- 2020 Fiscal First Quarter Net Income of $21.1 Million, or $0.56 Per Diluted Share -

- Sale of Community Bank Division Expected to be Completed in 2020 Fiscal Second Quarter -

SIOUX FALLS, S.D., Jan. 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Meta Financial Group, Inc.® (Nasdaq: CASH) (“Meta” or the “Company”) reported net income of $21.1 million, or $0.56 per diluted share, for the three months ended December 31, 2019, compared to net income of $15.4 million, or $0.39 per diluted share, for the three months ended December 31, 2018.

“Our ongoing efforts to enhance our earning asset mix and increasingly leverage our core deposit base continues to drive strong earnings growth - as evidenced by the 37% increase in earnings for the first quarter of fiscal 2020 compared to the same period last year,” said President and CEO Brad Hanson. “During the quarter, we also announced an agreement to sell our Community Bank division to Central Bank. This transaction allows us to sharpen our focus on our national lending platforms, growing our deposits within our payments divisions and continued improvement of our operating efficiencies. At Meta, we are fortunate to have talented employees and business partners who revel in opportunities to provide socially beneficial financial products and services to businesses and consumers who are often overlooked by traditional banks, while generating real value for our shareholders.”

Highlights for the 2020 Fiscal First Quarter Ended December 31, 2019

  • Total gross loans and leases at December 31, 2019 increased $255.0 million, or 8%, to $3.58 billion, compared to December 31, 2018 and decreased $68.1 million, or 2% when compared to September 30, 2019. The decrease compared to September 30, 2019 was driven by the transfer of $251.9 million of Community Banking loans to held for sale during the first quarter of fiscal 2020.
  • Average deposits from the payments divisions increased nearly 12% to $2.78 billion when compared to the same period in fiscal 2019.
  • Total revenue for the fiscal 2020 first quarter was $102.1 million, compared to $98.0 million for the same quarter in fiscal 2019, representing a 4% increase.
  • Net interest income was $64.7 million, compared to $60.3 million in the comparable quarter in fiscal 2019.
  • Net interest margin ("NIM") increased to 4.94% for the fiscal 2020 first quarter from 4.60% over the same period of the prior fiscal year, while the tax-equivalent net interest margin ("NIM, TE") increased to 4.99% from 4.76% over that same period in fiscal 2019.
  • During the quarter ended December 31, 2019, the Company repurchased 899,371 of its shares, at an average price of $34.17. This exhausted the remaining 319,228 shares that were available for repurchase by the Company at the beginning of fiscal 2020 under the share repurchase program announced during the fiscal 2019 second quarter. In addition, the Company also announced on November 20, 2019, the authorization by its Board of Directors of a new share repurchase program to repurchase up to an additional 7,500,000 shares of the Company's outstanding common stock. The new authorization is effective from November 21, 2019 through December 31, 2022.

Community Bank Divestiture

On November 20, 2019, the Company announced that MetaBank entered into a definitive agreement with Central Bank, a state-chartered bank headquartered in Storm Lake, Iowa, for the sale of the Community Bank division. The sale includes substantially all of the Community Bank's deposits, branch locations, fixed assets, employees, and a portion of the Community Bank’s loan portfolio. The final loan and deposit balances to be included in the transaction will depend on the outstanding balance of the Community Bank deposits at the time of closing. As of December 31, 2019, the Community Bank deposits were approximately $290 million. The final loan balances to be included in the transaction are expected to approximately match the final Community Bank deposit amount. The closing of the transaction is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain conditions, the receipt of third party and regulatory approval and satisfaction of customary closing conditions. The transaction is expected to close in the 2020 fiscal second quarter.

In connection with MetaBank's entry into the agreement with Central Bank, the Company reclassified the assets and liabilities to be sold to Central Bank as held for sale. In connection with the reclassification of the loans being sold in the Central Bank transaction to held for sale, the Company recorded a reduction to the provision for loan and lease losses within the community bank portfolio of $1.8 million during the fiscal first quarter. The remaining Community Bank loans not being sold to Central Bank will be retained by the Company under a servicing agreement with Central Bank. Also during the fiscal 2020 first quarter, the Company recognized the following pre-tax expenses related to the Community Bank transaction: $0.6 million in legal and consulting expense and $0.3 million in compensation and benefits expense and other miscellaneous income and expense.

During the quarter ended December 31, 2019, the Company also disposed of assets related to a previously disclosed Community Bank agricultural relationship that were held in other real estate owned (“OREO”), which represented 46 basis points of non-performing assets as of September 30, 2019. As part of this disposition, the Company recognized a $5.0 million loss from the sale of foreclosed property during the quarter ended December 31, 2019, which is included in the "(Loss) gain on sale of other" line on the Consolidated Statements of Operations. The Company also recognized $1.1 million in deferred rental income and $0.2 million in OREO expenses related to these foreclosed properties.

