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, 2024. 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, 2023 as filed with the SEC on February 23, 2024 (the "2023 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 forward-looking statements, including the factors discussed under "Risk Factors" in Part I, Item 1A of Farmer Mac's 2023 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;
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• 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 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, 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 to respond to inflation and employment levels; 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 driven by its mission to increase the accessibility of financing for American agriculture and rural infrastructure. As a secondary market provider for our nation's agricultural and rural infrastructure credit, we provide financial solutions to a broad spectrum of customers supporting rural America, including agricultural lenders, agribusinesses, and rural electric cooperatives. We are uniquely positioned to facilitate competitive access to financing that fuels growth, innovation, and prosperity in America's rural and agricultural communities. Farmer Mac also serves as a critical investment tool for a number of entities – such as states, counties, municipalities, pension funds, banks, public trust funds, and credit unions – by offering investment opportunities that may diversify their investment portfolios and provide possibilities to earn a competitive return on their investment dollars.
During third quarter 2024:
• we provided $2.0 billion in liquidity and lending capacity to lenders serving rural America;
• 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; and
• we redeemed all $75.0 million of our Series C Preferred Stock.
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."
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, 2024 June 30, 2024 September 30, 2023
(in thousands)
Net income attributable to common stockholders $ 42,312 $ 40,313 $ 51,345
Core earnings 44,907 39,777 45,188
The $2.0 million sequential increase in net income attributable to common stockholders was due to a $2.3 million after-tax decrease in our provision for credit losses, a $0.9 million decrease in preferred stock dividends related to the redemption of the Series C Preferred Stock, and a $0.6 million after-tax increase in late fee income. These factors were partially offset by the $1.6 million loss on retirement of the Series C Preferred Stock, related to deferred issuance costs.
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The $9.0 million year-over-year decrease in net income attributable to common stockholders was due to a $3.6 million after-tax decrease in the fair value of undesignated financial derivatives, a $2.7 million after-tax increase in our provision for credit losses, the $1.6 million loss on retirement of the Series C Preferred Stock related to deferred issuance costs, and a $1.2 million after-tax decrease in guarantee and commitment fee income. These factors were partially offset by a $0.9 million decrease in preferred stock dividends related to the redemption of the Series C Preferred Stock.
The $5.1 million sequential increase in core earnings was due to a $2.3 million after-tax decrease in our provision for credit losses, a $1.4 million after-tax increase in net effective spread, a $0.9 million decrease in preferred stock dividends related to the redemption of the Series C Preferred Stock, and a $0.6 million after-tax increase in late fee income.
The $0.3 million year-over-year decrease in core earnings was due to a $2.7 million after-tax increase in our provision for credit losses partially offset by a $1.5 million after-tax increase in net effective spread and a $0.9 million decrease in preferred stock dividends related to the redemption of the Series C Preferred Stock.
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.
Table 2
For the Three Months Ended
September 30, 2024 June 30, 2024 September 30, 2023
(in thousands)
Net interest income $ 86,791 $ 87,340 $ 87,643
Net interest yield % 1.15 % 1.15 % 1.22 %
Net effective spread $ 85,396 $ 83,596 $ 83,424
Net effective spread % 1.16 % 1.14 % 1.20 %
The $0.5 million sequential decrease in net interest income was primarily due to a $2.4 million decrease in the fair value of derivatives designated in fair value hedge accounting relationships (designated financial derivatives), a $0.9 million increase from a shift in the composition of new business volume towards higher-yielding loans, and a decrease of $0.9 million in our funding costs, which was primarily attributable to our proactive asset liability management practices such as calling fixed-rate debt in response to lower nominal interest rates. In percentage terms, net interest income remained consistent compared to second quarter 2024.
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The $0.9 million year-over-year decrease in net interest income was primarily due to an increase of $3.0 million of funding costs, which was primarily attributable to (1) the widening of debt spreads that occurred in fourth quarter 2023, which increased our floating-rate funding costs, and (2) a $2.9 million decrease in the fair value of derivatives designated in fair value hedge accounting relationships (designated financial derivatives). These factors were partially offset by a $5.0 million increase from a shift in the composition of new business volume towards higher-yielding loans. In percentage terms, the year-over-year decrease of 0.07% was primarily attributable to an increase of 0.07% in funding costs and a decrease in the fair value of our designated financial derivatives of 0.03%, partially offset by an increase of 0.03% related to the shift in the composition of new business volume towards higher-yielding loans.
The $1.8 million sequential increase in net effective spread was primarily due to a $0.9 million increase from a shift in the composition of new business volume towards higher-yielding loans, and a decrease of $0.9 million in our non-GAAP funding costs, which was primarily attributable to our proactive asset liability management practices such as calling fixed-rate debt in response to lower nominal interest rates. In percentage terms, the sequential increase of 0.02% was primarily attributable to an increase of 0.01% due to the shift in the composition of new business volume towards higher-yielding loans and a decrease of 0.01% in non-GAAP funding costs.
The $2.0 million year-over-year increase in net effective spread was primarily due to a $5.0 million increase from a shift in the composition of new business volume towards higher-yielding loans. This factor was partially offset by an increase of $3.0 million in non-GAAP funding costs, which was primarily attributable to the widening of debt spreads that occurred in fourth quarter 2023 and increased our floating-rate funding costs. In percentage terms, the year-over-year decrease of 0.04% was primarily attributable to an increase of 0.07% related to the increases in non-GAAP funding costs, and was partially offset by an increase of 0.03% on the shift in the composition of new business volume towards higher-yielding loans.
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 $28.5 billion as of September 30, 2024, a net decrease of $290.0 million from June 30, 2024 after taking into account all new business, maturities, sales, and paydowns on existing assets. The net decrease was primarily attributable to a net decrease of $388.2 million in the Agricultural Finance line of business, partially offset by a net increase of $98.2 million in the Rural Infrastructure 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, 2024 December 31, 2023
(in thousands)
Core capital $ 1,464,898 $ 1,452,008
Capital in excess of minimum capital level required 579,877 589,399
The decrease in capital in excess of the minimum capital level required was primarily due to the redemption of the Series C Preferred Stock, partially offset by 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, 2024, June 30, 2024, and December 31, 2023:
Table 4
On-Balance Sheet Off-Balance Sheet
Substandard Assets % of Portfolio Substandard Assets % of Portfolio
(dollars in thousands)
September 30, 2024 $ 342,058 4.1 % $ 35,827 1.1 %
June 30, 2024 219,679 2.7 % 28,323 0.9 %
December 31, 2023 152,865 2.0 % 33,086 1.0 %
Increase/(decrease) from prior quarter-ending $ 122,379 1.4 % $ 7,504 0.2 %
Increase/(decrease) from prior year-ending 189,193 2.1 % 2,741 0.1 %
The increase of $122.4 million in on-balance sheet substandard assets during third quarter was primarily driven by credit downgrades in permanent plantings, crops, livestock, part-time farms, and agricultural storage and processing. The $7.5 million increase in substandard assets in our off-balance sheet portfolios during third quarter was primarily due to credit downgrades in crops, permanent plantings, and livestock, and was partially offset by credit upgrades in part-time farms.
There was one substandard asset with an outstanding balance of $24.1 million in the Rural Infrastructure Finance portfolio as of September 30, 2024. There was one substandard asset with an outstanding balance of $29.4 million in the Rural Infrastructure Finance portfolio as of December 31, 2023.
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, 2024, June 30, 2024 , and December 31, 2023:
Table 5
On-Balance Sheet Off-Balance Sheet
90-Day
Delinquencies % of Portfolio 90-Day
Delinquencies % of Portfolio
(dollars in thousands)
September 30, 2024 $ 138,049 1.67 % $ 6,358 0.20 %
June 30, 2024 57,791 0.71 % 4,272 0.13 %
December 31, 2023 32,893 0.42 % 1,784 0.05 %
Increase/(decrease) from prior quarter-ending $ 80,258 0.96 % $ 2,086 0.07 %
Increase/(decrease) from prior year-ending 105,156 1.25 % 4,574 0.15 %
On-balance sheet Agricultural Finance assets 90 or more days delinquent increased in permanent plantings, crops, livestock, part-time farms, and agricultural storage and processing. Off-balance sheet Agricultural Finance assets 90 days or more delinquent increased in permanent plantings, crops, and part-time farms. 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, 2024.
As of both September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, 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 example, in third quarter 2024, we excluded the loss on the retirement of the Series C Preferred Stock from core earnings and core earnings per share. 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 "(Losses)/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
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cash settlements on agency forward contracts on the debt of other GSEs and U.S. Treasury security futures 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, 2024 September 30, 2023
(in thousands, except per share amounts)
Net income attributable to common stockholders $ 42,312 $ 51,345
Less reconciling items:
(Losses)/gains on undesignated financial derivatives due to fair value changes (see Table 13)
(1,064) 2,921
Gains on hedging activities due to fair value changes
205 3,210
Unrealized gains on trading securities 99 1,714
Net effects of amortization of premiums/discounts and deferred gains on assets consolidated at fair value 27 29
Net effects of terminations or net settlements on financial derivatives (503) (79)
Issuance costs on the retirement of preferred stock (1,619) —
Income tax effect related to reconciling items 260 (1,638)
Sub-total (2,595) 6,157
Core earnings $ 44,907 $ 45,188
Composition of Core Earnings:
Revenues:
Net effective spread (1)
$ 85,396 $ 83,424
Guarantee and commitment fees (2)
4,997 4,828
Gain on sale of investment securities (GAAP)
— —
Loss on sale of mortgage loan (GAAP)
— —
Other (3)
1,133 1,056
Total revenues 91,526 89,308
Credit related expense (GAAP):
Provision for/(release of) losses 3,258 (181)
REO operating expenses 196 —
Total credit related expense 3,454 (181)
Operating expenses (GAAP):
Compensation and employee benefits 15,237 14,103
General and administrative 8,625 9,100
Regulatory fees 725 831
Total operating expenses 24,587 24,034
Net earnings 63,485 65,455
Income tax expense (4)
12,681 13,475
Preferred stock dividends (GAAP) 5,897 6,792
Core earnings $ 44,907 $ 45,188
Core earnings per share:
Basic $ 4.13 $ 4.17
Diluted $ 4.10 $ 4.13
Weighted-average shares:
Basic 10,883 10,839
Diluted 10,966 10,938
(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.
