First Financial Bancorp Announces First Quarter 2024 Financial Results and Quarterly Dividend

Earnings per diluted share of $0.53; $0.59 on an adjusted(1) basis
Return on average assets of 1.18%; 1.30% on an adjusted(1) basis
Net interest margin on FTE basis(1) of 4.10%
Acquired Agile Premium Finance
Loan growth of $271.9 million; 10.0% on an annualized basis
Tangible common equity ratio increased to 7.23%
Quarterly dividend of $0.23 approved by Board of Directors

CINCINNATI, April 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — First Financial Bancorp. (Nasdaq: FFBC) (“First Financial” or the “Company”) announced financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2024. 

For the three months ended March 31, 2024, the Company reported net income of $50.7 million, or $0.53 per diluted common share.  These results compare to net income of $56.7 million, or $0.60 per diluted common share, for the fourth quarter of 2023. 

Return on average assets for the first quarter of 2024 was 1.18% while return on average tangible common equity was 17.35%(1).  These compare to return on average assets of 1.31% and return on average tangible common equity of 21.36%(1) in the fourth quarter of 2023.

First quarter 2024 highlights include:

Net interest margin of 4.05%, or 4.10% on a fully tax-equivalent basis(1)

16 bp decrease to 4.10% from 4.26% in the fourth quarter due to increasing funding costs
Decline from linked quarter driven by 19 bp increase in funding costs, which was partially offset by modestly higher asset yields

Noninterest income of $46.5 million, or $51.7 million as adjusted(1)

Strong leasing business income of $14.6 million
Wealth management continues strong performance; 9.6% increase from linked quarter
Foreign exchange and client derivative fees improved from lower levels in fourth quarter
Adjusted(1) $5.2 million for losses on sales of investment securities related to repositioning of a portion of the portfolio

Noninterest expenses of $122.4 million, or $121.0 million as adjusted(1)

Increase from fourth quarter driven by seasonal payroll taxes and increased variable compensation tied to fee income
First quarter adjustments(1) include $0.2 million FDIC special assessment and $1.1 million of other costs such as acquisition, severance and branch consolidation costs
Efficiency ratio of 62.7%; 60.4% as adjusted(1)

Acquired Agile Premium Finance on February 29, 2024

Lends primarily to commercial customers to finance insurance premiums
$93.4 million in loan balances at acquisition; $119.0 million at March 31, 2024
$5.6 million of intangible assets, including $1.8 million of goodwill and $2.7 million customer list

_________________________________________________________________________________________

(1) Non-GAAP measure.  For details on the calculation of these non-GAAP financial measures and a reconciliation to the GAAP financial measure, see the sections titled “Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures” in this release and “Appendix: Non-GAAP to GAAP Reconciliation” in the accompanying slide presentation.

Solid loan growth during the quarter

Loan balances increased $271.9 million compared to the linked quarter; includes $93.4 million acquired in Agile transaction
Growth of 10.0% on an annualized basis driven by Investor CRE and acquisition of Agile

Modest average deposit growth during the quarter

Average deposits increased $76.3 million, or 2.3% on an annualized basis; First quarter included approximately $100 million of seasonal business deposit outflows
Growth in money market accounts and retail CDs offset declines in noninterest bearing checking, savings and public funds

Total Allowance for Credit Losses of $160.4 million; Total quarterly provision expense of $11.2 million

Loans and leases – ACL of $144.3 million; ratio to total loans of 1.29% unchanged from fourth quarter
Unfunded Commitments – ACL of $16.2 million; decreased $2.3 million from linked quarter
Provision expense driven by net charge-offs and loan growth; Classified assets increased to $162.3 million
Annualized net charge-offs were 38 bps of total loans; 8 bps decline from linked quarter
NPAs to total assets of 0.34%; 4 bp, or 10.5% decline from linked quarter

Capital ratios stable and strong 

Total capital ratio increased 5 bps to 14.31%
Tier 1 common equity decreased 6 bps to 11.67%
Tangible common equity increased 6 bps to 7.23%(1); 9.18%(1) excluding impact from AOCI
Tangible book value per share of $12.50(1);1.0% increase from linked quarter

Additionally, the board of directors approved a quarterly dividend of $0.23 per common share for the next regularly scheduled dividend, payable on June 17, 2024 to shareholders of record as of June 3, 2024.

Archie Brown, President and CEO, commented on the quarter, “I am pleased with our first quarter results and encouraged by our trends, several of which were bolstered by actions we took during the quarter.  These actions included a repositioning of a portion of the investment portfolio, a workforce efficiency initiative, and the acquisition of Agile Premium Finance.  We also commenced the restructuring of a portion of our bank owned life insurance portfolio, which is expected to increase income in the back half of the year.”

Mr. Brown continued, “Adjusted(1) earnings per share were $0.59, which resulted in an adjusted(1) return on assets of 1.30% and an adjusted(1) return on tangible common equity of 19.1%.  At 4.10%, the net interest margin remains very strong.  Asset yields remained steady during the quarter, however, as expected, the continued rise of funding costs negatively impacted our net interest margin.  Additionally, loan growth was robust for the second consecutive quarter with balances increasing by 10% on an annualized basis.  Average deposit growth slowed for the quarter to a 2.3% annualized growth rate and included a seasonal outflow of business deposits in the first part of the quarter.”

Mr. Brown continued, “I am also pleased that noninterest income rebounded from the fourth quarter with increases across most of our fee revenue areas.  During the quarter, we incurred a loss on the sale of investment securities associated with the repositioning of a portion of the investment portfolio.  This repositioning has a very short earnback and should enhance our asset yields going forward.  We also intensified our focus on expenses during the first quarter.  Our workforce efficiency initiative resulted in the reduction of 43 associates during the quarter and we will continue to evaluate additional expense reductions throughout 2024.  While expenses increased on a linked quarter basis, most of the increase was related to seasonal employee costs and variable compensation tied to the increase in fee income.”