Net Interest Income
Net interest income for the fiscal 2020 first quarter was $64.7 million, an increase of 7%, from the same quarter in fiscal 2019. The increase was driven primarily by growth in loans and leases, mainly within the Company's commercial and warehouse finance portfolios.

During the first quarter of fiscal year 2020, loan and lease interest income grew by $8.2 million, when compared to the same quarter in fiscal 2019, offset in part by a decrease in investment interest income of $5.6 million, while interest expense decreased $1.7 million over that same period. The quarterly average outstanding balance of loans and leases as a percentage of interest-earning assets for the quarter ended December 31, 2019 increased to 72%, from 60% for the quarter ended December 31, 2018, while the quarterly average balance of total investments as a percentage of interest-earning assets decreased to 26% from 39% over that same period. The Company’s average interest-earning assets for the fiscal 2020 first quarter grew by $10.0 million, to $5.20 billion from the comparable quarter in fiscal 2019.

NIM increased to 4.94% for the fiscal 2020 first quarter from 4.60% for the comparable quarter in fiscal 2019. The net effect of purchase accounting accretion contributed six basis points to NIM for the fiscal 2020 first quarter as compared to 25 basis points and 18 basis points for the quarters ended September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively.

The overall reported tax-equivalent yield (“TEY”) on average earning asset yields increased by nine basis points to 5.98% for the fiscal 2020 first quarter compared to the fiscal 2019 first quarter, driven primarily by the Company's improved earning asset mix, which reflects higher balances for the national lending portfolio. The fiscal 2020 first quarter TEY on the securities portfolio was 2.65% compared to 3.13% for the same period of the prior fiscal year.

The Company's cost of funds for all deposits and borrowings averaged 1.01% during the fiscal 2020 first quarter, compared to 1.14% for the fiscal 2019 first quarter. This decrease was primarily due to a decrease in overnight borrowings rates as well as an increase in the average balance of the Company's noninterest-bearing deposits. The Company's overall cost of deposits was 0.81% in the fiscal first quarter of 2020, compared to 0.92% in the same quarter of fiscal 2019.

Noninterest Income
Fiscal 2020 first quarter noninterest income was $37.5 million, compared to $37.8 million for the same period of the prior year. This decrease was primarily due to a $2.6 million loss on sale of other during the fiscal 2020 first quarter compared to a gain on sale of other of $1.3 million during the fiscal 2019 first quarter. The loss on sale of other during the current period was driven primarily by the loss on sale of OREO, as described in the Community Bank Divestiture section above, partially offset by gains on the sale of loans and leases. Additionally, increases in rental income, other income, payments card and deposit fees, and tax advance product fees partially offset the loss on sale of other when comparing the fiscal 2020 first quarter to the same period of the prior year.

Noninterest Expense
Noninterest expense increased 2% to $75.8 million for the fiscal 2020 first quarter, from $74.3 million for the same quarter of fiscal 2019. The increase in noninterest expense when comparing the fiscal 2020 first quarter to the same period of the prior year was driven by increases in compensation and benefits expense, other expense, legal and consulting expense, tax advance product expense and operating lease equipment depreciation, partially offset by decreases in intangible amortization and card processing expense.

Income Tax Expense
The Company recorded income tax expense of $0.7 million, or an effective tax rate of 2.97%, for the fiscal 2020 first quarter, compared to an income tax benefit of $1.7 million, or an effective tax rate of (11.56)%, for the fiscal 2019 first quarter. The recorded income tax expense during the current quarter was due to an increase in net income before tax, as well as less investment tax credits recognized ratably when compared to the prior year quarter.

The Company originated $17.9 million in solar leases during the fiscal 2020 first quarter, compared to $35.6 million in solar leases originated during the fiscal 2019 first quarter. Investment tax credits related to solar leases are recognized ratably based on income throughout each fiscal year. The timing and impact of future solar tax credits are expected to vary from period to period, and Meta intends to undertake only those tax credit opportunities that meet the Company's underwriting and return criteria.

Investments, Loans and Leases

 December 31,
2019		 September 30,
2019		 June 30,
2019		 March 31,
2019		 December 31,
2018
Total investments$1,337,840  $1,407,257  $1,502,640  $1,649,754  $1,855,792 
          
Loans held for sale         
Consumer credit products—  122,299  45,582  42,342  24,233 
SBA/USDA13,883  26,478  17,257  17,403  9,327 
Community Bank(1)250,383  —  —  —  — 
Total loans held for sale264,266  148,777  62,839  59,745  33,560 
          