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(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, 2024 September 30, 2023
(in thousands, except per share amounts)
Net income attributable to common stockholders $ 129,580 $ 132,010
Less reconciling items:
Gains on undesignated financial derivatives due to fair value changes (see Table 13)
260 5,978
Gains/(losses) on hedging activities due to fair value changes
5,811 (1,796)
Unrealized (losses)/gains on trading securities
(2) 2,016
Net effects of amortization of premiums/discounts and deferred gains on assets consolidated at fair value 84 87
Net effects of terminations or net settlements on financial derivatives (2,200) 1,027
Issuance costs on the retirement of preferred stock (1,619) —
Income tax effect related to reconciling items (830) (1,536)
Sub-total 1,504 5,776
Core earnings $ 128,076 $ 126,234
Composition of Core Earnings:
Revenues:
Net effective spread (1)
$ 252,036 $ 242,429
Guarantee and commitment fees (2)
15,235 14,063
Gain on sale of investment securities (GAAP)
1,052 —
Loss on sale of mortgage loan (GAAP)
(1,147) —
Other (3)
2,691 2,532
Total revenues 269,867 259,024
Credit related expense (GAAP):
Provision for losses
7,618 1,711
REO operating expenses 196 —
Total credit related expense 7,814 1,711
Operating expenses (GAAP):
Compensation and employee benefits 48,334 43,391
General and administrative 25,784 26,047
Regulatory fees 2,175 2,497
Total operating expenses 76,293 71,935
Net earnings 185,760 185,378
Income tax expense (4)
38,204 38,770
Preferred stock dividends (GAAP) 19,480 20,374
Core earnings $ 128,076 $ 126,234
Core earnings per share:
Basic $ 11.79 $ 11.66
Diluted $ 11.69 $ 11.56
Weighted-average shares:
Basic 10,869 10,825
Diluted 10,968 10,924
(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.
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(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.
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, 2024 September 30, 2023 September 30, 2024 September 30, 2023
(in thousands, except per share amounts)
GAAP - Basic EPS $ 3.89 $ 4.74 $ 11.93 $ 12.20
Less reconciling items:
(Losses)/gains on undesignated financial derivatives due to fair value changes (see Table 13)
(0.09) 0.27 0.02 0.55
Gains/(losses) on hedging activities due to fair value changes
0.02 0.30 0.54 (0.17)
Unrealized gains on trading securities
0.01 0.16 — 0.19
Net effects of amortization of premiums/discounts and deferred gains on assets consolidated at fair value — — 0.01 0.01
Net effects of terminations or net settlements on financial derivatives (0.05) (0.01) (0.20) 0.10
Issuance costs on the retirement of preferred stock (0.15) — (0.15) —
Income tax effect related to reconciling items 0.02 (0.15) (0.08) (0.14)
Sub-total (0.24) 0.57 0.14 0.54
Core Earnings - Basic EPS $ 4.13 $ 4.17 $ 11.79 $ 11.66
Shares used in per share calculation (GAAP and Core Earnings) 10,883 10,839 10,869 10,825
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, 2024 September 30, 2023 September 30, 2024 September 30, 2023
(in thousands, except per share amounts)
GAAP - Diluted EPS $ 3.86 $ 4.69 $ 11.82 $ 12.08
Less reconciling items:
(Losses)/gains on undesignated financial derivatives due to fair value changes (see Table 13)
(0.09) 0.27 0.02 0.54
Gains/(losses) on hedging activities due to fair value changes
0.02 0.29 0.53 (0.16)
Unrealized gains on trading securities
0.01 0.16 — 0.18
Net effects of amortization of premiums/discounts and deferred gains on assets consolidated at fair value — — 0.01 0.01
Net effects of terminations or net settlements on financial derivatives (0.05) (0.01) (0.20) 0.09
Issuance costs on the retirement of preferred stock (0.15) — (0.15) —
Income tax effect related to reconciling items 0.02 (0.15) (0.08) (0.14)
Sub-total (0.24) 0.56 0.13 0.52
Core Earnings - Diluted EPS $ 4.10 $ 4.13 $ 11.69 $ 11.56
Shares used in per share calculation (GAAP and Core Earnings) 10,966 10,938 10,968 10,924
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The non-GAAP reconciling items between net income attributable to common stockholders and core earnings are:
1. (Losses)/gains on financial derivatives due to fair value changes are presented by two reconciling items in Table 6 above: (a) (Losses)/gains on undesignated financial derivatives due to fair value changes; and (b) Gains/(losses) on hedging activities due to fair value changes.
2. Unrealized (losses)/gains on trading securities. The unrealized (losses)/gains 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.
5. The recognition of deferred issuance costs on the retirement of the Series C Preferred Stock in July 2024 has been excluded from core earnings because they are not frequently occurring transactions, nor are they indicative of future operating results. This is consistent with Farmer Mac's previous treatment of deferred issuance costs associated with the retirement of preferred stock.
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, 2024 and 2023. 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 (single-class) 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, 2024 September 30, 2023
Average
Balance Income/
Expense Average
Rate Average
Balance Income/
Expense Average
Rate
(dollars in thousands)
Interest-earning assets:
Cash and investments $ 6,492,807 $ 88,879 5.48 % $ 5,974,669 $ 79,947 5.35 %
Loans, Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities and USDA Securities (1)
22,932,539 309,208 5.39 % 21,859,457 293,378 5.37 %
Total interest-earning assets 29,425,346 398,087 5.41 % 27,834,126 373,325 5.36 %
Funding:
Notes payable due within one year 3,867,653 50,613 5.23 % 3,212,217 38,704 4.82 %
Notes payable due after one year (2)
23,673,268 261,748 4.42 % 22,784,190 248,002 4.35 %
Total interest-bearing liabilities (3)
27,540,921 312,361 4.54 % 25,996,407 286,706 4.41 %
Net non-interest-bearing funding 1,884,425 — 1,837,719 —
Total funding 29,425,346 312,361 4.25 % 27,834,126 286,706 4.12 %
Net interest income/yield prior to consolidation of certain trusts 29,425,346 85,726 1.17 % 27,834,126 86,619 1.24 %
Net effect of consolidated trusts (4)
884,929 1,065 0.48 % 861,980 1,024 0.48 %
Net interest income/yield $ 30,310,275 $ 86,791 1.15 % $ 28,696,106 $ 87,643 1.22 %
(1) Excludes interest income of $9.6 million and $8.5 million in third quarter 2024 and 2023, respectively, related to consolidated trusts with beneficial interests owned by third parties (single-class).
(2) Includes current portion of long-term notes.
(3) Excludes interest expense of $8.6 million and $7.5 million in third quarter 2024 and 2023, respectively, related to consolidated trusts with beneficial interests owned by third parties (single-class).
(4) Includes the effect of consolidated trusts with beneficial interests owned by third parties (single-class).
For the Nine Months Ended
September 30, 2024 September 30, 2023
Average
Balance Income/
Expense Average
Rate Average
Balance Income/
Expense Average
Rate
(dollars in thousands)
Interest-earning assets:
Cash and investments $ 6,322,303 $ 258,341 5.45 % $ 5,833,829 $ 209,429 4.79 %
Loans, Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities and USDA Securities (1)
23,001,393 920,887 5.34 % 21,518,428 805,922 4.99 %
Total interest-earning assets 29,323,696 1,179,228 5.36 % 27,352,257 1,015,351 4.95 %
Funding:
Notes payable due within one year 3,162,862 123,893 5.22 % 3,463,479 115,557 4.45 %
Notes payable due after one year (2)
24,216,950 798,324 4.40 % 22,242,225 657,538 3.94 %
Total interest-bearing liabilities (3)
27,379,812 922,217 4.49 % 25,705,704 773,095 4.01 %
Net non-interest-bearing funding 1,943,884 — 1,646,553 —
Total funding 29,323,696 922,217 4.19 % 27,352,257 773,095 3.77 %
Net interest income/yield prior to consolidation of certain trusts 29,323,696 257,011 1.17 % 27,352,257 242,256 1.18 %
Net effect of consolidated trusts (4)
881,774 3,488 0.53 % 880,150 3,122 0.47 %
Net interest income/yield $ 30,205,470 $ 260,499 1.15 % $ 28,232,407 $ 245,378 1.16 %
(1) Excludes interest income of $28.5 million and $25.6 million in the first nine months of 2024 and 2023, respectively, related to consolidated trusts with beneficial interests owned by third parties (single-class).
(2) Includes current portion of long-term notes.
(3) Excludes interest expense of $25.0 million and $22.4 million in the first nine months of 2024 and 2023, respectively, related to consolidated trusts with beneficial interests owned by third parties (single-class).
(4) Includes the effect of consolidated trusts with beneficial interests owned by third parties (single-class).
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 prior 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.
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Table 9
For the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2024
Compared to Same Period in 2023
Increase/(Decrease) Due to
Rate Volume Total
(in thousands)
Income from interest-earning assets:
Cash and investments $ 30,462 $ 18,450 $ 48,912
Loans, Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities and USDA Securities 57,509 57,456 114,965
Total 87,971 75,906 163,877
Expense from other interest-bearing liabilities (1,213,392) 1,362,514 149,122
Change in net interest income prior to consolidation of certain trusts (1)
$ 1,301,363 $ (1,286,608) $ 14,755
(1) Excludes the effect of debt in consolidated trusts with beneficial interests owned by third parties (single-class).
