OLYMPIC FINANCIAL LTD
424B2, 1997-03-10
SHORT-TERM BUSINESS CREDIT INSTITUTIONS
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<PAGE>
                                                FILED PURSUANT TO RULE 424(b)(2)
                                                      REGISTRATION NO. 333-18027
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
(TO PROSPECTUS DATED MARCH 7, 1997)
 
                                  $300,000,000
 
                                     [LOGO]
                          300,000 UNITS CONSISTING OF
                   $300,000,000 11 1/2% SENIOR NOTES DUE 2007
           AND WARRANTS TO PURCHASE 2,052,000 SHARES OF COMMON STOCK
 
    Olympic Financial Ltd. (the "Company") is offering (the "Offering") 300,000
Units (the "Units") each consisting of $1,000 principal amount of 11 1/2% Senior
Notes due 2007 (the "Notes") and one warrant (the "Warrants") to purchase 6.84
shares (the "Warrant Shares") of common stock, $.01 par value per share, of the
Company (the "Common Stock") at an exercise price of $11.00 per share. The Notes
and the Warrants will not be separately transferable until the Separation Date
(as defined herein). See "Description of Units."
 
    Interest on the Notes is payable semi-annually on March 15 and September 15
of each year, commencing September 15, 1997. The Notes are not redeemable prior
to March 15, 2002. Thereafter, the Notes are redeemable, in whole or in part, at
the option of the Company, at the redemption prices set forth herein, together
with accrued and unpaid interest to the date of redemption. Upon a Change of
Control (as defined), the Company will be obligated to make an offer to purchase
all outstanding Notes at a price of 101% of the principal amount thereof,
together with accrued and unpaid interest to the date of purchase. See
"Description of Notes."
 
    The Notes are general, unsecured obligations of the Company and will rank
senior to all outstanding subordinated notes of the Company ($53.7 million
aggregate principal amount outstanding as of December 31, 1996) and PARI PASSU
in right of payment with all unsecured and unsubordinated indebtedness of the
Company. The Company and its subsidiaries are parties to certain warehouse
credit facilities that finance purchases of automobile loans to be held on a
short-term basis pending securitization in the ordinary course of the Company's
business. The Company's obligations under such facilities are secured by the
loans financed thereby, and the Notes are effectively subordinated to such
obligations to the extent of the security interest in such loans. Moreover, the
Company engages in securitization of automobile receivables through subsidiaries
in the ordinary course of the Company's business, and the Notes are effectively
subordinated to the obligations of such subsidiaries. At January 31, 1997,
subsidiaries of the Company had $98.4 million aggregate principal amount of
warehouse debt outstanding.
 
    Each Warrant will entitle the Holder thereof to purchase 6.84 Warrant Shares
at an exercise price of $11.00 per share, subject to adjustment under certain
circumstances. The Warrants will become exercisable on or after the Separation
Date and, unless exercised, will automatically expire on March 15, 2007. The
Common Stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "OLM." On
March 6, 1997, the closing price of the Common Stock was $10.00 per share. The
Warrants are exercisable, in the aggregate, for approximately 5.0% of the Common
Stock of the Company, on a fully diluted basis, as of the date hereof.
 
    The Units, the Notes and the Warrants are referred to herein collectively as
the "Securities."
 
    There is no existing market for the Securities and the Company does not
intend to list the Securities on any securities exchange. See "Risk
Factors--Absence of Public Market."
 
    SEE "RISK FACTORS" BEGINNING ON PAGE S-13 HEREOF AND PAGE 5 OF THE
ACCOMPANYING PROSPECTUS FOR A DISCUSSION OF MATERIAL RISKS RELATING TO AN
INVESTMENT IN THE SECURITIES OFFERED HEREBY.
 
THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED BY THE SECURITIES AND
   EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION NOR HAS THE
      SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR ANY STATE SECURITIES
      COMMISSION PASSED UPON THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS PROSPECTUS
            SUPPLEMENT OR THE PROSPECTUS TO WHICH IT RELATES. ANY
                 REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL
                                    OFFENSE.
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                          PRICE        UNDERWRITING       PROCEEDS
                                                         TO THE        DISCOUNTS AND       TO THE
                                                       PUBLIC (1)     COMMISSIONS (2)  COMPANY (1)(3)
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S>                                                  <C>              <C>              <C>
Per Unit...........................................       100%             2.75%           97.25%
Total..............................................   $300,000,000      $8,250,000      $291,750,000
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
</TABLE>
 
(1) PLUS ACCRUED INTEREST, IF ANY, FROM THE DATE OF ISSUANCE.
(2) SEE "UNDERWRITING" FOR INDEMNIFICATION ARRANGEMENTS WITH THE UNDERWRITERS.
(3) BEFORE DEDUCTING EXPENSES PAYABLE BY THE COMPANY, ESTIMATED AT $417,500.
 
    The Securities are offered by the Underwriters, subject to prior sale, when,
as and if delivered to and accepted by the Underwriters and subject to certain
prior conditions, including the right of the Underwriters to reject any order in
whole or part. It is expected that delivery of the Notes will be made in New
York, New York on or about March 12, 1997.
 
DONALDSON, LUFKIN & JENRETTE
      SECURITIES CORPORATION
 
                               J.P. MORGAN & CO.
 
                                                        BEAR, STEARNS & CO. INC.
 
            THE DATE OF THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT IS MARCH 7, 1997.
<PAGE>
                                   OLYMPIC'S
                                HUBS AND SPOKES
 
                                 [MAP]
 
    The Company has used its low-cost "hub and spoke" strategy to expand its
network of dealer development representatives to serve over 7,700 dealers in 40
states. This "hub and spoke" strategy has been designed to allow the Company to
increase the volume of automobile loans it purchases through its Premier and
Classic programs without incurring the additional costs that would be associated
with establishing a proportionate number of new buying centers. In addition, the
Company has four regional servicing and collection centers.
 
    "Premier" and "Classic" are proprietary trademarks of the Company.
 
                            ------------------------
 
    INFORMATION CONTAINED OR INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE IN THIS PROSPECTUS
SUPPLEMENT OR IN THE ACCOMPANYING PROSPECTUS INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ALL
THE ESTIMATES AND ASSUMPTIONS UNDER THE CAPTIONS "BUSINESS-- CUMULATIVE NET LOSS
PER SECURITIZATION TRUST" AND "--FINANCING--1996-D SECURITIZATION TRUST,"
CONTAINS "FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS" WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE PRIVATE
SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995, WHICH CAN BE IDENTIFIED BY THE USE OF
FORWARD-LOOKING TERMINOLOGY SUCH AS "MAY," "WILL," "EXPECT," "ANTICIPATE,"
"ESTIMATE," "SHOULD" OR "CONTINUE" OR THE NEGATIVE THEREOF OR OTHER VARIATIONS
THEREON OR COMPARABLE TERMINOLOGY. THE MATTERS SET FORTH UNDER THE CAPTION "RISK
FACTORS" IN THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT AND THE ACCOMPANYING PROSPECTUS
CONSTITUTE CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS IDENTIFYING IMPORTANT FACTORS WITH RESPECT TO
SUCH FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS, INCLUDING CERTAIN RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES, THAT
COULD CAUSE ACTUAL RESULTS TO DIFFER MATERIALLY FROM THOSE IN SUCH
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS.
 
                            ------------------------
 
    CERTAIN PERSONS PARTICIPATING IN THIS OFFERING MAY ENGAGE IN TRANSACTIONS
THAT STABILIZE, MAINTAIN OR OTHERWISE AFFECT THE PRICE OF THE SECURITIES.
SPECIFICALLY, THE UNDERWRITERS MAY OVERALLOT IN CONNECTION WITH THE OFFERING AND
MAY BID FOR AND PURCHASE SECURITIES IN THE OPEN MARKET. FOR A DESCRIPTION OF
THESE ACTIVITIES, SEE "UNDERWRITING."
 
                                      S-2
<PAGE>
                         PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT SUMMARY
 
    THE FOLLOWING SUMMARY IS QUALIFIED IN ITS ENTIRETY BY THE MORE DETAILED
INFORMATION AND THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND NOTES THERETO OF THE
COMPANY APPEARING ELSEWHERE OR INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE IN THIS PROSPECTUS
SUPPLEMENT OR THE ACCOMPANYING PROSPECTUS. UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED,
REFERENCES IN THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT TO THE COMPANY INCLUDE OLYMPIC
FINANCIAL LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES.
 
                                  THE COMPANY
 
    Olympic Financial Ltd. purchases, securitizes and services consumer
automobile loans originated primarily by car dealers affiliated with major
foreign and domestic manufacturers. The Company purchases loans from more than
7,700 dealers in 40 states, a substantial majority of which sell loans to the
Company on a regular basis. Loans are purchased through 17 regional buying
centers serving as "hubs" in 14 states, supplemented by a network of dealer
development representatives ("DDRs"). DDRs generate loans in their assigned
markets, or "spokes," while credit approval and loan processing are generally
performed at the "hub" or at the Company's headquarters in Minneapolis,
Minnesota. As a result of this strategy, the Company has expanded the number of
dealers in its network and has significantly increased its annual volume of
automobile loans purchased, from $743.3 million in 1994 to $2.8 billion in 1996,
without incurring the additional costs that would be associated with
establishing a proportionate number of new buying centers. The Company services
loans primarily through four regional servicing and collection centers.
 
    The Company purchases loans based on its underwriting procedures, which
focus on a borrower's qualifications and collateral value. The Company's
underwriting criteria do not distinguish between new and used vehicles, which
represented approximately 28.7% and 71.3%, respectively, of the Company's loan
purchases in 1996. The Company seeks to maximize gross interest rate spreads
relative to expected net losses by maintaining a tiered pricing system based on
the borrower's credit characteristics as measured by the Company's underwriting
and proprietary credit scoring criteria. The Company markets its loan products
to dealers under two programs, designated Premier and Classic. Premier borrowers
generally have stronger credit characteristics than Classic borrowers. Classic
loans purchased in 1996 had annual percentage rates of interest ("APRs")
typically ranging from 16% to 23%, with a weighted average APR of approximately
17.8%, while the APRs of Premier loans purchased during the year typically
ranged from 8% to 16%, with a weighted average APR of approximately 13.1%. The
Company has been expanding the level of loan purchases under its Classic program
primarily to increase gross interest rate spreads. In 1996, 36% of the principal
amount of loans purchased by the Company were purchased under the Classic
program, compared with 17% in 1995 and 4% in 1994. At December 31, 1996, the
Company was purchasing approximately 50% of its aggregate loans under each of
the Classic and the Premier programs. The Company considers substantially all of
the loans it purchases under both the Premier and the Classic programs to be in
the "prime" or "non-prime" loan categories, but does not consider the loans it
purchases under such programs to be in the "sub-prime" loan category.
 
    In accordance with prevailing industry practice, the Company pays an
up-front dealer participation to the originating dealer for each loan purchased.
These dealer participations vary in amount among the Company's loan products and
are generally greater under the Premier program than under the Classic program.
Average dealer participations in 1996 were 3.45% of the principal amount of
loans purchased by the Company, compared with 4.21% in 1995 and 3.98% in 1994.
The decline in 1996 was principally due to the increase in the Company's loan
purchases under its Classic program and a reduction in the maximum participation
rate under the Premier program.
 
    The Company acts as the servicer of all loans originated and securitized by
it in return for a monthly servicing fee. Servicing fee income was $28.3 million
in 1996, compared with $14.0 million in 1995 and $4.5 million in 1994. In
response to the rapid growth of its servicing portfolio, continued expansion of
its Classic program (which generally requires greater collection efforts than
under its Premier program), and increases in delinquencies and default rates on
its servicing portfolio, the Company substantially increased its servicing and
collection staff and, in October 1996, implemented a strategy to regionalize its
servicing
 
                                      S-3
<PAGE>
and collection capabilities into four new locations: Charlotte, North Carolina;
Dallas, Texas; Denver, Colorado and Minneapolis, Minnesota. At December 31,
1996, the Company employed 510 service representatives and collection associates
who are responsible for various aspects of the collection and repossession
procedures, compared with 188 and 38 at December 31, 1995 and 1994,
respectively.
 
    The Company channels a substantial majority of its repossession inventory
through retail markets, primarily retail used car consignment lots. The Company
believes that the greater recoveries available from the retail market justify
the costs of maintaining higher levels of unsold repossession inventory and
managing the retail program. In addition, the use of retail markets provides the
Company with an opportunity to finance the repossessed vehicles with new buyers.
During 1996, the Company sold approximately 70% of its repossession inventory
through retail markets and the Company financed approximately 90% of these
sales. The Company believes this strategy had the effect of reducing the
Company's loan losses in 1996 (relative to a wholesale-based strategy) while
delaying cash distributed from securitization trusts as a result of slower
inventory turnover. The strategic benefits of the retail program were partially
offset in 1996 by the performance of the Company's portfolio of repossessed
automobile loans, which experienced delinquencies, default and loss rates
substantially higher than the Company's other loan products. The Company
recently tightened its underwriting procedures for financing repossessed
vehicles and initiated a strategy to expand and diversify the number of dealers
handling the Company's repossession inventory. At December 31, 1996, the Company
had arrangements with 67 smaller consignment lots compared with ten large retail
consignment lots at December 31, 1995. At December 31, 1996, the Company's
inventory of repossessed automobiles held for resale was $64.9 million, compared
with $17.7 million at December 31, 1995. The Company also sells repossessed
automobiles in the wholesale auction markets from time to time to maintain its
repossession inventory at acceptable levels as determined by management.
 
    The Company primarily uses warehouse facilities to fund its initial purchase
of loans. At January 31, 1997, the Company had an aggregate borrowing capacity
of approximately $720.0 million under three primary warehouse facilities, of
which approximately $621.6 million was available. All such facilities expire in
1997, subject to renewal or extension at the option of the lenders. The Company
securitizes purchased loans as asset-backed securities, generally on a quarterly
or more frequent basis. In its securitizations, the Company, through a special
purpose subsidiary, transfers loans to newly formed securitization trusts which
issue one or more classes of asset-backed securities. The asset-backed
securities are simultaneously sold to investors and the Company recognizes a
gain on sale of the loans. Each month, collections of principal and interest on
the securitized loans are used by the trustee to pay holders of the related
asset-backed securities, to establish and maintain spread accounts as a source
of cash to cover shortfalls in collections and to pay expenses associated with
the securitizations and subsequent servicing. After such application by the
trustee, excess cash is generally distributed to the Company, subject to its
agreements with Financial Security Assurance Inc. ("FSA"). All of the Company's
securitization trusts and one of the Company's warehouse facilities are
credit-enhanced through financial guaranty insurance policies issued by FSA,
which insure payments of principal and interest due on the related asset-backed
securities. Asset-backed securities insured by FSA have been rated AAA by
Standard & Poor's and Aaa by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. At December 31,
1996 the aggregate principal amount of loans held by securitization trusts was
$3.8 billion, with aggregate spread accounts of $143.0 million, compared with
$2.3 billion and $63.6 million, respectively, at December 31, 1995. Excess cash
from securitization trusts distributed to the Company was $43.4 million in 1996,
compared with $21.1 million in 1995 and $17.7 million in 1994.
 
STRATEGIES
 
    The Company's business objective is to maximize the volume and profitability
of loans it purchases, securitizes and services. To achieve this objective, the
Company employs the following strategies:
 
    - EMPHASIS ON DEALER RELATIONSHIPS.  The Company believes that one of its
      key competitive advantages is its ability to identify and meet a dealer's
      financing needs. When presented with a loan application, the Company
      attempts to notify the dealer within one hour or less whether it will
      approve, conditionally approve or deny the automobile loan for purchase
      from the dealer. The
 
                                      S-4
<PAGE>
      Company's business hours generally coincide with those of the dealership
      and, in some cases, the Company will provide loan processing on the
      dealer's premises during dealer promotions. When the Company considers a
      borrower's credit quality to be adequate, the Company may provide the
      dealer with flexibility in developing loan structures to accommodate a
      borrower's needs, such as extended payment terms or low down-payment
      requirements. To further assist the dealer, the Company may perform more
      in-depth underwriting analysis when warranted by special circumstances. A
      DDR maintains frequent contact with the dealer and recommends service
      enhancements from time to time. By employing consistent loan underwriting
      and purchasing procedures, the Company believes that it provides the
      dealer with a reliable and consistent source of financing.
 
    - TIERED PRICING STRATEGY.  The Company maintains a tiered pricing system,
      allowing it to price different loan products according to the profiles of
      borrowers' credit characteristics as measured by the Company's proprietary
      credit scoring system. The Company's tiered pricing system seeks to (i)
      maximize gross interest rate spreads relative to expected net losses
      within each credit tier, (ii) provide a greater opportunity to expand its
      automobile loan market share through loan products that address a greater
      variety of customer needs and (iii) reduce initial cash requirements
      relative to the Premier program because the Company offers lower dealer
      participations on Classic loans. The Company generally achieves
      significantly higher pricing under the Classic program than under the
      Premier program. The higher pricing of the Classic program is intended to
      compensate the Company for the higher delinquency and default rates
      associated with the Classic program, which the Company addresses through
      higher reserves for loan losses. At December 31, 1996, the Company had an
      aggregate of $95.0 million reserved for loan losses, compared with $42.3
      million at December 31, 1995. Reserves as a percentage of outstanding
      loans securitized increased from 1.86% at December 31, 1995 to 2.51% at
      December 31, 1996. The Company may change its loan purchase mix at any
      time and from time to time.
 
    - MAINTENANCE OF UNDERWRITING PROCEDURES.  The Company has developed a
      proprietary credit scoring system designed to maintain consistent
      underwriting procedures for its loan authorizations. The Company's credit
      scoring system monitors six evaluation criteria, including debt-to-income,
      payment-to-income, loan-to-value, bankruptcy score, credit score and loan
      size. Based on the results of the credit scoring system, loan applications
      are reviewed by one of the Company's credit specialists and, based on the
      Company's underwriting procedures, are frequently reviewed by one or more
      credit managers, to determine whether the loan should be approved. To
      monitor the integrity of the underwriting procedures, management tracks on
      a daily basis the approval rates and delinquency and loss rates by credit
      specialist, buying center and dealer.
 
    - SERVICING. The Company has regionalized its servicing and collection
      functions and in 1996 established four regional centers located in
      Charlotte, North Carolina; Dallas, Texas; Denver, Colorado and
      Minneapolis, Minnesota. These centers are staffed with over 500 trained
      personnel responsible for various servicing, collection and repossession
      activities. They are assisted by highly automated telephone dialing
      systems which improve the Company's ability to make early contact with
      delinquent obligors. In addition the Company utilizes a computerized
      collection system to aid its servicing and collection centers. The Company
      regularly monitors and periodically evaluates its servicing and collection
      centers with a view to improving their procedures and anticipating
      expansion of loan purchase volume or changes in product mix.
 
    - FUNDING AND LIQUIDITY THROUGH WAREHOUSING AND SECURITIZATIONS.  The
      Company funds the acquisition of automobile loans principally through
      several warehouse facilities, including a bank credit facility and two
      facilities with asset-backed commercial paper programs. Currently, these
      facilities provide sufficient capacity to handle the Company's loan
      purchases. The Company securitizes purchased loans as asset-backed
      securities and uses such securitizations as a cost competitive source of
      capital compared to traditional sources of corporate debt financing.
      Securitization enables the Company to sell automobile loans on a regular
      basis, while retaining the right to receive future servicing fees and
      excess cash flows. Securitization also allows the Company to use the net
      proceeds from such sales to
 
                                      S-5
<PAGE>
      fund the purchase of additional automobile loans. The Company had
      securitized $5.8 billion of automobile loans through December 31, 1996.
 
    - RETAILING OF REPOSSESSED AUTOMOBILES. The Company channels a substantial
      majority of its repossession inventory through retail markets, primarily
      retail used car consignment lots. The Company believes that the greater
      recoveries available from the retail market justify the costs of
      maintaining unsold repossession inventory and managing the retail program.
      In addition, the use of retail markets provides the Company with an
      opportunity to finance the sale of repossessed automobiles to new buyers.
 
RECENT DELINQUENCY, LOSS AND REPOSSESSION EXPERIENCE
 
    Delinquencies (loans over 30 days past due) as a percentage of the amount of
loans outstanding at December 31, 1996 increased to 2.64% from 1.33% at December
31, 1995. Gross charge-offs as a percentage of the average servicing portfolio
during the year ended December 31, 1996 increased to 1.18% from 0.73% for the
year ended December 31, 1995. Net losses as a percentage of servicing portfolio
during the year ended December 31, 1996 increased to 0.99% from 0.67% for the
year ended December 31, 1995. The increase in the rate of delinquencies, gross
charge-offs, net losses and repossessions during 1996, experienced by both the
Premier and Classic programs, was primarily due to (i) increased demands on the
Company's servicing and collection resources as a result of rapid growth in its
servicing portfolio and as a result of continued expansion of the Classic loan
program (which generally requires greater collection efforts than its Premier
program), (ii) the performance of the Company's Classic product for first time
automobile buyers (discontinued in March 1996) and the Company's financed
repossession program, both of which experienced significantly higher
delinquencies, repossessions and losses than the Company's other products and
programs, and (iii) the continued seasoning of the Company's servicing portfolio
to include a greater proportion of loans, particularly Classic loans, in the
period of highest probability for delinquencies and defaults (generally six to
14 months from the origination date).
 
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
 
    On August 26, 1996, Jeffrey C. Mack resigned as President, Chief Executive
Officer and director of the Company. Warren Kantor, a director of the Company,
was appointed to the position of Chairman of the Executive Committee of the
Board of Directors and served as acting chief executive officer. Following an
executive search, on January 6, 1997 the Company entered into an employment
agreement with Richard A. Greenawalt to serve as Chief Executive Officer of the
Company. Mr. Greenawalt had served as President and Chief Operating Officer of
Advanta Corporation ("Advanta"), a consumer finance firm, since 1987. On
December 18, 1996, Warren Kantor was elected Chairman of the Board. On January
27, 1997, Mr. Greenawalt was appointed as a director by the Board of Directors
and was elected President of the Company. He commenced employment with the
Company on January 29, 1997. It is expected that, during 1997, Mr. Greenawalt
will review the current strategies, policies and procedures of the Company, and,
with the Board of Directors, may initiate or recommend material changes. There
can be no assurance that such changes, if made, will not alter materially the
strategies, policies and procedures described or incorporated by reference in
this Prospectus Supplement and the accompanying Prospectus or will not
materially affect the Company's results of operations.
 
    On February 26, 1997, the Company was served with a complaint in Texas state
court in a case entitled Askey and Askey, Individually and on Behalf of All
Others Similarly Situated v. Gillespie Motor Company and Olympic Financial Ltd.
The complaint alleges that the named plaintiffs' new car loan had been
originated by a dealer at an annual percentage rate that was 0.1% above the
18.0% maximum allowed by Texas law and assigned to the Company. In addition,
this complaint seeks certification of a class of plaintiffs consisting of (i)
all persons who purchased a new motor vehicle from the named defendant dealer
within the preceding four year period pursuant to a retail installment contract
with an annual percentage rate in excess of 18.0% and (ii) all persons who
purchased a new motor vehicle from any dealer within the state of Texas within
the preceding four year period pursuant to a retail installment contract with an
annual percentage rate in excess of 18.0% and which contract was assigned to the
Company. The Company has
 
                                      S-6
<PAGE>
reviewed the allegations contained in this lawsuit and does not believe that
this litigation will have a material adverse effect on the Company's financial
condition or results of operations. This belief is based in part on the
Company's understanding, after consultation with Texas counsel, that under Texas
law the maximum damages recoverable if a class were certified in the case would
not exceed approximately $200,000 in the aggregate.
 
    In connection with its review of the allegations contained in this
complaint, the Company conducted a review of all loans that the Company has
purchased since inception. The Company determined that the Company's "buy rate"
(the rate of interest that the Company informs dealers it is willing to accept
when purchasing a given loan) has in substantially all cases been below the
maximum permissible interest rate under applicable state law. In approximately
2,500 of the approximately 470,000 loans that the Company has purchased since
inception, however, the ultimate contract rate to borrowers exceeded such
maximum permissible rates. The Company believes that this resulted primarily
from the amount of dealer participation fees or related fees and amounts added
to the Company's "buy rate" by dealers. The Company has taken action that it
believes will prevent a recurrence of purchases of such loans. Under the terms
of the Company's agreements with its dealers, dealers are prohibited from
charging contract interest rates in excess of the statutory maximum rates.
 
    The Company intends to take such action as it deems appropriate under
applicable state law to effect cures of such loans where available (including in
Texas) and otherwise to limit its exposure to claims by borrowers. As to all
such loans, the Company has recourse against the originating dealer, which the
Company intends to pursue as it deems appropriate. The Company is likely to be
required to repurchase any such loans owned by securitization trusts. Following
repurchase, the Company may be able to resecuritize certain of such loans.
 
    There can be no assurance as to the effectiveness of the remedial steps the
Company has taken or intends to take with respect to loans having contract rates
that exceeded maximum permissible rates. Similarly, there can be no assurance
that the Company's past purchase of such loans or any current or future
litigation relating to such loans will not have a material adverse effect on the
Company's financial condition or results of operations.
 
    On March 4, 1997, a shareholder commenced an action against the Company and
certain named directors and officers of the Company entitled Taran v. Olympic
Financial Ltd. et al. in the United States District Court for the District of
Minnesota. Plaintiff alleges that the defendants, in violation of federal
securities laws, engaged in a scheme that had the effect of artificially
inflating, maintaining and otherwise manipulating the value of the Company's
Common Stock by, among other things, making baseless, false and misleading
statements about the current state and future prospects of the Company,
particularly with respect to the Classic program and the refinancing of
repossessed automobiles. Plaintiff alleges that this scheme included making
false and misleading statements and/or concealing material adverse facts.
Plaintiff seeks certification of the case as a class action on behalf of all
persons or entities who purchased the Common Stock of the Company during the
period from November 28, 1994 through February 6, 1997, inclusive. The Company
has reviewed the complaint and believes that the suit is without merit and
intends to defend this suit vigorously. There can, however, be no assurance that
the Company will prevail in such defense or that the litigation will not have a
material adverse effect on the Company's financial condition or results of
operations.
 
    The Company's principal executive offices are located at Olympic Financial
Center, 7825 Washington Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55439-2435, and its
telephone number is (612) 942-9880. The Company has been requested by the U.S.
Olympic Committee to change its name by June 1, 1997. The Company intends to
change its name to Arcadia Financial Ltd.
 
                                      S-7
<PAGE>
                                  THE OFFERING
 
<TABLE>
<S>                                 <C>
SECURITIES OFFERED................  300,000 Units, consisting of $300 million in aggregate
                                    principal amount of 11 1/2% Senior Notes due 2007 and
                                    300,000 Warrants to purchase an aggregate of 2,052,000
                                    Warrant Shares. Each Unit consists of one Note having a
                                    principal amount of $1,000 and one Warrant to acquire
                                    6.84 Warrant Shares at an exercise price of $11.00 per
                                    share. The Warrants represent, in the aggregate,
                                    approximately 5.0% of the Company's Common Stock, on a
                                    fully diluted basis, as of the date hereof.
 
SEPARATION DATE...................  The Notes and the Warrants will not be separately
                                    transferable until the earlier to occur of (i) one year
                                    from the date of issuance, and (ii) such earlier date as
                                    may be determined by Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette
                                    Securities Corporation (the "Separation Date"), at which
                                    time the Notes and the Warrants will become separately
                                    transferable. See "Description of Units."
 
USE OF PROCEEDS...................  Net proceeds from the sale of the Units (after deducting
                                    underwriting discounts and estimated offering expenses)
                                    are estimated to be approximately $291.3 million and
                                    will be used (i) to repay the portion of the Company's
                                    outstanding $145.0 million 13% Senior Notes due 2000
                                    (the "Senior Term Notes"), including premium and consent
                                    fees aggregating approximately $20.7 million, tendered
                                    to the Company for repurchase, and (ii) to fund
                                    purchases of automobile loans and for working capital
                                    and other general corporate purposes. Prior to
                                    application for the foregoing purposes, the net proceeds
                                    will be used to reduce outstanding indebtedness under
                                    the Company's warehouse facilities and to purchase
                                    automobile loans.
 
                                         THE NOTES
 
PRINCIPAL AMOUNT..................  $300.0 million principal amount of 11 1/2% Senior Notes
                                    due 2007 (the "Notes").
 
MATURITY DATE.....................  March 15, 2007.
 
INTEREST PAYMENT DATES ...........  March 15 and September 15 of each year, commencing
                                    September 15, 1997.
 
OPTIONAL REDEMPTION...............  The Notes will be redeemable at the option of the
                                    Company, in whole or in part, at any time on or after
                                    March 15, 2002, at the redemption prices set forth
                                    herein, together with accrued and unpaid interest to the
                                    date of redemption.
 
CHANGE OF CONTROL.................  Upon a Change of Control (as defined), the Company will
                                    be obligated to make an offer to repurchase all
                                    outstanding Notes at a price of 101% of the principal
                                    amount thereof, together with accrued and unpaid
                                    interest to the date of purchase.
 
ASSET SALES.......................  The Supplemental Indenture relating to the Notes,
                                    together with the Senior Note Indenture described in the
                                    accompanying Prospectus (the "Indenture"), requires that
                                    the proceeds of certain Asset Sales (as defined) be
                                    applied as specified in the Indenture or be used to
                                    repurchase Notes, at the option of the
</TABLE>
 
                                      S-8
<PAGE>
 
<TABLE>
<S>                                 <C>
                                    holder thereof, at 100% of the principal amount thereof
                                    plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon to the date of
                                    purchase. If, as a result of any Asset Sale of Excess
                                    Spread (as defined), Finance Income Receivable relating
                                    to the aggregate remaining Excess Spread not sold or
                                    disposed of in such Asset Sale (the "Remaining Finance
                                    Income Receivable") would be less than the Minimum
                                    Finance Income Receivable (as defined), the Indenture
                                    requires that a portion of the proceeds of such Asset
                                    Sale equal to the amount by which the Remaining Finance
                                    Income Receivable is less than the Minimum Finance
                                    Income Receivable be used to repurchase Notes, at the
                                    option of the Holder thereof, at 101% of the principal
                                    amount thereof plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon
                                    to the date of purchase.
 
RANKING...........................  The Notes are general, unsecured obligations of the
                                    Company and will rank senior to all outstanding
                                    subordinated indebtedness of the Company ($53.7 million
                                    aggregate principal amount outstanding as of December
                                    31, 1996) and PARI PASSU in right of payment with all
                                    current and future unsecured and unsubordinated
                                    indebtedness of the Company. The Company and its
                                    subsidiaries are parties to certain warehouse facilities
                                    that finance purchases of automobile loans to be held on
                                    a short-term basis pending securitization in the
                                    ordinary course of the Company's business. The
                                    obligations under such facilities are secured by the
                                    loans financed thereby and the Notes are effectively
                                    subordinated to such obligations to the extent of the
                                    security interest in such loans. Moreover, the Company
                                    engages in securitization of automobile receivables
                                    through subsidiaries in the ordinary course of the
                                    Company's business, and the Notes are effectively
                                    subordinated to the obligations of such subsidiaries. At
                                    January 31, 1997, subsidiaries of the Company had $98.4
                                    million aggregate principal amount of warehouse debt
                                    outstanding.
 
CERTAIN COVENANTS.................  The Indenture will restrict, among other things,
                                    dividends and certain other distributions, the purchase,
                                    redemption or retirement of Equity Interests (as
                                    defined), the payment of principal on or purchase,
                                    redemption, defeasance or retirement for value of
                                    certain indebtedness (other than at final maturity or in
                                    accordance with mandatory redemption, sinking fund or
                                    similar provisions), investments outside Permitted
                                    Businesses (as defined) and the incurrence of certain
                                    additional indebtedness, and will restrict the ability
                                    of the Company's subsidiaries to pay dividends or
                                    distributions to the Company, the creation of certain
                                    liens, certain transactions with Affiliates (as defined)
                                    and certain mergers and consolidations.
 
REPORTS TO NOTEHOLDERS............  The Company will furnish to holders of the Notes annual
                                    reports containing audited financial statements and
                                    quarterly reports containing unaudited summary financial
                                    information for the first three quarters of each fiscal
                                    year.
</TABLE>
 
                                      S-9
<PAGE>
 
<TABLE>
<S>                                 <C>
                                        THE WARRANTS
 
TOTAL NUMBER OF WARRANTS..........  300,000 Warrants, which when exercised would entitle the
                                    holders thereof to acquire an aggregate of 2,052,000
                                    Warrant Shares (representing approximately 5.0% of the
                                    Common Stock, on a fully diluted basis, as of the date
                                    hereof). See "Description of Warrants." The Warrants
                                    will be issued pursuant to the Warrant Agreement (as
                                    defined herein).
 
EXPIRATION DATE...................  Unless exercised, the Warrants will automatically expire
                                    on March 15, 2007 (the "Expiration Date").
 
EXERCISE..........................  Each Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to purchase
                                    6.84 Warrant Shares at an exercise price of $11.00 per
                                    share. The number of Warrant Shares for which, and the
                                    price per share at which, a Warrant is exercisable is
                                    subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of certain
                                    events as provided in the Warrant Agreement. The
                                    Warrants will be exercisable only on or after the
                                    Separation Date.
</TABLE>
 
                                      S-10
<PAGE>
               SUMMARY CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL AND OPERATING DATA
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                          YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31,
                                                       -------------------------------------------------------------
(Dollars in thousands except per share amounts)          1992        1993         1994         1995         1996
                                                       ---------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
<S>                                                    <C>        <C>          <C>          <C>          <C>
STATEMENT OF INCOME DATA:
  Net interest margin................................  $     752  $     2,525  $     9,828  $    31,192  $    62,963
  Gain on sale of loans..............................      2,698        7,650       13,579       62,182      115,773
  Servicing fee income...............................        408        1,685        4,502       13,987       28,284
  Other non-interest income..........................         --           24          879        1,371        6,475
                                                       ---------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
      Total revenues.................................      3,858       11,884       28,788      108,732      213,495
  Operating expenses.................................      4,390        8,691       17,342       42,727       92,298
  Long term debt and other interest expense..........        810        1,798        5,416       17,170       25,193
                                                       ---------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
      Total expenses.................................      5,200       10,489       22,758       59,897      117,491
                                                       ---------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
  Operating income (loss) before income taxes and
    extraordinary item...............................     (1,342)       1,395        6,030       48,835       96,004
  Provision for income taxes.........................         --           --        1,845       19,518       35,688
                                                       ---------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
  Net income (loss) before extraordinary items.......     (1,342)       1,395        4,185       29,317       60,316
  Extraordinary items (1)............................       (458)          --           --       (3,856)          --
                                                       ---------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
  Net income (loss)..................................  $  (1,800) $     1,395  $     4,185  $    25,461  $    60,316
                                                       ---------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
                                                       ---------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
 
PRIMARY EARNINGS PER SHARE:
  Net income (loss) per common share before
    extraordinary items..............................  $   (0.24) $      0.11  $      0.17  $      1.35  $      1.79
  Extraordinary items per common share (1)...........      (0.08)          --           --        (0.19)          --
                                                       ---------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
  Net income (loss) per common share.................  $   (0.32) $      0.11  $      0.17  $      1.16  $      1.79
                                                       ---------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
                                                       ---------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
 
FULLY DILUTED EARNINGS PER SHARE:
  Net income (loss) per share before extraordinary
    items............................................  $   (0.24) $      0.11  $      0.17  $      1.11  $      1.65
  Extraordinary items per share (1)..................      (0.08)          --           --        (0.15)          --
                                                       ---------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
  Net income (loss) per share........................  $   (0.32) $      0.11  $      0.17  $      0.96  $      1.65
                                                       ---------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
                                                       ---------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
 
WEIGHTED AVERAGE COMMON AND COMMON EQUIVALENT SHARES
  OUTSTANDING:
  Primary............................................  5,668,272   10,996,536   10,818,908   20,029,769   33,065,473
  Fully diluted......................................  5,668,272   11,186,033   16,683,380   26,455,876   36,449,995
 
FINANCIAL RATIOS AND OTHER DATA (2):
  Ratio of earnings to fixed charges.................         --        1.72x        2.06x        3.75x        4.64x
  Pro forma ratio of earnings to fixed charges.......                                                          3.03x
  Deficiency in earnings to fixed charges............  $   1,342           --           --           --           --
 
SELECTED CASH FLOW DATA:
  Total cash used in operating activities............  $ (17,991) $   (51,056) $   (78,774) $  (135,659) $  (253,127)
  Total cash used in investing activities............     (1,104)        (455)        (917)      (2,588)      (6,600)
  Total cash provided by financing activities........     41,372       31,040       93,572      122,970      274,444
                                                       ---------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
  Net increase (decrease) in cash....................  $  22,277  $   (20,471) $    13,881  $   (15,277) $    14,717
                                                       ---------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
                                                       ---------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
 
BALANCE SHEET DATA (AT PERIOD END):
  Cash and cash equivalents..........................  $  23,207  $     2,736  $    16,617  $     1,340  $    16,507
  Finance income receivable..........................      6,133       26,247       58,540      186,001      362,916
  Restricted cash in spread accounts.................      5,207       15,109       21,408       63,580      142,977
  Total long-term debt...............................     15,626       33,506       46,804      161,929      206,418
  Total preferred shareholders' equity...............         --       27,289       27,279       25,379           --
  Total common shareholders' equity..................     30,072       31,410       33,583      155,434      393,093
</TABLE>
 
                                      S-11
<PAGE>
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                          YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31,
                                                       -------------------------------------------------------------
(Dollars in thousands)                                   1992        1993         1994         1995         1996
                                                       ---------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
<S>                                                    <C>        <C>          <C>          <C>          <C>
OPERATING DATA:
  Automobile dealer relationships (at period end)....        339          857        2,344        5,110        7,727
  Automobile loan purchases..........................  $  97,819  $   305,823  $   743,256  $ 2,052,413  $ 2,750,553
  Automobile loan securitizations....................  $  79,759  $   336,077  $   712,211  $ 1,933,525  $ 2,787,412
  Operating expenses as a percentage of average
    servicing portfolio..............................       6.52%        4.39%        3.28%        2.78%        3.06%
 
SERVICING DATA:
  Servicing portfolio (at period end)................  $ 103,507  $   316,933  $   837,095  $ 2,267,107  $ 3,791,857
  Average servicing portfolio during the period......  $  67,339  $   198,018  $   528,577  $ 1,534,720  $ 3,015,411
  Delinquencies of more than 30 days as a percentage
    of servicing portfolio (at period end)...........       0.36%        0.96%        0.82%        1.33%        2.64%
  Net losses as a percentage of average servicing
    portfolio........................................       0.22%        0.52%        0.66%        0.67%        0.99%
</TABLE>
 
- --------------------------
(1) Extraordinary items relate to prepayment fees and charge-off of capitalized
    debt financing costs in connection with early extinguishment of certain debt
    obligations.
 
(2) For purposes of calculating the ratio of earnings to fixed charges, earnings
    are defined as income (loss) before income taxes plus fixed charges. Fixed
    charges consist of interest expense, amortization of debt discount and the
    interest factor in rental expenses. The pro forma ratio of earnings to fixed
    charges for the year ended December 31, 1996 is computed assuming that on
    January 1, 1996 the Company issued the Units in principal amount
    (approximately $300.0 million) sufficient to purchase the Senior Term Notes
    (as defined herein) pursuant to the Note Tender Offer (as defined herein)
    and to repay in full the average amount outstanding under the Company's
    warehouse facilities. See "Use of Proceeds." Pro forma earnings have been
    adjusted for extraordinary items, net of tax, relating to prepayment
    penalties incurred in connection with the tender offer for the Senior Term
    Notes.
 
                                      S-12
<PAGE>
                                  RISK FACTORS
 
    IN CONNECTION WITH AN INVESTMENT IN THE UNITS OFFERED HEREBY, AND IN
ADDITION TO THE OTHER INFORMATION CONTAINED OR INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE IN THIS
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT AND THE ACCOMPANYING PROSPECTUS, INVESTORS SHOULD
CAREFULLY CONSIDER THE MATTERS DISCUSSED UNDER "RISK FACTORS" IN THE PROSPECTUS
AND, IN ADDITION, THE FOLLOWING MATTERS.
 
LOAN PERFORMANCE RISKS
 
    As described under "Risk Factors" in the Prospectus, the Company's future
liquidity and financial condition, and its ability to finance the growth of its
business and to repay or refinance its indebtedness, including the Notes, will
depend to a material extent on distributions of excess cash flow from
securitization trusts. Each insured securitization trust has certain portfolio
performance tests which require that its loan portfolio (i) have an average
delinquency ratio not equal to or in excess of a specified percentage, (ii) have
a cumulative default rate not equal to or in excess of specified percentages
which vary based on the aging of the loan portfolio, and (iii) have a cumulative
net loss rate not equal to or in excess of specified percentages which vary
based on the aging of the loan portfolio. If any of these tests are exceeded (a
"violation"), the amount required to be retained in the spread account related
to such securitization trust will be increased to an amount generally equal to
the greater of 10% of the outstanding balance of loans held by the
securitization trust or 1% of the initial balance of such loans. As a
consequence, a violation generally will decrease excess cash flow available from
such securitization trust until loan portfolio performance has returned to the
required limits for a specified period, generally three to five months, unless
waived by FSA. Although such tests were not exceeded in 1996, a deterioration of
the Company's delinquencies, cumulative defaults or net losses would result in
one or more of the existing securitization trusts exceeding one or more of these
tests in the absence of changes to the trigger levels. In addition, upon the
occurrence of certain events with respect to any series of asset-backed
securities insured by FSA, including the failure to meet loan portfolio
performance tests of the nature described above but at significantly higher
levels (an "Insurance Agreement Event of Default"), the Company will be in
default under its insurance agreement with FSA. Upon an Insurance Agreement
Event of Default, unless waived by FSA, FSA may suspend distributions of cash
flow from the related securitization trust and all other FSA-insured trusts
until the asset-backed securities have been redeemed, capture excess cash flow
from performing trusts, increase its premiums and replace the Company as
servicer with respect to all FSA-insured trusts. There can be no assurance that
a further deterioration of the Company's loan delinquencies, gross charge-offs
and net losses described under "Management's Discussion and Analysis of
Financial Condition and Results of Operations" would not result in an Insurance
Agreement Event of Default, which could adversely affect the Company's ability
to satisfy its obligations, including the Notes.
 
PORTFOLIO SEASONING AND GROWTH
 
    As described under "Risk Factors" in the Prospectus, the statistical
incidence of delinquencies and defaults in connection with automobile loans
purchased by the Company tends to vary over the age of the loan, with loans that
are between six and 14 months old (the "seasoning period") having a higher
likelihood of being delinquent or defaulting than loans with similar credit
characteristics that are outside the seasoning period. Furthermore, loans under
the Company's Classic program are expected to have higher rates of delinquency
and default than loans under the Company's Premier program. As described under
"Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations," during 1996 the Company increased its total loan purchase volume
and increased its purchase of loans under the Classic program from 17% of the
principal amount of loans purchased in 1995 to 36% in 1996. These increases will
result in a higher percentage of loans in the Company's servicing portfolio
being in the seasoning period in 1997 and a higher percentage of Classic loans
in the total portfolio. This weighting of the portfolio will likely cause the
Company's loan performance statistics to show higher delinquencies, gross
charge-offs and net losses when compared with historical performance even if
such loan performance statistics are consistent with the Company's reserves for
loan losses.
 
    Consistent with industry practice, the Company gives certain obligors
extensions or rewrites loan terms in certain circumstances, including when the
Company believes such obligors will thereby be more
 
                                      S-13
<PAGE>
likely to repay their loans, and losses on such loans can be reduced. Loans that
have been extended or rewritten generally present substantially higher default
risks than loans that have neither of these characteristics. See
"Business--Servicing--Delinquency, Collection and Repossession Activities."
Primarily as a result of the expansion of the Classic program (which involves
higher credit risks than the Premier program), the portion of the Company's
servicing portfolio which exhibits one or both of these characteristics has
increased in 1996. Extensions and rewrites (in the aggregate) averaged
approximately 2.7% per month of the Company's servicing portfolio in 1996,
compared with approximately 1.9% per month in 1995, and with seasonal peaks
occurring during the Christmas holiday season. The Company considers these
characteristics when establishing its loss reserves. In certain circumstances,
loans that have been extended or rewritten have the effect of removing the
related loan from delinquent status.
 
    There can be no assurance that any expansion of the Classic program will not
continue to increase the credit risks associated with the Company's servicing
portfolio.
 
CASH FLOWS FROM SECURITIZATIONS
 
    As described under "Risk Factors" in the Prospectus, the Company's
agreements with FSA provide that the Company must maintain in a spread account
for each securitization trust specified levels of excess cash during the life of
the trust. Excess cash flows (loan payment receipts and recoveries from
disposition of repossessed automobiles less payments due on the asset-backed
securities, payments to fund the spread account and expenses) from all insured
securitization trusts are first used to cover shortfalls, if any, in amounts
payable to holders of asset-backed securities with respect to any insured
securitization trust and are then distributed to the Company. The timing and
amount of distributions of excess cash from securitization trusts varies based
on a number of factors, including but not limited to loan delinquencies,
defaults and net losses, the rate of turnover of repossession inventory and
recovery rates, the ages of loans in the portfolio, prepayment experience and
required spread account levels. A deterioration of the Company's loan
delinquencies, cumulative defaults and net losses, or a continuation of the
build-up in repossession inventory, or the possible sale of an increased
proportion of repossession inventory in the wholesale auction markets, or the
increase in loans entering the seasoning period, in each case as discussed under
"Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations," could reduce excess cash available to the Company. If excess cash
flow from all insured securitization trusts, including cash flow from
recoveries, is not sufficient to replenish all such spread accounts in any
month, no cash flow could be available to the Company for that month. In January
1996, approximately $0.5 million of the Company's $63.6 million of restricted
cash in spread accounts at December 31, 1995 under insured securitization trusts
was utilized for payments on related asset-backed securities due to insufficient
current cash flow in four such securitization trusts. Excess cash flows from the
other securitization trusts was not sufficient to replenish such withdrawals
and, consequently, the Company did not receive excess cash flow from Olympic
Receivables Finance Corp. ("ORFC") during that month. In February 1996, current
excess cash flows again began releasing to the Company. At December 31, 1996,
the Company had an aggregate of $143.0 million of restricted cash in spread
accounts. There can be no assurance that in the future the Company will not
experience an interruption of excess cash flow from ORFC such as occurred in
January 1996, which could adversely affect the Company's ability to pay its
obligations, including the Notes. In addition, certain payment defaults under
one of the warehouse facilities of a subsidiary of the Company may result in a
prohibition on the payment of dividends or other distributions from ORFC to the
Company.
 
SERVICING
 
    As discussed under "Risk Factors" in the Prospectus and "Management's
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations," the
Company has recently opened four regional servicing and collection centers and
has taken a number of initiatives to improve its servicing and collection
performance. There can be no assurance that these efforts will be successful.
 
RESALE AND FINANCING OF REPOSSESSIONS
 
    As discussed under "Risk Factors" in the Prospectus and "Management's
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations," the
Company relies primarily upon the resale of
 
                                      S-14
<PAGE>
repossessed automobiles in the retail market to increase recoveries and reduce
net losses compared with wholesale auction sales. This strategy delays the
Company's excess cash flow to the extent repossessions are held in inventory
pending resale. In addition, the Company's repossession inventory increased as a
percentage of its servicing portfolio in 1996 due to loan defaults and the
Company's transition from using a few large retail consignment lots for
repossession sales to using many smaller retail consignment lots. Futhermore, as
discussed, in 1996 the Company increased purchases of loans financing resales of
repossessions to new buyers. The performance of that portfolio included
delinquency, gross charge-off and net loss rates substantially in excess of the
Company's remaining servicing portfolio. There can be no assurance that
management's recent efforts to improve the Company's retail repossession finance
program will be successful. If and to the extent the Company modifies its
current disposition strategy with respect to use of the wholesale auction
markets, this modification could decrease recovery rates and increase net
losses.
 
CHANGE OF CONTROL
 
    The Indenture will provide that, upon the occurrence of any Change of
Control (as defined in the Indenture), the Company will be required to make an
offer to purchase all the Notes issued and then outstanding under the Indenture
at a purchase price equal to 101% of the principal amount thereof, plus accrued
and unpaid interest thereon to the date of purchase. Certain future credit or
other borrowing agreements may contain similar restrictions. There can be no
assurance that the Company would have sufficient resources to purchase any Notes
tendered pursuant to a Change of Control offer.
 
ABSENCE OF PUBLIC MARKET
 
    Prior to this Offering there has been no existing market for the Securities
and there can be no assurance as to the liquidity of any market that may develop
for the Securities, the ability of holders of the Securities to sell their
Securities or the price at which Holders will be able to sell their Securities.
If such a market were to develop, the Securities could trade at prices that may
be higher or lower than the initial offering price thereof depending on many
factors, including prevailing interest rates, the Company's operating results
and the markets for similar securities. The Underwriters have advised the
Company that they currently intend to make a market in the Securities; however,
they are not obligated to do so and any market may be discontinued at any time
without notice. The Company does not intend to apply for listing of the
Securities on any securities exchange.
 
CURRENT REGISTRATION REQUIRED TO EXERCISE WARRANTS
 
    Holders of Warrants will be able to exercise their Warrants only if a
registration statement relating to the Warrant Shares is then in effect, or the
issuance of the Warrant Shares is exempt from the registration requirements of
the Securities Act, and the Warrant Shares are qualified for sale or exempt from
qualification under the applicable securities laws of the state in which the
exercising Holder of Warrants resides. The Warrants are being issued pursuant to
a shelf registration statement, and the terms of the Warrant Agreement require
the Company to cause a shelf registration statement to remain effective until 30
days after the Expiration Date. The Company will be unable to issue Warrant
Shares to those Holders desiring to exercise their Warrants if a registration
statement covering the Warrant Shares issuable upon the exercise of the Warrants
is not effective (unless the sale and issuance of such Warrant Shares upon the
exercise of such Warrants are exempt from the registration requirements of the
Securities Act) or if such Warrant Shares are not qualified or exempt from
qualification in the state in which the exercising Holder of Warrants resides.
See "Description of Warrants."
 
NO PERSONAL LIABILITY OF DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES AND SHAREHOLDERS
 
    Under the Indenture, acceptance of a Note by a purchaser will constitute
waiver and release of all liability of any director, officer, employee,
incorporator or shareholder of the Company, as such, for any obligations of the
Company on the Notes or the Indenture or for any claim based on, or in respect
of, or by reason of, such obligations or their creation.
 
                                      S-15
<PAGE>
                                USE OF PROCEEDS
 
    The net proceeds from the Offering are estimated to be approximately $291.3
million, after deducting estimated offering expenses and underwriting discounts.
The Company will use up to $173.0 million of the net proceeds from the Offering
to purchase the outstanding 13% Senior Notes due 2000 (the "Senior Term Notes"),
including interest accrued to the date of purchase, premium and consent fees and
other fees and expenses, pursuant to the Offer to Purchase for Cash and Consent
Solicitation (the "Note Tender Offer") made to holders of the Senior Term Notes
on January 21, 1997. The Note Tender Offer expires March 11, 1997, unless
extended. The Senior Term Notes bear interest at the rate of 13% per annum and
mature in 2000. Under the terms of the Consent Solicitation, substantially all
of the financial covenants under the Senior Term Note indenture will be
eliminated, other than the Company's obligations to repurchase Senior Term Notes
in the event of a Change of Control, certain Asset Sales or certain Portfolio
Loss Ratio or Minimum Consolidated Net Worth Amount events (as defined in such
indenture). The remainder of the net proceeds from the Offering will be used to
fund purchases of automobile loans and for working capital and other general
corporate purposes. Prior to application for the foregoing purposes, the net
proceeds will be used to reduce outstanding indebtedness under the Company's
warehouse facilities and to purchase automobile loans. At December 31, 1996, the
Company's warehouse facilities had a weighted average interest rate of 6.27%.
 
                PRICE RANGE OF COMMON STOCK AND DIVIDEND POLICY
 
    The Company's Common Stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under
the symbol "OLM." The following table provides quarterly high and low sales
prices for the Company's Common Stock for the two years ended December 31, 1996
and for the period ended March 6, 1997. The Company's Common Stock began trading
on the New York Stock Exchange on March 27, 1996. The Company's Common Stock had
been traded on the Nasdaq National Market since January 30, 1992.
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                            HIGH        LOW
                                                                          ---------  ---------
<S>                                                                       <C>        <C>
1995
    First quarter.......................................................  $    9.38  $    5.88
    Second quarter......................................................      17.63       8.88
    Third quarter.......................................................      27.50      14.00
    Fourth quarter......................................................      30.63      14.25
 
1996
    First quarter.......................................................      19.63      12.50
    Second quarter......................................................      26.25      18.25
    Third quarter.......................................................      26.63      15.38
    Fourth quarter......................................................      25.00      13.13
 
1997
    First quarter (through March 6, 1997)...............................      19.38       8.88
</TABLE>
 
    The closing price of the Common Stock on March 6, 1997 was $10.00 per share.
 
    The Company has not paid dividends on its Common Stock and may not (except
under limited circumstances with the consent of certain of its lenders) pay any
dividend or make any other distribution on its Common Stock, nor may the Company
redeem or purchase any of its Common Stock. In addition, the current policy of
the Company's Board of Directors is to retain earnings to provide for the
Company's growth. Consequently, no cash dividends are expected to be paid on the
Company's Common Stock in the foreseeable future. The terms of each of the
Company's Warehouse Facilities and the Senior Term Notes prohibit the making of
certain payments with respect to the Common Stock, including cash dividends on
the Common Stock, unless certain financial tests are met. Under the most
restrictive of these restrictive covenants, no amounts were available for cash
dividends on the Common Stock as of December 31, 1996. Additional indebtedness
incurred by the Company in the future may include similar restrictions.
 
                                      S-16
<PAGE>
    In October 1996, the Board of Directors adopted a Shareholder Rights Plan in
which Preferred Stock Purchase Rights were distributed as a dividend at the rate
of one Right for each share of the Company's Common Stock on November 22, 1996
to shareholders of record as of such date. All shares of Common Stock issued
thereafter will be issued together with one Right per share.
 
    At March 6, 1997, the Company had 1,324 shareholders of record.
 
                                 CAPITALIZATION
 
    The following table sets forth the short-term debt and capitalization of the
Company as of December 31, 1996 and as adjusted to give effect to the Offering
and the application of the estimated net proceeds therefrom, assuming all of the
Company's outstanding Senior Term Notes are purchased by the Company pursuant to
the Note Tender Offer. The Note Tender Offer is conditioned upon, among other
things, the tender of at least a majority of the outstanding principal amount of
Senior Term Notes not owned by the Company or any of its affiliates, the receipt
of consents sufficient to approve the proposed indenture amendments and the
deposit with the depositary of funds sufficient to purchase all Senior Term
Notes validly tendered and not withdrawn (whether from the proceeds of the
Offering or from other new financing sources arranged by and acceptable to the
Company). To the extent any Senior Term Notes remain outstanding, unless the
size of the Offering is reduced, the Company's total long-term debt and
capitalization would increase by such amount.
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                                           AT DECEMBER 31, 1996
                                                                                         -------------------------
(Dollars in thousands)                                                                     ACTUAL     AS ADJUSTED
                                                                                         ----------  -------------
<S>                                                                                      <C>         <C>
Short-term debt:
  Amounts due under warehouse facilities...............................................  $  111,140  $    --
                                                                                         ----------  -------------
                                                                                         ----------  -------------
Long-term debt (1):
  Senior Term Notes....................................................................  $  145,000  $    --
  Notes offered hereby.................................................................      --         291,402(2)
  Unsecured senior subordinated notes..................................................      30,000      30,000
  Unsecured junior subordinated notes..................................................      23,689      23,689
  Capital lease obligations............................................................       7,729       7,729
                                                                                         ----------  -------------
        Total long-term debt...........................................................     206,418     352,820
                                                                                         ----------  -------------
Shareholders' equity:
  Capital stock, $0.01 par value, 100,000,000 shares authorized:
    36,416,802 shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding and no shares of Preferred
      Stock issued and outstanding.....................................................         364         364
  Additional paid-in capital...........................................................     310,187     318,785(2)
  Retained earnings....................................................................      82,542      67,890(3)
                                                                                         ----------  -------------
        Total shareholders' equity.....................................................     393,093     387,039
                                                                                         ----------  -------------
            Total capitalization.......................................................  $  599,511  $  739,859
                                                                                         ----------  -------------
                                                                                         ----------  -------------
</TABLE>
 
- ------------------------
 
(1) See Note 8 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
 
(2) Gives effect to the issuance of 300,000 Warrants to purchase an aggregate of
    2,052,000 shares of Common Stock in connection with the Offering.
 
(3) Gives effect to a maximum $14.7 million extraordinary charge net of taxes as
    a result of payment of a premium by the Company to the holders of the Senior
    Term Notes and the write-off of previously deferred costs associated with
    the Senior Term Notes in connection with the prepayment thereof, assuming
    prepayment of all Senior Term Notes.
 
                                      S-17
<PAGE>
                  SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL INFORMATION
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                          YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31,
                                                       -------------------------------------------------------------
(Dollars in thousands except per share amounts)          1992        1993         1994         1995         1996
                                                       ---------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
<S>                                                    <C>        <C>          <C>          <C>          <C>
STATEMENT OF INCOME DATA:
  Net interest margin................................  $     752  $     2,525  $     9,828  $    31,192  $    62,963
  Gain on sale of loans..............................      2,698        7,650       13,579       62,182      115,773
  Servicing fee income...............................        408        1,685        4,502       13,987       28,284
  Other non-interest income..........................         --           24          879        1,371        6,475
                                                       ---------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
      Total revenues.................................      3,858       11,884       28,788      108,732      213,495
  Operating expenses.................................      4,390        8,691       17,342       42,727       92,298
  Long term debt and other interest expense..........        810        1,798        5,416       17,170       25,193
                                                       ---------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
      Total expenses.................................      5,200       10,489       22,758       59,897      117,491
                                                       ---------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
  Operating income (loss) before income taxes and
    extraordinary item...............................     (1,342)       1,395        6,030       48,835       96,004
  Provision for income taxes.........................         --           --        1,845       19,518       35,688
                                                       ---------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
  Net income (loss) before extraordinary items.......     (1,342)       1,395        4,185       29,317       60,316
  Extraordinary items (1)............................       (458)          --           --       (3,856)          --
                                                       ---------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
  Net income (loss)..................................  $  (1,800) $     1,395  $     4,185  $    25,461  $    60,316
                                                       ---------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
                                                       ---------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
 
PRIMARY EARNINGS PER SHARE:
  Net income (loss) per common share before
    extraordinary items..............................  $   (0.24) $      0.11  $      0.17  $      1.35  $      1.79
  Extraordinary items per common share (1)...........      (0.08)          --           --        (0.19)          --
                                                       ---------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
  Net income (loss) per common share.................  $   (0.32) $      0.11  $      0.17  $      1.16  $      1.79
                                                       ---------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
                                                       ---------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
 
FULLY DILUTED EARNINGS PER SHARE:
  Net income (loss) per share before extraordinary
    items............................................  $   (0.24) $      0.11  $      0.17  $      1.11  $      1.65
  Extraordinary items per share (1)..................      (0.08)          --           --        (0.15)          --
                                                       ---------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
  Net income (loss) per share........................  $   (0.32) $      0.11  $      0.17  $      0.96  $      1.65
                                                       ---------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
                                                       ---------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
 
WEIGHTED AVERAGE COMMON AND COMMON EQUIVALENT SHARES
  OUTSTANDING:
  Primary............................................  5,668,272   10,996,536   10,818,908   20,029,769   33,065,473
  Fully diluted......................................  5,668,272   11,186,033   16,683,380   26,455,876   36,449,995
 
FINANCIAL RATIOS AND OTHER DATA (2):
  Ratio of earnings to fixed charges.................         --        1.72x        2.06x        3.75x        4.64x
  Pro forma ratio of earnings to fixed charges.......                                                          3.03x
  Deficiency in earnings to fixed charges............  $   1,342           --           --           --           --
 
SELECTED CASH FLOW DATA:
  Total cash used in operating activities............  $ (17,991) $   (51,056) $   (78,774) $  (135,659) $  (253,127)
  Total cash used in investing activities............     (1,104)        (455)        (917)      (2,588)      (6,600)
  Total cash provided by financing activities........     41,372       31,040       93,572      122,970      274,444
                                                       ---------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
  Net increase (decrease) in cash....................  $  22,277  $   (20,471) $    13,881  $   (15,277) $    14,717
                                                       ---------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
                                                       ---------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
 
BALANCE SHEET DATA (AT PERIOD END):
  Cash and cash equivalents..........................  $  23,207  $     2,736  $    16,617  $     1,340  $    16,507
  Finance income receivable..........................      6,133       26,247       58,540      186,001      362,916
  Restricted cash in spread accounts.................      5,207       15,109       21,408       63,580      142,977
  Total long-term debt...............................     15,626       33,506       46,804      161,929      206,418
  Total preferred shareholders' equity...............         --       27,289       27,279       25,379           --
  Total common shareholders' equity..................     30,072       31,410       33,583      155,434      393,093
</TABLE>
 
                                      S-18
<PAGE>
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                          YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31,
                                                       -------------------------------------------------------------
(Dollars in thousands)                                   1992        1993         1994         1995         1996
                                                       ---------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
<S>                                                    <C>        <C>          <C>          <C>          <C>
OPERATING DATA:
  Automobile dealer relationships (at period end)....        339          857        2,344        5,110        7,727
  Automobile loan purchases..........................  $  97,819  $   305,823  $   743,256  $ 2,052,413  $ 2,750,553
  Automobile loan securitizations....................  $  79,759  $   336,077  $   712,211  $ 1,933,525  $ 2,787,412
  Operating expenses as a percentage of average
    servicing portfolio..............................       6.52%        4.39%        3.28%        2.78%        3.06%
 
FIXED CHARGE COVERAGE RATIO CASH FLOW DATA (3):
  Operating cash receipts:
    Excess cash flow received from securitization
      trusts.........................................  $      --  $        11  $    17,737  $    21,054  $    43,351
    Servicing fee income.............................        408        1,685        4,502       12,693       27,018
    Other cash income................................         --           24          879        2,142        7,959
                                                       ---------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
      Total operating cash receipts..................        408        1,720       23,118       35,889       78,328
 
  Less cash expenses:
    Payment of dealer participations.................      4,206       13,524       29,566       86,476       94,938
    Cash operating expenses..........................      5,373       11,490       21,454       48,120       98,644
    Interest paid on warehouse and other debt........      4,061        3,790        6,386       19,630       33,448
    Preferred dividends..............................         --          192        2,300        2,213        1,688
                                                       ---------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
      Total cash expenses............................     13,640       28,996       59,706      156,439      228,718
                                                       ---------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
  Consolidated cash flow.............................  $ (13,232) $   (27,276) $   (36,588) $  (120,550) $  (150,390)
                                                       ---------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
                                                       ---------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
 
SERVICING DATA:
  Servicing portfolio (at period end)................  $ 103,507  $   316,933  $   837,095  $ 2,267,107  $ 3,791,857
  Average servicing portfolio during the period......  $  67,339  $   198,018  $   528,577  $ 1,534,720  $ 3,015,411
  Delinquencies of more than 30 days as a percentage
    of servicing portfolio (at period end)...........       0.36%        0.96%        0.82%        1.33%        2.64%
  Net losses as a percentage of average servicing
    portfolio........................................       0.22%        0.52%        0.66%        0.67%        0.99%
</TABLE>
 
- --------------------------
(1) Extraordinary items relate to prepayment fees and charge-off of capitalized
    debt financing costs in connection with early extinguishment of certain debt
    obligations.
 
(2) For purposes of calculating the ratio of earnings to fixed charges, earnings
    are defined as income (loss) before income taxes plus fixed charges. Fixed
    charges consist of interest expense, amortization of debt discount and the
    interest factor in rental expenses. The pro forma ratio of earnings to fixed
    charges for the year ended December 31, 1996 is computed assuming that on
    January 1, 1996 the Company issued the Units in principal amount
    (approximately $300.0 million) sufficient to purchase the Senior Term Notes
    (as defined herein) pursuant to the Note Tender Offer (as defined herein)
    and to repay in full the average amount outstanding under the Company's
    warehouse facilities. See "Use of Proceeds." Pro forma earnings have been
    adjusted for extraordinary items, net of tax, relating to prepayment
    penalties incurred in connection with the tender offer for the Senior Term
    Notes.
 
(3) The Company has included Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio Cash Flow Data (which
    is not a measure of financial performance under generally accepted
    accounting principles) because comparable criteria are the basis for certain
    debt incurrence and restricted payment tests included in the indenture
    governing the Senior Term Notes. On January 21, 1997, the Company solicited
    the consent of the holders of Senior Term Notes to eliminate the tests
    related to the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio Cash Flow Data from the governing
    Indenture and sought the tender of the Senior Term Notes. The Fixed Charge
    Coverage Ratio Cash Flow Data should not be considered by an investor to be
    an alternative to cash flows determined in accordance with generally
    accepted accounting principles as a measure of liquidity. See "Management's
    Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
    Operations--Capital Resources."
 
                                      S-19
<PAGE>
          MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION
                           AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
 
OVERVIEW
 
    The Company derives substantially all of its earnings from the purchase,
securitization and servicing of automobile loans. At the time of purchase of
each loan, the Company pays a portion of the annual rate of interest paid by the
obligor ("APR") to the dealer for originating the loan ("dealer participation").
To fund the purchase of loans prior to securitization, the Company utilizes its
available cash balances and short-term borrowing and repurchase arrangements
with financial institutions and institutional lenders ("warehouse facilities").
Pending securitization, automobile loans held for sale by the Company generate
net interest income resulting from the difference between the interest rate
earned on automobile loans held for sale and the interest costs associated with
the Company's short-term borrowings (the "net interest rate spread").
 
    The Company purchases loans under a tiered pricing system, allowing it to
price loans according to the borrower's credit characteristics. The Company
prices its loan products in order to maximize gross interest rate spreads
relative to expected net losses within each tier. Classic loans purchased in
1996 represented 36% of total purchasing volume compared with 17% during 1995
and 4% during 1994 and had APRs typically ranging from 16% to 23% while loans
purchased under the Premier program had APRs typically ranging from 8% to 16%.
The higher APRs of the Classic program are intended to compensate the Company
for anticipated higher delinquency, default and loss rates associated with the
Classic program, which the Company addresses through higher reserves for loan
losses. At December 31, 1996, the Company maintained $95.0 million in loan loss
reserves, or 2.51% of its servicing portfolio, compared to $42.3 million, or
1.86%, respectively, at December 31, 1995.
 
    The Company aggregates the automobile loans it purchases and sells them to a
trust, which in turn sells asset-backed securities to investors. By securitizing
its loans, the Company is able to fix the initial difference ("gross interest
rate spread") between the APR on automobile loans purchased and the interest
rate on the asset-backed securities sold ("securitization rate"). When the
Company securitizes its automobile loans, it records a gain on sale and
establishes an asset referred to as finance income receivable. Gain on sale
represents the present value of the estimated future cash flows to be received
by the Company, discounted at a market-based rate, and takes into account the
Company's historical loan portfolio experience and its methods for disposing of
repossessed vehicles. The calculation of gain on sale takes into consideration
(i) contractual obligations of the obligors, (ii) amounts due to the investors
in asset-backed securities, (iii) amounts paid to dealers for dealer
participations, (iv) various costs of the securitizations, including the effects
of hedging transactions, and (v) adjustments to the cash flows to reflect
estimated prepayments of loans, losses incurred in connection with defaults, and
corresponding reductions in the weighted average APR of loans sold. Subsequent
to securitization, the Company continues to service the securitized loans, for
which it recognizes servicing fee income over the life of the securitization as
earned.
 
