Valley National Bancorp Reports a 33 Percent Increase in First Quarter Net Income and Strong Net Interest Margin

NEW YORK, April 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Valley National Bancorp (NASDAQ:VLY), the holding company for Valley National Bank, today reported net income for the first quarter 2021 of $115.7 million, or $0.28 per diluted common share, as compared to the first quarter 2020 earnings of $87.3 million, or $0.21 per diluted common share, and net income of $105.4 million, or $0.25 per diluted common share, for the fourth quarter 2020.

Key financial highlights for the first quarter:

• Net Interest Income and Margin: Net interest income on a tax equivalent basis of $293.6 million for the first quarter 2021 increased $4.8 million and $27.3 million as compared to the fourth quarter 2020 and first quarter 2020, respectively. Our net interest margin on a tax equivalent basis increased by 8 basis points to 3.14 percent in the first quarter 2021 as compared to 3.06 percent for the fourth quarter 2020. The increases as compared to the fourth quarter 2020 were largely due to a $8.7 million increase in interest and fees related to our SBA Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan portfolio, a 9 basis point reduction in our costs of average interest bearing liabilities, as well as the prepayment of certain long-term borrowings in December 2020. See the "Net Interest Income and Margin" section below for additional information.
• Loan Portfolio: Loans increased $469.3 million to $32.7 billion at March 31, 2021, or 6 percent on an annualized basis from December 31, 2020. The increase was largely due to new loan volumes within the commercial and industrial, commercial real estate and automobile loan portfolios in the first quarter 2021. Within commercial and industrial loans, PPP loans increased $212.5 million to approximately $2.4 billion at March 31, 2021 from December 31, 2020. Our first quarter new and refinanced loan originations included approximately $288 million of residential mortgage loans originated for sale rather than investment. Net gains on sales of residential loans were $3.5 million and $16.0 million in the first quarter 2021 and fourth quarter 2020, respectively. See the "Loans, Deposits and Other Borrowings" section below for more details.
• Allowance and Provision for Credit Losses for Loans: The allowance for credit losses for loans totaled $354.3 million and $351.4 million at March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively. During the first quarter 2021, we recorded a provision for credit losses for loans of $9.0 million as compared to $19.0 million and $33.9 million for the fourth quarter 2020 and first quarter 2020, respectively. The moderate increase in our allowance at March 31, 2021 reflects, among other factors, additional reserves related to non-PPP loan growth and certain segments of our commercial real estate portfolio, partially offset by the lower qualitative reserves for customers impacted by the pandemic and the improvement in our economic forecast component of the reserve as compared to December 31, 2020.

• Credit Quality: Total accruing past due loans decreased $46.2 million to $52.8 million, or 0.16 percent of total loans, at March 31, 2021 as compared to $99.0 million, or 0.31 percent of total loans, at December 31, 2020. Non-accrual loans represented 0.62 percent and 0.58 percent of total loans at March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively. Net loan charge-offs totaled $6.1 million for the first quarter 2021 as compared to $3.0 million for the fourth quarter 2020. See the "Credit Quality" Section below for more details.

• Non-interest Income: Non-interest income decreased $16.3 million to $31.2 million for the first quarter 2021 as compared to the fourth quarter 2020 mainly due to a decrease of $12.5 million in net gains on sales of residential mortgage loans, as well as a $4.7 million decline in swap fee income related to new commercial loan transactions. The decrease in net gains on loan sales was primarily due to a decline in the mark to market gain component related to our residential loans originated for sale portfolio (and carried at fair value) at March 31, 2021 as compared to such loans held for sale at December 31, 2020. The $4.7 million decrease in swap fee income as compared to the fourth quarter 2020 was largely due to lower transaction volumes.
• Non-interest Expense: Non-interest expense decreased $12.9 million to $160.2 million for the first quarter 2021 as compared to the fourth quarter 2020 mainly due to a $9.7 million loss on extinguishment of debt recognized during the fourth quarter 2020 and a $3.4 million decrease in professional fees largely associated with our technology transformation efforts.
• Efficiency Ratio: Our efficiency ratio was 49.46 percent for the first quarter 2021 as compared to 51.61 percent and 50.75 percent for the fourth quarter 2020 and first quarter 2020, respectively. Our adjusted efficiency ratio was 48.60 percent for the first quarter 2021 as compared to 46.99 percent and 49.26 percent for the fourth quarter 2020 and first quarter 2020, respectively. See the "Consolidated Financial Highlights" tables below for additional information regarding our non-GAAP measures.
• Performance Ratios: Annualized return on average assets, shareholders’ equity and tangible shareholders' equity were 1.14 percent, 9.96 percent, and 14.49 percent for the first quarter 2021, respectively, as compared to 1.02 percent, 9.20 percent and 13.45 percent for the fourth quarter 2020, respectively. See the "Consolidated Financial Highlights" tables below for additional information regarding our non-GAAP measures.

