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EX-99.1 - EXHIBIT 99.1 - NELNET INCexhibit9915818earningsrele.htm
8-K - 8-K - NELNET INCa5818form8-k.htm


For Release: May 8, 2018
Investor Contact: Phil Morgan, 402.458.3038
Nelnet, Inc. supplemental financial information for the first quarter 2018
(All dollars are in thousands, except per share amounts, unless otherwise noted)
The following information should be read in connection with Nelnet, Inc.'s (the “Company's”) press release for first quarter 2018 earnings, dated May 8, 2018, and the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2018.
Forward-looking and cautionary statements
This supplemental financial information contains forward-looking statements and information that are based on management's current expectations as of the date of this document.  Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company's plans and expectations for future financial condition, results of operations or economic performance, or that address management's plans and objectives for future operations, and statements that assume or are dependent upon future events, are forward-looking statements. The words “may,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “predict,” “potential,” “continue,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “future,” “intend,” “scheduled,” “plan,” “believe,” “estimate,” “assume,” “forecast,” “will,” and similar expressions, as well as statements in future tense, are intended to identify forward-looking statements.
The forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and analyses made by management in light of management's experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments, and other factors that management believes are appropriate under the circumstances. These statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other factors that may cause the actual results and performance to be materially different from any future results or performance expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.  These factors include, among others, the risks and uncertainties set forth in the “Risk Factors” section of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 (the "2017 Annual Report"), and include such risks and uncertainties as:

loan portfolio risks such as interest rate basis and repricing risk resulting from the fact that the interest rate characteristics of the student loan assets do not match the interest rate characteristics of the funding for those assets, the risk of loss of floor income on certain student loans originated under the Federal Family Education Loan Program (the "FFEL Program" or "FFELP"), risks related to the use of derivatives to manage exposure to interest rate fluctuations, uncertainties regarding the expected benefits from purchased securitized and unsecuritized FFELP, private education, and consumer loans and initiatives to purchase additional FFELP, private education, and consumer loans, and risks from changes in levels of loan prepayment or default rates;
financing and liquidity risks, including risks of changes in the general interest rate environment and in the securitization and other financing markets for loans, including adverse changes resulting from slower than expected payments on student loans in FFELP securitization trusts, which may increase the costs or limit the availability of financings necessary to purchase, refinance, or continue to hold student loans;
risks from changes in the educational credit and services markets resulting from changes in applicable laws, regulations, and government programs and budgets, such as the expected decline over time in FFELP loan interest income and fee-based revenues due to the discontinuation of new FFELP loan originations in 2010 and potential government initiatives or legislative proposals to consolidate existing FFELP loans to the Federal Direct Loan Program or otherwise allow FFELP loans to be refinanced with Federal Direct Loan Program loans;
the uncertain nature of the expected benefits from the acquisition of Great Lakes Educational Loan Services, Inc. ("Great Lakes") on February 7, 2018 and the ability to successfully integrate technology, shared services, and other activities and successfully maintain and increase allocated volumes of student loans serviced under existing and any future servicing contracts with the U.S. Department of Education (the "Department"), which current contract between the Company and the Department accounted for 21 percent of the Company's revenue in 2017, risks to the Company related to the Department's initiative to procure new contracts for federal student loan servicing, including the risk that the Company on a post-Great Lakes acquisition basis may not be awarded a contract, risks related to the development by the Company and Great Lakes of a new student loan servicing platform, including risks as to whether the expected benefits from the new platform will be realized, and risks related to the Company's ability to comply with agreements with third-party customers for the servicing of FFELP, Federal Direct Loan Program, and private education and consumer loans;
risks related to a breach of or failure in the Company's operational or information systems or infrastructure, or those of third-party vendors, including cybersecurity risks related to the potential disclosure of confidential student loan borrower and other customer information;
uncertainties inherent in forecasting future cash flows from student loan assets and related asset-backed securitizations;
the uncertain nature of the expected benefits from the acquisition of ALLO Communications LLC on December 31, 2015 and the ability to integrate its communications operations and successfully expand its fiber network in existing service areas and additional communities and manage related construction risks;
risks and uncertainties related to initiatives to pursue additional strategic investments and acquisitions, including investments and acquisitions that are intended to diversify the Company both within and outside of its historical core education-related businesses; and
risks and uncertainties associated with litigation matters and with maintaining compliance with the extensive regulatory requirements applicable to the Company's businesses, reputational and other risks, including the risk of increased regulatory costs, resulting from the recent politicization of student loan servicing, and uncertainties inherent in the estimates and assumptions about future events that management is required to make in the preparation of the Company's consolidated financial statements.
All forward-looking statements contained in this report are qualified by these cautionary statements and are made only as of the date of this document. Although the Company may from time to time voluntarily update or revise its prior forward-looking statements to reflect actual results or changes in the Company's expectations, the Company disclaims any commitment to do so except as required by securities laws.

1




Consolidated Statements of Income
(Dollars in thousands, except share data)
(unaudited)
 
Three months ended
 
March 31,
2018
 
December 31,
2017
 
March 31,
2017
Interest income:
 
 
 
 
 
Loan interest
$
197,723

 
193,556

 
181,207

Investment interest
5,134

 
3,080

 
2,617

Total interest income
202,857

 
196,636

 
183,824

Interest expense:
 
 
 
 
 
Interest on bonds and notes payable
135,550

 
123,401

 
106,899

Net interest income
67,307

 
73,235

 
76,925

Less provision for loan losses
4,000

 
3,750

 
1,000

Net interest income after provision for loan losses
63,307

 
69,485

 
75,925

Other income:
 
 
 
 
 
Loan servicing and systems revenue
100,141

 
55,921

 
54,229

Education technology, services, and payment processing revenue
60,221

 
43,326

 
56,024

Communications revenue
9,189

 
8,122

 
5,106

Other income
18,198

 
7,952

 
12,632

Gain (loss) from debt repurchases, net
359

 
(2,635
)
 
4,980

Derivative settlements, net
6,766

 
2,982

 
(1,378
)
Derivative market value and foreign currency transaction adjustments
60,033

 
4,032

 
(3,452
)
Total other income
254,907

 
119,700

 
128,141

Cost of services:
 
 
 
 
 
   Cost to provide education technology, services, and payment processing services
13,683

 
11,223

 
12,790

Cost to provide communications services
3,717

 
3,160

 
1,954

Total cost of services
17,400

 
14,383

 
14,744

Operating expenses:
 
 
 
 
 
Salaries and benefits
96,643

 
81,201

 
71,863

Depreciation and amortization
18,457

 
11,854

 
8,598

Loan servicing fees
3,136

 
3,064

 
6,025

Other expenses
33,417

 
38,455

 
26,161

Total operating expenses
151,653

 
134,574

 
112,647

Income before income taxes
149,161

 
40,228

 
76,675

Income tax (expense) benefit
(35,976
)
 
5,486

 
(28,755
)
Net income
113,185

 
45,714

 
47,920

Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests
740

 
2,386

 
2,106

Net income attributable to Nelnet, Inc.
$
113,925

 
48,100

 
50,026

Earnings per common share:
 
 
 
 
 
Net income attributable to Nelnet, Inc. shareholders - basic and diluted
$
2.78

 
1.17

 
1.18

Weighted average common shares outstanding - basic and diluted
40,950,528

 
41,012,731

 
42,291,857




2



Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
(Dollars in thousands)
(unaudited)

 
As of
 
As of
 
As of
 
March 31, 2018
 
December 31, 2017
 
March 31, 2017
Assets:
 
 
 
 
 
Loans receivable, net
$
21,562,030

 
21,814,507

 
24,003,386

Cash, cash equivalents, investments, and notes receivable
327,712

 
307,290

 
381,978

Restricted cash
855,986

 
875,314

 
881,334

Goodwill and intangible assets, net
265,648

 
177,186

 
192,746

Other assets
887,026

 
790,138

 
681,776

Total assets
$
23,898,402

 
23,964,435

 
26,141,220

Liabilities:
 
 
 
 
 
Bonds and notes payable
$
21,227,349

 
21,356,573

 
23,594,516

Other liabilities
425,827

 
442,475

 
419,037

Total liabilities
21,653,176

 
21,799,048

 
24,013,553

Equity:
 
 
 
 
 
Total Nelnet, Inc. shareholders' equity
2,235,753

 
2,149,529

 
2,108,187

Noncontrolling interests
9,473

 
15,858

 
19,480

Total equity
2,245,226

 
2,165,387

 
2,127,667

Total liabilities and equity
$
23,898,402

 
23,964,435

 
26,141,220



3



Overview

The Company is a diverse company with a focus on delivering education-related products and services and student loan asset management. The largest operating businesses engage in student loan servicing; education technology, services, and payment processing; and communications. A significant portion of the Company's revenue is net interest income earned on a portfolio of federally insured student loans. The Company also makes investments to further diversify the Company both within and outside of its historical core education-related businesses, including, but not limited to, investments in real estate and start-up ventures.

GAAP Net Income and Non-GAAP Net Income, Excluding Adjustments

The Company prepares its financial statements and presents its financial results in accordance with GAAP. However, it also provides additional non-GAAP financial information related to specific items management believes to be important in the evaluation of its operating results and performance. A reconciliation of the Company's GAAP net income to net income, excluding derivative market value and foreign currency transaction adjustments, and a discussion of why the Company believes providing this additional
information is useful to investors, is provided below.
 
 
Three months ended
 
 
March 31, 2018
 
December 31, 2017
 
March 31, 2017
GAAP net income attributable to Nelnet, Inc.
 
$
113,925

 
48,100

 
50,026

Realized and unrealized derivative market value adjustments
 
(60,033
)
 
(3,997
)
 
(1,238
)
Unrealized foreign currency transaction adjustments
 

 
(35
)
 
4,690

Net tax effect (a)
 
14,408

 
1,532

 
(1,312
)
Net income, excluding derivative market value and foreign currency transaction adjustments (b)
 
$
68,300

 
45,600

 
52,166

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Earnings per share:
 
 
 
 
 
 
GAAP net income attributable to Nelnet, Inc.
 
$
2.78

 
1.17

 
1.18

Realized and unrealized derivative market value adjustments
 
(1.46
)
 
(0.10
)
 
(0.03
)
Unrealized foreign currency transaction adjustments
 

 

 
0.11

Net tax effect (a)
 
0.35

 
0.04

 
(0.03
)
Net income, excluding derivative market value and foreign currency transaction adjustments (b)
 
$
1.67

 
1.11

 
1.23


(a)
The tax effects are calculated by multiplying the realized and unrealized derivative market value adjustments and unrealized foreign currency transaction adjustments by the applicable statutory income tax rate.

(b)
"Derivative market value and foreign currency transaction adjustments" include (i) both the realized portion of gains and losses (corresponding to variation margin received or paid on derivative instruments that are settled daily at a central clearinghouse) and the unrealized portion of gains and losses that are caused by changes in fair values of derivatives which do not qualify for "hedge treatment" under GAAP; and (ii) the unrealized foreign currency transaction gains or losses caused by the re-measurement of the Company's Euro-denominated bonds to U.S. dollars. "Derivative market value and foreign currency transaction adjustments" does not include "derivative settlements" that represent the cash paid or received during the current period to settle with derivative instrument counterparties the economic effect of the Company's derivative instruments based on their contractual terms.

The accounting for derivatives requires that changes in the fair value of derivative instruments be recognized currently in earnings, with no fair value adjustment of the hedged item, unless specific hedge accounting criteria is met. Management has structured all of the Company’s derivative transactions with the intent that each is economically effective; however, the Company’s derivative instruments do not qualify for hedge accounting. As a result, the change in fair value of derivative instruments is reported in current period earnings with no consideration for the corresponding change in fair value of the hedged item. Under GAAP, the cumulative net realized and unrealized gain or loss caused by changes in fair values of derivatives in which the Company plans to hold to maturity will equal zero over the life of the contract. However, the net realized and unrealized gain or loss during any given reporting period fluctuates significantly from period to period. In addition, the Company has incurred unrealized foreign currency transaction adjustments for periodic fluctuations in currency exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and Euro in connection with its student loan asset-backed Euro-denominated bonds with an interest rate based on a spread to the EURIBOR index. The principal and accrued interest on these bonds were remeasured at each reporting period and recorded in the Company's consolidated balance sheet in U.S. dollars based on the foreign currency exchange rate on that date.

The Company believes these point-in-time estimates of asset and liability values related to its derivative instruments and Euro-denominated bonds that are or were subject to interest and currency rate fluctuations are or were subject to volatility mostly due to timing and market factors beyond the control of management, and affect the period-to-period comparability of the results of operations. Accordingly, the Company’s management utilizes operating results excluding these items for comparability purposes when making decisions regarding the Company’s performance and in presentations with credit rating agencies, lenders, and investors. Consequently, the Company reports this non-GAAP information because the Company believes that it provides additional information regarding operational and performance indicators that are closely assessed by management. There is no comprehensive, authoritative guidance for the presentation of such non-GAAP information, which is only meant to supplement GAAP results by providing additional information that management utilizes to assess performance.

