Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis
Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The objective of this section of the report is to provide a discussion and analysis, from management’s
perspective, of the material information necessary to assess Farmer Mac's financial condition and results
of operations for the quarter ended September 30, 2023. Financial information included in this report is
consolidated to include the accounts of Farmer Mac and its two subsidiaries – Farmer Mac Mortgage
Securities Corporation and Farmer Mac II LLC. This discussion and analysis of financial condition and
results of operations should be read together with: (1) the interim unaudited consolidated financial
statements and the related notes that appear elsewhere in this report; and (2) Farmer Mac's Annual Report
on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 as filed with the SEC on February 24, 2023
(the "2022 Annual Report").
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
In this report, the words "Farmer Mac," "we," "our," and "us" refer to the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation unless otherwise stated or unless the context otherwise requires.
Some statements made in this report, such as in the "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" section, are "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 about management's current expectations for Farmer Mac's future financial results, business prospects, and business developments. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, any statement that may predict, forecast, indicate, or imply future results, performance, or achievements. These statements typically include terms such as "anticipates," "believes," "continues," "estimates," "expects," "forecasts," "intends," "outlook," "plans," "potential," "project," "target," and similar terms, and future or conditional tense verbs like "could," "may," "might," "should," "will," and "would." This report includes forward-looking statements addressing Farmer Mac's:
• prospects for earnings;
• prospects for growth in business volume;
• trends in net interest income and net effective spread;
• trends in portfolio credit quality, delinquencies, substandard assets, credit losses, and provisions for losses;
• assessment of economic and market trends;
• trends in expenses;
• trends in investment securities;
• prospects for asset impairments and allowance for losses;
• changes in capital position;
• future dividend payments; and
• other business and financial matters.
Management's expectations for Farmer Mac's future necessarily involve assumptions, estimates, and the evaluation of risks and uncertainties. Various factors or events, both known and unknown, could cause Farmer Mac's actual results to differ materially from the expectations as expressed or implied by the
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forward-looking statements, including the factors discussed under "Risk Factors" in Part I, Item 1A of Farmer Mac's 2022 Annual Report, as well as uncertainties about:
• the availability to Farmer Mac of debt and equity financing and, if available, the reasonableness of rates and terms;
• legislative or regulatory developments that could affect Farmer Mac, its sources of business, or agricultural or rural infrastructure industries;
• fluctuations in the fair value of assets held by Farmer Mac and its subsidiaries;
• the level of lender interest in Farmer Mac's products and the secondary market provided by Farmer Mac;
• the general rate of growth in agricultural mortgage and rural infrastructure indebtedness;
• the effect of economic conditions stemming from disruptive global events or otherwise on agricultural mortgage or rural infrastructure lending, borrower repayment capacity, or collateral values, including rapid inflation, fluctuations in interest rates, changes in U.S. trade policies, fluctuations in export demand for U.S. agricultural products and foreign currency exchange rates, supply chain disruptions, increases in input costs, labor availability, volatility from the recent commercial banking failures, and volatility in commodity prices;
• the degree to which Farmer Mac is exposed to interest rate risk resulting from fluctuations in Farmer Mac's borrowing costs relative to market indexes;
• developments in the financial markets, including possible investor, analyst, and rating agency reactions to events involving government-sponsored enterprises, including Farmer Mac;
• the effects of the Federal Reserve’s efforts to achieve monetary policy normalization and slow inflation; and
• other factors that could hinder agricultural mortgage lending or borrower repayment capacity, including the effects of severe weather, flooding and drought, climate change, or fluctuations in agricultural real estate values.
Considering these potential risks and uncertainties, no undue reliance should be placed on any forward-looking statements expressed in this report. Farmer Mac undertakes no obligation to release publicly the results of revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect new information or any future events or circumstances, except as otherwise required by applicable law. The information in this report is not necessarily indicative of future results.
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Overview
Farmer Mac is a mission-focused, purpose-driven company determined to drive economic opportunity and prosperity by increasing the accessibility of financing for American agriculture and rural infrastructure. As the nation’s secondary market for agricultural and rural infrastructure loans, we help strengthen and connect rural America by providing a broad array of financial solutions to lenders that support flexible low-cost financing to farmers, ranchers, agribusinesses, renewable energy projects, rural utilities, and other related rural businesses and enterprises. Farmer Mac also serves as a critical investment tool for entities such as states, counties, municipalities, pension funds, banks, public trust funds, and credit unions. Farmer Mac offers those entities a variety of investment opportunities that may diversify their investment portfolios and provide the opportunity to earn a competitive return on their investment dollars.
During third quarter 2023:
• we continued to increase net income and core earnings;
• we maintained strong liquidity in our investment portfolio well above regulatory requirements;
• we maintained our strong capital position, well above regulatory requirements, and uninterrupted access to the debt capital markets, which historically have not been subject to the same short-term disruptions and liquidity concerns experienced by institutions that rely primarily on deposits to fund their assets; and
• we provided $2.3 billion in liquidity and lending capacity to lenders serving rural America.
Farmer Mac’s performance during third quarter 2023, described in more detail below, reflects the success of our continued focus on pursuing new channels and innovative ways to further our mission to increase the accessibility of financing for American agriculture and rural infrastructure. Despite ongoing macroeconomic concerns such as inflation, failures and liquidity concerns in the banking industry, rising interest rates, and geopolitical conflicts, Farmer Mac continued to deliver solid financial results. These financial results for third quarter 2023 reflected a variety of factors, including:
• the resilience of the farm economy, as producers have benefited from healthy farm incomes and liquidity from relatively high commodity prices in 2021 and 2022;
• an increase in outstanding business volume at higher spreads while credit quality improved;
• our disciplined approach to interest rate risk management that helps to protect earnings from the effects of interest rate volatility and has been accretive to Farmer Mac during periods of rising interest rates; and
• effective capital strategies that resulted in advantageous funding in a rising interest rate environment in the current period.
The discussion below of Farmer Mac's financial information includes "non-GAAP measures," which are measures of financial performance not presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States ("GAAP"). For more information about the non-GAAP measures Farmer Mac uses, see "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Use of Non-GAAP Measures."
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Net Income and Core Earnings
The following table shows our net income attributable to common stockholders and core earnings for the periods presented. Core earnings and core earnings per share are non-GAAP measures that differ from net income attributable to common stockholders and earnings per common share, respectively, by excluding the effects of fair value fluctuations and specified infrequent or unusual transactions.
Table 1
For the Three Months Ended
September 30, 2023 June 30, 2023 September 30, 2022
(in thousands)
Net income attributable to common stockholders $ 51,345 $ 40,421 $ 34,627
Core earnings 45,188 42,162 33,392
The $10.9 million sequential increase in net income attributable to common stockholders was due to a $7.1 million after-tax increase in net interest income, a $1.6 million after-tax increase in guarantee fees, a $1.0 million after-tax decrease in our provision for credit losses, and a $0.8 million after-tax increase in the fair value of undesignated financial derivatives.
The $16.7 million year-over-year increase in net income attributable to common stockholders was due to a $15.6 million after-tax increase in net interest income, a $2.3 million after-tax increase in guarantee fees, a $1.5 million after-tax increase in the fair value of undesignated financial derivatives, and a $0.5 million after-tax decrease in our provision for credit losses. These factors were partially offset by a $3.7 million after-tax increase in operating expenses.
The $3.0 million sequential increase in core earnings was due to a $1.3 million after-tax increase in net effective spread and a $1.0 million after-tax decrease in our provision for credit losses.
The $11.8 million year-over-year increase in core earnings was due to a $14.0 million after-tax increase in net effective spread and a $0.5 million after-tax decrease in our provision for credit losses, partially offset by a $3.7 million after-tax increase in operating expenses.
For more information about net income attributable to common stockholders, the composition of core earnings, and a reconciliation of net income attributable to common stockholders to core earnings, see "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Results of Operations." For more information about the non-GAAP measures Farmer Mac uses, see "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Use of Non-GAAP Measures."
Net Interest Income and Net Effective Spread
The following table shows our net interest income and net effective spread in both dollars and percentage yield or spread for the periods presented. Farmer Mac uses net effective spread, a non-GAAP measure, as an alternative to net interest income because management believes it is a useful metric that reflects the economics of the net spread between all the assets owned by Farmer Mac and all related funding, including any associated derivatives, some of which may not be included in net interest income.
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Table 2
For the Three Months Ended
September 30, 2023 June 30, 2023 September 30, 2022
(in thousands)
Net interest income $ 87,643 $ 78,677 $ 67,853
Net interest yield % 1.22 % 1.12 % 1.04 %
Net effective spread $ 83,424 $ 81,832 $ 65,641
Net effective spread % 1.20 % 1.20 % 1.03 %
The $9.0 million sequential increase in net interest income was primarily due to a $8.1 million increase in the fair value of derivatives designated in fair value hedge accounting relationships (designated financial derivatives), and an increase of $0.8 million related to net new business volume. In percentage terms, the sequential 0.10% increase was primarily attributable to the increase in net fair value changes from designated financial derivatives.
The $19.8 million year-over-year increase in net interest income was primarily due to a $10.7 million decrease in funding costs primarily due to our disciplined funding strategies and higher nominal interest rates that have led to an upward repricing of our excess capital that is held in our short-term investment portfolio, a $4.3 million increase related to net new business volume, and a $3.8 million increase in the fair value of derivatives designated in fair value hedge accounting relationships (designated financial derivatives). In percentage terms, the 0.18% increase was primarily attributable to a decrease of 0.14% in funding costs and an increase of 0.05% in net fair value changes from designated financial derivatives.
The $1.6 million sequential increase in net effective spread was primarily due to a decrease of $1.2 million in non-GAAP funding costs due to the same factors mentioned above that decreased our funding costs. In percentage terms, net effective spread remained relatively constant.
The $17.8 million year-over-year increase in net effective spread was primarily due to a $14.8 million decrease in non-GAAP funding costs, due to the same factors mentioned above that decreased our funding costs, and a $3.5 million increase related to net new business volume. In percentage terms, the year-over-year increase of 0.17% was primarily attributable to a decrease in non-GAAP funding costs.
For more information about Farmer Mac's use of net effective spread as a financial measure, see "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Use of Non-GAAP Measures." For a reconciliation of net interest income to net effective spread, see Table 10 in "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Results of Operations—Net Interest Income."
Business Volume
Our outstanding business volume was $27.7 billion as of September 30, 2023, a net increase of $0.9 billion from June 30, 2023 after taking into account all new business, maturities, and paydowns on existing assets. The net increase was primarily attributable to a net increase of $509.1 million in the Rural Infrastructure Finance line of business and a net increase of $405.9 million in the Agricultural Finance line of business.
For more information about Farmer Mac's business volume, see "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Results of Operations—Business Volume."
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Capital
Table 3
As of
September 30, 2023 December 31, 2022
(in thousands)
Core capital $ 1,421,106 $ 1,322,801
Capital in excess of minimum capital level required 581,053 516,882
The increase in capital in excess of the minimum capital level required was primarily due to an increase in retained earnings.
Credit Quality
The following table presents Agricultural Finance on- and off-balance sheet substandard assets, in dollars and as a percentage of the respective portfolio as of September 30, 2023, June 30, 2023, and December 31, 2022:
Table 4
On-Balance Sheet Off-Balance Sheet
Substandard Assets % of Portfolio Substandard Assets % of Portfolio
(dollars in thousands)
September 30, 2023 $ 149,989 2.0 % $ 30,171 0.9 %
June 30, 2023 156,403 2.1 % 38,228 1.2 %
December 31, 2022 169,667 2.3 % 39,733 1.2 %
Increase/(decrease) from prior quarter-ending $ (6,414) (0.1) % $ (8,057) (0.3) %
Increase/(decrease) from prior year-ending $ (19,678) (0.3) % $ (9,562) (0.3) %
The decrease of $6.4 million in on-balance sheet substandard assets during the third quarter was primarily driven by the full payoff of a substandard agricultural storage and processing loan. The $8.1 million decrease in substandard assets in our off-balance sheet portfolios during third quarter was primarily due to credit upgrades in livestock, permanent plantings, crops, and part-time farms.
There was one substandard asset with an outstanding balance of $29.5 million in the Rural Infrastructure Finance portfolio as of September 30, 2023, and there were no substandard assets as of December 31, 2022.
For an analysis of current loan-to-value ratios across substandard and other internally assigned risk ratings, see Table 24 in "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Risk Management—Credit Risk—Loans and Guarantees."
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The following table presents 90-day delinquencies for the on- and off-balance sheet Agricultural Finance portfolios in dollars and as a percentage of the respective balance sheet category as of September 30, 2023, June 30, 2023, and December 31, 2022:
Table 5
On-Balance Sheet Off-Balance Sheet
90-Day
Delinquencies % of Portfolio 90-Day
Delinquencies % of Portfolio
(dollars in thousands)
September 30, 2023 $ 39,602 0.52 % $ 2,840 0.08 %
June 30, 2023 40,798 0.54 % 4,570 0.14 %
December 31, 2022 39,681 0.53 % 3,817 0.12 %
Increase/(decrease) from prior quarter-ending $ (1,196) (0.02) % $ (1,730) (0.06) %
Increase/(decrease) from prior year-ending $ (79) (0.01) % $ (977) (0.04) %
On-balance sheet Agricultural Finance assets 90 or more days delinquent decreased in agricultural storage and processing, part-time farms, and livestock, and was partially offset by increases in permanent plantings and crops. Off-balance sheet Agricultural Finance assets 90 days or more delinquent decreased in livestock and permanent plantings and was partially offset by increases in crops. The top ten borrower exposures over 90 days delinquent in either the on- or off-balance sheet Agricultural Finance portfolio represented over half of the aggregate 90-day delinquencies as of September 30, 2023.
As of both September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, there were no 90-day delinquencies in Farmer Mac's portfolio of Rural Infrastructure Finance loan purchases and loans underlying LTSPCs.
For more information about Farmer Mac's credit metrics, including 90-day delinquencies, the total allowance for losses, and substandard assets, see "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Risk Management—Credit Risk—Loans and Guarantees."
Use of Non-GAAP Measures
In the accompanying analysis of its financial information, Farmer Mac uses "non-GAAP measures," which are measures of financial performance that are not presented in accordance with GAAP. Specifically, Farmer Mac uses the following non-GAAP measures: "core earnings," "core earnings per share," and "net effective spread." Farmer Mac uses these non-GAAP measures to measure corporate economic performance and develop financial plans because, in management's view, they are useful alternative measures in understanding Farmer Mac's economic performance, transaction economics, and business trends.
The non-GAAP financial measures that Farmer Mac uses may not be comparable to similarly labeled non-GAAP financial measures disclosed by other companies. Farmer Mac's disclosure of these non-GAAP measures is intended to be supplemental in nature and is not meant to be considered in isolation from, as a substitute for, or as more important than, the related financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP.
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Core Earnings and Core Earnings Per Share
The main difference between core earnings and core earnings per share (non-GAAP measures) and net income attributable to common stockholders and earnings per common share (GAAP measures) is that those non-GAAP measures exclude the effects of fair value fluctuations. These fluctuations are not expected to have a cumulative net impact on Farmer Mac's financial condition or results of operations reported in accordance with GAAP if the related financial instruments are held to maturity, as is expected. Another difference is that these two non-GAAP measures exclude specified infrequent or unusual transactions that we believe are not indicative of future operating results and that may not reflect the trends and economic financial performance of Farmer Mac's core business. For a reconciliation of Farmer Mac's net income attributable to common stockholders to core earnings and of earnings per common share to core earnings per share, see "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Results of Operations."
Net Effective Spread
Farmer Mac uses net effective spread to measure the net spread Farmer Mac earns between its interest-earning assets and the related net funding costs of these assets. As further explained below, net effective spread differs from net interest income and net interest yield by excluding certain items from net interest income and net interest yield and including certain other items that net interest income and net interest yield do not contain.
Farmer Mac excludes from net effective spread the interest income and interest expense associated with the consolidated trusts and the average balance of the loans underlying these trusts to reflect management's view that the net interest income Farmer Mac earns on the related Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities owned by third parties is effectively a guarantee fee. Accordingly, the excluded interest income and interest expense associated with consolidated trusts is reclassified to guarantee and commitment fees in determining Farmer Mac's core earnings. Farmer Mac also excludes from net effective spread the fair value changes of financial derivatives and the corresponding assets or liabilities designated in fair value hedge accounting relationships because they are not expected to have an economic effect on Farmer Mac's financial performance, as we expect to hold the financial derivatives and corresponding hedged items to maturity.
Net effective spread also differs from net interest income and net interest yield because it includes the accrual of income and expense related to the contractual amounts due on financial derivatives that are not designated in hedge accounting relationships ("undesignated financial derivatives"). Farmer Mac uses interest rate swaps to manage its interest rate risk exposure by synthetically modifying the interest rate reset or maturity characteristics of certain assets and liabilities. The accrual of the contractual amounts due on interest rate swaps designated in hedge accounting relationships is included as an adjustment to the yield or cost of the hedged item and is included in net interest income. For undesignated financial derivatives, Farmer Mac records the income or expense related to the accrual of the contractual amounts due in "Gains on financial derivatives" on the consolidated statements of operations. However, the accrual of the contractual amounts due for undesignated financial derivatives are included in Farmer Mac's calculation of net effective spread.
