SCHWAB CHARLES CORP
For the period ended Dec 31, 2024. Filed Feb 26, 2025.
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FY2024 · Filed Feb 26, 2025
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Overview
Management focuses on several client activity and financial metrics in evaluating Schwab’s financial position and operating performance. We believe that metrics relating to net new and total client assets, as well as client cash levels and utilization of advisory services, offer perspective on our business momentum and client engagement. Data on new and total client brokerage accounts provides additional perspective on our ability to attract and retain new business. Total net revenue growth, pre-tax profit margin, EPS, return on average common stockholders’ equity, and the consolidated Tier 1 Leverage Ratio provide broad indicators of Schwab’s overall financial health, operating efficiency, and ability to generate acceptable returns. Total expenses excluding interest as a percentage of average client assets is a measure of operating efficiency.
Results for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023, and 2022 are as follows:
| Percent Change 2024-2023 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Client Metrics | ||||
| Net new client assets (in billions) (1) | 7% | $361.6 | $337.2 | $406.9 |
| Core net new client assets (in billions) | 20% | $366.9 | $305.7 | $427.7 |
| Client assets (in billions, at year end) | 19% | $10,101.3 | $8,516.6 | $7,049.8 |
| Average client assets (in billions) | 21% | $9,400.4 | $7,793.8 | $7,292.8 |
| New brokerage accounts (in thousands) | 10% | 4,170 | 3,806 | 4,044 |
| Active brokerage accounts (in thousands, at year end) | 5% | 36,456 | 34,838 | 33,758 |
| Assets receiving ongoing advisory services (in billions, at year end) | 17% | $5,061.7 | $4,338.8 | $3,673.2 |
| Client cash as a percentage of client assets (at year end) | 10.1% | 10.5% | 12.2% | |
| Company Financial Information and Metrics | ||||
| Total net revenues | 4% | $19,606 | $18,837 | $20,762 |
| Total expenses excluding interest | (4)% | 11,914 | 12,459 | 11,374 |
| Income before taxes on income | 21% | 7,692 | 6,378 | 9,388 |
| Taxes on income | 33% | 1,750 | 1,311 | 2,205 |
| Net income | 17% | 5,942 | 5,067 | 7,183 |
| Preferred stock dividends and other | 11% | 464 | 418 | 548 |
| Net income available to common stockholders | 18% | $5,478 | $4,649 | $6,635 |
| Earnings per common share — diluted | 18% | $2.99 | $2.54 | $3.50 |
| Net revenue growth from prior year | 4% | (9)% | 12% | |
| Pre-tax profit margin | 39.2% | 33.9% | 45.2% | |
| Return on average common stockholders’ equity | 15% | 16% | 18% | |
| Expenses excluding interest as a percentage of average client assets | 0.13% | 0.16% | 0.16% | |
| Consolidated Tier 1 Leverage Ratio (at year end) | 9.9% | 8.5% | 7.2% | |
| Non-GAAP Financial Measures (2) | ||||
| Adjusted total expenses (3) | $11,269 | $11,029 | $10,386 | |
| Adjusted diluted EPS | $3.25 | $3.13 | $3.90 | |
| Return on tangible common equity | 35% | 54% | 42% | |
(1) 2024 includes net outflows of $14.6 billion from off-platform brokered CDs issued by CSB and an inflow of $10.3 billion from a mutual fund clearing services client and an outflow of $1.0 billion from an international relationship. 2023 includes net inflows of $32.5 billion from off-platform brokered CDs issued by CSB and $12.0 billion from a mutual fund clearing services client and outflows of $13.0 billion from an international relationship. 2022 includes outflows of $20.8 billion from certain mutual fund clearing services clients.
(2)Beginning in 2023, adjustments made to GAAP financial measures also include restructuring costs. See Non-GAAP Financial Measures for further details and a reconciliation of such measures to GAAP reported results.
(3)Adjusted total expenses is a non-GAAP financial measure adjusting total expenses excluding interest. See Non-GAAP Financial Measures.
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2024 Compared to 2023
Through an evolving macroeconomic landscape in 2024, Schwab continued its “Through Clients’ Eyes” strategy, striving to meet the needs of our diverse client base, while driving growth across multiple fronts and successfully completing the integration of Ameritrade. Amid easing inflation, the Federal Reserve began in September to cut interest rates for the first time in over four years, reducing the federal funds overnight rate by a total of 100 basis points in the third and fourth quarters. Equity markets were positive for the year in 2024, with the S&P 500® and the NASDAQ Composite® finishing the year higher by 23% and 29%, respectively.
