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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, DC 20549
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FORM 10-K
(Mark One)
[X] Annual report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2000 or
[_] Transition report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934
For the transition period from to
Commission file numbers 001-13251
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USA EDUCATION, INC.
(formerly SLM Holding Corporation)
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
Delaware 52-2013874
(State of Other Jurisdiction of (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
Incorporation or Organization) 20193
11600 Sallie Mae Drive, Reston, (Zip Code)
Virginia
(Address of Principal Executive
Offices)
(703) 810 3000
(Registrant's Telephone Number, Including Area Code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Common Stock, par value $.20 per share.
6.97% Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock, Series A, par value $.20 per share
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
None.
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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports
required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the
registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such
filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes [X] No [_]
The aggregate market value of voting stock held by non-affiliates of the
registrant as of February 28, 2001 was approximately $11,697,238,179 (based on
closing sale price of $72.53 per share as reported for the New York Stock
Exchange--Composite Transactions).
On that date, there were 162,881,521 shares of Common Stock outstanding.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Portions of the Proxy Statement relating to the registrant's Annual Meeting
of Shareholders scheduled to be held May 10, 2001 are incorporated by reference
into Part III of this Report.
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item
405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to
the best of registrant's knowledge, in definitive proxy or information
statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any
amendment to this Form 10-K. [X]
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This Report contains forward-looking statements and information that are
based on management's current expectations as of the date of this document.
When used in this report, the words "anticipate," "believe," "estimate,"
"intend" and "expect" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-
looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks,
uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results
to be materially different from those reflected in such forward-looking
statements. These factors include, among others, changes in the terms of
student loans and the educational credit marketplace arising from the
implementation of applicable laws and regulations and from changes in these
laws and regulations, which may reduce the volume, average term and costs of
yields on student loans under the Federal Family Education Loan Program
("FFELP") or result in loans being originated or refinanced under non-FFELP
programs or may affect the terms upon which banks and others agree to sell
FFELP loans to the Company. The Company could also be affected by changes in
the demand for educational financing or in financing preferences of lenders,
educational institutions, students and their families; and changes in the
general interest rate environment and in the securitization markets for
education loans, which may increase the costs or limit the availability of
financings necessary to initiate, purchase or carry education loans.
PART I.
Item 1. Business
We believe that the industry data on the FFELP and the Federal Direct Loan
Program (the "FDLP") contained in this report are based on reliable sources and
represent the best available information for these purposes, including
published and unpublished U.S. Department of Education ("DOE") data and
industry publications.
GENERAL
USA Education, Inc. (formerly SLM Holding Corporation), a Delaware
Corporation (the "Company"), is the nation's largest private source of funding
and servicing support for higher education loans for students and their
parents. The Company provides a wide range of financial services, processing
capabilities and information technology to meet the needs of educational
institutions, lenders, students, and guarantee agencies. It was formed in 1997
in connection with the reorganization (the "Reorganization") of the Student
Loan Marketing Association, a government-sponsored enterprise (the "GSE") that
had been established by an act of Congress in 1972. The Student Loan Marketing
Association Reorganization Act of 1996 (the "Privatization Act") required the
GSE to propose to shareholders a plan of reorganization under which their share
ownership would convert to an equivalent share ownership in a state-chartered
holding company that would own all of the stock of the GSE. Under the
Privatization Act, the Reorganization was approved by the GSE's shareholders on
July 31, 1997 and effected on August 7, 1997. The Privatization Act requires
the GSE to transfer its business to the Company and dissolve on or before
September 30, 2008. During the period prior to the dissolution of the GSE (the
"Wind-Down Period"), the GSE is subject to various limitations on its business
and activities. See "--Operations during the Wind-Down Period" and
"Regulation--The Privatization Act."
As of December 31, 2000, the Company's managed portfolio of federally
insured student loans totaled approximately $64.5 billion (including loans
owned and loans securitized). The Company also had commitments to purchase
$16.4 billion of additional student loans as of December 31, 2000. While the
Company continues to be the leading purchaser of student loans, its business
has expanded since the creation of the GSE in 1972, reflecting changes in both
the education sector and the financial markets.
Primarily a provider of education credit, the Company serves a diverse range
of clients, including approximately 5,500 educational and financial
institutions and state agencies. The Company serves in excess of 7 million
borrowers through its ownership and management of approximately $67.5 billion
in student loans.
On July 31, 2000, the Company acquired the guarantee servicing, student loan
servicing and secondary market operations of USA Group, Inc. ("USA Group").
With this acquisition, the Company has broadened its
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offering of education related services to include servicing and administrative
support for guarantee agencies. In addition, the acquisition has opened new
channels and affiliations for loan volume growth and has further diversified
the Company's sources of revenue. Prior to the USA Group acquisition, the
Company derived substantially all of its income from interest earnings or
"spread income" from its portfolio of student loans. As a result of this
acquisition, the Company anticipates that "fee income" from its guarantor
servicing and third party servicing operations will account for an increasingly
larger portion of its income.
The Company believes that it has achieved its leadership position in the
education finance industry due to its focus on customer relationships, value-
added products and services, superior loan servicing capabilities and a sound
financial management strategy. In recognition of the increasingly important
role that college and university administrators play in the student loan
process, the Company's primary marketing focus is the school financial aid
office where its strategy is to deliver simple, flexible and cost-effective
products and services to schools and students. This strategy, combined with
superior servicing and technology capabilities, has helped the Company build
valuable partnerships with schools, lenders, guarantee agencies and others.
INDUSTRY OVERVIEW
The higher education credit marketplace consists of a number of programs
that are structured to provide affordable financing to students and their
families to fund education. The great majority of student loans are made to
finance post-secondary education under federally sponsored programs, although
many students and parents secure additional education credit through private
student loan programs. The primary federally sponsored student loan programs
are the FFELP and the FDLP. The largest student loan program, formerly called
the Guaranteed Student Loan Program and now known as the FFELP, was created in
1965 to ensure low-cost access by families to a full range of post-secondary
educational institutions. In 1972, to encourage further bank participation in
the Guaranteed Student Loan Program, Congress established the GSE as a for-
profit, stockholder-owned national secondary market for student loans. Under
loan programs sponsored by FFELP, banks and other lenders that satisfy
statutory eligibility requirements can originate student loans at below-market
interest rates as a result of the federal government's guarantee and its
payment to lenders of market-based adjustments (special allowance payments).
The FFELP industry is currently administered through a network of approximately
3,500 lending institutions and 4,740 educational institutions. Thirty-six
state-sponsored or non-profit guarantee agencies are responsible for
guaranteeing the loans on behalf of the DOE. In addition to the Company, a
number of non-profit entities, banks and other financial intermediaries operate
as secondary markets for student loans.
The Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (the "Higher Education Act"),
is reauthorized by Congress approximately every six years. The Higher Education
Act was last reauthorized on October 7, 1998 in the form of the Higher
Education Amendments of 1998 (the "Reauthorization Legislation"), legislation
that lowered both the borrower interest rate on Stafford loans and the lender's
rate after special allowance payments. The provisions of the FFELP are also
subject to revision from time to time by Congress.
The second largest federally sponsored student loan program and the
Company's primary competitor is the FDLP. In 1993, Congress expanded a
previously established pilot program into the FDLP, which is administered and
marketed to schools by the DOE. Established as an alternative to the private
sector-based FFELP, the FDLP accounted for approximately one-third of all new
federally sponsored student loans issued in academic year 1999-2000. Under the
FDLP, the federal government contracts with third parties for loan
administration and collection services while financing its lending activity
through U.S. Treasury borrowings. Loans offered through the FDLP are generally
the same as those offered through FFELP.
Under FFELP, there are four primary lending products that fund access to
education. The Company's student loan purchases have primarily involved these
loan types. They include:
. subsidized Stafford loans,
. unsubsidized Stafford loans,
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. Parental Loans to Undergraduate Students (PLUS) and
. consolidations loans.
Payment of principal and interest are guaranteed (98 percent to 100 percent,
depending on loan origination date) against default by the borrower as well as
in other circumstances. In addition, the holder of a federal student loan is
entitled to receive interest subsidy payments and, in certain cases, special
allowance payments from the Department. (See "Appendix A" for a detailed
discussion of the FFELP and FDLP).
Demand for student loans has risen substantially over the last several
years. Higher education tuition cost and fee increases continue to exceed the
inflation rate. Over half of all full-time college students today depend on
some form of borrowing, compared to just over 35 percent in 1985. In addition,
federal legislation enacted in late 1992 expanded loan limits and borrower
eligibility. All of these factors contributed to annual federally sponsored
student loan volume growing by approximately 56 percent from the 1994 federal
fiscal year to the 2000 federal fiscal year. In dollars, the FDLP and FFELP
student loan volume grew from approximately $24 billion as of September 30,
1994 to approximately $37.5 billion as of September 30, 2000. According to DOE
projections, demand for student loans will continue to grow. Total FDLP and
FFELP student loan volume is projected to reach $70 billion in the 2009 federal
fiscal year. The Company believes that lender participation in the FFELP is
relatively concentrated, with an estimated 90 percent of loans being originated
by the top 100 participants during the federal fiscal year ended September 30,
2000.
While the FDLP grew at a much higher rate during the first four years of the
program (FY94-FY97), the FDLP has lost market share during the past three
years. During the federal fiscal year 2000, FFELP student loans represented 68
percent, or $25.7 billion, of the total student loan market. FFELP student
loans represented only 66 percent of the total student loan market in the
federal fiscal year 1997.
PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
Over the past decade, a number of developments have significantly changed
the student loan industry. The developments--primarily, the continued reduction
in the legislated asset spread, the encroachment of the FDLP, the concentration
of participating lenders, the advent of student loan securitization and the
Company's 1997 reorganization--led the Company to reassess its bank-oriented
loan purchase strategy. As a result, the Company changed the focus of its
marketing efforts to the college campus, specifically the financial aid
offices. Management believes that the keys to the success of this campus-
centered marketing strategy are:
. strategic lender partnerships and loan origination,
. an expanded sales force offering a broad range of focused brands,
. premium loan delivery and technology solutions,
. private credit solutions and
. borrower benefits.
As of December 31, 2000, the Company's managed portfolio of federally
insured student loans totaled $64.5 billion, including $62.4 billion of FFELP
loans (including loans owned and loans securitized) and $2.1 billion of Health
Education Assistance Programs loans ("HEAL").
Strategic Lending Partnerships and Loan Origination. Through dedicated
lender relationships and direct origination, the Company intends to build its
control channel--loans originated and serviced on the Company's servicing
platform that are committed for sale to or owned from inception by the Company.
The loans acquired or originated in this fashion are more profitable to the
Company as they are acquired at a lower average premium and have a longer
average life and lower servicing costs. Loan volume disbursed on the Company's
control channel totaled $7.3 billion in 2000 and $5.1 billion in 1999, a 42
percent increase year-over-year.
4
Excluding business acquisitions, the Company's control channel volume was
approximately 61 percent of its total purchase volume in 2000 and 52 percent of
its purchase volume in 1999. In 2000, the primary contributors to the Company's
control channel volume were its joint venture with Chase Manhattan Bank and its
strategic alliance with Bank One, which resulted from the Company's USA Group
acquisition. During the federal fiscal year ending September 30, 2000, Chase
and Bank One were the second and third largest originators, respectively, of
federally insured student loans.
Although a significant portion of the Company's volume comes from commercial
banks, the Company also purchases student loans from other eligible FFELP
lenders, including savings and loan associations, mutual savings banks, credit
unions and insurance companies, educational institutions, and state and private
non-profit loan originating and secondary market agencies.
The Company entered into its joint venture with Chase Manhattan Bank (the
"Joint Venture") in 1994 and restructured it in 1998 such that the Company now
purchases all loans originated by Chase. The Company also purchased the $5
billion of loans that were co-owned in the Joint Venture at the time of the
restructuring. Since the Company now owns the loans, it no longer receives
servicing fees from the Joint Venture that were previously included in other
income.
On December 31, 1999, USA Group entered into an agreement to establish an
innovative strategic alliance with Bank One, one of the nation's largest
education loan originators. This alliance was transferred to the Company as
part of the Company's acquisition of USA Group's business operations. Under
this alliance, Education One Group, Inc., which is now an indirect wholly owned
subsidiary of the Company, is the sole, limited purpose agent of Bank One
operating exclusively to market and sell Bank One's education loans. Under the
Company's renewable, multi-year agreement, which strengthened and expanded its
then existing arrangement with Bank One, the Company's affiliates will service
and purchase a significant share of Bank One's annual new loan volume.
The Company also purchases student loans through standard purchase
commitment contracts. During 2000, the Company purchased approximately $1.4
billion of student loans through such arrangements. The Company enters into
commitment contracts with lenders to purchase loans up to a specified aggregate
principal amount over the term of the contract, which is generally three years.
Under all commitment contracts (including control channel commitments), lenders
have the right, and in most cases the obligation, to sell to the Company the
loans they own over a specified period of time at a purchase price that is
based on certain loan characteristics. Unlike control channel commitments, the
loans under standard commitments are not originated on a Sallie Mae servicing
platform.
The Company supplements its commitment purchases with spot purchases. In a
spot purchase, the Company competes with other market participants to purchase
a portfolio of eligible loans from a selling holder. Excluding business
acquisitions, the Company made approximately 8 percent and 1 percent of its
purchases of educational loans through spot purchases in 2000 and 1999,
respectively. In general, spot purchase volume is more costly than volume
purchased under commitment contracts.
In 1998, the Company began to originate a nominal amount of FFELP loans
through its wholly owned subsidiary, SLM Education Loan Corp. As of December
31, 2000, the Company originated $306 million of FFELP loans. In order to
accelerate its loan origination efforts, the Company completed two strategic
acquisitions: Nellie Mae in 1999 and Student Loan Funding Resources Inc.
("SLFR") in 2000. At the time of purchase, Nellie Mae had a $2.6 billion
student loan portfolio. SLFR owned a $3.0 billion portfolio and originated
approximately $25 million in student loans during their fiscal year ended
June 30, 2000. The Company expects that its origination activity will increase
as more schools adopt the Laureate, and NetWizard(TM) student loan delivery
systems discussed below. The Company will continue to explore acquiring
additional student loan volume and origination capabilities through strategic
acquisitions of student loan businesses.
5
Expanding Sales Force. Beginning in 1997 and in conjunction with its joint
venture with Chase Manhattan Bank, the Company began to expand its sales force
and solidify its primary lending relationships. By 2001, the Company had
increased its sales force five-fold to approximately 220 individuals
representing brands such as Sallie Mae, Nellie Mae, SLFR, SLM Financial and
Education One. Management believes this sales coverage, together with the
service level and product set provided by the Company, will maximize the
potential that the Company or one of its brands will be placed on a college or
university's preferred lender list.
Premium Loan Delivery Systems and Technology. In concert with its focus to
drive volume to its control channel through the financial aid office, the
Company launched Laureate, its Internet-based student loan delivery system, for
the 1999-2000 academic year. In addition, with the acquisition of the business
operations of USA Group, the Company now offers NetWizard, an alternative
Internet-based student loan delivery system. These systems provide real-time
data linkage among schools, borrowers, lenders and guarantors. With these
systems, a student loan process that previously required multiple sessions over
several days can now be completed in one on-line session. As of December 31,
2000, 238 schools were using Laureate. Through Laureate, the Company has
processed over $1.5 billion in FFELP loans since its July 1999 launch. In
addition, as of December 31, 2000, 1,125 schools were using NetWizard for a
variety of loan delivery and financial aid services.
In conjunction with commitment contracts, the Company frequently provides
selling institutions with loan origination and interim servicing support in the
form of ExportSS(R) through one of the Company's loan servicing centers. The
Company also offers selling institutions operational support in the form of
PortSS(R) an automated loan administration system for the lender's use at its
own offices before loan sale. In 2000 and 1999, 82 percent and 79 percent,
respectively, of the Company's purchase commitment volume came from users of
ExportSS and PortSS. Through TransportSSSM, the Company also offers commitment
clients the ability to originate loans and then transfer them to the Company
for servicing. PortSS, ExportSS and TransportSS provide the Company and the
lender assurance that loans will be efficiently administered by the Company and
that borrowers will have access to the Company's repayment options and
benefits. While USA Group did not offer a similar set of products and services,
it sought to foster efficient loan administration through arrangements with
"alliance lenders," who generally are entitled to the full complement of USA
Group's products and services. The largest such alliance lender is Bank One,
which accounted for approximately 80 percent of the business secured through
the alliance lender program. See "--Strategic Lending Partnerships and Loan
Originations."
Private Credit Solutions. To meet the full range of needs of financial aid
directors and students, the Company offers a wide complement of privately
insured funding alternatives to fill the gap between the price of admission and
federal financial aid. In the spring of 1996, the Company introduced the
Signature EducationSM Loan Program. Signature StudentSM Loans are available to
students at most four-year colleges and universities to supplement their
federal loans. Freshmen and non-creditworthy students are required to have a
cosigner. Students may borrow as much as the costs of attendance minus other
financial aid they are eligible to receive. With the Signature Select(R) Loan,
participating colleges tailor loan features to reflect the needs of their
individual campuses and provide default coverage in exchange for additional
program flexibility. Signature Loans are insured by the Company through its
HEMAR Insurance Corporation of America (HICA) subsidiary. The Company also
purchases loans originated under various other HICA-insured loan programs,
including particularly the private loan affinity programs MEDLOANSSM,
LAWLOANSSM, and MBALOANSSM. These three loan programs accounted for $150
million in private loans and $365 million in FFELP loans during the academic
year 1999-2000.
Under agreements with the Company, lenders originated approximately $325
million in loan volume in Signature private loans and $4.3 billion in loan
volume in FFELP loans at schools where the Company did Signature volume in the
academic year 1999-2000. The majority of this volume represents loans made to
borrowers with creditworthy cosigners.
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Beginning in 1999, SLM Financial, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company,
substantially expanded the Company's private credit product line, focusing on
career training, lifelong learning and K-12 education. With the creation of SLM
Financial, the Company began offering Career Training LoanSM directly to
borrowers and through partnerships with higher education associations, colleges
and universities, technical and trade schools and other adult learning centers.
This loan is available to borrowers enrolled in career training courses or a
distance learning school; attending a two-year or four-year proprietary school;
or attending a four-year college less than half-time. In addition, the Company
made available its K-12 Family Education LoanSM to parents and other family
members of children attending private K-12 schools. Under this loan program,
families can borrow up to the entire cost of education including additional
money for education-related expenses such as the purchase of a computer or
musical instrument. SLM Financial also offers mortgages, home equity and other
secured and unsecured consumer loans. All SLM Financial loans are underwritten
and priced based upon standardized consumer credit scoring criteria. For the
year ended December 31, 2000, SLM Financial originated $656 million in loans of
which 63 percent was education related. The Company is also sourcing private
credit loans on campus through the Nellie Mae, Student Loan Funding and USA
Group acquired brands.
Borrower Benefits. To satisfy customer preferences and compete more
effectively in the student loan marketplace, the Company has developed a
comprehensive set of loan programs and services for borrowers, including
numerous loan restructuring and repayment options and programs that encourage
and reward good repayment habits. The Company also provides counseling and
information programs (including a worldwide web site) that help borrowers and
reinforce relationships with college and university customers and lender
partners.
Under the Company's Great Rewards(R) Program, certain FFELP borrowers who
make their first 48 scheduled monthly payments on time receive a two
percentage-point interest rate reduction for the remaining term of the loan.
Other programs credit students an amount equal to part of the loan origination
fees they pay and modestly reduce interest costs for use of automatic debit
accounts. The Company also provides financial aid administrators at colleges
and universities with innovative products and services that simplify the
lending process, including electronic funds transfer services and loan
information and management software that enables college application data to be
transferred electronically between program participants.
The Flex Repay Account, the Company's newest graduated repayment option,
allows students who are having difficulty making repayments to extend loan
repayment to make their payments more affordable while minimizing total loan
costs in comparison to loan consolidation.
The Company also offers eligible borrowers a program for consolidation of
eligible insured loans into a single new insured loan with a term of 10 to 30
years. As of December 31, 2000, the Company owned approximately $11.7 billion
of such consolidation loans, known as SMART LOAN(R) Accounts. Following
enactment of the Emergency Student Loan Consolidation Act in November 1997,
which made significant changes to the FFELP loan consolidation program, the
Company temporarily suspended its loan consolidation program. As a result of
the Reauthorization Legislation, the Company began to offer student loan
borrowers the SMART LOAN consolidation program again in the fourth quarter of
1998.
LOAN SERVICING
In 1980, the Company began servicing its own student loan portfolio in order
to better control costs and manage risks. In late 1995, in connection with the
commencement of its securitization program, the Company transferred its
servicing operations to Sallie Mae Servicing Corporation ("SMSC"). At the end
of 2000, the Company merged USA Group's servicing operations with and into
SMSC. Through SMSC, the Company is now the nation's largest servicer of FFELP
loans, and management believes that the Company is recognized as the premier
service quality and technology provider in the student loan industry. The
Company believes that its processing capability and service excellence are
integral to its school-based growth strategy. As of December 31, 2000, the
Company serviced approximately $66.7 billion of FFELP loans, including
approximately
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$23.9 billion of loans owned by the GSE and its affiliates, $24.7 billion owned
by 18 securitization trusts sponsored by the GSE, $5.0 billion owned by 10
securitization trusts sponsored by Secondary Market Services, a wholly owned
subsidiary of the GSE, and $13.1 billion of loans owned by other parties. As of
December 31, 2000, the Company also serviced approximately $5.8 billion in non-
FFELP loans including approximately $2.0 billion in HEAL loans and $3.8 billion
in private loans.
The Company currently has five loan servicing centers, located in Arizona,
Florida, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Texas. This geographic coverage, together
with total systems integration among centers, facilitates operations and
customer service.
The DOE and the various guarantee agencies prescribe rules and regulations
that govern the servicing of federally insured student loans. The Company's
origination and servicing systems, internal procedures and highly trained staff
support compliance with these regulations, and are designed to promote asset
integrity and provide superior service to borrowers.
GUARANTOR SERVICING
As a result of its acquisition of the business operations of USA Group, the
Company now provides a full complement of administrative support for loan
guarantors, ranging from loan origination and account maintenance to default
prevention and post-default collections. The Company provides administrative
support to USA Funds, the nation's largest guarantor of education loans and the
designated guarantor in Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii and the Pacific Islands,
Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Mississippi, Nevada and Wyoming. In addition, the
Company has guarantor servicing contracts with guarantors serving 12 other
states.
During 2000, the Company processed $6.8 billion and $2.2 billion in
education loans for USA Funds and the Company's other guarantor servicing
customers, respectively. All of these customers use the Company's EAGLE(TM)
guarantee system, a state-of-the-art, multi-platform operating system that
tracks FFELP loan origination and guarantee activities that the Company
administers on behalf of its customers.
The Company has two primary contracts with USA Funds: a guarantee services
agreement under which the Company provides comprehensive outsourcing of
guarantee operations functions including, among other things, guarantee
processing, portfolio management, loan disbursement services, claim review and
debt collections; and a default aversion agreement under which the Company
provides all default aversion activities required under the FFELP as well as
certain mutually agreed upon special default reduction activities. Each
contract has an initial term of five years, beginning October 1, 1999. On each
October 1 thereafter, beginning on October 1, 2000, the term of each contract
will be automatically increased by an additional year unless a contractually
specified prior notice is given by either party.
The Company currently operates its post-default collections from a
collections center located in Nevada and performs other guarantee servicing
operations from the loan servicing operations located in Indiana.
FINANCING/SECURITIZATION
The GSE obtains funds for its operations primarily from the sale of debt
securities in the domestic and overseas capital markets, and through public
offerings and private placements of U.S. dollar denominated and foreign
currency denominated debt of varying maturities and interest rate
characteristics. GSE debt securities are currently rated at the highest credit
rating level by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's") and Standard &
Poor's Credit Market Services, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
("S&P").
The GSE uses interest rate and currency exchange agreements (collateralized
where appropriate), U.S. Treasury securities, interest rate futures contracts
and other hedging techniques to reduce its exposure to interest rate and
currency fluctuations arising out of its financing activities and to match the
characteristics of its assets and liabilities. The GSE has also issued
preferred stock to obtain funds, including preferred stock held by the Company.
Under the Privatization Act, the GSE may issue debt with maturity dates through
8
September 30, 2008 to fund student loan and other permitted asset purchases.
Upon the GSE's dissolution in accordance with the Privatization Act, the GSE
must transfer any remaining GSE obligations into a defeasance trust for the
benefit of the holders of such obligations together with cash or full faith and
credit obligations of the United States, or an agency thereof, in amounts
sufficient, as determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, to pay the
principal and interest on the deposited obligations. If the GSE has
insufficient assets to fully fund such GSE debt, the Company must transfer
sufficient assets to the trust to account for this shortfall. The Privatization
Act requires that upon the dissolution of the GSE on or before September 30,
2008, the GSE shall repurchase or redeem or make proper provisions for
repurchase or redemption of the GSE's outstanding preferred stock.
Since late 1995, the Company has further diversified its funding sources,
independent of its GSE borrower status, by securitizing a portion of its
student loan assets. Securitization is an off-balance sheet funding mechanism
that the Company effects through the sale of portfolios of student loans by the
GSE to SLM Funding Corporation, a bankruptcy-remote, special-purpose, wholly
owned subsidiary of the GSE. SLM Funding Corporation, in turn sells the student
loans to an independent owner trust that issues securities to fund the purchase
of the student loans. The securitization trusts typically issue several classes
of debt securities rated at the highest investment grade level. The GSE has not
guaranteed such debt securities and has no obligation to ensure their
repayment. Because the securities issued by the trusts through securitization
are not GSE securities, the Company has been and in the future expects to be
able to fund its student loans to term through securitization, even for those
assets with final maturities that extend beyond the Wind-Down Period. The DOE
has concurred with the Company's position that a 30 basis point per annum
offset fee imposed on loans held by the GSE does not apply to securitized
loans. The Company anticipates that securitization will remain a primary
student loan funding mechanism for the Company when it begins to conduct
student loan purchase activity through a non-GSE subsidiary.
In addition to the foregoing, the Company obtains funding through a
commercial paper program. In the fourth quarter of 1999, the Company
established a $1 billion commercial paper program. This program is supported by
a $600 million 364-day revolving credit agreement, which the Company renewed in
the fourth quarter of 2000, and a $400 million five-year revolving credit
agreement. Prior to the establishment of this commercial paper program, the
Company secured credit ratings of A1, P1 and F1+ on its short term debt and A,
A3 and A+ on its long term debt from S&P, Moody's and Fitch IBCA, Inc.,
respectively. In addition, the Company issued a total of $1 billion of medium
term notes in the fourth quarter of 2000 and the first quarter of 2001.
OPERATIONS DURING THE WIND-DOWN PERIOD
Privatization enables the Company to commence new business activities
without regard to restrictions in the GSE's charter. During the Wind-Down
Period, the GSE generally is prohibited from conducting new business except in
connection with student loan purchases through September 30, 2007 or with other
outstanding contractual commitments, and from issuing new debt obligations that
mature beyond September 30, 2008. The GSE has transferred personnel and certain
assets to the Company or other non-GSE affiliates. Student loans, warehousing
advances and other program-related or financial assets (such as portfolio
investments, letters of credit, swap agreements and forward purchase
commitments) have not been transferred and are generally not expected to be
transferred until the Wind-Down Period is close to completion. Neither the
Company nor any of its non-GSE affiliates may make secondary market purchases
of FFELP loans for so long as the GSE is actively acquiring insured student
loans. During the Wind-Down Period, GSE operations will be managed under arm's-
length service agreements between the GSE and one or more of its non-GSE
affiliates. The Privatization Act also provides certain restrictions on
intercompany relations between the GSE and its affiliates during the Wind-Down
Period.
COMPETITION
The Company's largest competitor is the Federal Direct Loan Program. Based
on DOE reports, the Company estimates that total student loan originations for
the federal fiscal years 1999-2000 and 1998-99
9
were $36.1 billion and $33.7 billion, respectively, of which FDLP originations
represented approximately 29 percent and 32 percent, respectively. The DOE
projects that FDLP originations will represent about one-third of total student
loan originations in the 2000-01 federal fiscal year.
The Company also faces competition on a national basis from several large
commercial banks and non-profit secondary market agencies and on a state or
local basis from smaller banks and state-based secondary markets. The
availability of securitization for student loan assets also fostered
competition from new and established market participants. Based on the most
recent information from the DOE and management estimates, at the end of fiscal
year 1999, the GSE's share (in dollars) of outstanding FFELP loans was 35
percent, while banks and other financial institutions held 42 percent and state
secondary market participants held 23 percent. Management believes that market
share in the FFELP industry has been a function of school and student desire
for borrower benefits and superior customer service as more fully described
above. See "PRODUCTS AND SERVICES--Strategic Lending Partners and Loan
Origination."
The DOE offers FFELP borrowers the opportunity to refinance or consolidate
their FFELP loans into FDLP loans if the borrowers also have a FDLP loan or
upon certification that the holder of their FFELP loans does not offer an
income-sensitive payment plan acceptable to the borrower. During 2000 and 1999,
approximately $519 million and $755 million, respectively, of the GSE's FFELP
loans were consolidated into the FDLP. In early 1995, the Company began
offering an income-sensitive payment plan. The FDLP, however, also provides an
income-contingent option not available under the FFELP program that may be more
attractive to certain borrowers. Under this repayment option, the government
will ultimately forgive student loan debt after 25 years.
REGULATION
As a government-sponsored enterprise, the GSE is organized under federal law
and its government charter restricts its operations. Although privatization
permits the Company's private activities to expand through non-GSE
subsidiaries, the GSE's operations continue to be subject to broad federal
regulation during the Wind-Down Period.
The Privatization Act
The Privatization Act established the basic framework for the Reorganization
and imposes certain restrictions on the operations of the Company and its
subsidiaries during the Wind-Down Period. The Privatization Act amends the
GSE's charter to require certain enhanced regulatory oversight of the GSE to
ensure its financial safety and soundness. See "--GSE Regulation."
Reorganization. The Privatization Act required the GSE to propose to
shareholders a plan of reorganization under which their share ownership in the
GSE would be automatically converted to an equivalent share ownership in a
state-chartered holding company that would own all of the common stock of the
GSE. On July 31, 1997, the GSE's shareholders approved the Reorganization in
fulfillment of this provision. The Privatization Act requires that the GSE be
liquidated on or before September 30, 2008, upon which its federal charter will
be rescinded. During the Wind-Down Period, the Company will remain a passive
entity that supports the operations of the GSE and its other non-GSE
subsidiaries, and any new business activities will be conducted through such
subsidiaries.
The Privatization Act requires all personnel and certain assets to be
transferred to non-GSE subsidiaries of the Company in connection with the
Reorganization, including the transfer of the GSE's interest in certain
subsidiaries. The GSE's student loans and related contracts, warehousing
advances and other program-related or financial assets (such as portfolio
investments, letters of credit, swap agreements and forward purchase
10
commitments) and any non-material assets that the GSE Board determines to be
necessary for or appropriate to continued GSE operations, may be retained by
the GSE. Employees of the GSE were transferred to the Management Company at the
effective time of the Reorganization. Employees who were employed by non-GSE
subsidiaries of the GSE before the Reorganization continue to be employed by
such subsidiaries.
During the Wind-Down Period, the GSE is restricted in the new business
activities it may undertake. The GSE may continue to purchase student loans
only through September 30, 2007, and warehousing advance, letter of credit and
standby bond purchase activity by the GSE is limited to takedowns on
contractual financing and guarantee commitments in place at the effective time
of the Reorganization. In addition, the Company and its non-GSE subsidiaries
may not make secondary market purchases of FFELP loans for so long as the GSE
is actively acquiring insured student loans.
