VersaBank 6-K, filed Dec 1, 2021
VersaBank (VBNK)
About this 6-K
VersaBank filed this 6-K on December 1, 2021.
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 6-K
REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER
PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-16 OR 15d-16
UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the month of December 2021
Commission File Number: 001-40805
VersaBank
(Exact name of registrant as specified in itscharter)
140 Fullarton Street, Suite 2002
London, Ontario N6A 5P2
Canada
(Address of principal executive offices)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F.
| Form 20-F ¨ | Form 40-F x |
|---|
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1): ¨
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7): ¨
On December 1, 2021, VersaBank issued a Consolidated Financial Statement Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Operations and Financial Condition for the Year Ended October 31, 2021, a press release regarding fourth quarter and year end 2021 results and a press release regarding dividends, copies of which are furnished as Exhibit 99.1, Exhibit 99.2, Exhibit 99.3 and Exhibit 99.4, respectively, to this Report of Foreign Private Issuer on Form 6-K.
The information in this Form 6-K (including Exhibit 99.1, Exhibit 99.2, Exhibit 99.3 and Exhibit 99.4) shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Exchange Act.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
| VERSABANK | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date: December 1, 2021 | By: | /s/ Shawn Clarke | |
| Name: | Shawn Clarke | ||
| Title: | Chief Financial Officer |
EXHIBIT INDEX
| Exhibit<br><br> <br>No. | Description |
|---|---|
| 99.1 | Consolidated Financial Statement Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020. |
| 99.2 | Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Operations and Financial Condition for the Year Ended October 31, 2021. |
| 99.3 | Press Release dated December 1, 2021 titled “VERSABANK<br> REPORTS CONTINUED STRONG<br> FINANCIAL RESULTS FOR<br> THE FOURTH QUARTER<br> AND YEAR END<br> 2021, HIGHLIGHTED BY RECORD<br> NET INCOME FOR<br> EACH PERIOD AND<br> A RECORD LOAN PORTFOLIO.” |
| 99.4 | Press Release<br> dated December 1, 2021 titled “VERSABANK DECLARES<br> DIVIDENDS.” |
Exhibit 99.1

Consolidated FinancialStatements
Years ended October31, 2021 and 2020

KPMG LLP
Bay Adelaide Centre
333 Bay Street, Suite 4600 Toronto, ON M5H 2S5 Canada
Tel 416-777-8500
Fax 416-777-8818
INDEPENDENT AUDITORS’ REPORT
To the Shareholders of VersaBank
Opinion
We have audited the consolidated financial statements of VersaBank (the Bank), which comprise:
| · | the consolidated balance sheets as at October 31, 2021 and October 31, 2020 |
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| · | the consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income for the years then ended |
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| · | the consolidated statements of changes in shareholders’ equity for the years then ended |
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| · | the consolidated statements of cash flows for the years then ended |
| --- | --- |
| · | and notes to the consolidated financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies |
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(Hereinafter referred to as the “financial statements”).
In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of the Bank as at October 31, 2021 and October 31, 2020, and its consolidated financial performance and its consolidated cash flows for the years then ended in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board.
Basis for Opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with Canadian generally accepted auditing standards. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditors’Responsibilities for the Audit of the Financial Statements section of our auditors’ report.
We are independent of the Bank in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in Canada and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements.
KPMG LLP, an Ontario limited liability partnership and member firm of the KPMG global organization of independent member firms affiliated with KPMG International Limited, a private English company limited by guarantee.
KPMG Canada provides services to KPMG LLP.

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We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
Key Audit Matters
Key audit matters are those matters that, in our professional judgment, were of most significance in our audit of the financial statements for the year ended October 31, 2021. These matters were addressed in the context of our audit of the financial statements as a whole, and in forming our opinion thereon, and we do not provide a separate opinion on these matters.
We have determined the matters described below to be the key audit matters to be communicated in our auditors’ report.
Assessment of Allowance for Credit Losses for Performing Loans
Description of the matter
We draw attention to Notes 2(e), 3(d) and 6 to the financial statements. The Bank’s allowance for expected credit losses (ECL) for performing loans is $1,453,000. The Bank’s ECL model develops contractual cashflow profiles for loans. The ECL calculation is a function of the credit risk parameters; probability of default and loss given default associated with each loan, sensitized to future market and macroeconomic conditions through the incorporation of forward looking information (FLI).
The Bank exercises significant judgments in:
| • | Assessing significant increase in credit risk (SICR) since initial recognition |
|---|---|
| • | Selecting relevant FLI. |
| --- | --- |
The Bank has also applied expert credit judgment (ECJ), where appropriate, to reflect, amongst other items, uncertainty in the Canadian macroeconomic environment attributable to the continued impact of COVID-19.
Why the matter is a key audit matter
We identified the assessment of the ECL for performing loans as a key audit matter. This matter represented an area of significant risk of material misstatement. Significant auditor judgement was required due to the high degree of estimation uncertainty in determining the estimate and the significant judgements described above. Assessing the ECL for performing loans required significant auditor effort and specialized skills and knowledge to apply audit procedures and evaluate the results of those procedures.

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How the matter was addressed in theaudit
The following were the primary procedures we performed to address this key audit matter.
We evaluated the design and tested the operating effectiveness of certain controls over the Bank’s ECL process. This included the Bank’s controls related to:
| – | The determination of loan risk ratings used to identify whether there<br>has been a SICR |
|---|---|
| – | Management’s review of ECL which includes their review of FLI and<br>the application of ECJ. |
| --- | --- |
| – | We involved credit risk professionals with specialized skills and industry<br>knowledge who assisted in evaluating: |
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| – | The methodology used by the Bank to determine a SICR by assessing compliance<br>with the relevant accounting standard, and assessing the probability of default and loss given default used in calculating ECL by comparing<br>to industry data |
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| – | The appropriateness of FLI applied at the credit risk parameter level by comparing against external macroeconomic<br>data |
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| – | The methodology and appropriateness of ECJ adjustments to the modeled<br>results by applying our industry knowledge and relevant credit experience. |
| --- | --- |
For a selection of loans, we independently assessed the assigned loan risk ratings against the Bank’s loan risk rating scale.
Other Information
Management is responsible for the other information. Other information comprises the information included in Management’s Discussion and Analysis filed with the relevant Canadian Securities Commissions.
Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and we do not and will not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.
In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information identified above and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit and remain alert for indications that the other information appears to be materially misstated.
We obtained the information included in Management’s Discussion and Analysis filed with the relevant Canadian Securities Commissions as at the date of this auditors’ report. If, based on the work we have performed on this other information, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact in the auditors’ report.

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We have nothing to report in this regard.
Responsibilities of Management and Those Charged with Governance for the Financial Statements
Management is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of the financial statements in accordance with IFRS as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, and for such internal control as management determines is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
In preparing the financial statements, management is responsible for assessing the Bank’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless management either intends to liquidate the Bank or to cease operations, or has no realistic alternative but to do so.
Those charged with governance are responsible for overseeing the Bank’s financial reporting process.
Auditors’ Responsibilities for the Audit of the Financial Statements
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditors’ report that includes our opinion.
Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with Canadian generally accepted auditing standards will always detect a material misstatement when it exists.
Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of the financial statements.
As part of an audit in accordance with Canadian generally accepted auditing standards, we exercise professional judgment and maintain professional skepticism throughout the audit.

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We also:
| • | Identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial<br>statements, whether due to fraud or error, design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, and obtain audit evidence that<br>is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. |
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The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal control.
| • | Obtain an understanding of internal control relevant to the audit in order<br>to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness<br>of the Bank’s internal control. |
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| • | Evaluate the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates<br>and related disclosures made by management. |
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| • | Conclude on the appropriateness of management’s use of the going concern basis of accounting and, based on<br>the audit evidence obtained, whether a material uncertainty exists related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on<br>the Bank’s ability to continue as a going concern. If we conclude that a material uncertainty exists, we are required to draw attention<br>in our auditors’ report to the related disclosures in the financial statements or, if such disclosures are inadequate, to modify<br>our opinion. Our conclusions are based on the audit evidence obtained up to the date of our auditors’ report. However, future events<br>or conditions may cause the Bank to cease to continue as a going concern. |
| --- | --- |
| • | Evaluate the overall presentation, structure and content of the financial statements, including the disclosures,<br>and whether the financial statements represent the underlying transactions and events in a manner that achieves fair presentation. |
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| • | Communicate with those charged with governance regarding, among other matters, the planned scope and timing<br>of the audit and significant audit findings, including any significant deficiencies in internal control that we identify during our audit. |
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| • | Provide those charged with governance with a statement that we have complied with relevant ethical requirements<br>regarding independence, and communicate with them all relationships and other matters that may reasonably be thought to bear on our independence,<br>and where applicable, related safeguards. |
| --- | --- |
| • | Obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence regarding<br>the financial information of the entities or business activities<br>within the Bank to express an opinion on |
| --- | --- |

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the financial statements. We are responsible for the direction, supervision and performance of the group audit. We remain solely responsible for our audit opinion.
| • | Determine, from the matters communicated with those charged with governance, those matters that were<br>of most significance in the audit of the financial statements of the current period and are therefore the key audit matters. We describe<br>these matters in our auditors’ report unless law or regulation precludes public disclosure about the matter or when, in extremely<br>rare circumstances, we determine that a matter should not be communicated in our auditors’ report because the adverse consequences<br>of doing so would reasonably be expected to outweigh the public interest benefits of such communication. |
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/s/ KPMG LLP
Chartered Professional Accountants, Licensed Public Accountants
The engagement partner on the audit resulting in this auditors’ report is Paula M. Foster.
Toronto, Canada
November 30, 2021
VERSABANK
Consolidated Balance Sheets
As at October 31, 2021 and 2020
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | ||||
| Assets | |||||
| Cash (note 5) | $ | 271,523 | $ | 257,644 | |
| Loans, net of allowance for credit losses (note 6) | 2,103,050 | 1,654,910 | |||
| Other assets (note 7) | 40,513 | 31,331 | |||
| $ | 2,415,086 | $ | 1,943,885 | ||
| Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity | |||||
| Deposits (note 9) | $ | 1,853,204 | $ | 1,567,570 | |
| Subordinated notes payable (note 10) | 95,272 | 4,889 | |||
| Securitization liabilities (note 11) | - | 8,745 | |||
| Other liabilities (note 12) | 134,504 | 107,393 | |||
| 2,082,980 | 1,688,597 | ||||
| Shareholders' equity: | |||||
| Share capital (note 13) | 241,466 | 182,094 | |||
| Retained earnings | 90,644 | 73,194 | |||
| Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) | (4 | ) | - | ||
| 332,106 | 255,288 | ||||
| $ | 2,415,086 | $ | 1,943,885 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Consolidated Financial Statements.
On behalf of the Board:
| /s/ David R. Taylor | /s/ Hon. Thomas A. Hockin |
|---|---|
| David R. Taylor | Hon. Thomas A. Hockin |
| President and Chief Executive Officer | Chair of the Board |
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VERSABANK
Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
| (thousands of Canadian dollars, except per share amounts) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | |||||
| Interest income: | ||||||
| Loans | $ | 88,055 | $ | 83,232 | ||
| Other | 1,433 | 2,862 | ||||
| 89,488 | 86,094 | |||||
| Interest expense: | ||||||
| Deposits and other | 26,446 | 31,461 | ||||
| Subordinated notes | 2,885 | 508 | ||||
| 29,331 | 31,969 | |||||
| Net interest income | 60,157 | 54,125 | ||||
| Non-interest income (note 4) | 5,200 | 60 | ||||
| Total revenue | 65,357 | 54,185 | ||||
| Provision for (recovery of) credit losses (note 6(b)) | (438 | ) | (344 | ) | ||
| 65,795 | 54,529 | |||||
| Non-interest expenses: | ||||||
| Salaries and benefits | 20,243 | 16,964 | ||||
| General and administrative | 11,110 | 8,357 | ||||
| Premises and equipment | 3,653 | 2,456 | ||||
| 35,006 | 27,777 | |||||
| Income before income taxes | 30,789 | 26,752 | ||||
| Income tax provision (note 15) | 8,409 | 7,347 | ||||
| Net income | $ | 22,380 | $ | 19,405 | ||
| Other comprehensive income (loss): | ||||||
| Items that may subsequently be reclassified to net income: | ||||||
| Foreign exchange gain (loss) on translation of | ||||||
| foreign operations | (4 | ) | - | |||
| Comprehensive income | $ | 22,376 | $ | 19,405 | ||
| Basic and diluted income per common share (note 16) | $ | 0.96 | $ | 0.82 | ||
| Weighted average number of | ||||||
| common shares outstanding | 21,752,930 | 21,123,559 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Consolidated Financial Statements.
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versabank
Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | |||||
| Common shares (note 13): | ||||||
| Balance, beginning of the year | $ | 152,612 | $ | 152,612 | ||
| Issued during the year | 75,101 | - | ||||
| Cancelled during the year | (39 | ) | - | |||
| Balance, end of the year | $ | 227,674 | $ | 152,612 | ||
| Preferred shares (note 13): | ||||||
| Series 1 preferred shares | ||||||
| Balance, beginning and end of the year | $ | 13,647 | $ | 13,647 | ||
| Series 3 preferred shares | ||||||
| Balance, beginning of the year | $ | 15,690 | $ | 15,690 | ||
| Redemption of preferred shares | (15,690 | ) | - | |||
| Balance, end of the year | $ | - | $ | 15,690 | ||
| Contributed surplus (note 13): | ||||||
| Balance, beginning and end of the year | $ | 145 | $ | 145 | ||
| Total share capital | $ | 241,466 | $ | 182,094 | ||
| Retained earnings: | ||||||
| Balance, beginning of the year | $ | 73,194 | $ | 58,069 | ||
| Adjustment for cancelled common shares | 39 | - | ||||
| Transfer of transaction costs on redemption of Series 3, | ||||||
| preferred shares (note 13) | (1,123 | ) | - | |||
| Net income | 22,380 | 19,405 | ||||
| Dividends paid on common and preferred shares | (3,846 | ) | (4,280 | ) | ||
| Balance, end of the year | $ | 90,644 | $ | 73,194 | ||
| Accumulated other comprehensive income, net of taxes: | ||||||
| Balance, beginning of the year | $ | - | $ | - | ||
| Other comprehensive income (loss) | (4 | ) | - | |||
| Balance, end of the year | $ | (4 | ) | $ | - | |
| Total shareholders' equity | $ | 332,106 | $ | 255,288 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Consolidated Financial Statements.
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versabank
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | |||||
| Cash provided by (used in): | ||||||
| Operations: | ||||||
| Net income | $ | 22,380 | $ | 19,405 | ||
| Adjustments to determine net cash flows: | ||||||
| Items not involving cash: | ||||||
| Provision for (recovery of) credit losses | (322 | ) | (344 | ) | ||
| Income tax provision | 8,409 | 7,347 | ||||
| Interest income | (89,488 | ) | (86,094 | ) | ||
| Interest expense | 29,331 | 31,969 | ||||
| Amortization | 1,729 | 1,149 | ||||
| Foreign exchange rate changes on debt | 743 | - | ||||
| Interest received | 85,390 | 83,363 | ||||
| Interest paid | (30,803 | ) | (30,913 | ) | ||
| Income taxes paid | (1,388 | ) | - | |||
| Change in operating assets and liabilities: | ||||||
| Loans | (443,684 | ) | (57,398 | ) | ||
| Deposits | 287,104 | 166,542 | ||||
| Change in other assets and liabilities | 22,294 | 4,569 | ||||
| (108,305 | ) | 139,595 | ||||
| Investing: | ||||||
| Acquisition of Digital Boundary Group, | ||||||
| net of cash acquired (note 4) | (7,473 | ) | - | |||
| Purchase of investment (note 7) | (953 | ) | - | |||
| Proceeds from sale and maturity of securities | - | 10,000 | ||||
| Purchase of property and equipment | (14 | ) | (245 | ) | ||
| (8,440 | ) | 9,755 | ||||
| Financing: | ||||||
| Issuance of subordinated notes payable, | ||||||
| net of issue costs (note 10) | 89,498 | - | ||||
| Issuance of common shares, | ||||||
| net of issue costs (note 13) | 73,226 | - | ||||
| Redemption of preferred shares (note 13) | (16,813 | ) | - | |||
| Repayment of loan assumed from Digital Boundary Group | (1,410 | ) | - | |||
| Redemption of securitization liability (note 11) | (8,631 | ) | (24,530 | ) | ||
| Dividends paid | (3,846 | ) | (4,280 | ) | ||
| Repayment of lease obligations | (621 | ) | (355 | ) | ||
| Income taxes paid | - | (1,686 | ) | |||
| 131,403 | (30,851 | ) | ||||
| Change in cash | 14,658 | 118,499 | ||||
| Effect of exchange rate changes on cash | (779 | ) | - | |||
| Cash, beginning of year | 257,644 | 139,145 | ||||
| Cash, end of year (note 5) | $ | 271,523 | $ | 257,644 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Consolidated Financial Statements.
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Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
| 1. | Reporting entity: |
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VersaBank (the “Bank”) operates as a Schedule I bank under the Bank Act (Canada) and is regulated by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (“OSFI”). The Bank, whose shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange and on the NASDAQ, provides commercial lending services to select niche markets in Canada.
The Bank is incorporated and domiciled in Canada, and maintains its registered office at Suite 2002, 140 Fullarton Street, London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 5P2.
| 2. | Basis of preparation: |
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These Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with the Bank Act (Canada). The Superintendent of Financial Institutions Canada (the “Superintendent” or “OSFI”), has instructed that the financial statements are to be prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”). The significant accounting policies used in the preparation of these consolidated financial statements, including the accounting requirements of the Superintendent, are summarized below. These accounting policies conform, in all material respects, to IFRS.
| a) | Statement of compliance: |
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These Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with IFRS as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (“IASB”).
| b) | Date authorized for issuance: |
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These Consolidated Financial Statements were approved and authorized for issue by the Board of Directors of the Bank on November 30, 2021.
| c) | Basis of measurement: |
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These Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared on the historical cost basis except for assets and liabilities acquired in a business combination which are measured at fair value at the date of acquisition (see note 4), and the investment in Canada Stablecorp Inc. (see note 7) which is also measured at fair value in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.
| d) | Functional and presentation currency: |
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These Consolidated Financial Statements are presented in Canadian dollars which is the Bank’s functional currency. Functional currency is also determined for each of the Bank’s subsidiaries and items included in the financial statements of the subsidiaries are measured using their functional currency.
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Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
| 2. | Basis of preparation – continued: |
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| e) | Use of estimates and judgments: |
| --- | --- |
In preparing these Consolidated Financial Statements, management has exercised judgment and developed estimates in applying accounting policies and generating reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and income and expenses during the reporting periods. Areas where significant judgement was applied include assessing significant increases in credit risk on financial assets since initial recognition and in the selection of relevant forward looking information as described in note 3 – Financial instruments. Estimates are applied in the determination of the allowance for expected credit losses on financial assets, the purchase price allocation associated with the Bank’s acquisition of Digital Boundary Group, the impairment test applied to intangible assets and goodwill, and the measurement of deferred income taxes. It is reasonably possible, on the basis of existing knowledge, that actual results may vary from that expected in the development of these estimates. This could result in material adjustments to the carrying amounts of assets and/or liabilities affected in the future.
Estimates and assumptions made by the Bank, in particular as they relate to the Bank’s expected credit losses and capital management attempt to incorporate the current and anticipated impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, (“COVID-19”). Expanded discussion on the impact of COVID-19 on expected credit losses and capital management is included in note 6 – Loans, and note 22 – Capital management, respectively.
Estimates and their underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are applied prospectively once they are known.
| 3. | Significant accounting policies: |
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The significant accounting policies used in the preparation of these Consolidated Financial Statements were applied consistently to all years and are summarized below:
| a) | Principles of consolidation: |
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The Bank holds 100% of the common shares of DRT Cyber Inc., 11409891 Canada Inc., 1422894 Ontario Limited and VersaJet Inc. DRT Cyber Inc. holds 100% of the common shares of 2021945 Ontario Inc. (see note 4 – Acquisition). The Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of these subsidiaries. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.
| b) | Business Combinations |
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The Bank applied IFRS 3 Business Combinations in its accounting for the acquisition of Digital Boundary Group as described in note 4 – Acquisition using the acquisition method. The cost of an acquisition is measured at the fair value of the consideration, including contingent consideration if applicable, given at the acquisition date. Contingent consideration is a financial instrument and, as such, is remeasured each period thereafter with the adjustment recorded to acquisition-related fair
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Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
| 3. | Significant accounting policies – continued: |
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value changes in the consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income. Acquisition-related costs are recognized as an expense in the income statement in the period in which they are incurred. The acquired identifiable assets, liabilities and contingent liabilities are measured at fair value at the date of acquisition. Goodwill is measured as the excess of the aggregate of the consideration transferred, including, if applicable, any amount of any non-controlling interest in the acquiree, over the net of the recognized amounts of the identifiable assets acquired and the liabilities assumed.
| c) | Revenue recognition: |
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Interest income on cash and loans is recognized in net interest income using the effective interest rate method over the expected life of the instrument. Interest income earned but not yet collected on cash and loans is included in the respective cash and loans categories on the Consolidated Balance Sheets.
Interest income is recognized on impaired loans and is accrued using the rate of interest used to discount the future cash flows for purposes of measuring the impairment loss. Loan fees integral to the yield on the loan are amortized to interest income using the effective interest rate method; otherwise, the fees are recorded in non-interest income.
The acquisition of 2021945 Ontario Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiary, operating as Digital Boundary Group (see note 4 – Acquisition), generates a non-interest revenue stream for the Bank. Digital Boundary Group generates professional services revenue primarily from fees charged for IT security assurance services, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system assessments, as well as IT security training. Revenue is recognized when service is rendered and performance obligations have been satisfied and no material uncertainties remain as to the collection of receivables.
| d) | Financial instruments: |
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Classification and Measurement
Under IFRS 9, all financial assets must be classified at initial recognition as a function of the financial asset’s contractual cash flow characteristics and the business model under which the financial asset is managed. All financial assets are initially measured at fair value, and are classified and subsequently measured at amortized cost, fair value through profit or loss or fair value through other comprehensive income. Financial assets are required to be reclassified when the business model under which they are managed has changed. Any reclassifications are applied prospectively from the reclassification date. All financial liabilities are measured at amortized cost unless elected otherwise.
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Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
| 3. | Significant accounting policies – continued: |
|---|---|
| d) | Financial instruments – continued: |
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Debt instruments
Financial assets that are debt instruments are categorized into one of the following measurement categories:
| • | amortized cost; |
|---|---|
| • | fair value through other comprehensive income (“FVOCI”); |
| --- | --- |
| • | fair value through profit and loss (“FVTPL”). |
| --- | --- |
The characterization of a debt instrument’s cashflows is determined through a solely payment of principal and interest (“SPPI”) test. The SPPI test is conducted to identify whether the contractual cash flows of a debt instrument are in fact solely payments of principal and interest and are consistent with a basic lending arrangement. In the context of the SPPI test, “Principal” is defined as the fair value of the debt instrument at origination or initial recognition, which may change over the life of the instrument as a function of a number of variables including principal repayments, prepayments, or amortization of a premium/discount. In the context of the SPPI test “Interest” is defined as the consideration for the time value of money and credit risk. The rationale for the SPPI test is to ensure that debt instruments that include structural features that are incongruent with a basic lending arrangement, such as conversion options, are classified as, and measured at FVTPL.
Debt instruments measured at amortizedcost
The Bank’s debt instruments are measured at amortized cost. Debt instruments with contractual cash flows that meet the SPPI test and are managed on a hold to collect basis are measured at amortized cost. These financial instruments are recognized initially at fair value plus direct and incremental transaction costs, and are subsequently measured at amortized cost, using the effective interest rate method, net of an allowance for credit losses. The effective interest rate is the rate that discounts estimated future cashflows through the expected life of the instrument to the gross carrying amount of the instrument. Amortized cost is calculated as a function of the effective interest rate, taking into account any discount or premium on acquisition, transaction costs and fees. Amortization of these costs is included in interest income in the consolidated statement of income.
Equity instruments
Equity instruments are measured at FVTPL unless an irrevocable designation is made, at initial recognition to measure them at FVOCI. Gains or losses from changes in the fair value of equity financial instruments designated at FVOCI, including any related foreign exchange gains or losses, are recognized in OCI. Amounts recognized in OCI are not to be subsequently reclassed to profit or loss, with the exception of dividends. Dividends received are recorded in interest income in the consolidated statement of income. Cumulative gains or losses upon derecognition of the equity instrument will be transferred within equity from AOCI to retained earnings.
8
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|---|
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
| 3. | Significant accounting policies – continued: |
|---|---|
| d) | Financial instruments – continued: |
| --- | --- |
Impairment – Allowance for CreditLosses
The Bank must maintain an allowance for expected credit losses that is adequate, in management’s opinion, to absorb all credit related losses in the Bank’s lending and treasury portfolios. The Bank’s allowance for expected credit losses is estimated using the ECL methodology and is comprised of expected credit losses recognized on all financial assets that are debt instruments, classified either as amortized cost or as FVOCI, and on all loan commitments and financial guarantees that are not measured at FVTPL.
Expected credit losses represent unbiased and probability-weighted estimates that are modeled as a function of a range of possible outcomes as well as the time value of money, and reasonable and supportable information about past events, current conditions and forecasts of future economic conditions, or more specifically forward-looking information (“FLI”) (see Forward-Looking Information below).
The Bank’s ECL or impairment model estimates 12 months of expected credit losses, (“TMECL”) for performing loans that have not experienced a significant increase in credit risk, (“SICR”) since initial recognition. Additionally, the ECL model estimates lifetime expected credit losses, (“LTECL”) on performing loans that have experienced a SICR since initial recognition. Further, individual allowances are estimated for loans that are determined to be credit impaired.
Loans or other financial instruments that have not experienced a SICR since initial recognition are designated as stage 1, while loans or financial instruments that have experienced a SICR since initial recognition are designated as stage 2, and loans or financial instruments that are determined to be credit impaired are designated as stage 3.
Assessment of significant increasein credit risk
At each reporting date, the Bank assesses whether or not there has been a SICR for loans since initial recognition by comparing, at the reporting date, the risk of default occurring over the remaining expected life against the risk of default at initial recognition. The determination of a SICR is a function of the loan’s internal risk rating assignment, internal watchlist status, loan review status and delinquency status which are updated as necessary in response to changes including, but not limited to changes in macroeconomic and/or market conditions, changes in a borrower’s credit risk profile, and changes in the strength of the underlying security, including guarantor status, if a guarantor exists.
Quantitative models may not always be able to capture all reasonable and supportable information that may indicate a SICR. As a result, qualitative factors may be considered to supplement such a gap. Examples include changes in adjudication criteria for a particular group of borrowers or asset categories or changes in portfolio composition.
9
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|---|
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
| 3. | Significant accounting policies – continued: |
|---|---|
| d) | Financial instruments – continued: |
| --- | --- |
With regards to delinquency and monitoring, there is a rebuttable presumption that the credit risk of a loan or other financial instrument has increased since initial recognition when contractual payments are more than 60 days delinquent. The Bank chose to use 60 days delinquency as an appropriate indicator of increased credit risk as it serves as a stable early warning indicator that the cashflows associated with the loan or other financial instrument under consideration may be in jeopardy and may not be realized by the Bank under the contractual repayment terms.
Expected credit loss model - Estimationof expected credit losses
Expected credit losses are an estimate of a loan’s expected cash shortfalls discounted at the effective interest rate, where a cash shortfall is the difference between the contractual cash flows that are due to the Bank and the cash flows that the Bank actually expects to receive. The ECL calculation is a function of the credit risk parameters; probability of default, loss given default, and exposure at default associated with each loan, sensitized to future market and macroeconomic conditions through the incorporation of FLI derived from multiple economic forecast scenarios, including baseline, upside, and downside scenarios.
For clarity:
| • | The probability of default (“PD”) for a loan or a financial instrument is an estimate of the<br>likelihood of default of that instrument over a given time horizon; |
|---|---|
| • | The loss given default (“LGD”) for a loan or financial instrument is an estimate of the loss<br>arising in the case where a default of that instrument occurs at a given time or over a given period; and, |
| --- | --- |
| • | The exposure at default (“EAD”) for a loan or financial instrument is an estimate of the Bank’s<br>exposure derived from that instrument at a future default date. |
| --- | --- |
The Bank’s ECL model develops contractual cashflow profiles for loans as a function of a number of underlying assumptions and a broad range of input variables. The expected cashflow schedules are subsequently derived from the contractual cashflow schedules, adjusted for incremental default amounts, forgone interest, and recovery amounts.
The finalized contractual and expected cashflow schedules are subsequently discounted at the effective interest rate to determine the expected cash shortfall or expected credit losses for each individual loan or financial instrument.
Individual allowances are estimated for loans and other financial instruments that are determined to be credit impaired and that have been designated as stage 3. A loan is classified as credit impaired when the Bank becomes aware that all, or a portion of, the contractual cashflows
10
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|---|
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
| 3. | Significant accounting policies – continued: |
|---|---|
| d) | Financial instruments – continued: |
| --- | --- |
associated with the loan may be in jeopardy and as a result may not be realized by the Bank under the repayment schedule set out in the contractual terms associated with the loan.
Forward-Looking Information
IFRS 9 requires consideration of past events, current market conditions and reasonable, supportable information about future economic conditions that is available without undue cost and effort in the estimation of the expected credit losses for loans. More specifically, under IFRS 9 expected credit losses represent an unbiased, probability-weighted estimate of the present value of cash shortfalls (i.e., the weighted average of credit losses, with the respective risks of a default occurring in a given time period used as the weights). Additionally, IFRS 9 stipulates that future economic conditions are to be based on an unbiased, probability-weighted assessment of possible future outcomes. The estimation and application of forward-looking information in an attempt to capture the impact of future economic conditions requires significant judgement.
The Bank incorporates the impact of future economic conditions, or more specifically forward-looking information into the estimation of expected credit losses at the credit risk parameter level. This is accomplished via the credit risk parameter models and proxy datasets that the Bank utilizes to develop PD and LGD term structure forecasts for its loans. The Bank has sourced credit risk modeling systems and forecast macroeconomic scenario data from Moody’s Analytics, a third party service provider, for the purpose of computing forward-looking risk parameters under multiple macroeconomic scenarios that consider both market-wide and idiosyncratic factors and influences. These systems are used in conjunction with the Bank’s internally developed ECL models. Given that the Bank has experienced very limited historical losses and, therefore, does not have available statistically significant loss data inventory for use in developing forward looking expected credit loss trends, the use of unbiased, third party forward-looking credit risk parameter modeling systems is particularly important for the Bank in the context of the estimation of expected credit losses.
The Bank utilizes macroeconomic indicator data derived from multiple macroeconomic scenarios, most often comprised of baseline, upside, and downside scenarios in order to mitigate volatility in the estimation of expected credit losses as well as to satisfy the IFRS 9 requirement that future economic conditions are to be based on an unbiased, probability-weighted assessment of possible future outcomes. More specifically, the macroeconomic indicators set out in the macroeconomic scenarios are used as inputs for the credit risk parameter models utilized by the Bank to sensitize the individual PD and LGD term structure forecasts to the respective macroeconomic trajectory set out in each of the scenarios. The weighted average of the individual, sensitized PD and LGD values that comprise each individual term structure forecast is subsequently computed to define unbiased PD and LGD term structure forecasts, which in turn are applied as inputs to the Bank’s internal ECL
11
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|---|
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
| 3. | Significant accounting policies – continued: |
|---|---|
| d) | Financial instruments – continued: |
| --- | --- |
model in the estimation of expected credit losses for the Bank’s loans. Macroeconomic indicator data derived from the baseline, upside and downside scenarios referenced above is also utilized in the development of credit risk parameter proxy datasets and applied to the Bank’s consumer loan and small and medium enterprise (SME) loan portfolios.
The macroeconomic indicator data utilized by the Bank for the purpose of sensitizing PD and LGD term structure data to forward economic conditions include, but are not limited to: real GDP, the national unemployment rate, long term interest rates, the consumer price index, the price of oil, and the S&P/TSX Index. These specific macroeconomic indicators were selected in an attempt to ensure that the spectrum of fundamental macroeconomic influences on the key drivers of the credit risk profile of the Bank’s balance sheet, including: corporate, consumer and real estate market dynamics; corporate, consumer and SME borrower performance; geography; as well as collateral value volatility, are appropriately captured and incorporated into the Bank’s forward macroeconomic sensitivity analysis.
Modified Financial Instruments
If the terms of whether a financial instrument is modified or an existing financial instrument is replaced with a new one, an assessment is made to determine if the financial instrument should be derecognized.
Where the modification does not result in derecognition, the date of origination continues to be used to determine SICR. Where modification results in derecognition, the modified financial instrument is considered to be a new instrument.
Fair value of financial instruments
Estimates of fair value are developed using a variety of valuation methods and assumptions. The Bank follows a fair value hierarchy to categorize the inputs used to measure fair value for its financial instruments. The fair value hierarchy is based on quoted prices in active markets (Level 1), models using inputs other than quoted prices but with observable market data (Level 2), or models using inputs that are not based on observable market data (Level 3).
Valuation models may require the use of inputs, transaction values derived from models and input assumptions sourced from pricing services. Valuation inputs are either observable or unobservable. The Bank makes use of external, readily observable market inputs when available and may include certain prices and rates for shorter-dated Canadian yield curves and banker’s acceptances. Unobservable inputs may include credit spreads, probability of default and recovery rates.
12
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|---|
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
| 3. | Significant accounting policies – continued: |
|---|---|
| d) | Financial instruments – continued: |
| --- | --- |
Transfer of financial assets:
The Bank may enter into transactions in which it transfers assets to a third party to obtain alternate sources of funding. The Bank assesses whether substantially all of the risks and rewards of the asset have been transferred to determine if they qualify for derecognition. In the event that the Bank continues to be exposed to substantially all of the repayment, interest rate and/or credit risk associated with the asset, the asset(s) would not qualify for derecognition and would be reflected on the Bank’s Consolidated Balance Sheet.
