WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549 FORM 10-Q (Mark One) X QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES - ----- EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 For the quarter ended September 30, 1999 OR _____ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 For the transition period from ___________________ to ____________________ Commission File Number: 34-16533 -------------------------- SOVEREIGN BANCORP, INC. ---------------------------------------------------- (Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter) Pennsylvania 23-2453088 - ------------------------------- ------------------- (State or other jurisdiction of (I.R.S. Employer incorporation or organization) Identification No.) 1130 Berkshire Boulevard, Wyomissing, Pennsylvania 19610 - -------------------------------------------------- ----------- (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code) Registrant's telephone number: (610) 320-8400 N/A ---------------------------------------------------------------- (Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report.) Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes [X]. No [_]. APPLICABLE ONLY TO CORPORATE ISSUERS: Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer's classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date. Class Outstanding at November 10, 1999 - --------------------------- -------------------------------- Common Stock (no par value) 181,196,064 shares FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS Sovereign Bancorp, Inc. ("Sovereign") may from time to time make "forward-looking statements," including statements contained in Sovereign's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (including its Annual Report on Form 10-K and the Exhibits thereto), in its reports to shareholders and in other communications by Sovereign, which are made in good faith by Sovereign, pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include statements with respect to Sovereign's vision, mission, strategies, goals, beliefs, plans, objectives, expectations, anticipations, estimates, intentions, financial condition, results of operations, future performance and business of Sovereign, including: (i) statements relating to Sovereign's expectations and goals with respect to (a) growth in earnings per share; (b) return on equity; (c) return on assets; (d) efficiency ratio; (e) tier 1 leverage ratio; (f) annualized net charge-offs and other asset quality measures; (g) fee income as a percentage of total revenue; (h) tangible equity to assets; (i) book value and tangible book value per share; (j) loan and deposit portfolio compositions, and (ii) statements preceded by, followed by or that include the words "may," "could," "should," "pro forma," "looking forward," "would," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "plan," or similar expressions. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties which are subject to change based on various important factors (some of which, in whole or in part, are beyond Sovereign's control). The following factors, among others, could cause Sovereign's financial performance to differ materially from the goals, plans, objectives, intentions and expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements: (1) the strength of the United States economy in general and the strength of the regional and local economies in which Sovereign conducts operations; (2) the effects of, and changes in, trade, monetary and fiscal policies and laws, including interest rate policies of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; (3) inflation, interest rate, market and monetary fluctuations; (4) the timely development of competitive new products and services by Sovereign and the acceptance of such products and services by customers; (5) the willingness of customers to substitute competitors' products and services and vice versa; (6) the success of Sovereign in gaining regulatory approval of its products and services, when required; (7) the impact of changes in financial services' laws and regulations (including laws concerning taxes, banking, proper accounting treatment, securities and insurance); (8) technological changes; (9) changes in consumer spending and savings habits; (10) the impact of pending and completed acquisitions of Sovereign, including the success of Sovereign in fully realizing, within the expected time frame, expected cost savings and/or revenue enhancements from such pending or completed acquisitions, including, without limitation, the expected cost savings and revenue enhancements expected from the acquisition of Peoples Bancorp, Inc.; (11) unanticipated regulatory or judicial proceedings; (12) unanticipated results of its efforts to be Year 2000 compliant; (13) the success of Sovereign at managing the risks involved in the foregoing; (14) our successful completion and integration of the acquisition of the Fleet/BankBoston branches, and related financings. -2- FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS (continued) Sovereign cautions that the foregoing list of important factors is not exclusive, and neither such list nor any such forward-looking statement takes into account the impact that any future acquisition may have on Sovereign and any such forward-looking statement. Sovereign does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of Sovereign. -3- SOVEREIGN BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES INDEX Page ---- PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION Item 1. Financial Statements Consolidated Balance Sheets at September 30, 1999 and December 31, 1998 5 Consolidated Statements of Operations for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 1999 and 1998 6 - 7 Consolidated Statement of Stockholders' Equity for the nine-month period ended September 30, 1999 8 Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the nine-month periods ended September 30, 1999 and 1998 9 Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements 10 - 23 Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Results of Operations and Financial Condition 24 - 40 PART II. OTHER INFORMATION Item 6. Reports on Form 8-K 41 PART III. FINANCIAL DATA SCHEDULE 42 - 43 SIGNATURES 44 -4- SOVEREIGN BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS September 30, December 31, 1999 1998 ------------ ------------ (Unaudited) (Note) (in thousands, except per share data) ASSETS Cash and amounts due from depository institutions $ 359,682 $ 471,074 Interest-earning deposits 16,004 82,650 Loans held for sale (approximate fair value of $50,572 and $297,414 at September 30, 1999 and December 31, 1998, respectively) 50,326 296,930 Investment securities available-for-sale 8,760,232 6,662,427 Investment securities held-to-maturity (approximate fair value of $1,132,970 and $1,860,583 at September 30, 1999 and December 31, 1998, respectively) 1,142,649 1,839,655 Loans 13,420,525 11,285,840 Allowance for loan losses (134,573) (133,802) Premises and equipment 111,737 98,491 Other real estate owned and other repossessed assets 9,833 15,584 Accrued interest receivable 161,802 147,441 Goodwill and other intangible assets 456,401 425,925 Other assets 889,098 721,658 ------------ ------------ TOTAL ASSETS $ 25,243,716 $ 21,913,873 ============ ============ LIABILITIES Deposits $ 11,883,101 $ 12,322,716 Borrowings: Short-term 6,203,991 3,921,684 Long-term 5,490,958 3,978,908 Advance payments by borrowers for taxes and insurance 21,838 27,655 Other liabilities 70,642 329,792 ------------ ------------ TOTAL LIABILITIES 23,670,530 20,580,755 ------------ ------------ Corporation-obligated mandatorily redeemable capital securities of subsidiary trust holding solely subordinated debentures of Sovereign Bancorp, Inc. ("Trust Preferred Securities") 129,115 129,050 ------------ ------------ STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY Common stock; no par value; 400,000,000 shares authorized; 186,473,300 shares issued at September 30, 1999 and 164,146,353 shares issued at December 31, 1998 916,189 649,341 Unallocated common stock held by Employee Stock Ownership Plans at cost; 5,063,798 shares at September 30, 1999 and 4,340,572 shares at December 31, 1998 (35,662) (26,892) Treasury stock at cost; 354,654 shares at September 30, 1999 and 78,626 shares at December 31, 1998 (4,384) (1,086) Accumulated other comprehensive (loss)/income (134,434) 18,120 Retained earnings 702,362 564,585 ------------ ------------ TOTAL STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY 1,444,071 1,204,068 ------------ ------------ TOTAL LIABILITIES, MINORITY INTERESTS AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY $ 25,243,716 $ 21,913,873 ============ ============ See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements. Note: The balance sheet at December 31, 1998 is taken from Sovereign's audited financial statements at that date, but does not include all of the information and footnotes required by generally accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements. -5- SOVEREIGN BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (Unaudited) Three-Month Period Nine-Month Period Ended September 30, Ended September 30, --------------------------- -------------------------- 1999 1998 1999 1998 ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- (in thousands, except per share data) Interest income: Interest on interest-earning deposits $ 972 $ 2,029 $ 3,851 $ 5,360 Interest and dividends on investment securities available-for-sale 144,268 85,396 395,570 187,806 Interest and dividends on investment securities held-to-maturity 20,759 38,345 72,916 148,053 Interest and fees on loans 249,955 215,998 689,089 656,521 ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- Total interest income 415,954 341,768 1,161,426 997,740 ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- Interest expense: Interest on deposits 106,960 112,893 320,556 319,230 Interest on borrowings 147,126 107,628 391,802 317,614 ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- Total interest expense 254,086 220,521 712,358 636,844 ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- Net interest income 161,868 121,247 449,068 360,896 Provision for loan losses 7,500 7,001 22,500 20,961 ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- Net interest income after provision for loan losses 154,368 114,246 426,568 339,935 ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- Other income: Retail banking fees 13,779 7,914 35,649 21,714 Mortgage banking revenues 7,374 6,354 26,325 20,974 Loan fees and service charges 2,667 1,792 6,014 4,985 Gain on sale of loans and investment securities (299) 6,262 6,471 12,389 Miscellaneous income 11,430 3,424 26,086 13,243 ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- Total other income 34,951 25,746 100,545 73,305 ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- General and administrative expenses: Compensation and benefits 38,955 30,166 113,696 89,811 Occupancy and equipment expenses 15,958 13,767 49,758 40,113 Outside services 14,717 11,823 47,872 31,258 Other administrative expenses 21,173 10,650 49,118 34,546 ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- Total general and administrative expenses 90,803 66,406 260,444 195,728 ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- -6- SOVEREIGN BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (Unaudited) (continued) Three-Month Period Nine-Month Period Ended September 30, Ended September 30, ------------------------ ------------------------ 1999 1998 1999 1998 --------- --------- --------- --------- (in thousands, except per share data) Other operating expenses: Merger-related charges (1) $ -- $ 10,860 $ -- $ 49,932 Amortization of goodwill and other intangibles 9,953 4,950 28,008 11,347 Trust Preferred Securities expense 3,049 3,051 9,147 9,478 Real estate owned loss/(gain), net 38 (243) 60 (256) --------- --------- --------- --------- Total other operating expenses 13,040 18,618 37,215 70,501 --------- --------- --------- --------- Income before income taxes 85,476 54,968 229,454 147,011 Income tax provision 29,488 20,178 79,376 54,227 --------- --------- --------- --------- Net Income (1)(2) $ 55,988 $ 34,790 $ 150,078 $ 92,784 ========= ========= ========= ========= Net Income Applicable to Common Stock $ 55,988 $ 34,790 $ 150,078 $ 91,288 ========= ========= ========= ========= Earnings per share (2)(3) $ .31 $ .22 $ .89 .58 ========= ========= ========= ========= Dividends paid per common share (3) $ .027 $ .020 $ .074 .063 ========= ========= ========= ========= (1) Results for the three-month period ended September 30, 1998 include merger charges of $10.9 million ($7.8 million after-tax) related to Sovereign's acquisitions of Carnegie and First Home during the third quarter of 1998. Results of the nine-month period ended September 30, 1998 include the aforementioned charges along with merger charges of $39.1 million ($25.5 million after-tax) and losses from non-recurring sales of held-to-maturity securities of $0.5 million ($0.3 million after-tax) related to Sovereign's acquisition of ML Bancorp during the first quarter of 1998. (2) Results for the three-month and nine-month period ended September 30, 1998 include the merger-related and special charges described in Note 1 above. Excluding the merger-related and special charges, net income for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 1998 were $42.8 million and $126 million, respectively. Earnings per share for these same periods were $.27 and $.79. (3) Per share amounts have been adjusted to reflect all stock dividends and stock splits. See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements. -7- SOVEREIGN BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY (in thousands) Accumulated Total Common Unallocated Other Stock- Shares Common Retained Treasury Common Stock Comprehensive Holders' Outstanding Stock Earnings Stock Held by ESOP Income/(Loss) Equity ----------- ----- -------- ----- ------------ ------------- ------ Balance, December 31, 1998 159,727 $649,341 $564,585 $(1,086) $ (26,892) $ 18,120 $1,204,068 Comprehensive income: Net income - - 150,078 - - - 150,078 Change in unrecognized loss on investment securities available- for-sale, net of tax - - - - - (152,554) (152,554) ------- Total comprehensive loss (2,476) Exercise of stock options 502 4,483 - - - - 4,483 Cash in lieu of fractional shares - (6) - - - - (6) Sale of stock under Dividend Reinvestment Plan and Employee Stock Purchase Plan 262 3,200 - - - - 3,200 Dividends paid on common stock - - (12,301) - - - (12,301) Treasury stock repurchase (3,316) - - (46,873) - - (46,873) Treasury stock sold 21 - - 217 - - 217 Acquisition of Network Companies 235 4,000 - (1,000) - - 3,000 Acquisition of People's Bancorp, Inc. 23,624 255,171 - 44,358 (8,770) - 290,759 ------- -------- -------- ------- -------- --------- ---------- Balance, September 30, 1999 181,055 $916,189 $702,362 $(4,384) $(35,662) $(134,434) $1,444,071 ======= ======== ======== ======= ======== ========= ========== See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements. -8- SOVEREIGN BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (Unaudited) Nine-Month Period Ended September 30, ----------------------------- 1999 1998 ---- ---- (in thousands) Cash Flows from Operating Activities: Net income $ 150,078 $ 92,784 Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities: Provision for loan losses and deferred taxes 20,953 15,443 Depreciation 15,923 10,368 Amortization 55,166 6,925 Gain on sale of loans, investment securities and real estate owned (6,531) (12,754) Allocation of Employee Stock Ownership Plan -- 15,310 Net change in: Loans held for sale 246,604 90,621 Accrued interest receivable (6,344) (107,454) Prepaid expenses and other assets (279,188) (415,077) Other liabilities (281,882) 214,224 ----------- ----------- Net cash used for operating activities $ (85,221) $ (89,610) ----------- ----------- Cash Flows from Investing Activities: Proceeds from sales of investment securities: Available-for-sale 3,727,661 937,327 Held-to-maturity 13,647 -- Proceeds from repayments and maturities of investment securities: Available-for-sale 1,361,003 620,740 Held-to-maturity 721,882 1,724,905 Purchases of investment securities: Available-for-sale (6,541,381) (5,331,746) Held-to-maturity (25,685) (456,601) Proceeds from sales of loans 1,053,573 22,711 Purchase of loans (1,457,291) (1,629,666) Net change in loans other than purchases and sales (1,171,502) 1,524,915 Proceeds from sales of premises and equipment 1,608 13,131 Purchases of premises and equipment (25,234) (21,909) Proceeds from sale of real estate owned 13,327 14,764 Net cash received from business combinations 112,998 (302,808) Other, net -- (4,228) ----------- ----------- Net cash used for investing activities (2,215,393) (2,888,465) ----------- ----------- Cash Flows from Financing Activities: Assumption of deposits -- 2,231,149 Net (decrease)/increase in deposits (954,393) 566,356 Net increase in short-term borrowings 1,464,031 (661,446) Proceeds from long-term borrowings 1,819,994 1,404,842 Repayments of long-term borrowing (149,302) -- Net increase in advance payments by borrowers for taxes and insurance (5,816) (16,324) Cash dividends paid to stockholders (12,301) (11,098) Proceeds from issuance of preferred stock -- (6) Proceeds from issuance of common stock 7,456 12,787 Advance to the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (437) -- (Purchase)/issuance of treasury stock (46,656) 53 ----------- ----------- Net cash provided by financing activities 2,122,576 3,526,313 ----------- ----------- Net change in cash and cash equivalents (178,038) 548,238 Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period 553,724 255,937 ----------- ----------- Cash and cash equivalents at end of period $ 375,686 $ 804,175 =========== ----------- Reconciliation of Cash and Cash Equivalents to Consolidated Balance Sheets: Cash and amounts due from depository institutions $ 359,682 $ 648,342 Interest-earning deposits 16,004 155,833 ----------- ----------- Cash and cash equivalents at end of period $ 375,686 $ 804,175 =========== =========== Supplemental Disclosures: Income tax payments totaled $83.5 million for the nine-month period ended September 30, 1999 and $56.0 million for the same period in 1998. Interest payments totaled $687 million for the nine-month period ended September 30, 1999 and $615 million for the same period in 1998. Noncash activity consisted of mortgage or whole loan sales of $920 million for the nine-month period ended September 30, 1999 and $708 million for the same period in 1998; reclassification of long-term borrowings to short-term borrowings of $397 million for the nine-month period ended September 30, 1999 and $563 million for the same period in 1998; and reclassification of mortgage loans to real estate owned of $10.9 million for the nine-month period ended September 30, 1999 and $13.5 million for the same period in 1998. See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements. -9- SOVEREIGN BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited) (1) BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND ACCOUNTING POLICIES Basis of Presentation The accompanying financial statements of Sovereign Bancorp, Inc. and Subsidiaries ("Sovereign") include the accounts of the parent company, Sovereign Bancorp, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries: Sovereign Bank, Sovereign Delaware Investment Corporation, Sovereign Capital Trust I and ML Capital Trust I. All material intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the instructions for Form 10-Q and therefore do not include certain information or footnotes necessary for the presentation of financial condition, results of operations, stockholders' equity, and cash flows in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles. However, in the opinion of management, the consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments (which consist of normal recurring accruals) necessary for a fair presentation of the results for the unaudited periods. The preparation of these financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Certain amounts in the financial statements of prior periods have been reclassified to conform with the presentation used in current period financial statements. These reclassifications have no effect on net income. The financial statements for all periods presented include the consolidated accounts of ML Bancorp, Inc. ("ML Bancorp") which was acquired on February 28, 1998, Carnegie Bancorp ("Carnegie") and First Home Bancorp Inc. ("First Home") which were both acquired on July 31, 1998. These transactions were each accounted for under the pooling-of-interests method of accounting. The financial statements for the period ended September 30, 1999 include the consolidated accounts of Peoples Bancorp, Inc. ("Peoples") and The Network Companies ("Network") which were each accounted for as a purchase during June 1999. The results of operations for the nine-month period ended September 30, 1999 are not necessarily indicative of the results which may be expected for the entire year. The consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with Form 10-K/A for the year ended December 31, 1998. Allowance for Loan Losses The adequacy of Sovereign's allowance for loan losses is regularly evaluated. Management's evaluation of the adequacy of the allowance to absorb loan losses takes into consideration the risks inherent in the loan portfolio, past loan loss experience, specific loans which are currently criticized, geographic and industry concentrations, delinquency trends, economic conditions, the level of originations and other relevant factors. Management also considers loan quality, changes in the size and character of the loan portfolio, consultation with regulatory authorities, the amount of non-performing loans, delinquency trends, economic conditions and industry trends when determining the unallocated allowance. For additional information on Sovereign's allowance for loan losses, see "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations -- Allowance for Loan Losses." -10- SOVEREIGN BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited) (2) EARNINGS PER SHARE Basic earnings per share is calculated by dividing income available to common stockholders by the weighted average common shares outstanding, excluding options, warrants, and convertible securities from the calculation. In calculating diluted earnings per share, the dilutive effect of options and warrants is calculated using the treasury stock method, which uses the average market price for the period. The dilutive effect of preferred stock continues to be calculated using the if-converted method. On May 15, 1998, Sovereign redeemed all outstanding shares of its 6 1/4% Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock, Series B. The following table presents the computation of earnings per share for the periods indicated (in thousands, except per share data). Three-Month Period Nine-Month Period Ended September 30, Ended September 30, ---------------------- ---------------------- 1999 1998 1999 1998 -------- -------- -------- -------- Basic Earnings Per Share: Net income attributable to common stock(1) $ 55,988 $ 34,790 $150,078 $ 91,288 -------- -------- -------- -------- Average basic shares outstanding at end of period (3) 180,902 158,907 166,548 150,711 ======== ======== ======== ======== Basic earnings per share (2) (3) $ .31 $ .22 $ .90 $ .61 ======== ======== ======== ======== Diluted Earnings Per Share: Net income (1) $ 55,988 $ 34,790 $150,078 $ 92,784 -------- -------- -------- -------- Average diluted shares outstanding at end of period (3) 180,902 158,907 166,548 157,765 Dilutive effect of average stock options, net of shares assumed to be repurchased under the treasury stock method (3) 1,876 2,617 2,134 3,348 -------- -------- -------- -------- Total average diluted shares outstanding at end