EDGAR 10-K Filing

Company CIK: 1258602
Filing Year: 2022
Filename: 1258602_10-K_2022_0001258602-22-000024.json

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ITEM 1. BUSINESS
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
Overview
Nelnet is a diverse, innovative company with a purpose to serve others and a vision to make dreams possible. The largest operating businesses engage in loan servicing and education technology, services, and payment processing, and the Company also has a significant investment in communications. A significant portion of the Company's revenue is net interest income earned on a portfolio of federally insured student loans. The Company also makes investments to further diversify both within and outside of its historical core education-related businesses including, but not limited to, investments in early-stage and emerging growth companies, real estate, and renewable energy (solar). Substantially all revenue from external customers is earned, and all long-lived assets are located, in the United States.
The Company was formed as a Nebraska corporation in 1978 to service federal student loans for two local banks. The Company built on this initial foundation as a servicer to become a leading originator, holder, and servicer of federal student loans, principally consisting of loans originated under the Federal Family Education Loan Program. A detailed description of the FFEL Program is included in Appendix A to this report.
The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (the “Reconciliation Act of 2010”) discontinued new loan originations under the FFEL Program, effective July 1, 2010, and requires all new federal student loan originations be made directly by the Department through the Federal Direct Loan Program. This law does not alter or affect the terms and conditions of existing FFELP loans.
As a result of the Reconciliation Act of 2010, the Company no longer originates FFELP loans. However, a significant portion of the Company's income continues to be derived from its existing FFELP student loan portfolio. As of December 31, 2021, the Company had a $17.2 billion FFELP loan portfolio that management anticipates will amortize over the next approximately 15 years and has a weighted average remaining life of approximately 8 years. Interest income on the Company's existing FFELP loan portfolio will decline over time as the portfolio is paid down. Since all FFELP loans will eventually run off, a key objective of the Company is to reposition itself for the post-FFELP environment.
To reduce its reliance on interest income from FFELP loans, the Company has expanded its services and products. This expansion has been accomplished through internal growth and innovation as well as business and certain investment acquisitions. The Company is also actively expanding its private education and consumer loan portfolios, and in November 2020 launched Nelnet Bank (as further explained below). In addition, the Company has been servicing federally owned student loans for the Department since 2009.
Operating Segments
The Company earns net interest income on its loan portfolio, consisting primarily of FFELP loans, in its Asset Generation and Management operating segment. This segment is expected to generate a stable net interest margin and significant amounts of cash as the FFELP portfolio amortizes. In addition, the Company earns fee-based revenue through its Loan Servicing and Systems and Education Technology, Services, and Payment Processing operating segments.
Further, the Company earned communications revenue through ALLO, formerly a majority-owned subsidiary of the Company prior to a recapitalization of ALLO, resulting in the deconsolidation of ALLO from the Company’s financial statements on December 21, 2020. The recapitalization of ALLO was not considered a strategic shift in the Company’s involvement with ALLO, and ALLO’s results of operations, prior to the deconsolidation, are presented by the Company as a reportable operating segment. See note 2, “ALLO Recapitalization” in the accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements included in this report for a description of ALLO’s recapitalization and the Company’s continued involvement.
On November 2, 2020, the Company obtained final approval for federal deposit insurance from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) and for a bank charter from the Utah Department of Financial Institutions (“UDFI”) in connection with the establishment of Nelnet Bank, and Nelnet Bank launched operations. Nelnet Bank’s operations are presented by the Company as a reportable operating segment.
The Company’s reportable operating segments are summarized below. Business activities and operating segments that are not reportable are combined and included in "Corporate and Other Activities." Corporate and Other Activities also includes income earned on the majority of the Company’s investments and interest expense incurred on unsecured and other corporate related debt transactions.
Loan Servicing and Systems (“LSS”)
•Referred to as Nelnet Diversified Services (“NDS”)
•Focuses on student and consumer loan origination services and servicing, loan origination and servicing-related technology solutions, and outsourcing business services
•Includes the brands Nelnet Diversified Solutions, Nelnet Loan Servicing, Nelnet Servicing, Great Lakes Educational Loan Services, Inc. (“Great Lakes”), Firstmark Services, GreatNet, Nelnet Renewable Energy, and Nelnet Government Services
Education Technology, Services, and Payment Processing (“ETS&PP”)
•Referred to as Nelnet Business Services (“NBS”)
•NBS provides education services, payment technology, and community management solutions for K-12 schools, higher education institutions, churches, and businesses in the United States and internationally
•Includes the divisions of FACTS, Nelnet Campus Commerce, PaymentSpring, Nelnet Community Engagement, and Nelnet International
Communications
•Includes the operations of ALLO prior to the deconsolidation of ALLO on December 21, 2020
•Focuses on providing fiber optic service directly to homes and businesses for internet, telephone, and television services
Asset Generation and Management (“AGM”)
•Also referred to as Nelnet Financial Services
•Includes the acquisition and management of student and other loan assets
Nelnet Bank
•Internet Utah-chartered industrial bank focused on the private education loan marketplace
A more detailed description of each of the Company's reportable operating segments and Corporate and Other Activities is provided below.
Loan Servicing and Systems
The primary service offerings of this operating segment include:
•Servicing federally-owned student loans for the Department
•Servicing FFELP loans
•Originating and servicing private education and consumer loans
•Backup servicing for FFELP, private education, and consumer loans
•Providing student loan servicing software and other information technology products and services
•Customer acquisition, management services, and backup servicing for community solar developers
•Providing outsourced services including call center, processing, and technology services
As of December 31, 2021, the Company serviced $529.0 billion of loans for 16.4 million borrowers. See Part II, Item 7 - Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (the “MD&A”) - “Loan Servicing and Systems Operating Segment - Results of Operations - Loan Servicing Volumes” for additional information related to the Company's servicing volume.
Servicing federally-owned student loans for the Department
Nelnet Servicing, LLC (“Nelnet Servicing”), a subsidiary of the Company, and Great Lakes, acquired by the Company in February 2018, are two of the current seven private sector entities that have student loan servicing contracts with the Department to service loans that include Federal Direct Loan Program loans originated directly by the Department and FFEL Program loans purchased by the Department. As of December 31, 2021, Nelnet Servicing was servicing $215.8 billion of student loans for 6.4 million borrowers under its contract, and Great Lakes was servicing $262.6 billion of student loans for 7.8 million borrowers under its contract. Under the servicing contracts, Nelnet Servicing and Great Lakes earn a monthly fee from the Department for each unique borrower they service on behalf of the Department. The Department is the Company's largest customer, representing 29 percent of the Company's revenue and 69 percent of the LSS operating segment’s revenue in 2021.
Nelnet Servicing's and Great Lakes' student loan servicing contracts with the Department are scheduled to expire on December 14, 2023. In 2017, the Department initiated a contract procurement process referred to as the Next Generation Financial
Services Environment ("NextGen") for a new framework for the servicing of all student loans owned by the Department. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 contains provisions directing certain aspects of the NextGen process, including that any new federal student loan servicing environment is required to provide for the participation of multiple student loan servicers and the allocation of borrower accounts to eligible student loan servicers based on performance. The Company cannot predict the timing, nature, or ultimate outcome of NextGen or any other contract procurement process by the Department.
In July 2021, the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency ("PHEAA"), a servicer for the Department, announced that it will exit the federal student loan servicing business. PHEAA notified the Department it would not be accepting a long-term extension of its student loan servicing contract beyond what was needed to ensure a smooth transition for borrowers. In November 2021, PHEAA and the Department agreed to a short-term extension that will expire in December 2022. All applicable student loans serviced by PHEAA will be transferred to successor servicers prior to the end of this contract extension. At the time of its announcement, PHEAA serviced approximately 8.5 million borrowers under its contract. A portion of the PHEAA servicing volume has been and will be transitioned prior to May 1, 2022, which is the date on which the suspension of federal student loan payments under the CARES Act is scheduled to expire. Approximately 850,000 PHEAA borrowers have been transitioned to Nelnet Servicing’s platform as of the date of this filing (of which approximately 603,000 were converted prior to December 31, 2021). The Company anticipates additional PHEAA volume to be transitioned to its platform during the remainder of 2022, but cannot currently estimate the number of additional borrowers that will be transferred and/or the timing of such transfers.
In addition, the New Hampshire Higher Education Association Foundation Network (“Granite State”) exited the federal student loan servicing business in 2021. Granite State’s servicing volume of approximately 1.3 million borrowers was transitioned to Edfinancial Services, LLC ("Edfinancial"), a current servicer for the Department, during the third and fourth quarters of 2021. Edfinancial utilizes Nelnet Servicing's platform to service their loans for the Department, as did Granite State prior to its exit.
The Department currently allocates new loan volume among its servicers based on certain performance metrics that measure the satisfaction among separate customer groups, including borrowers and Department personnel who work with the servicers. The metrics also measure the success of keeping borrowers in an on-time repayment status and helping borrowers avoid default. Under the most recent publicly announced performance metrics used by the Department for the quarterly periods January 1, 2021 through June 30, 2021, Great Lakes’ and Nelnet Servicing’s overall rankings among the remaining six go-forward servicers for the Department (which excludes PHEAA) were third and fifth, respectively. Based on these results, Great Lakes’ and Nelnet Servicing’s allocation of new student loan servicing volumes beginning September 1, 2021 are 18 percent and 12 percent, respectively.
Servicing contract amendments entered into with the Department in September 2021 to extend the contracts through December 14, 2023, also amended the methodology for performance measurements and new loan volume allocations, in part by reflecting additional service level performance metrics under which, along with portfolio performance metrics, the Department will evaluate each servicer and make new loan volume allocations on a quarterly basis.
Incremental revenue components earned by Nelnet Servicing or Great Lakes from the Department (in addition to loan servicing revenues) include:
•Administration of the Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) Discharge program. Nelnet Servicing processes applications for the TPD discharge program and is responsible for discharge, monitoring, and servicing TPD loans. Individuals who are totally and permanently disabled may qualify for a discharge of their federal student loans, and the Company processes applications under the program and receives a fee from the Department on a per application basis, as well as a monthly servicing fee during the monitoring period. Nelnet Servicing is the exclusive provider of this service to the Department.
•Origination of consolidation loans. The Department outsources the origination of consolidation loans whereby each of the servicers receive Federal Direct Loan consolidation origination volume based on borrower choice. The Department pays the Company a fee for each completed consolidation loan application it processes. Nelnet Servicing and Great Lakes each service the consolidation volume it originates.
Servicing FFELP loans
NDS services the Company's FFELP student loan portfolio and the portfolios of third parties. The loan servicing activities include loan conversion activities, application processing, borrower updates, customer service, payment processing, due diligence procedures, funds management reconciliations, and claim processing. These activities are performed internally for the Company's portfolio, in addition to generating external fee revenue when performed for third-party clients.
The Company uses proprietary systems to manage the servicing process. These systems provide for automated compliance with most of the federal student loan regulations adopted under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (the “Higher Education Act”).
The Company serviced FFELP loans on behalf of 120 third-party servicing customers as of December 31, 2021. The Company's FFELP servicing customers include national and regional banks, credit unions, and various state and nonprofit secondary markets. The majority of the Company's external FFELP loan servicing activities are performed under “life of loan” contracts, which essentially provide that as long as the applicable loan exists, the Company shall be the sole servicer of that loan; however, the agreement may contain “deconversion” provisions where, for a fee, the lender may move the loan to another servicer.
The discontinuation of new FFELP loan originations in July 2010 has caused and will continue to cause FFELP servicing revenue to decline as these loan portfolios are paid down. However, the Company believes there may be opportunities to service additional FFELP loan portfolios from current FFELP participants as the program winds down.
Originating and servicing private education and consumer loans
NDS conducts origination and servicing activities for private education and consumer loans. Private education loans are non-federal private credit loans made to students or their family; as such, the loans are not issued or guaranteed by the federal government. These loans are used primarily to bridge the gap between the cost of higher education and the amount funded through financial aid, federal loans, or the borrowers' personal resources. Although similar in terms of activities and functions as FFELP loan servicing (e.g., application processing, disbursement processing, payment processing, customer service, statement distribution, and reporting), private education loan servicing activities are not required to comply with provisions of the Higher Education Act and may be more customized to individual client requirements.
The Company has invested and currently plans to continue to invest in modernizing key technologies and services to position its consumer loan servicing business for the long-term, expanding services to include personal loan products and other consumer installment assets. The Company is in the process of a complete modernization of its private education and consumer loan origination and repayment servicing systems. Improvements in systems will allow for diversified products to be both originated and serviced with secure, state-of-the-art application and servicing platforms to drive growth for the Company's client partners. Presenting a very wide market opportunity of new entrants and existing players, consumer lending is currently expected to be a growth area. In both backup servicing and full servicing partnerships, the Company is a valuable resource for consumer lenders and asset holders as it allows for leveraged economies of scale, high compliance, and secure service to client partners.
In December of 2020, Wells Fargo announced the sale of its approximately $10.0 billion portfolio of private education student loans representing approximately 445,000 borrowers. In conjunction with the sale, the Company was selected as servicer of the portfolio. During March 2021, approximately 261,000 borrowers were converted to the Company's servicing platform, with the vast majority of the remaining borrowers converted in the second quarter of 2021.
As of December 31, 2021, NDS serviced private education and consumer loans on behalf of 37 third-party servicing customers.
Backup servicing for FFELP, private education, and consumer loans
NDS offers protection against unexpected business failure, or any event that stretches a third party service provider’s resources beyond its capability to perform essential services, through backup servicing. Backup servicing for loan asset owners, investors, financiers, and other stakeholders is a way to safeguard assets and mitigate financial risk, generally in conjunction with a structured long-term financing of the assets (like an asset-backed securitization).
NDS’s backup service provides a trigger response plan with pre-built system profiles that remain on standby, ready to be utilized if a contracted asset manager or service provider cannot perform its duties. The Company performs testing and maintenance against the loan transfer process each month with backup clients and certifies compliance. For a monthly fee, these arrangements require a 30 to 90 day notice from a triggering event to transfer the customer's servicing volume to the Company's platform and becoming a full servicing customer. NDS offers backup servicing for FFEL, private education, and consumer loan programs that leverages existing servicing systems and full service experience. NDS provides backup servicing arrangements to assist 18 entities for more than 13 million borrowers.
Providing student loan servicing software and other information technology products and services
NDS provides data center services, student loan servicing software for servicing private education and federal loans, guaranty servicing software, and consulting and professional services to support the technology platforms. These proprietary software
systems are used internally by the Company and/or licensed to third-party student loan holders and servicers. These software systems have been adapted so they can be offered as hosted servicing software solutions that can be used by third parties for guaranty servicing and to service various types of student loans, including Federal Direct Loan Program and FFEL Program loans. The Company earns a monthly fee from its remote hosting customers for each loan or unique borrower on the Company's platform, with a minimum monthly charge for most contracts. As of December 31, 2021, 4.8 million borrowers were hosted on the Company's hosted servicing software solution platforms, including 4.6 million borrowers who were serviced by entities that have contracts to service loans for the Department. As of December 31, 2020, 6.6 million borrowers were hosted on the Company’s platforms. In January 2021, a contract with Great Lakes’ former parent company expired that resulted in a reduction of 2.3 million borrowers.
Customer acquisition, management services, and backup servicing for community solar developers
NDS, under the brand Nelnet Renewable Energy, works with solar developers and financiers to provide marketing, sales, and customer engagement services to meet key milestones before solar projects are interconnected to the grid and provide the subsequent operational support for the term of the subscriber agreement, including addressing incoming inquiries, verifying eligibility, billing, payment processing, and reconciliation. The Company earns a one-time fee for subscriber acquisition and a recurring fee for subscriber management. Additionally, NDS provides backup servicing capabilities to solar developers and financiers, which provides assurances that projects will still be serviced in the event the primary servicer’s situation changes.
Providing outsourced services including call center, processing, technology, and marketing services
NDS provides business process outsourcing primarily specializing in contact center management. The contact center solutions and services include taking inbound calls, helping with outreach campaigns and sales, and interacting with customers through multi-channels. Processing services include application processing and verification, payment processing, credit dispute, and account management services. NDS also outsources technology expertise and capacity to supplement development needs in organizations.
Competition
The Company's scalable servicing platform allows it to provide compliant, efficient, and reliable service at a low cost, giving the Company a competitive advantage over others in the industry. In contrast to its competitors, the Company has segmented its private education loan servicing on a distinct platform, created specifically to meet the needs of private education student loan borrowers, their family, the school they attend, and the lenders who serve them. This ensures access to specialized teams with a dedicated focus on servicing these borrowers.
Seven entities, including Nelnet Servicing and Great Lakes, are currently servicers of federally-owned loans. Upon completion of the exit of PHEAA from the federal student loan servicing business, six servicers will remain on a go-forward basis. NDS currently licenses its hosted servicing software to two of the eventual remaining six servicers for the Department.
NDS is one of the leaders in the development of servicing software for guaranty agencies, consumer and private education loan programs, the Federal Direct Loan Program, and FFELP student loans. Many student loan lenders and servicers utilize the Company's software either directly or indirectly. NDS believes the investments it has made to scale its systems and to create a secure infrastructure to support the Department's servicing volume and requirements increase its competitive advantage as a long-term partner in the loan servicing market.
Education Technology, Services, and Payment Processing
NBS is a service and technology company that operates as the following divisions:
•FACTS
•Nelnet Campus Commerce
•PaymentSpring
•Nelnet Community Engagement
•Nelnet International
The majority of this segment’s customers are located in the United States; however, the Company also provides services and technology as part of its Nelnet International division in Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia, and currently believes there are opportunities to increase its customer base and revenues internationally.
See the MD&A - “Education Technology, Services, and Payment Processing Operating Segment - Results of Operations” for an overview of the seasonality of the business in this operating segment.
A more detailed description of each NBS division is provided below. For a presentation of NBS revenue disaggregated by service offering into tuition payment plan services revenue, payment processing revenue, and education technology and services revenue, see the MD&A - “Education Technology, Services, and Payment Processing Operating Segment - Results of Operations - Summary and Comparison of Operating Results - Education technology, services, and payment processing revenue.” In the discussion below, revenues from the described products and services are included in education technology and services revenue in such presentation, unless specifically indicated otherwise.
FACTS
NBS uses the FACTS brand in the K-12 private and faith-based markets. FACTS provides solutions that elevate the K-12 experience for school administrators, teachers, and families. FACTS solutions include the following categories:
•Financial Management
•Administration
•Enrollment and Communications
•Advancement
•Education Development
FACTS provides services for almost 11,000 K-12 schools and serves over 4 million students and families. FACTS generated $185 million and $142 million in revenue for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Financial Management - FACTS is the market leader in education financial management services, including tuition payment plans and financial needs assessment (grant and aid). K-12 educational institutions contract with the Company to administer tuition payment plans that allow families to make recurring payments generally over six to 12 months. The Company earns tuition payment plan services revenue by collecting a fee from either the institution or the payer to administer the plan. Additionally, the Company may earn revenue for payment processing fees when families make tuition payments. The Company's grant and aid assessment service helps K-12 schools evaluate and determine the amount of financial aid to disburse to the families it serves. The Company earns service revenue by charging a fee for grant and aid applications processed.
Administration - The Company’s school administration solutions include FACTS Student Information System (“SIS”), Family App, and Parent Alert. FACTS SIS automates the flow of information between school administrators, teachers, and parents and includes administrative processes such as scheduling, cafeteria management, attendance, and grade book management. The Company’s information systems software is sold as a subscription service to schools. The Company also offers a streamlined, social, and fully integrated learning management system to enhance classroom instruction for both teachers and students. FACTS Family App provides families with mobile access to the information they need and Parent Alert allows for instant communication with families when needed.
Enrollment and Communications - The Company’s enrollment and communications tools are used by schools to enhance and streamline admissions and communications efforts. FACTS Application & Enrollment provides a paperless experience for the admissions office and provides schools with real-time information as applications and enrollment forms are completed. The Company earns a fee per completed application and/or enrollment form. FACTS School Site is a website content management system for schools to promote and share information with current and prospective families. FACTS solutions in this area allow for better overall connection between admissions, enrollment, and marketing.
The combination of the Company’s financial management, administration, and enrollment and communications products has significantly increased the value of the Company’s offerings in this area, allowing the Company to deliver a comprehensive suite of solutions to schools.
Advancement - The Company's advancement solution, FACTS Giving, is a comprehensive donation platform that streamlines donor communications, organizes donor information, and provides access to data analysis and reporting. FACTS Giving pairs with other FACTS solutions like SIS, School Site, and Family App. FACTS Giving simplifies incoming donations through appeal pages and online registration for virtual school events. FACTS Giving features also include text-to-give functionality, options to manage specific fundraising projects or year-long campaigns, and real-time reports to analyze fundraising efforts. The Company earns subscription fees and payment processing revenues for these services.
Education Development - FACTS Education Solutions provides customized professional development and coaching services for teachers and school leaders as well as instructional services for students experiencing academic challenges. These services provide continuous advanced learning and professional development while helping private schools identify and attain equitable participation in Title I and Title II federal education programs. FACTS Education Solutions also offers an innovative technology product that aids in both teacher and student evaluation.
Nelnet Campus Commerce
NBS uses the Nelnet Campus Commerce brand to offer payment technologies for a smarter campus to higher education institutions. Nelnet Campus Commerce offers the following solutions:
•Tuition Management
•Integrated Commerce
The Company provides service for more than 1,150 colleges and universities worldwide and serves over 7 million students and families. Nelnet Campus Commerce generated $99 million and $97 million in revenue for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Tuition Management - Higher education institutions contract with the Company to administer tuition payment plans that allow the student and family to make recurring payments on either a semester or annual basis. The Company earns tuition payment plan services revenue by collecting a fee from either the student or family to administer the plan. Additionally, the Company may earn payment processing revenue when families make tuition payments.
Nelnet Billing & Payments allows schools to send automated bills for tuition and fees, housing, parking, and other campus service offerings and allows students to safely make online payments from anywhere. Nelnet Refunds helps schools stay compliant with federal refund regulations and allows students choice in their refund method. The Company earns hosting fees, per transaction fees, and credit card processing fees for its Nelnet Billing & Payments and Nelnet Refunds products. Credit card processing fees are included in payment processing revenue.
Integrated Commerce - Nelnet Campus Commerce integrated commerce solutions help schools maintain revenue sources across campus including in-person payments, online shopping experiences, and a mobile app. Nelnet Storefront provides online stores for departments across campus with consolidated views and management by the business office. Nelnet Cashiering allows higher education institutions to manage all in-person payments on campus. Students can receive in-app messages, make payments on their phone, and use a digital student ID with the Company’s Nelnet Campus Key product. The Company earns hosting fees, per transaction fees, and credit card processing fees for its integrated commerce solutions. Credit card processing fees are included in payment processing revenue.
PaymentSpring
NBS uses the PaymentSpring brand to provide secure payment processing technology. PaymentSpring supports and provides payment processing services, including credit card and electronic transfers, to the other divisions of NBS in addition to other industries and software platforms across the United States. PaymentSpring offers mobile, in-person, and online solutions for customers to collect, process, and view credit card and Automated Clearing House (“ACH”) payments. PaymentSpring services are Payment Card Industry (“PCI”) compliant. PaymentSpring earns payment processing revenues through fees for credit card and ACH transactions. PaymentSpring generated $43 million and $39 million in revenue for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Nelnet Community Engagement
NBS uses the Nelnet Community Engagement (“NCE”) brand to provide faith community engagement, giving management, and learning management services and technologies. NCE serves customers in the technology, nonprofit, religious, health care, and professional services industries and is the newest division within NBS. NCE generated $6 million and $2 million in revenue for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively, and offers the following solutions:
•Faith Community Engagement
•Giving Management
•Learning Management
Faith Community Engagement - NCE services and technologies enable church leaders and members to easily engage and communicate with each other. Faith Community Engagement product features include a customizable mobile app, text messaging, forms and registrations, and other digital tools to strengthen communication and engagement. Additional solutions provide content management services including bulletin, news articles, and event calendars, as well as customized websites that provide on-demand support and automated communication to keep members engaged through newsletters and social media. The Company earns subscription fees and content creation fees for these services.
Giving Management - Giving Management products connect organizations with partners, donors, and volunteers to make personalized giving simple. Giving management administrative features provide a dashboard, customizable receipts, pledge
management, and real-time reporting. Donors have options to give using the product's mobile app, text messaging, or passcode and can be one-time or recurring gifts. The Company earns subscription fees and payment processing revenues for these services.
Learning Management - NCE offers comprehensive solutions that use innovations such as extended enterprise, social collaborations, and gamification to expand capabilities and engage and motivate learners. Live and online training and certification is managed with simplified reporting, tracking, and record maintenance. NCE technologies allow customers to update certificate programs or create new custom learning programs to meet emerging needs. The Company earns subscription fees and content creation fees for these services. Additionally, a fee may be earned from learners completing course offerings.
Nelnet International
NBS uses the brand Nelnet International to serve customers in the education, local government, and health care space to build future-focused agile businesses. Nelnet International products include service and technology that align with the similarly named products categories for FACTS and Nelnet Campus Commerce. Nelnet International products include:
•Integrated Commerce
•Financial Management
•Administration
Integrated Commerce - Nelnet International’s Xetta platform provides commerce payment solutions to its customers. Xetta captures and centralizes financial information across organizations and integrates with core business systems to simplify workflows, expand payment capabilities, streamline reconciliation, reduce security and compliance risk, and provide reporting and analytics. The Company earns subscription and consulting fees for the utilization of the Xetta platform.
Financial Management - Tuition payment plans and other financial management services are provided to customers internationally using the FACTS brand and service platforms. Refer to “Financial Management” under the FACTS division for additional information.
Administration - PCSchool is a cloud-based school management platform that provides administrative, information management, financial management, and communication functions for K-12 schools in Australia and New Zealand. Outside of Australia and New Zealand, Nelnet International provides administration products under the FACTS brand. The technology and services provided are consistent with the “Administration” products described under the FACTS division. The Company earns subscription fees and per transaction revenues for providing these services.
Nelnet International provides its services and technology to schools in more than 50 countries, with the largest concentrations in Australia, New Zealand, and the Asia-Pacific region. Nelnet International generated $7 million and $6 million in revenue for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Competition
The Company is the largest provider of tuition management and financial needs assessment services to the private and faith-based K-12 market in the United States. Competitors include financial institutions, tuition management providers, financial needs assessment providers, accounting firms, and a myriad of software companies.
In the higher education market, the Company targets business offices at colleges and universities. In this market, the primary competition is from a relatively small number of campus commerce and tuition payment providers, as well as solutions developed in-house by colleges and universities.
The Company's principal competitive advantages are (i) the customer service it provides to institutions and consumers, (ii) the technology provided with the Company's service, and (iii) the Company's ability to integrate its technology with the institution clients and their third-party service providers. The Company believes its clients select products primarily based on technology features, functionality, and the ability to integrate with other systems, but price and service also impact the selection process.
Communications
The Company provided communication services through ALLO, a former majority-owned subsidiary, until a recapitalization and additional funding for ALLO resulted in a deconsolidation of ALLO from the Company’s consolidated financial statements in the fourth quarter of 2020. The Company continues to hold a significant investment in ALLO. See note 2 of the notes to consolidated financial statements included in this report for additional information related to the ALLO recapitalization. ALLO’s results of operations, prior to deconsolidation, are presented by the Company as a reportable operating segment.
ALLO derives its revenue primarily from the sale of telecommunication services, including internet, telephone, and television services, to business, governmental, and residential customers in Nebraska and Colorado, and specializes in high-speed internet and broadband services available through its all-fiber network. ALLO plans to continue to increase market share and revenue in its existing markets and plans to expand to additional communities. ALLO has announced plans to serve customers in Arizona and is currently seeking regulatory approval to do so. As of December 31, 2021, ALLO currently serves, is in the process of building their network in, and has announced they will build in a total of 26 communities. The total households in these communities is approximately 325,000. As of December 31, 2021, ALLO served almost 73,000 residential customers and had more than 34,000 business lines.
Asset Generation and Management
AGM includes the acquisition, management, and ownership of the Company's loan assets (excluding loan assets held by Nelnet Bank). Loans consist of federally insured student loans (originated under the FFEL Program), private education loans, and consumer loans. Substantially all of AGM’s loan portfolio (98.0 percent as of December 31, 2021) is federally insured. As of December 31, 2021, AGM's loan portfolio was $17.4 billion. The Company generates a substantial portion of its earnings from the spread, referred to as “loan spread,” between the yield it receives on its loan portfolio and the associated costs to finance such portfolio. See the MD&A - "Asset Generation and Management Operating Segment - Results of Operations - Loan Spread Analysis,” for further details related to loan spread. The loan assets are held in a series of lending subsidiaries and associated securitization trusts designed specifically for this purpose. In addition to the loan spread earned on its portfolio, all costs and activity associated with managing the portfolio, such as servicing of the assets and debt maintenance, are included in this segment.
AGM's portfolio of federally insured student loans is subject to minimal credit risk, as these loans are guaranteed by the Department at levels ranging from 97 percent to 100 percent. The Higher Education Act regulates every aspect of the federally insured student loan program, including certain communications with borrowers, loan originations, and default aversion. Failure to service a student loan properly could jeopardize the guarantee on federal student loans. In the case of death, disability, or bankruptcy of the borrower, the guarantee covers 100 percent of the loan's principal and accrued interest. FFELP loans are guaranteed by state agencies or nonprofit companies designated as guarantors, with the Department providing reinsurance to the guarantor. Guarantors are responsible for performing certain functions necessary to ensure the program's soundness and accountability. Generally, the guarantor is responsible for ensuring that loans are serviced in compliance with the requirements of the Higher Education Act. When a borrower defaults on a FFELP loan, AGM submits a claim to the guarantor, who provides reimbursements of principal and accrued interest, subject to the applicable risk share percentage.
Origination and acquisition
The Reconciliation Act of 2010 discontinued originations of new FFELP loans, effective July 1, 2010. However, the Company believes there may be ongoing opportunities to continue to purchase FFELP loan portfolios from current FFELP participants looking to exit or adjust their FFELP businesses. For example, the Company purchased a total of $904.1 million of FFELP student loans from various third parties during 2021. However, since all FFELP loans will eventually pay off, a key objective of the Company over the last several years is to reposition itself for the post-FFELP environment. As such, the Company is actively acquiring private education and consumer loans and currently plans to expand these portfolios. During 2021, the Company purchased $89.3 million of private education loans and $81.9 million of consumer loans.
AGM's competition for the purchase of FFELP, private education, and consumer loan portfolios includes banks, hedge funds, and other finance companies.
Interest rate risk management
Since the Company generates a significant portion of its earnings from its loan spread, the interest rate sensitivity of the Company's balance sheet is very important to its operations. The current and future interest rate environment can and will affect the Company's interest income and net income. The effects on the Company's results of operations as a result of the changing interest rate environments are further outlined in the MD&A - "Asset Generation and Management Operating Segment - Results of Operations - Loan Spread Analysis" and in Part II, Item 7A, “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk - Interest Rate Risk - AGM Operating Segment.”
Nelnet Bank
Nelnet Bank is a Utah-chartered, FDIC-insured industrial bank headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. Nelnet Bank is governed by a board of directors, a majority of the members of which are independent of the Company. Nelnet Bank was formed November 2, 2020, and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. Nelnet Bank was funded by the Company with an initial capital contribution of $100.0 million, consisting of $55.9 million of cash and $44.1 million of student loan asset-backed
securities. As a consolidated subsidiary of the Company, the Bank’s assets, liabilities, results of operations, and cash flows are reflected in the Company’s consolidated financial statements, and the industrial bank charter allows the Company to maintain its other diversified business offerings.
Nelnet Bank serves and plans to serve a niche market, with a concentration in the private education and unsecured consumer loan markets. Currently, Nelnet Bank offers refinance private education loan options to borrowers that have higher priced private education and/or federal student loan debt. Throughout Nelnet Bank’s three-year de novo period, Nelnet Bank plans to continue to launch products focused on helping students achieve their dreams, with the origination of in-school private education loans, K-12 education loans offered to families attending private primary and secondary schools in the United States, and unsecured consumer loans, primarily refinance loans, for consumers to consolidate credit card and other general-purpose debt. Nelnet Bank extends consumer loans to borrowers in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia. As of December 31, 2021, Nelnet Bank’s loan portfolio was $257.9 million. Nelnet Bank currently plans to offer its in-school private education loan product to students attending higher education institutions by the second quarter of 2022 for the 2022-2023 academic school year.
Nelnet Bank’s deposits are interest-bearing and consist of brokered certificates of deposit (CDs), retail and other savings deposits and CDs, and intercompany deposits. Retail and other deposits include savings deposits from 529 College Savings and Health Savings plans and commercial and institutional CDs. Union Bank and Trust Company (“Union Bank”), a related party, is the program manager for the College Savings plans. The intercompany deposits are deposits from the Company and its subsidiaries and include a pledged deposit of $40.0 million from Nelnet, Inc. (parent company), as required under a Capital and Liquidity Maintenance Agreement with the FDIC, deposits required for intercompany transactions, operating deposits, and NBS custodial deposits consisting of tuition payments collected which are subsequently remitted to the appropriate school. As of December 31, 2021, Nelnet Bank had $425.4 million of deposits.
As a Utah-chartered industrial bank, Nelnet Bank is able to fulfill its mission of being a steady and stable supplier of education credit. The Bank’s goal is to meet underserved needs in the United States for reliable education financing. The Company’s strong history within, and understanding of, the education industry will afford Nelnet Bank access to more families participating in education nationwide.
Corporate and Other Activities
Other business activities and operating segments that are not reportable are combined and included in Corporate and Other Activities. Corporate and Other Activities include the following items:
•The operating results of Whitetail Rock Capital Management, LLC (“WRCM”), the Company's SEC-registered investment advisor subsidiary
•The results of the majority of the Company’s investment activities, including early-stage and emerging growth companies, real estate, and renewable energy (solar)
•Interest expense incurred on unsecured and certain other corporate related debt transactions
•Other product and service offerings that are not considered reportable operating segments
Corporate and Other Activities also include certain corporate activities and overhead functions related to executive management, internal audit, human resources, accounting, legal, enterprise risk management, information technology, occupancy, and marketing. These costs are allocated to each operating segment based on estimated use of such activities and services.
Whitetail Rock Capital Management, LLC
As of December 31, 2021, WRCM had $2.6 billion in assets under management for third-party customers, consisting of student loan asset-backed securities ($2.0 billion) and Nelnet stock ($0.6 billion) - primarily shares of Class B common stock. WRCM earns annual management fees of 10 basis points to 25 basis points for asset-backed securities under management and a share of the gains from the sale of securities or securities being called prior to the full contractual maturity for which it provides advisory services. WRCM earns annual management fees of five basis points for Nelnet stock under management. During 2021, WRCM earned $4.2 million in management fees and generated $3.6 million in performance fees.
Investments
The Company makes investments to further diversify itself both within and outside of its historical core education-related businesses, including investments in early-stage and emerging growth companies, real estate, renewable energy resources (solar projects), and various equity and student loan and other asset backed securities. As of December 31, 2021, the Company has a
$1.6 billion portfolio of investments. See note 7 in the notes to consolidated financial statements for additional detail of the Company’s investments, including a summary of holdings.
Early-Stage and Emerging Growth (Venture Capital) Investments
The Company has invested in early-stage, emerging growth companies and various funds. As of December 31, 2021, the Company has investments in 76 entities and funds and the carrying value of such investments was $225.4 million. The largest investment in the Company’s venture capital portfolio is Hudl. As of December 31, 2021, the carrying value of the Company’s investment in Hudl was $133.9 million. Hudl is a leading sports performance analysis company, and their software provides more than 200,000 teams across 40 sports and in 150 countries the insights to be more competitive. David S. Graff, a member of the Company’s board of directors, is a co-founder, the chief executive officer, and a director of Hudl.
Real Estate
As of December 31, 2021, the Company has 33 real estate investments across the United States with a carrying value of $47.2 million. Included in the Company’s real estate portfolio is the development of commercial properties in the Midwest, and particularly in Lincoln, Nebraska, where the Company is headquartered. The local investments include projects for the development of properties in Lincoln’s east downtown Telegraph District, where a new facility for the Company’s student loan servicing operations is located, and projects in Lincoln’s Haymarket District, including the new headquarters of Hudl. The Company is also a tenant at Hudl's headquarters.
Solar
As of December 31, 2021, the Company has invested a total of $168.7 million (which excludes $59.2 million syndicated to third-party investors) in tax equity investments in renewable energy solar partnerships to support the development and operations of solar projects throughout the country. These investments provide a federal income tax credit under the Internal Revenue Code, currently at 26 percent (for projects commencing construction in 2020-2022) and 30 percent (for projects commencing construction prior to 2020) of the eligible project cost, with the tax credit available when the project is placed-in-service. The Company is then allowed to reduce its tax estimates paid to the U.S. Treasury based on the credits earned. In addition to the credits, the Company structures the investments to receive quarterly distributions of cash from the operating earnings of the solar project for a period of at least five years (so the tax credits are not recaptured). After that period, the contractual agreements typically provide for the Company’s interest in the projects to be purchased in an exit at the fair market value of the discounted forecasted future cash flows allocable to the Company. Given the expected timing of cash flows, experience the Company has in underwriting these assets, and beneficial impact to the climate, the Company believes these investments are a great fit within its capital deployment initiatives.
These investments are structured such that a significant proportion of the cash distributions and tax items (including the income tax credit) are allocated back to the Company within the first eighteen months of the investment capital contribution, in order to achieve a target after tax return. The cash distributions to the Company are then structured to flatten until exit, typically between years five and six. Given the unique arrangement in which investors share in the profits and losses of the solar investment with cash and tax benefit allocations among the partners changing over the life of the project, the accounting guidance calls for the use of the Hypothetical Liquidation at Book Value (“HLBV”) method, which can result in non-linear GAAP income/loss allocation results. Under this method, a balance sheet approach is utilized to determine what each investor would hypothetically receive at each balance sheet date under the liquidation provisions of the contractual agreements, assuming the net assets of the funding structures were liquidated at their recorded amounts determined in accordance with GAAP. As the investor receives a majority of this return through the income tax credit and higher cash distributions at the beginning of the investment, as of the first period of the hypothetical liquidation, the investor’s remaining net claim on assets is relatively low compared to the initial cash contributed. This difference between the initial cash contributions and the first period’s ending net claim on assets through the hypothetical liquidation causes significant GAAP losses on the investment to be recognized through the income statement within the initial periods of the investment. After the carrying value of the investment on the balance sheet is written down to the hypothetical liquidation amount, subsequent year’s earnings are expected to align with and reflect the operating profits or losses of the investment. The Company realizes that application of the HLBV method to its solar investments has a variable impact on its periodic earnings that in the early years is not reflective of the expected long-term economics of the investments. Given the significant amount of investments made in the last couple of years and the associated ramp-up period, the Company recognized a $3.0 million and $33.6 million pre-tax loss attributable to its interests in these investments in 2021 and 2020, respectively, under the HLBV method. These pre-tax loss amounts in 2021 and 2020 exclude $7.1 million and $3.8 million, respectively, of losses attributable to third-party investors that are included in “net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests” on the Company’s consolidated statements of income. As these investments mature and perform as forecasted, the Company expects to recoup that loss and realize additional income between now and the sale of each of its interests, likely 60 to 72 months from the date the project is placed in service. Thus, the Company expects the economic
gain from these investments to be realized in its future earnings, but, due to the hypothetical liquidation valuations as of the balance sheet dates during the intended investment horizon, the HLBV method results in some volatility in the Company’s consolidated periodic earnings results.
Regulation and Supervision
The Company's operating segments and industry partners are heavily regulated by federal and state government regulatory agencies. The following provides a summary of the more significant existing and proposed legislation and regulations affecting the Company. A failure to comply with these laws and regulations could subject the Company to substantial fines, penalties, and remedial and other costs, restrictions on business, and the loss of business. Regulations and supervision can change rapidly, and changes could alter the Company's business plans and increase the Company's operating expenses as new or additional regulatory compliance requirements are addressed.
Loan Servicing and Systems
NDS, which services Federal Direct Loan Program, FFELP, and private education and consumer loans, is subject to federal and state consumer protection, privacy, and related laws and regulations. Some of the more significant federal laws and regulations include:
•The Higher Education Act, which establishes financial responsibility and administrative capability requirements that govern all third-party servicers of federally insured student loans
•The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”), which governs communication methods that may be used to contact customers
•The Truth-In-Lending Act (“TILA”) and Regulation Z, which govern disclosures of credit terms to consumer borrowers
•The Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”) and Regulation V, which govern the use and provision of information to consumer reporting agencies
•The Equal Credit Opportunity Act (“ECOA”) and Regulation B, which prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, creed, or other prohibited factors in extending credit
•The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (“SCRA”), which applies to all debts incurred prior to commencement of active military service and limits the amount of interest, including certain fees or charges that are related to the obligation or liability
•The Military Lending Act (“MLA”), which protects active-duty members of the military, their spouses, and their dependents from certain lending practices
•The Electronic Funds Transfer Act (“EFTA”) and Regulation E, which protect individual consumers engaged in electronic fund transfers (“EFTs”)
•The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (“GLBA”) and Regulation P, which govern a financial institution’s treatment of nonpublic personal information about consumers and require that an institution, under certain circumstances, notify consumers about its privacy policies and practices
•The General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), a European Union (“EU”) regulation which places specific requirements on businesses that collect and process personal data of individuals residing in the EU, and provides for significant fines and other penalties for non-compliance
•The California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) and California Privacy Rights Act (“CPRA”), which enhances the privacy rights and consumer protection for residents of California
•The CARES Act, which provides temporary relief measures through May 1, 2022 for federal student loans held by the Department, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic
•Laws prohibiting unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices (“UDAAP”)
•Various laws, regulations, and standards that govern government contractors
As a student loan servicer for the federal government and for financial institutions, including the Company’s FFELP student loan portfolio, the Company is subject to the Higher Education Act (“HEA”) and related laws, rules, regulations, and policies. The HEA regulates every aspect of the federally insured student loan program. Failure to comply with the HEA could result in fines, the loss of the insurance and related federal guarantees on affected FFELP loans, expenses required to cure servicing deficiencies, suspension or termination of the right to participate as a FFELP servicer, negative publicity, and potential legal claims. The Company has designed its servicing operations to comply with the HEA, and it regularly monitors the Company's operations to maintain compliance. While the HEA is required to be reviewed and reauthorized by Congress every five years, Congress has not reauthorized the HEA since 2008, choosing to temporarily extend the HEA each year since 2013 while Congress works on the next reauthorization. The Company continuously monitors for potential changes to the HEA and evaluates possible impacts to its business operations.
Under the TCPA, plaintiffs may seek actual monetary loss or damages of $500 per violation, and courts may treble the damage award for willful or knowing violations. In addition, TCPA lawsuits have asserted putative class action claims.
The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) established the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”), which has broad authority to regulate a wide range of consumer financial products and services. The Company's student loan servicing business is subject to CFPB oversight authority.
In 2015, the CFPB conducted a public inquiry into student loan servicing practices throughout the industry and issued a report discussing public comments submitted in response to the inquiry and suggesting a framework to improve borrower outcomes and reduce defaults, including the creation of consistent, industry-wide standards for the entire servicing market.
The CFPB has authority to draft new regulations implementing federal consumer financial protection laws, to enforce those laws and regulations, and to conduct examinations and investigations of the Company's operations to determine compliance. The CFPB’s authority includes the ability to assess financial penalties and fines and provide for restitution to consumers if it determines there have been violations of consumer financial protection laws. The CFPB also provides consumer financial education, tracks consumer complaints, requests data from industry participants, and promotes the availability of financial services to underserved consumers and communities. The CFPB has authority to prevent unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices and to ensure that all consumers have access to fair, transparent, and competitive markets for consumer financial products and services. The CFPB’s scrutiny of financial services has impacted industry participants’ approach to their services, including how the Company interacts with consumers.
The Dodd-Frank Act empowers state attorneys general and state regulators to bring civil actions to remedy violations of state law. Most states also have statutes that prohibit unfair and deceptive practices. To the extent states enact requirements that differ from federal standards or state officials and courts adopt interpretations of federal consumer laws that differ from those adopted by the CFPB under the Dodd-Frank Act, the Company's ability to offer the same products and services to consumers nationwide may be limited.
As a third-party service provider to financial institutions, the Company is subject to periodic examination by the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (“FFIEC”). FFIEC is a formal interagency body of the U.S. government empowered to prescribe uniform principles, standards, and report forms for the federal examination of financial institutions by the Federal Reserve Banks, the FDIC, and the CFPB, and to make recommendations to promote uniformity in the supervision of financial institutions.
Several states have enacted laws regulating and monitoring the activity of student loan servicers. Some of these laws stipulate additional licensing fees which increase the Company’s cost of doing business. Where the Company has obtained licenses, state licensing statutes may impose a variety of requirements and restrictions on the Company. In addition, these statutes may also subject the Company to the supervisory and examination authority of state regulators in certain cases, and the Company will be subject to and experience exams by state regulators. If the Company is found to not have complied with applicable laws, regulations, or requirements, it could: (i) lose one or more of its licenses or authorizations, (ii) become subject to a consent order or administrative enforcement action, (iii) face lawsuits (including class action lawsuits), sanctions, or penalties, or (iv) be in breach of certain contracts, which may void or cancel such contracts. The Company anticipates additional states adopting similar laws.
Education Technology, Services, and Payment Processing
NBS provides tuition management services and school information software for K-12 schools and tuition management services and payment processing solutions for higher education institutions. The Company also provides payment technologies and payment services for software platforms, businesses, and nonprofits beyond the K-12 and higher education space. As a service provider that takes payment instructions from institutions and their constituents and sends them to bank partners, the Company is directly or indirectly subject to a variety of federal and state laws and regulations. The Company's contracts with clients and bank partners require the Company to comply with these laws and regulations.
The Company's payment processing services are subject to the EFTA and Regulation E, which govern automatic deposits to and withdrawals from deposit accounts and customers’ rights and liabilities arising from the use of debit cards and certain other electronic banking services. The Company assists bank partners with fulfilling their compliance obligations pursuant to these requirements.
The Company's payment processing services are also subject to the National Automated Clearing House Association (“NACHA”) requirements, which include operating rules and sound risk management procedures to govern the use of the ACH Network. These rules are used to ensure that the ACH Network is efficient, reliable, and secure for its members. Because the ACH Network uses a batch process, the importance of proper submissions by NACHA members is magnified. The Company is
also impacted by laws and regulations that affect the bankcard industry. The Company is registered with Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and the Discover Network as a service provider and is subject to their respective rules.
The Company's higher education institution clients are subject to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (“FERPA”), which protects the privacy of student education records. These clients disclose certain non-directory information concerning their students to the Company, including contact information, student identification numbers, and the amount of students’ credit balances pursuant to one or more exceptions under FERPA. Additionally, as the Company is indirectly subject to FERPA, it may not permit the transfer of any personally identifiable information to another party other than in a manner in which an educational institution may properly disclose it. A breach of this prohibition could result in a five-year suspension of the Company's access to the related client’s records. The Company may also be subject to similar state laws and regulations that restrict higher education institutions from disclosing certain personally identifiable student information.
Some of the Company's K-12 and higher education institution clients choose to charge convenience fees to students, parents, or other payers who make online payments using a credit or debit card. Laws and regulations related to such fees vary from state to state and certain states have laws that to varying degrees prohibit the imposition of a surcharge on a cardholder who elects to use a credit or debit card in lieu of cash, check, or other means.
The Company's contracts with higher education institution clients also require the Company to comply with regulations promulgated by the Department regarding the handling of student financial aid funds received by institutions on behalf of their students under Title IV of the Higher Education Act. These regulations are designed to ensure students have convenient access to their Title IV funds, do not incur unreasonable fees, and are not led to believe they must open a financial account to receive such funds.
Asset Generation and Management
The Dodd-Frank Act created a comprehensive regulatory framework for derivatives transactions, with regulatory authority allocated among the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”), other prudential regulators, and the SEC. This framework, among other things, subjects certain swap participants to capital and margin requirements, recordkeeping, and business conduct standards and imposes registration and regulation of swap dealers and major swap participants. Even when a securitization trust qualifies for an exemption, many of the Company's derivative counterparties are subject to capital, margin, and business conduct requirements; therefore, the Company may be impacted. When securitization trusts do not qualify for an exemption, the Company may be unable to enter into new swaps to hedge interest rate risk or the costs associated with such swaps may increase. With respect to existing securitization trusts, an inability to amend, novate, or otherwise materially modify existing swap contracts could result in a downgrade of outstanding asset-backed securities. As a result, the Company's business, ability to access the capital markets for financing, and costs may be impacted by these regulations.
Nelnet Bank
Nelnet Bank is a Utah industrial bank that is regulated by the FDIC and the UDFI. As an originator of private education loans, and a purchaser and owner of federally insured student loans, Nelnet Bank is subject to federal and state consumer protection, privacy, and related laws and regulations. In addition to having to comply with the majority of laws and regulations addressed in the Loan Servicing and Systems section, there are additional laws and regulations Nelnet Bank must follow. Some of the more significant laws and regulations applicable to Nelnet Bank include:
•Regulation W and Federal Reserve Act Sections 23A and 23B - Designed to prevent losses to a bank resulting from affiliate engagement and transfer of a bank’s federal deposit insurance safety net to an affiliate
•Community Reinvestment Act - Encourages depository institutions to help meet the credit needs of the communities in which they operate
•Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) Act - Prevents unfair or deceptive acts or practices and ensures consumer privacy (including the Telephone Sales Rule, FTC Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising, and FTC Policy Statement Regarding Advertising Substantiation)
•Regulation O - Places limits and conditions on credit extensions that a bank can offer to its executive officers, principal shareholders, directors, and related interests
•Right to Financial Privacy Act - Establishes specific procedures that government authorities must follow when requesting a customer’s financial records from a bank or other financial institution
Regulation D, the Truth in Savings Act (reserve requirements), and Regulation DD (disclosure of deposit terms to customers) will be applicable to Nelnet Bank once consumer deposit products are launched, which is tentatively scheduled for 2023.
Corporate
Governmental bodies in the United States and abroad have adopted, or are considering the adoption of, laws and regulations restricting the transfer and requiring the safeguarding of nonpublic personal information. For example, in the United States, the Company and its financial institution clients are, respectively, subject to the FTC’s and the federal banking regulators’ privacy and information safeguarding requirements under the GLBA. The GLBA requires financial institutions to periodically disclose their privacy policies and practices relating to sharing such information and enables customers to opt out of the Company’s ability to share information with unaffiliated third parties under certain circumstances. Other federal and state laws and regulations impact the Company’s ability to share certain information with affiliates and non-affiliates for marketing and/or non-marketing purposes, or to contact customers with marketing offers. The GLBA also requires financial institutions to implement a comprehensive information security program that includes administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to ensure the security and confidentiality of customer records and information. These security and privacy policies and procedures for the protection of personal and confidential information are in effect across all businesses and geographic locations. Federal law also makes it a criminal offense, except in limited circumstances, to obtain or attempt to obtain customer information of a financial nature by fraudulent or deceptive means. Data privacy and data protection are areas of increasing state legislative focus. For example, the CCPA, which became effective on January 1, 2020, applies to for-profit businesses that conduct business in California and meet certain revenue or data collection thresholds. The CCPA gives consumers the right to request disclosure of information collected about them, and whether that information has been sold or shared with others, the right to request deletion of personal information (subject to certain exceptions), the right to opt out of the sale of the consumer’s personal information, and the right not to be discriminated against for exercising these rights. The CCPA contains several exemptions, including an exemption applicable to information that is collected, processed, sold, or disclosed pursuant to the GLBA. In addition, the CPRA, which amends and expands upon the CCPA, will become effective January 1, 2023. Further, similar laws may be adopted by other states where the Company does business. The federal government may also pass data privacy or data protection legislation. In addition, in the EU, privacy law is governed by the GDPR, which contains extensive compliance obligations and provides for substantial penalties for non-compliance.
Intellectual Property
The Company owns numerous trademarks and service marks (“Marks”) to identify its various products and services. As of December 31, 2021, the Company had 92 registered Marks. The Company actively asserts its rights to these Marks when it believes infringement may exist. The Company believes its Marks have developed and continue to develop strong brand-name recognition in the industry and the consumer marketplace. Each of the Marks has, upon registration, an indefinite duration so long as the Company continues to use the Mark on or in connection with such goods or services as the Mark identifies. To protect the indefinite duration, the Company makes filings to continue registration of the Marks. The Company owns one patent application that has been published, but has not yet been issued, and has also actively asserted its rights thereunder in situations during which the Company believes its claims may be infringed upon. The Company owns many copyright-protected works, including its various computer system codes and displays, websites, and marketing materials. The Company also has trade secret rights to many of its processes and strategies and its software product designs. The Company's software products are protected by both registered and common law copyrights, as well as strict confidentiality and ownership provisions placed in license agreements, which restrict the ability to copy, distribute, or improperly disclose the software products. The Company also has adopted internal procedures designed to protect the Company's intellectual property.
The Company seeks federal and/or state protection of intellectual property when deemed appropriate, including patent, trademark/service mark, and copyright. The decision whether to seek such protection may depend on the perceived value of the intellectual property, the likelihood of securing protection, the cost of securing and maintaining that protection, and the potential for infringement. The Company's employees (referred to by the Company as “associates”) are trained in the fundamentals of intellectual property, intellectual property protection, and infringement issues. The Company's associates are also required to sign agreements requiring, among other things, confidentiality of trade secrets, assignment of inventions, and non-solicitation of other associates post-termination. Consultants, suppliers, and other business partners are also required to sign nondisclosure agreements to protect the Company's proprietary rights.
Human Capital Resources
The Company’s associates are critical to its success, and the executive team puts significant focus on human capital resources. In addition, the executive team regularly updates the Company’s board of directors and its committees on the operation and status of human capital trends and activities. Key areas of focus for the Company include:
Headcount data
Total associate headcount by reportable segment as of December 31, 2021 follows:
Number Percent of total
NDS 4,892 61.2 %
NBS 2,370 29.7
Nelnet Bank 23 0.3
AGM 11 0.1
Corporate and other 692 8.7
7,988 100.0 %
None of the Company’s associates are covered by collective bargaining agreements. The Company is not involved in any material disputes with any of its associates, and the Company believes that relations with its associates are good.
Employee recruitment, engagement, and retention
The Company works diligently to attract the best talent from a diverse range of sources to meet the current and future demands of its businesses, and has established relationships with trade schools, universities, professional associations, and industry groups to proactively attract talent. In 2021, the Company hired approximately 4,400 new associates, including approximately 800 temporary associates who are contracted workers who perform a job for only a short amount of time.
In 2021, the Company conducted an associate culture survey using a leading outside firm that specializes in employee engagement. Ninety-one percent of the Company’s associates participated in the survey, 11 points above the survey provider’s industry benchmark. There were many questions, but the overarching goal of the survey was to determine overall associate engagement through understanding how associates feel about working for the Company and if associates would recommend the Company as a great place to work. The results of the survey were an overall engagement score of 80 out of 100, which was five points above the survey provider’s industry benchmark, and one point above last year’s survey engagement score. The Company’s management team collected all the feedback and is focusing on making associate-suggested changes to become an even better place to work.
For 2021, associate voluntary turnover was approximately 28 percent, an 8 percentage point increase from 2020. The average associate has over six years of service.
Diversity and inclusion
The Company embraces diversity among its associates, including their unique backgrounds, experiences, and talents, and the Company strives to cultivate a culture and vision that supports and enhances its ability to recruit, develop, and retain diverse talent at every level. The Company demonstrates its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion at the highest levels of the Company. The Company’s independent directors (seven in total) include three women.
As of December 31, 2021, the Company’s workforce was approximately 66 percent women, an increase from 57 percent as of December 31, 2020. People of color, as defined by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's EEO-1 race and ethnicity categories for the U.S., represented approximately 27 percent of the Company’s workforce (based on associate self-identification), an increase from 20 percent as of December 31, 2020. The Company is making progress in the number of women and people of color working in leadership positions (defined by the Company as an associate with one or more direct reports) across the organization. As of December 31, 2021, women and people of color held 52 percent and 10 percent of leadership positions in the Company, respectively, an increase from 50 percent and 8 percent, respectively, as of December 31, 2020. The Company has acknowledged that people of color are underrepresented in leadership positions at Nelnet and is committed to have its workforce reflect the diversity in its communities.
To further Nelnet’s objective of creating an inspiring work environment and furthering associate development, the Company developed and launched the Nelnet Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council (the “Council”), sponsored by the Chief Executive Officer and the Executive Director of People Services. This Council of 28 members represents locations, functions, and business segments across the entire Company. Its top priorities include:
•Implementing a comprehensive diversity and inclusion learning and development plan to build awareness and drive inclusive behaviors;
•Developing the Company’s diversity pipeline through recruiting, hiring, developing, mentoring, and retaining diverse top talent; and
•Promoting a work environment that enables associates to feel safe to express their ideas and perspectives and feel they belong.
During 2020, the Council partnered with Nelnet University, the Company’s learning and development program for associates, to launch a robust mentoring program. The program is available to all associates, prioritizing mentorships for associates from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups. Associates participating in this program are partnered with tenured Nelnet leaders for guidance, support, and coaching. The Council has also provided training sessions for all associates on cultural competence and unconscious bias. In addition, the Company has changed new hire recruiting methods and strategies to increase pools of minority, women, veteran, and disabled candidates, and has created other programs focused on race and gender to increase diversity throughout the Company. The Company also revised its scholarship program for the children of its associates to better recognize minority and low-income students. In addition, the Company was named on the following three Forbes listings: Best Employer for Women, Best Employer for Diversity, and Best in State Employer.
Talent, development, and training
The Company’s talent strategy is focused on attracting the best talent from a diverse range of sources, recognizing and rewarding associates for their performance, and continually developing, engaging, and retaining associates.
The Company is committed to the continued development of its people. Strategic talent reviews and succession planning occur on a planned cadence annually across all business areas. The executive team convenes meetings with senior leadership and the board of directors to review top enterprise talent. The Company continues to provide opportunities for associates to grow their careers internally, with over 70 percent of open management positions filled internally during 2021.
The Company provides a variety of professional, technical, and leadership training courses to help its associates grow in their current roles and build new skills. The Company emphasizes individual development planning as part of its annual goal setting process, and offers mentoring programs, along with change management and project management upskilling opportunities. The Company has leadership development resources for all leaders across the organization and continues to build tools for leaders to develop their teams on the job and in roles to create new opportunities to learn and grow.
Training is provided in a number of formats to accommodate the learner’s style, location, and technological knowledge and access, including instructor-led courses and hundreds of online courses in the Company’s learning management system. The Company also offers tuition assistance to associates for degree programs, non-degree seeking individual classes, or certificate programs that are related to areas of business at Nelnet. During 2021, the Company paid almost $380,000 in tuition assistance for its associates. During 2021, the Company partnered with Nebraska Dev Lab and Galvanize to offer two groups of technology-driven associates a modern coding education through the Company’s first ever Coding Academy. Everyone who participated in the rigorous program passed the program and gained valuable current information technology skills.
Competitive pay, benefits, wellness, and safety
The general compensation philosophy of the Company, as an organization that values the long-term success of its shareholders, customers, and associates, is that the Company will pay fair, competitive, and equitable compensation designed to encourage focus on the long-term performance objectives of the Company and is differentiated based on both the individual’s performance and the performance of his or her respective business segment. In carrying out this philosophy, the Company structures its overall compensation framework with the general objectives of encouraging ownership, savings, wellness, productivity, and innovation. In addition, total compensation is intended to be market competitive compared to select industry surveys, internally consistent, and aligned with the philosophy of a performance-based organization. The Company provides a comprehensive benefits package, opportunities for retirement savings, and a robust wellness program. The holistic wellness program focuses on four pillars: personal, professional, physical, and financial well-being.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company has implemented and continues to implement safety measures in all its facilities. The Company has implemented adjustments to its operations designed to keep associates safe and comply with federal and local guidelines, including those regarding masks, social distancing, and any applicable vaccine mandates. Since March 2020, a vast majority of associates continue to work from their home. However, all non-remote associates currently have the choice to work in the office, at home, or a hybrid of both.
Culture, values, and ethics
The Company believes acting ethically and responsibly is the right thing to do, and embraces core values of open, honest communication in work environments. The Company also believes that it must do its part to improve the world for current and future generations, and as part of this philosophy the Company contributes time, talent, and resources to strengthen the communities where the Company does business. The Company’s associates participate in many initiatives focused on supporting their communities both financially and with their time.
Ethics are deeply embedded in the Company’s values and business processes. The Company has a Code of Ethics and Conduct that includes the Company’s core values and guiding principles for which every associate is empowered to achieve. The Company regularly reinforces its commitment to ethics and integrity in associate communications, in its everyday actions, and in processes and controls. As part of the Company’s ongoing efforts to ensure its associates conduct business with the highest levels of ethics and integrity, the Company has compliance training programs. The Company also maintains an Ask Ethics email through which associates can raise concerns they may have about business behavior they do not feel comfortable discussing personally with managers or human resources personnel. In addition, the Company maintains a separate anonymous portal for any associate concerns about the Company's financial reporting, internal controls, and related matters.
Available Information
The Company's internet website address is www.nelnet.com, and the Company's investor relations website address is www.nelnetinvestors.com. Copies of the Company's annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to such reports are available on the Company's investor relations website free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable after such reports are filed with or furnished to the SEC. The Company routinely posts important information for investors on its investor relations website.
The Company has adopted a Code of Ethics and Conduct that applies to directors, officers, and associates, including the Company's principal executive officer and its principal financial and accounting officer, and has posted such Code of Ethics and Conduct on its investor relations website. Amendments to and waivers granted with respect to the Company's Code of Ethics and Conduct relating to its executive officers and directors, which are required to be disclosed pursuant to applicable securities laws and stock exchange rules and regulations, will also be posted on its investor relations website. The Company's Corporate Governance Guidelines, Audit Committee Charter, People Development and Compensation Committee Charter, Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee Charter, Risk and Finance Committee Charter, and Compliance Committee Charter are also posted on its investor relations website.
Information on the Company's websites is not incorporated by reference into this report and should not be considered part of this report.

