Larry Hall, Medallion’s CFO, stated, “In the fourth quarter we lowered our New York City medallion values from $90,300 net to $79,500 net which ultimately contributed to a medallion segment loss of $3.6 million for the quarter. Our net interest margin remained strong in the fourth quarter at 8.89%, as the higher yielding consumer portfolio continues to perform while the medallion loans have been impaired and placed on non-accrual.”
Consumer Lending Segments
The Company’s net consumer lending portfolio was $1.1 billion as of December 31, 2020, compared to $940.0 million at December 31, 2019. Net interest income for the 2020 fourth quarter was $31.8 million, compared to $27.0 million in the 2019 fourth quarter, an 18% increase. The average interest rate on the portfolio was 13.64% at December 31, 2020, compared to 14.54% a year ago. Consumer loan delinquencies 90 days or more past due were $5.5 million, or 0.50% of total gross loans as of December 31, 2020, compared to $6.0 million, or 0.64%, a year ago.
Commercial Lending Segment
The Company’s net commercial lending portfolio was $62.0 million as of December 31, 2020, compared to $66.4 million at December 31, 2019. The average interest rate on the portfolio was 13.39%, compared to 13.63% a year ago. Net income for the fourth quarter was $0.032 million, compared to $0.366 million in the prior year period. The commercial portfolio remains stable and deal flow remains strong. We expect a continued gradual recovery of performance within the overall portfolio as many of its borrowers are now operating at pre-COVID levels.
Medallion Lending Segment
The Company’s net medallion lending portfolio, exclusive of loan collateral in the process of foreclosure, was $12.7 million as of December 31, 2020, compared to $105.0 million at December 31, 2019. The stated average interest rate on the medallion loan portfolio was 3.00%, compared to 4.17% a year ago. Including loan collateral in the process of foreclosure and owned Chicago medallion assets, total medallion exposure comprised 4% of our total assets as of December 31, 2020, compared to 10% at December 31, 2019.
Mr. Hall concluded, “Cash flow from operations increased to $79 million in 2020 from $65 million in 2019, reflecting strong results of our consumer lending segments on our overall operations. With Medallion Bank recording a Tier 1 leverage ratio of 16.93% and holding $218.5 million of capital, the Company is well-positioned for the future.”
Conference Call Information
The Company will be hosting a conference call to discuss the fourth quarter financial results on Thursday, February 18, 2021, at 9:00 a.m. Eastern time.
The dial-in number for the conference call is (877) 407-0789 (toll-free) or (201) 689-8562 (direct). Please dial the number 10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time. A live webcast of the conference call will also be available on Medallion’s website at http://www.medallion.com/investors.html.
A replay will be available following the end of the call through Thursday, February 25, 2021, by telephone at (844) 512-2921 (toll-free) or (412) 317-6671 (direct), passcode 13716524. A webcast replay of the call will be available at http://www.medallion.com/investors.html until the next quarter’s results are announced.
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