INDIANA, Pa., April 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Commonwealth Financial Corporation (NYSE: FCF) today announced financial results for the first quarter of 2023.

Financial Summary

⁽¹⁾   Core operating results are a non-GAAP measure used by management to measure performance in operating the business that management believes enhances investors' ability to better understand the underlying business performance and trends related to core business activities. A full reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures can be found at the end of the financial statements which accompany this release.
⁽²⁾   Reserve build/(release) represents the net change in the Company's allowance for credit losses (ACL) from the prior period.

First Quarter 2023 Highlights

Financial results

• Net income of $30.2 million and diluted earnings per share totaled $0.30, a decrease of $5.5 million, or $0.08 per share from the previous quarter. The results during the first quarter of 2023 included $19.2 million, or $0.15 per share, of merger-related expenses from the Company’s acquisition of Centric Financial Corporation (Centric).
  • Reported results included notable items related to the acquisition of Centric, including merger-related expenses of $8.5 million and impacts to provision for credit losses of $10.7 million
  • Acquired Centric loans and deposits totaled $949.2 million and $757.0 million, respectively, as of January 31, 2023, the date of acquisition
  • Average acquired Centric loans and deposits contributed $631.8 million and $441.9 million, respectively, for the first quarter of 2023
• Core pre-tax pre-provision net revenue (PPNR)⁽¹⁾ totaled $54.5 million, a decrease of $0.8 million from the previous quarter and an increase of $18.0 million from the first quarter of 2022, primarily as a result of an 82 basis point increase in the net interest margin (FTE) and a $878.2 million increase in average interest-earning assets
  • PPNR ROAA was 1.78% in the first quarter of 2023 as compared to 2.22% in the previous quarter
  • Core PPNR ROAA was 2.11% in the first quarter of 2023 as compared to 2.28% in the previous quarter
• Average deposits increased $713.4 million from the previous quarter, including $441.9 million in average deposits acquired from Centric. Average organic deposits grew $271.5 million, or 13.8% annualized from the previous quarter, including the transfer of $109.1 million of average off-balance sheet Trust deposits onto the Company’s balance sheet
  • End of period deposits (excluding acquired deposits) increased $472.5 million, or 23.9% annualized from the previous quarter
  • 83% of deposits were insured or secured as of March 31, 2023
    
• Total loans (excluding acquired loans) increased $64.8 million, or 3.4% annualized from the previous quarter
• Loan-to-deposit ratio decreased 175 basis points to 93.9% in the first quarter of 2023
  
  • Loans and available for sale (AFS) and held to maturity (HTM) securities as a percentage of total deposits decreased 396 basis points to 107.3%
• Record net interest income (FTE) of $94.7 million increased $6.3 million from the previous quarter and $26.2 million from the first quarter of 2022
• Noninterest income of $23.0 million decreased $1.3 million from the previous quarter primarily due to a $1.6 million gain on a limited partnership investment in the previous quarter
• Noninterest expense (excluding merger-related expense) of $62.8 million increased $5.8 million from the previous quarter due primarily to higher operating costs resulting from the Centric acquisition
• Total shareholder’s equity increased $172.9 million from the previous quarter due to $141.4 million in common equity issuance resulting from the Centric acquisition and a $13.1 million, or 9.5% increase in accumulated other comprehensive income (AOCI) resulting from the impact of lower interest rates on the fair value of the company’s available for sale investment portfolio and interest rate swap agreements.
  • Tangible book value per share increased $0.21, or 10.8% annualized from the previous quarter
  • AOCI as a percentage of tangible common equity decreased 377 basis points to 14.8% in the first quarter of 2023
    

Profitability

• The net interest margin of 4.01% increased 2 basis points compared to the prior quarter
  • The core net interest margin (adjusted for net purchase accounting marks) decreased 4 basis points to 3.94%
• The core efficiency ratio⁽¹⁾ increased by 241 basis points to 52.41% compared to the prior quarter
• The core ROAA increased 24 basis points to 1.75% compared to the prior quarter
• Core pre-tax pre-provision ROAA⁽¹⁾ for the quarter ended March 31, 2023 was 2.11% as compared to 2.28% in the prior quarter and 1.55% in the prior year quarter
  

Strong capital and liquidity positions

• Total available liquidity of $4.1 billion
  • Cash and AFS securities as a percentage of total assets increased 102 basis points to 10.6%
• On April 24, 2023, the Board of Directors authorized a 4.2% increase in the quarterly cash dividend to shareholders
• Bank-level Tier 1 Capital ratio of 10.9%, which represents $266.0 million in excess capital above the regulatory “well capitalized” requirement of 8.0%
• There were 21,342 shares repurchased at a weighted average price of $13.58. The remaining capacity under the current program was $5.6 million as of March 31, 2023. On April 24, 2023, the Board of Directors authorized a $25 million increase in the share repurchase program.
  