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 (single-class), 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.
Table 10
For the Three Months Ended For the Nine Months Ended
September 30, 2024 September 30, 2023 September 30, 2024 September 30, 2023
Dollars Yield Dollars Yield Dollars Yield Dollars Yield
(dollars in thousands)
Net interest income/yield $ 86,791 1.15 % $ 87,643 1.22 % $ 260,499 1.15 % $ 245,378 1.16 %
Net effects of consolidated trusts (1,065) 0.02 % (1,024) 0.02 % (3,488) 0.02 % (3,123) 0.02 %
Expense related to undesignated financial derivatives (858) (0.01) % (805) (0.01) % (1,379) (0.01) % (3,999) (0.02) %
Amortization of premiums/discounts on assets consolidated at fair value (24) — % (24) — % (72) — % (71) — %
Amortization of losses due to terminations or net settlements on financial derivatives 757 0.01 % 844 0.01 % 2,287 0.01 % 2,448 0.01 %
Fair value changes on fair value hedge relationships (205) (0.01) % (3,210) (0.04) % (5,811) (0.02) % 1,796 0.01 %
Net effective spread $ 85,396 1.16 % $ 83,424 1.20 % $ 252,036 1.15 % $ 242,429 1.18 %
The $9.6 million year-over-year increase in net effective spread was primarily due to a $13.1 million increase from a shift in the composition of new business volume towards higher-yielding loans. This was partially offset by a $3.5 million increase in non-GAAP funding costs, which was primarily attributable to the widening of debt spreads that occurred in fourth quarter 2023 and increased our floating-rate funding costs. In percentage terms, the year-over-year decrease of 0.03% was primarily attributable to an increase in non-GAAP funding costs.
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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.
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, 2024 and 2023:
Table 11
As of September 30, 2024 As of September 30, 2023
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 $ 16,924 $ 1,693 $ 18,617 $ 17,351 $ 1,705 $ 19,056
Provision for/(release of) losses
3,428 (170) 3,258 (136) (45) (181)
Charge-offs — — — — — —
Ending Balance $ 20,352 $ 1,523 $ 21,875 $ 17,215 $ 1,660 $ 18,875
For the Nine Months Ended
Beginning Balance $ 16,589 $ 1,711 $ 18,300 $ 15,731 $ 1,433 $ 17,164
Provision for/(release of) losses 7,806 (188) 7,618 1,484 227 1,711
Charge-offs (4,043) — (4,043) — — —
Ending Balance $ 20,352 $ 1,523 $ 21,875 $ 17,215 $ 1,660 $ 18,875
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 third quarter 2024, we recorded a $3.3 million net provision to the total allowance for losses primarily as a result of one permanent planting borrower relationship, risk rating downgrades in Agricultural Finance, and new loan volume in Rural Infrastructure.
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, 2024 and 2023:
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Table 12
For the Three Months Ended For the Nine Months Ended
Change Change
September 30, 2024 September 30, 2023 $ % September 30, 2024 September 30, 2023 $ %
(dollars in thousands)
Contractual guarantee and commitment fees $ 3,932 $ 3,794 $ 138 4 % $ 11,781 $ 11,195 $ 586 5 %
Guarantee obligation amortization 1,383 847 536 63 % 4,435 3,767 668 18 %
Guarantee asset fair value changes (1,300) 879 (2,179) 248 % (4,487) (2,020) (2,467) 122 %
Guarantee and commitment fee income $ 4,015 $ 5,520 $ (1,505) (27) % $ 11,729 $ 12,942 $ (1,213) (9) %
Guarantee and commitment fees decreased for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 compared to 2023, which was due to a decrease in the fair value of our retained beneficial interest in our off-balance sheet securitization. As adjusted for the core earnings presentation, guarantee and commitment fees were $5.0 million and $15.2 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, respectively, compared to $4.8 million and $14.1 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, 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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(Losses)/gains on financial derivatives . The components of gains and losses on financial derivatives for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023 are summarized in the following table:
Table 13
For the Three Months Ended For the Nine Months Ended
Change Change
September 30, 2024 September 30, 2023 $ % September 30, 2024 September 30, 2023 $ %
(dollars in thousands)
(Losses)/gains due to fair value changes
$ (1,064) $ 2,921 $ (3,985) (136) % $ 260 $ 5,978 $ (5,718) (96) %
Accrual of contractual payments (858) (805) (53) 7 % (1,379) (3,999) 2,620 (66) %
(Losses)/gains due to terminations or net settlements
(12) 555 (567) (102) % (535) 2,784 (3,319) (119) %
(Losses)/gains on financial derivatives
$ (1,934) $ 2,671 $ (4,605) (172) % $ (1,654) $ 4,763 $ (6,417) (135) %
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 income or 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 "(Losses)/gains due to terminations or net settlements" in the table above. See Note 4 to the consolidated financial statements for more information about Farmer Mac's financial derivatives.
Operating Expenses . The components of operating expenses for the three and nine months ended
September 30, 2024 and 2023 are summarized in the following table:
Table 14
For the Three Months Ended For the Nine Months Ended
Change Change
September 30, 2024 September 30, 2023 $ % September 30, 2024 September 30, 2023 $ %
(dollars in thousands)
Compensation and employee benefits $ 15,237 $ 14,103 $ 1,134 8 % $ 48,334 $ 43,391 $ 4,943 11 %
General and administrative 8,625 9,100 (475) (5) % 25,784 26,047 (263) (1) %
Regulatory fees 725 831 (106) (13) % 2,175 2,497 (322) (13) %
Total Operating Expenses $ 24,587 $ 24,034 $ 553 2 % $ 76,293 $ 71,935 $ 4,358 6 %
Compensation and Employee Benefits . The increase in compensation and employee benefits expenses for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 compared to 2023 was largely due to increased headcount and increased stock compensation expense.
General and Administrative Expenses (G&A) . The decrease in G&A expenses for the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2024 compared to 2023 was primarily due to a decrease in consulting costs related to technology strategic initiatives because more of the costs were capitalized during the current year than in the prior-year period. One of those initiatives is a multi-
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year effort to replace Farmer Mac's platform for securities trades and to implement a treasury management system. That initiative was substantially completed during fourth quarter 2024.
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, 2024 and 2023:
Table 15
For the Three Months Ended For the Nine Months Ended
Change Change
September 30, 2024 September 30, 2023 $ % September 30, 2024 September 30, 2023 $ %
(dollars in thousands)
Income tax expense $ 12,421 $ 15,113 $ (2,692) (18) % $ 39,034 $ 40,306 $ (1,272) (3) %
Effective tax rate 20.0 % 20.6 % (0.6) % 20.6 % 20.9 % (0.3) %
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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, 2024 and 2023:
Table 16
Net New Business Volume
For the Three Months Ended For the Nine Months Ended
September 30, 2024 September 30, 2023 September 30, 2024 September 30, 2023
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 $ 114,441 $ 35,546 $ 119,810 $ (162,932)
Loans held in consolidated trusts:
Beneficial interests owned by third-party investors (single-class) (1)
On-balance sheet (28,873) (17,146) 8,815 (55,001)
Beneficial interests owned by third-party investors (structured) (1)
On-balance sheet (14,042) (8,180) 277,364 266,279
IO-FMGS (2)
On-balance sheet (176) (168) (523) (1,042)
USDA Securities On-balance sheet 14,023 (13,456) 4,601 (77,472)
AgVantage Securities (1)
On-balance sheet (460,000) 225,000 (860,000) 80,000
LTSPCs and unfunded loan commitments Off-balance sheet (40,004) 157,041 (232,623) 169,752
Other Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities (3)
Off-balance sheet (6,194) (25,716) (21,974) (45,272)
Loans serviced for others Off-balance sheet 6,698 (7,589) (13,897) 558,731
Total Farm & Ranch $ (414,127) $ 345,332 $ (718,427) $ 733,043
Corporate AgFinance:
Loans On-balance sheet $ 11,396 $ 35,874 $ 37,840 $ 57,524
AgVantage Securities (1)
On-balance sheet (4,751) 15,050 65,997 23,573
Unfunded loan commitments Off-balance sheet 19,242 9,626 44,964 56,702
Total Corporate AgFinance $ 25,887 $ 60,550 $ 148,801 $ 137,799
Total Agricultural Finance $ (388,240) $ 405,882 $ (569,626) $ 870,842
Rural Infrastructure Finance:
Rural Utilities:
Loans On-balance sheet $ 154,463 $ 29,170 $ 300,646 $ 222,944
AgVantage Securities (1)
On-balance sheet (319,383) 476,028 (357,837) 573,386
LTSPCs and unfunded loan commitments Off-balance sheet 43,588 1,205 16,609 (37,577)
Other Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities (3)
Off-balance sheet — — — (71)
Total Rural Utilities $ (121,332) $ 506,403 $ (40,582) $ 758,682
Renewable Energy:
Loans On-balance sheet $ 249,654 $ 6,776 $ 547,946 $ 98,503
Unfunded loan commitments Off-balance sheet (30,118) (4,102) 59,541 1,902
Total Renewable Energy $ 219,536 $ 2,674 $ 607,487 $ 100,405
Total Rural Infrastructure Finance $ 98,204 $ 509,077 $ 566,905 $ 859,087
Total $ (290,036) $ 914,959 $ (2,721) $ 1,729,929
(1) Categories of Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities.
(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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Farmer Mac's outstanding business volume was $28.5 billion as of September 30, 2024, a net decrease of $0.3 billion from June 30, 2024 after taking into account all new business, maturities, sales, and paydowns on existing assets.