Mr. Brown discussed the Agile acquisition, “We are excited to add Agile to our mix of specialty businesses.  Agile operates an impressive business model, which originates high-quality, short duration loans at attractive yields.  At closing, we acquired $93 million in loans, which grew to $119 million at quarter end.  We believe Agile will further diversify the loan portfolio and is a perfect complement to our Oak Street and commercial banking businesses.”

Mr. Brown commented on asset quality, “Asset quality was stable for the quarter.  Net charge-offs declined for the second consecutive quarter to 38 basis points and were primarily driven by charges on two office loans that had been on nonaccrual since early 2023.  These two loans have been charged down to their net realizable value and no other office loans were considered classified at the end of the first quarter.  Overall, classified assets increased 12 basis points to 0.92% of assets, while nonperforming assets declined 9.8% from the prior quarter.”

Mr. Brown concluded, “I am pleased with our quarter and with the work our teams are doing to continuously improve the Company.  While we are in a difficult operating environment for the industry, I am encouraged by our results and trends, and I expect we will have another strong year.”

Full detail of the Company’s first quarter 2024 performance is provided in the accompanying financial statements and slide presentation.

Teleconference / Webcast InformationFirst Financial’s executive management will host a conference call to discuss the Company’s financial and operating results on Friday, April 26, 2024 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time.  Members of the public who would like to listen to the conference call should dial (888) 550-5723 (U.S. toll free) or (646) 960-0471 (U.S. local), access code 5048068.  The number should be dialed five to ten minutes prior to the start of the conference call.  A replay of the conference call will be available beginning one hour after the completion of the live call at (800) 770-2030 (U.S. toll free), (647) 362-9199 (U.S. local), access code 5048068.  The recording will be available until May 10, 2024.  The conference call will also be accessible as an audio webcast via the Investor Relations section of the Company’s website at  www.bankatfirst.com.  The webcast will be archived on the Investor Relations section of the Company’s website for 12 months.

Press Release and Additional Information on WebsiteThis press release as well as supplemental information are available to the public through the Investor Relations section of First Financial’s website at www.bankatfirst.com.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial MeasuresThis earnings release contains GAAP financial measures and Non-GAAP financial measures where management believes it to be helpful in understanding the Company’s results of operations or financial position.  Where Non-GAAP financial measures are used, the comparable GAAP financial measures, as well as a reconciliation to the comparable GAAP financial measure, can be found in the section titled “Appendix: Non-GAAP to GAAP Reconciliation” in the accompanying slide presentation.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this report which are not statements of historical fact constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  Words such as ”believes,” ”anticipates,” “likely,” “expected,” “estimated,” ”intends” and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements but are not the exclusive means of identifying such statements.  Examples of forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements we make about (i) our future operating or financial performance, including revenues, income or loss and earnings or loss per share, (ii) future common stock dividends, (iii) our capital structure, including future capital levels, (iv) our plans, objectives and strategies, and (v) the assumptions that underlie our forward-looking statements.

As with any forecast or projection, forward-looking statements are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that may cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.  Forward-looking statements are not historical facts but instead express only management’s beliefs regarding future results or events, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of management’s control. It is possible that actual results and outcomes may differ, possibly materially, from the anticipated results or outcomes indicated in these forward-looking statements.  Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in our forward-looking statements include the following, without limitation:

economic, market, liquidity, credit, interest rate, operational and technological risks associated with the Company’s business;
future credit quality and performance, including our expectations regarding future loan losses and our allowance for credit losses
the effect of and changes in policies and laws or regulatory agencies, including the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and other legislation and regulation relating to the banking industry;
Management’s ability to effectively execute its business plans;
mergers and acquisitions, including costs or difficulties related to the integration of acquired companies;
the possibility that any of the anticipated benefits of the Company’s acquisitions will not be realized or will not be realized within the expected time period;
the effect of changes in accounting policies and practices;
changes in consumer spending, borrowing and saving and changes in unemployment;
changes in customers’ performance and creditworthiness;
the costs and effects of litigation and of unexpected or adverse outcomes in such litigation;  
current and future economic and market conditions, including the effects of changes in housing prices, fluctuations in unemployment rates, U.S. fiscal debt, budget and tax matters, geopolitical matters, and any slowdown in global economic growth;
the adverse impact on the U.S. economy, including the markets in which we operate, of the novel coronavirus, which causes the Coronavirus disease 2019 (“COVID-19”), global pandemic, and the impact  on the performance of our loan and lease portfolio, the market value of our investment securities, the availability of sources of funding and the demand for our products;
our capital and liquidity requirements (including under regulatory capital standards, such as the Basel III capital standards) and our ability to generate capital internally or raise capital on favorable terms;
financial services reform and other current, pending or future legislation or regulation that could have a negative effect on our revenue and businesses, including the Dodd-Frank Act and other legislation and regulation relating to bank products and services;
the effect of the current interest rate environment or changes in interest rates or in the level or composition of our assets or liabilities on our net interest income, net interest margin and our mortgage originations, mortgage servicing rights and mortgage loans held for sale;
the effect of a fall in stock market prices on our brokerage, asset and wealth management businesses;
a failure in or breach of our operational or security systems or infrastructure, or those of our third-party vendors or other service providers, including as a result of cyber attacks;
the effect of changes in the level of checking or savings account deposits on our funding costs and net interest margin; and
our ability to develop and execute effective business plans and strategies.