National Lending         
Term lending(2)695,347  645,978  565,883  510,506  492,496 
Asset based lending(2)250,633  250,465  229,573  230,557  207,981 
Factoring285,776  296,507  320,344  287,955  284,912 
Lease financing(2)223,715  173,679  161,810  152,561  144,484 
Insurance premium finance349,299  361,105  358,772  307,875  330,712 
SBA/USDA90,269  88,831  99,791  77,481  67,893 
Other commercial finance99,617  99,665  99,677  98,956  89,402 
Commercial Finance1,994,656  1,916,230  1,835,850  1,665,891  1,617,880 
Consumer credit products115,843  106,794  155,539  139,617  96,144 
Other consumer finance154,772  161,404  164,727  170,824  182,510 
Consumer Finance270,615  268,198  320,266  310,441  278,654 
Tax Services101,739  2,240  24,410  84,824  76,575 
Warehouse Finance272,522  262,924  250,003  186,697  176,134 
Total National Lending loans and leases2,639,532  2,449,592  2,430,529  2,247,853  2,149,243 
Community Banking         
Commercial real estate and operating682,399  883,932  877,412  869,917  863,753 
Consumer one-to-four family real estate and other220,588  259,425  256,853  257,079  256,341 
Agricultural real estate and operating40,778  58,464  61,169  60,167  58,971 
Total Community Banking loans943,765  1,201,821  1,195,434  1,187,163  1,179,065 
Total gross loans and leases3,583,297  3,651,413  3,625,963  3,435,016  3,328,308 
Allowance for loan and lease losses(30,176) (29,149) (43,505) (48,672) (21,290)
Net deferred loan and lease origination fees (costs)7,177  7,434  5,068  2,964  1,190 
Total loans and leases, net of allowance$3,560,298  $3,629,698  $3,587,526  $3,389,308  $3,308,208 

(1) The December 31, 2019 balance included $197.5 million of commercial real estate and operating loans, $40.4 million of consumer one-to-four family real estate and other loans, and $12.7 million of agricultural real estate and operating loans.
(2) The Company has updated the presentation of its loan and lease table beginning in the fiscal 2020 first quarter. The new presentation includes a new category called term lending. Certain balances previously included in the asset based lending and lease financing categories have been reclassified into the new term lending category during the fiscal 2020 first quarter. Prior period balances have been conformed to the new presentation.

The Company continued to utilize cash flow from its amortizing securities portfolio to fund loan and lease growth. Investment securities totaled $1.34 billion at December 31, 2019, as compared to $1.86 billion at December 31, 2018.

On October 1, 2019, the Company sold $111.7 million in held for sale consumer credit product loan balances, reducing the outstanding balance to zero as of December 31, 2019. In addition, the Company reclassified certain Community Banking loans to held for sale during the fiscal 2020 first quarter, as discussed further in the Community Bank Divestiture section above.

Total gross loans and leases increased $255.0 million, or 8%, to $3.58 billion at December 31, 2019, from $3.33 billion at December 31, 2018, which was primarily attributable to growth in the commercial finance and warehouse finance portfolios.

At December 31, 2019, commercial finance loans, which comprised 56% of the Company's gross loan and lease portfolio, totaled $1.99 billion, reflecting growth of $78.4 million, or 4%, from September 30, 2019. Tax services loans totaled $101.7 million, increasing from $2.2 million at September 30, 2019, as the Company began originating taxpayer advances and ERO loans in preparation of the 2019 tax season during the fiscal 2020 first quarter.

Asset Quality
The Company’s allowance for loan and lease losses was $30.2 million at December 31, 2019, compared to $21.3 million at December 31, 2018, driven primarily by increases in the allowance of $10.2 million in commercial finance and $0.6 million in consumer lending, partially offset by a decrease of $2.1 million in the community banking portfolio.

(Unaudited)Three Months Ended
Allowance for loan and lease loss activityDecember 31, 2019 September 30, 2019 December 31, 2018
(Dollars in thousands)     
Beginning balance$29,149  $43,505  $13,040 
Provision - tax services loans911  (9) 1,496 
Provision - all other loans and leases2,496  4,130  7,603 
Charge-offs - tax services loans—  (15,426) (42)
Charge-offs - all other loans and leases(3,918) (3,351) (2,762)
Recoveries - tax services loans739  10  92 
Recoveries - all other loans and leases799  290  1,863 
Ending balance$30,176  $29,149  $21,290 

Provision for loan and lease losses was $3.4 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2019, compared to $9.1 million for the comparable period in the prior fiscal year. The decrease in provision was primarily within the consumer finance portfolio, as well as within the community bank portfolio, which was related to the transfer of loans to held for sale in connection with the pending sale of the Community Bank division. Net charge-offs were $2.4 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2019 compared to $0.8 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2018. The overall increase in total net charge-offs from the comparable quarter of the prior fiscal year was primarily within the commercial finance portfolio.

The Company's nonperforming assets at December 31, 2019, were $29.8 million, representing 0.48% of total assets, compared to $56.5 million, or 0.91% of total assets at September 30, 2019 and $45.4 million, or 0.73% of total assets at December 31, 2018. The decrease in nonperforming assets was primarily driven by a reduction in foreclosed and repossessed assets. While the levels of nonperforming assets and charge-offs often exhibit some degree of volatility, the Company continuously monitors its various loan and lease portfolios for trends of deterioration, and, as of December 31, 2019, the Company's management remained comfortable with the risk characteristic trends of such portfolios.