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
We are subject to risks including, but not limited to, strategic, market, liquidity, credit, regulatory, technology, operational, security, and other business risks such as reputation damage related to negative publicity and dependencies on key personnel, customers, vendors, and systems. This section discusses material risk factors that could adversely affect our financial results and condition and the value of, and return on, an investment in us. Although this section attempts to highlight key risk factors, other risks may emerge at any time, and we cannot predict all risks or estimate the extent to which they may affect us. These risk factors should be read in conjunction with the other information included in this report.
Loan Portfolio
Our loan portfolio is subject to certain risks related to interest rates, and the derivatives we use to manage interest rate risks, prepayment risk, and credit risk, each of which could reduce the expected cash flows and earnings on our portfolio.
Interest rate risk - basis and repricing risk
We are exposed to interest rate risk in the form of basis risk and repricing risk because the interest rate characteristics of our loan assets do not always match the interest rate characteristics of the funding for those assets.
We fund the majority of our FFELP student loan assets with one-month or three-month LIBOR indexed floating rate securities. Meanwhile, the interest earned on our FFELP student loan assets is indexed to one-month LIBOR, three-month commercial paper, and Treasury bill rates. The differing interest rate characteristics of our loan assets versus the liabilities funding these assets result in basis risk, which impacts the excess spread earned on our loans. We also face repricing risk due to the timing of the interest rate resets on our liabilities, which may occur as infrequently as once a quarter, in contrast to the timing of the
interest rate resets on our assets, which generally occur daily. In a declining interest rate environment, this may cause our variable student loan spread to compress, while in a rising interest rate environment, it may cause the variable spread to increase.
As of December 31, 2021, our AGM operating segment had $15.9 billion, $0.6 billion, and $0.5 billion of FFELP loans indexed to the one-month LIBOR, three-month commercial paper, and three-month Treasury bill rate, respectively, all of which reset daily, and $5.4 billion of debt indexed to three-month LIBOR, which resets quarterly, and $10.5 billion of debt indexed to one-month LIBOR, which resets monthly. While these indices are all short term in nature with rate movements that are highly correlated over a longer period of time, the indices' historically high level of correlation may be disrupted in the future due to capital market dislocations or other factors not within our control. In such circumstances, our earnings could be adversely affected to a material extent.
We have entered into basis swaps to hedge our basis and repricing risk, under which we receive three-month LIBOR set discretely in advance and pay one-month LIBOR plus or minus a spread as defined in the agreements (the "1:3 Basis Swaps").
Interest rate risk - loss of floor income
FFELP loans originated prior to April 1, 2006 generally earn interest at the higher of the borrower rate, which is fixed over a period of time, or a floating rate based on the Special Allowance Payments ("SAP") formula set by the Department. The SAP rate is based on an applicable index plus a fixed spread that depends on loan type, origination date, and repayment status. We generally finance our student loan portfolio with variable rate debt. In low and/or certain declining interest rate environments, when the fixed borrower rate is higher than the SAP rate, these student loans earn at a fixed rate while the interest on the variable rate debt typically continues to reflect the low and/or declining interest rates. In these interest rate environments, we may earn additional spread income that we refer to as floor income.
Depending on the type of loan and when it originated, the borrower rate is either fixed to term or is reset to an annual rate each July 1. As a result, for loans where the borrower rate is fixed to term, we may earn floor income for an extended period of time, which we refer to as fixed rate floor income, and for those loans where the borrower rate is reset annually on July 1, we may earn floor income to the next reset date, which we refer to as variable rate floor income.
For the year ended December 31, 2021, we earned $122.9 million of fixed rate floor income, which reflects $19.7 million of net settlements paid related to derivatives used to hedge loans earning fixed rate floor income. Absent the use of derivative instruments, a rise in interest rates will reduce the amount of floor income received and this will have an impact on earnings due to interest margin compression caused by increased financing costs, until such time as the federally insured loans earn interest at a variable rate in accordance with their SAP formulas. In higher interest rate environments, where the interest rate rises above the borrower rate and fixed rate loans effectively convert to variable rate loans, the impact of the rate fluctuations is reduced.
Interest rate risk - use of derivatives
We utilize derivative instruments to manage interest rate sensitivity. See note 6 of the notes to consolidated financial statements included in this report for additional information on derivatives used by us to manage interest rate risk. Our derivative instruments are intended as economic hedges but do not qualify for hedge accounting; consequently, the change in fair value, called the “mark-to-market,” of these derivative instruments is included in our operating results. Changes or shifts in the forward yield curve can and have significantly impacted the valuation of our derivatives, and in turn can and have impacted our results of operations.
Developing an effective strategy for dealing with movements in interest rates is complex, and no strategy can completely insulate us from risks associated with such fluctuations. Because many of our derivatives are not balance guaranteed to a particular pool of student loans and we may not elect to fully hedge our risk on a notional and/or duration basis, we are subject to the risk of being under or over hedged, which could result in material losses. In addition, our interest rate risk management activities could expose us to substantial mark-to-market losses if interest rates move in a materially different way than was expected based on the environment when the derivatives were entered into. As a result, our economic hedging activities may not effectively manage our interest rate sensitivity or have the desired beneficial impact on our results of operations or financial condition.
Since June 10, 2013, the CFTC has required over-the-counter derivative transactions to be executed through an exchange or central clearinghouse. Clearing is a process by which a third-party, the clearinghouse, steps in between the original counterparties and guarantees the performance of both, by requiring that each post substantial amounts of liquid collateral on an initial (initial margin) and mark-to-market (variation margin) basis to cover the clearinghouse's potential future exposure in the event of default. The clearing requirements require us to post substantial amounts of liquid collateral when executing new
derivative instruments, which could negatively impact our liquidity and capital resources and may prevent or limit us from utilizing derivative instruments to manage interest rate sensitivity and risks.
Interest rate movements have an impact on the amount of payments we are required to settle with our clearinghouse on a daily basis. We attempt to manage market risk associated with interest rates by establishing and monitoring limits as to the types and degree of risk that may be undertaken. However, if interest rates move materially and negatively impact the fair value of our derivative portfolio, the replacement of LIBOR as a benchmark rate as discussed below has significant adverse impacts on our derivatives, or if we enter into additional derivatives in which the fair value of such derivatives becomes negative, we could be required to pay a significant amount of variation margin to our clearinghouse. These payments, if significant, could negatively impact our liquidity and capital resources.
Based on our interest rate swaps outstanding as of December 31, 2021, if the forward interest rate curve was 50 basis points lower for the remaining duration of these derivatives, we would have been required to pay approximately $64.6 million in additional variation margin. In addition, if the forward basis curve between one-month and three-month LIBOR experienced a ten-basis point reduction in spread for the remaining duration of our 1:3 Basis Swaps (in which we pay one-month LIBOR and receive three-month LIBOR), we would have been required to pay approximately $12.9 million in additional variation margin.
In addition, some of our variable rate debt is floored at zero percent, while the floating side of our fixed rate derivatives hedging the debt are not floored. If one-month LIBOR were to fall below zero percent, we may experience losses. The scope of these losses would depend on three factors - the notional amount of the fixed rate derivative portfolio, the extent to which one-month LIBOR is below zero percent, and the amount of time it remained there.
Interest rate risk - replacement of LIBOR as a benchmark rate
As of December 31, 2021, the interest earned on a principal amount of $15.9 billion of our FFELP student loan assets held by the AGM operating segment was indexed to the one-month LIBOR, and the interest paid on a principal amount of $15.9 billion of our FFELP student loan asset-backed debt securities was indexed to one-month or three-month LIBOR. In addition, our derivative financial instrument transactions used to manage LIBOR interest rate risks are indexed to LIBOR.
In March 2021, the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority, which regulates LIBOR, announced that all LIBOR tenors relevant to us will cease to be published or will no longer be representative after June 30, 2023. The U.S. Federal Reserve, in conjunction with the Alternative Reference Rates Committee, a committee convened by the Federal Reserve that includes major market participants, has identified the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”), calculated based on overnight repurchase agreements backed by U.S. Treasury securities, as its preferred alternative rate for LIBOR. There are significant differences between LIBOR and SOFR, such as LIBOR being an unsecured lending rate while SOFR is a secured lending rate, and SOFR being an overnight rate while LIBOR reflects term rates at different maturities. Accordingly, there are uncertainties as to the transition process and broad acceptance of SOFR as the primary alternative to LIBOR, including what effect it would have on the value of LIBOR-based securities, financial contracts, and variable rate loans.
Although the indentures for student loan asset-backed debt securities issued in our most recent LIBOR-indexed securitization transactions include new interest rate determination fallback provisions emerging in the market for new issuances of LIBOR-indexed debt securities, many of the contracts for our existing LIBOR-indexed assets, liabilities, and derivative instruments from historical transactions do not include provisions that contemplated the possibility of a permanent discontinuation of LIBOR and clearly specified a method for transitioning from LIBOR to an alternative benchmark rate, and it is not yet known how the market in general, specific counterparties in particular, the courts, or regulators will address the significant complexities and uncertainties involved in the transition away from LIBOR to an alternative benchmark rate. Specifically, the Department has not yet indicated any market transition away from the current LIBOR framework for paying special allowance payments to holders of FFELP assets. As a result, we cannot predict the impact that the transition from LIBOR to an alternative benchmark rate will have on our existing LIBOR-indexed assets, liabilities, and derivative instruments, but such impact could have material adverse effects on the value, performance, and related cash flows of such LIBOR-indexed items, including our funding costs, net interest income, loan and other asset values, and asset-liability management strategies. In particular, such transition could:
•adversely affect the interest rates paid or received on, the income and expenses associated with, and the pricing and value of our LIBOR-based assets and liabilities, which include the majority of our FFELP student loan assets and FFELP student loan asset-backed debt securities issued to fund those assets, as well as the majority of our derivative financial instruments we use to manage LIBOR-based interest rate risks associated with such FFELP student loan-related assets and liabilities;
•result in uncertainty or differences in the calculation of the applicable interest rate or payment amounts on our LIBOR-based assets and liabilities depending on the terms of the governing instruments, which in turn could result in disputes,
litigation, or other actions with counterparties regarding the interpretation and enforceability of certain fallback language in LIBOR-based securities and contracts, and the potential renegotiation of previous contracts;
•make future asset-backed securitizations more difficult to complete or more expensive until LIBOR or alternative benchmark rate uncertainties are resolved; and
•result in basis risk if the alternative benchmark rate on our loan assets does not match the alternative benchmark rate for the funding for those assets.
In April 2021, the State of New York enacted legislation to address certain contracts that are governed by New York law, refer to LIBOR as a benchmark reference rate, and do not have effective fallback provisions once the applicable LIBOR rate is discontinued. The legislation provides a statutory remedy by automatically replacing LIBOR with the “recommended benchmark replacement,” which is expected to be SOFR, and for a contract that has a “determining person” (a trustee, a calculation agent or the like), replacing LIBOR with the recommended benchmark replacement as selected by the determining person. The majority of our student loan asset-backed securitization indentures that do not have fallback provisions are governed by New York law, and thus are covered by this legislation. Parties remain free to agree on a different alternative benchmark rate, and we have and will continue to work with our asset-backed securitization investors to amend transaction documents to address the discontinuation of LIBOR.
In addition, a transition away from LIBOR to an alternative benchmark rate or rates may impact our existing transaction data, systems, operations, pricing, and risk management processes, and require significant efforts to transition to or develop appropriate systems and analytics to reflect a new benchmark rate environment. There can be no assurance that such efforts will successfully mitigate the financial and operational risks associated with a transition away from LIBOR.
Prepayment risk
Higher rates of prepayments of student loans, including consolidations by the Department through the Federal Direct Loan Program or private refinancing programs, would reduce our interest income.
Pursuant to the Higher Education Act, borrowers may prepay loans made under the FFEL Program at any time without penalty. Prepayments may result from consolidations of student loans by the Department through the Federal Direct Loan Program or by a lending institution through a private education or unsecured consumer loan, which historically tend to occur more frequently in low interest rate environments; from borrower defaults on federally insured loans, which will result in the receipt of a guaranty payment; and from voluntary full or partial prepayments; among other things.
Legislative and executive action risk exists as Congress and the President evaluate economic stimulus packages and proposals to reauthorize the Higher Education Act. If the federal government and the Department initiate additional loan forgiveness or cancellation, other repayment options or plans, consolidation loan programs, or further extend the suspension of borrower payments under the CARES Act, such initiatives could further increase prepayments and reduce interest income and could also reduce servicing fees. Future laws, executive actions, or other policy statements may encourage or force consolidation, create additional income-based repayment or debt forgiveness programs, create broad debt cancellation programs, or establish other policies and programs that impact prepayments on education loans. Even if a broad debt cancellation program only applied to student loans held by the Department, such program could result in a significant increase in consolidations of FFELP loans to Federal Direct Loan Program loans and a corresponding increase in prepayments with respect to our FFELP loan portfolio. For example, the Department recently announced a set of policy changes and released proposed negotiated rulemaking materials relating to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program under its Federal Direct Loan Program, which may result in an increase in consolidations of FFELP loans into Federal Direct Loan Program loans held by the Department (which results in the loans no longer being on our balance sheet). While implementation of the policy changes and final new regulations are unknown at this time, individually or collectively, they may cause higher than anticipated prepayment rates on our portfolio of loans. Some variability in prepayment levels is expected, although extraordinary or extended increases in prepayment rates could have a materially adverse effect on our revenues, cash flows, profitability, and business outlook, and, as a result, could materially, adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We cannot predict how or what programs or policies will be impacted by any actions that the Administration, Congress, or the federal government may take.
Credit risk
Future losses due to defaults on loans held by us present credit risk which could adversely affect our earnings. Our estimated allowance for loan losses is based on periodic evaluations of the credit risk in our loan portfolios, including the consideration of the following factors (as applicable), for each of our loan portfolios: loans in repayment versus those in nonpaying status;
delinquency status; type of private education or consumer loan program; trends in defaults in the portfolio based on internal and industry data; past experience; trends in federally insured student loan claims rejected for payment by guarantors; changes to federal student loan programs; current macroeconomic factors, including unemployment rates, gross domestic product, and consumer price index; and other relevant qualitative factors.
The vast majority (97.1 percent) of our student loan portfolio is federally guaranteed. The federal government currently guarantees 97 percent of the principal and interest on federally insured student loans disbursed on and after July 1, 2006 (and 98 percent for those loans disbursed on and after October 1, 1993 and prior to July 1, 2006), which limits our loss exposure on the outstanding balance of our federally insured portfolio. Federally insured student loans disbursed prior to October 1, 1993 are fully insured for both principal and interest. Our private education and consumer loans are unsecured, with neither a government nor a private insurance guarantee. Accordingly, we bear the full risk of loss on these loans if the borrower and co-borrower, if applicable, default. We are actively expanding our acquisition of private education and consumer loan portfolios, which increases our exposure to credit risk.
If future defaults on loans held by us are higher than anticipated, which could result from a variety of factors such as downturns in the economy, regulatory or operational changes, and other unforeseen future trends, or actual performance is significantly worse than currently estimated, our estimate of the allowance for loan losses and the related provision for loan losses in our statements of income would be materially affected.
Our loan portfolio and other assets and operations could suffer adverse consequences to the extent that natural disasters, widespread health crises similar to the COVID-19 pandemic, terrorist activities, or international hostilities affect the financial markets or the economy in general or in any particular region.
Natural disasters, widespread health crises similar to the COVID-19 pandemic, terrorist activities, or international hostilities affecting the financial markets or the economy in general or in any particular region could lead, for example, to an increase in loan delinquencies, borrower bankruptcies, or defaults that could result in higher levels of nonperforming assets, net charge-offs, and provisions for credit losses, as well as have adverse effects on our other assets and business operations. Our ability to mitigate the adverse consequences of such occurrences is in part dependent on the quality of our resiliency planning, and our ability, if any, to anticipate the nature of any such event that occurs. The adverse impact of natural disasters, widespread health crises, terrorist activities, or international hostilities also could be increased to the extent that there is a lack of preparedness on the part of national or regional emergency responders or on the part of other organizations and businesses that we transact with, particularly those that we depend upon, but have no control over.
Liquidity and Funding
The current maturities of our loan warehouse financing facilities do not match the maturities of the related funded loans, and we may not be able to modify and/or find alternative funding related to the loan collateral in these facilities prior to their expiration.
The majority of our portfolio of student loans is funded through asset-backed securitizations that are structured to substantially match the maturities of the funded assets, and there are minimal liquidity issues related to these facilities. We also have loans funded in shorter term warehouse facilities. The current maturities of the warehouse facilities do not match the maturity of the related funded assets. Therefore, we will need to modify and/or find alternative funding related to the loan collateral in these facilities prior to their expiration.
We have a FFELP warehouse facility as described in note 5 of the notes to consolidated financial statements included in this report. The FFELP warehouse facility has an aggregate maximum financing amount of $60 million and liquidity provisions through May 23, 2022. In the event we are unable to renew the liquidity provisions for this facility, the facility would become a term facility at a stepped-up cost, with no additional student loans being eligible for financing, and we would be required to refinance the existing loans in the facility by the final maturity date in May 2023. The FFELP warehouse facility also contains financial covenants relating to levels of our consolidated net worth, ratio of recourse indebtedness to adjusted EBITDA, and unencumbered cash. Any noncompliance with these covenants could result in a requirement for the immediate repayment of any outstanding borrowings under the facility. As of December 31, 2021, $5.0 million was outstanding under the FFELP warehouse facility and $0.3 million was advanced as equity support.
We also have a private education loan warehouse facility that has an aggregate maximum financing amount available of $175.0 million, liquidity provisions through June 30, 2022, and a final maturity date of June 30, 2023. As of December 31, 2021, $107.0 million was outstanding and $11.8 million was advanced as equity support under this warehouse facility.
If we are unable to obtain cost-effective funding alternatives for the loans in the warehouse facilities prior to the facilities' maturities, our cost of funds could increase, adversely affecting our results of operations. If we cannot find funding alternatives, we would lose our collateral, including the loan assets and cash advances, related to these facilities.
We are subject to economic and market fluctuations related to our investments.
We currently invest a substantial portion of our excess cash in student loan asset-backed securities and other investments that are subject to market fluctuations. The fair value of these investments was $1.0 billion as of December 31, 2021, including $907.2 million in student loan asset-backed securities. The student loan asset-backed securities earn a floating interest rate and carry expected returns of approximately LIBOR + 75-250 basis points to maturity. While we expect our overall student loan asset-backed securities to have few credit issues if held to maturity, they do have limited liquidity, and we could incur a significant loss if the investments were sold prior to maturity at an amount less than the original purchase price.
We will need to extend or refinance repurchase agreements funding the purchase of certain private education loan asset-backed securities that we are required to retain as sponsor of the underlying securitizations, since the current maturities of the agreements do not match the required holding period for the related investments and we are required to pay additional equity support in the event the fair value of the securities subject to the repurchase agreements becomes less than the original purchase price of such securities.
During 2021, we sponsored four asset-backed securitization transactions to permanently finance a total of $8.7 billion of the private education loans sold by Wells Fargo. For further information about these transactions, see the MD&A - “Overview - Recent Transactions/Developments - 2021 Transactions Related to the Private Education Loan Portfolio Sold by Wells Fargo.” As sponsor, we are required to provide a certain level of risk retention, and we have purchased bonds issued in such securitizations to satisfy this requirement. The bonds purchased to satisfy the risk retention requirement are reflected on our consolidated balance sheet as "investments" and as of December 31, 2021, the fair value of these bonds was $412.6 million. We must retain these investment securities until the latest of (i) two years from the closing date of the securitization, (ii) the date the aggregate outstanding principal balance of the loans in the securitization is 33% or less of the initial loan balance, and (iii) the date the aggregate outstanding principal balance of the bonds is 33% or less of the aggregate initial outstanding principal balance of the bonds, at which time we can sell the investment securities (bonds) to a third party. We entered into repurchase agreements with third parties, the proceeds of which were used to purchase a portion of the asset-backed investments, and such investments serve as collateral on the repurchase obligations.
As of December 31, 2021, $483.8 million was outstanding on our repurchase agreements, of which $313.2 million was borrowed to fund the private education loan securitization bonds subject to our risk retention requirements. The repurchase agreements have various maturity dates between May 27, 2022 and December 20, 2023, but are subject to early termination upon required notice provided by us or the applicable counterparty prior to the maturity dates. We are required to pay additional equity support in the event the fair value of the securities subject to the repurchase agreements becomes less than the original purchase price of such securities.
The current maturities of the repurchase agreements do not match the required holding period for, or the maturity of, the related funded assets. Therefore, we will need to continue to extend the maturities of the repurchase agreements and/or find alternative funding related to the investment securities collateral funded by these repurchase agreements prior to their expiration.
Operations
Risks associated with our operations, as further discussed below, include those related to the importance of maintaining scale by retaining existing customers and attracting new business opportunities, our information technology systems and potential security and privacy breaches, and our ability to manage performance related to regulatory requirements.
Our largest fee-based customer, the Department of Education, represented 29 percent of our revenue in 2021. Failure to extend the Department contracts or obtain new Department contracts in the Department's NextGen or other procurement processes, our inability to consistently surpass competitor performance metrics, or unfavorable contract modifications or interpretations, could significantly lower servicing revenue and hinder future service opportunities.
Our subsidiaries Nelnet Servicing and Great Lakes are two of the current seven private sector entities that have student loan servicing contracts with the Department to service loans that include Federal Direct Loan Program loans originated directly by the Department and FFEL Program loans purchased by the Department. As of December 31, 2021, Nelnet Servicing was servicing $215.8 billion of student loans for 6.4 million borrowers under its contract, and Great Lakes was servicing $262.6 billion of student loans for 7.8 million borrowers under its contract. For the year ended December 31, 2021, we recognized $360.8 million in revenue from the Department under these contracts, which represented 29 percent of our revenue.
Nelnet Servicing's and Great Lakes' student loan servicing contracts with the Department are scheduled to expire on December 14, 2023. In 2017, the Department initiated a contract procurement process referred to as the Next Generation Financial Services Environment ("NextGen") for a new framework for the servicing of all student loans owned by the Department. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 contains provisions directing certain aspects of the NextGen process, including that any
new federal student loan servicing environment is required to provide for the participation of multiple student loan servicers and the allocation of borrower accounts to eligible student loan servicers based on performance.
In the event that our servicing contracts are not extended beyond the current expiration date, or we are not chosen as a subsequent servicer, loan servicing revenue would decrease significantly. There are significant risks to us and uncertainties regarding the current Department contracts and potential future Department contracts, including the pending and uncertain nature of the NextGen contract procurement process and the Department's prior awards of new NextGen contracts to other service providers; risks that we may not be successful in obtaining any new contracts with the Department; and risks and uncertainties as to the terms and requirements under a potential new contract or contracts with the Department. We cannot predict the timing, nature, or ultimate outcome of the NextGen or any other contract procurement process by the Department.
New loan volume is currently allocated among the Department servicers based on certain performance metrics established by the Department and compared among all loan servicers. The amount of future allocations of new loan volume could be negatively impacted if we are unable to consistently surpass comparable competitor and/or other performance metrics.
In the event the current or any future Department servicing contracts become subject to unfavorable modifications or interpretations by the Department, loan servicing revenue could decrease significantly, performance penalties could be assessed, and/or operating costs to perform the contracts could increase significantly.
Additionally, we are partially dependent on the existing Department contracts to broaden servicing operations with the Department, other federal and state agencies, and commercial clients. The size and importance of these contracts provide us the scale and infrastructure needed to profitably expand into new business opportunities. Failure to extend the Department contracts beyond the current expiration date, or obtain new Department contracts, could significantly hinder future opportunities, as well as result in potential restructuring charges that may be necessary to re-align our cost structure with our servicing operations.
The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely impacted our results of operations, and either directly or indirectly through impacts on economic conditions or government policy could adversely impact our results of operations, businesses, financial condition, and/or cash flows going forward.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant disruption to the U.S. and world economies and extreme volatility in the U.S. and world markets. These effects have adversely impacted our results of operations and, if these effects result in sustained economic stress, they could have a material adverse impact on us in a number of ways, including but not limited to, talent acquisition and retention, wage inflation and cost of service delivery, lower higher education school enrollments, rising interest rates due to market conditions or government policy or stimulus, loan performance (where individual student and consumer borrowers experience financial hardship), and performance levels and impacts of vaccine requirements on our workforce and work environment (work from home). Although certain business and economic conditions have improved since the pandemic began, significant uncertainties remain, including with respect to the effectiveness of vaccines against existing and new variant strains of the COVID-19 virus which could be vaccine resistant, the potential impacts of variations in vaccination rates among different geographical areas and demographic segments, vaccine mandates, booster vaccines, and the potential impacts of potential additional future spikes in infection rates including through breakthrough infections among the fully vaccinated.
COVID-19 materially disrupted business operations across many sectors, initially resulting in periods of significantly higher levels of unemployment and underemployment, and more recently resulting in inflation associated with supply chain disruptions, a constrained labor market, supply, and extensive government stimulus programs initiated in efforts to counteract the economic disruptions from the pandemic. As a result, many student and consumer borrowers have experienced or may continue to experience financial hardship, making it difficult to meet loan payment obligations without assistance, which has had previous adverse effects and could have future adverse effects on the performance of our loan portfolio.
Our net interest income and profitability have been and could further be negatively affected by volatility in interest rates caused by uncertainties stemming from COVID-19. Higher income volatility from changes in interest rates and spreads to benchmark indices has caused and could cause a loss of net interest income and adverse changes in current fair value measurements of our assets and liabilities, which in turn could have a material adverse effect on our net income, operating results, or financial condition. For example, the Federal Reserve has recently signaled that it may begin to raise its target interest rate beginning in the first half of 2022 as a way of addressing the inflationary effects of the extensive pandemic-related government stimulus programs, and an increase in interest rate levels generally results in a reduction of floor income we receive on certain FFELP loans.
A vast majority of our employees continue to work from home, either full-time or dividing their workdays between working from home and working in the office as we have offered employees flexibility in the amount of time they work in offices that were reopened in 2021. Unanticipated issues arising from handling personal, confidential, and other information in a work-
from-home environment could lead to greater risks for us, including cybersecurity and privacy risks. In addition, recent labor market constraints have resulted in wage inflation and higher voluntary turnover rates, which in turn have led to increases in compensation costs to attract and retain talent. Further, in September 2021, the President issued an executive order that would require certain COVID-19 precautions for government contractors, including mandatory employee vaccinations. These requirements would apply to us as a student loan servicer for the Department, but are currently stayed pending the outcome of ongoing litigation. Any implementation of vaccination mandates applicable to our employees could result in workplace disruptions, employee attrition, and difficulty securing future talent needs in an increasingly competitive job market.
The CARES Act suspended federal student loan payments and interest accruals on all loans owned by the Department beginning as of March 13, 2020, and this suspension has been extended through May 1, 2022. As a result of this suspension, we receive a reduced level of servicing revenue per borrower from the Department. In addition, revenue from the Department for originating consolidation loans has been adversely impacted because of borrowers receiving relief on their existing loans, thus not initiating a consolidation. If the suspension period is extended further, more borrowers may consolidate their FFELP loans to the Federal Direct Loan Program, which could further increase prepayments on our loan portfolio and reduce our interest income and servicing fees. We currently anticipate the above revenues will continue to be negatively impacted while student loan payments and interest accruals are suspended.
The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact us will depend on many factors which are uncertain and beyond our control, including: the duration and ultimate severity of the pandemic; further public health and economic dislocations and constraints resulting from the pandemic; government actions in response to the pandemic, including any further actions to suspend, reduce or cancel payment obligations for loan borrowers; and the impacts of the pandemic on the U.S. and world economies. However, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, or any other pandemic, on our businesses could be material and adverse. To the extent the COVID-19 pandemic continues to adversely affect broader economic conditions and/or adversely affects us, it may also have the effect of increasing the likelihood and/or magnitude of other risks described in this report.
Climate change manifesting as physical or transition risks could have a material adverse impact on our operations, vendors, and customers.
Our businesses, and the activities of our vendors and customers, could be impacted by climate change. Climate change could manifest as a financial risk to us either through changes in the physical climate or from the process of transitioning to a low-carbon economy, including changes in climate policy or in the regulation of businesses with respect to risks posed by climate change. Climate-related physical risks may include altered distribution and intensity of rainfall, prolonged droughts or flooding, increased frequency and severity of wildfires, hurricanes, and tornadoes, rising sea levels, and a rising heat index. In addition to possible changes in climate policy and regulation, potential transition risks may include economic and other changes engendered by the development of low-carbon technological advances (e.g., electric vehicles and renewable energy) and/or changes in consumer and business preferences toward low-carbon goods and services. These climate-related physical risks and transition risks could have a financial impact on us, and our vendors and customers, including declines in asset values; cost increases; reduced availability of insurance; reduced demand for certain goods and services; increased loan delinquencies, bankruptcies, events of default, and force majeure events; increased interruptions to business operations and services; adverse supply chain impacts; and negative consequences to business models, and the need to make changes in response to those consequences.
A failure of our operating systems or infrastructure could disrupt our businesses, cause significant losses, result in regulatory action, and damage our reputation.
We operate many different businesses in diverse markets and depend on the efficient and uninterrupted operation of our computer network systems, software, datacenters, cloud services providers, telecommunications systems, and the rest of our operating systems and infrastructure to process and monitor large numbers of daily transactions in compliance with contractual, legal, regulatory, and our own standards. Such systems and infrastructure could be disrupted because of a cyberattack, spikes in transaction volume, power outages, telecommunications failures, process breakdowns, degradation or loss of internet or website availability, natural disasters, political or social unrest, and terrorist acts. A significant adverse incident could damage our reputation and credibility, lead to customer dissatisfaction and loss of customers or revenue, and result in regulatory action, in addition to increased costs to service our customers and protect our network. Such an event could also result in large expenditures to repair or replace the damaged properties, networks, or information systems or to protect them from similar events in the future. System redundancy may be ineffective or inadequate, and our business continuity plans may not be sufficient for all eventualities. Any significant loss of customers or revenue, or significant increase in costs of serving those customers, could adversely affect our growth, financial condition, and results of operations.
Operating system and infrastructure risks continue to increase in part because of the proliferation of new technologies, the use of the internet and telecommunications technologies to support and process customer transactions, the increased number and complexity of transactions being processed, changes to the way we do business due to the COVID-19 pandemic (like increased instances of employees working from home and/or using personal computing devices), and the increased sophistication and activities of organized crime, hackers, terrorists, activists, nation state threat actors, and other external parties. In addition, to access our services and products, our customers may use personal smartphones, tablet computers, and other mobile devices that are beyond our control systems.
Malicious and abusive activities, such as the dissemination of computer viruses, worms, and other destructive or disruptive software, internal and external threats, computer hacking, social engineering, denial of service attacks, ransomware or ransom demands to not expose confidential data or vulnerabilities in systems, and other malicious activities have become more common. These activities could have material adverse consequences on our network and our customers, including degradation of service, excessive call volume, and damage to our or our customers' equipment and data. Although to date we have not experienced a material loss relating to cyberattacks or system outage, there can be no assurance that we will not suffer such losses in the future or that there is not a current threat that remains undetected at this time. Our risk and exposure to these matters remains heightened because of, among other things, the evolving nature of these threats, and the size and scale of our services.
We could also incur material losses resulting from the risk of unauthorized access to our computer systems, the execution of unauthorized transactions by employees, errors relating to transaction processing and technology, breaches of the internal control system and compliance requirements, and failures to properly execute business continuation and disaster recovery plans. In the event of a breakdown in the internal control system, improper operation of systems, or unauthorized employee actions, we could suffer material financial loss, potential legal actions, fines, or civil monetary penalties that could arise as a result of an operational deficiency or as a result of noncompliance with applicable regulatory standards, adverse business decisions or their implementation, and customer attrition due to potential negative publicity and damage to our reputation.
As a result of the above risks, we continue to develop and enhance our training, controls, processes, and practices designed to protect, monitor, and restore our systems, computers, software, data, and networks from attack, damage, or unauthorized access, and this remains a priority for us, each of our business segments, and our Board of Directors. Even though we maintain technology and telecommunication, professional services, media, network security, privacy, injury, and liability insurance coverage to offset costs related to a cyberattack, information security breach, or extended system outage, this insurance coverage may not cover all costs of such incidents.
A security breach of our information technology systems could result in material financial losses and legal exposure, and damage to our reputation.
Our operations rely on the secure processing, storage and transmission of personal, confidential and other sensitive information in our information technology systems, including customer, personnel, and vendor data. Although we devote significant resources to maintain and regularly upgrade our systems and processes that are designed to protect the security of our systems, software, and networks and to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information belonging to us and our customers, we experience increasingly numerous and more sophisticated attacks on our systems, and our cybersecurity measures may not be entirely effective.
We may not be able to anticipate or to implement effective preventive measures against all types of security breaches, because the techniques used change frequently, generally increase in sophistication, often are not recognized until launched, sometimes go undetected even when successful, and result in cybersecurity attacks originating from a wide variety of sources, including organized crime, hackers, terrorists, activists, hostile foreign governments, and other external parties. Those parties may also attempt to fraudulently induce employees, customers, or other users of our systems to disclose sensitive information to gain access to our data or that of our customers, such as through “phishing” schemes. These risks may increase in the future as we continue to increase our mobile and internet-based product offerings and expand our internal usage of web-based products and applications. In addition, our customers often use their own devices, such as computers, smart phones, and tablet computers, to make payments and manage their accounts. We have limited ability to assure the safety and security of our customers’ transactions to the extent they are using their own devices, which could be subject to similar threats. A penetration or circumvention of our information security systems, or the intentional or unintentional disclosure, alteration or destruction by an authorized user of confidential information necessary for our operations, could result in serious negative consequences for us. These consequences may include violations of applicable privacy and other laws; financial loss to us or to our customers; loss of confidence in our cybersecurity measures; customer dissatisfaction; significant litigation exposure; regulatory fines, penalties or intervention; reimbursement or other compensatory costs; additional compliance costs; significant disruption of our business operations; and harm to our reputation.
In addition, we routinely transmit, receive, and process large volumes of personal, confidential, and proprietary information through third parties. Although we work to ensure that third parties with which we do business maintain information security systems and processes, those measures may not be entirely effective, and an information security breach of a third-party system may not be revealed to us in a timely manner, which could compromise our ability to respond effectively. An interception, misuse or mishandling of personal, confidential, or proprietary information being processed, sent to or received from a third party could result in material adverse legal liability, regulatory actions, disruptions, and reputational harm with respect to our businesses.
We and our third-party vendors have experienced, and could experience in the future, cyber-attacks and information security breaches. Although to date none of these attacks or breaches has individually or in the aggregate resulted in a security incident with a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition, or businesses, there can be no assurance that we will not suffer material adverse effects in the future or that there is not a significant current threat that remains undetected at this time.
We must adapt to rapid technological change. If we are unable to take advantage of technological developments or our software products experience quality problems and development delays, we may experience a decline in the demand for our products and services.
Our long-term operating results depend substantially upon our ability to continually enhance, develop, introduce, and market new products and services. We must continually and cost-effectively maintain and improve our information technology systems and infrastructure in order to successfully deliver competitive and cost-effective products and services to our customers. The widespread adoption of new technologies and market demands could require substantial expenditures to enhance system infrastructure and existing products and services. If we fail to enhance and scale our systems and operational infrastructure or products and services, our operating segments may lose their competitive advantage and this could adversely affect financial and operating results.
We require skilled technology and security workers to maintain, secure, and improve our information technology systems and infrastructure. Talent availability, increased demand and competition for skilled workers across the technology sector may impact our ability to maintain adequate technology and security staffing levels. If we are unable to retain existing talent, or recruit and hire new talent when needed, we may be unable to quickly adopt new technologies, or maintain and improve our technology systems and infrastructure.
Our products and services are based on sophisticated software and computing systems that often encounter development delays, and the underlying software may contain undetected bugs or other defects that interfere with its intended operation. Quality problems with our software products, with transferring between systems or with errors or delays in our processing of electronic transactions, could result in additional development costs, diversion of technical and other resources from our other development efforts, loss of credibility with current or potential clients, harm to our reputation, or exposure to liability claims.
We rely on third parties for a wide array of services for our customers, and to meet our contractual obligations. The failure of a third party with which we work could adversely affect our business performance and reputation.
We rely on third parties for a wide array of critical operational services, technology, datacenter hosting facilities, cloud computing platforms, and software. We also rely upon data from external sources to maintain our proprietary databases, including data from customers, business partners, and various government sources.
Our third-party service providers may be vulnerable to damage or interruption from earthquakes, floods, fires, power loss, cyberattacks, telecommunications failures, supply chain disruptions, acts of terrorism, and similar events. They may also be subject to break-ins, sabotage, intentional acts of vandalism, and similar misconduct, as well as local administrative actions, changes to legal or permitting requirements, and litigation to stop, limit, or delay operations. If a third-party service provider experiences an outage, or our services are disrupted, we may temporarily lose the ability to conduct certain business activities, which could impact our ability to serve our customers and meet our contractual, legal, or regulatory compliance obligations. Our businesses would also be harmed if our customers and potential customers believe our services are unreliable. Even though we have selected the third parties with which we do business carefully and have disaster recovery and business continuity arrangements, our services could be interrupted. Some of our third-party service providers may engage vendors of their own as they provide services or technology solutions for our operations, which introduces the same risks that these “fourth parties” could be the source of operational failures.
Third parties that facilitate our business activities, including exchanges, clearinghouses, payment networks, or financial intermediaries, could also be sources of operational risks to our businesses, including with respect to breakdowns or failures of their systems, misconduct by their employees, or cyberattacks that could affect their ability to deliver a product or service to us
or result in the loss or compromise of our information or the information of our customers. Our ability to implement backup systems or other safeguards with respect to third-party systems is limited. Furthermore, an attack on, or failure of, a third-party system may not be revealed to us in a timely manner, which could compromise our ability to respond effectively.
Our reliance on Amazon Web Services to deliver cloud computing services is significant, and any disruptions with our use of Amazon Web Services could adversely impact our business and operations.
Amazon Web Services ("AWS") provides infrastructure and software services for a significant amount of our technology products and services. As we continue to modernize our systems, the level of dependence on AWS' cloud services will grow. We also rely on AWS for our system backups and archive storage, and a substantial amount of our users' information and confidential business information is stored in the AWS cloud environment. Given that we contract with many third-party service providers and utilize third-party software applications that are also dependent on AWS, the stability and availability of AWS is critical to our business.
AWS' operations and facilities are susceptible to service interruptions and damage, and we have limited control over the AWS operations and facilities that support our business. We have implemented contingency plans for disaster recovery and business continuity but are limited in our ability to move quickly off AWS to another cloud service provider. Any disruption of or interference with our use of AWS could adversely impact our operations and our business. Any negative publicity arising from these disruptions could also harm our reputation and brand.
We must satisfy certain requirements necessary to maintain the federal guarantees of our federally insured loans and the federally insured loans that we service for third parties, and we may incur penalties or lose our guarantees if we fail to meet these requirements.
As of December 31, 2021, we serviced $26.9 billion of FFELP loans that maintained a federal guarantee, of which $14.6 billion and $12.3 billion were owned by us and third-party entities, respectively. We must meet various requirements in order to maintain the federal guarantee on federally insured loans, which is conditional based on compliance with origination, servicing, and collection policies set by the Department and guaranty agencies. If we misinterpret Department guidance, or incorrectly apply the Higher Education Act, the Department could determine that we are not in compliance. Federally insured loans that are not originated, disbursed, or serviced in accordance with the Department's and guaranty agency regulations may risk partial or complete loss of the guarantee. If we experience a high rate of servicing deficiencies (including any deficiencies resulting from the conversion of loans from one servicing platform to another, errors in the loan origination process, establishment of the borrower's repayment status, and due diligence or claim filing processes), it could result in the loan guarantee being revoked or denied. In most cases we have the opportunity to cure these deficiencies by following a prescribed cure process which usually involves obtaining the borrower's reaffirmation of the debt. However, not all deficiencies can be cured.
A guaranty agency may also assess an interest penalty upon claim payment if the deficiency does not result in a loan rejection. These interest penalties are not subject to cure provisions and are typically related to isolated instances of due diligence deficiencies. Additionally, we may become ineligible for special allowance payment benefits from the time of the first deficiency leading to the loan rejection through the date that the loan is cured.
As FFELP loan holders, servicers, and guaranty agencies exit the loan program and consolidation within the industry takes place, this increases the complexity of servicing and claim filing due to the amount of loan servicing and loan guaranty transfers and the opportunity for errors at the time a claim is filed.
Failure to comply with federal and guarantor regulations may result in fines, penalties, the loss of the insurance and related federal guarantees on affected FFELP loans, the loss of special allowance payment benefits, expenses required to cure servicing deficiencies, suspension or termination of the right to participate as a FFELP servicer, negative publicity, and potential legal claims, including potential claims by our servicing customers if they lose the federal guarantee on loans that we service for them. If we are subjected to significant fines, or loss of insurance or guarantees on a material number of FFELP loans, or if we lose our ability to service FFELP loans, it could have a material, negative impact on our business, financial condition, or results of operations.
Our servicing contracts with the Department of Education expose us to additional risks inherent in government contracts and our third-party FFELP loan servicing business is subject to additional risks inherent in government programs.
The Federal government could engage in a prolonged debate linking the federal deficit, debt ceiling, government shutdown, and other budget issues. If U.S. lawmakers in the future fail to reach agreement on these issues, the federal government could stop or delay payment on its obligations. Further, legislation to address the federal deficit and spending could impose proposals that would adversely affect the FFEL and Federal Direct Loan Programs' servicing businesses.
We contract with the Department to administer loans held by the Department in both the FFEL and Federal Direct Loan Programs, we own a portfolio of FFELP loans, and we service our FFELP loans and loans for third parties. These loan programs are authorized by the Higher Education Act and are subject to periodic reauthorization and changes to the programs by the Administration and U.S. Congress. Any changes, including the potential for borrowers to refinance loans via Direct Consolidation Loans, or broad loan forgiveness, could have a material impact to our cash flows from servicing, interest income, and operating margins. For example, a broad student loan debt cancellation program by the government could result in a significant decrease in our Department servicing revenues and our revenues for servicing FFELP loans for third parties, and even if a broad debt cancellation program only applied to student loans held by the Department, such program could result in a significant increase in consolidations of FFELP loans held by third parties to Federal Direct Loan Program loans, and thus an associated decrease in our third-party FFELP loan servicing revenues.
Government entities in the United States often reserve the right to audit contract costs and conduct inquiries and investigations of business practices. These entities also conduct reviews and investigations and make inquiries regarding systems, including systems of third parties, used in connection with the performance of the contracts. Negative findings from audits, investigations, or inquiries could affect the contractor’s future revenues and profitability. If improper or illegal activities are found in the course of government audits or investigations, we could become subject to various civil and criminal penalties, including those under the civil U.S. False Claims Act. Additionally, we may be subject to administrative sanctions, which may include termination or non-renewal of contracts, forfeiture of profits, suspension of payments, fines and suspensions, or debarment from doing business with other agencies of that government. Due to the inherent limitations of internal controls, it may not be possible to detect or prevent all improper or illegal activities.
The Government could change governmental policies, programs, regulatory environments, spending sentiment, and many other factors and conditions, some of which could adversely impact our business, financial condition, and results of operations. We cannot predict how or what programs or policies will be impacted by the federal government. The conditions described above could impact not only our contracts with the Department, but also other existing or future contracts with government or commercial entities.
Our ability to continue to grow and maintain our contracts with commercial businesses and government agencies is partly dependent on our ability to maintain compliance with various laws, regulations, and industry standards applicable to those contracts.
We are subject to various laws, regulations, and industry standards related to our commercial and government contracts. In most cases, these contracts are subject to termination rights, audits, and investigations. The laws and regulations that impact our operating segments are outlined in Part I, Item 1, “Regulation and Supervision.” Additionally, our contracts with the federal government require that we maintain internal controls in accordance with the National Institute of Standards and Technologies (“NIST”) and our operating segments that utilize payment cards are subject to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (“PCI DSS”). If we are found to be in noncompliance with the contract provisions or applicable laws, regulations, or standards, or the contracted party exercises its termination or other rights for that or other reasons, our reputation could be negatively affected, and our ability to compete for new contracts or maintain existing contracts could diminish. If this were to occur, our results of operations from existing contracts and future opportunities for new contracts could be negatively affected.
The failure to safeguard the privacy of personal information could result in significant legal and reputational harm.
We are subject to complex and evolving laws and regulations, both inside and outside of the United States, governing the privacy and protection of personal information of individuals. The protected individuals can include our customers, employees, and the customers and employees of our clients, vendors, counterparties, and other third parties. Ensuring the collection, use, transfer, and storage of personal information complies with applicable laws and regulations in relevant jurisdictions can increase operating costs, impact the development of new products or services, and reduce operational efficiency. Any mishandling or misuse of the personal information of customers, employees, or others by us or a third party affiliate could expose us to litigation or regulatory fines, penalties, or other sanctions. Additional risks could arise if we or an affiliated third party do not provide adequate disclosure or transparency to our customers about the personal information collected from them and its use; fail to receive, document, and honor the privacy preferences expressed by customers; fail to protect personal information from unauthorized disclosure; or fail to maintain proper training on privacy practices for all employees or third parties who have access to personal data. Concerns regarding the effectiveness of our measures to safeguard personal information and abide by privacy preferences, or even the perception that those measures are inadequate, could cause the loss of existing or potential customers and thereby reduce our revenue. In addition, any failure or perceived failure to comply with applicable privacy or data protection laws and regulations could result in requirements to modify or cease certain operations or practices, and/or significant liabilities, regulatory fines, penalties, and other sanctions. The regulatory framework for privacy issues is evolving and is likely to continue doing so for the foreseeable future, which creates uncertainty. Because the interpretation and application of privacy and data protection laws and privacy standards are still uncertain, it is possible that
these laws or privacy standards may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent with our practices. Any inability to adequately address privacy concerns, even if unfounded, or to comply with applicable privacy or data protection laws, regulations, and privacy standards, could result in additional cost and liability for us, damage our reputation, and harm our business.
The failure of Nelnet Bank to achieve business plan results and effectively deploy loan and deposit strategies in accordance with regulatory requirements and its business plan could adversely affect the Bank’s success during its three-year de novo period.
On November 2, 2020, Nelnet Bank, our banking subsidiary, launched operations. Nelnet Bank operates as an internet Utah-chartered industrial bank franchise focused on the private education loan marketplace. Nelnet Bank was funded by us with an initial capital contribution of $100.0 million, consisting of $55.9 million in cash and $44.1 million of student loan asset-backed securities. In addition, we made a pledged deposit of $40.0 million with Nelnet Bank, as required under an agreement with the FDIC.
The regulatory landscape surrounding industrial banks continues to be scrutinized and banking policy changes may be difficult to predict in advance. Nelnet Bank monitors the regulatory environment and any related changes that may impact the charter or its operations. Nelnet Bank established a three-year business plan, which requires ongoing monitoring to ensure alignment to financial and asset targets as well as other commitments. Failure to meet these targets and commitments could jeopardize the success and profitability of Nelnet Bank.
The banking industry is highly regulated, and the regulatory framework, together with any future legislative changes, may have a significant adverse effect on Nelnet Bank’s operations. Nelnet Bank’s current product offerings are primarily concentrated in loan products for higher education, with expected expansion in alignment with the business plan to unsecured consumer lending. Such concentrations and the competitive environment for those products subject the bank to risks that could adversely affect its financial position. Consumer access to alternative means of financing, the costs of education, and other factors may reduce demand for, or adversely affect Nelnet Bank’s ability to, retain private education loans.
Prior to FDIC approval, Nelnet Bank, Nelnet, Inc. (the parent), and Michael S. Dunlap (Nelnet, Inc.’s controlling shareholder) entered into a Capital and Liquidity Maintenance Agreement and a Parent Company Agreement with the FDIC in connection with Nelnet, Inc.’s role as a source of financial strength for Nelnet Bank. For additional information, see the MD&A - “Liquidity and Capital Resources - Liquidity Impact Related to Nelnet Bank.” However, any failure to meet minimum capital requirements and FDIC regulations can initiate certain mandatory and possibly additional discretionary actions by regulators that, if undertaken, could have material adverse effect on Nelnet Bank’s business, results of operations, and financial condition.
Our failure to successfully manage business and certain asset acquisitions and other investments could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and/or results of operations.
We have expanded our services and products through business acquisitions, and we may acquire other new businesses, products, and services, or enhance existing businesses, products, and services, or make other investments to further diversify our businesses both within and outside of our historical education-related businesses, through acquisitions of other companies, product lines, technologies, and personnel, or through investments in new asset classes. Any acquisition or investment is subject to a number of risks. Such risks may include diversion of management time and resources, disruption of our ongoing businesses, difficulties in integrating acquisitions (including potential delays or errors in converting loan servicing portfolio acquisitions to our servicing platform), loss of key employees, degradation of services, difficulty expanding information technology systems and other business processes to incorporate the acquired businesses, extensive regulatory requirements, dilution to existing shareholders if our common stock is issued in consideration for an acquisition or investment, incurring or assuming indebtedness or other liabilities in connection with an acquisition, unexpected declines in real estate values or the failure to realize expected benefits from real estate development projects, lack of familiarity with new markets, and difficulties in supporting new product lines. Our failure to successfully manage acquisitions or investments, or successfully integrate acquisitions, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and/or results of operations. Correspondingly, our expectations as to the accretive nature of the acquisitions or investments could be inaccurate.
Our significant investments in ALLO and Hudl are subject to a number of risks, including macroeconomic conditions, competition, political and regulatory requirements, technology advancements, cybersecurity threats, retention of key personnel, and other risks. ALLO derives its revenue primarily from the sale of telecommunication services, which are subject to intense competition and extensive federal, state, and local regulations. Additionally, our investment in ALLO is dependent on ALLO maintaining and expanding its infrastructure and continuing to increase market share in existing and new markets. Hudl’s sports performance analysis business is subject to global market conditions, new competition, advancements in technology, and continued demand for their products and services.
The operating results of these companies could impact the valuation of these investments on our financial statements, and we may not be able to fully monetize these investments without a liquidation event.
Geopolitical risks, such as those associated with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, could result in a decline in the outlook for the U.S. and global economies.
The uncertain nature, magnitude, and duration of hostilities stemming from Russia’s recent military invasion of Ukraine, including the potential effects of sanctions and retaliatory cyber-attacks on the world economy and markets, have contributed to increased market volatility and uncertainty, and such geopolitical risks could have an adverse impact on macroeconomic factors which affect our assets and businesses.
Regulatory and Legal
Federal and state laws and regulations can restrict our businesses and result in increased compliance expenses, and noncompliance with these laws and regulations could result in penalties, litigation, reputation damage, and a loss of customers.
Our operating segments are heavily regulated by federal and state government regulatory agencies. See Part I, Item 1, "Regulation and Supervision." The laws and regulations enforced by these agencies are proposed or enacted to protect consumers and the financial industry as a whole, not necessarily us, our operating segments, or our shareholders. We have procedures and controls in place to monitor compliance with numerous federal and state laws and regulations. However, because these laws and regulations are complex, differ between jurisdictions, and are often subject to interpretation, or as a result of unintended errors, we may, from time to time, inadvertently be in non-compliance with these laws and regulations. Compliance with these laws and regulations is expensive and requires the time and attention of management. These costs divert capital and focus away from efforts intended to grow our business. If we do not successfully comply with laws, regulations, or policies, we could incur fines or penalties, lose existing or new customer contracts or other business, and suffer damage to our reputation. Changes in these laws and regulations can significantly alter our business environment, limit business operations, and increase costs of doing business, and we cannot predict the impact such changes would have on our profitability.
For example, the CFPB has the authority to supervise, examine, and investigate large nonbank student loan servicers, including us. If the CFPB were to determine that we were not in compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and CFPB guidance, it is possible that this could result in material adverse consequences, including, without limitation, settlements, fines, penalties, public enforcement actions, adverse regulatory actions, changes in our business practices, or other actions. The CFPB has also issued student loan servicing rules since its inception and continues to review servicing areas where new guidance or rules may be issued in the future.
There continues to be uncertainty regarding how the CFPB's recommendations, strategies, and priorities will impact our businesses and our results of operations going forward. Actions by the CFPB could result in requirements to alter our services, causing them to be less attractive or effective and impair our ability to offer them profitably. In the event that the CFPB changes regulations adopted in the past by other regulators, or modifies past regulatory guidance, our compliance costs and litigation exposure could increase.
Several states have enacted laws regulating and monitoring the activity of student loan servicers. For additional information, including risks to us from such state laws, see the paragraph beginning with the same sentence as the immediately preceding sentence that is set forth in Part I, Item 1, “Regulation and Supervision - Loan Servicing and Systems.”
As a result of the Reconciliation Act of 2010, our existing FFELP loan portfolio will continue to decline over time.
The Reconciliation Act of 2010 discontinued new loan originations under the FFEL Program and requires all new federal loan originations to be made through the Federal Direct Loan Program. Although the new law did not alter or affect the terms and conditions of existing FFELP loans, interest income related to existing FFELP loans will decline over time as existing FFELP loans are paid down, refinanced, or repaid by guaranty agencies after default. We currently believe that in the short term we will not be able to invest the excess cash generated from the FFELP loan portfolio into assets that immediately generate the rates of return historically realized from that portfolio. If we are unable to grow or develop new revenue streams, our consolidated revenue and operating margin will decrease as a result of the decline in FFELP loan volume outstanding.
Exposure related to certain tax issues could decrease our net income.
Federal and state income tax laws and regulations are often complex and require interpretation. From time to time, we engage in transactions in which the tax consequences may be subject to uncertainty. Significant judgment is required in assessing and estimating the tax consequences of these transactions. We prepare and file tax returns based on the interpretation of tax laws
and regulations. In the normal course of business, our tax returns are subject to examination by various taxing authorities. Such examinations may result in future tax and interest assessments by these authorities. In accordance with authoritative accounting guidance, we establish reserves for tax contingencies related to deductions and credits that we may be unable to sustain. Differences between the reserves for tax contingencies and the amounts ultimately owed are recorded in the period they become known. Adjustments to our reserves could have a material effect on our financial statements.
We may also be impacted by changes in tax laws, including tax rate changes, new tax laws, and subsequent interpretations of tax laws by federal and state tax authorities. For example, any future tax legislation increasing the corporate federal income tax rate and/or limiting deductions could have a negative impact on the Company’s financial results. In addition, several states are in a deficit position. Accordingly, states may look to expand their taxable base, alter their tax calculation, or increase tax rates, which could result in an additional cost to the Company.
In addition to corporate tax matters, as both a lender and servicer of student loans, we are required to report student loan interest received and cancellation of indebtedness to individuals and the Internal Revenue Service on an annual basis. These informational forms assist individuals in complying with their federal and state income tax obligations. The statutory and regulatory guidance regarding the calculations, recipients, and timing are complex and we know that interpretations of these rules vary across the industry. The complexity and volume associated with these informational forms creates a risk of error which could result in penalties or damage to our reputation.
We invest in certain tax-advantaged projects promoting renewable energy resources (solar projects). Our investments in these projects are designed to generate a return primarily through the realization of federal income tax credits, operating cash flows, and other tax benefits, over specified time periods. Our investments in these projects may not generate returns as anticipated and may have an adverse impact on our financial results. We are subject to the risk that tax credits recorded currently and previously, which remain subject to recapture by taxing authorities based on compliance features required to be met at the project level, will fail to meet certain government compliance requirements and will not be able to be realized. The possible inability to realize these tax credits and other tax benefits can have a negative impact on our financial results. The risk of not being able to realize the tax credits and other tax benefits depends on many factors outside of our control, including changes in the applicable tax code and the ability of the projects to continue operation.
Principal Shareholder and Related Party Transactions
Our Executive Chairman beneficially owns 81.8 percent of the voting rights of our shareholders and effectively has control over all of our matters.
Michael S. Dunlap, our Executive Chairman and a principal shareholder, beneficially owns 81.8 percent of the voting rights of our shareholders. Accordingly, each member of the Board of Directors and each member of management has been elected or effectively appointed by Mr. Dunlap and can be removed by Mr. Dunlap. As a result, Mr. Dunlap, as Executive Chairman and controlling shareholder, has control over all of our matters and has the ability to take actions that benefit him, but may not benefit other minority shareholders, and may otherwise exercise his control in a manner with which other minority shareholders may not agree or which they may not consider to be in their best interests.
Our contractual arrangements and transactions with Union Bank and Trust Company ("Union Bank"), which is under common control with us, present conflicts of interest and pose risks to our shareholders that the terms may not be as favorable to us as we could receive from unrelated third parties.
Union Bank is controlled by Farmers & Merchants Investment Inc. ("F&M"), which owns 81.5 percent of Union Bank's common stock and 15.5 percent of Union Bank's non-voting non-convertible preferred stock. Certain grantor retained annuity trusts established by Mr. Dunlap, a controlling shareholder as well as Executive Chairman of our Board of Directors, and his spouse own a total of 50.4 percent of F&M’s outstanding voting common stock, and a certain grantor retained annuity trust established by Mr. Dunlap’s sister, Angela L. Muhleisen, owns 49.2 percent of F&M’s outstanding voting common stock. In addition, Mr. Dunlap and his family and Ms. Muhleisen and her family own a total of 8.9 percent and 7.9 percent, respectively, of F&M’s outstanding non-voting preferred stock, which amounts are convertible into shares of F&M common stock which would currently represent an additional 3.0 percent and 2.8 percent, respectively, of F&M’s outstanding common stock on an as converted basis. Mr. Dunlap serves as a Director and Chairman of F&M, and as a Director of Union Bank. Ms. Muhleisen serves as a Director and Chief Executive Officer of F&M and as a Director, Chairperson, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Union Bank. Union Bank is deemed to have beneficial ownership of a significant number of shares of Nelnet because it serves in a capacity of trustee or account manager for various trusts and accounts holding shares of Nelnet and may share voting and/or investment power with respect to such shares. As of December 31, 2021, Union Bank was deemed to beneficially own 9.8 percent of the voting rights of our outstanding common stock, and Mr. Dunlap and Ms. Muhleisen beneficially owned
81.8 percent and 11.8 percent, respectively, of the voting rights of our outstanding common stock (with certain shares deemed under applicable SEC rules to be beneficially owned by both Mr. Dunlap and Ms. Muhleisen).
We have entered into, and intend to continue entering into, certain contractual arrangements with Union Bank, including loan purchases, loan servicing, loan participations, banking and lending services, 529 Plan administration services, lease arrangements, trustee services, and various other investment and advisory services. The net aggregate impact on our consolidated statements of income for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020, and 2019 related to the transactions with Union Bank was income (before income taxes) of $11.0 million, $15.4 million, and $9.7 million, respectively. See note 21 of the notes to consolidated financial statements included in this report for additional information related to the transactions between us and Union Bank.
We intend to maintain our relationship with Union Bank, which our management believes provides certain benefits to us. Those benefits include Union Bank's knowledge of and experience in the FFELP industry, its willingness to provide services, and at times liquidity and capital resources, on an expedient basis, and its proximity to our corporate headquarters in Lincoln, Nebraska.
The majority of the transactions and arrangements with Union Bank are not offered to unrelated third parties or subject to competitive bids. Accordingly, these transactions and arrangements not only present conflicts of interest, but also pose the risk to our shareholders that the terms of such transactions and arrangements may not be as favorable to us as we could receive from unrelated third parties. Moreover, we may have and/or may enter into contracts and business transactions with related parties that benefit Mr. Dunlap and his sister, as well as other related parties, that may not benefit us and/or our minority shareholders.

