Synchrony Financial Reports First Quarter Net Earnings of $552 Million or $0.66 Per Diluted Share

STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) today announced first quarter 2015 net earnings of $552 million, or $0.66 per diluted share. Highlights for the quarter included:

  • Total platform revenue increased 5% from the first quarter of 2014 to $2.6 billion
  • Loan receivables grew $4 billion, or 7%, from the first quarter of 2014 to $58 billion
  • Purchase volume increased 10% from the first quarter of 2014
  • Extended a top 10 partnership-Amazon
  • Announced a new top 40 partnership-Guitar Center
  • Launched exclusive endorsement agreement with VSP, nation’s largest vision insurance provider
  • Strong deposit growth continued, up $8 billion, or 28%, over the first quarter of 2014
  • Separation from General Electric Company on track

“The momentum we generated over the last several quarters continued in the first quarter. Our value propositions helped to drive strong receivables, deposit, and revenue growth,” said Margaret Keane, President and Chief Executive Officer of Synchrony Financial. “We are pleased with our organic growth and business development results. We continued to extend major partnerships, signed several new programs across our platforms, and launched compelling promotions to help our partners drive sales growth.”

“We are also capitalizing on new mobile and digital technologies, evidenced by the announcement that our Payment Solutions and CareCredit cards will be available in Samsung Pay when launched. This, coupled with our involvement in Apple Pay, demonstrates our commitment to being in leading edge mobile wallet applications. Our focus remains on finding ways to further enhance the value we deliver to partners and customers and delivering growth across our business platforms,” stated Ms. Keane.

Business and Financial Highlights for the First Quarter of 2015

All comparisons below are for the first quarter of 2015 compared to the first quarter of 2014, unless otherwise noted.

Earnings

  • Net interest income increased $132 million, or 5%, to $2.9 billion, driven by strong loan receivables growth, partially offset by higher interest expense from funding issued to increase liquidity in 2014.
  • Total platform revenue increased $132 million, or 5%.
  • Provision for loan losses decreased $77 million to $687 million largely due to improved asset quality trends.
  • Other income decreased $14 million to $101 million, driven by increased loyalty and rewards costs associated with program initiatives, partially offset by strong growth in interchange revenue.
  • Other expense increased $136 million to $746 million. The increase included $92 million attributable to infrastructure build in preparation for separation from General Electric Company (GE) and growth, as well as a $44 million reduction in reserves for regulatory matters in the first quarter of 2014.
  • Net earnings totaled $552 million for the quarter compared to $558 million in the first quarter of 2014.

Balance Sheet

  • Period-end loan receivables growth remained strong at 7%, driven by purchase volume growth of 10% and average active account growth of 4%.
  • The composition of loan receivables growth remained broad-based across all sales platforms.
  • Deposits grew to $35 billion, up $8 billion, or 28%, from the first quarter of 2014, and now comprise 59% of funding compared to 55% last year.
  • The Company’s balance sheet remained strong with total liquidity (liquid assets and undrawn securitization capacity) at $20 billion, or 28% of total assets.
  • The estimated Tier 1 Common Equity ratio under Basel I was 16.9% and the estimated fully phased-in Common Equity Tier 1 ratio under Basel III was 16.4%.

Key Financial Metrics

  • Return on assets was 3.0% and return on equity was 20.8%.
  • Net interest margin declined 304 basis points to 15.79% primarily due to the impact from the significant increase in liquidity versus the prior year.
  • Efficiency ratio increased to 32.2% mainly due to increased investments in growth and infrastructure build in preparation for separation from GE.

Credit Quality

  • Loans 30+ days past due as a percentage of period-end loan receivables improved 30 basis points to 3.79%.
  • Net charge-offs as a percentage of total average loan receivables improved 33 basis points to 4.53%.
  • The allowance for loan losses as a percentage of total period-end receivables was 5.59%.

Sales Platforms

  • Retail Card platform revenue increased 5%, driven primarily by purchase volume growth of 10% and period-end loan receivables growth of 7%, with broad-based growth across partner programs.
  • Payment Solutions platform revenue increased 8%, driven primarily by purchase volume growth of 10% and period-end loan receivables growth of 11%, with solid growth across industry segments led by home furnishings, automotive products, and power equipment.
  • CareCredit platform revenue increased 5%, driven primarily by purchase volume growth of 6% and period-end receivables growth of 4%, with growth led by dental and veterinary specialties.

Corresponding Financial Tables and Information

No representation is made that the information in this news release is complete. Investors are encouraged to review the foregoing summary and discussion of Synchrony Financial's earnings and financial condition in conjunction with the detailed financial tables and information that follow and in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014, as filed February 23, 2015. The detailed financial tables and other information are also available on the Investor Relations page of the Company’s website at www.investors.synchronyfinancial.com. This information is also furnished in a Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC today.