Derivatives and embedded derivatives:
Derivatives are measured at FVTPL under IFRS 9, except to the extent that they are designated in a hedging relationship.
Certain derivatives embedded in other financial instruments are treated as separate derivatives when their economic characteristics and risks are not closely related to the host contract and the combined contract is not carried at fair value. Identified embedded derivatives are separated from the host contract and are recorded at fair value.
| e) | Property and equipment: |
|---|
Property and equipment is carried at cost less accumulated amortization and impairment. Amortization on property and equipment is calculated primarily using the straight-line method over the useful life of the equipment which typically ranges between 5 and 20 years.
Property and equipment is subject to an impairment review if there are events or changes in circumstances which indicate that the carrying amounts may not be recoverable. Amortization expense and impairment write-downs are included in premises and equipment expense in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income.
| f) | Goodwill and intangible assets |
|---|
Goodwill is the residual amount that results when the purchase price of an acquired business exceeds the value allocated to the tangible and intangible assets, less liabilities assumed, based on their fair values. Goodwill is not amortized but rather tested for impairment annually or more frequently if events or change in circumstances indicate that the asset might be impaired. Impairment is determined for goodwill by assessing if the carrying value of cash generating units (“CGUs”) which comprise the CGU segment, including goodwill, exceeds its recoverable amount determined as the greater of the estimated fair value less costs to sell and the value in use. Impairment losses recognized in respect of the CGUs are first allocated to the carrying value of goodwill and any excess is allocated to the carrying amount of assets in the CGUs. Any goodwill
13
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Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
| 3. | Significant accounting policies – continued: |
|---|---|
| f) | Goodwill and intangible assets – continued: |
| --- | --- |
impairment is recorded in profit or loss in the reporting year in which the impairment is identified. Impairment losses on goodwill are not subsequently reversed.
Intangible assets acquired in a business acquisition are recorded at their fair value. In subsequent reporting periods, intangible assets are stated at cost less accumulated amortization and accumulated impairment losses. Amortization is recorded on a straight-line basis over the expected useful life of the intangible asset. At each reporting date, the carrying value of intangible assets are reviewed for indicators of impairment. If such an indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset is estimated in order to determine the extent of the impairment, if any. For purpose of impairment testing, assets that cannot be tested individually are grouped together into the smallest group of assets that generate cash flows from continuing use that are largely independent of the cash inflows of other assets or groups of assets (CGU). If the recoverable amount of an asset or CGU is estimated to be less than its carrying amount, the carrying amount is reduced to its recoverable amount and the impairment loss is recognized in profit or loss. The recoverable amount of an asset or CGU is the higher of fair value less costs to sell and value in use. In assessing value in use, the estimated future cash flows are discounted at a rate that reflects current market assessments of the time value of money and the risks specific to the assets. An impairment loss is reversed if there has been a change in the estimates used to determine the recoverable amount. When an impairment loss is subsequently reversed, the carrying amount of the asset is increased to the revised estimate of its recoverable amount so that the increased carrying amount does not exceed the carrying amount that would have been recorded had no impairment losses been recognized for the asset in prior years.
| g) | Income taxes: |
|---|
Current income taxes are calculated based on taxable income for the reporting period. Taxable income differs from accounting income because of differences in the inclusion and deductibility of certain components of income which are established by Canadian taxation authorities. Current income taxes are measured at the amount expected to be recovered or paid using statutory tax rates at the reporting period end.
The Bank follows the asset and liability method of accounting for deferred income taxes. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities arise from temporary differences between financial statement carrying values and the respective tax base of those assets and liabilities. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted or substantively enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years when temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled.
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Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
| 3. | Significant accounting policies – continued: |
|---|---|
| g) | Income taxes – continued: |
| --- | --- |
Deferred income tax assets are recognized in the Consolidated Financial Statements to the extent that it is probable that the Bank will have sufficient taxable income to enable the benefit of the deferred income tax asset to be realized. Unrecognized deferred income tax assets are reassessed for recoverability at each reporting period end.
Current and deferred income taxes are recorded in income for the period, except to the extent that the tax arose from a transaction that is recorded either in Other Comprehensive Income or Equity, in which case the income tax on the transaction will also be recorded either in Other Comprehensive Income or Equity. Accordingly, current and deferred income taxes are presented in the Consolidated Financial Statements as a component of income, or as a component of Other Comprehensive Income.
| h) | Employee benefits: |
|---|---|
| i) | Short-term benefits: |
| --- | --- |
Short-term employee benefit obligations are recognized as employees render their services and are measured on an undiscounted basis.
A liability is recognized for the amount expected to be paid under a short-term cash bonus plan if the Bank has an obligation to make such payments as a result of past service provided by the employee and the obligation can be estimated reliably.
| ii) | Share-based payment transactions: |
|---|
Equity-settled stock options
Employee stock options are measured using the Black-Scholes pricing model which is used to estimate the fair value of the options at the date of grant. Inputs to the Black-Scholes model include the closing share price on the grant date, the exercise price, the expected option life, the expected dividend yield, the expected volatility and the risk-free interest rate. Once the expected option life is determined, it is used in formulating the estimates of expected volatility and the risk-free rate. Expected future volatility is estimated using a historical volatility look-back period that is consistent with the expected life of the option.
The fair value of options which vest immediately are recognized in full as of the grant date, whereas the fair value of options which vest over time are recognized over the vesting period using the graded method which incorporates management’s estimates of the options which are not expected to vest. The effect of a change in the estimated number of options expected to vest is a change in estimate and the cumulative effect of the change is recognized prospectively once the estimate is revised.
15
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Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
3. Significant accounting policies– continued:
| h) | Employee benefits - continued: |
|---|
The fair value of stock options granted is recorded in salaries and benefits expense in the Consolidated Statements of Income and in Share Capital as a component of Contributed Surplus in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. When options are exercised, the consideration received and the estimated fair value previously recorded in Contributed Surplus is recorded as Share Capital. The Bank’s stock option plan is described in note 14.
| i) | Share capital: |
|---|
The Bank’s share capital consists of common shares, preferred shares and contributed surplus.
| i) | Share issuance costs: |
|---|
Costs directly incurred with raising new share capital are charged against equity. Other costs are expensed as incurred.
| ii) | Contributed surplus: |
|---|
Contributed surplus consists of the fair value of stock options granted since inception, less amounts reversed for exercised stock options. If granted options vest and then subsequently expire or are forfeited, no reversal of contributed surplus is recognized.
| j) | Segment reporting: |
|---|
The Bank does not present segmented information in its Consolidated Financial Statements as it has determined that its operations fall into one segment, Canadian Banking.
| k) | Leases: |
|---|
Effective November 1, 2019, the Bank adopted IFRS 16 which sets out prescribed methodology related to the recognition, measurement, presentation and disclosure of operating leases. The standard provides a single lessee accounting model, requiring lessees to recognize assets and liabilities for all major leases. IFRS 16 supersedes previous accounting standards for leases, including IAS 17, Leases and IFRIC 4 – Determining whetheran arrangement contains a lease. As a result of adopting IFRS 16, the Bank recognized an increase to both assets and liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheet, as well as a decrease in rent expense, with a corresponding increase in amortization expense (due to amortization of the right-of-use assets) and an increase in finance costs (due to accretion of the lease obligation).
16
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|---|
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
| 3. | Significant accounting policies – continued: |
|---|---|
| k) | Leases – continued: |
| --- | --- |
At inception of a contract, the Bank assesses whether a contract is, or contains, a lease arrangement based on whether the contract conveys the right to control the use of an identified asset for a period of time in exchange for consideration.
The Bank recognizes a right-of-use asset and a lease obligation at the lease commencement date. The right-of-use asset is initially measured based on the initial amount of the lease obligation adjusted for any lease payments made at or before the commencement date, plus any initial direct costs incurred and an estimate of costs to dismantle and remove the underlying asset or to restore the underlying asset and/or the site on which it is located, less any lease incentives received. The assets are depreciated to the earlier of the end of useful life of the right-of-use asset or the lease term using the straight-line method as this methodology most closely reflects the expected pattern of consumption of the associated future economic benefits. The lease term includes periods covered by an option to extend if there is reasonable certainty that the Bank will exercise that option. In addition, the right-of-use asset is periodically reduced by impairment losses, if any, and adjusted for certain remeasurements of the lease obligation.
The lease obligation is measured at amortized cost using the effective interest rate method. It is remeasured when there is a change in future lease payments arising from a change in an index or rate, if there is a change in the Bank’s estimate of the amount expected to be payable under a residual value guarantee, or if the Bank changes its assessment of whether it will exercise a purchase, extension or termination option.
When the lease obligation is remeasured in this way, a corresponding adjustment is made to the carrying amount of the right-of-use asset, or the remeasured amount is recorded in profit or loss if the carrying amount of the right-of-use asset has been reduced to zero.
The Bank elects to apply the practical expedient to account for leases for which the lease term ends within 12 months of the date of initial application as short-term leases.
| l) | Foreign currency translation: |
|---|
Transactions in foreign currencies are translated into the respective functional currencies of the Bank and its subsidiaries at the exchange rate at the date of the transaction. Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into Canadian dollars at the exchange rate at the reporting date. Foreign currency differences are recognized in profit and loss. Investments classified as fair value through other comprehensive income (FVOCI) denominated in a foreign currency are translated into Canadian dollars at the exchange rate at the reporting date. All resulting changes are recognized in other comprehensive income (loss).
17
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|---|
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
| 3. | Significant accounting policies – continued: |
|---|---|
| l) | Foreign currency translation – continued: |
| --- | --- |
Foreign operations
The assets and liabilities of the Bank’s US operations, Digital Boundary Group Inc., which has a functional currency other than the Canadian dollar, are translated into Canadian dollars at the exchange rate at the reporting date. The income and expenses of this operation are translated into Canadian dollars at the exchange rate at the date of transaction and the foreign currency differences are recognized in other comprehensive income (loss).
| m) | Accounting standard pronouncements adopted in fiscal 2021: |
|---|
The following accounting standard amendments issued by the IASB became effective for the Bank’s fiscal year beginning on November 1, 2020:
i) Changes to the Conceptual Framework, seeking to provide improvements to concepts surrounding various financial reporting considerations and existing IFRS standards.
ii) Amendments to IAS 1, Presentation of Financial Statements and IAS 8, Accounting Policies, Changes in Accounting Estimates and Errors, clarifying the definition of “material”.
iii) Amendments to IFRS 9, Financial Instruments and IFRS 7, Financial Instruments: Disclosures, Interest Rate Benchmark Reform, detailing the fundamental reform of major interest rate benchmarks being undertaken globally to replace or redefine Inter-Bank Offered Rates (“IBORS”) with alternative nearly risk-free benchmark rates (referred to as “IBOR reform”).
These amendments did not have a material impact in preparing these interim Consolidated Financial Statements.
| 4. | Acquisition: |
|---|
On November 30, 2020, the Bank, through its wholly owned subsidiary DRT Cyber Inc. (“DRTC”), acquired 100% of the shares of 2021945 Ontario Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiary, operating as Digital Boundary Group (“DBG”), in exchange for $8.5 million in cash and a deferred payment obligation in the amount of $1.4 million, for total consideration of $9.9 million. The acquisition was accounted for in accordance with IFRS 3 Business Combinations and DBG’s financial results, since closing, have been included in the Bank’s Interim Consolidated Financial Statements.
DBG is an information technology (IT) security assurance services firm with offices in London, Ontario and Dallas, Texas. DBG provides corporate and government clients with a suite of IT security assurance services, that range from external network, web and mobile application penetration testing through to physical social engineering engagements along with supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system assessments, as well as various aspects of IT security training.
18
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|---|
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
| 4. | Acquisition - continued: |
|---|
The following table summarizes the preliminary fair value of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed on acquisition:
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| November 30 | |||
| Assets and liabilities acquired at fair value | 2020 | ||
| Cash | $ | 1,057 | |
| Accounts receivable | 1,451 | ||
| Right-of-use assets | 2,473 | ||
| Other assets | 1,194 | ||
| Intangible assets | 3,940 | ||
| Goodwill | 5,754 | ||
| Deferred income tax liability | (898 | ) | |
| Lease obligations | (2,650 | ) | |
| Other liabilities | (2,381 | ) | |
| $ | 9,940 |
Intangible assets include customer relationships, brands, non-compete agreements and operational software, all of which have been assessed to have a useful life of 10 years. Goodwill primarily reflects the value of an assembled workforce and the value of future growth prospects and expected business synergies realized as a result of combining the acquired business with the Bank’s existing cybersecurity business. Goodwill as well as portions of the intangible assets are not deductible for income tax purposes.
For the year ended October 31, 2021, the operations of DBG have contributed $5.2 million and $1.5 million to the Bank’s non-interest income and net income respectively, which includes amortization of intangible assets of in the amount of $299,000. The costs associated with the acquisition of DBG totaled $180,000 and were included in the Bank’s non-interest expense.
| 5. | Cash: |
|---|
Cash is comprised of deposits with regulated financial institutions.
| 6. | Loans, net of allowance for credit losses: |
|---|
Commencing fiscal 2021, the Bank re-organized its lending portfolio into the following four broad asset categories: Commercial Real Estate Mortgages, Commercial Real Estate Loans, Point of Sale Loans and Leases, and Public Sector and Other Financing. These categories have been established in the Bank’s proprietary, internally developed asset management system and have been designed to catalogue individual lending assets as a function primarily of their key risk drivers, the nature of the
19
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|---|
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
| 6. | Loans – continued: |
|---|
underlying collateral, and the applicable market segment. The comparative balances have been recast to reflect the current broad asset categories.
The Commercial Real Estate Mortgages (“CRE Mortgages”) asset category is comprised of commercial and residential construction mortgages, commercial term mortgages, commercial insured mortgages and land mortgages. While all of these loans would be considered commercial loans or business-to-business loans, the underlying credit risk exposure is diversified across both the commercial and retail market segments, and further, the portfolio benefits from diversity in its underlying security in the form of a broad range of collateral properties.
The Commercial Real Estate Loans (“CRE Loans”) asset category is comprised primarily of condominium corporation financing loans and loans to mortgage investment companies.
The Point of Sale Loans and Leases (“POS”) asset category is comprised of point of sale loan and lease receivables acquired from the Bank’s broad network of origination and servicing partners as well as warehouse loans that provide bridge financing to the Bank’s origination and servicing partners for the purpose of accumulating and seasoning practical volumes of individual loans and leases prior to the Bank purchasing the cashflow receivables derived from same.
The Public Sector and Other Financing (“PSOF”) asset category is comprised primarily of public sector loans and leases, a small balance of corporate loans and leases and single family residential conventional and insured mortgages.
| a) | Portfolio analysis: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | ||||||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2021 | 2020 | |||||
| Commercial real estate mortgages | $ | 757,576 | $ | 606,299 | ||
| Commercial real estate loans | 26,569 | 25,574 | ||||
| Point of sale loans and leases | 1,279,576 | 980,677 | ||||
| Public sector and other financing | 32,587 | 37,596 | ||||
| 2,096,308 | 1,650,146 | |||||
| Allowance for credit losses | (1,453 | ) | (1,775 | ) | ||
| Accrued interest | 8,195 | 6,539 | ||||
| Total loans, net of allowance for credit losses | $ | 2,103,050 | $ | 1,654,910 |
20
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|---|
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
| 6. | Loans – continued: |
|---|
The following table provides a summary of loan amounts, ECL allowance amounts, and expected loss (“EL”) rates by lending asset category:
| As at October 31, 2021 | As at October 31, 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | Total | Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | Total | ||||||||||||||||
| Commercial real estate mortgages | $ | 694,869 | $ | 62,707 | $ | - | $ | 757,576 | $ | 530,162 | $ | 76,137 | $ | - | $ | 606,299 | ||||||||
| ECL allowance | 980 | 134 | - | 1,114 | 1,174 | 192 | - | 1,366 | ||||||||||||||||
| EL % | 0.14 | % | 0.21 | % | 0.00 | % | 0.15 | % | 0.22 | % | 0.25 | % | 0.00 | % | 0.23 | % | ||||||||
| Commercial real estate loans | $ | 26,569 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 26,569 | $ | 25,574 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 25,574 | ||||||||
| ECL allowance | 45 | - | - | 45 | 137 | - | - | 137 | ||||||||||||||||
| EL % | 0.17 | % | 0.00 | % | 0.00 | % | 0.17 | % | 0.54 | % | 0.00 | % | 0.00 | % | 0.54 | % | ||||||||
| Point of sale loans and leases | $ | 1,277,011 | $ | 2,565 | $ | - | $ | 1,279,576 | $ | 974,104 | $ | 6,573 | $ | - | $ | 980,677 | ||||||||
| ECL allowance | 275 | - | - | 275 | 215 | - | - | 215 | ||||||||||||||||
| EL % | 0.02 | % | 0.00 | % | 0.00 | % | 0.02 | % | 0.02 | % | 0.00 | % | 0.00 | % | 0.02 | % | ||||||||
| Public sector and other financing | $ | 32,507 | $ | 80 | $ | - | $ | 32,587 | $ | 37,596 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 37,596 | ||||||||
| ECL allowance | 16 | 3 | - | 19 | 57 | - | - | 57 | ||||||||||||||||
| EL % | 0.05 | % | 0.00 | % | 0.00 | % | 0.06 | % | 0.15 | % | 0.00 | % | 0.00 | % | 0.15 | % | ||||||||
| Loans | $ | 2,030,956 | $ | 65,352 | $ | - | $ | 2,096,308 | $ | 1,567,436 | $ | 82,710 | $ | - | $ | 1,650,146 | ||||||||
| Total ECL allowance | 1,316 | 137 | - | 1,453 | 1,583 | 192 | - | 1,775 | ||||||||||||||||
| Total EL % | 0.06 | % | 0.21 | % | 0.00 | % | 0.07 | % | 0.10 | % | 0.23 | % | 0.00 | % | 0.11 | % |
The Bank’s maximum exposure to credit risk is the carrying value of its financial assets. The Bank holds security against the majority of its loans in the form of either mortgage interests over property, other registered securities over assets, guarantees and holdbacks on loan and lease receivables included in the POS portfolio (note 12).
The Bank accounts for financial instruments and associated credit risk as detailed in note 3 for Financial Instruments. However, since the onset of COVID-19 in March 2020, the Bank has expanded the depth and scope of its analysis supporting its assessment of impairment to include additional sensitivity analytics performed on its estimated expected credit losses.
Impairment – Allowancefor Credit Losses
As set out previously, the Bank must maintain an allowance for expected credit losses that is adequate, in management’s opinion, to absorb all credit related losses in the Bank’s lending and treasury portfolios. Under IFRS 9 the Bank’s allowance for expected credit losses is estimated using the expected credit loss methodology and is comprised of expected credit losses recognized on both performing loans, and non-performing, or impaired loans even if no actual loss event has occurred.
Assessment of significantincrease in credit risk (“SICR”)
At each reporting date, the Bank assesses whether or not there has been a SICR for loans since initial recognition by comparing, at the reporting date, the risk of default occurring over the remaining expected life against the risk of default at initial recognition.
SICR is a function of the loan’s internal risk rating assignment, internal watchlist status, loan review status and delinquency status which are updated as necessary in response to changes including, but not limited to, changes in macroeconomic and/or market conditions, changes in a borrower’s credit risk
21
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Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
| 6. | Loans – continued: |
|---|
profile, and changes in the strength of the underlying security, including guarantor status, if a guarantor exists.
Quantitative models may not always be able to capture all reasonable and supportable information that may indicate a SICR. As a result, qualitative factors may be considered to supplement such a gap.
Examples include changes in adjudication criteria for a particular group of borrowers or asset categories or changes in portfolio composition, and more specifically changes attributable to the continued impact of COVID-19 on the Canadian economy and the Bank’s business.
Expected credit loss model- Estimation of expected credit losses
Expected credit losses are an estimate of a loan’s expected cash shortfalls discounted at the effective interest rate, where a cash shortfall is the difference between the contractual cash flows that are due to the Bank and the cash flows that the Bank actually expects to receive.
Forward-Looking Information
The Bank incorporates the impact of future economic conditions, or more specifically forward-looking information into the estimation of expected credit losses at the credit risk parameter level. This is accomplished via the credit risk parameter models and proxy datasets that the Bank utilizes to develop PD and LGD term structure forecasts for its loans. The Bank has sourced credit risk modeling systems and forecast macroeconomic scenario data from Moody’s Analytics, a third party service provider for the purpose of computing forward-looking credit risk parameters under multiple macroeconomic scenarios that consider both market-wide and idiosyncratic factors and influences. These systems are used in conjunction with the Bank’s internally developed ECL models. Given that the Bank has experienced very limited historical losses and, therefore, does not have available statistically significant loss data inventory for use in developing internal, forward looking expected credit loss trends, the use of unbiased, third party forward-looking credit risk parameter modeling systems is particularly important for the Bank in the context of the estimation of expected credit losses.
The Bank utilizes macroeconomic indicator data derived from multiple macroeconomic scenarios in order to mitigate volatility in the estimation of expected credit losses, as well as to satisfy the IFRS 9 requirement that future economic conditions are to be based on an unbiased, probability-weighted assessment of possible future outcomes. More specifically, the macroeconomic indicators set out in the macroeconomic scenarios are used as inputs for the credit risk parameter models utilized by the Bank to sensitize the individual PD and LGD term structure forecasts to the respective macroeconomic trajectory set out in each of the scenarios (see Expected Credit Loss Sensitivity below). Currently the Bank utilizes upside, downside and baseline forecast macroeconomic scenarios, and assigns discrete weights to each for use in the estimation of its reported ECL. The Bank has also applied expert credit judgment, where appropriate, to reflect, amongst other items, uncertainty in the Canadian macroeconomic environment attributable to the continued impact of COVID-19.
22
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|---|
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
| 6. | Loans – continued: |
|---|
The macroeconomic indicator data utilized by the Bank for the purpose of sensitizing PD and LGD term structure data to forward economic conditions include, but are not limited to: real GDP, the national unemployment rate, long term interest rates, the consumer price index, the S&P/TSX Index and the price of oil. These specific macroeconomic indicators were selected in an attempt to ensure that the spectrum of fundamental macroeconomic influences on the key drivers of the credit risk profile of the Bank’s balance sheet, including: corporate, consumer and real estate market dynamics; corporate, consumer and SME borrower performance; geography; as well as collateral value volatility, are appropriately captured and incorporated into the Bank’s forward macroeconomic sensitivity analysis.
The forecast macroeconomic scenario data utilized by the Bank over the course of fiscal 2021 has consistently trended positively over the same timeframe. Key drivers of the most recently available macroeconomic forecast data used in the preparation of the Bank’s 2021 consolidated financial statements include the rate of vaccine distribution and the continued effectiveness of the vaccines at minimizing hospitalizations precipitated by the new variants, consumption growth and the propensity for consumers to spend excess savings accumulated over the course of the pandemic, employment rates, as well as wage and salary growth and the influence of same on future consumer spending, the rate of appreciation of Canadian house prices and the supply of new housing in the market, the timing and scope of the tightening of monetary policy by the Bank of Canada and the impact of same on inflation, the demand for Canadian exports and the implementation of potential future government stimulus programs.
Further, management developed ECL estimates using credit risk parameter term structure forecasts sensitized to individual baseline, upside and downside forecast macroeconomic scenarios, each weighted at 100%, and subsequently computed the variance of each to the Bank’s reported ECL as at October 31, 2021 in order to assess the alignment of the Bank’s reported ECL with the Bank’s credit risk profile, and further, to assess the scope, depth and ultimate effectiveness of the credit risk mitigation strategies that the Bank has applied to its lending portfolios (see Expected Credit Loss Sensitivity below).
Expected Credit Loss Sensitivity:
The following table presents the sensitivity of the Bank’s estimated ECL to a range of individual macroeconomic scenarios, that in isolation may not reflect the Bank’s actual expected ECL exposure, as well as the variance of each to the Bank’s reported ECL as at October 31, 2021:
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reported | 100 | % | 100 | % | 100 | % | |||||
| ECL | |||||||||||
| Upside | Baseline | Downside | |||||||||
| Allowance for expected credit losses | $ | 1,453 | $ | 860 | $ | 1,193 | $ | 1,670 | |||
| Variance from reported ECL | (593 | ) | (260 | ) | 217 | ||||||
| Variance from reported ECL (%) | (41% | ) | (18% | ) | 15% |
23
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|---|
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
| 6. | Loans – continued: |
|---|---|
| b) | Allowance for credit losses: |
| --- | --- |
The following table provides a reconciliation of the Bank’s ECL allowance by lending asset category for the year ended October 31, 2021:
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial real estate mortgages | ||||||||||||
| Balance at beginning of period | $ | 1,174 | $ | 192 | $ | - | $ | 1,366 | ||||
| Transfer in (out) to Stage 1 | 93 | (93 | ) | - | - | |||||||
| Transfer in (out) to Stage 2 | (124 | ) | 124 | - | - | |||||||
| Transfer in (out) to Stage 3 | - | - | - | - | ||||||||
| Net remeasurement of loss allowance | (425 | ) | (22 | ) | - | (447 | ) | |||||
| Loan originations | 421 | - | - | 421 | ||||||||
| Derecognitions and maturities | (159 | ) | (67 | ) | - | (226 | ) | |||||
| Provision for (recovery of) credit losses | (194 | ) | (58 | ) | - | (252 | ) | |||||
| Write-offs | - | - | - | - | ||||||||
| Recoveries | - | - | - | - | ||||||||
| Balance at end of period | $ | 980 | $ | 134 | $ | - | $ | 1,114 | ||||
| Commercial real estate loans | ||||||||||||
| Balance at beginning of period | $ | 137 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 137 | ||||
| Transfer in (out) to Stage 1 | - | - | - | - | ||||||||
| Transfer in (out) to Stage 2 | - | - | - | - | ||||||||
| Transfer in (out) to Stage 3 | - | - | - | - | ||||||||
| Net remeasurement of loss allowance | (92 | ) | - | - | (92 | ) | ||||||
| Loan originations | - | - | - | - | ||||||||
| Derecognitions and maturities | - | - | - | - | ||||||||
| Provision for (recovery of) credit losses | (92 | ) | - | - | (92 | ) | ||||||
| Write-offs | - | - | - | - | ||||||||
| Recoveries | - | - | - | - | ||||||||
| Balance at end of period | $ | 45 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 45 | ||||
| Point of sale loans and leases | ||||||||||||
| Balance at beginning of period | $ | 215 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 215 | ||||
| Transfer in (out) to Stage 1 | 89 | (89 | ) | - | - | |||||||
| Transfer in (out) to Stage 2 | (178 | ) | 178 | - | - | |||||||
| Transfer in (out) to Stage 3 | - | - | - | - | ||||||||
| Net remeasurement of loss allowance | (6,914 | ) | (41 | ) | - | (6,955 | ) | |||||
| Loan originations | 9,116 | - | - | 9,116 | ||||||||
| Derecognitions and maturities | (2,053 | ) | (48 | ) | - | (2,101 | ) | |||||
| Provision for (recovery of) credit losses | 60 | - | - | 60 | ||||||||
| Write-offs | - | - | - | - | ||||||||
| Recoveries | - | - | - | - | ||||||||
| Balance at end of period | $ | 275 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 275 | ||||
| Public sector and other financing | ||||||||||||
| Balance at beginning of period | $ | 57 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 57 | ||||
| Transfer in (out) to Stage 1 | - | - | - | - | ||||||||
| Transfer in (out) to Stage 2 | - | - | - | - | ||||||||
| Transfer in (out) to Stage 3 | - | - | - | - | ||||||||
| Net remeasurement of loss allowance | (35 | ) | - | - | (35 | ) | ||||||
| Loan originations | - | 3 | - | 3 | ||||||||
| Derecognitions and maturities | (6 | ) | - | (116 | ) | (122 | ) | |||||
| Provision for (recovery of) credit losses | (41 | ) | 3 | (116 | ) | (154 | ) | |||||
| Write-offs | - | - | - | - | ||||||||
| Recoveries | - | - | 116 | 116 | ||||||||
| Balance at end of period | $ | 16 | $ | 3 | $ | - | $ | 19 | ||||
| Total balance at end of period | $ | 1,316 | $ | 137 | $ | - | $ | 1,453 |
24
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|---|
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
| 6. | Loans – continued: |
|---|---|
| b) | Allowance for credit losses (continued): |
| --- | --- |
The following table provides a reconciliation of the Bank’s ECL allowance by lending asset category for the year ended October 31, 2020:
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial real estate mortgages | ||||||||||||
| Balance at beginning of period | $ | 1,563 | $ | 209 | $ | - | $ | 1,772 | ||||
| Transfer in (out) to Stage 1 | 26 | (26 | ) | - | - | |||||||
| Transfer in (out) to Stage 2 | (262 | ) | 262 | - | - | |||||||
| Transfer in (out) to Stage 3 | - | - | - | - | ||||||||
| Net remeasurement of loss allowance | (515 | ) | (253 | ) | - | (768 | ) | |||||
| Loan originations | 399 | - | - | 399 | ||||||||
| Derecognitions and maturities | (37 | ) | - | - | (37 | ) | ||||||
| Provision for (recovery of) credit losses | (389 | ) | (17 | ) | - | (406 | ) | |||||
| Write-offs | - | - | - | - | ||||||||
| Recoveries | - | - | - | - | ||||||||
| Balance at end of period | $ | 1,174 | $ | 192 | $ | - | $ | 1,366 | ||||
| Commercial real estate loans | ||||||||||||
| Balance at beginning of period | $ | 78 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 78 | ||||
| Transfer in (out) to Stage 1 | - | - | - | - | ||||||||
| Transfer in (out) to Stage 2 | - | - | - | - | ||||||||
| Transfer in (out) to Stage 3 | - | - | - | - | ||||||||
| Net remeasurement of loss allowance | 56 | - | - | 56 | ||||||||
| Loan originations | 3 | - | - | 3 | ||||||||
| Derecognitions and maturities | - | - | - | - | ||||||||
| Provision for (recovery of) credit losses | 59 | - | - | 59 | ||||||||
| Write-offs | - | - | - | - | ||||||||
| Recoveries | - | - | - | - | ||||||||
| Balance at end of period | $ | 137 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 137 | ||||
| Point of sale loans and leases | ||||||||||||
| Balance at beginning of period | $ | 229 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 229 | ||||
| Transfer in (out) to Stage 1 | 119 | (119 | ) | - | - | |||||||
| Transfer in (out) to Stage 2 | (230 | ) | 230 | - | - | |||||||
| Transfer in (out) to Stage 3 | 3 | - | (3 | ) | - | |||||||
| Net remeasurement of loss allowance | (5,441 | ) | (58 | ) | 5 | (5,494 | ) | |||||
| Loan originations | 7,528 | - | - | 7,528 | ||||||||
| Derecognitions and maturities | (1,993 | ) | (53 | ) | (2 | ) | (2,048 | ) | ||||
| Provision for (recovery of) credit losses | (14 | ) | - | - | (14 | ) | ||||||
| Write-offs | - | - | - | - | ||||||||
| Recoveries | - | - | - | - | ||||||||
| Balance at end of period | $ | 215 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 215 | ||||
| Public sector and other financing | ||||||||||||
| Balance at beginning of period | $ | 40 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 40 | ||||
| Transfer in (out) to Stage 1 | 1 | (1 | ) | - | - | |||||||
| Transfer in (out) to Stage 2 | - | - | - | - | ||||||||
| Transfer in (out) to Stage 3 | - | - | - | - | ||||||||
| Net remeasurement of loss allowance | (21 | ) | 1 | - | (20 | ) | ||||||
| Loan originations | 42 | - | - | 42 | ||||||||
| Derecognitions and maturities | (5 | ) | - | - | (5 | ) | ||||||
| Provision for (recovery of) credit losses | 17 | - | - | 17 | ||||||||
| Write-offs | - | - | - | - | ||||||||
| Recoveries | - | - | - | - | ||||||||
| Balance at end of period | $ | 57 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 57 | ||||
| Total balance at end of period | $ | 1,583 | $ | 192 | $ | - | $ | 1,775 |
25
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Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
| 6. | Loans – continued: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c) | Maturities and yields: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| --- | --- | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Within | 3 months to | 1 year to | 2 years to | Over | 2021 | 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Floating | 3 months | 1 year | 2 years | 5 years | 5 years | Total | Total | |||||||||||||||||
| Total loans | $ | 659,508 | $ | 51,453 | $ | 246,853 | $ | 231,885 | $ | 752,776 | $ | 153,833 | $ | 2,096,308 | $ | 1,650,146 | ||||||||
| Average | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| effective yield | 5.01 | % | 5.18 | % | 4.02 | % | 4.78 | % | 4.28 | % | 3.79 | % | 4.52 | % | 4.94 | % |
Average effective yields are based on book values and contractual interest rates, adjusted for the amortization of any deferred income and expenses.
| d) | Impaired loans: |
|---|
At October 31, 2021, impaired loans were $nil (October 31, 2020 - $nil).
| 7. | Other assets: | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | ||||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2021 | 2020 | |||
| Accounts receivable | $ | 2,643 | $ | 268 |
| Funds held for securitization liabilities (note 11) | - | 8,629 | ||
| Prepaid expenses and other | 12,699 | 6,843 | ||
| Property and equipment (note 8) | 7,075 | 7,431 | ||
| Right-of-use assets (notes 3 and 12) | 4,817 | 3,015 | ||
| Deferred income tax asset (note 15) | 2,931 | 5,145 | ||
| Investment (note 7a) | 953 | - | ||
| Goodwill (note 7b) | 5,754 | - | ||
| Intangible assets | 3,641 | - | ||
| $ | 40,513 | $ | 31,331 |
For the year ended October 31, 2021, the amortization expense for the right-of-use assets totalled $695,000 (2020 - $425,000) and the amortization expense for the intangible assets totalled $299,000 (2020 - $nil).
| a) | In February 2021, the Bank acquired an 11% investment in Canada Stablecorp Inc.<br> (“Stablecorp”) for cash consideration of $953,000. The Bank made a strategic investment to bring together the necessary<br> financial and technology expertise that will facilitate the development and future issuance of new, highly encrypted digital deposit<br> receipts that the Bank has branded as VCAD and VUSD. The Bank has made an irrevocable election to designate this investment at fair<br> value through other comprehensive income (FVOCI) at initial recognition and any future changes in the fair value of the investment<br> will be recognized in other comprehensive income (loss). Amounts recorded in other comprehensive income (loss) will not be<br> reclassified to profit and loss at a later date. As at October 31, 2021, the Bank’s investment in Stablecorp was<br> $953,000. |
|---|
26
| versabank |
|---|
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
| 7. | Other assets - continued: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| b) | Goodwill relates to the Bank’s acquisition of DBG (note 4) and for the purpose of conducting an<br>annual test for impairment, the Bank’s CGU relates specifically to the operations of DBG. The Bank considered the value-in-use calculation<br>in assessing impairment, and further, the key assumptions underlying the impairment test included 5-years of projected cash flow, a discount<br>rate of 12.4%, an average yearly earnings growth rate of 9% and a terminal growth rate of 2.0%. The Bank did not recognize an impairment<br>charge on the goodwill as the recoverable amount of the CGU exceeded the carrying value of the goodwill. | |||||
| --- | --- | |||||
| 8. | Property and equipment: | |||||
| --- | --- | |||||
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | ||||||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2021 | 2020 | |||||
| Cost | $ | 16,884 | $ | 16,505 | ||
| Accumulated amortization | (9,809 | ) | (9,074 | ) | ||
| $ | 7,075 | $ | 7,431 |
None of the Bank’s property and equipment is subject to title restrictions, nor is any pledged as security for any of the Bank’s liabilities. Total amortization expense recorded for property and equipment for the year ended October 31, 2021 totalled $735,000 (2020 - $724,000).
| 9. | Deposits: | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Maturity period | Demand/ | Within | 3 months to | 1 year to | 2 years to | Accrued | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||||||||||
| Floating | 3 months | 1 year | 2 years | 5 years | Interest | Total | Total | ||||||||||||||||
| Total deposits | $ | 495,551 | $ | 260,915 | $ | 399,376 | $ | 272,782 | $ | 411,649 | $ | 12,931 | $ | 1,853,204 | $ | 1,567,570 | |||||||
| Average effective | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| interest rate | 0.00 | % | 1.21 | % | 1.49 | % | 2.04 | % | 1.79 | % | 1.19 | % | 1.55 | % |
Average effective interest rates are based on book values and contractual interest rates.
