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H&R Block Closes Sale of Option One Mortgage Servicing Business to Affiliate of WL Ross & Co. LLC.


WEBWIRE

Aggregate servicing debt of more than $980 million repaid in full • Net cash proceeds of more than $230 million • Company’s short-term bank credit lines repaid in full • Transaction not expected to result in significant gain or loss in reported financial results

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – H&R Block Inc. (NYSE: HRB) today announced that it closed the sale of the mortgage loan servicing business of its Option One Mortgage Corporation (“OOMC”) subsidiary effective April 30, 2008. As previously announced, the purchaser was American Home Mortgage Servicing, Inc. (“American Home”), an affiliate of WL Ross & Co. LLC. Proceeds of the transaction at closing were approximately $1.3 billion.

“The closing of the Option One sale is a significant milestone in the transformation and refocusing of H&R Block,” said Richard C. Breeden, H&R Block’s Chairman. “We are pleased to safely transfer the servicing responsibilities of Option One into the hands of a respected and responsible purchaser. More importantly, we delivered on the promise we made to shareholders to change the future course of our company. Today’s transaction reduces risks and distractions from doing what we do best, which is serving the tax preparation needs of tens of millions of clients.”

At closing, the Company utilized the proceeds in part to repay more than $980 million on its servicing advance facility, representing the entire outstanding balance of this facility. After repayment of servicing advances, the Company realized net cash proceeds of slightly more than $230 million, and also retained a receivable relating to certain servicing assets of approximately $100 million. The Company anticipates that it will realize approximately $57 million of this receivable over the next 60 days, with the balance representing a long-term receivable. As previously announced, the Company does not believe that the transaction will result in a significant increase or decrease in reported income, although the impact of the transaction on reported income will not be known definitively until the completion of all post-closing adjustments.

In addition, the Company also announced that it completed repayment of the entire outstanding balance under its revolving committed line of credit (“CLOC”) from a syndicate of lending banks. With the repayment of the entire outstanding balance of both its servicing advance facility and its CLOC, the Company’s outstanding short-term indebtedness has been reduced to zero.

H&R Block’s financial advisor in connection with the transaction was Lazard and legal advisors included the law firms of Jones Day and Manatt, Phelps & Phillips.



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