    In addition to the present value of estimated future cash flows from
securitizations (gain on sale), finance income receivable includes (i) accrued
interest receivable on automobile loans held for sale, but not yet collected
through the date of sale, (ii) interest earned on spread and other cash accounts
established in connection with the Company's securitizations, and (iii) the
interest earned on previously discounted cash flows, calculated at the present
value discount rate used in determining gain on sale. As noted above, future
servicing fee income is recognized as earned and is not included in finance
income receivable. Finance income receivable is reduced based on distributions
to the Company of excess cash flows from spread accounts. The Company uses a
combination of its own historical experience, industry statistics and
expectations of future performance to estimate the amount and timing of
prepayments, losses upon defaults and corresponding changes in the weighted
average APR. The Company regularly reviews the carrying amount of its finance
income receivable to assess the impact of actual prepayment and loss experience
compared with the Company's estimates. In accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles, the Company does not increase the carrying amount of
finance income receivable for favorable variances from original estimates, but
to the extent actual prepayment or loss experience exceeds the
 
                                      S-20
<PAGE>
Company's estimates, any required decrease to the finance income receivable is
reflected as a reduction of current period earnings.
 
YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 1996, 1995 AND 1994
 
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
 
    NET INTEREST MARGIN.  The Company's net interest margin represents the sum
of (i) net interest on loans held for sale based on the net interest rate
spread, (ii) investment earnings on short-term investments, spread accounts and
other cash accounts established in connection with the Company's securitizations
and (iii) the recognition of the interest component of previously discounted
cash flows, calculated at the present value discount rate used in determining
the gain on sale. The components of net interest margin for each of the three
years in the period ended December 31, 1996 were:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
(Dollars in thousands)                                                      1994       1995       1996
                                                                          ---------  ---------  ---------
<S>                                                                       <C>        <C>        <C>
Interest income on loans, net...........................................  $   3,544  $  16,038  $  29,614
Interest income on short-term investments, spread accounts and other
  cash accounts.........................................................      3,620      7,942     15,233
Recognition of present value discount...................................      2,664      7,368     18,890
Provision for credit losses on loans held for sale......................         --       (156)      (774)
                                                                          ---------  ---------  ---------
    Net interest margin.................................................  $   9,828  $  31,192  $  62,963
                                                                          ---------  ---------  ---------
                                                                          ---------  ---------  ---------
</TABLE>
 
    Net interest margin increased 102% during 1996 and 217% during 1995. The
rise in net interest margin is primarily due to (i) growth in the average
balances of loans held for sale pending securitization, (ii) increased net
interest rates earned on loans held for sale pending securitization and (iii)
increases in the volume of the Company's securitization transactions.
 
    Increased purchasing volume is primarily due to the Company's continued
geographic expansion and improved market penetration through growth in its
dealer network. As of December 31, 1996, the Company had 17 regional buying
centers, up from 15 at December 31, 1995 and 12 at December 31, 1994 and had
increased its dealer network to 7,727 dealers at December 31, 1996 from 5,110
and 2,344 dealers at December 31, 1995 and 1994, respectively. The Company's
loan purchasing and securitization volume for each of the three years ended
December 31, 1996 are set forth in the table below.
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
(Dollars in thousands)                                     1994         1995          1996
                                                        ----------  ------------  ------------
<S>                                                     <C>         <C>           <C>
Premier...............................................  $  716,308  $  1,699,874  $  1,768,933
Classic...............................................      26,948       352,539       981,620
                                                        ----------  ------------  ------------
    Total automobile loan purchases...................  $  743,256  $  2,052,413  $  2,750,553
                                                        ----------  ------------  ------------
                                                        ----------  ------------  ------------
Automobile loans securitized..........................  $  712,211  $  1,933,525  $  2,787,412
</TABLE>
 
    In 1995, the Company initiated a program to increase the proportion of
Classic loans in its loan purchase mix in order to maximize gross interest rate
spreads relative to expected net losses within each credit tier, to expand its
share of the automobile loan market and to reduce initial cash requirements
relative to the Premier program because the Company offers lower dealer
participations on Classic loans. At December 31, 1996, approximately half of the
Company's aggregate loan purchases were being made under the Classic program.
The Company may change its loan purchase mix at any time and from time to time.
 
    The rise in loan purchasing volume resulted in an increase in the average
monthly balance of loans held for sale to $219.5 million during 1996, up from
$162.7 million and $41.1 million during 1995 and 1994, respectively, on which
the Company earns net interest rate spread until such loans are securitized. The
weighted average net interest rate spread earned during 1996 rose to 7.84%
compared with 6.71% and 6.59% during 1995 and 1994, respectively. The rise in
net interest spread earned on loans held for sale is
 
                                      S-21
<PAGE>
principally due to higher average annual percentage rates ("APR") paid by
obligors resulting from expansion of the Company's higher rate Classic loan
program.
 
    Interest income on short-term investments, spread accounts and other cash
accounts established in connection with securitization transactions increased
92% between 1995 and 1996 and 119% between 1994 and 1995. This increase is
primarily due to growth in the average balances of spread accounts and other
securitization related cash accounts resulting form higher securitization
volume. Income from the recognition of present value discount also grew due to
the increased volume of securitizations.
 
    GAIN ON SALE OF LOANS.  Gain on sale of loans provided net revenues of
$115.8 million, $62.2 million and $13.6 million during 1996, 1995 and 1994,
respectively, representing increases of 86.2% between 1995 and 1996 and 357%
between 1994 and 1995. The rise in gain on sale of loans primarily resulted from
growth in the volume of loans securitized as discussed above, increased gross
interest rate spreads, and a decline in the participation rate paid to dealers
for loan originations but was offset in part by an increase in the reserve for
loan losses.
 
    The following table summarizes the Company's gross interest rate spreads for
each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 1996.
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                                1994       1995       1996
                                                                              ---------  ---------  ---------
<S>                                                                           <C>        <C>        <C>
Weighted average APR of loans securitized...................................      12.50%     14.22%     14.56%
Weighted average securitization rate........................................       6.32       6.38       6.31
                                                                              ---------  ---------  ---------
    Gross interest rate spread (1)..........................................       6.18%      7.84%      8.25%
                                                                              ---------  ---------  ---------
                                                                              ---------  ---------  ---------
</TABLE>
 
- ------------------------
 
(1) Before gains/losses on hedge transactions.
 
    The rise in the gross interest rate spread during 1995 and 1996 is primarily
due to an increased proportion of higher-yielding Classic loans, resulting in an
increased APR earned on loans purchased and subsequently securitized. The
increase in the weighted average APR resulting from the growth in the Classic
loan volume during 1996 was partially offset by a general market decline in
consumer interest rates during the first few months of the year.
 
    The unamortized balance of participations paid to dealers is expensed at the
time the related loans are securitized and recorded as a reduction to the gain
on sale. Due to the increased proportion of Classic loan purchases, which
generally require lower participation rates, and a reduction of the maximum
participation rate allowable under the Premier program, participations paid as a
percentage of the principal balance of loan purchases declined to 3.45% during
1996 from 4.21% and 3.98% during 1995 and 1994, respectively, resulting in
increased gain on sale.
 
    Gains on sale of loans were further increased by $4.7 million and $1.4
million of gross realized gains on hedging transactions during 1996 and 1994,
respectively, and decreased by $5.0 million, $11.7 million and $0.5 million of
gross realized losses on hedging transactions during 1996, 1995 and 1994,
respectively. There were no gross realized hedging gains during 1995. See
"--Capital Resources--Hedging and Pre-funding Strategy."
 
    SERVICING FEE INCOME.  The Company earns servicing fee income for servicing
loans sold to investors through securitizations. The stated percent for
servicing fees (1% per annum on the remaining balance of loans serviced) is
consistent with the industry standard for servicing automobile loans. Servicing
fee income increased to $28.3 million in 1996 from $14.0 million in 1995 and
$4.5 million in 1994.
 
                                      S-22
<PAGE>
    The following table reflects the growth in the Company's servicing portfolio
from 1994 to 1996.
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                                       AT DECEMBER 31,
                                                                            --------------------------------------
(Dollars in thousands, except as noted)                                        1994         1995          1996
                                                                            ----------  ------------  ------------
<S>                                                                         <C>         <C>           <C>
Principal balance of automobile loans held for sale.......................  $   22,918  $    113,840  $     35,365
Principal balance of loans serviced under securitizations.................     814,177     2,153,267     3,756,492
                                                                            ----------  ------------  ------------
    Servicing portfolio...................................................  $  837,095  $  2,267,107  $  3,791,857
                                                                            ----------  ------------  ------------
                                                                            ----------  ------------  ------------
Average outstanding principal balance (actual dollars)....................  $   11,271  $     12,239  $     12,537
Number of loans serviced..................................................      74,267       185,241       302,450
</TABLE>
 
    The Company's servicing portfolio increased 67% from 1995 to 1996 and 171%
between 1994 and 1995, reflecting continued growth in the volume of the
Company's loan purchases and subsequent securitizations. The rise in average
outstanding principal balance of loans reflects general price increases in the
automobile industry.
 
    OTHER NON-INTEREST INCOME.  Other non-interest income rose to $6.5 million
during 1996 from $1.4 million and $0.9 million during 1995 and 1994,
respectively, representing increases of 372% during 1996 and 56% during 1995.
The rise in other non-interest income is principally due to increases in income
from late fees and insufficient fund charges reflecting the increase in
delinquency rates. See "--Delinquency, Loan Loss and Repossession Experience."
 
    SALARIES AND BENEFITS EXPENSE.  Salaries and benefits increased to $40.8
million during 1996 from $20.1 million and $9.1 million during 1995 and 1994,
respectively, representing an increase of 103% during 1996 and 122% during 1995.
This increase is primarily due to growth in number of associates. The Company
employed 1,230 associates at December 31, 1996, compared with 650 and 304 at
December 31, 1995 and 1994, respectively. These increases are in response to,
and in anticipation of, continued growth in loan purchasing volume and related
servicing portfolio. The Company expects these expenses to continue to increase
in 1997 compared with 1996 due in part to the Company's opening of four regional
servicing and collection centers in October 1996.
 
    The rapid growth of the Company's servicing portfolio and the decision to
expand the proportion of loans purchased through its Classic program have
resulted in increased demands on the Company's personnel and systems. The
Company's ability to support, manage and control continued growth is dependent
upon, among other things, its ability to hire, train, supervise and manage its
larger work force. Furthermore, the Company's ability to manage portfolio
delinquency and loss rates is dependent upon the maintenance of efficient
collection and repossession procedures and adequate staffing. See
"--Delinquency, Loan Loss and Repossession Experience."
 
    GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE AND OTHER OPERATING EXPENSES ("OTHER OPERATING
EXPENSES").  Other operating expenses increased during 1996 to $51.5 million up
from $22.6 million in 1995 and $8.3 million in 1994. Other operating expenses
include occupancy and equipment leasing charges, depreciation, outside
professional fees, communication costs, servicing and collection expenses,
marketing expenses, recruiting and staffing fees, travel, office supplies and
other. Many of these expenses, such as communications, service and collection
and office supplies, increase incrementally with growth in loan purchasing
volume and the Company's servicing portfolio. Occupancy and equipment charges
increased due to continued geographic expansion through the opening of
additional regional buying centers during 1995 and 1996 and the regionalization
of the Company's servicing and collection operations during 1996. The Company
also experienced significant increases in outside professional fees during 1996
primarily related to development costs associated with a potential leasing
product and various information system enhancements. During 1996 the Company
incurred increases in recruiting and staffing fees in connection with its search
for various key collection, servicing and management personnel. As a result of
the items noted above, total operating expenses, including salaries and
benefits, rose to 3.06% of average servicing portfolio compared with 2.78% in
1995, but remained lower than 3.28% in 1994.
 
                                      S-23
<PAGE>
    LONG TERM DEBT AND OTHER INTEREST EXPENSE.  Long-term debt and other
interest expense rose 46.7% during 1996 and 217% in 1995. These increases are
primarily due to the issuance of $145.0 million of 13.0% Senior Term Notes in
April 1995 and $30.0 million of 10.125% Subordinated Notes in March 1996.
 
    INCOME TAX EXPENSE.  During the third quarter of 1994, the Company fully
utilized its book net operating loss carryforwards and incurred income tax
expense for book purposes. No income tax expense was incurred in earlier
periods. Because of the difference in the basis of the finance income receivable
for financial reporting purposes and income tax purposes, the Company continues
to have available $74.1 million of net tax operating loss carryforwards, a
portion of which may be available to offset against income taxes in 1997 and
future years, subject to applicable limitations. The $35.7 million income tax
expense during 1996 primarily reflects the Company's estimated addition to its
deferred tax liability as of December 31, 1996.
 
    EXTRAORDINARY ITEMS.  In February 1995, the Company entered into a temporary
financing facility under which it was able to borrow up to $70.0 million through
the issuance of Senior Notes. Of the $50.0 million in gross proceeds from the
Company's initial issuance of Senior Notes, $34.6 million was used to retire
$30.0 million of 11.75% Senior Secured Notes, including accrued interest of $0.5
million and prepayment fees of approximately $4.1 million. The Company issued an
additional $5.0 million in Senior Notes in April 1995.
 
    On April 28, 1995, the Company received aggregate net proceeds from the
issuance of Common Stock and Senior Term Notes of approximately $231.0 million
and applied $56.2 million of such proceeds to retire its Senior Notes at par
plus accrued interest and $15.6 million to retire the Company's 9.875% Senior
Subordinated Notes, including accrued interest of $0.1 million and prepayment
fees of $0.5 million.
 
    The prepayment fees for the early extinguishment of debt and the charge-off
of capitalized debt financing costs associated with the 11.75% Senior Secured
Notes and the 9.875% Senior Subordinated Notes were accounted for as
extraordinary items.
 
    The Company has commenced a tender offer for the Senior Term Notes and a
related consent solicitation for elimination of substantially all of the
financial covenants in the indenture under which such Senior Term Notes were
issued. See "--Capital Resources."
 
    PREFERRED DIVIDENDS.  The Company paid dividends on its outstanding
preferred stock (which was converted to Common Stock in December 1996) of $1.2
million, $2.2 million and $2.3 million for 1996, 1995 and 1994, respectively.
The decrease in dividends paid from 1995 to 1996 is due to the conversion of
preferred shares into Common Stock of the Company. As of December 31, 1996, all
preferred shares had been redeemed or converted.
 
FINANCIAL CONDITION
 
    DUE FROM SECURITIZATION TRUST.  At December 31, 1996, the Company had
delivered $177.1 million of loans into a securitization trust for which the
Company received cash from the trust concurrent with the legal closing of the
transaction in January 1997. There were no loans delivered into securitization
trusts pending legal closing at December 31, 1995.
 
    AUTOMOBILE LOANS HELD FOR SALE.  The Company holds automobile loans for sale
in its portfolio prior to securitization. The Company's portfolio of loans held
for sale decreased to $36.3 million at December 31, 1996 from $118.6 million at
December 31, 1995, due to the timing in delivery of loans associated with the
Company's securitizations.
 
    FINANCE INCOME RECEIVABLE.  Finance income receivable increased to $362.9
million at December 31, 1996 from $186.0 million at December 31, 1995. This 95%
increase represents amounts capitalized upon completion of securitization
transactions during 1996 related to the present value of estimated cash flows.
The amounts capitalized were offset by excess cash flows released from the
securitization trusts to the Company through its wholly-owned subsidiary, ORFC.
Reserve for losses on securitized loans is included as a component of finance
income receivable.
 
                                      S-24
<PAGE>
    FURNITURE, FIXTURES AND EQUIPMENT.  Furniture, fixtures and equipment
increased 115% to $13.6 million at December 31, 1996 from $6.3 million at
December 31, 1995, primarily due to the opening of two additional regional
buying centers and relocation of the Company's servicing and collection
operations into four regional facilities during 1996 to enhance the Company's
collection activities.
 
    CAPITAL LEASE OBLIGATIONS.  Capital lease obligations increased 97% to $7.7
million at December 31, 1996, from $3.9 million at December 31, 1995, primarily
due to continued geographic expansion as discussed above.
 
    DEFERRED INCOME TAXES.  The Company began recording income tax expense in
the third quarter of 1994 as the net tax benefit of net operating loss
carryforwards for financial reporting purposes was fully utilized. Deferred
income tax assets and liabilities reflect the tax effect of temporary
differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial
reporting purposes and income tax purposes principally net operating loss
carryforwards for income tax purposes and the finance income receivable,
respectively. The Company's estimated net deferred tax liability at December 31,
1996, was $54.4 million, compared to $18.7 million at December 31, 1995.
 
    OTHER LIABILITIES.  Accounts payable and accrued liabilities increased to
$13.2 million at December 31, 1996 compared to $9.8 million at December 31,
1995. This 34% increase is primarily due to increased trade payables and other
operating accruals reflecting the growth in the Company's operations and related
operating expenses.
 
DELINQUENCY, LOAN LOSS AND REPOSSESSION EXPERIENCE
 
    The Company's operating performance, financial condition and liquidity are
materially affected by the performance of the automobile loans purchased and
securitized by the Company. In connection with the servicing of automobile
loans, the Company is responsible for managing delinquent loans, repossessing
the underlying collateral in the event of default and selling repossessed
collateral. The Company provides an allowance for automobile loan credit losses
at a rate which, in the opinion of management, provides adequately for current
and probable future losses that may be incurred by the Company. The Company
provides an allowance for credit losses for sold loans in accordance with
Emerging Issues Task Force 92-2, Measuring Loss Accounts by Transferors for
Transfers of Receivables with Recourse, at the time of securitization. The
provision for credit losses is netted against the calculated gain on sale amount
for loans sold. The related allowance for these credit losses is a component of
the finance income receivable.
 
                                      S-25
<PAGE>
    The following tables describe the delinquency and credit loss and
repossession experience, respectively, of the Company's servicing portfolio for
the three years in the period ended December 31, 1996. A delinquent loan may
result in the repossession and foreclosure of the collateral for the loan.
Losses resulting from repossession and disposition of automobiles are charged
against applicable allowances, which management reviews on a monthly basis.
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                    DECEMBER 31,
                                  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DELINQUENCY EXPERIENCE (1):                 1994                        1995                        1996
                                  -------------------------   -------------------------   -------------------------
                                   NUMBER OF                   NUMBER OF                   NUMBER OF
                                     LOANS       BALANCES        LOANS       BALANCES        LOANS       BALANCES
                                  -----------   -----------   -----------   -----------   -----------   -----------
(Dollars in thousands)
<S>                               <C>           <C>           <C>           <C>           <C>           <C>
Servicing portfolio at end of
  period........................      74,267    $   837,095      185,241    $ 2,267,107      302,450    $ 3,791,857
 
Delinquencies:
  31-60 days....................         393    $     4,142        1,536    $    17,667        3,884    $    47,225
  61-90 days....................         129          1,557          520          5,694        1,255         15,877
  91 days or more...............         113          1,197          614          6,881        2,911         37,019
                                  -----------   -----------   -----------   -----------   -----------   -----------
Total automobile loans
  delinquent 31 or more days....         635    $     6,896        2,670    $    30,242        8,050    $   100,121
Delinquencies as a percentage of
  number of loans and amount
  outstanding at end of period
  (2)...........................        0.86%          0.82%        1.44%          1.33%        2.66%          2.64%
Amount in repossession (3)......         102    $       570        1,489    $    17,676        4,651    $    64,929
                                  -----------   -----------   -----------   -----------   -----------   -----------
Total delinquencies and amount
  in repossession (2)...........         737    $     7,466        4,159    $    47,918       12,701    $   165,050
                                  -----------   -----------   -----------   -----------   -----------   -----------
                                  -----------   -----------   -----------   -----------   -----------   -----------
</TABLE>
 
- ------------------------
 
(1) All amounts and percentages are based on the principal amount scheduled to
    be paid on each loan. The information in the table includes previously sold
    loans which the Company continues to service.
 
(2) Amounts shown do not include loans which are less than 31 days delinquent.
 
(3) Amount in repossession represents financed automobiles which have been
    repossessed but not yet liquidated.
 
                                      S-26
<PAGE>
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                    YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31,
                                                           ------------------------------------------
CREDIT LOSS/REPOSSESSION EXPERIENCE (1):                       1994           1995           1996
                                                           ------------   ------------   ------------
 
(Dollars in thousands)
<S>                                                        <C>            <C>            <C>
Average servicing portfolio outstanding during the
  period.................................................  $    528,577   $  1,534,720   $  3,015,411
Average number of loans outstanding during the period....        49,566        128,783        242,419
Number of repossessions..................................         1,005          5,020         14,403
Repossessions as a percentage of average number of loans
  outstanding............................................          2.03%          3.90%          5.94%
Gross charge-offs (2)....................................  $      4,446   $     11,247   $     35,642
Recoveries (3)...........................................           974            911          5,653
                                                           ------------   ------------   ------------
Net losses...............................................  $      3,472   $     10,336   $     29,989
                                                           ------------   ------------   ------------
                                                           ------------   ------------   ------------
Gross charge-offs as a percentage of average servicing
  portfolio..............................................          0.84%          0.73%          1.18%
Net losses as a percentage of average servicing
  portfolio..............................................          0.66%          0.67%          0.99%
</TABLE>
 
- ------------------------
 
(1) All amounts and percentages are based on the principal amount scheduled to
    be paid on each loan. The information in the table includes previously sold
    loans which the Company continues to service.
 
(2) Gross charge-offs represent principal amounts which management estimated to
    be uncollectable after the consideration of anticipated proceeds from the
    disposition of repossessed assets and selling expenses. When estimating the
    value of repossessed inventory, management utilizes industry published
    reports listing retail and wholesale values of used automobiles and
    determines estimated proceeds within a range that management believes
    reflects the then current market conditions and the Company's disposition
    strategy for such inventory.
 
(3) Includes post-disposition amounts received on previously charged off loans.
 
    The increase in the rate of delinquencies, gross charge-offs, net losses and
repossessions during 1996, experienced by both the Premier and Classic programs,
was primarily due to (i) increased demands on the Company's servicing and
collection resources as the result of rapid growth in its servicing portfolio
and as a result of continued expansion of the Classic loan program (which
generally required greater collection efforts than the Premier program), (ii)
the performance of the Company's discontinued Classic product for first time
automobile buyers and the Company's financed repossession program, which
experienced significantly higher delinquencies, repossessions and losses than
the Company's other products and programs and (iii) the continued seasoning of
the Company's servicing portfolio to include a greater proportion of loans,
particularly Classic loans, in the period of highest probability for
delinquencies and defaults (generally six to 14 months from the origination
date).
 
    To handle the increased demands on its servicing and collection operations,
the Company began to take steps in 1996 to enhance its servicing and collection
capabilities. Since December 1995, the Company has more than doubled its
servicing and collection staff and, in October 1996, regionalized its servicing
and collection operations into four locations across the United States.
Additionally, the Company has engaged outside consultants to evaluate the
Company's current collection strategy and assist in the design and
implementation of a new collection system.
 
    During 1996, loans made under the Company's financed repossession program
and its Classic product for first time automobile buyers (discontinued in March
1996) had significantly higher rates of delinquencies, gross charge-offs, net
losses and repossessions than other products within the Company's servicing
portfolio. These programs aggregated 4.3% of the total servicing portfolio at
December 31, 1996, but accounted for approximately 20% of delinquencies, gross
charge-offs and net losses in 1996. Management believes that the performance of
the financed repossession loans is primarily attributable to an inventory
reduction program during the fourth quarter of 1995 and the first quarter of
1996 and improper practices at certain of the Company's initial consignment
dealers, with which the Company has since terminated its business relationships.
The Company has instituted more comprehensive management of its financed
 
                                      S-27
<PAGE>
repossession program, including the dedication of trained staff located in the
Company's four regional servicing and collection centers for the underwriting
and purchasing of such loans.
 
    The significant rise in repossession inventory levels shown on the
Delinquency Experience table was the result of the growth in the Company's
servicing portfolio and due to changes to the Company's approach to retailing
its repossessed automobiles. During 1995 and early 1996, the Company relied
heavily on a few large retail consignment lots to sell its inventory. Turnover
of repossession inventory was not at levels deemed acceptable by the Company
under this approach. In early 1996 the Company terminated its relationship with
certain consignment lots and decided to expand its repossession distribution
channels to multiple smaller locations throughout the United States. The Company
expanded its remarketing department in order to develop and manage relationships
with additional retail outlets and to expedite disposition of repossessed
vehicles. At December 31, 1996, the Company had arrangements with 67 smaller
retail consignment lots to dispose of its repossessions compared with 10 large
retail consignment lots at December 31, 1995. It is actively pursuing additional
relationships to further increase its remarketing capacity. During 1996, the
Company sold approximately 70% of its repossession inventory through retail
markets and the Company financed approximately 90% of these sales. The Company
may dispose of repossession inventory at wholesale auctions from time to time.
 
    Increases in loan delinquency and repossession rates may cause the Company
to exceed certain pool performance tests established in other agreements
governing the Company's outstanding Senior Term Notes. If at any month-end the
amount of charge-offs (net of recoveries) of automobile loans in the Company's
servicing portfolio during the preceding six month periods, times two, exceeds
1.65% of the average servicing portfolio in the preceding seven months
("Portfolio Loss Ratio"), the Company will be prohibited from purchasing new
automobile loans in excess of 20% of the Company's Adjusted Consolidated Cash
Flow (as defined in the indenture governing the Senior Term Notes) plus proceeds
of warehouse facilities and certain other available cash. If the Portfolio Loss
Ratio exceeds 1.65% for two consecutive months, then 50% of such Adjusted
Consolidated Cash Flow (as defined in the indenture governing the Senior Term
Notes) must be used to offer to repurchase Senior Term Notes at par. In
addition, if at the end of any month the Portfolio Loss Ratio exceeds 2.5% or
the Company's delinquency level exceeds 3.5%, an event of default will occur
under two of the Company's outstanding warehouse facilities. The delinquency
level is calculated as a percentage, by outstanding principal balance, of all
automobile loans owned or securitized by the Company as to which a payment is
more than thirty days past due. Upon the occurrence of an event of default under
such warehouse facilities, the lending banks under such facilities may
accelerate the payment of amounts outstanding thereunder and would have no
further obligation to extend additional credit. Furthermore, any such event of
default may trigger cross-defaults under other outstanding indebtedness of the
Company and may result in the acceleration of amounts due thereunder. On January
21, 1997, the Company made a tender offer to purchase all of its outstanding
Senior Term Notes. See Note 14 to the Company's Consolidated Financial
Statements.
 
LIQUIDITY
 
    The Company's business requires substantial cash to support its operating
activities. The principal cash requirements include (i) amounts necessary to
purchase and finance automobile loans pending securitization, (ii) dealer
participations, (iii) cash held from time to time in restricted spread accounts
to support securitizations and warehouse facilities and other securitization
expenses, (iv) interest advances to securitization trusts, (v) repossession
inventory, and (vi) interest expense. The Company also uses significant amounts
of cash for operating expenses. The Company receives cash principally from
interest on loans held pending securitization, excess cash flow received from
securitization trusts and fees earned through servicing of loans held by such
trusts. The Company has operated on a negative operating cash flow basis and
expects to continue to do so for so long as the Company continues to experience
significant growth in its volume of loan purchases. The Company has historically
funded, and expects to continue to fund, these negative operating cash flows,
subject to limitations in various debt covenants, principally
 
                                      S-28
<PAGE>
through borrowings from financial institutions, sales of equity securities and
sales of senior and subordinated notes, among other resources, although there
can be no assurance that the Company will have access to capital markets in the
future or that financing will be available to satisfy the Company's operating
and debt service requirements or to fund its future growth. See "--Capital
Resources."
 
PRINCIPAL USES OF CASH IN OPERATING ACTIVITIES
 
    PURCHASES AND FINANCING OF AUTOMOBILE LOANS.  Automobile loan purchases
represent the Company's most significant cash requirement. The Company funds the
purchase price of loans primarily through the use of warehouse facilities.
However, because advance rates under the warehouse facilities generally provide
funds ranging from 95% to 97% of the principal balance of the loans, the Company
is required to fund the remainder of all purchases with other available cash
resources. The Company purchased $2.8 billion of loans in 1996, compared with
$2.1 billion in 1995 and $743.3 million in 1994. Amounts borrowed under
warehouse facilities are repaid upon securitization of the loans. The Company
regularly completes securitizations to optimize its use of available warehouse
facilities and the Company's cash investment in loans held for sale.
 
    DEALER PARTICIPATIONS.  Consistent with industry practice, the Company pays
dealers participations for selling loans to the Company. When loans are
securitized, the related dealer participation is expensed and subsequently
recovered over the estimated life of the underlying loans through the return to
the Company of excess cash flow from securitization trusts. Participations paid
by the Company to dealers in 1996 were $94.9 million, compared with $86.5
million in 1995 and $29.6 million in 1994. These participations typically
require the Company to advance an up-front amount to dealers, which represented
3.45% of the principal balance of loans purchased during 1996 compared to 4.21%
in 1995 and 3.98% in 1994. The decrease in percentage of dealer participations
paid reflects the growth in volume of loans purchased under the Classic program,
which generally requires a lower participation rate and a reduction in the cap
on participation rates paid on Premier loans implemented during 1995. The
Company has some limited ability to recover these amounts from the dealers by
offset against future participations in the event of prepayment or default on
the loan within a specified period of time. However, to the extent the loan does
not prepay or default within that period of time, the Company expects to recover
the cash used to pay dealer commissions over the estimated life of the
underlying loans through the return to the Company of excess cash flows from
securitization spread accounts. This relationship between the up-front payment
of cash to the dealers and the deferred recovery through collection of excess
cash flow will continue to represent a significant demand on capital resources
to the extent the Company continues to expand the volume of loan purchases.
 
    SECURITIZATION OF AUTOMOBILE LOANS.  In connection with securitizations, the
Company is required to fund spread accounts related to each transaction. The
Company funds these spread accounts by foregoing receipt of excess cash flow
until these spread accounts exceed predetermined levels (generally within 14
months of the formation of the securitization trust). In certain
securitizations, the Company also has been required to provide initial cash
deposits into such accounts. The amount of time required to initially fund each
spread account varies depending on numerous factors, including, but not limited
to, (i) the size of the initial deposit, (ii) the gross interest rate spread,
(iii) defaults, (iv) delinquencies, (v) losses and (vi) turnover of repossession
inventory. The Company had $143.0 million of restricted cash in spread accounts
at December 31, 1996, compared with $63.6 million at December 31, 1995. The
Company also incurs certain expenses in connection with securitizations,
including underwriting fees, credit enhancement fees, trustee fees and other
costs, which approximate 0.55% per annum of the principal amount of the
asset-backed securities.
 
    NET INTEREST MARGIN.  Although the Company records net interest margin as it
is earned, the interest income component is generally received in cash from
excess cash flow over the life of the securitization trust, while the interest
expense component (primarily warehousing interest) is paid prior to
securitization.
 
    ADVANCES DUE TO SERVICER.  As the servicer of loans sold in securitizations,
the Company periodically makes interest advances to the securitization trusts to
provide for temporary delays in the receipt of
 
                                      S-29
<PAGE>
required interest payments by borrowers. In accordance with servicing
agreements, the Company makes advances only in the event that it expects to
recover such advances through the ultimate payments from the obligor over the
life of the loan. Beginning in December 1996, the Company's servicing agreements
were modified to require interest advances only when the related loan is 31 days
delinquent or greater.
 
    REPOSSESSION INVENTORY.  At December 31, 1996, the Company's inventory of
repossessed automobiles held for resale was $64.9 million, compared with $17.7
million at December 31, 1995. The rate of repossession inventory turnover
impacts cash available for spread accounts under securitization trusts and,
consequently, the excess cash available for distribution to ORFC. At December
31, 1996, repossessed inventory was 1.7% of total servicing portfolio, compared
with 0.8% at December 31, 1995.
 
PRINCIPAL SOURCES OF CASH IN OPERATING ACTIVITIES
 
    EXCESS CASH FLOW.  The Company receives excess cash flow from securitization
trusts, including the realization of gain on sale, the recovery of dealer
participation, and the recovery of accrued interest receivable earned, but not
yet collected, on loans held for sale. Recovery of dealer participation and
accrued interest receivable, which occur throughout the life of the
securitization, result in a reduction of the finance income receivable and,
because they have been considered in the original determination of the gain on
sale of loans, have no effect on the Company's results of operations in the year
in which the participations and interest are recovered from the securitization
trust. During 1996, the Company received $43.4 million of excess cash flow,
compared with $21.1 million in 1995 and $17.7 million in 1994. The rate of
increase in excess cash flow during 1996 exceeded the rate of increase in loans
securitized principally because spread accounts related to 1995 securitizations
have reached required reserve levels and have begun releasing cash during the
current year. These obligations generally reach pre-determined spread account
levels within 14 months following the formation of the securitization trust. The
excess cash flow released from securitization trusts during 1996 was reduced by
the slower turnover of the Company's repossession inventory resulting from the
utilization of its retail repossession strategy.
 
    SERVICING FEES.  The Company also receives servicing fee income with respect
to loans held by securitization trusts equal to 1% per annum of the remaining
principal balance. The Company received cash for such services in the amount of
$27.0 million, $12.7 million and $4.5 million during 1996, 1995 and 1994,
respectively, and is reflected in the Company's revenues as earned.
 
CAPITAL RESOURCES
 
    The Company finances the acquisition of automobile loans primarily through
(i) warehouse facilities, pursuant to which loans are sold or financed generally
on a temporary basis and (ii) the securitization of loans, pursuant to which
loans are sold as asset-backed securities. Additional financing is required to
fund the Company's operations.
 
    WAREHOUSE FACILITIES.  Automobile loans held for sale are funded on a
short-term basis primarily through warehouse facilities. At December 31, 1996,
the Company had three warehouse facilities in place with various financial
institutions and institutional lenders with an aggregate capacity of $800
million, of which $688.9 million was unused. These facilities are subject to
renewal or extension, at various times in 1997 at the option of the lenders.
Proceeds from securitizations, generally received within seven to ten days
following the cut-off date established for the securitization transaction, are
utilized to invest in additional loan purchases and applied to repay amounts
outstanding under warehouse facilities.
 
                                      S-30
<PAGE>
    SECURITIZATION PROGRAM.  An important capital resource for the Company has
been its ability to sell automobile loans in the secondary markets through
securitizations. The following table summarizes the Company's securitizations
during the three years ended December 31, 1996, all of which have been publicly
issued and were rated "AAA/Aaa".
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                      REMAINING        REMAINING
                                      BALANCE AS     BALANCE AS A      CURRENT        WEIGHTED          GROSS
                                          OF          PERCENTAGE      WEIGHTED         AVERAGE        INTEREST
                        ORIGINAL     DECEMBER 31,     OF ORIGINAL      AVERAGE     SECURITIZATION       RATE
        DATE            BALANCE          1996           BALANCE          APR            RATE           SPREAD
- --------------------  ------------   ------------   ---------------  -----------  -----------------  -----------
<S>                   <C>            <C>            <C>              <C>          <C>                <C>
March 94              $    260,000   $    72,580           27.92%         11.13%           5.66%           5.47%
September 94               430,000       165,351           38.45          12.80            6.81            5.99
February 95                158,400        68,650           43.34          13.87            7.88            5.99
March 95                   300,000       134,341           44.78          14.41            7.31            7.10
June 95                    470,000       242,987           51.70          14.19            6.20            7.99
September 95               525,000       307,926           58.65          13.77            6.03            7.74
December 95                600,000       389,884           64.98          13.77            5.88            7.89
March 96                   600,000       437,653           72.94          13.72            5.81            7.91
June 96                    650,000       540,368           83.13          14.46            6.62            7.84
September 96               725,000       664,248           91.62          14.83            6.75            8.08
December 96 (1)            730,000       683,333           93.61          15.19            6.08            9.11
                      ------------   ------------
                      $  5,448,400   $ 3,707,321
                      ------------   ------------
                      ------------   ------------
</TABLE>
 
- ------------------------------
 
(1) At December 31, 1996, $692.6 million of automobile loans had been delivered
    to the trust and $37.4 million cash remained in the pre-funded portion of
    the trust. In January 1997, the Company delivered sufficient loans to the
    trust and obtained the release of the remaining cash in the pre-funded
    portion of the trust. See "--Hedging and Pre-funding Strategy" below.
 
    The Company utilizes net proceeds from securitizations to invest in
additional loan purchases and to repay warehouse indebtedness, thereby making
its warehouse facilities available for further purchases of automobile loans. At
December 31, 1996, the Company had securitized approximately $5.8 billion of
automobile loans since its inception in 1990 with remaining balances of
approximately $3.8 billion.
 
    All of the Company's securitization trusts and one of the warehouse
facilities of a subsidiary of the Company are credit-enhanced through financial
guaranty insurance policies issued by FSA which insure payment of principal and
interest due on the related asset-backed securities. Asset-backed securities
insured by FSA have been rated AAA by Standard & Poor's and Aaa by Moody's
Investors Service, Inc. At December 31, 1996, FSA had insured approximately $5.8
billion original principal amount of Company-sponsored asset-backed securities.
During 1996, the Company agreed to use FSA as insurer of the asset-backed
securities issued in its insured securitizations through December 1998 in
consideration for certain limitations on FSA insurance premiums. FSA is not
obligated to provide insurance for the Company's future securitizations. In
order to obtain FSA insurance, the Company is obligated to establish spread
accounts, and to maintain such spread accounts at pre-determined levels, in
connection with each insured securitization through the collection and
restriction of excess cash flow from the loans securitized. These spread
accounts are funded through initial deposits, when required, and out of excess
cash flow from the related securitization trust. Thereafter, during each month
excess cash flow due to ORFC from all insured securitization trusts is first
used to replenish spread accounts to predetermined levels and is then
distributed to the Company. If excess cash flow from all insured securitization
trusts is not sufficient to replenish all spread accounts, no cash flow would be
available to the Company from ORFC for that month. Spread accounts are also
replenished through cash received from the liquidation of repossessions under
defaulted receivables. However, such cash is generally received in months
subsequent to default and can therefore result in timing differences as to when
excess cash flows are released to the Company. The spread account for each
insured securitization trust is cross-collateralized with the spread accounts
established for the Company's other insured securitization trusts. Excess cash
flow from performing securitization trusts insured by FSA may be used to support
negative cash flow from, or to replenish a deficit spread account in connection
with, non-performing securitization trusts insured by FSA. The Company's
obligations to FSA in respect of insured securitizations and the BofA Facility
are limited to the amounts on deposit in the spread accounts and excess cash
flow.
 
                                      S-31
<PAGE>
    In connection with its securitizations, the Company continually seeks to
improve its structures to reduce up-front costs and to maximize excess cash flow
available to the Company. The Company may consider alternative securitization
structures, including senior/subordinated tranches, and alternative forms of
credit enhancement, such as letters of credit and surety bonds. For example,
during 1995 and 1994, the Company realized a portion of its finance income
receivable by selling an interest-only strip in its September 1995 and September
1994 securitizations. Proceeds from the sale of the interest-only strips were
approximately $6.1 million in 1995 and approximately $7.0 million in 1994. There
were no interest-only strips sold during 1996. The structure of each securitized
sale of loans will depend on market conditions, costs of securitization and the
availability of credit enhancement options to the Company.
 
    HEDGING AND PRE-FUNDING STRATEGY.  The Company employs hedging strategies to
manage its gross interest rate spread. Through the use of these hedging
strategies, the Company is able to determine its approximate financing cost
prior to, or near to, the purchase of loans and thereby maintain its gross
interest rate spread within a desired range. Because interest rates on
asset-backed securities for automobile loans generally tend to rise or fall when
other short-term interest rates fluctuate, a material increase in interest rates
prior to securitization could adversely affect the profitability of such
securitization to the Company in the absence of a hedging strategy.
 
    The Company also mitigates its exposure to interest rate risk through a
pre-funding strategy in which it securitizes a portion of its loans held for
sale while selling future loans in a pre-funded securitization. In a pre-funded
securitization, the principal amount of the asset-backed securities issued in
the securitization exceeds the principal balance of loans initially delivered to
the securitization trust. The proceeds from the pre-funded portion are held in
trust earning money market yields until released upon delivery of additional
loans. The Company agrees to deliver additional loans into the securitization
trust from time to time (generally monthly) equal in the aggregate to the amount
by which the principal balance of the asset-backed securities exceeds the
principal balance of the loans initially delivered. In pre-funded
securitizations, the Company predetermines the borrowing costs with respect to
loans it subsequently purchases and delivers into the securitization trust.
However, the Company incurs an expense in pre-funding securitizations equal to
the difference between the money market yields earned on the proceeds held in
trust prior to the subsequent delivery of loans and the interest rate paid on
the asset-backed securities.
 
    The Company also has some interest rate exposure to falling interest rates
to the extent that the Company's offered rates decline after the Company has
engaged in a pre-funded securitization, although the Company's offered rates
generally respond less rapidly to rate fluctuations than financing costs.
 
    The Company also sells forward U.S. Treasuries that most closely parallel
the average life of its portfolio of loans held for sale. By doing so, the
Company is able to obtain an inverse relationship between the loans being hedged
and the U.S. Treasury market. The hedging gain or loss is netted against the
gain on sale of loans. Such hedges include certain risks created by the cash
versus non-cash relationship of the hedging instrument and the related
securitization. This relationship arises because U.S. Treasury forward contracts
are settled with current cash payments and the gain on sale of loans represents
the present value of estimated future cash flows. To the extent hedging gains or
losses resulting from U.S. Treasury forward contracts are significant, the
resulting cash payments or receipts may impact the Company's liquidity. Hedging
transactions required a net use of cash of $0.3 million and $11.7 million during
1996 and 1995, respectively, and provided cash of $0.8 million in 1994.
 
    Management has controls and policies in place to assess and monitor its risk
from hedging activities. Management follows its policy of hedging loan amounts
purchased or expected to be delivered within the next 120 days. Management
reviews the interest rate movements in the U.S. Treasury markets and receives a
daily internal report tracking such movements. Monthly, management receives an
interest rate report that describes not only interest rate movements, but also
the amount of corresponding increase or decrease in the value of its hedged
securitizations. Most of the Company's hedging transactions have been for a
period of 75 days or less. The amount and timing of hedging transactions are
determined by members of the Company's senior management, and subject to
approval by the Company's Chief Executive Officer.
 
                                      S-32
<PAGE>
Management assesses factors including the interest rate environment, loan
production levels and open positions of current hedging positions.
 
OTHER CAPITAL RESOURCES
 
    Historically, the Company has utilized various debt and equity financings to
offset negative operating cash flows and support the continued growth in loan
volume, increased dollar amount of dealer participations, securitizations and
general operating expenses.
 
    During 1996, the Company completed a public offering of 8,050,000 shares of
Common Stock and received net proceeds of approximately $146.0 million. In March
1996, the Company issued to the public $30.0 million aggregate principal amount
of 10.125% Subordinated Notes Series 1996-A, due 2001 and received net proceeds
of approximately $29.0 million. Proceeds from the 1996 offerings were available
as working capital for loan purchases and general operations.
 
    In February 1995, the Company entered into a temporary financing facility
(the "Facility") in order to provide cash pending completion of the common stock
and senior debt offerings described below and to repay $30.0 million of
outstanding Senior Secured Notes. Under the Facility, the Company borrowed $55.0
million through the issuance of Senior Unsecured Increasing Rate Notes. In April
1995, proceeds from the common stock and senior term debt offerings described
below were used to retire the notes issued under the Facility at par plus
accrued interest.
 
    In April 1995, the Company issued to the public 9,849,900 shares of Common
Stock and $145.0 million principal amount of Senior Term Notes. The Company
received aggregate net proceeds from the issuance of the Common Stock and Senior
Term Notes of approximately $231.0 million and applied $56.2 million of such
proceeds to retire its temporary financing facility plus accrued interest, $15.6
million to retire the Company's 9.875% Senior Subordinated Notes (including a
prepayment fee of $0.5 million and accrued interest of $0.1 million), and $9.4
million to fund a reserve account established for future payment of interest on
the Senior Term Notes. The remaining proceeds of $149.8 million were available
as working capital for loan purchases and general operations.
 
    The Company pays interest on the Senior Term Notes semi-annually on November
1 and May 1 of each year. The Senior Term Notes are not callable prior to May 1,
1998. Thereafter, the Senior Term Notes are redeemable, in whole or in part, at
the option of the Company, at 108.5% and 104.25% if redeemed during the twelve
month periods beginning May 1, 1998, and 1999, respectively, together with
accrued and unpaid interest to the date of redemption. The Company will be
obligated to make an offer to purchase all outstanding Senior Term Notes at a
price of 101% of the principal amount thereof, together with accrued and unpaid
interest to the date of purchase if certain covenants (as defined within the
Senior Term Note indenture) regarding sales of assets, change in control or
annualized net losses are violated. The Senior Term Notes are unsecured
obligations of the Company (except for a reserve fund equal to one interest
payment on the outstanding principal balance of the Senior Term Notes) and rank
senior to all outstanding subordinated notes of the Company and pari passu in
right of payment with all unsecured and unsubordinated indebtedness of the
Company. On January 21, 1997, the Company made a tender offer to purchase all of
its outstanding Senior Term Notes. See Note 14 to the Company's Consolidated
Financial Statements.
 
    Pursuant to demand registration rights of certain holders of warrants issued
by the Company between 1992 and 1994 in connection with its issuance of Senior
Secured and Senior Subordinated Notes, the Company filed separate registration
statements during April and October 1995 covering 213,000 and 3,871,364 shares
of Common Stock, respectively, issuable upon exercise of the warrants for
secondary sale at market should the holders decide to do so. The Company would
receive aggregate proceeds of approximately $17.0 million assuming exercise of
all of the warrants. As of December 31, 1996, 2,405,089 shares of Common Stock
had been issued in connection with exercise of such warrants for aggregate
proceeds of $10.0 million.
 
                                      S-33
<PAGE>
    In September 1994, the Company began a program to sell up to $50.0 million
of unsecured subordinated notes (the "Junior Subordinated Notes") to be offered
to the public from time to time (the "Note Program"). Issuance of Junior
Subordinated Notes under the Note Program is subject to restrictions under the
Senior Term Note indenture. The Note Program includes Junior Subordinated Notes
extendible by the investor having maturities of 30, 60, 90 and 180 days and one
year after the date of issue and fixed-term Junior Subordinated Notes having
maturities of one, two, three, four, five and 10 years after the date of issue.
Interest rates on any unsold Junior Subordinated Notes are subject to change by
the Company from time to time based on market conditions. Interest rates on
extendible Junior Subordinated Notes may be adjusted at any roll-over date. At
December 31, 1996, the Company had $23.7 million of Junior Subordinated Notes
outstanding.
 
    The terms of the Senior Term Note indenture, among other things, limit,
subject to certain other requirements and with certain exceptions, certain
payments, including dividends on common or preferred stock, to 50% of
Consolidated Cash Flow (as defined). Consolidated Cash Flow is defined as
Operating Cash Receipts less Cash Expenses for the four quarterly periods
preceding a proposed restricted payment. The Company has had and expects to
continue to have negative Consolidated Cash Flow for so long as the rapid growth
of its loan purchase volume continues.
 
    Consolidated Cash Flow for the four-quarter period ended December 31, 1996,
is as follows:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                                  FOR THE
                                                                               FOUR QUARTERS
                                                                                   ENDED
                                                                             DECEMBER 31, 1996
                                                                             -----------------
                                                                              (IN THOUSANDS)
<S>                                                                          <C>
Operating Cash Receipts:
  Excess cash flows received from securitization trusts....................     $    43,351
  Servicing fee income.....................................................          27,018
  Other cash income........................................................           7,959
                                                                             -----------------
    Total Operating Cash Receipts..........................................          78,328
 
Less Cash Expenses:
  Payment of dealer commissions............................................          94,938
  Cash operating expenses..................................................          98,644
  Interest paid on warehouse and other debt................................          33,448
  Preferred dividends......................................................           1,688
                                                                             -----------------
    Total Cash Expenses....................................................         228,718
                                                                             -----------------
Consolidated Cash Flow.....................................................     $  (150,390)
                                                                             -----------------
                                                                             -----------------
</TABLE>
 
    At December 31, 1996 the Company's Portfolio Loss Ratio (as defined in the
Senior Term Note indenture) was 1.12% and the Company's Consolidated Net Worth
(as defined in the Senior Term Note indenture) was $388.7 million.
 
    On January 21, 1997 the Company made a tender offer to purchase all of its
outstanding Senior Term Notes. See Note 14 to the Company's Consolidated
Financial Statements.
 
    The terms of the Indenture will limit the ability of the Company to incur
additional Indebtedness, subject to (among other things) the Company's ability
to meet a Consolidated Leverage Ratio test. Upon completion of the Offering,
assuming repurchase of all of the outstanding Senior Term Notes pursuant to the
Note Tender Offer, as amended, the Company anticipates that it will be able to
incur additional indebtedness under the Consolidated Leverage Ratio test. The
Indenture also permits other indebtedness (including Permitted Warehouse Debt,
as defined) without regard to the test summarized above. See "Description of
Notes."
 
                                      S-34
<PAGE>
                                    BUSINESS
 
GENERAL
 
    The Company purchases, securitizes and services consumer automobile loans
originated primarily by car dealers affiliated with major foreign and domestic
manufacturers. At December 31, 1996, the Company had purchased loans from more
than 7,700 dealers in 40 states, a substantial majority of which sell loans to
the Company on a regular basis. Loans are purchased through 17 regional buying
centers serving as "hubs" in 14 states, supplemented by a network of dealer
development representatives ("DDRs"). DDRs generate loans in their assigned
markets, or "spokes," while credit approval and loan processing are generally
performed at the "hub" or at the Company's headquarters in Minneapolis,
Minnesota. As a result of this strategy, the Company has expanded the number of
dealers in its network and has significantly increased its annual volume of
automobile loans purchased, from $743.3 million in 1994 to $2.8 billion in 1996,
without incurring the additional costs that would be associated with
establishing a proportionate number of new buying centers. The Company services
loans primarily through four regional servicing and collection centers.
 
    The Company purchases loans based on its underwriting procedures, which
focus on a borrower's qualifications and collateral value. The Company's
underwriting criteria do not distinguish between new and used vehicles, which
represented approximately 28.7% and 71.3%, respectively, of the Company's loan
purchases in 1996. The Company seeks to maximize gross interest rate spreads
relative to expected net losses by maintaining a tiered pricing system based on
the borrower's credit characteristics as measured by the Company's underwriting
and proprietary credit scoring criteria. The Company markets its loan products
to dealers under two programs, designated Premier and Classic. "Premier" and
"Classic" are proprietary trademarks of the Company. Premier borrowers generally
have stronger credit characteristics than those of Classic borrowers. At
December 31, 1996, the Company was purchasing approximately 50% of its aggregate
loans under each of the Classic and the Premier programs. The Company may change
its loan purchase mix at any time and from time to time. The Company considers
substantially all of the loans it purchases under both the Premier and Classic
programs to be in the "prime" or "non-prime" loan categories, but does not
consider the loans it purchases under such programs to be in the "sub-prime"
loan category. In accordance with prevailing industry practice, the Company pays
an up-front dealer participation to the originating dealer for each loan
purchased. These dealer participations vary in amount among the Company's loan
products and are generally greater under the Premier program than under the
Classic program.
 
    The Company primarily uses warehouse facilities to fund the initial purchase
of loans. The Company securitizes purchased loans as asset-backed securities,
generally on a quarterly or more frequent basis. In its securitizations, the
Company, through a special purpose subsidiary, transfers loans to newly-formed
securitization trusts which issue one or more classes of asset-backed
securities. The asset-backed securities are simultaneously sold to investors and
the Company recognizes a gain on the sale of the loans. Each month, collections
of principal and interest on the securitized loans are used by the trustee to
pay the holders of the related asset-backed securities, to establish and
maintain spread accounts as a source of cash to cover shortfalls in collections
and to pay expenses associated with the securitizations and subsequent
servicing. After such application by the trustee, amounts in excess of those
necessary to satisfy requirements associated with the asset-backed securities
are generally distributed to the Company, subject to its agreements with FSA.
All of the Company's securitization trusts and one of the Company's warehouse
facilities are credit-enhanced through financial guaranty insurance policies,
issued by FSA, which insure payments of principal and interest due on the
related asset-backed securities. Asset-backed securities insured by FSA have
been rated AAA by Standard & Poor's and Aaa by Moody's Investors Service, Inc.
 
    The Company acts as the servicer of all loans originated by it and
securitized in return for a monthly servicing fee. Until October 1996, servicing
and collection functions were provided through the Company's national servicing
and collections center located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and in each of its 17
"hubs." In response to the rapid growth of its servicing portfolio, continued
expansion of its Classic program (which generally requires greater collection
efforts than its Premier program), and increases in delinquencies and default
rates on its servicing portfolio, the Company substantially increased its
servicing and collection staff and, in October 1996, implemented a strategy to
regionalize its servicing and collection
 
                                      S-35
<PAGE>
capabilities into four new locations: Charlotte, North Carolina; Dallas, Texas;
Denver, Colorado and Minneapolis, Minnesota.
 
STRATEGIES
 
    The Company's business objective is to maximize the volume and profitability
of loans it purchases, securitizes and services. To achieve this objective, the
Company employs the following strategies:
 
    - EMPHASIS ON DEALER RELATIONSHIPS -- The Company believes that one of its
      key competitive advantages is its ability to identify and meet a dealer's
      financing needs. When presented with a loan application, the Company
      attempts to notify the dealer within one hour or less whether it will
      approve, conditionally approve or deny the automobile loan for purchase
      from the dealer. The Company's business hours generally coincide with
      those of the dealership and, in some cases, the Company will provide loan
      processing on the dealer's premises during dealer promotions. When the
      Company considers a borrower's credit quality to be adequate, the Company
      may provide the dealer with flexibility in developing loan structures to
      accommodate a borrower's needs, such as extended payment terms or low
      down-payment requirements. To further assist the dealer, the Company may
      perform more in-depth underwriting analysis when warranted by special
      circumstances. A DDR maintain frequent contacts with the dealer and
      recommends service enhancements from time to time. By employing consistent
      loan underwriting and purchasing procedures, the Company believes that it
      provides the dealer with a reliable and consistent source of financing.
 
    - TIERED PRICING STRATEGY -- The Company maintains a tiered pricing system,
      allowing it to price different loan products according to the profiles of
      borrowers' credit characteristics as measured by the Company's proprietary
      credit scoring system. The Company's tiered pricing system seeks to (i)
      maximize gross interest rate spreads relative to expected net losses
      within each credit tier, (ii) provide a greater opportunity to expand its
      automobile loan market share through loan products that address a greater
      variety of customer needs, and (iii) reduce initial cash requirements
      relative to the Premier program because the Company offers lower dealer
      participations on Classic loans.
 
    - MAINTENANCE OF UNDERWRITING PROCEDURES -- The Company has developed a
      proprietary credit scoring system designed to maintain consistent
      underwriting procedures for its loan authorizations. The Company's credit
      scoring system monitors six evaluation criteria, including debt-to-income,
      payment-to-income, loan-to-value, bankruptcy score, credit score and loan
      size. Based on the results of the credit scoring system, loan applications
      are reviewed by one of the Company's credit specialists and, based on the
      Company's underwriting procedures, are frequently reviewed by one or more
      credit managers, to determine whether the loan should be approved. To
      monitor the integrity of the underwriting procedures, management tracks on
      a daily basis the approval rates and delinquency and loss rates by credit
      specialist, buying center and dealer.
 
    - SERVICING -- The Company has regionalized its servicing and collection
      functions and in 1996 established four regional centers located in
      Charlotte, North Carolina; Dallas, Texas; Denver, Colorado and
      Minneapolis, Minnesota. These centers are staffed with over 500 trained
      personnel responsible for various servicing, collection and repossession
      activities. They are assisted by highly automated telephone dialing
      systems which improve the Company's ability to make early contact with
      delinquent obligors. In addition the Company utilizes a computerized
      collection system to aid its servicing and collection centers. The Company
      regularly monitors and periodically evaluates its servicing and collection
      centers with a view to improving their procedures and anticipating
      expansion of loan purchase volume or changes in product mix.
 
    - FUNDING AND LIQUIDITY THROUGH WAREHOUSING AND SECURITIZATIONS -- The
      Company funds the acquisition of automobile loans principally through
      several warehouse facilities including a bank credit facility and two
      facilities with asset-backed commercial paper programs. Currently, these
      facilities provide sufficient capacity to handle the Company's loan
      purchases. The Company securitizes purchased loans as asset-backed
      securities and uses such securitizations as a cost competitive source of
      capital compared to traditional sources of corporate debt financing.
      Securitization enables the
 
                                      S-36
<PAGE>
      Company to sell automobile loans on a regular basis, while retaining the
      right to receive future servicing fees and excess cash flows.
      Securitization also allows the Company to use the net proceeds from such
      sales to fund the purchase of additional automobile loans.
 
    - RETAILING OF REPOSSESSED AUTOMOBILES -- The Company channels a substantial
      majority of its repossession inventory through retail markets, primarily
      retail used car consignment lots. The Company believes that the greater
      recoveries available from the retail market justify the costs of
      maintaining unsold repossession inventory and managing the retail program.
      In addition, the use of retail markets provides the Company with an
      opportunity to finance the sale of repossessed automobiles to new buyers.
 
AUTOMOBILE DEALER PROGRAM
 
    OVERVIEW.  The following table describes the growth in the number of dealers
with whom the Company has entered into a dealer agreement during the three years
ended December 31, 1996. A substantial majority of these dealers sell loans to
the Company on a regular basis.
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                              OPENING
REGIONAL BUYING CENTER                                         DATE        1994       1995       1996
- ----------------------------------------------------------  -----------  ---------  ---------  ---------
<S>                                                         <C>          <C>        <C>        <C>
Minnesota.................................................        6/90         340        645        823
Colorado..................................................        4/92         240        414        500
North Texas...............................................       11/92         334        467        534
Washington................................................        3/93         248        409        532
Arizona...................................................        7/93         136        266        344
Florida...................................................        8/93         169        332        477
Georgia...................................................       11/93         250        395        499
South Texas (1)...........................................        2/94         175        333        311
Northern California.......................................        6/94         115        286        424
Missouri..................................................        6/94         163        403        547
Massachusetts.............................................        8/94         123        400        581
Tennessee.................................................       10/94          51        218        300
Ohio......................................................        3/95          --        208        395
North Carolina............................................        5/95          --        309        513
Southern California.......................................       12/95          --         25        303
New York..................................................        3/96          --         --        339
West Texas (1)............................................        7/96          --         --        305
                                                                         ---------  ---------  ---------
    Totals................................................                   2,344      5,110      7,727
                                                                         ---------  ---------  ---------
                                                                         ---------  ---------  ---------
</TABLE>
 
- ------------------------
 
(1) Prior to July 1996, the West Texas region was included in the South Texas
    region.
 
    The Company believes that the volume and quality of the loans it acquires
depends upon its ability to establish and maintain satisfactory relationships
with automobile dealers. The Company's DDRs and other loan purchasing personnel
emphasize dealer service. The Company attempts to identify the particular
service needs of dealers and to provide a reliable source of financing for
qualified automobile buyers. DDRs are the Company's primary contact with its
dealers and are responsible for prospecting new dealerships, selling the
Company's programs, and cultivating dealer relationships. DDRs train dealer
personnel in the Company's programs and meet with dealer management periodically
in an effort to ensure the dealer's needs and expectations are being satisfied.
DDRs serving in the Company's "spokes" typically operate within a 200-mile
radius of a regional buying center. The Company's cost in maintaining DDRs is
limited to compensation determined solely on the basis of loan volume generated
in their respective territories.
 
LOAN PURCHASES AND UNDERWRITING
 
    LOAN PURCHASES.  Retail automobile buyers are customarily directed to a
dealer's finance and insurance department to finalize their purchase agreement
and to review potential financing sources and
 
                                      S-37
<PAGE>
rates available from the dealer. If the customer elects to pursue financing
through the dealer, an application is taken for submission to the dealer's
financing sources. The Company's agreements with its dealers are non-exclusive
and, typically, a dealer will submit the purchaser's application to more than
one financing source for review. The dealer in consultation with the borrower
will decide which source will finance the automobile purchase based upon the
rates being offered, the terms for approval, dealer participations or certain
incentives offered from time to time in accordance with captive wholesale
financing arrangements with the dealer's primary supplier of automobiles.
 
    When presented with a loan application, the Company attempts to notify the
dealer within an hour or less whether it will approve, conditionally approve or
deny the loan for purchase from the dealer. A loan purchase by the Company
generally occurs simultaneously with the purchase by the buyer of the related
automobile and the making of the loan to the buyer by the dealer. The buyer's
purchase generally is not completed until the Company or another financing
source approves a loan. If the application is approved by the Company and the
buyer accepts the terms of the financing, the buyer enters into an installment
contract or secured note with the dealer on a form prepared and provided to the
dealer by the Company. At the bottom or reverse of the contract or note is an
assignment of the loan to the Company which is signed by the dealer.
 
    UNDERWRITING.  The Company purchases loans based on its established
underwriting procedures. The Company's underwriting procedures include scoring
the borrower's loan application in accordance with the Company's proprietary
credit scoring system and comparing such credit scores to established
underwriting criteria. For borrowers with credit scores falling outside
predetermined criteria, the Company's policies require additional review and
approval by supervisory personnel in order to determine whether to approve such
loans. These procedures are intended to assess the applicant's ability to repay
the amounts due on the loan and the adequacy of the financed vehicle as
collateral. The Company's underwriting procedures do not distinguish between new
and used vehicles. The Company maintains a tiered pricing system, allowing it to
price loans according to the borrower's credit characteristics. The Company
markets its loan products to automobile dealers through its Premier and Classic
programs. Premier borrowers generally have stronger credit characteristics than
those of Classic borrowers.
 
    Each applicant for a loan is required to complete and sign an application
which lists the applicant's assets, liabilities, income, credit and employment
history and other personal information. Upon receipt of the completed loan
application, the Company's administrative personnel order a credit bureau report
on the applicant to document the applicant's credit history. The application and
the credit bureau report are given to one of the Company's credit specialists
for analysis under the Company's proprietary credit scoring system.
 
    The Company's credit scoring system evaluates the credit applicant with an
emphasis on cash flow as a principal indicator of repayment capability and
provides credit scores which are utilized by the Company as a basis to determine
if the applicant initially falls within the parameters of the Company's
underwriting criteria for a particular loan product. Assuming that the applicant
qualifies, the Company will expand its credit review by preparing an analysis of
the applicant's debt-to-income and payment-to-income ratios, and purchasing from
a credit bureau an additional credit score which attempts to assess the
likelihood of borrower bankruptcies. If the applicant meets the Company's
underwriting standards, the Company generally will approve the application. For
Classic borrowers (and, if certain scoring criteria are not satisfied, for
Premier borrowers), this data is subject to further investigation. This
investigation typically consists of direct telephone confirmations, when
feasible, of the applicant's employment and may also include direct credit
references from banks and financial institutions noted on the application.
 
    Once scoring and verifications have been completed, one of the Company's
credit specialists reviews the application to ensure that it meets the
requirements of the Company's internal system and also reviews the various
banking and employment verifications obtained. The credit specialist also
considers the amount to be financed in relation to the purchase price and market
value of the automobile. If the vehicle is used, the Company determines market
value based upon the Kelly Blue Book value or the National Automobile Dealers
Association's ("NADA") Guide on Retail and Wholesale Values. Consistent with
 
                                      S-38
<PAGE>
industry standards, this assessment does not include inspection of the
automobile. The Company does not reject an applicant solely because of the age
of the automobile.
 
    Objective credit scoring criteria provide the factual background for lending
decisions, but such decisions frequently require the credit judgment of the
Company's credit specialists. To the extent an applicant fails to meet one or
more of the scoring benchmarks for the proposed loan, the Company generally
requires higher levels of management scrutiny before such loans are approved. In
1996, a substantial majority of Classic loans and a substantial number of
Premier loans purchased by the Company failed to meet at least one applicable
scoring benchmark and generally were subject to additional management review
before approval of these loans.
 
    Upon completion of the credit analysis, the Company decides whether it will
approve, conditionally approve or deny the loan application as submitted.
Conditioning approval of the application involves amending the dealer's proposed
terms of the loan to qualify the application according to Company procedures.
Typical conditions include, but are not limited to, requiring a co-applicant,
amending the length of the proposed term, requiring additional down payment,
substantiating certain credit information, or requiring proof of resolution of
certain credit deficiencies as noted on the applicant's credit history.
Approved, declined or conditioned application decisions are promptly
communicated to the dealer by phone or facsimile. Additionally, the applicant is
informed by the Company of any credit denial or other adverse action by mail, in
compliance with applicable statutory requirements.
 
    The Company regularly reviews the quality of the loans it purchases and
conducts internal compliance reviews on a monthly basis.
 
    RESALE AND FINANCING OF REPOSSESSIONS.  The Company channels a substantial
majority of its repossession inventory through retail markets, primarily retail
used car consignment lots. The Company believes that the greater recoveries
available from the retail market justify the costs of maintaining higher levels
of unsold repossession inventory and managing the retail program. In addition,
the use of retail markets provides the Company with an opportunity to finance
the repossessed vehicles with new buyers. During 1996, the Company sold
approximately 70% of its repossession inventory through retail markets and the
Company financed approximately 90% of these sales. At December 31, 1996, the
Company had arrangements with 67 smaller consignment lots compared with ten
large retail consignment lots at December 31, 1995. The Company also sells
repossessed automobiles in the wholesale auction markets from time to time to
maintain its repossession inventory at acceptable levels as determined by
management.
 
    The Company applies the same underwriting methodology and procedures to the
financing of repossessed automobiles as it applies to the purchase of other loan
products, but it allows credit specialists and managers greater latitude in the
financed repossession product to approve exceptions (with appropriate management
authorization) to underwriting criteria as compared to other products in the
Premier and Classic programs. The principal amount of retail repossession sales
financed by the Company increased from $25.7 million (1.13% of the total
servicing portfolio) at December 31, 1995 to $96.9 million (2.56% of the total
servicing portfolio) at December 31, 1996. Principally as a result of an
inventory reduction effort in the fourth quarter of 1995 and the first quarter
of 1996, together with improper practices by certain of the initial consignment
dealers (with which the Company has since terminated its business
relationships), the delinquency, default and loss rates of the Company's
portfolio of repossessed automobile loans have significantly exceeded the rates
of the Company's other loan products, accounting for a disproportionate amount
of the Company's overall delinquencies, defaults and losses in 1996. The Company
has instituted more comprehensive controls over its financed repossession
product for the purpose of reducing delinquency, default and loss rates to
acceptable levels. Acceptable levels of delinquencies, defaults and losses in
the repossession loan portfolio, as determined by management, may exceed levels
typically experienced in the Company's other loan products. See "Management's
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations."
 
    DEALER PARTICIPATIONS.  The Company remits to the dealer the amount financed
pursuant to the terms of the loan and, consistent with industry practice, a
dealer participation for selling such loan to the Company. The Company computes
the dealer participation by calculating the amount of cash flow arising from the
rate differential between the interest rate charged by the automobile dealer to
the borrower and the rate offered by
 
                                      S-39
<PAGE>
the Company to the dealer. The Company generally offers two alternative methods
for payment of the dealer participation. Under the "shared participation"
method, the dealer generally receives a percentage of the total participation at
the time of sale in exchange for a shorter charge back period. During the
charge-back period the Company is entitled to recover the upfront percentage
received by the dealer in the event of a prepayment or default during the first
90 to 180 days. Under an alternative method, the Company pays the full
participation to the dealer less approximately 1% of the outstanding loan
balance which is held in reserve to allow for future charges to the dealer in
the event of early prepayment or default. Under the alternative method, the
Company is entitled to recover from the dealer the unearned portion of the
dealer participation in the event of a prepayment or default in excess of the
amount withheld at any point prior to contractual maturity and the entire
reserve amount if the loan defaults within its first 12 months. A substantial
majority of the Company's dealers elect the "shared participation" method.
 
