Valley National Bancorp Reports Fourth Quarter Earnings, Increased Net Interest Income and 15 Percent Annualized Loan Growth

NEW YORK, Jan. 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Valley National Bancorp (NASDAQ:VLY), the holding company for Valley National Bank, today reported net income for the fourth quarter 2022 of $177.6 million, or $0.34 per diluted common share, as compared to the fourth quarter 2021 net income of $115.0 million, or $0.27 per diluted common share, and net income of $178.1 million, or $0.34 per diluted common share, for the third quarter 2022. Excluding all non-core charges, our adjusted net income (a non-GAAP measure) was $182.9 million, or $0.35 per diluted common share, for the fourth quarter 2022, $125.0 million, or $0.29 per diluted common share, for the fourth quarter 2021, and $181.5 million, or $0.35 per diluted common share, for the third quarter 2022. See further details below, including a reconciliation of our adjusted net income in the "Consolidated Financial Highlights" tables.

Key financial highlights for the fourth quarter:

• Loan Portfolio: Total loans increased $1.7 billion, or 15 percent on an annualized basis, to $46.9 billion at December 31, 2022 from September 30, 2022 mainly due to strong organic commercial real estate loan growth, as well as new residential mortgage loan volumes largely originated for investment rather than sale. See the "Loans, Deposits and Other Borrowings" section below for details.
• Net Interest Income and Margin: Net interest income on a tax equivalent basis of $467.2 million for the fourth quarter 2022 increased $11.9 million and $151.2 million as compared to the third quarter 2022 and fourth quarter 2021, respectively, reflecting a well-positioned balance sheet and continued organic loan growth in the current rising interest rate environment. Our net interest margin on a tax equivalent basis remained relatively stable and totaled 3.57 percent for the fourth quarter 2022 as compared to 3.60 percent for the third quarter 2022. See the "Net Interest Income and Margin" section below for more details.
• Allowance and Provision for Credit Losses for Loans: The allowance for credit losses for loans totaled $483.3 million and $498.4 million at December 31, 2022 and September 30, 2022, respectively, representing 1.03 percent and 1.10 percent of total loans at each respective date. During the fourth quarter 2022, the provision for credit losses for loans was $7.3 million as compared to $1.8 million and $11.6 million for the third quarter 2022 and fourth quarter 2021, respectively.
• Credit Quality: Net loan charge-offs totaled $22.4 million for the fourth quarter 2022, largely due to the partial charge-off of a single non-performing loan, as compared to net recoveries of loan charge-offs of $5.6 million and $624 thousand for the third quarter 2022 and fourth quarter 2021, respectively. Non-accrual loans represented 0.57 percent and 0.65 percent of total loans at December 31, 2022 and September 30, 2022, respectively. See the "Credit Quality" Section below for more details.
• Non-Interest Income: Non-interest income decreased $3.4 million to $52.8 million for the fourth quarter 2022 from $56.2 million for the third quarter 2022 due, in part, to a $3.4 million decrease in swap fee income derived from certain new commercial loan transactions. The swap fees presented in other income totaled $7.3 million and $10.7 million for the fourth quarter 2022 and third quarter 2022, respectively.
• Non-Interest Expense: Non-interest expense increased $4.6 million to $266.2 million for the fourth quarter 2022 as compared to the third quarter 2022 mainly due to higher technology-related merger expenses and increased professional and legal fees, partially offset by lower salaries and employee benefits expense. Merger expenses largely relating to the acquisition of Bank Leumi Le-Israel Corporation (Bank Leumi USA) on April 1, 2022 totaled $7.4 million for the fourth quarter 2022 as compared to $4.7 million for the third quarter 2022.
• Efficiency Ratio: Our efficiency ratio was 49.30 percent for the fourth quarter 2022 as compared to 49.76 percent and 49.44 percent for the third quarter 2022 and fourth quarter 2021, respectively. See the "Consolidated Financial Highlights" tables below for additional information regarding our non-GAAP measures.
• Performance Ratios: Annualized return on average assets (ROA), shareholders’ equity (ROE) and tangible ROE were 1.25 percent, 11.23 percent, and 16.70 percent for the fourth quarter 2022, respectively. Annualized ROA, ROE and tangible ROE, adjusted for non-core charges, were 1.29 percent, 11.56 percent, and 17.20 percent for the fourth quarter 2022, respectively. See the "Consolidated Financial Highlights" tables below for additional information regarding our non-GAAP measures.

Ira Robbins, CEO, commented, “I am extremely proud of the earnings that Valley generated for both the fourth quarter and the full year 2022. The continuation of this excellent performance is a testament to the dedication of our exceptional bankers and associates. Loan growth remained elevated during the fourth quarter as originations were again aided by a reduction in loan payoffs. Entering 2023, we continue to face pressure with regard to deposit pricing expectations and growth opportunities. While we are pleased with the stability of our core relationship-based funding franchise, we have used other funding alternatives to support our robust loan growth. To ensure the right balance, we have devoted resources to our differentiated deposit niches which we expect will continue to add value to our franchise over time.”

