First Bancorp FBNC

NAS: FBNC | ISIN: US3189101062   24/04/2024
34,50 USD (+1,14%)
(+1,14%)   24/04/2024

First Bancorp Reports Fourth Quarter and Annual Results

SOUTHERN PINES, N.C., Jan. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- First Bancorp (the "Company") (NASDAQ - FBNC), the parent company of First Bank, announced today net income of $38.4 million, or $1.08 per diluted common share, for the three months ended December 31, 2022, compared to $37.9 million, or $1.06 per diluted common share for the three months ended September 30, 2022 ("linked quarter") and $10.5 million, or $0.30 per diluted common share, recorded in the fourth quarter of 2021.  For the twelve months ended December 31, 2022, the Company recorded net income of $146.9 million, or $4.12 per diluted common share, compared to $95.6 million, or $3.19 per diluted common share for the twelve months ended December 31, 2021. 

On June 21, 2022, the Company announced that it had reached an agreement to acquire GrandSouth Bancorporation ("GrandSouth"), headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina, in an all-stock transaction. The transaction closed on January 1, 2023, adding eight branches throughout South Carolina and approximately $1.2 billion in total assets, $1.0 billion in loans, and $1.0 billion in deposits to the Company's balance sheet as of the acquisition date.

Richard H. Moore, CEO and Chairman of the Company, stated, "First Bancorp had another strong year of continued growth as we earned nearly $147 million in net income, grew loans close to 10%, and improved our credit quality metrics over the course of the year.  I am proud of our employees for their commitment to the communities we serve and for their continued focus on our customers, shareholders, and each other during our acquisition of GrandSouth and our October 2021 acquisition of Select Bancorp ("Select").  We welcomed our new GrandSouth customers officially as of January 1, 2023 and look forward to system conversion in March 2023."

2022 Financial Highlights

  • Annualized return on average assets ("ROA") of 1.44% and annualized return on average common equity ("ROE") of 15.20% was reported for the quarter ended December 31, 2022.  For the year ended December 31, 2022, ROA was reported at 1.39% and ROE was 13.40%, both increasing from the prior year.
  • Total loans outstanding increased $139.9 million (8.5% annualized) during the fourth quarter of 2022, while year-over-year growth was $583.4 million, or 9.6%. Total loans were in excess of $6.6 billion at December 31, 2022.
  • Credit quality continues to be strong with the nonperforming assets ("NPA") to total assets ratio at 0.36% as of December 31, 2022, down three basis points from the linked quarter, and as compared to 0.50% at December 31, 2021.
  • Yield on total interest-earning assets increased 15 basis points to 3.64% as compared to the third quarter of 2022 and as compared to 3.20% for the fourth quarter of 2021.  For the year ended December 31, 2022, interest-earning assets yielded 3.41%, up from 3.25% for the prior year.
  • Capital remains strong with a total common equity Tier 1 ratio of 12.68%, up from 12.53% for the prior year, and an estimated total risk-based capital ratio of 14.73% as of December 31, 2022 as compared to 14.67% for the prior year.

The following discussions and comparisons to the prior year financial periods presented are impacted by the Company's acquisition of Select completed in the fourth quarter of 2021 which contributed $1.3 billion in loans and $1.6 billion in deposits as of the acquisition date.  

Net Interest Income and Net Interest Margin

Net interest income for the fourth quarter of 2022 was $84.4 million, a 14.3% increase from the $73.8 million recorded in the fourth quarter of 2021 and a decrease of $1.0 million or 1.1%,  from the linked quarter.  The increase in net interest income from the prior year period was due in large part to higher earning assets year-over-year and the higher net interest margin ("NIM") throughout 2022 as compared to 2021.  Average interest-earning assets for the fourth quarter of 2022 increased 7.7% from the comparable period of the prior year, with strong loan growth as the primary driver for the increase. 

The Company's tax-equivalent NIM (calculated by dividing tax-equivalent net interest income by average earning assets) for the twelve months ended December 31, 2022 was 3.28%, compared to 3.16% for the prior year. The NIM increase was driven by the rising market interest rates as the Federal Reserve's monetary policies resulted in a 425 basis point rise in short-term rates between March and December 2022.