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ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
The Company has no unresolved comments from the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding its periodic or current reports under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
The Company's headquarters are located in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Company owns or leases office space facilities primarily in Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Colorado.
The Company believes its existing office space facilities and equipment, which are used by all reportable segments, are in good operating condition and are suitable for the conduct of its business.

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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
Note 23, “Legal Proceedings,” of the notes to consolidated financial statements included in this report is incorporated herein by reference.

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ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not applicable.
PART II.

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ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS, AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
The Company's Class A common stock is listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “NNI,” while its Class B common stock is not publicly traded. The number of holders of record of the Company's Class A common stock and Class B common stock as of January 31, 2022 was 1,477 and 72, respectively. The record holders of the Class B common stock are Michael S. Dunlap, Shelby J. Butterfield, various members of the Dunlap and Butterfield families, and various other estate planning trusts established by and/or entities controlled by them. Because many shares of the Company's Class A common stock are held by brokers and other institutions on behalf of shareholders, the Company is unable to estimate the total number of beneficial owners represented by these record holders.
The Company paid quarterly cash dividends on its Class A and Class B common stock during the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2021 in amounts totaling $0.82 per share and $0.90 per share, respectively. The Company currently plans to continue making comparable regular quarterly dividend payments, subject to future earnings, capital requirements, financial condition, and other factors.
Performance Graph
The following graph compares the change in the cumulative total shareholder return on the Company's Class A common stock to that of the cumulative return of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Financials Index. The graph assumes that the value of an investment in the Company's Class A common stock and each index was $100 on December 31, 2016 and that all dividends, if applicable, were reinvested. The performance shown in the graph represents past performance and should not be considered an indication of future performance.
Company/Index 12/31/2016
12/31/2017
12/31/2018
12/31/2019
12/31/2020
12/31/2021
Nelnet, Inc. $ 100.00 $ 109.27 $ 105.62 $ 118.96 $ 147.56 $ 204.66
S&P 500 100.00 121.83 116.49 153.17 181.35 233.41
S&P 500 Financials 100.00 122.18 106.26 140.40 138.02 186.38
The preceding information under the caption “Performance Graph” shall be deemed to be “furnished” but not “filed” with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Stock Repurchases
The following table summarizes the repurchases of Class A common stock during the fourth quarter of 2021 by the Company or any “affiliated purchaser” of the Company, as defined in Rule 10b-18(a)(3) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Certain share repurchases included in the table below were made pursuant to a trading plan adopted by the Company in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
Period Total number of shares purchased (a) Average price paid per share Total number of shares purchased as part of publicly announced plans or programs (b) Maximum number of shares that may yet be purchased under the plans or programs (b)
October 1 - October 31, 2021 - $ - - 2,909,015
November 1 - November 30, 2021 145,626 87.83 145,626 2,763,389
December 1 - December 31, 2021 194,987 91.46 191,709 2,571,680
Total 340,613 $ 89.91 337,335
(a) The total number of shares includes: (i) shares repurchased pursuant to the stock repurchase program discussed in footnote (b) below; and (ii) shares owned and tendered by employees to satisfy tax withholding obligations upon the vesting of restricted shares. Shares of Class A common stock tendered by employees to satisfy tax withholding obligations included 3,278 shares in December 2021. Unless otherwise indicated, shares owned and tendered by employees to satisfy tax withholding obligations were purchased at the closing price of the Company’s shares on the date of vesting.
(b) On May 8, 2019, the Company announced that its Board of Directors authorized a new stock repurchase program to repurchase up to a total of five million shares of the Company's Class A common stock during the three-year period ending May 7, 2022.
Equity Compensation Plans
For information regarding the securities authorized for issuance under the Company's equity compensation plans, see Part III, Item 12 of this report.