On October 25, 2017, the Company completed a remarketing of the Company’s bonds that were prior to that date denominated in Euros, to denominate those bonds in U.S. dollars and reset the interest rate to be based on the 3-month LIBOR index. The Company also terminated a cross-currency interest rate swap associated with those bonds. As a result, foreign currency transaction adjustments will not be incurred with respect to those bonds after October 25, 2017.

4



Several factors increased GAAP net income for the three months ended March 31, 2018, as compared with the same period in 2017:

The Company's effective tax rate decreased to 24.0 percent from 36.5 percent due to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, effective January 1, 2018;
The contribution to net income from the acquisition of Great Lakes on February 7, 2018;
Gains recognized by the Company from real estate and other investment activities; and
Larger gains due to changes in the fair values of derivative instruments that do not qualify for hedge accounting

These factors were partially offset by the increase in expenses for the continued build-out of the Company's ALLO fiber communications network in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Operating Results

The Company earns net interest income on its loan portfolio, consisting primarily of FFELP loans, in its Asset Generation and Management ("AGM") operating segment. This segment is expected to generate a stable net interest margin and significant amounts of cash as the FFELP portfolio amortizes. As of March 31, 2018, the Company had a $21.6 billion loan portfolio that management anticipates will amortize over the next approximately 20 years and has a weighted average remaining life of 7.5 years. The Company actively works to maximize the amount and timing of cash flows generated by its FFELP portfolio and seeks to acquire additional loan assets to leverage its servicing scale and expertise to generate incremental earnings and cash flow. However, due to the continued amortization of the Company’s FFELP loan portfolio and anticipated increases in interest rates, the Company's net income generated by the AGM segment will continue to decrease. The Company currently believes that in the short-term it will most likely not be able to invest the excess cash generated from the FFELP loan portfolio into assets that immediately generate the rates of return historically realized from that portfolio.

In addition, the Company earns fee-based revenue through the following reportable operating segments:
 
Loan Servicing and Systems ("LSS") - referred to as Nelnet Diversified Solutions ("NDS")
Education Technology, Services, and Payment Processing ("ETS&PP") - referred to as Nelnet Business Solutions ("NBS")
Communications - referred to as ALLO Communications ("ALLO")

Other business activities and operating segments that are not reportable are combined and included in Corporate and Other Activities ("Corporate"). Corporate and Other Activities also includes income earned on certain investments and interest expense incurred on unsecured debt transactions.

5



The information below provides the operating results for each reportable operating segment and Corporate and Other Activities for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017 (dollars in millions).
segopresults2018q1a05.jpg

(a)    Revenue includes intersegment revenue earned by LSS as a result of servicing loans for AGM.

(b)
Total revenue includes "net interest income" and "total other income" from the Company's segment statements of income, excluding the impact from changes in fair values of derivatives and foreign currency transaction adjustments. Net income excludes changes in fair values of derivatives and foreign currency transaction adjustments, net of tax. For information regarding the exclusion of the impact from changes in fair values of derivatives and foreign currency transaction adjustments, see "GAAP Net Income and Non-GAAP Net Income, Excluding Adjustments" above.

Certain events and transactions from 2018, which have impacted or will impact the operating results of the Company and its operating segments are discussed below.

Impact from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, signed into law on December 22, 2017, and effective January 1, 2018, lowered the Company's effective tax rate to 24 percent for the three months ended March 31, 2018, compared to 36.5 percent for the same period in 2017. The Company currently expects its effective tax rate will be approximately 24 percent for the remainder of 2018.

Loan Servicing and Systems

On February 7, 2018, the Company paid $150.0 million in cash for 100 percent of the stock of Great Lakes. The Great Lakes assets acquired and liabilities assumed were recorded by the Company at their respective fair values at the date of acquisition, and Great Lakes' operating results from the date of acquisition forward are included in the Company's consolidated operating results.

Results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2018 include revenues of $43.5 million and net income of $11.9 million attributed to Great Lakes since its acquisition. These operating results include $4.6 million (pre-tax) of deconversion revenue related to a private education loan customer deconverting from the Great Lakes platform subsequent to the acquisition of Great Lakes.

Nelnet Servicing, LLC ("Nelnet Servicing"), a subsidiary of the Company, and Great Lakes are two companies that have student loan servicing contracts awarded by the Department in June 2009 to provide servicing for loans owned by the Department. As of March 31, 2018, Nelnet Servicing was servicing $176.6 billion of student loans for 5.8 million borrowers under its contract, and Great Lakes was servicing $242.1 billion of student loans for 7.5 million borrowers under its contract. These contracts are currently scheduled to expire on June 16, 2019.


6



Going forward, Great Lakes and Nelnet Servicing will continue to service their respective government-owned portfolios on behalf of the Department, while maintaining their distinct brands, independent servicing operations, and teams. Likewise, each entity will continue to compete for new student loan volume under its respective existing contract with the Department. The Company will integrate technology, as well as shared services and other activities, to become more efficient and effective in meeting borrower needs.

The Company and Great Lakes have also been working together for almost two years to develop a new, state-of-the-art servicing system for government-owned student loans through their GreatNet joint venture.  The efficiencies gained by leveraging a single platform for government-owned loans supporting millions more borrowers will give the Company and Great Lakes opportunities to invest in strategies to further enhance borrower experiences.   

On February 20, 2018, the Department’s Office of Federal Student Aid ("FSA") released information regarding a new contract procurement process to service all student loans owned by the Department.  The contract solicitation process is divided into two phases. The contract solicitation requests responses from interested vendors for nine components, including:
 
Component A: Enterprise-wide digital platform and related middleware
Component B: Enterprise-wide contact center platform, customer relationship management (CRM), and related middleware
Component C: Solution 3.0 (core processing, related middleware, and rules engine)
Component D: Solution 2.0 (core processing, related middleware, and rules engine)
Component E: Solution 3.0 business process operations
Component F: Solution 2.0 business process operations
Component G: Enterprise-wide data management platform
Component H: Enterprise-wide identity and access management (IAM)
Component I: Cybersecurity and data protection
The solicitation indicates Component C (Solution 3.0) is anticipated to be tailored for new customers and Component D (Solution 2.0) is anticipated to serve as the primary environment for FSA’s existing customers. After Solution 3.0 is deployed, FSA will determine the best distribution of loans between Solution 2.0 and Solution 3.0. In addition, more than one business process solution may be selected for Components E and F.
Vendors may provide a response for an individual, multiple, or all components. The Company responded to Phase One on April 17, 2018.