Conference Call and Webcast Information

On Friday, April 17, 2015, at 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time, Margaret Keane, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Brian Doubles, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, will host a conference call to review the financial results and outlook for certain business drivers. The conference call can be accessed via an audio webcast through the Investor Relations page of our website, www.investors.synchronyfinancial.com, under Events and Presentations. A replay will be available on the website or by dialing (888) 843-7419 (U.S. domestic) or (630) 652-3042 (international), passcode 12015#, and can be accessed beginning approximately two hours after the event through May 1, 2015.

About Synchrony Financial

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF), formerly GE Capital Retail Finance, is one of the premier consumer financial services companies in the United States. Our roots in consumer finance trace back to 1932, and today we are the largest provider of private label credit cards in the United States based on purchase volume and receivables. We provide a range of credit products through programs we have established with a diverse group of national and regional retailers, local merchants, manufacturers, buying groups, industry associations and healthcare service providers to help generate growth for our partners and offer financial flexibility to our customers. Through our partners’ more than 300,000 locations across the United States and Canada, and their websites and mobile applications, we offer our customers a variety of credit products to finance the purchase of goods and services. Our offerings include private label and co-branded Dual Card credit cards, promotional financing and installment lending, loyalty programs and Optimizer+plus branded FDIC-insured savings products through Synchrony Bank. More information can be found at www.synchronyfinancial.com and twitter.com/SYFNews.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements as defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which are subject to the "safe harbor" created by those sections. Forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as “outlook,” “expects,” “intends,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “targets,” “estimates,” “will,” “should,” “may” or words of similar meaning, but these words are not the exclusive means of identifying forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations and assumptions, and are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. As a result, actual results could differ materially from those indicated in these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include global political, economic, business, competitive, market, regulatory and other factors and risks, such as: the impact of macroeconomic conditions and whether industry trends we have identified develop as anticipated; retaining existing partners and attracting new partners, concentration of our platform revenue in a small number of Retail Card partners, promotion and support of our products by our partners, and financial performance of our partners; our need for additional financing, higher borrowing costs and adverse financial market conditions impacting our funding and liquidity, and any reduction in our credit ratings; our ability to securitize our loans, occurrence of an early amortization of our securitization facilities, loss of the right to service or subservice our securitized loans, and lower payment rates on our securitized loans; our reliance on dividends, distributions and other payments from Synchrony Bank; our ability to grow our deposits in the future; changes in market interest rates and the impact of any margin compression; effectiveness of our risk management processes and procedures, reliance on models which may be inaccurate or misinterpreted, our ability to manage our credit risk, the sufficiency of our allowance for loan losses and the accuracy of the assumptions or estimates used in preparing our financial statements; our ability to offset increases in our costs in retailer share arrangements; competition in the consumer finance industry; our concentration in the U.S. consumer credit market; our ability to successfully develop and commercialize new or enhanced products and services; our ability to realize the value of strategic investments; reductions in interchange fees; fraudulent activity; cyber-attacks or other security breaches; failure of third parties to provide various services that are important to our operations; disruptions in the operations of our computer systems and data centers; international risks and compliance and regulatory risks and costs associated with international operations; alleged infringement of intellectual property rights of others and our ability to protect our intellectual property; litigation and regulatory actions; damage to our reputation; our ability to attract, retain and motivate key officers and employees; tax legislation initiatives or challenges to our tax positions and state sales tax rules and regulations; significant and extensive regulation, supervision, examination and enforcement of our business by governmental authorities, the impact of the Dodd-Frank Act and the impact of the CFPB’s regulation of our business; changes to our methods of offering our CareCredit products; impact of capital adequacy rules; restrictions that limit Synchrony Bank’s ability to pay dividends; regulations relating to privacy, information security and data protection; use of third-party vendors and ongoing third-party business relationships; failure to comply with anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism financing laws; effect of General Electric Capital Corporation being subject to regulation by the Federal Reserve Board both as a savings and loan holding company and as a systemically important financial institution; GE not completing the separation from us as planned or at all, GE’s inability to obtain savings and loan holding company deregistration (GE SLHC Deregistration) and GE continuing to have significant control over us; completion by the Federal Reserve Board of a review (with satisfactory results) of our preparedness to operate on a standalone basis, independently of GE, and Federal Reserve Board approval required for us to continue to be a savings and loan holding company, including the timing of the approval and the imposition of any significant additional capital or liquidity requirements; our need to establish and significantly expand many aspects of our operations and infrastructure; delays in receiving or failure to receive Federal Reserve Board agreement required for us to be treated as a financial holding company after the GE SLHC Deregistration; loss of association with GE’s strong brand and reputation; limited right to use the GE brand name and logo and need to establish a new brand; GE’s significant control over us; terms of our arrangements with GE may be more favorable than what we will be able to obtain from unaffiliated third parties; obligations associated with being a public company; our incremental cost of operating as a standalone public company could be substantially more than anticipated; GE could engage in businesses that compete with us, and conflicts of interest may arise between us and GE; and failure caused by us of GE’s distribution of our common stock to its stockholders in exchange for its common stock to qualify for tax-free treatment, which may result in significant tax liabilities to GE for which we may be required to indemnify GE.

