Company: CPSS
Filing Date: 2025-03-12
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0001683168-25-001548
Chunk: 2

Company: CONSUMER PORTFOLIO SERVICES, INC.
Filing Date: 2025-03-12
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1
Chunk 2
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 intent of originating contracts to hold as investments in our own portfolio. However, in May 2021 we began purchasing some contracts
for immediate sale to a third-party to whom we refer applications that do not meet our lending criteria. We service all such contracts
on behalf of the third-party.

For contracts we originate
for our own portfolio, we generally finance them on a long-term basis through securitizations. Securitizations are transactions in which
we sell a specified pool of automobile contracts to a special purpose subsidiary of ours. The subsidiary in turn issues (or contributes
to a trust that issues) asset-backed securities, which are purchased by institutional investors. Since 1994, we have completed 103 term
securitizations of approximately $20.6 billion in automobile contracts. We depend upon the availability of short-term warehouse credit
facilities as interim financing for our contract purchases prior to the time we pool those contracts for a securitization. As of December
31, 2024, we had two such short-term warehouse facilities with a total maximum borrowing capacity of $535 million.

Sub-Prime Auto Finance Industry

Automobile financing is the
second largest consumer finance market in the United States. The automobile finance industry can be considered a continuum where participants
choose to provide financing to consumers in various segments of the spectrum of creditworthiness depending on each participant’s
business strategy. We operate in a segment of the spectrum that is frequently referred to as sub-prime since we provide financing to less
credit-worthy borrowers at higher rates of interest than more credit-worthy borrowers are likely to obtain.

Traditional automobile finance
companies, such as banks, their subsidiaries, credit unions and captive finance subsidiaries of automobile manufacturers, generally lend
to the most creditworthy, or so-called prime borrowers, although some traditional lenders are significant participants in the sub-prime
segment in which we operate. Historically, independent companies specializing in sub-prime automobile financing and subsidiaries of larger
financial services companies have competed in the sub-prime segment which we believe remains highly fragmented, with no single company
having a dominant position in the market.

Our automobile financing programs
are designed to serve sub-prime customers, who generally have limited credit histories or past credit problems. Because we serve customers
who are unable to meet certain credit standards, we incur greater risks, and generally receive interest rates higher than those charged
in the prime credit market. We also sustain a higher level of credit losses because of the higher risk customers we serve.