NBT Bancorp. Inc. NBTB

NORWICH, N.Y., Jan. 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NBT Bancorp Inc. (“NBT” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: NBTB) reported net income and diluted earnings per share for both the quarter and year ended December 31, 2020.

Net income for the year ended December 31, 2020 was $104.4 million, down 13.7% from $121.0 million for the prior year due primarily to higher provision for loan losses after the adoption of the Current Expected Credit Losses (“CECL”) accounting methodology and related to the deterioration of economic conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Diluted earnings per share for the year ended December 31, 2020 was $2.37, as compared with $2.74 for the prior year, a decrease of 13.5%. Excluding full year branch optimization charges of $4.8 million, net income and earnings per diluted share were $108.1 million and $2.46, respectively.

Pre-provision net revenue (“PPNR”)¹ for the year ended December 31, 2020 was $193.4 million compared to $182.1 million in the prior year. The 6% increase in PPNR from the prior year reflected higher net interest income, higher noninterest income and lower noninterest expense.

Net income for the three months ended December 31, 2020 was $34.2 million, or $0.78 per diluted common share. Net income was down $0.9 million from the previous quarter primarily due to branch optimization charges for the quarter of $4.1 million and up $5.2 million from the fourth quarter of 2019 due to higher net interest income and lower provision for loan losses, partly offset by the branch optimization charges. Excluding branch optimization charges for the quarter of $4.1 million, net income and earnings per diluted share were $37.4 million and $0.85, respectively.

PPNR¹ for the fourth quarter of 2020 was $48.2 million compared to $49.6 million in the previous quarter and $43.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2019. The 3% decline in PPNR from the previous quarter reflected higher operating expenses related to timing of initiatives, partly offset by higher net interest income.

CEO Comments

“NBT ended the year with active pipelines and building momentum. Our strong capital base provides us with the optionality we need to drive our growth in 2021,” said NBT President and CEO John H. Watt, Jr. “The strength of NBT’s pre-provision net revenue and our outsized noninterest income is reflected in our results for the full year and the fourth quarter of 2020. As we continue to navigate these challenging times and look to the future, our team is customer focused and committed to executing the critical strategies that will carry us forward.”

Fourth Quarter Financial Highlights

Loans

• Period end total loans were $7.5 billion at December 31, 2020 and $7.6 billion at September 30, compared to $7.1 billion at December 31, 2019.
• Total PPP loans as of December 31, 2020 were $431 million (net of unamortized fees), with $548 million originated at an average loan size of $184 thousand and an average annual fee of 3.2%.
• Excluding PPP loans, period end loans increased $22.0 million from September 30, 2020. Commercial and industrial loans decreased $29.7 million to $1.3 billion; commercial real estate loans increased $98.5 million to $2.4 billion; and total consumer loans decreased $46.8 million to $3.4 billion.
• Commercial line of credit utilization rate was 22% at December 31, 2020 compared to 25% at September 30, 2020 and 32% at December 31, 2019.

Deposits

• Average total deposits in the fourth quarter of 2020 were $9.1 billion, compared to $8.8 billion in the third quarter of 2020, primarily due to increases in non-interest bearing demand deposit accounts.
• Loan to deposit ratio was 82.6% at December 31, 2020, compared to 94.0% at December 31, 2019 and 84.4% at September 30, 2020.

