Secure Trust Bank — Selling debt purchase loan book

Secure Trust Bank (LSE: STB)

Last close As at 04/11/2024

GBP4.74

−92.00 (−16.25%)

Market capitalisation

GBP108m

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Research: Financials

Secure Trust Bank — Selling debt purchase loan book

Secure Trust Bank (STB) disclosed on 11 March that it is exiting the debt purchase market by agreeing to sell its Debt Managers Service (DMS) portfolio to Intrum UK Finance, a debt purchase specialist. The deal is expected to complete towards the end of Q222. DMS accounts for 4% of STB’s loans balance and STB disclosed that DMS made a small £0.5m loss in 2021. The deal looks to be earnings enhancing. STB estimates that £72m of risk weighted assets will be released (about 50bp of capital), which is useful – our forecast FY22 pre-deal CET 1 was 12.3%. The sale seems consistent with the new management team’s aim to focus on ‘specialist lending segments that have the strongest prospects for delivering sustainable and profitable medium to long-term growth’. STB will report its FY21 results on 24 March and update its medium-term targets to reflect the sale (STB expects a better cost income ratio, but with a reduced net interest margin due to the loan mix change), having already released an upbeat pre-close statement on 14 January.

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Written by

Financials

Secure Trust Bank

Selling debt purchase loan book

Sale of a loan portfolio

Banks

14 March 2022

Price

1,197.5p

Market cap

£223m

Net cash/debt at date

N/M

Shares in issue

18.6m

Free float

84.5%

Code

STB

Primary exchange

LSE

Secondary exchange

N/A

Share price performance

Business description

Secure Trust Bank is a well-established specialist bank addressing niche markets within consumer and commercial banking.

Analysts

Pedro Fonseca

+44 (0)20 3077 5700

Andrew Mitchell

+44 (0)20 3681 2500

Secure Trust Bank is a research client of Edison Investment Research Limited

Secure Trust Bank (STB) disclosed on 11 March that it is exiting the debt purchase market by agreeing to sell its Debt Managers Service (DMS) portfolio to Intrum UK Finance, a debt purchase specialist. The deal is expected to complete towards the end of Q222. DMS accounts for 4% of STB’s loans balance and STB disclosed that DMS made a small £0.5m loss in 2021. The deal looks to be earnings enhancing. STB estimates that £72m of risk weighted assets will be released (about 50bp of capital), which is useful – our forecast FY22 pre-deal CET 1 was 12.3%. The sale seems consistent with the new management team’s aim to focus on ‘specialist lending segments that have the strongest prospects for delivering sustainable and profitable medium to long-term growth’. STB will report its FY21 results on 24 March and update its medium-term targets to reflect the sale (STB expects a better cost income ratio, but with a reduced net interest margin due to the loan mix change), having already released an upbeat pre-close statement on 14 January.

Year end

Operating income (£m)

PBT*

(£m)

EPS*
(p)

DPS
(p)

P/E
(x)

Yield
(%)

12/19

165.5

38.7

180.2

87.2

6.6

7.3

12/20

166.1

20.1

85.2

44.0

14.1

3.7

12/21e

164.6

52.7

226.5

56.6

5.3

4.7

12/22e

191.3

36.3

156.6

39.1

7.6

3.3

Note: *PBT and EPS are normalised, excluding amortisation of acquired intangibles, exceptional items and share-based payments.

The final cash price of the DMS disposal will be determined by the portfolio’s financial position at completion. STB has guided for a cash price of £79.7m if the deal completes on 31 May 2022. DMS’s loan portfolio had a gross and consideration value of £84.7m and £94.0m respectively on 31 September 2021. STB estimates ‘that in FY2022 the sale will (taking into account anticipated market exit costs) generate a net PBT benefit’.

Completion is subject to approvals from loan originators. STB also disclosed a forward flow agreement with Intrum, which allows STB to sell consumer and vehicle finance loans.

DMS’s loan portfolio consists of 650,000 customer loans, both transferred internally and acquired from third parties. STB estimates that it will take up to six months to fully migrate the loans to Intrum and all DMS employees are expected to move to Intrum.

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