Additional factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those described in our forward-looking statements can be found in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, as well as our other filings with the SEC, which are available on the SEC website at www.sec.gov

All forward-looking statements included in this filing are made as of the date hereof and are based on information available at the time of the filing.  Except as required by law, the Company does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statement.

About First Financial Bancorp.First Financial Bancorp. is a Cincinnati, Ohio based bank holding company.  As of March 31, 2024, the Company had $17.6 billion in assets, $11.2 billion in loans, $13.5 billion in deposits and $2.3 billion in shareholders’ equity.  The Company’s subsidiary, First Financial Bank, founded in 1863, provides banking and financial services products through its six lines of business: Commercial, Retail Banking, Investment Commercial Real Estate, Mortgage Banking, Commercial Finance and Wealth Management.  These business units provide traditional banking services to business and retail clients.  Wealth Management provides wealth planning, portfolio management, trust and estate, brokerage and retirement plan services and had approximately $3.6 billion in assets under management as of March 31, 2024.  The Company operated 130 full service banking centers as of March 31, 2024, located in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois, while the Commercial Finance business lends into targeted industry verticals on a nationwide basis.  Additional information about the Company, including its products, services and banking locations, is available at www.bankatfirst.com

FIRST FINANCIAL BANCORP.

CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

(Dollars in thousands, except per share data)

(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended,

Mar. 31,

Dec. 31,

Sep. 30,

June 30,

Mar. 31,

2024

2023

2023

2023

2023

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Net income

$      50,689

$      56,732

$      63,061

$      65,667

$      70,403

Net earnings per share – basic

$         0.54

$         0.60

$         0.67

$         0.70

$         0.75

Net earnings per share – diluted

$         0.53

$         0.60

$         0.66

$         0.69

$         0.74

Dividends declared per share

$         0.23

$         0.23

$         0.23

$         0.23

$         0.23

KEY FINANCIAL RATIOS

Return on average assets

1.18 %

1.31 %

1.48 %

1.55 %

1.69 %

Return on average shareholders’ equity

9.00 %

10.50 %

11.62 %

12.32 %

13.71 %

Return on average tangible shareholders’ equity (1)

17.35 %

21.36 %

23.60 %

25.27 %

29.02 %

Net interest margin

4.05 %

4.21 %

4.28 %

4.43 %

4.51 %

Net interest margin (fully tax equivalent) (1)(2)

4.10 %

4.26 %

4.33 %

4.48 %

4.55 %

Ending shareholders’ equity as a percent of ending assets

12.99 %

12.94 %

12.49 %

12.54 %

12.53 %

Ending tangible shareholders’ equity as a percent of:

Ending tangible assets (1)

7.23 %

7.17 %

6.50 %

6.56 %

6.47 %

Risk-weighted assets (1)

8.80 %

8.81 %

7.88 %

8.03 %

7.87 %

Average shareholders’ equity as a percent of average assets

13.09 %

12.52 %

12.70 %

12.60 %

12.29 %

Average tangible shareholders’ equity as a percent of

    average tangible assets (1)

7.25 %

6.57 %

6.69 %

6.57 %

6.21 %

Book value per share

$        23.95

$        23.84

$        22.39

$        22.52

$        22.29

Tangible book value per share (1)

$        12.50

$        12.38

$        10.91

$        11.02

$        10.76

Common equity tier 1 ratio (3)

11.67 %

11.73 %

11.60 %

11.34 %

11.00 %

Tier 1 ratio (3)

12.00 %

12.06 %

11.94 %

11.68 %

11.34 %

Total capital ratio (3)

14.31 %

14.26 %

14.19 %

14.16 %

13.79 %

Leverage ratio (3)

9.75 %

9.70 %

9.59 %

9.33 %

9.03 %

AVERAGE BALANCE SHEET ITEMS

Loans (4)

$  11,066,184

$  10,751,028

$  10,623,734

$  10,513,505

$  10,373,302

Investment securities

3,137,665

3,184,408

3,394,237

3,560,453

3,635,317

Interest-bearing deposits with other banks

553,654

548,153

386,173

329,584

318,026

  Total earning assets

$  14,757,503

$  14,483,589

$  14,404,144

$  14,403,542

$  14,326,645

Total assets

$  17,306,221

$  17,124,955

$  16,951,389

$  16,968,055

$  16,942,999

Noninterest-bearing deposits

$  3,169,750

$  3,368,024

$  3,493,305

$  3,663,419

$  3,954,915

Interest-bearing deposits

10,109,416

9,834,819

9,293,860

9,050,464

8,857,226

  Total deposits

$  13,279,166

$  13,202,843

$  12,787,165

$  12,713,883

$  12,812,141

Borrowings

$  1,139,014

$  1,083,954

$  1,403,071

$  1,523,699

$  1,434,338

Shareholders’ equity

$  2,265,562

$  2,144,482

$  2,153,601

$  2,137,765

$  2,082,210

CREDIT QUALITY RATIOS

Allowance to ending loans

1.29 %

1.29 %

1.36 %

1.41 %

1.36 %

Allowance to nonaccrual loans

243.55 %

215.10 %

193.75 %

276.70 %

409.46 %

Nonaccrual loans to total loans

0.53 %

0.60 %

0.70 %

0.51 %

0.33 %

Nonperforming assets to ending loans, plus OREO

0.53 %

0.60 %

0.71 %

0.51 %

0.33 %

Nonperforming assets to total assets

0.34 %

0.38 %

0.44 %

0.32 %

0.21 %

Classified assets to total assets

0.92 %

0.80 %

0.82 %

0.81 %

0.94 %

Net charge-offs to average loans (annualized)

0.38 %

0.46 %

0.61 %

0.22 %

0.00 %

(1) Non-GAAP measure. For details on the calculation of these non-GAAP financial measures and a reconciliation to the GAAP financial measure, see the sections titled “Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures” in this release and “Appendix: Non-GAAP to GAAP Reconciliation” in the accompanying slide presentation.