The $0.4 billion net decrease in Farm & Ranch during third quarter 2024 resulted from $1.2 billion of scheduled maturities and repayments, partially offset by $0.8 billion of new purchases, commitments, and guarantees. Included in the $0.8 billion is the purchase of $271.9 million of Farm & Ranch loans. Scheduled loan maturities and repayments in the aggregate amount of $157.4 million partially offset those purchases. Not included in these Farm & Ranch loan purchase results for third quarter 2024 is Farmer Mac's October 2024 purchase of a $122.1 million pool of loans from a single agricultural lender, which will be reflected in Farmer Mac's results for fourth quarter 2024.
During third quarter 2024, a total of $0.5 billion in Farm & Ranch AgVantage Securities matured without refinancing, which primarily reflected slower loan growth resulting in less liquidity needs from Farmer Mac's AgVantage counterparties.
The $25.9 million net increase in Corporate AgFinance during third quarter 2024 resulted from $307.3 million of new purchases and unfunded loan commitments, which was partially offset by $281.4 million of scheduled maturities, repayments, sales, and paydowns on revolving commitments.
The $0.1 billion net decrease in Rural Utilities during third quarter 2024 resulted from $701.2 million of scheduled maturities and repayments, partially offset by $579.9 million of new purchases, unfunded loan commitments, and guarantees.
The $0.2 billion net increase in Renewable Energy during third quarter 2024 primarily reflects $325.7 million in loan purchases and unfunded commitments, partially offset by $106.2 million in repayments. The net increase in Renewable Energy loan purchases and unfunded commitments primarily reflects the continued strong demand for renewable power generation and storage.
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 during third quarter 2023, 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
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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.
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 quarter to quarter. 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, 2024 September 30, 2023 September 30, 2024 September 30, 2023
(dollars in thousands)
AgVantage securities $ 663,145 $ 1,519,715 $ 1,349,345 $ 3,093,370
Loans securitized and held in consolidated trusts with beneficial interests owned by third parties (structured and single-class)
— 6,399 330,481 291,600
Total Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities Issuances $ 663,145 $ 1,526,114 $ 1,679,826 $ 3,384,970
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 second quarter 2024, Farmer Mac executed its fourth structured securitization transaction, whereby it sold and securitized agricultural mortgage loans resulting in $305.6 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
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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, 2024 and 2023, 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, 2024 and 2023, 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, 2024 As of December 31, 2023
(in thousands)
Agricultural Finance:
Farm & Ranch:
Loans On-balance sheet $ 5,253,260 $ 5,133,450
Loans held in consolidated trusts:
Beneficial interests owned by third-party investors (single-class) (1)
On-balance sheet 879,727 870,912
Beneficial interests owned by third-party investors (structured) (1)
On-balance sheet 838,713 561,349
IO-FMGS (2)
On-balance sheet 8,886 9,409
USDA Securities On-balance sheet 2,373,473 2,368,872
AgVantage Securities (1)
On-balance sheet 4,975,000 5,835,000
LTSPCs and unfunded loan commitments
Off-balance sheet 2,767,320 2,999,943
Other Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities (3)
Off-balance sheet 430,628 452,602
Loans serviced for others Off-balance sheet 563,367 577,264
Total Farm & Ranch $ 18,090,374 $ 18,808,801
Corporate AgFinance:
Loans On-balance sheet $ 1,297,563 $ 1,259,723
AgVantage Securities (1)
On-balance sheet 354,876 288,879
Unfunded loan commitments
Off-balance sheet 190,341 145,377
Total Corporate AgFinance $ 1,842,780 $ 1,693,979
Total Agricultural Finance $ 19,933,154 $ 20,502,780
Rural Infrastructure Finance:
Rural Utilities:
Loans On-balance sheet $ 3,395,123 $ 3,094,477
AgVantage Securities (1)
On-balance sheet 3,540,631 3,898,468
LTSPCs and unfunded loan commitments
Off-balance sheet 504,387 487,778
Total Rural Utilities $ 7,440,141 $ 7,480,723
Renewable Energy:
Loans On-balance sheet $ 988,232 $ 440,286
Unfunded loan commitments
Off-balance sheet 106,776 47,235
Total Renewable Energy $ 1,095,008 $ 487,521
Total Rural Infrastructure Finance $ 8,535,149 $ 7,968,244
Total $ 28,468,303 $ 28,471,024
(1) A type of 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, 2024:
Table 19
Schedule of Principal Amortization as of September 30, 2024
Loans Loans Underlying Off-Balance Sheet Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities and LTSPCs USDA Securities and Farmer Mac Guaranteed USDA Securities Total
(in thousands)
2024 $ 120,414 $ 95,580 $ 28,194 $ 244,188
2025 886,255 410,779 114,203 1,411,237
2026 675,783 359,107 115,917 1,150,807
2027 774,473 256,957 119,113 1,150,543
2028 948,502 236,026 118,048 1,302,576
Thereafter 9,247,191 2,450,121 2,068,880 13,766,192
Total $ 12,652,618 $ 3,808,570 $ 2,564,355 $ 19,025,543
Of Farmer Mac's $28.5 billion outstanding principal balance of business volume as of September 30, 2024, $8.9 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. Changes in quarterly AgVantage securities volume are primarily driven by the generally larger transaction sizes for that product, scheduled maturity amounts for a particular quarter, the liquidity needs of Farmer Mac’s AgVantage counterparties, and changes in the pricing and availability of wholesale funding. Based on these factors, Farmer Mac expects its business volumes in AgVantage securities to continue to be volatile. The following table summarizes by maturity date the outstanding principal amount of both on- and off-balance sheet AgVantage securities as of September 30, 2024:
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Table 20
AgVantage Balances by Year of Maturity
As of
September 30, 2024
(in thousands)
2024 $ 319,813
2025 2,058,125
2026 1,351,905
2027 1,086,033
2028 677,200
Thereafter (1)
3,377,431
Total $ 8,870,507
(1) Includes various maturities ranging from 2029 to 2044.
The weighted-average remaining maturity of the outstanding AgVantage securities shown in the table above was 4.7 years as of September 30, 2024.
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Outlook
Business Outlook
Products and Portfolio
Farmer Mac serves a vital role in serving rural America by offering liquidity, capital, and risk management tools as a secondary market that help increase the accessibility of financing for American agriculture and rural infrastructure. The growth trajectory of Farmer Mac is closely tied to the capital and liquidity needs of the lending institutions serving agriculture and rural infrastructure businesses and the overall financial health of borrowers in these sectors. Given significant increases in market interest rates over the past two years and global and economic volatility, Farmer Mac's outstanding business volume was flat in third quarter 2024 versus third quarter 2023, but net effective spread increased by 4.0% year-to-date 2024 versus the same year-to-date period 2023. This year-over-year increase in net effective spread primarily reflects the diversification of Farmer Mac’s business model and the resiliency of the agriculture and rural infrastructure sectors.
Several factors continue to influence business volume growth dynamics. The rise in market interest rates that have persisted over the past few years has had a direct impact on Farmer Mac’s Farm & Ranch product interest rates, and there generally exists an inverse correlation between Farm & Ranch new loan purchase volumes and changes in Farm & Ranch product interest rates, with higher product interest rates slowing portfolio loan prepayments. In addition, a tightening agricultural economy is creating the need for additional liquidity and working capital needs for borrowers managing through this agricultural cycle. The net effect of these forces contributed to positive Farm & Ranch loan purchase portfolio growth in third quarter 2024. Future changes in monetary policy, sustained elevated product interest rates, and the financial health of borrowers are anticipated to influence the demand for Agricultural Finance mortgage loans and the pace of repayments. Farmer Mac experienced a decrease in wholesale finance volume during third quarter 2024, driven by slower market loan growth and a tightening of market credit spreads resulting in less liquidity and diversification needs from our counterparties. Future growth will be influenced by market interest rates and credit spreads, overall economic conditions and loan growth opportunities, and the relative value of Farmer Mac’s products versus the broader market. Corporate AgFinance loan purchases and unfunded commitments increased 9.6% in third quarter 2024 versus third quarter 2023. The Rural Infrastructure Finance segments showed significant business volume growth in third quarter 2024, increasing 14.6% to $8.5 billion in third quarter 2024 versus third quarter 2023. Business volume in Rural Infrastructure Finance was strong across most products and segments year-over-year, primarily driven by increased investment activity and additional financing for renewable energy projects in response to continued strong demand for renewable power generation and storage.
Opportunities for profitable future growth include Farmer Mac's potential role in alleviating liquidity, capital, and return-on-equity capital challenges faced by agricultural and rural infrastructure lenders. The suite of Farmer Mac's offerings encompasses loan and loan portfolio purchases, participations, guarantees, LTSPCs, wholesale funding, and securitizations. In October 2024, Farmer Mac purchased from a single agricultural lender a pool of Farm & Ranch loans with an aggregate outstanding principal balance of $122.1 million. Ongoing business and product development efforts continue to attract institutional investors and nontraditional lenders, resulting in the diversification of Farmer Mac's customer base and product set, potentially generating increased product demand from new sources. Farmer Mac’s improved loan servicing capabilities enhance our loan portfolio purchase value proposition, adding new product offerings to an increasingly diverse customer base.
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Growing relationships with larger agriculture lenders, financial industry consolidation, interest rates and market volatility, as well as financial institutions' focus on capital efficiency and liquidity continue to provide increased opportunities for Farmer Mac, influencing the demand for loan purchases, risk management solutions, and wholesale funding. This growth may lead to an increase in the average transaction size within Farmer Mac’s lines of business. The financing needs arising from mergers, acquisitions, consolidation, and vertical integration in the agricultural and rural infrastructure industries present further opportunities for Farmer Mac’s loan purchase products and other financing solutions. And investments supporting consumer and food supply demand may increase financing needs in the food and agriculture supply chain, potentially requiring incremental capital support through the secondary market. Deepening relationships with eligible rural infrastructure counterparties are expected to continue to create opportunities to support fiber and broadband-related transactions, including significant market activity and investments in wholesale data centers as well as renewable energy projects.
