TORONTO, Feb. 26,
2024 /CNW/ - MCAN Mortgage Corporation d/b/a MCAN
Financial Group ("MCAN", the "Company" or "we") (TSX: MKP) reported
our highest annual net income in our history of $77.5 million ($2.22 earnings per share) for 2023, an increase
from net income of $55.4 million
($1.77 earnings per share) for the
prior fiscal year. Return on average shareholders'
equity1 was 15.05% for 2023 compared to 12.47% for the
prior fiscal year. We reported higher total net income for the year
mainly as a result of higher net corporate mortgage spread income
as we continued to adjust our portfolio to take advantage of the
higher interest rate environment. Our net corporate mortgage spread
income1 increased by $30.7
million for the current fiscal year compared to the prior
fiscal year. For the fourth quarter of 2023, we reported net income
of $19.9 million ($0.56 earnings per share), a decrease from net
income of $24.1 million ($0.75 earnings per share) in the fourth quarter
of 2022. Fourth quarter 2023 return on average shareholders'
equity1 was 15.01% compared to 21.17% for the same
period in the prior year. While net corporate mortgage spread
income was strong and ahead of the prior year, a number of factors
impacted our Q4 results, including recording a higher provision for
credit losses in the current year. We are committed to a strategy
of managing controllable factors to protect our bottom line and
taking advantage of opportunities that arise in the current market
environment.
The Board of Directors declared a first quarter regular cash
dividend of $0.39 per share (a 5.4%
increase on an annualized basis from 2023) to be paid on
March 28, 2024 to shareholders of
record as of March 15, 2024. As a
mortgage investment corporation, we pay out all of our taxable
income to shareholders through dividends. Largely as a result of
tax timing differences on various investing strategies that we
undertook in the second half of 2023, we will not need to
distribute a special dividend in the first quarter of 2024.
"I am thrilled to announce that we have achieved exceptional
year end results with our highest net income in our history. We
grew our diversified assets by 16% during the year reaching almost
$5 billion at year end. Our strong
performance is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our
talented team, coupled with strategic decision-making during this
uncertain market to achieve profitable growth," said Don Coulter, Chief Executive Officer. "As we
celebrate this remarkable achievement, we remain committed to
driving sustainable growth and maximizing shareholder value in the
long term."
Highlights
- Corporate assets totalled $2.76
billion at December 31, 2023,
a net increase of $473 million (21%)
from December 31, 2022.
- Construction and commercial mortgages totalled $1.12 billion at December
31, 2023, a net increase of $187
million (20%) from December 31,
2022. Year to date 2023, the positive movement in the
construction and commercial portfolios is attributed to
originations of $666 million in new
construction and commercial mortgages, partially offset by
maturities and repayments. Originations have been strong this year
and some extensions of projects due to normal construction delays
or normal delays relating to the permitting and zoning process has
meant that we have not experienced as much run-off in the portfolio
as expected. To date, projects continue to progress toward
completion.
- Uninsured residential mortgages totalled $967 million at December
31, 2023, a net increase of $138
million (17%) from December 31,
2022. Uninsured residential mortgage originations totalled
$352 million year to date 2023, a
decrease of $17 million (4%) from the
same period in 2022. The economic and interest rate environment and
its impact on the housing market and borrowers has caused a
slowdown in origination volumes in 2023. However, we have seen an
increase in our uninsured residential mortgage renewal rates with
renewals of $495 million year to date
2023 compared to $435 million year to
date 2022 as borrowers find it more convenient to stay with their
existing lender in the current market environment.
- Non-marketable securities totalled $110
million at December 31, 2023,
an increase of $13 million (13%) from
December 31, 2022 with $76 million of remaining capital advances
expected to fund over the next five years.
- Marketable securities totalled $50
million at December 31, 2023,
a net decrease of $3 million (6%)
from December 31, 2022 due to net
unrealized fair value losses. In 2023, we saw REIT prices decrease
due to Bank of Canada interest
rate increases and uncertainty around future rate increases and
recessionary pressures.
- Securitized mortgages totalled $1.93
billion at December 31, 2023,
a net increase of $179 million (10%)
from December 31, 2022, due to
continued originations being ahead of maturities in the securitized
portfolio.