(2) The tax equivalent adjustment to net interest income recognizes the income tax savings when comparing taxable and tax-exempt assets and assumes a 21% tax rate. Management believes that it is a standard practice in the banking industry to present net interest margin and net interest income on a fully tax equivalent basis.  Therefore, management believes these measures provide useful information to investors by allowing them to make peer comparisons.  Management also uses these measures to make peer comparisons.

(3) March 31, 2024 regulatory capital ratios are preliminary.

(4) Includes loans held for sale.

FIRST FINANCIAL BANCORP.

CONSOLIDATED QUARTERLY STATEMENTS OF INCOME

(Dollars in thousands, except per share data)

(Unaudited)

2024

2023

First

Fourth

Third

Second

First

Full

Quarter

Quarter

Quarter

Quarter

Quarter

Year

Interest income

  Loans and leases, including fees

$ 201,840

$ 197,416

$  192,261

$  184,387

$  169,706

$  743,770

  Investment securities

     Taxable

28,296

30,294

31,297

32,062

31,867

125,520

     Tax-exempt

3,092

3,402

3,522

3,513

3,464

13,901

        Total investment securities interest

31,388

33,696

34,819

35,575

35,331

139,421

  Other earning assets

7,458

7,325

5,011

3,933

3,544

19,813

       Total interest income

240,686

238,437

232,091

223,895

208,581

903,004

Interest expense

  Deposits

76,075

69,193

57,069

44,292

31,456

202,010

  Short-term borrowings

10,943

10,277

14,615

15,536

12,950

53,378

  Long-term borrowings

4,928

5,202

4,952

4,835

4,857

19,846

      Total interest expense

91,946

84,672

76,636

64,663

49,263

275,234

      Net interest income

148,740

153,765

155,455

159,232

159,318

627,770

  Provision for credit losses-loans and leases

13,419

8,804

12,907

12,719

8,644

43,074

  Provision for credit losses-unfunded commitments

(2,259)

1,426

(1,234)

(1,994)

1,835

33

      Net interest income after provision for credit losses

137,580

143,535

143,782

148,507

148,839

584,663

Noninterest income

  Service charges on deposit accounts

6,912

6,846

6,957

6,972

6,514

27,289

  Wealth management fees

6,676

6,091

6,943

6,713

6,334

26,081

  Bankcard income

3,142

3,349

3,406

3,692

3,592

14,039

  Client derivative fees

1,250

711

1,612

1,827

1,005

5,155

  Foreign exchange income

10,435

8,730

13,384

15,039

16,898

54,051

  Leasing business income

14,589

12,856

14,537

10,265

13,664

51,322

  Net gains from sales of loans

3,784

2,957

4,086

3,839

2,335

13,217

  Net gain (loss) on sale of investment securities

(5,277)

(851)

(4)

(384)

(19)

(1,258)

  Net  gain (loss) on equity securities

90

202

(54)

(82)

140

206

  Other

4,911

6,102

5,761

5,377

5,080

22,320

      Total noninterest income

46,512

46,993

56,628

53,258

55,543

212,422

Noninterest expenses

  Salaries and employee benefits

74,037

70,637

75,641

74,199

72,254

292,731

  Net occupancy

5,923

5,890

5,809

5,606

5,685

22,990

  Furniture and equipment

3,688

3,523

3,341

3,362

3,317

13,543

  Data processing

8,305

8,488

8,473

9,871

9,020

35,852

  Marketing

1,962

2,087

2,598

2,802

2,160

9,647

  Communication

795

707

744

644

634

2,729

  Professional services

2,268

3,148

2,524

2,308

1,946

9,926

  State intangible tax

877

984

981

964

985

3,914

  FDIC assessments

2,780

3,651

2,665

2,806

2,826

11,948

  Intangible amortization

2,301

2,601

2,600

2,601

2,600

10,402

  Leasing business expense

9,754

8,955

8,877

6,730

7,938

32,500

  Other

9,665

8,466

7,791

8,722

7,328

32,307

      Total noninterest expenses

122,355

119,137

122,044

120,615

116,693

478,489

Income before income taxes

61,737

71,391

78,366

81,150

87,689

318,596

Income tax expense (benefit)

11,048

14,659

15,305

15,483

17,286

62,733

      Net income

$   50,689

$   56,732

$   63,061

$   65,667

$   70,403

$  255,863

ADDITIONAL DATA

Net earnings per share – basic

$      0.54

$      0.60

$      0.67

$      0.70

$      0.75

$       2.72

Net earnings per share – diluted

$      0.53

$      0.60

$      0.66

$      0.69

$      0.74

$       2.69

Dividends declared per share

$      0.23

$      0.23

$      0.23

$      0.23

$      0.23

$       0.92

Return on average assets

1.18 %

1.31 %

1.48 %

1.55 %

1.69 %

1.51 %

Return on average shareholders’ equity

9.00 %

10.50 %

11.62 %

12.32 %

13.71 %

12.01 %

Interest income

$ 240,686

$ 238,437

$  232,091

$  223,895

$  208,581

$  903,004

Tax equivalent adjustment

1,535

1,672

1,659

1,601

1,424

6,356

   Interest income – tax equivalent

242,221

240,109

233,750

225,496

210,005

909,360

Interest expense

91,946

84,672

76,636

64,663

49,263

275,234

   Net interest income – tax equivalent

$ 150,275

$ 155,437

$  157,114

$  160,833

$  160,742

$  634,126

Net interest margin

4.05 %

4.21 %

4.28 %

4.43 %

4.51 %

4.36 %

Net interest margin (fully tax equivalent) (1)

4.10 %

4.26 %

4.33 %

4.48 %

4.55 %

4.40 %

Full-time equivalent employees

2,116

2,129

2,121

2,193

2,066

(1) The tax equivalent adjustment to net interest income recognizes the income tax savings when comparing taxable and tax-exempt assets and assumes a 21% tax rate.  Management believes that it is a standard practice in the banking industry to present net interest income on a fully tax equivalent basis.  Therefore, management believes these measures provide useful information to investors by allowing them to make peer comparisons.  Management also uses these measures to make peer comparisons.

