TFS Financial CORP quarterly report, Q3 FY2020

TFS Financial Corporation — Form 10-Q Summary

Reporting period: Fiscal third quarter and nine months ended June 30, 2020. The filing is unaudited. TFS Financial is a retail consumer banking company focused on mortgage lending and deposits, operating principally through Third Federal Savings and Loan Association. Its mutual holding company owned approximately 81% of outstanding shares.

Financial performance and position

MetricThree months ended June 30, 2020Three months ended June 30, 2019Nine months ended June 30, 2020Nine months ended June 30, 2019
Interest and dividend income$110.0 million$121.0 million$349.5 million$359.8 million
Net interest income$62.9 million$65.5 million$192.1 million$201.1 million
Provision (credit) for loan losses$0($2.0 million)$3.0 million($8.0 million)
Non-interest income$15.3 million$5.1 million$36.2 million$14.7 million
Non-interest expense$44.8 million$49.9 million$141.7 million$148.6 million
Net income$26.8 million$18.3 million$69.7 million$58.7 million
Diluted EPS$0.10$0.06$0.25$0.21
Net interest margin1.74%1.90%1.79%1.95%

At June 30, 2020, total assets were $14.83 billion, net loans held for investment were $13.38 billion, deposits were $9.23 billion, borrowed funds were $3.76 billion, and shareholders’ equity was $1.66 billion. Compared with September 30, 2019, assets rose 2%, deposits rose 5%, net loans rose 1%, borrowings declined 4%, and equity declined 2%.

Cash and cash equivalents totaled $329.3 million, up from $275.1 million at September 30, 2019. For the nine months, operating activities provided $91.4 million, investing activities used $197.1 million, and financing activities provided $159.8 million; cash increased $54.1 million. The allowance for loan losses was $45.6 million, or 0.34% of recorded loans, versus $38.9 million, or 0.30%, at September 30, 2019.

Regulatory capital remained strong: the Association reported Tier 1 leverage capital of 10.25% and total risk-based capital of 19.29%; the Company’s Tier 1 leverage ratio was 11.82%. The company reported an average liquidity ratio of 5.41% for the quarter, against a stated minimum target of 5%.

Material changes versus comparable periods

  • Quarterly net income increased 46%, despite a $2.6 million decline in net interest income. Higher gains on loan sales, lower expenses, and a lower effective tax rate supported earnings.
  • Quarterly net gain on loan sales rose to $10.8 million from $0.5 million, reflecting $314.9 million of loan sales and stronger percentage gains in the lower-rate environment. The current-quarter gain included $2.3 million related to loan sales that closed in July.
  • For the nine-month period, net income rose to $69.7 million, supported by higher loan-sale gains, lower expenses, a $4.3 million gain on commercial property sales, and lower income taxes. Net interest income fell 4%.
  • Net interest margin contracted to 1.74% for the quarter and 1.79% for the nine months, from 1.90% and 1.95%, respectively, as asset yields declined faster than funding costs.
  • The nine-month loan-loss provision shifted to an expense of $3.0 million from an $8.0 million credit in the prior-year period. Net recoveries were $3.7 million, compared with $4.9 million.
  • Other comprehensive loss was $76.6 million for the nine months, largely from cash flow hedge valuation changes; total comprehensive loss was $6.9 million despite positive net income.

Outlook, risks, and unusual items

  • COVID-19 and credit exposure: Active COVID-19 forbearance plans totaled $230.3 million, or 1.72% of loans, at June 30; $16.6 million was classified as TDRs. Most plans were initially three months, and the majority had been extended to six months. Management said the economic and housing-market impact remained highly uncertain.
  • The $45.6 million loan-loss allowance included a $24.2 million qualitative component, the majority of which management attributed to its COVID-19 assessment. Management warned that future allowance increases may be needed as borrower conditions and the economy develop.
  • Management expected the allowance for credit losses on loans and the liability for unfunded commitments to increase approximately 120%–150% upon planned CECL adoption on October 1, 2020. This was an estimate subject to further refinement and future economic conditions.
  • Interest-rate risk remains significant. Management stated that a rapid rate increase or a prolonged flat or inverted yield curve could adversely affect net interest income. The filing’s model estimated a 5.92% EVE decrease under a +200-basis-point shock and a 12.16% decrease under a 100-basis-point decline; these are model-based estimates, not forecasts.
  • Funding and concentration risks include $3.27 billion of certificates of deposit due within one year, reliance on FHLB advances and brokered CDs, and substantial residential real estate exposure in Ohio and Florida. The company reported $553.9 million of brokered CDs and $3.76 billion of FHLB advances at quarter-end.
  • Unfunded home-equity-line commitments were $2.51 billion; commitments to originate loans were $885.4 million. Management stated that commitments were expected to be funded through normal operations.
  • The company suspended its stock repurchase program in April 2020 in response to COVID-19. It continued paying dividends; the quarterly dividend was $0.28 per share. The mutual holding company’s dividend waiver was renewed in July 2020 for dividends declared through July 14, 2021.
  • The company recorded a $4.3 million share of gain on sale of commercial properties in the December 2019 quarter and said additional residual income might be recognized in 2020, depending on escrow-reserve outcomes. Management said pending legal matters were not expected to have a material adverse effect.
  • Key stated risks include pandemic-related economic deterioration, higher delinquencies and collateral losses, margin compression, competition, regulatory and capital changes, cybersecurity risks associated with remote work, and disruption to critical third-party services. The filing provides no specific earnings or revenue guidance.

Important facts for investors to verify

  • Whether COVID-19 forbearance borrowers resume payments and how extensions, defaults, delinquencies, and subsequent modifications affect credit losses.
  • How the October 1, 2020 CECL adoption changes the allowance and unfunded-commitment liability relative to the estimated 120%–150% increase.
  • Whether elevated loan-sale gains and refinance-driven volumes persist, and how loan sales affect recurring earnings, servicing, and asset growth.
  • Trends in net interest margin, deposit pricing and retention, CD maturities, and the cost and effective duration of FHLB borrowings and swaps.
  • Capital, liquidity, dividend, and repurchase-program developments, including the effect of any future capital distributions on the Association.
  • Changes in Ohio and Florida housing and employment conditions, home-equity performance, and the valuation of collateral supporting the loan portfolio.