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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)
9 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Basis of Presentation

Note 1. Basis of Presentation

Nicholas Financial, Inc. (“Nicholas Financial – Canada”) is a Canadian holding company incorporated under the laws of British Columbia with several wholly-owned United States subsidiaries, including Nicholas Financial, Inc., a Florida corporation (“NFI”). The accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2023, and the accompanying unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements of Nicholas Financial – Canada, and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company”), have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information, with the instructions to Form 10-Q pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and with Article 8 of Regulation S-X thereunder. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and notes to the consolidated financial statements required by U.S. GAAP for complete consolidated financial statements, although the Company believes that the disclosures made are adequate to ensure the information is not misleading. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending March 31, 2024. It is suggested that these condensed consolidated financial statements be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2023 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 27, 2023. The March 31, 2023 consolidated balance sheet included herein has been derived from the March 31, 2023 audited consolidated balance sheet included in the aforementioned Form 10-K.

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Material estimates that are particularly susceptible to significant change relate to the determination of the allowance for credit losses on finance receivables.

As previously disclosed in the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-4 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on November 22, 2023, as amended on January 10, 2024 and January 29, 2024, the Company is seeking shareholder approval for the sale of all or substantially all of the Company's undertaking, consisting of automobile finance installment contracts, pursuant to the terms of a Master Asset Purchase Agreement dated as of November 13, 2023 between the Company and Westlake Services, LLC dba Westlake Financial, a California limited liability company (the “Loan Portfolio Sale”). The Company is pursuing the Loan Portfolio Sale for a number of reasons consistent with its previously disclosed evolving restructuring plan. Management believes the Loan Portfolio Sale will free up capital and permit the Company to allocate excess capital and utilize net operating losses to increase shareholder returns, whether by acquiring businesses or by investing outside of the Company's traditional business. Assuming closing of the Loan Portfolio Sale, the Board of Directors intends to explore strategic alternatives for the use of the net proceeds from the sale and seek to maximize the value of deferred tax assets, including net operating losses, available to the Company.

The Company adopted ASU 2016-13 on April 1, 2023 (see Note 2), and consequently utilized the current expected credit losses model through October 31, 2023, by applying a discounted cash flow methodology to its financial assets, measured at amortized cost over the life of the financial assets.

On November 1, 2023, concurrent with the decision to sell the portfolio, the Company reclassified its finance receivables to held for sale, which are carried at the lower of amortized cost or fair value. As a result of this reclassification, the Company eliminated the allowance for credit losses under Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 326 which resulted in a reversal of previously recorded provisions for credit losses for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2023. The Company compared the fair value and amortized cost of finance receivables held for sale and recorded a held for sale valuation allowance through earnings to reduce the amortized cost basis to fair value as of December 31, 2023.

The Company estimates the fair value of these loans held for sale utilizing a discounted cash flow approach which includes an evaluation of the collateral and underlying loan characteristics, as well as assumptions to determine the discount rate such as credit loss and prepayment forecasts, and servicing costs. In determining the appropriate discount rate, prepayment and credit assumptions, the Company monitors other capital markets activity for similar collateral being traded and/or interest rates currently being offered for similar products. The Company management also reviews the key assumptions used in arriving at the final estimates related to the fair value of these loans held for sale. Significant increases or decreases in any of those assumptions in isolation could result in a significantly lower (higher) fair value measurement.

 

Reclassifications

In certain instances, amounts reported in the prior year financial statements have been reclassified to conform to the current financial statement presentation. Such reclassifications had no effect on previously reported net income (loss)

Allowance for Credit Losses (ACL)

Allowance for Credit Losses (ACL) and Held for Sale Allowance

The Company adopted ASU 2016-13 on April 1, 2023, and consequently utilized the current expected credit losses model through October 31, 2023, by applying a Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) methodology to its financial assets, measured at amortized cost, over the life of those financial assets. Beginning on November 1, 2023, the Company is carrying its loan portfolio at the lower of amortized cost or fair value.

For the period from April 1, 2023 through October 31, 2023, the ACL reflects the difference between the amortized cost basis and the present value of the expected cash flows of finance receivables. Provisions for credit losses were recorded in amounts sufficient to maintain an ACL at an adequate level to provide for estimated losses over the lives of the finance receivables. Portfolio segments are comprised of homogeneous loans sharing common risk factors. Accordingly, loans are not individually evaluated for collectability. Consistent with the application during prior reporting years, the Company continued charging credit losses against the allowance when the account reached 120 days contractually delinquent and any recoveries on finance receivables previously charged to the ACL were credited to the ACL when collected.

The Company used a DCF model to forecast expected credit losses. Historical information about losses generally provided a basis for the estimate of expected credit losses. The Company has utilized its own historical data as well as its peer group companies' data from FFIEC Call Report filings. This data was used to produce regression analyses designed to quantify the impact of reasonable and supportable forecasts in projective models.