FIRST FINANCIAL BANCORP.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CONDITION

(Dollars in thousands)

(Unaudited)

Mar. 31,

Dec. 31,

Sep. 30,

June 30,

Mar. 31,

% Change

% Change

2024

2023

2023

2023

2023

Linked Qtr.

Comp Qtr.

ASSETS

     Cash and due from banks

$      199,407

$      213,059

$      220,335

$      217,385

$      199,835

(6.4) %

(0.2) %

     Interest-bearing deposits with other banks

751,290

792,960

452,867

485,241

305,465

(5.3) %

145.9 %

     Investment securities available-for-sale

2,850,667

3,021,126

3,044,361

3,249,404

3,384,949

(5.6) %

(15.8) %

     Investment securities held-to-maturity

79,542

80,321

81,236

82,372

83,070

(1.0) %

(4.2) %

     Other investments

125,548

129,945

133,725

141,892

143,606

(3.4) %

(12.6) %

     Loans held for sale

11,534

9,213

12,391

15,267

9,280

25.2 %

24.3 %

     Loans and leases

       Commercial and industrial

3,591,428

3,501,221

3,420,873

3,433,162

3,449,289

2.6 %

4.1 %

       Lease financing

492,862

474,817

399,973

360,801

273,898

3.8 %

79.9 %

       Construction real estate

641,596

564,832

578,824

536,464

525,906

13.6 %

22.0 %

       Commercial real estate

4,145,969

4,080,939

3,992,654

4,048,460

4,056,627

1.6 %

2.2 %

       Residential real estate

1,344,677

1,333,674

1,293,470

1,221,484

1,145,069

0.8 %

17.4 %

       Home equity

773,811

758,676

743,991

728,711

724,672

2.0 %

6.8 %

       Installment

153,838

159,078

160,648

165,216

204,372

(3.3) %

(24.7) %

       Credit card

60,939

59,939

56,386

55,911

53,552

1.7 %

13.8 %

          Total loans

11,205,120

10,933,176

10,646,819

10,550,209

10,433,385

2.5 %

7.4 %

       Less:

          Allowance for credit losses

(144,274)

(141,433)

(145,201)

(148,646)

(141,591)

2.0 %

1.9 %

                Net loans

11,060,846

10,791,743

10,501,618

10,401,563

10,291,794

2.5 %

7.5 %

     Premises and equipment

198,428

194,740

192,572

192,077

188,959

1.9 %

5.0 %

     Operating leases

161,473

153,214

136,883

132,272

153,986

5.4 %

4.9 %

     Goodwill

1,007,656

1,005,868

1,005,868

1,005,828

1,005,738

0.2 %

0.2 %

     Other intangibles

85,603

83,949

86,378

88,662

91,169

2.0 %

(6.1) %

     Accrued interest and other assets

1,067,244

1,056,762

1,186,618

1,078,186

1,076,033

1.0 %

(0.8) %

       Total Assets

$  17,599,238

$ 17,532,900

$  17,054,852

$ 17,090,149

$  16,933,884

0.4 %

3.9 %

LIABILITIES

     Deposits

       Interest-bearing demand

$   2,916,518

$   2,993,219

$   2,880,617

$   2,919,472

$   2,761,811

(2.6) %

5.6 %

       Savings

4,467,894

4,331,228

4,023,455

3,785,445

3,746,403

3.2 %

19.3 %

       Time

2,896,860

2,718,390

2,572,909

2,484,780

2,336,368

6.6 %

24.0 %

          Total interest-bearing deposits

10,281,272

10,042,837

9,476,981

9,189,697

8,844,582

2.4 %

16.2 %

       Noninterest-bearing

3,175,876

3,317,960

3,438,572

3,605,181

3,830,102

(4.3) %

(17.1) %

          Total deposits

13,457,148

13,360,797

12,915,553

12,794,878

12,674,684

0.7 %

6.2 %

     FHLB short-term borrowings

700,000

800,000

755,000

1,050,300

1,089,400

(12.5) %

(35.7) %

     Other

162,145

137,814

219,188

165,983

128,160

17.7 %

26.5 %

          Total short-term borrowings

862,145

937,814

974,188

1,216,283

1,217,560

(8.1) %

(29.2) %

     Long-term debt

343,236

344,115

340,902

339,963

342,647

(0.3) %

0.2 %

          Total borrowed funds

1,205,381

1,281,929

1,315,090

1,556,246

1,560,207

(6.0) %

(22.7) %

     Accrued interest and other liabilities

649,706

622,200

694,700

595,606

577,497

4.4 %

12.5 %

       Total Liabilities

15,312,235

15,264,926

14,925,343

14,946,730

14,812,388

0.3 %

3.4 %

SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

     Common stock

1,632,971

1,638,972

1,636,054

1,632,659

1,629,428

(0.4) %

0.2 %

     Retained earnings

1,166,065

1,136,718

1,101,905

1,060,715

1,016,893

2.6 %

14.7 %

     Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)

(321,109)

(309,819)

(410,005)

(353,010)

(328,059)

3.6 %

(2.1) %

     Treasury stock, at cost

(190,924)

(197,897)

(198,445)

(196,945)

(196,766)

(3.5) %

(3.0) %

       Total Shareholders’ Equity

2,287,003

2,267,974

2,129,509

2,143,419

2,121,496

0.8 %

7.8 %

       Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity

$  17,599,238

$ 17,532,900

$  17,054,852

$ 17,090,149

$  16,933,884

0.4 %

3.9 %

FIRST FINANCIAL BANCORP.

