Jefferson Capital, Inc. / DE (JCAP)

Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations in conjunction with the combined and consolidated financial statements and the related notes included in our audited combined and consolidated financial statements included in the Company’s 2025 Form 10-K. In addition to historical financial information, the following discussion contains forward-looking statements that reflect our plans, estimates, beliefs, and expectations that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to these differences include those discussed below and the sections titled “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (the “Quarterly Report”) and the Company’s 2025 Form 10-K.

Overview

We provide debt recovery solutions and other related services across a broad range of consumer receivables, including credit card, secured and unsecured automotive, telecom and utilities, and other receivables. We primarily purchase portfolios of previously charged-off consumer receivables at deep discounts to face value and manage them by working with individuals as they repay their obligations and work toward financial recovery. Previously charged-off receivables include receivables subject to bankruptcy proceedings. We also provide debt servicing and other portfolio management services to credit originators for nonperforming loans. In addition, through our credit card acquisition programs, we earn credit card revenue. All deployments are purchased from independent third parties.

We operate and manage our business through four reportable segments that are based on geography: United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Latin America. We also have the following two primary lines of business:

We are headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and as of June 30, 2026, with 1,089 FTE (including our offshore co-sourced operation).

Our Business Model

Portfolio Purchasing

We purchase portfolios of nonperforming loans, and occasionally those that are performing but with significant credit deterioration, through either single portfolio transactions, referred to as spot sales, or through the pre-arranged purchase of multiple portfolios at regular intervals, referred to as forward flow sales. Under a forward flow contract, we agree to purchase statistically similar nonperforming loan portfolios from credit grantors on a periodic basis at a negotiated price over a specified time period, generally from six months to a year.

When we purchase portfolios with credit deterioration, we find that our expertise in evaluating and managing charged-off accounts allows us to confidently manage such portfolios with a higher level of credit risk than a buyer without that level of expertise would be comfortable. In such instances, a portfolio may include a mix of loans that are delinquent and restructured as well as a significant amount of charged-off or nonperforming loans, with a high level of risk that more of the current loans will become delinquent over time and eventually need to be charged-off. In these cases, we can offer the seller the convenience of purchasing all its loan assets together as opposed to bidding for only a single category of loan, which might result in a seller needing to transact with multiple counterparties. We regularly evaluate the opportunity to

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purchase portfolios that include a mix of performing accounts and nonperforming accounts, and that comprise all of a credit originator’s loan assets and believe we will find attractive opportunities to make more purchases like these going forward.

We purchase portfolios of nonperforming loans from credit grantors through auctions and negotiated sales. In an auction process, the seller will assemble a portfolio of nonperforming loans and will seek purchase prices from specifically invited potential purchasers. In a privately negotiated sale process, the seller will contact one or more purchasers directly, receive a bid, and negotiate the terms of sale. In either case, invited purchasers will typically have already successfully completed a qualification process and due diligence examination that includes the seller’s review of the purchaser’s experience, financial standing, operating procedures, business practices, and compliance oversight.

We purchase receivables based on robust, account-level valuation methods and employ proprietary statistical and behavioral models across our operations. These methods and models allow us to value portfolios accurately (and limit the risk of overpaying), avoid buying portfolios that are incompatible with our methods or strategies, and align the accounts we purchase with our business and collection channels to maximize future collections. As a result, we have been able to realize attractive returns from the receivables we acquire. We maintain strong relationships with many of the largest financial service providers in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and Latin America.

Deployments and Collections

Creditors sell their volume in a mix of forward flow arrangements and competitive bid transactions. Sales levels are expected to fluctuate from quarter to quarter with portfolio pricing remaining competitive.

We believe that smaller competitors continue to face difficulties in the portfolio purchasing market because of the high cost to operate due to regulatory pressure, issuers’ selectiveness with buyers and lack of consistent access to capital. We believe these operational costs favor larger participants, such as us, because the larger market participants are better able to adapt to these pressures and commit to larger purchases and forward flow agreements.