Net effective spread also differs from net interest income and net interest yield because it includes the net effects of terminations or net settlements on financial derivatives, which consist of: (1) the net effects of cash settlements on agency forward contracts on the debt of other GSEs and U.S. Treasury security futures
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that we use as short-term economic hedges on the issuance of debt; and (2) the net effects of initial cash payments that Farmer Mac receives upon the inception of certain swaps. The inclusion of these items in net effective spread is intended to reflect our view of the complete net spread between an asset and all of its related funding, including any associated derivatives, whether or not they are designated in a hedge accounting relationship.
For a reconciliation of net interest income and net interest yield to net effective spread, see Table 10 in "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Results of Operations—Net Interest Income."
Results of Operations
Reconciliations of Farmer Mac's net income attributable to common stockholders to core earnings and core earnings per share are presented in the following tables along with information about the composition of core earnings:
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Table 6
Reconciliation of Net Income Attributable to Common Stockholders to Core Earnings
For the Three Months Ended
September 30, 2023 September 30, 2022
(in thousands, except per share amounts)
Net income attributable to common stockholders $ 51,345 $ 34,627
Less reconciling items:
Gains on undesignated financial derivatives due to fair value changes (see Table 13) 2,921 6,441
Gains/(losses) on hedging activities due to fair value changes
3,210 (624)
Unrealized gains/(losses) on trading securities
1,714 (757)
Net effects of amortization of premiums/discounts and deferred gains on assets consolidated at fair value 29 24
Net effects of terminations or net settlements on financial derivatives (79) (3,522)
Income tax effect related to reconciling items (1,638) (327)
Sub-total 6,157 1,235
Core earnings $ 45,188 $ 33,392
Composition of Core Earnings:
Revenues:
Net effective spread (1)
$ 83,424 $ 65,641
Guarantee and commitment fees (2)
4,828 4,201
Other (3)
1,056 473
Total revenues 89,308 70,315
Credit related expense (GAAP):
(Release of)/provision for losses
(181) 450
Total credit related expense (181) 450
Operating expenses (GAAP):
Compensation and employee benefits 14,103 11,648
General and administrative 9,100 6,919
Regulatory fees 831 812
Total operating expenses 24,034 19,379
Net earnings 65,455 50,486
Income tax expense (4)
13,475 10,303
Preferred stock dividends (GAAP) 6,792 6,791
Core earnings $ 45,188 $ 33,392
Core earnings per share:
Basic $ 4.17 $ 3.09
Diluted $ 4.13 $ 3.07
Weighted-average shares:
Basic 10,839 10,799
Diluted 10,938 10,874
(1) Net effective spread is a non-GAAP measure. See "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Use of Non-GAAP Measures—Net Effective Spread" for an explanation of net effective spread. See Table 10 for a reconciliation of net interest income to net effective spread.
(2) Includes interest income and interest expense related to consolidated trusts owned by third parties reclassified from net interest income to guarantee and commitment fees to reflect management's view that the net interest income Farmer Mac earns is effectively a guarantee fee on the consolidated Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities.
(3) Reflects reconciling adjustments for the reclassification to exclude expenses related to interest rate swaps not designated as hedges and terminations or net settlements on financial derivatives, and reconciling adjustments to exclude fair value adjustments on financial derivatives and trading assets and the recognition of deferred gains over the estimated lives of certain Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities and USDA Securities.
(4) Includes the tax impact of non-GAAP reconciling items between net income attributable to common stockholders and core earnings.
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Reconciliation of Net Income Attributable to Common Stockholders to Core Earnings
For the Nine Months Ended
September 30, 2023 September 30, 2022
(in thousands, except per share amounts)
Net income attributable to common stockholders $ 132,010 $ 114,352
Less reconciling items:
Gains on undesignated financial derivatives due to fair value changes (see Table 13) 5,978 11,899
(Losses)/gains on hedging activities due to fair value changes (1,796) 5,491
Unrealized gains/(losses) on trading securities 2,016 (948)
Net effects of amortization of premiums/discounts and deferred gains on assets consolidated at fair value 87 (18)
Net effects of terminations or net settlements on financial derivatives 1,027 14,526
Income tax effect related to reconciling items (1,536) (6,499)
Sub-total 5,776 24,451
Core earnings $ 126,234 $ 89,901
Composition of Core Earnings:
Revenues:
Net effective spread (1)
$ 242,429 $ 184,426
Guarantee and commitment fees (2)
14,063 13,467
Other (3)
2,532 1,294
Total revenues 259,024 199,187
Credit related expense (GAAP):
Provision for/(release of) losses 1,711 (1,139)
Total credit related expense 1,711 (1,139)
Operating expenses (GAAP):
Compensation and employee benefits 43,391 36,661
General and administrative 26,047 21,717
Regulatory fees 2,497 2,437
Total operating expenses 71,935 60,815
Net earnings 185,378 139,511
Income tax expense (4)
38,770 29,236
Preferred stock dividends (GAAP) 20,374 20,374
Core earnings $ 126,234 $ 89,901
Core earnings per share:
Basic $ 11.66 $ 8.33
Diluted $ 11.56 $ 8.27
Weighted-average shares:
Basic 10,825 10,787
Diluted 10,924 10,875
(1) Net effective spread is a non-GAAP measure. See "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Use of Non-GAAP Measures—Net Effective Spread" for an explanation of net effective spread. See Table 10 for a reconciliation of net interest income to net effective spread.
(2) Includes interest income and interest expense related to consolidated trusts owned by third parties reclassified from net interest income to guarantee and commitment fees to reflect management's view that the net interest income Farmer Mac earns is effectively a guarantee fee on the consolidated Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities.
(3) Reflects reconciling adjustments for the reclassification to exclude expenses related to interest rate swaps not designated as hedges and terminations or net settlements on financial derivatives, and reconciling adjustments to exclude fair value adjustments on financial derivatives and trading assets and the recognition of deferred gains over the estimated lives of certain Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities and USDA Securities.
(4) Includes the tax impact of non-GAAP reconciling items between net income attributable to common stockholders and core earnings.
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Table 7
Reconciliation of GAAP Basic Earnings Per Share to Core Earnings - Basic Earnings Per Share
For the Three Months Ended For the Nine Months Ended
September 30, 2023 September 30, 2022 September 30, 2023 September 30, 2022
(in thousands, except per share amounts)
GAAP - Basic EPS $ 4.74 $ 3.21 $ 12.20 $ 10.61
Less reconciling items:
Gains on undesignated financial derivatives due to fair value changes (see Table 13) 0.27 0.60 0.55 1.10
Gains/(losses) on hedging activities due to fair value changes
0.30 (0.06) (0.17) 0.51
Unrealized gains/(losses) on trading securities
0.16 (0.07) 0.19 (0.09)
Net effects of amortization of premiums/discounts and deferred gains on assets consolidated at fair value — — 0.01 —
Net effects of terminations or net settlements on financial derivatives (0.01) (0.32) 0.10 1.36
Income tax effect related to reconciling items (0.15) (0.03) (0.14) (0.60)
Sub-total 0.57 0.12 0.54 2.28
Core Earnings - Basic EPS $ 4.17 $ 3.09 $ 11.66 $ 8.33
Shares used in per share calculation (GAAP and Core Earnings) 10,839 10,799 10,825 10,787
Reconciliation of GAAP Diluted Earnings Per Share to Core Earnings - Diluted Earnings Per Share
For the Three Months Ended For the Nine Months Ended
September 30, 2023 September 30, 2022 September 30, 2023 September 30, 2022
(in thousands, except per share amounts)
GAAP - Diluted EPS $ 4.69 $ 3.18 $ 12.08 $ 10.51
Less reconciling items:
Gains on undesignated financial derivatives due to fair value changes (see Table 13) 0.27 0.59 0.54 1.09
Gains/(losses) on hedging activities due to fair value changes
0.29 (0.06) (0.16) 0.50
Unrealized gains/(losses) on trading securities
0.16 (0.07) 0.18 (0.09)
Net effects of amortization of premiums/discounts and deferred gains on assets consolidated at fair value — — 0.01 —
Net effects of terminations or net settlements on financial derivatives (0.01) (0.32) 0.09 1.34
Income tax effect related to reconciling items (0.15) (0.03) (0.14) (0.60)
Sub-total 0.56 0.11 0.52 2.24
Core Earnings - Diluted EPS $ 4.13 $ 3.07 $ 11.56 $ 8.27
Shares used in per share calculation (GAAP and Core Earnings) 10,938 10,874 10,924 10,875
The non-GAAP reconciling items between net income attributable to common stockholders and core earnings are:
1. Gains/(losses) on financial derivatives due to fair value changes are presented by two reconciling items in Table 6 above: (a) Gains on undesignated financial derivatives due to fair value changes; and (b) (Losses)/gains on hedging activities due to fair value changes.
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2. Unrealized gains/(losses) on trading securities. The unrealized gains/(losses) on trading securities are reported on Farmer Mac's consolidated statements of operations, which represent changes during the period in fair values for trading assets remaining on Farmer Mac's balance sheet as of the end of the reporting period.
3. The net effects of amortization of premiums/discounts and deferred gains on assets consolidated at fair value. The amount of this non-GAAP reconciling item is the recorded amount of premium, discount, or deferred gain amortization during the reporting period on those assets for which the premium, discount, or deferred gain was based on the application of an accounting principle (e.g., consolidation of variable interest entities) rather than on a cash transaction (e.g., a purchase price premium or discount).
4. The net effects of terminations or net settlements on financial derivatives. These terminations or net settlements relate to:
• Forward contracts on the debt of other GSEs and futures contracts on U.S. Treasury securities. These contracts are used as a short-term economic hedge of the issuance of debt. For GAAP purposes, realized gains or losses on settlements of these contracts are reported in the consolidated statements of operations in the period in which they occur. For core earnings purposes, these realized gains or losses are deferred and amortized as net yield adjustments over the term of the related debt, which generally ranges from 3 to 15 years.
The following sections provide more detail about specific components of Farmer Mac's results of operations.
Net Interest Income . The following table provides information about interest-earning assets and funding for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022. The average balance of non-accruing loans is included in the average balance of loans, Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities, and USDA Securities presented, though the related income is accounted for on a cash basis. Therefore, as the average balance of non-accruing loans and the income received increases or decreases, the net interest income and yield will fluctuate accordingly. The average balance of loans in consolidated trusts with beneficial interests owned by third parties and for which Farmer Mac guarantees all classes of securities issued is disclosed in the net effect of consolidated trusts and is not included in the average balances of interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities. The interest income and expense associated with these trusts are shown in the net effect of consolidated trusts.
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Table 8
For the Three Months Ended
September 30, 2023 September 30, 2022
Average
Balance Income/
Expense Average
Rate Average
Balance Income/
Expense Average
Rate
(dollars in thousands)
Interest-earning assets:
Cash and investments $ 5,974,669 $ 79,947 5.35 % $ 5,254,260 $ 21,581 1.64 %
Loans, Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities and USDA Securities (1)
21,859,457 293,378 5.37 % 20,144,586 164,548 3.27 %
Total interest-earning assets 27,834,126 373,325 5.36 % 25,398,846 186,129 2.93 %
Funding:
Notes payable due within one year 3,212,217 38,704 4.82 % 2,873,545 15,679 2.18 %
Notes payable due after one year (2)
22,784,190 248,002 4.35 % 21,205,661 103,440 1.95 %
Total interest-bearing liabilities (3)
25,996,407 286,706 4.41 % 24,079,206 119,119 1.98 %
Net non-interest-bearing funding 1,837,719 — 1,319,640 —
Total funding 27,834,126 286,706 4.12 % 25,398,846 119,119 1.88 %
Net interest income/yield prior to consolidation of certain trusts 27,834,126 86,619 1.24 % 25,398,846 67,010 1.06 %
Net effect of consolidated trusts (4)
861,980 1,024 0.48 % 823,793 843 0.41 %
Net interest income/yield $ 28,696,106 $ 87,643 1.22 % $ 26,222,639 $ 67,853 1.04 %
(1) Excludes interest income of $8.5 million and $7.7 million in the third quarter of 2023 and 2022, respectively, related to consolidated trusts with beneficial interests owned by third parties.
(2) Includes current portion of long-term notes.
(3) Excludes interest expense of $7.5 million and $6.8 million in the third quarter of 2023 and 2022, respectively, related to consolidated trusts with beneficial interests owned by third parties.
(4) Includes the effect of consolidated trusts with beneficial interests owned by third parties.
For the Nine Months Ended
September 30, 2023 September 30, 2022
Average
Balance Income/
Expense Average
Rate Average
Balance Income/
Expense Average
Rate
(dollars in thousands)
Interest-earning assets:
Cash and investments $ 5,833,829 $ 209,429 4.79 % $ 5,114,900 $ 38,497 1.00 %
Loans, Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities and USDA Securities (1)
21,518,428 805,922 4.99 % 19,543,316 386,968 2.64 %
Total interest-earning assets 27,352,257 1,015,351 4.95 % 24,658,216 425,465 2.30 %
Funding:
Notes payable due within one year 3,463,479 115,557 4.45 % 2,741,738 21,630 1.05 %
Notes payable due after one year (2)
22,242,225 657,538 3.94 % 20,735,954 209,573 1.35 %
Total interest-bearing liabilities (3)
25,705,704 773,095 4.01 % 23,477,692 231,203 1.31 %
Net non-interest-bearing funding 1,646,553 — 1,180,524 —
Total funding 27,352,257 773,095 3.77 % 24,658,216 231,203 1.25 %
Net interest income/yield prior to consolidation of certain trusts 27,352,257 242,256 1.18 % 24,658,216 194,262 1.05 %
Net effect of consolidated trusts (4)
880,150 3,122 0.47 % 852,223 3,043 0.48 %
Net interest income/yield $ 28,232,407 $ 245,378 1.16 % $ 25,510,439 $ 197,305 1.03 %
(1) Excludes interest income of $25.6 million and $23.7 million in the first nine months of 2023 and 2022, respectively, related to consolidated trusts with beneficial interests owned by third parties.
(2) Includes current portion of long-term notes.
(3) Excludes interest expense of $22.4 million and $20.6 million in the first nine months of 2023 and 2022, respectively, related to consolidated trusts with beneficial interests owned by third parties.
(4) Includes the effect of consolidated trusts with beneficial interests owned by third parties.
The $48.1 million year-over-year increase in net interest income was primarily due to a $40.3 million decrease in funding costs primarily due to our disciplined funding strategies and higher nominal interest rates that have led to an upward repricing of our excess capital that is held in our short-term investment portfolio, and a $17.0 million increase related to net new business volume. These factors were partially offset by a $7.7 million decrease in the fair value of derivatives designated in fair value hedge accounting
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relationships (designated financial derivatives) and a $1.1 million decrease in cash-basis interest income. In percentage terms, the 0.13% increase was primarily attributable to a decrease of 0.18% in funding costs, partially offset by a decrease of 0.04% in net fair value changes from designated financial derivatives.
The following table sets forth information about changes in the components of Farmer Mac's net interest income prior to consolidation of certain trusts for the periods indicated. For each category, information is provided on changes attributable to changes in volume (change in volume multiplied by old rate), and changes in rate (change in rate multiplied by old volume), and then allocated based on the relative size of rate and volume changes from the prior period.
Table 9
For the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2023 Compared to Same Period in 2022
Increase/(Decrease) Due to
Rate Volume Total
(in thousands)
Income from interest-earning assets:
Cash and investments $ 164,788 $ 6,144 $ 170,932
Loans, Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities and USDA Securities 376,296 42,658 418,954
Total 541,084 48,802 589,886
Expense from other interest-bearing liabilities 517,961 23,931 541,892
Change in net interest income prior to consolidation of certain trusts (1)
$ 23,123 $ 24,871 $ 47,994
(1) Excludes the effect of debt in consolidated trusts with beneficial interests owned by third parties.
The following table presents a reconciliation of net interest income and net interest yield to net effective spread. Net effective spread is measured by: including (1) expenses related to undesignated financial derivatives, which consists of income or expense related to contractual amounts due on financial derivatives not designated in hedge relationships (the income or expense related to financial derivatives designated in hedge accounting relationships is already included in net interest income), and (2) the amortization of losses due to terminations or net settlements of financial derivatives; and excluding (1) the amortization of premiums and discounts on assets consolidated at fair value, (2) the net effects of consolidated trusts with beneficial interests owned by third parties, and (3) the fair value changes of financial derivatives and corresponding financial assets or liabilities in fair value hedge relationships. See "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Use of Non-GAAP Measures—Net Effective Spread" for more information about net effective spread.