MARKETS AND EXPANSION
 
    The following table illustrates the loan purchasing volume and percentage of
total loan purchases by regional buying center during the three years ended
December 31, 1996:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
(Dollars in thousands)
REGIONAL BUYING CENTER                             1994                       1995                       1996
- ---------------------------------------  ------------------------   ------------------------   ------------------------
<S>                                      <C>            <C>         <C>            <C>         <C>            <C>
Minnesota..............................  $     61,135        8.23%  $    117,253        5.71%  $    160,376        5.83%
Colorado...............................        77,982       10.49        145,552        7.09        161,880        5.89
North Texas............................       109,624       14.75        260,775       12.71        299,673       10.90
Washington.............................        75,218       10.12        176,241        8.59        198,580        7.22
Arizona................................        71,936        9.68        124,921        6.09        204,717        7.44
Florida................................        79,598       10.71        123,308        6.01        144,042        5.24
Georgia................................        95,123       12.80        143,289        6.98        189,346        6.88
South Texas (1)........................        98,699       13.28        335,317       16.34        278,457       10.12
Northern California....................        23,822        3.21        149,291        7.27        192,794        7.01
Missouri...............................        33,267        4.48        172,569        8.41        173,381        6.30
Massachusetts..........................        12,359        1.66        108,090        5.27        131,794        4.79
Tennessee..............................         4,493        0.59         99,951        4.87        141,491        5.15
Ohio...................................            --          --          9,844        0.48         57,267        2.08
North Carolina.........................            --          --         85,978        4.18        202,255        7.35
Southern California....................            --          --             34          --         57,858        2.10
New York...............................            --          --             --          --         44,516        1.62
West Texas (1).........................            --          --             --          --        112,126        4.08
                                         ------------   ---------   ------------   ---------   ------------   ---------
    Totals.............................  $    743,256      100.00%  $  2,052,413      100.00%  $  2,750,553      100.00%
                                         ------------   ---------   ------------   ---------   ------------   ---------
                                         ------------   ---------   ------------   ---------   ------------   ---------
</TABLE>
 
- ------------------------
(1) Prior to July 1996, the West Texas region was included in the South Texas
    region.
 
    The Company regularly evaluates its "hub and spoke" strategy and from time
to time has expanded into new markets through the establishment of additional
regional buying centers and "spoke" operations. The Company's expansion program
is directed by personnel with backgrounds in credit administration, finance and
operations, information systems, facilities development, sales and marketing and
human resources. In considering potential markets for expansion, the Company
reviews such factors as population, income per capita, retail sales per capita,
city work force, number of households, average annual income, automobile
registrations, driver licenses issued and number of dealerships in the state and
standard metropolitan statistical areas and the competitive environment for
automobile financing. The Company also considers other general expansion
criteria, including but not limited to, recruiting and staffing, training,
compensation and benefits, policies and procedures, demographics, and legal and
licensing requirements. The Company also reviews the performance of existing
buying centers to evaluate their continuing contribution to the Company's
strategy.
 
                                      S-40
<PAGE>
FINANCING
 
    WAREHOUSE FACILITIES.  The Company uses warehouse facilities to finance its
purchase of loans on a short-term basis pending securitization. At January 31,
1997, the Company had an aggregate borrowing capacity of approximately $720.0
million under three primary warehouse facilities, of which $621.6 million was
available. The Company may borrow, on a revolving basis, up to $170.0 million
pursuant to a credit agreement (the "Credit Agreement") with a syndicate of
banking institutions (the "Banks") led by Bank of America National Trust and
Savings Association (the "Agent"). In addition, the Company, through a
wholly-owned special purpose subsidiary, ORFC, has a $300.0 million receivables
warehouse facility (the "BofA Facility") with Receivables Capital Corporation
("RCC"), a commercial paper conduit sponsored by Bank of America. At January 31,
1997, the Company, through another wholly-owned special purpose subsidiary,
Olympic Receivables Finance Corp. II ("ORFC II"), had an approximately $250.0
million receivables warehouse facility (the "DFC Facility" and, together with
the Credit Agreement and the BofA Facility, the "Warehouse Facilities") with
Delaware Funding Corporation ("DFC"), a commercial paper conduit managed by
Morgan Guaranty Trust Company of New York.
 
    Amounts outstanding under the Credit Agreement are secured by the automobile
loans pledged to the Agent as collateral for borrowings under the Credit
Agreement. Under the Credit Agreement, the Company may borrow 95% of the
outstanding principal amount of eligible automobile loans pledged to secure the
indebtedness. The Company pays a commitment fee to the Banks on the unused
portion of the facility and pays an annual agent's fee to the Agent. The notes
issued to the Banks in respect of borrowings under the Credit Agreement bear
interest at rates determined by reference to the reserve-adjusted interbank
offered rates or the base rate of Bank of America Illinois in effect from time
to time, depending upon the type of advance the Company elects under the Credit
Agreement. The Company's notes issued under the Credit Agreement mature no later
than July 10, 1997. Under the Credit Agreement, the Company is subject to
certain financial and other covenants customary in such financings, including a
minimum capital base requirement and loss ratio and delinquency ratio
requirements for the automobile loans serviced by the Company.
 
    In connection with the BofA Facility, the Company, through ORFC, sells loans
to another wholly-owned special purpose subsidiary, Arcadia Receivables Conduit
Corp. ("ARCC"), and ARCC purchases the loans from ORFC and agrees to transfer
the loans back to ORFC on ORFC's demand (at the time, and for the purpose, of
securitization). ORFC is also obligated to repurchase loans from ARCC on or
before the date which is twelve months following their conveyance to ARCC and
upon the occurrence of a default or certain other events. The BofA Facility
provides for the purchase of loans for an aggregate purchase price outstanding
at any time not to exceed $300.0 million. ARCC finances its purchase of loans
from ORFC by issuing asset-backed notes (the "ARCC Notes") to RCC. FSA provides
credit enhancement with respect to the BofA Facility in the form of a financial
guaranty insurance policy guaranteeing certain payments on the ARCC Notes. The
BofA Facility will continue until the earlier of December 2, 1999 or the
occurrence of certain events, subject to early termination as described below.
The purchase price payable to ORFC by ARCC is 98% of the principal balance of
each loan except in the case of loans used to finance the purchase of vehicles
previously repossessed by the Company, in which case the purchase price is 85%
of the principal balance of the loan. Proceeds of the loans, the loan purchase
price payable to ORFC and the repurchase price payable by ORFC are deposited in
a collection account. The loans and the collection account are pledged to secure
payment of the ARCC Notes. Any excess in the collection account over certain
amounts required to be retained in the account is released to a spread account.
The spread account is cross-collateralized with the spread accounts established
in connection with the Company's securitization trusts. If no default exists
with respect to the BofA Facility, all amounts deposited into the spread account
in excess of 1% of the outstanding balance of loans in the BofA Facility are
released to ORFC. In the event that ORFC or ARCC, respectively, default under
any payment obligation under the BofA Facility, ORFC and ARCC are prohibited
from paying dividends or making other distributions to the Company.
 
    RCC's purchase of the ARCC Notes and concurrent issuance of commercial paper
is supported by a liquidity facility provided by financial institutions (the
"BofA liquidity banks"). This liquidity facility is a revolving obligation that
must be renewed annually. Failure by the BofA liquidity banks to renew this
 
                                      S-41
<PAGE>
liquidity facility would lead to an early termination of the BofA Facility. The
BofA Facility also includes eligibility criteria for loans warehoused, normal
and customary representations, warranties, covenants and portfolio performance
triggers designed to protect RCC, FSA and the BofA liquidity banks from various
risks relating to the pool of automobile loans supporting the BofA Facility.
 
    The Company pays a usage fee to FSA, and usage and non-usage fees to Bank of
America, in connection with the BofA Facility. The ARCC Notes bear an interest
rate equal to the rate at which funds are obtained by RCC from time to time in
the commercial paper market plus a margin. In the event the ARCC Notes are
funded by the BofA liquidity banks, the rate of interest will be the
reserve-adjusted interbank offered rate in effect from time to time plus a
margin.
 
    Under the DFC Facility, the Company, through ORFC II, may from time to time
warehouse automobile loans by selling them to an owner trust (the "Owner
Trust"). The Company may obtain up to 99.9% of the principal balance of the
receivables sold to the Owner Trust, but must deposit a percentage of such
principal balance (subject to increase upon the occurrence of certain events)
into a spread account. The Owner Trust simultaneously issues a Variable Funding
Note ("VFN") to DFC, representing 91% of the outstanding principal balance of
the receivables, and issues investor certificates (the "Investor Certificates")
to institutional investors, representing 8.9% of the outstanding principal
balance of the receivables. The purchase of the VFN will be funded through the
issuance of commercial paper by DFC. The DFC Facility will continue until the
earlier of December 19, 1997 or the occurrence of certain events, subject to
early termination as described below. At the time the Company accesses the
public asset-backed securitization market, the Company's securitization
subsidiary (currently ORFC) purchases the loans using the proceeds from the
securitization and the VFN and the Investor Certificates are redeemed by the
Owner Trust. The Company may use the DFC Facility as a source of permanent
funding for a designated pool of automobile loans, but the pricing on the
facility would be increased under those circumstances.
 
    DFC's purchase of the VFNs and concurrent issuance of commercial paper is
supported by a liquidity facility provided by financial institutions (the "DFC
liquidity banks"). The liquidity facility is a revolving obligation that must be
renewed annually. In addition, the DFC liquidity banks or the institutional
investors that have committed to purchase the Investor Certificates may
terminate the DFC Facility, effective as of June 30, 1997, upon prior written
notice to the Company. In addition to credit enhancement through the
subordination of the Investor Certificates, the spread account and the liquidity
facility, the DFC Facility includes eligibility criteria for loans warehoused,
normal and customary representations and warranties, covenants, and portfolio
triggers designed to protect DFC, the liquidity providers, and the private
investors purchasing the Investor Certificates from various risks relating to
the automobile loans supporting the warehouse facility. In addition, the DFC
Facility contains a capital base covenant with respect to the Company, which is
identical to the covenant in the Credit Agreement.
 
    The Company pays a commitment fee on the daily unused portion of the DFC
Facility. The VFNs bear an interest rate equal to the rate at which funds are
obtained by DFC from time to time in the commercial paper market plus a margin.
The Investor Certificates require a higher market rate. In the event the VFN is
purchased by the DFC liquidity banks, the rate of interest will be the
applicable adjusted Eurodollar rate or base rate (as defined) plus a margin, if
applicable.
 
    SECURITIZATION OF LOANS.  The Company pursues a strategy of securitizing
loans through the sale of asset-backed securities on a quarterly or more
frequent basis, based on the availability of loans, profitability and other
relevant factors. Securitization is used as a cost-competitive source of capital
compared to traditional corporate debt financing alternatives. The Company
utilizes the net proceeds from securitizations to purchase additional automobile
loans and to pay down outstanding warehouse facilities, thereby making such
short-term sources available for future loan purchases.
 
    In its securitizations, the Company (through its special purpose subsidiary,
ORFC) transfers automobile loans to newly-formed securitization trusts which
issue one or more classes of asset-backed securities. The asset-backed
securities are simultaneously sold to investors. To ensure that the
securitization trust is not itself a taxable entity, the Company typically
retains 1% of the subordinated class of securities through wholly-owned
subsidiaries of the Company. Such investments, included in other assets in the
Company's
 
                                      S-42
<PAGE>
Consolidated Financial Statements, totaled $4.3 million at December 31, 1996
compared with $2.8 million at December 31, 1995. Each month, collections of
principal and interest on the automobile loans are used by the trustee to pay
the holders of the related asset-backed securities, to fund spread accounts as a
source of cash to cover shortfalls in collections, if any, and to pay expenses.
The Company continues to act as the servicer of the automobile loans held by the
trust in return for a monthly fee.
 
    To improve the level of profitability from the sale of securitized loans,
the Company uses credit enhancement to achieve a desired credit rating on the
asset-backed securities issued. The credit enhancement for the Company's
securitizations has generally taken the form of subordinated tranches of asset-
backed securities and financial guaranty insurance policies issued by FSA. FSA
insures payments of principal and interest due on the asset-backed securities.
Asset-backed securities insured by FSA have been rated AAA by Standard & Poor's
and Aaa by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. The Company has limited reimbursement
obligations to FSA related only to violations of representations and warranties
and not credit performance. However, spread accounts established in connection
with the securitizations provide a source of cash to cover shortfalls in
collections (as described below) and to reimburse FSA for claims made under the
policies issued with respect to the Company's securitizations.
 
    The Company's agreements with FSA provide that the Company must maintain
specified levels of excess cash in a spread account for each insured
securitization trust during the life of the trust. The spread account for any
securitization trust is generally funded with the interest collected on the
loans that exceeds the sum of the interest payable to holders of asset-backed
securities and certain other amounts. In certain securitization trusts, the
spread account is also funded in part through initial deposits by the Company.
Funds may be withdrawn from the spread account to cover any shortfalls in
amounts payable on insured asset-backed securities or to reimburse FSA for draws
or advances under its financial guaranty insurance policy. In addition, under
cross-collateralization arrangements with FSA, the funds on deposit in the
spread account for any one securitization may be used to cover shortfalls in
amounts payable or to reimburse FSA in connection with other FSA-insured
securitizations. ORFC is entitled to receive excess cash monthly from
securitization trusts to the extent that, after payments to holders of
asset-backed securities, the amounts deposited in spread accounts exceed
predetermined required minimum levels. The spread accounts cannot be accessed by
the Company or ORFC without the consent of FSA until such levels have been
reached.
 
    Each month, excess cash from each securitization trust is used to fund the
Company's spread account obligations related to that securitization trust and to
replenish any spread account deficiencies under other securitization trusts
before distribution of any remaining excess cash flow from that securitization
to ORFC. The spread account for each securitization is cross-collateralized to
the spread accounts established in connection with the Company's other
securitization trusts and the BofA Facility such that excess cash flow from a
performing securitization trust may be used to support negative cash flow from,
or to replenish a deficient spread account in connection with, a nonperforming
securitization trust, thereby further restricting excess cash flow available to
ORFC. If excess cash flow from all insured securitization trusts in any month is
not sufficient to fund current spread account obligations or replenish any prior
deficiency in all such spread accounts, no cash flow would be available to ORFC
for that month. Otherwise, excess cash flow from the securitization trusts is
distributed to ORFC and is available for dividends to the Company by ORFC.
 
    Each insured securitization trust has certain portfolio performance tests
relating to the following: (i) the average delinquency ratio; (ii) the
cumulative default rate; and (iii) the cumulative net loss rate. In each case,
these portfolio performance tests will be triggered if the above ratios equal or
exceed an agreed-upon percentage of the principal balance of loans included in
the securitization trust related to such series for a given time period. For the
cumulative default rate and the cumulative net loss rate, the ratios applicable
to the securitization trusts reflect the relationship between loan delinquencies
and repossession rates at various stages of a loan repayment term, including the
fact that the probability of a loan becoming delinquent or going into default is
highest during the six- to fourteen-month period from the date of origination of
the loan. If any of these levels are exceeded, the amount required to be
retained in the related spread account, and not passed through to ORFC, may be
increased. There can be no assurance that such levels will not be exceeded in
the
 
                                      S-43
<PAGE>
future or that, if exceeded, waivers will be available from FSA permitting such
payments to ORFC. In addition, certain adverse events with respect to the
Company (including insolvency and default on certain long-term obligations) or
more adverse portfolio performance with respect to the tests described above,
would cause the Company to be in default under its insurance agreement with FSA
and distributions of cash flow to ORFC from the related securitization trust may
be suspended until the asset-backed securities have been paid in full or
redeemed. There can be no assurance that such thresholds will not be exceeded in
the future or that, if exceeded, waivers will be available from FSA permitting
such payments to ORFC. In the event ORFC defaults under any payment obligation
with respect to any loan securitization, ORFC would be prohibited from paying
dividends or making other distributions to the Company. FSA also has a
collateral security interest in the stock of ORFC. If FSA were to foreclose on
such security interest following an event of default under an insurance
agreement with respect to a securitization trust, FSA could preclude payment of
dividends by ORFC to the Company, thereby eliminating the Company's right to
receive distributions of excess cash flow from all the FSA-insured
securitization trusts.
 
    CUMULATIVE NET LOSS PER SECURITIZATION TRUST.  The following table
summarizes cumulative net loss data by securitization trust, on both a cash and
an accrual basis, and the age of each securitization trust, at December 31,
1994, 1995 and 1996 for each securitization trust outstanding at December 31,
1996. In the following table, cumulative net loss percentages on a cash basis,
which were derived from the Company's servicer reports for each securitization
trust, recognize recoveries on reposessions only after the automobile is sold.
The cumulative net loss percentages on an accrual basis include the estimated
liquidation value of repossession inventory, as well as actual recoveries from
the sale of repossessions. In each case, the cumulative net loss percentages
represent the cumulative net loss from the inception of the securitization trust
to the date reported, as a percentage of the original securitization balance,
which differs from the period-to-period data reported in "Management's
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations."
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                                                          AT DECEMBER
                          AT DECEMBER 31, 1994                         AT DECEMBER 31, 1995                31, 1996
               -------------------------------------------  -------------------------------------------  -------------
                  AGE IN                                       AGE IN                                       AGE IN
                  MONTHS       ACCRUAL(1)       CASH(2)        MONTHS       ACCRUAL(1)       CASH(2)        MONTHS
               -------------  -------------  -------------  -------------  -------------  -------------  -------------
<S>            <C>            <C>            <C>            <C>            <C>            <C>            <C>
1993-A.......           22           1.16%          1.34%            34           1.31%          1.40%            46
1993-B.......           19           1.06%          1.12%            31           1.34%          1.37%            43
1993-C.......           17           0.71%          0.77%            29           1.05%          1.25%            41
1993-D.......           14           0.57%          0.63%            26           1.01%          1.29%            38
1994-A.......            9           0.26%          0.36%            21           1.02%          1.41%            33
1994-B.......            4           0.02%          0.05%            16           0.81%          1.55%            28
1995-A.......       --             --             --                 11           0.62%          1.58%            23
1995-B.......       --             --             --                 10           0.58%          1.77%            22
1995-C.......       --             --             --                  7           0.18%          1.05%            19
1995-D.......       --             --             --                  4           0.02%          0.55%            16
1995-E.......       --             --             --                  1           0.01%          0.08%            13
1996-A.......       --             --             --             --             --             --                 10
1996-B.......       --             --             --             --             --             --                  7
1996-C.......       --             --             --             --             --             --                  4
1996-D.......       --             --             --             --             --             --                  1
 
<CAPTION>
 
                ACCRUAL(1)       CASH(2)
               -------------  -------------
<S>            <C>            <C>
1993-A.......         1.33%          1.45%
1993-B.......         1.49%          1.67%
1993-C.......         1.27%          1.50%
1993-D.......         1.28%          1.62%
1994-A.......         1.46%          1.86%
1994-B.......         1.44%          2.22%
1995-A.......         1.48%          2.43%
1995-B.......         1.56%          2.95%
1995-C.......         1.15%          2.61%
1995-D.......         1.01%          2.66%
1995-E.......         0.91%          2.92%
1996-A.......         0.57%          2.57%
1996-B.......         0.24%          1.53%
1996-C.......         0.03%          0.39%
1996-D.......         0.00%          0.00%
</TABLE>
 
- ------------------------------
(1) Cumulative net loss percentages on an accrual basis represent the aggregate
    of principal balance charge-offs, plus repossession and selling expenses,
    less liquidation proceeds (including estimated liquidation value of
    repossession inventory) and recoveries from the sale of repossessions, from
    inception of the securitization trust to the date reported, as a percentage
    of the original securitization balance. The Company has included the
    cumulative net loss on an accrual basis for the purpose of providing trend
    data per securitization trust in addition to the aggregate trend data
    reported in "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and
    Results of Operations."
 
(2) Cumulative net loss percentages on a cash basis represent the aggregate of
    principal balance charge-offs, plus repossession and selling expenses, less
    actual liquidation proceeds and recoveries from the sale of repossessions,
    from inception of the securitization trust to the date reported, as a
    percentage of the original securitization balance, which data (other than
    repossession data) were derived from the servicer reports with respect to
    each securitization trust. The Company has included the cumulative net loss
    on a cash basis because such information is required as a performance
    measure under insurance agreements with FSA for each securitization trust.
    The cumulative net loss information on a cash basis should not be considered
    by an investor to be an alternative to credit statistics as determined in
    accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and reported in
    "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
    Operations."
 
    1996-D SECURITIZATION TRUST.  The following information is provided to
illustrate the methodology by which the Company calculated gain on sale from the
securitization of automobile loans for the Olympic Automobile Receivables Trust,
1996-D ("1996-D"), which closed on December 12, 1996. Because gain on
 
                                      S-44
<PAGE>
sale represents the present value of estimated future excess cash flow to be
received by the Company in connection with such securitization, this methodology
also provides an illustration, but not a prediction, of the excess cash flow
anticipated from such securitization as of the date of such calculation. Gain on
sale is recorded on the Company's balance sheet as additional finance income
receivable. The assumptions used to calculate gain on sale set forth below are
subject to change. The information set forth below is therefore not a prediction
of future cash flow to be received by the Company and actual cash flow
experience may differ. See "Risk Factors" herein and in the accompanying
Prospectus. The Company will periodically review its prepayment and loss
assumptions in relation to the then current performance of the loans in 1996-D,
as well as then current market conditions, and, if necessary, will write down
the balance of finance income receivable representing 1996-D.
 
    The following table represents the allocation of the estimated gross
interest rate spread in connection with the securitization of automobile loans
for 1996-D, based on the qualifications and assumptions described in more detail
below.
 
           1996-D PERCENTAGE ALLOCATION OF GROSS INTEREST RATE SPREAD
 
<TABLE>
<S>                                                                  <C>
Weighted average interest rate on loans securitized................      15.19%
Stated coupon to investors in asset-backed securities..............       6.08
                                                                     ---------
Gross interest rate spread.........................................       9.11
Less:
  Servicing payable................................................       1.00
  Securitization expenses..........................................       0.46
                                                                     ---------
Gross interest rate spread available to provide for recovery of
  dealer participation, estimated losses and earnings..............       7.65
Less:
  Estimated losses.................................................       1.88
  Dealer participation*............................................       1.69
                                                                     ---------
Gross interest rate spread available for earnings..................       4.08%
                                                                     ---------
                                                                     ---------
</TABLE>
 
- ------------------------
 
*The Company pays dealer participations when loans are purchased and estimates
 the recovery of such amounts out of excess cash flow.
 
    The 1996-D estimated securitization cash flow is set forth in detail in the
table below. Although the presentation is made on a quarterly basis, the amounts
under the securitization are calculated monthly. 1996-D included $730,000,000
(Column A) of automobile loans, including pre-funded purchases, which is equal
to the amount of the asset-backed securities sold. 1996-D is an owner trust, a
pass-through entity in which all principal paid by obligors on automobile loans
is paid to investors (Column B). In addition, interest equal to the interest
rate on the asset-backed securities is paid to investors on the outstanding
principal balance. The difference between the interest due from the obligors on
the automobile loans (Column C) and the interest paid to investors in
asset-backed securities (Column D) represents the gross interest spread (Column
E).
 
                                      S-45
<PAGE>
    The gross interest spread is used to pay servicing fees (Column F) to the
Company as compensation for servicing the loans. After being used to pay
servicing fees, the gross interest spread is used to cover any losses that have
been incurred on loans in the securitization (Column G). The amount of losses
covered by gross interest spread is paid to investors in asset-backed securities
as principal payments. The remainder, after deducting the servicing fee and
losses from the gross interest spread, represents the cash available to the
spread account (Column H).
 
                        1996-D SECURITIZATION CASH FLOW
                             (DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS)
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                                                                     H
                                  A                                                                             -----------
                             -----------                 C                       E                                 CASH
                             OUTSTANDING      B      ---------       D       ---------                           AVAILABLE
                              PRINCIPAL   ---------  INTEREST   -----------    GROSS        F           G         TO THE
                             BALANCE OF   PRINCIPAL     DUE      INTEREST    INTEREST   ---------  -----------    SPREAD
                                LOANS      PAID TO     FROM       PAID TO     SPREAD    SERVICING   ESTIMATED     ACCOUNT
                             SECURITIZED  INVESTORS  OBLIGORS    INVESTORS     (C-D)     PAYABLE     LOSSES       (E-F-G)
                             -----------  ---------  ---------  -----------  ---------  ---------  -----------  -----------
<S>                          <C>          <C>        <C>        <C>          <C>        <C>        <C>          <C>
1st Qtr....................   $ 730,000   $  60,893  $  22,678   $  10,902   $  11,777  $  (1,570)  $  (1,820)   $   8,386
2nd Qtr....................     669,107      67,095     24,144       9,648      14,497     (1,617)     (3,285)       9,595
3rd Qtr....................     602,013      65,289     21,576       8,692      12,884     (1,451)     (4,206)       7,227
4th Qtr....................     536,723      61,548     19,106       7,754      11,352     (1,289)     (4,115)       5,948
5th Qtr....................     475,175      54,155     16,900       6,894      10,005     (1,141)     (3,022)       5,843
6th Qtr....................     421,020      48,857     14,955       6,137       8,818     (1,011)     (2,346)       5,461
7th Qtr....................     372,163      43,010     13,218       5,438       7,779       (893)     (1,487)       5,399
8th Qtr....................     329,153      39,704     11,654       4,816       6,838       (789)     (1,180)       4,869
9th Qtr....................     289,449      36,939     10,200       4,237       5,962       (692)       (993)       4,277
10th Qtr...................     252,509      33,342      8,865       3,695       5,170       (602)       (595)       3,973
11th Qtr...................     219,167      30,387      7,675       3,209       4,466       (522)       (305)       3,639
12th Qtr...................     188,780      28,539      6,561       2,758       3,803       (448)       (280)       3,076
13th Qtr...................     160,241      26,637      5,520       2,335       3,185       (378)       (256)       2,551
14th Qtr...................     133,605      24,670      4,555       1,942       2,614       (313)       (234)       2,067
15th Qtr...................     108,935      22,625      3,668       1,577       2,091       (253)       (214)       1,624
16th Qtr...................      86,310      20,483      2,860       1,237       1,623       (198)       (196)       1,230
17th Qtr...................      65,827      18,221      2,136         929       1,207       (149)       (180)         878
18th Qtr...................      47,606      15,740      1,501         657         843       (105)       (152)         586
19th Qtr...................      31,866      12,980        964         426         538        (68)        (99)         371
20th Qtr...................      18,886      10,028        533         239         294        (38)        (56)         200
21st Qtr...................       8,859       6,702        215          99         115        (16)        (23)          76
22nd Qtr...................       2,157       2,157         30          15          15         (2)         (4)           9
                                          ---------  ---------  -----------  ---------  ---------  -----------  -----------
                                          $ 730,000  $ 199,513   $  83,635   $ 115,877  $ (13,548)  $ (25,046)   $  77,283
                                          ---------  ---------  -----------  ---------  ---------  -----------  -----------
                                          ---------  ---------  -----------  ---------  ---------  -----------  -----------
</TABLE>
 
<TABLE>
<S>         <C>        <C>
Column A       --      The aggregate outstanding principal balance of automobile loans securitized in 1996-D as
                       of the beginning of each quarterly period is equal to the principal amount of the
                       asset-backed securities sold in the securitization less payments to investors (Column
                       B). At closing, the Company delivered $515,477,000 of automobile loans into the trust
                       and established and a pre-funding account of $214,523,000 which was used to purchase
                       additional automobile loans through January 17, 1999. The sum of the automobile loans
                       delivered at closing and the cash in the pre-funding account equals the amount of
                       asset-backed securities issued.
 
Column B       --      The sum of the quarterly amounts of (i) scheduled principal payments made by obligors on
                       loans, (ii) prepaid principal payments made by obligors on loans and (iii) the principal
                       amount of loans that were charged off and paid to investors from the gross interest
                       spread (Column G).
 
Column C       --      Interest payments due from obligors on loans at the weighted average interest rate on
                       the loans (15.19%), assuming estimated loss and prepayment rates.
 
Column D       --      Interest payments made to investors in the asset-backed securities at the weighted
                       average asset-backed securities coupon. Because 1996-D was a multi-tranche structure
                       (with sequential payment tranches with different average lives and yields), as the
                       relative percentage of the tranches in the securitization changes, so too will the
                       asset-backed coupon.
</TABLE>
 
                                      S-46
<PAGE>
<TABLE>
<S>         <C>        <C>
Column E       --      The difference between the interest payments due from obligors on loans and the interest
                       payments made to investors (Columns C minus D).
 
Column F       --      Fees payable to the Company, as servicer, equal to 1% per annum on the remaining
                       principal balance of outstanding loans in 1996-D.
 
Column G       --      The dollar amount of loans expected to be charged off, net of recoveries. The gross
                       defaults are paid to investors as principal payments out of the gross interest spread
                       (Column E).
 
Column H       --      The net amount available to the spread account from gross interest spread after
                       deducting servicing fees and loan losses (Columns E minus F minus G).
</TABLE>
 
    The information on the following page is provided to illustrate the
performance of the 1996-D spread account, assuming the components of gain on
sale described above perform as estimated at the time gain on sale was
calculated. The 1996-D spread account had an initial cash deposit from the
Company equal to 1% of the outstanding balance of the asset-backed securities
issued. Additional cash available to the spread account is captured within the
spread account at levels required by FSA. The 1996-D spread account captures
cash until the spread account reaches the greater of 7% of the outstanding
principal amount or 1% of the original principal amount. During the life of the
trust, the Company has no access to the spread account. The Company, as
servicer, directs the trustee to invest any amounts in the spread account in
eligible investments, for which it receives interest income (Column E). Once the
spread account reaches and maintains its pre-determined level, any excess cash
is released to the Company (Column G). As the principal balances of loans in the
securitization trust decline, the required amount of cash on deposit in the
spread account will decline, and excess cash held in the spread account will
generally be released to the Company. The agreements which established the
spread account for 1996-D provide that, under certain circumstances, cash flow
to the securitization trust may be retained in the spread account beyond the
levels initially estimated. In addition, under certain other circumstances, FSA
may prevent the payment of any excess cash flow to the Company until the
termination of the trust. Further, the information set forth below does not
assume any reductions in excess cash distributions arising out of
cross-collateralization of spread accounts under FSA-insured securitizations.
See "Risk Factors--Loan Performance Risks" herein and in the accompanying
Prospectus.
 
    In addition to funding the principal balance of the loans, the Company pays
a participation to dealers for selling loans to the Company. These participation
typically require the Company to advance an up-front amount to dealers, which
approximates 3.08% of the principal balance of the loans included in 1996-D. The
Company has some limited ability to recover these amounts from the dealers in
the event of prepayment or default of the loan within a specified period of time
(Column J).
 
    The Company also incurs certain expenses in connection with securitizations,
including up-front fees for underwriting, legal, accounting and rating agencies,
and ongoing fees for credit enhancement, trustee and back-up servicing (Column
K).
 
    The excess cash flow received by the Company from 1996-D is equal to the
cash released from the spread account, assuming no shortfall in spread accounts,
or no defaults under other FSA insured trusts, (Column G), servicing fee income
(Column I) and recoveries of a portion of dealer commissions in the event of
certain prepayments and defaults (positive amounts from Column J). Once the
excess cash flow is released to the Company, the trust does not have the right
to "claw-back" such amounts. Offsetting this excess cash flow are payments of
dealer participation (negative amount from Column J) and up-front and ongoing
transaction expenses (Column K). The net of these sources and uses of cash
represents the total excess cash flow available to the Company (Column L).
 
                                      S-47
<PAGE>
                     1996-D EXCESS CASH FLOW TO THE COMPANY
                             (DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS)
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                                            F
                                                                                       -----------
                           A            B                                               CASH AND                      H
                      -----------  -----------       C            D            E        INTEREST         G       -----------
                      OUTSTANDING     CASH      -----------  -----------  -----------   AVAILABLE   -----------    SPREAD
                       PRINCIPAL    AVAILABLE     SPREAD       SPREAD      INTEREST      TO THE        CASH        ACCOUNT
                      BALANCE OF     TO THE       ACCOUNT      ACCOUNT        ON         SPREAD      RELEASED      (END OF
                         LOANS       SPREAD       INITIAL    (BEGINNING     SPREAD       ACCOUNT      TO THE       PERIOD)
                      SECURITIZED    ACCOUNT      DEPOSIT    OF PERIOD)     ACCOUNT      (B+C+E)      COMPANY     (D+F-C-G)
                      -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------  -----------
<S>                   <C>          <C>          <C>          <C>          <C>          <C>          <C>          <C>
1st Qtr.............  $ 730,000    $    8,386   $    7,300   $    7,300   $    1,075   $   16,761   $   --       $ 16,761
2nd Qtr.............    669,107         9,595       --           16,761          399        9,993       --         26,755
3rd Qtr.............    602,013         7,227       --           26,755          491        7,717       --         34,472
4th Qtr.............    536,723         5,948       --           34,472          540        6,488        7,698     33,262
5th Qtr.............    475,175         5,843       --           33,262          493        6,336       10,127     29,471
6th Qtr.............    421,020         5,461       --           29,471          442        5,903        9,323     26,051
7th Qtr.............    372,163         5,399       --           26,051          396        5,795        8,805     23,041
8th Qtr.............    329,153         4,869       --           23,041          355        5,224        8,003     20,261
9th Qtr.............    289,449         4,277       --           20,261          316        4,593        7,179     17,676
10th Qtr............    252,509         3,973       --           17,676          280        4,253        6,587     15,342
11th Qtr............    219,167         3,639       --           15,342          248        3,887        6,014     13,215
12th Qtr............    188,780         3,076       --           13,215          218        3,294        5,292     11,217
13th Qtr............    160,241         2,551       --           11,217          190        2,741        4,606      9,352
14th Qtr............    133,605         2,067       --            9,352          163        2,230        3,957      7,625
15th Qtr............    108,935         1,624       --            7,625          141        1,765        2,090      7,300
16th Qtr............     86,310         1,230       --            7,300          133        1,363        1,363      7,300
17th Qtr............     65,827           878       --            7,300          127        1,005        1,005      7,300
18th Qtr............     47,606           586       --            7,300          120          706          706      7,300
19th Qtr............     31,866           371       --            7,300          113          484          484      7,300
20th Qtr............     18,886           200       --            7,300          106          306          306      7,300
21st Qtr............      8,859            76       --            7,300           98          174          174      7,300
22nd Qtr............      2,157             9       --            7,300           60           69        7,369      --
                                   -----------  -----------               -----------  -----------  -----------
                                   $   77,283   $    7,300                $    6,505   $   91,087   $   91,087
                                   -----------  -----------               -----------  -----------  -----------
                                   -----------  -----------               -----------  -----------  -----------
 
<CAPTION>
 
                                       J                          L
                                   ----------                -----------
                           I         DEALER         K          EXCESS
                      -----------   PARTICI-    ----------      CASH
                       SERVICING    PATIONS     SECURITI-       FLOW
                      FEE TO THE   RECOVERED      ZATION        (G+I+
                        COMPANY      (PAID)      EXPENSES       J+K)
                      -----------  ----------   ----------   -----------
<S>                   <C>          <C>          <C>          <C>
1st Qtr.............  $    1,570   $ (22,463)   $  (3,843)   $   (24,736)
2nd Qtr.............       1,617         311         (291)         1,637
3rd Qtr.............       1,451         117         (261)         1,307
4th Qtr.............       1,289         103         (232)         8,858
5th Qtr.............       1,141          54         (205)        11,116
6th Qtr.............       1,011          34         (182)        10,186
7th Qtr.............         893          16         (161)         9,554
8th Qtr.............         789           8         (142)         8,658
9th Qtr.............         692           2         (125)         7,749
10th Qtr............         602      --             (108)         7,081
11th Qtr............         522      --              (94)         6,443
12th Qtr............         448      --              (81)         5,659
13th Qtr............         378      --              (68)         4,916
14th Qtr............         313      --              (56)         4,214
15th Qtr............         253      --              (46)         2,298
16th Qtr............         198      --              (36)         1,526
17th Qtr............         149      --              (27)         1,127
18th Qtr............         105      --              (19)           792
19th Qtr............          68      --              (12)           540
20th Qtr............          38      --               (7)           337
21st Qtr............          16      --               (3)           187
22nd Qtr............           2      --           --              7,371
                      -----------  ----------   ----------   -----------
                      $   13,548   $ (21,818)   $  (5,999)   $    76,819
                      -----------  ----------   ----------
                      -----------  ----------   ----------
                       Less: Servicing Fee................       (13,548)
                            Interest on Spread
                              Account.....................        (6,505)
                            Initial Deposit...............        (7,300)
                                                             -----------
                                                                  49,466
                       Present Value Discount.............        (8,447)
                                                             -----------
                       GAIN ON SALE.......................   $    41,019
                                                             -----------
                                                             -----------
</TABLE>
 
<TABLE>
<S>         <C>        <C>
Column A       --      The aggregate outstanding principal balance of automobile loans securitized in 1996-D as of the beginning
                       of each quarterly period is equal to the principal amount of the asset-backed securities sold in the
                       securitization less payments to investors (Column B). At closing, the Company delivered $515,477,000 of
                       automobile loans into the trust and established and a pre- funding account of $214,523,000 which was used
                       to purchase additional automobile loans through January 17, 1997. The sum of the automobile loans delivered
                       at closing and the cash in the pre-funding account equals the amount of asset backed securities issued.
Column B       --      The net amount available to the spread account from gross interest spread after deducting servicing fees
                       and loan losses (Column H of 1996-D Securitization Cash Flow).
Column C       --      The required initial deposit to the spread account for 1996-D.
Column D       --      The periodic beginning balance in the spread account for 1996-D. The spread account was established with an
                       initial cash deposit (Column C) and will be maintained from cash available to the spread account (Column
                       B).
Column E       --      Interest earnings from the cash balances in the trust's spread account are assumed to be 4.50% per annum.
                       For purposes of this analysis, spread account deposits are assumed to be made on a monthly basis out of
                       cash available to the spread account (Column B). The first quarter includes interest earnings from the cash
                       balances in the trust's pre-funding account assumed to be 4.50% per annum. The Pre-funding account was used
                       to purchase loans through January 17, 1997.
Column F       --      The sum of cash available to the spread account and interest on the spread account (Columns B + C + E).
Column G       --      The excess of the spread account balance, after giving effect to additions (including interest) to the
                       spread account over the greater of (i) 7% of the remaining principal balance of outstanding automobile
                       loans in 1996-D and (ii) 1% of the original principal balance of the outstanding automobile loans in
                       1996-D.
Column H       --      The difference between (x) the sum of (i) the beginning spread account balance, (ii) spread account
                       interest and (iii) additions to the spread account, and (y) cash released to ORFC from the spread account
                       (Columns D + F - C - G).
Column I       --      Servicing fees payable to the Company, as servicer, equal to 1% per annum on the remaining principal
                       balance of the outstanding loans in 1996-D (same as Column F in 1996-D Securitization Cash Flow).
Column J       --      Negative amount represents the participations paid to dealers for selling loans to the Company. Positive
                       amounts represent dealer participations that are recaptured from the dealers in certain events of
                       prepayment or default on loans.
Column K       --      The expenses incurred by the Company to effect the securitization transaction. The expenses include
                       up-front fees for underwriting, legal, accounting and rating agency fees, and ongoing expenses for credit
                       enhancement, trustee and back-up servicer fees.
Column L       --      The excess cash flow available to the Company (Columns G + I + J + K). The excess cash flow is discounted
                       at a market-based rate (the "Present Value Discount"), which was determined to be 8.08%, for purposes of
                       calculating gain on sale for 1996-D.
</TABLE>
 
                                      S-48
<PAGE>
    No representation is made that 1996-D will provide cash flow to the Company
in accordance with the estimates made above, or that 1996-D is indicative of the
actual cash flow performance of all historical securitizations, or that 1996-D
is representative of estimated performance to be used in determining gain on
sale for future securitizations. Actual cash flow, and the estimates used by the
Company to determine gain on sale or to adjust finance income receivable from
time to time, are influenced by a variety of economic, geographic and other
factors, including the rates at which obligors on automobile loans default or
prepay their loans. There can be no assurance that the defaults on or
prepayments of automobile loans will not increase above the Company's estimated
loss reserves or prepayment assumptions for 1996-D. See "Risk Factors" herein
and in the accompanying Prospectus.
 
SERVICING
 
    Under the terms of its warehouse facilities and securitizations, the Company
acts as servicer with respect to the automobile loans warehoused or securitized.
The Company receives servicing fees for servicing securitized loans and loans
held under certain warehouse facilities equal to one percent per annum of the
outstanding principal balance of the loans. The Company services the loans by
collecting payments due from the obligors and remitting these payments to the
trusts or warehouse facility in accordance with the terms of servicing
agreements for pass through to holders of asset-backed securities and holders of
warehouse debt. The Company maintains computerized records with respect to each
loan to record all receipts and disbursements. The Company is permitted to
perform servicing activities through subcontractors, but has not delegated
servicing activities, except for the repossession of automobiles. Delegation of
duties does not relieve the Company of its responsibility to the trusts with
respect to those duties.
 
    The following table represents the amount of the Company's servicing
portfolio and the percentage of the total servicing portfolio by state.
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                           AT DECEMBER 31,
                            ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Dollars in thousands)                1994                       1995                       1996
                            ------------------------   ------------------------   ------------------------
<S>                         <C>            <C>         <C>            <C>         <C>            <C>
Arizona...................  $     74,125       8.86%   $    127,292       5.61%   $    201,965       5.33%
California................        16,162       1.93          99,278       4.38         226,381       5.97
Colorado..................        90,805      10.85         132,570       5.85         156,637       4.13
Connecticut...............           190       0.02          29,769       1.31          50,090       1.32
Florida...................        73,482       8.78         146,629       6.47         213,209       5.62
Georgia...................        73,555       8.79         161,260       7.12         269,600       7.11
Illinois..................         2,149       0.26          20,741       0.91          45,209       1.19
Kentucky..................           343       0.04           7,287       0.32          38,585       1.02
Massachusetts.............        11,668       1.39          63,752       2.81         103,221       2.72
Minnesota.................        93,752      11.20         105,386       4.65         107,971       2.85
Missouri..................        26,780       3.20         124,541       5.49         186,624       4.92
Nevada....................         8,270       0.99          52,683       2.32         102,734       2.71
New Mexico................         5,410       0.65          27,760       1.22          65,641       1.73
New York..................           532       0.06           1,970       0.09          44,806       1.18
North Carolina............         4,321       0.52          34,035       1.50         101,957       2.69
Oklahoma..................        10,334       1.23          88,334       3.90         173,531       4.58
Oregon....................         8,821       1.05          61,971       2.73         106,208       2.80
South Carolina............        10,075       1.20          54,282       2.39         118,738       3.13
Tennessee.................         4,964       0.59          81,380       3.59         160,930       4.24
Texas.....................       228,223      27.26         564,606      24.91         826,749      21.80
Washington................        68,098       8.14         128,859       5.68         163,707       4.32
Wisconsin.................         4,226       0.50          26,497       1.17          57,035       1.50
All Other States..........        20,810       2.49         126,225       5.58         270,329       7.14
                            ------------   ---------   ------------   ---------   ------------   ---------
    Total.................  $    837,095     100.00%   $  2,267,107     100.00%   $  3,791,857     100.00%
                            ------------   ---------   ------------   ---------   ------------   ---------
                            ------------   ---------   ------------   ---------   ------------   ---------
</TABLE>
 
                                      S-49
<PAGE>
    DELINQUENCY, COLLECTION AND REPOSSESSION ACTIVITIES.  As servicer, the
Company is responsible for monitoring collections, collecting delinquent
accounts and, when necessary, repossessing and selling automobiles. Delinquency
rates for all loans purchased by each loan buyer are monitored, and loan buyers
are incentivized to maintain loan quality. In response to the rapid growth of
its servicing portfolio, continued expansion of its Classic program (which
generally requires greater collection efforts than its Premier program), and
increases in delinquencies and default rates on its servicing portfolio, the
Company substantially increased its servicing and collection staff and, in
October 1996, implemented a strategy to regionalize its servicing and collection
activities into four new locations: Charlotte, North Carolina; Dallas, Texas;
Denver, Colorado and Minneapolis, Minnesota. At December 31, 1996, the Company
employed 510 service representatives and collection associates who are
responsible for various aspects of the collection and repossession procedures,
compared with 188 and 38 at December 31, 1995 and 1994, respectively. The
Company also substantially expanded the capacity of its highly automated
telephone dialing systems (the "autodialer") in connection with its
establishment of four regional servicing and collection centers. In addition,
the Company uses a computerized collection system to aid its service and
collection associates. The Company regularly evaluates its servicing staffing
needs based on anticipated growth in its servicing portfolio and estimated
delinquency and repossession rates.
 
    The Company generally utilizes the autodialer initially to contact
delinquent obligors. Based on parameters established by the Company for each of
its loan programs, the autodialer will phone the obligor within five to ten days
after a past due date. Once the call is answered, the autodialer will
immediately transfer the call to an available customer service representative
located in one of the Company's four regional service and collection centers and
will automatically display the obligor's loan information on the
representative's computer screen. The autodialer will continue to follow up with
obligors at various times throughout the first 24 days after a past due date
(typically every third day) if previous efforts do not result in the account
deficiency being cured. In addition to telephone inquiries, the Company's
computerized collection system generates past due notices which are mailed to
the obligor at various intervals during the first 30 days after a past due date.
The first such correspondence is generally sent approximately 13 days after a
past due date.
 
    If the collection effort during the first 20 days after a past due date does
not result in a satisfactory resolution of the delinquent account, then the
account is forwarded to collection specialists. These collection specialists
will typically send a final demand letter to the delinquent obligor allowing the
obligor a specified number of days to bring the account current. During this
period, the collection specialist generally will make a recommendation as to
whether the automobile should be repossessed or other action, such as a contract
extension, should be taken. The Company, like other consumer finance companies,
grants extensions in the ordinary course of business, following a re-evaluation
of the obligor's creditworthiness and approval by a collection department
manager. The terms of the Company's securitization trusts restrict the number of
contract extensions that the Company may grant. When an extension is granted,
the maturity of the loan is extended for one month and the interest for the
delinquent period is added to the loan balance. Contract extensions are more
frequently granted with respect to Classic and financed repossession loans than
with respect to Premier loans, and are seasonally highest during the Christmas
holiday period. Under special circumstances, the Company, like other consumer
finance companies, may agree to contract modifications, such as lengthening the
term to maturity or adjusting interest rates, subject to limitations set forth
in securitization trusts and agreements with FSA.
 
    The Company uses independent contractors to perform repossessions. Once an
automobile is repossessed, a letter is sent giving the obligor a specified
number of days to pay the entire loan balance in order to recover the
automobile. At the expiration of this time period, the Company will prepare the
automobile for sale and determine the method of sale. The Company has
historically sold repossessed automobiles through wholesale auto auctions and
retail consignment lots. Beginning in 1995, the Company has primarily utilized
retail consignment lots to sell its repossessed inventory. Under this method the
Company retains control of repossessed automobiles on behalf of the relevant
securitization trust until resold through independent dealers. The Company has a
remarketing department responsible for the management of its repossession
inventory, which decides whether to sell each vehicle repossessed in the retail
or
 
                                      S-50
<PAGE>
wholesale market, manages reconditioning and repairs when necessary, tracks
vehicles until sold and selects and monitors the retail consignment lots used by
the Company. At December 31, 1996, the Company had arrangements with 67 smaller
retail consignment lots, compared to 10 large retail consignment lots at
December 31, 1995.
 
PROPRIETARY INFORMATION
 
    The Company has developed a credit scoring system for evaluating loan
applications submitted by dealers. The credit scoring system ranks the credit
quality of the applicant. The system is intended by the Company to act as a
predictor of loan repayment probability or loan defaults and serves as the basis
for the Company's underwriting procedures. Although asset-based lenders utilize
a variety of scoring and credit evaluation systems, the Company considers its
credit scoring system to be proprietary and attempts to maintain the system as a
trade secret.
 
COMPETITION
 
    Competition in the field of financing retail automobile sales is intense.
Competitors include banks, savings and loans, small loan companies, credit
unions, a variety of local, regional and national consumer financing
institutions and captive finance companies of automobile manufacturers, such as
Ford Motor Credit Company, Chrysler Credit Corp. and General Motors Acceptance
Corporation. Many of these competitors have substantially greater capital
resources than the Company and a number offer other forms of financing to
automobile dealers, including, but not limited to vehicle floor plan financing
and leasing. Captive automobile finance companies also, from time to time, have
national promotions offering below-market interest rates on select vehicles to
automobile purchasers. The Company believes it competes on the basis of
providing a high level of service, offering flexible loan terms which meet
dealers' needs and maintaining good relationships with its dealers. From time to
time, competing finance companies may offer to refinance borrowers' loans
originally purchased by the Company. As a result of such an offer, a borrower
may refinance and prepay an existing loan, or the Company may agree to amend the
terms of the borrower's loan.
 
REGULATION
 
    The Company's operations are subject to regulation, supervision and
licensing under various federal, state and local statutes, ordinances and
regulations. At December 31, 1996 the Company's business operations were
conducted in 40 states, the laws and regulations of which govern the Company's
operations conducted therein. The Company is required to be, and is, licensed as
a sales finance company in 27 states. The Company is required to be, and is,
licensed under the Ohio Mortgage Loan Act. To the extent the Company expands its
operations into additional states, it will be required to comply with the laws
of those states.
 
    CONSUMER PROTECTION LAWS.  Numerous federal and state consumer protection
laws and related regulations impose substantive disclosure requirements upon
lenders and servicers involved in consumer finance. The Federal Trade Commission
("FTC") has adopted the so-called "holder-in-due-course" rule which has the
effect of subjecting persons who finance consumer credit transactions (and
certain related lenders and their assignees) to all claims and defenses which
the purchaser could assert against the seller of the goods and services. The
FTC's Rule on Sale of Used Vehicles requires that all sellers of used vehicles
prepare, complete and display a "Buyer's Guide" which explains the warranty
coverage (if any) for such vehicles. The "Credit Practices Rule" of the FTC
imposes additional restrictions on loan provisions and credit practices.
 
    A majority of states in which the Company operates have adopted motor
vehicle retail installment sales acts or variations thereof. These laws
regulate, among other things, the interest rate and terms and conditions of
motor vehicle retail installment loans. These laws also impose restrictions on
consumer transactions, and some require loan disclosures in addition to those
required under federal law. These requirements impose specific statutory
liabilities upon creditors who fail to comply. In addition, the laws of
 
                                      S-51
<PAGE>
certain states grant to the purchasers of vehicles certain rights of rescission
under so-called "lemon laws." Under such statutes, purchasers of motor vehicles
may be able to seek recoveries from, or assert defenses against, the Company. A
number of states impose interest rate limitations under applicable usury laws
and regulate the Company's ability to collect late fees and other charges.
 
    SECURED PARTY RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS.  In the event of default by an
obligor, the Company has all the remedies of a secured party under the Uniform
Commercial Code ("UCC"), except where specifically limited by other state laws.
The remedies of a secured party under the UCC include the right of repossession
by self-help means, unless such means would constitute a breach of the peace. In
the event of default by the obligor, some jurisdictions require that the obligor
be notified of the default and be given a period of time in which to cure the
default prior to repossession. In addition, courts have applied general
equitable principles to secured parties pursuing repossession or litigation
involving deficiency balances. The obligor also has the right to redeem the
collateral prior to actual sale.
 
    The proceeds from resale of financed vehicles generally will be applied
first to the expenses of repossession and resale and then to the satisfaction of
the automobile loans. A deficiency judgment can be sought in most states subject
to satisfaction of statutory procedural requirements by the secured party and
certain limitations as to the initial sale price of the motor vehicle. Certain
state laws require the secured party to remit the surplus to any holder of a
lien with respect to the vehicle, or, if no such lienholder exists, the UCC
requires the secured party to remit the surplus to the former owner of the
financed vehicle.
 
    In addition to laws limiting or prohibiting deficiency judgments, numerous
other statutory provisions, including Federal bankruptcy laws and related state
laws, may interfere with or affect the ability of the Company to realize upon
collateral or enforce a deficiency judgment. The repossession process and the
costs thereof generally result in losses on the underlying automobile loans, and
such losses generally reduce the amounts available for distribution from the
related spread accounts of securitized loan pools.
 
SERVICE MARKS; THE NAME "OLYMPIC"
 
    Federal law grants to the United States Olympic Committee ("USOC") the
exclusive right to use the word "Olympic" and certain variations thereof. In
September 1996, the USOC notified the Company that it must cease using Olympic
in the Company's name by June 1, 1997. In compliance with such notice, the
Company intends to change its name to, will begin operating under the name of,
Arcadia Financial Ltd. The Company currently uses the trade name "Arcadia
Financial" for its operations in 21 states. The Company has registered its
"Arcadia Financial Ltd." service mark with the United States Patent and
Trademark Office.
 
EMPLOYEES
 
    The Company employs personnel experienced in all areas of loan origination,
documentation, collection and administration. The Company employs and trains
specialists in loan processing and servicing with minimal cross-over of duties.
As of December 31, 1996, the Company had 1,193 full-time employees and 37
part-time employees. None of the Company's employees is covered by a collective
bargaining agreement.
 
                                      S-52
<PAGE>
                                   MANAGEMENT
 
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
 
    On August 26, 1996, Jeffrey C. Mack resigned as President, Chief Executive
Officer and director of the Company. Warren Kantor, a director of the Company,
was appointed to the position of Chairman of the Executive Committee of the
Board of Directors and served as acting chief executive officer. Following an
executive search, on January 6, 1997 the Company entered into an employment
agreement with Richard A. Greenawalt to serve as Chief Executive Officer of the
Company. Mr. Greenawalt had served as President and Chief Operating Officer of
Advanta Corporation ("Advanta"), a consumer finance firm, since 1987. On
December 18, 1996, Warren Kantor was elected Chairman of the Board. On January
27, 1997, Mr. Greenawalt was elected President of the Company and was appointed
as a director by the Board of Directors.
 
    Set forth below are the names, ages and positions of the executive officers
of the Company.
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
             NAME                AGE                          POSITION
- ------------------------------  -----  -------------------------------------------------------
<S>                             <C>    <C>
Warren Kantor                     55   Chairman of the Board
 
Richard A. Greenawalt             53   Director, President and Chief Executive Officer
 
Scott H. Anderson                 39   Director, Vice Chairman and Chief Credit Officer
 
John A. Witham                    45   Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
 
A. Mark Berlin, Jr.               40   Director and Executive Vice President, Strategic
                                         Development
 
Robert A. Barbee, Jr.             38   Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing
 
James D. Atkinson III             48   Senior Vice President, Corporate Counsel and Secretary
</TABLE>
 
    WARREN KANTOR was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors in December
1996 and has served as a Director of the Company since December 1994. From
August 1996 until January 1997, Mr. Kantor served as the Chairman of the
Executive Committee of the Company's Board of Directors and as the Company's
acting chief executive officer. Mr. Kantor is the Chief Executive Officer of
Society Hill Capital Corporation, a money management company of which he is the
sole owner. Mr. Kantor was a director of Advanta from April 1986 through
December 1996 and served as Advanta's Vice Chairman from November 1993 through
September 1994 and as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from
April 1986 through November 1993. Prior to his employment with Advanta, Mr.
Kantor was employed by Arthur Andersen & Co., in charge of the Financial
Services Division of its Philadelphia office.
 
    RICHARD A. GREENAWALT was appointed a Director and elected President and
Chief Executive Officer of the Company on January 27, 1997 and commenced
employment with the Company on January 29, 1997. Prior to joining the Company,
Mr. Greenawalt served as President, Chief Operating Officer, and a Director of
Advanta from November 1987. Prior to joining Advanta, Mr. Greenawalt served as
President of Transamerica Financial Corp. from May 1986 through November 1987.
 
    SCOTT H. ANDERSON was appointed Vice Chairman in December 1995. Mr. Anderson
had previously functioned as Executive Vice President and has been the Company's
Chief Credit Officer since April 1991. From 1987 until joining the Company, he
served as Vice President, Division Manager of Loan Administration for Marquette
Bank Minneapolis, N.A. Prior thereto he served as a Regional Vice President for
First Bank System, Inc. He has held both direct lending positions and lending
supervision positions for over 15 years.
 
    JOHN A. WITHAM was appointed Executive Vice President in December 1995 and
has served as Chief Financial Officer of the Company since February 1994. From
January 1985 to January 1994, Mr. Witham held various management positions with
subsidiaries of PHH Corporation, a diversified financial services company,
including Senior Vice President, Finance of PHH Relocation and Real Estate from
August 1992 to January 1994, Senior Vice President, Finance of PHH Europe PLC,
in Swindon, England from August
 
                                      S-53
<PAGE>
1989 to August 1992 and Senior Vice President, Finance of PHH FleetAmerica from
January 1985 to August 1989.
 
    A. MARK BERLIN, JR. became a Director of the Company in January 1992 and was
employed by the Company as its Senior Vice President, Strategic Development in
December 1994. In December 1995, Mr. Berlin was appointed Executive Vice
President, Strategic Development. Mr. Berlin was employed by the investment
banking firm of Wessels, Arnold & Henderson LLC from March 1993 through December
1994. From June 1991 to March 1993, Mr. Berlin was a Senior Vice President of
Kidder, Peabody & Co. Incorporated. From 1980 until June 1991, Mr. Berlin was
employed by Merrill Lynch & Co., most recently as a Director in Investment
Banking.
 
    ROBERT A. BARBEE, JR. was employed by the Company as Senior Vice President,
Sales and Marketing in September 1994. In December 1995, Mr. Barbee was
appointed Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing. From June 1983 to
September 1994, he was employed as a Regional Vice President for Pat Ryan &
Associates, a provider of specialty insurance products.
 
    JAMES D. ATKINSON III was appointed Senior Vice President, Corporate Counsel
in December 1995 and Secretary of the Company in January 1995. Mr. Atkinson had
previously served as Vice President, corporate counsel since September 1994 and
as outside corporate counsel since 1990. Prior to joining the Company, Mr.
Atkinson practiced law for sixteen years, specializing in corporate legal issues
and compliance.
 
CERTAIN EMPLOYMENT AND RELATED AGREEMENTS
 
    In connection with Jeffrey C. Mack's resignation on August 26, 1996 as Chief
Executive Officer, President and member of the Board of Directors of the
Company, the Company and Mr. Mack entered into a severance agreement (as amended
to date, the "Mack Severance Agreement"). Under the Mack Severance Agreement,
(i) Mr. Mack's prior employment agreement was canceled, (ii) Mr. Mack agreed to
continue as an employee-consultant of the Company until August 26, 1998, at an
annual salary of $495,000, (iii) the parties agreed that, if a "change in
control" (as defined) occurs prior to August 26, 1998, then all unvested options
previously granted to Mr. Mack pursuant to the Company's 1990 Stock Option Plan
(which options cover 194,928 shares of Common Stock) shall become immediately
vested and exercisable and that, in the absence of a "change in control," all
such options shall vest on a periodic basis through August 26, 1998, as set
forth in the agreements evidencing such options, (iv) the parties agreed that,
if a "change in control" occurs prior to August 26, 1998, then all unvested
shares of restricted stock previously granted to Mr. Mack pursuant to the
Company's 1994-1997 Restricted Stock Election Plan (51,248 shares of Common
Stock) shall become immediately vested and that, in the absence of a "change in
control," such shares shall vest pursuant to the provisions of such Plan through
January 1, 1998, (v) the parties agreed that, if a "change in control" occurs
prior to August 26, 1998, then all unvested shares of restricted stock
previously granted to Mr. Mack pursuant to the Company's 1998-2000 Restricted
Stock Election Plan (55,042 shares of Common Stock) shall become immediately
vested and that, in the absence of a "change in control," 12,225 of such shares
shall vest on August 26, 1998, (vi) the Company agreed that Mr. Mack would
continue to participate in the Company's benefit plans in accordance with their
terms through August 26, 1998, (vii) the Company agreed to continue to pay
premiums under the Split-Dollar Life Insurance Plan through August 26, 1998,
provided that, if a "change in control" occurs in such period, the Company shall
continue to pay premiums until August 26, 2006, (viii) the Company agreed to
continue to make certain car and club membership payments on Mr. Mack's behalf
through August 26, 1998, (ix) the Company agreed to maintain a directors' and
officers' liability insurance policy covering Mr. Mack through August 26, 2002,
(x) the Company agreed to reimburse Mr. Mack for $10,000 of legal expenses in
connection with his resignation, (xi) Mr. Mack agreed to be bound by certain
covenants regarding noncompetition, non-solicitation of dealers and
non-solicitation of employees through August 26, 1998 and (xii) the Company and
Mr. Mack agreed to a mutual release of claims relating to Mr. Mack's
resignation.
 
    Concurrently with Mr. Mack's resignation on August 26, 1996, director Warren
Kantor agreed to serve as Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Company's
Board of Directors. Pursuant to a letter
 
                                      S-54
<PAGE>
agreement dated August 26, 1996, Mr. Kantor received a grant of options to
purchase 200,000 shares of the Company's Common Stock at a purchase price of
$17.375 per share, with 100,000 of such options to vest immediately on the date
of the letter agreement and 100,000 to vest proportionately on the basis of Mr.
Kantor's tenure as Chairman of the Executive Committee on and after February 14,
1997. In addition, the letter agreement provided for a bonus of up to 25,714
shares of the Company's Common Stock. 12,857 of such shares were awarded on
August 26, 1996. The award of the remaining 12,857 was dependent upon Mr.
Kantor's service after February 14, 1997. In addition, the letter agreement
provided that the Company would reimburse Mr. Kantor for all reasonable expenses
incurred in connection with his performance of his duties as Chairman of the
Executive Committee. By letter agreement dated December 18, 1996, the Company
agreed to amend the terms of the letter agreement with Mr. Kantor to accelerate
the vesting of the second 100,000 options to February 14, 1997 and to provide
for the issuance of the additional 12,857 shares of Common Stock on February 14,
1997. Such amendments were made in consideration of additional service provided
by Mr. Kantor to the Company in his capacity as Chairman of the Executive
Committee.
 
    In addition to the above grants, on December 18, 1996 the Board of Directors
of the Company agreed to retain Mr. Kantor to act as a consultant for the
Company. The terms of such retention are set forth in a Consulting Agreement
dated January 1, 1997. Pursuant to the Consulting Agreement, Mr. Kantor agreed
to provide 450 hours of consulting services. In exchange for such services, Mr.
Kantor received a grant of a non-statutory option (the "Consulting Option") to
purchase 125,000 shares of Olympic Common Stock at an exercise price equal to
the fair market value of those shares on the date of grant ($14.87). Such
options vest as of December 31, 1997, the last day of the one year term of the
Agreement. On January 27, 1997, the Board determined that it would require more
than 450 hours of consulting services from Mr. Kantor in 1997. After discussion,
Mr. Kantor agreed that he would provide an unlimited number of hours in return
for the grant of a non-statutory option to purchase an additional 70,160 shares
of Olympic Common Stock at an exercise price equal to the fair market value of
the stock on the date of grant ($14.87). Such additional grant was set forth in
an Option Agreement dated January 29, 1997.
 
    In connection with his agreement to join the Company as Chief Executive
Officer, Richard A. Greenawalt and the Company entered into an Employment
Agreement dated as of January 6, 1997 (the "Greenawalt Employment Agreement"),
which became effective as of January 29, 1997. The Greenawalt Employment
Agreement provides that (i) not later than the effective date, the Company shall
grant Mr. Greenawalt a ten-year option to purchase 1,200,000 shares of the
Common Stock at an exercise price of $14.87 per share, which shall vest in three
equal installments on the first three anniversaries of the date of grant,
subject to accelerated vesting in the event of death, Disability (as defined),
termination without Cause (as defined), termination for Good Reason (as defined)
or a Change in Control (as defined in the option agreement executed in
connection with the Greenawalt Employment Agreement); (ii) the Company shall
file a registration statement on Form S-8 covering the shares issuable upon
exercise of such options; (iii) Mr. Greenawalt shall divide his time between the
Company's offices in Minneapolis, Minnesota and a location outside of
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; (iv) Mr. Greenawalt shall receive an annual base
salary of not less than $100,000 per year, which base salary shall be reviewed
at least once each year and may be increased; (v) Mr. Greenawalt shall be
awarded an annual bonus based on reasonable and customary criteria consistent
with the Company's past practices, with a target amount per fiscal year at least
equal to $300,000, with provisions for prorating such bonus in the event that a
fiscal year begins but does not end during Mr. Greenawalt's term of employment;
(vi) Mr. Greenawalt's annual bonus shall be applied toward participation in the
1994-1997 Restricted Stock Election Plan and the 1998-2000 Restricted Stock
Election Plan on a basis commensurate with an executive having a base salary of
$500,000 (or, if greater, Mr. Greenawalt's annual base salary); (vii) the
Company shall provide fringe benefits including health, disability and life
insurance, not less than four weeks' vacation, expense reimbursement, use of an
automobile or automobile payments and certain club membership fees; (viii) Mr.
Greenawalt may voluntarily terminate his employment upon not less than 15 days'
advanced notice to the Company; (ix) the Company may terminate Mr. Greenawalt's
employment effective on the 90th day after Mr. Greenawalt receives a written
notice of intention to terminate his employment after having established his
Disability (as defined), provided that Mr. Greenawalt has not returned to
full-time performance of his duties during
 
                                      S-55
<PAGE>
such period, and provided further that the Company shall continue to provide
health, disability and life insurance; (x) the Company may terminate Mr.
Greenawalt's employment for Cause (as defined), provided that the Company give
written notice of such a termination within 10 business days of having actual
knowledge of all of the events giving rise to such termination; (xi) Mr.
Greenawalt may terminate his employment for Good Reason, provided that he gives
written notice of such termination within 180 days of having actual knowledge of
the events giving rise to such termination; (xii) the Company may terminate Mr.
Greenawalt's employment without Cause and not on account of Disability on 15
days' written notice; (xiii) in the event that Mr. Greenawalt terminates his
employment as described in (xi) above or the Company terminates Mr. Greenawalt's
employment as described in (xii) above, then the Company shall pay in a lump
sum, within 15 days of the termination, a cash amount equal to two times the sum
of (a) Mr. Greenawalt's annual base salary, (b) Mr. Greenawalt's annual bonus,
(c) the average annual amount paid or reimbursed to Mr. Greenawalt with regard
to automobile and club membership payments and (d) the present value of the
annual cost to the Company of obtaining the health, disability and life
insurance then provided to Mr. Greenawalt; (xiv) the Company shall make certain
payments to cover certain excise tax amounts that may become due from Mr.
Greenawalt; and (xv) Mr. Greenawalt shall be bound by certain covenants
regarding noncompetition, non-solicitation of dealers and non-solicitation of
employees for one year following termination of his employment.
 
                                      S-56
<PAGE>
                              DESCRIPTION OF UNITS
 
    Each Unit consists of one Note having a principal amount of $1,000 and one
Warrant to purchase 6.84 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price of $11.00
per share. The Notes and the Warrants will not be separately transferable until
the earlier to occur of (i) one year from the date of issuance, and (ii) such
earlier date as may be determined by Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette Securities
Corporation (the "Separation Date"), at which time the Notes and the Warrants
will become separately transferable.
 
