Summer Meeting in Jackson Hole, franchisees
participated in a special "hot buy" session...more
 06-18-09
UPDATE: 150 photos from the Tyme Travelers
Road Trip
Live to Ryde: The Tyme Travelers
Eight ColorTyme pros from Oklahoma to Hawaii made a 4 day
1,600 mile motorcycle ride from Dallas to Jackson Hole Wyoming
for the 2009 ColorTyme Summer Retreat. They call themselves the Tyme Travelers...more
06-18-09
Flat-Rate Tax Prep Company Brings Change to Rapid Refunds
New dealer locations in
Anchorage and Fairbanks make Alaska the 27th State to offer
flat-rate tax prep service pioneered by
Liquid Tax...more
06-18-09
Rent-A-Center Donates $10,000 to Harvest Hope Funds
Rent-A-Center (NASDAQ:RCII), the nation's largest rent-to-own operator, today
donated $10,000 to the Harvest Hope Food Bank, South Carolina's largest public,
nonprofit food and nutrition education resource...more
 06-17-09
easyhome Plans for The Big Time;
2009 Conference Kicks Off
easyhome, Canada's largest rental-purchase company, opened
it's 2009 National Conference Tuesday by awarding Tony Bianco,
region 6 regional manager, with a Cadillac Escalade as the winner of the
company's 2008 4th Quarter Incentive...more
06-17-09
Jackson Hole Hosts ColorTyme Franchise Summer Meeting
Franchise Advisory Council to Assemble, Vendor Buying
Presentations Planned and CEO Bob Bloom to Speak at Welcome
Dinner...more
 06-16-09
Republicans Have Chance to Unseat Wisconsin Gov Doyle
In 2006, after helping to craft the
Wisconsin Rental Purchase Agreement Act, Doyle vetoed his own
bill, leaving Wisconsin among only three states without
rent-to-own industry regulations that protect consumers and
business...more
 06-15-09
easyhome, ColorTyme, Premier Prep for Summer Events
Three of North America's four largest rent-to-own franchises
- easyhome, ColorTyme and The Premier Companies - will meet over
the next ten days. easyhome will hold
its convention in Toronto June 16-17. ColorTyme franchisees will meet in
Jackson Hole, Wyoming for their annual retreat June 17-21. The
Premier Companies annual business conference will be held in
Atlanta, Georgia June 22-24...more
06-11-09
Payday Lender Ezcorp Warns; Economy Hitting Harder than Expected
"The continuing
depressed economic environment is having an effect on our
business that is not consistent with traditional or expected
patterns." - Joe Rotunda, President and Chief Executive Officer, Ezcorp...more
 06-11-09
Rent-to-Own Consumers Safe on
DTV Transition-Eve
Rent-to-own consumers will likely be among the least affected by the digital
transition. An early adopter of digital TV and other technology, the rent-to-own
industry stopped renting analog sets on a large scale long before traditional
retailers...more
06-11-09
Association Urges Senate to Reject Pay-or-Play Employer Health Care Mandate
The National Retail Federation today urged the Senate Health, Education, Labor
and Pensions Committee to reject proposals for a pay-or-play employer mandate
and other "bad reforms" that could drive up costs without addressing underlying
problems with the health care system...more
06-11-09
Frequently Asked Questions on Identity Theft Rules
Six federal agencies today
issued a set of frequently asked questions (FAQs) to help
financial institutions and other businesses comply with federal
regulations on identity theft and discrepancies in changes of
address...more
06-11-09
Serta, Sealy, Others Sued for Patent Infringement
Serta, Sealy, Classic, Englander
and Simmons are among bedding manufacturers being sued by
Tempur-Pedic (NYSE:TPX) in a patent infringement lawsuit filed
yesterday in filed the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia...more
06-10-09
Economy Blamed for Rise in Organized Retail Crime
Nearly
three-fourths (73%) of retailers also reported the level of
organized retail crime activity has increased over the past 12
months, an increase of 11 percent from 2008...more
06-10-09
Companies Turn to Twitter as HR Tool
Almost four-fifths (79 percent) of the respondents report that they use social
media frequently to engage employees and foster productivity, outranking even
email (75 percent)...more
 06-10-09
A Successful Franchise Business, ColorTyme Celebrates 30 Years
From console rent to own TV sets
to high definition flat panels,
ColorTyme has made significant
progressions in its business over the last 30 years. This year
marks ColorTyme's 30th anniversary in business...more
 06-10-09
Nationwide Design Center Lowers Pricing on
Displays
Nationwide Marketing Group (NMG) announced that their Design Center is now
offering new lower pricing on a line of display fixture systems and solutions...more
06-09-09
Dollar Financial Settles Class Action for $70 Million Cash and Credits
Payday lender Dollar Financial (NASDAQ:DLLR) will pay $27
million in cash and forgive $43 million in defaults to settle an
Ontario class action lawsuit...more
 06-09-09
Rent-A-Center Makes the
RTO Industry's Case
"These contracts automatically terminate
after every single week. They do not automatically renew." - Beth Boland commenting on the temporary nature of rent-to-own
agreements during Massachusetts Supreme Court testimony...more
06-09-09
UPDATE: Replay available now
VIDEO: Rent-A-Center Massachusetts Supreme Court Hearing Today
The Massachusetts Supreme
Judicial Court will hear oral arguments today in the case of Joy
Silva and Jaaziel Costa v. Rent-A-Center. RTO Online will
broadcast live video of the proceedings from our homepage...more
06-08-09
Four Days Left Until Digital Transition Deadline
New research shows that the
transition to digital television has directly impacted media
technology in one out of four (26%) U.S. TV households during
the past year, as people invest in new TV sets and/or services
to prepare for the June 12th changeover...more
06-08-09
Payday Loan Provider
Amscot Recognized By Educational Foundation
Florida based Amscot Financial
has received the 2008-2009 Outstanding Partner Award from the
Consortium of Florida Education Foundations (CFEF)...more
06-08-09
Center for Responsible Lending Releases Payday Lending Video
The Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) released a video
recently entitled Payday Lending - A 400% Debt Trap. The video
was cited during a congressional briefing by CRL and other
groups on June 4...more
06-08-09
Consumers Still Prefer Real-life Recommendations to Online
More than 64% of respondents state that price
drove them to recommend a product or service, while quality
and convenience follow behind...more
06-08-09
Consumer Spending Patterns Indicate Recovery
Consumer spending may be showing the first signs of recovery.