27
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Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
| 10. | Subordinated notes payable: | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | |||
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2020 | |||
| Ten year term, unsecured, non-viability contingent capital compliant, | |||
| subordinated notes payable, principal amount of 5.0 million, | |||
| 500,000 is held by related party (note 20), effective interest rate of 10.41%, maturing March 2029. | 4,898 | $ | 4,889 |
| Ten year term, unsecured, non-viability contingent capital compliant, | |||
| subordinated notes payable, principal amount of 75.0 million, | |||
| effective<br>interest rate of 5.38%, maturing May 2031. | 90,374 | - | |
| 95,272 | $ | 4,889 |
All values are in US Dollars.
On April 30, 2021 the Bank completed a private placement with U.S. institutional investors of non-viability contingent capital (“NVCC”) compliant fixed to floating rate subordinated notes payable (“the Notes”) in the principal amount of USD $75.0 million, equivalent to CAD $92.1 million as at April 30, 2021. Interest will be paid on the Notes semi-annually in arrears on May 1 and November 1 of each year, commencing November 1, 2021, at a fixed rate of 5.00% per year, until May 1, 2026. Thereafter, if not redeemed by the Bank, the Notes will have a floating interest rate payable at the 3-month Bankers’ Acceptance Rate plus 361 basis points, payable quarterly in arrears, on February 1, May 1, August 1 and November 1 of each year, commencing August 1, 2026, until the maturity date. The Notes will mature on May 1, 2031 unless earlier repurchased or redeemed in accordance with their terms. On or after May 1, 2026, the Bank may, at its option, with the prior approval of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (Canada), redeem the Notes, in whole at any time or in part from time to time on not less than 30 nor more than 60 days’ prior notice, at a redemption price which is equal to par, plus accrued and unpaid interest. Issue costs associated with the Notes were approximately CAD $2.6 million. Proceeds of the Notes are held in US dollar denominated cash.
| 11. | Securitization liabilities: |
|---|
Securitization liabilities include amounts payable to counterparties for cash received upon initiation of securitization transactions, accrued interest on amounts payable to counterparties, and the unamortized balance of deferred costs and discounts which arose upon initiation of the securitization transactions. During the quarter ended April 30, 2020, the Bank redeemed $24.5 million of maturing securitization liabilities. The amounts payable to counterparties, which bore an interest rate of 3.55%, matured in December 2020. Securitized residential insured mortgages and other assets were pledged as collateral for these liabilities.
28
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|---|
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
| 12. | Other liabilities: | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | ||||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2021 | 2020 | |||
| Accounts payable and other | $ | 6,893 | $ | 4,233 |
| Current income tax liability | 2,949 | - | ||
| Deferred income tax liability | 898 | - | ||
| Lease obligations | 5,113 | 3,084 | ||
| Cash collateral and amounts held in escrow | 7,887 | 4,012 | ||
| Holdbacks payable on loan and lease receivables | 110,764 | 96,064 | ||
| $ | 134,504 | $ | 107,393 |
Lease obligations reflect the Bank’s liabilities under IFRS 16 that were adopted for the year ended October 31, 2020 (note 3). Upon initial recognition of the lease obligations the Bank also recognized right-of use assets (note 7) corresponding to the lease obligations. The lease obligations are related to the Bank’s multiple leased premises. Effective November 1, 2019, the Bank adopted IFRS 16. Prior to the adoption of IFRS 16 the Bank’s total minimum operating lease commitments as at October 31, 2019 were $6.8 million. The portion of the Bank’s current leasing obligations that were not captured as part of the right-of-use assets continue to be expensed in premises and equipment.
The current leasing arrangements associated with these lease obligations expire between October 2025 and December 2045 with options to renew the leases after the initial lease period. Lease payments are adjusted every three to five years to reflect market rates.
29
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|---|
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
| 13. | Share Capital: |
|---|---|
| a) | Authorized: |
| --- | --- |
The Bank is authorized to issue an unlimited number of voting common shares with no par value.
The Bank is authorized to issue an unlimited number of Series 1 preferred shares with a par value of $10.00.
| b) | Issued and outstanding: | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | ||||||||||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2021 | 2020 | |||||||||
| Shares | Amount | Shares | Amount | |||||||
| Common shares: | ||||||||||
| Balance, beginning of the year | 21,123,559 | $ | 152,612 | 21,123,559 | $ | 152,612 | ||||
| Issued during the year | 6,325,000 | 75,101 | - | - | ||||||
| Cancelled during the year | (7,477 | ) | (39 | ) | - | - | ||||
| Outstanding, | ||||||||||
| end of year | 27,441,082 | $ | 227,674 | 21,123,559 | $ | 152,612 | ||||
| Series 1 preferred shares: | ||||||||||
| Outstanding, beginning and | ||||||||||
| end of year | 1,461,460 | $ | 13,647 | 1,461,460 | $ | 13,647 | ||||
| Series 3 preferred shares: | ||||||||||
| Balance, beginning of the year | 1,681,320 | $ | 15,690 | 1,681,320 | $ | 15,690 | ||||
| Redemption of preferred shares | (1,681,320 | ) | (15,690 | ) | - | - | ||||
| Outstanding, | ||||||||||
| end of year | - | $ | - | 1,681,320 | $ | 15,690 | ||||
| Contributed surplus: | ||||||||||
| Balance, beginning and end of year | $ | 145 | $ | 145 | ||||||
| Total share capital | $ | 241,466 | $ | 182,094 |
Common shares
On September 21, 2021 the Bank completed a treasury offering of 5,500,000 common shares at a price of USD $10.00 per share, the equivalent of CAD $12.80 per share, for gross proceeds of USD $55.0 million. On September 29, 2021, the underwriters of the aforementioned offering exercised their full over-allotment option to purchase an additional 825,000 shares (15% of the 5,500,000 common shares issued via the base offering referenced above) at a price of USD $10.00 per share,
30
| versabank |
|---|
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
13. Share capital – continued:
or CAD $12.68 per share, for gross proceeds of USD $8.3 million. Total net cash proceeds from the common share offering was CAD $73.2 million. However, the Bank’s share capital increased by CAD $75.1 million corresponding to the Common Share Offering and tax effected issue costs in the amount of CAD $5.4 million.
On October 7, 2021, the Bank cancelled, and returned to treasury, 7,477 common shares with a value of $39,000 or $5.24 per common share. The cancelled shares represent predecessor share classes which had not been deposited and exchanged for VersaBank common shares in connection with the Bank’s amalgamation with PWC Capital Inc. on January 31, 2017.
Series 1 Preferred shares:
The Bank is authorized to issue an unlimited number of Series 1 preferred shares with a par value of $10.00. These preferred shares are Basel III-compliant, non-cumulative five year rate reset preferred shares which includes non-viability contingent capital (“NVCC”) provisions which would require the preferred shares to be converted to common shares upon a trigger event (as defined by OSFI).
The holders of the Series 1 preferred shares are entitled to receive a non-cumulative fixed dividend in the amount of $0.6772 annually per share, payable quarterly, as and when declared by the Board of Directors for the period ending October 31, 2024. The dividend represents an annual yield of 6.772% based on the stated issue price per share. Thereafter, the dividend rate will reset every five years at a level of 543 basis points over the then five year Government of Canada bond yield.
The Bank maintains the right to redeem, subject to the approval of OSFI, up to all of the outstanding Series 1 preferred shares on October 31, 2024 and on October 31 every five years thereafter at a price of $10.00 per share. Should the Bank choose not to exercise its right to redeem the Series 1 preferred shares, holders of these shares will have the right to convert their shares into an equal number of non-cumulative, floating rate Series 2 preferred shares. Holders of Series 2 preferred shares will be entitled to receive quarterly floating dividends, as and when declared by the Board of Directors, equal to the 90-day Government of Canada Treasury bill rate plus 543 basis points.
Upon the occurrence of a trigger event (as defined by OSFI), each Series 1 or 2 preferred share will be automatically converted, without the consent of the holders, into common shares of the Bank. Conversion to common shares will be determined by dividing the preferred share conversion value ($10.00 per share plus any declared but unpaid dividends) by the common share value (the greater of (i) the floor price of $0.75 and (ii) the current market value price calculated as the volume weighted average trading price for the ten consecutive trading days ending on the day immediately prior to the date of the conversion).
31
| versabank |
|---|
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
| 13. | Share capital – continued: |
|---|
Series 3 Preferred shares:
On April 30, 2021, the Bank redeemed all of its 1,681,320 outstanding Non-Cumulative Series 3 preferred shares (NVCC) using cash on hand. The amount paid on redemption for each share was $10.00, and in aggregate $16.8 million. Transaction costs, incurred at issuance in the amount of $1.1 million were applied against retained earnings.
| 14. | Stock-based compensation: |
|---|
Equity-settled stock options:
The Bank has a stock option plan for its employees and officers. Options are granted at an exercise price set at the closing market price of the Bank’s common shares on the day preceding the date on which the option is granted and are exercisable within ten years of issue. Options are usually granted with graded vesting terms. One third of the grant vests immediately, one third vests on the first anniversary of the grant date, and one third vests on the second anniversary of the grant date. In limited cases, some options are granted with immediate vesting terms.
For the year ended October 31, 2021, the Bank recognized stock-based compensation expense of $nil (2020 - $nil). As at October 31, 2021, the outstanding options totaled 40,000 (2020 – 42,017). The options are fully vested and exercisable into common shares at $7.00 per share and expire on October 31, 2023. No stock options were granted during the years ended October 31, 2021 and October 31, 2020.
| 15. | Income taxes: |
|---|
Income taxes, including both the current and deferred portions, vary from the amounts that would be computed by applying the aggregated statutory federal and provincial tax rate of 27% (2020 – 27%) to income before income taxes. Income taxes have been computed as follows:
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | |||||
| Income before income taxes | $ | 30,789 | $ | 26,752 | ||
| Income tax rate | 27% | 27% | ||||
| Expected income tax provision | 8,313 | 7,223 | ||||
| Tax rate differential | (83 | ) | (83 | ) | ||
| Unrecognized deferred tax asset | 159 | 109 | ||||
| Other permanent differences | 20 | 98 | ||||
| Income taxes | $ | 8,409 | $ | 7,347 |
32
| versabank |
|---|
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
| 15. | Income taxes – continued: |
|---|
Income taxes is comprised of the following:
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | |||
| Current income taxes | $ | 4,319 | $ | - |
| Deferred income taxes | 4,090 | 7,347 | ||
| Income taxes | $ | 8,409 | $ | 7,347 |
The components of the recognized deferred income tax assets (liabilities) and related changes, as recognized in net income, equity or accumulated comprehensive income, are as follows:
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recognized | Recognized | Recognized | ||||||||||||
| November 1, | in net | on acquisition | directly to | October 31, | ||||||||||
| 2020 | income | of DBG | equity | 2021 | ||||||||||
| Allowance for credit losses | $ | 474 | $ | (86 | ) | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 388 | |||
| Loss carry forwards | 4,166 | (3,828 | ) | - | - | 338 | ||||||||
| Share issue and financing costs | 87 | (590 | ) | - | 1,876 | 1,373 | ||||||||
| Deposit commissions | (865 | ) | (116 | ) | - | - | (981 | ) | ||||||
| Intangibles assets | - | - | (898 | ) | - | (898 | ) | |||||||
| Deferred loan fees | 526 | 231 | - | - | 757 | |||||||||
| Other | 757 | 299 | - | - | 1,056 | |||||||||
| Net deferred income tax assets | $ | 5,145 | $ | (4,090 | ) | $ | (898 | ) | $ | 1,876 | $ | 2,033 | ||
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | ||||||||||||||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |||
| Recognized | Recognized | |||||||||||||
| November 1, | in net | directly to | October 31, | |||||||||||
| 2019 | income | equity | 2020 | |||||||||||
| Allowance for credit losses | $ | 566 | $ | (92 | ) | $ | - | $ | 474 | |||||
| Loss carry forwards | 10,294 | (6,994 | ) | 866 | 4,166 | |||||||||
| Share issue and financing costs | 162 | (75 | ) | - | 87 | |||||||||
| Deposit commissions | (757 | ) | (108 | ) | - | (865 | ) | |||||||
| Deferred loan fees | 617 | (91 | ) | - | 526 | |||||||||
| Other | 744 | 13 | - | 757 | ||||||||||
| Net deferred income tax assets | $ | 11,626 | $ | (7,347 | ) | $ | 866 | $ | 5,145 |
33
| versabank |
|---|
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
| 15. | Income taxes – continued: |
|---|
The net deferred taxes are comprised of:
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | ||||
| Deferred tax assets | $ | 2,931 | $ | 5,145 | |
| Deferred tax liabilities | (898 | ) | - | ||
| Net deferred income tax assets | $ | 2,033 | $ | 5,145 |
The Bank is subject to Part VI.1 tax which is a 40% tax on dividends paid on taxable preferred shares under the Income Tax Act (Canada). The Part VI.1 tax of $631,000 (2020
- $866,000) and related tax recovery is recorded through equity.
At October 31, 2021, the Bank had income tax losses which can be carried forward to reduce taxable income in future years. These loss carry forwards of the Bank will expire, if unused, as follows:
| Canadian | United States | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | Tax Losses | Tax Losses | Total | |||
| 2034 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - |
| 2035 | - | - | - | |||
| 2036 | - | - | - | |||
| 2037 | - | - | - | |||
| 2038 | 55 | - | 55 | |||
| 2039 | 549 | - | 549 | |||
| 2040 | 631 | - | 631 | |||
| No expiry | - | 970 | 970 | |||
| $ | 1,235 | $ | 970 | $ | 2,205 |
The deferred tax asset of $268,000 (2020
- $109,000) relating to the United States tax losses has not been recognized in these statements.
In addition, the Bank has approximately $9.5 million (2020 - $9.5 million) of capital loss carry forwards which may be applied against future capital gains and for which the deferred tax asset of $1.3 million (2020 - $1.3 million) has not been recognized.
A deferred tax liability on taxable temporary differences of approximately $1.5 million (2020 - $nil) relating to the Bank’s investment in its subsidiaries was not recognized as the Bank is able to control the timing of the reversal of the temporary differences and it is probable that the temporary differences will not reverse in the foreseeable future.
34
| versabank |
|---|
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
| 16. | Per share amounts: |
|---|
Basic and diluted incomeper common share
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | |||||
| Net income | $ | 22,380 | $ | 19,405 | ||
| Preferred share dividends paid | (1,578 | ) | (2,168 | ) | ||
| Net income available to common shareholders | 20,802 | 17,237 | ||||
| Weighted average number of common shares outstanding | 21,752,930 | 21,123,559 | ||||
| Basic and diluted income per common share: | $ | 0.96 | $ | 0.82 |
The Series 1 NVCC preferred shares are contingently issuable shares and do not have a dilutive impact. The outstanding employee stock options are dilutive but are de minimis and therefore have no impact on the Bank’s income per share amounts.
| 17. | Nature and extent of risks arising from financial instruments: |
|---|
Risk management involves the identification, ongoing assessment, managing and monitoring of material risks that could adversely affect the Bank. The Bank is exposed to credit risk, liquidity risk, and market risks.
Senior management is responsible for establishing the framework for identifying risks and developing appropriate risk management policies and procedures. The Bank’s Board of Directors, either directly or indirectly through its committees, reviews and approves corporate policies, including specific reporting procedures. This enables them to monitor ongoing compliance with policies, delegate limits and review management’s assessment of risk in its material risk taking activities. The Bank’s Chief Internal Auditor provides a periodic review of policies and procedures to ensure that they are appropriate, effective and being followed and that adequate controls are in place in order to mitigate risk to acceptable levels. The Chief Internal Auditor reports directly to the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors. In addition, the Bank has an ongoing risk and compliance management program with the Chief Compliance Officer, who reports directly to the Board of Directors, and the Chief Risk Officer, who reports directly to the Risk Oversight Committee.
Credit Risk
Credit risk is the risk of loss associated with a borrower, guarantor, or counterparty’s inability or unwillingness to fulfill its contractual obligations. The Bank is exposed to credit risk primarily as a result of its lending activities but also, from time to time, as a result of investing in securities. The Bank manages its lending activity credit risk using policies that have been recommended by the Chief Credit Officer and the Chief Risk Officer to the Risk Oversight Committee, who then recommend the policies to the Board of Directors for approval. These policies consist of approval procedures and limits on loan amounts, portfolio concentration, geographic concentration, industry concentration, asset category,
35
| versabank |
|---|
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
| 17. | Nature and extent of risks arising from financial instruments – continued: |
|---|
loans to any one entity and associated groups, a risk rating policy that provides for risk rating each asset in its total asset portfolio, and early recognition of problem accounts with an action plan for each account. The Risk Oversight Committee reviews these policies on an ongoing basis.
Motivated by the volatility in the Canadian economy attributable to the impact of COVID-19, the Bank’s credit risk department has taken a number of steps to increase the frequency and comprehensiveness of its review and assessment of the Bank’s credit risk profile as well as in its monitoring of the general activity within each of the Bank’s lending portfolios, including annual and interim reviews, risk rating adjustments, new credit volumes, funding requirements, requests for deferrals, concessions or restructurings and any risk rating adjustments precipitating from same. Further, the Bank’s credit risk department maintains a rigorous review of adherence to the Bank’s credit adjudication policies.
The Bank manages credit risk associated with securities included in its Treasury portfolio by applying policies that have been recommended by the Chief Credit Officer to the Risk Oversight Committee, which then recommends the policies to the Board of Directors for approval. These policies consist of approval procedures and restrictions in the selection of security dealers, restrictions in the nature of securities selected, and in setting securities portfolio concentration limits. The Risk Oversight Committee reviews these policies on an ongoing basis.
The Risk Oversight Committee, comprised entirely of independent directors, performs the following functions related to credit risk:
| · | Recommends policies governing management of credit risks to the Board of Directors for approval and reviews<br>credit risk policies on an ongoing basis to ensure they are prudent and appropriate given possible changes in market conditions and corporate<br>strategy. |
|---|---|
| · | Concurs with credits exceeding the levels delegated to management, prior to commitment. |
| --- | --- |
| · | Reviews, on a regular basis, watchlist accounts, impaired loans and accounts that have gone into arrears<br>and expected credit loss analysis on a quarterly basis. |
| --- | --- |
See note 6 for information relating to credit risk associated with loans.
There was no material change in the Bank’s processes for managing credit risk during the year.
Liquidity Risk
Liquidity risk is the risk that the Bank is unable to meet the demand for cash to fund obligations as they come due. The Bank is exposed to liquidity risk as a result of timing differences in the cash flows of its lending activities, security investment activities and deposit taking activities. The Bank has established policies to ensure that its cash outflows and inflows are closely matched and that its sources of deposits are diversified between funding sources and over a wide geographic area. With the onset of COVID-19, management considered the general activity and trends in its key deposit markets, the expected
36
| versabank |
|---|
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
| 17. | Nature and extent of risks arising from financial instruments – continued: |
|---|
duration, scope and impact of active monetary and fiscal policy stimulus programs and the anticipated impact of same on its future cashflow requirements in its assessment of the Bank’s liquidity risk profile.
The Risk Oversight Committee recommends policies governing management of liquidity risk to the Board for approval and reviews liquidity policies on an ongoing basis. It receives and reviews quarterly securities portfolio reports and liquidity risk reports from management relating to its liquidity position. Additionally, an Asset Liability Committee, consisting of members of senior management, monitors liquidity risk, reviews compliance with policies and discusses strategies in this area.
See note 18 for information relating to liquidity risk associated with the Bank’s asset and liability gaps in maturities. There was no material change in the Bank’s processes for managing liquidity risk during the year.
Market Risk
Market risk is the risk of a negative impact on the balance sheet and/or income statement resulting from changes or volatility in market factors such as interest rates or market prices. The Bank’s principal market risk arises from interest rate risk as the Bank does not consistently undertake any foreign exchange or trading activities. The Risk Oversight Committee is charged with recommending policies that govern market risk to its Board of Directors for approval and with reviewing the policies on an ongoing basis.
Foreign exchange risk or currency risk is the risk that transacting in any currency apart from the Bank’s base currency can result in gains or losses due to currency fluctuations resulting in the possibility that a foreign denominated transaction’s value may decrease due to changes in the relative value of the currency pair. Any appreciation/depreciation in the foreign currency versus the local currency will give rise to foreign exchange risk. The Bank does not consistently undertake any foreign exchange or trading activities, but actively manages any material foreign exchange risk exposure derived from the Bank’s normal course business activities through, where possible the establishment of a natural foreign currency hedge or, if necessary through foreign exchange contracts established with high quality counterparties in order to mitigate the impact of changes in foreign exchange rates on the Bank’s financial results and position.
Interest rate risk is the risk that a movement in interest rates could negatively impact spread, net interest income and the economic value of assets, liabilities and shareholders’ equity. The Bank manages interest rate risk by employing a number of methods including income simulation analysis and interest rate sensitivity gap and duration analysis. Management prepares regular reports to the Board to allow for ongoing monitoring of the Bank’s interest rate risk position. The Asset Liability Committee reviews the results of these analyses on a monthly basis and monitors compliance with limits set by corporate policy.
The management of interest rate risk also includes stress testing the Bank’s financial assets and liabilities to various standard and non-standard interest rate scenarios. Standard scenarios that are
37
| versabank |
|---|
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
| 17. | Nature and extent of risks arising from financial instruments – continued: |
|---|
considered include a 100 basis point (bps) parallel upward and downward shift in all yield curves applicable to the Bank.
The results of an analysis of the Bank’s sensitivity to an increase or decrease in market interest rates, assuming no asymmetrical movement in yield curves and a static balance sheet are set out below:
Interest Rate Position
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | ||||||||||
| Increase 100 bps | Decrease 100 bps | Increase 100 bps | Decrease 100 bps | ||||||||
| Increase (decrease): | |||||||||||
| Sensitivity of projected net interest | |||||||||||
| income during a 12 month period | $ | 4,147 | $ | (3,220 | ) | $ | 2,569 | $ | (2,099 | ) | |
| Sensitivity of reported equity | |||||||||||
| during a 60 month period | 1,603 | (1,586 | ) | (2,527 | ) | 1,604 | |||||
| Duration difference between assets and | |||||||||||
| liabilities (months) | 2.3 | 0.6 |
There was no material change in the Bank’s processes for managing interest rate risk during the year.
As at October 31, 2021 and October 31, 2020 the Bank did not have any outstanding contracts to hedge fair value exposure attributed to interest rate risk. The Bank uses on-balance sheet strategies to manage its interest rate risk.
38
| versabank |
|---|
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
| 18. | Interest rate risk and liquidity risk: |
|---|
The Bank is exposed to interest rate risk as a consequence of the mismatch, or gap, between assets and liabilities scheduled to mature or reset on particular dates. The gaps, which existed at October 31, 2021 are set out below:
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floating | Within | 3 months to | 1 year to | 2 years to | Over | Non-interest | ||||||||||||||
| rate | 3 months | 1 year | 2 years | 5 years | 5 years | rate sensitive | Total | |||||||||||||
| Assets | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Cash | $ | 271,523 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 271,523 | ||||
| Effective rate | 0.70% | |||||||||||||||||||
| Loans | 659,508 | 51,453 | 246,853 | 231,885 | 752,776 | 153,833 | 6,742 | 2,103,050 | ||||||||||||
| Effective rate | 5.01% | 5.18% | 4.02% | 4.78% | 4.28% | 3.79% | ||||||||||||||
| Other | - | - | - | - | - | - | 40,513 | 40,513 | ||||||||||||
| Effective rate | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Total Assets | $ | 931,031 | $ | 51,453 | $ | 246,853 | $ | 231,885 | $ | 752,776 | $ | 153,833 | $ | 47,255 | $ | 2,415,086 | ||||
| Liabilities | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Deposits | $ | 495,551 | $ | 260,915 | $ | 399,376 | $ | 272,782 | $ | 411,649 | $ | - | $ | 12,931 | $ | 1,853,204 | ||||
| Effective rate | 0.00% | 1.21% | 1.49% | 2.04% | 1.79% | |||||||||||||||
| Subordinated notes | - | - | - | - | - | 95,272 | - | 95,272 | ||||||||||||
| Effective rate | 5.64% | |||||||||||||||||||
| Other | 118,651 | - | - | - | - | - | 15,853 | 134,504 | ||||||||||||
| Effective rate | 0.33% | |||||||||||||||||||
| Equity | - | - | - | - | 13,647 | - | 318,459 | 332,106 | ||||||||||||
| Effective rate | 6.77% | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total liabilities and equity | $ | 614,202 | $ | 260,915 | $ | 399,376 | $ | 272,782 | $ | 425,296 | $ | 95,272 | $ | 347,243 | $ | 2,415,086 | ||||
| October 31, 2021 gap | $ | 316,829 | $ | (209,462 | ) | $ | (152,523 | ) | $ | (40,897 | ) | $ | 327,480 | $ | 58,561 | $ | (299,988 | ) | $ | - |
| Cumulative | $ | 316,829 | $ | 107,367 | $ | (45,156 | ) | $ | (86,053 | ) | $ | 241,427 | $ | 299,988 | $ | - | $ | - | ||
| October 31, 2020 gap | $ | 208,947 | $ | (156,219 | ) | $ | (188,721 | ) | $ | (130,629 | ) | $ | 338,148 | $ | 148,676 | $ | (220,202 | ) | $ | - |
| Cumulative | $ | 208,947 | $ | 52,728 | $ | (135,993 | ) | $ | (266,622 | ) | $ | 71,526 | $ | 220,202 | $ | - | $ | - |
39
| versabank |
|---|
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
| 19. | Fair value of financial instruments: |
|---|
The amounts set out in the table below represent the fair value of the Bank’s financial instruments:
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | |||||||
| Book Value | Fair Value | Book Value | Fair Value | |||||
| Assets | ||||||||
| Cash | $ | 271,523 | $ | 271,523 | $ | 257,644 | $ | 257,644 |
| Loans | 2,103,050 | 2,118,636 | 1,654,910 | 1,665,473 | ||||
| Other financial assets | 3,596 | 3,596 | 8,897 | 8,897 | ||||
| Liabilities | ||||||||
| Deposits | $ | 1,853,204 | $ | 1,860,332 | $ | 1,567,570 | $ | 1,607,495 |
| Subordinated notes payable | 95,272 | 97,910 | 4,889 | 5,000 | ||||
| Securitization liabilities | - | - | 8,745 | 8,778 | ||||
| Other financial liabilities | 130,657 | 130,657 | 107,393 | 107,393 |
Fair values are based on management’s best estimates of market conditions and valuation policies at a certain point in time. The estimates are subjective and involve particular assumptions and matters of judgment and as such, may not be reflective of future fair values. The Bank’s loans and deposits lack an available market as they are not typically exchanged. Therefore, they have been valued as described below and are not necessarily representative of amounts realizable upon immediate settlement.
The fair value amounts have been determined using the following valuation methods and assumptions:
| • | The fair value of loans is based on net discounted cash flows using market interest rates and applicable<br>credit spreads for borrowers. |
|---|---|
| • | The fair value of deposits is determined based on discounted cash flows using market interest rates. |
| --- | --- |
| • | The fair value of subordinated notes payable is determined by referring to current values for similar<br>debt instruments. |
| --- | --- |
| • | The fair value of securitization liabilities is determined based on discounted cash flows using market<br>interest rates. |
| --- | --- |
| • | The fair value of other financial assets is approximately equal to their book value due to the short-term<br>nature of the instruments except for the investment in Stablecorp which is measured at fair value at each reporting period with changes<br>in value reflected in the Bank’s other comprehensive income. The estimated fair value of the Stablecorp investment was based on<br>a Level 3 fair value hierarchy, which did not use inputs that are based on observable market data given that the entity is privately-held. |
| --- | --- |
| • | The fair value of other financial liabilities is approximately equal to their book value due to the short-term<br>nature of the instruments except for lease obligations. However, the fair value of the Bank’s |
| --- | --- |
40
| versabank |
|---|
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
| 19. | Fair value of financial instruments - continued: |
|---|
lease obligations is approximately equal to their book value given that there has been no movement in the market interest rates associated with these leases.
| 20. | Related party transactions: |
|---|
The Bank’s Board of Directors and Senior Executive Officers represent key management personnel and the Bank has issued loans and advances to some of these individuals. At October 31, 2021, amounts due from key management personnel totalled $1.5 million (2020 - $1.4 million) and an amount due from a corporation controlled by key management personnel totalled $2.8 million (2020 - $2.6 million). The interest rates charged on loans and advances to related parties are based on mutually agreed upon terms. Interest income earned on related party loans for the year ended October 31, 2021 totalled $83,000 (2020 - $62,000). There were no specific provisions for credit losses associated with loans issued to key management personnel (2020 - $nil), and all loans issued to key management personnel were current as at October 31, 2021 and 2020.
In March 2019, the Bank issued a $500,000 subordinated note payable to key management personnel which bears an interest rate of 10% and matures in March 2029 (note 10).
Total compensation expense recognized for key management personnel for the year ended October 31, 2021, was $6.1 million (2020 - $5.4 million).
| 21. | Commitments and contingencies: |
|---|---|
| a) | Credit commitments: |
| --- | --- |
The amount of credit related commitments represents the maximum amount of additional credit that the Bank could be obliged to extend. Under certain circumstances, the Bank may cancel loan commitments at its option. Letters of credit amounts are not necessarily indicative of the associated credit risk exposure as many of these arrangements are contracted for a limited period of usually less than one year and will expire or terminate without being drawn upon.
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | |||
| Loan commitments | $ | 296,248 | $ | 238,724 |
| Letters of credit | 46,462 | 50,284 | ||
| $ | 342,710 | $ | 289,008 |
41
| versabank |
|---|
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
21. Commitments and contingencies
- continued:
| b) | Pledged assets: |
|---|
In the ordinary course of business, assets are pledged against the following off-balance sheet items:
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | |||
| Securitized contracts | $ | - | $ | 1,318 |
| Letters of credit | 7,803 | 3,914 | ||
| $ | 7,803 | $ | 5,232 | |
| 22. | Capital management: | |||
| --- | --- | |||
| a) | Overview: | |||
| --- | --- |
The Bank’s policy is to maintain a strong capital base so as to retain investor, creditor and market confidence as well as to support the future growth and development of the business. The impact of the level of capital held on shareholders’ return is an important consideration and the Bank recognizes the need to maintain a balance between the higher returns that may be possible with greater leverage and the advantages and security that may be afforded by a more robust capital position, OSFI sets and monitors capital requirements for the Bank. Capital is managed in accordance with policies and plans that are regularly reviewed and approved by the Board of Directors and that take into account, amongst other items, forecasted capital requirements and current and anticipated financial market conditions.
The goal is to maintain adequate regulatory capital for the Bank to be considered well capitalized, protect consumer deposits and provide capacity to support organic growth as well as to capitalize on strategic opportunities that do not otherwise require accessing the public capital markets, all the while providing a satisfactory return to shareholders. The Bank’s regulatory capital is comprised of share capital, retained earnings and unrealized gains and losses on fair value through other comprehensive income securities (Common Equity Tier 1 capital), preferred shares (Additional Tier 1 capital) and subordinated notes (Tier 2 capital).
The Bank monitors its capital adequacy and related capital ratios on a daily basis and has policies setting internal targets and thresholds for its capital ratios. These capital ratios consist of the leverage ratio and the risk-based capital ratios.