                              DESCRIPTION OF NOTES
 
GENERAL
 
    The Notes will be issued pursuant to an Indenture dated as of the Issue
Date, as supplemented by a First Supplemental Indenture (the "Supplemental
Indenture"), to be dated as of the Issue Date (as so supplemented, the
"Indenture"), between the Company and Norwest Bank Minnesota, National
Association, as trustee (the "Trustee"). The terms of the Notes include those
stated in the Indenture and those made part of the Indenture by reference to the
Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the "Trust Indenture Act"). The Notes
are subject to all such terms, and Holders of Notes are referred to the
Indenture and the Trust Indenture Act for a statement thereof. The following
summary of certain provisions of the Indenture does not purport to be complete
and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Indenture, including the
definitions therein of certain terms used below. Reference is made to the
"Description of Debt Securities" and the "Description of Senior Debt Securities"
contained in the Prospectus (collectively, the "Prospectus Note Description")
for a description of certain terms of the Indenture. To the extent the
Prospectus Note Description is inconsistent with the following summary, such
summary supersedes the Prospectus Note Description. A copy of the proposed form
of Indenture (excluding the Supplemental Indenture) has been filed as an exhibit
to the Registration Statement of which this Prospectus Supplement is a part and
is available as set forth below under "--Additional Information." The
definitions of certain terms used in the following summary are set forth below
under "--Certain Definitions." For purposes of this summary, the term "Company"
refers only to Olympic Financial Ltd. and not to any of its Subsidiaries.
 
    The Notes will be general unsecured obligations of the Company and will rank
senior to all outstanding subordinated Indebtedness of the Company ($53.7
million aggregate principal amount outstanding as of December 31, 1996) and PARI
PASSU in right of payment with all current and future unsecured unsubordinated
Indebtedness of the Company. The Company is a party to certain Warehouse
Facilities that finance purchases of automobile loans to be held on a short-term
basis pending securitization in the ordinary course of the Company's business.
The Company's obligations under such Warehouse Facilities are secured by the
loans financed thereby, and the Notes are effectively subordinated to such
obligations to the extent of the security interest in such loans. Moreover, the
Company engages in the warehousing and securitization of automobile receivables
through Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business, and the Notes are
effectively subordinated to the obligations of such Subsidiaries in connection
therewith. The Company is dependent to a material extent upon the cash flow of
its Subsidiaries to meet its obligations, including its obligations under the
Notes. The Company and certain of its Subsidiaries are also parties to
agreements with FSA, which has a pledge of the stock of such Subsidiaries and
the right to restrict cash distributions from such Subsidiaries to the Company
in certain circumstances. See "Risk Factors--Loan Performance Risks" in this
Prospectus Supplement and in the accompanying Prospectus. Any right of the
Company to receive assets of any of its Subsidiaries upon the latter's
liquidation or reorganization (and the consequent right of the Holders of the
Notes to participate in those assets) will be effectively subordinated to the
claims of Subsidiary warehouse lenders, FSA and any other entity providing
credit enhancement for the Company's securitizations since proceeds from any
such liquidation or reorganization will first be applied to satisfy obligations
of such Subsidiaries owing to creditors of such Subsidiaries, including
warehouse lenders and FSA or other credit enhancement providers, before such
proceeds may be available for distribution to the Company. The Company will be
restricted under the Indenture in its ability to pledge any assets to secure
Indebtedness, except for Permitted Liens. Permitted Liens include, among other
things, any liens on Receivables to secure Indebtedness in connection with Loan
Securitizations,
 
                                      S-57
<PAGE>
obligations under Warehouse Facilities or Hedging Obligations. In certain
circumstances, the Company's Excess Spread also may be pledged to secure
Indebtedness. Consequently, such Indebtedness will be senior to the Notes to the
extent of the security interests in such assets.
 
    As of the Issue Date, all of the Company's Subsidiaries will be Restricted
Subsidiaries. However, under certain circumstances, the Company will be able to
designate current or future Subsidiaries as Unrestricted Subsidiaries.
Unrestricted Subsidiaries will not be subject to many of the restrictive
covenants set forth in the Indenture. As of the Issue Date, the Notes are not
guaranteed by any of the Company's Subsidiaries. The Company may, in the future,
cause one or more Subsidiaries to become Subsidiary Guarantors, which would
permit such Subsidiaries to incur certain Indebtedness and issue certain
preferred stock, and would permit certain Investments in such Subsidiaries that
would not otherwise be permitted. In such event, the Notes will be
unconditionally guaranteed on a senior unsecured basis by each of the Subsidiary
Guarantors. See "--Subsidiary Guarantees."
 
PRINCIPAL, MATURITY AND INTEREST
 
    The Notes will be limited in aggregate principal amount to $300.0 million
and will mature on March 15, 2007. Interest on the Notes will accrue at the rate
of 11 1/2% per annum and will be payable semi-annually in arrears on March 15
and September 15, commencing on September 15, 1997, to Holders of record on the
immediately preceding March 1 and September 1. Interest on the Notes will accrue
from the most recent date to which interest has been paid or, if no interest has
been paid, from the date of original issuance. Interest will be computed on the
basis of a 360-day year comprised of twelve 30-day months. Principal, premium,
if any, and interest on the Notes will be payable at the office or agency of the
Company maintained for such purpose within the City and State of New York or, at
the option of the Company, payment of interest may be made by check mailed to
the Holders of the Notes at their respective addresses set forth in the register
of Holders of Notes; PROVIDED that all payments of principal, premium and
interest with respect to Notes the Holders of which have given valid, timely and
complete wire transfer instructions to the Company and the Trustee will be
required to be made by wire transfer of immediately available funds to the
accounts specified by the Holders thereof in such instructions. Until otherwise
designated by the Company, the Company's office or agency in New York will be
the office of the Trustee maintained for such purpose. The Notes will be issued
in denominations of $1,000 and integral multiples thereof.
 
OPTIONAL REDEMPTION
 
    The Notes will not be redeemable at the option of the Company prior to March
15, 2002. Thereafter, the Notes will be redeemable at the Company's option, in
whole or in part, at any time or from time to time, upon not less than 30 nor
more than 60 days' prior notice to each Holder, at the following redemption
prices (expressed in percentages of principal amount), plus accrued and unpaid
interest thereon to the applicable redemption date, if redeemed during the
twelve-month period commencing on March 15 of the years set forth below:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
YEAR                                                                      PERCENTAGE
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------  -----------
<S>                                                                       <C>
2002....................................................................      105.75%
2003....................................................................      103.83%
2004....................................................................      101.92%
2005 and thereafter.....................................................      100.00%
</TABLE>
 
MANDATORY REDEMPTION
 
    The Company is not required to make mandatory redemption or sinking fund
payments with respect to the Notes.
 
                                      S-58
<PAGE>
REPURCHASE AT THE OPTION OF HOLDERS
 
    CHANGE OF CONTROL
 
    The Indenture will provide that, upon the occurrence of a Change of Control,
each Holder of Notes will have the right to require the Company to repurchase
all or any part (equal to $1,000 or an integral multiple thereof) of such
Holder's Notes pursuant to the offer described below (the "Change of Control
Offer") at an offer price in cash equal to 101% of the aggregate principal
amount thereof plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon, if any, to the date of
purchase (the "Change of Control Payment"). Within ten days following any Change
of Control, the Company will mail a notice to each Holder describing the
transaction or transactions that constitute the Change of Control and offering
to repurchase Notes on the date specified in such notice, which date shall be no
earlier than the earliest date permitted under Rule 14e-1 under the Exchange Act
("Rule 14e-1") and no later than 60 days from the date such notice is mailed
(the "Change of Control Payment Date"), pursuant to the procedures required by
the Indenture and described in such notice. The Company will comply with the
requirements of Rule 14e-1 and any other securities laws and regulations
thereunder to the extent such laws and regulations are applicable in connection
with the repurchase of the Notes as a result of a Change of Control. To the
extent that the provisions of any securities laws or regulations conflict with
the provisions of the covenant described hereunder, the Company shall comply
with the applicable securities laws and regulations and shall not be deemed to
have breached its obligations under the covenant described hereunder by virtue
thereof.
 
    Pursuant to the Indenture, on the Change of Control Payment Date, the
Company will, to the extent lawful, (1) accept for payment all Notes or portions
thereof properly tendered pursuant to the Change of Control Offer, (2) deposit
with the Paying Agent an amount equal to the Change of Control Payment in
respect of all Notes or portions thereof so tendered and (3) deliver or cause to
be delivered to the Trustee the Notes so accepted together with an Officers'
Certificate stating the aggregate principal amount of Notes or portions thereof
being purchased by the Company. The Paying Agent is required to promptly mail to
each Holder of Notes so tendered the Change of Control Payment for such Notes,
and the Trustee is required to promptly authenticate and mail (or cause to be
transferred by book entry) to each Holder a new Note equal in principal amount
to any unpurchased portion of the Notes surrendered, if any; PROVIDED that each
such new Note will be in a principal amount of $1,000 or an integral multiple
thereof. The Company will publicly announce the results of the Change of Control
Offer on or as soon as practicable after the Change of Control Payment Date.
 
    The Change of Control provisions described above will be applicable whether
or not the covenant described below under "--Merger, Consolidation or Sale of
Assets" is applicable. Except as described above with respect to a Change of
Control, the Indenture does not contain provisions that permit the Holders of
the Notes to require that the Company repurchase or redeem the Notes in the
event of a takeover, recapitalization or similar transaction.
 
    The Company's Warehouse Facilities contain, and future Indebtedness of the
Company may contain, prohibitions of certain events that could constitute a
Change of Control. In addition, the financial effect on the Company of the
exercise by the Holders of Notes of their right to require the Company to
repurchase the Notes could cause a default under outstanding Indebtedness, even
if the Change of Control itself does not. In addition, the Company's ability to
pay cash to the Holders of Notes upon a repurchase may be limited by the
Company's then existing financial resources.
 
    The Company will not be required to make a Change of Control Offer upon a
Change of Control if a third party makes the Change of Control Offer in the
manner, at the times and otherwise in compliance with the requirements set forth
in the Indenture applicable to a Change of Control Offer made by the Company and
purchases all Notes validly tendered and not withdrawn under such Change of
Control Offer.
 
    "CHANGE OF CONTROL" means the occurrence of any of the following: (i) the
sale, lease, transfer, conveyance or other disposition (other than by way of
merger or consolidation and excluding sales, leases, transfers, conveyances or
other dispositions pursuant to Loan Securitizations or Warehouse Facilities), in
 
                                      S-59
<PAGE>
one or a series of related transactions, of all or substantially all of the
assets of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries taken as a whole to any
"person" (as such term is used in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act), (ii)
the adoption of a plan relating to the liquidation or dissolution of the
Company, (iii) the consummation of any transaction (including, without
limitation, any merger or consolidation) the result of which is that any
"person" (as defined above) becomes the "beneficial owner" (as such term is
defined in Rule 13d-3 and Rule 13d-5 under the Exchange Act), directly or
indirectly, of more than 50% of the Voting Stock of the Company (measured by
general voting power rather than number of shares), (iv) the first day on which
a majority of the members of the Board of Directors of the Company are not
Continuing Directors or (v) the Company consolidates with, or merges with or
into, any Person, or any Person consolidates with, or merges with or into, the
Company, in any such event pursuant to a transaction in which any of the
outstanding Voting Stock of the Company is converted into or exchanged for cash,
securities or other property, other than any such transaction where the Voting
Stock of the Company outstanding immediately prior to such transaction is
converted into or exchanged for Voting Stock (other than Disqualified Stock) of
the surviving or transferee Person constituting a majority of the outstanding
shares of such Voting Stock of such surviving or transferee Person (immediately
after giving effect to such issuance). For purposes of this definition, any
transfer of an equity interest of an entity that was formed for the purpose of
acquiring Voting Stock of the Company will be deemed to be a transfer of such
portion of such Voting Stock as corresponds to the portion of the equity of such
entity that has been so transferred.
 
    "CONTINUING DIRECTORS" means, as of any date of determination, any member of
the Board of Directors of the Company who (i) was a member of such Board of
Directors on the Issue Date or (ii) was nominated for election or elected to
such Board of Directors with the approval of a majority of the Continuing
Directors who were members of such Board at the time of such nomination or
election.
 
    Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Indenture will provide that this covenant
shall be of no further force or effect and shall cease to apply upon and after
the occurrence of an Investment Grade Rating Event.
 
    The definition of Change of Control includes a phrase relating to the sale,
lease, transfer, conveyance or other disposition of "all or substantially all"
of the assets of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries taken as a whole.
Although there is a developing body of case law interpreting the phrase
"substantially all," there is no precise established definition of the phrase
under applicable law. Accordingly, the ability of a Holder of Notes to require
the Company to repurchase such Notes as a result of a sale, lease, transfer,
conveyance or other disposition of less than all of the assets of the Company
and its Restricted Subsidiaries taken as a whole to another Person or group may
be uncertain.
 
    From August 1996 until December 1996, the Board of Directors of the Company
reviewed strategic alternatives available to the Company, including possible
sale of the Company and its Subsidiaries. No offer to purchase the Company and
its Subsidiaries was made during such time; however, there can be no assurance
that the Company will not engage in a transaction constituting a Change of
Control in the future.
 
    ASSET SALES
 
    The Indenture will provide that the Company will not, and will not permit
any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to, consummate an Asset Sale unless (i) the
Company (or the Restricted Subsidiary, as the case may be) receives
consideration at the time of such Asset Sale at least equal to the fair market
value (evidenced by an Officers' Certificate delivered to the Trustee and, with
respect to any Asset Sale involving consideration in excess of $5.0 million, a
resolution of the Company's Board of Directors) of the assets or Equity
Interests issued or sold or otherwise disposed of and (ii) at least 85% of the
consideration therefor received by the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary is
in the form of Cash Equivalents; PROVIDED that the amount of (x) any liabilities
(as shown on the Company's or such Restricted Subsidiary's most recent balance
sheet) of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary (other than contingent
liabilities and liabilities that are by their terms subordinated to the Notes or
any Guarantee thereof) that are expressly assumed by the transferee of any such
assets pursuant to a customary novation agreement that releases the Company
 
                                      S-60
<PAGE>
or such Restricted Subsidiary from further liability and (y) any currencies,
securities, notes or other obligations received by the Company or any such
Restricted Subsidiary from such transferee that are converted by the Company or
such Restricted Subsidiary into Cash Equivalents within 30 days after receipt
(to the extent of the cash received), shall be deemed to be Cash Equivalents for
purposes of this provision.
 
    The Indenture will permit the Company or the Restricted Subsidiary, as the
case may be, within 180 days after the receipt of any Net Proceeds from an Asset
Sale subject to this covenant, to apply such Net Proceeds (a) to permanently
reduce Senior Indebtedness (other than the Notes or obligations of a Special
Purpose Entity) of the Company or of any Restricted Subsidiary, or (b) to (i) an
Investment (other than in Receivables that, at the time of purchase, are not
Eligible Receivables), or (ii) the purchase of Receivables that are, at the time
of purchase, Eligible Receivables (including payment of Dealer Participations),
or (iii) the making of any capital expenditure, or (iv) the acquisition of any
other tangible assets, in each case, in or with respect to a Permitted Business.
Pending the final application of any such Net Proceeds, the Company or such
Restricted Subsidiary may temporarily reduce the principal obligations
outstanding under any Warehouse Facility or otherwise invest such Net Proceeds
in any manner that is not prohibited by the Indenture. Any Net Proceeds from
Asset Sales that are not applied or invested as provided in the preceding
sentence of this paragraph will be deemed to constitute "Excess Proceeds." When
the aggregate amount of Excess Proceeds exceeds $10.0 million, the Indenture
will require the Company to make an offer to all Holders of Notes (an "Asset
Sale Offer") to purchase the maximum principal amount of Notes that may be
purchased out of the Excess Proceeds, at an offer price in cash in an amount
equal to 100% of the principal amount thereof plus accrued and unpaid interest
thereon to the date of purchase, in accordance with the procedures set forth in
the Indenture. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if any Excess Spread or interest
therein is sold or otherwise conveyed or disposed of in an Asset Sale subject to
this covenant and, immediately thereafter, Finance Income Receivable relating to
the remaining aggregate Excess Spread not sold, conveyed or disposed of pursuant
to such transaction (the "Remaining Finance Income Receivable") would be less
than Minimum Finance Income Receivable, the Company shall be required to make an
Asset Sale Offer in the amount by which the Remaining Finance Income Receivable
is less than Minimum Finance Income Receivable (the "FIR Offer Amount"), without
regard to the application of the Net Proceeds of such sale by the Company
pursuant to clause (a) or (b) above; PROVIDED, that any Asset Sale Offer made
pursuant to this sentence shall be at an offer price of 101% of the principal
amount of the Notes plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon to the date of the
purchase. To the extent that the aggregate amount of Notes tendered pursuant to
an Asset Sale Offer is less than the Excess Proceeds or FIR Offer Amount, the
Company or the Restricted Subsidiary, as the case may be, may use any remaining
Excess Proceeds or FIR Offer Amount for general corporate purposes. If the
aggregate principal amount of Notes surrendered by Holders thereof exceeds the
amount of Excess Proceeds or FIR Offer Amount, the Trustee is required to select
the Notes to be purchased on a pro rata basis. Upon completion of such Asset
Sale Offer, the amount of Excess Proceeds shall be reset at zero. The FIR Offer
Amount shall be determined separately for each Asset Sale of Excess Spread.
 
    Under the Indenture, the Asset Sale Offer is required to remain open for the
minimum period of time required by Rule 14e-1 and no longer (the "Asset Sale
Offer Period"). Under the Indenture, no later than five Business Days after the
termination of the Asset Sale Offer Period (the "Asset Sale Purchase Date"), the
Company is required to purchase the principal amount of Notes required to be
purchased pursuant to this covenant (the "Asset Sale Offer Amount") or, if less
than the Asset Sale Offer Amount has been tendered, all Notes tendered in
response to the Asset Sale Offer.
 
    If the Asset Sale Purchase Date is on or after an interest payment record
date and on or before the related interest payment date, any accrued and unpaid
interest will be paid to the Person in whose name a Note is registered at the
close of business on such record date, and no additional interest will be
payable to Holders who tender Notes pursuant to the Asset Sale Offer.
 
    Under the Indenture, on or before the Asset Sale Purchase Date, the Company
is required, to the extent lawful, to accept for payment, on a pro rata basis to
the extent necessary, the Asset Sale Offer Amount of Notes or portions thereof
tendered pursuant to the Asset Sale Offer, or if less than the Asset Sale Offer
Amount has been tendered, all Notes tendered, and to deliver to the Trustee an
Officers'
 
                                      S-61
<PAGE>
Certificate stating that such Notes or portions thereof were accepted for
payment by the Company in accordance with the terms of this covenant. The
Company, the Depositary or the Paying Agent, as the case may be, is required,
not later than five days after the Asset Sale Purchase Date, to mail or deliver
to each tendering Holder an amount equal to the purchase price of the Notes
tendered by such Holder and accepted by the Company for purchase, and the
Company is required to issue a new Note, and the Trustee, upon delivery of an
Officers' Certificate from the Company, is required to authenticate and mail or
deliver such new Note to such Holder, in a principal amount equal to any
unpurchased portion of any Note surrendered. Any Note not so accepted is
required to be promptly mailed or delivered by the Company to the Holder
thereof. The Company will publicly announce the results of the Asset Sale Offer
on the Asset Sale Purchase Date.
 
    The Company will comply, to the extent applicable, with the requirements of
Rule 14e-1 and any other securities laws or regulations in connection with the
repurchase of Notes pursuant to the covenant described hereunder. To the extent
that the provisions of any securities laws or regulations conflict with the
provisions of the covenant described hereunder, the Company shall comply with
the applicable securities laws and regulations and shall not be deemed to have
breached its obligations under the covenant described hereunder by virtue
thereof.
 
    Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Indenture will provide that this covenant
shall be of no further force or effect and shall cease to apply upon and after
the occurrence of an Investment Grade Rating Event.
 
CERTAIN COVENANTS
 
    RESTRICTED PAYMENTS
 
    The Indenture will provide that the Company will not, and will not permit
any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly: (i) declare or
pay any dividend or make any other payment or distribution on account of the
Company's or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries' Equity Interests (including,
without limitation, any payment in connection with any merger or consolidation
involving the Company) other than dividends or other payments or distributions
payable in Equity Interests (other than Disqualified Stock) of the Company or
dividends or other payments or distributions payable to the Company or any
Wholly-Owned Restricted Subsidiary of the Company; (ii) purchase, redeem or
otherwise acquire or retire for value (including, without limitation, any
payment in connection with any merger or consolidation involving the Company)
any Equity Interests of the Company (other than any such Equity Interests owned
by any Wholly-Owned Restricted Subsidiary of the Company) or any direct or
indirect parent of the Company; (iii) make any principal payment on or with
respect to, purchase, redeem, defease or otherwise acquire or retire for value
any Indebtedness that is subordinated to the Notes (other than Hedging
Obligations, Permitted Warehouse Debt or intercompany Indebtedness payable to
the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company by any Restricted
Subsidiary of the Company), except at final maturity or in accordance with the
mandatory redemption, sinking fund, purchase or repayment provisions set forth
in the documentation governing such Indebtedness when such Indebtedness is
incurred, or when such Indebtedness is amended at any time when it could be
incurred under the test set forth in the first paragraph of the covenant
described below under "--Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of Preferred
Stock"; or (iv) make any Restricted Investment (all such payments and other
actions set forth in clauses (i) through (iv) above being collectively referred
to as "Restricted Payments"), unless, at the time of and after giving effect to
such Restricted Payment:
 
        (a) no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing
    or would occur as a consequence thereof; and
 
        (b) the Company would, at the time of such Restricted Payment and after
    giving pro forma effect thereto, have been permitted to incur at least $1.00
    of additional Indebtedness pursuant to the test set forth in the first
    paragraph of the covenant described below under "--Incurrence of
    Indebtedness and Issuance of Preferred Stock"; and
 
                                      S-62
<PAGE>
        (c) such Restricted Payment, together with the aggregate amount of all
    other Restricted Payments made by the Company and its Restricted
    Subsidiaries after the Issue Date (excluding Restricted Payments permitted
    by clauses (ii), (iii), (v), (vi) and (viii) of the next succeeding
    paragraph), is less than the sum of (i) 25% of the aggregate cumulative
    Consolidated Net Income of the Company for the period (taken as one
    accounting period) from and after the last day of the first fiscal quarter
    ending immediately following the Issue Date to the end of the Company's most
    recently ended fiscal quarter for which internal financial statements are
    available at the time of such Restricted Payment (or, if such Consolidated
    Net Income for such period is a deficit, less 100% of such deficit); plus
    (ii) 100% of the aggregate net cash proceeds received by the Company from
    the issue or sale since the Issue Date of Equity Interests of the Company
    (other than Disqualified Stock) or of Disqualified Stock or Indebtedness
    represented by securities of the Company that have been converted into such
    Equity Interests (other than Equity Interests (or Disqualified Stock or
    convertible debt securities) sold to a Subsidiary of the Company and other
    than Disqualified Stock or other Indebtedness represented by securities that
    have been converted into Disqualified Stock); plus (iii) to the extent that
    any Restricted Investment that was made after the Issue Date is sold for
    cash or otherwise liquidated or repaid for cash, the lesser of (A) the cash
    return of capital with respect to such Restricted Investment (less the cost
    of disposition, if any) and (B) the initial amount of such Restricted
    Investment.
 
    The foregoing provisions will not prohibit the following Restricted
Payments: (i) the payment of (A) any dividend within 60 days after the date of
declaration thereof, if at said date of declaration such payment would have
complied with the provisions of the Indenture or (B) any regular quarterly
dividend on the Company's common stock not in excess of $0.01 per share per
fiscal quarter; (ii) the purchase, redemption or other acquisition or retirement
for value of any Equity Interests of the Company in exchange for, or out of the
proceeds of, the substantially concurrent sale (other than to a Subsidiary of
the Company) of other Equity Interests of the Company (other than any
Disqualified Stock); PROVIDED, that the amount of any such net cash proceeds
that are utilized for such redemption, repurchase, retirement or other
acquisition shall be excluded from clause (c)(ii) of the preceding paragraph;
(iii) the payment of principal on, or purchase, redemption, defeasance or other
acquisition or retirement for value of Indebtedness with the net cash proceeds
from an incurrence of Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness or the substantially
concurrent sale (other than to a Subsidiary of the Company) of Equity Interests
of the Company (other than Disqualified Stock); PROVIDED, that the amount of any
such net cash proceeds from any such sale of Equity Interests that are utilized
for such redemption, repurchase, retirement or other acquisition shall be
excluded from clause (c)(ii) of the preceding paragraph; (iv) the redemption of
Indebtedness or preferred stock that is redeemable at the option of the Company
and convertible by its terms into common stock of the Company, and which was
permitted to be incurred or issued by the terms of the Indenture; PROVIDED, that
at the time such securities are called for redemption the number of shares of
common stock of the Company which a holder of such securities would receive upon
such holder's conversion of such securities to common stock multiplied by the
closing bid or comparable market price of the Company's common stock on the
principal securities exchange for such common stock on the Business Day
immediately preceding the day such Indebtedness or preferred stock is called for
redemption would exceed 120% of the redemption price to be paid by the Company
for such Indebtedness or preferred stock in connection with such redemption; (v)
in the absence of a Default or Event of Default which has occurred or would
occur as a consequence thereof, scheduled dividends and mandatory redemptions,
repurchases or sinking fund payments with respect to Disqualified Stock or
preferred stock of a Subsidiary Guarantor, which, when issued, was permitted to
be issued pursuant to the first paragraph of the covenant described below under
"--Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of Preferred Stock"; (vi) in the
absence of a Default or Event of Default which has occurred or would occur as a
consequence thereof, principal payments, purchases, redemptions, defeasance or
other acquisition or retirement for value of any Junior Subordinated Notes
permitted to be incurred pursuant to clause (11) of the second paragraph of the
covenant described below under "--Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of
Preferred Stock"; (vii) payments (A) in an amount not to exceed $1.0 million in
the aggregate during any fiscal year of the Company (plus any such amount not
utilized in any prior fiscal year) in connection with the repurchase,
 
                                      S-63
<PAGE>
redemption or other acquisition or retirement for value of any Equity Interest
of the Company held by an employee or director of the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries, related to compensation or severance arrangements or (B) of
withholding taxes due or paying exercise prices in connection with exercises of
options for common stock of the Company by such persons with such common stock
as consideration therefor; (viii) the making and consummation of any offer to
repurchase any Indebtedness upon the occurrence of a change of control under and
as defined in the documents governing such Indebtedness; PROVIDED, that in
connection with Indebtedness incurred after the Issue Date, the definition of
"change of control" is the same in all material respects as the definition of
"Change of Control" set forth in the Indenture and payments pursuant thereto are
not required to be made prior to the date on which the Change of Control Payment
is required to be made under the Indenture or, with respect to any Indebtedness
subordinated in right of payment to the Notes, no sooner than 30 days after the
date such Change of Control Offer is required to be made; (ix) any purchase,
redemption or other acquisition or retirement for value of Equity Interests
issued pursuant to the Company's stockholder rights plan, as the same may be
amended from time to time; and (x) payment of cash in lieu of fractional shares
of common stock that otherwise would be issuable upon exercise of warrants to
purchase common stock.
 
    If the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Company sells or
otherwise disposes of any Equity Interests of any direct or indirect Subsidiary
of the Company such that, after giving effect to any such sale or disposition,
such Person is no longer a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company, the Company
shall be deemed to have made an Investment on the date of any such sale or
disposition equal to the fair maket value of the Equity Interests of such
Subsidiary not sold or disposed of in an amount determined as provided in the
second succeeding paragraph below.
 
    The Board of Directors may designate any Restricted Subsidiary to be an
Unrestricted Subsidiary if such designation would not cause a Default. For
purposes of making such determination, all outstanding Investments by the
Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries (except to the extent repaid in cash) in
the Subsidiary so designated will be deemed to be Restricted Payments at the
time of such designation and will reduce the amount available for Restricted
Payments under the first paragraph of this covenant. All such outstanding
Investments will be deemed to constitute Investments in an amount equal to the
fair market value of such Investments at the time of such designation. Such
designation will only be permitted if such Restricted Payment would be permitted
at such time and if such Restricted Subsidiary otherwise meets the definition of
an Unrestricted Subsidiary.
 
    The amount of all Restricted Payments other than cash shall be the fair
market value (evidenced by an Officers' Certificate on the date of the
Restricted Payment) of the asset(s) or securities proposed to be transferred or
issued by the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary, as the case may be,
pursuant to the Restricted Payment. The fair market value of any non-cash
Restricted Payment in excess of $1.0 million shall be determined by the Board of
Directors whose resolution with respect thereto shall be delivered to the
Trustee, such determination to be based upon an opinion or appraisal issued by
an accounting, appraisal or investment banking firm of national standing if such
fair market value exceeds $10.0 million. Not later than the date of making any
Restricted Payment, the Company shall deliver to the Trustee an Officers'
Certificate stating that such Restricted Payment is permitted and setting forth
the basis upon which the calculations required by the covenant "Restricted
Payments" were computed.
 
    Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Indenture will provide that this covenant
shall be of no further force or effect and shall cease to apply upon and after
the occurrence of an Investment Grade Rating Event.
 
    INCURRENCE OF INDEBTEDNESS AND ISSUANCE OF PREFERRED STOCK
 
    The Indenture will provide that the Company will not, and will not permit
any of its Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly, create, incur, issue,
assume, guaranty or otherwise become directly or indirectly liable, contingently
or otherwise, with respect to (collectively, "incur") any Indebtedness
(including Acquired Debt) or issue Disqualified Stock, and that the Company will
not permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to issue any shares of preferred
stock except for preferred stock issued to and held by the
 
                                      S-64
<PAGE>
Company or any Wholly-Owned Restricted Subsidiary of the Company, PROVIDED that
any subsequent issuance or transfer of Capital Stock that results in such
Wholly-Owned Restricted Subsidiary ceasing to be a Wholly-Owned Restricted
Subsidiary of the Company or any subsequent transfer of such preferred stock
(other than to the Company or any of its Wholly-Owned Restricted Subsidiaries)
will be deemed, in each case, to constitute the issuance of such preferred stock
by the issuer thereof; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that the Company or any Subsidiary
Guarantor may incur Indebtedness (including Acquired Debt) or issue Disqualified
Stock and any Subsidiary Guarantor may issue preferred stock if, on the date of
such incurrence or issuance and after giving effect thereto, the Consolidated
Leverage Ratio does not exceed 2.0 to 1.0.
 
    The foregoing provisions will not apply to:
 
     (1) the incurrence by the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary of
Indebtedness represented by Capital Lease Obligations, mortgage financings or
purchase money obligations, in each case incurred for the purpose of financing
all or any part of the purchase price or cost of construction or improvement of
property used in the business of the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary, in
an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $10.0 million at any time
outstanding;
 
     (2) the existence of Warehouse Facilities, regardless of amount, and the
incurrence of Permitted Warehouse Debt by the Company or any of its Restricted
Subsidiaries; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that to the extent any such Indebtedness of the
Company or a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company ceases to constitute Permitted
Warehouse Debt, to such extent such Indebtedness shall be deemed to be incurred
by the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary of the Company, as the case may be,
at such time;
 
     (3) the incurrence by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of
intercompany Indebtedness owing to the Company or any of its Restricted
Subsidiaries; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that (i)(A) any subsequent issuance or transfer
of any Capital Stock which results in any such Indebtedness being held by a
Person other than a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company and (B) any sale or
transfer of any such Indebtedness to a Person that is not either the Company or
a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company, shall be deemed, in each case, to
constitute the incurrence of such Indebtedness by the Company or such Restricted
Subsidiary, as the case may be, (ii) any Indebtedness of the Company to any
Restricted Subsidiary of the Company is permitted by the covenant described
above under "--Restricted Payments" and (iii) if the Company is the obligor on
such Indebtedness, such Indebtedness is either (A) owed solely to a Special
Purpose Entity in connection with a Loan Securitization or Warehouse Facility or
(B) expressly subordinated to the prior payment in full in cash of all
obligations with respect to the Notes;
 
     (4) the incurrence by the Company of Indebtedness represented by the Notes
and by the Subsidiary Guarantors of Subsidiary Guarantees;
 
     (5) Indebtedness of the Company, any of its Restricted Subsidiaries or any
Special Purpose Entity outstanding on the Issue Date;
 
     (6) the incurrence by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of
Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness with respect to Indebtedness that was
permitted by the Indenture to be incurred or that was outstanding at the Issue
Date; PROVIDED, that Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness with respect to clauses
(1), (2), (3), (7) or (12) of this paragraph (and Indebtedness of like character
outstanding on the Issue Date) would otherwise be permitted to be incurred
pursuant to such clauses, as applicable;
 
     (7) the incurrence by the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries of
Hedging Obligations directly related to (i) Indebtedness of the Company or a
Restricted Subsidiary of the Company that was permitted by the Indenture to be
incurred, (ii) Receivables held by the Company or its Restricted Subsidiaries
pending sale in a Loan Securitization, (iii) Receivables of the Company or its
Restricted Subsidiaries that have been sold pursuant to a Warehouse Facility; or
(iv) Receivables that the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company
reasonably expects to purchase or commit to purchase, finance or accept as
collateral; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that, in the case of each of the foregoing
clauses (i) through (iv), such Hedging Obligations are eligible to receive hedge
accounting treatment in accordance with GAAP as applied by the Company and its
Restricted Subsidiaries on the Issue Date;
 
                                      S-65
<PAGE>
     (8) the incurrence of Acquired Debt by the Company or any of its Restricted
Subsidiaries in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $10.0 million at any
one time outstanding (reduced by the amount of Acquired Debt repaid with Net
Proceeds of Asset Sales of the Restricted Subsidiary acquired subject to such
Acquired Debt) that is without recourse to the Company or any of its Restricted
Subsidiaries or any of their respective assets (other than the Restricted
Subsidiary acquired subject to such Acquired Debt), and is not guaranteed by any
such Person; PROVIDED, that at the time of such incurrence, the Restricted
Subsidiary acquired subject to such Acquired Debt becomes a Subsidiary
Guarantor;
 
     (9) the Guarantee by the Company or any of the Subsidiary Guarantors of the
Indebtedness of the Company or another Subsidiary Guarantor that was permitted
to be incurred by another provision of this covenant;
 
    (10) the incurrence by the Company or any Subsidiary Guarantor of
Indebtedness under a Credit Agreement in an aggregate principal amount at any
time outstanding not to exceed $10.0 million;
 
    (11) the incurrence by the Company of Indebtedness which is expressly
subordinated in right of payment to the Notes in an aggregate principal amount
at any time outstanding not to exceed the sum of $75.0 million, PROVIDED,
HOWEVER, that the extension or roll-over of the Junior Subordinated Notes will
not reduce the amount of Indebtedness that may be incurred pursuant to this
clause (11);
 
    (12) (A) the incurrence by a Special Purpose Entity of Indebtedness in
connection with a Loan Securitization; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that if and to the
extent (and only to the extent) any such Indebtedness ceases to be "without
recourse" (as defined in the definition of "Special Purpose Entity"), such
Indebtedness shall be deemed to be incurred by a Restricted Subsidiary of the
Company at such time; and (B) the issuance by a Special Purpose Entity of
preferred stock representing a residual interest in such Special Purpose Entity;
and
 
    (13) (A) the incurrence by an Unrestricted Subsidiary of the Company of
Non-Recourse Debt (including, without limitation, Non-Recourse Debt that would
constitute Permitted Warehouse Debt if incurred by a Restricted Subsidiary of
the Company); PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that if any such Indebtedness ceases to be
Non-Recourse Debt of the Unrestricted Subsidiary, such event shall be deemed to
constitute an incurrence of Indebtedness by a Restricted Subsidiary of the
Company; and (B) the issuance by an Unrestricted Subsidiary of the Company of
preferred stock.
 
    The Indenture will also provide that the Company will not, and will not
permit any Subsidiary Guarantor to, incur any Indebtedness that is contractually
subordinated to any Indebtedness of the Company or any such Subsidiary Guarantor
unless such Indebtedness is also contractually subordinated to the Notes, or the
Subsidiary Guarantee of such Subsidiary Guarantor (as applicable), on
substantially identical terms; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that no Indebtedness shall be
deemed to be contractually subordinated to any other Indebtedness solely by
virtue of being unsecured.
 
    For purposes of determining compliance with this covenant, in the event that
an item of Indebtedness meets the criteria of more than one of the categories of
Indebtedness described in clauses (1) through (13) above or is entitled to be
incurred pursuant to the first paragraph of this covenant, the Company shall, in
its sole discretion, classify such item of Indebtedness in any manner that
complies with this covenant and such item of Indebtedness will be treated as
having been incurred pursuant to only one of such clauses or pursuant to the
first paragraph hereof.
 
    Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Indenture will provide that this covenant
shall be of no further force or effect and shall cease to apply upon and after
the occurrence of an Investment Grade Rating Event.
 
    LIENS
 
    The Indenture will provide that the Company will not, and will not permit
any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly, create, incur,
assume or suffer to exist any Lien on any asset now owned or hereafter acquired,
or any income or profits therefrom or assign or convey any right to receive
 
                                      S-66
<PAGE>
income therefrom, except Permitted Liens. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the
Indenture will provide that this covenant shall be of no further force or effect
and shall cease to apply upon and after the occurrence of an Investment Grade
Rating Event.
 
    DIVIDEND AND OTHER PAYMENT RESTRICTIONS AFFECTING RESTRICTED SUBSIDIARIES
 
    The Indenture will provide that the Company will not, and will not permit
any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly, create or
otherwise cause or suffer to exist or become effective any encumbrance or
restriction on the ability of any Restricted Subsidiary to (i)(A) pay dividends
or make any other distributions to the Company or any of its Restricted
Subsidiaries (1) on its Capital Stock or (2) with respect to any other interest
or participation in, or measured by, its profits, or (B) pay any indebtedness
owed to the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries, (ii) make loans or
advances to the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries or (iii) transfer
any of its properties or assets to the Company or any of its Restricted
Subsidiaries, except for such encumbrances or restrictions existing under or by
reason of (a) Warehouse Facilities as in effect as of the Issue Date, and any
amendments, modifications, restatements, renewals, increases, supplements,
refundings, additions (including additional Warehouse Facilities), replacements
or refinancings thereof, PROVIDED that such amendments, modifications,
restatements, renewals, increases, supplements, refundings, additions,
replacements or refinancings are no more restrictive with respect to such
dividend and other payment restrictions than those contained in the Warehouse
Facilities as in effect on the Issue Date, (b) applicable law, (c) any
instrument governing Acquired Debt or Capital Stock of a Person acquired by the
Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries as in effect at the time of such
acquisition (except to the extent such Acquired Debt was incurred or such
Capital Stock was issued or its terms amended in connection with or in
contemplation of such acquisition), which encumbrance or restriction is not
applicable to any Person, or the property or assets of any Person, other than
the Person or the property or assets of the Person, so acquired, PROVIDED that
such Person is not taken into account in determining on a pro forma basis
whether such acquisition subject to such Acquired Debt was permitted by the
terms of the Indenture, (d) by reason of customary non-assignment provisions in
leases entered into in the ordinary course of business and consistent with past
practices, (e) purchase money obligations for property acquired in the ordinary
course of business that impose restrictions of the nature described in clause
(iii) above on the property so acquired, (f) Credit Enhancement Agreements, (g)
the requirements of any Loan Securitization that are exclusively applicable to
any Special Purpose Entity or (h) Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness; PROVIDED
that the restrictions contained in the agreements governing such Permitted
Refinancing Indebtedness are no more restrictive than those contained in the
agreements governing the Indebtedness being refinanced.
 
    Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Indenture will provide that this covenant
shall be of no further force or effect and shall cease to apply upon and after
the occurrence of an Investment Grade Rating Event.
 
    MERGER, CONSOLIDATION OR SALE OF ASSETS
 
    The Indenture will provide that the Company may not consolidate or merge
with or into (whether or not the Company is the surviving corporation), or sell,
assign, transfer, lease, convey or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all
of its properties or assets in one or more related transactions to, another
Person unless (i) the Company is the surviving corporation or the Person formed
by or surviving any such consolidation or merger (if other than the Company) or
to which such sale, assignment, transfer, lease, conveyance or other disposition
shall have been made is a corporation organized or existing under the laws of
the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia; (ii) the
Person formed by or surviving any such consolidation or merger (if other than
the Company) or the Person to which such sale, assignment, transfer, lease,
conveyance or other disposition shall have been made assumes all the obligations
of the Company under the Notes and the Indenture pursuant to a supplemental
indenture in a form reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee; (iii) immediately
after such transaction no Default or Event of Default exists; and (iv) the
Company or the Person formed by or surviving any such consolidation or merger
(if other than the Company), or to which such sale, assignment, transfer, lease,
conveyance or other
 
                                      S-67
<PAGE>
disposition shall have been made (A) will have Consolidated Net Worth
immediately after the transaction equal to or greater than the Consolidated Net
Worth of the Company immediately preceding the transaction and (B) will, at the
time of such transaction and after giving pro forma effect thereto, be permitted
to incur at least $1.00 of additional Indebtedness pursuant to the first
paragraph of the covenant described above under "--Incurrence of Indebtedness
and Issuance of Preferred Stock," if such covenant is then applicable. This
covenant shall apply to the Notes in lieu of the "Merger, Consolidation or Sale
of Assets" covenant described in the accompanying Prospectus.
 
    TRANSACTIONS WITH AFFILIATES
 
    The Indenture will provide that the Company will not, and will not permit
any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to, sell, lease, transfer or otherwise
dispose of any of its properties or assets to, or purchase any property or
assets from, or enter into or make or amend any transaction, contract,
agreement, understanding, loan, advance or guarantee with, or for the benefit
of, any Affiliate (each of the foregoing actions, considered separately, an
"Affiliate Transaction"), unless (i) such Affiliate Transaction is on terms that
are no less favorable to the Company or the relevant Restricted Subsidiary than
those that would have been obtained in a comparable transaction by the Company
or such Restricted Subsidiary with an unrelated Person and (ii) the Company
delivers to the Trustee (a) with respect to any Affiliate Transaction or series
of related Affiliate Transactions involving aggregate consideration in excess of
$1.0 million, a resolution of the Board of Directors set forth in an Officers'
Certificate certifying that such Affiliate Transaction complies with clause (i)
above and that such Affiliate Transaction has been approved by a majority of the
disinterested members of the Board of Directors and (b) with respect to any
Affiliate Transaction or series of related Affiliate Transactions involving
aggregate consideration in excess of $5.0 million, an opinion as to the fairness
to the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary of such Affiliate Transaction from
a financial point of view issued by an accounting, appraisal or investment
banking firm of national standing; PROVIDED that Affiliate Transactions shall
not include (A) any employment agreement, stock option, employee benefit,
indemnification, compensation (including the payment of reasonable fees to
directors of the Company or its Restricted Subsidiaries who are not employees of
the Company or its Restricted Subsidiaries), business expense reimbursement or
other employment-related agreement, arrangement or plan entered into by the
Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business
of the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary, (B) transactions between or among
the Company and/or its Restricted Subsidiaries not otherwise prohibited by the
Indenture, (C) loans or advances to employees in the ordinary course of business
of the Company or its Restricted Subsidiaries, but in any event not to exceed
$500,000 in aggregate principal amount outstanding at any one time, (D)
Restricted Payments that are permitted by the provisions of the Indenture
described above under the caption "--Restricted Payments" and Permitted
Investments and (E) transactions, arising out of and in connection with either a
Loan Securitization or the incurrence of Permitted Warehouse Debt, between the
Company or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Company, on the one hand, and a
Special Purpose Entity or Warehouse Facility or any Person (other than an
Affiliate of the Company that is not a Subsidiary of the Company) which owns an
interest in a Special Purpose Entity or Warehouse Facility, on the other hand.
 
    Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Indenture will provide that this covenant
shall be of no further force and effect and shall cease to apply upon and after
the occurence of an Investment Grade Rating Event.
 
    NO AMENDMENT TO SUBORDINATION PROVISIONS
 
    The Indenture will provide that, without the consent of the Holders of 90%
of the Notes outstanding, the Company will not amend, modify or alter the terms
of the Subordinated Notes to (i) increase the rate of or change the time for
payment of interest on such Subordinated Notes, (ii) increase the principal of,
advance the final maturity date of or shorten the maturity of such Subordinated
Notes, (iii) increase the redemption price or alter the other redemption
provisions or increase the price or modify the other terms at which the Company
is required to offer to purchase such Subordinated Notes or (iv) amend any of
the provisions governing subordination of such Subordinated Notes in a manner
adverse to the Holders of the
 
                                      S-68
<PAGE>
Notes; PROVIDED, that no such consent will be required if, at the effective time
of any such amendment, modification or alteration, the Company would be
permitted to incur such amended, modified or altered Subordinated Notes under
the covenant described above under "--Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of
Preferred Stock."
 
    Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Indenture will provide that this covenant
shall be of no further force and effect and shall cease to apply upon and after
the occurrence of an Investment Grade Rating Event.
 
    BUSINESS ACTIVITIES
 
    The Company will not, and will not permit any Restricted Subsidiary to,
engage in any business other than Permitted Businesses. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, the Indenture will provide that this covenant shall be of no further
force or effect and shall cease to apply upon and after the occurrence of an
Investment Grade Rating Event.
 
    PAYMENTS FOR CONSENT
 
    The Indenture will provide that neither the Company nor any of its
Subsidiaries will, directly or indirectly, pay or cause to be paid any
consideration, whether by way of interest, fee or otherwise, to any Holder of
any Notes for or as an inducement to any consent, waiver or amendment of any of
the terms or provisions of the Indenture or the Notes unless such consideration
is offered to be paid or is paid to all Holders of Notes that consent, waive or
agree to amend in the time frame set forth in the solicitation documents
relating to such consent, waiver or agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing,
the Indenture will provide that this covenant shall be of no further force and
effect and shall cease to apply on and after the occurrence of an Investment
Grade Rating Event.
 
    REPORTS
 
    The Indenture will provide that, in addition to the reports set forth under
the caption "Description of Senior Debt Securities--Certain Covenants in the
Senior Note Indenture--Reports" in the accompanying Prospectus, so long as any
Notes are outstanding and until the occurrence of an Investment Grade Rating
Event, the Company will furnish to the Holders of Notes, either on the face of
the financial statements or the footnotes thereto or in "Management's Discussion
and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations," the financial
condition, results of operations and statements of cash flow of the Company and
its Restricted Subsidiaries separate from those of the Company's Unrestricted
Subsidiaries.
 
SUBSIDIARY GUARANTEES
 
    The Indenture will provide that the Company will not, and will not permit
any of the Subsidiary Guarantors to, make any Investment in any Subsidiary of
the Company that is not a Subsidiary Guarantor unless either (i) such Investment
is permitted by the covenant entitled "--Restricted Payments" (including
Investments in Special Purpose Entities) or (ii) such Subsidiary executes a
Subsidiary Guarantee and delivers an opinion of counsel in accordance with the
provision of the Indenture. Currently, the Company's only active Restricted
Subsidiaries are Special Purpose Entities and therefore there will be no
Subsidiary Guarantees of the Notes in effect on the Issue Date. The Indenture
will provide that each Subsidiary Guarantor's obligations under its Subsidiary
Guarantee will be unsecured senior obligations of such Subsidiary Guarantor and
will be joint and several with the obligations of each other Subsidiary
Guarantor under its Subsidiary Guarantee of the Notes.
 
    The Indenture will provide that no Subsidiary Guarantor may consolidate with
or merge with or into (whether or not such Subsidiary Guarantor is the surviving
Person) another Person, whether or not affiliated with such Subsidiary
Guarantor, unless (i) subject to the provisions of the following paragraphs, the
Person formed by or surviving any such consolidation or merger (if other than
such Subsidiary Guarantor) assumes all the obligations of such Subsidiary
Guarantor, pursuant to a supplemental indenture in form and substance
satisfactory to the Trustee, under the Indenture, (ii) immediately after giving
 
                                      S-69
<PAGE>
effect to such transaction no Default or Event of Default exists, (iii) such
Subsidiary Guarantor, or any Person formed by or surviving any such
consolidation or merger, would have Consolidated Net Worth (immediately after
giving effect to such transaction) equal to or greater than the Consolidated Net
Worth of such Subsidiary Guarantor immediately preceding the transaction, and
(iv) the Company would be permitted, immediately after giving effect to such
transaction, to incur at least $1.00 of additional Indebtedness pursuant to the
first paragraph of the covenant described above under "--Incurrence of
Indebtedness and Issuance of Preferred Stock"; PROVIDED that the foregoing
provisions will not restrict the ability of a Subsidiary Guarantor to
consolidate or merge with the Company or a Wholly-Owned Restricted Subsidiary of
the Company.
 
    The Indenture will provide that, in the event of a sale or other disposition
of all of the assets of any Subsidiary Guarantor (other than to or with the
Company or a Wholly-Owned Restricted Subsidiary of the Company), by way of
merger, consolidation or otherwise, or a sale or other disposition of all the
Capital Stock of such Subsidiary Guarantor (other than to the Company or a
Wholly-Owned Restricted Subsidiary of the Company), then such Subsidiary
Guarantor (in the event of a sale or other disposition, by way of such merger,
consolidation or otherwise, of all of the Capital Stock of such Subsidiary
Guarantor) or the corporation acquiring the property (in the event of a sale or
other disposition of all of the assets of such Subsidiary Guarantor) will be
released and relieved of any obligations under its Subsidiary Guarantee;
PROVIDED that the Net Proceeds of such sale or other disposition are applied in
accordance with the applicable provisions of the Indenture.
 
    Various fraudulent conveyance laws enacted for the protection of creditors
may apply to a Subsidiary Guarantor's issuance of a Subsidiary Guarantee, if
any, with respect to the Notes. To the extent that a court were to find that (x)
a Subsidiary Guarantee was incurred by a Subsidiary Guarantor with intent to
hinder, delay or defraud any present or future creditor, or the Subsidiary
Guarantor contemplated insolvency with a design to prefer one or more creditors
to the exclusion in whole or in part of others or (y) a Subsidiary Guarantor did
not receive fair consideration or reasonably equivalent value for issuing its
Subsidiary Guarantee and such Subsidiary Guarantor (i) was insolvent, (ii) was
rendered insolvent by reason of the issuance of such Subsidiary Guarantee, (iii)
was engaged or about to engage in a business or transaction for which the
remaining assets of such Subsidiary Guarantor constituted unreasonably small
capital to carry on its business or (iv) intended to incur, or believed that it
would incur, debts beyond its ability to pay such debts as they matured, the
court could avoid or subordinate such Subsidiary Guarantee in favor of the
Subsidiary Guarantor's creditors. Among other things, a legal challenge of a
Subsidiary Guarantee on fraudulent conveyance grounds may focus on the benefits,
if any, realized by the Subsidiary Guarantor as a result of the Company's
issuance of the Notes and/or the issuance of such Subsidiary Guarantee. Each
Subsidiary Guarantee will contain a savings clause, which states that the
obligations of each Subsidiary Guarantor under the Subsidiary Guarantee will be
limited to the maximum amount as will, after giving effect to all of the
liabilities of such Subsidiary Guarantor, result in such obligations not
constituting a fraudulent conveyance. To the extent a Subsidiary Guarantee of
any Subsidiary Guarantor was avoided or limited as fraudulent conveyance or held
unenforceable for any other reason, Holders of the Notes would cease to have any
claim against such Subsidiary Guarantor and would be creditors solely of the
Company and any Subsidiary Guarantor whose Subsidiary Guarantee was not avoided
or held unenforceable. In such event, the claims of the Holders of the Notes
against the issuer of an invalid Subsidiary Guarantee would be subject to the
prior payment of all liabilities (including trade payables) of such Subsidiary
Guarantor. There can be no assurance that, after providing for all prior claims,
there would be sufficient assets to satisfy the claims of the Holders of the
Notes relating to any avoided portions of any of the Subsidiary Guarantees.
 
    The measure of insolvency for purposes of the foregoing considerations will
vary depending upon the law applied in any such proceeding. Generally, however,
a Subsidiary Guarantor may be considered insolvent if the sum of its debts,
including contingent liabilities, is greater than the value of all of its assets
at a fair valuation or if the present fair saleable value of its assets is less
than the amount that would be required to pay its probable liability on its
existing debts, including contingent liabilities, as they become absolute and
mature.
 
                                      S-70
<PAGE>
EVENTS OF DEFAULT AND REMEDIES
 
    The Indenture will provide that each of the following constitutes an Event
of Default: (i) default for 30 days in the payment when due of interest on the
Notes; (ii) default in payment when due of the principal of or premium, if any,
on the Notes; (iii) failure by the Company to comply with the provisions
described above under "--Change of Control," "--Asset Sales," "--Restricted
Payments," "--Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of Preferred Stock,"
"--Merger, Consolidation or Sale of Assets," "--Liens" or "--Business
Activities"; (iv) failure by the Company for 60 days after notice to comply with
any of its other agreements in the Indenture or the Notes; (v) default under any
mortgage, indenture or instrument under which there may be issued or by which
there may be secured or evidenced any Indebtedness for money borrowed by the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries (or the payment of which is guaranteed by the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries) whether such Indebtedness or guarantee now
exists, or is created after the date of the Indenture, which default (a) is
caused by a failure to pay principal of or premium, if any, or interest on such
Indebtedness prior to the expiration of the grace period provided in such
Indebtedness on the date of such default (a "Payment Default") or (b) results in
the acceleration of such Indebtedness prior to its express maturity and, in each
case, the principal amount of any such Indebtedness, together with the principal
amount of any other such Indebtedness under which there has been a Payment
Default or the maturity of which has been so accelerated, aggregates $5.0
million or more; (vi) failure by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to pay
final judgments aggregating in excess of $5.0 million, which judgments are not
paid, discharged or stayed for a period of 60 days; (vii) certain events of
bankruptcy or insolvency with respect to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries;
and (viii) except as permitted by the Indenture, any Subsidiary Guarantee shall
be held in any judicial proceeding to be invalid or unenforceable or shall cease
for any reason to be in full force and effect or any Subsidiary Guarantor or any
Person acting on behalf of any Subsidiary Guarantor shall deny or disaffirm its
obligations under its Subsidiary Guarantee.
 
    If any Event of Default occurs and is continuing, the Trustee or the Holders
of at least 25% in principal amount of the then outstanding Notes may declare
all the Notes to be due and payable immediately. Notwithstanding the foregoing,
in the case of an Event of Default arising from certain events of bankruptcy or
insolvency, with respect to the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company, all
outstanding Notes will become due and payable without further action or notice.
Holders of the Notes may not enforce the Indenture or the Notes except as
provided in the Indenture. Subject to certain limitations, Holders of a majority
in principal amount of the then outstanding Notes may direct the Trustee in its
exercise of any trust or power. The Trustee may withhold from Holders of the
Notes notice of any continuing Default or Event of Default (except a Default or
Event of Default relating to the payment of principal or interest) if it
determines that withholding notice is in their interest.
 
    In the case of any Event of Default occurring by reason of any willful
action (or inaction) taken (or not taken) by or on behalf of the Company with
the intention of avoiding payment of the premium that the Company would have had
to pay if the Company then had elected to redeem the Notes pursuant to the
optional redemption provisions of the Indenture, an equivalent premium shall
also become and be immediately due and payable to the extent permitted by law
upon the acceleration of the Notes. If an Event of Default occurs prior to March
15, 2002 by reason of any willful action (or inaction) taken (or not taken) by
or on behalf of the Company with the intention of avoiding the prohibition on
redemption of the Notes prior to March 15, 2002, then the premium specified in
the Indenture shall also become immediately due and payable to the extent
permitted by law upon the acceleration of the Notes.
 
    The Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Notes then
outstanding by notice to the Trustee may on behalf of the Holders of all of the
Notes waive any existing Default or Event of Default and its consequences under
the Indenture except a continuing Default or Event of Default in the payment of
premium, if any, or interest on, or the principal of, the Notes.
 
    The Company is required to deliver to the Trustee annually a statement
regarding compliance with the Indenture, and the Company is required, upon
becoming aware of any Default or Event of Default, to deliver to the Trustee a
statement specifying such Default or Event of Default. The "Events of Default
and
 
                                      S-71
<PAGE>
Remedies" provisions described above shall apply to the Notes in lieu of those
described in the accompanying Prospectus.
 
NO PERSONAL LIABILITY OF DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES AND STOCKHOLDERS
 
    No director, officer, employee, incorporator or stockholder of the Company,
as such, shall have any liability for any obligations of the Company under the
Notes, the Indenture or for any claim based on, in respect of, or by reason of,
such obligations or their creation. Each Holder of Notes by accepting a Note
waives and releases all such liability. The waiver and release are part of the
consideration for issuance of the Notes. Such waiver may not be effective to
waive liabilities under the federal securities laws and it is the view of the
Commission that such a waiver is against public policy.
 
AMENDMENT, SUPPLEMENT AND WAIVER
 
    Except as provided in the next two succeeding paragraphs, the Indenture or
the Notes may be amended or supplemented with the consent of the Holders of at
least a majority in principal amount of the Notes then outstanding (including,
without limitation, consents obtained in connection with a purchase of, or
tender offer or exchange offer for, Notes), and any existing default or
compliance with any provision of the Indenture or the Notes may be waived with
the consent of the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the then
outstanding Notes (including consents obtained in connection with a tender offer
or exchange offer for Notes).
 
    Without the consent of each Holder affected, an amendment or waiver may not
(with respect to any Notes held by a non-consenting Holder): (i) reduce the
principal amount of Notes whose Holders must consent to an amendment, supplement
or waiver, (ii) reduce the principal of or change the fixed maturity of any Note
or alter the provisions with respect to the redemption of the Notes (other than
provisions relating to the covenants described above under "--Repurchase at the
Option of Holders"), (iii) reduce the rate of or change the time for payment of
interest on any Note, (iv) waive a Default or Event of Default in the payment of
principal of or premium, if any, or interest on the Notes (except a rescission
of acceleration of the Notes by the Holders of at least a majority in aggregate
principal amount of the Notes and a waiver of the payment default that resulted
from such acceleration), (v) make any Note payable in money other than that
stated in the Notes, (vi) make any change in the provisions of the Indenture
relating to waivers of past Defaults or the rights of Holders of Notes to
receive payments of principal of or premium, if any, or interest on the Notes,
(vii) waive a redemption payment with respect to any Note (other than a payment
required by one of the covenants described above under "--Repurchase at the
Option of Holders") or (viii) make any change in the foregoing amendment and
waiver provisions.
 
    Notwithstanding the foregoing, without the consent of any Holder of Notes,
the Company and the Trustee may amend or supplement the Indenture or the Notes
to cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency, to provide for uncertificated
Notes in addition to or in place of certificated Notes (provided that the
uncertificated Notes are issued in registered form for purposes of Section
163(f) of the Code, or in a manner such that the uncertificated Notes are
described in Section 163(f)(2)(B) of the Code), to provide for the assumption of
the Company's obligations to Holders of Notes in the case of a merger or
consolidation, to make any change that would provide any additional rights or
benefits to the Holders of Notes or that does not adversely affect the legal
rights under the Indenture of any such Holder, or to comply with requirements of
the Commission in order to effect or maintain the qualification of the Indenture
under the Trust Indenture Act. The "Amendment, Supplement and Waiver" provisions
described above shall apply to the Notes in lieu of those described under the
caption "Description of Senior Debt Securities--Modification and Waiver" in the
accompanying Prospectus.
 
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
 
    Any Holder may obtain a copy of the Indenture without charge by writing to
Olympic Financial Ltd., 7825 Washington Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota,
55439-2435, Attention: Secretary.
 
                                      S-72
<PAGE>
CERTAIN DEFINITIONS
 
    Set forth below are certain defined terms used in the Indenture. Reference
is made to the Indenture for a full disclosure of all such terms, as well as any
other capitalized terms used herein for which no definition is provided.
 
    "ACQUIRED DEBT" means, with respect to any specified Person, (i)
Indebtedness of any other Person existing at the time such other Person is
merged with or into or became a Subsidiary of such specified Person, including,
without limitation, Indebtedness incurred in connection with, or in
contemplation of, such other Person merging with or into or becoming a
Subsidiary of such specified Person, and (ii) Indebtedness secured by a Lien
encumbering any asset acquired by such specified Person.
 
    "AFFILIATE" of any specified Person means any other Person directly or
indirectly controlling or controlled by or under direct or indirect common
control with such specified Person. For purposes of this definition, "control"
(including, with correlative meanings, the terms "controlling," "controlled by"
and "under common control with"), as used with respect to any Person, shall mean
the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the
direction of the management or policies of such Person, whether through the
ownership of voting securities, by agreement or otherwise; PROVIDED, that
beneficial ownership of 10% or more of the voting securities of a Person shall
be deemed to be control. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no Person (other than
the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Company) in whom a Special
Purpose Entity makes an Investment in connection with a Loan Securitization
shall be deemed to be an Affiliate of the Company or any of its Restricted
Subsidiaries solely by reason of such Investment.
 
    "ASSET SALE" means (i) the sale, lease, conveyance or other disposition of
any assets (including, without limitation, (x) by way of a sale and leaseback
and (y) the sale or other disposition of any Excess Spread) other than sales of
Receivables in connection with Loan Securitizations or Warehouse Facilities and
sales of repossessed assets in the ordinary course of business (PROVIDED that
the sale, lease, conveyance or other disposition of all or substantially all of
the assets of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries taken as a whole will
be governed by the provisions of the Indenture described above under the caption
"--Change of Control" and/or the provisions described above under "--Merger,
Consolidation or Sale of Assets" and not by the provisions of the Asset Sale
covenant), and (ii) the issue by the Company or any of its Restricted
Subsidiaries of Equity Interests, or the sale by the Company or any Restricted
Subsidiary of any Equity Interests, of their Subsidiaries (other than directors
qualifying shares), in the case of either clause (i) or (ii), whether in a
single transaction or a series of related transactions (a) that have a fair
market value in excess of $1.0 million or (b) for net proceeds in excess of $1.0
million. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the following will not be deemed to be
Asset Sales: (i) an issuance of Equity Interests by a Wholly-Owned Restricted
Subsidiary of the Company to the Company or to another Wholly-Owned Restricted
Subsidiary of the Company; (ii) a Restricted Payment that is permitted by the
covenant described above under "--Restricted Payments"; (iii) a pledge, or
transfer pursuant to a pledge, of assets, which pledge is a Permitted Lien; (iv)
a disposition by a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company to the Company or a
Wholly-Owned Restricted Subsidiary of the Company or by the Company to a
Wholly-Owned Restricted Subsidiary of the Company; and (v) leasing transactions
and other sales of goods and services in the ordinary course of business of a
Permitted Business.
 
    "CAPITAL LEASE OBLIGATION" means, at the time any determination thereof is
to be made, the amount of the liability in respect of a capital lease that would
at such time be required to be capitalized on a balance sheet in accordance with
GAAP.
 
    "CAPITAL STOCK" means (i) in the case of a corporation, corporate stock,
(ii) in the case of an association or business entity, any and all shares,
interests, participations, rights or other equivalents (however designated) of
corporate stock, (iii) in the case of a partnership or limited liability
company, partnership (whether general or limited) or membership interests and
(iv) any other interest or participation that confers on a Person the right to
receive a share of the profits and losses of, or distributions of assets of, the
issuing Person.
 
                                      S-73
<PAGE>
    "CASH EQUIVALENTS" means (i) United States dollars, (ii) securities issued
or directly and fully guaranteed or insured by the United States government or
any agency or instrumentality thereof having maturities of not more than one
year from the date of acquisition, (iii) certificates of deposit and eurodollar
time deposits with maturities of one year or less from the date of acquisition,
bankers' acceptances with maturities not exceeding one year and overnight bank
deposits, in each case with any domestic commercial bank having capital and
surplus in excess of $500.0 million and a Keefe Bank Watch Rating of "B" or
better, (iv) repurchase obligations with a term of not more than seven days for
underlying securities of the types described in clauses (ii) and (iii) above
entered into with any financial institution meeting the qualifications specified
in clause (iii) above, (v) commercial paper having one of the two highest
ratings obtainable from Moody's Investors Service, Inc. or Standard & Poor's and
in each case maturing within nine months after the date of acquisition, and (vi)
money market funds, the portfolios of which are limited to investments described
in clauses (i) through (v) above.
 
    "CODE" means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
 
    "CONSOLIDATED LEVERAGE RATIO" as of any date of determination means the
ratio of (i) the aggregate amount of all consolidated Indebtedness of the
Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries excluding (A) Permitted Warehouse Debt,
(B) Hedging Obligations permitted to be incurred pursuant to clause (5) or (7)
of the covenant described under "--Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of
Preferred Stock" and (C) Indebtedness of a Special Purpose Entity permitted to
be incurred pursuant to clause (5) or (12)(A) of the covenant described under
"--Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of Preferred Stock" to (ii) the
Consolidated Net Worth of the Company.
 
    "CONSOLIDATED NET INCOME" means, with respect to any Person for any period,
the aggregate of the Net Income of such Person and its Restricted Subsidiaries
(for such period, on a consolidated basis, determined in accordance with GAAP);
PROVIDED, that (i) the Net Income (but not loss) of any Person that is not a
Restricted Subsidiary or that is accounted for by the equity method of
accounting shall be included only to the extent of the amount of dividends or
distributions paid in cash to the referent Person or a Wholly-Owned Restricted
Subsidiary thereof, (ii) the Net Income of any Restricted Subsidiary shall be
excluded to the extent that the declaration or payment of dividends or similar
distributions by that Restricted Subsidiary of that Net Income is not at the
date of determination permitted without any prior governmental approval (that
has not been obtained) or, directly or indirectly, by operation of the terms of
its charter or any agreement, instrument, judgment, decree, order, statute, rule
or governmental regulation applicable to that Restricted Subsidiary or its
stockholders; PROVIDED, that this clause (ii) shall not exclude Net Income, the
distribution of which is restricted solely by reason of spread account
requirements with respect to Special Purpose Entities or Warehouse Facilities or
limitations imposed by any Credit Enhancement Agreement or Warehouse Facility
that are permitted by the covenant summarized above under "--Dividend and Other
Payment Restrictions Affecting Restricted Subsidiaries," (iii) the Net Income of
any Person acquired in a pooling of interests transaction for any period prior
to the date of such acquisition shall be excluded, and (iv) the cumulative
effect of a change in accounting principles shall be excluded.
 
    "CONSOLIDATED NET WORTH" means, with respect to any Person as of any date,
the sum of (i) the consolidated equity of the common stockholders of such Person
and its consolidated Restricted Subsidiaries as of such date plus (ii) the
respective amounts reported on such Person's balance sheet as of such date with
respect to any series of preferred stock (other than Disqualified Stock) that by
its terms is not entitled to the payment of dividends unless such dividends may
be declared and paid only out of net earnings in respect of the year of such
declaration and payment, but only to the extent of any cash received by such
Person upon issuance of such preferred stock, less (x) all write-ups (other than
write-ups resulting from foreign currency translations and write-ups of tangible
assets of a going concern business made within 12 months after the acquisition
of such business) subsequent to the date of the Indenture in the book value of
any asset owned by such Person or a consolidated Restricted Subsidiary of such
Person, (y) all Investments as of such date in unconsolidated Restricted
Subsidiaries and in Persons that are not Restricted Subsidiaries (except, in
each case, Permitted Investments), and (z) all unamortized debt discount and
expense and unamortized deferred charges as of such date, all of the foregoing
determined in accordance with GAAP.
 
                                      S-74
<PAGE>
    "CREDIT AGREEMENT" means any credit agreement entered into by and among the
Company (and, if the Company so elects, one or more Subsidiary Guarantors) and
one or more financial institutions, providing for revolving credit borrowings,
including any related notes, Guarantees, collateral documents, instruments and
agreements executed in connection therewith, and in each case as amended,
modified, renewed, refunded, replaced or refinanced from time to time.
 
    "CREDIT ENHANCEMENT AGREEMENTS" means, collectively, any documents,
instruments or agreements entered into by the Company, any of its Restricted
Subsidiaries or any Special Purpose Entities with any Person exclusively for the
purpose of providing credit support for Special Purpose Entities or any of their
respective Indebtedness (including, without limitation, Permitted Warehouse
Debt) or asset-backed securities, including, without limitation, insurance and
indemnity agreements with FSA.
 