Funding
Unlike depository institutions, Farmer Mac's funding strategies do not rely on deposits, allowing us to navigate beyond short-term liquidity disruptions and to take advantage of increased opportunities in a competitive lending environment. Our funding advantage over regional and national banks is also aided by the fact that our debt has a contractual term to maturity and that we have the ability to call our callable debt before its original maturity date when market conditions are beneficial to Farmer Mac. In contrast, depository institutions largely rely on demand deposit accounts in which the depositors hold the right to withdraw at any time. Because of these differences in funding strategies, certain economic disruptions may have a positive impact on Farmer Mac’s funding costs relative to the overall market. During third quarter 2024, we began to see some benefit from calling fixed-rate debt and may continue to see this benefit throughout the rest of 2024.
Farmer Mac's business may benefit from natural business hedges that help mitigate vulnerability to effects from interest rate volatility. When interest rates rise, prepayments tend to decline, but interest earned on excess cash and capital increases, maintaining Farmer Mac's strong market access without relying on deposits. Conversely, when interest rates decline, loan purchase volume often increases, but prepayments tend to rise as well. Although these natural business dynamics may not be perfect offsets, they tend to provide some counterbalance to mitigate volatility from changes in short-term interest rates.
Operations
Farmer Mac expects continued increases in its operating expenses over the next several years as we continue to expand our investments in human capital, technology, and business infrastructure to increase capacity and efficiency as we seek to accommodate growth opportunities and achieve our long-term strategic objectives. Investments in infrastructure and funding platforms to support strategic objectives are expected to allow Farmer Mac to scale more efficiently with future portfolio and earnings growth. These investments will likely help improve product delivery and funding efficiency, potentially creating additional benefits for future growth. In September 2024, the Farm Credit Administration notified us that the amount of Farmer Mac's annual assessment for regulatory fees for the period October 1, 2024 through September 30, 2025 was $4.0 million.
Another focus of our infrastructure investments will be a continued effort to expand our servicing capabilities and to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of processes associated with loan onboarding and servicing. Farmer Mac will continue to leverage technology enhancements and servicing standardization efforts to drive scalability and consistency. Technology enhancements are planned for the remainder of 2024 and into 2025 to continue to incorporate all Farmer Mac loan portfolios onto our
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servicing platform and to provide flexibility in accessing loan portfolio information, as well as streamlining operational workflows. During fourth quarter 2024, Farmer Mac substantially completed its multi-year effort to replace its platform for securities trades and to implement a treasury management system.
Agricultural Finance Industry Outlook
Farm Incomes
Overall farm incomes fell in 2023 and are forecast to have fallen again in 2024. According to the USDA, net cash farm income peaked at $210.1 billion in 2022, a new all-time high. The primary driver of profitability in 2022 was higher cash revenues, in contrast to 2019 and 2020, when elevated government support payments supported farm incomes. The USDA currently estimates that net cash farm income dropped 21% in 2023 and will decrease another 7% in 2024. Declines in crop producer revenues are being partially offset by lower expenses for protein producers in 2024 as sectors rotate through agricultural cycles. Still, the overall average farm income in 2024 would be 1% higher than the 10-year inflation-adjusted average if the USDA's projections are realized.
Commodity prices may see increased volatility in 2024 and 2025 due to a rebound in global supply levels. Annual grain crop prices remained under pressure in third quarter 2024. U.S. annual crops have benefited from favorable growing conditions across much of the U.S. Midwest this summer, raising the likelihood of above trend-line yields this year. Tree nut prices have faced similar pressure in recent years from rising production, including almonds and walnuts. Tree nut producers have reduced new plantings as a result, which, combined with robust exports this marketing year, has provided moderate support for prices. Within the livestock and animal protein sector, producers could see offsetting benefits from lower feed costs, particularly the cattle sector. Broadly speaking, farm expenses could also abate somewhat in 2024 and into 2025, with lower expected feed, fertilizer, and fuel costs partially offset by higher expected interest, labor, and rental rates. Demand for corn and soybean by-products could see a boost in late 2024 and into 2025 as renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel markets continue to mature.
Declining farm incomes can have multiple competing effects on loan performance and agricultural credit demand. Constraints on cash flow can cause loan delinquency rates to rise back to and surpass historical averages. This reversion is most likely in commodities experiencing negative market conditions like some grain and nut crops. Simultaneously, cash flow constraints can increase demand for debt capital to reorganize balance sheets and replace lost incomes. Farmer Mac believes its portfolio and market strategy to be sufficiently diversified by borrower, industry, and region to maintain robust portfolio performance through the current cycle and be positioned to support any expansion of the farm mortgage market that may arise in the coming quarters.
Land Values
Record-setting farm incomes in 2021 and 2022, combined with historically low interest rates in 2020 and 2021, drove a rapid rise in land values and a decrease in farm delinquencies and bankruptcies. Momentum for farmland values persisted throughout 2023 due to high levels of farm liquidity and a constrained supply of farmland for sale. Land values have slowed in some markets in 2024 due to higher interest rates and lower profitability in many agricultural sectors. Land value survey data from the USDA show a 5% increase in average farm real estate values from June 2023 to June 2024. Annual farm real estate value gains were highest in the Southeast (9.4%) and the Southern Plains (7.5%) and still strong but slowing in the Lake states (4.3%), the Corn Belt (3.7%), and the Southeast (2.4%).
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Farmland value growth rates moderated in the first half of 2024 in the face of continued higher market interest rates. The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago AgLetter reported a 2% gain in farmland values in the Seventh District (primarily Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin) between July 2023 and July 2024. This was down from a 9% increase over the previous 12-month period and was the smallest increase in over three years. Data from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City showed similar growth in land values in the Tenth District (primarily Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma) during that same period. Growth rates in land values could continue to moderate into 2025 due to compressing farm profitability and an elevated interest rate environment, particularly in states like California where there are multiple headwinds. Nationally, however, a general low supply of available farmland and persistent demand for the asset class across a wide variety of investors could help maintain balance in the farmland transaction markets.
While regional averages for farmland values generally provide a good barometer for the overall changes 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. Based on our robust collateral underwriting standards, we believe that our loan collateral is well-positioned to endure reasonably foreseeable volatility in farmland values that could result from external factors.
Markets and Weather
Exogenous factors facing farm and food producers can create uncertainty and market instability within the sector. Some of the external market conditions that could adversely affect the farm and food sectors into 2025 include foreign trade and trade policy, supply chain disruptions, and weather 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 that U.S. agriculture exports will drop to $169.5 billion in 2025, 2% lower than 2024 and down 14% relative to peak levels in 2022. Through August 2024, agricultural export values were roughly even in 2024 compared to 2023. One challenge for U.S. exports has been the value of the U.S. dollar relative to competing exporters of agricultural goods. Slower global growth could also be a headwind for consumer-oriented products like animal proteins, dairy, fruits, and nuts. Ukrainian corn and wheat export shipments continue to rebound and have approached pre-2022 levels in recent months. Looking ahead, economic and geopolitical uncertainties such as conflicts in Eastern Europe and the Middle East could lead to higher volatility for the U.S. dollar during the year.
Severe weather conditions and long-term environmental change continue to shape agricultural sectors. Through September 10, 2024, the U.S. had experienced 20 separate billion-dollar weather disasters in 2024, as tracked by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Many of those events affected agriculture, including midwestern storms, flooding, western wildfires, excessive heat, and drought. Hurricanes Helene and Milton disrupted agricultural production in the Southeast, but Farmer Mac's portfolio had not experienced any material performance degradation as a result of those storms as of September 30, 2024. Federal crop insurance provides a strong mitigator against this risk, but farmers and ranchers face increasingly severe weather incidents.
Drought conditions, which were relatively sparse to start the year, increased modestly in intensity and prevalence in third quarter 2024. Persistent heat and drought conditions previously affected agricultural production regions in the western and midwestern parts of the United States in 2021 and 2022. However, there was a sizable improvement in conditions in 2023 for large portions of the West Coast. Notably, drought conditions in California remain largely absent in 2024 and reservoirs have returned to historical averages. As of October 15, 2024, 18% of the continental U.S. was classified as being in moderate to
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exceptional drought according to data from the National Center for Environmental Information, which is virtually unchanged from 17% at the end of 2023.
For loans in other areas that commonly experience exceptional drought (primarily in California), Farmer Mac's underwriting standards include an assessment of anticipated long-term water availability for the related property and how water availability impacts the collateral value and the borrower's liquidity position to mitigate that risk.
Agricultural Processing and Food Supply Chain
The production of food, feed, fiber, and biofuels has been economically viable in the past few years, but some factors have been changing in 2024 and could continue to change into 2025. Rising consumer inflation boosted the profitability of the food processing and supply chains in 2021 and 2022. Moderating consumer prices in 2023 and 2024 increased the volume of consumer spending but also limited the profit expansion of food and fiber businesses. Biofuels have gained demand due to low-carbon regulations in several states and incremental tax benefits for the production of renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel. A large number of planned biofuel projects and new facilities for 2024 and 2025 could provide support for raw materials such as corn and soybeans, but markets for these fuels are nascent and are expected to evolve rapidly in the coming quarters. A strong U.S. dollar, trade issues, and a high risk of global economic turmoil could pose challenges for these sectors in the last quarter of 2024 and into 2025. Nonetheless, consumer spending held steady in third quarter 2024, providing stable conditions for value-added food, feed, fiber, and biofuel consumption. Credit demand in these sectors could grow in the next few quarters if interest rate policy continues to moderate, inflation rises again, or economic uncertainty clears up.
