Resolute Increases Share Repurchase Program by $50 Million

$US

MONTRÉAL, May 29, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - Resolute Forest Products Inc. (NYSE: RFP) (TSX: RFP) today announced that its board of directors has authorized a $50 million increase to the company's existing share repurchase program. 

"Today's announcement gives us another tool to continue to enhance shareholder value," said Richard Garneau, president and chief executive officer. "Share repurchases will complement our ongoing value-creating initiatives to build capacity in markets with future growth opportunities – such as the two new sawmills and the continuous pulp digester project – and upcoming initiatives as we continue to execute on our growth strategy." 

The company is authorized to repurchase additional shares of its outstanding common stock for an aggregate purchase price of up to $83 million under the program, as amended. The program will be funded with cash on hand. 

The company is authorized to repurchase on the open market or in privately negotiated transactions in the U.S. The timing and amount of repurchases will depend on a number of factors, including market conditions as well as corporate and regulatory considerations. The program has no set expiration date and can be suspended, modified or discontinued at any time. The program imposes no obligation to repurchase any amount of common stock. The company intends to make all repurchases in compliance with applicable regulatory guidelines and to administer the plan in accordance with applicable laws, including Rule 10b-18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

About Resolute Forest Products
Resolute Forest Products is a global leader in the forest products industry with a diverse range of products, including newsprint, specialty papers, market pulp and wood products. The company owns or operates some 40 pulp and paper mills and wood products facilities in the United States, Canada and South Korea, and power generation assets in Canada. Marketing its products in close to 80 countries, Resolute has third-party certified 100% of its managed woodlands to at least one of three internationally recognized sustainable forest management standards. The shares of Resolute Forest Products trade under the stock symbol RFP on both the New York Stock Exchange and the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Resolute and other member companies of the Forest Products Association of Canada, as well as a number of environmental organizations, are partners in the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement. The group works to identify solutions to conservation issues that meet the goal of balancing equally the three pillars of sustainability linked to human activities: environmental, social and economic.

Resolute is proud to be ranked by Corporate Knights as one of Canada's Best 50 Corporate Citizens for 2014. In addition, the company and Richard Garneau, president and chief executive officer, have been named to Canada's Clean50. And in January 2015, Resolute was awarded The New Economy magazine's global Clean Tech Award for best forestry and paper solutions.

Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Information
Statements in this press release that are not reported financial results or other historical information of Resolute Forest Products Inc. are "forward-looking statements." They include, for example, statements relating to: the market price of Resolute's stock prevailing from time to time; the nature of investment opportunities presented to Resolute; the company's financial performance and its cash flows from operations, general economic conditions; and strategies for achieving our goals generally. 

These statements, which are not guarantees of future performance, are based on management's current assumptions, beliefs and expectations, all of which involve a number of business risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. These potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, developments in alternative media, which are expected to adversely affect the demand for some of our key products, and the effectiveness of our responses to these developments; the impact of any additional closure costs and long-lived asset impairment or accelerated depreciation charges; the impact of currency fluctuations on our competitive position, selling prices and manufacturing costs; the impact of global economic conditions; intense competition in the forest products industry and our ability to compete effectively; negative publicity, even if unjustified, which could have a negative impact on our brand and the marketability of our products; the highly cyclical nature of the forest products industry, which could impact the prices of and demand for our products which could result in small or negative profit margins, lower sales volumes and curtailment or closure of operations; the impact of contributions to our Canadian pension plans, which could be at levels significantly higher than expected; the impact of the terms of our outstanding indebtedness, which could restrict our current and future operations, particularly our ability to respond to changes and take certain actions; our ability to maintain adequate capital resources to provide for all of our capital requirements, which are substantial; any inability to successfully implement our strategies to increase our earnings power; the impact of changes in laws or regulations, including environmental regulations and liabilities and the impact of future regulation of our Canadian softwood lumber exports to the United States; any difficulties in obtaining wood fiber at favorable prices, or at all; the impact of changes in the cost of purchased energy and other raw materials, which could lead to higher manufacturing costs and reduce our margins; the impact of changes in political or economic conditions in Canada, the United States or other countries in which our products are manufactured or sold; physical and financial risks associated with climate change; the impact of any labor disputes; extreme weather conditions or natural or man-made disasters, which could disrupt our supply chain and delivery of our products; cyber security risks; the impact of acquisitions, divestitures or other strategic transactions we may pursue; and the potential risks and uncertainties set forth under Part I, Item 1A, "Risk Factors," of our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014.

SOURCE Resolute Forest Products Inc.