    "DEALER PARTICIPATIONS" means, for any period, the cash paid or payable to
originators of Receivables and other Persons by the Company or any of its
Restricted Subsidiaries, net of payments received by the Company or any of its
Restricted Subsidiaries from such Persons with respect to defaults and
prepayments on Receivables, during such period, as participations in connection
with the purchase of Receivables, including, without limitation, commissions
paid to brokers in connection with the foregoing.
 
    "DEFAULT" means any event that is or with the passage of time or the giving
of notice or both would be an Event of Default.
 
    "DISQUALIFIED STOCK" means any Capital Stock that either (A) by its terms
(or by the terms of any security into which it is convertible or for which it is
exchangeable), or upon the happening of any event, (i) matures or is mandatorily
redeemable, in whole or in part, pursuant to a sinking fund obligation or
otherwise or, (ii) is convertible into or exchangeable for Indebtedness or
Disqualified Stock in whole or in part, or (iii) is redeemable in whole or in
part, at the option of the Holder thereof at any time, in any such case, on or
prior to the date that is 91 days after the date on which the Notes mature, or
(B) is designated by the Company (in a resolution of the Board of Directors
delivered to the Trustee) as Disqualified Stock.
 
    "ELIGIBLE RECEIVABLES" means, at any time, Receivables which meet the sale
or loan eligibility criteria set forth in one or more of the Warehouse
Facilities to which the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries is a party
at such time and is eligible for sale in a Loan Securitization.
 
    "EQUITY INTERESTS" means Capital Stock and all warrants, options or other
rights to acquire such Capital Stock (but excluding any debt security that is
convertible into, or exchangeable for, such Capital Stock).
 
    "EXCESS SPREAD" means, over the life of a pool of Receivables that have been
sold by the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary to a Special Purpose Entity or
other Person in a Loan Securitization, the rights, other than servicing rights,
retained by the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary at or subsequent to the
closing of such securitization or sale with respect to such pool, to receive
cash flows attributable to such pool.
 
    "FINANCE INCOME RECEIVABLE" of the Company means the capitalized asset value
of Excess Spread of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries appearing from
time to time on the consolidated balance sheet of the Company and its Restricted
Subsidiaries (including finance income receivable and restricted cash in spread
accounts), calculated in accordance with GAAP.
 
    "GAAP" means generally accepted accounting principles set forth in the
opinions and pronouncements of the Accounting Principles Board of the American
Institute of Certified Public Accountants and statements and pronouncements of
the Financial Accounting Standards Board or in such other statements by such
other entity as have been approved by a significant segment of the accounting
profession, which are in effect from time to time.
 
    "GUARANTEE" means a guarantee (other than by endorsement of negotiable
instruments for collection in the ordinary course of business), direct or
indirect, in any manner (including, without limitation, letters of credit and
reimbursement agreements in respect thereof), of all or any part of any
Indebtedness.
 
    "HEDGING OBLIGATIONS" means, with respect to any Person, the obligations of
such Person under (i) interest rate or currency swap agreements, cap agreements,
collar agreements and related agreements
 
                                      S-75
<PAGE>
and (ii) other agreements or arrangements designed to protect such Person
against fluctuations in value of assets owned, financed or sold, or of
liabilities incurred or assumed, or of pre-funding arrangements, in any case in
the ordinary course of business of such Person and not for speculative purposes.
 
    "INDEBTEDNESS" means, with respect to any Person, any indebtedness of such
Person, whether or not contingent, in respect of (i) borrowed money or evidenced
by bonds, notes, debentures or similar instruments or letters of credit (or
reimbursement agreements in respect thereof) or banker's acceptances or
representing Capital Lease Obligations or the balance deferred and unpaid of the
purchase price of any property or representing any Hedging Obligations, except
any such balance that constitutes an accrued expense or trade payable, if and to
the extent any of the foregoing indebtedness (other than letters of credit and
Hedging Obligations) would appear as a liability upon a balance sheet of such
Person prepared in accordance with GAAP, (ii) all indebtedness of others secured
by a Lien (except Liens on Receivables and other assets (including spread
accounts of a Special Purpose Entity incurred in connection with a Loan
Securitization)) on any asset of such Person (whether or not such indebtedness
is assumed by such Person), (iii) without duplication, all Warehouse Debt, (iv)
all obligations of such Person with respect to the redemption, repayment or
other repurchase of any Disqualified Stock and, in the case of any Subsidiary
Guarantor, preferred stock (but excluding in each case any accrued dividends
thereon), and (v) to the extent not otherwise included, the Guarantee by such
Person of any indebtedness of any other Person to the extent of any Guarantee of
such indebtedness provided by such Person. Except in the case of Warehouse Debt
(the amount of which shall be determined in accordance with the definition
thereof) and except in the case of Hedging Obligations (the amount of which
shall be determined on a net basis after rights of set-off and related
positions), the amount of Indebtedness of any Person at any date shall be the
outstanding balance at such date of all unconditional obligations as described
above and the maximum liability, upon the occurrence of the contingency giving
rise to the obligation, of any contingent obligations at such date.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the term "Indebtedness" does not include (i)
obligations pursuant to representations, warranties, covenants and indemnities
in connection with a Loan Securitization or Warehouse Facility or (ii) deposit
liabilities of any Subsidiary, the deposits of which are insured by the Federal
Deposit Insurance Corporation or any successor thereto.
 
    "INVESTMENT GRADE RATING" means a simultaneous Moody's Investors Service,
Inc. debt rating of Baa3 or higher (or the equivalent rating of any Substitute
Rating Agency) and a Standard & Poor's debt rating of BBB- or higher (or the
equivalent rating of any Substitute Rating Agency).
 
    "INVESTMENT GRADE RATING EVENT" means, and shall be deemed to have occurred
on the first day on which, (i) the Notes have been and are assigned an
Investment Grade Rating and (ii) no Default or Event of Default has occurred and
is continuing under the Indenture.
 
    "INVESTMENTS" means, with respect to any Person, all investments by such
Person in other Persons (including Affiliates) in the forms of direct or
indirect loans (including Guarantees of Indebtedness), advances or capital
contributions (excluding commission, travel and similar advances to officers and
employees made in the ordinary course of business), purchases or other
acquisitions for consideration of Indebtedness, Equity Interests or other
securities, together with all items that are or would be classified as
investments on a balance sheet prepared in accordance with GAAP; PROVIDED that
an acquisition of assets, Equity Interests or other securities by the Company
for consideration consisting of common equity securities of the Company shall
not be deemed to be an Investment.
 
    "ISSUE DATE" means March 12, 1997.
 
    "JUNIOR SUBORDINATED NOTES" means the Company's 30, 60, 90 and 180 day and
One Year Subordinated Extendible Notes and One, Two, Three, Four, Five and Ten
Year Subordinated Fixed-Term Notes issued under the Indenture dated July 1,
1994, as amended.
 
    "LIEN" means, with respect to any asset, any mortgage, lien, pledge, charge,
security interest or encumbrance of any kind in respect of such asset, whether
or not filed, recorded or otherwise perfected under applicable law (including
any conditional sale or other title retention agreement, any lease in the nature
thereof, any option or other agreement to sell or give a security interest in
and any filing of or
 
                                      S-76
<PAGE>
agreement to give any financing statement under the Uniform Commercial Code (or
equivalent statutes) of any jurisdiction).
 
    "LOAN SECURITIZATION" means a public or private transfer of Receivables in
the ordinary course of business of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries
and by which the Company or any such Restricted Subsidiary directly or
indirectly securitizes a pool of Receivables, including but not limited to any
such transaction involving the sale of specified Receivables to a Special
Purpose Entity.
 
    "MINIMUM FINANCE INCOME RECEIVABLE" means Finance Income Receivable equal to
200% of all Senior Indebtedness of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries
as of the time of creation of a Lien or the sale of Excess Spread, as the case
may be. Any determination of whether Finance Income Receivable is greater or
less than Minimum Finance Income Receivable shall be based on the consolidated
balance sheet of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries for the most
recently ended fiscal quarter for which financial statements are available,
after giving pro forma effect to the Asset Sale or Lien for which such
determination is being made and to any other sale of or Lien on Excess Spread or
reduction of Finance Income Receivable since the date of such balance sheet.
 
    "NET INCOME" means, with respect to any Person, the net income (loss) of
such Person, determined in accordance with GAAP and before any reduction in
respect of preferred stock dividends, excluding, however, (i) any gain (but not
loss), together with any related provision for taxes on such gain (but not
loss), realized in connection with (a) any Asset Sale (including, without
limitation, dispositions pursuant to sale and leaseback transactions) or (b) the
disposition of any securities by such Person or any of its Restricted
Subsidiaries or the extinguishment of any Indebtedness of such Person or any of
its Restricted Subsidiaries and (ii) any extraordinary or nonrecurring gain (but
not loss), together with any related provision for taxes on such extraordinary
or nonrecurring gain (but not loss).
 
    "NET PROCEEDS" means the aggregate Cash Equivalent proceeds received by the
Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries in respect of any Asset Sale
(including, without limitation, any Cash Equivalent received upon the sale or
other disposition of any non-cash consideration received in any Asset Sale), net
of the direct costs relating to such Asset Sale (including, without limitation,
legal, accounting and investment banking fees, and sales commissions) and any
relocation expenses incurred as a result thereof, taxes paid or payable as a
result thereof (after taking into account any available tax credits or
deductions and any tax sharing arrangements), amounts required to be applied to
the repayment of Indebtedness secured by a Lien on the asset or assets that were
the subject of such Asset Sale and any reserve for adjustment in respect of the
sale price of such asset or assets established in accordance with GAAP.
 
    "NON-RECOURSE DEBT" means Indebtedness (i) as to which neither the Company
nor any of its Restricted Subsidiaries (a) provides credit support of any kind
(including any undertaking, agreement or instrument that would consitute
Indebtedness), or (b) is directly or indirectly liable (as a guarantor or
otherwise); and (ii) as to which the lenders have been notified in writing that
they will not have any recourse to the stock or assets of the Company or any of
its Restricted Subsidiaries.
 
    "PERMITTED BUSINESSES" means any consumer or commercial finance business or
any financial service business, including but not limited to banks, savings and
loan associations, credit unions and other financial institutions operated in
conjunction therewith.
 
    "PERMITTED INVESTMENTS" means (a) any Investment in the Company or in a
Restricted Subsidiary of the Company that is a Subsidiary Guarantor; (b) any
Investment in Cash Equivalents; (c) any Investment by the Company or any
Restricted Subsidiary of the Company in a Person if, as a result of such
Investment, (i) such Person becomes a Wholly-Owned Restricted Subsidiary of the
Company and a Subsidiary Guarantor that is engaged in a Permitted Business or
(ii) such Person is merged, consolidated or amalgamated with or into, or
transfers or conveys substantially all of its assets to, or is liquidated into,
the Company or a Wholly-Owned Restricted Subsidiary of the Company that is a
Subsidiary Guarantor and that is engaged in a Permitted Business; (d) any
Restricted Investment made as a result of the receipt of non-cash consideration
from an Asset Sale that was made pursuant to and in compliance with the covenant
described above under "--Repurchase at the Option of Holders--Asset Sales"; (e)
any Investment in Receivables, including Dealer Participations; (f) Investments
by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries in
 
                                      S-77
<PAGE>
Special Purpose Entities, in any Person owning residual interests in a Special
Purpose Entity or in repossessed assets, in each case in the ordinary course of
business in connection with or arising out of Loan Securitizations or Warehouse
Facilities; (g) purchases of all remaining outstanding asset-backed securities
of any Special Purpose Entity for the purpose of relieving the Company or a
Subsidiary of the Company of the administrative expense of servicing such
Special Purpose Entity, but only if 90% or more of the aggregate principal
amount of the original asset-backed securities of such Special Purpose Entity
have previously been retired; and (h) other Investments in any Person (other
than an Affiliate of the Company that is not also a Subsidiary of the Company)
that do not exceed $10.0 million at any time outstanding.
 
    "PERMITTED LIENS" means (i) Liens on Receivables or other assets (other than
Excess Spread) securing Warehouse Debt or Hedging Obligations (or Guarantees of
Warehouse Debt or Hedging Obligations); (ii) Liens on Excess Spread and on the
Capital Stock of Restricted Subsidiaries of the Company substantially all of the
assets of which are Excess Spread; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that, unless an Investment
Grade Rating Event has occurred, any such Liens may only encumber Excess Spread
in an amount which, in the aggregate, does not exceed 50% of the amount by which
Finance Income Receivable relating to all Excess Spread exceeds Minimum Finance
Income Receivable at the time of the incurrence of such Lien; (iii) Liens in
favor of the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary; (iv) Liens on property of a
Person existing at the time such Person is merged into or consolidated with the
Company or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Company; PROVIDED that such Liens
were in existence prior to the contemplation of such merger or consolidation and
do not extend to any assets other than those of the Person merged into or
consolidated with the Company or such Restricted Subsidiary; (v) Liens on
property existing at the time of acquisition thereof by the Company or any
Restricted Subsidiary of the Company, PROVIDED that such Liens were in existence
prior to the contemplation of such acquisition; (vi) Liens to secure the
performance of statutory obligations, surety or appeal bonds, performance bonds
or other obligations of a like nature incurred in the ordinary course of
business; (vii) Liens to secure Indebtedness (including Capital Lease
Obligations) permitted by clause (1) of the second paragraph of the covenant
entitled "--Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of Preferred Stock" covering
only the assets acquired with such Indebtedness; (viii) Liens existing on the
Issue Date; (ix) Liens for taxes, assessments or governmental charges or claims
that are not yet delinquent or that are being contested in good faith by
appropriate proceedings, PROVIDED that any reserve or other appropriate
provision as shall be required in conformity with GAAP shall have been made
therefor; (x) Liens (including, without limitation, Liens on spread accounts and
any Excess Spread represented thereby) in favor of a monoline insurance company
or other provider of credit enhancement pursuant to a Credit Enhancement
Agreement; (xi) Liens incurred in the ordinary course of business of the Company
or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Company with respect to obligations that do
not exceed $1.0 million at any one time outstanding and that (a) are not
incurred in connection with the borrowing of money or the obtaining of advances
or credit (other than trade credit in the ordinary course of business) and (b)
do not in the aggregate materially detract from the value of the property or
materially impair the use thereof in the operation of business by the Company or
such Restricted Subsidiary; (xii) Liens imposed by law, including but not
limited to carriers', warehousemen's and mechanics' Liens, in each case for sums
not yet due or being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings or,
other Liens arising out of judgments or awards against the Company or any of its
Restricted Subsidiaries with respect to which the Company or such Restricted
Subsidiary shall then be proceeding with an appeal or other proceedings for
review; (xiii) survey exceptions, easements and other restrictions on the use of
property, (xiv) Liens on assets of Unrestricted Subsidiaries of the Company that
secure Non-Recourse Debt of Unrestricted Subsidiaries of the Company, (xv) Liens
on cash collateral accounts (including any Excess Spread represented thereby)
established to satisfy the requirements of a Warehouse Facility and (xvi) Liens
on Receivables and other assets of a Special Purpose Entity incurred in
connection with a Loan Securitization.
 
    "PERMITTED REFINANCING INDEBTEDNESS" means any Indebtedness or Disqualified
Stock of the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries issued in exchange
for, or the net proceeds of which are used to extend, refinance, renew, replace,
defease or refund other Indebtedness or Disqualified Stock of the Company or any
of its Restricted Subsidiaries; PROVIDED that: (i) the principal amount (or
accreted value, if applicable) or mandatory redemption amount of such Permitted
Refinancing Indebtedness does not exceed the principal amount of (or accreted
value, if applicable) or mandatory redemption amount, plus
 
                                      S-78
<PAGE>
accrued interest or dividends on, the Indebtedness or Disqualified Stock so
extended, refinanced, renewed, replaced, defeased or refunded (plus the amount
of contractual prepayment charges and reasonable expenses incurred in connection
therewith); (ii) such Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness has a final maturity or
final redemption date later than the final maturity or final redemption date of,
and has a Weighted Average Life to Maturity equal to or greater than the
Weighted Average Life to Maturity of, the Indebtedness or Disqualified Stock
being extended, refinanced, renewed, replaced, defeased or refunded; (iii) if
the Indebtedness or Disqualified Stock being extended, refinanced, renewed,
replaced, defeased or refunded is subordinated in right of payment to the Notes,
such Permitted Refinancing Indebtedness is subordinated in right of payment to,
the Notes on terms at least as favorable to the Holders of Notes as those
contained in the documentation governing the Indebtedness or Disqualified Stock
being extended, refinanced, renewed, replaced, defeased or refunded; and (iv)
such Indebtedness is incurred or such Disqualified Stock is issued either by the
Company or by the Restricted Subsidiary who is the obligor on the Indebtedness
or Disqualified Stock being extended, refinanced, renewed, replaced, defeased or
refunded.
 
    "PERMITTED WAREHOUSE DEBT" means Warehouse Debt of the Company or a
Restricted Subsidiary of the Company outstanding under one or more Warehouse
Facilities (excluding any Guarantees issued by the Company or a Restricted
Subsidiary in connection therewith); PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that (i) the assets
purchased with proceeds of such Warehouse Debt are or, prior to any funding
under the Warehouse Facility with respect to such assets, were eligible to be
recorded as held for sale on the consolidated balance sheet of the Company and
its Restricted Subsidiaries in accordance with GAAP, (ii) such Warehouse Debt
will be deemed Permitted Warehouse Debt (a) in the case of a Purchase Facility,
only to the extent the holder of such Warehouse Debt has no contractual recourse
to the Company or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to satisfy claims in
respect of such Warehouse Debt in excess of the realizable value of the Eligible
Receivables financed thereby, and (b) in the case of any other Warehouse
Facility, at the time such Warehouse Debt is incurred, only to the extent of the
lesser of (A) the amount advanced by the lender with respect to the Eligible
Receivables financed under such Warehouse Facility, and (B) 100% of the
aggregate principal amount of such Eligible Receivables (exclusive of all Dealer
Participations included therein) and (iii) any such Indebtedness incurred under
such Warehouse Facility has not been outstanding in excess of 364 days.
 
    "PERSON" means any individual, corporation, partnership, joint venture,
association, joint stock company, limited liability company, trust,
unincorporated, organization, government or any agency or political subdivision
thereof or any other entity.
 
    "PURCHASE FACILITY" means any Warehouse Facility in the form of a purchase
and sale facility pursuant to which the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary of
the Company sells Receivables to a financial institution, commercial paper
facility or conduit or Special Purpose Entity and retains a right of first
refusal or other repurchase arrangement upon the subsequent resale of such
Receivables by such financial institution, commercial paper facility or conduit
or Special Purpose Entity.
 
    "RECEIVABLES" means installment sale contracts, loans evidenced by
promissory notes secured by assets, leases, mortgages or other finance
receivables or instruments acquired in connection with the operations of any
Permitted Business.
 
    "RESTRICTED INVESTMENT" means an Investment other than a Permitted
Investment.
 
    "RESTRICTED SUBSIDIARY" means any Subsidiary other than an Unrestricted
Subsidiary.
 
    "SPECIAL PURPOSE ENTITY" means any Person (whether or not a Subsidiary of
the Company) established and maintained exclusively for one or more of the
following purposes: (i) purchasing or otherwise acquiring Receivables (together
with any assets related to such Receivables, including, without limitation, all
collateral securing such Receivables, all contracts and all Guarantees or other
obligations in respect of such Receivables, proceeds of such Receivables and
other assets which are customarily transferred in connection with asset
securitization transactions involving Receivables) from the Company or any of
its Restricted Subsidiaries in connection with a Loan Securitization or
Warehouse Facility, (ii) selling such Receivables (and related assets) to a
special purpose owner trust or other Person in connection with a
 
                                      S-79
<PAGE>
Loan Securitization or Purchase Facility, (iii) serving as a conduit for the
issuance of commercial paper in connection with the operation of any Purchase
Facility, (iv) issuing asset-backed securities, (v) serving as a corporate
general partner (or managing member of a limited liability company) of another
Special Purpose Entity, (vi) investing in and holding Investments in Special
Purpose Entities issuing securities backed by Receivables originated by the
Company or any Restricted Subsidiary of the Company, or (vii) engaging in
activities that are incidental to and necessary, suitable or convenient for the
accomplishment of the purposes specified above, PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that the
obligations of such Special Purpose Entity are without recourse to the Company
and any Restricted Subsidiary of the Company other than such Special Purpose
Entity, except to the extent of Indebtedness incurred by the Company or a
Subsidiary Guarantor in accordance with the first paragraph of the covenant
described above under "--Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of Preferred
Stock." For purposes of this definition, "without recourse" shall mean that the
Indebtedness of such Special Purpose Entity and none of the other obligations
(contingent or otherwise) of a Special Purpose Entity (i) is guaranteed by the
Company or any other Restricted Subsidiary of the Company, (ii) obligates the
Company or any other Restricted Subsidiary of the Company in any way other than
pursuant to representations, warranties, covenants (including any covenant to
deliver Receivables in a pre-funded Loan Securitization) and indemnities entered
into in connection with a Loan Securitization or Warehouse Facility, or (iii)
subjects any property or asset of the Company or any other Restricted Subsidiary
of the Company, directly or indirectly, contingently or otherwise, to the
satisfaction thereof, other than pursuant to representations, warranties,
covenants and indemnities entered into in connection with a Loan Securitization
or Warehouse Facility. For purposes of the foregoing, a Permitted Investment in
a Special Purpose Entity shall not be deemed recourse. As of the Issue Date,
each of Olympic Receivables Finance Corp., Olympic Receivables Finance Corp. II,
Arcadia Receivables Conduit Corp., Olympic First G.P. Inc., Olympic Second G.P.
Inc. and Special Purpose Entities formed in connection with any Loan
Securitization prior to the Issue Date shall be deemed to satisfy the
requirements of this definition.
 
    "SENIOR INDEBTEDNESS" means all Indebtedness of any Person that is not
subordinated in right of payment to any other Indebtedness or other obligations
of such Person, excluding Permitted Warehouse Debt and Hedging Obligations.
 
    "SUBORDINATED NOTES" means the Junior Subordinated Notes and the 10.125%
Subordinated Notes, Series 1996-A due 2001, of the Company outstanding at the
Issue Date.
 
    "SUBSIDIARY" means, with respect to any Person, (i) any corporation,
association or other business entity of which more than 50% of the total voting
power of shares of Capital Stock entitled (without regard to the occurrence of
any contingency) to vote in the election of directors, managers or trustees
thereof is at the time owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by such
Person or one or more of the other Subsidiaries of that Person (or a combination
thereof) and (ii) any partnership or limited liability company (a) the sole
general partner or the managing general partner or managing member of which is
such Person or a Subsidiary of such Person or (b) the only general partners or
managing members of which are such Person or of one or more Subsidiaries of such
Person (or any combination thereof).
 
    "SUBSIDIARY GUARANTOR" means any Subsidiary of the Company that executes a
Subsidiary Guarantee in accordance with the provisions of the Indenture.
 
    "SUBSTITUTE RATING AGENCY" means, in the event that at any time either
Moody's Investors Service, Inc. or Standard & Poor's does not have a debt rating
in effect for the Notes, a nationally recognized statistical rating organization
designated by the Company with the approval of the Trustee as a substitute for
Moody's Investors Service, Inc. or Standard & Poor's, as the case may be.
 
    "UNRESTRICTED SUBSIDIARY" means any Subsidiary that is designated by the
Board of Directors as an Unrestricted Subsidiary pursuant to a Board Resolution;
but only to the extent that such Subsidiary: (a) is not party to any agreement,
contract, arrangement or understanding with the Company or any Restricted
Subsidiary of the Company unless the terms of any such agreement, contract,
arrangement or understanding are no less favorable to the Company or such
Restricted Subsidiary that those that might be obtained at the time from Persons
who are not Affiliates of the Company; (b) is a Person with respect to which
neither the Company nor any of its Restricted Subsidiaries has any direct or
indirect obligation (x) to subscribe for
 
                                      S-80
<PAGE>
additional Equity Interests or (y) to maintain or preserve such Person's
financial condition or to cause such Person to achieve any specified levels of
operating results; (c) has not guaranteed or otherwise directly or indirectly
provided credit support for any Indebtedness of the Company or any of its
Restricted Subsidiaries; and (d) has at least one director of its board of
directors that is not a director or executive officer of the Company or any of
its Restricted Subsidiaries and has at least one executive officer that is not a
director or executive officer of the Company or any of its Restricted
Subsidiaries. Any such designation by the Board of Directors shall be evidenced
to the Trustee by filing with the Trustee a certified copy of the Board
Resolution giving effect to such designation and an Officers' Certificate
certifying that such designation complied with the foregoing conditions and was
permitted by the covenant described above under the caption "Certain
Covenants--Restricted Payments." If, at any time, any Unrestricted Subsidiary
would fail to meet the foregoing requirements as an Unrestricted Subsidiary, it
shall thereafter cease to be an Unrestricted Subsidiary for purposes of the
Indenture and any Indebtedness of such Subsidiary shall be deemed to be incurred
by a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company as of such date (and, if such
Indebtedness is not permitted to be incurred as of such date under the covenant
described under the caption "Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of
Preferred Stock," the Company shall be in default of such covenant). The Board
of Directors of the Company may at any time designate any Unrestricted
Subsidiary to be a Restricted Subsidiary; PROVIDED that such designation shall
be deemed to be an incurrence of Indebtedness and issuance of preferred stock by
a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company of any outstanding Indebtedness of such
Unrestricted Subsidiary and such designation shall only be permitted if (i) such
Indebtedness and preferred stock is permitted under the covenant described under
the caption "Certain Covenants--Incurrence of Indebtedness and Issuance of
Preferred Stock," (ii) such Subsidiary becomes a Subsidiary Guarantor, and (iii)
no Default or Event of Default would be in existence following such designation.
 
    "VOTING STOCK" of any Person as of any date means the Capital Stock of such
Person that is at the time entitled to vote generally in the election of the
Board of Directors of such Person.
 
    "WAREHOUSE DEBT" means Indebtedness of the Company or a Restricted
Subsidiary of the Company equal to the greater of (x) the consideration received
by the Company or its Restricted Subsidiaries under a Warehouse Facility and (y)
in the case of a Purchase Facility, the book value of the Eligible Receivables
financed under such Warehouse Facility, until such time as such Eligible
Receivables are (i) securitized, (ii) repurchased by the Company or its
Restricted Subsidiaries or (iii) sold by the counterparty under the Warehouse
Facility to a Person who is not an Affiliate of the Company, including any
Guarantees issued by the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company in
connection therewith.
 
    "WAREHOUSE FACILITY" means any funding arrangement, including Purchase
Facilities, with a financial institution or other lender or purchaser or any
conduit or special purpose vehicle used in connection with such funding
arrangement, to the extent (and only to the extent) that the Company or any of
its Restricted Subsidiaries incurs Warehouse Debt thereunder exclusively to
finance or refinance the purchase or origination of Receivables by the Company
or a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company prior to securitization.
 
    "WEIGHTED AVERAGE LIFE TO MATURITY" means, when applied to any Indebtedness
or Disqualified Stock at any date, the number of years obtained by dividing (i)
the sum of the products obtained by multiplying (a) the amount of each then
remaining installment, sinking fund, serial maturity or other required payments
of principal, including payment at final maturity (or final redemption, in the
case of Disqualified Stock), in respect thereof, by (b) the number of years
(calculated to the nearest one-twelfth) that will elapse between such date and
the making of such payment, by (ii) the then outstanding principal amount of
such Indebtedness or mandatory redemption amount of Disqualified Stock.
 
    "WHOLLY-OWNED RESTRICTED SUBSIDIARY" of any Person means a Restricted
Subsidiary of such Person all of the outstanding Capital Stock or other
ownership interests of which (other than directors' qualifying shares) shall at
the time be owned by such Person or by one or more Wholly-Owned Restricted
Subsidiaries of such Person and one or more Wholly-Owned Restricted Subsidiaries
of such Person.
 
                                      S-81
<PAGE>
                            DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS
 
    The Warrants will be issued pursuant to a Warrant Agreement (the "Warrant
Agreement") between the Company and Norwest Bank Minnesota, as Warrant Agent
(the "Warrant Agent"). Any Holder may obtain a copy of the Warrant Agreement
without charge by writing to Olympic Financial Ltd., 7825 Washington Avenue
South, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55439-2435, Attention: Secretary. The following
summary of certain provisions of the Warrant Agreement does not purport to be
complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Warrant Agreement,
including the definitions therein of certain terms used below. To the extent of
any inconsistency, the terms of the Warrant Agreement supersede the terms of the
Warrants described under the caption "Description of Securities Warrants" in the
accompanying Prospectus.
 
GENERAL
 
    Each Warrant, when exercised, will entitle the Holder thereof to receive
6.84 fully paid and nonassessable shares (the "Warrant Shares") of Common Stock
at an exercise price of $11.00 per share, subject to adjustment (the "Exercise
Price"). The Exercise Price and the number of Warrant Shares are both subject to
adjustment in certain cases referred to below. The Warrants will entitle the
Holders thereof to purchase in the aggregate 2,052,000 Warrant Shares
(representing approximately 5.0% of the Company's Common Stock, on a fully
diluted basis, as of the date hereof).
 
    The Warrants will be exercisable on or after the Separation Date and, unless
exercised, will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on March 15, 2007 (the
"Expiration Date"). The exercise and transfer of the Warrants will be subject to
applicable federal and state securities laws.
 
    The Warrants may be exercised by surrendering to the Company the Warrant
certificates evidencing the Warrants to be exercised with the accompanying form
of election to purchase properly completed and executed, together with payment
of the Exercise Price. Payment of the Exercise Price may be made in the form of
cash or by certified or official bank check payable to the order of the Company.
Upon surrender of the Warrant certificate and payment of the Exercise Price, the
Company will deliver or cause to be delivered, to or upon the written order of
such Holder, stock certificates representing the number of whole shares of
Common Stock to which such Holder is entitled. If less than all of the Warrants
evidenced by a Warrant certificate are to be exercised, a new Warrant
certificate will be issued for the remaining number of Warrants.
 
    No fractional shares of Common Stock will be issued upon exercise of the
Warrants. The Company will pay to the holder of a Warrant at the time of
exercise an amount in cash equal to the current market value of any such
fractional share of Common Stock less a corresponding fraction of the Exercise
Price.
 
    The Holders of the Warrants will have no right to vote on matters submitted
to the shareholders of the Company and will have no right to receive dividends.
The Holders of the Warrants will not be entitled to share in the assets of the
Company in the event of the liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the
Company. In the event a bankruptcy or reorganization is commenced by or against
the Company, a bankruptcy court may hold that unexercised Warrants are executory
contracts which may be subject to rejection by the Company with approval of the
bankruptcy court, and the Holders of the Warrants may, even if sufficient funds
are available, receive nothing or a lesser amount as a result of any such
bankruptcy case than they would be entitled to if they had exercised their
Warrants prior to the commencement of any such case.
 
    In the event of taxable distribution to Holders of Common Stock that results
in an adjustment to the number of shares of Common Stock or other consideration
for which a Warrant may be exercised, the Holders of the Warrants may, in
certain circumstances, be deemed to have received a distribution subject to
United States federal income tax as a dividend. See "Certain Federal Income Tax
Considerations."
 
ADJUSTMENTS
 
    The number of shares of Common Stock purchasable upon exercise of Warrants
and the Exercise Price will be subject to adjustment in certain events
including: (i) the issuance by the Company of
 
                                      S-82
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dividends (and other distributions) on its Common Stock payable in Common Stock,
(ii) subdivisions, combinations and reclassifications of Common Stock, (iii) the
issuance to all holders of Common Stock of rights, options or warrants entitling
them to subscribe for Common Stock or securities convertible into, or
exchangeable or exercisable for, Common Stock within sixty (60) days after the
record date for such issuance of rights, options or warrants at an offering
price (or with an initial conversion, exchange or exercise price plus such
offering price) which is less than the current market price per share (as
defined) of Common Stock, (iv) the distribution to all holders of Common Stock
of any of the Company's assets (including cash), debt securities, preferred
stock or any rights or warrants to purchase any such securities (excluding those
rights and warrants referred to in clause (iii) above), (v) the issuance of
shares of Common Stock for a consideration per share less than the current
market price per share (excluding securities issued in transactions referred to
in clauses (i) through (iv) above), (vi) the issuance of securities convertible
into or for Common Stock for a conversion or exchange price less than the
current market price for a share of Common Stock (excluding securities issued in
transactions referred to in clauses (iii) or (iv) above) and (vii) certain other
events that could have the effect of depriving Holders of the Warrants of the
benefit of all or a portion of the purchase rights evidenced by the Warrants.
The events described in clauses (v) and (vi) above are subject to certain
exemptions described in the Warrant Agreement including, without limitation, (A)
certain bona fide public offerings and private placements to persons that are
not affiliates of the Company and (B) Common Stock (and options exercisable
therefor) issued to the Company's employees and directors under bona fide
employee benefit plans in an aggregate amount not to exceed 10% of the Common
Stock outstanding at the Issue Date.
 
    No adjustment in the Exercise Price of and the number of shares of Common
Stock covered by a Warrant will be made for regular quarterly or other periodic
or recurring cash dividends or distributions to the extent paid from retained
earnings. No adjustment in the Exercise Price will be required unless such
adjustment would require an increase or decrease of at least one percent (1%) in
the Exercise Price; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that any adjustment that is not made will
be carried forward and taken into account in any subsequent adjustment. In
addition, the Company may at any time reduce the Exercise Price to any amount
(but not less than the par value of the Common Stock) for any period of time
(but not less than twenty (20) business days) deemed appropriate by the Board of
Directors of the Company.
 
    In the case of certain consolidations or mergers of the Company, or the sale
of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company to another corporation,
each Warrant will thereafter be exercisable for the right to receive the kind
and amount of shares of stock or other securities or property to which such
Holder would have been entitled as a result of such consolidation, merger or
sale had the Warrants been exercised immediately prior thereto.
 
AMENDMENT
 
    From time to time, the Company and the Warrant Agent, without the consent of
the Holders of the Warrants, may amend or supplement the Warrant Agreement for
certain purposes, including curing defects or inconsistencies or making any
change that does not materially adversely affect the rights of any Holder. Any
amendment or supplement to the Warrant Agreement that has a material adverse
effect on the interests of the Holders of the Warrants will require the written
consent of the Holders of a majority of the then outstanding Warrants (excluding
Warrants held by the Company or any of its affiliates). The consent of each
Holder of the Warrants affected will be required for any amendment pursuant to
which the Exercise Price would be increased or the number of shares of Common
Stock purchasable upon exercise of Warrants would be decreased (other than
pursuant to adjustments provided in the Warrant Agreement).
 
REGISTRATION
 
    The Company has agreed to use its best efforts to maintain the effectiveness
of the Company's existing shelf registration statement which presently covers
the issuance of the shares of Common Stock upon the exercise of Warrants, or to
file and maintain another effective shelf registration statement, until 30 days
after the Expiration Date. Holders of Warrants will be able to exercise the
Warrants only if a registration statement relating to the Warrant Shares is then
in effect or if the issuance of the Warrant Shares is exempt
 
                                      S-83
<PAGE>
from registration requirements of the Securities Act and only if such securities
are qualified for sale or exempt from qualification under the applicable
securities laws of the states in which the various Holders of the Warrants
reside. The Company will be unable to issue shares of Common Stock to those
persons desiring to exercise their Warrants if a registration statement covering
the Warrant Shares issuable upon the exercise of the Warrants is not effective
(unless the sale and issue of Warrant Shares upon the exercise of such Warrant
is exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act) or if such
Warrant Shares are not qualified or exempt from qualification in the states in
which the Holders of the Warrants reside. See "Risk Factors--Current
Registration Required to Exercise Warrants."
 
                   CERTAIN FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
 
GENERAL
 
    It is the opinion of Dorsey & Whitney LLP, counsel to the Company, that the
material federal income tax consequences to purchasers expected to result from
the purchase, ownership and sale or other taxable disposition of the Units
offered by this Prospectus Supplement, under currently applicable law, are as
described herein. Such opinion is based upon the current provisions of the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"), applicable Treasury
Regulations, judicial authority and administrative rulings and practice. There
can be no assurance that the Internal Revenue Service (the "IRS") will not take
a contrary view, and no ruling from the IRS has been or will be sought.
Legislative, judicial or administrative changes or interpretations may be
forthcoming that could alter or modify the statements and conclusions set forth
herein. Any such changes or interpretations may or may not be retroactive and
could affect the tax consequences to holders of Notes and Warrants.
 
    The following summary is for general information only. The tax treatment of
a holder of Securities may vary depending upon his particular situation. Certain
holders (including insurance companies, tax-exempt organizations, financial
institutions or broker-dealers, foreign corporations and persons who are not
citizens or residents of the United States and persons holding the Notes and
Warrants as other than "capital assets" within the meaning of Code Section 1221)
may be subject to special rules not discussed below.
 
    An investor should consult his or her own tax advisor concerning this
Offering. Investors should also consult their own tax advisors as to the tax
treatment arising from the application of foreign, state and local tax laws and
regulations.
 
NOTES
 
    As a general rule, interest paid or accrued on the Notes, as well as market
discount and original issue discount, if any, will be treated as ordinary income
to the holders thereof. A holder of Notes using the accrual method of accounting
for federal income tax purposes is required to include interest paid or accrued
thereon in ordinary income as such interest accrues, while a holder using the
cash receipts and disbursements method of accounting for federal income tax
purposes must include such interest in ordinary income when payments are
received (or made available for receipt) by such holder.
 
    ORIGINAL ISSUE DISCOUNT
 
    The Notes may be deemed to be issued with "original issue discount" within
the meaning of Section 1273(a)(1) of the Code if the "stated redemption price at
maturity" exceeds the "issue price" of the Notes. The original issue discount
with respect to the Notes will be considered to be zero if it is less than 0.25%
of the Notes' stated redemption price at maturity multiplied by the number of
complete years from the date of issue of the Notes to their maturity date.
 
    The "stated redemption price at maturity" of the Notes will be equal to the
principal amount thereof. Although under certain circumstances the Notes are
subject to redemption by the Company for an amount in excess of their principal
amount, the Company believes that, based on the Treasury Regulations, this
excess need not be considered when determining the Notes' stated redemption
price at maturity.
 
                                      S-84
<PAGE>
    In general, the "issue price" of a Note is determined by allocating the
"issue price" of the Unit to the Note and Warrant comprising such Unit on the
basis of the proportion which the fair market value of each such element of the
Unit bears to the fair market value of the Unit. The "issue price" of a Unit is
the initial offering price to the public at which a substantial amount of Units
is first sold. The Treasury Regulations also provide that the Company may make a
reasonable allocation of the "issue price" of a Unit to the Note and Warrant,
and such allocation is generally binding on all holders of a Unit. Based upon
the Company's intended allocation, the Notes will be deemed to have been issued
with original issue discount. However, the Company's determination is not
binding on the IRS or a holder that explicitly discloses that its allocation of
the "issue price" of the Unit is different from the Company's allocation. Such
disclosure must be made on a form prescribed by the Internal Revenue Service and
attached to such holder's timely filed federal income tax return for its taxable
year that includes the acquisition date of the Unit.
 
    If the Notes are determined to be issued with original issue discount, a
holder thereof, regardless of such holder's method of accounting, must generally
include the original issue discount in ordinary gross income for federal income
tax purposes as it accrues in advance of the receipt of any cash attributable to
such income. The amount of original issue discount, if any, required to be
included in a Noteholder's ordinary gross income for federal income tax purposes
in any taxable year will accrue on a daily basis under a constant-yield method
that takes into account the compounding of interest. One effect of this method
is that a relatively smaller portion of the original issue discount is included
in income in the earlier years and a relatively larger portion in later years.
 
    MARKET DISCOUNT
 
    The Notes, whether or not issued with original issue discount, will be
subject to the "market discount rules" of Section 1276 of the Code. In general,
these rules provide that if the holder of a Note purchases a Note at a market
discount (I.E., a discount from its original issue price plus any accrued
original issue discount, as described above) and thereafter recognizes gain upon
a disposition or redemption, the lesser of such gain or the accrued market
discount will be taxed as ordinary interest income. Generally, the accrued
market discount will be determined on a straight-line basis, although a holder
may elect to determine accrued market discount under the constant-yield method.
 
    Limitations imposed by the Code, which are intended to match deductions with
the taxation of income, may defer deductions for interest on indebtedness
incurred or continued, or short-sale expenses incurred, to purchase or carry a
Note with accrued market discount. A holder of a Note may elect to include
market discount in gross income as it accrues and, if he makes such an election,
is otherwise exempt from this rule. The adjusted basis of a Note subject to such
election will be increased to reflect market discount included in gross income,
thereby reducing any gain or increasing any loss on a sale or taxable
disposition.
 
    PREMIUM
 
    In general, if a holder of a Note purchases the Note at a premium (I.E., an
amount in excess of the amount payable upon the maturity thereof), such excess
will be treated as "amortizable bond premium." In such case, a holder may elect,
under Section 171 of the Code, to offset interest income with the amortizable
bond premium as it accrues under a constant-yield method that is similar to the
method used for the accrual of original issue discount. The holder's tax basis
in the Note then decreases by the amount of the amortizable bond premium used to
offset interest income. An election under Section 171 of the Code is available
only if a Note is held as a capital asset. Noteholders should consult with their
own tax advisors regarding special rules that apply for determining the amount
and method of amortizing bond premium with respect to the Notes that may be
redeemed prior to maturity.
 
    SALE OF THE NOTES
 
    A holder of a Note will recognize gain or loss upon the sale, retirement or
other taxable disposition of such Note equal to the difference between the
amount of cash or the fair market value of property
 
                                      S-85
<PAGE>
received in exchange therefor (except to the extent attributable to accrued
interest or original issue discount, which generally will be taxable as ordinary
income) and the seller's adjusted basis in the Note. Such adjusted basis
generally will equal the cost of the Note to the seller, increased by any
original issue discount previously included in the seller's ordinary gross
income with respect to the Note and reduced by (a) any principal payments on the
Note previously received by the seller and (b) any amortizable bond premium
previously used to offset interest income by the seller. Except as discussed
with respect to market discount or to the extent cash received is attributable
to accrued interest, any capital gain or loss recognized upon a sale, exchange,
retirement or other disposition of a Note will be long-term capital gain or
loss, if the Note had been held for more than one year.
 
WARRANTS
 
    A holder of a Warrant will have a tax basis for federal income tax purposes
in the Warrant equal to the portion of the issue price of the Unit allocable to
the Warrant. Adjustments to the exercise price of the Warrants, or the failure
to make adjustments, may in certain circumstances result in the receipt of
constructive dividends by the holders of Warrants, which dividends would be
taxable as ordinary income to the holders if the Company has sufficient current
or accumulated earnings and profits for income tax purposes. A holder's tax
basis in a Warrant would be increased by an amount equal to any such taxable
constructive dividend.
 
    SALE OF WARRANTS
 
    Upon a sale of Warrants, a holder thereof will recognize capital gain or
loss, which will be long-term capital gain or loss if the Warrants had been held
for more than one year. The amount of gain or loss will be the difference
between the amount realized and the tax basis, as adjusted, of the Warrants
sold. The redemption of a Warrant may also be considered a sale or exchange so
that any gain or loss recognized as a result thereof may also be a capital gain
or loss. Any loss realized by a holder of a Warrant due to the failure to
exercise prior to the expiration date will be treated as a capital loss.
 
    EXERCISE OF WARRANTS
 
    Generally, a holder of Warrants will not recognize any gain or loss on the
purchase of Common Stock of the Company for cash upon exercise of the Warrants.
The tax basis of the Common Stock of the Company received will be equal to the
tax basis, as adjusted, in the Warrants so exercised, plus the cash exercise
price. The holding period of the Common Stock of the Company received upon
exercise of a Warrant for cash will not include the period during which the
Warrant was held; it shall commence only upon the exercise date of the Warrant.
 
BACKUP WITHHOLDING AND REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
 
    A holder of a Note, a Warrant or Common Stock may be subject to backup
withholding at the rate of 31% with respect to interest paid on or original
issue discount accrued on a Note, dividends received on Common Stock, and
proceeds from the sale, exchange or redemption of, the Note, Warrant or Common
Stock, unless the holder (a) is a corporation or comes within certain other
exempt categories and, when required, demonstrates this fact or (b) provides a
correct taxpayer identification number, certifies as to no loss of exemption
from backup withholding and otherwise complies with applicable requirements of
the backup withholding rules. A holder of a Note, a Warrant or Common Stock who
does not provide the Company with his correct taxpayer identification number may
be subject to penalties imposed by the IRS. Backup withholding is not an
additional tax; any amounts withheld are creditable against the holder's federal
income tax liability, provided that required information is provided to the IRS.
 
    The Company will report to the holders of Notes, Warrants and Common Stock
and the IRS the amount of any "reportable payments" (including any original
issue discount or deemed dividends with respect to Warrants or Common Stock) and
any amount withheld with respect to the Notes, Warrants and Common Stock during
each calendar year.
 
                                      S-86
<PAGE>
    THE FOREGOING DISCUSSION OF CERTAIN FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES IS FOR
GENERAL INFORMATION ONLY AND IS NOT TAX ADVICE. PROSPECTIVE PURCHASERS SHOULD
CONSULT THEIR OWN TAX ADVISORS WITH RESPECT TO THE TAX CONSEQUENCES TO THEM OF
THE PURCHASE, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF NOTES OR WARRANTS, INCLUDING THE TAX
CONSEQUENCES UNDER STATE, LOCAL, FOREIGN AND OTHER TAX LAWS AND THE POSSIBLE
EFFECTS OF CHANGES IN FEDERAL OR OTHER TAX LAWS.
 
                        DESCRIPTION OF OTHER SENIOR DEBT
 
    The following is a description of certain other debt of the Company that may
materially limit or qualify the rights of holders of the Notes.
 
SENIOR TERM NOTES
 
    In April 1995, the Company issued Senior Term Notes in the aggregate
principal amount of $145.0 million. The Senior Term Notes bear interest at the
rate of 13% per annum and mature in May 2000. The Senior Term Notes were issued
pursuant to an Indenture, dated as of April 28, 1995, between the Company and
Norwest Bank Minnesota, National Association, as trustee, as amended by a First
Supplemental Indenture dated as of August 11, 1995 (as so amended, the "Senior
Term Note Indenture").
 
    The Senior Term Notes are general, unsecured obligations of the Company,
except for a reserve fund equal to one interest payment on the outstanding
principal balance of the Senior Term Notes, and rank PARI PASSU in right of
payment with all unsecured and unsubordinated indebtedness of the Company.
 
    The Senior Term Notes are redeemable at the option of the Company, in whole
or in part at any time on or after May 1, 1998 at the redemption prices
specified in the Senior Term Note Indenture, together with accrued and unpaid
interest to the date of redemption. Upon certain events constituting a Change of
Control (as defined in the Senior Term Note Indenture), the Company will be
obligated to make an offer to purchase all outstanding Senior Term Notes at a
price of 101% of the principal amount thereof, together with accrued and unpaid
interest to the date of purchase. In addition, the Senior Term Note Indenture
restricts the Company's ability to engage in Asset Sales (as defined in the
Senior Term Note Indenture), including sales of Finance Income Receivable (as
defined in the Senior Term Note Indenture), unless, among other restrictions,
the Company applies the consideration received from any such Asset Sale to the
purchase of automobile loans. To the extent the Company does not apply the
proceeds from Asset Sales in accordance with the Senior Term Note Indenture, the
Company is obligated to use any proceeds not so applied to make an offer to
purchase outstanding Senior Term Notes at a price of 101% of the principal
amount thereof, together with accrued and unpaid interest to the date of
purchase.
 
    The Senior Term Note Indenture further provides that if at the end of any
month either (i) the Portfolio Loss Ratio (as defined in the Senior Term Note
Indenture) exceeds 1.65% or (ii) the Company's Consolidated Net Worth (as
defined in the Senior Term Note Indenture) is less than $100.0 million, the
Company will be prohibited from purchasing new automobile loans in excess of 20%
of its Adjusted Consolidated Cash Flow (as defined in the Senior Term Note
Indenture) plus proceeds of warehouse facilities and certain other available
cash; and if either (a) the Portfolio Loss Ratio exceeds 1.65% for two
consecutive months or (b) the Company's Consolidated Net Worth is less then
$100.0 million at such month-end and the preceding month-end, then 50% of such
Adjusted Consolidated Cash Flow must be used to offer to repurchase the Senior
Term Notes.
 
    The Senior Term Note Indenture provides that the Company will not, and will
not permit any of its subsidiaries to, directly or indirectly: (i) declare or
pay any dividend or make any distribution on account of the Company's or any of
its subsidiaries' equity interests, as defined therein (including, without
limitation, any payment in connection with any merger or consolidation involving
the Company), other than dividends or distributions payable in equity interests
of the Company or dividends or distributions payable to the Company or any
wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company; (ii) purchase, redeem or otherwise
acquire or
 
                                      S-87
<PAGE>
retire for value any equity interests of the Company or any direct or indirect
parent of the Company; (iii) make any principal payment on, or purchase, redeem,
defease or otherwise acquire or retire for value any indebtedness that is PARI
PASSU with or subordinated to the Senior Term Notes, except at final maturity or
in accordance with the mandatory redemption, sinking fund or repayment
provisions set forth in the documentation governing such indebtedness when such
indebtedness is incurred; or (iv) make any Restricted Investment (as defined in
the Senior Term Note Indenture) (all such payments and other actions set forth
in clauses (i) through (iv) above being collectively referred to in the Senior
Term Note Indenture as Restricted Payments), unless, at the time of and after
giving effect to such Restricted Payment: (a) no default or event of default
under the Senior Term Note Indenture shall have occurred and be continuing or
would occur as a consequence thereof; (b) immediately after such Restricted
Payment and after giving effect thereto on a pro forma basis, the Consolidated
Net Worth (as defined in the Senior Term Note Indenture) of the Company would be
more than $150.0 million; (c) the Company would, at the time of such Restricted
Payment and after giving pro forma effect thereto as if such Restricted Payment
had been made at the beginning of the applicable four-quarter period, have been
permitted to incur at least $1.00 of additional Indebtedness (as defined in the
Senior Term Note Indenture) pursuant to fixed charge coverage ratio and
consolidated net worth tests specified in the indenture governing the Senior
Term Notes; and (d) such Restricted Payment, together with the aggregate of all
other Restricted Payments made by the Company and its Subsidiaries after the
date of the Senior Term Note Indenture (with certain limited exceptions
described below) is less than the sum of (i) 50% of the Consolidated Cash Flow
(as defined in the Senior Term Note Indenture) of the Company for the period
(taken as one accounting period) from the beginning of the first fiscal quarter
commencing after the date of the Senior Term Note Indenture to the end of the
Company's most recently ended fiscal quarter for which internal financial
statements are available at the time of such Restricted Payment, plus (ii) to
the extent that any Restricted Investment that was made after the date of the
Senior Term Note Indenture is sold for cash or otherwise liquidated or repaid
for cash, the lesser of (A) the cash return of capital with respect to such
Restricted Investment (less the cost of disposition, if any) and (B) the initial
amount of such Restricted Investment. The limitation on the making of Restricted
Payments described in (d) above does not apply to certain permitted Restricted
Payments, including (x) repayment of indebtedness under warehouse facilities and
(y) certain repurchases of the Company's outstanding Subordinated Extendible
Notes and Subordinated Fixed-Term Notes.
 
    The Senior Term Note Indenture also restricts the incurrence of certain
additional indebtedness; the issuance of certain preferred stock by the Company;
the Company's ability to impose restrictions on its subsidiaries' ability to pay
dividends or distributions to the Company; the creation of certain liens;
certain transactions with affiliates; and certain mergers and consolidations.
 
    The Senior Term Note Indenture provides that each of the following
constitutes an Event of Default: (i) default for 30 days in the payment when due
of interest on the Senior Term Notes; (ii) default in payment when due of the
principal of or premium, if any, on the Senior Term Notes; (iii) failure by the
Company to comply with certain covenants; (iv) failure by the Company for 60
days after notice from the trustee or holders of at least 25% of the aggregate
principal amount of the Senior Term Notes to comply with any of its other
agreements in the Senior Term Note Indenture or the Senior Term Notes; (v)
default under any mortgage, indenture or instrument under which there may be
issued or by which there may be secured or evidenced any indebtedness for money
borrowed by the Company or any of its subsidiaries (or the payment of which is
guaranteed by the Company or any of its subsidiaries) whether such indebtedness
or guarantee existed at the date of the Senior Term Note Indenture or is created
thereafter, which default (a) is caused by a failure to pay principal of or
premium, if any, or interest on such indebtedness prior to the expiration of the
grace period provided in such indebtedness on the date of such default (a
"Payment Default") or (b) results in the acceleration of such indebtedness prior
to its express maturity and, in each case, the principal amount of any such
indebtedness, together with the principal amount of any other such indebtedness
under which there has been a Payment Default or the maturity of which has been
so accelerated, aggregates $5.0 million or more; (vi) failure by the Company or
any of its subsidiaries to pay final judgments aggregating in excess of $1.0
million, which judgments are not paid, discharged or stayed for a period of 60
days; (vii) the occurrence of an "event of default" under and as defined in the
pledge
 
                                      S-88
<PAGE>
agreement relating to the reserve fund securing the Senior Term Notes, or the
repudiation by the Company of its obligations under the pledge agreement or the
unenforceability of the pledge agreement against the Company for any reason; and
(viii) certain events of bankruptcy or insolvency with respect to the Company or
any of its subsidiaries.
 
    By means of an Offer to Purchase For Cash and Consent Solicitation dated
January 21, 1997, as extended (the "Offer to Purchase"), the Company offered to
purchase for cash (the "Tender Offer") all of the Senior Term Notes and
solicited consents (the "Consent Solicitation") from the Holders (as defined) of
at least a majority of the Senior Term Notes not owned by the Company or any
affiliates of the Company to certain amendments to the Senior Term Note
Indenture (the "Proposed Amendments"). The Proposed Amendments would eliminate
substantially all of the financial covenants in the Senior Term Note Indenture.
The Proposed Amendments would not eliminate the covenants in the Senior Term
Note Indenture with regard to Asset Sales, Portfolio Loss Ratio and Consolidated
Net Worth.
 
    Consummation of the Tender Offer is subject to certain conditions including,
among other things, (i) a majority of the principal amount of the Senior Term
Notes not owned by the Company or any of its affiliates is properly tendered,
(ii) unrevoked consents sufficient to approve the Proposed Amendments are
obtained (the "Requisite Consents") and (iii) the Company has available and has
deposited funds with the Depositary (as defined) sufficient for the purchase of
the Senior Term Notes tendered, either from the proceeds of the Offering or from
other new financing sources arranged by and acceptable to the Company. The
Proposed Amendments will become effective upon the execution and delivery of a
supplemental indenture to the Senior Term Note Indenture, which the Company
expects to execute on or shortly after the Consent Solicitation Expiration Date
5:00 p.m., New York City time, on March 11, 1997, unless extended), although the
Proposed Amendments will not become operative until the Company has accepted all
Senior Term Notes validly tendered and not withdrawn in the Tender Offer
following the receipt of the Requisite Consents.
 
WAREHOUSE FACILITIES
 
    For a description of the Company's warehouse facilities, see
"Business--Financing--Warehouse Facilities."
 
                                      S-89
<PAGE>
                                  UNDERWRITING
 
    Subject to the terms and conditions of the Underwriting Agreement (the
"Underwriting Agreement"), each of the Underwriters named below (the
"Underwriters") has agreed to purchase from the Company, and the Company has
agreed to sell to the Underwriters, the aggregate number of Units set forth
opposite its name below.
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
UNDERWRITER                                                                    NUMBER OF UNITS
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------  ---------------
<S>                                                                            <C>
Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette Securities Corporation..........................       180,000
J.P. Morgan Securities Inc...................................................        60,000
Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc......................................................        60,000
                                                                                    -------
  Total......................................................................       300,000
                                                                                    -------
                                                                                    -------
</TABLE>
 
    The Underwriting Agreement provides that the obligations of the Underwriters
to purchase and accept delivery of the Units offered hereby are subject to
approval of certain legal matters by counsel and to certain other conditions,
including a condition that a majority in interest of the Senior Term Notes shall
have been tendered and not withdrawn and shall have consented (which consents
shall not have been revoked) to the amendments to the indenture governing the
Senior Term Notes, pursuant to and as specified in the Company's Offer to
Purchase for Cash and Consent Solicitation dated January 21, 1997, as amended,
relating to the Senior Term Notes, and a supplemental indenture giving effect to
such amendments shall have been executed and delivered by the Company and the
trustee with respect to such indenture and shall be in full force and effect. If
any Units are purchased by the Underwriters pursuant to the Underwriting
Agreement, all such Units must be purchased.
 
    The Underwriters propose initially to offer the Units directly to the public
at the public offering price set forth on the cover page of this Prospectus
Supplement and to certain dealers at such price less a concession not to exceed
$4.00 per Unit. The Underwriters may allow, and such dealers may reallow,
discounts not in excess of $2.50 per Unit to certain other dealers. After the
initial public offering of the Units, the offering price, the concession and
reallowance and other selling terms may be changed by the Underwriters.
 
    There is currently no public market for the Securities. The Company does not
intend to apply for listing of the Securities on any national securities
exchange or automated quotation system. The Company has been advised by the
Underwriters that, following completion of the initial offering of the
Securities, they presently intend to make a market in the Securities although
they are under no obligation to do so and may discontinue any market-making
activities at any time without notice. Accordingly, there can be no assurance as
to whether an active trading market for the Securities will develop or, if such
a market develops, as to the liquidity of the trading market for the Securities.
 
    The Company has agreed to indemnify the Underwriters against certain
liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,
or to contribute to payments that the Underwriters may be required to make in
respect thereof.
 
    In connection with the Offering, the Underwriters may engage in transactions
that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of the Units.
Specifically, the Underwriters may overallot the Offering, creating a syndicate
short position. Underwriters may bid for and purchase Units in the open market
to cover syndicate short positions. In addition, the Underwriters may bid for
and purchase Units in the open market to stabilize the price of the Units. These
activities may stabilize or maintain the market price of the Units above
independent market levels. The Underwriters are not required to engage in these
activities, and may end these activities at any time.
 
    Since January 1995, Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette Securities Corporation
("DLJ") has acted as an underwriter of asset-backed securities issued by
Company-sponsored securitization trusts, and of the Company's offerings of its
Senior Term Notes and Common Stock, for which it receives customary discounts
and commissions. In February 1995, the Company paid OFL Funding, Inc. ("DLJ
Bridge"), an affiliate of DLJ, a customary fee and agreed to reimburse DLJ
Bridge for its expenses in consideration of
 
                                      S-90
<PAGE>
DLJ Bridge's provision of $70.0 million in senior debt financing, which was
repaid with the proceeds of the Company's 1995 Common Stock offering. The
Company has also engaged DLJ as its exclusive financial advisor and has agreed
to pay DLJ an annual fee of $250,000 for services through 1997. In addition, the
Company has engaged DLJ as its dealer-manager in connection with the Company's
tender offer for its Senior Term Notes and the related consent solicitation, for
which it will receive customary fees, and as its broker in connection with the
hedging transactions with respect to U.S. Treasury Securities described in
"Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations--Capital Resources," for which DLJ receives customary commissions.
 
    J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. and Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. have from time to
time acted as underwriters of asset-backed securities issued by
Company-sponsored securitization trusts, for which they receive customary
discounts and commissions.
 
                                 LEGAL MATTERS
 
    Certain legal matters in connection with the issuance of the Securities
offered hereby will be passed upon for the Company by Dorsey & Whitney LLP,
Minneapolis, Minnesota, and for the Underwriters by Latham & Watkins, Chicago,
Illinois.
 
                                    EXPERTS
 
    The financial statements of the Company appearing in this Prospectus and
Registration Statement for the years ended December 31, 1994, 1995 and 1996 have
been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, independent auditors, as set forth in their
report appearing elsewhere herein and are included in reliance upon such report
given upon the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
 
                                      S-91
<PAGE>
                   INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
    As of December 31, 1995 and 1996, and for each of the three years in the
period ended December 31, 1996.
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                                                                PAGE
                                                                                                                -----
<S>                                                                                                          <C>
Report of Independent Auditors.............................................................................         F-2
 
Consolidated Balance Sheets................................................................................         F-3
 
Consolidated Statements of Income..........................................................................         F-4
 
Consolidated Statements of Shareholders' Equity............................................................         F-5
 
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows......................................................................         F-6
 
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.................................................................         F-7
</TABLE>
 
                                      F-1
<PAGE>
                         REPORT OF INDEPENDENT AUDITORS
 
Board of Directors
Olympic Financial Ltd.
 
    We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Olympic
Financial Ltd. as of December 31, 1996 and 1995 and the related consolidated
statements of income, shareholders' equity, and cash flows for each of the three
years in the period ended December 31, 1996. These financial statements are the
responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an
opinion on these financial statements based on our audits.
 
    We conducted our audits in accordance with generally accepted auditing
standards. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain
reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material
misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting
the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes
assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by
management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation.
We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
 
    In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly,
in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of Olympic
Financial Ltd. at December 31, 1996 and 1995 and the consolidated results of its
operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended
December 31, 1996, in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles.
 
                                          ERNST & YOUNG LLP
 
Minneapolis, Minnesota
January 21, 1997
 
                                      F-2
<PAGE>
                             OLYMPIC FINANCIAL LTD.
 
                          CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                            AT DECEMBER 31,
                                                                          --------------------
(Dollars in thousands, except share amounts)                                1995       1996
                                                                          ---------  ---------
<S>                                                                       <C>        <C>
 
                                            ASSETS
 
Cash and cash equivalents...............................................  $   1,340  $  16,057
Due from securitization trust...........................................         --    177,076
Auto loans held for sale................................................    118,556     36,285
Finance income receivable...............................................    186,001    362,916
Restricted cash in spread accounts......................................     63,580    142,977
Furniture, fixtures and equipment.......................................      6,346     13,630
Other assets............................................................     21,971     29,289
                                                                          ---------  ---------
    Total assets........................................................  $ 397,794  $ 778,230
                                                                          ---------  ---------
                                                                          ---------  ---------
 
                             LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY
 
Amounts due under warehouse facilities..................................  $  26,530  $ 111,140
Senior term notes.......................................................    145,000    145,000
Subordinated notes......................................................     13,005     53,689
Capital lease obligations...............................................      3,924      7,729
Deferred income taxes...................................................     18,700     54,387
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities................................      9,822     13,192
                                                                          ---------  ---------
    Total liabilities...................................................    216,981    385,137
 
Commitments and contingencies
 
Shareholders' equity:
 
Capital stock, $.01 par value, 100,000,000 shares authorized:
  8% Cumulative Convertible Exchangeable Preferred Stock, 1,071,036
    shares issued and outstanding.......................................         11         --
Common Stock 22,038,567 and 36,416,802 shares, respectively, issued and
  outstanding...........................................................        220        364
Additional paid-in capital..............................................    157,204    310,187
Retained earnings.......................................................     23,378     82,542
                                                                          ---------  ---------
    Total shareholders' equity..........................................    180,813    393,093
                                                                          ---------  ---------
                                                                          $ 397,794  $ 778,230
                                                                          ---------  ---------
                                                                          ---------  ---------
</TABLE>
 
                See notes to consolidated financial statements.
 
                                      F-3
<PAGE>
                             OLYMPIC FINANCIAL LTD.
 
                       CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                      YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31,
                                                           ---------------------------------------------
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)               1994            1995            1996
                                                           -------------   -------------   -------------
<S>                                                        <C>             <C>             <C>
REVENUES:
Net interest margin......................................  $       9,828   $      31,192   $      62,963
Gain on sale of loans....................................         13,579          62,182         115,773
Servicing fee income.....................................          4,502          13,987          28,284
Other non-interest income................................            879           1,371           6,475
                                                           -------------   -------------   -------------
    Total revenues.......................................         28,788         108,732         213,495
 
EXPENSES:
Salaries and benefits....................................          9,060          20,079          40,751
General and administrative and other operating expense...          8,282          22,648          51,547
                                                           -------------   -------------   -------------
    Total operating expenses.............................         17,342          42,727          92,298
Long-term debt and other interest expense................          5,416          17,170          25,193
                                                           -------------   -------------   -------------
    Total expenses.......................................         22,758          59,897         117,491
                                                           -------------   -------------   -------------
Operating income before income taxes and extraordinary
  items..................................................          6,030          48,835          96,004
Provision for income taxes...............................          1,845          19,518          35,688
                                                           -------------   -------------   -------------
Income before extraordinary items........................          4,185          29,317          60,316
Extraordinary items......................................             --          (3,856)             --
                                                           -------------   -------------   -------------
Net income...............................................  $       4,185   $      25,461   $      60,316
                                                           -------------   -------------   -------------
                                                           -------------   -------------   -------------
 
PRIMARY EARNINGS PER SHARE:
Net income per common share before extraordinary items...  $        0.17   $        1.35   $        1.79
Extraordinary items per common share.....................             --           (0.19)             --
                                                           -------------   -------------   -------------
    Net income per common share..........................  $        0.17   $        1.16   $        1.79
                                                           -------------   -------------   -------------
                                                           -------------   -------------   -------------
 
FULLY DILUTED EARNINGS PER SHARE:
Net income per share before extraordinary items..........  $        0.17   $        1.11   $        1.65
Extraordinary items per share............................             --           (0.15)             --
                                                           -------------   -------------   -------------
    Net income per share.................................  $        0.17   $        0.96   $        1.65
                                                           -------------   -------------   -------------
                                                           -------------   -------------   -------------
Weighted average common and common equivalent shares
  outstanding:
  Primary................................................     10,818,908      20,029,769      33,065,473
  Fully diluted..........................................     16,683,380      26,455,876      36,449,995
</TABLE>
 
                See notes to consolidated financial statements.
 
                                      F-4
<PAGE>
                             OLYMPIC FINANCIAL LTD.
 
                CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                   NUMBER OF      NUMBER OF
                                                   PREFERRED        COMMON       PREFERRED        COMMON
(Dollars in thousands, except share amounts)         SHARES         SHARES       PAR VALUE      PAR VALUE
                                                  ------------   ------------   ------------   ------------
<S>                                               <C>            <C>            <C>            <C>
BALANCES AT DECEMBER 31, 1993...................     1,150,000      9,816,434   $        12    $        98
Cost of issuance of 8% Convertible Preferred
 Stock..........................................            --             --            --             --
Exercise of warrants by shareholders............            --         71,429            --              1
Issuance of Common Stock through the Employee
 Stock Purchase Plan............................            --         32,847            --             --
Payment of dividends on 8% Convertible Preferred
 Stock..........................................            --             --            --             --
Net income......................................            --             --            --             --
                                                  ------------   ------------           ---          -----
BALANCES AT DECEMBER 31, 1994...................     1,150,000      9,920,710            12             99
Issuance of Common Stock:
  Public offering...............................            --      9,849,900            --             98
  Benefit plans.................................            --        163,094            --              2
Amortization of deferred compensation...........            --             --            --             --
Exercise of options and warrants................            --      1,736,735            --             17
Preferred Stock conversion to Common Stock......       (78,964)       368,128            (1)             4
Payment of dividends on 8% Convertible Preferred
 Stock..........................................            --             --            --             --
Net income......................................            --             --            --             --
                                                  ------------   ------------           ---          -----
 
BALANCES AT DECEMBER 31, 1995                        1,071,036     22,038,567            11            220
Exercise of options and warrants................            --      1,101,269            --             11
Issuance of Common Stock:
  Public offering...............................            --      8,050,000            --             81
  Benefit plans.................................            --        234,752            --              2
Amortization of deferred compensation...........            --             --            --             --
Preferred Stock redemption and conversion to
 Common Stock...................................    (1,071,036)     4,992,214           (11)            50
Payment of dividends on 8% Convertible Preferred
 Stock..........................................            --             --            --             --
Net income......................................            --             --            --             --
                                                  ------------   ------------           ---          -----
BALANCES AT DECEMBER 31, 1996...................            --     36,416,802   $        --    $       364
                                                  ------------   ------------           ---          -----
                                                  ------------   ------------           ---          -----
 
<CAPTION>
                                                   ADDITIONAL      RETAINED
                                                    PAID IN        EARNINGS
(Dollars in thousands, except share amounts)        CAPITAL       (DEFICIT)        TOTAL
                                                  ------------   ------------   ------------
<S>                                               <C>            <C>            <C>
BALANCES AT DECEMBER 31, 1993...................  $    60,344    $    (1,755)   $     58,699
Cost of issuance of 8% Convertible Preferred
 Stock..........................................          (10)            --             (10)
Exercise of warrants by shareholders............          137             --             138
Issuance of Common Stock through the Employee
 Stock Purchase Plan............................          150             --             150
Payment of dividends on 8% Convertible Preferred
 Stock..........................................           --         (2,300)         (2,300)
Net income......................................           --          4,185           4,185
                                                  ------------   ------------   ------------
BALANCES AT DECEMBER 31, 1994...................       60,621            130          60,862
Issuance of Common Stock:
  Public offering...............................       87,559             --          87,657
  Benefit plans.................................          934             --             936
Amortization of deferred compensation...........          837             --             837
Exercise of options and warrants................        7,256             --           7,273
Preferred Stock conversion to Common Stock......           (3)            --              --
Payment of dividends on 8% Convertible Preferred
 Stock..........................................           --         (2,213)         (2,213)
Net income......................................           --         25,461          25,461
                                                  ------------   ------------   ------------
BALANCES AT DECEMBER 31, 1995                         157,204         23,378         180,813
Exercise of options and warrants................        4,902             --           4,913
Issuance of Common Stock:
  Public offering...............................      145,925             --         146,006
  Benefit plans.................................        1,163             --           1,165
Amortization of deferred compensation...........        1,038             --           1,038
Preferred Stock redemption and conversion to
 Common Stock...................................          (45)            --              (6)
Payment of dividends on 8% Convertible Preferred
 Stock..........................................           --         (1,152)         (1,152)
Net income......................................           --         60,316          60,316
                                                  ------------   ------------   ------------
BALANCES AT DECEMBER 31, 1996...................  $   310,187    $    82,542    $    393,093
                                                  ------------   ------------   ------------
                                                  ------------   ------------   ------------
</TABLE>
 
                See notes to consolidated financial statements.
 
                                      F-5
<PAGE>
                             OLYMPIC FINANCIAL LTD.
 
                     CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                                        YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31,
                                                                             ---------------------------------------------
(Dollars in thousands)                                                           1994            1995            1996
                                                                             -------------   -------------   -------------
<S>                                                                          <C>             <C>             <C>
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
Net income.................................................................  $       4,185   $      25,461   $      60,316
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash used in operating
  activities:
  Depreciation and amortization............................................            553           1,881           4,286
  Loss on sale of furniture, fixtures and equipment........................             --             153             119
  (Increase) decrease in assets:
  Automobile loans held for sale:
    Purchases of automobile loans..........................................       (743,256)     (2,052,413)     (2,750,553)
    Sales of automobile loans..............................................        712,211       1,933,525       2,787,412
    Repayments of automobile loans.........................................          7,849          24,200          45,412
  Finance income receivable................................................        (32,293)       (127,461)       (176,916)
  Restricted cash in spread accounts.......................................         (6,299)        (42,172)        (79,397)
  Due from securitization trusts...........................................        (22,095)         88,481        (177,076)
  Prepaid expenses and other assets........................................         (3,121)        (10,402)         (5,787)
  Increase (decrease) in liabilities:
    Deferred income taxes..................................................          1,845          16,947          35,688
    Accounts payable and accrued liabilities...............................          1,647           6,141           3,369
                                                                             -------------   -------------   -------------
           Total cash used in operating activities.........................        (78,774)       (135,659)       (253,127)
 
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Proceeds from sales of furniture, fixtures and equipment...................             68              37              26
Purchase of furniture, fixtures and equipment..............................           (362)         (1,089)         (5,108)
Purchase of subordinated certificates......................................           (962)         (2,046)         (2,596)
Collections on subordinated certificates...................................            339             510           1,078
                                                                             -------------   -------------   -------------
           Total cash used in investing activities.........................           (917)         (2,588)         (6,600)
 
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Net proceeds from issuance of Common Stock.................................            288          95,866         152,079
Net proceeds from issuance of 8% Convertible Preferred Stock...............            (10)             --              --
Payment of dividends on 8% Convertible Preferred Stock.....................         (2,300)         (2,213)         (1,152)
Proceeds from borrowings under warehouse facilities........................        426,161       1,605,583       2,159,523
Repayment of borrowings under warehouse facilities.........................       (342,082)     (1,685,241)     (2,074,913)
Unsecured subordinated notes, net..........................................            306          12,699          40,684
Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt...................................         12,000              --              --
Repayments of long-term debt...............................................             --         (30,000)             --
Proceeds from issuance of Senior Notes.....................................             --          55,000              --
Repayment of Senior Notes..................................................             --         (55,000)             --
Proceeds from issuance of Senior Term Notes................................             --         145,000              --
Repayments of Senior Subordinated Notes....................................             --         (15,000)             --
Deferred debt issuance cost, net...........................................           (259)         (2,541)            (13)
Reduction of capital lease obligations.....................................           (532)         (1,183)         (1,764)
                                                                             -------------   -------------   -------------
           Total cash provided by financing activities.....................         93,572         122,970         274,444
                                                                             -------------   -------------   -------------
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents.......................         13,881         (15,277)         14,717
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period...........................          2,736          16,617           1,340
                                                                             -------------   -------------   -------------
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period.................................  $      16,617   $       1,340   $      16,057
                                                                             -------------   -------------   -------------
                                                                             -------------   -------------   -------------
 
Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information:
  Non cash activities:
    Additions to capital leases............................................  $       1,524   $       3,609   $       5,569
  Cash paid for:
    Interest...............................................................          6,386          19,630          33,448
    Taxes..................................................................             --              92              --
</TABLE>
 
                See notes to consolidated financial statements.
 
                                      F-6
<PAGE>
                             OLYMPIC FINANCIAL LTD.
 
                   NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
1. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
 
    Olympic Financial Ltd. (the "Company") operates in a single industry,
purchases, securitizes and services consumer automobile retail installment loans
originated primarily by car dealers affiliated with major foreign and domestic
manufacturers. The Company provides a competitive and consistent alternative
source of retail financing to more than 7,700 automobile dealers for their
customers' purchases of new and used automobiles and light trucks. The Company
does not purchase more than 1.0% of its loans from any one dealer. Since its
founding in March 1990, the Company has established 17 regional buying centers
in Arizona, Northern and Southern California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia,
Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee,
North, South and West Texas, and Washington. The Company's dealer network
includes dealers in 39 states. At December 31, 1996, the Company's only
significant geographic concentration in its servicing portfolio was to borrowers
in the state of Texas which consisted of approximately 22% of the total
servicing portfolio. Management does not believe that the Company has any
current material exposures to geographic or dealer concentrations.
 
    BASIS OF PRESENTATION
 
    The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company
and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany accounts and
transactions have been eliminated. The consolidated financial statements have
been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles.
 
    Certain reclassifications have been made to the December 31, 1995 and 1994
balances to conform to current period presentation.
 
    CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS
 
    The Company considers all significant investments with an original maturity
of three months or less to be cash equivalents.
 
    USE OF ESTIMATES
 
    The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally
accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and
assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the
date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and
expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those
estimates.
 
    DUE FROM SECURITIZATION TRUST
 
    Under Olympic's securitization structures, the Company delivers loans to a
securitization trust and subsequently receives cash from the trust for such
loans concurrent with the legal closing of the transaction typically six to 10
days after delivery. All terms of the transfer of assets to the trust are fixed
and determinable at the time of delivery.
 
    AUTOMOBILE LOANS HELD FOR SALE
 
    Loans are carried at the lower of their principal amount outstanding
(amortized cost), including related unearned dealer participations, or market
value. Market value is estimated based on the characteristics of the loans held
for sale and the terms of recent sales of similar loans completed by the
Company. Interest on these loans is accrued and credited to interest income
based upon the daily principal amount outstanding.
 
                                      F-7
<PAGE>
                             OLYMPIC FINANCIAL LTD.
 
             NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
 
1. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)
    In accordance with Emerging Issues Task Force ("EITF") Issue 92-10, LOAN
ACQUISITIONS INVOLVING TABLE FUNDING ARRANGEMENTS, the EITF set forth specific
criteria providing the distinction between purchasers and originators of loans.
For financial reporting purposes, the Company is in substance an originator of
automobile loans. Therefore, participations paid to dealers are deferred and
amortized over the life of the underlying loan in accordance with Statement of
Financial Accounting Standards ("SFAS") No. 91, "Accounting for Nonrefundable
Fees and Costs Associated with Originating or Acquiring Loans and Initial Direct
Costs of Leases." Any unamortized deferred costs remaining at the time the loan
is sold is considered a portion of the basis of loans held for sale and charged
to expense as a component of any subsequent gain or loss on sale.
 
    Dealer participations are calculated by amortizing the customer loan at the
interest rate charged by the automobile dealer to the automobile purchaser and
at the rate offered by the Company to the dealer and recognizing the difference
between these two aggregate interest amounts as the dealer participation. This
amount is paid to the dealer at or near the original purchase date of the loan.
A portion of this amount is generally recoverable from the dealer in the event
of a default or prepayment within a time period specified in the dealer
agreement. The balance is recovered over time as a portion of excess cash flows
released from securitization trusts.
 
    FINANCE INCOME RECEIVABLE
 
    Finance income receivable includes (i) the estimated present value of future
cash flows from securitization transactions ("gain on sale of loans"), (ii)
accrued interest receivable on loans held for sale, but not yet collected
through the date of sale, (iii) interest earned on spread accounts and other
cash accounts established in connection with the Company's securitizations and
(iv) interest earned on previously discounted cash flows. The components of
finance income receivable are recovered by the Company, and finance income
receivable is reduced, over the life of the securitized loans through the return
of cash flows in excess of spread account requirements.
 
    Finance income receivable excludes deferred service fee income which
represents the amount of future cash flows to be recognized as earned over the
period for which the Company services the securitized loans.
 
    Reserve for loan losses included in finance income receivable represents the
estimated amount of loan losses expected to be incurred over the life of the
underlying loans included in the securitization transactions.
 
    The carrying amount of finance income receivable is reviewed periodically to
determine if differences exist between estimated and actual credit losses,
prepayment rates and weighted average APR at each balance sheet date using the
discount factor applied in the original determination of the receivable. In
addition, at the same dates, the Company assesses the effect of changes in
estimates, if any, on the carrying amount of the finance income receivable. The
Company's analysis determines that the finance income receivable is not recorded
in excess of the present value of the estimated remaining excess cash flows. The
Company does not increase the carrying amount of finance income receivable for
favorable variances from original estimates, but to the extent that actual
results exceed the Company's prepayment or loss estimates, or there is a greater
than anticipated decline in the weighted average APR of loans sold, any required
decrease to finance income receivable is reflected as a reduction of current
period earnings. There were no material adjustments to the carrying amount of
finance income receivable during the three years ended December 31, 1996.
Adjustments due to modification of future estimates are determined on a
disaggregated basis according to each asset securitization transaction.
 
                                      F-8
<PAGE>
                             OLYMPIC FINANCIAL LTD.
 
             NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
 
1. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)
    CASH RESTRICTED IN SPREAD ACCOUNTS
 
    The Company is required to maintain spread accounts to protect investors in
securitization transactions and credit enhancers against credit losses. The
initial deposit, if required, and excess cash flows from securitization
transactions are retained for each securitization until the spread account
balance increases to a specified percentage of the underlying loans included in
the securitization. Funds in excess of specified percentages are remitted to the
Company, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Olympic Receivables Finance Corp.
("ORFC"), over the remaining life of the securitization. For each securitization
trust, there is no recourse to the Company beyond the balance in the spread
accounts or the trust's future earnings.
 
    FURNITURE, FIXTURES AND EQUIPMENT
 
    Furniture, fixtures and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated
depreciation and amortization. Owned properties are depreciated on a
straight-line basis over their useful lives. Capital lease assets are amortized
over their lease terms on a straight line basis.
 
    ADVANCES DUE TO SERVICER
 
    As servicer of loans sold in securitizations, the Company periodically makes
interest advances to the securitization trusts to provide for temporary delays
in the receipt of required interest payments by borrowers. In accordance with
the Company's servicing agreements, the Company makes advances only in the event
it expects to recover them through the ultimate payments from the obligor on the
loan.
 
    DEFERRED DEBT ISSUANCE COSTS
 
    The Company capitalizes costs incurred related to the issuance of long-term
debt. These costs are deferred and amortized on a straight-line basis over the
contractual maturity of the related debt and recognized as a component of
interest expense.
 
    SERVICING FEE RECEIVABLE
 
    The Company earns a servicing fee for servicing loans sold to investors
through securitization. These fees are paid to the Company by the securitization
trust on a monthly basis.
 
    INCOME TAXES
 
    Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for future tax
consequences related to differences between the current carrying amounts of
assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and
liabilities are measured based on enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable
income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be
recovered or settled.
 
    NET INTEREST MARGIN
 
    The Company's net interest margin represents the sum of (i) net interest on
loans held for sale based on the net interest rate spread, (ii) investment
earnings on short-term investments and spread accounts and other cash accounts
established in connection with the Company's securitizations and (iii) the
recognition of the interest component of previously discounted cash flows,
calculated at the present value discount rate used in determining the gain on
sale.
 
                                      F-9
<PAGE>
                             OLYMPIC FINANCIAL LTD.
 
             NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
 
1. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)
    NET INCOME PER SHARE
 
    Income for primary earnings per share is adjusted for dividends on 8%
Convertible Preferred Stock and is computed based on the weighted average number
of common and dilutive common stock equivalents arising from the assumed
exercise of outstanding warrants and stock options (calculated using the
treasury stock method). Fully diluted earnings per share data for annual periods
prior to 1996, is computed by using such weighted average common stock and
common stock equivalents increased by the assumed conversion of the 8%
Convertible Preferred Stock into shares of Common Stock. All of the Company's 8%
Convertible Preferred Stock had been redeemed or converted at December 31, 1996.
If all of the Company's 8% Convertible Preferred Stock had converted at the
beginning of 1996, primary earnings per share for the year ended December 31,
1996 would have been $1.67. The effect on quarterly primary earnings per share
would have been immaterial. For the purpose of computing the net income per
common share equivalent data, all warrants and options issued are treated as if
exercised for shares of Common Stock on their respective date of original
issuance.
 
    FAIR VALUE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS
 
    The Company's financial instruments as defined by SFAS No. 107, "Disclosures
about Fair Value of Financial Instruments," including cash and cash equivalents,
due from securitization trusts, finance income receivable, restricted cash in
spread accounts, amounts due under warehouse facilities and Junior Subordinated
Notes are accounted for on a historical cost basis which, due to the nature of
these financial instruments, approximates fair value. Automobile loans held for
sale are accounted for at the lower of amortized cost or market value. Fair
value of the Company's Senior Term Notes and 10.125% Senior Subordinated Notes
is determined using available market quotes. At December 31, 1996 and 1995, the
Company had $145.0 million of Senior Term Notes outstanding with an estimated
fair value of $161.0 million at December 31, 1996 and $158.1 million at December
31, 1995. The Company also had $30.0 million of Senior Subordinated Notes issued
during 1996 and outstanding at December 31, 1996. The carrying amount of the
Senior Subordinated Notes approximates fair value.
 
2. ACCOUNTING CHANGES
 
    STOCK BASED COMPENSATION PLANS
 
    SFAS No. 123, "Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation" ("SFAS 123"), was
issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board in October 1995 and is
effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 1995. SFAS 123 provides
for companies to recognize compensation expense associated with stock based
compensation plans over the anticipated service period based on the fair value
of the award on the date of grant. As allowed by SFAS 123, however, the Company
has elected to continue to measure compensation costs as prescribed by APB
Opinion No. 25 "Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees." See Footnote No. 11,
for pro forma disclosures of net income and earnings per share, as if SFAS 123
had been adopted.
 
    TRANSFERS AND SERVICING OF FINANCIAL ASSETS AND EXTINGUISHMENT OF
     LIABILITIES
 
    Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 125, "Accounting for
Transfers and Servicing of Financial Assets and Extinguishment of Liabilities"
("SFAS 125"), was issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board in June
1996 and is effective on a prospective basis for all transactions after December
31, 1996. SFAS 125 was issued to clarify certain aspects of previously issued
statements regarding transfers of financial assets and to create guidance on a
wider spectrum of financial assets. The Company will adopt the
 
                                      F-10
<PAGE>
                             OLYMPIC FINANCIAL LTD.
 
             NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
 
2. ACCOUNTING CHANGES (CONTINUED)
provisions of SFAS 125 on January 1, 1997 and does not believe that this
statement will have a material effect on its statement of operations or
financial position.
 
3. AUTOMOBILE LOANS HELD FOR SALE
 
    The weighted average interest rate on automobile loans held for sale was
15.22% and 14.04% at December 31, 1996 and 1995, respectively. Accrued interest
receivable on automobile loans held for sale aggregated $0.2 million and $0.6
million as of December 31, 1996 and 1995, respectively.
 
4. FINANCE INCOME RECEIVABLE
 
    The following table sets forth the components of finance income receivable
as of December 31:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
(Dollars in thousands)                                                             1995        1996
                                                                                ----------  ----------
<S>                                                                             <C>         <C>
Estimated cash flows on loans sold, net of estimated prepayments..............  $  285,517  $  549,876
Deferred servicing income.....................................................     (37,780)    (59,473)
Reserve for loan losses.......................................................     (42,270)    (95,005)
                                                                                ----------  ----------
  Undiscounted cash flows on loans sold, net of estimated prepayments.........     205,467     395,398
Discount to present value.....................................................     (19,466)    (32,482)
                                                                                ----------  ----------
                                                                                $  186,001  $  362,916
                                                                                ----------  ----------
                                                                                ----------  ----------
Reserve for loan losses as a percentage of servicing portfolio................       1.86%       2.51%
</TABLE>
 
    The following represents the roll-forward of the finance income receivable
balance for the two years ended December 31, 1996:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
(Dollars in thousands)
<S>                                                                                           <C>
Balance, December 31, 1994..................................................................  $   58,540
Excess cash flows on loans sold, net of estimated prepayments...............................     141,147
  Return of excess cash flows...............................................................     (21,054)
  Recognition of present value effect of cash flows.........................................       7,368
                                                                                              ----------
Balance, December 31, 1995..................................................................     186,001
  Excess cash flows on loans sold, net of estimated prepayments.............................     201,376
  Return of excess cash flows...............................................................     (43,351)
  Recognition of present value effect of cash flows.........................................      18,890
                                                                                              ----------
Balance, December 31, 1996..................................................................  $  362,916
                                                                                              ----------
                                                                                              ----------
</TABLE>
 
                                      F-11
<PAGE>
                             OLYMPIC FINANCIAL LTD.
 
             NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
 
5. FURNITURE, FIXTURES AND EQUIPMENT
 
    Furniture, fixtures and equipment, as of December 31, consists of the
following:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
(Dollars in thousands)                                                                1995        1996
                                                                                    ---------  ----------
<S>                                                                                 <C>        <C>
OWNED
Office furniture and equipment....................................................  $   2,385  $    6,637
Automobiles.......................................................................        220         313
Computer equipment................................................................        319       1,003
                                                                                    ---------  ----------
    Total.........................................................................      2,924       7,953
 
CAPITALIZED LEASES
Office furniture and equipment....................................................      2,677       4,280
Computer equipment................................................................      2,621       5,545
                                                                                    ---------  ----------
    Total.........................................................................      5,298       9,825
                                                                                    ---------  ----------
Total furniture, fixtures and equipment (at cost).................................      8,222      17,778
Less:
  Accumulated depreciation and amortization.......................................     (1,876)     (4,148)
                                                                                    ---------  ----------
Furniture, fixtures and equipment, net............................................  $   6,346  $   13,630
                                                                                    ---------  ----------
                                                                                    ---------  ----------
</TABLE>
 
    Depreciation expense including amortization of assets under capital lease
obligations for the years ended December 31, 1996, 1995 and 1994 was $3.2
million, $1.0 million and $0.5 million, respectively.
 
6. OTHER ASSETS
 
    Other assets, as of December 31, consists of the following:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
(Dollars in thousands)                                                                1995       1996
                                                                                    ---------  ---------
<S>                                                                                 <C>        <C>
Advances due to servicer..........................................................  $   9,046  $   8,140
Deferred debt issuance costs......................................................      4,444      4,438
Investment in subordinated certificates...........................................      2,811      4,329
Servicing fee receivable..........................................................      1,855      3,121
Prepaid expenses..................................................................      1,545      2,755
Repossessed assets................................................................        431      1,577
Other assets......................................................................      1,839      4,929
                                                                                    ---------  ---------
                                                                                    $  21,971  $  29,289
                                                                                    ---------  ---------
                                                                                    ---------  ---------
</TABLE>
 
7. AMOUNTS DUE UNDER WAREHOUSE FACILITIES
 
    At December 31, 1996, the Company had three warehouse facilities with an
aggregate capacity of $800.0 million in place with various financial
institutions and institutional lenders of which $688.9 million was available.
Borrowings under these facilities are collateralized by certain loans held for
sale. The weighted average interest rate on outstanding borrowings under the
warehouse facilities was 6.27% and 7.23% at December 31, 1996 and 1995,
respectively.
 
    In December 1996, the Company entered into a commercial paper conduit
facility sponsored by Bank of America. Under this facility, the Company's
wholly-owned special purpose subsidiary, may sell up to $300.0 million in retail
automobile contracts to Arcadia Receivables Conduit Corporation ("ARCC"), a
 
                                      F-12
<PAGE>
                             OLYMPIC FINANCIAL LTD.
 
             NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
 
7. AMOUNTS DUE UNDER WAREHOUSE FACILITIES (CONTINUED)
special purpose corporation owned by the Company. The purchase price to ARCC is
funded through borrowings from Receivables Capital Corporation ("RCC"), a
special purpose corporation administered by Bank of America, which in turn funds
such borrowings through the issuance of commercial paper. This facility is
subject to annual renewals through December 1999.
 
    Also during 1996, the Company entered into a Credit Agreement with banks led
by Bank of America. Under this agreement, the Company may borrow up to $170.0
million. The Company may borrow an amount equal to 95% of the outstanding
principal amount of eligible automobile loans pledged to secure the indebtedness
depending on certain portfolio performance tests. The Company's Credit Agreement
matures in July,1997.
 
    Additionally, the Company, through its special purpose subsidiary, Olympic
Receivables Finance Corp. II ("ORFC II"), participates in a $330.0 million
receivables warehouse facility which utilizes a commercial paper conduit
sponsored by J.P. Morgan. Under a receivables purchase agreement between the
Company and ORFC II, the Company has agreed to sell automobile loans to ORFC
which funds the purchase by selling the automobile loans to an owner trust (the
"Owner Trust") under repurchase agreements. The Owner Trust is funded through
borrowings from Delaware Funding Corporation ("DFC"), a J.P. Morgan commercial
paper company which in turn funds such borrowers through the issuance of
commercial paper. In January 1997, the Company agreed to reduce the capacity of
the J.P. Morgan Facility from $330.0 million to approximately $250 million and
to extend such facility through December 1997 with annual renewal options
through December 1998.
 
8. LONG-TERM DEBT
 
    SENIOR TERM NOTES
 
    In April 1995, the Company issued to the public $145.0 million principal
amount of 13% Senior Notes due 2000 (the "Senior Term Notes"). Interest on the
Senior Term Notes is payable semi-annually on November 1 and May 1 of each year,
commencing November 1, 1995. The Senior Term Notes are not callable prior to May
1, 1998. Thereafter, the Senior Term Notes are redeemable, in whole or in part,
at the option of the Company, at 108.5% and 104.25% if redeemed during the
twelve month periods beginning May 1, 1998, and 1999, respectively, together
with accrued and unpaid interest to the date of redemption. The Company will be
obligated to make an offer to purchase all outstanding Senior Term Notes at a
price of 101% of the principal amount thereof, together with accrued and unpaid
interest to the date of purchase if certain covenants (as defined within the
Senior Term Note Indenture) regarding sales of assets, change in control or
annualized net losses are not met.
 
    Except for a reserve fund equal to one interest payment on the outstanding
principal balance of the Senior Term Notes, the Senior Term Notes are unsecured
obligations to the Company and will rank senior to all outstanding subordinated
notes of the Company and PARI PASSU in right of payment with all unsecured and
unsubordinated indebtedness of the Company. The reserve fund may be used by the
Company to purchase automobile loans at an advance rate of 90% of principal
balance of the loans purchased which are pledged against the Senior Term Notes.
See Note No. 14, Subsequent Events.
 
                                      F-13
<PAGE>
                             OLYMPIC FINANCIAL LTD.
 
             NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
 
8. LONG-TERM DEBT (CONTINUED)
 
    SUBORDINATED NOTES
 
    Subordinated notes outstanding as of December 31, are as follows:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
(Dollars in thousands)                                                      1995       1996
                                                                          ---------  ---------
<S>                                                                       <C>        <C>
Senior subordinated notes, Series 1996-A................................  $      --  $  30,000
Junior subordinated notes...............................................     13,005     23,689
                                                                          ---------  ---------
                                                                          $  13,005  $  53,689
                                                                          ---------  ---------
                                                                          ---------  ---------
</TABLE>
 
    In March 1996, the Company sold to the public $30.0 million aggregate
principal amount of its 10.125% Subordinated Notes, Series 1996-A due 2001 (the
"Senior Subordinated Notes"). Interest on the Senior Subordinated Notes is
payable monthly beginning May 15, 1996. The Senior Subordinated Notes may not be
redeemed prior to May 15, 1998. At any time on such date or thereafter, the
Company may at its option elect to redeem the Senior Subordinated Notes, in
whole or in part, at 101.5% of the principal amount of Senior Subordinated Notes
redeemed, or 100% thereof on or after May 15, 1999, plus accrued interest to and
including the redemption date. The Senior Subordinated Notes are unsecured
general obligations of the Company and are subordinated in right of payment to
all existing and future Senior Debt (as defined in the indenture governing the
Senior Subordinated Notes).
 
    In September 1994, the Company completed a shelf registration to issue up to
$50.0 million of Junior Subordinated Notes. The Junior Subordinated Notes are
issued in minimum denominations of $1,000 and include extendible notes having
maturities ranging from 30 days to one year from the date of issue and fixed
term notes having maturities of one to ten years from date of issue. The Company
may adjust interest rates on unsold notes prior to sale and on extendible notes
at any roll-over date based on current market conditions. As of December 31,
1996, the weighted average maturity and interest rate of the Unsecured
Subordinated Notes were 14.2 months and 9.50%, respectively.
 
    Maturities of long-term debt outstanding at December 31, 1996 were:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
(Dollars in thousands)
<S>                                                                             <C>
YEAR ENDING
  1997........................................................................  $   12,516
  1998........................................................................       7,747
  1999........................................................................         522
  2000........................................................................     145,616
  2001........................................................................      32,018
  2002 and thereafter.........................................................         270
                                                                                ----------
      Total...................................................................  $  198,689
                                                                                ----------
                                                                                ----------
</TABLE>
 
9. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
 
    The Company leases furniture, fixtures and equipment under capital and
operating leases with terms in excess of one year. Additionally, the Company
leases its office space under operating leases. Total rent expense on operating
leases was $4.7 million, $1.8 million and $0.9 million for the years ended
December 31, 1996, 1995, and 1994, respectively.
 
                                      F-14
<PAGE>
                             OLYMPIC FINANCIAL LTD.
 
             NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
 
9. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (CONTINUED)
    Future minimum lease payments required under capital and noncancelable
operating leases with terms of one year or more, at December 31, 1996 were:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                     CAPITAL    OPERATING
(Dollars in thousands)                                               LEASES      LEASES
                                                                    ---------  -----------
<S>                                                                 <C>        <C>
YEAR ENDING
  1997............................................................  $   3,168   $   6,337
  1998............................................................      2,924       6,405
  1999............................................................      1,371       5,874
  2000............................................................      1,089       4,559
  2001............................................................        697       3,240
  2002 and thereafter.............................................         44       2,574
                                                                    ---------  -----------
    Total.........................................................      9,293   $  28,989
                                                                               -----------
                                                                               -----------
Less amounts representing interest................................     (1,564)
                                                                    ---------
Present value of net minimum lease payments.......................  $   7,729
                                                                    ---------
                                                                    ---------
</TABLE>
 
    Under the terms of sales of automobile loans completed through
securitization transactions, the Company may be obligated to repurchase certain
automobile loans due to failure of the assets to meet specifically defined
criteria. The Company may substitute other assets for those repurchased because
of failure to meet the specifically defined criteria. The Company's potential
obligation for defaulted automobile loans, if realized, is expected to be
satisfied through the use of cash collateral accounts included in the
securitization transactions. The Company may not substitute other assets for
defaulted automobile loans.
 
    Proceeds of transfers of automobile loans with limited recourse, accounted
for as sales, during the years ended December 31, 1996, 1995 and 1994 were $2.8
billion, $1.9 billion and $712.2 million, respectively. The outstanding balance
of automobile loans transferred and serviced for others in connection with
securitization transactions since the Company's inception was $3.8 billion at
December 31, 1996.
 
10. SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY
 
    On May 18, 1995, the shareholders approved an amendment to the Company's
Articles of Incorporation which increased its authorized capital stock from
35,714,286 to 100,000,000 shares. The Company had reserved shares of authorized
but unissued Common Stock at December 31, 1996, as follows:
 
<TABLE>
<S>                                                <C>
Warrants.........................................  1,756,273
Restricted stock election plans..................    592,348
Employee stock purchase plan.....................    276,891
Stock options....................................  2,854,585
                                                   ---------
                                                   5,480,097
                                                   ---------
                                                   ---------
</TABLE>
 
    COMMON STOCK
 
    In April 1996, the Company completed a public offering of 8,050,000 shares
of its Common Stock at $19.25 per share, including an over-allotment option of
1,050,000 shares.
 
    In April 1995, the Company completed a secondary public offering of
9,849,900 shares of its Common Stock at $10.00 per share including an
over-allotment option of 1,284,900 shares and 65,000 shares
 
                                      F-15
<PAGE>
                             OLYMPIC FINANCIAL LTD.
 
             NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
 
10. SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY (CONTINUED)
pursuant to the exercise of warrants. Additionally, pursuant to demand
registration rights of certain warrants issued by the Company between 1992 and
1994 in connection with its issuance of 11.75% Senior Secured and 9.875% Senior
Subordinated Notes, the Company filed separate registration statements during
April and October 1995, covering 213,000 and 3,871,364 shares of Common Stock,
respectively, issuable upon exercise of the warrants for secondary sale at
market should the holders decide to do so. During 1995 and 1996, 1,650,569 and
754,520 shares of Common Stock had been issued in connection with the exercise
of warrants for aggregate proceeds of $6.9 million and $3.1 million,
respectively. As of December 31, 1996, the Company had remaining warrants
outstanding for the purchase of 1,756,273 shares of Common Stock at exercise
prices ranging from $4.13 to $4.75 per share. Additionally, in December 1995,
the Company's Board of Directors authorized the issuance of 10 shares of Common
Stock to each employee as a reward for current year results. An aggregate 6,180
shares were issued.
 
    8% CUMULATIVE CONVERTIBLE EXCHANGEABLE PREFERRED STOCK
 
    In December 1993, the Company sold 1,150,000 shares of its 8% Cumulative
Convertible Exchangeable Preferred Stock (the "Preferred Stock") at $25 per
share (listed on the Nasdaq National Market under the trading symbol "OLYMP").
In October 1996, the Company called for redemption on December 2, 1996, all of
its outstanding Preferred Stock. The total redemption price (including accrued
and unpaid dividends) was $27.12 per share. As an alternative to having their
preferred stock redeemed for cash, all but 200 shares of preferred stock
converted into common stock at a rate of 4.662 shares of common stock for each
share of preferred prior to the redemption date.
 
    SHAREHOLDER RIGHTS PLAN
 
    In October 1996, the Board of Directors adopted a Shareholder Rights Plan in
which Preferred Stock Purchase Rights were distributed as a dividend at the rate
of one Right for each share of the Company's Common Stock held on November 22,
1996. The Rights expire on October 28, 2006. Each Right generally will entitle
shareholders, in certain circumstances, to buy one-thousandth of a newly issued
share of Class A Preferred Stock of the Company at an exercise price of $90.00
per share. The Rights generally will be exerciseable and transferable apart from
Common Stock only if a person or group would beneficially own 15% or more of the
Common Stock. If any person becomes the beneficial owner of 15% or more of the
Company's Common Stock, then each Right not owned by a 15% or more shareholder
or certain related parties will generally entitle its holders to purchase, at
the Right's then-current exercise price, shares of Common Stock (or, in certain
circumstances as determined by the Board, cash, other property or other
securities) having a value of twice the Right's exercise price. In addition, if,
after any person has become a 15% or more shareholder, the Company is involved
in a merger or other business combination transaction with another person in
which its Common Stock is changed or converted, or sells 50% or more of its
assets or earning power to another person, each Right will entitle its holder to
purchase, at the Right's then-current exercise price, shares of Common Stock of
such other person having a value twice the Right's exercise price.
 
    The Company will generally be entitled to redeem the Rights at $.01 per
Right at any time until the tenth day following public disclosure that a person
or group has become the beneficial owner of 15% or more of the Company's Common
Stock.
 
                                      F-16
<PAGE>
                             OLYMPIC FINANCIAL LTD.
 
             NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
 
10. SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY (CONTINUED)
    COMMON STOCK DIVIDENDS
 
    Under the Company's debt agreements, the Company may not pay any dividend or
make any other distribution on its Common Stock, nor may the Company redeem or
repurchase any of its Common Stock. Consequently, no cash dividends are expected
to be paid on the Common Stock in the foreseeable future.
 
11. EMPLOYEE BENEFITS AND STOCK INCENTIVE PLANS
 
    RESTRICTED STOCK ELECTION PLANS
 
    In July of 1994, the Board of Directors of the Company adopted a Restricted
Stock Election Plan (the "1994 Stock Election Plan"). The purpose of the 1994
Stock Election Plan is to reward management performance and to build each
participant's equity interest in the stock of the Company by providing long-term
incentives and rewards to officers and other key management employees of the
Company and its subsidiaries. The 1994 Stock Election Plan allows certain
employees of the Company to elect to receive all or a portion of certain bonuses
they are entitled to receive from the Company in 1994 through 1997 in the form
of shares of the Company's Common Stock. The 1994 Stock Election Plan authorizes
the granting of awards in the form of restricted shares of the Company's Common
Stock, subject to certain risks of forfeiture which may be eliminated over time
based upon achievement of certain performance criteria by the eligible employee
and/or the Company. A total of 800,000 shares of Common Stock are set aside for
awards under the 1994 Stock Election Plan. As of December 31, 1996 there have
been 523,466 shares granted under the plan with 316,519 shares remaining subject
to restriction.
 
    In December 1995, the Board of Directors of the Company adopted a second
Restricted Stock Election Plan (the "1998 Stock Election Plan"). The purpose of
this Plan is the same as that of the 1994 Stock Election Plan except that it is
applicable to bonuses which may be earned by certain key employees of the
Company in the years 1998 through 2000. As with the 1994 Stock Election Plan,
the 1998 Stock Election Plan authorizes the granting of awards in the form of
restricted shares of the Company's Common Stock, subject to certain risks of
forfeiture which may be eliminated over time based upon achievement of certain
performance criteria by the eligible employee and/or the Company. A total of
600,000 shares of the Common Stock have been set aside for awards under the 1998
Stock Election Plan. As of December 31, 1996 there have been 284,186 shares
granted under the 1998 Stock Election Plan, all of which remain subject to
restriction.
 
    In accordance with APB Opinion No. 25, "Accounting for Stock Issued to
Employees", the Company recorded deferred compensation as a reduction to
shareholders' equity for the portion of the restricted stock award not yet
earned. The deferred compensation will be amortized and recognized as
compensation expense ratably over the shorter of the period in which management
anticipates restrictions will be lifted or the maximum vesting period. In
connection with the 1994 Stock Election Plan, the Company recognized $1.0
million, $0.8 million and $0.3 million of compensation expense for the years
ended December 31, 1996, 1995 and 1994, respectively.
 
    EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN
 
    In July 1993, the Company adopted an Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the
"Plan"). This Plan is available to all employees, including officers, who are
employed for at least 20 hours per week and more than five months in a calendar
year. All employees are eligible except those (i) who own and/or hold
outstanding options to purchase stock possessing 5% or more of the total
combined voting power of the capital stock of the Company, or (ii) who, for each
calendar year, are entitled to purchase more than $25,000 of fair market value
of such stock under all employee stock purchase plans. The participants
 
                                      F-17
<PAGE>
                             OLYMPIC FINANCIAL LTD.
 
             NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
 
11. EMPLOYEE BENEFITS AND STOCK INCENTIVE PLANS (CONTINUED)
purchase stock on each exercise date (June 30 and December 31), and the shares
are issued within thirty days thereafter.
 
    The exercise price is determined to be 85% of the lower of the mean of the
bid and ask prices of the Company's Common Stock on January 1, at the date the
participant becomes eligible, or on each exercise date. A total of 500,000
shares of Common Stock has been reserved for issuance under the Plan. As of
December 31, 1996, 223,109 shares of Common Stock have been issued to the
Company's employees under the Plan. The Plan is noncompensatory and results in
no expense to the Company.
 
    DIRECTOR OPTION PLAN
 
    The 1992 Director Stock Option Plan (the "DSOP") was approved by the
shareholders at the 1992 Annual Meeting. The DSOP provides for the automatic
grant of options to purchase the Company's Common Stock to outside directors
according to fixed terms. The DSOP provides that a new outside director
automatically receives options to purchase 15,000 shares upon first becoming an
outside director and an additional 15,000 shares on each anniversary date of the
original grant, up to a maximum of 120,000 shares. The maximum aggregate number
of shares of the Company's Common Stock which may be issued pursuant to the DSOP
is 840,000. As of December 31, 1996, 200,000 options to outside directors have
been issued and remain outstanding at exercise prices ranging from $3.00 to
$23.88 per share. At December 31, 1996, 1995 and 1994 there were 175,000
options, 285,000 options and 195,000 options, respectively, exercisable under
the DSOP.
 
    STOCK OPTION PLAN
 
    The Company has a Stock Option Plan (the "1990 Plan") which provides for the
granting of incentive and nonqualified options to designated employees and
non-employees, including consultants of the Company, to purchase up to a maximum
of 2,000,000 shares of the Company's Common Stock. The 1990 Plan is administered
by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors and has the authority
and discretion to determine the employees, officers, directors and others who
are to receive options, the type of option to be granted, the number of shares
subject to each option and the exercise price of each option (not to be less
than fair market value for incentive options). Options may not be granted under
the 1990 Plan after January 17, 2001. The term of each option, which is fixed by
the Compensation Committee, generally may not exceed ten years from the date the
option is granted. The 1990 Plan is noncompensatory and results in no expense to
the Company. At December 31, 1996, 1995 and 1994, there were 702,450 options,
548,165 options and 495,809 options, respectively, exercisable under the 1990
Plan.
 
                                      F-18
<PAGE>
                             OLYMPIC FINANCIAL LTD.
 
             NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
 
11. EMPLOYEE BENEFITS AND STOCK INCENTIVE PLANS (CONTINUED)
    A summary of stock option activity under the 1990 Plan is as follows:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                                 OUTSTANDING OPTIONS
                                                                     --------------------------------------------
                                                                     RESERVED SHARES    NUMBER    PRICE PER SHARE
                                                                     ---------------  ----------  ---------------
<S>                                                                  <C>              <C>         <C>
BALANCE, DECEMBER 31, 1993.........................................      1,000,000       530,566  $ 0.48-$6.00
  Granted..........................................................             --       371,571     4.63-5.38
  Exercised........................................................             --            --      --  --
  Canceled.........................................................             --        (7,000)    4.63-5.88
                                                                     ---------------  ----------  ---------------
BALANCE, DECEMBER 31, 1994.........................................      1,000,000       895,137     0.48-6.00
  Granted..........................................................      1,000,000       515,000    6.00-16.19
  Exercised........................................................             --       (71,166)    3.00-6.00
  Canceled.........................................................             --       (48,000)    4.63-5.88
                                                                     ---------------  ----------  ---------------
BALANCE, DECEMBER 31, 1995.........................................      2,000,000     1,290,971    0.48-16.19
  Granted..........................................................             --       520,000    14.06-20.75
  Exercised........................................................             --      (116,749)    0.48-7.63
  Canceled.........................................................             --            --      --  --
                                                                     ---------------  ----------  ---------------
BALANCE, DECEMBER 31, 1996.........................................      2,000,000     1,694,222  $ 0.48-$20.75
                                                                     ---------------  ----------  ---------------
                                                                     ---------------  ----------  ---------------
</TABLE>
 
    In 1996, 1995 and 1994, the Company granted to a director options to
purchase a total of 325,000, 40,000 and 100,000 shares, respectively, of the
Company's Common Stock under Non-statutory Stock Option Agreements. These
options were granted in connection with such director's appointment as Chairman
of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors and in consideration for
certain consulting arrangements entered into between the Company and the
director and have exercise prices ranging from $5.13 to $17.38. At December 31,
1996 and 1995, there were 240,000 and 100,000 options, respectively,
exerciseable under the Non-statutory Stock Option Agreements.
 
    Effective January 1, 1996 the Company adopted Statement of Financial
Accounting Standards No. 123, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation ("SFAS
123"). SFAS 123 provides for companies to recognize compensation expense
associated with stock based compensation plans over the anticipated service
period based on the fair value of the award on the date of grant. However, SFAS
123 allows companies to continue to measure compensation costs prescribed by APB
Opinion No. 25 "Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees" ("APB 25"). Companies
electing to continue accounting for stock based compensation plans under APB 25
must make pro forma disclosures of net income and earnings per share, as if SFAS
123 had been adopted. The company has continued to account for stock-based
compensation plans under APB 25. The pro forma disclosure of the effect of SFAS
123 on net income and earnings per share for the years ended December 31, is
presented below. The fair value of the options was estimated at date of grant
using a Black-Scholes option pricing model with the weighted-average risk-free
interest rate assumptions for 1995 and 1996 at 6.7%, volatility factor of the
expected market price of the Company's Common Stock of .68 and an option life of
five or ten years. Fair value calculations assume no dividends will be paid on
the Company's Common Stock.
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                            1995       1996
                                                                          ---------  ---------
<S>                                                                       <C>        <C>
Pro forma net income                                                      $  24,697  $  57,935
Pro forma earning per share:
  Primary...............................................................  $    1.12  $    1.72
  Fully diluted.........................................................  $    0.93  $    1.59
</TABLE>
 
                                      F-19
<PAGE>
                             OLYMPIC FINANCIAL LTD.
 
             NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
 
11. EMPLOYEE BENEFITS AND STOCK INCENTIVE PLANS (CONTINUED)
    The weighted average fair value of options granted during 1996 was $13.53.
 
    Subsequent to December 31, 1996, the Company granted the option to purchase
1,200,000 shares of the Company's Common Stock under terms of an employment
agreement with its newly elected Chief Executive Officer. The options are
exercisable at $14.87 per share, ratably over a three year period beginning in
1998 and had a fair value, as computed under the provisions of SFAS 123, of
$11.87 at the date of grant.
 
    CASH SURRENDER VALUE OF LIFE INSURANCE
 
    In October 1995, the Company entered into split-dollar insurance agreements
with certain employees of the Company. Under the terms of the agreements, the
Company pays the premium due on life insurance policies owned by the employee
that build cash surrender value while also providing life insurance benefits for
the employee. The Company is entitled to a refund of all previously paid
premiums or the cash surrender value of the policy, whichever is lower, if the
agreement or the policy is terminated. In the event of death of the insured, the
Company will be entitled to a refund of all previously paid premiums. At
December 31, 1996, these policies had cash surrender value of $958,000. There
was no cash surrender value at December 31, 1995.
 
12. INCOME TAXES
 
    The components of income tax expense for the three years ended December 31,
1996 consist of the following:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
(Dollars in thousands)                                            1994       1995       1996
                                                                ---------  ---------  ---------
<S>                                                             <C>        <C>        <C>
Provision for deferred taxes:
  Federal.....................................................  $   1,614  $  17,078  $  32,641
  State.......................................................        231      2,440      3,047
                                                                ---------  ---------  ---------
    Provision for income taxes................................      1,845     19,518     35,688
  Tax effect of extraordinary items...........................         --     (2,571)        --
                                                                ---------  ---------  ---------
    Applicable income taxes, after extraordinary items........  $   1,845  $  16,947  $  35,688
                                                                ---------  ---------  ---------
                                                                ---------  ---------  ---------
</TABLE>
 
    The reconciliation between income tax expense and the amount computed by
applying the statutory federal income tax rate of 35% for the three years ended
December 31, 1996 is as follows:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
(Dollars in thousands)                                            1994       1995       1996
                                                                ---------  ---------  ---------
<S>                                                             <C>        <C>        <C>
Federal tax at statutory rate.................................  $   2,054  $  17,078  $  33,601
State income tax, net of federal benefit......................        253      2,440      3,715
Effect of reversal of valuation allowance.....................       (688)        --         --
Other.........................................................        226         --     (1,628)
                                                                ---------  ---------  ---------
  Provision for income taxes..................................      1,845     19,518     35,688
Tax effect of extraordinary items.............................         --     (2,571)        --
                                                                ---------  ---------  ---------
  Applicable income taxes, after extraordinary items..........  $   1,845  $  16,947  $  35,688
                                                                ---------  ---------  ---------
                                                                ---------  ---------  ---------
  Effective income tax rate...................................       40.0%      40.0%      37.2%
</TABLE>
 
                                      F-20
<PAGE>
                             OLYMPIC FINANCIAL LTD.
 
             NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
 
12. INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED)
    Deferred income taxes are provided for temporary differences between pretax
income for financial reporting purposes and taxable income. The tax-effected
temporary differences and carryforwards which comprise the significant
components of the Company's deferred tax assets and liabilities are as follows:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                       DECEMBER 31,
                                                                  ----------------------
(Dollars in thousands)                                               1995        1996
                                                                  ----------  ----------
<S>                                                               <C>         <C>
Deferred Tax Assets:
  Securitization expenses.......................................  $    4,245  $    5,089
  Other.........................................................          --       1,364
                                                                  ----------  ----------
  Gross deferred tax assets.....................................       4,245       6,453
 
Deferred Tax Liabilities:
  Gain on securitizations.......................................     (41,025)    (84,595)
  Other.........................................................        (411)     (3,796)
                                                                  ----------  ----------
  Gross deferred tax liabilities................................     (41,436)    (88,391)
                                                                  ----------  ----------
Net temporary differences.......................................     (37,191)    (81,938)
Net operating loss carryforwards (expiring 2006-2011)...........      18,491      27,551
                                                                  ----------  ----------
  Net deferred tax liability....................................  $  (18,700) $  (54,387)
                                                                  ----------  ----------
                                                                  ----------  ----------
</TABLE>
 
    At December 31, 1996, the Company has net operating loss carryforwards for
federal income tax purposes of approximately $74.1 million which are available
to offset future federal taxable income and expire no earlier than 2006. No
valuation allowance was required as of December 31, 1996 or 1995 because it is
more likely than not that the deferred tax asset will be realized against future
taxable income. The timing of the realization of the benefits related to a
portion of the income tax net operating loss carryforwards is limited on an
annual basis under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code.
 
13. DERIVATIVE ACTIVITIES AND OFF-BALANCE SHEET RISK
 
    During the three years ended December 31, 1996, the Company entered into
several hedging transactions to manage its gross interest rate spread on loans
held for sale. The Company agreed to sell forward US Treasuries that most
closely parallel the average life of its portfolio of loans held for sale.
Hedging gains and losses are recognized as a component of the gain on sale of
loans on the date such loans are sold. As of December 31, 1996 and 1995, the
Company had entered into the following agreements to sell forward Two Year
Treasuries:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
(Dollars in thousands)                                                1995           1996
                                                                  ------------   ------------
<S>                                                               <C>            <C>
Notional amount outstanding.....................................  $    450,000   $    700,000
Unrealized gains (losses) on outstanding hedging transactions...  $       (574)  $        484
</TABLE>
 
    The hedging transactions outstanding at December 31, 1996 are expected to
close in March 1997.
 
    Hedging realized gains (losses) during the three year period ended December
31 1996 were:
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
(Dollars in thousands)                                                1994         1995         1996
                                                                   ----------   ----------   ----------
<S>                                                                <C>          <C>          <C>
Realized gains (losses)..........................................  $      821   $  (11,719)  $     (349)
</TABLE>
 
                                      F-21
<PAGE>
                             OLYMPIC FINANCIAL LTD.
 
             NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
 
13. DERIVATIVE ACTIVITIES AND OFF-BALANCE SHEET RISK (CONTINUED)
    The Company generally maintains a margin cash account of approximately 0.5%
of the amount hedged with its counterparty in hedging transactions. See
discussion of the Company's hedging policy in "Management's Discussion and
Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation--Capital
Resources--Hedging and Pre-funding Strategy."
 
14. SUBSEQUENT EVENT
 
    In January 1997, the Company offered to purchase all of its 13% Senior Term
Notes, due 2000, at a price of $1,117.50 for each $1,000 principal amount
thereof, together with accrued and unpaid interest up to the date of purchase.
In connection with the offer to purchase, the Company is soliciting consent from
the holders of the 13% Senior Term Notes to remove substantially all financial
covenants applicable to such notes and is paying each holder of 13% Senior Term
Notes $20.00 in cash for each $1,000 of principal amount thereof if the required
consents are received. The Company will not be obligated to purchase any 13%
Senior Term Notes unless (1) a majority of the 13% Senior Notes not owned by the
Company or any of its affiliates are properly tendered, (2) consents sufficient
to approve the amendments are obtained and (3) the Company has deposited funds
with the depository sufficient to purchase all Senior Term Notes tendered,
whether from proceeds of a proposed public offering of senior notes aggregating
not less than $170 million or from other new financing sources acceptable to the
Company. In connection therewith, the Company proposes to make a public offering
of up to $300 million principal amount of senior notes. Proceeds from this
transaction will be used to repurchase up to $145 million principal amount of
the Company's outstanding 13% Senior Term Notes pursuant to the tender offer, as
well as for general corporate purposes. The public offering, which is expected
to commence during the week of February 3, 1997, will be made by means of a
prospectus under the Company's shelf registration statement under the Securities
Act of 1933, as amended. The Company's offer to purchase the 13% Senior Term
Notes expires at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, on February 20, 1997 unless
extended.
 
15. UNAUDITED SELECTED QUARTERLY DATA
 
    FOURTH QUARTER RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
 
    The Company purchased $740.9 million of automobile loans in the fourth
quarter of 1996 compared to $588.7 million for the same period in 1995, and
securitized $720.2 million in 1996 compared to $574.5 million in 1995. Net
income in the fourth quarter of 1996 was $17.4 million compared to $10.2 million
in 1995. Increased average loans held for sale and a widening in the Company's
net interest rate spread in the fourth quarter of 1996, resulted in an increase
in net interest margin to $17.5 million from $9.4 million in the same period a
year ago. Non-interest revenue increased to $1.9 million in the fourth quarter
of 1996 compared to $0.6 million for same period in 1995 primarily due to late
fees and insufficient fund charges. Operating expenses increased to $29.0
million in the fourth quarter of 1996 from $13.4 million in the same period of
1995 primarily due to increased salaries and benefits reflecting a twofold
increase in associates as well as increased servicing and collection costs
associated with an increased servicing portfolio and rise in volume of Classic
loans.
 
                                      F-22
<PAGE>
                             OLYMPIC FINANCIAL LTD.
             NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
 
15.  UNAUDITED SELECTED QUARTERLY DATA (CONTINUED)
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                                                  QUARTER ENDED
                                                   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                     MARCH 31,     JUNE 30,     SEPTEMBER 30,    DECEMBER 31,      MARCH 31,
(Dollars in thousands)                                 1995          1995           1995             1995            1996
                                                   -------------  -----------  ---------------  ---------------  -------------
<S>                                                <C>            <C>          <C>              <C>              <C>
REVENUES:
Net interest margin..............................    $   4,538     $   7,630      $   9,601        $   9,423       $  12,300
Gain on sale of auto loans.......................        9,057        14,303         17,587           21,235          25,229
Service fee income...............................        2,300         3,003          3,872            4,812           5,743
Other non-interest income........................          159           238            405              569             724
                                                   -------------  -----------  ---------------  ---------------  -------------
  Total revenues.................................       16,054        25,174         31,465           36,039          43,996
EXPENSES:
Salaries and benefits............................        3,945         4,627          5,146            6,361           9,097
General and administrative and other operating
  expenses.......................................        4,495         4,973          6,097            7,083          10,919
Long-term debt and other interest expense........        1,845         4,574          5,205            5,546           5,516
                                                   -------------  -----------  ---------------  ---------------  -------------
  Total expenses.................................       10,285        14,174         16,448           18,990          25,532
                                                   -------------  -----------  ---------------  ---------------  -------------
Operating income before income tax and
  extraordinary items............................        5,769        11,000         15,017           17,049          18,464
Provision for income taxes.......................        2,307         4,384          6,007            6,820           7,386
                                                   -------------  -----------  ---------------  ---------------  -------------
Income before extraordinary items................        3,462         6,616          9,010           10,229          11,078
Extraordinary items..............................       (3,344)         (512)            --               --              --
                                                   -------------  -----------  ---------------  ---------------  -------------
Net income.......................................    $     118     $   6,104      $   9,010        $  10,229       $  11,078
                                                   -------------  -----------  ---------------  ---------------  -------------
                                                   -------------  -----------  ---------------  ---------------  -------------
PRIMARY EARNINGS PER SHARE:
Net income per common share before extraordinary
  items..........................................    $    0.23     $    0.29      $    0.34        $    0.39       $    0.41
Extraordinary items per common share.............        (0.27)        (0.02)            --               --              --
                                                   -------------  -----------  ---------------  ---------------  -------------
  Net income (loss) per common share.............    $   (0.04)    $    0.27      $    0.34        $    0.39       $    0.41
                                                   -------------  -----------  ---------------  ---------------  -------------
                                                   -------------  -----------  ---------------  ---------------  -------------
FULLY DILUTED EARNINGS PER SHARE:
Net income per share before extraordinary
  items..........................................    $    0.19     $    0.25      $    0.30        $    0.34       $    0.37
Extraordinary items per share....................        (0.18)        (0.02)            --               --              --
                                                   -------------  -----------  ---------------  ---------------  -------------
  Net income per share...........................    $    0.01     $    0.23      $    0.30        $    0.34       $    0.37
                                                   -------------  -----------  ---------------  ---------------  -------------
                                                   -------------  -----------  ---------------  ---------------  -------------
 
Weighted average common and common equivalent
  shares outstanding:
  Primary........................................   12,505,372    20,656,566     24,528,119       24,547,195      25,741,672
  Fully diluted..................................   18,185,965    26,661,621    30,406,065        30,368,723      30,218,329
 
<CAPTION>
 
                                                    JUNE 30,     SEPTEMBER 30,    DECEMBER 31,
(Dollars in thousands)                                1996           1996             1996
                                                   -----------  ---------------  ---------------
<S>                                                <C>          <C>              <C>
REVENUES:
Net interest margin..............................   $  15,085      $  18,079        $  17,499
Gain on sale of auto loans.......................      25,452         30,113           34,979
Service fee income...............................       6,557          7,474            8,510
Other non-interest income........................       2,449          1,406            1,896
                                                   -----------  ---------------  ---------------
  Total revenues.................................      49,543         57,072           62,884
EXPENSES:
Salaries and benefits............................       8,813         10,286           12,555
General and administrative and other operating
  expenses.......................................      11,124         13,107           16,397
Long-term debt and other interest expense........       6,433          6,660            6,584
                                                   -----------  ---------------  ---------------
  Total expenses.................................      26,370         30,053           35,536
                                                   -----------  ---------------  ---------------
Operating income before income tax and
  extraordinary items............................      23,173         27,019           27,348
Provision for income taxes.......................       8,458          9,862            9,982
                                                   -----------  ---------------  ---------------
Income before extraordinary items................      14,715         17,157           17,366
Extraordinary items..............................          --             --               --
                                                   -----------  ---------------  ---------------
Net income.......................................   $  14,715      $  17,157        $  17,366
                                                   -----------  ---------------  ---------------
                                                   -----------  ---------------  ---------------
PRIMARY EARNINGS PER SHARE:
Net income per common share before extraordinary
  items..........................................   $    0.43      $    0.47        $    0.46
Extraordinary items per common share.............          --             --               --
                                                   -----------  ---------------  ---------------
  Net income (loss) per common share.............   $    0.43      $    0.47        $    0.46
                                                   -----------  ---------------  ---------------
                                                   -----------  ---------------  ---------------
FULLY DILUTED EARNINGS PER SHARE:
Net income per share before extraordinary
  items..........................................   $    0.40      $    0.44        $    0.45
Extraordinary items per share....................          --             --               --
                                                   -----------  ---------------  ---------------
  Net income per share...........................   $    0.40      $    0.44        $    0.45
                                                   -----------  ---------------  ---------------
                                                   -----------  ---------------  ---------------
Weighted average common and common equivalent
  shares outstanding:
  Primary........................................  33,508,215     35,896,149       37,873,845
  Fully diluted..................................  37,205,287    39,423,446        38,935,961
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                     MARCH 31,     JUNE 30,     SEPTEMBER 30,    DECEMBER 31,      MARCH 31,
(Dollars in thousands)                                 1995          1995           1995             1995            1996
                                                   -------------  -----------  ---------------  ---------------  -------------
<S>                                                <C>            <C>          <C>              <C>              <C>
ASSETS
Cash and cash equivalents........................    $   5,654     $  14,839      $   9,169        $   1,340       $  22,552
Due from securitization trust....................      135,013        75,018         50,398               --         115,000
Auto loans held for sale.........................          500        61,801        108,808          118,556          82,857
Finance income receivable........................       86,848       118,113        150,538          186,001         232,007
Restricted cash in spread accounts...............       28,326        36,292         48,160           63,580          79,779
Other assets.....................................       12,647        16,971         23,663           28,317          33,542
                                                   -------------  -----------  ---------------  ---------------  -------------
  Total assets...................................    $ 268,988     $ 323,034      $ 390,736        $ 397,794       $ 565,737
                                                   -------------  -----------  ---------------  ---------------  -------------
                                                   -------------  -----------  ---------------  ---------------  -------------
LIABILITIES & EQUITY
Amounts due under warehouse facilities...........    $ 130,816     $     226      $  41,281        $  26,530       $ 127,224
Senior notes.....................................       50,000       145,000        145,000          145,000         145,000
Subordinated notes...............................       17,321         4,706          9,191           13,005          46,595
Capital lease obligations........................        1,737         1,898          2,822            3,924           6,635
Deferred income taxes............................        1,924         5,966         11,880           18,700          26,085
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities.........        6,430         9,358         15,982            9,822          21,633
Shareholders' equity.............................       60,760       155,880        164,580          180,813         192,565
                                                   -------------  -----------  ---------------  ---------------  -------------
  Total liabilities and equity...................    $ 268,988     $ 323,034      $ 390,736        $ 397,794       $ 565,737
                                                   -------------  -----------  ---------------  ---------------  -------------
                                                   -------------  -----------  ---------------  ---------------  -------------
 
<CAPTION>
                                                    JUNE 30,     SEPTEMBER 30,    DECEMBER 31,
(Dollars in thousands)                                1996           1996             1996
                                                   -----------  ---------------  ---------------
<S>                                                <C>          <C>              <C>
ASSETS
Cash and cash equivalents........................   $  22,575      $   3,593        $  16,057
Due from securitization trust....................     151,635        188,373          177,076
Auto loans held for sale.........................      52,300         18,925           36,285
Finance income receivable........................     264,466        307,953          362,916
Restricted cash in spread accounts...............     101,948        122,071          142,977
Other assets.....................................      37,735         42,910           42,919
                                                   -----------  ---------------  ---------------
  Total assets...................................   $ 630,659      $ 683,825        $ 778,230
                                                   -----------  ---------------  ---------------
                                                   -----------  ---------------  ---------------
LIABILITIES & EQUITY
Amounts due under warehouse facilities...........   $  17,837      $  38,486        $ 111,140
Senior notes.....................................     145,000        145,000          145,000
Subordinated notes...............................      52,288         53,563           53,689
Capital lease obligations........................       7,446          8,049            7,729
Deferred income taxes............................      34,543         44,405           54,387
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities.........      16,748         20,059           13,192
Shareholders' equity.............................     356,797        374,263          393,093
                                                   -----------  ---------------  ---------------
  Total liabilities and equity...................   $ 630,659      $ 683,825        $ 778,230
                                                   -----------  ---------------  ---------------
                                                   -----------  ---------------  ---------------
</TABLE>
 
                                      F-23
<PAGE>
                                  $500,000,000
 
                                     [LOGO]
              DEBT SECURITIES, PREFERRED STOCK, DEPOSITARY SHARES,
                  COMMON STOCK, SECURITIES WARRANTS AND UNITS
                               -----------------
 
    Olympic Financial Ltd. (the "Company") may from time to time offer and sell:
(i) its debt securities, which may be either secured or unsecured senior debt
securities (the "Senior Debt Securities") or unsecured subordinated debt
securities (the "Subordinated Debt Securities" and, together with the Senior
Debt Securities, the "Debt Securities"); (ii) shares of its preferred stock,
$.01 par value per share (the "Preferred Stock"), in one or more series; (iii)
depositary shares (the "Depositary Shares") evidenced by depositary receipts;
(iv) shares of its common stock, par value $.01 per share (the "Common Stock");
and (v) warrants (collectively, the "Securities Warrants") to purchase Debt
Securities (the "Debt Securities Warrants"), Preferred Stock (the "Preferred
Stock Warrants") or shares of Common Stock (the "Common Stock Warrants"), for an
aggregate initial public offering price of up to $500,000,000 (or the equivalent
in foreign currencies, currency units or composite currencies (each, a
"Currency")). The Debt Securities, Preferred Stock, Depositary Shares, Common
Stock and Securities Warrants (collectively, the "Securities") may be offered
independently or together in any combination ("Units") for sale directly to
purchasers or through dealers, underwriters or agents to be designated. The Debt
Securities and Preferred Stock may be convertible into or exchangeable for other
Securities. The Securities will be offered to the public at prices and on terms
determined at the time of offering. The Securities may be sold for U.S. dollars
or other Currencies and any amounts payable by the Company in respect of the
Securities may likewise be payable in U.S. dollars or other Currencies.
 
    The Senior Debt Securities, except to the extent secured by collateral, if
any, will rank PARI PASSU in right of payment with all unsecured and
unsubordinated debt of the Company. The Subordinated Debt Securities will be
subordinated to all existing and future Senior Debt (as defined) of the Company.
 
    The Prospectus Supplement accompanying this Prospectus sets forth (where
applicable), with respect to the series or issue of Securities for which this
Prospectus and such Prospectus Supplement are being delivered: (i) the terms of
any Debt Securities offered, including, where applicable, their title, ranking,
aggregate principal amount, maturity, rate of interest (or method of
calculation) and time of payment thereof, any redemption or repayment terms, any
restrictive covenants, the Currency or Currencies in which such Debt Securities
will be denominated or payable, any index, formula or other method pursuant to
which principal, premium, if any, or interest, if any, may be determined, any
conversion or exchange provisions, and other specific terms not described in
this Prospectus; (ii) the terms of any Preferred Stock offered, including, where
applicable, the specific designation, number of shares, dividend rate (or method
of calculation) and time of payment thereof, liquidation preference, any
redemption or repayment terms, any conversion or exchange provisions, any voting
rights, and other specific terms not described in this Prospectus; (iii) the
terms of any Depositary Shares offered which are not described in this
Prospectus, including the fraction of a share of Preferred Stock represented by
each such Depositary Share; (iv) the terms of any Securities Warrants offered,
including where applicable, the exercise price, detachability, duration and
other specific terms not described in this Prospectus; and (v) the initial
public offering price and the net proceeds to the Company and other specific
terms related to the offered Securities.
 
    As of the date hereof, the Company had outstanding registration statements
filed under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, relating to continuous
offerings of: (i) up to $50 million aggregate principal amount of the Company's
unsecured subordinated notes issuable at various rates and maturities and
subordinated in right of payment to any Senior Debt Securities or Subordinated
Debt Securities offered hereby (the "Junior Subordinated Notes") and (ii) up to
3,871,364 shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of outstanding
warrants, which have been registered pursuant to the exercise of registration
rights previously granted by the Company (the "Outstanding Warrant Stock"). The
Securities included in this Prospectus do not include Junior Subordinated Notes
or Outstanding Warrant Stock.
 
    This Prospectus may not be used to consummate sales of Securities unless
accompanied by a Prospectus Supplement.
 
 FOR A DISCUSSION OF CERTAIN FACTORS WHICH SHOULD BE CONSIDERED BY PROSPECTIVE
   PURCHASERS OF THE SECURITIES OFFERED HEREBY, SEE "RISK FACTORS" AT PAGE 5
                                    HEREIN.
                               -----------------
 
  THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED BY THE SECURITIES AND
 EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION NOR HAS THE SECURITIES
   AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION PASSED UPON THE
ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS PROSPECTUS. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A
                               CRIMINAL OFFENSE.
                              -------------------
 
    The Securities may be offered directly, through agents designated from time
to time or through underwriters or dealers. If any agents or underwriters are
involved in the sale of any of the Securities, their names, and any applicable
fee, commission, purchase price or discount arrangements with them, will be set
forth, or will be calculable from the information set forth, in the applicable
Prospectus Supplement or Prospectus Supplements.
                              -------------------
 
                  THE DATE OF THIS PROSPECTUS IS MARCH 7, 1997
<PAGE>
                             AVAILABLE INFORMATION
 
    The Company is subject to the informational requirements of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), and in accordance
therewith files reports, proxy statements and other information with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission"). Such reports, proxy
statements and other information can be inspected and copied at the public
reference facilities of the Commission, Room 1024, 450 Fifth Street N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20549, and at the regional offices of the Commission located at
Seven World Trade Center, Suite 1300, New York, New York 10048, and at 500 West
Madison Street, Suite 1400, Chicago, Illinois 60661, and copies of such
materials can be obtained from the Public Reference Branch of the Commission at
450 Fifth Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549, at prescribed rates. Reports,
proxy statements and other information concerning the Company can also be
inspected at the offices of the New York Stock Exchange, 20 Broad Street, New
York, New York 10005.
 
    Additional information regarding the Company and the Securities offered
hereby is contained in the Registration Statement and the exhibits relating
thereto in respect of the Securities offered hereby, filed with the Commission
under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"). For further
information pertaining to the Company and the Securities offered hereby,
reference is made to the Registration Statement and the exhibits thereto, which
may be inspected without charge at the office of the Commission at 450 Fifth
Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549, and copies thereof may be obtained from the
Commission at prescribed rates.
 
    In addition, the Commission maintains a Web site that contains reports,
proxy and information statements and other information regarding registrants
that file electronically with the Commission. The Web site's address is
http://www.sec.gov.
 
    Unless otherwise indicated, currency amounts in this Prospectus and any
Prospectus Supplement are stated in United States dollars ("$," "dollars," "U.S.
dollars," or "U.S. $").
 
                INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE
 
    The following documents filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to
the Exchange Act (File No. 1-20526) and the Securities Act are incorporated in
and made a part of this Prospectus by reference:
 
      (i)
    Part III of Annual Report on Form 10-K/A-2 for the year ended December 31,
    1995, filed March 18, 1996;
 
     (ii)
    Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1996, filed
    February 8, 1997;
 
    (iii)
    Current Reports on Form 8-K dated January 6, 1997 and March 7, 1997;
 
     (iv)
    The description of the Company's Common Stock contained in the Company's
    Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed on March 22, 1996; and
 
      (v)
    The description of the Company's Rights Agreement contained in the Company's
    Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed on November 7, 1996.
 
    All documents filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Sections
13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act subsequent to the date of this
Prospectus and prior to the termination of the offering of the Securities
offered hereby shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this
Prospectus and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents.
Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated
by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of
this Prospectus to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any other
subsequently filed document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by
reference herein or in the accompanying Prospectus Supplement modifies or
supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall
not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this
Prospectus.
 
                                       2
<PAGE>
    The Company will provide without charge to each person to whom this
Prospectus is delivered, upon the written or oral request of such person, a copy
of any or all of the documents incorporated herein by reference (other than
exhibits, unless such exhibits are specifically incorporated by reference in
such documents). Written requests for such copies should be directed to the
Company, Olympic Financial Center, 7825 Washington Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN
55439-2435, Attention: Secretary. Telephone requests may be directed to (612)
942-9880.
 
                                       3
<PAGE>
                                  THE COMPANY
 
    The Company purchases, securitizes and services consumer automobile loans
originated primarily by new car dealers affiliated with major foreign and
domestic manufacturers. At September 30, 1996, the Company had purchased loans
from more than 7,000 dealers in 38 states, a substantial majority of which sell
loans to the Company on a regular basis. Loans are purchased through 17 regional
buying centers serving as "hubs" in 14 states, supplemented by a network of
dealer development representatives ("DDRs") serving as "spokes." DDRs operating
in these "spokes" generate loans in their assigned market, and all
administrative functions, including credit approval and loan processing, are
performed at the "hub" or at the Company's headquarters in Minneapolis,
Minnesota. As a result of this expansion strategy, the Company has expanded the
number of dealers in its network and has significantly increased its annual
volume of automobile loans purchased, from $305.8 million in 1993 to $740.3
million in 1994, $2.1 billion in 1995, and $2.0 billion for the nine months
ended September 30, 1996, without incurring the additional costs that would be
associated with establishing a proportionate number of new buying centers. In
1996 the Company implemented a strategy to enhance its servicing and collection
capabilities by regionalizing these functions into four servicing and collection
centers. During the fourth quarter of 1996 the Company opened these new regional
servicing and collection centers in Colorado, Minnesota, North Carolina and
Texas. In addition, in 1996 the Company expanded its program to finance and
resell repossession inventory in the retail markets and diversified its outlets
through multiple used car dealers.
 
    The Company purchases each loan in accordance with its underwriting
guidelines and procedures, which focus on buyer qualifications and collateral
value. The Company's underwriting guidelines do not distinguish between new or
used vehicles. The Company maintains a tiered pricing system, allowing it to
price loans according to the borrower's credit characteristics as measured by
the Company's proprietary underwriting and credit scoring criteria. The Company
prices its loan products in order to maximize interest rate spreads relative to
expected losses within each credit tier. The Company markets its loan products
to dealers under two programs, designated Premier and Classic. Premier borrowers
generally have stronger credit characteristics than Classic borrowers. The
Company considers the loans it purchases under both programs to be in the
"prime" loan category. In accordance with prevailing industry practice, the
Company offers an up-front dealer participation to the originating dealer for
each loan purchased. "Premier" and "Classic" are proprietary trademarks of the
Company.
 
    The Company uses warehouse facilities to fund the initial purchase of loans
and then securitizes loans purchased by it as asset-backed securities, generally
on a quarterly or more frequent basis. In its securitizations, the Company
(through its special purpose subsidiary, Olympic Receivables Finance Corp.
("ORFC")) transfers loans to newly-formed securitization trusts, which issue one
or more classes of asset-backed securities. The asset-backed securities are
simultaneously sold to investors (except for certain subordinated classes of
securities which may be retained by the Company) and the Company recognizes gain
on the sale of the loans. Each month, collections of principal and interest on
the loans are used by the trustee to pay the holders of the related asset-backed
securities, to establish and maintain spread accounts as a source of cash to
cover shortfalls in collections, if any, and to pay expenses associated with the
securitization and subsequent servicing. After such application by the trustee,
excess collections are distributed to ORFC. The Company acts as the servicer of
loans held by each trust in return for a monthly fee. All of the Company's
securitization trusts are credit-enhanced through financial guaranty insurance
policies issued by Financial Security Assurance Inc. ("FSA"), which insure
payments of principal and interest due on the related asset-backed securities.
As a result, such asset-backed securities have been rated AAA by Standard &
Poor's Ratings Services and Aaa by Moody's Investors Service, Inc.
 
    Olympic Financial Ltd. is a Minnesota corporation. The Company's principal
office and mailing address are Olympic Financial Center, 7825 Washington Avenue
South, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55439-2435 and its telephone number is (612)
942-9880. The Company has been requested by the U.S. Olympic Committee to change
its name by June 1, 1997.
 
                                       4
<PAGE>
                                  RISK FACTORS
 
    INVESTORS SHOULD CAREFULLY CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING MATTERS IN CONNECTION WITH
AN INVESTMENT IN THE SECURITIES IN ADDITION TO THE OTHER INFORMATION CONTAINED
OR INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE IN THIS PROSPECTUS OR IN THE ACCOMPANYING
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT. INFORMATION CONTAINED OR INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE IN
THIS PROSPECTUS OR IN THE ACCOMPANYING PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT CONTAINS
"FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS" WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE PRIVATE SECURITIES
LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995, WHICH CAN BE IDENTIFIED BY THE USE OF
FORWARD-LOOKING TERMINOLOGY SUCH AS "MAY," "WILL," "EXPECT," "ANTICIPATE,"
"ESTIMATE" OR "CONTINUE" OR THE NEGATIVE THEREOF OR OTHER VARIATIONS THEREON OR
COMPARABLE TERMINOLOGY. THE FOLLOWING MATTERS CONSTITUTE CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS
IDENTIFYING IMPORTANT FACTORS WITH RESPECT TO SUCH FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS,
INCLUDING CERTAIN RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES, THAT COULD CAUSE ACTUAL RESULTS TO
DIFFER MATERIALLY FROM THOSE IN SUCH FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS.
 
LIQUIDITY AND ACCESS TO CAPITAL RESOURCES
 
    NEGATIVE OPERATING CASH FLOWS.  The Company's business requires substantial
cash to support the payment of dealer participations, the funding of spread
accounts in connection with securitizations, the purchase of loans pending
securitization, the financing of repossessed inventory and other cash
requirements, in addition to debt service and dividends. These cash requirements
increase as the volume of the Company's loan purchases increases. To the extent
that increases in the volume of loan purchases and securitizations provide
income, a substantial portion of such income is received by the Company in cash
over the life of the loans. The Company has operated historically on a negative
operating cash flow basis and expects to continue to do so for so long as the
Company's volume of loan purchases continues to grow at a significant rate. As a
result of the Company's historical growth rate, the Company has used
increasingly larger amounts of cash than it has generated from its operating
activities. The Company has funded these negative operating cash flows
principally through borrowings from financial institutions, sales of equity
securities and sales of senior and subordinated notes. The Company's ability to
execute its growth strategy depends upon its continued ability to obtain
substantial additional long-term debt and equity capital through access to the
capital markets or otherwise. There can be no assurance that the Company will
have access to the capital markets when needed or will be able to obtain
financing upon terms reasonably satisfactory to the Company. Factors which could
affect the Company's access to the capital markets, or the costs of such
capital, include changes in interest rates, general economic conditions, the
perception in the capital markets of the Company's business, results of
operations, leverage, financial condition and business prospects, and the
performance of the Company's securitization trusts. In addition, covenants with
respect to the Company's debt securities and credit facilities may significantly
restrict the Company's ability to incur additional indebtedness and to issue new
classes of preferred stock.
 
    POTENTIAL INABILITY TO REFINANCE EXISTING INDEBTEDNESS.  The Company's
ability to repay its outstanding indebtedness at maturity may depend on its
ability to refinance such indebtedness, which could be adversely affected if the
Company does not have access to the capital markets for the sale of additional
debt or equity through public offerings or private placements on terms
reasonably satisfactory to the Company. See "Negative Operating Cash Flows"
above.
 
    DEPENDENCE ON WAREHOUSE FINANCING.  The Company depends on warehouse
facilities with financial institutions or institutional lenders to finance its
purchase of loans on a short-term basis pending securitization. At September 30,
1996, the Company had $700.0 million of warehouse facilities through banks and
institutionally managed asset-backed securities conduits, of which $661.5
million was available. These facilities expire at various times in 1997, subject
to renewal or extension at the lender's option. Implementation of the Company's
growth strategy requires continued availability of warehouse facilities and may
require increases in the capacity of warehouse facilities. There can be no
assurance that such financing will be available on terms reasonably satisfactory
to the Company. The inability of the Company to arrange additional warehouse
facilities or to extend or replace existing facilities when they expire would
have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition
and results of operations and on the Company's outstanding securities.
 
    DEPENDENCE ON SECURITIZATION.  The Company has relied upon its ability to
aggregate and sell loans as asset-backed securities in the secondary market to
generate cash proceeds for repayment of warehouse
 
                                       5
<PAGE>
facilities and to purchase new loans from dealers. Through September 30, 1996
the Company had securitized approximately $5.1 billion of automobile loans,
approximately $3.4 billion of which were outstanding at September 30, 1996.
Accordingly, adverse changes in the Company's asset-backed securities program or
in the asset-backed securities market for automobile receivables generally could
materially adversely affect the Company's ability to purchase and resell loans
on a timely basis and upon terms reasonably satisfactory to the Company. The
Company endeavors to effect public securitizations of its loans on at least a
quarterly basis. However, market and other considerations, including the
conformity of loans to insurance company and rating agency requirements, could
affect the timing of such transactions. Any delay in the sale of loans beyond a
quarter-end would eliminate the related gain on sale in the given quarter and
adversely affect the Company's reported earnings for such quarter. All of the
Company's securitizations from March 1993 through September 30, 1996 and one of
the Company's warehouse facilities have utilized credit enhancement in the form
of financial guaranty insurance policies issued by FSA to achieve "AAA/Aaa"
ratings with respect to the asset-backed securities. The Company believes that
financial guaranty insurance policies reduce the costs of the securitizations
and such warehouse facility relative to alternative forms of credit enhancements
available to the Company. The Company has committed to use FSA for future credit
enhancement on insured securitizations through 1997 in consideration for certain
limitations on FSA insurance premiums. FSA is not required to insure
Company-sponsored securitizations and there can be no assurance that it will
continue to do so or that future Company-sponsored securitizations will be
similarly rated.
 
LOAN PERFORMANCE RISKS
 
    POTENTIAL NEGATIVE EFFECTS ON FINANCIAL CONDITION, RESULTS OF OPERATIONS AND
LIQUIDITY.  The Company's business, financial condition, results of operations
and liquidity depend, to a material extent, on the performance of loans
purchased and sold by the Company. When such loans are sold in securitizations,
the Company recognizes gain on sale. Finance income receivable, the Company's
principal asset, has been calculated using assumptions concerning future default
and prepayment rates on securitized loans that are consistent with the Company's
historical experience and market conditions and present value discount rates
that the Company believes would be requested by an unrelated purchaser of an
identical stream of estimated cash flows. Management believes that the Company's
estimates of excess cash flow were reasonable at the time each gain on sale of
loans was recorded. However, the actual rates of default and/or prepayment on
such loans may exceed those estimated for purposes of calculating the Company's
finance income receivable and consequently may adversely affect anticipated
future excess cash flow. The Company periodically reviews its prepayment and
loss assumptions in relation to current performance of the loans and market
conditions, and, if necessary, writes down the balance of finance income
receivable. The Company's business, financial condition and results of
operations could be materially adversely affected by such adjustments in the
future. No assurance can be given that loan losses and prepayments will not
exceed the Company's estimates or that finance income receivable could be sold
at its stated value on the balance sheet, if at all.
 
    POSSIBLE RESTRICTIONS ON CASH FLOW FROM SECURITIZATIONS.  The Company's
future liquidity and financial condition, and its ability to finance the growth
of its business and to repay or refinance its indebtedness, will depend to a
material extent on distributions of excess cash flow from securitization trusts.
The Company's agreements with FSA provide that the Company must maintain in a
spread account for each insured securitization trust specified levels of excess
cash during the life of the trust. These spread accounts are initially funded
out of initial deposits or cash flows from the related trust. Thereafter, during
each month, excess cash flow due to ORFC from all insured securitization trusts
is first used to replenish any spread account deficiencies and is then
distributed to the Company. If excess cash flow from all insured securitization
trusts, plus cash flow from recoveries, is not sufficient to replenish all such
spread accounts, no cash flow would be available to the Company from ORFC for
that month. Each insured securitization trust has certain portfolio performance
tests relating to levels of delinquency, defaults and net losses on the loans in
such trust. If any of these levels are exceeded, the amount required to be
retained in the related spread account, and not passed through to ORFC, will be
increased. Such levels have historically been exceeded prior to 1996 and the
Company has obtained waivers from FSA to permit distributions of cash from
certain spread accounts to ORFC. There can be no assurance that such levels will
not be exceeded in
 
                                       6
<PAGE>
the future or that, if exceeded, waivers will be available. In certain events
with respect to any series of asset-backed securities insured by FSA, the
Company will be in default under its insurance agreement with FSA and
distributions of cash flow to ORFC from the related securitization trust may be
suspended until the asset-backed securities have been redeemed. Such events
include the cumulative net loss rate, as defined, equaling or exceeding an
agreed upon percentage of the principal balance of loans included in the
securitization trust related to such series. Certain of the Company's
securitization trusts have exceeded such insurance agreement thresholds prior to
1996 and the Company has obtained waivers from FSA to permit distributions of
cash to ORFC. There can be no assurance that such thresholds will not be
exceeded in the future or that, if exceeded, waivers will be available. In
addition, the spread account for each securitization is cross-collateralized to
the spread accounts established in connection with the Company's other
securitization trusts (including one of its warehouse facilities) such that
excess cash flow from a performing securitization trust may be used to support
negative cash flow from, or to replenish a deficient spread account in
connection with, a nonperforming securitization trust, thereby further
restricting excess cash flow available to ORFC. FSA also has a collateral
security interest in the stock of ORFC. If FSA were to foreclose on such
security interest following an event of default under an insurance agreement
with respect to a securitization trust, FSA could preclude payment of dividends
by ORFC to the Company, thereby eliminating the Company's right to receive
distributions of excess cash flow from all the FSA-insured securitization
trusts. The Company's right to service the loans sold in securitizations insured
by FSA is also generally subject to the discretion of FSA. Accordingly, there
can be no assurance that the Company will continue as servicer for such loans
and receive related servicing fees. Any increase in limitations on the Company's
cash flow from securitization trusts or inability to obtain any necessary
waivers from FSA or termination of servicing arrangements could materially
adversely affect the Company's cash flow and liquidity, and ultimately its
business, financial condition and results of operations and its outstanding
securities.
 
    IMPACT OF PORTFOLIO GROWTH AND NEW PRODUCTS.  The Company has experienced
rapid growth in its loan servicing portfolio. Historically, the statistical
incidence of delinquencies and defaults in connection with automobile loans
tends to vary over the age of the loan. For example, statistically, loans that
are between six and fourteen months old have had a higher likelihood of being
delinquent or defaulting than loans with similar credit characteristics that are
three months old. Accordingly, to the extent that portfolio growth results in a
servicing portfolio containing disproportionately more loans originated within
the prior six months, the current and historical delinquency and default rates
of loans in the servicing portfolio may understate future delinquency and
default rates. Also, there can be no assurance that the Company's transition
from centralized to regional servicing and collection will not adversely affect
the rate of loan delinquencies and defaults. In addition, to the extent the
Company offers new loan products which involve different underwriting policies,
the delinquency and default rates of the Company's servicing portfolio may
change. The Company has instituted a tiered pricing system and has periodically
increased the authorized amount of loans purchased under its Classic program
involving borrowers who do not meet all of the underwriting standards in the
Company's Premier program and are charged rates of interest higher than those
under the Company's Premier program. As a result of the increases in Classic
loans as a proportion of the Company's portfolio, there has been an increase in
the rates of, and reserves for, delinquency, repossession and loss historically
reported by the Company. To estimate future delinquency, repossession and loss
experience related to Classic loans, the Company uses a combination of factors,
including actual loan performance experience on Premier loans, adjusted for the
estimated effects of less favorable credit characteristics, and industry
experience on loans with similar credit characteristics. However, there can be
no assurance that the Classic loans will perform under varying economic
conditions in the manner estimated by the Company. Any increase in delinquency,
repossession and loss rates related to Classic loans above the rates estimated
by the Company could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business,
financial condition and results of operations, as well as its liquidity.
Furthermore, because loan default and delinquency rates tend to increase during
the six- to fourteen-month period from loan origination, the impact of increases
in the Classic program on the Company's overall delinquency, repossession and
loss rates will not be fully realized until the amount of Classic loans which
have entered this six- to fourteen-month period is proportionate to the amount
of Classic loans being purchased by the Company relative to Premier loans. In
addition, certain of the Company's loan products which produce
 
                                       7
<PAGE>
higher delinquency, repossession and loss rates than initially expected may
continue to have an impact on the Company's overall loan performance, even after
being discontinued or modified, until the initially generated loans mature
beyond the six- to fourteen-month period. In 1996, the Company discontinued a
Classic loan product directed at first-time credits and modified a Classic
program for financing the sale of its repossessed inventory in retail markets,
each of which had experienced higher than expected delinquency, repossession and
loss rates.
 
    POTENTIAL NEGATIVE IMPACT OF COVENANTS UNDER FINANCE AGREEMENTS.  Increases
in loan delinquency and loss rates with respect to any securitization trust may
result in the trust's portfolio exceeding the various pool performance levels
established by FSA, thereby restricting or cutting off cash distributions to
ORFC from the securitization spread accounts. See "Cash Flow from
Securitizations" above. In addition, such increases may cause the Company to
exceed certain pool performance tests established in other agreements governing
its indebtedness. Under the terms of the indenture governing the Company's
outstanding Senior Term Notes due 2000 (the "Senior Term Notes"), if at any
month-end the amount of charge-offs (net of recoveries) of automobile loans in
the Company's servicing portfolio during the preceding six-month period, times
two, exceeds 1.65% of the average servicing portfolio in the preceding seven
months ("Portfolio Loss Ratio"), the Company will be prohibited from purchasing
new automobile loans in excess of 20% of the Company's Adjusted Consolidated
Cash Flow (as defined in the indenture governing the Senior Term Notes) plus
proceeds of warehouse facilities and certain other available cash. If the
Portfolio Loss Ratio exceeds 1.65% for two consecutive months, then 50% of such
Adjusted Consolidated Cash Flow (as defined in the indenture governing the
Senior Term Notes) must be used to offer to repurchase Senior Term Notes. Such a
restriction on purchases of new automobile loans could have a material adverse
effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations.
Covenants with respect to a series of Debt Securities may contain similar
restrictions or other covenants relating to portfolio performance. In addition,
if at the end of any month the Portfolio Loss Ratio exceeds 1.65% or the
Company's delinquency level exceeds 3.5%, an event of default will occur under
one of the Company's outstanding warehouse facilities. The delinquency level is
calculated as a percentage of outstanding principal balance of all automobile
loans owned or securitized by the Company as to which a payment is more than
thirty days past due. Upon the occurrence of an event of default under such
warehouse facility, the lending banks under such facility may accelerate the
payment of amounts outstanding thereunder and would have no further obligation
to extend additional credit. Furthermore, any such event of default or
acceleration may trigger cross-defaults under other outstanding indebtedness of
the Company and may result in the acceleration of amounts due thereunder. The
increase in Classic loans during 1996, among other things, has increased the
risk that the Company may trigger its Portfolio Loss Ratio covenants in the
future.
 
SUBSTANTIAL INDEBTEDNESS
 
    The issuance of Debt Securities offered hereby will have the effect of
increasing the Company's leverage. The degree to which the Company is leveraged
may impair its ability to obtain additional financing in the future. In
addition, the Company's debt service costs will increase as a result of the
issuance of Debt Securities, except to the extent proceeds are used to repay
outstanding indebtedness. The Company is also subject to restrictive covenants
under its debt agreements. If the Company should require, but be unable to
obtain, any cure, modification or waiver of noncompliance with any such
covenants in the future, default could occur with respect to the relevant
indebtedness and, under cross-default provisions, other indebtedness of the
Company, and there can be no assurance that the Company would be able to repay
or refinance such obligations in such circumstances. In addition, the indenture
governing the Senior Term Notes contains covenants requiring the Company to
repurchase such debt securities under certain circumstances, including a change
in control of the Company, as well as covenants that may significantly restrict
the Company's ability to incur additional debt and to issue new classes of
preferred stock. In 1996, the Company received an indication of interest to buy
the Company and requested its financial advisor to examine the strategic
alternatives available to the Company, including a sale of the Company. No
definitive offers to buy the Company were received, but there can be no
assurance that a change in control of the Company will not occur in the future.
The terms of a series of Debt Securities issued by the Company in the future may
contain similar covenants.
 
                                       8
<PAGE>
SUBORDINATION OF THE DEBT SECURITIES
 
    CONTRACTUAL SUBORDINATION OF THE SUBORDINATED DEBT SECURITIES.  The payment
of principal of or interest or premium on the Subordinated Debt Securities is
subordinated in right of payment to all Senior Debt of the Company, as defined
in the Subordinated Indenture. As a result, in the event of the dissolution,
liquidation, winding up or reorganization of the Company, or of certain
bankruptcy and insolvency-related events, the holders of the Subordinated Debt
Securities would not receive payment until the holders of Senior Debt were paid
in full. Senior Debt is defined in the Indenture to include, among other debt,
any Company guarantees of, or reimbursement commitments with respect to,
indebtedness in connection with securitization transactions. In the event a
default in any payment in respect to any Senior Debt has occurred and is
continuing, the Company may not make any payments on the account of the
Subordinated Debt Securities.
 
    STRUCTURAL SUBORDINATION.  Any right of the Company to receive assets of any
of its subsidiaries upon the latter's liquidation or reorganization (and the
consequent right of the holders of the Debt Securities to participate in those
assets) will be effectively subordinated to the claims of creditors of such
subsidiaries before such proceeds may be available for distribution to the
parent Company. Substantially all of the Company's securitizations through
September 30, 1996 provide that ORFC, a special purpose subsidiary, owns the
rights to excess cash flow from such securitization trusts. Consequently, a
significant portion of the Company's available cash flow is in the form of
distributions from ORFC. ORFC is a separate and distinct legal entity and has no
obligation, contingent or otherwise, to pay any amounts due under the Debt
Securities or to make any funds available therefor, whether by dividends to the
Company or otherwise. Substantially all of the Company's finance income
receivable at September 30, 1996 is held by ORFC, and, in the event of
liquidation of both the Company and ORFC, creditors of ORFC would have first
claim to such assets before holders of the Debt Securities. To the extent any
restriction on the distribution of cash from ORFC or other subsidiaries to the
Company is applicable and enforced, the Company's ability to pay interest and
principal on the Debt Securities may be impaired. See "Loan Performance
Risks--Cash Flow from Securitizations" above.
 
ECONOMIC CONDITIONS
 
    AUTOMOBILE MARKET CONDITIONS.  Periods of economic slowdown or recession,
whether general, regional or industry-related, may increase the risk of default
on automobile loans and may have an adverse effect on the Company's business,
financial condition and results of operations. Such periods also may be
accompanied by decreased consumer demand for automobiles, resulting in reduced
demand for automobile loans and declining values of automobiles securing
outstanding loans, thereby weakening collateral coverage and increasing the
possibility of losses in the event of default. The increased proportion of loans
under the Company's Classic program has increased the Company's sensitivity to
changes in economic conditions. Significant increases in the inventory of used
automobiles during recessionary economies may depress the prices at which
repossessed automobiles may be sold or delay the timing of such sales. There can
be no assurance that the used automobile markets will be adequate for the sale
of repossessed automobiles and any material deterioration of such markets could
increase the Company's loan losses or reduce recoveries from the sale of
repossession inventory. In addition, the Company has channeled a significant
portion of its repossession inventory through retail resale markets instead of
wholesale markets, including the financing of such retail sales through its
Classic program, which had the effect of reducing the Company's loan losses
while delaying cash flow recovered from inventory turnover. The Company has
experienced significant growth in its repossesion inventory, which increased
from $4.8 million at September 30, 1995 to $46.5 million at September 30, 1996.
There can be no assurance that the Company will continue to use such retail
resale channels, that it will be able to realize such benefits to loan losses in
the future or that its inventories will not reach levels at which they cannot
readily be liquidated through such channels. Any such event might have an
adverse effect on loan loss levels.
 
    INTEREST RATES.  The Company's profitability may be directly affected by the
level of and fluctuations in interest rates, which affect the Company's gross
interest rate spread. The Company monitors the interest rate environment and
employs prefunding or other hedging strategies designed to mitigate the impact
of changes in interest rates on its gross interest rate spread. However, there
can be no assurance that the profitability of the Company would not be adversely
affected during any period of changes in interest rates.
 
                                       9
<PAGE>
MANAGEMENT OF RAPID GROWTH
 
    The rapid growth of the Company's servicing portfolio has resulted in
increased demands on the Company's personnel and systems. The Company's ability
to support, manage and control continued growth is dependent upon, among other
things, its ability to hire, train, supervise and manage its larger workforce.
Furthermore, the Company's ability to manage portfolio delinquency and loss
rates is dependent upon the maintenance of efficient collection and repossession
procedures and adequate staffing therefor. There can be no assurance that the
Company will have trained personnel and systems adequate to support such growth.
 
COMPETITION
 
    The business of financing automobiles is highly competitive. Existing and
potential competitors include well-established financial institutions, such as
banks, other automobile finance companies, small loan companies, thrifts,
leasing companies and captive finance companies owned by automobile
manufacturers, such as General Motors Acceptance Corporation, Chrysler Credit
Corp. and Ford Motor Credit Company. Many of these competitors have greater
financial, technical and marketing resources than the Company and from time to
time offer special buyer incentives in the form of below-market interest rates
on certain classes of vehicles. Many of such competitors also have longstanding
relationships with automobile dealers and some of such major competitors provide
other forms of financing to automobile dealers, including dealer floor plan
financing and leasing, which is not provided by the Company. There can be no
assurance that the Company will be able to compete successfully with such
competitors.
 
REGULATION
 
    The Company's business is subject to numerous federal and state consumer
protection laws and regulations, which, among other things: (i) require the
Company to obtain and maintain certain licenses and qualifications; (ii) limit
the interest rates, fees and other charges the Company is allowed to charge;
(iii) limit or prescribe certain other terms of the Company's automobile loan
contracts; (iv) require specific disclosures; and (v) define the Company's
rights to repossess and sell collateral. The Company believes it is in
substantial compliance with all such laws and regulations, and that such laws
and regulations have had no material effect on the Company's ability to operate
its business. Changes in existing laws or regulations, or in the interpretation
thereof, or the promulgation of any additional laws or regulations, could have a
material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and
results of operations and upon its outstanding securities.
 
SHARES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALES
 
    Additional shares of Common Stock may be issued upon the exercise of
outstanding stock options, the conversion of outstanding convertible preferred
stock and the exercise of outstanding warrants. Certain holders thereof have
registration rights with respect to such shares. The Company has registered
pursuant to such rights the sale from time to time of up to 3,871,364 shares of
Common Stock when, as and if issued upon the exercise of outstanding warrants.
Such issuances, or the resale of the Common Stock so acquired, could have an
adverse effect on the market price of the Company's Common Stock.
 
UNDESIGNATED SHARES; ANTI-TAKEOVER CONSIDERATIONS
 
    The authorized and unissued stock of the Company, other than shares reserved
for issuance pursuant to options and warrants, consists of undesignated shares.
The Board of Directors, without any action by the Company's shareholders, is
authorized to designate and issue the undesignated shares in such classes or
series as it deems appropriate and to establish the rights, preferences and
privileges of such shares, including dividend, liquidation and voting rights.
The Company has adopted a shareholder rights plan to deter a hostile takeover.
Further, certain provisions of the Minnesota Business Corporation Act may
operate to discourage a negotiated acquisition or unsolicited takeover of the
Company. See "Description of Common Stock." Each or any of the foregoing could
have the effect of entrenching the Company's directors, impeding or deterring an
unsolicited tender offer or takeover proposal regarding the Company and thereby
depriving the then current shareholders of the ability to sell their shares at a
premium over the market price, or otherwise adversely affecting the voting
power, dividend, liquidation and other rights of holders of Common Stock.
 
                                       10
<PAGE>
                                USE OF PROCEEDS
 
    Unless otherwise specified in an applicable Prospectus Supplement, the net
proceeds to be received by the Company from the sale of the Securities offered
hereby will be added to the general funds of the Company and will be available
for working capital and other general corporate purposes, including funding the
growth in the volume of loan purchases and repayment of maturing obligations and
redemption of outstanding indebtedness. Pending such use, the Company may
temporarily invest the net proceeds in short-term investments or use them to
reduce short-term indebtedness.
 
                    RATIOS OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES AND
            TO COMBINED FIXED CHARGES AND PREFERRED STOCK DIVIDENDS
 
    The following are the consolidated ratios of earnings to fixed charges and
to combined fixed charges and preferred stock dividends for the periods
presented.
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                            MARCH 8, 1990                                                              NINE MONTHS ENDED
                              (DATE OF      SIX MONTHS
                            INCORPORATION)     ENDED               YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31,               SEPTEMBER 30,
                             TO DECEMBER   DECEMBER 31,   ------------------------------------------  --------------------
                              31, 1991         1991         1992       1993       1994       1995       1995       1996
(DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS)      -------------  -------------  ---------  ---------  ---------  ---------  ---------  ---------
<S>                         <C>            <C>            <C>        <C>        <C>        <C>        <C>        <C>
Ratio of earnings to fixed
  charges.................                                               1.72x      2.06x      3.75x      3.64x      4.53x
Deficiency in earnings to
  fixed charges...........    $   1,525      $   1,158    $   1,342
Ratio of earnings to
  combined fixed charges
  and preferred stock
  dividends...............                                               1.56x      1.31x      3.10x      2.95x      4.13x
Deficiency in earnings to
  combined fixed charges
  and preferred stock
  dividends...............    $   1,525      $   1,158    $   1,342
</TABLE>
 
    For purposes of calculating the ratios of earnings to fixed charges and
earnings to combined fixed charges and preferred stock dividends, earnings are
defined as income (loss) before income taxes plus fixed charges. Fixed charges
consist of interest expense, amortization of debt discount and the interest
factor in rental charges. Combined fixed charges and preferred stock dividends
consist of the fixed charges described above plus the pre-tax income necessary
to pay dividends on the Company's outstanding 8% Cumulative Convertible
Exchangeable Preferred Stock (the "8% Preferred Stock," all of which was
converted or redeemed on or before December 2, 1996).
 
                                       11
<PAGE>
                         DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES
 
    The following description of the terms of the Debt Securities sets forth
certain general terms and provisions of the Debt Securities to which any
Prospectus Supplement may relate. The terms of the Debt Securities specific to
Senior Debt Securities and to Subordinated Debt Securities are set forth under
the headings "Description of Senior Debt Securities" and "Description of
Subordinated Debt Securities," respectively. Particular terms of the Debt
Securities offered by any Prospectus Supplement and the extent, if any, to which
such general and specific provisions may apply to the Debt Securities so offered
will be described in the Prospectus Supplement relating to such Debt Securities.
The Debt Securities may be issued either separately, or together with, or upon
conversion of or in exchange for, other Securities.
 
    The Debt Securities may be issued from time to time in one or more series.
The terms of each series of Debt Securities, including without limitation any
restrictive covenants with respect thereto, will be established by or pursuant
to a resolution of the Board of Directors of the Company and set forth or
determined in the manner provided in an Officers' Certificate or by a
supplemental indenture. The particular terms of the Debt Securities offered
pursuant to any Prospectus Supplement or Prospectus Supplements will be
described in such Prospectus Supplement or Prospectus Supplements.
 
    The Senior Debt Securities and the Subordinated Debt Securities will be
issued under the indentures (the "Senior Indenture" and the "Subordinated
Indenture," respectively) between the Company and the Trustee named in the
applicable Prospectus Supplement. The forms of Senior Indenture and Subordinated
Indenture (collectively, the "Indentures") have been filed as exhibits to the
Registration Statement of which this Prospectus is a part. The following brief
summary of certain provisions of the Indentures does not purport to be complete
and is subject to, and is qualified in its entirety by reference to, all of the
provisions of the Indentures, and is further qualified by any description
contained in the applicable Prospectus Supplement or Prospectus Supplements.
Certain terms capitalized and not otherwise defined herein are defined in the
Indentures. Wherever particular sections or defined terms of the Indentures are
referred to, such sections or defined terms are incorporated herein by
reference.
 
GENERAL
 
    The amount of Debt Securities offered by this Prospectus will be limited to
the amount of Securities set forth on the cover of this Prospectus that have not
been otherwise issued or reserved for issuance. The Indentures will not limit
the aggregate principal amount of Debt Securities which may be issued
thereunder.
 
    The Senior Debt Securities, except to the extent secured by collateral, if
any, will rank PARI PASSU with other unsecured, unsubordinated indebtedness of
the Company. The Subordinated Debt Securities will be unsecured and will be
subordinated in right of payment to the prior payment in full of the Senior Debt
of the Company as described under "Description of Subordinated Debt
Securities--Subordination of Subordinated Debt Securities."
 
    The applicable Prospectus Supplement will indicate the form, registered or
bearer, and denominations in which Debt Securities of any series may be issued.
Debt Securities may be issuable in the form of one or more Global Securities, as
described below under "--Global Securities." The Debt Securities (other than
those issued in the form of a Global Security) are exchangeable or transferable
without charge therefor, but the Company may require payment of a sum sufficient
to cover any tax or other governmental charge payable in connection therewith
and require the holders to furnish appropriate endorsements and transfer
documents. (Senior Indenture Section 305; Subordinated Indenture Section 305)
 
    Debt Securities may be issued as original issue discount securities to be
sold at a substantial discount below their principal amount. Special federal
income tax and other considerations applicable thereto and special federal tax
and other considerations applicable to any Debt Securities which are denominated
in a currency other than U. S. dollars will be described in the Prospectus
Supplement or Prospectus Supplements relating thereto.
 
    Principal of and any premium and interest on the Debt Securities will be
payable, and the transfer of the Debt Securities will be registrable, at the
corporate trust office of the Trustee in the case of
 
                                       12
<PAGE>
Subordinated Debt Securities and the office or agency maintained for such
purpose in the case of the Senior Debt Securities. Interest on any Debt Security
that is payable will be paid to the Person in whose name that Debt Security is
registered in the Security Register. In addition, in the case of Subordinated
Debt Securities payment of interest may be made at the option of the Company by
check mailed to the address of the Person entitled thereto as it appears on the
Security Register. (Senior Indenture Sections 301, 305 and 307; Subordinated
Indenture Sections 301, 305, 307, 1001 and 1002)
 
    The applicable Prospectus Supplement or Prospectus Supplements will describe
the terms of the Debt Securities offered thereby, including the following: (i)
the title of the offered Debt Securities and whether the offered Debt Securities
are Senior Debt Securities or Subordinated Debt Securities; (ii) any limit on
the aggregate principal amount of the offered Debt Securities; (iii) the Person
to whom any interest on the offered Debt Securities will be payable, if other
than the Person in whose name they are registered on the regular record date for
such interest; (iv) the date or dates, or the method by which such date or dates
are determined or extended, on which the principal or installments of principal
and premium, if any, of the offered Debt Securities is or are payable; (v) the
rate or rates (which may be fixed or variable) at which the offered Debt
Securities will bear interest, if any, or the method by which such rate or rates
shall be determined, the date from which any such interest will accrue, the
dates on which such interest on the offered Debt Securities will be payable and
the regular record dates therefor, the circumstances, if any, in which the
Company may defer interest payments and the basis for calculating interest if
other than a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months; (vi) the place or places
where the principal of and premium, if any, and interest on the offered Debt
Securities will be payable and the offered Debt Securities may be surrendered
for registration of transfer or exchange, if other than those provided for in
the Senior Indenture or the Subordinated Indenture; (vii) if applicable, the
period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the terms and
conditions upon which the offered Debt Securities may be redeemed, in whole or
in part, at the option of the Company; (viii) the obligation, if any, of the
Company to redeem or purchase Debt Securities of the series pursuant to any
sinking fund or analogous provisions or at the option of a holder thereof and
the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the terms
and conditions upon which Debt Securities of the series shall be redeemed or
purchased, in whole or in part, pursuant to such obligation; (ix) whether the
Debt Securities of the series will be convertible into shares of Common Stock
and/or exchangeable for other securities, and if so, the terms and conditions
upon which such Debt Securities will be so convertible or exchangeable, and any
deletions from or modifications or additions to the applicable Indenture to
permit or to facilitate the issuance of such convertible or exchangeable Debt
Securities or the administration thereof; (x) the identity of each Security
Registrar and Paying Agent, if other than or in addition to the Trustee; (xi) if
the amount of principal of or any premium or interest on the offered Debt
Securities may be determined by reference to an index or pursuant to a formula,
the manner in which such amounts shall be determined; (xii) the applicability
of, and any addition to or change in the covenants and definitions set forth in
the applicable Indenture, as described under "Description of Senior Debt
Securities" and "Description of Subordinated Debt Securities"; (xiii) the
denominations in which any offered Debt Securities will be issuable, if other
than denominations of $1,000 or any amount in excess thereof which is an
integral multiple of $1,000; (xiv) if other than U. S. dollars, the currency or
currencies for the payment of principal of and any premium and interest on the
offered Debt Securities and the manner of determining the U.S. dollar equivalent
of the principal amount thereof for purposes of the definition of "outstanding",
and, if the principal of or any premium or interest on the offered Debt
Securities is payable, at the election of the Company or the holder thereof, in
one or more currencies other than that or those in which the offered Debt
Securities are stated to be payable, the currency or currencies in which payment
of the principal of and any premium and interest on such offered Debt Securities
is to be made and the periods within which and the terms and conditions upon
which such election is to be made; (xv) any other event or events of default
applicable with respect to the offered Debt Securities in addition to or in lieu
of those described under "Description of Senior Debt Securities-- Events of
Default under the Senior Indenture" and "Description of Subordinated Debt
Securities--Events of Default under the Subordinated Indenture", and any change
in the right of the Trustee or the holders to declare the principal of or any
premium or interest on the offered Debt Securities due and payable; (xvi) if
less than the principal amount thereof, the portion of the principal payable
upon acceleration of such Debt Securities following an Event of Default; (xvii)
whether such Debt Securities are to be issued in
 
                                       13
<PAGE>
whole or in part in the form of one or more Global Securities and, if so, the
identity of the depositary for such Global Security or Securities, and any
circumstances under which any such Global Security may be exchanged for Debt
Securities registered in the name of, and any transfer of such Global Security
may be registered to, a Person other than such depositary or its nominee, if
other than those described in the applicable Indenture (see "--Global
Securities"); (xviii) if applicable, that the offered Debt Securities, in whole
or in any specified part, are not defeasible; (xix) whether, with respect to any
series of Senior Debt Securities, such series will be secured and the type,
amount and other terms of, and provisions relating to, the collateral to be
provided as such security, and any deletions, additions or modifications to the
Senior Indenture to permit the issuance of secured Senior Debt Securities or the
administration thereof; and (xx) any other terms of the offered Debt Securities
not inconsistent with the provisions of the applicable Indenture. (Senior
Indenture Section 301; Subordinated Indenture Section 301)
 
    If the purchase price of any Debt Securities is payable in a currency other
than U.S. dollars or if principal of, or premium, if any, or interest, if any,
on any of the Debt Securities is payable in any currency other than U.S.
dollars, the specific terms and other information with respect to such Debt
Securities and such foreign currency, including any material foreign currency
risks, will be specified in the Prospectus Supplement or Prospectus Supplements
relating thereto.
 
    Under the Indentures, the terms of the Debt Securities of any series may
differ, and the Company, without the consent of the holders of the Debt
Securities of any series, may reopen a previous series of Debt Securities and
issue additional Debt Securities of such series or establish additional terms of
such series.
 
GLOBAL SECURITIES
 
    The following description will apply to any series of Debt Securities
issued, in whole or in part, in the form of a Global Security or Global
Securities deposited with, or on behalf of, The Depository Trust Company ("DTC")
(each such Debt Security represented by a Global Security being herein referred
to as a "Book-Entry Security").
 
    Upon initial issuance, all Book-Entry Securities of the same series and
bearing interest, if any, at the same rate or pursuant to the same formula and
having the same date of issuance, redemption provisions, if any, repayment
provisions, if any, stated maturity and other terms will be represented by a
single Global Security. Each Global Security representing Book-Entry Securities
will be deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC and will be registered in the name
of DTC or a nominee of DTC. Unless otherwise specified in the applicable Pricing
Supplement, all Book-Entry Securities will be denominated in U. S. dollars.
 
    Upon the issuance of a Global Security, DTC will credit accounts held with
it with the respective principal or face amounts of the Book-Entry Securities
represented by such Global Security. The accounts to be credited shall be
designated initially by the Agent through which the Debt Security was sold or,
to the extent that such Debt Securities are offered and sold directly, by the
Company. Ownership of beneficial interests in a Global Security will be limited
to institutions that have accounts with DTC ("participants") and to persons that
may hold interests through such participants. Ownership of beneficial interests
by participants in a Global Security will be shown on, and the transfer of that
ownership interest will be effected only through, records maintained by DTC for
such Global Security. Ownership of beneficial interests in such Global Security
by persons that hold through participants will be shown on, and the transfer of
that ownership interest within such participant will be effected only through,
records maintained by such participant.
 
    Payment of principal of, premium, if any, and interest, if any, on
Book-Entry Securities represented by any such Global Security will be made to
DTC or its nominee, as the case may be, as the sole registered holder of the
Book-Entry Securities represented thereby for all purposes under the Indentures.
None of the Company, the Trustee, the Paying Agent or any agent of the Company
or the Trustee will have a responsibility or liability for any aspect of DTC's
records relating to or payments made on account of beneficial ownership
interests in a Global Security representing any Book-Entry Securities or any
other aspect of the relationship between DTC and its participants or the
relationship between such participants
 
                                       14
<PAGE>
and the owners of beneficial interests in a Global Security owning through such
participants or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any of DTC's records
relating to such beneficial ownership interests.
 
    The Company has been advised by DTC that upon receipt of any payment of
principal of, premium, if any, or interest, if any, on any such Global Security,
DTC will immediately credit, on its book-entry registration and transfer system,
the accounts of participants with payments in amounts proportionate to their
respective beneficial interests in the principal amount of such Global Security
as shown on the records of DTC. Payments by participants to owners of beneficial
interests in a Global Security held through such participants will be governed
by standing instructions and customary practices, as is now the case with
securities held by such participants for customer accounts registered in "street
name," and will be the sole responsibility of such participants.
 
    No Global Security may be transferred except as a whole by a nominee of DTC
to DTC or to another nominee of DTC, or by DTC or any such nominee to a
successor of DTC or a nominee of such successor.
 
    A Global Security representing Book-Entry Securities is exchangeable for
certificated Debt Securities of the same series and bearing interest, if any, at
the same rate or pursuant to the same formula, having the same date of issuance,
redemption provisions, if any, repayment provisions, if any, stated maturity and
other terms and of differing authorized denominations aggregating a like amount,
if any, if (x) DTC notifies the Company that it is unwilling or unable to
continue as depositary for such Global Security or if at any time DTC ceases to
be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act, (y) the Company in its
sole discretion determines that such Global Security shall be exchangeable for
certificated Debt Securities or (z) there shall have occurred and be continuing
an Event of Default with respect to the Book-Entry Securities. Such certificated
Debt Securities shall be registered in the names of the owners of the beneficial
interests in such Global Security as provided by DTC's relevant participants (as
identified by DTC).
 
    Owners of beneficial interests in a Global Security will not be considered
the registered holders thereof for any purpose under the applicable Indenture,
and no Global Security representing Book-Entry Securities shall be exchangeable
or transferrable. Accordingly, each person owning a beneficial interest in such
a Global Security must rely on the procedures of DTC and, if such person is not
a participant, on the procedures of the participant through which such person
owns its interest, to exercise any rights of a registered holder under the
applicable Indenture. The laws of some jurisdictions require that certain
purchasers of securities take physical delivery of such securities in
certificated form. Such limits and such laws may impair the ability to transfer
beneficial interests in a Global Security.
 
    DTC, as the registered holder of each Global Security, may appoint agents
and otherwise authorize participants to give or take any request, demand,
authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action which a
registered holder is entitled to give or take under the applicable Indenture.
The Company understands that under existing industry practices, in the event
that the Company requests any action of registered holders or that an owner of a
beneficial interest in such a Global Security desires to give or take any action
which a registered holder is entitled to give or take under such Indenture, DTC
would authorize the participants holding the relevant beneficial interests to
give or take such action, and such participants would authorize beneficial
owners owning through such participants to give or take such action or would
otherwise act upon the instructions of beneficial owners owning through them.
 
    DTC has advised the Company that DTC is a limited-purpose trust company
organized under the laws of the State of New York, a member of the Federal
Reserve System, a "clearing corporation" within the meaning of the New York
Uniform Commercial Code and a "clearing agency" registered under the Exchange
Act. DTC was created to hold the securities of its participants and to
facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions among its
participants in such securities through electronic book-entry changes in
accounts of the participants, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement
of securities certificates. DTC's participants include securities brokers and
dealers, banks (which may include the Trustee), trust companies, clearing
corporations, and certain other organizations some of whom (and/or their
representatives) own DTC. Access to DTC's book-entry system is also available to
others, such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies that clear through
or maintain a custodial relationship with a participant, either directly or
indirectly.
 
                                       15
<PAGE>
                     DESCRIPTION OF SENIOR DEBT SECURITIES
 
    The following description sets for certain specific terms of the Senior Debt
Securities and provisions of the Senior Indenture. Certain general terms of the
Senior Debt Securities are described under "Description of Debt Securities." The
following brief summary of certain provisions of the Senior Debt Securities and
the Senior Indenture, together with the summary description under "Description
of Debt Securities," does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and is
qualified in its entirety by reference to, all of the provisions of the Senior
Indenture, and is further qualified by any description contained in the
applicable Prospectus Supplement or Prospectus Supplements. The definitions of
certain terms used in the following summary are set forth below under "--Certain
Definitions in the Senior Indenture." Certain terms capitalized and not
otherwise defined herein are defined in the Senior Indenture. Wherever
particular sections or defined terms of the Senior Indenture are referred to,
such sections or defined terms are incorporated herein by reference.
 
REDEMPTION
 
    The Prospectus Supplement relating to any offered Senior Debt Securities or
series thereof will specify the provisions, if any, for redemption of such
Senior Debt Securities or series thereof at the option of the Company.
 
    Except as set forth in the Prospectus Supplement with respect to any offered
Senior Debt Securities or series thereof, the Company is not required to make
mandatory redemption or sinking fund payments with respect to the Senior Debt
Securities. The Prospectus Supplement relating to any offered Senior Debt
Securities or series thereof will specify the provisions, if any, regarding
sinking fund provisions related to such Senior Debt Securities or series
thereof. The Senior Indenture provides that the Company may deliver Outstanding
Senior Debt Securities of like tenor of a series (other than any previously
called for redemption) and may apply as a credit Senior Debt Securities of like
tenor of a series which have been redeemed either at the election of the Company
pursuant to the terms of such Senior Debt Securities or through the application
of permitted optional sinking fund payments pursuant to the terms of such Senior
Debt Securities, in each case in satisfaction of all or any part of any sinking
fund payment with respect to the Senior Debt Securities of like tenor of such
series required to be made pursuant to the terms of such Securities as provided
for by the terms of such series. (Senior Indenture Sections 1102 and 1103)
 
    The Senior Indenture provides that, if less than all of the Senior Debt
Securities of any series are to be redeemed at any time, selection of Senior
Debt Securities for redemption will be made by the Trustee on a pro rata basis
(and in such manner as complies with applicable legal and stock exchange
requirements, if any), or by such other method as the Trustee shall deem fair
and appropriate, and portions of the Senior Debt Securities selected for
redemption shall be in amounts of $1,000 or whole multiples thereof, except that
if all of the Senior Debt Securities of a holder are to be redeemed, the entire
outstanding amount shall be redeemed. Notices of redemption shall be mailed by
first class mail at least 30 but not more than 60 days before the redemption
date to each Holder of Senior Debt Securities to be redeemed at its registered
address. If any Senior Debt Security is to be redeemed in part only, the notice
of redemption that relates to such Senior Debt Security shall state the portion
of the principal amount thereof to be redeemed. A new Senior Debt Security in
principal amount equal to the unredeemed portion thereof will be issued in the
name of the Holder thereof upon cancellation of the original Senior Debt
Security. On and after the redemption date, interest ceases to accrue on Senior
Debt Securities or portions of them called for redemption. (Senior Indenture
Sections 403 and 404)
 
REPURCHASE AT THE OPTION OF HOLDERS
 
    Except as set forth in the Prospectus Supplement with respect to any offered
Senior Debt Securities or any series thereof, the Senior Indenture does not
contain provisions that permit the Holders of the Senior Debt Securities to
require that the Company repurchase or redeem the Senior Debt Securities in the
event of a sale of assets or a takeover, recapitalization or similar
restructuring, nor does the Senior Indenture contain covenants specifically
designed to protect holders in the event of a highly leveraged transaction
involving the Company. The Senior Indenture provides that, if repurchase rights
are provided for in a
 
                                       16
<PAGE>
Prospectus Supplement and amounts deposited in connection with all such
repurchase rights are insufficient to pay the repurchase price of all Senior
Debt Securities having such repurchase rights, the Trustee shall select Senior
Debt Securities to be repurchased on a pro rata basis among all holders of such
series of Senior Debt Securities having such repurchase rights and exercising
the option to elect repurchase. (Senior Indenture Sections 1201 and 1204)
 
CERTAIN COVENANTS IN THE SENIOR INDENTURE
 
    MERGER, CONSOLIDATION, OR SALE OF ASSETS.  The Senior Indenture provides
that the Company may not consolidate or merge with or into (whether or not the
Company is the surviving corporation), or sell, assign, transfer, lease, convey
or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of its properties or assets in
one or more related transactions, to another Person unless (i) the Company is
the surviving Person or the Person formed by or surviving any such consolidation
or merger (if other than the Company) or to which such sale, assignment,
transfer, lease, conveyance or other disposition shall have been made is a
corporation organized or existing under the laws of the United States, any state
thereof or the District of Columbia; (ii) the Person formed by or surviving any
such consolidation or merger (if other than the Company) or the Person to which
such sale, assignment, transfer, lease, conveyance or other disposition shall
have been made assumes all the obligations of the Company under the Senior Debt
Securities and the Senior Indenture pursuant to a supplemental indenture in a
form reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee; (iii) immediately after such
transaction no Default or Event of Default exists; (iv) the Company or the
Person formed by or surviving any such consolidation or merger (if other than
the Company), or to which such sale, assignment, transfer, lease, conveyance or
other disposition shall have been made, will have Consolidated Net Worth
immediately after the transaction equal to or greater than the Consolidated Net
Worth of the Company immediately preceding the transaction; and (v) the
applicable rating agencies shall have reaffirmed or raised their ratings with
respect to certain asset-back securities that have been rated in whole or in
part on the basis of the Company's credit. (Senior Indenture Section 601)
 
    REPORTS.  The Senior Indenture provides that, whether or not required by the
rules and regulations of the Commission, so long as any Senior Debt Securities
are outstanding, the Company will file with the Trustee and furnish to the
holders of Senior Debt Securities (i) all quarterly and annual financial reports
on Forms 10-Q and 10-K and all proxy statements that the Company is required to
file, including a "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations" and including, with respect to the annual information
only, a report by the Company's certified independent accountants, and (ii) all
current reports that the Company is required to file with the Commission on Form
8-K. In addition, if the Company is not subject to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Exchange Act, the Senior Indenture provides that the Company will nevertheless
continue to file a copy of all such information and reports with the Commission
and the Trustee and make such information available to securities analysts and
prospective investors upon request. (Senior Indenture Section 504)
 
EVENTS OF DEFAULT UNDER THE SENIOR INDENTURE
 
    The Senior Indenture provides that each of the following constitutes an
Event of Default with respect to the Senior Debt Securities of any series issued
pursuant to the Senior Indenture: (i) default for 30 days in the payment when
due of interest on the Senior Debt Securities of that series; (ii) default in
payment when due of the principal of or premium, if any, on the Senior Debt
Securities of that series; (iii) failure to deposit any sinking fund payment,
when and as due, in respect of the Senior Debt Securities of that series; (iv)
failure by the Company to comply with the provisions described under the caption
"Merger, Consolidation or Sale of Assets;" (v) failure by the Company for 60
days after notice from the Trustee or holders of at least 25% of the principal
amount of the Senior Debt Securities of that series to comply with any of its
other agreements in the Senior Indenture or the Senior Debt Securities of that
series; (vi) default under any mortgage, indenture or instrument under which
there may be issued or by which there may be secured or evidenced any
Indebtedness (as defined in the Senior Indenture) for money borrowed by the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries (or the payment of which is guaranteed by the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries) whether such Indebtedness or guarantee now
exists, or is created after the date of the Senior Indenture, which default (a)
is caused by a failure to pay principal of or premium, if any, or interest on
 
                                       17
<PAGE>
such Indebtedness prior to the expiration of the grace period provided in such
Indebtedness on the date of such default (a "Payment Default") or (b) results in
the acceleration of such Indebtedness prior to its express maturity and, in each
case, the principal amount of any such Indebtedness, together with the principal
amount of any other such Indebtedness under which there has been a Payment
Default or the maturity of which has been so accelerated, aggregates $5.0
million or more; (vii) failure by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to pay
final judgments aggregating in excess of $5.0 million, which judgments are not
paid, discharged or stayed for a period of 60 days; (viii) certain events of
bankruptcy or insolvency with respect to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
and (ix) any other Event of Default provided with respect to the Senior Debt
Securities of that series. (Senior Indenture Section 701)
 
    If any Event of Default occurs and is continuing with respect to any series
of Senior Debt Securities, the Trustee or the Holders of at least 25% in
aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Senior Debt Securities of
such series may declare the unpaid principal amount (or, if any of the Senior
Debt Securities of that series are Original Issue Discount Senior Debt
Securities, such lesser portion of the principal amount of such Senior Debt
Securities as may be specified in the terms thereof), premium, if any, and any
accrued and unpaid interest on all the Senior Debt Securities of such series to
be due and payable immediately. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the case of an
Event of Default arising from certain events of bankruptcy or insolvency, with
respect to the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company, all principal, premium,
if any, and interest on outstanding Senior Debt Securities will become due and
payable without further action or notice. Holders of the Senior Debt Securities
may not enforce the Senior Indenture or the Senior Debt Securities except as
provided in the Senior Indenture. Subject to certain limitations, Holders of a
majority in principal amount of the then outstanding Senior Debt Securities of
any series may direct the Trustee in its exercise of any trust or power with
respect to such series of Senior Debt Securities. The Trustee may withhold from
Holders of the Senior Debt Securities of any series notice of any continuing
Default or Event of Default (except a Default or Event of Default in payment on
any Senior Debt Security or any series or in the payment of any sinking fund
installment with respect to such series) if it determines that withholding
notice is in their interest. (Senior Indenture Sections 702, 705, 706 and 805)
 
    In the case of any Event of Default with respect to the Senior Debt
Securities of any series occurring by reason of any willful action (or inaction)
taken (or not taken) by or on behalf of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
the primary purpose of which was avoiding payment of the premium, if any, that
the Company would have had to pay with respect to such series if the Company
then had elected to redeem such Senior Debt Securities pursuant to the optional
redemption provisions, if any, established in accordance with the Senior
Indenture, if any, an equivalent premium shall also become and be immediately
due and payable if such Senior Debt Securities were repaid to the extent
permitted by law. (Senior Indenture Section 701)
 
    The Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Senior Debt
Securities of any series then outstanding by notice to the Trustee may on behalf
of the Holders of all of the Senior Debt Securities of such series waive any
existing Default or Event of Default with respect to such series of Senior Debt
Securities and its consequences under the Senior Indenture except a continuing
Default or Event of Default with respect to such series in the payment of
interest on, or the principal of, or premium, if any, on the Senior Debt
Securities of such series. (Senior Indenture Section 704)
 
    The Holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Senior Debt
Securities of any series will have the right to direct the time, method and
place of conducting any proceeding for exercising any remedy available to the
Trustee, subject to certain exceptions. (Senior Indenture Section 705) The
Senior Indenture provides that in case an Event of Default shall occur and be
continuing, the Trustee will be required, in the exercise of its power, to use
the degree of care of a prudent person in the conduct of his or her own affairs.
Subject to such provisions, the Trustee will be under no obligation to exercise
any of its rights or powers under the Senior Indenture unless the Trustee
receives indemnity satisfactory to it against any loss, liability or expense.
(Senior Indenture Section 801)
 
    The Company is required to deliver to the Trustee annually a statement
regarding compliance with the Senior Indenture, and the Company is required upon
becoming aware of any Default or Event of Default with respect to a series of
Senior Debt Securities, or any event of default under any other mortgage,
 
                                       18
<PAGE>
indenture or instrument to deliver to the Trustee a statement specifying such
Default or Event of Default and what action the Company is taking or proposes to
take with respect thereto. (Senior Indenture Section 505)
 
DEFEASANCE PROVISIONS IN THE SENIOR INDENTURE
 
    The Company may, at its option and at any time, elect to have all of its
obligations discharged with respect to the outstanding Senior Debt Securities of
any series issued pursuant to the Senior Indenture ("Legal Defeasance"), except
for (i) the rights of Holders of outstanding Senior Debt Securities of that
series to receive payments in respect of the principal of, premium, if any, and
interest on the Senior Debt Securities of that series when such payments are due
from the trust referred to below, (ii) the Company's obligations with respect to
the Senior Debt Securities concerning issuing temporary Senior Debt Securities,
registration of Senior Debt Securities, mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen
Senior Debt Securities and the maintenance of an office or agency for payment
and money for security payments held in trust, (iii) the rights, powers, trusts,
duties and immunities of the Trustee, and the Company's obligations in
connection therewith and (iv) the Legal Defeasance provisions of the Senior
Indenture. In addition, the Company may, at its option and at any time, elect to
have the obligations of the Company released with respect to certain covenants
that are described in the Senior Indenture ("Covenant Defeasance") and
thereafter any omission to comply with such obligations shall not constitute a
Default or Event of Default with respect to the Senior Debt Securities of such
series. In addition, after the Company's election to exercise its option
regarding Covenant Defeasance occurs, certain events (not including non-payment,
bankruptcy, receivership, rehabilitation and insolvency events) described under
"Events of Default" will no longer constitute an Event of Default with respect
to the Senior Debt Securities of such series. (Senior Indenture Sections 902 and
903)
 
    In order to exercise either Legal Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance with
respect to any series of Senior Debt Securities issued pursuant to the Senior
Indenture, (i) the Company must irrevocably deposit with the Trustee, in trust,
for the benefit of the Holders of the Senior Debt Securities of such series,
cash in U.S. dollars, non-callable Government Securities, or a combination
thereof, in such amounts as will be sufficient, in the opinion of a nationally
recognized firm of independent public accountants, to pay (A) the principal of,
premium, if any, and interest on the outstanding Senior Debt Securities of such
series on the stated maturity or on the applicable redemption date, as the case
may be, or (B) any mandatory sinking fund payments or analogous payments
applicable to the Senior Debt Securities of such series on the day on which such
payments are due and payable; (ii) in the case of Legal Defeasance, the Company
shall have delivered to the Trustee an opinion of counsel in the United States
reasonably acceptable to the Trustee confirming that (A) the Company has
received from, or there has been published by, the Internal Revenue Service a
ruling or (B) since the date of the Senior Indenture, there has been a change in
the applicable federal income tax law, in either case to the effect that, and
based thereon such opinion of counsel shall confirm that, the Holders of the
outstanding Senior Debt Securities of such series will not recognize income,
gain or loss for federal income tax purposes as a result of such Legal
Defeasance and will be subject to federal income tax on the same amounts, in the
same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such Legal
Defeasance had not occurred; (iii) in the case of Covenant Defeasance, the
Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an opinion of counsel in the United
States confirming that the Holders of the outstanding Senior Debt Securities of
such series will not recognize income, gain or loss for federal income tax
purposes as a result of such Covenant Defeasance and will be subject to federal
income tax in the same amount, in the same manner and at the same times as would
have been the case if such Covenant Defeasance had not occurred; (iv) no Default
or Event of Default with respect to such series shall have occurred and be
continuing on the date of such deposit or insofar as Events of Default from
bankruptcy or insolvency events are concerned, at any time in the period ending
on the 91st day after the date of deposit; (v) such Legal Defeasance or Covenant
Defeasance will not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default
under the Senior Indenture or any material agreement or instrument to which the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of
its Subsidiaries is bound; (vi) the Company must have delivered to the Trustee
an opinion of counsel to the effect that after the 91st day following the
deposit, the trust funds will not be subject to the effect of any applicable
bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors'
rights generally; (vii) the
 
                                       19
<PAGE>
Company must deliver to the Trustee an Officers' Certificate stating that the
deposit was not made by the Company with the intent of preferring the Holders of
Senior Debt Securities of such series over the other creditors of the Company
with the intent of defeating, hindering, delaying or defrauding creditors of the
Company or others; and (viii) the Company must deliver to the Trustee an
Officers' Certificate and an opinion of counsel, each stating that all
conditions precedent provided for relating to the Legal Defeasance or the
Covenant Defeasance have been complied with. (Senior Indenture Section 904)
 
MODIFICATION AND WAIVER
 
    Modifications and amendments of the Senior Indenture may be made by the
Company and the Trustee with the consent of the holders of not less than a
majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding Senior Debt Securities
of all series affected by such modification or amendment (voting as one class);
provided, however, that no such modification or amendment may, without the
consent of the holder of each outstanding Senior Debt Security affected thereby:
(i) change the stated maturity of the principal of, or any installment of
principal of or interest on, any Senior Debt Security, reduce the principal
amount of, or premium or interest on, any Senior Debt Security, reduce the
amount of principal of an Original Issue Discount Senior Debt Security due and
payable upon acceleration of the maturity thereof, change the place of payment
where or coin or currency in which the principal of, or any premium or interest
on, any Debt Security is payable, or impair the right to institute suit for the
enforcement of any payment on or after the stated maturity of any Senior Debt
Security; or (ii) reduce the percentage in principal amount of outstanding
Senior Debt Securities of any series, the consent of the holders of which is
required for modification or amendment of the Senior Indenture or for waiver of
compliance with certain provisions of the Senior Indenture or for waiver of
certain defaults; or (iii) modify any of the various sections relating to
above-described provisions. (Senior Indenture Section 1002)
 
    The holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of the
outstanding Senior Debt Securities of each series may waive any past Default or
Event of Default under the Senior Indenture with respect to Senior Debt
Securities of that series, except a continuing Default or Event of Default under
the Senior Indenture (i) in the payment of principal of, or any premium or
interest on, any Senior Debt Security of such series held by a nonconsenting
holder, or (ii) in respect of a covenant or provision of the Senior Indenture
which cannot be modified or amended without the consent of the holder of each
outstanding Senior Debt Security of such series affected, as described above.
(Senior Indenture Sections 704 and 1002)
 
    The Senior Indenture provides that, in determining whether the holders of
the requisite principal amount of the "outstanding" Senior Debt Securities have
given any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver
thereunder or whether a quorum is present at a meeting of holders of Senior Debt
Securities, (i) the principal amount of an Original Issue Discount Senior Debt
Security that will be deemed to be outstanding will be the amount of the
principal thereof that would be due and payable as of the date of such
determination upon acceleration of the maturity thereof to such date, and (ii)
the principal amount of a Senior Debt Security denominated in a foreign currency
or currency unit that will be deemed to be outstanding will be the United States
dollar equivalent, determined as of the date of original issuance of such Senior
Debt Security, of the principal amount of such Senior Debt Security (or, in the
case of an Original Issue Discount Senior Debt Security, the United States
dollar equivalent, determined as of the date of original issuance of such Senior
Debt Security, of the amount determined as provided in (i) above). (Senior
Indenture Section 101)
 
CERTAIN DEFINITIONS IN THE SENIOR INDENTURE
 
    Set forth below are certain defined terms used in the Senior Indenture.
Reference is made to the Senior Indenture for a full disclosure of all such
terms, as well as any other capitalized terms used herein for which no
definition is provided. (Senior Indenture Section 101)
 
    "CAPITAL STOCK" means (i) in the case of a corporation, corporate stock,
(ii) in the case of an association or business entity, any and all shares,
interests, participations, rights or other equivalents (however designated) of
corporate stock, (iii) in the case of a partnership, partnership interests
(whether
 
                                       20
<PAGE>
general or limited) and (iv) any other interest or participation that confers on
a Person the right to receive a share of the profits and losses of, or
distributions of assets of, the issuing Person.
 
    "CONSOLIDATED NET WORTH" means, with respect to any Person as of any date,
the sum of (i) the consolidated equity of the common stockholders of such Person
and its consolidated Subsidiaries as of such date plus (ii) the respective
amounts reported on such Person's balance sheet as of such date with respect to
any series of preferred stock (other than Disqualified Stock) that by its terms
is not entitled to the payment of dividends unless such dividends may be
declared and paid only out of net earnings in respect of the year of such
declaration and payment, but only to the extent of any cash received by such
Person upon issuance of such preferred stock, plus (iii) with respect to the
Company, without duplication, the respective amounts reported on the Company's
balance sheet as of such date with respect to the Company's 8% Preferred Stock,
less (x) all write-ups (other than write-ups resulting from foreign currency
translations and write-ups of tangible assets of a going concern business made
within 12 months after the acquisition of such business) subsequent to the date
of the Senior Indenture in the book value of any asset owned by such Person or a
consolidated Subsidiary of such Person, and (y) all unamortized debt discount
and expense and unamortized deferred charges as of such date, all of the
foregoing determined in accordance with GAAP.
 
    "DEFAULT" means any event that is or with the passage of time or the giving
of notice or both would be an Event of Default.
 
    "DISQUALIFIED STOCK" means any Capital Stock that, by its terms (or by the
terms of any security into which it is convertible or for which it is
exchangeable), or upon the happening of any event, matures or is mandatorily
redeemable, pursuant to a sinking fund obligation or otherwise, or redeemable at
the option of the holder thereof, in whole or in part, on or prior to the date
that is 91 days after the date on which the Senior Debt Securities mature.
 
    "GAAP" means generally accepted accounting principles set forth in the
opinions and pronouncements of the Accounting Principles Board of the American
Institute of Certified Public Accountants and statements and pronouncements of
the Financial Accounting Standards Board or in such other statements by such
other entity as have been approved by a significant segment of the accounting
profession, which are in effect from time to time.
 
    "GOVERNMENT SECURITIES" means securities issued or directly and fully
guaranteed or insured by the United States government or any agency or
instrumentality thereof.
 
    "ORIGINAL ISSUE DISCOUNT SENIOR DEBT SECURITY" means any Senior Debt
Security which provides for an amount less than the principal amount thereof to
be due and payable upon a declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof
pursuant to the terms of the Senior Indenture.
 
