Professional Holding Corp. Reports Third Quarter 2022 Results

Another Strong Quarter Results in Earnings per Share of $0.63

Professional Holding Corp. (the “Company”) (NASDAQ:PFHD), the parent company of Professional Bank (the “Bank”), today reported net income of $8.5 million, or $0.63 per share, for the third quarter of 2022 compared to net income of $7.0 million, or $0.52 per share, for the second quarter of 2022, and net income of $6.3 million, or $0.48 per share, for the third quarter of 2021.

“Our team continues to deliver high quality results establishing a solid foundation as we prepare for our next phase,” said Abel Iglesias, Chief Executive Officer.

Results of Operations for the Three Months Ended September 30, 2022

• Net income increased by $1.5 million, or 21.1%, to $8.5 million compared to $7.0 million in the second quarter, due to an increase in net interest income of $2.9 million and a decrease in provision expense of $0.9 million, partially offset by a decrease in noninterest income of $0.6 million, an increase in noninterest expense of $1.2 million, and an increase in income tax provision of $0.5 million.
• Net interest income increased $2.9 million, or 13.2%, to $24.8 million compared to $21.9 million in the second quarter, due to the Federal Reserve’s target Federal Funds Rate increases during the third quarter and new loan production in a higher rate environment on the Company’s asset sensitive balance sheet. The Company’s yield on average interest earning assets increased 91 basis points while cost of funds increased 14 basis points compared to the prior quarter.
• Provision for loan losses expense decreased $0.9 million, or 40.0%, to $1.3 million compared to $2.2 million in the second quarter, primarily due to slower net loan growth during the third quarter. There were no net charge-offs during the three months ended September 30, 2022, compared to $0.7 million of charge-offs in the second quarter.
• Noninterest income decreased $0.6 million, or 31.3% to $1.2 million compared to $1.8 million in the prior quarter. The decrease was primarily due to $0.5 million of insurance proceeds recorded in the second quarter on a previously recognized contingency.
• Noninterest expense increased by $1.2 million, or 9.9%, to $13.9 million compared to $12.6 million in the prior quarter, primarily due to expenses of $1.0 million in connection with the pending merger with Seacoast, higher salaries and employee benefits of $0.5 million, of which $0.2 million was attributable to lower capitalized costs related to the development of internal-use software, and higher marketing expenses of $0.4 million due to a charitable contribution to the AAA scholarship foundation. These increases were partially offset by $0.2 million in lower Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) expense and a decrease in other noninterest expense. Other noninterest expense decreased by $0.3 million, or 14.9%, compared to the second quarter due to a $0.4 million decrease related to the loss contingency reclassification recorded in the prior quarter, partially offset by an increase in the provision for unfunded commitments of $0.1 million.

Results of Operations for the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2022

• Net income increased by $0.5 million, or 2.8%, to $17.9 million compared to $17.4 million in the prior year period, due to an increase in net interest income of $11.6 million, partially offset by an increase in provision expense of $1.6 million, a decrease in noninterest income of $0.6 million, an increase in noninterest expense of $8.6 million, and an increase in income tax provision of $0.3 million.
• Net interest income increased by $11.6 million, or 21.3%, to $65.8 million compared to $54.2 million in the prior year period, primarily due to the impact of the Federal Reserve’s target Federal Funds Rate increases in 2022 on the Company’s asset sensitive balance sheet, in addition to an increase in average loans from $1.7 billion in 2021 to $1.9 billion in 2022. Interest income also benefited from increased average balances and higher yields in the investment portfolio.
• Provision for loan losses increased by $1.6 million, or 55.0%, to $4.4 million compared to $2.9 million in the prior year period primarily due to loan growth. The ratio of annualized charge-offs to average loans was 0.05% during the nine months ended September 30, 2022, compared to 0.61% in the prior year period.
• Noninterest income decreased by $0.6 million, or 12.7% to $4.3 million compared to the prior year period. The decrease primarily reflected lower service charges of $0.6 million on deposit accounts compared to prior year due to service charges of approximately $0.7 million, associated with acting as a correspondent bank for a Payroll Protection Program lender, and lower swap fee income of $0.7 million. These decreases were partially offset by an increase of $0.8 million in other noninterest income, comprised of $0.5 million of expected insurance proceeds on a previously recognized contingency and a $0.2 million loss on fixed asset disposals recorded in 2021.
• Noninterest expense increased by $8.6 million, or 25.0%, to $43.0 million compared to $34.4 million in the prior year period primarily due to higher salaries and employee benefits of $5.5 million and higher other noninterest expense of $2.0 million. The increase in salaries and benefits was driven by the $2.9 million expense related to the departure of the Company’s former Chief Executive Officer, and higher employee compensation costs from higher headcount and bonus and sales incentives. The increase in other noninterest expense was primarily comprised of a $0.7 million loss related to a previously recognized contingency from the first quarter, a $0.3 million increase related to our Community Reinvestment Act (“CRA”) mutual fund investment valuation, and a $0.5 million increase in the provision for unfunded commitments.