Net Interest Income and Net Interest Margin

• Net interest income for the fourth quarter of 2020 was $80.1 million, up $2.2 million or 2.8% from the third quarter of 2020 and up $2.9 million or 3.8% from the fourth quarter of 2019.
• The net interest margin on a fully taxable equivalent (“FTE”) basis for the fourth quarter of 2020 was 3.20%, up 3 basis points (“bps”) from the third quarter of 2020 and down 32 bps from the fourth quarter of 2019. The net impact of PPP loans and excess liquidity negatively impacted the NIM by 8 bps in the fourth quarter versus a negative impact of 10 bps in the third quarter of 2020. Excluding the impact of PPP lending and excess liquidity from each quarter, NIM increased 1 bp from the prior quarter primarily due to a 5 bps decline in the cost of interest bearing liabilities and minimal reduction in asset yields during the quarter.
• Earning asset yields for the three months ended December 31, 2020 were up 1 bp from the prior quarter and down 67 bps from the same quarter in the prior year. Earning assets grew $159.3 million or 1.6% from the prior quarter and grew $1.2 billion or 14.3% from the same quarter in the prior year.
  • Excess liquidity resulted in a $74.9 million increase in the average balances of short-term interest bearing accounts.
  • The average balance of investment securities increased $111.4 million while yields declined 20 bps.
  • Loan yields increased 11 bps to 4.06% due primarily to the fees recognized due to $73 million in PPP loans forgiven during the quarter (7 bps) combined with a $45 million increase in the average balance of higher yielding consumer loans (9 bps).
• Total cost of deposits was 0.17% for the fourth quarter of 2020, down 2 bps from the prior quarter and down 36 bps from the same period in the prior year.
• The cost of interest-bearing liabilities for the three months ended December 31, 2020 was 0.40%, down as compared to the prior quarter of 0.45% and down 50 bps from the fourth quarter of 2019 of 0.90%.
  • Cost of interest-bearing deposits decreased 4 bps from the prior quarter and decreased 51 bps from the same quarter in 2019.

Credit Quality and Allowance for Credit Losses

• Net charge-offs to average loans were low due to COVID-19 pandemic relief programs for the quarter and 2020. Net charge-offs to total average loans were 23 bps for 2020 compared to 36 bps for 2019.
• Net charge-offs to total average loans of 21 bps (22 bps excluding PPP loans) compared to 12 bps (13 bps excluding PPP loans) in the prior quarter and 30 bps in the fourth quarter of 2019. The increase in charge-offs during the fourth quarter of 2020 was primarily due to higher charge-offs in commercial, indirect auto and specialty lending, but continue to be at lower levels due to pandemic relief programs.
• Nonperforming assets to total assets was 0.45% (0.47% excluding PPP loans) compared to 0.37% (0.39% excluding PPP loans) at September 30, 2020 and 0.31% at December 31, 2019. The change in nonperforming assets was primarily related to an increase in nonperforming commercial and residential real estate loans.
• Provision expense for the three months ended December 31, 2020 was ($0.6) million while net charge-offs of $3.9 million were up compared with the prior quarter. Provision expense decreased $3.9 million from the third quarter of 2020 and decreased $6.6 million from the fourth quarter of 2019. The decrease in provision expense from the prior quarter and fourth quarter of 2019 was primarily due to the $4.5 million reduction in the level of allowance for loan losses resulting from an improved economic forecast.
• The allowance for loan losses was $110.0 million or 1.47% (1.56% excluding PPP loans and related allowance) of total loans compared to 1.51% (1.62% excluding PPP loans and related allowance) at September 30, 2020 and 1.02% December 31, 2019. The allowance for loans losses was calculated under the CECL accounting method in 2020 and the incurred loss accounting method in 2019.
• As of January 19, 2021, 1.5% of loans (loans outstanding as of December 31, 2020; excluding PPP balances) are in payment deferral programs which is down from the second quarter 2020 peak of 14.9%.
• The reserve for unfunded loan commitments increased to $6.4 million at December 31, 2020 compared to the prior quarter at $5.5 million.