At December 31, 2019, foreclosed and repossessed assets were $1.3 million, representing 0.02% of total assets, compared to $29.5 million, or 0.48% of total assets, at September 30, 2019 and $31.5 million, or 0.51% of total assets at December 31, 2018. The decrease in the foreclosed and repossessed assets balance at December 31, 2019, compared to September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018, was attributable to the Company disposing of assets during the fiscal 2020 first quarter, as discussed further in the Community Bank Divestiture section above.

Deposits, Borrowings and Other Liabilities
Total average deposits for the fiscal 2020 first quarter increased by $9.3 million to $4.61 billion compared to the same period in fiscal 2019. Average noninterest-bearing deposits grew by $242.9 million, or 10%, while average wholesale deposits decreased $225.7 million, or 13%, in each case, for the fiscal 2020 first quarter when compared to the same period in fiscal 2019. Average deposits from the payments divisions increased nearly 12% to $2.78 billion for the fiscal 2020 first quarter when compared to the same period in fiscal 2019.

The average balance of total deposits and interest-bearing liabilities was $5.13 billion for the three-month period ended December 31, 2019, compared to $5.10 billion for the same period in the prior fiscal year, representing an increase of 1%.

Total end-of-period deposits decreased 8% to $4.52 billion at December 31, 2019, compared to $4.94 billion at December 31, 2018. The decrease in end-of-period deposits was primarily a result of the transfer of $286.6 million of community bank deposits to held for sale during the first quarter of fiscal 2020.

Regulatory Capital
The Company and MetaBank remained above the federal regulatory minimum capital requirements at December 31, 2019 and continued to be classified as well-capitalized institutions. Regulatory capital ratios of the Company and the Bank are stated in the table below.

The tables below include certain non-GAAP financial measures that are used by investors, analysts and bank regulatory agencies to assess the capital position of financial services companies. Management reviews these measures along with other measures of capital as part of its financial analysis.

As of the dates indicatedDecember 31,
 2019		 September 30,
 2019		 June 30,
 2019		 March 31,
 2019		 December 31,
2018
Company         
Tier 1 leverage capital ratio8.28% 8.33% 8.05% 7.45% 7.90%
Common equity Tier 1 capital ratio10.10% 10.35% 10.19% 10.94% 10.10%
Tier 1 capital ratio10.46% 10.71% 10.55% 11.31% 10.47%
Total capital ratio12.74% 13.01% 13.22% 14.20% 12.69%
MetaBank         
Tier 1 leverage capital ratio9.70% 9.65% 9.37% 8.42% 9.01%
Common equity Tier 1 capital ratio12.18% 12.31% 12.22% 12.72% 11.87%
Tier 1 capital ratio12.24% 12.37% 12.27% 12.76% 11.91%
Total capital ratio12.90% 13.02% 13.26% 13.92% 12.41%

The following table provides the non-GAAP financial measures used to compute certain of the ratios included in the table above, as well as a reconciliation of such non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable financial measure in accordance with GAAP:

Standardized Approach(1)December 31,
 2019		 September 30,
 2019		 June 30,
 2019		 March 31,
 2019		 December 31,
2018
(Dollars in Thousands)         
Total stockholders' equity$837,068  $843,958  $822,901  $823,709  $770,728 
Adjustments:         
LESS: Goodwill, net of associated deferred tax liabilities304,020  304,020  302,850  302,768  299,037 
LESS: Certain other intangible assets47,855  50,501  53,249  56,456  61,317 
LESS: Net deferred tax assets from operating loss and tax credit carry-forwards16,876  15,569  13,858  7,381  4,720 
LESS: Net unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale securities3,897  6,458  2,329  (10,022) (28,829)
LESS: Non-controlling interest4,305  4,047  3,508  3,528  3,267 
LESS: Unrealized currency gains (losses)—  —  —  (242) (357)
Common Equity Tier 1(1)460,115  463,363  447,107  463,840  431,573 
Long-term borrowings and other instruments qualifying as Tier 113,661  13,661  13,661  13,661  13,661 
Tier 1 minority interest not included in common equity tier 1 capital2,372  2,350  2,119  2,064  1,796 
Total Tier 1 Capital476,148  479,374  462,887  479,565  447,030 
Allowance for loan and lease losses30,239  29,272  43,641  48,812  21,422 
Subordinated debentures (net of issuance costs)73,684  73,644  73,605  73,566  73,528 
Total qualifying capital$580,071  $582,290  $580,133  $601,963  $541,980 

(1) Capital ratios were determined using the Basel III capital rules that became effective on January 1, 2015. Basel III revised the definition of capital, increased minimum capital ratios, and introduced a minimum CET1 ratio; those changes are being fully phased in through the end of 2021.

