History
The company began in 1920 as Interstate Finance Corporation to underwrite the sales of trucks and other vehicles. By 1929 the company had expanded to write credit-related insurance and start providing services outside of the Evansville area. In 1934 expanded across state lines by opening branches in Owensboro, Kentucky and Henderson, Kentucky.
Throughout the next couple of decades the company continued to grow and expand. In 1960 it went public on the Over-The-Counter Market. Three years later, in 1963, it started operating under the names of CrediThrift of America and CreditWay of America, and also began construction on a new headquarters building in Evansville. In 1969 the company was listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
In 1982 the company was acquired by American General Corporation (now known as AIG), and acquired General Finance with 350 branches in 16 states. Just five years later, in 1988, the company acquired Manufacturers Hanover Consumer Services, which expanded the company to more than 1,400 branch offices in 40 states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. That same year the company began operating under the name of American General Finance. In 2006, with continue growth, the company announced yet another expansion of its Evansville headquarters building and continued acquisitions of other financial services companies.
The 2007–2012 global financial crisis and the 2008–2012 global recession substantially hurt the company's financial performance. As of June 30, 2008, about 83 percent, or $7.7 billion, of its real estate loans were held by subprime borrowers. For 2008, American General Finance reported a loss of $1.3 billion. As a result, over the next two years the company closed over 500 local branches and cut 500 positions, including 140 of their Evansville headquartered employees.
In August 2010, Fortress Investment Group acquired 80% of the company and, in 2011, changed its name to Springleaf Financial Services.
Read more about this topic: Springleaf Financial
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