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EX-99.1 - EXHIBIT 99.1 - NELNET INCexhibit99111818earningsrel.htm
8-K - 8-K - NELNET INCa11818form8-k.htm


For Release: November 8, 2018
Investor Contact: Phil Morgan, 402.458.3038
Nelnet, Inc. supplemental financial information for the third 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 third quarter 2018 earnings, dated November 8, 2018, and the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2018.
Forward-looking and cautionary statements
This report 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, including the availability of any relevant money market index rate such as LIBOR, and in the securitization and other financing markets for loans, including adverse changes resulting from unanticipated repayment trends on student loans in FFELP securitization trusts that could accelerate or delay repayment of the associated bonds, 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 Federal Direct Loan Program, FFELP, 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, the potential disruption of the Company's systems or those of third-party vendors or customers, and/or the potential damage to the Company's reputation resulting from cyber-breaches;
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 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 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
 
Nine months ended
 
September 30,
2018
 
June 30,
2018
 
September 30,
2017
 
September 30, 2018
 
September 30,
2017
Interest income:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Loan interest
$
232,320

 
223,371

 
193,087

 
653,414

 
564,173

Investment interest
7,628

 
5,818

 
3,800

 
18,581

 
9,616

Total interest income
239,948

 
229,189

 
196,887

 
671,995

 
573,789

Interest expense:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Interest on bonds and notes payable
180,175

 
171,450

 
121,650

 
487,174

 
341,787

Net interest income
59,773

 
57,739

 
75,237

 
184,821

 
232,002

Less provision for loan losses
10,500

 
3,500

 
6,700

 
18,000

 
10,700

Net interest income after provision for loan losses
49,273

 
54,239

 
68,537

 
166,821

 
221,302

Other income:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Loan servicing and systems revenue
112,579

 
114,545

 
55,950

 
327,265

 
167,079

Education technology, services, and payment processing revenue
58,409

 
48,742

 
50,358

 
167,372

 
149,862

Communications revenue
11,818

 
10,320

 
6,751

 
31,327

 
17,577

Other income
16,673

 
9,580

 
19,756

 
44,449

 
44,874

Gain from debt repurchases

 

 
116

 
359

 
5,537

Derivative settlements, net
22,324

 
21,928

 
(573
)
 
51,018

 
(2,314
)
Derivative market value and foreign currency transaction adjustments
(5,226
)
 
(4,897
)
 
7,746

 
49,909

 
(23,254
)
Total other income
216,577

 
200,218

 
140,104

 
671,699

 
359,361

Cost of services:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cost to provide education technology, services, and payment processing services
19,087

 
11,317

 
15,151

 
44,087

 
37,456

Cost to provide communications services
4,310

 
3,865

 
2,632

 
11,892

 
6,789

Total cost of services
23,397

 
15,182

 
17,783

 
55,979

 
44,245

Operating expenses:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Salaries and benefits
114,172

 
111,118

 
74,193

 
321,932

 
220,684

Depreciation and amortization
22,992

 
21,494

 
10,051

 
62,943

 
27,687

Loan servicing fees
3,087

 
3,204

 
8,017

 
9,428

 
19,670

Other expenses
45,194

 
40,409

 
29,500

 
119,020

 
81,923

Total operating expenses
185,445

 
176,225

 
121,761

 
513,323

 
349,964

Income before income taxes
57,008

 
63,050

 
69,097

 
269,218

 
186,454

Income tax expense
(13,882
)
 
(13,511
)
 
(25,562
)
 
(63,369
)
 
(70,349
)
Net income
43,126

 
49,539

 
43,535

 
205,849

 
116,105

Net (income) loss attributable to noncontrolling interests
(199
)
 
(104
)
 
2,768

 
438

 
8,960

Net income attributable to Nelnet, Inc.
$
42,927

 
49,435

 
46,303

 
206,287

 
125,065

Earnings per common share:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Net income attributable to Nelnet, Inc. shareholders - basic and diluted
$
1.05

 
1.21

 
1.11

 
5.04

 
2.97

Weighted average common shares outstanding - basic and diluted
40,988,965

 
40,886,617

 
41,553,316

 
40,942,177

 
42,054,532




2



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

 
As of
 
As of
 
As of
 
September 30, 2018
 
December 31, 2017
 
September 30, 2017
Assets:
 
 
 
 
 
Loans receivable, net
$
22,528,362

 
21,814,507

 
22,569,139

Cash, cash equivalents, investments, and notes receivable
330,352

 
307,290

 
490,633

Restricted cash
911,929

 
875,314

 
830,762

Goodwill and intangible assets, net
249,462

 
177,186

 
188,054

Other assets
1,084,820

 
790,138

 
690,122

Total assets
$
25,104,925

 
23,964,435

 
24,768,710

Liabilities:
 
 
 
 
 
Bonds and notes payable
$
22,251,433

 
21,356,573

 
22,240,279

Other liabilities
526,364

 
442,475

 
397,991

Total liabilities
22,777,797

 
21,799,048

 
22,638,270

Equity:
 
 
 
 
 
Total Nelnet, Inc. shareholders' equity
2,316,864

 
2,149,529

 
2,111,851

Noncontrolling interests
10,264

 
15,858

 
18,589

Total equity
2,327,128

 
2,165,387

 
2,130,440

Total liabilities and equity
$
25,104,925

 
23,964,435

 
24,768,710



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 U.S.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
 
Nine months ended
 
September 30, 2018
 
June 30, 2018
 
September 30, 2017
 
September 30, 2018
 
September 30, 2017
GAAP net income attributable to Nelnet, Inc.
$
42,927

 
49,435

 
46,303

 
206,287

 
125,065

Realized and unrealized derivative market value adjustments
5,226

 
4,897

 
(21,429
)
 