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ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
ITEM 6. [RESERVED]

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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
(Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations is for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020. All dollars are in thousands, except share data, unless otherwise noted.)
The following discussion and analysis provides information that the Company’s management believes is relevant to an assessment and understanding of the consolidated results of operations and financial condition of the Company. The discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with the Company’s consolidated financial statements and related notes included in this report. This discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements subject to various risks and uncertainties and should be read in conjunction with the disclosures and information contained in "Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements" and Item 1A "Risk Factors" included in this report.
A discussion related to the results of operations and changes in financial condition for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the year ended December 31, 2020 is presented below. A discussion related to the results of operations and changes in financial condition for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to the year ended December 31, 2019 can be found in Part II, Item 7. "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in the Company's 2020 Annual Report on Form 10-K, which was filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on February 25, 2021.
OVERVIEW
The Company is a diverse, innovative company with a purpose to serve others and a vision to make dreams possible. The largest operating businesses engage in loan servicing and education technology, services, and payment processing, and the Company also has a significant investment in communications. A significant portion of the Company's revenue is net interest income earned on a portfolio of federally insured student loans. The Company also makes investments to further diversify both within and outside of its historical core education-related businesses including, but not limited to, investments in early-stage and emerging growth companies, real estate, and renewable energy (solar).
The Company was formed as a Nebraska corporation in 1978 to service federal student loans for two local banks. The Company built on this initial foundation as a servicer to become a leading originator, holder, and servicer of federal student loans, principally consisting of loans originated under the FFEL Program.
The Reconciliation Act of 2010 discontinued new loan originations under the FFEL Program, effective July 1, 2010, and requires all new federal student loan originations be made directly by the Department through the Federal Direct Loan Program. As a result, the Company no longer originates FFELP loans. However, a significant portion of the Company's income continues to be derived from its existing FFELP student loan portfolio. Interest income on the Company's existing FFELP loan portfolio will decline over time as the portfolio is paid down. Since all FFELP loans will eventually run off, a key objective of the Company is to reposition itself for the post-FFELP environment.
To reduce its reliance on interest income from FFELP loans, the Company has expanded its services and products. This expansion has been accomplished through internal growth and innovation as well as business and certain investment acquisitions. The Company is also actively expanding its private education and consumer loan portfolios, and in November 2020 launched Nelnet Bank. In addition, the Company has been servicing federally owned student loans for the Department since 2009.
Liquidity
The Company intends to use its strong liquidity position, as summarized below, to continue to provide and expand its products and services and capitalize on market opportunities, including FFELP, private education, and consumer loan acquisitions (or investment interests therein); strategic acquisitions and investments; and capital management initiatives, including stock repurchases, debt repurchases, and dividend distributions.
•As of December 31, 2021, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of $125.6 million. Cash held by Nelnet Bank is generally not available for Company activities outside of Nelnet Bank. Excluding Nelnet Bank, cash and cash equivalents as of December 31, 2021 was $99.4 million.
•The Company has historically generated positive cash flow from operations. For the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company’s net cash provided by operating activities was $544.9 million.
•The Company has a $495.0 million unsecured line of credit with a maturity date of September 22, 2026. As of December 31, 2021, there was no amount outstanding on the unsecured line of credit and $495.0 million was available for future use. The line of credit provides that the Company may increase the aggregate financing commitments, through the existing lenders and/or through new lenders, up to a total of $737.5 million, subject to certain conditions.
•The majority of the Company’s portfolio of student loans is funded in asset-backed securitizations that will generate significant earnings and cash flow over the life of these transactions. As of December 31, 2021, the Company currently expects future undiscounted cash flows from its securitization portfolio to be approximately $1.88 billion, of which approximately $1.29 billion will be generated over the next five years.
GAAP Net Income and Non-GAAP Net Income, Excluding Adjustments
The Company prepares its financial statements and presents its financial results in accordance with GAAP. However, it also provides additional non-GAAP financial information related to specific items management believes to be important in the evaluation of its operating results and performance. A reconciliation of the Company's GAAP net income to net income, excluding derivative market value adjustments, and a discussion of why the Company believes providing this additional information is useful to investors, is provided below.
Year ended December 31,
2021 2020
GAAP net income attributable to Nelnet, Inc.
$ 393,286 352,443
Realized and unrealized derivative market value adjustments
(92,813) 28,144
Tax effect (a)
22,275 (6,755)
Net income attributable to Nelnet, Inc., excluding derivative market value adjustments (b)
$ 322,748 373,832
Earnings per share:
GAAP net income attributable to Nelnet, Inc.
$ 10.20 9.02
Realized and unrealized derivative market value adjustments
(2.41) 0.72
Tax effect (a)
0.58 (0.17)
Net income attributable to Nelnet, Inc., excluding derivative market value adjustments (b)
$ 8.37 9.57
(a) The tax effects are calculated by multiplying the realized and unrealized derivative market value adjustments by the applicable statutory income tax rate.
(b) "Derivative market value adjustments" includes both the realized portion of gains and losses (corresponding to variation margin received or paid on derivative instruments that are settled daily at a central clearinghouse) and the unrealized portion of gains and losses that are caused by changes in fair values of derivatives which do not qualify for "hedge treatment" under GAAP. "Derivative market value adjustments" does not include "derivative settlements" that represent the cash paid or received during the current period to settle with derivative instrument counterparties the economic effect of the Company's derivative instruments based on their contractual terms.
The accounting for derivatives requires that changes in the fair value of derivative instruments be recognized currently in earnings, with no fair value adjustment of the hedged item, unless specific hedge accounting criteria is met. Management has structured all of the Company’s derivative transactions with the intent that each is economically effective; however, the Company’s derivative instruments do not qualify for hedge accounting. As a result, the change in fair value of derivative instruments is reported in current period earnings with no consideration for the corresponding change in fair value of the hedged item. Under GAAP, the cumulative net realized and unrealized gain or loss caused by changes in fair values of derivatives in which the Company plans to hold to maturity will equal zero over the life of the contract. However, the net realized and unrealized gain or loss during any given reporting period fluctuates significantly from period to period.
The Company believes these point-in-time estimates of asset and liability values related to its derivative instruments that are subject to interest rate fluctuations are subject to volatility mostly due to timing and market factors beyond the control of management, and affect the period-to-period comparability of the results of operations. Accordingly, the Company’s management utilizes operating results excluding these items for comparability purposes when making decisions regarding the Company’s performance and in presentations with credit rating agencies, lenders, and investors. Consequently, the Company reports this non-GAAP information because the Company believes that it provides additional information regarding operational and performance indicators that are closely assessed by management. There is no comprehensive, authoritative guidance for the presentation of such non-GAAP information, which is only meant to supplement GAAP results by providing additional information that management utilizes to assess performance.
Operating Segments
The Company earns net interest income on its loan portfolio, consisting primarily of FFELP loans, in its Asset Generation and Management ("AGM") operating segment. This segment is expected to generate a stable net interest margin and significant amounts of cash as the FFELP portfolio amortizes. As of December 31, 2021, AGM had a $17.4 billion loan portfolio that management anticipates will amortize over the next approximately 15 years and has a weighted average remaining life of approximately 8 years. The Company actively works to maximize the amount and timing of cash flows generated by its FFELP portfolio and seeks to acquire additional loan assets to leverage its servicing scale and expertise to generate incremental earnings and cash flow.
In addition, the Company earns fee-based revenue through the following reportable operating segments:
•Loan Servicing and Systems ("LSS") - referred to as Nelnet Diversified Services ("NDS"), which includes the operations of Nelnet Servicing and Great Lakes
•Education Technology, Services, and Payment Processing ("ETS&PP") - referred to as Nelnet Business Services ("NBS")
Further, the Company earned communications revenue through ALLO, formerly a majority-owned subsidiary of the Company prior to a recapitalization of ALLO resulting in the deconsolidation of ALLO from the Company’s financial statements on December 21, 2020. The recapitalization of ALLO was not considered a strategic shift in the Company’s involvement with ALLO, and ALLO’s results of operations, prior to the deconsolidation, are presented by the Company as a reportable operating segment.
On November 2, 2020, the Company obtained final approval for federal deposit insurance from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation ("FDIC") and for a bank charter from the Utah Department of Financial Institutions ("UDFI") in connection with the establishment of Nelnet Bank, and Nelnet Bank launched operations. Nelnet Bank operates as an internet industrial bank franchise focused on the private education loan marketplace, with a home office in Salt Lake City, Utah. Nelnet Bank’s operations are presented by the Company as a reportable operating segment.
Other business activities and operating segments that are not reportable are combined and included in Corporate and Other Activities ("Corporate"). Corporate and Other Activities also includes income earned on certain investments and interest expense incurred on unsecured and other corporate related debt transactions. In addition, the Corporate segment includes direct incremental costs associated with Nelnet Bank prior to the UDFI’s approval for its bank charter, and certain shared service and support costs incurred by the Company that will not be reflected in Nelnet Bank’s operating results through 2023 (the bank’s de novo period). Such Nelnet Bank-related costs included in the Corporate segment totaled $3.4 million (pre-tax) and $6.0 million (pre-tax) in 2021 and 2020, respectively.
The information below provides the operating results (net income before taxes) for each reportable operating segment and Corporate and Other Activities for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020. See “Results of Operations” for each such reportable operating segment (except for ALLO, which was deconsolidated from the Company’s financial statements in December 2020).
Year ended December 31, Certain Items Impacting Comparability (a)
2021 2020 Results in 2021 were impacted by: Results in 2020 were impacted by:
NDS $ 62,445 53,375 •Impairment charges on owned buildings of $13.2 million due to continued evaluation of office space needs as employees continue to work from home due to COVID-19
NBS 72,713 66,200 •A full year of operating results from the December 31, 2020 acquisitions of HigherSchool and CD2
ALLO (prior to deconsolidation) - (33,188)
AGM 423,616 162,703 •Income of $92.8 million related to changes in the fair value of derivative instruments that do not qualify for hedge accounting
•Negative provision for loan losses of $13.2 million due primarily to improved economic conditions throughout 2021 as compared to December 31, 2020
•Gains from the sale of consumer loans of $18.7 million
•A net gain of $32.9 million related to the Company’s joint venture to acquire Wells Fargo’s private education student loan portfolio. See “2021 Transactions Related to the Private Education Loan Portfolio Sold by Wells Fargo” below
•A decrease of $23.8 million in interest expense as a result of reversing a historical accrued interest liability on certain bonds (initially recorded when certain asset-backed securitizations were acquired in 2011 and 2013), which liability the Company determined is no longer probable of being required to be paid
•A loss of $28.1 million related to changes in the fair value of derivative instruments that do not qualify for hedge accounting
•Provision expense for loan losses of $63.0 million as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on economic conditions
•Gains from the sale of consumer loans of $33.0 million
•An impairment expense, net of recoveries, of $16.6 million related to the Company’s beneficial interest in consumer loan securitization investments as a result of the estimated impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic
Nelnet Bank (792) (80)
Corporate (55,875) 201,477 •Net investment gains and income of $58.7 million, including $28.8 million from venture capital investments, $22.3 million related to real estate, and $7.6 million related to asset-backed securities (bonds) and marketable equity securities
•A loss of $42.1 million related to the Company’s voting membership interest investment in ALLO
•A loss of $10.1 million from solar investments (b)
•A gain of $50.1 million to adjust the carrying value of the Company’s investment in Hudl to reflect Hudl’s May 2020 equity raise transaction value
•A gain of $258.6 million from the deconsolidation of ALLO
•A loss of $37.4 million from solar investments (b)
Net income before taxes 502,105 450,486
Income tax expense (115,822) (100,860)
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests (b) 7,003 2,817
Net income $ 393,286 352,443
(a) All dollar amounts for those items impacting comparability in 2021 and 2020 are pre-tax.
(b) Losses from solar investments in 2021 and 2020 include losses of $7.1 million and $3.8 million, respectively, attributable to third-party minority interest investors in solar projects that are included in “net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests” in the table above.
Recent Transactions / Developments
2021 Transactions Related to the Private Education Loan Portfolio Sold by Wells Fargo
In December 2020, Wells Fargo announced the sale of its approximately $10.0 billion portfolio of private education loans representing approximately 445,000 borrowers. The Company entered into a joint venture with other investors to acquire the loans, and under the joint venture, the Company had an approximately 8 percent interest in the loans and has a corresponding 8 percent interest in residual interests in the 2021 securitizations of the loans discussed below. In conjunction with the sale, the Company was selected as servicer of the portfolio. During March and throughout the second quarter of 2021, the vast majority of the borrowers were converted to the Company’s servicing platform. The joint venture established a limited partnership that purchased the private education loans and funded such loans with a temporary warehouse facility.
During 2021, the joint venture completed four asset-backed securitization transactions to permanently finance a total of $8.7 billion of the private education loans purchased by the joint venture (which represented the total remaining loans originally purchased from Wells Fargo, factoring in borrower payments from the date of purchase). The Company is accounting for its approximately 8 percent residual interest in these securitizations as held-to-maturity beneficial interest investments. These investments are reflected on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet as "investments." On behalf of the joint venture, the Company is the sponsor and administrator for these loan securitizations. As sponsor and administrator, the Company earns an annual fee of 10 to 10.75 basis points on the outstanding loan receivable balance in the securitizations. As sponsor, the Company is required to provide a certain level of risk retention, and the Company has purchased bonds issued in such securitizations to satisfy this requirement. The bonds purchased to satisfy the risk retention requirement are reflected on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet as "investments" and as of December 31, 2021, the fair value of these bonds was $412.6 million. The Company must retain these investment securities until the latest of (i) two years from the closing date of the securitization, (ii) the date the aggregate outstanding principal balance of the loans in the securitization is 33% or less of the initial loan balance, and (iii) the date the aggregate outstanding principal balance of the bonds is 33% or less of the aggregate initial outstanding principal balance of the bonds, at which time the Company can sell the investment securities (bonds) to a third party. The Company entered into repurchase agreements with third parties, the proceeds of which were used to purchase a portion of the asset-backed investments, and such investments serve as collateral on the repurchase obligations.
As of December 31, 2021, $483.8 million was outstanding on the Company’s repurchase agreements, of which $313.2 million was borrowed to fund the private education loan securitization bonds subject to the Company’s risk retention requirement. The repurchase agreements have various maturity dates between May 27, 2022 and December 20, 2023, but are subject to early termination upon required notice provided by the Company or the applicable counterparty prior to the maturity dates. The Company pays interest on amounts outstanding on the repurchase agreements based on LIBOR plus an applicable spread, and the Company is also required to pay additional cash in the event the fair value of the securities subject to a repurchase agreement becomes less than the original purchase price of such securities.
During the fourth quarter of 2021, the joint venture completed its fourth and final asset-backed securitization that permanently financed all remaining eligible loans temporarily funded in the joint venture limited partnership’s warehouse facility. The Company initially contributed $71.1 million in the joint venture. Cash distributions, the fair value of the Company’s portion of loans securitized as a result of securitizations, and the Company’s proportionate share of losses of this partnership were $52.1 million, $51.9 million, and $5.0 million, respectively, and reduced the Company’s carrying value of its limited partnership investment to a credit (negative) balance of $37.9 million. During the fourth quarter of 2021, the Company’s financial commitment to the limited partnership was terminated by the partners of the joint venture, and the Company recognized income of $37.9 million (pre-tax) associated with the termination.
COVID-19
Beginning in March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in many businesses and schools closing or reducing hours throughout the U.S. to combat the spread of COVID-19, and states and local jurisdictions implementing various containment efforts, including lockdowns on non-essential business and other business restrictions, stay-at-home orders, and shelter-in-place orders. The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant disruption to the U.S. and world economies, including significantly higher unemployment and underemployment and extreme volatility in the U.S. and world markets. These effects had an adverse impact on the Company’s results of operations and, if these effects result in sustained economic stress, they could have a future adverse impact on the Company in a number of ways, including wage inflation and cost of service delivery, rising interest rates due to market conditions or government policy or stimulus, and loan performance (where individual student and consumer borrowers experience financial hardship). Although certain business and economic conditions have improved since the pandemic began, significant uncertainties remain, including with respect to the effectiveness of vaccines against existing and new variant strains of the COVID-19 virus which could be vaccine resistant, the potential impacts of variations in vaccination rates among different geographical areas and demographic segments, vaccine mandates, booster vaccines, and the potential
impacts of potential additional future spikes in infection rates including through breakthrough infections among the fully vaccinated. In addition, a vast majority of the Company's employees continue to work from home, either full-time or dividing their work days between working from home and working in the office as the Company has offered employees flexibility in the amount of time they work in offices that were re-opened in 2021.
The results of operations discussion below should be read in conjunction with the information included in Item 1A, “Risk Factors - Operations - The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely impacted our results of operations, and either directly or indirectly through impacts on economic conditions or government policy could adversely impact our results of operations, businesses, financial condition, and/or cash flows going forward.”
CONSOLIDATED RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
An analysis of the Company's operating results for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to 2020 is provided below.
The Company’s operating results are primarily driven by the performance of its existing loan portfolio and the revenues generated by its fee-based businesses and the costs to provide such services. The performance of the Company’s portfolio is driven by net interest income (which includes financing costs) and losses related to credit quality of the assets, along with the cost to administer and service the assets and related debt.
The Company operates as distinct reportable operating segments as described above. For a reconciliation of the reportable segment operating results to the consolidated results of operations, see note 15 of the notes to consolidated financial statements included in this report. Since the Company monitors and assesses its operations and results based on these segments, the discussion following the consolidated results of operations is presented on a reportable segment basis (except for ALLO, which was deconsolidated from the Company's consolidated financial statements in December 2020).
Year ended December 31,
2021 2020 Additional information
Loan interest $ 482,337 595,113 Decrease was due primarily to decreases in the gross yield earned on loans and the average balance of loans, partially offset by an increase in gross fixed rate floor income due to lower interest rates in 2021 as compared to 2020. It is currently anticipated that interest rates may rise in 2022 as a result of inflationary pressures in the U.S. economy.
Investment interest 41,498 24,543 Includes income from unrestricted interest-earning deposits and investments and funds in asset-backed securitizations. Increase was due to an increase of student loan asset-backed securities investments (bonds) and interest income earned on loan beneficial interest investments, partially offset by a decrease in interest rates in 2021 as compared to 2020.
Total interest income 523,835 619,656
Interest expense 176,233 330,071 Decrease was due primarily to a decrease in cost of funds and a decrease in the average balance of debt outstanding. In addition, during the first quarter of 2021, the Company reduced interest expense by $23.8 million as a result of reversing a historical accrued interest liability on certain bonds, which liability the Company determined is no longer probable of being required to be paid. The liability was initially recorded when certain asset-backed securitizations were acquired in 2011 and 2013.
Net interest income 347,602 289,585
Less (negative provision) provision for loan losses (12,426) 63,360 Provision for loan losses in 2020 was impacted as a result of an increase in expected defaults due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on economic conditions. During 2021, the Company recorded a negative provision for loan losses due to management’s estimate of certain continued improved economic conditions as of December 31, 2021 in comparison to management’s estimate of economic conditions used to determine the allowance for loan losses as of December 31, 2020. The negative provision recognized in 2021 was partially offset by the establishment of an initial allowance for loans originated and acquired during 2021.
Net interest income after provision for loan losses 360,028 226,225
Other income/expense:
LSS revenue 486,363 451,561 See LSS operating segment - results of operations.
ETS&PP revenue 338,234 282,196 See ETS&PP operating segment - results of operations.
Communications revenue - 76,643 On December 21, 2020, the Company deconsolidated ALLO from the Company’s consolidated financial statements as a result of ALLO’s recapitalization. See note 2 “ALLO Recapitalization” in the notes to consolidated financial statements included in this report for additional information.
Other 78,681 57,561 See table below for components of “other.”
Gain on sale of loans 18,715 33,023 The Company sold $95.8 million (par value) and $185.0 million (par value) of consumer loans to an unrelated third party in 2021 and 2020, respectively, and recognized gains from such sales.
Gain from deconsolidation of ALLO - 258,588 On December 21, 2020, the Company deconsolidated ALLO from the Company’s consolidated financial statements as a result of ALLO’s recapitalization. See note 2 “ALLO Recapitalization” in the notes to consolidated financial statements included in this report for additional information.
Impairment expense and provision for beneficial interests, net (16,360) (24,723) During the first quarter of 2020, the Company recognized impairments of $26.3 million and $7.8 million related to beneficial interest in consumer loan securitization investments and several venture capital investments, respectively. Such impairments were the result of estimated impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic. During the fourth quarter of 2020 and first quarter of 2021, the Company reversed $9.7 million and $2.4 million, respectively, of the provision related to the consumer loan securitization investments due to improved economic conditions. During the third quarter of 2021, the Company evaluated the use of office space as a large number of employees continue to work from home due to COVID-19. As a result of this evaluation, the Company recorded an impairment charge during the third quarter of 2021 of $14.2 million. The impairment charge related primarily to building and operating lease assets. In addition, during 2021, the Company recognized impairments of $4.6 million related to venture capital investments.
Derivative settlements, net (21,367) 3,679 The Company maintains an overall risk management strategy that incorporates the use of derivative instruments to reduce the economic effect of interest rate volatility. Derivative settlements for each applicable period should be evaluated with the Company's net interest income. See AGM operating segment - results of operations.
Derivative market value adjustments, net 92,813 (28,144) Includes the realized and unrealized gains and losses that are caused by changes in fair values of derivatives which do not qualify for "hedge treatment" under GAAP. The majority of the derivative market value adjustments were related to the changes in fair value of the Company's floor income interest rate swaps. Such changes reflect that a decrease in the forward yield curve during a reporting period results in a decrease in the fair value of the Company's floor income interest rate swaps, and an increase in the forward yield curve during a reporting period results in an increase in the fair value of such swaps.
Total other income/expense 977,079 1,110,384
Cost of services:
Cost to provide education technology, services, and payment processing services 108,660 82,206 Represents primarily direct costs to provide payment processing and instructional services in the ETS&PP operating segment. See ETS&PP operating segment - results of operations.
Cost to provide communications services - 22,812 As discussed above, on December 21, 2020, the Company deconsolidated ALLO from the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
Total cost of services 108,660 105,018
Operating expenses:
Salaries and benefits 507,132 501,832 Increase was due to an increase in headcount in the (i) LSS operating segment due to hiring contact center operations and support associates to prepare for the resumption of federal student loan payments and other activities after the CARES Act suspension expires on May 1, 2022 and to support the increase in private education and consumer loan volume primarily from the addition of the former Wells Fargo portfolio; and (ii) ETS&PP operating segment to support the growth of its customer base, the investment in the development of new technologies, and businesses it acquired in December 2020. These increases were partially offset by the deconsolidation of ALLO from the Company's consolidated financial statements on December 21, 2020. It is currently anticipated that salaries and benefits costs may rise in 2022 as a result of wage inflation due to a constrained labor market.
Depreciation and amortization 73,741 118,699 Decrease was primarily due to the deconsolidation of ALLO from the Company's consolidated financial statements on December 21, 2020, resulting in no ALLO depreciation expense for the Company in 2021.
Other expenses 145,469 160,574 Other expenses includes expenses necessary for operations, such as postage and distribution, consulting and professional fees, occupancy, communications, and certain information technology-related costs. Decrease was due to (i) cost savings in the LSS operating segment as a result of a decrease in printing and postage while student loan payments are suspended as a result of COVID-19 borrower relief efforts and from an increase in the adoption of electronic borrower statements and correspondence; and (ii) the deconsolidation of ALLO on December 21, 2020. These items were partially offset by an increase in costs in the ETS&PP operating segment due to the business acquisitions completed in December 2020 and higher costs of consulting, professional fees, and technology services due to investments in new technologies. See each individual operating segment results of operations discussion for additional information.
Total operating expenses 726,342 781,105
Income before income taxes 502,105 450,486
Income tax expense 115,822 100,860 The effective tax rate was 22.75% and 22.25% for 2021 and 2020, respectively. The Company expects its future effective tax rate will range between 22 and 24 percent.
Net income 386,283 349,626
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests 7,003 2,817 Amounts for noncontrolling interests reflect the net income/loss attributable to the holders of minority membership interests in WRCM and multiple solar entities.
Net income attributable to Nelnet, Inc. $ 393,286 352,443
Additional information:
Net income attributable to Nelnet, Inc. $ 393,286 352,443 See "Overview - GAAP Net Income and Non-GAAP Net Income, Excluding Adjustments" above for additional information about non-GAAP net income, excluding derivative market value adjustments.
Derivative market value adjustments, net (92,813) 28,144
Tax effect 22,275 (6,755)
Net income attributable to Nelnet, Inc., excluding derivative market value adjustments $ 322,748 $ 373,832
The following table summarizes the components of "other" in "other income/expense."
Year ended December 31,
2021 2020
Income/gains from investments, net (a) $ 91,593 56,402
ALLO preferred return (b) 8,427 386
Investment advisory services (c) 7,773 10,875
Borrower late fee income (d) 3,444 5,194
Management fee revenue (e) 3,307 9,421
Loss from ALLO voting membership interest investment (f) (42,148) (3,565)
Loss from solar investments (g) (10,132) (37,423)
(Loss) gain on debt repurchased (h) (6,775) 1,924
Other 23,192 14,347
Other income $ 78,681 57,561
(a) During the second quarter of 2020, the Company recognized a $51.0 million (pre-tax) gain to adjust the carrying value of its investment in Hudl to reflect Hudl’s May 2020 equity raise transaction value.
During 2021, the Company recognized net investment income and gains of $91.6 million, including $32.9 million from the Company’s joint venture to acquire Wells Fargo’s private education student loan portfolio, $28.8 million from venture capital investments, $22.3 million related to real estate investments, and $7.6 million related to investments in asset-backed securities (bonds) and marketable equity securities.
As the Company expects its investment portfolio will continue to grow, the Company also anticipates fluctuations in future periodic earnings resulting from investment valuation adjustments from time to time.
(b) Represents the Company's income on its preferred membership interests in ALLO, which was deconsolidated from the Company's financial statements in December 2020. As of December 31, 2021, the amount of preferred membership interests held by the Company was $137.3 million, which earns a preferred annual return of 6.25 percent.
(c) The Company provides investment advisory services through Whitetail Rock Capital Management, LLC ("WRCM"), the Company's SEC-registered investment advisor subsidiary, under various arrangements. WRCM earns annual fees of 10 basis points to 25 basis points on the majority of the outstanding balance of asset-backed securities under management and a share of the gains from the sale of asset-backed securities or asset-backed securities being called prior to the full contractual maturity for which it provides advisory services. As of December 31, 2021, the outstanding balance of asset-backed securities under management subject to these arrangements was $2.0 billion. In addition, WRCM earns annual management fees of five basis points for Nelnet stock under management (with the Nelnet stock primarily shares of Class B common stock held in various trust estates). During 2021, WRCM earned $4.2 million in management fees and generated $3.6 million in performance fees, as compared to $3.6 million in management fees and $7.3 million in performance fees in 2020.
(d) Represents borrower late fees earned by the AGM operating segment. The decrease in borrower late fees in 2021 as compared to 2020 was due to the Company suspending substantially all borrower late fees effective March 13, 2020 through May 1, 2021 (for private education loans) and October 1, 2021 (for federally insured student loans), to provide borrowers relief as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
(e) Represents revenue earned from providing administrative support and marketing services, which primarily was to Great Lakes’ former parent company under a contract that expired in January 2021.
(f) Represents the Company's share of loss on its voting membership interests in ALLO. See note 7 of the notes to consolidated financial statements included in this report for additional information regarding the accounting for and income statement impact of this investment.
(g) Represents the Company's share of income or loss from solar investments under the Hypothetical Liquidation at Book Value ("HLBV") method of accounting. For the majority of the Company's solar investments, the HLBV method of accounting results in accelerated losses in the initial years of investment. The Company made substantial solar investments in 2019 and 2020. Losses from solar investments in 2021 and 2020 include losses of $7.1 million and $3.8 million, respectively, attributable to third-party minority interest investors that are included in “net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests” in the consolidated statements of income.
(h) Represents gains/losses from the Company’s repurchase of its own debt. See note 5 of the notes to consolidated financial statements included in this report for additional information.
LOAN SERVICING AND SYSTEMS OPERATING SEGMENT - RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Loan Servicing Volumes
As of
December 31,
2019 March 31,
2020 June 30,
2020 September 30,
2020 December 31,
2020 March 31,
2021 June 30,
2021 September 30,
2021 December 31,
Servicing volume
(dollars in millions):
Nelnet:
Government $ 183,790 185,477 185,315 189,932 191,678 195,875 195,030 198,743 215,797
FFELP 33,185 32,326 31,392 31,122 30,763 30,084 29,361 28,244 26,916
Private and consumer 16,033 16,364 16,223 16,267 16,226 21,397 24,758 24,229 23,702
Great Lakes:
Government 239,980 243,205 243,609 249,723 251,570 257,806 257,420 262,311 262,605
Total $ 472,988 477,372 476,539 487,044 490,237 505,162 506,569 513,527 529,020
Number of servicing
borrowers:
Nelnet:
Government 5,574,001 5,498,872 5,496,662 5,604,685 5,645,946 5,664,094 5,636,781 5,791,521 6,399,414
FFELP 1,478,703 1,423,286 1,370,007 1,332,908 1,300,677 1,233,461 1,198,863 1,150,214 1,092,066
Private and consumer 682,836 670,702 653,281 649,258 636,136 882,477 1,039,537 1,097,252 1,065,439
Great Lakes:
Government 7,396,657 7,344,509 7,346,691 7,542,679 7,605,984 7,637,270 7,616,270 7,778,535 7,797,106
Total 15,132,197 14,937,369 14,866,641 15,129,530 15,188,743 15,417,302 15,491,451 15,817,522 16,354,025
Number of remote hosted borrowers:
6,433,324 6,354,158 6,264,559 6,251,598 6,555,841 4,307,342 4,338,570 4,548,541 4,799,368
Government Loan Servicing
Nelnet Servicing's and Great Lakes' current student loan servicing contracts with the Department are currently scheduled to expire on December 14, 2023. In 2017, the Department initiated a contract procurement process referred to as the Next Generation Financial Services Environment ("NextGen") for a new framework for the servicing of all student loans owned by the Department. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 contains provisions directing certain aspects of the NextGen process, including that any new federal student loan servicing environment is required to provide for the participation of multiple student loan servicers and the allocation of borrower accounts to eligible student loan servicers based on performance. The Company cannot predict the timing, nature, or ultimate outcome of NextGen or any other contract procurement process by the Department.
Nelnet Servicing and Great Lakes are two of the current seven private sector entities that have student loan servicing contracts with the Department. In July 2021, the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency ("PHEAA"), a servicer for the Department, announced that it will exit the federal student loan servicing business. PHEAA notified the Department it would not be accepting a long-term extension of its student loan servicing contract beyond what was needed to ensure a smooth transition for borrowers. In November 2021, PHEAA and the Department agreed to a short-term extension that will expire in December 2022. All applicable student loans serviced by PHEAA will be transferred to successor servicers prior to the end of this contract extension. At the time of its announcement, PHEAA serviced approximately 8.5 million borrowers under its contract. A portion of the PHEAA servicing volume has been and will be transitioned prior to May 1, 2022, which is the date on which the suspension of federal student loan payments under the CARES Act is scheduled to expire. Approximately 850,000 PHEAA borrowers have been transitioned to Nelnet Servicing’s platform as of the date of this filing (of which approximately 603,000 were converted prior to December 31, 2021). The Company anticipates additional PHEAA volume to be transitioned to its platform during the remainder of 2022, but cannot currently estimate the number of additional borrowers that will be transferred and/or the timing of such transfers.
In addition, the New Hampshire Higher Education Association Foundation Network (“Granite State”) exited the federal student loan servicing business in 2021. Granite State’s servicing volume of approximately 1.3 million borrowers was transitioned to Edfinancial Services, LLC ("Edfinancial"), a current servicer for the Department, during the third and fourth quarters of 2021. Edfinancial utilizes Nelnet Servicing's platform to service their loans for the Department, as did Granite State prior to its exit.
The Department currently allocates new loan volume among its servicers based on certain performance metrics that measured the satisfaction among separate customer groups, including borrowers and Department personnel who work with the servicers.
The metrics also measure the success of keeping borrowers in an on-time repayment status and helping borrowers avoid default. Under the most recent publicly announced performance metrics used by the Department for the quarterly periods January 1, 2021 through June 30, 2021, Great Lakes’ and Nelnet Servicing’s overall rankings among the six go-forward servicers for the Department (which excludes PHEAA) were third and fifth, respectively. Based on these results, Great Lakes’ and Nelnet Servicing’s allocation of new student loan servicing volumes beginning September 1, 2021 are 18 percent and 12 percent, respectively.
Servicing contract amendments entered into with the Department in September 2021 to extend the contracts through December 14, 2023, also amended the methodology for performance measurements and new loan volume allocations, in part by reflecting additional service level performance metrics under which, along with portfolio performance metrics, the Department will evaluate each servicer and make new loan volume allocations on a quarterly basis.
The CARES Act, among other things, provides broad relief for federal student loan borrowers through May 1, 2022. Under the CARES Act, beginning in March 2020, federal student loan payments and interest accruals were suspended for all borrowers that had loans owned by the Department. As a result of the CARES Act, the Company received less servicing revenue per borrower from the Department based on the borrower forbearance status through September 30, 2020 than what was earned on such accounts prior to these provisions, and the Department further reduced the monthly rate to its servicers for those in forbearance status for the period from October 1, 2020 through May 1, 2022. The Company currently anticipates revenue per borrower from the Department will increase to pre-CARES Act levels beginning May 2, 2022. During the fourth quarter of 2021, the Company earned additional revenue from the Department based on incremental work being performed by the Company to support the Department borrowers coming out of forbearance, including outbound engagement. The Company currently anticipates earning additional incremental revenue during the first half of 2022 by continuing to provide outbound engagement activity and also providing extended hours of service as borrowers come out of forbearance status.
Private Education Loan Servicing
In December 2020, Wells Fargo announced the sale of its approximately $10.0 billion portfolio of private education student loans representing approximately 445,000 borrowers. In conjunction with the sale, the Company was selected as servicer of the portfolio. During March 2021, approximately 261,000 borrowers were converted to the Company's servicing platform, with the vast majority of the remaining borrowers converted in the second quarter of 2021.
Summary and Comparison of Operating Results
Year ended December 31,
2021 2020 Additional information
Net interest income $ 43 315 Decrease was due to lower interest rates in 2021 as compared to 2020.
Loan servicing and systems revenue 486,363 451,561 See table below for additional information.
Intersegment servicing revenue 33,956 36,520 Represents revenue earned by the LSS operating segment from servicing loans for the AGM and Nelnet Bank operating segments. Decrease in 2021 compared to 2020 was due to the impact of borrower relief policies implemented in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the expected amortization of AGM's FFELP portfolio. FFELP intersegment servicing revenue will continue to decrease as AGM's FFELP portfolio pays off.
Other income 3,307 9,421 Represents revenue earned from providing administrative support and marketing services, which primarily was to Great Lakes’ former parent company under a contract that expired in January 2021.
Impairment expense (13,243) - During the third quarter of 2021, the Company evaluated use of office space as a large number of employees continue to work from home due to COVID-19. As a result of this evaluation, the Company recorded a non-cash impairment charge during the third quarter of 2021. The impairment charge recognized by the LSS operating segment related primarily to building and building improvement assets.
Total other income 510,383 497,502
Salaries and benefits 297,406 285,526 Increase in 2021 compared to 2020 was due to the Company hiring contact center operations and support associates to (i) prepare for the resumption of federal student loan payments and other activities after the CARES Act suspension expires on May 1, 2022; and (ii) support the increase in private education and consumer loan volume, primarily from the addition of the former Wells Fargo portfolio. The Company currently expects salaries and benefits to continue to increase due to continued preparations for the expiration of the CARES Act suspension.
Depreciation and amortization 25,649 37,610 Includes amortization of intangibles from the Great Lakes acquisition in February 2018 and depreciation on property and equipment. Amortization of intangible assets for 2021 and 2020 was $12.3 million and $20.9 million, respectively. The majority of the Great Lakes intangible assets became fully amortized as of June 30, 2021. Excluding amortization of intangible assets, the decrease in 2021 compared to 2020 was due to certain purchases to integrate Great Lakes and expand servicing capacity becoming fully depreciated.
Other expenses 52,720 57,420 Decrease in 2021 compared to 2020 was due to cost savings as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting CARES Act (which became effective March 13, 2020), primarily through a significant reduction of borrower statement printing and postage costs while student loan payments are suspended. The Company currently expects these costs will increase when the provisions of the CARES Act expire, scheduled for May 1, 2022. Decrease was also due to cost savings from an increase in the adoption of electronic borrower statements and correspondence.
Intersegment expenses 72,206 63,886 Intersegment expenses represent costs for certain corporate activities and services that are allocated to each operating segment based on estimated use of such activities and services. Increase in 2021 as compared to 2020 was due to the Company hiring contact center operations and support associates during the second half of 2021 in preparation for the expiration of the CARES Act suspension on May 1, 2022. The Company currently expects intersegment expenses to continue to increase as it prepares for the expiration of the CARES Act suspension.
Total operating expenses 447,981 444,442
Income before income taxes
62,445 53,375
Income tax expense (14,987) (12,810) Reflects income tax expense at an effective tax rate of 24%.
Net income $ 47,458 40,565
GAAP before tax operating margin 11.9 % 10.7 % Before tax operating margin, excluding impairment and amortization expense, is a non-GAAP measure of before tax operating profitability as a percentage of revenue, and for the LSS segment is calculated as income before income taxes (excluding impairment and amortization expense) divided by the total of loan servicing and systems revenue, intersegment servicing revenue, and other income revenue. The Company uses this metric to monitor and assess the segment’s performance, manage operating costs, identify and evaluate business trends affecting the segment, and make strategic decisions, and believes that it provides additional information to facilitate an understanding of the operating performance of the segment and provides a meaningful comparison of the results of operations between periods.
Before tax operating margin, excluding impairment and amortization expense, increased for 2021 as compared to 2020 due to operating expenses being lower throughout the first half of 2021 as a result of the suspension of federal student loan payments under the CARES Act as discussed above.
Impairment expense 2.5 -
Amortization expense 2.3 4.2
Non-GAAP before tax operating margin, excluding impairment and amortization expense 16.8 % 14.9 %
Loan servicing and systems revenue
Year ended December 31,
2021 2020 Additional information
Government servicing - Nelnet $ 167,579 146,798 Represents revenue from Nelnet Servicing's Department servicing contract. Increase in 2021 compared to 2020 was due to (i) an increase in the number of borrowers serviced, including PHEAA borrowers transferred to Nelnet Servicing’s platform during the fourth quarter of 2021; (ii) a per borrower rate increase beginning September 1, 2021 to reflect the increase in the cost of labor (Economic Cost Index) per the provisions of the contract; (iii) incremental work performed during the fourth quarter of 2021 related to CARES Act forbearance exit outreach activities to borrowers; and (iv) the discharge of nearly 170,000 TPD borrowers in the fourth quarter of 2021. Nelnet Servicing earns revenue per each TPD borrower that satisfies the requirements for their loan to be discharged. The revenue earned by Nelnet Servicing for CARES Act forbearance exit outreach is non-recurring and will have a less significant contribution in 2022. These increases are partially offset by the decrease in revenue earned per borrower as a result of the suspension of federal student loan payments under the CARES Act.
Government servicing - Great Lakes 193,214 179,872 Represents revenue from the Great Lakes' Department servicing contract. Changes among the current and comparable prior period were due to the same factors as discussed immediately above for Nelnet Servicing, except that Great Lakes did not receive any PHEAA volume in 2021 and does not administer the TPD discharge program.
Private education and consumer loan servicing 47,302 32,492 Increase was due to the addition of the former Wells Fargo private education loan borrowers converted to the Company's servicing platform during March and the second quarter of 2021. Excluding revenue earned on the former Wells Fargo portfolio, revenue for 2021 decreased compared to 2020. The decrease in revenue was due to a decrease in the number of legacy borrowers serviced, a decrease in origination fee revenue, and the impact of borrower relief policies implemented by private lenders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
FFELP servicing 18,281 20,183 Decrease in 2021 compared to 2020 was due to a decrease in the number of borrowers serviced and the impact of borrower relief policies implemented by lenders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over time, FFELP servicing revenue will continue to decrease as third-party customers' FFELP portfolios pay off.
Software services 34,600 41,999 Decrease in 2021 compared to 2020 was due to many of the services provided under the Company's remote hosted servicing and system support contract with Great Lakes' former parent, representing 2.3 million borrowers, which expired in January 2021. This decrease in revenue was partially offset by an increase in the number of remote hosted servicing borrowers in 2021 as compared to 2020. In addition, the Company earned deconversion fees in the fourth quarter of 2021 from Granite State, a remote hosted servicing customer, when they exited the federal student loan servicing business and transferred their loan volume to a third party.
Outsourced services 25,387 30,217 The majority of this revenue relates to providing contact center and back office operational outsourcing services. During 2020, the Company began providing services to state agencies to process unemployment claims and conduct certain health tracing support activities (including vaccination registration support). Outsourcing activities provided to state agencies are performed under shorter-term contracts. Revenue from providing these services to state agencies was $17.3 million and $22.0 million during 2021 and 2020, respectively. Outsourcing activities provided to state agencies decreased during 2021 as the needs for such services have decreased from the prior period.
Loan servicing and systems revenue $ 486,363 451,561
EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES, AND PAYMENT PROCESSING OPERATING SEGMENT - RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
This segment of the Company’s business is subject to seasonal fluctuations which correspond, or are related to, the traditional school year. Tuition management revenue is recognized over the course of the academic term, but the peak operational activities take place in summer and early fall. Higher amounts of revenue are typically recognized during the first quarter due to fees related to grant and aid applications as well as online applications and enrollment services. The Company’s operating expenses do not follow the seasonality of the revenues. This is primarily due to generally fixed year-round personnel costs and seasonal marketing costs. Based on the timing of revenue recognition and when expenses are incurred, revenue and pre-tax operating margin are higher in the first quarter as compared to the remainder of the year.
On December 31, 2020, the Company acquired HigherSchool Instructional Services (“HigherSchool”), a services company that provides supplemental instructional services and educational professional development for K-12 schools in New York City, and CD2 LLC (“CD2”), a platform technology solution that includes learning management, collaboration/workflow, gamification, customer management/document storage, and employee boarding. The results of HigherSchool and CD2 are reported in the Company’s consolidated financial statements from the date of acquisition. Revenue recognized by these acquisitions during the year ended December 31, 2021 was $26.0 million.
Summary and Comparison of Operating Results
Year ended December 31,
2021 2020 Additional information
Net interest income $ 1,075 2,982 Represents interest income on tuition funds held in custody for schools. Decrease was due to a significant decrease in interest rates in March 2020. If interest rates remain at current levels, the Company anticipates this segment will earn minimal interest income in future periods.
Education technology, services, and
payment processing revenue 338,234 282,196 See table below for additional information.
Intersegment revenue 12 20
Other income - 373
Total other income 338,246 282,589
Cost to provide education technology,
services, and payment processing
services 108,660 82,206 See table below for additional information.
Salaries and benefits 112,046 98,847 Increase in 2021 compared to 2020 was due to an increase in headcount to support the growth of the customer base, the investment in the development of new technologies, and the acquisitions of HigherSchool and CD2.
Depreciation and amortization 11,404 9,459 Represents primarily amortization of intangible assets from prior business acquisitions. Amortization of intangible assets related to business acquisitions was $10.7 million and $8.7 million for 2021 and 2020, respectively. The increase in 2021 compared to 2020 was due to the acquisitions of HigherSchool and CD2.
Other expenses 19,318 14,566 Increase was due to higher costs for consulting, professional fees, and technology services due to investments in new technologies and the acquisitions of HigherSchool and CD2.
Intersegment expenses, net 15,180 14,293 Intersegment expenses represent costs for certain corporate activities and services that are allocated to each operating segment based on estimated use of such activities and services.
Total operating expenses 157,948 137,165
Income before income taxes 72,713 66,200
Income tax expense (17,451) (15,888) Represents income tax expense at an effective tax rate of 24%.
Net income $ 55,262 50,312
Education technology, services, and payment processing revenue
The following table provides disaggregated revenue by service offering and before tax operating margin for each reporting period.
Year ended December 31,
2021 2020 Additional information
Tuition payment plan services $ 103,970 100,674 Revenue increased for 2021 as compared to 2020 as a result of a higher number of payment plans in the K-12 market, partially offset by lower revenues for institutions of higher education as a result of lower enrollment trends and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Payment processing 127,080 114,304 Payment volumes in 2021 increased as compared to 2020 in both the K-12 and higher education markets. The increase in payments volume is driven by both new customers and an increase in volume from existing customers.
Education technology and services 105,186 65,885 Increase in 2021 compared to 2020 was primarily the result of the HigherSchool and CD2 acquisitions. Additionally, revenues from the Company’s school information system software, enrollment and communication products, grant and aid assessments, and FACTS Education Solutions instructional and professional development services increased compared to the prior year.
Other 1,998 1,333
Education technology, services, and payment processing revenue 338,234 282,196
Cost to provide education technology, services, and payment processing services 108,660 82,206 Costs primarily relate to payment processing revenue and such costs decrease/increase in relationship to payment volumes. Costs to provide instructional services are also included as a component of this expense and were a driver in the increase in 2021 compared to 2020 due to the acquisition of HigherSchool and growth in the FACTS Education Solutions division.
Net revenue $ 229,574 199,990
Before tax operating margin 31.7 % 33.1 % Before tax operating margin is a measure of before tax operating profitability as a percentage of revenue, and for the ETS&PP segment is calculated as income before income taxes divided by net revenue. The Company uses this metric to monitor and assess the segment’s performance, manage operating costs, identify and evaluate business trends affecting the segment, and make strategic decisions, and believes that it facilitates an understanding of the operating performance of the segment and provides a meaningful comparison of the results of operations between periods.
The decrease in margin for 2021 as compared to 2020 was due to investments in i) the development of new services and technologies; and ii) superior customer experiences to align with the Company’s strategies to grow, retain, and diversify revenues. The Company currently anticipates before tax operating margin will continue to decrease from current levels as the Company continues to invest in these areas.
ASSET GENERATION AND MANAGEMENT OPERATING SEGMENT - RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Loan Portfolio
As of December 31, 2021, the AGM operating segment had a $17.4 billion loan portfolio, consisting primarily of federally insured loans, that management anticipates will amortize over the next approximately 15 years and has a weighted average remaining life of approximately 8 years. For a summary of the Company's loan portfolio as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, see note 4 of the notes to consolidated financial statements included in this report.
Loan Activity
The following table sets forth the activity of loans in the AGM’s operating segment:
Year ended December 31,
2021 2020
Beginning balance $ 19,559,108 20,798,719
Loan acquisitions:
Federally insured student loans 904,088 1,327,690
Private education loans 89,308 152,048
Consumer loans 81,923 136,985
Total loan acquisitions 1,075,319 1,616,723
Repayments, claims, capitalized interest, participations, and other, net (2,126,708) (1,999,095)
Consolidation loans lost to external parties (964,822) (672,211)
Consumer and other loans sold (101,107) (185,028)
Ending balance $ 17,441,790 19,559,108
The Company has also purchased partial ownership in certain private education, consumer, and federally insured student loan securitizations that are accounted for as held-to-maturity beneficial interest investments and included in "investments" in the Company's consolidated financial statements. As of the latest remittance reports filed by the various trusts prior to or as of December 31, 2021, the Company’s ownership correlates to approximately $688 million, $195 million, and $445 million of private education, consumer, and federally insured student loans, respectively, included in these securitizations. The loans held in these securitizations are not included in the above table.
The Company's federally insured student loan acquisitions include the purchase of rehabilitated loans purchased from guaranty agencies. After a guaranty agency rehabilitates a federally insured student loan, the agency sells the rehabilitated loan to a private lender, such as the Company. On March 30, 2021, the Department suspended collections on defaulted federally insured student loans held by guaranty agencies and reduced the interest rate on such loans to zero percent, effectively suspending interest payments. The collections pause and adjusted interest rate are both retroactive to March 13, 2020, when the President first declared a national emergency for the COVID-19 pandemic. The Company currently believes these relief efforts will negatively impact the amount of rehabilitated loans the Company will have the opportunity to purchase in future periods.
Allowance for Loan Losses and Loan Delinquencies
AGM’s total allowance for loan losses of $126.0 million at December 31, 2021 represents reserves equal to 0.6% of AGM's federally insured loans (or 22.2% of the risk sharing component of the loans that is not covered by the federal guaranty), 5.4% of AGM's private education loans, and 12.6% of AGM's consumer loans.
For a summary of AGM’s activity in the allowance for loan losses for 2021 and 2020, and a summary of AGM's loan status and delinquency amounts as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, see note 4 of the notes to consolidated financial statements included in this report.
Loan Spread Analysis
The following table analyzes the loan spread on AGM’s portfolio of loans, which represents the spread between the yield earned on loan assets and the costs of the liabilities and derivative instruments used to fund the assets. The spread amounts included in the following table are calculated by using the notional dollar values found in the table under the caption "Net interest income after provision for loan losses, net of settlements on derivatives" below, divided by the average balance of loans or debt outstanding.
Year ended December 31,
2021 2020
Variable loan yield, gross 2.64 % 3.17 %
Consolidation rebate fees (0.85) (0.84)
Discount accretion, net of premium and deferred origination costs amortization (a) 0.02 0.01
Variable loan yield, net 1.81 2.34
Loan cost of funds - interest expense (b) (c) (1.04) (1.64)
Loan cost of funds - derivative settlements (d) (e) (0.01) 0.05
Variable loan spread 0.76 0.75
Fixed rate floor income, gross 0.76 0.61
Fixed rate floor income - derivative settlements (d) (f) (0.11) (0.03)
Fixed rate floor income, net of settlements on derivatives 0.65 0.58
Core loan spread 1.41 % 1.33 %
Average balance of AGM’s loans $ 18,900,038 20,163,876
Average balance of AGM’s debt outstanding 18,610,144 19,964,813
(a) During the fourth quarter of 2021, the Company changed its estimate of the constant prepayment rate used to amortize/accrete federally insured loan premium/discounts for its consolidation loans from 3 percent to 4 percent, which resulted in a $6.2 million increase to the Company’s net loan discount balance and a corresponding decrease to interest income. The impact of this adjustment was excluded from the above table.
(b) In the first quarter of 2021, the Company reversed a historical accrued interest liability of $23.8 million on certain bonds, which liability the Company determined is no longer probable of being required to be paid. The liability was initially recorded when certain asset-backed securitizations were acquired in 2011 and 2013. The reduction of this liability is reflected in (a reduction of) "interest on bonds and notes payable and bank deposits" in the consolidated statements of income and the impact of this reduction to interest expense was excluded from the table above.
(c) In the third quarter of 2021, the Company redeemed certain asset-backed debt securities prior to their legal maturity, resulting in the recognition of $1.5 million in interest expense from the write-off of all remaining debt issuance costs related to the initial issuance of such bonds. This expense was excluded from the table above.
(d) Derivative settlements represent the cash paid or received during the current period to settle with derivative instrument counterparties the economic effect of the Company's derivative instruments based on their contractual terms. Derivative accounting requires that net settlements with respect to derivatives that do not qualify for "hedge treatment" under GAAP be recorded in a separate income statement line item below net interest income. The Company maintains an overall risk management strategy that incorporates the use of derivative instruments to reduce the economic effect of interest rate volatility. As such, management believes derivative settlements for each applicable period should be evaluated with the Company’s net interest income (loan spread) as presented in this table. The Company reports this non-GAAP information because the Company believes that it provides additional information regarding operational and performance indicators that are closely assessed by management. There is no comprehensive, authoritative guidance for the presentation of such non-GAAP information, which is only meant to supplement GAAP results by providing additional information that management utilizes to assess performance. See note 6 of the notes to consolidated financial statements included in this report for additional information on the Company's derivative instruments, including the net settlement activity recognized by the Company for each type of derivative for the 2021 and 2020 periods presented in the table under the caption "Consolidated Financial Statement Impact Related to Derivatives - Statements of Income" in note 6 and in this table.
A reconciliation of core loan spread, which includes the impact of derivative settlements on loan spread, to loan spread without derivative settlements follows.
Year ended December 31,
2021 2020
Core loan spread 1.41 % 1.33 %
Derivative settlements (1:3 basis swaps) 0.01 (0.05)
Derivative settlements (fixed rate floor income) 0.11 0.03
Loan spread 1.53 % 1.31 %
(e) Derivative settlements consist of net settlements (paid) received related to the Company’s 1:3 basis swaps.
(f) Derivative settlements consist of net settlements paid related to the Company’s floor income interest rate swaps.
A trend analysis of AGM’s core and variable loan spreads by calendar year quarter is summarized below.
(a) The interest earned on a large portion of AGM's FFELP student loan assets is indexed to the one-month LIBOR rate. AGM funds a portion of its assets with three-month LIBOR indexed floating rate securities. The relationship between the indices in which AGM earns interest on its loans and funds such loans has a significant impact on loan spread. This table (the right axis) shows the difference between AGM's liability base rate and the one-month LIBOR rate by quarter. See Item 7A, “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk - Interest Rate Risk - AGM Operating Segment,” which provides additional detail on AGM’s FFELP student loan assets and related funding for those assets.
Variable loan spread increased during the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the same period in 2020 due to a narrowing of the basis between the asset and debt indices in which the Company earns interest on its loans and funds such loans (as reflected in the table above). The significant widening during the first and second quarters of 2020 was the result of a significant decrease in interest rates during March 2020 and the first half of the second quarter of 2020. In a declining interest rate environment, student loan spread is compressed, due to the timing of interest rate resets on the Company's assets occurring daily in contrast to the timing of the interest rate resets on the Company's debt that occurs either monthly or quarterly. During the third and fourth quarters of 2020, as the Company's debt reset at lower interest rates, the Company's variable loan spread increased. See Item 7A, “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk - Interest Rate Risk - AGM Operating Segment,” which provides additional detail on AGM’s FFELP student loan assets and related funding for those assets.
The difference between variable loan spread and core loan spread is fixed rate floor income earned on a portion of AGM's federally insured student loan portfolio. A summary of fixed rate floor income and its contribution to core loan spread follows:
Year ended December 31,
2021 2020
Fixed rate floor income, gross $ 142,606 123,460
Derivative settlements (a) (19,729) (6,699)
Fixed rate floor income, net $ 122,877 116,761
Fixed rate floor income contribution to spread, net 0.65 % 0.58 %
(a) Derivative settlements consist of net settlements paid related to the Company's derivatives used to hedge student loans earning fixed rate floor income.
Gross fixed rate floor income increased in 2021 as compared to 2020 due to lower interest rates in 2021 as compared to 2020. The Company has a portfolio of derivative instruments in which the Company pays a fixed rate and receives a floating rate to economically hedge a portion of loans earning fixed rate floor income. The increase in net derivative settlements paid on the floor income interest rate swaps in 2021 as compared to 2020 was due to a decrease in interest rates and increase in the weighted average of notional amount of derivatives outstanding in 2021 as compared to 2020. See Item 7A, “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk - Interest Rate Risk - AGM Operating Segment,” which provides additional detail on AGM’s portfolio earning fixed rate floor income and the derivatives used by the Company to hedge these loans.
Interest Rate Risk - Replacement of LIBOR as a Benchmark Rate
As of December 31, 2021, the interest earned on a principal amount of $15.9 billion of AGM's FFELP student loan asset portfolio was indexed to one-month LIBOR, and the interest paid on a principal amount of $15.9 billion of AGM’s FFELP student loan asset-backed debt securities was indexed to one-month or three-month LIBOR. In addition, the Company’s derivative financial instrument transactions used to manage LIBOR interest rate risks are indexed to LIBOR. The market transition away from the LIBOR framework could result in significant changes to the interest rate characteristics of the Company's LIBOR-indexed assets and funding for those assets, as well as the Company’s LIBOR-indexed derivative instruments. See Item 1A, "Risk Factors - Loan Portfolio - Interest rate risk - replacement of LIBOR as a benchmark rate" for additional information.
Summary and Comparison of Operating Results
Year ended December 31,
2021 2020 Additional information
Net interest income after provision for loan losses $ 347,203 220,288 See table below for additional analysis.
Other income, net 34,306 7,189 During 2021, the Company recognized $32.9 million related to its investment in a joint venture to purchase and securitize private education loans sold by Wells Fargo. The Company also earned $3.7 million in 2021 as the administrator and sponsor for the securitizations completed by the joint venture to fund these loans. Other income for 2021 also includes $3.4 million of borrower late fees. For 2021, other income was partially offset by a $6.8 million loss recognized by the Company as a result of purchasing back its own debt. The majority of other income recognized by the Company in 2020 related to $5.2 million of borrower late fees. The decrease in borrower late fees in 2021 as compared to 2020 was due to the Company suspending borrower late fees effective March 13, 2020 to provide borrowers relief as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Company began to recognize borrower late fees again on May 1, 2021 (for private education loans) and October 1, 2021 (for federally insured student loans).
Gain on sale of loans 18,715 33,023 The Company sold $95.8 million (par value) and $185.0 million (par value) of consumer loans to an unrelated third party in 2021 and 2020, respectively, and recognized gains from such sales.
Impairment expense and provision for beneficial interests, net 2,436 (16,607) In March 2020, the Company recognized a provision expense of $26.3 million related to its beneficial interest in consumer loan securitization investments as a result of the estimated impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the fourth quarter of 2020 and first quarter of 2021, the Company reversed $9.7 million and $2.4 million, respectively, of such provision due to improved economic conditions.
Derivative settlements, net (21,367) 3,679 The Company maintains an overall risk management strategy that incorporates the use of derivative instruments to reduce the economic effect of interest rate volatility. Derivative settlements for each applicable period should be evaluated with the Company's net interest income as reflected in the table below.
Derivative market value adjustments, net 92,813 (28,144) Includes the realized and unrealized gains and losses that are caused by changes in fair values of derivatives which do not qualify for "hedge treatment" under GAAP. The majority of the derivative market value adjustments during 2021 and 2020 related to the changes in fair value of the Company's floor income interest rate swaps. Such changes reflect that a decrease in the forward yield curve during a reporting period results in a decrease in the fair value of the Company's floor income interest rate swaps, and an increase in the forward yield curve during a reporting period results in an increase in the fair value of such swaps.
Total other income/expense 126,903 (860)
Salaries and benefits 2,135 1,747
Other expenses 13,487 15,806 The primary component of other expenses is servicing fees paid to third parties. The decrease in 2021 as compared to 2020 was due to a decrease in AGM's loan portfolio.
Intersegment expenses 34,868 39,172 Amounts include fees paid to the LSS operating segment for the servicing of AGM’s loan portfolio. These amounts exceed the actual cost of servicing the loans. The decrease in servicing fees for 2021 as compared to 2020 was due to the expected amortization of AGM's FFELP portfolio and a decrease in certain servicing activities due to borrower relief initiatives and policies as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Intersegment expenses also include costs for certain corporate activities and services that are allocated to each operating segment based on estimated use of such activities and services.
Total operating expenses 50,490 56,725 Total operating expenses were 27 basis points and 28 basis points of the average balance of loans in 2021 and 2020, respectively. The decrease for 2021 as compared to 2020 was due to a decrease in certain servicing activities beginning in March 2020 due to borrower relief initiatives and policies as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Income before income taxes 423,616 162,703
Income tax expense (101,668) (39,049) Represents income tax expense at an effective tax rate of 24%.
Net income $ 321,948 123,654
Additional information:
Net income $ 321,948 123,654 See "Overview - GAAP Net Income and Non-GAAP Net Income, Excluding Adjustments" above for additional information about non-GAAP net income, excluding derivative market value adjustments.
Derivative market value adjustments, net (92,813) 28,144
Tax effect 22,275 (6,755)
Net income, excluding derivative market value adjustments $ 251,410 145,043
Net interest income after provision for loan losses, net of settlements on derivatives The following table summarizes the components of "net interest income after provision for loan losses" and "derivative settlements, net."
Year ended December 31,
2021 2020 Additional information
Variable interest income, gross $ 499,698 637,979 Decrease in 2021 compared to 2020 was due to a decrease in the gross yield earned on loans and a decrease in the average balance of loans.
Consolidation rebate fees (160,228) (168,933) Decrease was due to a decrease in the average consolidation loan balance.
Discount accretion, net of premium and deferred origination costs amortization (3,347) 2,578 During the fourth quarter of 2021, the Company changed its estimate of the constant prepayment rate used to amortize/accrete federally insured loan premium/discounts for its consolidation loans from 3 percent to 4 percent, which resulted in a $6.2 million increase to the Company’s net loan discount balance and a corresponding decrease to the net accretion discount (decrease to interest income). Excluding this adjustment, the Company recognized a discount accretion (net) of $2.8 million. Net discount accretion is due to the Company's purchases of loans at a net discount over the last several years.
Variable interest income, net 336,123 471,624
Interest on bonds and notes payable (171,320) (326,753) Decrease in 2021 compared to 2020 was due to a decrease in cost of funds and a decrease in the average balance of debt outstanding. In addition, during the first quarter of 2021, the Company reduced interest expense by $23.8 million as a result of reversing a historical accrued interest liability on certain bonds.
Derivative settlements, net (a) (1,638) 10,378 Derivative settlements include the net settlements (paid) received related to the Company’s 1:3 basis swaps.
Variable loan interest margin,
net of settlements on derivatives (a)
163,165 155,249
Fixed rate floor income, gross 142,606 123,460 Fixed rate floor income increased due to lower interest rates in 2021 as compared to 2020. It is currently anticipated that interest rates may rise in 2022 as a result of inflationary pressures in the U.S. economy, and an increase in future interest rates will reduce the amount of fixed rate floor income the Company is currently receiving.
Derivative settlements, net (a) (19,729) (6,699) Derivative settlements include the settlements paid related to the Company's floor income interest rate swaps. The increase in net settlements paid in 2021 as compared to 2020 was due to a decrease in interest rates and an increase in the notional amount of derivatives outstanding.
Fixed rate floor income, net of settlements on derivatives 122,877 116,761
Core loan interest income (a) 286,042 272,010
Investment interest 28,172 16,390 Increase in 2021 compared to 2020 was due to an increase in interest income on the Company's loan beneficial interest investments, partially offset by lower interest rates in 2021 as compared to 2020.
Intercompany interest (1,598) (1,404) Increase was due to an increase in the weighted average intercompany debt outstanding in 2021 as compared to 2020, partially offset by lower interest rates in 2021 as compared to 2020.
Negative provision (provision) for loan losses - federally insured loans 7,343 (18,691) See "Allowance for Loan Losses and Loan Delinquencies" included above under "Asset Generation and Management Operating Segment - Results of Operations.
Negative provision (provision) for loan losses - private education loans 1,333 (6,155)
Negative provision (provision) for loan losses - consumer loans 4,544 (38,183)
Net interest income after provision for loan losses (net of settlements on derivatives) (a) $ 325,836 223,967 Increase for 2021 as compared to 2020 was due to (i) an increase in core loan spread; (ii) a decrease in interest expense in 2021 as a result of reversing a historical accrued interest liability on certain bonds; (iii) an increase in interest income on the Company's loan beneficial interest investments; and (iv) the recognition of a negative provision for loan losses in 2021 as compared to provision for loan losses in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. These items were partially offset by a decrease in the average balance of loans.
(a) Core loan interest income and net interest income after provision for loan losses (net of settlements on derivatives) are non-GAAP financial measures. For an explanation of GAAP accounting for derivative settlements and the reasons why the Company reports these non-GAAP measures (and the limitations thereof), see footnote (d) to the table immediately under the caption “Loan Spread Analysis” above. See note 6 of the notes to consolidated financial statements included in this report for additional information on the Company's derivative instruments, including the net settlement activity recognized by the Company for each type of derivative referred to in the "Additional information" column of this table, for the 2021 and 2020 periods presented in the table under the caption "Consolidated Financial Statement Impact Related to Derivatives - Statements of Income" in note 6 and in this table.
NELNET BANK OPERATING SEGMENT - RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Loan Portfolio
As of December 31, 2021, Nelnet Bank had a $257.9 million loan portfolio, consisting of $169.9 million of private education loans and $88.0 million of FFELP loans.
As of December 31, 2021, Nelnet Bank's allowance for loan losses on its portfolio was $1.1 million, which represents reserves equal to 0.3% of Nelnet Bank's federally insured loans (or 12.1% of the risk sharing component of the loans that is not covered by the federal guaranty) and 0.5% of Nelnet Bank's private education loans.
For a summary of Nelnet Bank's activity in the allowance for loan losses for the year ended December 31, 2021, and a summary of Nelnet Bank's loan status and delinquency amounts as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, see note 4 of the notes to consolidated financial statements included in this report.
The following table sets forth the activity in Nelnet Bank's loan portfolio:
Year ended December 31,
2021 2020
Beginning balance $ 17,543 -
Federally insured student loan acquisitions 99,973 -
Private education loan originations 179,749 17,660
Repayments (36,181) (117)
Sales to AGM segment (3,183) -
Ending balance $ 257,901 17,543
Deposits
As of December 31, 2021, Nelnet Bank had $425.4 million of deposits, of which $81.1 million were deposits from Nelnet, Inc. (the parent company) and its subsidiaries (intercompany), and thus eliminated for consolidated financial reporting purposes. All of Nelnet Bank’s deposits are interest-bearing deposits and consist of brokered certificates of deposit (CDs) and retail and other savings deposits and CDs. Retail and other deposits include savings deposits from Educational 529 College Savings and Health Savings plans and commercial and institutional CDs. Union Bank, a related party, is the program manager for the College Savings plans. The intercompany deposits include a pledged deposit of $40.0 million from Nelnet, Inc. as required under the Capital and Liquidity Maintenance Agreement with the FDIC, deposits required for intercompany transactions, operating and savings deposits, and Nelnet Business Services custodial deposits consisting of collected tuition payments which are subsequently remitted to the appropriate school.
Average Balance Sheet
The following table reflects the rates earned on interest-earning assets and paid on interest-bearing liabilities.
Year ended
December 31, 2021 Period from November 2, 2020 (Nelnet Bank inception) -
December 31, 2020
Balance Rate Balance Rate
Average assets
Federally insured student loans $ 64,873 1.36 % - - %
Private education loans 86,285 3.16 5,019 3.54
Cash and investments 220,735 1.86 159,908 1.46
Total interest-earning assets 371,893 2.08 % 164,927 1.53 %
Non-interest-earning assets 10,195 5,767
Total assets $ 382,088 170,694
Average liabilities and equity
Brokered deposits 61,208 0.84 % 1,198 0.55 %
Intercompany deposits 81,064 0.25 46,504 0.30
Retail and other deposits 132,010 0.60 21,207 0.50
Total interest-bearing liabilities 274,282 0.55 % 68,909 0.36 %
Non-interest-bearing liabilities 4,705 1,410
Equity 103,101 100,375
Total liabilities and equity $ 382,088 170,694
Summary of Operating Results
On November 2, 2020, Nelnet Bank launched operations, which are presented by the Company as a reportable operating segment. Costs associated with Nelnet Bank prior to November 2, 2020 are included in the Corporate operating segment. In addition, certain shared service and support costs incurred by the Company are not and will not be reflected as part of the Nelnet Bank operating segment through 2023 (the bank's de novo period). The shared service and support costs incurred by the Company related to Nelnet Bank and not reflected in the bank's operating segment were $3.4 million and $6.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Year ended December 31,
2021 2020 Additional information
Total interest income $ 7,721 414 Represents interest earned on Nelnet Bank's FFELP and private education student loans, cash, and investments.
Interest expense 1,507 41 Represents interest expense on deposits.
Net interest income 6,214 373
Provision for loan losses 794 330
Net interest income after provision for loan losses 5,420 43
Other income 713 48
Salaries and benefits 5,042 36 Represents salaries and benefits of Nelnet Bank associates and third-party contract labor.
Other expenses 1,776 135 Represents various expenses such as consulting and professional fees, Nelnet Bank director fees, occupancy, certain information technology-related costs, insurance, marketing, and other operating expenses.
Intersegment expenses 107 - Represents primarily servicing costs paid to the LSS operating segment.
Total operating expenses 6,925 171
Loss before income taxes (792) (80)
Income tax benefit 175 20 Represents income tax benefit at an effective tax rate of 22.1% and 23.7% for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Net loss $ (617) (60)
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
The Company’s Loan Servicing and Systems, and Education Technology, Services, and Payment Processing operating segments are non-capital intensive and both produce positive operating cash flows. As such, a minimal amount of debt and equity capital is allocated to these segments and any liquidity or capital needs are satisfied using cash flow from operations. Therefore, the Liquidity and Capital Resources discussion is concentrated on the Company’s liquidity and capital needs to meet existing debt obligations in the Asset Generation and Management operating segment and the Company's other initiatives to pursue additional strategic investments.
The Company may issue equity and debt securities in the future in order to improve capital, increase liquidity, refinance upcoming maturities, or provide for general corporate purposes. Moreover, the Company may from time-to-time repurchase certain amounts of its outstanding secured debt securities, including debt securities which the Company may issue in the future, for cash and/or through exchanges for other securities. Such repurchases or exchanges may be made in open market transactions, privately negotiated transactions, or otherwise. Any such repurchases or exchanges will depend on prevailing market conditions, the Company’s liquidity requirements, contractual restrictions, compliance with securities laws, and other factors. The amounts involved in any such transactions may be material.
The Company has historically utilized operating cash flow, secured financing transactions (which include warehouse facilities and asset-backed securitizations), operating lines of credit, and other borrowing arrangements to fund its Asset Generation and Management operations and loan acquisitions. In addition, the Company has used operating cash flow, borrowings on its unsecured line of credit, repurchase agreements, and unsecured debt offerings to fund corporate activities; business acquisitions; solar, real estate, and other investments; repurchases of common stock; and repurchases of its own debt.
Sources of Liquidity
The Company has historically generated positive cash flow from operations. For the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company's net cash provided by operating activities was $544.9 million and $212.8 million, respectively.
As of December 31, 2021, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of $125.6 million. Cash held by Nelnet Bank is generally not available for Company activities outside of Nelnet Bank. Excluding Nelnet Bank, cash and cash equivalents as of December 31, 2021 was $99.4 million.
The Company also has a $495.0 million unsecured line of credit that matures on September 22, 2026. As of December 31, 2021, there was no amount outstanding on the unsecured line of credit and $495.0 million was available for future use. The line of credit provides that the Company may increase the aggregate financing commitments, through the existing lenders and/or through new lenders, up to a total of $737.5 million, subject to certain conditions.
In addition, the Company has retained certain of its own asset-backed securities upon their initial issuance or repurchased certain of its own asset-backed securities (bonds and notes payable) in the secondary market. For accounting purposes, these notes are eliminated in consolidation and are not included in the Company’s consolidated financial statements. However, these securities remain legally outstanding at the trust level and the Company could sell these notes to third parties or redeem the notes at par as cash is generated by the trust estate. Upon a sale of these notes to third parties, the Company would obtain cash proceeds equal to the market value of the notes on the date of such sale. As of December 31, 2021, the Company holds $381.2 million (par value) of its own asset-backed securities.
The Company intends to use its liquidity position to capitalize on market opportunities, including FFELP, private education, and consumer loan acquisitions (or investment interests therein); strategic acquisitions and investments; and capital management initiatives, including stock repurchases, debt repurchases, and dividend distributions. The timing and size of these opportunities will vary and will have a direct impact on the Company's cash and investment balances.
Cash Flows
During the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company generated $544.9 million from operating activities, compared to $212.8 million for the same period in 2020. The increase in such cash flows from operating activities was due to:
•An increase in net income;
•Adjustments to net income for the impact of the gain from the 2020 deconsolidation of ALLO and the non-cash change in deferred income taxes;
•A decrease in loan discount accretion in 2021 as compared to 2020;
•Net proceeds from the Company’s clearinghouse for margin payments on derivatives in 2021 compared to net payments to the clearing house in 2020; and
•The impact of changes to the due to customers liability account and loan and investment accrued interest receivable in 2021 as compared to 2020.
These factors were partially offset by:
•The adjustments to net income for derivative market value adjustments;
•Adjustments to net income for the impact of the non-cash provision for loan losses, beneficial interests, and impairment charges and depreciation and amortization;
•Purchases of equity securities; and
•The impact of changes to accounts receivable and other assets in 2021 as compared to 2020.
The primary items included in the statement of cash flows for investing activities are the purchase and repayment of loans. The primary items included in financing activities are the proceeds from the issuance of and payments on bonds and notes payable used to fund loans. Cash provided by investing activities and used in financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2021 was $1.19 billion and $1.49 billion, respectively. Cash provided by investing activities and used in financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2020 was $621.2 million and $1.10 billion, respectively. Investing and financing activities are further addressed in the discussion that follows.
Liquidity Needs and Sources of Liquidity Available to Satisfy Debt Obligations Secured by Loan Assets and Related Collateral
The following table shows AGM’s debt obligations outstanding that are secured by loan assets and related collateral.
As of December 31, 2021
Carrying amount
Final maturity
Bonds and notes issued in asset-backed securitizations $ 16,969,211 5/27/25 - 9/25/69
FFELP and private education loan warehouse facilities 112,059 2/13/23 / 5/22/23
$ 17,081,270
Bonds and Notes Issued in Asset-backed Securitizations
The majority of AGM’s portfolio of student loans is funded in asset-backed securitizations that are structured to substantially match the maturity of the funded assets, thereby minimizing liquidity risk. Cash generated from student loans funded in asset-backed securitizations provide the sources of liquidity to satisfy all obligations related to the outstanding bonds and notes issued in such securitizations. In addition, due to (i) the difference between the yield AGM receives on the loans and cost of financing within these transactions, and (ii) the servicing and administration fees AGM earns from these transactions, AGM has created a portfolio that will generate earnings and significant cash flow over the life of these transactions.
As of December 31, 2021, based on cash flow models developed to reflect management’s current estimate of, among other factors, prepayments, defaults, deferment, forbearance, and interest rates, AGM currently expects future undiscounted cash flows from its portfolio to be approximately $1.88 billion as detailed below.
The forecasted cash flow presented below includes all loans funded in asset-backed securitizations as of December 31, 2021. As of December 31, 2021, AGM had $17.1 billion of loans included in asset-backed securitizations, which represented 98.3 percent of its total loan portfolio. The forecasted cash flow does not include cash flows that the Company expects to receive related to loans funded in its warehouse facilities as of December 31, 2021, private education and consumer loans funded with operating cash, loans acquired subsequent to December 31, 2021, loans owned by Nelnet Bank, and cash flows relating to the Company's ownership of beneficial interest in loan securitizations (such beneficial interest investments are classified as "investments" on the Company's consolidated balance sheets).
Asset-backed Securitization Cash Flow Forecast
$1.88 billion
(dollars in millions)
The forecasted future undiscounted cash flows of approximately $1.88 billion include approximately $1.14 billion (as of December 31, 2021) of overcollateralization included in the asset-backed securitizations. These excess net asset positions are included in the consolidated balance sheets and included in the balances of "loans and accrued interest receivable" and "restricted cash." The difference between the total estimated future undiscounted cash flows and the overcollateralization of approximately $0.74 billion, or approximately $0.56 billion after income taxes based on the estimated effective tax rate, is expected to be accretive to the Company's December 31, 2021 balance of consolidated shareholders' equity.
The Company uses various assumptions, including prepayments and future interest rates, when preparing its cash flow forecast. These assumptions are further discussed below.
Prepayments: The primary variable in establishing a life of loan estimate is the level and timing of prepayments. Prepayment rates equal the amount of loans that prepay annually as a percentage of the beginning of period balance, net of scheduled principal payments. A number of factors can affect estimated prepayment rates, including the level of consolidation activity, borrower default rates, and utilization of debt management options such as income-based repayment, deferments, and forbearance. Should any of these factors change, management may revise its assumptions, which in turn would impact the projected future cash flow. The Company’s cash flow forecast above assumes prepayment rates that are generally consistent with those utilized in the Company’s recent asset-backed securitization transactions. If management used a prepayment rate assumption two times greater than what was used to forecast the cash flow, the cash flow forecast would be reduced by approximately $120 million to $150 million.
Interest rates: The Company funds a large portion of its student loans with three-month LIBOR indexed floating rate securities. Meanwhile, the interest earned on the Company’s student loan assets is indexed primarily to a one-month LIBOR rate. The different interest rate characteristics of the Company’s loan assets and liabilities funding these assets result in basis risk. The Company’s cash flow forecast assumes three-month LIBOR will exceed one-month LIBOR by 12 basis points for the life of the portfolio, which approximates the historical relationship between these indices. If the forecast is computed assuming a spread of 24 basis points between three-month and one-month LIBOR for the life of the portfolio, the cash flow forecast would be reduced by approximately $60 million to $80 million. As the percentage of the Company's outstanding debt financed by three-month LIBOR declines, the Company's basis risk will be reduced. In addition, the Company attempts to mitigate the
impact of this basis risk by entering into certain derivative instruments. See Item 7A, "Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk - Interest Rate Risk - AGM Operating Segment."
LIBOR is in the process of being discontinued as a benchmark rate, and the market transition away from the current LIBOR framework could result in significant changes to the forecasted cash flows from the Company's asset-backed securitizations. See Item 1A, "Risk Factors - Loan Portfolio - Interest rate risk - replacement of LIBOR as a benchmark rate."
The Company uses the current forward interest rate yield curve to forecast cash flows. A change in the forward interest rate curve would impact the future cash flows generated from the portfolio. An increase in future interest rates will reduce the amount of fixed rate floor income the Company is currently receiving. The Company attempts to mitigate the impact of a rise in short-term rates by hedging interest rate risks. The forecasted cash flow does not include cash flows the Company expects to pay/receive related to derivative instruments used by the Company to manage interest rate risk. See Item 7A, "Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk - Interest Rate Risk - AGM Operating Segment."
Warehouse Facilities
The Company funds a portion of its FFELP loan acquisitions using its FFELP warehouse facility. Student loan warehousing allows the Company to buy and manage student loans prior to transferring them into more permanent financing arrangements. As of December 31, 2021, the Company’s FFELP warehouse facility had a maximum financing amount available of $60.0 million, of which $5.0 million was outstanding and $55.0 million was available for additional funding. The warehouse facility has a static advance rate until the expiration date of the liquidity provisions (May 23, 2022). In the event the liquidity provisions are not extended, the valuation agent has the right to perform a one-time mark to market on the underlying loans funded in this facility, subject to a floor. The loans would then be funded at this new advance rate until the final maturity date of the facility (May 22, 2023). As of December 31, 2021, the Company had $0.3 million advanced as equity support on this facility.
The Company has a private education loan warehouse facility that, as of December 31, 2021, had an aggregate maximum financing amount available of $175.0 million, an advance rate of 80 to 90 percent, liquidity provisions through February 13, 2022, and a final maturity date of February 13, 2023. As of December 31, 2021, $107.0 million was outstanding under this warehouse facility, $68.0 million was available for future funding, and $11.8 million was advanced as equity support. This facility was amended on January 28, 2022 to extend the liquidity provisions and final maturity to June 30, 2022 and June 30, 2023, respectively.
Upon termination or expiration of the warehouse facilities, the Company would expect to access the securitization market, obtain replacement warehouse facilities, use operating cash, consider the sale of assets, or transfer collateral to satisfy any remaining obligations.
Other Uses of Liquidity
The Company no longer originates FFELP loans, but continues to acquire FFELP loan portfolios from third parties and believes additional loan purchase opportunities exist, including opportunities to purchase private education and consumer loans (or investment interests therein).
The Company plans to fund additional loan acquisitions and related investments using current cash and investments; using its unsecured line of credit, Union Bank student loan participation agreement, Union Bank student loan asset-backed securities participation agreement, and third-party repurchase agreements (each as described below), and/or establishing similar secured and unsecured borrowing facilities; using its existing warehouse facilities (as described above); increasing the capacity under existing and/or establishing new warehouse facilities; and continuing to access the asset-backed securities market.
Private Education Loan Investment
During 2021, the Company sponsored four asset-backed securitization transactions to permanently finance a total of $8.7 billion of the private education loans sold by Wells Fargo. For further information about these transactions, see “Overview - Recent Transactions / Developments - 2021 Transactions Related to the Private Education Loan Portfolio Sold by Wells Fargo” above. As sponsor, the Company is required to provide a certain level of risk retention, and has purchased bonds issued in such securitizations to satisfy this requirement. The bonds purchased to satisfy the risk retention requirement are reflected on the Company's consolidated balance sheet as "investments" and as of December 31, 2021, the fair value of these bonds was $412.6 million. The Company must retain these investment securities until the expiration of a holding period discussed above under “Overview - Recent Transactions / Developments - 2021 Transactions Related to the Private Education Loan Portfolio Sold by Wells Fargo.” The Company entered into repurchase agreements with third parties, the proceeds of which were used to purchase a portion of the asset-backed investments, and such investments serve as collateral on the repurchase obligations.
As of December 31, 2021, $483.8 million was outstanding on the Company’s repurchase agreements, of which $313.2 million was borrowed to fund private education loan securitization bonds subject to the Company’s risk retention requirement. The repurchase agreements have various maturity dates between May 27, 2022 and December 20, 2023, but are subject to early termination upon required notice provided by the Company or the applicable counterparty prior to the maturity dates. The Company is required to pay additional cash in the event the fair value of the securities subject to a repurchase agreement becomes less than the original purchase price of such securities.
Upon termination or expiration of the repurchase agreements, the Company would use cash and/or cash proceeds from its unsecured line of credit to satisfy any outstanding obligations subject to the repurchase agreements.
Union Bank Participation Agreement
The Company maintains an agreement with Union Bank, a related party, as trustee for various grantor trusts, under which Union Bank has agreed to purchase from the Company participation interests in student loans. As of December 31, 2021, $967.5 million of loans were subject to outstanding participation interests held by Union Bank, as trustee, under this agreement. The agreement automatically renews annually and is terminable by either party upon five business days' notice. This agreement provides beneficiaries of Union Bank’s grantor trusts with access to investments in interests in student loans, while providing liquidity to the Company. The Company can participate loans to Union Bank to the extent of availability under the grantor trusts, up to $900.0 million or an amount in excess of $900.0 million if mutually agreed to by both parties. Loans participated under this agreement have been accounted for by the Company as loan sales. Accordingly, the participation interests sold are not included on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets.
Asset-backed Securities Transactions
During 2021, the Company completed two FFELP asset-backed securitizations totaling $1.3 billion (par value). The proceeds from these transactions were used primarily to finance student loans purchased during the period and refinance student loans included in the Company's FFELP warehouse facilities and other asset-backed securitizations. See note 5 of the notes to consolidated financial statements included in this report for additional information on these securitizations.
The Company, through its subsidiaries, has historically funded student loans by completing asset-backed securitizations. Depending on market conditions, the Company currently anticipates continuing to access the asset-backed securitization market. Such asset-backed securitization transactions would be used to refinance student loans included in its warehouse facilities, loans purchased from third parties, and/or student loans in its existing asset-backed securitizations.
Liquidity Impact Related to Nelnet Bank
Nelnet Bank launched operations in November 2020. Nelnet Bank was funded by the Company with an initial capital contribution of $100.0 million, consisting of $55.9 million of cash and $44.1 million of student loan asset-backed securities. In addition, the Company made a pledged deposit of $40.0 million with Nelnet Bank, as required under an agreement with the FDIC discussed below.
Prior to Nelnet Bank’s launch of operations, Nelnet Bank, Nelnet, Inc. (the parent), and Michael S. Dunlap (Nelnet, Inc.’s controlling shareholder) entered into a Capital and Liquidity Maintenance Agreement and a Parent Company Agreement with the FDIC in connection with Nelnet, Inc.’s role as a source of financial strength for Nelnet Bank. As part of the Capital and Liquidity Maintenance Agreement, Nelnet, Inc. is obligated to (i) contribute capital to Nelnet Bank for it to maintain capital levels that meet FDIC requirements for a “well capitalized” bank, including a leverage ratio of capital to total assets of at least 12 percent; (ii) provide and maintain an irrevocable asset liquidity takeout commitment for the benefit of Nelnet Bank in an amount equal to the greater of either 10 percent of Nelnet Bank’s total assets or such additional amount as agreed to by Nelnet Bank and Nelnet, Inc.; (iii) provide additional liquidity to Nelnet Bank in such amount and duration as may be necessary for Nelnet Bank to meet its ongoing liquidity obligations; and (iv) establish and maintain a pledged deposit of $40.0 million with Nelnet Bank.
Under the regulatory framework for prompt corrective action, Nelnet Bank is subject to various regulatory capital requirements administered by the FDIC and the UDFI and must meet specific capital standards. Failure to meet minimum capital requirements can initiate certain mandatory and possibly additional discretionary actions by regulators that, if undertaken, could have a direct material adverse effect on Nelnet Bank's business, results of operations, and financial condition. On January 1, 2020, the Community Bank Leverage Ratio ("CBLR") framework, as issued jointly by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Reserve Board, and the FDIC, became effective. Any banking organization with total consolidated assets of less than $10 billion, limited amounts of certain types of assets and off-balance sheet exposures, and a community bank leverage ratio greater than 9% may opt into the CBLR framework quarterly. The CBLR framework allows banks to satisfy capital standards and be considered "well capitalized" under the prompt corrective action framework if their leverage ratio is
greater than 9%, unless the banking organization's federal banking agency determines that the banking organization's risk profile warrants a more stringent leverage ratio. The FDIC has ordered Nelnet Bank to maintain at least a 12% leverage ratio. Nelnet Bank has opted into the CBLR framework for the quarter ended December 31, 2021 with a leverage ratio of 22.4%. Nelnet Bank intends to maintain at all times regulatory capital levels that meet both the minimum level necessary to be considered “well capitalized” under the FDIC’s prompt corrective action framework and the minimum level required by the FDIC.
Based on Nelnet Bank's business plan and current financial condition, the Company currently believes that the initial capital contribution of $100.0 million and pledged deposit of $40.0 million should provide sufficient capital and liquidity to Nelnet Bank for the next two years.
Liquidity Impact Related to ALLO
Upon the deconsolidation of ALLO on December 21, 2020, the Company recorded its 45 percent voting membership interests in ALLO at fair value, and accounts for such investment under the HLBV method of accounting. In addition, the Company recorded its remaining non-voting preferred membership units of ALLO at fair value, and accounts for such investment as a separate equity investment. As of December 31, 2021, the outstanding preferred membership interests of ALLO held by the Company was $137.3 million that earns a preferred annual return of 6.25 percent.
The agreements among the Company, SDC, and ALLO provide that they will use commercially reasonable efforts (which expressly excludes requiring ALLO to raise any additional equity financing or sell any assets) to cause the redemption, on or before April 2024, of the remaining non-voting preferred membership interests in ALLO held by the Company, plus the amount of accrued and unpaid preferred return on such interests.
If ALLO needs additional capital to support its growth in existing or new markets, the Company has the option to contribute additional capital to maintain its voting equity interest. Although ALLO has obtained third-party debt financing to fund a large portion of its current growth plans, the Company contributed an additional $34.7 million of additional equity to ALLO on February 25, 2022. As a result of this equity contribution, the Company’s voting membership interests percentage did not materially change.
Liquidity Impact Related to Hedging Activities
The Company utilizes derivative instruments to manage interest rate sensitivity. By using derivative instruments, the Company is exposed to market risk which could impact its liquidity. Based on the derivative portfolio outstanding as of December 31, 2021, the Company does not currently anticipate any movement in interest rates having a material impact on its capital or liquidity profile, nor does the Company expect that any movement in interest rates would have a material impact on its ability to make variation margin payments to its third-party clearinghouse. However, if interest rates move materially and negatively impact the fair value of the Company's derivative portfolio, the replacement of LIBOR as a benchmark rate has significant adverse impacts on the Company's derivatives, or if the Company enters into additional derivatives for which the fair value becomes negative, the Company could be required to make variation margin payments to its third-party clearinghouse. The variation margin, if significant, could negatively impact the Company's liquidity and capital resources. In addition, clearing rules require the Company to post amounts of liquid collateral when executing new derivative instruments, which could prevent or limit the Company from utilizing additional derivative instruments to manage interest rate sensitivity and risks. See note 6 of the notes to consolidated financial statements included in this report for additional information on the Company's derivative portfolio.
Other Debt Facilities
As discussed above, the Company has a $495.0 million unsecured line of credit with a maturity date of September 22, 2026. As of December 31, 2021, the unsecured line of credit had no amount outstanding and $495.0 million was available for future use. Upon the maturity date of this facility, there can be no assurance that the Company will be able to maintain this line of credit, increase the amount outstanding under the line, or find alternative funding if necessary.
During 2020, the Company entered into an agreement with Union Bank, as trustee for various grantor trusts, under which Union Bank has agreed to purchase from the Company participation interests in federally insured student loan asset-backed securities. As of December 31, 2021, $254.0 million (par value) of student loan asset-backed securities were subject to outstanding participation interests held by Union Bank, as trustee, under this agreement. This participation agreement has been accounted for by the Company as a secured borrowing. Upon termination or expiration of this agreement, the Company would expect to use operating cash, consider the sale of assets, or transfer collateral to satisfy any remaining obligations.
For further discussion of these debt facilities described above, see note 5 of the notes to consolidated financial statements included in this report.
Debt Repurchases
Due to the Company’s positive liquidity position and opportunities in the capital markets, the Company has repurchased its own debt over the last several years, and may continue to do so in the future. For accounting purposes, these notes are eliminated in consolidation and are not included in the Company’s consolidated financial statements. However, these securities remain legally outstanding at the trust level and the Company could sell these notes to third parties or redeem the notes at par as cash is generated by the trust estate. Upon a sale of these notes to third parties, the Company would obtain cash proceeds equal to the market value of the notes on the date of such sale. As of December 31, 2021, the Company holds $381.2 million (par value) of its own asset-backed securities.
See note 5 of the notes to consolidated financial statements included in this report for information on debt repurchased by the Company during the last three years.
Stock Repurchases
The Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program to repurchase up to a total of five million shares of the Company's Class A common stock during the three-year period ending May 7, 2022. As of December 31, 2021, 2,571,680 shares remained authorized for repurchase under the Company's stock repurchase program. Shares may be repurchased from time to time on the open market, in private transactions (including with related parties), or otherwise, depending on various factors, including share prices and other potential uses of liquidity.
Shares repurchased by the Company during 2021 and 2020 are shown below. Certain of these repurchases were made pursuant to trading plans adopted by the Company in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
Total shares repurchased Purchase price (in thousands) Average price of shares repurchased (per share)
Year ended December 31, 2021 713,274 $ 58,111 $ 81.47
Year ended December 31, 2020 1,594,394 73,358 46.01
Included in the shares repurchased during 2020 in the table above are a total of 100,000 shares of Class A common stock the Company purchased on May 27, 2020 from Shelby J. Butterfield, a significant shareholder of the Company. Included in the shares repurchased during 2021 are a total of 337,717 shares of Class A common stock the Company purchased on August 10, 2021 from various estate planning trusts associated with Shelby J. Butterfield. The shares purchased in 2020 and 2021 were purchased at a discount to the closing market price of the Company's Class A common stock as of May 27, 2020 and August 9, 2021, respectively, and the transactions were separately approved by the Company's Board of Directors and its Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Immediately prior to the Company's repurchase of such shares, certain of the repurchased shares were shares of the Company's Class B common stock that were converted to shares of Class A common stock.
Dividends
Dividends of $0.22 per share on the Company’s Class A and Class B common stock were paid on March 15, 2021, June 14, 2021, and September 15, 2021, respectively, and a dividend of $0.24 per share was paid on December 15, 2021.
The Company's Board of Directors declared a first quarter 2022 cash dividend on the Company's Class A and Class B common stock of $0.24 per share. The dividend will be paid on March 15, 2022, to shareholders of record at the close of business on March 1, 2022.
The Company currently plans to continue making regular quarterly dividend payments, subject to future earnings, capital requirements, financial condition, and other factors.
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES
This Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations discusses the Company’s consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. The preparation of these financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the reported amounts of income and expenses during the reporting periods. The Company bases its estimates and judgments on historical experience and on various other factors that the Company believes are reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ from these estimates under varying assumptions or conditions. Note 3 of the notes to consolidated financial statements included in this report includes a summary of the significant accounting policies and methods used in the preparation of the consolidated financial statements.
On an on-going basis, management evaluates its estimates and judgments, particularly as they relate to accounting policies that management believes are most "critical" - that is, they are most important to the portrayal of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations and they require management’s most difficult, subjective, or complex judgments, often as a result of the need to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain. Management has identified the allowance for loan losses as a critical accounting policy.
Allowance for Loan Losses
The allowance for loan losses represents the Company’s estimate of the expected lifetime credit losses inherent in loan receivables as of the balance sheet date. The adequacy of the allowance for loan losses is assessed quarterly and the assumptions and models used in establishing the allowance are evaluated regularly. Because credit losses can vary substantially over time, estimating credit losses requires a number of assumptions about matters that are uncertain. Such assumptions are discussed below, and such uncertainty is due in part to the fact that loans in the Company’s portfolio mature over the next 15 years (with a weighted average remaining life of approximately 8 years), and actual credit losses will be affected by, among other things, future economic conditions and future personal financial situations for borrowers, over that extended time frame. Changes in the Company’s assumptions affect “provision for loan losses” on the Company’s consolidated income statements and the “allowance for loan losses” contained within “loans and accrued interest receivable, net of allowance for loan losses” on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets. For additional information regarding our allowance for loan losses, see notes 3 and 4 of the notes to consolidated financial statements included in this report.
The Company estimates the allowance for loan losses for receivables that share similar risk characteristics based on a collective assessment using a combination of measurement models and management judgment. The models consider factors such as historical trends in credit losses, recent portfolio performance, and forward-looking macroeconomic conditions. The models vary by portfolio type including FFELP, private education, and consumer loans. If management does not believe the models reflect lifetime expected credit losses for the portfolio, an adjustment is made to reflect management judgment regarding qualitative factors including economic uncertainty, observable changes in portfolio performance, and other relevant factors.
The Company’s allowance for loan losses is based on various assumptions including: probability of default; loss given default; exposure at default; net loss rates for its consumer portfolio; contractual terms, including prepayments; forecast period; reversion method; reversion period; and macroeconomic factors, including unemployment rates, gross domestic product, and the consumer price index.
The allowance for loan losses is made at a specific point in time and based on relevant information as discussed above. The allowance for loan losses is maintained at a level management believes is appropriate to provide for expected lifetime credit losses inherent in loan receivables as of the balance sheet date. This evaluation is inherently subjective because it requires numerous estimates made by management. These estimates are subjective in nature and involve uncertainties and matters of significant judgement. Changes in estimates could significantly affect the Company's recorded balance for the allowance for loan losses. For additional information regarding changes in the Company’s allowance for loan losses for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020, and 2019, see the caption “Activity in the Allowance for Loan Losses” in note 4 of the notes to consolidated financial statements included in this report.
The Company considers a range of economic scenarios in its determination of the allowance for loan losses. These scenarios are constructed with interrelated projections of multiple economic variables, and loss estimates are produced that consider the historical correlation of those economic variables with credit losses, and also the expectation that conditions will eventually normalize over the longer run. Scenarios worse than the Company’s expected outcome at December 31, 2021 include risks that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly worsens from the relatively improved conditions at December 31, 2021, or that government stimulus programs related to the pandemic are less effective than expected or have collateral adverse consequences for the economy, any of which could lead to a prolonged downturn in economic activity, reducing the number of businesses that are able to conduct normal operations until after conditions improve, which could impact borrowers’ ability to pay on their loans held with us.
Under the range of economic scenarios considered, the allowance for loan losses would have been lower by $7 million (6 percent) or higher by $13 million (10 percent). This range reflects the sensitivity of the allowance for loan losses specifically related to the scenarios and weights considered as of December 31, 2021, and does not consider other potential adjustments that could increase or decrease loss estimates calculated using alternative economic scenarios.
Because several quantitative and qualitative factors are considered in determining the allowance for loan losses, these sensitivity analyses do not necessarily reflect the nature and extent of future changes in the allowance for loan losses. They are intended to provide insights into the impact of adverse changes in the economy on the Company’s modeled loss estimates for the loan portfolio and do not imply any expectation of future deterioration in loss rates. Given current processes employed by
the Company, management believes the loss model estimates currently assigned are appropriate. It is possible that others, given the same information, may at any point in time reach different reasonable conclusions that could be significant to the Company’s financial statements.

