MCB

METROPOLITAN BANK HOLDING CORP

Financial Services | Small Cap

$1.58

EPS Forecast

$66.72

Revenue Forecast

Announcing earnings for the quarter ending 2024-12-31 soon
EX-99.1 2 tm205563d1_ex99-1.htm EXHIBIT 99.1

Exhibit 99.1

 

 

Release: 4:30 P.M. January 22, 2020

 

Contact: Investor Relations Department
  212-365-6721
  IR@MetropolitanBankNY.com

 

Metropolitan Bank Holding Corp. Reports Sustained Growth in Earnings Diluted EPS of $0.93 for the Fourth Quarter

 

NEW YORK, January 22, 2020 – Metropolitan Bank Holding Corp. (the “Company”) (NYSE: MCB), the holding company for Metropolitan Commercial Bank (the “Bank”), today reported net income of $7.9 million, or $0.93 per diluted common share, for the fourth quarter of 2019, as compared to $6.3 million, or $0.75 per diluted common share, for the fourth quarter of 2018.

 

For the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company reported net income of $30.1 million, or $3.56 per diluted common share, compared to $25.6 million, or $3.06 per diluted common share, for the year ended December 31, 2018.

 

Financial Highlights for the fourth quarter of 2019 include:

 

·Total assets increased $1.18 billion, or 54.1%, to $3.36 billion at December 31, 2019, as compared to $2.18 billion at December 31, 2018, and increased $113.9 million, or 3.5%, as compared to $3.24 billion at September 30, 2019.

 

·Total loans increased 43.2%, or $807.7 million, to $2.67 billion at December 31, 2019, as compared to $1.87 billion at December 31, 2018. For the three months and year ended December 31, 2019, the Bank’s loan production was $252.2 million and $1.1 billion, respectively, as compared to $283.0 million and $830.4 million for the three months and year ended December 31, 2018, respectively. Total loans increased $176.3 million, or 7.1%, to $2.67 billion at December 31, 2019, as compared to $2.50 billion at September 30, 2019.

 

·Net interest margin increased 9 basis points for the fourth quarter of 2019 to 3.35%, as compared to 3.26% for the third quarter of 2019. This increase in net interest margin was primarily due to a decrease in the cost of deposits and borrowings. The cost of deposits decreased by 38 basis points in the fourth quarter of 2019 to 1.65%, as compared to 2.03% in the third quarter of 2019. The cost of borrowings decreased by 23 basis points to 2.80%, as compared to 3.03% in the third quarter of 2019. These decreases were partially offset by a decrease of 9 basis points in the yield earned on total interest-earning assets to 4.38% for the fourth quarter of 2019, as compared to 4.47% for the third quarter of 2019. The decrease was driven primarily by decreases in the yield earned on overnight deposits and loans. The yield on loans decreased by 7 basis points to 4.96% in the fourth quarter of 2019, as compared to 5.03% in the third quarter of 2019. The yield from overnight deposits decreased 52 basis points to 1.78% for the fourth quarter of 2019, as compared to 2.30% for the third quarter of 2019.

 

·Total cash and cash equivalents increased $158.2 million, or 67.9%, to $391.2 million at December 31, 2019, as compared to $233.0 million at December 31, 2018. Total securities, primarily those classified as available-for-sale, increased $203.8 million to $240.9 million, or 548.9%, at December 31, 2019, as compared to $37.1 million at December 31, 2018.

 

·Total deposits increased 68.1%, or $1.13 billion, to $2.79 billion at December 31, 2019, as compared to total deposits of $1.66 billion at December 31, 2018. This growth in deposits was across the Bank’s various deposit verticals.

 

 1 

 

 

 

·The loan-to-deposit ratio decreased to 95.8% at December 31, 2019, as compared to 112.3% at December 31, 2018.

 

·Non-interest-bearing deposits increased by $291.9 million, or 36.6%, to $1.09 billion at December 31, 2019, as compared to non-interest-bearing deposits of $798.6 million at December 31, 2018. Interest-bearing deposits increased by $838.3 million, or 97.3%, to $1.70 billion at December 31, 2019 as compared to $862.0 million at December 31, 2018.

 

·The provision for loan losses for the fourth quarter of 2019 was $2.3 million, an increase of $1.5 million, as compared to $844,000 for the fourth quarter of 2018. This increase was primarily a result of a $600,000 provision related to the Bank’s remaining two taxi medallion loans and an additional $160,000 in provision related to consumer loans in the fourth quarter of 2019. The Bank’s remaining taxi medallion loans have an unpaid principal balance of $1.0 million and a related total specific reserve of $805,000 at December 31, 2019. While these loans are included in the Bank’s non-accrual loans, they continue to make principal and interest payments. In addition, the provision for the fourth quarter of 2019 reflects loan production of $252.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2019, as compared to $283.0 million in the fourth quarter of 2018. The provision for loan losses for the year ended December 31, 2019 was $4.2 million, as compared to $3.1 million for year ended December 31, 2018. The provision for loan losses for the year ended December 31, 2019 consisted of an $8.5 million provision, offset by a credit due to recoveries of $4.3 million related primarily to the recovery of medallion loans previously charged off in 2017 and 2016.

  

·For the fourth quarter of 2019, Bank premises and equipment includes $615,000 of rent expense for additional space at the Company’s headquarters in 99 Park Ave., NY, NY, which the Company took possession of in August 2019 and is currently renovating. When renovations on the new space are complete and the Company vacates its existing space, likely to be in the first quarter of 2020, the Company will cease rent payments on the former space resulting in a reduction of rent expense of approximately $195,000 per quarter.