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Table 10
For the Three Months Ended For the Nine Months Ended
September 30, 2023 September 30, 2022 September 30, 2023 September 30, 2022
Dollars Yield Dollars Yield Dollars Yield Dollars Yield
(dollars in thousands)
Net interest income/yield $ 87,643 1.22 % $ 67,853 1.04 % $ 245,378 1.16 % $ 197,305 1.03 %
Net effects of consolidated trusts (1,024) 0.02 % (843) 0.02 % (3,123) 0.02 % (3,044) 0.02 %
Expense related to undesignated financial derivatives (805) (0.01) % (2,613) (0.05) % (3,999) (0.02) % (5,633) (0.03) %
Amortization of premiums/discounts on assets consolidated at fair value (24) — % (21) — % (71) — % 28 — %
Amortization of losses due to terminations or net settlements on financial derivatives 844 0.01 % 640 0.01 % 2,448 0.01 % 1,723 0.01 %
Fair value changes on fair value hedge relationships (3,210) (0.04) % 625 0.01 % 1,796 0.01 % (5,953) (0.03) %
Net effective spread $ 83,424 1.20 % $ 65,641 1.03 % $ 242,429 1.18 % $ 184,426 1.00 %
The $58.0 million year-over-year increase in net effective spread was primarily due to a $45.8 million decrease in non-GAAP funding costs due to the same factors mentioned above that decreased our funding costs, and a $16.4 million increase related to net new business volume. These factors were partially offset by a $1.1 million decrease in cash-basis interest income. In percentage terms, the year-over-year increase of 0.18% was primarily attributable to a decrease in non-GAAP funding costs.
See Note 10 to the consolidated financial statements for more information about net interest income and net effective spread from Farmer Mac's individual business segments. See "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Supplemental Information" for quarterly net effective spread by line of business.
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Provision for and Release of Allowance for Losses and Reserve for Losses . The following table summarizes the components of Farmer Mac's total allowance for losses for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2023 and 2022:
Table 11
As of September 30, 2023 As of September 30, 2022
Allowance
for
Losses Reserve
for Losses Total
Allowance
for Losses Allowance
for
Losses Reserve
for Losses Total
Allowance
for Losses
(in thousands)
For the Three Months Ended
Beginning Balance $ 17,351 $ 1,705 $ 19,056 $ 19,056 $ 13,092 $ 1,677 $ 14,769
(Release of)/provision for losses
(136) (45) (181) 617 (167) 450
Charge-offs — — — — — —
Ending Balance $ 17,215 $ 1,660 $ 18,875 $ 13,709 $ 1,510 $ 15,219
For the Nine Months Ended
Beginning Balance $ 15,731 $ 1,433 $ 17,164 $ 17,164 $ 14,492 $ 1,950 $ 16,442
Provision for/(release of) losses 1,484 227 1,711 (699) (440) (1,139)
Charge-offs — — — (84) — (84)
Ending Balance $ 17,215 $ 1,660 $ 18,875 $ 13,709 $ 1,510 $ 15,219
See Notes 5 and 6 to the consolidated financial statements and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Risk Management—Credit Risk—Loans and Guarantees."
During the three months ended September 30, 2023, we recorded a $0.2 million release from the allowance for losses primarily as a result of a single collateral dependent agricultural storage and processing loan that fully paid off during the quarter, partially offset by one rural infrastructure loan that was downgraded to substandard during the quarter. During the nine months ended September 30, 2023, we recorded a $1.7 million provision to the allowance for loan losses as a result of the above-mentioned rural infrastructure loan.
Guarantee and Commitment Fees . The following table presents guarantee and commitment fees, which compensate Farmer Mac for assuming the credit risk on loans underlying off-balance sheet Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities and LTSPCs, for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022:
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Table 12
For the Three Months Ended For the Nine Months Ended
Change Change
September 30, 2023 September 30, 2022 $ % September 30, 2023 September 30, 2022 $ %
(dollars in thousands)
Contractual guarantee and commitment fees $ 3,794 $ 3,494 $ 300 9 % $ 11,195 $ 10,556 $ 639 6 %
Guarantee obligation amortization 847 1,030 (183) (18) % 3,767 4,821 (1,054) (22) %
Guarantee asset fair value changes 879 (1,880) 2,759 147 % (2,020) (5,826) 3,806 (65) %
Guarantee and commitment fee income $ 5,520 $ 2,644 $ 2,876 109 % $ 12,942 $ 9,551 $ 3,391 36 %
Guarantee and commitment fees increased for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 compared to 2022, which was due to increases in the average outstanding balance of LTSPCs during the period. As adjusted for the core earnings presentation, guarantee and commitment fees were $4.8 million and $14.1 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, respectively, compared to $4.2 million and $13.5 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022, respectively.
In Farmer Mac's presentation of core earnings, guarantee and commitment fees include interest income and interest expense related to consolidated trusts owned by third parties to reflect management's view that the net interest income Farmer Mac earns is effectively a guarantee fee on those consolidated Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities. Farmer Mac has also excluded guarantee asset fair value changes from the presentation of core earnings because these fluctuations are not expected to have a cumulative net impact on Farmer Mac's financial condition or results of operations if Farmer Mac fulfills its guarantee obligation throughout the term of the guaranteed securities, as is expected.
For more information about net income attributable to common stockholders, the composition of core earnings, and a reconciliation of net income attributable to common stockholders to core earnings, see Table 6 in "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Results of Operations." For more information about the non-GAAP measures Farmer Mac uses, see "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Use of Non-GAAP Measures."
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Gains on financial derivatives . The components of gains and losses on financial derivatives for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022 are summarized in the following table:
Table 13
For the Three Months Ended For the Nine Months Ended
Change Change
September 30, 2023 September 30, 2022 $ % September 30, 2023 September 30, 2022 $ %
(dollars in thousands)
Gains due to fair value changes $ 2,921 $ 6,441 $ (3,520) (55) % $ 5,978 $ 11,899 $ (5,921) (50) %
Accrual of contractual payments (805) (2,613) 1,808 (69) % (3,999) (5,633) 1,634 (29) %
Gains due to terminations or net settlements 555 (3,056) 3,611 (118) % 2,784 15,285 (12,501) (82) %
Gains on financial derivatives $ 2,671 $ 772 $ 1,899 246 % $ 4,763 $ 21,551 $ (16,788) (78) %
These changes in fair value are primarily the result of fluctuations in long-term interest rates. The accrual of periodic cash settlements for interest paid or received from Farmer Mac's interest rate swaps that are undesignated financial derivatives is shown as expense related to financial derivatives. Payments or receipts to terminate undesignated derivative positions or net cash settled forward sales contracts on the debt of other GSEs and undesignated U.S. Treasury security futures and initial cash payments received upon the inception of certain undesignated swaps are included in "Gains/(losses) due to terminations or net settlements" in the table above.
Operating Expenses . The components of operating expenses for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022 are summarized in the following table:
Table 14
For the Three Months Ended For the Nine Months Ended
Change Change
September 30, 2023 September 30, 2022 $ % September 30, 2023 September 30, 2022 $ %
(dollars in thousands)
Compensation and employee benefits $ 14,103 $ 11,648 $ 2,455 21 % $ 43,391 $ 36,661 $ 6,730 18 %
General and administrative 9,100 6,919 2,181 32 % 26,047 21,717 4,330 20 %
Regulatory fees 831 812 19 2 % 2,497 2,437 60 2 %
Total Operating Expenses $ 24,034 $ 19,379 $ 4,655 24 % $ 71,935 $ 60,815 $ 11,120 18 %
Compensation and Employee Benefits . The increase in compensation and employee benefits expenses for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 compared to the same periods in 2022 was largely due to increased headcount.
General and Administrative Expenses (G&A) . The increase in G&A expenses for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 compared to the same periods in 2022 was primarily due to increased spending on software licenses and information technology and other consultants to support growth and strategic initiatives. One of those initiatives is a multi-year effort to replace Farmer Mac's platform for securities trades and to implement a treasury management system.
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Income Tax Expense . The following table presents income tax expense and the effective income tax rate for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022:
Table 15
For the Three Months Ended For the Nine Months Ended
Change Change
September 30, 2023 September 30, 2022 $ % September 30, 2023 September 30, 2022 $ %
(dollars in thousands)
Income tax expense $ 15,113 $ 10,631 $ 4,482 42 % $ 40,306 $ 35,735 $ 4,571 13 %
Effective tax rate 20.6 % 20.5 % 0.1 % 20.9 % 21.0 % (0.1) %
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Business Volume .
The following table sets forth the net growth or decrease in Farmer Mac's lines of business for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022:
Table 16
Net New Business Volume
For the Three Months Ended For the Nine Months Ended
September 30, 2023 September 30, 2022 September 30, 2023 September 30, 2022
On or Off
Balance Sheet Net Growth/(Decrease) Net Growth/(Decrease) Net Growth/(Decrease) Net Growth/(Decrease)
(in thousands)
Agricultural Finance:
Farm & Ranch:
Loans On-balance sheet $ 35,546 $ (160,600) $ (162,932) $ 278,637
Loans held in consolidated trusts:
Beneficial interests owned by third-party investors (Pass-Through) (1)
On-balance sheet (17,146) (11,835) (55,001) (125,517)
Beneficial interests owned by third-party investors (Structured) (1)
On-balance sheet (8,180) 297,298 266,279 297,298
IO-FMGS (2)
On-balance sheet (168) (469) (1,042) (1,205)
USDA Securities On-balance sheet (13,456) (2,149) (77,472) (18,548)
AgVantage Securities (1)
On-balance sheet 225,000 310,000 80,000 580,000
LTSPCs and unfunded commitments Off-balance sheet 157,041 189,906 169,752 165,219
Other Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities (3)
Off-balance sheet (25,716) (14,466) (45,272) (69,244)
Loans serviced for others Off-balance sheet (7,589) (337) 558,731 (1,932)
Total Farm & Ranch $ 345,332 $ 607,348 $ 733,043 $ 1,104,708
Corporate AgFinance:
Loans On-balance sheet $ 35,874 $ 51,433 $ 57,524 $ 77,747
AgVantage Securities (1)
On-balance sheet 15,050 (4,282) 23,573 (18,778)
Unfunded commitments Off-balance sheet 9,626 20,324 56,702 37,983
Total Corporate AgFinance $ 60,550 $ 67,475 $ 137,799 $ 96,952
Total Agricultural Finance $ 405,882 $ 674,823 $ 870,842 $ 1,201,660
Rural Infrastructure Finance:
Rural Utilities:
Loans On-balance sheet $ 29,170 $ 67,721 $ 222,944 $ 397,042
AgVantage Securities (1)
On-balance sheet 476,028 76,425 573,386 29,567
LTSPCs and unfunded commitments Off-balance sheet 1,205 (19,946) (37,577) (25,573)
Other Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities (3)
Off-balance sheet — — (71) —
Total Rural Utilities $ 506,403 $ 124,200 $ 758,682 $ 401,036
Renewable Energy:
Loans On-balance sheet $ 6,776 $ 59,979 $ 98,503 $ 99,515
Unfunded commitments Off-balance sheet (4,102) (11,755) 1,902 9,964
Total Renewable Energy $ 2,674 $ 48,224 $ 100,405 $ 109,479
Total Rural Infrastructure Finance $ 509,077 $ 172,424 $ 859,087 $ 510,515
Total $ 914,959 $ 847,247 $ 1,729,929 $ 1,712,175
(1) Categories of Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities.
(2) An interest-only Farmer Mac Guaranteed Security retained as part of a structured securitization.
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(3) Other categories of Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities that were sold by Farmer Mac to third parties.
Farmer Mac's outstanding business volume was $27.7 billion as of September 30, 2023, a net increase of $0.9 billion from June 30, 2023 after taking into account all new business, maturities, and paydowns on existing assets.
The $0.3 billion net increase in Farm & Ranch during third quarter 2023 resulted from $1.4 billion of new purchases, commitments, and guarantees, partially offset by $1.0 billion of scheduled maturities and repayments.
Farmer Mac purchased a total of $0.2 billion in Farm & Ranch loans, partially offset by $0.1 billion in repayments. The $0.1 billion net increase was primarily driven by strong borrower economics despite the continued higher interest rate environment.
Farmer Mac also purchased a total of $1.0 billion in Farm & Ranch AgVantage Securities during third quarter 2023, which primarily reflected the refinancing of maturing securities. The $1.0 billion in gross purchases was partially offset by $0.8 billion in scheduled maturities.
The $0.1 billion net increase in Corporate AgFinance during third quarter 2023 resulted from $0.3 billion of new purchases and commitments, which was partially offset by $0.2 billion of scheduled maturities and repayments. Farmer Mac purchased a total of $195.6 million in loans, which was partially offset by $159.7 million in scheduled maturities and repayments. The increase in loan purchases was primarily due to Farmer Mac's continued focus to support loans to larger and more complex agribusinesses focused on food and fiber processing and other food supply chain production.
The $0.5 billion net increase in Rural Utilities during third quarter 2023 resulted from $0.6 billion of new purchases, commitments, and guarantees, which was partially offset by $0.1 billion of scheduled maturities and repayments. Farmer Mac purchased a total of $500.0 million in AgVantage Securities, $43.5 million in telecommunications loans, and $47.0 million in electric distribution and generation and transmission loans. The $90.5 million in loan purchases was partially offset by $61.4 million in scheduled maturities and repayments. The net increase in loan purchases primarily reflected borrowers' normal-course capital expenditures related to maintaining and upgrading utility infrastructure as well as investments in broadband infrastructure, and Farmer Mac's continued focus to support telecommunications investment in rural America.
The $2.7 million net increase in Renewable Energy during third quarter 2023 primarily reflects $17.4 million in loan purchases and unfunded commitments, partially offset by $14.7 million in repayments.
Farmer Mac's outstanding business volume was $25.3 billion as of September 30, 2022, a net increase of $0.8 billion from June 30, 2022 after taking into account all new business, scheduled maturities, and paydowns on existing assets.
The $607.3 million net increase in Farm & Ranch during third quarter 2022 resulted from $1.9 billion of
new purchases, commitments, and guarantees, mostly offset by $1.3 billion of scheduled maturities and
repayments. Farmer Mac purchased a total of $303.9 million in loans, which was primarily driven by
improved borrower economics albeit navigating a substantially higher interest rate environment. The
$303.9 million in gross Farm & Ranch loan purchases was partially offset by $166.8 million in scheduled
maturities and repayments.
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Farmer Mac also purchased a total of $1.0 billion in Farm & Ranch AgVantage Securities during third
quarter 2022, which primarily reflected the refinancing of maturing securities as well as financial
counterparties seeking to add longer term AgVantage securities to manage their asset-liability maturity
profile given recent increases in credit spreads and interest rates. The $1.0 billion in gross purchases was
partially offset by $0.7 billion in scheduled maturities.
The $67.5 million net increase in Corporate AgFinance during third quarter 2022 resulted from
$169.9 million of new purchases and commitments, which was offset by $102.5 million of scheduled
maturities and repayments. Farmer Mac purchased a total of $136.0 million in loans, which was offset by
$84.6 million in scheduled maturities and repayments. This net increase in loans was primarily due to
Farmer Mac's continued focus to support loans to larger and more complex agribusinesses focused on food
and fiber processing, and other food supply chain production.
The $124.2 million net increase in Rural Utilities during third quarter 2022 resulted from $547.1 million
of new purchases, commitments, and guarantees, which was partially offset by $422.9 million of
scheduled maturities and repayments. Farmer Mac purchased a total of $400.0 million in AgVantage
Securities, $75.8 million in telecommunications loans and $60.0 million in electric distribution and
generation and transmission loans. The $135.8 million in loan purchases was partially offset by $68.1
million in scheduled maturities and repayments.
The $48.2 million net increase in Renewable Energy during third quarter 2022 primarily reflects
$61.7 million in loan purchases, partially offset by $13.4 million in repayments.
The level and composition of Farmer Mac’s outstanding business volume is based on the relationship between new business, loan sales, scheduled maturities, and repayments on existing assets from year to year. This relationship in turn depends on a variety of factors both internal and external to Farmer Mac. The external factors include general market forces, competition, and our counterparties’ liquidity needs, access to alternative funding, desired products, and assessment of strategic factors. The internal factors include our assessment of profitability, mission fulfillment, credit risk, and customer relationships. For more information about potential growth opportunities in Farmer Mac's lines of business, see "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Outlook" in this report.
