Hanmi Reports Third Quarter 2019 Results

2019 Third Quarter Highlights:      

• Net income of $12.4 million, or $0.40 per diluted share, up from $2.7 million, or $0.09 per diluted share for the prior quarter and down from $16.1 million or $0.50 per diluted share from the same quarter a year ago; second quarter net income included a $16.7 million provision for loan and lease losses arising from a $15.7 million specific allowance relating to a $40.7 million loan relationship.
• Loans and leases receivable stood at $4.57 billion at the end of the third quarter, compared with $4.56 billion at the end of the prior quarter, and $4.58 billion at the end of the third quarter of 2018; average loans and leases for the third quarter increased 2.5% on an annualized basis.
• Deposits were $4.69 billion at June 30, 2019, down 1.5% from the end of the prior quarter principally due to a decline in higher-costing time deposits; deposits were up 1.6% from $4.61 billion a year ago.
• Net interest income was $44.1 million, up 2.5% from the previous quarter benefitting from an improved net interest margin and one additional day in the quarter.
• Net interest margin improved to 3.36% compared with 3.30% for the previous quarter reflecting a four basis point decline in the cost of deposits and an improvement in the yield on interest earning assets.
• Noninterest income was $6.9 million, down from $7.7 million for the previous quarter; gains on sales of SBA loans were $1.8 million and $1.1 million, respectively; second quarter included gains on sales of securities of $0.6 million, and a gain on the sale of a branch building of $1.2 million.
• Noninterest expense was $32.6 million compared with $30.1 million for the second quarter reflecting elevated charges arising from the troubled loan relationship, the implementation of the new credit loss accounting standard and legal matters.
• Loan and lease loss provision of $1.6 million compared with $16.7 million for the second quarter; the ratio of the allowance to loans and leases ended the quarter at 1.11% compared with 1.08% at the end of the previous quarter.
• Third quarter return on average assets was 0.90% and return on average equity was 8.67%.

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 22, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hanmi Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: HAFC, or “Hanmi”), the parent company of Hanmi Bank (the “Bank”), today reported net income for the 2019 third quarter of $12.4 million, or $0.40 per diluted share, compared with $2.7 million, or $0.09 per diluted share for the 2019 second quarter and $16.1 million, or $0.50 per diluted share for the 2018 third quarter.

Bonnie Lee, President and Chief Executive Officer, said, “Hanmi’s third quarter results reflect the continuation of our strategy to protect net interest margin which has led to moderate growth in loans and leases. Our focus on demand deposits and emphasis on loan and lease yields accretive to our overall portfolio underscore this effort. In addition, SBA loan production was the highest in nearly two years and earnings in the quarter benefitted from rising premiums on the guaranteed portion of the SBA (7a) loans that we sold in the period.  Importantly, net interest margin expanded six basis points in the quarter due to a slight increase in loan yields and lower deposit costs driven by a favorable mix of lower time deposits and growth in non-interest bearing demand deposits.”

Ms. Lee concluded, “Notwithstanding the troubled loan relationship identified in the prior quarter, overall asset quality remains strong. Hanmi continues to maintain disciplined underwriting standards and we remain focused on originating high-quality, well-priced loans and leases.”

Quarterly Highlights
(In thousands, except per share data)

Results of Operations
Third quarter 2019 net interest income increased 2.5% to $44.1 million from $43.0 million in the 2019 second quarter, principally due to an increase of $1.1 million in interest and fees on loans and leases as a result of increased balances and one additional day in the period as well as a decrease in interest expense on interest bearing liabilities due to lower time deposit balances.  Third quarter loan prepayment penalties were $0.3 million compared with $0.1 million for the second quarter.

Net interest margin on a tax equivalent basis was 3.36% for the third quarter of 2019 compared with 3.30% for the second quarter of 2019. Net interest margin increased 6 basis points from the prior quarter primarily due to lower cost of deposits and an increase in interest-earning asset yields.

The average earning asset yield (tax equivalent) was 4.74% for the third quarter of 2019 compared with 4.72% for the second quarter of 2019. The two basis point increase was principally due to a higher level of loan and lease balances in average earning assets.

The cost of interest-bearing liabilities was 2.04% for the third quarter of 2019 compared with 2.06% for the second quarter of 2019. The two basis point decrease was primarily due to a 4.6% decrease in average interest-bearing deposits.

For the third quarter of 2019, the loan and lease loss provision was $1.6 million compared with $16.7 million for the preceding quarter. Net charge-offs were $0.3 million for the 2019 third quarter, compared with $0.2 million for the 2019 second quarter. The allowance to loans and leases increased to 1.11% at the end of the third quarter from 1.08% for the previous quarter.