  

Mark DeFazio, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer commented, “I am very pleased with the year-end results for 2019. The MCB team stayed very focused throughout the year. Our disciplined approach toward margin management, asset quality and diversification continues to enhance shareholder value. I am optimistic that the markets in which we do business will continue to provide opportunities for the Company. I am sincerely grateful to the entire MCB team for achieving another year of sustained performance while maintaining a high degree of care for the Bank. I also want to thank our directors, who continue to add their support to the Bank’s initiatives.”

  

Balance Sheet

 

The Company had total assets of $3.36 billion at December 31, 2019, compared with $2.18 billion at December 31, 2018. Loans, net of deferred fees and unamortized costs, increased by $807.7 billion, or 43.3%, to $2.67 billion at December 31, 2019 as compared to $1.87 billion at December 31, 2018. For the three months and year ended December 31, 2019, the Bank’s loan production was $252.2 million and $1.1 billion, respectively, as compared to $283.0 million and $830.4 million for the three months and year ended December 31, 2018, respectively. The increase in loan production in 2019 was due primarily to expanding existing lending relationships, particularly in skilled nursing facilities, as well as developing new relationships. New loans related to skilled nursing facilities amounted to $330.0 million, or 30%, of the total loan production for 2019. The increase in loans during 2019 consisted of loan production of $567.4 million in commercial real estate loans and $506.0 million in commercial loans. The Bank was able to fund the increased level of loan production with deposits, which increased $1.13 billion, or 68.1%, during the year ended December 31, 2019.

 

 2 

 

 

 

Total cash and cash equivalents increased $158.3 million, or 67.9%, to $391.2 million at December 31, 2019, as compared to $233.0 million at December 31, 2018. Total securities, primarily those classified as available-for-sale, increased $203.8 million, or 548.9% to $240.9 million at December 31, 2019, as compared to $37.1 million at December 31, 2018. The increases in cash and cash equivalents and securities reflect the strong growth in deposits of $1.13 billion that exceeded growth in loans of $807.7 million. At December 31, 2019, $126.2 million of securities available for sale (“AFS”) were pledged as collateral for certain deposits and were, therefore, considered encumbered as of December 31, 2019. There were no securities pledged at December 31, 2018.

 

Total deposits increased $1.13 billion, or 68.1%, to $2.79 billion at December 31, 2019, as compared to $1.66 billion at December 31, 2018. This was due to an increase of $838.3 million in interest-bearing deposits to $1.70 billion at December 31, 2019, as compared to $862.0 million at December 31, 2018, and an increase of $291.9 million in non-interest-bearing deposits to $1.09 billion at December 31, 2019, as compared to $798.6 million at December 31, 2018. The increase in deposits was primarily due to growth in the Bank’s bankruptcy account deposit vertical and property management accounts, as well as deposit growth in the Bank’s retail network.

 

Federal Home Loan Bank of New York (“FHLB”) advances decreased by $41.0 million, or 22.2%, to $144.0 million at December 31, 2019, as compared to $185.0 million at December 31, 2018, as the deposit growth during the year was sufficient to support the Bank’s loan growth and to reduce the level of borrowings.

 

Total stockholders’ equity was $299.1 million at December 31, 2019, as compared to $264.5 million at December 31, 2018. The increase of $34.6 million was primarily due to net income of $30.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2019.

 

Metropolitan Commercial Bank meets all the requirements to be considered “Well-Capitalized” under applicable regulatory guidelines. At December 31, 2019, total commercial real estate loans were 412.5% of risk-based capital, as compared to 312.4% at December 31, 2018.

 

Income Statement

 

                 
   Three months ended December 31,   Year ended December 31, 
(dollars in thousands)  2019   2018   2019   2018 
Net income  $7,863   $6,285   $30,134   $25,554 
Diluted earnings per common share   0.93    0.75    3.56    3.06 
Annualized return on average assets   0.95%   1.25%   1.06%   1.31%
Annualized return on average equity   10.53%   9.59%   10.66%   10.18%
Annualized return on average common equity*         10.73%    9.80%   10.87%   10.41%

 

*Common equity excludes Class B preferred stock. See reconciliation to GAAP measures on page 16.

 

Net Income Summary

 

Net income increased $1.6 million to $7.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2019, as compared to $6.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2018. This increase was due primarily to a $9.1 million increase in net interest income, partially offset by a $5.4 million increase in non-interest expense, a $1.5 million increase in provision for loan losses and a $1.3 million increase in income tax expense.

 

Net income increased $4.5 million to $30.1 million for year ended December 31, 2019, as compared to $25.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2018. This increase was primarily due to a $26.4 million increase in net interest income, partially offset by a $1.5 million decrease in non-interest income, a $16.5 million increase in non-interest expense and a $2.7 million increase in income tax expense.