(49,909
)
 
(22,381
)
Unrealized foreign currency transaction adjustments

 

 
13,683

 

 
45,635

Net tax effect (a)
(1,254
)
 
(1,175
)
 
2,943

 
11,978

 
(8,837
)
Net income attributable to Nelnet, Inc., excluding derivative market value and foreign currency transaction adjustments (b)
$
46,899


53,157


41,500

 
168,356

 
139,482

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Earnings per share:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
GAAP net income attributable to Nelnet, Inc.
$
1.05

 
1.21

 
1.11

 
5.04

 
2.97

Realized and unrealized derivative market value adjustments
0.12

 
0.12

 
(0.51
)
 
(1.22
)
 
(0.53
)
Unrealized foreign currency transaction adjustments

 

 
0.33

 

 
1.09

Net tax effect (a)
(0.03
)
 
(0.03
)
 
0.07

 
0.29

 
(0.21
)
Net income attributable to Nelnet, Inc., excluding derivative market value and foreign currency transaction adjustments (b)
$
1.14


1.30


1.00

 
4.11

 
3.32


(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 previously 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 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 previously 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 previously 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, there are no foreign currency transaction adjustments with respect to those bonds after October 25, 2017.

4



GAAP net income increased for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 compared to the same period in 2017 primarily due to the following factors:

The contribution to net income from the acquisition of Great Lakes;
The increase in core spread on the Company's loan portfolio;
The decrease in the Company's effective tax rate due to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, effective January 1, 2018;
The recognition of unrealized losses in 2017 related to foreign currency transaction adjustments caused by re-measurement of the Company's previously Euro-denominated bonds to U.S. dollars, which bonds were remarketed in October 2017, to denominate them in U.S. dollars; and
The recognition of a larger net gain during 2018 as compared to 2017 due to changes in the fair values of derivative instruments that do not qualify for hedge accounting.

These factors were partially offset by the following items:

The increase in expenses for the continued build-out of the Company's ALLO fiber communications network in Lincoln, Nebraska;
The decrease in the average balance of loans due to the run-off of the portfolio;
The increase in the provision for loan losses related to the Company's portfolio of federally insured student loans and consumer loans;
The impairment of software development costs in the Company's Loan Servicing and Systems operating segment; and
A decrease in revenue from the Company's SEC-registered investment advisor subsidiary.

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 September 30, 2018, the Company had a $22.5 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, over time, 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 and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 (dollars in millions).
                        segopresults2018q3a04.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 24.44 percent and 23.50 percent for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, respectively, compared to 35.57 percent and 36.00 percent for the same periods in 2017. The Company currently expects its effective tax rate will be approximately 23 to 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.

Nelnet Servicing, LLC ("Nelnet Servicing") 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 September 30, 2018, Nelnet Servicing was servicing $179.3 billion of student loans for 5.8 million borrowers under its contract, and Great Lakes was servicing $232.7 billion of student loans for 7.5 million borrowers under its contract. These contracts are currently scheduled to expire on June 16, 2019.

Under the performance metrics measurements used by the Department for the period July 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017, Nelnet Servicing's and Great Lakes' overall rankings among the nine current servicers for the Department were fourth and second, respectively. These results increased Nelnet Servicing's and Great Lakes' allocations of new student loan servicing volumes under their current respective contracts with the Department from 11 percent to 12 percent and from 14 percent to 16 percent, respectively, for the period March 1, 2018 through August 31, 2018.


6



Under the performance metrics measurements used by the Department for the period January 1, 2018 through June 30, 2018, Nelnet Servicing's and Great Lakes' overall rankings among the nine current servicers for the Department remained at fourth and second, respectively; however, these results changed Nelnet Servicing's and Great Lakes' allocations of new student loan servicing volumes under their current respective contracts with the Department from 12 percent to 11 percent and from 16 percent to 17 percent, respectively, for the period September 1, 2018 through February 28, 2019.

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. During the second quarter of 2018, the Company converted Great Lakes' FFELP and private education loan servicing volume to Nelnet's servicing platform to leverage the efficiencies of supporting more volume on fewer systems.

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.

As part of integrating technology and becoming more efficient and effective in meeting borrower needs, the Company continues to evaluate the best use of its servicing systems on a post-Great Lakes acquisition basis. As a result of this evaluation, during the three months ended September 30, 2018, the Company recorded an impairment charge of $3.9 million related to certain external software development costs that were previously capitalized.

On February 20, 2018, the Department’s Office of Federal Student Aid ("FSA") released information regarding a contract procurement process entitled Next Generation Financial Services Environment (“NextGen”) for the servicing of all student loans owned by the Department. The Company is part of a team that responded to the initial phase of the NextGen procurement on April 17, 2018.
 
On August 27, August 29, and September 24, 2018, FSA made announcements that included canceling certain components of the NextGen process, issuing a solicitation for a separate new procurement process for certain of those NextGen components that were canceled, and outlining the next steps, components, and entities that are eligible to respond to the next phase for certain of the remaining NextGen components (which for each applicable component included the Company or an entity the Company is teaming with).
 
Currently, FSA has four ongoing components between the two procurement processes:
 
·         Enterprise-Wide Digital and Customer Care Platforms and Services (new procurement process)
·         NextGen Future State Core Platform
·         NextGen Transitional Core Processing and Related Support Activities
·         NextGen Business Process Operations
 
The Company is part of a team that has responded or will be responding to the next applicable phase for each of these four components.  The Company cannot predict the timing, nature, or outcome of the next steps for these processes.

As of September 30, 2018, the Company (including Great Lakes) was servicing $464.9 billion in government owned, FFELP, 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 revenue recognition standard. 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 presents the payment services revenue gross, with the direct costs to provide these services presented separately.