In certain circumstances, the GSE will continue to serve as a lender of last
resort and will provide secondary market support for the FFELP upon the request
of the Secretary of Education. If and to the extent that the GSE performs such
functions, however, it will not be required to pay a statutorily imposed 30
basis point offset fee on such loans. The GSE may transfer assets and declare
dividends, from time to time, if it maintains a minimum capital ratio of at
least 2.25 percent. In the event that the GSE does not maintain the required
minimum capital ratio, the Company is required to supplement the GSE's capital
to achieve such minimum capital ratio.
The GSE's debt obligations, including debt obligations that were outstanding
at the time of the Reorganization, continue to be outstanding obligations of
the GSE and will not be transferred to any other entity (except in connection
with the defeasance trust described below). See "--GSE Dissolution After
Reorganization." The Privatization Act provides that the Reorganization does
not modify the attributes accorded to the debt obligations of the GSE by the
GSE's charter. During the Wind-Down Period, the GSE can continue to issue debt
in the government agency market to finance student loans and other permissible
asset purchases. The maturity date of such issuances, however, may not extend
beyond September 30, 2008, the GSE's final dissolution date. This restriction
does not apply to debt issued to finance any lender of last resort or secondary
market purchase activity requested by the Secretary of Education. The
Privatization Act is clear that the Reorganization (and the subsequent transfer
of any remaining GSE debt to the defeasance trust described below) will not
modify the legal status of any GSE debt obligations, whether such obligations
existed at the time of Reorganization or are subsequently issued.
Oversight Authority. During the Wind-Down Period, the Secretary of the
Treasury has extended oversight authority to monitor the activities of the GSE
and, in certain cases, the Company and its non-GSE subsidiaries to the extent
that the activities of such entities are reasonably likely to have a material
impact on the financial condition of the GSE. The U.S. Department of the
Treasury has established the Office of Sallie Mae Oversight to perform these
functions. During this period, the Secretary of the Treasury may require that
the GSE submit periodic reports regarding any potentially material financial
risk of its associated persons and its procedures for monitoring and
controlling such risk. The Company is expressly prohibited from transferring
ownership of the GSE or causing the GSE to file bankruptcy without the approval
of the Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of Education. The Secretary
of Education and the Secretary of the Treasury have express authority to
request that the Attorney General bring an action, or may bring an action under
the direction and control of the Attorney General, in the United States
District Court for the District of Columbia, for the enforcement of any
provision of the GSE's safety and soundness requirements or the requirements of
the Privatization Act in general.
Restrictions on Intercompany Relations. The Privatization Act restricts
intercompany relations between the GSE and its affiliates during the Wind-Down
Period. Specified corporate formalities must be followed to ensure that the
separate corporate identities of the GSE and its affiliates are maintained.
Specifically, the Privatization Act provides that the GSE must not extend
credit to, nor guarantee any debt obligations of, the Company or its
subsidiaries. The Privatization Act also provides that (i) the funds and assets
of the GSE must
11
at all times be maintained separately from the funds and assets of the Company
and its subsidiaries, (ii) the GSE must maintain books and records that clearly
reflect the assets and liabilities of the GSE, separate from the assets and
liabilities of the Company or its subsidiaries, (iii) the GSE must maintain a
corporate office that is physically separate from any office of the Company and
its subsidiaries, (iv) no director of the GSE who is appointed by the President
may serve as a director of the Company and (v) at least one officer of the GSE
must be an officer solely of the GSE.
Furthermore, the Privatization Act mandates that transactions between the
GSE and the Company, including any loan servicing arrangements, shall be on
terms no less favorable to the GSE than the GSE could obtain from an unrelated
third party, and any amounts collected on behalf of the GSE by the Company
under a servicing contract or other arrangement between the GSE and the Company
shall be immediately deposited by the Company to an account under the sole
control of the GSE.
Limitations on Company Activities. During the Wind-Down Period, the Company
must remain a passive entity that holds the stock of its subsidiaries and
provides funding and management support to such subsidiaries. The Privatization
Act contemplates that until the GSE is dissolved, the Company's business
activities will be conducted through subsidiaries. However, the Privatization
Act extends to the Company and its subsidiaries the GSE's "eligible lender"
status for loan consolidation and secondary market purchases.
The Company and its non-GSE subsidiaries generally may not begin to make
secondary market purchases of FFELP student loans for so long as the GSE is
actively acquiring insured student loans. Subject to the foregoing, the Company
may elect, at any time, to transfer new student loan purchase activity from the
GSE to one of its non-GSE subsidiaries. In addition, the Company is permitted
to and, in the third quarter of 1998, began to originate FFELP loans. See
"Business--Products and Services--Originations." Under the Higher Education
Act, loans acquired after August 10, 1993 and held by the GSE are subject to a
30 basis point per annum "offset fee." The offset fee does not apply to
securitized loans or to loans held or securitized by the Company or its non-GSE
subsidiaries.
Although the GSE may not finance the activities of the Company's non-GSE
subsidiaries, it may, subject to its minimum capital requirements, dividend
retained earnings and surplus capital to the Company, which in turn may use
such amounts to support its non-GSE subsidiaries. The Privatization Act further
directs that, unless and until distributed as dividends by the GSE, under no
circumstances shall the assets of the GSE be available or used to pay claims or
debts of or incurred by the Company.
In exchange for the payment of $5 million to the District of Columbia
Financial Responsibility and Management Assistance Authority (the "Control
Board"), the Company and its other subsidiaries may continue to use the name
"Sallie Mae," but not the name "Student Loan Marketing Association," as part of
their legal names or as a trademark or service mark. Interim disclosure
requirements in connection with securities offerings and promotional materials
are required to avoid marketplace confusion regarding the separateness of the
GSE and its affiliated entities. During the Wind-Down Period and until one year
after repayment of all outstanding GSE debt, the "Sallie Mae" name may not be
used by any Company unit that issues debt obligations or other securities to
any person or entity other than the Company or its subsidiaries. In addition,
the Privatization Act required the Company to issue certain warrants to
purchase the Company's Common Stock (the "Warrants") to the Control Board.
These provisions of the Privatization Act were part of the terms negotiated
with the Administration and Congress in conjunction with the GSE's
privatization. The Company issued the Warrants on August 7, 1997.
GSE Dissolution after Reorganization. The Privatization Act provides that
the GSE will liquidate and dissolve on September 30, 2008, unless an earlier
dissolution is requested by the GSE and the Secretary of Education makes no
finding that the GSE continues to be needed as a lender of last resort under
the GSE charter or to purchase loans under certain agreements with the
Secretary of Education. In connection with such dissolution, the GSE must
transfer any remaining GSE obligations into a defeasance trust for the benefit
of the
12
holders of such obligations, along with cash or full faith and credit
obligations of the United States, or an agency thereof, in amounts sufficient,
as determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, to pay the principal and
interest on the deposited obligations. As of December 31, 2000, the GSE had
$1.4 billion in current carrying value of debt obligations outstanding with
maturities after September 30, 2008. If the GSE has insufficient assets to fund
fully such GSE debt obligations outstanding at the time of dissolution, the
Company must transfer sufficient assets to the trust to account for this
shortfall. The Privatization Act also requires that on the dissolution date,
the GSE shall repurchase or redeem, or make proper provisions for the
repurchase or redemption of, any outstanding shares of preferred stock, of
which the GSE has issued Series A and B Adjustable Rate Cumulative Preferred
Stock. The Series A Preferred Stock is carried at its liquidation value of
$50.00 per share for a total of $214 million and pays a variable dividend that
has been at its minimum rate of 5 percent per annum for the last several years.
The Series B Preferred Stock is carried at its liquidation value of $500,000
per share for a total of $100 million and pays a variable dividend that is
equal to three-month London Interbank Offered Rate ("LIBOR") plus one percent
per annum divided by 1.377. Upon dissolution, the GSE charter will terminate,
and any assets that the GSE continues to hold after establishment of the trust
or that remain in the trust after full payment of the remaining obligations of
the GSE assumed by the trust will be transferred to the Company or its
affiliates, as determined by the Company's Board of Directors.
GSE Regulation
The GSE's structure and the scope of its business activities are set forth
in its charter. The charter, which is subject to review and change by Congress,
sets forth certain restrictions on the GSE's business and financing activities
and charges the federal government with certain oversight responsibilities with
respect to these activities. The GSE's charter grants the GSE certain
exemptions from federal and state laws. The GSE's charter's primary regulatory
restrictions and exemptions, including certain provisions added by the
Privatization Act, are summarized as follows:
1.Seven members of the GSE's 21-member Board of Directors are appointed by the
President of the United States. The other 14 members are elected by the Company
as the holder of the GSE's Common Stock. The Chairman of the Board is
designated by the President of the United States from among the Board's 21
members.
2.Debt obligations issued by the GSE are exempt from state taxation to the same
extent as U.S. government obligations. The GSE is exempt from all taxation by
any state or by any county, municipality or local taxing authority except with
respect to real property taxes. The GSE is not exempt from federal corporate
income taxes.
3.All stock and other securities of the GSE are deemed to be exempt securities
under the laws administered by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
"Commission") to the same extent as obligations of the United States.
4.The GSE may conduct its business without regard to any qualification or
similar statute in any state of the United States, including the District of
Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the territories and possessions
of the United States (although the scope of the GSE's business is generally
limited by its federal charter).
5.The issuance of GSE debt obligations must be approved by the Secretary of the
Treasury.
6.The GSE is required to have its financial statements examined annually by
independent certified public accountants and to submit a report of the
examination to the Secretary of the Treasury. The Department of the Treasury is
also authorized to conduct audits of the GSE and to otherwise monitor the GSE's
financial condition. The GSE is required to submit annual reports of its
operations and activities to the President of the United States and Congress.
The GSE must pay up to $800,000 per year to the Department of the Treasury to
cover the costs of its oversight.
13
7.The GSE is subject to certain "safety and soundness" regulations, including
the requirement that the GSE maintain a 2.25 percent capital adequacy ratio.
The GSE may pay dividends only upon certification that, at the time of a
dividend declaration and after giving effect to the payment of such dividend,
the capital adequacy ratio is satisfied.
8.The Secretary of Education and the Secretary of the Treasury have certain
enforcement powers under the GSE's charter.
9.A 30 basis point annual offset fee, unique to the GSE, is payable to the
Secretary of Education on student loans purchased and held by the GSE on or
after August 10, 1993.
10.In certain circumstances, at the request of the Secretary of Education, the
GSE is required to act as a lender of last resort to make FFELP loans when
other private lenders are not available. Such loans are not subject to the 30
basis point offset fee on loans held by the GSE.
Other Regulation
Under the Higher Education Act, the GSE is an "eligible lender" for purposes
only of purchasing and holding loans made by other lenders and making
consolidation and lender of last resort loans. Like other participants in
insured student loan programs, the Company is subject, from time to time, to
review of its student loan operations by the General Accounting Office, the DOE
and certain guarantee agencies. The laws relating to insured student loan
programs are subject to revision from time to time and changes to such laws are
beyond the Company's control. In addition, SMSC, as a servicer of student
loans, is subject to certain DOE regulations regarding financial responsibility
and administrative capability that govern all third party servicers of insured
student loans. Failure to satisfy such standards may result in the loss of the
government guarantee of FFELP loans. Also, in connection with its guarantor
servicing operations, the Company must comply with, on behalf of its guarantor
servicing customers, certain DOE regulations that govern guarantor activities
as well as agreements for reimbursement between the Secretary of Education and
the Company's guarantor servicing customers. Failure to comply with these
regulations or the provisions of these agreements may result in the termination
of the Secretary of Education's reimbursement obligation. HICA, a South Dakota
stock insurance company, is subject to the ongoing regulatory authority of the
South Dakota Division of Insurance and that of comparable governmental agencies
in six other states.
Non-Discrimination and Limitations on Affiliation with Depository Institutions
The Privatization Act also amended the Higher Education Act to provide that
the GSE and any successor entity (including the Company) functioning as a
secondary market for federally insured student loans may not engage, directly
or indirectly, in any pattern or practice that results in a denial of a
borrower's access to insured loans because of the borrower's race, sex, color,
religion, national origin, age, disability status, income, attendance at a
particular institution, length of a borrower's educational program or the
borrower's academic year at an eligible institution.
The Omnibus Appropriations Act of 1998, signed into law by the President on
October 21, 1998, contains several provisions that amend the Federal Deposit
Insurance Act. These provisions provide an exception to the prohibition on
affiliations between government-sponsored entities and depository institutions
contained in the Federal Deposit Insurance Act. This exception allows the
Company to become affiliated with a depository institution upon certain
conditions and with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury. Among the
conditions are: the dissolution of the GSE cannot be adversely affected by the
affiliation; the dissolution of the GSE must occur within two years after the
affiliation is consummated subject to the ability of the Secretary to extend
such deadline for up to two one-year periods; and the GSE must be separate and
distinct from the affiliated depository institution and cannot extend credit,
provide credit enhancement or purchase any obligation of the depository
institution.
14
Item 2. Properties
The following table lists the principal facilities owned by the Company:
Approximate
Location Function Square Feet
-------- -------- -----------
Reston, VA Operations/Headquarters 395,000
Fishers, IN Loan Servicing Data Center 450,000
Indianapolis, IN Former USA Group Headquarters 330,000
Wilkes Barre, PA Loan Servicing Center 135,000
Killeen, TX Loan Servicing Center 133,000
Lynn Haven, FL Loan Servicing Center 133,000
Castleton, IN Loan Servicing Center 100,000
The Company leases approximately 7,000 square feet of office space in
Washington, D.C. for its government relations group. The GSE leases
approximately 115,600 square feet of office space in Washington, D.C. for its
former headquarters. The Company has entered into subleases through the term of
these leases, which expire in 2001, and other arrangements to terminate the
GSE's obligations under these leases. In addition, the Company leases
approximately 71,000 square feet for its collections center in Summerlin,
Nevada and 65,000 square feet of space for its inbound/outbound call center in
Chandler, Arizona. With the exception of the Pennsylvania loan servicing
center, none of the Company's facilities is encumbered by a mortgage. The
Company believes that its headquarters and loan servicing centers are generally
adequate to meet its long-term student loan and new business goals. The
Company's principal office is located in owned space at 11600 Sallie Mae Drive,
Reston, Virginia, 20193.
As of December 31, 2000, the Company employed 6,712 employees nationwide.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings.
The Company, together with a number of other FFELP industry participants,
filed a lawsuit challenging the Department of Education's interpretation of and
non-compliance with provisions in the Higher Education Act governing
origination fees and repayment incentives on loans made under the FDLP, as well
as interest rates for Direct Consolidation Loans. The lawsuit, which was filed
November 3, 2000 in the United States District Court for the District of
Columbia, alleges that the Department's interpretations of and non-compliance
with these statutory provisions are contrary to the statute's unambiguous text,
and are arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, or otherwise not in
accordance with law, and violate both the HEA and the Administrative Procedure
Act. The Company and the other plaintiffs have filed a motion for summary
judgment. The Department of Education must file its cross-motion for summary
judgment and opposition to the plaintiff's motion on or before April 6, 2001.
Item 4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security-Holders
Nothing to report.
15
PART II.
Item 5. Market for Registrant's Common Equity and Related Stockholder Matters
The Company's Common Stock is listed and traded on the New York Stock
Exchange under the symbol SLM. The number of holders of record of the Company's
Common Stock as of March 12, 2001 was approximately 612. The following table
sets forth the high and low sales prices for the Company's Common Stock for
each full quarterly period within the two most recent fiscal years.
COMMON STOCK PRICES
1st 2nd 3rd 4th
Quarter Quarter Quarter Quarter
-------- -------- -------- --------
1999 High 48 15/16 47 5/16 48 13/16 53 5/8
Low 40 1/8 40 3/8 42 7/8 41 11/16
2000 High 43 7/8 38 11/16 48 15/16 68 1/4
Low 28 1/2 27 13/16 36 7/8 44 7/8
The Company paid regular quarterly dividends of $.15 per share on the Common
Stock for the first three quarters of 1999, $.16 for the fourth quarter of 1999
and the first three quarters of 2000 and $.175 for the fourth quarter of 2000
and the first quarter of 2001.
16
Item 6. Selected Financial Data
Selected Financial Data 1996-2000
(Dollars in millions, except per share amounts)
The following table sets forth selected financial and other operating
information of the Company. The selected financial data in the table is derived
from the consolidated financial statements of the Company. The data should be
read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements, related notes,
and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations" included in the Company's Form 10-K to the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
2000 1999 1998 1997 1996
------- ------- ------- ------- -------
Operating Data:
Net interest income.............. $ 642 $ 694 $ 651 $ 781 $ 894
Net income....................... 465 501 501 508 409
Basic earnings per common share.. 2.84 3.11 2.99 2.80 2.10
Diluted earnings per common
share........................... 2.76 3.06 2.95 2.78 2.09
Dividends per common share....... .66 .61 .57 .52 .47
Return on stockholders' equity... 49% 78% 81% 65% 50%
Net interest margin.............. 1.52 1.85 1.93 1.80 1.96
Return on assets................. 1.06 1.28 1.41 1.12 .86
Dividend payout ratio............ 24 20 19 19 22
Average equity/average assets.... 2.34 1.59 1.65 1.64 1.66
Balance Sheet Data:
Student loans.................... $37,647 $33,809 $28,283 $29,443 $33,696
Total assets..................... 48,792 44,025 37,210 39,832 47,572
Total borrowings................. 45,375 41,988 35,399 37,717 45,124
Stockholders' equity............. 1,415 841 654 675 834
Book value per common share...... 7.62 4.29 3.98 3.89 4.44
Other Data:
Securitized student loans
outstanding..................... $29,868 $19,467 $18,059 $14,262 $ 6,329
Pro-forma "Core Cash Basis"
Results (1):
Net interest income.............. $ 1,039 $ 927 $ 892 $ 937 $ 939
Net income....................... 492 405 381 384 367
Diluted earnings per common
share........................... 2.93 2.48 2.24 2.10 1.88
Net interest margin.............. 1.53% 1.68% 1.76% 1.75% 1.89%
Return on assets................. .71 .71 .72 .70 .71
--------
(1)The pro-forma results present the Company's results of operations under the
assumption that the securitization transactions are financings and that the
securitized student loans were not sold. As such, no gain on sale or subsequent
servicing and securitization revenue is recognized. Instead, the earnings of
the student loans in the trusts and related financing costs are reflected over
the life of the underlying pool of loans. The effect of floor income, certain
one-time gains on sales of investment securities and student loans, certain
one-time, non-recurring expenses incurred in 1997, a one-time integration
charge related to the July 2000 acquisition of USA Group, and the amortization
of goodwill from acquisitions are also excluded from net income. Management
refers to these pro-forma results as "core cash basis" results. Management
monitors the periodic "core cash basis" results of the Company's managed
student loan portfolio and believes that they assist in a better understanding
of the Company's student loan business.
17
Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results
of Operations
MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Years ended December 31, 1998-2000
(Dollars in millions, except per share amounts)
OVERVIEW
SLM Holding Corporation ("SLM Holding") was formed on February 3, 1997, as a
wholly owned subsidiary of the Student Loan Marketing Association (the "GSE").
On August 7, 1997, in accordance with the Student Loan Marketing Association
Reorganization Act of 1996 (the "Privatization Act") and approval by
shareholders of an agreement and plan of reorganization, the GSE was
reorganized into a subsidiary of SLM Holding (the "Reorganization"). Effective
as of July 31, 2000, SLM Holding Corporation was renamed USA Education, Inc.
upon the completion of the acquisition of the guarantee servicing, student loan
servicing and secondary market operations of USA Group, Inc. ("USA Group"). USA
Education, Inc. is a holding company that operates through a number of
subsidiaries including the GSE. References herein to the "Company" refer to the
GSE and its subsidiaries for periods prior to the Reorganization and to USA
Education, Inc. and its subsidiaries for periods after the Reorganization.
The Company is the largest source of financing and servicing for education
loans in the United States primarily through its participation in the Federal
Family Education Loan Program ("FFELP"), formerly the Guaranteed Student Loan
Program. The Company's products and services include student loan purchases and
commitments to purchase student loans, student loan servicing, as well as
operational support to originators of student loans and to post-secondary
education institutions, guarantors and other education-related financial
services. The Company also originates, purchases, holds and services
unguaranteed private loans.
The following Management's Discussion and Analysis contains forward-looking
statements and information that are based on management's current expectations
as of the date of this document. Discussions that utilize the words "intends,"
"anticipate," "believe," "estimate" and "expect" and similar expressions, as
they relate to the Company's management, are intended to identify forward-
looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks,
uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results
of the Company to be materially different from those reflected in such forward-
looking statements. Such factors include, among others, changes in the terms of
student loans and the educational credit marketplace arising from the
implementation of applicable laws and regulations and from changes in such laws
and regulations; which may reduce the volume, average term and costs of yields
on student loans under the FFELP or result in loans being originated or
refinanced under non-FFELP programs or may affect the terms upon which banks
and others agree to sell FFELP loans to the Company. The Company could also be
affected by changes in the demand for educational financing and consumer
lending or in financing preferences of lenders, educational institutions,
students and their families; and changes in the general interest rate
environment and in the securitization markets for education loans, which may
increase the costs or limit the availability of financings necessary to
initiate, purchase or carry education loans.
18
SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
Condensed Statements of Income
Increase (decrease)
-------------------------
Years ended 2000 vs. 1999 vs.
December 31, 1999 1998
------------------- ------------ ----------
2000 1999 1998 $ % $ %
----- ------ ------ ------ ---- ----- ---
Net interest income............ $ 642 $ 694 $ 651 $ (52) (7)% $ 43 7%
Less: provision for losses..... 32 34 36 (2) (7) (2) (6)
----- ------ ------ ------ ---- ----- ---
Net interest income after
provision for losses.......... 610 660 615 (50) (8) 45 7
Gains on student loan
securitizations............... 92 35 117 57 160 (82) (70)
Servicing and securitization
revenue....................... 296 289 281 7 2 8 3
Gains on sales of student
loans......................... -- 27 -- (27) (100) 27 100
Guarantor servicing fees....... 128 -- -- 128 100 -- --
Other income................... 172 100 98 72 73 2 1
Operating expenses and
integration charge............ 586 359 361 227 63 (2) (1)
Income taxes................... 236 240 238 (4) (2) 2 1
Minority interest in net
earnings of subsidiary ....... 11 11 11 -- -- -- --
----- ------ ------ ------ ---- ----- ---
Net income..................... 465 501 501 (36) (7) -- --
Preferred stock dividends...... 12 1 -- 11 701 1 100
----- ------ ------ ------ ---- ----- ---
Net income attributable to
common stock.................. $ 453 $ 500 $ 501 $ (47) (9)% $ (1) --%
===== ====== ====== ====== ==== ===== ===
Basic earnings per share....... $2.84 $ 3.11 $ 2.99 $ (.27) (9)% $ .12 4%
===== ====== ====== ====== ==== ===== ===
Diluted earnings per share..... $2.76 $ 3.06 $ 2.95 $ (.30) (10)% $ .11 4%
===== ====== ====== ====== ==== ===== ===
Dividends per common share..... $ .66 $ .61 $ .57 $ .05 7% $ .04 7%
===== ====== ====== ====== ==== ===== ===
Condensed Balance Sheets
Increase (decrease)
-----------------------------
2000 vs. 1999 vs.
December 31, 1999 1998
----------------- ------------- -------------
2000 1999 $ % $ %
-------- -------- -------- --- -------- ---
Assets
Student loans................ $ 37,647 $ 33,809 $ 3,838 11% $ 5,526 20%
Warehousing advances......... 987 1,043 (56) (5) (500) (32)
Academic facilities
financings.................. 851 1,028 (177) (17) (152) (13)
Cash and investments......... 5,941 5,775 166 3 1,669 41
Other assets................. 3,366 2,370 996 42 272 13
-------- -------- -------- --- -------- ---
Total assets................. $ 48,792 $ 44,025 $ 4,767 11% $ 6,815 18%
======== ======== ======== === ======== ===
Liabilities and Stockholders'
Equity
Short-term borrowings........ $ 30,464 $ 37,491 $ (7,027) (19)% $ 10,902 41%
Long-term notes.............. 14,911 4,496 10,415 232 (4,314) (49)
Other liabilities............ 1,788 983 805 82 40 4
-------- -------- -------- --- -------- ---
Total liabilities............ 47,163 42,970 4,193 10 6,628 18
-------- -------- -------- --- -------- ---
Minority interest in
subsidiary.................. 214 214 -- -- -- --
Stockholders' equity before
treasury stock.............. 2,550 2,025 525 26 529 35
Common stock held in treasury
at cost..................... 1,135 1,184 (49) (4) 342 41
-------- -------- -------- --- -------- ---
Total stockholders' equity... 1,415 841 574 68 187 29
-------- -------- -------- --- -------- ---
Total liabilities and
stockholders' equity........ $ 48,792 $ 44,025 $ 4,767 11% $ 6,815 18%
======== ======== ======== === ======== ===
19
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
EARNINGS SUMMARY
The Company's "core cash basis" net income was $492 million for the year
ended December 31, 2000 ($2.93 diluted earnings per share) versus $405 million
($2.48 diluted earnings per share) for the year ended December 31, 1999. (See
"Pro-forma Statements of Income" for a detailed discussion of "core cash basis"
net income.) During 2000, the Company acquired a record $20.6 billion of
managed student loans including $1.4 billion of purchased student loans and
$5.2 billion of managed student loans acquired from USA Group, and $3.1 billion
of student loans acquired from Student Loan Funding Resources ("SLFR").
Student loan acquisitions increased the average balance of managed loans
outstanding by $9.7 billion for the year ending December 31, 2000. The higher
average student loan balance, partially offset by the lower average Special
Allowance Payment ("SAP") spreads (see "Student Loan Spread Analysis"),
increased after-tax earnings by $107 million. In addition, after-tax fee income
increased by $128 million, principally due to the additional guarantor and
third party servicing fee income attributable to the acquisition of USA Group.
(See "Other Income.") These increases to "core cash basis" net income were
partially offset by the after-tax increase to operating expenses of $103
million principally due to the acquisitions of USA Group and SLFR, which closed
on July 31, 2000 and July 7, 2000, respectively.
For the year ended December 31, 2000, the Company's net income calculated in
accordance with generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") was $465
million ($2.76 diluted earnings per share), versus net income of $501 million
($3.06 diluted earnings per share) in 1999. The decrease in 2000 reported net
income from 1999 is attributable to several significant factors. While the
Company increased the on-balance sheet average balance of student loans by $1.6
billion, the higher interest rate environment in 2000 decreased after-tax floor
income by $41 million. Other factors include a $148 million after-tax increase
in operating expense including a $32 million after-tax integration charge, both
principally due to the acquisitions of USA Group and SLFR, and an $18 million
after-tax decrease in gains on sales of student loans. The Company did not
complete any such sales in 2000. These decreases to net income were only
partially offset by the increases in after-tax gain on securitizations and
servicing and securitization revenue of $37 million and $5 million,
respectively. After-tax fee income increased net income by $128 million,
principally due to the additional guarantor and third party servicing fee
income attributable to the acquisition of USA Group.
During 2000, the Company repurchased 7 million common shares (or 4 percent
of its outstanding shares) at a cost of $321 million, and issued approximately
10 million shares as part of the USA Group purchase and a net 5 million shares
from benefit plans. As a result, common shares outstanding increased to 164
million at December 31, 2000 from 158 million at December 31, 1999.
NET INTEREST INCOME
Net interest income is derived largely from the Company's portfolio of
student loans that remain on-balance sheet. The "Taxable Equivalent Net
Interest Income" analysis set forth below is designed to facilitate a
comparison of non-taxable asset yields to taxable yields on a similar basis.
Additional information regarding the return on the Company's student loan
portfolio is set forth under "Student Loans--Student Loan Spread Analysis."
Taxable equivalent net interest income for the year ended December 31, 2000
versus the year ended December 31, 1999 decreased by $59 million while the net
interest margin decreased by 33 basis points. The decrease in taxable
equivalent net interest income for the year ended December 31, 2000 was
primarily due to the higher interest rate environment in 2000, which led to a
decrease of $63 million in floor income. The net interest margin decrease is
reflective of the higher average balance of investments as a percentage of
average total earning assets. In addition, the increase in the Company's
portfolio of lower-yielding loans due to the acquisition of loans earlier in
their life cycles has decreased the average SAP in the student loan yield.
20
Taxable equivalent net interest income for the year ended December 31, 1999
versus the year ended December 31, 1998 increased by $39 million. The increase
in taxable equivalent net interest income for the year ended December 31, 1999
was principally due to the $5.4 billion increase in the average balance of
student loans over 1998. The decrease in the net interest margin for the year
ended December 31, 1999 was mainly due to the decrease in the student loan
spread (discussed in more detail below), partially offset by the reduction in
the average balance of lower-yielding investments and warehousing advances.
Taxable Equivalent Net Interest Income
The amounts in this table and the following table are adjusted for the
impact of certain tax-exempt and tax-advantaged investments based on the
marginal federal corporate tax rate of 35 percent.
Increase (decrease)
-----------------------
Years ended December 2000 vs. 1999 vs.
31, 1999 1998
----------------------- ---------- ----------
2000 1999 1998 $ % $ %
------- ------- ------- ----- --- ----- ---
Interest income
Student loans.............. $ 2,854 $ 2,426 $ 2,095 $ 428 18% $ 331 16%
Warehousing advances....... 56 68 102 (12) (17) (34) (33)
Academic facilities
financings................ 67 74 85 (7) (10) (11) (13)
Investments................ 501 240 295 261 109 (55) (19)
Taxable equivalent
adjustment................ 25 32 34 (7) (22) (2) (8)
------- ------- ------- ----- --- ----- ---
Total taxable equivalent
interest income............. 3,503 2,840 2,611 663 23 229 9
Interest expense............. 2,837 2,115 1,925 722 34 190 10
------- ------- ------- ----- --- ----- ---
Taxable equivalent net
interest income............. $ 666 $ 725 $ 686 $ (59) (8)% $ 39 6%
======= ======= ======= ===== === ===== ===
Average Balance Sheets
The following table reflects the rates earned on earning assets and paid on
liabilities for the years ended December 31, 2000, 1999 and 1998.
Years ended December 31,
-------------------------------------------
2000 1999 1998
------------- ------------- -------------
Balance Rate Balance Rate Balance Rate
-------- ---- -------- ---- -------- ----
Average Assets
Student loans.................. $ 34,637 8.24% $ 33,028 7.35% $ 27,589 7.59%
Warehousing advances........... 825 6.84 1,173 5.78 1,718 5.93
Academic facilities
financings.................... 974 8.50 1,144 8.16 1,318 8.15
Investments.................... 7,486 6.81 3,932 6.42 4,843 6.34
-------- ---- -------- ---- -------- ----
Total interest earning assets.... 43,922 7.98% 39,277 7.23% 35,468 7.36%
==== ==== ====
Non-interest earning assets...... 2,711 2,166 2,012
-------- -------- --------
Total assets..................... $ 46,633 $ 41,443 $ 37,480
======== ======== ========
Average Liabilities and
Stockholders' Equity
Six month floating rate notes.. $ 4,660 6.49% $ 4,644 5.38% $ 2,898 5.40%
Other short-term borrowings.... 30,670 6.40 28,560 5.30 21,384 5.34
Long-term notes................ 8,636 6.61 6,292 5.60 11,194 5.60
-------- ---- -------- ---- -------- ----
Total interest bearing
liabilities..................... 43,966 6.45% 39,496 5.35% 35,476 5.43%
==== ==== ====
Non-interest bearing
liabilities..................... 1,574 1,287 1,385
Stockholders' equity............. 1,093 660 619
-------- -------- --------
Total liabilities and
stockholders' equity............ $ 46,633 $ 41,443 $ 37,480
======== ======== ========
Net interest margin.............. 1.52% 1.85% 1.93%
==== ==== ====
21
Rate/Volume Analysis
The Rate/Volume Analysis below shows the relative contribution of changes in
interest rates and asset volumes.
