Kenneth Lovik
Analyst · Tim Switzer with KBW
Thanks, Nicole. We reported third quarter net income of $4.8 million or $0.54 per diluted share. Excluding $400,000 of nonrecurring severance expense, adjusted net income was $5.1 million or $0.57 per diluted share. Total revenue reached a record $43.9 million, up 7% sequentially. Combined with well-managed expenses, adjusted pre-provision net revenue increased 14% from the second quarter to $17.1 million. Net interest income was also a record at $34.7 million or $35.9 million on a fully taxable equivalent basis, up 7% sequentially and 14% year-over-year. Net interest margin expanded 8 basis points to 2.47% or 2.55% on a fully taxable equivalent basis. Strong growth in net interest income was achieved despite $1.2 million of interest reversals associated with franchise finance loans moved to nonaccrual status, which reduced net interest margin by approximately 9 basis points. Half of those reversals are related to the relationship David discussed. The underlying margin drivers remain favorable on both sides of the balance sheet. Loan yields increased 8 basis points sequentially to 6.42% as we continue to redeploy capital from lower-yielding portfolios into our core and emerging lending businesses. At the same time, the cost of interest-bearing deposits declined 6 basis points to 3.32% as fintech deposits replaced higher cost CDs and brokered deposits. That's the balance sheet strategy David and Nicole described, and you're now seeing it flow through the income statement. As we look at the interest rate environment going forward, we remain modestly liability sensitive, but materially less so than we were 2 years ago. Our loan portfolio is now 57% fixed rate, 43% adjustable rate compared with 75% fixed and 25% adjustable in September 2024. We have also emphasized shorter duration securities as we reinvest cash flows. We analyzed several rate scenarios on a static balance sheet, assuming 2 more Fed rate increases over the next several months, ranging from parallel and ramped rate shocks to a bear flattener scenario with rate increases in December 2026 and March 2027. The most punitive scenarios indicate about a negative impact of 2.5% to 3% on forecasted net interest income over the course of 2027, which we do expect to be up substantially over 2026. Importantly, though, these are static assumptions. Continued execution of our lending and deposit strategies significantly reduces the modeled effect. Turning to credit. Provision expense declined to $11.6 million from $13.4 million in the second quarter, reflecting lower net charge-offs, partially offset by higher specific reserves on franchise finance loans. That large relationship accounted for $2.6 million of specific reserves, including the associated interest reversal, actions taken on this relationship reduced pretax earnings by approximately $3.2 million or $0.29 per diluted share. Outside of that relationship, the broader trend improved. Net charge-offs and delinquencies both declined materially during the quarter, while nonperforming loans increased as additional franchise finance balances moved to nonaccrual, including $6.6 million related to the large relationship. Now let me turn to our outlook for the fourth quarter. We continue to expect fully taxable equivalent net interest margin of 2.75% to 2.80% and fully taxable equivalent net interest income of around $38.5 million, driven by continued portfolio optimization and stable deposit costs, assuming a 25 basis point increase in the Fed funds rate in December. We expect noninterest income of around $7.5 million, incorporating our revised expectation for lower SBA originations, but offset by continued growth in fintech fee revenue. Additionally, noninterest expense should come in around $26.5 million. And based on the improving delinquency trends and the franchise finance actions taken this quarter, we expect provision expense of $7.5 million to $8 million. Those assumptions lead us to expect fourth quarter diluted earnings per share of approximately $1.02 to $1.07. In the second quarter, we reported diluted earnings per share of $0.27. This quarter, operating earnings per share more than doubled. We believe it will nearly double again in the fourth quarter. We believe that outlook demonstrates the underlying earnings trajectory we have been discussing today, continued growth in net interest income, continued margin expansion, growing fintech fee revenue, disciplined expenses and moderating credit costs. With that, I'll turn it back to the operator for questions.