AVERAGE CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CONDITION

(Dollars in thousands)

(Unaudited)

Quarterly Averages

Mar. 31,

Dec. 31,

Sep. 30,

June 30,

Mar. 31,

2024

2023

2023

2023

2023

ASSETS

     Cash and due from banks

$      204,119

$      214,678

$      211,670

$      221,527

$      218,724

     Interest-bearing deposits with other banks

553,654

548,153

386,173

329,584

318,026

     Investment securities

3,137,665

3,184,408

3,394,237

3,560,453

3,635,317

     Loans held for sale

12,069

12,547

15,420

11,856

5,531

     Loans and leases

       Commercial and industrial

3,543,475

3,422,381

3,443,615

3,469,683

3,456,681

       Lease financing

480,540

419,179

371,598

323,819

252,219

       Construction real estate

603,974

540,314

547,884

518,190

536,294

       Commercial real estate

4,101,238

4,060,733

4,024,798

4,050,946

4,017,021

       Residential real estate

1,336,749

1,320,670

1,260,249

1,181,053

1,115,889

       Home equity

765,410

750,925

735,251

726,333

728,185

       Installment

157,663

160,242

164,092

172,147

205,934

       Credit card

65,066

64,037

60,827

59,478

55,548

          Total loans

11,054,115

10,738,481

10,608,314

10,501,649

10,367,771

       Less:

          Allowance for credit losses

(143,950)

(149,398)

(150,297)

(145,578)

(136,419)

                Net loans

10,910,165

10,589,083

10,458,017

10,356,071

10,231,352

     Premises and equipment

198,482

194,435

194,228

190,583

190,346

     Operating leases

154,655

139,331

132,984

138,725

107,092

     Goodwill

1,006,477

1,005,870

1,005,844

1,005,791

1,005,713

     Other intangibles

84,109

85,101

87,427

89,878

92,587

     Accrued interest and other assets

1,044,826

1,151,349

1,065,389

1,063,587

1,138,311

       Total Assets

$  17,306,221

$ 17,124,955

$  16,951,389

$  16,968,055

$  16,942,999

LIABILITIES

     Deposits

       Interest-bearing demand

$   2,895,768

$   2,988,086

$   2,927,416

$   2,906,855

$   2,906,712

       Savings

4,399,768

4,235,658

3,919,590

3,749,902

3,818,807

       Time

2,813,880

2,611,075

2,446,854

2,393,707

2,131,707

          Total interest-bearing deposits

10,109,416

9,834,819

9,293,860

9,050,464

8,857,226

       Noninterest-bearing

3,169,750

3,368,024

3,493,305

3,663,419

3,954,915

          Total deposits

13,279,166

13,202,843

12,787,165

12,713,883

12,812,141

     Federal funds purchased and securities sold

          under agreements to repurchase

4,204

3,586

10,788

21,881

26,380

     FHLB short-term borrowings

646,187

554,826

878,199

1,028,207

925,144

     Other

146,127

185,221

175,682

132,088

139,195

          Total short-term borrowings

796,518

743,633

1,064,669

1,182,176

1,090,719

     Long-term debt

342,496

340,321

338,402

341,523

343,619

       Total borrowed funds

1,139,014

1,083,954

1,403,071

1,523,699

1,434,338

     Accrued interest and other liabilities

622,479

693,676

607,552

592,708

614,310

       Total Liabilities

15,040,659

14,980,473

14,797,788

14,830,290

14,860,789

SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

     Common stock

1,637,835

1,637,197

1,634,102

1,631,230

1,633,396

     Retained earnings

1,144,447

1,111,786

1,076,515

1,034,092

989,777

     Accumulated other comprehensive loss

(319,601)

(406,265)

(358,769)

(330,263)

(339,450)

     Treasury stock, at cost

(197,119)

(198,236)

(198,247)

(197,294)

(201,513)

       Total Shareholders’ Equity

2,265,562

2,144,482

2,153,601

2,137,765

2,082,210

       Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity

$  17,306,221

$ 17,124,955

$  16,951,389

$  16,968,055

$  16,942,999

FIRST FINANCIAL BANCORP.

NET INTEREST MARGIN RATE/VOLUME ANALYSIS

(Dollars in thousands)

(Unaudited)

 Quarterly Averages

March 31, 2024

December 31, 2023

March 31, 2023

Balance

Interest

Yield

Balance

Interest

Yield

Balance

Interest

Yield

Earning assets

    Investments:

      Investment securities

$  3,137,665

$    31,388

4.01 %

$  3,184,408

$    33,696

4.20 %

$  3,635,317

$      35,331

3.94 %

      Interest-bearing deposits with other banks

553,654

7,458

5.40 %

548,153

7,325

5.30 %

318,026

3,544

4.52 %

    Gross loans (1)

11,066,184

201,840

7.32 %

10,751,028

197,416

7.29 %

10,373,302

169,706

6.63 %

       Total earning assets

14,757,503

240,686

6.54 %

14,483,589

238,437

6.53 %

14,326,645

208,581

5.90 %

Nonearning assets

    Allowance for credit losses

(143,950)

(149,398)

(136,419)