The following table provides a reconciliation of tangible common equity and tangible common equity excluding AOCI, each of which is used in calculating tangible book value data, to Total Stockholders' Equity. Each of tangible common equity and tangible common equity excluding AOCI is a non-GAAP financial measure that is commonly used within the banking industry.

 December 31,
 2019		 September 30,
 2019		 June 30,
 2019		 March 31,
 2019		 December 31,
2018
(Dollars in Thousands)         
Total Stockholders' Equity$837,068  $843,958  $822,901  $823,709  $770,728 
Less: Goodwill309,505  309,505  307,941  307,464  303,270 
Less: Intangible assets50,151  52,810  56,153  60,506  66,366 
Tangible common equity477,412  481,643  458,807  455,739  401,092 
Less: Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) ("AOCI")3,895  6,339  2,308  (10,264) (29,186)
Tangible common equity excluding AOCI$473,517  $475,304  $456,499  $466,003  $430,278 

Future Outlook
The Company expects full-year fiscal 2020 GAAP earnings per common share to range between $3.58 to $3.78. When excluding an expected gain on sale of the Community Bank division and the net financial impact of the sale of foreclosed property, the Company expects full-year fiscal 2020 EPS to range between $3.30 and $3.50.

Conference Call
The Company will host a conference call and earnings webcast at 4:00 p.m. CST (5:00 p.m. EST) on Wednesday, January 29, 2020. The live webcast of the call can be accessed from Meta’s Investor Relations website at www.metafinancialgroup.com. Telephone participants may access the live conference call by dialing (844) 461-9934 beginning approximately 10 minutes prior to start time. Please ask to join the Meta Financial conference call, and provide conference ID 4678668 upon request. International callers should dial (636) 812-6634. A webcast replay will also be archived at www.metafinancialgroup.com for one year.

Annual Meeting of Shareholders
The Annual Meeting of Shareholders will convene at 9:00 am, local time, on Tuesday, February 25, 2020. The meeting will be held at the MetaBank Corporate Services Building, 5501 South Broadband Lane, Sioux Falls, SD. Further information with regard to this meeting can be found in the proxy statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on January 15, 2020. Copies of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2019 (excluding exhibits thereto) may be obtained from www.metafinancialgroup.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
The Company and MetaBank may from time to time make written or oral “forward-looking statements,” including statements contained in this press release, the Company’s filings with the SEC, the Company’s reports to stockholders, and in other communications by the Company and MetaBank, which are made in good faith by the Company pursuant to the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

You can identify forward-looking statements by words such as “may,” “hope,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “continue,” “could,” “future,” or the negative of those terms, or other words of similar meaning or similar expressions. You should carefully read statements that contain these words because they discuss our future expectations or state other “forward-looking” information. These forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to us and assumptions about future events, and include statements with respect to the Company’s beliefs, expectations, estimates, and intentions, which are subject to significant risks and uncertainties, and are subject to change based on various factors, some of which are beyond the Company’s control. Such risks, uncertainties and other factors may cause our actual growth, results of operations, financial condition, cash flows, performance and business prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. Such statements address, among others, the following subjects: future operating results; customer retention; loan and other product demand; important components of the Company's statements of financial condition and operations; growth and expansion; expectations concerning the Company's acquisitions and divestitures, including potential benefits of, and other expectations for the Company in connection with, such transactions; new products and services, such as those offered by MetaBank or the Company's Payments divisions (which include Meta Payment Systems, Refund Advantage, EPS Financial and Specialty Consumer Services); credit quality and adequacy of reserves; technology; and the Company's employees. The following factors, among others, could cause the Company's financial performance and results of operations to differ materially from the expectations, estimates, and intentions expressed in such forward-looking statements: maintaining our executive management team; expected growth opportunities may not be realized or may take longer to realize than expected; the risk that the transaction with Central Bank may not occur on a timely basis or at all; the parties ability to obtain third party and regulatory approvals, and otherwise satisfy the other conditions to closing the transaction with Central Bank, on a timely basis or at all; factors relating to the Company’s share repurchase program; actual changes in interest rates and the Fed Funds rate; additional changes in tax laws; the strength of the United States' economy, in general, and the strength of the local economies in which the Company conducts operations; the effects of, and changes in, trade, monetary, and fiscal policies and laws, including interest rate policies of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve”), as well as efforts of the United States Congress and the United States Treasury in conjunction with bank regulatory agencies to stimulate the economy and protect the financial system; inflation, market, and monetary fluctuations; the timely and efficient development of, and acceptance of, new products and services offered by the Company or its strategic partners, as well as risks (including reputational and litigation) attendant thereto, and the perceived overall value of these products and services by users; the risks of dealing with or utilizing third parties, including, in connection with the Company’s refund advance business, the risk of reduced volume of refund advance loans as a result of reduced customer demand for or acceptance of usage of Meta’s strategic partners’ refund advance products; any actions which may be initiated by our regulators in the future; the impact of changes in financial services laws and regulations, including, but not limited to, laws and regulations relating to the tax refund industry and the insurance premium finance industry; our relationship with our primary regulators, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Reserve, as well as the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, which insures MetaBank’s deposit accounts up to applicable limits; technological changes, including, but not limited to, the protection of electronic files or databases; acquisitions; litigation risk, in general, including, but not limited to, those risks involving MetaBank's divisions; the growth of the Company’s business, as well as expenses related thereto; continued maintenance by MetaBank of its status as a well-capitalized institution, particularly in light of our growing deposit base, a portion of which has been characterized as “brokered;” changes in consumer spending and saving habits; and the success of the Company at maintaining its high quality asset level and managing and collecting assets of borrowers in default should problem assets increase.

