Portfolio Recovery Associates Appoints Senior Vice President, Human Resources

NORFOLK, VA, Mar 28 (MARKET WIRE) --
Portfolio Recovery Associates, Inc. (NASDAQ: PRAA), a company that
purchases and manages portfolios of defaulted consumer receivables and
provides a broad range of receivables management and payments processing
services, today announced the hiring of Michelle F. Link as senior vice
president, Human Resources. Link is appointed to the newly created role
on the Executive Team effective March 28, 2011.

Reporting to Steve Fredrickson, chairman, president and chief executive
officer of Portfolio Recovery Associates (PRA), Link will oversee all
human resources functions for PRA and its subsidiaries, ensuring that the
business has the people and capabilities in place to implement PRA's
growth strategy. Donna Runyan, vice president, Human Resources, will
report to Link.

"Michelle brings a wealth of experience to the Human Resources executive
position at PRA, and I'm very excited that she's come aboard," said
Fredrickson. "She is the right person in the right position at the right
time at PRA as the company endeavors to move forward effectively both
operationally and organizationally."

Link will provide counsel to align business needs and Human Resources
strategies to support the rapidly growing PRA business. Her duties
include: leadership and employee development; leadership succession;
talent acquisition; planning, development and direction of human
resources policies, procedures and programs; organizational
effectiveness; change management; employee/labor relations; training;
compensation and benefits; worker's compensation; safety and health; and
HR communications, among other responsibilities.

Link has more than 15 years of human resources leadership experience
across the health care services, technology, consulting, and
not-for-profit industries, which includes global,
acquisition/integration, and joint venture experience.

Most recently, she served as vice president, Human Resources for
BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, in Chattanooga. Prior to joining
BlueCross BlueShield, Link was vice president, Human Resources for
Amerigroup Inc. in Virginia Beach from 2004 - 2009. She served in HR
leadership roles at Cigna Inc. and Corning Inc. In addition, Link has
been an HR and management consultant and HR and communication instructor.

Link earned a B.A. degree in Communications, cum laude, from Stonehill
College in Easton, Mass. and an M.A. in Human Resources Management, magna
cum laude, from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio.

About Portfolio Recovery Associates, Inc.
Portfolio Recovery
Associates, Inc. is the parent of companies whose business revolves
around the detection, collection, and processing of both unpaid and
normal-course receivables originally owed to credit grantors,
governments, retailers and others. The Company's primary business is the
purchase, collection and management of portfolios of defaulted consumer
receivables. These are the unpaid obligations of individuals to credit
originators, which include banks, credit unions, consumer and auto
finance companies, and retail merchants. The Company also provides
fee-based services, including collateral-location services for credit
originators via its PRA Location Services, LLC subsidiary; revenue
administration, audit and debt discovery/recovery services for government
entities through its consolidated Government Services subsidiaries; and
class action claims recovery services and related payment processing
through its CCB subsidiary.

Media Contact:
Tanya M. Madison
Vice President, Corporate Communications
Portfolio Recovery Associates, Inc.
tmmadison@portfoliorecovery.com
757-961-3525

Copyright 2011, Market Wire, All rights reserved.

-0-