The Company's accounting and reporting policies are in accordance with GAAP and conform to general practices within the finance company industry. The following is a description of the more significant of these policies used in preparing the Consolidated Financial Statements.

The Company is a small-dollar consumer finance (installment loan) company headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina that offers short-term small loans, medium-term larger loans, related credit insurance products and ancillary products and services to individuals who have limited access to other sources of consumer credit. It also offers income tax return preparation services to its customer base and to others.

As of March 31, 2020, the Company operated 1,243 branches in Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin. Branches in the aforementioned states operate under one of the following names: Amicable Finance, Colonial Finance, Freeman Finance, General Credit, Midwestern Loans, World Acceptance, or World Finance. On August 3, 2018 the Company and its affiliates completed the sale of the Company's Mexico operating segment in its entirety, effective as of July 1, 2018. Thus, the Company operated no branches in Mexico as of March 31, 2020 or 2019. During the first quarter of fiscal 2019, branches in Mexico operated under the name Préstamos Avance or Préstamos Viva. The Company is subject to numerous lending regulations that vary by jurisdiction.

The Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of World Acceptance Corporation and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (the “Company”). Subsidiaries consist of operating entities in various states, ParaData Financial Systems (a software company acquired during fiscal 1994), and WAC Insurance Company, Ltd. (a captive reinsurance company established in fiscal 1994). All significant inter-company balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

The financial statements of the Company’s former foreign subsidiaries in Mexico were prepared using the local currency as the functional currency. Assets and liabilities of these subsidiaries were translated into U.S. dollars at the then-current exchange rate while income and expense are translated at an average exchange rate for the applicable period. The resulting translation gains and losses were recognized as a component of equity in “Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss, net.”

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amount of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The most significant item subject to such estimates and assumptions that could materially change in the near term is the allowance for loan losses.

The Company reports operating segments in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 280. Operating segments are components of an enterprise about which separate financial information is available that is evaluated regularly by the chief operating decision maker in deciding how to allocate resources and assess performance. FASB ASC Topic 280 requires that a public enterprise report a measure of segment profit or loss, certain specific revenue and expense items, segment assets, information about the way that the operating segments were determined and other items.

For purposes of the statement of cash flows, the Company considers all highly liquid investments with a maturity of three months or less from the date of original issuance to be cash equivalents. As of March 31, 2020 and 2019 the Company had $5.4 million and $5.1 million, respectively, in restricted cash associated with its captive insurance subsidiary that reinsures a portion of the credit insurance sold in connection with loans made by the Company.

The Company is licensed to originate consumer loans in the states of Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Utah, and Wisconsin. During fiscal 2020, 2019, and 2018 the Company originated loans generally ranging up to $3,200, with terms of 48 months or fewer. Experience indicates that a majority of the consumer loans are refinanced, and the Company accounts for the majority of the refinancings as new loans. Generally a customer must make multiple payments in order to qualify for refinancing. Furthermore, the Company's lending policy has predetermined lending amounts so that in most cases a refinancing will result in advancing additional funds. The Company believes that the advancement of additional funds constitutes more than a minor modification to the terms of the existing loan if the present value of the cash flows under the terms of the new loan will be 10% or more of the present value of the remaining cash flows under the terms of the original loan.

Fees received and direct costs incurred for the origination of loans are deferred and amortized to interest income over the contractual lives of the loans using the interest method. Unamortized amounts are recognized in income at the time that loans are refinanced or paid in full except for those refinancings that do not constitute a more than minor modification.

Loans are carried at the gross amount outstanding, reduced by unearned interest and insurance income, net of deferred origination fees and direct costs and an allowance for loan losses. The Company recognizes interest and fee income using the interest method. Charges for late payments are credited to income when collected.

The accrual of interest is discontinued when a loan is 61 days or more past the contractual due date. When the interest accrual is discontinued, all unpaid accrued interest is reversed against interest income. While a loan is on nonaccrual status, interest revenue is recognized only when a payment is received. Once a loan moves to nonaccrual status, it remains in nonaccrual status until it is paid out, charged off or refinanced.

The Company maintains an allowance for loan losses in an amount that, in management's opinion, is adequate to provide for incurred losses inherent in the existing loan portfolio. The Company charges against current earnings, as a provision for loan losses, amounts added to the allowance to maintain it at levels expected to cover probable incurred losses of principal. When establishing the allowance for loan losses, the Company takes into consideration the growth of the loan portfolio, current levels of charge-offs, current levels of delinquencies, and current economic factors.