 

 3 

 

 

 

Net Interest Margin Analysis 

                                   
    Three months ended  
    December 31, 2019   December 31, 2018  
    Average             Average            
    Outstanding         Yield/Rate   Outstanding         Yield/Rate  
(dollars in thousands)   Balance   Interest   (annualized)   Balance   Interest   (annualized)  
Assets:                                  
Interest-earning assets:                                  
Loans (1)   $  2,589,126   $  32,847   4.96 %   $  1,760,937   $  21,875   4.93 %
Available-for-sale securities      241,865      1,512   2.50 %      28,472      156   2.19 %
Held-to-maturity securities      3,827      19   1.99 %      4,668      24   2.01 %
Equity investments - non-trading      3,249      19   2.34 %      2,199      22   4.00 %
Overnight deposits      388,369      1,740   1.78 %      177,539      1,028   2.30 %
Other interest-earning assets      33,067      329   3.95 %      19,634      237   4.79 %
Total interest-earning assets      3,259,503      36,466   4.38 %      1,993,449      23,342   4.65 %
Non-interest-earning assets      52,240                41,101            
Allowance for loan and lease losses      (24,827 )              (18,719 )          
Total assets   $  3,286,916             $  2,015,831            
                                   
Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity:                                  
Interest-bearing liabilities:                                  
Money market, savings and other interest-bearing accounts   $  1,587,974   $  6,391   1.60 %   $  701,042   $  2,773   1.57 %
Certificates of deposit      109,050      679   2.47 %      99,008      528   2.12 %
Total interest-bearing deposits      1,697,024      7,070   1.65 %      800,050      3,301   1.64 %
Borrowed funds      189,212      1,354   2.80 %      116,678      1,080   3.62 %
Total interest-bearing liabilities      1,886,236      8,424   1.77 %      916,728      4,381   1.90 %
Non-interest-bearing liabilities:                                  
Non-interest-bearing deposits      1,073,011                812,415            
Other non-interest-bearing liabilities      31,441                24,658            
Total liabilities      2,990,688                1,753,801            
                                   
Stockholders' Equity      296,228                262,030            
Total liabilities and equity   $  3,286,916             $  2,015,831            
                                   
Net interest income         $  28,042             $  18,961      
Net interest rate spread (2)               2.61 %               2.75 %
Net interest-earning assets   $  1,373,267             $  1,076,721            
Net interest margin (3)               3.35 %               3.77 %
Ratio of interest earning assets to interest bearing liabilities               1.73 x               2.17 x

 

(1)Amount includes deferred loan fees and non-performing loans.
(2)Determined by subtracting the annualized weighted average cost of total interest-bearing liabilities from the annualized weighted average yield on total interest-earning assets.
(3)Determined by dividing annualized net interest income by total average interest-earning assets.

 

 4 

 

 

                                   
    Year ended  
    December 31, 2019   December 31, 2018  
    Average             Average            
    Outstanding         Yield/Rate   Outstanding            
(dollars in thousands)   Balance   Interest   (annualized)   Balance   Interest   Yield/Rate  
Assets:                                  
Interest-earning assets:                                  
Loans (1)   $  2,304,158   $  117,124   5.08 %   $  1,604,624   $  77,342   4.82 %
Available-for-sale securities      142,135      3,579   2.52 %      28,482      608   2.13 %
Held-to-maturity securities      4,158      84   2.02 %      4,987      104   2.06 %
Equity investments - non-trading      3,229      78   2.42 %      2,181      60   2.75 %
Overnight deposits      340,533      7,570   2.22 %      257,841      4,838   1.88 %
Other interest-earning assets      29,867      1,345   4.50 %      27,962      993   3.55 %
Total interest-earning assets      2,824,080      129,780   4.60 %      1,926,077      83,945   4.36 %
Non-interest-earning assets      45,144                43,206            
Allowance for loan and lease losses      (22,265 )              (17,301 )          
Total assets   $  2,846,959             $  1,951,982            
                                   
Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity:                                  
Interest-bearing liabilities:                                  
Money market, savings and other interest-bearing accounts   $  1,248,096   $  22,824   1.83 %   $  600,334   $  7,511   1.25 %
Certificates of deposit      109,952      2,709   2.46 %      87,966      1,592   1.81 %
Total interest-bearing deposits      1,358,048      25,533   1.88 %      688,300      9,103   1.32 %
Borrowed funds      211,145      6,637   3.10 %      96,905      3,614   3.68 %
Total interest-bearing liabilities      1,569,193      32,170   2.05 %      785,205      12,717   1.62 %
Non-interest-bearing liabilities:                                  
Non-interest-bearing deposits      968,030                884,604            
Other non-interest-bearing liabilities      27,132                31,143            
Total liabilities      2,564,355                1,700,952            
                                   
Stockholders' Equity      282,604                251,030            
Total liabilities and equity   $  2,846,959             $  1,951,982            
                                   
Net interest income         $  97,610             $  71,228      
Net interest rate spread (2)               2.55 %               2.74 %
Net interest-earning assets   $  1,254,887             $  1,140,872            
Net interest margin (3)               3.46 %               3.70 %
Ratio of interest earning assets to interest bearing liabilities               1.80 x               2.45 x

 

(1)Amount includes deferred loan fees and non-performing loans.
(2)Determined by subtracting the annualized weighted average cost of total interest-bearing liabilities from the annualized weighted average yield on total interest-earning assets.
(3)Determined by dividing annualized net interest income by total average interest-earning assets.

