Portfolio Sales Continue, But Card Performance Improving

PORTLAND, Ore. – More credit unions sold their portfolios in the second quarter of 2005 even as credit unions overall may have begun to see some results of better card management practices. According to NCUA data, analyzed by Asset Exchange, a leading card brokerage, approximately 17 credit unions sold their credit card portfolios during the second quarter. These sales provided a combined volume of roughly $105 million and represented a 35% increase in portfolio sales over the second quarter of 2004. This as total card assets for portfolios over $1 million increased from $20.3 billion in June 2004 to $21.5 billion in June 2005. This is more than 3% growth in inflation-adjusted dollars and represents an uptick in what had been a fairly flat line for a while. Likewise total card assets for portfolios over $1 million increased as a percentage of total assets, increasing from 4.01% in June 2004 to 4.04% in June 2005 and the percentage of portfolios that grew more than the rate of inflation during the previous 12 months increased from 40% in June 2004 to 55% in June 2005. Brookwood Capital, another card brokerage firm pointed out that as more credit unions sold their card portfolios in the second quarter of 2005 than in the second quarter of 2004, the pace this year slowed. Only 17 credit unions sold their card portfolios in the second quarter of this year compared to 22 portfolios sold in the first quarter, according to its analysis of NCUA data. “It remains to be seen if the rest of 2005 will keep pace with the first half or if the second quarter slowdown will continue,” the firm said. “At current levels 3-4% of all credit union card issuers are selling their card portfolios each year.”