The decrease in net interest income in the fourth quarter of 2022 as compared to the third quarter of 2022 was related primarily to an increase in total interest expense of $5.8 million.  While the Company's total cost of funds ("COF") remained low at 0.36% for the quarter ended December 31, 2022, COF increased 24 basis points from the linked quarter contributing to the higher interest expense.  During the fourth quarter of 2022, the Company experienced some pressure to reprice deposits, primarily money market accounts, and utilized more wholesale funding sources, both of which contributed to the increase in cost of funds.  

Allowance for Credit Losses, Provisions for Credit Losses, and Asset Quality

For the three months ended December 31, 2022, the Company recorded $4.0 million in provision for loan losses.  This is compared to $5.1 million provision for loan losses for the linked quarter and a provision of $11.0 million for the fourth quarter of 2021.  Fluctuations each period are based on the acquisition of Select in the fourth quarter of 2021, loan growth during each period, changes in the levels of nonperforming loans, economic forecasts impacting loss drivers, and other assumptions and inputs to the Company's CECL model. 

Also during the fourth quarter of 2022, the Company recorded $1.0 million in provision for unfunded commitments, compared to a $0.3 million provision for unfunded commitments for the linked quarter and a provision of $2.4 million for the  fourth quarter of 2021.  Changes each period are related to fluctuations in the level of available credit lines and updated loss drivers.  The reserve for unfunded commitments totaled $13.3 million at December 31, 2022 and is included in the line item "Other Liabilities".

Asset quality remained strong with annualized net loan recoveries of (0.02)% for the fourth quarter of 2022 and net charge-offs of 0.01% for the year ended December 31, 2022.  Total NPAs amounted to $38.3 million at December 31, 2022, or 0.36% of total assets, down from $40.7 million, 0.39% of total assets, at the end of the linked quarter, and $52.6 million, or 0.50% of total assets, at December 31, 2021. 

Noninterest Income

Total noninterest income for the fourth quarter of 2022 was $14.6 million, a 3.3% decrease from the $15.1 million recorded for the fourth quarter of 2021 and a 13.9% decrease from the linked quarter.  The primary factors driving fluctuations among the periods presented were as follows:

  • Declines in "Other service charges, commission and fees" each period were related to lower interchange fees effective in July 2022  as a result of the Company becoming subject to the Durbin Amendment limitations.  Lower fees were partially offset by higher volumes of activity in each period.
  • Fees from presold mortgages amounted to $0.2 million for the fourth quarter of 2022, a decrease of 59.8% from the linked quarter, and a decrease of 92.7% from the $2.1 million recorded in the fourth quarter of 2021.  Mortgage loan refinancing and origination volumes declined significantly over these periods due to increases in mortgage interest rates.
  • SBA-related revenues, including consulting fees and gain on sales, were down year-over-year as a result of lower PPP-related revenue in 2022 and timing and volume of loan originations available to be sold each period.
  • Other gains amounted to $1.4 million for the fourth quarter of 2022 and $7.3 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2022, primarily related to death benefits realized on bank-owned life insurance policies. 

Noninterest Expenses

Noninterest expenses amounted to $45.7 million for the fourth quarter of 2022, compared to $48.7 million for the linked quarter and $62.8 million for the fourth quarter of 2021.  The 27.3% decrease in noninterest expenses from the prior year period was driven by lower merger and acquisition expenses as compared to the fourth quarter of 2021.  All other expenses remained essentially the same for the year-over-year quarter comparison other than an increase of employee benefit expenses driven by the fluctuations in the timing and volume of claims paid under the Company's self-insured health insurance plan.  The increase in noninterest expenses, exclusive of merger expenses, of 13.3% year-over-year for the twelve months ended December 31, 2022 was driven by higher operating expenses, including additional locations and personnel, resulting from the Select acquisition which occurred in the fourth quarter of 2021.

Balance Sheet and Capital

Total assets at December 31, 2022 were $10.6 billion, an increase of 1.1% from the prior year end with growth in loans offset by reductions in other assets throughout the year.  

