Peter B. Bartholow
Analyst · Dave Rochester with Deutsche Bank
Thank you, George. I think it's quite clear we had a great year, a very strong growth linked quarter year-over-year in net revenue, operating income and earnings per share. Net revenue grew 25%. We did have, as George mentioned, a $4 million charge or $0.06 a share for settlement of the $65 million judgment against us, litigation in Oklahoma, did that to get behind us, and we believe we will recover cost from the insurance coverage. Net income on an operating basis before the litigation settlement, increased 62% year-over-year and 32% in Q4, compared to the prior year. EPS growth was to $3.07 on an operating basis, $3.01 as reported, up sharply from the year ago. In terms of core earnings power and net interest margin we, again, had exceptional performance for the quarter and obviously for the year. The results from great operating leverage and we are in that context benefiting significantly from the mortgage warehouse operation. The rate of growth and net revenue continues to exceed the rate of growth in non-interest expense and produced very strong operating leverage and improvements in efficiency ratios. The net revenue growth was obviously driven by strong growth in held-for-sale and held-for-investment. Held for investment was up $350 million linked quarter average or 5.5% and held for investment was up $226 million or 9.3% linked quarter average. Total of $576 million in total loans was accomplished with very strong splits. We maintained a very solid net interest margin. We're 7 basis points of a 9-basis-point reduction, resulted solely from the debt offering accomplished in September. The balance -- the small balance came from growth, offset in part by improvements in fee income. More later on net interest margin. We've enjoyed great growth in noninterest income, primarily in these from the mortgage warehouse operation, loan swaps and fees associated with Treasury Management. I think I've mentioned before, most of Treasury Management fees show up in the growth and demand deposits, which I'll speak to later. For 2012, we experienced the lowest efficiency ratio in the company's history, resulting from operating leverage I mentioned and the success of the warehouse lending group. Non-interest expense growth, non-interest expenses grew by 3%, excluding the litigation charge and the ORE valuation charges from Q3 and were up 15% year-over-year. Again, that compares to the year-over-year growth in net revenue of 25%. Growth in non-interest income -- excuse me, expense, relates to business expansion generally, into the higher levels of performance. We believe problem asset recovery cost will continue to come down with the reduction in ORE and problem loans. Incentive compensation expense continues to be scaled to our performance. Legal and professional fees, which have grown significantly due to litigation should continue to come down. In terms of loan growth, held for investment growth accrued, as George mentioned, across a number of lines of business. Held for sale balances remained at very high levels, averaging $2.7 billion for the quarter, an increase of 9% from the prior quarter. The average was $2.3 billion for the year. As stated, our approach is designed to build the business on managing balance sheet concentration with the participation program. And we will continue to see an opportunity to expand the customer base. The quarter end balance of $3.18 billion is net of $436 million in participations sold, so we are now managing a business that peaked at year end at $3.6 billion. Participation commitments reached $600 million at the end of the year, compared to $437 million at Q3, and we believe these will expand as needed to manage growth. In Q4, we had saw continued improvement in our funding profile, with a 2-basis-point reduction in funding cost. The change in funding mix has, obviously, been very important with the substantial growth in DDA, again, 17% linked quarter, not annualized and 31% year-over-year. This reflects the success of Treasury Management focus throughout our lines of business and regions and growth on the business from the warehouse banking group. We've had no apparent impact from the loss of TAG coverage, was actually where the much higher balance sheet at year end, some $200 million above the Q4 average in demand deposits. We're especially pleased to note that DDA growth represented over the course of the year 43% of all held for investment growth. It's particularly important when that at some future date, we expect to see rates rise and will expand our margin opportunity. The growth in held for sales supported is now supported primarily with borrowed funds. The facility with the Federal Home Loan Bank provided a great opportunity to expand this business with the net reduction in funding cost. George mentioned credit quality trends, they remain very positive. Total cost, including ORE valuation charges, were improved 48%, compared to 2011. Saw a small increase in linked quarter cost, driven by growth and a $900,000 increase in ORE valuation cost. George mentioned, net charge-offs were 10 basis points for the year. And he will have more comments about credit quality in a moment. On Slide 6 and 7, we show an excellent quarterly and annual progression for both -- for growth in net income, net revenue and earnings per share exceeding 5 quarters of growth from $0.67 per share to $0.82 on an operating basis, even with the dilution from the third quarter common stock offering. This produces a 5-year CAGR of 21%. Division credit quality cost, I mentioned, are down sharply from 2011, with an improved outlook for credit metrics in coming quarters. The efficiency ratio has shown an excellent trend in quarterly and average -- and annual levels. We maintained an ROA of 1.37% on an operating basis for the quarter and for the year. And operating return on equity was, as George mentioned, 17% and 16.6%, again, even after the effect of the July common stock offering, demonstrating we believe our ability to leverage new capital very effectively. We now view the likelihood with the very high return on equity, return on assets that the internal capital generation rate may exceed growth in total loans in 2013, due to what we view as modest growth expected in held for sale on year-over-year basis. On Slide 8, a comment about average balances, yields and rates, I think they speak for themselves. Loan growth in the funding profile are drivers of very high net interest margin and the growth in net interest income. We find ourselves with the business model that produces a nearly ideal balance sheet to the low rate environment in which we operate. We remain highly asset sensitive with exceptional margins and spreads, lending businesses and held for -- both held for investment and held for sale. We saw an earning asset yield that was reduced by just 4 basis points and that's what the effect of $600 million in linked quarter average balance growth. Loan yields have held up well, with held for sale -- held for investment yields just 2 basis points below the level for Q3 and again after $360 million in growth and 4 basis point production in held-for-sale yield. Growth in DDA and total deposits, coupled with our ability to utilize borrowed funds to support held for sale balances has, obviously, been important in reducing funding costs for the protection of our net interest margin. I mentioned of the 9-basis-point reduction in net interest margin, 7 basis point was attributed solely to the impact of the note offering in September. We view all this as a clear demonstration of the benefit of our growth model, where strong growth in loans certainly has had an impact on NIM, but also has produced exceptional growth, industry-leading growth in net revenue. On Slides 9 and 10, we show quarterly and average and annual average balances. Held-for-investment growth has certainly remained well above industry levels and ahead actually of our expectations. We grew 6% linked quarter. As George mentioned, 20% -- 22% year-over-year. DDA growth we commented on has already -- been exceptionally strong. And again, no recognizable impact from TAG elimination and it appears so far that we could be the net beneficiary of that event due to our performance and reputation in the marketplace due, again, to high return on assets, our growth in stockholder's equity, exclusive of the impact of the offering has been very strong. Slide 11 shows quarter end balances, again very strong growth across lending and deposit categories. Slides 12, 13 and 14 show CAGRs in net revenue and net income that are exceptionally high, 22% and 31%, respectively. As we've discussed, our strength in operating leverage is represented by the difference in the rates of growth between net revenue and noninterest expense. On Slide 13, we show the EPS progression, with a CAGR of 21%. It's obviously driven by the growth in loans and deposits shown on Slide 14, all of which are especially strong compared to the industry, demonstrating market share gains in both loans and deposits. George?