Financial Condition

At September 30, 2022:

• Total assets decreased by $0.2 billion, or 27.8%, annualized to $2.5 billion, compared to June 30, 2022, primarily as a result of decreases in cash and cash equivalents, partially offset by an increase in loans.
• Total loans increased by $17.7 million, or 3.5%, annualized, compared to June 30, 2022. We experienced loan originations of approximately $193.5 million, of which $67.2 million funded, partially offset by paydowns and prepayments. The Professional Bank PPP loan balance decreased $5.6 million, or 68.0%, to $2.6 million from June 30, 2022.
• Total deposits decreased by $0.2 billion, or 32.2% annualized, compared to June 30, 2022, primarily due to a decreases in all of our deposit categories. Cost of deposits increased 15 basis points to 0.39% for the three months ended September 30, 2022, from 0.24% for the three months ended June 30, 2022.
• As of September 30, 2022, nonperforming assets increased $0.3 million to $1.8 million compared to $1.5 million at June 30, 2022, due to the addition of a nonaccrual loan in our commercial real estate portfolio during the three months ended September 30, 2022.

Capital and Liquidity

The Company continues to remain well capitalized per regulatory requirements. As of September 30, 2022, the Company had a total risk-based capital ratio of 13.2% and a leverage capital ratio of 9.2%. The Company maintains a strong liquidity position. At September 30, 2022, in addition to its balance sheet liquidity, the Company had the ability to generate approximately $459.3 million in liquidity through available resources. Additionally, the Company retained $9.2 million in cash at the holding company.

Net Interest Income and Net Interest Margin Analysis

Net interest income was $24.8 million for the three months ended September 30, 2022. The following table shows the average outstanding balance of each principal category of the Company’s assets, liabilities, and shareholders’ equity, together with the average yields on assets and the average costs of liabilities for the periods indicated. Such yields and costs are calculated by dividing the annualized income or expense by the average daily balances of the corresponding assets or liabilities for the respective periods. For the three months ended September 30, 2022, the Company’s cost of funds was 0.42%.

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Net interest income was $65.8 million and the Company’s cost of funds was 0.34% for the nine months ended September 30, 2022.

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Provision for Loan Losses

Provision for loan losses decreased by $0.9 million, or 40.0%, in the third quarter to $1.3 million compared to $2.2 million in the prior quarter, primarily due to slower net loan growth during the quarter. There were no net charge-offs during the three months ended September 30, 2022, compared to $0.7 million of charge-offs in the second quarter. Also, there was an addition of two impaired loans that required a specific reserve this quarter.

Investment Securities

The Company’s investment portfolio decreased $14.6 million, or 7.4%, to $183.8 million compared to the prior quarter. The decrease was primarily due to $7.2 million in investment calls, redemptions and paydowns coupled with an increase in unrealized losses of $7.2 million during the third quarter. To supplement interest income earned on the Company’s loan portfolio, the Company invests in high quality mortgage-backed securities, government agency bonds, corporate bonds, community development district bonds, and equity securities (including mutual funds). Equity securities include $0.9 million of investments, made through our subsidiary Pro Opp Fund LLC, in businesses directly and indirectly related to the Company’s core business as permitted under the U.S. Bank Holding Company Act. Pro Opp Fund LLC has an additional $0.8 million of unfunded investments outstanding.

Loan Portfolio

The Company’s primary source of income is derived from interest earned on loans. The Company’s loan portfolio consists of loans secured by real estate, as well as commercial business loans, construction and development loans, and other consumer loans. The Company’s loan clients primarily consist of small-to medium-sized businesses, the owners and operators of those businesses, and other professionals, entrepreneurs and high net worth individuals. The Company’s owner-occupied and investment commercial real estate loans, residential construction loans, and commercial business loans provide higher risk-adjusted returns, shorter maturities, and more sensitivity to interest rate fluctuations and are complemented by the relatively lower risk residential real estate loans to individuals. The Company’s lending activities are principally directed to the Miami-Dade MSA. The following table summarizes and provides additional information about certain segments of the Company’s loan portfolio as of September 30, 2022, June 30, 2022, and December 31, 2021:

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Nonperforming Assets

As of September 30, 2022, the Company had nonperforming assets of $1.8 million, or 0.07% of total assets, compared to nonperforming assets of $1.5 million, or 0.06% of total assets, at June 30, 2022. The increase was due to the addition of a nonaccrual loan in our commercial real estate portfolio during the three months ended September 30, 2022.

