Capital One Reports Fourth Quarter 2012 Net Income
Capital One Reports Fourth Quarter 2012 Net Income of $843 million, or $1.41 per share
Earnings for full year 2012 were $3.5 billion, or $6.16 per share
MCLEAN, Va., Jan. 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE: COF) today announced net income for the full year 2012 of $3.5 billion, or $6.16 per diluted common share, compared with net income of $3.1 billion, or $6.80 per diluted common share, for 2011. Results for 2012 reflect the impacts of acquisition-related accounting and an increase in the number of shares outstanding. Net income for the fourth quarter of 2012 was $843 million, or $1.41 per diluted common share, compared with net income of $1.2 billion, or $2.01 per diluted common share, for the third quarter of 2012, and net income of $407 million, or $0.88 per diluted common share, for the fourth quarter of 2011.
"Seasonal expense and margin trends led to a reduction in fourth quarter earnings compared to the previous quarter," said Gary L. Perlin, Capital One's Chief Financial Officer. "With a few exceptions largely related to these seasonal patterns, fourth quarter 2012 results give us a good picture of what to expect in terms of pre-provision earnings in 2013, assuming little change in the external environment."
The company expects average quarterly revenue levels in 2013 to be consistent with the fourth quarter of 2012, as a modest decline in earning assets will be offset by a steady to slightly higher net interest margin. Overall, the company expects non-interest expense to be, on average, just over $3.1 billion per quarter, reflecting a modest decline in quarterly expenses relative to seasonally elevated operating and marketing costs in the fourth quarter of 2012.
"Capital One remains well positioned to deliver sustained shareholder value through sure-footed execution, substantial capital generation, and disciplined capital allocation for the benefit of our shareholders," said Richard D. Fairbank, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "As a first step, we expect to return to a meaningful dividend in 2013, following the completion of the current CCAR process."
Total Company Results
All comparisons in the following paragraphs are for the fourth quarter of 2012 compared with the third quarter of 2012 unless otherwise noted.
Loans and Deposits
Period-end loans held for investment increased $2.8 billion to $205.9 billion. Commercial Banking's period-end loans increased $1.6 billion, or 4 percent, to $38.8 billion, and period-end loans in Auto Finance grew $689 million, or 3 percent, to $27.1 billion due to strong growth in both businesses. Domestic Card period-end loans increased $2.5 billion as seasonal growth at the end of the fourth quarter was partially offset by expected run-off in acquired credit card loans and the continued run-off of installment loans. Period-end loans in Home Loans decreased $2.2 billion, or 5 percent, to $44.1 billion, driven by the continued run-off of acquired portfolios.
Average loans in the quarter were essentially flat at $202.9 billion. Average loans in Commercial Banking grew $831 million and Auto Finance average loans grew $958 million. Average Domestic Card loan growth of $216 million was modest compared with the growth in period-end loans reflecting the magnitude of the increase in period-end loans driven by our partnerships portfolio. Average Home Loans decreased by $2.0 billion, driven largely by the continued run-off of acquired portfolios.
Period-end total deposits decreased $770 million to $212.5 billion, driven by a reduction in deposits in legacy banking segments. Average deposits in the quarter were essentially flat and deposit interest rates declined 5 basis points to 0.72 percent.
Revenues
Total net revenue for the fourth quarter of 2012 was $5.6 billion, a decline of $158 million, or 3 percent, almost entirely driven by higher levels of estimated uncollectible finance charges and fees in the company's Domestic Card business. This was due to seasonally higher levels of finance charge and fee reversal and a higher portion of the uncollectible finance charges and fees being recognized as a reduction of net revenue instead of being offset against the SOP 03-3 credit mark on acquired delinquent non-revolving credit card loans.
The higher levels of estimated uncollectible finance charges and fees coupled with a substantial increase in the proportion of lower-yielding cash and investment securities in anticipation of the call of high coupon trust securities resulted in a decrease in net interest margin of 45 basis points to 6.52 percent. Cost of funds in the fourth quarter declined 7 basis points to 0.99 percent.
Non-Interest Expense
Operating expenses were $2.9 billion in the fourth quarter, an increase of $133 million, or 5 percent, driven by higher year-end expense patterns and somewhat higher integration expenses. Marketing expense increased $77 million in the quarter to $393 million.
Provision for Credit Losses
Provision for credit losses was $1.2 billion in the quarter, up $137 million from the previous quarter, largely caused by an increasingly lower proportion of charge-offs related to acquired delinquent non-revolving credit card loans being absorbed by the SOP 03-3 credit mark than was absorbed in the third quarter and an expected seasonal increase to the underlying Domestic Card portfolio.
The net charge-off rate was 2.26 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012, an increase of 51 basis points from 1.75 percent in the third quarter, largely because of the diminishing impact of the credit mark discussed above. The net charge-off rate for Domestic Card increased to 4.35 percent from 3.04 percent, also driven by seasonality and the diminishing impact of the credit mark described above. The net charge-off rate for Auto Finance increased 45 basis points, while the rate for Commercial Banking increased 10 basis points.
Net Income
Net income decreased 28 percent in the fourth quarter driven by lower revenue and higher non-interest and credit expenses.
Capital Ratios
The company's estimated Tier 1 common ratio was approximately 11.0 percent as of December 31, 2012, up from 10.7 percent as of September 30, 2012.
Detailed segment information will be available in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012.
Earnings Conference Call Webcast Information
Presentation
Financial Supplement