The Company uses a mathematical calculation to determine the initial allowance at the end of each reporting period. The calculation originated as management's estimate of future charge-offs and is used to allocate expenses to the branch level. There are two components when calculating the allowance for loan losses, which the Company refers to as the general reserve and the specific reserve. This calculation is a starting point and over time, and as needed, additional provisions have been added as determined by management to make the allowance adequate.

The general reserve is 4.25% of the gross loan portfolio. The specific reserve represents 100% of the gross loan balance of all loans 91 days or more days past due on a recency basis, including bankrupt accounts in that category. This methodology is based on historical data showing that the collection of loans 91 days or more past due is remote.

A process is then performed to determine the adequacy of the allowance for loan losses, which considers trends in current levels of delinquencies, charge-off levels, and economic trends (such as energy and food prices). The primary tool used is the movement model (on a recency basis) which considers the rolling twelve months of delinquency to determine expected charge-offs. The sum of expected charge-offs, determined from the recency movement model plus the amount of delinquent refinancings is compared to the allowance resulting from the mathematical calculation to determine if any adjustments are needed to make the allowance adequate. Management would also determine if any adjustments are needed if the consolidated annual provision for loan losses is less than total charge-offs. Management uses a precision level of 5% of the allowance for loan losses compared to the aforementioned recency movement model when determining if any adjustments are needed.

The Company's policy is to charge off loans at the earlier of when such loans are deemed to be uncollectible or when six months have elapsed since the date of the last full contractual payment. The Company's charge-off policy has been consistently applied and no changes have been made during the periods reported. The Company's historical annual charge-off rate (net charge-offs as a percentage of average net loans receivable) for the past 10 years has ranged from 12.8% to 18.0% of net loans. Management considers the charge-off policy when evaluating the appropriateness of the allowance for loan losses.

The Company defines impaired loans as bankrupt accounts and accounts 91 days or more past due on a recency basis. In accordance with the Company’s charge-off policy, once a loan is deemed uncollectible, 100% of the net investment is charged off, except in the case of a borrower who has filed for bankruptcy. As of March 31, 2020, bankrupt accounts that had not been charged off were approximately $6.3 million. Bankrupt accounts 91 days or more past due on a recency basis are reserved at 100% of the gross loan balance. The Company also considers any accounts 91 days or more past due on a recency basis to be impaired, and such accounts are reserved at 100% of the gross loan balance.

Property and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation is recorded using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of the related asset as follows: buildings, 25 to 40 years; furniture and fixtures, 5 to 10 years; equipment, 3 to 7 years; and vehicles, 3 years. Amortization of leasehold improvements is recorded using the straight-line method over the lesser of the estimated useful life of the asset or the term of the lease. Additions to premises and equipment and major replacements or improvements are added at cost. Maintenance, repairs, and minor replacements are charged to operating expense as incurred. When assets are retired or otherwise disposed of, the cost and accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and any gain or loss is reflected in the consolidated statement of operations.

The Company’s branch leases typically have a lease term of three to five years and contain lessee renewal options and cancellation clauses in the event of regulatory changes. The Company typically renews its leases for one or more option periods. Accordingly, the Company amortizes its leasehold improvements over the shorter of their economic lives, which are generally five years, or the lease term that considers renewal periods that are reasonably assured.

Intangible assets include the cost of acquiring existing customers ("customer lists"), and the fair value assigned to non-compete agreements. Customer lists are amortized on a straight line or accelerated basis over their estimated period of benefit, ranging from 8 to 23 years with a weighted average of approximately 9.6 years. Non-compete agreements are amortized on a straight line basis over the term of the agreement, ranging from 3 to 5.3 years with a weighted average of approximately 4.9 years.

Customer lists are allocated at a branch level and are evaluated for impairment at a branch level when a triggering event occurs, in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 360-10-05. If a triggering event occurs, the impairment loss to the customer list is generally the remaining unamortized customer list balance. In most acquisitions, the original fair value of the customer list allocated to a branch is less than $100,000, and management believes that in the event a triggering event were to occur, the impairment loss to an unamortized customer list would be immaterial.

