Jamie Moses
Analyst · Piper Sandler. Please go ahead
Thanks, Richard. We reported a loss of $0.40 a share, which is net of a non-cash $0.69 charge for the loan loss provision. Core EPS for the quarter was a $0.07 loss, which excludes the impact from discontinued operations, in addition to securities losses. As Richard noted, much of the impact on our operations was due directly and indirectly to the pandemic and our response to it.Our earnings release and our information presentation discuss the implementation of CECL on January 1 and the impact of the pandemic on the loan loss provision under that new model, as of quarter end. At March 31, our allowance measured 122 basis points compared to loans, which is considerably higher than the 67 basis point allowance at year-end 2019. Due to the CECL accounting impacts, we have introduced a new non-GAAP measure of core pre-provision net revenue or PPNR. This looks at core income before provision and taxes. Core PPNR decreased by $18 million quarter-over-quarter, including the following impacts. A $5 million decrease in net interest income, which included a $2 million reduction in accretion, which is now posted to the credit loss allowance. The remaining $3 million decrease was due to the changes in volume, mix and rate that resulted from the changes in our business and business environment during the quarter.Our core non-interest income decreased by $6 million, $3 million of that change was related to the impact of changes in credit spreads on our swap book. We also had a $2 million charge to adjust the fair value of our taxi medallion loans. Additionally, our swap fees and SBA loan origination revenue were down, which offset the benefit of seasonal revenues in wealth and insurance. Our core non-interest expense increased by $7 million quarter-over-quarter, of that increase, $3 million is related to regular seasonal changes in payroll and occupancy, along with the impact of FDIC insurance premiums. There was a $2 million increase in loan expenses quarter-over-quarter and a $2 million increase in technology investment in the quarter to further reinforce our internal systems and digital offerings. We expect our total expenses to be a couple of million dollars higher in quarter two, related to the PPP program and then moderate back to Q1 levels in the back half of the year.Our spending takes into account the investments we feel are appropriate for our long-term strategy of future-proofing the institution. Our net interest margin decreased by 9 basis points, including CECL-related accounting impacts, as you know, our balance sheet is asset-sensitive. The reduction of interest rates resulting from monetary response to the pandemic occurred near the end of the first quarter. We anticipate that there will be further margin pressure due to our asset sensitivity, as we proceed through the year. We generally expect loan balances to further decline this year due to planned runoff of non-relationship business. The main exception is the PPP loan program, where we are in the process of funding our $650 million Phase 1 pipeline of loan approvals. The PPP loans are lower-yielding and most of them are expected to be repaid by the SBA in the third quarter. We estimate that we will receive about $20 million in fees from the SBA for these loans, which will be deferred and amortized into interest income.We expect to recognize most of this, when loans are repaid in the third quarter. This will provide a short-term bump to the margin, while the longer-term trend will continue to be impacted by compression due to lower interest rates. Deposits were generally steady through much of the first quarter and are expected to remain steady through the year. We temporarily closed about 20 of our 130 branches for the safety of our employees and customers, but we continue to cover the markets well with our branches in conjunction with our Mybankers and digital platforms.To sum up this discussion of core PPNR, a lot of things combined to bring us to the reported number in Q1. While we expect a onetime bump from the PPP loans in the third quarter, a further recovery of the core PPNR will depend on overall recovery in public health and business conditions, which are unpredictable at this time. Similarly, the future provision expense will depend on these future conditions. We anticipate that our tax rate will be in the 15% area, going forward, although this too will be affected by the pace of recovery and any further provision expense or valuation-related impacts. The two non-core items for the quarter were also affected by the pandemic. Stock market decline translated into a largely unrealized loss in our equity securities portfolio. Most of these securities remained in a net unrealized gain position at quarter end. As you know, stock market conditions are improving so far in the second quarter.The other major non-core item was the loss on discontinued national mortgage banking operations. This loss was driven primarily, by a write-down of MSRs due to the pandemic impact, as well as severance accruals, as we transitioned staff in Q2 under our sale agreement. As you know, we have been working on the sale of these operations over the last year, and the pandemic made the completion of the sale, extra challenging. These operations will be gone by year end, based on our sale agreement and related plans, and we are targeting that this non-core loss will sharply narrow in the second quarter and then tail off through year end.Returning for a moment, to the balance sheet, our liquidity metrics continued to improve in the first quarter. We are well positioned to fund the PPP loans in the second quarter and to support the business that we expect. While our common equity was reduced in the first quarter by the CECL and pandemic charges, this impact was moderated by the internal capital generation from our core PPNR. While our capital is strongly positioned, we recognize the importance of preserving our capital to support our communities through these uncertain times. We did not repurchase shares in the first quarter, and the existing stock buyback authorization expired on March 31 and is not being extended at this time. Our dividend is well supported by our operations and is an important source of support for our equity stakeholders. The board plans to declare and pay our normal quarterly dividend, later during the quarter.This completes my remarks. And I will turn the call back to Richard.