FS Bancorp, Inc. annual report, FY2013

FS Bancorp, Inc. — FY 2013 Form 10-K

Business context and reporting period

Annual report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013; it is not a Q4-only report. FS Bancorp is the holding company for 1st Security Bank of Washington, a community bank serving the Puget Sound region. The bank operates seven branches and focuses on consumer, commercial real estate, commercial business, construction, and mortgage banking.

Financial and operating results

MetricFY 2013 / Dec. 31, 2013Comparable 2012
Total assets$419.2 million$359.0 million
Deposits$336.9 million$288.9 million
Net loans receivable$281.1 million$274.9 million
Net interest income$19.6 million$16.4 million
Net interest margin5.33%5.43%
Noninterest income$8.9 million$6.2 million
Noninterest expense$20.4 million$16.5 million
Net income$3.9 million; diluted EPS $1.29$5.3 million; diluted EPS $1.76
Cash and cash equivalents$38.5 million$6.8 million
FHLB borrowings$16.7 million$6.8 million
Stockholders’ equity$62.3 million$59.9 million
  • Interest income rose 15.7% to $21.7 million; interest expense fell 7.8% to $2.2 million. Net interest income increased 19.1%, while margin declined 10 basis points.
  • Provision for loan losses was $2.2 million, down from $2.9 million. Net charge-offs were $1.8 million, or 0.63% of average loans, versus $2.6 million, or 1.03%, in 2012.
  • Nonperforming loans declined to $1.1 million (0.38% of gross loans) from $1.9 million (0.68%). Nonperforming assets were $3.2 million, or 0.77% of assets, versus $4.1 million, or 1.13%.
  • Allowance for loan losses was $5.1 million, 1.77% of gross loans and 462.5% of nonperforming loans. The bank’s regulatory capital ratios exceeded “well-capitalized” thresholds: total risk-based 16.64%, Tier 1 risk-based 15.38%, and Tier 1 leverage 12.61%.
  • The cash flow statement reports $6.1 million of operating cash inflow, $31.7 million of investing cash outflow, and $57.3 million of financing cash inflow, producing a $31.7 million increase in cash and cash equivalents.

Material changes versus 2012

  • Net income fell 26%, despite higher pretax income ($5.9 million versus $3.2 million), largely because 2012 included a $2.3 million net tax benefit from reversing substantially all of the deferred-tax valuation allowance. FY 2013 had a $2.0 million tax expense.
  • Total assets increased 16.8%; deposits rose 16.6%. Cash, securities, bank-owned life insurance, and loans held for sale also increased. The company purchased $6.0 million of bank-owned life insurance during the year.
  • Loan growth was modest overall, but portfolio mix shifted: real estate loans rose to $115.3 million from $97.8 million, while commercial business loans fell to $49.2 million from $73.5 million, mainly as warehouse-line utilization declined. Construction and development loans increased to $41.6 million from $31.9 million.
  • Mortgage loan sales and related gains expanded: gain on sale of loans rose to $6.4 million from $3.7 million. Noninterest expense rose 23.6%, including higher staffing, lending, occupancy, and public-company reporting costs; the efficiency ratio improved to 71.5% from 73.0%.
  • Mortgage originations for sale totaled $250.1 million; $241.0 million was sold. The serviced-loan portfolio grew to $243.0 million from $130.5 million.

Outlook, risks, contingencies, and unusual items

  • Management intends to diversify beyond consumer lending by developing commercial real estate, commercial business, residential construction, and mortgage banking, while maintaining its consumer lending franchise. It opened a Capitol Hill branch in 2013 and expected to add mortgage-banking staff in 2014; no specific acquisition was planned.
  • Key risks include the concentration of lending in the Puget Sound region; consumer loans at 42.7% of gross loans; reliance on indirect home-improvement lending, including three dealers generating 58.2% of that channel’s volume; and increasing commercial and construction exposures. California consumer loans were $16.8 million, subject to a stated cap of 20% of consumer loans.
  • Interest-rate, credit, liquidity, competition, regulatory, cybersecurity, third-party vendor, and execution risks are discussed. New Basel III capital rules were scheduled to begin in 2015, with the capital-conservation buffer phased in thereafter.
  • The company sold $9.3 million of marine loans in December 2013, recognizing a $166,000 pretax gain and recording a $35,000 recourse reserve through June 14, 2014. It also recorded a $217,000 reserve for possible repurchases or indemnification related to representations and warranties on loans sold.
  • A newly filed federal lawsuit arising from an alleged fraudulent $4.2 million deposit scheme sought substantial damages; the bank reported it had not been lawfully served and had not answered. A related state case had previously been dismissed with prejudice, and the appeal was dismissed. Management said ordinary-course legal claims were not expected to materially affect financial position.
  • Management reported effective disclosure controls and internal control over financial reporting. The independent auditor gave an unqualified opinion on the financial statements; the auditor was not engaged to opine on internal-control effectiveness.

Important facts for investors to verify

  • Reconcile the cash-flow narrative in MD&A, which describes operating activities as using $6.1 million, with the audited cash flow statement, which reports $6.1 million provided by operations.
  • Assess whether the 2013 earnings level is sustainable without the one-time 2012 deferred-tax valuation-allowance reversal, and monitor realization of the $816,000 deferred tax asset.
  • Review credit performance and allowance adequacy as commercial, construction, California, solar, and other newer or less-seasoned lending exposures grow.
  • Track mortgage banking gains, expenses, servicing-right valuations, loan-sale repurchase exposure, and warehouse lending as interest rates and refinancing volumes change.
  • Monitor deposit mix and maturities, brokered deposits ($16.9 million), FHLB advances, unused borrowing capacity, and the implications of new capital rules for dividends and growth.