- Overall, for the year to date, total insured residential
origination volumes (including commitments sold) were lower in 2023
as a result of the higher interest rate environment, particularly
for first time home buyers, who would be a significant portion of
the borrowers of insured residential mortgages. Insured residential
mortgage originations totalled $523
million year to date 2023, a decrease of $65 million (11%) from the same period in 2022.
This includes $25 million of insured
residential mortgage commitments originated and sold in 2023
compared to $228 million in 2022.
Insured residential mortgage securitizations totalled $359 million year to date 2023, a decrease of
$67 million (16%) from the same
period in 2022. Insured residential mortgages being held for
upcoming securitizations totalled $277
million at December 31, 2023,
a net increase of $132 million (91%)
from December 31, 2022. We use
various channels in funding the insured residential mortgage
portfolio, in the context of market conditions and net
contributions over the life of the mortgages, in order to support
our overall business.
Financial Update
- Net corporate mortgage spread income1 is derived
from both our residential lending portfolio and our construction
and commercial portfolio. It increased by $5.5 million for Q4 2023 from Q4 2022 and
increased $30.7 million for year to
date 2023 from year to date 2022 mainly due to a higher average
corporate mortgage portfolio balance from continued mortgage
originations and renewals, and an increase in the spread of
corporate mortgages over term deposit interest and expenses. The
increase in the spread was mainly attributable to the rising
interest rate environment's impact on floating rates on residential
construction loans that are now well above their floor rates.
- Net securitized mortgage spread income1 increased
marginally by $0.1 million for Q4
2023 from Q4 2022 due to a higher average securitized mortgage
portfolio balance from insured residential mortgage originations as
we continued to increase our mortgage lending in the Alberta and British
Columbia urban markets. For year to date 2023, net
securitized mortgage spread income1 decreased
$0.7 million from year to date 2022
mainly due to a decrease in the spread of securitized mortgages
over liabilities partially offset by a higher average securitized
mortgage portfolio balance from originations and renewals of
insured residential mortgages. We have seen the spread of
securitized mortgages over liabilities decline on securitizations
mainly as a result of higher securitization liability interest
expense from higher Government of Canada bond yields in a higher interest rate
environment.
- For Q4 2023, we had a provision for credit losses on our
corporate mortgage portfolio of $2.1
million compared to a recovery of credit losses of
$1.1 million in Q4 2022. For year to
date 2023, we had a provision for credit losses on our corporate
mortgage portfolio of $4.5 million
compared to a recovery of credit losses of $1.1 million for year to date 2022. For year to
date 2023, the provision was mainly due to growth in our portfolio,
less favourable underlying economic forecasts relating to
unemployment rates and housing prices, and model enhancements.
- Equity income from MCAP Commercial LP totalled $4.4 million in Q4 2023, a decrease of
$2.5 million (35%) from $6.9 million in Q4 2022, and totalled
$22.0 million for year to date 2023,
a decrease of $4.6 million (17%) from
$26.6 million year to date 2022. For
Q4 2023 and year to date 2023, the decrease was primarily due to
(i) lower mortgage origination fees from lower mortgage volumes
sold; (ii) a decrease in fair value adjustments on mortgages due to
the higher rate environment; and (iii) higher interest expense on
credit facilities. These were partially offset by (i) higher
securitized mortgage interest income from a higher average
securitized portfolio; (ii) higher servicing and administration
income from higher assets under management; and (iii) higher
investment revenue from higher average mortgage rates on
non-securitized mortgages.
- In Q4 2023, we recorded a $2.0
million net unrealized fair value gain on our marketable and
non-marketable securities compared to a $1.7
million net unrealized fair value gain in Q4 2022. Year to
date net unrealized loss on our marketable and non-marketable
securities was $3.6 million for 2023
compared to a year to date net realized and unrealized loss of
$12.1 million for 2022. With respect
to our marketable securities, year to date 2023 and 2022 saw REIT
prices decrease due to Bank of Canada interest rate increases and uncertainty
around future rate increases and recessionary pressures. Year to
date, we received distributions of $3.6
million (distribution yield1 of 6.44%) from our
REITs compared to $3.6 million
(distribution yield1 of 6.01%) in 2022. With respect to
our non-marketable securities, year to date 2023 we recorded (i) a
$3.4 million unrealized loss mainly
related to two underlying properties from general commercial real
estate headwinds increasing capitalization rates as well as
increased debt servicing costs that impact overall returns; and
(ii) a $3.0 million unrealized gain
related to construction and leasing completion and value-add
activity on two underlying property investments. Our non-marketable
securities are either held for long-term capital appreciation or
distribution income and they tend to improve the diversification
and risk and reward characteristics of our overall investment
portfolio; however, the real estate development funds tend to have
less predictable cash flows that are predicated on the completion
of the development projects within the funds.