 

 5 

 

 

 

Net Interest Income

 

Interest income increased $13.2 million to $36.5 million for the fourth quarter of 2019, as compared to $23.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2018. This increase was due primarily to increases of $11.0 million in interest income on loans, $1.4 million in interest on AFS securities and $712,000 in interest on overnight deposits. The increase in interest income on loans was due to a $828.2 million increase in the average balance of loans to $2.59 billion and a 3 basis point increase in the average yield to 4.96% for the fourth quarter of 2019, as compared to an average balance of $1.76 billion and an average yield of 4.93% for the fourth quarter of 2018. The increase in interest on AFS securities was due to a $213.4 million increase in the average balance of AFS securities to $241.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2019, as compared to $28.5 million for the fourth quarter of 2018. Additionally, the average yield on AFS securities increased 31 basis points to 2.50% for the fourth quarter of 2019, as compared to 2.19% for the fourth quarter of 2018. The increase in interest on overnight deposits was due to an increase of $210.8 million in the average balance of overnight funds to $388.4 million for the three months ended December 31, 2019, as compared to $177.5 million for the three months ended December 31, 2018. The impact of the increase in average balance of overnight funds was partially offset by a decrease of 52 basis points in the average yield on overnight deposits, which decreased to 1.78% for three months ended December 31, 2019, as compared to 2.30% for the three months ended December 31, 2018, primarily due to a decrease in market interest rates.

 

Interest income increased $45.8 million to $129.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, as compared to $83.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2018. This increase was primarily due to increases of $39.8 million in interest income on loans, $3.0 million in interest on AFS securities, and $2.7 million in interest on overnight deposits. The increase in interest income on loans was due to a $699.5 million increase in the average balance of loans to $2.30 billion and a 26 basis point increase in the average yield to 5.08% for the year ended December 31, 2019, as compared to an average balance of $1.60 billion and an average yield of 4.82% on loans for the year ended December 31, 2018. The increase in interest on AFS securities was due to an $113.7 million increase in average balance of AFS securities to $142.1 million for 2019, as compared to $28.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2018. Additionally, the average yield on AFS securities increased 39 basis points to 2.52% for year ended December 31, 2019 as compared to 2.13% for the year ended December 31, 2018. The increase in interest on overnight deposits was due to an increase of $82.7 million in the average balance of overnight funds to $340.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, as compared to $257.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2018. The average yield on overnight deposits increased 34 basis points to 2.22% for the year ended December 31, 2019, as compared to 1.88% for the year ended December 31, 2018.

 

Interest expense was $8.4 million for the fourth quarter of 2019, as compared to $4.4 million for the fourth quarter of 2018, an increase of $4.0 million, primarily due to a $3.8 million increase in interest on deposits. The increase in interest expense on deposits was due primarily to an $897.0 million increase in the average balance of interest-bearing deposits to $1.70 billion for the fourth quarter of 2019, as compared to $800.0 million for three months ended December 31, 2018. There was no significant change in the average cost of deposits between the two periods.

 

Interest expense increased $19.5 million to $32.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, as compared to $12.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2018. This increase was due primarily to a $16.4 million increase in interest on deposits and a $3.0 million increase in interest on borrowings. The increase in interest expense on deposits was primarily due to a $669.7 million increase in the average balance of interest-bearing deposits to $1.36 billion for the year ended December 31, 2019 and 56 basis point increase in the average cost of deposits to 1.88%, as compared to an average balance of $688.3 million and an average cost of 1.32% for the year ended December 31, 2018. Interest expense on borrowings increased primarily due to an increase in the average balance of borrowings of $114.2 million to $211.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, as compared to $96.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2018, the impact of which was offset by a 58 basis point decrease in the average cost to 3.10% for the year ended December 31, 2019, as compared to 3.68% for the year ended December 31, 2018.

 

 6 

 

 

 

Net interest margin decreased 42 basis points to 3.35% for the fourth quarter of 2019 from 3.77% for the fourth quarter of 2018. Total average interest-earning assets increased $1.27 billion to $3.26 billion for the fourth quarter of 2019, as compared to $1.99 billion for the fourth quarter of 2018. The total yield on average interest-earning assets decreased 27 basis points to 4.38% for the fourth quarter of 2019, as compared to 4.65% in the same period in 2018. The cost of interest-bearing liabilities decreased 13 basis points to 1.77% for the fourth quarter of 2019, as compared to 1.90% for the three months ended December 31, 2018. The decrease in net interest margin was due to a decrease in the yield earned on interest earning assets as loans accounted for 79.4% of the average balance of interest-earning assets during the fourth quarter of 2019, as compared to 88.3% for the fourth quarter of 2018. This decrease was due to the growth in overnight deposits and AFS securities, which had lower yields than loans. In addition, non-interest-bearing deposits accounted for 36% of total funding in the fourth quarter of 2019, as compared to 47% in the fourth quarter of 2018. As a result, the ratio of average interest-earning assets to average interest-bearing liabilities decreased to 1.73x for the fourth quarter of 2019, as compared to 2.17x for the three months ended December 31, 2018.

 

Net interest margin decreased 24 basis points to 3.46% for the year ended December 31, 2019 from 3.70% for the year ended December 31, 2018. Total average interest-earning assets increased $898.0 million to $2.82 billion for the year ended December 31, 2019, as compared to $1.93 billion for the year ended December 31, 2018. The total yield on average interest-earning assets increased 24 basis points to 4.60% for the year ended December 31, 2019 as compared to 4.36% for the year ended December 31, 2018. The cost of interest-bearing liabilities increased 43 basis points to 2.05% for the year ended December 31, 2019, as compared to 1.62% for the year ended December 31, 2018. Non-interest-bearing deposits accounted for 38% of total funding in 2019, as compared to 53% in 2018. As a result, the ratio of average interest-earning assets to average interest-bearing liabilities decreased to 1.80x for the year ended December 31, 2019, as compared to 2.45x for the year ended December 31, 2018.