The following table sets forth information about the Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities issued during the periods indicated:
Table 17
For the Three Months Ended For the Nine Months Ended
September 30, 2023 September 30, 2022 September 30, 2023 September 30, 2022
(dollars in thousands)
AgVantage securities $ 1,519,715 $ 1,398,807 $ 3,093,370 $ 4,245,963
Loans securitized and held in consolidated trusts with beneficial interests owned by third parties 6,399 318,997 291,600 344,925
Total Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities Issuances $ 1,526,114 $ 1,717,804 $ 3,384,970 $ 4,590,888
Farmer Mac either retains the loans it purchases or securitizes them and retains or sells Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities backed by those securitized loans. During first quarter 2023, Farmer Mac executed
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its third structured securitization transaction, whereby it sold and securitized agricultural mortgage loans resulting in $281.0 million of Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities. In this transaction, Farmer Mac transferred selected loans to a depositor which then deposited the loans into a trust, at which time the loans became assets of the trust. Farmer Mac concluded that it was the primary beneficiary of the trust because Farmer Mac retained significant interest and has power over the activities most significant to the economic performance of the Variable Interest Entity in its role as Master Servicer. Therefore, Farmer Mac consolidates the assets and liabilities of the trust for this structured securitization. Farmer Mac does not consider the assets held by the related securitization trust to be available to satisfy the claims of the creditors of Farmer Mac and/or the depositor.
During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, Farmer Mac realized no gains or losses from the securitization of loans that it holds in consolidated trusts. Farmer Mac consolidates these loans and presents them as "Loans held for investment in consolidated trusts, at amortized cost" on the consolidated balance sheets.
During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, Farmer Mac realized no gains or losses from the issuance of Farmer Mac Guaranteed USDA Securities or AgVantage Securities.
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The following table sets forth information about outstanding volume in each of Farmer Mac's lines of business as of the dates indicated:
Table 18
Outstanding Business Volume
On or Off
Balance Sheet As of September 30, 2023
As of December 31, 2022
(in thousands)
Agricultural Finance:
Farm & Ranch:
Loans On-balance sheet $ 4,987,818 $ 5,150,750
Loans held in consolidated trusts:
Beneficial interests owned by third-party investors (Pass-Through) (1)
On-balance sheet 859,917 914,918
Beneficial interests owned by third-party investors (Structured) (1)
On-balance sheet 562,937 296,658
IO-FMGS (2)
On-balance sheet 9,580 10,622
USDA Securities On-balance sheet 2,329,830 2,407,302
AgVantage Securities (1)
On-balance sheet 5,685,000 5,605,000
LTSPCs and unfunded commitments Off-balance sheet 2,992,061 2,822,309
Other Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities (3)
Off-balance sheet 455,681 500,953
Loans serviced for others Off-balance sheet 579,011 20,280
Total Farm & Ranch $ 18,461,835 $ 17,728,792
Corporate AgFinance:
Loans On-balance sheet $ 1,223,777 $ 1,166,253
AgVantage Securities (1)
On-balance sheet 383,173 359,600
Unfunded commitments Off-balance sheet 134,356 77,654
Total Corporate AgFinance $ 1,741,306 $ 1,603,507
Total Agricultural Finance $ 20,203,141 $ 19,332,299
Rural Infrastructure Finance:
Rural Utilities:
Loans On-balance sheet $ 3,024,640 $ 2,801,696
AgVantage Securities (1)
On-balance sheet 3,617,542 3,044,156
LTSPCs and unfunded commitments Off-balance sheet 475,015 512,592
Other Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities (3)
Off-balance sheet 1,098 1,169
Total Rural Utilities $ 7,118,295 $ 6,359,613
Renewable Energy:
Loans On-balance sheet $ 318,073 $ 219,570
Unfunded commitments Off-balance sheet 12,502 10,600
Total Renewable Energy $ 330,575 $ 230,170
Total Rural Infrastructure Finance $ 7,448,870 $ 6,589,783
Total $ 27,652,011 $ 25,922,082
(1) A Farmer Mac Guaranteed Security.
(2) An interest-only Farmer Mac Guaranteed Security retained as part of a structured securitization.
(3) Other categories of Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities that were sold by Farmer Mac to third parties.
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The following table summarizes by maturity date the scheduled principal amortization of loans held, loans underlying off-balance sheet Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities (excluding AgVantage securities) and LTSPCs, USDA Securities, and Farmer Mac Guaranteed USDA Securities as of September 30, 2023:
Table 19
Schedule of Principal Amortization as of September 30, 2023
Loans Loans Underlying Off-Balance Sheet Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities and LTSPCs USDA Securities and Farmer Mac Guaranteed USDA Securities Total
(in thousands)
2023 $ 97,947 $ 72,738 $ 26,915 $ 197,600
2024 534,148 303,216 111,733 949,097
2025 588,262 244,862 112,693 945,817
2026 572,745 287,332 116,993 977,070
2027 686,149 256,126 118,859 1,061,134
Thereafter 8,497,911 2,703,472 2,044,506 13,245,889
Total $ 10,977,162 $ 3,867,746 $ 2,531,699 $ 17,376,607
Of Farmer Mac's $27.7 billion outstanding principal balance of business volume as of September 30, 2023, $9.7 billion were AgVantage securities included in the Agricultural Finance and Rural Infrastructure Finance lines of business. Unlike business volume in the form of purchased loans, USDA Securities, and loans underlying LTSPCs and non-AgVantage Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities, most AgVantage securities do not require periodic payments of principal based on amortization schedules and instead have fixed maturity dates when the secured general obligation is due. The following table summarizes by maturity date the outstanding principal amount of both on- and off-balance sheet AgVantage securities as of September 30, 2023:
Table 20
AgVantage Balances by Year of Maturity
As of
September 30, 2023
(in thousands)
2023 $ 805,781
2024 2,191,199
2025 1,247,625
2026 1,186,530
2027 1,050,698
Thereafter (1)
3,204,980
Total $ 9,686,813
(1) Includes various maturities ranging from 2028 to 2049.
The weighted-average remaining maturity of the outstanding AgVantage securities shown in the table above was 4.4 years as of September 30, 2023.
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Outlook
Farmer Mac continues to provide a stable source of liquidity, capital, and risk management tools as a secondary market that helps meet the financing needs of rural America. The pace and trajectory of Farmer Mac's growth will depend on the capital and liquidity needs of the lending institutions serving agriculture and rural infrastructure businesses and the overall financial health of borrowers in the sectors we serve. Market interest rates have increased significantly since the lows experienced in 2021, and interest rates on Farmer Mac products during third quarter 2023 continued to be higher than Farmer Mac's 15-year historical averages. New loan origination volumes tend to correlate inversely with changes in interest rates. However, prepayment rates also generally correlate inversely with changes in interest rates, with higher interest rates typically slowing the pace of portfolio loan repayments. Future changes to monetary policy and the overall level, pace, and duration of elevated interest rates could continue to impact the pace and timing of the Agricultural Finance mortgage loan purchase demand and repayments. Farmer Mac anticipates positive momentum in wholesale volume refinancing activity in fourth quarter 2023, with most of the AgVantage Securities scheduled to mature in fourth quarter 2023 expected to be successfully refinanced through the purchase of new AgVantage Securities.
Farmer Mac foresees opportunities for profitable growth across our lines of business driven by several key factors:
• As agricultural and rural infrastructure lenders seek to manage liquidity, equity capital, and return on equity capital requirements or reduce exposure due to lending or concentration limits, Farmer Mac can provide relief for those institutions through loan and portfolio purchases, participations, guarantees, LTSPCs, wholesale funding, or securitizations.
• As a result of business and product development efforts and continued interest in the agricultural and rural infrastructure asset classes from institutional investors and nontraditional lenders, Farmer Mac's customer base and product set continue to expand and diversify, which may generate more demand for Farmer Mac's products from new sources.
• Farmer Mac's growing relationships with larger regional and national lenders, as well as consolidation within the agricultural and rural infrastructure lending industry, continue to provide opportunities that could influence Farmer Mac's loan and wholesale funding demand and increase the average transaction size within Farmer Mac's lines of business.
• Future growth opportunities in Farmer Mac's Rural Infrastructure Finance line of business may evolve by deepening business relationships with eligible counterparties, financing broadband-related capital expenditures and rural telecommunications facilities, growing opportunities for renewable energy project finance, and exploring new types of loan products.
• Expansion and acquisition opportunities for agricultural producers resulting from high agricultural incomes and rising input costs have increased financing requirements for mergers and acquisitions, consolidation, and vertical integration across many sectors of the agricultural industry, which may also generate demand for Farmer Mac's loan products.
• Investments necessary to support consumer demand could increase the need for financing within the food and agriculture supply chain, which may increase the need for incremental capital support from the secondary market.
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• Resilient access to debt capital markets as investors seek government and agency issuances.
In third quarter 2023, elevated interest rates continued to cause fluctuations in bank liquidity due to deposit withdrawals. Farmer Mac, not being a depository institution, is insulated from similar liquidity concerns. In fact, certain economic disruptions could potentially have a positive impact on Farmer Mac’s funding costs relative to the market. Historically, significant economic events have often led investors to seek high-quality fixed income investments, such as Farmer Mac’s debt securities. As Farmer Mac’s funding strategies do not rely on deposits, it is generally capable of extending funding beyond short-term disruptions, thereby circumventing many potential liquidity concerns. This funding advantage could present Farmer Mac with increased opportunities in a competitive lending environment.
The U.S. economy continued to exhibit signs of growing volatility in third quarter 2023. While consumer spending has retreated modestly from the highs experienced in 2022, the significantly higher interest rate environment continues to create uncertainty for the economic outlook for the U.S. economy in the remainder of 2023 and into 2024. And while labor markets continue to remain resilient, slower consumer spending, declines in residential housing investment, and the continued tightening of credit conditions following bank industry stress indicate that the probability of a U.S. or global recession remains elevated. Farmer Mac believes that its portfolio is sufficiently balanced to withstand the market volatility that arises with an economic recession, as the agricultural, food, and infrastructure industries tend not to be directly correlated with the general economy. Farmer Mac believes these sectors are generally well positioned to withstand an economic downturn due to ample consumer demand and government support.
The recent rise in short-term rates has provided an asymmetric benefit to Farmer Mac's earnings, and Farmer Mac projects limited downside to earnings when rates decline due to its proactive equity capital allocation strategies. This is due to our fundamental asset liability management approach, where Farmer Mac matches the duration and convexity of our assets and liabilities in all rate environments, which enables Farmer Mac to minimize earnings volatility in periods of short-term interest rate volatility.
In addition to active fundamental asset liability management that enables Farmer Mac to mitigate earnings volatility in periods of short-term interest rate volatility, Farmer Mac's business has certain natural business hedges that help to insulate it from interest rate volatility. This is a key differentiator for Farmer Mac relative to other financial services entities. For example, when interest rates rise, prepayments also tend to decline - but interest earned on excess cash and capital would likely increase and Farmer Mac would continue to have strong market access, as Farmer Mac does not rely on deposits as a source of funding. Conversely, when interest rates decline, loan purchase volume often increases but prepayments also tend to increase. Farmer Mac is able to manage its interest rate risk through exercising callable issuances and maintaining its market-based credit spreads. Although these natural business dynamics are not perfect offsets, they do counterbalance to mitigate volatility from changes in short-term interest rates.
Operating Expense . Farmer Mac continues to expand its investments in human capital, technology, and business infrastructure to increase capacity and efficiency as it seeks to accommodate its growth opportunities and achieve its long-term strategic objectives. Farmer Mac expects continued increases in its operating expenses over the next several years. We will continue making investments in our infrastructure and funding platforms to support these strategies and scale with our growth.
Agricultural Industry . The agricultural economy experienced somewhat favorable conditions in third quarter 2023, with mixed commodity prices and continued easing in input price inflation. In response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, grain commodity prices rose rapidly during first half of 2022
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and continued to be elevated during much of the second half of 2022. Higher commodity prices for grains and many animal proteins substantially increased gross cash receipts for the 2022 marketing year. Farm expense price levels partially stabilized in third quarter 2023, after falling for several consecutive quarters. While many expense categories have dropped significantly from their 2022 peak levels, several other categories such as interest, labor, and other inputs remain elevated and could experience additional upward pressure through the remainder of the year and into 2024. Grain commodity prices moderated again in third quarter 2023 due to stabilizing supply expectations, though uncertainty in Ukraine could increase price volatility in the last quarter of 2023 and into 2024.
Overall farm incomes are expected to trend lower in 2023 after reaching new highs in 2022. The USDA estimates that net cash farm income climbed another 35% to $202.2 billion in 2022, a new all-time high. The primary driver of increased profitability was higher cash revenues, contrary to 2019 and 2020 when elevated government support payments lifted farm incomes. The USDA estimates production expenses rose by 15% in 2022, a level experienced in the 1970s and again in the 2012-2014 agricultural economy expansion. Looking forward, the USDA expects net cash farm income to fall by 27% to $148.6 billion in 2023 due to lower commodity prices and elevated farm expenses. However, the 2023 farm income projections are 20% higher than the 10-year average, demonstrating the continued strength in farm profitability.
Rising farm incomes alongside low interest rates in 2020 and 2021 drove a rapid rise in land values and a decrease in farm delinquencies and bankruptcies. This trend has continued into 2023. Land value survey data from the USDA show a 7.4% increase in average farm real estate values from June 2022 to June 2023. Annual farm real estate value gains were highest in the Northern Plains (13.7%) and the Southern Plains (9.4%) but also strong in the Lake states (8.2%), the Corn Belt (7.1%), and the Southeast (5.7%). The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago AgLetter reported a 9% gain in farmland values in the Seventh District (primarily Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin) between July 2022 and July 2023. Data from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City show a similar rise in land values in the Tenth District (primarily Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma) during that same period. Farmland value growth rates moderated in second quarter 2023 in the face of rapidly rising interest rates. Growth rates in land values could remain low in 2023 and into 2024 due to compressing farm profitability and an elevated interest rate environment. While regional averages for farmland values provide a good barometer for the overall movement in U.S. farmland values, economic forces affecting land markets are highly localized, and some markets may experience greater volatility in farmland values than state or national averages indicate.
Economic conditions are likely to bring mixed effects to credit demand during the remainder of 2023. Strong asset appreciation in recent years could signal additional demand and capacity for farm debt as financial decision-makers look to lock in long-term economics for their appreciating farm and agribusiness assets. Farm profitability generally increases asset values and demand for the asset class for multiple years, which also contributes to increasing credit demand. However, the elevated interest rate environment could adversely impact mortgage portfolio growth, lowering new sales and originations but also potentially slowing portfolio prepayments. Finally, a changing yield curve coupled with widening market credit spreads could increase opportunities for corporate and institutional lending, as Farmer Mac's programs become more attractive at higher costs of capital. Combined, these factors are expected to be generally supportive of continued net portfolio growth for Farmer Mac during the last quarter of 2023.
Positive economic conditions in the agricultural economy improved Farmer Mac's agricultural portfolio performance in 2022 and throughout the first three quarters of 2023. Farmer Mac's 90-day delinquency levels decreased slightly in third quarter 2023 relative to second quarter 2023. The overall delinquency
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rate decreased from 0.42% of the Agricultural Finance line of business as of June 30, 2023 to 0.39% of the Agricultural Finance line of business as of September 30, 2023. The third quarter 2023 percentage is also slightly lower than the 0.42% delinquency rate as of September 30, 2022. The year-over-year decrease in the seriously delinquent rate was caused by typical, seasonal portfolio delinquency activity as well as a resolution of a large, agribusiness credit workout. The top five exposures of seriously delinquent loans as of third quarter 2023 represent over half of all 90-day delinquent loans. Rising input costs, market volatility, and the potential for continued economic and weather-related stress increase the level of uncertainty inherent in the agricultural credit sector, which could negatively affect the trajectory of the current agricultural cycle. Farmer Mac believes that its portfolio continues to be highly diversified, both geographically and by commodity and that its portfolio has been underwritten to high credit quality standards. Therefore, Farmer Mac believes that its portfolio is well-positioned to endure reasonably foreseeable volatility from cyclical and external factors. For more information about the loan balances, loan-to-value ratios, 90-day delinquencies, and substandard asset rate for the Agricultural Finance mortgage loans in Farmer Mac's portfolio as of September 30, 2023, see "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Risk Management—Credit Risk—Loans and Guarantees."
Exogenous factors facing farm and food producers can create uncertainty and market instability within the sector. External market conditions that could adversely impact the farm and food sectors in the remainder of 2023 and into 2024 include foreign trade and trade policy, supply chain disruptions, and environmental conditions. The U.S. agricultural sector has become increasingly dependent on foreign markets as a source of demand, making trade policy an important consideration for farms and food. The USDA projects U.S. agriculture exports will drop to $177.5 billion in 2023, a 9% decline relative to last year. Through August 2023, agricultural export values were down approximately 12% in 2023 compared to 2022. The value of the U.S. dollar relative to other major currencies rose 3% in third quarter 2023. A strong U.S. dollar could potentially be a headwind for farm, food, fiber, and fuel exports through the last quarter of 2023. Slower global growth could also be a headwind for consumer-oriented products like animal proteins, dairy, fruits, and nuts, and Ukrainian corn and wheat production may eventually stabilize. Because Farmer Mac has significant exposure to crop commodities like corn, soybeans, hay, wheat, and cotton, any increase in agricultural commodity prices is likely to benefit Farmer Mac's overall portfolio credit quality more than degradation from downward pressure on livestock and consumer product profitability.
