Finance
AgriBank Reports Third Quarter 2024 Financial Results
Continued Strong Net Income and Loan Credit Quality
ST. PAUL, Minn., Nov. 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Today, St. Paul-based AgriBank announced financial results for the third quarter of 2024, with strong profitability, credit quality, and liquidity and capital.
Highlights:
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Profitability: Net income remained strong at $685.0 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024. AgriBank’s year-to-date return on assets (ROA) ratio of 51 basis points was above the target of 50 basis points.
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Credit quality: Total loan portfolio credit quality remained strong, with 99.4 percent of loans classified as acceptable at September 30, 2024.
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Liquidity and capital: End-of-the-quarter liquidity was 155 days, well above the regulatory requirement. Capital also remained well above the regulatory minimums and company targets.
“Amid a continued volatile interest rate environment, AgriBank is able to report another successful quarter with consistent profitability, credit quality, and liquidity and capital,” said AgriBank CEO Jeffrey Swanhorst. “We look forward to continuing to collaborate with the Farm Credit Associations we support to bolster their financial performance as, together, we meet the credit needs of farmers, ranchers and other rural borrowers.”
2024 Results of Operations
Net interest income was $768.5 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, an increase of $46.6 million, or 6.5 percent, compared to the same period of the prior year. The increase was primarily driven by higher spread income on retail loans in AgriBank’s asset pool portfolio, when compared to the prior year, due to the purchase of a significant number of loan participations during the second half of 2023. Additionally, the benefit of equity financing from higher interest rates compared to the same period of the prior year has also contributed to the increase in net interest income. Equity financing represents the benefit of non-interest bearing funding. AgriBank typically experiences slight net interest margin compression as fixed-rate assets age, usually offset by the margin from new volume. However, with the current inverted yield curve, new volume margins are not providing the typical offset. Additionally, spread income on investment securities has declined compared to the same period of the prior year due to the mix of investment securities and reduced spreads on money market instruments.
Non-interest income was $85.9 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, an increase of $12.7 million, or 17.3 percent, compared to the same period of the prior year, primarily related to an Allocated Insurance Reserve Accounts (AIRAs) distribution received from the Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation (FCSIC) during the second quarter of 2024. Additionally, mineral income increased for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, compared to the same period of the prior year, related to a rise in oil production, a result of an increase in new well activity during the first quarter of 2024.
I’ve been thinking about financial risk lately.
Should I change my asset allocation in my retirement portfolio, considering Donald Trump’s successful bid for the White House? Stock market valuations have risen smartly in recent years, which real income growth, productivity improvements, technological innovation, low unemployment rates and healthy corporate profits have largely powered. Yet with the election of Trump, voters have approved a massive economic experiment.
The Trump administration comes into power with many policy goals, but four economic initiatives stand out: Enacting significant tax cuts; imposing broad-based and significant tariffs; sweeping raids, mass deportations and tighter immigration controls; and slashing federal government regulations. The extent that these plans turn into reality and how each policy will interact with the others is uncertain. The risks are obvious. The outcome isn’t.
Enter risk management, a critical concept in finance. Professionals often associate risk with volatility. The tight link makes sense, since owning assets with high volatility hikes the odds of losses if there is a pressing need to sell the asset to raise money.
However, for the typical individual and household, risk means the odds money decisions made today don’t pan out. Managing risk means lowering the negative financial impact on your desired standard of living from decisions gone wrong and when circumstances take an untoward turn.
“Anything that makes reaching or maintaining that more likely reduces your risk, and anything that makes this less likely increases your risk,” writes Bob French, the investment expert at Retirement Researcher. “Everything else is just details.”
The key risk management concept is a margin of safety, a bedrock personal finance idea broader than investment portfolios. It can include having an emergency savings fund, owning life insurance to protect your family and investing in your network of friends and colleagues to hedge against the risk of losing your job. The right mix depends on the particulars of your situation.
In my case, after studying my portfolio, running household money numbers and reviewing lifestyle goals, I’m comfortable with the asset allocation in my retirement portfolio. There is too much noise in the markets for comfort, and market timing is always tricky. The prudent approach with my individual situation is to stay the course.
At a Zoom meeting on Friday, November 22, School Superintendent Dr. E. Xiomara Herman recommended to the Regional School Committee and Union 26 School Committee that Shannon Bernacchia be appointed interim Finance Director for the schools, replacing Doug Slaughter who had served in that position since 2019. Bernacchia has served as Assistant Finance Director under Slaughter. Her appointment was approved unanimously by both school committees.
In recommending Bernacchia for the interim director position, Herman cited her “impressive career, dedication, and accomplishments during this transitional period [to a new administration],” adding, “Since joining our district, she has demonstrated exceptional proficiency in managing complex financial operations, including preparing budgets, overseeing audits, and providing detailed financial reporting to the school committee.”
Bernacchia holds a Bachelors Degree in Business Management from Bay Path University and professional training in school fund accounting. She currently holds an emergency School Business Administrator license valid through 2025 and has completed all requirements for her initial license, except for the 300 hours of mentorship. She anticipates completing that requirement in January, 2025. Former Amherst Regional Public Schools and Town of Amherst Finance Director Sean Mangano is serving as her mentor.
Herman expressed confidence in Bernacchia’s ability to head the district’s financial operations.
In acknowledging her appointment, Bernacchia thanked the school committee members and said that she was excited to work with superintendent who is woman.
NEW YORK (Reuters) -The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission obtained $8.2 billion in financial remedies, the highest amount in its history, in fiscal 2024, the agency said in a statement on Friday.
The SEC filed 583 enforcement actions in the year that ended in September, down 26% from a year earlier, it said in a statement.
The $8.2 billion in financial remedies included $6.1 billion in disgorgement and prejudgment interest, a record, and $2.1 billion in civil penalties, the second-highest amount on record, according to the SEC’s statement.
Much of the total financial remedies came from a single action: a $4.5 billion settlement with the now-bankrupt crypto firm Terraform Labs, following a unanimous jury verdict against the firm and its founder Do Kwon. The SEC is expected to collect little of that settlement amount because it agreed to be paid only after Terraform satisfies crypto loss claims as part of its bankruptcy wind-down.
The SEC also obtained orders barring 124 individuals from serving as officers and directors of public companies, the second-highest number of such prohibitions in a decade. Holding individuals accountable for misconduct has been a priority of the agency under Chair Gary Gensler, who is stepping down in January.
“The Division of Enforcement is a steadfast cop on the beat, following the facts and the law wherever they lead to hold wrongdoers accountable,” Gensler said in a statement about the agency’s 2024 enforcement results.
(Reporting by Chris Prentice; Editing by Leslie Adler and Jonathan Oatis)
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