Richard W. Evans
Analyst · Morgan Stanley
Thank you, Greg. Good morning, and thanks for joining us. It's my pleasure today to review First Quarter 2013 Results for Cullen/Frost. Our Chief Financial Officer, Phil Green, will then provide additional comments. After that, we'll be happy to answer your questions. I'm pleased to report that for the first quarter of 2013, Cullen/Frost grew loans by 13% and reported 14% deposit growth. Our capital levels and liquidity are stronger now than they were before the 2008 financial crisis. The results amid economic and regulatory challenges are a credit to our dedicated employees and excellent value proposition. During the first quarter of 2013, our net income was $55.1 million compared to $61 million reported in the first quarter of last year. This was $0.91 a share versus $0.99 for the first quarter of 2012. For the first quarter of 2013, return on average assets and equity were 1.01% and 9.47%, respectively, compared to 1.23% and 10.59% reported in the first quarter of last year. Deposit growth continues to be strong. First quarter 2013 average total deposits were $18.7 billion, up $2.3 billion or 14.2% over the $16.4 billion reported in the first quarter of 2012. Our deposit growth is coming from both new and existing customers. Net interest income for the first quarter of 2013 was $172.8 million, up 4.9% from last year. This increase primarily resulted from an increase in the average volume of interest-earning assets and was partly offset by a decrease in the net interest margin. Net interest margin was 3.45% for the first quarter of 2013 compared to 3.73% in the first quarter of 2012 and 3.48% for the fourth quarter of 2012. Noninterest income for the first quarter of 2013 was $77.8 million, up $5.8 million from the $72 million we reported a year earlier. Trust and investment management fees increased $1.2 million to $21.9 million, a 6% increase from the $20.7 million reported in the first quarter of 2012. Insurance commissions and fees were $13.1 million, up 5.6% from the first quarter of last year. Other income was $11 million, up $3.8 million from the first quarter of 2012, resulting from a $4.3 million gain from the sale of the Rand Building and garage next to the Frost Bank Tower in downtown San Antonio. Non-interest expense for the first quarter of 2013 were $155.8 million compared to $142 million in the first quarter of 2012. Salaries and employee benefits were up $4.1 million over the same period a year earlier as a result of normal annual merit and market increases, higher commissions and an increase in incentive compensation. Other expenses were $41.5 million, up $8.6 million from the first quarter of 2012. The vast majority of the increase in other expense came from the write-down of a long-term bank-owned property in downtown San Antonio, which was recently designated as available for sale. ATM expenses were up $812,000 from the previous year as a result of our successful branding arrangement with Cardtronics and Valero Corner Stores. Frost customers now have free access to more than 1,100 ATMs across the state, including 5 new ATMs at the modernized Dallas Love Field Airport. Turning to loan demand, we continued the strong loan growth that we saw throughout 2012. In the first three months of this year, we saw the highest level of quarterly loan requests in our history. Double-digit percentage increases were broad-based from customers and prospects and in both large- and small-sized segments. First quarter 2013 average total loans were $9.1 billion, up $1.1 billion or 13.2% compared to the $8 billion for the first quarter of last year. Our active loan pipeline is now 30% higher than last quarter and 40% higher than a year ago. The level of new loan commitments booked in the first quarter was the second-best first quarter since 2008, which was before the financial crisis, and only the first quarter of last year was better. I'm extremely pleased with the results of our loan growth despite ongoing economic and regulatory challenges. I'm optimistic we will continue to see loan growth because of our disciplined approach to execution. Our credit quality trends have been and continue to be positive. In late March, we discovered an issue with a large commercial and industrial relationship. By mid-April, the borrower filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. As a result, we took a $15 million charge-off on this loan. Thorough internal and external reviews are underway. We're turning over all the rocks to find out what happened and to recover the money owed to the bank. For the quarter, total net charge-offs were $16.9 million compared to $4.1 million for the first quarter of 2012. We expect charge-offs in subsequent quarters this year to be similar to what occurred in 2012. Our provision for loan losses was $6 million in the first quarter of 2013 compared to $1.1 million in the first quarter last year. Our nonperforming assets at the end of the first quarter of 2013 were $105.9 million compared to $120.5 million a year ago. Past-due loans ended the first quarter at 0.59% of total loans, which is our ninth consecutive quarter for past-due loans to represent less than 1% of total loans. Aside from the one loan, all traditional measures of credit quality remain positive. Our capital levels remain very strong. Tier 1 and total risk-based capital ratios for Cullen/Frost were 14.23% and 15.44%, respectively, at the end of the first quarter of 2013 and are in excess of the proposed Basel III fully phased-in capital requirements. The ratio of tangible common equity to tangible assets was 8% at the end of the first quarter of this year. Before I turn the call over to Phil, I will close with a few comments about the economy and my continued optimism for Cullen/Frost. While the first quarter saw big gains in property values and the stock market, much economic uncertainty remains over government regulation, spending, the deficit, national debt and overall jobs outlook. We're blessed to operate in a pro-business state like Texas, where projected 2013 job growth of 2.5% continues to outpace the vast majority of states and the national average. Dallas Fed President Richard Fisher says that the road to dignity is through work and that jobs provide the means for economic advancement. Texas is doing its part to create jobs in all sectors and income categories. Construction, energy, technology are all driving a diverse Texas economy. Major cities in Texas are among the fastest-growing in the nation. In fact, 5 out of the top 6 U.S. cities in Forbes Magazine's 2013 list of best cities for good jobs are in Texas, and Frost operates in each of those markets. At Frost, we're seeing double-digit growth in our loans and deposits. Our capital levels are strong. We remain focused on our value proposition, culture and excellent customer service. Just this past week, J.D. Power and Associates' 2013 Retail Banking Satisfaction Study ranked Frost highest in customer satisfaction with retail banking in Texas for the fourth consecutive year. We're honored by this distinguished third-party recognition, and I'm grateful to our dedicated employees for making this possible. Top-quality service is a big part of our mission statement. I am pleased that other verify that we're practicing what we preach. We're now staying true to our principles and our lending disciplines. We have consistently paid a shareholder dividend and have increased that dividend annually for 18 consecutive years, delivering steady and superior financial performance for our shareholders. And with that, I'll turn the call over to our CFO, Phil Green.