Mr. Robbins continued, “Our long-standing focus on relationship-based commercial banking has been enhanced in recent years by new capabilities which will help us navigate the challenging and rapidly changing banking environment that we face today. We continue to execute on our strategic initiatives from a position of strength, and are well-positioned to withstand the pressures around us.”

Net Interest Income and Margin

Net interest income on a tax equivalent basis totaling $467.2 million for the fourth quarter 2022 increased $11.9 million and $151.2 million as compared to the third quarter 2022 and fourth quarter 2021, respectively. Interest income on a tax equivalent basis increased $109.9 million to $648.0 million for the fourth quarter 2022 as compared to the third quarter 2022. The increase was mostly due to higher average loan balances driven by our organic loan growth and increased yields on both new originations and adjustable rate loans in our portfolio. Interest expense of $180.7 million for the fourth quarter 2022 increased $98.0 million as compared to the third quarter 2022 largely due to higher interest rates on both non-maturity and new time deposits, as well as a $2.4 billion increase in average time deposits.

Net interest margin on a tax equivalent basis of 3.57 percent for the fourth quarter 2022 decreased 3 basis points as compared to 3.60 percent for the third quarter 2022, and increased 34 basis points from 3.23 percent for the fourth quarter 2021. The yield on average interest earning assets increased by 69 basis points on a linked quarter basis mostly due to the aforementioned higher yields on new and adjustable rate loans in the fourth quarter 2022 as compared to third quarter 2022. The yield on average loans increased to 5.20 percent for the fourth quarter 2022 from 4.48 percent for the third quarter 2022 largely due to the higher level of market interest rates. The overall cost of average interest-bearing liabilities increased by 109 basis points to 2.15 percent for the fourth quarter 2022 as compared to the linked third quarter 2022 primarily due to higher interest rates on both non-maturity and new time deposits. Our cost of total average deposits was 1.36 percent for the fourth quarter 2022 as compared to 0.59 percent for the third quarter 2022. The increased cost of funds was mainly due to higher interest rates on most of our interest bearing deposit products combined with greater utilization of brokered and retail CDs in our funding mix during the fourth quarter 2022.

Loans, Deposits and Other Borrowings

Loans. Loans increased $1.7 billion to $46.9 billion at December 31, 2022 from September 30, 2022. The increase was primarily due to continued strong quarter-over-quarter organic loan growth in commercial real estate and residential mortgage loan categories. Commercial real estate (including construction) and residential mortgage loans increased $1.4 billion and $187.4 million, respectively, or 19 percent and 14 percent, respectively, on an annualized basis during the fourth quarter 2022. Residential mortgage loans increased during the fourth quarter 2022 almost entirely due to new loan activity in the purchased home market and higher levels of such loans originated for investment rather than sale. Loans held for sale totaled $18.1 million and $6.1 million at December 31, 2022 and September 30, 2022. SBA Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans within the commercial and industrial loan category totaled $33.6 million at December 31, 2022 compared to $85.8 million at September 30, 2022.

Deposits. Total deposits increased $2.3 billion to approximately $47.6 billion at December 31, 2022 from September 30, 2022 driven by continued growth in our retail and brokered CD portfolios, partially offset by a $957.0 million decrease in non-interest bearing deposits. Time deposits increased $3.2 billion to $9.6 billion at December 31, 2022 from September 30, 2022 mainly as a result of our increased use of brokered CDs in our funding mix, successful strategic retail CD campaigns and, to a lesser extent, customer migration from non-interest bearing deposit products. Total brokered deposits, consisting of money market and time deposit accounts, were $5.9 billion at December 31, 2022 as compared to $3.7 billion at September 30, 2022. Non-interest bearing deposits; savings, NOW, money market deposits; and time deposits represented approximately 30 percent, 50 percent and 20 percent of total deposits as of December 31, 2022, respectively.

Other Borrowings. Short-term borrowings decreased $780.6 million to approximately $138.7 million at December 31, 2022 as compared to September 30, 2022 largely due to the maturity and repayment of FHLB advances during the fourth quarter 2022 and our increased utilization of brokered deposits as a favorable funding alternative during the fourth quarter 2022. Long-term borrowings of $1.5 billion remained relatively unchanged at December 31, 2022 as compared to September 30, 2022.

Credit Quality

Non-Performing Assets (NPAs). Total NPAs, consisting of non-accrual loans, other real estate owned (OREO) and other repossessed assets decreased $22.8 million to $272.0 million at December 31, 2022 compared to $294.8 million at September 30, 2022. The decrease in NPAs was largely due to a $36.3 million decline in non-accrual commercial and industrial loans. The decrease in non-accrual commercial and industrial loans was mainly driven by a $20.9 million partial loan charge-off of one non-performing loan participation (that had related allowance reserves totaling $30.0 million at September 30, 2022), as well as several taxi medallion loan repayments during the fourth quarter 2022. Non-accrual construction loans increased $13.1 million at December 31, 2022 primarily due to the migration of one loan relationship previously reported in the 60 to 89 days past due delinquency category at September 30, 2022. Non-accrual loans represented 0.57 percent of total loans at December 31, 2022 as compared to 0.65 percent of total loans at September 30, 2022.