Credit Quality
- Impaired corporate mortgage ratio1 was 3.26% at
December 31, 2023 compared to 1.76%
at September 30, 2023 and 1.66% at
December 31, 2022. At December 31, 2023, impaired mortgages mainly
represent five impaired construction mortgages where asset recovery
programs have been initiated and we expect to recover all past due
interest and principal.
- Impaired total mortgage ratio1 was 1.82% at
December 31, 2023 compared to 0.99%
at September 30, 2023 and 0.89% at
December 31, 2022. The increase to
our impaired total mortgage ratio is related to the same
construction mortgages discussed above.
- Arrears total mortgage ratio1 was 2.70% at
December 31, 2023 compared to 2.16%
at September 30, 2023 and 1.57% at
December 31, 2022. The majority of
our residential mortgage arrears activity occurs in the 1-30 day
category, in which the bulk of arrears are resolved and do not
migrate to arrears categories over 30 days. While greater than 30
days arrears have increased in our residential mortgages, it is
still low compared to the size of our portfolio and low relative to
industry norms. We believe that we have a quality residential
mortgage loan portfolio. With respect to our construction and
commercial loan portfolio, we have a strong track record with our
default management processes and asset recovery programs as the
need arises.
- Average loan to value ratio ("LTV") of our uninsured
residential mortgage portfolio based on an industry index of
current real estate values was 63.4% at December 31, 2023 compared to 67.0% at
September 30, 2023 and 62.1% at
December 31, 2022.
Capital
- We manage our capital and asset balances based on the
regulations and limits of both the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the "Tax Act") and Office of the
Superintendent of Financial Institutions Canada ("OSFI").
- In 2023, we renewed our (i) Base Shelf prospectus; and (ii)
at-the-market equity program ("ATM Program") established pursuant
to a Prospectus Supplement to our Base Shelf prospectus allowing us
to issue up to $30 million common
shares to the public from time to time over a 2 year period at the
market prices prevailing at the time of sale. The volume and timing
of distributions under the ATM Program are determined at MCAN's
sole discretion. During 2023, we successfully sold 153,400 common
shares at a weighted average price of $16.12 for gross proceeds of $2.5 million and net proceeds of $2.1 million.
- We issued $14.5 million in new
common shares through the Dividend Reinvestment Plan ("DRIP") in
2023 compared to $7.4 million in
2022. The DRIP participation rate was 30% for the 2023 fourth
quarter dividend (2022 fourth quarter dividend - 28%). The DRIP
participation rate for 2023 dividends was 29% (2022 - 20%).
- Income tax assets to capital ratio3 was 5.52 at
December 31, 2023 compared to 5.14 at
September 30, 2023 and 4.93 at
December 31, 2022.
- Common Equity Tier 1 ("CET 1") and Tier 1 Capital to
risk-weighted assets ratios2 were 17.61% at December 31, 2023 compared to 17.72% at
September 30, 2023 and 19.60% at
December 31, 2022. Total Capital to
risk-weighted assets ratio2 was 17.91% at December 31, 2023 compared to 17.98% at
September 30, 2023 and 19.83% at
December 31, 2022. Leverage
ratio2 was 9.49% at December 31,
2023 compared to 9.76% at September
30, 2023 and 9.83% at December 31,
2022. Beginning June 30, 2023,
our total capital and leverage ratios decreased due to OSFI's
revised rules that incorporate Basel III reforms that came into
effect. All of our capital and leverage ratios are within our
regulatory and internal risk appetite guidelines.
1 Considered to be a non-GAAP and
other financial measure. For further details, refer to the
"Non-GAAP and Other Financial Measures" section of this new
release. Non-GAAP and other financial measures and ratios used in
this document are not defined terms under IFRS and, therefore, may
not be comparable to similar terms used by other
issuers.
|
2
These measures have been calculated in accordance with OSFI's
Leverage Requirements and Capital Adequacy Requirements guidelines.