As of March 31, 2018, the Company (including Great Lakes) was servicing $470.8 billion in FFELP, government owned, and private education and consumer loans, as compared with $211.4 billion of loans serviced by the Company as of December 31, 2017.

Education Technology, Services, and Payment Processing

During the first quarter of 2018, the Company changed the name of its Tuition Payment Processing and Campus Commerce operating segment to Education Technology, Services, and Payment Processing to better describe the evolution of services this operating segment provides.

In May 2014, the FASB issued a new standard related to revenue recognition. The Company adopted the standard effective January 1, 2018, using the full retrospective method, which required it to restate each prior reporting period presented. The most significant impact of the standard relates to identifying the Company's Education Technology, Services, and Payment Processing operating segment as the principal in its payment services transactions. As a result of this change, the Company will present the payment services revenue gross with the direct costs to provide these services presented separately.

This segment is subject to seasonal fluctuations. Based on the timing of when revenue is recognized and when expenses are incurred, revenue and operating margin are higher in the first quarter as compared to the remainder of the year.

Communications

In the fourth quarter of 2017, ALLO announced plans to expand its network to make services available in Hastings, Nebraska and Fort Morgan, Colorado.  This will expand total households in ALLO’s current markets from 137,500 to

7



over 152,000.  In December 2017, the Fort Morgan city council approved a 40-year agreement with ALLO for ALLO to provide broadband service over a fiber network that the city will build and own, and ALLO will lease and operate to provide services to subscribers.  ALLO plans to continue expansion to additional communities in Nebraska and Colorado over the next several years.

For the three months ended March 31, 2018, ALLO incurred capital expenditures of $17.9 million. The Company currently anticipates total network expenditures for the remainder of 2018 (April 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018) will be approximately $65.0 million; however, the amount of capital expenditures could change based on the customer demand for ALLO's services.

The Company currently anticipates ALLO's operating results will be dilutive to the Company's consolidated earnings as it continues to build its network in Lincoln, Nebraska, and other communities, due to large upfront capital expenditures and associated depreciation and upfront customer acquisition costs.

Asset Generation and Management

During the three months ended March 31, 2018, the Company purchased $607.9 million in loans, including $584.6 million of federally insured student loans.

The Company's average balance of loans decreased to $21.9 billion for the first quarter of 2018, compared with $24.8 billion for the same period in 2017. Core loan spread increased to 1.29 percent for the quarter ended March 31, 2018, compared with 1.23 percent for the same period in 2017. The Company began to purchase consumer loans in the second quarter of 2017. Consumer loans are currently funded by the Company using operating cash, until they can be funded in a secured financing transaction. As such, consumer loans do not have a cost of funds (debt) associated with them. Core loan spread, excluding consumer loans, would have been 1.25 percent for the three months ended March 31, 2018.

Corporate and Other Activities

Operating results for the three months ended March 31, 2018 include unrealized net gains of $6.7 million (pre-tax) related to the change in fair value of certain equity securities and a realized gain of $1.7 million (pre-tax) related to the sale of a real estate investment.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

As of March 31, 2018, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of $69.3 million. In addition, the Company had a portfolio of available-for-sale investments, consisting primarily of student loan asset-backed securities, with a fair value of $82.1 million as of March 31, 2018.

For the three months ended March 31, 2018, the Company generated $58.0 million in net cash from operating activities.

The majority of the Company’s portfolio of student loans is funded in asset-backed securitizations that will generate significant earnings and cash flow over the life of these transactions.  As of March 31, 2018, the Company currently expects future undiscounted cash flows from its securitization portfolio to be approximately $1.96 billion, of which approximately $1.34 billion will be generated over the next approximately five years. 

During the three months ended March 31, 2018, the Company repurchased a total of 222,174 shares of Class A common stock for $11.4 million ($51.39 per share).

During the three months ended March 31, 2018, the Company paid cash dividends of $6.5 million ($0.16 per share). In addition, the Company's Board of Directors has declared a second quarter 2018 cash dividend on the Company's outstanding shares of Class A and Class B common stock of $0.16 per share. The second quarter cash dividend will be paid on June 15, 2018 to shareholders of record at the close of business on June 1, 2018.

The Company intends to use its liquidity position to capitalize on market opportunities, including FFELP and private education and consumer loan acquisitions; strategic acquisitions and investments; expansion of ALLO's telecommunications network; and capital management initiatives, including stock repurchases, debt repurchases, and dividend distributions. The timing and size of these opportunities will vary and will have a direct impact on the Company's cash and investment balances.


8



Recent Events

On April 25, 2018, the Company acquired $1.5 billion of unsecuritized federally insured student loans from a third-party.  The Company will earn interest income on these loans from the effective date of the transaction, April 1, 2018. In addition, from April 1, 2018 through May 8, 2018 (the filing date of this report), the Company acquired $351.3 million of additional unsecuritized federally insured student loans from third-parties. 

Subsequent to March 31, 2018, in anticipation of these loan acquisitions, the Company increased the capacity on both of its FFELP warehouse facilities to a total of $2.3 billion. In addition to the FFELP warehouse facilities, the Company used operating cash and the Company's unsecured line of credit to fund these loan acquisitions.

As of May 8, 2018, there was $190.0 million outstanding on the Company's $350.0 million unsecured line of credit and $160.0 million was available for future use; in addition there was $2.1 billion outstanding on the FFELP warehouse facilities and $0.2 billion was available for future use.



9



Segment Reporting

The following tables include the results of each of the Company's operating segments reconciled to the consolidated financial
statements.
 
Three months ended March 31, 2018
 
Loan Servicing and Systems
 
Education Technology, Services, and Payment Processing
 
Communications
 
Asset
Generation and
Management
 
Corporate and Other Activities
 
Eliminations
 
Total
Total interest income
$
257

 
665

 
1

 
200,334

 
4,751

 
(3,150
)
 
202,857

Interest expense

 

 
2,509

 
134,233

 
1,958

 
(3,150
)
 
135,550

Net interest income
257

 
665

 
(2,508
)
 
66,101

 
2,793

 

 
67,307

Less provision for loan losses

 

 

 
4,000

 

 

 
4,000

Net interest income (loss) after provision for loan losses
257

 
665

 
(2,508
)
 
62,101

 
2,793

 

 
63,307

Other income:
 

 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

Loan servicing and systems revenue
100,141

 

 

 

 

 

 
100,141

Intersegment servicing revenue
10,771

 

 

 

 

 
(10,771
)
 

Education technology, services, and payment processing revenue

 
60,221

 

 

 

 

 
60,221

Communications revenue

 

