At Fifth Third (FITB), mortgage banking net revenue decreased $145 million for the year ended December 31, 2013, compared to the prior year.
The bank said this decline is primarily due to a decrease in origination fees and gains on loan sales partially offset by an increase in positive net valuation adjustments on mortgage servicing rights.
But the use of MSRs to hedge against originations is not without risks, the bank admits in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
In fact, here are six threats Fifth Third sees to its mortgage business in 2014. Bear in mind, Fifth Third’s footprint stretches from the upper Midwestern to the lower Southeastern regions of the United States.
1. The Federal Government
The Federal Government has intervened in an unprecedented manner to stimulate economic growth. The expiration or rescission of any of these programs and actions may have an adverse impact on Fifth Third’s operating results by increasing interest rates, increasing the cost of funding, and reducing the demand for loan products, including mortgage loans.
2. Repurchase risk
If economic conditions and the housing market deteriorate or future investor repurchase demand and success at appealing repurchase requests differ from past experience, Fifth Third could have increased repurchase obligations and increased loss severity on repurchases, requiring material additions to the repurchase reserve.
3. The winter shows just how brutal nature can be
The bank's market area has experienced weather events including hurricanes and other natural disasters. The nature and level of these events and the impact of global climate change upon their frequency and severity cannot be predicted. If large-scale events occur, they may significantly impact its loan portfolios by damaging properties pledged as collateral as well as impairing its borrowers’ ability to repay their loans.
4. The MSR/origination hedge is not perfect
Fifth Third earns revenue from the fees it receives for originating mortgage loans and for servicing mortgage loans. When rates rise, the demand for mortgage loans tends to fall, reducing the revenue Fifth Third receives from loan originations. At the same time, revenue from MSRs can increase through increases in fair value. When rates fall, mortgage originations tend to increase and the value of MSRs tends to decline, also with some offsetting revenue effect. Even though the origination of mortgage loans can act as a “natural hedge,” the hedge is not perfect, either in amount or timing.
For example, the negative effect on revenue from a decrease in the fair value of residential MSRs is immediate, but any offsetting revenue benefit from more originations and the MSRs relating to the new loans would accrue over time. It is also possible that, because of the recession and deteriorating housing market, even if interest rates were to fall, mortgage originations may also fall or any increase in mortgage originations may not be enough to offset the decrease in the MSRs value caused by the lower rates.
5. The financial world is very competetive
Fifth Third’s ability to deliver strong financial performance and returns on investment to shareholders will depend in part on its ability to expand the scope of available financial services to meet the needs and demands of its customers. In addition to the challenge of competing against other banks in attracting and retaining customers for traditional banking services, Fifth Third’s competitors also include securities dealers, brokers, mortgage bankers, investment advisors, and specialty finance and insurance companies who seek to offer one-stop financial services that may include services that banks have not been able or allowed to offer to their customers in the past or may not be currently able or allowed to offer. This increasingly competitive environment is primarily a result of changes in regulation, changes in technology and product delivery systems, as well as the accelerating pace of consolidation among financial service providers.
6. The value of MSRs may decrease
Changes in interest rates can affect prepayment assumptions and thus fair value. When interest rates fall, borrowers are usually more likely to prepay their mortgage loans by refinancing them at a lower rate. As the likelihood of prepayment increases, the fair value of MSRs can decrease. Each quarter Fifth Third evaluates the fair value of MSRs, and decreases in fair value below amortized cost reduce earnings in the period in which the decrease occurs.