of period (3) 182,778 161,524 168,682 161,113 ======== ======== ======== ======== Diluted earnings per share (2)(3) $ .31 $ .22 $ .89 $ .58 ======== ======== ======== ======== (1) Results for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 1998 include a one-time, merger charge of $7.8 million (after-tax) related to Sovereign's acquisitions of Carnegie and First Home during the third quarter of 1998. Results for the nine-month period ended September 30, 1998 also include a merger-related charge of $25.5 million (after-tax) and losses from non-recurring sales of held-to-maturity securities of $0.3 million (after-tax) related to Sovereign's acquisition of ML Bancorp during the first quarter of 1998. (2) Results for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 1998 include, merger-related charges described in Note 1 above. Excluding the merger-related charges, basic earnings per share for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 1998 were $.27 and $.83, and diluted earnings per share for the same periods were $.27 and $.79. (3) All share data has been adjusted to reflect all stock dividends and stock splits. -11- SOVEREIGN BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) (3) INVESTMENT SECURITIES AVAILABLE-FOR-SALE The following table presents the composition and fair value of investment securities available-for-sale at the dates indicated: (dollars in thousands) September 30, 1999 -------------------------------------------------------- Amortized Unrealized Unrealized Fair Cost Appreciation Depreciation Value --------- ------------ ------------ ----- Investment Securities: U.S. Treasury and government agency securities $ 76,390 $ 4 $ 731 $ 75,663 Non-U.S. Treasury and government agency securities -- -- -- -- Corporate securities 226,295 3,700 6,252 223,743 Asset backed securities 720,016 467 10,911 709,572 Equities 34,812 82 5,781 29,113 FHLB stock 425,237 -- -- 425,237 Agency preferred stock 425,888 3,515 -- 429,403 Municipal securities 32,619 454 1,273 31,800 Mortgage-backed Securities: Passthroughs: U.S. government agencies 491,104 1,062 15,288 476,878 Non-agencies 2,911,412 3,382 108,160 2,806,634 Collateralized mortgage obligations 3,623,211 5,118 76,140 3,552,189 ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- Total investment and mortgage-backed securities available-for-sale $8,966,984 $ 17,784 $ 224,536 $8,760,232 ========== ========== ========== ========== -12- SOVEREIGN BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) (3) INVESTMENT SECURITIES AVAILABLE-FOR-SALE (continued) December 31, 1998 ----------------------------------------------------------- Amortized Unrealized Unrealized Fair Cost Appreciation Depreciation Value ---------- ------------ ------------ ---------- Investment Securities: U.S. Treasury and government agency securities $ 23,480 $ 1 $ -- $ 23,481 Non-U.S. Treasury and government agency securities 12,000 -- 63 11,937 Corporate securities 40,784 1,627 121 42,290 Asset backed securities 193,154 45 897 192,302 Equities 54,383 5,381 9,654 50,110 FHLB stock 345,324 -- -- 345,324 Agency preferred stock 456,861 9,856 5 466,712 Municipal securities 34,609 1,066 629 35,046 Mortgage-backed Securities: Passthroughs: U.S. government agencies 168,840 1,951 335 170,456 Non-agencies 1,969,322 15,976 5,510 1,979,788 Collateralized mortgage obligations 3,335,794 11,168 1,981 3,344,981 ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- Total investment and mortgage-backed securities available-for-sale $6,634,551 $ 47,071 $ 19,195 $6,662,427 ========== ========== ========== ========== -13- SOVEREIGN BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) (4) INVESTMENT SECURITIES HELD-TO-MATURITY The following table presents the composition and fair value of investment securities held-to-maturity at the dates indicated: (dollars in thousands) September 30, 1999 ---------------------------------------------------------- Amortized Unrealized Unrealized Fair Cost Appreciation Depreciation Value ---------- ------------ ------------ ---------- Investment Securities: U.S. Treasury and government agency securities $ 500 $ -- $ 3 $ 497 Non-U.S. Treasury and government agency securities 1,000 2 -- 1,002 Corporate securities 38,379 2,244 2 40,621 Municipal securities 3,872 114 18 3,968 Mortgage-backed Securities: Passthroughs: U.S. government agencies 531,195 3,315 749 533,761 Non-agency 54,148 1,165 136 55,177 Collateralized mortgage obligations 513,555 1,373 16,984 497,944 ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- Total investment securities held-to-maturity $1,142,649 $ 8,213 $ 17,892 $1,132,970 ========== ========== ========== ========== December 31, 1989 ---------------------------------------------------------- Amortized Unrealized Unrealized Fair Cost Appreciation Depreciation Value ---------- ------------ ------------ ---------- Investment Securities: U.S. Treasury and government agency securities $ 17,196 $ 32 $ 78 $ 17,150 Non-U.S. Treasury and government agency securities 13,983 119 -- 14,102 Corporate securities 42,249 3,526 26 45,749 Municipal securities 8,064 165 -- 8,229 Mortgage-backed Securities: Passthroughs: U.S. government agencies 715,558 14,113 285 729,386 Non-agency 74,523 1,165 136 75,552 Collateralized mortgage obligations 968,082 4,541 2,208 970,415 ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- Total investment securities held-to-maturity $1,839,655 $ 23,661 $ 2,733 $1,860,583 ========== ========== ========== ========== -14- SOVEREIGN BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) (5) COMPOSITION OF LOAN PORTFOLIO The following table presents the composition of the loan portfolio by type of loan and by fixed and adjustable rates at the dates indicated: (dollars in thousands) September 30, 1999 December 31, 1998 --------------------------- -------------------------- Amount Percent Amount Percent ------ ------- ------ ------- Residential real estate loans $ 5,535,876 41.2% $ 5,113,537 45.3% Residential construction loans 59,115 .4 62,536 .6 ----------- ------ ----------- ------ Total Residential Loans 5,594,991 41.6 5,176,073 45.9 ----------- ------ ----------- ------ Commercial real estate loans 1,237,148 9.2 887,938 7.9 Commercial and industrial loans 1,296,099 9.6 717,440 6.4 Automotive floor plan loans 835,944 6.2 578,147 5.1 Multi-family loans 128,075 1.0 115,195 1.0 ----------- ------ ----------- ------ Total Commercial Loans 3,497,266 26.0 2,298,720 20.4 ----------- ------ ----------- ------ Home equity loans 1,888,351 14.1 1,750,883 15.5 Auto loans 1,880,827 14.0 1,510,676 13.4 Loans to automotive lessors 275,589 2.1 252,856 2.2 Student loans 248,227 1.9 256,744 2.3 Other 35,274 .3 39,888 .3 ----------- ------ ----------- ------ Total Consumer Loans 4,328,268 32.4% 3,811,047 33.7% ----------- ------ ----------- ------ Total Loans (1) $13,420,525 100.0% $11,285,840 100.0% =========== ====== =========== ====== Total Loans with: (2) Fixed rates $ 8,196,644 61.1% $ 5,798,158 51.4% Variable rates 5,223,881 38.9 5,487,682 48.6 ----------- ------ ----------- ------ Total Loans (1) $13,420,525 100.0% $11,285,840 100.0% =========== ====== =========== ====== (1) Loan totals are net of deferred loan fees and unamortized premiums and discounts of $25.0 million at September 30, 1999 and $16.9 million at December 31, 1998. (2) Loan totals do not reflect the impact of off-balance sheet interest rate swaps used for interest rate risk management as discussed in "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Loan Portfolio." -15- SOVEREIGN BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) (6) DEPOSIT PORTFOLIO COMPOSITION The following table presents the composition of deposits at the dates indicated: (dollars in thousands) September 30, 1999 December 31, 1998 --------------------------------- ------------------------------------ Weighted Weighted Average Average Account Type Amount Percent Rate Amount Percent Rate ------------ ------ ------- -------- ------ ------- -------- Demand deposit accounts $ 1,055,830 8.9% - % $ 1,104,170 9.0% - % NOW accounts 1,668,028 14.0 2.36 1,281,516 10.4 1.24 Savings accounts 2,125,547 17.9 2.58 2,295,448 18.6 2.83 Money market accounts 1,332,247 11.2 3.84 1,545,634 12.5 3.78 Retail certificates 4,769,210 40.1 4.91 5,172,196 42.0 5.24 Jumbo certificates 932,239 7.9 5.37 923,752 7.5 5.40 ----------- ----- ---- ----------- ----- ---- Total Deposits $11,883,101 100.0% 3.61% $12,322,716 100.0% 3.73% =========== ===== ==== =========== ===== ==== (7) BORROWINGS The following table presents information regarding borrowings at the dates indicated: (dollars in thousands) September 30, 1999 December 31, 1998 ----------------------- ---------------------- Weighted Weighted Average Average Balance Rate Balance Rate ------- -------- ------- -------- Securities sold under repurchase agreements $ 2,809,376 5.47% $ 655,540 5.46% FHLB advances 8,493,382 5.25 6,901,505 5.14 Other borrowings 392,191 7.54 343,547 8.19 ----------- ----- ---------- ----- Total Borrowings $11,694,949 5.38% $7,900,592 5.30% =========== ===== ========== ===== -16- SOVEREIGN BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) (8) INTEREST RATE EXCHANGE AGREEMENTS Amortizing and non-amortizing interest rate swaps are generally used to convert fixed rate assets and liabilities to variable rate assets and liabilities and vice versa. Interest rate caps are primarily used to limit the exposure from the repricing and maturity of liabilities. Interest rate floors are primarily used to limit the exposure from repricing and maturity of assets. In certain cases, interest rate caps and floors are simultaneously bought and sold to create a range of protection (interest rate corridors) against changing interest rates while limiting the cost of that protection. The following table presents information regarding interest rate exchange agreements at the dates indicated: (dollars in thousands) September 30, 1999 ----------------------------------------------- Weighted Average Notional Book Estimated Maturity Amount Value Fair Value In Years -------- ----- ---------- --------- Amortizing interest rate swaps: Pay fixed-receive variable $ -- $ -- $ -- -- Non-amortizing interest rate swaps: Pay variable-receive fixed (1) 232,300 -- 8,039 6.6 Pay fixed-receive variable (2) 500,000 -- (3,455) 1.9 Interest rate caps/floors(4) 1,200,000 5,156 (1,673) 2.7 ---------- ------ ------- $1,932,300 $5,156 $ 2,911 ========== ====== ======= December 31, 1998 ----------------------------------------------- Weighted Average Notional Book Estimated Maturity Amount Value Fair Value In Years -------- ----- ---------- --------- Amortizing interest rate swaps: Pay fixed-receive variable (3) $ 175,164 $ -- $ (617) .3 Non-amortizing interest rate swaps: Pay variable-receive fixed -- -- -- Pay fixed-receive variable (2) 2,780,000 -- (48,382) 4.8 Interest rate caps/floors (4) 1,200,000 7,213 ( 6,756) 3.2 ---------- ------ --------- $4,155,164 $7,213 $(55,755) ========== ====== ========= -17- SOVEREIGN BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) (1) The weighted average pay rate was 6.97% and the weighted average receive rate was 7.83% at September 30, 1999. (2) The weighted average pay rate was 5.60% and 5.42% and the weighted average receive rate was 5.36% and 5.26% at September 30, 1999 and December 31, 1998, respectively. (3) The weighted average pay rate was 6.87% and the weighted average receive rate was 5.99% at December 31, 1998. (4) The strike price range was 5.25% - 9.00% at September 30, 1999 and 5.25% - 9.00% at December 31, 1998. The following table summarizes by notional amounts the activity of Sovereign's interest rate exchange agreements: (dollars in thousands) Balance Balance December 31, Maturities/ September 30, 1998 Additions Amortization Terminations 1999 ----------- ----------- ------------ ------------ -------------- Amortizing interest rate swaps $ 175,164 $ -- $ 175,164 $ -- $ -- Non-amortizing interest rate swaps 2,780,000 332,300 370,000 2,010,000 732,300 Interest rate caps/floors 1,200,000 -- -- -- 