EXHIBIT 99.1

                   STATEMENT UNDER OATH OF PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE
               OFFICER REGARDING FACTS AND CIRCUMSTANCES RELATING
                             TO EXCHANGE ACT FILINGS

I, Mark E. Speese, state and attest that:

         (1)      To the best of my knowledge, based upon a review of the
                  covered reports of Rent-A-Center, Inc., and, except as
                  corrected or supplemented in a subsequent covered report:

                  o        no covered report contained an untrue statement of a
                           material fact as of the end of the period covered by
                           such report (or in the case of a report on Form 8-K
                           or definitive proxy materials, as of the date on
                           which it was filed); and

                  o        no covered report omitted to state a material fact
                           necessary to make the statements in the covered
                           report, in light of the circumstances under which
                           they were made, not misleading as of the end of the
                           period covered by such report (or in the case of a
                           report on Form 8-K or definitive proxy materials, as
                           of the date on which it was filed).

         (2)      I have reviewed the contents of this statement with the
                  Company's audit committee.

         (3)      In this statement under oath, each of the following, if filed
                  on or before the date of this statement, is a "covered
                  report":

                  o        Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
                           December 31, 2001 of Rent-A-Center, Inc. filed with
                           the Commission;

                  o        all reports on Form 10-Q, all reports on Form 8-K and
                           all definitive proxy materials of Rent-A-Center, Inc.
                           filed with the Commission subsequent to the filing of
                           the Form 10-K identified above; and

                  o        any amendments to any of the foregoing.



         /s/ Mark E. Speese                 Subscribed and sworn to
         ------------------------------     before me this 12th day of
         Mark E. Speese                     August, 2002.
         Chairman of the Board
         and Chief Executive Officer        /s/ Cheryl Hedric
         August 12, 2002                    ------------------------------------
                                            Notary Public

                                            My Commission Expires:
                                            November 28, 2002
                                            ------------------------------------