    "SUBSIDIARY" means, with respect to any Person, (i) any corporation,
association or other business entity of which more than 50% of the total voting
power of shares of Capital Stock entitled (without regard to the occurrence of
any contingency) to vote in the election of directors, managers or trustees
thereof is at the time owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by such
Person or one or more of the other Subsidiaries of that Person (or a combination
thereof) and (ii) any partnership (a) the sole general partner or the managing
general partner of which is such Person or a Subsidiary of such Person or (b)
the only general partners of which are such Person or of one or more
Subsidiaries of such Person (or any combination thereof), with certain
exceptions.
 
                  DESCRIPTION OF SUBORDINATED DEBT SECURITIES
 
    The following description sets forth certain specific terms of the
Subordinated Debt Securities and provisions of the Subordinated Indenture.
Certain general terms of the Subordinated Debt Securities are described under
"Description of Debt Securities." The following brief summary of certain
provisions of the Subordinated Debt Securities and the Subordinated Indenture,
together with the summary description under "Description of Debt Securities,"
does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and is qualified in its
entirety by reference to, all of the provisions of the Subordinated Indenture,
and is further qualified
 
                                       21
<PAGE>
by any description contained in the applicable Prospectus Supplement or
Prospectus Supplements. The definitions of certain terms used in the following
summary are set forth below under "--Certain Definitions in the Subordinated
Indenture." Certain terms capitalized and not otherwise defined herein are
defined in the Subordinated Indenture. Wherever particular sections or defined
terms of the Subordinated Indenture are referred to, such sections or defined
terms are incorporated herein by reference.
 
    The Prospectus Supplement relating to any offered Subordinated Debt
Securities will specify any restrictive covenants applicable to such Securities.
Unless otherwise specified in the applicable Prospectus Supplement, the
Subordinated Debt Securities do not impose any financial or leverage
restrictions on the Company and will not contain provisions that permit the
holders of such Securities to require that the Company repurchase or redeem such
Securities in the event of a takeover, recapitalization or similar
restructuring, nor will the Subordinated Debt Securities contain covenants
specifically designed to protect holders in the event of a highly leveraged
transaction involving the Company.
 
EVENTS OF DEFAULT UNDER THE SUBORDINATED INDENTURE
 
    The following events are defined in the Subordinated Indenture as "Events of
Default" with respect to the Subordinated Debt Securities of any series issued
pursuant to the Subordinated Indenture: (i) failure to pay any interest on any
Subordinated Debt Security of that series when due and payable, continued for 30
days; (ii) failure to pay principal of or any premium on any Subordinated Debt
Security of that series when due and payable; (iii) failure to deposit any
sinking fund payment, when and as due, in respect of any Subordinated Debt
Security of that series; (iv) failure to perform, or breach of, any other
covenant or warranty of the Company in the Subordinated Indenture or the
Subordinated Debt Securities of such series (other than a covenant or warranty a
default in the performance or breach of which is dealt with elsewhere in the
Subordinated Indenture or which is included in the Subordinated Indenture solely
for the benefit of a series of Subordinated Debt Securities other than that
series), continued for 60 days after written notice as provided in the
Subordinated Indenture; (v) the occurrence and continuation of an event of
default under any indenture or instrument under which the Company or any
Subsidiary shall have outstanding at least $5.0 million aggregate principal
amount of Indebtedness (as defined in the Subordinated Indenture)(other than as
part of a Securitization Transaction), the maturity of which has been
accelerated and such acceleration has not been rescinded or annulled within 60
days; (vi) certain events in bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization involving
the Company; (vii) the entry against the Company or any Subsidiary of a final
judgment, judicial decree or order for the payment of money in excess of $5.0
million which remains unpaid, unvacated, unbounded or unstayed for a period of
60 days; or (viii) any other event of default provided with respect to
Subordinated Debt Securities of that series. (Subordinated Indenture Section
501)
 
    If an Event of Default with respect to any series of outstanding
Subordinated Debt Securities under the Subordinated Indenture occurs and is
continuing, then either the Trustee or the holders of at least 25% in aggregate
principal amount of the outstanding Subordinated Debt Securities of that series
by notice as provided in the Subordinated Indenture may declare the principal
amount (or, if any of the Subordinated Debt Securities of that series are
Original Issue Discount Subordinated Debt Securities, such lesser portion of the
principal amount of such Subordinated Debt Securities as may be specified in the
terms thereof) of all of the Subordinated Debt Securities of that series to be
due and payable immediately; provided that in the case of certain events of
bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization involving the Company, the principal
amount of such Subordinated Debt Securities (or specified portion thereof) shall
become due and payable immediately, without such notice. At any time after a
declaration of acceleration with respect to Subordinated Debt Securities of any
series has been made, but before a judgment or decree for payment of money has
been obtained by the Trustee, the holders of a majority in aggregate principal
amount of the outstanding Subordinated Debt Securities of that series may, under
certain circumstances, rescind and annul such acceleration. (Subordinated
Indenture Section 502)
 
    The Subordinated Indenture provides that, subject to the duty of the Trustee
during default to act with the required standard of care, the Trustee will be
under no obligation to exercise any of its rights or powers under the
Subordinated Indenture at the request or direction of any of the holders of
Subordinated Debt Securities, unless such holders shall have offered to the
Trustee reasonable security or indemnity.
 
                                       22
<PAGE>
(Subordinated Indenture Sections 601 and 603) Subject to such provisions for the
indemnification of the Trustee and to certain other limitations, the holders of
a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding Subordinated Debt
Securities of any series will have the right to direct the time, method and
place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee, or
exercising any trust or power conferred on the Trustee, with respect to the
Subordinated Debt Securities of that series. (Subordinated Indenture Section
512)
 
    The Company is required to furnish to the Trustee annually a statement as to
the compliance by the Company with all conditions and covenants under the
Subordinated Indenture. (Subordinated Indenture Section 703)
 
MODIFICATION AND WAIVER
 
    Modifications and amendments of the Subordinated Indenture may be made by
the Company and the Trustee with the consent of the holders of not less than a
majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding Subordinated Debt
Securities of each series affected by such modification or amendment; provided,
however, that no such modification or amendment may, without the consent of the
holder of each outstanding Subordinated Debt Security affected thereby: (i)
change the stated maturity of the principal of, or any installment of principal
of or interest on, any such outstanding Subordinated Debt Security, reduce the
principal amount of, or premium or interest on, any such outstanding
Subordinated Debt Security, reduce the amount of principal of an Original Issue
Discount Subordinated Debt Security due and payable upon acceleration of the
maturity thereof, change the place of payment where or coin or currency in which
the principal of, or any premium or interest on, any such outstanding
Subordinated Debt Security is payable, or impair the right to institute suit for
the enforcement of any payment on or with respect to any such outstanding
Subordinated Debt Security; or (ii) reduce the percentage in principal amount of
outstanding Subordinated Debt Securities of any series, the consent of the
holders of which is required for modification or amendment of the Subordinated
Indenture or for waiver of compliance with certain provisions of the
Subordinated Indenture or for waiver of certain defaults with respect to such
series of Subordinated Debt Securities; or (iii) modify any of the
above-described provisions or any of the provisions relating to waivers of past
defaults and defeasance of certain obligations except for certain stated
modifications. (Subordinated Indenture Section 902)
 
    The holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of the
outstanding Subordinated Debt Securities of each series may, on behalf of the
holders of all Subordinated Debt Securities of that series, waive, insofar as
that series is concerned, compliance by the Company with certain restrictive
provisions of the Subordinated Indenture. (Subordinated Indenture Section 1006)
The holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of the
Outstanding Subordinated Debt Securities of each series may, on behalf of the
holders of all Subordinated Debt Securities of that series, waive any past
default under the Subordinated Indenture with respect to Subordinated Debt
Securities of that series, except a default (i) in the payment of principal of,
or any premium or interest on, any Subordinated Debt Security of such series
when due (other than amounts due and payable solely upon acceleration), or (ii)
in respect of a covenant or provision of the Subordinated Indenture which cannot
be modified or amended without the consent of the holder of each outstanding
Subordinated Debt Security of such series affected. (Subordinated Indenture
Section 513) The definition of "Senior Debt" in the Subordinated Indenture may
not be amended or modified in a manner adverse to the holders of then
outstanding Senior Debt without the consent of the holders of all Senior Debt
affected thereby. (Subordinated Indenture Section 908)
 
    The Subordinated Indenture provides that, in determining whether the holders
of the requisite principal amount of the outstanding Subordinated Debt
Securities have given any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice,
consent or waiver thereunder or whether a quorum is present at a meeting of
holders of Subordinated Debt Securities, (i) the principal amount of an original
issue discount Subordinated Debt Security that will be deemed to be Outstanding
will be the amount of the principal thereof that would be due and payable as of
the date of such determination upon acceleration of the maturity thereof, and
(ii) the principal amount of a Subordinated Debt Security denominated in a
foreign currency or currency unit that will be deemed to be outstanding will be
the United States dollar equivalent, determined as of the date of original
issuance of such Subordinated Debt Security, of the principal amount
 
                                       23
<PAGE>
of such Subordinated Debt Security (or, in the case of an Original Issue
Discount Subordinated Debt Security, the United States dollar equivalent,
determined as of the date of original issuance of such Subordinated Debt
Security, of the amount determined as provided in (i) above). (Subordinated
Indenture Section 101)
 
CONSOLIDATION, MERGER AND SALE OF ASSETS
 
    The Subordinated Indenture provides that the Company, without the consent of
the holders of any of the outstanding Subordinated Debt Securities under the
Subordinated Indenture, may consolidate or merge with or into, or convey,
transfer or lease its properties and assets substantially as an entirety to, any
Person which is a corporation, partnership or trust organized and validly
existing under the laws of any domestic jurisdiction, provided that (i) any
successor Person assumes by supplemental indenture the Company's obligations on
the Subordinated Debt Securities and under the Subordinated Indenture and (ii)
after giving effect to the transaction no event of default, and no event which,
after notice or lapse of time, would become an event of default, shall have
occurred and be continuing under the Subordinated Indenture. (Subordinated
Indenture Section 801)
 
DEFEASANCE PROVISIONS IN THE SUBORDINATED INDENTURE
 
    DEFEASANCE AND DISCHARGE.  The Company will be discharged from any and all
obligations in respect of the Subordinated Debt Securities of any series (except
for certain obligations to register the transfer or exchange of Subordinated
Debt Securities, to replace destroyed, stolen, lost or mutilated Subordinated
Debt Securities, to maintain paying agencies and to hold moneys for payment in
trust) on the 91st day after the date of deposit with the Trustee, in trust, of
money, U.S. Government Obligations (defined below) which through the payment of
interest and principal thereof in accordance with their terms will provide
money, or a combination thereof, in an amount sufficient to pay any installment
of principal of (and premium, if any) and interest on and any mandatory sinking
fund payments in respect of the Subordinated Debt Securities of such series on
the dates on which such payments are due and payable in accordance with the
terms of the Subordinated Indenture and such Subordinated Debt Securities. Any
such discharge is also subject to certain other conditions, including the
limitation that such discharge may only occur if there has been a change in
applicable federal law, or the Company has received from, or there has been
published by, the United States Internal Revenue Service a ruling to the effect
that such a discharge will not cause the holders of such series of Subordinated
Debt Securities to recognize income, gain or loss for federal income tax
purposes and that such holders will be subject to federal income tax on the same
amount and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case
had such deposit, defeasance and discharge not occurred; and that such discharge
will not cause any outstanding Subordinated Debt Securities then listed on the
New York Stock Exchange or other securities exchange to be de-listed as a result
thereof. (Subordinated Indenture Section 403) The term "U.S. Government
Obligations" is defined to mean direct obligations of the United States of
America, backed by its full faith and credit. (Subordinated Indenture Section
101)
 
    DEFEASANCE OF CERTAIN COVENANTS.  The Company may omit to comply with
certain restrictive covenants with respect to the Subordinated Debt Securities
of any series. If the Company elects not to comply with any term, provision or
condition in any such covenant, the Company must deposit with the Trustee money,
U.S. Government Obligations which through the payment of interest and principal
thereof in accordance with their terms will provide money, or a combination
thereof, in an amount sufficient to pay any installment of principal of (and
premium, if any) and interest on and any mandatory sinking fund payments in
respect of the Subordinated Debt Securities of such series on the dates on which
such payments are due and payable in accordance with the terms of the
Subordinated Indenture and such Subordinated Debt Securities. Any such covenant
defeasance is also subject to certain other conditions, including the delivery
to the Trustee of an opinion of counsel to the effect that the deposit and
related covenant defeasance will not cause the holders of the Subordinated Debt
Securities to recognize income, gain or loss for federal income tax purposes and
that such holders will be subject to federal income tax on the same amount and
in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case had such
deposit and defeasance not occurred. (Subordinated Indenture Section 1005).
 
                                       24
<PAGE>
    DEFEASANCE AND EVENTS OF DEFAULT.  In the event the Company omits compliance
with certain covenants of the Subordinated Indenture and the Subordinated Debt
Securities issued pursuant thereto are declared due and payable because of the
occurrence of any event of default, although the amount of money and U.S.
Government Obligations on deposit with the Trustee will be sufficient to pay
amounts due on the Subordinated Debt Securities at the time of their stated
maturity, it may not be sufficient to pay amounts due on the Subordinated Debt
Securities at the time of the acceleration resulting from such event of default.
In such event, the Company shall remain liable for all such payments.
 
SUBORDINATION OF SUBORDINATED DEBT SECURITIES
 
    The Subordinated Debt Securities will be subordinate and subject in right of
payment, to the extent and in the manner set forth in the Subordinated
Indenture, to the prior payment in full of all Senior Debt. Upon any
distribution to creditors in a liquidation, dissolution, winding up,
reorganization, assignment for the benefit of creditors, marshaling of assets
and liabilities or any bankruptcy, insolvency or similar proceeding involving
the Company, the holders of Senior Debt will be entitled to receive payment in
full in cash of all Obligations (as defined in the Subordinated Indenture) due
on or to become due on or in respect of all Senior Debt, before the holders of
Subordinated Debt Securities are entitled to receive any payment or distribution
of any kind, whether in cash, property or securities, by set off or otherwise
(including any payment or distribution which may be payable or deliverable by
reason of the payment of any Junior Subordinated Debt) on account of the
principal of (and premium, if any) or interest on the Subordinated Debt
Securities or on account of any purchase, redemption or other acquisition of
Subordinated Debt Securities by the Company, any Subsidiary of the Company, the
Trustee or any Paying Agent or on account of any other obligation of the Company
in respect of any Subordinated Debt Securities (excluding (i) shares of stock or
securities of the Company or another corporation provided for by a plan of
reorganization or readjustment that are subordinated in right of payment to all
then outstanding Senior Debt to substantially the same extent as, or to a
greater extent than, the Subordinated Debt Securities are so subordinated and
(ii) payments of assets from any defeasance trust which have been on deposit for
90 consecutive days without the occurrence of blockage of payment on any such
series of Subordinated Debt Securities as described below) ("Securities
Payments"). Until the Senior Debt is paid in full, any Securities Payment to
which the holders of Subordinated Debt Securities or the Trustee for their
benefit would be entitled, will be paid or delivered by the Company or any
receiver, trustee in bankruptcy, liquidating trustee, agent or other person
making such payment or distribution, directly to the holders of Senior Debt or
their representative or representatives or the trustee or trustees under any
indenture pursuant to which any instruments evidencing any Senior Debt may have
been issued. (Subordinated Indenture Sections 1301 and 1302) The Company may not
make any payments on the account of the Subordinated Debt Securities, or on
account of the purchase or redemption or other acquisition of the Subordinated
Debt Securities, if there has occurred and is continuing a default in the
payment of the principal of (or premium, if any) or interest on any Senior Debt
(a "Senior Payment Default"). (Subordinated Indenture Section 1303)
 
    In the event that the Trustee receives any Securities Payment prohibited by
the subordination provisions of the Subordinated Indenture, such payment will be
held by the Trustee in trust for the benefit of, and will immediately be paid
over upon written request to, the holders of Senior Debt or their representative
or representatives, or the trustee or trustees under any applicable indenture
for application to the payment of Senior Debt. (Subordinated Indenture Section
1304) Such subordination will not prevent the occurrence of any event of default
in respect of the Subordinated Debt Securities.
 
    By reason of such subordination, in the event of the insolvency of the
Company, holders of Senior Debt may receive more, ratably, and holders of the
Subordinated Debt Securities having a claim pursuant to such securities may
receive less, ratably, than the other creditors of the Company. There may also
be interruption of scheduled interest and principal payments resulting from
events of default on Senior Debt.
 
CERTAIN DEFINITIONS IN THE SUBORDINATED INDENTURE
 
    Set forth below are certain defined terms use in the Subordinated Indenture.
Reference is made to the Subordinated Indenture for a full disclosure of all
such terms, as well as any other capitalized terms used herein for which no
definition is provided. (Subordinated Indenture Section 101)
 
                                       25
<PAGE>
    "JUNIOR SUBORDINATED DEBT" means the Indebtedness of the Company under its
Subordinated Extendible Notes and Subordinated Fixed-Term Notes issued pursuant
to the indenture dated as of July 1, 1994, as amended and restated as of April
28, 1995, by and between the Company and Norwest Bank Minnesota, National
Association, as Trustee.
 
    "ORIGINAL ISSUE DISCOUNT SUBORDINATED DEBT SECURITY" means any Subordinated
Debt Security which provides for an amount less than the principal amount
thereof to be due and payable upon a declaration of acceleration of the Maturity
thereof pursuant to the Subordinated Indenture.
 
    "SECURITIZATION TRANSACTION" means a public or private transfer of
installment sales contracts, loans, leases or other receivables by which the
Company directly or indirectly securitizes a pool of specified installment sales
contracts, loans, leases or other receivables.
 
    "SENIOR DEBT" means all Indebtedness (as defined in the Subordinated
Indenture) of the Company, except Indebtedness created or evidenced by an
instrument which expressly provides that such Indebtedness is subordinated in
right of payment to any other Indebtedness of the Company. Without limiting the
generality of the foregoing, Senior Debt shall include: (i) the guarantee by the
Company of any Indebtedness of any other Person (including, without limitation,
subordinated Indebtedness of another Person), unless such guarantee is expressly
subordinated to any other Indebtedness of the Company; (ii) Indebtedness of the
Company under its Senior Term Notes due 2000 issued pursuant to the indenture
dated as of April 28, 1995, by and between the Company and Norwest Bank
Minnesota, National Association, as Trustee; and (iii) Indebtedness of the
Company under that certain Amended and Restated Credit Agreement dated as of
August 4, 1995, by and among the Company, First Bank National Association, as
Administrative Bank, and certain other banks party thereto. Without limiting the
generality of the foregoing, Senior Debt shall not include Indebtedness of the
Company under the Subordinated Debt Securities or the Junior Subordinated Debt.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the foregoing, Senior Debt shall not
include (x) any Indebtedness of the Company to any of its Subsidiaries or other
Affiliates and (y) any Indebtedness incurred for the purchase of goods or
materials or for services obtained in the ordinary course of business (other
than with the proceeds of revolving credit borrowings permitted hereby).
 
    "WAREHOUSE FACILITY" means a funding arrangement with one or more financial
institutions or other lenders or purchasers, either directly or through a
special purpose vehicle, exclusively to finance for a period not to exceed six
months the purchase of consumer installment sales contracts, loans, leases or
other receivables pending Securitization Transactions, including, without
limitation, so-called "pool bank" arrangements and repurchase agreements.
 
                         DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED STOCK
 
    The following description of the terms of the Preferred Stock sets forth
certain general terms and provisions of the Preferred Stock to which any
Prospectus Supplement may relate. Certain other terms of any series of the
Preferred Stock offered by any Prospectus Supplement will be described in the
Prospectus Supplement relating to such series of the Preferred Stock. If so
indicated in the Prospectus Supplement, the terms of any such series may differ
from the terms set forth below. The description of certain provisions of the
Preferred Stock set forth below and in any Prospectus Supplement does not
purport to be complete and is subject to and qualified in its entirety by
reference to the Certificate of Designation relating to each series of the
Preferred Stock to be filed as an exhibit to a document incorporated by
reference in this Prospectus.
 
GENERAL
 
    Pursuant to the Company's articles of incorporation, as amended, the Board
of Directors of the Company has the authority, without further shareholder
action, to issue from time to time shares of preferred stock, $.01 par value
(the "Preferred Stock"), in one or more series and with such terms and at such
times and for such consideration as the Board of Directors of the Company may
determine. The authority of the Board of Directors of the Company includes the
determination or fixing of the following with respect to shares of any series
thereof: (i) the number of shares and designation or title thereof;
 
                                       26
<PAGE>
(ii) rights as to dividends; (iii) whether and upon what terms the shares are to
be redeemable; (iv) the rights of the holders upon the dissolution, or upon the
distribution of assets, of the Company; (v) whether and upon what terms the
shares shall have a purchase, retirement or sinking fund; (vi) whether and upon
what terms the shares are to be convertible; (vii) the voting rights, if any,
which shall apply; and (viii) any other preferences and relative, participating,
optional or other special rights, and qualifications, limitations or
restrictions of such series. The Preferred Stock will, when issued, be fully
paid and nonassessable. The Preferred Stock will have no preemptive rights to
subscribe for any additional securities which may be issued by the Company. The
transfer agent and registrar for the Preferred Stock will be specified in the
applicable Prospectus Supplement.
 
    The Preferred Stock shall have the dividend, liquidation, redemption, voting
and conversion rights set forth below unless otherwise provided in the
Prospectus Supplement relating to a particular series of the Preferred Stock.
Reference is made to the Prospectus Supplement relating to the particular series
of the Preferred Stock offered thereby for specific terms, including (i) the
title, stated value and liquidation preference of such Preferred Stock and the
number of shares offered; (ii) the initial public offering price at which such
Preferred Stock will be issued; (iii) the dividend rate or rates (or method of
calculation), the dividend periods, the dates on which dividends shall be
payable and whether such dividends shall be cumulative or noncumulative and, if
cumulative, the dates from which dividends shall commence to cumulate; (iv) any
redemption or sinking fund provisions; (v) any conversion provisions; and (vi)
any additional dividend, liquidation, redemption, sinking fund and other rights,
preferences, privileges, limitations and restrictions.
 
    As described under "Description of Depositary Shares" the Company may, at
its option, elect to offer depositary shares ("Depositary Shares") evidenced by
depositary receipts ("Depositary Receipts"), each representing a fractional
interest (to be specified in the Prospectus Supplement relating to the
particular series of the Preferred Stock) in a share of the particular series of
the Preferred Stock issued and deposited with a Depositary (as defined below).
 
DIVIDENDS
 
    Subject to the preferential rights as to dividends of holders of any other
capital stock of the Company ranking prior to any series of the Preferred Stock,
the holders of the Preferred Stock of each series will be entitled to receive,
when, as and if declared by the Board of Directors of the Company or a duly
authorized committee thereof, out of funds legally available therefor, cash
dividends at such rates and on such dates as will be set forth in the Prospectus
Supplement relating to such series. Such rates may be fixed or variable or both.
If variable, the formula used for determining the dividend rate for each
dividend period will be set forth in the Prospectus Supplement. Dividends will
be payable to the holders of record as they appear on the stock books of the
Company on such record dates as will be fixed by the Board of Directors of the
Company or a duly authorized committee thereof.
 
    Dividends on any series of the Preferred Stock may be cumulative or
noncumulative, as provided in the applicable Prospectus Supplement. If the Board
of Directors of the Company fails to declare a dividend payable on a dividend
payment date on any series of the Preferred Stock for which dividends are
noncumulative ("Noncumulative Preferred Stock"), then the holders of such series
of the Preferred Stock will have no right to receive a dividend in respect of
the dividend period ending on such dividend payment date, and the Company will
have no obligation to pay the dividend accrued for such period, whether or not
dividends on such series are declared payable on any future dividend payment
dates.
 
    No full dividends will be declared or paid or set apart for payment on any
stock of the Company ranking, as to dividends, on a parity with or junior to the
Preferred Stock for any period unless full dividends on the Preferred Stock of
each series (including any accumulated dividends) have been or contemporaneously
are declared and paid or declared and a sum sufficient for the payment thereof
set apart for such payment. When dividends are not paid in full upon any series
of Preferred Stock and any other Preferred Stock ranking on a parity as to
dividends with the Preferred Stock, all dividends declared or made upon
Preferred Stock of each series and any other Preferred Stock ranking on a parity
as to dividends with the Preferred Stock shall be declared pro rata so that the
amount of dividends declared per
 
                                       27
<PAGE>
share on Preferred Stock of each series and such other Preferred Stock shall in
all cases bear to each other the same ratio that accrued dividends per share
(which, in the case of Noncumulative Preferred Stock, shall not include any
accumulation in respect of unpaid dividends for prior dividend periods) on
shares of each series of the Preferred Stock and such other Preferred Stock bear
to each other. Except as provided in the preceding sentence, no dividend (other
than dividends or distributions paid in shares of, or options, warrants or
rights to subscribe for or purchase shares of, Common Stock or any other stock
of the Company ranking junior to the Preferred Stock as to dividends and upon
liquidation) shall be declared or paid or set aside for payment or other
distribution declared or made upon the Common Stock or any other stock of the
Company ranking junior to or on a parity with the Preferred Stock as to
dividends or upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company, nor may
any Common Stock or any other stock of the Company ranking junior to or on a
parity with the Preferred Stock as to dividends or distributions of assets upon
liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company be redeemed, purchased or
otherwise acquired for any consideration (or any moneys be paid to or made
available for a sinking fund for the redemption of any shares of any such stock)
by the Company (except by conversion into or exchange for stock of the Company
ranking junior to the Preferred Stock as to dividends and distributions of
assets upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company) unless, in
each case, the full dividends on each series of the Preferred Stock shall have
been paid or declared and set aside for payment. No interest, or sum of money in
lieu of interest, shall be payable in respect of any dividend payment or
payments on any series of the Preferred Stock which may be in arrears.
 
REDEMPTION AND REPURCHASE
 
    A series of the Preferred Stock may be redeemable, in whole or in part, at
the option of the Company, may be subject to mandatory redemption pursuant to a
sinking fund or otherwise, or may be subject to repurchase by the Company at the
option of the holders, in each case upon terms, at the times and at the prices
set forth in the Prospectus Supplement relating to such series. Preferred Stock
redeemed by the Company will be restored to the status of authorized but
unissued Preferred Stock.
 
    The Prospectus Supplement relating to a series of the Preferred Stock which
is subject to mandatory redemption will specify the number of shares of such
series of the Preferred Stock which shall be redeemed by the Company in each
year commencing after a date to be specified, at a redemption price per share to
be specified, together with an amount equal to all accrued and unpaid dividends
thereon to the date of redemption. The redemption price may be payable in cash
or other property, as specified in the Prospectus Supplement relating to such
series of the Preferred Stock. If the redemption price is payable only from the
net proceeds of the issuance of capital stock of the Company, the terms of such
series may provide that, if no such capital stock shall have been issued or to
the extent the net proceeds from any issuance are insufficient to pay in full
the aggregate redemption price then due, the applicable shares of such series of
the Preferred Stock shall automatically and mandatorily be converted into shares
of the applicable capital stock of the Company pursuant to conversion provisions
specified in the Prospectus Supplement relating to such series of the Preferred
Stock.
 
    If fewer than all of the outstanding shares of any series of the Preferred
Stock are to be redeemed, the number of shares to be redeemed will be determined
by the Board of Directors of the Company and such shares shall be redeemed pro
rata from the holders of record of such shares in proportion to the number of
such shares held by such holders (with adjustments to avoid redemption of
fractional shares).
 
    Notwithstanding the foregoing, if any dividends, including any accumulation,
on Preferred Stock of any series are in arrears, no Preferred Stock of such
series shall be redeemed unless all outstanding Preferred Stock of such series
are simultaneously redeemed, and the Company shall not purchase or otherwise
acquire any Preferred Stock of such series; provided, however, that the
foregoing shall not prevent the purchase or acquisition of Preferred Stock of
such series pursuant to a purchase or exchange offer provided such offer is made
on the same terms to all holders of such series of the Preferred Stock.
 
    Notice of redemption shall be given by mailing the same to each record
holder of the shares to be redeemed, not less than 30 nor more than 60 days
prior to the date fixed for redemption thereof, to the respective addresses of
such holders as the same shall appear on the stock books of the Company. Each
 
                                       28
<PAGE>
such notice shall state (i) the redemption date; (ii) the number of shares and
series of the Preferred Stock to be redeemed; (iii) the redemption price; (iv)
the place or places where certificates for such Preferred Stock are to be
surrendered for payment of the redemption price; (v) that dividends on the
shares to be redeemed will cease to accrue on such redemption date; and (vi) the
date upon which the holder's conversion rights as to such shares, if any, shall
terminate. If fewer than all shares of any series of the Preferred Stock held by
any holder are to be redeemed, the notice mailed to such holder shall also
specify the number of shares to be redeemed from such holder.
 
    If notice of redemption has been given, from and after the redemption date
for the shares of the series of the Preferred Stock called for redemption
(unless default shall be made by the Company in providing money for the payment
of the redemption price of the shares so called for redemption), dividends on
the Preferred Stock so called for redemption shall cease to accrue and such
shares shall no longer be deemed to be outstanding, and all rights of the
holders thereof as shareholders of the Company (except the right to receive the
redemption price) shall cease. Upon surrender in accordance with such notice of
the certificates representing any shares so redeemed (properly endorsed or
assigned for transfer, if the Board of Directors of the Company shall so require
and the notice shall so state), the redemption price set forth above shall be
paid out of funds provided by the Company. If fewer than all of the shares
represented by any such certificate are redeemed, a new certificate shall be
issued representing the unredeemed shares without cost to the holder thereof.
 
CONVERSION OR EXCHANGE
 
    The Prospectus Supplement relating to a series of the Preferred Stock which
is convertible or exchangeable will state the terms on which shares of that
series are convertible into or exchangeable for shares of Common Stock, another
series of Preferred Stock or Debt Securities.
 
RIGHTS UPON LIQUIDATION
 
    In the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or
winding up of the Company, the holders of shares of each series of the Preferred
Stock and any other Preferred Stock ranking on a parity with such series of
Preferred Stock as to the distribution of assets upon liquidation, dissolution
or winding up of the Company will be entitled to receive out of the assets of
the Company available for distribution to shareholders, before any distribution
of assets is made to holders of the Common Stock or any other class or series of
stock of the Company ranking junior to such series of the Preferred Stock as to
such distribution, liquidation distributions in the amount set forth in the
Prospectus Supplement relating to such series of the Preferred Stock plus an
amount equal to the sum of all accrued and unpaid dividends (whether or not
earned or declared) for the then current dividend period and, if such series of
the Preferred Stock is cumulative, for all dividend periods prior thereto. Such
right shall, however, be subject to the preferential rights, if any, of holders
of any capital stock of the Company ranking prior to such series of the
Preferred Stock as to the distribution of assets upon liquidation, dissolution
or winding up of the Company. Unless otherwise provided in the applicable
Prospectus Supplement, neither the sale of all or substantially all of the
property and assets of the Company, nor the merger or consolidation of the
Company into or with any other corporation nor the merger or consolidation of
any other corporation into or with the Company, shall be deemed to be a
dissolution, liquidation or winding up. If, upon any voluntary or involuntary
liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company, the assets of the Company
available for distribution to the holders of the Preferred Stock of any series
and any other shares of stock of the Company ranking as to any such distribution
on a parity with such series of the Preferred Stock shall be insufficient to pay
in full all amounts to which such holders are entitled, no such distribution
shall be made on account of any shares of any other series of the Preferred
Stock or other securities of the Company ranking as to any such distribution on
a parity with the Preferred Stock of such series upon such dissolution,
liquidation or winding up unless proportionate distributive amounts shall be
paid on account of the Preferred Stock of such series, ratably, in proportion to
the full distributive amounts for which holders of all such parity shares are
respectively entitled upon such dissolution, liquidation or winding up. After
payment of the full amount of the liquidation distribution to which they are
entitled, the holders of such series of the Preferred Stock will have no right
or claim to any of the remaining assets of the Company.
 
                                       29
<PAGE>
VOTING RIGHTS
 
    Except as indicated below or in the Prospectus Supplement relating to a
particular series of the Preferred Stock, or except as expressly required by the
Minnesota Business Corporation Act, the holders of the Preferred Stock will not
be entitled to vote. In the event the Company issues shares of a series of the
Preferred Stock, unless otherwise indicated in the Prospectus Supplement
relating to such series, each share will be entitled to one vote on matters on
which holders of such series are entitled to vote. However, as more fully
described under "Description of Depositary Shares," if the Company elects to
provide for the issuance of Depositary Shares representing fractional interests
in a share of a series of Preferred Stock, the holders of each such Depositary
Share will, in effect, be entitled through the Depositary to such fraction of a
vote, rather than a full vote. In the case of any series of Preferred Stock
having one vote per share on matters on which holders of such series are
entitled to vote, the voting power of such series, on matters on which holders
of such series and holders of any other series of Preferred Stock are entitled
to vote as a single class, will depend on the number of shares in such series,
not the aggregate stated value, liquidation preference or initial offering price
of the shares of such series of the Preferred Stock.
 
    A series of the Preferred Stock may also have other voting rights -- for
example, upon the occurrence of certain events or relative to the taking of
certain actions. Any such special voting rights will be set forth in the
Prospectus Supplement relating to such series of Preferred Stock.
 
                        DESCRIPTION OF DEPOSITARY SHARES
 
    The description set forth below and in any Prospectus Supplement of certain
provisions of the Deposit Agreement (as defined below) and of the Depositary
Shares and Depositary Receipts does not purport to be complete and is subject to
and qualified in its entirety by reference to the Deposit Agreement and
Depositary Receipts relating to each series of the Preferred Stock which will be
filed or incorporated by reference as exhibits to the Registration Statement to
which this Prospectus pertains.
 
GENERAL
 
    The Company may, at its option, elect to offer fractional interests in
Preferred Stock, rather than full Preferred Stock. In the event such option is
exercised, the Company will provide for the issuance by a Depositary to the
public of Depositary Receipts evidencing Depositary Shares, each of which will
represent a fractional interest (to be set forth in the Prospectus Supplement
relating to a particular series of the Preferred Stock) in a share of a
particular series of the Preferred Stock as described below.
 
    The shares of any series of the Preferred Stock underlying the Depositary
Shares will be deposited under a separate deposit agreement (the "Deposit
Agreement") between the Company and a bank or trust company selected by the
Company having its principal office in the United States and having a combined
capital and surplus of at least $50,000,000 (the "Depositary"). The Prospectus
Supplement relating to a series of Depositary Shares will set forth the name and
address of the Depositary. Subject to the terms of the Deposit Agreement, each
owner of a Depositary Share will be entitled, in proportion to the applicable
fractional interest in a Preferred Share underlying such Depositary Share, to
all the rights and preferences of the Preferred Stock underlying such Depositary
Share (including dividend, voting, redemption, conversion and liquidation
rights).
 
    Pending the preparation of definitive Depositary Receipts, the Depositary
may, upon the written order of the Company, issue temporary Depositary Receipts
substantially identical to (and entitling the holders thereof to all the rights
pertaining to) the definitive Depositary Receipts but not in definitive form.
Definitive Depositary Receipts will be prepared thereafter without unreasonable
delay, and temporary Depositary Receipts will be exchangeable for definitive
Depositary Receipts at the Company's expense.
 
WITHDRAWAL OF PREFERRED STOCK
 
    Upon surrender of the Depositary Receipts at the principal corporate trust
office of the Depositary (unless the related Depositary Shares have previously
been called for redemption), the owner of the Depositary Shares evidenced
thereby is entitled to delivery at such office, to or upon his order, of the
number of Preferred Stock and any money or other property represented by such
Depositary Shares.
 
                                       30
<PAGE>
Partial Preferred Stock will not be issued. If the Depositary Receipts delivered
by the holder evidence a number of Depositary Shares in excess of the number of
Depositary Shares representing the number of whole Preferred Stock to be
withdrawn, the Depositary will deliver to such holder at the same time a new
Depositary Receipt evidencing such excess number of Depositary Shares. Holders
of Preferred Stock thus withdrawn will not thereafter be entitled to deposit
such shares under the Deposit Agreement or to receive Depositary Shares
therefor. No assurance can be given that a market will exist for the withdrawn
Preferred Stock.
 
DIVIDENDS AND OTHER DISTRIBUTIONS
 
    The Depositary will distribute all cash dividends or other cash
distributions received in respect of the Preferred Stock. less any taxes
required to be withheld therefrom, to the record holders of Depositary Shares
relating to such Preferred Stock in proportion to the numbers of such Depositary
Shares owned by such holders on the relevant record date. The Depositary shall
distribute only such amount, however, as can be distributed without attributing
to any holder of Depositary Shares a fraction of one cent, and any balance not
so distributed shall be added to and treated as part of the next sum received by
the Depositary for distribution to record holders of Depositary Shares.
 
    In the event of a distribution other than in cash, the Depositary will
distribute property received by it to the record holders of Depositary Shares
entitled thereto, unless the Depositary determines that it is not feasible to
make such distribution, in which case the Depositary may, with the approval of
the Company, sell such property and distribute the net proceeds from such sale
to such holders.
 
    The Deposit Agreement will also contain provisions relating to the manner in
which any subscription or similar rights offered by the Company to holders of
the Preferred Stock shall be made available to holders of Depositary Shares.
 
REDEMPTION AND REPURCHASE OF DEPOSITED PREFERRED STOCK
 
    If a series of the Preferred Stock underlying the Depositary Shares is
subject to redemption at the option of the Company, the Depositary Shares will
be redeemed from the proceeds received by the Depositary resulting from the
redemption, in whole or in part, of such series of the Preferred Stock held by
the Depositary. The Depositary shall mail notice of redemption not less than 30
and not more than 60 days prior to the date fixed for redemption to the record
holders of the Depositary Shares to be so redeemed at their respective addresses
appearing in the Depositary's books. The redemption price per Depositary Share
will be equal to the applicable fraction of the redemption price per share
payable with respect to such series of the Preferred Stock. Whenever the Company
redeems Preferred Stock held by the Depositary, the Depositary will redeem as of
the same redemption date the number of Depositary Shares relating to the
Preferred Stock so redeemed. If less than all the Depositary Shares are to be
redeemed, the Depositary Shares to be redeemed will be selected by lot or pro
rata as may be determined by the Company.
 
    After the date fixed for redemption, the Depositary Shares so called for
redemption will no longer be deemed to be outstanding and all rights of the
holders of the Depositary Shares will cease, except the right to receive the
moneys payable upon such redemption and any money or other property to which the
holders of such Depositary Shares were entitled upon such redemption upon
surrender to the Depositary of the Depositary Receipts evidencing such
Depositary Shares.
 
    Depositary Shares, as such, are not subject to repurchase by the Company at
the option of the holders. Nevertheless, if the Preferred Stock represented by
Depositary Shares are subject to repurchase at the option of the holders, the
related Depositary Receipts may be surrendered by the holders thereof to the
Depositary with written instructions to the Depositary to instruct the Company
to repurchase the Preferred Stock represented by the Depositary Shares evidenced
by such Depositary Receipts at the applicable repurchase price specified in the
related Prospectus Supplement. The Company, upon receipt of such instructions
and subject to the Company having funds legally available therefor, will
repurchase the requisite whole number of such Preferred Stock from the
Depositary, who in turn will repurchase such
 
                                       31
<PAGE>
Depositary Receipts. Notwithstanding the foregoing, holders shall only be
entitled to request the repurchase of Depositary Shares representing one or more
whole shares of the related Preferred Stock. The repurchase price per Depositary
Share will be equal to the repurchase price and any other amounts per share
payable with respect to the Preferred Stock multiplied by the fraction of a
Preferred Share represented by one Depositary Share. If the Depositary Shares
evidenced by a Depositary Receipt are to be repurchased in part only, one or
more new Depositary Receipts will be issued for any Depositary Shares not to be
repurchased.
 
VOTING OF DEPOSITED PREFERRED STOCK
 
    Upon receipt of notice of any meeting at which the holders of the Preferred
Stock are entitled to vote, the Depositary will mail the information contained
in such notice of meeting to the record holders of the Depositary Shares
relating to such Preferred Stock. Each record holder of such Depositary Shares
on the record date (which will be the same date as the record date for the
Preferred Stock) will be entitled to instruct the Depositary as to the exercise
of the voting rights pertaining to the number of shares of Preferred Stock
underlying such holder's Depositary Shares. The Depositary will endeavor,
insofar as practicable, to vote the number of Preferred Stock underlying such
Depositary Shares in accordance with such instructions, and the Company will
agree to take all action which may be deemed necessary by the Depositary in
order to enable the Depositary to do so. The Depositary will abstain from voting
Preferred Stock to the extent it does not receive specific instructions from the
holders of Depositary Shares relating to such Preferred Stock.
 
CONVERSION AND EXCHANGE OF DEPOSITED PREFERRED STOCK
 
    If the Preferred Stock represented by Depositary Shares are exchangeable at
the option of the Company for other Securities, then, whenever the Company
exercises its option to exchange all or a portion of such Preferred Stock held
by the Depositary, the Depositary will exchange as of the same exchange date a
number of such Depositary Shares representing the Preferred Stock so exchanged,
provided the Company shall have issued and deposited with the Depositary the
Securities for which such Preferred Stock are to be exchanged. The exchange rate
per Depositary Share shall be equal to the exchange rate per Preferred Share
multiplied by the fraction of a Preferred Share represented by one Depositary
Share. If less than all of the Depositary Shares are to be exchanged, the
Depositary Shares to be exchanged will be selected by the Depositary by lot or
pro rata or other equitable method, in each case as may be determined by the
Company. If the Depositary Shares evidenced by a Depositary Receipt are to be
exchanged in part only, a new Depositary Receipt or Receipts will be issued for
any Depositary Shares not to be exchanged.
 
    Depositary Shares, as such, are not convertible or exchangeable at the
option of the holders into other Securities or property. Nevertheless, if the
Preferred Stock represented by Depositary Shares are convertible into or
exchangeable for other Securities at the option of the holders, the related
Depositary Receipts may be surrendered by holders thereof to the Depositary with
written instructions to the Depositary to instruct the Company to cause
conversion or exchange, as the case may be, of the Preferred Stock represented
by the Depositary Shares evidenced by such Depositary Receipts into a whole
number of shares of Common Stock or Preferred Stock, a whole number of Common
Stock Warrants or Debt Securities in authorized denominations, as specified in
the related Prospectus Supplement. The Company, upon receipt of such
instructions, will cause the conversion or exchange, as the case may be, and
delivery to the holders such number of whole shares of Common Stock or Preferred
Stock, whole number of Common Stock Warrants, or principal amount of Debt
Securities in authorized denominations (and cash in lieu of any fractional
Security). The exchange or conversion rate per Depositary Share shall be equal
to the exchange or conversion rate per Preferred Share multiplied by the
fraction of a Preferred Share represented by one Depositary Share. If the
Depositary Shares evidenced by a Depositary Receipt are to be converted or
exchanged in part only, a new Depositary Receipt or Receipts will be issued for
any Depositary Shares not to be converted or exchanged.
 
                                       32
<PAGE>
TAXATION
 
    Owners of Depositary Shares will be treated for federal income tax purposes
as if they were owners of the Preferred Stock represented by such Depositary
Shares and, accordingly, will be entitled to take into account for federal
income tax purposes income and deductions to which they would be entitled if
they were holders of such Preferred Stock. In addition, (i) no gain or loss will
be recognized for federal income tax purposes upon the withdrawal of Preferred
Stock in exchange for Depositary Shares as provided in the Deposit Agreement,
(ii) the tax basis of each Preferred Share to an exchanging owner of Depositary
Shares will, upon such exchange, be the same as the aggregate tax basis of the
Depositary Shares exchanged therefor, and (iii) the holding period for the
Preferred Stock in the hands of an exchanging owner of Depositary Shares who
held such Depositary Shares as a capital asset at the time of the exchange
thereof for Preferred Stock will include the period during which such person
owned such Depositary Shares.
 
AMENDMENT AND TERMINATION OF THE DEPOSITARY AGREEMENT
 
    The form of Depositary Receipt evidencing the Depositary Shares and any
provision of the Deposit Agreement may at any time be amended by agreement
between the Company and the Depositary. However, any amendment which materially
and adversely alters the rights of the existing holders of Depositary Shares
will not be effective unless such amendment has been approved by the record
holders of at least a majority of the Depositary Shares then outstanding. A
Deposit Agreement may be terminated by the Company or the Depositary only if (i)
all outstanding Depositary Shares relating thereto have been redeemed or (ii)
there has been a final distribution in respect of the Preferred Stock of the
relevant series in connection with any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of
the Company and such distribution has been distributed to the holders of the
related Depositary Shares.
 
CHARGES OF DEPOSITARY
 
    The Company will pay all transfer and other taxes and governmental charges
arising solely from the existence of the depositary arrangements. The Company
will pay charges of the Depositary in connection with the initial deposit of the
Preferred Stock and any redemption of the Preferred Stock. Holders of Depositary
Shares will pay other transfer and other taxes and governmental charges and such
other charges as are expressly provided in the Deposit Agreement to be for their
accounts.
 
MISCELLANEOUS
 
    The Depositary will forward to the holders of Depositary Shares all reports
and communications from the Company which are delivered to the Depositary and
which the Company is required to furnish to the holders of the Preferred Stock.
 
    Neither the Depositary nor the Company will be liable if it is prevented or
delayed by law or any circumstance beyond its control in performing its
obligations under the Deposit Agreement. The obligations of the Company and the
Depositary under the Deposit Agreement will be limited to performance in good
faith of their duties thereunder and they will not be obligated to prosecute or
defend any legal proceeding in respect of any Depositary Shares or Preferred
Stock unless satisfactory indemnity is furnished. They may rely upon written
advice of counsel or accountants, or information provided by persons presenting
Preferred Stock for deposit, holders of Depositary Shares or other persons
believed to be competent and on documents believed to be genuine.
 
RESIGNATION AND REMOVAL OF DEPOSITARY
 
    The Depositary may resign at any time by delivering to the Company notice of
its election to do so, and the Company may at any time remove the Depositary,
any such resignation or removal to take effect upon the appointment of a
successor Depositary and its acceptance of such appointment. Such successor
Depositary must be appointed within 60 days after delivery of the notice of
resignation or removal and must be a bank or trust company having its principal
office in the United States and having a combined capital and surplus of at
least $50,000,000.
 
                                       33
<PAGE>
                          DESCRIPTION OF COMMON STOCK
 
GENERAL
 
    As of September 30, 1996, 33,003,889 shares of Common Stock were
outstanding. An aggregate of 65,846,111 undesignated shares, $.01 par value,
remain authorized and unissued. Such shares may be issued as Common Stock or may
be issued as such other class (including as Preferred Stock, as described above)
or series and with such other rights and preferences as the Board of Directors
may determine. As of September 30, 1996, an aggregate of 9,369,665 of such
authorized, unissued shares have been reserved for issuance as Common Stock upon
the exercise of stock options, warrants or other rights granted, including
shares reserved for issuance as Common Stock upon conversion of the 8% Preferred
Stock, all of which was converted or redeemed on or before December 2, 1996.
Subject to any prior rights of any Preferred Stock then outstanding, holders of
the Common Stock are entitled to receive such dividends as are declared by the
Board of Directors of the Company out of funds legally available therefor.
Subject to the rights, if any, of any Preferred Stock then outstanding, all
voting rights are vested in the holders of Common Stock, each share being
entitled to one vote. Subject to any prior rights of any such Preferred Stock,
in the event of liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company, holders
of shares of Common Stock are entitled to receive pro rata any assets
distributable to stockholders in respect of shares held by them. Holders of
shares of Common Stock do not have any preemptive right to subscribe for any
additional securities which may be issued by the Company. The outstanding shares
of Common Stock are fully paid and nonassessable. The transfer agent and
registrar for the Common Stock is Norwest Bank Minnesota, National Association,
South St. Paul, Minnesota.
 
SHAREHOLDER RIGHTS PLAN
 
    Each share of Common Stock has one Preferred Stock Purchase Right ("Right")
attached. Each whole Right entitles the holder to buy one one-hundredth of a
share of the Company's Class A Preferred Stock at an initial per share price of
$90 (subject to adjustment). The Rights will only become exercisable ten days
after a person or group becomes an "Acquiring Person" by acquiring beneficial
ownership of 15% or more of the outstanding Common Stock or announcing a tender
or exchange offer for 15% or more of the Common Stock, subject to certain
exceptions. If the Rights become exercisable, a holder will generally be
entitled to acquire Common Stock having a value equal to twice the Right's
exercise price. If the Company is acquired in a merger or other business
combination transaction, or 50% or more of its assets or earning power is sold,
mortgaged or transferred, each Right will entitle its holder to purchase, at the
Right's exercise price, that number of shares of the acquiring company's common
stock having a then current market value of twice the Right's exercise price.
Until a Right is exercised, the holder thereof, as such, will have no rights as
a shareholder of the Company, including, without limitation, the right to vote
or to receive dividends.
 
    At any time after the Rights become exercisable, the Board of Directors may
exchange the Rights, in whole or in part, at an exchange ratio of one share of
Common Stock per Right, subject to adjustment. In addition, after the
acquisition by an "Acquiring Person" of 15% or more of the outstanding Common
Stock but prior to the tenth day following the acquisition, the Board of
Directors will be entitled to redeem the Rights, upon approval of a majority of
the "Continuing Directors" of the Company, at $.01 per Right. The Rights will
expire at the close of business on October 28, 2006 if not previously redeemed
or exercised.
 
    The Rights have certain anti-takover effects. The Rights will cause
substantial dilution to a person or group that attempts to acquire the Company
unless the offer is conditional on a substantial number of Rights being
acquired. The Rights, however, should not affect any prospective offeror willing
to make an offer at an equitable price and which is otherwise in the best
interests of the Company and its shareholders, as determined by the Board of
Directors. The Rights should not interfere with any merger or other business
combination approved by the Board of Directors since the Board of Directors may,
at its option, redeem the Rights at any time prior to the tenth day following an
"Acquiring Person's" acquisition of 15% or more of the outstanding Common Stock.
 
                                       34
<PAGE>
    The foregoing summary of certain terms of the Rights is qualified in its
entirety by reference to the Rights Agreement, a copy of which is incorporated
by reference as an exhibit to the Registration Statement.
 
MINNESOTA ANTI-TAKEOVER LAWS
 
    The Company is governed by the provisions of Sections 302A.671 and 302A.673
of the Minnesota Business Corporation Act, which provisions may operate to
discourage a negotiated acquisition or unsolicited takeover of the Company and
thereby deprive the then current shareholders of the ability to sell their
shares at a premium over the market price. In general, Section 302A.671 provides
that the shares of a corporation acquired in a "control share acquisition" have
no voting rights unless voting rights are approved in a prescribed manner. A
"control share acquisition" is an acquisition, directly or indirectly, of
beneficial ownership of shares that would, when added to all other shares
beneficially owned by the acquiring person, entitle the acquiring person to have
voting power of 20% or more in the election of directors. In general, Section
302A.673 prohibits a public Minnesota corporation from engaging in a "business
combination" with an "interested shareholder" for a period of four years after
the date of the transaction in which the person became an interested
shareholder, unless the business combination is approved in a prescribed manner.
"Business combination" includes mergers, asset sales and other transactions
resulting in a financial benefit to the interested shareholder. An "interested
shareholder" is a person who is the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of
10% or more of the corporation's voting stock or who is an affiliate or
associate of the corporation and at any time within four years prior to the date
in question was the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of 10% or more of
the corporation's voting stock.
 
    In the event of certain tender offers for stock of the Company, Section
302A.675 of the Minnesota Business Corporation Act precludes the tender offeror
from acquiring additional shares of stock (including acquisitions pursuant to
mergers, consolidations or statutory share exchanges) within two years following
the completion of such an offer unless the selling shareholders are given the
opportunity to sell the shares on terms that are substantially equivalent to
those contained in the earlier tender offer. The section does not apply if a
committee of the Board consisting of all of its disinterested directors
(excluding present and former officers of the corporation) approves the
subsequent acquisition before shares are acquired pursuant to the earlier tender
offer.
 
                       DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES WARRANTS
 
    The Company may issue Securities Warrants for the purchase of Debt
Securities, Preferred Stock or Common Shares. Securities Warrants may be issued
independently or together with other Securities offered by any Prospectus
Supplement and may be attached to or separate from such other Securities. Each
series of Securities Warrants will be issued under a separate warrant agreement
(a "Securities Warrant Agreement") to be entered into between the Company and a
bank or trust company, as Securities Warrant Agent, all as set forth in the
Prospectus Supplement relating to the particular issue of offered Securities
Warrants. The Securities Warrant Agent will act solely as an agent of the
Company in connection with the Securities Warrant Certificates and will not
assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust for or with any holders
of Securities Warrant Certificates or beneficial owners of Securities Warrants.
Copies of the forms of Securities Warrant Agreements, including the forms of
Securities Warrant Certificates representing the Securities Warrants, will be
filed or incorporated by reference as exhibits to the Registration Statement to
which this Prospectus pertains. The following summaries of certain provisions of
the forms of Securities Warrant Agreements and Securities Warrant Certificates
do not purport to be complete and are subject to, and are qualified in their
entirety by reference to, all the provisions of the Securities Warrant
Agreements and the Securities Warrant Certificates.
 
GENERAL
 
    If Securities Warrants are offered, the applicable Prospectus Supplement
will describe the terms of such Securities Warrants, including, in the case of
Securities Warrants for the purchase of Debt Securities, the following where
applicable: (i) the offering price; (ii) the Currencies in which such Securities
Warrants are being offered; (iii) the designation, aggregate principal amount,
Currencies, denominations and terms
 
                                       35
<PAGE>
of the series of Debt Securities purchasable upon exercise of such Securities
Warrants; (iv) the designation and terms of any series of Securities with which
such Securities Warrants are being offered and the number of such Securities
Warrants being offered with each such Security; (v) the date on and after which
such Securities Warrants and the related series of Securities will be
transferable separately; (vi) the principal amount of the series of Debt
Securities purchasable upon exercise of each such Securities Warrant and the
price at which and Currencies in which such principal amount of Debt Securities
of such series may be purchased upon such exercise; (vii) the date on which the
right to exercise such Securities Warrants shall commence and the date (the
"Expiration Date") on which such right shall expire; (viii) whether the
Securities Warrants will be issued in registered or bearer form; (ix) a
discussion of any material United States federal income tax consequences; and
(x) any other terms of such Securities Warrants.
 
    In the case of Securities Warrants for the purchase of Preferred Stock or
Common Stock, the applicable Prospectus Supplement will describe the terms of
such Securities Warrants, including the following where applicable: (i) the
offering price; (ii) the aggregate number of shares purchasable upon exercise of
such Securities Warrants and, in the case of Securities Warrants for Preferred
Stock, the designation, aggregate number and terms of the series of Preferred
Stock purchasable upon exercise of such Securities Warrants; (iii) the
designation and terms of the series of Securities with which such Securities
Warrants are being offered and the number of such Securities Warrants being
offered with each such Security; (iv) the date on and after which such
Securities Warrants and the related series of Securities will be transferable
separately; (v) the number of Preferred Stock or shares of Common Stock
purchasable upon exercise of each such Securities Warrant and the price at which
such number of Preferred Stock or shares of Common Stock may be purchased upon
each exercise; (vi) the date on which the right to exercise such Securities
Warrants shall commence and the expiration date thereof; (vii) a discussion of
any material United States federal income tax consequences; and (viii) any other
terms of such Securities Warrants. Securities Warrants for the purchase of
Preferred Stock or Common Stock will be offered and exercisable for U.S. dollars
only and will be in registered form only.
 
    Securities Warrant Certificates may be exchanged for new Securities Warrant
Certificates of different denominations, may (if in registered form) be
presented for registration of transfer and may be exercised at the corporate
trust office of the Securities Warrant Agent or any other office indicated in
the applicable Prospectus Supplement. Prior to the exercise of any Securities
Warrant to purchase Debt Securities, holders of such Securities Warrants will
not have any of the rights of holders of the Debt Securities purchasable upon
such exercise, including the right to receive payments of principal of, premium,
if any, or interest, if any, on the Debt Securities purchasable upon such
exercise or to enforce covenants in the applicable indenture. Prior to the
exercise of any Securities Warrants to purchase Preferred Stock or Common Stock,
holders of such Securities Warrants will not have any rights of holders of the
Preferred Stock or Common Stock purchasable upon such exercise, including the
right to receive payments of dividends, if any, on the Preferred Stock,
Depositary Shares or Common Stock purchasable upon such exercise or to exercise
any applicable right to vote.
 
EXERCISE OF SECURITIES WARRANTS
 
    Each Securities Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to purchase such
principal amount of Debt Securities or number of Preferred Stock or shares of
Common Stock, as the case may be, at such exercise price as shall in each case
be set forth in, or calculable from, the Prospectus Supplement relating to the
offered Securities Warrants. After the close of business on the Expiration Date
(or such later date to which such Expiration Date may be extended by the
Company), unexercised Securities Warrants will become void.
 
    Securities Warrants may be exercised by delivering to the Securities Warrant
Agent payment as provided in the applicable Prospectus Supplement of the amount
required to purchase the Debt Securities, Preferred Stock or Common Stock, as
the case may be, purchasable upon such exercise together with certain
information set forth on the reverse side of the Securities Warrant Certificate.
Securities Warrants will be deemed to have been exercised upon receipt of
payment of the exercise price, subject to the receipt of the Securities Warrant
Certificate evidencing such Securities Warrants. Upon receipt of such payment
and the Securities Warrant Certificate properly completed and duly executed at
the corporate trust office
 
                                       36
<PAGE>
of the Securities Warrant Agent or any other office indicated in the applicable
Prospectus Supplement, the Company will, as soon as practicable, issue and
deliver the Debt Securities, Preferred Stock or Common Stock, as the case may
be, purchasable upon exercise. If fewer than all of the Securities Warrants
represented by such Securities Warrant Certificate are exercised, a new
Securities Warrant Certificate will be issued for the remaining amount of
Securities Warrants.
 
AMENDMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTS TO SECURITIES WARRANT AGREEMENTS
 
    The Securities Warrant Agreements may be amended or supplemented without the
consent of the holders of the Securities Warrants issued thereunder to effect
changes that are not inconsistent with the provisions of the Securities Warrants
and that do not adversely affect the interests of the holders of the Securities
Warrants.
 
COMMON STOCK WARRANT ADJUSTMENTS
 
    The exercise price of, and the number of shares of Common Stock covered by,
a Common Stock Warrant are subject to adjustment in certain events, including
(i) the issuance of capital stock as a dividend or distribution on the Common
Stock; (ii) subdivisions and combinations of the Common Stock; (iii) the
issuance to all holders of Common Stock of certain rights or warrants entitling
them to subscribe for or purchase Common Stock within 45 days after the date
fixed for the determination of the stockholders entitled to receive such rights
or warrants, at less than the current market price (as defined in the Warrant
Agreement for such series of Common Stock Warrants); (iv) the distribution to
all holders of Common Stock of evidences of indebtedness or assets of the
Company (excluding certain cash dividends and distributions described below) or
rights or warrants (excluding those referred to above). In the event that the
Company shall distribute any rights or warrants to acquire capital stock
pursuant to clause (iv) above (the "Capital Stock Rights"), pursuant to which
separate certificates representing such Capital Stock Rights will be distributed
subsequent to the initial distribution of such Capital Stock Rights (whether or
not such distribution shall have occurred prior to the date of the issuance of a
series of Common Stock Warrants), such subsequent distribution shall be deemed
to be the distribution of such Capital Stock Rights; provided that the Company
may, in lieu of making any adjustment in the exercise price of and the number of
shares of Common Stock covered by a Common Stock Warrant upon a distribution of
separate certificates representing such Capital Stock Rights, make proper
provision so that each holder of such a Common Stock Warrant who exercises such
Common Stock Warrant (or any portion thereof) (a) before the record date for
such distribution of separate certificates shall be entitled to receive upon
such exercise shares of Common Stock issued with Capital Stock Rights and (b)
after such record date and prior to the expiration, redemption or termination of
such Capital Stock Rights shall be entitled to receive upon such exercise, in
addition to the shares of Common Stock issuable upon such exercise, the same
number of such Capital Stock Rights as would a holder of the number of shares of
Common Stock that such Common Stock Warrant so exercised would have entitled the
holder thereof to acquire in accordance with the terms and provisions applicable
to the Capital Stock Rights if such Common Stock Warrant was exercised
immediately prior to the record date for such distribution. Common Stock owned
by or held for the account of the Company or any majority owned subsidiary shall
not be deemed outstanding for the purpose of any adjustment.
 
    No adjustment in the exercise price of and the number of shares of Common
Stock covered by a Common Stock Warrant will be made for regular quarterly or
other periodic or recurring cash dividends or distributions or for cash
dividends or distributions to the extent paid from retained earnings. No
adjustment will be required unless such adjustment would require a change of at
least 1% in the exercise price then in effect; provided that any such adjustment
not so made will be carried forward and taken into account in any subsequent
adjustment; and provided further that any such adjustment not so made shall be
made no later than three years after the occurrence of the event requiring such
adjustment to be made or carried forward. Except as stated above, the exercise
price of and the number of shares of Common Stock covered by a Common Stock
Warrant will not be adjusted for the issuance of Common Stock or any securities
convertible into or exchangeable for Common Stock, or securities carrying the
right to purchase any of the foregoing.
 
                                       37
<PAGE>
    In the case of (i) a reclassification of or change to the Common Stock,
other than changes in par value, (ii) a consolidation or merger involving the
Company, other than where the Company is the continuing corporation and
reclassification or change, as described in (i) above, is involved or (iii) a
sale or conveyance to another corporation of the property and assets of the
Company as an entirety or substantially as an entirety, the holders of the
Common Stock Warrants then outstanding will be entitled thereafter to convert
such Common Stock Warrants into the kind and amount of shares of stock and other
securities or property which they would have received upon such
reclassification, change, consolidation, merger, sale or conveyance had such
Common Stock Warrants been exercised immediately prior to such reclassification,
change, consolidation, merger, sale or conveyance.
 
                              PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
 
    The Company may offer and sell the Securities in any of three ways: (i)
through agents (ii) through underwriters or dealers, or (iii) directly to one or
more purchasers. The Prospectus Supplement or Prospectus Supplements with
respect to any of the Securities offered thereby will set forth the terms of the
offering of such Securities, including the name or names of any underwriters or
agents, the purchase price of such Securities, the proceeds to the Company from
such sale, any underwriting discounts or agency fees and other items
constituting underwriters' or agents' compensation, the initial public offering
price, any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers, and
any securities exchanges on which such Securities may be listed.
 
    The distribution of the Securities may be effected from time to time in one
or more transactions at a fixed price or prices, which may be changed, at market
prices prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to such prevailing
market prices or at negotiated prices.
 
    If so indicated in the Prospectus Supplement relating to any Securities
offered thereby, the Company will authorize underwriters, dealers and agents to
solicit offers by certain specified institutions to purchase such Securities
from the Company at the public offering price set forth in such Prospectus
Supplement pursuant to delayed delivery contracts providing for payment and
delivery on a specified date in the future. Such contracts will be subject only
to those conditions set forth in such Prospectus Supplement, and such Prospectus
Supplement will set forth the commission payable for solicitation of such
contracts.
 
    Any underwriter, dealer or agent participating in the distribution of an
offering of Securities may be deemed to be an underwriter, and any discounts or
commissions received by it on the sale or resale of Securities may be deemed to
be underwriting discounts and commissions under the Securities Act.
Underwriters, dealers and agents may be entitled, under agreements entered into
with the Company, to indemnification by the Company against certain civil
liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contributions
with respect to payments which the underwriters or agents may be required to
make in respect thereof. Underwriters and agents, and affiliates thereof, may be
customers of, engage in transactions with, or perform services for the Company
and its affiliates in the ordinary course of business.
 
    Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable Prospectus Supplement, all
Securities (other than the Common Stock) will be new issues of securities with
no established trading market. Any underwriters to whom Securities are sold by
the Company for public offering and sale may make a market in such Securities,
but such underwriters will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue any
market making at any time without notice. No assurance can be given concerning
the liquidity of the trading market for any Securities.
 
                             VALIDITY OF SECURITIES
 
    The validity of the Securities will be passed upon for the Company by Dorsey
& Whitney LLP, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
 
                                    EXPERTS
 
    The consolidated financial statements of the Company appearing in the
Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1996 have
been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, independent auditors, as set forth in their
report thereon included therein and incorporated herein by reference. Such
consolidated financial statements are incorporated herein by reference in
reliance upon such report given upon the authority of such firm as experts in
accounting and auditing.
 
                                       38
<PAGE>
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    NO DEALER, SALESPERSON OR OTHER PERSON HAS BEEN AUTHORIZED TO GIVE ANY
INFORMATION OR TO MAKE ANY REPRESENTATIONS NOT CONTAINED IN THIS PROSPECTUS
SUPPLEMENT AND THE ACCOMPANYING PROSPECTUS AND, IF GIVEN OR MADE, SUCH
INFORMATION OR REPRESENTATIONS MUST NOT BE RELIED UPON AS HAVING BEEN AUTHORIZED
BY THE COMPANY OR THE UNDERWRITERS. THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT AND THE
ACCOMPANYING PROSPECTUS DO NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL OR A SOLICITATION OF
AN OFFER TO BUY TO ANY PERSON IN ANY JURISDICTION WHERE SUCH OFFER OR
SOLICITATION IS UNLAWFUL. NEITHER THE DELIVERY OF THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT NOR
THE ACCOMPANYING PROSPECTUS NOR ANY SALE MADE HEREUNDER SHALL, UNDER ANY
CIRCUMSTANCES, CREATE ANY IMPLICATION THAT THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS
CORRECT AS OF ANY TIME SUBSEQUENT TO THE DATE HEREOF.
                                 --------------
 
                               TABLE OF CONTENTS
 
                             PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
 
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                                                               PAGE
<S>                                                           <C>
Prospectus Supplement Summary...............................    S-3
Risk Factors................................................   S-13
Use of Proceeds.............................................   S-16
Price Range of Common Stock and Dividend Policy.............   S-16
Capitalization..............................................   S-17
Selected Consolidated Financial Information.................   S-18
Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
 and Results of Operations..................................   S-20
Business....................................................   S-35
Management..................................................   S-53
Description of Units........................................   S-57
Description of Notes........................................   S-57
Description of Warrants.....................................   S-82
Certain Federal Income Tax Considerations...................   S-84
Description of Other Senior Debt............................   S-87
Underwriting................................................   S-90
Legal Matters...............................................   S-91
Experts.....................................................   S-91
Index to Consolidated Financial Statements..................    F-1
                            PROSPECTUS
 
Available Information.......................................      2
Incorporation of Certain Documents by Reference.............      2
The Company.................................................      4
Risk Factors................................................      5
Use of Proceeds.............................................     11
Ratios of Earnings to Fixed Charges and to Combined Fixed
 Charges and Preferred Stock Dividends......................     11
Description of Debt Securities..............................     12
Description of Senior Debt Securities.......................     16
Description of Subordinated Debt Securities.................     21
Description of Preferred Stock..............................     26
Description of Depositary Shares............................     30
Description of Common Stock.................................     34
Description of Securities Warrants..........................     35
Plan of Distribution........................................     38
Validity of Securities......................................     38
Experts.....................................................     38
</TABLE>
 
                                  $300,000,000
 
                                     [LOGO]
 
                                 300,000 UNITS
                                 CONSISTING OF
                       $300,000,000 11 1/2% SENIOR NOTES
                                    DUE 2007
                                      AND
                              WARRANTS TO PURCHASE
                        2,052,000 SHARES OF COMMON STOCK
                         ------------------------------
 
                             PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
 
                         ------------------------------
 
                          DONALDSON, LUFKIN & JENRETTE
      SECURITIES CORPORATION
 
                               J.P. MORGAN & CO.
 
                            BEAR, STEARNS & CO. INC.
 
                                 MARCH 7, 1997
 
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