 
9,189

 

 

 

 
9,189

Other income
1,292

 

 

 
2,992

 
13,914

 

 
18,198

Gain from debt repurchases

 

 

 
359

 

 

 
359

Derivative settlements, net

 

 

 
6,926

 
(160
)
 

 
6,766

Derivative market value and foreign currency transaction adjustments, net

 

 

 
58,571

 
1,462

 

 
60,033

Total other income
112,204

 
60,221

 
9,189

 
68,848

 
15,216

 
(10,771
)
 
254,907

Cost of services:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cost to provide education technology, services, and payment processing services

 
13,683

 

 

 

 

 
13,683

Cost to provide communications services

 

 
3,717

 

 

 

 
3,717

Total cost of services

 
13,683

 
3,717

 

 

 

 
17,400

Operating expenses:
 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

Salaries and benefits
58,537

 
19,067

 
4,063

 
382

 
14,594

 

 
96,643

Depreciation and amortization
6,069

 
3,341

 
4,921

 

 
4,126

 

 
18,457

Loan servicing fees

 

 

 
3,136

 

 

 
3,136

Other expenses
14,463

 
4,624

 
2,638

 
848

 
10,845

 

 
33,417

Intersegment expenses, net
13,356

 
2,567

 
605

 
10,865

 
(16,622
)
 
(10,771
)
 

Total operating expenses
92,425

 
29,599

 
12,227

 
15,231

 
12,943

 
(10,771
)
 
151,653

Income (loss) before income taxes
20,036

 
17,604

 
(9,263
)
 
115,718

 
5,066

 

 
149,161

Income tax (expense) benefit (a)
(5,003
)
 
(4,225
)
 
2,223

 
(27,773
)
 
(1,199
)
 

 
(35,976
)
Net income (loss)
15,033

 
13,379

 
(7,040
)
 
87,945

 
3,867

 

 
113,185

  Net loss (income) attributable to noncontrolling interests
808

 

 

 

 
(68
)
 

 
740

Net income (loss) attributable to Nelnet, Inc.
$
15,841

 
13,379

 
(7,040
)
 
87,945

 
3,799

 

 
113,925



10



 
Three months ended December 31, 2017
 
Loan Servicing and Systems
 
Education Technology, Services, and Payment Processing
 
Communications
 
Asset
Generation and
Management
 
Corporate and Other Activities
 
Eliminations
 
Total
Total interest income
$
152

 
8

 
1

 
195,560

 
3,617

 
(2,702
)
 
196,636

Interest expense
3

 

 
2,059

 
123,358

 
683

 
(2,702
)
 
123,401

Net interest income
149

 
8

 
(2,058
)
 
72,202

 
2,934

 

 
73,235

Less provision for loan losses

 

 

 
3,750

 

 

 
3,750

Net interest income (loss) after provision for loan losses
149

 
8

 
(2,058
)
 
68,452

 
2,934

 

 
69,485

Other income:
 

 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

Loan servicing and systems revenue
55,921

 

 

 

 

 

 
55,921

Intersegment servicing revenue
10,835

 

 

 

 

 
(10,835
)
 

Education technology, services, and payment processing revenue

 
43,326

 

 

 

 

 
43,326

Communications revenue

 

 
8,122

 

 

 

 
8,122

Other income

 

 

 
4,273

 
3,680

 

 
7,952

Gain (loss) from debt repurchases, net

 

 

 
(2,664
)
 
29

 

 
(2,635
)
Derivative settlements, net

 

 

 
3,169

 
(188
)
 

 
2,982

Derivative market value and foreign currency transaction adjustments, net

 

 

 
3,763

 
269

 

 
4,032

Total other income
66,756

 
43,326

 
8,122

 
8,541

 
3,790

 
(10,835
)
 
119,700

Cost of services:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cost to provide education technology, services, and payment processing services

 
11,223

 

 

 

 

 
11,223

Cost to provide communications services

 

 
3,160

 

 

 

 
3,160

Total cost of services

 
11,223

 
3,160

 

 

 

 
14,383

Operating expenses:
 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

Salaries and benefits
39,324

 
18,515

 
4,458

 
393

 
18,511

 

 
81,201

Depreciation and amortization
1,220

 
2,371

 
3,955

 

 
4,308

 

 
11,854

Loan servicing fees

 

 

 
3,064

 

 

 
3,064

Other expenses
10,793

 
4,712

 
2,652

 
1,412

 
18,886

 

 
38,455

Intersegment expenses, net
8,374

 
2,650

 
629

 
11,716

 
(12,534
)
 
(10,835
)
 

Total operating expenses
59,711

 
28,248

 
11,694

 
16,585

 
29,171

 
(10,835
)
 
134,574

Income (loss) before income taxes
7,194

 
3,863

 
(8,790
)
 
60,408

 
(22,447
)
 

 
40,228

Income tax (expense) benefit
(3,718
)
 
(1,468
)
 
3,341

 
(22,955
)
 
30,286

 

 
5,486

Net income (loss)
3,476

 
2,395

 
(5,449
)
 
37,453

 
7,839

 

 
45,714

  Net loss (income) attributable to noncontrolling interests
2,591

 

 

 

 
(205
)
 

 
2,386

Net income (loss) attributable to Nelnet, Inc.
$
6,067

 
2,395

 
(5,449
)
 
37,453

 
7,634

 

 
48,100




11



 
Three months ended March 31, 2017
 
Loan Servicing and Systems
 
Education Technology, Services, and Payment Processing
 
Communications
 
Asset
Generation and
Management
 
Corporate and Other
Activities
 
Eliminations
 
Total
Total interest income
$
94

 
2

 
1

 
182,326

 
2,761

 
(1,359
)
 
183,824

Interest expense

 

 
712

 
106,751

 
795

 
(1,359
)
 
106,899

Net interest income
94

 
2

 
(711
)
 
75,575

 
1,966

 

 
76,925

Less provision for loan losses

 

 

 
1,000

 

 

 
1,000

Net interest income (loss) after provision for loan losses
94

 
2

 
(711
)
 
74,575

 
1,966

 

 
75,925

Other income:
 

 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

Loan servicing and systems revenue
54,229

 

 

 

 

 

 
54,229

Intersegment servicing revenue
10,323

 

 

 

 

 
(10,323
)
 

Education technology, services, and payment processing revenue

 
56,024

 

 

 

 

 
56,024

Communications revenue

 

 
5,106

 

 

 

 
5,106

Other income

 

 

 
3,342

 
9,290

 

 
12,632

Gain from debt repurchases

 

 

 
540

 
4,440

 

 
4,980

Derivative settlements, net

 

 

 
(1,173
)
 
(205
)
 

 
(1,378
)
Derivative market value and foreign currency transaction adjustments, net

 

 

 
(3,410
)
 
(42
)
 

 
(3,452
)
Total other income
64,552

 
56,024

 
5,106

 
(701
)
 
13,483

 
(10,323
)
 
128,141

Cost of services:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cost to provide education technology, services, and payment processing services

 
12,790

 

 

 

 

 
12,790

Cost to provide communications services

 

 
1,954

 

 

 

 
1,954

Total cost of services

 
12,790

 
1,954

 

 

 

 
14,744

Operating expenses:
 

 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 

 
.