Non-Performing Taxi Medallion Loan Portfolio. Our non-performing taxi medallion loans within the non-accrual commercial and industrial loan category decreased $9.8 million to $66.5 million at December 31, 2022 from September 30, 2022 mostly due to repayments of loans during the fourth quarter 2022. At December 31, 2022, all taxi medallion loans were on non-accrual status and had related reserves of $42.2 million, or 63.5 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 $7.9 million to $90.9 million, or 0.19 percent of total loans, at December 31, 2022 as compared to $98.7 million, or 0.22 percent of total loans, at September 30, 2022. The decline was due, in part, to the migration of construction loans 60 to 89 days past due and commercial real estate loans 90 or more days past due reported at September 30, 2022 to non-accrual loans at December 31, 2022.

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 December 31, 2022, September 30, 2022, and December 31, 2021:

Our loan portfolio, totaling $46.9 billion at December 31, 2022, had net loan charge-offs totaling $22.4 million for the fourth quarter 2022 as compared to net recoveries of loan charge-offs of $5.6 million and $624 thousand for the third quarter 2022 and the fourth quarter 2021, respectively. The fourth quarter 2022 net loan charge-offs primarily related to the partial loan charge-off of one non-accrual commercial and industrial loan participation (with related allowance reserves totaling $30.0 million at September 30, 2022).

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 1.03 percent at December 31, 2022 and 1.10 percent at both September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively. During the fourth quarter 2022, we recorded a provision for credit losses for loans totaling $7.3 million as compared to $1.8 million for the third quarter 2022 and $11.6 million for the fourth quarter 2021. Overall, the decrease in allowance for credit losses for loans as a percentage of total loans reflects a decline in expected quantitative loss experience, partially offset by the increased economic forecast reserve component of our CECL model at December 31, 2022, as well as the impact of the fourth quarter 2022 loan charge-offs with prior allocated reserves.

Capital Adequacy

Valley's regulatory capital ratios continue to reflect its well-capitalized position. Valley's total risk-based capital, Tier 1 capital, common equity Tier 1 capital and Tier 1 leverage capital ratios were 11.63 percent, 9.46 percent, 9.01 percent and 8.23 percent, respectively, at December 31, 2022.

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 fourth quarter 2022 earnings and related matters. Interested parties should pre-register using this link:
https://register.vevent.com/register/BI22eba3029b664ac6b1b045edc4925c39 to receive the dial-in number and a personal PIN, which are required to access the conference call. The teleconference will also be webcast live: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/3t4hz9nw and archived on Valley’s website through Monday, February 27, 2023. Investor presentation materials will be made available prior to the conference call at www.valley.com and archived on Valley’s website through Monday, February 27, 2023.

About Valley

As the principal subsidiary of Valley National Bancorp, Valley National Bank is a regional bank with over $57 billion in assets. Valley is committed to giving people and businesses the power to succeed. Valley operates many convenient branch locations and commercial banking offices across New Jersey, New York, Florida, Alabama, California, and Illinois, 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 our business, new and existing programs and products, acquisitions, relationships, opportunities, taxation, technology, market conditions and economic expectations. These statements may be identified by such forward-looking terminology as “intend,” “should,” “expect,” “believe,” “view,” “opportunity,” “allow,” “continues,” “reflects,” “would,” “could,” “typically,” “usually,” “anticipate,” “may,” “estimate,” “outlook,” “project,” 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 impact of unfavorable macroeconomic conditions or downturns, instability or volatility in financial markets and other events and factors outside of our control, such as U.S. and global recession concerns, geopolitical concerns including the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, inflationary pressures, labor market volatility, supply chain issues, and the COVID-19 pandemic or other public health crisis;
  
• risks associated with our acquisition of Bank Leumi USA, including the inability to realize expected cost savings and synergies from the acquisition in the amounts or timeframe anticipated, greater than expected costs or difficulties relating to integration matters, any inability to retain customers and qualified employees of Bank Leumi USA, and the potential for greater than expected non-recurring charges related to the acquisition;
  
• the impact of COVID-19 and any future resurgences on the U.S. and global economies, including business disruptions, reductions in employment, supply chain interruptions, inflation, Federal Reserve actions impacting the level of market interest rates and increases in business failures, specifically among our clients, as well as on our business, our employees and our ability to provide services to our customers;
• 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 replacement of the London Interbank Offered Rate with Secured Overnight Financing 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, Alabama, California, and Illinois, 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, ransomware 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, pandemics or other public health crises, acts of terrorism or other external events; and
• 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.
  

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, 2021.

The financial results and disclosures reported in this release are preliminary. Final 2022 financial results and other disclosures will be reported in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, and may differ materially from the results and disclosures in this document due to, among other things, the completion of final review procedures, the occurrence of subsequent events, or the discovery of additional information.

We undertake no duty to update any forward-looking statement to conform the statement to actual results or changes in our expectations, except as required by law. 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.

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