Northeast Bank Reports Second Quarter Results, Including Record Purchases, And Declares Dividend

PORTLAND, Maine, Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Northeast Bank (the“Bank”) (NASDAQ: NBN), a Maine-based full-service bank, today reported net income of $11.3 million, or $1.54 per diluted common share, for the quarter ended December 31, 2022, compared to net income of $11.4 million, or $1.42 per diluted common share, for the quarter ended December 31, 2021. Net income for the six months ended December 31, 2022 was $19.6 million, or $2.65 per diluted common share, compared to $21.3 million, or $2.63 per diluted common share, for the six months ended December 31, 2021. Net income per diluted common share excluding correspondent fee income would be $1.48 and $0.90 for the three months ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, and $2.46 and $1.43 for the six months ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

The Board of Directors declared a cash dividend of $0.01 per share, payable on February 23, 2023, to shareholders of record as of February 9, 2023.

“Our second fiscal quarter represented a milestone for Northeast Bank,” said Rick Wayne, Chief Executive Officer.“Our National Lending Division generated a record $1.17 billion in purchases and originations for the quarter, growing the National Lending portfolio by $1.04 billion, or 74.4%, over September 30, 2022, and $1.21 billion, or 97.9%, over June 30, 2022. Our disciplined approach proved valuable, as we were able to deploy significant capital into purchased loans, poising the Bank for future success. The originated yield and purchased return for the quarter was 8.5% and 8.7%, respectively. Additionally, we approved and initiated an at-the-market offering of up to $50.0 million of our voting common stock, which provides the Bank with the ability to raise capital if and as needed. For the quarter, we earned $1.54 per diluted common share, a return on average equity of 17.5%, and a return on average assets of 2.1%.”

As of December 31, 2022, total assets were $2.81 billion, an increase of $1.23 billion, or 77.5%, from total assets of $1.58 billion as of June 30, 2022. The principal components of the changes in the balance sheet follow:

1. The following table highlights the changes in the loan portfolio for the three and six months ended December 31, 2022:

Loans generated by the Bank's National Lending Division for the quarter ended December 31, 2022 totaled $1.17 billion, which consisted of $998.5 million of purchased loans, at an average price of 86.6% of unpaid principal balance, and $174.0 million of originated loans.

An overview of the Bank's National Lending portfolio follows:

2. Deposits increased by $947.7 million, or 73.6%, from June 30, 2022, attributable to increases in time deposits of $951.1 million, or 747.1%, and savings and interest-bearing checking accounts of $140.1 million, or 23.9%, partially offset by a decrease in demand deposits of $145.5 million, or 44.2%. The significant increase in time deposits is primarily due to the increase in brokered time deposits, which increased to $843.3 million compared to none outstanding at June 30, 2022. The use of brokered time deposits was part of the Bank's strategy to fund the loan purchases for the short-term.

3. Shareholders' equity increased by $15.1 million, or 6.1%, from June 30, 2022, primarily due to net income of $19.6 million, stock-based compensation of $1.7 million and the issuance of 34 thousand shares of voting common stock, adding $1.1 million to shareholders' equity, net of issuance costs, partially offset by the repurchase of 136 thousand shares of voting common stock at a weighted average price per share of $37.99, which resulted in a $5.2 million decrease in shareholders' equity.

Net income decreased by $105 thousand to $11.3 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2022, compared to net income of $11.4 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2021.

1. Net interest and dividend income before provision for loan losses increased by $8.7 million to $28.8 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2022, compared to $20.1 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2021. The increase was primarily due to the following:

• An increase in interest income earned on loans of $16.0 million, primarily due to an increase in interest income earned on the National Lending Division's originated and purchased portfolios, due to higher average balances in both portfolios and higher rates earned on the originated portfolio, partially offset by lower rates earned on the purchased portfolio; and
• An increase in interest income earned on short-term investments of $1.6 million, due to higher rates earned, partially offset by lower average balances; partially offset by,
• An increase in deposit interest expense of $8.7 million, due to higher interest rates and higher average balances in interest-bearing deposits; and
• An increase in FHLB borrowings interest expense of $411 thousand, due to higher average balances.
  

The following table summarizes interest income and related yields recognized on the loan portfolios:

The components of total income on purchased loans are set forth in the table below entitled“Total Return on Purchased Loans.” When compared to the quarter ended December 31, 2021, regularly scheduled interest and accretion for the quarter ended December 31, 2022 increased by $5.4 million due to the increase in average balances and transactional income increased by $1.1 million. The total return on purchased loans for the quarter ended December 31, 2022 was 8.7%, a decrease from 9.0% for the quarter ended December 31, 2021. The following table details the total return on purchased loans:

(1) The total return on purchased loans represents scheduled accretion, accelerated accretion, gains on asset sales and gains on real estate owned recorded during the period divided by the average invested balance, which includes purchased loans held for sale, on an annualized basis. The total return does not include the effect of purchased loan charge-offs or recoveries in the quarter. Total return is considered a non-GAAP financial measure.