Increase
(decrease)
Taxable attributable
equivalent to change in
increase -------------
(decrease) Rate Volume
---------- ----- ------
2000 vs. 1999
Taxable equivalent interest income.............. $ 663 $ 327 $ 336
Interest expense................................ 722 431 291
----- ----- -----
Taxable equivalent net interest income.......... $ (59) $(104) $ 45
===== ===== =====
1999 vs. 1998
Taxable equivalent interest income.............. $ 229 $ (66) $ 295
Interest expense................................ 190 (9) 199
----- ----- -----
Taxable equivalent net interest income.......... $ 39 $ (57) $ 96
===== ===== =====
Student Loans
Student Loan Spread Analysis
The following table analyzes the reported earnings from student loans both
on-balance sheet and those off-balance sheet in securitization trusts. For
student loans off-balance sheet, the Company will continue to earn servicing
fee revenues over the life of the securitized student loan portfolios. The off-
balance sheet information presented in "Securitization Program--Servicing and
Securitization Revenue" analyzes the on-going servicing revenue and residual
interest earned on the securitized portfolios of student loans. For an analysis
of the Company's student loan spread for the entire portfolio of managed
student loans on a similar basis to the on-balance sheet analysis, see "'Core
Cash Basis' Student Loan Spread and Net Interest Income."
Years ended December
31,
-------------------------
2000 1999 1998
------- ------- -------
On-Balance Sheet
Student loan yields........................... 8.91% 8.02% 8.24%
Consolidated loan rebate fees................. (.27) (.22) (.23)
Offset fees................................... (.13) (.15) (.11)
Borrower benefits............................. (.07) (.06) (.08)
Premium amortizations......................... (.20) (.24) (.23)
------- ------- -------
Student loan income........................... 8.24 7.35 7.59
Cost of funds................................. (6.42) (5.32) (5.34)
------- ------- -------
Student loan spread........................... 1.82% 2.03% 2.25%
======= ======= =======
Off-Balance Sheet
Servicing and securitization revenue.......... 1.15% 1.65% 1.65%
======= ======= =======
Average Balances (in millions of dollars)
Student loans................................. $34,637 $33,028 $27,589
Securitized loans............................. 25,711 17,670 17,203
------- ------- -------
Managed student loans......................... $60,348 $50,698 $44,792
======= ======= =======
22
The Company's portfolio of student loans originated under the FFELP has a
variety of unique interest rate characteristics. The Company earns interest at
the greater of the borrower's rate or a floating rate determined by reference
to the average of the applicable floating rates (91-day Treasury bill,
commercial paper or 52-week Treasury bill) in a calendar quarter, plus a fixed
spread, which is dependent upon the loan origination date. If the floating rate
exceeds the borrower rate, the Department of Education pays the difference
directly to the Company. If the floating rate is less than the rate the
borrower is obligated to pay, the Company simply earns interest at the borrower
rate. In all cases, the rate a borrower is obligated to pay sets a minimum rate
for determining the yield that the Company earns on the loan. Borrowers'
interest rates are either fixed to term or are reset annually on July 1 of each
year depending on when the loan was originated.
The Company generally finances its student loan portfolio with floating rate
debt tied to the average of the 91-day Treasury bill auctions, either directly
or through the use of derivative financial instruments intended to mimic the
interest rate characteristics of the student loans. Such borrowings, however,
generally do not have minimum rates. As a result, in periods of declining
interest rates, the portfolio of managed student loans may be earning at the
minimum borrower rate while the Company's funding costs (exclusive of funding
spreads) will generally decline along with Treasury bill rates. For loans where
the borrower's interest rate is fixed to term, declining interest rates may
benefit the spread earned on student loans for extended periods of time. For
loans where the borrower's interest rate is reset annually, any benefit of a
low interest rate environment will only enhance student loan spreads through
the next annual reset of the borrower's interest rates, which occurs on July 1
of each year. Higher average Treasury bill rates in 2000 decreased the
Company's benefit from student loans earning at the minimum borrower rate
included in student loan income, net of payments under Floor Revenue Contracts,
to $3 million, of which $2 million was attributable to student loans with
minimum borrower rates fixed to term and $1 million was attributable to student
loans with minimum borrower rates adjusting annually. Low average Treasury bill
rates in 1999 benefited the Company's on-balance sheet student loan income, net
of payments under Floor Interest Contracts (discussed below), by $66 million of
which $47 million was attributable to student loans with minimum borrower rates
fixed to term and $19 million was attributable to student loans with minimum
borrower rates adjusting annually. In 1998, low average Treasury bill rates
increased the Company's on-balance sheet student loan income, net of payments
under Floor Interest Contracts, by $63 million of which $40 million was
attributable to student loans with minimum borrower rates fixed to term and $23
million was attributable to student loans with minimum borrower rates adjusting
annually.
The 21 basis point decrease in the student loan spread in 2000 versus 1999
is due primarily to the decrease in floor income. The student loan spread in
1999 decreased by 22 basis points from 1998. This was due mainly to higher
financing spreads which decreased the 1999 student loan spread by 20 basis
points, and to lower SAP rates which reduced the student loan spread by 7 basis
points. The Company's restructuring of its joint venture with Chase Manhattan
Bank ("the Joint Venture") in December of 1998, which replaced lower yielding
participations with student loans, increased the 1999 student loan spread by 5
basis points.
23
The following table analyzes the ability of the FFELP student loans in the
Company's managed student loan portfolio to earn at the minimum borrower
interest rate at December 31, 2000 and 1999, based on the last Treasury bill
auction of the year (5.86 percent in 2000 and 5.46 percent in 1999).
December 31, 2000 December 31, 1999
----------------------------- -----------------------------
Fixed Fixed
Borrower Annually Reset Borrower Annually Reset
Rate Borrower Rate Total Rate Borrower Rate Total
-------- -------------- ----- -------- -------------- -----
Student loans eligible
to earn at the minimum
borrower rate.......... $16.3 $37.4 $53.7 $13.0 $28.6 $41.6
Less notional amount of
floor interest
contracts.............. (5.8) -- (5.8) (3.4) (3.1) (6.5)
----- ----- ----- ----- ----- -----
Net student loans
eligible to earn at the
minimum borrower rate.. $10.5 $37.4 $47.9 $ 9.6 $25.5 $35.1
===== ===== ===== ===== ===== =====
Net student loans
earning at the minimum
borrower rate.......... $ 0.9 $ 5.1 $ 6.0 $ 5.0 -- $ 5.0
===== ===== ===== ===== ===== =====
Student Loan Floor Revenue Contracts
Periodically, the Company has entered into contracts with third parties to
monetize the value of the minimum borrower interest rate feature of its
portfolio of FFELP student loans. Under these contracts, referred to as "Floor
Revenue Contracts", the Company receives an upfront payment and agrees to pay
the difference between (1) the minimum borrower interest rate less the
applicable SAP rate ("the strike rate") and (2) the average of the 91-day
Treasury bill rates over the period of the contract. If the strike rate is less
than the average of the Treasury Bill rates, then no payment is required. These
upfront payments are amortized over the average life of the contracts. Floor
Revenue Contracts sold on loans where the borrower rate is reset annually have
historically had terms through the next reset date, a period of one year or
less, while Floor Revenue Contracts sold on loans where the borrower rate is
fixed to term have multi-year terms. The $5.8 billion of outstanding fixed
borrower rate Floor Revenue Contracts at December 31, 2000 have expiration
dates through the year 2007.
For the years ended December 31, 2000, 1999 and 1998, the amortization of
the upfront payments received from the sale of Floor Revenue Contracts on the
Company's on-balance sheet student loans with fixed borrower rates was $23
million, $20 million and $28 million, respectively, and for Floor Revenue
Contracts with annually reset borrower rates was $1 million, $21 million and
$24 million, respectively. At December 31, 2000, unamortized payments received
from the sale of Floor Revenue Contracts totaled $85 million, all of which
related to contracts on fixed rate loans.
Effective December 31, 2000, in anticipation of the adoption of Statement of
Financial Accounting Standards No. 133 ("SFAS 133"), "Accounting for Derivative
Instruments and Hedging Activities," the Floor Revenue Contracts were de-
designated as effective hedges and marked-to-market. The net effect of the fair
market value of these contracts and the unamortized upfront payment totaled
$104 million and was reclassified to student loan premium and will be amortized
over the average life of the student loan portfolio.
24
On-Balance Sheet Funding Costs
The Company's borrowings are generally variable-rate indexed principally to
the 91-day Treasury bill rate. The following table summarizes the average
balance of on-balance sheet debt (by index, after giving effect to the impact
of interest rate swaps) for the years ended December 31, 2000, 1999 and 1998
(dollars in millions).
Years ended December 31,
-----------------------------------------------
2000 1999 1998
--------------- --------------- ---------------
Average Average Average Average Average Average
Index Balance Rate Balance Rate Balance Rate
----- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- -------
Treasury bill, principally
91-day................... $32,946 6.48% $31,043 5.35% $27,306 5.33%
LIBOR..................... 1,900 6.49 2,597 5.14 4,111 5.49
Discount notes............ 5,300 6.26 3,424 4.90 2,328 5.27
Fixed..................... 1,429 5.99 1,171 5.94 622 6.95
Zero coupon............... 171 11.17 153 11.14 140 11.13
Commercial paper.......... 969 6.65 302 5.69 -- --
Auction rate securities... 653 5.65 -- -- -- --
Other..................... 598 6.25 806 5.08 969 5.47
------- ----- ------- ----- ------- -----
Total..................... $43,966 6.45% $39,496 5.35% $35,476 5.43%
======= ===== ======= ===== ======= =====
The following table details the spreads for the Company's Treasury bill
indexed borrowings principally to the 91-day Treasury bill rate and London
Interbank Offered Rate ("LIBOR") indexed borrowings:
Years ended
Indexed borrowings December 31,
------------------ ---------------------
2000 1999 1998
----- ----- -----
Treasury Bill
Weighted Average
Treasury bill.......... 5.96% 4.84% 5.04%
Borrowing spread........ .52 .51 .29
----- ----- -----
Weighted average
borrowing rate......... 6.48% 5.35% 5.33%
===== ===== =====
LIBOR
Weighted average LIBOR.. 6.63% 5.34% 5.73%
Borrowing spread........ (.14) (.20) (.24)
----- ----- -----
Weighted average
borrowing rate......... 6.49% 5.14% 5.49%
===== ===== =====
Securitization Program
In 2000, the Company completed four securitization transactions in which a
total of $8.8 billion of student loans were sold to a special purpose finance
subsidiary and by that subsidiary to trusts that issued asset-backed securities
to fund the student loans to term. In addition, the Company acquired the
securitization revenue streams of $5.2 billion of student loans previously
securitized by USA Group. This increased the percentage of average securitized
loans to average managed student loans to 43 percent for 2000 versus 35 percent
for 1999. In 1999, the Company completed three securitization transactions in
which a total of $4.0 billion of student loans were securitized and in 1998,
the Company completed two securitization transactions in which a total of $6.0
billion of student loans were securitized. The Company accounts for its
securitization transactions in accordance with Statement of Financial
Accounting Standards No. 125 "Accounting for Transfers and Servicing of
Financial Assets and Extinguishments of Liabilities" ("SFAS 125"), which
establishes the accounting for certain financial asset transfers, including
securitization transactions. Under SFAS 125, the Company records a gain on sale
based upon the difference between the cost basis of the assets sold and the
fair value of the assets received. At the same time, the Company records an
asset (the "Interest Residual") equal to the present value of the expected net
cash flows from the trust to the Company over the life of the portfolio
25
securitized. The gain is reduced by write-offs of certain assets related to the
portfolio sold and by transaction costs. In addition, the Company continues to
service the loans in the trusts, through SMSC, for a fee, and earns that fee
over the life of the portfolio. When the contract servicing fee is greater than
current market servicing rates, the present value of such excess servicing fees
is recognized as a servicing asset and amortized over the life of the portfolio
serviced.
Gains on Student Loan Securitizations
For the years ended December 31, 2000, 1999 and 1998, the Company recorded
pre-tax securitization gains of $92 million, $35 million and $117 million,
respectively. Gains for the years ended December 31, 2000, 1999 and 1998,
measured as a percentage of the securitized portfolios, were 1.04 percent, .88
percent, and 1.95 percent, respectively. During 2000, the Company continued its
securitization activity due to the lower financing spreads and securitized $4.8
billion more than in 1999. The increase in the gains in 2000 versus 1999 is due
to lower financing spreads and increased volume. The decrease in the gains in
1999 versus 1998 was mainly due to the reduction in securitization activity and
to portfolio characteristics and higher financing spreads. Gains on future
securitizations will continue to vary depending on the size and the loan
characteristics of the loan portfolios securitized and the funding costs
prevailing in the securitization debt markets.
Servicing and Securitization Revenue
The following table summarizes the components of servicing and
securitization revenue:
Years ended December
31,
----------------------
2000 1999 1998
------ ------ ------
Servicing revenue less amortization of
servicing asset.............................. $ 219 $ 158 $ 156
Securitization revenue........................ 77 131 125
------ ------ ------
Total servicing and securitization revenue.... $ 296 $ 289 $ 281
====== ====== ======
The increase in servicing revenue is mainly due to the increase in the
average balance of securitized student loans to $25.7 billion in 2000 from
$17.5 billion in 1999 and $17.0 billion in 1998. The average balance of the
Interest Residual was $849 million in 2000, $701 million in 1999 and $616
million in 1998. The Company's securitized loan portfolio benefits from low
average Treasury bill rates in a manner similar to the on-balance sheet
portfolio of student loans when the student loans earn at the minimum borrower
rate. In 1999 and 1998, low average Treasury bill rates enhanced securitization
revenue by $42 million and $31 million, respectively. The increase in Treasury
bill rates during 2000 reduced these earnings to $0.2 million for the year
ended December 31, 2000 and was the principal cause of the reduction in
securitization revenue in 2000 versus 1999.
Gain on Sale of Student Loans
During the fourth quarter of 1999, the Company sold $900 million of student
loan assets and recorded a pre-tax gain of $27 million. As part of the
transaction the Company entered into long-term servicing agreements with four
companies to service the loans sold. In addition, the four companies have
contractual incentives to deliver $700 million of additional student loans for
servicing by the Company over a two-year period. No such sales occurred in
2000.
OTHER INCOME
Other income, exclusive of gains on student loan securitizations, servicing
and securitization income and gains on sales of student loans, totaled $300
million in 2000 versus $100 million in 1999 and $98 million in 1998. Other
income mainly includes late fees earned on student loans, gains and losses on
sales of investment securities, revenue the Company receives from servicing
third party portfolios of student loans, commitment
26
fees for letters of credit and beginning in August 2000, guarantor servicing
fees. Guarantor servicing fees arise primarily from four categories of services
that correspond to the student loan life cycle. They include loan originations,
the maintenance of the guarantee on the loan, default prevention, and
collection revenues. Included in year-to-date 2000 other income is $31 million,
$20 million, $33 million and $44 million, respectively, representing those four
categories for the five months August through December 2000. As the guarantee
fee business follows the loan life cycle, these fees are not necessarily
indicative of a prorated amount for the entire calendar year. In the second
half of 1998 the Company began assessing late fees and earned $46 million in
2000, versus $38 million in 1999 and $7 million in 1998. Gains on sales of
investment securities in 2000 totaled $19 million versus $16 million in 1999
and $11 million in 1998.
In 2000, the Company entered into LIBOR Floor Revenue Contracts that are an
effective economic hedge of a segment of its student loan portfolio. These
positions do not meet the hedge effectiveness requirements under GAAP and were
marked-to-market which resulted in a $25 million pre-tax loss recorded on the
GAAP financial statements for year ended December 31, 2000. No such
transactions were in effect for 1999 or 1998.
In December 1998, the Company restructured its Joint Venture with Chase
Manhattan Bank and, as a result, student loans in the Joint Venture are no
longer co-owned by the Company and Chase and serviced by the Company for a fee.
Instead, the Company now purchases all loans originated by Chase. The Company
also purchased the $5 billion of loans that were co-owned in the Joint Venture
at the time of the restructuring. Since the Company now owns the loans, it no
longer receives servicing fees from the Joint Venture that were previously
included in other income. For the year ended December 31, 1998, the Company
recorded $25 million in servicing fee income from the Joint Venture.
OPERATING EXPENSES
The following table summarizes the components of operating expenses:
Years ended
December 31,
--------------
2000 1999 1998
---- ---- ----
Servicing and acquisition expenses....................... $329 $239 $273
General and administrative expenses...................... 204 120 88
Integration charge....................................... 53 -- --
---- ---- ----
Total operating expenses................................. $586 $359 $361
==== ==== ====
Operating expenses include costs to service the Company's managed student
loan portfolio, operational costs incurred in the process of acquiring student
loan portfolios, general and administrative expenses, and beginning in August
2000, operational costs associated with its guarantor servicing operations. The
Company recorded an integration charge of $53 million in 2000 to cover
severance costs, costs to close facilities and move functional responsibilities
as well as costs to align system capabilities and move the Company's data
center. Exclusive of this one-time integration charge, operating expenses for
the years ended December 31, 2000, 1999 and 1998 were $533 million, $359
million and $361 million, respectively. Operating expenses increased
significantly during 2000 as a direct result of the acquisitions of SLFR and
the business operations of USA Group. The acquisition of USA Group increased
general and administrative expenses by $37 million and servicing and
acquisition expenses by $79 million, and the acquisition of SLFR increased
general and administrative expenses by $6 million and servicing and acquisition
expenses by $8 million. The Company has maintained an aggressive integration
plan that is designed to eliminate the duplicate operations and merge the
complimentary operations of all the consolidated entities. However, management
anticipates that the most significant reductions in operating expenses will not
be realized until mid-2001. While in total, operating expenses decreased
slightly in 1999 versus 1998, servicing and acquisition expenses decreased by
$34 million as the Company realized a full year's benefit from the 1998
restructuring of servicing operations including the closing of two satellite
servicing centers, for which the Company took a charge in 1998 of $12 million.
These expense reductions were offset by an increase in general and
administrative expenses of $32 million which
27
included $11 million of expenses related to Nellie Mae, acquired in the third
quarter of 1999, $7 million of expenses of the SLM Financial subsidiary which
commenced operations in the first quarter of 1999, $5 million related to the
development of E-commerce initiatives, and the ramping up of SLM Solutions
operations which added $4 million, including the expenses of Exeter Software
acquired in the fourth quarter of 1999.
STUDENT LOAN PURCHASES
The following table summarizes the components of the Company's student loan
purchase activity:
Years ended December
31,
----------------------
2000 1999 1998
------- ------- ------
Control channels................................. $ 6,595 $ 7,161 $5,665
Other commitment clients......................... 1,405 1,788 1,411
Spot purchases................................... 885 115 291
Consolidations................................... 824 920 132
Other............................................ 1,149 1,111 918
USA Group acquisition............................ 1,421 -- --
SLFR acquisition................................. 3,103 -- --
Nellie Mae acquisition........................... -- 2,585 --
------- ------- ------
Subtotal......................................... 15,382 13,680 8,417
Managed loans acquired........................... 5,181 -- --
------- ------- ------
Total............................................ $20,563 $13,680 $8,417
======= ======= ======
The Company purchased $15.4 billion and acquired the securitization revenue
streams of $5.2 billion of managed loans for a record total of $20.6 billion of
student loans in 2000 compared with $13.7 billion in 1999 and $8.4 billion in
1998. Included in the 2000 purchases are $1.4 billion of student loans acquired
from USA Group and $3.1 billion of student loans acquired from SLFR. Included
in the 1999 purchases are $2.6 billion of student loans acquired in the Nellie
Mae acquisition. The Company's control channels represent all loans originated
on the Company's origination systems. Included in control channel purchase
volume for 1999 is $1.6 billion representing Chase's one-half interest in
student loans in the Joint Venture at the time of the restructuring. (See
"Other Income" for an additional discussion of the restructuring of the Joint
Venture.)
The increase in the purchase volume in 1999 versus 1998, exclusive of the
Nellie Mae acquisition and the restructuring of the Company's Joint Venture
with Chase, is principally attributable to the resumption of the Company's
consolidation loan program in October 1998, a program which was suspended from
the fourth quarter of 1997 through the third quarter of 1998 due to legislated
changes in the profitability of consolidation.
In 2000, the Company's controlled channels of loan originations totaled $7.3
billion versus $5.1 billion in 1999. The pipeline of loans currently serviced
and committed for purchase by the Company was $3.9 billion at December 31, 2000
versus $3.5 billion at December 31, 1999. Included in the pipeline at December
31, 1998 were $1.6 billion of student loans that were owned by Chase and sold
to the Company in connection with the restructuring of the Joint Venture.
28
The following table summarizes the activity in the Company's managed
portfolio of student loans for the years ended December 31, 2000, 1999 and
1998.
Years ended December 31,
----------------------------
2000 1999 1998
-------- -------- --------
Beginning balance........................ $ 53,276 $ 46,342 $ 43,705
Purchases................................ 20,563 13,680 8,417
Capitalized interest on securitized
loans................................... 731 457 353
Repayments, claims, other................ (5,852) (5,135) (5,397)
Loan sales............................... (137) (910) (11)
Capitalization of floor revenue
contracts............................... 104 -- --
Loans consolidated from USA Education,
Inc..................................... (1,170) (1,158) (725)
-------- -------- --------
Ending balance........................... $ 67,515 $ 53,276 $ 46,342
======== ======== ========
PRO-FORMA STATEMENTS OF INCOME
Under GAAP, the Company's securitization transactions have been treated as
sales. At the time of sale, in accordance with SFAS 125, the Company records an
asset equal to the present value of the estimated future net cash flows from
the portfolio of loans sold and a gain equal to the difference between that
asset and the allocated cost basis of the loans sold. Interest earned on the
Interest Residual and fees earned for servicing the loan portfolios are
recognized over the life of the securitization transaction as servicing and
securitization revenue. Under SFAS 125, income recognition is effectively
accelerated through the recognition of a gain at the time of sale while the
ultimate realization of such income remains dependent on the actual
performance, over time, of the loans that were securitized.
Management believes that in addition to results of operations as reported in
accordance with GAAP, another important performance measure is pro-forma
results of operations under the assumption that the securitization transactions
are financings and that the securitized student loans were not sold. The pro-
forma results of operations also exclude the effect of floor revenue, certain
one-time gains on sales of investment securities and student loans, certain
integration charges and the amortization of goodwill. The following pro-forma
statements of income present the Company's results of operations under the
assumption that the securitization transactions are financings and that the
securitized student loans were not sold. As such, no gain on sale or subsequent
servicing and securitization revenue is recognized. Instead, the earnings of
the student loans in the trusts and related financing costs are reflected over
the life of the underlying pool of loans. The effect of floor revenue and
certain one-time gains on sales of investment securities and student loans are
also excluded from net income. Management refers to these pro-forma results as
"core cash basis" statements of income. Management monitors and reports the
periodic "core cash basis" earnings of the Company's managed student loan
portfolio and believes that they assist in a better understanding of the
Company's student loan business.
29
The following table presents the "core cash basis" statements of income and
reconciliations to GAAP net income as reflected in the Company's consolidated
statements of income.
Years ended December
31,
-------------------------
2000 1999 1998
------- ------- -------
"Core Cash Basis" Statements of Income:
Insured student loans................................ $ 5,015 $ 3,642 $ 3,311
Advances/Facilities/Investments...................... 652 386 486
------- ------- -------
Total interest income................................ 5,667 4,028 3,797
Interest expense..................................... (4,628) (3,101) (2,905)
------- ------- -------
Net interest income.................................. 1,039 927 892
Less: provision for losses........................... 53 51 53
------- ------- -------
Net interest income after provision for losses....... 986 876 839
------- ------- -------
Other Income:
Gains on sales of securities....................... 1 1 --
Guarantor servicing fees........................... 128 -- --
Other.............................................. 152 83 87
------- ------- -------
Total other income................................... 281 84 87
Total operating expenses............................. 514 356 361
------- ------- -------
Income before taxes and minority interest in net
earnings of subsidiary.............................. 753 604 565
Income taxes......................................... 250 188 173
Minority interest in net earnings of subsidiary...... 11 11 11
------- ------- -------
"Core cash basis" net income......................... 492 405 381
Preferred stock dividends............................ 12 1 --
------- ------- -------
"Core cash basis" net income attributable to common
stock............................................... $ 480 $ 404 $ 381
======= ======= =======
"Core cash basis" diluted earnings per share......... $ 2.93 $ 2.48 $ 2.24
======= ======= =======
Years ended December
31,
-------------------------
2000 1999 1998
------- ------- -------
Reconciliation of GAAP net income to "core cash
basis" net income:
GAAP net income...................................... $ 465 $ 501 $ 501
"Core cash basis" adjustments:
Gains on student loan securitizations.............. (92) (35) (117)
Servicing and securitization revenue............... (296) (289) (281)
Net interest income, excluding floor income........ 400 340 335
Floor income....................................... (3) (107) (94)
Provision for losses............................... (21) (17) (17)
Goodwill amortization.............................. 19 3 --
Integration charge................................. 53 -- --
Gains/losses on sales of student loans............. -- (27) --
Gains/losses on sales of securities................ (18) (14) (10)
Other.............................................. -- (1) --
------- ------- -------
Total "core cash basis" adjustments.................. 42 (147) (184)
Net tax effect (A)................................... (15) 51 64
------- ------- -------
"Core cash basis" net income......................... $ 492 $ 405 $ 381
======= ======= =======
(A) Such tax effect is based upon the Company's marginal tax rate for the
respective period.
30
"Core Cash Basis" Student Loan Spread and Net Interest Income
The following table analyzes the reported earnings from the Company's
portfolio of managed student loans, which includes those loans on-balance sheet
and those loans off-balance sheet in securitization trusts.
Years ended December
31,
-------------------------
2000 1999 1998
------- ------- -------
"Core cash basis" student loan yields......... 8.92% 7.78% 7.98%
Consolidated loan rebate fees................. (.18) (.15) (.15)
Offset fees................................... (.08) (.09) (.07)
Borrower benefits............................. (.09) (.08) (.09)
Premium amortization.......................... (.26) (.28) (.28)
------- ------- -------
Student loan income........................... 8.31 7.18 7.39
Cost of funds................................. (6.61) (5.40) (5.45)
------- ------- -------
"Core cash basis" student loan spread......... 1.70% 1.78% 1.94%
======= ======= =======
Average Balances
Managed student loans......................... $60,348 $50,698 $44,792
======= ======= =======
While the Company may earn floor income, depending on the interest rate
environment, on its student loan portfolio (see "Student Loan Spread Analysis"
above), these earnings are excluded from "core cash basis" results. However,
the amortization of the upfront payments received from the Floor Revenue
Contracts is included as an addition to student loan income in the "core cash
basis" results.
For the years ended December 31, 2000, 1999 and 1998, the amortization of
the upfront payments received from the Floor Revenue Contracts with fixed
borrower rates was $23 million, $20 million and $28 million, respectively and
for Floor Revenue Contracts with annually reset borrower rates was $1 million,
$25 million and $28 million, respectively.
The 8 basis point decrease in the 2000 "core cash basis" student loan spread
versus 1999 was mainly due to higher financing spreads relative to the Treasury
bill, including the impact of lower offset fees, which decreased the "core cash
basis" student loan spread by 5 basis points and to lower SAP rates which
decreased the "core cash basis" student loan spread by 4 basis points. The
Company expects further declines in the student loan spread as new loans with
lower SAP rates replace older loans with higher SAP rates. (See "Other Related
Events--Legislative Developments" for a discussion on Higher Education
Amendments of 1998.)
In 2000, "core cash basis" financing spreads, relative to the Treasury bill,
increased by 6 basis points versus 1999. This was due to wider financing
spreads in both the GSE and securitization debt markets and to the higher
percentage of the student loan portfolio being funded by the Company's asset-
backed securities. The Company's asset-backed securities have a higher cost of
funds than the Company's GSE debt because they are term match-funded and do not
benefit from the GSE's status. The higher funding costs on the Company's asset-
backed securities is partially mitigated by the absence of offset fees on
securitized loans. The net effect of increased funding costs and lower offset
fees in 2000 versus 1999 was 5 basis points.
In 2000, net interest income, on a "core cash basis," was $1.0 billion
compared with $927 million in 1999 and $892 million in 1998. The increase in
net interest income for the year ended December 31, 2000 versus the year-ago
period was due to the increase in the average balance of managed student loans
of $9.7 billion. The reduction in the student loan spread for 2000 partially
offset the benefit from the increase in the average balance of managed student
loans. The increase in net interest income in 1999 over 1998 is mainly due to
the increase in the average balance of managed student loans.
31
"Core Cash Basis" Provision and Allowance for Loan Losses
The provision for losses represents the periodic expense of maintaining an
allowance sufficient to absorb losses, net of recoveries, inherent in the
managed portfolio of student loans. The Company evaluates the adequacy of the
provision for losses on its federally insured portfolio of managed student
loans separately from its non-federally insured portfolio. For the federally
insured portfolio, the Company primarily considers trends in student loan
claims rejected for payment by guarantors due to servicing defects as well as
overall default rates on those FFELP student loans subject to the 2 percent
risk-sharing. Once a student loan is charged off as a result of an unpaid
claim, the Company's policy is to continue to pursue the recovery of principal
and interest. The Company currently writes off an unpaid claim once it has aged
to two years.
For the non-federally insured portfolio of student loans, the Company
primarily considers recent trends in delinquencies, charge-offs and recoveries,
historical trends in loan volume by program, economic conditions and credit and
underwriting policies. A large percentage of the Company's non-federally
insured loans have not matured to a point at which predictable loan loss
patterns have developed. Accordingly, the evaluation of the provision for loan
losses is inherently subjective as it requires material estimates that may be
susceptible to significant changes. Management believes that the provision for
loan losses is adequate to cover anticipated losses in the student loan
portfolio. An analysis of the Company's allowance for loan losses is presented
in the following table.
"Core Cash Basis" Activity in the Allowance for Loan Losses
Years ended December
31,
-------------------------
2000 1999 1998
------- ------- -------
Balance at beginning of year................ $ 260 $ 237 $ 203
Provisions for losses....................... 51 51 53
Reserves acquired in acquisition............ 23 9 --
Charge-offs:
Non-federally insured loans............... (11) (16) (9)
Federally insured loans................... (20) (29) (20)
------- ------- -------
Total charge-offs....................... (31) (45) (29)
Recoveries:
Non-federally insured loans............... 1 3 3
Federally insured loans................... 31 7 7
------- ------- -------
Total recoveries........................ 32 10 10
Net charge-offs............................. 1 (35) (19)
------- ------- -------
Reduction for sales of student loans........ -- (2) --
------- ------- -------
Balance at end of year...................... $ 335 $ 260 $ 237
======= ======= =======
Allocation of the allowance for loan losses:
Non-federally insured loans................. $ 150 $ 148 $ 138
Federally insured loans..................... 185 112 99
------- ------- -------
Total..................................... $ 335 $ 260 $ 237
======= ======= =======
Net charge-offs as a percentage of average
managed student loans...................... -- .07% .05%
Total allowance as a percentage of average
managed student loans...................... .59% .51% .53%
Non-federally insured allowance as a
percentage of the ending balance of non-
federally insured loans.................... 4.94% 6.77% 8.09%
Average managed student loans............... $60,348 $50,698 $44,792
Ending managed student loans................ $67,515 $53,276 $46,342
32
The 2000 "core cash basis" provision for losses includes $6 million for
potential losses on the non-federally insured student loans and $45 million for
potential losses due to risk-sharing and other claims on FFELP loans. The 1999
"core cash basis" provision included $12 million for potential losses on the
non-federally insured portfolio and $39 million for potential losses due to
risk-sharing and other claims on FFELP loans. The 1998 provision included $10
million for write-offs for unusual loan prepayments at amounts less than
carrying value in connection with the legislation reauthorizing the Higher
Education Act, which allowed borrowers to consolidate student loans under the
FDLP at advantageous rates. Applications from borrowers, who applied for
consolidation prior to January 31, 1999, were processed through the third
quarter of 1999.