Allowance for Loan and Lease Loss (“ALLL”)

The Company’s allowance for loan losses increased $1.3 million, or 8.9%, to $16.5 million at September 30, 2022, compared to June 30, 2022, due to loan production and the increase of specific reserves allocated to two impaired loans. The Company’s allowance for loan losses as a percentage of total loans held for investment was 0.82% at September 30, 2022, compared to 0.76% at June 30, 2022. There were minimal changes to qualitative loss factors and historical loss factors for the current period with the principal driver for the increased allowance being loan growth.

PROFESSIONAL HOLDING CORP.

EARNINGS PER COMMON SHARE (Unaudited)

(Dollar amounts in thousands, except share data)

Basic earnings per common share is computed by dividing net income available to common shareholders by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the year. Diluted earnings per common share is computed by dividing net income available to common shareholders by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding plus the effect of employee stock awards during the year.

Explanation of Certain Unaudited Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This press release contains financial information determined by methods other than U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”), which we refer to as “non-GAAP financial measures.” The table below provides a reconciliation between these non-GAAP measures and net income and net income per share, which are the most comparable GAAP measures.

Management uses these non-GAAP financial measures in its analysis of the Company’s performance and believes these measures are useful supplemental information that can enhance investors’ understanding of the Company’s business and performance without considering taxes or provisions for loan losses and can be useful when comparing performance with other financial institutions. However, these non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the comparable GAAP measures.

Reconciliation of non-GAAP Financial Measures

Certain Performance Metrics

The following table shows the return on average assets (computed as annualized net income divided by average total assets), return on average equity (computed as annualized net income divided by average equity) and average equity to average assets ratios for the periods presented below.

Additional Materials

A slide presentation with supplemental financial information relating to this release can be accessed at https://proholdco.com.

Forward Looking Statements

“This communication contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements contained in this communication that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements preceded by, followed by or including words such as “anticipate,” “intend,” “believe,” “estimate,” “plan,” “seek,” “project” or “expect,” “may,” “will,” “would,” “could” or “should” and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements represent the Company’s current expectations, plans or forecasts; involve assumptions, risks and uncertainties; and are not guarantees. Several important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Those factors include, without limitation:

• general business and economic conditions, either globally, nationally, in the State of Florida, or in the specific markets in which we operate, including the negative impacts and disruptions resulting from rising interest rates, supply chain challenges and inflation, which have had and may likely continue to have an adverse impact on our business operations and performance, and could continue to have a negative impact on our credit portfolio, stock price, borrowers and the economy as a whole both globally and domestically;
• the impact of Hurricane Ian on Florida generally, as well as certain of the communities we serve, and which could continue to have a negative impact on our business, credit portfolio, borrowers and our stock price;
• the effects of our lack of a diversified loan portfolio and concentration in the South Florida market;
• the risk that our proposed merger Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida (“Seacoast”) may not be completed in a timely manner or at all, which may adversely affect our business and the price of our common stock;
• the diversion of management time on issues related to the merger with Seacoast;
• the effect of the announcement or pendency of the merger on Seacoast’s customer, employee and business relationships, operating results, and business generally;
• changes in laws or regulations;
• changes in interest rates, deposit flows, loan demand and real estate values;
• the ongoing impacts and disruptions resulting from COVID-19 or other variants on the economies and communities we serve, which has had and may likely continue to have an adverse impact on our business operations and performance, and could continue to have a negative impact on our credit portfolio, stock price, borrowers and the economy as a whole both globally and domestically; and other factors described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Although we make such statements based on assumptions that we believe to be reasonable, there can be no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements. We caution investors not to rely unduly on any forward-looking statements and urge investors to carefully consider the risks described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, referred to above, which are available on www.proholdco.com and the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements included herein to reflect future events or developments or changes in expectations, except as may be required by law.”

About Professional Bank and Professional Holding Corp.:

Professional Holding Corp. (NASDAQ:PFHD) is the financial holding company for Professional Bank, a Florida state-chartered bank established in 2008 and based in Coral Gables, Florida. Professional Bank focuses on providing creative, relationship-driven commercial banking products and services designed to meet the needs of small to medium-sized businesses, the owners and operators of these businesses, professionals and entrepreneurs. Professional Bank currently operates its Florida network through nine branch locations and two LPOs in the regional areas of Miami, Broward, Palm Beach, Duval (Jacksonville), Hillsborough and Pinellas (Tampa Bay) counties. It also has a Digital Innovation Center located in Cleveland, Ohio and a LPO in Bedford, New Hampshire that specializes in search fund lending. For more information, visit www.myprobank.com. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender.

On August 8, 2022, Seacoast, the holding company for Seacoast National Bank (“Seacoast Bank”), and Professional Holding Corp. (“Professional”) announced that they have signed a definitive agreement under which Seacoast will acquire Professional. The transaction is subject to approval of Professional’s shareholders, regulatory approvals and other conditions and is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2023.

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