Severe weather conditions and long-term environmental change continue to shape agricultural sectors. The U.S. experienced 18 separate billion-dollar weather disasters in 2022, as tracked by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Many of those events affected agriculture, including midwestern storms, western wildfires, excessive heat, and drought. Federal crop insurance provides a strong mitigator against this risk, but farmers and ranchers face increasingly-severe weather incidents. Long and persistent heat and drought conditions affected agricultural production regions in the western and midwestern parts of the United States in 2021 and 2022.
There has been a sizable improvement in conditions in 2023 for large portions of the West Coast, especially California, but drought conditions have intensified in other areas of the country. Approximately 19% of the continental U.S. was classified as being in severe to extreme drought as of September 30, 2023, according to data from the National Center for Environmental Information. Much of the U.S. affected by drought conditions in third quarter 2023 is in the Central and Southern Plains. Dry weather across a significant portion of the Mississippi River basin this summer has led to sharply lower river levels this fall. Barge traffic has been reduced as a result, complicating logistics for grain processors across the northern U.S. this fall. Higher transportation costs for barges may ultimately lead to lower farmgate prices,
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although the impact will likely vary significantly based on alternative transportation options such as rail. For loans in other areas that commonly experience exceptional drought (primarily in California), Farmer Mac's underwriting process includes an assessment of anticipated long-term water availability for the related property and how that impacts the collateral value and borrower's cash flow position to mitigate that risk.
Rural Infrastructure Industry . Economic conditions affecting the rural infrastructure industry typically follow those in the general economy. According to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, sales and the revenue from the sale of electricity to customers has slowed with an annual decline in sales of 1.2% and an increase in revenue of 7.5%, respectively, in the last 12 months through July 2023 compared to July 2022. This decline in sales was driven by a drop in the residential and industrial sectors. The average price of electricity to industrial customers decreased 10.2% in July 2023 relative to last year. Higher energy input prices such as natural gas and coal became a headwind in 2022. Natural gas prices rose consistently in 2021 and 2022 because of reduced supply and additional demand for U.S. liquified natural gas from European countries. Coal prices also rapidly increased in 2022, driven by higher natural gas prices and additional overseas demand to offset limited Russian coal exports. Despite higher input costs, power producers are generally able to pass cost increases through higher retail electricity prices, which has contributed to the increase in electricity costs for retail customers throughout 2022. Oil and natural gas prices were volatile during much of 2022 but have moderated throughout 2023, contributing to modest declines in electricity prices this year as of July. Through September 30, 2023, Farmer Mac had not observed material degradation in the financial performance of its rural infrastructure portfolio, and that portfolio has never experienced a serious delinquency or default since inception.
Prospects for loan growth within the rural infrastructure segment are varied by industry. For electric cooperatives, ongoing normal-course capital expenditures related to maintaining and upgrading utility infrastructure are expected to continue at historical levels based on replacement and modernization of existing infrastructure. These growth opportunities may be affected by the demand for electric power in rural areas, capital expenditures by electric cooperatives driven by regulatory or technological changes, the changing interest rate environment, increased policy initiatives to support rural connectivity, and competitive dynamics within the rural utilities cooperative finance industry. Investment in rural telecommunications infrastructure continues to be robust for cooperative and non-cooperative providers due to their access to federally funded programs, such as USDA's Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program (BEAD), the Federal Communications Commission's Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF), the USDA’s ReConnect, and the USDA’s Telecommunications Infrastructure Loan and Loan Guarantee program. In addition to capital projects spurred by these programs, Farmer Mac could see an increase in financing opportunities for other telecommunications providers in rural areas, with fiber line expansion and wireless broadband increasingly important to rural economic opportunity and precision agriculture.
Finally, the growth in renewable energy generation and deployment of energy storage technologies may continue to deepen Farmer Mac's relationships with existing customers through new business opportunities. According to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, renewable electricity capacity is expected to grow by 48% in the next five years, compared to total electric capacity growth of 10%. The rising cost of fossil fuel-based inputs combined with the falling costs of renewable power generation may hasten this increase in capacity along with recently enacted legislation, such as the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 that incentivizes domestic production in clean energy technologies such as solar and wind. Because of these policy tailwinds, analytics from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) estimate that investors will install nearly 400 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity between
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2023 and 2030. BNEF analysis also anticipates that nearly $2.5 trillion will be invested in renewable projects between 2021 and 2050. If realized, growth in renewable energy capacity may broaden Farmer Mac's customer base focused on financing renewable energy projects and companies. In response to this expected growth, Farmer Mac has deployed new financing products tailored to the renewable energy sector, which represents a new and growing market opportunity for Farmer Mac. Under this initiative, Farmer Mac's total outstanding loans and loan commitments of renewable energy financing transactions was $330.6 million as of September 30, 2023.
Legislative and Regulatory Outlook . Farmer Mac continues to monitor potential legislative and regulatory changes that could affect Farmer Mac or its stakeholders, including:
• The current farm bill expired on September 30, 2023. Covering a variety of programs impacting farm profitability, agricultural credit, and rural infrastructure, it is a critical piece of legislation for rural America and the agricultural sector which includes Farmer Mac's customers. Congress has started an extensive process to review programs that are included in the farm bill in preparation for reauthorization. Farmer Mac is seeking changes to its charter to enhance its partnerships and services in support of farmers, ranchers, agribusinesses, and rural infrastructure in this farm bill reauthorization.
• On October 5, 2023, FCA approved a final rule on cyber risk management. The rule requires an assessment of internal and external risk factors, identification of potential systems and software vulnerabilities, the establishment of a risk management program for the risks identified, development of a cyber risk training program, policies for managing third-party relationships, and the establishment of board reporting requirements. The effective date of the final rule is January 1, 2025.
• In the FCA's proposed 2023 regulatory agenda, the agency is targeting a proposed rulemaking on Farmer Mac's regulatory capital framework for May 2024. This timeline may change, and Farmer Mac's management team will continue to monitor the FCA's process for this potential rulemaking.
• Two of the three members of the FCA board are currently serving in holdover status because their terms have expired. These board members will continue to serve in their roles until replacements are nominated by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
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Balance Sheet Review
The following table summarizes Farmer Mac's balance sheet as of the periods indicated:
Table 21
As of Change
September 30, 2023 December 31, 2022 $ %
(in thousands)
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents $ 782,318 $ 861,002 $ (78,684) (9) %
Investment securities 4,924,253 4,628,268 295,985 6 %
Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities 9,216,111 8,628,380 587,731 7 %
USDA Securities 2,323,657 2,411,601 (87,944) (4) %
Loans, net of allowance 9,114,771 8,994,350 120,421 1 %
Loans held in trusts 1,422,402 1,211,116 211,286 17 %
Other 527,869 598,393 (70,524) (12) %
Total assets $ 28,311,381 $ 27,333,110 $ 978,271 4 %
Liabilities
Notes Payable $ 25,123,545 $ 24,469,113 $ 654,432 3 %
Debt securities of consolidated trusts held by third parties 1,334,014 1,181,948 152,066 13 %
Other 468,555 410,091 58,464 14 %
Total liabilities $ 26,926,114 $ 26,061,152 $ 864,962 3 %
Total equity 1,385,267 1,271,958 113,309 9 %
Total liabilities and equity $ 28,311,381 $ 27,333,110 $ 978,271 4 %
Assets . The increase in total assets was primarily attributable to new Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities volume, new loan volume, including those held in consolidated trusts, and a larger investment portfolio.
Liabilities . The increase in total liabilities was primarily due to an increase in total notes payable to fund the acquisition of Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities and loan volume, including those held in consolidated trusts.
Equity . The increase in total equity was primarily due to an increase in retained earnings and an increase in accumulated other comprehensive income.
Risk Management
Credit Risk – Loans and Guarantees .
Agricultural Finance - Direct Credit Exposure
Farmer Mac's direct credit exposure to Agricultural Finance mortgage loans as of September 30, 2023 was $11.0 billion across 48 states. Farmer Mac applies credit underwriting standards and methodologies to help assess exposures to loan purchases, which may include collateral valuation, financial metrics, and other appropriate borrower financial and credit information. For Corporate AgFinance loans, which are often larger loan exposures to agriculture production and agribusinesses that support agriculture production, food and fiber processing, and other supply chain production, and which may have risk profiles that differ from smaller agricultural mortgage loans, Farmer Mac has implemented methodologies and parameters that help assess credit risk based on the appropriate sector, borrower construct, and
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transaction complexity. For more information about Farmer Mac's underwriting and collateral valuation standards for Agricultural Finance mortgage loans, see "Business—Farmer Mac's Lines of Business—Agricultural Finance—Underwriting and Collateral Standards—Farm & Ranch" and "Business—Farmer Mac's Lines of Business—Agricultural Finance—Underwriting and Collateral Standards—Corporate AgFinance" in Farmer Mac's 2022 Annual Report.
Farmer Mac's 90-day delinquency measure includes loans 90 days or more past due, as well as loans in foreclosure and non-performing loans where the borrower is in bankruptcy. For Agricultural Finance mortgage loans to which Farmer Mac has direct credit exposure, Farmer Mac's 90-day delinquencies as of September 30, 2023, were $42.4 million (0.39% of the Agricultural Finance mortgage loan portfolio to which Farmer Mac has direct credit exposure), compared to $45.4 million (0.42% of the Agricultural Finance mortgage loan portfolio) as of June 30, 2023 and $43.5 million (0.41% of the Agricultural Finance mortgage loan portfolio) as of December 31, 2022. Those 90-day delinquencies consisted of 23 delinquent loans as of September 30, 2023, compared to 42 delinquent loans as of June 30, 2023 and 37 delinquent loans as of December 31, 2022. The decrease in the number of 90-day delinquencies was primarily driven by decreased delinquencies in storage and processing, livestock, and part-time farms and was partially offset by increased delinquencies in permanent plantings and crops. The top ten borrower exposures over 90 days delinquent represented over half of the 90-day delinquencies as of September 30, 2023. Farmer Mac believes that it remains adequately collateralized on its delinquent loans.
Farmer Mac's 90-day delinquency rate as of September 30, 2023 was below Farmer Mac's historical average. In the near-term, our delinquency rate may exceed our historical average due to changes in the agricultural or general economy or unforeseen and idiosyncratic events like adverse weather events. Farmer Mac's average 90-day delinquency rate as a percentage of its Agricultural Finance mortgage loan portfolio over the last 15 years is approximately 1%. The highest 90-day delinquency rate observed during that period occurred in 2009 at approximately 2%, which coincided with increased delinquencies in loans within Farmer Mac's ethanol loan portfolio.
The following table presents historical information about Farmer Mac's 90-day delinquencies in the Agricultural Finance mortgage loan portfolio compared to the unpaid principal balance of all Agricultural Finance mortgage loans to which Farmer Mac has direct credit exposure:
Table 22
Agricultural Finance Mortgage Loans 90-Day
Delinquencies Percentage
(dollars in thousands)
As of:
September 30, 2023 $ 11,014,678 $ 42,443 0.39 %
June 30, 2023 10,826,201 45,368 0.42 %
March 31, 2023 10,680,419 70,646 0.66 %
December 31, 2022 10,719,571 43,498 0.41 %
September 30, 2022 10,508,549 44,232 0.42 %
June 30, 2022 10,128,083 20,623 0.20 %
March 31, 2022 9,879,978 55,847 0.57 %
December 31, 2021 9,811,749 47,307 0.48 %
September 30, 2021 9,445,359 54,792 0.58 %
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Across all of Farmer Mac's lines of business, 90-day delinquencies represented 0.15% of total outstanding business volume as of September 30, 2023, compared to 0.17% as of December 31, 2022 and 0.17% as of September 30, 2022.
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The following table presents outstanding Agricultural Finance mortgage loans and 90-day delinquencies as of September 30, 2023 by year of origination, geographic region, commodity/collateral type, original loan-to-value ratio, and range in the size of borrower exposure:
Table 23
Agricultural Finance Mortgage Loans 90-Day Delinquencies as of September 30, 2023
Distribution of Agricultural Loans Agricultural Loans 90-Day Delinquencies (1)
Percentage
(dollars in thousands)
By year of origination:
2013 and prior 7 % $ 754,821 $ 2,861 0.38 %
2014 2 % 201,039 2,047 1.02 %
2015 3 % 323,275 9,585 2.96 %
2016 5 % 522,172 3,070 0.59 %
2017 5 % 520,982 — — %
2018 5 % 592,179 4,057 0.69 %
2019 7 % 830,527 12,177 1.47 %
2020 18 % 1,977,670 5,824 0.29 %
2021 24 % 2,608,527 931 0.04 %
2022 16 % 1,760,959 1,891 0.11 %
2023 8 % 922,527 — 0.11 %
Total 100 % $ 11,014,678 $ 42,443 0.39 %
By geographic region (2) :
Northwest 13 % $ 1,398,926 $ 2,844 0.20 %
Southwest 30 % 3,321,507 22,000 0.66 %
Mid-North 26 % 2,883,439 4,845 0.17 %
Mid-South 18 % 1,941,821 10,355 0.53 %
Northeast 4 % 464,516 1,297 0.28 %
Southeast 9 % 1,004,469 1,102 0.11 %
Total 100 % $ 11,014,678 $ 42,443 0.39 %
By commodity/collateral type:
Crops 49 % $ 5,436,386 $ 19,628 0.36 %
Permanent plantings 22 % 2,397,576 18,007 0.75 %
Livestock 19 % 2,066,164 2,332 0.11 %
Part-time farm 4 % 471,934 2,476 0.52 %
Ag. Storage and Processing 6 % 625,774 — — %
Other — % 16,844 — — %
Total 100 % $ 11,014,678 $ 42,443 0.39 %
By original loan-to-value ratio:
0.00% to 40.00% 20 % $ 2,206,837 $ 4,081 0.18 %
40.01% to 50.00% 23 % 2,448,046 10,400 0.42 %
50.01% to 60.00% 35 % 3,867,086 20,708 0.54 %
60.01% to 70.00% 20 % 2,226,680 7,254 0.33 %
70.01% to 80.00% (3)
2 % 240,411 — — %
80.01% to 90.00% (3)
— % 25,618 — — %
Total 100 % $ 11,014,678 $ 42,443 0.39 %
By size of borrower exposure (4) :
Less than $1,000,000 25 % $ 2,806,391 $ 4,363 0.16 %
$1,000,000 to $4,999,999 37 % 4,095,503 18,360 0.45 %
$5,000,000 to $9,999,999 15 % 1,633,998 10,135 0.62 %
$10,000,000 to $24,999,999 13 % 1,399,862 9,585 0.68 %
$25,000,000 and greater 10 % 1,078,924 — — %
Total 100 % $ 11,014,678 $ 42,443 0.39 %
(1) Includes loans held and loans underlying off-balance sheet Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities and LTSPCs that are 90 days or more past due, in foreclosure, or in bankruptcy with at least one missed payment, excluding loans performing under either their original loan terms or a court-approved bankruptcy plan.
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(2) Geographic regions: Northwest (AK, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY); Southwest (AZ, CA, CO, HI, NM, NV, UT); Mid-North (IA, IL, IN, MI, MN, NE, ND, SD, WI); Mid-South (AR, KS, LA, MO, OK, TX); Northeast (CT, DE, KY, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, VA, VT, WV); Southeast (AL, FL, GA, MS, NC, SC, TN).
(3) Primarily part-time farm loans. Loans with an original loan-to-value ratio of greater than 80% are required to have private mortgage insurance.
(4) Includes aggregated loans to single borrowers or borrower-related entities.
Another indicator that Farmer Mac considers in analyzing the credit quality of its Agricultural Finance mortgage loans is the level of internally-rated "substandard" assets, both in dollars and as a percentage of the outstanding portfolio. Assets categorized as "substandard" have a well-defined weakness or weaknesses, and there is a distinct possibility that some loss will be sustained if deficiencies are not corrected. As of September 30, 2023, Farmer Mac's Agricultural Finance mortgage loans (to which it has direct credit exposure) comprising substandard assets were $180.2 million (1.6% of the portfolio), compared to $194.6 million (1.8% of the portfolio) as of June 30, 2023, and $209.4 million (2.0% of the portfolio) as of December 31, 2022. Those substandard assets comprised 210 loans as of September 30, 2023, 239 loans as of June 30, 2023, and 243 loans as of December 31, 2022.
The decrease of $14.4 million in Agricultural Finance substandard assets during third quarter 2023 was primarily driven by a substandard loan payoff in our on-balance sheet portfolios. Agricultural Finance substandard assets decreased as a percentage of both our on-balance sheet and our off-balance sheet Agricultural Finance portfolios during third quarter 2023.