The Bank makes use of the Standardized Approach for credit risk as prescribed by OSFI, and therefore, may include eligible ECL allowance amounts in its Tier 2 capital, up to a maximum of
42
| versabank |
|---|
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
| 22. | Capital management - continued: |
|---|
1.25% of its credit risk-weighted assets calculated under the Standardized Approach. Further to this, and as a result of the onset of COVID-19 and the economic uncertainty precipitated by same,
OSFI introduced guidance over the course of the second quarter of fiscal 2020 that set out transitional arrangements pertaining to the capital treatment of expected credit loss provisioning which allows for a portion of eligible ECL allowance amounts to be included in CET1 capital, on a transitional basis, over the course of the period ranging between 2020 and 2022 inclusive. The portion of the Bank’s ECL allowance that is eligible for inclusion in CET1 capital is calculated as the increase in the sum of Stage 1 and Stage 2 ECL allowance amounts estimated in the current period relative to the sum of Stage 1 and Stage 2 ECL allowance amounts estimated for the baseline period, which has been designated by OSFI to be the three months ended January 31, 2020, adjusted for tax effects and multiplied by a scaling factor. The scaling factor was set by OSFI at 70% for fiscal 2020, 50% for fiscal 2021 and 25% for fiscal 2022. The impact of the capital treatment of expected credit loss provisioning on the Bank’s capital levels and associated capital ratios is presented in the table below.
On April 30, 2021, the Bank redeemed all of its 1,681,320 outstanding Non-Cumulative Series 3 preferred shares (NVCC) using cash on hand. The amount paid on redemption for each share was $10.00, and in aggregate $16.8 million. Transaction costs, incurred at issuance in the amount of $1.1 million were applied against retained earnings.
On April 30, 2021, the Bank completed a private placement of NVCC compliant fixed to floating rate subordinated notes (“the Notes”), in the principal amount of USD $75.0 million, equivalent to CAD $92.1 million as at April 30, 2021. Interest will be paid on the Notes semi-annually in arrears on May 1 and November 1 of each year, commencing November 1, 2021, at a fixed rate of 5.00% per year, until May 1, 2026. Thereafter, if not redeemed by the Bank, the Notes will have a floating interest rate payable at the 3-month Bankers’ Acceptance Rate plus 361 basis points, payable quarterly in arrears, on February 1, May 1, August 1 and November 1 of each year, commencing August 1, 2026, until the maturity date. Proceeds of the Notes are held in US dollar denominated cash. Upon issuance of the Notes, the Bank received confirmation from the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (Canada) (“OSFI”), that the Notes qualify as Tier 2 capital of the Bank pursuant to OSFI’s Capital Adequacy Requirements (CAR) Guideline, including the NVCC Requirements specified in section 2.2 of the CAR Guideline.
On September 21, 2021 the Bank completed a Treasury offering of 5,500,000 common shares at a price of USD $10.00 per share, the equivalent of CAD $12.80 for gross proceeds of USD $55.0 million. On September 29, 2021, the underwriters of the aforementioned offering exercised their full over-allotment option to purchase an additional 825,000 shares (15% of the 5,500,000 common shares issued via the base offering referenced above) at a price of USD $10.00 per share, or CAD $12.68 per share for gross proceeds of USD $8.3 million. Total net proceeds of the offering were CAD $73.2 million (note 13), however, the Bank’s regulatory capital increased by CAD $75.1 million
43
| versabank |
|---|
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
| 22. | Capital management - continued: |
|---|
corresponding to the Common Share Offering and tax effected issue costs in the amount of CAD $5.4 million.
During the year ended October 31, 2021, there were no material changes in the Bank’s management of capital.
| b) | Risk-Based Capital Ratios: |
|---|
The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision has published the Basel III rules on capital adequacy and liquidity (“Basel III”). OSFI requires that all Canadian banks must comply with the Basel III standards on an “all-in” basis for the purpose of determining their risk-based capital ratios. Required minimum regulatory capital ratios are a 7.0% Common Equity Tier 1 capital ratio (“CET1”), an 8.5% Tier 1 capital ratio and a 10.5% total capital ratio, all of which include a 2.50% capital conservation buffer.
OSFI also requires banks to measure capital adequacy in accordance with guidelines for determining risk adjusted capital and risk-weighted assets including off-balance sheet credit instruments as specified in the Basel III regulations. Based on the deemed credit risk for each type of asset, both on and off balance sheet assets of the Bank are assigned a weighting ranging between 0% to 150% to determine the Bank’s risk weighted equivalent assets and its risk-based capital ratios.
The Bank’s risk-based capital ratios are calculated as follows:
(thousands of Canadian dollars)
| 2021 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Transitional" | "All in" | "All in" | |||||||
| Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) capital | |||||||||
| Directly issued qualifying common share capital | $ | 227,819 | $ | 227,819 | $ | 152,757 | |||
| Retained earnings | 90,644 | 90,644 | 73,194 | ||||||
| Accumulated other comprehensive income | (4 | ) | (4 | ) | - | ||||
| CET1 before regulatory adjustments | 318,459 | 318,459 | 225,951 | ||||||
| Regulatory adjustments applied to CET1 | (12,751 | ) | (12,751 | ) | (6,592 | ) | |||
| Common Equity Tier 1 capital | $ | 305,708 | $ | 305,708 | $ | 219,359 | |||
| Additional Tier 1 capital | |||||||||
| Directly issued qualifying Additional Tier 1 instruments | $ | 13,647 | $ | 13,647 | $ | 29,337 | |||
| Total Tier 1 capital | $ | 319,355 | $ | 319,355 | $ | 248,696 | |||
| Tier 2 capital | |||||||||
| Directly issued capital instruments | $ | 97,910 | $ | 97,910 | $ | 5,000 | |||
| Tier 2 capital before regulatory adjustments | 97,910 | 97,910 | 5,000 | ||||||
| Eligible stage 1 and stage 2 allowance | 1,453 | 1,453 | 1,775 | ||||||
| Total Tier 2 capital | $ | 99,363 | $ | 99,363 | $ | 6,775 | |||
| Total regulatory capital | $ | 418,718 | $ | 418,718 | $ | 255,471 | |||
| Total risk-weighted assets | $ | 2,013,544 | $ | 2,013,544 | $ | 1,580,939 | |||
| Total risk-weighted assets | |||||||||
| CET1 capital ratio | 15.18 | % | 15.18 | % | 13.88 | % | |||
| Tier 1 capital ratio | 15.86 | % | 15.86 | % | 15.73 | % | |||
| Total capital ratio | 20.80 | % | 20.80 | % | 16.16 | % |
44
| versabank |
|---|
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Years ended October 31, 2021 and 2020
| 22. | Capital management – continued: |
|---|---|
| c) | Leverage ratio |
| --- | --- |
The leverage ratio, which is prescribed under the Basel III Accord, is a supplementary measure to the risk-based capital requirements and is defined as the ratio of Tier 1 capital to the Bank’s total exposures. The Basel III minimum leverage ratio is 3.0%. The Bank’s leverage ratio is calculated as follows:
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2021 | 2020 | |||||||
| "Transitional" | "All-in" | "All-in" | |||||||
| On-balance sheet assets | $ | 2,415,086 | $ | 2,415,086 | $ | 1,943,885 | |||
| Asset amounts adjusted in determining the Basel III | |||||||||
| Tier 1 capital | (12,751 | ) | (12,751 | ) | (6,592 | ) | |||
| Total on-balance sheet exposures | 2,402,335 | 2,402,335 | 1,937,293 | ||||||
| Off-balance sheet exposure at gross notional amount | $ | 342,710 | $ | 342,710 | $ | 289,008 | |||
| Adjustments for conversion to credit equivalent amount | (210,065 | ) | (210,065 | ) | (186,524 | ) | |||
| Off-balance sheet exposures | 132,645 | 132,645 | 102,484 | ||||||
| Tier 1 capital | 319,355 | 319,355 | 248,696 | ||||||
| Total exposures | 2,534,980 | 2,534,980 | 2,039,777 | ||||||
| Leverage ratio | 12.60 | % | 12.60 | % | 12.19 | % |
As at October 31, 2021 and 2020, the Bank was in compliance with the leverage ratio prescribed by OSFI.
| 23. | Comparative information: |
|---|
The financial statements have been reclassified, where applicable, to conform to the presentation used in the current year. The changes do not affect prior year earnings.
45
Exhibit 99.2

Management’s Discussion and Analysis
This management’s discussion and analysis (“MD&A”) of operations and financial condition for the year ended October 31, 2021, dated November 30, 2021, should be read in conjunction with VersaBank’s Audited Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended October 31, 2021, which have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”) and is available on VersaBank’s website at www.versabank.com, SEDAR at www.sedar.com and EDGAR at www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml. All currency amounts in this document are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise indicated.
| Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements | 2 |
|---|---|
| Overview | 3 |
| Strategy | 3 |
| Update on impact of COVID-19 pandemic | 3 |
| Overview of Performance | 5 |
| Selected Financial Highlights | 7 |
| Business Outlook | 8 |
| Financial Review - Earnings | 11 |
| Financial Review - Balance Sheet | 15 |
| Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements | 29 |
| Related Party Transactions | 29 |
| Capital Management and Capital Resources | 30 |
| Summary of Quarterly Results | 34 |
| Fourth Quarter Review | 35 |
| Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates | 36 |
| Enterprise Risk Management | 42 |
| Non-GAAP and Other Financial Measures | 55 |
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 1 |
| --- | --- |
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-LookingStatements
The statements in this management’s discussion and analysis that relate to the future are forward-looking statements. By their very nature, forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, many of which are out of the Bank’s control. Risks exist that predictions, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will not be achieved. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements as a number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the plans, objectives, expectations, estimates and intentions expressed in such forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, the strength of the Canadian economy in general and the strength of the local economies within Canada in which the Bank conducts operations; the effects of changes in monetary and fiscal policy, including changes in interest rate policies of the Bank of Canada; global commodity prices; the effects of competition in the markets in which the Bank operates; inflation; capital market fluctuations; the timely development and introduction of new products in receptive markets; the ability of the Bank to grow its business and execute its strategy in the US market; the impact of changes in the laws and regulations regulating financial services; changes in tax laws; technological changes; unexpected judicial or regulatory proceedings; unexpected changes in consumer spending and savings habits; the impact of COVID-19 and the Bank’s anticipation of and success in managing the risks implicated by the foregoing.
The foregoing list of important factors is not exhaustive. When relying on forward-looking statements to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. The forward-looking information contained in the management’s discussion and analysis is presented to assist our shareholders and others in understanding our financial position and may not be appropriate for any other purposes. Except as required by securities law, we do not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that is contained in this management’s discussion and analysis or made from time to time by the Bank or on its behalf.
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 2 |
| --- | --- |
Overview
VersaBank is a Canadian Schedule I chartered bank with a difference. VersaBank became the world’s first fully digital financial institution when it adopted its highly efficient business-to-business model using its proprietary state-of-the-art financial technology to profitably address underserved segments of the Canadian banking market in the pursuit of superior net interest margins while mitigating risk. VersaBank obtains all of its deposits and provides the majority of its loans and leases electronically, with innovative deposit and lending solutions for financial intermediaries that allow them to excel in their core businesses. In addition, leveraging its internally developed IT security software and capabilities, VersaBank established wholly owned, Washington, DC-based subsidiary, DRT Cyber Inc. to pursue significant large-market opportunities in cybersecurity and develop innovative solutions to address the rapidly growing volume of cyber threats challenging financial institutions, multi-national corporations and government entities on a daily basis.
VersaBank’s Common Shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol VB and on the Nasdaq under the symbol VBNK. Its Series 1 Preferred Shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol VB.PR.A.
Strategy
VersaBank’s strategy is to utilize proprietary software and established non-branch financial product distribution channels to deliver innovative commercial and consumer lending and deposit products to select clients operating in niche markets across Canada.
Update on impact of COVID-19pandemic
The impact of COVID-19 on communities, businesses and the Canadian economy has abated over the last half of the calendar year with the rapid distribution and adoption of the vaccines allowing for a progressive reopening of the Canadian economy as well as stimulating improved consumer and business confidence. As a digital bank with a low-risk business-to-business, partner-based model, VersaBank has remained relatively insulated from many of the negative influences of COVID-19. Our staff continues to work remotely, leveraging our fully functional Work-From-Home solution which was a natural and seamless evolution of the Bank’s branchless, technology-driven model. Notwithstanding the above, management has developed a return-to-work strategy, which is scheduled to be initiated in the first quarter of fiscal 2022.
We continue to have no loans on our balance sheet that are subject to payment deferrals, no impaired loans and no loans in arrears, however, at the same time, we continue to operate at a heightened level of awareness to ensure that our origination and underwriting practices remain highly disciplined and focused.
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 3 |
| --- | --- |
The rate of vaccine distribution and the continued effectiveness of the vaccines at minimizing hospitalizations precipitated by the new variants will be, in our view, key drivers of the continued recovery of the Canadian economy in the short to medium term. As we navigate past the business and operational challenges imposed by the continued impact of COVID-19, the Bank continues to focus on increasing earnings by concentrating on niche markets that support modestly better pricing for its products and by leveraging its diverse deposit gathering network that provides efficient access to a range of low-cost deposit sources in order to maintain a lower cost of funds.
The underlying drivers of the Bank’s performance trends for the current and comparative periods are set out in the following sections of this MD&A.
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 4 |
| --- | --- |
Overview of Performance

* This is a non-GAAP measure. See definition in "Non-GAAP and Other Financial Measures".
FY 2021 vs FY 2020
| Ø | Loans<br> were up 27% to $2.10 billion attributable to strong growth in the Bank’s commercial<br> real estate, (“CRE”) and point of sale (“POS”) loan and lease receivable<br> portfolios; |
|---|---|
| Ø | Total<br> revenue was up 21% to $65.4 million, comprised of net interest income in the amount of $60.2<br> million and non-interest income in the amount of $5.2 million, the latter derived primarily<br> from the Bank’s technology and cybersecurity operations (See Acquisition of DBG in the Financial Review – Balance Sheet); |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | Net<br> income was up 15% to $22.4 million and EPS was up 17% to $0.96 per share; |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | Net<br> interest margin (NIM) was down 14 bps to 2.76% as a function primarily of yield compression<br> on lending assets over the course of the period as well as lower yields earned on elevated<br> cash balances offset partially by lower cost of funds; |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | Core<br> cash earnings were up 15% to $30.8 million; and, |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | Recovery<br> of credit losses were $438,000 compared to a recovery of credit losses of $344,000. |
| --- | --- |
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 5 |
| --- | --- |
Items of note
FY 2021
| Ø | On<br> September 21, 2021 the Bank completed a treasury offering of 5,500,000 common shares at a<br> price of USD $10.00 per share, the equivalent of CAD $12.80 per share, for gross proceeds<br> of USD $55.0 million and on September 29, 2021 the underwriters of the aforementioned offering<br> exercised their full over-allotment option to purchase an additional 825,000 shares (15%<br> of the 5,500,000 common shares issued via the base offering referenced above) at a price<br> of USD $10.00 per share, or CAD $12.68 per share, for gross proceeds of USD $8.3 million,<br> collectively (“the Common Share Offering”). Total net cash proceeds from the<br> Common Share Offering was CAD $73.2 million. However, the Bank’s share capital increased<br> by CAD $75.1 million as a function of the Common Share Offering and tax effected issue costs in the amount of $5.4 million.<br> The Bank listed<br> on the Nasdaq under the symbol VBNK concurrent with the Common Share Offering<br> on September 21, 2021; |
|---|---|
| Ø | On<br> April 30, 2021, the Bank completed a private placement with U.S. institutional investors<br> of non-viability contingent capital (“NVCC”) compliant fixed to floating rate<br> subordinated notes payable (“the Notes”), in the principal amount of USD $75.0<br> million, equivalent to CAD $92.1 million as at April 30, 2021. Interest will be paid on the<br> Notes semi-annually in arrears on May 1 and November 1 of each year, commencing on November<br> 1, 2021, at a fixed rate of 5.00% per year, until May 1, 2026. Thereafter, if not redeemed<br> by VersaBank, the Notes will have a floating interest rate payable at the 3-month Bankers’<br> Acceptance Rate plus 361 basis points, payable quarterly in arrears, on February 1, May 1,<br> August 1 and November 1 of each year, commencing August 1, 2026, until maturity in May 2031.<br> Proceeds of the Notes are currently held in US dollar denominated cash. Egan-Jones Ratings<br> Company assigned the Notes and the Bank an “A-” and “A” rating respectively,<br> at the time of the private placement; |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | On<br> April 30, 2021, the Bank redeemed all of its outstanding Non-Cumulative Series 3 preferred<br> shares (NVCC) using cash on hand. The amount paid on redemption for each share was $10.00,<br> and in aggregate $16.8 million; |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | On<br> January 4, 2021, the Bank announced the appointment of Peter Irwin to the Bank’s Board<br> of Directors, filling the vacant position left by the sudden passing of Colin E. Litton in<br> December 2020. Mr. Irwin brings to the VersaBank Board more than 30 years of leadership experience<br> in the Canadian financial services industry. His extensive background includes investment<br> banking, capital markets, corporate development, merchant banking and private equity; and, |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | On<br> November 30, 2020, the Bank’s wholly owned subsidiary DRT Cyber Inc. (“DRTC”)<br> acquired 100% of the shares of 2021945 Ontario Inc., operating as Digital Boundary Group<br> (“DBG”), in exchange for $8.5 million in cash and a deferred payment obligation<br> of $1.4 million, for total consideration of $9.9 million. See Acquisition of DBG in<br> the Financial Review – Balance Sheet section below for details. |
| --- | --- |
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 6 |
| --- | --- |
Selected Financial Highlights
| (unaudited) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 31 | October 31 | October 31 | |||||||
| ($CDN<br> thousands except per share amounts) | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | ||||||
| Results of operations | |||||||||
| Interest<br> income | $ | 89,488 | $ | 86,094 | $ | 88,305 | |||
| Net interest income | 60,157 | 54,125 | 53,897 | ||||||
| Non-interest income | 5,200 | 60 | 22 | ||||||
| Total revenue | 65,357 | 54,185 | 53,919 | ||||||
| Provision for (recovery<br> of) credit losses | (438 | ) | (344 | ) | (298 | ) | |||
| Non-interest expenses | 35,006 | 27,777 | 26,396 | ||||||
| Core cash earnings* | 30,789 | 26,752 | 27,821 | ||||||
| Net income | 22,380 | 19,405 | 20,196 | ||||||
| Income per common share: | |||||||||
| Basic | $ | 0.96 | $ | 0.82 | $ | 0.85 | |||
| Diluted | $ | 0.96 | $ | 0.82 | $ | 0.85 | |||
| Dividends paid on preferred<br> shares | $ | 1,578 | $ | 2,168 | $ | 2,201 | |||
| Dividends<br> paid on common shares | $ | 2,268 | $ | 2,112 | $ | 1,477 | |||
| Yield* | 4.11 | % | 4.62 | % | 4.91 | % | |||
| Cost of funds* | 1.35 | % | 1.71 | % | 1.91 | % | |||
| Net interest margin* | 2.76 | % | 2.90 | % | 3.00 | % | |||
| Return on common equity* | 8.45 | % | 7.89 | % | 8.89 | % | |||
| Book value per common<br> share* | $ | 11.61 | $ | 10.70 | $ | 9.98 | |||
| Efficiency ratio* | 53.56 | % | 51.26 | % | 48.95 | % | |||
| Full time employees | 145 | 98 | 92 | ||||||
| Return on total assets* | 0.95 | % | 0.92 | % | 1.00 | % | |||
| Gross impaired loans<br> to total loans* | 0.00 | % | 0.00 | % | 0.39 | % | |||
| Provision<br> for (recovery of) credit losses as a % of average loans* | (0.02 | %) | (0.02 | %) | (0.02 | %) | |||
| as at | |||||||||
| Balance Sheet Summary | |||||||||
| Cash | $ | 271,523 | $ | 257,644 | $ | 149,206 | |||
| Loans, net of allowance<br> for credit losses | 2,103,050 | 1,654,910 | 1,594,288 | ||||||
| Average loans* | 1,878,980 | 1,624,599 | 1,612,657 | ||||||
| Total assets | 2,415,086 | 1,943,885 | 1,785,381 | ||||||
| Deposits | 1,853,204 | 1,567,570 | 1,399,889 | ||||||
| Subordinated notes payable | 95,272 | 4,889 | 4,881 | ||||||
| Shareholders' equity | 332,106 | 255,288 | 240,163 | ||||||
| Capital ratios** | |||||||||
| Risk-weighted assets | $ | 2,013,544 | $ | 1,580,939 | $ | 1,501,435 | |||
| Common Equity Tier 1<br> capital | 305,708 | 219,359 | 197,545 | ||||||
| Total regulatory capital | 418,718 | 255,471 | 231,882 | ||||||
| Common Equity Tier 1<br> (CET1) capital ratio | 15.18 | % | 13.88 | % | 13.16 | % | |||
| Tier 1 capital ratio | 15.86 | % | 15.73 | % | 15.11 | % | |||
| Total capital ratio | 20.80 | % | 16.16 | % | 15.44 | % | |||
| Leverage<br> ratio | 12.60 | % | 12.19 | % | 11.99 | % |
* See definition in "Non-GAAP and Other Financial Measures".
** Capital management and leverage measures are in accordance with OSFI's Capital Adequacy Requirements and Basel III Accord.
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 7 |
| --- | --- |
Business Outlook
The Bank remains active in niche markets that support more attractive pricing for its lending products, and further, continues to develop and expand its diverse deposit gathering network that provides efficient access to a range of low-cost deposit sources. In addition, the Bank remains highly committed to, and focused on further developing and enhancing its technology advantage, a key component of its value proposition that not only provides efficient access to the Bank’s chosen niche lending and deposit markets, but also delivers superior financial products and better customer service to its clients.
While the Bank does not provide guidance on specific performance metrics, we provide commentary below related to aspects of our business and certain expected trends related to same that, in management’s view could potentially impact future performance.
Lending Assets
| Ø | The<br> Bank anticipates that fiscal 2022 will bring continued growth in the commercial mortgage<br> space, particularly with respect to financing for residential housing properties. The Bank<br> anticipates that this demand will be attributable to development in communities on the periphery<br> of the GTA as a result of consumers continuing to seek more affordable housing outside of<br> the city centres and the government seeking to revitalize immigration programs as a result<br> of improving epidemiological trends and the relaxation of restrictions imposed to mitigate<br> the impact of COVID-19 on communities and the Canadian economy. Management remains of the<br> view that the multi-unit residential rental sector remains one of the most stable and low-risk<br> sectors in the real estate market. Further, as COVID-19 restrictions continue to abate, management<br> anticipates higher origination volumes related to commercial asset classes such as student<br> housing and commercial and retail property types as the risk profile associated with this<br> asset class realigns with the Bank’s risk appetite. Finally, management continues to<br> pursue opportunities to develop more meaningful balance sheet exposure to the B20 compliant<br> conventional, uninsured mortgage financing space; and, |
|---|---|
| Ø | Despite<br> the fact that consumption was somewhat more muted during the latter half of the previous<br> fiscal period than originally anticipated, consumer spending is still expected to be strong<br> in the coming fiscal year as COVID-19 restrictions are expected to be mitigated, and in many<br> cases may be removed altogether resulting in consumers having more opportunities to deploy<br> their excess savings into durable goods. Management anticipates that these circumstances<br> will precipitate continued, strong spending on home improvements, as well as home purchases<br> for which the Bank’s POS loan and lease origination partners provide financing. This,<br> along with the anticipated addition of new origination partners and the Bank’s entrance<br> into the US market represent key drivers of POS balance sheet growth over the course of fiscal<br> 2022. |
| --- | --- |
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 8 |
| --- | --- |
Credit Quality
| Ø | The<br> Bank lends to niche markets that support more attractive pricing for its lending products<br> but typically exhibit a lower than average risk profile generally as a function of the lower<br> inherent risk associated with the underlying collateral assets and/or the structure of the<br> Bank’s offered financing arrangements; |
|---|---|
| Ø | We<br> continue to have no loans on our balance sheet that are subject to payment deferrals, no<br> impaired loans and no loans in arrears, however, we continue to monitor our lending portfolio<br> and the underlying borrowers as well as our origination partners closely to ensure that management<br> has good visibility on credit trends that could provide an early warning indication of the<br> emergence of any elevated risk in our lending portfolio; |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | Forward-looking<br> macroeconomic and industry data remains somewhat uncertain and as a result, management anticipates<br> that estimated expected credit loss (“ECL”) amounts will continue to exhibit<br> modest volatility over the course of fiscal 2022, most specifically as a function of the<br> rate of vaccine distribution and effectiveness, consumption growth, employment rates, the<br> rate of appreciation of Canadian house prices, as well as changes to monetary policy and<br> the impact of same on inflation. Notwithstanding the above, the Bank also expects that the<br> magnitude of the volatility exhibited in its forward ECL amounts will be further mitigated<br> by the lower risk profile of the Bank’s lending portfolio which is a function of the<br> Bank’s prudent underwriting practices and its focus on niche financing markets within<br> which it has a wealth of experience; and, |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | The<br> Bank has sourced credit risk modeling systems and forecast macroeconomic scenario data from<br> Moody’s Analytics, a third party service provider, for the purpose of computing forward-looking<br> credit risk parameters under multiple macroeconomic scenarios that consider both market-wide<br> and idiosyncratic factors and influences. These credit risk modeling systems are<br> used in conjunction with the Bank’s internally developed ECL models. We continue to see improving trends<br> in the macroeconomic data used as forward-looking information in our credit risk models and<br> depending on the growth trajectory and composition of our lending portfolio, these improving<br> trends could result in the Bank recognizing lower provisions for credit losses, or potentially<br> even recognizing further recoveries in the coming quarters. However, if the performance of<br> the Canadian economy is not aligned with the current forecast macroeconomic trends, and further,<br> begins to deteriorate, our borrowers could be exposed to credit risk that could result in<br> loan deferrals and/or loan defaults and have an unfavourable impact on our estimated ECL. |
| --- | --- |
Funding and Liquidity
| Ø | Funding<br> costs were down year over year as a function of changes to our funding mix attributable primarily<br> to continued growth in the Bank’s Trustee Integrated Banking (“TIB”) program,<br> the impact of which was offset partially by the issuance of the Notes on April 30, 2021.<br> Management anticipates that commercial deposit volumes raised through the TIB program will<br> continue to grow over the course of fiscal 2022 as a function of an increase in the volume<br> of consumer bankruptcy and proposal restructuring proceedings over the fiscal period attributable<br> primarily to the impact of a number of federal government support programs coming to an end,<br> increased court activity, increased collection actions and potentially higher interest rates<br> as a result of the Bank of Canada tightening monetary policy over the course of the year.<br> Further, the Bank continues to grow and expand its well-established, diverse deposit broker<br> network through which it sources personal deposits, consisting primarily of guaranteed investment<br> certificates; and, |
|---|
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 9 |
| --- | --- | | Ø | The<br> Bank’s liquidity levels were up year over year as a function primarily of the impact<br> of the issuance of the Notes on April 30, 2021 for net cash proceeds of $89.5 million<br> and the completion of the Common Share Offering in September 2021 for total net cash proceeds<br> of $73.2 million offset partially by the Bank funding lending asset growth of 27% year over<br> year. Management anticipates that liquidity levels will return to more normalized levels<br> early in fiscal 2022 as the Bank continues to fund anticipated, additional balance sheet<br> growth across each of its lines of business. | | --- | --- |
Earnings and Capital
| Ø | Earnings<br> growth in fiscal 2022 will be realized as a function primarily of anticipated organic balance<br> sheet growth and incremental earnings contributions from the Bank’s technology and<br> cybersecurity operations; |
|---|---|
| Ø | Net<br> interest income is expected to be up year over year as a function primarily of the expansion<br> of each of our core business lines across key lending asset categories, the continued deployment<br> of excess liquidity into higher yielding lending assets and the expectation that the Bank<br> will be able to continue to maintain, and potentially further moderate its cost of funds<br> over the course of the year; |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | Non-interest<br> income growth will be a function primarily of the Bank’s technology and cybersecurity<br> business DRT Cyber Inc. deploying its suite of cybersecurity solutions into the market which<br> includes financial institutions, multi-national corporations and government entities; |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | The<br> Bank’s capital ratios are currently well in excess of regulatory minimums. The September<br> 2021 Common Share Offering, combined with the April 30, 2021 issuance of the Notes resulted<br> in the Bank’s CET 1 and Total regulatory capital increasing by $75.1 million and $92.1<br> million as at the respective issuance dates. Management is of the view that the Bank’s<br> current capital levels are sufficient to accommodate anticipated, medium term balance sheet<br> growth, however; management will continue to closely monitor the capital markets to identify<br> opportunities for the Bank to raise additional regulatory capital on attractive terms in<br> order to position the Bank to support a potentially more robust growth profile; and, |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | Management<br> does not anticipate increasing the Bank’s dividend rate over the course of fiscal 2022<br> in order to ensure that it continues to have adequate regulatory capital available to support<br> the balance sheet growth currently contemplated over the same period and remain in compliance<br> with its established regulatory capital ratio targets and thresholds. |
| --- | --- |
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 10 |
| --- | --- |
There is potential that the Bank may not realize or achieve the anticipated performance trends set out above as a function of a number of factors and variables including, but not limited to, the strength of the Canadian economy in general and the strength of the local economies within Canada in which the Bank conducts operations; the effects of changes in monetary and fiscal policy, including changes in the interest rate policies of the Bank of Canada; global commodity prices; the effects of competition in the markets in which the Bank operates; inflation; capital market fluctuations; the timely development and introduction of new products in receptive markets; the ability of the Bank to grow its business and execute its strategy in the US market; the impact of changes in the laws and regulations regulating financial services; and the impact of COVID-19 on the Canadian economy. Please see “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” on page 2 of this MD&A.
Financial Review - Earnings
Total Revenue
Total revenue, consisting of net interest income and non-interest income was up 21% to $65.4 million compared to last year.
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 31 | October 31 | ||||||
| For the year ended: | 2021 | 2020 | Change | ||||
| Interest income | |||||||
| Commercial real estate mortgages | $ | 37,950 | $ | 33,581 | 13 | % | |
| Commercial real estate loans | 1,384 | 1,157 | 20 | % | |||
| Point of sale loans and leases | 48,215 | 47,710 | 1 | % | |||
| Public sector and other financing | 506 | 784 | (35 | %) | |||
| Other | 1,433 | 2,862 | (50 | %) | |||
| Interest income | $ | 89,488 | $ | 86,094 | 4 | % | |
| Interest expense | |||||||
| Deposit and other | $ | 26,446 | $ | 31,461 | (16 | %) | |
| Subordinated notes | 2,885 | 508 | 468 | % | |||
| Interest expense | $ | 29,331 | $ | 31,969 | (8 | %) | |
| Net interest income | $ | 60,157 | $ | 54,125 | 11 | % | |
| Non-interest income | $ | 5,200 | $ | 60 | 8567 | % | |
| Total revenue | $ | 65,357 | $ | 54,185 | 21 | % |
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 11 |
| --- | --- |
Net Interest Income
FY 2021 vs FY 2020
Net interest income was up 11% to $60.2 million as a function primarily of:
| Ø | Higher<br> interest income earned on the Bank’s CRE and POS loan and lease receivable portfolios<br> attributable primarily to strong lending asset growth; |
|---|---|
| Ø | Lower<br> interest expense on commercial deposits attributable to growth in operating accounts that<br> the Bank makes available to Canadian insolvency professionals; and, |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | Lower<br> interest expense on personal deposits. |
| --- | --- |
Offset partially by:
| Ø | Lower<br> yields earned on floating rate lending assets attributable primarily to the impact of accommodative<br> monetary policy established by the Bank of Canada early in the spring of 2020; |
|---|---|
| Ø | Lower<br> yields earned on elevated cash balances; |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | Higher<br> interest expense attributable to the Notes; and, |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | Higher<br> fees recognized in the comparative period attributable to the negotiated, early repurchase<br> of a portfolio of loan and lease receivables by one of the Bank’s POS origination partners. |
| --- | --- |
Net Interest Margin
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 31 | October 31 | ||||||||
| For the year ended: | 2021 | 2020 | Change | ||||||
| Interest income | $ | 89,488 | $ | 86,094 | 4 | % | |||
| Interest expense | 29,331 | 31,969 | (8 | %) | |||||
| Net interest income | 60,157 | 54,125 | 11 | % | |||||
| Average assets | $ | 2,179,486 | $ | 1,864,633 | 17 | % | |||
| Yield* | 4.11 | % | 4.62 | % | (11 | %) | |||
| Cost of funds* | 1.35 | % | 1.71 | % | (21 | %) | |||
| Net interest margin* | 2.76 | % | 2.90 | % | (5 | %) | |||
| * See definition in "Non-GAAP and Other<br> Financial Measures". | |||||||||
| --- |
FY 2021 vs FY 2020
Net interest margin was down 14 bps to 2.76% as a function primarily of:
| Ø | Lower<br> yields earned on floating rate lending assets attributable primarily to the impact of accommodative<br> monetary policy established by the Bank of Canada early in the spring of 2020; |
|---|---|
| Ø | Lower<br> yields earned on elevated cash balances; |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | Higher<br> yields earned in the comparative period attributable primarily to higher fees recognized<br> on the negotiated, early repurchase of a portfolio of loan and lease receivables by one of<br> the Bank’s POS origination partners; and, |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | Higher<br> interest expense attributable to the Notes. |
| --- | --- |
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 12 |
| --- | --- |
Offset partially by:
| Ø | Lower<br> interest expense on commercial deposits attributable to growth in operating accounts that<br> the Bank makes available to Canadian insolvency professionals; and, |
|---|---|
| Ø | Lower<br> interest expense on personal deposits. |
| --- | --- |
Non-Interest Income
Non-interest income reflects the consolidation of the gross profit of DBG and income derived from miscellaneous transaction fees not directly attributable to lending assets. For further details on the Bank’s acquisition of DBG see Acquisition of DBG in the Financial Review – Balance Sheet section below.
