Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK.
We consider the principal types of risk in our business activities to be fluctuations in interest rates, the ability to raise funds (deposits, debt, and or equity) to fund our operations, and the availability of the secondary market for our SBA loans. Risk management systems and procedures are designed to identify and analyze our risks, to set appropriate policies and limits and to continually monitor these risks and limits by means of reliable administrative and information systems and other policies and programs.
The Company’s interest rate profile on loans is based on a mix of fixed and variable rates. The same is true for its sources of funding (deposits, warehouse lines of credit, securitization trust notes, public notes, etc.). Some of our assets and liabilities are match funded, meaning that the interest rate and duration profiles are closely linked. Managing interest rate risk with matched funding means that movements in interest rates are expected to largely offset between income from assets and expenses on liabilities. For the remainder of our balance sheet, we largely take a portfolio approach to managing interest rate and liquidity risk that is inherently imprecise.
NewtekOne depends on the availability of secondary market purchasers of our loans held for sale, but primarily for the guaranteed portions of SBA loans and the premium received on such sales to support its lending operations. Sale prices for guaranteed portions of SBA 7(a) loans could be negatively impacted by market conditions, in particular a higher interest rate environment, which typically lead to higher prepayments during the period, resulting in lower sale prices in the secondary market. A reduction in the price of guaranteed portions of SBA 7(a) loans or disruptions in the markets to which we sell could negatively impact our business.
The Company’s invested cash (includes cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash) of approximately $184.0 million is subject to changes in the Federal Funds rate set by the Federal Open Market Committee. We do not purchase or hold derivative financial instruments for trading purposes. All of our transactions are conducted in U.S. dollars and we do not have any foreign currency or foreign exchange risk. We do not trade commodities or have any commodity price risk.
We believe that we have placed our cash investments and their equivalents, which include deposits at other institutions, with high credit-quality financial institutions. As of December 31, 2023, cash deposits in excess of insured amounts totaled approximately $37.2 million. The Company and its non-bank subsidiaries have deposit accounts at Newtek Bank that total $55.6 million, of which $52.8 million is uninsured.
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Interest rate risk is a significant market risk and can result from timing and volume differences in the repricing of rate-sensitive assets and liabilities, widening or tightening of credit spreads, changes in the general level of market interest rates and changes in the shape and level of market yield curves. The Company manages the interest rate sensitivity of interest-bearing liabilities and interest-earning assets in an effort to minimize the adverse effects of changes in the interest rate environment balanced against maximizing profit. Management of interest rate risk is carried out primarily through strategies involving available-for-sale securities, loan and lease portfolio, and available funding sources.
The Newtek Bank board of directors has established an Asset/Liability Committee (the “ALCO Committee”) to oversee the implementation of an effective process for managing the risk profile inherent in Newtek Bank’s balance sheet and related business activities as well as the ongoing monitoring and reporting thereon. Risks inherent in Newtek Bank’s balance sheet include interest rate risk (i.e., the risk to liquidity and capital resulting from changes in interest rates), liquidity risk (the risk to the availability of funds to execute its business strategy and meet its obligations), and similar risks. The ALCO Committee, subject to Newtek Bank board approval, is responsible for establishing policies, risk limits and capital levels (collectively “ALM Policies”) as well overseeing and monitoring compliance therewith. Newtek Bank’s ALM Policies set forth a risk management framework relating to managing liquidity, managing fluctuations in interest rates, capital management, investments, and hedging and the use of derivatives. The ALCO Committee and Newtek Bank’s board may implement additional policies and procedures relating to these areas in order to manage risk to an appropriate level.
The matching of assets and liabilities may be analyzed by examining the extent to which such assets and liabilities are “interest rate sensitive.” An asset or liability is said to be interest rate sensitive within a specific time period if it will mature or reprice within that time period. The Company analyzes interest rate sensitivity position to manage the risk associated with interest rate movements through the use of two simulation models: economic value of equity (“EVE”) and net interest income (“NII”) simulations. These simulations project both short-term and long-term interest rate risk under a variety of instantaneous parallel rate shocks applied to a static balance sheet. The EVE simulation provides a long-term view of interest rate risk because it analyzes all of the Company’s future cash flows. EVE is defined as the present value of the Company’s assets, less the present value of its liabilities, adjusted for any off-balance sheet items. The results show a theoretical change in the economic value of shareholders’ equity as interest rates change.
EVE and NII simulations are completed routinely on Newtek Bank’s balance sheet and presented to the ALCO Committee. Other positions outside of Newtek Bank are typically match funded or hedged with instruments that have similar terms and/or interest rate features. The simulations provide an estimate of the impact of changes in interest rates on equity and net interest income under a range of assumptions. The numerous assumptions used in the simulation process are provided to the ALCO Committee on at least an annual basis. Changes to these assumptions can significantly affect the results of the simulation. The simulation incorporates assumptions regarding the potential timing in the repricing of certain assets and liabilities when market rates change and the changes in spreads between different market rates. The simulation analysis incorporates management’s current assessment of the risk that pricing margins will change adversely over time due to competition or other factors. Simulation analysis is only an estimate of interest rate risk exposure at a particular point in time. The Company regularly models various forecasted rate projections with non-parallel shifts that are reflective of potential current rate environment outcomes. Under these scenarios, the Company’s interest rate risk profile may increase in asset sensitivity, decrease in asset sensitivity, or depending on the scenario and timing of anticipated rate changes, may transition to a liability sensitive interest rate risk profile. Regular, robust modeling of various interest rate outcomes allows the Company to properly assess and manage potential risks from various rate shifts.
Estimated Changes in EVE and NII. The table below sets forth, as of December 31, 2023, the estimated changes in our (i) EVE that would result from the designated instantaneous changes in the forward rate curves; and (ii) NII that would result from the designated instantaneous changes in the U.S. Treasury yield curve, Prime Rate and the Secured Overnight Finance Rate. Computations of prospective effects of hypothetical interest rate changes are based on numerous assumptions including relative levels of market interest rates, loan prepayments and deposit decay, and should not be relied on as indicative of actual results.
Basis Point ("bp") Change in Estimated Increase/Decrease in Net Interest Income Estimated Percentage Change in EVE
Interest Rates 12 Months Beginning December 31, 2023 12 Months Beginning December 31, 2024 As of December 31, 2023
+200 15.4% 16.0% 1.8%
+100 7.7 8.0 1.0
-100 (7.6) (7.7) (1.0)
-200 (15.4) (15.6) (2.2)
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Rates are increased instantaneously at the beginning of the projection. The Company is asset sensitive, as the Company’s variable rate loan portfolio reprices the full amount of the assumed change in interest rates, while fixed-rate Company notes will reprice on maturity and the retail savings and short-term retail certificates of deposits portfolio will reprice with an assumed beta. Interest rates do not normally move all at once or evenly over time, but management believes that the analysis is useful to understanding the potential direction and magnitude of net interest income changes due to changing interest rates.
The EVE analysis shows that the Company would theoretically modestly increase market value in a rising rate environment. The EVE asset sensitivity results from the combination of fixed-rate debt and variable-rate debt which funds the variable-rate loan portfolio outside of Newtek Bank.
ITEM 8. CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA.
Our consolidated financial statements and related notes begin on Page F-1, which are included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE.
None.