Delinquencies--Non-federally Insured Student Loans
The following table shows the loan delinquency trends for the years
presented on the Company's non-federally insured student loan portfolio.
Delinquencies will impact earnings if the account is charged-off.
Years ended
December 31,
-----------------
2000 1999
------ ------
Loans in school/deferment.............................. $ 865 $ 614
Loans in repayment
Loans current........................................ 1,665 1,068
Loans current in forbearance......................... 208 247
Loans delinquent 30-59 days.......................... 201 70
Loans delinquent 60-89 days.......................... 36 19
Loans delinquent greater than 90 days................ 74 57
------ ------
Total loans in repayment............................. 2,184 1,461
------ ------
Ending loan portfolio.................................. $3,049 $2,075
====== ======
"Core Cash Basis" Funding Costs
The following table details the spreads for the Company's Treasury bill
indexed borrowings principally to the 91-day Treasury bill rate and LIBOR
indexed borrowings on a "core cash basis":
Years ended
Indexed borrowings December 31,
------------------ ----------------
2000 1999 1998
---- ---- ----
Treasury Bill
Weighted average Treasury bill......................... 5.98% 4.82% 5.00%
Borrowing spread....................................... .64 .59 .44
---- ---- ----
Weighted average borrowing rate........................ 6.62% 5.41% 5.44%
==== ==== ====
LIBOR
Weighted average LIBOR................................. 6.57% 5.39% 5.73%
Borrowing spread....................................... .34 (.03) (.24)
---- ---- ----
Weighted average borrowing rate........................ 6.91% 5.36% 5.49%
==== ==== ====
The positive LIBOR borrowing spread for the year ended December 31, 2000 is
due mainly to the use of basis swaps and futures contracts to manage the
combined interest rate risk of both on and off-balance sheet liabilities which
began in late 1999 and continued throughout 2000 due to the use of LIBOR
financings in the securitization trusts. In addition, the USA Education, Inc.
$500 million Senior Note offering in October 2000 at a positive borrowing
spread of 22 basis points contributed to the overall increase of the LIBOR
borrowing spread.
33
FEDERAL AND STATE TAXES
The Company maintains a portfolio of tax-advantaged assets principally to
support education-related financing activities. That portfolio was primarily
responsible for the decrease in the effective federal income tax rate from the
statutory rate of 35 percent to 32 percent in 2000, 1999 and 1998. The GSE is
exempt from all state, local, and District of Columbia income, franchise, sales
and use, personal property and other taxes, except for real property taxes.
However, this tax exemption applies only to the GSE and does not apply to USA
Education, Inc. or its other operating subsidiaries. Under the Privatization
Act, the Company's GSE and non-GSE activities are separated, with non-GSE
activities being subject to taxation at the state and local level. State taxes
for the year ended December 31, 2000 increased the overall tax rate to 33
percent. State taxes were immaterial during the two years ended December 31,
1999 and 1998 as the majority of the Company's income during that time was
generated through the GSE.
As increasing business activity occurs outside of the GSE, the impact of
state and local taxes will increase accordingly. Ultimately all business
activities will occur outside of the GSE, which could increase the Company's
effective income tax rate by as much as five percentage points. The loss of the
GSE tax exemption for sales and use and personal property taxes could increase
operating costs by one percentage point.
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
General
The Company's primary requirements for capital are to fund the Company's
operations, to purchase student loans and to repay its debt obligations while
continuing to meet the GSE's statutory capital adequacy ratio test. The
Company's primary sources of liquidity are through debt issuances by the GSE,
off-balance sheet financings through securitizations, borrowings under its
commercial paper and senior notes program, cash generated by its subsidiaries'
operations and distributed through dividends to the Company, and bank
borrowings.
GSE Financing Activities
The GSE secures financing to fund its on-balance sheet portfolio of student
loans, along with its other operations, by issuing debt securities in the
domestic and overseas capital markets, through public offerings and private
placements of U.S. dollar-denominated and foreign currency-denominated debt of
varying maturities and interest rate characteristics, and through
securitizations of its student loans. The GSE's debt securities are currently
rated at the highest credit rating level by both Moody's and S&P. Historically,
the agencies' ratings of the GSE have been largely a factor of its status as a
government-sponsored enterprise. Since the Privatization Act did not modify the
attributes of debt issued by the GSE, management anticipates that the GSE will
retain its current credit ratings.
The Company's unsecured financing requirements are driven by three principal
factors: refinancing of existing liabilities as they mature; financing of
student loan portfolio growth; and the Company's level of securitization
activity.
Securitization Activities
In addition to the GSE debt, student loan securitization has been an
important source of funding for the Company's managed student loan portfolio
since 1995. As student loans are securitized, the need for long-term financing
of these on-balance sheet assets decreases. Over the long term, securitization
is expected to provide the principal source of long-term funding for the
Company's managed portfolio of student loans. Management believes that
securitizations represent an efficient source of funding.
The Company's asset-backed securities generally have a higher cost of funds
than its traditional on-balance sheet financing because the asset-backed
securities are term match-funded and do not benefit from the
34
GSE's status. However, the increased funding costs of the asset-backed
securities are mitigated by the absence of the Offset Fees on securitized
loans. Securitization also allows the Company to obtain term financing at a
lower cost than otherwise would be achievable without the GSE's government-
sponsored status. Securitizations to date have been structured to achieve an
"AAA" credit rating on over 96 percent of its securities sold (with an "A"
credit rating on the remaining subordinated securities). In 2000, the Company
completed four securitization transactions totaling $8.8 billion in student
loans.
In both late 1998 and early 1999, the Russian bond default in August 1998
caused financing spreads on the Company's securitization transactions to be
wider and thus more costly than previous years' transactions. As a result, the
Company did not enter into a securitization transaction from September 1998
through May of 1999. Financial market conditions did improve to a point at
which it was economical to securitize student loans, and in the second quarter
of 1999, the Company reentered the asset-backed securities market by completing
a $1.0 billion securitization. In 1999, the Company completed three
securitization transactions totaling $4.0 billion in student loans. During
1999, demand for Treasury bill securities remained high causing Treasury bill
rates to remain low relative to other market indices. As a consequence, the
Company issued $3.8 billion in LIBOR based asset-backed securities, the first
issuances indexed to LIBOR in the history of the program. The Company's 2000
securitization transactions continue to be indexed to LIBOR. The Company is
managing this off-balance sheet basis risk through on-balance sheet financing
activities, principally through basis swaps.
Other Financing Activities
In order to finance non-GSE activities and in preparation for the eventual
wind-down of the GSE, USA Education is developing additional financing
vehicles. While continued use of the securitization market will be the core of
the Company's financing strategy, these efforts will be supplemented by
commercial paper, asset-backed commercial paper, bank lines of credit,
underwritten long-term debt, and a medium-term note program. In the third
quarter of 1999, the Company received credit ratings that will facilitate its
access to the private funding markets: short-term debt ratings of A-1, F1+ and
P-1, and long-term senior unsecured debt ratings of A, A+ and A3 were issued by
S&P, Moody's and Fitch IBCA, Inc., respectively. Upon receiving its initial
credit ratings, the Company initiated its commercial paper program. Effective
October 27, 2000, the Company renewed its $600 million 364-day revolving credit
facility for an additional 364-day period. Liquidity support for the Company's
commercial paper program is provided by this $600 million 364-day revolving
credit facility which matures on October 26, 2001, and a $400 million 5-year
revolving credit facility which matures on October 29, 2004.
On October 3, 2000, the Company issued $500,000,000 of its Senior Notes due
September 16, 2002. The proceeds to the Company from the sale of these notes,
before expenses, were $498,750,000 and were used for general corporate
purposes.
During 2000, the Company used the proceeds from student loan securitizations
of $8.8 billion, repayments and claim payments on student loans of $2.8
billion, and the net proceeds from sales of student loans to purchase student
loans of $10.9 billion and to reduce total debt by $1.5 billion.
Operating activities provided net cash inflows of $745 million in 2000, an
increase of $406 million from the net cash inflows of $338 million in 1999.
During 2000, the GSE issued $17.2 billion of long-term notes to refund
maturing and repurchased obligations. At December 31, 2000, the GSE had $14.9
billion of outstanding long-term debt issues of which $534 million had stated
maturities that could be accelerated through call provisions. The Company uses
interest rate and foreign currency swaps (collateralized where appropriate),
purchases of U.S. Treasury securities and other hedging techniques to reduce
its exposure to interest rate and currency fluctuations that arise from its
financing activities and to match the variable interest rate characteristics of
its earning assets. (See "Interest Rate Risk Management.")
35
Until the GSE is dissolved, the Privatization Act places a number of
limitations on the Company. Under the Privatization Act, the GSE must wind down
its operations and dissolve on or before September 30, 2008. Any GSE debt
obligations outstanding at the date of such dissolution are required to be
defeased through creation of a fully collateralized trust, consisting of U.S.
government or agency obligations with cash flows matching the interest and
principal obligations of the defeased debt. The Privatization Act requires that
on the dissolution date of September 30, 2008, the GSE shall repurchase or
redeem, or make proper provisions for repurchase or redemption of any
outstanding preferred stock. The Company has the option of effecting an earlier
dissolution of the GSE if certain conditions are met. Also upon the GSE's
dissolution, all of its remaining assets will transfer to the Company.
The Privatization Act effectively requires that the GSE maintain a minimum
statutory capital adequacy ratio (the ratio of stockholders' equity to total
assets plus 50 percent of the credit equivalent amount of certain off-balance
sheet items) of at least 2.25 percent or be subject to certain "safety and
soundness" requirements designed to restore such statutory ratio. While the GSE
may not finance the activities of its non-GSE affiliates, it may, subject to
its minimum capital requirements, dividend retained earnings and surplus
capital to USA Education, Inc., which in turn may contribute such amounts to
its non-GSE subsidiaries. The Privatization Act requires management to certify
to the Secretary of the Treasury that, after giving effect to the payment of
dividends, the statutory capital ratio test would have been met at the time the
dividend was declared. At December 31, 2000, the GSE's statutory capital
adequacy ratio, after the effect of the dividends to be paid in the first
quarter of 2001, was 2.28 percent.
The Privatization Act imposes certain restrictions on intercompany relations
between the GSE and its affiliates during the wind-down period. In particular,
the GSE must not extend credit to, nor guarantee, any debt obligations of USA
Education, Inc. or its non-GSE subsidiaries.
The Privatization Act provides that the GSE may continue to issue new debt
obligations maturing on or before September 30, 2008. The legislation further
provides that the legal status and attributes of the GSE's debt obligations,
including the Commission registration and state tax exemptions, will be fully
preserved until their respective maturities. Such debt obligations will remain
GSE debt obligations, whether such obligations were outstanding at the time of,
or issued subsequent to, the Reorganization. The obligations of USA Education
do not have GSE status.
Interest Rate Risk Management
Interest Rate Gap Analysis
The Company's principal objective in financing its operations is to minimize
its sensitivity to changing interest rates by matching the interest rate
characteristics of its borrowings to specific assets in order to lock in
spreads. The Company funds its floating rate managed loan assets (most of which
have weekly rate resets) with variable rate debt and fixed rate debt converted
to variable rates with interest rate swaps. The Company also uses interest rate
cap agreements, foreign currency swaps, options on securities, and financial
futures contracts to further reduce interest rate risk and foreign currency
exposure on certain of its borrowings. Investments are funded on a "pooled"
approach, i.e., the pool of liabilities that funds the investment portfolio has
an average rate and maturity or reset date that corresponds to the average rate
and maturity or reset date of the investments which they fund.
In addition to term match funding, $11.1 billion of the Company's asset-
backed securities match the interest rate characteristics of the majority of
the student loans in the trusts by being indexed to the 91-day Treasury bill.
At December 31, 2000, there were approximately $3.5 billion of PLUS student
loans outstanding in the trusts, which have interest rates that reset annually
based on the final auction of 52-week Treasury bills before each July 1. In
addition, at December 31, 2000, there were approximately $15.3 billion of
asset-backed securities indexed to LIBOR. In its securitization transactions,
the Company retains this basis risk and manages it within the trusts through
its on-balance sheet financing activities. The effect of this basis risk
management is included in the following table as the impact of securitized
student loans.
36
In the table below the Company's variable rate assets and liabilities are
categorized by reset date of the underlying index. Fixed rate assets and
liabilities are categorized based on their maturity dates. An interest rate gap
is the difference between volumes of assets and volumes of liabilities maturing
or repricing during specific future time intervals. The following gap analysis
reflects rate-sensitive positions at December 31, 2000 and is not necessarily
reflective of positions that existed throughout the period.
Interest Rate Sensitivity Period
----------------------------------------------------
6
3 months months 1 to
3 months to to 2 2 to 5 Over 5
or less 6 months 1 year years years years
-------- -------- ------- ----- ------ -------
Assets
Student loans............. $ 35,061 $ 2,099 $ 487 $ -- $ -- $ --
Warehousing advances...... 973 -- -- -- 2 12
Academic facilities
financings............... 5 60 20 117 258 391
Cash and investments...... 3,970 1 12 16 138 1,804
Other assets.............. 37 43 86 131 331 2,738
-------- ------- ------- ----- ------ -------
Total assets............ 40,046 2,203 605 264 729 4,945
-------- ------- ------- ----- ------ -------
Liabilities and
Stockholders' Equity
Short-term borrowings..... 28,435 1,311 718 -- -- --
Long-term notes........... 13,346 -- -- 811 230 524
Other liabilities......... -- -- -- -- -- 1,788
Minority interest in
subsidiary............... -- -- -- -- -- 214
Stockholders' equity...... -- -- -- -- -- 1,415
-------- ------- ------- ----- ------ -------
Total liabilities and
stockholders' equity .. 41,781 1,311 718 811 230 3,941
-------- ------- ------- ----- ------ -------
Off-balance Sheet
Financial Instruments
Interest rate swaps....... 3,943 (1,423) (1,805) 250 38 (1,003)
Impact of securitized
student loans............ (3,459) 3,459 -- -- -- --
-------- ------- ------- ----- ------ -------
Total off-balance sheet
financial instruments ... 484 2,036 (1,805) 250 38 (1,003)
-------- ------- ------- ----- ------ -------
Period gap................ $ (1,251) $ 2,928 $(1,918) $(297) $ 537 $ 1
======== ======= ======= ===== ====== =======
Cumulative gap............ $ (1,251) $ 1,677 $ (241) $(538) $ (1) $ --
======== ======= ======= ===== ====== =======
Ratio of interest-
sensitive assets to
interest-sensitive
liabilities.............. 95.8% 164.8% 72.3% 16.4% 173.0% 421.2%
======== ======= ======= ===== ====== =======
Ratio of cumulative gap to
total assets............. 2.6% (3.4)% .5% 1.1% --% --%
======== ======= ======= ===== ====== =======
Interest Rate Sensitivity Analysis
The effect of short-term movements in interest rates on the Company's
results of operations and financial position has been limited through the
Company's risk-management activities. The Company performed a sensitivity
analysis to determine the annual effect of a hypothetical increase in 2000
market interest rates of 10 percent on the Company's variable rate assets and
liabilities and a hypothetical 10 percent increase in spreads to their
underlying index. Based on this analysis an increase in rates and spreads of
this magnitude would reduce net income by approximately $16 million or $.10
diluted earnings per share. The decline in net income would be primarily due to
the reduction on the spread earned on student loans as financing costs would
increase while a significant portion of the Company's student loan portfolio
would continue to earn at the minimum borrower rate.
The fair value of the Company's interest-sensitive assets and its long-term
debt and hedging instruments are also subject to change as a result of
potential changes in market rates and prices. A separate analysis was performed
to determine the effects of a hypothetical 10 percent rise in market interest
rates on the fair value of
37
the Company's financial instruments. The effect of the 10 percent rise in rates
on fair values would be a decrease in the fair market value of student loans of
approximately $39 million, and a decrease in the fair market value of non-
student loan assets of approximately $38 million. The decrease in the fair
market value of these assets would be partially offset by an increase in the
fair market value of the Company's debt and hedging instruments by $95 million.
The net effect of a 10 percent rise in rates on fair market values would
therefore be an $18 million increase in net assets. This change from a $35
million decrease in net assets in 1999 to an $18 million increase in net assets
in 2000 is partially due to the increased issuance of floor contracts during
2000 which reduced the Company's exposure to interest rate volatility by $20
million. In addition, the increase in the balance and percentage of long-term
floating rate debt and basis swaps to total debt reduced the Company's exposure
to interest rate volatility by $23 million.
These amounts have been determined after considering the impact of a
hypothetical shift in interest rates and the use of this methodology to
quantify the market risk of such instruments with no other changes in the
Company's financial structure. The analysis is limited because it does not take
into account the overall level of economic activity, other operating
transactions and other management actions that could be taken to further
mitigate the Company's exposure to risk.
Average Terms to Maturity
The following table reflects the average terms to maturity for the Company's
managed earning assets and liabilities at December 31, 2000:
Average Terms to Maturity (in years)
On-Balance Off-Balance
Sheet Sheet Managed
---------- ----------- -------
Earning assets
Student loans............................. 7.2 4.3 5.9
Warehousing advances...................... 5.7 -- 5.7
Academic facilities financings............ 6.8 -- 6.8
Cash and investments...................... 4.5 -- 4.5
--- --- ---
Total earning assets...................... 6.8 4.3 5.8
=== === ===
Borrowings
Short-term borrowings..................... .4 -- .4
Long-term borrowings...................... 3.3 4.3 4.0
--- --- ---
Total borrowings.......................... 1.3 4.3 2.5
=== === ===
In the above table, Treasury receipts and variable rate asset-backed
securities, although generally liquid in nature, extend the weighted average
remaining term to maturity of cash and investments to 4.5 years. As student
loans are securitized, the need for long-term on-balance sheet financing will
decrease.
Common Stock
As a result of the USA Group acquisition, the Company issued approximately
10 million shares during the third quarter of 2000. The Company repurchased 7
million shares during 2000 through open market purchases and settlement of
outstanding equity forward contracts. The Company also issued a net 5 million
shares through its benefit plans. The net result was an increase in outstanding
shares to 164 million at December 31, 2000. At December 31, 2000, the total
common shares that could potentially be acquired over the next five years under
outstanding equity forward contracts was 18 million shares, and the Company has
remaining authority to enter into additional share repurchases and equity
forward contracts for 5 million shares.
38
Years ended
December 31,
--------------
2000 1999
------ ------
Common shares repurchased:
Open market............................................ 2.1 2.9
Equity forwards........................................ 4.9 5.3
------ ------
Total shares repurchased................................. 7.0 8.2
------ ------
Average purchase price per share......................... $44.26 $41.78
====== ======
Equity forward contracts:
Outstanding at beginning of year......................... 21.4 20.5
New contracts............................................ 1.7 6.2
Exercises................................................ (4.9) (5.3)
------ ------
Outstanding at end of year............................... 18.2 21.4
====== ======
Board of director authority at end of year............... 4.8 3.6
====== ======
As of December 31, 2000, the expiration dates and range of purchase prices
for outstanding equity forward contracts are as follows:
Outstanding Range of Market
Year of Maturity Contracts Prices
---------------- ----------- ---------------
2001......................................... 6.3 $32.11 - $45.71
2002......................................... 5.0 41.01 - 45.55
2003......................................... 4.0 41.20 - 47.50
2004......................................... 1.7 39.82 - 45.62
2005......................................... 1.2 30.00 - 36.04
----
18.2
====
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements
See Note 2 to the Consolidated Financial Statements, "Significant
Accounting Policies--Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements."
Item 7a. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
Included within Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations.
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
Reference is made to the financial statements listed under the heading "(a)
1. Financial Statements" of Item 15 hereof, which financial statements are
incorporated by reference in response to this Item 8.
Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and
Financial Disclosure
Not applicable.
39
PART III.
Item 10. Directors and Executive Officers of the Registrant
The information as to the directors and executive officers of the Company
set forth under the captions "PROPOSAL 2--ELECTION OF DIRECTORS--Information
Concerning Nominees" and "Executive Officers" in the Proxy Statement to be
filed on Schedule 14A relating to the Company's Annual Meeting of Stockholders
scheduled to be held on May 10, 2001 (the "Proxy Statement") is incorporated
into this Report by reference.
Item 11. Executive Compensation
The information set forth under the caption "Executive Compensation" in the
Proxy Statement is incorporated into this Report by reference.
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management
The information set forth under the caption "COMMON STOCK INFORMATION--Board
and Management Ownership" and "--Principal Holders" in the Proxy Statement is
incorporated into this Report by reference thereto. There are no arrangements
known to the Company, the operation of which may at a subsequent date result in
a change in control of the Company.
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions
The information set forth under the caption "EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION--Certain
Transactions" in the Proxy Statement is incorporated into this Report by
reference.
Item 14. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules and Reports on Form 8-K
(a)1. Financial Statements
The following consolidated financial statements of USA Education. Inc. and
the Report of the Independent Auditors thereon are included in Item 8 above:
Report of Independent Auditors............................................ F-2
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2000 and 1999.............. F-3
Consolidated Statements of Income for the years ended December 31, 2000,
1999 and 1998............................................................ F-4
Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders' Equity for the years
ended December 31, 2000, 1999 and 1998................................... F-5
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31,
2000, 1999 and 1998...................................................... F-6
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements................................ F-7
2. Financial Statement Schedules
All schedules are omitted because they are not applicable or the required
information is shown in the consolidated financial statements or notes thereto.
3. Exhibits
The exhibits listed in the accompanying index to exhibits are filed or
incorporated by reference as part of this annual report.
Attached as Exhibit 3.2 are the Company's amended By-laws. The Company's By-
laws provide that the By-laws may be amended by the Board of Directors and that
any amendments will become effective on the date of the next shareholder
meeting provided that notice is provided to shareholders before the date of the
meeting.
40
The amendments will:
. Change the definition of "independence," affecting Board members who are
former Sallie Mae employees. The change parallels the New York Stock
Exchange listing requirement and provides that former employees are
considered "independent" three years after they have terminated
employment with the Corporation.
. Provide for electronic notices of shareholder and director meetings, as
recently permitted by Delaware corporate law; and
. Make administrative changes and corrections, including clarifications
regarding Board compensation and officer positions.
The Company will furnish at cost a copy of any exhibit filed with or
incorporated by reference into this Form 10-K. Oral or written requests for
copies of any exhibits should be directed to the Corporate Secretary.
(b)Reports on Form 8-K
We filed four Current Reports on Form 8-K with the Commission during the
quarter ended December 31, 2000 or thereafter. They were filed on:
. October 5, 2000 in connection with the issuance of $500,000,000 of our
Senior Notes due September 16, 2002
. February 22, 2001 in connection with our press release announcing our
earnings for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2000 and our
supplemental financial information for the same period
. February 27, 2001 in connection with the issuance of $500,000,000 of our
Senior Notes due February 10, 2003
. March 7, 2001 in connection with the sale of 7,241,513 of our common
stock by the Lumina Foundation for Education, Inc.
(c)Exhibits
*2 Agreement and Plan of Reorganization by and among the Student Loan
Marketing Association, SLM Holding Corporation, and Sallie Mae Merger
Company
**3.1 Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant
+3.2 By-Laws of the Registrant
**4 Warrant Certificate No. W-2, dated as of August 7, 1997
*10.1 Board of Directors Restricted Stock Plan
*10.2 Board of Directors Stock Option Plan
*10.3 Deferred Compensation Plan for Directors
*10.4 Incentive Performance Plan
*10.5 Stock Compensation Plan
*10.6 1993-1998 Stock Option Plan
*10.7 Supplemental Pension Plan
*10.8 Supplemental Employees' Thrift & Savings Plan (Sallie Mae 401(K)
Supplemental Savings Plan)
***10.9 Directors Stock Plan
***10.10 Management Incentive Plan
*21 Subsidiaries of the Registrant
+23 Consent of Arthur Andersen LLP
--------
*Incorporated by reference to the correspondingly numbered exhibits to the
Registrant's Registration Statement on Form S-4, as amended (File No. 333-
21217)
**Incorporated by reference to the correspondingly numbered exhibits to the
Registrant's Registration on Form S-1 (File No. 333-38391)
***Incorporated by reference to the Registrant's Definitive Proxy Statement on
Schedule 14A, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 10,
1998 (File No. 001-13251)
+Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission with this Form 10-K
41
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the Registrant has duly caused this report to
be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
Dated: March 29, 2001
USA EDUCATION, INC.
/s/ Albert L. Lord
By: _________________________________
Albert L. Lord
Chief Executive Officer
Pursuant to the requirement of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this
report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the
Registrant and in the capacities indicated on the dates indicated.
Signature Title Date
--------- ----- ----
/s/ Albert L. Lord Chief Executive Officer March 29, 2001
______________________________________ (Principal Executive
Albert L. Lord Officer) and Director
/s/ John F. Remondi Executive Vice President March 29, 2001
______________________________________ and Chief Financial
John F. Remondi Officer (Principal
Financial and Accounting
Officer)
/s/ Edward A. Fox March 29, 2001
______________________________________ Chairman of the Board of
Edward A. Fox Directors
/s/ Charles L. Daley March 29, 2001
______________________________________
Charles L. Daley Director
/s/ William M. Diefenderfer, III March 29, 2001
______________________________________
William M. Diefenderfer, III Director
/s/ Thomas J. Fitzpatrick March 29, 2001
______________________________________
Thomas J. Fitzpatrick Director
/s/ Diane Suitt Gilleland March 29, 2001
______________________________________
Diane Suitt Gilleland Director
/s/ Earl A. Goode March 29, 2001
______________________________________
Earl A. Goode Director
/s/ Ann Torre Grant March 29, 2001
______________________________________
Ann Torre Grant Director
/s/ Ronald F. Hunt March 29, 2001
______________________________________
Ronald F. Hunt Director
42
/s/ Benjamin J. Lambert, III March 29, 2001
______________________________________
Benjamin J. Lambert, III Director
/s/ James C. Lintzenich March 29, 2001
______________________________________
James C. Lintzenich Director
/s/ Barry A. Munitz March 29, 2001
______________________________________
Barry A. Munitz Director
/s/ A. Alexander Porter, Jr. March 29, 2001
______________________________________
A. Alexander Porter, Jr. Director
/s/ Wolfgang Schoellkopf March 29, 2001
______________________________________
Wolfgang Schoellkopf Director
/s/ Steven L. Shapiro March 29, 2001
______________________________________
Steven L. Shapiro Director
/s/ Barry L. Williams March 29, 2001
______________________________________
Barry L. Williams Director
43
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
INDEX
Page
----
Report of Independent Public Accountants................................... F-2
Consolidated Balance Sheets................................................ F-3
Consolidated Statements of Income.......................................... F-4
Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders' Equity................. F-5
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows...................................... F-6
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements................................. F-7
F-1
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS
To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of
USA Education, Inc.:
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of USA
Education, Inc., formerly SLM Holding Corporation, and subsidiaries as of
December 31, 2000 and 1999, and the related consolidated statements of income,
changes in stockholders' equity and cash flows for each of the three years in
the period ended December 31, 2000. These financial statements are the
responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an
opinion on these financial statements based on our audits.
We conducted our audits in accordance with auditing standards generally
accepted in the United States. Those standards require that we plan and perform
an audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements
are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test
basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial
statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and
significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall
financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a
reasonable basis for our opinion.
In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly,
in all material respects, the financial position of USA Education, Inc. and
subsidiaries as of December 31, 2000 and 1999, and the consolidated results of
their operations and their cash flows for each of the three years in the period
ended December 31, 2000 in conformity with accounting principles generally
accepted in the United States.
Arthur Andersen LLP
Vienna, VA
January 17, 2001
F-2
USA EDUCATION, INC.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(Dollars in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
December 31,
-----------------------
2000 1999
----------- -----------
Assets
Student loans, net..................................... $37,647,297 $33,808,867
Warehousing advances................................... 987,352 1,042,695
Academic facilities financings
Bonds--available-for-sale............................ 498,775 640,498
Loans................................................ 352,393 387,267
----------- -----------
Total academic facilities financings................... 851,168 1,027,765
Investments
Available-for-sale................................... 4,244,762 4,396,776
Held-to-maturity..................................... 961,260 788,180
----------- -----------
Total investments...................................... 5,206,022 5,184,956
Cash and cash equivalents.............................. 734,468 589,750
Other assets, principally accrued interest receivable.. 3,365,481 2,370,751
----------- -----------
Total assets........................................... $48,791,788 $44,024,784
=========== ===========
Liabilities
Short-term borrowings.................................. $30,463,988 $37,491,251
Long-term notes........................................ 14,910,939 4,496,267
Other liabilities...................................... 1,787,642 982,469
----------- -----------
Total liabilities...................................... 47,162,569 42,969,987
----------- -----------
Commitments and contingencies
Minority interest in subsidiary........................ 213,883 213,883
Stockholders' equity
Preferred stock, Series A, par value $.20 per share,
20,000,000 shares authorized, 3,300,000 shares issued
at stated value of $50 per share...................... 165,000 165,000
Common stock, par value $.20 per share, 250,000,000
shares authorized: 190,851,936 and 186,069,619 shares
issued, respectively.................................. 38,170 37,214
Additional paid-in capital............................. 225,211 62,827
Unrealized gains on investments (net of tax of $167,624
and $160,319, respectively)........................... 311,301 297,735
Retained earnings...................................... 1,810,902 1,462,034
----------- -----------
Stockholders' equity before treasury stock............. 2,550,584 2,024,810
Common stock held in treasury at cost:
26,707,091 and 28,493,072 shares, respectively........ 1,135,248 1,183,896
----------- -----------
Total stockholders' equity............................. 1,415,336 840,914
----------- -----------
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity............. $48,791,788 $44,024,784
=========== ===========
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
F-3
USA EDUCATION, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
(Dollars and shares in thousands, except per share amounts)
Years ended December 31,
----------------------------------
2000 1999 1998
---------- ---------- ----------
Interest income:
Student loans........................... $2,854,231 $2,426,506 $2,094,488
Warehousing advances.................... 56,410 67,828 101,905
Academic facilities financings:
Taxable............................... 36,819 39,123 44,224
Tax-exempt............................ 29,890 35,235 41,064
---------- ---------- ----------
Total academic facilities financings.... 66,709 74,358 85,288
Investments............................. 501,309 239,883 294,602
---------- ---------- ----------
Total interest income..................... 3,478,659 2,808,575 2,576,283
Interest expense:
Short-term debt......................... 2,266,229 1,762,147 1,297,753
Long-term debt.......................... 570,642 352,638 627,244
---------- ---------- ----------
Total interest expense.................... 2,836,871 2,114,785 1,924,997
---------- ---------- ----------
Net interest income....................... 641,788 693,790 651,286
Less: provision for losses................ 32,119 34,358 36,597
---------- ---------- ----------
Net interest income after provision for
losses................................... 609,669 659,432 614,689
---------- ---------- ----------
Other income:
Gains on student loan securitizations... 91,846 35,280 117,068
Servicing and securitization revenue.... 295,646 288,584 280,863
Gains on sales of student loans......... 67 27,169 --
Gains on sales of securities............ 18,555 15,832 10,734
Guarantor servicing fees................ 127,522 -- --
Other................................... 153,996 83,925 87,646
---------- ---------- ----------
Total other income........................ 687,632 450,790 496,311
---------- ---------- ----------
Operating expenses:
Salaries and benefits................... 280,886 138,571 189,917
Other................................... 251,824 219,999 170,952
Integration charge...................... 53,000 -- --
---------- ---------- ----------
Total operating expenses.................. 585,710 358,570 360,869
---------- ---------- ----------
Income before income taxes and minority
interest in net earnings of subsidiary... 711,591 751,652 750,131
---------- ---------- ----------
Income taxes:
Current................................. 267,837 360,494 306,310
Deferred................................ (31,957) (120,367) (68,337)
---------- ---------- ----------
Total income taxes........................ 235,880 240,127 237,973
Minority interest in net earnings of
subsidiary............................... 10,694 10,694 10,694
---------- ---------- ----------
Net income................................ 465,017 500,831 501,464
Preferred stock dividends................. 11,522 1,438 --
---------- ---------- ----------
Net income attributable to common stock... $ 453,495 $ 499,393 $ 501,464
========== ========== ==========
Basic earnings per common share........... $ 2.84 $ 3.11 $ 2.99
========== ========== ==========
Average common shares outstanding......... 159,482 160,577 167,684
========== ========== ==========
Diluted earnings per common share......... $ 2.76 $ 3.06 $ 2.95
========== ========== ==========
Average common and common equivalent
shares outstanding....................... 164,355 163,158 170,066
========== ========== ==========
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
F-4
USA EDUCATION, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
(Dollars in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
Preferred Common Stock Shares Additional
Stock ------------------------------------ Preferred Common Paid-In Retained Treasury
Shares Issued Treasury Outstanding Stock Stock Capital Earnings Stock
--------- ----------- ----------- ----------- --------- ------- ---------- ---------- -----------
Balance at
December 31,
1997.............. 183,632,694 (10,221,757) 173,410,937 $ -- $36,726 $ 28,838 $ 654,135 $ (423,863)
Comprehensive
income:
Net income....... 501,464
Other
comprehensive
income, net of
tax:
Change in
unrealized gains
(losses) on
investments, net
of tax..........
