FHLBank Chicago Announces Q3 and Q4 2020 Dividend Guidance
To Our Members:
In April 2020, we announced our expectation to maintain a 5.00% (annualized) level of dividend for Class B1 activity stock for the second quarter of 2020. Given the uncertainties related to the COVID-19 pandemic and its potential effects on the economy, we were unable to provide further guidance on dividends at that time. While the virus continues to impact the businesses and communities you serve throughout our District, we remain financially strong and ready to support you through this time.
The Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago pays a higher dividend per share on your activity stock to recognize members that support the entire cooperative through the use of our advance products. The higher dividend received on Class B1 activity stock has the effect of lowering your borrowing costs, and this benefit has increased on a relative basis as the Federal Reserve has cut short-term interest rates twice this year. We expect to maintain a 5.00% (annualized) dividend for Class B1 activity stock for the third and fourth quarters of 2020, based on current projections and assumptions regarding our financial condition.
We remain committed to meeting your liquidity and funding needs. Any future dividend payments remain subject to determination and declaration by our Board of Directors and may be impacted by further changes in financial or economic conditions, regulatory and statutory limitations, and any other relevant factors. We are providing this information to assist you in planning your advance activity with us.
As we continue to work together through these unprecedented times, please know that we are here to support you, now and through any additional challenges that may lie ahead.
Best regards,
Matt Feldman
President and CEO
Forward-Looking Information: This letter contains forward-looking statements which are based upon our current expectations and speak only as of the date hereof. All statements other than statements of historical fact are “forward-looking statements,” including any projections or guidance of dividends or other financial items; any statements of the plans, strategies, and objectives for future operations; any statements of belief; and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. These statements may use forward-looking terms, such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “expects,” “could,” “plans,” “estimates,” “may,” “should,” “will,” or their negatives or other variations on these terms. We caution that, by their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks or uncertainties, that actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements, and that actual events could affect the extent to which a particular objective, projection, estimate, or prediction is realized. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global and national economies and on our and our members’ businesses, maintaining compliance with regulatory and statutory requirements (including relating to our dividend payments and retained earnings), a decrease in our levels of business which may negatively impact our results of operations or financial condition, the reliability of our projections, assumptions, and models on future financial performance and condition, instability in the credit and debt markets, economic conditions (including effects on, among other things, mortgage-backed securities), changes in mortgage interest rates and prepayment speeds on mortgage assets, our ability to execute our business model and to pay future dividends (including enhanced dividends on activity stock), our ability to meet required conditions to repurchase or redeem excess capital stock from members, including maintaining compliance with our minimum regulatory capital requirements and determining our financial condition is sound enough to support such repurchases and redemptions, our ability to continue to offer the Reduced Capitalization Advance Program, our ability to implement product enhancements and new products, the impacts of changes to Federal Home Loan Bank membership requirements, capital requirements and guidance, and liquidity requirements and guidance by the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the loss of members through mergers and consolidations, our ability to protect the security of its information systems and manage any failures, interruptions, or breaches, uncertainties relating to the potential phase-out of the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), and the risk factors set forth in the Bank's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available on the Bank's website at fhlbc.com. We assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements made in this letter.
In April 2020, we announced our expectation to maintain a 5.00% (annualized) level of dividend for Class B1 activity stock for the second quarter of 2020. Given the uncertainties related to the COVID-19 pandemic and its potential effects on the economy, we were unable to provide further guidance on dividends at that time. While the virus continues to impact the businesses and communities you serve throughout our District, we remain financially strong and ready to support you through this time.
The Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago pays a higher dividend per share on your activity stock to recognize members that support the entire cooperative through the use of our advance products. The higher dividend received on Class B1 activity stock has the effect of lowering your borrowing costs, and this benefit has increased on a relative basis as the Federal Reserve has cut short-term interest rates twice this year. We expect to maintain a 5.00% (annualized) dividend for Class B1 activity stock for the third and fourth quarters of 2020, based on current projections and assumptions regarding our financial condition.
We remain committed to meeting your liquidity and funding needs. Any future dividend payments remain subject to determination and declaration by our Board of Directors and may be impacted by further changes in financial or economic conditions, regulatory and statutory limitations, and any other relevant factors. We are providing this information to assist you in planning your advance activity with us.
As we continue to work together through these unprecedented times, please know that we are here to support you, now and through any additional challenges that may lie ahead.
Best regards,
Matt Feldman
President and CEO
Forward-Looking Information: This letter contains forward-looking statements which are based upon our current expectations and speak only as of the date hereof. All statements other than statements of historical fact are “forward-looking statements,” including any projections or guidance of dividends or other financial items; any statements of the plans, strategies, and objectives for future operations; any statements of belief; and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. These statements may use forward-looking terms, such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “expects,” “could,” “plans,” “estimates,” “may,” “should,” “will,” or their negatives or other variations on these terms. We caution that, by their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks or uncertainties, that actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements, and that actual events could affect the extent to which a particular objective, projection, estimate, or prediction is realized. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global and national economies and on our and our members’ businesses, maintaining compliance with regulatory and statutory requirements (including relating to our dividend payments and retained earnings), a decrease in our levels of business which may negatively impact our results of operations or financial condition, the reliability of our projections, assumptions, and models on future financial performance and condition, instability in the credit and debt markets, economic conditions (including effects on, among other things, mortgage-backed securities), changes in mortgage interest rates and prepayment speeds on mortgage assets, our ability to execute our business model and to pay future dividends (including enhanced dividends on activity stock), our ability to meet required conditions to repurchase or redeem excess capital stock from members, including maintaining compliance with our minimum regulatory capital requirements and determining our financial condition is sound enough to support such repurchases and redemptions, our ability to continue to offer the Reduced Capitalization Advance Program, our ability to implement product enhancements and new products, the impacts of changes to Federal Home Loan Bank membership requirements, capital requirements and guidance, and liquidity requirements and guidance by the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the loss of members through mergers and consolidations, our ability to protect the security of its information systems and manage any failures, interruptions, or breaches, uncertainties relating to the potential phase-out of the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), and the risk factors set forth in the Bank's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available on the Bank's website at fhlbc.com. We assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements made in this letter.