UMB FINANCIAL CORP annual report, FY2011

UMB Financial Corporation — FY2011 Form 10-K

Reporting period: Fiscal year ended December 31, 2011. The filing also reports fourth-quarter results; the “2011 Q4” metadata does not change the 10-K’s full-year reporting period. UMB is a diversified financial holding company with banking, asset management, fund administration, trust, payment and other financial-services businesses, operating through three reportable segments.

Financial performance and position

MetricFY2011 / Dec. 31, 2011Prior comparable period
Net interest income$317.0 million$310.6 million in 2010; up 2.1%
Noninterest income$414.3 million$360.4 million in 2010; up 15.0%
Net interest income plus noninterest income$731.3 million$671.0 million in 2010
Provision for loan losses$22.2 million$31.5 million in 2010
Noninterest expense$562.7 million$512.6 million in 2010; up 9.8%
Income before income taxes$146.4 million$126.9 million in 2010
Net income; diluted EPS$106.5 million; $2.64$91.0 million; $2.26 in 2010
Net interest margin, tax-equivalent2.94%3.21% in 2010
Total assets$13.54 billion$12.40 billion at year-end 2010
Loans before allowance; deposits$4.96 billion; $10.17 billion$4.58 billion; $9.03 billion at year-end 2010
Shareholders’ equity$1.19 billion$1.06 billion at year-end 2010

Growth in fee-based business was a key earnings driver: trust and securities processing income increased 30.0% to $208.4 million, while bankcard fees rose 9.1% to $59.8 million. Salaries and benefits increased 10.3% to $294.8 million; intangible amortization rose 44.5% to $16.1 million. The 2011 results include a $7.8 million expense for an overdraft-fee class-action settlement.

Fourth quarter: Net income was $23.3 million, versus $19.0 million in Q4 2010 and $26.0 million in Q3 2011. Diluted EPS was $0.58, versus $0.47 in Q4 2010. Q4 net interest income was $79.5 million, loan-loss provision $5.0 million, noninterest income $97.8 million and noninterest expense $142.2 million.

Cash flow and funding: Operating cash flow was $213.0 million; investing activities used $722.4 million and financing activities provided $935.3 million. Cash and due from banks increased $426.0 million to $1.46 billion. Deposits are the principal funding source. At year-end, federal funds purchased and repurchase agreements totaled $1.95 billion; short-term debt was $12.0 million and long-term debt $6.5 million.

Capital and credit: The Company’s Tier 1 risk-based, total risk-based and leverage capital ratios were 11.20%, 12.20% and 6.71%, respectively. All four subsidiary banks were categorized as well-capitalized. The allowance for loan losses was $72.0 million, or 1.45% of loans, compared with $74.0 million, or 1.61%, a year earlier. Net charge-offs increased to $24.1 million from $21.7 million; nonperforming loans were $25.6 million, or 0.52% of loans, versus $25.1 million, or 0.55%.

Material changes versus 2010

  • Net income rose 17.0%; diluted EPS increased from $2.26 to $2.64.
  • Average earning assets increased 11.7%, supporting higher net interest income, but the tax-equivalent net interest margin declined 27 basis points as asset yields fell faster than funding costs.
  • Noninterest income growth, led by trust and securities processing, exceeded the increase in expenses. The lower loan-loss provision also supported earnings.
  • Loans grew 8.2%; deposits grew 12.6%. Noninterest-bearing demand deposits increased substantially, improving the funding mix.
  • Available-for-sale securities had a $128.0 million net unrealized gain at year-end, compared with $39.9 million in 2010; the after-tax amount was reflected in accumulated other comprehensive income.
  • Commercial Financial Services and Institutional Financial Services increased pretax income; Personal Financial Services pretax income declined 49.1% to $7.0 million.

Outlook, risks and unusual items

  • Management provided no specific earnings or revenue guidance. It described priorities of growing fee-based businesses and loans/deposits, improving efficiency, managing capital and delivering customer service.
  • Management warned that a prolonged low-rate environment could pressure interest income and margins. It estimated that about $1.4 billion of securities would receive principal repayments and be reinvested during 2012, including about $410 million in Q1. Its rate-simulation analysis projected higher net interest income under rising-rate scenarios; the filing did not provide a falling-rate estimate because rates were already low.
  • Credit risks include economic weakness, borrower repayment capacity and uncertainty in allowance estimates. The allowance declined while net charge-offs rose; management considered the reserve adequate but noted that future economic conditions could require changes.
  • Liquidity risks include reliance on core deposits and access to funding markets. About 89.1% of available-for-sale securities were pledged or used as collateral at year-end. Approximately $4.6 billion of commitments, contingencies and guarantees were disclosed; many credit commitments may expire unused.
  • Other material risks include interest-rate volatility, securities-market effects on asset-management fees, competition, regulation and Dodd-Frank implementation, operational and cybersecurity failures, litigation, and recruiting and retention costs.
  • The $7.8 million overdraft-fee settlement was finally approved in October 2011; the Company settled without admitting wrongdoing. The related suits were dismissed, and the appeal period for the settlement had passed.
  • Deloitte & Touche issued unqualified opinions on the financial statements and internal control over financial reporting. Management also concluded disclosure controls and internal controls were effective at year-end.

Important facts for investors to verify

  • Whether fee-income growth and acquisition-related contributions can continue, and how much ongoing expense and amortization they require.
  • Whether margin pressure persists as securities reprice and reinvest at lower yields, and how actual results compare with management’s rate sensitivity assumptions.
  • Credit trends behind the lower allowance ratio, including rising net charge-offs and the composition of nonperforming and restructured loans.
  • The liquidity and refinancing implications of repurchase funding, pledged securities, and the timing or drawdown of off-balance-sheet commitments.
  • The final effect of regulatory changes, including Dodd-Frank rules, on compliance costs, deposit insurance assessments and payment-related revenue.
  • Acquisition earn-out liabilities, reported at $72.0 million, and the assumptions underlying their fair-value estimates.