 
 

Salaries and benefits
37,992

 
16,652

 
2,979

 
400

 
13,839

 

 
71,863

Depreciation and amortization
549

 
2,391

 
2,135

 

 
3,523

 

 
8,598

Loan servicing fees

 

 

 
6,025

 

 

 
6,025

Other expenses
9,136

 
4,609

 
1,372

 
991

 
10,054

 

 
26,161

Intersegment expenses, net
7,398

 
2,075

 
506

 
10,412

 
(10,068
)
 
(10,323
)
 

Total operating expenses
55,075

 
25,727

 
6,992

 
17,828

 
17,348

 
(10,323
)
 
112,647

Income (loss) before income taxes
9,571

 
17,509

 
(4,551
)
 
56,046

 
(1,899
)
 

 
76,675

Income tax (expense) benefit
(4,555
)
 
(6,653
)
 
1,730

 
(21,297
)
 
2,021

 

 
(28,755
)
Net income (loss)
5,016

 
10,856

 
(2,821
)
 
34,749

 
122

 

 
47,920

  Net loss (income) attributable to noncontrolling interests
2,415

 

 

 

 
(309
)
 

 
2,106

Net income (loss) attributable to Nelnet, Inc.
$
7,431

 
10,856

 
(2,821
)
 
34,749

 
(187
)
 

 
50,026


12




Net Interest Income, Net of Settlements on Derivatives
The following table summarizes the components of "net interest income" and "derivative settlements, net."

Derivative settlements represent the cash paid or received during the current period to settle with derivative instrument counterparties the economic effect of the Company's derivative instruments based on their contractual terms. Derivative accounting requires that net settlements with respect to derivatives that do not qualify for "hedge treatment" under GAAP be recorded in a separate income statement line item below net interest income.  The Company maintains an overall risk management strategy that incorporates the use of derivative instruments to reduce the economic effect of interest rate volatility.  As such, management believes derivative settlements for each applicable period should be evaluated with the Company’s net interest income as presented in the table below.  Net interest income (net of settlements on derivatives) is a non-GAAP financial measure, and the Company reports this non-GAAP information because the Company believes that it provides additional information regarding operational and performance indicators that are closely assessed by management.  There is no comprehensive, authoritative guidance for the presentation of such non-GAAP information, which is only meant to supplement GAAP results by providing additional information that management utilizes to assess performance.  See "Derivative Settlements" included in this supplement for the net settlement activity recognized by the Company for each type of derivative for the periods presented in the table below.
 
Three months ended
 
March 31, 2018
 
December 31, 2017
 
March 31, 2017
Variable loan interest margin
$
46,884

 
48,788

 
42,975

Settlements on associated derivatives (a)
(1,664
)
 
(1,791
)
 
(1,053
)
Variable loan interest margin, net of settlements on derivatives
45,220

 
46,997

 
41,922

Fixed rate floor income
17,247

 
22,053

 
32,132

Settlements on associated derivatives (b)
8,590

 
4,961

 
(120
)
Fixed rate floor income, net of settlements on derivatives
25,837

 
27,014

 
32,012

Investment interest
5,134

 
3,080

 
2,617

Corporate debt interest expense
(1,958
)
 
(686
)
 
(799
)
Non-portfolio related derivative settlements (c)
(160
)
 
(188
)
 
(205
)
Net interest income (net of settlements on derivatives)
$
74,073

 
76,217

 
75,547


(a)
Includes the net settlements paid/received related to the Company’s 1:3 basis swaps and cross-currency interest rate swap.

(b)
Includes the net settlements paid/received related to the Company’s floor income interest rate swaps.

(c)
Includes the net settlements paid/received related to the Company’s hybrid debt hedges.


13



Student Loan Servicing Volumes (dollars in millions)
lnservvol2018q1a04.jpg
Company owned
 
$16,962
 
$16,352
 
$15,789
 
$18,403
 
$17,827
 
$17,866
% of total
 
8.7%
 
8.2%
 
7.9%
 
8.9%
 
8.4%
 
3.8%
Number of servicing borrowers:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Government servicing:
 
5,972,619

 
5,924,099

 
5,849,283

 
5,906,404

 
5,877,414

 
5,819,286

 
7,456,830

FFELP servicing:
 
1,312,192

 
1,263,785

 
1,218,706

 
1,317,552

 
1,420,311

 
1,399,280

 
461,553

Private education and consumer loan servicing:
 
355,096

 
389,010

 
454,182

 
478,150

 
502,114

 
508,750

 
118,609

Total:
 
7,639,907

 
7,576,894

 
7,522,171

 
7,702,106

 
7,799,839

 
7,727,316

 
8,036,992

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Number of remote hosted borrowers:
 
2,230,019

 
2,305,991

 
2,317,151

 
2,714,588

 
2,812,713

 
6,207,747
 

14



Communications Financial and Operating Data

Certain financial and operating data for ALLO is summarized in the tables below.
 
Three months ended
 
March 31, 2018
 
December 31, 2017
 
March 31, 2017
Residential revenue
$
6,747

 
5,844

 
3,351

Business revenue
2,381

 
2,219

 
1,696

Other revenue
61

 
59

 
59

Total revenue
$
9,189

 
8,122

 
5,106

 
 
 
 
 
 
Net (loss) income
$
(7,040
)
 
(5,449
)
 
(2,821
)
EBITDA (a)
(1,834
)
 
(2,777
)
 
(1,705
)
 
 
 
 
 
 
Capital expenditures
17,899

 
36,672

 
16,669

 
 
 
 
 
 
Revenue contribution:
 
 
 
 
 
Internet
51.1
%
 
48.4
%
 
43.1
%
Television
30.3

 
30.8

 
31.8

Telephone
18.4

 
19.3

 
24.7

Other
0.2

 
1.5

 
0.4

 
100.0
%
 
100.0
%
 
100.0
%

 
As of
March 31, 2018
 
As of
December 31, 2017
 
As of September 30, 2017
 
As of
June 30,
2017
 
As of
March 31, 2017
 
As of
December 31, 2016
Residential customer information:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Households served
23,541