Reflecting the strength of equity markets and organic asset gathering, total client assets rose to $10.10 trillion as of year-end 2024, up 19% from year-end 2023. Core net new assets totaled $366.9 billion in 2024, up 20% from 2023, and representing an annualized growth rate of 4.3%. Following the successful completion of our final Ameritrade client conversion in May, our organic growth trends strengthened, and core net new assets for the fourth quarter of 2024 were $114.8 billion, up 51% from the fourth quarter of 2023. We saw strong client engagement in the markets throughout 2024, with acceleration in the fourth quarter; clients’ DATs were 5.9 million in full-year 2024 and 6.3 million in the fourth quarter, increasing 9% and 22%, respectively, from the same periods in 2023. Clients opened 4.2 million new brokerage accounts in 2024, a year-over-year increase of 10%, and active brokerage accounts ended 2024 at 36.5 million, up 5% on the year.
The Company’s financial results in 2024 reflected the impact of positive equity markets, solid asset gathering, sustained client engagement, and improvement in client cash trends. Net income totaled $5.9 billion in 2024, up 17% year-over-year, and diluted EPS was $2.99, an increase of 18% over the prior year. Adjusted diluted EPS(1) was $3.25 in 2024, up 4% from $3.13 in 2023.
Total net revenues rose 4% year-over-year to $19.6 billion in 2024. Net interest revenue was $9.1 billion in 2024, down 3% from 2023, which reflected lower average interest-earning assets and higher rates on funding sources, partially offset by growth in margin and bank lending and lower bank supplemental funding. Client cash realignment activity continued to decelerate in 2024, and principal and interest payments on the AFS and HTM investment securities portfolios supported reductions in bank supplemental funding balances. Asset management and administration fees were $5.7 billion in 2024, increasing 20% from the prior year primarily as a result of growth in money market funds, equity market gains, and growth in managed investing solutions. Trading revenue was $3.3 billion in 2024, up 1% from the prior year, reflecting higher volume and changes in mix of client trading activity. Bank deposit account fee revenue totaled $729 million in 2024, up 3% year-over-year, due primarily to $97 million in breakage fees recognized in 2023, partially offset by lower average BDA balances. BDA balances totaled $87.6 billion at December 31, 2024, down 10% from year-end 2023 primarily resulting from lower client cash allocations.
Total expenses excluding interest were $11.9 billion in 2024, down 4% from 2023. This decrease reflected lower restructuring costs, lower acquisition and integration-related costs, and lower regulatory fees and assessments due primarily to a $172 million FDIC special assessment recognized in the fourth quarter of 2023 (see Current Regulatory and Other Developments). These lower expenses were partially offset by higher incentive compensation, higher depreciation and amortization due to continued investment to support growth of the business, and higher other expense. Other expense reflected higher industry fees resulting from the SEC’s May 2024 fee rate increase. Adjusted total expenses(1) were $11.3 billion in 2024, up 2% from 2023. Acquisition and integration-related costs, amortization of acquired intangible assets, and restructuring costs totaled $645 million in 2024, down 55% from 2023, as substantially all of the Company’s costs related to its restructuring were incurred in 2023, and spending for the Ameritrade integration decreased in 2024 as we completed the final integration activities.
Return on average common stockholders’ equity was 15% in 2024, down from 16% in 2023, and return on tangible common equity(1) (ROTCE) was 35% in 2024, down from 54% in 2023. These changes reflect the benefit of higher net income in 2024 offset by higher average common stockholders’ equity. Average common stockholders’ equity was higher year-over-year due to higher retained earnings as well as higher average AOCI. The increase in average AOCI was driven by lower unrealized losses on our AFS investment securities portfolio and securities transferred in 2022 from AFS to HTM (see Item 8 – Note 21).
Employing our diligent approach to managing the balance sheet, Schwab supported client-driven growth in margin and bank lending, while reducing our bank supplemental funding in 2024. Total balance sheet assets decreased 3% during the year, though margin lending grew to $83.8 billion at year-end 2024, up 34%, and bank loans increased to $45.2 billion, rising 12% during the year. Principal and interest from our AFS and HTM securities portfolios, along with deceleration of client cash realignment from sweep products to higher-yielding investment solutions, supported a reduction in bank supplemental funding, which includes brokered CDs, FHLB borrowings, and borrowings under repurchase agreements at our banks. Total bank supplemental funding ended 2024 at $49.9 billion, down $29.7 billion, or 37%, from year-end 2023, and down 49% from peak
- 29 - levels in May 2023. Supported by strength of net income, our consolidated Tier 1 Leverage Ratio increased to 9.9% as of December 31, 2024, and our consolidated adjusted Tier 1 Leverage Ratio(1), which includes AOCI in the ratio, rose to 6.8%, ending the year within our long-term operating objective of 6.75% - 7.00%.