Asset quality

• The total provision for credit losses was $8.0 million, a decrease of $1.1 million from the previous quarter
  • Provision expense included $10.7 million related to day-1 non-Purchase Credit Deteriorated (PCD) loans resulting from the Centric acquisition
• Reserve build/(release)⁽²⁾ was $31.0 million primarily resulting from acquired loans, bringing reserves to total loans to 1.55% from 1.35% in the previous quarter
• Nonperforming loans of $44.2 million increased $8.7 million from the previous quarter and included $14.8 million of acquired loans on a nonaccrual status
• Net charge-offs on loans totaled $1.2 million, a decrease of $0.8 million from the previous quarter
  • Net charge-offs/(recoveries) as a percentage of average loans outstanding (annualized) was 0.06% in the first quarter of 2023, a decrease from 0.11% in the previous quarter

“I am pleased with our first quarter results, with organic deposit growth outstripping loan originations and a resilient net interest margin that overcame the most funding pressure we’ve seen since the Federal Reserve began raising rates in March of 2022,” stated T. Michael Price, President and Chief Executive Officer. “While our loan growth moderated in the first quarter, we believe our geographic expansion and the scaling of our de novo equipment finance business will help offset any slowdown in borrower demand,” Price continued, “We all received a healthy reminder this quarter of how important balance sheet management and appropriate risk oversight are to the banking industry. Our capital, liquidity and financial positions remain strong and we believe our granular, diversified core depository highlights the value of our franchise.”

Earnings

Net income for the first quarter of 2023 was $30.2 million, or $0.30 per share, compared to $35.7 million, or $0.38 per share in the fourth quarter of 2022 and $27.7 million, or $0.29 per share for the first quarter of 2022.

Net Interest Income and Net Interest Margin

Net interest income (FTE) of $94.7 million increased $6.3 million from the previous quarter and $26.2 million from the prior year quarter. The increase from the prior quarter was primarily due to an $803.0 million increase in average interest earning assets, which includes $637.6 million in average earning assets from the Centric acquisition.

The net interest margin for the first quarter of 2023 was 4.01%, an increase of two basis points from the previous quarter and an increase of 82 basis points from the first quarter of 2022. The increase from the fourth quarter of 2022 was due primarily to a six basis point increase in purchase accounting accretion and a 52 basis point increase in the yield on loans, offset by a 52 basis point increase in the cost of deposits.

Total average deposits (excluding acquired deposits) grew $271.5 million in the first quarter of 2023 as compared to the previous quarter. Average interest-bearing demand and savings deposits (excluding acquired deposits) grew $176.8 million and average time deposits (excluding acquired deposits) grew $282.4 million, which was partially offset by a $187.7 million decrease in average noninterest-bearing deposits (excluding acquired deposits).

Asset Quality

Provision expense in the first quarter of 2023 totaled $8.0 million and included $10.7 million of day-1 non-PCD provision expense resulting from the Centric acquisition. The decrease in the provision expense for the non-acquired portfolio was primarily the result of a decrease in unfunded commitment reserves related to decreases in construction commitments and lower loan originations as compared to the previous quarter.

The allowance for credit losses (ACL) as a percentage of end-of-period loans was 1.55% in the first quarter of 2023 as compared to 1.35% in the previous quarter.

At March 31, 2023, nonperforming loans totaled $44.2 million, an increase of $8.7 million from the previous quarter and an increase of $6.8 million from the previous year quarter. The increase from the prior quarters was primarily due to $14.8 million of nonperforming loans acquired from the Centric acquisition in the first quarter of 2023 and the adoption of ASU 2022-02 which removed $6.4 million of accruing troubled debt restructured (TDRs) in the prior quarter.

Nonperforming loans represented 0.51% of total loans as of March 31, 2023 as compared to 0.46% and 0.54% for the periods ended December 31, 2022 and March 31, 2022, respectively.

At March 31, 2023, criticized loans totaled $189.9 million, an increase of $57.0 million from the previous quarter. The increase from the previous quarter was primarily due to $70.2 million of criticized loans purchased in the Centric acquisition.

During the first quarter of 2023, net charge-offs/(recoveries) were $1.2 million, compared to $2.0 million in the prior quarter and $1.1 million in the first quarter of 2022. Net charge-offs were 0.06%, 0.11% and 0.07% of average loans (annualized) for the periods ended March 31, 2023, December 31, 2022 and March 31, 2022, respectively.

Noninterest Income and Noninterest Expense

Noninterest income totaled $23.0 million for the first quarter of 2023, as compared to $24.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2022 and $24.0 million for the first quarter of 2022. There were no material securities gains during the current or comparable quarters.

The $1.3 million decrease from the previous quarter was primarily driven by a $1.6 million gain on a limited partnership investment included in other revenue in the previous quarter and a $0.5 million decrease in swap fee income, partially offset by a $0.9 million increase in the gain on sale of Small Business Administration (SBA) loans.