Non-compete agreements are valued at the stated amount paid to the other party for these agreements, which the Company believes approximates the fair value. The fair value of the customer lists is based on a valuation model that utilizes the Company’s historical data to estimate the value of any acquired customer lists. In a business combination, the remaining excess of the purchase price over the fair value of the tangible assets, customer list, and non-compete agreements is allocated to goodwill. The branches the Company acquires are small, privately-owned branches, which do not have sufficient historical data to determine customer attrition. The Company believes that the customers acquired have the same characteristics and perform similarly to its customers. Therefore, the Company utilized the attrition patterns of its customers when developing the estimate of attrition for acquired customers. This estimation method is re-evaluated periodically.

The Company evaluates goodwill annually for impairment in the fourth quarter of the fiscal year using the market value-based approach. The Company has one reporting unit, and the Company has multiple components, the lowest level of which is individual branches. The Company’s components are aggregated for impairment testing because they have similar economic characteristics.

The Company assesses impairment of long-lived assets, including property and equipment and intangible assets, whenever changes or events indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. The Company assesses impairment of these assets generally at the branch level based on the operating cash flows of the branch and the Company’s plans for branch closings. The Company will write down such assets to fair value if, based on an

FASB ASC Topic 825 requires disclosures about the fair value of all financial instruments, regardless of whether the financial instrument is recognized on the balance sheet, for which it is practicable to estimate that value. In cases where quoted market prices are not available, fair values are based on estimates using present value or other valuation techniques. The Company’s financial instruments for the periods reported consist of the following: cash and cash equivalents, loans receivable and senior notes payable. Fair value approximates carrying value for all of these instruments.

Loans receivable are originated at prevailing market rates and have an average life of approximately 8 months. Given the short-term nature of these loans, they are continually repriced at current market rates. The Company’s revolving credit facility has a variable rate based on a margin over LIBOR and reprices with any changes in LIBOR.

Insurance premiums for credit life, accident and health, property and unemployment insurance written in connection with certain loans, net of refunds and applicable advance insurance commissions retained by the Company, are remitted monthly to an insurance company. All commissions are credited to unearned insurance commissions and recognized as income over the life of the related insurance contracts. The Company recognizes insurance income using the Rule of 78s method for credit life (decreasing term), credit accident and health, unemployment insurance and the Pro Rata method for credit life (level term) and credit property.

Non-filing insurance premiums are charged on certain loans in lieu of recording and perfecting the Company's security interest in the assets pledged. The premiums and recoveries are remitted to a third party insurance company and are not reflected in the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements (see Note 8).

Claims paid by the third party insurance company result in a reduction to loan losses. Certain losses related to such loans, which are not recoverable through life, accident and health, property, or unemployment insurance claims are reimbursed through non-filing insurance claims subject to policy limitations. Any remaining losses are charged to the allowance for loan losses.

Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases and operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date.

The Company recognizes the effect of income tax positions only if those positions are more likely than not of being sustained. Recognized income tax positions are measured at the largest amount that is greater than 50% likely of being realized. Changes in recognition or measurement are reflected in the period in which the change in judgment related to additional facts and circumstances occurs.

Earnings per share (“EPS”) is computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 260. Basic EPS includes no dilution and is computed by dividing net income by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted EPS reflects the potential dilution of securities that could share in the earnings of the Company. Potential common stock included in the diluted EPS computation consists of stock options and restricted stock, which are computed using the treasury stock method. See Note 11 for the reconciliation of the numerators and denominators for basic and dilutive EPS calculations.

FASB ASC Topic 718-10 requires companies to recognize in the income statement the grant-date fair value of stock options and other equity-based compensation issued to employees. FASB ASC Topic 718-10 does not change the accounting guidance for share-based payment transactions with parties other than employees provided in FASB ASC Topic 718-10. Under FASB ASC Topic 718-10, the way an award is classified will affect the measurement of compensation cost. Liability-classified awards are remeasured to fair value at each balance-sheet date until the award is settled. Equity-classified awards are measured at grant-date fair value, amortized over the subsequent vesting period, and are not subsequently remeasured. The fair value of non-vested stock awards for the purposes of recognizing stock-based compensation expense is the market price of the stock on the grant date. The fair value of options is estimated on the grant date using the Black-Scholes option pricing model (see Note 12). At March 31, 2020, the Company had several share-based employee compensation plans, which are described more fully in Note 12.

On March 12, 2020, the Board of Directors authorized the Company to repurchase up to $30.0 million of the Company’s outstanding common stock, inclusive of the amount that remains available for repurchase under prior repurchase authorizations. As of March 31, 2020, the Company had $22.6 million in aggregate remaining repurchase capacity. The timing and actual number of shares of common stock repurchased will depend on a variety of factors, including the stock price, corporate and regulatory requirements, restrictions under the revolving credit facility and other market and economic conditions.