Non-interest income for the year ended October 31, 2021 was $5.2 million compared to $60,000 a year ago. Non-interest income recognized in the current year reflects the consolidation of the gross profit of DBG in the amount of $5.2 million realized on sales of $8.5 million over the same period.
Provision for Credit Losses
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 31 | October 31 | |||||
| For the year ended: | 2021 | 2020 | ||||
| Provision for (recovery of) credit losses by lending asset: | ||||||
| Commercial real estate mortgages | $ | (252 | ) | $ | (406 | ) |
| Commercial real estate loans | (92 | ) | 59 | |||
| Point of sale loans and leases | 60 | (14 | ) | |||
| Public sector and other financing | (154 | ) | 17 | |||
| Total provision for (recovery of) credit losses | $ | (438 | ) | $ | (344 | ) |
FY 2021 vs FY 2020
Recovery of credit losses in the amount of $438,000 compared to a recovery of credit losses in the amount of $344,000 last year was a function primarily of:
| Ø | Changes<br> in the forward-looking information used by the Bank in its credit risk models in the current<br> period; |
|---|---|
| Ø | Changes<br> in the Bank’s lending asset portfolio mix; |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | Recovery<br> of a write off in the amount of $116,000 early in the current period; and, |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | Net<br> remeasurements of expected credit losses attributable to the impact of planned refinements<br> to specific real estate asset loan and credit data inputs introduced in the third quarter<br> of fiscal 2020. |
| --- | --- |
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 13 |
| --- | --- |
Offset partially by:
| Ø | Higher<br> lending asset balances. |
|---|
Non-Interest Expenses
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| October 31 | October 31 | ||
| For the year ended: | 2021 | 2020 | Change |
| Salaries and benefits | $ 20,243 | $ 16,964 | 19% |
| General and administrative | 11,110 | 8,357 | 33% |
| Premises and equipment | 3,653 | 2,456 | 49% |
| Total non-interest expenses | $ 35,006 | $ 27,777 | 26% |
| Efficiency Ratio* | 53.56% | 51.26% | 4% |
| * See definition in "Non-GAAP and Other<br> Financial Measures". | |||
| --- |
FY 2021 vs FY 2020
Non-interest expenses were up 26% to $35.0 million as a function primarily of:
| Ø | Consolidation<br> of the operating expenses of DBG in the amount of $3.1 million; |
|---|---|
| Ø | Higher<br> administrative costs attributable primarily to the Bank’s Common Share Offering and<br> listing on the Nasdaq in September 2021; |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | Increased<br> salary and benefits expense attributable to increased staff levels to support expanded business<br> activity across the Bank; and, |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | Investments<br> in the Bank’s corporate development initiatives. |
| --- | --- |
Tax Provision
The Bank’s tax rate is approximately 27%, similar to that of previous periods. The tax rate is impacted by certain items not being taxable or deductible for income tax purposes. Provision for income taxes for the current year was $8.4 million compared to $7.3 million last year.
Comprehensive Income
Comprehensive income is comprised of net income for the period and other comprehensive income which consists of unrealized gains and losses on fair value through other comprehensive income associated with the foreign exchange gain or loss on translation of foreign operations. Comprehensive income for the year was $22.4 million compared to $19.4 million last year.
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 14 |
| --- | --- |
Financial Review - BalanceSheet
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| October 31 | October 31 | ||
| 2021 | 2020 | Change | |
| Total assets | $2,415,086 | $1,943,885 | 24% |
| Cash | 271,523 | 257,644 | 5% |
| Loans, net of allowance for credit losses | 2,103,050 | 1,654,910 | 27% |
| Deposits | 1,853,204 | 1,567,570 | 18% |
Total Assets

Total assets were up 24% to $2.42 billion at October 31, 2021. The year over year trend was a function primarily of strong growth in both the Bank’s CRE and POS loan and lease receivable portfolios as well as the consolidation of the assets of DBG which was acquired by the Bank’s wholly owned subsidiary DRT Cyber Inc. on November 30, 2020.
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 15 |
| --- | --- |
Acquisition of DBG
On November 30, 2020, the Bank through its wholly owned subsidiary DRT Cyber Inc. (“DRTC”), acquired 100% of the shares of 2021945 Ontario Inc., operating as Digital Boundary Group (“DBG”), in exchange for $8.5 million in cash and a deferred payment obligation in the amount of $1.4 million, for total consideration of $9.9 million. The acquisition was accounted for in accordance with IFRS 3 Business Combinations and DBG’s financial results, since closing, have been included in the Bank’s interim Consolidated Financial Statements.
DBG is one of North America’s premier information technology (IT) security assurance services firms with offices in London, Ontario and Dallas, Texas. DBG provides corporate and government clients with a suite of IT security assurance services, that range from external network, web and mobile application penetration testing through to physical social engineering engagements along with supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system assessments, as well as various aspects of training.
The following table summarizes the preliminary fair value of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed on acquisition:
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | |
|---|---|
| November 30 | |
| Assets and liabilities acquired at fair value | 2020 |
| Cash | $ 1,057 |
| Accounts receivable | 1,451 |
| Right-of-use assets | 2,473 |
| Other assets | 1,194 |
| Intangible assets | 3,940 |
| Goodwill | 5,754 |
| Deferred income tax liability | (898) |
| Lease obligations | (2,650) |
| Other liabilities | (2,381) |
| $ 9,940 |
Intangible assets include customer relationships, brands, non-compete agreements and operational software. Goodwill primarily reflects the value of an assembled workforce and the value of future growth prospects and expected business synergies realized as a result of combining the acquired business with the Bank’s existing technology and cybersecurity operations. The goodwill as well as portions of the intangible assets are not deductible for income tax purposes. See note 4 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information relating to the acquisition of DBG.
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 16 |
| --- | --- |
Cash
Cash, which is held primarily for liquidity purposes, was $271.5 million or 11% of total assets at October 31, 2021, compared to $257.6 million or 13% of total assets a year ago. The year over year trend was a function primarily of:
| Ø | Issuance<br> of the Notes on April 30, 2021 for net proceeds of approximately $ 89.5 million; |
|---|---|
| Ø | Completion<br> of the Common Share Offering in September 2021 for total net proceeds of $73.2 million; |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | Higher<br> personal deposits attributable to the Bank increasing activity in its broker market network<br> to fund balance sheet growth; and, |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | Higher<br> commercial deposits attributable to continued growth in the Bank’s Trustee Integrated<br> Banking (“TIB”) program. |
| --- | --- |
Offset partially by:
| Ø | The<br> redemption of the Bank’s outstanding, Non-Cumulative Series 3 preferred shares in the<br> amount of $16.8 million on April 30, 2021; and, |
|---|---|
| Ø | The<br> ongoing redeployment of cash into higher yielding lending assets. |
| --- | --- |
Loans
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| October 31 | October 31 | ||
| 2021 | 2020 | Change | |
| Commercial real estate mortgages | $ 757,576 | $ 606,299 | 25% |
| Commercial real estate loans | 26,569 | 25,574 | 4% |
| Point of sale loans and leases | 1,279,576 | 980,677 | 30% |
| Public sector and other financing | 32,587 | 37,596 | (13%) |
| $2,096,308 | $1,650,146 | 27% |
Commencing fiscal 2021, the Bank re-organized its lending portfolio into the following four broad asset categories: Commercial Real Estate Mortgages, Commercial Real Estate Loans, Point of Sale Loans & Leases, and Public Sector and Other Financing. These categories have been established in the Bank’s proprietary, internally developed asset management system and have been designed to catalogue individual lending assets as a function primarily of their key risk drivers, the nature of the underlying collateral, and the applicable market segment. The October 31, 2020 comparative balances have been recast to reflect the current broad asset categories.
The Commercial Real Estate Mortgages (“CREMortgages”) asset category is comprised of commercial and residential construction mortgages, commercial term mortgages, commercial insured mortgages and land mortgages. While all of these loans would be considered commercial loans or business-to-business loans, the underlying credit risk exposure is diversified across both the commercial and retail market segments, and further, the portfolio benefits from diversity in its underlying security in the form of a broad range of collateral properties.
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 17 |
| --- | --- |
The Commercial Real Estate Loans (“CRELoans”) asset category is comprised primarily of condominium corporation financing loans and loans to mortgage investment companies.
The **Point of Sale Loans and Leases (“POS”)**asset category is comprised of point of sale loan and lease receivables acquired from the Bank’s broad network of origination and servicing partners as well as warehouse loans that provide bridge financing to the Bank’s origination and servicing partners for the purpose of accumulating and seasoning practical volumes of individual loans and leases prior to the Bank purchasing the cashflow receivables derived from same.
The **Public Sector and Other Financing (“PSOF”)**asset category is comprised primarily of public sector loans and leases, a small balance of corporate loans and leases and single family residential conventional and insured mortgages. The Bank has de-emphasized corporate lending and continues to monitor the public sector space in anticipation of more robust demand for Federal, Provincial and Municipal infrastructure and other project financings, partially in response to additional Government policy measures that may be established to support the recovery of the Canadian economy.
FY 2021 vs FY 2020
Loans were up 27% to $2.10 billion as a function primarily of:
| Ø | Higher<br> POS balances attributable primarily to increased home finance, and home improvement/HVAC<br> receivable financing; and, |
|---|---|
| Ø | Higher<br> CRE Mortgage balances attributable primarily to higher residential construction and commercial<br> term mortgage originations. |
| --- | --- |
Residential Mortgage Exposures
In accordance with the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (“OSFI”) Guideline B-20 – Residential Mortgage Underwriting Practices and Procedures, additional information is provided regarding the Bank’s residential mortgage exposure. For the purposes of the Guideline, a residential mortgage is defined as a loan to an individual that is secured by residential property (one to four unit dwellings) and includes home equity lines of credit (HELOCs). This differs from the classification of residential mortgages used by the Bank which also includes multi-family residential mortgages.
Under OSFI’s definition, the Bank’s exposure to residential mortgages at October 31, 2021, was $2.7 million compared to $4.1 million a year ago. The Bank did not have any HELOC’s outstanding at October 31, 2021, or a year ago.
Credit Quality and Allowance for Credit Losses
As discussed previously, we currently have no loans on our balance sheet that are subject to payment deferrals, no impaired loans and no loans in arrears, but we continue to monitor our lending portfolio, as well as the underlying borrowers and our origination partners closely to ensure that we have good visibility on any credit trends that could provide an early warning indication of the emergence of any elevated risk in our lending portfolio.
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 18 |
| --- | --- |
Allowance for Credit Losses
The Bank must maintain an allowance for expected credit losses or ECL allowance that is adequate, in management’s opinion, to absorb all credit related losses in the Bank’s lending and treasury portfolios. Under IFRS 9 the Bank’s ECL allowance is estimated using the expected credit loss methodology and is comprised of expected credit losses recognized on both performing loans, and non-performing, or impaired loans even if no actual loss event has occurred.
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 31 | October 31 | ||||||
| 2021 | 2020 | Change | |||||
| ECL allowance by lending asset: | |||||||
| Commercial real estate mortgages | $ | 1,114 | $ | 1,366 | (18 | %) | |
| Commercial real estate loans | 45 | 137 | (67 | %) | |||
| Point of sale loans and leases | 275 | 215 | 28 | % | |||
| Public sector and other financing | 19 | 57 | (67 | %) | |||
| Total ECL allowance | $ | 1,453 | $ | 1,775 | (18 | %) | |
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | |||||||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| October 31 | October 31 | ||||||
| 2021 | 2020 | Change | |||||
| ECL allowance by stage: | |||||||
| ECL allowance stage 1 | $ | 1,316 | $ | 1,583 | (17 | %) | |
| ECL allowance stage 2 | 137 | 192 | (29 | %) | |||
| ECL allowance stage 3 | — | — | |||||
| Total ECL allowance | $ | 1,453 | $ | 1,775 | (18 | %) |
The Bank’s ECL allowance at October 31, 2021 was $1.5 million compared to $1.8 million a year ago. The year over year trend was a function of:
| Ø | Changes<br> in the forward-looking information used by the Bank in its credit risk models in the current<br> period; |
|---|---|
| Ø | Changes<br> in the Bank’s lending asset portfolio mix; |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | Recovery<br> of a write off in the amount of $116,000 early in the current period; and, |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | Net<br> remeasurements of expected credit losses attributable to the impact of planned refinements<br> to specific real estate asset loan and credit data inputs introduced in the third quarter<br> of fiscal 2020. |
| --- | --- |
Offset partially by:
| Ø | Higher<br> lending asset balances. |
|---|
The Bank’s gross impaired loans at October 31, 2021 and October 31, 2020 were $nil.
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 19 |
| --- | --- |
Assessment of significantincrease in credit risk (“SICR”)
At each reporting date, the Bank assesses whether there has been a SICR for loans since initial recognition by comparing, at the reporting date, the risk of default occurring over the remaining expected life against the risk of default at initial recognition.
SICR is a function of the loan’s internal risk rating assignment, internal watchlist status, loan review status and delinquency status which are updated as necessary in response to changes including, but not limited to, changes in macroeconomic and/or market conditions, changes in a borrower’s credit risk profile, and changes in the strength of the underlying security, including guarantor status, if a guarantor exists.
Quantitative models may not always be able to capture all reasonable and supportable information that may indicate a SICR. As a result, qualitative factors may be considered to supplement such a gap. Examples include changes in adjudication criteria for a particular group of borrowers or asset categories or changes in portfolio composition, and more specifically changes attributable to the continued impact of COVID-19 on the Canadian economy and the Bank’s business.
Expected credit loss model- Estimation of expected credit losses
Expected credit losses are an estimate of a loan’s expected cash shortfalls discounted at the effective interest rate, where a cash shortfall is the difference between the contractual cash flows that are due to the Bank and the cash flows that the Bank actually expects to receive.
Forward-Looking Information
The Bank incorporates the impact of future economic conditions, or more specifically forward-looking information into the estimation of expected credit losses at the credit risk parameter level. This is accomplished via the credit risk parameter models and proxy datasets that the Bank utilizes to develop probability of default (“PD”) and loss given default (“LGD”) term structure forecasts for its loans. The Bank has sourced credit risk modeling systems and forecast macroeconomic scenario data from Moody’s Analytics for the purpose of computing forward-looking credit risk parameters under multiple macroeconomic scenarios that consider both market-wide and idiosyncratic factors and influences. These systems are used in conjunction with the Bank’s internally developed ECL models. Given that the Bank has experienced very limited historical losses and, therefore, does not have available statistically significant loss data inventory for use in developing internal, forward looking expected credit loss trends, the use of unbiased, third party forward-looking credit risk parameter modeling systems is particularly important for the Bank in the context of the estimation of expected credit losses.
The Bank utilizes macroeconomic indicator data derived from multiple macroeconomic scenarios in order to mitigate volatility in the estimation of expected credit losses, as well as to satisfy the IFRS 9 requirement that future economic conditions are to be based on an unbiased, probability-weighted assessment of possible future outcomes. More specifically, the macroeconomic indicators set out in the macroeconomic scenarios are used as inputs for the credit risk parameter models utilized by the Bank to sensitize the individual PD and LGD term structure forecasts to the respective macroeconomic trajectory set out in each of the scenarios (see Expected Credit Loss Sensitivity below). Currently the Bank utilizes upside, downside and baseline forecast macroeconomic scenarios, and assigns discrete weights to each for use in the estimation of its reported ECL. The Bank has also applied expert credit judgment, where appropriate, to reflect amongst other items, uncertainty in the Canadian macroeconomic environment attributable to the continued impact of COVID-19.
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 20 |
| --- | --- |
The macroeconomic indicator data utilized by the Bank for the purpose of sensitizing PD and LGD term structure data to forward economic conditions include, but are not limited to: real GDP, the national unemployment rate, long term interest rates, the consumer price index, the S&P/TSX Index and the price of oil. These specific macroeconomic indicators were selected in an attempt to ensure that the spectrum of fundamental macroeconomic influences on the key drivers of the credit risk profile of the Bank’s balance sheet, including: corporate, consumer and real estate market dynamics; corporate, consumer and small and medium enterprise (“SME”) borrower performance; geography; as well as collateral value volatility, are appropriately captured and incorporated into the Bank’s forward macroeconomic sensitivity analysis.
The forecast macroeconomic scenario data utilized by the Bank over the course of fiscal 2021 has consistently trended positively over the same timeframe. Key drivers of the most recently available macroeconomic forecast data used in the preparation of the Bank’s 2021 consolidated financial statements include the rate of vaccine distribution and the continued effectiveness of the vaccines at minimizing hospitalizations precipitated by the new variants, consumption growth and the propensity for consumers to spend excess savings accumulated over the course of the pandemic, employment rates, as well as wage and salary growth and the influence of same on future consumer spending, the rate of appreciation of Canadian house prices and the supply of new housing in the market, the timing and scope of the tightening of monetary policy by the Bank of Canada and the impact of same on inflation, the demand for Canadian exports and the implementation of potential future government stimulus programs.
Further, management developed ECL estimates using credit risk parameter term structure forecasts sensitized to individual baseline, upside and downside forecast macroeconomic scenarios, each weighted at 100%, and subsequently computed the variance of each to the Bank’s reported ECL as at October 31, 2021 in order to assess the alignment of the Bank’s reported ECL with the Bank’s credit risk profile, and further, to assess the scope, depth and ultimate effectiveness of the credit risk mitigation strategies that the Bank has applied to its lending portfolios (see Expected Credit Loss Sensitivity below).
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 21 |
| --- | --- |
A summary of the key forecast macroeconomic indicator data trends utilized by the Bank for the purpose of sensitizing lending asset credit risk parameter term structure forecasts to forward looking information, which in turn are used in the estimation of the Bank’s reported ECL, as well as in the assessment of same are presented in the charts below.

| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 22 |
| --- | --- |
Expected Credit Loss Sensitivity:
The following table presents the sensitivity of the Bank’s estimated ECL to a range of individual forecast macroeconomic scenarios, that in isolation may not reflect the Bank’s actual expected ECL exposure, as well as the variance of each to the Bank’s reported ECL as at October 31, 2021:
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reported | 100 | % | 100 | % | 100 | % | |||||
| ECL | |||||||||||
| Upside | Baseline | Downside | |||||||||
| Allowance for expected credit losses | $ | 1,453 | $ | 860 | $ | 1,193 | $ | 1,670 | |||
| Variance from reported ECL | (593 | ) | (260 | ) | 217 | ||||||
| Variance from reported ECL (%) | (41% | ) | (18% | ) | 15% |
Management remains of the view that despite indications of economic recovery, forward-looking macroeconomic and industry data remains somewhat uncertain and as a result, anticipates that estimated ECL amounts will continue to exhibit some volatility over the course of fiscal 2022.
Considering the analysis set out above and based on management’s review of the loan and credit data comprising the Bank’s lending portfolio, combined with our interpretation of the available forecast macroeconomic and industry data, management is of the view that its reported ECL allowance represents a reasonable proxy for potential, future losses.
Deposits
The Bank has established three core funding channels: personal deposits, commercial deposits, and cash holdbacks retained from the Bank’s POS loan and lease origination partners that are classified as other liabilities, which are discussed in the Other Assets and Liabilities section below.
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 31 | October 31 | ||||||
| 2021 | 2020 | Change | |||||
| Commercial deposits | $ | 606,143 | $ | 508,370 | 19 | % | |
| Personal deposits | 1,247,061 | 1,059,200 | 18 | % | |||
| Total deposits | $ | 1,853,204 | $ | 1,567,570 | 18 | % |
Personal deposits, consisting principally of guaranteed investment certificates, are sourced primarily through a well-established and well-diversified deposit broker network that the Bank continues to grow and expand across Canada.
Commercial deposits are sourced primarily via specialized operating accounts made available to insolvency professionals (“Trustees”) in the Canadian insolvency industry. The Bank developed customized banking software for use by Trustees that integrates banking services with the market-leading software platform used in the administration of consumer bankruptcy and proposal restructuring proceedings.
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 23 |
| --- | --- |
FY 2021 vs FY 2020
Deposits were up 18% to $1.9 billion as a function primarily of:
| Ø | Higher<br> commercial deposits attributable to continued growth in the Bank’s Trustee Integrated<br> Banking (“TIB”) program; and, |
|---|---|
| Ø | Higher<br> personal deposits attributable to the Bank increasing activity in its broker market network<br> to fund balance sheet growth. |
| --- | --- |
The table below presents a summary of the Bank’s deposit portfolio by maturity, excluding accrued interest at October 31, 2021 as well as for 2020:
| 2021 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Within 3 | 3 months to | 1 year to | 2 years to | |||||||
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | months | 1 year | 2 years | 5 years | Total | |||||
| Commercial deposits | $ | 606,143 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 606,143 |
| Personal deposits | 150,323 | 399,376 | 272,782 | 411,649 | 1,234,130 | |||||
| $ | 756,466 | $ | 399,376 | $ | 272,782 | $ | 411,649 | $ | 1,840,273 | |
| 2020 | ||||||||||
| Within 3 | 3 months to | 1 year to | 2 years to | |||||||
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | months | 1 year | 2 years | 5 years | Total | |||||
| Commercial deposits | $ | 498,370 | $ | 10,000 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 508,370 |
| Personal deposits | 145,595 | 257,486 | 283,782 | 357,937 | 1,044,800 | |||||
| $ | 643,965 | $ | 267,486 | $ | 283,782 | $ | 357,937 | $ | 1,553,170 |
Subordinated Notes Payable
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| October 31 | |||
| 2020 | |||
| Ten year term, unsecured, non-viability contingent capital compliant, | |||
| subordinated notes payable, principal amount of 5.0 million, | |||
| effective interest rate of 10.41%, maturing March 2029. | 4,898 | $ | 4,889 |
| Ten year term, unsecured, non-viability contingent capital compliant, | |||
| subordinated notes payable, principal amount of 75.0 million, | |||
| effective interest rate of 5.38%, maturing May 2031. | 90,374 | — | |
| 95,272 | $ | 4,889 |
All values are in US Dollars.
Subordinated notes payable, net of issue costs, were $95.3 million at October 31, 2021, compared to $4.9 million a year ago.
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 24 |
| --- | --- |
On April 30, 2021, the Bank completed a private placement with U.S. institutional investors of NVCC compliant fixed to floating rate subordinated notes payable in the principal amount of USD $75.0 million, equivalent to CAD $92.1 million as at April 30, 2021. Interest will be paid on the Notes semi-annually in arrears on May 1 and November 1 of each year, commencing on November 1, 2021, at a fixed rate of 5.00% per year, until May 1, 2026. Thereafter, if not redeemed by the Bank, the Notes will have a floating interest rate payable at the 3-month Bankers’ Acceptance Rate plus 361 basis points, payable quarterly in arrears, on February 1, May 1, August 1 and November 1 of each year, commencing August 1, 2026, until the maturity date. The Notes will mature on May 1, 2031, unless earlier repurchased or redeemed in accordance with their terms. On or after May 1, 2026, the Bank may, at its option, with the prior approval of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (Canada), redeem the Notes, in whole at any time or in part from time to time on not less than 30 nor more than 60 days’ prior notice, at a redemption price which is equal to par, plus accrued and unpaid interest. Issue costs associated with the Notes were approximately CAD $2.6 million. Proceeds of the Notes are held in US dollar denominated cash. Egan-Jones Ratings Company assigned the Notes and the Bank an “A-” and “A” rating respectively, at the time of the private placement.
$500,000 of the Bank’s $5.0 million subordinated notes payable, issued in March 2019, are held by a related party (see note 20 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on related party transactions and balances).
Other Assets and Liabilities
Other Assets
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 31 | October 31 | ||||
| 2021 | 2020 | Change | |||
| Accounts receivable | $ | 2,643 | $ | 268 | 886% |
| Funds held for securitization liabilities | — | 8,629 | |||
| Prepaid expenses and other | 12,699 | 6,843 | 86% | ||
| Property and equipment | 7,075 | 7,431 | (5%) | ||
| Right-of-use assets | 4,817 | 3,015 | 60% | ||
| Deferred income tax asset | 2,931 | 5,145 | (43%) | ||
| Investment | 953 | — | |||
| Goodwill | 5,754 | — | |||
| Intangible assets | 3,641 | — | |||
| Total other assets | $ | 40,513 | $ | 31,331 | 29% |
FY 2021 vs FY 2020
Other assets were up 29% to $40.5 million as a function primarily of:
| Ø | The<br> consolidation of the assets of DBG which was acquired by the Bank’s wholly owned subsidiary<br> DRTC on November 30, 2020 comprised of $5.1 million of tangible assets as well as $3.9 million<br> of intangible assets and $5.8 million of goodwill; |
|---|
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 25 |
| --- | --- | | Ø | Higher<br> prepaid expenses and other due primarily to higher prepaid insurance premiums attributable<br> to the Bank’s Common Share Offering and listing on the Nasdaq in September<br> 2021 as well as the capitalization of various development costs; and | | --- | --- | | Ø | The<br> Bank’s 11% investment in Canada Stablecorp Inc. (“Stablecorp”) for cash<br> consideration of $953,000 in February 2021. This was a strategic investment made by the Bank<br> to bring together the necessary financial and technology expertise that will facilitate the<br> development and future issuance of new, highly encrypted digital deposit receipts that the<br> Bank has branded as VCAD and VUSD. | | --- | --- |
Offset partially by:
| Ø | Funds<br> paid to offset the redemption of maturing securitization liabilities; and, |
|---|---|
| Ø | Draw<br> downs on the deferred income tax asset derived from taxable income generated by the Bank. |
| --- | --- |
Other Liabilities
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| October 31 | October 31 | ||
| 2021 | 2020 | Change | |
| Accounts payable and other | $ 6,893 | $ 4,233 | 63% |
| Current income tax liability | 2,949 | - | |
| Deferred income tax liability | 898 | - | |
| Lease obligations | 5,113 | 3,084 | 66% |
| Cash collateral and amounts held in escrow | 7,887 | 4,012 | 97% |
| Holdbacks payable on loan and lease receivables | 110,764 | 96,064 | 15% |
| Total other liabilities | $ 134,504 | $ 107,393 | 25% |
FY 2021 vs FY 2020
Other liabilities were up 25% to $134.5 million as a function primarily of:
| Ø | The<br> consolidation of the assumed liabilities of DBG which was acquired by the Bank’s wholly<br> owned subsidiary DRTC on November 30, 2020; |
|---|---|
| Ø | The<br> Bank recognizing income taxes payable after fully utilizing its income tax loss carryforward<br> in the current fiscal year; |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | Higher<br> cash collateral and amounts held in escrow; and, |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | Higher<br> holdbacks payable balances attributable to higher POS loan and lease receivable balances. |
| --- | --- |
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 26 |
| --- | --- |
Shareholders’ Equity
Shareholders’ equity was $332.1 million at October 31, 2021 compared to $255.3 million a year ago. The year over year trend was a function primarily of:
| Ø | Higher<br> retained earnings attributable to net income earned over the course of the year; and, |
|---|---|
| Ø | Completion<br> of the Common Share Offering in September 2021; |
| --- | --- |
Offset partially by:
| Ø | Redemption<br> of the Bank’s outstanding, Non-Cumulative Series 3 preferred shares (NVCC); and, |
|---|---|
| Ø | payment<br> of dividends. |
| --- | --- |
The summary of the Banks’ issued and outstanding share capital is as follows:
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | |||||||||
| Shares | Amount | Shares | Amount | |||||||
| Common shares: | ||||||||||
| Balance, beginning of the year | 21,123,559 | $ | 152,612 | 21,123,559 | $ | 152,612 | ||||
| Issued during the year | 6,325,000 | 75,101 | — | — | ||||||
| Cancelled during the year | (7,477 | ) | (39 | ) | — | — | ||||
| Outstanding, | ||||||||||
| end of year | 27,441,082 | $ | 227,674 | 21,123,559 | $ | 152,612 | ||||
| Series 1 preferred shares: | ||||||||||
| Outstanding, beginning and | ||||||||||
| end of year | 1,461,460 | $ | 13,647 | 1,461,460 | $ | 13,647 | ||||
| Series 3 preferred shares: | ||||||||||
| Balance, beginning of the year | 1,681,320 | $ | 15,690 | 1,681,320 | $ | 15,690 | ||||
| Redemption of preferred shares | (1,681,320 | ) | (15,690 | ) | — | — | ||||
| Outstanding, | ||||||||||
| end of year | — | $ | — | 1,681,320 | $ | 15,690 | ||||
| Contributed surplus: | ||||||||||
| Balance, beginning and end of year | $ | 145 | $ | 145 | ||||||
| Total share capital | $ | 241,466 | $ | 182,094 |
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 27 |
| --- | --- |
On October 7, 2021, the Bank cancelled, and returned to treasury, 7,477 common shares with a value of $39,000 or $5.24 per common share. The cancelled shares represent predecessor share classes which had not been deposited and exchanged for VersaBank common shares in connection with the Bank’s amalgamation with PWC Capital Inc. on January 31, 2017.
On September 21, 2021 the Bank completed a treasury offering of 5,500,000 common shares at a price of USD $10.00 per share, the equivalent of CAD $12.80 per share for gross proceeds of USD $55.0 million. On September 29, 2021, the underwriters of the aforementioned offering exercised their full over-allotment option to purchase an additional 825,000 shares (15% of the 5,500,000 common shares issued via the base offering referenced above) at a price of USD $10.00 per share, or CAD $12.68 per share for gross proceeds of USD $8.3 million. Total net cash proceeds from the Common Share Offering was CAD $73.2 million. However, the Bank’s share capital increased by CAD $75.1 million as a function of the Common Share Offering and tax effected issue costs in the amount of CAD $5.4 million. The Bank’s issue costs are subject to current and future tax deductions and as such the Bank has recognized a deferred tax asset corresponding to same.
On April 30, 2021, the Bank redeemed all of its 1,681,320 (October 31, 2020 – 1,681,320) outstanding, Non-Cumulative Series 3 preferred shares (NVCC) using cash on hand. The amount paid on redemption for each share was $10.00, and in aggregate $16.8 million. The initial capitalized transaction costs in the amount of $1.1 million were applied against retained earnings.
The Bank’s book value per common share at October 31, 2021 was $11.61 compared to $10.70 a year ago. The year over year trend was a function primarily of higher retained earnings attributable to net income earned in each of the periods and the completion of the Common Share Offering in September 2021 offset partially by the payment of dividends over the respective periods.
See Note 13 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information relating to share capital.
Stock-Based Compensation
Stock options are accounted for using the fair value method which recognizes the fair value of the stock option over the applicable vesting period as an increase in salaries and benefits expense with the same amount being recorded in share capital. During the year ended October 31, 2021, the Bank recognized $nil (2020
- $nil) of compensation expense relating to the estimated fair value of stock options granted in previous years. There were no stock options granted in the current year. See Note 14 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more information related to stock options.
Updated Share Information
As at November 30, 2021, there were no changes since October 31, 2021 in the number of common shares, Series 1 preferred shares, and common share options outstanding.
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 28 |
| --- | --- |
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
As at October 31, 2021, the Bank did not have any significant off-balance sheet arrangements other than loan commitments and letters of credit resulting from normal course business activities.
Commitments and Contingencies
The amount of credit related commitments represents the maximum amount of additional credit that the Bank could be obliged to extend. Under certain circumstances, the Bank may cancel loan commitments at its option. Letters of credit amounts are not necessarily indicative of the associated credit risk exposure as many of these secured arrangements are contracted for a limited period of time and will expire or terminate without being drawn upon.
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | 2021 | 2020 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loan commitments | $ | 296,248 | $ | 238,724 |
| Letters of credit | 46,462 | 50,284 | ||
| $ | 342,710 | $ | 289,008 |
Contractual Obligations
At October 31, 2021 the Bank had the following scheduled principal repayments of financial liabilities and off- balance sheet obligations
| 2021 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Less than | Over | ||||
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | Total | 1 Year | 1-2 Years | 2-5 Years | 5 Years |
| Deposits | $1,853,204 | $1,168,773 | $ 272,782 | $ 411,649 | $ - |
| Holdbacks payable on loan and lease receivables | 110,764 | 110,764 | - | - | - |
| Subordinated notes payable | 95,272 | - | - | - | 95,272 |
| Securitization liabilities | - | - | - | - | - |
| Accounts payable | 6,893 | 6,893 | - | - | - |
| Cash collateral and amounts held in escrow | 7,887 | 7,887 | - | - | - |
| Current income tax liability | 2,949 | 2,949 | - | - | - |
| Deferred income tax liability | 898 | 100 | 200 | 299 | 299 |
| Lease obligations | 5,113 | 669 | 1,409 | 1,804 | 1,231 |
| Off-balance sheet obligations | 90 | 90 | - | - | - |
| $2,083,070 | $1,298,125 | $ 274,391 | $ 413,752 | $ 96,802 |
Related Party Transactions
The Bank’s Board of Directors and Senior Executive Officers represent key management personnel. See Note 20 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more information on transactions entered into with personnel and the compensation of key management.
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 29 |
| --- | --- |
Capital Management and CapitalResources
Capital Management
The Bank’s policy is to maintain a strong capital base so as to maintain investor, creditor and market confidence as well as to support future growth and development of the business. The impact of the level of capital on shareholders’ return is an important consideration and the Bank recognizes the need to maintain a balance between the higher returns that may be possible with greater leverage and the advantages and security afforded by a more robust capital position.
The Bank operates as a Schedule 1 bank under the Bank Act (Canada) and is regulated by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions Canada (OSFI). Capital is managed in accordance with policies and plans that are regularly reviewed and approved by the Bank’s Board of Directors. The Bank’s objective, in this context, is to maintain adequate regulatory capital for the Bank to be considered well capitalized, protect consumer deposits and provide capacity to support organic growth as well as to capitalize on strategic opportunities that do not otherwise require accessing the public capital markets, all the while providing a satisfactory return to shareholders. Regulatory capital is comprised of the qualifying amount of subordinated notes, share capital, retained earnings and net after-tax unrealized gains and losses on fair value through other comprehensive income securities. Consistent with capital adequacy guidelines issued by OSFI, the Bank has implemented an internal capital adequacy assessment process (ICAAP) with the objective of ensuring that capital levels remain adequate in relation to current and future risks.