Deployments

Our deployments are a mix of spot sales and forward flow agreements. The timing, contract duration and volumes for each contract can fluctuate leading to variation when compared to prior periods.

The average purchase price, as a percentage of face value, varies from period to period depending on, among other factors, the type and quality of the accounts purchased and the length of time from charge-off to the time we purchase the portfolios.

The average purchase price as a percentage of face value is higher for newly charged-off portfolios as compared to more seasoned portfolios because newly charged-off portfolios generally have higher liquidation rates. Similarly, portfolios consisting of paying accounts tend to have a higher purchase price relative to face value than non-paying accounts due to the higher expectations for collections, as well as lower anticipated collection costs. As a result, in years that we purchase a higher percentage of newly charged-off assets or paying portfolios, we expect that our purchase price as a percentage of face value would be higher than would be in years where a higher ratio of seasoned assets or non-paying portfolios were purchased.

Collections

We have two primary types of collection channels for the collection of our purchased receivables, legal and voluntary. The legal collection channel consists of collections that result from our internal legal channel or from our network of retained law firms. The voluntary collection channel utilizes call centers (domestic and offshore) and collection agencies. The call center collections include collections that result from our call centers, direct mail programs, and digital collections. The collection agencies collections consist of collections from third-party collection agencies that we utilize when we believe they can liquidate better or less expensively than we can.

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Key Business Metrics and Non-GAAP Financial Measures

We regularly review net operating income and net income along with a number of key business metrics and non-GAAP financial measures to evaluate our business, measure our performance, identify trends, prepare financial projections, and make business decisions. Although we believe the key business metrics and non-GAAP financial measures we review are useful, they have limitations as analytical tools and should not be considered in isolation, or as substitutes for analysis of our financial results prepared in accordance with GAAP.

Key Business Metrics

Estimated Remaining Collections

We define ERC as the undiscounted sum of all future projected collections on our owned finance receivables portfolios. We calculate ERC using data derived from our databases of owned and serviced debt portfolio in the markets in which we operate and from our proprietary behavioral and asset valuation models. References to our ERC are references to gross ERC (which includes estimated collections in respect of the current charge-off balances). We believe that our ERC estimation represents an important supplemental measure to compare our cash generating capacity with other companies in the debt collection industry, even though we can provide no assurance that we will achieve such collections within a specified time period, or at all.

The following table summarizes the total ERC by geographic area, or segment, during the three months ended:

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For the three months ended June 30, 2026, ERC in our United States reportable segment included $218.2 million from the Bluestem portfolio purchase with the comparative 2025 period having no ERC related to Bluestem.

Deployments

Deployments refers to portfolios purchases in the ordinary course. We believe deployments represent an important measure of our investment activity. Deployments are a key driver of the growth of our ERC and a measure to compare growth in our business with the growth of other companies in the debt collection industry.

The following tables summarize the total deployments or purchases by geographic area, or reportable segments, during the three months ended:

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Overview

We provide debt recovery solutions and other related services across a broad range of consumer receivables, including credit card, secured and unsecured automotive, telecom and utilities, and other receivables. We primarily purchase portfolios of previously charged-off consumer receivables at deep discounts to face value and manage them by working with individuals as they repay their obligations and work toward financial recovery. Previously charged-off receivables include receivables subject to bankruptcy proceedings. We also provide debt servicing and other portfolio management services to credit originators for nonperforming loans. In addition, through our credit card acquisition programs, we earn credit card revenue. All deployments are made to independent third parties.

We operate and manage our business through four reportable segments that are based on geography: United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Latin America. We also have the following two primary lines of business:

We are headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and as of December 31, 2025, with 1,120 FTE (including our offshore co-sourced operation).

Key Business Metrics and Non-GAAP Financial Measures

We regularly review net operating income and net income along with a number of key business metrics and non-GAAP financial measures to evaluate our business, measure our performance, identify trends, prepare financial projections, and make business decisions. Although we believe the key business metrics and non-GAAP financial measures we review are useful, they have limitations as analytical tools and should not be considered in isolation, or as substitutes for analysis of our financial results prepared in accordance with GAAP.