7




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.

On October 16, 2018, the Company terminated its investment in a proprietary payment processing platform. This decision was made as a result of decreases in price and advancements of technology by established processors in the industry. As a result of this decision, the Company will record an impairment charge of approximately $8 million during the three-month period ending December 31, 2018. The charge represents computer equipment and external software development costs related to the payment processing platform. The decision will not impact the Company's existing payment processing revenue or customers. The Company is continuing to evaluate other costs that may be incurred as a result of this decision, including the termination of certain contracts and severance for affected employees. The Company currently believes contract termination and employee severance costs will not be material.

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 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.  In August 2018, ALLO began to provide its services in Fort Morgan, increasing households in current markets to 142,602 from 137,500. ALLO plans to continue expansion to additional communities in Nebraska and Colorado over the next several years. As of September 30, 2018, ALLO provided services to 32,529 households, compared to 20,428 households as of December 31, 2017 and 16,394 households as of September 30, 2017.

For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, ALLO incurred capital expenditures of $21.7 million and $66.8 million, respectively. The Company currently anticipates total network expenditures for the remainder of 2018 (October 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018) will be approximately $25 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 nine months ended September 30, 2018, the Company purchased $3.2 billion in loans, including $0.6 billion during the third quarter of 2018. The vast majority of these loans are federally insured student loans.

The Company's average balance of loans decreased to $23.0 billion for the third quarter of 2018, compared with $23.2 billion for the same period in 2017. Core loan spread increased to 1.30 percent for the quarter ended September 30, 2018, compared with 1.19 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 and 1.17 percent for the three months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

The Company recognized $32.7 million and $28.5 million in fixed rate floor income during the three months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively (which includes $19.1 million and $3.9 million of settlement payments received on derivatives used to hedge student loans earning fixed rate floor income). Fixed rate floor income contributed 57 basis points and 49 basis points of core loan spread for the three months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

Provision for loan losses was $10.5 million and $6.7 million for the three months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively, and $18.0 million and $10.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

Provision for loan losses for federally insured loans was $8.0 million and $7.0 million for the three months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively, and $12.0 million and $11.0 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively. During the three months ended September 30, 2018, the Company determined an additional allowance was necessary related to a $2.2 billion (principal balance as of September 30, 2018) portfolio of federally insured loans that

8



were purchased in 2013 and 2014, and recognized $5.0 million (pre-tax) in provision expense related to these loans. During the three months ended September 30, 2017, the Company determined an additional allowance was necessary related to a $1.6 billion (principal balance as of September 30, 2017) portfolio of federally insured loans that were purchased in 2014 and 2015, and recognized $5.0 million (pre-tax) in provision expense related to these loans.

The Company did not record a provision for private education loan losses for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017, the Company recorded a negative provision for private education loan losses of $1.0 million and $2.0 million, respectively.

Provision for loan losses for consumer loans was $2.5 million and $0.7 million for the three months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively, and $6.0 million and $1.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively. The increase in provision is a result of the Company continuing to purchase consumer loans.

Corporate and Other Activities

On September 25, 2018, the Company announced it had withdrawn its application with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Utah Department of Financial Institutions to establish Nelnet Bank, a Utah-chartered industrial bank. The Company originally filed its application on June 28, 2018.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

As of September 30, 2018, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of $83.5 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 $57.4 million as of September 30, 2018.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2018, the Company generated $193.6 million in net cash from operating activities.

On June 22, 2018, the Company amended its unsecured $350.0 million line of credit to, among other things, extend the maturity date of the facility from December 12, 2021 to June 22, 2023. As of September 30, 2018, the unsecured line of credit had $160.0 million outstanding and $190.0 million was available for future use.

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 September 30, 2018, the Company currently expects future undiscounted cash flows from its securitization portfolio to be approximately $2.09 billion, of which approximately $1.18 billion is expected to be generated over the next approximately four years (from October 1, 2018 through December 31, 2022).

During the nine months ended September 30, 2018, the Company repurchased a total of 319,091 shares of Class A common stock for $16.5 million ($51.77 per share), including 3,297 shares of Class A common stock for $0.2 million ($58.13 per share) repurchased by the Company during the three months ended September 30, 2018.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2018, the Company paid cash dividends of $19.5 million ($0.48 per share), including $6.5 million ($0.16 per share) paid during the three months ended September 30, 2018. In addition, the Company's Board of Directors has declared a fourth quarter 2018 cash dividend on the Company's outstanding shares of Class A and Class B common stock of $0.18 per share. The fourth quarter cash dividend will be paid on December 14, 2018 to shareholders of record at the close of business on November 30, 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.









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 September 30, 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
$
381

 
1,513

 
1

 
236,039

 
6,860

 
(4,846
)
 
239,948

Interest expense

 
3

 
4,174

 
176,874

 
3,968

 
(4,846
)
 
180,175

Net interest income
381

 
1,510

 
(4,173
)
 
59,165

 
2,892

 

 
59,773

Less provision for loan losses

 

 

 
10,500

 

 

 
10,500

Net interest income (loss) after provision for loan losses
381

 
1,510

 
(4,173
)
 
48,665

 
2,892

 

 
49,273

Other income:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Loan servicing and systems revenue
112,579

 

 

 

 

 

 
112,579

Intersegment servicing revenue
12,290

 

 

 

 

 
(12,290
)
 

Education technology, services, and payment processing revenue

 
58,409

 

 

 

 

 
58,409

Communications revenue

 

 
11,818

 

 

 

 
11,818

Other income
1,948

 

 
950

 
3,267

 
10,508

 

 
16,673

Gain from debt repurchases

 

 

 

 

 

 

Derivative settlements, net

 

 

 
22,448

 
(124
)
 