The table below presents the Bank’s regulatory capital position, risk-weighted assets and regulatory capital and leverage ratios for the current and comparative periods.
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 31 | October 31 | ||||||
| 2021 | 2020 | Change | |||||
| Common Equity Tier 1 capital | $ | 305,708 | $ | 219,359 | 39 | % | |
| Total Tier 1 capital | $ | 319,355 | $ | 248,696 | 28 | % | |
| Total Tier 2 capital | $ | 99,363 | $ | 6,775 | 1367 | % | |
| Total regulatory capital | $ | 418,718 | $ | 255,471 | 64 | % | |
| Total risk-weighted assets | $ | 2,013,544 | $ | 1,580,939 | 27 | % | |
| Capital ratios | |||||||
| CET1 capital ratio | 15.18% | 13.88% | 9 | % | |||
| Tier 1 capital ratio | 15.86% | 15.73% | 1 | % | |||
| Total capital ratio | 20.80% | 16.16% | 29 | % | |||
| Leverage ratio | 12.60% | 12.19% | 3 | % |
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 30 |
| --- | --- |
OSFI requires banks to measure capital adequacy in accordance with its guidelines for determining risk-adjusted capital and risk-weighted assets including off-balance sheet credit instruments. The Bank currently uses the Standardized Approach to calculate risk-weighted assets for both credit and operational risk. Under the Standardized Approach for credit risk, each asset type is assigned a risk weight ranging between 0% and 150% to determine the risk-weighted equivalent, or risk-weighted asset amounts for use in calculating the Bank’s risk-based capital ratios. Off-balance sheet assets, such as undrawn credit commitments, are included in the calculation of risk-weighted assets, and further, both the credit risk equivalent and the risk-weighted calculations are prescribed by OSFI. The Standardized Approach, as defined by Basel III, may require the Bank to carry more capital for certain credit exposures compared to requirements under the Advanced Internal Ratings-Based (“AIRB”) methodology. As a result, regulatory capital ratios of banks that utilize the Standardized Approach may not be directly comparable with the large Canadian banks and other international banks that utilize the AIRB methodology.
The tables below present the Bank’s risk-weighted assets as at October 31, 2021 as well as for 2020, organized by asset type and risk weight assignment respectively:
| As at October 31, 2021 | Notional/drawn amount by asset type | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Risk | ||||||||||||
| Off -balance | Weighted | |||||||||||
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | Cash | Loans | Other | sheet items | Total | Balance | ||||||
| Corporate | $ | — | $ | 869,413 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 869,413 | $ | 866,217 |
| Sovereign | — | 9,213 | — | — | 9,213 | 1,843 | ||||||
| Bank | 271,523 | 17,647 | — | — | 289,170 | 57,834 | ||||||
| Retail residential mortgages | — | 5,233 | — | — | 5,233 | 951 | ||||||
| Other retail | — | 1,201,544 | — | — | 1,201,544 | 820,638 | ||||||
| Other items | — | — | 40,513 | 46,462 | 86,975 | 49,865 | ||||||
| Undrawn commitments | — | — | — | 296,248 | 296,248 | 107,925 | ||||||
| Operational risk¹ | — | — | — | — | — | 108,271 | ||||||
| Total | $ | 271,523 | $ | 2,103,050 | $ | 40,513 | $ | 342,710 | $ | 2,757,796 | $ | 2,013,544 |
| As at October 31, 2020 | Notional/drawn amount by asset type | |||||||||||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Risk | ||||||||||||
| Off -balance | Weighted | |||||||||||
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | Cash | Loans | Other | sheet items | Total | Balance | ||||||
| Corporate | $ | — | $ | 671,466 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 671,466 | $ | 669,414 |
| Sovereign | — | 11,411 | — | — | 11,411 | 2,282 | ||||||
| Bank | 257,644 | 17,648 | — | — | 275,292 | 55,058 | ||||||
| Retail residential mortgages | — | 12,054 | — | — | 12,054 | 4,902 | ||||||
| Other retail | — | 942,331 | — | — | 942,331 | 636,254 | ||||||
| Other items | — | — | 31,331 | 50,284 | 81,615 | 40,875 | ||||||
| Undrawn commitments | — | — | — | 238,724 | 238,724 | 72,553 | ||||||
| Operational risk¹ | — | — | — | — | — | 99,601 | ||||||
| Total | $ | 257,644 | $ | 1,654,910 | $ | 31,331 | $ | 289,008 | $ | 2,232,893 | $ | 1,580,939 |
| ¹ The charge for operational risk is determined using the Basic Indicator Approach as prescribed by OSFI. | ||||||||||||
| --- |
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 31 |
| --- | --- | | As at October 31, 2021 | Notional/drawn<br> amount by risk weight | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Risk | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Weighted | | | (thousands of<br> Canadian dollars) | | 0 | % | | 20 | % | | 35 | % | | 75 | % | | 100 | % | | 150 | % | | Total | | Balance | | Corporate | $ | 3,196 | | $ | — | | $ | — | | $ | — | | $ | 866,217 | | $ | — | | $ | 869,413 | $ | 866,217 | | Sovereign | | — | | | 9,213 | | | — | | | — | | | — | | | — | | | 9,213 | | 1,843 | | Bank | | — | | | 289,170 | | | — | | | — | | | — | | | — | | | 289,170 | | 57,834 | | Retail residential mortgages | | 2,515 | | | — | | | 2,718 | | | — | | | — | | | — | | | 5,233 | | 951 | | Other retail | | 106,787 | | | 1,105 | | | — | | | 1,092,942 | | | 710 | | | — | | | 1,201,544 | | 820,638 | | Other items | | 11,686 | | | 768 | | | — | | | — | | | 74,521 | | | — | | | 86,975 | | 49,865 | | Undrawn commitments | | — | | | — | | | — | | | — | | | 296,248 | | | — | | | 296,248 | | 107,925 | | Operational risk¹ | | — | | | — | | | — | | | — | | | — | | | — | | | — | | 108,271 | | Total | $ | 124,184 | | $ | 300,256 | | $ | 2,718 | | $ | 1,092,942 | | $ | 1,237,696 | | $ | — | | $ | 2,757,796 | $ | 2,013,544 | | As at October 31, 2020 | Notional/drawn<br> amount by risk weight | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Risk | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Weighted | | | (thousands of Canadian dollars) | | 0 | % | | 20 | % | | 35 | % | | 75 | % | | 100 | % | | 150 | % | | Total | | Balance | | Corporate | $ | 2,054 | | $ | — | | $ | — | | $ | — | | $ | 669,412 | | $ | — | | $ | 671,466 | $ | 669,414 | | Sovereign | | — | | | 11,411 | | | — | | | — | | | — | | | — | | | 11,411 | | 2,282 | | Bank | | — | | | 275,292 | | | — | | | — | | | — | | | — | | | 275,292 | | 55,058 | | Retail residential mortgages | | 4,491 | | | — | | | 4,093 | | | — | | | 3,470 | | | — | | | 12,054 | | 4,902 | | Other retail | | 93,344 | | | 1,400 | | | — | | | 846,457 | | | 1,130 | | | — | | | 942,331 | | 636,254 | | Other items | | 15,297 | | | 713 | | | — | | | — | | | 65,605 | | | — | | | 81,615 | | 40,875 | | Undrawn commitments | | — | | | — | | | — | | | 229 | | | 238,495 | | | — | | | 238,724 | | 72,553 | | Operational risk¹ | | — | | | — | | | — | | | — | | | — | | | — | | | — | | 99,601 | | Total | $ | 115,186 | | $ | 288,816 | | $ | 4,093 | | $ | 846,686 | | $ | 978,112 | | $ | — | | $ | 2,232,893 | $ | 1,580,939 |
¹ The charge for operational risk is determined using the Basic Indicator Approach as prescribed by OSFI.
Further, OSFI requires that all Canadian banks must comply with the Basel III standards on an “all-in” basis for purposes of determining their risk-based capital ratios. Required minimum regulatory capital ratios are a 7.0% Common Equity Tier 1 (“CET1”) capital ratio, an 8.5% Tier 1 capital ratio and a 10.5% total capital ratio, all of which include a 2.5% capital conservation buffer.
As the Bank makes use of the Standardized Approach for credit risk as prescribed by OSFI, it may include eligible ECL allowance amounts in its Tier 2 capital, up to a maximum of 1.25% of its credit risk-weighted assets calculated under the Standardized Approach. Further to this, and as a result of the onset of COVID-19 in the spring of 2020 and the economic uncertainty associated with same, OSFI introduced guidance that set out transitional arrangements pertaining to the capital treatment of expected loss provisioning which allows for a portion of eligible ECL allowances to be included in CET1 capital on a transitional basis over the course of the period ranging between 2020 and 2022 inclusive. The portion of ECL allowances that is eligible for inclusion in CET1 capital is calculated as the increase in the sum of Stage 1 and Stage 2 ECL allowances estimated in the current quarter relative to the sum of Stage 1 and Stage 2 ECL allowances estimated for the baseline period, which has been designated by OSFI to be the three months ended January 31, 2020, adjusted for tax effects and multiplied by a scaling factor. The scaling factor has been set by OSFI at 70% for fiscal 2020, 50% for fiscal 2021 and 25% for fiscal 2022.
On April 30, 2021, the Bank redeemed all of its 1,681,320 (October 31, 2020 – 1,681,320) outstanding, Non-Cumulative Series 3 preferred shares (NVCC) using cash on hand. The amount paid on redemption for each share was $10.00, and in aggregate $16.8 million. Transaction costs, incurred at issuance in the amount of $1.1 million were applied against retained earnings.
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 32 |
| --- | --- |
On April 30, 2021, the Bank completed a private placement of NVCC compliant fixed to floating rate subordinated notes in the principal amount of USD $75.0 million, equivalent to CAD $92.1 million as at April 30, 2021. Interest will be paid on the Notes semi-annually in arrears on May 1 and November 1 of each year, commencing on November 1, 2021, at a fixed rate of 5.00% per year, until May 1, 2026. Thereafter, if not redeemed by VersaBank, the Notes will have a floating interest rate payable at the 3-month Bankers’ Acceptance Rate plus 361 basis points, payable quarterly in arrears, on February 1, May 1, August 1 and November 1 of each year, commencing August 1, 2026, until the maturity date. Proceeds of the Notes are currently held in US dollar denominated cash. Upon issuance of the Notes the Bank received confirmation from OSFI that the Notes qualify as Tier 2 capital of the Bank pursuant to OSFI’s Capital Adequacy Requirements (CAR) Guideline, including the NVCC Requirements specified in section 2.2 of the CAR Guideline.
On September 21, 2021 the Bank completed a treasury offering of 5,500,000 common shares at a price of USD $10.00 per share, the equivalent of CAD $12.80 per share for gross proceeds of USD $55.0 million. On September 29, 2021, the underwriters of the aforementioned offering exercised their full over-allotment option to purchase an additional 825,000 shares (15% of the 5,500,000 common shares issued via the base offering referenced above) at a price of USD $10.00 per share, or CAD $12.68 per share for gross proceeds of USD $8.3 million. Total net cash proceeds from the Common Share Offering was CAD $73.2 million. However, the Bank’s share capital increased by CAD $75.1 million corresponding to the Common Share Offering and tax effected issue costs, which increased the Bank’s Common Equity Tier 1 capital by the same amount.
The year over year trends exhibited by the Bank’s reported regulatory capital levels, regulatory capital ratios and leverage ratios were a function of: the redemption of the Bank’s outstanding, Non-cumulative Series 3 Preferred Shares, the issuance of the Notes in the principal amount of USD $75.0 million, equivalent to CAD $92.1 million as at April 30, 2021, the Common Share Offering for total net proceeds, adjusted for tax effected issue costs of CAD $75.1 million, retained earnings growth, tax provision recoveries related to the Bank’s deferred tax asset, the addition of goodwill and intangible assets acquired via the purchase of DBG on November 30, 2020, the inclusion of eligible ECL allowance amounts related to the transitional arrangements pertaining to the capital treatment of expected loss provisioning as set out by OSFI and changes to the Bank’s risk-weighted asset balances and composition.
Leverage Ratio
The leverage ratio is a supplementary measure that is prescribed under the Basel III Accord and is defined as the ratio of Tier 1 capital to total exposures. OSFI requires all financial institutions to maintain a leverage ratio of 3% or greater at all times
At October 31, 2021 the Bank exceeded all of the minimum Basel III regulatory capital requirements set out above.
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 33 |
| --- | --- |
Liquidity
The Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows for the year ended October 31, 2021 shows cash used in operations in the amount of $108.3 million compared to cash provided by operations in the amount of $139.6 million a year ago. The current year trend was a function primarily of cash outflows to fund loans exceeding cash inflows from deposits raised and the use of existing liquidity to fund loans. The comparative year trend was a function primarily of inflows from deposits raised as the Bank strengthened its liquidity position as a prudent liquidity practice in response to the economic uncertainty resulting from the onset of COVID-19, a reduction in restricted cash balances used to offset the payment of the maturing securitization liabilities and from annual earnings, offset partially by the funding of new loans. Based on factors such as liquidity requirements and opportunities for investment in loans and securities, the Bank may manage the amount of deposits it raises and loans it funds in ways that result in the balances of these items giving rise to either negative or positive cash flow from operations. The Bank will continue to fund its operations and meet contractual obligations as they become due using cash on hand and by closely managing its flow of deposits.
Capital Resources
The operations of the Bank are not dependent upon significant investments in capital assets to generate revenue. Currently, the Bank does not have any commitments for capital expenditures or for significant additions to its level of capital assets.
Summary of Quarterly Results
| (thousands of Canadian dollars | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| except per share amounts) | 2021 | 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Q4 | Q3 | Q2 | Q1 | Q4 | Q3 | Q2 | Q1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Results of operations: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Interest income | $ | 23,924 | $ | 22,400 | $ | 21,649 | $ | 21,515 | $ | 21,068 | $ | 20,172 | $ | 22,688 | $ | 22,166 | ||||||||
| Yield on assets (%) | 4.04 | % | 4.02 | % | 4.24 | % | 4.28 | % | 4.33 | % | 4.12 | % | 4.83 | % | 4.84 | % | ||||||||
| Interest expense | 7,778 | 7,858 | 6,554 | 7,141 | 7,360 | 7,788 | 8,212 | 8,609 | ||||||||||||||||
| Cost of funds (%) | 1.31 | % | 1.41 | % | 1.28 | % | 1.42 | % | 1.51 | % | 1.59 | % | 1.75 | % | 1.88 | % | ||||||||
| Net interest income | 16,146 | 14,542 | 15,095 | 14,374 | 13,708 | 12,384 | 14,476 | 13,557 | ||||||||||||||||
| Net interest margin (%) | 2.73 | % | 2.61 | % | 2.96 | % | 2.86 | % | 2.82 | % | 2.53 | % | 3.08 | % | 2.96 | % | ||||||||
| Non-interest income | 2,090 | 1,187 | 875 | 1,048 | 18 | 8 | 9 | 25 | ||||||||||||||||
| Total revenue | 18,236 | 15,729 | 15,970 | 15,422 | 13,726 | 12,392 | 14,485 | 13,582 | ||||||||||||||||
| Provision for (recovery of) credit losses | (279 | ) | 96 | (312 | ) | 57 | (582 | ) | (44 | ) | 490 | (208 | ) | |||||||||||
| Non-interest expenses | 10,377 | 8,200 | 8,342 | 8,087 | 7,763 | 6,410 | 6,899 | 6,705 | ||||||||||||||||
| Efficiency ratio | 57 | % | 52 | % | 52 | % | 52 | % | 57 | % | 52 | % | 48 | % | 49 | % | ||||||||
| Core cash earnings* | 8,138 | 7,433 | 7,940 | 7,278 | 6,545 | 6,026 | 7,096 | 7,085 | ||||||||||||||||
| Income before income taxes | 8,138 | 7,433 | 7,940 | 7,278 | 6,545 | 6,026 | 7,096 | 7,085 | ||||||||||||||||
| Tax provision | 2,228 | 1,997 | 2,196 | 1,988 | 1,799 | 1,657 | 1,947 | 1,944 | ||||||||||||||||
| Net income | $ | 5,910 | $ | 5,436 | $ | 5,744 | $ | 5,290 | $ | 4,746 | $ | 4,369 | $ | 5,149 | $ | 5,141 | ||||||||
| Income per share | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Basic | $ | 0.24 | $ | 0.25 | $ | 0.25 | $ | 0.22 | $ | 0.20 | $ | 0.18 | $ | 0.22 | $ | 0.22 | ||||||||
| Diluted | $ | 0.24 | $ | 0.25 | $ | 0.25 | $ | 0.22 | $ | 0.20 | $ | 0.18 | $ | 0.22 | $ | 0.22 | ||||||||
| Return on common equity | 8.07 | % | 8.72 | % | 9.20 | % | 8.26 | % | 7.46 | % | 6.90 | % | 8.64 | % | 8.60 | % | ||||||||
| Return on total assets | 0.96 | % | 0.93 | % | 1.02 | % | 0.94 | % | 0.86 | % | 0.78 | % | 0.98 | % | 1.01 | % | ||||||||
| Gross impaired loans | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| to total loans | 0.00 | % | 0.00 | % | 0.00 | % | 0.00 | % | 0.00 | % | 0.43 | % | 0.41 | % | 0.38 | % | ||||||||
| * This is a non-GAAP measure. See definition in "Non-GAAP and Other Financial Measures". | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| --- |
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 34 |
| --- | --- |
The financial results for each of the last eight quarters are summarized above. Key drivers of the quarter over quarter performance trends for the current reporting period were: lending asset growth, higher NIM attributable primarily to lower cost of funds, higher non-interest income attributable to the contributions of the Bank’s cybersecurity business over the period, a recovery of credit losses as a function primarily of changes in the asset mix comprising the Bank’s CRE portfolio and changes in the macroeconomic forecast data used as forward-looking information in the Bank’s credit risk models as well as higher non-interest expense attributable to higher administrative costs attributable primarily to the Bank’s Common Share Offering and listing on the Nasdaq in September 2021. Results for the current fiscal year reflect the consolidation of the balance sheet and the associated financial performance of DBG which was acquired by the Bank’s wholly owned subsidiary DRTC on November 30, 2020.
Fourth Quarter Review
Net Income
Net income for the quarter was $5.9 million or $0.24 per common share (basic and diluted), compared to $5.4 million or $0.25 per common share (basic and diluted) last quarter and $4.7 million or $0.20 per common share (basic and diluted) for the same period a year ago. The quarter over quarter trend was a function primarily of higher revenues and a recovery of credit losses offset partially by higher non-interest expenses. The year over year trend was a function primarily of higher revenues, which reflects the incremental non-interest income contribution from DBG, offset partially by lower recovery of credit losses and higher non-interest expenses.
Total Revenue
Total revenue for the quarter was $18.2 million compared to $15.7 million last quarter and $13.7 million for the same period a year ago. The quarter over quarter and year over year trends were a function of higher interest income, higher non-interest income and lower cost of funds.
Net Interest Income
Net interest income for the quarter was $16.1 million compared to $14.5 million last quarter and $13.7 million for the same period a year ago. The quarter over quarter and year over year trends were a function primarily of higher interest income attributable to strong lending asset growth and lower cost of funds.
Net Interest Margin
Net interest margin or spread for the quarter was 2.73% compared to 2.61% last quarter and 2.82% for the same period a year ago. The quarter over quarter trend was a function primarily of higher fees and lower cost of funds. The year over year trend was a function primarily of lower yields earned on lending assets and elevated cash balances offset partially by lower cost of funds.
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 35 |
| --- | --- |
Provision for Credit Losses
The Bank recorded a recovery of credit losses for the quarter in the amount of $279,000 compared to a provision for credit losses in the amount of $96,000 last quarter and a recovery of credit losses in the amount of $582,000 for the same period a year ago. The quarter over quarter trend was a function primarily of changes in the asset mix comprising the Bank’s CRE portfolio and changes in the macroeconomic forecast data used as forward-looking information in the Bank’s credit risk models offset partially by higher lending balances. The year over year trend was a function primarily of higher lending asset balances offset partially by changes in the asset mix comprising the Bank’s CRE portfolio and changes in the macroeconomic forecast data used as forward-looking information in the Bank’s credit risk models.
Non-Interest Expenses
Non-interest expenses of the Bank for the quarter were $10.4 million compared to $8.2 million last quarter and $7.8 million for the same period a year ago. The quarter over quarter and year over year trends were a function primarily of higher administrative costs attributable primarily to the Bank’s Common Share Offering and listing on the Nasdaq in September 2021, higher salary and benefits expense attributable to an increase in staff complement and a general increase in staff related costs. The year over year trend also reflects the consolidated results of DBG.
Income Taxes
For the three months ended October 31, 2021, the provision for income taxes was $2.2 million compared to $2.0 million for the previous quarter and $1.8 million for the same period a year ago.
Critical Accounting Policiesand Estimates
Significant accounting policies are detailed in Note 3 of the Bank’s 2021 Consolidated Financial Statements. There has been no change in accounting policies nor any significant new policies adopted during the current year.
In preparing the Consolidated Financial Statements, management has exercised judgment and developed estimates in applying accounting policies and generating reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and income and expenses during the reporting periods. Areas where significant judgment was applied were in the assessments of impairment of financial instruments. Estimates are applied in the determination of the allowance for expected credit losses on financial assets, the purchase price allocation associated with the Bank’s acquisition of Digital Boundary Group, the impairment test applied to intangible assets and goodwill, and the measurement of deferred income taxes. It is reasonably possible, on the basis of existing knowledge, that actual results may vary from that expected in the measurement of these estimates. This could result in material adjustments to the carrying amounts of assets and/or liabilities affected in the future.
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 36 |
| --- | --- |
Estimates and their underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are applied prospectively once they are recognized.
The policies discussed below are considered to be particularly significant as they require management to make estimates or judgements, some of which may relate to matters that are inherently uncertain.
Financial Instruments
Classification and Measurement
Under IFRS 9, all financial assets must be classified at initial recognition as a function of the financial asset’s contractual cash flow characteristics and the business model under which the financial asset is managed. All financial assets are initially measured at fair value, and are classified and subsequently measured at amortized cost, fair value through profit or loss or fair value through other comprehensive income. Financial assets are required to be reclassified when the business model under which they are managed has changed. Any reclassifications are applied prospectively from the reclassification date. All financial liabilities are measured at amortized cost unless elected otherwise.
Debt instruments
Financial assets that are debt instruments are categorized into one of the following measurement categories:
| Ø | amortized<br> cost; |
|---|---|
| Ø | fair<br> value through other comprehensive income (“FVOCI”); |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | fair<br> value through profit and loss (“FVTPL”). |
| --- | --- |
The characterization of a debt instrument’s cashflows is determined through a solely payment of principal and interest (“SPPI”) test. The SPPI test is conducted to identify whether the contractual cash flows of a debt instrument are in fact solely payments of principal and interest and are consistent with a basic lending arrangement. In the context of the SPPI test, “Principal” is defined as the fair value of the debt instrument at origination or initial recognition, which may change over the life of the instrument as a function of a number of variables including principal repayments, prepayments, or amortization of a premium/discount. In the context of the SPPI test “Interest” is defined as the consideration for the time value of money and credit risk. The rationale for the SPPI test is to ensure that debt instruments that include structural features that are incongruent with a basic lending arrangement, such as conversion options, are classified as, and measured at FVTPL.
Debt instruments measured atamortized cost
The Bank’s debt instruments are measured at amortized cost. Debt instruments with contractual cash flows that meet the SPPI test and are managed on a hold to collect basis are measured at amortized cost. These financial instruments are recognized initially at fair value plus direct and incremental transaction costs, and are subsequently measured at amortized cost, using the effective interest rate method, net of an allowance for credit losses. The effective interest rate is the rate that discounts estimated future cashflows through the expected life of the instrument to the gross carrying amount of the instrument. Amortized cost is calculated as a function of the effective interest rate, taking into account any discount or premium on acquisition, transaction costs and fees. Amortization of these costs is included in interest income in the consolidated statement of income.
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 37 |
| --- | --- |
Equity instruments
Equity instruments are measured at FVTPL unless an irrevocable designation is made, at initial recognition to measure them at FVOCI. Gains or losses from changes in the fair value of equity financial instruments designated at FVOCI, including any related foreign exchange gains or losses, are recognized in OCI. In contrast to asset-for-sale equity securities under IAS 39, amounts recognized in OCI will not be subsequently recycled to profit or loss, with the exception of dividends. Dividends received are recorded in interest income in the consolidated statement of income. Cumulative gains or losses upon derecognition of the equity instrument will be transferred within equity from AOCI to retained earnings.
Allowance for Expected CreditLosses
The Bank must maintain an allowance for expected credit losses that is adequate, in management’s opinion, to absorb all credit related losses in the Bank’s lending and treasury portfolios. The Bank’s allowance for credit losses is estimated using the ECL methodology and is comprised of expected credit losses recognized on all financial assets that are debt instruments, classified either as amortized cost or as FVOCI, and on all loan commitments and financial guarantees that are not measured at FVTPL.
Expected credit losses represent unbiased and probability-weighted estimates that are modeled as a function of a range of possible outcomes as well as the time value of money, and reasonable and supportable information about past events, current conditions and forecasts of future economic conditions, or more specifically forward-looking information (“FLI”) (see Forward-Looking Information below).
The Bank’s ECL or impairment model estimates 12 months of expected credit losses, (“TMECL”) for performing loans that have not experienced a significant increase in credit risk, (“SICR”) since initial recognition. Additionally, the ECL impairment model estimates lifetime expected credit losses, (“LTECL”) on performing loans that have experienced a SICR since initial recognition. Further, individual allowances are estimated for loans that are determined to be credit impaired.
Loans or other financial instruments that have not experienced a SICR since initial recognition are designated as stage 1, while loans or financial instruments that have experienced a SICR since initial recognition are designated as stage 2, and loans or financial instruments that are determined to be credit impaired are designated as stage 3.
Assessment of significant increasein credit risk (“SICR”)
At each reporting date, the Bank assesses whether or not there has been a SICR for loans since initial recognition by comparing, at the reporting date, the risk of default occurring over the remaining expected life against the risk of default at initial recognition.
The determination of a SICR is a function of the loan’s internal risk rating assignment, internal watchlist status, loan review status and delinquency status which are updated as necessary in response to changes including, but not limited to changes in macroeconomic and/or market conditions, changes in a borrower’s credit risk profile, and changes in the strength of the underlying security, including guarantor status, if a guarantor exists.
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 38 |
| --- | --- |
Quantitative models may not always be able to capture all reasonable and supportable information that may indicate a SICR. As a result, qualitative factors may be considered to supplement such a gap. Examples include changes in adjudication criteria for a particular group of borrowers or asset categories or changes in portfolio composition.
With regards to delinquency and monitoring, there is a rebuttable presumption that the credit risk of a loan or other financial instrument has increased since initial recognition when contractual payments are more than 60 days delinquent. The Bank chose to use 60 days delinquency as an appropriate indicator of increased credit risk as it serves as a stable early warning indicator that the cashflows associated with the loan or other financial instrument under consideration may be in jeopardy and may not be realized by the Bank under the contractual repayment terms.
Expected credit loss model– Estimation of expected credit losses
Expected credit losses are an estimate of a loan’s expected cash shortfalls discounted at the effective interest rate, where a cash shortfall is the difference between the contractual cash flows that are due to the Bank and the cash flows that the Bank actually expects to receive. The ECL calculation is a function of the credit risk parameters; probability of default, loss given default, and exposure at default associated with each loan, sensitized to future market and macroeconomic conditions through the incorporation of FLI derived from multiple economic forecast scenarios, including baseline, upside, and downside scenarios.
For clarity:
| Ø | The<br> probability of default (“PD”) for a loan or a financial instrument is an estimate<br> of the likelihood of default of that instrument over a given time horizon; |
|---|---|
| Ø | The<br> loss given default (“LGD”) for a loan or financial instrument is an estimate<br> of the loss arising in the case where a default of that instrument occurs at a given time<br> or over a given period; and, |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | The<br> exposure at default (“EAD”) for a loan or financial instrument is an estimate<br> of the Bank’s exposure derived from that instrument at a future default date. |
| --- | --- |
The Bank’s ECL model develops contractual cashflow profiles for loans as a function of a number of underlying assumptions and a broad range of input variables. The expected cashflow schedules are subsequently derived from the contractual cashflow schedules, adjusted for incremental default amounts, forgone interest, and recovery amounts.
The finalized contractual and expected cashflow schedules are subsequently discounted at the effective interest rate to determine the expected cash shortfall or expected credit losses for each individual loan or financial instrument.
Individual allowances are estimated for loans and other financial instruments that are determined to be credit impaired and that have been designated as stage 3. A loan is classified as credit impaired when the Bank becomes aware that all of, or a portion of the contractual cashflows associated with the loan may be in jeopardy and as a result may not be realized by the Bank under the repayment schedule set out in the contractual terms associated with the loan.
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 39 |
| --- | --- |
Forward-Looking Information
The IFRS 9 standard requires consideration of past events, current market conditions and reasonable, supportable information about future economic conditions that is available without undue cost and effort in the estimation of the expected credit losses for loans. More specifically, under IFRS 9 expected credit losses represent an unbiased, probability-weighted estimate of the present value of cash shortfalls (i.e., the weighted average of credit losses, with the respective risks of a default occurring in a given time period used as the weights). Additionally, IFRS 9 stipulates that future economic conditions are to be based on an unbiased, probability-weighted assessment of possible future outcomes. The estimation and application of forward-looking information in an attempt to capture the impact of future economic conditions requires significant judgement.
The Bank incorporated the impact of future economic conditions, or more specifically forward-looking information into the estimation of expected credit losses at the credit risk parameter level. This is accomplished via the credit risk parameter models and proxy datasets that the Bank utilizes to develop PD and LGD term structure forecasts for its loans. The Bank has sourced credit risk modeling systems and forecast macroeconomic scenario data from Moody’s Analytics for the purpose of computing forward-looking risk parameters under multiple macroeconomic scenarios that consider both market-wide and idiosyncratic factors and influences. These systems are used in conjunction with the Bank’s internally developed ECL models. Given that the Bank has experienced very limited historical losses and, therefore, does not have available statistically significant loss data inventory for use in developing forward looking expected credit loss trends, the use of unbiased, third party forward-looking credit risk parameter modeling systems is particularly important for the Bank in the context of the estimation of expected credit losses.
The Bank utilizes macroeconomic indicator data derived from multiple macroeconomic scenarios, most often comprised of baseline, upside, and downside scenarios in order to mitigate volatility in the estimation of expected credit losses as well as to satisfy the IFRS 9 requirement that future economic conditions are to be based on an unbiased, probability-weighted assessment of possible future outcomes. More specifically, the macroeconomic indicators set out in the macroeconomic scenarios are used as inputs for the credit risk parameter models utilized by the Bank to sensitize the individual, PD and LGD term structure forecasts to the respective macroeconomic trajectory set out in each of the scenarios. The Bank has also applied expert credit judgment, where appropriate, to reflect, amongst other items, uncertainty in the Canadian macroeconomic environment attributable to the continued impact of COVID-19.
The macroeconomic indicator data utilized by the Bank for the purpose of sensitizing PD and LGD term structure data to forward economic conditions include, but are not limited to: real GDP, the national unemployment rate, long term interest rates, the consumer price index, and the price of oil. These specific macroeconomic indicators were selected in an attempt to ensure that the spectrum of fundamental macroeconomic influences on the key drivers of the credit risk profile of the Bank’s balance sheet, including: corporate, consumer and real estate market dynamics; corporate, consumer and SME borrower performance; geography; as well as collateral value volatility are appropriately captured and incorporated into the Bank’s forward macroeconomic sensitivity analysis.
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 40 |
| --- | --- |
Business Combinations
The Bank applied IFRS 3 Business Combinations in its accounting for the acquisition of Digital Boundary Group using the acquisition method. The cost of an acquisition is measured at the fair value of the consideration, including contingent consideration if applicable, given at the acquisition date. Contingent consideration is a financial instrument and, as such, is remeasured each period thereafter with the adjustment recorded to acquisition-related fair value changes in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income. Acquisition-related costs are recognized as an expense in the income statement in the period in which they are incurred. The acquired identifiable assets, liabilities and contingent liabilities are measured at fair value at the date of acquisition. Goodwill is measured as the excess of the aggregate of the consideration transferred, including, if applicable, any amount of any non-controlling interest in the acquiree, over the net of the recognized amounts of the identifiable assets acquired and the liabilities assumed.
Goodwill and intangibleassets
Goodwill is the residual amount that results when the purchase price of an acquired business exceeds the value allocated to the tangible and intangible assets, less liabilities assumed, based on their fair values. Goodwill is not amortized but rather tested for impairment annually or more frequently if events or a change in circumstances indicate that the asset might be impaired. Impairment is determined for goodwill by assessing if the carrying value of cash generating units (“CGUs”) which comprise the CGU segment, including goodwill, exceeds its recoverable amount determined as the greater of the estimated fair value less costs to sell and the value in use. Impairment losses recognized in respect of the CGUs are first allocated to the carrying value of goodwill and any excess is allocated to the carrying amount of assets in the CGUs. Any goodwill impairment is recorded in profit or loss in the reporting year in which the impairment is identified. Impairment losses on goodwill are not subsequently reversed.