Effective March 31, 2020, the total capital ratios in 2022
reflected the inclusion of stage 1 and stage 2 allowances on the
Company's mortgage portfolio in Tier 2 capital. In accordance with
OSFI's transitional arrangements for capital treatment of ECL
issued March 27, 2020, a portion of stage 1 and stage 2 allowances
that would otherwise be included in Tier 2 capital were included in
CET 1 capital. The adjustment to CET 1 capital was measured each
quarter as the increase, if any, in stage 1 and stage 2 allowances
compared to the corresponding allowances at December 31, 2019. The
increase, if any, was subject to a scaling factor that decreased
over time and was 25% in fiscal 2022.
|
3 Tax balances are
calculated in accordance with the Tax Act.
|
Further Information
Complete copies of the Company's 2023 Annual Report will be
filed on the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval
("SEDAR+") at www.sedarplus.ca and on the Company's website at
www.mcanfinancial.com.
For our Outlook, refer to the "Outlook" section of the 2023
Annual Report.
MCAN is a public company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange
under the symbol MKP and is a reporting issuer in all provinces and
territories in Canada. MCAN also
qualifies as a mortgage investment corporation ("MIC") under the
Tax Act. MCAN is the largest MIC in Canada and the only federally regulated
MIC.
The Company's primary objective is to generate a reliable
stream of income by investing in a diversified portfolio of
Canadian mortgages, including residential mortgages, residential
construction, non-residential construction and commercial loans, as
well as other types of securities, loans and real estate
investments. MCAN employs leverage by issuing term deposits that
are eligible for Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation deposit
insurance. MCAN is Investing in Communities and Homes for
Canadians.
For how to enroll in the DRIP, please refer to the Management
Information Circular dated March 13,
2023 or visit our website at
www.mcanfinancial.com/investors/regulatory filings/dividends -
historical. Under the DRIP, dividends paid to shareholders are
automatically reinvested in common shares issued out of treasury at
the weighted average trading price for the five days preceding such
issue less a discount of 2% until further notice from MCAN.
Non-GAAP and Other Financial Measures
This news release references a number of non-generally accepted
accounting principles ("non-GAAP") and other financial measures and
ratios to assess our performance such as return on average
shareholders' equity, net corporate mortgage spread income, net
securitized mortgage spread income, impaired corporate mortgage
ratio, impaired total mortgage ratio, and arrears total mortgage
ratio. These measures are not calculated in accordance with
International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS"), are not
defined by IFRS and do not have standardized meanings that would
ensure consistency and comparability between companies using these
measures. These metrics are considered to be non-GAAP and other
financial measures and are incorporated by reference and defined in
the "Non-GAAP and Other Financial Measures" section of our 2023
Annual Management's Discussion and Analysis of Operations
("MD&A") available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Below are
reconciliations for our non-GAAP financial measures included in
this news release using the most directly comparable IFRS financial
measures.
Net Corporate Mortgage Spread Income
Non-GAAP financial measure that is an indicator of net interest
profitability of income-earning assets less cost of funding for our
corporate mortgage portfolio. It is calculated as the difference
between corporate mortgage interest and term deposit interest and
expenses.
(in
thousands)
|
Q4
|
Q4
|
Change
|
Annual
|
Annual
|
Change
|
At December
31
|
2023
|
2022
|
($)
|
2023
|
2022
|
($)
|
Mortgage interest -
corporate assets
|
$ 47,406
|
$ 30,747
|
|
$
165,997
|
$
101,286
|
|
Term deposit interest
and expenses
|
24,361
|
13,189
|
|
78,219
|
44,222
|
|
Net Corporate
Mortgage Spread Income
|
$ 23,045
|
$ 17,558
|
$
5,487
|
$ 87,778
|
$ 57,064
|
$ 30,714
|
Net Securitized Mortgage Spread Income
Non-GAAP financial measure that is an indicator of net interest
profitability of income-earning securitization assets less cost of
securitization liabilities for our securitized mortgage portfolio.
It is calculated as the difference between securitized mortgage
interest and interest on financial liabilities from
securitization.
