REPUBLIC BANCORP INC quarterly report, Q2 FY2015

Republic Bancorp, Inc. — Q2 2015 Form 10-Q

Reporting period: Quarter and six months ended June 30, 2015. Republic Bancorp is a Kentucky-based bank holding company operating traditional banking, warehouse lending, mortgage banking and Republic Processing Group (RPG). Unless otherwise noted, dollar amounts below are in millions.

Financial performance

MetricQ2 2015Q2 2014Six months 2015Six months 2014
Net interest income$31.1$27.6$60.1$54.9
Provision for loan losses$0.9$0.7$1.1($0.01) credit
Noninterest income$9.5$9.1$32.5$29.8
Noninterest expense$27.2$26.3$58.2$56.5
Net income$8.3$6.3$22.1$18.3
Diluted EPS, Class A / Class B$0.40 / $0.36$0.30 / $0.29$1.07 / $0.97$0.88 / $0.85
Net interest margin3.32%3.35%3.23%3.29%
Net cash from operating activities—$18.8$18.9
Net cash used in investing activities—($295.2)($179.0)
Net cash from financing activities—$296.2$73.5

Financial position and liquidity

  • At June 30, total assets were $4.07 billion, up from $3.75 billion at December 31, 2014. Gross loans rose 9% to $3.32 billion; deposits increased 11% to $2.28 billion.
  • Cash and cash equivalents were $92.8 million, versus $72.9 million at year-end. Stockholders’ equity was $573.0 million, compared with $558.7 million.
  • Total liabilities were $3.49 billion. FHLB advances were $916.5 million, up from $707.5 million; repurchase agreements and other short-term borrowings fell to $229.8 million from $356.1 million. Subordinated notes remained $41.2 million.
  • The loan-to-deposit ratio, excluding brokered deposits, was 157%. The Bank reported $254 million of additional FHLB borrowing capacity and $166 million in unsecured lines. It also reported $387 million in overnight FHLB advances.
  • Regulatory capital remained above well-capitalized requirements. At June 30, the Bank’s total risk-based capital ratio was 16.42%, common equity Tier 1 ratio 15.57%, and Tier 1 leverage ratio 11.81%. The filing says Basel III rules became applicable in 2015.

Material changes and asset quality

  • Q2 net income grew 32% year over year; first-half net income rose 21%. Growth in net interest income was supported by loan expansion, particularly warehouse lending, partly offset by lower asset yields and margin compression.
  • Warehouse loans increased to $488.9 million from $319.4 million at year-end; commitments reached $645 million and average utilization was 64% in Q2 versus 47% a year earlier. Management cited mortgage-market activity and low long-term rates, alongside competitive pricing pressure.
  • Mortgage banking income was $1.2 million in Q2, up 51%; first-half income rose 99% to $2.6 million. Secondary-market loan sale proceeds were $54 million in Q2 and $94 million for the first half.
  • RPG first-half net refund transfer fees increased to $17.2 million from $16.2 million, with refund-transfer volume up 39%. Q2 RPG earnings also benefited from a $450,000 reversal of accrued TRS incentive compensation.
  • The allowance for loan and lease losses was $25.2 million, or 0.76% of loans. Nonperforming loans were $24.6 million (0.74% of loans), versus $23.7 million and 0.78% at year-end. Delinquencies fell to 0.34% from 0.52%; other real estate owned declined to $2.9 million from $11.2 million.
  • Impaired loans were $76.4 million, down from $86.2 million. Troubled debt restructurings totaled $61.0 million; $15.9 million were on nonaccrual. Management considered the allowance adequate, while noting higher provision related in part to revised expected lives for retail TDRs.

Outlook, risks and unusual items

  • Management expects downward repricing of earning assets to continue to pressure net interest income and margins; it provided no specific earnings or revenue guidance. It estimated approximately $1.0 million of accretion income on acquired-loan discounts for the remainder of 2015.
  • TRS is seasonal, generating substantially all revenue in the first half and historically operating at a loss in the second half. Management said future TRS earnings depend heavily on volume growth because competition and contract terms are pressuring refund-transfer margins; it did not expect a near-term reversal in that margin trend.
  • Approximately $24 million of deposit growth was short-term tax-refund float expected to leave the Bank in Q3. Large depositor concentration, reliance on FHLB and brokered funding, and a high loan-to-deposit ratio are liquidity considerations.
  • The Bank reported $746.9 million of off-balance-sheet commitments, including unused warehouse and home-equity lines, other loan commitments, loan purchase commitments and standby letters of credit. These may create funding needs; warehouse balances can fluctuate with mortgage-market activity.
  • The Company was considering whether to redeem its $40 million trust preferred securities at par beginning October 2015, extend their fixed-rate period using a swap, or allow them to float at a spread to three-month LIBOR. No final decision was disclosed.
  • Interest-rate risk, credit quality, mortgage-market conditions, competition, regulatory changes, cyber risks and tax-refund product performance are among the disclosed risks. The company reported ordinary-course legal proceedings but no known matter expected to materially adversely affect its business or financial position.
  • Other notable items: an $88,000 gain on the call of an available-for-sale security; continued OREO write-downs; and a new 2015 stock incentive plan approved by shareholders.

Important facts for investors to verify

  • Whether loan and deposit growth can continue without further margin compression, and how the mix of warehouse, correspondent and commercial lending evolves.
  • Whether TRS volume growth offsets lower refund-transfer margins and the expected seasonal second-half loss.
  • Credit trends and reserve adequacy, especially nonperforming residential and commercial real estate loans, TDR performance, and collateral valuations.
  • Liquidity and funding composition, including the departure of tax-refund float, large depositor concentration, brokered deposits and overnight FHLB advances.
  • The Company’s decision on the trust preferred securities and its impact on funding costs and capital.
  • Actual results versus management’s interest-rate sensitivity model; the filing’s upward-rate scenarios are estimates and do not constitute earnings guidance.