"We are seeing consumers move toward replacement and
replenishment purchasing and these are the kinds of purchases
that would indicate we have taken the first step toward
recovery," said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst, The NPD
Group, Inc...more
 06-08-09
Republicans Move to De-Fund Anti-Rent to Own Group
House Republicans have moved to pull federal funding from the Association of
Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN). Among its many political
positions, ACORN is opposed to rent-to-own transactions for consumer goods...more
06-08-09
Panasonic Develops World's Lightest HD Camcorder
"We recognize that users are looking for camcorders that capture high-quality,
High Definition video, but they also want something lightweight that has
advanced." - Chuck Kirkman, Senior Product Manager, Imaging, Panasonic Consumer
Electronics Company...more
06-06-09
Registration for Rent to Own Vendor Directory Now Open
RTO Magazine, the
rental-purchase industry's leading trade publication, announced
the upcoming 6th Edition of the
Rent to Own industry's largest, most comprehensive
suppliers' directory...more
06-05-09
Gates Announces Two New easyhome Franchise Locations
Bud
Gates, Chairman and CEO of easygates, LLC announces the
opening of two new U.S. franchise stores. Both stores will open on June 6, 2009...more
 06-03-09
Alberta Based New Payday Loan Rules on Extensive Survey
Alberta payday loan providers
will have tighter regulation under new rules announced today
that limit
borrowing costs, ban rollovers and give borrowers a
cooling-off period between loans...more
06-03-09
Marketing Expert Recommends Holistic Approach
Doug Knorr, president of Knorr Marketing, told the Western
Home Furnishings Association, "Putting money on the bottom line
requires a holistic marketing approach...more
06-03-09
SED Promotes Jonathan Elster to President and COO
Elster began his career with SED in 1995 as a sales representative...more
06-03-09
Association Names Finalists for Advocate of the Year
"I am honored
to recognize these exceptional individuals for their tireless
efforts on behalf of America's small-business community." - Todd McCracken, President, NSBA...more
 06-03-09
Impact of Education and Income on Consumer PC Purchases
Details released today from the
Consumer Decision Process Annual Survey by Parks Associates show
that, for each $1,000 in income, U.S. households will pay on
average $1 more for a PC...more
06-03-09
Internet Use Triples in Decade, Census Bureau Reports
New data from the U.S. Census Bureau show that 62 percent of households reported
using Internet access in the home in 2007, an increase from 18 percent in 1997...more
06-03-09
Payday Advance Group Disappointed in Sanford Veto
Governor
Sanford reportedly cited his opposition to government
interference in free enterprise as his reason for the veto...more
 06-02-09
Rent-A-Center Prepares Strong Case for High Court
Sophistry is defined as "the practice of using arguments
which seem clever but are actually false and misleading." In her
brief to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court on behalf of
Rent-A-Center, Beth Boland, partner in
the Boston office of
Bingham McCutchen,
sets the record straight and accurately describes the plaintiff's case in Joy Silva and Jaaziel Costa v. Rent-A-Center as "fanciful sophistry."...more
 06-02-09
Underbanked Consumers Tell Their Stories in New Video
During her opening remarks this
morning at the Underbanked Financial Service Forum, Jennifer
Tescher premiered The Center for Financial Services Innovation's
first video production, "CFSI: Innovation in Action."...more
06-02-09
Rent-A-Center Opens 106th Michigan Location
Store Manager Larry Berry has more than 16 years of rent-to-own experience. He
is transferring in from another Rent-A-Center store in Howell, Mich., where he
was the assistant manager...more
06-02-09
Aaron's Joins Rent-A-Center in S&P MidCap 400
GM's bankruptcy caused Standard & Poor's to shuffle its indexes yesterday.
Aaron's (NYSE:AAN) will move from the S&P SmallCap 600 to the S&P MidCap 400...more
 06-01-09
Rent-to-Own Training Series Topic 13: Analysis Paralysis
Even though the ego is a formidable foe, it is not infallible. Here are a few
steps to help you move off dead center and back into action...more
 06-01-09
Payday Lending and McDonalds, the Missing Link
In a coordinated three-city event Friday, Wisconsin legislators announced the
introduction of the Payday Lending Consumer Protection Act...more
MORE >>
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