 
22,324

Derivative market value and foreign currency transaction adjustments, net

 

 

 
(6,056
)
 
830

 

 
(5,226
)
Total other income
126,817

 
58,409

 
12,768

 
19,659

 
11,214

 
(12,290
)
 
216,577

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

 
19,087

 

 

 

 

 
19,087

Cost to provide communications services

 

 
4,310

 

 

 

 
4,310

Total cost of services

 
19,087

 
4,310

 

 

 

 
23,397

Operating expenses:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Salaries and benefits
70,440

 
19,972

 
4,554

 
424

 
18,782

 

 
114,172

Depreciation and amortization
8,957

 
3,435

 
6,167

 

 
4,433

 

 
22,992

Loan servicing fees

 

 

 
3,087

 

 

 
3,087

Other expenses
19,638

 
4,943

 
3,151

 
845

 
16,616

 

 
45,194

Intersegment expenses, net
15,029

 
2,494

 
598

 
12,378

 
(18,208
)
 
(12,290
)
 

Total operating expenses
114,064

 
30,844

 
14,470

 
16,734

 
21,623

 
(12,290
)
 
185,445

Income (loss) before income taxes
13,134

 
9,988

 
(10,185
)
 
51,590

 
(7,517
)
 

 
57,008

Income tax (expense) benefit (a)
(3,152
)
 
(2,397
)
 
2,444

 
(12,381
)
 
1,604

 

 
(13,882
)
Net income (loss)
9,982

 
7,591

 
(7,741
)
 
39,209

 
(5,913
)
 

 
43,126

  Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests

 

 

 

 
(199
)
 

 
(199
)
Net income (loss) attributable to Nelnet, Inc.
$
9,982

 
7,591

 
(7,741
)
 
39,209

 
(6,112
)
 

 
42,927


(a)
As a result of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, beginning January 1, 2018, income taxes are allocated based on 24% of income before taxes for each individual operating segment. The difference between the consolidated income tax expense and the sum of the taxes calculated for each operating segment, if any, is included in income taxes in Corporate and Other Activities.

10




 
Three months ended June 30, 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
$
293

 
748

 
1

 
226,509

 
6,062

 
(4,425
)
 
229,189

Interest expense

 

 
3,303

 
169,623

 
2,949

 
(4,425
)
 
171,450

Net interest income
293

 
748

 
(3,302
)
 
56,886

 
3,113

 

 
57,739

Less provision for loan losses

 

 

 
3,500

 

 

 
3,500

Net interest income (loss) after provision for loan losses
293

 
748

 
(3,302
)
 
53,386

 
3,113

 

 
54,239

Other income:
 

 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

Loan servicing and systems revenue
114,545

 

 

 

 

 

 
114,545

Intersegment servicing revenue
11,609

 

 

 

 

 
(11,609
)
 

Education technology, services, and payment processing revenue

 
48,742

 

 

 

 

 
48,742

Communications revenue

 

 
10,320

 

 

 

 
10,320

Other income
1,956

 

 

 
2,772

 
4,851

 

 
9,580

Gain from debt repurchases

 

 

 

 

 

 

Derivative settlements, net

 

 

 
22,053

 
(125
)
 

 
21,928

Derivative market value and foreign currency transaction adjustments, net

 

 

 
(5,446
)
 
548

 

 
(4,897
)
Total other income
128,110


48,742


10,320


19,379


5,274


(11,609
)

200,218

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

 
11,317

 

 

 

 

 
11,317

Cost to provide communications services

 

 
3,865

 

 

 

 
3,865

Total cost of services

 
11,317

 
3,865

 

 

 

 
15,182

Operating expenses:
 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

Salaries and benefits
69,434

 
19,513

 
4,668

 
377

 
17,126

 

 
111,118

Depreciation and amortization
8,212

 
3,286

 
5,497

 

 
4,500

 

 
21,494

Loan servicing fees

 

 

 
3,204

 

 

 
3,204

Other expenses
17,490

 
5,383

 
3,023

 
1,288

 
13,225

 

 
40,409

Intersegment expenses, net
15,583

 
2,570

 
599

 
11,700

 
(18,842
)
 
(11,609
)
 

Total operating expenses
110,719


30,752


13,787


16,569


16,009


(11,609
)

176,225

Income (loss) before income taxes
17,684

 
7,421

 
(10,634
)
 
56,196

 
(7,622
)
 

 
63,050

Income tax (expense) benefit (a)
(4,245
)
 
(1,781
)
 
2,552

 
(13,487
)
 
3,451

 

 
(13,511
)
Net income (loss)
13,439


5,640


(8,082
)

42,709


(4,171
)



49,539

  Net loss (income) attributable to noncontrolling interests

 

 

 

 
(104
)
 

 
(104
)
Net income (loss) attributable to Nelnet, Inc.
$
13,439


5,640


(8,082
)

42,709


(4,275
)



49,435


(a)
As a result of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, beginning January 1, 2018, income taxes are allocated based on 24% of income before taxes for each individual operating segment. The difference between the consolidated income tax expense and the sum of the taxes calculated for each operating segment, if any, is included in income taxes in Corporate and Other Activities.