Total investment securities decreased $288.0 million from December 31, 2021 to total $2.9 billion at December 31, 2022, as the Company is strategically redeploying the cash flows from investments to fund loan growth.  Also contributing to the decline year-over-year was the higher level of unrealized losses on available for sale securities which amounted to $444.1 million at December 31, 2022, down $22.7 million from the linked quarter.

Total loans amounted to $6.7 billion at December 31, 2022, an increase of $583.4 million, or 9.6%, from December 31, 2021, due to organic loan growth throughout 2022.  Organic net loan growth for the fourth quarter of 2022 amounted to $139.9 million, an annualized growth rate of 8.6%.

Total deposits amounted to $9.2 billion at December 31, 2022, an increase of $102.9 million, or 1.1%, from December 31, 2021.  While deposits increased for the year to date period, the fourth quarter of 2022 realized a decline in total deposits of $1.7 million as market rates for deposits became more competitive and customer behaviors  shifted from activity experienced during the pandemic.

The Company remains well-capitalized by all regulatory standards, with an estimated Total Risk-Based Capital Ratio at December 31, 2022 of 14.73% compared to 14.67% reported at December 31, 2021.  The Company's tangible common equity ("TCE") to tangible assets ratio was 6.39% at December 31, 2022, an increase from 5.98% for the linked quarter and a decrease of 199 basis points from a year earlier.  Fluctuations in the TCE ratio were driven by the changes in the unrealized loss on available for sale securities included in equity.

*   *   *

First Bancorp is a bank holding company headquartered in Southern Pines, North Carolina, with total assets of approximately $11.8 billion. Its principal activity is the ownership and operation of First Bank, a state-chartered community bank that operates 118 branches in North Carolina and South Carolina.  First Bank also provides SBA loans to customers through its nationwide network of lenders - for more information on First Bank's SBA lending capabilities, please visit www.firstbanksba.com.  First Bancorp's common stock is traded on The NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol "FBNC."

 

Please visit our website at www.LocalFirstBank.com.

 

Caution about Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties.  Forward-looking statements are statements that include projections, predictions, expectations or beliefs about future events or results or otherwise are not statements of historical fact.  Such statements are often characterized by the use of qualifying words (and their derivatives) such as "expect," "believe," "estimate," "plan," "project," "anticipate," or other words or phrases concerning opinions or judgments of the Company and its management about future events.  Factors that could influence the accuracy of such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the financial success or changing strategies of the Company's customers, the Company's level of success in integrating acquisitions, actions of government regulators, the level of market interest rates, and general economic conditions.  For additional information about the factors that could affect the matters discussed in this paragraph, see the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's most recent annual report on Form 10-K available at www.sec.gov.  Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements.  The Company is also not responsible for changes made to this press release by wire services, internet services or other media.

 

First Bancorp and Subsidiaries

Financial Summary 


CONSOLIDATED INCOME STATEMENT


Three Months Ended


Twelve Months Ended

($ in thousands except per share data - unaudited)

December 31,
2022

September 30,
2022

December 31,
2021


December 31,
2022

December 31,
2021

Interest income







   Interest and fees on loans

$          76,509

72,239

64,688


$      278,027

219,013

   Interest on investment securities

14,611

14,565

10,910


57,923

34,478

   Other interest income

1,991

1,486

618


5,007

2,427

      Total interest income

93,111

88,290

76,216


340,957

255,918

Interest expense







   Interest on deposits

6,145

1,848

1,868


11,349

7,881

   Interest on borrowings

2,594

1,108

503


4,754

1,642

      Total interest expense

8,739

2,956

2,371


16,103

9,523

        Net interest income

84,372

85,334

73,845


324,854

246,395

Provision for loan losses

4,000

5,100

11,011


12,600

9,611

Provision for (reversal of) unfunded commitments

1,000

300

2,432


(200)