 

Asset Quality

 

Non-performing assets consist of non-accrual loans, accruing loans that are 90 days or more past due, consumer loans placed in forbearance with payments past due over 90 days and still accruing, non-accrual troubled debt restructurings and real estate owned (“REO”) that has been acquired in partial or full satisfaction of loan obligations or upon foreclosure. The Bank had no REO properties at December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018.

 

Non-accrual loans increased by $4.0 million to $4.1 million at December 31, 2019, as compared to $50,000 at December 31, 2018, primarily due to a one-to-four family loan in the amount of $2.4 million, which was placed on non-accrual status in June 2019. The loan-to-value ratio for this loan was 48.9%. In addition, non-accrual loans included the remaining two taxi medallion loans with a principal balance of $1.0 million. As of December 31, 2019, an $805,000 reserve was booked against these loans.

 

 7 

 

  

         
(dollars in thousands)  December 31, 2019   December 31, 2018 
Non-performing assets:          
Non-accrual loans:          
Commercial real estate  $—   $— 
One-to-four family   2,345    — 
Commercial and industrial   1,047    — 
Consumer   693    50 
Total non-accrual loans  $4,085   $50 
Accruing loans 90 days or more past due   408    239 
Total non-performing loans and assets  $4,493   $289 
Nonaccrual loans as % of loans outstanding   0.15%   —%
Non-performing loans as % of loans outstanding   0.17%   0.02%
Allowance for loan losses  $(26,272)  $(18,942)
Allowance for loan losses as % of loans outstanding   0.98%   1.02%

                 
   Three months ended December 31,   Year ended December 31, 
(dollars in thousands)  2019   2018   2019   2018 
Provision for loan losses  $2,300   $844   $4,223   $3,138 
Charge-offs  $496   $504   $1,187   $783 
Recoveries  $(24)  $(109)  $(4,294)  $(1,700)
Net charge-offs/(recoveries) as % of average loans (annualized)          0.07%   0.09%   (0.13)%   (0.06)%

 

The provision for loan losses for the fourth quarter of 2019 was $2.3 million, an increase of $1.5 million, as compared to $844,000 for the fourth quarter of 2018. This increase was primarily a result of a $600,000 provision related to the remaining two taxi medallion loans and an additional $160,000 in provision related to consumer loans, with a principal balance of $728,000, in the fourth quarter of 2019. As of December 31, 2019, the remaining taxi medallion loans had a principal balance of $1.0 million. In addition, the provision for loan losses for the fourth quarter of 2019 reflects loan production of $252.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2019, as compared to $283.0 million in the fourth quarter of 2018.

 

The provision for loan losses for the year ended December 31, 2019 was $4.2 million, as compared to $3.1 million for year ended December 31, 2018. The provision for loan losses for the year ended December 31, 2019 consisted of an $8.5 million provision, offset by a credit due to recoveries of $4.3 million, of which $4.2 million related medallion loans previously charged off in 2016 and 2017. The provision was recorded as a result of the taxi medallion and consumer loan provisions noted above and the record loan growth during 2019.

 

 8 

 

 

Non-Interest Income

                 
   Three months ended December 31,   Year ended December 31, 
(dollars in thousands)  2019   2018   2019   2018 
Service charges on deposit accounts  $977   $826   $3,556   $4,248 
Prepaid third-party debit card income   1,482    1,133    5,643    4,640 
Other service charges and fees   413    229    1,366    3,305 
Unrealized gain/(loss) on equity securities   (10)   —    64    — 
Loss on sale of securities   —    —    —    (37)
Total non-interest income  $2,862   $2,188   $10,629   $12,156 

 

Non-interest income increased $674,000, or 30.8%, to $2.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2019, as compared to $2.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2018. This increase was due to increases of $349,000 in prepaid debit card income, $151,000 in service charges in deposit accounts and $184,000 increase in other service charges and fees, offset by a $10,000 unrealized loss on equity securities. The increase in debit card income reflects the growth in the debit card business. The increases in service charges on deposit accounts and other service charges and fees reflect the growth in deposits during 2019.

 

Non-interest income decreased by $1.5 million, or 12.3%, to $10.6 million in the year ended December 31, 2019, as compared to $12.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2018, primarily due to decreases of $692,000 in service charges on deposit accounts and $1.9 million in other service charges and fees, offset by an increase of $1.0 million in debit card income. The decreases in service charges on deposit accounts and other service charges and fees were due to a decrease in wire fees and foreign currency conversion fees, which were at an elevated level during the first quarter of 2018 as customers, particularly those in the digital currency business, were transferring funds from their global corporate accounts back into their U.S. accounts with the Bank. The increase in debit card income reflects the growth in the debit card business.

