Average Deposit Growth, Loan Growth and Net Income All Reach Record Levels in 2015
- Net Income for the 2015 Fourth Quarter Reached a Record $103.0 Million, or $2.01 Diluted Earnings Per Share, An Increase of $21.6 Million, or 26.5 Percent, from $81.4 Million, or $1.60 Diluted Earnings Per Share Reported in the 2014 Fourth Quarter.
- Net Income for 2015 Reached a Record $373.1 Million, or $7.27 Diluted Earnings Per Share, Compared with $296.7 Million or $5.95 Diluted Earnings Per Share in 2014, Up $76.4 Million, or 25.7 Percent.
- Deposits in the Fourth Quarter Rose $162.6 Million to $26.77 Billion. Core Deposits Up $627.4 Million and Average Deposits Increased $1.00 Billion, or 3.8 Percent, in the 2015 Fourth Quarter.
- Deposits for 2015 Grew $4.15 Billion, or 18.4 Percent. Core Deposits Up $3.30 Billion, or 16.9 Percent. Average Deposits for 2015 at $25.29 Billion, Representing a Record Increase of $5.36 Billion, or 26.9 Percent, Versus $19.93 Billion in 2014.
- Loans Increased $1.56 Billion, or 7.0 Percent, to $23.79 Billion in the 2015 Fourth Quarter. Since Year-end 2014, Loans Increased a Record $5.93 Billion, or 33.2 Percent.
- Non-Accrual Loans Were $71.9 Million, or 0.30 Percent of Total Loans, at December 31, 2015, Versus $59.6 Million, or 0.27 Percent of Total Loans, at the End of the 2015 Third Quarter. Non-Accrual Loans at Year-end 2014 were $21.0 Million, or 0.12 Percent of Total Loans.
- Net Interest Margin Was 3.30 Percent for the 2015 Fourth Quarter, Compared with 3.22 Percent for the 2015 Third Quarter and 3.23 Percent for the 2014 Fourth Quarter.
- Core Net Interest Margin, Which Excludes Loan Prepayment Penalty Income, Increased Four Basis Points to 3.15 Percent for the 2015 Fourth Quarter, Compared with 3.11 Percent for the 2015 Third Quarter.
- Tier 1 Leverage, Common Equity Tier 1 Risk-Based, Tier 1 Risk-Based and Total Risk-Based Capital Ratios were 8.87 Percent, 11.33 Percent, 11.33 Percent and 12.10 Percent, Respectively, at December 31, 2015. Signature Bank Remains Significantly Above FDIC “Well-Capitalized” Standards. Tangible Common Equity Ratio was 8.65 Percent.
- For 2015, Five Private Client Banking Teams Joined. Also in 2015, Signature Financial Expanded With the Addition of Two New Business Lines – Municipal and Commercial Vehicle Finance.
NEW YORK … January 21, 2016 … Signature Bank (Nasdaq: SBNY), a New York-based full-service commercial bank, today announced results for its fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2015.
Net income for the 2015 fourth quarter reached a record $103.0 million, or $2.01 diluted earnings per share, compared with $81.4 million, or $1.60 diluted earnings per share, for the 2014 fourth quarter. The record net income for the 2015 fourth quarter, when compared with the same period last year, is primarily the result of an increase in net interest income, fueled by strong average deposit and loan growth. These factors were partially offset by an increase in non-interest expenses.
Net interest income for the 2015 fourth quarter rose $52.6 million, or 24.4 percent, to $268.3 million, compared with the fourth quarter of 2014. This increase is primarily due to growth in average interest-earning assets. Total assets reached $33.45 billion at December 31, 2015, expanding $6.13 billion, or 22.4 percent, from $27.32 billion at December 31, 2014. Average assets for the 2015 fourth quarter reached $32.72 billion, an increase of $5.85 billion, or 21.8 percent, versus the comparable period a year ago.
Deposits for the 2015 fourth quarter rose $162.6 million, or 0.6 percent, to $26.77 billion at December 31, 2015. Overall deposit growth in 2015 was 18.4 percent, or $4.15 billion, when compared with deposits at the end of 2014. Excluding short-term escrow and brokered deposits of $3.93 billion at year-end 2015 and $3.08 billion at year-end 2014, core deposits increased $3.30 billion, or 16.9 percent, in 2015. Average total deposits for 2015 were $25.29 billion, growing a record $5.36 billion, or 26.9 percent, versus average total deposits of $19.93 billion for 2014.
“2015 was another record year in which Signature Bank demonstrated its ability to deliver exemplary results. Once again, we set records across all of our key metrics, including deposits, loans and earnings, reporting our eighth consecutive year of record earnings. And, for the first time, the Bank earned more than $100 million in one quarter,” explained Joseph J. DePaolo, President and Chief Executive Officer.
