EZCORP considering "the prospect of expanding into Canada"

EZCORP, Inc. :: EZCORP Announces Fiscal 2008 Second Quarter Results: "Our EZMONEY operation continues with de novo growth in the U.S. and we have the prospect of expanding into Canada."

About EZCORP:
EZCORP is primarily a lender or provider of credit services to individuals who do not have cash resources or access to credit to meet their short-term cash needs. In 294 U.S. EZPAWN and 26 Mexico Empano Facil locations open on March 31, 2008, the Company offers non-recourse loans collateralized by tangible personal property, commonly known as pawn loans. At these locations, the Company also sells merchandise, primarily collateral forfeited from its pawn lending operations, to consumers looking for good value. In 462 EZMONEY locations and 73 EZPAWN locations open on March 31, 2008, the Company offers short-term non-collateralized loans, often referred to as payday loans, or fee based credit services to customers seeking loans.

Advance America hoping to open 20 to 25 Canadian locations in 2008

Advance America, Cash Advance Centers Inc. Q1 2008 Earnings Call Transcript - Seeking Alpha: "We opened three new centers in Canada during the first quarter, and we now have 10 open and operating. We expect to have approximately 20-25 centers operating in Canada by year-end."

Advance America operates in Canada under the National Cash Advance brand. A listing of their Canadian locations is available here.

The Americans are Coming...

Joanna Smith of the Toronto Star provided a summary today of the U.S. firms who are looking at Canada now that regulations are starting to be finalized: New Rules Attract U.S. Lenders. She quotes Uriah King of the Center for Responsible Lending as saying that we will see "explosive growth in the industry." It is more likely that we will see large American lenders taking out small to medium-sized Canadian operators and the net number of stores will not change dramatically. If anything, the number of stores will decrease because the large lenders won't be interested in the small, low volume stores that are only financially viable if they are owner operated.