For the reasons described above, we caution you against relying on any forward-looking statements, which should also be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements that are included elsewhere in this news release and in our public filings, including under the heading “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014, as filed on February 23, 2015. You should not consider any list of such factors to be an exhaustive statement of all of the risks, uncertainties, or potentially inaccurate assumptions that could cause our current expectations or beliefs to change. Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as otherwise may be required by law.

Non-GAAP Measures

The information provided herein includes measures we refer to as “platform revenue”, “platform revenue excluding retailer share arrangements” and “tangible common equity” and certain capital ratios, which are not prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). For a reconciliation of these non-GAAP measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures, please see the detailed financial tables and information that follow. For a statement regarding the usefulness of these measures to investors, please see the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC today.

 
SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
FINANCIAL SUMMARY            
(unaudited, in millions, except per share statistics)
Quarter Ended  

Mar 31,
2015

Dec 31,
2014

Sep 30,
2014

Jun 30,
2014

Mar 31,
2014

1Q'15 vs. 1Q'14

EARNINGS

Net interest income $2,875 $2,978 $2,879 $2,720 $2,743 $132 4.8%
Retailer share arrangements (660) (698) (693) (590) (594) (66) 11.1%
Net interest income, after retailer share arrangements 2,215 2,280 2,186 2,130 2,149 66 3.1%
Provision for loan losses 687 797 675 681 764 (77) (10.1)%
Net interest income, after retailer share arrangements and provision for loan losses 1,528 1,483 1,511 1,449 1,385 143 10.3%
Other income 101 162 96 112 115 (14) (12.2)%
Other expense 746 792 728 797 610 136 22.3%
Earnings before provision for income taxes 883 853 879 764 890 (7) (0.8)%
Provision for income taxes 331 322 331 292 332 (1) (0.3)%
Net earnings $552 $531 $548 $472 $558 ($6) (1.1)%
Net earnings attributable to common stockholders $552 $531 $548 $472 $558 ($6) (1.1)%
 

COMMON SHARE STATISTICS

Basic EPS $0.66 $0.64 $0.70 $0.67 $0.79 ($0.13) (16.5)%
Diluted EPS $0.66 $0.64 $0.70 $0.67 $0.79 ($0.13) (16.5)%
Common stock price $30.35 $29.75 $24.55 n/a n/a $30.35 n/a
Book value per share $13.24 $12.57 $11.92 $9.06 $8.57 $4.67 54.5%
Tangible book value per share(1) $11.43 $10.81 $10.25 $7.06 $6.56 $4.87 74.2%
 
Beginning common shares outstanding 833.8 833.8 705.3 705.3 705.3 128.5 18.2%
Issuance of common shares through initial public offering - - 128.5 - - - NM
Shares repurchased - - - - - - NM
Ending common shares outstanding 833.8 833.8 833.8 705.3 705.3 128.5 18.2%
 
Weighted average common shares outstanding 833.8 833.8 781.8 705.3 705.3 128.5 18.2%
Weighted average common shares outstanding (fully diluted)

835.0

834.3 781.9 705.3 705.3 129.7 18.4%
                         

(1) Tangible Common Equity ("TCE") is a non-GAAP measure. For corresponding reconciliation of TCE to a GAAP financial measure, see Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures and Calculations of Regulatory Measures.

 
             
SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
SELECTED METRICS
(unaudited, $ in millions, except account data)
Quarter Ended

Mar 31,
2015

Dec 31,
2014

Sep 30,
2014

Jun 30,
2014

Mar 31,
2014

1Q'15 vs. 1Q'14

PERFORMANCE METRICS

Return on assets(1) 3.0% 2.7% 3.2% 3.1% 3.9% (0.9)%
Return on equity(2) 20.8% 20.2% 26.8% 29.9% 35.3% (14.5)%
Return on tangible common equity(3) 24.1% 23.4% 32.4% 38.5% 44.2% (20.1)%
Net interest margin(4) 15.79% 15.60% 17.11% 17.84% 18.83% (3.04)%
Efficiency ratio(5) 32.2% 32.4% 31.9% 35.5% 26.9% 5.3%
Other expense as a % of average loan receivables, including held for sale 5.06% 5.16% 5.09% 5.77% 4.51% 0.55%
Effective income tax rate 37.5% 37.7% 37.7% 38.2% 37.3% 0.2%
 