“The care, attention and advocacy for the Bank’s clients — delivered by our committed colleagues — continue to draw rave client reviews while furthering our business development activities. We believe that once again in 2015, we have advanced the virtuous culture we carefully created; one where talented, caring colleagues – our real assets – provide clients exceptional service. During our nearly 15 years in operation, we built a strong franchise that boasts some of the highest returns on equity and assets nationwide, while growing at a phenomenal rate in both deposits and loans. This translates into a premium valuation for our shareholders, which continues to accrue. All this was accomplished without a single acquisition,” DePaolo said.
Signature Bank Chairman of the Board Scott A. Shay, noted: “As we reflect upon another year of records and firsts, in addition to delivering record-breaking performance, the Bank set another first when we earned a new rating from Kroll Bond Rating Agency, placing it among the top most creditworthy banks in their universe of covered U.S. banks.
“As we fast approach our 15-year anniversary in the spring of 2016, we recognize that while the nation has endured a financial crisis stemming from both a lack of trust and a lack of appropriate focus on basic credit standards and care for creditors, we have stood by our founding safety-first, client-centric philosophy for our depositors. Time and again, this has set Signature Bank apart. While the industry experiences tighter regulation and grapples with the advent of disruptive financial technology entrants seeking to take advantage of the changing nature of finance, more shifting is likely. For us, the more we re-emphasize our focus on safety first and foremost, the more confident we are that our depositors and shareholders will continue to flourish. We pledge to continue to stay true to our founding principles as the financial industry faces ongoing challenges.”
Capital
The Bank’s Tier 1 leverage, common equity Tier 1 risk-based, Tier 1 risk-based and total risk-based capital ratios were approximately 8.87 percent, 11.33 percent, 11.33 percent and 12.10 percent, respectively, as of December 31, 2015. Each of these ratios is well in excess of regulatory requirements. The Bank’s strong risk-based capital ratios reflect the relatively low risk profile of the Bank’s balance sheet. The Bank’s tangible common equity ratio remains strong at 8.65 percent. The Bank defines the tangible common equity ratio as the ratio of tangible common equity to adjusted tangible assets and calculates this ratio by dividing total consolidated common shareholders’ equity by consolidated total assets.
Net Interest Income
Net interest income for the 2015 fourth quarter was $268.3 million, up $52.6 million, or 24.4 percent, when compared with the same period last year, primarily due to growth in average interest-earning assets. Average interest-earning assets of $32.31 billion for the 2015 fourth quarter represent an increase of $5.80 billion, or 21.9 percent, from the 2014 fourth quarter. The yield on interest-earning assets for the 2015 fourth quarter remained stable, at 3.71 percent, compared to the fourth quarter of last year.
Average cost of deposits and average cost of funds for the 2015 fourth quarter decreased by six and seven basis points to 0.39 percent and 0.46 percent, respectively, versus the comparable period a year ago. These decreases were predominantly due to the continued effect of the prolonged low interest rate environment.
Net interest margin for the 2015 fourth quarter was 3.30 percent versus 3.23 percent reported in the 2014 fourth quarter and 3.22 percent in the 2015 third quarter. Excluding loan prepayment penalty income in both quarters, linked quarter core margin increased four basis points to 3.15 percent. The linked quarter increase in net interest margin and core net interest margin is attributable to an increase in loan prepayment penalty income and the deployment of excess cash balances.
Provision for Loan Losses
The Bank’s provision for loan losses for the fourth quarter of 2015 was $16.7 million, an increase of $9.1 million, or 119.2 percent, versus the 2014 fourth quarter. The increase was primarily due to an increase in loan growth and additional reserves for taxi medallion loans.
Net charge offs for the 2015 fourth quarter were $4.6 million, or 0.08 percent of average loans on an annualized basis, versus $5.5 million, or 0.10 percent, for the 2015 third quarter and net recoveries of $181,000, or 0.00 percent, for the 2014 fourth quarter.
Non-Interest Income and Non-Interest Expense
Non-interest income for the 2015 fourth quarter was $9.3 million, up $1.9 million from $7.4 million reported in the fourth quarter of last year. The increase is predominantly due to a decrease of $1.1 million in other losses from the amortization of low income housing tax credit investments.
Non-interest expense for the 2015 fourth quarter was $88.4 million, an increase of $12.5 million, or 16.4 percent, versus $76.0 million reported in the 2014 fourth quarter. The increase was primarily a result of new private client banking teams joining and our continued investment in Signature Financial, as well as an increase in costs in our risk management and compliance related activities.
The Bank’s efficiency ratio improved to 31.85 percent for the fourth quarter of 2015 compared with 34.1 percent for the same period a year ago. The improvement was primarily due to growth in net interest income.