Third quarter noninterest income decreased 11.2% to $6.9 million from the second quarter, primarily from the $1.2 million gain on sale of a branch building realized last quarter as well as the decrease of $0.6 million in gain on sales of securities from the second quarter sale of the Bank’s remaining portfolio of tax-exempt municipal bonds. These decreases were partially offset by a $0.7 million increase in gain on sale of SBA loans. Gains on sales of SBA loans were $1.8 million for the third quarter, up from $1.1 million for the preceding quarter. The volume of SBA loans sold for the 2019 third quarter and 2019 second quarter were $24.3 million and $15.4 million, respectively.

Noninterest expense for the third quarter increased 8.2% to $32.6 million from $30.1 million for the prior quarter primarily due to a $1.1 million increase in occupancy and equipment expense, a $0.8 million increase in professional fees and a $0.6 million increase in salaries and benefits expense. The increase in salary and benefits expense arose from an increase in incentive expense and personnel. Occupancy and equipment expense was driven by the second quarter reassessment and reduction of personal property tax expense, while the increase in professional fees reflects charges related to the reporting delay for the troubled loan relationship, expenses for CECL implementation and legal fees from the year-ago terminated merger transaction. Primarily as a result of higher noninterest expense, the efficiency ratio increased to 64.0% in the third quarter from 59.4% in the prior quarter.

Hanmi recorded a provision for income taxes of $4.3 million for the third quarter of 2019, representing an effective tax rate of 25.9% compared with $1.2 million, representing an effective tax rate of 31.5% for the second quarter of 2019. For the first nine months of 2019, the effective tax rate was 28.5%.

Financial Position
Total assets were $5.53 billion at September 30, 2019, a 0.3% increase from $5.51 billion at June 30, 2019.

Loans and leases receivable, before the allowance for loan and lease losses, were $4.57 billion at September 30, 2019, compared with $4.56 billion at June 30, 2019. Hanmi continued to emphasize growth in commercial loans and leases, while allowing residential mortgages to decline through amortization. Loans held for sale, representing the guaranteed portion of SBA loans, were $6.6 million at September 30, 2019 compared with $6.0 million at the end of the second quarter.

Loans and leases receivable, before the allowance for loan and lease losses, were $4.58 billion at September 30, 2018.

For the third quarter of 2019, commercial real estate loans as a percentage of loans and leases receivable decreased to 70.2% compared with 71.5% for the same period last year.

New loan and lease production in the 2019 third quarter was $217.5 million at an average rate of 5.54% while the average rate of the loans that paid off during the period was 5.15%.

Deposits decreased to $4.69 billion at the end of the 2019 third quarter from $4.76 billion at the end of the preceding quarter. The decrease reflects an 11.6% decline in time deposits offset by a 5.8% increase in noninterest-bearing demand deposits. The average loan-to-deposit ratio for the third quarter was 97.6% compared with 94.6% in the second quarter.

Deposits increased 1.6% from $4.61 billion at the end of the third quarter last year, as money market and savings deposits and non interest-bearing demand deposits increased 7.5% and 5.7%, respectively.

At September 30, 2019, stockholders’ equity was $574.5 million, compared with $564.5 million at June 30, 2019. Tangible common stockholders’ equity was $562.6 million, or 10.20% of tangible assets, compared with $552.4 million, or 10.04% of tangible assets at June 30, 2019. Tangible book value per share increased to $18.05 from $17.83 in the second quarter.

Hanmi continues to be well capitalized, with a preliminary Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 12.04% and a total risk-based capital ratio of 15.23% at September 30, 2019, versus 11.83% and 14.99%, respectively, at June 30, 2019.  

Hanmi declared a cash dividend of $0.24 per common share on its common stock in the 2019 third quarter. The dividend was paid on August 30, 2019, to stockholders of record as of the close of business on August 9, 2019.

Asset Quality
Loans and leases 30 to 89 days past due and still accruing were 0.18% of loans and leases at the end of the third quarter of 2019, compared with 0.25% at the end of the second quarter.

Classified loans were $80.7 million at September 30, 2019 compared with $75.7 million at the end of the second quarter, while special mention loans were $27.4 million at the end of the third quarter compared with $23.8 million at June 30, 2019.

Nonperforming loans and leases were $64.7 million at the end of the third quarter of 2019, or 1.42% of loans and leases compared with $63.0 million for the second quarter, or 1.38% of the portfolio.

Nonperforming assets were $65.1 million at the end of the third quarter of 2019, or 1.18% of assets, compared with $63.5 million, or 1.15% of assets, at the end of the prior quarter.