CREDIT QUALITY METRICS

Net charge-offs as a % of average loan receivables, including held for sale 4.53% 4.32% 4.05% 4.88% 4.86% (0.33)%
30+ days past due as a % of period-end loan receivables 3.79% 4.14% 4.26% 3.82% 4.09% (0.30)%
90+ days past due as a % of period-end loan receivables 1.81% 1.90% 1.85% 1.65% 1.93% (0.12)%
Net charge-offs $668 $663 $579 $673 $658 $10 1.5%
Loan receivables delinquent over 30 days $2,209 $2,536 $2,416 $2,097 $2,220 ($11) (0.5)%
Loan receivables delinquent over 90 days $1,056 $1,162 $1,051 $908 $1,046 $10 1.0%
 
Allowance for loan losses (period-end) $3,255 $3,236 $3,102 $3,006 $2,998 $257 8.6%
Allowance coverage ratio(6) 5.59% 5.28% 5.46% 5.48% 5.52% 0.07%
 

BUSINESS METRICS

Purchase volume(7) $23,139 $30,081 $26,004 $25,978 $21,086 $2,053 9.7%
Period-end loan receivables $58,248 $61,286 $56,767 $54,873 $54,285 $3,963 7.3%
Credit cards $55,866 $58,880 $54,263 $52,406 $52,008 $3,858 7.4%
Consumer installment loans $1,062 $1,063 $1,081 $1,047 $963 $99 10.3%
Commercial credit products $1,295 $1,320 $1,404 $1,405 $1,299 ($4) (0.3)%
Other $25 $23 $19 $15 $15 $10 66.7%
Average loan receivables, including held for sale $59,775 $59,547 $57,391 $55,363 $55,495 $4,280 7.7%
Period-end active accounts (in thousands)(8) 59,761 64,286 60,489 59,248 57,349 2,412 4.2%
Average active accounts (in thousands)(8) 61,604 61,667 59,907 58,386 59,342 2,262 3.8%
 

LIQUIDITY

Liquid assets
Cash and equivalents $11,218 $11,828 $14,808 $6,782 $5,331 $5,887 110.4%
Total liquid assets $13,813 $12,942 $14,077 $6,119 $4,806 $9,007 187.4%
Undrawn credit facilities
Undrawn committed securitization financings $6,600 $6,100 $5,650 $5,650 $450 $6,150 NM
Total liquid assets and undrawn credit facilities $20,413 $19,042 $19,727 $11,769 $5,256 $15,157 NM
Liquid assets % of total assets 18.99% 17.09% 19.16% 9.69% 8.11% 10.88%
Liquid assets including undrawn committed securitization financings % of total assets 28.07% 25.15% 26.85% 18.63% 8.87% 19.20%
                           
(1) Return on assets represents net earnings as a percentage of average total assets.
(2) Return on equity represents net earnings as a percentage of average total equity.

(3) Return on tangible common equity represents net earnings as a percentage of average tangible common equity. Tangible Common Equity ("TCE") is a non-GAAP measure.

For corresponding reconciliation of TCE to a GAAP financial measure, see Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures and Calculations of Regulatory Measures.

(4) Net interest margin represents net interest income divided by average interest earning assets.
(5) Efficiency ratio represents (i) other expense, divided by (ii) net interest income, after retailer share arrangements, plus other income.
(6) Allowance coverage ratio represents allowance for loan losses divided by total period-end loan receivables.
(7) Purchase volume, or net credit sales, represents the aggregate amount of charges incurred on credit cards or other credit product accounts less returns during the period.
(8) Active accounts represent credit card or installment loan accounts on which there has been a purchase, payment or outstanding balance in the current month.
 
           
SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS OF EARNINGS
(unaudited, $ in millions)
Quarter Ended

Mar 31,
2015

Dec 31,
2014

Sep 30,
2014

Jun 30,
2014

Mar 31,
2014

1Q'15 vs. 1Q'14
Interest income:
Interest and fees on loans $3,140 $3,252 $3,116 $2,920 $2,928 $212 7.2%
Interest on investment securities 10 8 7 6 5 5 100.0%
Total interest income 3,150 3,260 3,123 2,926 2,933 217 7.4%
 
Interest expense:
Interest on deposits 137 139 126 109 96 41 42.7%
Interest on borrowings of consolidated securitization entities 52 57 57 54 47 5 10.6%
Interest on third-party debt 82 78 46 - - 82 NM
Interest on related party debt 4 8 15 43 47 (43) (91.5)%
Total interest expense 275 282 244 206 190 85 44.7%
             