Comprehensive
income...........
Cash dividends
($.57 per
share)........... (95,265)
Issuance of
common shares.... 821,172 821,172 165 21,129
Tax benefit
related to
employee stock
option and
purchase plan.... 4,093
Premiums on
equity forward
purchase
contracts........ (27,189)
Repurchase of
common shares.... (10,105,456) (10,105,456) (418,346)
--------- ----------- ----------- ----------- -------- ------- -------- ---------- -----------
Balance at
December 31,
1998.............. 184,453,866 (20,327,213) 164,126,653 $ -- $36,891 $ 26,871 $1,060,334 $ (842,209)
Comprehensive
income:
Net income....... 500,831
Other
comprehensive
income, net of
tax:
Change in
unrealized gains
(losses) on
investments, net
of tax..........
Comprehensive
income...........
Cash dividends:
Common stock
($.61 per
share)........... (97,693)
Preferred stock
($.44 per
share)........... (1,438)
Issuance of
common shares.... 1,615,753 1,615,753 323 61,464
Issuance of
preferred
shares........... 3,300,000 165,000 (3,397)
Tax benefit
related to
employee stock
option and
purchase plan.... 7,510
Premiums on
equity forward
purchase
contracts........ (29,621)
Repurchase of
common shares.... (8,165,859) (8,165,859) (341,687)
--------- ----------- ----------- ----------- -------- ------- -------- ---------- -----------
Balance at
December 31,
1999.............. 3,300,000 186,069,619 (28,493,072) 157,576,547 $165,000 $37,214 $ 62,827 $1,462,034 $(1,183,896)
Comprehensive
income:
Net income....... 465,017
Other
comprehensive
income, net of
tax..............
Change in
unrealized gains
(losses) on
investments, net
of tax...........
Comprehensive
income...........
Cash dividends...
Common stock
($.66 per
share)........... (104,627)
Preferred stock
($3.49 per
share)........... (11,522)
Issuance of
common shares.... 4,782,317 9,084,505 13,866,822 956 201,958 372,366
Tax benefit
related to
employee stock
option and
purchase plan.... 25,393
Premiums on
equity forward
purchase
contracts........ (64,967)
Repurchase of
common shares.... (7,298,524) (7,298,524) (323,718)
--------- ----------- ----------- ----------- -------- ------- -------- ---------- -----------
Balance at
December 31,
2000.............. 3,300,000 190,851,936 (26,707,091) 164,144,845 $165,000 $38,170 $225,211 $1,810,902 $(1,135,248)
========= =========== =========== =========== ======== ======= ======== ========== ===========
Unrealized
Gains Total
(Losses) On Stockholders'
Investments Equity
----------- -------------
Balance at
December 31,
1997.............. $378,736 $ 674,572
Comprehensive
income:
Net income....... 501,464
Other
comprehensive
income, net of
tax:
Change in
unrealized gains
(losses) on
investments, net
of tax.......... (6,997) (6,997)
-------------
Comprehensive
income........... 494,467
Cash dividends
($.57 per
share)........... (95,265)
Issuance of
common shares.... 21,294
Tax benefit
related to
employee stock
option and
purchase plan.... 4,093
Premiums on
equity forward
purchase
contracts........ (27,189)
Repurchase of
common shares.... (418,346)
----------- -------------
Balance at
December 31,
1998.............. $371,739 $ 653,626
Comprehensive
income:
Net income....... 500,831
Other
comprehensive
income, net of
tax:
Change in
unrealized gains
(losses) on
investments, net
of tax.......... (74,004) (74,004)
-------------
Comprehensive
income........... 426,827
Cash dividends:
Common stock
($.61 per
share)........... (97,693)
Preferred stock
($.44 per
share)........... (1,438)
Issuance of
common shares.... 61,787
Issuance of
preferred
shares........... 161,603
Tax benefit
related to
employee stock
option and
purchase plan.... 7,510
Premiums on
equity forward
purchase
contracts........ (29,621)
Repurchase of
common shares.... (341,687)
----------- -------------
Balance at
December 31,
1999.............. $297,735 $ 840,914
Comprehensive
income:
Net income....... 465,017
Other
comprehensive
income, net of
tax..............
Change in
unrealized gains
(losses) on
investments, net
of tax........... 13,566 13,566
-------------
Comprehensive
income........... 478,583
Cash dividends...
Common stock
($.66 per
share)........... (104,627)
Preferred stock
($3.49 per
share)........... (11,522)
Issuance of
common shares.... 575,280
Tax benefit
related to
employee stock
option and
purchase plan.... 25,393
Premiums on
equity forward
purchase
contracts........ (64,967)
Repurchase of
common shares.... (323,718)
----------- -------------
Balance at
December 31,
2000.............. $311,301 $1,415,336
=========== =============
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
F-5
USA EDUCATION, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(Dollars in thousands)
Years ended December 31,
-------------------------------------------
2000 1999 1998
------------- ------------- -------------
Operating activities
Net income....................... $ 465,017 $ 500,831 $ 501,464
Adjustments to reconcile net
income to net cash provided by
operating activities:
Gains on student loan
securitizations................ (91,846) (35,280) (117,068)
Gains on sales of student
loans.......................... (67) (27,169) --
Gains on sales of securities... (18,555) (15,832) (10,734)
Provision for losses........... 32,119 34,358 36,597
Integration charge............. 53,000 -- --
Decrease (increase) in accrued
interest receivable............ 46,709 (165,048) 84,749
(Decrease) increase in accrued
interest payable............... (11,606) 4,347 (122,053)
(Increase) decrease in other
assets......................... (152,761) 20,208 (83,905)
Increase (decrease) in other
liabilities.................... 422,637 21,809 (169,449)
------------- ------------- -------------
Total adjustments................ 279,630 (162,607) (381,863)
------------- ------------- -------------
Net cash provided by operating
activities....................... 744,647 338,224 119,601
------------- ------------- -------------
Investing activities
Student loans purchased.......... (10,857,818) (11,095,260) (8,417,086)
Reduction of student loans:
Installment payments............ 2,362,634 2,760,492 2,785,731
Claims and resales.............. 481,829 474,105 782,041
Proceeds from securitization of
student loans.................. 8,805,758 4,085,540 6,035,218
Proceeds from sales of student
loans.......................... 136,944 926,123 --
Warehousing advances made........ (1,075,067) (876,728) (851,837)
Warehousing advance repayments... 1,130,410 1,016,765 1,177,759
Academic facilities financings
made............................ (11,609) (35,919) (4,302)
Academic facilities financings
repayments...................... 190,608 163,635 203,936
Investments purchased............ (55,750,718) (12,972,279) (9,853,778)
Proceeds from sale or maturity of
investments..................... 55,887,600 11,699,915 10,917,744
Purchase of subsidiaries, net of
cash acquired (Note 3)........... (448,754) (317,722) --
------------- ------------- -------------
Net cash provided by (used in)
investing activities............. 851,817 (4,171,333) 2,775,426
------------- ------------- -------------
Financing activities
Short-term borrowings issued..... 689,320,696 510,412,470 478,111,748
Short-term borrowings repaid..... (690,106,439) (508,290,421) (473,466,628)
Long-term notes issued........... 17,162,579 12,234,054 5,527,280
Long-term notes repaid........... (17,924,421) (9,809,617) (12,490,124)
Equity forward contracts and
stock issued.................... 535,706 201,279 (1,802)
Common stock repurchased......... (323,718) (341,687) (418,346)
Common dividends paid............ (104,627) (97,693) (95,265)
Preferred dividends paid......... (11,522) (1,438) --
------------- ------------- -------------
Net cash (used in) provided by
financing activities............. (1,451,746) 4,306,947 (2,833,137)
------------- ------------- -------------
Net increase in cash and cash
equivalents...................... 144,718 473,838 61,890
Cash and cash equivalents at
beginning of year................ 589,750 115,912 54,022
------------- ------------- -------------
Cash and cash equivalents at end
of year.......................... $ 734,468 $ 589,750 $ 115,912
============= ============= =============
Cash disbursements made for:
Interest........................ $ 2,432,427 $ 1,794,629 $ 1,868,975
============= ============= =============
Income taxes.................... $ 140,000 $ 398,500 $ 339,336
============= ============= =============
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
F-6
USA EDUCATION, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
1. Organization and Privatization
USA Education, Inc., formerly SLM Holding Corporation ("SLM Holding"), was
formed on February 3, 1997 as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Student Loan
Marketing Association (the "GSE"). On August 7, 1997, pursuant to the Student
Loan Marketing Association Reorganization Act of 1996 (the "Privatization Act")
and approval by shareholders of an agreement and plan of reorganization, the
GSE was reorganized into a subsidiary of SLM Holding (the "Reorganization").
Effective as of July 31, 2000, SLM Holding Corporation was renamed USA
Education, Inc. upon the completion of the acquisition of the guarantee
servicing, student loan servicing and secondary market operations of USA Group,
Inc. ("USA Group"). USA Education, Inc. is a holding company that operates
through a number of subsidiaries including the GSE. References herein to the
"Company" refer to the GSE and its subsidiaries for periods prior to the
Reorganization and to USA Education, Inc. ("USA Education") and its
subsidiaries for periods after the Reorganization.
Under the terms of the Reorganization each outstanding share of common
stock, par value $.20 per share, of the GSE was converted into one share of
common stock, par value $.20 per share, of USA Education, Inc. The GSE
transferred all employees to non-GSE subsidiaries on August 7, 1997 and also
transferred certain assets, including stock in certain subsidiaries, to USA
Education, Inc. or one of its non-GSE subsidiaries on December 31, 1997. This
transfer of the subsidiaries and assets and the related exchange of stock was
accounted for at historical cost similar to a pooling of interests and
therefore all prior period financial statements and related disclosures
presented have been restated as if the Reorganization took place at the
beginning of such periods.
The GSE was chartered by Congress to provide liquidity for originators of
student loans made under federally sponsored student loan programs and
otherwise to support the credit needs of students and educational institutions.
The GSE is predominantly engaged in the purchase of student loans insured under
federally sponsored programs. The GSE also makes secured loans (warehousing
advances) to providers of education credit, and provides financing to
educational institutions for their physical plant and equipment (academic
facilities financings).
The Privatization Act provides that the GSE may continue to issue new debt
obligations maturing on or before September 30, 2008. The legislation further
provides that the legal status and attributes of the GSE's debt obligations,
including the Commission registration and state tax exemptions, will be fully
preserved until their respective maturities. Such debt obligations will remain
GSE debt obligations, whether such obligations were outstanding at the time of,
or issued subsequent to, the Reorganization. The obligations of USA Education
do not have GSE status. The GSE will wind down its operations and dissolve on
or before September 30, 2008. Any GSE debt obligations outstanding at the date
of such dissolution will be defeased through creation of a fully collateralized
trust, consisting of U.S. government or agency obligations with cash flows
matching the interest and principal obligations of the defeased debt. The
Privatization Act further requires that the GSE's outstanding adjustable rate
cumulative preferred stock be redeemed on September 30, 2008 or at such earlier
time when the GSE is dissolved. Also upon the GSE's dissolution, all of its
remaining assets will transfer to the Company.
The Omnibus Appropriations Act of 1998, signed into law by the President on
October 21, 1998, amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act by, among other
things, providing an exception to its current prohibition on affiliations
between government-sponsored entities and depository institutions. This
exception allows USA Education, Inc. to become affiliated with a depository
institution upon satisfaction of certain conditions and with the approval of
the Secretary of the Treasury. Among the conditions are that: the dissolution
of the GSE cannot be adversely affected by the affiliation; the dissolution of
the GSE must occur within two years after the affiliation is consummated
subject to the ability of the Secretary to extend such deadline for up to two
one-year
F-7
USA EDUCATION, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
1. Organization and Privatization (Continued)
periods; and the GSE must be separate and distinct from the affiliated
depository institution and cannot extend credit, provide credit enhancement or
purchase any obligation of the depository institution.
2. Significant Accounting Policies
Loans
Loans, consisting of federally insured student loans, non-federally insured
student loans, student loan participations, warehousing advances, and academic
facilities financings are carried at their purchase price which, for student
loans, includes unamortized premiums and unearned purchase discounts.
Student Loan Income
The Company recognizes student loan income as earned, including amortization
of premiums and the accretion of discounts. In 1998, interest income earned on
student loan participations was recognized in accordance with the terms of the
joint venture agreement with the Chase Manhattan Bank (the "Joint Venture")
which effectively reflects the underlying interest income earned on the student
loans less servicing costs and the general and administrative expenses of the
Joint Venture. The Company's investment in the Joint Venture is accounted for
using the equity method of accounting. In December 1998, the Company and Chase
restructured the Joint Venture, whereby the Company now purchases all loans
originated by Chase. Previously, the Joint Venture funded the Chase-originated
loans through sales of student loan participations that entitled the Company
and Chase to one-half interest in the loans.
Allowance for Losses
The Company has established an allowance for potential losses on the
existing on-balance sheet portfolio of student loans and academic facilities
financings. These assets are presented net of the allowance on the balance
sheet. In evaluating the adequacy of the allowance for losses, the Company
considers several factors including trends in student loan claims rejected for
payment by guarantors, default rates on non-federally insured student loans and
the amount of FFELP loans subject to 2 percent risk-sharing. The allowance is
based on periodic evaluations of its loan portfolios considering past
experience, changes to federal student loan programs, current economic
conditions and other relevant factors. The allowance is maintained at a level
that management believes is adequate to provide for estimated credit losses.
This evaluation is inherently subjective as it requires estimates that may be
susceptible to significant changes.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents includes term federal funds and bank deposits with
original terms to maturity less than three months.
Investments
Investments are held to provide liquidity, to economically hedge certain
financing activities and to serve as a source of short-term income. Securities
that are actively traded are accounted for at fair market value with unrealized
gains and losses included in investment income. Securities that are intended to
be held-to-maturity are accounted for at amortized cost. Securities that fall
outside of the two previous categories are considered as available-for-sale.
Such securities are carried at market value, with the after-tax unrealized gain
or loss, along
F-8
USA EDUCATION, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
2. Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)
with after-tax unrealized gain or loss on instruments which hedge such
securities, carried as a separate component of stockholders' equity. The
amortized cost of debt securities in this category is adjusted for amortization
of premiums and accretion of discounts.
Goodwill
Goodwill at December 31, 2000 and 1999 was $620 million and $117 million,
respectively, and was included in other assets. Goodwill is amortized on a
straight-line basis over a 10 to 20 year period. For the years ended December
31, 2000, 1999, and 1998, goodwill amortization totaled approximately $19
million, $3 million and $2 million, respectively.
Interest Expense
Interest expense is based upon contractual interest rates adjusted for net
payments under derivative financial instruments with off-balance sheet risks,
which include interest rate swap agreements and foreign currency exchange
agreements and the amortization of debt issuance costs and deferred gains and
losses on hedge transactions entered into to reduce interest rate risk.
Interest Rate Swaps
The Company utilizes interest rate swap agreements ("interest rate swaps")
principally for hedging purposes to alter the interest rate characteristics of
its debt and assets in order to manage interest rates. This enables the Company
to match the interest rate characteristics of borrowings to specific assets in
order to mitigate the impact of interest rate fluctuations. The Company does
not hold or issue interest rate swaps for trading purposes.
Amounts paid or received under swaps that are used to alter the interest
rate characteristics of its interest-sensitive liabilities and assets are
accrued and recognized as an adjustment of the interest expense on the related
borrowing or asset. The related net receivable or payable from counterparties
is included in other assets or other liabilities. Gains and losses associated
with the termination of swaps for designated positions are deferred and
amortized over the remaining life of the designated instrument as an adjustment
to interest expense or income.
The Company's credit exposure on swaps is limited to their unrealized gains
in the event of nonperformance by the counterparties. The Company manages the
credit risk associated with these instruments by performing credit reviews of
counterparties and monitoring market conditions to establish counterparty,
sovereign and instrument-type credit lines and, when appropriate, requiring
collateral.
Floor Revenue Contracts
The Company enters into Floor Revenue Contracts with third parties, under
which the Company receives an up-front payment and agrees to pay the difference
between the minimum borrower interest rate less the applicable Special
Allowance Payment ("SAP") rate ("the Strike Rate") and the average of 91-day
Treasury bill rates over the period of the contract. If the Strike Rate is less
than the average Treasury bill rate, then no payment is required. These upfront
payments were being amortized to student loan income over the average life of
the contracts, which is approximately 6 years, 6 months and 10 months for the
2000, 1999 and 1998 contracts, respectively. Effective December 31, 2000, in
anticipation of the adoption of "SFAS 133" (defined below), the Treasury bill
Floor Revenue Contracts were de-designated as effective hedges and marked-to-
F-9
USA EDUCATION, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
2. Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)
market. The net effect of the fair market value of these contracts and the
unamortized upfront payment was reclassified to student loan premium and will
be amortized to student loan income over the average life of the student loan
portfolio.
In 2000, the Company entered into LIBOR Floor Revenue Contracts that are an
effective economic hedge of a segment of the Company's student loan portfolio.
These positions do not meet the hedge effectiveness requirements under GAAP and
were marked-to-market at December 31, 2000. No such transactions were in effect
for 1999 or 1998.
Income Taxes
The Company accounts for income taxes in accordance with SFAS No. 109,
"Accounting for Income Taxes," using the asset and liability method. Under the
asset and liability method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined
for temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets or liabilities
for book purposes versus tax purposes, based on the enacted tax rates which are
expected to be in effect when the underlying items of income and expense are
expected to be realized. The Company and its eligible subsidiaries file a
consolidated U.S. federal income tax return.
Earnings per Common Share
Basic earnings per common share were computed using the weighted average of
common shares outstanding during the year. Diluted earnings per common share
were computed using the weighted average of common and common equivalent shares
outstanding during the year. Common equivalent shares include shares issuable
upon exercise of incentive stock options, and in 1998 warrants for voting
common stock. Equity forward transactions are included in common equivalent
shares if the average market price of the Company's stock is less than the
forward contract's exercise price.
Consolidation
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of USA Education,
Inc. and its subsidiaries, after eliminating intercompany accounts and
transactions.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally
accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and
assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities,
reported amounts of revenues and expenses and other disclosures. Actual results
could differ from those estimates.
Reclassifications
Certain reclassifications have been made to the balances as of and for the
years ended December 31, 1999 and 1998, to be consistent with classifications
adopted for 2000.
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements
Derivative Accounting
In June 1998, the FASB issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards
No. 133 ("SFAS 133"), "Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging
Activities," which requires that every derivative
F-10
USA EDUCATION, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
2. Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)
instrument, including certain derivative instruments embedded in other
contracts, be recorded in the balance sheet as either an asset or liability
measured at its fair value. SFAS 133, as amended by Statement of Financial
Accounting Standards No. 137, "Accounting for Derivative Instruments and
Hedging Activities-Deferral of Effective Date of FASB Statement No. 133," is
effective for the Company's financial statements beginning January 1, 2001.
Upon adoption, all derivatives will be recognized on the balance sheet at
their fair value. On the date the derivative contract is entered into, the
Company designates the derivative as (1) a hedge of the fair value of a
recognized asset or liability or of an unrecognized firm commitment ("fair
value hedge"), (2) a hedge of a forecasted transaction or of the variability of
cash flows to be received or paid related to a recognized asset or liability
("cash flow hedge"), or (3) hedge accounting not sought by the Company
("trading"). In order to qualify as a fair value or cash flow hedge, the
derivative must be highly effective in mitigating the value or cash flow
fluctuation of the hedged item. Changes in the fair value of a derivative that
is highly effective as--and that is designated and qualifies as--a fair value
hedge, along with the gain or loss on the hedged asset or liability that is
attributable to the hedged risk (including gains or losses on the firm
commitments), are recorded in current period earnings. Changes in the fair
value of a derivative that is highly effective as--and that is designated and
qualifies as--a cash flow hedge are recorded in other comprehensive income
until earnings are affected by the variability of cash flows (e.g., when
periodic settlements on a variable-rate asset or liability are recorded in
earnings). Last, changes in the fair value of derivative instruments where
hedge accounting is not sought are reported in current period earnings.
The Company occasionally purchases a financial instrument that contains a
derivative instrument that is "embedded" in the financial instrument. Upon
purchasing the instrument, the Company assesses whether the economic
characteristics of the embedded derivative are clearly and closely related to
the economic characteristics of the remaining component of the financial
instrument (i.e., the host contract) and whether a separate instrument with the
same terms as the embedded instrument would meet the definition of a derivative
instrument. When it is determined that (1) the embedded derivative possesses
economic characteristics that are not clearly and closely related to the
economic characteristics of the host contract, and (2) a separate instrument
with the same terms would qualify as a derivative instrument, the embedded
derivative is separated from the host contract, carried at fair value, and
designated as a fair value or cash flow hedge, or as trading in the case where
no hedge accounting is being sought. However, in cases where (1) the host
contract is measured at fair value, with changes in fair value reported in
current earnings or (2) the Company is unable to reliably identify and measure
an embedded derivative for separation from its host contract, the entire
contract is carried on the balance sheet at fair value and is not designated as
a hedging instrument.
The Company formally documents all relationships between hedging instruments
and hedged items, as well as its risk-management objective and strategy for
undertaking various hedge transactions. This process includes linking all
derivatives that are designated as fair value or cash flow hedges to specific
assets and liabilities on the balance sheet or to specific firm commitments or
forecasted transactions. The Company formally assesses, both at the hedge's
inception and on an ongoing quarterly basis, whether the derivatives that are
used in hedging transactions have been highly effective in offsetting changes
in fair values or cash flows of hedged items and whether they are expected to
continue to be highly effective in the future period. When it is determined
that a derivative is not highly effective as a hedge or that it has ceased to
be a highly effective hedge, the Company will discontinue hedge accounting
prospectively, as discussed below.
The Company will discontinue hedge accounting prospectively when (1) the
derivative is determined to be ineffective in offsetting changes in the fair
value or cash flows of a hedged item (including firm commitments
F-11
USA EDUCATION, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
2. Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)
or forecasted transactions); (2) the derivative expires or is sold, terminated,
or exercised; (3) the derivative is de-designated as a hedge instrument,
because it is unlikely that a forecasted transaction will occur; (4) the
hedged-firm commitment no longer meets the definition of a firm commitment; or
(5) the designation of the derivative as a hedge instrument is determined to be
inappropriate by management.
When hedge accounting is discontinued because it is determined that the
derivative no longer qualifies as an effective fair value hedge, the derivative
will continue to be carried on the balance sheet at its fair value, and the
hedged asset or liability will no longer be adjusted for changes in fair value.
When hedge accounting is discontinued because the hedged item no longer meets
the definition of a firm commitment, the derivative will continue to be carried
on the balance sheet at its fair value, and any asset or liability that was
recorded pursuant to recognition of the firm commitment will be removed from
the balance sheet and recognized as a gain or loss in current period earnings.
When hedge accounting is discontinued because it is probable that a forecasted
transaction will not occur, the derivative will continue to be carried on the
balance sheet at its fair value, and gains and losses that were accumulated in
other comprehensive income will be recognized immediately in earnings. In all
other situations in which hedge accounting is discontinued, the derivative will
be carried at its fair value on the balance sheet, with changes in its fair
value recognized in current period earnings.
In accordance with the transition provisions of FAS 133, the Company will
record at January 1, 2001 a net-of-tax cumulative-effect-type loss of $27
million in earnings to recognize at fair value all derivatives that are
designated as fair value hedging instruments. The Company will also record a
net-of-tax cumulative-effect-type gain of $28 million in earnings to recognize
the difference between the carrying values and fair values of related hedged
assets and liabilities.
At January 1, 2001, the Company will also record a net-of-tax cumulative-
effect-type loss of $2 million in accumulated other comprehensive income to
recognize at fair value all the derivatives that are designated as cash flow
hedging instruments. Net losses on derivatives of $57 million that had been
previously deferred will be de-recognized from the balance sheet through net-
of-tax cumulative-effect-type loss of $37 million to other comprehensive
income. Gains and losses on derivatives that were previously deferred as
adjustments to the carrying amount of hedged items will not be adjusted.
Equity Derivative Accounting
On March 16, 2000, the Emerging Issues Task Force ("EITF") issued EITF Issue
No. 00-7 ("EITF No. 00-7"), "Application of Issue No. 96-13, 'Accounting for
Derivative Financial Instruments Indexed to, and Potentially Settled in, a
Company's Own Stock,' to Equity Derivative Instruments That Contain Certain
Provisions That Require Net Cash Settlement If Certain Events Occur." The EITF
announced a consensus that any equity derivative contract that could require
net cash settlement (as defined in EITF Issue No. 96-13) must be accounted for
as an asset or liability and cannot be included in the permanent equity of the
Company. In addition, any equity derivative contracts that could require
physical settlement by a cash payment to the counterparty in exchange for the
issuer's shares, must be accounted for as temporary equity as defined by the
Commission under Accounting Series Release ("ASR") No. 268, "Presentation in
Financial Statements of Redeemable Preferred Stocks." EITF No. 00-7 is
effective immediately for all new contracts entered into after March 16, 2000.
The EITF met on July 19, 2000 to discuss various issues and questions
concerning EITF No. 00-7. Following that meeting, the EITF issued EITF Issue
No. 00-19 ("EITF No. 00-19"), "Determination of Whether Share Settlement is
within the Control of the Issuer for Purposes of Applying Issue No. 96-13." On
September 20, 2000, the EITF reached a final consensus on EITF Issue No. 00-19.
EITF Issue No. 00-19 provides that in order for the contract to be accounted
for as permanent equity, the contract's provisions should
F-12
USA EDUCATION, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
2. Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)
put the company's counterparty in no better position than the company's common
shareholders. The EITF also confirmed the effective date of EITF Issue No. 00-7
to be June 30, 2001 for contracts entered into before September 20, 2000. If
the contract is entered into after September 20, 2000, EITF Issue No. 00-19 is
applicable at contract inception. As of December 31, 2000, the Company had
amended all of its equity forward contracts to satisfy the requirements of EITF
No. 00-7 and EITF No. 00-19 to allow accounting through permanent equity.
Securitization Accounting
In October 2000, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Statement
of Financial Accounting Standards No. 140 ("SFAS 140"), "Accounting for
Transfers and Servicing of Financial Assets and Extinguishments of
Liabilities--a Replacement of FASB Statement No. 125." SFAS 140 requires new
disclosures about securitizations and retained interests in securitized
financial assets and revises the criteria involving qualifying special purpose
entities. Under SFAS 140, entities will be required to disclose information
about securitizations regarding accounting policies, securitization
characteristics, key assumptions used, and cash flows between the
securitization special purpose entities and the transferor. Additionally,
entities will be required to disclose information related to retained interests
in securitized financial assets, regarding accounting policies for subsequent
measuring of retained interests, key assumptions used in subsequent fair value
measurements, sensitivity analysis showing hypothetical effects on fair values
based on unfavorable variations from key assumptions and general
characteristics of the securitized assets such as principal balances,
delinquencies and credit losses. These new disclosure requirements are included
in Note 9. Additionally, SFAS 140 revises the criteria involving qualifying
special purpose entities. These revisions related to special purpose entities
are to be applied prospectively to transfers of financial assets and
extinguishments of liabilities occurring after March 31, 2001.
In July 2000, FASB issued EITF No. 99-20, "Recognition of Interest Income
and Impairment on Purchased and Retained Beneficial Interests in Securitized
Financial Assets." This statement requires that all changes in assumptions
regarding expected future cash flows related to such assets that are used to
calculate income yields be recognized prospectively through revised income
yields unless impairment is required to be recognized, at which time an
investment is written down to fair value. EITF No. 99-20 impacts the Company's
income recognition for its student loan portfolio. Currently, the Company
recognizes changes in income yields due to changes in expected prepayment
speeds as a cumulative catch-up in the period of change. In addition, the
Company recognizes changes related to expected future cash flows due to credit
losses prospectively if the change results in less credit losses and as a
cumulative catch-up if the change results in more credit losses, unless
impairment is required to be recognized at which time the student loans are
written down to fair value. The Company does not believe EITF No. 99-20 will
have a material impact on its results of operations as the Company has not
historically recorded significant cumulative catch-ups due to changes in
expected future cash flows. EITF No. 99-20 is effective on April 1, 2001.
3. Acquisitions
In July 1999, the Company completed the purchase of Nellie Mae Corporation
for $332 million in cash and stock in an acquisition accounted for as a
purchase. As a result of the purchase, the Company recorded $90 million in
goodwill. At the time of the acquisition, Nellie Mae had an outstanding student
loan portfolio of $2.6 billion and in 1998, Nellie Mae originated more than
$375 million in student loans. Nellie Mae's pro-forma results of operations for
the years ended December 31, 1999 and 1998 were immaterial to the Company's
F-13
USA EDUCATION, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
3. Acquisitions (Continued)
financial position and its results of operations. The fair value of Nellie
Mae's assets and liabilities at the date of acquisition are presented below
(dollars in millions):
Student loans.................................................. $ 2,585
Cash and investments........................................... 15
Goodwill....................................................... 90
Other assets................................................... 97
Short-term borrowings.......................................... (1,373)
Long-term notes................................................ (1,029)
Other liabilities.............................................. (53)
--------
Net assets acquired............................................ $ 332
========
Effective as of July 7, 2000, the Company completed the acquisition of
Student Loan Funding Resources, Inc. ("SLFR") from the Thomas J. Conlan
Education Foundation for $117 million in cash. SLFR was the eighth largest
holder of federal student loans in the nation with a $3.1 billion portfolio.