11



 
Three months ended September 30, 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
$
147

 
5

 
1

 
194,971

 
3,903

 
(2,139
)
 
196,887

Interest expense

 

 
1,551

 
121,074

 
1,165

 
(2,139
)
 
121,650

Net interest income
147

 
5

 
(1,550
)
 
73,897

 
2,738

 

 
75,237

Less provision for loan losses

 

 

 
6,700

 

 

 
6,700

Net interest income (loss) after provision for loan losses
147

 
5

 
(1,550
)
 
67,197

 
2,738

 

 
68,537

Other income:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Loan servicing and systems revenue
55,950

 

 

 

 

 

 
55,950

Intersegment servicing revenue
10,563

 

 

 

 

 
(10,563
)
 

Education technology, services, and payment processing revenue

 
50,358

 

 

 

 

 
50,358

Communications revenue

 

 
6,751

 

 

 

 
6,751

Other income

 

 

 
2,753

 
17,003

 

 
19,756

Gain from debt repurchases

 

 

 
116

 

 

 
116

Derivative settlements, net

 

 

 
(382
)
 
(191
)
 

 
(573
)
Derivative market value and foreign currency transaction adjustments, net

 

 

 
7,702

 
44

 

 
7,746

Total other income
66,513

 
50,358

 
6,751

 
10,189

 
16,856

 
(10,563
)
 
140,104

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

 
15,151

 

 

 

 

 
15,151

Cost to provide communications services

 

 
2,632

 

 

 

 
2,632

Total cost of services

 
15,151

 
2,632

 

 

 

 
17,783

Operating expenses:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Salaries and benefits
38,435

 
17,432

 
4,099

 
392

 
13,834

 

 
74,193

Depreciation and amortization
549

 
2,316

 
3,145

 

 
4,040

 

 
10,051

Loan servicing fees

 

 

 
8,017

 

 

 
8,017

Other expenses
10,317

 
3,981

 
2,278

 
676

 
12,248

 

 
29,500

Intersegment expenses, net
7,774

 
2,219

 
470

 
10,659

 
(10,559
)
 
(10,563
)
 

Total operating expenses
57,075

 
25,948

 
9,992

 
19,744

 
19,563

 
(10,563
)
 
121,761

Income (loss) before income taxes
9,585

 
9,264

 
(7,423
)
 
57,642

 
31

 

 
69,097

Income tax (expense) benefit
(4,937
)
 
(3,520
)
 
2,821

 
(21,904
)
 
1,978

 

 
(25,562
)
Net income (loss)
4,648

 
5,744

 
(4,602
)
 
35,738

 
2,009

 

 
43,535

  Net loss (income) attributable to noncontrolling interests
3,408

 

 

 

 
(640
)
 

 
2,768

Net income (loss) attributable to Nelnet, Inc.
$
8,056

 
5,744

 
(4,602
)
 
35,738

 
1,369

 

 
46,303



12



 
Nine months ended September 30, 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
$
931

 
2,927

 
3

 
662,881

 
17,673

 
(12,420
)
 
671,995

Interest expense

 
3

 
9,987

 
480,729

 
8,875

 
(12,420
)
 
487,174

Net interest income
931

 
2,924

 
(9,984
)
 
182,152

 
8,798

 

 
184,821

Less provision for loan losses

 

 
 
 
18,000

 

 

 
18,000

Net interest income (loss) after provision for loan losses
931

 
2,924

 
(9,984
)
 
164,152

 
8,798

 

 
166,821

Other income:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Loan servicing and systems revenue
327,265

 

 

 

 

 

 
327,265

Intersegment servicing revenue
34,670

 

 

 

 

 
(34,670
)
 

Education technology, services, and payment processing revenue

 
167,372

 

 

 

 

 
167,372

Communications revenue

 

 
31,327

 

 

 

 
31,327

Other income
5,196

 

 
950

 
9,032

 
29,272

 

 
44,449

Gain from debt repurchases

 

 

 
359

 

 

 
359

Derivative settlements, net

 

 

 
51,428

 
(410
)
 

 
51,018

Derivative market value and foreign currency transaction adjustments, net

 

 

 
47,070

 
2,839

 

 
49,909

Total other income
367,131

 
167,372

 
32,277

 
107,889

 
31,701

 
(34,670
)
 
671,699

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

 
44,087

 

 

 

 

 
44,087

Cost to provide communications services

 

 
11,892

 

 

 

 
11,892

Total cost of services

 
44,087

 
11,892

 

 

 

 
55,979

Operating expenses:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Salaries and benefits
198,411

 
58,552

 
13,284

 
1,183

 
50,502

 

 
321,932

Depreciation and amortization
23,237

 
10,062

 
16,585

 

 
13,058

 

 
62,943

Loan servicing fees

 

 

 
9,428

 

 

 
9,428

Other expenses
51,591

 
14,950

 
8,811

 
2,982

 
40,686

 

 
119,020

Intersegment expenses, net
43,968

 
7,630

 
1,802

 
34,943

 
(53,672
)
 
(34,670
)
 

Total operating expenses
317,207

 
91,194

 
40,482

 
48,536

 
50,574

 
(34,670
)
 
513,323

Income (loss) before income taxes
50,855

 
35,015

 
(30,081
)
 
223,505

 
(10,075
)
 

 
269,218

Income tax (expense) benefit (a)
(12,399
)
 
(8,404
)
 
7,220

 
(53,641
)
 
3,855

 

 
(63,369
)
Net income (loss)
38,456

 
26,611

 
(22,861
)
 
169,864

 
(6,220
)
 

 
205,849

  Net loss (income) attributable to noncontrolling interests
808

 

 

 

 
(371
)
 

 
438

Net income (loss) attributable to Nelnet, Inc.
$
39,264

 
26,611

 
(22,861
)
 
169,864

 
(6,591
)
 

 
206,287


(a)
As a result of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, beginning January 1, 2018, income taxes are allocated based on 24% of income before taxes for each individual operating segment. The difference between the consolidated income tax expense and the sum of the taxes calculated for each operating segment, if any, is included in income taxes in Corporate and Other Activities.


