Advance America Announces Election of William M. Webster IV as Chairman of Board...

Advance America Announces Election of William M. Webster IV as Chairman of
Board of Directors

SPARTANBURG, S.C., Aug. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Advance America, Cash
Advance Centers, Inc. (NYSE: AEA) announced today that William M. "Billy"
Webster IV has been elected by the Company's Board of Directors as its
Chairman. Mr. Webster succeeds George Dean Johnson, Jr., who has resigned from
the board due to personal reasons and not because of any disagreement with the
Company.
Mr. Webster, Advance America's co-founder, has served as the Company's
Vice Chairman since August 2005. Previously, he served as the Company's Chief
Executive Officer from July 1997 until August 2005 and was the Chairman of the
board from January 2000 until July 2004.
Commenting on his election, Mr. Webster stated: "I am honored to succeed
my friend and co-founder George Johnson as Chairman of Advance America's Board
of Directors. Since 1997, George and I have worked together to execute the
Company's strategy of growth and operational excellence. I look forward to
working closely with our current management team to strengthen our Company's
position in the competitive marketplace and create value for our shareholders.
I continue to believe that consumer need for a payday advance product, offered
in a responsible fashion, exists and is compelling."
Advance America's President and Chief Executive Officer, Ken Compton,
added: "We are fortunate to have someone with Billy's business and political
experience, knowledge of our industry, and history with our Company serving
again as our Chairman. While Advance America has benefited greatly from the
visionary and strong leadership of George Dean Johnson, we respect his
decision to resign. He and Billy Webster founded a fantastic company, and
together they built a business which has created thousands of jobs and
provided a valuable service to millions of Americans."
Commenting on his resignation, Mr. Johnson said: "I appreciate the hard
work of all those who have played a role in Advance America's success since
its inception. I have enjoyed my eleven plus years of service on Advance
America's board and have carefully considered my decision to resign. Advance
America is a wonderful company, and as a shareholder I feel extremely
fortunate that the Company is in good hands under the leadership of our
talented management team and wonderful group of directors led by Ken Compton
and Billy Webster."
About Advance America:
Founded in 1997, Advance America, Cash Advance Centers, Inc. is the
country's leading provider of payday cash advance services with 2,856 centers
and 82 limited licensees in 35 states, the United Kingdom, and Canada. The
Company offers convenient, less-costly credit options to consumers whose needs
are not met by traditional financial institutions. The Company is a founding
member of the Community Financial Services Association of America (CFSA),
whose mission is to promote laws that provide substantive consumer protections
and to encourage responsible industry practices.
Forward-Looking Statements and Information:
Certain statements contained in this release may constitute "forward-
looking statements" within the meaning of federal securities laws. All
statements in this release other than those relating to our historical
information or current condition are forward-looking statements. For example,
any statements regarding our future financial performance, our business
strategy, and expected developments in our industry are forward-looking
statements. Although we believe that the current views and expectations
reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, those views and
expectations and the related statements are inherently subject to risks,
uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are not under our control and
may not even be predictable. Therefore, actual results could differ materially
from our expectations as of today and any future results, performance, or
achievements expressed directly or impliedly by the forward-looking
statements. For a more detailed discussion of some of the factors that may
cause our actual results to differ from our current expectations, please refer
to the "Risk Factors" section of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal
year ended December 31, 2007 and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the
quarter ended March 31, 2008, copies of which are available from the
Securities and Exchange Commission, upon request from us, or by going to our
website: www.advanceamericacash.com .
SOURCE Advance America, Cash Advance Centers, Inc.

Jamie Fulmer of Advance America, Cash Advance Centers, Inc., +1-864-342-5633,
jfulmer@advanceamerica.net