    Cash and due from banks

204,119

214,678

218,724

    Accrued interest and other assets

2,488,549

2,576,086

2,534,049

       Total assets

$  17,306,221

$  17,124,955

$  16,942,999

Interest-bearing liabilities

    Deposits:

      Interest-bearing demand

$  2,895,768

$    14,892

2.06 %

$  2,988,086

$    14,480

1.92 %

$  2,906,712

$        6,604

0.92 %

      Savings

4,399,768

29,486

2.69 %

4,235,658

26,632

2.49 %

3,818,807

7,628

0.81 %

      Time

2,813,880

31,697

4.52 %

2,611,075

28,081

4.27 %

2,131,707

17,224

3.28 %

    Total interest-bearing deposits

10,109,416

76,075

3.02 %

9,834,819

69,193

2.79 %

8,857,226

31,456

1.44 %

    Borrowed funds

      Short-term borrowings

796,518

10,943

5.51 %

743,633

10,277

5.48 %

1,090,719

12,950

4.82 %

      Long-term debt

342,496

4,928

5.77 %

340,321

5,202

6.06 %

343,619

4,857

5.73 %

        Total borrowed funds

1,139,014

15,871

5.59 %

1,083,954

15,479

5.67 %

1,434,338

17,807

5.03 %

       Total interest-bearing liabilities

11,248,430

91,946

3.28 %

10,918,773

84,672

3.08 %

10,291,564

49,263

1.94 %

Noninterest-bearing liabilities

    Noninterest-bearing demand deposits

3,169,750

3,368,024

3,954,915

    Other liabilities

622,479

693,676

614,310

    Shareholders’ equity

2,265,562

2,144,482

2,082,210

       Total liabilities & shareholders’ equity

$  17,306,221

$  17,124,955

$  16,942,999

Net interest income

$    148,740

$    153,765

$    159,318

Net interest spread

3.26 %

3.45 %

3.96 %

Net interest margin

4.05 %

4.21 %

4.51 %

Tax equivalent adjustment

0.05 %

0.05 %

0.04 %

Net interest margin (fully tax equivalent)

4.10 %

4.26 %

4.55 %

(1) Loans held for sale and nonaccrual loans are included in gross loans.

FIRST FINANCIAL BANCORP.

NET INTEREST MARGIN RATE/VOLUME ANALYSIS  (1)

(Dollars in thousands)

(Unaudited)

 Linked Qtr. Income Variance

 Comparable Qtr. Income Variance

Rate

Volume

Total

Rate

Volume

Total

Earning assets

    Investment securities

$          (1,490)

$             (818)

$          (2,308)

$              636

$          (4,579)

$          (3,943)

    Interest-bearing deposits with other banks

140

(7)

133

693

3,221

3,914

    Gross loans (2)

831

3,593

4,424

17,417

14,717

32,134

       Total earning assets

(519)

2,768

2,249

18,746

13,359

32,105

Interest-bearing liabilities

    Total interest-bearing deposits

$           5,629

$            1,253

$           6,882

$          34,464

$          10,155

$          44,619

    Borrowed funds

    Short-term borrowings

52

614

666

1,870

(3,877)

(2,007)

    Long-term debt

(251)

(23)

(274)

33

38

71

       Total borrowed funds

(199)

591

392

1,903

(3,839)

(1,936)

       Total interest-bearing liabilities

5,430

1,844

7,274

36,367

6,316

42,683

          Net interest income (1)

$          (5,949)

$              924

$          (5,025)

$        (17,621)

$           7,043

$        (10,578)

(1) Not tax equivalent.

(2) Loans held for sale and nonaccrual loans are included in gross loans.

FIRST FINANCIAL BANCORP.

CREDIT QUALITY

(Dollars in thousands)

(Unaudited)

Mar. 31,

Dec. 31,

Sep. 30,

June 30,

Mar. 31,

2024

2023

2023

2023

2023

ALLOWANCE FOR CREDIT LOSS ACTIVITY

Balance at beginning of period

$  141,433

$  145,201

$  148,646

$  141,591

$  132,977

  Provision for credit losses

13,419

8,804

12,907

12,719

8,644

  Gross charge-offs

    Commercial and industrial

2,695

6,866

9,207

2,372

730

    Lease financing

3

4,244

76

90

13

    Construction real estate

0

0

0

0

0

    Commercial real estate

5,319

1

6,008

2,648

66

    Residential real estate

65

9

10

20

0

    Home equity

25

174

54

21

91

    Installment

2,236

2,054

1,349

1,515

1,524

    Credit card

794

363

319

274

217

      Total gross charge-offs

11,137

13,711

17,023

6,940

2,641

  Recoveries

    Commercial and industrial

162

459

335

631

109

    Lease financing

59

52

1

1

1

    Construction real estate

0

0

0

0

0

    Commercial real estate

38

93

39

153

2,238

    Residential real estate

24

24

44

113

66

    Home equity

80

178

125

232

80

    Installment

145

210

87

90

54

    Credit card

51

123

40

56

63

      Total recoveries

559

1,139

671

1,276

2,611

  Total net charge-offs

10,578

12,572

16,352

5,664

30

Ending allowance for credit losses

$  144,274

$  141,433

$  145,201

$  148,646

$  141,591

NET CHARGE-OFFS TO AVERAGE LOANS AND LEASES (ANNUALIZED)

