EZCORP, Inc. announced that Matthew W. Appel has joined EZCORP's Board of Directors effective January 12, 2015, and has been named Chair of the Audit Committee. Mr. Appel spent 37 years in finance, administration and operations roles with a variety of companies, most recently Zale Corporation where he served as Chief Financial Officer from May 2009 to May 2011 and Chief Administrative Officer from May 2011 to July 2014 and co-led the successful turnaround of the company. Thomas C. Roberts, who is currently the Chair of the Audit Committee, will remain as a member of the Audit Committee and will assist Mr. Appel in his transition into the Chair role.
EZCORP, Inc. is a provider of pawn transactions in the United States and Latin America. The Company also sells merchandise, primarily collateral forfeited from pawn lending operations and pre-owned and recycled merchandise purchased from customers. It operates through three segments: U.S. Pawn, Latin America Pawn, and Other Investments. The U.S. Pawn segment includes its EZPAWN, Value Pawn & Jewelry and other branded pawn operations in the United States. The Latin America Pawn segment includes its Empeno Facil, Cash Apoyo Efectivo (CAE) and other branded pawn operations in Mexico, as well as its GuatePrenda and MaxiEfectivo pawn operations in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras (GPMX). At its pawn stores, it advances cash against the value of collateralized tangible personal property and sells merchandise to customers looking for good value. The merchandise it sells primarily consists of second-hand collateral forfeited from its pawn activities or merchandise purchased from customers.