Based on a preliminary allocation of the purchase price, the Company recorded
$48 million in goodwill. SLFR's pro-forma results of operations for the years
ended December 31, 2000 and 1999 were immaterial to the Company's financial
position and its results of operations. The fair value of SLFR's assets and
liabilities at the date of acquisition are presented below (dollars in
millions):
Student loans.................................................. $ 3,103
Cash and investments........................................... 368
Goodwill....................................................... 48
Other assets................................................... 112
Short-term borrowings.......................................... (753)
Long-term notes................................................ (2,692)
Other liabilities.............................................. (69)
--------
Net assets acquired............................................ $ 117
========
Effective as of July 31, 2000, the Company completed the acquisition of the
guarantee servicing, student loan servicing and secondary market operations of
USA Group, Inc. ("USA Group"). The acquisition price was $800 million in cash
and stock. Based on a preliminary allocation of the purchase price, the Company
recorded $466 million in goodwill. The purchase consideration included
approximately one million shares of restricted stock with the exercise
contingent upon the combined company's achievement of certain income and cost
reduction goals. USA Group's pro-forma results of operations for the years
ended December 31, 2000 and 1999 were immaterial to the Company's financial
position and its results of operations. The fair value of USA Group's assets
and liabilities at the date of acquisition are presented below (dollars in
millions):
Student loans.................................................. $ 1,421
Cash and investments........................................... 217
Goodwill....................................................... 466
Other assets................................................... 345
Long-term notes................................................ (1,489)
Other liabilities.............................................. (160)
--------
Net assets acquired............................................ $ 800
========
F-14
USA EDUCATION, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
4. Student Loans
The Company purchases student loans from originating lenders. The Company's
portfolio consists principally of loans originated under two federally
sponsored programs--the Federal Family Education Loan Program ("FFELP") and the
Health Education Assistance Loan Program ("HEAL"). The Company also originates
private loans.
There are three principal categories of FFELP loans: Stafford loans, PLUS
loans, and consolidation loans. Generally, Stafford and PLUS loans have
repayment periods of between five and ten years. Consolidation loans have
repayment periods of twelve to thirty years. FFELP loans obligate the borrower
to pay interest at a stated fixed rate or an annually reset variable rate that
has a cap. The interest rates are either fixed to term or reset annually on
July 1 of each year depending on when the loan was originated. The Company
earns interest at the greater of the borrower's rate or a floating rate. If the
floating rate exceeds the borrower rate, the Department of Education makes a
payment directly to the Company based upon the Special Allowance Payment
("SAP") formula. SAP is generally paid whenever the average of all of the
applicable floating rates (91-day Treasury bill, commercial paper and 52-week
Treasury bill) in a calendar quarter, plus a spread of between 1.74 and 3.50
percentage points depending on the loan status and origination date, exceeds
the rate of interest which the borrower is obligated to pay. (See "Appendix A--
Special Allowance Payments.") If the floating rate determined by the SAP
formula is less than the rate the borrower is obligated to pay, the Company
simply earns interest at the borrower rate. In all cases, the rate a borrower
is obligated to pay sets a minimum rate for determining the yield that the
Company earns on the loan.
The Company generally finances its student loan portfolio with floating rate
debt tied to the average of the 91-day Treasury bill auctions, either directly
or through the use of derivative financial instruments, which are intended to
mimic the interest rate characteristics of the student loans. These borrowings,
however, generally do not have minimum rates like the student loans they
finance, rather they float over all interest rate ranges. As a result, in
periods of declining interest rates the portfolio of managed student loans may
be earning at the minimum rate, which is the rate the borrower is obligated to
pay, while the Company's funding costs generally continue to decline along with
Treasury bill rates. For loans where the borrower's interest rate is fixed to
term, declining interest rates may benefit the spread earned on student loans
for extended periods of time. For loans where the borrower's interest rate is
reset annually, any benefit of declining interest rates will only benefit
student loan spreads through the next annual reset of the borrower's interest
rates, which occurs on July 1 of each year.
The Company is required to pay a 30 basis point "offset fee" on Stafford and
PLUS loans purchased and held after August 10, 1993, and a 105 basis point
consolidation loan rebate fee on all consolidation loans purchased and held
after October 1, 1993 or a 62 basis point consolidation loan rebate fee on all
applications received between October 1, 1998 and January 31, 1999. Also, all
loans acquired after October 1, 1993 are subject to risk sharing on claim
payments under which the loan is guaranteed for 98 percent of the balance plus
accrued interest.
The estimated average remaining term of student loans in the Company's
portfolio was approximately 7.2 years and 6.5 years at December 31, 2000 and
1999, respectively. The following table reflects the distribution of the
Company's student loan portfolio by program.
F-15
USA EDUCATION, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
4. Student Loans (Continued)
December 31,
-----------------------
2000 1999
----------- -----------
FFELP--Stafford................................. $18,844,378 $17,387,612
FFELP--PLUS/SLS................................. 1,992,605 2,385,646
FFELP--Consolidation loans...................... 11,692,286 9,752,831
HEAL............................................ 2,069,064 2,208,078
Non-federally insured........................... 3,048,964 2,074,700
----------- -----------
Total student loans............................. $37,647,297 $33,808,867
=========== ===========
As of December 31, 2000 and 1999, 81 percent and 84 percent, respectively,
of the Company's on-balance sheet student loan portfolio was in repayment.
Holders of FFELP loans are insured against the borrower's default, death,
disability or bankruptcy. Insurance on FFELP loans is provided by certain state
or non-profit guarantee agencies, which are reinsured by the federal
government. FFELP loans originated prior to October 1, 1993 are reinsured 100
percent by the federal government, while FFELP loans originated after October
1, 1993 except in cases of death, disability and bankruptcy, are reinsured for
98 percent of their unpaid balance resulting in 2 percent risk-sharing for
holders of these loans. At December 31, 2000 and 1999, the Company owned $18.3
billion and $14.4 billion of 100 percent reinsured FFELP loans, and $14.2
billion and $15.1 billion of 98 percent reinsured loans, respectively. HEAL
loans are directly insured by the federal government.
Both FFELP and HEAL loans are subject to regulatory requirements relating to
servicing. In the event of default on a student loan or the borrower's death,
disability or bankruptcy, the Company files a claim with the insurer or
guarantor of the loan, who, provided the loan has been properly originated and
serviced, and in the case of HEAL, litigated, pays the Company the unpaid
principal balance and accrued interest on the loan less risk-sharing, where
applicable.
Claims not immediately honored by the guarantor because of servicing or
origination defects are returned for remedial servicing, during which period
income is not earned. On certain paid claims, guarantors assess a penalty for
minor servicing defects. Costs associated with claims on defaulted student
loans, which include such penalties, reduced interest income on student loans
by $5 million, $5 million and $10 million for the years ended December 31,
2000, 1999 and 1998, respectively.
Non-federally insured loans are primarily education-related student loans to
students attending post-secondary educational institutions. The Company bears
all risk of loss on these loans.
F-16
USA EDUCATION, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
5. Allowance for Losses
The following table summarizes changes in the allowance for losses for the
years ended December 31, 2000, 1999 and 1998, respectively.
Years ended December 31,
----------------------------
2000 1999 1998
-------- -------- --------
Balance at beginning of year............. $303,743 $293,185 $273,412
Additions
Provisions for losses.................. 32,119 34,358 36,597
Recoveries............................. 29,338 25,894 25,961
Deductions
Reductions for student loan sales and
securitizations....................... (16,648) (8,445) (7,474)
Write-offs............................. (26,496) (41,249) (35,311)
-------- -------- --------
Balance at end of year................... $322,056 $303,743 $293,185
======== ======== ========
6. Investments
At December 31, 2000 and 1999, all investments that are classified as
available-for-sale securities are carried at fair market value. The fair market
value of U.S. Treasury securities is adjusted for unrealized gains and losses
on $1.1 billion of interest rate swaps (see Note 10), which are held to reduce
interest rate risk related to these securities ($54 million of unrealized
losses at December 31, 2000 and $40 million of unrealized gains at December 31,
1999). Securities classified as held-to-maturity are carried at cost. A summary
of investments at December 31, 2000 and 1999 follows:
F-17
USA EDUCATION, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
6. Investments (Continued)
December 31, 2000
-------------------------------------------
Gross Gross
Amortized Unrealized Unrealized Market
Cost Gains Losses Value
---------- ---------- ---------- ----------
Available-for-sale
U.S. Treasury and other U.S.
government agencies obligations
U.S. Treasury securities......... $ 975,995 $506,205 $(54,491) $1,427,709
State and political subdivisions
of the U. S.
student loan revenue bonds....... 123,765 2,172 -- 125,937
Asset-backed and other securities
Asset-backed securities.......... 1,440,451 894 (7,640) 1,433,705
Commercial paper................. 1,109,955 -- -- 1,109,955
Third party repurchase
agreements...................... 108,600 -- -- 108,600
Discount notes................... 34,558 27 (1) 34,584
Other securities................. 5,143 -- (871) 4,272
---------- -------- -------- ----------
Total investment securities
available-for-sale.............. $3,798,467 $509,298 $(63,003) $4,244,762
========== ======== ======== ==========
Held-to-maturity
Other............................. $ 961,260 $ 130 $ (75) $ 961,315
---------- -------- -------- ----------
Total investment securities held-
to-maturity....................... $ 961,260 $ 130 $ (75) $ 961,315
========== ======== ======== ==========
December 31, 1999
-------------------------------------------
Gross Gross
Amortized Unrealized Unrealized Market
Cost Gains Losses Value
---------- ---------- ---------- ----------
Available-for-sale
U.S. Treasury and other U.S.
government agencies obligations
U.S. Treasury securities.......... $1,033,500 $446,228 $ (141) $1,479,587
State and political subdivisions
of the U. S.
student loan revenue bonds....... 97,901 1,945 (64) 99,782
Asset-backed and other securities
Asset-backed securities.......... 1,143,585 300 (12,992) 1,130,893
Commercial paper................. 1,682,420 -- -- 1,682,420
Other securities................. 4,094 -- -- 4,094
---------- -------- -------- ----------
Total investment securities
available-for-sale................ $3,961,500 $448,473 $(13,197) $4,396,776
========== ======== ======== ==========
Held-to-maturity
Other............................. $ 788,180 $ 172 $ (11) $ 788,341
---------- -------- -------- ----------
Total investment securities held-
to-maturity....................... $ 788,180 $ 172 $ (11) $ 788,341
========== ======== ======== ==========
The Company sold available-for-sale securities with a carrying value of $960
million, $194 million and $3.6 billion for the years ended December 31, 2000,
1999 and 1998, respectively.
F-18
USA EDUCATION, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
6. Investments (Continued)
As of December 31, 2000, stated maturities and maturities if accelerated to
the put or call dates for investments are shown in the following table:
December 31, 2000
------------------------------
Held-to-
Maturity Available-for-Sale
-------- ---------------------
Maturity
Stated Stated to Put or
Year of Maturity Maturity Maturity Call Date
---------------- -------- ---------- ----------
2001........................................ $ 7,697 $1,307,471 $1,307,471
2002........................................ 89,579 91,232 107,686
2003........................................ 1,403 42,475 35,596
2004........................................ 21,504 23,598 15,053
2005........................................ 10,558 142,101 147,553
2006-2010................................... 375,534 1,900,047 1,893,565
After 2010.................................. 454,985 737,838 737,838
-------- ---------- ----------
Total....................................... $961,260 $4,244,762 $4,244,762
======== ========== ==========
7. Short-Term Borrowings
Short-term borrowings have an original or remaining term to maturity of one
year or less. The following tables summarize outstanding short-term notes at
December 31, 2000, 1999 and 1998, the weighted average interest rates at the
end of each period, and the related average balances, weighted average interest
rates and weighted average effective interest rates, which include the effects
of related off-balance sheet financial instruments (see Note 10) during the
periods.
At December 31, 2000 Year ended December 31, 2000
-------------------- ------------------------------
Weighted
Weighted Weighted Average
Average Average Effective
Ending Interest Average Interest Interest
Balance Rate Balance Rate Rate
----------- -------- ----------- -------- ---------
Six month floating rate
notes.................... $ 5,199,084 6.56% $ 4,659,778 6.41% 6.49%
Other floating rate
notes.................... 10,408,129 6.62 10,851,918 6.54 6.54
Discount notes............ 6,274,994 6.33 5,808,364 6.19 6.24
Fixed rate notes.......... 360,000 6.54 2,043,618 5.96 6.01
Commercial paper.......... 619,248 6.75 600,781 6.47 6.89
Securities sold--not yet
purchased and repurchase
agreements............... -- -- 123,948 6.96 6.96
Short-term portion of
long-term notes.......... 7,602,533 6.37 11,242,038 6.28 6.40
----------- ---- ----------- ---- ----
Total short-term
borrowings............... $30,463,988 6.49% $35,330,445 6.35% 6.41%
=========== ==== =========== ==== ====
Maximum outstanding at any
month end................ $39,064,856
===========
F-19
USA EDUCATION, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
7. Short-Term Borrowings (Continued)
At December 31, 1999 Year ended December 31, 1999
-------------------- ------------------------------
Weighted
Weighted Weighted Average
Average Average Effective
Ending Interest Average Interest Interest
Balance Rate Balance Rate Rate
----------- -------- ----------- -------- ---------
Six month floating rate
notes.................... $ 4,849,106 5.81% $ 4,644,440 5.30% 5.38%
Other floating rate
notes.................... 12,478,317 5.83 10,223,891 5.35 5.42
Discount notes............ 1,406,163 5.45 4,407,311 4.90 5.00
Fixed rate notes.......... 3,777,793 5.84 3,370,924 5.41 5.20
Commercial paper.......... 394,968 6.47 56,822 5.82 6.10
Securities sold--not yet
purchased and repurchase
agreements............... -- -- 94,575 4.87 4.91
Short-term portion of
long-term notes.......... 14,584,904 5.84 10,405,996 5.43 5.33
----------- ---- ----------- ---- ----
Total short-term
borrowings............... $37,491,251 5.76% $33,203,959 5.31% 5.31%
=========== ==== =========== ==== ====
Maximum outstanding at any
month end................ $39,618,707
===========
At December 31, 1998 Year ended December 31, 1998
-------------------- ------------------------------
Weighted
Weighted Weighted Average
Average Average Effective
Ending Interest Average Interest Interest
Balance Rate Balance Rate Rate
----------- -------- ----------- -------- ---------
Six month floating rate
notes.................... $ 3,249,352 5.14% $ 2,898,495 5.32% 5.40%
Other floating rate
notes.................... 7,361,686 5.11 3,663,277 5.39 5.41
Discount notes............ 4,429,756 5.06 2,556,366 5.22 5.27
Fixed rate notes.......... 4,724,823 5.41 6,531,461 5.64 5.40
Commercial paper.......... -- -- -- -- --
Securities sold--not yet
purchased and repurchase
agreements............... 5,600 5.50 213,871 5.63 5.63
Short-term portion of
long-term notes.......... 6,817,287 5.05 8,418,547 5.48 5.24
----------- ---- ----------- ---- ----
Total short-term
borrowings............... $26,588,504 5.14% $24,282,017 5.47% 5.34%
=========== ==== =========== ==== ====
Maximum outstanding at any
month end................ $27,142,913
===========
At December 31, 1999, the short-term portion of long-term notes included one
instrument totaling $219 million that required the payment of interest and
principal in a foreign currency. To eliminate its exposure to the effect of
currency fluctuations on this contractual obligation, the Company entered into
a foreign currency agreement with an independent party (see Note 10). This
instrument matured in August of 2000. No similar instruments were outstanding
at December 31, 2000.
To match the interest rate characteristics of short-term notes with the rate
characteristics of its assets, the Company enters into interest rate swaps with
independent parties. Under these agreements, the Company makes periodic
payments, indexed to the related asset rates, in exchange for periodic payments
which generally match the Company's interest obligations on fixed or variable
rate notes (see Note 10).
F-20
USA EDUCATION, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
8. Long-Term Notes
The following tables summarize outstanding long-term notes at December 31,
2000 and 1999, the weighted average interest rates and related notional amount
of derivatives at the end of the periods, and the related average balances and
weighted average effective interest rates, which include the effects of related
off-balance sheet financial instruments (see Note 10), during the periods.
Year ended
At December 31, 2000 December 31, 2000
-------------------------------- --------------------
Weighted
Weighted Average
Average Notional Effective
Ending Interest Amount of Average Interest
Balance Rate Derivatives Balance Rate
----------- -------- ----------- ---------- ---------
Floating rate notes:
U.S. dollar denominated:
Interest bearing, due
2002-2047............. $13,345,844 6.50% $ 441,650 $6,846,997 6.55%
----------- ----- ---------- ---------- -----
Fixed rate notes:
U.S. dollar denominated:
Interest bearing, due
2002-2019............. 1,384,060 6.32 650,000 1,617,895 6.39
Zero coupon, due 2014-
2022.................. 181,035 11.79 -- 171,313 11.17
----------- ----- ---------- ---------- -----
Total fixed rate notes... 1,565,095 6.95 650,000 1,789,208 6.85
----------- ----- ---------- ---------- -----
Total long-term notes.... $14,910,939 6.55% $1,091,650 $8,636,205 6.61%
=========== ===== ========== ========== =====
Year ended
At December 31, 1999 December 31, 1999
-------------------------------- --------------------
Weighted
Weighted Average
Average Notional Effective
Ending Interest Amount of Average Interest
Balance Rate Derivatives Balance Rate
----------- -------- ----------- ---------- ---------
Floating rate notes:
U.S. dollar denominated:
Interest bearing, due
2001-2003............. $ 1,897,082 5.95% $ 216,427 $2,566,524 5.33%
----------- ----- ---------- ---------- -----
Fixed rate notes:
U.S. dollar denominated:
Interest bearing, due
2001-2018............. 2,437,290 6.00 2,785,701 3,433,009 5.60
Zero coupon, due 2014-
2022.................. 161,895 11.79 -- 153,224 11.14
Foreign currency:
Interest bearing, due
2000.................. -- -- -- 139,200 4.82
----------- ----- ---------- ---------- -----
Total fixed rate notes... 2,599,185 6.36 2,785,701 3,725,433 5.80
----------- ----- ---------- ---------- -----
Total long-term notes.... $ 4,496,267 6.19% $3,002,128 $6,291,957 5.60%
=========== ===== ========== ========== =====
F-21
USA EDUCATION, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
8. Long-Term Notes (Continued)
At December 31, 2000, the Company had outstanding long-term debt issues with
call features totaling $534 million. As of December 31, 2000, the stated
maturities and maturities if accelerated to the call dates for long-term notes
are shown in the following table:
December 31, 2000
-----------------------
Stated Maturity to
Year of Maturity Maturity Call Date
---------------- ----------- -----------
2001............................................. -- 253,100
2002............................................. 12,473,045 12,371,345
2003............................................. 254,201 102,801
2004............................................. 159,725 159,725
2005............................................. 259,835 259,835
2006-2047........................................ 1,764,133 1,764,133
----------- -----------
$14,910,939 $14,910,939
=========== ===========
To match the interest rate characteristics of its long-term notes with the
interest rate characteristics of its assets, the Company enters into interest
rate swaps with independent parties. Under these agreements, the Company makes
periodic payments, indexed to the related asset rates, in exchange for periodic
payments which generally match the Company's interest obligations on fixed or
variable rate borrowings (see Note 10).
9. Student Loan Securitization
The Company has engaged in several transactions in which debt is considered
to be extinguished by in-substance defeasance as governed by the provisions of
SFAS No. 76, "Extinguishment of Debt." In these transactions, the Company
irrevocably placed assets with an escrow agent in a trust to be used solely for
satisfying scheduled payments of both the interest and principal of the
defeased debt. The possibility that the Company will be required to make future
payments on that debt is considered to be remote. The trusts are restricted to
owning only monetary assets that are essentially risk-free as to the amount,
timing and collection of interest and principal. As of December 31, 2000, the
amount of debt considered to be extinguished was $867 million.
When the Company sells receivables in securitizations of student loans, it
retains interest-only strips, servicing rights and, in some cases, a cash
reserve account, all of which are retained interests in the securitized
receivables. At December 31, 2000 and 1999, the balance of these assets was
$961 million and $758 million, respectively, and was included in other assets.
Gain or loss on sale of the receivables depends in part on the previous
carrying amount of the financial assets involved in the transfer, allocated
between the assets sold and the retained interests based on their relative fair
values at the date of transfer. To obtain fair values, quoted market prices are
used if available. However, quotes are generally not available for retained
interests so the Company estimates fair value, both initially and on a
quarterly basis going forward, based on the present value of future expected
cash flows estimated using management's best estimates of the key assumptions--
credit losses, prepayment speeds and discount rates commensurate with the risks
involved.
During 2000 and 1999, the Company sold student loan receivables in
securitization transactions. In those securitizations, the Company retained
servicing responsibilities. The Company receives annual servicing fees of 0.9
percent per annum of the outstanding balance of student loans other than
consolidation loans and 0.5 percent per annum of the outstanding balance of
consolidation loans for the securitization transactions engaged in by its
subsidiary, the Student Loan Marketing Association. The Company also receives
rights to future cash
F-22
USA EDUCATION, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
9. Student Loan Securitization (Continued)
flows arising after the investors in the trust have received the return for
which they have contracted. Trust investors and the securitization trusts have
no recourse to the Company's other assets. The Company's retained interests are
subordinate to investors' interests. Their value is subject to credit,
prepayment, and interest rate risks. Interest rate risks exist to the extent
that the securitized assets, which are Treasury bill-based, are utilized as
collateral for either LIBOR-based debt or Treasury bill-based debt that resets
on dates that are not consistent with the securitized asset reset dates.
For the years ended December 31, 2000, 1999 and 1998, the Company recognized
pre-tax securitization gains of $92 million, $35 million and $117 million.
Key economic assumptions used in measuring the fair value of retained
interests at the date of securitization resulting from student loan
securitizations completed during the year 2000 (weighted based on principal
amounts securitized) were as follows:
Prepayment speed............................................ 7% per annum
Weighted-average life....................................... 4.6 years
Expected credit losses...................................... 0.5%
Residual cash flows discounted at........................... 12.0%
Expected credit losses resulting from loans securitized in 2000 are
dependent on the portfolio's expected rate of defaulted loans, the level of
insurance guarantee which range from 98 percent to 100 percent of the unpaid
principal and interest of the defaulted loan, and the expected level of
defaulted loans not eligible for insurance guarantee due to servicing
deficiencies (approximately 1 percent of defaulted loans). The expected dollar
amount of credit losses is divided by the portfolio's principal balance to
arrive at the expected credit loss percentage.
The following table summarizes the cash flows received from (paid to)
securitization trusts during the year ended December 31, 2000 (dollars in
millions):
Proceeds from new securitizations................................ $8,673
Collections used by trust to purchase new balances in
revolving securitizations....................................... 133
Servicing fees received.......................................... 227
Cash flows received on interest-only strips...................... 200
Cash received upon release from reserve accounts................. 203
Servicing advances............................................... --
Reimbursements of servicing advances............................. --
Prepayment interest shortfalls paid out as compensating
interest........................................................ --
F-23
USA EDUCATION, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
9. Student Loan Securitization (Continued)
Static pool losses are calculated by summing the actual and projected future
credit losses and dividing them by the original balance of each pool of assets.
The following table reflects static pool losses for the years ended December
31, 2000, 1999 and 1998. Amounts shown are calculated based on all
securitizations occurring in that year.
Student Loans
Securitized in
----------------
2000 1999 1998
---- ---- ----
Actual and projected credit losses (%) as of:
December 31, 2000
Actual to date........................................... .01% .04% .11%
Projected................................................ .55 .55 .23
--- --- ---
Total.................................................... .56% .59% .34%
=== === ===
December 31, 1999
Actual to date........................................... --% --% .08%
Projected................................................ -- .53 .35
--- --- ---
Total.................................................... --% .53% .43%
=== === ===
December 31, 1998
Actual to date........................................... --% --% .03%
Projected................................................ -- -- .46
--- --- ---
Total.................................................... --% --% .49%
=== === ===
The following table reflects key economic assumptions at December 31, 2000,
and the sensitivity of the current fair value of residual cash flows to
immediate 10 percent and 20 percent adverse changes in those assumptions
(dollars in millions):
Student
Loans
-------
Balance sheet carrying value of retained interests - fair value
(millions)..................................................... $940.0
Weighted-average life (in years)................................ 4.2
Prepayment speed assumptions (annual rate)
Impact on fair value of 10% adverse change.................... (17.0)
Impact on fair value of 20% adverse change.................... (33.8)
Expected default rate
Impact on fair value of 10% adverse change.................... (10.3)
Impact on fair value of 20% adverse change.................... (20.6)
Residual cash flows discount rate (annual)
Impact on fair value of 10% adverse change.................... (33.7)
Impact on fair value of 20% adverse change.................... (66.7)
Difference between Treasury bill and LIBOR swap spread*
Impact on fair value of 10% adverse change.................... (42.7)
Impact on fair value of 20% adverse change.................... (85.4)
* Changes impact LIBOR indexed debt only.
F-24
USA EDUCATION, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
9. Student Loan Securitization (Continued)
These sensitivities are hypothetical and should be used with caution. Also,
in this table the effect of a variation in a particular assumption on the fair
value of the retained interest is calculated without changing any other
assumption. In reality, changes in one factor may result in changes in another
(for example, increases in market interest rates may result in lower
prepayments and increased credit losses), which might magnify or counteract the
sensitivities.
The following table reflects the historical loss and delinquency amounts for
the managed portfolio for the year ended December 31, 2000 (dollars in
millions):
Year ended
At December 31, December 31,
2000 2000
------------------- --------------
Total
Principal Principal
Amount of in Claim Average Credit
Loans Status Balance Losses
--------- --------- ------- ------
Student loan receivables
Comprised of:
Loans held in portfolio...................... $37,647 $111 $34,637 $10
Loans securitized............................ 29,868 101 25,711 9
------- ---- ------- ---
Total loans managed.......................... $67,515 $212 $60,348 $19
======= ==== ======= ===
10. Derivative Financial Instruments
Derivative Financial Instruments Held or Issued for Purposes Other than Trading
The Company enters into various financial instruments with off-balance sheet
risk in the normal course of business primarily to reduce interest rate
exposure on certain borrowings. These financial instruments include interest
rate swaps, interest rate cap agreements, foreign currency swaps, forward
currency exchange agreements, options on currency exchange agreements, options
on securities and financial futures contracts.
The Company enters into three general types of interest rate swaps under
which it pays the following: 1) a floating rate in exchange for a fixed rate
(standard swaps); 2) a fixed rate in exchange for a floating rate (reverse
swaps); and 3) a floating rate in exchange for another floating rate, based
upon different market indices (basis/reverse basis swaps). At December 31,
2000, the Company had outstanding $2.1 billion, $3.5 billion and $11.5 billion
of notional principal amount of standard swaps, reverse swaps and basis/reverse
basis swaps, respectively. Of the Company's $17.1 billion notional amount of
interest rate swaps outstanding at December 31, 2000, $4.9 billion was related
to debt and $12.2 billion was related to assets. At December 31, 1999, the
Company had notional principal outstanding of $8.1 billion, $2.7 billion and
$13.5 billion of standard swaps, reverse swaps and basis/reverse basis swaps,
respectively. Of the Company's $24.3 billion notional amount of interest rate
swaps outstanding at December 31, 1999, $21.1 billion was related to debt and
$3.2 billion was related to assets.
F-25
USA EDUCATION, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
10. Derivative Financial Instruments (Continued)
The following tables summarize the ending balances of the borrowings that
have been matched with the notional amount of interest rate swaps and foreign
currency agreements at December 31, 2000 and 1999 (dollars in billions).
At December 31, 2000
--------------------------------------------------------
Swaps
---------------------- Foreign
Basis/ Currency Total
Borrowings Standard Reverse Basis Agreements Derivatives
---------- -------- ------------- ---------- -----------
Short-term borrowings
Six month floating rate
notes.................. $ -- $ -- $ -- $ -- $ --
Other floating rate
notes.................. .2 -- .2 -- .2
Discount notes.......... .8 -- .8 -- .8
Fixed rate notes........ .4 .4 -- -- .4
Short term portion of
long term notes........ 1.5 1.4 1.0 -- 2.4
---- ---- ---- ---- ----
Total short-term
borrowings.......... 2.9 1.8 2.0 -- 3.8
---- ---- ---- ---- ----
Long-term notes
Floating rate notes:
U.S. dollar
denominated:
Interest bearing...... .4 -- .4 -- .4
Fixed rate notes:
U.S. dollar
denominated:
Interest bearing...... .4 .4 .3 -- .7
Foreign currency:
Interest bearing....... -- -- -- -- --
---- ---- ---- ---- ----
Total long-term
notes............... .8 .4 .7 -- 1.1
---- ---- ---- ---- ----
Total notes.......... $3.7 $2.2 $2.7 $ -- $4.9
==== ==== ==== ==== ====
F-26
USA EDUCATION, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
10. Derivative Financial Instruments (Continued)
At December 31, 1999
--------------------------------------------------------
Swaps
---------------------- Foreign
Basis/ Currency Total
Borrowings Standard Reverse Basis Agreements Derivatives
---------- -------- ------------- ---------- -----------
Short-term borrowings
Six month floating rate
notes.................. $ -- $ -- $ -- $-- $ --
Other floating rate
notes.................. 2.1 -- 3.7 -- 3.7
Discount notes.......... 1.0 .6 .9 -- 1.5
Fixed rate notes........ 3.3 3.3 2.2 -- 5.5
Short-term portion of
long-term notes........ 4.0 2.7 4.7 .2 7.6
----- ---- ----- --- -----
Total short-term
borrowings.......... 10.4 6.6 11.5 .2 18.3
----- ---- ----- --- -----
Long-term notes
Floating rate notes:
U.S. dollar
denominated:
Interest bearing...... .2 -- .2 -- .2
Fixed rate notes:
U.S. dollar
denominated:
Interest bearing...... 1.5 1.5 1.3 -- 2.8
Foreign currency:
Interest bearing....... -- -- -- -- --
----- ---- ----- --- -----
Total long-term
notes............... 1.7 1.5 1.5 -- 3.0
----- ---- ----- --- -----
Total notes.......... $12.1 $8.1 $13.0 $.2 $21.3
===== ==== ===== === =====
The following table summarizes the activity for the Company's interest rate
swaps, foreign currency agreements and futures contracts held or issued for
purposes other than trading for the years ended December 31, 1998, 1999 and
2000 (dollars in millions).
Notional Principal
---------------------
Interest Foreign Futures
Rate Currency Contract
Swaps Agreements Amount
--------- ---------- --------
Balance, December 31, 1997...................... $ 35,807 $257 $ 999
Issuances/Opens............................... 14,524 -- 2,737
Maturities/Expirations........................ (18,332) -- --
Terminations/Closes........................... (1,400) (38) (3,170)
--------- ---- -------
Balance, December 31, 1998...................... $ 30,599 $219 $ 566
Issuances/Opens............................... 13,634 -- 4,314
Maturities/Expirations........................ (19,863) -- --
Terminations/Closes........................... (30) -- (3,850)
--------- ---- -------
Balance, December 31, 1999...................... $ 24,340 $219 $ 1,030
Issuances/Opens............................... 10,524 2 66,566
Maturities/Expirations........................ (17,662) (219) --
Terminations/Closes........................... (104) -- (38,762)
--------- ---- -------
Balance, December 31, 2000...................... $ 17,098 $ 2 $28,834
========= ==== =======
F-27
USA EDUCATION, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
10. Derivative Financial Instruments (Continued)
Interest Rate Swaps
Net payments related to the debt-related swaps are recorded in interest
expense. For the year ended December 31, 2000, the Company made net payments on
debt-related swaps increasing interest expense by $5 million. For the years
ended December 31, 1999 and 1998, the Company received net payments on debt-
related swaps reducing interest expense by $26 million and $74 million,
respectively. At December 31, 2000, the Company had outstanding $6.6 billion of
forward interest rate swaps which were priced in November and December of 2000
but are not effective until 2001.
At December 31, 2000, the Company had interest rate swaps with put features
totaling $350 million. As of December 31, 2000, stated maturities of interest
rate swaps and maturities, if accelerated to the put dates, are shown in the
following table (dollars in millions). The maturities of interest rate swaps
generally coincide with the maturities of the associated assets or borrowings.
