Bancorp, Inc. quarterly report, Q2 FY2019

The Bancorp, Inc. — Q2 2019 Form 10-Q

Reporting period: Quarter and six months ended June 30, 2019. Unless noted, amounts are U.S. dollars; financial statement amounts are in millions. Bancorp is a financial holding company whose bank subsidiary focuses on specialty lending and payments, including prepaid cards, ACH and card processing. Results are unaudited.

Financial performance

MetricQ2 2019Q2 2018Six months 2019Six months 2018
Net interest income$34.5$29.5$68.5$59.6
Provision for loan and lease losses$0.6$0.9$2.3$1.6
Non-interest income$19.7$17.0$50.1$46.1
Non-interest expense$39.5$37.3$78.7$76.4
Net income from continuing operations$10.6$6.2$28.0$20.2
Net income, including discontinued operations$11.4$6.1$29.3$20.3
Diluted EPS, including discontinued operations$0.20$0.11$0.51$0.36

Q2 net interest margin was 3.41%, up from 3.11%; the six-month margin was 3.43%, also up from 3.11%. For Q2, average loan yield rose to 5.37% from 4.75%, while the cost of deposits and interest-bearing liabilities rose to 0.96% from 0.59%.

Financial position, liquidity and credit

  • At June 30, total assets were $4.60 billion, total liabilities $4.15 billion and shareholders’ equity $458.1 million. Total assets were $4.44 billion and equity $406.8 million at December 31, 2018.
  • Deposits were $3.99 billion, up $56.0 million from year-end. Loans, net of allowance, were $1.55 billion; commercial loans held for sale were $934.5 million, up $246.0 million from year-end, principally reflecting originations for a planned securitization.
  • Cash and cash equivalents fell to $312.3 million from $554.3 million at year-end. Six-month operating cash flow was negative $248.7 million, principally reflecting loan originations for sale; investing cash flow was negative $94.4 million and financing cash flow positive $101.0 million. The filing reports a $242.0 million net decrease in cash.
  • Borrowings included $45.0 million of short-term borrowings, $41.3 million of long-term borrowings and $13.4 million of subordinated debentures. The company reported $45.0 million outstanding on its FHLB line and none on its $1.15 billion Federal Reserve line. It reported more than $800 million of potential FHLB availability, subject to eligible collateral.
  • Regulatory capital ratios remained above “well-capitalized” thresholds: Bancorp’s Tier 1 leverage ratio was 10.04% and the Bank’s was 9.76%; total risk-based capital ratios were 21.03% and 20.62%, respectively. Management reported a 10.0% company leverage ratio.
  • The allowance for loan and lease losses was $10.0 million, or 0.64% of loans, versus $8.7 million, or 0.58%, at year-end. Non-performing loans were $8.8 million versus $5.5 million at year-end, including $6.5 million non-accrual and $2.4 million at least 90 days past due but still accruing. Six-month net charge-offs were $964,000.

Changes, outlook and notable matters

  • Q2 earnings growth reflected higher loan balances and yields, increased payment fees and lower provision expense. Management cited strong growth in SBLOC/IBLOC, leasing and SBA balances, and attributed some yield improvement to prior Federal Reserve rate increases.
  • Prepaid card and related fees were $15.8 million in Q2, up 12.6%; ACH, card and other payment processing fees were $2.5 million, up 17.7%. Deposit-account service fees fell sharply following the 2018 sale of the safe-harbor IRA portfolio.
  • First-half non-interest income included $10.6 million of gains on commercial loans originated for sale. The first-quarter 2019 CRE5 securitization transferred $518.3 million of loans and produced a reported $10.8 million gain; Bancorp retained certificates initially valued at $41.6 million. Q2 itself recorded a $148,000 net loss on commercial loans originated for sale.
  • Non-interest expense rose 5.9% in Q2. The quarter included $908,000 of lease-termination expense; management expects $2.2 million of future rent savings to more than offset it. Salaries and benefits increased, partly reflecting lending, securitization, technology and incentive costs.
  • No specific full-year earnings or financial guidance is provided. Management cautions that interim results may not indicate full-year results. It planned to continue loan securitizations at roughly six-month intervals and expected a third-quarter 2019 securitization.
  • The bank remains subject to FDIC consent-order requirements, including restrictions on certain new prepaid-card and merchant-related activities pending regulatory approval of a BSA corrective-action report. The Bank cannot pay dividends without prior FDIC approval; the holding company also requires Federal Reserve approval for dividends and certain other actions. These restrictions could constrain growth, funding and holding-company liquidity.
  • Legal and regulatory exposures include an ongoing SEC investigation related to the historical financial-statement restatement, a Florida investor action alleging fraud involving a former borrower (claims totaling $12 million; motion to dismiss pending), and a Delaware qui tam suit alleging prepaid-card balances were not remitted as unclaimed property. The company says it cannot yet determine whether the Delaware matter will have a material adverse effect. It also expects SEC-investigation response costs to remain material at least until the investigation ends.
  • The company was evaluating the expected-credit-loss standard (CECL), effective for it in 2020, and expected adoption to increase the allowance; the amount was not yet determined. Adoption of lease accounting in 2019 added an $18.1 million lease obligation and a $16.4 million right-of-use asset at January 1, without an effect on reported operating results.

Investor verification priorities

  • Assess the sustainability and mix of earnings, especially securitization gains, loan growth, payment-fee growth and rising deposit funding costs.
  • Track the increase in non-performing loans, SBA and lease credit quality, charge-offs, and adequacy of the allowance.
  • Verify liquidity and funding sensitivity: cash declined materially, commitments to fund loans were $1.99 billion, and the majority of deposits are classified as brokered.
  • Monitor regulatory-order compliance, restrictions on growth and dividends, and holding-company cash and ability to service trust preferred interest.
  • Follow outcomes and potential costs of the SEC investigation and pending litigation, as well as the eventual CECL allowance impact.