(in
thousands)
|
Q4
|
Q4
|
Change
|
Annual
|
Annual
|
Change
|
At December
31
|
2023
|
2022
|
($)
|
2023
|
2022
|
($)
|
Mortgage interest -
securitized assets
|
$ 11,309
|
$
8,607
|
|
$ 39,335
|
$ 31,411
|
|
Interest on financial
liabilities from securitization
|
9,597
|
7,005
|
|
32,769
|
24,101
|
|
Net Securitized
Mortgage Spread Income
|
$
1,712
|
$
1,602
|
$
110
|
$
6,566
|
$
7,310
|
$
(744)
|
A Caution About Forward-looking Information and
Statements
This news release contains forward-looking information within
the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. All information
contained in this news release, other than statements of current
and historical fact, is forward-looking information. All of the
forward-looking information in this news release is qualified by
this cautionary note. Often, but not always, forward-looking
information can be identified by the use of words such as "may,"
"believe," "will," "anticipate," "expect," "planned," "estimate,"
"project," "future," and variations of these or similar words or
other expressions that are predictions of, or indicate, future
events and trends and that do not relate to historical matters.
Forward-looking information in this news release includes, among
others, statements and assumptions with respect to:
- the current business environment, economic environment and
outlook;
- possible or assumed future results;
- our ability to create shareholder value;
- our business goals and strategy;
- the potential impact of new regulations and changes to existing
regulations;
- the stability of home prices;
- the effect of challenging conditions on us;
- the performance of our investments;
- factors affecting our competitive position within the housing
lending market;
- international trade, international economic uncertainties,
failures of international financial institutions and geopolitical
uncertainties and their impact on the Canadian economy;
- sufficiency of our access to liquidity and capital
resources;
- the timing and effect of interest rate changes on our cash
flows; and
- the declaration and payment of dividends.
Forward-looking information is not, and cannot be, a guarantee
of future results or events. Forward-looking information reflects
management's current beliefs and is based on information currently
available to management. Forward-looking information is based on,
among other things, opinions, assumptions, estimates and analyses
that, while considered reasonable by us at the date the
forward-looking information is provided, inherently are subject to
significant risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other factors
that may cause actual results and events to be materially different
from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking
information.
The material factors or assumptions that we identified and were
applied by us in drawing conclusions or making forecasts or
projections set out in the forward-looking information, include,
but are not limited to:
- our ability to successfully implement and realize on our
business goals and strategy;
- government regulation of our business and the cost to us of
such regulation;
- factors and assumptions regarding interest rates, including the
effect of Bank of Canada actions
already taken;
- the effect of supply chain issues;
- the effect of inflation;
- housing sales and residential mortgage borrowing
activities;
- the effect of household debt service levels;
- the effect of competition;
- systems failure or cyber and security breaches;
- the availability of funding and capital to meet our
requirements;
- investor appetite for securitization products;
- the value of mortgage originations;
- the expected spread between interest earned on mortgage
portfolios and interest paid on deposits;
- the relative uncertainty and volatility of real estate
markets;
- acceptance of our products in the marketplace;
- the stage of the real estate cycle and the maturity phase of
the mortgage market;
- impact on housing demand from changing population demographics
and immigration patterns;
- our ability to forecast future changes to borrower credit and
credit scores, loan to value ratios and other forward-looking
factors used in assessing expected credit losses and rates of
default;
- availability of key personnel;
- our operating cost structure;
- the current tax regime; and
- operations within, and market conditions relating to, our
equity and other investments.
External geopolitical conflicts, and government and Bank of
Canada economic policy have
resulted in uncertainty relating to the Company's internal
expectations, estimates, projections, assumptions and beliefs,
including with respect to the Canadian economy, employment
conditions, interest rates, supply chain issues, inflation, levels
of housing activity and household debt service levels. There can be
no assurance that such expectations, estimates, projections,
assumptions and beliefs will continue to be valid. The impacts that
any further or escalating geopolitical conflicts or infectious
disease outbreaks, including measures to prevent their spread, and
the related government actions adopted in response thereto, will
have on our business is uncertain and difficult to predict.
Reliance should not be placed on forward-looking information
because it involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and
other factors, which may cause actual results to differ materially
from anticipated future results expressed or implied by such
forward-looking information. Factors that could cause actual
results to differ materially from those set forth in the
forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, the
risk that any of the above opinions, estimates or assumptions are
inaccurate and the other risks and uncertainties referred to in our
Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2023, our MD&A and our other
public filings with the applicable Canadian regulatory
authorities.
Subject to applicable securities law requirements, we undertake
no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking
information after the date of this news release whether as a result
of new information, future events or otherwise or to explain any
material difference between subsequent actual events and any
forward-looking information. However, any further disclosures made
on related subjects in subsequent reports should be consulted.
SOURCE MCAN Mortgage Corporation