Ira Robbins, CEO and President commented, "I'm pleased with the first quarter 2021 results and overall demonstrated strengths of our balance sheet and credit quality during the pandemic. I believe our measured approach to loan origination activities, ability to manage our funding costs, and keen focus on operating efficiencies and the adoption of new technologies has positioned Valley for continued success in 2021."

Net Interest Income and Margin

Net interest income on a tax equivalent basis totaling $293.6 million for the first quarter 2021 increased $4.8 million and $27.2 million as compared to the fourth quarter 2020 and first quarter 2020, respectively. The increase as compared to the fourth quarter 2020 was mainly due to (i) increased interest and fee income from PPP loans, (ii) continued run-off of higher cost time deposits, (iii) the prepayment of $534 million of long-term FHLB advances with a combined weighted average interest rate of 2.48 percent in December 2020, and (iv) lower rates on our deposit products combined with a continued customer shift to deposits without stated maturities. Interest expense of $39.1 million for the first quarter 2021 decreased $7.0 million as compared to the fourth quarter 2020. Interest income on a tax equivalent basis in the first quarter 2021 decreased by $2.3 million to $332.7 million as compared to the fourth quarter 2020 mainly due to lower overall yields on average taxable investment securities and loans and a decline in average balances within the investment portfolio due to normal repayment activity, partially offset by a $8.7 million increase in interest and fees on PPP loans caused by recognition of fee income on loans forgiven by the SBA during the first quarter 2021. See the "Loan, Deposit and Other Borrowings" section for more information on PPP loans.

Our net interest margin on a tax equivalent basis of 3.14 percent for the first quarter 2021 increased by 8 basis points and 7 basis points from 3.06 percent and 3.07 percent for the first quarter 2020 and fourth quarter 2020, respectively. The yield on average interest earning assets increased by 2 basis points on a linked quarter basis, mostly due to the higher yield on the PPP loan portfolio and reduced excess liquidity held in overnight investments. The yield on average loans decreased by 1 basis point to 3.85 percent for the first quarter 2021 as compared to the fourth quarter 2020. This decrease was mainly due to new and refinanced loan originations at lower market interest rates and two less days during the first quarter 2021, which were mostly offset by the increased yield on our PPP loan portfolio. The overall cost of average interest bearing liabilities decreased 9 basis points to 0.60 percent for the first quarter 2021 as compared to the linked fourth quarter 2020 and was largely due to the lower rates offered on deposit products, maturing time deposits and a 4 basis point decrease in the average cost of short-term borrowings. Our cost of total average deposits was 0.28 percent for the first quarter 2021 as compared to 0.33 percent for the fourth quarter 2020.