Net interest income 2,875 2,978 2,879 2,720 2,743 132 4.8%
 
Retailer share arrangements (660) (698) (693) (590) (594) (66) 11.1%
Net interest income, after retailer share arrangements 2,215 2,280 2,186 2,130 2,149 66 3.1%
 
Provision for loan losses 687 797 675 681 764 (77) (10.1)%
Net interest income, after retailer share arrangements and provision for loan losses 1,528 1,483 1,511 1,449 1,385 143 10.3%
 
Other income:
Interchange revenue 100 120 101 92 76 24 31.6%
Debt cancellation fees 65 67 68 70 70 (5) (7.1)%
Loyalty programs (78) (91) (84) (63) (43) (35) 81.4%
Other 14 66 11 13 12 2 16.7%
Total other income 101 162 96 112 115 (14) (12.2)%
 
Other expense:
Employee costs 239 227 239 207 193 46 23.8%
Professional fees(1) 162 139 149 145 130 32 24.6%
Marketing and business development 82 165 115 97 83 (1) (1.2)%
Information processing 63 60 47 53 52 11 21.2%
Other(1) 200 201 178 295 152 48 31.6%
Total other expense 746 792 728 797 610 136 22.3%
             
Earnings before provision for income taxes 883 853 879 764 890 (7) (0.8)%
Provision for income taxes 331 322 331 292 332 (1) (0.3)%
Net earnings attributable to common shareholders $552 $531 $548 $472 $558 $(6) (1.1)%
                                   
(1) We have reclassified certain amounts within Professional fees to Other for all periods presented to conform to the current period classifications.
 
             
SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL POSITION
(unaudited, $ in millions)
Quarter Ended

Mar 31,
2015

Dec 31,
2014

Sep 30,
2014

Jun 30,
2014

Mar 31,
2014

Mar 31, 2015 vs.

Mar 31, 2014

Assets
Cash and equivalents $11,218 $11,828 $14,808 $6,782 $5,331 $5,887 110.4%
Investment securities 3,121 1,598 325 298 265 2,856 NM
Loan receivables:
Unsecuritized loans held for investment 33,424 34,335 30,474 28,280 29,101 4,323 14.9%
Restricted loans of consolidated securitization entities 24,824 26,951 26,293 26,593 25,184 (360)   (1.4)%
Total loan receivables 58,248 61,286 56,767 54,873 54,285 3,963 7.3%
Less: Allowance for loan losses (3,255) (3,236) (3,102) (3,006) (2,998) (257)   8.6%
Loan receivables, net 54,993 58,050 53,665 51,867 51,287 3,706 7.2%
Loan receivables held for sale 359 332 1,493 1,458 - 359 NM
Goodwill 949 949 949 949 949 - 0.0%
Intangible assets, net 557 519 449 463 464 93 20.0%
Other assets 1,524 2,431 1,780 1,358 949 575   60.6%
Total assets $72,721 $75,707 $73,469 $63,175 $59,245 $13,476   22.7%
 
Liabilities and Equity
Deposits:
Interest-bearing deposit accounts $34,788 $34,847 $32,480 $30,258 $27,123 $7,665 28.3%
Non-interest-bearing deposit accounts 162 108 209 204 235 (73)   (31.1)%
Total deposits 34,950 34,955 32,689 30,462 27,358 7,592 27.8%
Borrowings:
Borrowings of consolidated securitization entities 13,817 14,967 15,091 15,114 14,642 (825) (5.6)%
Bank term loan 5,651 8,245 7,495 - - 5,651 NM
Senior unsecured notes 4,592 3,593 3,593 - - 4,592 NM
Related party debt - 655 1,405 7,859 8,062 (8,062)   (100.0)%
Total borrowings 24,060 27,460 27,584 22,973 22,704 1,356 6.0%
Accrued expenses and other liabilities 2,675 2,814 3,255 3,347 3,141 (466)   (14.8)%
Total liabilities 61,685 65,229 63,528 56,782 53,203 8,482 15.9%
Equity:
Parent’s net investment - - - - 6,052 (6,052) (100.0)%
Common stock 1 1 1 1 - 1 NM
Additional paid-in capital 9,418 9,408 9,401 6,399 - 9,418 NM
Retained earnings 1,631 1,079 548 - - 1,631 NM
Accumulated other comprehensive income: (14) (10) (9) (7) (10) (4) 40.0%
Total equity 11,036 10,478 9,941 6,393 6,042 4,994 82.7%
Total liabilities and equity $72,721 $75,707 $73,469 $63,175 $59,245 $13,476 22.7%
                             
SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
AVERAGE BALANCES, NET INTEREST INCOME AND NET INTEREST MARGIN
(unaudited, $ in millions)
 