13



 
Nine months ended September 30, 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
$
361

 
10

 
2

 
568,665

 
10,026

 
(5,274
)
 
573,789

Interest expense

 

 
3,367

 
340,898

 
2,794

 
(5,274
)
 
341,787

Net interest income
361

 
10

 
(3,365
)
 
227,767

 
7,232

 

 
232,002

Less provision for loan losses

 

 

 
10,700

 

 

 
10,700

Net interest income (loss) after provision for loan losses
361

 
10

 
(3,365
)
 
217,067

 
7,232

 

 
221,302

Other income:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Loan servicing and systems revenue
167,079

 

 

 

 

 

 
167,079

Intersegment servicing revenue
30,839

 

 

 

 

 
(30,839
)
 

Education technology, services, and payment processing revenue

 
149,862

 

 

 

 

 
149,862

Communications revenue

 

 
17,577

 

 

 

 
17,577

Other income

 

 

 
9,152

 
35,722

 

 
44,874

Gain from debt repurchases

 

 

 
1,097

 
4,440

 

 
5,537

Derivative settlements, net

 

 

 
(1,721
)
 
(593
)
 

 
(2,314
)
Derivative market value and foreign currency transaction adjustments, net

 

 

 
(23,121
)
 
(133
)
 

 
(23,254
)
Total other income
197,918

 
149,862

 
17,577

 
(14,593
)
 
39,436

 
(30,839
)
 
359,361

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

 
37,456

 

 

 

 

 
37,456

Cost to provide communications services

 

 
6,789

 

 

 

 
6,789

Total cost of services

 
37,456

 
6,789

 

 

 

 
44,245

Operating expenses:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Salaries and benefits
116,932

 
50,986

 
10,489

 
1,156

 
41,121

 

 
220,684

Depreciation and amortization
1,644

 
7,053

 
7,880

 

 
11,109

 

 
27,687

Loan servicing fees

 

 

 
19,670

 

 

 
19,670

Other expenses
28,333

 
13,185

 
5,422

 
2,487

 
32,497

 

 
81,923

Intersegment expenses, net
23,496

 
6,430

 
1,472

 
31,114

 
(31,673
)
 
(30,839
)
 

Total operating expenses
170,405

 
77,654

 
25,263

 
54,427

 
53,054

 
(30,839
)
 
349,964

Income (loss) before income taxes
27,874

 
34,762

 
(17,840
)
 
148,047

 
(6,386
)
 

 
186,454

Income tax (expense) benefit
(14,410
)
 
(13,210
)
 
6,779

 
(56,258
)
 
6,749

 

 
(70,349
)
Net income (loss)
13,464

 
21,552

 
(11,061
)
 
91,789

 
363

 

 
116,105

  Net loss (income) attributable to noncontrolling interests
10,050

 

 

 

 
(1,090
)
 

 
8,960

Net income (loss) attributable to Nelnet, Inc.
$
23,514

 
21,552

 
(11,061
)
 
91,789

 
(727
)
 

 
125,065



14




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
 
Nine months ended
 
September 30, 2018
 
June 30, 2018
 
September 30, 2017
 
September 30, 2018
 
September 30, 2017
Variable loan interest margin
$
42,455

 
40,416

 
48,017

 
129,756

 
140,805

Settlements on associated derivatives (a)
3,361

 
2,979

 
(4,265
)
 
4,676

 
(7,598
)
Variable loan interest margin, net of settlements on derivatives
45,816

 
43,395

 
43,752

 
134,432

 
133,207

Fixed rate floor income
13,659

 
14,453

 
24,586

 
45,359

 
84,382

Settlements on associated derivatives (b)
19,087

 
19,074

 
3,883

 
46,752

 
5,877

Fixed rate floor income, net of settlements on derivatives
32,746

 
33,527

 
28,469

 
92,111

 
90,259

Investment interest
7,628

 
5,818

 
3,800

 
18,581

 
9,616

Corporate debt interest expense
(3,969
)
 
(2,948
)
 
(1,166
)
 
(8,875
)
 
(2,801
)
Non-portfolio related derivative settlements (c)
(124
)
 
(125
)
 
(191
)
 
(410
)
 
(593
)
Net interest income (net of settlements on derivatives)
$
82,097

 
79,667

 
74,664

 
235,839

 
229,688


(a)
Includes the net settlements received (paid) related to the Company’s 1:3 basis swaps, and the cross-currency interest rate swap in place prior to the October 2017 remarketing of previously Euro-denominated bonds.

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

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


15



Loan Servicing Volumes (dollars in millions)

The Company purchased Great Lakes on February 7, 2018. During the second quarter of 2018, the Company converted Great Lakes' FFELP and private education loan servicing volume to Nelnet's servicing platform to leverage the efficiencies of supporting more volume on fewer systems.

loanservvol2018q3a01.jpg

Company owned
$16,962
 
$16,352
 
$15,789
 
$18,403
 
$17,827
 
$17,866
 
$19,113
 
$19,206
% of total
8.7%
 
8.2%
 
7.9%
 
8.9%
 
8.4%
 
3.8%
 
4.1%
 
4.1%
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

 
5,745,181

 
7,378,875

 
5,805,307

 
7,486,311

FFELP servicing:
1,312,192

 
1,263,785

 
1,218,706

 
1,317,552

 
1,420,311

 
1,399,280

 
461,553

 
1,787,419

 

 
1,754,247

 

Private education and consumer loan servicing:
355,096

 
389,010

 
454,182

 
478,150

 
502,114

 
508,750

 
118,609

 
672,520

 
3,987

 
692,763

 

Total:
7,639,907

 
7,576,894

 
7,522,171

 
7,702,106

 
7,799,839

 
7,727,316

 
8,036,992

 
8,205,120

 
7,382,862

 
8,252,317

 
7,486,311

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Number of remote hosted borrowers:
2,230,019

 
2,305,991

 
2,317,151

 
2,714,588

 
2,812,713

 
6,207,747
 
6,145,981
 
6,406,923





16



Communications Financial and Operating Data

Certain financial and operating data for ALLO is summarized in the tables below.
 
Three months ended
 
Nine months ended
 
September 30, 2018
 
June 30, 2018
 
September 30, 2017
 
September 30, 2018
 
September 30, 2017
Residential revenue
$
8,896

 
7,727

 
4,680

 
23,367

 
11,851

Business revenue
2,861

 
2,535

 
2,013

 
7,779

 
5,525

Other
61

 
58

 
58

 
181

 
201

Communications revenue
$
11,818

 
10,320

 
6,751

 
31,327

 
17,577

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Net (loss) income
$
(7,741
)
 
(8,082
)
 
(4,602
)
 
(22,861
)
 
(11,061
)
EBITDA (a)
155

 
(1,835
)
 
(2,728
)
 
(3,512
)
 
(6,595
)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Capital expenditures
21,728

 
27,189

 
29,417

 
66,816

 
78,430

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Revenue contribution:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Internet
54.6
%
 
52.2
%
 
47.5
%
 
52.8
%
 
45.3
%
Television
28.6

 
29.9

 
31.3

 
29.5

 
31.3

Telephone
16.6

 
17.7

 
20.9

 
17.5

 
22.9

Other
0.2

 
0.2

 
0.3

 
0.2

 
0.5

 
100.0
%
 
100.0
%
 
100.0
%
 
100.0
%
 
100.0
%

 
As of September 30, 2018
 
As of
June 30,
2018
 
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
32,529

 
27,643

 
23,541

 
20,428

 
16,394

 
12,460

 
10,524

 
9,814

Households passed (b)
110,687

 
98,538

 
84,475

 
71,426

 
54,815

 
45,880

 
34,925

 
30,962

Total households in current markets (c)
142,602

 
137,500

 
137,500

 
137,500

 
137,500

 
137,500

 
137,500

 
137,500

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

 
152,840

 
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 below:
 
Three months ended
 
Nine months ended
 
September 30, 2018
 
June 30, 2018
 
September 30, 2017
 
September 30, 2018
 
September 30, 2017
Net loss
$
(7,741
)
 
(8,082
)
 
(4,602
)
 
(22,861
)
 
(11,061
)
Net interest expense
4,173

 
3,302

 
1,550

 
9,984

 
3,365

Income tax benefit
(2,444
)
 
(2,552
)
 
(2,821
)
 
(7,220
)
 
(6,779
)
Depreciation and amortization
6,167

 
5,497

 
3,145

 
16,585

 
7,880

Earnings (loss) before interest, income taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA)
$
155

 
(1,835
)
 
(2,728
)
 
(3,512
)
 
(6,595
)
(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 third quarter of 2018, ALLO began providing service in Fort Morgan, Colorado.
(d)
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.


17



Other Income

The following table summarizes the components of "other income."
 
Three months ended
 
Nine months ended
 
September 30, 2018
 
June 30, 2018
 
September 30, 2017
 
September 30, 2018
 
September 30, 2017
Realized and unrealized gains on investments, net
$
1,288

 
1,136

 
2,201

 
11,505

 
3,818

Borrower late fee income
3,253

 
2,758

 
2,731

 
8,994

 
9,098

Investment advisory fees
1,183

 
1,394

 
5,852

 
4,169

 
11,661

Management fee revenue
1,756

 
1,756

 

 
4,673

 

Peterson's revenue

 

 
3,402

 

 
9,282

Other
9,193

 
2,536

 
5,570

 
15,108

 
11,015

Other income
$
16,673

 
9,580

 
19,756

 
44,449

 
44,874


Derivative Settlements

The following table summarizes the components of "derivative settlements, net" included in the attached consolidated statements of income.
 
Three months ended
 
Nine months ended
 
September 30, 2018
 
June 30, 2018
 
September 30, 2017
 
September 30,
2018
 
September 30,
2017
1:3 basis swaps
$
3,361

 
2,979

 
(2,172
)
 
4,676

 
(1,836
)
Interest rate swaps - floor income hedges
19,087

 
19,074

 
3,883

 
46,752

 
5,877

Interest rate swaps - hybrid debt hedges
(124
)
 
(125
)
 
(191
)
 
(410
)
 
(593
)
Cross-currency interest rate swap

 

 
(2,093
)
 

 
(5,762
)
Total derivative settlements - income (expense)
$
22,324

 
21,928

 
(573
)
 
51,018

 
(2,314
)

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 previously 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
 
Nine months ended
 
September 30, 2018
 
June 30, 2018
 
September 30, 2017
 
September 30,
2018
 
September 30,
2017
Change in fair value of derivatives -
income (expense)
$
(5,226
)
 
(4,897
)
 
21,429

 
49,909

 
22,381

Foreign currency transaction adjustment - income (expense)

 

 
(13,683
)
 

 
(45,635
)
Derivative market value and foreign currency transaction adjustments - income (expense)
$
(5,226
)
 
(4,897
)
 
7,746

 
49,909

 
(23,254
)


18



Loans Receivable

Loans receivable consisted of the following:
 
As of
 
As of
 
As of
 
September 30, 2018
 
December 31, 2017
 
September 30, 2017
Federally insured student loans:
 
 
 
 
 
Stafford and other
$
4,956,324

 
4,418,881

 
4,534,585

Consolidation
17,434,419

 
17,302,725

 
17,952,697

Total
22,390,743

 
21,721,606

 
22,487,282

Private education loans
169,467

 
212,160

 
226,630

Consumer loans
112,547

 
62,111

 
40,890

 
22,672,757

 
21,995,877

 
22,754,802

Loan discount, net of unamortized loan premiums and deferred origination costs
(63,566
)
 
(113,695
)
 
(118,500
)
Non-accretable discount
(20,612
)
 