December 31, 2000
-----------------
Maturity
Stated to Put
Year of Maturity/Put Maturity Date
-------------------- -------- --------
2001................................................... $10,592 $10,792
2002................................................... 4,987 4,887
2003................................................... 130 30
2004................................................... -- --
2005................................................... 64 64
2006-2008.............................................. 1,325 1,325
------- -------
$17,098 $17,098
======= =======
Foreign Currency Agreements
At December 31, 1999, the Company had borrowings with principal repayable in
foreign currencies totaling $219 million. These borrowings were hedged by
notional principal of $219 million of foreign currency swaps. The foreign
currency derivative agreements typically mature concurrently with the
maturities of the debt. No such borrowings were outstanding at December 31,
2000. The following table summarizes the outstanding amount of these borrowings
and their currency translation value at December 31, 2000 and 1999, using spot
rates at the respective date (dollars in millions).
December 31,
-------------
2000 1999
------ ------
Carrying value of outstanding foreign currency debt...... $ -- $ 219
Currency translation value of outstanding foreign
currency debt........................................... $ -- $ 196
At December 31, 2000, the Company had outstanding a $4 million Canadian
dollar forward currency exchange agreement totaling $2 million based upon an
initial spot rate of 1.435. This agreement was entered into to hedge the future
stream of dividends associated with an investment in a Canadian joint venture.
Futures Contracts
The Company enters into financial futures contracts to hedge the risk of
future interest rate changes. The contracts provide a better matching of
interest rate reset dates on debt with the Company's assets. They are also
F-28
USA EDUCATION, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
10. Derivative Financial Instruments (Continued)
used as anticipatory hedges of debt to be issued to fund the Company's assets,
mainly the portfolio of student loans in the PLUS program. These student loans
pay interest rates that are generally indexed to the one-year Treasury bill,
reset annually on the final auction prior to July 1. The gains and losses on
these hedging transactions are deferred and included in other assets and will
be recognized as an adjustment to interest expense. At December 31, 2000 and
1999, the Company had futures contracts that hedged approximately $28.8 billion
and $1.0 billion of assets and liabilities, respectively. Approximately $57
million of realized losses and $3 million of realized gains had been deferred
at December 31, 2000 and 1999, respectively, related to futures contracts.
Floor Revenue Contracts
During 2000, 1999 and 1998, the Company entered into Floor Revenue Contracts
with principal balances of $10 billion, $5 billion and $23 billion,
respectively, in exchange for upfront payments of $122 million, $6 million and
$38 million, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 2000, 1999 and
1998, the amortization of the upfront payments on fixed and variable Floor
Revenue Contracts increased student loan income by $24 million, $41 million and
$52 million, respectively, of which $23 million, $20 million and $28 million,
respectively, related to contracts with fixed borrower rates and $1 million,
$21 million and $24 million, respectively, related to contracts with annually
reset borrower rates. For the years ended December 31, 2000, 1999 and 1998,
payments by the Company to Floor Revenue Contract counterparties under the
contracts totaled $1 million, $60 million and $48 million, respectively. At
December 31, 2000, the Company had outstanding $1.2 billion of forward Floor
Revenue Contracts which were priced in November and December of 2000 but are
not effective until January 2001.
Effective December 31, 2000, in anticipation of the adoption of "SFAS 133,"
the Treasury bill Floor Revenue Contracts were de-designated as effective
hedges and marked-to-market. The net effect of the fair market value of these
contracts and the unamortized upfront payment of $104 million was reclassified
to student loan premium and will be amortized to student loan income over the
average life of the student loan portfolio.
In 2000, the Company entered into LIBOR Floor Revenue Contracts that are an
effective economic hedge of a segment of the Company's student loan portfolio.
These positions do not meet the hedge effectiveness requirements under GAAP and
were marked-to-market at December 31, 2000, which resulted in a pre-tax loss of
$25 million included in other income. No such transactions were in effect for
1999 or 1998.
Derivative Financial Instruments Held or Issued for Trading Purposes
From time to time, the Company maintains trading positions in derivative
financial instruments which are designed to generate additional income based on
market conditions. As of December 31, 2000, no trading positions were
outstanding. Trading results for these positions were immaterial to the
Company's financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2000, 1999 and
1998.
11. Fair Values of Financial Instruments
SFAS No. 107, "Disclosures about Fair Value of Financial Instruments,"
requires estimation of the fair values of financial instruments. The following
is a summary of the assumptions and methods used to estimate those values.
F-29
USA EDUCATION, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
11. Fair Values of Financial Instruments (Continued)
Student Loans
Fair value was determined by analyzing amounts that the Company has paid
recently to acquire similar loans in the secondary market.
Warehousing Advances and Academic Facilities Financings
The fair values of both warehousing advances and academic facilities
financings were determined through standard bond pricing formulas using current
interest rates and credit spreads.
Cash and Investments
For investments with remaining maturities of three months or less, carrying
value approximated fair value. Investments in U.S. Treasury securities were
valued at market quotations. All other investments were valued through standard
bond pricing formulas using current interest rates and credit spreads.
Short-term Borrowings and Long-term Notes
For borrowings with remaining maturities of three months or less, carrying
value approximated fair value. In 1999, the fair value of financial liabilities
was determined from market quotations where available. If market quotations
were unavailable, standard bond pricing formulas were applied using current
interest rates and credit spreads. Beginning in 2000, the fair value of
financial liabilities was determined from market quotations using standard bond
pricing formulas.
On and Off-Balance Sheet Financial Instruments
In 1999, the fair value of off-balance sheet financial instruments was
estimated at the amount that would be required to terminate such agreements,
taking into account current interest rates and credit spreads. Beginning in
2000, the fair value of on and off-balance sheet financial instruments was
determined from market quotations using standard bond pricing formulas.
F-30
USA EDUCATION, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
11. Fair Values of Financial Instruments (Continued)
The following table summarizes the fair values of the Company's financial
assets and liabilities, including off-balance sheet financial instruments
(dollars in millions):
December 31, 2000 December 31, 1999
----------------------------- -----------------------------
Fair Carrying Fair Carrying
Value Value Difference Value Value Difference
------- -------- ---------- ------- -------- ----------
Earning assets
Student loans........... $38,039 $37,647 $ 392 $34,182 $33,809 $373
Warehousing advances.... 990 987 3 1,030 1,043 (13)
Academic facilities
financings............. 857 851 6 1,027 1,028 (1)
Cash and investments.... 5,941 5,940 1 5,775 5,775 --
------- ------- ----- ------- ------- ----
Total earning assets.... 45,827 45,425 402 42,014 41,655 359
------- ------- ----- ------- ------- ----
Interest bearing
liabilities
Short-term borrowings... 30,463 30,464 1 37,456 37,491 35
Long-term notes......... 15,037 14,911 (126) 4,550 4,496 (54)
------- ------- ----- ------- ------- ----
Total interest bearing
liabilities............ 45,500 45,375 (125) 42,006 41,987 (19)
------- ------- ----- ------- ------- ----
On-balance sheet
financial instruments
Floor revenue
contracts.............. (235) (235) -- -- -- --
Off-balance sheet
financial instruments
Interest rate swaps and
options................ (58) -- (58) 6 -- 6
Forward exchange
agreements and foreign
currency swaps......... -- -- -- (29) -- (29)
Floor revenue
contracts.............. -- -- -- (8) (22) 14
----- ----
Excess of fair value
over carrying value.... $ 219 $331
===== ====
12. Commitments and Contingencies
The GSE has committed to purchase student loans during specified periods and
to lend funds under the warehousing advance commitments, academic facilities
financing commitments and letters of credit programs.
Letters of credit support the issuance of state student loan revenue bonds.
They represent unconditional guarantees of the GSE to repay holders of the
bonds in the event of a default. In the event that letters of credit are drawn
upon, such loans are collateralized by the student loans underlying the bonds.
Under the terms of the Privatization Act, any future activity under warehousing
advance commitments, academic facilities financing commitments and letter of
credit activity by the GSE is limited to guarantee commitments which were in
place on August 7, 1997.
Commitments outstanding are summarized below:
December 31,
-----------------------
2000 1999
----------- -----------
Student loan purchase commitments............... $16,422,898 $16,462,327
Warehousing advance commitments................. 2,794,215 2,870,759
Letters of credit............................... 3,534,301 4,453,631
----------- -----------
$22,751,414 $23,786,717
=========== ===========
F-31
USA EDUCATION, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
12. Commitments and Contingencies (Continued)
The following schedule summarizes expirations of commitments to the earlier
of call date or maturity date outstanding at December 31, 2000:
December 31, 2000
---------------------------------------------
Student Academic
Loan Warehousing Facilities Letters of
Purchases Advances Financings Credit
----------- ----------- ---------- ----------
2001....................... $ 3,502,047 $1,094,214 $ -- $2,239,287
2002....................... 9,969,958 1,700,001 -- 1,036,344
2003....................... 2,689,194 -- -- --
2004....................... 261,699 -- -- 213,151
2005....................... -- -- -- 45,519
----------- ---------- ----- ----------
Total.................... $16,422,898 $2,794,215 $ -- $3,534,301
=========== ========== ===== ==========
Minimum Statutory Capital Adequacy Ratio
The Privatization Act effectively requires that the GSE maintain a minimum
statutory capital adequacy ratio (the ratio of stockholders' equity to total
assets plus 50 percent of the credit equivalent amount of certain off-balance
sheet items) of at least 2.25 percent or be subject to certain "safety and
soundness" requirements designed to restore such statutory ratio. Management
anticipates being able to fund the increase in required capital from the GSE's
current and retained earnings. While the GSE may not finance the activities of
its non-GSE affiliates, it may, subject to its minimum capital requirements,
dividend retained earnings and surplus capital to USA Education, Inc., which in
turn may contribute such amounts to its non-GSE subsidiaries. The Privatization
Act requires management to certify to the Secretary of the Treasury that, after
giving effect to the payment of dividends, the statutory capital ratio test
would have been met at the time the dividend was declared. At December 31,
2000, the GSE's statutory capital adequacy ratio, after the effect of the
dividends to be paid in the first quarter of 2001, was 2.28 percent.
13. Minority Interest
Upon the Reorganization on August 7, 1997, each outstanding share of common
stock of the GSE was converted into one share of common stock of SLM Holding.
The outstanding preferred stock of the GSE was not affected by the
Reorganization and is reflected as minority interest in the consolidated
financial statements.
The GSE's preferred stock dividends are cumulative and payable quarterly at
4.50 percentage points below the highest yield of certain long-term and short-
term U.S. Treasury obligations. The dividend rate for any dividend period will
not be less than 5 percent per annum nor greater than 14 percent per annum. For
the years ended December 31, 2000, 1999 and 1998, the GSE's preferred dividend
rate was 5 percent and reduced net income by $11 million. The Privatization Act
requires that on the dissolution date of September 30, 2008, the GSE shall
repurchase or redeem, or make proper provisions for repurchase or redemption of
any outstanding preferred stock. The Company has the option of effecting an
earlier dissolution of the GSE if certain conditions are met.
14. Preferred Stock
On November 10, 1999, the Company sold 3.3 million shares of 6.97%
Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock, Series A in a registered public
offering. The sale of the shares of the Series A Preferred Stock settled on
F-32
USA EDUCATION, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
14. Preferred Stock (Continued)
November 16, 1999. The proceeds from the sale to the Company, before expenses,
were $165 million and were used for general corporate purposes. The shares do
not have any maturity date but are subject to the Company's option, beginning
November 16, 2009, to redeem the shares at any time, in whole or in part, at
the redemption price of $50 plus accrued and unpaid dividends up to the
redemption date. The shares have no preemptive or conversion rights.
Dividends on the shares of the Series A Preferred Stock are not mandatory.
Holders of the Series A Preferred Stock will be entitled to receive cumulative,
quarterly cash dividends at the annual rate of $3.485 per share, when, as, and
if declared by the Board of Directors of the Company. For the years ended
December 31, 2000 and 1999, dividends paid on Series A Preferred Stock reduced
net income by $12 million and $1 million, respectively.
15. Common Stock
The Board of Directors has authorized and reserved up to 33.4 million common
shares for issuance under various compensation and benefit plans. At December
31, 2000, under these authorizations, the Company had 27.2 million shares in
reserve and a remaining authority for issuance of 14.6 million shares.
The Company has engaged in repurchases of its common stock since 1986. In
2000 and 1999, the Company supplemented its open market common stock purchases
by entering into equity forward transactions to purchase 1.7 million and 6.2
million shares, respectively, on a cash or net share settled basis. In July
2000, the Board of Directors increased the common share repurchase authority
including equity forward contracts by 5 million shares. At December 31, 2000,
the total common shares that could be potentially acquired over the next five
years under outstanding equity forward contracts was 18.2 million shares, and
the Company had remaining authority to enter into additional share repurchases
and equity forward contracts for 4.8 million shares.
The following table summarizes the Company's common share repurchase and
equity-forward activity for the years ended December 31, 2000 and 1999. (All
amounts in the tables are common shares in millions.)
Years ended
December 31,
---------------
2000 1999
------- ------
Common shares repurchased:
Open market.......................................... 2.1 2.9
Equity forwards...................................... 4.9 5.3
------- ------
Total shares repurchased............................... 7.0 8.2
------- ------
Average purchase price per share....................... $ 44.26 $41.78
======= ======
Equity forward contracts:
Outstanding at beginning of year....................... 21.4 20.5
New contracts.......................................... 1.7 6.2
Exercises.............................................. (4.9) (5.3)
------- ------
Outstanding at end of year............................. 18.2 21.4
======= ======
Remaining board of director authority at end of year... 4.8 3.6
======= ======
F-33
USA EDUCATION, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
15. Common Stock (Continued)
As of December 31, 2000, the expiration dates and range of purchase prices
for outstanding equity forward contracts are as follows:
Outstanding Range of
Year of Maturity Contracts Market Prices
---------------- ----------- --------------
2001.......................................... 6.3 $32.11--$45.71
2002.......................................... 5.0 41.01-- 45.55
2003.......................................... 4.0 41.20-- 47.50
2004.......................................... 1.7 39.82-- 45.62
2005.......................................... 1.2 30.00-- 36.04
----
18.2
====
Basic earnings per common share ("Basic EPS") are calculated using the
weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during each
period. Diluted earnings per common share ("Diluted EPS") reflect the potential
dilutive effect of additional common shares that are issuable upon exercise of
outstanding stock options and warrants, determined by the treasury stock
method, and equity forwards, determined by the reverse treasury stock method,
as follows:
Net Income
Attributable Earnings
to Common Average per
Stock Shares Share
------------ ----------- --------
(thousands) (thousands)
Year ended December 31, 2000
Basic EPS................................... $ 453,495 159,482 $ 2.84
Dilutive effect of stock options, warrants
and equity forwards........................ -- 4,873 (.08)
--------- ------- ------
Diluted EPS................................. $ 453,495 164,355 $ 2.76
========= ======= ======
Year ended December 31, 1999
Basic EPS................................... $ 499,393 160,577 $ 3.11
Dilutive effect of stock options, warrants
and equity forwards........................ -- 2,581 (.05)
--------- ------- ------
Diluted EPS................................. $ 499,393 163,158 $ 3.06
========= ======= ======
Year ended December 31, 1998
Basic EPS................................... $ 501,464 167,684 $ 2.99
Dilutive effect of stock options, warrants
and equity forwards........................ -- 2,382 (.04)
--------- ------- ------
Diluted EPS................................. $501,464 170,066 $2.95
========= ======= ======
16. Stock Option Plans
USA Education, Inc. maintains stock option plans for its employees that
permit grants of stock options for the purchase of common stock with exercise
prices equal to or greater than the market value on the date of grant.
After the change in management control in August 1997, the Board of
Directors granted options, which have ten-year terms and vest in one-third
increments, to officers and key employees under the 1993-1998 Stock Option
Plan. Options granted to executive management under this plan vest in one year
and upon the occurrence of (1) one-third on the date that the Company's common
stock closes above $42.86 per share for
F-34
USA EDUCATION, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
16. Stock Option Plans (Continued)
five business days; (2) one-third on the date that the Company's common stock
closes above $57.14 per share for five business days; and (3) one-third on the
date that the Company's common stock price closes above $71.43 per share for
five business days. Options granted to officers and key employees in November
1997 vest: (1) one-third, one year from the date of grant; (2) one-third on the
later of one year or the date that the Company's common stock closes above
$57.14 per share for five business days; and (3) one-third on the later of one
year or the date that the Company's common stock price closes above $71.43 per
share for five business days. In the event that the Company's common stock
price does not close above the predetermined prices, all outstanding options
will vest eight years after the date of grant. Under this plan, the Company was
originally authorized to grant up to 17.8 million shares. Options granted by
prior Boards of Directors generally have ten-year terms and vest one year after
the date of grant.
In May 1998, shareholders approved a Management Incentive Plan, which
replaced the 1993-1998 Stock Option Plan. Under this plan, the Board may confer
certain awards to officers and employees, which may be in the form of stock
options, performance stock, and incentive bonuses. The Board authorized up to
11.5 million shares of the Company's common stock that could be issued under
such awards and at December 31, 2000, this plan had remaining authority of 5.8
million shares. In 2000, options granted under this plan have ten-year terms
and vest the latter of one year from date of issuance or when the closing stock
price equals 120 percent of the strike price of the option. In 1999 and 1998,
options granted under this plan have ten-year terms and vest in one-third
increments identical to those of the options granted in November 1997 to
officers and key employees. In the event that the Company's common stock price
does not close above the predetermined prices, all outstanding options will
vest eight years after the date of grant.
The Company's Board of Directors authorized the grant of options for up to
14 million shares of common stock under the Employee Stock Option Plan, of
which there is remaining authority of 4.7 million shares at December 31, 2000.
Stock options were granted under this plan to all non-officer employees of the
Company and have ten-year terms with one-half of the options vesting one year
from the date of grant and one-half vesting two years from the date of grant.
The following table summarizes the employee stock option plans for the years
ended December 31, 2000, 1999 and 1998. The weighted average fair value of
options granted during the year is based on an option pricing model.
Years ended December 31,
-----------------------------------------------------------
2000 1999 1998
------------------- ------------------- -------------------
Average Average Average
Options Price Options Price Options Price
---------- ------- ---------- ------- ---------- -------
Outstanding at beginning
of year................ 11,243,895 $41.04 9,666,906 $39.58 8,365,532 $37.30
Granted................. 8,940,698 40.42 3,643,226 43.25 2,935,893 43.91
Exercised............... (3,360,197) 39.73 (1,100,933) 35.69 (598,248) 29.89
Canceled................ (2,250,290) 41.14 (965,304) 40.85 (1,036,271) 39.04
---------- ------ ---------- ------ ---------- ------
Outstanding at end of
year................... 14,574,106 $40.94 11,243,895 $41.04 9,666,906 $39.58
========== ====== ========== ====== ========== ======
Exercisable at end of
year................... 4,099,257 $41.05 3,869,624 $38.87 3,077,332 $35.88
========== ====== ========== ====== ========== ======
Weighted-average fair
value of options
granted during the
year................... $18.97 $19.49 $17.63
====== ====== ======
F-35
USA EDUCATION, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
16. Stock Option Plans (Continued)
The following table summarizes the number, average exercise prices (which
ranged from $11 per share to $59 per share) and average remaining contractual
life of the employee stock options outstanding at December 31, 2000.
Average Average Remaining
Exercise Prices Options Price Contractual Life
--------------- ---------- ------- -----------------
Under $35........................... 279,456 $26.14 5.2 Yrs.
$35-$45............................. 12,561,847 39.85 8.6
Above $45........................... 1,732,794 51.27 8.7
---------- ------ --------
Total............................... 14,574,097 $40.94 8.5 Yrs.
========== ====== ========
In May 1996, shareholders approved the Board of Directors Stock Option Plan,
which authorized the grant of options to acquire up to 700,000 shares of common
stock. Options under this plan are exercisable on the date of grant and have
ten-year terms. In May 1998, the shareholders approved a Directors Stock Plan,
which replaced the Board of Directors Stock Option Plan. Under the Directors
Stock Plan, the Board authorized the grant of options to acquire up to 3.5
million shares of common stock, of which there is remaining authority of 1.6
million shares. Options granted under this plan have ten-year terms and vest in
one-third increments identical to those of the August 1997 executive management
options except there is no one-year minimum vesting requirement. In the event
that the Company's common stock price does not close above the predetermined
prices, all outstanding options will vest eight years after the date of grant.
The following table summarizes the Board of Directors Stock Option Plans for
the years ended December 31, 2000, 1999 and 1998.
Years ended December 31,
--------------------------------------------------------
2000 1999 1998
------------------ ------------------ ------------------
Average Average Average
Options Price Options Price Options Price
--------- ------- --------- ------- --------- -------
Outstanding at beginning
of year................ 1,645,866 $38.67 1,622,366 $38.48 1,657,775 $38.49
Granted................. 415,000 42.34 52,500 43.31 -- --
Exercised............... (345,700) 40.23 (29,000) 36.79 (2,000) 30.86
Canceled................ -- -- -- -- (33,409) 39.34
--------- ------ --------- ------ --------- ------
Outstanding at end of
year................... 1,715,166 $39.24 1,645,866 $38.67 1,622,366 $38.48
========= ====== ========= ====== ========= ======
Exercisable at end of
year................... 1,192,730 $39.14 601,275 $37.26 612,775 $37.07
========= ====== ========= ====== ========= ======
Weighted-average fair
value of options
granted during the
year................... $20.50 $18.73 $ --
====== ====== ======
At December 31, 2000, the outstanding Board of Directors options had a
weighted-average remaining contractual life of 7.0 years.
USA Education. Inc. accounts for its stock option plans in accordance with
Accounting Principles Board Opinion No. 25, "Accounting for Stock Issued to
Employees," which results in no compensation expense for stock options granted
under the plans. The following table summarizes pro-forma disclosures for the
years ended December 31, 2000, 1999 and 1998, as if the Company had accounted
for employee and Board of Directors stock options granted subsequent to
December 31, 1994 under the fair market value method as set
F-36
USA EDUCATION, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
16. Stock Option Plans (Continued)
forth in SFAS No. 123, "Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation." The fair
value for these options was estimated at the date of grant using an option
pricing model, with the following weighted average assumptions for the years
ended December 31, 2000, 1999 and 1998, respectively: risk-free interest rate
of 6 percent, 6 percent and 5 percent; volatility factor of the expected market
price of the Company's common stock of 34 percent, 34 percent and 32 percent;
expected dividend rate of 2 percent; and the time of the expected life of the
option of ten years. Vesting for options with vesting periods tied to the
Company's stock price is assumed to occur annually in one-third increments.
Years ended December 31,
--------------------------
2000 1999 1998
-------- -------- --------
Net income attributable to common stock............. $465,017 $499,393 $501,464
======== ======== ========
Pro-forma net income attributable to common stock... $415,116 $473,386 $469,470
======== ======== ========
Basic earnings per share............................ $ 2.84 $ 3.11 $ 2.99
======== ======== ========
Pro-forma basic earnings per share.................. $ 2.53 $ 2.95 $ 2.80
======== ======== ========
Diluted earnings per share.......................... $ 2.76 $ 3.06 $ 2.95
======== ======== ========
Pro-forma diluted earnings per share................ $ 2.46 $ 2.90 $ 2.76
======== ======== ========
17. Benefit Plans
Pension Plans
Effective October 1, 1999, the Company converted its Pension Plan to a cash
balance plan. The present value of accrued benefits for eligible employees
under the Company's regular and supplemental pension plans was converted to an
opening "account balance" and benefits now accrue under a cash balance formula.
Under the cash balance formula, each participant has an account, for record
keeping purposes only, to which credits are allocated each payroll period based
on a percentage of the participant's compensation for the current pay period.
The applicable percentage is determined by the number of years of service the
participant has with the Company. The conversion to a cash balance plan did not
have a material effect on the Company's pension expense or its accrued pension
cost.
F-37
USA EDUCATION, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
17. Benefit Plans (Continued)
The following tables provide a reconciliation of the changes in the plan's
benefit obligations and fair value of assets over the two-year period ending
December 31, 2000, and a statement of the funded status as of December 31 of
both years:
December 31,
------------------
2000 1999
-------- --------
Change in Benefit Obligation
Projected benefit obligation at beginning of year.. $103,641 $ 99,349
Service cost....................................... 7,108 5,033
Interest cost...................................... 7,983 6,651
Amendments......................................... -- (43)
Acquisitions....................................... 22,580 --
Actuarial (gain)/loss.............................. (7,781) (6,353)
Benefits paid...................................... (7,437) (996)
-------- --------
Benefit obligation at end of year.................. 126,094 103,641
-------- --------
Change in Plan Assets
Fair value of plan assets at beginning of year..... 130,108 116,836
Actual return on plan assets....................... 23,670 15,563
Acquisitions....................................... 19,407 --
Benefits paid...................................... (7,437) (996)
Administrative payments............................ (1,341) (1,295)
-------- --------
Fair value of plan assets at end of year........... 164,407 130,108
-------- --------
Funded Status
Funded status at end of year....................... 38,313 26,467
Unrecognized net actuarial gain.................... (50,994) (37,156)
Unrecognized prior service cost and transition
asset............................................. (1,891) (2,154)
-------- --------
Accrued pension cost............................... $(14,572) $(12,843)
======== ========
December 31,
-------------
2000 1999
------ ------
Weighted-average assumptions as of December 31
Discount rate.............................................. 7.75% 7.75%
Expected return on plan assets............................. 10.00% 10.00%
Rate of compensation increase.............................. 5.50% 5.50%
Net periodic pension cost included the following components:
Years ended December 31,
---------------------------
2000 1999 1998
-------- -------- -------
Service cost--benefits earned during the
period.................................. $ 7,108 $ 5,033 $11,624
Interest cost on project benefit
obligations............................. 7,983 6,651 5,961
Expected return on plan assets........... (13,593) (11,606) (9,183)
Net amortization and deferral............ (2,922) (1,805) (1,271)
-------- -------- -------
Net periodic pension cost................ $ (1,424) $ (1,727) $ 7,131
======== ======== =======
F-38
USA EDUCATION, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
17. Benefit Plans (Continued)
The Company maintains a nonqualified pension plan for certain key employees
as designated by the Board of Directors and a nonqualified pension plan for its
Board of Directors. The nonqualified pension plans were the only pension plans
with an accumulated benefit obligation in excess of plan assets. There are no
plan assets in the nonqualified plans due to the nature of the plans. The
accumulated benefit obligations for these plans at December 31, 2000 and 1999
were $14 million and $7 million, respectively.
401(k) Plans
The Company's 401(k) Savings Plan ("the Plan") is a defined contribution
plan that is intended to qualify under section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue
Code. The Plan covers substantially all employees of the Company. Participating
employees may contribute up to 10 percent of compensation. Up to 6 percent of
these contributions are matched 100 percent by the Company after one year of
service.
During 2000, the Company provided an additional employer contribution to the
401(k) Savings Plan for employees who were not in other company incentive
plans. The Company also acquired USA Group, Inc., whose employees were
immediately eligible for participation in the plan.
The Company also maintains a non-qualified Plan to ensure that designated
participants receive the full amount of benefits to which they would have been
entitled under the 401(k) Plan except for limits on compensation and
contribution levels imposed by the Internal Revenue Code.
Total expenses related to the 401(k) plans were $9 million, $5 million and
$7 million in 2000, 1999 and 1998, respectively.
18. Income Taxes
Deferred income taxes reflect the net tax effects of temporary differences
between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting
purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes. Significant components
of the Company's deferred tax liabilities and assets as of December 31, 2000
and 1999 are as follows:
December 31,
-----------------
2000 1999
-------- --------
Deferred tax liabilities:
Leases.............................................. $295,018 $308,956
Unrealized investment gains......................... 246,811 186,459
Other............................................... 28,069 38,431
-------- --------
569,898 533,846
-------- --------
Deferred tax assets:
ExportSS operating costs............................ 74,245 39,865
Student loan reserves............................... 48,800 59,346
In-substance defeasance transactions................ 27,446 30,251
Asset valuation allowances.......................... 8,093 20,901
Securitization transactions......................... 60,834 64,793
Other............................................... 93,609 77,894
-------- --------
313,027 293,050
-------- --------
Net deferred tax liabilities.......................... $256,871 $240,796
======== ========
F-39
USA EDUCATION, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
18. Income Taxes (Continued)
The GSE is exempt from all state, local and District of Columbia taxes
except for real property taxes. USA Education, Inc. and its other subsidiaries
are subject to state and local taxes that increased the effective tax rate by
1.5 percent in 2000 and were immaterial in 1999 and 1998. Deferred tax assets
on in-substance defeasance transactions resulted from premiums on the debt
extinguished. These premiums are capitalized and amortized over the life of
the defeasance trust for tax purposes. As of December 31, 2000, 1999 and 1998,
all of the state tax expense is classified as current.
Reconciliations of the statutory U.S. federal income tax rates to the
Company's effective tax rate follow:
Years ended
December 31,
----------------
2000 1999 1998
---- ---- ----
Statutory rate.......... 35.0% 35.0% 35.0%
Tax exempt interest and
dividends received
deduction.............. (2.2) (2.8) (3.0)
State tax, net of
federal................ 1.5 .7 .6
Other, net.............. (1.1) (1.0) (.9)
---- ---- ----
Effective tax rate...... 33.2% 31.9% 31.7%
==== ==== ====
F-40
USA EDUCATION, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
19. Quarterly Financial Information (unaudited)
2000
-----------------------------------
First Second Third Fourth
Quarter Quarter Quarter Quarter
-------- -------- -------- --------
Net interest income....................... $161,869 $161,641 $160,333 $157,945
Less: provision for losses................ 9,438 7,900 5,428 9,354
-------- -------- -------- --------
Net interest income after provision for
losses................................... 152,431 153,741 154,905 148,591
Other income.............................. 175,591 125,314 205,916 180,812
Operating expenses........................ 96,238 95,044 220,116 174,312
Income taxes.............................. 75,461 60,844 45,813 53,762
Minority interest in net earnings of
subsidiary............................... 2,674 2,673 2,674 2,673
-------- -------- -------- --------
Net income................................ 153,649 120,494 92,218 98,656
Preferred stock dividends................. 2,907 2,886 2,865 2,864
-------- -------- -------- --------
Net income attributable to common stock... $150,742 $117,608 $ 89,353 $ 95,792
======== ======== ======== ========
Basic earnings per common share........... $ .96 $ .75 $ .56 $ .58
======== ======== ======== ========
Diluted earnings per common share......... $ .93 $ .73 $ .55 $ .56
======== ======== ======== ========
1999
-----------------------------------
First Second Third Fourth
Quarter Quarter Quarter Quarter
-------- -------- -------- --------
Net interest income....................... $157,652 $172,706 $184,358 $179,074
Less: provision for losses................ 7,636 13,029 6,545 7,148
-------- -------- -------- --------
Net interest income after provision for
losses................................... 150,016 159,677 177,813 171,926
Other income.............................. 106,639 111,631 95,310 137,210
Operating expenses........................ 86,268 86,410 91,520 94,372
Income taxes.............................. 53,905 58,561 57,524 70,137
Minority interest in net earnings of
subsidiary............................... 2,673 2,674 2,674 2,673
-------- -------- -------- --------
Net income................................ 113,809 123,663 121,405 141,954
Preferred stock dividends................. -- -- -- 1,438
-------- -------- -------- --------
Net income attributable to common stock... $113,809 $123,663 $121,405 $140,516
======== ======== ======== ========
Basic earnings per common share........... $ .70 $ .77 $ .76 $ .89
======== ======== ======== ========
Diluted earnings per common share......... $ .69 $ .76 $ .75 $ .87
======== ======== ======== ========
1998
-----------------------------------
First Second Third Fourth
Quarter Quarter Quarter Quarter
-------- -------- -------- --------
Net interest income....................... $174,577 $166,318 $149,876 $160,515
Less: provision for losses................ 9,494 2,183 6,685 18,235
-------- -------- -------- --------
Net interest income after provision for
losses................................... 165,083 164,135 143,191 142,280
Other income.............................. 134,383 145,805 104,322 111,801
Operating expenses........................ 90,862 93,732 86,540 89,735
Income taxes.............................. 66,923 69,303 50,487 51,260
Minority interest in net earnings of
subsidiary............................... 2,673 2,674 2,674 2,673
-------- -------- -------- --------
Net income................................ 139,008 144,231 107,812 110,413
Preferred stock dividends -- -- -- --
-------- -------- -------- --------
Net income attributable to common stock... $139,008 $144,231 $107,812 $110,413
======== ======== ======== ========
Basic earnings per common share........... $ .81 $ .86 $ .65 $ .67
======== ======== ======== ========
Diluted earnings per common share......... $ .80 $ .84 $ .64 $ .66
======== ======== ======== ========
F-41
APPENDIX A
FEDERAL FAMILY EDUCATION LOAN PROGRAM
General
The Federal Family Education Loan Program, known as FFELP, under Title IV of
the Higher Education Act, provides for loans to students who are enrolled in
eligible institutions, or to parents of dependent students, to finance their
educational costs. Payment of principal and interest on the student loans is
guaranteed by a state or not-for-profit guarantee agency against:
. default of the borrower;
. the death, bankruptcy or permanent, total disability of the borrower;
. closing of the borrower's school prior to the end of the academic
period;
. false certification by the borrower's school of his eligibility for
the loan; and
. an unpaid school refund.
