Bob Young
Analyst · KBW. Please go ahead
Thanks, Todd. And good afternoon to all of those on the call this afternoon. For the six months ending June 30, 2016, we reported net income of $45 million and earnings per diluted share of a $1.17 at merger-related expense. Excluding those expenses from both periods, net income would have increased 6.7% to $45.4 million with earnings per diluted share up one penny to a $1.18. Year-to-date, the return on average assets was 1.06% and return on average tangible equity was 13.97%. For the quarter ended June 30, we reported net income of $22.1 million and earnings per diluted share of $0.58. Excluding merger related expenses, net income would have been $22.6 million and earnings per diluted share of $0.59 as compared to $22.4 million and $0.58 per share last year. For the second quarter, return on average assets was 1.05% and return on average tangible equity was 13.55%. Over the past five quarters our returns on assets and equity have been relatively stable, reflecting the stability, despite the current interest rate environment as our asset remix strategy has helped to offset a lower net interest margin. My remaining earnings related comments will focus on the second quarter’s results. Our earnings release published last evening contains our consolidated financial highlights as well as reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures. Net interest income in the second quarter was down 1.7% year-over-year at $59.8 million, as a result of a 14 basis-point decrease in the net interest margin, partially offset by a 3.2% increase in average earning assets to $7.6 billion. The increase in average earning assets was driven by a 5.2% increase in average loan balances, reflecting our balance sheet remix strategy of decreasing investments securities balances to fund loan growth and in order to maintain the size of the balance sheet to delay the financial impact of crossing the $10 billion asset threshold. Total portfolio loans of $5.2 billion as of June 30, 2016 increased $236 million or 4.8% year-over-year, reflecting strong year-to-date loan originations supported by 13% growth in total business loan originations. Total loan growth was driven by growth in commercial real estate, primarily construction and land development, commercial and industrial, and home equity loan categories as the latter two drove more than half of the year-over-year growth in total loans. This reflects our strategic focus on commercial and industrial as well as home equity loans as these categories grew 11% and 15% year-over-year respectively due to our commercial lending hires, increased business activity, and focused calling efforts. Total deposits -- $0.9 billion at June 30, 2016, due primarily to reductions in certificates of deposits from lower rate offerings for maturing CDs, continued runoff of higher cost retail CDs, particularly runoff of a $146 million from ESB, lower CDARS balances, and customer preferences for other deposit types as we continue to shift our deposit base to emphasize multiple relationship customers. When excluding the impact of CDs, total deposits increased slightly to $4.5 billion, reflecting our deposit remix strategy. For the second quarter of 2016, the net interest margin was 3.30%, down 14 basis points year-over-year, primarily reflecting lower spreads and the repricing of existing loans and competitive new loan pricing, both of which were the direct result of the continued low interest environment and flatter yield curve. A partial mitigant to the lower spreads is our continued loan growth and balance sheet remix strategy, which over time will improve asset yields at average loan rates or higher than securities rates. In addition, our net interest margin also reflects increased funding costs associated with a higher proportion of Federal Home Loan Bank medium-term borrowings and higher junior subordinated debt costs, otherwise known as drops [ph] as these LIBOR denominated instruments increasing costs from the December federal funds increase of 25 basis points. Federal Home Loan Bank borrowings of $1.1 billion represented 17.2% of average interest bearing liabilities during the second quarter of 2016 as compared to 8.3% a year ago. This increase of $276 million year-over-year, reflects our balance sheet remix strategy, which included increasing our overall asset sensitivity late in 2015 in anticipation of a rising rate environment as well as partially offsetting the planned runoff of higher rate certificates of deposit. Due to the anticipated lower for longer interest rate environment now, we intend to somewhat reduce asset sensitivity by allowing maturing borrowings to be replaced with shorter term advances as funding needs are determined after the acquisition of YCB and in conjunction with maintaining the pro forma combined balance sheet below $10 billion. Turning now to non-interest income, it increased 8.4% from the prior year to $19.6 million. This $1.5 million increase was driven by 800,000 of commercial customer loan swap fee income and 600,000 of securities gains from the sale or call of mortgage-backed securities and agency securities. The securities gain is a result of continuing our stated strategy to reduce the percentage of securities to total assets, which increased due to the ESB acquisition and as part of the balance sheet remix and size strategies. While trust fees were negatively impacted year-over-year due to reduced trust assets, lower estate fees and market declines, our e-banking fees did increase year-over-year from increased retail and business transactions. We remain focused on long-term expense management and positive operating leverage. For the year-to-date period, our efficiency ratio improved 86 basis points, excluding merger related costs and on a year-to-date basis, we delivered operating leverage as revenue growth exceeded expense growth. Non-interest expense for the second quarter of 2016 increased just $1.2 million year-over-year to $46.7 million, excluding merger-related costs. Expenses for the second quarter were consistent with the expense run rate from the fourth quarter of 2015, as we noted on last quarter’s call. Salaries and wages increased 400,000 year-over-year due to annual employee wages and higher stock compensation, partially offset by a 1% decrease in full time equivalent employees, while employee benefits increased 500,000 due to higher health insurance costs. Furthermore, continued investments in our technology and communications platforms as well as origination and customer support systems drove higher equipment costs. Turning to our asset quality and regulatory capital ratio metrics, for the three months ended June 30, 2016, our net charge-offs of 1 million represented a ratio to average loans of just 0.08%, an improvement versus both the prior year and sequential quarterly periods. The provision for credit losses was 1.8 million for the quarter, primarily reflecting loan growth and normal consumer loan net charge-offs. Non-performing loans and non-performing assets, which had increased somewhat after the ESB acquisition, have continued to decline in both absolute dollars and as percentages of total loans. Non-performing loans to total loans were 80 basis points and non-performing assets to total assets were 55 basis points, at the end of the second quarter. Our capital ratio has remained well above the well-capitalized standards required by bank regulators, as well as Basel III with our Tier 1 leverage capital ratio of 9.71%, Tier 1 risk-based capital of 13.62%, and total risk-based capital of 14.4%, as well as common equity Tier 1 capital ratio of 11.88%. Lastly, our tangible equity to tangible assets ratio improved to 8.56% as compared to 7.68% at the end of the second quarter of last year assisted by the growth in retained earnings as well as higher other comprehensive income. Before opening the call for your questions, I would like to provide an update on our thoughts regarding the second half of 2016. We continue to anticipate a competitive loan environment impacted by an extended lower for longer interest rate scenario with the flatter yield curve, which will continue to impact our net interest margin as existing loans repriced and new loans are booked. In addition, the continued execution of our balance sheet remix strategy, as we delayed the financial impact of crossing the $10 billion threshold, will also have somewhat of an impact in the near-term. Although reducing the size of our investment portfolio is part of our longer term strategy. We are now only modeling for one rate increase in December of this year as compared to two previously and just one increase during 2017, at this time. We still anticipate mid-single digit overall loan growth, which we plan to fund with normal securities portfolio runoff and if necessary, shorter term borrowings. Lastly, while we continue to focus on positive operating leverage, we anticipate expenses during the second half of 2016 will be well-controlled and up only minimally for typical midyear salary increases and higher marketing costs associated with our growth strategy. We’re now ready to answer your questions. Operator, would you please review the instructions?