 

Non-Interest Expense

                 
   Three months ended December 31,   Year ended December 31, 
(dollars in thousands)  2019   2018   2019   2018 
Compensation and benefits  $7,956   $6,962   $31,242   $25,658 
Bank premises and equipment   2,057    1,324    6,530    5,063 
Professional fees   810    715    3,427    2,922 
Technology costs   739    598    2,525    2,986 
Licensing fees   2,724    427    8,467    1,001 
Other expenses   2,756    1,576    7,764    5,841 
Total non-interest expense  $17,042   $11,602   $59,955   $43,471 

 

Non-interest expense increased $5.4 million to $17.0 million for the fourth quarter of 2019 as compared to $11.6 million for the fourth quarter of 2018. Compensation and benefits increased $994,000 to $8.0 million for the fourth quarter of 2019 as compared to $7.0 million for the fourth quarter of 2018. This increase was due primarily to an increase in the average number of full-time employees to 166 for the fourth quarter of 2019, as compared to 148 for the fourth quarter of 2018, reflecting the Company's growth during the year. For the fourth quarter of 2019, licensing fees related to certain corporate cash management deposit products amounted to $2.7 million as compared to $427,000 for the fourth quarter of 2018, an increase of $2.3 million. Corporate cash management deposits related to these licensing fees amounted to $908.7 million at December 31, 2019, as compared to $104.6 million at December 31, 2018, primarily due to an increase in bankruptcy deposit accounts. Bank premises and equipment increased $733,000 to $2.1 million for the three months ended December 31, 2019, as compared to $1.3 million for the three months ended December 31, 2018, primarily due to the Company taking possession of new space, which is under renovation, at its headquarters in 99 Park Ave., New York, New York in August 2019. The additional rent amounted to $615,000 for the fourth quarter of 2019. When renovations on the new space are complete and the Company vacates its existing space, likely to be in the first quarter of 2020, the Company will cease rent payments on the former space resulting in a reduction of rent expense of approximately $195,000 per quarter. Other expenses increased by $1.2 million to $2.8 million for the fourth quarter of 2019, as compared to $1.6 million for the fourth quarter of 2018. The increase was primarily due an increase of $755,000 in Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) assessments, which was a function of the record growth in the Bank’s assets.

 

Non-interest expense increased $16.5 million to $60.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 as compared to $43.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2018. Compensation and benefits increased $5.6 million to $31.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 as compared to $25.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2018. This increase was due primarily to an increase in the average number of full-time employees to 163 for the year ended December 31, 2019, as compared to 140 for the year ended December 31, 2018, reflecting the Company’s growth during the year. Technology costs decreased $461,000 to $2.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 as compared to $3.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2018. For the year ended December 31, 2019, licensing fees related to certain corporate cash management deposit products amounted to $8.5 million as compared to $1.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2018, an increase of $7.5 million. Bank premises and equipment increased $1.4 to $6.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, as compared to $5.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2018, primarily due to the additional rent of $1.0 million for the new space at the Company’s headquarters. Other expenses increased by $1.9 million to $7.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, as compared to $5.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2018. The increase was primarily due to an increase of $812,000 in FDIC assessments and an increase of $546,000 in software maintenance expense. The increase in FDIC assessments, which was a function of the growth in the Bank’s assets, is also due to a one-time credit of $251,000 that the Bank received in the third quarter of 2019 because the FDIC deposit insurance reserve ratio exceeded the FDIC established threshold. The increase in software maintenance fee was a result of the growth in the Bank’s assets and business needs.

 

 9 

 

 

 

About Metropolitan Bank Holding Corporation

 

Metropolitan Bank Holding Corp. (NYSE: MCB) is the holding company for Metropolitan Commercial Bank. The Bank provides a broad range of business, commercial and personal banking products and services to small and middle-market businesses, public entities and affluent individuals in the New York metropolitan area. Founded in 1999, the Bank is headquartered in New York City and operates six locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Great Neck, Long Island. The Bank is also an active issuer of debit cards for third-party debit card programs. Metropolitan Commercial Bank is a New York State chartered commercial bank and a Federal Reserve System member bank whose deposits are insured up to applicable limits by the FDIC, and an equal opportunity lender. For more information, please visit www.mcbankny.com.

 

Forward Looking Statement Disclaimer

 

This release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Examples of forward-looking statements include but are not limited to the Company’s financial condition and capital ratios, results of operations and the Company’s outlook and business. Forward-looking statements are not historical facts. Such statements may be identified by the use of such words as “may”, “believe”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “plan”, “continue”, or similar terminology. These statements relate to future events or our future financial performance and involve risks and uncertainties that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we caution you not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Factors which may cause our forward-looking statements to be materially inaccurate include, but are not limited to those discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, as well as an unexpected deterioration in our loan portfolio, unexpected increases in our expenses, greater than anticipated growth and our ability to manage such growth, unanticipated regulatory action, unexpected changes in interest rates, an unanticipated decrease in deposits, an unanticipated loss of key personnel, an unanticipated loss of existing customers, competition from other institutions resulting in unanticipated changes in our loan or deposit rates, unanticipated increases in Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation costs and unanticipated adverse changes in our customers’ economic conditions or economic conditions in our local area in general.

 

Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this release. We do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement.

 

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Consolidated Balance Sheet

         
    December 31, 2019    December 31, 2018 
Assets          
Cash and due from banks  $10,176   $9,246 
Overnight deposits   381,045    223,704 
Total cash and cash equivalents   391,221    232,950 
Investment securities available for sale, substantially restricted   234,942    30,439 
Investment securities held to maturity   3,722    4,571 
Investment securities -- Equity investments   2,224    2,110 
Total securities   240,888    37,120 
Other investments   20,939    22,287 
Loans, net of deferred fees and unamortized costs   2,672,949    1,865,216 
Allowance for loan losses   (26,272)   (18,942)
Net loans   2,646,677    1,846,274 
Receivable from prepaid card programs, net   10,078    8,218 
Accrued interest receivable   8,862    5,507 
Premises and equipment, net   12,100    6,877 
Prepaid expenses and other assets   11,406    8,158 
Goodwill   9,733    9,733 
Accounts receivable, net   5,668    5,520 
Total assets  $3,357,572   $2,182,644 
Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity          
Deposits:          
Noninterest-bearing demand deposits  $1,090,479   $798,563 
Interest-bearing deposits   1,700,295    861,991 
Total deposits   2,790,774    1,660,554 
Federal Home Loan Bank of New York advances   144,000    185,000 
Trust preferred securities   20,620    20,620 
Subordinated debt, net of issuance cost   24,601    24,545 
Secured Borrowings   42,972    — 
Accounts payable, accrued expenses and other liabilities   23,556    18,440 
Accrued interest payable   1,229    1,282 
Prepaid third-party debit cardholder balances   10,696    7,687 
Total liabilities   3,058,448    1,918,128 
           
