US Edition The group, which lends to low-income households, said pre-tax profits rose to £128.8m from £115.2m in the year to December 31. That included a maiden profit of £8m from Vanquis Bank, its credit card arm.
Customer numbers were ahead 10.2pc to 2.17m, while revenues increased to £751.2m from £669.2m.
In the core home-lending business, pre-tax profits were up 2.1pc at £126.1m, while bad loan charges were steady. As a percentage of revenues, they were 30.4pc against 29.7pc in 2007.
Peter Crook, chief executive, said: "The group has delivered high quality growth and a stable impairment performance in
a difficult economic environment." He added that a reluctance by mainstream lenders to extend credit, especially in the sub-prime market, had helped bolster the performance by swelling the customer base.
Between 200 and 250 jobs will be created, including more debt collectors and call-centre staff. The group employs 4,000 people on a full-time basis and uses about 11,500 self-employed door-to-door agents.
Ian Poulter, analyst at Teathers, said the results were "a little better" than his forecasts, adding: "The credit quality looks stable and in line with expectations." He maintained a "buy" recommendation on the stock.
Shares in the group rose 17p to 807p . The final dividend, maintained at 38.1p, will be paid on June 19.