Intangible assets acquired in a business acquisition are recorded at their fair value. In subsequent reporting periods, intangible assets are stated at cost less accumulated amortization and accumulated impairment losses. Amortization is recorded on a straight-line basis over the expected useful life of the intangible asset. At each reporting date, the carrying value of intangible assets are reviewed for indicators of impairment. If such an indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset is estimated in order to determine the extent of the impairment, if any. For the purpose of impairment testing, assets that cannot be tested individually are grouped together into the smallest group of assets that generate cash flows from continuing use that are largely independent of the cash inflows of other assets or groups of assets (CGU). If the recoverable amount of an asset or CGU is estimated to be less than its carrying amount, the carrying amount is reduced to its recoverable amount and the impairment loss is recognized in profit or loss. The recoverable amount of an asset or CGU is the higher of fair value less costs to sell and value in use. In assessing value in use, the estimated future cash flows are discounted at a rate that reflects current market assessments of the time value of money and the risks specific to the assets. An impairment loss is reversed if there has been a change in the estimates used to determine the recoverable amount. When an impairment loss is subsequently reversed, the carrying amount of the asset is increased to the revised estimate of its recoverable amount so that the increased carrying amount does not exceed the carrying amount that would have been recorded had no impairment losses been recognized for the asset in prior years.
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 41 |
| --- | --- |
Corporate Income Taxes
Current income taxes are calculated based on taxable income at the reporting period end. Taxable income differs from accounting income because of differences in the inclusion and deductibility of certain components of income which are established by Canadian taxation authorities. Current income taxes are measured at the amount expected to be recovered or paid using statutory tax rates at the reporting period end.
The Bank follows the asset and liability method of accounting for deferred income taxes. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities arise from temporary differences between financial statement carrying values and the respective tax base of those assets and liabilities. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted or substantively enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years when temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled.
Deferred income tax assets are recognized in the Bank’s consolidated financial statements to the extent that it is probable that the Bank will have sufficient taxable income to enable the benefit of the deferred income tax asset to be realized. Unrecognized deferred income tax assets are reassessed for recoverability at each reporting period end.
Current and deferred income taxes are recorded in income for the period, except to the extent that the tax arose from a transaction that is recorded either in Other Comprehensive Income or Equity, in which case the income tax on the transaction will also be recorded either in Other Comprehensive Income or Equity. Accordingly, current and deferred income taxes are presented in the Consolidated Financial Statements as a component of income, or as a component of Other Comprehensive Income.
Enterprise Risk Management
The Bank recognizes that risk is present in all business activities and that the successful management of risk is a critical factor in maximizing shareholder value. As such, the Bank has developed and continues to enhance an Enterprise Risk Management (“ERM”) Program to identify, evaluate, treat, report on, and monitor the risks that impact the Bank.
The Bank will maintain a robust ERM program to:
| Ø | Ensure<br> significant current and emerging risks are identified, understood and managed appropriately; |
|---|---|
| Ø | Support<br> the Board’s corporate governance needs; and, |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | Strengthen<br> the Bank’s risk management practices in a manner demonstrable to external stakeholders. |
| --- | --- |
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 42 |
| --- | --- |
The goal of risk management is not to eliminate risks but to identify and control risks within the context of the Bank’s Risk Appetite Statement. The ERM program enhances the effectiveness, efficiency and understanding of risk and risk management at an individual and enterprise level.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF THE BANK’S ENTERPRISE RISK MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
| Ø | Risk<br> management is everyone’s responsibility, from the Board of Directors to individual<br> employees. Employees are expected to understand the risks that fall within their areas of<br> responsibility and to manage these risks within approved risk tolerances; |
|---|---|
| Ø | Risk<br> management is a comprehensive, structured and continuous process in which risks are identified,<br> evaluated and consciously accepted or mitigated within approved risk tolerances; |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | Risk<br> management is based on open communication of the best available information, both quantitative<br> and qualitative, from a range of sources, including historical data, experience, stakeholder<br> feedback, observation, forecasts and expert judgment; |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | Enterprise<br> Risk Management is integrated with Bank processes such as strategic planning, business planning,<br> operational management, and investment decisions to ensure consistent consideration of risks<br> in all decision-making; and, |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | Risk<br> owners will be identified through the risk management process and will be responsible to<br> address and implement risk mitigation/avoidance/transfer strategies to minimize the risk<br> impact to the Bank. |
| --- | --- |
RISK APPETITE STATEMENT
Risk appetite is the measurement of capital, liquidity, earnings and operational variability that the Bank is prepared to put at risk while in pursuit of the Bank’s strategic objectives. Risk appetite provides for a common understanding of the boundaries of acceptable and unacceptable risks established with management and approved by the Board, as the Bank works toward achieving its strategic objectives. The risk appetite statement includes a set of risk tolerances to communicate specific capacities for risk within each significant risk category.
Consideration will be given to all risks, however; the Bank has identified the following seven significant risk categories from which it will measure and establish tolerances in the pursuit of the Bank’s strategic objectives:
| Ø | Liquidity<br> Risk; |
|---|---|
| Ø | Operational<br> Risk; |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | Market<br> Risk; |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | Credit<br> Risk; |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | Regulatory<br> Risk; |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | Strategic<br> Risk; and, |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | Reputational<br> Risk. |
| --- | --- |
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 43 |
| --- | --- |
Liquidity Risk
Liquidity risk is the risk that the Bank is unable to meet the demand for cash to fund obligations as they come due.
Liquidity risk is managed primarily by the Treasurer, the Vice President, Deposit Services, and the Chief Financial Officer.
Treasury policies are developed and controlled by the Treasury Department as a function of the Bank’s business objectives, liquidity risk appetite, and regulatory requirements as determined by senior and executive management, and the Board of Directors.
Deposit raising activities are overseen by the Vice President, Deposit Services.
LIQUIDITY RISK AND THE RISK APPETITE STATEMENT
The Bank’s risk appetite statement defines liquidity risk tolerances that the Bank will adhere to in the execution of its business objectives. Liquidity risk tolerances are administered as follows:
1. Liquidity
Through Bank policy, the risk appetite statement mirrors Bank comfort with the level of liquidity that is to be maintained in order to ensure that all funding obligations are met.
2. Deposit Sources
The monitoring of deposit sources establishes Bank comfort with the origination and concentration of deposit inflows such that the Bank can monitor trends in improvements in diversifying its deposit sources.
The Bank has established policies to ensure that its cash outflows and inflows are closely matched and that its sources of deposits are diversified between funding sources and over a wide geographic area. The Bank maintains a conservative investment profile by ensuring:
| Ø | All<br> Bank investments are high quality and include government debt securities, bankers acceptances<br> and Canadian bank debt; |
|---|---|
| Ø | Specific<br> investment criteria and procedures are in place to manage the Bank’s securities portfolio; |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | Regular<br> review, monitoring and approval of the Bank’s investment policies by the Risk Oversight<br> Committee of the Board of Directors; and, |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | Quarterly<br> reporting to the Risk Oversight Committee on the composition of the Bank’s securities<br> portfolio. |
| --- | --- |
Liquidity management is further supported by processes, which include but are not limited to:
| Ø | Monitoring<br> of liquidity levels; |
|---|---|
| Ø | Monitoring<br> of liquidity trends and key risk indicators; |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | Scenario<br> stress testing; |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | Monitoring<br> the credit profile of the liquidity portfolio; and, |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | Monitoring<br> deposit concentrations. |
| --- | --- |
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 44 |
| --- | --- |
In order to manage its liquidity needs, the Bank has a liquidity risk management program that is comprised specifically of the following policies and procedures:
| Ø | Holding<br> sufficient liquid assets which, based on certain stress assumptions, results in positive<br> cumulative cash flow for a period of 61 to 90 days; |
|---|---|
| Ø | Holding<br> high quality liquid securities at levels that represent no less than 5% of total assets.<br> High quality liquid securities include: Canadian federal, provincial and municipal debt;<br> debt of federally regulated Canadian financial institutions; widely distributed debt instruments,<br> (all of which are to be rated investment grade); cash on deposit; and banker’s acceptances; |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | On<br> a weekly basis, monitoring its cash flow requirements using a liquidity forecasting template<br> under a stressed scenario; |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | On<br> a monthly basis, testing liquidity using three specific disruption scenarios; i) industry<br> specific disruption scenario, ii) company specific liquidity disruption scenario, and iii)<br> a systematic disruption scenario; and, |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | Managing<br> liquidity in accordance with guidelines specified by OSFI. |
| --- | --- |
Operational Risk
Operational risk is the risk of loss resulting from people, inadequate or failed internal processes and systems, or from external events. Operational risk includes legal risk but excludes strategic and reputational risk.
Operational risk differs from other banking risks in that, typically, it is not directly accepted in return for an expected reward but exists in the natural course of business activity.
The Bank recognizes that operational risk is present in all business activities and that the successful management of operational risk is a key factor in the sustained success of the Bank. Sound operational risk management is a reflection of the effectiveness of the Board and senior management in administering its portfolio of products, activities, processes and systems. As such, the Bank has developed and will continuously enhance an Operational Risk Management (“ORM”) Program to identify, evaluate, treat, report and monitor operational risks to which the Bank is exposed.
OPERATIONAL RISK AND THE RISK APPETITE STATEMENT
The Bank has segmented operational risk into six operational risk pillars:
1. Employment Practices and Workplace Safety
The risk resulting from the inappropriate hiring of employees, unjust compensation, or mistreatment of employees, producing consequences such as litigation or resignation. Moreover, it includes risk stemming from the enforcement of safety regulations and the inability to control the environment in working conditions, causing detrimental effects on employees’ health such as illness or accidents while working.
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 45 |
| --- | --- |
2. Information Technology (“IT”) and Cybersecurity
As the Bank’s operations are largely dependent on data and information processing, much emphasis is placed on information technology security to ensure an uninterrupted, secure and undisturbed use of information and communication systems. Business disruption may occur if risks are realized such as system failures or anomalies, defects in the Bank’s computer systems or network infrastructure, or the employment of outdated or substandard technology tools.
3. Fraud and Errors
This operational risk pillar includes three sub-groups:
I. Internal Fraud:
Employees, by themselves or in collusion with others, intentionally violating internal policy, or laws and directly benefiting from the action to the detriment of the business and/or the client.
II. External Fraud:
Acts undertaken by external parties intended to defraud or misappropriate financial, information or physical assets or create financial loss for the company.
III. Errors:
Risk resulting from errors in the operational process or methodology, lack of a procedure or policy documentation, and control failures.
4. Outsourcing
Outsourcing arrangements require careful management if they are to yield benefits, and where they are not managed adequately, the Bank’s operational risk exposure may increase. The risk increases when there is a failure of the availability of the people or public/third-party infrastructure that the Bank depends on.
5. Business Continuity:
The risk of damage to physical assets and/or disruptive events from various accidents such as fire, natural disaster, riots, terrorism, etc. The Bank will assess the potential risk for such events to occur and maintain a recovery plan to ensure continuity of business activity.
6. Client, Product and Business Practices
The risk resulting from business practices, the introduction of a product, and the accessing of a customer’s information that is inappropriate or non-compliant with regulations or rules, such as unauthorized transactions, unapproved dealings, money laundering activities or the misuse of confidential customer information.
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 46 |
| --- | --- |
Operational risk impacts can be financial loss, loss of competitive position or reputational in nature. The Bank employs the following strategies in its efforts to monitor and manage operational risk exposures to acceptable levels:
| Ø | Comprehensive<br> operational policies which provide clear direction to all areas of its business and employees<br> and establish accountability and responsibilities to identify, assess, appropriately mitigate<br> and control operational risk; |
|---|---|
| Ø | Hiring<br> of banking professionals with many years of related experience; |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | Use<br> of technology through automated systems with built in controls; |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | Maintenance<br> of a compliance monitoring program; and, |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | Continual<br> review and upgrade of systems and procedures. |
| --- | --- |
Market Risk
Market risk is the risk of a negative impact on the balance sheet and/or income statement resulting from changes or volatility in market factors such as interest rates or market prices. The Bank’s principal market risk arises from interest rate risk as the Bank does not consistently undertake any foreign exchange or trading activities.
Interest rate risk is the risk that a movement in interest rates could negatively impact spread, net interest income and the economic value of assets, liabilities and shareholders’ equity. The Bank manages interest rate risk by employing a number of methods including income simulation analysis and interest rate sensitivity gap and duration analysis.
Foreign exchange risk or currency risk is the risk that transacting in any currency apart from the Bank’s base currency can result in gains or losses due to currency fluctuations resulting in the possibility that a foreign denominated transaction’s value may decrease due to changes in the relative value of the currency pair. Any appreciation/depreciation in the foreign currency versus the local currency will give rise to foreign exchange risk. The Bank does not consistently undertake any foreign exchange or trading activities, but actively manages any material foreign exchange risk exposure derived from the Bank’s normal course business activities through, where possible the establishment of a natural foreign currency hedge or, if necessary, through foreign exchange contracts established with high quality counterparties in order to mitigate the impact of changes in foreign exchange rates on the Bank’s financial results and position.
Market risk is managed primarily by the Treasurer and the Chief Financial Officer. Treasury policies, which set out the management of market risk and document the risk limits, include the Bank’s interest rate risk management policies and securities portfolio management policies.
Treasury policies are developed, maintained, and administered by the Treasury Department as a function of the Bank’s business objectives, market risk appetite, and regulatory requirements as determined by senior and executive management, and the Board of Directors.
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 47 |
| --- | --- |
MARKET RISK AND THE RISK APPETITE STATEMENT
The Bank’s risk appetite statement defines market risk tolerances that the Bank will adhere to in the execution of its business objectives. Market risk tolerances are administered as follows:
1. Interest Rate Volatility:
Interest rate risk is the risk of a negative impact on the balance sheet or income statement resulting from a change in interest rates. Tolerances are defined and used to assist in measuring the Bank’s ability and effort to manage changes to the Bank’s capital position as a result of an increase/decrease in both short-term and long-term interest rates.
2. Equity Risk:
Equity risk is the risk of loss resulting from changes or volatility in equity or financial instrument prices. Tolerances are defined and used to assist in measuring the Bank’s ability and effort to manage changes to the Bank’s capital position as a result of changes in the value of the Bank’s treasury portfolio investments.
The Bank’s principal market risk arises from interest rate risk as the Bank does not consistently undertake any material foreign exchange or trading activities. In addition, the Bank is subject to market price volatility with respect to available-for-sale securities due to the resulting impact on regulatory capital.
The Risk Oversight Committee of the Bank is charged with recommending policies that govern market risk to the Board of Directors for approval and with reviewing the policies on an ongoing basis. Additionally, the Bank manages interest rate risk by employing a number of methods including income simulation analysis and interest rate sensitivity gap and duration analysis. Management prepares regular reports to the Board to allow for ongoing monitoring of the Bank’s interest rate risk position. Further, the Bank’s Asset Liability Committee reviews the results of these analyses on a monthly basis and monitors compliance with limits set out in corporate policy. The Bank’s policies include the matching of its cash inflows and outflows so that:
| ii. | in any 12 month period, a 100 basis point change in rates across<br>the entire yield curve would not result in a decline greater than 4% of regulatory capital on the Bank’s earnings; and, |
|---|---|
| ii. | in any 60 month period, a 100 basis point<br> change in rates across the entire yield curve would not result in a decline greater than<br> 6% of regulatory capital on the Bank’s equity. |
| --- | --- |
As well, the policy indicates that at no time shall the duration difference between the Bank’s assets and liabilities exceed four months. The interest rate risk position and results of the Bank’s duration analysis at October 31, 2021 as well as for 2020 are reported in the table below.
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 48 |
| --- | --- |
Interest Rate Position
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 31, 2021 | October 31, 2020 | ||||||||||
| Increase<br><br> <br>100 bps | Decrease<br><br> <br>100 bps | Increase<br><br> <br>100 bps | Decrease<br><br> <br>100 bps | ||||||||
| Increase (decrease): | |||||||||||
| Impact on projected net interest | |||||||||||
| income during a 12 month period | $ | 4,147 | $ | (3,220 | ) | $ | 2,569 | $ | (2,099 | ) | |
| Impact on reported equity | |||||||||||
| during a 60 month period | 1,603 | (1,586 | ) | (2,527 | ) | 1,604 | |||||
| Duration difference between assets and | |||||||||||
| liabilities (months) | 2.3 | 0.6 |
As presented in the table above, the impact on net interest income during a 12 month period of a 100 basis point increase would be approximately $4.1 million, while the impact on net interest income of a 100 basis point decrease would be approximately ($3.2 million). Similarly, at October 31, 2020, the impact on equity over a 60 month period of a 100 basis point increase would be approximately $1.6 million while the impact on equity of a 100 basis point decrease over the same period would be approximately ($1.6 million). At October 31, 2021 the duration difference between the Bank’s assets and liabilities was 2.3 months compared to 0.6 months at October 31, 2020, indicating that the Bank’s assets would reprice faster than liabilities in the event of a future change in interest rates.
The Bank uses on-balance sheet strategies to manage its interest rate risk, and as such, at October 31, 2021, the Bank did not have any outstanding contracts to hedge fair value exposure attributable to interest rate risk.
Credit Risk
Credit risk is the risk of loss associated with a borrower, guarantor or counterparty’s inability or unwillingness to fulfill its contractual obligations.
The Bank accepts certain risks in order to generate revenue. In managing these risks, the Bank has developed an enterprise-wide risk management framework designed to achieve an appropriate balance between credit risk and reward in order to maximize shareholder return.
Credit risk is managed by the Chief Credit Officer who administers the Bank’s established credit policies that set out the roles of the credit department and the lending business units related to risk management, and further, establishes risk tolerances for same. Credit policies exist for the credit department and for each lending business unit. Credit policies are developed, maintained, and administered by the Credit Department as a function of the Bank’s business objectives, credit risk appetite, and regulatory requirements as determined by senior management, and the Board of Directors.
To supplement the Bank’s credit policies, the individual lending business units have developed and compiled comprehensive procedures that describe the processes, systems and methods employed in the operation of their businesses while operating within the credit framework set out by the Bank’s credit policies.
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 49 |
| --- | --- |
CREDIT RISK AND THE RISK APPETITE STATEMENT
The Bank’s risk appetite statement defines credit risk tolerances that the Bank will adhere to in the execution of its business objectives. The risk appetite statement defines the credit risk tolerances for the entire Bank as well as for each of the following business lines that accept credit risk:
1. Commercial Lending;
2. Point of Sale Financing; and,
3. Treasury.
The Bank manages its credit risk using policies that have been recommended by management to the Risk Oversight Committee, which then recommends the policies to the Board of Directors of the Bank for approval. These policies consist of approval procedures and limits on loan amounts, portfolio concentration, geographic concentration, industry concentration, asset categories, loans to any one entity and associated groups, a risk rating policy that provides for risk rating each asset in its total asset portfolio, and early recognition of problem accounts with action plans for each account. The Risk Oversight Committee of the Bank reviews these policies on an ongoing basis.
The Risk Oversight Committee of the Bank is comprised entirely of independent directors and performs the following functions related to credit risk:
| Ø | Recommends<br> policies governing management of credit risk to the Bank’s Board of Directors for approval<br> and reviews credit risk policies on an ongoing basis to ensure that they are prudent and<br> appropriate given possible changes in market conditions and corporate strategy; |
|---|---|
| Ø | Reviews<br> and concurs with credits exceeding the levels delegated to management, prior to commitment;<br> and, |
| --- | --- |
| Ø | Reviews,<br> on a regular basis, watchlist accounts, impaired loans and accounts that have gone into arrears. |
| --- | --- |
Regulatory Risk
Regulatory risk is the risk that a regulatory agency will make changes in the current rules (or will impose new rules) that will increase the costs of operating the Bank, reduce the attractiveness of the Bank as an investment, result in financial loss, and/or change the competitive landscape. Regulatory risk also includes the risk of adverse outcomes due to non-compliance to rules, regulations, standards or other legal requirements.
The Bank has a Regulatory Compliance Management Program that includes a three lines of defence model and essentially establishes the controls and processes through which the Bank manages regulatory compliance risk. The Chief Compliance Officer is responsible for regulatory compliance oversight.
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 50 |
| --- | --- |
REGULATORY RISK AND THE RISK APPETITE STATEMENT
The Bank’s risk appetite statement defines regulatory risk tolerances that the Bank will adhere to in the execution of its business objectives. Regulatory risk tolerances are administered as follows:
1. Regulatory Compliance
Bank conformance with laws, rules, and regulations and prescribed practices in all jurisdictions in which it operates.
2. Regulatory Capital
Capital is a key regulatory requirement. The quality of capital and the leverage of the Bank’s capital is a key indicator of health by regulators.
Strategic Risk
Strategic risk is defined as the losses or forgone revenues resulting from improper or ineffective business strategies, resource allocation and/or decision-making or from an inability to adapt to changes in the business environment.
STRATEGIC RISK AND THE RISK APPETITE STATEMENT
The Bank’s risk appetite statement defines the strategic risk tolerances that the Bank and each business unit will adhere to in the execution of their respective business objectives. Strategic risk tolerances are established as a function of the Bank’s financial performance.
Financial metrics and associated tolerances are defined for the Bank and its lending business units.
The Bank manages strategic risk through a Board approved, robust, annual business planning process which includes the development of a comprehensive business plan, operating budget, and capital plan that contemplate planning horizons ranging from twelve to sixty months. The Bank augments its annual enterprise business planning process with the development of rigorous economic forecasts, risk and operational impact assessments related to any new business initiatives being contemplated as well as through the performance of an annual ICAAP for the Bank. The ICAAP is employed to determine if the Bank’s budgeted capital amounts provide adequate capital buffers against the occurrence of its identified business objective risks under both expected and stressed operating conditions.
Reputational Risk
Reputational risk is the risk that an activity undertaken by the Bank or its representatives will impair its image in the community or lower public confidence in it, resulting in the loss of business, legal action or increased regulatory oversight.
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 51 |
| --- | --- |
Reputational risk is the outcome of a risk occurrence; it is not a risk event in and of itself. To manage against reputational risk, the Enterprise Risk Management program focuses on the risks of the Bank through the other six pillars of risk:
| 1. | Liquidity Risk |
|---|---|
| 2. | Operational Risk |
| --- | --- |
| 3. | Market Risk |
| --- | --- |
| 4. | Credit Risk |
| --- | --- |
| 5. | Regulatory Risk |
| --- | --- |
| 6. | Strategic Risk |
| --- | --- |
The management of the risks identified in these six pillars of risk and the measurement of the Bank in achieving its objectives and remaining within the bounds of the Bank’s risk appetite statement assist the Bank in managing reputational risk.
REPUTATIONAL RISK AND THE RISK APPETITE STATEMENT
The Bank’s risk appetite statement defines the reputational risk tolerances that the Bank will adhere to in the execution of its business objectives.
An institution’s reputation is a valuable business asset in its own right that is essential to optimizing shareholder value, and as such is constantly at risk. Reputation risk cannot be managed in isolation from other forms of risk since all risks can have an impact on reputation, which in turn can impact the Bank’s brand, earnings and capital. Credit, market, operational, strategic and liquidity risks must all be managed effectively in order to safeguard the Bank’s reputation.
Ultimate responsibility for the Bank’s reputation lies with senior and executive management, and the Board of Directors and related committees which examine reputation risk as part of their ongoing duties. In addition, every employee and representative of the Bank has a responsibility to contribute in a positive way to the Bank’s reputation by ensuring that ethical practices are followed at all times.
FACTORS THAT MAY AFFECT FUTURERESULTS
As noted in the section “Forward-looking Statements”, the Bank is subject to inherent risks and uncertainties which may cause its actual results to differ materially from its expectations. Some of these risks are discussed below.
Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic
The impact of COVID-19 on communities and businesses has abated over the last half of the calendar year with the rapid distribution and adoption of the vaccines allowing for a progressive reopening of the Canadian economy and stimulating improved consumer and business confidence. Notwithstanding the above, should these favourable trends reverse as a result of hospitalizations increasing as a function of the emergence of new variants for which the current vaccines are not effective or simply as a result of active case counts generally rising rapidly, the Canadian economy could be negatively impacted which has the potential to adversely affect the Bank’s revenue and earnings.
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 52 |
| --- | --- |
Execution of Strategic Plans
The Bank’s financial performance is influenced by its ability to execute strategic plans developed by management. If these strategic plans do not meet with success or there is a change in the Bank’s strategic plans, the Bank’s earnings could grow at a slower pace or decline.
Changes in Laws and Regulations
Laws and regulations are in place to protect clients, investors and the public. Changes in laws and regulations, including how they are interpreted and enforced, could adversely affect the Bank’s earnings by allowing more competition in the marketplace and by increasing the costs of compliance. In addition, any failure to comply with laws and regulations could adversely affect the Bank’s reputation and earnings.
Changes in Accounting Standardsand Accounting Policies and Estimates
The International Accounting Standards Board continues to change the financial accounting and reporting standards that govern the preparation of the Bank’s financial statements. These changes can be significant and may materially impact how the Bank records its financial position and its results of operations. Where the Bank is required to retroactively apply a new or revised standard, it may be required to restate prior period financial results.
Level of Competition
The level of competition among financial institutions is high and non-financial companies and government entities are increasingly offering services typically provided by banks. This could have an effect on the pricing of the Bank’s deposits and its lending products and together with loss of market share, could adversely affect the Bank’s earnings.
General Economic Conditions
The Bank conducts its business in various regions within Canada. Factors such as financial market stability, interest rates, foreign exchange rates, changing global commodity prices, business investment, government spending and stimulation initiatives, consumer spending, and the rate of inflation can affect the business and economic environments in each geographic region in which the Bank operates. Therefore, the amount of business that the Bank conducts in a specific geographic region may have an effect on the Bank’s overall revenues and earnings.
Monetary Policy
Financial markets’ expectations about inflation and central bank monetary policy have an impact on the level of interest rates. Fluctuations in interest rates that result from these changes could have an impact on the regions in which the Bank operates, and further, could have an impact on the Bank’s earnings.
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 53 |
| --- | --- |
Reliance on Deposit Brokers
The Bank raises its deposits primarily through a network of deposit brokers across Canada, including independents as well as the investment dealer subsidiaries of the large Canadian banks. The failure by the Bank to secure sufficient deposits from its broker network could negatively impact its financial condition and operating results. The Bank mitigates this risk by establishing and maintaining good working and mutually beneficial relationships with a diverse group of deposit brokers so as not to become overly reliant on any single deposit broker.
Technology Risk
Technology risk is related to the operational performance, confidentiality, integrity and availability of information systems and infrastructure. The Bank is highly dependent upon information technology and supporting infrastructure such as data and network access. Disruptions in information technology and infrastructure, whether attributed to internal or external factors, and including potential disruptions in services provided by various third parties, could adversely affect the ability of the Bank to conduct regular business and/or to deliver products and services to its clients.
CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Disclosure controls and procedures are designed to provide reasonable assurance that all material information is gathered and reported to senior management, including the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer, on a timely basis so that appropriate decisions can be made regarding public disclosure.
As at October 31, 2021, an evaluation was carried out by management of the effectiveness of the Bank’s disclosure controls and procedures. Based on that evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer will file a certificate that the design and operating effectiveness of those disclosure controls and procedures were effective.
Internal Control over FinancialReporting
Internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards. Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting for the Bank.
At October 31, 2021, an evaluation was carried out by management related to the effectiveness of internal controls over financial reporting to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and financial statement compliance with International Financial Reporting Standards. Based on that evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer will file a certificate that the design and operating effectiveness of internal controls over financial reporting is effective. These evaluations were conducted in accordance with the standards of the 2013 Internal Control – Integrated Framework of the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO), and the requirements of
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 54 |
| --- | --- |
National Instrument 52-109 Certification of Disclosure in Issuers’ Annual and Interim Filings of the Canadian Securities Administrators.
A Disclosure Committee, consisting of members of senior management, assists the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer in their responsibilities related to evaluating the effectiveness of the Bank’s internal control systems and processes. Management’s evaluation of controls can only provide reasonable, not absolute, assurance that all internal control issues that may result in material misstatement, if any, have been detected.
There were no changes in the Bank’s internal controls over financial reporting that occurred during the year ended October 31, 2021 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, internal controls over financial reporting.
Non-GAAP and Other FinancialMeasures
Non-GAAP and other financial measures are not standardized financial measures under financial reporting framework used to prepare the financial statements of the Banks to which these measures relate. These measures may not be comparable to similar financial measures disclosed by other issuers. The Bank uses these financial measures to assess its performance and as such believes these financial measures are useful in providing readers with a better understanding of how management assesses the Bank’s performance.
Non-GAAP Measures
Core Cash Earnings reflects the Bank’s core operational performance and earnings capacity and is calculated as net income (as presented in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income) adjusted for income taxes, restructuring charges, corporate projects and other non-core operational expenses.
