Hong Kong Monetary Authority – HKMC’s Financial Results Highlights for 2020

The Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation Limited (HKMC) today (Wednesday) announced the highlights of its audited consolidated financial results for 2020 as follows:

2020 Financial Results Highlights

The audited loss after tax of the HKMC was HK$362 million (profit after tax for 2019: HK$317 million). The decrease in profitability was primarily attributable to:

For comparison purposes, the adjusted profit after tax, return on equity and cost-to-income ratio for 2020 would be HK$376 million, 3.5% and 44.8% respectively after adjusting for the amortisation impact of upfront commissions expenses to match with the corresponding mortgage insurance premium income being recognised over the life of the respective loans and excluding the accounting loss of the HKMCA.

Despite the reported accounting loss of the HKMCA, the embedded value of the annuity business as at 31 December 2020 was about HK$5.4 billion, which comprised HK$4.1 billion of total equity and HK$1.3 billion of present value of future profits.  This indicates that the annuity business should be sustainable in the long term.

The Capital Adequacy Ratio of the HKMC remained solid at 37.3% as at 31 December 2020 (31 December 2019: 30.2%), well above the minimum ratio of 8% stipulated by the Financial Secretary.  The Board recommended that no dividend be declared for 2020 (2019: Nil).  With strong financing capability and liquidity position, the HKMC’s core operations remain resilient and stand ready to face any financial turbulence ahead in performing its strategic policy roles and attaining its social objectives.

2020 Business Performance Highlights

Asset Purchase

• Purchased HK$1.3 billion loan assets (2019: HK$1.9 billion) and HK$37.6 billion loans from the Special 100% Loan Guarantee under the SME Financing Guarantee Scheme (SFGS)
• Outstanding principal balance of loan portfolio was HK$43.1 billion as at 31 December 2020 (31 December 2019: HK$6.9 billion)

Debt Issuance

• Issued a record HK$58.4 billion in corporate debts, HK$29.4 billion of which with tenor of one year or above (2019: a total of HK$31.9 billion, HK$17.7 billion of which with a tenor of one year or above), being the most active corporate debt issuer in Hong Kong
• Outstanding balance of debt securities was HK$61.9 billion as at 31 December 2020 (31 December 2019: HK$39.7 billion)
• Credit ratings of AA+ from S&P Global Ratings and Aa3 from Moody’s, same as those of the HKSAR Government

Mortgage Insurance Programme (MIP)

• New mortgage loans drawn down amounted to HK$98.3 billion (2019: HK$33.3 billion)
• 86% of loans drawn down (in terms of loan amount) were secured on properties in the secondary market, demonstrating the importance of the MIP to homebuyers in the secondary market

SME Financing Guarantee Scheme

• Approved around 19,000 applications under the 80% Guarantee Product with a total loan amount of approximately HK$82.2 billion. Since its launch in May 2012, around 90% of the benefitted borrowers were small and medium-sized enterprises each with less than 50 employees
• Launched the 90% Guarantee Product on 16 December 2019. As at the end of December 2020, approved around 2,700 applications with a total loan amount of approximately HK$4.9 billion
• Launched the Special 100% Loan Guarantee on 20 April 2020. As at the end of December 2020, approved more than 25,000 applications with a total loan amount of approximately HK$39.7 billion, of which HK$37.6 billion loan assets were purchased by the HKMC

Reverse Mortgage Programme (RMP)

• Approved 630 applications (2019: 676 applications) under the RMP, with an average property value of HK$6.4 million and an average monthly payout of HK$18,700

HKMC Annuity Plan

• Issued 2,606 policies (2019: 2,188 policies), with total premiums received at around HK$2.5 billion (2019: HK$1.6 billion) and an average premium of HK$974,000 (2019: HK$745,000)
• Lowered the minimum eligible age to 60 from 65 on 26 February 2020

Further details of the HKMC’s consolidated financial results and financial review for 2020 are set out at the Annex.

The Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation Limited
12 May 2021