5,420

     Total provision for credit losses

5,000

5,400

13,443


12,400

15,031

        Net interest income after provision for credit losses

79,372

79,934

60,402


312,454

231,364

Noninterest income







   Service charges on deposit accounts

4,116

4,166

3,551


15,523

12,317

   Other service charges, commissions, and fees

5,094

6,312

7,034


26,294

25,516

   Fees from presold mortgage loans

151

376

2,061


2,102

10,975

   Commissions from sales of insurance & financial products

1,708

1,391

1,093


5,195

6,947

   SBA consulting fees

645

479

1,152


2,608

7,231

   SBA loan sale gains

495

479

348


5,076

7,329

   Bank-owned life insurance income

967

962

940


3,847

2,885

   Securities losses, net

(1,237)


(1,237)

   Other gains, net

1,382

2,747

115


7,340

1,648

      Total noninterest income

14,558

16,912

15,057


67,985

73,611

Noninterest expenses







   Salaries expense

24,652

24,416

24,846


96,321

86,815

   Employee benefit expense

5,353

4,156

3,329


21,397

16,434

   Occupancy and equipment related expense

4,433

4,847

4,607


18,604

16,020

   Merger and acquisition expenses

303

548

16,180


5,072

16,845

   Intangibles amortization expense

825

889

1,094


3,684

3,531

   Foreclosed property net (gains) losses

17


(372)

24

   Other operating expenses

10,091

13,844

12,716


50,514

44,987

      Total noninterest expenses

45,657

48,700

62,789


195,220

184,656

Income before income taxes

48,273

48,146

12,670


185,219

120,319

Income tax expense

9,840

10,197

2,148


38,283

24,675

Net income

$          38,433

37,949

10,522


$      146,936

95,644








Earnings per common share - diluted

$              1.08

1.06

0.30


$            4.12

3.19








ADDITIONAL INCOME STATEMENT INFORMATION







   Net interest income, as reported

$          84,372

85,334

73,845


$      324,854

246,395

   Tax-equivalent adjustment (1)

722

692

707


2,780

2,243

   Net interest income, tax-equivalent

$          85,094

86,026

74,552


327,634

248,638



(1)

This amount reflects the tax benefit that the Company receives related to its tax-exempt loans and securities, which carry interest rates lower than similar taxable investments due to their tax-exempt status. This amount has been computed assuming a 23% tax rate and is reduced by the related nondeductible portion of interest expense.

 

First Bancorp and Subsidiaries 

Financial Summary 


CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

($ in thousands)

 


At December 31,
2022

(unaudited)


At September 30,
2022

(unaudited)


At December 31,
2021

(audited)

Assets






Cash and due from banks

$               101,133


83,050


128,228

Interest-bearing deposits with banks

169,185


186,465


332,934

     Total cash and cash equivalents

270,318


269,515


461,162







Investment securities

2,856,193


2,882,408


3,144,239

Presold mortgages in process of settlement

1,282


3,233


19,257

SBA and other  loans held for sale


477


61,003







Loans

6,665,145


6,525,286


6,081,715

Allowance for credit losses on loans

(90,967)


(86,587)


(78,789)

Net loans

6,574,178


6,438,699


6,002,926







Premises and equipment

134,187


134,288


136,092

Operating right-of-use lease assets

18,733


19,230


20,719

Intangible assets

376,938


378,150


382,090

Foreclosed properties

658


658


3,071

Bank-owned life insurance

164,592


164,793


165,786

Other assets

227,970


224,411


112,556

     Total assets

$          10,625,049


10,515,862


10,508,901







Liabilities






Deposits:






     Noninterest-bearing deposit accounts

$            3,566,003


3,748,207


3,348,622

     Interest-bearing deposit accounts

5,661,526


5,481,064


5,776,007

          Total deposits

9,227,529


9,229,271


9,124,629







Borrowings

287,507


226,476


67,386

Operating lease liabilities

19,391


19,847


21,192

Other liabilities

59,026


55,771


65,119

     Total liabilities

9,593,453


9,531,365


9,278,326







Shareholders' equity






Common stock

725,153


724,694


722,671

Retained earnings

648,418


617,839


532,874

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

(341,975)


(358,036)


(24,970)