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ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
(All dollars are in thousands, except share amounts, unless otherwise noted)
Interest Rate Risk - AGM Operating Segment
AGM’s primary market risk exposure arises from fluctuations in its borrowing and lending rates, the spread between which could impact AGM due to shifts in market interest rates.
The following table sets forth AGM’s loan assets and debt instruments by rate characteristics:
As of December 31, 2021 As of December 31, 2020
Dollars Percent Dollars Percent
Fixed-rate loan assets $ 7,434,068 42.6 % $ 8,720,480 44.6 %
Variable-rate loan assets 10,007,722 57.4 10,838,628 55.4
Total $ 17,441,790 100.0 % $ 19,559,108 100.0 %
Fixed-rate debt instruments $ 801,548 4.7 % $ 960,327 5.0 %
Variable-rate debt instruments 16,279,722 95.3 18,354,964 95.0
Total $ 17,081,270 100.0 % $ 19,315,291 100.0 %
FFELP loans originated prior to April 1, 2006 generally earn interest at the higher of the borrower rate, which is fixed over a period of time, or a floating rate based on the special allowance payment ("SAP") formula set by the Department. The SAP rate is based on an applicable index plus a fixed spread that depends on loan type, origination date, and repayment status. The Company generally finances its FFELP student loan portfolio with variable rate debt. In low and/or declining interest rate environments, when the fixed borrower rate is higher than the SAP rate, the Company’s FFELP student loans earn at a fixed rate while the interest on the variable rate debt typically continues to reflect the low and/or declining interest rates. In these interest rate environments, the Company may earn additional spread income that it refers to as floor income.
Depending on the type of loan and when it was originated, the borrower rate is either fixed to term or is reset to an annual rate each July 1. As a result, for loans where the borrower rate is fixed to term, the Company may earn floor income for an extended period of time, which the Company refers to as fixed rate floor income, and for those loans where the borrower rate is reset annually on July 1, the Company may earn floor income to the next reset date, which the Company refers to as variable rate floor income. All FFELP loans first originated on or after April 1, 2006 effectively earn at the SAP rate, since lenders are required to rebate fixed rate floor income and variable rate floor income for those loans to the Department.
As a result of the significant drop in interest rates during the first half of 2020, the Company earned $4.8 million of variable-rate floor income on approximately $1.4 billion of FFELP loans during the six months ended June 30, 2020. Since the borrower rate reset on July 1, 2020, the Company no longer earns such variable-rate floor income on these loans, reflecting the lower interest rate environment. No variable-rate floor income was earned in 2021.
A summary of fixed rate floor income earned by the AGM operating segment follows.
Year ended December 31,
2021 2020
Fixed rate floor income, gross $ 142,606 123,460
Derivative settlements (a) (19,729) (6,699)
Fixed rate floor income, net $ 122,877 116,761
(a) Derivative settlements consist of settlements paid related to the Company's derivatives used to hedge student loans earning fixed rate floor income.
Gross fixed rate floor income increased in 2021 as compared to 2020 due to lower interest rates in 2021 as compared to 2020.
Absent the use of derivative instruments, a rise in interest rates will reduce the amount of floor income received and has an impact on earnings due to interest margin compression caused by increasing financing costs, until such time as the federally insured loans earn interest at a variable rate in accordance with their SAP formulas. In higher interest rate environments, where
the interest rate rises above the borrower rate and fixed rate loans effectively become variable rate loans, the impact of the rate fluctuations is reduced.
The Company enters into derivative instruments to hedge student loans earning fixed rate floor income. The increase in net derivative settlements paid on these derivatives in 2021 as compared to 2020 was due to a decrease in interest rates and an increase in weighted average of notional amount of derivatives outstanding in 2021 as compared to 2020.
The following graph depicts fixed rate floor income for a borrower with a fixed rate of 6.75% and a SAP rate of 2.64%:
The following table shows AGM’s federally insured student loan assets that were earning fixed rate floor income as of December 31, 2021:
Fixed interest rate range Borrower/lender weighted average yield Estimated variable conversion rate (a) Loan balance
< 3.0% 2.87% 0.23% $ 1,034,712
3.0 - 3.49% 3.19% 0.55% 1,309,665
3.5 - 3.99% 3.65% 1.01% 1,233,183
4.0 - 4.49% 4.20% 1.56% 921,498
4.5 - 4.99% 4.71% 2.07% 575,873
5.0 - 5.49% 5.22% 2.58% 385,797
5.5 - 5.99% 5.67% 3.03% 255,468
6.0 - 6.49% 6.19% 3.55% 292,207
6.5 - 6.99% 6.70% 4.06% 287,525
7.0 - 7.49% 7.17% 4.53% 107,708
7.5 - 7.99% 7.71% 5.07% 196,416
8.0 - 8.99% 8.18% 5.54% 463,091
> 9.0% 9.05% 6.41% 178,219
$ 7,241,362
(a) The estimated variable conversion rate is the estimated short-term interest rate at which loans would convert to a variable rate. As of December 31, 2021, the weighted average estimated variable conversion rate was 1.93% and the short-term interest rate was 9 basis points.
The following table summarizes the outstanding derivative instruments as of December 31, 2021 used by AGM to economically hedge loans earning fixed rate floor income.
Maturity Notional amount Weighted average fixed rate paid by the Company (a)
2022 $ 500,000 0.94 %
2023 900,000 0.62
2024 2,500,000 0.35
2025 500,000 0.35
2026 500,000 1.02
2031 100,000 1.53
$ 5,000,000 0.55 %
(a) For all interest rate derivatives, the Company receives discrete three-month LIBOR.
AGM is also exposed to interest rate risk in the form of basis risk and repricing risk because the interest rate characteristics of AGM’s assets do not match the interest rate characteristics of the funding for those assets. The following table presents AGM’s FFELP student loan assets and related funding for those assets arranged by underlying indices as of December 31, 2021.
Index Frequency of variable resets Assets Funding of student loan assets
1 month LIBOR (a) Daily $ 15,940,182 -
3 month H15 financial commercial paper Daily 621,327 -
3 month Treasury bill Daily 529,538 -
1 month LIBOR Monthly - 10,494,895
3 month LIBOR (a) Quarterly - 5,392,400
Fixed rate - - 772,935
Auction-rate (b) Varies - 248,550
Asset-backed commercial paper (c) Varies - 5,048
Other (d) - 1,455,317 1,632,536
$ 18,546,364 18,546,364
(a) The Company has certain basis swaps outstanding in which the Company receives three-month LIBOR and pays one-month LIBOR plus or minus a spread as defined in the agreements (the "1:3 Basis Swaps"). The Company entered into these derivative instruments to better match the interest rate characteristics on its student loan assets and the debt funding such assets. The following table summarizes the 1:3 Basis Swaps outstanding as of December 31, 2021.
Maturity Notional amount (i)
2022 $ 2,000,000
2023 750,000
2024 1,750,000
2026 1,150,000
2027 250,000
$ 5,900,000
(i) The weighted average rate paid by the Company on the 1:3 Basis Swaps as of December 31, 2021 was one-month LIBOR plus 9.1 basis points.
(b) As of December 31, 2021, the Company was sponsor for $248.6 million of outstanding asset-backed securities that were set and provide for interest rates to be periodically reset via a "dutch auction" (“Auction Rate Securities”). Since the auction feature has essentially been inoperable for substantially all auction rate securities since 2008, the Auction Rate Securities generally pay interest to the holder at a maximum rate as defined by the indenture. While these rates will vary, they will generally be based on a spread to LIBOR or Treasury Securities, or the Net Loan Rate as defined in the financing documents.
(c) The interest rates on the Company's warehouse facilities are indexed to asset-backed commercial paper rates.
(d) Assets include accrued interest receivable and restricted cash. Funding represents overcollateralization (equity) and other liabilities included in FFELP asset-backed securitizations and warehouse facilities.
LIBOR is in the process of being discontinued as a benchmark rate, and the market transition away from the current LIBOR framework could result in significant changes to the interest rate characteristics of the Company's LIBOR-indexed assets and funding for those assets. See Item 1A, "Risk Factors - Loan Portfolio - Interest rate risk - replacement of LIBOR as a benchmark rate."
Sensitivity Analysis
The following tables summarize the effect on the Company’s consolidated earnings, based upon a sensitivity analysis performed on AGM’s assets and liabilities assuming hypothetical increases in interest rates of 100 basis points and 300 basis points while funding spreads remain constant. In addition, a sensitivity analysis was performed assuming the funding index increases 10 basis points and 30 basis points while holding the asset index constant, if the funding index is different than the asset index. The sensitivity analysis was performed on AGM’s variable rate assets (including loans earning fixed rate floor income) and liabilities. The analysis includes the effects of AGM’s derivative instruments in existence during these periods.
Interest rates Asset and funding index mismatches
Change from increase of
100 basis points Change from increase of
300 basis points Increase of
10 basis points Increase of
30 basis points
Dollars Percent Dollars Percent Dollars Percent Dollars Percent
Year ended December 31, 2021
Effect on earnings:
Decrease in pre-tax net income before impact of derivative settlements $ (55,957) (11.1) % $ (103,742) (20.7) % $ (6,020) (1.2) % $ (18,063) (3.6) %
Impact of derivative settlements 43,059 8.6 129,176 25.7 5,961 1.2 17,884 3.6
Increase (decrease) in net income before taxes $ (12,898) (2.5) % $ 25,434 5.0 % $ (59) - % $ (179) - %
Increase (decrease) in basic and diluted earnings per share $ (0.25) $ 0.50 $ - $ -
Year ended December 31, 2020
Effect on earnings:
Decrease in pre-tax net income before impact of derivative settlements $ (57,447) (12.8) % $ (108,018) (24.0) % $ (7,157) (1.6) % $ (21,477) (4.8) %
Impact of derivative settlements 13,955 3.1 41,864 9.3 6,112 1.4 18,336 4.1
Increase (decrease) in net income before taxes $ (43,492) (9.7) % $ (66,154) (14.7) % $ (1,045) (0.2) % $ (3,141) (0.7) %
Increase (decrease) in basic and diluted earnings per share $ (0.85) $ (1.29) $ (0.02) $ (0.06)
Interest Rate Risk - Nelnet Bank
To manage Nelnet Bank's risk from fluctuations in market interest rates, the Company actively monitors interest rates and other interest sensitive components to minimize the impact that changes in interest rates have on the fair value of assets, net income, and cash flow. To achieve this objective, the Company manages and mitigates its exposure to fluctuations in market interest rates through several techniques, including managing the maturity, repricing, and mix of fixed and variable rate assets and liabilities.
The following table presents Nelnet Bank's loan assets and deposits by rate characteristics:
As of December 31, 2021 As of December 31, 2020
Dollars Percent Dollars Percent
Fixed-rate loan assets $ 191,410 74.2 % $ 16,866 96.1 %
Variable-rate loan assets 66,491 25.8 677 3.9
Total $ 257,901 100.0 % $ 17,543 100.0 %
Fixed-rate deposits $ 344,315 80.9 % $ 54,633 48.3 %
Variable-rate deposits 81,085 19.1 58,413 51.7
Total $ 425,400 100.0 % $ 113,046 100.0 %
Financial Statement Impact - Derivatives
For a table summarizing the effect of derivative instruments in the consolidated statements of income, including the components of "derivative market value adjustments and derivative settlements, net" included in the consolidated statements of income, see note 6 of the notes to consolidated financial statements included in this report.