Noninterest expense (excluding merger-related) totaled $62.8 million for the first quarter of 2023, as compared to $57.1 million for the fourth quarter of 2022 and $55.7 million for the first quarter of 2022. The $5.8 million increase from the previous quarter was primarily the result of a $2.6 million increase in salaries and benefits, a $0.7 million increase in FDIC insurance, a $0.6 million increase in occupancy expense, and a $0.6 million increase in advertising and promotion expenses. The increase in operating expenses was primarily driven by the Centric acquisition and an increase of 112 full time equivalent staff.

The core efficiency ratio was 52.41% during the first quarter of 2023 as compared to 50.00% in the previous quarter and 59.47% in the first quarter of 2022.

Full time equivalent staff was 1,536 at March 31, 2023, 1,424 at December 31, 2022, and 1,432 at March 31, 2022.

Dividends and Capital

First Commonwealth Financial Corporation declared a common stock quarterly dividend of $0.125 per share, which represents a 4.2% increase from the previous quarter. The cash dividend is payable on May 19, 2023 to shareholders of record as of May 5, 2023. This dividend represents a 4.2% projected annual yield utilizing the April 24, 2023 closing market price of $11.86.

First Commonwealth’s capital ratios for Total, Tier I, Leverage and Common Equity Tier I at March 31, 2023 were 13.8%, 11.5%, 10.2% and 10.8%, respectively. First Commonwealth’s current capital levels exceed the fully phased-in Basel III capital requirements issued by U.S. bank regulators.

Conference Call

First Commonwealth will host a quarterly conference call to discuss its financial results for the first quarter of 2023 on Wednesday, April 26, 2023 at 2:00 PM (ET). The call can be accessed by dialing (toll free) 1-888-330-3181 conference ID # 4651379 or through the company’s web page, http://www.fcbanking.com/InvestorRelations. A replay of the call will be available approximately one hour following the conclusion of the conference by dialing 1-800-770-2030 and entering the conference ID # 4651379. A link to the webcast replay will also be accessible on the company’s website for 30 days.

About First Commonwealth Financial Corporation

First Commonwealth Financial Corporation (NYSE: FCF), headquartered in Indiana, Pennsylvania, is a financial services company with 126 community banking offices in 30 counties throughout western and central Pennsylvania and throughout Ohio, as well as commercial lending operations in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Canton, Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati, Ohio. The company also operates mortgage offices in Wexford, Pennsylvania, as well as Hudson and Lewis Center, Ohio. First Commonwealth provides a full range of commercial banking, consumer banking, mortgage, equipment finance, wealth management and insurance products and services through its subsidiaries First Commonwealth Bank and First Commonwealth Insurance Agency.

For more information about First Commonwealth or to open an account today, please visit www.fcbanking.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this release that are not historical facts may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and are intended to be covered by the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, notwithstanding that such statements are not specifically identified as such. In addition, certain statements may be contained in our future filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, in press releases, and in oral and written statements made by us or with our approval that are not statements of historical fact and constitute “forward-looking statements” as well. These statements, which are based on certain assumptions and describe our future plans, strategies and expectations, can generally be identified by the use of words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “plan,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “estimate” or words of similar meaning. These forward-looking statements are subject to significant risks, assumptions and uncertainties, including uncertainties regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and could be affected by many factors, including, but not limited to: (1)economic, market, liquidity, credit, interest rate, operational and technological risks associated with the Company’s business; (2) future credit quality and performance, including our expectations regarding future loan losses and our allowance for credit losses; (3) 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; (4) management’s ability to effectively execute its business plans; (5) mergers and acquisitions, including costs or difficulties related to the integration of acquired companies; (6) the possibility that any of the anticipated benefits of acquisitions will not be realized or will not be realized within the expected time period; (7) the effect of changes in accounting policies and practices; (8) changes in consumer spending, borrowing and saving and changes in unemployment; (9) changes in customers’ performance and creditworthiness; (10) the costs and effects of litigation and of unexpected or adverse outcomes in such litigation; (11) 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; (12) 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; (13) 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; (14) 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; (15) 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; (16) the effect of a fall in stock market prices on our brokerage, asset and wealth management businesses; (17) 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; (18) the effect of changes in the level of checking or savings account deposits on our funding costs and net interest margin; (19) our ability to develop and execute effective business plans and strategies; and (20) other risks and uncertainties described in the reports that First Commonwealth files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K.

In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, you should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements in this release. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Media Relations:
Jonathan E. Longwill
Vice President / Communications and Media Relations
Phone: 724-463-6806
E-mail: [email protected]

Investor Relations:
Ryan M. Thomas
Vice President / Finance and Investor Relations
Phone: 724-463-1690
E-mail: [email protected]