Republic Finance Agrees to be Acquired by a J.C. Flowers-Led Investor Group

NEW YORK, June 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Republic Finance ("Republic" or the "Company"), a leading consumer loan provider, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by an investor group led by J.C. Flowers & Co. ("J.C. Flowers"), a private investment firm dedicated to investing in the global financial services industry, alongside Nowlake Technology, LLC ("Nowlake"). Funds advised by CVC Capital Partners ("CVC"), Republic's majority owner, will exit its investment, while the Phillips family, which retained a significant shareholding under CVC's ownership, will continue to hold an equity interest in the Company. Republic's management team will continue to lead the Company. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Republic has over 70 years of experience in the U.S. consumer finance sector, specializing in personal loans and flexible lending options tailored to individual needs. The Company has built long-lasting relationships with its customers based on its reputation for a customer-first approach and responsible lending while operating across 17 states. 

"Republic is committed to offering fair and transparent products with a focus on regulatory compliance," said Thomas Harding, Managing Director at J.C. Flowers. "That discipline, combined with a deeply experienced management team and a loyal customer base, makes Republic a compelling platform. We look forward to partnering with the Company and Nowlake to build on its strong foundation and accelerate its growth."

"Over more than seven decades, our team has built Republic Finance into a trusted, well-run company serving hundreds of thousands of customers, and today's announcement is a strong endorsement of that work," said Ian Rehmert, President and CEO of Republic Finance. "We are grateful to CVC for their partnership and support over the years, and we are excited to begin this next chapter with J.C. Flowers and the Nowlake Group of Companies. Their financial strength, deep financial services expertise, and shared commitment to responsible, customer-first lending position us to keep serving our customers and growing our business for years to come."

 "It's been a privilege to partner with the Phillips family and Republic's management team and we are very proud of what we have collectively accomplished," added Daniel Brand, Partner at CVC. "We wish Ian and his team all the best for this next phase of their growth journey."

"We are excited to partner with JC Flowers to work with Republic Finance. Republic Finance has built a strong, respected platform with deep customer relationships and a great track record," said Ian Anderson, Group President of Nowlake. "We see opportunity to bring technology, scale, and additional products from the Nowlake Group of Companies to help accelerate Republic's next phase of growth alongside J.C. Flowers."

The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

Wells Fargo served as exclusive financial advisor and Debevoise & Plimpton LLP served as legal counsel to Republic Finance and CVC. BMO Capital Markets served as exclusive financial advisor and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP served as legal counsel to the investor group led by J.C. Flowers.

About Republic Finance

Republic Finance specializes in providing simple, transparent credit to Main Street America through modern, flexible channels with a personal touch when it matters. We have assisted our customers in meeting their personal finance goals for more than 70 years and currently serve customers across 17 states through our 250 branches, our mobile app, over the phone and online. Republic Finance is headquartered in Plano, Texas. For more information, please visit republicfinance.com.

About J.C. Flowers & Co.

J.C. Flowers & Co. is a leading private investment firm dedicated to investing globally in the financial services industry. Founded in 1998, the firm has invested more than $18 billion of capital, including co-investment, in 76 portfolio companies in 19 countries across a range of industry subsectors including insurance and reinsurance, banking, securities firms, specialty finance, services and asset management. With approximately $5 billion of assets under management, J.C. Flowers & Co. has offices in New York, London and Miami. For more information, please visit www.jcfco.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

About Nowlake Technology, LLC

The Nowlake Group of Companies is a diversified family of companies with operations spanning automotive finance, consumer lending, real estate, insurance, technology, and more. Powered by Westlake Financial and Nowcom, Nowlake builds and scales technology driven financial solutions across key industries. For more information, please visit westlakefinancial.com.

About CVC

CVC is a leading global private markets manager with a network of 29 office locations throughout EMEA, the Americas, and Asia, with approximately €209 billion of assets under management. CVC has seven complementary strategies across private equity, secondaries, credit and infrastructure, for which CVC funds have secured commitments of over €257 billion from some of the world's leading pension funds and other institutional investors. Funds managed or advised by CVC's private equity strategy are invested in approximately 150+ companies worldwide, which have combined annual sales of over €240 billion and employ over 660,000 people. For further information about CVC please visit: https://www.cvc.com/. Follow us on LinkedIn.

Contacts:

For Republic Finance
Mick Stanton, EVP, Chief Administrative Officer, [email protected]

For J.C. Flowers
Jennifer Hurson, [email protected]

For Nowlake Technology, LLC
David Goff, VP of Marketing, [email protected]

For CVC
Nick Board, Director Communications, [email protected]

SOURCE J.C. Flowers & Co.