(1) Adjusted diluted EPS, adjusted total expenses, return on tangible common equity, and adjusted Tier 1 Leverage Ratio are non-GAAP financial measures. See Non-GAAP Financial Measures for further details and a reconciliation of such measures to GAAP reported results.
2023 Compared to 2022
Through an uneven environment in 2023, with shifting views on the trajectory of the U.S. economy, persistent geopolitical unrest, and turmoil beginning early in the year within the banking sector, our “no trade-offs” value proposition continued to resonate with investors. The Federal Reserve raised the Federal Funds rate four times in the first three quarters of 2023 for a total of 100 basis points before holding rates unchanged from July through the end of 2023. Although equity markets were volatile during 2023, ultimate returns were strong with the S&P 500® rising 24% and the NASDAQ Composite® increasing 43%. Investor sentiment was also volatile throughout 2023; strongly bearish in the first quarter before recovering in the second, then declining again in the third quarter. Investor sentiment recovered significantly in the fourth quarter to end 2023 with a solid bullish viewpoint.
Despite this mixed sentiment, our clients remained engaged with the markets and with Schwab. Clients entrusted us with $305.7 billion in core net new assets in 2023. Total client assets reached $8.52 trillion as of December 31, 2023, rising 21% from year-end 2022 as a result of asset gathering and market gains, partially offset by some expected deal-related attrition from clients originating at Ameritrade. Trading volume declined somewhat from the prior year, as DATs were 5.4 million in 2023, down 9% from 2022. Clients opened 3.8 million new brokerage accounts in 2023, bringing active brokerage accounts to 34.8 million at year-end, up 3% year-over-year. Clients sought to take advantage of higher market interest rates in 2023, and we saw significant client cash reallocation from our sweep products into higher-yielding alternatives offered by Schwab. While bank sweep deposits and payables to brokerage clients decreased by a total of $126.1 billion during 2023, client assets invested in Schwab’s proprietary money market funds and fixed income securities increased by a total of $383.8 billion.
Schwab’s financial performance during 2023 reflected the challenges of navigating a market environment shaped by the Federal Reserve’s interest rate tightening policy and the follow-on effects stemming from the regional banking crisis beginning in March 2023. Schwab’s net income totaled $5.1 billion in 2023 and diluted EPS was $2.54, down 29% and 27%, respectively, from the prior year. Adjusted diluted EPS(1) was $3.13 in 2023, down 20% from $3.90 in 2022.
Total net revenues were $18.8 billion in 2023, down 9% from the prior year as client cash realignment activity impacted our net interest revenue. Net interest revenue was $9.4 billion in 2023, down 12% from the prior year, as the benefits of rising rates were more than offset by increased utilization of higher-cost supplemental funding and lower interest-earning assets. Asset management and administration fees totaled $4.8 billion in 2023, rising 13% from 2022, primarily as a result of growth in money market funds, as well as improvement in equity markets and growth in our other proprietary fund products, partially offset by lower balances of certain third-party funds. Trading revenue was $3.2 billion in 2023, down 12% from 2022, due primarily to mix of client trading activity and overall lower trading volume. Bank deposit account fee revenue was $705 million in 2023, down 50% from the prior year due to lower average BDA balances and lower net yields, as well as $97 million in one-time breakage fees related to ending our arrangements with certain third-party banks in the first quarter of 2023. BDA balances totaled $97.5 billion at December 31, 2023, down 23% from year-end 2022 due primarily to client cash allocation decisions.
Total expenses excluding interest were $12.5 billion in 2023, increasing 10% from 2022. This increase was due primarily to restructuring charges incurred in the second half of 2023, higher regulatory fees and assessments due primarily to an increase in FDIC assessments including the recognition of a $172 million special assessment in the fourth quarter, as well as higher expenses for compensation and benefits and depreciation and amortization, due primarily to growth in average headcount and investment in technology to support growth in our client base and the Ameritrade integration. Adjusted total expenses(1) were $11.0 billion in 2023, higher by 6% from 2022. Acquisition and integration-related costs were $401 million in 2023, up 2% from 2022, and amortization of acquired intangibles was $534 million, down 10% from 2022 as certain assets from the Ameritrade acquisition were fully amortized beginning in the fourth quarter of 2022. Beginning in the third quarter of 2023, adjusted total expenses(1) also excludes restructuring costs, which totaled $495 million in 2023, related to efforts to achieve run-rate cost savings in preparation for post-integration of Ameritrade.