The foregoing list of factors is not exclusive. We caution you not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included in this press release speak only as of the date hereof. Additional discussions of factors affecting the Company’s business and prospects are reflected under the caption “Risk Factors” and in other sections of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the Company’s fiscal year ended September 30, 2019, and in other filings made with the SEC. The Company expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the Company or its subsidiaries, whether as a result of new information, changed circumstances, or future events or for any other reason.


Condensed Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition (Unaudited)
(Dollars in Thousands, Except Share Data)

ASSETSDecember 31,
2019		 September 30,
2019		 June 30,
2019		 March 31,
2019		 December 31,
2018
Cash and cash equivalents$152,189  $126,545  $100,732  $156,461  $164,169 
Investment securities available for sale, at fair value852,603  889,947  961,897  1,081,663  1,340,870 
Mortgage-backed securities available for sale, at fair value362,120  382,546  395,201  413,493  354,186 
Investment securities held to maturity, at cost116,313  127,582  138,128  146,992  153,075 
Mortgage-backed securities held to maturity, at cost6,804  7,182  7,414  7,606  7,661 
Loans held for sale264,266  148,777  62,839  59,745  33,560 
Loans and leases3,590,474  3,658,847  3,631,031  3,437,980  3,329,498 
Allowance for loan and lease losses(30,176) (29,149) (43,505) (48,672) (21,290)
Federal Home Loan Bank Stock, at cost13,796  30,916  17,236  7,436  15,600 
Accrued interest receivable18,687  20,400  19,722  20,281  22,076 
Premises, furniture, and equipment, net38,671  45,932  46,360  45,457  44,299 
Rental equipment, net211,673  208,537  184,732  140,087  146,815 
Bank-owned life insurance90,458  89,827  89,193  88,565  87,934 
Foreclosed real estate and repossessed assets1,328  29,494  29,514  29,548  31,548 
Goodwill309,505  309,505  307,941  307,464  303,270 
Intangible assets50,151  52,810  56,153  60,506  66,366 
Prepaid assets14,813  9,476  22,023  26,597  31,483 
Deferred taxes19,752  18,884  21,630  19,079  23,607 
Other assets97,499  54,832  52,831  49,754  48,038 
          
Total assets$6,180,926  6,182,890  $6,101,072  $6,050,042  $6,182,765 
          
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY         
          
LIABILITIES         
Deposits held for sale$288,975  $—  $—  $—  $— 
Deposits:         
Noninterest-bearing checking2,927,967  2,358,010  2,751,931  3,034,428  2,739,757 
Interest-bearing checking67,642  185,768  157,802  183,492  128,662 
Savings deposits17,436  49,773  52,179  59,978  52,229 
Money market deposits42,286  76,911  68,604  56,563  54,559 
Time certificates of deposit23,454  109,275  116,698  154,401  170,629 
Wholesale deposits1,438,820  1,557,268  1,628,000  1,481,445  1,790,611 
Total deposits4,517,605  4,337,005  4,775,214  4,970,307  4,936,447 
Short-term borrowings194,000  646,019  146,613  11,583  231,293 
Long-term borrowings213,070  215,838  209,765  99,800  88,983 
Accrued interest payable6,620  9,414  12,350  9,239  11,280 
Accrued expenses and other liabilities123,588  130,656  134,229  135,404  144,034 
Total liabilities5,343,858  5,338,932  5,278,171  5,226,333  5,412,037 
          
STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY         
Preferred stock—  —  —  —  — 
Common stock, $.01 par value372  378  379  395  394 
Common stock, Nonvoting, $.01 par value—  —  —  —  — 
Additional paid-in capital587,678  580,826  578,715  576,406  572,156 
Retained earnings244,005  252,813  238,004  258,600  228,453 
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)3,895  6,339  2,308  (10,264) (29,186)
Treasury stock, at cost(3,187) (445) (13) (4,956) (4,356)
Total equity attributable to parent832,763  839,911  819,393  820,181  767,461 
Noncontrolling interest4,305  4,047  3,508  3,528  3,267 
Total stockholders’ equity837,068  843,958  822,901  823,709  770,728 
          