The troubled loan relationship identified in the 2019 second quarter, included in both the classified and nonaccrual categories, was $40.0 million at September 30, 2019, compared with $40.7 million at June 30, 2019. The decline reflects payments applied to the loans outstanding and the specific allowance remained unchanged at $15.7 million at the end of the third quarter. The $25.0 million commercial loan relationship previously identified in the 2019 first quarter declined to $2.1 million through payments; there were no charge-offs. The balance remaining at the end of the third quarter represents nonaccrual real estate secured loans expected to be paid-off from pending real estate sales.

Gross charge-offs for the third quarter of 2019 were $0.9 million compared with $1.5 million for the preceding quarter. Recoveries of previously charged-off loans and leases for the third quarter of 2019 were $0.6 million compared with $1.3 million for the preceding quarter. As a result, net charge-offs were $0.3 million for the third quarter of 2019, compared with $0.2 million for the second quarter of 2019. For the third and second quarters of 2019, net charge-offs were 0.02% of average loans and leases, respectively.

The allowance for loan and lease losses was $50.7 million as of September 30, 2019, generating an allowance for loan and lease losses to loans and leases of 1.11% compared with 1.08% in the prior quarter.

Conference Call                            
Management will host a conference call today, October 22, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. PT (5:00 p.m. ET) to discuss these results. This call will also be broadcast live via the internet. Investment professionals and all current and prospective stockholders are invited to access the live call by dialing 1-877-407-9039 before 2:00 p.m. PT, using access code HANMI. To listen to the call online, either live or archived, visit the Investor Relations page of Hanmi’s website at www.hanmi.com.

About Hanmi Financial Corporation
Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, Hanmi Financial Corporation owns Hanmi Bank, which serves multi-ethnic communities through its network of 35 full-service branches and 9 loan production offices in California, Texas, Illinois, Virginia, New Jersey, New York, Colorado, Washington and Georgia. Hanmi Bank specializes in real estate, commercial, SBA and trade finance lending to small and middle market businesses. Additional information is available at www.hanmi.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements, which are included in accordance with the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “expects,” “plans,” “intends,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential,” or “continue,” or the negative of such terms and other comparable terminology. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are “forward–looking statements” for purposes of federal and state securities laws, including, but not limited to, statements about anticipated future operating and financial performance, financial position and liquidity, business strategies, regulatory and competitive outlook, investment and expenditure plans, capital and financing needs and availability, plans and objectives of management for future operations, developments regarding our capital plans, strategic alternatives for a possible business combination, merger or sale transaction, and other similar forecasts and statements of expectation and statements of assumption underlying any of the foregoing. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to differ from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statement. These factors include the following: failure to maintain adequate levels of capital and liquidity to support our operations; the effect of potential future supervisory action against us or Hanmi Bank; our ability to remediate any material weakness in our internal controls over financial reporting; general economic and business conditions internationally, nationally and in those areas in which we operate; volatility and deterioration in the credit and equity markets; changes in consumer spending, borrowing and savings habits; availability of capital from private and government sources; demographic changes; competition for loans and deposits and failure to attract or retain loans and deposits; fluctuations in interest rates and a decline in the level of our interest rate spread; risks of natural disasters; a failure in or breach of our operational or security systems or infrastructure, including cyberattacks; the failure to maintain current technologies; inability to successfully implement future information technology enhancements; difficult business and economic conditions that can adversely affect our industry and business, including competition and lack of soundness of other financial institutions, fraudulent activity and negative publicity; risks associated with Small Business Administration loans; failure to attract or retain key employees; our ability to access cost-effective funding; fluctuations in real estate values; changes in accounting policies and practices; the imposition of tariffs or other domestic or international governmental policies impacting the value of the products of our borrowers; failure to attract or retain key employees; changes in governmental regulation, including, but not limited to, any increase in FDIC insurance premiums; ability of Hanmi Bank to make distributions to Hanmi Financial Corporation, which is restricted by certain factors, including Hanmi Bank’s retained earnings, net income, prior distributions made, and certain other financial tests; ability to identify a suitable strategic partner or to consummate a strategic transaction; adequacy of our allowance for loan and lease losses; credit quality and the effect of credit quality on our provision for loan and lease losses and allowance for loan and lease losses; changes in the financial performance and/or condition of our borrowers and the ability of our borrowers to perform under the terms of their loans and other terms of credit agreements; our ability to control expenses; changes in securities markets; and risks as it relates to cyber security against our information technology. In addition, we set forth certain risks in our reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including, Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K that we will file hereafter, which could cause actual results to differ from those projected. We undertake no obligation to update such forward-looking statements except as required by law.

Investor Contacts:
Romolo (Ron) Santarosa
Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
213-427-5636

Lasse Glassen
Investor Relations / Addo Investor Relations
310-829-5400

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