Noninterest Income

• Total noninterest income, excluding securities gains (losses), was $38.0 million for the three months ended December 31, 2020, up $0.3 million from the prior quarter and up $1.9 million from the prior year quarter.
• Service charges on deposit accounts were higher than the prior quarter but lower than the fourth quarter of 2019. Overdraft charges have been lower during the COVID-19 pandemic, recovering from the third quarter of 2020 but continue to run lower than prior year levels.
• ATM and debit card fees were lower compared to the prior quarter due to seasonality and higher compared to the fourth quarter of 2019 due to increased volume and higher per transaction rates.
• Retirement plan administration fees were lower than the prior quarter, as third quarter fees were higher due to seasonal revenues, and higher than the fourth quarter of 2019 due to the April 1, 2020 acquisition of Alliance Benefit Group of Illinois, Inc. (“ABG”) contributing $1.5 million in revenues during the fourth quarter and $1.7 million during the third quarter.
• The increase in other noninterest income from the prior quarter was driven by higher loan swap fee income partially offset by lower mortgage banking income. The decrease from the fourth quarter of 2019 was driven by lower loan swap fee income and lower mortgage banking income.

Noninterest Expense

• Total noninterest expense for the fourth quarter of 2020 was up 13.4% from the previous quarter and up 7.0% from the fourth quarter of 2019, primarily due to $4.1 million in branch optimization costs incurred during the fourth quarter of 2020. The branch optimization strategies charged in 2020 are expected to improve future operating expenses by about $2.5 million annually once fully implemented.
• Salaries and benefits increased from the prior quarter due to the timing of medical expenses and increased from the fourth quarter of 2019 driven by the addition of ABG’s salaries and benefits.
• Data processing and communication expense were down compared to the fourth quarter of 2019 due to lower transaction volumes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Professional fees and outside services were up $1.0 million compared to the prior quarter primarily due to the timing of expenses.
• Equipment expense was higher than both the prior quarter and the fourth quarter of 2019 due to higher technology costs associated with several digital upgrades.
• FDIC expense was higher than the fourth quarter of 2019 due to the benefit of the FDIC insurance assessment small bank credit in the fourth quarter of 2019.
• Other expenses increased compared to both the prior quarter and the fourth quarter of 2019 due to $4.1 million in branch optimization charges and a $0.9 million increase in the reserve for unfunded commitments.

Income Taxes

• The effective tax rate was 21.6% for the fourth quarter of 2020 compared to 23.8% for the third quarter of 2020 and 22.0% for the fourth quarter of 2019. The full year effective tax rate for 2020 was 21.6% compared to 22.1% for the full year in 2019.

Capital

• Capital ratios remain strong with tangible common equity to tangible assets¹ at 8.41%. Tangible book value per share² grew 2% from the prior quarter and 8% from the prior year quarter to $20.52.
• December 31, 2020 CET1 capital ratio of 11.84%, leverage ratio of 9.56% and total risk-based capital ratio of 15.62%.

Stock Repurchase Program

• At a meeting held today, the Board of Directors approved an increase to the total number of shares authorized under the current stock repurchase program to 2 million shares from 1 million shares, previously. There have been 263,507 shares repurchased under the plan. The stock repurchase plan expires on December 31, 2021.

Dividend

• The Board of Directors approved a first-quarter cash dividend of $0.27 per share at a meeting held today. The dividend will be paid on March 15, 2021 to shareholders of record as of March 1, 2021.

Conference Call and Webcast

The Company will host a conference call at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, January 28, 2021, to review fourth quarter 2020 financial results. The audio webcast link, along with the corresponding presentation slides, will be available on the Company’s Investor Relations web page at https://stockholderinfo.nbtbancorp.com/events-calendar/upcoming-events and will be archived for twelve months.