In addition to the guarantee, the holder of student loans is entitled to
receive interest subsidy payments and special allowance payments from the U.S.
Department of Education on eligible student loans. Special allowance payments
raise the yield to student loan lenders when the statutory borrower interest
rate is below an indexed market value. Subject to conditions, a program of
federal reinsurance under the Higher Education Act entitles guarantee agencies
to reimbursement from the Department of Education for between 75% and 100% of
the amount of each guarantee payment.
Four types of student loans are currently authorized under the Higher
Education Act:
. Subsidized Stafford Loans to students who demonstrate requisite financial
need;
. Unsubsidized Stafford Loans to students who either do not demonstrate
financial need or require additional loans to supplement their Subsidized
Stafford Loans;
. Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students, known as "PLUS Loans," to
parents of dependent students whose estimated costs of attending school exceed
other available financial aid; and
. Consolidation Loans, which consolidate into a single loan a borrower's
obligations under various federally authorized student loan programs.
Before July 1, 1994, the Higher Education Act also authorized loans called
"Supplemental Loans to Students" or "SLS Loans" to independent students and,
under some circumstances, dependent undergraduate students, to supplement their
Subsidized Stafford Loans. The SLS program was replaced by the Unsubsidized
Stafford Loan program.
This appendix describes or summarizes the material provisions of the Higher
Education Act, the FFELP and related statutes and regulations. It, however, is
not complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to each actual
statute, and regulation. Both the Higher Education Act and the related
regulations have been the subject of extensive amendments in recent years.
Accordingly, we can not predict whether future amendments or modifications
might materially change any of the programs described in this appendix or the
statutes and regulations that implement them.
Legislative Matters
The FFELP is subject to comprehensive reauthorization every 6 years and to
frequent statutory and regulatory changes. The most recent reauthorization was
the Higher Education Amendments of 1998. Since the 1998 reauthorization, the
Higher Education Act has been amended by the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives
Improvement Act of 1999 and the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2001.
In 1993 Congress created the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program
("FDLP") under which Stafford, PLUS and Consolidation Loans are funded directly
by the U.S. Department of Treasury.
A-1
The 1998 reauthorization extended the principal provisions of the FFELP and
the FDLP to October 1, 2003. This legislation, as modified by the 1999 act,
lowered both the borrower interest rate on Stafford Loans to a formula based on
the 91-day Treasury bill rate plus 2.3 percent (1.7 percent during in-school
and grace periods) and the lender's rate after special allowance payments to
the 91-day Treasury bill rate plus 2.8 percent (2.2 percent during in-school
and grace periods) for loans originated on or after October 1, 1998 and before
July 1, 2003. The borrower interest rate on PLUS loans originated during this
period is equal to the 91-day Treasury bill rate plus 3.1 percent.
The 1999 act changed the financial index on which special allowance payments
are computed on new loans from the 91-day Treasury bill rate to the three-month
commercial paper rate (financial) for FFELP loans disbursed on or after January
1, 2000 and before July 1, 2003. For these FFELP loans, the special allowance
payments to lenders are based upon the three-month commercial paper (financial)
rate plus 2.34% (1.74% during in-school and grace periods). The 1999 act did
not change the rate that the borrower pays on FFELP loans.
The 2001 act changed the financial index on which the interest rate for some
borrowers of SLS and PLUS loans are computed. The index was changed from the 1-
year Treasury bill rate to the weekly average one-year constant maturity
Treasury yield.
The 1998 reauthorization maintained interest rates for borrowers of Federal
Direct Consolidation Loans whose applications were received prior to February
1, 1999 at 7.46 percent, which rates are adjusted annually based on a formula
equal to the 91-day Treasury bill rate plus 2.3 percent. The borrower interest
rates on Federal Direct Consolidation Loans for borrowers whose applications
are received on or after February 1, 1999 and before July 1, 2003 is a fixed
rate equal to the lesser of the weighted average of the interest rates of the
loans consolidated, adjusted up to the nearest one-eighth of one percent, and
8.25%. This is the same rate that the 1998 legislation set on FFELP
Consolidation Loans for borrowers whose applications are received on or after
October 1, 1998 and before July 1, 2003. The 1998 legislation, as modified by
the 1999 act, sets the special allowance payment rate for FFELP Consolidation
Loans at the three-month commercial paper rate plus 2.64% for loans disbursed
on or after January 1, 2000 and before July 1, 2003. Lenders of FFELP
Consolidation Loans pay a reinsurance fee to the US Department of Education.
All other guaranty fees may be passed on to the borrower.
Eligible Lenders, Students and Educational Institutions
Lenders eligible to make loans under the FFELP generally include banks,
savings and loan associations, credit unions, pension funds and, under some
conditions, schools and guarantors. A student loan may be made to, or on behalf
of, a "qualified student". A "qualified student" is an individual who
. is a United States citizen, national or permanent resident;
. has been accepted for enrollment or is enrolled and is maintaining
satisfactory academic progress at a participating educational institution;
. is carrying at least one-half of the normal full-time academic workload
for the course of study the student is pursuing; and
. meets the financial need requirements for the particular loan program.
Eligible schools include institutions of higher education, including
proprietary institutions, meeting the standards provided in the Higher
Education Act. For a school to participate in the program, the Department of
Education must approve its eligibility under standards established by
regulation.
A-2
Financial Need Analysis
Subject to program limits and conditions, student loans generally are made
in amounts sufficient to cover the student's estimated costs of attending
school, including tuition and fees, books, supplies, room and board,
transportation and miscellaneous personal expenses as determined by the
institution. Each Stafford Loan applicant (and parents in the case of a
dependent child) must undergo a financial need analysis. This requires the
applicant (and parents in the case of a dependent child) to submit a financial
data to a federal processor. The federal processor evaluates the parents' and
student's financial condition under federal guidelines and calculates the
amount that the student and the family are expected to contribute towards the
student's cost of education. After receiving information on the family
contribution, the institution then subtracts the family contribution from the
student's costs to attend the institution to determine the student's need for
financial aid. Some of this need is met by grants, scholarships, institutional
loans and work assistance. A student's "unmet need" is further reduced by the
amount of Stafford Loans for which the borrower is eligible.
Special Allowance Payments
The Higher Education Act provides for quarterly special allowance payments
to be made by the Department of Education to holders of student loans to the
extent necessary to ensure that they receive at least specified market interest
rates of return. The rates for special allowance payments depend on formulas
that vary according to the type of loan, the date the loan was made and the
type of funds, tax-exempt or taxable, used to finance the loan. The Department
makes a special allowance payment for each calendar quarter.
The special allowance payment equals the average unpaid principal balance,
including interest which has been capitalized, of all eligible loans held by a
holder during the quarterly period multiplied by the special allowance
percentage.
For student loans disbursed before January 1, 2000, the special allowance
percentage is computed by:
(1) determining the average of the bond equivalent rates of 91-day Treasury
bills auctioned for that quarter;
(2) subtracting the applicable borrower interest rate;
(3) adding the applicable special allowance margin described in the table
below; and
(4) dividing the resultant percentage by 4.
If the result is negative, the special allowance payment is zero.
Date of First
Disbursement Special Allowance Margin
------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------
Before 10/17/86 3.50%
From 10/17/86 through
09/30/92 3.25%
From 10/01/92 through
06/30/95 3.10%
From 07/01/95 through 2.50% for Stafford Loans that are in In--School, Grace or Deferment
06/30/98
3.10% for Stafford Loans that are in Repayment and all other loans
From 07/01/98 through
12/31/99 2.20% for Stafford Loans that are in In--School,Grace or Deferment
2.80% for Stafford Loans that are in Repayment
3.10% for PLUS, SLS and Consolidation loans
A-3
For student loans disbursed after January 1, 2000, the special allowance
percentage is computed by:
(1) determining the average of the bond equivalent rates of 3-month
commercial paper (financial) rates quoted for that quarter;
(2) subtracting the applicable borrower interest rate;
(3) adding the applicable special allowance margin described in the table
below; and
(4) dividing the resultant percentage by 4.
If the result is negative, the special allowance payment is zero.
Date of First
Disbursement Special Allowance Margin
----------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------
From 01/01/00 through
06/30/03 1.74% for Stafford Loans that are in In-School, Grace or Deferment
2.34% for Stafford Loans that are in Repayment
2.64% for PLUS and Consolidation loans
Special allowance payments are available on variable rate PLUS Loans and SLS
Loans made on or after July 1, 1987 and before July 1, 1994 and on any PLUS
Loans made on or after July 1, 1998, only if the variable rate, which is reset
annually, based on the weekly average one-year constant maturity Treasury yield
for loans made before July 1, 1998 and based on the 91-day Treasury bill for
loans made on or after July 1, 1998, exceeds the applicable maximum borrower
rate. The maximum borrower rate is between 9% and 12%.
Stafford Loan Program
For Stafford Loans, the Higher Education Act provides for:
. federal insurance or reinsurance of Stafford Loans made by eligible
lenders to qualified students;
. federal interest subsidy payments on Subsidized Stafford Loans paid by
the Department of Education to holders of the loans in lieu of the borrowers'
making interest payments; and
. special allowance payments representing an additional subsidy paid by the
Department to the holders of eligible Stafford Loans.
We refer to all three types of assistance as "federal assistance".
Interest. The borrower's interest rate on a Stafford Loan can be fixed or
variable. Stafford Loan interest rates are presented below.
Maximum
Borrower
Trigger Date Borrower Rate Rate Interest Rate Margin
--------------- ----------------------------- ----------------- --------------------------------
Before 01/01/81 7% 7% N/A
From 01/01/81 through
09/12/83 9% 9% N/A
From 09/13/83 through
06/30/88 8% 8% N/A
From 07/01/88 through 8% for 48 months; 8% for 48 months, 3.25% for loans made before
09/30/92 thereafter, 91-day Treasury + then 10% 7/23/92 and for loans made on
Interest Rate Margin or before 10/1/92 to new student
borrowers;
3.10% for loans made after
7/23/92 and before 7/1/94 to
borrowers with outstanding FFELP
loans
A-4
Maximum
Trigger Borrower
Date Borrower Rate Rate Interest Rate Margin
--------------- -------------------- -------- -----------------------------
From 10/01/92 through 91-day Treasury + 9% 3.10%
06/30/94 Interest Rate Margin
From 07/01/94 through 91-day Treasury + 8.25% 3.10%
06/30/95 Interest Rate Margin
From 07/01/95 through 91-day Treasury + 8.25% 2.50% (In-School, Grace or
06/30/98 Interest Rate Margin Deferment); 3.10% (Repayment)
From 07/01/98 91-day Treasury + 8.25% 1.70% (In-School, Grace or
Interest Rate Margin Deferment); 2.30% (Repayment)
The trigger date for Stafford Loans made before October 1, 1992 is the first
day of the enrollment period for which the borrower's first Stafford Loan is
made. The trigger date for Stafford Loans made on or after October 1, 1992 is
the date of the disbursement of the borrower's first Stafford Loan. All
Stafford Loans made on or after July 1, 1994 have a variable interest rate
regardless of the applicable rate on any prior loans.
The rate for variable rate Stafford Loans applicable for any 12-month period
beginning on July 1 and ending on June 30 is determined on the preceding June 1
and is equal to the lesser of:
. the applicable maximum borrower rate and
. the sum of
. the bond equivalent rate of 91-day Treasury bills auctioned at the final
auction held before that June 1, and
. the applicable interest rate margin.
Interest Subsidy Payments. The Department of Education is responsible for
paying interest on Subsidized Stafford Loans:
. while the borrower is a qualified student,
. during the grace period, and
. during prescribed deferral periods.
The Department of Education makes quarterly interest subsidy payments to the
owner of a Subsidized Stafford Loan in an amount equal to the interest that
accrues on the unpaid balance of that loan before repayment begins or during
any deferral periods. The Higher Education Act provides that the owner of an
eligible Subsidized Stafford Loan has a contractual right against the United
States to receive interest subsidy and special allowance payments in. However,
receipt of interest subsidy and special allowance payments is conditioned on
compliance with the requirements of the Higher Education Act, including the
following:
. satisfaction of need criteria, and
. continued eligibility of the loan for federal reinsurance.
If the loan is not held by an eligible lender in accordance with the
requirements of the Higher Education Act and the applicable guarantee
agreement, the loan may lose its federal assistance.
Lenders generally receive interest subsidy and special allowance payments
within 45 days to 60 days after submitting the applicable data for any given
calendar quarter to the Department of Education. However, there can be no
assurance that payments will, in fact, be received from the Department within
that period.
Loan Limits. The Higher Education Act generally requires that lenders
disburse student loans in at least two equal disbursements. The Act limits the
amount a student can borrow in any academic year. The following chart shows
current and historic loan limits.
A-5
Independent Students
---------------------
Borrower's Academic Level All Students Additional Maximum
Base Amount Subsidized Subsidized Subsidized Unsubsidized Annual
and Unsubsidized on on or after and Unsubsidized only on or Total
or after 10/1/93 1/1/87 on or after 10/1/93 after 7/1/94 Amount
------------------------- ----------- ------------------- ------------ --------
Undergraduate (per year):
1st year............... $ 2,625 $ 2,625 $ 4,000 $ 6,625
2nd year............... $ 2,625 $ 3,500 $ 4,000 $ 7,500
3rd year and above..... $ 4,000 $ 5,500 $ 5,000 $ 10,000
Graduate (per year)...... $ 7,500 $ 8,500 $10,000 $ 18,500
Aggregate Limit:
Undergraduate.......... $17,250 $23,000 $23,000 $ 46,000
Graduate (including
undergraduate)........ $54,750 $65,500 $73,000 $138,500
For the purposes of the table above:
. The loan limits include both FFELP and FDLP loans.
. The amounts in the middle column represent the combined maximum loan
amount per year for Subsidized and Unsubsidized Stafford Loans. Accordingly,
the maximum amount that a student may borrow under an Unsubsidized Stafford
Loan is the difference between the combined maximum loan amount and the amount
the student received in the form of a Subsidized Stafford Loan.
Independent undergraduate students, graduate students and professional
students may borrow the additional amounts shown in the next to last column.
Dependent undergraduate students may also receive these additional loan amounts
if their parents are unable to provide the family contribution amount and it is
unlikely that the will qualify for a PLUS Loan.
. Students attending certain medical schools are eligible for higher
annual and aggregate loan limits.
. The annual loan limits are sometimes reduced when the student is enrolled
in a program of less than one academic year or has less than a full academic
year remaining in his program.
Repayment. In general, repayment of principal on a Stafford Loan does not
begin while the borrower remains a qualified student, but only after the
applicable grace period, usually 6 months. In general, each loan must be
scheduled for repayment over a period of not more than 10 years after repayment
begins. New borrowers on or after October 7, 1998 who accumulate outstanding
loans under the FFELP totaling more than $30,000 are entitled to extend
repayment for up to 25 years, subject to minimum repayment amounts and
Consolidation loan borrowers may be scheduled for repayment up to 30 years
depending on the borrower's indebtedness. The Higher Education Act currently
requires minimum annual payments of $600, unless the borrower and the lender
agree to lower payments, except that negative amortization is not allowed. The
Act and related regulations require lenders to offer the choice of a standard,
graduated, income-sensitive and extended repayment schedule, if applicable, to
all borrowers entering repayment.
Grace Periods, Deferral Periods and Forbearance Periods. After the borrower
stops pursuing at least a half-time course of study, he generally must begin to
repay principal of a Stafford Loan following the grace period. However, no
principal repayments need be made, subject to some conditions, during deferment
and forbearance periods.
For borrowers whose first loans are disbursed on or after July 1, 1993,
repayment of principal may be deferred, subject to a maximum deferment of 3
years:
. while the borrower returns to school at least half-time or is enrolled in
an approved graduate fellowship program or rehabilitation program; or
. when the borrower is seeking, but unable to find, full-time employment;
or
. when the lender determines that repayment will cause the borrower
economic hardship, as defined in the Act.
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The Higher Education Act also permits, and in some cases requires,
"forbearance" periods from loan collection in some circumstances. Interest that
accrues during forbearance is never subsidized.
PLUS and SLS Loan Programs
The Higher Education Act authorizes PLUS Loans to be made to parents of
eligible dependent students and previously authorized SLS Loans to be made to
the categories of students now served by the Unsubsidized Stafford Loan
program. Only parents who have no adverse credit history or who are able to
secure an endorser without an adverse credit history are eligible for PLUS
Loans. The basic provisions applicable to PLUS and SLS Loans are similar to
those of Stafford Loans for federal insurance and reinsurance. However,
interest subsidy payments are not available under the PLUS and SLS programs
and, in some instances, special allowance payments are more restricted.
Loan Limits. PLUS and SLS Loans disbursed before July 1, 1993 were limited
to $4,000 per academic year with a maximum aggregate amount of $20,000. The
annual loan limits for SLS Loans first disbursed on or after July 1, 1993 range
from $4,000 for first and second year undergraduate borrowers to $10,000 for
graduate borrowers, with a maximum aggregate amount of $23,000 for
undergraduate borrowers and $73,000 for graduate and professional borrowers.
The annual and aggregate amounts of PLUS Loans first disbursed on or after
July 1, 1993 are limited only to the difference between the cost of the
student's education and other financial aid received, including scholarship,
grants and other student loans.
Interest. The interest rate for a PLUS or SLS Loan depends on the date of
disbursement a period of enrollment. The interest rates for PLUS Loans and SLS
Loans are presented in the following chart. Until July 1, 2001, the 1-year
index is the bond equivalent rate of 52-week Treasury bills auctioned at the
final auction held prior to each June 1. Beginning July 1, 2001, the 1-year
index is the weekly average 1-year constant maturity Treasury yield determined
the preceding June 26.
Maximum
Borrower
Trigger Date Borrower Rate Rate Interest Rate Margin
--------------------- -------------------------------------- ----------------- --------------------
Before 10/01/81 9% 9% N/A
From 10/01/81 through
10/30/82 14$ 14$ N/A
From 11/01/82 through
06/30/87 12% 12% N/A
From 07/01/87 through
09/30/92 1-year Index + Interest Rate Margin 12% 3.25%
From 10/01/92 through 1-year Index + Interest Rate Margin PLUS 10%, SLS 11% 3.10%
06/30/94
From 07/01/94 through 1-year Index + Interest Rate Margin 9% 3.10%
06/30/98
After 6/30/98 91-day Treasury + Interest Rate Margin 9% 3.10%
For PLUS and SLS Loans made before October 1, 1992, the trigger date is the
first day of the enrollment period for which the loan was made. For PLUS and
SLS Loans made on or after October 1, 1992, the trigger date is the date of the
disbursement of the loan.
For PLUS or SLS Loans that bear a variable rate, the rate is set annually
for 12-month periods, from July 1 through June 30, on the preceding June 1 and
is equal to the lesser of:
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. the applicable maximum borrower rate
and
. the sum of:
. the 1-year Index or the bond equivalent rate of 3-month Treasury
bills, as applicable,
and
. the applicable interest rate margin.
A holder of a PLUS or SLS Loan is eligible to receive special allowance
payments during any quarter if:
. the borrower rate is set at the maximum borrower rate and
. the sum of the average of the bond equivalent rates of 3-month Treasury
bills auctioned during that quarter and the applicable interest rate margin
exceeds the maximum borrower rate.
Repayment, Deferments. Borrowers begin to repay principal of their PLUS and
SLS Loans no later than 60 days after the final disbursement, subject to
deferment and forbearance provisions. Borrowers may defer and capitalize
repayment of interest during periods of educational enrollment, unemployment
and economic hardship, as defined in the Act. Maximum loan repayment periods
and minimum payment amounts for PLUS and SLS Loans are the same as those for
Stafford Loans.
Consolidation Loan Program
The Higher Education Act also authorizes a program under which borrowers
may consolidate one or more of their student loans into a single Consolidation
Loan that is insured and reinsured on a basis similar to Stafford and PLUS
Loans. Consolidation Loans are made in an amount sufficient to pay outstanding
principal, unpaid interest, late charges and collection costs on all federally
reinsured student loans incurred under the FFELP that the borrower selects for
consolidation, as well as loans made under various other federal student loan
programs and loans made by different lenders. Under this program, a lender may
make a Consolidation Loan to an eligible borrower who requests it so long as
the lender holds all the outstanding FFELP loans of the borrower; or the
borrower has multiple holders of his outstanding student loans or his holder
does not offer Consolidation loans. Under certain circumstances, a FFELP
borrower may obtain a Consolidation Loan under the FDLP.
Consolidation Loans made on or after July 1, 1994 have no minimum loan
amount, although Consolidation Loans for less than $7,500 do not enjoy an
extended repayment period. Applications for Consolidation Loans received on or
after January 1, 1993 but before July 1, 1994 were available only to borrowers
who had aggregate outstanding student loan balances of at least $7,500. For
applications received before January 1, 1993, Consolidation Loans were
available only to borrowers who had aggregate outstanding student loan
balances of at least $5,000.
To obtain a Consolidation Loan, the borrower must be either in repayment
status or in a grace period before repayment begins. In addition, for
applications received before January 1, 1993, the borrower must not have been
delinquent by more than 90 days on any student loan payment; and for
applications received on or after January 1, 1993, delinquent or defaulted
borrowers are eligible to obtain Consolidation Loans only if they re-enter
repayment through loan consolidation. For applications received on or after
January 1, 1993, married couples who agree to be jointly and severally liable
will be treated as one borrower for purposes of loan consolidation
eligibility.
Consolidation Loans bear interest at a fixed rate equal to the greater of
the weighted average of the interest rates on the unpaid principal balances of
the consolidated loans and 9% for loans originated before July 1, 1994. For
Consolidation Loans made on or after July 1, 1994 and for which applications
were received before November 13, 1997, the weighted average interest rate is
rounded up to the nearest whole percent. Consolidation Loans made on or after
July 1, 1994 for which applications were received on or after November 13,
1997 through September 30, 1998 bear interest at the annual variable rate
applicable to Stafford Loans
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subject to a cap of 8.25%. Consolidation Loans for which the application is
received on or after October 1, 1998 bear interest at a fixed rate equal to the
weighted average interest rate of the loans being consolidated rounded up to
the nearest one-eighth of one percent, subject to a cap of 8.25%.
Interest on Consolidation Loans accrues and, for applications received
before January 1, 1993, is paid without interest subsidy by the Department. For
Consolidation Loans for which applications were received between January 1 and
August 10, 1993, all interest of the borrower is paid during all deferral
periods. Consolidation Loans for which applications were received on or after
August 10, 1993 are only subsidized if all of the underlying loans being
consolidated were Subsidized Stafford Loans. In the case of Consolidation Loans
made on or after November 13, 1997, the portion of a Consolidation Loan that is
comprised of Subsidized Stafford Loans retains subsidy benefits during deferral
periods.
No insurance premium is charged to a borrower or a lender in connection with
a Consolidation Loan. However, lenders must pay a monthly rebate fee to the
Department at an annualized rate of 1.05% on principal and interest on
Consolidation Loans for loans disbursed on or after October 1, 1993, and at an
annualized rate of 0.62% for Consolidation Loan applications received between
October 1, 1998 and January 31, 1999. The rate for special allowance payments
for Consolidation Loans is determined in the same manner as for other FFELP
loans.
A borrower must begin to repay his Consolidation Loan within 60 days after
his consolidated loans have been discharged. For applications received on or
after January 1, 1993, repayment schedule options include graduated or income-
sensitive repayment plans, and loans are repaid over periods determined by the
sum of the Consolidation Loan and the amount of the borrower's other eligible
student loans outstanding. The lender may, at its option, include graduated and
income-sensitive repayment plans in connection with student loans for which the
applications were received before that date. The maximum maturity schedule is
30 years for indebtedness of $60,000 or more.
A borrower must consolidate his loans with his current lender if he has only
FFELP loans, they are all held by the same holder and that holder makes
Consolidation Loans. Otherwise, the borrower may consolidate his loans with any
lender or, if he has FDLP loans or applies for an income-sensitive repayment
plan, with the FDLP.
Guarantee Agencies under the FFELP
Under the FFELP, guarantee agencies guarantee loans made by eligible lending
institutions. Student loans are guaranteed as to 100% of principal and accrued
interest against death or discharge. The guarantor also pays 100% of the unpaid
principal and accrued interest on PLUS Loans, where the student on whose behalf
the loan was borrowed dies. Guarantee agencies also guarantee lenders against
default. For loans that were made before October 1, 1993, lenders are insured
for 100% of the principal and unpaid accrued interest. Since October 1, 1993,
lenders are insured for 98% of principal and accrued interest.
The Secretary of Education reinsures guarantors for amounts paid to lenders
on loans that are discharged or default. The reimbursement on discharged loans
is for 100% of the amount paid to the holder. The reimbursement rate for
defaulted loans decreases as a guarantor's default rate increases. The first
trigger for a lower reinsurance rate is when the amount of defaulted loan
reimbursements exceeds 5% of the amount of all loans guaranteed by the agency
in repayment status at the beginning of the federal fiscal year. The second
trigger is when the amount of defaults exceeds 9% of the loans in repayment.
Guarantee agency reinsurance rates are presented in the table below.
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Claims Paid Date Maximum 5% Trigger 9% Trigger
---------------- ------- ---------- ----------
Before October 1, 1993............................ 100% 90% 80%
October 1, 1993--September 30, 1998............... 98% 88% 78%
On or after October 1, 1998....................... 95% 85% 75%
After the Secretary reimburses a guarantor for a default claim, the
guarantor attempts to collect the loan from the borrower. However, the
Secretary requires that the defaulted guaranteed loans be assigned to the
Department of Education when the guarantor is not successful. A guarantor also
refers defaulted guaranteed loans to the Secretary to "offset" any federal
income tax refunds or other federal reimbursement which may be due the
borrowers. Some states have similar offset programs.
To be eligible for federal reinsurance, guaranteed loans must be made by an
eligible lender and meet the requirements of the regulations issued under the
Higher Education Act. Generally, these regulations require that lenders
determine whether the applicant is an eligible borrower attending an eligible
institution, explain to borrowers their responsibilities under the loan, ensure
that the promissory notes evidencing the loan are executed by the borrower; and
disburse the loan proceeds as required. After the loan is made, the lender must
establish repayment terms with the borrower, properly administer deferrals and
forbearances and credit the borrower for payments made. If a borrower becomes
delinquent in repaying a loan, a lender must perform collection procedures that
vary depending upon the length of time a loan is delinquent. The collection
procedures consist of telephone calls, demand letters, skiptracing procedures
and requesting assistance from the guarantor.
A lender may submit a default claim to the guarantor after the related
student loan has been delinquent for at least 270 days. The guarantor must
review and pay the claim within 90 days after the lender filed it. The
guarantor will pay the lender interest accrued on the loan for up to 450 days
after delinquency. The guarantor must file a reimbursement claim with the
Secretary within 45 days after the guarantor paid the lender for the default
claim.
Student Loan Discharges
FFELP loans are not generally dischargeable in bankruptcy. Under the United
States Bankruptcy Code, before a student loan may be discharged, the borrower
must demonstrate that repaying it would cause the borrower or his family undue
hardship. When a FFELP borrower files for bankruptcy, collection of the loan is
suspended during the time of the proceeding. If the borrower files under the
"wage earner" provisions of the Bankruptcy Code or files a petition for
discharge on the ground of undue hardship, then the lender transfers the loan
to the guarantee agency which then participates in the bankruptcy proceeding.
When the proceeding is complete, unless there was a funding of undue hardship,
the loan is transferred back to the lender and collection resumes.
Student loans are discharged if the borrower becomes totally and permanently
disabled. A physician must certify eligibility for discharge.
If a school closes while a student is enrolled, or within 90 days after the
student withdrew, loans made for that enrollment period are discharged. If a
school falsely certifies that a borrower is eligible for the loan, the loan may
be discharged. And if a school fails to make a refund to which a student is
entitled, the loan is discharged to the extent of the unpaid refund.
Rehabilitation of Defaulted Loans
The Secretary of Education is authorized to enter into agreements with the
guarantor under which the guarantor may sell defaulted loans that are eligible
for rehabilitation to an eligible lender. For a loan to be eligible for
rehabilitation, the guarantor must have received reasonable and affordable
payments for 12 months, then the borrower may request that the loan be sold.
Because monthly payments are usually greater after rehabilitation, not all
borrowers opt for rehabilitation. Upon rehabilitation, a loan is eligible for
all the benefits under the Higher Education Act for which it would have been
eligible had no default occurred and the negative credit record is expunged. No
student loan may be rehabilitated more than once.
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Guarantor Funding
In addition to providing the primary guarantee on FFELP loans, guarantee
agencies are charged, under the Higher Education Act, with responsibility for
maintaining records on all loans on which it has issued a guarantee ("account
maintenance"), assisting lenders to prevent default by delinquent borrowers
("default aversion"), post-default loan administration and collections and
program awareness and oversight. These activities are funded by revenues from
the following statutorily prescribed sources plus earnings on investments.
Source Basis
----------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Insurance Premium Up to 1% of the principal amount guaranteed, withheld from
the proceeds of each loan disbursement.
Loan Processing and 0.65% of the principal amount guaranteed, paid by the Department of Education.
Origination Fee
Account Maintenance Fee 0.10% of the original principal amount of loans outstanding,paid by the
Department of Education.
Default Aversion Fee 1% of the outstanding amount of loans that were reported delinquent but did
not default within 300 days thereafter, paid by transfers out of the Student
Loan Reserve Fund.
Collection Retention 24% of the amount collected on loans on which reinsurance has been paid (18.5%
collected for a defaulted loan that is purchased by a lender for rehabilitation or
consolidation), withheld from gross receipts.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Under the Higher Education Act, the Loan Processing and Origination Fee will
decline to 0.40% and the Collection Retention will decline to 23% beginning
October 1, 2003.
The Act requires guaranty agencies to establish two funds: a Student Loan
Reserve Fund and an Agency Operating Fund. The Student Loan Reserve Fund
contains the reinsurance payments received from the Department, Insurance
Premiums and the Collection Retention. The fund is federal property and its
assets may only be used to pay insurance claims and to pay Default Aversion
Fees. The Agency Operating Fund is the guarantor's property and is not subject
to strict limitations on its use.
Department of Education Oversight
The Secretary of Education has oversight powers over guarantors. If the
Department of Education determines that a guarantor is unable to meet its
insurance obligations, the holders of loans guaranteed by that guarantor may
submit claims directly to the Department and the Department is required to pay
the full guarantee payments due, in accordance with guarantee claim processing
standards no more stringent than those applied by the terminated guarantor.
However, the Department's obligation to pay guarantee claims directly in this
fashion is contingent upon its making the determination referred to above.
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