| (unaudited) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 31 | October 31 | October 31 | ||||
| (thousands of Canadian dollars) | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |||
| Core cash earnings | ||||||
| Net income | 22,380 | 19,405 | 20,196 | |||
| Addback: tax provision | 8,409 | 7,347 | 7,625 | |||
| Addback: non-core operational expenses | — | — | — | |||
| Core cash earnings | 30,789 | 26,752 | 27,821 |
| VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 55 || --- | --- | Return on Average Common Equity isdefined as net income less amounts relating to preferred share dividends, divided by average common shareholders’ equity whichis average shareholders’ equity less amounts relating to preferred shares recorded in equity.| | October 31 | | | October 31 | | | October 31 | | || --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- || (thousands of Canadian dollars) | 2021 | | | 2020 | | | 2019 | | || Return on average common equity | | | | | | | | | || Net income | | 22,380 | | | 19,405 | | | 20,196 | || Preferred share dividends | | (1,578 | ) | | (2,168 | ) | | (2,201 | ) || Adjusted net income | | 20,802 | | | 17,237 | | | 17,995 | || Average common equity | | 246,159 | | | 218,388 | | | 202,527 | || Return on average common equity | | 8.45 | % | | 7.89 | % | | 8.89 | % |Book Value per Common Share is defined as Shareholders’Equity less amounts relating to preferred shares recorded in equity, divided by the number of common shares outstanding.| | October 31 | | October 31 | | October 31 | || --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- || (thousands of Canadian dollars) | 2021 | | 2020 | | 2019 | || Book value per common share | | | | | | || Common equity | | 318,459 | | 225,950 | | 210,825 || Shares outstanding | | 27,441,082 | | 21,123,559 | | 21,123,559 || Book value per common share | | 11.61 | | 10.70 | | 9.98 |Return on Average Total Assets isdefined as net income less amounts relating to preferred share dividends, divided by average total assets.| | October 31 | | | October 31 | | | October 31 | | || --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- || (thousands of Canadian dollars) | 2021 | | | 2020 | | | 2019 | | || Return on average total assets | | | | | | | | | || Net income | | 22,380 | | | 19,405 | | | 20,196 | || Preferred share dividends | | (1,578 | ) | | (2,168 | ) | | (2,201 | ) || Adjusted net income | | 20,802 | | | 17,237 | | | 17,995 | || Average Assets | | 2,179,486 | | | 1,864,633 | | | 1,797,256 | || Return on average total assets | | 0.95 | % | | 0.92 | % | | 1.00 | % |Other Financial MeasuresYield is calculated as interestincome (as presented in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income) divided by average total assets.Cost of Funds is calculated as interestexpense (as presented in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income) divided by average total assets.Net Interest Income and Net Interest Marginor Spread is calculated as net interest income divided by average total assets. | VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 56 || --- | --- | Efficiency Ratio is calculated asnon-interest expenses as a percentage of total revenue (as presented in the interim Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income).Gross Impaired Loans to Total Loansis defined as gross impaired loan balances divided by the Bank’s total loans, net of allowance for credit losses.Provision for (Recovery of) Credit Lossesas a Percentage of Average Total Loans is defined as the provision for (recovery of) credit losses (as presented in the interimConsolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income) divided by average loans, net of allowance for credit losses.Average Loans captures the averageof the opening and closing loan balances.FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:LodeRock Advisors: Lawrence Chamberlain (416)519-4196,lawrence.chamberlain@loderockadvisors.comVisit our website at: www.versabank.com | VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 57 || --- | --- | Corporate Information| DIRECTORS<br><br> <br><br><br> <br>The Honourable Thomas A. Hockin, P.C., B.A, M.P.A., Ph.D., ICD.D<br><br> <br>Chairman of the Board<br><br> <br>Retired, former Executive Director of the International Monetary<br> Fund<br><br> <br><br><br> <br>Gabrielle Bochynek, B.A. CHRL<br><br> <br>Principal, Human Resources and Labour Relations, The Osborne Group<br><br> <br><br><br> <br>Robbert-Jan Brabander, M.Sc. and B.Sc. (Economics)<br><br> <br>Managing Director of Bells & Whistles Communications, Inc.<br><br> <br><br><br> <br>David A. Bratton, B.A.(Hons), M.B.A., CHRL, FCMC<br><br> <br>Retired, former President of Bratton Consulting Inc.<br><br> <br><br><br> <br>R.W. (Dick) Carter, FCPA, FCA, C. Dir<br><br> <br>(Recused until January 31, 2022)<br><br> <br>Retired, former Chief Executive Officer of the Crown Investments<br> Corporation of Saskatchewan<br><br> <br><br><br> <br>Peter M. Irwin, B.A. (Hons.)<br><br> <br>Retired, former Managing Director, CIBC Worlds Markets Inc.<br><br> <br><br><br> <br>Art Linton, JD<br><br> <br><br><br> <br>Barrister & Solicitor<br><br> <br><br><br> <br>Susan T. McGovern, B.Sc.<br><br> <br><br><br> <br>Vice-President, External Relations and Advancement<br><br> <br><br><br> <br>Ontario Tech University<br><br> <br><br><br> <br><br><br> <br>Paul G. Oliver, FCPA, FCA, ICD.D.<br><br> <br><br><br> <br>Retired, former partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP<br><br> <br><br><br> <br>David R. Taylor, B.Sc. (Hons), M.B.A., F.I.C.B.<br><br> <br><br><br> <br>President & Chief Executive Officer, VersaBank | OFFICERS AND SENIOR MANAGEMENT<br><br> <br><br><br> <br>David R. Taylor, B.Sc. (Hons), M.B.A., F.I.C.B.<br><br> <br>President & Chief Executive Officer<br><br> <br><br><br> <br>Shawn Clarke, M.Eng., P.Eng., M.B.A.<br><br> <br>Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer<br><br> <br><br><br> <br>Michael Dixon, B.Comm., M.B.A.<br><br> <br>Senior Vice President, e-Commerce<br><br> <br><br><br> <br>Ross P. Duggan<br><br> <br>Senior Vice President, Commercial Lending<br><br> <br><br><br> <br>Aly Lalani, B.A., M.B.A., CPA, CA<br><br> <br>Senior Vice President<br><br> <br><br><br> <br><br><br> <br>Nick Kristo, B.Comm., M.B.A.<br><br> <br>Chief Credit Officer<br><br> <br><br><br> <br>Tammie Ashton, B.A., LL.B<br><br> <br>Chief Risk Officer<br><br> <br><br><br> <br>Steve Creery, B.A. (Economics)<br><br> <br>Vice President, Credit<br><br> <br><br><br> <br>Barbara Hale, LL.B.<br><br> <br>Chief Anti-Money Laundering Officer<br><br> <br><br><br> <br>Brent T. Hodge, HBA, JD, CIPP/C<br><br> <br>Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary,<br><br> <br>Chief Compliance Officer<br><br> <br><br><br> <br>Saad Inam, B.Comm., M.B.A.<br><br> <br>Vice President, Credit<br><br> <br><br><br> <br>Joanne Johnston, B.Comm., CPA, CA, CIA<br><br> <br>Chief Internal Auditor<br><br> <br><br><br> <br>Wooi Koay, B.Comm., B.Sc.<br><br> <br>Chief Information Officer<br><br> <br><br><br> <br>Tel Matrundola, Hons. B.A., M.A., Ph,D.<br><br> <br>Chief Strategist, Cybersecurity<br><br> <br><br><br> <br>Nancy McCutcheon, HBA, MA, CPA, CGA<br><br> <br>Vice President, TIB Business Development<br><br> <br><br><br> <br>Andy Min, B.A., CPA, CA<br><br> <br>Vice President, Finance & Corporate Accounting<br><br> <br><br><br> <br>Scott A. Mizzen, B.A., LL.B.<br><br> <br>Vice President, Commercial Lending<br><br> <br><br><br> <br>Gurpreet Sahota, CISSP, CCSP.<br><br> <br><br><br> <br>Chief Architect, Cybersecurity<br><br> <br><br><br> <br>Jonathan F.P. Taylor, B.B.A., CHRL<br><br> <br><br><br> <br>Chief Human Resources Executive<br><br> <br><br><br> <br>David Thoms, B.A., M.B.A.<br><br> <br><br><br> <br>Vice President, Structured Finance<br><br> <br><br><br> <br>Barbara Todres, B.Comm Hons.<br><br> <br><br><br> <br>Vice President, Deposit Services<br><br> <br><br><br> <br>Terri Wilson<br><br> <br><br><br> <br>Vice President, Investment & Risk Control || --- | --- | | VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 58 || --- | --- | | SOLICITORS<br><br> <br><br><br> <br>Stikeman Elliott LLP<br><br> <br>5300 Commerce Court West<br><br> <br>199 Bay Street<br><br> <br>Toronto, Ontario M5L 1B9 | AUDITORS<br><br> <br>KPMG LLP<br><br> <br>333 Bay Street, Suite 3300<br><br> <br>Toronto, Ontario M5H 2S5 || --- | --- || TRANSFER<br> AGENT | BANK || --- | --- || Computershare<br> Investor Services Inc. | Royal Bank<br> of Canada || 100 University<br> Avenue | Main Branch,<br> 154 1^st^ Avenue South || Toronto,<br> Ontario M5J 2Y1 | Saskatoon,<br> Saskatchewan S7K 1K2 |STOCK EXCHANGE LISTINGS| Toronto<br> Stock Exchange | NASDAQ || --- | --- || Trading<br> Symbol: VB, VB.PR.A | Trading<br> Symbol: VBNK |CORPORATE OFFICES| Head<br> Office || --- || Suite 2002<br> - 140 Fullarton Street || London,<br> Ontario N6A 5P2 || Telephone:<br> (519) 645-1919 || Toll-free:<br> (866) 979-1919 || Fax: (519) 645-2060 || VersaBank Innovation Centre<br> of Excellence | Saskatoon<br> Office || --- | --- || 1979 Otter Place | 410 - 121 Research<br> Drive || London, Ontario N5V 0A3 | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N<br> 1K2 || Telephone: (519) 645-1919 | Telephone: (306)<br> 244-1868 || Toll-free: (866) 979-1919 | Toll-free: (800)<br> 213-4282 || Fax: (519) 645-2060 | Fax: (306) 244-4649 || INVESTOR<br> RELATIONS || --- || Toll Free Telephone: (800)<br> 244-1509 || Email: InvestorRelations@versabank.com || Web site: www.versabank.com || LodeRock Advisors || lawrence.chamberlain@loderockadvisors.com || Telephone: (416) 519-4196 | | VersaBank – Annual 2021 MD&A | 59 || --- | --- | Exhibit 99.3
FOURTH QUARTER 2021EARNINGS RELEASEFor Immediate Release: December 1, 2021Attention: Business EditorsVERSABANK REPORTS CONTINUED STRONG FINANCIAL RESULTS FOR THE FOURTHQUARTER AND YEAR END 2021, HIGHLIGHTED BY RECORD NET INCOME FOR EACH PERIOD AND A RECORD LOAN PORTFOLIOCore Digital Banking Operations Deliver Strong Year-over-Year andSequential Growth and Continued Decrease in Cost of FundsVersaBank’s 2021 annual audited ConsolidatedFinancial Statements and Management’s Discussion and Analysis (“MD&A”) will be available today online at www.versabank.com/investor-relationsand at www.sedar.com. Supplementary Financial Information will also be available on our website at www.versabank.com/investor-relations.All interim financial information within this earnings release is unaudited and based on interim Consolidated Financial Statements preparedin compliance with International Accounting Standard 34 Interim Financial Reporting, unless otherwise noted. All annual financial informationherein was derived from VersaBank’s 2021 annual audited Consolidated Financial Statements.LONDON, ONTARIO/CNW – VersaBank (“VersaBank”or the “Bank”) (TSX: VB; NASDAQ: VBNK), a North American leader in business-to-business digital banking, as well as technologysolutions for cybersecurity today reported its results for the fourth quarter and year ended October 31, 2021. All figures are in Canadiandollars unless otherwise stated.Financial Summary:| (unaudited) | As at or for the three months ended | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | As at or for the year ended | | | | | | | | || --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- || | October 31 | | | July 31 | | | | | | October 31 | | | | | | October 31 | | | October 31 | | | | | || (thousands of Canadian dollars except per share amounts) | 2021 | | | 2021 | | | Change | | | 2020 | | | Change | | | 2021 | | | 2020 | | | Change | | || Financial results | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | || Total revenue | $ | 18,236 | | $ | 15,729 | | | 16 | % | $ | 13,726 | | | 33 | % | $ | 65,357 | | $ | 54,185 | | | 21 | % || Cost of funds | | 1.31 | % | | 1.41 | % | | (7 | %) | | 1.51 | % | | (13 | %) | | 1.35 | % | | 1.71 | % | | (21 | %) || Net interest margin | | 2.73 | % | | 2.61 | % | | 5 | % | | 2.82 | % | | (3 | %) | | 2.76 | % | | 2.90 | % | | (5 | %) || Core cash earnings^(1)(2)^ | | 8,138 | | | 7,433 | | | 9 | % | | 6,545 | | | 24 | % | | 30,789 | | | 26,752 | | | 15 | % || Net income | | 5,910 | | | 5,436 | | | 9 | % | | 4,746 | | | 25 | % | | 22,380 | | | 19,405 | | | 15 | % || Balance sheet and capital ratios | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | || Total assets | $ | 2,415,086 | | $ | 2,285,771 | | | 6 | % | $ | 1,943,885 | | | 24 | % | $ | 2,415,086 | | $ | 1,943,885 | | | 24 | % || Book value per common share^(1)^ | | 11.61 | | | 11.29 | | | 3 | % | | 10.70 | | | 9 | % | | 11.61 | | | 10.70 | | | 9 | % || Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) capital ratio | | 15.18 | % | | 11.94 | % | | 27 | % | | 13.88 | % | | 9 | % | | 15.18 | % | | 13.88 | % | | 9 | % || Total capital ratio | | 20.80 | % | | 17.93 | % | | 16 | % | | 16.16 | % | | 29 | % | | 20.80 | % | | 16.16 | % | | 29 | % || Leverage ratio | | 12.60 | % | | 9.99 | % | | 26 | % | | 12.19 | % | | 3 | % | | 12.60 | % | | 12.19 | % | | 3 | % || (1) See definition under ‘Non-GAAP and Other Financial Measures’ in the Annual 2021 Management’s Discussion and Analysis. || --- || (2) Core Cash Earnings is calculated as pre-tax earnings less non-core operating income and expenses. | 1 Highlights for the Fourth Quarter of 2021| · | Continuing positive year-over-year and sequential<br>trends across substantially all key financial metrics: || --- | --- || · | Total loans increased 27% year-over-year and increased<br>8% sequentially to a record $2.1 billion, driven by strong growth in the Bank’s Point-of-Sale (“POS”) Loan and Lease<br>Receivable and Commercial Real Estate (“CRE”) portfolios; || --- | --- || · | Total revenue increased 33% year-over-year and<br>increased 16% sequentially to a record $18.2 million; || --- | --- || · | Net income increased 25% year-over-year and increased<br>9% sequentially to a record $5.9 million; || --- | --- || · | Cost of funds decreased 20 bps, or 13%, year-over-year<br>and decreased 10 bps, or 7%, sequentially to 1.31%; || --- | --- || · | Net interest margin (“NIM”) decreased<br>9 bps, or 3%, year-over-year and increased 12 bps, or 5%, sequentially, to 2.73%; || --- | --- || · | Recorded a recovery of credit losses in the amount of $279,000<br>compared to a recovery of credit losses in the amount of $582,000 for the fourth quarter of 2020 and a provision for credit losses (“PCL”)<br>of $96,000 for the third quarter of 2021. PCLs as a percentage of average loans was (0.05)%, compared with a 12-quarter average of (0.01)%,<br>which remains amongst the lowest of the publicly traded Canadian Schedule I Banks; || --- | --- || · | Initiated closed ecosystem testing on the Bank’s<br>revolutionary Digital Deposit Receipts (DDRs) and subsequent to quarter end expanded the scope and functionality of the testing, adding<br>US dollar-denominated DDRs (“VUSD”) (in addition to Canadian dollar-denominated DDRs (“VCAD”) as previously announced),<br>the Algorand and Ethereum blockchains (in addition to the Stellar blockchain as previously announced), as well as testing with a Receipt<br>Distributor; || --- | --- || · | Continued progress on the execution of wholly<br>owned subsidiary DRT Cyber’s growth strategy, including entering into reciprocal reseller agreements with UK-based Syrenis, under<br>which DRT Cyber will sell Syrenis’ subscription-based, flagship product, Cassie, a world leading Consent and Preference Management<br>solution for organizations globally. In addition, DRT Cyber will add Cassie to its suite of innovative solutions for data protection,<br>cyber security and compliance and Syrenis will act as a reseller of DRT Cyber’s anti-spam legislation solution, RAVEN, which integrates<br>seamlessly with Syrenis’ Cassie; || --- | --- || · | Completed a treasury offering of 6,325,000<br> common shares at a price of US$10.00 per share, or C$12.78 per share on a weighted average basis, which included exercise of the<br> full over-allotment option, for total net cash proceeds of C$73.2 million; and, || --- | --- || · | Listed on Nasdaq under the symbol VBNK. || --- | --- |Highlights for the Full Year 2021| · | Positive year-over-year and trends across substantially<br>all key financial metrics: || --- | --- || · | Total loans increased 27% to a record $2.1 billion,<br>driven by strong growth in both the POS and CRE portfolios; || --- | --- || · | Total revenue increased 21% to $65.4 million,<br>which was composed of net interest income of $60.2 million, up 11%, and non-interest income (derived primarily from wholly owned subsidiary<br>DRT Cyber) of $5.2 million; || --- | --- || · | Net income increased 15% to a record $22.4 million,<br>or $0.96 per share; || --- | --- || · | Cost of funds decreased 36 bps, or 21%, to 1.35%; || --- | --- || · | NIM decreased 14 bps to 2.76%; || --- | --- || · | Recorded a recovery of credit losses in the<br> amount of $438,000; || --- | --- || · | Total Regulatory Capital increased 64% to $418.7<br>million as a function primarily of the Common Share Offering and the issuance of NVCC compliant fixed to floating rate subordinated notes<br>in the principal amount of US$75.0 million, equivalent to C$92.1 million on April 30, 2021, (“the Notes”), and retained || --- | --- | 2 earnings growth, offset partially by theredemption of the Bank’s outstanding, Non-cumulative Series 3 Preferred Shares.Management Commentary“VersaBank’s fourth quarter and2021 fiscal year each saw record financial performance as our core Digital Banking operations continued to deliver strong sequentialand year-over-year growth,” said David Taylor, President and Chief Executive Officer, VersaBank. “Our steady deploymentof capital to the significant loan growth opportunities across our business drove our loan portfolio to a record $2.1 billion atyear end, with strong growth continuing in the new fiscal year. Record earnings of $22.4 million, or $0.96 per share, for 2021contributed to a compounded annual growth rate in net income of 22% over the past seven years.”“Importantly, our low cost of funds, a coretenet of our risk-mitigation model, fell to 1.31% in the fourth quarter as our Insolvency Professional deposits continued to expand. Buildingon this solid foundation, our revolutionary Digital Deposit Receipt offering, which we expect to launch in early 2022, is expected toprovide an additional new opportunity for step-function growth in our low-cost deposits.”“As proud as we are of our strongfinancial performance, 2021 was also a year in which we took a number of important steps that we believe will not only continue ourgrowth trajectory but accelerate it. Our successful US-dollar Note and Common Share offerings, made predominantly to US investors,provide significant additional capital as we continue to pursue the significant growth opportunities before us as a branchless,business-to-business bank that uses our own, internally developed technology to provide unique, high value add solutions thataddress unmet needs in deposit taking and lending. In particular, we look forward to the continued expansion of our Point-of-Salebusiness in Canada, as well as the launch of this unique solution, based on our proprietary software, in the US, where we believe wecan replicate the tremendous success in Canada by providing US consumer-facing lenders with an innovative and attractive alternativeto their current financing options.”Q4 2021 Financial DiscussionNet income – Net income for thefourth quarter of 2021 was $5.9 million, or $0.24 per common share (basic and diluted), compared to $5.4 million, or $0.25 percommon share (basic and diluted), for the third quarter of 2021 and $4.7 million, or $0.20 per common share (basic and diluted), forthe same period a year ago. The sequential trend was a function primarily of higher revenues and a recovery of credit losses offsetpartially by higher non-interest expenses. The year-over-year trend was a function primarily of higher revenues, which reflects theincremental non-interest income contribution of DBG, offset partially by lower recovery of credit losses and higher non-interestexpenses.Net interest margin – Net interestmargin (or spread) for the quarter was 2.73% compared to 2.61% for the third quarter of 2021 and 2.82% for the same period a year ago.The sequential trend was a function primarily of higher fees and lower cost of funds. The year-over-year trend was a function primarilyof lower yields earned on lending assets and elevated cash balances offset partially by lower cost of funds.Net interest income – Net interestincome for the quarter was $16.1 million compared to $14.5 million for the third quarter of 2021 and $13.7 million for the same perioda year ago. The sequential and year-over-year trends were a function primarily of higher interest income attributable to strong lendingasset growth and lower cost of funds.Non-interest expenses – Non-interestexpenses of the Bank for the quarter were $10.4 million compared to $8.2 million for the third quarter of 2021 and $7.8 million for thesame period a year ago. The sequential and year-over-year trends were a function of higher administrative costs attributable primarilyto the Bank’s Common Share Offering and listing on the Nasdaq in September 2021. The year-over-year trend also reflectshigher salary and benefits expense attributable to an increase in staff complement and a general increase in staff related costs as wellas the consolidated results of DBG.Provision for/Recovery of Credit Losses- The Bank recorded a recovery of credit losses for the quarter in the amount of $279,000 compared to a provision for credit losses inthe amount of $96,000 for the third quarter of 2021 and a recovery of 3 credit losses in the amount of $582,000 for thesame period a year ago. The sequential trend was a function primarily of changes in the asset mix comprising the Bank’s CRE portfolioand changes in the macroeconomic forecast data used as forward-looking information in the Bank’s credit risk models offset partiallyby higher lending balances. The year-over-year trend was a function primarily of higher lending asset balances offset partially by changesin the asset mix comprising the Bank’s CRE portfolio and changes in the macroeconomic forecast data used as forward-looking informationin the Bank’s credit risk models.Capital – At October 31, 2021, VersaBank’sTotal regulatory capital was $418.7 million compared to $340.3 for the third quarter of 2021 and $255.5 million at October 31, 2020. Thesequential trend was a function primarily of the Common Share Offering in the current quarter and retained earnings growth. The year-over-yeartrend was a function primarily of the Common Share Offering in the current quarter, the issuance of the Notes on April 30, 2021 and retainedearnings growth, offset partially by the redemption of the Bank’s outstanding Non-cumulative Series 3 Preferred Shares on April30, 2021 and the regulatory adjustment attributable to the goodwill and intangible assets acquired from DBG on November 30, 2021. At October31, 2021, VersaBank’s Total capital ratio was 20.80%, compared 17.93% last quarter and 16.16% a year ago. The sequential trend wasa function of the Common Share Offering in the current quarter for total net proceeds, adjusted for tax effected issue costs, of C $75.1million, retained earnings growth and tax provision recoveries related to the Bank’s deferred tax asset, and changes to the Bank’srisk-weighted asset balances and composition in the respective periods. The year-over-year trend was a function of the redemption of theBank’s outstanding, non-cumulative Series 3 preferred shares on April 30, 2021, the issuance of the Notes on April 30, 2021, theCommon Share Offering in the current quarter, retained earnings growth, tax provision recoveries related to the Bank’s deferredtax asset, the addition of goodwill and intangible assets acquired via the purchase of DBG on November 30, 2021, and changes to the Bank’srisk-weighted asset balances and composition.Credit Quality -- Gross impaired loans atOctober 31, 2021, at the end of the third quarter of 2021, and at October 31, 2020 were $nil. The Bank’s allowance for expectedcredit losses, or ECL at October 31, 2021 was $1.5 million compared to $1.7 million last quarter and $1.8 million a year ago. The sequentialand year-over-year ECL trends were a function primarily of the factors set out in the Provision for/Recovery of Credit Losses sectionabove. VersaBank’s Provision for Credit Losses (“PCL”) ratio continues to be one of the lowest in the industry, reflectingthe very low risk profile of the Bank’s lending portfolio, enabling it to generate superior net interest margins by offering high-valuedeposit and lending solutions that address unmet needs in the banking industry through a highly efficient partner model.Q4 2021 Business PerformanceLending OperationsCommercial Lending – Commercial loansare originated through a well-established network of mortgage brokers and syndication partners, as well as through direct contact withVersaBank’s staff. Most of these loans are secured by real estate assets located in Ontario and certain other Canadian provinces.Over the course of the fourth quarter the Bank continued to enjoy strong deal flow in the commercial mortgage space, specifically relatedto multi-unit residential properties resulting in the Bank’s commercial lending portfolio growing 22% year-over-year to $816.7 million.The Bank anticipates that fiscal 2022 will bring continued growth in the commercial mortgage space, particularly with respect to financingfor residential housing properties attributable to development in communities on the periphery of the Greater Toronto Area as a resultof consumers continuing to seek more affordable housing outside of the city centres and the government seeking to revitalize immigrationprograms as a result of improving epidemiological trends and the relaxation of restrictions imposed to mitigate the impact of COVID-19on communities and the Canadian economy. Management remains of the view that the multi-unit residential rental sector remains one of themost stable and low-risk sectors in the real estate market.Point-of-Sale Loan Finance Lending (PreviouslyReferred to as e-Commerce) – Leveraging its proprietary technology, VersaBank electronically purchases small loan and leasereceivables from its network of origination partners who make point of sale loans and leases, primarily for big ticket consumer purchases,throughout Canada. For the fourth quarter of 2021, the Bank’s POS loan and lease financing portfolio was up 30% year-over-year to$1.3 billion as a function of higher purchased 4 receivable volumes derived primarily from homeimprovement and home financing loans. Despite the fact that consumption was somewhat more muted during the latter half of the previousfiscal period than originally anticipated, consumer spending is still expected to be strong in the coming fiscal year as COVID-19 restrictionsare expected to be mitigated, and in many cases may be removed altogether resulting in consumers potentially having more opportunitiesto deploy their excess savings into durable goods. Management anticipates that these circumstances will precipitate continued, strongspending on home improvements, as well as home purchases. This, along with the anticipated addition of new origination partners and theBank’s entrance into the US market represent key drivers of POS balance sheet growth over the course of fiscal 2022.Deposit FundingVersaBank continues to increase its proportionof lower-cost commercial deposits by growing its well diversified Trustee in Bankruptcy, (“TIB”) program deposit base whichcontinues to operate with an interest rate of 0%. This low-cost diversified deposit channel provides VersaBank with a significant costof funds advantage, enabling it to generate superior net interest margins while maintaining its conservative risk profile. VersaBank’scost of funds for the fourth quarter of 2021 was 1.31%, down 20 bps year-over-year. Management anticipates that commercial deposit volumesraised through the TIB program will continue to grow over the course of fiscal 2022 as a function of a potential increase in the volumeof consumer bankruptcy and proposal restructuring proceedings over the fiscal period attributable primarily to the impact of a numberof federal government support programs coming to an end and potentially higher interest rates as a result of the Bank of Canada tighteningmonetary policy over the course of the year. Further, the Bank continues to grow and expand its well-established, diverse deposit brokernetwork through which it sources personal deposits, consisting primarily of guaranteed investment certificates.Commercial deposits at October 31, 2021 were $606.1million, up 19% year-over-year, attributable primarily to growth in The Bank’s TIB program Insolvency Professional deposits. 5 FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS| (unaudited) | for the three months ended | | | | | | for the year ended | | | | | || --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- || | October 31 | | | October 31 | | | October 31 | | | October 31 | | || ($CDN thousands except per share amounts) | 2021 | | | 2020 | | | 2021 | | | 2020 | | || Results of operations | | | | | | | | | | | | || Interest income | $ | 23,924 | | $ | 21,068 | | $ | 89,488 | | $ | 86,094 | || Net interest income | | 16,146 | | | 13,708 | | | 60,157 | | | 54,125 | || Non-interest income | | 2,090 | | | 18 | | | 5,200 | | | 60 | || Total revenue | | 18,236 | | | 13,726 | | | 65,357 | | | 54,185 | || Provision for (recovery of) credit losses | | (279 | ) | | (582 | ) | | (438 | ) | | (344 | ) || Non-interest expenses | | 10,377 | | | 7,763 | | | 35,006 | | | 27,777 | || Core cash earnings* | | 8,138 | | | 6,545 | | | 30,789 | | | 26,752 | || Net income | | 5,910 | | | 4,746 | | | 22,380 | | | 19,405 | || Income per common share: | | | | | | | | 0 | | | | || Basic | $ | 0.24 | | $ | 0.20 | | $ | 0.96 | | $ | 0.82 | || Diluted | $ | 0.24 | | $ | 0.20 | | $ | 0.96 | | $ | 0.82 | || Dividends paid on preferred shares | $ | 247 | | $ | 542 | | $ | 1,578 | | $ | 2,168 | || Dividends paid on common shares | $ | 684 | | $ | 528 | | $ | 2,268 | | $ | 2,112 | || Yield* | | 4.04 | % | | 4.33 | % | | 4.11 | % | | 4.62 | % || Cost of funds* | | 1.31 | % | | 1.51 | % | | 1.35 | % | | 1.71 | % || Net interest margin* | | 2.73 | % | | 2.82 | % | | 2.76 | % | | 2.90 | % || Return on common equity* | | 8.07 | % | | 7.46 | % | | 8.45 | % | | 7.89 | % || Book value per common share* | $ | 11.61 | | $ | 10.70 | | $ | 11.61 | | $ | 10.70 | || Efficiency ratio* | | 56.90 | % | | 56.56 | % | | 53.56 | % | | 51.26 | % || Full time employees | | 145 | | | 98 | | | 145 | | | 98 | || Return on total assets* | | 0.96 | % | | 0.86 | % | | 0.95 | % | | 0.92 | % || Gross impaired loans to total loans* | | 0.00 | % | | 0.00 | % | | 0.00 | % | | 0.00 | % || Provision for (recovery of) credit losses as a % of average loans* | | (0.05 | %) | | (0.14 | %) | | (0.02 | %) | | (0.02 | %) || | | as at | | | | | | | | | | || Balance Sheet Summary | | | | | | | | | | | | || Cash | $ | 271,523 | | $ | 257,644 | | $ | 271,523 | | $ | 257,644 | || Loans, net of allowance for credit losses | | 2,103,050 | | | 1,654,910 | | | 2,103,050 | | | 1,654,910 | || Average loans* | | 2,027,602 | | | 1,601,336 | | | 1,878,980 | | | 1,624,599 | || Total assets | | 2,415,086 | | | 1,943,885 | | | 2,415,086 | | | 1,943,885 | || Deposits | | 1,853,204 | | | 1,567,570 | | | 1,853,204 | | | 1,567,570 | || Subordinated notes payable | | 95,272 | | | 4,889 | | | 95,272 | | | 4,889 | || Shareholders' equity | | 332,106 | | | 255,288 | | | 332,106 | | | 255,288 | || Capital ratios** | | | | | | | | | | | | || Risk-weighted assets | $ | 2,013,544 | | $ | 1,580,939 | | $ | 2,013,544 | | $ | 1,580,939 | || Common Equity Tier 1 capital | | 305,708 | | | 219,359 | | | 305,708 | | | 219,359 | || Total regulatory capital | | 418,718 | | | 255,471 | | | 418,718 | | | 255,471 | || Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) capital ratio | | 15.18 | % | | 13.88 | % | | 15.18 | % | | 13.88 | % || Tier 1 capital ratio | | 15.86 | % | | 15.73 | % | | 15.86 | % | | 15.73 | % || Total capital ratio | | 20.80 | % | | 16.16 | % | | 20.80 | % | | 16.16 | % || Leverage ratio | | 12.60 | % | | 12.19 | % | | 12.60 | % | | 12.19 | % || * See definition under 'Non-GAAP and Other Financial Measures' in the Annual 2021 Management's Discussion and Analysis. || --- || ** Capital management and leverage measures are in accordance with OSFI's Capital Adequacy Requirements and Basel III Accord. | 6 COVID-19 UPDATEThe impact of COVID-19 on communities, businessesand the Canadian economy has abated over the last half of the calendar year with the rapid distribution and adoption of the vaccines allowingfor a progressive reopening of the Canadian economy as well as stimulating improved consumer and business confidence. As a digital bankwith a low-risk business-to-business, partner-based model, VersaBank has remained relatively insulated from many of the negative influencesof COVID-19. Our staff continues to work remotely, leveraging our fully functional Work-From-Home solution which was a natural and seamlessevolution of the Bank’s branchless, technology-driven model. Notwithstanding the above, management has developed a return-to-workstrategy, which is scheduled to be initiated in the first quarter of fiscal 2022.We continue to have no loans on our balance sheetthat are subject to payment deferrals, no impaired loans and no loans in arrears, however, at the same time, we continue to operate ata heightened level of awareness to ensure that our origination and underwriting practices remain highly disciplined and focused.The rate of vaccine distribution and the continuedeffectiveness of the vaccines at minimizing hospitalizations precipitated by the new variants will be, in our view, key drivers of thecontinued recovery of the Canadian economy in the short to medium term.As we navigate past the business and operationalchallenges imposed by the continued impact of COVID-19, the Bank continues to focus on increasing earnings by concentrating on niche marketsthat support modestly better pricing for its products and by leveraging its diverse deposit gathering network that provides efficientaccess to a range of low-cost deposit sources in order to maintain a lower cost of funds.ABOUT VERSABANKVersaBank is a Canadian Schedule I chartered bankwith a difference. VersaBank became the world’s first fully digital financial institution when it adopted its highly efficient business-to-businessmodel using its proprietary state-of-the-art financial technology to profitably address underserved segments of the Canadian banking marketin the pursuit of superior net interest margins while mitigating risk. VersaBank obtains all of its deposits and provides the majorityof its loans and leases electronically, with innovative deposit and lending solutions for financial intermediaries that allow them toexcel in their core businesses. In addition, leveraging its internally developed IT security software and capabilities, VersaBank establishedwholly owned, Washington, DC-based subsidiary, DRT Cyber Inc. to pursue significant large-market opportunities in cyber security and developinnovative solutions to address the rapidly growing volume of cyber threats challenging financial institutions, multi-national corporationsand government entities on a daily basis.VersaBank’s Common Shares trade on the TorontoStock Exchange (TSX) under the symbol VB and on Nasdaq under the symbol VBNK. Its Series 1 Preferred Shares trade on the TSX under thesymbol VB.PR.A.Forward-Looking StatementsThe statements in this press release that relateto the future are forward-looking statements. By their very nature, forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties,both general and specific, many of which are out of our control. Risks exist that predictions, forecasts, projections, and other forward-lookingstatements will not be achieved. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements as several importantfactors could cause actual results to differ materially from the plans, objectives, expectations, estimates and intentions expressed insuch forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, the strength of the Canadian economy in general and thestrength of the local economies within Canada in which we conduct operations; the effects of changes in monetary and fiscal policy, includingchanges in interest rate policies of the Bank of Canada; changing global commodity prices; the effects of competition in the markets inwhich we operate; inflation; capital market fluctuations; the timely development and introduction of new products in receptive markets;the ability of the Bank to grow its business and execute its strategy in the US market; the impact of changes in the laws and regulations pertaining to financial 7 services; changes in tax laws; technological changes;unexpected judicial or regulatory proceedings; unexpected changes in consumer spending and savings habits; the impact of COVID-19 pandemicand our anticipation of and success in managing the risks implicated by the foregoing. For a detailed discussion of certain key factorsthat may affect our future results, please see our annual MD&A for the year ended October 31, 2021.The foregoing list of important factors is notexhaustive. When relying on forward-looking statements to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoingfactors and other uncertainties and potential events. The forward-looking information contained in this document and the related management’sdiscussion and analysis is presented to assist our shareholders in understanding our financial position and may not be appropriate forany other purposes. Except as required by securities law, we do not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that is containedin this document and related management’s discussion and analysis or made from time to time by the Bank or on its behalf.VersaBank will be hosting a conference call andwebcast today, Wednesday, December 1, 2021, at 9:00 a.m. (EDT) to discuss its fourth quarter results, featuring a presentation by DavidTaylor, President & CEO, and other VersaBank executives, followed by a question and answer period.Dial-in Details:| Toll-free dial-in number: | 1 (888) 664-6392 (Canada/US) || --- | --- || Local dial-in number: | (416) 764-8659 || Participant passcode: | 45311522 |Please call between 8:45 a.m. and 8:55 a.m. (EDT).Webcast Access: For those preferring to listento the conference call via the Internet, a webcast of Mr. Taylor’s presentation will be available via the internet, accessiblehere https://bit.ly/3nvA1CE or from the Bank’s web site.Instant Replay:| Toll-free dial-in number: | 1 (888) 390-0541 (Canada/US) || --- | --- || Local dial-in number: | (416) 764-8677 || Passcode: | 311522# || Expiry Date: | January 1st, 2022, at 11:59 p.m. (EDT) |The archived webcast presentation will also be available via the Internetfor 90 days following the live event athttps://bit.ly/3nvA1CEand on the Bank’s web site.FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:| LodeRock Advisors<br><br> <br>Lawrence Chamberlain<br><br> <br>(416) 519-4196<br><br> <br>lawrence.chamberlain@loderockadvisors.com || --- |Visit our website at: www.versabank.com 8 Exhibit 99.4
For Immediate Release: December 1, 2021Attention: Business EditorsVERSABANK DECLARES DIVIDENDSLONDON, ON/CNW - VersaBank (the “Bank”)(TSX: VB) (NASDAQ: VBNK) today announced that cash dividends in the amount of CAD $0.025 per Common Share of the Bank and CAD $0.1693per Series 1 Preferred Share of the Bank, have been declared for the quarter ending January 31, 2022, payable as of January 31, 2022,to shareholders of record at the close of business on January 7, 2022.The dividends to which this notice relates areeligible dividends for tax purposes.About VersaBankVersaBank is a Canadian Schedule I chartered bankwith a difference. VersaBank became the world’s first fully digital financial institution when it adopted its highly efficient business-to-businessmodel using its proprietary state-of-the-art financial technology to profitably address underserved segments of the Canadian banking marketin the pursuit of superior net interest margins while mitigating risk. VersaBank obtains all of its deposits and provides the majorityof its loans and leases electronically, with innovative deposit and lending solutions for financial intermediaries that allow them toexcel in their core businesses. In addition, leveraging its internally developed IT security software and capabilities, VersaBank establishedwholly owned, Washington, DC-based subsidiary, DRT Cyber Inc. to pursue significant large-market opportunities in cyber security and developinnovative solutions to address the rapidly growing volume of cyber threats challenging financial institutions, multi-national corporationsand government entities on a daily basis.VersaBank’s Common Shares trade on the TorontoStock Exchange (“TSX”) under the symbol VB and Nasdaq under the symbol VBNK. Its Series 1 Preferred Shares trade on the TSXunder the symbol VB.PR.A.FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:LodeRock AdvisorsLawrence Chamberlain(416) 519-4196lawrence.chamberlain@loderockadvisors.comVisit ourwebsite at: www.versabank.comFollowVersaBank on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedInand Twitter.