Quarter Ended
Mar 31, 2015 Dec 31, 2014 Sep 30, 2014 Jun 30, 2014 Mar 31, 2014
Interest Average Interest Average Interest Average Interest Average Interest Average
Average Income/ Yield/ Average Income/ Yield/ Average Income/ Yield/ Average Income/ Yield/ Average Income/ Yield/
Balance Expense Rate Balance Expense Rate Balance Expense Rate Balance Expense Rate Balance Expense Rate
Assets
Interest-earning assets:
Interest-earning cash and equivalents $11,331 $6 0.21% $13,631 $7 0.20% $9,793 $4 0.16% $5,489 $3 0.22% $4,001 $2 0.21%
Securities available for sale 2,725 4 0.60% 962 1 0.40% 309 3 3.89% 285 3 4.22% 250 3 4.92%
 
Loan receivables:
Credit cards, including held for sale 57,390 3,079 21.76% 57,075 3,186 21.68% 54,891 3,054 22.32% 52,957 2,860 21.66% 53,211 2,867 22.10%
Consumer installment loans 1,057 25 9.59% 1,072 27 9.78% 1,070 25 9.37% 1,004 24 9.59% 959 23 9.84%
Commercial credit products 1,305 36 11.19% 1,379 38 10.70% 1,412 37 10.51% 1,387 36 10.41% 1,311 38 11.89%
Other 23 - - % 21 1 NM 18 - - % 15 - - % 14 - - %
Total loan receivables, including held for sale 59,775 3,140 21.30% 59,547 3,252 21.21% 57,391 3,116 21.78% 55,363 2,920 21.16% 55,495 2,928 21.64%
Total interest-earning assets 73,831 3,150 17.30% 74,140 3,260 17.07% 67,493 3,123 18.56% 61,137 2,926 19.20% 59,746 2,933 20.13%
 
Non-interest-earning assets:
Cash and due from banks 497 1,220 1,260 637 561
Allowance for loans losses (3,272) (3,160) (3,058) (3,005) (2,931)
Other assets 2,802 2,831 2,605 2,446 2,045
Total non-interest-earning assets 27 891 807 78 (325)
         
Total assets $73,858 $75,031 $68,300 $61,215 $59,421
 
Liabilities
Interest-bearing liabilities:
Interest-bearing deposit accounts $34,981 $137 1.59% $33,980 $139 1.59% $31,459 $126 1.61% $28,568 $109 1.53% $26,317 $96 1.50%
Borrowings of consolidated securitization entities 14,101 52 1.50% 14,766 57 1.50% 15,102 57 1.51% 14,727 54 1.47% 14,830 47 1.30%
Bank term loan(1) 6,531 47 2.92% 8,057 46 2.22% 3,747 28 3.00% - - - % - - - %
Senior unsecured notes(1) 4,093 35 3.47% 3,593 32 3.46% 1,797 18 4.02% - - - % - - - %
Related party debt(1) 407 4 3.99% 843 8 3.68% 4,582 15 1.31% 7,959 43 2.17% 8,286 47 2.33%
Total interest-bearing liabilities 60,113 275 1.86% 61,239 282 1.79% 56,687 244 1.73% 51,254 206 1.61% 49,433 190 1.58%
 
Non-interest-bearing liabilities
Non-interest-bearing deposit accounts 142 182 206 221 331
Other liabilities 2,854 3,382 3,208 3,412 3,182
Total non-interest-bearing liabilities 2,996 3,564 3,414 3,633 3,513
         
Total liabilities 63,109 64,803 60,101 54,887 52,946
 
Equity
Total equity 10,749 10,228 8,199 6,328 6,475
         
Total liabilities and equity $73,858 $75,031 $68,300 $61,215 $59,421
Net interest income $2,875 $2,978 $2,879 $2,720 $2,743
 
Interest rate spread(2) 15.44% 15.28% 16.83% 17.59% 18.55%
Net interest margin(3) 15.79% 15.60% 17.11% 17.84% 18.83%
                                                           

(1) Interest on liabilities calculated above utilizes monthly average balances. The effective interest rates for the quarters ended March 31, 2015, December 31, 2014 and September 30, 2014, were as follows: GECC loan 4.23%, 4.21% and 4.21%;

Bank term loan 2.21%, 2.19% and 2.21%; Senior unsecured notes 3.41%, 3.52% and 3.62% respectively. The Bank term loan effective rate for the quarters ended March 31, 2015 and September 30, 2014 excludes the impact of charges incurred in connection with prepayments of the loan.

 

(2) Interest rate spread represents the difference between the yield on total interest-earning assets and the rate on total interest-bearing liabilities.

(3) Net interest margin represents net interest income divided by average interest-earning assets.
 