 
20,428

 
16,394

 
12,460

 
10,524

 
9,814

Households passed (b)
84,475

 
71,426

 
54,815

 
45,880

 
34,925

 
30,962

Total households in current markets
137,500

 
137,500

 
137,500

 
137,500

 
137,500

 
137,500

Total households in current markets and new markets announced (c)
152,840

 
152,626

 
137,500

 
137,500

 
137,500

 
137,500


(a)
Earnings (loss) before interest, income taxes, depreciation, and amortization ("EBITDA") is a supplemental non-GAAP performance measure that is frequently used in capital-intensive industries such as telecommunications. ALLO's management uses EBITDA to compare ALLO's performance to that of its competitors and to eliminate certain non-cash and non-operating items in order to consistently measure performance from period to period. EBITDA excludes interest and income taxes because these items are associated with a company's particular capitalization and tax structures. EBITDA also excludes depreciation and amortization expense because these non-cash expenses primarily reflect the impact of historical capital investments, as opposed to the cash impacts of capital expenditures made in recent periods, which may be evaluated through cash flow measures. The Company reports EBITDA for ALLO because the Company believes that it provides useful additional information for investors regarding a key metric used by management to assess ALLO's performance. There are limitations to using EBITDA as a performance measure, including the difficulty associated with comparing companies that use similar performance measures whose calculations may differ from ALLO's calculations. In addition, EBITDA should not be considered a substitute for other measures of financial performance, such as net income or any other performance measures derived in accordance with GAAP. A reconciliation of EBITDA from ALLO's net loss under GAAP is presented in the following table:

15



 
Three months ended
 
March 31, 2018
 
December 31, 2017
 
March 31, 2017
Net loss
$
(7,040
)
 
(5,449
)
 
(2,821
)
Net interest expense
2,508

 
2,058

 
711

Income tax benefit
(2,223
)
 
(3,341
)
 
(1,730
)
Depreciation and amortization
4,921

 
3,955

 
2,135

Earnings (loss) before interest, income taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA)
$
(1,834
)
 
(2,777
)
 
(1,705
)
(b)
Represents the number of single residence homes, apartments, and condominiums that ALLO already serves and those in which ALLO has the capacity to connect to its network distribution system without further material extensions to the transmission lines, but have not been connected.
(c)
During the fourth quarter of 2017, ALLO announced plans to expand its network to make services available in Hastings, Nebraska and Fort Morgan, Colorado. ALLO plans to expand to additional communities in Nebraska and Colorado over the next several years.

Other Income

The following table summarizes the components of "other income."
 
Three months ended
 
March 31, 2018
 
December 31, 2017
 
March 31, 2017
Realized and unrealized gains on investments, net
$
9,081

 
(671
)
 
324

Borrower late fee income
2,983

 
2,506

 
3,319

Investment advisory fees
1,593

 
1,062

 
3,516

Management fee revenue
1,161

 

 

Peterson's revenue

 
3,290

 
2,836

Other
3,380

 
1,765

 
2,637

Other income
$
18,198

 
7,952

 
12,632


Derivative Settlements

The following table summarizes the components of "derivative settlements, net" included in the attached consolidated statements of income.
 
Three months ended
 
March 31, 2018
 
December 31, 2017
 
March 31, 2017
1:3 basis swaps
$
(1,664
)
 
(1,233
)
 
698

Interest rate swaps - floor income hedges
8,590

 
4,961

 
(120
)
Interest rate swaps - hybrid debt hedges
(160
)
 
(188
)
 
(205
)
Cross-currency interest rate swap

 
(558
)
 
(1,751
)
Total derivative settlements - income (expense)
$
6,766

 
2,982

 
(1,378
)


16



Derivative Market Value and Foreign Currency Transaction Adjustments

"Derivative market value and foreign currency transaction adjustments" include (i) the realized and unrealized gains and losses that are caused by changes in fair values of derivatives which do not qualify for "hedge treatment" under GAAP; and (ii) the unrealized foreign currency transaction gains or losses caused by the re-measurement of the Company's Euro-denominated bonds to U.S. dollars. On October 25, 2017, the Company completed a remarketing of the Company’s bonds that were prior to that date denominated in Euros, to denominate those bonds in U.S. dollars and reset the interest rate to be based on the 3-month LIBOR index. The Company also terminated a cross-currency interest rate swap associated with those bonds. As a result, foreign currency transaction adjustments will not be incurred with respect to those bonds after October 25, 2017.

The following table summarizes the components of “derivative market value and foreign currency transaction adjustments” included in the attached consolidated statements of income.
 
Three months ended
 
March 31, 2018
 
December 31, 2017
 
March 31, 2017
Change in fair value of derivatives -
income (expense)
$
60,033

 
3,997

 
1,238

Foreign currency transaction adjustment - income (expense)

 
35

 
(4,690
)
Derivative market value and foreign currency transaction adjustments - income (expense)
$
60,033

 
4,032

 
(3,452
)

Loans Receivable

Loans receivable consisted of the following:
 
As of
 
March 31, 2018
 
December 31, 2017
 
March 31, 2017
Federally insured student loans:
 
 
 
 
 
Stafford and other
$
4,363,159

 
4,418,881

 
4,927,541

Consolidation
17,098,389

 
17,302,725

 
19,012,552

Total
21,461,548

 
21,721,606

 
23,940,093

Private education loans
194,310

 
212,160

 
256,816

Consumer loans
77,855

 
62,111

 

 
21,733,713

 
21,995,877

 
24,196,909

Loan discount, net of unamortized loan premiums and deferred origination costs
(103,542
)
 
(113,695
)
 
(126,421
)
Non-accretable discount
(12,847
)
 
(13,085
)
 
(16,576
)
Allowance for loan losses:
 
 
 
 
 
Federally insured loans
(38,374
)
 
(38,706
)
 
(36,687
)
Private education loans
(12,255
)
 
(12,629
)
 
(13,839
)
Consumer loans
(4,665
)
 
(3,255
)
 

 
$
21,562,030

 
21,814,507

 
24,003,386



17



Loan Activity

The following table sets forth the activity of loans:

 
Three months ended March 31,
 
2018
 
2017
Beginning balance
$
21,995,877

 
25,103,643

Loan acquisitions:
 
 
 
Federally insured student loans
584,586

 
51,731

Private education loans

 
443

Consumer loans
23,354

 

Total loan acquisitions
607,940

 
52,174

Repayments, claims, capitalized interest, and other
(622,284
)
 
(647,915
)
Consolidation loans lost to external parties
(247,820
)
 
(310,993
)
Ending balance
$
21,733,713

 
24,196,909



18



Loan Spread Analysis

The following table analyzes the loan spread on the Company’s portfolio of loans, which represents the spread between the yield earned on loan assets and the costs of the liabilities and derivative instruments used to fund the assets.
 