Class B preferred stock   3    3 
Common stock   82    82 
Additional paid in capital   216,468    213,490 
Retained earnings   81,364    51,415 
Accumulated other comprehensive gain (loss), net of tax effect   1,207    (473)
Total stockholders’ equity   299,124    264,517 
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity  $3,357,572   $2,182,645 

 

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Consolidated Statement of Income (unaudited)

                 
   Three months ended December 31,   Year ended December 31, 
(dollars in thousands)  2019   2018   2019   2018 
Total interest income  $36,466   $23,342   $129,780   $83,945 
Total interest expense   8,424    4,381    32,170    12,717 
Net interest income   28,042    18,961    97,610    71,228 
Provision for loan losses   2,300    844    4,223    3,138 
Net interest income after provision for loan losses   25,742    18,117    93,387    68,090 
                     
Non-interest income:                    
Service charges on deposit accounts   977    826    3,556    4,248 
Prepaid third-party debit card income   1,482    1,133    5,643    4,640 
Other service charges and fees   413    229    1,366    3,305 
Unrealized gain (loss) on equity securities   (10)   —    64    — 
Losses on sale of securities   —    —    —    (37)
Total non-interest income   2,862    2,188    10,629    12,156 
                     
Non-interest expense:                    
Compensation and benefits   7,956    6,962    31,242    25,658 
Bank premises and equipment   2,057    1,324    6,530    5,063 
Professional fees   810    715    3,427    2,922 
Technology costs   3,463    1,025    10,992    3,987 
Other expenses   2,756    1,576    7,764    5,841 
Total non-interest expense   17,042    11,602    59,955    43,471 
                     
Net income before income tax expense   11,562    8,703    44,061    36,775 
Income tax expense   3,699    2,418    13,927    11,221 
Net income  $7,863   $6,285   $30,134   $25,554 
                     
Earnings per common share:                    
Average common shares outstanding - basic   8,178,593    8,142,594    8,174,143    8,133,553 
Average common shares outstanding - diluted   8,363,080    8,273,220    8,339,142    8,288,524 
Basic earnings  $0.95   $0.77   $3.63   $3.12 
Diluted earnings  $0.93   $0.75   $3.56   $3.06 

 

 12 

 

 

Summary of Income and Performance Measures

Five Quarter Trend (unaudited)

                     
   Quarter Ended 
(Dollars in thousands)  Dec. 31, 2019   Sept. 30, 2019   June 30, 2019   Mar. 31, 2019   Dec. 31, 2018 
Net interest income  $28,042   $26,053   $22,937   $20,578   $18,961 
Provision (credit) for loan losses   2,300    2,004    1,950    (2,031)   844 
Net interest income after provision for loan losses   25,742    24,049    20,987    22,609    18,117 
Non-interest income   2,862    2,700    2,674    2,393    2,188 
Non-interest expense:                         
Compensation and benefits   7,956    7,875    7,921    7,490    6,962 
Other Expense   9,086    7,620    6,803    5,204    4,640 
Total non-interest expense   17,042    15,495    14,724    12,694    11,602 
                          
Income before income tax expense   11,562    11,254    8,937    12,308    8,703 
Income tax expense   3,699    3,571    2,880    3,777    2,418 
Net income   7,863    7,683    6,057    8,531    6,285 
                          
Performance Measures:                         
Net income available to common shareholders   7,741    7,550    5,950    8,396    6,238 
Per common share:                         
Basic earnings  $0.95   $0.92   $0.73   $1.03   $0.77 
Diluted earnings  $0.93   $0.90   $0.71   $1.01   $0.75 
Common shares outstanding:                         
Average - diluted   8,363,080    8,348,970    8,336,064    8,285,220    8,273,220 
Period end   8,312,918    8,319,852    8,320,816    8,320,816    8,217,274 
Return on (annualized):                         
Average total assets   0.95%   0.97%   0.91%   1.49%   1.25%
Average equity   10.53%   10.63%   8.71%   12.67%   9.59%
Average common equity   10.73%   10.84%   8.89%   12.93%   9.80%
Yield on average earning assets   4.38%   4.47%   4.66%   4.83%   4.65%
Cost of interest-bearing liabilities   1.77%   2.15%   2.22%   2.15%   1.90%
Net interest spread   2.61%   2.32%   2.44%   2.68%   2.75%
Net interest margin   3.35%   3.26%   3.47%   3.68%   3.77%
Net charge-offs (recoveries) as % of average loans (annualized)   0.07%   0.05%   0.01%   (0.80)%   0.09%
Efficiency ratio   55.14%   53.89%   57.49%   55.26%   54.86%

 

 13 

 

 

 

Consolidated Balance Sheet Summary, Five Quarter Trend (unaudited)