1,200,000 ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- $4,155,164 $ 332,300 $ 545,164 $2,010,000 $1,932,300 ========== ========== ========== ========== ========== Net interestexpense resulting from interest rate exchange agreements for the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 1999 was $1.4 million and $8.0 million, respectively. -18- SOVEREIGN BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) (9) ACQUISITIONS On September 4, 1998, Sovereign acquired 93 former CoreStates Financial Corp. ("CoreStates") branch offices from First Union Corporation ("First Union"). The former CoreStates offices are located throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey and added approximately $2.2 billion of commercial bank deposits and $725 million of commercial and consumer loans to Sovereign's balance sheet. The transaction was accounted for as a purchase. Sovereign paid a premium of $325 million for the CoreStates branches, of which $226 million was allocated to a core deposit intangible and of which $99 million was allocated to goodwill. Additionally, Sovereign established an initial loan loss reserve of $20.5 million in connection with the loans acquired from CoreStates. The goodwill and core deposit intangible are being amortized over approximately 25 years and 10 years, respectively. Sovereign's results of operations include the operations of the aforementioned branches from September 4, 1998 and thereafter. On June 30, 1999, Sovereign acquired Peoples Bancorp, Inc. ("Peoples"), a $1.4 billion bank holding company headquartered in Lawrenceville, New Jersey whose principal operating subsidiary operated 14 community banking offices in Mercer, Burlington and Ocean counties, New Jersey. The transaction added investments, loans, deposits and stockholders' equity to Sovereign of approximately $922 million, $503 million, $515 million and $291 million, respectively. In accordance with the merger agreement, Peoples' shareholders received .80 shares of Sovereign common stock for each outstanding share of Peoples common stock. Sovereign issued approximately 23.6 million shares of Sovereign common stock in connection with the transaction, which was accounted for as a purchase. In connection with the transaction, Sovereign recorded total intangibles of $49.0 million, of which $9.8 million was allocated to a core deposit intangible and $39.2 million was allocated to goodwill. On June 15, 1999, Sovereign acquired The Network Companies ("Network"), a privately held specialty leasing company headquartered in Commack, New York. Network provides financing for the purchase or lease of equipment and specialty vehicles plus other specialty products for businesses throughout the United States, with transactions ranging from $15,000 to $250,000. The purchase price of $6 million consisted of $4 million of stock and $2 million of cash. The acquisition was accounted for as a purchase for reporting purposes and became a division of Sovereign Bank. Network had total assets of approximately $50 million. On September 7, 1999, Sovereign announced its pending acquisition of $11.9 billion in deposits and 268 branches from Fleet Boston. Also included in the transaction are $8.0 billion of loans, the lending and operating personnel to run the branches and loan businesses as well as the operating infrastructure necessary to maintain the business base. On a pro forma basis including this acquisition, Sovereign will have the third largest market share in New England and among the largest small business lenders in the region. Sovereign is acquiring virtually all of the Fleet Boston offices in the eastern half of Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire (189 offices), the community banking network of the former Rhode Island Hospital Trust in Rhode Island (47 offices) and 32 offices of Fleet Boston in the Hartford, New Haven and Waterbury communities of Connecticut. Sovereign expects the transaction to be completed by midway through the year 2000. -19- SOVEREIGN BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) (10) COMPREHENSIVE INCOME The following table presents the components of comprehensive income, net of related tax, based on the provisions of SFAS No. 130 for the periods indicated: (dollars in thousands) Three-Month Period Nine-Month Period Ended September 30, Ended September 30, ------------------------- ------------------------- 1999 1998 1999 1998 --------- --------- --------- --------- Net income $ 55,988 $ 34,790 $ 150,078 $ 92,784 --------- --------- --------- --------- Unrealized losses on securities during the year (56,110) (6,095) (150,283) (3,367) Less reclassification adjustment 664 (2,411) 2,271 (241) --------- --------- --------- --------- Net unrealized (losses) recognized in other comprehensive income (56,774) (3,684) (152,554) (3,126) --------- --------- --------- --------- Comprehensive income/(loss) (1) $ (786) $ 31,106 $ (2,476) $ 89,658 ========= ========= ========= ========= (1) Excluding merger-related and special charges, comprehensive income for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 1998 was $39.1 million and $123.50 million, respectively. Accumulated other comprehensive income, net of related tax, consisted of net unrealized losses on securities of $134 million at September 30, 1999 and net unrealized gains on securities of $18.1 million at December 31, 1998. -20- SOVEREIGN BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) (11) RECENT DEVELOPMENTS The Year 2000 Computer Issue. The Year 2000 ("Y2K") computer issue refers to the inability of many computers, computer-based systems, related software, and other electronics to process dates accurately during the year 2000 and beyond. Many of these computers, systems, software programs and devices use only two digits to indicate the year. For example, the year 1998 is input, stored and calculated as "98." The year 2000 will in many systems and software programs be represented as "00," but "00" can also be read as 1900. This ambiguity may cause errors which may cause the computer, system or device to fail completely, cause programs to operate incorrectly, or slowly corrupt or contaminate data over time. These problems may arise both in information systems used for data storage and processing, and in connection with mechanical systems such as bank vaults, elevators, escalators, heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems, and other systems which use embedded microprocessors as timers or for other purposes. Sovereign's State of Readiness. Sovereign's Y2K readiness project has five phases: Inventory - identification of the computers, software, systems and devices used by Sovereign and the business applications to which such computers, programs, systems and devices are devoted. Assessment - analyzing those computers, software, systems, devices and related applications with a view to determining if they store or process date information in a manner which will avoid millennial errors of the type described above, the risks resulting from any such errors and prioritizing them based on how critical they are to Sovereign's business operations. Remediation - modification or replacement of deficient computers, programs, systems and devices to the extent such deficiency poses material risk to Sovereign. Testing - the modified or new computers, software or systems are tested to determine if they operate and interoperate in a manner which should reduce risk to an acceptable level. Items are addressed in accordance with the priorities given to them in the Assessment Phase. Implementation - bringing the new or changed computers, software, systems and electronics on line. Sovereign is currently in the implementation phase. Sovereign had substantially completed testing of its internal mission-critical items as of December 31, 1998 and had substantially completed testing of its external mission critical items as of March 31, 1999. "Internal" items would include software developed by Sovereign or the remediation of which is controlled by Sovereign, whereas external items would include software provided by others, and systems provided by Sovereign's service providers. As of June 30, 1999, Sovereign had completed the implementation phase for all mission-critical items, and as of September 30, 1999, Sovereign is performing additional testing on certain non-mission-critical systems. -21- SOVEREIGN BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) The description set forth above applies to both information technology ("IT") systems and non-IT systems, such as embedded microprocessors. As part of its Y2K project, Sovereign has also endeavored to analyze the risks posed to it by its material borrowers according to regulatory guidelines. Borrowers whose businesses have been determined by Sovereign to be subject to material levels of risk from Y2K computer problems have been questioned regarding their own state of readiness. Sovereign has similarly questioned providers of funds and substantial vendors and suppliers. Vendors whom Sovereign considers to be critical to Sovereign's operations have been asked, in addition, to provide Sovereign with assurances and other evidence as to their Y2K readiness. Costs. Sovereign has established a budget for its Y2K project costs, which covers the estimated costs of remediation, including modification or replacement of systems and software, utilization of outside consultants, and costs of internal personnel. Based on Sovereign's current assessment of its Y2K project status, the amount of this budget is $13.5 million for fiscal 1998 and 1999. Sovereign is using its internal funds for this project. Sovereign's expenditures with regard to its Y2K project are substantially in accordance with its current budget. Through October 10, 1999, Sovereign's cash outlay was approximately $13.1 million of its $13.5 million budget. Sovereign's estimates are, of necessity, judgmental and subject to revision based on the results of the testing referred to above and other changed facts or circumstances, including changes in Sovereign's assessment of the state of readiness and contingency plans of its principal outside service providers. Risks. Sovereign believes, based on the advice of its consultants, that the most reasonably likely worst case Y2K scenario relates to its principal outside service providers, substantially all of which are large, seasoned, national companies experienced in serving financial institutions. Sovereign depends on these service providers for substantially all of its data processing needs relating to its account processing, item processing and other important functions. Sovereign is requiring material providers to provide evidence and other assurance of this compliance and/or their progress towards compliance, as well as their contingency plans. Certain of these service providers are also subject to the jurisdiction of the regulatory bodies which have jurisdiction over Sovereign. Those regulatory bodies are examining the service providers with respect to Y2K readiness using the same standards and deadlines as the regulators use to examine financial institutions and Sovereign has reviewed the results of certain of these examinations to assist in assessing the state of readiness and contingency plans of such providers. Based on all of the foregoing, Sovereign believes that (i) its providers will be substantially Y2K compliant and (ii) have adequate contingency plans to address compliance. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no assurances can be given that a service providers' system or software will not fail and, if not, that such failure will not have a material adverse effect on Sovereign or its business. Sovereign is presently in the process of developing contingency plans to deal with issues relating to the failure of system segments. -22- SOVEREIGN BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) In addition, utility services, which are generally beyond Sovereign's control, may present a significant Y2K risk. In particular, disruption of telecommunication and electric utility service because of a Y2K related problem (or otherwise) could interfere significantly with Sovereign's operations, even if Sovereign and its service providers and customers, and their computers, systems, and software, are fully Y2K compliant. The foregoing is a summary of the steps which Sovereign has taken as of September 30, 1999 and proposed to take as of that date with respect to the Y2K issue, and the risks which Sovereign, at this time, believes the Y2K issues are likely to present. Sovereign is using good faith efforts, which it believes are reasonable, to prepare for the Y2K issue and avoid disruption in its business. Nonetheless, the Y2K issue presents an unprecedented challenge to the financial services industry, an industry characterized by a high degree of interdependence among financial institutions and those who deal with and service them, such as outside data processing services, computer network system providers, local and long distance telecommunications companies, utilities, and ATM terminal service providers. Whether these outside parties are ready for the year 2000 is largely beyond Sovereign's control. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that (i) Sovereign's assessment of the Y2K risks will prove to be correct; (ii) the steps Sovereign is taking will be sufficient to avoid disruption to its business and other material risks; (iii) the foregoing will not ultimately have a material adverse effect on Sovereign and its business. On November 8 and 9, 1999, Sovereign secured the following financing in connection with its pending acquisition of $11.9 billion in deposits and 268 branches from Fleet Boston. On November 8, 1999, Sovereign issued 38,095,238 shares of Sovereign common stock resulting in net proceeds to Sovereign of $288.8 million. On November 8, 1999, Sovereign issued $250 million of trust preferred income equity redeemable securities ("Trust Preferred") at an interest rate of 7 1/2%, with a scheduled maturity of January 15, 2030 resulting in net proceeds to Sovereign of $242.5 million. Each Trust Preferred unit consists of a preferred security issued by Sovereign Capital Trust II (the "Trust"), having a stated liquidation amount of $50, representing an undivided beneficial ownership interest in the assets of the Trust, which assets consist solely of debentures issued by Sovereign. In addition, each Trust Preferred unit consists of a warrant to purchase at any time prior to November 20, 2029, 5.3355 shares, subject to antidilution adjustments, of Sovereign common stock. On November 9, 1999, Sovereign issued $200 million of 10 1/4% senior notes due 2004 and $500 million of 10 1/2% senior notes due 2006 resulting in net proceeds to Sovereign of $682.5 million. The senior notes are unsecured senior obligations of Sovereign and will rank equally with all existing and future senior indebtedness. On December 3, 1999, Sovereign will issue $500 million of a floating rate senior secured credit facility resulting in net proceeds to Sovereign of $493 million. The senior facility will mature on the date six months prior to the maturity date of the senior notes, but in no event later than June 30, 2003, and will amortize in quarterly installments over such period. -23- SOVEREIGN BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations RESULTS OF OPERATIONS General Net income for the three-month period ended September 30, 1999 was $56 million compared to net income of $34.8 million for the same period in 1998. Diluted earnings per share for the three-month periods ended September 30, 1999 and 1998 were $.31 and $.22, respectively. Net income for the nine-month periods ended September 30, 1999 and 1998, was $150 million and $92.8 million, respectively and diluted earnings per share for the same periods were $.89 and $.58, respectively. Net operating income, defined as net income before the after-tax effect of merger-related and special charges described below, for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 1999 was $56 million and $150 million compared to net operating income of $42.8 million and $126 million for the same periods in 1998. Diluted operating earnings per share for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 1999 and 1998 were $.31 and $.89 and $.27 and $.79, respectively. Merger-related charges of $10.9 million ($7.8 million after-tax) related to Sovereign's acquisition of Carnegie Bancorp and First Home Bancorp were incurred during the third quarter of 1998. Merger related charges of $39.1 million ($25.5 million after-tax) and losses from non-recurring sales of held-to-maturity securities of $0.5 million ($0.3 million after-tax) related to Sovereign's acquisition of ML Bancorp, Inc. were incurred during the first quarter of 1998. Expenses included as part of the merger-related charges consisted of human resources-related costs and other expenses, including investment banking fees and legal expenses. Return on average equity, return on average tangible equity and return on average total assets, excluding the merger-related and special charges discussed above were 15.73%, 25.68% and .86% for the nine-month period ended September 30, 1999 compared to 15.87%, 19.20% and .90% for the same period in 1998. Average equity to average total assets for the nine-month period ended September 30, 1999 and 1998 was 5.48% and 5.66%, respectively. Net Interest Income Net interest income for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 1999 was $162 million and $449 million compared to $121 million and $361 million for the same periods in 1998. This increase was attributable to an increase in average balances resulting from internal commercial and consumer loan growth and recent acquisitions. Sovereign's net interest margin (net interest income divided by average interest-earning assets) for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 1999 was 2.95% and 2.88% compared to 2.73% and 2.80% for the same periods in 1998. -24- SOVEREIGN BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued) Interest on investment securities available-for-sale was $144 million and $396 million for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 1999 compared to $85.4 million and $187.8 million for the same periods in 1998. The average balance of investment securities available-for-sale was $7.9 billion with an average yield of 6.78% for the nine-month period ended September 30, 1999 compared to an average balance of $3.8 billion with an average yield of 6.78% for the same period in 1998. The increase in the average balance of investment securities available-for-sale was partially due to a decision by management to increase balance sheet flexibility by placing more investments into available-for-sale. Interest on investment securities held-to-maturity was $20.8 million and $72.9 million for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 1999 compared to $38.3 million and $148 million for the same periods in 1998. The average balance of investment securities held-to-maturity was $1.4 billion with an average yield of 6.98% for the nine-month period ended September 30, 1999 compared to an average balance of $2.7 billion with an average yield of 7.26% for the same period in 1998. Interest and fees on loans were $250 million and $689 million for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 1999 compared to $216 million and $657 million for the same periods in 1998. The average balance of loans was $12.0 billion with an average yield of 7.64% for the nine-month period ended September 30, 1999 compared to an average balance of $11.1 billion with an average yield of 7.87% for the same period in 1998. Interest on deposits was $107 million and $321 million for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 1999 compared to $113 million and $319 million for the same periods in 1998. The average balance of deposits was $12.0 billion with an average cost of 3.56% for the nine-month period ended September 30, 1999 compared to an average balance of $10.2 billion with an average cost of 4.20% for the same period in 1998. The increase in average balance and the decrease in the average cost of deposits was primarily the result of Sovereign's acquisition of approximately $2.2 billion of low-cost deposits from the CoreStates branch acquisition during the third quarter of 1998 and strong internal core deposit growth in NOW accounts, with major emphasis on attracting lower-cost deposits from corporations, governmental units and consumers. -25- SOVEREIGN BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued) Interest on borrowings was $147 million and $392 million for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 1999 compared to $108 million and $318 million for the same periods in 1998. The average balance of borrowings was $9.8 billion with an average cost of 5.32% for the nine-month period ended September 30, 1999 compared to an average balance of $7.4 billion with an average cost of 5.69% for the same period in 1998. The increase in the average balance and the decrease in the average cost of borrowings was the result of balance sheet growth being funded by borrowings, and balance sheet restructuring made in advance of the pending acquisition of assets and liabilities from Fleet Boston. During the nine-month period ended September 30, 1999, Sovereign funded its balance sheet growth through borrowings as its cost of borrowings was lower than the overall cost of retail certificates of deposit. Net interest expense of $1.4 million and $8.0 million was recorded for the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 1999 as a result of interest rate exchange agreements. Provision for Possible Loan Losses Over the last few years, through several strategic acquisitions and internal restructuring initiatives, Sovereign has diversified its lending efforts and increased its emphasis on providing its customers with small business loans and an expanded line of commercial and consumer products, such as asset-based lending, cash management services and automobile loans. As a result of the increased risk inherent in these loan products and as Sovereign continues to place emphasis on small business and consumer lending in future years, management will regularly evaluate its loan portfolio and record additional loan loss reserves as is necessary. Historically, Sovereign's additions to its loan loss reserve (through income statement charges and acquisition accounting) have been sufficient to absorb the incremental credit risk in its loan portfolio. Excluding charge-offs of $4.3 million incurred as part of an accelerated disposition of non-performing residential loans during the second quarter of 1999, provisioning is in excess of net charge-offs for the nine-month period ended September 30, 1999. In Sovereign's experience, a strategy that involves the accelerated resolution of problem assets is more appropriate than a long-term workout approach. For additional information with respect to Sovereign's asset quality, see "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Loan Portfolio." Sovereign's net charge-offs for the nine-month period ended September 30, 1999 were $26.5 million and consisted of charge-offs of $41.5 million and recoveries of $14.9 million. This compared to net charge-offs of $24.6 million, or .29% of average loans (on an annualized basis), consisting of charge-offs of $33.4 million and recoveries of $8.8 million for the nine-month period ended September 30, 1998. Excluding the accelerated disposition mentioned above, Sovereign's net charge-offs for the nine-month period ended September 30, 1999 were $22.2 million, or .25% of average loans (on an annualized basis), and consisted of charge-offs of $37.2 million and recoveries of $14.9 million. Sovereign's higher level of net charge-offs during 1998 versus 1999 was primarily the result of higher indirect automobile loan charge-offs, substantially all of which are related to Sovereign's acquisition of Fleet