Loans, Deposits and Other Borrowings

Loans. Loans increased $469.3 million to approximately $32.7 billion at March 31, 2021 from December 31, 2020. The increase was mainly due to organic growth in the commercial and industrial, commercial real estate, and automobile loan portfolios during the first quarter 2021. Commercial and industrial loans increased $286.9 million, or 16.7 percent on an annualized basis, to $7.1 billion at March 31, 2021 as compared to December 31, 2020 mostly due to a $212.5 million increase in PPP loans, which was net of over $630 million of PPP loans forgiven by the SBA during the first quarter 2021. Commercial real estate loans increased $198.6 million, or 4.8 percent on an annualized basis, to $16.9 billion at March 31, 2021 as compared to December 31, 2020 reflecting the recovery of our loan commitment pipeline near the end of 2020, particularly in our Florida markets. Automobile loans increased $88.9 million, or 26.2 percent on an annualized basis, during first quarter 2021 due to strong consumer demand seen across the auto industry during the period. Residential mortgage loans declined $123.3 million, or 11.8 percent on an annualized basis, during the first quarter 2021 mainly due to continued refinance activity and $288 million of loans originated for sale rather than held for investment in the first quarter 2021. Residential mortgage loans held for sale at fair value totaled $232.1 million and $301.4 million at March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively.

Deposits. Total deposits increased $649.6 million to approximately $32.6 billion at March 31, 2021 from December 31, 2020 largely due to increases of $847.8 million and $1.1 billion in the non-interest bearing and non-maturity interest bearing deposit categories, respectively, partially offset by a $1.3 billion decrease in time deposits. The decrease in time deposits was driven by normal run-off of maturing retail and brokered CDs with some continued migration of retail balances to more liquid deposit product categories. Total brokered deposits (consisting of both time and money market deposit accounts) decreased approximately $800 million to $2.3 billion at March 31, 2021 as compared to $3.1 billion at December 31, 2020. Non-interest bearing deposits; savings, NOW and money market deposits; and time deposits represented approximately 31 percent, 52 percent and 17 percent of total deposits as of March 31, 2021, respectively.

Other Borrowings. Short-term and long-term borrowings decreased $63.3 million and $52.7 million to $1.1 billion and $2.2 billion, respectively, at March 31, 2021 as compared to December 31, 2020. The decreases in both categories were largely attributable to the normal maturities of FHLB borrowings.

Credit Quality

Non-Performing Assets (NPAs). Total NPAs, consisting of non-accrual loans, other real estate owned (OREO), other repossessed assets and non-accrual debt securities increased $16.0 million to $210.5 million at March 31, 2021 as compared to December 31, 2020. The increase in NPAs was mainly due to a $18.7 million increase in non-accrual loans driven by one $8.4 million commercial real estate loan and a $7.8 million increase in non-accrual residential mortgage loans partially caused by the migration of loans previously reported in the 60-89 days past due category at December 31, 2020. Non-accrual loans represented 0.62 percent of total loans at March 31, 2021 compared to 0.58 percent at December 31, 2020.

Non-performing Taxi Medallion Loan Portfolio. We continue to closely monitor our non-performing New York City and Chicago taxi medallion loans totaling $87.2 million and $6.6 million, respectively, within the commercial and industrial loan portfolio at March 31, 2021. At March 31, 2021, all taxi medallion loans totaling $93.8 million were on non-accrual status and had related reserves of $63.2 million, or 67.2 percent of such loans, within the allowance for loan losses.

Accruing Past Due Loans. Total accruing past due loans (i.e., loans past due 30 days or more and still accruing interest) decreased $46.2 million to $52.8 million, or 0.16 percent of total loans, at March 31, 2021 as compared to $99.0 million, or 0.31 percent of total loans, at December 31, 2020 driven by declines in early stage delinquencies for most loan categories. Commercial real estate loans past due 30 to 59 days decreased $23.4 million to $11.7 million at March 31, 2021 as compared to December 31, 2020. The decrease was largely due to a $12.3 million matured loan (in the process of restructuring its terms) reported in this delinquency category at December 31, 2020 and the aforementioned $8.4 million loan placed on non-accrual status at March 31, 2021. Commercial and industrial loans past due 90 or more days decreased $6.6 million at March 31, 2021 primarily due to premium finance loans (related to two insurance carriers) totaling $6.1 million reclassified to non-accrual status during the first quarter 2021. Residential loans past due 60 to 89 days decreased by $8.1 million as compared to December 31, 2020 mainly due to loans migrating to non-accrual status.

