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Customers Bancorp, Inc. (CUBI)·Q1 2025 Earnings Summary

Executive Summary

  • Core results were strong despite GAAP noise: normalized EPS (S&P “Primary EPS”) was $1.54 versus $1.30 consensus (beat), while GAAP diluted EPS was $0.29 due to a $51.3M securities impairment tied to a balance sheet repositioning to fund loan growth and de‑risk the portfolio . Primary EPS consensus and actual from S&P Global; see Estimates Context.*
  • Net interest margin expanded 2 bps to 3.13% as average deposit costs fell 25 bps to 2.82%; deposit remix and new team wins remain the key earnings lever into 2H25 .
  • Credit stayed solid (NPAs/Assets 0.26%, Reserves/NPLs 324%), but provision rose to $28.3M on modest macro model softening and loan growth; net charge‑offs were $17.1M (0.48% annualized) .
  • Management reaffirmed 2025 guide (loan growth 7–10% with bias to high end; NII +3–7% or +6–10% normalized; core efficiency low‑mid 50s; CET1 ~11.5%) and does not expect further securities repositioning .
  • Potential stock catalysts: sustained NIM/NII expansion from lower funding costs, deposit pipeline (> $2B) and team adds, plus clarity that repositioning is complete; watch credit provisioning cadence and digital-asset (cubiX) noninterest-bearing flows .

What Went Well and What Went Wrong

  • What Went Well

    • Deposit franchise transformation: total cost of deposits down 25 bps QoQ to 2.82%; noninterest-bearing remained ~29% of deposits; management cites >$2B low-cost pipeline and continued remix .
    • Margin and core profitability: NIM rose to 3.13% (+2 bps QoQ); core EPS $1.54; core efficiency ratio improved to 52.69% as operational excellence delivered ~$30M annual run‑rate impact (>$20M target) .
    • Prudent capital/liquidity and credit: CET1 11.7%, TCE/TA 7.7%; immediately available liquidity covers ~155% of uninsured deposits; NPAs/Assets 0.26% and Reserves/NPLs 324% .
  • What Went Wrong

    • GAAP earnings volatility: $51.3M AFS impairment and higher provision reduced GAAP EPS to $0.29; noninterest income was a loss of $24.5M in Q1 (driven by the impairment) .
    • Provision higher QoQ/YoY: total provision for credit losses $28.3M (loans $21.4M; AFS $6.9M), reflecting macro model softening and loan growth .
    • Slight uptick in NPAs: NPAs/Assets rose 1 bp QoQ to 0.26%; NCO ratio increased to 0.48% (from 0.41% in Q4), largely within recent ranges .

Financial Results

Quarterly trends (oldest → newest):

MetricQ1 2024Q4 2024Q1 2025
GAAP Diluted EPS ($)1.40 0.71 0.29
Core EPS – diluted ($)1.42 1.36 1.54
Net Interest Income ($M)160.4 167.8 167.4
Revenue (S&P “Revenue” $M)164.546*146.236*114.659*
Provision for Credit Losses ($M)17.07 21.19 28.30
Noninterest Income ($M)21.23 (0.39) (24.49)
NIM (tax‑equiv. %)3.10% 3.11% 3.13%
Avg Cost of Deposits (%)3.45% 3.07% 2.82%
Core Efficiency Ratio (%)54.24% 56.12% 52.69%

Estimates comparison (S&P Global):

MetricQ1 2025 EstimateQ1 2025 Actual
Primary EPS (S&P normalized) ($)1.299*1.540*
Revenue (S&P “Revenue”) ($M)165.123*114.659*
EPS – # of Estimates7*
Revenue – # of Estimates6*

Values marked with * retrieved from S&P Global.

Explanatory note: S&P “Revenue” for banks is typically defined as net interest income after provision plus noninterest income; Q1’25 “actual” of $114.659M aligns with $139.149M NII after provision plus $(24.490)M noninterest income .

Segment/Balance mix:

Deposits ($M)Q1 2024Q4 2024Q1 2025
Demand, noninterest‑bearing4,688.9 5,608.3 5,552.6
Demand, interest‑bearing5,661.8 5,553.7 5,138.0
Savings2,080.4 1,131.8 1,327.9
Money Market3,347.8 3,844.5 4,057.5
Time2,182.5 2,708.2 2,857.0
Total Deposits17,961.4 18,846.5 18,932.9
Loans HFI ($M)Q1 2024Q4 2024Q1 2025
Specialized Lending (C&I)5,104.4 5,842.4 6,070.1
Other C&I1,113.5 1,062.6 1,062.9
Mortgage Finance1,071.1 1,440.8 1,477.9
Multifamily2,123.7 2,252.2 2,322.1
CRE Owner‑Occupied806.3 1,100.9 1,139.1
CRE Non‑Owner‑Occupied1,182.1 1,359.1 1,438.9
Construction185.6 147.2 154.6
Consumer (incl. Installment)1,312.5 1,243.3 1,394.7
Total HFI12,899.2 14,448.8 15,060.4

KPIs and capital:

KPIQ1 2024Q4 2024Q1 2025
NPAs / Total Assets0.17% 0.25% 0.26%
NPLs / Loans0.27% 0.30% 0.29%
Reserves / NPLs373.86% 316.06% 324.22%
Net Charge‑offs ($M)17.97 14.61 17.14
NCO Ratio (annualized)0.55% 0.41% 0.48%
CET1 (Bancorp)12.6% 12.1% 11.7%
TCE / TA7.3% 7.6% 7.7%
TBV / share ($)49.18 54.08 54.74