2. Provision (credit) for loan losses increased by $1.4 million to a provision of $325 thousand for the quarter ended December 31, 2022, from a credit of $1.1 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2021. The increase in the provision (credit) for loan losses reflects increases in the loan portfolio and increases in specific reserves during the quarter ended December 31, 2022, as compared to decreases in certain qualitative factors as a result of continued improvements relative to the COVID-19 pandemic and decreases in specific reserves during the quarter ended December 31, 2021.

3. Noninterest income decreased by $5.2 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2022, compared to the quarter ended December 31, 2021, primarily due to the following:

• A decrease in correspondent fee income of $5.4 million from the recognition of correspondent fees and net servicing income. Correspondent income for the quarters ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 is comprised of the following components:

The Bank has $491 thousand of unamortized correspondent fee and purchased accrued interest remaining. This decrease was offset by:

• An increase in fees for other customers of $199 thousand, primarily due to increased commercial loan servicing fees during the quarter ended December 31, 2022.
  

4. Noninterest expense increased by $2.5 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2022 compared to the quarter ended December 31, 2021, primarily due to the following:

• An increase in salaries and employee benefits expense of $1.0 million, primarily due to increases in regular employee compensation, stock compensation, and bonus expense;
• An increase in loan expense of $538 thousand, due to an increase in correspondent expense;
• An increase in occupancy and equipment expense of $336 thousand, primarily due to expenses associated with the new lease of office space in Boston, Massachusetts; and
• An increase in other noninterest expense of $325 thousand, primarily due to an increase in deposit expense of $179 thousand, primarily from increased excess deposit insurance costs and debit card expense, and an increase in meals and entertainment expense of $142 thousand.
  

5. Income tax expense decreased by $301 thousand to $4.7 million, or an effective tax rate of 29.5%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2022, compared to $5.0 million, or an effective tax rate of 30.6%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2021. The decrease was primarily due to lower pre-tax income, which decreased by $406 thousand during the quarter ended December 31, 2022 compared to the quarter ended December 31, 2021. The decrease in effective tax rate was primarily due to $673 thousand of tax benefits arising from the exercise of stock options and restricted stock vests during the quarter ended December 31, 2022, as compared to only $44 thousand of tax benefits in the quarter ended December 31, 2021, which reduced the effective tax rate from 33.7% to 29.5%.

As of December 31, 2022, nonperforming assets totaled $12.9 million, or 0.46% of total assets, as compared to $12.9 million, or 0.82% of total assets, as of June 30, 2022.

As of December 31, 2022, past due loans totaled $18.5 million, or 0.74% of total loans, as compared to past due loans totaling $7.0 million, or 0.53% of total loans as of June 30, 2022. The increase was primarily due to twenty-three National Lending Division purchased loans totaling $11.5 million that were past due at December 31, 2022 but not at June 30, 2022.

As of December 31, 2022, the Bank's Tier 1 leverage capital ratio was 12.5%, compared to 16.1% at June 30, 2022, and the Total capital ratio was 11.1% at December 31, 2022, compared to 19.5% at June 30, 2022. Capital ratios were primarily affected by increased earnings and increased assets, primarily loans.

Investor Call Information
Rick Wayne, Chief Executive Officer, Jean-Pierre Lapointe, Chief Financial Officer, and Pat Dignan, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, will host a conference call to discuss second quarter earnings and business outlook at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, January 26 th . To access the conference call by phone, please go to this link (phone registration ), and you will be provided with dial in details. The call will be available via live webcast, which can be viewed by accessing the Bank's website at and clicking on the About Us - Investor Relations section. To listen to the webcast, attendees are encouraged to visit the website at least fifteen minutes early to register, download and install any necessary audio software. Please note there will also be a slide presentation that will accompany the webcast. For those who cannot listen to the live broadcast, a replay will be available online for one year at .

About Northeast Bank
Northeast Bank (NASDAQ: NBN) is a full-service bank headquartered in Portland, Maine. We offer personal and business banking services to the Maine market via seven banking centers. Our National Lending Division purchases and originates commercial loans on a nationwide basis. ableBanking, a division of Northeast Bank, offers online savings products to consumers nationwide. Information regarding Northeast Bank can be found at .

Non-GAAP Financial Measures
In addition to results presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), this press release contains certain non-GAAP financial measures, including tangible common shareholders' equity, tangible book value per share, total return on purchased loans, efficiency ratio, and net interest margin excluding collection account. The Bank's management believes that the supplemental non-GAAP information is utilized by regulators and market analysts to evaluate a company's financial condition and therefore, such information is useful to investors. These disclosures should not be viewed as a substitute for financial results determined in accordance with GAAP, nor are they necessarily comparable to non-GAAP performance measures that may be presented by other companies. Because non-GAAP financial measures are not standardized, it may not be possible to compare these financial measures with other companies' non-GAAP financial measures having the same or similar names.

Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this press release that are not historical facts are 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, and are intended to be covered by the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We may also make forward-looking statements in other documents we file with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the“FDIC”), in our annual reports to our shareholders, in press releases and other written materials, and in oral statements made by our officers, directors or employees. You can identify forward-looking statements by the use of the words“believe,”“expect,”“anticipate,”“intend,”“estimate,”“assume,”“outlook,”“will,”“should,” and other expressions that predict or indicate future events and trends and which do not relate to historical matters. Although the Bank believes that these forward-looking statements are based on reasonable estimates and assumptions, they are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors. You should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. You should exercise caution in interpreting and relying on forward-looking statements because they are subject to significant risks, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond the Bank's control. The Bank's actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of, among other factors, changes in general business and economic conditions on a national basis and in the local markets in which the Bank operates, including changes which adversely affect borrowers' ability to service and repay our loans; changes in customer behavior due to political, business and economic conditions, including inflation; turbulence in the capital and debt markets; reductions in net interest income resulting from interest rate volatility as well as changes in the balances and mix of loans and deposits; changes in interest rates and real estate values; changes in loan collectability, increases in defaults and charge-off rates; decreases in the value of securities and other assets, adequacy of loan loss reserves, or deposit levels necessitating increased borrowing to fund loans and investments; changing government regulation; competitive pressures from other financial institutions; changes in legislation or regulation and accounting principles, policies and guidelines; cybersecurity incidents, fraud, natural disasters, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and future pandemics; the risk that the Bank may not be successful in the implementation of its business strategy; the risk that intangibles recorded in the Bank's financial statements will become impaired; reputational risk relating to our participation in the Paycheck Protection Program and other pandemic-related legislative and regulatory initiatives and programs; changes in assumptions used in making such forward-looking statements; and the other risks and uncertainties detailed in the Bank's Annual Report on Form 10-K and updated by our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other filings submitted to the FDIC. These statements speak only as of the date of this release and the Bank does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any of these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this communication or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

NBN-F

(1) Interest income and yield are stated on a fully tax-equivalent basis using the statutory tax rate.
(2) Includes loans held for sale.
(3) Nonaccrual loans are included in the computation of average, but unpaid interest has not been included for purposes of determining interest income.
(4) Short-term investments include FHLB overnight deposits and other interest-bearing deposits.
(5) Net interest margin is calculated as net interest income divided by total interest-earning assets.
(6) Cost of funds is calculated as total interest expense divided by total interest-bearing liabilities plus demand deposits and escrow accounts.

(1) Interest income and yield are stated on a fully tax-equivalent basis using the statutory tax rate.
(2) Includes loans held for sale.
(3) Nonaccrual loans are included in the computation of average, but unpaid interest has not been included for purposes of determining interest income.
(4) Short-term investments include FHLB overnight deposits and other interest-bearing deposits.
(5) Net interest margin is calculated as net interest income divided by total interest-earning assets.
(6) Cost of funds is calculated as total interest expense divided by total interest-bearing liabilities plus demand deposits and escrow accounts.

(1) The net interest rate spread represents the difference between the weighted-average yield on interest-earning assets and the weighted-average cost of interest-bearing liabilities for the period.
(2) The net interest margin represents net interest income as a percent of average interest-earning assets for the period
(3) Net interest margin excluding collection account removes the effects of the cash held by the Bank from the correspondent's collection account in short-term investments, which had an average balance of $25.4 million, $99.2 million, $175.2 million, $244.0 million, and $287.7 million and earned $233 thousand, $514 thousand, $362 thousand, $60 thousand, and $73 thousand in interest income for the quarters ended December 31, 2022, September 30, 2022, June 30, 2022, March 31, 2022, and December 31, 2021, respectively.
(4) The efficiency ratio represents noninterest expense divided by the sum of net interest income (before provision for loan losses) plus noninterest income.
(5) For purposes of calculating this ratio, commercial real estate includes all non-owner occupied commercial real estate loans defined as such by regulatory guidance, including all land development and construction loans. Beginning with the quarter ended December 31, 2022 and going forward, the Bank removed this internal policy limit (previously 500%).
(6) During the quarter ended June 30, 2022, the Bank changed its internal policy limit to calculate based on deposits, not core deposits (non-maturity deposits and maturity deposits less than $250 thousand). Ratios as of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 reflect loans to core deposits. Beginning with the quarter ended December 31, 2022 and going forward, the Bank removed this internal policy limit (previously 125%).
(7) Beginning with the quarter ended December 31, 2022 and going forward, the Bank removed this internal policy limit (previously 60%).
(8) Includes the loan servicing rights asset. Beginning with the quarter ended December 31, 2022 and going forward, the Bank no longer excludes the loan servicing rights asset from tangible common shareholders' equity.
(9) Tangible book value per share represents total shareholders' equity less the sum of preferred stock and intangible assets divided by common shares outstanding.

For More Information:
Jean-Pierre Lapointe, Chief Financial Officer
Northeast Bank, 27 Pearl Street, Portland, ME 04101
207.786.3245 ext. 3220

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