Three months ended
 
March 31, 2018
 
December 31, 2017
 
March 31, 2017
Variable loan yield, gross (a)
4.15
 %
 
3.80
 %
 
3.24
 %
Consolidation rebate fees
(0.85
)
 
(0.85
)
 
(0.84
)
Discount accretion, net of premium and deferred origination costs amortization
0.07

 
0.07

 
0.07

Variable loan yield, net
3.37


3.02

 
2.47

Loan cost of funds - interest expense
(2.53
)
 
(2.21
)
 
(1.74
)
Loan cost of funds - derivative settlements (b) (c)
(0.03
)
 
(0.03
)
 
(0.02
)
Variable loan spread
0.81


0.78

 
0.71

Fixed rate floor income, gross
0.32

 
0.39

 
0.52

Fixed rate floor income - derivative settlements (b) (d)
0.16

 
0.09

 

Fixed rate floor income, net of settlements on derivatives
0.48


0.48

 
0.52

Core loan spread
1.29
 %

1.26
 %
 
1.23
 %
 
 
 
 
 
 
Average balance of loans
$
21,871,501

 
22,397,323

 
24,755,452

Average balance of debt outstanding
21,449,449

 
21,952,133

 
24,541,736



(a)
For the three months ended March 31, 2018, variable loan yield (gross) includes interest income earned on consumer loans. For the three months ended March 31, 2018, the average balance of consumer loans was $67.1 million and the weighted average coupon rate on such loans was 17.60%. The Company began to purchase consumer loans in the second quarter of 2017, thus, consumer loans had no impact to spread during the first quarter of 2017. Consumer loans are currently funded by the Company using operating cash, until they can be funded in a secured financing transaction. As such, consumer loans do not have a cost of funds (debt) associated with them. Core loan spread, excluding consumer loans, would have been 1.25% for the three months ended March 31, 2018.

(b)
Derivative settlements represent the cash paid or received during the current period to settle with derivative instrument counterparties the economic effect of the Company's derivative instruments based on their contractual terms. Derivative accounting requires that net settlements with respect to derivatives that do not qualify for "hedge treatment" under GAAP be recorded in a separate income statement line item below net interest income. The Company maintains an overall risk management strategy that incorporates the use of derivative instruments to reduce the economic effect of interest rate volatility. As such, management believes derivative settlements for each applicable period should be evaluated with the Company’s net interest income (loan spread) as presented in this table. The Company reports this non-GAAP information because it believes that it provides additional information regarding operational and performance indicators that are closely assessed by management. There is no comprehensive, authoritative guidance for the presentation of such non-GAAP information, which is only meant to supplement GAAP results by providing additional information that management utilizes to assess performance. See "Derivative Settlements" included in this supplement for the net settlement activity recognized by the Company for each type of derivative for the periods presented in this table.

(c)
Derivative settlements include the net settlements paid/received related to the Company’s 1:3 basis swaps and cross-currency interest rate swap. 

(d)
Derivative settlements include the net settlements paid/received related to the Company’s floor income interest rate swaps.


19



A trend analysis of the Company's core and variable student loan spreads is summarized below.
slsgraph2018q1a02.jpg
(a)
The interest earned on a large portion of the Company's FFELP student loan assets is indexed to the one-month LIBOR rate.  The Company funds a majority of its assets with three-month LIBOR indexed floating rate securities.  The relationship between the indices in which the Company earns interest on its loans and funds such loans has a significant impact on student loan spread.  This table (the right axis) shows the difference between the Company's liability base rate and the one-month LIBOR rate by quarter.

The primary difference between variable student loan spread and core student loan spread is fixed rate floor income.  A summary of fixed rate floor income and its contribution to core student loan spread follows:
 
Three months ended
 
March 31, 2018
 
December 31, 2017
 
March 31, 2017
Fixed rate floor income, gross
$
17,247

 
22,053

 
32,132

Derivative settlements (a)
8,590

 
4,961

 
(120
)
Fixed rate floor income, net
$
25,837


27,014

 
32,012

Fixed rate floor income contribution to spread, net
0.48
%
 
0.48
%
 
0.52
%

(a)
Includes settlement payments on derivatives used to hedge student loans earning fixed rate floor income.


20



Fixed Rate Floor Income

The following table shows the Company’s federally insured student loan assets that were earning fixed rate floor income as of March 31, 2018.
Fixed interest rate range
 
Borrower/lender weighted average yield
 
Estimated variable conversion rate (a)
 
Loan balance
4.0 - 4.49%
 
4.37
%
 
1.73
%
 
$
192,739

4.5 - 4.99%
 
4.72
%
 
2.08
%
 
794,520

5.0 - 5.49%
 
5.22
%
 
2.58
%
 
528,806

5.5 - 5.99%
 
5.67
%
 
3.03
%
 
361,646

6.0 - 6.49%
 
6.19
%
 
3.55
%
 
414,041

6.5 - 6.99%
 
6.70
%
 
4.06
%
 
398,619

7.0 - 7.49%
 
7.17
%
 
4.53
%
 
142,270

7.5 - 7.99%
 
7.71
%
 
5.07
%
 
242,499

8.0 - 8.99%
 
8.18
%
 
5.54
%
 
553,788

> 9.0%
 
9.05
%
 
6.41
%
 
195,478

 
 
 
 
 
 
$
3,824,406


(a)
The estimated variable conversion rate is the estimated short-term interest rate at which loans would convert to a variable rate. As of March 31, 2018, the weighted average estimated variable conversion rate was 3.59% and the short-term interest rate was 168 basis points.


The following table summarizes the outstanding derivative instruments as of March 31, 2018 used by the Company to economically hedge loans earning fixed rate floor income.
Maturity
 
Notional amount
 
Weighted average fixed rate paid by the Company (a)
 
 
2018
 
$
1,250,000

 
1.08
%
2019
 
3,250,000

 
0.97

2020
 
1,500,000

 
1.01

2023
 
750,000

 
2.28

2024
 
300,000

 
2.28

2025
 
100,000

 
2.32

2027
 
50,000

 
2.32

2028
 
100,000

 
3.03

 
 
$
7,300,000

 
1.24
%

(a)
For all interest rate derivatives, the Company receives discrete three-month LIBOR.

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