Sharp Recalls 370,000 TVs Sold Between 2001 And 2005
Sharp has received 23 reports of fires. One incident is reported to have resulted in $20,000 in property damage...more

Rent-A-Center Schedules 1st Quarter Conference Call; Call to Be Broadcast Live Via the Web
Audio of the call will be broadcast live. A link to the live webcast will be available from My RTO Portfolio...more

Maytag Income Plummets; Company To "Reduce Manufacturing Footprint"
"We must immediately take more aggressive steps to improve our cost position by reducing our manufacturing footprint" - Ralph Hake, Maytag Chairman and CEO...more

Rentcash Will Use $34.8 Million Private Placement To Acquire Competitor
"The gross proceeds from the Offering will be held in escrow subject to being released in connection with the completion of an acquisition...more

Twinhead Introduces New Tough Laptop Line-Up To Rent to Own Channel; “DURABOOK” Series “Born to be Rugged”
These notebooks are designed to give you added protection from drops and spills which are more common under real world RTO conditions...more

Rotunda Warns Full Impact Of FDIC's Payday Loan Guideline Change Unknown
"... our results are overshadowed by the potential impact on our payday loan business of the FDIC's payday loan guideline change" - Joe Rotunda, CEO of EZCORP...more

Price Increases Boost Whirlpool
"Our first quarter results reflect the positive benefits from our previously announced price increases, which we initiated to mitigate the significant increases in raw material and oil-related costs" - Jeff M. Fettig, Chairman, President and CEO, Whirlpool...more

Industry event coverage
Rent to Own Coalition Gains Cosponsors; Holds 50 Meetings With Legislators (photo gallery; 45)
"It's almost impossible [to pass a bill without personal visits from constituents]. You have to have some connection with a member of Congress to inspire them to take action" - Tonya Saunders, Senior Vice President of The Washington Group...more

Washington State Senate Passes Payday Loan Bill
The Washington State Senate yesterday passed Senate Bill 5415 by a vote of 43 - 0. SB 5415 places reasonable limits on collection of delinquent payday loans from military personnel on active duty...more

RTO Legislative Conference Kicks Off In DC
RTO Dealers fanned out to meet with legislators and staff to firm up support for The Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act...more

Franchisee learns family business, opens first ColorTyme store
First time ColorTyme franchisee Eric Malone never thought that a fateful business dinner a few years ago would lead him to his future wife, much less a new career. He’ll start another new chapter in his career with the opening of his first ColorTyme store this April in Spring Lake, NC...more

Maytag Settles Neptune Class Action
More than two million consumers are included in the class, and may receive repair reimbursements, replacement costs up to $500, and/or washing machine purchase certificates up to $1000...more

Chicago Clergy Call on Senate to Pass Msgr. J. Egan Payday Loan Reform Act, HB 1100
The Community Financial Services Association of America (CFSA), representing major national and Illinois lenders in Illinois, worked closely with consumer advocates over the last two years to craft legislation that both protects consumers and maintains a viable business climate for its lenders in Illinois...more

Rent A Center Class Action Dismissed In Arkansas
The class action lawsuit against Rent A Center that alleged violations of Arkansas' usury law has been dismissed...more

Rental Purchase Disclosure Bill Introduced In House of Representatives; Progress Made In Senate
"We are getting early indications from the Senate Banking Committee that the Coalition supported Bill may be up for consideration in the Senate between Memorial day and the 4th of July" - Chris Korst, Senor Vice President and General Counsel for Rent-A-Center...more

Audio Interview With Lee Duvall; Director Of Operations For Baber's Rent to Own
Lee Duvall, Director of Operations for Baber's Rent to Own, will take over as President of the Alabama Mississippi Rental Dealers Association in May...more

Rent A Center Chief Information Officer To Speak At Mobile Technology Conference
Fuller will share his strategy for overcoming internal resistance to change, fostering employee acceptance of mobile solutions...more

Federal Agency Contradicts Consumer Group Findings on Payday Advance and Minorities; CFSA to Consumer Advocates "Put Up Or Shut Up"
"The media as well as the public need to know that the Center for Responsible Lending doesn't employ methodologies to reach predetermined results" - Lynn DeVault, president of CFSA...more
 

Aaron's 50th Anniversary Sweepstakes Drives Toward Halfway Mark
"...thanks to the exclusive line of Michael Waltrip Dream Collection merchandise, Aaron's has certainly proven to be the innovator within the lease purchase category" - Mark Rudnick, Vice President of Marketing for Aaron's Sales & Lease Ownership...more

Berkline-BenchCraft Files For IPO
The middle pricepoint upholstery company had sales of $500 million in 2004...more

Survey; One in Five U.S. Workers Reports Racial and Gender Discrimination Exists in the Workplace
20 percent of U.S. workers claims that racial or ethnic discrimination exists in the workplace, according to a national survey by Hudson, reporting that they know of someone who has been denied a job, increased pay or promotion because of their ethnicity. That figure jumps to 31 percent for African-American workers, yet drops to 18 percent among white employees...more

Sealy Reports Double Digit Sales Gain
"In the first quarter, we began the introduction of our new TrueForm visco-elastic mattress to go after the rapidly growing specialty bedding market" - David J. McIlquham, Sealy's Chairman and CEO...more

Rent to Own Pros Head To Choctaw Mississippi For ALAMISS Convention
The Alabama Mississippi Rental Dealers Association (ALLAMISS) held a cocktail reception Tuesday evening to kick off the groups 2005 Educational Seminar...more

