Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (continued)
Fifth Third Bancorp is a diversified financial services company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. At March 31, 2020, the Bancorp had $185.4 billion in assets and operated 1,123 full-service banking centers and 2,464 Fifth Third branded ATMs in ten states throughout the Midwestern and Southeastern regions of the U.S. The Bancorp reports on four business segments: Commercial Banking, Branch Banking, Consumer Lending and Wealth and Asset Management.
This overview of MD&A highlights selected information in the financial results of the Bancorp and may not contain all of the information that is important to you. For a more complete understanding of trends, events, commitments, uncertainties, liquidity, capital resources and critical accounting policies and estimates, you should carefully read this entire document as well as the Bancorp’s Annual Report on Form
10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2019. Each of these items could have an impact on the Bancorp’s financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. In addition, refer to the Glossary of Abbreviations and Acronyms in this report for a list of terms included as a tool for the reader of this quarterly report on Form
10-Q.
The abbreviations and acronyms identified therein are used throughout this MD&A, as well as the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.
Net interest income, net interest margin, net interest rate spread and the efficiency ratio are presented in MD&A on an FTE basis. The FTE basis adjusts for the
tax-favored
status of income from certain loans and securities held by the Bancorp that are not taxable for federal income tax purposes. The Bancorp believes this presentation to be the preferred industry measurement of net interest income as it provides a relevant comparison between taxable and
non-taxable
amounts. The FTE basis for presenting net interest income is a
non-GAAP
measure. For further information, refer to the
Non-GAAP
Financial Measures section of MD&A.
The Bancorp’s revenues are dependent on both net interest income and noninterest income. For the three months ended March 31, 2020, net interest income on an FTE basis and noninterest income provided 65% and 35% of total revenue, respectively. The Bancorp derives the majority of its revenues within the U.S. from customers domiciled in the U.S. Revenue from foreign countries and external customers domiciled in foreign countries was immaterial to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for the three months ended March 31, 2020. Changes in interest rates, credit quality, economic trends and the capital markets are primary factors that drive the performance of the Bancorp. As discussed later in the Risk Management section of MD&A, risk identification, measurement, monitoring, control and reporting are important to the management of risk and to the financial performance and capital strength of the Bancorp.
Net interest income is the difference between interest income earned on assets such as loans, leases and securities, and interest expense incurred on liabilities such as deposits, other short-term borrowings and long-term debt. Net interest income is affected by the general level of interest rates, the relative level of short-term and long-term interest rates, changes in interest rates and changes in the amount and composition of interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities. Generally, the rates of interest the Bancorp earns on its assets and pays on its liabilities are established for a period of time. The change in market interest rates over time exposes the Bancorp to interest rate risk through potential adverse changes to net interest income and financial position. The Bancorp manages this risk by continually analyzing and adjusting the composition of its assets and liabilities based on their payment streams and interest rates, the timing of their maturities and their sensitivity to changes in market interest rates. Additionally, in the ordinary course of business, the Bancorp enters into certain derivative transactions as part of its overall strategy to manage its interest rate and prepayment risks. The Bancorp is also exposed to the risk of loss on its loan and lease portfolio, as a result of changing expected cash flows caused by borrower credit events, such as loan defaults and inadequate collateral.
Noninterest income is derived from service charges on deposits, wealth and asset management revenue, commercial banking revenue, mortgage banking net revenue, card and processing revenue, leasing business revenue, net securities gains or losses and other noninterest income. Noninterest expense includes compensation and benefits, technology and communication costs, net occupancy expense, leasing business expense, equipment expense, marketing expense, card and processing expense and other noninterest expense.
The U.S. economy retracted at the end of the first quarter of 2020 as the spread of
COVID-19
became a global pandemic. With concerns increasing that
COVID-19
may overwhelm the health care system, states across the U.S. declared lockdowns which restricted social gatherings and ordered temporary closures of businesses deemed
non-essential.
As the cases of
COVID-19
continued to rise, the disruption in the financial markets led the FRB to enact unprecedented policies to offset the forced liquidations and restore liquidity in the financial markets. The FRB cut rates to the zero lower bound, announced unlimited purchases of treasuries along with agency mortgage-backed securities and commercial mortgage-backed securities, and announced several facilities designed to support the smooth functioning of credit markets.
Government Response to the
COVID-19
Pandemic
Congress, the FRB and the other U.S. state and federal financial regulatory agencies have taken actions to mitigate disruptions to economic activity and financial stability resulting from the
COVID-19
pandemic. The descriptions below summarize certain significant government actions taken in response to the
COVID-19
pandemic. The descriptions are qualified in their entirety by reference to the particular statutory or regulatory provisions or government programs summarized.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law on March 27, 2020. Among other provisions, the CARES Act includes funding for the SBA to expand lending, relief from certain U.S. GAAP requirements to allow
COVID-19-related
loan modifications to not be categorized as troubled debt restructurings and a range of incentives to encourage deferment, forbearance or modification of consumer credit and mortgage contracts. One of the key CARES Act programs is the Paycheck Protection Program, which
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (continued)
temporarily expands the SBA’s business loan guarantee program through June 30, 2020. Paycheck Protection Program loans are available to a broader range of entities than ordinary SBA loans, require
six-month
deferral of principal and interest repayment, and the loan may be forgiven in an amount equal to payroll costs and certain other expenses during an eight-week covered period.