Financial Group, Inc.'s Auto Finance Division during 1997. -26- SOVEREIGN BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued) The provision for loan losses for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 1999 was $7.5 million and $22.5 million compared to $7.0 million and $21.0 million for the same periods in 1998. Management believes the increase in provision for loan losses for the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 1999 was sufficient for the following reasons: (1) delinquency and net charge-off levels related to Sovereign's indirect automobile portfolio are at lower levels in 1999 versus 1998; (2) changes in Sovereign's underwriting and audit monitoring processes has enhanced the credit quality of certain portfolios; and (3) a higher percentage in 1999 versus 1998 of Sovereign's indirect auto and commercial loan portfolios represent internally generated loans underwritten using Sovereign's credit policies. -27- SOVEREIGN BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued) The following table presents the activity in the allowance for possible loan losses for the periods indicated: (dollars in thousands) Nine-month Period Ended September 30, 1999 1998 ------------------------------------- Allowance, beginning of period $ 133,802 $ 116,823 Charge-offs: Residential(1) 10,682 5,139 Commercial Real Estate 680 625 Commercial 2,366 1,485 Consumer(2) 27,742 26,137 --------- --------- Total Charge-offs 41,470 33,386 --------- --------- Recoveries: Residential 1,469 693 Commercial Real Estate 458 51 Commercial 426 144 Consumer(2) 12,589 7,935 --------- --------- Total Recoveries 14,942 8,823 --------- --------- Charge-offs, net of recoveries 26,528 24,563 Provision for possible loan losses 22,500 20,961 Other 4,799 22,661 --------- --------- Allowance, end of period $ 134,573 $ 135,882 ========= ========= - --------------------- (1) Results for the nine-month period ended September 30, 1999 include charge-offs of $4.3 million related to a June 1999 accelerated disposition of non-performing residential loans. (2) Includes indirect auto loans and home equity lines of credit. Other Income Other income was $35.0 million and $101 million for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 1999 compared to $25.7 million and $73.3 million for the same periods in 1998. -28- SOVEREIGN BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued) Retail banking fees were $13.8 million and $35.6 million for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 1999 compared to $7.9 million and $21.7 million for the same periods in 1998. This increase was primarily due to an increase in the number of Sovereign's transaction accounts and active fee collection efforts due in part to customer relationships acquired in the CoreStates and Peoples acquisitions. Mortgage banking revenues were $7.4 million and $26.3 million for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 1999 compared to $6.4 million and $21.0 million for the same periods in 1998. Sovereign serviced $10.2 billion of its own loans and $6.5 billion of loans for others at September 30, 1999 compared to $9.3 billion of its own loans and $6.2 billion of loans for others at September 30, 1998. Loan fees and service charges were $2.7 million and $6.0 million for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 1999 compared to $1.8 million and $5.0 million for the same periods in 1998. Loan fees and service charges relate primarily to Sovereign's non-residential loan portfolios, and the growth period to period is the result in the commercial and consumer loan portfolios. Gains/(losses) on sales of loans and investment securities available-for-sale were $(.3) million and $6.5 million for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 1999 compared to $6.3 million and $12.4 million for the same periods in 1998. Miscellaneous income was $11.4 million and $26.1 million for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 1999 compared to $3.4 million and $13.2 million for the same periods in 1998. This increase was primarily due to an additional investment in bank-owned life insurance ("BOLI") which was made during the first quarter of 1999, and a interest rate swap termination gain of approximately $2.3 million recorded during the third quarter of 1999 as a result of refinancing certain borrowings. General and Administrative Expenses Total general and administrative expenses were $90.8 million and $260 million for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 1999 compared to $66.4 million and $196 million for the same periods in 1998. Sovereign's efficiency ratio (all general and administrative expenses as a percentage of net interest income and recurring non-interest income) for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 1999 was 46.3% and 47.5% compared to 45.2% and 45.5% for the same periods in 1998. The increase in general and administrative expenses for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 1999 was primarily due to Sovereign's franchise growth and included the effect of the CoreStates acquisition for the full nine-months ended September 30, 1999 as well as the acquisition of Peoples and Network during the third quarter of 1999. These acquisitions significantly impacted Sovereign's compensation and occupancy expenses. The remaining expenses are related to Sovereign's Year 2000 and other technology initiatives and expansion in its corporate banking business line. -29- SOVEREIGN BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued) Other operating expenses were $13.0 million and $37.2 million for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 1999 compared to $18.6 million and $70.5 million for the same periods in 1998. Results for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 1999 included amortization of goodwill of $10.0 million and $28.0 million compared to $5.0 million and $11.3 million for the same periods in 1998. Results for the three-month period ended September 30, 1998 included merger-related charges of $10.9 million related to Sovereign's acquisition of First Home Bancorp and Carnegie Bancorp during the quarter. Results of the nine-month period ended September 30, 1998 included merger-related charges of $49.9 million related to Sovereign's acquisition of ML Bancorp during the first quarter of 1998 and of First Home Bancorp and Carnegie Bancorp during the third quarter of 1998. Income Tax Provision The income tax provision was $29.5 million and $79.4 million for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 1999 compared to $20.2 million and $54.2 million for the same periods in 1998. The effective tax rate for the three-month and nine-month periods ended September 30, 1999 was 34.5% and 34.6%, respectively, compared to 36.7% and 36.9% for the same periods in 1998. The decrease in the effective tax rate for 1999 versus 1998 was primarily attributable to the favorable impact of Sovereign's additional investment in BOLI during the first quarter of 1999. FINANCIAL CONDITION Loan Portfolio At September 30, 1999, Sovereign's total loan portfolio included $5.5 billion of first mortgage loans secured primarily by liens on owner-occupied one-to-four family residential properties compared to $5.1 billion at December 31, 1998. With its increased focus on non-residential lending and certain acquisition activity, Sovereign's total loan portfolio also included $3.5 billion of commercial loans and $4.3 billion of consumer loans at September 30, 1999. Consumer loans included $1.9 billion of outstanding home equity loans (excluding $582 million of additional unused commitments for home equity lines of credit) secured primarily by second mortgages on owner-occupied one-to-four family residential properties and $1.9 billion of auto loans. This compares to $2.3 billion of commercial loans and $3.8 billion of consumer loans, including $1.8 billion of outstanding home equity loans and $1.5 billion of auto loans at December 31, 1998. Over the past few years, Sovereign has increased its emphasis on commercial and consumer loan originations. As a result, during the nine-month period ended September 30, 1999, Sovereign originated $2.3 billion of commercial loans (including lines of credit) compared to $800 million of commercial loans during the same period in 1998. This increase was due to strong business loan demand in Sovereign's market area resulting from a strong regional economy, recent bank mergers affecting the region, and significant staffing increases in Sovereign's commercial banking unit. -30- SOVEREIGN BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued) Sovereign originated $1.7 billion of consumer loans during the nine-month period ended September 30, 1999 compared to $1.5 million of consumer loans during the same period in 1998. This increase was primarily the result of strong home equity and auto loan originations during the nine-month period ended September 30, 1999. During the nine-month period ended September 30, 1999, Sovereign closed $2.3 million of first mortgage loans of which approximately 95% were fixed rate and sold in the secondary market. This compares to first mortgage loan closings of $1.5 million and approximately 91% of fixed rate loans for the same period in 1998. At September 30, 1999, Sovereign's non-performing assets were $96.9 million compared to $116 million at December 31, 1998 and non-performing assets as a percentage of total assets were .38% at September 30, 1999 compared to .53% at December 31, 1998. At September 30,1999, 51% of non-performing assets consisted of loans related to real estate or OREO. Another 6% of non-performing assets consisted of indirect auto loans and other repossessed assets. The remainder of Sovereign's non-performing assets consist principally of consumer loans, the majority of which are secured by collateral. Sovereign places all loans 90 days or more delinquent (except auto loans and loans guaranteed by the government or secured by deposit accounts) on non-performing status. Sovereign's auto loans continue to accrue interest until they are 120 days delinquent, at which time they are placed on non-accrual status and a 100% reserve allocation is assigned. Repossessed autos carry a reserve allocation of 50%. At September 30, 1999, the allowance for loan losses as a percentage of non-performing assets was 138% compared to 112% at December 31, 1998. -31- SOVEREIGN BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued) The following table presents the composition of non-performing assets at the dates indicated: (dollars in thousands) September 30, December 31, 1999 1998 ------------- ------------ Non-Accrual Loans: Past due 90 days or more as to interest or principal: Real estate related $ 42,870 $ 63,258 Other 37,700 33,297 --------- --------- Total Non-Accrual Loans 80,570 96,555 Other 2,757 3,404 Restructured Loans 3,755 141 --------- --------- Total Non-Performing Loans 87,082 100,100 --------- --------- Other Real Estate Owned and Other Repossessed Assets: Other real estate owned 6,761 12,812 Other repossessed assets 3,071 2,772 --------- --------- Total Other Real Estate Owned and Other Repossessed Assets 9,832 15,584 --------- --------- TOTAL NON-PERFORMING ASSETS $ 96,914 $ 115,684 ========= ========= Past due 90 days or more as to interest or principal and accruing interest (1) $ 7,930 $ 6,571 Non-Performing Assets as a percentage of Total Assets .38% .53% Non-Performing Loans as a percentage of Total Loans .65% .86% Non-Performing Assets as a percentage of Total Loans and Real Estate Owned .78% 1.05% Allowance for Loan Losses as a percentage of Total Non-Performing Assets 138% 112% Allowance for Loan Losses as a percentage of Total Non-Performing Loans 154% 129% (1) Represents student loans which are government-guaranteed and Sovereign retains minimal risk of credit losses related to these loans. Amount excludes $1.0 million and $3.0 million at September 30, 1999 and December 31, 1998 of auto loans past due between 90 and 120 days. -32- SOVEREIGN BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued) Potential problem loans (consisting of loans as to which management has serious concerns as to the ability of such borrowers to comply with present repayment terms, although not currently classified as non-performing loans) amounted to approximately $58.9 million at September 30, 1999 and consisted principally of commercial and commercial real estate loans. Sovereign closely monitors delinquencies as a means of maintaining high asset quality. Collection efforts begin within 15 days after a loan payment is missed. A predictive dialer is used to assist collection efforts in the early stages of delinquency on the entire retail portfolio. An attempt is made to contact all borrowers and to offer a variety of loss mitigation alternatives. If these attempts fail, Sovereign will proceed to gain control of any and all collateral in a timely manner in order to minimize losses. While liquidation and recovery efforts continue, officers continue to work with the borrowers, if appropriate, to recover all monies owed to Sovereign. Legal counsel is retained when necessary. Sovereign monitors delinquency trends at 30, 60, and 90 days past due. These trends are discussed at monthly Asset Review meetings. The adequacy of Sovereign's allowance for loan losses is regularly evaluated. Management's evaluation of the adequacy of the allowance to absorb potential loan losses takes into consideration the risks inherent in the loan portfolio, past loan loss experience, specific loans which have loss potential, geographic and industry concentrations, delinquency trends, economic conditions, the level of originations and other relevant factors. At September 30, 1999, the allowance for loan losses was $135 million or 1.00% of total loans compared to $134 million or 1.19% of total loans at December 31, 1998. The following table presents the allocation of the allowance for loan losses and the percentage of such allocation to each loan type at the dates indicated: (dollars in thousands) September 30, December 31, 1999 1998 --------------------------------------------------------- Percent Percent Amount of Loans Amount of Loans -------- -------- -------- -------- Class allowances: Commercial loans $ 22,242 17% $ 14,549 13% Residential and commercial real estate loans 18,652 51 13,690 54 Consumer loans 53,655 32 40,866 33 -------- -------- Total class allowances 94,549 69,105 Specific allowances: Commercial loans 15,840 -- 16,191 -- Residential and commercial real estate loans 13,483 -- 16,351 -- Consumer loans 6,495 -- 7,217 -- -------- -------- Total specific allowances 35,818 39,759 Unallocated allowances 4,206 -- 24,938 -- -------- ----- -------- ----- Total allowance for loan losses $134,573 100% $133,802 100% ======== ====== ======== ====== -33- SOVEREIGN BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued) Sovereign periodically reviews its loan portfolio and assigns a risk-rating based on loan type, collateral value, financial condition of the borrower and payment history. Delinquent mortgage and consumer loans are reviewed monthly and assigned a rating based on their payment history, financial condition of the borrower and collateral values. Specific mortgage and consumer loans are also reviewed in conjunction with the previously described review of any related commercial loan. The following is a discussion on the different components of the allowance for loan losses: Class Allowance - The class allowance for September 30, 1999 and December 31, 1998 was a general allowance for "Pass" rated loans and was determined by applying specific risk percentages to each "Pass" rated loan. The risk percentages are determined by Sovereign in consultation with regulatory authorities, actual loss experience, peer group loss experience and are adjusted for current economic conditions. The risk percentages are considered a prudent measurement of the risk of Sovereign's loan portfolio. Such risk percentages are applied to individual loans based on loan type. Residential Portfolio - Class reserves for the residential portfolio are 15 basis points of the portfolio and based on the fact that historical loan loss risk associated with this product type has been minimal. Consumer Portfolio - Consumer Portfolio class reserves are between the range of 50 basis points of that portion of the consumer portfolio fully secured by real estate and 150 basis points for the higher risk portions of its portfolio. The class reserve for Sovereign's indirect auto loan portfolio increased during 1998 due to higher than expected net charge-offs. In response to the higher charge-offs, in the latter half of 1998 Sovereign revised its indirect auto underwriting guidelines to reflect a more conservative lending philosophy. Commercial Portfolio - In addition to the specific reserves established for loans within the commercial loan portfolio, Sovereign reserves in the range of 75 to 150 basis points of its remaining commercial loan portfolio, based on product type and collateral value. Specific Allowance - Sovereign determines the specific portion of its allowance for loan losses for all criticized loans, or those classified as special mention, sub-standard, doubtful, or loss. Risk percentages are applied to each class of criticized commercial, consumer and residential loans to determine the specific allowance. Additionally, specific reserves are established for certain impaired commercial loans based on expected shortfalls in future cash flows and inadequate collateral value. Management believes this periodic review provides a mechanism that results in loans being rated in the proper category and accordingly, assigned the proper risk loss percentage in computing the class or specific reserve. -34- SOVEREIGN BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued) Unallocated Allowance - The unallocated allowance for loan losses decreased $20.7 million to $4.2 million at September 30, 1999 from $24.9 million at December 31, 1998. This decrease can be attributed to the aforementioned reasons discussed in "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Operations - Provision for loan loss." Impaired loans are summarized as follows (in thousands): September 30, December 31, 1999 1998 ------------- ------------ Impaired loans without a related reserve $ -- $ -- Impaired loans with a related reserve 73,166 63,296 --------- --------- Total impaired loans $ 73,166 $ 63,296 ========= ========= Reserve for impaired loans $ 16,296 $ 18,582 ========= ========= The average balance of impaired loans for the nine-month periods ended September 30, 1999 and 1998 was $73.7 million and $56.3 million, respectively. Investment Securities Investment securities consist primarily of U.S. Treasury and government agency securities, corporate debt securities and stock in the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh ("FHLB"). Investment securities asset backed securities also include mortgage-backed securities which consist of vixed rate and adjustable rate passthroughs and collateralized mortgage obligations issued by federal agencies or private label issues. Sovereign's mortgage-backed securities are generally either guaranteed as to principal and interest by the issuer or have ratings of "AAA" by Standard and Poor's and Fitch at the date of issuance. The classes are backed by single-family residential loans which are primary residences geographically dispersed throughout the United States. Sovereign purchases classes which are senior positions backed by subordinate classes. The subordinate classes absorb the losses and must be completely eliminated before any losses flow through the senior positions. The effective duration of the total investment portfolio at September 30, 1999 was 3.8 years. At September 30, 1999, total investment securities available-for-sale were $8.8 billion compared to $6.7 billion at December 31, 1998 and investment securities held-to-maturity were $1.1 billion compared to $1.8 billion at December 31, 1998. For additional information with respect to Sovereign's investment securities, see Notes 3 and 4 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. -35- SOVEREIGN BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued) Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets Total goodwill and other intangible assets at September 30, 1999 were $456 million compared to $426 million at December 31, 1998. This increase is primarily attributable to Sovereign's acquisitions of Peoples and Network during the second quarter of 1999, partially off-set by normal year-to-date amortization. Deposits Deposits are attracted from within Sovereign's primary market area through the offering of various deposit instruments including NOW accounts, money market accounts, savings accounts, certificates of deposit and retirement savings plans. Total deposits at September 30, 1999 were $11.9 billion compared to $12.3 billion at December 31, 1998. For additional information with respect to Sovereign's deposit portfolio composition, see Note 6 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. Borrowings Sovereign utilizes borrowings as a source of funds for its asset growth and its asset/liability management. Collateralized advances are available from the FHLB provided certain standards related to creditworthiness have been met. Another source of funds for Sovereign is reverse repurchase agreements. Reverse repurchase agreements are short-term obligations collateralized by securities fully guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. Government or an agency thereof. Total borrowings at September 30, 1999 were $11.7 billion of which $6.2 billion were short-term compared to $7.9 billion of which $3.9 billion were short-term at December 31, 1998. This increase in borrowings is the result of balance sheet growth being funded by borrowings. During the nine-month period ended September 30, 1999, Sovereign funded its balance sheet growth through borrowings as the cost of borrowings was lower than the overall cost of retail certificates of deposit. For additional information with respect to Sovereign's borrowings, see Note 7 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. Through the use of interest rate swaps, $500 million of FHLB advances at September 30, 1999 have been effectively converted from variable rate obligations to fixed rate obligations. In addition, at September 30, 1999, $1.2 billion of borrowings have been protected from upward repricing through the use of interest rate caps and floors. -36- SOVEREIGN BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued) LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES Sovereign's banking subsidiaries are required under applicable federal regulations to maintain specified levels of "liquid" investments in cash and U.S. Treasury and other qualifying investments. Regulations currently in effect require Sovereign's banking subsidiaries to maintain liquid assets of not less than 4% of its net withdrawable accounts plus short-term borrowings. These levels are changed from time to time by the Office of Thrift Supervision ("OTS") to reflect economic conditions. The liquidity ratio of Sovereign Bank for September 30, 1999 was 50.0%. Sovereign's primary financing sources are deposits obtained in its own market area, borrowings in the form of securities sold under repurchase agreements and advances from the FHLB. While the majority of Sovereign's certificate of deposit accounts are expected to mature within a one year period, historically, the retention rate has been approximately 70%. If a significant portion of maturing certificates would not renew at maturity, the impact on Sovereign's operations and liquidity would be minimal due to cash flows produced by Sovereign's investment portfolio which currently approximate $150 million per month. At September 30, 1999, Sovereign had $6.6 billion in unpledged investment securities which could be used to collateralize additional borrowings. Sovereign Bank can also borrow from the FHLB, subject