(13,085
)
 
(13,532
)
Allowance for loan losses:
 
 
 
 
 
Federally insured loans
(43,053
)
 
(38,706
)
 
(39,398
)
Private education loans
(11,253
)
 
(12,629
)
 
(12,566
)
Consumer loans
(5,911
)
 
(3,255
)
 
(1,667
)
 
$
22,528,362

 
21,814,507

 
22,569,139


Loan Activity

The following table sets forth the activity of loans:

 
Three months ended September 30,
 
Nine months ended September 30,
 
2018
 
2017
 
2018
 
2017
Beginning balance
$
22,856,285

 
23,415,159

 
21,995,877

 
25,103,643

Loan acquisitions:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Federally insured student loans
591,196

 
37,409

 
3,124,154

 
141,688

Private education loans

 
123

 
194

 
698

Consumer loans
42,819

 
19,279

 
80,385

 
45,270

Total loan acquisitions
634,015

 
56,811

 
3,204,733

 
187,656

Repayments, claims, capitalized interest, and other
(502,474
)
 
(449,837
)
 
(1,714,820
)
 
(1,647,430
)
Consolidation loans lost to external parties
(292,749
)
 
(267,331
)
 
(789,321
)
 
(889,067
)
Loans sold
(22,320
)
 

 
(23,712
)
 

Ending balance
$
22,672,757

 
22,754,802

 
22,672,757

 
22,754,802



19



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
 
Nine months ended
 
September 30, 2018
 
June 30, 2018
 
September 30, 2017
 
September 30, 2018
 
September 30, 2017
Variable loan yield, gross
4.57
 %
 
4.46
 %
 
3.64
 %
 
4.40
 %
 
3.45
 %
Consolidation rebate fees
(0.83
)
 
(0.85
)
 
(0.85
)
 
(0.84
)
 
(0.84
)
Discount accretion, net of premium and deferred origination costs amortization
0.03

 
0.04

 
0.07

 
0.04

 
0.07

Variable loan yield, net
3.77

 
3.65

 
2.86

 
3.60

 
2.68

Loan cost of funds - interest expense
(3.10
)
 
(3.00
)
 
(2.09
)
 
(2.89
)
 
(1.91
)
Loan cost of funds - derivative settlements (a) (b)
0.06

 
0.05

 
(0.07
)
 
0.03

 
(0.04
)
Variable loan spread
0.73

 
0.70

 
0.70

 
0.74

 
0.73

Fixed rate floor income, gross
0.23

 
0.25

 
0.42

 
0.27

 
0.47

Fixed rate floor income - derivative settlements (a) (c)
0.34

 
0.34

 
0.07

 
0.28

 
0.03

Fixed rate floor income, net of settlements on derivatives
0.57

 
0.59

 
0.49

 
0.55

 
0.50

Core loan spread (d)
1.30
 %
 
1.29
 %
 
1.19
 %
 
1.29
 %
 
1.23
 %
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Average balance of loans
$
22,971,361

 
22,959,660

 
23,188,577

 
22,600,841

 
23,948,108

Average balance of debt outstanding
22,557,437

 
22,476,114

 
22,892,789

 
22,165,059

 
23,687,067


(a)
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.

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

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

(d) 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%, 1.23%, and 1.17% for the three months ended September 30, 2018, June 30, 2018, and September 30, 2017, respectively, and 1.25% and 1.22% for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively.



20



A trend analysis of the Company's core and variable student loan spreads is summarized below.
slsgraph2018q3aa06.jpg
(a)
The interest earned on the majority of the Company's FFELP student loan assets is indexed to the one-month LIBOR rate.  The Company funds a large portion 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 difference between variable loan spread and core loan spread is fixed rate floor income.  A summary of fixed rate floor income and its contribution to core loan spread follows:
 
Three months ended
 
Nine months ended
 
September 30, 2018
 
June 30, 2018
 
September 30, 2017
 
September 30, 2018
 
September 30, 2017
Fixed rate floor income, gross
$
13,659

 
14,453

 
24,586

 
45,359

 
84,382

Derivative settlements (a)
19,087

 
19,074

 
3,883

 
46,752

 
5,877

Fixed rate floor income, net
$
32,746

 
33,527

 
28,469

 
92,111

 
90,259

Fixed rate floor income contribution to spread, net
0.57
%
 
0.59
%
 
0.49
%
 
0.55
%
 
0.50
%

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



21



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 September 30, 2018.
Fixed interest rate range
 
Borrower/lender weighted average yield
 
Estimated variable conversion rate (a)
 
Loan balance
4.5 - 4.99%
 
4.87
%
 
2.23
%
 
$
224,158

5.0 - 5.49%
 
5.22
%
 
2.58
%
 
525,656

5.5 - 5.99%
 
5.67
%
 
3.03
%
 
349,857

6.0 - 6.49%
 
6.19
%
 
3.55
%
 
399,150

6.5 - 6.99%
 
6.70
%
 
4.06
%
 
384,416

7.0 - 7.49%
 
7.17
%
 
4.53
%
 
137,146

7.5 - 7.99%
 
7.71
%
 
5.07
%
 
234,915

8.0 - 8.99%
 
8.18
%
 
5.54
%
 
539,835

> 9.0%
 
9.05
%
 
6.41
%
 
197,587

 
 
 
 
 
 
$
2,992,720


(a)
The estimated variable conversion rate is the estimated short-term interest rate at which loans would convert to a variable rate. As of September 30, 2018, the weighted average estimated variable conversion rate was 4.00% and the short-term interest rate was 214 basis points.

The following table summarizes the outstanding derivative instruments as of September 30, 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
 
$
250,000

 
0.92
%
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

 
 
$
6,300,000

 
1.26
%

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

22