     Total shareholders' equity

1,031,596


984,497


1,230,575

Total liabilities and shareholders' equity

$          10,625,049


10,515,862


10,508,901

 

First Bancorp and Subsidiaries

Financial Summary



Three Months Ended


Twelve Months Ended

PERFORMANCE RATIOS (annualized)

December 31,
2022

September 30,
2022

December 31,
2021


December 31,
2022

December 31,
2021

Return on average assets (1)

1.44 %

1.42 %

0.41 %


1.39 %

1.13 %

Return on average common equity (2)

15.20 %

13.84 %

3.55 %


13.40 %

9.86 %

Return on average tangible common equity (3)

20.96 %

21.25 %

4.64 %


20.48 %

13.79 %








COMMON SHARE DATA







Cash dividends declared - common

$             0.22

0.22

0.20


0.88

0.80

Stated book value - common

28.89

27.57

34.54


28.89

34.54

Tangible book value - common (non-GAAP)

18.34

16.98

23.81


18.34

23.81

Common shares outstanding at end of period

35,704,154

35,711,754

35,629,177


35,704,154

35,629,117

Weighted average shares outstanding - diluted

35,614,972

35,703,446

34,567,927


35,674,730

30,027,785








CAPITAL RATIOS







Tangible common equity to tangible assets (non-GAAP)

6.39 %

5.98 %

8.38 %


6.39 %

8.38 %

Common equity tier I capital ratio (4)

12.68 %

12.76 %

12.53 %


12.68 %

12.53 %

Tier I leverage ratio (4)

10.51 %

10.21 %

9.39 %


10.51 %

9.39 %

Tier I risk-based capital ratio (4)

13.48 %

13.59 %

13.42 %


13.48 %

13.42 %

Total risk-based capital ratio (4)

14.73 %

14.84 %

14.67 %


14.73 %

14.67 %








AVERAGE BALANCES ($ in thousands)







Total assets

$  10,579,187

10,567,133

10,191,402


10,556,230

8,459,645

Loans

6,576,415

6,389,996

5,879,373


6,293,280

5,018,391

Earning assets

10,161,108

10,028,388

9,438,263


9,989,185

7,871,319

Deposits

9,275,909

9,299,277

8,878,141


9,283,505

7,401,910

Interest-bearing liabilities

5,779,958

5,661,339

5,641,358


5,758,001

4,736,343

Shareholders' equity

1,003,031

1,087,763

1,177,374


1,096,913

969,775








(1)

Calculated by dividing annualized net income by average assets.

(2)

Calculated by dividing annualized net income by average common equity.

(3)

Calculated by dividing annualized net income by average tangible common equity.

(4)

Capital ratios as of December 31, 2022 are estimated.

 

TREND INFORMATION


($ in thousands except per share data)

For the Three Months Ended

INCOME STATEMENT

December 31,
2022

September 30,
2022

June 30,
2022

March 31,
2022

December 31,
2021







Net interest income - tax-equivalent (1)

$           85,094

86,026

78,939

77,575

74,552

Taxable equivalent adjustment (1)

722

692

669

697

707

Net interest income

84,372

85,334

78,270

76,878

73,845

Provision for loan losses

4,000

5,100

3,500

11,011

Provision for (reversal of) unfunded commitments

1,000

300

(1,500)

2,432

Noninterest income

14,558

16,912

17,264

19,251

15,057

Noninterest expense

45,657

48,700

49,398

51,465

62,789

Income before income taxes

48,273

48,146

46,136

42,664

12,670

Income tax expense

9,840

10,197

9,551

8,695

2,148

Net income

38,433

37,949

36,585

33,969

10,522







Earnings per common share - diluted

1.08

1.06

1.03

0.95

0.30







Cash dividends declared per share

0.22

0.22

0.22

0.22

0.20

(1)

This amount reflects the tax benefit that the Company receives related to its tax-exempt loans and securities, which carry interest rates lower than similar taxable investments due to their tax-exempt status.  This amount has been computed assuming a 23% tax rate and is reduced by the related nondeductible portion of interest expense.