The percentage of Agricultural Finance substandard assets within the portfolio as of September 30, 2023 was below the historical average. Farmer Mac's average Agricultural Finance substandard assets as a percentage of its Agricultural Finance mortgage loans over the last 15 years is approximately 4%. The highest substandard asset rate observed during the last 15 years occurred in 2010 at approximately 8%, which coincided with an increase in substandard loans within Farmer Mac's ethanol portfolio. If Farmer Mac's substandard asset rate increases from current levels, it is likely that Farmer Mac's provision to the allowance for loan losses and the reserve for losses will also increase.
Although some credit losses are inherent to the business of agricultural lending, Farmer Mac believes that losses associated with the current agricultural credit cycle will be moderated by the strength and diversity of its Agricultural Finance portfolio, which Farmer Mac believes is adequately collateralized.
Within Agricultural Finance, Farmer Mac considers a Farm & Ranch loan's original loan-to-value ratio as one of many factors in evaluating loss severity. Loan-to-value ratios depend on the market value of a property, as determined in accordance with Farmer Mac's collateral valuation standards. As of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the average unpaid principal balances for Farm & Ranch loans outstanding and to which Farmer Mac has direct credit exposure was $800,000 and $806,000, respectively. Farmer Mac calculates the "original loan-to-value" ratio of a loan by dividing the original loan principal balance by the original appraised property value. This calculation does not reflect any amortization of the original loan balance or any adjustment to the original appraised value to provide a current market value. The original loan-to-value ratio of any cross-collateralized loans is calculated on a combined basis rather than on a loan-by-loan basis. The weighted-average original loan-to-value ratio for Farm & Ranch mortgage loans purchased during third quarter 2023 was 49%, compared to 47% for loans purchased during third quarter 2022. The weighted-average original loan-to-value ratio for Farm & Ranch mortgage loans and loans underlying off-balance sheet Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities and LTSPCs was 50% and 51% as of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. The weighted-average original loan-to-value ratio for all 90-day delinquencies was 54% and 46% as of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively.
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The weighted-average current loan-to-value ratio (the loan to-value ratio based on original appraised value and current outstanding loan amount adjusted to reflect amortization) for Agricultural Finance mortgage loans and loans underlying off-balance sheet Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities and LTSPCs was 45% and 46% as of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively.
The following table presents the current loan-to-value ratios for the Agricultural Finance mortgage loans to which Farmer Mac has direct credit exposure, as disaggregated by internally assigned risk ratings:
Table 24
Agricultural Finance Mortgage Loans current loan-to-value ratio by internally assigned risk rating as of September 30, 2023
Acceptable Special Mention Substandard Total
(in thousands)
Current loan-to-value ratio (1) :
0.00% to 40.00% $ 3,383,689 $ 100,328 $ 57,113 $ 3,541,130
40.01% to 50.00% 2,782,252 106,362 36,305 2,924,919
50.01% to 60.00% 2,803,606 109,240 46,605 2,959,451
60.01% to 70.00% 1,310,122 53,242 22,761 1,386,125
70.01% to 80.00% 158,890 13,056 13,453 185,399
80.01% and greater 12,953 778 3,923 17,654
Total $ 10,451,512 $ 383,006 $ 180,160 $ 11,014,678
(1) The current loan-to-value ratio is based on original appraised value (or most recently obtained valuation, if available) and current outstanding loan amount adjusted to reflect loan amortization.
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The following table presents Farmer Mac's cumulative net credit losses relative to the cumulative original balance for all Agricultural Finance mortgage loans as of September 30, 2023 by year of origination, geographic region, and commodity/collateral type. The purpose of this table is to present information about realized losses relative to original Farm & Ranch purchases, guarantees, and commitments.
Table 25
Agricultural Finance Mortgage Loans Credit Losses Relative to Cumulative
Original Loans, Guarantees, and LTSPCs as of September 30, 2023
Cumulative Original Loans, Guarantees and LTSPCs Cumulative Net Credit Losses/(Recoveries) Cumulative Loss Rate
(dollars in thousands)
By year of origination:
2013 and prior $ 18,729,043 $ 33,785 0.18 %
2014 1,088,631 — — %
2015 1,251,414 (516) (0.04) %
2016 1,596,330 903 0.06 %
2017 1,708,843 4,311 0.25 %
2018 1,396,862 — — %
2019 1,630,441 — — %
2020 2,926,857 — — %
2021 3,325,688 — — %
2022 2,006,572 — — %
2023 1,057,544 — — %
Total $ 36,718,225 $ 38,483 0.10 %
By geographic region (1) :
Northwest $ 4,676,155 $ 12,094 0.26 %
Southwest 12,270,175 8,542 0.07 %
Mid-North 9,112,740 17,165 0.19 %
Mid-South 5,315,291 (613) (0.01) %
Northeast 1,904,527 323 0.02 %
Southeast 3,439,337 972 0.03 %
Total $ 36,718,225 $ 38,483 0.10 %
By commodity/collateral type:
Crops $ 16,890,404 $ 3,790 0.02 %
Permanent plantings 7,952,588 9,783 0.12 %
Livestock 8,066,465 3,836 0.05 %
Part-time farm 1,909,960 1,090 0.06 %
Ag. Storage and Processing 1,730,020 19,984 1.16 %
Other 168,788 — — %
Total $ 36,718,225 $ 38,483 0.10 %
(1) Geographic regions: Northwest (AK, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY); Southwest (AZ, CA, CO, HI, NM, NV, UT); Mid-North (IA, IL, IN, MI, MN, NE, ND, SD, WI); Mid-South (AR, KS, LA, MO, OK, TX); Northeast (CT, DE, KY, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, VA, VT, WV); Southeast (AL, FL, GA, MS, NC, SC, TN).
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Analysis of portfolio performance indicates that commodity type is the primary determinant of Farmer Mac's exposure to loss on a given loan. The following tables present concentrations of Agricultural Finance mortgage loans by commodity type within geographic region and cumulative credit losses by origination year and commodity type:
Table 26
As of September 30, 2023
Agricultural Finance Mortgage Loans Concentrations by Commodity Type within Geographic Region
Crops Permanent
Plantings Livestock Part-time
Farm Ag. Storage and
Processing Other Total
(dollars in thousands)
By geographic region (1) :
Northwest $ 732,692 $ 233,353 $ 299,186 $ 110,339 $ 23,333 $ 23 $ 1,398,926
6.7 % 2.1 % 2.7 % 1.0 % 0.2 % — % 12.7 %
Southwest 706,411 1,794,271 565,136 107,611 132,777 15,301 3,321,507
6.5 % 16.3 % 5.1 % 1.0 % 1.2 % 0.1 % 30.2 %
Mid-North 2,359,328 10,746 256,906 83,326 171,805 1,328 2,883,439
21.4 % 0.1 % 2.3 % 0.8 % 1.6 % — % 26.2 %
Mid-South 1,116,811 84,500 619,109 61,942 59,459 — 1,941,821
10.1 % 0.8 % 5.6 % 0.6 % 0.5 % — % 17.6 %
Northeast 188,431 43,133 72,144 48,991 111,817 — 464,516
1.7 % 0.4 % 0.7 % 0.4 % 1.0 % — % 4.2 %
Southeast 332,713 231,573 253,683 59,725 126,583 192 1,004,469
3.0 % 2.1 % 2.4 % 0.5 % 1.1 % — % 9.1 %
Total $5,436,386 $2,397,576 $2,066,164 $471,934 $625,774 $16,844 $11,014,678
49.4 % 21.8 % 18.8 % 4.3 % 5.6 % 0.1 % 100.0 %
(1) Geographic regions: Northwest (AK, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY); Southwest (AZ, CA, CO, HI, NM, NV, UT); Mid-North (IA, IL, IN, MI, MN, NE, ND, SD, WI); Mid-South (AR, KS, LA, MO, OK, TX); Northeast (CT, DE, KY, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, VA, VT, WV); Southeast (AL, FL, GA, MS, NC, SC, TN).
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Table 27
As of September 30, 2023
Agricultural Loans Cumulative Credit Losses by Origination Year and Commodity Type
Crops Permanent
Plantings Livestock Part-time
Farm Ag. Storage and
Processing Total
(in thousands)
By year of origination:
2013 and prior $ 3,427 $ 9,783 $ 3,836 $ 1,066 $ 15,673 $ 33,785
2014 — — — — — —
2015 (540) — — 24 — (516)
2016 903 — — — — 903
2017 — — — — 4,311 4,311
2018 — — — — — —
2019 — — — — — —
2020 — — — — — —
2021 — — — — — —
2022 — — — — — —
2023 — — — — — —
Total $ 3,790 $ 9,783 $ 3,836 $ 1,090 $ 19,984 $ 38,483
For more information about the credit quality of Farmer Mac's Agricultural Finance mortgage loans and the associated allowance for losses please refer to Note 5 and Note 6 to the consolidated financial statements. Activity affecting the allowance for loan losses and reserve for losses is discussed in "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Results of Operations—Provision for and Release of Allowance for Loan Losses and Reserve for Losses."
Rural Infrastructure Finance - Direct Credit Exposure
Farmer Mac's direct credit exposure to Rural Infrastructure Finance loans held and loans underlying LTSPCs as of September 30, 2023 was $3.8 billion across 45 states. For more information about Farmer Mac's underwriting and collateral valuation standards for Rural Infrastructure Finance loans, see "Business—Farmer Mac's Lines of Business—Rural Infrastructure Finance—Underwriting and Collateral Standards" in Farmer Mac's 2022 Annual Report. As of September 30, 2023, there were no delinquencies in Farmer Mac's portfolio of Rural Infrastructure Finance loans. As of September 30, 2023, there was one telecommunications loan downgraded to substandard, with an unpaid principal balance of $29.5 million.
Farmer Mac evaluates credit risk of Rural Infrastructure assets by reviewing a variety of borrower credit risk characteristics. These characteristics can include (but is not limited to) financial metrics, internal risk ratings, ratings assigned by ratings agencies, types of customers served, sources of power supply, and the regulatory environment.
The following table disaggregates Farmer Mac’s portfolio of Rural Infrastructure loans by portfolio segment and by internally assigned risk ratings.
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Table 28
As of September 30, 2023
Rural Infrastructure Finance portfolio by internally assigned risk rating
Acceptable Special Mention Substandard Total
(in thousands)
Distribution Cooperative $ 2,321,834 $ — $ — $ 2,321,834
Generation and Transmission Cooperative
692,779 — — 692,779
Renewable Energy 330,575 — — 330,575
Telecommunications 455,548 — 29,494 485,042
Rural Infrastructure Total $ 3,800,736 $ — $ 29,494 $ 3,830,230
For more information about the credit quality of Farmer Mac's Rural Infrastructure Finance portfolio and the associated allowance for losses please refer to Notes 5 and 6 of the consolidated financial statements.
Other Considerations Regarding Credit Risk Related to Loans and Guarantees
The credit exposure on USDA Securities, including those underlying Farmer Mac Guaranteed USDA Securities, is guaranteed by the full faith and credit of the United States. Therefore, Farmer Mac believes that we have little or no credit risk exposure to the USDA Securities in the Agricultural Finance line of business because of the USDA guarantee. As of September 30, 2023, Farmer Mac had not experienced any credit losses on any USDA Securities or Farmer Mac Guaranteed USDA Securities and does not expect to incur any such losses in the future. Because we do not expect credit losses on this portfolio, Farmer Mac does not provide an allowance for losses on its portfolio of USDA Securities.
Farmer Mac requires many lenders to make representations and warranties about the conformity of Agricultural Finance mortgage loans to Farmer Mac's standards, the accuracy of loan data provided to Farmer Mac, and other requirements related to the loans. Sellers who make these representations and warranties are responsible to Farmer Mac for breaches of those representations and warranties. Farmer Mac has the ability to require a seller to cure, replace, or repurchase a loan sold or transferred to Farmer Mac if any breach of a representation or warranty is discovered that was material to Farmer Mac's decision to purchase the loan or that directly or indirectly causes a default or potential loss on a loan sold or transferred by the seller to Farmer Mac. During the previous three years ended September 30, 2023, there have been no breaches of representations and warranties by sellers that resulted in Farmer Mac requiring a seller to cure, replace, or repurchase a loan. In addition to relying on the representations and warranties of sellers, Farmer Mac also underwrites the Agricultural Finance mortgage loans (other than rural housing and part-time farm mortgage loans) and Rural Infrastructure Finance loans on which it has direct credit exposure. For rural housing and part-time farm mortgage loans, Farmer Mac relies on representations and warranties from the seller that those loans conform to Farmer Mac's specified underwriting criteria. For more information about Farmer Mac's loan eligibility requirements and underwriting standards, see "Business—Farmer Mac's Lines of Business—Agricultural Finance—Loan Eligibility," "Business—Farmer Mac's Lines of Business—Agricultural Finance—Underwriting and Collateral Standards—Farm & Ranch," "Business—Farmer Mac's Lines of Business—Agricultural Finance—Underwriting and Collateral Standards—Corporate AgFinance," and "Business—Farmer Mac's Lines of Business—Rural Infrastructure Finance—Underwriting and Collateral Standards" in Farmer Mac’s 2022 Annual Report.
Under contracts with Farmer Mac and in consideration for servicing fees, Farmer Mac-approved servicers service loans in accordance with Farmer Mac's requirements. Servicers are responsible to Farmer Mac for material errors in the servicing of those loans. If a servicer materially breaches the terms of its servicing
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agreement with Farmer Mac, such as failing to forward payments received or releasing collateral without Farmer Mac's consent, or experiences insolvency or bankruptcy, the servicer is responsible for any corresponding damages to Farmer Mac and, in most cases, Farmer Mac has the right to terminate the servicing relationship for a particular loan or the entire portfolio serviced by the servicer. Farmer Mac also can proceed against the servicer in arbitration or exercise any remedies available to it under law. During the previous three years ended September 30, 2023, Farmer Mac had not exercised any remedies or taken any formal action against any servicers. For more information about Farmer Mac's servicing requirements, see "Business—Farmer Mac's Lines of Business—Agricultural Finance—Loan Servicing" and "Business—Farmer Mac's Lines of Business—Rural Infrastructure Finance—Lenders and Loan Servicing" in Farmer Mac’s 2022 Annual Report.
Credit Risk – Counterparty Risk . Farmer Mac is exposed to credit risk arising from its business relationships with other institutions, which include:
• issuers of AgVantage securities;
• approved lenders and servicers; and
• interest rate swap counterparties.
Farmer Mac approves AgVantage counterparties and manages institutional credit risk related to those AgVantage counterparties by requiring them to meet Farmer Mac's standards for creditworthiness for the particular counterparty type and transaction. The required collateralization level is established when the AgVantage facility is entered into with the counterparty and does not change during the life of the AgVantage securities issued under the facility without Farmer Mac's consent. In AgVantage transactions, the corporate obligor is typically required to remove from the pool of pledged collateral loans that become and remain (within specified parameters) delinquent in the payment of principal or interest and to substitute eligible loans that are current in payment or pay down the AgVantage securities to maintain the minimum required collateralization level.
In the event of a default on an AgVantage security, Farmer Mac would have recourse to the pledged collateral and have rights to the ongoing borrower payments of principal and interest. As a result, Farmer Mac has indirect credit exposure to the Agricultural Finance mortgage loans and Rural Infrastructure loans that secure AgVantage securities. For AgVantage counterparties that are institutional real estate investors or financial funds and other similar entities, Farmer Mac also typically requires that the counterparty (1) maintain a higher collateralization level, through either a higher overcollateralization percentage or lower loan-to-value ratio thresholds and (2) comply with specified financial covenants for the life of the related AgVantage security to avoid default. As of September 30, 2023, Farmer Mac had not experienced any credit losses on any AgVantage securities. For a more detailed description of AgVantage securities, see "Business—Farmer Mac's Lines of Business—Agricultural Finance—Other Products – Agricultural Finance—AgVantage Securities" and "Business—Farmer Mac's Lines of Business—Rural Infrastructure Finance—Other Products – Rural Infrastructure Finance—AgVantage Securities" in Farmer Mac’s 2022 Annual Report.
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The unpaid principal balance of outstanding on-balance sheet AgVantage securities secured by loans eligible for the Agricultural Finance line of business totaled $6.1 billion as of September 30, 2023 and $6.0 billion as of December 31, 2022. The unpaid principal balance of on-balance sheet AgVantage securities secured by loans eligible for the Rural Infrastructure Finance line of business totaled $3.6 billion as of September 30, 2023 and $3.0 billion as of December 31, 2022. The unpaid principal balance of outstanding off-balance sheet AgVantage securities totaled $1.1 million as of September 30, 2023 and $1.2 million as of December 31, 2022.
The following table provides information about the issuers of AgVantage securities and the required collateralization levels for those transactions as of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022:
Table 29
As of September 30, 2023 As of December 31, 2022
Counterparty Balance Required Collateralization Balance Required Collateralization
(dollars in thousands)
AgVantage:
CFC $ 3,618,640 100% $ 3,045,325 100%
MetLife 2,050,000 103% 2,050,000 103%
Rabo AgriFinance 2,935,000 105% 2,855,000 105%
Other (1)
1,083,173 100% to 125% 1,059,600 100% to 125%
Total outstanding $ 9,686,813 $ 9,009,925
(1) Consists of AgVantage securities issued by 10 and 12 different issuers as of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively.