Forbearance. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic impact to certain customers, Valley implemented short-term loan modifications such as payment deferrals, fee waivers, extensions of repayment terms, or delays in payment that are insignificant, when requested by customers. Generally, the modification terms allow for a deferral of payments for up to 90 days, which Valley may extend for an additional 90 days. Any extensions beyond this period were done in accordance with applicable regulatory guidance. As of March 31, 2021, Valley had approximately $284 million of outstanding loans remaining in their payment deferral period under short-term modifications, as compared to $361 million of loans in deferral at December 31, 2020.

Allowance for Credit Losses for Loans and Unfunded Commitments. The following table summarizes the allocation of the allowance for credit losses to loan categories and the allocation as a percentage of each loan category at March 31, 2021, December 31, 2020, and March 31, 2020:

Our loan portfolio, totaling $32.7 billion at March 31, 2021, had net loan charge-offs totaling $6.1 million for the first quarter 2021 as compared to $3.0 million and $4.8 million for the fourth quarter 2020 and first quarter 2020, respectively. Net loan charge-offs increased during the first quarter 2021 mainly due to partial charge-offs of certain taxi medallion loans and a full charge-off of a $1.9 million unsecured, non-performing commercial and industrial loan relationship. Gross charge-offs of taxi medallion loans totaled $3.3 million for the first quarter 2021 as compared to $2.3 million and $1.3 million for the fourth quarter 2020 and first quarter 2020, respectively.

The allowance for credit losses for loans, comprised of our allowance for loan losses and unfunded credit commitments, as a percentage of total loans was 1.08 percent, 1.09 percent and 0.96 percent at March 31, 2021, December 31, 2020 and March 31, 2020, respectively. During the first quarter 2021, we recorded a provision for credit losses for loans of $9.0 million as compared to a provision of $19.0 million and $33.9 million for the fourth quarter 2020 and first quarter 2020, respectively.

At March 31, 2021, the allowance allocations for credit losses as a percentage of total loans increased in the commercial real estate and construction loan categories while decreasing in the other loan categories as compared to December 31, 2020. The allocated reserves as a percentage of commercial and industrial loans declined by 14 basis points partially due to the loan charge-offs in the first quarter 2021 within this loan category, as well as the increase in PPP loans guaranteed by the SBA with no related allowance at March 31, 2021.

Capital Adequacy

Valley's regulatory capital ratios continue to reflect its well capitalized position. Valley's total risk- based capital, common equity Tier 1 capital, Tier 1 capital and Tier 1 leverage capital ratios were 12.76 percent, 10.08 percent, 10.79 percent and 8.37 percent, respectively, at March 31, 2021.

Investor Conference Call

Valley will host a conference call with investors and the financial community at 11:00 AM Eastern Standard Time, today to discuss the first quarter 2021 earnings. Those wishing to participate in the call may dial toll-free (855) 638-5437 Conference ID: 1474989. The teleconference will also be webcast live: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/5gkztcw5 and archived on Valley's website through Monday, May 31, 2021. Investor presentation materials will be made available prior to the conference call at www.valley.com.

About Valley

As the principal subsidiary of Valley National Bancorp, Valley National Bank is a regional bank with approximately $41 billion in assets. Valley is committed to giving people and businesses the power to succeed. Valley operates many convenient branch locations across New Jersey, New York, Florida and Alabama, and is committed to providing the most convenient service, the latest innovations and an experienced and knowledgeable team dedicated to meeting customer needs. Helping communities grow and prosper is the heart of Valley’s corporate citizenship philosophy. To learn more about Valley, go to www.valley.com or call our Customer Care Center at 800-522-4100.