Rural Infrastructure Finance Industry Outlook
Power and Energy
Economic conditions affecting rural power and electricity markets 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 have picked up again in 2024, with an annual increase in sales of 1.9% and an increase in revenue of 3.4%, respectively, in the last 12 months through July 2024 compared to July 2023. This increase was the result of higher residential and commercial electricity sales combined with slightly higher average prices paid for electricity relative to 2023. Higher energy input prices, such as natural gas and coal, became a headwind in 2022. After two years of increased prices and heightened volatility, oil and natural gas prices moderated throughout much of 2023 and 2024. Geopolitical uncertainty in the Middle East and Eastern Europe could increase energy price volatility, but power producers are generally able to pass higher input costs through to retail electricity prices as evidenced by higher retail electricity prices in 2022 and parts of 2023. Through September 30, 2024, Farmer Mac had not observed material degradation in the financial performance of its rural electric utilities portfolio, and that portfolio has never had a serious delinquency or default since its inception. Credit demand for electric cooperatives will likely be tied to ongoing normal-course capital expenditures related to maintaining and upgrading utility infrastructure. These growth opportunities may be affected by the demand for electric power in rural areas, increased power demand from regional data centers, 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. Generally, these investments are expected to continue at, or above, historical levels based on the replacement and modernization of existing and new infrastructure.
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Renewable Energy
Growth in renewable energy generation and deployment of energy storage technologies has the potential to 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 167% in the next ten years, compared to total electric capacity growth of 43%. 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, analysis from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) estimates that investors will put $2.5 trillion into renewable projects between 2021 and 2050. If realized, growth in renewable energy capacity has the potential to broaden Farmer Mac's customer base focused on financing renewable energy projects and companies. In response to this expected growth, Farmer Mac has hired industry-specialized staff and deployed new financing products tailored to the renewable energy sector, which represents a new and growing market opportunity for Farmer Mac.
Telecommunications
Rural telecommunication and data connectivity has proven to be of vital economic importance in the last decade, as more households and agricultural enterprises require more data and connectivity to thrive. The rapid growth in digital technologies, including the ongoing interest and investment in artificial intelligence, advancements in cloud computing, and wireless network densification, will require significantly more computing and storage capabilities as well as investment in additional fiber network capacity. These industry tailwinds are creating additional investments in rural telecommunications infrastructure by cooperative and non-cooperative providers, which is aided by access to many 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 program, 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, wireless broadband, and data processing centers increasingly important to rural economic opportunity and precision agriculture.
Legislative and Regulatory Outlook
Farmer Mac continues to monitor potential legislative and regulatory changes that could affect Farmer Mac or its stakeholders, including:
• On November 16, 2023, President Biden signed a one-year extension of the 2018 farm bill, which lapsed on September 30, 2024. Avoiding a reversion to 1930s-era policy, which provides no price support for many key commodities that have enjoyed support for many years, would require Congress to enact another extension or a new farm bill by the end of the year. The farm bill is crucial for Farmer Mac's customers, supporting farmers' profitability, rural community vitality, and infrastructure modernization. Farmer Mac is seeking changes to its charter in the farm bill reauthorization to better support lenders serving rural areas. Any changes would require Congressional approval and the President's signature.
• The FCA's proposed 2024 regulatory agenda includes a proposed rulemaking to review Farmer Mac's regulatory capital framework, with rulemaking expected in May 2025. Farmer Mac's management team will continue to monitor and engage with this regulatory process as it develops.
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• Two of the three members of the FCA board remain in holdover status, meaning their terms have expired. These board members will continue to serve in their roles until the President nominates and the Senate confirms their replacements. On May 2, 2024, President Biden nominated Marcus D. Graham to the FCA board to replace Glen Smith. Mr. Graham's nomination will require Senate confirmation by year-end, or the nomination will be returned to the President.
• Farmer Mac will monitor the effects of the fall elections on policies affecting Farmer Mac's business, including the expiration of key provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act at the end of 2025 and the suspension of the debt ceiling, which expires on January 1, 2025.
Balance Sheet Review
The following table summarizes Farmer Mac's balance sheet as of the periods indicated:
Table 21
As of Change
September 30, 2024 December 31, 2023 $ %
(in thousands)
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents $ 842,056 $ 888,707 $ (46,651) (5) %
Investment securities 5,895,793 4,979,504 916,289 18 %
Farmer Mac Guaranteed Securities 8,722,762 9,745,548 (1,022,786) (10) %
USDA Securities 2,344,715 2,355,412 (10,697) — %
Loans, net of allowance 10,649,530 9,607,531 1,041,999 11 %
Loans held in trusts 1,717,803 1,431,818 285,985 20 %
Other 442,562 515,862 (73,300) (14) %
Total assets $ 30,615,221 $ 29,524,382 $ 1,090,839 4 %
Liabilities
Notes Payable $ 27,129,456 $ 26,336,542 $ 792,914 3 %
Debt securities of consolidated trusts held by third parties 1,616,513 1,351,069 265,444 20 %
Other 406,908 424,908 (18,000) (4) %
Total liabilities $ 29,152,877 $ 28,112,519 $ 1,040,358 4 %
Total equity 1,462,344 1,411,863 50,481 4 %
Total liabilities and equity $ 30,615,221 $ 29,524,382 $ 1,090,839 4 %
Assets . The increase in total assets was primarily attributable to 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 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, and was partially offset by the redemption of the Series C Preferred Stock.
Risk Management
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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, 2024 was $11.5 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 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 2023 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, 2024, were $144.4 million (1.26% of the Agricultural Finance mortgage loan portfolio to which Farmer Mac has direct credit exposure), compared to $62.1 million (0.54% of the Agricultural Finance mortgage loan portfolio) as of June 30, 2024 and $34.7 million (0.31% of the Agricultural Finance mortgage loan portfolio) as of December 31, 2023. Those 90-day delinquencies consisted of 84 delinquent loans as of September 30, 2024, compared to 34 delinquent loans as of June 30, 2024 and 23 delinquent loans as of December 31, 2023. The increase in the number of 90-day delinquencies was primarily driven by increased delinquencies in permanent plantings, crops, livestock, part-time farms, and agricultural storage and processing. The increase in loans 90 days or more delinquent as of September 30, 2024 compared to June 30, 2024 is consistent with the seasonal pattern of delinquencies with higher levels generally observed at the end of the first and third quarters and lower levels generally observed at the end of the second and fourth quarter of each year. This seasonal pattern results from the annual (January 1st) and semi-annual (January 1st and July 1st) payment dates on most Farm & Ranch loans. $37.6 million of the increase in 90-day delinquent loans was related to a single permanent planting borrower relationship. The top ten borrower exposures over 90 days delinquent represented over half of the 90-day delinquencies as of September 30, 2024. Farmer Mac believes that it remains adequately collateralized on its delinquent loans.
Farmer Mac's 90-day delinquency rate as of September 30, 2024 was higher than Farmer Mac's historical average. In the near-term, our delinquency rate may continue to exceed our historical average due to the current agricultural cycle or changes in the 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.
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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, 2024 $ 11,466,670 $ 144,407 1.26 %
June 30, 2024 11,409,396 62,063 0.54 %
March 31, 2024 11,184,817 76,825 0.69 %
December 31, 2023 11,223,276 34,677 0.31 %
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 %
Across all of Farmer Mac's lines of business, 90-day delinquencies represented 0.51% of total outstanding business volume as of September 30, 2024, compared to 0.12% as of December 31, 2023 and 0.15% as of September 30, 2023.
The following table presents outstanding Agricultural Finance mortgage loans and 90-day delinquencies as of September 30, 2024 by year of origination, geographic region, commodity/collateral type, original loan-to-value ratio, and range in the size of borrower exposure:
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Table 23
Agricultural Finance Mortgage Loans 90-Day Delinquencies as of September 30, 2024
Distribution of Agricultural Loans Agricultural Loans 90-Day Delinquencies (1)
Percentage
(dollars in thousands)
By year of origination:
2014 and prior 7 % $ 809,032 $ 4,853 0.60 %
2015 2 % 271,083 789 0.29 %
2016 4 % 448,420 15,870 3.54 %
2017 4 % 490,005 9,319 1.90 %
2018 5 % 546,156 11,114 2.03 %
2019 7 % 756,933 27,038 3.57 %
2020 16 % 1,870,002 32,883 1.76 %
2021 21 % 2,453,110 5,437 0.22 %
2022 14 % 1,614,382 20,645 1.28 %
2023 10 % 1,116,477 16,459 1.28 %
2024 10 % 1,091,070 — — %
Total 100 % $ 11,466,670 $ 144,407 1.26 %
By geographic region (2) :
Northwest 12 % $ 1,401,166 $ 8,820 0.63 %
Southwest 30 % 3,450,670 100,608 2.92 %
Mid-North 27 % 3,087,529 20,738 0.67 %
Mid-South 17 % 1,880,190 4,959 0.26 %
Northeast 4 % 501,024 5,840 1.17 %
Southeast 10 % 1,146,091 3,442 0.30 %
Total 100 % $ 11,466,670 $ 144,407 1.26 %
By commodity/collateral type:
Crops 49 % $ 5,655,747 $ 47,582 0.84 %
Permanent plantings 22 % 2,455,319 77,615 3.16 %
Livestock 19 % 2,160,936 12,393 0.57 %
Part-time farm 4 % 491,242 6,447 1.31 %
Ag. Storage and Processing 6 % 678,617 370 0.05 %
Other — % 24,809 — — %
Total 100 % $ 11,466,670 $ 144,407 1.26 %
By original loan-to-value ratio:
0.00% to 40.00% 17 % $ 1,955,737 $ 10,652 0.54 %
40.01% to 50.00% 22 % 2,506,566 34,758 1.39 %
50.01% to 60.00% 34 % 3,839,441 81,086 2.11 %
60.01% to 70.00% 20 % 2,321,014 16,981 0.73 %
70.01% to 80.00% (3)
2 % 248,887 930 0.37 %
80.01% to 90.00% (3)
— % 27,181 — — %
Enterprise Value (4)
5 % 567,844 — — %
Total 100 % $ 11,466,670 $ 144,407 1.26 %
By size of borrower exposure (5) :
Less than $1,000,000 26 % $ 2,953,846 $ 12,912 0.44 %
$1,000,000 to $4,999,999 38 % 4,413,490 59,934 1.36 %
$5,000,000 to $9,999,999 15 % 1,678,922 33,957 2.02 %
$10,000,000 to $24,999,999 13 % 1,497,383 — — %
$25,000,000 and greater 8 % 923,029 37,604 4.07 %
Total 100 % $ 11,466,670 $ 144,407 1.26 %
(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.