   
SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
BALANCE SHEET STATISTICS
(unaudited, $ in millions, except per share statistics)
 
Quarter Ended

Mar 31,
2015

Dec 31,
2014

Sep 30,
2014

Jun 30,
2014

Mar 31,
2014

 

Mar 31, 2015 vs.
Mar 31, 2014

BALANCE SHEET STATISTICS

Total common equity $11,036 $10,478 $9,941 $6,393 $6,042 $4,994 82.7%
Total common equity as a % of total assets 15.18% 13.84% 13.53% 10.12% 10.20% 4.98%
 
Tangible assets $71,215 $74,239 $72,071 $61,763 $57,832 $13,383 23.1%
Tangible common equity(1) $9,530 $9,010 $8,543 $4,981 $4,629 $4,901 105.9%
Tangible common equity as a % of tangible assets(1) 13.38% 12.14% 11.85% 8.06% 8.00% 5.38%
Tangible common equity per share (1) $11.43 $10.81 $10.24 $7.07 $6.57 $4.86 74.0%
 

REGULATORY CAPITAL RATIOS(2)

Basel I
Total risk-based capital ratio(3) 18.2% 16.2% 16.4%
Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio(4) 16.9% 14.9% 15.1%
Tier 1 common ratio(5) 16.9% 14.9% 15.1%
Tier 1 leverage ratio(6) 13.7% 12.5% 12.2%
 
Basel III
Tier 1 common ratio(7) 16.4% 14.5% 14.6%
                         

(1) Tangible Common Equity ("TCE") is a non-GAAP measure. We believe TCE is a more meaningful measure to investors of the net asset value of the Company. For corresponding reconciliation of TCE to a GAAP financial measure see Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures and Calculations of Regulatory Measures.

(2) Regulatory capital metrics as of the end of 3Q 2014 are preliminary and therefore subject to change. As a new savings and loan holding company, the Company historically has not been required by regulators to disclose capital ratios, and therefore these ratios are non-GAAP measures. See Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures and Calculation of Regulatory Measures for components of capital ratio calculations.

(3) Total risk-based capital ratio is the ratio of total risk-based capital divided by risk-weighted assets.
(4) Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio is the ratio of Tier 1 capital divided by risk-weighted assets.
(5) Tier 1 common ratio is the ratio of common equity Tier 1 capital divided by risk-weighted assets.
(6) Tier 1 leverage ratio is calculated based on Tier 1 capital divided by total assets, after certain adjustments.

(7) Our Basel III Tier 1 common ratio is the ratio of common equity Tier 1 capital to total risk-weighted assets, each as calculated in accordance with the U.S. Basel III capital rules (on a fully phased-in basis). Our Basel III Tier 1 common ratio is a preliminary estimate reflecting management’s interpretation of the final Basel III capital rules adopted in July 2013 by the Federal Reserve Board, which have not been fully implemented, and our estimate and interpretations are subject to, among other things, ongoing regulatory review and implementation guidance.

 
     
SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
PLATFORM RESULTS AND RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP MEASURES
(unaudited, $ in millions)

Quarter Ended

Mar 31,
2015

Dec 31,
2014

Sep 30,
2014

Jun 30,
2014

Mar 31,
2014

1Q'15 vs. 1Q'14

RETAIL CARD

Purchase volume(1),(2) $18,410 $24,855 $20,991 $21,032 $16,713 $1,697 10.2%
Period-end loan receivables $39,685 $42,308 $38,466 $37,238 $37,175 $2,510 6.8%
Average loan receivables, including held for sale $40,986 $40,929 $39,411 $38,047 $38,223 $2,763 7.2%
Average active accounts (in thousands)(2),(3) 49,617 49,871 48,433 47,248 48,168 1,449 3.0%
 
Interest and fees on loans(2) $2,337 $2,405 $2,299 $2,158 $2,178 $159 7.3%
Other income(2) 86 141 78 92 96 (10) (10.4)%
Platform revenue, excluding retailer share arrangements(2) 2,423 2,546 2,377 2,250 2,274 149 6.6%
Retailer share arrangements(2) (651) (686) (683) (577) (584) (67) 11.5%
Platform revenue(2) $1,772 $1,860 $1,694 $1,673 $1,690 $82 4.9%
 

PAYMENT SOLUTIONS

Purchase volume(1) $2,948 $3,419 $3,226 $3,115 $2,687 $261 9.7%
Period-end loan receivables $11,833 $12,095 $11,514 $11,014 $10,647 $1,186 11.1%
Average loan receivables $11,970 $11,772 $11,267 $10,785 $10,775 $1,195 11.1%
Average active accounts (in thousands)(3) 7,271 7,113 6,892 6,692 6,737 534 7.9%
 
Interest and fees on loans $403 $426 $405 $379 $372 $31 8.3%
Other income 5 9 7 8 8 (3) (37.5)%
Platform revenue, excluding retailer share arrangements 408 435 412 387 380 28 7.4%
Retailer share arrangements (8) (11) (9) (12) (9) 1 (11.1)%
Platform revenue $400 $424 $403 $375 $371 $29 7.8%
 

