SPARTANBURG, S.C., Jan. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Jamie Fulmer, Director of Public Affairs, released the following statement in response to the Ruling and Order released today by the New Hampshire Bank Commissioner:

'We have carefully reviewed the New Hampshire Bank Commissioner's ruling issued earlier this month, and have engaged in discussions with him. While we continue to believe that our new credit line product was compliant with New Hampshire law, and despite our customers' overwhelmingly positive response, we have decided that continuing to offer it is simply not practical. Accordingly, we will no longer offer this product in New Hampshire.

Still, Advance America remains confident that our Company has always operated in strict compliance with all New Hampshire laws. And the Bank Commissioner has found that Advance America may collect the principal amount of all advances made under the Revolving Credit Agreements without violating New Hampshire's unfair trade practices statute.

In our discussions with the Bank Commissioner, we explored the best way to address his concerns about the loans made under the credit line product during the first few days of January. As a result, we have decided to waive all interest on the loans issued in New Hampshire from January 1 through January 6, and to only seek repayment of the principal amounts borrowed. We believe this decision underscores Advance America's continuing commitment to its customers, and is consistent with the Commissioner's direction.

The decision to discontinue our credit line product in New Hampshire was not an easy one. Now, more than ever -- in the midst of extreme economic uncertainty across our country -- Americans need continued access to relatively small-dollar, short-term credit on an unsecured basis. Advance America remains committed to exploring opportunities to meet the needs of consumers in New Hampshire, who deserve choices for handling their short-term credit needs.'

About Advance America

Founded in 1997, Advance America, Cash Advance Centers, Inc. (NYSE: AEA) is the country's leading provider of payday cash advance services, with approximately 2,813 centers and 79 limited licensees in 33 states, the United Kingdom and Canada. The company offers convenient, less-costly credit options to consumers whose needs are not met by traditional financial institutions. The Company is a founding member of the Community Financial Services Association of America (CFSA), whose mission is to promote laws that provide substantive consumer protections and to encourage responsible industry practices.

Forward-Looking Statements and Information:

Certain statements contained in this release may constitute 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of federal securities laws. All statements in this release other than those relating to our historical information or current condition are forward-looking statements. For example, any statements regarding our future financial performance, our business strategy, and expected developments in our industry are forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the current views and expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, those views and expectations and the related statements are inherently subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are not under our control and may not even be predictable. Therefore, actual results could differ materially from our expectations as of today and any future results, performance, or achievements expressed directly or impliedly by the forward-looking statements. For a more detailed discussion of some of the factors that may cause our actual results to differ from our current expectations, please refer to the 'Risk Factors' section of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007 and our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarters ended June 30, 2008 and September 30, 2008, copies of which are available from the Securities and Exchange Commission, upon request from us, or by going to our website: www.advanceamericacash.com.

SOURCE Advance America