Corporate Overview

NBT Bancorp Inc. is a financial holding company headquartered in Norwich, NY, with total assets of $10.9 billion at December 31, 2020. The Company primarily operates through NBT Bank, N.A., a full-service community bank, and through two financial services companies. NBT Bank, N.A. has 141 banking locations in New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine, and is currently entering Connecticut. EPIC Retirement Plan Services, based in Rochester, NY, is a full-service 401(k) plan recordkeeping firm. NBT Insurance Agency, LLC, based in Norwich, NY, is a full-service insurance agency. More information about NBT and its divisions is available online at: www.nbtbancorp.com, www.nbtbank.com, www.epicrps.com and www.nbtinsurance.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements, as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may be identified by the use of phrases such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “expect,” “forecasts,” “projects,” “will,” “can,” “would,” “should,” “could,” “may,” or other similar terms. There are a number of factors, many of which are beyond the Company’s control that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements include, among others, the following possibilities: (1) local, regional, national and international economic conditions and the impact they may have on the Company and its customers and the Company’s assessment of that impact; (2) changes in the level of nonperforming assets and charge-offs; (3) changes in estimates of future reserve requirements based upon the periodic review thereof under relevant regulatory and accounting requirements; (4) the effects of and changes in trade and monetary and fiscal policies and laws, including the interest rate policies of the Federal Reserve Board (“FRB”); (5) inflation, interest rate, securities market and monetary fluctuations; (6) political instability; (7) acts of war or terrorism; (8) the timely development and acceptance of new products and services and perceived overall value of these products and services by users; (9) changes in consumer spending, borrowings and savings habits; (10) changes in the financial performance and/or condition of the Company’s borrowers; (11) technological changes; (12) acquisitions and integration of acquired businesses; (13) the ability to increase market share and control expenses; (14) changes in the competitive environment among financial holding companies; (15) the effect of changes in laws and regulations (including laws and regulations concerning taxes, banking, securities and insurance) with which the Company and its subsidiaries must comply, including those under the Dodd-Frank Act, Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, Consumer Protection Act of 2018, Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”), and regulatory pronouncements around CARES Act; (16) the effect of changes in accounting policies and practices, as may be adopted by the regulatory agencies, as well as the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) and other accounting standard setters; (17) changes in the Company’s organization, compensation and benefit plans; (18) the costs and effects of legal and regulatory developments including the resolution of legal proceedings or regulatory or other governmental inquiries and the results of regulatory examinations or reviews; (19) greater than expected costs or difficulties related to the integration of new products and lines of business; (20) 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; (21) the impact of a slowing U.S. economy and increased unemployment on the performance of our loan portfolio, the market value of our investment securities, the availability of sources of funding and the demand for our products; and (22) the Company’s success at managing the risks involved in the foregoing items.

Currently, one of the most significant factors that could cause actual outcomes to differ materially from the Company’s forward-looking statements is the potential adverse effect of the current COVID-19 pandemic on the financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and performance of the Company, its customers and the global economy and financial markets. The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic impacts the Company will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence, including the scope, severity and duration of the pandemic and its impact on the Company’s customers and demand for financial services, the actions governments, businesses and individuals take in response to the pandemic, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and actions taken in response to the pandemic on global and regional economies, national and local economic activity, and the pace of recovery when the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, among others. Moreover, investors are cautioned to interpret many of the risks identified under the section entitled “Risk Factors” in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and in our Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2020 as being heightened as a result of the ongoing and numerous adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made, and you are advised that various factors including, but not limited to, those described above and other factors discussed in the Company’s annual and quarterly reports previously filed with the SEC, could affect the Company’s financial performance and could cause the Company’s actual results or circumstances for future periods to differ materially from those anticipated or projected. Unless required by law, the Company does not undertake, and specifically disclaims any obligations to, publicly release any revisions that may be made to any forward-looking statements to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events or circumstances after the date of such statements.

Non-GAAP Measures

This press release contains financial information determined by methods other than in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). Where non-GAAP disclosures are used in this press release, a reconciliation to the comparable GAAP measure is provided in the accompanying tables. Management believes that these non-GAAP measures provide useful information that is important to an understanding of the financial results of NBT’s core business as well as provide information standard in the financial institution industry. Non-GAAP measures should not be considered a substitute for financial measures determined in accordance with GAAP and investors should consider NBT’s performance and financial condition as reported under GAAP and all other relevant information when assessing the performance or financial condition of NBT.