Major Companies Focusing on Talent Management to Help Drive Business Growth
"Some believe, quite simply, that if the company stock price goes up, TM is working. Others look at the value of specific initiatives and at ways those initiatives bring in cost savings for the organizations" - Lynne Morton, author of the report...more

Survey; Non Brick And Mortar Companies Have Higher Online Conversion Rates
"While traffic is high to popular brick-and-mortar Web sites, visitors are often researching purchases to be made offline" - Heather Dougherty, senior retail analyst, Nielsen//NetRatings...more

Chief Executives’ Confidence Edges Up
"Both CEOs and consumers continue to rate the economy as favorable, and expect little change over the next six months" - Lynn Franco, Director of The Conference Board’s Consumer Research Center...more

easyhome Ltd. and Leon's Furniture Form Joint Venture;  Pilot Program Has Rent to Own Kiosk Inside Leon's Locations
"easyhome offers Leon's the ability to service their potential customers that are cash and credit constrained on site" - David Ingram, President & CEO easyhome Ltd...more

Rent to Own Popular In Czech Republic
According to Czech Business Weekly (CBW), an English language newspaper based in Prague, rent to own vehicles are all the rage in the Czech Republic...more

RTO Accounting; What's The Deal With Petty Cash?
"I’ve seen owners who are shocked to find a major discrepancy between the cash receipts and the sales when they are reconciled at the end of the month. They had no idea they were taking that much money out for lunches" - John Day...more

CEA; "Consumers Demand Digital Cable-Ready HDTVs"
Seven in 10 consumers plan to purchase a digital cable-ready (DCR) high-definition television (HDTV) as their next TV...more

Broyhill; Burgette's Out, Dondero Named President CEO
"[Dondero] enjoys outstanding relationships with our key suppliers and customers, and he has a strong consumer-focused background" -  Mickey Holliman, Chairman of the Board and CEO, Furniture Brands International...more

SED International Adds Brian Rosen to the RTO Sales Team
"I was drawn to SED International because of the wide range of quality electronics combined with a world class sales staff that's focused on rent to own" - Brian Rosen, SED International...more

04-01-05
Independent Media Company Awarded Rent A Center Account
"Carat impressed us with its research, analytics process and passion for our business" - Ann Davids, Rent-A-Center VP Marketing and Advertising...more

Over 100 Players Help ColorTyme Charity Golf Tournament Raise $15,000 To Fight Juvenile Diabetes (photo gallery)
105 Rent to Own professionals from around the nation participated in the second annual ColorTyme Charity Golf Tournament at the Traces Golf Club in Florence, South Carolina...more

Women in the Home Industries Today (WITHIT) Appoints Four New Advisory Board Governors
"WithIt is fortunate to have such accomplished individuals joining its Board of Governors" - Jackie Hirschhaut, WithIt Chair, Vice President of Public Relations and Marketing of the American Home Furnishings Alliance...more

NowAuto Teams Up With ACE Cash Express In Marketing Pact
"We are very excited about the marketing agreement that allows NowAuto to market directly to ACE customers" - Scott Miller, CEO of NowAuto...more

Black Collegian Names Whirlpool One of Top 100 Employers for College Graduates
"Diversity has long been one of our core values and we believe strongly in hiring talented college graduates from all backgrounds" - Kristen Weirick, manager, Employer Brand for Whirlpool Corp...more

Consumer Confidence Slips On Fuel Prices
"...while expectations have lost ground, consumers anticipate the job market will continue to improve, and easing employment concerns should help keep spending on track" - Lynn Franco, Director of The Conference Board’s Consumer Research Center...more

Audio Interview With Gordon Reykdal, CEO of RentCash
In the interview, Reykdal said the company has an "aggressive" growth plan laid out for the next 12 months. "In our new store opening program, we're calling for 6 new Cash Stores per month and 5 new Insta-rent outlets per month...more

Bestway Posts Net Loss In Q1 While Same Store Revenues Rise 3.5%
"...we understand that lower margins requires us to operate at a more optimum level with strict cost controls. While we continue to seek cost take outs, it must be understood short term earnings may be erratic" - David A. Kraemer, President and Chief Executive Officer...more

Bassett Reports Shipment To Company Stores Up; Shipments To Traditional Retailers Down
"Even though February was a strong month for us, business conditions continue to be fairly tough at retail, especially in certain parts of the country including Texas" - Robert H. Spilman Jr., president and CEO...more

Thomson Inc. Announces Recall of Portable DVD Player Batteries
Only batteries used with the RCA portable DVD players with model number DRC600N are being recalled...more

Manitoba Finance Minister Proposes Changes To Rent to Own Disclosure Requirements
Manitoba Finance Minister Greg Selinger held a press conference to announce a series of proposed amendments (Bill 24) to the Consumer Protection Act (The Act) that would, according to Selinger, "include requirements for rent to own contracts" in the province...more

Tech Prices Continued to Fall in January
"January shows a strong sequential trend for some uplift in pricing off of the holiday’s promotionally-driven pricing" - Stephen Baker, director of industry analysis for The NPD Group...more

Morgenstern Steps Down; Short To Head Rent Way
"I have spent my entire adult life in the rental-purchase business, of which almost twenty- four years were as CEO of Rent-Way. I look forward to exploring business opportunities outside the rental-purchase industry"  Bill Morgenstern, Rent Way...more