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity$6,180,926  $6,182,890  $6,101,072  $6,050,042  $6,182,765 


Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited)
(Dollars in Thousands, Except Share and Per Share Data)

 Three Months Ended
 December 31, 2019 September 30, 2019 December 31, 2018
Interest and dividend income:     
Loans and leases, including fees$68,702  $70,628  $60,498 
Mortgage-backed securities2,389  2,768  2,698 
Other investments6,534  7,432  11,780 
 77,625  80,828  74,976 
Interest expense:     
Deposits9,340  10,917  10,596 
FHLB advances and other borrowings3,634  4,294  4,108 
 12,974  15,211  14,704 
      
Net interest income64,651  65,617  60,272 
      
Provision for loan for lease losses3,407  4,121  9,099 
      
Net interest income after provision for loan and lease losses61,244  61,496  51,173 
      
Noninterest income:     
Refund transfer product fees192  639  261 
Tax advance product fees2,276  (70) 1,685 
Payments card and deposit fees21,499  20,276  20,807 
Other bank and deposit fees487  492  482 
Rental income12,351  10,886  10,890 
Gain (loss) on sale of securities available-for-sale, net—  80  (22)
(Loss) gain on sale of other(2,568) 1,715  1,266 
Other income3,246  1,962  2,382 
Total noninterest income37,483  35,980  37,751 
      
Noninterest expense:     
Compensation and benefits34,268  38,461  33,010 
Refund transfer product expense173  48  10 
Tax advance product expense1,132  1  452 
Card processing5,607  5,008  7,085 
Occupancy and equipment expense6,655  7,265  6,458 
Operating lease equipment depreciation8,280  7,901  7,765 
Legal and consulting4,674  4,968  3,969 
Intangible amortization2,676  3,358  4,383 
Impairment expense242  —  — 
Other expense12,091  9,133  11,163 
Total noninterest expense75,798  76,143  74,295 
      
Income before income tax expense22,929  21,333  14,629 
      
Income tax expense (benefit)680  (130) (1,691)
      
Net income before noncontrolling interest22,249  21,463  16,320 
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest1,181  1,268  922 
Net income attributable to parent$21,068  $20,195  $15,398 
      
Earnings per common share     
Basic$0.56  $0.53  $0.39 
Diluted$0.56  $0.53  $0.39 
Shares used in computing earnings per share     
Basic37,431,788  37,868,788  39,335,054 
Diluted37,465,878  37,912,616  39,406,507 


Average Balances, Interest Rates and Yields
The following table presents, for the periods indicated, the total dollar amount of interest income from average interest-earning assets and the resulting yields, as well as the interest expense on average interest-bearing liabilities, expressed both in dollars and rates. Only the yield/rate reflects tax-equivalent adjustments. Non-accruing loans and leases have been included in the table as loans carrying a zero yield.

Three Months Ended December 31,2019 2018
(Dollars in Thousands)Average
Outstanding
Balance		 Interest
Earned /
Paid		 Yield /
Rate(1)		 Average
Outstanding
Balance		 Interest
Earned /
Paid		 Yield /
Rate(1)
Interest-earning assets:           
Cash and fed funds sold$99,597  $412  1.65% $45,383  $555  4.85%
Mortgage-backed securities376,358  2,389  2.53% 381,285  2,698  2.81%
Tax exempt investment securities490,982  2,339  2.40% 1,237,198  7,803  3.17%
Asset-backed securities303,885  2,354  3.08% 298,445  2,712  3.61%
Other investment securities197,513  1,429  2.88% 110,879  710  2.54%
Total investments1,368,738  8,511  2.65% 2,027,807  13,923  3.13%
Commercial finance loans and leases1,980,509  44,781  9.00% 1,562,054  39,281  9.98%
Consumer finance loans270,612  5,790  8.51% 291,421  6,230  8.48%
Tax services loans24,429  33  0.54% 11,009  2  0.07%
Warehouse finance loans265,564  4,174  6.25% 99,818  1,632  6.49%
National lending loans and leases2,541,114  54,778  8.58% 1,964,302  47,145  9.52%
Community banking loans1,194,082  13,924  4.64% 1,156,072  13,353  4.58%
Total loans and leases3,735,196  68,702  7.32% 3,120,374  60,498  7.69%
Total interest-earning assets$5,203,531  $77,625  5.98% $5,193,564  $74,976  5.89%
Non-interest-earning assets918,973      787,973     
Total assets$6,122,504      $5,981,537     
            