Guidance Changes

MetricPeriodPrevious Guidance (Q4’24)Current (Q1’25)Change
Loan GrowthFY 2025~7%–10% Reaffirmed with bias to high end Raised bias
Deposit GrowthFY 2025~5%–9% Reaffirmed (focus on remix) Maintained
Net Interest Income GrowthFY 2025+3%–7% reported; +6%–10% normalized Reaffirmed (drivers on both sides of balance sheet) Maintained
Core Efficiency RatioFY 2025Low‑mid 50s On track (52.7% in Q1) Tracking
CET1 TargetFY 2025~11.5% Reaffirmed (Q1 at 11.7%) Maintained
Effective Tax RateFY 202522%–25% Reaffirmed Maintained
Securities RepositioningNear‑termExecuted Q4’24 No additional actions expected Clarified complete

Earnings Call Themes & Trends

TopicQ3 2024 (Q‑2)Q4 2024 (Q‑1)Q1 2025 (Current)Trend
Deposit remix & costBuilding momentum on lowering funding costs (context) Avg cost down 39 bps; NIBs to ~30% Avg cost down another 25 bps; >$2B pipeline; new teams key Improving
NIM/NII driversLiability-side led NIM expansion expected NIM +5 bps QoQ; interest expense down NIM +2 bps; further expense reduction is key lever Steady expansion
Loan growthDiversified, deposit‑led growth; avg loan ~$6M +19% annualized; CRE self‑funded growth +12% annualized; backlog strong; bias to high end of guide Above peer pace
Risk mgmt investmentsElevated professional services, ramping Peak spend; tapering through mid‑year Tapering; platform upgrades continue Normalizing
Securities actionsReduced lower‑yielding, extend duration Repositioned ~$480M; reinvest higher yield $51.3M impairment sale; no more expected Completed
Digital assets (cubiX)Platform transition; fee ramp Fees ~$2M in Q4; NIB inflows NIBs 100% non‑interest bearing; ~$1% industry liquidity share Scaled, stable

Management Commentary

  • “Our deposit remix efforts…[drove] a 25 basis point reduction in our total cost of deposits during the quarter…Non-interest bearing deposits remained at a healthy level of 29.3% of total deposits” – Jay Sidhu, Chairman & CEO .
  • “We again delivered over $600 million of HFI loan growth…diversified, strategic and aligned with our franchise building model…with more than a 4% net spread between loans and deposits” – Sam Sidhu, President & CEO (bank) .
  • “The primary driver [of NIM improvement] was a significant reduction in interest expense…helped offset a decline in loan yields from lower benchmark rates” – Phil Watkins, CFO .

Q&A Highlights

  • Deposit mix dynamics: New teams delivered “over $250M” of NIB inflows, offset by ~$300M lower cubiX balances; average NIB balances up QoQ .
  • Securities repositioning complete: Sold corporates (~45%), CLOs and non‑agency CMBS (~40%), unrated privates (~15%); remaining corporates largely IG, CMBS agency‑backed; no further actions planned .
  • CRE capacity: Concentration well below peers (<200%); deposit‑led CRE growth earns ~4.4% net spread .
  • Fee income and tech spend: Treasury management fees on cubiX at a “pretty good run rate” with tech spend largely behind .
  • cubiX deposits: 100% non‑interest‑bearing; management welcomes industry participation but sees durable lead due to network/tech/capabilities .

Estimates Context

  • EPS: S&P “Primary EPS” $1.54 vs $1.30 consensus (beat), reflecting core profitability strength despite GAAP impairment charge; Q4’24 also beat ($1.36 vs $1.20) while Q1’24 was below higher prior‑year comp ($1.42 vs $1.63) [GetEstimates].*
  • Revenue: S&P “Revenue” $114.7M vs $165.1M consensus (miss), primarily due to (i) $51.3M AFS impairment booked in noninterest income and (ii) higher provision; S&P revenue for banks includes provision and noninterest income . Values retrieved from S&P Global.*

Implications: Expect upward revisions to core NII/NIM trajectory (funding cost tailwinds) but models may carry higher expected provisions near‑term; GAAP/normalized bridges should emphasize that securities repositioning is done and was strategic .

Key Takeaways for Investors

  • Core earnings power intact and improving: NIM expansion and deposit remix provide a visible path to sustained NII growth even with an uncertain rate path .
  • Loan growth outperformance is deposit‑led and diversified; guidance biased to high end with strong backlog and small average ticket sizes .
  • Balance sheet repositioning is complete; GAAP volatility should fade with mix shift to higher‑yielding loans/securities and lower funding costs .
  • Credit quality remains a differentiator (low NPAs, strong reserves/NPLs), though provision may remain constructive given growth and macro inputs .
  • Capital and liquidity provide flexibility (CET1 11.7%; liquidity covers ~155% of uninsured deposits), supporting organic growth and franchise wins .
  • Watch list: provisioning cadence, consumer installment NCOs, digital-asset NIB balance variability, and further efficiency gains as risk‑management spend normalizes .
  • Near‑term trading: EPS beat on normalized basis vs consensus is supportive; GAAP miss optics tied to one‑off impairment could create entry volatility; narrative hinges on continued NIM/NII delivery and confirmation of no further restructuring [GetEstimates]* .

Additional context: Customers Bank highlighted a top‑tier Net Promoter Score (73) and Forbes “America’s Best Banks” recognition, reinforcing the franchise and client‑service positioning .

Footnote: Values marked with * are retrieved from S&P Global (consensus/actuals from GetEstimates).