Loans
Loans, excluding loans held for sale, expanded $1.56 billion, or 7.0 percent, during the 2015 fourth quarter to $23.79 billion, versus $22.23 billion at September 30, 2015. At December 31, 2015, loans accounted for 71.1 percent of total assets, compared with 69.6 percent at the end of the 2015 third quarter and 65.4 percent at the end of 2014. Average loans, excluding loans held for sale, reached $22.96 billion in the 2015 fourth quarter, growing $1.57 billion, or 7.4 percent, from the 2015 third quarter and $5.90 billion, or 34.6 percent, from the fourth quarter of 2014. The increase in loans for the quarter and the year was primarily driven by growth in commercial real estate and multi-family loans as well as specialty finance.
At December 31, 2015, non-accrual loans were $71.9 million, representing 0.30 percent of total loans and 0.21 percent of total assets, versus non-accrual loans of $59.6 million, or 0.27 percent of total loans, at September 30, 2015 and $21.0 million, or 0.12 percent of total loans, at December 31, 2014. At the end of the 2015 fourth quarter, the ratio of allowance for loan and lease losses to total loans was 0.82 percent, versus 0.82 percent at September 30, 2015 and 0.92 percent at December 31, 2014. Additionally, the ratio of allowance for loan and lease losses to non-accrual loans, or the coverage ratio, was 271 percent for the 2015 fourth quarter versus 307 percent for the 2015 third quarter and 783 percent for the 2014 fourth quarter.
Conference Call
Signature Bank’s management will host a conference call to review results of the 2015 fourth quarter and year-end on Thursday, January 21, 2016, at 10:00 AM ET. All participants should dial 866-359-8135 at least ten minutes prior to the start of the call and reference conference ID #28287526. International callers should dial 901-300-3484.
To hear a live web simulcast or to listen to the archived web cast following completion of the call, please visit the Bank’s web site at www.signatureny.com, click on “Investor Information”, then under “Company News,” select “Conference Calls,” to access the link to the call. To listen to a telephone replay of the conference call, please dial 800-585-8367 or 404-537-3406 and enter conference ID #28287526. The replay will be available from approximately 1:00 PM ET on Thursday, January 21, 2016 through 11:59 PM ET on Monday, January 25, 2016.
About Signature Bank
Signature Bank, member FDIC, is a New York-based full-service commercial bank with 29 private client offices throughout the New York metropolitan area, including those in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Westchester, Long Island, Queens, the Bronx, Staten Island and Connecticut. The Bank’s growing network of private client banking teams serves the needs of privately owned businesses, their owners and senior managers.
Signature Bank offers a wide variety of business and personal banking products and services. Its specialty finance subsidiary, Signature Financial, LLC, provides equipment finance and leasing. Signature Securities Group Corporation, a wholly owned Bank subsidiary, is a licensed broker-dealer, investment adviser and member FINRA/SIPC, offering investment, brokerage, asset management and insurance products and services.
Signature Bank ranked sixth on Forbes’ Best and Worst Banks in America 2016 list and ranked third on leading trade journal Bank Director‘s 2015 Bank Performance Scorecard for banks with assets between $5 and $50 billion.
For more information, please visit www.signatureny.com.
This press release and oral statements made from time to time by our representatives contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that are subject to risks and uncertainties. You should not place undue reliance on those statements because they are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties relating to our operations and business environment, all of which are difficult to predict and may be beyond our control. Forward-looking statements include information concerning our future results, interest rates and the interest rate environment, loan and deposit growth, loan performance, operations, new private client teams and other hires, new office openings and business strategy. These statements often include words such as “may,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “potential,” “opportunity,” “could,” “project,” “seek,” “should,” “will,” would,” “plan,” “estimate” or other similar expressions. As you consider forward-looking statements, you should understand that these statements are not guarantees of performance or results. They involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements and can change as a result of many possible events or factors, not all of which are known to us or in our control. These factors include but are not limited to: (i) prevailing economic conditions; (ii) changes in interest rates, loan demand, real estate values and competition, any of which can materially affect origination levels and gain on sale results in our business, as well as other aspects of our financial performance, including earnings on interest-bearing assets; (iii) the level of defaults, losses and prepayments on loans made by us, whether held in portfolio or sold in the whole loan secondary markets, which can materially affect charge-off levels and required credit loss reserve levels; (iv) changes in monetary and fiscal policies of the U.S. Government, including policies of the U.S. Treasury and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; (v) changes in the banking and other financial services regulatory environment and (vi) competition for qualified personnel and desirable office locations. Although we believe that these forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, beliefs and expectations, if a change occurs or our beliefs, assumptions and expectations were incorrect, our business, financial condition, liquidity or results of operations may vary materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements. Additional risks are described in our quarterly and annual reports filed with the FDIC. You should keep in mind that any forward-looking statements made by Signature Bank speak only as of the date on which they were made. New risks and uncertainties come up from time to time, and we cannot predict these events or how they may affect the Bank. Signature Bank has no duty to, and does not intend to, update or revise the forward-looking statements after the date on which they are made. In light of these risks and uncertainties, you should keep in mind that any forward-looking statement made in this release or elsewhere might not reflect actual results.