The Company continues to believe stock repurchases are a viable component of the Company’s long-term financial strategy and an excellent use of excess cash when the opportunity arises. However, our revolving credit agreement limits share repurchases to 50% of consolidated adjusted net income in any fiscal year commencing with the fiscal year ending March 31, 2017 without prior written consent of the lenders. As of March 31, 2020 our debt outstanding was $451.1 million and our shareholders' equity was $412.0 million resulting in a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.1:1.0.

The Company generally serves individuals with limited access to other sources of consumer credit such as banks, credit unions, other consumer finance businesses and credit card lenders. During the year ended March 31, 2020, the Company operated in sixteen states in the United States. For the years ended March 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018, total revenue within the Company's four largest states (Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, and South Carolina) accounted for approximately 56%, 57% and 53%, respectively, of the Company's total revenues.

The Company maintains amounts in bank accounts which, at times, may exceed federally insured limits. The Company has not experienced losses in such accounts, which are maintained with large domestic banks. Management believes the Company’s exposure to credit risk is minimal for these accounts.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842). The ASU, as amended by ASU 2018-01, ASU 2018-10, and 2018-11, requires lessees to recognize assets and liabilities from leases with terms greater than 12 months and to disclose information related to the amount, timing and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases, including various qualitative and quantitative requirements. The amendments of this ASU are effective for annual periods, and interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2018.

Upon adoption of this guidance on April 1, 2019 the Company removed its deferred rent expense balance of $0.4 million, recorded a right-of-use asset of $87.4 million, and recorded a lease liability of $87.8 million. Amounts recorded upon adoption of Topic 842 were adjusted from what was reported in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2019 due to the Company finalizing its implementation since that filing. In conjunction with adoption the Company made the following elections as outlined in ASU 2016-02 and its amendments:

•The Company elected to apply the new guidance retrospectively at the beginning of the period of adoption, and, as a result, the adoption date is the beginning of the reporting period in which the Company first applies the guidance in Topic 842. The Company has not adjusted comparative years in the consolidated financial statements or make the new required disclosures for periods before the adoption date. The new required disclosures are only presented in the period of adoption and subsequently thereafter.

•The Company elected, by class of underlying asset, not to separate non-lease components from lease components and instead account for each separate lease component and the non-lease components associated with those lease components as a single lease component according to the following table:

2.Not to reassess the lease classification for any expired or existing leases (that is, all existing leases that were classified as operating leases in accordance with Topic 840 are classified as operating leases, and all existing leases that were classified as capital leases in accordance with Topic 840 are classified as finance leases); and,

•The Company elected to use hindsight in determining the lease term (that is, when considering lessee options to extend or terminate the lease and to purchase the underlying asset) and in assessing impairment of the its right-of-use assets when applying Topic 842 to leases that commenced before the adoption date.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-04, Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment. ASU No. 2017-04 eliminates Step 2 from the goodwill impairment test. Instead, under the amendments in this Update, an entity should perform its annual, or interim, goodwill impairment test by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount. Additionally, an entity should consider income tax effects from any tax deductible goodwill on the carrying amount of the reporting unit when measuring the goodwill impairment loss, if applicable. ASU No. 2017-04 also eliminates the requirements for any reporting unit with a zero or negative carrying amount to perform a qualitative assessment and, if it fails that qualitative assessment, to perform Step 2 of the goodwill impairment test. Therefore, the same impairment assessment applies to all reporting units. The ASU also eliminates the provision that allowed a best estimate of goodwill impairment to be recognized if the goodwill impairment test is not complete before the financial statements are issued or available to be issued. Thus, the goodwill impairment test now must be complete before issuing the financial statements. The amendments in this Update are effective for public entities who are SEC filers for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses. The update, as amended by ASU 2019-04, seeks to provide financial statement users with more decision-useful information about the expected credit losses on financial instruments and other commitments to extend credit held by a reporting entity at each reporting date. To achieve this objective, The amendments in this ASU require loss estimates be determined over the lifetime of the asset and broaden the information an entity must consider in developing its expected credit losses. The ASU does not specify a method for measuring expected credit losses and allows an entity to apply methods that reasonably reflect its expectations of the credit loss estimate based on the entity’s size, complexity and risk profile. For public business entities the amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years.