FEDERAL HOME LOAN BANK OF BOSTON ANNOUNCES 2023 SECOND QUARTER RESULTS, DECLARES DIVIDEND

BOSTON, July 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — The Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston announced its preliminary, unaudited second quarter results for 2023, reporting net income of $78.6 million for the quarter. The Bank expects to file its quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ending June 30, 2023, with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission next month.

The Bank’s board of directors has declared a dividend equal to an annual yield of 8.04%, the daily average of the Secured Overnight Financing Rate for the second quarter of 2023 plus 300 basis points. The dividend, based on average stock outstanding for the second quarter of 2023, will be paid on August 2, 2023. As always, dividends remain at the discretion of the board.

“FHLBank Boston’s strong earnings in the second quarter were driven by continued elevated market interest rates, increased average demand for advances, and higher yields in our investment portfolio,” said President and CEO Timothy J. Barrett. “While average advances remained elevated in the quarter, total advances at quarter-end returned to levels seen prior to the March 2023 liquidity crisis. We are pleased to set aside $10.7 million in total, including a voluntary $2.0 million contribution above our required contribution, for the critical Affordable Housing Program our members rely upon to support the development of affordable housing throughout New England.”

Second Quarter 2023 Operating Highlights

The Bank’s overall results of operations are influenced by the economy, financial markets and, in particular, by members’ demand for advances. During the second quarter of 2023, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) raised the target range for the federal funds rate to between 500 and 525 basis points. Despite modest increases in both short-term and intermediate-term interest rates, the yield-curve inversion continued during the quarter, reflecting concerns over a potential economic downturn. However, the prospect of high outflow of deposits in the banking industry largely dissipated. As a result of this improved liquidity outlook, there was a significant decrease in members’ demand for wholesale funding, leading to a decline in advances during the quarter ended June 30, 2023.

Net income for the quarter ending June 30, 2023, was $78.6 million, compared with net income of $41.0 million for the second quarter of 2022, the result of an increase of $40.2 million in net interest income after provision for credit losses. These results led to a $8.7 million statutory contribution to the Bank’s AHP for the quarter, an increase of $4.2 million compared to the second quarter of 2022. In addition, the Bank made a voluntary contribution of $2.0 million to the Affordable Housing Program for the quarter ending June 30, 2023.

Net interest income after provision for credit losses for the three months ended June 30, 2023, was $109.6 million, compared with $69.4 million for 2022. The $40.2 million increase in net interest income after provision for credit losses was driven by growth in our average advances and average investment portfolios, growth in average capital, and an increase in yields in the three months ended June 30, 2023, resulting from higher market interest rates compared to the same period in 2022. These improvements to net interest income were moderated by a $23.6 million decrease of net gains on fair value hedges, attributed to the smaller increase in intermediate-term interest rates during the quarter compared to the same quarter one year ago.

Net interest spread was 0.27% for the three months ended June 30, 2023, a decrease of 27 basis points from the same period in 2022 and net interest margin was 0.59%, a decrease of 2 basis points from 2022. The decrease of net interest spread and margin was primarily attributable to the decline in net gains and losses on fair value hedges and net accretion of MBS premium, in addition to the impact of higher concentrations of advances and short-term investments on our balance sheet, which tend to have lower spreads to funding costs.

June 30, 2023 Balance-Sheet Highlights

Total assets increased $384.0 million, or 0.6 percent, to $63.3 billion at June 30, 2023, up slightly from $62.9 billion at year-end 2022. This net increase in total assets consisted of an increase in investments and mortgage loans, largely offset by a decrease in advances. Total investments were $19.3 billion at June 30, 2023, an increase of $1.4 billion from $17.9 billion at the prior year end, while advances ended the second quarter of 2023 at $40.2 billion, a decrease of $1.4 billion, or 3.3%, from $41.6 billion at December 31, 2022. Mortgage loans totaled $2.8 billion at June 30, 2023, an increase of $48.9 million from year-end 2022 as mortgage origination activity increased in the second quarter of 2023.

GAAP capital at June 30, 2023, was $3.5 billion, an increase of $54.5 million from $3.4 billion at year-end 2022. During the first six months of 2023, capital stock decreased by $25.1 million, primarily attributable to the decrease in advances. Total retained earnings grew to $1.8 billion during the first half of 2023, an increase of $64.9 million, or 3.8%, from December 31, 2022. Of this amount, restricted retained earnings⁽³⁾ totaled $426.8 million at June 30, 2023. Accumulated other comprehensive loss totaled $291.7 million at June 30, 2023, an improvement of $14.7 million from accumulated other comprehensive loss as of December 31, 2022.

The Bank was in compliance with all regulatory capital ratios at June 30, 2023, and in the most recent information available was classified “adequately capitalized” by its regulator, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, based on the Bank’s financial information at March 31, 2023.⁽¹⁾ 

About the Bank

The Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston is a cooperatively owned wholesale bank for housing finance in the six New England states. Its mission is to provide highly reliable wholesale funding and liquidity to its member financial institutions in New England. The Bank also develops and delivers competitively priced financial products, services, and expertise that support housing finance, community development, and economic growth, including programs targeted to lower-income households.

Contact:
Adam Coldwell
617-292-9774
[email protected]com

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Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

This release, including the unaudited balance sheet highlights and income statement highlights, uses forward-looking statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which include statements with respect to the Bank’s plans, objectives, projections, estimates, or predictions. These statements are based on the Bank’s expectations as of the date hereof. The words “preliminary,” “expects,” “will,” “continue,” and similar statements and their plural and negative forms are used in this notification to identify some, but not all, of such forward-looking statements. For example, statements about future declarations of dividends and expectations for advances balances, mortgage-loan investments, and net income are forward-looking statements, among other forward-looking statements herein.

The Bank cautions that, by their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the application of accounting standards relating to, among other things, the amortization and accretion of premiums and discounts on financial assets, financial liabilities, and certain fair value gains and losses; hedge accounting of derivatives and underlying financial instruments; the fair values of financial instruments, including investment securities and derivatives; the allowance for credit losses on investment securities and mortgage loans; instability in the credit and debt markets; economic conditions (including FOMC activity); changes in demand for advances or consolidated obligations of the Bank or the Federal Home Loan Bank system; changes in interest rates; volatility of market prices, rates, and indices that could affect the value of financial instruments; the discontinuance of LIBOR and the adverse consequences it could have for market participants, including the Bank; the Bank’s ability to execute its business model and pay future dividends; and prepayment speeds on mortgage assets. In addition, the Bank reserves the right to change its plans for any programs for any reason, including but not limited to, legislative or regulatory changes, changes in membership, or changes at the discretion of the board of directors. Accordingly, the Bank cautions that actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements or could impact the extent to which a particular plan, objective, projection, estimate or prediction is realized, and you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such statements. The Bank does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement herein or that may be made from time to time on behalf of the Bank.

SOURCE Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston