FORTUNE Magazine Names Encore Capital Group to '100 Fastest-Growing Companies' List

San Diego – October 3, 2011 –-

Fortune Magazine in September named Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ: ECPG) to its 2011 list of 100 Fastest-Growing Companies, a first for the Company. Encore, a leader in distressed consumer debt buying and recovery, is the only company in its industry to make the 2011 list.

“Our continued emphasis on better understanding our consumers, and our ability to help those consumers return to a path of financial well-being, are elemental to our success and growth,” said Encore CEO Brandon Black. “Encore’s deep focus on behavioral science, cost-efficacy across our operations, and sophisticated analytics in our purchasing and recovery activities will remain critical factors for success, and we will continue to invest in opportunities that solidify our leadership position in this space.”

To be eligible for the 100 Fastest-Growing Companies list, foreign or domestic companies must meet certain key criteria: be trading on a major U.S. stock exchange; have a market capitalization of at least $250M; have revenue and net income of at least $50M and $10M, respectively, for the four quarters ended on or before April 30, 2011; and have an annualized growth in revenue and earnings per share of at least 15% over the last three years on or before April 30, 2011.

Companies that meet these criteria are then ranked by past three-year annual revenue growth rate, earnings per share (EPS) growth rate, and total return for the period ended June 30, 2011. A company's overall standing on the list is based on the sum of these three ranks. Additional information on list criteria is available here.

The full list and related stories appeared in the September 26, 2011 issue of Fortune Magazine, and at http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortunefastestgrowing/2011/full_list/.

About Encore Capital Group, Inc.

Encore Capital Group is a leader in consumer debt buying and recovery. We purchase portfolios of defaulted consumer receivables from major banks, credit unions, and utility providers and partner with individuals as they repay their obligations and work toward financial recovery. Our success and future growth are driven by our sophisticated and widespread use of analytics, our broad investments in data and behavioral science, the significant cost advantages provided by both our operations in India and our enterprise-wide, account-level cost database, and our demonstrated commitment to conduct business ethically and in ways that support our consumers’ financial recovery.

Headquartered in San Diego, we are a publicly traded NASDAQ Global Select company (ticker symbol: ECPG) and a component stock of the Russell 2000, the S&P SmallCap 600, and the Wilshire 4500. More information about the Company can be found at www.encorecapital.com.

For media inquiries, please contact:

George Durham
Encore Capital Group, george.durham@encorecapital.com
(858) 309-9491

Mike Huckman
MSLGROUP, for Encore Capital, mike.huckman@mslgroup.com
(212) 468-3968

Mary McCeney MSLGROUP, for Encore Capital, mary.mcceney@mslgroup.com
(212) 468-4053

SOURCE: Encore Capital Group, Inc.