Farmer Mac manages institutional credit risk related to lenders and servicers by requiring those institutions to meet Farmer Mac's standards for creditworthiness. Farmer Mac monitors the financial condition of those institutions by evaluating financial statements and credit rating agency reports. For more information about Farmer Mac's lender eligibility requirements, see "Business—Farmer Mac's Lines of Business—Agricultural Finance—Lenders" and "Business—Farmer Mac's Lines of Business—Rural Infrastructure Finance—Lenders and Loan Servicing" in Farmer Mac’s 2022 Annual Report.
Farmer Mac manages institutional credit risk related to its interest rate swap counterparties through collateralization provisions contained in each of its swap agreements that vary based on the market value of its swap portfolio with each counterparty. Farmer Mac and its interest rate swap counterparties are required to fully collateralize their derivatives positions without any minimum threshold for cleared swap transactions, as well as for non-cleared swap transactions entered into after March 1, 2017. Farmer Mac transacts interest rate swaps with multiple counterparties to reduce counterparty credit exposure concentration. Farmer Mac's usage of cleared derivatives has increased over time as has its exposure to clearinghouses. The usage of cleared swap transactions reduces Farmer Mac's exposure to individual counterparties with the central clearinghouse acting to settle the change in value of contracts on a daily basis. Credit risk related to interest rate swap contracts is discussed in "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Risk Management—Interest Rate Risk" and Note 4 to the consolidated financial statements.
Credit Risk – Other Investments . As of September 30, 2023, Farmer Mac had $0.8 billion of cash and cash equivalents and $4.9 billion of investment securities. The management of the credit risk inherent in these investments is governed by Farmer Mac's internal policies as well as regulations issued by the FCA found at 12 C.F.R. §§ 652.1-652.45 ("Liquidity and Investment Regulations"). In addition to establishing a portfolio of highly liquid investments as an available source of cash, the goals of Farmer Mac's investment
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policies are designed to minimize Farmer Mac's exposure to financial market volatility, preserve capital, and support Farmer Mac's access to the debt markets.
The Liquidity and Investment Regulations and Farmer Mac's internal policies require that investments held in Farmer Mac's investment portfolio meet the following creditworthiness standards: (1) at a minimum, at least one obligor of the investment must have a very strong capacity to meet financial commitments for the life of the investment, even under severely adverse or stressful conditions, and generally present a very low risk of default; (2) if the obligor whose capacity to meet financial commitments is being relied upon to meet the standard set forth in subparagraph (1) is located outside of the United States, the investment must also be fully guaranteed by a U.S. government agency; and (3) the investment must exhibit low credit risk and other risk characteristics consistent with the purpose or purposes for which it is held.
The Liquidity and Investment Regulations and Farmer Mac's internal policies also establish concentration limits, which are intended to limit exposure to any single entity, issuer, or obligor. The Liquidity and Investment Regulations limit Farmer Mac's total credit exposure to any single entity, issuer, or obligor of securities to 10% of Farmer Mac's regulatory capital ($144.0 million as of September 30, 2023). However, Farmer Mac's current policy limits this total credit exposure to 5% of its regulatory capital ($72.0 million as of September 30, 2023). These exposure limits do not apply to obligations of U.S. government agencies or GSEs, although Farmer Mac's current policy restricts investing more than 100% of regulatory capital in the senior non-convertible debt securities of any one GSE.
Although the Liquidity and Investments Regulations do not establish limits on the maximum amount, expressed as a percentage of Farmer Mac's investment portfolio, that can be invested in each eligible asset class, Farmer Mac's internal policies set forth asset class limits as part of Farmer Mac's overall risk management framework.
Interest Rate Risk . Farmer Mac is subject to interest rate risk on all interest-earning assets on its balance sheet because of timing differences in the cash flows due to maturity, paydown, or repricing of the assets and debt together with financial derivatives. Cash flow mismatches due to changing interest rates can reduce the earnings of Farmer Mac if assets prepay sooner than expected and the resulting cash flows must be reinvested in lower-yielding investments when Farmer Mac's funding costs cannot be correspondingly reduced. Alternatively, Farmer Mac could realize a decline in income if assets repay more slowly than originally forecasted and the associated maturing debt must be replaced by debt issuances at higher interest rates.
Interest Rate Risk Management
The goal of interest rate risk management at Farmer Mac is to manage the balance sheet in a manner that generates stable earnings and value across a variety of interest rate environments. Recognizing that interest rate sensitivities may change with the passage of time and as interest rates change, Farmer Mac regularly assesses this exposure and, if necessary, adjusts its portfolio of interest-earning assets, debt, and financial derivatives.
Farmer Mac's objective is to maintain its exposure to interest rate risk within appropriate limits, as approved by Farmer Mac's board of directors. Farmer Mac's management-level Asset and Liability Committee ("ALCO") provides oversight, establishes guidelines, and approves strategies to maintain interest rate risk within the board-established limits.
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Farmer Mac's primary strategy for managing interest rate risk is to fund asset purchases with debt that together with financial derivatives have similar duration and convexity characteristics and help mitigate impacts from interest rate changes across the yield curve. As part of this strategy, Farmer Mac seeks to issue debt securities across a variety of maturities that together with financial derivatives closely align the forecasted debt and financial derivative cash flows with forecasted asset cash flows.
Farmer Mac issues discount notes and both callable and non-callable medium-term notes across a spectrum of maturities to execute its debt issuance strategy. Portions of Farmer Mac's callable debt is issued to mitigate prepayment risk associated with certain interest-earning assets held on balance sheet. In general, as interest rates decline, prepayments typically increase, and Farmer Mac is able to economically extinguish certain callable debt issuances. In addition, Farmer Mac enters into financial derivatives, primarily interest rate swaps, to better match the durations of Farmer Mac's assets and liabilities, thereby reducing overall sensitivity to changing interest rates.
Taking into consideration the prepayment provisions and the default probabilities associated with its portfolio of interest-earning assets, Farmer Mac incorporates behavioral models when projecting and valuing cash flows associated with these assets. In recognition that borrowers' behaviors in various interest rate environments may change over time, Farmer Mac periodically evaluates the effectiveness of these models compared to actual prepayment experience and adjusts and refines the models as necessary to improve the precision of future prepayment forecasts.
Changes in interest rates may affect the timing of asset prepayments which may, in turn, impact durations and values of the assets. Declining interest rates generally result in increased prepayments, which shortens the duration of these assets, while rising interest rates generally result in lower prepayments, thereby extending the duration of the assets.
Farmer Mac is subject to interest rate risk on loans and securities it has committed to acquire but not yet purchased (other than delinquent loans purchased through LTSPCs or loans designated for securitization under a forward purchase agreement). When Farmer Mac commits to purchase these assets, it is exposed to interest rate risk between the time it commits to purchase the loans and the time it issues debt to fund the purchase of these loans. Farmer Mac manages the interest rate risk exposure related to these loans by entering into exchange-traded futures contracts involving U.S. Treasury securities and other financial derivatives. Similarly, when Farmer Mac commits to sell certain assets, the associated interest rate exposure is primarily managed with exchange-traded futures contracts involving U.S. Treasury securities and other financial derivatives.
Farmer Mac's $0.8 billion of cash and cash equivalents held as of September 30, 2023 mature within three months. As of September 30, 2023, $3.1 billion of the $4.9 billion of investment securities (63%) were floating rate securities with rates that adjust within one year or fixed rate securities with original maturities between three months and one year. Farmer Mac's floating rate investment securities are funded with floating rate debt. The fixed rate investment securities are generally funded in a manner consistent with Farmer Mac's overall funding strategy that approximates a duration and convexity match.
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Interest Rate Risk Metrics
Farmer Mac regularly evaluates and conducts interest rate shock simulations on its portfolio of financial assets, debt, and financial derivatives and examines a variety of metrics to quantify and manage its exposure to interest rate risk. These metrics include sensitivity to interest rate movements on the market value of equity ("MVE") and forecasted net effective spread ("NES") as well as a duration gap analysis.
MVE represents management's estimate of the present value of all future cash flows from its current portfolio of on- and off-balance sheet assets, liabilities, and financial derivatives, discounted at current interest rates and appropriate spreads. However, MVE is not indicative of the market value of Farmer Mac as a going concern because these market values are theoretical and do not reflect future business activities. The MVE sensitivity analysis measures the degree to which the market values of Farmer Mac's assets, liabilities, and financial derivatives are estimated to change for a given change in interest rates.
Farmer Mac's NES simulation represents the difference between projected income over the next twelve months from the current portfolio of interest-earning assets and interest expense produced by the related funding, including associated financial derivatives. Farmer Mac's NES simulation may be impacted by changes in market interest rates resulting from timing differences between maturities and re-pricing characteristics of funded assets and debt together with the associated financial derivatives. The direction and magnitude of any such effect depends on the direction and magnitude of the change in interest rates across the yield curve as well as the composition of Farmer Mac's portfolio. The NES simulation represents an estimate of the net effective spread income that Farmer Mac's current portfolio is expected to produce over a twelve-month horizon. As a result, the NES simulation sensitivity statistics provide a short-term view of Farmer Mac's NES income sensitivity to interest rate shocks.
Duration is a measure of a financial instrument's fair value sensitivity to small changes in interest rates. Duration gap is calculated using the net estimated durations of Farmer Mac's interest-earning assets, debt, and financial derivatives. Duration gap quantifies the extent to which estimated fair value sensitivities are matched for interest-earning assets, debt and financial derivatives. Duration gap provides a relatively concise measure of the interest rate risk inherent in Farmer Mac's outstanding portfolio.
A positive duration gap denotes that the duration of Farmer Mac's interest-earning assets is greater than the duration of its debt and financial derivatives. A positive duration gap indicates that with small changes in interest rate movements the fair value change of Farmer Mac's interest-earning assets is more sensitive than the fair value change of its debt and financial derivatives. Conversely, a negative duration gap indicates that with small changes in interest rate movements the fair value change of Farmer Mac's interest-earning assets are less sensitive than the fair value change of its debt and financial derivatives. A duration gap of zero indicates that with small changes in interest rate movements the fair value change of Farmer Mac's interest-earning assets is effectively offset by the fair value change of its debt and financial derivatives.
Each of the interest rate risk metrics is quantified using asset/liability models and derived based on management's best estimates of factors such as implied forward interest rates across the yield curve, interest rate volatility, and timing of asset prepayments and callable debt redemptions. Accordingly, these metrics are estimates rather than precise measurements. Actual results may differ to the extent there are material changes to Farmer Mac's financial asset portfolio or changes in funding or hedging strategies undertaken to mitigate unfavorable sensitivities to interest rate changes.
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The following schedule summarizes the results of Farmer Mac's MVE and NES sensitivity analysis as of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022 to an immediate and instantaneous uniform or "parallel" shift in the yield curve:
Table 30
Percentage Change in MVE from Base Case
Interest Rate Scenario As of September 30, 2023 As of December 31, 2022
+100 basis points (4.0) % (3.7) %
-100 basis points 3.5 % 2.7 %
Percentage Change in NES from Base Case
Interest Rate Scenario As of September 30, 2023 As of December 31, 2022
+100 basis points (0.2) % 0.4 %
-100 basis points 0.1 % (0.6) %
As of September 30, 2023, Farmer Mac's duration gap was positive 3.8 months, compared to positive 3.6 months as of December 31, 2022. Interest rates within the yield curve increased during the first nine months of 2023, as the 2-year U.S. Treasury Note yield-to-maturity increased by approximately 62 basis points and the 10-year U.S. Treasury Note yield-to-maturity decreased by approximately 70 basis points versus year-end 2022. This rate movement contributed to lengthening the duration of Farmer Mac's funded assets compared to its debt and financial derivatives, thereby widening Farmer Mac's duration gap.
Financial Derivatives Transactions
The economic effects of financial derivatives are included in Farmer Mac's MVE, NES, and duration gap analyses. Farmer Mac typically enters into the following types of financial derivative transactions principally to protect against risk from the effects of market price or interest rate movements on the value of interest-earning assets, future cash flows, and debt issuance, and not for trading or speculative purposes:
• "pay-fixed" interest rate swaps, in which Farmer Mac pays fixed rates of interest to, and receives floating rates of interest from, counterparties;
• "receive-fixed" interest rate swaps, in which Farmer Mac receives fixed rates of interest from, and pays floating rates of interest to, counterparties;
• "basis swaps," in which Farmer Mac pays floating rates of interest based on one index to, and receives floating rates of interest based on a different index from, counterparties; and
• exchange-traded futures contracts involving U.S. Treasury securities.
As of September 30, 2023, Farmer Mac had $24.5 billion combined notional amount of interest rate swaps, with terms ranging from less than one year to just over thirty years, of which $9.6 billion were pay-fixed interest rate swaps, $14.0 billion were receive-fixed interest rate swaps, and $0.9 billion were basis swaps.
Farmer Mac enters into interest rate swaps to more closely match the cash flow and duration characteristics of its interest-earning assets with those of its debt. For example, Farmer Mac transacts pay-fixed interest rate swaps and issues floating rate debt to effectively create fixed rate funding that approximately matches the duration of the corresponding fixed rate assets being funded. Farmer Mac evaluates the overall cost of using interest rate swaps in conjunction with debt issuance as a funding
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alternative to duration-matched debt and enters into interest rate swaps to manage interest rate risks across the balance sheet.
Certain financial derivatives are designated as fair value hedges of fixed rate assets classified as available for sale or liabilities to protect against fair value changes in the assets or liabilities related to a benchmark interest rate (e.g. SOFR). Also, certain financial derivatives are designated as cash flow hedges to mitigate the volatility of future interest rate payments on floating rate debt.
As discussed in Note 4 to the consolidated financial statements, all financial derivatives are recorded on the balance sheet at fair value as derivative assets or as derivative liabilities. Changes in the fair values of undesignated financial derivatives are reported in "Gains on financial derivatives" in the consolidated statements of operations. For financial derivatives designated in fair value hedge accounting relationships, changes in the fair values of the hedged items related to the risk being hedged are reported in "Net interest income" in the consolidated statements of operations. Interest accruals on derivatives designated in fair value hedge accounting relationships are also recorded in "Net interest income" in the consolidated statements of operations. For financial derivatives designated in cash flow hedge accounting relationships, the unrealized gain or loss on the derivative is recorded in other comprehensive income. Because the hedging instrument is an interest rate swap and the hedged forecasted transactions are future interest payments on floating rate debt, amounts recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income are reclassified to "Total interest expense" in conjunction with the recognition of interest expense on the debt. All of Farmer Mac's interest rate swap transactions are conducted under standard collateralized agreements that limit Farmer Mac's potential credit exposure to any counterparty. As of both September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, Farmer Mac had no uncollateralized net exposures based on the mark-to-market value of the portfolio of interest rate swaps.
Re-funding and repricing risk
Farmer Mac is subject to re-funding and repricing risk on any floating rate assets that are not funded to contractual maturity. Re-funding and repricing risk arises from potential changes in funding costs resulting from a funding strategy whereby Farmer Mac issues floating rate debt across a variety of maturities to fund floating rate or synthetically floating rate assets that on average may have longer maturities. Changes in Farmer Mac's funding costs relative to the benchmark market index rate to which the assets are indexed can cause changes to net interest income when debt matures and is reissued at then current interest rates to continue funding those assets.
Farmer Mac is subject to re-funding and repricing risk on a portion of its fixed rate assets as a result of its use of pay-fixed receive-floating interest rate swaps that effectively convert the required funding needed from fixed rate to floating rate. These fixed rate assets are then effectively floating rate assets that require floating rate funding.
Farmer Mac can meet floating rate funding needs in several ways, including:
• issuing short-term fixed rate discount notes with maturities that match the reset period of the assets;
• issuing floating rate medium-term notes with maturities and reset frequencies that match the assets being funded;
• issuing non-maturity matched, floating rate medium-term notes with reset frequencies that match the assets being funded; or
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• issuing non-maturity matched, fixed rate discount notes or medium-term notes swapped to floating rate to match the interest rate reset dates of the assets.
To meet certain floating rate funding needs, Farmer Mac frequently issues shorter-term floating-rate medium-term notes or fixed rate medium-term notes paired with a received-fixed interest rate swap because these funding alternatives generally provide a lower cost of funding while generating an effective interest rate match. As funding for these floating rate assets matures, Farmer Mac seeks to refinance the debt associated with these assets in a similar fashion to achieve an appropriate interest rate match in the context of Farmer Mac's overall debt issuance and liquidity management strategies. However, if the funding cost of Farmer Mac’s discount notes or medium-term notes increased relative to the benchmark market index of the associated assets during the time between when these floating rate assets were first funded and when Farmer Mac refinanced the associated debt, Farmer Mac would be exposed to a commensurate reduction of net effective spread. Conversely, if the funding cost on Farmer Mac’s discount notes or medium-term notes decreased relative to the benchmark market index during that time, Farmer Mac would benefit from a commensurate increase to net effective spread.