                     
(dollars in thousands)  Dec. 31, 2019   Sept. 30, 2019   June 30, 2019   Mar. 31, 2019   Dec. 31, 2018 
Assets                         
Total Assets  $3,357,572   $3,243,171   $2,960,613   $2,545,186   $2,182,644 
Overnight deposits   381,045    424,170    424,276    346,674    223,704 
Total securities   240,888    256,835    137,109    36,272    37,120 
Other investments   20,939    20,921    22,972    23,652    22,287 
Loans, net of deferred fees and unamortized costs   2,672,949    2,496,697    2,335,573    2,102,420    1,865,216 
                          
Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity                         
Deposits:                         
Noninterest-bearing demand deposits  $1,090,479   $1,041,102   $1,103,278   $865,908   $798,563 
Interest-bearing deposits   1,700,295    1,664,104    1,272,844    1,100,222    861,991 
Total deposits   2,790,774    2,705,206    2,376,122    1,966,130    1,660,554 
Borrowings   189,221    189,207    235,193    260,179    230,165 
Total stockholders' Equity   299,124    291,002    281,330    273,787    264,517 
                          
Asset Quality                         
Total non-accrual loans  $4,085   $3,998   $2,415   $68   $50 
Total non-performing loans  $4,493   $4,714   $3,489   $1,498   $289 
Non-accrual loans to total loans   0.15%   0.16%   0.10%   —%   —%
Non-performing loans to total loans   0.17%   0.19%   0.15%   0.07%   0.02%
Allowance for loan losses   (26,272)   (24,444)   (22,715)   (20,834)   (18,942)
Allowance for loan losses to total loans   0.98%   0.98%   0.97%   0.99%   1.02%
Provision for loan losses   2,300    2,004    1,950    (2,031)   844 
Net charge-offs (recoveries)   472    275    69    (3,923)   395 
                          
Regulatory Capital                         
Tier 1 Leverage:                         
Metropolitan Bank Holding Corp.   9.4%   9.6%   11.0%   12.5%   13.7%
Metropolitan Commercial Bank   10.1    10.3    11.2    13.4    14.7 
                          
Common Equity Tier 1 Risk-Based (CET1):                         
Metropolitan Bank Holding Corp.   10.1    10.4    10.7    11.8    13.2 
Metropolitan Commercial Bank   11.8    12.2    12.5    13.9    15.6 
                          
Tier 1 Risk-Based:                         
Metropolitan Bank Holding Corp.   11.0    11.4    11.7    12.9    14.6 
Metropolitan Commercial Bank   11.8    12.2    12.5    13.9    15.6 
                          
Total Risk-Based:                         
Metropolitan Bank Holding Corp.   12.5    13.0    13.4    14.8    16.9 
Metropolitan Commercial Bank   12.7    13.1    13.4    14.8    16.7 

 

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Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Measures

 

In addition to the results presented in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("GAAP"), this earnings release includes certain non-GAAP financial measures. Management believes these non-GAAP financial measures provide meaningful information to investors in understanding the Company’s operating performance and trends. These non-GAAP measures have inherent limitations and are not required to be uniformly applied and are not audited. They should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for an analysis of results reported under GAAP. These non-GAAP measures may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies. Reconciliations of non-GAAP/adjusted financial measures disclosed in this earnings release to the comparable GAAP measures are provided in the accompanying tables.

 

Balance sheet data, five quarter trend

                               
Dollars in thousands, except per share data   Dec. 31, 2019   Sept. 30, 2019   June 30, 2019   Mar. 31, 2019   Dec. 31, 2018
Average assets   $  3,286,916   $  3,131,100   $  2,667,416   $  2,288,551   $  2,015,831
Less: average intangible assets      9,733      9,733      9,733      9,733      9,733
Average tangible assets   $  3,277,183   $  3,121,367   $  2,657,683   $  2,278,818   $  2,006,098
                               
Average equity   $  296,228   $  286,647   $  278,025   $  269,418   $  262,030
Less: Average preferred equity      5,502      5,502      5,502      5,502      5,502
Average common equity   $  290,726   $  281,145   $  272,523   $  263,916   $  256,528
Less: average intangible assets      9,733      9,733      9,733      9,733      9,733
Average tangible common equity   $  280,993   $  271,412   $  262,790   $  254,183   $  246,795
                               
Total assets   $  3,357,036   $  3,243,171   $  2,960,613   $  2,545,186   $  2,182,644
Less: intangible assets      9,733      9,733      9,733      9,733      9,733
Tangible assets   $  3,347,303   $  3,233,438   $  2,950,880   $  2,535,453   $  2,172,911
                               
Total Equity   $  299,124   $  291,002   $  281,330   $  273,787   $  264,517
Less: preferred equity      5,502      5,502      5,502      5,502      5,502
Common Equity   $  293,622   $  285,500   $  275,828   $  268,285   $  259,015
Less: intangible assets      9,733      9,733      9,733      9,733      9,733
Tangible common equity (book value)   $  283,889   $  275,767   $  266,095   $  258,552   $  249,282
                               
Common shares outstanding      8,312,918      8,319,852      8,320,816      8,320,816      8,217,274
                               
Book value per share (GAAP)   $  35.32   $  34.32   $  33.15   $  32.24   $  31.52
Tangible book value per common share (non-GAAP)*   $  34.15   $  33.15   $  31.98   $  31.07   $  30.34

 

* Tangible book value divided by common shares outstanding at period-end.

  

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