  Commercial and industrial

0.29 %

0.74 %

1.02 %

0.20 %

0.07 %

  Lease financing

(0.05) %

3.97 %

0.08 %

0.11 %

0.02 %

  Construction real estate

0.00 %

0.00 %

0.00 %

0.00 %

0.00 %

  Commercial real estate

0.52 %

(0.01) %

0.59 %

0.25 %

(0.22) %

  Residential real estate

0.01 %

0.00 %

(0.01) %

(0.03) %

(0.02) %

  Home equity

(0.03) %

0.00 %

(0.04) %

(0.12) %

0.01 %

  Installment

5.33 %

4.57 %

3.05 %

3.32 %

2.89 %

  Credit card

4.59 %

1.49 %

1.82 %

1.47 %

1.12 %

     Total net charge-offs

0.38 %

0.46 %

0.61 %

0.22 %

0.00 %

COMPONENTS OF NONACCRUAL LOANS, NONPERFORMING ASSETS, AND UNDERPERFORMING ASSETS

  Nonaccrual loans

    Commercial and industrial

$    14,532

$    15,746

$    17,152

$    21,508

$    13,971

    Lease financing

3,794

3,610

7,731

4,833

175

    Construction real estate

0

0

0

0

0

    Commercial real estate

23,055

27,984

33,019

11,876

5,362

    Residential real estate

12,836

14,067

12,328

11,697

11,129

    Home equity

4,036

3,476

3,937

3,239

3,399

    Installment

984

870

774

568

544

      Total nonaccrual loans

59,237

65,753

74,941

53,721

34,580

  Other real estate owned (OREO)

161

106

142

281

191

     Total nonperforming assets

59,398

65,859

75,083

54,002

34,771

  Accruing loans past due 90 days or more

820

2,028

698

873

159

     Total underperforming assets

$    60,218

$    67,887

$    75,781

$    54,875

$    34,930

Total classified assets

$  162,348

$  140,995

$  140,552

$  138,909

$  158,984

CREDIT QUALITY RATIOS

Allowance for credit losses to

     Nonaccrual loans

243.55 %

215.10 %

193.75 %

276.70 %

409.46 %

     Total ending loans

1.29 %

1.29 %

1.36 %

1.41 %

1.36 %

Nonaccrual loans to total loans

0.53 %

0.60 %

0.70 %

0.51 %

0.33 %

Nonperforming assets to

     Ending loans, plus OREO

0.53 %

0.60 %

0.71 %

0.51 %

0.33 %

     Total assets

0.34 %

0.38 %

0.44 %

0.32 %

0.21 %

Nonperforming assets, excluding accruing TDRs to

     Ending loans, plus OREO

0.53 %

0.60 %

0.71 %

0.51 %

0.33 %

     Total assets

0.34 %

0.38 %

0.44 %

0.32 %

0.21 %

Classified assets to total assets

0.92 %

0.80 %

0.82 %

0.81 %

0.94 %

FIRST FINANCIAL BANCORP.

CAPITAL ADEQUACY

(Dollars in thousands, except per share data)

(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended,

Mar. 31,

Dec. 31,

Sep. 30,

June 30,

Mar. 31,

2024

2023

2023

2023

2023

PER COMMON SHARE

Market Price

  High

$        23.68

$        24.28

$        24.02

$        22.27

$        26.24

  Low

$        21.04

$        17.37

$        19.19

$        18.20

$        21.30

  Close

$        22.42

$        23.75

$        19.60

$        20.44

$        21.77

Average shares outstanding – basic

94,218,067

94,063,570

94,030,275

93,924,068

93,732,532

Average shares outstanding – diluted

95,183,998

95,126,316

95,126,269

95,169,348

94,960,158

Ending shares outstanding

95,473,595

95,141,244

95,117,180

95,185,483

95,190,406

Total shareholders’ equity

$  2,287,003

$  2,267,974

$  2,129,509

$  2,143,419

$  2,121,496

REGULATORY CAPITAL

Preliminary

Common equity tier 1 capital

$  1,582,113

$  1,568,815

$  1,527,793

$  1,481,913

$  1,432,332

Common equity tier 1 capital ratio

11.67 %

11.73 %

11.60 %

11.34 %

11.00 %

Tier 1 capital

$  1,626,899

$  1,613,480

$  1,572,248

$  1,526,362

$  1,476,734

Tier 1 ratio

12.00 %

12.06 %

11.94 %

11.68 %

11.34 %

Total capital

$  1,940,762

$  1,907,441

$  1,868,490

$  1,851,144

$  1,796,385

Total capital ratio

14.31 %

14.26 %

14.19 %

14.16 %

13.79 %

Total capital in excess of minimum requirement

$    516,704

$    503,152

$    485,580

$    478,911

$    428,700

Total risk-weighted assets

$  13,562,455

$  13,374,177

$  13,170,574

$  13,068,888

$  13,025,567

Leverage ratio

9.75 %

9.70 %

9.59 %

9.33 %

9.03 %

OTHER CAPITAL RATIOS

Ending shareholders’ equity to ending assets

12.99 %

12.94 %

12.49 %

12.54 %

12.53 %

Ending tangible shareholders’ equity to ending tangible assets (1)

7.23 %

7.17 %

6.50 %

6.56 %

6.47 %

Average shareholders’ equity to average assets

13.09 %

12.52 %

12.70 %

12.60 %

12.29 %

Average tangible shareholders’ equity to average tangible assets (1)

7.25 %

6.57 %

6.69 %

6.57 %

6.21 %

REPURCHASE PROGRAM (2)

Shares repurchased

0

0

0

0

0

Average share repurchase price

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Total cost of shares repurchased

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

(1) Non-GAAP measure.  For details on the calculation of these non-GAAP financial measures and a reconciliation to the GAAP financial measure, see the sections titled “Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures” in this release and “Appendix: Non-GAAP to GAAP Reconciliation” in the accompanying slide presentation.

(2) Represents share repurchases as part of publicly announced plans.

N/A = Not applicable

SOURCE First Financial Bancorp.


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