The Company also considered the need to adjust historical information to reflect the extent to which conditions differed from the conditions that existed for the period over which historical information was evaluated. These adjustments to historical loss information may be qualitative or quantitative in nature. The Company considered changes in international, national, regional and local conditions, changes in the volume and severity of past due loans, portfolio bankruptcy trends, maturity terms extensions, changes in the value of underlying collateral for collateral dependent loans, the effect of other external factors, such as competition, legal and regulatory requirements on the level of estimated credit losses, the existence and effect of any concentrations of credit and changes in the levels of such concentrations, changes in the nature and volume of the portfolio and terms of loans, changes in the quality of the loan review system, changes in the experience, depth, and ability of lending management, and reasonable and supportable economic forecasts, which covered the lives of the finance receivables.

The Company discounted expected cash flows at the financial asset’s effective interest rate. The effective interest rate is defined in ASC 326 as the contractual interest rate adjusted for any net deferred fees or costs, premium, or discount existing at the origination or

acquisition of the financial assets. For the Company, this was calculated using adjusted contractual cash flows relative to the amortized cost. The Company also considered prepayment and curtailment effects in calculation of its effective interest rate.

According to ASC 326-20-30-9, estimating expected credit losses is highly judgmental and requires management to produce reasonable and supportable forecasts of expected credit losses. The Company elected to forecast the first four quarters of the credit loss estimate and revert to a long-run average of each considered economic factor as permitted in ASC 326-20-30-9. Based on the final values in the forecast and the uncertainty of a post-pandemic recovery, management elected to revert over four quarters. The Company also used information provided by the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) to obtain various forecasts for unemployment rate and gross domestic product, as well as other economic factors that were considered as part of its ACL calculations.

The Company elected not to measure an allowance on accrued interest which is included as a component of amortized cost and limited to performing accounts, defined as an account that is less than 61 days past due. Accrual of interest income on finance receivables is suspended when a loan was contractually delinquent for 61 days or more, or the collateral is repossessed, whichever is earlier. Consistent with the application in the prior reporting periods, the Company continued timely reversing of the accrual of interest income when the loan was contractually delinquent 61 days or more. All of these accounts were accounted for in the calculation for allowance for credit losses.

The Company defines a non-performing asset as one that is 61 or more days past due, a Chapter 7 bankruptcy account, or a Chapter 13 bankruptcy account that has not been confirmed by the courts, for which the accrual of interest income is suspended. Upon confirmation of a Chapter 13 bankruptcy account, the account is immediately charged-off. Upon notification of a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, an account is monitored for collectability. In the event the debtors’ balance is reduced by the bankruptcy court, the Company records a loss equal to the amount of principal balance reduction. The remaining balance is reduced as payments are received. In the event an account is dismissed from bankruptcy, the Company will decide whether to begin repossession proceedings or to allow the customer to make regularly scheduled payments.

Prior to adoption of ASU 2016-13 the Company was periodically evaluating the composition of the portfolio, current economic conditions, the estimated net realizable value of the underlying collateral, historical loan loss experience, delinquency, non-performing assets, and bankrupt accounts when determining management’s estimate of probable credit losses and the adequacy of the allowance for credit losses. Management utilized significant judgment in determining probable incurred losses and in identifying and evaluating qualitative factors. This approach aligned with the Company’s lending policies and underwriting standards. If the allowance for credit losses is determined to be inadequate, then an additional charge to the provision is recorded to maintain adequate reserves based on management’s evaluation of the risk inherent in the loan portfolio.

The Company used a trailing twelve-month net charge-off as a percentage of average finance receivables, and applied this percentage to ending finance receivables to estimate probable credit losses. This approach reflected the current trends of incurred losses within the portfolio and closely aligns the allowance for credit losses with the portfolio’s performance indicators. Estimating the allowance for credit losses using the trailing twelve-month charge-off analysis reflected portfolio performance adjusted for seasonality. Management evaluated qualitative factors to support its allowance for credit losses. The Company examined the impact of macro-economic factors, such as year-over-year inflation, as well as portfolio performance characteristics, such as changes in the value of underlying collateral, level of nonperforming accounts, delinquency trends, and accounts with extended terms.

As of November 1, 2023, concurrent with the decision to sell the portfolio, the Company reclassified its finance receivables to held for sale, which are carried at the lower of amortized cost or fair value. As a result of this reclassification, the Company eliminated the allowance for credit losses established under ASC 326 which resulted in a reversal of previously recorded provisions for credit losses for the period from April 1, 2023 through October 31, 2023. The Company compared the fair value and amortized cost of finance receivables held for sale and recorded a held for sale valuation allowance of $19.5 million through earnings to reduce the amortized cost basis to fair value as of December 31, 2023.