(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.
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(4) "Enterprise Value" loans are generally secured by all business assets and common stock (in addition to first lien mortgages) of the borrower and the value of the borrowing entity depends on its ability to generate recurring positive cash flow. Enterprise Value is the estimated value of the borrower as a going concern, which is estimated using one or more valuation techniques such as discounted cash flow, cash flow multiples, asset liquidation, or other valuation techniques.
(5) 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, 2024, Farmer Mac's Agricultural Finance mortgage loans (to which it has direct credit exposure) comprising substandard assets were $377.9 million (3.3% of the portfolio), compared to $248.0 million (2.2% of the portfolio) as of June 30, 2024 , and $186.0 million (1.7% of the portfolio) as of December 31, 2023. Those substandard assets comprised 302 loans as of September 30, 2024, 238 loans as of June 30, 2024, and 206 loans as of December 31, 2023.
The increase of $129.9 million in Agricultural Finance substandard assets during third quarter 2024 was primarily driven by credit downgrades in permanent plantings, crops, livestock, part-time farms and agricultural storage and processing. Agricultural Finance substandard assets increased as a percentage of our on- and off-balance sheet Agricultural Finance portfolios during third quarter 2024.
The percentage of Agricultural Finance substandard assets within the portfolio as of September 30, 2024 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 on a sustained basis, it is likely that Farmer Mac's provision to the allowance for loan losses and the reserve for losses would 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, 2024 and December 31, 2023, the average unpaid principal balances for Farm & Ranch loans outstanding and to which Farmer Mac has direct credit exposure was $801,000 and $804,000, 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 2024 was 52%, compared to 47% for loans purchased during third quarter 2023. 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 52% as of both September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023. The weighted-average original loan-to-value ratio for all 90-day delinquencies was 54% and 56% as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, 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 47% as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, 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, 2024
Acceptable Special Mention Substandard Total
(in thousands)
Current loan-to-value ratio (1) :
0.00% to 40.00% $ 3,372,852 $ 83,810 $ 88,881 $ 3,545,543
40.01% to 50.00% 2,591,377 140,604 60,540 2,792,521
50.01% to 60.00% 2,652,469 112,990 120,684 2,886,143
60.01% to 70.00% 1,274,503 116,804 83,805 1,475,112
70.01% to 80.00% 134,260 32,928 5,566 172,754
80.01% and greater 14,196 1,802 10,754 26,752
Enterprise Value (2)
557,975 2,215 7,655 567,845
Total $ 10,597,632 $ 491,153 $ 377,885 $ 11,466,670
(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.
(2) "Enterprise Value" loans are generally secured by all business assets and common stock (in addition to first lien mortgages) of the borrower and the value of the borrowing entity depends on its ability to generate recurring positive cash flow. Enterprise Value is the estimated value of the borrower as a going concern, which is estimated using one or more valuation techniques such as discounted cash flow, cash flow multiples, asset liquidation, or other valuation techniques.
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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, 2024 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, 2024
Cumulative Original Loans, Guarantees and LTSPCs Cumulative Net Credit Losses/(Recoveries) Cumulative Loss Rate
(dollars in thousands)
By year of origination:
2014 and prior $ 19,836,069 $ 33,785 0.17 %
2015 1,255,851 (516) (0.04) %
2016 1,605,758 903 0.06 %
2017 1,715,321 4,311 0.25 %
2018 1,424,730 — — %
2019 1,645,830 — — %
2020 2,975,666 — — %
2021 3,332,191 297 0.01 %
2022 2,007,621 — — %
2023 1,419,585 3,942 0.28 %
2024 1,140,267 — — %
Total $ 38,358,889 $ 42,722 0.11 %
By geographic region (1) :
Northwest $ 4,802,244 $ 12,094 0.25 %
Southwest 12,720,516 12,484 0.10 %
Mid-North 9,569,340 17,165 0.18 %
Mid-South 5,517,040 (613) (0.01) %
Northeast 2,017,934 620 0.03 %
Southeast 3,731,815 972 0.03 %
Total $ 38,358,889 $ 42,722 0.11 %
By commodity/collateral type:
Crops $ 17,658,196 $ 3,790 0.02 %
Permanent plantings 8,268,080 14,022 0.17 %
Livestock 8,397,165 3,836 0.05 %
Part-time farm 1,963,591 1,090 0.06 %
Ag. Storage and Processing 1,838,933 19,984 1.09 %
Other 232,924 — — %
Total $ 38,358,889 $ 42,722 0.11 %
(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, 2024
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 $ 694,516 $ 237,847 $ 319,044 $ 119,390 $ 29,239 $ 1,130 $ 1,401,166
6.1 % 2.0 % 2.8 % 1.0 % 0.3 % — % 12.2 %
Southwest 782,111 1,829,572 596,956 119,810 105,884 16,337 3,450,670
6.8 % 16.0 % 5.2 % 1.1 % 0.9 % 0.1 % 30.1 %
Mid-North 2,521,691 10,942 291,045 78,014 184,747 1,090 3,087,529
22.0 % 0.1 % 2.5 % 0.7 % 1.6 % — % 26.9 %
Mid-South 1,086,058 81,653 607,640 65,779 36,999 2,061 1,880,190
9.5 % 0.8 % 5.3 % 0.6 % 0.3 % — % 16.5 %
Northeast 196,526 45,606 70,323 47,521 141,048 — 501,024
1.7 % 0.4 % 0.6 % 0.4 % 1.2 % — % 4.3 %
Southeast 374,845 249,699 275,928 60,728 180,700 4,191 1,146,091
3.3 % 2.2 % 2.4 % 0.5 % 1.6 % — % 10.0 %
Total $ 5,655,747 $ 2,455,319 $ 2,160,936 $ 491,242 $ 678,617 $ 24,809 $ 11,466,670
49.4 % 21.5 % 18.8 % 4.3 % 5.9 % 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, 2024
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:
2014 and prior $ 3,427 $ 9,783 $ 3,836 $ 1,066 $ 15,673 $ 33,785
2015 (540) — — 24 — (516)
2016 903 — — — — 903
2017 — — — — 4,311 4,311
2018 — — — — — —
2019 — — — — — —
2020 — — — — — —
2021 — 297 — — — 297
2022 — — — — — —
2023 — 3,942 — — — 3,942
2024 — — — — — —
Total $ 3,790 $ 14,022 $ 3,836 $ 1,090 $ 19,984 $ 42,722
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, 2024 was $5.0 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 2023 Annual Report. As of September 30, 2024, there was one telecommunications loan classified as substandard, with an unpaid principal balance of $24.1 million. As of December 31, 2023, there was one telecommunications loan classified as substandard, with an unpaid principal balance of $29.4 million.
Farmer Mac evaluates credit risk of Rural Infrastructure assets by reviewing a variety of borrower credit risk characteristics. These characteristics can include (but are 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, 2024
Rural Infrastructure Finance portfolio by internally assigned risk rating
Acceptable Special Mention Substandard Total
(in thousands)
Distribution Cooperative $ 2,565,658 $ — $ — $ 2,565,658
Generation and Transmission Cooperative
688,146 — — 688,146
Renewable Energy 1,081,617 13,391 — 1,095,008
Telecommunications 587,103 34,475 24,128 645,706
Rural Infrastructure Total $ 4,922,524 $ 47,866 $ 24,128 $ 4,994,518
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, 2024, 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, 2024, 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 2023 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. In September 2024, Farmer Mac notified a field servicer of a breach of its servicing duties and the termination of the servicing relationship for two large borrower relationships effective October 1, 2024. That was Farmer Mac's only exercise of remedies or taking of formal action against any servicers during the previous three years ended September 30, 2024. 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 2023 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, 2024, Farmer Mac had not experienced any credit losses on any AgVantage securities over the life of the program. 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 2023 Annual Report.
The unpaid principal balance of outstanding on-balance sheet AgVantage securities secured by loans eligible for the Agricultural Finance line of business totaled $5.3 billion as of September 30, 2024 and $6.1 billion as of December 31, 2023. The unpaid principal balance of on-balance sheet AgVantage
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securities secured by loans eligible for the Rural Infrastructure Finance line of business totaled $3.5 billion as of September 30, 2024 and $3.9 billion as of December 31, 2023.
The following table provides information about the issuers of AgVantage securities and the required collateralization levels for those transactions as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023:
Table 29
As of September 30, 2024 As of December 31, 2023
Counterparty Balance Required Collateralization Balance Required Collateralization
(dollars in thousands)
AgVantage:
CFC $ 3,540,631 100% $ 3,898,468 100%
MetLife 2,050,000 103% 2,050,000 103%
Rabo AgriFinance 2,275,000 105% 3,085,000 105%
Other (1)
1,004,876 100% to 125% 988,879 100% to 125%
Total outstanding $ 8,870,507 $ 10,022,347
(1) Consists of AgVantage securities issued by 9 and 8 different issuers as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, 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 2023 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, 2024, Farmer Mac had $0.8 billion of cash and cash equivalents and $5.9 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 FCA regulations, which can be 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 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
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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 ($148.7 million as of September 30, 2024). However, Farmer Mac's current policy limits this total credit exposure to 5% of its regulatory capital ($74.3 million as of September 30, 2024). 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.