 

First Bancorp and Subsidiaries

Financial Summary



For the Three Months Ended

YIELD INFORMATION

December 31,
2022

September 30,
2022

June 30,
2022

March 31,
2022

December 31,
2021







Yield on loans

4.62 %

4.49 %

4.24 %

4.30 %

4.37 %

Yield on securities

1.74 %

1.71 %

1.69 %

1.76 %

1.45 %

Yield on other earning assets

3.05 %

2.27 %

0.97 %

0.55 %

0.42 %

   Yield on all interest-earning assets

3.64 %

3.49 %

3.24 %

3.27 %

3.20 %







Rate on interest bearing deposits

0.44 %

0.13 %

0.11 %

0.12 %

0.13 %

Rate on other interest-bearing liabilities

4.58 %

3.99 %

3.52 %

2.77 %

2.88 %

   Rate on all interest-bearing liabilities

0.60 %

0.21 %

0.15 %

0.15 %

0.17 %

     Total cost of funds

0.36 %

0.12 %

0.09 %

0.10 %

0.11 %







        Net interest margin (1)

3.29 %

3.38 %

3.16 %

3.18 %

3.10 %







        Net interest margin - tax-equivalent (2)

3.32 %

3.40 %

3.18 %

3.21 %

3.13 %







        Average prime rate

6.82 %

5.35 %

3.94 %

3.29 %

3.25 %







(1)

Calculated by dividing annualized net interest income by average earning assets for the period.

(2)

Calculated by dividing annualized tax-equivalent net interest income by average earning assets for the period.

 




For the Three Months Ended

NET INTEREST INCOME PURCHASE ACCOUNTING ADJUSTMENTS

($ in thousands - unaudited)

December 31,
2022


September 30,
2022


June 30,
2022


March 31,
2022


December 31,
2021











Interest income - increased by accretion of loan discount on acquired loans

$               886


1,519


1,545


1,671


1,912

Interest income - increased by accretion of loan discount on retained portions of SBA loans

427


1,032


730


667


703

Total interest income impact

1,313


2,551


2,275


2,338


2,615

Interest expense - reduced by premium amortization of deposits

70


121


168


234


261

Interest expense - increased by discount accretion of borrowings

(64)


(64)


(53)


(73)


(116)

Total net interest expense impact

6


57


115


161


145

     Total impact on net interest income

$            1,319


2,608


2,390


2,499


2,760

 




As of / for the Three Months Ended

PAYCHECK PROTECTION PROGRAM (PPP) LOANS

($ in thousands - unaudited)

December 31,
2022


September 30,
2022


June 30,
2022


March 31,
2022


December 31,
2021











PPP loans outstanding

$                   35


38


3,000


15,623


38,979

PPP fee amortization


284


1,008


1,324


1,676

 

First Bancorp and Subsidiaries 

Financial Summary 


ASSET QUALITY DATA ($ in thousands)

December 31,
2022


September 30,
2022


June 30,
2022


March 31,
2022


December 31,
2021











Nonperforming assets










Nonaccrual loans

$        28,514


28,669


28,715


33,460


34,696

Troubled debt restructurings - accruing

9,121


11,355


11,771


12,727


13,866

Accruing loans > 90 days past due





1,004

Total nonperforming loans

37,635


40,024


40,486


46,187


49,566

Foreclosed real estate

658


658


658


2,750


3,071

Total nonperforming assets

$        38,293


40,682


41,144


48,937


52,637











Asset Quality Ratios










Quarterly net (recoveries) charge-offs to average loans - annualized

(0.02) %


0.04 %


(0.01) %


0.01 %


0.05 %

Nonperforming loans to total loans

0.56 %


0.61 %


0.65 %


0.76 %


0.82 %

Nonperforming assets to total assets

0.36 %


0.39 %


0.39 %


0.46 %


0.50 %

Allowance for credit losses to total loans

1.36 %


1.33 %


1.32 %


1.35 %


1.30 %

 

Corporate holding logo (PRNewsfoto/First Bancorp)

 

Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/first-bancorp-reports-fourth-quarter-and-annual-results-301729603.html

SOURCE First Bancorp

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