Solera Holdings, Inc. Purchases 100% of AutoPoint from Joint Venture with Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe

WESTLAKE, Texas, April 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Solera Holdings, Inc. ("Solera", "we" or "our") (NYSE: SLH), a leading global provider of software and services to the automobile insurance claims processing and decision support industries, today announced that we have purchased 100% of the equity interests of the AutoPoint companies (together, "AutoPoint") from Service Repair Solutions, Inc. ("SRS"), pursuant to Solera's rights under the definitive SRS joint venture agreements signed with an affiliate of Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe ("Welsh Carson"). SRS is a joint venture between a subsidiary of Solera and Welsh Carson, a leading private equity firm (the "Joint Venture").

The AutoPoint platform leverages a proprietary database of more than 100 million repair orders and 55 million completed inspections to enhance drivers' service, maintenance and repair experiences at over 1,000 North American auto dealers. Since the closing of the Joint Venture in November 2013, and with the active support of Welsh Carson, Solera has cross-pollinated our principles and operating discipline into AutoPoint to rapidly drive financial and operational improvements in the business.

We believe that our purchase of AutoPoint will unlock incremental value for our stockholders by:

• Securing 100% of future growth in AutoPoint's profitability and cash flows for Solera's stockholders;
• Capturing an approximate 9% reduction to the purchase price multiple for SRS (assuming Solera ultimately acquires 100% of SRS pursuant to the terms of the definitive SRS Joint Venture agreements); and
• Providing Solera with a platform to expand its presence in the $285 billion global service, maintenance and repair market.

"Our focus on the AutoPoint business and the adoption of the Solera Way by AutoPoint's management team have created significant business momentum.  Since November 2013, we have taken AutoPoint from a negative to a positive Adjusted EBITDA margin, and we are excited to have full ownership of AutoPoint," said Tony Aquila, Solera's founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.  "Our expansion into service maintenance and repair aligns with our leverage, diversify and disrupt strategy and provides an exciting new platform for our ongoing global expansion."

About Solera

Solera is a leading global provider of software and services to the automobile insurance claims processing and decision support industries. Solera is active in more than 65 countries across six continents. The Solera companies include Audatex in the United States, Canada; and in more than 45 additional countries; Informex in Belgium and Greece, Sidexa in France; ABZ and Market Scan in the Netherlands; HPI in the United Kingdom; Hollander serving the North American recycling market; AUTOonline providing salvage disposition in a number of European and Latin American countries; IMS providing medical review services; Explore providing data and analytics to United States property and casualty insurers; and Service Repair Solutions, a joint venture with Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe, that provides solutions for the service, maintenance and repair market. For more information, please refer to the company's website at http://www.solerainc.com.  

About Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe

Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe focuses its investment activity in two target industries, information/business services and healthcare. Since its founding in 1979, the Firm has organized 15 limited partnerships with total capital of $20 billion. WCAS has a current portfolio of approximately thirty companies.  The Firm seeks to (i) buy growth businesses in its two core industries, (ii) partner with outstanding management teams and (iii) build value through a combination of operational improvements, internal growth initiatives and strategic acquisitions.  The Firm is currently investing from its eleventh equity fund, Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe XI, L.P. See www.welshcarson.com  to learn more.

Cautions about Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements about: the value and benefits of AutoPoint's products and services to customers, both alone and in combination with our other products and services; the expected growth in AutoPoint's business, thus providing additional profitability and cash flow to our stockholders; our potential future acquisition of 100% of the outstanding interests in SRS; our expectation that the AutoPoint acquisition will reduce the purchase price multiple we pay to acquire 100% of SRS; and our continued expansion into the service, maintenance and repair market. These statements are based on our current expectations, estimates and assumptions and are subject to many risks, uncertainties and unknown future events that could cause actual results to differ materially. Actual results may differ materially from those set forth in this press release due to the risks and uncertainties inherent to transactions of this nature, AutoPoint's business and our business, including, without limitation: the failure to realize the expected benefits from our Joint Venture with Welsh Carson or our investment in or any subsequent acquisition of SRS; our inability to successfully integrate the AutoPoint or SRS businesses, including AutoPoint's and SRS's existing employees, infrastructure and service offerings, with our existing businesses at reasonable cost, or at all; AutoPoint's current lack of business operations outside of North America; risks associated with and possible negative consequences of acquisitions, investments, joint ventures (including SRS) and similar transactions; our reliance on a limited number of customers for a substantial portion of our revenues; effects of changes in or violations by us or our customers of government regulations; effects of competition on our and SRS's product and service pricing and our and SRS's business; our ability to obtain additional financing as necessary to support our business or operations; risks associated with operating in multiple countries, including regulatory, political and exchange rate risks; rapid technology changes in our industry; and effects of security breaches on our business and reputation; and risks related to business expansion beyond SRS's and our core products and services. For a discussion of these and other factors that could impact our business, operations or financial results and cause our results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, please refer to our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, particularly our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the Quarter Ended December 31, 2013. We are under no obligation to (and specifically disclaim any such obligation to) update or alter our forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE Solera Holdings, Inc.