AACE Ace Cash Express

ACE Cash Express President Addresses Financial Needs of the Working Poor At Fannie Mae Foundation Roundtable DALLAS, Nov. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ACE Cash Express, Inc. president and chief operating officer Jay B. Shipowitz told participants at a Fannie Mae Foundation Roundtable entitled "Access to Financial Services for Working Poor Families," held in Washington, DC on Monday, that the working poor or the underbanked are increasingly turning to providers like ACE because traditional banking institutions are not meeting their specific needs. The Fannie Mae Foundation invited a variety of financial service providers, regulators and consumer groups to discuss the financial needs and preferences of the underbanked in order to develop strategies and guidelines that promote practices for the benefit of the lower-income consumers who currently operate outside of the traditional financial system. Mr. Shipowitz' speech centered on the financial needs of the consumer from the perspective of actual customers. "What we are hearing is that our customers feel that they are not part of the system. They are looking for personal service with respect," stated Mr. Shipowitz. "Retail banks of today were built to serve a customer of the past, the married couple in the suburbs, the father who works 9-5, the mother who stays at home. Today, we're living in the brave new world of single-parent households which are growing at such a rate that married couples will soon be in the minority for the first time ever. The underbanked American is our customer at ACE." For a copy of the complete speech, please visit the Company's website at http://www.acecashexpress.com/ . Forward-looking Statements This release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements are generally identified by the use of words such as "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "believe," "intend," "plan," "target," "goal," "should," "would," and terms with similar meanings. Although ACE believes that the current views and expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, those views and expectations, and the related statements, are based on the assumptions of ACE's management and are inherently subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are not under ACE's control and may not even be predictable. Any inaccuracy in the assumptions, as well as those risks, uncertainties, and other factors, could cause the actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Those risks, uncertainties, and factors include, but are not limited to, matters described in ACE's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, such as: -- Competition within the check-cashing industry as well as from banks, saving and loans, short-term consumer lenders, and other similar financial services entities and from other retail businesses that offer products and services offered by ACE; -- Maintenance of relationships with providers of financing for ACE and with key providers of products and services either offered by ACE to its customers or used by ACE in its business; -- Changes in laws, regulations or accounting standards and decisions or actions taken by courts, regulators and governmental authorities; -- Availability of financing, suitable locations, acquisition opportunities and experienced management to implement ACE's growth strategy; -- Increases in interest rates, which would increase ACE's borrowing costs; -- Lawsuits and regulatory proceedings and their respective results, including settlements. ACE does not assume, but expressly disclaims, any obligation to update or revise any of these forward-looking statements, whether because of future events, new information, a change in ACE's views or expectations, or otherwise. ACE makes no prediction or statement about the performance of ACE's Common Stock. About the Company ACE Cash Express, Inc. is headquartered in Irving, Texas and is the largest owner, operator and franchiser of check-cashing stores in the United States. Founded in 1968, the Company had a total network of 1,174 stores, consisting of 968 company-owned stores and 206 franchised stores in 36 states and the District of Columbia as of September 30, 2003. ACE also operates self-service machines, which provide check-cashing or other financial services without the need for a service associate, at 20 company-owned store locations, 22 third-party bill-payment locations, and, during the tax season, ACE plans to place approximately 220 machines at H&R Block retail offices. ACE offers a broad range of check-cashing and other consumer financial services. ACE is one of the largest providers of MoneyGram wire transfer transactions, and it offers money orders, bill payment services, and prepaid local and long distance telecommunication services. Small, short-term consumer loans are also available to customers at various ACE company-owned stores. The Company's website is found at http://www.acecashexpress.com/ . DATASOURCE: ACE Cash Express, Inc. CONTACT: Eric Norrington, Vice President of Communications, +1-972-550-5032, or , or Darla Ashby, Director of Public Affairs, +1-972-550-5037, or , both of ACE Cash Express, Inc. Web site: http://www.acecashexpress.com/

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