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ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
Reference is made to the consolidated financial statements listed under the heading “(a) 1. Consolidated Financial Statements” of Item 15 of this report, which consolidated financial statements are incorporated into this report by reference in response to this Item 8.

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ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS
ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
None.

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ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Disclosure Controls and Procedures
The Company’s management, with the participation of the Company's principal executive and principal financial officers, evaluated the effectiveness of the Company's disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) as of December 31, 2021. Based on this evaluation, the Company’s principal executive and principal financial officers concluded that the Company's disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of December 31, 2021.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
The Company implemented a new enterprise resource planning system in 2021 which replaced multiple systems, including the general ledger and payroll processing systems, and resulted in changes to business processes. We believe the change has enhanced the Company’s internal control over financial reporting due to increased automation and further integration of related processes. The Company replaced multiple internal controls that were previously considered effective with new or modified controls that are also considered effective.
There were no other changes in the Company's internal control over financial reporting during the fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2021 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company's internal control over financial reporting.
Management's Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) for the Company. The Company's internal control system is designed to provide reasonable assurance to the Company's management and board of directors regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation and fair presentation of published financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
Management assessed the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021 based on the criteria for effective internal control described in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on this assessment, management believes that, as of December 31, 2021, the Company's internal control over financial reporting is effective.
The effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021 has been audited by KPMG LLP, the Company's independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report included herein.
Inherent Limitations on Effectiveness of Internal Controls
The Company's management, including the chief executive and chief financial officers, understands that the disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting are subject to certain limitations, including the exercise of judgment in designing, implementing, and evaluating the controls and procedures, the assumptions used in identifying the likelihood of future events, and the inability to eliminate misconduct completely. Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Shareholders and Board of Directors
Nelnet, Inc.:
Opinion on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
We have audited Nelnet, Inc. and subsidiaries' (the Company) internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. In our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the consolidated balance sheets of the Company as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, the related consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, shareholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2021, and the related notes (collectively, the consolidated financial statements), and our report dated February 28, 2022 expressed an unqualified opinion on those consolidated financial statements.
Basis for Opinion
The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management's Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audit also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Definition and Limitations of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
/s/ KPMG LLP
Lincoln, Nebraska
February 28, 2022

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ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
During the fourth quarter of 2021, no information was required to be disclosed in a report on Form 8-K, but not reported.

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ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS, AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
The information as to the directors, executive officers, and corporate governance of the Company set forth under the captions “PROPOSAL 1 - ELECTION OF DIRECTORS,” “EXECUTIVE OFFICERS,” and “CORPORATE GOVERNANCE,” and the information as to any delinquent report under Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 set forth under the caption “SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS, AND PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS - Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports," to the extent any such disclosure is required, in the definitive Proxy Statement to be filed on Schedule 14A with the SEC, no later than 120 days after the end of the Company's fiscal year, relating to the Company's 2022 Annual Meeting of Shareholders scheduled to be held on May 19, 2022 (the “Proxy Statement”), is incorporated herein by reference.

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ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
The information set forth under the captions “CORPORATE GOVERNANCE” and “EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION” in the Proxy Statement is incorporated herein by reference.

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ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS
ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
The information set forth under the caption “SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS, AND PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS - Stock Ownership” in the Proxy Statement is incorporated herein by reference. There are no arrangements known to the Company, the operation of which may at a subsequent date result in a change in the control of the Company.
The following table summarizes information about compensation plans under which equity securities are authorized for issuance.
Equity Compensation Plan Information
As of December 31, 2021
Plan category Number of shares to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants, and rights (a) Weighted-average exercise price of outstanding options, warrants, and rights (b) Number of shares remaining available for future issuance under equity compensation plans (excluding securities reflected in column (a)) (c)
Equity compensation plans approved by shareholders
- - 1,515,565 (1)
Equity compensation plans not approved by shareholders
- - -
Total - - 1,515,565
(1) Includes 1,100,414, 46,415, and 368,736 shares of Class A Common Stock remaining available for future issuance under the Nelnet, Inc. Restricted Stock Plan, Nelnet, Inc. Directors Stock Compensation Plan, and Nelnet, Inc. Employee Share Purchase Plan, respectively.

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ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
The information set forth under the captions “CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS,” “CORPORATE GOVERNANCE - Board Composition and Director Independence,” and “CORPORATE GOVERNANCE - Board Committees” in the Proxy Statement is incorporated herein by reference.

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ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES
The information set forth under the caption “PROPOSAL 2 - RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM - Independent Accountant Fees and Services” in the Proxy Statement is incorporated herein by reference.
PART IV.

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ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
ITEM 15. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
(a) 1. Consolidated Financial Statements
The following consolidated financial statements of Nelnet, Inc. and its subsidiaries and the Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm thereon are included in Item 8 above:
Page
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2021 and 2020
Consolidated Statements of Income for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020, and 2019
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020, and 2019
Consolidated Statements of Shareholders' Equity for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020, and 2019
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020, and 2019
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
2. Financial Statement Schedules
All schedules are omitted because they are not applicable or the required information is shown in the consolidated financial statements or notes thereto.
3. Exhibits
The exhibits listed in the accompanying index to exhibits are filed, furnished, or incorporated by reference as part of this report.
(b) Exhibits
Exhibit Index
Exhibit No. Description
3.1 Composite Third Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation of Nelnet, Inc., as amended on May 23, 2019, filed as Exhibit 3.2 to the registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2019 and incorporated herein by reference.
3.2 Ninth Amended and Restated Bylaws of Nelnet, Inc., as amended as of May 24, 2018, filed as Exhibit 3.2 to the registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on May 24, 2018 and incorporated herein by reference.
4.1 Description of Securities Registered Under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, filed as Exhibit 4.1 to the registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and incorporated herein by reference.
4.2 Form of Class A Common Stock Certificate of Nelnet, Inc., filed on November 24, 2003 as Exhibit 4.1 to the registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (Registration No. 333-108070) and incorporated herein by reference.
4.3 Certain instruments, including indentures of trust, defining the rights of holders of long-term debt of the registrant and its consolidated subsidiaries, none of which instruments authorizes a total amount of indebtedness thereunder in excess of 10 percent of the total assets of the registrant and its subsidiaries on a consolidated basis, are omitted from this Exhibit Index pursuant to Item 601(b)(4)(iii)(A) of Regulation S-K. Certain of such instruments have been previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the registrant hereby agrees to furnish a copy of any such instrument to the Commission upon request.
4.4 Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of December 16, 2003, by and among Nelnet, Inc. and the shareholders of Nelnet, Inc. signatory thereto, filed on November 24, 2003 as Exhibit 4.11 to the registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (Registration No. 333-108070) and incorporated herein by reference.
10.1 Composite Form of Amended and Restated Participation Agreement, dated as of June 1, 2001, between NELnet, Inc. (subsequently renamed National Education Loan Network, Inc.) and Union Bank and Trust Company, as amended by the First Amendment thereto dated as of December 19, 2001 through the Cancellation of the Fifteenth Amendment thereto dated as of March 16, 2011 (such Participation Agreement and each amendment through the Cancellation of the Fifteenth Amendment thereto have been previously filed as set forth in the Exhibit Index for the registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012, and are incorporated herein by reference), filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.2 Sixteenth Amendment of Amended and Restated Participation Agreement, dated as of March 23, 2012, by and between Union Bank and Trust Company and National Education Loan Network, Inc., filed as Exhibit 10.3 to the registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2012 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.3 Seventeenth Amendment of Amended and Restated Participation Agreement, dated as of August 1, 2019, by and between Union Bank and Trust Company and National Education Loan Network, Inc., filed as Exhibit 10.2 to the registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2019 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.4 Guaranteed Purchase Agreement, dated as of March 19, 2001, by and between NELnet, Inc. (subsequently renamed National Education Loan Network, Inc.) and Union Bank and Trust Company, filed on September 25, 2003 as Exhibit 10.36 to the registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (Registration No. 333-108070) and incorporated herein by reference.
10.5 First Amendment of Guaranteed Purchase Agreement, dated as of February 1, 2002, by and between NELnet, Inc. (subsequently renamed National Education Loan Network, Inc.) and Union Bank and Trust Company, filed on September 25, 2003 as Exhibit 10.37 to the registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (Registration No. 333-108070) and incorporated herein by reference.
10.6 Second Amendment of Guaranteed Purchase Agreement, dated as of December 1, 2002, by and between Nelnet, Inc. (f/k/a/ NELnet, Inc.) (subsequently renamed National Education Loan Network, Inc.) and Union Bank and Trust Company, filed on September 25, 2003 as Exhibit 10.38 to the registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (Registration No. 333-108070) and incorporated herein by reference.
10.7 Guaranteed Purchase Agreement, dated as of September 1, 2010, by and between Nelnet, Inc. and Union Bank and Trust Company, filed as Exhibit 10.3 to the registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2010 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.8 First Amendment of Guaranteed Purchase Agreement, dated as of March 22, 2011, by and between Nelnet, Inc. and Union Bank and Trust Company, filed as Exhibit 10.2 to the registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2011 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.9 Amendment of Agreements dated as of February 4, 2005, by and between National Education Loan Network, Inc. and Union Bank and Trust Company, filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on February 10, 2005 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.10+ Nelnet, Inc. Employee Share Purchase Plan, as amended through March 17, 2011, filed as Exhibit 10.4 to the registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2011 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.11 Office Building Lease dated June 21, 1996 between Miller & Paine and Union Bank and Trust Company, filed as Exhibit 10.3 to the registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on October 16, 2006 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.12 Amendment to Office Building Lease dated June 11, 1997 between Miller & Paine and Union Bank and Trust Company, filed as Exhibit 10.4 to the registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on October 16, 2006 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.13*# Office Building Lease dated January 5, 2021 between Union Bank and Trust Company and National Education Loan Network.
10.14 Lease Amendment Number Two dated February 8, 2001 between Miller & Paine and Union Bank and Trust Company, filed as Exhibit 10.5 to the registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on October 16, 2006 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.15 Lease Amendment Number Three dated May 23, 2005 between Miller & Paine, LLC and Union Bank and Trust Company, filed as Exhibit 10.6 to the registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on October 16, 2006 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.16 Lease Amendment Number Four dated November 13, 2007 between M & P Building, LLC and Union Bank and Trust Company, filed as Exhibit 10.14 to the registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.17 Lease Amendment Number Five entered into in September 2008 between M & P Building, LLC and Union Bank and Trust Company, filed as Exhibit 10.15 to the registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.18 Lease Amendment Number Six dated December 15, 2017 between Nelnet Real Estate Ventures, Inc. and Union Bank and Trust Company, filed as Exhibit 10.16 to the registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.19+ Nelnet, Inc. Restricted Stock Plan, as amended through May 22, 2014, filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on May 28, 2014 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.20+ Amendment to Nelnet, Inc. Restricted Stock Plan, effective as of February 11, 2020, filed as Exhibit 10.21 to the registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.21+ Nelnet, Inc. Directors Stock Compensation Plan, as amended through March 21, 2018, filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on May 24, 2018 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.22+ Nelnet, Inc. Executive Officers Incentive Compensation Plan, effective as of January 1, 2019, filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on May 23, 2019 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.23 Loan Purchase Agreement, dated as of November 25, 2008, by and between Nelnet Education Loan Funding, Inc., f/k/a NEBHELP, INC., acting, where applicable, by and through Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, not individually but as Eligible Lender Trustee for the Seller under the Warehouse Agreement or Eligible Lender Trust Agreement, and Union Bank and Trust Company, acting in its individual capacity and as trustee, filed as Exhibit 10.71 to the registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.24 Student Loan Servicing Contract between the United States Department of Education and Nelnet Servicing, LLC, filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2010 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.25 Modification of Contract dated effective as of June 17, 2014 for Student Loan Servicing Contract between the United States Department of Education and Nelnet Servicing, LLC, filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on June 18, 2014 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.26 Modification of Contract dated effective as of September 1, 2014 for Student Loan Servicing Contract between the United States Department of Education and Nelnet Servicing, LLC, filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on September 2, 2014 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.27 Modification of Contract dated effective as of June 16, 2019 for Student Loan Servicing Contract between the United States Department of Education and Nelnet Servicing, LLC, filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on May 17, 2019 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.28 Modification of Contract dated effective as of November 25, 2019 for Student Loan Servicing Contract between the United States Department of Education and Nelnet Servicing, LLC, filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on November 27, 2019 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.29 Modification of Contract dated effective as of December 15, 2020 for Student Loan Servicing Contract between the United States Department of Education and Nelnet Servicing, LLC, filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 15, 2020 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.30 Form of Modification of Contract dated effective as of June 15, 2021 for Student Loan Servicing Contract between the United States Department of Education and Nelnet Servicing, LLC, filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on June 10, 2021 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.31 Form of Modification of Contract entered into on September 24, 2021 for Student Loan Servicing Contract between the United States Department of Education and Nelnet Servicing, LLC, filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on September 27, 2021 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.32* Form of Modification of Contract entered into December 29, 2021 for Student Loan Servicing Contract between the United States Department of Education and Nelnet Servicing, LLC.
10.33 Student Loan Servicing Contract between the United States Department of Education and Great Lakes Educational Loan Services, Inc., filed as Exhibit 10.6 to the registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on May 17, 2019 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.34 Modification of Contract dated effective as of May 21, 2014 for Student Loan Servicing Contract between the United States Department of Education and Great Lakes Educational Loan Services, Inc., filed as Exhibit 10.7 to the registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on May 17, 2019 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.35 Modification of Contract dated effective as of September 1, 2014 for Student Loan Servicing Contract between the United States Department of Education and Great Lakes Educational Loan Services, Inc., filed as Exhibit 10.8 to the registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on May 17, 2019 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.36 Modification of Contract dated effective as of June 16, 2019 for Student Loan Servicing Contract between the United States Department of Education and Great Lakes Educational Loan Services, Inc., filed as Exhibit 10.2 to the registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on May 17, 2019 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.37 Modification of Contract dated effective as of November 25, 2019 for Student Loan Servicing Contract between the United States Department of Education and Great Lakes Educational Loan Services, Inc., filed as Exhibit 10.2 to the registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on November 27, 2019 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.38 Modification of Contract dated effective as of December 15, 2020 for Student Loan Servicing Contract between the United States Department of Education and Great Lakes Educational Loan Services, Inc., filed as Exhibit 10.2 to the registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 15, 2020 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.39 Form of Modification of Contract dated effective as of June 15, 2021 for Student Loan Servicing Contract between the United States Department of Education and Great Lakes Educational Loan Services, Inc., filed as Exhibit 10.2 to the registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on June 10, 2021 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.40 Form of Modification of Contract entered into on September 24, 2021 for Student Loan Servicing Contract between the United States Department of Education and Great Lakes Educational Loan Services, Inc., filed as Exhibit 10.2 to the registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on September 27, 2021 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.41* Form of Modification of Contract entered into on January 7, 2022 for Student Loan Servicing Contract between the United States Department of Education and Great Lakes Educational Loan Services, Inc.
10.42 Management Agreement, dated effective as of May 1, 2011, by Whitetail Rock Capital Management, LLC and Union Bank and Trust Company, filed as Exhibit 10.3 to the registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2011 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.43 Management Agreement, dated effective as of January 20, 2012, by and between Union Bank and Trust Company and Whitetail Rock Capital Management, LLC, filed as Exhibit 10.58 to the registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.44 Management Agreement, dated effective as of October 27, 2015, by and between Union Bank and Trust Company and Whitetail Rock Capital Management, LLC, filed as Exhibit 10.25 to the registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.45# Appendix A, dated July 29, 2020, to Management Agreement dated effective as of October 27, 2015, by and between Union Bank and Trust Company and Whitetail Rock Capital Management, LLC, filed as Exhibit 10.4 to the registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2020 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.46 Management Agreement, dated effective as of January 4, 2016, by and between Union Bank and Trust Company and Whitetail Rock Capital Management, LLC, filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2016 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.47 Management Agreement, dated effective as of March 23, 2017, by and between Union Bank and Trust Company and Whitetail Rock Capital Management, LLC, filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2017 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.48 Amended Appendix A, dated May 8, 2019, to Management Agreement, dated effective as of March 23, 2017, by and between Union Bank and Trust Company and Whitetail Rock Capital Management, LLC, filed as Exhibit 10.3 to the registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2019 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.49# Amended Appendix A, dated July 29, 2020, to Management Agreement dated effective as of March 23, 2017, by and between Union Bank and Trust Company and Whitetail Rock Capital Management, LLC, filed as Exhibit 10.5 to the registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2020 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.50# Management Agreement dated effective as of July 29, 2020, by and between Union Bank and Trust Company and Whitetail Rock Capital Management, LLC, filed as Exhibit 10.6 to the registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2020 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.51 Investment Management Agreement, dated effective as of February 10, 2012, by and among Whitetail Rock SLAB Fund I, LLC, Whitetail Rock Fund Management, LLC, and Whitetail Rock Capital Management, LLC, filed as Exhibit 10.4 to the registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2012 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.52 Investment Management Agreement, dated effective as of February 14, 2013, by and among Whitetail Rock SLAB Fund III, LLC, Whitetail Rock Fund Management, LLC, and Whitetail Rock Capital Management, LLC, filed as Exhibit 10.31 to the registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.53 Form of Custodian Agreement for Whitetail Rock SLAB Funds by and among the Fund, Whitetail Rock Fund Management, LLC, and Union Bank and Trust Company, filed as Exhibit 10.27 to the registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.54 Form of Administrative Services Agreement for Whitetail Rock SLAB Funds by and among the Fund, Whitetail Rock Fund Management, LLC, Adminisystems, Inc., and Union Bank and Trust Company, filed as Exhibit 10.28 to the registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.55 Management Agreement dated as of August 8, 2019 between 1867 - Riley Road, LLC (of which Farmers & Merchants Investment Inc., North Central Bancorp, Inc., and Nelnet Solar, LLC are members) and 1867 Capital-1, LLC (a wholly owned subsidiary of Nelnet, Inc.), filed as Exhibit 10.3 to the registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2019 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.56 Subordination Agreement effective as of July 26, 2019, by and between Union Bank and Trust Company, Nelnet, Inc., and Agile Sports Technologies, Inc., filed as Exhibit 10.7 to the registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2019 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.57# Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement dated as of September 22, 2021, among Nelnet, Inc., U.S. Bank National Association, as Administrative Agent; Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as Syndication Agent, Royal Bank of Canada, as Documentation Agent, U.S. Bank National Association and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, as Joint Lead Arrangers and Joint Book Runners; and various lender parties thereto, filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on September 22, 2021 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.58 Third Amended and Restated Guaranty dated as of September 22, 2021, by each of the subsidiaries of Nelnet, Inc. signatories thereto, in favor of U.S. Bank National Association, as Administrative Agent, filed as Exhibit 10.2 to the registrant's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on September 22, 2021 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.59 Aircraft Joint Ownership Agreement dated as of January 1, 2019, by and between National Education Loan Network, Inc. and MSD711, LLC, filed as Exhibit 10.43 to the registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.60 Aircraft Management Agreement, dated as of January 1, 2019, by and between Duncan Aviation, Inc. and National Education Loan Network, Inc. and MSD711, LLC, filed as Exhibit 10.44 to the registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.61 Amended and Restated Consulting and Services Agreement made and entered into as of October 1, 2013, by and between Nelnet, Inc. and Union Bank and Trust Company, filed as Exhibit 10.2 to the registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2013 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.62 Master Private Loan Program Agreement dated as of August 22, 2018, by and between Union Bank and Trust Company and Nelnet, Inc., filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2018 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.63± Education Loan Marketing Agreement dated as of August 22, 2018, by and between Nelnet Consumer Finance, Inc. and Union Bank and Trust Company, filed as Exhibit 10.2 to the registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2018 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.64± Private Student Loan Origination and Servicing Agreement dated as of August 22, 2018, by and between Nelnet Servicing, LLC, d/b/a Firstmark Services, and Union Bank and Trust Company, filed as Exhibit 10.3 to the registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2018 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.65±± Private Student Loan Purchase Agreement dated as of November 19, 2019, by and among National Education Loan Network, Inc., as Purchaser, Union Bank and Trust Company, as Purchaser Lender Trustee, and Union Bank and Trust Company, as Seller, filed as Exhibit 10.56 to the registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.66 Private Loan Sale Agreement dated as of October 9, 2014, by and between Nelnet, Inc. and Union Bank and Trust Company, filed as Exhibit 10.47 to the registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.67 Private Student Loan Servicing Agreement dated as of October 9, 2014, by and between Nelnet Servicing, LLC and Union Bank and Trust Company, filed as Exhibit 10.48 to the registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.68 First Amendment of Loan Servicing Agreement dated as of September 27, 2013, by and between Nelnet, Inc. and Union Bank and Trust Company, filed as Exhibit 10.49 to the registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.69 Private Loan Servicing Letter Agreement dated as of February 27, 2017, by and between Nelnet Servicing, LLC and Union Bank and Trust Company, filed as Exhibit 10.54 to the registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.70 Form of Trust/Custodial/Safekeeping Agreement by and between National Education Loan Network, Inc., as Principal, and Union Bank and Trust Company, as Trustee, filed as Exhibit 10.55 to the registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.71 Form of Special Investment Directions by National Education Loan Network, Inc. and its affiliates, as Principal under the Form of Trust/Custodial/Safekeeping Agreement between Principal and Union Bank and Trust Company, as Trustee, filed as Exhibit 10.56 to the registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.72 Loan Participation Agreement dated as of January 1, 2018 between Union Bank and Trust Company and Union Bank and Trust Company as trustee for National Education Loan Network, Inc., filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2018 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.73 Amended and Restated Trust Agreement dated as of December 21, 2018 among Nelnet Private Student Loan Financing Corporation, as Depositor, Union Bank and Trust Company, as Trustee, and U.S. Bank Trust National Association, as Delaware Trustee, filed as Exhibit 10.57 to the registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.74±± Amended and Restated Trust Agreement, dated effective as of January 11, 2019, by and among Nelnet Private Student Loan Financing Corporation, as Depositor, Union Bank and Trust Company, as Trustee, National Education Loan Network, Inc., as Administrator, and U.S. Bank Trust National Association, as Delaware Trustee, filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2019 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.75±± Interim Trust Agreement, dated effective as of January 11, 2019, by and among ACM F Acquisition, LLC, as ACM Seller, National Education Loan Network, Inc., as NELN Seller, and Union Bank and Trust Company, as Interim Trustee, filed as Exhibit 10.2 to the registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2019 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.76 SLABS Participation Agreement, dated effective as of May 5, 2020, by and between National Education Loan Network, Inc., and Union Bank and Trust Company, as Trustee, filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2020 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.77* First Amendment of SLABS Participation Agreement, dated effective as of October 1, 2021, by and between National Education Loan Network, Inc., and Union Bank and Trust Company, as Trustee.
10.78 Parent Company Agreement, dated as of June 26, 2020, by and among the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Nelnet, Inc., Michael Dunlap, and Nelnet Bank, filed as Exhibit 10.2 to the registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2020 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.79 Capital and Liquidity Maintenance Agreement, dated as of June 26, 2020, by and among the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Nelnet, Inc., Michael Dunlap, and Nelnet Bank, filed as Exhibit 10.3 to the registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2020 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.80++ Master Agreement entered into as of October 1, 2020, by and among SDC Allo Holdings, LLC, Nelnet, Inc., and ALLO Communications LLC, filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2020 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.81++ Membership Unit Purchase Agreement, dated as of October 1, 2020, by and among SDC Allo Holdings, LLC, Nelnet, Inc., and ALLO Communications LLC, filed as Exhibit 10.2 to the registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2020 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.82 Omnibus Amendment dated as of October 15, 2020 to the Master Agreement and the Membership Unit Purchase Agreement, by and among SDC Allo Holdings, LLC, Nelnet, Inc., and ALLO Communications LLC, filed as Exhibit 10.3 to the registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2020 and incorporated herein by reference.
10.83*±± Form of Amended & Restated Limited Liability Company Operating Agreement for solar energy investments managed by a subsidiary of Nelnet, Inc. and in which certain parties referred to therein with other relationships with Nelnet, Inc. have participated.
10.84*±± Form of Management Agreement for solar energy investments managed by a subsidiary of Nelnet, Inc. and in which certain parties referred to therein with other relationships with Nelnet, Inc. have participated.
21.1* Subsidiaries of Nelnet, Inc.
23.1* Consent of KPMG LLP, Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.
31.1* Certification Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 of Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey R. Noordhoek.
31.2* Certification Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 of Chief Financial Officer James D. Kruger.
32** Certification Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
101.INS* Inline XBRL Instance Document - the instance document does not appear in the Interactive Data File because its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document.
101.SCH* Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
101.CAL* Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
101.DEF* Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
101.LAB* Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document
101.PRE* Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document
104* Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101).
* Filed herewith
** Furnished herewith
+ Indicates a management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement contemplated by Item 15(a)(3) of Form 10-K.
++ Pursuant to Item 601(a)(5) of Regulation S-K, certain schedules and similar attachments to the exhibit have been omitted. The exhibit is not intended to be, and should not be relied upon as, including disclosures regarding any facts and circumstances relating to the registrant or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates. The exhibit contains representations and warranties by the registrant and the other parties that were made only for purposes of the agreement set forth in the exhibit and as of specified dates. The representations, warranties, and covenants in the agreement were made solely for the benefit of the parties to the agreement, may be subject to limitations agreed upon by the contracting parties (including being qualified by confidential disclosures made for the purposes of allocating contractual risk between the parties to the agreement instead of establishing these matters as facts), and may apply contractual standards of materiality or material adverse effect that generally differ from those applicable to investors. In addition, information concerning the subject matter of the representations, warranties, and covenants may change after the date of the agreement, which subsequent information may or may not be fully reflected in the registrant's public disclosures.
± Certain portions of this exhibit have been redacted and are subject to a confidential treatment order granted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Rule 24b-2 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
±± Certain portions of this exhibit have been omitted pursuant to Item 601(b)(10)(iv) of Regulation S-K.
# Schedules, exhibits, and similar attachments to this exhibit have been omitted pursuant to Item 601(a)(5) of Regulation S-K.