CARECREDIT

Purchase volume(1) $1,781 $1,807 $1,787 $1,831 $1,686 $95 5.6%
Period-end loan receivables $6,730 $6,883 $6,787 $6,621 $6,463 $267 4.1%
Average loan receivables $6,819 $6,846 $6,713 $6,531 $6,497 $322 5.0%
Average active accounts (in thousands)(3) 4,716 4,683 4,582 4,446 4,437 279 6.3%
 
Interest and fees on loans $400 $421 $412 $383 $378 $22 5.8%
Other income 10 12 11 12 11 (1) (9.1)%
Platform revenue, excluding retailer share arrangements 410 433 423 395 389 21 5.4%
Retailer share arrangements (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) - 0.0%
Platform revenue $409 $432 $422 $394 $388 $21 5.4%
 

TOTAL SYF

Purchase volume(1),(2) $23,139 $30,081 $26,004 $25,978 $21,086 $2,053 9.7%
Period-end loan receivables $58,248 $61,286 $56,767 $54,873 $54,285 $3,963 7.3%
Average loan receivables, including held for sale $59,775 $59,547 $57,391 $55,363 $55,495 $4,280 7.7%
Average active accounts (in thousands)(2),(3) 61,604 61,667 59,907 58,386 59,342 2,262 3.8%
 
Interest and fees on loans(2) $3,140 $3,252 $3,116 $2,920 $2,928 $212 7.2%
Other income(2) 101 162 96 112 115 (14) (12.2)%
Platform revenue, excluding retailer share arrangements(2) 3,241 3,414 3,212 3,032 3,043 198 6.5%
Retailer share arrangements(2) (660) (698) (693) (590) (594) (66) 11.1%
Platform revenue(2) $2,581 $2,716 $2,519 $2,442 $2,449 $132 5.4%
                           

(1) Purchase volume, or net credit sales, represents the aggregate amount of charges incurred on credit cards or other credit product accounts less returns during the period.

(2) Includes activity and balances associated with loan receivables held for sale.

(3) Active accounts represent credit card or installment loan accounts on which there has been a purchase, payment or outstanding balance in the current month.

             
SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP MEASURES AND CALCULATIONS OF REGULATORY MEASURES
(unaudited, $ in millions, except per share statistics)
Quarter Ended

Mar 31,
2015

Dec 31,
2014

Sep 30,
2014

Jun 30,
2014

Mar 31,
2014

COMMON EQUITY MEASURES

GAAP Total common equity $11,036 $10,478 $9,941 $6,393 $6,042
Less: Goodwill (949) (949) (949) (949) (949)
Less: Intangible assets, net (557) (519) (449) (463) (464)
Tangible common equity $9,530 $9,010 $8,543 $4,981 $4,629

Adjustments for certain other intangible assets, deferred tax liabilities and certain items in accumulated comprehensive income (loss)

293 287 292
Basel I - Tier 1 capital and Tier 1 common equity $9,823 $9,297 $8,835
Adjustments for certain other intangible assets and deferred tax liabilities (12) (20) (24)
Basel III - Tier I common equity $9,811 $9,277 $8,811
 

RISK-BASED CAPITAL

Basel I - Tier 1 capital and Tier 1 common equity $9,823 $9,297 $8,835
Add: Allowance for loan losses includible in risk-based capital 759 809 760
Basel I - Risk-based capital $10,582 $10,106 $9,595
 

ASSET MEASURES

Total assets $72,721 $75,707 $73,469
Adjustments for:

Disallowed goodwill and other disallowed intangible assets, net of related deferred tax liabilities

 

(1,213) (1,181) (1,110)
Other 136 79 4
Total assets for leverage purposes - Basel I $71,644 $74,605 $72,363
 
Risk-weighted assets - Basel I $58,184 $62,270 $58,457
Additional risk weighting adjustments related to:
Deferred taxes 1,224 1,321 1,319
Loan receivables delinquent over 90 days 528 581 526
Other (10) (10) (2)
Risk-weighted assets - Basel III (fully phased-in) $59,926 $64,162 $60,300
 

TANGIBLE COMMON EQUITY PER SHARE

GAAP book value per share $13.24 $12.57 $11.92 $9.06 $8.57
Less: Goodwill (1.14) (1.14) (1.14) (1.34) (1.34)
Less: Intangible assets, net (0.67) (0.62) (0.53) (0.66) (0.67)
Tangible common equity per share $11.43 $10.81 $10.25 $7.06 $6.56
 

Synchrony Financial
Investor Relations
Greg Ketron, 203-585-6291
or
Media Relations
Samuel Wang, 203-585-2933

Source: Synchrony Financial