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Key Business Metrics

Estimated Remaining Collections

We define ERC as the undiscounted sum of all future projected collections on our owned finance receivables portfolios. We calculate ERC using data derived from our databases of owned and serviced debt portfolio in the markets in which we operate and from our proprietary behavioral and asset valuation models. References to our ERC are references to gross ERC (which includes estimated collections in respect of the current charge-off balances). We believe that our ERC estimation represents an important supplemental measure to compare our cash generating capacity with other companies in the debt collection industry, even though we can provide no assurance that we will achieve such collections within a specified time period, or at all.

The following table summarizes the total ERC by geographic area, or segment, during the years presented:

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ERC in our United States reportable segment included $139.9 million from the Conn’s Portfolio Purchase and $295.6 million for the Bluestem portfolio purchase.

Deployments

Deployments refers to portfolios purchases in the ordinary course. We believe deployments represent an important measure of our investment activity. Deployments are a key driver of the growth of our ERC and a measure to compare growth in our business with the growth of other companies in the debt collection industry.

The following tables summarize the total deployments or purchases by geographic area, or reportable segments, during the years presented:

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During the year ended December 31, 2025, we invested $832.0 million to acquire receivable portfolios, with face values aggregating $13,030.7 million, for an average purchase price of 6.4% of face value. The amount invested in receivable portfolios increased $108.6 million, or 15.0%, compared with the $723.3 million invested during the year ended December 31, 2024, to acquire receivable portfolios with face values aggregating $9,198.5 million, for an average purchase price of 7.9% of face value.

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Collections

The following tables summarize the total collections by geographic area, or reportable segment, during the years presented:

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Collections from purchased receivables increased by $414.1 million or 70.8% to $998.7 million during the year ended December 31, 2025, from $584.6 million during the year ended December 31, 2024. The increase in collections from purchased receivables compared to the year ended December 31, 2024, was primarily a result of increased purchases during the year. Collections in our United States reportable segment included $246.9 million from the Conn’s Portfolio Purchase and $14.3 million from the Bluestem portfolio purchase.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

To supplement our combined and consolidated financial statements prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP, we use certain non-GAAP financial measures throughout this Annual Report, as described further below, to provide investors with additional useful information about our financial performance, to enhance the overall understanding of our past performance and future prospects and to allow for greater transparency with respect to important metrics used by our management for financial and operational decision-making.

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Non-GAAP financial measures have limitations in their usefulness to investors because they have no standardized meaning prescribed by GAAP and are not prepared under any comprehensive set of accounting rules or principles. In addition, non-GAAP financial measures may be calculated differently from, and therefore may not be directly comparable to, similarly titled measures used by other companies. As a result, non-GAAP financial measures should be viewed as supplementing, and not as an alternative or substitute for, our combined and consolidated financial statements prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP.

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Adjusted Net Income

Adjusted net income is calculated as net income in accordance with GAAP, adjusted to exclude (i) foreign exchange and other income (expense); (ii) stock-based compensation; and (iii) merger and acquisition and other infrequent, non-recurring, non-core or unusual charges. Adjusted net income is a supplemental measure of performance that is not required by, or presented in accordance with, GAAP. We present adjusted net income because we consider it an important supplemental measure of our operations and financial performance. Our management believes adjusted net income helps us provide enhanced year-to-year comparability of operations and financial performance and is useful to investors as other companies in our industry report similar financial measures. Adjusted net income should not be considered as an alternative to net income determined in accordance with GAAP.

Some of the limitations related to the use of adjusted net income as an analytical tool include:

Because of these limitations, adjusted net income should not be considered as a measure of discretionary cash available to us to invest in the growth of our business.

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Set forth below is a reconciliation of adjusted net income to net income, the most directly comparable financial measure calculated and reported in accordance with GAAP.

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