to required collateralization. Other sources of funds include operating activities, repayments of principal on investment securities, repayment of principal on loans and other investing activities. Sovereign also maintains strong relationships with numerous investment banking firms, and has the ability to access capital markets through a variety of products and structures, should liquidity or capital needs arise. For the nine-month period ended September 30, 1999, cash and cash equivalents decreased $178 million. Net cash used for operating activities was $85.2 million for the nine-month period ended September 30, 1999. Net cash used for investing activities for the nine-month period ended September 30, 1999 was $2.2 billion consisting primarily of purchases of investment securities which are classified available-for-sale, partially offset by proceeds from repayments of investment securities and loans. Net cash provided by financing activities for the nine-month period ended September 30, 1999 was $2.1 billion, which includes proceeds from short-term borrowings of $1.5 billion and proceeds from long-term borrowings of $1.8 million, partially offset by a decrease in deposits. -37- SOVEREIGN BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued) The Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act ("FIRREA"), requires the OTS to prescribe uniformly applicable capital standards for all savings associations. These standards require savings associations to maintain a minimum tangible capital ratio of not less than 1.5%, a minimum leverage capital ratio of not less than 3% of tangible assets and not less than 4% of risk adjusted assets and a minimum risk-based capital ratio (based upon credit risk) of not less than 8%. In all cases, these standards are to be no less stringent than the capital standards that are applicable to national banks. The OTS has issued a regulation that requires a minimum leverage capital requirement of 3% for associations rated composite "1" under the OTS MACRO rating system. For all other savings associations, the minimum leverage capital requirement will be 3% plus at least an additional 100 to 200 basis points. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act ("FDICIA"), established five capital tiers: well-capitalized, adequately capitalized, under-capitalized, significantly under-capitalized and critically under-capitalized. A depository institution's capital tier depends upon its capital levels in relation to various relevant capital measures, which include leverage and risk-based capital measures and certain other factors. Depository institutions that are not classified as well-capitalized are subject to various restrictions regarding capital distributions, payment of management fees, acceptance of brokered deposits and other operating activities. At September 30, 1999, Sovereign Bank was classified as well-capitalized and in compliance with all capital requirements. Management anticipates that Sovereign Bank will continue to be classified as well-capitalized and will be in compliance with all regulatory capital requirements. The following table sets forth the capital ratios of Sovereign Bancorp and Sovereign Bank and the current regulatory requirements at September 30, 1999: Well Sovereign Sovereign Minimum Capitalized Bancorp(1) Bank Requirement(1) Requirement ---------- --------- -------------- ----------- Stockholders' equity to total assets 5.72% 7.20% None None Tangible capital to tangible assets 4.51 5.91 1.50% None Leverage (core) capital to tangible assets 5.14 5.91 3.00 5.00% Leverage (core) capital to risk adjusted assets 8.55 10.20 4.00 6.00 Risk-based capital to risk adjusted assets 12.14 11.13 8.00 10.00 (1) OTS capital regulations do not apply to savings and loan holding companies. These ratios are computed as if those regulations did apply to Sovereign Bancorp. -38- SOVEREIGN BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued) ASSET AND LIABILITY MANAGEMENT The objective of Sovereign's asset and liability management is to identify, measure and control its interest rate risk in order to produce consistent earnings that are not contingent upon favorable trends in interest rates. Sovereign manages its assets and liabilities to attain a stable net interest margin across a wide spectrum of interest rate environments. This is attained by monitoring the levels of interest rates, the relationships between the rates earned on assets and the rates paid on liabilities, the absolute amount of assets and liabilities which reprice or mature over similar periods, off-balance sheet positions and the effect of all of these factors on the estimated level of net interest income. There are a number of industry standards used to measure an institution's interest rate risk position. Most common among these is the one year gap which is the ratio representing the difference between assets, liabilities and off-balance sheet positions which will mature or reprice within one year expressed as a percentage of total assets. Using management's estimates of asset prepayments, core deposit decay and core deposit repricing in its computation, Sovereign estimates that its cumulative one year gap position was a negative 21.04% at September 30, 1999. Sovereign manages the one year interest rate gap within +/- 10%. A positive gap position implies that the bank is asset sensitive which could cause net interest income to decrease if interest rates fall. Conversely, a negative gap position implies that the bank is liability sensitive which could cause net interest income to decrease if interest rates rise. Sovereign manages the impact to net interest income in a +/- 200 basis point instantaneous parallel rate shock environment to be generally within a 10% loss. At September 30, 1999, Sovereign estimates that if interest rates decline by 200 basis points, net interest income would decrease by $37.2 million or 4.13%; conversely, if interest rates increase by 200 basis points, net interest income would decrease by $30.6 million or 4.57%. At December 31, 1998, if interest rates increased by 200 basis points, net interest income would have increased by $22.1 million or 3.59%. This change in sensitivity was primarily related to an increase in short-term, variable rate borrowings. Sovereign also utilizes income simulation modeling in measuring its interest rate risk and managing its interest rate sensitivity. Income simulation considers not only the impact of changing market interest rates on forecasted net interest income, but also other factors such as yield curve relationships, the volume and mix of assets and liabilities, customer preferences and general market conditions. Pursuant to its interest rate risk management strategy, Sovereign enters into off-balance sheet transactions which involve interest rate exchange agreements (swaps, caps and floors) for interest rate risk management purposes. Sovereign's objective in managing its interest rate risk is to provide sustainable levels of net interest income while limiting the impact that changes in interest rates have on net interest income. For additional information on interest rate exchange agreements, see Note 8 in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. -39- SOVEREIGN BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (Continued) Amortizing and non-amortizing interest rate swaps are generally used to convert fixed rate assets and liabilities to variable rate assets and liabilities and vice versa. Sovereign at times utilizes amortizing interest rate swaps to convert discounted adjustable rate loans to fixed rate for a period of time. The amortization of the notional amount of the interest rate swaps are tied to the level of an index such as the One Year Constant Maturity Treasury, LIBOR, or a prepayment rate of a pool of mortgage-backed securities. In order for interest rate swaps to achieve the desired objective, Sovereign selects interest rate swaps that will have a high degree of correlation to the related financial instrument. Sovereign generally utilizes non-amortizing interest rate swaps to convert fixed rate liabilities to floating, and floating rate liabilities to fixed, to reduce Sovereign's overall cost of funds. At September 30, 1999, Sovereign's principal off-balance sheet transactions were pay fixed-receive variable non-amortizing interest rate swaps with a total notional amount of $500 million, which are being used to hedge Sovereign's short-term borrowing portfolio. Interest rate caps are generally used to limit the exposure from the repricing and maturity of liabilities and interest rate floors are generally used to limit the exposure from repricing and maturity of assets. Interest rate caps and floors are also used to limit the exposure created by other interest rate swaps. In certain cases, interest rate caps or floors are simultaneously bought and sold to create a range of protection against changing interest rates while limiting the cost of that protection. As part of its mortgage banking strategy, Sovereign originates fixed rate residential mortgages. It sells the majority of these loans to FHLMC, FNMA and private investors. The loans are exchanged for cash or marketable fixed rate mortgage-backed securities which are generally sold. This helps insulate Sovereign from the interest rate risk associated with these fixed rate assets. Sovereign uses forward sales, cash sales and options on mortgage-backed securities as means of hedging loans in the mortgage pipeline which are originated for sale. Sovereign's primary funding source is deposits obtained in its own marketplace. Deposit programs at Sovereign are priced to meet management's asset/liability objectives, while taking into account the rates available on investment opportunities and also considering the cost of alternative funding sources. Borrowings are also a significant funding source for Sovereign and have primarily been in the form of securities sold under repurchase agreements and advances from the FHLB. Since borrowings are not subject to the market constraints to which deposits are, Sovereign uses borrowings to add flexibility to its interest rate risk position. -40- SOVEREIGN BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES PART II - OTHER INFORMATION Items 1 through 5 are not applicable or the responses are negative. Item 6 - Reports on Form 8-K. Report of Form 8-K/A, dated September 23, 1999 (date of earliest event - September 3, 1999) contained the revised Schedule 9.8(b) to Purchase and Assumption Agreement dated September 3, 1999 between Fleet Financial, BankBoston, N.A., and Sovereign Bancorp, Inc. Report on Form 8-K, dated September 10, 1999 (date of earliest event - September 3, 1999) contained (1) Purchase and Assumption Agreement, between Fleet Financial, Inc., BankBoston N.A., and Sovereign Bancorp, Inc. (2) Letter agreement, between Fleet Financial, Inc., BankBoston, N.A., and Sovereign Bancorp, Inc. (3) Press Release announcing the agreement with Fleet and BankBoston to acquire 278 branches. Report on Form 8-K, dated April 16, 1999 (date of earliest event - April 7, 1999), contained three press releases announcing (1) Sovereign's stock repurchase program to repurchase up to 10% of its outstanding shares; (2) Sovereign's expected earnings for the first quarter of 1999; and (3) Sovereign's technology initiatives which include plans for forming a separate Internet Bank. Report on Form 8-K, dated March 19, 1999 (date of earliest event - March 18, 1999), contained Sovereign's 1998 audited financial statements and the related Notes thereto, and Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. -41- SIGNATURES Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized. SOVEREIGN BANCORP, INC. ----------------------- (Registrant) Date November 11, 1999 /s/ Dennis S. Marlo ----------------- ---------------------------- Dennis S. Marlo Chief Financial Officer Date November 11, 1999 /s/ Mark R. McCollom ----------------- ---------------------------- Mark R. McCollom Chief Accounting Officer -42-