Forward Looking Statements

The foregoing contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are not historical facts and include expressions about management’s confidence and strategies and management’s expectations about new and existing programs and products, acquisitions, relationships, opportunities, taxation, technology, market conditions and economic expectations, including the potential effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our businesses and financial results and conditions. These statements may be identified by such forward-looking terminology as “should,” “expect,” “believe,” “view,” “opportunity,” “allow,” “continues,” “reflects,” “typically,” “usually,” “anticipate,” or similar statements or variations of such terms. Such forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from such forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:

• the continued impact of COVID-19 on the U.S. and global economies, including business disruptions, reductions in employment and an increase in business failures, specifically among our clients;
• the continued impact of COVID-19 on our employees and our ability to provide services to our customers and respond to their needs as more cases of COVID-19 may arise in our primary markets;
• potential judgments, claims, damages, penalties, fines and reputational damage resulting from pending or future litigation and regulatory and government actions, including as a result of our participation in and execution of government programs related to the COVID-19 pandemic or as a result of our actions in response to, or failure to implement or effectively implement, federal, state and local laws, rules or executive orders requiring that we grant forbearances or not act to collect our loans;
• the impact of forbearances or deferrals we are required or agree to as a result of customer requests and/or government actions, including, but not limited to our potential inability to recover fully deferred payments from the borrower or the collateral;
• the risks related to the discontinuation of the London Interbank Offered Rate and other reference rates, including increased expenses and litigation and the effectiveness of hedging strategies;
• damage verdicts or settlements or restrictions related to existing or potential class action litigation or individual litigation arising from claims of violations of laws or regulations, contractual claims, breach of fiduciary responsibility, negligence, fraud, environmental laws, patent or trademark infringement, employment related claims, and other matters;
• a prolonged downturn in the economy, mainly in New Jersey, New York, Florida and Alabama, as well as an unexpected decline in commercial real estate values within our market areas;
• higher or lower than expected income tax expense or tax rates, including increases or decreases resulting from changes in uncertain tax position liabilities, tax laws, regulations and case law;
• the inability to grow customer deposits to keep pace with loan growth;
• a material change in our allowance for credit losses under CECL due to forecasted economic conditions and/or unexpected credit deterioration in our loan and investment portfolios;
• the need to supplement debt or equity capital to maintain or exceed internal capital thresholds;
• greater than expected technology related costs due to, among other factors, prolonged or failed implementations, additional project staffing and obsolescence caused by continuous and rapid market innovations;
• the loss of or decrease in lower-cost funding sources within our deposit base, including our inability to achieve deposit retention targets under Valley's branch transformation strategy;
• cyber-attacks, computer viruses or other malware that may breach the security of our websites or other systems to obtain unauthorized access to confidential information, destroy data, disable or degrade service, or sabotage our systems;
• results of examinations by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the Federal Reserve Bank (FRB), the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and other regulatory authorities, including the possibility that any such regulatory authority may, among other things, require us to increase our allowance for credit losses, write-down assets, reimburse customers, change the way we do business, or limit or eliminate certain other banking activities;
• our inability or determination not to pay dividends at current levels, or at all, because of inadequate earnings, regulatory restrictions or limitations, changes in our capital requirements or a decision to increase capital by retaining more earnings;
• unanticipated loan delinquencies, loss of collateral, decreased service revenues, and other potential negative effects on our business caused by severe weather, the COVID-19 pandemic or other external events;
• unexpected significant declines in the loan portfolio due to the lack of economic expansion, increased competition, large prepayments, changes in regulatory lending guidance or other factors; and
• the failure of other financial institutions with whom we have trading, clearing, counterparty and other financial relationships.

A detailed discussion of factors that could affect our results is included in our SEC filings, including the “Risk Factors” section of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020.

We undertake no duty to update any forward-looking statement to conform the statement to actual results or changes in our expectations. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements.

-Tables to Follow-

VALLEY NATIONAL BANCORP
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

NOTES TO SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

SHAREHOLDERS RELATIONS
Requests for copies of reports and/or other inquiries should be directed to Tina Zarkadas, Assistant Vice President, Shareholder Relations Specialist, Valley National Bancorp, 1455 Valley Road, Wayne, New Jersey, 07470, by telephone at (973) 305-3380, by fax at (973) 305-1364 or by e-mail at tzarkadas@valley.com. 

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