Farmer Mac's debt issuance strategy targets balancing liquidity risk and re-funding and repricing risk while maintaining an appropriate liability management profile that is consistent with Farmer Mac's risk tolerance. Farmer Mac regularly adjusts its funding strategies to mitigate the effects of interest rate variability and seeks to maintain an effective mixture of funding structures in the context of its overall liability and liquidity management strategies.
As of September 30, 2023, Farmer Mac held $7.9 billion of floating rate assets in its lines of business and its investment portfolio that reset based on floating rate market indices, such as SOFR. As of the same date, Farmer Mac also had $9.6 billion of interest rate swaps outstanding where Farmer Mac pays a fixed rate of interest and receives a floating rate of interest, primarily SOFR.
Discontinuation of LIBOR
Farmer Mac has not had, and does not foresee, a material impact on our business due to the replacement of LIBOR with SOFR. We had no further variable LIBOR exposure as of September 30, 2023.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Farmer Mac's primary sources of funds to meet its liquidity and funding needs are the proceeds of its debt issuances, guarantee and commitment fees, net effective spread, loan repayments, and repayments of AgVantage and investment securities. Farmer Mac regularly accesses the debt capital markets for funding, and Farmer Mac has maintained steady access to the debt capital markets throughout 2023. Farmer Mac funds its purchases of eligible loan assets, USDA Securities, Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities, and investment assets and finances its operations primarily by issuing debt obligations of various maturities in the debt capital markets. As of September 30, 2023, Farmer Mac had outstanding discount notes of $1.5 billion, medium-term notes that mature within one year of $6.4 billion, and medium-term notes that mature after one year of $17.6 billion.
Assuming continued access to the debt capital markets, Farmer Mac believes it has sufficient liquidity and capital resources to support its operations for the next 12 months and for the foreseeable future. Farmer Mac has a contingency funding plan to manage unanticipated disruptions in its access to the debt capital markets. Farmer Mac must maintain a minimum of 90 days of liquidity under the Liquidity and
110
Investment Regulations. In accordance with the methodology for calculating available days of liquidity under those regulations, Farmer Mac maintained a monthly average of 293 days of liquidity throughout third quarter 2023 and had 297 days of liquidity as of September 30, 2023.
Farmer Mac maintains cash, cash equivalents (including U.S. Treasury securities, operational deposits, and other short-term money market instruments), and other investment securities that can be drawn upon for liquidity needs. Farmer Mac's current policies authorize liquidity investments in:
• obligations of or fully guaranteed by the United States or a U.S. government agency;
• obligations of or fully guaranteed by GSEs;
• municipal securities;
• international and multilateral development bank obligations;
• money market instruments;
• diversified investment funds;
• asset-backed securities;
• corporate debt securities; and
• mortgage-backed securities.
The following table presents these assets as of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022:
Table 31
As of September 30, 2023 As of December 31, 2022
(in thousands)
Cash and cash equivalents $ 782,318 $ 861,002
Investment securities:
Guaranteed by U.S. Government and its agencies 1,348,081 1,444,650
Guaranteed by GSEs 3,551,332 3,160,919
Asset-backed securities 19,033 19,027
Total $ 5,700,764 $ 5,485,598
The objectives of the investment portfolio as of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022 are to provide a level of liquidity that mitigates enterprise risk, provides a reliable source of short-term and long-term liquidity, to prepare for the possibility of future volatility in the debt capital markets, and to support program asset growth.
Capital Requirements . Farmer Mac is subject to the following statutory capital requirements – minimum, critical, and risk-based. Farmer Mac must comply with the higher of the minimum capital requirement and the risk-based capital requirement. As of September 30, 2023, Farmer Mac was in compliance with its statutory capital requirements and was classified as within "level 1" (the highest compliance level).
In accordance with the FCA's rule on capital planning, Farmer Mac's board of directors has adopted a policy for maintaining a sufficient level of "Tier 1" capital (consisting of retained earnings, paid-in capital, common stock, and qualifying preferred stock). That policy restricts Tier 1-eligible dividends and any discretionary bonus payments if Tier 1 capital falls below specified thresholds. As of September 30, 2023 and 2022, Farmer Mac's Tier 1 capital ratio was 16.0% and 14.9%, respectively. As of September 30, 2023, Farmer Mac was in compliance with its capital adequacy policy. Farmer Mac does not expect its compliance on an ongoing basis with the FCA's rule on capital planning, including Farmer Mac's policy on Tier 1 capital, to materially affect Farmer Mac's operations or financial condition.
111
For more information about the capital requirements applicable to Farmer Mac, its capital adequacy policy, and the FCA's rule on capital planning, see "Business—Government Regulation of Farmer Mac—Capital Standards" in Farmer Mac's 2022 Annual Report. See Note 8 to the consolidated financial statements for more information about Farmer Mac's capital position.
Other Matters
None.
Supplemental Information
The following tables present quarterly and annual information about new business volume, repayments, and outstanding business volume:
Table 32
New Business Volume
Agricultural Finance Rural Infrastructure Finance
Farm & Ranch Corporate AgFinance Rural Utilities Renewable Energy Total
(in thousands)
For the quarter ended:
September 30, 2023 $ 1,384,273 $ 275,932 $ 607,979 $ 17,390 $ 2,285,574
June 30, 2023 1,574,169 218,136 294,292 71,611 2,158,208
March 31, 2023 750,040 203,211 683,232 89,747 1,726,230
December 31, 2022 1,114,255 165,395 140,222 43,737 1,463,609
September 30, 2022 1,927,209 169,932 547,117 61,653 2,705,911
June 30, 2022 1,418,397 107,916 326,899 35,307 1,888,519
March 31, 2022 2,452,539 103,353 377,965 41,636 2,975,493
December 31, 2021 2,075,540 411,838 631,338 12,594 3,131,310
September 30, 2021 1,791,662 122,043 609,745 4,152 2,527,602
For the year ended:
December 31, 2022 $ 6,912,400 $ 546,596 $ 1,392,203 $ 182,333 $ 9,033,532
December 31, 2021 5,881,049 880,232 1,823,295 43,671 8,628,247
112
Table 33
Repayments of Assets
Agricultural Finance Rural Infrastructure Finance
Farm & Ranch Corporate AgFinance Rural Utilities Renewable Energy Total
(in thousands)
For the quarter ended:
Scheduled $ 922,223 $ 110,383 $ 80,998 $ 14,716 $ 1,128,320
Unscheduled 108,960 104,999 20,578 — 234,537
September 30, 2023 $ 1,031,183 $ 215,382 $ 101,576 $ 14,716 $ 1,362,857
Scheduled $ 1,050,480 $ 81,386 $ 558,944 $ 52,203 $ 1,743,013
Unscheduled 96,507 55,976 13,138 — 165,621
June 30, 2023 $ 1,146,987 $ 137,362 $ 572,082 $ 52,203 $ 1,908,634
Scheduled $ 279,676 $ 78,482 $ 95,809 $ 11,424 $ 465,391
Unscheduled 231,288 128,254 57,354 — 416,896
March 31, 2023 $ 510,964 $ 206,736 $ 153,163 $ 11,424 $ 882,287
Scheduled $ 447,976 $ 64,308 $ 75,671 $ 9,809 $ 597,764
Unscheduled 136,245 132,366 1,201 — 269,812
December 31, 2022 $ 584,221 $ 196,674 $ 76,872 $ 9,809 $ 867,576
Scheduled $ 724,580 $ 38,018 $ 422,917 $ 13,429 $ 1,198,944
Unscheduled 296,763 64,439 — — 361,202
September 30, 2022 $ 1,021,343 $ 102,457 $ 422,917 $ 13,429 $ 1,560,146
Scheduled $ 1,114,779 $ 42,162 $ 159,491 $ 7,898 $ 1,324,330
Unscheduled 286,303 30,203 1,791 — 318,297
June 30, 2022 $ 1,401,082 $ 72,365 $ 161,282 $ 7,898 $ 1,642,627
Scheduled $ 1,535,369 $ 39,480 $ 266,349 $ 7,790 $ 1,848,988
Unscheduled 434,794 60,947 397 — 496,138
March 31, 2022 $ 1,970,163 $ 100,427 $ 266,746 $ 7,790 $ 2,345,126
Scheduled $ 928,663 $ 205,778 $ 816,802 $ 18,526 $ 1,969,769
Unscheduled 318,024 48,042 — — 366,066
December 31, 2021 $ 1,246,687 $ 253,820 $ 816,802 $ 18,526 $ 2,335,835
Scheduled $ 725,713 $ 406,285 $ 95,443 $ 4,043 $ 1,231,484
Unscheduled 374,287 — 201 — 374,488
September 30, 2021 $ 1,100,000 $ 406,285 $ 95,644 $ 4,043 $ 1,605,972
For the year ended:
Scheduled $ 3,822,704 $ 183,968 $ 924,428 $ 38,926 $ 4,970,026
Unscheduled 1,154,105 287,955 3,389 — 1,445,449
December 31, 2022 $ 4,976,809 $ 471,923 $ 927,817 $ 38,926 $ 6,415,475
Scheduled $ 2,756,150 $ 872,458 $ 1,237,984 $ 29,944 $ 4,896,536
Unscheduled 1,603,355 134,053 4,132 — 1,741,540
December 31, 2021 $ 4,359,505 $ 1,006,511 $ 1,242,116 $ 29,944 $ 6,638,076
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Table 34
Outstanding Business Volume
Agricultural Finance Rural Infrastructure Finance
Farm & Ranch Corporate AgFinance Rural Utilities Renewable Energy Total
(in thousands)
As of:
September 30, 2023 $ 18,461,835 $ 1,741,306 $ 7,118,295 $ 330,575 $ 27,652,011
June 30, 2023 18,116,503 1,680,756 6,611,892 327,901 26,737,052
March 31, 2023 17,685,961 1,599,982 6,889,682 308,493 26,484,118
December 31, 2022 17,728,792 1,603,507 6,359,613 230,170 25,922,082
September 30, 2022 17,199,347 1,634,786 6,296,263 196,242 25,326,638
June 30, 2022 16,591,999 1,567,311 6,172,063 148,018 24,479,391
March 31, 2022 16,575,595 1,540,760 6,006,446 120,609 24,243,410
December 31, 2021 16,094,639 1,537,834 5,895,227 86,763 23,614,463
September 30, 2021 15,565,589 1,379,816 6,080,691 92,695 23,118,791
Table 35
On-Balance Sheet Outstanding Business Volume
Fixed Rate 5- to 10-Year ARMs & Resets 1-Month to 3-Year ARMs Total Held in Portfolio
(in thousands)
As of:
September 30, 2023 $ 13,727,280 $ 3,019,317 $ 6,255,690 $ 23,002,287
June 30, 2023 13,721,129 3,003,560 5,493,104 22,217,793
March 31, 2023 13,607,740 3,020,229 5,924,032 22,552,001
December 31, 2022 13,693,810 3,031,288 5,251,427 21,976,525
September 30, 2022 13,810,162 2,960,596 4,644,958 21,415,716
June 30, 2022 13,798,771 2,939,467 3,993,956 20,732,194
March 31, 2022 14,174,611 2,858,521 3,443,816 20,476,948
December 31, 2021 13,228,675 2,896,014 3,695,269 19,819,958
September 30, 2021 12,921,572 2,872,499 3,818,550 19,612,621
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The following table presents the quarterly net effective spread (a non-GAAP measure) by segment:
Table 36
Net Effective Spread (1)
Agricultural Finance Rural Infrastructure Finance Treasury
Farm & Ranch Corporate AgFinance Rural Utilities Renewable Energy Funding Investments Net Effective Spread
Dollars Yield Dollars Yield Dollars Yield Dollars Yield Dollars Yield Dollars Yield Dollars Yield
(dollars in thousands)
For the quarter ended:
September 30, 2023 (2)
$ 32,718 0.97 % $ 8,250 2.05 % $ 6,362 0.39 % $ 1,150 1.46 % $ 34,412 0.49 % $ 532 0.04 % $ 83,424 1.20 %
June 30, 2023 34,388
1.03 % 7,444 1.92 % 5,808 0.38 % 1,100 1.47 % 32,498 0.48 % 594 0.04 % 81,832 1.20 %
March 31, 2023 32,465 0.97 % 7,148 1.94 % 5,507 0.36 % 858 1.53 % 31,738 0.47 % (543) (0.04) % 77,173 1.15 %
December 31, 2022 32,770 0.98 % 7,471 1.94 % 4,960 0.34 % 935 1.76 % 27,656 0.42 % (2,689) (0.19) % 71,103 1.07 %
September 30, 2022 (2)
33,343 1.04 % 7,600 1.99 % 4,220 0.30 % 705 1.97 % 22,564 0.36 % (2,791) (0.21) % 65,641 1.03 %
June 30, 2022 32,590 1.05 % 6,929 1.87 % 3,733 0.27 % 468 1.78 % 18,508 0.30 % (1,282) (0.10) % 60,946 0.99 %
March 31, 2022 30,354 1.02 % 7,209 1.96 % 3,159 0.23 % 375 1.69 % 16,738 0.28 % 4 — % 57,839 0.97 %
December 31, 2021 28,998 0.99 % 6,321 1.84 % 2,521 0.19 % 356 1.53 % 15,979 0.28 % 158 0.01 % 54,333 0.94 %
September 30, 2021 28,914 1.06 % 7,163 1.80 % 2,067 0.16 % 236 1.09 % 17,386 0.31 % 159 0.01 % 55,925 0.99 %
(1) Farmer Mac excludes the Corporate segment in the presentation above because the segment does not have any interest-earning assets.
(2) See Note 10 to the consolidated financial statements for a reconciliation of GAAP net interest income by segment to net effective spread by segment for the three months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022.
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The following table presents quarterly core earnings (a non-GAAP measure) reconciled to net income attributable to common stockholders:
Table 37
Core Earnings by Quarter End
September 2023 June 2023 March 2023 December 2022 September 2022 June
2022 March 2022 December 2021 September 2021
(in thousands)
Revenues:
Net effective spread $ 83,424 $ 81,832 $ 77,173 $ 71,103 $ 65,641 $ 60,946 $ 57,839 $ 54,333 $ 55,925
Guarantee and commitment fees 4,828 4,581 4,654 4,677 4,201 4,709 4,557 4,637 4,322
Gains on sale of mortgage loans — — — — — — — 6,539 —
Other 1,056 409 1,067 390 473 307 514 241 687
Total revenues 89,308 86,822 82,894 76,170 70,315 65,962 62,910 65,750 60,934
Credit related expense/(income):
(Release of)/provision for losses (181) 1,142 750 1,945 450 (1,535) (54) (1,428) 255
REO operating expenses — — — 819 — — — — —
Total credit related expense/(income) (181) 1,142 750 2,764 450 (1,535) (54) (1,428) 255
Operating expenses:
Compensation and employee benefits 14,103 13,937 15,351 12,105 11,648 11,715 13,298 11,246 10,027
General and administrative 9,100 9,420 7,527 8,055 6,919 7,520 7,278 8,492 6,330
Regulatory fees 831 831 835 832 812 813 812 812 750
Total operating expenses 24,034 24,188 23,713 20,992 19,379 20,048 21,388 20,550 17,107
Net earnings 65,455 61,492 58,431 52,414 50,486 47,449 41,576 46,628 43,572
Income tax expense 13,475 12,539 12,756 11,210 10,303 9,909 9,024 9,809 9,152
Preferred stock dividends 6,792 6,791 6,791 6,791 6,791 6,792 6,791 6,792 6,774
Core earnings $ 45,188 $ 42,162 $ 38,884 $ 34,413 $ 33,392 $ 30,748 $ 25,761 $ 30,027 $ 27,646
Reconciling items:
Gains/(losses) on undesignated financial derivatives due to fair value changes $ 2,921 $ 2,141 $ 916 $ 1,596 $ 6,441 $ 2,846 $ 2,612 $ (1,242) $ (405)
Gains/(losses) on hedging activities due to fair value changes 3,210 (4,901) (105) (148) (624) 428 5,687 (2,079) 1,818
Unrealized gains/(losses) on trading assets 1,714 (57) 359 31 (757) (285) 94 (76) 36
Net effects of amortization of premiums/discounts and deferred gains on assets consolidated at fair value 29 29 29 57 24 (62) 20 71 23
Net effects of terminations or net settlements on financial derivatives (79) 583 523 1,268 (3,522) 2,536 15,512 (429) (351)
Income tax effect related to reconciling items (1,638) 464 (362) (590) (327) (1,148) (5,024) 789 (236)
Net income attributable to common stockholders $ 51,345 $ 40,421 $ 40,244 $ 36,627 $ 34,627 $ 35,063 $ 44,662 $ 27,061 $ 28,531
Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.