Return on average common stockholders’ equity was 16% for 2023, down from 18% in 2022. Return on tangible common equity(1) (ROTCE) was 54% in 2023, up from 42% in 2022. These changes primarily reflected lower average stockholders’
- 30 - equity and lower net income in 2023. Average stockholders’ equity was lower in 2023 due to a year-over-year decrease in average AOCI driven by unrealized losses on our AFS investment securities portfolio and securities transferred from AFS to HTM in 2022 (see Item 8 – Note 21).
Throughout 2023, the Company continued its diligent approach to balance sheet management and sought to prioritize flexibility. During 2023, we issued $6.2 billion in Senior Notes to prepare for upcoming maturities as well as provide additional liquidity during the larger Ameritrade conversion weekends. Total balance sheet assets decreased 11% from year-end 2022 to $493.2 billion at December 31, 2023, due primarily to client cash realignment amid the higher interest rate environment. To assist in facilitating these client cash movements from sweep products to high-yielding cash and fixed income alternatives, the Company utilized bank supplemental funding sources, including FHLB borrowings and issuances of brokered CDs. As realignment activity significantly decreased in the second half of the year, by year-end 2023, we reduced the total outstanding balance of such supplemental sources by approximately 18% from the peak balances reached in May 2023. Driven by a combination of the Company’s net income and also a smaller balance sheet in 2023, our consolidated Tier 1 Leverage Ratio increased to 8.5% as of year-end 2023.
(1) Adjusted diluted EPS, adjusted total expenses, return on tangible common equity, and adjusted Tier 1 Leverage Ratio are non-GAAP financial measures. See Non-GAAP Financial Measures for further details and a reconciliation of such measures to GAAP reported results.
Integration of Ameritrade
Over the course of five client transition groups in 2023 and 2024, we converted approximately $1.9 trillion in client assets across more than 17 million client accounts, including 7,000 RIAs, from Ameritrade to Schwab. In May 2024, the Company completed the conversion of the final client transition group from Ameritrade to the Schwab platform. In connection with these transitions, we experienced some expected attrition of client assets from retail accounts and RIAs, though such attrition was below our initial estimates when we announced the acquisition.
The integration of Ameritrade is now complete. Throughout the integration, the Company incurred total acquisition and integration-related costs and capital expenditures of approximately $2.5 billion. Acquisition and integration-related costs, which are inclusive of related exit costs, totaled $117 million, $401 million, and $392 million in 2024, 2023, and 2022, respectively. Over the course of the integration, we realized annualized run-rate cost synergies of approximately $2.0 billion, with anticipated full-year synergy realization beginning in 2025. See also Results of Operations – Total Expenses Excluding Interest, Non-GAAP Financial Measures, and Item 8 – Note 16.
Other
In addition to cost synergies directly related to the integration of Ameritrade, the Company began taking incremental actions in 2023 to streamline its operations to prepare for post-integration, including through position eliminations and decreasing its real estate footprint. Through these actions, the Company has realized approximately $500 million of incremental run-rate cost savings in addition to integration synergies. In order to achieve these cost savings, the Company incurred total exit and related costs, primarily related to employee compensation and benefits and facility exit costs, of approximately $500 million. Actions under the plan have been completed as of December 31, 2024. Refer to Results of Operations – Total Expenses Excluding Interest, Non-GAAP Financial Measures, and Item 8 – Note 16 for additional information.
Subsequent Events
On February 12, 2025, the Company completed a secondary public offering of common shares through which TD Group US Holdings LLC, an affiliate of The Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD Bank), sold 133.8 million shares of the Company’s common stock and 31.7 million shares of the Company’s nonvoting common stock, which automatically converted into common stock, for an aggregate amount of $13.1 billion. The Company did not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of shares. Subsequent to the completion of the secondary offering, the Company repurchased directly from TD Group US Holdings LLC 19.2 million shares of nonvoting common stock, which automatically converted into common stock, for an aggregate repurchase of $1.5 billion. The repurchase was completed under CSC’s share repurchase authorization. Through the completion of the secondary offering and the Company’s repurchase of nonvoting common stock, TD Bank disposed of all of its common shares of CSC. See Item 8 – Note 28 for additional information.
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The text of this filing, as the company filed it with the SEC, without its images or exhibits. This is not investment advice.