The CARES Act contains additional protections for homeowners and renters of properties with federally-backed mortgages, including a
60-day
moratorium on the initiation of foreclosure proceedings beginning on March 18, 2020 and a
120-day
moratorium on initiating eviction proceedings effective March 27, 2020. Borrowers of federally-backed mortgages have the right under the CARES Act to request up to 360 days of forbearance on their mortgage payments if they experience financial hardship directly or indirectly due to the coronavirus-related public health emergency.
Also pursuant to the CARES Act, the U.S. Treasury has the authority to provide loans, guarantees and other investments in support of eligible businesses, states and municipalities affected by the economic effects of
COVID-19.
Some of these funds have been used to support several FRB programs and facilities described below or additional programs or facilities that are established by its authority under Section 13(3) of the Federal Reserve Act and meeting certain criteria.
The FRB has taken a range of actions to support the flow of credit to households and businesses. For example, on March 15, 2020, the FRB reduced the target range for the federal funds rate to 0 to 0.25% and announced that it would increase its holdings of U.S. Treasury securities and agency mortgage-backed securities and begin purchasing agency commercial mortgage-backed securities. The FRB has also encouraged depository institutions to borrow from the discount window and has lowered the primary credit rate for such borrowing by 150 basis points while extending the term of such loans up to 90 days. Reserve requirements have been reduced to zero as of March 26, 2020.
In addition, the FRB has established, or has taken steps to establish, a range of facilities and programs to support the U.S. economy and U.S. marketplace participants in response to economic disruptions associated with
COVID-19.
Through these facilities and programs, the FRB, relying on its authority under Section 13(3) of the Federal Reserve Act, has taken steps to directly or indirectly purchase assets from, or make loans to, U.S. companies, financial institutions, municipalities and other market participants.
FRB facilities and programs established, or in the process of being established, include:
| • | a Paycheck Protection Program Liquidity Facility to provide financing related to Paycheck Protection Program loans made by banks; |
| • | a Main Street New Loan Facility, a Main Street Priority Loan Facility, and a Main Street Expanded Loan Facility to purchase loan participations, under specified conditions, from banks lending to small and medium U.S. businesses; |
| • | a Primary Dealer Credit Facility to provide liquidity to primary dealers through a secured lending facility; |
| • | a Commercial Paper Funding Facility to purchase the commercial paper of certain U.S. issuers; |
| • | a Primary Market Corporate Credit Facility to purchase corporate bonds directly from, or make loans directly, to eligible participants; |
| • | a Secondary Market Corporate Credit Facility to purchase corporate bonds trading in secondary markets, including from exchange-traded funds, that were issued by eligible participants; |
| • | a Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility to make loans secured by asset-backed securities; |
| • | a Municipal Liquidity Facility to purchase bonds directly from U.S. state, city and county issuers; and |
| • | a Money Market Mutual Fund Liquidity Facility to purchase certain assets from, or make loans to, financial institutions providing financing to eligible money market mutual funds. |
These facilities and programs are in various stages of development, and the Bancorp and the Bank may in the future participate in some of them, including as an agent or intermediary on behalf of clients or customers or in an advisory capacity. For commercial and consumer customers, Fifth Third has provided a host of relief options, including loan covenant relief, loan maturity extensions, payment deferrals and fee waivers. For further discussion on Fifth Third’s hardship relief programs, refer to the Credit Risk Management subsection of the Risk Management section of MD&A.
Paycheck Protection Program
As discussed above, the Bancorp is participating in the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program which was created by the CARES Act on March 27, 2020. The Bancorp has originated approximately 11,000 loans in the amount of $3.5 billion under the program as of April 30, 2020. The Bancorp has received preliminary approval from the SBA for approximately 20,000 additional loan applications in the amount of approximately $2.1 billion under the Paycheck Protection Program as of April 30, 2020.
For more information related to Fifth Third’s hardship relief programs as a result of the
COVID-19
pandemic, refer to Note 4 and Note 7 of the Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.
On January 31, 2020, the Bank issued and sold, under its bank notes program, $1.25 billion in aggregate principal amount of senior fixed-rate notes. The bank notes consisted of $650 million of 1.80% senior fixed-rate notes, with a maturity of three years, due on January 30, 2023; and $600 million of 2.25% senior fixed-rate notes, with a maturity of seven years, due on February 1, 2027. For more information on the senior notes offering, including disclosure on the redemption options, refer to Note 17 of the Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.