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
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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, 2024 mature within three months. As of September 30, 2024, $2.8 billion of the $5.9 billion of investment securities (47%) 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.
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.
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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, 2024 and December 31, 2023 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, 2024 As of December 31, 2023
+100 basis points (3.8) % (3.6) %
-100 basis points 3.6 % 2.9 %
Percentage Change in NES from Base Case
Interest Rate Scenario As of September 30, 2024 As of December 31, 2023
+100 basis points (1.3) % — %
-100 basis points 1.2 % 0.8 %
As of September 30, 2024, Farmer Mac maintained a positive effective duration gap of 3.4 months, remaining consistent with the 3.4 months reported as of December 31, 2023. Since the end of 2023, the yield curve has steepened, with the yield-to-maturities of 2-year and 10-year U.S. Treasury Notes decreasing by approximately 61 and 10 basis points, respectively. This shift in rates shortened the duration of Farmer Mac's funded assets and liabilities, resulting in Farmer Mac's duration gap being stable.
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, 2024, Farmer Mac had $25.4 billion combined notional amount of interest rate swaps, with terms ranging from less than one year to just over thirty years, of which $10.4 billion were pay-fixed interest rate swaps, $14.4 billion were receive-fixed interest rate swaps, and $0.7 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 alternative to duration-matched debt and enters into interest rate swaps to manage interest rate risks across the balance sheet.
106
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 "(Losses)/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, 2024 and December 31, 2023, 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
• 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.
107
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, 2024, Farmer Mac held $7.3 billion of floating rate assets in its lines of business and its investment portfolio that reset based on floating rate market indices, such as the Secured Overnight Financing Rate ("SOFR"). As of the same date, Farmer Mac also had $10.4 billion of interest rate swaps outstanding where Farmer Mac pays a fixed rate of interest and receives a floating rate of interest, primarily SOFR.
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 2024. 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, 2024, Farmer Mac had outstanding discount notes of $2.2 billion, medium-term notes that mature within one year of $7.7 billion, and medium-term notes that mature after one year of $17.2 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 Investment Regulations. In accordance with the methodology for calculating available days of liquidity under those regulations, Farmer Mac maintained a monthly average of 308 days of liquidity throughout third quarter 2024 and had 309 days of liquidity as of September 30, 2024.
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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, 2024 and December 31, 2023:
Table 31
As of September 30, 2024 As of December 31, 2023
(in thousands)
Cash and cash equivalents $ 842,056 $ 888,707
Investment securities:
Guaranteed by U.S. Government and its agencies 1,597,112 1,249,568
Guaranteed by GSEs 4,270,616 3,704,037
Asset-backed securities 19,478 19,082
Total $ 6,729,262 $ 5,861,394
The objectives of the investment portfolio as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023 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, 2024, 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, 2024 and December 31, 2023, Farmer Mac's Tier 1 capital ratio was 14.2% and 15.4%, respectively. As of September 30, 2024, 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.
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—
109
Capital Standards." 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, 2024 $ 776,023 $ 307,325 $ 579,887 $ 325,743 $ 1,988,978
June 30, 2024 698,787 288,740 235,033 271,890 1,494,450
March 31, 2024 665,916 290,525 115,795 347,898 1,420,134
December 31, 2023 1,282,045 188,272 434,511 225,986 2,130,814
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 469,013 203,211 683,232 89,747 1,445,203
December 31, 2022 1,114,255 165,395 140,222 43,737 1,463,609
September 30, 2022 1,629,496 169,932 547,117 61,653 2,408,198
For the year ended:
December 31, 2023 $ 4,709,500 $ 885,551 $ 2,020,014 $ 404,734 $ 8,019,799
December 31, 2022 6,614,687 546,596 1,392,203 182,333 8,735,819
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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 $ 1,079,136 $ 239,596 $ 674,590 $ 106,207 $ 2,099,529
Unscheduled 117,538 41,842 26,629 — 186,009
September 30, 2024 $ 1,196,674 $ 281,438 $ 701,219 $ 106,207 $ 2,285,538
Scheduled $ 752,473 $ 141,565 $ 78,299 $ 138,725 $ 1,111,062
Unscheduled 342,594 89,576 32,984 — 465,154
June 30, 2024 $ 1,095,067 $ 231,141 $ 111,283 $ 138,725 $ 1,576,216
Scheduled $ 402,088 $ 118,885 $ 126,314 $ 93,112 $ 740,399
Unscheduled 150,903 99,325 32,481 — 282,709
March 31, 2024 $ 552,991 $ 218,210 $ 158,795 $ 93,112 $ 1,023,108
Scheduled $ 827,122 $ 133,468 $ 53,614 $ 69,040 $ 1,083,244
Unscheduled 106,041 102,131 18,469 — 226,641
December 31, 2023 $ 933,163 $ 235,599 $ 72,083 $ 69,040 $ 1,309,885
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
For the year ended:
Scheduled $ 3,079,501 $ 403,719 $ 789,365 $ 147,383 $ 4,419,968
Unscheduled 542,796 391,360 109,539 — 1,043,695
December 31, 2023 $ 3,622,297 $ 795,079 $ 898,904 $ 147,383 $ 5,463,663
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
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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, 2024 $ 18,090,374 $ 1,842,780 $ 7,440,141 $ 1,095,008 $ 28,468,303
June 30, 2024 18,504,501 1,816,893 7,561,473 875,472 28,758,339
March 31, 2024 18,900,906 1,766,294 7,437,723 742,307 28,847,230
December 31, 2023 18,808,801 1,693,979 7,480,723 487,521 28,471,024
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
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, 2024 $ 14,328,691 $ 3,311,001 $ 6,265,792 $ 23,905,484
June 30, 2024 14,064,831 3,273,764 6,850,137 24,188,732
March 31, 2024 14,166,500 3,194,246 6,849,237 24,209,983
December 31, 2023 14,133,794 3,171,672 6,455,359 23,760,825
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
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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, 2024 (2)
$ 35,755 1.05 % $ 6,397 1.56 % $ 7,579 0.44 % $ 3,810 1.78 % $ 30,912 0.42 % $ 943 0.05 % $ 85,396 1.16 %
June 30, 2024 34,156 0.98 % 7,866 1.91 % 7,646 0.44 % 2,999 1.86 % 30,268 0.41 % 661 0.04 % 83,596 1.14 %
March 31, 2024 32,843 0.95 % 7,971 2.05 % 7,232 0.42 % 2,049 1.75 % 32,474 0.45 % 475 0.03 % 83,044 1.14 %
December 31, 2023 33,329 0.98 % 8,382 2.06 % 7,342 0.43 % 1,540 1.69 % 33,361 0.47 % 597 0.04 % 84,551 1.19 %
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 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 %
(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, 2024 and 2023.
113
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 2024 June 2024 March 2024 December 2023 September 2023 June 2023 March 2023 December 2022 September 2022
(in thousands)
Revenues:
Net effective spread $ 85,396 $ 83,596 $ 83,044 $ 84,551 $ 83,424 $ 81,832 $ 77,173 $ 71,103 $ 65,641
Guarantee and commitment fees 4,997 5,256 4,982 4,865 4,828 4,581 4,654 4,677 4,201
Gain on sale of investment securities — 1,052 — — — — — — —
Loss on sale of mortgage loan — (1,147) — — — — — — —
Other 1,133 481 1,077 767 1,056 409 1,067 390 473
Total revenues 91,526 89,238 89,103 90,183 89,308 86,822 82,894 76,170 70,315
Credit related expense/(income):
Provision for/(release of) losses 3,258 6,230 (1,870) (575) (181) 1,142 750 1,945 450
REO operating expenses 196 — — — — — — 819 —
Total credit related expense/(income) 3,454 6,230 (1,870) (575) (181) 1,142 750 2,764 450
Operating expenses:
Compensation and employee benefits 15,237 14,840 18,257 15,523 14,103 13,937 15,351 12,105 11,648
General and administrative 8,625 8,904 8,255 8,916 9,100 9,420 7,527 8,055 6,919
Regulatory fees 725 725 725 725 831 831 835 832 812
Total operating expenses 24,587 24,469 27,237 25,164 24,034 24,188 23,713 20,992 19,379
Net earnings 63,485 58,539 63,736 65,594 65,455 61,492 58,431 52,414 50,486
Income tax expense 12,681 11,970 13,553 13,881 13,475 12,539 12,756 11,210 10,303
Preferred stock dividends 5,897 6,792 6,791 6,791 6,792 6,791 6,791 6,791 6,791
Core earnings $ 44,907 $ 39,777 $ 43,392 $ 44,922 $ 45,188 $ 42,162 $ 38,884 $ 34,413 $ 33,392
Reconciling items:
(Losses)/gains on undesignated financial derivatives due to fair value changes $ (1,064) $ (359) $ 1,683 $ (836) $ 2,921 $ 2,141 $ 916 $ 1,596 $ 6,441
Gains/(losses) on hedging activities due to fair value changes 205 2,604 3,002 (3,598) 3,210 (4,901) (105) (148) (624)
Unrealized gains/(losses) on trading assets 99 (87) (14) (37) 1,714 (57) 359 31 (757)
Net effects of amortization of premiums/discounts and deferred gains on assets consolidated at fair value 27 26 31 88 29 29 29 57 24
Net effects of terminations or net settlements on financial derivatives (503) (1,505) (192) (800) (79) 583 523 1,268 (3,522)
Issuance costs on the retirement of preferred stock (1,619) — — — — — — — —
Income tax effect related to reconciling items 260 (143) (947) 1,089 (1,638) 464 (362) (590) (327)
Net income attributable to common stockholders $ 42,312 $ 40,313 $ 46,955 $ 40,828 $ 51,345 $ 40,421 $ 40,244 $ 36,627 $ 34,627
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.