Interest-bearing liabilities:           
Interest-bearing checking$163,693  $153  0.37% $102,880  $58  0.23%
Savings48,776  9  0.08% 53,661  10  0.07%
Money markets80,528  205  1.01% 54,288  64  0.47%
Time deposits114,924  595  2.06% 205,049  881  1.71%
Wholesale deposits1,472,820  8,378  2.26% 1,698,492  9,583  2.24%
Total interest-bearing deposits1,880,741  9,340  1.98% 2,114,370  10,596  1.99%
Overnight fed funds purchased302,804  1,450  1.91% 393,315  2,481  2.50%
FHLB advances110,000  678  2.45% —  —  —%
Subordinated debentures73,658  1,160  6.26% 73,504  1,161  6.27%
Other borrowings33,589  346  4.10% 30,058  466  6.15%
Total borrowings520,051  3,634  2.78% 496,877  4,108  3.28%
Total interest-bearing liabilities2,400,792  12,974  2.15% 2,611,247  14,704  2.23%
Noninterest-bearing deposits2,732,062  —  —% 2,489,148  —  —%
Total deposits and interest-bearing liabilities$5,132,854  $12,974  1.01% $5,100,395  $14,704  1.14%
Other noninterest-bearing liabilities150,319      128,900     
Total liabilities5,283,173      5,229,295     
Shareholders' equity839,331      752,242     
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity$6,122,504      $5,981,537     
Net interest income and net interest rate spread including noninterest-bearing deposits  $64,651  4.97%   $60,272  4.75%
            
Net interest margin    4.94%     4.60%
Tax-equivalent effect    0.05%     0.16%
Net interest margin, tax-equivalent(2)    4.99%     4.76%

(1) Tax rate used to arrive at the TEY for the three months ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 was 21%.
(2) Net interest margin expressed on a fully-taxable-equivalent basis ("net interest margin, tax-equivalent") is a non-GAAP financial measure. The tax-equivalent adjustment to net interest income recognizes the estimated income tax savings when comparing taxable and tax-exempt assets and adjusting for federal and state exemption of interest income. The Company believes that it is a standard practice in the banking industry to present net interest margin expressed on a fully taxable equivalent basis and, accordingly, believes the presentation of this non-GAAP financial measure may be useful for peer comparison purposes.


Selected Financial Information
 
As of and For the Three Months EndedDecember 31,
2019		 September 30,
2019		 June 30,
2019		 March 31,
2019		 December 31,
2018
Equity to total assets13.54% 13.65% 13.49% 13.61% 12.47%
Book value per common share outstanding$22.52  $22.32  $21.72  $20.88  $19.56 
Tangible book value per common share outstanding$12.84  $12.74  $12.11  $11.55  $10.18 
Tangible book value per common share outstanding excluding AOCI$12.74  $12.57  $12.05  $11.81  $10.92 
Common shares outstanding37,172,081  37,807,064  37,878,205  39,450,938  39,405,508 
Non-performing assets to total assets0.48% 0.91% 0.84% 0.68% 0.73%
Non-performing loans and leases to total loans and leases0.62% 0.70% 0.57% 0.28% 0.42%
Net interest margin4.94% 4.95% 5.07% 5.06% 4.60%
Net interest margin, tax-equivalent4.99% 5.00% 5.15% 5.18% 4.76%
Return on average assets1.38% 1.32% 1.91% 1.89% 1.03%
Return on average equity10.04% 9.69% 14.17% 16.18% 8.19%
Full-time equivalent employees1,088  1,186  1,218  1,231  1,229 


Quarterly Amortization of Intangibles Expense
 
(Dollars in Thousands)ActualAnticipated
   
For the Three Months EndedDec 31,
 2019		Mar 31,
 2020		Jun 30,
 2020		Sep 30,
 2020		Dec 31,
 2020		Mar 31,
 2021		Jun 30,
 2021		Sep 30,
 2021		Dec 31,
 2021
          
Amortization of intangibles(1)$2,676 $3,393 $2,625 $2,270 $2,009 $2,753 $2,009 $1,757 $1,484 

(1) These amounts are based upon the current reporting period’s intangible assets only. This table makes no assumption for expenses related to future acquired intangible assets.

About Meta Financial Group®

Meta Financial Group, Inc.® (Nasdaq: CASH) is the holding company for the financial services company MetaBank® (“Meta”). Meta is a leader in providing innovative financial solutions to consumers and businesses in under-served niche markets, and believes in financial inclusion for all. Meta’s commercial lending division works with high-value niche industries, rapid-growth companies and technology adopters to grow their businesses and build more profitable customer relationships. Meta is one of the largest issuers of prepaid cards in the U.S., having issued more than a billion cards in partnership with banks, program managers, payments providers and other businesses, and offers a total payments services solution that includes ACH origination, wire transfers, and more. Meta has a national presence and over 1,000 employees, with corporate headquarters in Sioux Falls, S.D. For more information, visit the Meta Financial Group website.

Investor Relations and Media Contact: 
Brittany Kelley Elsasser 
Director of Investor Relations 
605-362-2423 
bkelley@metabank.com 

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